A Change in the Wind

by Silent Whisper

A Branch, A Hurricane, A Whisper

“Next stop, Ponyville!” the conductor shouted as the train slowly chugged towards the station. Ghost pressed her face against the window as the town slowly came into view. This was that little town where the Princess of Friendship lived! Should she visit her, or… wait, no, Misty probably needed her help. She grabbed her saddlebags and raced off the train as soon as the doors opened. A pink pony with a bouncy magenta mane was waiting at the train station, and handed her a balloon as she looked around.

“Hi there! You look like a new mcnewpants here! It’s so nice to meet you!” The pony said, and looked as though she would bounce on her hooftips, if several balloons weren’t keeping her hovering a few inches above the ground.

Ghost stepped back and cocked her head, puzzled. “Um, do you always greet random strangers who get off the train?”

The mare giggled, as though Ghost had reminded her of an inside joke they shared. “Of course, silly! It’s always so much fun to say hello to ponies arriving from their travels! There are so many wonderfulicious stories that they can tell. So, friend, what brings you to Ponyville?”

The strange earth pony turned her head in the direction Ghost was staring. Ghost snapped her focus back to the mare sheepishly. “I’m, um, looking for Everfree. Could you give me directions, or…”

“Oh sure! Follow me!” The pony made bouncing motions with her hooves. Despite the fact that she didn’t touch the ground, the balloons seemed to get the message and blew her forward at a quick pace. Ghost struggled to keep up, but followed the sight of colorful balloons bobbing in the crowds of ponies loitering around on the beautiful day.

After what felt like forever, and narrowly avoiding a random burst of song from a pair of houses they passed, Ghost and the peculiarly enthusiastic mare arrived at Everfree. The trees loomed above them as the cheerful pony floated around to smile at her. “So, here we are! Why did you want to come here, anyway? It’s all spooky!”

Ghost bit her lip and stared into foreboding forest. “I’m looking for a friend. Thank you for the directions, miss-?” She turned back, but the strange mare was already gone. Probably off to greet the next train or something. Taking a deep breath, Ghost stepped into the forest.

It was easy, at first, to follow the path into Everfree. Misty had one said that her hive was somewhere here, right? Ghost hoped she was right. She hadn’t expected Everfree to be so big, though. There weren’t any forests where she lived, at least none that weren’t enclosed in a park, so she had no experience with this many trees, densely packed into so much space.

All around her were strange sounds and unfamiliar smells. Ghost tried not to imagine what sort of creatures and plants were connected to such sounds. The path ahead was getting harder to discern, the rocks and sand slowly fading away and branching off. Did she make a wrong turn? Had she gotten lost? Oh, she didn’t think she’d be able to find her way back if she did. That would be the worst possible-

A sharp snapping sound cracked behind her. Somepony or something was following her! Was it a timberwolf? Ghost didn’t want to stay to find out. She ran forward blindly, the trees overhead blocking the sun as she raced ahead. The rustling behind her was getting closer, wasn’t it? The path was lost, she realized as she looked down. She was lost, and all was probably lost too. Ghost looked up just in time to see the branch in front of her, but not in enough time to stop her forehead from smacking into it, right underneath her horn.

The last thing she heard before she blacked out was twigs snapping as something stalked closer to her collapsed form.

---

Her eyes flickered open to pure white. For a second, Ghost thought she was dead, until she felt the warm softness of cloth that she was unfamiliar with underneath her. A bed. She was on a bed, which meant that she probably wasn’t dead. Does heaven have beds?

Groaning, she propped herself up. The room was white, the walls seemed blurry and almost undefined. Ghost ran a hoof across the one close to her bed. It was soft and cool and somehow sturdy. It was… cloud? Was she in a cloud?

She gingerly swung her hooves over the edge of the bed and stared warily at the floor. Unicorns can’t walk on clouds. What if she fell right through? Would she be impaled on a tree, or would whatever pegasus that saved her notice that she poofed through the floor and was tumbling out of the sky?

A polite knock at the door (how do you knock on clouds?) startled her away from her panicked thoughts. She looked up, and almost thought the changeling staring at her serenely was Misty. Her mane was indigo, just like her friend’s, but hers was longer, and done up in a messy bun.

“Before you fret,” the changeling said softly, “we cast a spell on you so you can walk here, so don’t worry about falling. Besides, the floors are reinforced with resin that some of our drones create, so even if the spell wears off, you won’t die.”

Ghost blinked. She.. she must be in-

“Oh,” the changeling added as she turned to leave, “welcome to Hive Tempest. If you feel dizzy, it’s because you’re in the inner ring of the hive. It spins the slowest, but it can still be disconcerting. You’ll get used to it, though; we all do. If you get lost, just ask a ‘ling, we’re all happy to help you. Hope your head feels better!” With that, the changeling’s wings buzzed and she took off.

Ghost prodded tentatively at the ground with her forehooves. It held, and felt much sturdier than she had expected from a cloud. Once all four hooves were on the plush floor, Ghost made her way unsteadily to the hallway. She felt a little disoriented. It must be because she was spinning, or whatever the ‘ling had said.

She wandered around the hive, taking in the sight of the hallway as she trotted around. The color of the clouds varied from a stormy black to a mellow white, and they were swirled together in wavy spirals. After asking another changeling for directions, Ghost followed the clouds as they turned darker, the walls gradually darkening. The hallways were lit with what appeared to be thunderbolts, which flickered and jumped across the ceiling in crisscross patterns. Ghost resolved not to touch them, as they looked fairly dangerous.

All around her, changelings moved in harmony. Ghost peeked into a few rooms as she passed. In one, five changelings worked in almost mechanical efficiency, each one simultaneously assembling a different part of what appeared to be a nest. She squinted at their hooves. They were spinning it from what looked like… spit? Strands of it came from their mouths as their hole-riddled hooves expertly wove it into what must be a bed.

In another room, closer to the darkest storm clouds, a nurse rushed around. Clutched in one hoof was a changeling larva. When he turned, Ghost saw two more clinging to his back, staring up at her between his frail-looking wings with wide glassy eyes. Their skin looked papery and pale, and beneath it Ghost could see blue veins that somehow made their feathery manes seem brighter.

He wheeled around the second Ghost and the baby changelings made eye contact and beamed warmly at her. “The grubs must be watched, Ghost Phase. We’ve found that they do better when they’re taken care of in the groups they hatched in.” Ghost wondered how he knew her name, but he hustled around the room as quickly as he could with a grub on his hoof, and she felt it wasn’t the time nor place to ask.

She came to a stop in front of a door that was closed, which struck her as odd. There weren’t any doors in front of the other rooms, and this was definitely the darkest patch of cloud. Maybe she was in the wrong place, or…

“Hello! Precious, I’ll be right there! I just had to send off these simply fabulous designs, and my my, they will be dazzling!” Ghost perked as a changeling skidded to a stop between her and the door. His mane was long and weaved into a complecated braid, and adorned with ribbons and sequins. A light dusting of glitter covered him as he inspected her.

“My, oh, my, sweet stars above! You really are as pretty as she said, if I do say so myself!” Ghost blushed at the comment, and the changeling continued unfazed, flipping his mane and sending a shower of glitter onto the floor below him. “My name’s-”

“He’s flamin’, is what he means.” Another changeling walked up to them, dressed in a flowing lab coat that was smouldering on one edge. “I’m Crimson, and that’s Sparkles over there. Before you ask, he’s actually bi, and yes, he flirts with everyone. Don’t take it personally, he’s just an idiot.” Sparkles didn’t seem to mind, and actually appeared to take it as a compliment.

Ghost stared at them both, at a loss for words. Sparkles took that as a cue of sorts, and nudged her gently. “The queen’s been wanting to see you, darling. She’s ready now, if you’ll walk through the door.”

She gulped, and stepped through the door as the two changelings opened it for her.

"Oh Crimson, darling, you really could use some touch up on your mane! I may be the flaming one, but you, sweetheart, are literally smoking in patches!"

"No, idiot. You're not touching my mane."

"Aww, but why not? It's simply bursting with potential!"

"The last time you tried to style it, you managed to get glitter up my a-"

The slam of a door cut off their argument, but Ghost felt that they somehow got along despite their disagreements. She turned to look at where she had walked into, and what she saw made her jaw drop.

The walls swirled in a slow spiral around the throne room, wisps of light and dark cloud swirling together. Above her, the sun shone down on the room, filling it with warm beams of light. Lightning arched above her head, jumping from wall to wall with a snap, and leaving behind a strong scent of ozone. The throne itself sat in the middle of the room, built up from resin swirled artfully in thin strands, and looked as fragile as glass.

Seated atop the throne was a large changeling. She had Misty’s violet eyes, though hers had a compassion and grace that her friend’s gaze lacked. The queen perched on the throne with rigid posture, and Ghost took a step back before she realized what she was doing. This ‘ling was intimidating, and yet somehow friendly at the same time.

The queen nodded at Ghost curtly, her thin lips curling into a smile. “I am Queen Hurricane, Ghost Phase. It is a pleasure to meet you at last. I am certain that you have many questions. Please, do not hesitate to ask, for you are a guest here, and a friend of one of my daughters. You need not fear speaking your mind within the Hive.”

Ghost gulped and took a deep breath. Every instinct she had screamed at her to run, get out of this weird and alien place, but she had to find Misty, and she was more than a little curious about what she had seen. “Um, your Majesty? Where’s Misty Step? How do you know my name? Are you all psychic or something? Do changelings just do incest all the time, and are they all really your kids? Why is the room spinning?”

Hurricane laughed, and her shoulders relaxed. Her wings flared, fanning out to catch the sun. “My children will guide you to Misty. She is quite the ball of energy, but hearing the news seemed to sap most of it out of her. It will do her well to see you. She has spoken of you quite a bit, and I’m certain there are small groups of young ‘lings who imitate how you look because of her enthusiastic words.

“We are not truly psychic, but we do host a hive mind. Each hive has their own, and I’ve heard each one sounds different. We are all genetically nearly the same, but the queen can alter her children’s genes slightly before giving birth. It is an art we have perfected over millennia. Still, strictly speaking, yes. We are insectuous insects with a parasitic tendancy towards empathetic emotions.

“The room is spinning because the entire hive revolves around the throne room, literally. Hive Tempest is situated inside an eternal storm over the Everfree Forest. My scouts were on patrol when they spotted and recognized you. Before they could greet you, you ran off and were knocked out. My most sincere apologies for the misunderstanding. Do you have any other questions?”

Ghost paused, trying to wrap her mind around the information the queen had given her. “Um… so, ah, how are you doing?”

Hurricane drooped on her throne as she considered the question before straightening up again. “To be honest, I am tired, Ghost Phase. It takes a great amount of energy to run a hive successfully, and while my children do not cause trouble often, I often feel as though I cannot keep up with them. I am grateful that many of them, like Misty Step, remain so enthusiastic in their work. Speaking of Misty, you should go check on her. She’s thinking about you, and it is difficult to keep the news of your arrival from her.”

The queen grinned. “I hope the surprise will lift her spirits. One changeling’s emotions affect us all.” Her smile widened, though she looked weary, and the door behind Ghost opened. The voices of Sparkles and Crimson echoed into the throne room.

“Yeah, well, your coat is simply a fashion disaster! You can’t blame me for trying to correct it!”

“I was coughing up glitter for weeks, you imbecile. If you can’t control where your magical fairy dust goes, then seek medical treatment! I don’t want to touch anything you’ve laid a hoof on ever again!”

“That’s not what you said last night, darling. Ah, Ghost Phase, we’ll take you to Misty Step, right this way, if you please!” Sparkles gave her an unashamed grin as she blushed, and waved her over. Ghost didn’t know whether or not she should bow to the queen as she left, so she gave her an awkward nod of respect as she stumbled out of the door.

Ghost sighed as the door swung shut, uncertain about how to respond to the queen and the changelings. Still, she felt the need to break the silence with something, so she cleared her throat as the pair of changelings led her down a hallway. “So, um, what do you two do around the Hive?”

Sparkles winked at her. “Why, precious, we f-”

“We’re Queen Hurricane’s personal drones,” interrupted Crimson quickly. “We are her consorts, her advisors, and her friends. Aside from royal duties, I am the head of the scientific division of ‘lings. Pixiedust here is the head of creative pursuits.”

The glittery changeling sputtered as they rounded a corner. “My name is not Pixiedust, sweetheart, and I’ll have you know that that’s a chitin condition! I can’t control it when my wings shed sparkles!”

Ghost cocked her head. “A chitin condition? That sounds painful.”

Crimson rolled his eyes and brushed glitter off his lab coat with a tattered wing. “It isn’t, and it’s actually fairly common in our hive. Just like pegasi molt, our wings occasionally shed scalelike glitter. Sparkles here does that more often than most, though, which makes him a glittery freakbug.”

Sparkles shrugged good-naturedly as they walked through the hallways, and Ghost suspected he was quite used to Crimson’s friendly insults. Ghost noticed that the corridors were becoming wider and better lit, and changelings swarmed around the trio, rushing from room to room. Some of them flew up into tunnels in the ceiling, dodging lightning arcs with speed that Ghost doubted a pegasus could match. None of them hit each other, and instead weaved through the crowd with a grace that must have been the result of their hive mind.

“How does your hive harvest love, since you’re so isolated here in Everfree?” she asked, ducking as a small ‘ling flit above her head.

Crimson answered her as he led her into a room packed full of young changelings. “We integrate with pegasi in Cloudsdale, and work closely with the Wonderbolts to manage storms coming in and out of Everfree. It hasn’t been easy, but we’re slowly gaining acceptance among smaller pegasi communities.” He shook his tousled mane, which was still smoking, much to Sparkles’s evident amusement, and pointed down the row of nests in the room. “Your friend should be at the end of the hallway. It was a pleasure meeting you, Ghost Phase.”

Sparkles waved as their wings buzzed and they turned to fly out of the room. “Hopefully we’ll meet again, gorgeous! Ta ta!” Ghost smiled as they flew off and looked around.

It must be a dormitory, she figured. She walked through the rows of nearly-identical nest-beds, looking through each of them. They all looked the same, but upon closer inspection, each one had a slightly different personal touch. Some were adorned with beads or feathers, while others had photographs taped onto them or books stashed next to them. Though she wasn’t a fan of the evident lack of privacy, it looked like someplace almost anypony could call home, and the changelings seemed fairly friendly.

Most of the nest’s occupants weren’t around, and the few that were chatted with each other or worked with their magic, forming intricate shapes out of hardening resin. Ghost supposed that this was the changeling’s version of art, and found it weirdly beautiful. She made a mental note to ask Misty about it once she found her.

In the last row, pressed against a corner of cloud, one changeling was curled up in the nest. Unlike the other nests, this one was plain and looked brand-new. Stacks upon stacks of manilla files were piled haphazardly around it. The changeling huddled in the bed was shaking, and Ghost thought she heard weeping. She walked quietly towards the slumped form.

“Hey, Misty, it’s me, Ghost. I-”

Ghost got no further before Misty sprang up and held her tight in a crushing hug. Ghost could see the tears on her friend’s face as she nuzzled against her and breathed deeply. “I knew you’d come, Ghostie,” Misty whispered as she squeezed Ghost hard enough to leave bruises.

The unicorn let her friend squish her for a few moments before her lungs complained to her. She regretfully pried herself away for want of air and wiped away a tear that threatened to trickle down her cheek. “I missed you, Misty. You need to come home, with me, because-”

“Because I’m so awesome, you realized life was boring and pointless without me?” finished Misty, giggling through her sniffles.

Ghost nodded. “Pretty much.” She broke out into a grin, which Misty copied as she rubbed her eyes.

“I missed you, Ghostie. Life in the hive isn’t as fun as hanging out with you is. I just… don’t know what I’ll do with you. Maybe I’ll work at the coffee shop with you, learn how to make bean juice or something. It’s not glamorous or fantastic, but maybe I’ll be able to figure things out somehow.”

Ghost wrapped Misty in a gentle hug, nodding against her chitin. “I believe in you, no matter what happens, Misty.”

Misty stiffened and bit her lip in an uncharacteristically shy gesture, which made Ghost pull back and give her a concerned look as the changeling spoke. “Hey, Ghostie? I’ve been kind of thinking, I… geez, this is really hard to say, but I lo-”

The changeling blinked, and her ears perked. Misty’s eyes unfocused and she tensed, gazing into the middle distance. Ghost looked around, surprised to find that every changeling in the room looked the same. It was as though a ripple had went through the crowd. It must have been the hive mind, Ghost figured. Maybe they made an announcement?

Misty’s lips parted in a relieved smile as every changeling relaxed. The announcement must not have taken very long. “Oh, this is just great, Ghostie. You’re not gonna believe this!” squealed Misty, bouncing on her hooftips as though nothing strange had just happened.

Ghost quirked an eyebrow. “Alright, what did the hive mind say?”

The changeling spun her around in a tight hug, dancing with joy. “It’s a message from one of the guards. They caught the wrong pony! Come on, we have to get back home and start up the search again! There’s still hope!”

Author's Note:

Will Sparkles ever invent a cure to correct normal changeling's lack of glitter? Will Misty discover the secret plot to replace Princess Celestia with a rainbow-colored moose bug? Can Ghost convince Queen Hurricane to have a girls night with her?

Find out some of this and more in the next chapter of A Change in the Wind!

Comments

[Zeal Crown]

Ha! I knew it! Well, I never said it, but I knew it! Haha!

I really enjoy the sense of world building that's being used. Hive Tempest is very visual, (Though I can't imagine how they'd get any sleep,) and I love how strategically placed it is, along with the relations with the small bands of pegasi. Though it did feel like this chapter took a while to get to what was inevitable, I always love to see the world expand. Well done! <3

[Starlight Nova]

I thought all changelings had insect-themed names.

[Wind of the Skies]

I enjoy this story. It seems rather personal in a way, to you, not to me. I don't go to college.