//------------------------------// // New Hive // Story: A new guiding Star // by Amethyst Sparkle //------------------------------// Twilight and 324 had spent the entire night discussing changeling related facts. When the hospital started to open though, 324 had to go back to the hive and with Twilight’s consent to try and, his words were ‘save his siblings from their bitch of a mother’, so Twilight can start her hive mind and start helping the poor lings. She planned on telling her friends and family later on about it, but not today. She still had to adjust in her new responsibilities herself before the others after all. So now, she waited for the visiting hour, and from what 324 had reported to her, Shining Armor the blockhead of the century. Sure enough, at the first chime of the clock, a white unicorn opened the door and went inside. Well, tried to get inside. He had frozen up, after seeing Twilight sitting up and awake in the bed she had been sleeping for days in. “ T-Twily?” He stuttered. Twilight crossed her holey forelegs and frowned. “ Shining Armor.” She said in an uneasy monotone. The new queen found herself crushed despite her chitin in the Captain’s embrace. “ I knew you’ll wake up! They were wrong! WRONG!” He sobbed. Twilight rolled her eyes and pushed her brother away, confusing the unicorn. “ Of course I’ll wake up. You thought turning into a changeling will kill me? Talk about family support.” She asked with a smirk. Shining Armor was slack-jawed. Then his sorrow made way for protective anger. “ Well, I’m not the one who didn’t trust her family and friends enough to tell them about a changeling queen’s bite!” Twilight widened her eyes, then she snarled, showing her new fangs. “ You’re one to talk about trust! Who was it who didn’t believe me at the rehearsal huh? A sister he’s had for life he easily pushes away for a mare he’s known for only a couple of Celestia damned years!” “ You were making no sense at that time! No evidence even!” “ Yeah because I was panicking to death for your life! And even without the evidence you should have at least checked that Cadence!” “ I was under a changeling spell!” “ It was basic mind control Shining! I can do that in my sleep! I know how it works! You aren’t completely taken over! She just controls you subconsciously, giving you thoughts and making you think they’re your own! Foal’s play! You didn’t believe me and didn’t check that Cadence in your own bucking free will!” “ So now you’re siding changelings huh?!” “ Where did that come from?!” “ I don’t know! Twilight won’t act like this! She’d sympathize with me, even beg to turn her back to normal! The past moments you never even complained about your new body! I bet the changelings mind controlled you too!” “ You’re being ridiculous Shining! I’m not complaining because I’m the type of pony who takes challenges and turns then into advantages! I’m not like somepony I know so very well who avoids problems and solving them in just one Celestia damned way!” “ So you like being a changeling? Who’s mind controlled now huh?” “ Where on Equestria are you getting these thoughts!?” “ Twily hates changelings! She would be discussing cure with me right now!” “ What is it with you and changelings?! Did the other nations ever generalize all of Equestria as evil for one pony caused theft? NO!” “ They are mindless insects! They suck love and replace your loved ones!” “ That’s how they live! I don’t judge ponies just because they’re different!” “ I’m not having this conversation with a monster like you!” Silence reigned supreme. Twilight sat in her bed, shocked at what just came flying out of Shining Armor’s mouth. The poor stallion immediately gasped and stabbed a hoof in his mouth, but all for naught. Tears welled in Twilight’s eyes, some cascading down her cheek. Her fangs even retracted as she gave a sharp inhale. She slowly sank in the sheets and looked away from Shining Armor. He gritted his teeth. “ Twily I’m-” “ Get out.” He gulped. He felt so stupid. He hadn’t realized he’d been thinking about Chrysalis as he argued with Twilight that it made him think she was Chrysalis. Fatal, blockhead of a mistake. He tried to touch her with a hoof, but he couldn’t even move. He dejectedly sighed, and without a word walked out of the room. ------- “ Ah don’t know how ta say this, but yer stupid.” The bluntness of Applejack’s honest words hurt Shining Armor’s already deep scar. He had the decency to look sheepish. Rainbow Dash, who was hovering beside the farmpony, nodded. “ Yeah, I mean, getting angry at Twi because she’s a ling and thinking she’s that Queen bug is uncool.” A pink mare, who had been bouncing when told that Twilight had awoken, now glared at the Captain in a really creepy way. “ You hurt her feelings!” She pointedly accused. The fashionista behind her flicked her mane. “ A lady doesn’t judge others, darling. But I think I can make an exception. What you did was wrong. Twilight just recently woke up from turning into a changeling and all you did was fight with her the first few minutes? Very opposite from what a big brother would do.” Rarity said with a disapproving huff. Everypony looked at Fluttershy. She was silently glaring at the stallion as well, her gaze almost like when she used the Stare. “ Come on girls, I think we wasted enough time talking to Captain Shining Armor. Our Twilight needs us, not him.” Came her soft voice. Shining Armor grimaced as they nodded at each other, before passing by him like he was never there. He sighed heavily. Twilight’s friends acting hostile against him was just another confirmation that he messed up big-time. -------- 215 flitted around the hive, hope coursing through her veins from what 324 had said to her. The idea of a new, caring, loving queen was absurd at first. But when 324 explained, and how she found out he wasn’t in their hive mind anymore, she was energized, to say the least. The reason why 324 told her was because she knew a lot of changelings that hated Chrysalis’ guts, and because he trusted her. Now she had a new, much more lovable job: giving the Underlings hope. The plan was simple. Rally the lower lings first, then move to the higher ranks. She went to the most lowest of lowest levels in their hive. It was depressing. No sunlight can get in, no torchlight either. They all had to thrive in absolute darkness, relying in the hive-mind, their night-vision, and body-radar to move around. 215 sighed. She wondered what the new queen will do if she sees this. A drone can dream. She went to the center of the rather large chamber, then cleared her throat. “ Drones, to me!” Hundreds of scuttling sounds echoed through the dark cavern and to her sharp ears. Glowing blue eyes met her own, and 215 slightly felt self-conscious as hate for anyling close to the queen’s rank filled her mind. The underlings were sensing her position in the hive, and they didn’t like it one bit. “ Hey, calm down. I actually have good news. Surprisingly.” Her own still shocked and unbelieving voice at the news she was about to give intrigued the underlings, calming them down enough for 215 to continue speaking in peace. “ Good news?” A drone- 18, asked with suspicion laced in his voice. 215 looked at 18, since he was the one to speak meaning he had the most intelligence in the underling group, and gave a slight smile. “ You hate the Queen, right?” She asked. The underlings recoiled, looking around in a panic, expecting a mad queen or the Guard drones rushing in and start tearing them apart for “treason”. 18 looked at her, eyes wide in both surprise and fear, ears held back. “ Queen doesn’t like that. We might die.” 215 flinched at that harsh reality. It was true however. The Queen did off some drones who dared talk balk or even just ask a sensible question at the wrong time. “ Well, there’s a new queen, princess actually but nevertheless a queen to be, around that isn’t like her Highness Queen Chrysalis.” She said in the quietest voice she could muster that only 18 should be able to hear it. But despite that, all underlings were suddenly a barrage of conflicting emotions. Surprise, Shock, Disbelief, Curiosity, Anger, Happiness. Poor 18, being the representative of the entire group, had all that conveyed on his face 215 was sure it hurt at least a bit to have a smile and a frown at the same time. “ New Queen? But princess mean the about to be New Queen is old Queen’s nymph. That makes no difference.” 18 protested. He was right. It was common knowledge that as the Queen’s lineage continued it was just an upgraded version of the very first Queen they had albeit in a different name. Though there were a few good lings to rule, it never lasted. 324 strongly said though that this newest Queen would fight that undesired tradition. “ Yes that’s true but this new Queen is of pony origin.” 215 amended. Immediately another set of conflicting emotions ran through 18’s face given to him by the underling group. “ But infect bite is bad!” 18 tried again. He really wanted to believe that what this Guardling said was true, but he didn’t want to get his hopes up only for it to be crushed. This sentiment was shared by the entire Underling community. 215 sighed. “ I know. But this is the Queen we’re talking about. They made the rules, they can break ‘em.” The Guardling fell silent as the underlings thought over it, still not fully on board. She needed proof to back her claim, and thankfully a proof she has. “ Look, I have proof.” She stated, straightening up causing all eyes to stare back at her expectantly. This ‘proof’ she spoke of will affect their next decision, after all. 18 watched, never blinking. “ The changeling to find this new Queen was infiltrator 324. Sense him, I order.” The words ‘I order’ made all underlings comply, since they were bred to, and looked at each other in confusion as they came up empty handed. All memory of this infiltrator was completely gone from the hive mind. 18 gulped as he started to sweat, spirits threatening to rise but fear of being tricked weighing it down. “ He not here.” Was what he could manage. 215 smiled brightly. “ That’s because he transferred to her hive mind.” Then she quickly added “ And don’t bother saying he might be dead. We all know a dead ling would still have all memory of it in the hive mind, only it’s voice muted.” when she saw 18’s ears perk up from an idea. She looked at all underlings. “Face it, there’s a new Queen in town.” All was silent as they contemplated the new situation. They believed it now, with all the proof the guard put down in front of them. Their only problem is they didn’t know what action to take next. 215 looked at 18 expectantly. The head Underling put on a nervous face. “ Why you tell us? This new queen might be same from old queen. Maybe nicer, we don’t know, but still will use hive to get what she want.” He said slowly. That was true too. Even the nice lings that once ruled over the hive couldn’t help but order it around as well like a mindless slave. No proof this new queen would be different. It was here that 215 hesitated. Normally she would say just go with it, but this new Queen was special. She would either bring the hive back to it’s feet, or dig it’s grave further down. She looked at 18. “ I don’t know too, 18. Maybe she will be nicer but still use the hive, or maybe she wont and be the Queen we all deserve. Maybe she’ll be worse, or maybe she won’t even become Queen or lay her first eggs. It’s really all up to you on what you decide to do.” Seeing the surprised and confused face of being given a choice by a highranker, only fueling 215’s hatred for her mother, she smiled. “ Why don’t you go find out yourselves?”