Body And Mind

by Starman Ghost


A Meeting Of Royalty

"Please, have a seat," Celestia said to Queen Papilio, gesturing toward the cushion opposite herself. Papilio did so.

"It's good to see you again, Princess," Papilio said as Celestia used her magic to slide a steaming cup of tea toward her. They were in a small meeting room in Canterlot Castle, at one end of which was a window overlooking the city. In the center was the circular table at which they sat.

"And you too, Queen," said Celestia, levitating her own teacup. "How have things been at The Hive? Are your reforms making progress?"

"Well..." Papilio shuffled her hooves and looked down. "I'm afraid I'm still having problems."

"Chin up, dear," Celestia said. "A ruler's job is never done. Problems will always arise. It's up to you to face them as a ruler should."

Papilio nodded, then looked Celestia in the eyes. She had to look up to do so. Papilio's body was still changing and growing into the figure of a changeling queen; now she was just slightly taller than a normal drone, her horn a bit more crooked, and the shadows of pupils forming in her eyes. Eventually, she would stand level with Celestia.

"I've been working nonstop to make pod leaders and Cluster Commanders stop being cruel towards the common drones," Papilio said, "but a lot of them didn't listen. I'm doing the best I can to find the troublemakers, but I can't be everywhere at once. The abuse is such a normal part of life that the changelings I can trust have their hooves full trying to verify every reported case.

"If we find a leader or a Commander that continues to abuse those under their command, I demote them to a common drone, then shuffle them off to a different pod or Cluster so that their former subordinates don't take revenge on them. Cluster Thirty-Two has proven useful for penal purposes when full imprisonment isn't warranted, though obviously I've taken every measure to ensure that the drones there aren't thrown into danger like they used to be."

Queen Papilio squared her shoulders. "I'm pleased to be able to tell you that a few months after that, complaints of abuse have dropped dramatically. It would seem that the newly-promoted pod leaders and Cluster Commanders aren't especially eager to beat and starve their friends, and that the ones who haven't been removed realize that the old excesses will cost them their titles now."

Celestia nodded. "It sounds like things are going very well. What troubles you?"

Papilio, who was taking a drink of tea, guided her cup to its plate. "The drones who are leaving The Hive. That's not a problem in itself, of course. I myself gave them the freedom to leave if they find that they aren't suited for our way of life. What worries me is who is leaving."

She began to rotate her teacup on its plate. "Many of those leaving are particularly cruel pod leaders and Cluster Commanders, along with former members of Cluster Five, internal security." Her gaze dropped for a second. "We were all afraid of Cluster Five. They could do things to us that even our pod leaders couldn't get away with, and they would jump on any excuse, too. They locked away one of my friends for years, and I never found out why. I didn't even know she was still alive until after my coronation, when I visited the cells myself to free prisoners.

"Now, it's not as though I'll terribly miss what they contributed to The Hive. In fact, if they leave, that should make things easier for the rest of us. The problem is that I don't think they're going to travel to some faraway land to retire in peace. They want the old Hive back. They want to be in power again, where they can terrorize my drones like they used to. I have this terrible feeling that they'll start an insurgency."

"Your fears are reasonable," Celestia said with a nod. "It's unfortunate that easing the burden on your drones by letting them travel and change pods has also made it easier for those addicted to cruelty to try to take their revenge."

Papilio frowned. "You aren't saying I should take that away from them again, are you?"

"No, I don't think that will be necessary," Celestia said. "There are other ways we can ensure no harm befalls your subjects. You're still monitoring arrivals to The Hive, correct?"

"With the help of the unicorn guards you provided to un-disguise changelings coming in, yes."

"And I assume you're keeping track of which drones are leaving, since you were able to tell me that most of them were from Cluster Five?"

"I didn't think to start keeping records right away." Papilio almost looked down, but caught herself. "I have some, though. Many, in fact. Enough to make it difficult if they try to sneak their way back in, I'm sure."

"Then we have at least one line of defense," said Celestia. "In a situation as volatile as this, though, we need more. How would the intelligence agents that are loyal to you feel about working with ours in the Royal Guard?"

Papilio smiled. "They're good drones. For the good of The Hive, they'll do it."

"Then we'll arrange a meeting as soon as possible and figure out what our agents can accomplish together," Celestia said.

"Of course," said Papilio. She took a swig from her teacup. "I think it's a good plan. Now, there's one more issue I wanted to bring up while I was here. You remember my plan to broaden the larvae's education program, right?"

"Yes, I remember." Celestia frowned. "Is that going alright?"

"It's too early to tell how well they're learning. By all reports, though, it's properly started. I've taken the curriculum some of your educators have helped us write, and I've had it distributed to the creche-nurses, and they've been given training on education techniques."

Papilio took her teacup in her magic grip and slowly began to rock it back and forth. "The creche-nurses are, of course, good with the children, and more knowledgeable about a lot of academic subjects than most changelings. The problem is that even they don't have a lot compared to most ponies. There are many subjects they likely won't understand well enough to effectively teach, especially areas like the sciences and the arts.

"Beyond that, I've brought a lot of new drones to the creches who obviously aren't as experienced as the longtime nurses." She glanced down. "Those poor larvae never did get enough attention under Chrysalis." She caught a hint of a frown on Celestia's face.

"All in all, it's a large problem," Papilio continued. "I think I've figured out how to correct that without relying on pony teachers, though."

The teacup rattled to a stop. "Not that I have a problem with them!" she said, the words tumbling out. "It's just that I don't think most changelings are ready to trust the larvae to ponies, and I don't want to risk their safety or stir up tensions more than I have to!"

"Be calm, Papilio," Celestia said, rapping the table with her hoof. "You can't start tripping over yourself every time you're afraid you misspoke. Remember, a smooth recovery can make a mistake almost disappear."

"Oh, yes! Of course!" Papilio said. Catching herself, she looked confidently at Celestia. "I mean, I understand. I'll remember that."

Celestia smiled. "So, what was your idea?"

"Well," Papilio said, "there is one group of drones that had to learn diverse skills that aren't normally taught in The Hive. Skills ranging from farming to physics, from painting to engineering. I'm referring, of course, to our infiltrators." She saw what looked like a glint of understanding in Celestia's eyes.

"We wanted spies with as many roles in pony society as we could manage," Papilio continued. "And to play those roles convincingly, they needed to learn the skills involved. With how things have changed between The Hive and Equestria, they'll be wanting for a new purpose. This will give it to them while preparing our teachers to pass them to my children." She drained the last bit of tea from her cup and looked at Celestia expectantly.

"That sounds like a workable plan," Celestia said, nodding. "I still think there would be benefit to pony scholars assisting in the matter, though. Though I'm sure your drones are quite skilled in their fields, knowing how to teach others is an important and distinct talent."

"A joint effort, then," Papilio said. "I can hardly refuse that." There was a brief silence during which Papilio's eyes briefly strayed from Celestia.

"Is there anything else you'd like to discuss while I'm here?" she asked. "I can't think of any other outstanding issues I wanted advice on."

"Oh, don't let me keep you," Celestia said, smiling reassuringly. "You're a busy mare now. If you have nothing further to discuss, feel free to leave."

With that, she set aside her plate and teacup. Taking this as her cue, Papilio stood up, and Celestia followed. "It was nice to see you again, Queen Papilio. I wish you the best of luck in leading your kingdom."

"And you as well," said Papilio with a nod. With that, she turned and left, ready to guide her people to a happier, better chapter of their lives.

THE END