//------------------------------// // 2 - Discovery // Story: Adopt-a-Hive // by DreamCloud //------------------------------// I woke up. Well, I think I did, at least. Normally, I would say that finding myself lying down on an unfamiliar bed in a weird cave-room would mean I'm dreaming, but this feels too real. And then I raised a hand... or should I say hoof. Okay, so probably dreaming then. Quickly sitting up and looking down at myself confirms my suspicions. Black chitinous exterior, weird insect wings, and a silver tail and mane... and chest-fluff, there's no way this can't be a dream, right? The problem is that I'm receiving way too much sensory information; I can feel every part of this new body. The silken sheets flowing across my black hide, the movement of my equine ears, and even the shape of my forked tongue. Never before in a dream have I experienced this much sensation, not even in that lucid dream I had last night. Sliding off the bed and looking at the room more thoroughly, I see that it's actually pretty sparse. The four-poster, queen-sized bed sat at one end of the room with a storage chest at its foot and the door to the room located at the opposite side. I opened the chest hoping that maybe it might hold some answers, but unfortunately, it was empty. With nothing left to do but explore this place, I walk over to the door to open it, intent on seeing what else lies in wait. At that thought, the door glows green and slowly swings open. Shivers of anxiety rack through me as I suddenly realize something; this weird quadruped form should have felt alien to me, but it didn't. It felt right, like I haven't been living the last thirty years of my life as a human. I didn't stumble like I should have been, seeing as it was the first time walking on all fours, and now I just opened a door with telekinesis like it was second nature. I stood there for a bit in shock before giving my head a hesitant shake to refocus on the current objective; explore the area now, save the existential freak-out for later. Noticing the door was still lightly glowing and that I could still "feel" it, I mentally let go and the glow faded away, and with some apprehension began walking again. Continuing through the door and a small cave-like hallway brings me out into a large cathedral throne room, right behind the throne itself. Based on the location and what I'm supposed to be right now, I surmise that I just walked out of the royal quarters. "So this must be the queen's throne," I say to myself, walking around to its front to get a good look at the rest of the room, then stopping, "And my voice is pitched higher, great. Well, that pretty much confirms that 'Changeling Queen' is not just a title." Casting my gaze around, the room's theme becomes apparent; everything dark and foreboding with a side helping of green lighting. In the other half of the throne room, a couple of stone conference tables in a 'V'-shape are set facing toward the throne, no doubt for the queen's advisors. Behind them are various doors on the walls at the very back, leading to rooms unknown. Turning back to get a closer look at the throne, I quietly chuckle at its painfully stereotypical villainous style. Four steps up to a small platform it sits, made of glassy obsidian with thorny formations in random locations; at least the seat itself seems comfy enough, relatively speaking. "Well, if I'm really the new queen, I might as well take my rightful place," I mutter and make my way up to it, unceremoniously plopping my behind onto its cushionless ass-reservoir, then recline back onto one of the arms. Haunting silence reigns in the throne room, giving the place a crushing sense of loneliness as I quietly lie there observing nothing in particular. An impression of neglect worms its way into my mind; this grand space was never meant to be so completely lifeless and empty. With closed eyes, I can almost hear the echoes of times long past and the lost voices of ancient changelings chittering through the halls. ...stay here for at least a week, we're going to need a surplus until the queen gets back on her hooves. Alright, but be careful and stay safe. I know the guard presence hasn't been increased much in the frontier towns, but there's no reason to take unnecessary risks. Trust me, Skitter, I know what I'm doing; this isn't my first rodeo, after all. Wait, no, this is happening now. "Skitter, are you here?" I ask, not sure where their voices were coming from. My Queen? Oh, you're awake! I'll be there in a moment. With nothing else to do, I just lean back again and wait. Still trying to determine the whereabouts of the conversation, I suddenly discover I could sense their... presence? Essence? Not coming from any one direction, but just there, being a fact of existence. Let's see, that one was Skitter, the other one is... Echo? Yes, My Queen? Oh! So that was a type of telepathy, as well as some form of immediate identification. It makes sense, I guess; there was supposed to be a hive-mind, wasn't there? Realizing she was still waiting for a response, I reply, Sorry, I'm just discovering my inter-dimensional communication abilities. Ah, I see, Echo says with a hint of amusement, Well, I'm here if you need me. Right, thanks. It's at that moment then that Skitter suddenly materializes in front of me at the base of the throne causing me to jump in surprise. "What⁠–⁠ ...how did you do that? Was that a teleport?" Skitter raises an eyebrow in confusion and says, "No? I mean, I do know a teleport spell..." She shakes her head, "No, this is the hive mind, anyling can come here whenever they want." "Wait, this," I wave my hoof about, "is the hive-mind? I figured it was more of a mental thing rather than a location." She gives me a pointed look, "It is a mental thing, or rather, your mental thing. The changeling queen is the hive-mind. Our connection to you is what allows us to do many things that we need to survive. She smiles apologetically, "Sorry, I forgot that you're basically a newly hatched grub; we're going to have to teach you everything from the beginning. Luckily, our hive isn't in any immediate danger, so at least we don't have to rush through the process." I think for a bit, then ask, "So I'm a server host, router, and administrator all at once?" "...A what?" "Uh, it's nothing, never mind," I hastily wave away the incoming question; I really didn't want to get into the rabbit hole that is human technology right now. Quickly changing the subject, I say, "So, you're looking a bit different from last night." Getting up from the throne, I walk down to stand next to her to get a closer observation, "A bit healthier, fewer holes... and a different color?" A light pastel-green back shell seems to have replaced the darker blue shell she used to sport. Looking at her own back, she says, "Oh, well, each changeling queen has their own unique drone color to signify that one is part of their hive. Our color changed when we joined yours." With a grin, she continues, "Also, it turns out that you had enough emotional energy to not only power your transformation and leave you topped off, but also to filter down as excess energy to bring the rest of us back from our near-death state." "Transformation..." I say shakily, looking back down at my body, "Do you mean, then, that I've also become this in real life?" "Of course," Skitter nods, "Only a changeling queen can have a hive-mind. You'll have formed a chrysa– er, a pod around yourself to facilitate the process; so, when you leave here, don't be afraid that you were kidnapped or something. You'll have to break your way out of it." My mask of calm that I've been desperately holding onto since waking up slips away as I collapse, putting my head in both my front hooves, "Fucking hell, this is too much, way too much..." As I grieve about my lost humanity, I hear her walk over and sit down next to me, leaning into my shaking body and giving me a comforting nuzzle, "I, um... don't really know what it's like to be in your hooves or how hard it is to deal with such a sudden and major change like this when you're not used to it, but I just want to say that we all really appreciate what you've done for us. We're all here to help you as much as you need, and I'm not just saying that because of my obligations to you as a drone; it's something we actually want to do now." I'm not sure if it's my new changeling biology, just like the instincts that allowed me to walk, but her presence actually helped immensely to calm me down. Gradually, I manage to pull myself together and clear the tears from my eyes; reaching over, I pull Skitter into a bear hug, causing her to give off a little squeak. "Thank you," I say quietly, and then, "I'm lucky you guys are so adorable." Blushing, she giggles, "Don't let Maul hear you say that; he'll go fight four bugbears at once just to try to get his fierce changeling pride back." Hugging me back, she gives a pleasant sigh, "But I could get used to this." "What, hugs?" She lightly shakes her head, "A queen that cares about us." I found myself unable to speak, afraid that I might begin to cry again; instead, I merely hold her closer and let her dwell within the moment. Though, I think I understand now, that my responsibility as their new queen isn't just to exist as some networking hardware, but also to make sure that they're treated well and cared for. I just hope that I can do right by them and become the leader they deserve. After a few minutes, Skitter decides to disentangle us and gets up, saying, "Well, I know I said we didn't need to rush anything, but there is one thing we should focus on as soon as possible. If you're using Chrysalis' layout, it should be over here." "What's that?" I ask, getting up and following after her. "Teaching you how to transform, of course. A lone changeling in the middle of a foreign city without the ability to disguise is a recipe for disaster, even if you are a queen." She opens one of the doors at the end of the throne room, and we continue on into the corridor. Glowing green gems periodically line the sides of the hall acting as lights. "Wait," I ask as we go, "I can walk and perform telekinesis through my new instincts, but transforming, the thing changelings are known for, has to be taught to me?" Looking back, she says, "Almost every living being can walk shortly after birth, and telekinesis is just using magic in its rawest form, something that is also done from an early age. According to legend, changelings originally didn't have the ability to transform, instead, it was actually gifted to us by the Makers. So even though every changeling holds the fire of change within them, it still an unnatural ability; you'd probably be able to figure it out by yourself given enough time, but not by instinct." We eventually come to a door in the hallway, which Skitter opens up and motions for me to go through, continuing, "I haven't studied the ancient legends all that much, so if you want to know more, you'll have to ask Fractal." Stepping into the room, its only feature becomes immediately apparent: the left and right walls that are covered in full-length mirrors. "Welcome to the mirror room, where changelings come to perfect their disguises." She enters in after me and walks up to the closest mirror, "The neat thing about these is that the mirror's image can be flipped by tapping it, thus enabling you to get an easy view of what you look like to others." As soon as she taps the mirror, the image goes cloudy for a second, then reappears reversed. Skitter, who is to the right of me, appears on the left in the mirror. Now having a full view of what I currently look like, I analyze myself more closely. The first thing I notice is the ring of silver, fluffy fur encircling my neck, formed in the same fashion as a peytral. My mane and tail are an identical color of silver, with a difference of having very subtle light blue streaks flowing through them, and sprouting from my mane on my forehead is a slightly curved horn, the end barbed like a fish hook. Two moth-like antennae naturally curl around my head and four moth-like insect wings lie across my back. Fanning out my wings shows that each of them has blue and green "eyes" following the pastel theme in addition to various decorative lines. Behold, Queen Tyler of the Changelings. ...Nah, that as a name doesn't exactly fit this form, and as much as I like my human name, I really don't want to cringe every time I hear it in this context. So what name instead would I want to register for my account on the changeling-net? How about... Mothra Yeah, it's a little on the nose, but considering my theme, how could I not name myself after my favorite fictional moth? It's not like Toho can send a cease-and-desist to my brain. Skitter looks up in surprise, "Oh, you identified yourself!" "Hmm?" I tear my eyes away from the mirror and give her a questioning look. "Right, new changeling, the quick explanation will do." She says to herself, then to me, "Changelings aren't named by parents like other species do, but rather, young drones must discover their true name. That's essentially what you just did right now." Scratching my head, I say, "Huh, but all I did was think of a name for myself; it didn't feel like there was anything ritualistic or special about it." "It's probably different for queens then. Chrysalis never talked about how she got her name, so I don't think anyling knows for sure," She trails off in thought, then after a moment, continues, "Regardless, the end result is the same and you now have a solid identity in the hive-mind. 'Mothra' is a very nice name, by the way, I think it suits you perfectly." "Uh, thanks," I say, blushing slightly, "we should probably get into the lessons; how much time do we have?" "Right, technically we have until you decide to leave, but I'm sure you have things that you need to get back to in the waking world." "Yeah, and I can't go to work looking like this." I sigh, then ask, "So what's the first step?" Facing back towards the mirror, she says, "The entire process itself is actually decently simple. First, find the fire of change that is within you, embrace it, and use it to change yourself to whatever form you want." Green fire suddenly engulfs her form before quickly dissipating, leaving a light blue unicorn with a yellow mane. "The real challenge is nailing down the details." "Yeah, that's awesome," I say in amazement, "but those instructions seem incredibly oversimplified." She sighs and brings a hoof to her face, "I know, I'm a bad teacher; my real specialty is in spell-crafting. Let's just see how far you get for now." "Alright, alright," I say, then close my eyes and concentrate. Find the fire. Right, I can do this. Fire is hot, so it follows that I just need to find the hottest part of my... soul? ... Where's the fire? "Skitter, are we sure that the fire transferred to me when I became a changeling?" She just sighs and says, "Ugh, this would be so much easier if Echo was here." "Oh yeah, she's supposed to be a really good love collector, isn't she?" I open my eyes and look back over to Skitter, "That means her skill at transforming should be pretty high, you think she'd be able to show me?" "Well, she can't be worse than me at teaching, and out of the five of us drones, she's definitely the best with disguises." I clap my forehooves together, "Cool, I'll just see if she's available then." Mentally, I call out, Hey Echo, you busy? Not at the moment, My Queen, how can I help? Skitter is trying to teach me how to transform, but I'm having some troubles. Think you can come to the mirror room here and help me figure it out? Of course, I'll be there right away. "Wait, that won't work, she's–" Suddenly Echo appears in the room, cutting off Skitter, "I'm here, My Queen," she gives me a quick bow, "it's a pleasure to finally meet you face-to-face." "Likewise," I say, smiling, "You sure got here fast." Putting a hoof to her chest, she haughtily says, "I live to serve my queen," then, with a sheepish look, "Well, that, and I was just about to turn in for the night, so I wasn't in the middle of anything important." "Echo, how are you here?" Skitter abruptly asks with a befuddled expression. Giving her a smug grin, Echo replies, "What do you mean?" "I mean, aren't you still in Rapid Hills? You should be far outside the range of the hive-mind." "You haven't noticed? Skitter, we're all outside of the hive-mind's range; you should be wondering how any of us can be here." It could be said that Skitter blue-screened at that point, going wide-eyed and speechless. "Mind explaining what you guys are talking about?" I ask Echo, seeing as she was the only one still capable of responding. Rolling her eyes at Skitter, then looking back at me, "Anyling in the hive can communicate over incredibly large distances, but usually one can only enter the hive-mind if they're within two or three miles of the queen. Since you're not currently in Equestria, it's a mystery how either of us can join you here." Leaning over conspiratorially, she fake whispers, "I popped in here this morning just to see if I could, that's how I knew it would work." Finally shaking herself out of her stupor, Skitter yells, "What! Why didn't you tell me that earlier?" Echo giggles at her, "I was just waiting to see how long it would take you to figure it out." "Wait, this morning?" I interrupt, "How long was I out?" Sighing, Skitter thinks for a moment, then says, "The transformation itself should have taken about a day. If so, you'd have been sleeping for another 8 hours." Ah, shit, I probably missed Chris' check-up call. Hopefully he didn't call an ambulance on me. "If that's the case, then we really need to hurry this up so I can inform some people that I'm not dead." Skitter nods, "Right, Echo, you got this? I need to get into the archives right away so I can start doing some research on the hive-mind." Echo waves her off, "I'm fine, go on and discover how we're breaking the laws of the universe or whatever." Skitter turns to me, "My Queen?" Recognizing that she was asking for dismissal, I nod back, "We're good." Then with a quick bow, Skitter disappears. "Alright," Echo finally says, rubbing her forehooves together, "let's see if we can at least get you to novice level."