Hive Mind

by canonkiller

Origin Point

Something moved behind me. Preparing myself for the worst, I turned around.

The only other Changeling to speak to me looked back, seemingly confused by my snarl.

"H-hey. Calm down." He took a few steps backward. "I'm not here for the Queen."

"Then why are you here?"

"Just to talk." He paused. "You seemed confused in the hive, and I was wondering why."

"Because I don't know what the heck I am, for one."

He looked away. "Well, you have a reputation at the hive..."

"Hm?"

"How much time do you have?"

"Enough."

He hesitates for a few seconds. "Okay. About fourteen years ago...

A huge explosion rocks the hive. Thousands of Changelings pour out of the exits, filling the sky.

Chrysalis herself is thrown out from the shockwave, joining her subjects in the air.

A projected voice fills the air;

"Changelings of the hive! What Chrysalis has made us do is wrong! We do not need trickery and disguise to receive love! If we stop hunting now, we can still redeem ourselves! Pony-kind will accept us, and we'll live normally! We don't need to fight!"

"Don't listen to them!" Chrysalis roared, flying between the burning hive and her colony. "They are different! They seek only to destroy our race!"

Ten Changelings climbed out of the hive, standing at the top. They all seemed to be different than the rest, each one just a little bit off.

The one who had been talking before flew above the others. "She doesn't understand that these ponies will accept us! We have tiAAAAUUUUUuuuuuhhhhh...."

Chrysalis's green lightning faded as the Changeling dropped back to the hive's surface. The electrified creature twitched, changing into mixtures of other forms as the energy faded.

"See? They are different! They are not like us!"

The seething mass of Changelings muttered, unsure.

"We are like you!" Another Changeling protested. "We are your brothers and sisters! We have simply seen what can be done for us!"

The smallest in the group took to the air. "In trying to defeat us, you only show the hive how wrong you are! New and different are not bad! We can be stronger!"

"Guards!" Chrysalis shouted. "STOP THEM!"

"We will not be silenced, Chrysalis." The electrified one slowly stood up, shaking her mane back to normal. "No matter what you do, we know you're wrong."

These Changelings were, indeed, different. Since birth, they had shown signs. Each had a special talent, like the ponies they fed off of.

The oldest was the strongest, having a wide range of magic at his use and excelling in every arcane field. The next was physically strong, able to lift many times his own weight and had single-hoofedly defended the hives from many outside threats. A group of five females, all around the same age, filled in the middle; they were specialized in stealth, illusion, lies, espionage, and reconnaissance. These five were the best hunters, and retrieved a lot of energy for the hive. The three youngest had the most amazing powers of them all. One could make anypony who heard him believe him, no matter how outlandish his statements were. One could create synthetic love with her magic, and used it during times of starvation. The final, only a year old, was the strangest - she did not need to see to change. Her own mind could make forms for her.

They all shared a single trait - the Hive Mind rejected them. They could not see the thoughts of others, and vice-versa.

Chrysalis could not corrupt them into assimilating with the hive.

They were taller, faster, stronger, and smarter. They could see what they could change, and they were ready to die for their families.

"After that battle, Chrysalis captured all ten, and, to the general knowledge, killed them. She didn't need any protesters against her way of life. So, that's what a lot of Changelings thought happened. That all ten died." He sighed, looking down at his hooves. "I know that's not true. Ten of them suffered through torture, mentally and physically, until they forgot what they were and what they stood for. Nine of them were cast into this dimension."

"The tenth? Was he killed?"

He let out a small laugh. "He forgot what he was as well. For a long time. Then, one of the Changelings he was allied with decided to come back. And he remembered her, through all fourteen years of separation. Suddenly, he knew what he was, why the Queen treated him so gently. And he knew that the one he had seen had no idea."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm one of them. I'm the third-last. I lied to the Queen, said I was spying for her, protecting her, and she believed me, of course. I became a member of her personal guard, for a time. We vowed never to use out powers on the hive; we didn't want to be like the Queen. And you... you were the changer. You didn't need to see a pony to become it. You had limits - you stayed the same size, and your talents only improved slightly with each form, but you didn't need to see a dragon to breathe fire. Of course, the size and talents were related to your age. I'm sure they've improved now."

I didn't care about me. Not now. "What about the other eight?"

"Chrysalis will find them. If she does, they'll remember what they've been hiding. They will seek us out, no matter what. We just have to be ready for them."

"I've doomed Earth. Everything's going to... die."

"No." He put a hoof on my shoulder. "We fought against the hive when you were just a foal. We can fight them now as well."

I stepped back. "This is too much. I'm a pony, I'm a Changeling pony, and I'm a Changeling pony with special powers?!"

He grinned. Some part of me remembered that grin, a sure sign our plans were going to work. "Nope. You're anything you can think of with special powers."

I couldn't help but smile.