You know, lucid dreaming isn't really all it's cracked up to be. All the sources I've read said that's it's basically the world's best sandbox videogame or some such. Go on adventures limited only by your imagination! Yeah, right...

I sigh as I glance around the white void that I could only assume is my subconscious.

The dream had started out fine, just walking through a nondescript mall passing by multiple storefronts I can't remember. At one point I came across one of those flea-market stands that you'd find in most malls that sold off-brand merchandise, this one in particular selling cell phones. I had noticed that one of the devices was ringing, and when I went to answer it, I was zapped and transported here. That's when I became lucid.

Of course, once I was aware I was dreaming, I was initially excited about all the things I thought I would be able to do. But as I tried to do those things, change the dream setting, manifest items, and whatever else I could think of; I found myself still stuck here, in this unchanging, colorless expanse.

"Come on! Show me anything!" I scream into the nothingness, hoping for some sort of change.
"...anything"
"...anything"

Seriously, an echo? Really? There's not even anything here for sound to bounce off of! Well, fuck you too, brain; I know I'm not that empty of creativity.

Disgusted and insulted, I prepare myself to start trying wake-up methods. Wondering if-
"Hello?"

I freeze, swearing I just heard a voice. I'm not going mad, am I?

No, this is just a dream, and hearing voices is actually good in this case. Is something interesting actually going to happen?
"Please, is anyling there?"

Oh yeah, I definitely heard someone, and it sounds like a cry for help. A cliche way to start an adventure, but at this point, I'm not being picky. I still don't see anything around me, so the only thing left to do is to respond, "Yes, hello, who's there?"

"Oh, thank the makers..." the hidden voice sighs in relief. Slowly the white surroundings fade into a darker environment, fuzzy details becoming more distinct. I find five strange creatures huddled around a pile of glowing green gems in the middle of a small cave, holes and branching pathways mark the walls in random locations. While the scene in front of me is creepy in nature, I feel a strange comfort from the environment itself.

My gaze is drawn downward as I notice one of them moving to look up at me, the rest of them still motionless in deep meditation.

With a cautious smile, it says, "Greetings, my name is Skitter. Please, don't be afraid." Holding its foreleg out as if for a handshake, exhaustion clearly shows through its struggling composure. At a glance, the creature looks as if some mad scientist merged together a small horse and a beetle, which was then thrown out and left to starve. However, a closer look shows their situation might actually be much worse than that.

Even with my limited knowledge of insect life, I can tell that the holes in their legs and wings signify some sort of illness. Scars and scratches cover their forms in various places, and one of them even has a missing wing. It's obvious that this group has gone through some hard times, and I can't help but feel sorry for them.

Hah, take that, brain. I do have some creativity, albeit a little morbid...

Noticing its fading smile and lowering hoof, I bring myself out of my contemplative stupor. "Ah, sorry, my name's Tyler," I say, reaching my arm out to grab the offered hoof. Surprisingly, their exoskeleton isn't completely hard or brittle like most insects, but in fact has some give to it. The closest thing I could compare it to is a fingernail, but for the whole body.

"So, um... What are you?" I ask, after the hand(hoof?)shake.

After gathering itself and sitting down, it says, "We are changelings, named for our ability to change ourselves into nearly any desired form."

I raise my eyebrows, "Anything?"

"Nearly anything. There are limits such as size conservation and weight; neither can we gain any abilities we don't already have."

"Sounds like a neat ability, regardless..." I say, once again glancing at the others. "Your group looks like it's seen better days."

It sighs forlornly, "That's an unfortunate understatement, and is also the reason we've been calling to the outer dream realms." Noticing my confusion, it further explains, "Our Queen, while powerful, was a terrible leader. Under her rule, our resources dwindled and our population stagnated; we were suffering. Eventually her follies caught up to her, and in a final desperate act of pride invaded the land of those who once fed us."

"Why would she do that?"

Grimacing, it replies, "Changelings are emotivores; we eat the emotions given off by other creatures. Don't worry, it's harmless." Pausing, it thinks for a moment, "Well, the way we were doing it for hundreds of years until she came into power, that is.

"We had survived off silence and subtlety, real friends and genuine relationships. For her, it wasn't enough; she wanted it all, immediately. But she was too prideful to notice the flaws in her various plans, of which she would accept no criticism. Inevitably, the invasion was repelled, and our losses were devastating. The result of her actions can be seen right here; as far as we know, we are the last surviving changelings."

"Damn, I'm sorry..." I say, digesting everything I just heard. "So, you've come into the 'dream realm' to find help, but what kind of help are you expecting?"

"Simply put, we are searching for a new queen. Without a queen, there is no hivemind, and without a hivemind, we cannot survive. Normally, a drone would be able to lay a new royal egg in the absence of a hivemind and given enough energy, but even if one of us fed on the maximum energy the rest could carry, it would not be enough. The only other possible solution is to find another creature to become our new queen, which is arguably a harder task but actually doable with our limited numbers."

Huh, so they're looking for a new leader on the dream-internet. Still... "That seems kind of risky, how would you know if you didn't just get another tyrant?" I ask.

Its expression wilts a bit, "We're more desperate than you probably realize; this is our last chance to save our kind. It's taken so long to find the ingredients and energy needed to cast this spell, and if we fail, the energy loss will kill us."

Wow, this is one hell of a start to a dream adventure, but I'm still wondering why I don't really have any control over this dream. Is there more to lucid dreaming than just being aware that you're dreaming? I didn't think so but maybe I missed something when I was researching it.

"So, why me?" I ask. Yeah, it's my dream, of course it's going to be me, but I still wanted to hear their explanation.

"Because you're the only one who's answered." It gives a half-hearted chuckle, then winces in pain. "I've been searching for so long and I can feel there's not much time left for us. If you decline, we'll most likely..." Trailing off, it goes quiet with tears starting to form in its eyes.

Oof, my heart. I was already going to accept, but this is just rubbing it in. Crouching down, I put my hand on its shoulder reassuringly, "Hey, don't worry, I'll do it."

"Y-you will?" It looks up at me with a shocked but hopeful expression.

With a smile, I say, "Yeah, I don't know if I could live with myself if I just let you guys die while knowing I could have done something."

It says nothing else and slowly collapses into my arms as it quietly cries; I begin petting its neck and back as a way to hopefully comfort it.

I really did not expect this dream to get as deeply emotional as it has, though I'm not complaining. Considering how strange this whole situation is, I'm not sure I could have purposely thought of anything better. Maybe I can't control my lucid dreams because I subconsciously know that I'll enjoy a story more if I don't know what's next? Spoilers and whatnot.

Looking over at the other changelings, I notice that they're in more discomfort than before, most likely running out of this 'energy'. Gently prodding Skitter, I say, "Hey, we should probably get on with this. Your friends don't seem to have much left in them."

Sniffing, it quickly gets back to its hooves. "Yes. Yes, you're right. I'm sorry." Its horn lights up as it composes itself, then continues, "All I have to do is to create a direct mental link to you and the spellstones will do the rest."

"All right, I'm ready," I say, leaning forward. Skitter touches their horn to my head, and my world explodes into green light.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEE-

My hand slaps the alarm off as I groan into my pillow. Of course I wake up right as I get to the good part, that dream was getting really interesting. But, as time flows, Monday is inevitable.

Slowly, I get up from the bed with one hand massaging my scalp trying to get rid of the small headache that's starting to grow. Opening my eyes, I see my room as I've always left it. Shelves with books and various knick-knacks on the wall to my left, my desk and computer to my right, and finally my dresser across the room. What is odd, though, is that everything seems to have a green tint to it. Rubbing my eyes slightly solves the problem, but doesn't totally go away.

"Ugh, I hope I'm not getting sick," I mutter to myself, grunting as I get off my bed and move towards my closet to get dressed.

We're already one man down on the Kleiner project, and as one of the lead developers, I have to pick up a lot of the slack if the work is to be done in time. A delay from me getting sick would definitely cause all sorts of problems I don't want to deal with right now.

After putting on my dailies, I make my way over to the bathroom to do my business. The first thing I do is go for the medicine cabinet to find something for this damn headache. Glancing at the mirror, I do a double-take. Was my eye color always that vibrantly green? Dark brown hair, scruffy beard, skin as white as can only be obtained by sitting at a desk all hours of the day. Nothing else seemed off.

Sighing I grab some pain pills, hoping that the day doesn't get any worse than the previous fights Molly, you actually did really well considering he didn't have a handicap."

Growling, I retort, "I lost again, just like I lost the last four duels, and you know the queen will take no excuses, no matter my situation. At this rate, I'll be demoted to waste cleanup."

With a huff, I march into my quarters, yelling back, "And my name is Maul, get that through your thick and chunky milk pours out slowly onto the bowl of cereal.

"Dammit, I just had to jinx myself," I say, closing up the milk carton and throwing it away. Making a note to hit the grocery store later, I grab some bread to make toast instead.

As I wait for the toaster to finish, I take a sip of my coffee and gaze out my front window. Multiple cars drive by along with the usual procession of people walking their way to work. To be honest, I've always hated living in the city; too many people, too many cars, and everything is a clusterfuck. So of course, I just had to make software engineering my career. I'm so jealous of Maul and being able to live out in the badlands with the rest of- ...Wait, who's Maul and what the hell is this, Echo?" My infiltration instructor sighs with frustration.

"What?" I ask innocently, "I think it looks good." I do a fashionista spin in front of the reverse-mirror admiring myself.

"What do you mean 'What'?" she says incredulously, "This is an infiltration mission, not love collection!" Messaging her head with a hoof, she continues, "Look, I know you're one of the best love collectors we have, and that looking good is your specialty, but the whole point of infiltration is to not attract attention. I don't want to have the queen on my flank about a mission that failed because a drone couldn't help themselves from stopping at a red light, I look to the gas station up ahead and notice the prices are pretty good to-

Ah, It happened again! Did I blackout while driving?

No, that's not quite right, I remember finishing breakfast and getting in my car and driving out. But I've been daydreaming about changelings at the same time? No, that doesn't sound right either. What's going on?

HONK HONK
Startled out of my musings, I notice that the stoplight had turned green and I quickly start driving again.

It's also weird that the medicine I took earlier hasn't really helped my headache go away. In fact, it almost seems like it's gotten worse. And now I have to worry about being forced into the twelfth district and we can use the Starlight warehouse to store pods." The squad leader says while pointing to a specific part of the Canterlot map.

"Wouldn't that leave us undefended from retaliation on the side of district ten? This whole maneuver only works if nothing goes wrong with the Queen's gambit." I say, quickly noticing potential issues in the plan.

The squad leader's eyes narrow. "Know your place, Fractal, this plan of attack has been meticulously laid out by the queen and her top military advisors. We are naught to do but follow every order to the letter."

He straightens up and addresses the group once more, "Now, once we arrive at the office, opening the front door. Alice is sitting at the front desk as usual and gives me a wave as soon as I come in. "Good morning, Tyler, how are you today?"

Holding back a grimace, I respond, "I'm fine, thanks."

As I try to nonchalantly walk by her desk, she gives me a scrutinizing look and says, "Are you sure? You're looking a little green there."

"Really, I'm fine. It's nothing I can't work through."

"Well, alright, if you say so." She says, returning back to her work. "Oh, and Chris wanted me to let you know that today's meeting is moved to first thing this morning."

"Great, thanks," I say, making my way over to my cubicle and sitting down. A quick glance over at the clock confirms that I only have about five minutes until the meeting starts.

I put my head in my hands and groan. How many times am I going to be put into a waking dream? It's an absolute miracle that my autopilot didn't get me killed on the road, but how am I going to perform at work? If I'm lucky that we didn't get assigned to the palace strike force, eh Grift?"

I glance up toward the Noble district and palace to see the flashes of a large magic battle occurring. Fortunately for us, most of the resistance from the citizens has been minimal and easy to overcome. A quick recall of the day's events so far shows everything going according to plan.

"Yeah, but this all feels too easy. I can't help but feel like something is going to go horribly wrong soon."

Smirking, he nudges me with his elbow, "Aw, stop worrying so much. You're always feelling well today, Tyler?"

I jump in my seat, surprised. Quickly I stammer out, "Ah, sorry Chris, it's just a small thing. I can work through-"

"Don't give me that crap, you looked completely dead throughout this morning's meeting," he says, interrupting my rambling. Looking back at my memories, I realize he was right. I had spent nearly the entire time staring at the conference table.

With a sigh, he continues, "I can't have you here getting the entire team sick this close to the project deadline; things are already precarious since Peter quit last week. If you must, grab a company laptop to work on while you're recovering, but for now, I want you to go home and sleep."

"Yes sir," I mutter as he walks off. Maybe it's for the best, I do feel like shit and these fugue states that I keep having aren't helping.

After gathering my stuff together and grabbing a laptop, I head back out to my car. Alice made a snarky comment about not being able to work through it like I said I would, but I was too tired to bother with a response. I was half tempted to just sit in my car all day moaning and complaining, but the idea of jumping back into my soft bed won out. Maybe I can trigger another dream state so I don't have to concentrate on moving my wings, but nothing worked. It's bad enough that the weird explosion blew us all out of Canterlot, but that it has paralyzing effects too means that most of us will have an unfortunate meeting with the hard ground at terminal velocity.

Chuckling darkly, I roll my eyes a bit to see a 'ling in the air next to me. I didn't recognize them off-hoof, but their eyes were closed which means they had the mercy of being unconscious in these final moments.

...

If I had an epitaph and a queen that cared enough to open up the catacombs again, what would it be?

Heh, probably 'Here lies Skitter, the Queen's worst spe

...I came-to again inside my apartment right as I closed the front door, and took a moment to compose myself. It's one thing to hear of the changeling's mass casualties, but to see, feel, and hear it is...

No, I'm getting ahead of myself. I just had a weird dream last night, and now my current sickness is taking advantage of it and showing me weird things. Maybe.

I quickly stumble my way to my room, my sight becoming blurry as my headache starts to intensify. Eventually, I manage to flop onto my bed, groaning in discomfort as new symptoms of whatever it is I have pop up. My skin begins to feel like it's crawling all over me, more sweat than I have ever produced pools around my bed, and the strange sensation of simultaneously starving and being overfed war from within. By the time I finally consider calling 911, it's too late; I can't get my body to move.

It is a small mercy, then, when my world gives way to darkness.

I woke up.

Well, I think I did, at least. Normally, I would say that finding myself lying down on an unfamiliar bed in a weird cave-room would mean I'm dreaming, but this feels too real.

And then I raised a hand... or should I say hoof.

Okay, so probably dreaming then. Quickly sitting up and looking down at myself confirms my suspicions. Black chitinous exterior, weird insect wings, and a silver tail and mane... and chest-fluff, there's no way this can't be a dream, right?

The problem is that I'm receiving way too much sensory information; I could feel every part of this new body. The silken sheets flowing across my black hide, the movement of my equine ears, and even the shape of my forked tongue. Never before in a dream have I experienced this much sensation, not even in that lucid dream I had last night.

Sliding off the bed and looking at the room more thoroughly, I see that it's actually pretty sparse. The four-poster, queen-sized bed sat at one end of the room with a storage chest at its foot and the door to the room located at the opposite side. I opened the chest hoping that maybe it might hold some answers, but unfortunately, it was empty.

With nothing left to do but explore this place, I walk over to the door to open it, intent on seeing what else lies in wait.

At that thought, the door glows green and slowly swings open.

Shivers of anxiety rack through me as I suddenly realize something; this weird quadruped form should have felt alien to me, but it didn't. It felt right, like I haven't been living the last thirty years of my life as a human. I didn't stumble like I should have been, seeing as it was the first time walking on all fours, and now I just opened a door with telekinesis like it was second nature.

I stood there for a bit in shock before giving my head a hesitant shake to refocus on the current objective; explore the area now, save the existential freak-out for later. Noticing the door was still lightly glowing and that I could still "feel" it, I mentally let go and the glow faded away, and with some apprehension began walking again.

Continuing through the door and a small cave-like hallway brings me out into a large cathedral throne room, right behind the throne itself. Based on the location and what I'm supposed to be right now, I surmise that I just walked out of the royal quarters.

"So this must be the queen's throne," I say to myself, walking around to its front to get a good look at the rest of the room, then stopping, "And my voice is pitched higher, great. Well, that pretty much confirms that 'Changeling Queen' is not just a title."

Casting my gaze around, the room's theme becomes apparent; everything dark and foreboding with a side helping of green lighting. In the other half of the throne room, a couple of stone conference tables in a 'V'-shape are set facing toward the throne, no doubt for the queen's advisors. Behind them are various doors on the walls at the very back, leading to rooms unknown.

Turning back to get a closer look at the throne, I quietly chuckle at its painfully stereotypical villainous style. Four steps up to a small platform it sits, made of glassy obsidian with thorny formations in random locations; at least the seat itself seems comfy enough, relatively speaking.

"Well, if I'm really the new queen, I might as well take my rightful place," I mutter and make my way up to it, unceremoniously plopping my behind onto its cushionless ass-reservoir, then recline back onto one of the arms.

Haunting silence reigns in the throne room, giving the place a crushing sense of loneliness as I quietly lie there observing nothing in particular. An impression of neglect worms its way into my mind; this grand space was never meant to be so completely lifeless and empty. With closed eyes, I can almost hear the echoes of times long past and the lost voices of ancient changelings chittering through the halls.

...stay here for at least a week, we're going to need a surplus until the queen gets back on her hooves.

Alright, but be careful and stay safe. I know the guard presence hasn't been increased much in the frontier towns, but there's no reason to take unnecessary risks.

Trust me, Skitter, I know what I'm doing; this isn't my first rodeo, after all.

Wait, no, this is happening now.

"Skitter, are you here?" I ask, not sure where their voices were coming from.

My Queen? Oh, you're awake! I'll be there in a moment.

With nothing else to do, I just lean back again and wait. Still trying to determine the whereabouts of the conversation, I suddenly discover I could sense their... presence? Essence? Not coming from any one direction, but just there, being a fact of existence.

Let's see, that one was Skitter, the other one is...

Echo?

Yes, My Queen?

Oh! So that was a type of telepathy, as well as some form of immediate identification. It makes sense, I guess; there was supposed to be a hive-mind, wasn't there?

Realizing she was still waiting for a response, I reply, Sorry, I'm just discovering my inter-dimensional communication abilities.

Ah, I see, Echo says with a hint of amusement, Well, I'm here if you need me.

Right, thanks.

It's at that moment then that Skitter suddenly materializes in front of me at the base of the throne causing me to jump in surprise.

"What⁠–⁠ ...how did you do that? Was that a teleport?"

Skitter gives me a confused look then says, "No? I mean, I do know a teleport spell..." She shakes her head, "No, this is the hive mind, anyling can come here whenever they want."

"Wait, this," I wave my hoof about, "is the hive-mind? I figured it was more of a mental thing rather than a location."

She gives me a pointed look, "It is a mental thing, or rather, your mental thing. The changeling queen is the hive-mind. Our connection to you is what allows us to do many things that we need to survive.

Giving me an apologetic smile, she says, "Sorry, I forgot that you're basically a newly hatched grub; we're going to have to teach you everything from the beginning. Luckily, our hive isn't in any immediate danger, so at least we don't have to rush through the process."

I think for a bit, then ask, "Then I'm a server host, router, and administrator all at once?"

"...A what?"

"Uh, it's nothing, never mind," I hastily wave away the incoming question; I really didn't want to get into the rabbit hole that is human technology right now. Quickly changing the subject, I say, "So, you're looking a bit different from last night."

Getting up from the throne, I walk down to stand next to her to get a closer observation, "A bit healthier, fewer holes... and a different color?" A light pastel-green back shell seems to have replaced the darker blue shell she used to sport.

Looking at her own back, she says, "Oh, well, each changeling queen has their own unique drone color to signify that one is part of their hive. Our color changed when we joined yours."

With a grin, she continues, "Also, it turns out that you had enough emotional energy to not only power your transformation and leave you topped off, but also to filter down as excess energy to bring the rest of us back from our near-death state."

"Transformation..." I say shakily, looking back down at my body, "Do you mean, then, that I've also become this in real life?"

"Of course," Skitter nods, "Only a changeling queen can have a hive-mind. You'll have formed a chrysa– er, a pod around yourself to facilitate the process; so, when you leave here, don't be afraid that you were kidnapped or something. You'll have to break your way out of it."

My mask of calm that I've been desperately holding onto since waking up slips away as I collapse, putting my head in both my front hooves, "Fucking hell, this is too much, way too much..."

As I grieve about my lost humanity, I hear her walk over and sit down next to me, leaning into my shaking body and giving me a comforting nuzzle, "I, um... don't really know what it's like to be in your hooves or how hard it is to deal with such a sudden and major change like this when you're not used to it, but I just want to say that we all really appreciate what you've done for us. We're all here to help you as much as you need, and I'm not just saying that because of my obligations to you as a drone; it's something we actually want to do now."

I'm not sure if it's my new changeling biology, just like the instincts that allowed me to walk, but her presence actually helped immensely to calm me down. Gradually, I manage to pull myself together and clear the tears from my eyes; reaching over, I pull Skitter into a bear hug, causing her to give off a little squeak. "Thank you," I say quietly, and then, "I'm lucky you guys are so adorable."

Blushing, she giggles, "Don't let Maul hear you say that; he'll go fight four bugbears at once just to try to get his fierce changeling pride back." Hugging me back, she gives a pleasant sigh, "But I could get used to this."

"What, hugs?"

She lightly shakes her head, "A queen that cares about us."

I found myself unable to speak, afraid that I might begin to cry again; instead, I merely hold her closer and let her dwell within the moment. Though, I think I understand now, that my responsibility as their new queen isn't just to exist as some networking hardware, but also to make sure that they're treated well and cared for.

I just hope that I can do right by them and become the leader they deserve.

After a few minutes, Skitter decides to disentangle us and gets up, saying, "Well, I know I said we didn't need to rush anything, but there is one thing we should focus on as soon as possible. If you're using Chrysalis' layout, it should be over here."

"What's that?" I ask, getting up and following after her.

"Teaching you how to transform, of course. A lone changeling in the middle of a foreign city without the ability to disguise is a recipe for disaster, even if you are a queen." She opens one of the doors at the end of the throne room, and we continue on into the corridor. Glowing green gems periodically line the sides of the hall acting as lights.

"Wait," I ask as we go, "I can walk and perform telekinesis through my new instincts, but transforming, the thing changelings are known for, has to be taught to me?"

Looking back, she says, "Almost every living being can walk shortly after birth, and telekinesis is just using magic in its rawest form, something that is also done from an early age. According to legend, changelings originally didn't have the ability to transform, instead, it was actually gifted to us by the Makers. So even though every changeling holds the fire of change within them, it still an unnatural ability; you'd probably be able to figure it out by yourself given enough time, but not by instinct."

We eventually come to a door in the hallway, which Skitter opens up and motions for me to go through, continuing, "I haven't studied the ancient legends all that much, so if you want to know more, you'll have to ask Fractal."

Stepping into the room, its only feature becomes immediately apparent: the left and right walls that are covered in full-length mirrors.

"Welcome to the mirror room, where changelings come to perfect their disguises." She enters in after me and walks up to the closest mirror, "The neat thing about these is that the mirror's image can be flipped by tapping it, thus enabling you to get an easy view of what you look like to others."

As soon as she taps the mirror, the image goes cloudy for a second, then reappears reversed. Skitter, who is to the right of me, appears on the left in the mirror. Now having a full view of what I currently look like, I analyze myself more closely.

The first thing I notice is the ring of silver, fluffy fur encircling my neck, formed in the same fashion as a peytral. My mane and tail are an identical color of silver, with a difference of having very subtle light blue streaks flowing through them, and sprouting from my mane on my forehead is a slightly curved horn, the end barbed like a fish hook.

Two moth-like antennae naturally curl around my head and four moth-like insect wings lie across my back. Fanning out my wings shows that each of them has blue and green "eyes" following the pastel theme in addition to various decorative lines.

Behold, Queen Tyler of the Changelings.

...Nah, that as a name doesn't exactly fit this form, and as much as I like my human name, I really don't want to cringe every time I hear it in this context. So what name instead would I want to register for my account on the changeling-net?

How about...

Mothra

Yeah, it's a little on the nose, but considering my theme, how could I not name myself after my favorite fictional moth? It's not like Toho can send a cease-and-desist to my brain.

Skitter looks up in surprise, "Oh, you identified yourself!"

"Hmm?" I tear my eyes away from the mirror and give her a questioning look.

"Right, new changeling, the quick explanation will do." She says to herself, then to me, "Changelings aren't named by parents like other species do, but rather, young drones must discover their true name. That's essentially what you just did right now."

Scratching my head, I say, "Huh, but all I did was think of a name for myself; it didn't feel like there was anything ritualistic or special about it."

"It's probably different for queens then. Chrysalis never talked about how she got her name, so I don't think anyling knows for sure," She trails off in thought, then after a moment, continues, "Regardless, the end result is the same and you now have a solid identity in the hive-mind. 'Mothra' is a very nice name, by the way, I think it suits you perfectly."

"Uh, thanks," I say, blushing slightly, "we should probably get into the lessons; how much time do we have?"

"Right, technically we have until you decide to leave, but I'm sure you have things that you need to get back to in the waking world."

"Yeah, and I can't go to work looking like this." I sigh, then ask, "So what's the first step?"

Facing back towards the mirror, she says, "The entire process itself is actually decently simple. First, find the fire of change that is within you, embrace it, and use it to change yourself to whatever form you want."

Green fire suddenly engulfs her form before quickly dissipating, leaving a light blue unicorn with a yellow mane. "The real challenge is nailing down the details."

"Yeah, that's awesome," I say in amazement, "but those instructions seem incredibly oversimplified."

She sighs and brings a hoof to her face, "I know, I'm a bad teacher; my real specialty is in spell-crafting. Let's just see how far you get for now."

"Alright, alright," I say, then close my eyes and concentrate.

Find the fire. Right, I can do this.

Fire is hot, so it follows that I just need to find the hottest part of my... soul?

...

Where's the fire?

"Skitter, are we sure that the fire transferred to me when I became a changeling?"

She just sighs and says, "Ugh, this would be so much easier if Echo was here."

"Oh yeah, she's supposed to be a really good love collector, isn't she?" I open my eyes and look back over to Skitter, "That means her skill at transforming should be pretty high, you think she'd be able to show me?"

"Well, she can't be worse than me at teaching, and out of the five of us drones, she's definitely the best with disguises."

I clap my forehooves together, "Cool, I'll just see if she's available then."

Mentally, I call out, Hey Echo, you busy?

Not at the moment, My Queen, how can I help?

Skitter is trying to teach me how to transform, but I'm having some troubles. Think you can come to the mirror room here and help me figure it out?

Of course, I'll be there right away.

"Wait, that won't work, she's–"

Suddenly Echo appears in the room, cutting off Skitter, "I'm here, My Queen," she gives me a quick bow, "it's a pleasure to finally meet you face-to-face."

"Likewise," I say, smiling, "You sure got here fast."

Putting a hoof to her chest, she haughtily says, "I live to serve my queen," then, with a sheepish look, "Well, that, and I was just about to turn in for the night, so I wasn't in the middle of anything important."

"Echo, how are you here?" Skitter abruptly asks with a befuddled expression.

Giving her a smug grin, Echo replies, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, aren't you still in Rapid Hills? You should be far outside the range of the hive-mind."

"You haven't noticed? Skitter, we're all outside of the hive-mind's range; you should be wondering how any of us can be here."

It could be said that Skitter blue-screened at that point, going wide-eyed and speechless.

"Mind explaining what you guys are talking about?" I ask Echo, seeing as she was the only one still capable of responding.

Rolling her eyes at Skitter, then looking back at me, "Anyling in the hive can communicate over incredibly large distances, but usually one can only enter the hive-mind if they're within two or three miles of the queen. Since you're not currently in Equestria, it's a mystery how either of us can join you here."

Leaning over conspiratorially, she fake whispers, "I popped in here this morning just to see if I could, that's how I knew it would work."

Finally shaking herself out of her stupor, Skitter yells, "What! Why didn't you tell me that earlier?"

Echo giggles at her, "I was just waiting to see how long it would take you to figure it out."

"Wait, this morning?" I interrupt, "How long was I out?"

Sighing, Skitter thinks for a moment, then says, "The transformation itself should have taken about a day. If so, you'd have been sleeping for another 8 hours."

Ah, shit, I probably missed Chris' check-up call. Hopefully he didn't call an ambulance on me. "If that's the case, then we really need to hurry this up so I can inform some people that I'm not dead."

Skitter nods, "Right, Echo, you got this? I need to get into the archives right away so I can start doing some research on the hive-mind."

Echo waves her off, "I'm fine, go on and discover how we're breaking the laws of the universe or whatever."

Skitter turns to me, "My Queen?"

Recognizing that she was asking for dismissal, I nod back, "We're good."

Then with a quick bow, Skitter disappears.

"Alright," Echo finally says, rubbing her forehooves together, "let's see if we can at least get you to novice level."

I woke up.

Again, but for real this time. I know because I woke up in a changeling pod just like Skitter said I would.

It was actually kind of pleasant, not quite floating, but like being surrounded by the most comfortable blanket you can think of. It would be amazing to sleep in every night; as long as you ignore the fact that the goo and the pod shell were made out of bodily fluids. Granted, it was my fluids, but still...

Bracing my back against the top of the pod, I slowly stand up, forcing a split to appear. I feel the fluids spill out as I end up doing what must look like the strangest Alien impression. Though, standing amongst the pod's remains on top of my goo-covered bed, all I can think about is how much it's going to suck having to clean it all up.

Glancing at the alarm clock on my bedside table shows the time as "6:34 PM". I really hope this didn't throw off my sleep schedule; becoming a night changeling would definitely mess up my work-life balance.

My current priority, however, is taking a nice warm bath to wash off this mess. Jumping off the bed and walking to the bathroom, I find myself unavoidably tracking the goo along the floor. I sigh; just another thing to add to the list.

After first washing the majority of the gunk off with the showerhead, I fill up the tub with enough comfortably hot water to float in. Even though one part of me just wanted to get straight to transforming into my human self so I could get on with things, I realize that this is something I desperately need; a chance to de-stress and mentally unpack.

As I peacefully float there in the heavenly waters, it occurs to me that while the argument could be made that everything that has happened so far is just a dream and that I'm still dreaming, it seems just as effective as arguing that the entire universe is only a simulation. Essentially pointless for my situation. What matters now is how I decide to live in my current reality; accepting the consequences of my previous actions and just moving forward.

...Easier said than done, I suppose.

...

Do I regret accepting the changeling's plea for help? No... not after I've seen the things they've been through and all the hardships they've faced.

Would I have chosen differently had I thought it wasn't a dream and taken it more seriously?

I'll admit, going through the situation in my head, I'm a little surprised to find myself so readily accepting the same offer. The thought processes going into the decision are slightly different and I take little longer to consider my options, but, in the end, it all still comes down to saving multiple lives. Though, I wonder if the knowledge that I currently have is giving me a subconscious bias.

All things considered, it could be worse; thanks to the changeling's abilities, I at least get to continue my life as normal. Relatively speaking, of course, with the added responsibilities of a changeling queen. Speaking of, I need to remember to ask for a full rundown of changeling queen-specific duties.

...

I grab a baseball-sized sphere of water in my magic field and levitate it just above the surface.

It's fascinating to me that it's even possible for changeling magic to exist in this world. Does it mean that magic is already here and humanity just hasn't figured out how to find it? Or maybe the mages of the legends past were actually real and it's only become a forgotten science. The implications are staggering.

How much has my decision changed not only my life, but the future of the world itself?

And on that note, I've officially dwelled too deeply in the bath of self reflection; time to get a move on.

After draining the bath and drying off with a nearby towel, I prop myself up onto the sink to get a better look at myself in the mirror. I don't appear any different than I did in the hive-mind, which brings up the interesting question of how my mental construct knew how to look that way; though, that might just be a changeling thing.

Closing my eyes, I once again go through Echo's lesson about transforming.

"You're being too visually literal about it. Your fire isn't in any specific location nor is it something you see; save the visualization for whatever your target form is. The fire is your essence, something that is suffused through your entire being. You need to feel it."

I wasn't sure if it was going work in the real world as well as it did in the hive-mind, but fortunately, just like my appearance, it was a perfect emulation. Feeling my fire, I pictured my human self and willed the change to happen.

The ever-consuming flames that structure my soul rage to life, break the barriers into the physical world, and quickly cover the entirety of my chitinous form. Instead of burning me to ash, the magical fire reforms my body into that which was commanded. Its job finished, the fires recede, and, as soon as it had begun, it had also ended.

I could already feel that I was successful, but looking at my reflection confirms it.

Well, mostly. I think my hair was a couple inches shorter yesterday, and my skin is probably too immaculate. I'm also naked, but, according to Echo, transforming parts of the body into clothing is extremely hard to pull off convincingly. Only the most skilled changelings bother with it, and even then only in emergencies.

Shrugging, "Well, good enough for me," I say to myself, then facepalming, "Dammit, forgot the voice." And after a few more changes and tests, got my voice to roughly the correct pitch.

All in all, I was in a great mood; I took a nice bath, completed my first physical transformation, and didn't feel like my world was crumbling around me anymore.

As I walked into my bedroom to get some fresh clothes, my good mood dropped instantly.

"Fuck, I hope I have enough detergent for this."

"Spot, out damned spot," I mutter, scrubbing the carpet furiously.

Finally giving up, I toss the brush in the cleaning bucket and lie down on the floor in defeat. From my angle, I can see the clock displaying "7:41 PM". A quick calculation says I've been at this for around a half an hour.

It's official, changeling goo stains like a bitch. Thankfully, the carpet's natural color is white, so bleach might be an option; though I'm going to have to buy some new bed sheets. I make a mental note to add sheets and bleach to the shopping list, I'll need to stop by the store next time I drive home from work.

...Wait, work?

Cursing, I scramble up to where I put my phone next to my clock. A quick check of the notifications shows that Chris did indeed call this morning when I was asleep. With a sigh, I send off a quick text.

—(Hey, sorry I missed your call earlier, I was out of it for most of the day)

I didn't really expect an immediate reply, but he must not have been busy since I received a response a few seconds later.

(I was getting a little worried, you ok?)
—(I'm actually feeling better now, thanks, I think all I needed was some rest)
(Thats good, you got that laptop right?)
(if you feel up to working tomorrow, we're really cutting it close on the deadline and could use ur help)
—(yeah, I was planning on it)
(alright, ty)

Well, that's that, I suppose. Tomorrow is planned out then, and I don't have any more immediate issues to take care of at the moment. I could go to the store now, but I don't know if I'm ready to face the world yet. Maybe I'll turn on my computer and play some–

My Queen?

Oh, someone new? This one is... Maul?

I apologize for the sudden interruption, but, due to recent events, I highly recommend that we meet to discuss the hive's safety

Oh boy, that sounds pretty serious; I guess I know what I'm doing now.

Alright, where should I head?

It would be best if we convene in the hive-mind map chamber so I can show you everything

Sounds good, be there in a second

Now it's my turn to show up somewhere; ever since seeing Skitter and Echo materialize, I've been wondering if I could pop in wherever I want, too. Considering that I still don't know the layout of the place and that I've only been to a couple rooms so far, I'm not holding my breath.

Remembering the emphasis on energy conservation in Echo's lesson, I strip out of my clothes and revert back into a changeling before jumping onto the bed.

"Unless you're out on a mission or sleeping with a target for love harvesting, it's generally a bad idea to be constantly disguised when it's not necessary. While the energy drain is usually negligible, you'll never know when you might need that energy for a future emergency."

Not that I mind all that much, personally, I'm just happy that I can switch whenever I want.

Now, how to get to the map room without knowing where it is. Maybe I can use Maul as a homing beacon?

Mentally feeling out for the presence of my changelings, I'm surprised to find that Maul's essence actually does have a... well, I'm not sure I'd call it a direction, but more of a quantifiable location. The essences of Skitter, Echo, and Fractal don't currently have this quality, but Grift's does, and I think he's in the same area as Maul.

With that information on hand, I focus on them and will myself inward...

I appear in a room in front of a low circular table containing shallow impressions that I quickly see forms a fairly detailed map. Maul and Grift stand to my right studying the table and discussing some issue.

"Yes, I did it!" I give a small cheer at my accomplishment, having been half expecting to fail at getting here.

"–ther choice than to–Ah, My Queen, good evening," Maul says, interrupting his conversation with Grift and giving me a small bow.

Grift, startled by my appearance, immediately prostrates himself with the deepest bow he can muster, stuttering out, "M-My Queen!"

Embarrassed and caught off guard by his intensity, I clear my throat and say, "Uh, at ease, Grift; no need to be so formal for me."

"Yes, My Queen," he says, getting back up, the tension only slightly leaving his body.

In the ensuing silence, I'm struck by the differences in their appearances when compared to each other. While Grift seemed pretty standard for a changeling, maybe a little bigger than Skitter or Echo and bit rough around the edges, Maul was something else.

Standing at least a head and a half taller than Grift—or a little bit higher than my shoulder—everything about him screamed "Changeling Warrior". Obviously having been in more fights than I could possibly guess, his scars, while noticeably fewer than what had been before receiving my energy fall-off, cover his body in numerous places. One particularly old-looking scar went right through where his left wing was once located, it being all the more impressive when I realize that he's been able to survive for so long as a fighter despite such a handicap.

Finally ending the awkward break, Maul absentmindedly flicks his remaining wing and says, "So, I apologize that our first meeting couldn't be about more pleasant topics, but we have much to discuss about the future threats to our hive."

"Yes, that would be something that would be better discussed sooner than later, wouldn't it. How dire is the situation?"

He shifts uncomfortably on his hooves, "We... don't really know. Much of the common knowledge that could shed light on our current issues was lost with the death of the rest of the hive. It's true we have the archive, but because writing materials are difficult to come by out here, nor were they ever a priority on supply runs, only unconventional information was ever allowed to be documented and stored."

Cringing, I say, "That's extremely unfortunate. Does that mean we don't know what enemies or monsters are out there that could possibly attack the hive?"

"Actually, we do; as a member of the guard, I'm already aware of all the physical threats that we usually face, like cave crawlers or bugbears. The problem lies in that my knowledge is based on one-on-one or small group combat; with our currently limited numbers, a loss is all but guaranteed if we get swarmed."

Turning, he taps a hoof on the table causing the marks to move, appearing as a map that's zooming out. When it finally stops, he says, "This is a map of the hive, and these," he taps the table again, making multiple small green lights show up on the outer edges surrounding the hive, "are warding spell-stones placed in every exiting tunnel connected to Equestria's various cave systems. It's thanks to these enchantments that we aren't continuously attacked through these tunnels, either by pests or by monsters."

I take a moment to observe the map and light placements before asking, "So what's the issue?"

"Enchanted gems like these need to be periodically maintained, otherwise, they'll slowly lose effectiveness over time before ultimately failing altogether. Since we don't know when they'll fail, and because the way to maintain these gems was common knowledge amongst the enchanters..." he trails off.

"Everything could fail tomorrow and we don't know how to fix it." I say, finishing his thought, then continuing, "Why not just collapse the tunnels so nothing can get in?"

"That's what we had to do on these two here after their wards failed earlier today," he says, pointing to said tunnels on the map, "and, yes, doing so mitigates the problem, but we're severely crippling ourselves at the same time." Once more, he taps the table and the map zooms out to a country-wide view with multiple glowing lines spread out from the hive.

"These are the cave systems that allow us to travel to and from Equestria without the worry of being caught; collapsing all the tunnels would leave us with only above-ground roads to traverse, putting heavy risk on any changelings that need to go there."

"So it's a 'fucked if we do, fucked if we don't' situation then," I sigh while going over other potential options in my head.

"But Fractal said she would try to figure out how they worked," Grift pipes up unexpectedly, then turns to me, "She's an enchanter and the one who created the spell-stones for forming the new hive." Then, after a moment, he blanches as if realizing something and quickly bows, saying "I'm sorry for interrupting, My Queen, it won't happen again."

Giving him a concerned look, I say, "Please, you don't have to that; I'm not Chrysalis and I'm not going to punish you or anything."

Slowly, he gets back up and looks away in embarrassment, "Thank you, My Queen."

Nodding, then giving my attention back to Maul, I ask, "What do you think, can Fractal do it?"

"I think that planning on her success is a risky gamble," he says with a grim look, "She's definitely talented, but, as she had only just finished basic enchantment training by the time we were all sent out for the invasion, she never had the chance to learn the ward recipe. As it is, we were miraculously lucky that we managed to find the hive-transference recipe in the archives."

"Hmm," I went quiet in thought. There's really not a lot of options here, and I have to keep the hive's safety in mind above all else, right? But Echo is still out there, and if we close everything up right away, it might put her at risk. Maybe drawing this out is the best tactic here.

Looking up from the table, I say to them, "For now, let's stick to blocking off tunnels as the enchantments fail. Fractal is the only one of you I haven't met yet, so I'll have to get with her soon and get her view on this. Hopefully, she'll be able to discover the enchantments from the remaining gems and we can get them back to full charge.

"If worse comes to worst, we'll just have to be better safe than sorry and have everything closed up for a while," I finish, then asking Maul directly, "In the event that we do come up with a solution, the tunnels could just be cleared out, right?"

He brings a hoof up to his chin, thinks, then says, "With enough changelings to work with, yes; but with the number we have right now, it would take weeks of non-stop labor to clean out every tunnel. As such, we could do it if it was absolutely necessary, but I'd recommend that we wait on it until you arrive and we have a bigger population."

Wait, hold the phone, "Until I... arrive? To the hive?"

"Well, yes," he says, pausing, then with a worried look, adds, "You are coming, right? The queen should be with the hive."

Confused, I say, "I mean, I don't know how I could; I'm on a different world, after all, probably even a different universe."

Dumbfounded, both of them look at each other, trying to make sense of what I said. Grift mutters, "...a what?", and Maul looks back and asks, "You're not just in a country beyond Equestria's borders?"

"That's not technically a wrong assumption, but—wait, you don't know..." I suddenly realize, then wonder, "Does Skitter not know?"

Both of them are just silent, not sure what to say.

"Oh..." I finally concede, "I'm going to have to call together a hive meeting, aren't I?"

Maul, Grift, and I arrived at the throne room to wait for Skitter and Fractal. Unfortunately, Echo was already asleep for the night, and I didn't want to bother her considering that she was "on the job", as it were.

After taking seats at one of the conference tables, Maul began talking to Grift about the schedule he's come up with for them for patrolling the hive's remaining exit tunnels.

Ignoring them for the moment, I walk up to the base of the throne, slightly conflicted. I know I'm queen now, so it's where I'm supposed to sit, but even so, it feels wrong. I've already decided to commit myself to be everything that Chrysalis wasn't for the hive, and a simple chair won't change that; in the end, though, it's still a painful reminder of the past, and, as shown by Grift's first reaction to me, some wounds haven't healed.

Glaring at the throne as if it contained the ghost of Chrysalis itself, I back away and turn around, grabbing a free chair and sitting down across from the other two changelings.

Grift looks over in surprise, saying, "My Queen, you're sitting here?," then quickly stuttering out, "N-not that I'm saying—"

I cut him off by raising a hoof, and say, "There are some things that I've decided to do differently as queen compared to previous regents; in this case, it's not treating everyon–everyling below me like dirt. I don't want to be feared like that, and the throne radiates those intentions."

I give it a side glance of indignation, "In fact, I wish I could get rid of it."

They both went silent at this, Maul giving me an unreadable look and Grift staring at me in awe.

Finally, Maul says, "I'm fairly certain you can, I know Chrysalis had added and removed rooms before."

"Really? I guess it would make sense if I could, this is in my head, after all," I say, looking back at it. I briefly try some mental experiments, willing it to vanish, but nothing happens.

Begone, chair!, I think at it with a command.

...No dice.

Maybe I'm thinking about it in the wrong way, similar to when I was having trouble with learning to transform.

Closing my eyes, I instead mentally "felt" the area around me. Slowly, enough at first that I thought I might have been just imagining it, a layout began to form in my mind. Focusing on the throne room, I feel for the throne itself, and, once it seems like I have it, remove it from the mind-map.

Hearing Grift softly gasp from behind me, I open my eyes back up and see that it had actually worked; the throne has disappeared and the space it covered is now just a flat floor.

"Oh yeah," I say to myself, grinning, "I'm going to enjoy messing with this." Base-builder game mechanics always were my favorite parts of the games that allowed such customization.

Already thinking furiously of the possibilities, I manage to hold myself back from doing anything drastic and instead just create a round wooden table surrounded by soft cushions where the throne used to be. When there's more time and less important things to worry about, I am so making some thorough changes to this place.

"Come on, let's meet over here instead," I say, motioning for them to follow, "It sure beats sitting on those hard rocks, anyway."

Maul made to move right away, but Grift just sat there in stunned silence until Maul nudged him out of his stupor.

Having just taken a seat at the new table myself, I couldn't help but giggle at Grift's antics as he cautiously eyed the new cushions like they were going to fly away if startled. When he finally sat down, though, a sigh of relief escaped his lips and a look of absolute contentment washed across his features.

Good timing too, for as soon as we had all settled down at the new table, Skitter and Fractal materialized nearby, the former appearing deep in thought.

"Where's the throne?" Fractal asks, looking around the room in confusion, "Is it gone?"

The question brings Skitter out of her musing, "Hmm? Oh, you're right, it's not here," then upon noticing us at the new table, "Good evening, My Queen, doing a little redecorating?"

"You could say that," I say, "and there's more to come in the future."

While Skitter walked over to an empty cushion, Fractal quickly bounded over to me and bowed, "Hello, My Queen! My name is Fractal." Looking back up, she smiles.

Matching her smile with my own, I say, "Hey, Fractal, it's nice to finally meet you. Maul tells me that you're studying the wards in the outer tunnels; is that going well?"

Her face scrunched up in a pout, "I'm making some progress, but it's slow work," then with a look of determination, "I know that I'll be able to crack it eventually though. It's supposed to be one of the easier enchantments I was meant to learn, anyway."

"That's good, I'd like to talk to you about that at some point in the next couple of days, but for now, we have other things to discuss as a hive. Feel free to take whatever seat."

"Um..." she hesitates, "I was wondering..."

"What's that?" I ask, giving her a curious look.

"Can I hug you?", she finishes, gazing up at me adorably.

Letting out a small laugh, I reply, "Well, I can't say no to a face like that; sure, why not?" I hold out a forehoof and motion for her, and, with a happy squeak, she jumps into my hug.

Glancing slightly at the others, I see Maul sitting there as his usual stoic self with no reaction, though, I'm pretty sure I can see the beginning of a small smile tugging at his lips. Grift, well... I think he's checked out for the night if that dumbfounded stare is anything to go by.

Skitter, however, is trying to be incredibly interested in the wall over there, but the embarrassed blush covering most of her face betrays her true thoughts. Yeah, I think I know where this all started.

"Skitter was totally right," Fractal said quietly, "this feels amazing."

Called it.

She stayed there for a few more moments until finally disengaging with a grin and a "Thank you!", followed by flying over the table and sitting next to Skitter.

Clearing my throat, I start, "Now, Echo has currently turned in for the night, and I didn't want to bother her while she's out of the hive. I would have waited until tomorrow, but I'm going to be busy all day then; and really, this should be cleared up as soon as possible. One of you can get her up to speed later.

"So, Skitter, you were researching in the archives about the hive-mind and why it currently has a much larger range than normal?"

Nodding in confirmation, she says, "Yes, I've never had any reason to research it before now, so I was hoping there might be an easy answer for it, but..." she frowns, continuing, "it's been exceedingly difficult to find any relevant information about it in the archives."

"Well, sorry about this, but I'm about to make it even harder for you," I say, then clarifying before she can respond, "I'm not on your world."

"What?" she asks with wide-eyed confusion, "You're not on Equis?"

"That must be the name of your planet? Then, yes, I'm on a planet called Earth, and the only sapient species here is humanity." I say, then smirk, "Although, I guess that's not entirely true now because of me.

"And before you ask, yes, I'm completely sure. We have mapped out every landmass and have even been to space to confirm that; there's no continent of ponies here."

"But how is that possible?," she asks with a slightly distressed look, "I couldn't have gone that far in the dream realm before I found you."

"We have an alien queen," Fractal says to herself quietly with a grin, "that's awesome."

Maul looks over to Skitter and says, "Maybe the dream realm doesn't treat distance the same way we thought it does."

"Maybe, and for all we know, the distance might not even be a valid factor," she starts messaging her head with her hooves, "we know next to nothing about the dream realm, really; the scroll only told us how to get there to use the transference spell-stones."

Grift raises a hoof and asks, "So what does this all mean?"

"I already had a theory," I reply, "that rather than just being on different planets, we are in two different universes that happen to be parallel and share the same dream space. Building on that, though, if in the case that distance is a factor in the dream realm, maybe the distance between our universes is just very short."

Skitter looks up at me with a thoughtful expression, "I suppose, the theory seems sound," then sighs with a frown, "but every theory that we could come up with is just conjecture right now, at least until we can learn more, and I have the feeling that our small archive isn't going to hold the answer.

"In the end, what this means," she says, looking over to Grift, "is that our hive isn't going to have the physical presence of a queen for the foreseeable future."

The group mulls over that information for a bit before Fractal adds, "Well, at least we have a queen and a hive-mind now, right? It's more than what we could've said a week ago."

"That's true, and we should be thankful and not take that for granted," Skitter conceded, "But, regardless..."

Turning to me, she asks, "My Queen, with your permission, I'd like to go on a research trip to the pony city of Manehattan."

"What's in Manehatten?" I ask. Odd, that sounds suspiciously similar to Manhattan...

"It holds Equestria's second-largest library; if I want to find any answers, right now it's the best possible place to do so," she explained, "Of course, the absolute largest is in Canterlot, but I won't be going there for obvious reasons."

"Right," I agreed, "I have no problem with that, and it definitely sounds like a good idea. When you actually get there and start the research, I'd also like you to report your findings every night."

"Thank you, My Queen. I'll head out tomorrow after I go through the archives one last time in case I missed anything."

"Don't forget," Maul interjected, "You might have to travel above-ground on your way back, depending on how the wards are coming along."

She thinks for a moment, then says, "I won't be bringing back anything more than my notes, so that shouldn't be a big issue."

A contemplative silence followed, as no one else had anything to say on the matter, giving me some time to start sorting my thoughts out—

"So, are we going to have a second hive on your world, then?" Fractal suddenly asks me, tilting her head.

'Uh...what?" I manage to stumble out, caught off-guard by her question.

"If you aren't going to be here any time soon, that means all the new changelings will be born over there, and they've got to have a hive to grow up in." Fractal finishes, oblivious to my growing discomfort.

"New changelings... probably wouldn't be a good idea at the moment," I nervously chuckle, guessing at what she's getting at, "I mean, I'm in the middle of a big city, there's not really any safe places to plop down a hive, heh.

"And," I hastily continue, a thought occurring to me, "I'm the only changeling here, so it's not like it's really possible to have any new changelings." That seems like a good enough excuse—

"Oh, changelings don't reproduce through insemination," Skitter brings up, "instead, similar to many insect species, the queen lays all the eggs to populate the hive."

"I see, how... convenient," I say with a barely contained grimace.

"Though technically," she continues, "drones can lay eggs too, but we're not really built for that; doing so more than once is very damaging to the body."

"Ouch," I wince, "I can see why you'd need a queen, then."

"Among other reasons..." she nods, then continues, "We will need to sort out the secondary-hive issue sooner rather than later because, for you, laying eggs isn't completely voluntary. As a queen, the natural processes of your body will notice the absence of drones and will work to fix that."

"Seriously?" I whine, putting my head in my hooves, "Can I at least delay it somehow?"

"I'm pretty sure that abstaining from consuming emotions will make the body prioritize energy preservation, but," she holds up her hole-riddled leg, "having your fire literally eat your limbs to sustain it is not a pleasurable experience; I wouldn't recommend it."

"Damn..." I mutter as I look down at my own smooth legs and imagine them also covered in holes, "So what's the limit; how many eggs do I have to lay before it's no longer automatic?"

"I don't know," she slowly says, thinking, "Chrysalis was always on a schedule of four to five eggs every other week, but I think that was intentional for increasing the size of the invasion force."

Maul growls under his breath, "And that's where most of the energy reserves always went."

"So what am I supposed to do? I live in a small, two-bedroom apartment that's in a highly-populated area while currently holding a nine-to-five job—I assume they'll need constant attention just like any other children, and it's literally just me here alone, can't hire a nanny—I'd have to beg my boss to let me work from home permanently, something that he's never really liked to allow outside of emergencies, or I'd have to quit. Sure, I have a decent amount in savings, but that's not going to last long with how much the average rent is in this area, so inevitably I'd have to move anyway—Holy Shit, the process of moving out is already a nightmare within itself, now I have to throw in the impossible task of smuggling out a bunch of young changelings without anyone noticing. Then my family is going to wonder why I uprooted my life, ended my career, and disappeared while giving no warning—"

My frantic rant was suddenly cut off as I felt Fractal gently hug me from the side; I must have not noticed her move when I was distracted by the impending doom of being a parent. I sigh, slowly coming back from the madness I had been waging upon myself and leaning into her hug, returning it.

"You're not alone," she quietly says, "not anymore."

Holding back tears, I reply, "Thank you."

We sit there like that for a while, until I remember that everyling is still here. Turning to them with an embarrassed look, I'm met with a mixture of concern and sadness.

Clearing my throat, I say, "Sorry—I think I'll just hold off on that for as long as I can, at least until I start getting... holes; It's probably for the best, anyway."

Skitter replies with a small smile, "Very well; and don't worry, we will figure this out together, no matter what. Perhaps I'll even get lucky and find everything we need in a couple of days of research."

I let out a sharp laugh, "Yeah, maybe, that would be nice," then, looking around to each of them, continue, "Anyway, let's call it a night here. I know I just slept the day away in a pod, but I need to make sure I don't mess up my sleep schedule for work."

"Very well, My Queen, and goodnight," Maul says with a small bow, "As always, we'll be here if you have need of us."

"Uh, same..." Grift says, mirroring him. They both get up then disappear from the hive-mind.

"Me too," Skitter says with a chuckle, "I've got a long day of travel tomorrow, so I'll only be able to talk outside of the hive-mind then."

"Alright," I nod to her, "Sleep well, Skitter."

Thank you, My Queen; you as well," she says, then disappears.

It was then I realize that I was still holding on to Fractal like a teddy bear, and I mutter out, "S-so, um, I suppose I ought to get to bed, and I'm sure you need to also."

Fractal lets out a hum of agreement, but even so, neither of us moves. She then looks up and asks, "Would you like to have me for company tonight?"

My first reaction is to just say no thanks, but after I consider it more, I feel like sharing the night with someone would do me some good. It's something I never get to do, really.

"Actually, I think I'd like that; and, here..." I finally let her go and face toward a wall. Activating my editing-sense, I add a small den in the throne room that dips down a little with a half of it forming a bubble into the wall itself.

As we walk over to it, I say, "This is now the hive's cuddle lounge; its purpose, I think, is self-explanatory."

Giggling, she says, "I'm sure it'll be a popular place to hang out if those beds are as soft as they look." Jumping onto one of the giant cushions, she sighs in contentment.

I make my way down and lay next to her, slightly proud of how nice I managed to make the area feel. She rolls over into my embrace and, for the den's namesake, cuddle in the pleasant silence. A pang of longing hits me as I recognize how much I've always wanted this; to just merely bask in the presence of someone you care for and who cares for you in turn. It's a little jarring to acknowledge that I've only known them all for such a short period of time, but, despite that fact, the comfort I feel when I'm with them makes it all worth it, I think.

What an odd thing it is that my reality has become.