This is Home.

by Lucy_Marigold

Chapter 4 - Explanations.

Author's Note:

A/N As the title of the chapter states, there's gonna be quite a bit of explaining happening in this chapter. The next one will be up soon. Maybe even today.

~Chapter 4 - More Explanations.~

01:08 PM, May 29th, 978 C.E.

The Enigma Hive.

“General Alyssum. Come here for a moment.” The changeling in question raised her head, glancing at the changeling who had called her. Queen Odonata stood nearby, glancing over the table, floral designs carved deep into the wood as a map was stretched out across it. Queen Odonata had only been Queen for a few months but the lavender changeling’s abdomen had grown to a large bulge, signs of another future queen already evident. It would be less than a month, Alyssum could asume. The general trotted over, standing at a distance. “You’ve seen Queen Chrysalis from the Xenica Hive before, correct?”

“Yes. Why do ya ask?” The large map before them wasn’t made of parchment; rather, it was carved from wood, each detail hoof-crafted by the builders, centuries of wear evident on the peeling paint. Odonata placed a gentle hoof against the map, pointing to the frozen north of the map. Equestria lay sprawled out, detailed images covering the entire table.

“I’ve heard reports from Rhene that Chrysalis is up to something. Her mother is growing ill, Alyssum. Do you know what that means?” She grimly glanced down at Alyssum. “Chrysalis will be out for blood, General. Royal blood. I can’t have that for my hive. I can’t let what happened between Chrissy and I get in the way either.”

“But yer highness, nothings gonna happen to you anytime soon, is it?”

---

12:36 AM, June 3, 2 S.E.

“It’s changeling magic, Twilight.” Applejack spoke, Rainbow Dash sitting nearby with an equally sad look on her face. Why she was suddenly so sullen, Twilight didn’t know.

“How come Fluttershy and Pinkie were a bit banged up after the spell?” Her eyes grew wider. “Are they changelings too?!”

“Oh no, they aren’t.” Rainbow said, a guility look appearing on her face. “I mighta, accidently, knocked into them during the blast. And if they were changelings, I’d know.”

“Well there goes that theory.” Twilight tore off a few notes from her chalkboard, tossing them away with her magic. “Can you explain the different colouration for me? I mean, I’ve only ever seen those green coloured changelings. Oh! Do you have different abilities or something? Oh the essay I could write!” Twilight spluttered out, eagerly awaiting answers as she darted around the room, pulling books off the shelf. “Holy Celestia why am I kidding myself, I could write more than one essay!”

“Twi! Just calm down a moment okay?”

“Oh, sorry! I got distracted again, didn’t I?” She sheepishly said, lowering the dozen books in her magic down.

“The only reason I’m telling you is ‘cause AJ said that you, ‘deserved the honest truth.’ or something. I think you should tell her about the Xenica Hive first.” Rainbow heaved a long sigh, staring solemnly out of the window, her beetle-like wings twitching.

“Are you okay, Dash?” Applejack asked, placing a hoof against the changeling’s shoulder.

“Yeah. Just thinking about stuff.”

“The Xenica Hive?” Twilight’s eyes practically lit up, with a flick of magic, a pad of paper and a quill appearing as her smile grew. “Does that mean there’s other Hives?”

“Yes. There were three.” Applejack spoke with an almost whimsical and sorrowful tone of voice, like she was an ancient being who had witnessed something long ago yet the memory left something bittersweet. Perhaps she had. “The Northern Xenica Changelings, migrating east after intense storms almost destroyed their Hive. The Enigma Hive sat in the Everfree Forest. That place has been abandoned for quite ah while. And-”

“The Libellua Hive.” Rainbow interjected. “The Hive of the Desert, the Hive of the Dead.”

---

2:10 PM, , September 5th, 980 C.E.

The Libellua Hive.

“Nahuh..?” The small nymph waddled forward, the pale white blanket around it forcing the child to crawl. “Waanh?” It cooed out once more.

Primrose glanced down.

Gingerly, she lifted the nymph up as it crawled onto her shoulder. “Primrose,” The mare in question glanced up, spotting another crimson changeling in the doorway, moss curtains parting to allow her to step through. Queen Rhene stepped inside. “I was wondering how you were going with your progress.” Primrose levitated the nymph out of the way, the blood coloured magic fading as the other brood-mother lifted it up.

“They’re almost due.” Pausing, she glanced to the side, pressing a holed-hoof against a nearby clutch of eggs. “A week or two at most, my Queen.”

“Very well. See to it that Anthurium picks up her pace as well.” The Queen said, glancing over at the other changeling who was tending to the nymphs.

“Yes, your highness.” They both responded in tandem. With that, the Queen departed.

“Anthurium, you know what my response is.” Primrose said bluntly before the other changeling could open her mouth. Narrowing her iries at her broodmate as she scoffed, shuffling the nymphs into a corner again. “You’re just jealous that I got to hatch a clutch before you. ”

“Yeah right! Hatching is easy, especially when the closest Hive to worry about is Enigma but we both know that’s at least a week's worth of flight, Prim.” Anthurium seemed exasperated, edging on exasuation. Primrose knew that changeling hadn’t slept in days. Not since her last shift.

“Just get some sleep for once, Ant.” She mumbled back, returning to her busy work.

---

12:38 AM, June 3, 2 S.E.

“What happened to the Hives?” Twilight muttered, almost wishing she hadn’t. Applejack solemnly lowered her head, Rainbow Dash turning away with a grimce. “Oh, I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s fine.” Dash mumbled, shifting her hooves. “It was such a long time ago. Over a decade.”

“Both Enigma and Libellua were destroyed, Twi’.”

“How did that happen?”

“A war. If you could call an ambush war.” The red changeling spat, irises turning away again. Twilight observed her body language as her wings flicked a little. A pegasus mannerisum she had noticed Dash portraying in the past. Something was bothering her.

“War’s a relative term, an ambuscade ain’t. It’s just strategy. That’s beside the point. Rainbow Dash is the last Libellua changeling. And well ah dunno about the other Enigma changelings but ah suppose they joined Chrysalis.” Applejack paused, glancing at Rainbow before looking at the lavender unicorn.

“There’s only two Enigma changelings that ain’t part of her Hive. Me.” She raised a hoof towards herself. She removed it, slowly pointing a hole hoof at Twilight. “And you.”

Rainbow Dash placed a hoof against Applejack’s shoulder. “You’re the last Enigma Queen.”

Comments

[Lucy_Marigold]

9756156
I'll take that into consideration. I'm not that great at slow-paced stories. I've only just begun to slow my plot down and I'm working on it. I'll slow it all down in future chapters.

Thanks for your feedback by the way.

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

Okay, how did AJ end up with the Apple family. The rest is believable but odd that half the elements are changelings.

[Teraunce]

Too bad this might be dead.

[Lucy_Marigold]

10114695
Don't worry. I'm planning on coming back to it, eventually.