//------------------------------// // The Second Hive // Story: A Changeling Tradegy // by Reddling Rain //------------------------------// Under the earth, the entire world was alight with melodic buzzing. Under archways and out from tunnels creatures wearing their chitin garb darted to and fro around grand pillars and wide, expansive caverns. The entire underground was lit up with the soft but not dim lighting from green or blue liquid lamps. Layers of thicker and lighter liquid oozed within their containers, painting different glorious shades on nearby surfaces that were primarily a black jade colour, broken only by shards of rock that reflected any colour imaginable. This was Hive Lalartu, currently the home of Queen Lalartu and formerly home of Queen Chrysalis before she had gone on to found her own hive and fortune, far from the territories in the distant Southern Territories of Equestria. There remained a few in the hive that knew of their Hivemother's relation to Chrysalis, despite the former's desires to erase her daughter from memory. Those few that knew were generally the much older members of the Hive-- the Hivemother herself and her oldest of advisers who had not yet withered away. Still, this knowledge had been shared with a few of her most accomplished drones, always on a need to know basis with those specialized for certain tasks. Some of these specialized Changelings-- Infiltrator type drones-- were tasked with scouting, intelligence gathering, and keeping tabs on any other Changeling hives. Over the years the Hivemother had many daughters who rose to prominence, and quite recently some of them had suffered rather spectacular defeats-- such as Chrysalis in Equestria. A single Infiltrator type drone had been around to see the ordeal in Equestria, and had escaped with every other Changeling when things went south. But that was then, and this is now: Lazni, as the Infiltrator type drone had christened herself, had just finished reporting the happenings in Equestria to her Hivemother. Lazni stood tall and beamed up at her Hivemother, taking the same pride in serving the hive as every other drone. Lalartu gave a tired nod and smiled down at her successful servant as she looked away from a few Changeling drones that were pressed against her side or under her hooves to present affectionate nuzzles. Although the story had left her wanting for details, all of the core points had been intact-- both the Changeling attack and their defeat. "Very well done, and this information sheds some light on recent developments that we have seen locally." Lalartu's voice was slow, like every word was considered thoughtfully and spoke with age-old wisdom. "Recent developments?" Lazni asked, leaning forward and buzzing her wings with interest. While hive life was wonderful and she felt she could not trade it for anything, it's close second was the news on happenings in the world for her. The Hivemother nodded, smiling thoughtfully and continuing, "We have noticed a score of drones with a young queen moving close by, and they have recently stopped in a cave and have been resting for the better part of the day. I think they will move when night falls again, but I wish to contact them and invite them here before they leave." "Invite-- foreign Changelings, here?" Lazni let out a squawk of disbelief. "Indeed, Lazni. I would like you to go meet with them." The Hivemother lifted one of her gnarled hooves and pointed to Lazni, who watched as the two of them made their way over. "These two will show you the way. I know you must be very exhausted, but I feel that with your knowledge of Equestria you are the best equipped to talk with them. They journeyed from the north, and I believe they came from Equestria." The Hivemother remarked. Lazni shuffled uncomfortably at being singled out so much, but nodded agreeably with her mother's wishes. "Hivemother, why do you believe they are from Equestria? Or that my knowledge would be useful?" Lazni cocked her head to the side, confused. "Although it has been many years, the Queen holds a striking resemblance to Chrysalis. But I cannot tell for myself without seeing her. I would very much like to see Chrysalis one more time." Lalartu looked thoughtfully down at a drone that had rushed to her hoof, rubbing themselves dotingly against it. "Understood, and-- what should be done if they do not desire to accept the hive's invitation?" Lazni asked. "They will accept." the Hivemother said grimly. "You will understand when you meet them. Drones, escort Lazni to the cave where the foreigners are." Still slightly confused, Lazni stole herself as she turned, letting the two drones guide her out of the Queen's chambers and into the main cavern of the hive. This area was a glorious cylinder, with seven stories of circular paths that clung to the walls. In the middle was a space for drones to fly from story to story, going from here to there freely and with but one obstruction. In the middle of the hive was a great beacon that was segmented on each floor, alternating in colours of soft blues or soft greens. If it had but a few more colours, Lazni might have mistaken her Hivehome for one of the Equestrian raves their musicians were occasionally fond of. The drones flew upwards, and Lazni followed them, heading for the top level and then through a very narrow tunnel, which was only wide enough for them to fly single file to the surface. Forgoing disguises for the moment, the drones took Lazni and turned north, making for some hills that were visible poking out in the distance-- In fact, Lazni had passed the same hills earlier when she had been returning home. The distance to the cave seemed to take but minutes to overcome, and still wearing their Changeling chitin, the two drones landed before Lazni, testing the ground with their hooves. Lazni rubbed her hooves together before descending, giving her wings a little buzz after she had touched down. She knew better than to try to convince some Changeling to show themselves with words-- after all, what sort of mad drone would do such a thing? No, Changelings had a different way of communicating greetings-- a light wing buzzing, one that was universal among all drones. Of course, none of them could be sure where it came from, but it had existed as a common rule in every other Hive Lazni had ever spied on or encountered, including Chrysalis's hive. A few short moments passed, and then a weak buzzing returned. Lazni saw a drone poke their head out, lime green eyes darting around the world before it eyed the three visitors. The intricacies of beautiful Changeling eyes eluded ponies, but to their own kind they were quite clear. Around the edges there was grey lining, indicating tiredness and perhaps, hunger. The full eye of the drone itself was rather dim, as though they were fading away-- a sign often attributed to not having fed on emotions, most specifically love, for quite some time. Lazni's face curved back in shock as she took a few steps forward, alarmed at the state of this poor drone. "You-- oh sky and stars, you look terrible!" Lazni exclaimed, blinking a few times as she peered over the drone to get a better look at his figure. His chitin was rough and mud covered, not smooth or shiny as drones normally kept their carapaces. "Thanks." The drone's response was riddled with sarcasm, but before they could say anymore they ducked down, pulling their head back inside as a larger Changeling came into view. She stood quite tall, but not nearly as tall as Chrysalis. Her hair had become a brilliant lime green, and her eyes sparkled from behind the gossamer curtains like sunburst emeralds. As she spoke her teeth glittered like white topaz, marking her delicate as jewelry to be treasured and admired. "Hello-- changeling, drones." The Queen said with a smooth, musical tone, singling Lazni out from the other two. "You are not of my hive, and are encroaching on our cave." "This isn't a cave, it's a hole," Lazni laid her ears down, eyeing the excuse for a cave with faux-distaste. In all reality it looked as comfortable to her as any burrow, but she didn't want the foreign queen to know that. "You are encroaching on a-- hole, that belongs to Hive Lalartu." The foreign queen simply raised and eyebrow, glancing at Lazni and her drones and daring any of them to step forward and enforce the claim. Letting out a distressed sigh, Lazni shook her head and puffed her chest out. "Uh-- our Hivemother, Queen Lalartu, would like to humbly invite you to join us at our hive? You could rest in comfort and we can spare food. You seem to be tired from your travels, and we can offer you safety and necessities." As soon as Lazni had mentioned dining, she knew she had this in the bag. Half a dozen starved looking drones poked their heads out of the hole, looking at the visitors with hungry eyes. The last sentence had simply been icing on the cake. "How long have you known we were here?" The queen asked. "Awhile. We have tracked your movements for a great distance." Lazni retorted. She was not at all worried however, as many drones were now exiting around the Queen, squeezing to the surface and eyeing the three that had joined them. The queen's face cut into a grin, showcasing her smaller sharp teeth in full detail now. "Well, it is about time you reached out to us. Very well, my hive shall accompany you." The queen nodded to her drones, and they began taking on disguises-- all of them becoming pegasi of different shades but all with the same, lime green eyes. Lazni watched as they took off into the sky, hovering and waiting to be joined by their queen. Lazni had to do all she could to not shake her head in disgust at the condition of some of the drones. She only had a moment to eye them before they shimmered in fire and took on a disguise, but that was more than enough for Lazni to pass judgement on this foreign hive. Many of them looked as bad as the first Changeling she had seen, and some seemed to be worse off. While regular Changelings had shiny plates that interlocked over each other and shone like polished jade when wet, most of these drones lacked any polish on their plates, with dirt trapped between their plates and rough patches where cavities in their chitin were forming weaknesses in the shell. Their condition was inexcusably horrid, and Lazni could feel her blood heating up inside her carapace as she imagined what sort of neglect must have caused all of this. Turning away from the drones, Lazni eyed the queen in front of her, who took on the form of a much larger Pegasus. Even as a pony, she was still graceful and pretty, although it was not beauty of the same caliber that only Changelings could possess. "Forgive me, but my Hivemother is expecting Queen Chrysalis and her hive-- and, that is clearly not who you are. Could we know the name of the Hive that will join Hive Lalartu for food?" Lazni asked, peering up at the Queen. The queen looked away at this question, and even under the disguise Lazni could see that she had struck something deep inside the queen. Lazni took a step back, bowing her head carefully and looking up, waiting for a reply. When it finally came, she felt her jaw drop slightly. "After Canterlot, She did not return. A few of her drones wandered home and said she had been-- defeated. Hunted down-- I." "--Apologies." Lazni choked, "That is-- that is terrible." If Lazni could have had a do over, she would have held her breath for a few more seconds while the queen put out her last few words. The queen put a hoof on her chest, holding it there wistfully and looking over her shoulder, northward. "I- have sworn to make sure these drones are not hunted down. I am the daughter of Queen Chrysalis, Princess-- no, Queen Pupae." Silence fell over the cavefront. Lazni took a deep breath and gave a nod, turning and taking off with the two drones next to her. She made sure to stay at the front of the group-- not only so she could lead the hive in tow, but also to hide her own tears. She had no idea that things had gone so far after the Changelings were defeated in Canterlot, and wished she had not found out, either. Ponies were horrible and barbaric, and without the help of Changelings to guide them on a good path in life, they were unable to avoid psychosis. Lazni had no doubt they were all biting back curses for these ponies as they flew back to Hive Lalartu, the sun just finishing it's set in the distance and painting the sky with purples and teals. Lazni hovered outside of a tunnel exit and nodded to the drones to stay behind and bring up the rear. Taking point, Lazni headed down first, following the dark sloping tunnel into the earth. For half a minute the world was dark, but slowly colour from the Hive's lamps began to pain the world once more. As the drones from Pupae's hive streamed in behind her, she could hear them gasping and gazing over the place in amazement. A few stuck their snouts close to the ground and inspected the glittering floor while others buzzed nearer to the lamps, their eyes dazzled by the blend of blues and greens. Pupae herself stopped dead once she was inside, watching as the colours of the lamps shone across the smooth black floors and ceilings. her mouth was slightly agape, she herself no less struck by the beauty of the Hivehome. After a few moments Pupae gathered herself and approached the middle of the great cylinder, looking down at the multiple levels of the hive. By now some drones had taken notice of the foreign Changelings among them, and several were approaching and cautiously watching their visitors. "It is-- This is like nothing I have ever seen before," Pupae murmured. "It's like being underwater and looking up." Lazni beamed at the visitors, her mouth stretched back wide enough that even her little fangs were visible. "Oh, It's wonderful that you like it! You need to remember to tell our Hivemother how much you absolutely love it, we don't normally have visitors to compliment all of our hard work--" Lazni stopped herself, running a hoof over her chin. "Actually, we never have visitors here to compliment anything. Well, until now!" Giving herself a little shake, Lazni dropped altitude and turned to face multiple drones, gesturing upwards at the visiting hive. "These poor drones are starving, hurt, and dirty. Have a cavern prepared for them with food and treatment for their wounds." Lazni gave a little nod to encourage the drones, and several of them shot off in different directions, heading down tunnels. Lazni turned back to face Pupae and her hive in time to see their group collectively dropping to eyelevel with her, Pupae at their front. Pupae gave a nod, showing she was prepared to go. Nodding back, Lazni shot off towards the lower levels, stopping just short of a sloping tunnel that led towards the Hivemother's chambers. Pupae landed smartly behind Lazni, several drones landing less than graciously around her. "I am curious, before I meet your Hivemother-- what should I expect?" Pupae asked, putting on a brave face and preparing to soldier forward. "Oh, she is very kind! She is the best Hivemother that has ever lived." Lazni grinned, leading Pupae forward. "I would also ask what your rank is in this hive before we meet her." Pupae trotted slowly, as if she was suddenly not so eager to meet Queen Lalartu. Lazni stopped, pointing at herself uneasily. "Infiltrator." A few moments of uneasy silence lasted, and then the group slowly began to move forward. Lazni could feel Pupae's eyes staring her over, studying her with unusual interest. "You don't look like an infiltrator." Pupae said. "At least not like the others I've seen. Do you serve any other roles?" Lazni flattened her ears, biting her tongue and trying to think of a way to courteously redirect the conversation. This was not a talk she liked having and certainly least of all one she would tolerate with someone she had just met. "The little Changelings must be taken care of, and it must by those who have free time." Lazni murmured, picking up her pace. ""A nurturer?" Pupae suggested. "Yes that!" Lazni latched onto the word. Pupae raised her brow a bit, but let the topic go as the chambers of Queen Lalartu began to open up. Lazni could hear Pupae gulp as she looked across the room at Queen Lalartu. The Hivemother had what was really more of a lounging chair than a throne, and many drones still surrounded her, some of them playfully tugging or braiding her mane while others simply rubbed against her side or hooves. "Hello." Lalartu said, staring down at Pupae. Lazni looked between the two of them and then stepped forward, bowing to her mother. "Hivemother, I present Queen Pupae of Hive Pupae, Daughter of Queen Chrysalis." Lazni stayed bowed, peeking one eye between her four legs to look back at Pupae. Pupae seemed to have gained some courage, but not nearly what she had before entering the hive. Lazni could understand being fearful-- after all, the Hivemother could surely be as terrible as she was great if there was a threat to the hive. Not that Pupae would need to worry about that. After all, she wasn't the threat in the room.