A Change of Heart

by Silent Whisper

Prologue

Dying doesn’t hurt as much as I thought it would. It tingles, not really pain but a creeping numbness. It takes over my hooves and wings first. The numbness creeps up my limbs as I take a deep breath, then another. I’ve got only a few breaths left before… well, I die. I want to make the most of each, but they take only a few seconds, just like they always do.

I’ve done so much to prepare for this moment. My entire life has lead up to this. And yet, now that I’m here, I feel terrified. I don’t want to die! This was the wrong decision!

The cocoon around me slowly fills with a viscous pale liquid. I can see it if I shift, but it’s getting harder to move. Thick, syrupy liquid oozes over my hooves. I wish I could feel it, but it’s numb where it touches. I can’t even tell if it’s warm or cool. The dim light of the cave shines through the thick waxy walls of the chrysalis, shining on my fur with an eerie glow. It turns my pink fur a murky brown, and I wish I could light up my horn to see my normal colors for the last time, but I am far too weak to cast even the simplest of spells.

This is how it ends. My limbs fade to nothingness. The tingling sensation creeps up my barrel. The liquid is rising faster now, too. I wonder if I will drown before I lose consciousness, if I will feel myself choking. I don’t want to think about that, I don’t want to imagine what that would feel like, but the images keep playing in my mind. Maybe my last breath won’t be of air, but of thick slime oozing down my throat and into my lungs.

I would shudder at that thought if I could move, but it’s starting to get difficult to even keep my eyes open. I have to hold on to whatever colors I can see, even if it’s shades of sickly sea-green. I’m not a huge fan of this color, but if it’s the last thing I’ll ever see, I’ve got to hold on to it.

My mind keeps jumping to what it will feel like when I finally die. Will it hurt? Will it burn? I’m so terrified, and I suddenly realize I do not want to die, not like this, but I can’t struggle. I can’t move, I can barely see a few inches in front of me! No, I want to get out, but I can’t! I’m hyperventilating, and probably using up what little air there is in here. It’s crowded, I’m trapped, and I wish I could be anywhere but here.

My eyelids are so heavy, though, and I don’t want to drown. It might be a little thing, but I want my final breath to be of air, however stale it is. There’s a small hole in the top of the cocoon, but it’s only there to aid in its filling of liquid. The air smells like my breath, and I wish I’d brushed my teeth. Then I regret thinking that. It’s a waste of time, and time is something I have precious little of.

Slowly, my eyelids close, though I wish they wouldn’t. I’m so very tired, and I can’t feel much of anything. The only sensations I have left are the warm air rushing in and out of my lungs. In, and out. I concentrate on that. It’s fairly relaxing, and keeps my mind off death.

I’m alone, trapped, with no one and nothing. The loneliness strikes me more than anything else. I’m not used to the silence. I wish somepony else were here, even somepony I don’t like! Anyone’s presence would be a comfort. Or even an item. A rubber duck. I almost laugh at that thought, in spite of myself. Am I delirious? I must be, laughing at drowning.

I feel a faint dampness on my neck, then it too fades. Ah, the liquid is warm, then. It’s a pleasant temperature. I don’t know whether that’s comforting, and I’m just too tired to care. My breathing slows. In. And out.

They say your life flashes before your eyes as you die, but I don’t see anything. There’s only blackness, and silence, and breathing. I almost wish I’d die already, and that it would come sooner, because it’s awful waiting for it to happen. It’s like tottering on the edge of a cliff, wishing you’d either fall or rock to safety. Hanging there, suspended in the air. The moment stretches on forever, pulled like taffy.

My mouth is shut, but I can still feel the liquid brush against my lips. In, and out, and in, and out. If my life were to flash before my eyes, it wouldn’t even start with me, would it? No, it would start with a meeting of strangers I had never met, deciding the course of my life without my say. I’d like to see that, I really would.

In. I wonder, vaguely, what my parents would think of me dying alone. I hope they remember me.

Out. I can’t feel anything. I’m alone, this is it, this is how it ends.

In. A trickle of liquid, but I hardly notice it.

Out. I’m probably making bubbles. Heh, bubbles. No one will hear me die, no one will know what I’m thinking, but I’m laughing, and that’s my last thought. I’m laughing.

In. My lungs fill with warm, thick liquid, and everything fades. I am so tired, but I die with a laugh, alone.

I’m getting ahead of myself, though. Perhaps I should start at the beginning.

---

She’s not going to make it, the captain murmured through the hive mind, shifting slightly back and forth on the polished granite floor of the royal throne room. He stood at attention, one hoof crossed over his chest, wings slicked against his back. It was a position that meant he would neither flee nor fight in the traditions of his hive, and was only used when facing a superior.

Captain Flex did not face superiors often. As a royal drone, he worked as the Queen’s head consort, leader of the diplomatic core, and a member of her Council. In fact, the only one who technically outranked him was the Queen herself, though the salute was often used between captains as a sign of respect. They weren’t expected to maintain it this long when facing each other, as it was very uncomfortable, but the Queen more than deserved the gesture, and Flex would hold the position forever on her whim.

Queen Quartz was exhausted. She had drank three cups of coffee and was still tired. Only the strength given to her by the hivemind kept her upright. Quartz gratefully passed some of her exhaustion on to her children, who curled up to sleep in her place. It wouldn’t last forever, but every little bit of strength helped, and stars knows she needed it right now.

She straightened her back and nodded serenely at Flex. I know, she replied, brushing against his mind gently. He visibly shrank back; even the comforting mental gesture was awe-inspiring. The entire hive ran at the Queen’s heartbeat, and her mind was the center of all. She continued, mentally kicking herself for not thinking through her actions. Our enemies will not allow it. They will kill her before they allow any other hive to use her, and every hive wishes for her love. They would force every drop out of her, until she becomes nothing but an empty husk.

Flex bowed, wobbling on three hooves, the fourth pressing hard against the carapace of his chest. My Queen, what can we do? Her parents are oblivious, the guards are incompetent, and there are too many hives to subdue. We can’t allow Flurry Heart to die or be drained, but there’s little we can influence.

Quartz smiled wearily and gestured with a flick of her wing for him to rise. The captain wobbled caught himself an inch before his muzzle hit the floor. Quartz rolled her eyes and chuckled, before her expression turned somber again. There is one thing we can influence. We must train a replacement, and follow the lead of our species’ most infamous queen.

Flex’s brow furrowed as he picked himself up. I’ll ping the nurseries, but I doubt we can have a nymph prepared soon enough. Surely there’s something else we can do. Even coming out in the open would be easier than this!

The Queen grimaced as she turned, pinging her intended destination to Flex, who fell into step with her as they chattered over the hivemind. I will require more coffee. To the kitchens, then, while I mull this over. We cannot risk revealing ourselves. For ponykind to discover that an entire hive has been living under their noses, literally… that could mean war if we didn’t handle it carefully. We would face not only aggression from the ponyfolk, but from the other hives as well. Remember how well it went when Chrysalis’s hive defected and transformed into hideous creatures? We cannot be tainted like that. To destroy an entire hive mind in an attempt to gain peace… that is unforgivable.

Flex’s wings buzzed as he flew ahead of his Queen to prepare her coffee. The royal kitchen workers were busy making the castle’s next meal, efficiently working at a rate that no mere pony could match. Their movements were individual, yet perfectly in sync. The only sound to be heard was the gentle hum of their wings, but their voices sang out in the hivemind as they chittered to one another. It was the hivemind at its finest. Quartz was pleased with their efforts, and sent them all a ping of praise, and they responded with shouts of thanks and joyous promises to earn more. Then she focused on one specific voice in the gentle murmur of the hivemind, and called it to her.

One of the workers, a nymph named Yissik, flew towards the pair and bowed low, first to the Queen, then to her Captain, one trembling hoof pressed against her chest. My Queen and Captain, she thought to them, her soft mental voice reverberating in their minds. I am at your command.

Quartz managed a frail smile at the young nymph. She was barely grown, and had only started her work a few moons ago. The nurseries would take too long to produce a perfect replacement, so this daughter would have to do. The Queen’s mind brushed against Yissik’s, and she concentrated, focusing on one memory after another. Yes, she would do wonderfully. Her peaceful temperament would make for a fine replacement.

You are relieved of your kitchen duties, Quartz said once she’d finished sifting through the young changeling’s mind. You are to train underneath my Captains for an assignment that will determine the fate of all hives. Don’t be nervous, my daughter. I have complete faith that you will succeed. Now, report to Captain Aviary.

Humming, the Queen accepted the mug of coffee Flex offered her as the nymph rushed off. She sent a quick ping to Aviary, alerting him of his new job and trainee. He was the head of the army, but would treat Yissik with the utmost care as they worked. The fate of the hive depended partially on her mental state throughout the intensive training. Most changeling infiltrators spent years practicing their craft before they were sent above ground, but they would be lucky if they could successfully condense it into a few weeks.

We will have a replacement prepared, Quartz thought to Flex as they wandered out of the kitchen. They flew side by side, wings buzzing a calming hum. Other changelings flew around them, swerving and narrowly missing each other. The pair came to a stop at an open windowsill, overlooking Hive Quarry.

We will do what we can to have everything ready in a few meager weeks, the Queen mused as she stared at the hustling forms of her swarm, her children. I only hope that it will not come too late.

Author's Note:

Will Queen Quartz run out of coffee before she can come up with the perfect plan? Will Captain Flex perfect his salute and train other 'lings on how not to fall over? Will Flurry Heart make a bubble shaped like you?

These are clearly the most important questions, everypony. Find out some of these and more in the next chapter of A Change of Heart!

---

Changeling Pronunciation Guide: Yissik - Yih-SEEK
Trivia- her favorite pony is Princess Luna.

Comments

[Cynewulf]

Really really really excited to see this continue!

[Coranth]

Hah, they think Thorax and his kin are hideous!

[Highlord Langslock]

Hm, I don't know. I can't say that I'm a big fan of stories that tease you with the ending and then rewind to the actual beginning. It messes up the mood.

[fractalman]

As ponies in the show are just fine in a cocoon, trapped in solid crystal, or encased in ice, I am quite puzzled by why Flurry Heart seems so sure she'll die.

[Ice Star]

This is unique.

[tsaukpaetra]

Swap out Flurry before she gets foalnapped?Oh wait...