//------------------------------//
// 3 - Planning 
// Story: Adopt-a-Hive 
// by DreamCloud 
//------------------------------//

I woke up.

Again, but for real this time. I know because I woke up in a changeling pod just like Skitter said I would.

It's actually kind of pleasant, not quite like floating, but like wrapping yourself in the most comfortable blanket you can think of. It would be amazing to sleep in every night; as long as you ignore the fact that the goo and the pod shell were made out of bodily fluids. Granted, it is my fluids, but still...

Bracing my back against the top of the pod, I slowly stand up, forcing a split to appear. I feel the fluids spill out as I end up doing what must look like the strangest Alien impression. Though, standing amongst the pod's remains on top of my goo-covered bed, all I can think about is how much it's going to suck having to clean it all up.

Glancing at the alarm clock on my bedside table shows the time as "6:34 PM". I really hope this didn't throw off my sleep schedule; becoming a night changeling would definitely mess up my work-life balance.

My current priority, however, is taking a nice warm bath to wash off this mess. Jumping off the bed and walking to the bathroom, I find myself unavoidably tracking the goo along the floor. I sigh; just another thing to add to the list.

After first washing the majority of the gunk off with the showerhead, I fill up the tub with enough comfortably hot water to float in. Even though one part of me just wanted to get straight to transforming into my human self so I could get on with things, I realize that this is something I desperately need; a chance to de-stress and mentally unpack.


As I peacefully float there in the heavenly waters, it occurs to me that while the argument could be made that everything that has happened so far is just a dream and that I'm still dreaming, it seems just as effective as arguing that the entire universe is only a simulation. Essentially pointless for my situation. What matters now is how I decide to live in my current reality; accepting the consequences of my previous actions and just moving forward.

...Easier said than done, I suppose.

...

Do I regret accepting the changeling's plea for help? No... not after I've seen the things they've been through and all the hardships they've faced.

Would I have chosen differently had I thought it wasn't a dream and taken it more seriously?

I'll admit, going through the situation in my head, I'm a little surprised to find myself so readily accepting the same offer. The thought processes going into the decision are slightly different and I take little longer to consider my options, but, in the end, it all still comes down to saving multiple lives. Though, I wonder if the knowledge that I currently have is giving me a subconscious bias.

All things considered, it could be worse; thanks to the changeling's abilities, I at least get to continue my life as normal. Relatively speaking, of course, with the added responsibilities of a changeling queen. Speaking of, I need to remember to ask for a full rundown of changeling queen-specific duties.

...

I grab a baseball-sized sphere of water in my magic field and levitate it just above the surface.

It's fascinating to me that it's even possible for changeling magic to exist in this world. Does it mean that magic is already here and humanity just hasn't figured out how to find it? Or maybe the mages of the legends past were actually real and it's only become a forgotten science. The implications are staggering.


How much has my decision changed not only my life, but the future of the world itself?


And on that note, I've officially dwelled too deeply in the bath of self reflection; time to get a move on. 

After draining the bath and drying off with a nearby towel, I prop myself up onto the sink to get a better look at myself in the mirror. I don't appear any different than I did in the hive-mind, which brings up the interesting question of how my mental construct knew how to look that way; though, that might just be a changeling thing.

Closing my eyes, I once again go through Echo's lesson about transforming.

"You're being too visually literal about it. Your fire isn't in any specific location nor is it something you see; save the visualization for whatever your target form is. The fire is your essence, something that is suffused through your entire being. You need to feel it."

I wasn't sure if it was going work in the real world as well as it did in the hive-mind, but fortunately, just like my appearance, it was a perfect emulation. Feeling my fire, I pictured my human self and willed the change to happen.

The ever-consuming flames that structure my soul rage to life, break the barriers into the physical world, and quickly cover the entirety of my chitinous form. Instead of burning me to ash, the magical fire reforms my body into that which was commanded. Its job finished, the fires recede, and, as soon as it had begun, it had also ended.

I could already feel that I was successful, but looking at my reflection confirms it.

Well, mostly. I think my hair was a couple inches shorter yesterday, and my skin is probably too immaculate. I'm also naked, but, according to Echo, transforming parts of the body into clothing is extremely hard to pull off convincingly. Only the most skilled changelings bother with it, and even then only in emergencies.

Shrugging, "Well, good enough for me," I say to myself, then facepalming, "Dammit, forgot the voice." And after a few more changes and tests, got my voice to roughly the correct pitch.

All in all, I was in a great mood; I took a nice bath, completed my first physical transformation, and didn't feel like my world was crumbling around me anymore.

As I walked into my bedroom to get some fresh clothes, my good mood dropped instantly.

"Fuck, I hope I have enough detergent for this."



"Spot, out damned spot," I mutter, scrubbing the carpet furiously. 

Finally giving up, I toss the brush in the cleaning bucket and lie down on the floor in defeat. From my angle, I can see the clock displaying "7:41 PM". A quick calculation says I've been at this for around a half an hour.

It's official, changeling goo stains like a bitch. Thankfully, the carpet's natural color is white, so bleach might be an option; though I'm going to have to buy some new bed sheets. I make a mental note to add sheets and bleach to the shopping list, I'll need to stop by the store next time I drive home from work.

...Wait, work?

Cursing, I scramble up to where I put my phone next to my clock. A quick check of the notifications shows that Chris did indeed call this morning when I was asleep. With a sigh, I send off a quick text.

—(Hey, sorry I missed your call earlier, I was out of it for most of the day)

I didn't really expect an immediate reply, but he must not have been busy since I received a response a few seconds later.

(I was getting a little worried, you ok?)
—(I'm actually feeling better now, thanks, I think all I needed was some rest)
(Thats good, you got that laptop right?) 
(if you feel up to working tomorrow, we're really cutting it close on the deadline and could use ur help)
—(yeah, I was planning on it)
(alright, ty)

Well, that's that, I suppose. Tomorrow is planned out then, and I don't have any more immediate issues to take care of at the moment. I could go to the store now, but I don't know if I'm ready to face the world yet. Maybe I'll turn on my computer and play some–

My Queen?

Oh, someone new? This one is... Maul?

I apologize for the sudden interruption, but, due to recent events, I highly recommend that we meet to discuss the hive's safety

Oh boy, that sounds pretty serious; I guess I know what I'm doing now.

Alright, where should I head?

It would be best if we convene in the hive-mind map chamber so I can show you everything

Sounds good, be there in a second

Now it's my turn to show up somewhere; ever since seeing Skitter and Echo materialize, I've been wondering if I could pop in wherever I want, too. Considering that I still don't know the layout of the place and that I've only been to a couple rooms so far, I'm not holding my breath.

Remembering the emphasis on energy conservation in Echo's lesson, I strip out of my clothes and revert back into a changeling before jumping onto the bed.

"Unless you're out on a mission or sleeping with a target for love harvesting, it's generally a bad idea to be constantly disguised when it's not necessary. While the energy drain is usually negligible, you'll never know when you might need that energy for a future emergency."

Not that I mind all that much, personally, I'm just happy that I can switch whenever I want.

Now, how to get to the map room without knowing where it is. Maybe I can use Maul as a homing beacon? 

Mentally feeling out for the presence of my changelings, I'm surprised to find that Maul's essence actually does have a... well, I'm not sure I'd call it a direction, but more of a quantifiable location. The essences of Skitter, Echo, and Fractal don't currently have this quality, but Grift's does, and I think he's in the same area as Maul.

With that information on hand, I focus on them and will myself inward...



I appear in a room in front of a low circular table containing shallow impressions that I quickly see forms a fairly detailed map. Maul and Grift stand to my right studying the table and discussing some issue.

"Yes, I did it!" I give a small cheer at my accomplishment, having been half expecting to fail at getting here.

"–ther choice than to–Ah, My Queen, good evening," Maul says, interrupting his conversation with Grift and giving me a small bow. 

Grift, having been startled by my appearance, immediately prostrates himself with the deepest bow he can muster, stuttering out, "M-My Queen!"

Caught off guard by his intensity, I clear my throat and say, "Uh, at ease, Grift; no need to be so formal for me."

"Yes, My Queen," he says, getting back up, the tension only slightly leaving his body.

In the ensuing silence, I'm struck by the differences in their appearances when compared to each other. While Grift seemed pretty standard for a changeling, maybe a little bigger than Skitter or Echo and bit rough around the edges, Maul was something else.

Standing at least a head and a half taller than Grift—or a little bit higher than my shoulder—everything about him screamed "Changeling Warrior". Obviously having been in more fights than I could possibly guess, his scars, while noticeably fewer than what had been before receiving my energy fall-off, cover his body in numerous places. One particularly old-looking scar went right through where his left wing was once located, it being all the more impressive when I realize that he's been able to survive for so long as a fighter despite such a handicap.

Finally ending the awkward break, Maul absentmindedly flicks his remaining wing and says, "So, I apologize that our first meeting couldn't be about more pleasant topics, but we have much to discuss about the future threats to our hive."

"Yes, that would be something that would be better discussed sooner than later, wouldn't it. How dire is the situation?"

He shifts uncomfortably on his hooves, "We... don't really know. Much of the common knowledge that could shed light on our current issues was lost with the death of the rest of the hive. It's true we have the archive, but because writing materials are difficult to come by out here, nor were they ever a priority on supply runs, only unconventional information was ever allowed to be documented and stored."

Cringing, I say, "That's extremely unfortunate. Does that mean we don't know what enemies or monsters are out there that could possibly attack the hive?"

"Actually, we do; as a member of the guard, I'm already aware of all the physical threats that we usually face, like cave crawlers or bugbears. The problem lies in that my knowledge is based on one-on-one or small group combat; with our currently limited numbers, a loss is all but guaranteed if we get swarmed."

Turning, he taps a hoof on the table causing the marks to move, appearing as a map that's zooming out. When it finally stops, he says, "This is a map of the hive, and these," he taps the table again, making multiple small green lights show up on the outer edges surrounding the hive, "are warding spell-stones placed in every exiting tunnel connected to Equestria's various cave systems. It's thanks to these enchantments that we aren't continuously attacked through these tunnels, either by pests or by monsters."

I take a moment to observe the map and light placements before asking, "So what's the issue?"

"Enchanted gems like these need to be periodically maintained, otherwise, they'll slowly lose effectiveness over time before ultimately failing altogether. Since we don't know when they'll fail, and because the way to maintain these gems was common knowledge amongst the enchanters..." he trails off.

"Everything could fail tomorrow and we don't know how to fix it." I say, finishing his thought, then continuing, "Why not just collapse the tunnels so nothing can get in?"

"That's what we had to do on these two here after their wards failed earlier today," he says, pointing to said tunnels on the map, "and, yes, doing so mitigates the problem, but we're severely crippling ourselves at the same time." Once more, he taps the table and the map zooms out to a country-wide view with multiple glowing lines spread out from the hive.

"These are the cave systems that allow us to travel to and from Equestria without the worry of being caught; collapsing all the tunnels would leave us with only above-ground roads to traverse, putting heavy risk on any changelings that need to go there."

"So it's a 'fucked if we do, fucked if we don't' situation then," I sigh while going over other potential options in my head.

"But Fractal said she would try to figure out how they worked," Grift pipes up unexpectedly, then turns to me, "She's an enchanter and the one who created the spell-stones for forming the new hive." Then, after a moment, he blanches as if realizing something and quickly bows, saying "I'm sorry for interrupting, My Queen, it won't happen again."

Giving him a concerned look, I say, "Please, you don't have to that; I'm not Chrysalis and I'm not going to punish you or anything."

Slowly, he gets back up and looks away in embarrassment, "Thank you, My Queen."

Nodding, then giving my attention back to Maul, I ask, "What do you think, can Fractal do it?"

"I think that planning on her success is a risky gamble," he says with a grim look, "She's definitely talented, but, as she had only just finished basic enchantment training by the time we were all sent out for the invasion, she never had the chance to learn the ward recipe. As it is, we were miraculously lucky that we managed to find the hive-transference recipe in the archives."

"Hmm," I went quiet in thought. There's really not a lot of options here, and I have to keep the hive's safety in mind above all else, right? But Echo is still out there, and if we close everything up right away, it might put her at risk. Maybe drawing this out is the best tactic here.

Looking up from the table, I say to them, "For now, let's stick to blocking off tunnels as the enchantments fail. Fractal is the only one of you I haven't met yet, so I'll have to get with her soon and get her view on this. Hopefully, she'll be able to discover the enchantments from the remaining gems and we can get them back to full charge.

"If worse comes to worst, we'll just have to be better safe than sorry and have everything closed up for a while," I finish, then asking Maul directly, "In the event that we do come up with a solution, the tunnels could just be cleared out, right?"

He brings a hoof up to his chin, thinks, then says, "With enough changelings to work with, yes; but with the number we have right now, it would take weeks of non-stop labor to clean out every tunnel. As such, we could do it if it was absolutely necessary, but I'd recommend that we wait on it until you arrive and we have a bigger population."

Wait, hold the phone, "Until I... arrive? To the hive?"

"Well, yes," he says, pausing, then with a worried look, adds, "You are coming, right? The queen should be with the hive."

Furrowing my brow in confusion, I say, "I mean, I don't know how I could; I'm on a different world, after all, probably even a different universe."

Both of them glance at each other with dumbfounded looks, trying to make sense of what I said. Grift mutters, "...a what?", and Maul looks back and asks, "You're not just in a country beyond Equestria's borders?"

"That's not technically a wrong assumption, but—wait, you don't know..." I suddenly realize, then wonder, "Does Skitter not know?"

Both of them are just silent, not sure what to say.

"Oh..." I finally concede, "I'm going to have to call together a hive meeting, aren't I?"