Max frowned as he watched Crystal sitting at the breakfast table, no interest in the plate ahead of her aside from making Luna happy by eating a little. While Luna may have dismissed it as nerves, Crystal's reasoning was wide open to him. She wasn't interested. Without the filters that pulled from his memories and thoughts she just lacked the drive to try foods. She was right back to square one.

Almost back to square one. Crystal still trusted Luna. She still trusted her alpha, and by extension didn't think Max would actually do anything to hurt her. It didn't mean the queen was any less scared, but the shape shifter was drawing her strength from that. She also apparently saw Celestia as an alternate authority, someone else she could ask questions of if she needed to. That was an improvement even if she was having trouble still seeing him as approachable.

The time in the dream hive had been less than helpful. Crystal was extremely submissive the entire time he spoke to her, as if her very presence offended him. Digging a little deeper into her memories of her time in the hive he found out why.

It wasn't just Mother who abused the queens and drones under her rule. Other queens would put their peers in dangerous situations, doing anything they could to thin the herd and reduce competition. Mother actually rewarded the behavior as well, giving the surviving queens control of the forces of the deceased to their killer. It made it extremely dangerous to have any sort of presence, so most queens who weren't strong stayed meek and submissive to avoid attacks by paranoid queens. Crystal was physically strong, more so than some of the others, but she'd been brutally shut down by another queen. The only saving grace was that before the mare could kill Crystal, she'd been killed herself.

Crystal just didn't have the head for backroom politics, a dangerous weakness in the world of Mother's Hive. It had almost led to her death several times, so she followed her orders and did her best to watch her back. She didn't betray, she kept her head down, and she survived. It still brought Mother's attention though, and with that came the ire of those seeking the ruler's attention for themselves. There was no winning, so she stayed submissive with any queen that had power.

It was why she'd folded so quickly under Luna's authoritative attitude. Luna was a mare that approached her, even if it was with kindness, as a leader. Luna's aggressive style had sparked something between habit and self-preservation in the younger mare.

'Not sure how to take that revelation.'

Finishing his meal, Max waited patiently as the alicorn's finished their plates, Luna eating noticeably less and giving Celestia a smug grin at the fact.

"Alright, I'm going to go say hi to our newest additions. Crystal will accompany me, but after that, do either of you want her to accompany you? Tia?" Max said, looking to the larger mare hopefully.

"You want me to care for her? Why?"

"She trusts you and you're outside our circle," Max replied. "If she's going to relax around anyone it's you."

That seemed to blindside Celestia.

"Crystal trusts me?"

"Why would she not?" Luna replied, rolling her eyes. "You are her elder, in fact you are the closest thing to a peer that she has. Did you not wonder aloud a few days ago why she was less inclined to complain about being stuck with you?"

"She's in a bad spot right now, Tia. A spot she thinks you can relate to. Just keep her safe."

Luna looked questioningly at the white mare but kept silent, still not willing to pursue the older alicorn's issues from before. With the meal finished the group stood, said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

The door to the storage area was opened, allowing the morning sunlight to enter as Max, Flick, and Crystal all walked into the chamber. He spotted a few discarded blankets in a corner, noted the few boxes and barrels that had been shifted for cover. He closed the door behind them, sitting down and waiting patiently for the drones to notice his entrance. When nothing happened for almost two minutes, he stomped a hoof to the ground.

"Get out here, I'm here to speak with you."

There was a scrabbling of chitinous hooves on dirt and wood as the drones rushed to stand at attention, lining up before him. A few nervous glances were given to the proto queen behind him but otherwise all eyes were on him.

"You've slept, you've ate, you've watched from a distance. Will you join us, hive link or not I don't care, or will you leave?"

"I wish to leave."

Max turned to the drone, barely suppressing an eye roll at its now-expected flinch. She likely expected him to kill her, after all.

"Could I ask why? If it's something I can fix or something I haven't noticed I'd like to know. Speak truthfully."

"T-the ponies, I don't want to walk about without a disguise, I can't. And you're not a queen."

"You're right, I'm not a queen. And if you wanted, you could use a disguise. I just don't see the point of them. I get a ton of love from a single mare, as well as affection and respect from many others. I don't feel the need to use them. If you felt you needed to use a disguise, I don't care. In any case, you and anyone else are free to leave at any time. I'll repeat my warning earlier though. Don't harm those of this Keep, inside or out. Do that and I don't care what you do, even if you stay in the town outside."

The drones continued to shift and buzz in agitation as Max later down the rules for interactions in both the hive and with the pony population, usually emphasizing the fact that both sets of rules should be the same. The drones just didn't seem to grasp the idea he was setting before them and they all avoided linking for the moment, an undeniable fear showing through their movements.

Max scowled at the group, his feelings of frustration evaporating into suspicion. Nobody was this dumb. Even Crystal usually grasped a concept when it was explained to her, albeit in a twisted way. He'd given them an explanation four times and three of the drones still didn't get it. It wasn't even as if they were paying attention. They seemed distracted, uninterested unlike the other...

Max grabbed a drone in his magic, pulling the smaller shape shifter up to him and using his will to push into the drones mind. It was simple, the changeling not even managing a yelp before his aura was saturating its mind. What he found though set his blood on fire. The drone already had a magic signature there. It was pulsing orders even now, telling the drone to distract the hive that was present.

He flooded the drone with his own magic, washing away the old signature with his own before dropping the drone and mentally commanding Flick and Crystal to prepare for a fight.

Max stepped back even as two of the drones surged forwards, the others panicking and apparently unclaimed. One was struck by a blow from Crystal, hitting the far wall with a sickening crack while Flick intercepted the second. Now with room to breath, Max yanked the second drone off of his infiltrator and flooded its mind with his aura as well, causing its struggles to die out as he commanded its obedience.

"Stand down and line up!" He shouted to the remaining drones. "These three were linked to a queen. Either submit to a check for a similar link or you'll be treated as hostile."

He went over the drones one at a time, finding no trace of the aura he felt in the others. Nodding as he set the last shaking drone down, he looked to the first drone he'd muscled into his hive.

'Can't believe I did that.'

"What is your queens goal?"

"The honey," he answered simply, unable or unwilling to even try to resist.

"Where is she?"

"I do not know."

The larger shape shifter pushed on the drone over the link, finding no resistance. The drone really didn't know where the queen was. He nodded, pressing firmly on the second drone and found the same answer. Nobody knew her location.

'This is bad. This is sooo bad.'

"The three of you can either stay here while we work this out or run. I don't care. I have an infiltration to stomp on."

The drones fled to the back corner of the room, wanting nothing to do with the power-plays of the larger changelings. Max actually found himself envying his old form. Sure he didn't have magic, but he also didn't have a built in enslavement channel in his brain. It seemed he was going to find out the hard way if a queen had the ability to control him.

Luna hadn't been thrilled but she hadn't been overly surprised either. Based on his own comments of changelings and the flightiness of the drones it was almost a forgone conclusion that Max and Crystal would be butting heads with other surviving queens. The question was how to deal with it.

"The obvious solution, in my opinion at least, is a trap. We know what she wants, but we don't know her location. If she's as bad as Crystal was, it shouldn't be too hard to overpower her. Of course, that's assuming she's weak. If she's not, it could be a nasty fight."

"We managed to sway Crystal to our cause. Are you certain this queen will be different?"

"I don't know, Luna. We can give it a shot, but with all the emotion we store it was only a matter of time before we ended up in somebody's crosshairs. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst. If you'd like to talk to her you can give it a shot but be careful. I think this may be a full fledged queen."

"I have a better idea," Luna said with a smile, tugging at him with her magic before wrapping them in the shadows.

Max followed, unsurprised when she began heading towards the room they kept the honey in. What did surprise him was that even as the approached Max could see a pony fiddling with the lock on the door.

"Distance, Luna. And watch your emotions. You want to talk or should I?"

"You should. They do not even wish to be around me and Crystal's first reaction was to flee. I shall aid you if she becomes hostile, but she may feel less threatened by you."

Max nodded, swallowing a lump in his throat even as he called Crystal to back him up and gave her access to his sight. She perked almost instantly upon seeing the mare before him attempting to gain access to and likely steal their food. After all, this was what she knew- a possible threat to her hive.

'No attacks yet, and watch for scouts on the way. Flick, let Celestia know what's happening.'

'Yes sir, I will. Shall I stay with her?'

'Yea,' Max nodded, mentally smacking himself for following through with a motion for a mental order. It wasn't like the drone could see him. 'Let her know if any changelings approach, proof of your connection to me is to say 'everybody hurts.' Tell her why, then say those words.'

'Two more drones in the courtyard,' Crystal reported, 'Orders?'

'Side door, use a window if you need to. We don't want to harm her drones more than I already have.'

Stepping out of Luna's cloak of darkness, Max stood behind the suspected pony, building his courage. When he felt as if he wasn't getting any better, he tapped a hoof to the ground.

The pony, a servingmare by appearances, stopped in her fiddling, her ears perking. She whipped around with a very unponylike snarl, only confirming that it was a changeling. Max didn't flinch, fully expecting such a reaction. What he didn't expect was the look of confusion the played across her face a moment later.

"You are not a queen," the mare said in confusion before her eyes lit up. "A breeder, I thought they were all dead. How did you survive?"

"Discord is the short answer," Max replied, relaxing slightly when the mare didn't immediately try to rip his throat out. In fact, she sounded downright courteous. "Long answer is I'm not part of Mother's group of...breeders? Seriously? I'm sticking with Viceroy. Sounds better."

The queen cocked her head, seemingly confused. She flashed with green fire, revealing herself to be not a full queen but a sub queen like Crystal was. She walked around him, her eyes wandering his body in curiosity.

"I was never allowed to even see a breeder. Mother kept them separate from those who were not given the privilege to lay. It kept them away from the infighting many of my sisters were always engaged in. Still, I think they were quite rare, and difficult to provide for. Which queen is providing for you?"

"I harvest my own love. It's not that hard if you know how emotions work. It's supplemented by several friendly relationships and a strong friendship with another pony."

Max took a moment to compare the sub queens. It was night and day, the mare seemingly completely at ease with him. Crystal hadn't been nearly this comfortable the first time they had talked. The mare was certainly a bit thin but that was to be expected. Actually she was healthier than Crack had been. She was shorter though, the top of her head only reaching his chin if they stood at attention side by side.

"What was your role?"

"Infiltrator. I led the planning of pony infiltrations. It's what has allowed me to survive. To thrive though, I need to achieve my final molt," she answered casually. "I want to start my own hive. Mother's gone as far as I've been able to figure. The other queen's I've run into were all fighting each other, nobuggy seems to care about the old order."

Then she attacked him.

There was no warning. No change of posture, no darkening of her tone. Her training in subterfuge left Crystal's acting in the dust. Max reeled, flinching away even as he felt her aura surging into his skull. In an act of desperation he did the only thing he could think of to counter her. He did the same thing.

It was simply logic. Two things cannot occupy the same space. She wanted to put her magic in his mind so he flooded his mind, the areas he knew housed the link's connections, with his aura.

It took only a moment, the mare taking a single step in the time of the exchange. She stopped in confusion, her eyes locking onto his own with confusion and irritation.

"A breeder can't be a queen. Submit. I'm going to use you to force a molt."

"Won't work," Max replied shakily, thankful for the breathing room her subsequent surprise and confusion allowed him.

"Tried it with another sub queen. Didn't do anything aside from healing some damage."

"Explain," she ground out, pressing down on his mind again.

"Vagina's supposed to be sensitive to contact. Is yours? T-think Mother did something to the queens, made them unable to molt on their own. Messed up their reproductive tracts as well, took away the drive to lay eggs."

The sub queen released her pressure, looking over her back in confusion before sitting down in front of him.

"Why do you resist my link? There is safety in a hive."

"Because I'm already the focus of my own hive, and I don't trust you to take care of me. At least not better than the setup I've made for myself."

Max breathed deeply, setting his mind for another round if the mare pushed the issue.

"How do you know it won't work?"

"Sub queen seventeen has already experienced it. It unlocked her nerves, allowed her to enjoy sex and consider breeding, to think about laying eggs and what it entails in more detail than simply desiring to add to her hive's numbers. It didn't allow her to become a queen though."

"Seventeen is alive?" The mare squeaked. "Is she your queen? I-"

"Crystal is not my queen. I rule myself. Another drone is under my care, and I found three of yours earlier when they attacked me. I'll release them back to you later."

The mare winced.

"Mother would kill me if she found out I accidentally sent a drone at a breeder. I knew something was attacking their link but..."

"Mother's not here now. I'd be happy to trade emotion for information if you'd be willing to work with me. Not just information of changelings but the local area. We could use an experienced scout and would pay well in emotion."

The mare pressed down on him again, causing Max to flinch at the pressure.

"I am not your drone to command. In fact you should not be commanding drones at all. You should be kept in a hive where it's safe. You may be the last breeder alive."

"I'm quite safe here, thanks," Max growled, pushing back this time. He didn't stop at just pushing her out of his head though. This time he pushed into her mind slightly.

The queen recoiled in horror at the touch, realizing what it was she was up against.

"No, no! I will not be subservient again! I am my own queen!"

"I don't want to link with you, we don't have to-"

Max was cut off as the mare barreled into his mind, flooding his head with her aura. He held firm, feeling his mind strain but refusing to panic.

'Just like before. Panicking gets you killed. Focus, push. It's all mental. You're better than this, you've got this. She can't win.'

Max stood, taking a single step towards the queen as their auras raged against each other. He brushed against her mind, scrabbling for a foothold even as she slammed Into his own shoddily erected defenses over and over again.

A single bit of his aura tickled her connection and she panicked, her eyes wide with terror. She switched tactics, sending a few stray images from her memories. It caused Max to fumble his assault, not expecting the sudden influx of information. The attack gave him an idea though, one he capitalized on the moment she tried to counterattack.

Music, movies, images, art, sound clips, books, internet videos. Thousands of terabytes of information flooded across the battlefield, drowning out the queen's thoughts with more information than her mind could comprehend. Her assault eased off and he pressed forward, sending a new wave of tastes and smells even as she physically recoiled from the first wave. This new wave, consisting of senses she rarely dealt with, flattened her.

Max grit his teeth, grabbing her mind and slamming into it with his own aura as the mare buckled under the sensory overload and physically fell to the ground. With one final push, the pressure on his mind cut out entirely. Still he pushed forward, saturating every bit of her now-compliant mind with his aura, stomping out every bit of her will. She wouldn't take him, she wouldn't enslave him to her will.

Max took a deep breath as he slowed, finding no resistance. He looked over her mind, now open to him as Flick and Crystal's were and found no gathering storms of resistance. There was no hidden plots, no tricks left for the mare to rely on. The sub queen was defeated. He'd won.

He jumped as a hoof touched his back, whipping around to find Luna staring at him in worry.

"Max, what happened?"

"She tried to take me," he answered, unable to keep the tremor out of his voice. "She was pushing into my head so I pushed back. Then she freaked out and pushed harder. I, she tried confusing me with a memory or two so I threw it back at her...I have a lot more memories. A lot more information. She caved."

"So you own her? You have taken her into your hive?"

Max paused, realizing the situation. Cautiously, he prodded the mare for information like her name.

'Sub queen Seven B'

'B?'

'Seven was my clutch. I was the second egg.'

'So was Crystal the only queen of her clutch?'

'The last surviving queen of a clutch takes the number of the clutch. Infiltrators live longer than frontline queens. Seventeen was dumb, but she was strong and hardy. She survived things that should have killed her. It was why Mother kept her. She was useful.'

Max nodded, frowning as he brushed against the queens mind. There was something...wrong about it.

Looking through a few random memories, his face twisted in shock. It was like a tornado had torn through her head, thoughts intersecting each other at random areas. Information from his assault having still not been processed and sitting idly in her brain as she awaited his orders. He pulled a few loose, watching as her mind healed the damage to many but in some cases the intersecting memories were jumbled. It would take time to remove them.

"Shit, her head's a mess."

"What? What do you mean? Was she unwell when she attacked you?"

"No, she threw some images, memories from her past to try to throw me off. I reciprocated with everything I could. I just took a look, I found a movie scene intersected with a patrol route. Like the information I sent at her was a rock launched at high speed into a post. It's a mess. I, god, it's almost like I lobotomized her. I need to fix this."

Luna pulled him away, forcing him to look her in the eyes.

"You were defending yourself from an assault you greatly feared in a form of combat you are unfamiliar with. Did you initiate this battle?"

"I pushed her back, scared her-"

"She struck first, you were acting in self defense. The fact you feel guilty speaks highly of your sense of morals, but do not feel bad for defending your freedom."

Max shook his head.

"She doesn't even consider her attempted forced link an assault. She was doing me a favor, taking me in. She just...fuck, I hate this."

Crystal chose that moment to barrel into the room, snarling at the smaller queen before slowing in confusion.

"She's been taken care of, Crystal. Sorry I forgot to say something," Max explained.

Crystal scowled at the smaller shape shifter, walking around her while inspecting Seven.

"Do you recognize her?," Max asked aloud. "She knew you."

"I don't. What was she?"

"Infiltrator, Seven B according to her."

Crystal nodded.

"The sevens were oddly loyal to each other. Mother was concerned by lack of infighting in that group, but it was dismissed as them all being out on missions so often. Some talked though..."

"Possible coup?" Max asked.

Crystal nodded.

"Nothing was ever proven. That didn't stop Mother from executing two of them. She's-what happened to her?"

"She tried to take me, hit me with a few images-"

"You pushed through that? It's a lot of information. Sometimes the shock-"

"Crystal, when she did that I panicked and threw everything that wasn't nailed down at her."

Crystal stopped in her tracks, her jaw hanging open. Max pushed through the link, giving Crystal access to the smaller queen's mind while ordering her not to do any additional damage.

'This is bad,' Crystal mumbled over the link as she assessed the damage.

'I want to remove the damage, has this sort of thing been done before? On either end?'

'Not that I'm aware of. Can you repair it?-'

Max nodded, pulling a few memory fragments away and gently sealing the memories up again.

'It's mostly will, pushing power where I think it's supposed to go. It seems to work. Can you see anything wrong with the memories I just worked on?'

Crystal hummed, focusing on different memories before shaking her head.

'I've never worked on this but it looks fine. Start with the earlier memories though. Those are usually the most difficult to alter but they also can cascade damage to later memories.'

'Alright. Makes sense, ones personality is based on your memories. First memories would be the most important.'

Max physically pulled Crystal against him as they left the damaged queen's mind.

'Thanks for trying to help, Crystal. I know you and the other queens didn't get along but I didn't want this outcome. I think I can safely say that's one of my biggest fears right now.'

It was also one he'd need to face, and soon considering his position and the state of his race. Looking to Crystal, he smiled cautiously, looking into her mind. He found his connection to the queen and pulled, seeking to remove his aura from her mind.

'What are you doi-' Crystal squeaked in surprise, cutting off mid-sentence as he accidentally severed the connection.

"Sorry, was just trying to balance us. Either way, I need your help," he explained, shifting Crystal in his forelegs to look her in the eyes. "Crystal, will you help me practice this? A simple match before bed, to be released the next morning. We can turn it into a game if you want, or you can just order the other to massage the winner or use a wet cloth. Seven won't be the last. Others will come, and they may engage us like this. We need to be ready."

Crystal nodded.

"It...sounds like a good idea. I have only one question though, will you...

Max rolled a hoof, encouraging her to speak.

"Will you let me lead? I've never been in charge of a link. Just for tonight. I'll release it-"

He cut her off with a hoof touching her muzzle, smiling nervously.

"You let me lead and I need to get used to this. As much as it terrifies me its a fact I have to deal with and I trust you not to abuse it."

The sub queen nodded and cautiously started pushing into his head. Max shivered at the contact, stopping her with a raised hoof.

"Before I forget," he said, turning to the opening door as Celestia and Flick walked in the door. With a quick pull of his aura Max disconnected the drone, causing the small shape shifter to flinch in surprise.

"Didn't want you getting pulled into a hive you didn't want and Crystal and I are going to be practicing."

Flick nodded mutely. With that done Max turned back to Crystal and nodded.

It was an alien sensation, though at this point that description wasn't meaning as much to him. He could feel Crystal slowly working her way through his head, stumbling about for the center. Max brushed against her gently, leaving a small hole to guide her to where the queen was aiming; to where he'd hit before the queen was defeated. The smaller mare hesitated as she finally touched upon his link-focus, encircling it cautiously with her will before pushing into it. It was not unpleasant, a trickle of cool water running into his mind as Crystal pushed deeper. He didn't feel any urge to stop breathing, no urge to stand straight and call her his master. There wasn't any sudden twist of personality. It just...was.

'Sit down,' Crystal ordered over the link experimentally.

Max blinked, finding himself on his butt before he realized what was happening. He stood up, frowning at the queen but nodding to her.
'Do it again.'

'Sit down.'

Max felt the order reach him, felt the portion of his brain responding. He pushed back though, feeling his legs tense as two conflicting orders were sent to his muscles. He could stop it, or at least hesitate. That was good. He could work with that. It wasn't an insurmountable goal, it was something he could train himself to do. Something he'd train Crystal on as well. That way even if one was compromised they could resist, possibly even aiding each other. At the very least he wouldn't have to fight another queen and Crystal.

'How did you do that?,' Crystal whispered into his mind, looking at him in confusion. 'Sit down.'

Once more Max tensed, fighting the order and only flinching slightly this time. She tried again, then with a different order. Max almost lost control when she told him to stick out his tongue but he sucked the muscle back in before it was fully extended.

'You can fight it. I-I had no idea.'

'What do you think Mother would have done had the idea ever occurred to you?' Max asked, drawing a wince from the sub queen.

'Don't worry about that though, the past is history. We're going to practice this. And if Seven ends up being friendly when she isn't scared for her safety, we'll teach her as well. Now, I'll let you hold that control for now. Talk to the drones in the storage room, let them leave if they want. Release the others there as well if you can. I'm going to work on Seven- actually, I linked to her. If you can control me, can you piggy-back to her?'

Crystal frowned in concentration and Seven rose to her hooves, staring blankly ahead. The queen then sat down again and Crystal nodded.

"It works. You're still the source of her connection, but it seems we are able to... you called it piggy-backing?"

Max nodded, pushing an image of a human riding another's back as an example. It was weird to do this again after a day of the mare being completely submissive, but he could already feel her thoughts speeding and taking a color of their own as she used him to reapply her mental filters.

'That was strange. And most unpleasant. I kept thinking Mother would approach at any time and find my thoughts a mess, that she'd destroy me for thinking in a way I was not supposed to. I don't even know why I keep fearing her.'

'Because she's a possible threat to your health and happiness. It's fine, Crystal. You don't have to explain this stuff to me. The Link scares the piss out of me but it's something I need to learn to use. We'll practice Link stuff later though. I want to fix up Seven before her memories are damaged for too long. I know changelings are a bit more mentally durable than other creatures but there's no reason to leave this to chance.'

Calling the queen to follow him, he watched carefully as she did so, heedless of stares or requests from anyone but himself. He bid the alicorns a good night and began even as he was walking to the bedroom.

'That's mine, no way is that Equestrian, too high tech, magic is local so-wait, that's a plasma bolt from a video game gun- flying from a unicorn horn?. Who...caster blends. This one's going to take some time.'

Crystal calmly watched as Seven followed Max out of the room, the smaller changeling anchored to the male as he even now began to fix the damage she suffered from their conflict. The idea of the damage was horrifying but his response was reassuring. He was hoping to repair the queen, restoring her to her previous state. The thought of rewriting her mind was horrifying, not even considered.

If he was willing to do that to a mare that attacked him, even if Seven didn't consider it an attack, what more would he do for her?

She relaxed, the filters she'd held in place now properly working again now that she had a connection to the male. A dominant connection oddly enough, but a connection none the less. She was thinking back on her previous day, chiding herself for her fears and her lack of emotion. The breakfast had been horrible, the meeting with the drones-

'Oh hell, he forgot the drones in the storage room...and-'

"Flick, could you find the bag Maximus returned with after using the forge? I believe he left some things in there. Be careful with them, as they are fragile. Bring them to the dining room."

Crystal stood, moving to the door and giving Luna a passing kiss as she walked by.

"Sorry I was being silly, old habits die hard."

"Where are you going now?" Celestia asked, moving to follow on Crystal's right even as Luna took up position to the changeling's left.

"Maximus' mind is all over right now, he forgot the changelings in the storage room. I will be seeing to them. There are also two that he forcefully inducted into his hive when they attacked him. Oh stars, there's also-"

Stopping and tapping a serving mare on the shoulder, Crystal sent her to bring Crack to the storage chamber.

"There was a drone that nearly reached Max, so I struck him. I don't know if he survived, I didn't think much of it at the time. He was a threat to my hive and I dealt with him as such."

Luna nodded.

"Very well, Crystal. We shall leave you to your duties. If you should need us, do not be afraid to ask for aid."

Stepping forward and giving Crystal a quick kiss on the cheek, Luna smiled brightly as she left their company.

"And please try to trust Maximus a bit more. I know you have had bad experiences, but do not let them color your current situation too much."

Celestia watched Luna depart, an odd tint to her emotions.

"Were it so easy."

"They haunt us, they do not let us forget," Crystal said, realizing what the older mare was referring to. "We can't help but worry that what we have already experienced is the norm, or that it will occur again."

"I will not forget, and I do not believe you should either," the white alicorn said, nodding in agreement. "That being said, I do not think you are in any danger from the stallion. Maximus has been quite open with his motivations, so much so that I was suspicious at first."

"He does try a little to hard to be honest with the two of you," Crystal agreed, looking to Celestia with a smile. "Is there anything you want to know? I have full access now."

"I- are you certain that would be... I do not know if I should..."

Celestia looked down the halls, making certain they were alone. Certain there were no ponies in the hall at the moment, she leaned in to whisper her question.

"What is Maximus' opinion of me? Unfiltered. What does he think of me, my body, my personality. I want to trust him, that he was speaking openly, but I just..."

Crystal nodded focusing on the distant male even as he was focusing in turn on the queen. It wasn't hard finding his experiences with Celestia. She ignored the sex for the most part, only taking note of specific reactions the alicorn had to contact, wondering if Luna would have the same reactions. Some were obviously the same, a few points inside her vaginal canal and the clitoris(duh), a few wing-points that mostly coincided with what she knew from Luna, the emotions Max was subjected to that ranged from fear and hesitation to joy and pleasure.

What surprised her was the amount of caution he used. Max was exceedingly careful, knowing that this was his only shot to make it right. If he had ruined it, had hurt Tia, she may never have trusted him again. He made absolutely certain she knew what was going on, made sure the alicorn was experiencing it all with the proper mindset.

Crystal nodded mentally as she watched him field her questions, give her warnings, ease her into certain topics. It was fascinating, actually. The exact opposite of her own reaction to sex.

"He was worried he'd hurt you if he moved too quickly. He likely could have done more to you much more quickly, but he was fearful of any sort of discomfort on your part. Most mares are willing to forego a little pain to hurry things along if they are desperate enough, I know I have in the past. Otherwise he was concerned with making certain it was the best experience possible."

The changeling giggled, having moved on to the rest of the experience, Max's oral battle with Celestia which inspired Crystal to try such a thing next chance she had.

"An interesting evening and morning. I'm actually kind of sad I missed out. Yes, you're physically beautiful to him. Humans tend to see the flank and teats as desirable. You posses both in ample amounts, you're coat is soft even to a changeling's sense of touch, he also thinks your voice is pretty. How he feels about you...I don't know. It's similar to Luna, but not quite as intimate? Still powerful. Protective, which is odd because the two of you could likely destroy him without much effort.

Memories of the conversation she'd shared with Max over the types of strength returned to her and she opened her mouth.

"Oh, that kind of protective. Emotional and psychological. He's fairly certain the two of you are capable of crushing most physical threats to your power right now."

Celestia's eyes widened at the queen's unfiltered delivery.

"So he truly finds me physically enticing? He was not just saying so?"

"The pony that told you otherwise was exerting a form of control over you. Your doubt left you weaker, more vulnerable to his advances. You would not push back if you thought you couldn't win or that Luna was in danger. Max was not lying, that was about power. The power he held over you. Anything he said is suspect, Celestia."

"Those who matter don't mind, while those who mind don't matter. If a pony finds your appearance less than pleasing, does it change the fact that those close to you say you are beautiful? You do not even remember his name, do you; This stallion who put you through this pain? Then put the final nail in his memory. Dismiss his words, and move on. If we come across him in the future, however...well, the balance of power has shifted greatly since your last meeting. None of your subjects would stop you from exacting retribution from him."

"I, I don't know if I could do that," Celestia whispered, nervously fluttering her wings. "It would be an admittance first of all, that a pony held power over me. It has also been years. I do not even know if he is still alive, or if he was harmed by Discord. I just..."

"Than do as Max and I have suggested. Put it out of your mind. It does us no good, watching you agonize over this. Is there anything else?"

The white mare shook her head.

"No, Crystal. Thank you for your time."

Crystal nodded, moving towards the storage room. She smiled, feeling alive once more. She needed to learn to achieve this state of mind on her own. She didn't want to experience the dullness she suffered before again. If she didn't she would be left in that miserable state of mind every time she was either disconnected or using a subservient connection to Maximus.

The drones were still hiding when Crystal entered the room. Unsurprising, considering what occurred. Crack had shown up before she arrived and was tending to the drone as it stared off into the distance, left to await an order that was never coming.

"Will he survive?"

Crack nodded, using resin to seal a few cracks in the other drones chitin.

"The splits will be painful but he'll live. The others are unharmed, just...on standby. If you could awaken them?"

Crystal nodded, running her connection through Max and grasping the drones for herself. She lifted the fog from their minds, allwing them to act freely again before disconnecting the drones from the hive. They instantly fled to the back of the room, sending the other hiding drones running in a panic as the free changelings assumed they were about to be seized by Crystal's hive. The entire thing would have been amusing if it wasn't so painful to watch.

"When you're done panicking let me know. I'll take you out to the forge Max was using and you'll be free to leave at any time. For those who were being used by Seven, you'll be interested to hear she was defeated by the one who brought you here. Maximus is currently attempting to repair the damage dealt to her mind during their battle."

Crack looked at her in surprise, not having heard of the battle until now.

"He beat a queen? In a battle over the link?"

"A sub queen but yes. Seven B, according to her. Infiltrator."

Crack's eyes widened.

"He's working to help her, to repair her mind? What did he do?"

"According to him, Seven attempted to overwhelm him by sending a few images through the link. Max already does this when explaining things to me so it did not harm him. It did give him an idea, though. He sent every stray memory and thought he could muster across their connection. It broke her defenses, her concentration, her assault, even her thoughts have been hampered.

"It was a little unsettling to know he managed so much damage without meaning to, but the fact he wishes to see it healed and has even spoken of releasing her even after she attacked him...I think I feel a little safer connected to him. He also allowed me to try leading the link."

Crack's jaw dropped as he stared at the sub queen.

"That stallion willingly submitted to a subservient link?"

"He directed me in the linking process himself," Crystal added, feeling herself puff up a little in pride.

"That's-is he out of his mind, trusting you with that?"

"He was reciprocating my trust," Crystal retorted. "When the drones arrived I gave him control so they would feel safer. So that they wouldn't worry about being dragged into a link. I was...I didn't like being like that again but I thought it was necessary, even if I couldn't remember why after I lost the filters I built through his memories.

"Going back and forth though, it makes more sense to me. I need to be able to do this sort of thing on my own. I need to be able to keep these filters until they no longer exist as such. I don't want to degrade like that again."

"And you think he might be able to help you."

Crystal nodded in reply.

"He's repairing Seven right now, if he can do that maybe he can help make these mental constructs more permanent."

Crack shook his head, looking back to the drones that were peeking out from behind some crates and barrels.

"Mental manipulation is dangerous. If you can't find the line between his and-"

"Most of the memories involve technologies or individuals that do not exist in this world. The distinction for many is simple."

"Fine. The mental constructs will be more difficult. It's not removing something, it's- you have to store the memories you built them from in your own mind. You have to copy his memories. Looking at them is one thing, Crystal. This is permanent."

"Is there a way to store them separate from my own memories?" the queen asked.

Crack frowned.

"I don't know. Most of my knowledge is from trying to repair damage. Most queens and drones that came in with that kind of damage were wiped clean by Mother so she could just start again. She didn't waste time, as she put it. I tried it once or twice, but a drone just doesn't have the mental presence to make those sorts of repairs. A queen though, or a...what was Max's type?"

"Seven called him a breeder, he's going with viceroy."

"A queen, sub queen, or viceroy may be able to pull it off. Just be careful. You're altering your base personality with these filters. One mistake could drive you insane."

Crystal nodded, turning her attention to the drones still hiding in the room.

"While Max is trying to heal Seven, dealing with you six falls to me. If you'll take on disguises, I'll lead you out of the keep and back to the forge where this fiasco started. Those who wish to stay can help Crack until we find a more permanent use for you. Follow his orders and if he tells you to help a pony or another changeling, Flick, do so. You'll be swimming in emotion soon enough if you can adapt."

Only one approached Crack, standing nearby and ready to help. Two others immediately donned pony forms, though they kept their distance from the sub queen. The other three...they didn't seem to know what to do. One of the drones that was waffling was a drone that Max had forcibly inducted, the other remaining one being the drone standing beside Crack. The second was staying in spite of the experience.

"Because Max is capable of besting a queen yet still gives you a choice?"

The drone nodded mutely, her eyes flashing with fear and anticipation at the same time.

Crystal smiled thoughtfully before turning to the remaining three.

"Max's offer stands. You may return at any time if you decide to leave. I have some things to take care of while he's busy though, so if those who are leaving will follow me?"

Two more took on their disguises, leaving only two of the original six staying of their own accord, the third that was staying still being injured. Crystal led them to the promised location and watched them go, the faint whisper of her training to hold to that power easily being crushed by her memory-based filters. She didn't need that kind of power right now, she had a different kind. Loyal individuals, ponies and changelings both. She didn't need to fall back to Mother's way of ruling.

She would never forget Mother's rules, but that didn't mean she had to live them. They could be a warning. A warning of what she should avoid. As Maximus had taught her, she would not forget Mother's rules, nor would she forget the fear and horror she experienced under them.