//------------------------------//
// New faces 
// Story: A new era 
// by Spiders Are Bae 
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Necifera’s hive and brood kept growing by the day, and word of her success and growth seemed to have spread to other hives. Necifera was aware many hives existed in Equestria through Chrysalis, with some being made up of different races of changelings. She noticed that more and more of these different races kept coming to her, wishing to join with differing reasons.

Her changelings established a perimeter around the hive where they would patrol for threats and more materials that could help in its expansion. With this defence established, they gathered info on these new changelings that showed up and quickly understood they had also gone rogue or were exiled. The new changelings explained they sensed another queen and longed to follow one again. 
 
Necifera welcomed them all, no matter how they looked or how different they were. With her empathetic nature, she sensed these changelings didn’t have any malice towards her or her hive, and, after all, she wished to make allies with the different races of Equestria. These changelings were no exception. 

That was the reason she fled after all, that was her dream, to show how changelings can live and prosper alongside others. She just needed to start small.

It still surprised Necifera, seeing just how much variety there was with each race that came to her. She heard about them from her mother, but the queen never met one once. Those who joined ranged from spiderlings, to nagas and even some that appeared to be a mix of bee and changeling.

The first ones who showed up were the spiderlings. They had 8 limbs, and seemed to also have up to 8 eyes. Keeping true with spiders, they had a fairly noticeable abdomen making up the back of their body. They could produce string and use it to make webs. These could be useful to the hive in fortifying structures once they were fully integrated into it. 

Beelings came next and offered something special. Like bees, they could produce honey, and they could also infuse it with love, not only able to store love for later use and consumption, but also making it taste much sweeter. Their appearance mostly kept the changeling body unchanged, with varying patches of fur throughout their limbs, as well as an abdomen all beelings seemed to have in common. However, some seemed to have 2 additional legs alongside their 4 normal ones. Their method of storing love in honey could prove very useful for the hive in the future.

The nagas also had their unique traits. Half snake, half changeling, their body was long, and their variations of black scales shone even in the darkest corners. Their coils provided them with great strength, able to restrain and immobilize prey easily. Their long fangs also seemed to contain potent paralyzing venom. These could be very useful agaisn't external threats. 

“So, you all came from different hives? You're the first...unique changelings I've seen.” Necifera asked the gathered changelings in the main hall, intrigued. "Still, I would like to hear your stories and experiences you went through." 

Some of the new arrivals remained silent, while others spoke up. They seemed to share many of the reasons for exile or rogue stories with the changelings that first helped the queen build the hive. Necifera listened quietly and while doing so, she stared at the gathered changelings, noticing how some were clearly on edge and uncomfortable, baring their fangs and hissing at others of the other races. She sighed, before intervening. 

“I can tell some of you are uncomfortable in the presence of others, but you all came to me and wished to join my hive,” the queen spoke up. “You sought shelter and safety, unity and kinship here. I plan to fulfil that goal,” she paused briefly, before continuing. “Look at the changeling next to you. They may be different, not the same as you, but they find themselves in a similar situation. It’s time to put aside differences. We are all part of one hive now. If the swarm is in disarray, the hive falls. We need to work together and help each other, that is how we can all thrive and survive, as equals, as one,” Necifera proclaimed with determination in her voice.

She paused again, allowing her words to sink in on her new subjects. They looked at each other, some smiles creeping up and replacing the hostile glares. Necifera could feel the tension in the hall starting to dissipate. Then she continued.

“I will now link each of you to me and my other subjects. This bond will complete your integration into the hive. Are you ready?”

All changelings agreed and with that confirmation, Necifera began adding them all to the link, reassuring the ones most hesitant that everything would be fine. Their presence was alien at first, and the process was even more painful than the first time she did it, her magic being pushed to its limit trying to add an unknown race to her link. In the end however, the queen was successful in linking all the new changelings.

After the link was established, Necifera consulted with her new subjects of varying forms, and learnt how their hives worked. She began altering areas of her own hive with the help of that information, in order to make them more suitable for these new changelings.

The spiderling hives had fairly simple designs, mostly being made up of platforms, pillars and surfaces shaped in ways they could easily cover with web and use it as beds, traps, storage spaces and other applications.

The beeling hives seemed to share a lot of similarities with beehives. Most noticeably, they had honeycomb shaped resin lining the walls where they would store their love infused honey.

Nagas seemed to share the same hive design as the common changeling, although they seemed to have more smooth surfaces compared to the more jagged design.

Necifera, remembering Chrysalis’s teachings about gene splicing and similar magic, was also able to incorporate these new species into her own children as well, having them mix in with the normal drones, workers and guards. It would take some time for the new mutations to take effect however. Still, the hive grew ever stronger.

***

Necifera had just finished preparing a new batch of eggs, and gently placed them in the safety and care of the nursery and the drones in charge.

“Thank you, my queen, we shall take great care of these eggs.” the nursery drone assured the queen with a smile.

Necifera smiled back at them. “I know you will, that is why i trust you with this role”

With that task done, Necifera made her way to the main hall on the ground floor of the hive.
During this time of expansion, the queen wanted to dig some tunnels underneath it to have extra storage space, and, taking advantage of this wave of different faces joining the hive, she prepared another mutation, one present in her mother’s hive, albeit a rare one.

With the knowledge she acquired from Chrysalis, Necifera was able to mutate Behemoths, changelings that were much bigger than the normal drone, and much stronger as well. 

Multiple thick layers of chitin covered their body, and due to their size and body shape, they either lacked wings or had very small ones and thus could not fly. They also had up to 6 eyes and could see well in the dark, like most changelings. Being covered in armored chitin, they easily mined out rocks with ease and without risk of harm. With their help, the construction of the tunnels at the base of the spire began.

The queen passed by where the entrance to these tunnels would be, seeing two of these armored changelings hard at work, alongside some normal ones monitoring and helping them. Seeing how small the drones were compared to the Behemoths made Necifera grin and giggle. She certainly didn’t expect such drastic changes to happen and for new faces to join in when she started her hive, but that just made her even happier and hopeful for the future of her swarm and her dream.