If there was one thing the changeling jungle was known for, it was hot, sweltering rain. It fell so heavily that Twilight Sparkle was half convinced that there was an ocean above the Summit’s amphitheater. The rain slid towards the sheer drop offs at the far sides of the room, which would make keeping one’s footing rather difficult on the slippery waxed floors, were it not for the changelings’ wall walking ability.

The gathered royals sat impatiently as Cadista addressed them with Twilight standing slightly behind her. Despite being the center of attention, Twilight couldn’t help but to scan those in attendance. Of the original twelve queens that were present in her first Summit, three were gone. Only one of the other proto-queens from the first summit had obtained the mantle of queen.

Speaking of which, I’d better pay attention.

The storm raging above them was near deathly silent thanks to Silandrus’ enchantments. This allowed Cadista to be heard with ease. Twilight was partially glad that she had missed her mother’s opening statement, it was long and tedious, and she’d heard it in rehearsal so much that she was sick of it.

“I, Queen Cadista of the hive Stripped Gear, deem my daughter and heir, Twilight Sparkle, fit to assume the mantle of queen. My tribute to the Home Guard has been paid, and thus I request of this Summit that my heir be given the title she so rightly deserves.”

Twilight suffered it all with poise and grace. This is what…the fifth time she’s had to readdress herself like that in the past twenty minutes? Cadista’s words were not her own, she would have been more flattering given the choice, but tradition demanded it. Oddly enough, it was one of a scant few Silandrus did not cut corners off for the sake of time.

The gathered royals turned to the lone Home Guard drone who approached the speaking floor with his head lowered in reverence. “I attest that Queen Cadista’s tribute of eggs and supplies is satisfactory.”

Twilight glanced at Chrysalis, who had a mocking grin on her face. It went unsaid, but Twilight knew why Chrysalis and several others scoffed at Cadista’s tribute. I’ll probably hear the same nonsense about egg failure rates myself. Why do you think we use incubators?

Silandrus remained impassive to the other queens. “Very well, the floor recognizes Twilight Sparkle.” Cadista reclaimed her seat as Twilight took her mother’s place at the center of the chamber. Silandrus studied the purple changeling intently, seeking for doubt, apprehension, and fear. She found a mixture of the three, as was expected. “It feels as if it was only a week ago that you first darkened these halls, Twilight Sparkle,” she stated evenly, as if the rain wasn’t bothering her in the slightest.

“Four years doesn’t seem so long anymore.”

Silandrus grunted amusingly at the former unicorn. “No, I’d imagine it wouldn’t.” She could see some of the royals grumble about Silandrus’ hypocrisy for wasting time with small talk. I’m old and weathered, I’m entitled to it. Nevertheless, she had no desire to compound the matter. “The mantle of queendom is not to be taken lightly. You must always act to advance the changeling race, no matter what previous loyalties you once held. Do you swear to this?”

Twilight nodded slowly. “I am a changeling first and foremost, as is my allegiance.”

“Good. Now, what have you to offer in payment for this elevation in status?”

Unlike Cadista, Twilight had to offer something to the changeling queendoms as a whole, rather than just the Home Guard. “I offer the gift of knowledge,” Twilight answered flatly as she prepared herself for backlash, “I have evidence pointing to distinct possibility that the Cresnox Jungle is not the birthplace of our race.”

Stunned silence, gasps of astonishment, and a few scornful barbs was the Summit’s immediate response. Changelings cared little about the past, save for one thing.

“Blasphemy!”

“What evidence?!”

“What kind of tribute is that?”

“You can’t be serious.”

Twilight weathered a half dozen other insults before Silandrus slammed her gavel for silence. She glowered at the lavender changeling, who was doing an admirable job at hiding her anxiety. “The Ebony Castle has stood for eons as the birthplace of our race. Your evidence better be convincing indeed if you wish to ever see your crown.”

Had tradition not dictated silence from the other queens at this moment, Twilight would have been shouted out of the room by the more zealous royals. “It is.” Twilight summoned a satchel full of water resistant scrolls. “I discovered ancient records in the lower levels of Stripped Gear, Kreesus’ palace, and eight hive ruins which indicate that our kind migrated here before the Ebony Castle was built. I made copies for everypony, should you want them.”

Silandrus glanced at Kreesus, who nodded in affirmation of Twilight’s claim. She liked to think of herself as a sensible individual, but even then, Twilight’s theory was hard to accept. “When it comes to the past, there is little we queens concern ourselves with. Why should we accept your evidence or your theory?”

Half of the other royals muttered their agreement. Chrysalis shared the others' displeasure, but kept quiet about it. Twilight Sparkle is not to be underestimated, she had to know this would be our reaction.

True to form, Twilight did have a follow up. “Because I plan on locating artifacts of our birthplace, and then donate them to the Home Guard. If I find enough, I can give some to every queen present here today. That should meet your satisfaction.”

The grumbling in the chamber returned. Only this time, it was out of intrigue, rather than outrage. Silandrus listened to it all, noticing the shift, but her gaze never left the purple supplicant. Having a genuine artifact of the real homeland would be necessary, should her theory be correct. “Those artifacts would have served as a better tribute for your crown than a promise would.” She caught herself right as the words left her mouth. “…You mean to search the Ebony Castle for an archive… assuming it has one.”

Twilight waited for the other royals to quiet down. “Correct. As you all know, I’m barred from entering the castle, outside of attending Summits, until I am crowned queen. While the castle may not be our birthplace, it is the oldest hive in the jungle. I’m sure to find a clue to our place of origin.”

I’ve seen supplicants gift knowledge of alchemy, new farming techniques, and knowledge of better love feeding grounds; but that wasn’t enough for her, now was it? This must be her way of affirming her dedication to her new species. Silandrus eyed the bound scroll still held aloft in Twilight’s lavender-orange magic. The younger mare carried herself with something in between fear of rejection and a firm belief that she was right. “Given the nature of your request, I call for a recess. If the Summit finds your evidence and proposal adequate, you will be granted what you seek.”

“I will trust in your collective wisdom.” Twilight levitated her collection of scrolls to each queen present. Some took the offered literature with curiosity, while did so others with begrudging reluctance. One queen snarled at it and smacked the scroll away from her. “I don’t need a recess to come to my decision! This is nothing but blasphemy and an insult! I demand this—this outsider be killed immediately!”

Yeelindrus and a couple others followed suit. “Well said! We cannot forget she’s an Equestrian.” Cadista and her supporters shot Yeelindrus scathing glares, not that she noticed, or cared. “We’re all practically in a love famine thanks to her helping the ponies retrieve their prisoners. There aren’t enough feeding grounds for love collection alone!”

Silandrus slammed her gavel five times just to silence the insufferable nag. “You all know tradition! The mother is held accountable for the actions of the daughter until she becomes a queen herself. But we are not here to discuss the love famine in some of the hives.”

The elder queen allowed herself to sneer at Chrysalis’ merry band before continuing. “We are here to judge if Twilight Sparkle is ready for the weight of her crown.”

Chrysalis had to forcibly restrain Yeelindrus from speaking again. “Hold your tongue, or I’ll have it removed. Equestrian or not, I will NOT be without artifacts of the homeland!”

With the rain laying claim over the awkward silence, Kreesus took to the air. “Going back to the matter at hoof, I for one want to know if we’ve been paying homage to the right queen. We owe it to the First. Whomever that might be.”

“That is all assuming Twilight’s claim is true,” called a more neutral queen. “I propose a different approach.”

She turned to Silandrus, who was still a little miffed about her motion for a recess not getting seconded. This had better be good. “Let’s hear it, Daubera.”

“I propose we grant her the mantle of queen now.” Several voices of complaint and shock threatened to derail her, but Daubera was not so easily cowed. “Twilight Sparkle is to carry out her investigation, and if she finds solid proof that the jungle is not our birthplace, she will carry out her original offer of retrieving artifacts from the real First Mother’s hive.”

“And if she isn’t?” growled a tan-colored queen named Polybia. “I won’t have a blaspheming outsider survive one week with her crown!”

“Then she had better have more than just a token to take its place, or else she will be declared rogue.”

Twilight stiffened at the terms, but said nothing aloud. <Mother, would they do that?!>

Cadista never got a chance to answer, as one of Twilight’s opponents replied by with a snide grin. “I can agree to that. Let the heretic just try to dishonor the First Queen. She protects her own.”

A few of the less superstitious royals cast Polybia a condescending eye, but none of them bothered to speak out, if only to get out of the rain that much faster. Silandrus shared the sentiment. “All in favor of the motion?”

<Are sure you want to do this, Twilight?> Cadista asked worriedly. <We have enough supporters to suspend the summit for another day. There is no redemption after being declared rogue.>

Twilight noticed those in Chrysalis’ camp had already voted to the affirmative. I know what I’m doing. <Yes, mother. I know I can find proof of my theory here in the castle.>

<I pray you’re right.> It took great effort for Cadista to push aside her misgivings and voice her agreement.

Silandrus hummed in curiosity as Cadista and her few supporters voted, thus causing the sideliners to join in. “Then it is unanimous. Twilight Sparkle,” she shouted in a commanding voice refined over many centuries, “by the will of the Summit, you are hereby granted the right to your crown, and any land you can claim as your own. We welcome you into our ranks as an equal, Queen Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight bowed as Cadista levitated an ebony and lavender changeling crown upon her daughter’s head. “Thank you, gathered royals of the changeling nation. I live to advance our race.”

“As do we all!” shouted the Summit in unison.

With no desire for a reception, the royals scattered. Most went home, caring little for Twilight’s research, only the results. Jstrul chased after Chrysalis in a less direct path to the northern docks.

“She could become a serious problem, sister. Her words mean nothing, she is still an Equestrian at heart. Even the blind could see that.”

“You’ve never converted a pony into a drone, have you Jstrul?”

The younger sister hesitated a step before continuing. “No, they’re too individualistic unless their memories are completely wiped clean. Mother demonstrated that to us a dozen times. What of it?”

“The point is, yes, she is an Equestrian at heart. But I’ve watched her carefully every time she’s visited Equestria. I have no doubt she has the mind of a changeling. While she cares about our heritage, Twilight doesn’t have the gall to lie to the Summit, nor to make an effective queen. She is still a scholar, and wouldn’t falsify research like this,” Chrysalis waved the damp scroll for emphasis.

“I see,” Jstrul muttered at length. “So what do we do? How is this going to affect our plans?”

“We’ve waited four years. We can at least wait to see if Twilight’s theory is correct.”

“Fine, I’ll start making contingencies for both outcomes.”

“Good. In the meantime, I have a pot to stir.”

Twilight and Cadista galloped into a side room absolutely drenched, and panting from the jungle heat. Twilight was more than happy to weave a drying spell. Eight drones awaited her, an even split between grey and purple. Twilight’s progeny shared her coat and mane colors exactly, save for the lack of cutie marks. Cadista’s brood had been more or less standing at ease for the past hour, while Twilight’s drones had been caught in the middle of a discussion before all eight snapped to attention at the queens’ arrival.

One of the lavender drones bowed her head to speak after seeing Twilight’s crown. “Congratulations, my Queen. I knew you wouldn’t fail.”

“That still remains to be seen, Riposte.” Twilight admitted with more concern than she intended.

If the purple drones heard her concern, they didn’t show it as they knelt in front of her. “Long live Queen Twilight Sparkle!”

Twilight gave them all a flat look. <You four are so corny when in public its almost embarrassing.> The four tried to hide their mirth, but Twilight was too close to hide it effectively.

Cadista placed a reassuring hoof on Twilight’s withers, snapping her back to the present. “I have faith in you, Queen Twilight Sparkle.” Cadista’s pride was almost oppressive over the Link. “I can’t tell you how proud I am to say those words.”

Twilight nuzzled her mother, taking comfort in her touch. “If only I didn’t need to be a queen, in title, to inspect the castle though. I’d have preferred to wait until I had those artifacts first.”

Cadista’s eyes misted over at seeing the crown on her daughter’s brow. “I know, my dear. I would have conducted the search myself were it not for the Home Guard constantly refusing my requests. I forgot how long of a grudge Captain Cadiz can carry, even from beyond the grave it seems.”

“Its fine, mother. I trust my work, and that of my children.” The four lavender drones beamed with shared pride, Aegis most of all. “All of the old hives have archives, the Ebony Castle shouldn’t be any different. I’m still wondering why keeping them fell out of practice.”

“I have complete faith you’ll find out why,” Cadista encouraged while teasing Twilight’s mane. “Just remember that you can always count on me to be your hive’s lifeline until you can found your colony.”

Twilight locked Cadista into a sidelong hug. “Thank you, mother.” Cadista had never been able to rid herself of being ill at ease at public physical displays of affection, but Twilight always managed to tear through that reservation like wet paper. “…I guess this is where we abide by the tradition of The Divided Path?”

<The other queens don’t need to know our Link remains united. But yes, we shouldn’t give them any reason to suspect anything.>

They separated, with the drones splitting up to stand behind their respective queens. “Until next time, mother.”

“May your reign last four thousand years, Queen Twilight Sparkle.”

It wasn’t a goodbye. Of course it wasn’t a goodbye, their minds were still linked. Twilight remained motionless as Cadista departed down a southern passage to the docks. So why did it still feel like one? With tears dampening her fur, Twilight summoned as much emotional strength as possible to address her four escorts as she turned to leave along a different path to the docks. <Aegis, how’s that checklist for our expedition?>

Twilight’s right-hoof drone quickly conversed with a distant sibling. <Pepper says it's ready to go, and she’s on her fifth recheck of the checklist.>

<Right on schedule.> Twilight felt her emotions start restabilizing as she worked. <Intel, how’s plan B?>

The male drone behind Aegis already had the answer. <I’ve narrowed the list to a few harmless things that should still satisfy the Summit. You could give them two or three just to play it safe.>

<You have the list ready?>

<Broken Piston has it waiting for you in your personal study.>

<Perfect, thank you. Let’s see if we can keep this ball rolling, ponies. Ferrum, how’s—> her request was derailed by Polybia and her escorts barring the way.

“There you are!” she growled hatefully.

Aegis’ squad stood protectively in front of Twilight as the irate queen tried to shove her muzzle in Twilight’s face. She stopped short at the four drones drawing strange cylindrical weapons she had never seen before. “What do you want, Polybia? You can’t touch me here.”

“I come bearing the word of the First Mother. She holds total dominion over the past, and it is not our place to poke our noses where it doesn’t belong, least of all yours. You would do well to respect that, lest you incite her wrath.”

Twilight arched a disbelieving eyebrow. “You wouldn’t happen to be the avatar of that wrath would you?”

Seeing she was in no immediate threat, Twilight silently ordered her escorts’ weapons to be holstered. Some of Polybia’s irritation faded at the correct usage of the phrase. Perhaps she has the heart of a changeling after all. “If necessary, but I would never spill blood on this holy site.” Polybia eyed the hostile drones with contempt, but their weapons brought cold fear into her heart. It was no secret that Stripped Gear fielded exotic weaponry far beyond what anyone else was capable of.

Polybia hid her fear behind a mask of righteousness. “Something I’m surprised an outsider like you would respect. No, the First Queen herself will stop you, one way or another.”

Twilight’s drones pulsed with derisive disbelief at the declaration, a sentiment she shared. “I’m sure if she truly disagrees with my search, she’ll let me know.”

“I have no doubt she will,” Polybia attested. “I have served her in warning you of this sacrilege, I pray whatever part of your mind is truly changeling will make you heed it before the First Mother demands blood.”

Without another word, Polybia and her escorts turned back and departed. She cast a warning eye over her shoulder before turning a corner.

Twilight sighed tiredly, “I could be a thousand years old, and changelings like her would still harp on my old life.”

Her escorts scanned the three other entrances before deeming the area safe, for the moment. <Hey, it lets all of us generate love,> Aegis offered. <I’d rather be a hybrid hive than a pure blood any day.>

“A fair point,” Twilight agreed as her mood improved a bit. “Come on, let’s get out of here before somepony else starts nagging me.”

Twilight managed to evade a couple other queens trying to find her. I really don’t want to talk if I can help it. Room after room, and a half dozen flight shafts later, Twilight’s entourage was within spitting distance of the docks when her least favorite individual of all time was waiting for her, Chrysalis.

“There’s the mare of the hour. It's been too long since we’ve last spoken, Twilight,” she feigned misspeaking. “So sorry, I mean Queen Twilight Sparkle.”

Tempered anger boiled up within the lavender queen, and her escorts shot Chrysalis and her four drones hate-filled glares. Ferrum was barely keeping his weapon holstered, but he was silently begging for Chrysalis to give him a reason. “What do you want, Chrysalis?”

The ebony queen slithered closer to rub a hoof along Twilight’s jaw, only to have it smacked away by Aegis. Instead of getting angry, Chrysalis only laughed at the display. “Why to congratulate you, of course. It's been difficult to accept that the weak pathetic creature who failed to use the Elements of Harmony against me is now my social equal.”

Twilight snorted in disgust. “And yet you were still defeated without them. Don’t try and shove that superiority complex on me, Chrysalis. I still owe you for trying to kill me all those years ago.”

Chrysalis feigned insult. “I had no plans on killing anypony in Canterlot… Oh, you mean that little scuffle that ended with you becoming one of us? I had nothing to do with that,” she replied dismissively.

“Lies!”

“And what proof do you have?” Chrysalis challenged, causing Twilight’s glare to falter. “Last I recall, you still don’t remember what happened that day.”

Twilight became a mask of dangerous energy. “How would you know that?”

“You don’t honestly believe those little trips of yours to Ponyville are in total secret, do you? Ponies talk, tidbits slip, ears listen, and all I have to do is put the pieces together.”

“I still know it was you,” Twilight insisted heatedly. “Nopony else would have reason to try and kill me that day.”

“Really? No one else could have possibly wanted you, the star protégé of the solar diarch, dead? As I recall, Silandrus’ brood was under orders to kill all outsiders in the jungle until after your first Summit.” A dash of confusion washed over the purple changelings. “Sure, I had motive, almost everyone did. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to suck you dry of every scrap of love, before tossing your withered husk to the jungle rats, but it wasn’t me.” A savage sneer crossed her face. “You would have been dead if it was.”

“Can I kill her now, Mother?” Aegis growled. “I can make it look self-inflicted.”

“Not here, Aegis,” Twilight commanded begrudgingly.

Chrysalis scoffed at Aegis’ impotent fury. “I don’t see why you’re so mad, smart drone. Were it not for me, you wouldn’t exist.”

Aegis spat on the floor, a scant inch from Chrysalis’ hoof. “Kiss my flank, Sticky Spit.”

Chrysalis scowled at the drone, and her hoof flashed to break Aegis’ jaw, but it was stopped short a sliver from her face. Aegis didn’t flinch from the near impact, and only smirked at Chrysalis. The irate queen spied the purple and orange aura encasing her hoof before shooting Twilight a withering glare. “How dare you stop me! I am within my rights.”

Twilight forcibly pushed Chrysalis’ hoof away from her daughter. “You will not harm my drones, Chrysalis.”

The ebony queen cast Twilight a look of disappointment and disapproval. “I should have expected you to maintain that Equestrian over-protectiveness of your spawn. It must pain you to know you’ll outlive hundreds if not millions of them over your lifetime.”

“I’ll live. Is there a reason why you’re pestering me?”

With no discernible reaction coming out of Twilight, outside of contempt, Chrysalis switched topics. “There is, actually. I read your literature.” She produced Twilight’s scroll off one of the side tables. “I wanted to give my guarantee of non-interference. Provided you’re right about the First Mother.”

That earned the ebony queen five looks of disbelief. “I’m surprised you care.”

“Of course I care. Any true queen should! So, the stipulation of my non-interference is this: you bring back enough artifacts to fill my personal chambers, or I’ll announce my lack of satisfaction in your coronation tribute. I would be fully within my rights to… engage in aggressive negotiations with you.” A ring of fire encircled Chrysalis. “Good luck, Queen Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight glowered as the ebony queen sank into the floor. “Now that, children, is the textbook example of a bitch.”

“Hear, hear,” they replied in unison.

Twilight slouched in her shuttle’s cabin as it took to the air. In the privacy and safety of the shuttle, her drones dropped most of their hard edge and started gossiping with each other like brothers and sisters Twilight would find in any Equestrian home. Twilight’s disposition strongly advised giving her some quiet time to think. Despite her run-in with Polybia and Chrysalis, Twilight’s mood was uplifted at the sight of her destination. A masterpiece of changeling engineering hung in the air two kilometers from the Ebony Castle.

The S.G.C.S. Ashes of the Phoenix. I couldn’t ask for a better ‘leaving the nest’ present.

The Phoenix was truly a work of art wrapped in steel and steam, stretching just under half a kilometer from bow to stern, and close to a hundred meters at its tallest point. Its steel hull carried twin stripes of orange and lavender across its central axis. Spires, sensor masts, and smoke stacks covered the upper deck like a city in its own right, while numerous armored blisters dotted the hull.

No fewer than thirty steam driven mana conversion engines hung on the Phoenix’s belly. Each one’s propellers glowed majestic lavender and lazily churned the air as they wreathed the ship in artificial pegasus magic. Faint motes of magic danced off the propellers, creating the illusion of a blanketing purple aura under the Phoenix.

Yet for all of its majesty, the Phoenix was not the only source of Twilight’s good spirits. Two thousand changelings, nearly all of them her own, crewed the steel behemoth. There, in the shuttle, with only the dwindling thunderstorm and the tranquilizing vibrations of the shuttle’s engines as her companions, Twilight immersed herself in the hive mind.

The organized chaos of her thousands of children going about their daily lives, plus the seven hundredish in the nursery, including the quiet ones in their chrysalises and eggs, was intoxicating. The ebb and flow of voices, the whirlwind of emotions dancing through the Link, the constant brushes upon her mind from drones seeking a freely given mother’s warmth; all of it was utter heaven for Twilight Sparkle.

To think I used to be alone with my thoughts all those years ago, Twilight sighed contently. Were it not for her obligations, she could spend weeks just listening to and directing the hive mind in utter bliss. I promise to be the best mother and queen possible. Her thoughts drifted to the comically small crown perched on her brow. Too bad I had to give my element up to the Tree of Harmony. I’d prefer wearing that over this thing.

Luckily, the hole in her soul that the element left behind had been rapidly filled by the hive mind. Rarity would have a fit saying it doesn’t look good on me. Speaking of which…

The shuttle slid into one of the Phoenix’s many hangars, allowing Twilight to disembark, only to find a huge gathering of purple drones cheering wildly, with two particular ponies standing at the forefront of the celebration.

At the same time, the hive mind exploded in congratulatory praise, sending Twilight reeling at the suddenness of it. Everywhere she looked, her drones filled the hangar while singing her praises both vocally and in the Link. <“I knew you guys were planning a celebration, but right here in the hangar?”> She said both vocally to her pony friends, and over the Link so all could hear.

Rarity cantered over, with Rainbow Dash hovering nearby. Both were adorned with party hats and confetti. “Well, Darling, I wanted to hold it in the reception hall like you requested, but—”

“But,” Rainbow brashly interrupted, “that place is way too small! You’d be lucky to get thirty ponies in there, max!”

Twilight was bombarded with congratulations, both mentally and in the physical world. Everywhere she looked, Twilight found her children beaming smiles back at her. The sheer volume of them over the Link was trivial to handle, but the vocalized accolades threw her off balance. “A fair point.”

<“Well then, as my first act as an official queen, I decree everypony to have fun during the celebration!”>

The crowd redoubled its manic cheering and parted for Twilight, allowing her to trot over to the party buffet with her pony friends in tow. This was more than just a once and a lifetime event, this was their mother returning a fully recognized queen, and they were officially a new hive. To say they were ecstatic was a gross understatement.

“You know I don’t care for formal events.”

“I can’t imagine why, Twilight, you’re a queen now! Sure your king-er-hive may be limited to an airship for the moment, a rather smashing one I might add, give my gratitude to the interior designer,” Rarity rattled off topic.

Both Rainbow and Twilight gave Rarity an incredulous look. “Um Rares, the whole place is pretty bare bones on the interior decoration department. I’m surprised you didn’t faint when you came onboard.”

Rarity accepted a generously offered cup of punch from a drone. “Queen Twilight informed me of the issue ahead of time, so I was able to prepare myself. Besides, it's not what the ship’s lacking that’s got me all aflutter, but the potential it has! The walls are just begging for the artistic touch!” She almost fainted at the sheer number of possibilities.

Twilight took her crown off and gave it a forlorn inspection. “You know you can drop the titles around me, Rarity. It doesn’t feel right having my friends address me as such,” or my children outside of serious situations, for that matter. “I only wish the others could have made it.”

“I suppose, though it’s a serious travesty not to, if you ask me. But I guess I can allow it, what with us not being your subjects after all, but honestly, Darling, Queen Twilight Sparkle has such a lovely ring to it, don’t you think? It has an air of power and mysticism about it.”

“Pah, Twi or Twilight for me, ain’t no way this egghead’s ever going to want anypony calling her queen. Not in our lifetimes anyway.”

Rainbow Dash’s offhanded comment soured Twilight' good cheer a little. No, Twilight, don’t spoil the mood. You’ve known about this for years! Just enjoy the time you have. Acceptance of her prolonged lifespan, compared to her friends and drones, was slow to come by over the years, but it was there.

Rarity watched Twilight’s internal struggle, but didn’t comment when the lavender queen’s smile remained genuine, albeit a little weaker. “It is a pity the others couldn’t come as well. Pinkie’s foal’s a hooffull. I dare say the little rascal almost tops my sister in that category.” Both other mares could hear the fondness in Rarity’s tone.

“Did she ever find out who the father is?” Rainbow asked between bites of an orange.

“Rainbow, show some tact! A lady doesn’t spread that sort of gossip.”

“Sure you don’t.” Rainbow Dash muttered tersely. “Well, given the Cake twins, she can handle it. Not like Twi here,” she jabbed, both physically and verbally. “I think you took the whole ‘settle down and have a family’ a step or twenty too far, eh?”

A flat look and an impressive eye roll was Twilight’s only response due to Ratchet coming into her field of view as he trotted over in grease-stained overalls. He was easily the tallest drone in the room, almost as tall as Twilight herself. It was a natural side effect of being consort to the queen. “Hey, honey, how’s my favorite chief engineer?”

He tilted his head. “I’m your only chief engineer.”

“Doesn’t mean you’re not my favorite,” she teased back with a coy grin. “But I have to ask, why did you come like that?” she asked, pointing at his filthy work clothes.

“Sorry I'm so late. I was caught up in fixing the transmission shaft between engines B12 and C6. I thought I'd pop my head in before going back to wash up.”

<Ratchet, you’re sweaty and covered in engine oil and grease,> she purred while leering at him. <You couldn’t be sexier if you tried.> Twilight wrapped her hooves around him, and planted a long hungry kiss on him.

Several nearby drones hooped and hollered at the display, Rainbow Dash included, making Ratchet blush furiously. The lone grey drone didn’t know why, but Twilight seemed to lose her social reservations around him at the oddest times. <How could I forget with all that role playing we do?>

Twilight erupted in laughter so hard she had to cover her mouth. <Speaking of which, you have an appointment with me in our quarters tonight.>

The coronation celebration ended all too soon. There was an investigation to get underway, after all. Not to mention several queens salivating at the prospect of her being declared rouge. Twilight cantered towards the bridge with Rainbow and Rarity tagging along. “I’m glad you decided to come, Rarity, sneaking visits to Ponyville’s been tough with getting the Phoenix prepared. But now that it’s airborne, I can bring the whole family to visit once I deal with this expedition.”

“Oh posh, think nothing of it, Darling. Truth be told, I’m glad I accepted, really I am, the functional artistry of it all is simply dazzling. I’ve already got a whole line with your high technology motif all planned out. But I must say, I’m not exactly sure what kind of vessel this is. It doesn’t feel like warship, yet I saw several… ordnance on my way in a few days ago.”

“The Phoenix was originally a last ditch evacuation vessel Cadista kept around in case she ever needed to evacuate the hive, hence the name. She gave it to me and I’ve had it refitted to be a colony ship,” Twilight answered with a proud smile. “I’ve made it out to be a fully functional city in the air. The armament’s only meant for self-defense. I wouldn’t dream of taking her into battle.”

Rainbow glanced at Rarity in shared confusion. “Are you kidding? Those guns could bring down any Equestrian airship in one second flat, let alone a griffin destroyer. Besides, what’s a colony ship?”

Twilight decided to ignore the weapon comment. It really wasn’t designed for combat, at least, not anymore. “Well, I’m not exactly sure where to settle my hive, and it's not feasible to remain airborne forever. When I find a suitable location, the ship can land where I need it. The plus side is that it's carrying all kinds of construction equipment and can provide every service a growing hive needs to expand.”

“So do you have any land in mind? I hope you’re not planning on trying to take over some of that horrid jungle down there.”

Twilight tittered at Rarity’s dramatic upturned snout at a landscape below. “I’m not sure yet. I actually wanted to ask the Princesses about that.”

“Why would—” Rainbow Dash started before jumping into the air to hover in front of Twilight. “You want to colonize Equestria?!”

“I haven’t told anypony outside of Cadista and my children, but yes, actually. I wanted my hive to be Equestrian citizens.” And for me to be one again.

Rainbow cringed while letting out a nervous laugh. “Um, you may want to definitely check with the Princesses then. Not everypony’s going to welcome changelings.”

“I feel for Princess Celestia,” Rarity started with a sigh. “She’s been trying so hard to smooth things out between changelings and ponykind, but some places have gotten even worse with fear and distrust.”

“Her letters told me she’s had all kinds of success though,” Twilight insisted. “It’s been well over four years since the wedding invasion.” I mean sure she said some places still need work, but…

“Well, I can vouch for Ponyville at least,” Rainbow Dash declared with pride. “’Lings like Rose, Junebug, and a few others have really showed the town how great changeling neighbors can be. But… the entire time I was on tour with the Wonderbolts in Manehattan and the entirety of Prance, we had to go through daily screenings to make sure we weren’t ‘Ling infiltrators. As if anypony could ever hope to replace me, of all ponies!”

Twilight grimaced at the Wonderbolt lieutenant’s words. “Was it really that bad?”

Rainbow landed with a huff. “I got shafted on promotion to captain because I wouldn’t say you were only a passing acquaintance. Ponies forget about the Elements real quick now that we don’t have them anymore. So, yeah, it's that bad out there.”

“Oh my gosh, Dash! Why didn’t you tell me you were passed up because of me!”

“Because it wasn’t important to tell you until now,” she replied while brushing off any more sympathy. Although she didn’t stop her friends from giving her a short hug.

“Heavens, Darling, didn’t the Princesses say anything about that?” Rarity asked once Rainbow pushed them off of her.

“Oh, believe me, Luna had some serious words with a whole bunch of ponies, and I think one or two noble houses were stripped from their titles.” Rainbow replied with a vindictive sneer. “Spitfire was being pressured to keep me from replacing her, she’s near retirement age for the Bolts, after all. ‘Course, that didn’t stop her from pointing out those that leaned on her to do it. Then again, I only told the Princess there were some serious bigots in the higher ranks, not that it cost me a promotion, it would have felt dirty to take it that way.”

Twilight wiped a few tears away. “I’m so sorry, Rainbow, I know how much it means to you.”

Rainbow Dash shot the lavender queen a stern glare. “Don’t apologize for who you are, Twi. You haven’t done anything wrong, and your hive’s chill in my book. But…” Her anger lost its edge. “I was this close to being just like them. If it had been somepony else who had been turned into a ‘Ling, I might have been in their shoes, ya know? It sickens me.”

Twilight smothered her cyan friend in an even tighter hug, which was quite the easy feat given her size. She couldn’t stop the river of tears, nor did she want to. “T-thank you, Rainbow, for everything.”

She was about to wiggle free of the emotional queen, before Rarity silently shook her head. The things I endure for friendship. Even with Rarity’s prodding, there was only so much hugging Rainbow could take before gently pulling away from Twilight. “You mope around anymore and you’ll end up stuck that way. Don’t we have a castle to invade?”

“If only you could,” Twilight replied while trying to compose herself. “But I can’t take you with me. Queens only. I was able to talk the Home Guard captain into allowing me to take a couple dozen ‘escorts’, rather than the usual four.”

“Ah, nuts!” Rainbow groaned while kicking the wall. “Are you sure? Maybe I could go disguised as drone.”

“I’m actually surprised you want to go at all. The whole trip’s going to be me searching for a records archive and doing weeks’ worth of research. I mean, it sounds exhilarating to me, but…” she trailed off so she wouldn’t insult her friend.

She needn’t have worried, as any insult didn’t register. “Sure, you could do all the boring stuff with the books, but how cool would it be to be the first pony to ever step hoof inside an ancient changeling castle! I could be the next Daring Do!”

“Rainbow, are you forgetting Twilight is a pony?”

Rainbow’s manic grin faltered, but Twilight only giggled in response. “It's quite alright, girls, I’m comfortable with what I am. You don’t have to tiphoof around the subject.”

Rarity shot Twilight a searching gaze. I know she was about to call it an issue, but perhaps it's just me. “I suppose not, Twilight. In any case, you’re at least allowed to take pictures, right?”

Twilight tapped her chin in thought. “As much as the captain objected, I convinced him that I would have to take books or artifacts out of the castle, so yes.”

“Wonderful, Darling, please take some of any artwork you find, if it's not too much trouble of course, clothing preferably.” Rarity batted her best pleading eyelashes.

“I’ll see what I can smuggle back for you.”

“Oh you’re too kind, Darling.” Twilight’s warm smile caused her fangs to catch a glint of light. “Twilight.”

“Yes?”

“I just remembered a question Fluttershy wanted me to ask you, but I’ve been so wrapped up in this lovely flying castle of yours and I got distracted.”

Twilight chuckled, feeling a swell of pride from the compliment. “Thank you, she’s a beauty, isn’t she?”

“Very. Anyway,” Rarity paused to tap her chin. “Fluttershy was wondering why changelings have fangs.”

That got a couple of puzzled looks from Rainbow and Twilight. “Why would them having fangs mean anything special? Oh! Do you guys have poison? Or is it called venom?”

“W-what?! No, we don’t have poisonous fangs!” Twilight blanched before actually dwelling on the question. “Well… I don’t have venom, and as far as I know, none of the other hives do. I’m sure mother would have told me when she taught me about the other hives.”

“Well, Fluttershy found it odd when you said you’re the only hive that eats meat…what was the word she used again?”

“Omnivore,” Rainbow Dash answered instantly, receiving a couple of bemused looks. “What? I hung around Stripped Gear for like a year.” She stuck her tongue out. “I pick up on things too, ya know.”

“Fair enough, Rainbow. As for her question… it doesn’t make sense for herbivores to have fangs.” Twilight sent a query to Cadista, only to be disappointed by the answer. “Mother doesn’t know either. As far as she knows, we’ve always had them.”

Rarity huffed. “Oh well, just another mystery of life, I suppose. So, who’s up for afternoon tea?”

“Pass, I’ve got a training session with Throttle and the gang, see you later!”

“Sorry, Rarity, but I have a lot of prep work to do if I want to get this expedition off the ground first thing in the morning.”

“Oh, that’s quite alright, dear, I—” the pair passed into a small shopping area, complete with summer festive decorations. One extolling a flower laden hat caught Rarity’s eye. “Inspiration!!! I guess that tea will have to wait, good luck on your trip, Twilight! Bring back lots of picturrrrres!”

Rarity’s idle chatter faded to inaudible ramblings as the fashionista wandered into the store and promptly unloaded all kinds of questions on the unwitting clerk. Twilight remained outside to watch for a few seconds before happily shaking her head and continuing on. Rough spots or not, I know Celestia and Luna will welcome my hive, and we’ll all be stronger for it.

Her thoughts drifted to her study. But first, I have to know who the real First Mother is, or at the very least, where she used to live. If not for the hives, than at least for myself.

Her path brought her over to a large window granting a sweeping view of the Ebony Castle now that the rain was letting up. Hidden somewhere in its walls were the answers she sought. “After all, she’s my First Mother now too, and she deserves proper recognition.”

Author's Notes:

Twilight's hive theme

Future proof: the hive theme song is Radiant Historia - "Mechanical Kingdom

Official poster brought to you by Lady GryphonInia