You Can Count Me Out
I withdrew my mind from Bright Steel. She was doing better than I'd hoped. I brushed against Quicksilver again briefly. Her train was just pulling into the station. I left her again and considered if there was anything else that needed my attention.
For lack of anything better to do, I checked in again at the embassy. There had been a possible enemy sighting in Canterlot this morning, I found. Wildcard was discussing it with a guard captain. One of the changeling reveal spells near the embassy itself had stripped the disguise off of a strange changeling, but she had resumed it and escaped into a crowd before more than a glimpse could be caught.
A sudden ripple of alarm dragged my mind away from the embassy, to a spot less than a mile away, within the city. I felt pain, and fear, and caught a brief glimpse of a sneering unicorn, and then the contact was cut off. The drone who'd sounded the alarm was dead.
I felt a cold chill run through me. They'd found one of my covert infiltrators. If they'd found one, they could probably find more.
For a long moment, as fear spread throughout the hive, I hesitated. I knew what I had to do, but doing it might yet doom us. The hive should have had more than a hundred infiltrators. After Chrysalis' idiocy, we had barely eighty, and more than a dozen of those had already been called home from living openly in Ponyville. Three more had died in the attack on the embassy. Of those who remained, thirty-odd were covertly gathering love in Canterlot. If I called them home too, less than thirty total infiltrators would remain in place to feed the entire hive. Even with Pinkie Pie and her friends, that spelled starvation. Yet I could not leave them to die. So I hesitated only a moment before sending out my orders to all the Canterlot infiltrators.
Get out. Go as unobtrusively as you can. Remain in disguise if you can. But go as swiftly as you can. If you are near the embassy, go there. Otherwise get out of the city and come back to the hive. Go now, don't delay! Wildcard, put the guard on alert. Tell them what's going on. I will do what I can to help from here.
I didn't pay his assenting reply any attention, but sent my mind out over the city, checking on each drone, hoping that they all would make it to safety.
A drone, disguised as a pale blue unicorn, noticed a pegasus heading through the plaza, moving towards her with a little too much purpose, and hurried her excuses to her friend.
"I can't explain, sorry, have to run now!"
"But Silver Song-!"
She was already gone, galloping down the street, away from the pegasus. He confirmed her suspicion by taking wing and coming after her. To her left another pony, a unicorn, shouldered his way through a group of friends, ignoring their angry cries at his rudeness, and tried to flank her.
Silver ran faster, her heart pounding. The pegasus was overhead now. She ducked down an alley, trying to get where he couldn't see her. Another turn and he seemed to be gone. The hooves of the unicorn still sounded behind her. She bit back a curse and tried to get a little more speed, but she was not a runner. She turned again, hoping to lose him, but skidding to a halt at a dead end. Overhead the pegasus came into view again.
She hesitated. I knew she could teleport, why wasn't she doing so?
I didn't gather much, if I teleport I'll use it all! I'm supposed to bring the energy back for the hive!
You can't bring back anything if you're dead, go!
Her horn lit and she went, just as the unicorn's horn lit and he charged. She popped back into existence two blocks away and started running. I knew she'd never get out of town, nor to the embassy in time. A glimpse of white and gold reminded me that there was another option, one that wasn't far off. Get to the guard station!
I sent that out to the others. Forget leaving Canterlot, get to a guard station! Find a guardspony!
She glanced up, and saw the pegasus heading her way. She ran for the station. She skidded in through the door, to stop short in front of a startled guardspony, who knocked her feet out from under her with an instinctive defense spell, then hit her with a changeling reveal spell. "Help me!" she shouted, even as her disguise was stripped away.
The pegasus landed outside the door, then halted as he saw the half dozen guards inside. One of them hit him with a changeling reveal spell too, and his disguise vanished to show a red-eyed changeling with crimson wing cases. He hissed at them, then turned and ran. The ponies in the street scattered around him.
I took a moment to make sure Wildcard told the guard that they were about to have a heap of changeling refugees dumped on them. Not that the message would reach most of the stations before my changelings did, but some warning would be better than none. That done, I turned my attention back to the fleeing infiltrators. A few had already reached safety, mostly pegasi who'd taken to the wing as soon as I'd issued the warning. Most of the rest were running for their lives to whatever safety they could find. My infiltrators could fight, some of them very well, but it seemed that at least two or three of the enemy was chasing every one of them, and the enemy were obviously skilled fighters as well.
One mind I touched was not even fleeing yet. I knew this changeling quite well, for he was entirely unique. Most of the changeling infiltrators in the hive did single-day replacements, using magic to keep a pony asleep, hidden somewhere, while they went about their day in said pony's place, gathering love and affection from all around them. In the small towns in particular this was necessary. Ponyville had probably been the most dangerous, given the public exposure provided by Pinkie Pie parties, but Pinkie or not, small towns always noticed new ponies. It was safer to be a pony who already lived there.
Canterlot was different. It was large enough that a new face was seldom remarkable. Infiltrators there quite often made up their own personas and lived there long-term. Such personas were often very similar to the changeling's real personality, so the relationships they built were very real.
But High Peak was unusual in that he was both a replacement and a long-term infiltrator. Years ago, a changeling infiltrator had come across a dead pony in the badlands while traveling from the hive. Seeing a potential opportunity, the changeling had taken the pony's form and wandered into the nearest town, pretending to have gotten a head injury and to have forgotten even his name. The original pony had bought supplies there, and talked to the shopkeeper about his home in Canterlot, so the impostor had followed that clue, eventually finding the dead pony's wife and two children. Still feigning amnesia, he had settled into a life with them. That had been six years ago.
His wife had been baffled by his complete personality change, but their relationship had always been rocky, the original High Peak had gone rock climbing in the badlands as a break from their constant fights. With her "husband" now able to sense her feelings, and wanting nothing at all in the world more than to make her happy, their relationship flourished. High Peak had told me that he was genuinely in love with her.
"You swore! You swore after tearing out of here last June that there wouldn't be any more crazy trips! You promised me!" Looking through his eyes, I saw a distraught pale purple earth pony mare, tear marks on her cheeks, blocking the doorway of High Peak's home.
"I'm sorry. I have to go. I have to go now. I'll come back as soon as I can. I promise I will."
"Why can't you at least tell me what's going on? Why?! What's so urgent that you have to race off in the middle of the day?"
"I can't explain. You have to let me go, please!"
Staying here is putting her in danger too, I reminded him. Just go. Explanations can happen later.
I felt his anguish at the knowledge that I was right. He shoved past his wife, pushing her aside. "I'm sorry! I promise I'll tell you everything, about this and about last June, when I come back!" He sprinted down the street, headed for the guard station. There was a shout behind him as his wife ran out into the street and then was knocked down by a pair of unicorn mares charging towards him. They thankfully ignored her, focusing on High Peak. I yearned to help him somehow, but all I could do was watch. No other drones were near enough to come to his aid, and many of them had their own problems.
My mind was full of panic, mental cries for help sounding from all over the city. I jumped from cry to cry, but found nowhere where I could do anything. Another stab of pain that cut off sharply was another dead drone. I yearned to do something, anything to help. Several of the fleeing changelings had reached help already, but for the rest I could do nothing but bear witness.
High Peak drew my attention again as he fell skidding around a corner. He lived somewhat near the embassy, so was headed there. I held my breath when he barely rolled away from a diving pegasus. Before he could scramble back to his feet the pursuing unicorns caught up with him. They lit their horns.
Oh Celestia, I'm going to die! Tell Lilac I really did love her.
"Halt!" A shield bubble appeared over High Peak just as the unicorns' attacking spells shot out. He looked up to see four Royal Guard unicorns flanking Ambassador Wildcard. The unicorns who'd been chasing him turned to run, and the guardsponies went after them without hesitation.
Get to the embassy, Wildcard told him. There are more out there who need help.
High Peak lunged to his feet and ran. I let out the breath I'd been holding.
Another changeling drew my attention. This one had dropped her unicorn disguise entirely in favor of having wings, and was shooting across the city towards the nearest guard station. Three pegasi chased after her. They were apparently unwilling to drop their disguises completely, so while they flew they couldn't attack with their magic. I shared her strategy with several of the others still running. Immediately nearly every one of my changelings was in the air.
A couple of them summoned protective shields as they flew, and I shared that strategy as well.
The level of panic began to drop a little bit. A solution had been found. I watched through the eyes of one as she approached the guard station, nearly to safety. Then a beam of magic shot out from the roof of a building right next to the station, knocking the inbound changeling from the air. Her shield shattered, and she crashed hard into an open plaza. She'd cracked her carapace as badly as I'd ever felt. She looked up, and she and I both saw another unicorn standing over her. Then she was gone.
I wanted to scream in frustration. What I did instead was make sure the other changeling that had been headed to that particular guard station veered away. I sent her towards the palace instead, hoping that would be safer. Several others chose the same, redirecting themselves towards the palace itself or towards the embassy near it.
Only a dozen or so were still out, most had made it in. But we'd lost three more infiltrators already, and I wouldn't relax until every single one was safe.
Wildcard and the guards from the embassy saved another drone, this time one who spotted them from above and dove down to join them, his pursuers banking and breaking off at the sight of the guardsponies.
Another reached the embassy, which still had plenty of guardsponies stationed there.
Two more reached the palace grounds, and found guardsponies on duty there as well.
Then a third and a fourth reached the palace. Only six were still running.
One of those now had five enemy pegasi on her tail, but it seemed that the palace guard had decided to be proactive, a pair of guard pegasi met her in the air, and the enemy once again broke off.
Another wasn't so lucky. She had been on the outskirts of town and by now there were far too many of the enemy in the air. The down side of dropping the disguises to use both wings and magic was that a changeling in the air was recognizable. A pegasus dove down from a cloud above and knocked her down to the ground. Before any attempt at rescue could reach her, she too was hit by an enemy unicorn and vanished from my mind.
I felt like I might weep. I almost wanted to take pony form, just so I could. But at last the four remaining drones reached safety. I slumped in relief. Unless the attackers were going to dare a frontal assault on a guard station, the embassy, or the palace, it was over. Given how they'd refused to confront the guard even when they'd had numbers on their side, I guessed that that was unlikely.
Are you okay? That was absolutely awful. I felt Pinkie give a shiver, though I knew she had only felt what I was feeling, and hadn't actually seen through the dying drone's eyes, hadn't actually felt their deaths.
I wanted to hug Pinkie tightly to me, but she was still miles away. I am as okay as I can be. I lost four more changelings. Four more that I couldn't save. If so many of them hadn't been clever and resourceful, and if the ponies hadn't helped, I'd have lost many more. I don't know what to do, Pinkie. I keep failing them.
Don't you say that! You haven't failed them. You did a lot to help them, I can tell.
I haven't done enough. And it's my fault all this happened! If I'd just agreed to go along with them, if I'd agreed to go back to the old ways, none of these changelings would have died.
Then I guess that makes it my fault, not yours, said Pinkie.
What?
It's because of me that you got revealed at the talent show. It's because of me that changelings started living openly. It's because of me that you became friends with Celestia, so it's because of me that the other changelings got mad at you. This is all my fault.
No! It's not your fault at all.
Well it isn't yours either, so stop being so silly! You're doing the best you can. You're special and amazing and smart and strong and you're doing all kinds of things to try to save the hive, and so am I. Don't you dare blame yourself for what a bunch of meanie-pants other hives are doing though, it's not your fault! I could tell she was angry, though not at me. She was angry at the other changelings. I realized that she was right. If I was to blame anyone for this I should blame them.
I guess you have a point, I said.
I'm glad you agree! Now go on, I know you have lots of things to take care of. I'll be there as soon as I can get there.
She gave me a mental hug, and went back to concentrating on walking. I could see that she and the others were in the badlands already. They would be here by tonight.
I found, now that my mind was finally firmly back in my own body, that I was surrounded by my hoof-maidens, being groomed again. I sighed softly, trying to relax. I was physically fine but I felt mentally exhausted. Feeling all that panic, all those desperate changelings, hoping to somehow make it, and feeling the ones who hadn't-it left me feeling like I was bruised and battered, even though I was whole.
Still, my work was not done. I checked in again at the embassy. Guardsponies were escorting the rescued changelings there. The building had been over-large for the small staff who had lived there, but it was crowded now with changeling refugees pouring in. I could tell, though, that all of them were glad to be together. There was a lot of grooming and mental reassurance going on among them.
I sieved through the memories of the attack, trying to learn anything useful. I noticed that all those who had been actively pursued were those living long-term pony lives. None of the short-term replacements had been attacked until after they'd started to run.
With that in mind, I contacted the small number of long-term infiltrators outside of Canterlot. There were only three, and within minutes they were all packing up and preparing to come back to the hive. The short-term infiltrators I left out for now. They worried me a bit, but as far as I knew there was no way the could be discovered except by amazing coincidence. The small town nosiness that made it hard on them would make it doubly hard on the other hives. They didn't know this territory, so slipping in spies to find my infiltrators would be difficult. Not impossible, though, so I still fretted a little. Yet I had to have the love energy they would bring in. In fact I briefly considered sending out some of the infiltrators who'd been pulled in from Ponyville to augment them. I decided to save that for if it turned out to be truly needed. We had some energy reserves. We could get by on them for a time.
That decision made, I turned my attention back to Quicksilver. She seemed like the hive's best hope for survival.
She was still wearing the same pegasus form that she'd worn on the train. Right now she was strolling through a park, enjoying the noonday sun. Or at least the part of her mind that was being a pony was. The rest of her was alertly aware of me, and the situation in Canterlot.
My queen.
How goes the infiltration?
So far, about as I expected, which is to say that nothing much in particular has happened. Running into a changeling while wandering the streets at random is a very unlikely outcome. Nevertheless I am making the attempt, on the off chance that luck is with me. I am much more likely to find what I seek this evening, however. Given the need to gather emotional energy, and the lack of the small-town problem, I expect that the city night life is full of changelings, taking their food from the revelry of the youth, who certainly have energy to spare.
And you're really certain you can join their hive bond unnoticed? Chrysalis spotted it immediately, when I re-joined the hive.
Oh yes. Do not fear, my queen. I know what I am doing.
You're also doing it for the first time.
She laughed at that, though it was just inside her mind, the pony's expression and thoughts didn't change. No I'm not, my queen. Oh, it will be the first time I've slipped in and out of a foreign hive, yes, but I have come and gone from Chrysalis' bond unnoticed many a time.
Oh.
It is what I was made to do. Even though she never wished to use my skills, I couldn't help but want to practice them. I have spent the last twenty years slipping around the hive, perfecting my abilities as much as I could. I have even had the occasional outing as an infiltrator, to practice my skills among ponies.
I see. I guess you have this well in hoof then.
I will let you know once I find my target, my queen.
I withdrew from her mind. For a long time I just sat in the dimness of my room and thought of nothing at all. I felt a little better than I had before I'd spoken with Quicksilver, but I was still dreadfully tired. Then a gentle tug pulled my attention towards Canterlot. I blinked confusedly as I looked through Ambassador Wildcard's eyes again. I hadn't felt another alarm, so why...?
As my mind actually took in what I was seeing, I realized that the white form in front of me was Celestia.
"The Guard has done everything the could to capture or drive off the rest of the enemy changelings," she was saying. "Unfortunately without Shining Armor we cannot enclose the city again, and our other methods let most of them slip through. I'm sure I don't need to tell you how difficult it is to spot a disguised changeling in a city of this size."
"I know," said the ambassador. "The queen is here now, if you would like to speak with her."
"I would, yes."
Wildcard gave me a sort of mental bow and let me step forward in his mind. It was a bit odd. I was used to looking through other changelings' eyes, and I had spoken through him once, but this was a little more complete. For the moment, at least, I was him. I was no longer aware of my body back at the hive at all. It felt a little odd to be a drone again, and to have to look up so far at Celestia.
"Celestia."
"Sweetcake. I am sorry for your loss."
"Thank you."
"If you wish to plead with me to go to war on your behalf again..."
I shook my—or Wildcard's—head. "I know that none of what you said has changed, so no. Mostly I just want to thank you. Were it not for your guards I would likely have lost more than half the drones here. They dealt very well with what must have seemed an extremely confusing situation."
Celestia smiled wryly. "They did knock out quite a few of your drones when they raced into unprepared guard stations."
"Knock out, yes. Not kill. Those drones are alive because of them. So thank you."
"You are very welcome."
"I also wanted to tell you that I may have a way to discover everything you could want to know about the other hives."
Celestia hesitated. I knew that look in her eyes, and I could taste a flicker of guilt. "You know that if we learn the guard is outnumbered, I will be less likely to provide military aid, not more. This chaos has shown just how difficult this will be. We are not talking about a war with borders and targets, we're talking about war with a population that is intermingled inextricably with my own, where it takes specialized magic to even know which ponies are the enemy and which are my loyal subjects."
"I know. Still, I have some hope. It may be slender, but it is there. And so long as your guard can do as much as they've done today, we at least have a chance. I don't want conquest, I just want survival."
Celestia sighed softly, and I tasted a strong upwelling of sympathy from her. "I know what it's like to wish only for survival."
Things in Canterlot tended to, I finally remembered Bright Steel and turned my mind back to her. I found her and Shadowed Path in the air. She was now wearing pegasus form, presumably because the air around them was bitterly cold. Changelings didn't tolerate cold as well as ponies did. Dark clouds were gathering as they made their way north and west from the circular capital city of the Crystal Empire. They hadn't gotten far, they must have spent much of the intervening time making preparations of one kind or another.
They were over wild land, where the weather wasn't managed. That meant that the gathering clouds could do nearly anything, there was no predicting them. In this case what they did was to keep gathering, until the early afternoon light was swallowed up in a gray twilight. Soon it began to snow, a light dusting sifting down from the clouds above.
The wind picked up, and the two fliers had to fight their way into it. The further they flew, the worse it got. The wind howled around them and the snow was thicker, coming straight into their teeth as they flew. Either the storm was building or they were headed into the heart of it. "We need to get above this!" shouted Shade. He pointed up.
Bright Steel could barely hear him even though she was flying so close their wings were almost touching. "Right!" she shouted back, heartily wishing for a hive bond with him so that they could actually communicate. The queen had formed one with a pony, perhaps she should look into finding a way to form one with Shade somehow. Still, she understood what he meant well enough. She beat her wings harder, trying for altitude. Shade did as well, the pair rising slowly towards the clouds above.
The winds were punishing and unpredictable. Gusts blew in every direction, and it didn't get any better when they hit the clouds. If anything it was worse, for now they could barely see. Bright Steel in particular struggled. She wasn't used to the way feathered wings behaved. She'd never been a pegasus before. It had been easy enough to take flight in the calm over the city, but now she constantly found herself feeling off balance, nothing working quite like it should have.
Shade had to constantly hold back to keep her in sight. Between the buffeting winds and Bright Steel's difficulty flying, they weren't making any progress up through the storm. Finally Shade gestured downward. Bright Steel nodded and dropped.
That was easier, though still far more difficult than gliding down on a calm day would have been. They had to struggle to keep together, unpredictable winds tugging them in different directions.
Even in pony form, Bright Steel found her wings getting numb from the cold. She squinted into the driving snow that pelted her face and stung her eyes. They had to be near the ground by now, but she couldn't see anything. Shade was only a dim shadow to one side of her amid the swirling white. Suddenly another shadow loomed directly in front of her. She swerved just in time to miss the top of the evergreen that had risen out of the storm, but in doing so slammed into another one with punishing force. She let out a yelp and tumbled out of control, crashing into yet another tree, before falling straight down.
Then everything went black.
For a moment I felt a cold chill myself, thinking she was dead. I relaxed as I realized I could still sense her. She was merely unconscious. Worry immediately returned, though. She was unconscious, crashed in a blizzard. Shadowed Path might not be able to find her. She might still die.
A moment later she slowly stirred. I sighed in relief. At least I wouldn't have to sit here and feel her die without waking. She had a chance at survival now.
Bright Steel slowly got to her feet. Her whole body ached, she felt like she was covered in bruises. Soft pony hide bruised too easily. On the other hand she didn't seem to have any broken bones, and she would probably have cracked her chitin if she'd still been in her natural form. When she tried to fold her wings she winced. One of them quite definitely didn't want to fold up.
The wind was still blowing, but it was less forceful here under the trees. The snow lay unevenly, piling up in drifts against any obstacles, but scoured clear of the flatter ground. Bright Steel looked around.
"Bright! Bright! Where are you?"
"Here!" she called out. A moment later Shadowed Path came flying among the trees toward her.
"Thank Celestia, you're alive!" he said as he landed next to her.
Bright was a little surprise to taste a strong wave of something from Shade. She didn't know enough to identify the flavor, but it was sweet and delicious. She drew on it and felt a little better.
"We've got to find shelter. Come on."
"Right." Bright walked beside Shade, glad that she hadn't injured her legs at least. They made their way through the driving snow, the wind stealing their warmth and sapping their strength as they went. They stumbled from tree to tree, looking for something other than solitary, barren trunks to shield them from the rage of the storm, which still seemed to be growing.
Before long Shade halted. "This isn't working. I need to try something. Stay right here, don't move, whatever you do."
Bright nodded. Shade spread his wings, as if to fly, but instead shadows seemed to seep from them. Blackness crept over his entire body, and then he himself was a shadow, a misty, formless shape that flowed off along the ground. Bright had no idea what had just happened, but she waited obediently for him to return. She found herself shivering, her teeth chattering. She stomped her feet, trying to keep warm.
Suddenly Shade was next to her again. "Found something. Follow me."
Bright followed willingly, keeping as close to Shade as she could. They walked through the howling wind for some time before reaching a spot where an outcropping of rock rose above the forest floor. He circled it to a black hole that gaped in the side of the stone. He had to squeeze to get inside, and so did Bright, but the space widened out again shortly. It was still cold inside the cave, but Bright immediately felt better now that she was out of the wind. The cave continued further back, vanishing into utter blackness. Bright didn't feel like exploring, though, she merely sat down just inside the narrow entrance.
Shade pulled off his saddlebags and rummaged in them. He came up with a brick-like object, wrapped in paper. He set it on the floor and, while Bright watched curiously, drew out a striker and lit the paper on fire. It burned oddly, with a slow, slightly bluish flame. "Fire brick. It'll burn for a good eight hours. I have one more after that. Hopefully that'll be long enough."
Bright sat as close to the fire brick as she dared. The warmth began to chase away the numbness from her wings and hooves. Shade sat next to her and examined her dragging wing. He gently manipulated it, making Bright hiss with pain. "Well, I don't think it's broken. Might have a hairline, but it's definitely dislocated. We should see if we can set it back in the socket." He looked up at Bright. "This is going to hurt a bit."
"Do what you must," she said, bracing herself.
He took the wing in his teeth and pulled, hard.
Bright let out a yelp of pain, then a sigh of relief as some of the ache eased. She flexed it, then slowly folded it. "Thank you." She shed her saddlebags, and removed her armor too, before settling to the ground, letting the warmth from the little magical fire seep into her.
Shade had already taken off his bags, but he too shed his armor, then settled himself next to her. "We should stay close, to keep warm."
Bright nodded and leaned against him. She was used to the near-complete lack of personal space of drones within the hive, so she found his warm presence very comfortable. Even without the chill in the air she would have enjoyed the closeness. Relaxing further, she bent her head and started grooming the edge of one of Shade's wings. He immediately tensed, and the taste of his emotions changed. Bright, feeling frustrated by her unfamiliarity with what the flavors she tasted meant, finally reached for the hive's knowledge, and identified the cinnamon-like taste as embarrassment.
She stopped grooming and said, "I am sorry if I have done something to embarrass you."
"Uh. Well... ponies don't groom each other's wings unless we're kinda intimate. I don't really know you that well."
"Oh. I see. How well should I know a pony before grooming them?"
He grinned. "You ought to take 'em on at least one date first, generally."
"Date?"
"Ah never mind. Given the state your wings are in, you could use a good grooming anyway. Just don't get too frisky with me."
"I do not understand what you mean."
Shade snorted. "Nah, I suppose you wouldn't. Don't worry about it. Here." He started to groom her wings, and she spread them for him willingly. The feathers were a mess—bent, broken and even coated in pine sap in places. Bright almost wanted to change back to her natural form, but though the cave was nearly comfortable for her now, it would be much, much colder without the insulation of her pony coat, so she did not. She just let her eyes close and enjoyed the strange but pleasant sensation as Shade carefully groomed her feathers into shape.
Eventually he was finished. He shifted a bit, resting his head on his front hooves with a yawn.
Bright yawned too, and rested her head on his withers. He tensed again when she did, but he relaxed almost immediately, and she didn't taste embarrassment this time. For a long time they were both silent.
Eventually Shade sighed. "Sitting around a campfire, but we don't have any marshmallows. This trip has turned into a right mess."
"What is a marshmallow?"
"It's a treat, something foals like to roast over a fire and eat. I loved 'em when I was little."
"I see."
"We used to go camping a lot when I was a kid. Not any kind of serious wilderness exploration or anything, just trips out to somewhere where we could pitch a tent and light a fire. My dad loved it. My mom hated it, she stopped going when I was still pretty little, so it was just my dad and I. We'd roast marshmallows and sing campfire songs and stay up all night. This was before the Night Guard, when Luna was still gone. A lot of thestrals gave up on nights, during our long wait. But my dad never quite did. Even though he had to work during the day, he took the chance to be up at night as often as he could. He'd look up at the moon and say that she was still up there, looking down, and the night was still hers." He heaved another sigh. Bright Steel could taste something softly bitter from him. She asked the hive, and found that it was sorrow. "Other ponies ask how Celestia could forgive Luna for what she did, but I always wondered how Luna could forgive Celestia. Sometimes I'm not sure if I forgive Celestia. Princess Luna was up there a thousand years, and we were down here without her all that time."
He glanced at Bright, still resting her head against him, and gave a tiny shrug. "Ah, I shouldn't get all maudlin about that stuff. She came back, and I was here to see it and serve her again. That's what matters, right? Anyway, what did you do as a kid? Do changelings go camping?"
"I do not even know what camping is, other than what you have just told me."
"Heh. I guess that's a 'no' then." He chuckled. "What did you do, then?"
"We learned, and prepared to serve the hive."
"Dang. That's kind of cold. Just learning, you didn't play games, or do anything fun?"
Bright smiled. "Some of the learning was in the form of what you would consider 'games', especially when I was a very young nymph. I found many of the tasks which were physical in nature to be enjoyable, I suppose one could even say they were 'fun'."
"What about your... No, I guess you don't really have parents, do you?"
"The queen is our mother. That is the closest we have to what I know of pony parents."
"That's kind of weird."
"Having two parents who concern themselves directly with one's upbringing seems quite strange to me. It is all a matter of perspective."
"Yeah, I guess that's true."
There was another long silence. Shade stared into the crackling fire. Bright closed her eyes and rested.
After quite a long time, Shade said softly, "You still awake?"
"Yes."
"Me too. Too keyed up to sleep yet. I'm sure I'll be tired enough soon. Trying to think of some way to pass some time. I don't suppose you know any campfire songs?"
"No, I do not."
"Yeah, I figured."
"I do know a song, however."
"Oh?"
"Yes. My minder used to sing it to us when I was a very young nymph. It was a lullaby, to help us sleep."
"Now I gotta wonder what a changeling lullaby is like."
"I could sing it for you, if you wish."
"Sure, I'd like that."
Bright lifted her head and closed her eyes, reaching for the hive's memory to help her recall the words. Her speaking voice was normally flat, almost toneless, but when she began to sing, her voice rose and fell perfectly, without any flat or sour notes. It sounded a bit strange by pony standards, but it was beautiful all the same.
Softly, she began.
Hush now, sweet hatchlings,
As you lay down to sleep
And I'll sing you a tale
Of lies and deceit.
Before the Sun's dawning
We'll go forth from the nest
And sneak into towns
To do what we do best.
A little bite to the neck
To ensure they don't wake;
With a flash of green fire
Their appearance we'll take.
We go about their business
In our perfect disguise;
Whilst stealing their love
As we tell them sweet lies.
And when the moon rises
We'll all return to the Hive
To feast on our bounty,
Grow stronger, and thrive.
So, hush now, sweet hatchlings,
As you lay down to sleep;
And heed well this tale
Of lies and deceit.
When she was finished, Shade's eyes had closed and he was asleep. Bright smiled softly. She felt strangely affectionate as she once more rested her head on his sleeping form. He was quite odd, but he seemed kind, and his emotions tasted pleasant. He felt caring towards her. She thought that perhaps she was coming to care for him in return.
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Sweetcake needs to get on it with the counter intelligence. That's her biggest weakness right now, she has no way to counter the other hives tracking down her infiltrators.
In other news, that one infiltrator that ran down the deserted alley to try to get away? Bad idea. Her hive's biggest advantage is that they can be open about what they are, and running into the shadows gives that up and puts them right into where the enemy is strongest. Though I suppose old habits die hard.
Huh. I like how the story has metaprotagonist in form of Sweetcake who messes with what the rest of The Hive does in the field. The book reads itself.
The old spy might be one of two things: eather a traitor that was created by another queen who now has a link to Sweetcake OR the definitive badass snooper. I wouldn't be supriced if he stops getting mentationed for a few chapters only to resurface with a converted hive in tow.
Years ago, a changeling infiltrator had come across a dead pony in the badlands while traveling from the hive.
is this a reference to the story Flitter by nyerguds I'm pretty sure it is
8043359 Certain inspiration may have happened, yes.
Surely the other hives must have also attacked Chrysalis' hives? There is no real sign of that, other then the food shortage. I suppose Chrysalis could have been afraid of them being attacked and therefore not sending them out. And it could also explain the lower than ideal number of infiltrators if some of them were killed (so 2 signs I guess). Still, why would she send them after Sweetcake then, risking them?
I can't imagine the other hives not going after Chrysalis for the same reason they are now going after Sweetcake though.
8049837 Chrysalis did what they want, she want back into hiding after her failed attempt at conquest. Mostly. Sweetcake is the one having infiltrators live openly among ponies and pushing for ponies to accept them so that convert infiltration can end entirely.
8050057
Well, I can see that is a threat as well. Just a bit strange that revealing the changeling race in the first place didn't evoke a reaction. I assume that hadn't happened before, or at least not in a very long time. As far as we saw, anyway.
8050585 How do we know it didn't provoke a reaction?
It's not in the story, but it certainly is quite likely that Chrysalis had a similar visit, and said "sure, yes, of course we're going back to hiding, duh."
8050609
Very well possible. Just saying I'd expect a stronger reaction. But I don't want to make too big a deal out of this. I tend to overthink things I suppose.
Just have Starlight Glimmer create a super anti-chernglerng spell.
God knows the show will have her do that eventually anyway.
8055271 Well, this story is set well before the current show, so Starlight isn't around yet.
Twilight isn't even an alicorn yet!
8055279 STARLIGHT WILL INVADE YOUR FIC NEXT!!! IT'S TOO LATE!!!
It's incredibly difficult to overcome habit. We're lucky so far, but that can only hold for so long.
Wonder if there's any kind of energy conservation mode for drones?
Ship! Ship! Ship!