Rarity finds out that she is not who she thought she was at all...
Rarity finds out that she is in fact a Changeling,and more then that, a member of a Changeling Royal Family,who was sent away for her own safety and so that she should not get spoilt.
Rarity sighed. She did so enjoy the weaving and making of her beautiful, bejeweled dresses, and the fact that the great and the good would make the train journey all the way from Canterlot to Ponyville and then pay the high prices to buy a genuine Rarity Orginal. Even Princess Celestia herself who normally wore only her sacred royal regalia had made a point of publicly dropping in from her sky chariot to buy a couple of Rarity Orginals, something that made sales go up a great deal as all the noble mares then wanted to buy a dress. All the same, it was such...hard...work. So hard that a piece of her fur had dropped off just an hour ago, revealing blackness underneath, something that Rarity felt embarassed about and covered up with her tail whenever anypony came into her shop to order a new dress. It was then that the royal sky-chariot, pulled as normal by two armoured royal guards, came and landed in front of the Carousel Boutique. Rarity came out and one of them said to her "Princess Celestia herself ordered us to go and fetch you and bring you to Canterlot, as there is an urgent need for her to speak to you."
"To me? Oh, I'm honoured."
I wonder why she wants to speak to me, and only me? Perhaps she has several sky chariots and has sent one to each of my close friends? Or perhaps she has some secret that only I am supposed to know? But then, what could that possibly be?
She stepped aboard the royal chariot that flew high into the sky and turned in a slow loop, and with some difficulty she slipped her seatbelt on.
She thought Oh, I hate flying. A fall from this height would surely kill me unless I was lucky enough to land in a lake. Still, those pilots know their dutiesand are trained for this sort of thing, and even if by some chance one of them had a heart attack in mid air, the other could still land this chariot safely.
The pegusai started flying due east and speeded up their flying.
Now I happen to be a pony with a good sense of direction, and Canterlot is to the north of Ponyville, which means that we are flying the wrong way.
"I'm sorry to be a back seat flyer, but we appear to be flying the wrong way, towards the Badlands, where Changeling Hives are known to be located. I'd really rather we didn't end up there, it's dangerous."
There was no reply from either of the pilots, who just speeded up their flying.
"Now you're creeping me out. I demand that you either change course back towards Canterlot or land this chariot so that I can make my own way there by train. Princess Celestia will be angry if I am late because you delayed my arrival."
Rarity stamped her hoof in anger and with bursts of green flame, the two pegsuai transformed into insectoid changelings. White wings became green ones and white pony skin was revealed as white chitin. Rarity let out a little shocked scream.
I've been kiddnapped! I can't jump out at this height or I'll die when I hit the ground, and I can't lash out at my kiddnappers or I'll crash the chariot with the same result. What are they going to do to me, use me as a hostage? Wrap me up in a cocoon so they can drain me of my love? Send an imposter to take my place?
Ahead of her loomed a mountain and as the chariot headed for the ground, she saw a great crowd of Changelings. An entire Hive-full of Changelings, too many to fight, waiting for her arrival. As the chariot landed the Changlings formed two long lines with an aged Queen Changeling at the end of them who came walking up to Rarity.
This Changeling was old. Her hole-filled limbs shook with the effort of keeping her up. her mane and wings were grey with age, and her once gleaming white carapace had turned a dull gray and lost it's glossyness. Clearly, Changeling Queens might live for a long time, but they were not immortal like alicorns were.
Unless this is some kind of trick, but why would a Changeling Queen take the shape of somepony as old as Granny Smith?
The Changeling spoke in a surprisingly strong voice for such an old being. "I am Queen Primary of the Silverrock Hive. Welcome, Princess Rarity, daughter of mine and soon to be Queen in my place." And she spoke a few words of Changeling magic.
Rarity felt a little strange, then looked down at her hooves and screamed. Her beautiful white body was now one of white chitin, with insect wings and a long bent horn like a Changeling. "What have you done to me?!" Rarity screamed.
I can't have this, I want to be me again... With a flash of green fire, Rarity turned back into her true self and thought to herself "Was that my magic or am I a Changeling now?"
She looked at one of her legs and imagined it taking the shape of Rainbow Dash's blue legs, and in a flash of blue that is what it did. Another thought, and she went back into Changeling mode. " Your Majesty," she asked, deciding that being rude to a Changeling Queen whilst she was totally surrounded by the Queen's subjects would not be the best course of action "why have you magically turned me into a Changeling?"
"Oh, you were allways one. Thirty years ago you were born in my royal egg chamber and I loved you from the start. But when you were just a small larva my Hive came under attack. Changeling Hives are sadly sometimes at war with each other to gain territory and, by fair means or foul, the love of the non-changelings within that territory. Whilst we can eat pony food and meat too, we need love to stay healthy. Also, even in a famine and a drought,as long as we have a good source of love we can survive on that alone, unlike any other creature in Equestria. That's why we can survive so well in the Badlands. Anyway, the biggest warlord amongst us was Queen Chrysalis."
"Oh, I know her allright, all too well" Rarity said.
"She and her Hive started attacking the other Hives and killing their Queens. To avoid wars being even more drawn out then they could be, the law of Changeling war is that when one Queen is killed, the other is automatically the victor. They came for our Hive and did quite a bit of damage, to the point where I had a couple of trusted Changelings take you away for safety and I magicked you into unicorn shape. Once the danger was over, I decided to leave you where you were, both to protect you from danger, and so you would not grow up spoiled beyond belief like so many young royal children do. By the time they come to the throne they think only of themselves and their power. I wanted you to develop your own talents and do a well-paid but honest job and you have not dissapointed me. I have called you back because...I'm dying. Changeling Queens, if it does not happen by violence or accident, know when they are going to die,and I've lived for over two centuries. Now, even well nourished by love, this old body is giving up."
"Have I been somehow drugged or something?" Rarity asked. "You had me kiddnapped and have then told me that my entire life so far has been a fake and my parents...my parents are undercover changeling agents, and I should be screaming in panic. Yet I feel strangely calm. Why?"
Queen Primary replied "Part of that is your Changeling hormones kicking in. Changelings feel calm when with members of their own hive. It's not magical or drug-related, it's a biological part of our own bodies that makes us less likely to argue and fight against each other within the Hive. Contrary to common Pony and Griffin belief about us, Changelings are not mere puppets in the hooves of their Queen. We are as individual as you ponies are. Nor do we survive solely upon love, unless we have no access whatsoever to other food sources because of war or disaster. And I think part of it is because a part of you has allways wanted to be royal or at least part of the nobility. You are more then nobility, you are Changeling royalty. And when I pass away you will be the new ruler of this Hive. Now, let me show you around it."
Rarity nodded and followed the Queen into the Hive, which was lit by glowing green stuff plastered on the walls that Rarity decided not to ask about, suspecting that it was something disgusting. "This was orginally a cave system, until we moved in and took it over, and expanded it with a lot of hard work. All Hives tend to be at least slightly different. Some from the outside look like towering mounds and make no attempt to hide themselves, they are deep in the Badlands where few or no ponies or griffins ever go. Others get set up in forests and wood plays a large part in their construction. Still others are so well hidden that they are almost impossible to find. Even when at war, no Changeling will inform on the location of a hidden Hive to those not of the Changeling race." Rarity marveled at the individal homes for each Changeling carved out of the rock, each one surprisingly large. Then they reached the centre of the Hive.
There was a deep well that glowed with a soft warm pink glow, so unlike the light of the rest of the Hive. It was guarded by two Changelings who held large haliberds with the magic from their horns. "That well is the most important part of the Hive; the Hive's love store. Our agents go out and gather love. peacefully if possible, they ten consome some of it and bring the rest back here and channel it through glands in their hooves, and we Hive Dwellers survive on it, along with fungus that we grow in the Hive, and on special occasions, meat as well. Without love, the Changeling eggs will not hatch; without love, the young Changelings will not grow healthy with strong carapaces. Until they are old enough to eat solid food, they depend on love alone. At the age of three we start teaching them basic skills...how to change shape and hold that shape, and how to gather love and what is expected of them.Without the guards, the love would be all be used up within weeks by greedy Changelings and the young ones would starve. Let me show you the egg chamber."
Rarity entered a room with about thirty or so head sized green eggs on the floor, but what she saw next horrified her. A pony and a griffin, both of them hanging in lightly glowing cocoons. "That's horrible! Please, cut them down and let them go now!"
"If we do that, the eggs will not hatch. And it's not as nasty for those two as it seems. The cocoon protects them from bedsores, numbness and the other problems of immobility. Other then cramp, but that would wear off within a short time. As for suffering in the mind, they're not suffering at all. Instead, they think they are with their familes and have the jobs of their dreams. When we found them, the pony was homeless and living in misery, and the griffin had been mauled by a manticore deep within the Everfree Forest and it's wings had been torn off. The griffin was near death from blood loss. If we set them free, the griffin will most likely die within the hour,and the pony will be even more unhappy then before.Under normal circumstances we only kidnap other races to protect ourselves or to enable the eggs to hatch and feed the larvae. Many Queens will also have one or two coccooned ponies to feed on in their throne room, but it depends on the individual Queen."
"Oh, well in that case I'll leave them there for now," Rarity said. "But when the eggs are hatched I want the pony to be set free, unless he prefers being cocooned once he has had time to stretch his cramped muscles properly and get rid of the cramp. I hate it when ponies get kiddnapped."
"And now...the Royal Throne Room." She was shown into a well lit room with a beautiful throne of carved ebony. "This is where you will do our governing from when I have...passed away."
"I...I can't rule a Changling Hive. I have Carousel Boutique to run and my Rarity Orginals to make. And I am one of Princess Celestia's Mane Six and a holder of the Element of Generosity. Princess Celestia would never under stand and neither would my friends; they just won't understand, they'll think I've been kiddnapped or worse,and might even send the guards after me thinking I kiddnapped the real me." Rarity told her.
"You have to and I'll tell you why. My only other child, a son, is such a drone, and far too lazy and spolit to rule. And when the hereditary principal breaks down in our society, then it tends to be an ambitious general who takes the throne. Queen Chrysalis was once one of these generals. It is taboo to attempt a coup whilst a good Queen, a capable Queen, lives, but when she dies and there is no heir or no suitable heir, a general takes over, and such generals are likely to do bad things like large scale kiddnappings or even full scale invasions of other countries to secure the love that they need. As one of the Element Bearers and a Changeling Queen at the same time, you have a good chance of making peace between this Hive at least and Princess Celestia. She knows you so well and trusts you after all."
"All right, I will see what can be done." Rarity said with a sigh. "And I will accept the throne of this Hive, for the sake of all of Equestria."
Queen Primary said "I'm going to send a message through the Hive Mind, but first I want to tell you what the hive mind is and is not. What it is-it's a way for the Queen to communicate with her hive through sending a message into their minds. Sadly it only works with the entire hive rather then each individual Changeling, so you should only use it for something very important. What it is not...it's not a mind reading device, the thoughts only go one way, from you to them. It's not a control device either...Changelings are not like ants, mindlessly obedient to their Queen. They will normally do what you want within reason, they adore you in the same way almost all ponies adore and worship Princess Celestia. But in extremis they have rebelled against tyrannical or totally unsuccessful Queens, not that I think that would be a problem with you.You need to be formally crowned before it is too late and I...pass away. I think they will accept you once I throw in my support behind you.And then you must find a way to make peace with Princess Celestia and her ponies. Changelings rarely make war,as it destroys the sources of love which we depend on so much."
Queen Primary's horn softly glowed with a green light and Rarity heard the same message in her mind as every member of the Hive, wherever they were in the world. "Attention, everyling, wherever you may be...I, your Queen, have only days or at most weeks to live before old age claims me, so tomorrow I will have my daughter Princess Rarity crowned as Queen. If you can fly back to the Hive in time and without blowing your cover if undercover, then I want you to be here for the coronation, if not, then stay where you are and don't disrupt your life for my sake. "
The Queen sighed and turned her attention to her daughter. "I'm sorry for what I did, sending you away like that, but it was for the sake of the whole Hive."
"What's it like, ruling a Hive?" asked Rarity.
"No doubt you have seen the Day Court of Princess Celestia and the Night Court of Princess Luna. It's very much like that. Changelings will come with petitions, suggest new laws, flatter you, perhaps suggest love raids. My advice is; have as few laws as possible, but strongly enforce the few you do have, take the views of your Hive members into account, beware flattery and weasel words, and only launch a love raid if a dire disaster has happened like a Hive-destroying earthquake. Protect the central Love Store with honest guards, or the more greedy Changelings will devourer the love within far faster then it can be replaced and you'll have nothing to feed the grubs with. That's why Chrysalis did what she did and attacked Canterlot of all places. And look at what happened to her and her whole Hive because of it. Lastly, if you should fall in love yourself, remember that you now have a life span of several centuries. Any lover will slowly grow old, wither and die, whilst you are still young and fit and strong."
"I will remember what you have told me, and do my best to rule this Hive well and make peace with Equestria. Maybe I can persuade ponies to trust Changelings again although it will be very hard," Rarity replied.
That day and night the air was filled with the buzz of Changeling wings as those nearby reported in if they could, as everyling wanted to be there for such a rare and important event as the coronation of a new Queen. Rarity could sense the feelings of awe and respect that they had for both her and Queen Primary. They formed two lines held back by the Changeling equivalent of Royal Guards, and Rarity walked up to where her mother stood in the royal throne room. It was a room studded with every kind of jewel and whole panels of elegant and finely carved amber depicting former queens and the most important events in the history of the Hive.
Two Changelings placed a ceremonial royal robe of red silk lined with ermine fur and held in place with a clasp of gold around Rarity's body and then Queen Primary asked her "Do you swear to put the needs of the Hive and the needs of Changeling-kind above your own needs, and never to betray a fellow Changeling?"
"I do."
The Queen kissed the top of Rarity's head and said "I now crown you Queen Rarity, Ruler of the Opaque Hive. Rule wisely and well, my daughter, and stay away from war." A black crown of flexible chitin grew painlessly from Rarity's head, marking her out as a Changeling Queen, and the assembled Changelings cheered and clapped their new ruler. "Now let us feast," said Queen Primary, "as is the custom at the crowning of a new Queen."
That evening bowl after bowl of glowing love was consumed. Queen Primary showed Rarity how to use her horn as a spoon to pick up balls of the love that were small enough to drink down politely. "It's delicious," Rarity told her "like the finest chocolate."
"The taste varies so that for each individual Changeling it tastes like their favorite food," Queen Primary replied. "And tonight they can feast instead of being on the normal short rations, and they love that. But you can't let them have such feasts more then twice a year or they'll use up the stores. Tomorrow you should go to Queen Celestia on a peace mission." Seeing a passing random Changeling she said to him "Bring me my royal jester, Laugh Alot. I'm in a merry mood." Soon enough he arrived and he clearly knew what Queen Primary found to be funny, singing a song about the hilarious overreaction of the Canterlot Royal Guard to a case of littering and then changing into and impersonating various ponies. I don't find that very funny, I know these ponies Rarity thought. Queen Primary was laughing so much she had tears in her eyes, so Rarity decided to let the jester continue.
In rl, my mother is lying on a ventilator in hospital and she's hardly able to breath even with an oxygen tube, too weak even to open her eyes. So if I'm slow to continue this fic that is why.
When at last the jester had finished his act and the laughter died down Rarity turned to Primary and told her "I think I can talk some sense into Princess Celestia and my friends, but the really hard bit will be the moment when they find out I'm now a Changeling Queen. After the attack on Canterlot, a lot of ponies think the worst of the entire changeling race. If they can get over the shock of what I have now become then think they will accept me. But I don't want to end up tossed into prison or at worst, a statue opposite Discord. I can keep this secret, but that won't change anything for my changeling subjects. I can bring my hive to Canterlot, but that could easily provoke a battle. All it would take is for one angry or nervous changeling or royal guard to throw a spear and there would be all out war with all it's horrors. I'm going to have to prepare a teleportation spell in case everything goes nasty and then go and find Princess Celestia by herself and let her know who I really am. It's a risk, I know."
Primary looked at Rarity, and she was clearly very worried. "What if Celestia takes it badly? We Changelings are feared and hated by the other races, which is ironic given our need for love. What if she refuses to accept you no matter what you say?"
"That's what the teleportation spell is for, so I can teleport back to safety in the Hive if need be."
"Well, I wish you luck."
Rarity got to her feet. "My fellow Changelings, tomorrow I am going to talk to Princess Celestia, in an attempt to bring peace between the ponies and us. If it works, we can perhaps gain genuine love from Equestria enough to raise all your rations and one day to allow us to walk freely amongst ponies. But it would only take one badly behaved changeling to spoil it all, so if it works out I want all of you to be on your best behaviour and not bring any truth to the Equestrian stereotype of the criminal changeling." This was greeted with polite cheers from the changelings although Rarity sensed that many of them did not think she could succeed in this. After the meal she was escorted to a luxurious royal bedroom. On one wall were portraits of the Queens of the past who had ruled this hive. There were several books in one corner and a hammock of the finest non-sticky changeling web. Rarity turned her nose up at it at first and thought...They want me to sleep in what is dried Changeling gloop...that is so ewwwwww. But wait, I am their Queen, they love and adore me so they would not do anything nasty to me. I might as well give it a try. The hammock had silken pillows inside it and proved to be so comfortable that Rarity was soon asleep.
The next day Rarity decided to try out her brand new wings, which were slightly blueish instead of the green wings that the Changelings of Chrysalis's hive had. Looking in the mirror of finely polished rock crystal within her room, she noted that her carapace was white instead of the blue-black of the subjects of Queen Chrysalis. "Every Hive must have a different colour of carapace and wings," she said aloud to herself. "Now, how do these wings work?" With a thought, she opened her carapace, thrummed her wings, lifted into the air...and thumped into the roof seconds later, banging her head and falling to the ground. "Ouch, that hurt." With a little careful experimenting, she was able to hover in the air at the level that she wanted to, and then fly around to where she wanted to go. After preparing a teleportation spell she took the shape of a pegasus and flew back over the border. The closer she got to Canterlot and the throne room of Princess Celestia, the more she began to worry. What if it all goes wrong? What if Princess Celestia refuses to believe that I really am Rarity and exiles me from Equestria or worse. And if I am a Changeling Queen, then what about Sweetie Belle? Is that why she can't get herself a cutie mark? Why did I get mine? Do changelings who think they are ponies gain cutie marks as if they were real ponies?
She selected an empty side street in Canterlot near the Royal Castle, transformed into her Rarity shape and walked up to the front gate. As one of the holders of the Elements and a close friend of Princess Celestia, the gate guards had no objection to her walking in like she owned the place. She walked to Princess Celestia's private suite, and there she was challenged. "Identify yourself." The unicorn guard levelled his spear at her. Since Chrysalis's attempted invasion royal security had got a bit tighter.
"Rarity darling. Please could you go and tell Her Majesty that I want to tell her something really important?"
He did so and soon enough she was ushered in to where Princess Celestia was. The Princess looked at her happily.
"I've just discovered I'm not who I thought I was, but please don't panic, it's not what it looks like, give me a chance to explain..." With a flash of green fire, Rarity transformed into her Changeling form. The Princess jumped back and reared up, her horn glowing with fire. Rather then light up her own horn and risk starting a potentially deadly magical battle, Rarity sat down. "Before you blast me with your solar magic or call the guards to clap me in irons, remember my status as an Elements bearer. Without me the Elements are useless and if Discord should somehow get free, nopony will be able to stop him." Princess Celestia still glared at her but her horn ceased to glow.
"You will find this hard to believe, I know, but I always was a changeling, I just didn't know it. My hive was attacked when I was a little helpless grub, and my parents sent me away disguised as a unicorn foal to keep me safe. And also to give me a chance to grow up unspoilt and learn what my own talents were. So that's why I longed to be a princess when I was young; because I really was one without knowing it. And that must be why I loved being loved so much, because it was providing me with so much of my food. I know you probably think that I'm telling you the tallest tale that you have ever heard, but it's the truth. I'm offering you a real chance to make peace with the changelings, or at least my hive. I'm not the only Changeling Queen out there, and some of the Queens may have very different ideas to mine and see ponies only as tasty love sources. But if you and me and my Hive can make peace, and prove that our races don't have to fear and prey on each other, then other Hives may slowly come out into the open. I may be a changeling but I am still the Rarity that you know and enjoy being with, and I am still loyal to you and to Equestria. "
Celestia was silent for a long while. "Then she spoke. "You transforming in front of me is a little like if a pony was found with a blood-stained spear beside a dead pony, and yet still saying that he or she did not murder the pony and just found it lying dead with a spear stuck in it. However, I admire your courage in coming to speak with me all alone like this, especially given my views on Changelings after they made a fiasco of my niece's wedding by attacking during it and very nearly killing me. I'm going to give you and your Hive a chance and allow you to speak to the nobles of Canterlot, and then to allow at least some of your Hive into Canterlot, with certain conditions. No starting any fights, no abductions of my subjects, and your subjects must clearly identify themselves, either by staying in their changeling forms or by having a clear R as a cutie mark on their flanks. It won't be easy. Changelings are feared and hated in this city more then any other. Queen Chrysalis's Hive damaged and plundered the city, and there were several pony deaths caused by them. But not all Changelings are the same, there are good and evil changelings just like there are good and evil ponies. And I refuse to give in to ignorant stereotyping. I will do my part if you do yours. Now change back into Rarity-shape and I will send my Royal Heralds to summon the nobles together."
With a flash of green flame Rarity resumed her pony-form. It took some time for all the nobles of Canterlot to get the royal message, but by sunset they were all gathered together in front of the royal palace wondering what their Princess wanted from them. Princess Celestia and Rarity appeared together upon the Royal Balcony. Celestia spoke slowly and clearly to the crowd below. "O Lords and Ladies of Canterlot City, today I discovered that the bearer of the Element of Generosity, Rarity, is and has always been a changeling." There were panicked cries from down below, and several of the noble ponies tried to flee in terror, only to find that the exits had been sealed off by the Royal Guards to prevent a stampede. At a nod from Celestia, Rarity changed into her true shape and said "I know what this looks like, you think that the real Rarity is dead or cocooned somewhere in some hidden changeling hive. But that is not the case. I have been a Changeling Princess all my life, I just never knew it. I am now a Changeling Queen, but a friendly one. I'm not like Queen Chrysalis at all, I have no desire to occupy all of Equestria and enslave the pony race. I want to make peace between the changelings and the ponies, as both our races have a lot to offer each other, and it would be a waste of time, money and lives to go on fighting each other."
The fear down below quickly lowered, and a noble that she recognised, Filthy Rich, shouted up to her. "How can we ever trust the changelings? The last time I saw them,, was when they were trying to take my precious Diamond Tiara away from me."
"All changelings are different, and there are plenty of different Hives as well. Chrysalis's Hive didn't guard it's central love store properly and let greedy changelings consume the love that was meant for the whole Hive. They attacked Canterlot because they were just days away from emptying their remaining love reserves and watching their little ones starve. Adult changelings can survive without love for weeks without serious harm, but the very little ones and the unborn eggs will starve to death without love. They did it for the future of their hive, and they are hated and detested by the other changeling nests and hives all over Equestria and the nearby lands because of it. Our hive is not like theirs and we are willing to trade and earn love rather then just stealing it by guile or brute force. Give us a chance, that's all we ask for. We have jewels and plenty of other things that you ponies and griffins would want to buy. Also, if for example a couple had lost their foal or chick to illness or murder, in exchange for the love that we need, they could have time with a willing replacement and lessen their grief. Think about it. Would you rather have friendly changelings behaving themselves or unfriendly changelings kidnapping ponies and behaving badly in general?"
Rarity sensed the fear and hatred down below slowly dissipating as if blown on the wind.
Princess Celestia said "In a couple of days, a few changelings will be allowed in from Rarity's Hive; if they behave themselves, her Hive as a whole may visit Canterlot and other Equestrian cities and towns. But it's a two way thing, any hate crimes against peaceful changelings will earn jail time for those caught committing such crimes. I really want this to work. In time, if Rarity and her Hive give permission, well-behaved ponies will be allowed to visit her Hive. Go back to your duties, subjects."
Unbothered and unfollowed, Rarity took the shape of a pretty Pegasus with a scroll for a cutie mark and flew back to the Badlands. As a changeling, she had a rough sense of the internal borders that separated the Badlands territory of each changeling hive from the other one and she was careful to stay within her area. As she reached her Hive, she transformed back into her naturel form of a Changeling Princess and first her sentries and then many of her other changelings flew out to meet her, all asking questions at once.
"What did Celestia say?" "Will it be peace or war?" "What was Canterlot like? I have never been there."
"Quiet! Princess Celestia has granted what I asked of her, peace between Equestria and our Hive, and we are to be allowed to come to Canterlot openly under certain conditions. No weapons can be carried in Canterlot, and no armour except the naturel armour provided by our carapaces. No fighting, stealing, or otherwise misbehaving. And we have to come openly at least for now."
"Come openly? I'll feel naked in the outside world wearing only my chitin," a large changeling mare replied. "And such a thing goes against the basic tenants of the Changeling Way. What will the other Hives that we co-exists with think of us? Will they think we are as bad as Queen Chrysalis for going public? "
"Because of Queen Chrysalis, our secret is rather out in the open anyway. Obviously some of the more traditionalist Queens won't be happy with us, but I doubt they are going to launch a crusade against us any time soon. We are not a threat to them and besides, war really uses up a Hive's love supply, I would guess. Trust me, I am your Princess and I know Princess Celestia very well. I also know better then most changelings how ponies think, as I thought that I was one for so many years. Who will come to Canterlot with me and try to make new friends? I won't pull rank on you and force you to come with me, it's your choice. You have an hour to choose what to do. Either come to Canterlot with me or stay here. Spread the word around the Hive for me please...my mother is very much alive and still the Queen, and only she as far as I know can use the Hive mind."
Soon enough Rarity set off for Canterlot, taking most of the Hive with her, and ponies stared from the sky and from the ground at the rare sight of a hive of undisguised changelings on the move within their lands. Some ponies were clearly shocked, others gave bitter looks of hatred; clearly the mental wounds caused by the attack on Canterlot were still raw with them. For their own safety, the changelings kept their emotion gathering sacs tightly shut. When they reached Canterlot, they were met by rank on rank of grim-faced Royal Guards and both of the Princesses. Rarity turned to her Hive.
"Now, remember what I said. Behave yourselves, even if your instincts are telling you to fight, and all will be well."
Princess Celestia and Rarity bowed politely to each other and the Princess said "Welcome to Canterlot; if you treat you well, so will we. And that means you too Shining Armour."
Then the guards allowed the changelings into Canterlot, and the changelings, some of who had rarely left their Hive, started to explore and buy in the shops. Some of them had bits earned from pony jobs done whilst undercover, or stolen from the relatively few kidnappings that the Hive had carried out. Others had no bits, but they did have gemstones and jewels both cut and uncut from the Badlands. These could be changed at the Equestrian banks and jewellery shops for large numbers of bits, which enabled the changelings to buy a large number of things. Fruit and hay and other food, fine clothes and jewellery, mattresses and furniture, books, objects d'art and weapons, the latter of which were legal as long as the owner had no criminal record and did not brandish them publicly, were all brought in large numbers by the changelings. And once the ponies realized that the changelings were both peaceful, and rich, their attitudes towards them started to change. Soon things were friendly enough for the changelings to open their emotion sacs and gather in the pleasant emotions, and almost everything went well, with only two or three incidents.
In Stallion Street a pony spat on a changeling and hooves nearly flew on both sides, but the Royal Guards pounced and hauled the offending pony away for a day in the cells, preventing a possible riot. In Goldmonger's Lane a changeling was accused of stealing a gold bracelet, then flying away and changing shape to escape detection. After several witnesses conformed it, Rarity paid for it out of her funds and warned her Hive. "If you are going to act like common thieves, then you don't belong amongst ponies and I will send you all back home. You are representing your Hive and Changelingkind, so be nice or else. Behave."
At the end of the day Celestia said "You and your Hive have behaved well....feel free to come back in the future. Many ponies would like to visit your Hive; some want to buy and sell, others merely to look. Would you be willing to let them do that?"
"I would love that, as long as they behave. They can come tomorrow if they like, I will guide them in personally. If they should accidently stray across the borders into another Hive's territory, said Hive might see them as food."
***** Unknown to Rarity, one of her Hive was one of Queen Chrysalis's most skilled infiltrators, able even to sneak into a different Hive without detection. He teleported a short letter to her.
Your Majesty, Princess Rarity is going to let ponies into her Hive, that goes against everything we believe in. What should we do about it?
The next day Rarity found that more then a hundred ponies, several of them with saddlebags full of bits and jewels, had decided that they wanted to view a place that no pony who entered normally ever left again...a Changeling Hive. She smiled when she saw them.
"So many of you have come. That's a bit of a surprise, given how scared many ponies can be of the unknown. But you can trust me, I'm not going to have you cocooned and your love harvested by force. Allright, the rules. There are not many but you do have to follow them. When you're going to the Hive with me, don't wander off. Mine is not the only Hive, and a lot of changelings are deeply conservative and don't want ponies coming anywhere near their homes. If you stray into their sections of the Badlands and get caught, I'm not going to start an inter-changeling war or pay a huge ransom in love to get you back. Once you get to the Hive, no fighting, no stealing and if a place is blocked off, it's blocked off for a reason. It's either dangerous to ponies to enter, or private property. We have homes too within our Hive. Only the newly hatched changelings fresh from the egg sleep in dormitories as it's a lot easier to feed them that way."
The ponies and Rarity got onto a train that would take them to the outskirts of the Badlands and cut the travel time dramatically. It had beds, as it would take a full day and night even going at the maximum safe speed to reach the border post. Rarity passed the time answering all kinds of questions about changelings.
A purple pegasus with a magnifying glass for a cutie mark asked "How many changeling hives are there, and where are they?"
"I'm not sure exactly how many hives there are, and as for where they are? Tartarus no! Even if I knew, I'm not going to tell where they are to anypony. What if you ponies drove them away or worse? If they found out I'd informed on them, it would be such a major breach of the Changeling Way that every Hive would march on mine to destroy it as an abomination. The Hives are by no means always friendly to each other, but one thing we never do is inform on each other to the other races of Equestria. Every changeling learns that as soon as he or she is capable of learning anything."
A brown earth pony asked "Do you only feed on love, or on other food as well?"
"Now that's something I can answer. Both, but as long as we have a good supply of love, we don't need food."
A unicorn asked "Do you changelings practise free love?"
"Free love? Normally, no. Sick and injured changelings and very young or old changelings get free rations, and there are free banquets on the Queen's birthday and New Year's Eve, but otherwise changelings have to work for their love, either through infiltrating for it or by doing work back at the Hive."
Several questions later, some of them annoying, others inane or unanswerable as they asked about what other Hives were doing, Rarity went to her bed, and the next day the train pulled in at the edge of the Badlands. The sun was just starting to rise, and the wind-blasted pinnacles and towers of stone cast deep shadows over the arid landscape. "Remember the rules and stay in your group and you'll be fine. This area is ours. Changelings from other Hives fly through it only with our permission. We'll be at our Hive after an hour's trot."
Inside the Primary Hive, Queen Primary was overseeing the clean-up for the visitors. Feeding rooms were discreetly roped off, as it would not do for the pony visitors to see fellow ponies hanging in cocoons. Walls were scrubbed with water to give a good impression, formerly tolerated anti pony graffiti was cleaned off and new bight lines of glowing web were laid down, so that the visitors could see their hooves in front of their faces. Unknown to Queen Primary one of the changelings was an agent of Hive Chrysalis, and he quietly loosened one of the railings that kept any changeling from accidently falling into the main love well, under the guise of maintenance. When their love well is polluted by a pony, they will be forced into raiding and their friendship with the Royal Pony Sisters will be ruined before it can properly begin. Won't my Queen be pleased with me? At last everything was ready and Queen Primary reminded her Hive "Remember, today the visitors are friends, not food. So resist the temptation to attack and cocoon them please, except in defence of yourselves or property. Many visitors will be rich and might well buy things from us, and that means many more bits to spend in pony society. So be good, and remember, friends not food."
Soon enough the ponies were ushered into the Primary Hive, and marvelled at the wonders around them. The changelings had plenty to sell them...dresses and shirts of fine, non-sticky changeling silk, objects 'd'art, edible fungus, beautiful jewellery, changeling weapons, pads of papyrus, watermelons, and various other items. And a lot of bits changed hands before Rarity took the ponies on a guided tour of part of the Hive, showing them various items before saying "And this here is something that is the centre of our world, the main love well of the Hive. Down there is pure pony love, our main food source..." The earth pony that Rarity had spoke to before screamed as the weakened railing partly gave way, and she fell into the well. In a burst of green flame Rarity took the shape of a griffin, and flew down after the plummeting pony, catching her inches from the glowing pink surface of the love.
Hauling her back up, she squawked in rage. "You stupid pony! Why did you try and swim in our love for? If you foul that, how can we get more?" Plonking the pony back on solid ground, she transformed back to her normal form.
"But I didn't jump, the railing gave way." the pony protested.
She turned her attention to the loosened railing. "There is no way that could have happened by accident. We have an agent from another Hive in our midst. We have to lock the Hive down until the agent is found. For now, noling and nopony can get in our out."
Princess Rarity thought quickly. Clearly, one of these ponies was most likely a changeling, as it would have been almost impossible for a changeling from another Hive to infiltrate otherwise due to the fact that a password was given through the Hivemind in any Hive worth it's love, and changed every day. That way the sentries knew who to let in and who to keep out, or if need be attack at once. But being welcome guests the ponies had not been made to give the password and could not be expected to know it. So that was how the saboteur got in. She almost shook with barely suppressed rage. If the love in our love well had been poisoned, it would have been near impossible to gather enough new love to replace it without going on love raids, which would have wrecked the fragile truce between pony and changeling. Clearly that was what the infiltrator wanted to do. And every second that the infiltrator is not caught endangers everything that I am working so hard for. She whispered in the ear of one of her changelings, and then said "I am highly displeased with what happened here. A changeling love well is the most important part of the entire Hive, and one of you ponies nearly wrecked it. So I'm going to have to ask you all to leave."
What she did not let them know was that she had ordered a spell activated on the main door that would undo the change spell on the changeling agent. It was not left on all the time; maintaining it long term would cost a lot of love energy and besides, it would make the agent feel dizzy and rather sick in the short term. And "friendly fire" on one's own changelings was a risk if they forgot that the spell was activated and entered the Hive still in disguise. No Queen worth her love wanted to needlessly hurt members of her own swarm. Pony after pony passed through with no effect, and then the nineteenth pony, a yellow pegasus named Big Noise with a note cutie mark, suddenly burst into green flames for a second and staggered around, revealed as a black-shelled changeling of Hive Chrysalis. The gate guards quickly grabbed him before he could escape and snapped an anti-magic ring onto his horn. Rarity walked up to him.
"What do you have to say for yourself, traitor? I can barely control myself right now from ramming my hatred for you right down your throat. You have endangered the welfare of the entire Primary Hive, not just the adults but every nymph, grub, and unborn egg in the place, by striking at our love well. You would have forced us to make war on the ponies to survive."
The changeling replied "I am no traitor. I was not born in your Hive, neither did I join it. My loyalty is to Hive Chrysalis, and Queen Chrysalis is furious with you for willingly opening your hive to ponies. It goes against the Changeling Way-ponies are food, not friends."
"Against the Changeling Way? Your Queen really has a nerve, given what she did in attacking Canterlot. Revealing the existence of changelings as more then a myth in doing so and making life much harder for changelings all over Equestria. And she thinks that I'm against the Changeling Way? Where is the real Big Noise? Tell me, or I will have you exposed to the hatred of my entire Hive, which would surely be fatal."
"He was taken to Hive Chrysalis, no doubt to use his tasty love as food for the grubs."
"You will be held here as a hostage for Big Noise's safe return. My Ambassador will be sent to Hive Chrysalis with the news and with a ten day deadline to hand Big Noise over if she values the safety of her subjects. If that has not been done in time, I will have to decide your fate, and it won't be very nice. Whilst I do understand that you were obeying the orders of your Queen, what you tried to do was outrageous. Guards, take him to the dungeons and lock him in a cell. He is to be given physical food and water, and light in his cell, but of course no love. And I want him at least for now to remain alive, otherwise we will never get Big Noise back. "
She turned to the ponies. "You can come back inside now, the agent amongst you has been unmasked, and there is quite a bit left to see." The ponies filed back inside for some more sightseeing. And two ambassadors were sent out to explain the situation, one to Queen Chrysalis and one to Princess Celestia. However angry she might be, Rarity was pretty sure that Queen Chrysalis would still respect basic diplomatic protocol and not harm or hold hostage her ambassador. After all, her Hive sent diplomats to places too. That evening she personally led the ponies back to their own country. The ponies had brought quite a few things, and her Hive now had plenty of legitimate Equestrian bits to buy things from Equestria with. It would have been a very good day, but the attempted sabotage had spoiled things a bit.
Long View was one of the Primary Hive's most experienced diplomats, but even he was a little worried when he crossed over the invisible but often patrolled border that separated Hive Primary's sector of the Badlands from that of Hive Chrysalis. Of all of the Changeling Hives, Hive Chrysalis had the most unpleasant reputation for detaining, draining and even outright killing changelings not of the Chrysalis Swarm when they crossed the border. Although all the Hives were somewhat territorial, most would forgive an accidental intruder once, with only a warning. Not so Hive Chrysalis. Changelings who went into their area, rarely came out again. I'm a diplomat and can prove it, and part of the Changeling Way is that the diplomatic protocol is respected. But then the most important part of the Changeling Way is that changelings keep their existence a secret from other races, and Queen Chrysalis broke that in a spectacular fashion. Still, Queen Rarity must be doing the right thing in sending me to her.
Two nearby pegasui flew over quickly, and one angrily said "Identify yourself."
"I am the diplomat Long View from the Primary Hive, flying en clair without a disguise. Queen Rarity has sent me to meet Queen Chrysalis and to ask for the release of the pony Big Noise so that he can be restored to his family. I have a proper letter of introduction signed and sealed. I carry no weapons."
After looking at his letter the reply was "You are telling the truth, and you can follow us to Queen Chrysalis, but she will most likely say no. "
Soon enough they arrived at the great mound of Hive Chrysalis. From the outside, it seemed like some great termite mound, but Long View knew it would be different on the inside. The black-shelled guards let him inside, and it was well lit with glowing green web. Although their night vision was excellent, changelings generally disliked living in the dark. He passed through the outer levels, where changelings lived and worked and went to markets, and the inner levels where the youngest hatchlings and the eggs were cared for and watched over, to the Royal Court near the centre of the Hive where the Queen sat on an ebony throne with her trusted courtiers and generals. He bowed, and introduced himself politely. When he asked for the release of Big Noise, the Queen snorted.
"Those who are captured and brought into my Hive stay there. Why should this case be different? If you were not an accredited diplomat, you too would never leave here."
"Because my Queen caught one of your agents and holds him in custody for Big Noise's safe return."
The pupils of Queen Chrysalis's eyes widened and she let out a deep, angry hiss. "Fine. Bring me the cocoon that contains Big Noise. We will take him to your Hive and there swap him for my subject." A couple of minions scuttled off and came back with a large green see-through cocoon. Long View looked carefully at it and smelled the cocoon, which gave off the sweet smell of pony love.
"That is indeed Big Noise."
"I and my soldiers will personally go to your Hive with you to exchange him for my captured agent." As Queen Chrysalis, her royal bodyguards, Long View and the cocooned Big Noise left the Hive, a number of Changeling border guards flew up to them in a panic. "The armies of the other Badlands Hives have crossed our borders-all of them, far too many of them for us to do anything about it."
Several changeling armies appeared in the distance, rank on rank, with many colours of carapace. Hive Lampyridae was there with their wood and obsidian swords, along with the ferocious Swarms Phengodidae, Elateridae and Staphylinidae, each individual Swarm army being about the size of the army of Queen Chrysalis. The powerful Mycetophilidae were there too, and even the Diptera, normally on reasonable terms with Hive Chrysalis, and they all looked very ready for war. Changeling wars between Swarms when they occurred were quick-they had to be, before the love supplies of both Hives ran out-and often bloodthirsty too, as the weaker Hive had to be either exterminated or chased far away. Rarely did the Swarms unite as one against another Swarm, as they were too competitive. In a crescent "horns of the buffalo" formation, they advanced and quickly encircled Hive Chrysalis on both the ground and with aerial squadrons as well. And they looked anything but happy. One of the Queens came forward, her red polished chitin gleaming, buttressed by the chain-mail shirt she was wearing on her thorax, a morning star gripped in her magic.
Queen Chrysalis lightly bowed to her. "Ah, what brings you so far from your home, your Majesty? It has been a while since we last spoke."
"I may have been your close friend up until now, but what you did in attacking Canterlot, and with your soldiers en clair as well, was an outrageous breech of the Changeling Way. Following the Way has kept us reasonably safe for thousands of years. Some love is hard to gather, but up until now, just disguising oneself and walking amongst ponies with one's emotion sacs open has been enough to feed and bring love back to the Hive. Until now. Your idiotic full frontal attack has put the ponies into crazy suspicion mode, and our gatherers can only bring back a small amount of love. Either you and all your little friends must make peace with the ponies within twenty-four hours, or you will stay here forever-six feet underground. Your Hive will become your tomb. I guarantee you that you and all your brood will be considered legitimate targets and will never escape. This is your one and only warning."
"What do you want me to do, turn up at a Royal Guard station and turn myself in?"
"No. Send ambassadors to ask for a meeting with the Princesses on neutral ground. And then apologise for the looting and damage your Hive did to Canterlot and the ponies who were killed or maimed or had their businesses smashed up and had to go on welfare or eat grass. In public. And then pay reasonable reparations-we will support you against the ponies if they demand too much, and work out a way for us to feed again. United we vastly outnumber your subjects. If we make war against you, you will lose it. Make peace with the ponies or face war to the death with your fellow Changelings and have your brood "eaten up."
Queen Chrysalis stamped her hoof in a royal rage, but she knew that her much-weakened Swarm could not win such a battle. "Fine. I will do what you say."
Princess Rarity sat in her royal chambers feasting on sweet pony love, which happened to be the love of Derpy Hooves for her daughter Dinky. The changeling who gathered that particular love just by walking by had recognised it as fit for royalty and gathered it into his hive stomach to give to his Queen. And it really did taste nice. "I wonder where my ambassadors are? I wish I had gone myself but it might not have been wise." Queen Primary replied "Going to Hive Chrysalis might well have been suicidal. And you might not have been believed if you had gone to see Princess Celestia in Canterlot. It's far safer to do it this way." A changeling came in, bowed low before the two monarchs and announced "I am sorry to disturb you but Queen Chrysalis and several of her entourage are waiting outside the Hive for you." Rarity sighed, summoned a few of her own Hive's soldiers and came to the main gate to see what the problem was.
"What is the problem this time?" Rarity said grumpily, expecting some complaint of some kind from Queen Chrysalis. Much to her surprise, Queen Chrysalis hung her head and bowed low in a clear sign of submission.
"Your Majesty, I am heartily sorry for all the trouble that I caused to you and every changeling in Equestria. If I can't make peace with you and with Princess Celestia, the other Queens have informed me that they will invade my territory and remove my Hive by force, to the point of killing every ling of mine that they can catch. They and their subjects are furious that I and my army broke the Changeling Way that keeps us safe, and in such a public fashion by attacking Canterlot. As a result their Hives are going hungry. But I can't just fly over to Canterlot and ask to talk to Princess Celestia or I'll be thrown into a dungeon or even worse. Maybe you can go and talk to her for me and a new way of changelings gathering love could be worked out?"
"As one of the Elements of Harmony, if any of the changelings have a chance of sorting this out it would be me, so I will see what I can do. It is not so much for your sake, as for all the other lings that will suffer or are suffering a love shortage because you had to get greedy and break the Changeling Way. That and I am a very generous changeling princess. But I will have to meet with the rest of my friends one by one and convince them that I am the real Rarity first of all, so that I can go with them to talk to the Princesses. Otherwise it will not go down much better for me then it would do for you. Did the other Queens give you a deadline?"
"Just twenty-four hours."
"Wow! Those other Queens are really cranky with you. I had better go now before you run out of time and end up fighting for your life. I'll be back within a day or two, I hope."
She decided that the first of the other five that she would tell would be Pinkie Pie , as Pinkie would be the pony who would be the most likely to be allright with it. Then Twilight and Fluttershy and finally Applejack and Rainbow Dash. She took the shape of a pegasus and set off to Ponyville, wondering how she could convince Pinkie that she was friendly. When she landed not far from Ponyville she quickly took the shape of the unicorn-Rarity and went to the bakery where she knew Pinkie would be.
"Pinkie, I have something you really need to know about, but you have to promise to hear me out, ok?"
"Okie-dokie-lokie, Rarity."
Rarity took a deep breath and then transformed in front of Pinkie Pie.
Pinkie Pie's eyes bulged with shock and fear and she leapt several feet in the air. "What have you done with Rarity, you meanie?"
"I am Rarity! If I was a changeling who had replaced her, why would I openly blow my cover by transforming all on my own right in front of you? I know this sounds very hard to believe, but I was a changeling who thought she was a pony when in fact she was a changeling princess. Ask me things that only Rarity would know and give me a chance to prove myself." Pinkie looked a little less unhappy as she thought things over and realized that maybe Rarity did have a point. Then she began to pepper Rarity with questions that only the real Rarity would know. After Rarity answered the twentieth question correctly, Pinkie Pie smiled. "Maybe you are the real Rarity after all, but why if you are a princess would you have been left with ponies for instead of being brought up in your own Hive?"
After explaining the situation Pinkie Pie said "I'll go and tell the others about you and when I have got them to trust you, I will let you know, but for now transform back into the Rarity that we all know and love."
Rarity did so and in a few minutes she was back with the rest of the Element Bearers, who gave her suspicious, untrusting looks. After the Canterlot Wedding Invasion, relations between ponies and changelings were very poor. Like Pinkie had done, they asked her all sorts of questions including some that only Rarity and they would know. Once they were convinced that she was indeed Rarity and lightened up, Rarity told them "I came here on behalf of Queen Chrysalis who wants to make peace. If she refuses to do so...her Hive is not the only one out there, and the Queens of the other Hives are absolutely furious with her for breaking the Changeling Way with such a blatant and public attack on Canterlot. To the point where they are on the verge of besieging and destroying her Hive and every changeling in it."
"Why should we care about Chrysalis?" Rainbow Dash demanded.
"Changelings are living breathing intelligent creatures too, and they can't all be to blame for what their Queen did," Fluttershy pointed out. "Rainbow, if Princess Celestia summoned you to war, I feel pretty sure that you would fight for her. Her swarm were just doing what Queen Chrysalis ordered them to do, and most likely felt they had no option but to attack to feed themselves."
