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- >Many days have passed in peace and relative comfort, here in the Changeling Hive.
- >You’d guess it’s been about a week since you were first freed,
- >and as you’ve settled in to your new life, your relationships with your lovers have really matured –
- >particularly with one very special Changeling, who,
- >on this bright and cool morning, you currently find yourself arguing with.
- “I’m just saying –“
- >”I know what you’re saying! I just… why can’t you at least try for a little while?”
- “And starve myself? It would be like you being forced to ignore me for a few days.”
- >”It’s not the same –“
- “Yes it is. It’s exactly the same. I feed on Changelings and you feed on me.
- The difference is that I can’t sustain myself on just you.”
- >You can see tears welling in his eyes.
- >”I-I love you, though…”
- >God, this is hard. You wrap your arms around him, bringing him in for an embrace.
- “I love you too. So, so much.”
- >You feel yourself being drained, though he is careful not to exhaust you.
- >You still don’t really understand Changeling nutrition very well,
- >and this little guy probably throws even Chrysalis for a loop;
- >he loves you and you love him, and your mutual adoration is what keeps him alive.
- “Hey…”
- >”Yeah?”
- “Let’s go somewhere. Just you and me; spend a day without any other drones to distract us.”
- >”Really? But what about –“
- “It’s just one day. Besides, you guys’ seed is really rich, I probably spoil myself on it as is.”
- >”Does that mean I could feed you on my own?”
- “Now now, I didn’t say that…”
- >You pull him up for a kiss, petting him behind the ear as you slide your tongue along his razor-sharp canines,
- >tracing each in turn as he weakly protests against your assault with his,
- >thin and serpentine and oh-so pleasant to the touch.
- >You have a strong compulsion to throw him down and ravish him.
- >”Aww, okay.”
- >You grab your fur cloak, a gift of Chrysalis, from its resting place;
- >loose, rugged and rather shaggy, it appears to be Griffon-made,
- >if the jet-black hair of some large mammalian predator is any indication.
- >Ponies have neither the necessity nor the inclination to make such a thing,
- >and regardless, it’s far too large for any but the biggest stallions.
- >Draping it over your nude form, your lover eyes you giddily;
- >you’ve not yet had an occasion to pose for him, you realize.
- “How do I look?”
- >”Beautiful…”
- “I was going for handsome, but thanks.”
- >You plant a kiss on his forehead, and the two of you step out of the chamber.
- >Being so early, the Hive is largely quiet; you realize you’ve never quite seen it in full swing,
- >considering your time is always occupied by servicing the drones who want to make use of you.
- >The drones who have currently afflicted your favorite companion with a spot of jealousy.
- >Oh well. He’s completely justified in his feelings, but you don’t think there’s anything you can do.
- >Changelings don’t eat food, after all, but they do produce it, in all its warm, slimy, tasty…
- >”Hey, what’s it like outside the Hive?”
- “Huh?”
- >That was out of nowhere.
- >”I’ve never been out… they say I’m not very strong. We don’t usually leave unless we’re on expeditions.
- “I see. Well, you’ll see soon enough, though we’ll probably just take a quick walk.
- I can’t remember what this place looks like from the outside – it must be huge.”
- >”Yeah.”
- >You make your way through the passages closest to the ground,
- >following behind the young Changeling as he trots and hovers through winding black tunnels of shimmering chitin.
- “You *do* know where we’re going, right?”
- >”Of course. We all know where the exit is.”
- “I don’t.”
- >”Well, you’re not a Changeling, silly.” He rubs affectionately against your side,
- >but you just shake your head.
- >The Hive is big, but it’s no labyrinth. After a few more minutes of walking,
- >you come upon a chamber larger than the rest; light streams in through irregular oval apertures,
- >and a single armored hunk stands beside an open passage at one end.
- >He appears startled at seeing you.
- >”Human! What are you doing here?”
- “We’re going out for a walk. I haven’t seen the sun in months, remember?”
- >”Um, well, that’s certainly your right, sir,
- >but protocol dictates that all entrance and egress must be approved in advance by Her Highness the Queen.
- >“Oh, come on! Even just for a little trip?”
- >The guard looks frustrated with your dronefriend.
- >”You may not realize this, youngling, but the Hive is a military installation. For all of our safety –
- >”Oh, calm down, child.”
- >Chrysalis’s booming voice is enough to silence all in the room;
- >you turn to see her alighting behind you, an annoyed expression on her regal face.
- >”Human, drone, I give you my authorization to freely leave and return,
- >now and at any future point you see fit.”
- >She strides past you to the guard on duty.
- >”Soldier, while I appreciate your adherence to procedure,
- >you shall make an exception for these two, and tell your fellow guards the same.
- >They are a special case.”
- >”O-of course, Your Highness.”
- >”Good, now leave us for a moment. I would like to speak with them in private.”
- >”Yes, Your Highness.” The guard scurries off, leaving your Queen facing the two of you at the doorway.
- “If I may, Your Highness, why are you giving us special permission?”
- >”You are my guest, human. I’ll not have you accosted by my guards in the typical manner.”
- “Right… instead, a rather atypical manner…”
- >”Hmph. You seem to have taken to it rather well.”
- “I got there.”
- >”Might I ask where you are headed?”
- >You rub your hand along your drone lover’s shoulder.
- “We wanted a day to ourselves, really. Thought it’d be nice to see the surroundings,
- and what the Hive looks like from outside for a change.”
- >”It is a magnificent sight, human. I hope you enjoy yourselves –
- >I have business to attend to, so if you’ll excuse me.”
- “Of course, Your Highness.”
- >You can’t quite place it, but there was something about the Queen that seemed a bit… off.
- >A certain… cast to her features, maybe?
- >You don’t really know. You’re probably just reading too much into it.
- >Your Changeling friend rubs against your cloak as his mother canters off.
- >”You ready to go?”
- “If you are.”
- >He stays close to you as you stride through the entryway,
- >a twisting and narrow passage that slopes upward at a moderate incline;
- >the entrance hall must’ve been underground.
- >Your first sight of the early-morning sun in over a year almost overwhelms you;
- >a throbbing, searing pain blazes in your eyes as you look away,
- >huddled against the chitinous walls of the Hive that is your home.
- >”Hey… you okay?”
- “It’s the sun. Don’t tell me you’re fine.”
- >You peek over at your boyfriend.
- >”Doesn’t seem that bad. What’s wrong?”
- “It’s… it’s nothing. Must’ve adjusted to the Hive a bit too well.”
- >He peers into your eyes with an adorable, childlike curiosity.
- >”Weird.”
- >The two of you fully climb out onto the surface.
- >You peek back at the open air and lay your eyes upon the Badlands;
- >a ruddy, rocky desert miles away from anything resembling civilization,
- >the Changeling Hive a solitary black haven situated in its vast and dead expanse.
- >Not really your idea of a pleasant outing, but it’s what you’ve got to work with.
- >”Wow… it’s so pretty.”
- “What? You kidding? It’s hot as hell out here, and we’re both wearing black.”
- >”You’re the one who wanted to go outside! Besides, I’m not a warm-blood. Doesn’t affect me.”
- “Well good for you.”
- >You peer into the distance, making out a chain of mountains several miles off.
- >That must be Equestria…
- >Gosh, what was Equestria even like?
- >”Wow…”
- >You look over at him as he cranes his neck, staring up at your home; you do the same.
- >For all of the Badlands’ stark beauty, the Hive is something else altogether –
- >rising at least two hundred feet into the air, like an oval lodged into the solid earth,
- >its solid black surface, impenetrable apart from irregular apertures and sharp, threatening spines,
- >it all just leaves you speechless.
- “Hey, maybe we could go get a better look?”
- >”Huh? Um, yeah, okay.”
- >He seems almost weary to pry himself away from his home, and you don’t blame him.
- >The Badlands are not exactly hospitable,
- >especially compared to the cool, damp caverns you’ve come to know and love.
- >You catch sight of a hill a quarter mile off that juts out in a sort of outcropping,
- >and the concave little hollow it forms seems like a good enough resting spot.
- >A short and uncomfortably barefoot walk later, the two of you have made your way to the bottom of the hill,
- >shaded as you had hoped, and take seats on a boulder you happen to find.
- >The Hive from this angle is a bit less overwhelming, but every bit as impressive;
- >its twisting, slender spires, set against the backdrop of an endless open sky,
- >are an uncanny reminder of the shape of a Changeling’s –
- >”How do you think it was built?”
- “Huh? You would know that better than I would.”
- >He looks up at you, laid out on the rock, and you drape him in your spacious coat.
- >”They don’t tell common drones stuff like that…”
- “Well, maybe we can ask Chrysalis. She must’ve been involved, right?”
- >”Hmm, I dunno. She isn’t the first Queen, though she’s older than most of us.
- >Changelings have been around for a really long time.”
- “I see. It’s a nice home.”
- >”Yeah, I like it too.”
- >…
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