Chapter 47
Amie wasn't sure exactly how long she spent studying underground in Sonoma, surrounded by the gently pulsating eggs of the next generation of orange bugs. Dozens of changelings came and went in the background, tending to the eggs in ways that probably made sense to them, but that Amie did not understand.
At no point did she ever feel safe in the presence of Kaya. This was an incredibly powerful, dangerous being, one that could kill her without much effort if she wanted. She might survive because the queen’s better nature overcame a chance to kill a rival. Or maybe she would spare her because of the chance to secure an oath against competition. Either way, the queen never tried to kill her.
She led her through the hive, discussing all kinds of strange things. What humidity was right for raising young, how she should structure the command of her swarm to ensure that every bug had enough to eat—and what kinds of dangers the other tribes presented.
"There are five of us now. Orange, the swarm of Pride. Then Blue. Until their recent defeat, they were largest and most powerful by far. Now the Erovores are scattered, their queen is in hiding, and most of their changelings are presumed dead. I will not mourn their loss. If their queen or any of her servants ever come to you, answer with a knife. It is the only purpose of her visit."
Amie nodded weakly. "I'm glad you warned me. If they found me first—I would've trusted any changeling I met. We're on the same side, aren't we? Ponies are trying to exterminate all of us equally. It makes more sense to cooperate."
Kaya whistled quietly, touching one wing against her shoulder. "So much you sound like Taini. If you are ever recognized by our tribe, perhaps we will name you by her. I shall wait, and see if your deeds are worthy of my daughter's dead name."
Amie looked away. "I know I already said so, but—"
The queen cut her off. "There are two others. I cannot say for certain how they will respond when they discover you. Violet are the next oldest. They live across the sea, ruling over a kingdom of their own. They feast on joy, and all its lesser derivatives. They are not likely to see you as a threat, given your size. But if you expand your hunting grounds beyond Equestria, watch for them. They are not fond of sharing."
"Lastly are the red tribe. To avoid their ire, you must never feed upon the dying. In hospice and hospital you will find their hidden disciples, cultivating their dark hungers. With time, they will send diplomats to meet with you. These you can trust to keep their word. They will demand much, but offer much in return. Never dishonor them, or break your word once given. But that is true for all our kind."
There was so much to learn, and so little time to learn it. Every minute she spent was another that her brother spent alone. She thought she could trust Kaya and her tribe, but that trust was still untested. They might turn against her at any time, and she'd be no better off than when Mr. Albrecht wanted to dissect her brother.
Actually it would be worse, since the orange bugs had only allowed this visit to see Wes for themselves. If something happened to him, it would be as though Amie had sold her family for power. She'd never be able to sleep again.
Kaya stopped in her tracks, silencing an explanation on cultivating useful underground fungi. "You worry for your swarm. I should not be keeping you so long. When you secure their survival, you may send a bug to my court, and use her eyes to study with me. I will give you every duty in the hive, and teach you what your kind must know to survive."
Amie nodded eagerly. Those terms were scary in themselves, since they meant sending someone to risk their life here as she had done—but there would also be far less to gain by killing a random bug. Amie was only in danger because she was a queen. She just needed someone competent enough to make the trip over, but who wouldn't mind Amie borrowing their body for a bit.
"I thought I could do that," she said. "But I'm not very good at it yet. It doesn't seem like most bugs would like it very much."
The queen rolled her eyes, then waved Amie into a nearby tunnel. They had to climb up a way to reach it, covered in more of that amber slime. Amie didn't think, she just followed, walking straight up, then straight back down again just as quickly.
"Like is not a meaningful term. All members of the Hive know we serve a common purpose. They will not refuse you—they have instincts. Their instincts command that obedience to the queen is survival, and defiance is starvation."
This new antechamber was unlike the nest with its gigantic throne. There were no eggs, and instead of darkness a lantern burned near the room's center. Two chairs sat on either side of the flame. A small group of bugs waited there. Some were old, some young, some male and some female, but all had the same large tattoo around their right eye, etched with gold ink.
Another tunnel opened off this chamber, which seemed to connect to living quarters, but Amie didn't get to see inside.
"This will be your last lesson, nymph. Learn it well, or find your long life cut short. Perhaps by a rival, perhaps by a wolf, or perhaps an Equestrian crossbow. Your swarm will not thank you for self-sacrifice when they die out without new bugs. Consider that their only hope of propagation are the eggs growing within you. If you die, so do all of them."
Amie froze, the weight of those words finally settling onto her shoulders. For days now she had felt something was wrong--and she wasn’t the only one to notice. But of all the bugs to just go out and say it, there was one more likely to be correct than any passing observer. This was a queen, someone who had experienced the exact same thing. Maybe she had eggs now! If not, she had recently. The evidence was all around them.
“I… can’t. I don’t.” She said it, even though she didn’t believe it. “I’m not ready for one kid. I’m not having… lots.”
The orange queen smiled weakly at her, sympathetic. “And yet--fate does not ask. You already made the choice--they did not fertilize themselves. So in living with its consequences, you will perpetuate the tribe. It is not to be feared, but a sacred responsibility.”
"What should I do?"
"What I do," Kaya answered. She sat in one of the chairs, reclining there. "In my tribe, I select bugs from birth who serve as my eyes and hooves. This role does mean an increased risk, as I sometimes go into danger—but it also means a life of privilege. When I do not need them, the females may remain in the nest if they wish—and most do. Tending to the young is immensely satisfying. The males—I allow them to contribute in other ways, if it pleases me."
The queen glanced to one side, and Amie's face lit up with a bright green blush. She needed very little imagination to guess at what the queen meant by that. She could read her emotions perfectly, after all.
She read confusion and a little amusement at Amie's shyness. "What a strange culture you must come from. When your swarm is at peace, we will discuss it at length. We must know what became of our cousins that were not taken by the gods."
Amie circled around to the lantern's other side, and copied her, settling into the other chair. It was as comfortable as it looked. Besides, it meant she was further away, so some of her embarrassment wouldn't be as visible. "Sure. I may not be an expert, but I can tell you what I know. And get others to contribute..." She trailed off. "Why the fire?"
"The flame is our cousin too, nymph. It is the echo of every bug. The flame shines bright and powerful, so long as there is fuel to sustain it. When that fades, it will quickly sputter away and go out. It cannot make its own glamour, as we cannot. And like fire, a changeling is an exceptionally dangerous creature when not in control of itself. Many believe that no creature in all the world had mastered the flame, until we brought it with us from the homeworld."
She flicked one wing towards the lantern. "You are united at every moment with your swarm, nymph. With great discipline, you may see through many eyes at once, guiding them in subtle ways. But this lesson is beyond what you can learn in my presence—instead, I will teach you to devote your focus to a single being. You said you're familiar with it?"
She nodded. "Not very—it happened by accident. But I used it to teach some of my, uh—loyal bugs. I had figured out how to change when none of them did. But they couldn't hide from ponies very well if they looked like changelings."
Kaya nodded approvingly. "Then you already see how useful the talent can be. If your accounts are true, I find myself in disagreement with the Elders. They believe your brother was the most interesting aspect of your arrival on Equus. But I do not put much stock in their hope. It is vain to believe that any bug can ever escape slavery to our nature. Yet we can learn to live comfortably within its bounds, we can turn it to our advantage. And we can make useful friends of other tribes, to fill gaps in our own competency."
I think that was a compliment. "I'm still gonna try to open a portal back the way we came," Amie said. "But I—I'm not very confident it will work, either. I can't gamble my kids' lives on that when the winter is coming and we've already hunted all the game on our mountain."
Kaya shook her head vigorously. "Hunted game. Truly awful... no bug should be reduced to that. I will send more relief with your return trip. Not as much as I would like—hunting has been far more difficult since the Erovores revealed our existence to Equestria. But I will send more. When your own hunters roam far and wide, you can repay. Until then..."
She shook her head once. "But your concern is good. To reach one of your bugs, you must first find a suitable thread to bind you together. Make yourself comfortable, then focus on the flame. Stare until your vision blurs at the edges, and you see only the light."
Amie hesitated before obeying her, feeling at the other queen's emotions. Even if she was doing exactly what she said, this could easily be a way to make her helpless. Last time Amie did this, she had barely even felt her own body while in control of another. If Kaya wanted to kill her without a fight, this was the way.
But she felt no hostility, only a growing sense of maternal affection. She saw something familiar in Amie, and wanted to protect it. I'll never see my mom again.
She sniffed, fought back her tears, and focused on the flame. "Okay, Kaya. I'm focusing."
There was silence for a time. Amie felt her own breath, her chest gently rising and falling. The fire seemed to respond, pulling towards her when she inhaled, then out again even inside the glass.
Then she heard the queen again, whispering gently into her ear. "Picture a member of your swarm. You're afraid for them, worried for their future. You know they do not have enough to eat. Even with the help we sent, there is not enough glamour to feed a thousand mouths. Feel their hunger. The contract sworn between queen and changeling is signed in glamour offered and accepted. By choosing one, you give them some of your strength."
The last time Amie had done this, she was only feet away. How could it possibly let her reach all the way back to camp? The trip took several days by train...
She was there, back in the pioneering lodge. After she fled the camp, her kids had faced very poor treatment from the other campers. They had all started living in the lodge, boys and girls alike, where they could look out for each other. They tried to hunt together, but it was never enough. Even when they found anything, camp would often discover they had it, and take it away.
"You are with them," whispered a voice. The queen was even more distant now, disembodied. Or maybe that was Amie, and the other queen was real. "Choose only one. Your mind is too fragile to reach further, nymph. Open their eyes."
Tucked into the corner were the bugs that weren't making it. They were the youngest and smallest, least able to survive poor conditions. A little row of cots was tucked up against the wall, where four little bugs spent every moment. They barely moved, barely breathed, and had nothing but a little trickle of water given to them by funnel each day.
She could not feel their thoughts anymore, just a desperate hunger. If they were stronger it might've crushed Amie's will beneath it—but they were dying, and so Amie could resist easily.
She picked the smallest and weakest of them all, with breaths so faint that she could barely feel them. The others might last a little longer, but this bug would not survive the night.
I'm sorry I couldn't help you, Amie thought. There was no reply. Maybe there wasn't even a mind left in the body anymore.
"Good. Now open your eyes. The longer you remain connected, the more glamour you will give."
Wes was on his own—but Amie couldn't go to him just yet. If she did, one of her campers would die.
She closed her eyes, and the flame faded. Then she opened them again, and she was somewhere else.
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11465425
yeah sorry I was late, celebrating with family X.x
Updated now though!
All this astral projection is a bit confusing. So Amie saw through the eyes of a bug back at camp? And the bug she inhabited was dying, but just by inhabiting it, she's feeding it, which may or may not save it?
Also, I just remembered that there was a mysterious barrier erected around camp some chapters back and we still don't know what's up with it.
The good chapter makes up for the late update.
Amie is already seeking to help out her own changelings. She needs to retake the camp if she wishes to save as many as possible.
oh boy here we go the the queen is calling home :D
You know, I'm starting to get the feeling that the changelings of this world, don't know that their ancestors weren't human. A theory I think is supported by a few strange comments from characters such as Pachu'a and Queen Kaya. And unless I forgot something that explicitly stated otherwise, I think it could turn out like that.
I can just imagine the look on Albrecht's face when he sees this...
Connecting with a bug is an interesting ability. Whoever he or she is, this bug will be Amie's voice. Perhaps even a proxy to watch and deal with the Equestrians should peace be possible.
Each tribe with their associated emotions makes it feel like they have a connection with Harmony itself. Almost like they're a supplement to the Elements. Though no doubt their emotivore nature will have them labelled as locusts or destroyers. We'll have to see whether transits are unfortunate accidents or engineered by greater powers.
Violet won't be much trouble for now, but I can see many ways Amie will quickly initiate contact with Red, intentionally or not. Considering the emotions you associate with these situations, it may be hard working with them.
She'll certainly be shocked by how much her cousins resemble her "prey".
No telling how the campers will react to the "possession". But it's truly time for the camp to get things moving.
this is such a amazing chapter and at the same time a bit sad.
Great to see sub species of them. How common is that here?
Wes is now sole "queen" of his special yellow hive.
Happy new year!
Great chapter, I like the lore you've come up with for the changelings for your story and how it will affect Amie's new role as a changeling queen.
No worries about being late with the update, it's understand because of the holidays. lol
BTW Happy New Year 2023!
Good progress! Amie is certainly lucky to have run into this queen first.
Part of me wonders if this connection is a double edged sword. Maybe this is what makes changeling queens go feral like Luna suggested? Being exposed to the constant hunger of their drones? The more she uses it, the more it becomes hard to turn off? C'mon Amie, you can fight it...
And now she returns to the camp. This is gonna be seen as a bit of a miracle by the survivors, no doubt...
There's going to be an... interesting, conversation when she meets Tailslide again. I wonder how he's going to take it.
Happy new year, and thanks for the chapter!
Hmm.... So she can give glamour/changeling honey through being linked to them? Good for long distance sustaining. She can feed them without being there, to a degree, at least. Sucks that some of her kids have gone braindead though.
If Amie is pregnant now though, I wonder how long changeling eggs incubate before being laid, and how long the external incubation is.
Wireless power, let's go! Here's to hoping they can take advantage of this feature, it could be massively useful to feed the Swarm while encompassed in love.
Curious that the priority has turned from Wes. They knew she was a queen once and arrived but things have changed. Or was that the change itself? They had presumed there would be a queen so surely that can't be it...
Kaya thinks they're giving them a loan of sorts, won't she be surprised.
I love the primal connection to fire you gave them beyond just their transforming and a brilliant connection to humanity first flame
It's good that Amie will be able to help her kids this way. Kaya is getting a bit ahead of things when she talks about the instincts changleings have to serve a queen. Just 2 campers other than Wes have seen Amie since her transformation started she'll have to meet the others before such an instinct can show itself. Also it seems that Amie's time with Tailslide has already had consequences if Kaya's suggestion of fertilized eggs is anything to go by.
One has to wonder if her eggs will have pure changelings or if it would be a mixed race. With the strange nature of their genetics, one has to wonder.
she is goign to have words with her former boss on their treatment
"Good. Now open your eyes. The longer you remain connected, the more glamour you will give."
Now this is a game changer, she can feed remotely?
Woah, very impactful ending there!
Damn, not even 2 days and already at the end! I want more! More! MOAR!
Please sir/ma'am may I have some more?
Awesome chapter! Hope you had a good Christmas and New year's
Ah, remote charging. It'd be great if Amie could contact Mr. Albrecht directly, but I'm not sure if the bonds of sympathy stretch that far. Still, very encouraging to see this sort of thing... which makes me a little nervous about what might go wrong soon. Possibly with Wes and the elders.