PROJECT HIVE
Plans
Celestia's sun was high over the town, casting her light down on Honeycut and Hawkeye as they shouted instructions to the repair crews, the changelings and ponies of Maintenance excavating their buried home from beneath two decades of windblown sand. Plans and maps littered the table in front of them, showing the layout of the town, and covered in pencil marks to show what had to be dug out first, what had already been dug out, and who was digging where.
Lifting his head from their work, Honeycut frowned and glared up at the sky, where few clouds remained to block out the sun. One foreleg came up, shielding his eyes from the light. "Damned sun... your Princess must be in a mood."
Beside him, Hawkeye looked to the sky as well, his eyes turned to distant Equestria, where great swathes of cloud brought the horizon far close than it should have been. "A storm that big, anypony'd be put off. We've been up here for two days now, and it hasn't thinned a bit."
Honeycut snorted, returning his gaze to the plans, his blue-in-blue eyes flicking across the pages as a stray gust of wind threatened to blow them away. Using his hoof to keep them in place, he muttered, "Wish the cloud pushers'd send some of those clouds out here. I think I'm sweating."
Pulling his flask from his barding and using it to weigh down the papers (after taking a swig), Hawkeye gave his partner a sidelong glance. "Changelings don't sweat."
Honeycut snorted again, before lifting his hoof hesitantly to see if the flask would keep the maps from being scattered. "If this keeps up, I'm gonna learn how. Don't care how gross you grass-munchers get when you're sweaty, if it helps me stay cool, it'll be worth it."
Hawkeye paused, watching a group trot past on their way to the edge of the town, saddle-buckets filled with sand to be disposed of. "Could always wait until Cookie's off-duty, hide out in the freezer."
With a short, bitter laugh, Honeycut shook his head. "Hah, no! Remember last time she caught us? She locked us in there for hours! That mare treats the kitchens like her own personal kingdom. The Princess of Pastries!"
Another laugh, this time from Hawkeye. "Don't let her hear you call her that. Besides, it wasn't that bad. Chilled apple pie's pretty good."
Honeycut shuddered, his wings buzzing in agitation. "Not that bad he says... you know what happens when changelings get too cold!" He grimaced, getting another laugh from his pony partner.
"At least you slept through it," Hawkeye remarked, drawing a scowl from the changeling.
"It wasn't sleeping," Honeycut stated flatly. "It was hibernation, and hibernation dreams are damned wierd." Another shudder ran through his body, and he looked to the distant clouds, his expression growing thoughtful. Beside him, Hawkeye followed his gaze.
Seconds ticked by before either spoke, Hawkeye breaking the silence. "You think they're okay back there? It's been twenty years... we should've heard something by now."
Honeycut shook his head. "Clouds like that, somepony's gotta be working overtime. If they're doing that, things must be fine."
Hawkeye turned to his partner, doubt showing in his eyes. "You think so?"
"Of course." Honeycut nodded, lips parting in a fanged grin. "You ponies are like cockroaches. Can't keep you down."
Scoffing, Hawkeye slugged the changeling's shoulder. "Who're you calling a cockroach, bug?" He managed a grin of his own, though, and Honeycut's grew.
"I'm calling you a cockroach, you fuzzy grass muncher."
"Overgrown grasshopper."
"Hairy nosed Sun worshipper."
The pair laughed together, shaking their heads before Honeycut gave a small smile. "The Regent and Overmare will sort things out. You'll see."
"You're right," Hawkeye replied, a reassured smile creeping onto his muzzle. "They'll do their job, Celestia's doing hers, and we should get back to ours. Have to get rid of all this sand."
"About that," Honeycut said, "I had an idea. How about we use it?"
"Use it? For what?" Hawkeye's skepticism was clear, especially to his changeling friend.
With a sly smirk, Honeycut simply said "A wall."
Deep within the Stable, the Regent trailed off mid-sentence, blinking owlishly at her counterpart, who quirked an eyebrow at her. "Is something wrong?"
The Regent shook her head, frowning. "Honeycut wants to build a wall."
"A... wall..." The Overmare frowned. "Dare I ask?"
"More a windbreak than a wall..." With a shake of her head, the Regent turned her attention to the papers on her desk. "I've reminded him that repairing our town is Maintenance's first priority, but if you'd like to hear his proposal in person..." She looked to her pony friend for confirmation and, seeing a nod, sent her message through the hivemind. "Very well. Now, shall we get back to the business at hoof?"
The Overmare nodded, checking her own papers. " The interference caused by the storm has ceased, but there is still no contact from Equestria. Radio is only picking up static and the Stable-Tec network is down." She frowned and took a deep breath, steadying her hooves before they could start to shake. "All indications are... are..."
"I know," the Regent interrupted, saving her friend from saying the words that would cement the situation in their minds, keeping her from smothering what hope remained. "We haven't had contact with the Queen, either. Our priority should be to send scout parties to re-establish contact with our homes. Would you agree?"
The Overmare took a deep breath and held it for several seconds, before letting it out slowly and nod. The eyes of pony and changeling met across the room, offering reassurance and strength. "Yes. Do you have any personnel in mind?"
The Regent tapped her hoof on her desk for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Perhaps, though I will leave the Equestrian team to you."
Nodding, the Overmare turned to her terminal. "And the Flutter Valley team is yours."