Chapter 1: The Secrets in Her Success
Fluttershy was happy.
All was more or less right with her world.
She had built her animal sanctuary.
There had been some false starts. Her friends -- with the best of intentions -- had brought in experts who had not understood her vision, and had tried to impose their own.
That never worked for Fluttershy. Both because her own visions were very strange, by the standards of any normal Ponies, and because, in her own shy way, Fluttershy was very determined to achieve them.
And Fluttershy generally got what she wanted, in the end. It was her way.
And, in the end, she had gotten her way. The experts had been dismissed -- it had required a confrontation, something that Fluttershy once would have feared, but that she was increasingly learning how to manage, to insist on her own point in a manner few gainsaid.
Instead, her friends -- her closest friends, the mares who had been with her when her world had finally begun to change for the better, had helped her. And together, with the help of Big Daddy McColt, a truly imaginative engineer, they had built the shelter.
At least, the part of it that was going to be above ground.
Fluttershy met with her some of her other friends by night, in the idyllic streamside glade where she had built the Sweet Feather Animal Sanctuary. She had, of course, some of her animal friends with her -- Angel Bunny, Harry Bear, and a few others who might need to understand and help with her additional plans, such as her beavers and gophers and ground squirrels. She also understood, instinctively, that though her other friends already respected her, nothing increased their respect like a following.
Azure Sky and his little band of Stragglers came first, whirring down out of ther night sky on their transluscent wings. Their position was a bit anamolous, as Azure's main loyalty was to Dashie, whom he more or less acknowledged as his Queen, and the rest of the Stragglers basically followed Azure, who had been some sort of elite Assault Infiltrator before he had run into the power of Princess Cadance and lost his memories.
All the Stragglers had originally been from Hive Chrysalis, but they had chosen to stay in Equestria after Chrysalis attacked Equestria almost four years ago. They were loyal to Azure Sky, who was in turn loyal to Dashie -- who had neither the desire nor ability to be a Changeling Queen. Dashie, of course, was loyal to Fluttershy. Which meant that they sort of belonged to Fluttershy.
Mostly, Fluttershy just let them go about their own business, but she could and did call on them for special occasions. Such as this one.
The Stragglers normally Shifted when they went around Ponyville, so as not to frighten Ponies who might mistake them for those loyal to Chrysalis. Given that Chrysalis had attacked Equestria three times already, and in the last two attacks had struck at Ponyville, this was a very real worry for them. The Stragglers dealt with such situations by fleeing, as they were utterly terrified of Chrysalis, as was indeed any sane ling not loyal to her.
They had, of course, long since changed their loyalty markings in their true forms, to show that they were not loyal to Chrysalis, but very few Ponies could see and even fewer read their markings. It worked much better to simply pretend to be Ponies, identifying themselves for what they really were when they entered areas secured by Changeling detector-lamps.
To Fluttershy, their theoretical Queen, they came un-Shifted. She was, in any case, one of those who could see and read their markings, and she knew them all personally. There was nothing theoretical about the low bows they made to her, or the worship that shone in their great lambent eyes. They loved her, they were loyal to her, and even though the way she lived was as strange to Changelings as it was to Ponies, they would have done anything she asked.
They had defected from the harsh overlordship of a megalomaniacal tyrant, and were happy to acknowledge the rule of a gentle mistress. They called her "Queen Kindness," as if it were a Changeling regnal-name, and while the part of her that was a shy Pegasus was rather embarrassed by this devotion, the part of her that was Changeling Royalty accepted it as but her right and due.
Sometimes, the part of her that was Changeling frightened Fluttershy. Some of this was because of just which Changeling had sired her, but some of this was because she found being treated as a Changeling Queen so comfortable. So relaxing.
Almost as if she wasn't really a Pegasus at all.
"We are at your command, my Queen," said Azure Sky. He had lived as a Pegasus Pony for the last three and a half years, he was Dashie's lover, and yet Fluttershy could tell he was entirely serious in his profession of absolute loyalty. She might have ordered him to fling himself into a mountainside -- and he might have done it.
That sort of devotion was frightening. Fluttershy couldn't comprehend how real Changeling Queens could deal with it, without going utterly power-mad. Chrysalis, of course, had gone mad, and evil in some other way that Fluttershy didn't quite understand but smacked strongly of extremely dark magic. But there were other Queens more reasonable -- Vespid, who laired under Canterlot, and Treesie's friend Hidden, far to the northwest.
Not for the first time, Fluttershy considered going to visit them. Well, Vespid was nasty, though more along the lines of being sarcastic and tricky than those of wanting to slaughter thousands and rule Equestria, which was why Celestia could tolerate her close presence; but Treesie said that Hidden was a dear, and very wise.
But in the meantime, she had her Straggler helpers to manage. She had to explain to them her purpose. So she began.
"I want to dig a Hive."
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Interesting premise, I can't wait to read more.
Thank you very much for the recommendations, I'm always happy to read good new changeling fics.
Is there ever a chance of you going more into Hidden? She sounds interesting.
Most people's reaction to this episode surprise and sadden me. They say nothing happened when this was one of the most momentous Fluttershy episodes in the series.
But that's a discussion for another venue. Suffice to say, I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing where you go with this. Also, thank you for pointing me to Phoenix_Dragon and Ardashir's work.
(And yes, the McColts would be very creative architects. The unusual arms race of plants vs. carpentry would lead to all kinds of innovation.)
8139799 I had kind of the same problem with it that I did with 'Times are a Changeling' -- yeah, a thing happened, but it happened in a straightforward fashion with no twists. Like they had the outline for a story and just published that instead of actually going and writing it.
This one wasn't as bad because at least they had some cute bits with the animals.
But having what happened be important just makes it *worse* if it wasn't done right. Sort of like the Crusaders' Cutie Marks.
Berrow really suck at writing tv animated episodes. Fluttershy had a really big thing in this episode and just like Dash becoming a wonderbolt in Newbie Dash it was ruined by a very mediocre and predictable writing. Both episodes should have been written by Larson, Rogers or at least Confalone as they were the milestones in character development for both of these characters.
8140257 Honestly, I don't mind it when the show does a straightforward story, mainly because its' focus is still mostly slice of life, meaning there won't be a lot of high drama situations
I like this start, very promising.
But one thing is bugging me. You wrote: "Queen Hidden and her friendship with Tree Hugger is entirely my own creation." Whose friendship? This Queen Hidden or Tree Hugger? Is Tree Hugger "Treesie"?
If you talk about Fluttershy, then I don't think it's your own creation. Their friendship is a thing I'm sure of that. Or that's my interpretation from the Tree Hugger episode in "Making Friends, but keep Discord" anyway.
And no that's no critic a la: "Liar!"
More like: "I'm confused and feel stupid for having to ask."
I guess I'm just tired now so I have to ask this stupid question. ^^
8145063
Tree Hugger's friendship with Queen Hidden.
8145068 Thanks.
Glad to see you back writing, and I'm looking forward to more!
I'm rather interested how you'll work the S6 finale into your verse? It's interesting that Fluttershy doesn't mention Thorax in her list of changeling monarchs.
http://alexwarlorn.deviantart.com/journal/MLP-Season-7-Episode-5-commentary-679195905 Fluttershy failed miserably to proper express her vision to the experts. And notice how the idea chart she showed to the expected was an ugly mishmash, but the one she showed her friends was actually understandable? That's called cheating by the narrative.
I'm just counting the hours for the 'possession sue browbeats the three of them' fanfic to appear on the site .
Given that Chrysalis had attacked Equestria three times already, and in the last two attacks had struck at Ponyville, this was a very real worry for them.
Four times if you count Guardians of Harmony.
8145785
My opinion is divided on Guardians of Harmony. It has some fun moments, but is so obviously a cheap and dirty attempt to follow a specific toy selling mandate. Maybe I should edit it to "several."
The important point, after all, is that Ponyville has obviously attracted the attention of Chrysalis, so they need a fairly secure Hive there. Of course the flip side of this is that the reason why it attracts her attention is the presence of Princess Twilight and the Elements there, so it's not exactly an easy place for her to attack either.
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He's showing up. In fact his role is quite important.
It is a Changelimg fic? If yes, I'm gonna have more of them in my collection. If not I'm gonna spoil your soul with other giant bug, because giant bug makes everything better. Sci-fi movies know that, so do 'Pestis Reginarum'
I love this opening chapter, and thanks for the recommendation! I like reading how the very snarky and sarcastic Queen Vespid is used here.
Will this get continued?