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// A Revelation and Surprise - 2: 4 
// Story: A Pink Queen 
// by Ponyess 
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    “Hi, Pinkie!” I spoke.

“Hiya, Twillie!” Pinkie responded.

“Your friends are happy with the rooms on my castle?” I enquired.

“Yeah, they are thrilled.  Not so much about the rooms being in a castle, but more the homey feel to them.  Little more than closets, but they have room enough for a bed!” she pointed out.

“The castle is all I have.  Even if I still had the old library, there would have been no room for a single Pony!” I put forth.

“I know. Apparently, these tiny rooms are perfect for them.  It is on the far end of the hall in the basement, you know!” she pointed out.

“Why would any Pony be satisfied, let along thrilled about a room barely holding the bed, at the far end of a hall in the basement?  The inn wouldn’t even rent a room with that low standard!” I pondered.

“To a point, it is a matter of what you are used to.  They have been living in the rough, no roof over their heads for a good while, by what I have gathered, this far!” Pinkie explained.

“I guess I can follow your reasoning, Pinkie, but there is more to their reasoning behind desiring these small rooms at the end of the hall, down in my basement, isn’t there?” I enquired.

“There is.  In your case, it may be more convenient to have them where they are, than one may suspect.  The hall is practically a Prison, or Dungeon, if you choose to.  Considering what you know of them up-to-date, a Dungeon is the ideal place of all possible places.  Now you can keep tags on them in a way you never could have before!” she pointed out.

“When you put it that way since I know nothing of these individuals.  Are they truly Ponies, such as we know them?  From what you have said, and how you said it, the only possibility is that they are Changelings.  If they are, I certainly would keep them in a Dungeon, alright.  Now, why do they act so cosy around you, all of a sudden?” I pondered.

“They are, and now they need a Queen, which is where I come in!” she blurted out with a slight hint of a giggle.

“You mean to say they wanted you as their Queen?  How could you possibly serve them in that capacity?  Unless you are a Changeling yourself, which would be unprincessed in the history of Equestria!” I pointed out.

“That is exactly what they are expecting out of me.  Now, if they follow their Queen as we follow our Princess, or Princesses as of late, I could point them anywhere and they would do what I told them!” she pointed out, and now the giggle is obvious to an extreme.

“I am not sure I like the sound of it.  Yet, if they do follow you and do what you tell them, there is a chance we could rid Equestria of a Plague that has riddled us for centuries!” I suggested.

“Most Ponies follows you just as happily and diligently as they would follow Celestia, Luna and Cadence, from the day you were Crowned.  We all know you proved yourself just as much as any of the previous Alkicorn Princesses of Equestria, even if most Ponies has no clue as to how much you have done for them.  They still follow you.  Personally, I just follow you as a friend, but what’s the difference?” Pinkie blurted out, still giggling.

“Yeah, I guess they do.  I, we have done a few things for them.  I don’t really care all that much for the attention, but it could prove convenient from time to time!” I put forth.

“Yeah, it could.  Today may be just such a day!” she blurted out.

“I don’t even want to know how long, or how many times it will take for you to prove yourself, once and for all.  It was way too painful, each time you had to do it!” I pointed out.

“On the count on my Pinkie Sense, that was just too literal.  That is exactly what you have friends for, to help you avoid these things and to help you in general!” she pointed out with a wide grin.

“You really have to be everywhere for every Pony, even every Changeling now?” I put forth.

“For now, there are very few Changelings in the Hive that chose me for their Queen.  On the other of, I have to see just how well they can blend into a crowd and how well they could imitate me in the open!” she pondered.

“If it is merely the once you invited to our castle of Friendship, I guess that would be a small feat on your part.  I guess that would be interesting to see.  I still do recall the day you had yourself in multiple copies, that certainly was a pain.  Although I guess some of us were allowed to see a new side of you we never had expected to see!” I responded with a smile.

“If they want me to carry their foals, it will take forever, before the Hive can get anywhere.  They are bound to have a more efficient means of reproducing, in order to replace the once who die, for whatever reason!” she pondered.

“We know they do have magic we know little to nothing about, like the spell to take the form of any other Pony of choice.  Although I suspect they could take other forms as well, if the need arises.  How well they could imitate a Zebra, or any other form, other than Equines is well beyond me.  We simply don’t know enough about them to say.  Maybe you could let me in on a few secrests along the way?  If for nothing else, this could give both us and them an edge over other Hives, less friendly towards us, Pinkie!” I proposed.

“If I learn something that could benefit us or you, I would let you in on the secrets, you know that.  Maybe you could help me supply my Hive with somewhere to live since it would be convenient to have them in more personal quarters in time.  Though I guess it could be convenient to have them where they are for now.  The rest of the village would feel better, for one.  You can keep tabs on them for the comfort of us as well as keep them happy since they enjoy the rooms!” she responded.