Act II ~ Chapter 14
Hard, chitinous hooves pounded against firm rubber. Heavy breaths came from the changeling as she pushed herself to finish strong on her sixteenth lap.
Spindle trained her eyes forward, the usual frown having settled onto her exhausted face. Only a single lap left and yet it was still as unfulfilling as every other run. She wasn’t a runner. She never had been. But it was the only thing that came remotely close to being out there.
Her eyes flicked above at the ‘lings flying their laps above and her frown creased into a scowl. She’d tried that as her outlet and found it utterly unsatisfying. There wasn’t enough room in the gym, so the only option was to fly back and forth, like a ceiling swimming pool. At least when she ran, she didn’t have to stop and tag each wall, back and forth, over and over. She flew enough to stay fit, but that was it.
Coming to the halfway point from her self-designated finish line, she hunkered down into a full gallop. She rushed past a few others trotting or cantering on the outer lanes. Curving along the bend, her finish came into view. The muscles beneath her carapace strained as she eked out that last bit of effort left in her reserve.
Twenty meters.
Fifteen.
Five…
A growl and hiss escaped her at the last four slams of her hooves against the track.
Done.
She panted as she came down to a cantering cooldown lap on the outer lane. Her wings lifted out and slowly fanned the dissipating heat away from her dry, sweatless body. An unsatisfying run as usual, but it was something.
Only a few more years, girl. Just a few more and you’ll get back out there.
A couple others ran past and she wondered if they were as unfulfilled as she was. She rather doubted it. They probably didn’t even know what the outside world was like. Or maybe they didn’t care and were perfectly content wasting away under the desert sand.
Many months back on that desperate, horrible day, she’d called the hive her home to return to. It wasn’t a home, it was a prison. A tomb. They all did the same things, day in and day out. There were games and morale events, but there was such little variety. There were no restaurants to go to, no plays to watch, no ponies to meet, no parks to visit.
If only she’d stuck around Hoofington for one more day. If only she’d gone to see Skitter before she left.
She hated herself for that decision all those months ago.
Like all the other changelings in the hive, she was underfed, but she’d take starving and free over hungry and safe any day.
With a final huff, she completed her cooldown lap and headed off the track to the water table.
“You looked pretty intense today, Spindle,” A bored-looking changeling in a yellow sash behind the table said. They filled a cup with water for her. “How was the run?”
Spindle magicked the offered glass and took a deep drink. She emptied it and gave it back with a tired smile. “Hey, Mantodea. It was alright. I think I might bump it up another kilo or two soon.”
“That’s good.” They refilled her water. “I’m kinda glad more changelings don’t push themselves like you. We’d be out of love in a week. Speaking of,” from behind their table, they levitated out a little metal token, “here’s your fitness incentive.”
She took it and her eyeridges raised at the sight of three heart symbols emblazoned on it. “A triple?”
“Yep.” Mantodea didn’t even crack a smile. “You’ve exceeded the weekly caloric expenditure for a double serving and crossed over into a triple. Usually only the guards manage that.”
“That’s awesome! Thank you. I could definitely go for a bit more love.” She gulped down the second cup, finishing with an exhausted huff. “And thanks for the water, as usual. See you tomorrow?”
They sighed. “I’ll be here…”
“Bye, Mantodea!” She managed a little smile and a wave before walking to the exit and out into the halls.
The smile faded from her face and she let out a sigh. If there was ever a time she was glad she didn’t pick the worker caste, it was every time she talked with them.
The cafeteria’s din surrounded Spindle as she set her tray on the table. She sat and stared for a long moment at the three oatcakes, peanut butter toast, and a serving of almonds and pecans. Alongside it were three lightly-glowing, half-day’s rations of love crystals.
“I am getting so tired of these meals.” Spindle groaned and resigned to poking into her meal.
“Hello to you too, Spindle,” the changeling across from her said, crunching on a few nuts from his half-finished meal.
“Yeah, sorry. Hi, Patella.” She stuffed a chunk of cinnamon sugar oatcake into her mouth. “I thought they said at last month’s morale meet that we were getting a stock of Spring food.”
Patella shrugged and swallowed his bite. “I thought so, too. Maybe it all got lost. Or maybe Cercus is hoarding it all.”
“I doubt even an advisor could get away with that.” Spindle took a bite of her toast. “‘Sides, there’s no way the queen isn’t sick of this stuff too.”
“Probably.” He levitated a few more nuts up. “So, how was the run?”
It was Spindle’s turn to shrug. “Same as usual. Though, Mantodea bumped my love token up from a double.” She levitated one of the three crystals up and took in a little wisp. Glancing back at Patella, she expected a glare, but found a smirk instead.
“Yeah? That's pretty nice of them. Well, guess what I got today.” He magicked up his own crystal.
She squinted her eyes at it. The glow seemed pretty normal to her. “I dunno, a percent more than normal?”
“Nope! I talked to Palpus from the kitchen and she managed to set aside one of the dense ones!”
“Ah.” Spindle set hers down and picked up a few nuts, suppressing the sigh that wanted to rise up with the reminder of her past role. “You know they half those, right? You’re not getting any more than usual.”
“Sure, but the taste,” he hummed and blissfully shut his eyes as he drew in more love. “It’s wonderful.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“Wait,” one of his eyes popped open and he scrunched his brow at her. “Have you never had one?”
Spindle shook her head. “I was never lucky enough to get one before I left for collector duty and I haven’t been lucky enough since I got back.”
“Huh.” Patella glanced at the crystal in his magic, seeming to ponder something. A couple moments later, he looked back up. “There’s, like, half left if you wanted to trade.”
She glared at him. “Uh huh. I’m not trading one of mine for your half.”
“I’m not trying to—” he scoffed. “You could just eat part of yours! If you don’t want it, all you have to do is say so.”
A deep exhale came along with Spindle’s softening face. “Sorry, sorry. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. Sure, I’d like to give the crystal a try.” She quickly drew in love from one of her crystals until she felt there was only around half left and then floated it over. “Here.”
They swapped and she peered into the crystal. Merely looking at the thing made sadness creep up. If only she’d had one of these on that night, she’d still be there. Four months as a collector barely got her hooves wet, but it was enough to leave her wanting.
She missed the sun and moon and sky. She missed Hoofington. She missed the comradery, even if it came with Tarsus’s complaining.
But most of all, Spindle missed her.
“Hey, you alright?”
A sharp breath came with her broken focus and she looked back up at Patella. “Yeah, sorry. I got lost in thought.” Spindle lit her horn, drawing in a taste and her eyes involuntarily fluttered shut.
As love slowly trickled in, the conversations and clattering of plates and trays fell into the background. It was… amazing. Like a warm hug, a loving kiss, and a sweet cuddle in front of a fireplace. If she could have nothing more than this for the rest of her life, she’d never ask for anything ever again.
And much like mixing an alarm clock with a wonderful dream, the love abruptly stopped. The clattering and clashing sounds shot back into her ears like a train and Spindle opened her eyes to the sight of an empty, gray crystal.
“Yep, that seemed like my first time, too.” Across the table, Patella sported a half-cocked grin. “Pretty great, huh?”
Spindle nodded and set the spent crystal down. “Y-yeah. Wow. I had no idea.”
“Now do you get why someling like me might try to go out of their way to get some?”
“Yeah,” Spindle repeated and took another bite of her oatcake before grimacing. “Jeez, even this stuff seems bland now. Well, more bland than it already was.”
“Mhm!” Patella finished off his last bit of toast. “That’s why I usually save at least half for after the meal. But hay, now that you know what it’s like, you wanna help… secure some more?”
Her face dropped into a frown and she narrowed her eyes. “Patella, you better not be asking what I think you’re asking.”
His eyes grew wide and he put his hooves up defensively. “Hey, hey! No, not like that! All I’m talking about is some trading. Like you said, those’re halved, so we’re not getting any extra love. Palpus has this thing.
“She’s tired of being a worker and I figured I could help. If she can show enough aptitude for another caste, they might consider moving her. And you have lots of experience in more than one! Together, we could get her moved and get lots of tasty love while we’re at it!”
Spindle hummed. She could understand what that was like. But at the same time, it felt… dirty and she couldn’t put a hoof on why. “I dunno. I’ll think about it.”
“Alright, well, let me know if you decide you want something that tastes like more than nothing every day.” A moment of silence passed before Patella spoke up again. “Oh yeah, forgot to tell you. I decided to apply for consort duties.”
She scrunched a brow at him. “How old are you again?”
“Sixteen.”
“Right, same as me. Have you asked about the average and minimum age of males the queen accepts?”
Patella scoffed. “Please, I’ve been in a caste for nearly three years. I’m plenty old enough and more than capable.”
As someling whose primary duty was dealing with the queen’s eggs and offspring, that was all the answer she needed. “I didn’t ask if your body is fully functional. I asked if you checked both your eligibility and your likelihood.”
“Well, uh, yeah of course.”
She didn’t need her collector training to see the truth in his inability to meet her eyes. So, she simply cocked her head and put on a smile. “Then good! I hope Queen Chrysalis picks you.”
Silence reigned for a few moments as she continued with her meal and he poked at his leftover crumbs.
Suddenly, his head shot up and he put his hooves on the table. “Oh, yeah! I totally forgot! Speaking of the queen, you’ll never guess what happened a couple days ago.”
Spindle knew this tone and promptly suppressed an eye roll and a preparatory sigh. It better not be like the time a ‘massive,’ barely-ten-centimeter-long sandworm attacked. “What happened?”
He leaned in close and lowered his voice. “So, like, we got this new pony in, right? Apparently he woke up. Which, it’s not all that uncommon for them to wake up once, but when they go back under, they almost always stay under.”
“Uh huh.” Spindle absently finished off her nuts.
“Well, this one came back up! So, I was just minding my own business in the break room when Cercus, the advisor himself, storms in and points at me and Alula and says, ‘you and you, follow me,’ all ominous and serious-like. So, we follow and when we get out in the hall, I kid you not, the queen and three guards were there. Alula and I trail behind Cercus into the pod chamber and in the middle, there was the most bizarre thing I’ve ever seen.”
Spindle popped the last bit of her meal into her mouth and magicked up her drink. “Sounds pretty crazy.” Her empty crystal caught her eye and she remembered it was her turn to get the grubs’s love.
“It was. When we got there—and I have never seen a pony do this before—he apparently started tearing into the flow mount on the ceiling with his teeth! Like ripping it apart! I was afraid he was gonna get out and attack all of us!”
The eye roll was getting harder to keep down, though her second crystal helped. He does remember I used to be a collector, right? Knowing ponies was my job. “And what did this pony look like? Was he big? Really muscular? What race and color?”
“Oh, uhh, he was an earth pony and he was… yellow? Or brown? Or maybe it was blue? I don’t remember and there was stasis fluid messing with the colors anyway! The point is, before he could get out, the queen nudged him and he whipped around and growled all menacing-like. He and Queen Chrysalis had this super fierce stare down, but of course he eventually totally cowered in her presence.”
Spindle mentally sighed. I need to learn not to indulge him. Some of us have actual work to do instead of waiting around for a pony to walk.
“But then, the queen looked at what he did and was like, ‘go get the receiving tub.’ So, Alula and I went to go get it and when we got back, Alula cut him out. And then he popped out of the stasis fluid and spat it all out before he started screaming and yelling, saying like, ‘I love her and you stole her away from me! I’m gonna make you pay!’ But, the queen got super pissed and yelled at him to shut up. We had to go put ponies to sleep from the queen’s yell, but I’m pretty sure I heard like, all three of the guards holding him back. So, then after they’d—”
Oookay, I think that’s enough of that. “Hey, Patella, some random pony screaming about stolen love is really interesting, but my shift starts in fifteen minutes. Maybe we can finish this tomorrow?”
“Oh, right. I should probably get to work too. Well, long story short, the queen had him subdued and put him back asleep herself.”
“Huh, very strange,” Spindle said as she stood and grabbed her tray. “Hopefully he stays under this time.”
“Oh yeah. There’s no way he’s waking up from that. We learned in training that when the queen puts ponies under, she usually adds a little mind control with her somnolence and hypnosis spells.”
“Mhm,” she hummed as they slid their trays in the dirty dishes window and headed for the hallway.
“The next time we wake him for a walk, he’s gonna be completely delirious. Nothing short of a solid punch to the face would break those spells. Maybe not even then!”
“Right.” She paused outside the cafeteria door. “Anyway, I gotta stop by the commissary to pick up love for the grubs. See you tomorrow?”
“Yep, same time! See you!” He waved as they parted in opposite directions.
Once she’d turned down a corridor, she let out a deep sigh. Those tall tales of his are gonna get someling in trouble some day…
A large, wooden door loomed in front of Spindle. It stared at her, taunting her to make the first move and she glared back.
Sometimes she regretted picking the caretaker caste. What was so bad about filing paperwork all day? She’d be stuck inside, doing buckall regardless. If only she’d thought about how much of a pain caretaker duties were. ‘If only’ seemed to be a running theme with her.
After another minute, Spindle groaned at the filthy cheater of a door, having the audacity to put itself between her and her ill-chosen duties. She took a deep breath, feeling the pouch of crystals shift on her back, and readied herself for another long, hot, humid day filled with crying and hisses. Her magic opened the door and a mild rise in temperature greeted her. Stepping inside, she closed the first door before turning to open the inner door. As it opened, the warm air immediately turned hot and stuffy and typical noises of hisses and screams filled that same hot air.
Inside was a veritable miniature playground. Toys, little ramps, winding swirls to climb, and pillars. Lots of pillars, around one every three meters. This was one section of the hive where the queen would not tolerate a collapse or cave-in.
“Hey, Ootheca,” Spindle called out as she shut the door and stepped over the belly-high fence, “you in yet?”
“In the kitchen, Spindle!”
Taking note of the few nearby grubs, Spindle carefully stepped deeper into the muggy room. A couple spotted her and turned, probably for attention or to play in her leg holes, but Spindle picked up her pace by the tiniest bit to outrun them. Though, even that slow speed made her nervous.
Back on her first day, Spindle took to heart the warning that Advisor Cercus had given. She indeed did not want to be the first caretaker in many decades that decided to squeeze the green soup from the hissing wiggle pouches.
So, soft, careful steps she made. She grimaced as more grubs stopped their hissing and wrestling and began squirming in her direction.
“Sorry, little ones, you can’t come with.” Spindle called and picked up the pace as much as she was comfortable. “Give me a minute and my legs are all yours.”
“They’re as cuddly as usual today. Which really sucks for me.”
“Oh?” Spindle replied as she rounded the final pillar and saw Ootheca through the wide kitchen doorway. Unfortunately for her, there were several grubs staring through the little mesh fence at Ootheca, but now found another source of entertainment. “Why’s that?” Deftly weaving through the dozen or so grubs, she stepped over the fence and checked herself for hangers-on.
“Because, once we’re finished feeding them breakfast, you have an appointment,” Ootheca said, not looking away from her bowl of half-mashed fish, peas, and spinach.
Spindle blinked a few times. “I… do?”
“Mhm. Advisor Cercus stopped by maybe five minutes ago. He said you’re to report to his office after we finish feeding. Don’t ask what for; he didn’t say.”
“Well, chitin dust,” Spindle cursed as she set the pouch of crystals on the counter. From it, she pulled out two brightly-glowing ones. “Maybe we should wait on letting the night shift go before we’re both here, and stick around until both evening shift ‘lings show up.”
Ootheca shrugged and finished with the mash before fishing out twenty-three individual bowls and a bunch of spoons. “It’s fine. After the you-know-what went kaput, we went to twelve-hour shifts and half of those only had one ‘ling each for a good month or so. Besides, I’ve had more than my share of days taking care of grubs on my own. I’ll be fine for one morning.”
“If you say so.”
With extra help from Spindle, the two absorbed a single crystal each and proceeded to hawk up liquid love into the mash. They then divvied up the grubs’ breakfast, broke up any headbutting and biting to claim first in line, and before Spindle knew it, the feeding was finished.
“Well… I guess that’s my cue,” Spindle announced and began pulling out grubs from her leg holes, much to their protests. Another careful set of steps and one fence later and Spindle found herself at the door. “Wish me luck!”
“Luck!” Spindle heard as she shut the inner door. She gave one quick check for uninvited passengers before opening the outer door, the hive’s cool air sending a shiver down her back. With a deep breath, she began the short trek up to Cercus’s office.
Every time she stepped through the administration hall, the same wrenching in her heart accompanied it. It wrenched the same as it had when she’d been released from Search and Rescue and every time she’d entered it since. The feeling in her chest grew as she neared the second door on the left.
The Collector’s door.
Without ceremony, the door passed by as it did every other time. Maybe one day…
She continued on, past a couple more doors, a left turn down a side hall, and she arrived at her hopefully-temporary caste’s door. Two knocks and a few seconds later, “Enter!” came from inside.
Slowly, she pulled down on the handle and let it swing open. Stepping inside, she was careful to catch the door and lightly close it behind her. She turned to the changeling at the old, wooden desk, who had just finished writing and set her quill into its ink well. “Hello, Cricket, ma’am. I heard Advisor Cercus asked for me?”
Cricket nodded. “He did. Give me one moment.” She got up from behind her desk and walked to the closed door to Spindle’s left. A single knock was given before Cricket opened the door.
“…you’re still not convinced— Ah, hello, Cricket.”
“Hello, sir. Spindle has arrived, as you requested.”
“Excellent. Send her in, please.”
Cricket stepped back and gave a nod to Spindle.
She sent a polite little smile back before walking past her into the Caretaker advisor’s office for only the second time in her life. Immediately, she noticed that she and Advisor Cercus were not the only ones present. Standing near the back wall was a guard that he must have been speaking with. It had been a couple years since they’d drilled guard ranks into their brains, but her eyes still instinctually landed on the crinet. On it, she spotted a star-tipped horn, a pair of wings, and both chevrons.
Her body nearly locked up midstep at the familiar insignia. What the buck is General Elytra doing here? What the buck am I doing here?! The last time she’d seen the general was when she was assigned to Search and Rescue. That was understandable, but now?
Spindle took a deep breath and swiftly realized her panic had come through uninhibited. She looked over to Cercus. “Uhm, h-hello sir. I heard you called for me?”
Advisor Cercus nodded. “I did. And please allay your fears, you’ve done nothing wrong. I simply have a task for you. Come in and have a seat.” He gestured to the chairs across from his desk.
Spindle gave a shaky smile and briefly glanced at the general, then back to Cercus. “Ah, uh, sure! I can do tasks.” She walked in and did as she was told, a click coming from behind as the door shut.
“I should hope so. The original assignee to this was indisposed and unavailable for this morning. I’m certain you’ll be pleased to know that you will return to your assigned duties after this.” Thick hints of pride spilled from him like spittle from one of her grubs. “After all, what could be more satisfying than ensuring generations after us are ready to begin the next stage of their lives?”
Out of the corner of her eye, she could have sworn she saw General Elytra’s eyes give a tiny couple of twitches. Spindle put on the best placating smile she could. “Very little, sir.”
“Indeed. Now, this task is rather simple. However, you are to be discreet. Noling that doesn’t need to know should be told. That means unless myself or General Elytra tell you otherwise, you don’t talk about it. I trust a changeling of your background can understand?”
Spindle nodded.
“Good.” He shifted back in his seat. “A couple days ago, we received a changeling that had need of… investigation.”
“Cercus.” General Elytra scolded and narrowed her eyes at the advisor before looking to Spindle. “What he means is, there’s a changeling in our prison and it’s the caretakers’ job to take care of our prison.”
“Yes. Apologies,” Cercus deadpanned. “Your job this morning is to provide food, both solid and love, for the prisoner and then clean their cell. It should be straightforward and pretty damn hard to screw up. However, I believe the general had specific instructions for you.”
“I do, thank you.” Elytra’s gaze turned back to Spindle and softened. “The prisoner’s cell has an anti-magic lining. This prevents us from drawing in love, so when you arrive, my guards stationed there will have the prisoner transferred to a standard cell for the meal. They will continue to watch over both of you during this time.
“As for the prisoner herself, she may or may not speak to you as she has been nearly silent since she arrived. If she does talk, feel free to politely indulge, however do take anything she says with a grain of salt. She’s in prison for a reason, after all. But remember,” the corners of her mouth turned down and her brow creased, “that she currently resides there, as well as the reason, is to be kept secret. Do you understand?”
Spindle’s lips tightened and she nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I understand.”
“Good.” Elytra relaxed. “Any questions?”
“No, ma’am.” Spindle shook her head, though she did notice the general hadn’t actually said the reason. She suspected asking why had as good a chance of getting a mouthful of dirt as it did an actual answer.
“You know where the prison is?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ve passed by its hall a couple times.”
“Then that’s all the information I have for you. Cercus?”
He nodded to Elytra then faced Spindle again. “After this, proceed to the kitchens and the love store for the predetermined meal. State you’re there on task from me. And here,” his horn lit and, from behind his desk, up levitated a pair of saddlebags, “keep it all in these and don’t take them out until you’re past the first set of bars. The cleaning supplies are already in there. Remember to take the bags back to storage after you’re finished. Also, try to keep the food upright. Any questions?”
Spindle took the saddlebags in her magic. “No, sir.”
“Excellent.” He leaned in to her and fixed her with a stare and a small frown. “Do your best today, Spindle. Don’t forget who you represent now, but also remember where you came from too.”
“Cercus.” General Elytra huffed and glared at him. “She is a competent changeling and can handle a simple delivery and cleaning job.”
He gave a half glance over at the General. “I know she—”
“And she is capable of handling this very simple task, same as any caretaker.”
Spindle resisted the urge of allowing her confusion to furrow her eyeridges as her eyes shifted between the two leaders.
“Of course she is.” Cercus looked at Spindle with a smile, appearing more than a little wooden. “I have full confidence in your abilities, Spindle. There were many of my caste to choose from, but it was you who ended up with the job.”
From the side, Spindle swore she heard a tiny hissing sigh from General Elytra, but a quick glance showed her to be simply staring straight ahead at the door.
“I know you’ll do a good job today, Spindle,” Cercus continued. “Show us what the caretakers can do.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll be sure to make you… proud.” Her face nearly twisted up as the unintended words spilling from her mouth sent her stomach into a knot. She quickly buried the odd feeling.
“Very good.” If he noticed her little blunder, he didn’t show it. “Any further questions?”
“No, sir.” Spindle shook her head again.
“Then you are dismissed.”
She merely nodded and silently turned to the door. Her magic pulled it open and she stepped out, pulling the door shut behind her. “Have a good day, Miss Cricket.”
“You too,” Cricket said without sparing a glance away from her work.
Making her way out into the hall, Spindle was a bundle of more than a few emotions. She refused to acknowledge her misspoken word and instead focused on her distraction from the monotonous. She was happy to deal with something other than grubs all day, but at the same time, it was a little odd that they’d chosen her. It seemed any caretaker was more than suited for it. A right turn and a last-minute sidestep out of the way of another changeling barely registered with her.
Why her? Ootheca was older and plenty more experienced. Spindle was willing to bet she’d even been assigned to the prison before. She also knew there were plenty of ‘lings in Pony Maintenance that had been around for a long while. And if Patella was to be believed, they had the spare time.
She left the Administration Hall and headed for the main thoroughfare, mind still buzzing. They said it needed to be kept a secret. Maybe because she was a collector? She scrunched her muzzle at the thought. True, collectors were good at keeping secrets, but the whole hive should be good at keeping secrets.
Except, her thoughts turned to the conversation with Patella and she deadpanned at the next tunnel. Maybe not all of them. Still, even if it was because she was a collector, keeping the prisoner a secret wasn’t that hard.
There had to be someling better suited than the cross-trained newbie, right? Maybe she should have risked that mouthful of dirt and asked.
Too late now. She shrugged and tried to brush away the thoughts.
Spindle was proud of herself.
She’d nearly taken a vertical tunnel before remembering her package’s aversion to being sideways. Instead, she’d taken the long, mostly-empty, spiral cargo passage and was happy to report—to no one but herself—that there had been no sign of the meal box or thermos in her saddlebags tipping over.
Just ahead was the tunnel, a placard stating “Prison” next to it. Glancing around as inconspicuously as she could, she noted noling seemed to be watching. General Elytra hadn’t stated she needed to not be seen, but she figured it couldn’t hurt.
As she turned into the hall, the closed passage drew a confused eyeridge raise. The bunch of dark, metal bars were set in gray cave wall, illuminated by wall lanterns on either side. It and the guards posted outside looked like something that belonged in one of the foal books Wavy Palette had illustrated.
“Do you need something?” the nearest guard asked.
“I’m here on behalf of Advisor Cercus. And, erm, General Elytra?” Spindle idly shifted her saddlebags. “I’m filling in for caretaking the prison this morning.”
“Right.” They turned and magicked a key out from under their wing. Unlocking and pulling open the door, they motioned a hoof inward. “Go ahead.”
“Thank you.” Spindle nodded and received a grunt in return. The door shut behind her as she entered the prison proper. Ahead, there were three guards posted outside a single cell and Spindle’s brows raised of their own volition. Whatever this changeling did must have been a pretty big deal.
The first guard glanced over before turning back. “Hey, meal’s here. Move her to Two-B.” The feminine-sounding guard turned back to Spindle. “Come on, it’ll be in here.”
Only one syllable escaped Spindle’s mouth before she noticed only one guard turned to the cell. The other was staring right at her, face expressionless and emotions null.
What felt like half a dozen seconds later, she broke eye contact and turned to the now-open cell, the other guard’s piercing stare never leaving her.
“She’s to go on the far side, so set up over there.” The first guard pointed to the table in the center, occupying much of the cell.
Spindle nodded and entered. The table was placed right in the center and had a rail bolted along the far side’s edge. She noticed there was no seat. Sad, but I guess that’s the life of a prisoner.
She opened her saddlebags and levitated out the meal box. As Spindle removed the top in preparation, she was surprised to find a hearty breakfast inside. There was oatmeal with nuts and blueberries, a chocolate chip muffin, cheese-covered toast, and some yogurt with a bunch of dark, little seed things in it. Alongside the box, she pulled out a thermos with a wooden cup and transferred the liquid. She narrowed her eyes at the sight of orange juice.
Lastly, she levitated out the love crystal and looked between it and the apparently very-well-treated prisoner’s meal. She squinted at it. There’s no way they would… right?
With the tiniest of tastes, her eyes shot open and she stared at the crystal. They did! What the buck!
She set the crystal down next to the food with a frown. This prisoner’s getting pampered! A lavish meal like I haven’t seen in months and a dense love crystal! Spindle huffed. I wonder if there’s a spa hidden down here, too.
Hoofsteps behind drew her attention. She glanced and gave a start at the changeling guard now across the way, those same eyes still intently fixed on Spindle. She couldn’t help but feel like she was being tested.
From around the corner came one guard who stopped just past the cell. Next came one of the most downtrodden-looking changelings she’d seen in a long while, followed by the third guard.
Spindle watched in confusion as the supposed prisoner, eyes down, turned into the cell and walked to the other side of the table. She looked pretty much the same as every other changeling, maybe a little longer frill on her head, but that wasn’t too uncommon, either. Her chitin was clean and no smells wafted from her. Spindle at first wondered why she wasn’t producing pheromones, though after a moment’s consideration she didn’t think she could blame her. Spindle would probably hide her scent too, if she were the one in prison.
The prisoner sat on the ground and brought a hoof up to the side, not raising her eyes. The first guard magicked a set of hoof manacles from his side, clasped one through one of the prisoner’s leg holes, and the other onto the table’s rail. Both sides were clasped tight, then the guard stepped back into the corner and sat down, keeping eye on their charge.
The mare looked up at the food and snorted. “What, did the cooks have a stroke or have I finally earned enough gold stars?” she said, her voice gravely and hoarse.
The voice almost had a familiar lilt to it, though Spindle wasn’t sure if she really wanted to find out if she knew her. Regardless, she did remember General Elytra saying something about politely conversing if the prisoner talked.
“I don’t know.” Spindle shrugged. “I’m just the delivery ‘ling.”
Before she’d finished the sentence, the prisoner’s eyes darted up to Spindle. “Did they finally say talking was—” Her head followed her eyes and she fully faced Spindle, “You’re new. What happened to the other caretaker?”
“I’m only filling in. They had—” Spindle whipped around at the door clanging shut. “Hey!”
“Let us know when you want back out,” the guard that led her in said. “We can’t leave the door open.”
“Okay, then I want back—”
“Spindle?” The voice, a little more clear, came from across the table. It was small and almost familiar despite how rough it was.
Spindle stared as chains rattled and not a moment later, the scent of the other changeling hit her. Her eyes went wide as memories filled her mind. Coffee, tea, and newspapers. Clinking dishes and tasty cookies.
A lemon yellow mare pinning her to the ground in that back alley. The mare’s source chasing Spindle off.
“Firefly?” She finally breathed out, just as quiet as her old castemate.
Concern and disbelief filled Spindle as her eyes darted all over the other changeling. There was no way. Firefly couldn’t do anything that would put her in prison. Especially not here, so far from Hoofington. It couldn’t be.
And yet it was.
“Spindle,” Firefly took a deep, shaky breath before clearing her rough throat, “thank Chrysalis you’re okay. We hadn’t heard much of anything and I thought after…” she trailed off. “Well, I'm just glad you're okay. But what happened? What are you doing here?”
Immediately, Spindle was overcome by emotions. She was overcome by excitement and joy at meeting her once more. Not once since being reassigned to the caretakers did she think she’d ever cross paths with Firefly again. Her first instinct was to dart around the table and draw her into a hug, but she quickly tempered that. She wasn’t sure if Firefly would appreciate it. Or that she’d be allowed.
But then her happiness died back down to confusion as the dimly-lit walls of the cell became viscerally apparent.
Spindle’s face contorted in confusion as she approached the table. “What am I doing here? What are you doing here? This is the prison!”
“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” Firefly huffed and raised an eyeridge. A short moment later, her expression fell and she returned her eyes to her meal. “I’m surprised you haven’t heard. It’s been going around the whole hive, I’m sure.”
Spindle shook her head and softly clacked a hoof onto the table. “Nothing’s made its way anywhere, as far as I know.” She put on a smile as Firefly peered back up. “I was told you being here was a secret, so I’m afraid I don’t know anything. Could you tell me, please?”
She noticed Firefly glance beyond Spindle and grimace before looking back at her. “I… well, I’m sure they'll publicize it soon anyway. I suppose if there was anyling I could trust to begin with, it’d be you.” She sighed and closed her eyes for a brief moment. “Where to start? Hm… you, uh, you remember Fine Roast, right?”
“Your source? Of course I do! It'd be hard to forget our last encounter.”
“Right, that.” Firefly deflated and looked down at her food. “I kind of, uh, fell in love with him.”
Spindle blinked and her head tilted the slightest bit. Firefly had fallen in love with a pony? That was… unexpected. Spindle remembered the collector lesson on the topic, but there was more giggling and gagging during that class than anything.
“Okay? So what?” Spindle raised an eyeridge. “That hardly feels worthy of this.”
Firefly looked back up and shook her head. “Things would definitely be a lot simpler if that was it.” Firefly sighed. “Turns out he fell in love with me, too.”
“Fell in love with you? But wasn't he already?”
A harsh and humorless bark of laughter came out of Firefly. “That's the funny thing. He was.”
Spindle furrowed her brow and gave an awkward smile. “I'm… afraid I don't understand.”
“You know, it's really been some wonderfully horrible luck for you and I.” A mirthless smile fell upon Firefly's face. “Four years ago, what happened to you back in Hoofington, happened to me. Except my husb—source did nothing.”
“I still don't…” Spindle’s eyes darted back and forth between the other mare’s. Her eyes went wide and she gasped as it clicked. “He found out!”
Firefly snorted. “Yep. He found out a long time ago and didn’t say a thing. After Canterlot happened, he confronted me. I panicked and ran off, but I tried to do the thing you couldn't. I went back for my love and he, of course, caught me. Instead of—” the small, joyless smile finally dropped from her face as she broke away from Spindle’s gaze and steadied herself with a deep breath. “Instead of screaming for help, he begged me to stay. The idiot. But if he's an idiot, I'm absolutely insane for agreeing.”
“Wait wait wait.” Spindle clacked her forehooves up onto the table. “That's a thing? That can happen?!”
“You're looking at living proof.” Firefly threw a shaky grin before dropping it and accepting back her prodigal frown. “But that hardly matters when the powers that be shove you into prison for it.”
“That seems wrong? If he was happy to give his love, willingly even, how is that bad?”
“Well, it’s kind of…” Firefly winced and hesitated, “a bit worse than all that. Wavy Palette, well, he got me arrested and investigated under suspicion of being a changeling.”
Spindle’s eyes bugged out. “Wait what?!”
“Yeah. Cuffs, a carriage escort, and everything. Silly, stupid me thought I could convince the detective I wasn't a changeling. I definitely couldn't.”
“Okay, now I'm even more confused.” Spindle rubbed a hoof against her forehead. “I know for a fact the hive spent a ton of resources breaking just a few ’lings out of Equestrian holding. Yet they thought to take you from another prison and stick you in their own?”
“N-not exactly.” Firefly closed her eyes for a moment and drew in another shaky breath. “I think I'm here because Roast managed to convince her, the detective, to let me go. He explained he knew what I was and still loved me. Somehow, she agreed and due to some… personal things of hers, we became friends.”
Spindle opened her mouth, but couldn't find the right words. She really felt for her. Spindle hated having to leave her collectors behind in Hoofington. They were the closest thing to friends she’d had, even if she maybe got more attached than she should have. Losing someone that thought of her as a friend as much as she did in return seemed—
“Ah,” Spindle finally managed. “I think this is beginning to make an unfortunate amount of sense.”
“Yeah, and now I have to wait here for my turn to go before the queen herself. And, you know…” She paused with a hard swallow before her lips curled to a tiny, trembling, pathetic smile, “I've tried to stay strong. I've tried to convince myself it'll be okay, that the queen will listen to me, that we'll be able to go back to Hoofington and live happily ever after. I've tried so hard. But I don't even know where he is!”
Firefly pulled her chained hoof up to her face, but merely managed to yank her hoof against the table. She huffed and wiped her eyes with her other hoof.
“I'm scared, Spindle. I'm terrified and I have no idea what to do. No changeling in their right mind would be so broken over a pony, yet here I am. All I can think is… what if I can't convince the queen? What if they drained him of everything? What if, if he’s—”
Spindle felt her heart nearly tear out of her chest at the first sob that wracked Firefly. Spindle instinctually rose and almost began her way around, but hesitation overcame her. Firefly was her mentor, the changeling Spindle looked up to the most. Their relationship had been professional at best. Would she want Spindle’s comfort? Would she be offended, or only see it as pity?
As the first tear ran down Firefly’s face and her emotions finally broke through, Spindle decided she didn't care and trotted over.
Gently, she pressed a hoof on the other mare’s shoulder and turned her before embracing Firefly in a tight hug. Spindle’s shoulders sagged in relief and joy as Firefly immediately returned it and tucked her nose into Spindle’s chitin.
“Hey!” The guard next to them jumped to her hooves. “No physical contact with the prisoner!”
Spindle shot the guard a stink eye. “She’s hurting. You wanna hug her instead?”
The guard glanced sideways at the others outside for a short moment before meeting Spindle’s gaze again. “N-no, just… don't take too long.” She replied, rather lamely in Spindle’s opinion, and sat back down on the floor.
As she rubbed the other mare’s back, Spindle felt her shoulder wet with Firefly’s tears and what was probably snot. But that was perfectly okay. Spindle knew there was little she could offer beyond empty reassurances. She didn't know how long Firefly had been down here, but she was certain there had been no comfort given to the poor ‘ling.
That was one thing she could confidently offer.
Even so, she desperately wished there was something of more substance she could do. She knew if she tried to vouch for her to the queen, it would likely only get in the way. And she was absolutely certain nothing underhooved was going on with Firefly. Or this detective.
With that, she trusted Firefly implicitly.
But, really, that only left the stallion himself. It was still surprising that he loved her, a changeling, and she couldn't help but be curious about why. Or, more specifically, how a pony could love a changeling.
As Firefly’s cries quieted to sniffles, a small frown crossed Spindle’s face. The thought of ponies like the trash that was Silver Varnish back in Cincinneighti came unbidden. Those like him would have everypony believe that changelings were nothing more than disgusting insects. She wondered, if she had met him before the invasion, would he be nothing more than a love-producing cocoon now? Patella would probably make up stories about—
Spindle froze as Patella’s words during breakfast came crashing back down on her. A new pony, waking up in his cocoon. Screaming about his lover being stolen away, and being forced right back under. And Queen Chrysalis herself saw to it, which meant…
Oh… buck.
Firefly leaned out of Spindle’s stiff hooves and sniffled again. “Spindle? Is everything okay?”
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“Releases a new chapter when they least expect it”
Welcome to the hot seat, Spindle. What you do next will probably decide the fate of a couple of folk.
Good stuff
Please, take your time...
I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE ANOTHER CHAPTER!
Thank you for this majesty of a chapter, and for the Grace of an update!
Whoo! Glad to see this back, really enjoyed it.
Nice chapter! Was definitely a surprise to see the cobwebs dusted off my feed by TWO stories I read being updated simultaneously!
Things are starting to look up. Our favorite couple might just get some hope in all this.
Keep posting these at whatever pace you think you can. Because no matter how long it take for another chapter. I'll be here.
Queen Chrysalis is testing Spindle! She figured out all of the connections, and this is a test to see if Spindle will follow her instructions and not spill the beans or try to help Firefly.
"last month’s moral meet" You probably did this one correctly, but what if it was a "morale meet"? I honestly don't know, I was just curious.
Edit: What if Patella is in on it? What if he was told to spill that story to Spindle so that she would know about Fine Roast secondhand? That could be part of the test, too!
Take your time. Irl takes priority over fanfiction.
It'll be worth the wait.
And now the question is: just how much trouble is Spindle about to cause, and how much of it was set up in advance by the other 'lings.
Oh wow, a new chapter!
*grabs a crate of mugs and crashes them * Bring me another one .....
Its back! I had given up when I one day noticed the story set to cancelled. Thank you so much for bringing this back. I was missing this tale a great deal. It is just such a hard story not to get wrapped in.
Good to see more of firefly pov, hope a breakout is in the making for these 3.
Was just wondering few days ago when next chapter mught come. Nice surprise to see it once more in my feed.
She finally clicked.
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This story was set to "cancelled" for a time? I never saw that.
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Looks at the 200K~ words left in the story
Sweating intensifies
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It was indeed meant to be morale. Thank you for pointing it out!
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Excuse you... Spindle is a good girl that is happy and satisfied with her role in life and has no reason to disobey authority or cause any amount of trouble for any party whatsoever.
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We're now back to Soon™
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It was actually set to hiatus. It probably maybe won't be set back to that again. Probably.
"However, you are to be discrete" - he probably meant "discreet", as it's unlikely he's warning Spindle against getting disassembled.
This was a really intriguing look at how things work inside the Hive. Admittedly I didn't actually remember who Spindle was until she talked to Firefly, but it'll be interesting to see how she handles having to talk to Firefly like this.
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Spindle is practically a main character. At the very least, a secondary character, as half of the focus of this story is about her.
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It's been quite a while since the last Spindle chapter was posted, so it's completely understandable for people to not remember her off the bat.
Life does indeed like it's curveballs. Please do update when you can. I myself am amidst a curveball and stories such as yours are my little sanity breaks amidst the madness. Your work is more appreciated than you know and more than I am readily able to describe. Lol
Beautiful star crossed lovers story!
I was putting off reading this chapter for a long while. It made me worried. One of two things would prevent me from reading a story I liked.
1. I’ve lost interest
Or
2. My mental problem where if I don’t finish something then technically there will always be “more to read”.
After starting the chapter, I can say for certain it was the second option. I loved seeing the Hives workings again including imagining the little grubs movin all around! But with the end of this chapter I’m a little sad that there won’t be any more for a while. 😢
Oh, I’ll be waiting for as long as it takes!!!!!
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Thank you very much for the comment. I've had certain stories and shows be my little getaway islands and I'm glad mine can be that for you. I hope life begins to turn for the better for you soon.
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I can understand that completely. There are stories I've put into my waiting list for more updates before I really get into them. Some of them are like mine, where they update sporadically, others I'm simply waiting until they finish. Certainly no blame can be put on anyone who decides to do something similar with my story!
Though, I definitely appreciate those like you who continue to read chapter by chapter. Comments are author food after all!
"fence at Ootheca, but now found another source of entertainment."
"fence at Ootheca, but now they'd found another source of entertainment."?
"She refused to acknowledge her misspoken word and"
"She refused to acknowledge her misspoken words and"?
"and Spindle’s brows raised of their"
"and Spindle’s brows rose of their"?
"her voice gravely and hoarse"
"her voice gravelly and hoarse"?
Took me a bit to get to the chapter, but I enjoyed it; thanks for writing!
Oh, sorry about your difficulties; good luck.
Less than three you too. :)
SPINNY CHAPTER SPINNY CHAPTER! THE BEST CHARACTER IS BACK! i mean i called it and she was the most likely to get a next chapter because of the rythm of these but SHE'S MY FAVE OF ALL TIME SHE'S JUST LIKE ME FRFR.
... ahem.
it took me some time to comment, i had actually already read this chapter a few days ago and didn't answer right away because i only had my phone and i need time and a keyboard to properly express how excited I felt seeing you had updated, and how excited I felt reading the chapter. Not a lot of fics here have me giddy as I read them, having to lock my screen and jump around to release energy before resuming.
I had already guessed what was likely to happen (and mentioned it earlier), but guessing it and reading it are two different things. Life in the hive isn't doing Spindle any favors, and I really liked all that you put in it. The run, the conversations, the akdjdksj memory kinda fails me bc it's been a few days but the scenes were lively in my head and they still are! I think I agree with the general opinion here that whatsitsname is setting Spindle up. I doubt Firefly remained silent, especially at first, about her husband. Either it's coming from Chrysalis, and she wants the info to be corroborated (or I'm wrong and Firefly did remain silent), or and I think it's more likely, whatsitsname has their own agenda and wanted Spindle and Firefly to meet.
I might even go out on a limb here and suggest that they're hoping Spindle breaks Firefly out and that they and Roast make their way out to Equestria, to then follow and observe them there. Especially to explain how Roast is so fine with his wife being a changeling. Spindle seems surprised to hear that he got podded despite being fine with his wife, which- I don't think it is that surprising, as with such an element you run the risk that they'd call the guard on either their bug partner or their bug's fellow collectors, but it's interesting that she doesn't jump at that conclusion either, no? That her first reflex is "why would you get rid of the Free Bonus Love"?
And I'm still convinced that the thing with the Ponyville collector having sent a few crystals before stopping that was mentionned in chapter 9 is going to come up again. I mean- my guess is that you as the author needed an excuse for the cast to go in ponyville and meet Relevant Ponyville Personalities (i am of course talking about Roseluck and Donkey Doodle- who else!), but the implication seems to me to be that Chrysalis is not being given all the information she could have- and while I previously thought the Ponyville collector was working alone and watering down her crystals before sending them.... maybe she has a handful of pals inside the hive. Is it even possible to water down your crystals, if the taste is so different? I assumed you could just re-absorb the love, then re-make another crystal with it, but... maybe you can't, and the dense crystals of that collectors would get swapped with some of the bland crystals coming from Hoofington, which means she has to have help inside, and the help is the guy that had Spindle sent in Firefly's jail whose name I can't remember because I'm big dum but clearly the puzzle pieces are fitting in! (they're not, I'm going on a massive limb, but I'm having fun and that's what counts
)
also i was so fucking right about changelings and pheromones and they cant actually tell each other apart without them. i want a medal please can i get a medal that says "good at reading horse words"
anyways thank you so much for the update! reading you is always good and excellent. idk if you were at that pony convention from a few weeks ago but if you were i hope you had fun, if you weren't thats okay, i hope work isnt kicking your ass too much and that your depression will be kinder to you and that you get the drive and time to do everything you want in your life ever. maybe if we get another lockdown your muse will come back :D
oh and also
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200k words left so far
This is a really cool story!
Excited to see where it goes.
I had some ideas, but I think I may have misread some stuff...
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Well, this is embarassing! I stopped by the chapter's comments and saw this and I was like, "Oh shit! I completely forgot to respond to faer!"
Spinny? That's a nickname I haven't heard. It's cute! I like it. I'm glad you like her so much, 'cause while I'll (almost) never say any of my babies are my favorite, Spindle is... well, she's Spindle. And I love her.
When I first wrote Unchanging Love, I never envisioned my writing could elicit a response such as this. Thank you for sharing. It makes me blush a little.
That's okay! Most of this chapter was conversation anyway, so you nailed pretty much all of it. I'm a little curious, who do you mean by whatsitsname? I'm guessing I know who you mean, but I've also kinda already spoiled the entire story for myself and thus have an exceptional number of biases for and against many things.
See, the funny thing is, I'm not known to use Chekhov's Gun. Sometimes things are there because they add to the world. Sometimes they're there because it's going to have to be addressed later. You never know!
Hay! Spoilers!
As far as I'm aware, that's a question that's never been asked by a reader before. It does make one wonder, doesn't it? Hmmm...
Hehe, I present to you, Twilight's Medal of Book Princessness,reserved for those who are good at reading horse words.
Ehhh... it could be 200K. It could be 300K. Who knows! All I know is there's approximately 25-30~ chapters to go. Who knows how many words that'll be!
Thank you for the long comment! It's always nice to read them. They are author food, after all. And while depression is indeed kicking my ass, I hope that you know not the woes of it and I hope you're doing well as well!
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Thank you much! I think it's a cool story too.
I'm always interested to hear what my readers think. If you wanted to share those currently-to-me nebulous ideas, I wouldn't exactly be complaining...
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Reading through it again now, it looks like I missed a big detail.
Was pretty late last night when I read it, was very tired, ended up missing a lot of details.
Gonna need to re-read more and see...
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no prob! thank you so much for the answer even after all this time ^^'
I'm glad you appreciate the comments!
i've been using it for a while i think? maybe in this comment section or maybe jsut in my head. and yeah she's so neat! i hope the future has only good things for her! (it won't, but hopefully she'll be fine in the end)
I meant General Elytra. Either she's asking on behalf of Chyrsalis or she's trying stuff out on her own. A few lines from Chrysalis in chapter 13 let me think she doesn't know everything that goes in the Hive, but whether it's directly from Chrysalis or if it's Elytra alone, they're setting Spindle up to see what she will do.
This is due to many reasons: Elytra being present with Cercus in the briefing room, of course, but also her telling Spindle the assignment would be for this day only, and being a little too insistent in the way they describe what should normally be a normal caretaker task.
I dont think they're testing her; I think hey're doing it specifically to get a reaction out of Spindle. Whether it's defend Firefly's character, relay messages between her and Roast somehow (I remember caretakers also being on pod duty?) or straight up help the two escape (and then track them to Equestria), I think they're hoping for a reaction.
One reason I don't think it's necessarily Chrysalis setting Spindle up (despite her arguably being the best placed to do so) is that her 'surprise' (if I read her right?) at learning that the lesson on not getting attached to your pony source makes me think she might actually have been the one behind the lesson's existence in the first place. I think she's already had experience with a source that became aware of their collector in the past, and she's decided she didn't want to repeat the experience. Or maybe she's just not willing to take that risk when the Hive's already in bad shape.
Roast's outburst was noticed in the Hive, so it would make sense that other lings would know about it- but perhaps Elytra was with Chrysalis when the confrontation took place, too- I think some guards were called? So there's a lot of ways she could know. And since she's younger than Chrysalis so she doesn't have that experience, or took a shine to Spindle after seeing her work under her, or- because she heard Roast's claim about dense crystals being due to the love he had for Firefly and deciding that, considering the state the Hive is in, might as well try something out and see where that goes.
I don't think Patella is in on it tho, I feel like he was more there to give Spindle a coworker. Could be wrong, tho!
Certainly, but this tidbit... feels too important- maybe it's my reasoning? The crystals are the core of any argument I see being made to convince Chrysalis and the Hive to change their ways (or at least allow Roast and Firefly to live happily together), so everything in relation to them becomes significantly more important.
I'm mentioning the crystal waterdown because, well, if there were a few shipments of dense love from Ponyville that swiftly stopped, then either the pony that knew got caught and podded, or that particular collector is using something to make their crystals taste Normal and unremarkable. I want the second to be true because well obvs i'm hoping whoever that is is living happily but also it would come up later in the story, but if that horse got podded, well, it is what it is.
I imagine the way it would work would be simply by mixing the crystal with another, less dense one, but i imagine you could also feed yourself your own crystal and crystallize that love, or feed a changeling your crystal then feed on them. Would require an accomplice, I suppose? Maybe love is permanently marked by the pony that produced it, though. There isn't enough to make a decent guess
plus, i think i know which two you could have picked because- well, considering your user number you've been here basically since the site started existing, and there was a popular pairing that sometimes had one of the two be a changeling back in 2014 or so. and they live in ponyville. so it's like. hmmm
weeeeee! i've never had a medal! and from the princess no less! i'll frame it and put it above my beframe
oh well, uh. uh. uhhhhh. well, would you look at the time! i have to go get groceries before the shops close, so i guess i better finish this comment and get going!
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There's so much I want to say. ...But I won't. Because Azure is a good author and she will continue to provide with cliffhangers and lore and tidbits of story in which readers may then attempt to predict more story with.
I'll also let you in on a secret... I'm participating in NaNoWriMo. And I'm 8K words deep. The art for 15 has been commissioned. 16 is in progress. But 15 and 16 go together, so when 16's art is commissioned and done, both go up within a short while of each other.
But you didn't hear that from me and I'll deny it if you try!