Harry coughed, as he walked out of the floo. A quick wave of his wand, and all the ash that covered him was gone. He still hated wizard transport. Hated it even more that he had to be in his human form, to avoid getting a muzzle filled with fireplace ash. Even though he had been using the floo for years, he still found it a nightmare.
Australia had a portal placed in the communal capital of the magical union. This allowed for travel between Canterlot and the magical continent on Earth. From there, Harry had to go to the international floo port... and that's forgetting the journey from Celestia's school to the portal (all the way across town). That required hopping into the Floo as well.
The ponies had opened up a few more portals across the planet... and it required a bit of hopping between the portals and the Floo, for Harry's daily commute. Still... it was faster then the train, and took less energy then teleporting.
He took a few stumbling steps, before regaining his balance. He was standing in a large gazebo, surrounded by Fireplaces, built into the Pillars. Green flames turned off and on, as various creatures stepped out of the chimney like arches, as Harry had.
There were stations like this set up all over every city (to small town), in every country.
There were also international Floo Ports, necessary to get to the different countries. With only one being found in each country. With a nearby Floo Port, leading to every city in that country. One of those City Floo Ports existed in every... well city, or small town.
However, the most common ports, with them being as common as New York's Subway Entrances, were scattered throughout each settlement. These allowed for internal travel, within each city. This Floo Network was named after the City they were in.
All these different networks meant Harry had to go through SEVERAL different Floos, every day. Combine that with how he had been using them for decades. He should be used to them. Yet he still couldn't seem to manage walking through with the slightest grace.
This particular gazebo was surrounded by an impressive orchard. Though Harry could make out manors in the distance. They were hard to spot through the trees, and spaced out a good 300 Acres apart from each other.
The trees were all growing Love Honey Barries.... an orchard, spanning the entirety of the country, all growing these berries. There were a few, smaller, gardens, closer to the houses, growing various other foods... for the few non-Lings that lived here, again, like Harry.
That's right, Harry was in ling country. Looking at the various manors, towering over the trees. However the real kicker was the tunnels, miles under his feet. Each of the manors had a hive, built 200 Acres long and expanding miles beneath the ground.
They were all heavily enchanted with magical doors, and moving staircases, and countless secret passages. Each hive even had a self contained network of portraits, allowing for quicker movement through them, with the aid of a spell. The network didn't connect to other hives, however.
Regardless, Elly had thoroughly enjoyed making her hive a fun house. While the other queens, having grown up in that chaotic mess, had turned it into a tradition. Not only were the enchantments fun, but they were good for security.
However, the various hives weren't connected at all, not by Tunnels or Portraits. Elly said she wanted to give the other queens a bit of independence. Though they might have to listen to her, and she did watch them closely, she didn't interfere unless she felt the other Queens were endangering their own hive... or perhaps mistreating their own children. Which, thankfully, hadn't actually happen yet, as Elly raised them to be kind mothers and just rulers as soon, as she realized one of her workers could ascend into a Queen.
Each time a new brood was laid, The Queens had another Hogwarts style common room dug out. Each brood would sleep and eat together for their entire lives. Though they did interact with other broods and had jobs outside of it. The Queens even organized various sports and games for the broods to compete in, as teams. Elly wanted broods, eggs that where laid together, to be tight net families.
When a new queen ascended, they would be given their broodmates to help them build a new hive. Them the brood would stay with their new Queen as the "royal family" (as close to a term as that can get) for that hive.
Though they were a bit like Succubus in one way (and only one way, Harry was adamant). No matter what species the Queens took as mates, their children were always born as Fae.
Even with all that, Elly's original hive was still here, still growing with new Tunnels. She had used the philosopher's stone as a focus to teleport all magical lands and buildings. Even underground civilizations, like her hive and the goblins.
The spell caused the magical area to Switch mass with the non magical environment... meaning their were bits of Australia all over the world, now. And bits of the world in Australia.
They had, of course, evacuated the animals and bugs, before doing this. Then moved them into the appropriate wild life preserves. Then Elly had cast spells, based on Pegasus magic, to preserve the weather patterns of the magical areas. That way the environments couldn't suffer due to being moved.
There were lings everywhere at the moment, as it was nearing dinner time and the workers were picking Love berries.
While there were a few changelings in their Fae form, most were happily working as lings. They were tending their chores, of all kinds. Many were picking the barries. While others were looking out for predators. Then a small few were acting as guards, patrolling the area and taking note of who came through the floo.
At seeing Harry, one ling in particular trotted over to him. No doubt his escort for the day. He had blue eyes, a green body, and an orange shell like cover over his sparkly wings and ribs. Along with a blue main, looking much like a thick cluster of Spider webs.
This ling was barely an adult, though only a few months shy of 13. Lings just mature faster then humans, or even ponies. A 5 year old was legitimately mature enough to be assigned duties around the hive. And this guy was nearly 13. That made him 19, by human standards. He might be aging faster, currently, but his aging would slow to a crawl, once he hit his prime. He would even live longer then wizards, by a few hundred years.... Where Changeling Queens had longevity (though not immortality. They could still be killed but couldn't die of old age).
Harry often heard the expression "they grow up so fast" but no parent understood that like the consort of a Changeling Queen... and Harry had over a thousand children from Elly alone... 3744 children so far... and he knew all their names and tried to bond with every one of them. Unfortunately, he didn't really get to interact with his grandchildren, and not at all with his great grandchildren.
"Queen Mama is expecting you," The drone gave a quick bow, "King Papa." before directing Harry further into the orchard.
The moment the grub's back was turned, Harry picked him up.
"King Papa!!!" The ling yelped, completely scandalized.
"Just feeding you." Harry smiled as he hugged his changeling son.
"I'm on duty!!!" The drone blushed, but Harry ignored him, and continued walking through the trees. Petting the ling, gently.
Yeah... Harry sorta... "Mated" with Elly. After Harry found out she was a changeling, but before he told Twilight that fact, the fillies thought they should include the grub into their herd... Elly learning she was pregnant was what led to his mother discovering she was a changeling... as she kinda gave birth to a dozen small eggs.
Harry, his herd, and the headmaster had been hiding her true nature for a few years... but Elly getting pregnant, then laying a bunch of eggs a month later... kinda ruined that.
Twilight nearly had Elly imprisoned for "Manipulating a Prince of Ponyville"... that had all been very messy. Mom was certain Elly had used Harry, tricked him, to spawn more changelings.
It wasn't exactly Elly's fault. She didn't even know she could get pregnant... Workers typically can't, and she hadn't realized she had ascended into a Queen. None of her herd mates knew either.
Eventually Mom calmed down, and remembered Elly was the same girl that saved Harry's life, on multiple occasions. Yeah, at first she thought Elly had been replaced by a changeling... but it became clear Elly was ALWAYS a changeling... and she still risked exposure to save Harry. Though Twilight still wasn't happy about Harry being a dad while still in school.
Not too long after that, Spike met Thorax, and it became apparent that Chrysalis was the problem. Changelings weren't naturally an "evil" race... though Elly denied their was anything nefarious about "Queen Mother" for years... until Chrysalis appeared and tried to kill Harry's children. But that's another story.
Anyway, Harry had a lot of kids on this side of the Portal. It was becoming tradition for Changeling Queens to go to Hogwarts, for the major purpose of finding a mate. Then that mate being brought back to the hive to help co-rule over their children...
This was a result of Harry taking such an active role in his children's lives. he sorta... kinda... lived here, with his herd of course. Elly was safer on Earth... so the rest of the herd stayed... for her.
"Antony?" Elly smiled as Harry walked into the main sitting room of his house. She gently nuzzled the drone in Harry's arms.
She was in her Changeling form as well. Though no bigger then Harry's Human form, she still towered over her lings.... and even stood a good few feat over Harry's pony form (not that Harry had shifted back yet, as it was easier to hug a ling, and walk, as a human).
She had a similar body to Chrysalis, with long thin legs and a slender figure. Though Her appearance had slightly changed, after sharing love with her grubs.
She now had much softer features, reddish brown hair, a similarly colored wing cover, with a dark orange exoskeleton, and purple eyes.
However, beyond her colors, and the fact her holes had filled, she looked very much like an unreformed changeling. As when changelings ascend into their final form, they absorb much of the magic around them.
"Does no ling understand what 'ON DUTY' means!?" The grub, Antony, blushed as he squirmed at both his parents affections.
Elly smiled, then looked up at Harry, "Maybe it is best to let Antony return to his duties. Teenagers tend to take those things very seriously. He is contributing to the Hive, after all."
Antony nodded adamantly.
Harry could only sigh, "Why are Thorax's kids so much more willing to cuddle with their Queen papa?"
Elly smiled at that, knowing how much Harry loved to tease Thorax about ascending into a female Queen. Especially since Thorax still insisted on calling himself a "King", even though he liked having so many grubs of his own.
"Thorax doesn't have any Love Honey trees," Elly explained, not commenting that Harry was still holding Antony. The little grub was doubling up his squirms. "He doesn't see the point of them. His hive is more dependent on sharing love, and survive quite comfortably like that. Our children grew up on love honey berries, and while more affectionate then my original hive, they don't need it so much as their only source of food. We have more... human appropriate levels of intimacy.
"While our hive can afford to rely purely on the direct Cuddle Bugs of their brood, and the love honey berries. However, Thorax's grubs actively snuggle in piles together, and are often nuzzling each other in the halls. They are far more open about their affections because it is necessary."
Harry sighed, "Maybe we should burn all the love trees and make the kids lay on snuggles for their love."
"NO KING PAPA!!!" Antony wailed, while Elly smirked.
She was perfectly aware Harry was only half serious. He wouldn't completely uproot the culture their hives had developed, just for a few extra Snuggles. Still she looked thoughtful, even projecting emotions of thoughtfulness through the link of the Hive. To keep the grub guessing. It felt so unbelievably right to feel such a link again. However, Harry seemed to take delight in the fact the other lings couldn't pick up his surface thoughts and memories... at least, based on how much he enjoyed teasing his children.
"Perhaps if the grubs became more affectionate, with their King Papa, that wouldn't be necessary."
Antony was blushing, but quickly nodded, immediately cuddling into his father's embrace.
Harry just laughed, finally putting the grub down. Despite the grub being the human equivalent of 19, he still very much acted like a teenager. One that realized how "uncool" it was to accept hugs from his dad.
Harry walked over to Elly, and gently kissed her. It was a tender kiss, one of acknowledgement and greeting... but she could still taste the love in that kiss as if it had been one of burning passion.
Elly then dismissed the grub, letting him finally return to his duties. Whom was all to happy to leave the side of his embarrassing parents.
Changeling males might have a few of the more simple jobs around the hive, but they took their duties seriously. It was instinctual for all lings, to want to contribute to the hive. Which is why, unlike other species, Changelings didn't need money to promote such activities. They all had chores they were assigned, shortly after exiting the larva phase, and did them happily... they were a bit like house elves in their cultural norms... though not as extreme... and being sure to serve family, not a "Master"... they just had an immediate family of several thousand.
"Let's go tell the fillies your back." Elly smiled at her husband.
Harry turned back into his pony form, standing tall as a gold and red Stallion... and now being dwarfed by his changeling wife. Of course, he was used to that.
He grinned shyly as The Changeling Queen bent down and nuzzled him. Then gave him a little bop with her head, directing him to the fake wall that led them deeper into the Tunnels under the manor.