//------------------------------// // Chapter 09 - Welcome to the Show! (The Cicada Hive part 2) // Story: The Nameless Queen (Legacy) // by AniMun //------------------------------// ... Sicaria’s grin stretched all the way across her cheeks, her wings fluttering in excitement. “Splendid! We’re gonna rock this city tonight! Cicah and her sibling cheered with their Queen, sitting on their hind legs and clapping their hooves. Sicaria gave a quick bow in mockery before returning her attention to you. “We still have plenty of time before the show. Say, would you like me to give you a tour of the hive? I’m sure us queens can share some notes, right?” She winked. That was a great idea! Every tip you could get from this visit was one less thing for you to worry about screwing up back at your hive. You were about to reply before another subject crossed your mind. A much more important matter to you. “I’d love to, but…” You hesitated for a bit, a tinge of guilt and shame permeating your mind as you put your own desire on top of what would be best for the hive. But still, you wanted to know more, you needed to know more… “Before we go, could we talk more about my mother?” The question caught Sicaria off guard, you could feel as her grin turned into a worried frown that you touched a sensitive subject. But why was it a sensitive subject? It’s been days since you left the hive and your mother never tried to keep in touch so far, even Cicah visited you before you heard from her! “Please…” you pressed on. Sicaria gave a quick glance to Cicah, looking for advice. You could feel their silent discussion through their hivemind on what to do. A few moments passed and you were beginning to worry they wouldn’t agree, but then Sicaria gave you a warm smile. “Of course, my dear. Come with me to my chambers, there are quite a few things we need to talk about,” she said, gesturing for you to follow her back to the elevator, but before she picked a floor, she called out to Cicah, “Cicah, dear. Why don’t you give her drones a tour around the hive instead? I’m sure they’re more than capable of learning everything our little Queen will need while we have a little talk.” Cicah gave her a salute while the elevator doors closed. The elevator only took you one level below Sicaria's personal chambers. It was a huge room filled to the brim with pillows and clothes scattered all around. The room was filled with pink everywhere! There was pink on the carpet, on the pillows, on the bed, even in the walls. “Wow…” you muttered, not really sure if it was in amazement or in pure cringe due to the pink overload. Sicaria seemed to pick up on your reaction, chuckling. “What? I like pink.” She showed you her tongue jokingly. She walked to her bed and lay on it, asking you to sit on a pile of pillows that sat in front of her. After you made yourself comfortable, Sicaria's expression turned into a more concerned one as she asked you, “Tell me, darling, what's afflicting you?” You slumped back on your pillows, feeling like you wanted to just sink in and be absorbed by the comfy pile. You thought about that question for a moment, gathering everything that was on your mind. “It's just that… Ever since I woke up, I was tasked on establishing my hive and I was so preoccupied with it that I'm just realizing how little I know about my mother, even my drones know more about her than me! And now, Cicah came to visit while I haven't heard from mother since… it feels like she threw me out…” you said, tears beginning to form in the corners of your eyes as you processed all of that. Sicaria reached out to you with her magic, wiping away your tears. “Now now, dear, it's nothing like that!” She got up from her bed and slumped on the pillow pile next to you, giving you a hug. “Life is just… complicated, you know? Heh, I still remember the simpler times back in the day, more than a thousand years ago. A time when there were no crowds of ponies to entertain, no hive to keep up… It was just me, my sisters, and… our Mother.” Your ears shot up, picking up on the way she mentioned “Mother”. It wasn’t like the common expression your drones would use, or how the ponies would use Celestia’s name, you could feel the weight of past history present in her words. Like she actually met this holy figure all those years ago. “Tell me about her,” you asked, struck by a spark of curiosity. Has she actually met Mother? And if so, has Queen Elysia met her as well? Sicaria gave you a saddened smile, her gaze distant like if her mind was sailing through a long lost sea of buried memories. She shifted around in place, tuckering you close to her as if she was about to tell a tale to a newborn grub, yet somehow, you felt like she needed your contact more than she let it show. “Once upon a time, long before this land was called Equestria, there lived a lone creature, the only member of her kind. Her colorful chitin shone with all the colors of a rainbow after a rainy day and the flutter of her wings spread her colors all throughout the earth beneath her, bringing awe and admiration from the critters that witnessed it. She was a magical being made of the purest emotion, yet, the one emotion that always stalked her everywhere she went was sadness, for she felt lonely. “One day, she reached her limit. She wouldn’t be alone any longer. Casting a powerful spell, she split her essence into twelve, sharing her powers between them, and from those pieces, her daughters were born.” The gears of your mind ground to a shrieking halt as you took all that in. Twelve pieces… Twelve Hives… “Wait, you’re saying that-” you began to say, your eyes wide in realization before Sicaria interrupted you, raising a hoof and asking for silence. “Indeed, me, your mother, and our sisters, ‘The Great Arch Queens of the Great Changeling Hives’, we’re all Mother’s daughters, her legacy.” She gave you a knowing smile. Knowing that your mind was overflowing with questions, she allowed you a moment to speak. “But my mother’s hive doesn’t look like yours, she has multiple colors and they’re all faded, almost translucent!” You thought back to your earliest memory of your mother, the moment you hatched. You remember her tall and elegant figure of an Arch Queen. But you also remember her hive and how each drone she took care of had the color of their original hive while you and your drones had an iridescent mix, no defined trait. Now that you thought about it, your mother looked even more out of place than you do. She had an array of colors just like you, but hers were faint and segregated, unlike yours. But then, another thought came crumbling over your mind, burring everything else. “What happened to Mother?” “After she gave birth to us, she was left weakened. We lived happily together for hundreds of years, but then a… misfortune took her away from us. And when she left us, we lost a part of ourselves, ever since then, our bodies were stripped of our colors and we now need to feed on the emotions of others to maintain us,” she explained, sadness returning to her face. “Your mother blames herself for what happened to us, and ever since that day, she hid in exile, taking on any lost drone she finds as a way to atone for her mistake. I haven’t seen her for almost a thousand years now…” Tears began to run down her cheeks as she buried her head in the pillow pile to wipe them away. “Why would she blame herself for what happened? I don’t understand!” you cried out. “I’m sorry, dear. But I believe that’s something for your mother to talk about,” she told you, sniffing a little. She could see the despair in your face as you thought about if you would even ever get to see your mother again, even when her sisters haven’t seen her for a thousand years. But before you could say anything, she enveloped you in a tight hug, chasing away your dread with her warmth. “Now now, dear. I know it has been tough for you, being apart from your mother from such an early age. But if there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s that if there’s anyling that would make Elysia come out of hiding, it is you! Every drone is precious to their Queen, but nothing compares to the love of a mother to her daughter. Have faith in yourself and be confident, and when the moment of Elysia’s return finally comes, she’ll be greeted by the strongest hive ever made, her daughters’!” she encouraged you as she struck a fierce pose, shooting neon pink sparks out of her horn for special effects. “Heheh, thank you, Auntie, for everything,” you said, fluttering your wings as you got up from the pillows. “Awn, come here!” Sicaria captured you in a bone-crushing hug, endeared by the nickname. In her embrace, you could already feel your heart being filled with determination. Your mother would meet you again someday, and when that day comes, you’ll have fulfilled your promise and established a prosperous hive worthy of her lineage! The hug went on for longer than you thought it would. Feeling like your chitin was about to crack, you changed the subject. “So, how can I help you show those ponies how to party?” Sicaria’s eyes filled with stars as she remembered the big show tonight, quickly letting go of you. “Oh yeah, that’s what I’m talking about!” She ran back to an abstract painting she had at the far end of her room and pulled the frame to the side, revealing a large safe behind it. Putting on the right combination, she retrieved a heavy bag of bits with her magic and hoofed them to you. “Here, take these bits and buy the best lighting equipment you can find, I want to see that bag empty when you get back!” “Leave it to us!” you said with a mock salute, rallying your drones through the hivemind. Back in your disguises, you and your drones trotted around the streets of Manehattan once again. Volt and Mist walked beside Star with you right in front of them, acting as a buffer between her and the crowd. That seemed to help her relax a little bit, the fact that this part of town wasn’t as busy as the one you first arrived in also felt like a blessing. Sunstrike led the march in full stalker mode, her eyes peeled for the fabled items that would be deemed worthy as light equipment in her eyes. You’ve been trotting around the market district of the city for what felt like an hour and so far, said items seemed to be nothing more than that, a fable. During all that time, the only thing you bought so far was a mirrored spotlight, which in and of itself was admittedly a very impressive thing. In the time you spent in Ponyville and now Manehattan, you grew to find interest in how weird pony civilization was. On one side, you had castles and soldiers with spears and on the other, there were skyscrapers and electric machines such as this spotlight, where a tiny lamp in a mirrored casing could produce such a powerful and intensely bright light. An annoyed huff distracted you from your wandering thoughts. Sunstrike marched on, looking from store to store with a little more strength put on her pace, almost stomping her way around. “This isn’t working, these stores have nothing of value!” she exclaimed in aggravation. You were on the electronics and equipment street of the market district, presumably the right place to find good lighting paraphernalia, and you did find quite a few pieces of equipment, but alas, none proved to be enough for Sunstrike. “Let’s try another street, maybe we can find something interesting there,” Volt suggested, excited to see what other devices they could find. With no better options, you decided to follow his suggestion and began making your way across the streets. You passed by clothing articles, party items, even beauty products, but nothing fitting your search. You were about to call it quits and think of something else when Sunstrike made a sudden, sharp turn around the corner of the street. “Woah!” you yelped, skidding to a halt, your drones bumping into your rump, caught off guard by the sudden stop. Following after Sunstrike, you found her staring intently at a big shop billboard. It was a jewelry shop called “Magnifique”, its name written in fancy golden letters with a huge diamond as the first i’s dot. “Sunstrike?” Star called in concern. “It's perfect~” she muttered before darting inside the store. You ran inside after her. The shop had a very elegant and refined look about it, the mirrored walls giving a feeling like the store was way bigger than it actually was. Beautiful pieces of jewelry sat proudly in display on pony mannequin heads and busts, promising an air of status to everypony that would buy them. Sunstrike made a beeline for the shopkeeper, a tall and gorgeous white unicorn mare with golden locks and the cutie mark of a diamond ring. When she saw you, she gave your group a big smile and greeted you with a unique foreign accent you’ve never heard before. “Ah, bonjour, madame. How may I help you today?” she addressed Sunstrike, who reared over the counter to try and get to her eye level. “I want to buy that big diamond on your billboard!” she blurted out within the second. “Pardon?” the mare asked, visibly confused. Sunstrike retrieved a hoofful of bits from your pouch and placed them on the counter, fiery determination in her eyes. “Is that enough?” “I’m sorry, madame, but the diamond is not for sale, it’s-” Sunstrike cut her off, dropping another hoofful of coins on the counter. “Again, I’m sorry, but the diamond is not-” This time, Sunstrike dropped the whole bag of bits on the counter. The mare stood there in shock for a good minute, her eyes wide at the size of the bag. Judging by how skinny she was, one could wager that the bag contained about one-fourth of her weight in bits, anypony would take a moment to reflect on an offer that big. “... W-would you like me to wrap it as a gift?” The mare finally gave in with a sheepish smile. Sunstrike trotted back to the staging site with a smug smile on her face, full of pride by feeling the weight of the diamond she carried on her back. The sun was almost setting when you got back on the stage. There were a lot of working ponies finishing up the stage with Sicaria and Cicah overseeing the project in their disguises. “Hey, Nightingale!” you called for Cicah, happy to see that everything went smoothly on their end. “Hey, guys! Glad to see you back! Got everything you needed?” she asked with a huge smile, Sicaria following right behind her. “Yes! This baby here will be the sickest prism when I finish installing it!” Sunstrike replied with pride. “Great, the stage is yours, dear, make us proud with that diamond!” Sicaria cheered her. “You can ask around for help if you ever need it, everypony here are my drones, so you don’t need to worry about anything. If you could help them out with the final touches, that would be great!” she said, directing the last part to your other drones. “Alright, everyling, it’s your time shine. You’re in charge, Mist,” you rallying your drones. “On it.” With that, they went off to install the lights and finish the stage. The show was just about to begin. Every changeling of the Cicada hive worked hard to set the stage and, with the help of your drones, they made a wonderful job. At the backstage, everyling was warming up for the upcoming show. You watched as they trained their choreography and singing, surprised at how amazing the Cicadas’ traits were. With only a couple of specialized drones, they could simulate an entire orchestra of hundreds of instruments with ease. You doubted you could tell the difference form a real orchestra and their performance. But of course, the star of the show was Sicaria. Her voice was on a whole another level. The sheer range and volume of her notes made her entire hive run for their money. She wore a fake microphone with her disguise, but in fact, she sang so loud that they didn’t even need speakers! The only changeling to get somewhat near her level was Cicah, but it was still a very noticeable difference. “Alright, everyling, it’s time to shine as bright as a shooting star!” Sicaria rallied everyling who made their way on stage to the loud cheer and applause of the massive crowd that gathered outside. Before Cicah could leave, Sicaria pulled her off to the side. “Alright, Cicah, the stage is yours, dazzle them!” “What?!” Cicah might as well have lost her soul there and then when she heard that. “Did I stutter?” Sicaria teased, showing her tongue. “You’ve been touring all this time for this moment, dearie. I’ll be your backing vocal and you’ll be the lead singer. Show me what you got!” “You can’t throw that at me so soon! I’m not ready!” she cried, holding onto her mother’s leg, pleading for mercy. “Of course you are, this is not your first show and I’ll be there to back you up if the crowd gets too nasty,” she reassured her, picking her up from the floor. Cicah looked at you for backup, but all you could do was give her a reassuring smile and gesture for her to go at it. “A-alright…” Cicah took a deep breath. “I can do this...” “Of course you can, now let’s get moving!” Sicaria took hold of Cicah and unceremoniously pushed her towards the stage. “Good luck!” you called out to her before making your way to your VIP balcony Sicaria set up for you and your drones. Sicaria’s Songbird started off the show with a solo song before bringing on Cicah’s Nightingale. It took a while for her to clear her mind off the nervousness, but when she did, she let herself go free. Picking up the tempo with every song, the crowd cheered louder and louder as more and more ponies danced to her rhythm as if they were entranced. Sunstrike’s spotlight shone directly into the diamond which dispersed the light in a rainbow of colors in all directions, reflecting off of strategically placed mirrors put up by Volt, Mist, and Star to create a truly amazing light show. Cicah’s voice echoed throughout the park as Sicaria quieted herself more and more, letting Cicah take the wheels fully without realizing it. Soon enough news ponies started to gather to cover the new shining star of the show. The show went on and on until the late hours, but eventually, much to the disappointment of the crowd the show was about to end. Finally back at their hive everyling popped a bottle of sizzled apple cider charged with love to celebrate the great performance. You and your drones gathered by the pool at the roof to celebrate Cicah’s grand debut into the next level of her singing career. “Cheers!” Sicaria called, raising her glass of champagne. “Cheers!” Everybody downed their drinks. “I’m very proud of you, Cicah! You’re finally ready to take your place in the new hive!” Sicaria let it slip, almost spitting her drink when she noticed she talked too much. “What do you mean?” Cicah asked, raising an eyebrow. “Well… this was meant to be a surprise, but I’m planning on expanding the hive to a new location, maybe Baltimare or Fillydelphia. And of course, every hive needs a queen, and you have just proven to me that you’re the perfect candidate!” There was a long silence between you three. Cicah would shift her stares between Sicaria and you, doing her best “is she joking?” expression every time she looked at you. “Am I missing something here?” Cicah finally said. “Nope. In fact, quite the contrary, you have everything to make the perfect queen for the new hive! I’m very proud of you, my daughter!” Sicaria fluttered out of her chair and embraced Cicah in a tight hug, the younger changeling finally starting to digest everything she just heard. “No way, you want to make me a queen?! Oh, Mother above, thank you, thank you, thank you! It’s an honor!” She hugged her back, proving to have a hug just as strong as her mother. “Congratulations, Cicah! I bet you’ll do a better job than me!” you cheered for her, clapping your hooves. “Ohhh, thank you! Now we’ll be queen besties!” Cicah let go of her mother and picked you up off your chair in another hug. “Alright, dearie. Please try to stand still, let’s proceed with the coronation!” Sicaria laughed, peeling her daughter off of you. Cicah couldn’t contain her excitement. Her wings buzzed and she would almost hover in place as she tried her best not move. Focusing her magic, Sicaria plucked off one of the orbs from her crown and brought it close to Cicah’s head, charging it with magic. During that process, you could feel a weird sensation growing within you as if you were being filled with energy. When the orb was ready, Sicaria pressed it against Cicah’s head. The orb seemed to phase through her chitin, planted inside her head. Slowly, Cicah was enveloped by a bright pink cocoon, carried away to the realm of dreams. Once again, you felt bathed in a weird energy as if the cocoon was seeping its magic to you. A good minute has passed and Sicaria kept feeding her magic into the cocoon, the more magic she fed to it, the more you began to feel that strange energy swell inside you. You began to feel a little distressed as you your belly extend, revealing the soft chitin underneath your plate. Your mind shot straight back to the time you had your eggs as the feeling was pretty similar. “But I just laid my eggs!’ you exclaimed throughout the hivemind, not wanting to disrupt the process going on in front of you. You tried to feel for any new minds forming inside the hivemind, but nothing came out, maybe it wasn’t new eggs… Suddenly, the cocoon dissipated in a flash of powerful energy, showering you even more in its radiation and extending your belly further. Now it felt like you were really ready to lay eggs. Disturbing as all that was, you got distracted as Cicah emerged from her transformation. Her eyes lost their monochrome look in favor for a slitted pupil just like her mother’s, her wings and horns grew in size as well as her body, now she was as tall as you were. At the top of her head sat a tiny crown with a single “pearl”, her receptor and transmitter amplifier to her own hivemind. With a big yawn, Cicah fluttered her wings, sparks flying off of her horn as she got accustomed to its new powers. She quickly flew to the edge of the pool to look at her reflection. “No way! I look so pretty!” “Just like your momma!” Sicaria joked, letting out an exhausted huff, her horn flickering a bit after its exhertion. Cicah flew up to her and gave her a big kiss on the cheek, and a hug before zooming around to greet you. “Don’t I look pretty-” She cut herself short when she noticed your bulging belly. “You have more eggs?! Wow, that was quick!” she exclaimed, landing by your side. A hue of pink escaped from your thin membranes as you held your belly with worry. “I don’t think those are eggs…” Sicaria pointed out, approaching from the other side. “I don’t know what's happening!” you said, panicking. “Calm down, dear. Take it slowly.” Sicaria leaned closer to your belly to investigate. You could see what appeared to be a swirling pool of energy inside your belly. You’ve never seen anything like that before. Sicaria lit up her horn, charging it with magic. Much to everybody’s awe, the energy within you seemed to reach to it, shining brightly every time Sicaria would focus her horn. “Hmm... I think I may know what that is. Cicah? Do you feel weak or drained if you light up your horn by any chance?” Cicah lit up her horn to test it. “Nope, nothing at all.” “Hmm... Okay, dearie, I need you to try and do something for me. Try to imitate our sound abilities, like the beatboxing or singing while focusing your magic. Whatever feels natural to you,” she asked, you giving you some pointers for breathing techniques and vocalization. You had no clue how to do all of what the Cicadas could do, but you tried anyway. Focusing your magic, you thought about how to transform your body to mimic their unique anatomy. Suddenly, you were engulfed in the usual flame effect of changeling transformation, but this time it was a bright pink flame! As the flames went out, you were surprised to find your body transformed past what you had in mind. Your iridescent mane and carapace turned into various shades of pink, your black chitin turned into a dark pink hue and your wings grew larger and rounder, similar to Sicaria and Cicah’s. On your neck appeared all the extra organs the Cicadas used to make their songs. Taking a deep breath, you tried to imitate the various beats of the show and you managed to do so almost perfectly! “Oh, wow! You turned into a Cicada just like me!” Cicah bounced with joy, fluttering her wings excitedly. “I didn’t know I could do that!” you said, just as excited. “Heheh, you look more like your mother by the hours!” Sicaria teased. “She had a similar power to yours. That means you inherited her abilities!” “So I can copy other hives at will?” you asked, confused. “Not quite. Your mother used to have the ability to store energy from other Queens. Though hers’ had some… side effects, yours apparently lack that problem.” Suddenly, a big smile came to Sicaria’s face as an idea passed through her mind. “That’s it then! You’re the Nameless Queen of the Yuma Iridescent Hive! Congratulations!” she cheered. “Nameless?” you asked, a bit unsure about that name. “That’s not really a name.” “Why not? Until you find your own name you think is worthy, that’s the perfect placeholder!” She laughed. You laughed with her, happy to finally have something to be called as. But then, a realization came to mind, even though it seemed as you burned through some of the energy you had stored, your belly still held a good amount of it. Also, for how long would that transformation hold? Was it permanent, was it burning through your special magic reserves? You pushed those thoughts aside, however, at that time, you were just happy to celebrate your and your friend’s new transformations. You continued to chat on the roofs for a bit longer before tiredness crept its way to your eyes, weighting them down. You asked if you could spend the night at the hotel and go back home in the morning, to which they were more than glad to offer you and your drones a room. You were about to take the elevator down when a sudden ping through the hivemind completely froze you in place. “What’s the matter, Nameless?” Cicah asked, already at the elevator with her mother. “My eggs are hatching!!! “What?!” Sicaria and Cicah cried in unison. “I-I can’t stay here tonight! I have to get to my babies!” In your panicked state, you started to buzz your wings and take off, but were yanked back by Sicaria’s magic.” “Calm down, girl, you can’t fly that distance in this state, we’re not Locust Changelings!” “Let me go! I wanna see my babies!” You fought against her pull but then a better idea came to mind. “I know! I learned a teleportation spell from a pony friend of mine, I think I can pull that off!” “C-can you teleport all of us?” Evening Star asked, worried that might be too much to handle. “I have no idea! And I don’t care!” Before even giving the chance to reply, you overcharged your horn with all you got, enveloping you and your drones in your magic. With a powerful burst, you vanished, leaving Sicaria and Cicah alone on the roof. It was late at night when the warriors returned from their last patrol around the perimeter of the hive. Thankfully there were no real threats detected in the vicinity. When they finally landed back home, they were greeted by the workers who just finished building the Covert Network, the hive was almost fully functional! The gatherers that returned from Ponyville helped them relax,  feeding them their recently collected love supply from the afternoon. “Any word on when our Queen will return?” Farsight asked. “It appears she’ll pass the night at the Cicada’s Hive and return to us by morning,” said Rose, walking into the main hall. “I don’t like the idea of our Queen spending the night away…” said Insectsidous. “What if she’s betrayed and captured by the Cicadas? O-or what if that pony comes back and lays waste to the hive while she’s away?!” “Calm down, Insectsidous, there’s nothing in the perimeter, and nopony would risk wandering around the forest at night!” countered Black Star. Suddenly, Mask Charade came rushing down the corridor, crying out in his feminine voice. “The eggs are hatching!” In an instant, there was mass panic throughout the entire hall. Everyling zoomed to and fro, trying to make their way to the hatchery. As they stormed their way to the hatchery door, they were faced by a dangerous looking Phengaris gatekeeping the door with a scolding face. Slowly but surely, they all calmed down and were allowed entrance inside with the other gatherers that were watching over the eggs. In the hatchery, the eggs sat neatly on their little sockets, squirming and wiggling around as the babies were ready to hatch. Suddenly, the drones felt the presence of their Queen spawn near their location. She was off target by a couple of meters but turns out her group teleportation spell worked! Without delay, she rushed her way to the castle, arriving at the hatchery door within seconds. Everyling noticed her different appearance, but noling dared to comment, for this was a very special occasion, especially for her. She slowly walked to the wall the eggs were placed on and laid in front of them, tears of joy forming in the corners of her eyes. She watched every single egg intently. Every time they wiggled around but didn’t manage to break their shell was excruciating torture for her. The seconds ticked by and her worry grew more and more, the little larvae not able to break free yet, some of them were squirming more weakly each time. She wanted to help them out by ripping open their membranous shells, but deep down she knew she shouldn’t. Suddenly, she could hear a faint echo of her mother’s voice whispering in her ears, as if she was there with her, watching over the birth of her grandchildren. ‘Open your eyes, my child’ Where some of the first words she heard when she was born. Closing her eyes, Nameless put her new form to use and softly whispered to her little larvae in an inaudible frequency that traveled through the viscous protective liquid of the eggs more easily. “Wake up, my children…” “Can you hear me?” “Open your eyes…” Her echoing voice reached out to the little grubs and, hearing the call of their mother, they doubled their efforts. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the first larva burst out of its egg, slipping out of its socket due to the slippery fluids and falling to the floor. Phengaris almost dove in to catch the baby before stopping in her tracks. Nameless caught the baby with her magic, bringing it close to her. The baby wiggled around in her aura, taking a deep breath as its lungs expanded for the first time. Slowly the grub opened its big, monochrome eyes and squealed with happiness upon seeing its mother for the first time. With her tears now running freely, she brought the baby close and gave it a kiss on the forehead, infusing it with energy stronger than love collected from other creatures, her love. “Happy birthday, little one…” She wished her child, crying openly. One by one her eggs would hatch and one by one she would wait for them to wake up and give it a kiss, welcoming it to the hive. After a while, finally, all her eggs had hatched as healthy and squeaky changeling grubs. The day’s exertion and emotional stress took its toll on her, and when her last larva found its place in her warm embrace she laid her head down and passed out. Her changelings gave her the privacy she deserved, sleeping by the hatchery’s entrance. Before fully delving into the realm of dreams, Nameless gave out one last thanks. “Thank you, mother.”