As Sleight woke up one morning, he noticed Chrysalis wasn't in bed with him. This was in itself not unusual, as she would often wake up early during laying season, but that was nowhere near in sight.
'What are you up to, Chrys?' He wondered.
As Sleight went down the tower, he found Chrysalis directing a number of Changeling staff, Wizel beside her. The staff were moving around chairs, and platters of berries and moss.
"Hey, Chrys." He smiled. "What's going on? We expecting company?"
"Very important company, actually." Chrysalis declared.
"Like who?" Sleight asked.
"You didn't tell him?" Wizel asked.
"Tell me what?" Sleight frowned.
"I was waiting for the right time to tell him." Chrysalis declared. "I just couldn't find it."
"Tell me what?" Sleight repeated firmly.
"We're expecting a delegation of ambassadors... from other hives." Wizel revealed.
"Other hives?" Sleight frowned, "What do you mean, other hives?"
"He means other hives with different changelings lead by different queens." Chrysalis clarified.
"Wait, you mean there are different kind of changelings beside you guys?" Sleight gaped.
"Um, yes." Chrysalis frowned. "What, did you really think our entire species was centered on one single hive?"
"Well, when you put it like that..." Sleight cringed. "It's just... to my understanding, you guys made it sound like you were on brink of extinction of one point, and-"
"Now, now, it is a easy misconception." Wizel soothed. "But yes, there are other hives."
"Wait, if there are other hives, then why had I never heard of them? Let alone anypony else?" Sleight asked, "I mean, the only reason I assumed was because I only knew you guys."
"Well, unlike our hive, the others were more fortunate in keeping their hives hidden." Chrysalis cringed. "Not to mention more experienced."
"So... why are other hives are coming here?" Sleight asked.
"It was part of a treaty that my grandmother made long ago." Chrysalis explained. "Way back when, Equestria was the world's biggest hunting grounds for Changelings like us, and every Changeling wanted a cut of it. As you would expect, it didn't pan out well. All the hives wanted Equestria for themselves, and it wasn't till Queen Chitin got the Queens all in one room and convinced them that we should be feeding on the ponies, not killing each other. Luckily, they weren't above common sense, and now, every so often, all the other Queens and I would gather together, with one of the hives playing host to the congregation, and discuss issues."
"Wait... how often?" Sleight asked.
"Every few years." Chrysalis declared. "The last time we held one was just before you arrived at the hive."
"How oddly convenient." Sleight noted. "So, when are these others coming?"
"This afternoon." Wizel announced. "Right after noon, in fact."
"Guess these other hives are big on punctuality." Sleight mused. "So what's the problem? It's just business as usual, right?"
"Not exactly." Chrysalis frowned. "So much has changed for me and this hive since our last meeting. I must confess, I'm a little worried about what the others will say..."
"Don't be." Sleight told her. "This hive is happy and prosperous. There's nothing wrong with that."
"True." Chrysalis admitted. "But the other Queens believe firmly in tradition, and the old ways... If they don't like what they see... well, you just have to look at Char and the others to see how far some Changelings will go to uphold their beliefs."
"I'm sure everything will be fine." Sleight assured her. "Like I said, the hive's doing great. They can't argue with results."
"Let us hope so." Chrysalis nuzzled Sleight. "We will stand proud, and show the others how strong the new way of doing things is."
"That's my Chryssy." Sleight kissed her.
"As touching as this is, we still have some preparations to attend to." Wizel declared.
"Of course." Chrysalis said sheepishly. "Remember the seating arrangements. We don't a certain twosome sitting next to each other..."
"Of course not." Wizel cringed.
"Once I've sorted this out, I'll join you for lunch, okay?" Chrysalis turned to Sleight.
"You got it, honey." Sleight kissed her again.
Soon after lunch, Sleight saw the delegations coming from the balcony. They bore different colors than the Changelings he was used to, coming in purple, lighter purple, orange, whitish gray, and blue.
"And here I thought I'd have trouble telling our visitors apart." He noted. "What's with all the colors?"
"Every species has it's sub-sets." Chrysalis declared, joining him on the balcony. "Subtly different due to their environment, or eating habits."
"So, who's who?" Sleight asked.
"Well, let's see..." Chrysalis glanced at the crowd, "The purple ones are the changelings of the Miasma Hive. Easily the second largest of all the hives. Their hive is situated underground not far from Las Pegasus. They take advantage of the city's sewage systems and their garbage dump to suit their needs. Unfortunately, that also mean they feed on rotten food and the occasional carcass to get their body liquids for spewing slime and the like. Needless, they aren't called the 'Miasma' Hive for nothing. They stink so bad, that you can easily smell through their disguises."
"Yikes." Sleight cringed. "Guess it would be insensitive to call 'em stinkbugs, huh?"
"Clearly." Chrysalis nodded. "Their leader is Queen Miasma. You think living in garbage would humble a pony, but no, Queen Miasma is a vain snob, even for a Queen. She always has these two aides following her with incense burners to hide her stench, and even douses herself in perfume. At that point, it's hard to tell which is worse: the hive's rotten smell or overwhelming stench of perfume."
"Remind me to invest in some noseplugs." Sleight snarked, as he saw what was clearly Miasma, flanked by her incense bearers.
"Yeah, but be sure to mind your tongue." Chrysalis frowned. "Miasma may act noble and sophisticated, but if you cross her..." Chrysalis gave a small shudder. "Let's say that she has very bad mood swings."
"Mood swings. Got it." Sleight nodded. "I'll try to watch my words."
"But the worst part is her atrocious table manners." Chrysalis scowled. "She won't even stop short of literally rolling around in her food."
"Seriously?" Sleight cringed.
"Don't worry." Chrysalis assured him. "The rest of us agreed to never let her do that here."
"That's a relief." Sleight smiled.
"But no matter what you do, do not point out this certain... scar, Miasma has on her face." Chrysalis warned.
"Hey, I've seen the soldier Changelings. I doubt it's nothing serious." Sleight scoffed.
"Oh, trust me, you will not like it." Chrysalis gave a warning stare.
"...So, how do they feed? On love, like you guys?" Sleight asked.
"Oh, yes. However, unlike us, they aren't as ambitious." Chrysalis sneered, "They take whatever victim that think they are drowning in a gully to ones they find passed out drunk after a night on the town. They take whatever their 'traps' snag. It's almost like they're not trying at all."
"So... who's next?" Sleight asked.
"The orange ones. The Honeycomb Hive." Chrysalis revealed. "Their hives are found deep in the Amarezonian Jungle, using hollowed out trees rather than underground caverns."
"Sounds like they're a bunch of tree huggers to me." Sleight mused. "Let me guess, they're into peace and being one with nature and all that?"
"Sort of." Chrysalis shrugged. "They aren't as aggressive as the other hives. Heck, they rarely venture out of the jungles. And for good reasons, as the jungle is a very dangerous place for a pony."
"I would assume so." Sleight cringed. "I have trouble with the swamplands just outside the hive."
"Well, these Changelings don't mess around in hunting for their victims. They take forms of the most beautiful mares, luring any dumb stallions into their traps. Their slime is much more effective and sticky than ours, as they have a taste for sweet nectar..." She then gave a dark stare. "And blood."
Sleight gave a slight gulp.
"After the ponies waste themselves trying to escape, they just use a hypnosis spell and feed on them. Unfortunately, some ponies end up getting caught in their traps anyway, and since the hive have traps stationed all over the jungles, they could be left trapped for weeks, left to die of starvation and thirst in the humid heat of the jungle..."
"Poor folks..." Sleight frowned.
"Yes, and their Queen herself is a very unsettling character." Chrysalis said darkly, "The hive is lead by Queen Ambrosia. She is not as bad as they come by Changeling standards. In fact, she is rather beautiful and kind to her subjects... but to ponies... she is like a child... a sick demented child that loves playing with her food. She is oblivious to how much a pony can take before crying for mercy. She just toys with them until there's nothing left to toy with."
"Yeowch." Sleight cringed. "Next, please."
"The white ones are a part of the Nekropolis Hive." Chrysalis gestured to the white shelled changelings, "Their hive are stationed under the Hollow Acres Cemetery outside of Whinneyapolis, some occasionally taking the place of corpses in their coffins. They hunt in a rather unique way, as they feed off the love of ponies who come to mourn for their lost loved ones, going as far as to take the form of them to get it upfront... otherwise, we don't know much. Outside our congregations, they rarely contact other hives, and speaking truthfully, we tend to avoid them. They're..." Chrysalis shuddered again. "...creepy."
"It sure sounds like it." Sleight noted. "They even look dead themselves."
"Yeah. I believe it comes from living in a graveyard your whole life." Chrysalis mused. "They act even stranger. Now, these are just things I heard from my children, but I heard that they hear voices in their head, and they behave as if possessed by some unknown deity. It could easily be the fungi they eat, but whatever it is, they are practically always on point. It is as if they all behave as one mind."
"...And now it got scary." Sleight cringed.
"It's even worse when a full moon is out." Chrysalis told him. "I don't know all the details, but I heard that on nights of full moons, the hive itself goes into this deep trance, and start doing this really strange dance. Most ponies could sometimes see them at nights with their red eyes glowing like fireflies. But if anypony, be they pony or Changeling of another hive, dare intrude, they are slaughtered on sight."
"And I thought the Honeycomb bunch were bad." Sleight cringed.
"And their queen isn't much better." Chrysalis frowned. "Queen Calliphora herself is one of those silent brooding types, never speaking up unless she has to. But when her eyes are on you... it's like she is staring into your soul, hoping to reap it like this so called 'Deity of Death'."
"...Okay..." Sleight meekly said, very terrified. "Can we move on to the next one please? Pretty please?"
"Very well." Chrysalis nodded sympathetically, "The blue changelings are from the Hagfish Hive, their leader being Queen Myxine. They built their hive within the seaside caverns along the shore of Panamare City. Naturally for seaside dwellers, they feed on all sorts of seafood, and their slime has a odd resemblance to coral. As for hunting ponies, they simply pretend to be a drowning victim and feed on the one who saves them, or vice-versa. To them, food is food."
"Good to know they're not fussy." Sleight joked.
"Yes. The one strength that they have over other hives are that they are excellent swimmers." Chrysalis pointed out, "And they take full advantage of it. They often set up sharp coral spires underwater for ships to crash into, or simulate shark attacks to grab ponies by the hundreds. The hive itself isn't all that big, but they are quite pragmatic."
"And the queen?" Sleight asked.
"Oh, out of all of them, Myxine is the one I find I like the most." Chrysalis gave a small smirk. "She's very down-to-earth, sharp as a horn, efficient, and short-spoken..." She then frowned again. "However, the poor thing's always tired. She is the youngest out of all of us, having lost her mother when she was barely coming into her shell. She was chosen as the heir just before her mother died, and she had to grow up really fast. She is constantly worrying about her hive, even more than I was back then."
"Aren't we all?" Sleight asked, as he then glanced down. "What about the other purple Changelings, the lighter ones? They look a lot like Miasma's Changelings..."
"Well, that would be the Lacera hive." Chrysalis announced, "And the reason for that is simply this: the queen of the hive is none other than Miasma's mother, Queen Lacera."
"No kidding?" Sleight raised an eyebrow. "Guess that explains the similar color schemes..."
"Yeah. There's a lot of bad blood between the two. Lacera's hive was out in the badlands near Appleloosa. Despite Lacera having raised Miasma, that bratty mareling didn't want to wait for her mother to die so she could become queen. I may not have agreed with my mother's teachings at times, but Miasma absolutely despised her mother. So she went and gathered her own hive, full of Changelings that were loyal to her, and splinted from the main hive to Las Pegasus. Needless to say, Lacera was not happy. She outright disowned her. If not for these gatherings, I don't think they would be in the same room together by choice."
"And I thought I had a hard time with my dad." Sleight declared.
"Well, Lacera herself is no pleasant mareling." Chrysalis scowled. "She is the last Queen alive that was at my grandmother's treaty announcement, and is as hard-flank as they come. Her ways are much older and much more barbaric than anything my mother or grandmother had ever thought up. And while Miasma was a horrible daughter, Lacera wasn't much better as a mother. It is as Miasma once said, 'she is very ugly , both inside and out'. That says a lot, considering who it's coming from."
"And... whoa, what's this?" Sleight spied the final Queen, a bronze-colored Changeling with what looked like an artificial metal leg and goggles on her forehead, flanked by several others.
"That would be Queen Patina of the Ferrugo Hive." Chrysalis declared. "They make their home in Detrot's assortments of abandoned factories. Rather odd considering how close to ponies they are, but it works to their advantage as they can simply take any overtired worker that happens by and feed on them. Unique among us, Patina herself is a brilliant scientist and inventor, creating new ways for her children to live. Her main goal however is to invent ways to effectively gather more love. Rumors has it, she has been tinkering with the concept of artificial love."
"Artificial love?" Sleight frowned.
"I know, it sounds crazy." Chrysalis frowned. "But Patina believes in the theory wholeheartedly. She has invested countless hours trying to create it, hoping to make a boundless supply of food for her hive. She even lost her own leg in the process due to an experiment gone wrong. She had no sucess so far, but she is determined. That's one thing about her... she always looks on the bright side of life, cheerful as always."
"Cheerful. That's a good sign, right?" Sleight asked hopefully.
"I suppose." Chrysalis shrugged.
At that point, Char, Wizel, and Sazh came by, talking about the visitors.
"Ugh, thozzze Nekropolizzz Changelingzzz creep me out." Char shuddered.
"Hey, at least they don't stink as bad as the bunch from Miasma's hive." Sazh gagged. "I can already smell it from way up here."
"Come on now, boys." Wizel sighed. "Be nice. The others aren't so bad."
"Eazzzy for you to zzzay." Char scowled. "All the other Queenzzz keep hitting on me. It'zzz not eazzzy being a babe magnet..."
"Hey, at least they actually pay attention to you." Sazh frowned. "Most of them wouldn't give a runt like me the time of day. Well, Myxine has always been nice, and Patina doesn't look at me with contempt, but the others have been just rotten."
"I wouldn't say that." Wizel grinned. "I've found my time with them quite... pleasurable."
"Wait... you mean...?" Sleight gaped.
"Yep." Wizel nodded proudly. "I've actually dated all of them at one point or another. Though Lacera was a little too... grabby for my taste, and Miasma was hard on the old nose. The others, though... Ambrosia is such a looker, and Myxine has a lovely scent of ocean breeze. Patina was quite... enthusiastic, and Calliphora did all kinds of weird stuff..."
"Okay, that's enough." Sleight cringed. "I'm already at my limit for being creeped out as it is. Don't want to reach it before I've even meet the other Queens."
"Well, it's best to not keep them waiting. Let's go down and greet them." Chrysalis sighed.
"Right with you, my Queen." Sleight grinned.
"Let's get this over with." Sazh frowned.
"Yezzz." Char nodded. "The zzzooner we zzztart, the zzzooner we finizzzh."
"Just don't make me get too close to those Miasma Changelings." Sazh groaned. "My poor nose..."
As they made their way down, the visiting hives took in their surroundings.
"The sunlight..." One of the Nekropolis Changelings, Fester, groaned. "It burns..."
"Why couldn't we have done this at night?" Another, Decay, frowned.
"Because my children..." Calliphora said in a low, slow voice. "Chrysalis and her children are not... like us, I should say."
"Greetings, cousins." An Ambrosia hive Changeling named Orchid declared.
"Hello again." One of the Myxine hive Changelings, a Guard named Silverfish, nodded.
"Nice huts." A Ferraguga Changeling named Sprocket smiled at his surroundings. "The construction Changelings have really improved."
"Not enough shade, if you ask me." Fester cringed.
"At least it's in a wide open space." A Lacera Changeling named Buzz declared. "Those cramped caves they used to live in made it hard to get away from certain... musks."
"Are you talking about us?" A Miasma Changeling named Fume growled.
"No, he's talking about some other overgrown stinkbugs." Orchid smirked.
"Watch your tone." Miasma snarled.
"Always so quick to anger, eh my daughter?" Lacera sneered. She had scars around her neck, and one over her right eye, which was pale and dead. Her mane and tail looked almost pony-like, save for the holes in them.
"Only when my hive is being insulted." Miasma spat.
"It's not an insult, it's the truth." Ambrosia rolled her eyes. "It's not our fault you live in sewage."
"You made the choice." Patina shrugged. "And we all have to suffer for it."
"'Suffer' is a strong word." Myxine admitted. "But not entirely inaccurate..."
"I'll show you suffering!" Miasma snarled.
"I'd like to see you try." Ambrosia sneered.
"And they wonder why we prefer our solitude." Calliphora snorted.
Sleight and Chrysalis emerged from the tower, followed by Wizel, Sazh and Char, and approached the other Queens, who put aside their dispute to greet their hosts.
"Greetings, fellow Changelings!" Chrysalis called. "And welcome to the hive!"
"Chrysalis, so great to see you." Patina smirked in a Scoltland accent, shaking her hoof with her metal leg. "I must say, you have a nice place here. Much nicer than those musty caves you used to live in."
"Thank you." Chrysalis smiled. "We've put a lot of effort into it."
"What a thrill it must be to be in my presence again." Miasma smirked.
"Let's hurry this along, shall me?" Lacera scowled. "My bunions are acting up again. A Queen of my stature shouldn't have to deal with this..."
"Hello again." Myxine said dully. "Glad to be here. Away from my wonderful ocean, in this dry land..."
"Ooh, I love getting out of the forest every so often." Ambrosia giggled. "There's always some new opportunities for playtime..." She cackled wickedly.
Calliphora stared at Chrysalis, not speaking a word. As always Chrysalis felt as if she was staring into her soul, much to her discomfort.
Sleight stepped forward, deciding the time had come to introduce himself. As he did, he got an up-close look at Miasma. Not only was her horn curvier at the top than Chrysalis's, he realised she had large holes in her cheeks. Sleight now realized what Chrysalis meant.
"Oh, um..." Sleight choked back his revulsion, and was about to say something to get her attention before suddenly...
Sazh glanced at Miasma's cheek holes too.
"AHHHHHH!!" He screamed. "AHHHHHH!!"
Sleight covered his eyes, and the screaming stopped.
"Thanks, Sleight." Sazh smiled. "Don't think I could have taken much more of that..."
"Stupid little runt." Miasma scowled. "Every time I come here, I have to suffer indignation from this little rat and-" Suddenly, she noticed Sleight, "Hold on, what is this?!"
"Oh my, a pony, here?" Ambrosia mused, her eyes filled with curiosity, as she gave a twisted smile. "Why, Chrysalis, how nice of you to put out snacks. Me and my children are starved!"
"Um..." Sleight stood in place, not liking the demented look in Ambrosia's otherwise cute face.
"He's not a snack, Ambrosia." Chrysalis declared.
"Then what is he?" Myxine stepped forth, examining him. "Is he a prisoner or something? Because prisoners don't usually get the luxury of roaming free in the hive. Not my prisoners at least."
"No, he's not a prisoner either." Chrysalis explained. "...He's my... husband."
The queens remained silent for a moment, not sure what the term meant.
One of Patina's Changelings started rubbing his back legs, imitating the sound of a cricket.
"Stop that." Patina told him.
Just as that Changeling stopped, Calliphora's started doing the same, only their sound was like a mix of screams and demonic roars, which disturbed the others.
"That will do." Calliphora said quietly, causing them to stop.
"That means he's my mate." Chrysalis clarified.
The Queens 'awed' in response... before their faces changed to a mix of shock and disgust.
"Your what?!" Calliphora gaped, breaking her silence and shaken out of her sullenness.
"That's right." Sleight nodded, summoning his courage to approach the queens, "King Sleight Gambit, at your service."
"King?!" Lacera spluttered, giving a rasp. "By the hives of old!"
"What kind of sick joke are you playing, Chrysalis?!" Miasma snarled. "Why kind of Changeling would become mates with a pony?!"
"What are you thinking, Chrysalis?" Myxine frowned, "A pony in the hive? Surely that would cause problems within the hierarchy? Their ways are different from ours, after all. His presence could have a disastrous effect."
"Indeed..." Calliphora growled, her gaze focused uncomfortably hard on Sleight. "By mating with this pony... you are infecting your own hive with a poison... a poison that could rot this hive from within, slowly but surely eating away at its vital parts, reducing once healthy organs to blackened, shriveled-"
"I get it." Chrysalis said flatly.
"Aww, I don't know, I think he's kinda cute." Patina cooed, her mechanical leg clanking as she took a closer look at Sleight. "He's like her little pet. Like a tea cup puppy or a little kitten."
"Uh, hello?" Sleight growled. "I'm standing right here!"
"Ponies are supposed to be food... and objects of enjoyment." Ambrosia smirked, "I like to yank out their manes, play their rib cages like xylophones... and when I'm feeling sporty, play jump rope with their intestines!"
Sleight let out a small 'eep' in terror.
"Not to me." Chrysalis declared, a bit disgusted by Ambrosia's mind. "I love Sleight. And for your information, my hive doesn't actively seek out ponies for food anymore."
"You don't?" Lacera stepped forward. "Since when?"
"Since I made peace with them." Chrysalis revealed.
"Made peace with them?" Miasma scowled. "What further nonsense is this?!"
"Not nonsense." Chrysalis declared. "It's a rather long story, but to put it short, attacking and attempting to conquer ponies was bringing my hive to ruin. They offered peace, and I accepted it."
"But why?!" Ambrosia let out a childish whine. "It's fun kidnapping and murdering ponies and taking out their internal organs."
"Sometimes, it's best to just stand back, and cease hostilities." Chrysalis explained.
"Well, you can't argue with that logic." Myxine admitted.
"That's your opinion, little one." Lacera sneered.
"At least she's allowed one." Miasma scowled. "More than what you gave me, growing up."
"Again with the family squabbles." Ambrosia rolled her eyes.
"I'm with Myxine on this one." Patina admitted. "There is a sort of logic to it."
"Like your opinion means anything, tinkerer." Calliphora sneered. "I'd never trust the judgment of a Changeling who blew her own hoof off in some half-baked experiment..."
"At least I don't go nuts whenever there's a full moon." Patina scowled.
"Why, you..." Calliphora growled.
"Now then..." Chrysalis frowned, eager to avoid an argument. "Shall we go inside? We have much to discuss."
"Of course." Ambrosia nodded. "Hope you put out some decent food. Getting my hopes up with that pony has really given me an appetite..."
As they walked towards the tower, they passed by Wizel, Sazh, and Char.
"Hi there, Wizel." Myxine smiled. "Long time, no see."
"Still as handsome as ever, huh?" Ambrosia grinned.
"And so rugged." Patina purred.
"Now, now, ladies." Wizel chuckled. "Let's not get sidetracked..."
"Something getting sidetracked is a good thing." Miasma grinned, nuzzling against Wizel.
"Not always..." Wizel cringed, the stench getting to him.
"Please." Lacera sneered, pulling Wizel into her grasp. "A distinguished Changeling deserves a distinguished lady... Right, Wizel?"
"Um... excuse me..." Wizel evaded her grasp. "I have something to attend to..."
As Wizel rushed away, the Queens turned their attention to Char.
"Hey, Char." Ambrosia purred. "Got any new scars?"
"One or two." Char shrugged.
"You always were quite the specimen." Patina grinned.
"A breath of fresh ocean air." Myxine chuckled.
"Always did like a strong Changeling." Lacera added.
"Hello again, Char." Calliphora turned her unnerving gaze toward him. "Did you miss me?"
"Well, you are quite... hard to forget..." Char trembled.
"And not in the good way." Miasma sneered. As she turned, Sazh got another look at her cheeks, and started screaming again.
"AHHHHHH!!" He yelped.
Char kicked him, snapping him out of it.
"Thanks, I needed that." Sazh smiled.
"Any time." Char grinned.
As they made their way to the dining room, Sleight tried to strike up some conversation.
"So... how was your trip?" He asked Calliphora. "No problems getting here? I know it's a long way from the graveyard-"
"I mean no offense... but I don't make conversation with ponies." Calliphora declared. "And I have no wish to start now... Do you understand?"
Calliphora blinked, then blinked again, using a translucent set of secondary, vertical eyelids.
"Eye!" Sleight yelled. "...Understand completely."
Once they went inside, they headed for the dining room, where the repast was waiting for them.
"Oh, that looks so goood." Patina grinned. "Better than what Myxine had ready for us."
"It's not my fault seaweed is an acquired taste." Myxine pouted.
"Feel free to help yourselves." Chrysalis urged.
"With pleasure." Ambrosia smirked, as she quickly delve into the feast.
The Queens started eating. Sleight, however, was too revolted to eat. Despite being told beforehoof, nothing could have prepared him for the sight of Miasma eating. She chomped again and again. The holes in her cheeks meant he could see her chewing even with her mouth closed.
"Is there a problem, pony?" Miasma asked, aware of his staring.
"No, none at all." Sleight shook his head. "I just suddenly lost my appetite, that's all..."
"You're not the only one." Lacera snarled. "The stupid girl always had atrocious manners."
"Not as atrocious as your attitude." Miasma shot back.
"You're a fine one to talk." Lacera spat. "Always griping and moaning about something or other..."
"Because you never gave me anything I wanted!" Miasma yelled.
"Ugh, not this again..." Ambrosia sighed.
"No matter how far apart they sit, they always find a way to argue." Patina frowned.
"I have to admit, Chrysalis... I don't think I care much for this new hive of yours..." Calliphora declared slowly. "It's far too out in the open... it's asking for the wrath of the unforgiving gods to smite thee clean off the face of the planet..."
"My thoughts exactly... I think..." Myxine nodded. "Even with those big walls all around, there's not much protecting you from aggressors..."
"We don't have that kind of problem anymore." Chrysalis declared. "As I said, we are at peace with the ponies. We did have a problem with the followers of a bigoted stallion not long after we signed the treaty, but Sleight helped us to fend them off."
"He did?" Myxine frowned.
"This fragile little creature?" "Ambrosia cooed condescendingly, "This poor little thing looks like he couldn't hurt a fly."
"Again, I'm standing right here." Sleight scowled. "And yes, I did help Chrys and her children against Red Eclipse. My magic helped turn the tide, in fact."
"It was because of Sleight's bravery and valor in saving the hive that I chose to make him my King." Chrysalis smiled.
"King?" Lacera growled. "Chrysalis, in what part of Changeling history has there ever been a King? Changelings are to be ruled by Queens and Queens alone. Males of all kinds are far too stupid to ever lead a country."
"Excuse me?" Sleight growled. "For your information, I've been ruling this hive just fine."
"Oh, yes, you keep telling yourself that, sweetie." Ambrosia sneered.
"It's the truth." Sleight insisted.
"A pony cannot rule Changelings." Lacera spat. "Because a pony knows nothing of what it is to be a Changeling."
"She's got you there." Patina agreed.
"That's just what I was worried about." Myxine agreed.
"That's enough." Chrysalis frowned. "Leave my husband alone. He is doing a fine job ruling this hive with me."
"Thanks for the support, Chrys." Sleight smiled.
"I don't believe this." Miasma scowled. "You've gone soft, Chrysalis."
"I have done no such thing." Chrysalis retorted.
"For once, I agree with my daughter." Lacera declared. "Look at what you've become, Chrysalis. Building a hive out in the open, making peace with those ponies... mating with a pony? What would Queen Cocoon think of all this?"
"That... that doesn't matter." Chrysalis said hotly. "My mother passed away years ago, and left me to watch over this hive, in any way I saw fit."
"You were supposed to uphold the ways Thorax molded the hive on..." Calliphora pointed out. "...Instead, you've made a mockery of them... your actions spit in face of all that your mother had stood for... you are bringing shame upon the Chrysalis Hive by defying your mother's wishes..."
"And you are becoming LAME!" Ambrosia childishly stuck out her tongue.
"Now, I don't think it's that bad..." Patina nervously points out.
"WHO ASKED YOU?!" The other queens (except Chrysalis) snarled.
"I was just saying..." Patina pouted.
"Well, maybe this isn't the time to 'say' something." Myxine said, as gently as possible. "No offense."
"Now, I don't think it's bad that you are turning against your mother." Miasma declared, as she glared at Lacera. "What is bad is that you are running traditions that was passed through generations into the ground!"
"How dare you..." Chrysalis growled.
"And what about food?" Myxine asked, her tone concerned. "If you're not going after ponies anymore, how are you to survive? You can't exist on berries and moss alone."
"The love I receive from Sleight is more than enough." Chrysalis stated. "Not just for me, but for the entire hive. His love is so great, I can't help but share it. In fact, I would most certainly grow fat if I kept it all to myself."
"Yep, that's the kind of stallion I am." Sleight grinned.
"And you have the gall to call my hive lazy." Miasma snorted. "You're all just content to sit around, feeding off this fool's love, and letting your hunting instincts become dull and useless."
"Not so!" Chrysalis snapped. "As you see, Char, the head of the soldier changelings, has been making sure that doesn't happen. I may be changing things, but I do know how to run a hive!"
"You mean you used to." Lacera snarled. "Before you let those ponies get to you."
"You don't know what you're talking about." Chrysalis scowled.
"Clearly, your little 'peace treaty' with the ponies has made you a huge softy." Ambrosia said contemptuously. "You're making friends and lovers out of those you should be feeding on. What good are ponies if you aren't not playing 'Operation' with their living carcasses?"
"Aside from that, I think they've got a point." Patina murmured. "I mean, with all these changes, I can't tell if you're a changeling anymore, Chrysalis. You might as well stick corks in your leg holes and call yourself a black pony..."
"Whoa, a little harsh, don't you think?" Sleight asked.
"You stay out of this." Lacera declared. "You're part of the problem."
"Don't talk to my husband like that!" Chrysalis shot back.
"'Husband'." Miasma sneered. "A pony term. You're just proving how far you've fallen."
"What's next? You saying you don't drown your defective eggs anymore?" Myxine asked sullenly.
"We don't, actually." Chrysalis retorted.
"Let me guess, that was your precious 'husband's' idea?" Lacera scowled.
"As a matter of fact, it was." Sleight nodded. "It's not right to kill larvae just because they're a little different."
"More pony-based stupidity." Ambrosia snorted.
"You are only poisoning your hive further..." Calliphora declared.
"Honestly, I've never believed in that tradition, anyway." Chrysalis confessed. "How can any of you, in good conscience, allow your children to be killed before they've even hatched?"
"If it means ensuring the purity of our hives, it is a small cost to pay." Miasma declared. "You mother believed that. But it seems you're too weak."
"Oh, you care about what her mother believed, never mind what I care about?" Lacera snarled.
"Yeah, because you were always spouting nonsense!" Miasma yelled. "Face it, I'm a better Queen than any of you!"
"Only when compared to any but me." Lacera scowled. "Look at the competition:" She turned to Myxine. "One is too young for the position, and the other is... weird."
"I'm only about 500!" Myxine snarled.
"Looking to the future isn't weird!" Patina yelled. "Calliphora's hive is weird!"
"At least we don't play with our food like toys." Calliphora glanced at Ambrosia.
"No, you just hide in the dirt all day with a bunch of bones." Ambrosia snorted. "So much better..."
"Just be grateful I didn't destroy your hive when I rose to power, mother." Miasma sneered.
"Like you even could." Lacera shot back.
"Oh, I could." Miasma smirked. "I've got some tricks up my sleeve..."
"Like talking a better game than you could ever deliver!" Lacera yelled.
"Like you could deliver anything, you old fossil!" Miasma roared.
"Savage!" Patina yelled at Ambrosia.
"Junk-lover!" Ambrosia shouted.
"Water-logged whelp!" Calliphora snarled at Myxine.
"Bone-chewing walking corpse!" Myxine shot back, her patience exhausted.
"ENOUGH!!" Chrysalis suddenly roared.
The other Queens fell silent. Sleight smiled, proud of his string-willed wife.
"Now you listen here. All of you." Chrysalis scowled. "You may think I've lost my mind, or turned my back on our traditions, but I have not. Everything I've done since I became Queen has been for the benefit and betterment of this hive. But in my years leading, I was blinded by my pride, and because of it, I almost led my hive to extinction with no way to advert it. It wasn't till one pony came to me and offer me a way out. It was because of them that I am standing here with all of you today. Just look at my subjects: they are happy, they are safe, and they are prosperous. My mother may not have approved, but I never wanted her approval, I only wanted what was best for the hive she left me with. And I now have that. You all may think the hive has gone soft, but really, has attacking pony settlements ever worked out long-term for any of you? By living the way we did, we were forced to scurry hide like insects, scattering from an exterminator."
"I wouldn't put it quite like that..." Calliphora scowled.
"I would." Sleight said quietly.
"By living in harmony with ponies, this hive has become a safe haven, where we can all live and work in peace." Chrysalis declared, "And even outside the hive, my children are free to interact and mingle with the ponies, without the fear of them turning on them looming over their heads. Our hive has reached a state in which we can truly 'live', not survive."
"But your point only heaps on more confusion." Myxine declared. "Why would you make a pony your mate, after everything they've done to our kind? You of all ponies must know the awful things they had done to us over these hundred of years."
"Because not all ponies are the same." Chrysalis told them. "Sleight being the shining example. When we first met, he could have easily left us to die, but he didn't... because he had come to care for this hive as much as I have. And that what made me fall in love with him in the first place." Chrysalis gave a small smile to Sleight. "...And trust me, feeling love is a far greater experience than actually feeding on it, mostly because I know Sleight loves me for who I am, not who I'm pretending to be. That kind of love is far purer than any other I have ever tasted, because it is true love, not born of deception."
"Oh, yeah." Sleight nodded. "Accept no substitutes."
"Patina, you yourself have been experimenting with alternative forms of sustenance, and you have been mocked for it." Chrysalis pointed out. "Surely you can understand how it feels to be ridiculed for trying something different?"
"...I suppose..." Patina admitted.
"And Myxine, have you not been made fun of for being the youngest out of all of us to assume the role of 'Queen'?" Chrysalis urged.
"Yes." Myxine nodded.
"And Calliphora." Chrysalis turned to her. "You know full well that your hive's ways have been... unsettling for some of us."
"Unfortunately, yes." Calliphora frowned.
"Ambrosia, your habit of toying with your food has been a source of much consternation to the rest of us." Chrysalis continued. "And Lacera and Miasma, your arrogance and barbarism also stands out over the rest of us."
"Yeah, Chrys." Sleight chuckled. "Tell it like it is..."
"What are you getting at, Chrysalis?" Miasma asked.
"What I'm getting at is that our hives have already gone through change, dictated by circumstance or environment." Chrysalis declared.
"But we have not forgotten the old ways." Lacera countered. "Our mothers and our grandmothers had been running things just fine the way they were... why should we change?"
"We are Changelings, are we not?" Chrysalis declared. "Change is what we are all about. And the old ways are not working as well as they used to, so perhaps the time has come to change all that. Instead of seeing ponies as enemies or food, perhaps you should start seeing them as friends and neighbours. There would be no more need for hiding, or senseless warefare. You would all be free to live and prosper without fear of attack. And you would be able to walk amongst ponies in your true skin, and not be reviled for it."
"And that's the gospel truth." Sleight said triumphantly. "Think on that for a while..."
The Queens shared thoughtful looks...
"Perhaps there is something to all this..." Calliphora confessed. "Hiding all the time has grown quite tiresome... and that idiotic mayor has begun cementing all the coffins."
"And I have lost more than a few of my kind to pony reprisals." Patina confessed. "Even in a crappy city like Detrot, they are mighty fierce."
"Maybe there is something to this whole integration thing." Myxine sighed.
"It would be nice to come out of the forest and have some fun... non-violent fun." Ambrosia shrugged. "Playing with my toys until they break means I always have to wait for more..."
"Have you all lost your minds?" Lacera frowned. "This is not our way!"
"I hate to admit it, but Chrysalis may have the right idea, mother." Miasma declared. "Maybe we should put the old ways behind us."
"But tradition..." Lacera spluttered.
"Won't keep us alive in the long run." Chrysalis pointed. "The world is changing, and if we don't change without, we will not survive."
"A sound theory." Patina nodded.
"Perhaps we should discuss this at greater length." Lacera sighed. "You have given us much to consider..."
"All I ask is that you listen." Chrysalis smiled.
"Not too much to ask, is it?" Sleight grinned.
"For once, the pony makes a good point." Ambrosia admitted.
"Let's get to it." Myxine nodded.
For the next few hours, Sleight, Chrysalis and her fellow Queens discussed at length what changes could be implemented to ensure safer, more prosperous hives. While the likes of Calliphora and Lacera were more stubborn, ultimately, they agreed to give some of Chrysalis' ideas a try.
"Well, I think we should call it a day." Miasma noted.
"So right." Ambrosia nodded. "We should get back to our hives before sundown..."
"I hope I've made an impression on you all." Chrysalis declared. "And that you'll at least try my suggestions."
"I certainly will." Myxine smiled. "If my hive made friends with ponies, we may actually have some company."
"I wouldn't go that far." Miasma shrugged. "But peace may be worth a try."
"It will at least be an interesting experiment." Patina smiled.
"We'll see." Calliphora shrugged.
"Loathe though I am to admit it, perhaps putting aside the old ways will ultimately benefit us in the long run." Lacera sighed.
"Crazier things have happened." Sleight smirked. "Trust me, I know from experience."
"You won't regret this." Chrysalis smiled. "You'll see."
"Here's hoping." Ambrosia nodded.
"Meeting adjourned. Until we all meet again." Lacera declared.
Shortly after, Sleight and Chrysalis waved off the other Queens as they departed for their own hives.
"Well, that was... interesting." Sleight declared.
"The most lively gathering of Queens I've ever seen, at least." Chrysalis agreed. "But you can't argue with the end result."
"Oh, yeah." Sleight nodded. "Nice speech, by the way."
"I meant every word." Chrysalis smiled. "But to honest, meeting the others again has reminded me of how different the hive has become. How much we've come to stand apart from our fellows."
"That's not really a bad thing, is it?" Sleight asked.
"No, it's not." Chrysalis grinned. "And perhaps the others will take my words to heart. Perhaps they too will step out into the world, and truly integrate with the rest of Equestria."
"We can always hope." Sleight shrugged. "So, whose hive is next for a visit?"
"I believe it's Myxine's." Chrysalis mused.
"And this time, I'm coming with you." Sleight declared.
"You don't have to-" Chrysalis started.
"Sure I do." Sleight smiled. "I'm the King of this hive, right? I have an obligation."
"You certainly do." Chrysalis smiled. "And as always, I will be proud and honored to have you by my side." she kissed him. "You really are the best King I could ever hope for."
"Hey, it's what I do." Sleight grinned.