Reveal
Applejack closed her eyes and concentrated as hard as she could.
"Remember Queen Applejack. Picture the form you want and imagine that your body is pliable."
Applejack shoved down her ire at the changeling's use of her new title and focused on the image of her pony form. She felt a tingling sensation across her body. It was slight and very slow, but she could feel a weak prickling sensation as fur started to grow through her chitin shell and her form contracted and got heavier.
"Yay! Go AJ! You can do it!"
Just when Applejack thought she was going to get it, everything halted for a moment before snapping back into place like a rubber band. Applejack stumbled back a step and collapsed as a wave of vertigo hit her. Applejack then opened her eyes and massaged her now aching head with a still perforated hoof. Berit trotted over and offered her hoof.
"For what it's worth your highness, you were much closer than last time."
Applejack scowled as she took Berit's hoof and let herself be pulled up. "Berit, what did Ah say about that 'highness' or 'queen' thing?"
Berit bowed apologetically. "Apologies my queen."
Applejack sighed and rolled her eyes as she turned to trot over to the room's other occupant. Pinkie Pie immediately bounced over to her friend and slung a hoof across her back.
"Wow Applejack you were so close I was 'she's going to do it'! And then I would have to throw a party to celebrate and we would invite everypony and changeling. Even the collectors!"
Applejack smiled a little weakly. "Thanks Pinks. That's real nice of ya to say."
Pinkie's grin widened. "You're welcome Applejack. But enough practicing, we gotta meet the others so we can get going to the train station."
✴✴✴✴✴✴
Applejack fidgeted with the holes in her hooves, an action that had recently become a habit for the ex-farmpony. To the outside observer, however, she looked like an orange and blonde earthpony, tracing circles in her hooves as she stared at the ground. She only stopped her fidgeting when the purple hoof of her friend grabbed her own.
"Applejack, don't worry about it." Twilight gently tilted her head up so that she could look at her. "Your family is very understanding, remember? They won't care what you look like on the outside."
"Ah know. Granny said as much last time Ah saw her. But Ah still can't help but feel as antsy as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Ah ain't sure how well Big Mac or Applebloom are gonna take this."
"Darling, I'm certain that they'll take you no matter what you look like." Rarity spoke as she placed her hoof on her friend's shoulder. "But I get the feeling that's not the only thing that bothers you."
Applejack shot her friend an irritated disapproving scowl. "Y'all know how Ah feel about hidin' our situation."
Twilight glanced around the crowded train stain before discretely sidling closer to AJ to speak in hushed tones. "I know how you feel Applejack. Literally, I do since I can feel it through the link. But, the way things are between ponies and changelings, it would be a very bad idea if we aired that out right now."
"Ah know, ah know. Hysteria, mobs, riots or worse."
"Exactly. We won't keep it secret forever you know. Just long enough for things to settle. Then we'll come out with this. Until then, we'll have to keep a lid on it."
Applejack looked like she wanted to add more, but was interrupted by Pinkie Pie's joyful squeal. "Girls! Look look look look! It's almost here!" Pinkie Pie pointed a hoof down the track as a train approached and pulled into the station. The train ground to a halt with a hiss of steam and the doors opened. As ponies poured off the train and into the station, Applejack and her friends scanned the crowd for who they were looking for. Despite the fact that their illusions made them look like their old selves, it did nothing to alter their height, making it easy to scan the crowd from up high. Pinkie Pie was the first to spot who she was looking for.
"Mom! Dad!" She cried as she made a flying leap for her family. They received her with open arms and didn't jump at her loud voice. Not very far from them were the Cakes with their twins and... "Gummy!" Pinkie squealed with joy as she scooped up her crocodile. "Thanks so much for bringing him!" She thanked the Cakes as Gummy latched onto her tail.
"Well of course we brought him." Cup Cake said with a smile. "Your letter asked us to, so we brought him."
As Pinkie Pie hugged the Cakes, Rarity located her own family. "RARITY!" Was the only warning she got before Sweetie Belle latched onto her leg.
"There's our big girl!" Rarity tore her gaze from the clingy Sweetie Belle towards her approaching parents. Her father had been the one to greet her. Her mother held a cat carrier in her mouth and couldn't speak. But she did manage to smile at her daughter around the carrier. Her husband of course trotted up and threw his arms around her in a tight hug.
"Hey there hon. You seem a little taller than usual. How've you been?" He greeted.
"I've been doing very well." Rarity replied as he released her. Her horn lit up and her magic wrapped around the cat carrier. "Thank you very much for bringing Opalescence. I hope she wasn't too much trouble."
"Oh no trouble at all." Her mother said, now that her mouth had been freed of the carrier. "She was a little angel."
"Oh good." Rarity said with a smile. As she and her parents spoke, Sweetie Belle had a blank expression on her face. She was still latched around her sister's leg, and had noticed that it felt different. Instead of soft and furry, it was hard and smooth like a shell; and she distinctly felt holes underneath her. She silently released Rarity's leg and decided to keep quiet about this.
✴✴✴✴✴✴
"It was nice of you to come mom. Dad." Fluttershy said. Sweet Blossom smiled gently at her daughter.
"Of course we came, my sweet little filly." The lovely pink pegasus mare with a golden mane cooed gently.
"Indeed. It isn't very often that we get to fuss over our little flower." Fluttershy blushed a little at her dad's comment and tried to hide behind her mane, only for her mother to push it back.
"I honestly don't see why you think you have to hide. You're a beautiful mare." Sweet Blossom pulled out a clip and used it to pin the mane back a little. Fluttershy blushed even more. As her parents fussed over her, Angel bunny took a leap from Sweet Blossom's back and towards Fluttershy, only to hit her side and fall to the ground, much to his surprise.
For a moment he lay there confused. He should've made it to Fluttershy's back, and there was something about that impact that felt different. It only took a moment more for him to figure out what happened. He then climbed back to Sweet Blossom's back and tried again. And this time his aim was true.
As Rainbow Dash watched Fluttershy's interaction with her parents, she almost dumped out of her chitin at the shout from behind her.
"ATTENTION!" Rainbow Dash immediately turned and snapped at attention mid-air. Right behind her was a stern looking navy blue pegasus stallion with a bright yellow red and orange mane. Next to him, a white mare with a blue mane streaked with purple and green shot him a look and nuged him with an elbow.
"Really Prism Bolt, we haven't seen our daughter in ages and you're already acting like a drill sergeant." Sky Ribbon scolded her husband, who relaxed his posture at his wife's complaint. Rainbow Dash smiled and relaxed as well.
"It's alright mom, it was just his way of saying hi." Rainbow defended. Before Sky Ribbon could respond, she was interrupted by a filly's voice.
"RAINBOW DASH!!" Scootaloo cried as she launched herself at the disguised changeling. Rainbow Dash easily caught her and hugged her adoptive little sister.
"Hey there squirt!" She said, dropping herself and Scoots to the ground and ruffling her mane. "Been a while since I last saw you. You look like you've been doing good." There was a slight buzzing sound and Dash spotted Tank flying towards her. "And you brought Tank! Thanks for saving my folks the extra trip."
Scootaloo beamed proudly as she pulled off her helmet. "No problem! And it's great to see you too. And to meet your parents. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and I have been doing all sorts of things for our cutiemarks. We've been..."
✴✴✴✴✴✴
As Applejack watched her friends' interactions with their families, she didn't notice the approach of a large stallion until he tapped her on the shoulder. Applejack swiveled around and came face to face with Big Macintosh. The large stallion smiled at his sister.
"Hey there AJ." He greeted. Applejack threw her hooves around her brother in a hug.
"It's good to see you, Mac." She said. Macintosh just smiled and hugged his sister back. A minute later they were interrupted by barking and a young voice calling out, "Applejack!".
Applebloom latched onto her sister's leg as Winona ran around leaping at her big sister. Applejack just laughed and returned Applebloom's hug before petting Winona. "Hey there 'Bloom. You been staying out of trouble since I last saw ya?"
"Define 'trouble'." Applebloom said a little sheepishly. Applejack stifled a giggle at her sister and turned to Winona.
"And how've you been Winona?" She asked the dog in a slight baby voice. "You been keeping an eye on things while I was gone?" Winona barked twice in answer. It was then that Applejack noticed the absence of a certain Apple family member. "Where's Granny Smith?"
"She said that somepony had ta hold the fort while we were gone." Applebloom answered. "Big Mac offered ta be tha' one ta stay, but Granny insisted that he go and y'all know how stubborn she can be."
'Ah bet Ah can guess why she was so insistent.' Applejack thought to herself then she put forth a smile. "Well, Granny's a tough ol' bird. Ah'm sure she can hold the fort till ya get back home."
Big Mac quirked an eyebrow. "Ah know. Don't mean Ah ain't gonna hurry home when Ah'm able ta." He said in a calm tone. Applejack's smile became genuine.
Then Twilight banged her hoof on the platform to bring attention to her. Her hoof made an odd banging sound and by this point, the entire group were the only ones on the train platform, save a few other ponies.
"Alrighty everypony, now that we've got everyone, we should get going to the castle." She announced.
There was a chorus of 'awwws' from the CMC. "Already?" Applebloom protested. "Ain't we gonna go see the city first?"
"Dearies, after a long train ride like that don't you want to rest and relax before running off?" Mrs. Cake answered before Twilight could.
Maud nodded. "I myself would like to sit and talk with my sister first."
"Eeyup." Big Mac agreed. Most of the other adults agreed. The Crusaders wilted a little before Sweetie Belle perked up again and turned to her fellow crusaders.
"Its okay girls. Why don't we look at it this way: we get to see the castle and in the meantime we can add a few more things to our list of Crusading ideas!"
While that cheered the CMC up, it sent shivers down the spines of the adults who were familiar with them and there was an announcement across the Hivelink to watch out for the Crusaders. Since their Queens had shared tales of their sister's exploits, the drones began preparations for ANYTHING.
✴✴✴✴✴✴
As they walked to the castle, the group made small talk amongst each other and informing the six changelings of recent events. The general attitude of the group was more lighthearted. As they entered the castle however, the six Element Bearers grew quiet and more somber. Even Pinkie Pie. Seeing this of course turned the mood from lighthearted to somber. The group then split up, with each of the six changeling queens leading their loved ones to different rooms, leaving Twilight in the hall.
✴✴✴✴✴✴
Applejack couldn't see the illusion charm, but she could feel it around her neck. The second the door slammed shut behind her, she hooked her hoof on the chain and threw it off and across the room. The illusion cloaking her form dropped, revealing her to her family in all her glory. For a time silence blanketed the room as her family took in her new appearance.
"Wow." Applebloom finally said. "Granny wasn't kiddin' when she said you turned inta a changlin'."
Big Mac approached and Applejack suddenly found the ground very interesting. Big Mac moved up close to her, raised his hoof... and used it to compare his height with hers.
"Huh. Never thought the day would come when you'd be taller n' me."
Applejack's head snapped up and she glared at her brother. "An what's that supposed ta mean?!"
Big Mac grinned and he began to laugh. Applejack was surprised at first and a little confused. Then she realized what her brother had done and she added her own laughter to his. It wasn't long before Applebloom's own laughter and Winona's joyful barks joined in. And just like that, the tension bled away like water in a colander, making this much easier.
✴✴✴✴✴✴
"S-so you're not upset?" Fluttershy asked. Sweet Blossom pulled away from her daughter and brushed away the tears that had started to drip down Fluttershy's cheeks.
"Upset? Why in Equestria would we be upset?" Sweet Blossom asked.
"Because I've changed so much." Fluttershy answered her mother as she averted her gaze and turned her head to look down. "I thought you wouldn't recognize me as your daughter and reject me."
Sweet Blossom smiled gently and placed a hoof beneath her daughter's chin to draw her gaze towards her. "Now where would you get an idea like that?" She asked gently. "It takes more than just a new face for me to not recognize my sweet little daughter. You're still my beautiful little filly. The on I would sometimes cradle in her bedroom when she came home from school crying."
"Your mother's right." Greyhorn said with a warm chuckle. "You're still our little filly and nothing can change that. The only difference is that you've grown a bit."
A smile creeper up Fluttershy's face as tears welled up in her eyes. Seeing this from his perch on her head, Angel looked down at her in concern. \Hey, you alright there?\ He asked. \You need me to get the comb?\
Fluttershy didn't answer him. Instead she wrapped her hooves around her parents and pulled them into a hug as she began crying tears of joy. Angel had never really been one for mushy scenes, but he shrugged and joined in.
✴✴✴✴✴✴
"So... now you're a changeling." Prism Bolt summed up. Rainbow Dash nodded. There was a moment of silence before he spoke again. "And you're okay with this?"
"Sort of." She answered as she briefly glanced to the side. "It helps that I'm not the only one to get their species changed." Prism bolt quirked an eyebrow with an unspoken question. "My five best friends were also changed." She explained. "Twilight figures that since this is permanent it wouldn't help anything if we sat around and moped. We've been rallying as best we can since we're all in the boat, we've been helping support each other."
Sky Ribbon grabbed her daughter's hoof. "Support like that can only go so far." She said gently. "If it helps, your father and I will stand by you." Her father gave her a small smile and grunted his confirmation. Scootaloo rushed forward and latched onto her other leg and Tank flew in circles around her. All signs of their own acceptance and it made Rainbow smile.
"I do have one question." Prism Bolt interjected as he ran his gaze across her changed form. "Why are you taller than all the other changelings I've seen?"
Rainbow Dash steeled herself for what she was going to say next. "That's because we're a little different from the other changelings. You see, we're..."
✴✴✴✴✴✴
"... Queen changelings?!"
Rarity nodded at her mother's question. "Indeed. Myself and all five of my friends are now queens ruling over this hive of changelings."
Her parents and little sister, who'd latched herself to her big sister's leg, blinked. Then her father whistled. "So you all are those queens that the princess mentioned." He said.
"That is correct." Rarity confirmed. "Considering our circumstances and changeling/pony relations at the moment, we all, including the princesses, agreed it would be best if we withheld that information for now. It would give us time to not only settle into our new duties, but allow the pony population to become well adjusted to our presence."
"So when you say 'duties', what kind of duties are you talking about?" Her mother asked.
"Well, since the role of changeling queen is.. different from the roles that Celestia and Luna fill, I imagine that our duties may differ but still be similar. One thing that the six of us and the princesses are prioritizing is finding a new location for our hive since the old one is most likely gone."
"Rarity?" Sweetie Belle asked, drawing her sister's attention. "What do you mean when you say 'the role of a changeling queen is different'?"
"Well um, Sweetie Belle, and mom and dad. You see...."
✴✴✴✴✴✴
"And you're okay with this?" Mrs. Cake asked the hyperactive pink changeling after she'd explained changeling reproduction.
"Well yeah." She said gleefully. "I mean, I guess it'll be a little weird since I used to be a pony, but it's super cool that I get to be the mother of hundreds of changelings!" Then she halted mid-bounce without even flapping her wings. "Though I wonder if I'll be a good mom."
Maud calmly pulled her sister down to the ground and hugged her. "I'm certain you'll make a great mom." She said with a slight smile in her usually even tone. The Pies nodded agreement. All through the revelations that had been made they'd remained remarkably calm, only ever raising eyebrows once in a while. The Cakes supposed that it was a result of raising Pinkie Pie.
As the Pies gathered around their daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Cake smiled and joined in. "We think you'll be a good mother too." Cup Cake said. "After all, you've been a great foalsitter for the twins. Though you might want to make some time for them when you can. You know how much they adore you, and they'd be heartbroken if they couldn't see you again."
Pinkie Pie glanced at the twins smiling at her from their spots in the carrier on Mr. Cake's back. She smiled as her eyes filled with tears and then she pulled them all into a group hug.
"I wouldn't dream of it Mrs. Cake!" She said. "I love you guys so much!" Gummy only blinked from his spot where he was clinging to Pinkie's mane and, if one looked closely, they would see the tiniest of smiles creeping up his face.
✴✴✴✴✴✴
"Words cannot describe how happy I am that you two are okay with this." Twilight said with a smile.
Twilight Velvet took her daughter's hoof and smiled a half warming, half mirthful smile. "Of course we're okay with this." She said before a slight teasing glint shone in her eyes. "Though with the way you came to us about it, one would think that that we'd outright reject you."
Twilight blushed a little. Since her parents lived in Canterlot, Twilight figured that she may as well tell her parents and get it over with. She didn't bring anyone with her except Shining Armor, who came as moral support. She fully expected a negative reaction from her parents, but found herself pleasantly surprised when they told her that they didn't care what she was. This success bolstered her friends confidence and they sent letters to their own loved ones. When her parents heard about the impending meeting, they volunteered to be there to offer what support they could should worst comes to worst.
Despite being taller than her, Twilight leaned against her mother. "Still, thank you for being here with me." She said softly.
Night Light placed a hoof on her perforated hoof. "And we'll always be here for you."
They sat there for a few minutes in quiet bliss. The moment ended when five doors opened and five changeling queens and their respective families and friends stepped out. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief at the looks on their faces. Thank goodness they hadn't been rejected. It was at that moment that Night Light clapped his hooves together to grab their attention.
"Well then, who's up for lunch?" He asked with a cheerful expression.
✴✴✴✴✴✴
Lunch at Canterlot castle was a very lively affair. After their talks with their families, the entire group moved to the dining room where the table was laden with various food items. Amongst the usual pony dishes there were also griffin dishes and a couple that the ponies didn't recognize at first. As they settled down in their seats, the queens explained that these were changeling dishes. Celestia and Luna sat at the head of the table while everyone else mixed and mingled a bit to get to know each other.
For a time they mingled and spoke lightheartedly like there were no changelings and no queens. Then Pinkie glanced at the ponies on either side of her. On one side was Maud. On the other was Prism Bolt.
"Hey hey Maud." Pinkie Pie nudged her sister to get her attention. "Check this out." Pinkie Pie then zeroed in on a slice cake halfway across the table and opened her mouth. Out slid a long forked tongue that snaked across the table and wrapped around the slice. With her target obtained, Pinkie Pie reeled her prey into her mouth and chewed.
"Ta-da! Sheee Maub? No hooves!" Pinkie exclaimed victoriously around the cake in her mouth. While Maud's only reaction was a pair of raised eyebrows, Prism Bolt and many of the other ponies were gawking at Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash tried to hold it in, but in the end, she began laughing loudly at the look on her father's face.
"Ahahaha...oh man dad!" She spoke between giggles. "The look on your face. Priceless!"
Prism Bolt shut his mouth with a clack and turned to his daughter. "Do you have a tongue like that?"
Rainbow Dash stopped laughing and shrugged slightly. "Sure I do. All changelings have long forked tongues. Changeling queens just have longer ones. Neat huh?"
Prism Bolt was at a loss for words, so Maud spoke. "Indeed." She said evenly. Rainbow Dash was quiet for a moment as she spoke with Pinkie via the link.
~Your sister doesn't surprise easily does she?~
Pinkie Pie giggled and declared 'nope!', which only confused the ponies in attendance. For a moment, silence descended. Then Big Mac decided to ask a question that had been nagging at him, but hadn't gotten the chance to ask in the events of the day.
"Hey Applejack." He called out to his sister across the table and she looked up from her plate at him. "Outa curiosity, why were ya wearin' an illusion charm when y'all are changelings?"
"Hey yeah! Didn't y'all tell us that changelings can become anypony? An if your a changelin', why do ya need an illusion charm?" After Applebloom's observation, the others began expressing these questions.
"Ah, well. About that..." Twilight began. "You see, changelings don't use illusion magics. They actually shape shift."
"An unfortunately, we haven't learned how ta do that." Applejack finished for her friend and fellow queen.
"But that doesn't mean we can't do some cool stuff." Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she lept from her seat. "Watch this." And then she vanished.
The ponies were surprised and began scanning the room. The only ones not surprised by this were the other queens and the Celestial Sisters. When Rainbow Dash had discovered this skill (among others) she'd began using them to pull pranks on others. Since it was impossible for her to sneak up on a any changelings in the link (at least until she figured out how to muffle her presence on the link without cutting herself off) she'd been pranking guards, servants and even the diarchs themselves. She had effectively become the terror of Canterlot castle. And her favorite was vanishing in front of them and keeping them guessing where she was.
A few minutes after vanishing, she suddenly reappeared in front of Maud grinning. The earthpony mare's eyes only widened slightly and she took a step back. Rainbow Dash frowned in disappointment and Pinkie Pie giggled.
"HOW THE HAY DID YOU DO THAT?!" Mrs. Cake exclaimed in surprise. While Maud had barely given a reaction, everypony else had jumped a mile at her reappearance and the pegasi were actually airborne; so at least it wasn't a total failure.
"Its what Berit calls 'the first level of disguise'." Applejack explained. "At a young age, changelin' nymphs are capable of changing their color ta blend in with tha' environment. An if one does it right, they can move about almost invisibly."
"Only almost?" Prism Bolt asked as they all settled back in their chairs to resume eating.
"Well it isn't perfect invisibility." Rarity said. "If you're very observant and know what to look for, it's rather easy to spot her."
"Pfft! As if I'd make it easy." Rainbow Dash said before chomping down on a piece of bacon.
Rarity rolled her eyes. "Of course not darling." She said with a hint of good humor. Then her colors shifted from her black and silverly white, to a blue and pink color scheme. "I on the other hoof find the ability to shift my color to be an advantage in the field of fashion as it allows me to test out color swatches against different coat and mane colors. Took a good amount of time to tweak it in this fashion, but I managed it."
"Fascinating." Greyhorn said as he settled into his seat beside Rarity. "And it is indeed, very useful." As she had spoken with Greyhorn, Rarity discovered a sort of camaraderie in this stallion since he also had an interest in fashion. And his knowledge of if was also a surprise. Rarity suspected that this stallion was the source of Fluttershy's knowledge on sewing.
"Quite." And with that, the conversation was concluded and a new one took its place.
"So you all mentioned that you had to find a new home for the changelings." Sweet Blossom started. "Why do they need a home?"
"Oh well, you see, when they lost their previous queen, they abandoned their hive to come to us." Fluttershy answered her mother. "They had to for various reasons. And Queen Chrysalis told them to."
"And we can safely assume that the hive is gone, most likely conquered by another queen, which leaves us with the task of finding a new sight for the hive." Twilight picked it up from there. "Unfortunately there are several things to factor in, the most important factors being that we are about to have a massive population growth. If you think the swarm is large, just wait until we start laying." The six queens suddenly began squirming a little uncomfortably. "Since there are six of us, with each queen laying hundreds of eggs, the hive is going to grow six times as big as it is now. Additionally, changelings are subterranean in nature. They dig networks of tunnels and live in them their whole lives. True, some leave the hive to collect the love we need, but I can't force everyone else to live above ground. You may have noticed the 'solid' blue eyes on the changelings. Those aren't their eyes. Those are second eyelids that act as sunglasses because changeling eyes are very sensitive to sunlight!"
At the end of her rant, Maud spoke up. "I'm very good with rocks and dirt. And so is my family. If it helps, myself and the rest of the Pie family will do what we can to help." The other members of the Pie family only nodded their confirmation. Pinkie Pie then slung her arms around Maud and pulled her into a hug.
"Oh thank you so much Maud!" She squealed. "You guys are all the best!" Before she could pull the rest of the Pie family into a group hug, Sweetie Belle picked up on something else in Twilight's rant.
"Wait, you said conquered by another queen." She piped up so everyone could hear.
"Ah yes. This was going to come out eventually." Rarity began. "You see, Queen Chrysalis wasn't the sole ruler of the changelings. In fact, changelings find the idea of one queen ruling over changelingkind laughable. There are many other hives, each with their own queens. We haven't met them as of yet, but from what I've heard there are a couple who might not be very pleased with the announcement."
"What announcement?" Sweetie Belle asked, severely confused. The other ponies were similarly confused. "I don't recall you making an announcement."
"Oh but we did Sweetie." Twilight cut in. "A sort of covert announcement."
"Yeah." Rainbow Dash had a wicked grin. "Ling' style."
Twilight nodded before she began explaining. "You see, changelings have this fascinating ability to sense the 'presence' of another changeling from a different hive. Usually when they are in disguise so this makes it easier for collectors to not step on each others' hooves. Of course, queens have a 'presence' as well. A bigger and stronger presence compared to a drone."
"Kormac described it as somethin' singin' out ta him while at the same time feelin' heavy an intimidatin'." Applejack added. "Even with that description, he said it didn't do it any justice. An accordin' ta him, some queens can train themselves ta suppress or muffle this presence so's they can seem like an ordinary drone or pony."
"Since we didn't have any such training AND we wanted to make our status known to them, we just let it 'hang out', so to speak." Rarity concluded.
"Eyup. I betcha some of those bug queens are squirming in their thrones right now." Rainbow Dash said leisurely. "Macky boy did say that there were at least a couple queens who would see our conversion as some sort of 'grave insult' because 'ponies are inferior to changelings' or so I'm told. Those ones will probably be after our heads the most."
Despite the casual manner in which she said it, it was on that grim note that the conversations ended as lunch drew to a close.
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That's gonna be a loooooooooooooot of changelings, hooboy.
Well, the get-together ended with both a happy conclusion with a dark foreboding aftertaste to it. Grad to see that there is no issue with their family, though. There is a few errors here and there (ex. Prism bolt quirked an eyebrow with an unspoken question.), but everything still came out great. I am a bit curious about something: hasn't Dash's father already been confirmed in canon, appearance-wise (= link =)? Beyond that, I have no issue.
But she could do that when she was a pony. So of course Maud wasn't surprised.
I think my favorite part was how you used the perspective changes during the family talks to skip over all the information and conversations we wanted to see the most! It was just amazing the way you cut out the best parts like that. Boo to the icky world building and relationship development!
#TERMINATING SARCASM MODE#
...
#INITIATING EDIT MODE#
Dialogue tag.
Wrong.
Correct.
Those were taken at random as examples. Yeah, the skipping all the good parts thing really put me in a bad mood... which naturally made all the technical problems stand out much more.
6073229
Well, if they're anything like real insects, the eggs will still have to be fertilized in order to hatch, and generally a queen won't produce more eggs than her hive can sustain, so in reality there will be some limits on how many new changelings are born.
But even so, while their hive may not suddenly start rivaling the total population of Equestria overnight, it will certainly grow substantially, especially if their integration plan goes well and their collectors don't have to hide, enabling them to not only have more collectors in the field at a time, but also make their current collectors more efficient.
I had a similar idea to this kicking around in the back of my head forever! Good to see someone's running with the concept.
Loved the chapter!
Found one small error.
site
That's going to be a lot of eggs.
Let's hope for them that it doesn't bloat their body , or Rainbow is going to be pissed.
Facing family was the toughest thing they have to do. Now finding a new home will replace that. I would think under the Everfree would be good or outside a major city. A hive acknowledged by Celestia and one open to Pony Traders. Maybe inside the mountain Canterlot sits on.
Everfree sounds like the best place. Still close to their old home and room to grow.
This is going to be interesting for our main sixlings XD, but now, better get ready to BATTLE XD
I'm surprised they all took the whole "my daughter is gonna be laying eggs" thing so well.
6075606 Well, I wasn't about to make their family unsupportive. It will be an adjustment on both sides, to be sure, they aren't going to dismiss something that's a part of what they are now.
I'm surprised none of the families flinched about the new queens mentioning about them having to lay eggs.
Now, it's a waiting game to see which will happen first...the new queens being announced or the other hives reacting badly towards the new pony queens.
6084336 I do plan on addressing this. Sort of. After I talked with Qponyform, it got the creative gears running in my head. But the problem is I don't know where to put it.
I hope to read more soon!
I loved the story but I really hope we get to see what happens when they come forward as being changelings.
9/10, Would read again. Needs more updates.
Somehow I don't think a single swarm of hundreds of changelings will be enough to hold back the results of their crusading...
applejack is starting to piss me off with this bull shit i dont like to lie crap news flash you lied to every body when you ran from the farm to go work for jubilee you dumb inbred hick so get off your high horse about lying thats what your race does also your not thinking of your subjects how many lings just lost the family they love because they got rejected
beware! beware! beware of the CMC! BEWARE! BEWARE!
I listen to the MY little pony Japanese ending at the end of each chapter
Well there IS the abounded mines under canterlot plenty of space down there c
Also was going to mention the pie family since we know rhwr names ( at least now we do)
i am reminded of "of the hive" and it's sequels...it starts with just Twilight becoming a changeling queen...most of her friends and family got past it quickly, but her mother...took it VERY badly.
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I'm well aware of the Hive series. Matter of fact it was instrumental in inspiring this story.
Which is why AJ sent everyling I their collective deaths last chapter oops
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I was kinda new to writing back then so there are a few missteps I can't really take back. Sorry.
For some reason I imagined the line being
"Words cannot describe how much I hate France right now."