//------------------------------//
// Chapter 64 
// Story: Don't Bug Me 
// by Starscribe 
//------------------------------//

Amie studied. Noise echoed through the old mine all around her—bugs shouting to each other, depositing heavy loads, and sometimes singing as they worked. When she had first returned to their cabin, Amie found creatures that were overwhelmed and desperate. Not anymore. She had given them purpose.
While they worked, she poured over the book that had cost her a spy. It was written in the same language as the Equestrian writing, which meant Amie could read it. She still did not know why—nor had she even thought about it, until the orange bugs asked her to translate a road sign. There were depths to this magic accident that she did not understand. Maybe no one did.
She wanted to read and memorize the whole thing—but in the end, she kept at it for only a few hours more. Farcasting had already become one of her most valuable tools—she would rely on it again to complete this transfer of power. With a tool this versatile, perhaps she could prevent bloodshed. 
She studied until her bugs reported that the sun had gone down outside, and darkness descended. Work continued in the mine with little disruption, since they weren't relying on natural light to begin with. She would have to trust the campers she had delegated to complete their tasks with skill. It was time to save some lives.
She made a spot for herself beside where the propane lamp had been. There she arranged a few sleeping bags for a cushion and settled a candle in front of herself. The orange bugs gathered nearby, watching with annoyance.
"She's doing it again," Si'tsi groaned. "Queen, when are we gonna get out there and feed bugs? These were bad enough, there must be more."
"Many more," Amie agreed. She didn't look up from her perch. "Marcus told me how bad the hospital has gotten. When they start starving, Albrecht brings them in so the nurses can keep them clean and comfortable. But it's a hospice more than a hospital. That's where I'm going to start."
"But not by going yourself?" Natane asked. Whether it was her or the queen, Amie couldn’t tell yet. These three orange bugs had seen enough of Amie's weaknesses that they no longer feared her the way they first had. Maybe they thought she wouldn't fight at all. They would find that impression mistaken. "You could bring much more food that way. If you need to heal any of your workers yourself, you could do so rapidly."
Amie shook her head. She kept her eyes focused on the flame, letting her mind begin to relax. "If I controlled Stella Lacus, I would. But I do not. I must feed the hungry and take the first steps towards unseating a dictator in the same move. Albrecht will not give me very many before he reacts."
"Please hurry," Pachu'a said. He shrugged off his heavy saddlebags. He had clearly realized she had no intention to leave. "We must witness the productive use of this offered wealth. We must bring our witness back to Sonoma that you have done as we require."
It was much harder to find the place Amie was looking for this time, even with the assistance of her research and the candle's gentle flame. The kids she was trying to reach had no lifetime of sympathy to tie them together. She had not known them nearly as well as her campers. If she was still halfway across Equestria, Amie did not think she could've made contact to begin with. But she was close, and she was persistent. Eventually her desperate pressure against the barrier of distance and time finally yielded.
Pain overwhelmed her, as she once again took on a body near the edge of death. There were others nearby, but this barely living bug was easier to reach. There was barely any life in the body to share it with. That truth had a second benefit: no one was fighting to take back control. She didn't scream and thrash about, trying to dislodge her invisible rider.
She was used to the pain by now, and barely felt it anymore. She could endure more pain, to keep these bugs alive. 
She opened one eye, holding as still as she could. Her shell was now covered with a layer of cloudy chitin, ready to crumble off her body. But she didn't want to move too much yet, she had to see. She had to know.
When Camp Stella Lacus was running properly, the “hospital” was more of a clinic, with six patient beds and two private rooms for longer stays. Amie couldn't imagine how the hospital could possibly hold all the starving bugs. She saw the answer at once: she wasn't in the hospital.
Instead, Amie saw the vaulted ceiling of the multipurpose room, with the shiny basketball floor underneath. She felt a camp cot under her, and a few thin blankets. The smell of alcohol and antiseptic were thick in the air, but they couldn't come anywhere close to covering up the rot. Bugs had died here.
She lifted her head, just enough to look to one side.
There was no division here, no hospital rooms. Amie was in about the middle of a line of many resting bugs, one on each side of a huge space made with temporary office barricades. There must be at least fifty campers in this section. Most were young, but some were big enough that they hung sideways off the camp beds. Adults were not immune to this awful starvation.
She didn't see any nurses, though she could hear movement somewhere distant. Were there more sections exactly like this?
Amie didn't know this bug's name, though she could feel it was a boy this time. Worse, she couldn't feel any sign of the changeling’s thoughts. This bug was already too far gone. Another “worker.” Another of many, if the room was any guide. 
But if she did nothing at all, these bugs would never wake up.
Amie remained in bed, focusing on the creature beside her. Now that she could see, the process was far easier. Her mind drifted, and she was in agony all over again.
Another almost-starving camper turned into a worker, but at least they were alive. If they survived Equestria, she could find a way to save them. But they would have to last long enough.
This was nothing new to her now. Amie healed them, moving down the line and up the other. Each one took several minutes of pain, so much that it all blurred together into a red smear. At least she would have plenty of practice being in pain when those eggs arrived.
Time was meaningless to her, measured only by the number of eyes that watched whatever body she was in. As before, they seemed to feel her intentions, enough that the crowd remained in their beds while she worked. There was very little noise to mark Amie's efforts, except the occasional shifting back and forth in an uncomfortable cot. 
Then someone appeared near the edge, shining a flashlight into the hospital. A small voice spoke into a walkie-talkie. "Nurse Sobol? I think you should get down here."
Amie fell still, listening. She was ready to move again—about a third of these bugs still needed treatment. But if she started healing any others, she wouldn't be able to see what happened around her. The potential risks were unacceptable.
"Did we lose another?" Sobol's voice came over the radio, sounding like she was near to collapse herself. "May God have mercy."
"No," said the kid. They darted between rows of beds, shining a light into some of their faces. "I'm seeing... looks like they've started shedding? And... they're watching me? Some of them are."
"Oh. I'll be down in a few minutes. Don't touch anything."
Amie didn't have much time. They were already attracting attention. Nurse Sobol might be first, but she wouldn't be the only one. She would probably call Albrecht, and there was no telling what he would do.
Amie jumped to the next sick camper, another hopeless case just like the rest. When her eyes worked again, she found Sobol still wasn't there, and her little assistant was watching from the entrance, occasionally flicking a light inside.
She wasn't going to finish in time. Of the remaining handful of bugs, she felt resistance from only one—one she recognized. She had a sewn-together wig on her head, something she'd stitched herself. That was Mona, crafts councilor. One of Amie's friends—but until the Transit, Amie had been friends with most of Stella Lacus's counselors. There was nothing particularly unique about the relationship.
She jumped again.
What's going on? The voice was faint, weaker than any of her own campers she had to heal. This bug wasn't strong enough to resist her much, or maybe she was just worn down so far that she didn't really care to try.
Relax, this won't take long. It better not, given the hoof steps she heard coming closer to them.
Amie? If she was just a voice, the speaker couldn't possibly have known what she was hearing. But the contact between them went much deeper than mere sound. Mona would feel Amie's presence, just as she heard her thoughts. Are you an angel? Or... must be the other place. Make it stop!
She didn't make it stop. She could only hope the girl would sense the confidence of her resolve. Healing hurts! But it won't take long, just hold still.
"This one is definitely moving." Something flashed into one eye, at the same moment as Amie felt metal up against her chest. Scraps of shed chitin came away at the contact, crumbling around the woman's hooves. Then the pain was over. 
This is weird. I can't move.
Amie sat up. Sobol jumped back, swearing loudly to herself. Then she spoke, clutching at her heart as though it were going to give out. "Mona? Can you hear me?"
Amie's eyes settled on one of the nearby bugs, one of the few adults she had managed to heal. At least she would feel slightly less guilty if something awful happened. I healed you, but it won't stop you from starving again. She focused, and used their body instead.
Then she moved. She sat up, then hopped out of bed. 
Sobol dropped her clipboard. Her assistant actually screamed.
"I wish I could've come back sooner," she said, in someone else's voice. "But if I had, I wouldn't be able to help them. I'm sorry."
The assistant froze, too afraid to move. 
"I can... think," Mona muttered. Her voice was so small, lacking any of Amie's confidence. She spoke anyway. "How?"
"How," Sobol repeated, staring at her. "What's going on, Miss... I'm afraid I forget your name. There are so many sick. You shouldn't be on your feet. You were dying."
"If we stay here, we will still die." Amie gestured, and every other bug she had healed sat up. "Leave this building as quickly as you can. Follow the dirt road to the freeway, then continue south. Wait for me at the old hotel."
The poor little nurse's assistant covered her face in terror, screaming hysterically. None of the workers said a word, of course. They shed their blankets. As one, their wings began to beat, spreading bits and pieces of shredded chitin. Then they took off. They flew, soaring over the divider and straight for the door. 
I can't even do that. Amie watched them go, envious. Whatever instinct governed the way worker bugs behaved; it was a powerful one. They could fly.
Amie remained, along with a petrified Sobol, and a confused Mona.
"What is happening?" Sobol demanded, moving closer to her. She could see—or maybe sense—that Amie was the nexus of all this. She wasn't wrong. "What did you do?"
Amie was not about to be intimidated—nor did she have any hostility for this poor woman. Her cheeks were sunken, her black coat cloudy underneath a simple white medical gown tailored for her body. She had given so much to keep these kids alive, and never surrendered.
"I have the cure, Sobol. But it is much better if I can administer it to them before they go completely comatose. The bugs who become... listless, unfocused, sluggish. I'm sure you've realized the symptoms by now."
The nurse nodded, waving at the dividing wall to her left. "Over there. Albrecht ordered any showing signs... moved in here. When they don't have work duty, they last longer. There's still no treatment. They won't eat and giving it intravenously doesn't seem to help. They're already dead."
"Amie?" Mona asked no one in particular, looking around the room. "I heard her before. She was in here. I think she woke me up somehow."
"The murderer?" To her credit, the little nurse's assistant hadn't run away, though from the smell she may've wet herself in her terror. Amie couldn't exactly blame her, not with dozens of dying all getting up at exactly the same moment. 
"That's what the Director says," Mona muttered.
"Come back!" Sobol shouted. The first patients had just now reached the door. Someone opened the metal panic-bar, while the others filed out in two perfect rows.
"They won't," Amie said flatly. "I can help them. And by leaving now, they will help me help the others." She took one step past Nurse Sobol, towards the end of the row. "You said the other patients were this way? I have to treat them soon, before they lose their minds."