Act Three: Reformation
Chapter III - Big News
===<Golden Oaks Library>===
===<May 15th, P.R. 2>===
Citlali pointed to the brother of the twins, wielding slightly longer fangs than the sister. Otherwise, they were almost impossible to tell apart. "You'll be Labrum," she said, then turned to the sister. "And you'll be Labium. You're twins, which is quite uncommon. Not only will you be clutchmates, but you are also eggmates. Together from your first breath of life, bound forever by a mental link. That means the two of you will have to look out for each other." Citlali spoke both in Equish and through the egregore.
Labium looked over at her brother, blinked, then flicked her tongue out, licking a bit of egg off Labrum's muzzle. Citlali smiled and had to keep herself from doing a little dance.
The Queen had missed raising a nymph that didn't have to be a dragon or a pony. These four were just nymphs. "Spike, go fetch some more energy from the pool. We want them to be strong." Spike nodded and used his magic to lower Maxilla down next to Asier, who had begun to slowly creep towards the twins. Once he was clear of nymphs, Spike walked out of the room.
Citlali watched him leave, then turned to the nymphs. "Listen to me." All four of her children stopped, and turned to face their mother. "Very good. Do you understand who I am?" The nymphs stared at Citlali for a moment, before moving to her hooves and grabbing on. "Yes, that's right. I am your Queen and your mother. I am your shield and I am your anchor. I will do all I can to ensure your safety, as well as that of the hive."
She lowered herself to the floor, looking into the eyes of each of her children. "Each of you will grow up to play a vital role in the resurrection of our hive. Asier, you will keep the hive safe from those who would seek to destroy it. Maxilla, you will look over the wellbeing of the hive, and ensure it is a place that all your hivemates can feel safe." She turned her gaze to the twins, staring at both of them with a firm gaze.
"Labrum and Labium, the whole hive will be relying on your hard work. You will be asked to risk your lives to blend in with the ponies above. To extend a hoof in friendship, and carefully take only that which is healthy for everybody." Citlali looked over the four of them. "I won't lose any of you, not this time. Your continued life will be a testament to our enemies, a promise that we cannot be stamped out like insects," Citlali hissed.
She began to stand up, glancing over at Spike. "Now, turn your attention to my Royal." The nymphs looked over at Spike, and began to slowly walk towards him. Asier, unlike the others, was beginning to understand the best motions for walking. The others were tripping or moving one step at a time, but he already had a good gait down.
Spike bent down to greet the nymphs. "Hi there! My name is Spike. I'm your older brother." The nymphs began flicking their tongue out, tasting the charged emotions that were leaking out of Spike's body. He focused on the mental bead of light that embodied each of their places in the egregore, then began pushing the energy out. It left him quicker than he expected since he was feeding four hungry changelings, but eventually, the flow shut off as they all had their fill.
Citlali walked towards the door. "Now, they won't be able to understand Equish. That's why we must speak to them through the egregore, so they can truly feel our thoughts. They will learn Equish much faster than any pony could learn it, because they can hear its meaning in the egregore as we speak it out loud. The same goes for other concepts." Spike nodded in understanding. "Now, I'm going to go upstairs and grab the foal's books we have. I want you to teach them."
"Really?" He looked up from the nymphs.
"Yes," Citlali said, shaking her head a little bit as she looked back in the doorway. "Spike, you're my royal. My second-in-command. Not only do I want you to be able to care for your hivemates, but you'll also need to take over someday. Hopefully, I'll be around for a while, but..." Citlali ran a hoof across the faded line in her chest, where Chrysalis' magic had slashed her open. "Everything's changing."