//------------------------------// // 11: Phoenix's Roost part 1 // Story: For the Hive // by law abiding pony //------------------------------// Eight days after Aegis’ discovery, Twilight sent out a complete record of her findings to the Home Guard, who then copied it and sent one out to each queen. Chrysalis sat upon an ebony throne, deep within her hive. It was an exactly replica of the one in the Summit chamber; a constant reminder of her goals. A dozen scrolls bearing the broken seal of Twilight Sparkle sat off to the side with one of their number wrapped in the dark queen’s magic as she read it. Her middle sister, Jstrul paced slowly to the left side as she read her own copy of Twilight’s letters. A dangerous smile smeared her lips. “This is almost too perfect. Our real homeland is far to the north right in the heart of the chaos lands? May she die in this venture and rid us of a future obstacle.” Chrysalis remained more or less neutral. “I suppose. It will delay the acquisition of authentic artifacts, but that can wait until Equestria is under heel. After that, we’ll have all the time in the world to claim what is ours. If Twilight somehow succeeds, then she’ll have gotten the hard part done for us.” “Either way, we win in the end.” “Of course we will.” Chrysalis discarded the scroll while communing with her hive mind. She kept enough focus here to continue speaking. “How has your alchemical research been progressing?” Jstrul balled up her scroll in a brief flash of anger. “Entirely scrapped. After my spies witnessed the Phoenix using its smallest weapons to disable a semi-fortified position, everything I’ve been working on is garbage. I need time to restart from scratch.” Chrysalis hummed in contemplation. The loss of thousands of drones meant nothing to her, but victory still mattered. “Don’t worry yourself about it too much, dear sister, but don’t rely purely on research. The jungle teaches much, and may have an answer to Twilight’s firesticks.” “I have actually seen a few creatures out there that could prove useful, but I did not think I had the time to use them.” “Originally, no.” Chrysalis replied coyly as she left her throne to walk towards her sister. “But my spies report Queen Twilight’s hiveship just left Canterlot airspace, interestingly she’s not heading north, but south towards the Everfree Forest. A treaty was annouced barely three hours ago that ultimately amounts to Celestia giving all land rights of the Everfree to Twilight Sparkle.” “The forest?” She grunted approvingly. “If there is anywhere on Equis that can come close to the inhospitality of the jungle, it is that forest. Perhaps Twilight Sparkle truly has the heart of a queen after all. The soft lands of the rest of the country are unworthy of a hive.” “My thoughts exactly, sister.” Chrysalis nodded warmly at Jstrul. “Plus her integration with Equestria is to be expected, really. While I believe her efforts to pacify the ponies’ fear of changelings will eventually work to our advantage, we can’t afford to underestimate Twilight. She’s not going to the Chaos Lands unprepared, and that means she’s going to spend the next year or so consolodating her strength.” “A pity no one thought to include a time limit in her little quest. If the ponies have one thing over us, it’s the wisdom to possess a sense of urgency.” Jstrul tapped her scroll. “Thestrals though? I knew our similarities to ponies were a little odd, but I never expected this of all things.” “It is quite interesting,” Chrysalis agreed with a rare warm if toothy grin. “Polybia will probably be squirming in her nest, but I for one find this a fascinating discovery.” “That we originated from the same beings we feed upon as food? Frankly it leaves a sour taste in my mouth.” Chrysalis chortled while wrapping a loving foreleg around her sister. “You’re not looking at the whole picture, Jstrul. Twilight’s findings are not an insult, but grand flattery!” Jstrul arched an eyebrow at her elder sister. “You almost sound like you actually approve of Twilight now.” “It’s a step in the right direction, at least. That furry royal just proved once and for all that our foremothers were a bunch of ponies who got the right idea to improve themselves. You and I, sweet sister, are the culmination of all their efforts. Along with every other royal alive today.” Jstrul arched a sardonic eyebrow at her sister’s theatrics. “Even Yumia’s bloodline?” “She forgot what true power is,” Chrysalis lamented as she separated from her kin. “It’s a pity really. Had she known of this fact beforehoof, I would have avoided being so… overzealous with Yumia’s assassination. Changing yourself to be closer to the first mother in body is a noble goal, don’t you agree?” “Perhaps.” Jstrul cantered over to a bowl of fruit that a drone had brought in. She picked up a bundle of flare cherries, Chrysalis’ favorite, and levitated it over to her sister. “Perhaps Yumia was indeed on the correct path for our evolution, but her reasons were wrong.” Chrysalis hummed inquisitively between bites of her food. “By accepting a weaker evolutionary line along their physical power, it forced them to find power in another form.” “You’re referring to their lifeless technology of metal and steam,” Chrysalis ate the last of her cherries. “When you put it that way, I can see the merit. If that had been Yumia’s intentions all along, I would seriously reconsider my stance on her. Yet Yumia wanted fur to better publically integrate with our food, and that sort of mentality needs to be stamped out before another royal of her bloodline can hatch.” “So what do we do about Cadista and Twilight Sparkle?” A second drone wordlessly flew over with cloth and wax. Chrysalis sat back down on her throne while the drone went to work cleaning and buffing its queen’s shell. “We have to kill Cadista, she still holds fast to her mother’s ideals, and wants me dead because of it. Twilight however… could be turned to see the true path of our collective future. She is still a young queen, and with the right persuasion, it should prove possible to have her see things our way.” Chrysalis summoned another drone to groom her sister. “You’re wings are looking a bit brittle, allow me.” “Thank you, sister. It’s all that time I’ve spent in the laboratory, I haven’t had any real opportunity to go flying lately. At any rate, I highly doubt Twilight will ever see us as anything other than enemies. Why waste time on her?” “Because, sweet sister, it is our duty as queens to ensure our race’s continued survival and rise to power. If Yumia’s methods ever end up succeeding over us, it will be through Twilight Sparkle. All that’s necessary is to make sure she conducts herself as a queen should, not the coddling ways of Yumia and Cadista.” Jstrul sighed in contentment as her wings were massaged and meticulously tended to. “It will be impossible to influence Twilight ourselves, or so long as Cadista draws breath.” A conniving sneer split Chrysalis’ muzzle. “We can handle Cadista, but I’m thinking a certain red queen could enlighten dear Twilight of the true changeling path. Only then will our race’s future be assured.” Rainbow Dash was not a happy camper. Her joints ached, her wings itched horribly, and she had a stabbing headache. The Phoenix had few sickbays, and unfortunately Resta’s was the closest one. Aegis hefted the ailing pegasus on her back as she brought her into the medlab. “Aegy, I told you, I’m just a little ill. Nothing a little cider and bed rest can’t fix.” “Aunty, you’ve got a lump on your head and open sores on your front fetlocks, and you have no idea how they got there.” “I just fell down some stairs.” Rainbow grunted in an attempt to get off Aegis’ back, but the drone kept her in place with her wings. “I don’t want to see Resta. She’ll stick me in bed for months and I’ll die of boredom.” Aegis could see Resta’s door, and picked up the pace. “You’re going to end up dying anyway if you let those sores get infected, and I am not going to let that happen.” “Just don’t tell Twilight, okay? She’s got enough going on with the princesses onboard.” “If this is as serious as I think it is, momma’s going to want to know.” Aegis busted through the door to find Resta washing the salve off a recently injured drone and applying gauze. “Resta, you gotta take a look at Aunty. She’s in bad shape.” The medic took one look at Rainbow groggy face and rolled her eyes. “I told you to let me examine you, but did you listen to me? Noooo.” She faced her current patient. “Stay off that leg for a day or two or I’ll have to put it in a cast.” The young drone was barely out of the chrysalis and looked at Rainbow’s weakened form. “Yeah, sure, is Aunty Dash going to be okay?” “Don’t worry, she’s probably just overdosed on cider.” Normally not possible, but with her… However, any and all smugness evaporated after taking her first good look at Rainbow. Purple salve coated the mare’s front fetlocks, she was breathing a little heavily, a couple sky blue feathers had fallen to the floor, and a quick inspection revealed a prominent bump on her forehead. “What in the world happened?” Resta asked Aegis as she telekinetically lifted Rainbow up to set her properly on the examination table. “I don’t know,” Aegis replied worriedly. “I hadn’t heard a peep from her since yesterday morning. I go to her room, and she’s sleeping in her bed with blood oozing out of her sores and at least a dozen loose feathers on her bed.” Resta saw one of the nurses walking by and pinged her over the Link. “Hold on, Aunty, you’re in good hooves.” “I’m just molting okay? It happens to all pegasi.” “But molting can also be a sign of serious infection. Aegis, tell mother what’s going on, she’s going to want to see this.” The Royal Sisters, and Queen Twilight Sparkle were standing in one of the underbelly observation blisters as the Phoenix slowed to a halt near the ruins of Castle Everfree. Twilight was casting a spell to give an overlay of the surrounding landscape. “I’m thinking of restoring the castle to be a historic landmark, or possibly a library.” “You might find restoring it as a library to be a worthwhile task,” Luna commented. “As you may remember, there are several enchanted bookshelves that keep any tome resting upon them safe from the ravages of time.” “The forest has always had a constant stream of free-flowing mana, so the enchantments have never faded,” Celestia added. “Blueblood’s actions have also proven to be a boon in another way.” All eyes turned towards her and then to her hoof as she pointed to a familiar cave not too far to the east of the castle. “Ever since Discord’s plunder vines nearly killed the Tree of Harmony, I have been concerned that something else might bring harm to it. As such, I was hoping I could entrust its protection to you, Twilight.” “I would be honored, Celestia.” She rubbed her chin with a wing for a few minutes as she consulted with her urban planners. “If it’s okay with you, I would like to expand the cavern to become my new hatchery. It’s already a facility that would need very high security.” “I see no problem with it,” Luna nodded, “that would insure the tree’s wellbeing is always being looked after. But what about food? It might take a while to clear enough forest for agriculture, or an industrial base to trade for it.” “You remember that other ship I requested passage for?” Celestia looked up to think. “The… Golden Harvest if I’m not mistaken. By its name, I’m assuming its to assist in farming.” “It’s actually a giant floating greenhouse that is able to produce enough food for five hundred changelings a year. Granted that’s hardly enough, but it can ease our food imports a little.” “Well don’t forget Twilight, our treaty allows both of us to freely aid the other.” Celestia was especially proud of winning the public over for that addition. “Equestria will be more than happy to send whatever aid you need to get started.” “Thank you, Celestia. I must admit, I’m glad I was able to avoid having to surrender my title. It would feel rather silly to be a queen, but not hold the title.” “You’ve more than earned it already, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna declared firmly. “You’ve discovered your tribe’s origins. To think your kind used to be my Thestrals. Strange how time muddles things.” “If you don’t mind, princesses, I’d like to get started building right away.” “You don’t need to ask us for permission, Twilight.” Celestia smiled graciously at Twilight’s humility. “This is your queendom now, after all.” Twilight tittered at herself. “Sorry, old habits die hard.” With a single command, twenty shuttles and a cloud of drones descended upon the forest below to begin clearing space for the hiveship to land. The crews barely reached the ground when Aegis hit Twilight with a high priority ping. Aegis wasn’t one to panic, hence her position as Captain of the Guard, but the terror in her tone gave Twilight a cold sweat and a sense of dread to match. Luna caught on to Twilight’s plummeting mood while her sister was distracted by the dense activity below. “Twilight, is something wrong?” “Rainbow’s sick, and it sounds serious. I have to see if she’ll be okay.” Celestia pulled herself away from the window and shared a knowing look with her sister. “We’ll come too. Dame Rainbow Dash has done much for everypony.” "And we would like to lend what support we can,” Luna finished for her elder sister. “Thank you, I just hope its not as serious as Aegis is making it out to be.” With all of the activity with the deployment of the hive, the three royal mares couldn’t safely teleport to the medlab, so they ran as fast their legs could carry them. The Link was abuzz with news about Rainbow Dash, but ultimately, they had to get back to work. Twilight made it to the sickbay in less than ten minutes with the alicorns right behind her. Aegis was holding one of Rainbow’s fore hooves while a heart monitor beeped rhythmically as the sleeping pegasus rested thanks to a sleep spell. Twilight’s irises shrank to pinpricks at the sight of Rainbow Dash being on a respirator. Resta was using her probulator to isolate the problem, and writing down the results on a clipboard. The troubled look on her face cast the whole room into a somber tone. Standing orders of Twilight’s medical staff was that if they were with a patient, they did not need to stand or acknowledge her so they could be free to tend to the patient. Even so, Resta gave a resigned sigh and bowed her head to the approaching royalty, with Aegis doing the same. Twilight bit her lower lip and went over to gently rub her friend’s mane. “Resta, what’s wrong with her?” The medic scanned the results of her instruments. “The patient’s nervous system is showing signs of stage two love withdrawal, so I’ve kept Captain Aegis nearby to stabilize her. There’s no infection, viruses, physical parasites, or diseases (pony or otherwise) that I can see. If I’m reading this right, I think she contracted a curse somehow.” She gave the chart over to her queen. “The patient’s mana is being syphoned off at an alarming rate. From what I can tell, it’s being used by some kind of enchantment that has encompassed her entire body, and it’s changing her biochemistry to the point where she’s having difficulty metabolizing oxygen. The weirdest thing is, this curse, at least I think it’s a curse, almost has the same signature as your magic.” The alicorns gave Twilight a confused look, with Twilight giving a stronger one as she stood up. “W-what? What do you mean my signature?” “It’s what the manascope tells me. My field is in medicine, not magic. Outside of easing her pain and putting her on life support, this is out of my element. But whatever you do, I suggest doing it quickly. I put her to sleep to ward off the pain, but the magic seems to become more and more active the longer she sleeps.” “Then let me take a look at you manascope readings,” Twilight all but demanded. “Of course,” Resta took the clipboard off the foot of the bed and flipped to the right page before handing it over. “As I said, it almost matches your signature, but there are key differences that make me think someone was trying to emulate you.” Luna and Celestia crowded behind Twilight to investigate the data. Celestia’s brow furrowed in concentration. “I remember seeing something like this when I came to visit you when you were still undergoing rebirth, Twilight.” “You’re right…” Twilight gasped at a realization. “This isn’t a curse. She’s alchemically active!” “How is that possible?” Luna inquired worriedly. “I –I don’t know.” Twilight sat on her rump as she tried to make sense of it all. “I only ever use alchemy on eggs or a rebirthing drone. As soon as I stop casting, the alchemy is set in stone, and only rebirth can break that. Plus, I gave you the circlet weeks ago so it could be kept in the castle vaults.” Aegis tried to comfort her aunt with a hoof. “The data says the signature's different than normal. Could it be something left behind by the circlet, maybe?” “I don’t see how. Rainbow was alchemically inert when I took the circlet off.” That eased some of Aegis’ worries, but that didn’t solve Rainbow’s problem. Luna stepped back to pace around an empty patient bed to ponder the issue. She stopped when an idea hit her. “Wait, I remember since coming onboard that Miss Rainbow Dash has a fondness for royal jelly food items. Could that be tied to this?” Twilight shook her head after a moment. “No. The only thing close would be one of RJ’s key ingredients: glucono delta-lactone‎. It’s used in a number of different foods, but it acts like an enzyme during alchemy to help accelerate the process. By itself, it shouldn’t be doing anything to Rainbow because whatever alchemy was done to her by the circlet locked in place the moment I took it off her.” Celestia tried to think of anything that could reveal the answer. I’ve seen plenty of manascopes in my day, and I’m familiar enough with Twilight to know this isn’t her doing. Even if it was in her character to do this, the signature is off. The manascope’s data was depicted in a line graph, with spikes of high and low points, detailing both the signature and the type of magic at work. Much of it was alien to Celestia due to her inexperience with alchemy, but the more she looked at it, the more something didn’t add up. As to what it was supposed to mean, Celestia could not fathom. Resta spied bruising around the center of the bulge on rainbow’s forehead and gathered a sponge right as the skin split open to make room for the growing horn. “Aegis, use this to keep the blood from getting everywhere, but only use very light pressure. I have to see what my other test results came up with.” “Sure thing, doc.” Aegis couldn’t contain her guilt trip as she worked. Oh, Aunty. I’m so so sorry. Why did I have to pick up that stupid circlet! WHY! What was I thinking!? Her self-deprecation came to a screeching halt when she noticed something weird about the tip of the horn poking through. “No wa – huh? It… It’s blue. Why is it blue?” She dabbed a little more of the blood away before facing the royal trio. “My queen, something weird’s going on. Shouldn’t Auntie’s horn be purple like ours?” She’s not supposed to have a horn at all, Twilight fumed. The meaning of Aegis’ query clicked a split second late. “Wait, what?” She rushed over to inspect the tiny piece of ivory poking out as the fur and skin started to sink back to the skull, revealing more of the small horn. As Aegis said, the horn was sky blue, just like the rest of Rainbow’s fur below the neck. Twilight looked down to the base of Rainbow’s neck to find the lavender fur was retreating up towards her head. Celestia saw it too, and that’s when the final piece fell into place. “The monastery!” Everyone looked at her, forcing Celestia to compose herself after the outburst. “Rainbow Dash said the PCE tried to cure her by using a machine, but it ultimately did nothing, correct?” Twilight caught her old mentor’s meaning. “Those weird spikes in the manascope! Those are only created by crystal arrays. That machine must have warped the alchemy the circlet inflicted, and it has been active ever since!” “Then that would mean Dame Rainbow Dash’s recent love of that new cider has been accelerating it,” Luna concluded. Well isn’t that ironic, Aegis grumbled, those bigots try to cure her, and end up making her more changeling. “Is there any way you can stop it, my queen?” “I wouldn’t dare try,” Twilight balked before explaining herself. “The thing is, alchemy is a strictly controlled process. I would have to map out every last fragment of what’s being done to her first and then try to find a way to preserve what pony there is left in her. If I tried to stop it, it could leave her heart half reformed or cause other defects to pop up.” Celestia sighed and squeezed her muzzle. This is the last thing we need after making so much headway. “How long would you need?” “A century or seven,” Twilight barely restrained herself from kicking the bed. “Assuming it could be done in the first place.” “Is there truly nothing that can be done?” Luna asked, grasping at straws. Twilight had to leverage all of her royal training to stay focused on the problem instead of worrying about her friend. “Since that machine in the monastery was destroyed I have no way of knowing how it reactivated the alchemy, let alone what it changed. What about the doctor and nurse who worked on that cure ray of theirs?” Luna’s mood soured intensely, only barely noticing Resta’s silent return. The medic’s expression had not improved. “One of my Night Guards slipped by Shining Armor’s investigations and assassinated those two before being arrested. Apparently he was acting alone so their research couldn’t be used to create a counter agent. Insanity knows no bounds it seems.” The conversation sputtered out after Luna’s dismal observation. Ideas raced through Twilight’s mind, but she shot down every one of them as unfeasible. It was mirrored by the alicorns, but ultimately the tricky nature of alchemy refused to be denied. With that realization, Celestia pushed past her fellow royals to gaze morosely at Rainbow Dash, and a guilt riddled Aegis at her side. “I think…” Celestia began, drawing attention on herself. “That this is Rainbow Dash’s decision.” She turned around to face her sister and former student. “Ultimately this is her life, and I will not allow politics to dictate that.” Luna and Twilight slowly nodded in silent agreement. “Very well. Resta, remove the sleep spell while I shunt whatever pain she feels over the hive mind,” Twilight said. A few moments later, Rainbow Dash’s eye cracked open to find her princesses and two changelings standing over her. It didn’t take long to notice the monitors, oxygen mask, four very concerned faces, and the neutral one of her doctor. “Give it to me straight doc, how long do I have?” she chuckled in a dry wheeze, failing in her attempt to inject some humor. Resta glanced over her readings to be sure. “I give you forty eight hours.” Her dry medical tone brooked no argument. “Her body’s entering a stage where key metabolic processes are being shut down to make the conversation from pony to changeling. The only way to save her life is to put her into a chrysalis and let the incubator take over full life support. I’d rather not go into what will happen if we don’t in present company.” “That’s what I always liked about you Resta, your bedside manner is totally spot on.” After Rainbow’s instinctive sarcasm failed to hit the mark, Resta’s statement finally broke through. “What do you mean from pony to Ling?” Celestia walked over to Rainbow’s side and laid a comforting hoof on her chest. “We have a few things to explain.” “And that’s when we woke you up,” Celestia ended quietly. Rainbow was sitting up in bed, and staring absently at the blue primary feather in her hooves. The oxygen mask bothered her insistently, but Aegis kept batting any hooves that tried to remove it. The ailing pony toyed with her lost feather; admiring its strength, resiliently, and color. The room was silent around her save for the rhythmic beeping of the monitors. Fear gripped her heart as steadfast as the alchemy coursing through her veins. Even her mind had gone blank of everything except for that long blue feather. Twilight was doing an admirable job holding back tears, but Aegis was far less successful. “I’m sorry, Aunty. If we had caught this a few days ago, there might have been some of your untouched pony genetics to work with to stop or at least reverse this someday.” “So… this was my fault.” Rainbow stated flatly as she remember the past couple of weeks. She closed her eyes as hot tears escaped her. “I’m going to lose my wings, the Wonderbolts, and any chance to have a foal, ALL BECAUSE I WAS TOO DAMN STUBBORN!” She refused to weep. Not her. Not the Lieutenant of the Wonderbolts. And yet, her body betrayed her; and every time another feather fell away was an additional knife in her heart. Aegis was afraid to touch her, for fear of causing further pain or embarrassment. Luna however, had the courage to do so. “Lieutenant Rainbow Dash. I may not have the power to do more, but I can assure you, your place within the Wonderbolt will remain your own. Changeling or not, you earned your uniform and every bar of that rank. I will not let that be taken away from you.” “B-but how is that f-fair to everypony else if I get special treatment from you, P-princess?” Rainbow hated herself for her emotional stammering, but fought through it. “Is it?” Luna challenged, “Or am I simply leveling the playing field? I have always wanted to curb the influence the aristocracy has over the military, and now is the perfect time to start. I will still require you to be able to fly like a Wonderbolt however,” she remarked, playing at Rainbow’s pride. “I’ve heard you created your own version of the Bolts right here on this ship with Twilight’s drones. I also heard you planned to have some of them compete in Equestrian flying competitions.” Luna let the sentence hang, giving Rainbow time to think, time to pull herself out of the depression she was mired in before she had a chance to sink too far. Of everyone there, Luna knew first hand on what sort of darkness that kind of depression could bring out of a pony. Rainbow looked over to Aegis’ wings. None of them fly as good as the Bolts, but none of them are even five years old yet. Maybe if I had to have wings like that… She looked up to Aegis’ face to find she was an emotional train wreck. Her tail was wrapped around her waist, her eyes were puffy, dark lines of wet fur ran down her cheeks, her ears were folded back, but she didn’t whimper, physically. It was something Rainbow hated to see, and something just clicked into place that made her open her forelegs for a hug. Aegis hesitated just long enough for the gesture to register to everyone in the room before she threw herself into Rainbow’s forelegs. She couldn’t hold the tears back anymore and sobbed into Rainbow’s fur. “I’m so sorry, A-a-aunty. I should never have gotten you that stupid circlet! None of this would have happened if I just left it alone. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” She couldn’t think of anything else to say but to apologize over and over. “Hey, hey, hey, it’s not like I’m dying, right?” Rainbow asked as she stroked Aegis’s mane. “So long as you don’t take too long jumping a pod you won’t,” Resta quipped dryly. “Or are you going to ignore that until the last minute too?” Twilight scowled at the shameless drone. “Resta, do I have to order you to retake bedside manner courses?” She shrank back a bit, finally realizing her normal mannerisms would get her in serious trouble. “I’m not lying. Her health will fail if she doesn't enter a pod.” Rainbow ultimately ignored the medic when Aegis got ahold of herself. The Guard Captain pulled out of the hug to wipe her tears away. “Why am I crying? I should be the one comforting you.” “Because I’ve long since forgiven you, Aegis. It was an accident. A really bad one, yeah, but your heart was in the right place.” Maybe… maybe I don’t need my own foal. Why bother when I have all these awesome drones that look up to me. I mean, its to be expected really, but they all look up to me like a second- Her tears fell away to give rise to determination. “Princess Luna, I can’t accept your offer, but thanks anyway.” “Your service to Equestria has been exemplary, Rainbow Dash. It would be criminal to let them expel you.” Celestia stood by her sister’s side. “I agree wholeheartedly, but…” Experience told Celestia that she was wasting her breath. “I feel you still won’t let us.” Rainbow tried not to think about her wings and all the lost feathers on the bed. “Since I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t, I have to go full Ling. I’ll go up to Spitfire personally and ask to stay. If she says no, then…” Rainbow tried with every ounce of stubborn pride she had to keep her voice level. “I admit, I have always hated all the ones who got in just because of their bloodlines. I couldn't stand wearing the uniform if somepony else simply gave it to me... I want to have earned it, with all of my worth.” “Even if it’s being unjustly taken from you?” Twilight managed to finally say. “You’re giving up your dream.” “Am I?” Rainbow tried to stand, but her muscles refused to obey properly and the oxygen mask pulled her back down. “How can I say I’m living the dream when I can’t fly like I used to because I have to adjust to new wings? The Bolts are the masters of the sky, and I won’t drag them down just because I’ve got friends in high places. Just give me a few years. By then, the hive will have earned public trust, and I’ll be the best bug in the sky, and then I’ll get to be the first changeling Wonderbolt!” “I guess that would make you a historic figure,” Aegis commented, trying to keep Rainbow’s spirits up. “Hey that’s right,” Twilight replied, catching onto her daughter’s strategy. “That means you’d be a question on the Wonderbolts’ test someday!” “Huzzah,” Rainbow deadpanned with a sharp wince of pain before it was bled into the hive mind. “It’s getting a little hard to breathe.” “Then we mustn’t tarry,” Luna stated curtly. “The longer we wait, the closer to death’s door you become.” “Right. Resta, prep Rainbow to be moved to the nursery. I’ve already given the order to prepare a chrysalis.” With Aegis and Resta hefting Rainbow Dash on a stretcher, Twilight led them all to the nursery. Numerous drones along the hallways watched the group pass by with worried looks, but the mobilization of the engineering corps demanded everyone’s attention, and they could not linger for long. By the time they reached the nursery, Rainbow's pod was ready to receive her. Celestia and Luna had never been to the nursery before. In a way, it was simply a much larger version of the hatchery with lavender chrysalises covering the entire room with racks of them filling every millimeter of space with feed lines snaking between each one. Each rack had a walkway large enough for the chrysalis to be removed and placed in a clear area so the emerging mature drone had space to hatch. The chrysalis that awaited Rainbow was just like all the others, purple wax with three caretakers putting the finishing touches on the lower half. A thick rubber tube snaked from the wall and into the bottom of the chrysalis. A line of twelve nymphs were standing by the showers as the caretakers cleaned them before being put in chrysalises of their own. Leaving one caretakers to watch over the nymphs, they wordlessly took Rainbow off her stretcher and bathed her, much to the pegasus’ annoyance. However Rainbow was familiar enough with the process after having watched hundreds of nymphs being prepared. Even so, she was still greatly apprehensive when she was placed within the empty chrysalis roughly four times bigger than she was. The apprehension only heightened when purple liquid started flowing through the hose and began rising up. Rainbow could feel the fluid worm its way into her fur and what remained of her feathers. When it was up to her neck Twilight levitated the oxygen mask off her friend. Terror started setting in when the liquid reached her mouth, but Twilight sent calming thoughts to her, cutting off the anxiety before it became a panic attack. Rainbow let herself sink to the bottom and let go of her last breath before her lungs were filled with the purple fluid. She passed out within moments. Soon afterwards, the caretakers sealed the chrysalis at the top so that there was no air in it and moved the pod into the racks with a specially modified crane. Aegis and the Royal Sisters watched on in silence while Twilight stood on the catwalk as she placed a hoof on Rainbow’s pod. “Come sister, we should return to Canterlot. Dame Rainbow Dash is in good hooves.” Celestia nodded. “I don’t know what will come of this, but I hope it will not further tarnish public opinion.” “We have time to prepare for the fallout this time around at least,” Luna commented. She faced Aegis who had recomposed herself. “Captain Aegis, it is my understanding that Twilight needed a close guide when she was reborn. While I expect Twilight to do what she can, she does have a hive to build and rule. Can I entrust Rainbow Dash’s acclimation to you?” “As if you even need to ask, your highness.” while her words were sarcastic, her tone was forceful and respectful all at once. “Good. Tell your queen we will be departing soon, when she’s ready.” Celestia sighed inwardly as she guided her sister to the hangar where the royal chariot awaited. May Rainbow Dash find the same joy in her new form that Twilight has.