"Strider..."

"Dr Ned..."

"Zordon..."

"That's...what was that show...oh god, something about raining wolves?"

"Nope, pimple robot isn't native."

"Native? Nope, just Chuck. God, this is has taken forever."

Max sighed, sitting in the hive's dream-side as he sorted through the mess of his newest acquisition' mind. It just seemed easier in the dream-hive anyway. There were no serving ponies to bother him, Crystal was still active, Luna was busy; it left him to work with the changeling sub queen alone. It also, conveniently enough, left him alone with his guilt.

One of the first things he'd done was go over her interpretation of the battle. It ate at him, wondering if she was actually trying to force him into a link for her own power or not. After spending a good amount of time repairing the damage to the event itself he watched it from Seven's point of view, watching her reasoning and her emotions as well. He'd been right. Seven thought she was doing him a favor, giving him a hive that would protect him. She only knew of the males of the hive from hearsay, having never seen one before. In fact, it was possible Max wasn't one of these breeders (though his reproductive assets said otherwise). They just didn't have the information.

Another string of memories were sorted and repaired in quick succession, these bearing memory fragments that were easily distinguished from the original memories. It wasn't always so simple. Sometimes they blended well, or at the very least the queen's mind had attempted to incorporate the information before locking up. Her mental lock-down was probably keeping her from suffering too much, actually. If not for that, the damage would likely be much worse and that much harder to fix. As it stood she didn't respond to his questions beyond what he commanded of her but at the same time the information fragments didn't seem to be becoming any more lodged in her mind.

"Suppose I should count my blessings, it could have killed her or left her a vegetable."

Max shook his head, rubbing his eyes even though he knew it had no real effect in this realm. There was so much to do, he'd had to sort her mind into sections and just pick one. So far he'd only done a single section out of hundreds, and it felt like hours had passed. Who knew how long this would take in the end?

'But I'm better than that. Not going to just wipe her mind and start over because it would be easier. She wasn't hostile. We need more of that in this world.'

Setting himself into the next section of the queen's mind he began his preliminary scan, pulling anything that obviously didn't belong before settling in for a deeper scan for the more melded or incorporated memory slivers.

"You seem more vibrant now," Celestia commented as the three mares took their seats at the table.

"I feel so. It's nice to feel this way again. Before we get settled, I have something from Maximus. As he's busy with Seven, I thought it would be best if I made sure the two of you received them."

Reaching into a bag Crystal removed a single gold ingot, causing both alicorns to stare in surprise.

"He figured it out?" Luna asked. "Max made a forge?"

"It's a very simple one but-"

"But it is a forge," Celestia finished, smiling widely. "Are we able to start melting the metals now or is there still more to do?"

"Max wanted to make it a bit bigger, though I don't know if we need that just yet. I believe the output of this single forge is enough for now as we don't have much in the way of metal usage. It may help store the metals the two of you recovered though. That was his primary concern. These ingots can be stacked much more cleanly than the chunks of metal you recovered. There is also he matter of purifying the metals, which he doesn't know about, but that's something to worry about later."

"The second item was more of a gift. I think it was nice. I don't think you two have a coat of arms, do you?"

At the confused expressions on their faces Crystal chuckled.

"I'll take that as a no. It's a symbol that represents you, one that goes on the flags and banners. Right now you two are using suns and moons, but it's not a unified theme."

Creating two symbols in her green magic, one of the sun and one of crescent moon, Crystal reached into her bag and pulled out the gold symbol Max had created.

"While it's nice to use something simple like the marks you bear as symbols of your authority, you're using two different symbols. This means there are two different authorities as opposed to the unified front you're trying to show. That's why Max thought this would work better, or something like it."

Luna took the gold symbol in her magic, smiling lovingly as she took in the detail. It was a simple enough combination of the marks of the alicorns, but it was combined in a way that was intriguing. The sun was cut at an angle as was the moon, leaving them joined at two locations. The moon flowed into the sun at both the two o'clock position and the seven o'clock position. Of course since the sun would look the same no matter how you rotated it, it was the moon that the rotation was based on, specifically the angle of the moon on Luna's cutie mark.

"It is a little rough, but it bears promise," Celestia said, taking the symbol once Luna was done looking at it. "You are certain of your reasoning for a combined symbol?"

"I am, as is Max. You are ruling jointly yet use two different symbols. It appears to be two different princesses that merely rule from the same Keep. Whether or not they work together isn't obvious. This however, is a combined symbol of authority. One cannot argue that these are bound to each other."

Celestia and Luna both nodded, the older mare frowning as she flipped the symbol around. There wasn't any subtle marks or symbols that added something she couldn't read. Not even a forge-smiths mark with the changeling stallion's name or initial.

"It is nice. How is Max doing?" Luna asked as she began to serve out several portions of vegetables.

"Completely consumed by his current task. I made sure the two of them received some emotion but his focus is absolute. I don't think he even noticed my presence. As for Seven, she still is in a trance to preserve her mind."

"And the damage to this queen?" Celestia asked.

"Catastrophic if left unattended. She can't function right now, but there's some activity there. Max's work is already showing in her mind. There is still too much clutter for her to function but she's recovering. I find it odd that I wish her a quick recovery. It wasn't something I worried about before but knowing that could be me in any other situation...I suppose that's what Max meant by the difference in being an empath and having empathy."

"Yes, being able to read others doesn't preclude understanding those emotions. That being said it is a good thing. Being able to understand and empathize with ponies allows you to both deepen a relationship as well as predicting the actions of emotionally driven individuals," Luna explained. "It also means that Max and I will have to explain these things to you less often as you come to your own understanding of the thought processes of others."

Crystal nodded, idly nibbling on a steamed carrot. The flavor had never changed, just her perception of it. Having lost the filters and having that recent experience to compare it against, she definitely preferred the male's thought-processes and the filters she'd created from them.

The shape shifter stopped mid-bite, a strange thought occurring to her. From what she'd seen Seven was more mature. It had been Crystal's lack of focus on details that had left her seeming so cold, so how did Seven manage to develop herself more fully without incurring Mother's wrath?

'Perhaps I should have a look into her memories myself.'

Luna strolled down the halls to her room, still working the kinks out of her wings from the days work. While there wasn't as much ore to move anymore the alicorns were still moving a good amount of dirt and stone into the tunnels. They were also soaking it in water, making certain it was packed in properly so the ground shifting wouldn't leave them with a smaller but still present cavern under their home. Neither Max nor Crystal were interested in using a cave system for their hive at the moment and considering it only consisted of the two changelings and four drones she could understand. There weren't enough bodies to worry about yet. Perhaps in the future but for now a storage closet was more than enough for Crack, Flick, and the two new drones.

The alicorn slowed her stride, frowning in confusion as she approached her bedroom. Crystal was outside the room she'd designated for Maximus when he'd first arrived, pacing and grumbling under her breath.

"What troubles you, Crystal?"

The shape shifter jerked, looking to Luna in surprise before shaking her head and returning to her pacing.

"I was thinking of going through Seven's memories, trying to figure out what makes her different from myself. She seemed more mature, she flopped this infiltration but she kept her cool until the end when she learned Max could push back. I wanted to know how she managed to do what I've been using my connection to Maximus to accomplish."

"And the issue is?" The alicorn asked leadingly.

"I don't think Max would appreciate it. In fact I have the feeling I shouldn't be doing it. Which is rediculous because she's in my hive so she's mine, but at the same time Maximus is part of that hive and I don't think it would be right to just start sorting through his head at random...any more than I did before, anyway. Actually I feel kind of...bad? I feel like I shouldn't be doing that. Is it wrong to take from Seven like that?"

"That is... in my opinion yes. Those are her memories. While Maximus must search through them in order to undo the damage to Seven's mind he does not search out specific things that he could later ask her for.

"In fact you could use this to prove a point."

"What do you mean? What point?"

"Max was attempting to negotiate with Seven. He was trying to talk to her. While I don't think Max will allow her to harm those here neither will he allow harm to befall her until she is capable of leaving of her own power. Wait until she is healed and has disconnected from your hive, then ask for the information. It will prove Max's words to her as well as showing that you support his way of living. It may even earn her trust, or at least her respect."

"While I doubt it would be seen as anything more than weakness and earn nothing more than her contempt, I agree that Max wouldn't want me rooting through her head in her current state," Crystal admitted. "I hate this. If I don't do this I feel like I'm allowing a perfectly good opportunity pass me by. If I do, I feel as if I have overstepped my authority and broken some unspoken rules."

"It is called a conscience. It is supposed to be the little voice in our heads that tells us right from wrong. I'm glad to know you picked up more from your link with Max than a larger vocabulary and a bit of his personality. I ask that you keep in mind that many of your sisters will not have this though; if Max is the source of your newly awakened conscience the other changeling queens may be unscrupulous in their attacks on our home."

Stepping to her room and pulling the queen along with her Luna paused for a moment.

"Actually, I have a question. Seven was an infiltrator, was she not? Why then did her attempt to steal from us fail so quickly?"

"I asked that as well. The best Max and I could come up with was she has no experience infiltrating a town that both is aware of our race and counts changelings among their defenders. She has never had to deal with changeling security before now."

The queen shook her head in irritation.

"Honestly, you'd think the infiltrators would practice on each other at least once and realize this sort of thing."

"One would think so, however there is also the possibility that the primary queen did not want them capable of such an infiltration. After all, the only hive you knew of was your home, correct? What would those queens do if they were capable of sneaking in and out of the hive at will? Do you think your Mother would tolerate that?"

"No," the sub queen relented. "She wouldn't have allowed it."

Luna nodded.

"Then you have your answer. She had no way to learn and even if she did, she would have been punished for her knowledge. Now, since Max is still busy, how about I teach you a few things. Better yet, why don't you see if you can find anything fun for us to do in Max's head?"

Luna bust into giggles as the sub queen perked instantly, following the alicorn to her room. It certainly didn't take much to get her attention when she had that filter up. Perhaps she would find a way to make it more permanent.

Another string of memories, another string of shards. Another string...

Max yawned. Even if this was a dream-hive he was still terribly exhausted. It felt like he'd been doing this forever. But it was almost done. In fact, he was certain that as of now Seven would only be suffering from slight confusion and maybe some odd thoughts or memories. You know, as opposed to seizures and loss of bodily control.

'Holy cow was that hard.'

He stood up and paced the mental construct of his room, stretching a bit and exercising his thoughts on other topics just to wake himself up a bit. He nearly tripped over the two mares currently sprawled out in some blankets and cushions on his floor.

"It's night already? Shit."

Moving around the sleeping mares Max walked out into the hallway and walked a few circuits, idly noting there was a third door in the hallway now. He opened it, not certain what to expect since Seven was in his room.

Several drones were currently curled up and resting in the small room, including Flick. They buzzed in the same half-sleep he fell into while resting, unaware of his presence and apparently unconcerned with the strange shape of the hive

'Did she link back with Crystal? I could have sworn I disconnected her.'

The others he didn't recognize just yet but it couldn't have been the ones from before as there were currently nine drones in the room. He hadn't feel anything particularly jolting over the link so he didn't think they were forcefully pulled in but that was still odd. The battle between the queen and himself would have spooked them for several days at least by his reckoning.

Closing the door and leaving the drones to their rest he returned to his own room, finding Luna sitting up and looking to him in surprise.

"I was beginning to believe you would never rise."

"Is it that late? I saw the two of you and figured you'd gone to bed."

Luna blinked owlishly, confusion coloring her features.

"Maximus, you have been beside the sub queen you captured for nearly twelve days."

"What?"

"Crystal has been keeping the both of you fed while you work but we dared not wake you. You were looking through memories and interacting with them. Disturbing you while you were doing so could have been dangerous."

Max was still boggling at the number when Luna's second reveal hit him.

"Wait, you said Crystal was caring for us?"

"She kept you fed while you were occupied. She has also kept the both of you clean with Flick's help. It was surprising, but your display of trust in Crystal cemented both Flick's loyalty to yourself as well as the drone's trust of Crystal. With one drone willingly joining a queen several others followed. They have been looking for ways to make themselves useful. Three even approached by the front gate asking to speak with the 'drone who willingly rejoined a queen.' It has kept the two of them busy, explaining the workings of this new hive."

Max moved across the room, sitting down on his bed beside the still comatose Seven. He'd not realized it but he'd kept her close both physically and mentally over the last...few days, apparently. It helped him connect with her, he felt.

Nudging Crystal with his foot he waited until the sub queen had shifted to her hooves, stretching languidly before him. The moment she was standing straight, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest in a powerful hug.

"Thanks, Crystal. I didn't know I was in so deep," he whispered into her ear, giving her a kiss on her cheek. "I appreciate you looking after me like that and I'll make it up to you, deal?"

Crystal shifted in his grip, settling her haunches on his legs and leaning in to smother him in a deep kiss of her own.

"You think I would let the best source of pleasure and love I've ever run into fade away because of his own idiocy?"

They kissed again, longer this time and only broken by Luna politely coughing into her fetlock.

"While I support any and all affection in my flock, I must ask; how is Seven? Have you made progress?"

Giving Crystal another quick kiss, this one behind her ear as the sub queen was looking to Luna, Max set the changeling down on the floor, grinning widely as Crystal spread her legs teasingly from her position on her back.

"Its going well. I was going to ask you both to be present when I tried waking her, see if I can use her being awake to find anything I missed. The earliest memories I went over with a fine-toothed comb but later ones, they're so numerous that finding the errors are difficult. One I almost missed because it was meshed well and the memory was from that story I told you about."

"The, oh! Yes, I can see how that would be difficult to discern. Still, you believe she is ready?" Luna asked.

"I do," Max said. Turning to Crystal, he grinned before picking Seven up and setting her on the floor and motioning for the mares to join him on the bed.

"Would you do the honors?"

Jumping onto the bed on Max's left while Luna sat to the right, the sub queen nodded with a smile.

"It would be my pleasure."

It was with a sudden command that Seven found herself being called back to wakefulness. A command that while powerful and having control over her, was disconcertingly warm. None of the queens she knew would be that gentle, nor would they wake her once they had her in their power. She frowned as she began to asses her senses. Something felt off.

Opening her eyes she found herself in a strange room, though the feel of it felt familiar.

'Hello, Seven B. It's been a while.'

Seven's blood ran cold for a moment as the voice reached her ears. It was Seventeen. The breeder had mentioned the sub queen, so it only made sense he'd hand her over to the guardian after her...defeat.

She'd lost to a breeder. She'd lost in a link-struggle against a changeling who's only purpose was seeding queens.

'Well that's a bit harsh, on both of us,' the breeder muttered over the link.

Seven blinked in shock and confusion, finally noticing the strange creature sitting on the bed next to the queen. Even stranger, there was a pony mare on the male's other side.

"What..."

"It's an amalgamation. A mix of my current and old bodies," the breeder explained, flexing his fingers in front of her. "It's also one of the reasons I don't like being called a breeder. Viceroy sounds better. I don't know how I stand up against the queens, but the only one I've physically gone toe to toe with is Crystal, here. She kicked my butt."

"I've been training for physical strength my entire life and have never been so well cared for," Seventeen answered happily. "I'm just glad I didn't try to fight a pony guard, I may have broken them."

The pony mare giggled as well, proving she was no hallucination.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Seven B. And in less hostile a situation as well. I am Luna, and the castle you were infiltrating belongs to myself and another alicorn. I'm certain you will meet Celestia in the morning."

"This...this is wrong, we should not be exposed before a pony like this."

"My dear hive sister, I do not think you understand just how exposed to ponies you are," Seventeen giggled, causing every muscle in Seven's body to tense. "Not only does my current hive not need disguises, Luna here can access something few ponies are able to. This is the dream-hive."

Seven blanched. It was why the area felt familiar. It was a situation she'd been in only a few times, keeping herself on missions often enough that she didn't spend many nights in the hive. Her connection to the dream-hive was weaker at a distance and Mother had trouble pulling from you when you were far enough away. Now she was in that situation with Seventeen...

Seven B blinked, looking over her old hive-sister once more. She was filled out, her holes few and far between. She also spoke more clearly, as though her mind was different. Like she had matured to an impossible degree.

"Amazing what happens when a link is for the benefit of all individuals, isn't it? When a hive exists not to bolster a single changeling, but to empower us all."

It was ridiculous. It made no sense, there was nothing to stop either of these changelings from betraying each other. She knew they wouldn't though. Not even clutch-sisters relaxed that much around each other, not queens anyway. Seven and her clutch-sisters would relax a little if Mother was nowhere nearby, but even then there was always a level of expected distrust. The three before her were calm. Relaxed.

Trusting.

'Of course I trust them. Luna here managed to pull me out of the confused panic I was in after wandering alone for so long. Maximus has given me both the ability to use his memories, accepting my presence in his hive-link as an equal creature, as well as being the primary reason Luna was willing to accept me. He was the one who opened her to the idea of changelings and ponies living like this as well as gave her the honey that brought me here in the first place. The same honey that brought you here.'

'You tricked me.'

'No, I did not.' Seventeen responded with glee. 'I didn't need to bait you here. You came of your own desperation. You could smell the love from a distance. It isn't all bad though. Your words with Maximus have reassured me in some ways and strengthened my resolve in others.'

'None of the queens and sub queens you have encountered are under Mother's banner. However, the others are now playing their games of betrayal and fratricide with abandon. They have no one holding them back anymore. They will rip each other apart until only one remains. When the only remaining queen not subjugated or killed is you, where will you turn?'

'Be nice, Crystal,' the breeder admonished. 'Just because Luna can't hear you and thus can't tell you to stop doesn't mean you can torment Seven.'

Turning to her, he smiled.

'That being said, Crystal has a point. The war between queens is only going to escalate if what I know is correct. You don't live through these without allies, Seven. It's going to get worse once they settle into camps or start trying to assimilate each other. After all, the fastest way to grow your army is to add other armies to your own. If you need a place to rest, I'd be happy to be an ally so long as you are willing to reciprocate the peace.'

'Wonderful. I'd love to ally myself with a hive that has enslaved me to their-'

'Don't even try that,' the breeder interrupted, pressing against her in the link. 'I defended myself, Seven. I then spent the next week and a half repairing the damage I'd inflicted because I learned you hadn't meant to harm me. I only learned your intentions after the fact, though. Only after removing the memory slivers and reviewing the fight from your perspective. As far as I knew you were a queen trying to force me into her hive. I pushed back. To make a point, I pushed into your own mind.'

'When he did that, you panicked,' Seventeen continued in his stead. 'You did not take the threat as it was meant; a show of force. You ignored everything he said, every attempt to speak with you. Even after your attempt to force him into your link he cared for you; or did you think you healed on your own?'

"As entertaining as it is watching the two of you berate a confused and defeated mare, I believe you are going about this the wrong way," Luna interrupted, surprising all three of them.

Max managed to pull together a response first.

'Wait, you can hear this?'

"I am in a dream. it's as close to being in your head as I can manage. I do not see why you think that switching back and forth when we are already in the hive dream-side would matter."

The breeder looked to Seventeen in confusion before shrugging his shoulders.

'Welcome to the collective. We are one, you are now assimilated.'

The pony mare rolled her eyes and gave the male thing a shove, coincidentally knocking him into Seventeen. Instead of being upset at the impact, the sub queen shoved him as well, knocking the male back into the pony. The two mares began laughing, apparently agreeing that the battle was to be waged with the strange breeder-thing simultaneously playing the part of their weapon and their battlefield. After several strikes, Seventeen shoved the male out of the way and tackled the pony. The two then began to do...something to each other. What ever the two were attempting (to Seven B it seemed they were trying to bite each other's mouths) the male didn't seem to find it of interest. Instead he moved out of their way, moving closer to Seven. Uncomfortably close, actually.

"How do you feel? Any odd thoughts that you can't place, any memories that...I guess you wouldn't be able to tell, would you?"
Seven B flinched as the cross of alien being and changeling moved to sit on the floor beside her, his dominant presence in her link preventing her from fleeing or attacking. She felt him prodding through her head, gently pushing here and there, checking for something she didn't understand. He said random words, watching for reactions and then moving through her memories if she reacted. Sometimes he merely looked, other times he took something, leaving her unable to recall what it was he had originally said.

Another string of words, another few fragments of memories gone.

Seven was on the brink of despair when of all creatures it was Seventeen who came to her rescue.

"Max, stop. She's panicking-badly."

"Huh? She is? But why didn't... right. She's not going to say anything. Sorry, I've been working on cleaning up that mess for the last few days and I just assumed. You know what they say about making assumptions."

The full phrase, something about making a butt out of 'you and me', briefly flashed through her mind but Seven was still attempting to understand the relationship the three had that allowed them to speak to each other as equals even with hive-dominance. The pony female came closer, wrapping the confused queen in her wings and gently nuzzling her while whispering kind words. This of course did nothing for Seven's fragile state of mind; Ponies did not help changelings.

"I understand you have been doing your best, Maximus, but you must make certain she is aware of what you are doing," Luna chided. "Were you not the one who said the road to hell is paved with good intentions? You meant well, but her lack of context has left her thinking the worst of your actions. Perhaps if you gave her some time and explained the situation to her?"

"Got it, just got a bit swept up in the doing. Sorry about that," the male responded, ceasing all activity in her mind. She felt Seventeen press on her but the younger sub queen didn't actually attempt to pull or destroy anything. It was just a presence. One that sat in her mind like Mother used to, only with less pressure. Less looming.

"Well, in the meantime I have an idea. We can get Seven settled a bit tomorrow or whatever, but I want to give something a shot. If we can do this hive-link thing by will and even manipulate memories by will, surely I can manipulate the dream-hive."

The strange creature walked into the hallway with his strange, ambling gait and disappeared from her vision. Moments later he returned, an excited grin on his face.

"Got it, come on! Luna, are you good enough to grab Tia? She may enjoy this as well."

The next few moments were a blur of activity, both of the other females seeming to find his excitement contagious. The pony disappeared only to reappear a short time later with a second white pony, reassuring the second female of the stability of the dream.

'Of course this dream was stable, there was always a changeling sleeping. Therefore it should always exist.'

'Not necessarily,' Seventeen countered. 'There aren't as many drones here. There are only two or three that sleep during the day. As such there are times the dream-hive becomes fragile.'

Frowning and still a bit shaken from the male creature's casual sifting through her mind, Seven cautiously followed the group as they walked out into the hallway and into a hive-chamber that was strangely built. Cushions were lined in rows from front to back in a slowly descending format, while lights were lining the walls and even in the ceiling. On the far side of the room there was a blank wall with alien words that for some reason she could read, asking her to 'Please Stand By'. Drones both familiar and new to her, including a medical drone she remembered having visited in the Hive once or twice, slowly entered the room at the male's behest, taking seats and chittering nervously or in some cases merely in curiosity. One of the drones were even bold enough to approach him, speaking to him freely.

An even greater surprise to Seven was when the male merely rubbed the drone's ears and thanked her for trusting him, as well as trusting Seventeen. He also thanked her for helping the other queen care for the two larger changelings while they were indisposed. The ponies took seats near him while he sat in a strange bag-like seat that better supported his gangly form.

'You may sit where ever you please, Seven,' Seventeen told her, mentally highlighting the unused seats in the smaller queen's mind. The sub queen did so, taking a seat towards the door that was relatively avoided by the drones. Those few drones nearby quickly vacated the area, giving her a queen's due space.

The lights dimmed, seemingly of their own accord and a silence fell over the gathered drones. Something was happening, something she understood for some reason. There was a sudden light on the blank wall, some chanting in a language she'd never heard before. Animals she'd never seen, all gathering together for something...

'This has to be the dumbest group of animals I have ever seen. What fool herbivore gathers in celebration for the birth of a predator?'