//------------------------------// // Sail // Story: Hive Mind // by canonkiller //------------------------------// This is how an angel cries... "216, SHUT IT UP!" The guard jumped forward, before facing his queen with a sheepish grin. "My lady, I fear that we can't do anything. It's all in your head." Chrysalis looked up at him, hissing with anger. "FIX IT!" ----- "Turn a little to the left." One of the sisters said, her eyes closed. "You're losing signal." "Sorry." I adjusted my magic, the invisible beam dancing in my head. "But cool song." 1271 added. "Good choice." The others had returned quite quickly, each with hooves full of fish. A note on evolution there - that is the reason for the leg-holes; to carry things. Apparently it's extremely difficult to pick things up with your mouth when you have fangs. The one who was directing me was 1268, who's power was illusion. It not only enhanced her changing abilities, but allowed her to detect when magic was being used on illusion and shape-shifting, or being used by one who had those powers already. On one side of her was 1269, her power being her amazing ability to lie. Unlike 1416, she explained, she didn't have to believe in what she said, while he did. On 1268's other side was 1267, who was constantly vanishing into the background of sorts, simply blending in with what was going on and passing out of meandering sight. She was silent on her hooves and wings as well, lacking the low buzz of a regular Changeling's flight. The final sister, lying on the edge of the cloud, was 1270. She was espionage, and the one who had originally seen my blatant daylight flight. Judging by how focused her eyes were, I assumed she was watching something below us. 1271 was still flipping through her book, glancing up whenever 1268 gave me another instruction. "Okay, you can drop the link. It's anchored." I let the magic fizzle out, feeling the beginnings of a headache behind my eyes. As if reading my thoughts, 1268 touched her horn to mine, transferring love to me so I could recover. "Good job. That'll keep up for about a day." I panted, smiling and nodding. ----- Chrysalis growled as the music in her head increased in volume, grinding her horn up on of the stones in the wall to try and drown it out. Her guards flattened their ears and gritted their fangs in unison at the eerie screech of the stone's protest. ----- 1270 flicked her ears towards us, but didn't look away from the ground. "Which Changelings were you with prior to this?" I lifted an eyebrow. "1416, 1378, 598, and 352. Why?" "Because they're right below us." She stated, turning her ears back again. "And calling your number. Except for 598, he's calling you Multas." "Hide me hide me hide me-" I ducked behind 1271, who just as quickly pushed me back to where I was. "You really should talk." She advised, attaching her book to her shell with a speck of green slime. She leaned over the edge beside me, finding the four forms in the dark. "Hey! Up here!" "2317!" A familiar voice shouted from below. The buzz of wings got steadily louder as I tested just how far a Changeling could burrow into a cloud. Apparently you can only dig as deep as the cloud itself. I was suddenly in open air, my wings buzzing uselessly against gravity. "NO!" I felt the shout pass by as I fell, from beside me to high above. The world slowed down. I was closer to the ground than I had thought, just not close enough to live, probably. Who knows how much force a Changeling can take. Although, now that my eyes were stinging and my face was starting to heat up, I was pretty sure that I had passed the limit. I had a moment where I saw myself splatting to slime on the ground, left for whatever found me first. Maybe it'd be a human, a real one, one that would take pictures and send them to the tabloids. Huh. All of a sudden, the tabloids don't seem so fake anymore. I felt a sudden, intense pain around my belly as my speed dropped to virtually nothing. I twist almost-painfully, seeing the chest and chin of another Changeling, his hooves wrapped around my middle as he struggles to keep both of us aloft. The ground meets my hooves much gentler than I believed it was going to. The Changeling lets go of me, landing in front of me. "Are you alright?" I stiffen, looking up at the Changeling who saved my life. "It was... you?" 1416 nodded slowly. "There's two things you have to know... one of which I should have told you a while ago." "More things that make me invincible? What now, can I control the universe? Can I just will Chrysalis into turning good again?! I don't care about being perfect!" "No... well, kinda." He admitted, looking at my hooves. "I don't think it matters now, anyway." He waited to see if I was going to respond before continuing. "Thing is... Chrissy chose you to be her personal successor." "Whut?" "You were supposed to take the throne if she ever fell. You showed intelligence, magical abilities, and with your skill in puzzles, your hindered flight meant nothing. Back then, you could make it around the hive, and that was good enough." I was vaguely aware of the others landing around me. 1271 settled her wing on my back, but I didn't fully notice. "Once you realized what shape our breed was in, you joined us," he waved a hoof at the group, "and turned against her completely. That's why you couldn't remember anything. That's why she turned against you so fast this time. She knew you were dangerous, and she erased almost everything. Sh left right after you started going against her, because you would remember." I rolled my eyes. "Why can't this happen to any of you guys? So, the second thing would be...?" "Oh, yeah. I'm gay, so you can stop staring at me like that." He stuck his tongue out and pretended to gag himself with his hoof. I was - this time - fully aware of our little gang laughing like maniacs. 1416 himself just smiled pleasantly and brohoofed 352. I facehoofed, probably something that was going to become a lot more common.