//------------------------------// // Setting things in Motion // Story: A Queen's Perspective - Correspondence // by gerandakis //------------------------------// Dear Twilight, the Friendship Games are really getting into everyone's heads right now. It sounds like today Flash, Micro and Sandal got into a bit of a weird place. They had Luna asking them to design a banner to welcome the students from CPA. From what Flash told us they got into a bit of a spat and started painting over one another. Then Luna came in and started talking about their work 'flowing together harmoniously'. Not what they planned, but whatever works I guess. Too bad that they got stuck making more of the banners then. Flash seemed rather tired when he told us. Not surprising after painting banners all afternoon, I guess Sunset Dear Sunset, it really sounds like everyone is getting in the mood for the games. I just hope that rivalry thing doesn't get in the way. But that does sound like Luna, sometimes she doesn't quite understand things. Of course she's a princess (or a vice-principal on your side) so few ever try to correct her. Too bad really, she's usually very reasonable about it. Take care, Twilight Dear Sunset, I just got a letter from Rainbow. She came back from The Line yesterday. Unfortunately things didn't go too well. It sounds like her squad came across a chaos spawn called a lava hound. (It's exactly what it sounds like.) She and one recruit got away with some burns and bruises. The rest of her squad were less fortunate. I know it's hard, I've lost a few of my children before, industrial accidents mainly. Only a few so far, luckily, but it still hurts. Now I know they weren't Rainbow's kids, but they were her squadmates and her friends.I think what's really getting to her though is that they were under her command, her responsibility. Too bad she can't hold a Day of Mourning for them. She wrote that she'll have some leave after her tour of duty is done and she'll come visit the hive, I'll be able to talk to her face to face then. Until then, who knows. I'll see if I can't find some other way to help her, maybe I'll try getting in touch with Spitfire. She's bound to have some experience on the subject. Twilight Dear Twilight, that's horrible, I hope she's doing okay. Give her condolences from me and the girls. They took it rather hard as well. (Rarity and Fluttershy actually fainted this time, and the rest of us didn't do much better. I've never seen Pinkie that down before.) That being said, what exactly is a Day of Mourning? I don't think you ever mentioned that. Best wishes, to you and Rainbow, Sunset Dear Sunset, thank you for your well wishes. It really means a lot. To answer your question, the day of mourning is a tradition Queen Yumia started. For now I could handle grieving for every drone I lost, but when the time comes that the first of my children die from old age, I'd pretty much be grieving constantly and, callous as it may sound, a queen can't afford to get bogged down like that. Hence we save our grief for the Day of Mourning. The ceremony takes several hours and is held in a linkscape, a recreation of The Gateway, the mythical way into the Silver City (the changeling equivalent of Elysium). Essentially it's a ceremonial sendoff to the Silver City. It's a sad event but it's surprisingly therapeutic. Few things provide as much catharsis to a grieving mother as a grieving hivemind. I would explain it if I could, but I can't. The feeling is beyond comparison. Again, thank you, all of you, Twilight Dear Twilight, I'd say I understand, but I really don't and I don't think I ever will. But that's okay, I suppose. Nothing that can be done about it. Anyways the tension before the games has risen further. Now it's affecting the girls as well. Pinkie and Rainbow got up to some mischief today. I guess they were still a bit shaken after yesterday's ... revelation. I really can't think of any other reason for them to think that spying on CPA's PE practice was even a remotely good idea. Apparently most of what happened there consisted of Pinkie very much not being stealthy but not being noticed, probably by virtue of being Pinkie Pie. It all ended with Rainbow getting so annoyed that she yelled something along the lines of "IT MEANS BEING QUIET!", which, of course, got everyone's attention. After that they made a rather quick exit, at least from what they told me. At this point I really just want these games to finally happen. Sure I'm looking forward to them too, but recently everyone has been going a bit loopy. Sunset Dear Sunset, I don't think I'll be teaching that technique to any of my spies. (Sure we're going the Equestrian way most of the time, but a changeling hive without spies is a rather absurd concept. And even Equestria has secret agencies.) I really hope everyone calms down after the games are over. In other news, Rainbow finished her tour of duty and arrived yesterday. She also brought along a letter from Spitfire. Apparently she sat Rainbow down and had a talk with her. She seems better. I don't know what Spitfire told her, the letter didn't say, and I sure won't ask her. At any rate, I hope she can get over it. Twilight Dear Sunset, well, the day has come, a few hours ago the S.G.C.V. Ashes of the Phoenix launched. Now there's still a few shakedown cruises and fine calibrations to do, but it won't be long before she is fully ready to do her job. Mother has notified the home guard to call in a Summit to decide over the right to my crown and a few days from now Rarity will arrive here as well. Assuming everything goes to plan, I'll set out to found my own hive very soon. I'll keep you updated, Twilight Dear Twilight, congratulations, I was wondering when that ship would be ready. Sounds like things are coming together for you. After what you told me I'm still kinda worried about the whole summit thing, I trust those other queens about as far as I can throw them. (without using telekinesis, that is). Give my greetings to Rainbow and to Rarity when she arrives, Sunset Dear Sunset, well, it's happened. We just got a letter from Ponyville. Pinkie has a foal. More specifically a colt. She named him Pie Slice. Spike sent the letter personally. Meanwhile things are moving along in the jungle. The Homeguard has announced that Queen Silandrus set the Summit to be held five days from now. I'll agree with you, things are coming together. The Phoenix is tested, calibrated and loaded up, a flying hive that I can take straight to the summit and beyond. We have plans and back-up plans in place. Rarity and Rainbow love the Phoenix. (In fact, Rarity's first reaction to the Phoenix was not unlike her first reaction to Stripped gear, if a little more subdued) I'm actually getting rather excited about it, Twilight Dear Twilight, give my congratulations to Pinkie, she was rather quick, wasn't she? Then again, it's Pinkie Pie, what do I expect? The girls and I give our congratulations to Pinkie and wish you good luck for the Summit. Sunset Dear Sunset, well, it's done. I am now an officially recognized Queen. Of course the other queens managed to attach a stipulation to that. They voted to give me my queen status immediately and give me the mission to find our original homeland and bring back artefacts. For that purpose, We'll begin our expedition into the Ebony Castle tomorrow. Let's hope we find those archives. The moment I came back aboard the Phoenix I basically landed in the middle of a party. Now there is one thing that the other queens don't know, they would of course assume that me going out on my own to found my own hive would mean that I'd separate my half of the hivemind from mother's. That is not the case but neither one of us really sees any reason to correct the others on that little misconception. Your now officially crowned friend, Queen Twilight Sparkle Dear Twilight, that's wonderful. Congratulations from all of us. Now I'm very intrigued what you'll find in that castle. Hoping all goes well on your expedition, Sunset Dear Sunset, I'll try to keep my emotions in check for this letter. In short, this could have gone better. As it turns out, rather than an archive, the Ebony Castle has something called the Chamber of Chitin. This place had some extreme defensive measures. First of all, a pure blooded changeling couldn't even see the chamber, my children and I only could because we are hybrids. To the home guard and to Ratchet the chamber was entirely invisible until we managed to nullify that specific enchantment. The problematic part was that the real security system was a brain imprint in a crystal, made of an ancient queen named Tia'vil'yet. First she tried to take control of my children and myself. I was fully immune and it seems intelligent drones are rather difficult to dominate, especially 20 at once. But she was able to paralyze them so I had no other choice but to temporarily make them psychically deaf. That way neither me nor her could control them. At first she thought I was being stupid, but, again, she failed to adjust for intelligent drones. Unfortunately she could easily control the Home guard. The whole thing turned into a battle. In the end I managed to short out her barriers using a bullet as a conduit (the chamber was older than the techniques to combine physical and magical wards into one.) and knock her off of the pedestal that was feeding her from a leyline, thus breaking her hold on the home guard. I lost four of my children in that battle and quite a few more were injured, Including Captain Thoran of the Home Guard, apparently Aegis thought shooting him in the leg with a pistol was included in 'non-lethal' means to subdue them. But we did find some things. It seems many of the records in the chamber were kept on chitin plates. (Hence the name, I'd assume.) One of those records spoke of some interesting things. A 'lone spire' with 'crystal caves', 'equid' 'sun worshipers' appearing after a 'sudden cold' ... All that leads me to one conclusion, and it is amusingly ironic. We'll see if you draw the same conclusion, Twilight Dear Twilight, I'm sorry for your loss, I would say more on that, but the fact of the matter is that I can't. I have no idea what it's like. Now to your findings. Call me crazy but equid sun worshippers after a sudden cold, that sounds a lot like the story of Hearth’s Warming Eve to me. And crystal caves in a lone spire. If that isn't a description of Canterlot, I don't know what is. I can see the irony. And again, I'm sorry, Sunset Dear Sunset, yes that was my conclusion as well. In fact, in the time it took your answer to arrive we have departed the jungles and held the Day of Mourning. We'll arrive in Canterlot airspace around noon today. I just hope we won't give too many ponies in Canterlot flashbacks of the invasion four years ago. We'll see what we can find in the mines below the city. Twilight Dear Twilight, say, did something happen to Rainbow on your end? Because during first term Rainbow on our end suddenly started turning purple for no discernible reason. It stopped after her head was purple but we have no idea of how that happened. Did anything happen on your end? Sunset Dear Sunset, this is highly fascinating. this could mean our worlds really are more closely connected than we thought. Yes, these changes were caused this side of the mirror. Aegis found a circlet that apparently managed to take a template of her. After Rainbow put it on, she started changing to match the template. Once we figured out what was happening, I took the circlet off her and the changes stopped immediately. On this end, Rainbow is now partially a changeling. We have no way to revert these changes in the immediate future, so I'm afraid both Rainbows will have to live with this for a while, Twilight