Only half paying attention to the perimeter guard who was escorting him, Eclipse’s gaze drifted around the chamber of the hive.

The main chamber was huge, as if someone had carved out a giant cave with tunnels running to and from it for the changelings that lived inside. Even after the scare of the scorpionfly and beetle changelings who had greeted him, he found Blackreach Hive to be much more than he expected.

It was dark, even with several artificial light sources scattered here and there and even a large skylight on the far end of the massive cave. However, most of the visible light was a blue glow from fungi that clung to the rock face and cave sides in patches. For the most part, the fungus had been cleared away from the floor, though small groves of it grew, some of which were being tended to by several changelings of all three types.

The fungus ranged from moss with such a dull glow you had to squint to see it--and even then it looked purple rather than blue and was hardly visible--up to massive building sized mushrooms that emitted a bright cerulean glow, bathing a swath of area around them in the bioluminescence.

Changelings marched to and fro, concentrating on their individual tasks. This, however, did not mean that they didn’t occasionally get distracted or wind up in a conversation with a friend for some time. It was more like an ordinary city the longer Eclipse looked. Even so, the fact that it was underground caused major differences. Such as when several beetle changelings scurried out of a cave, followed closely by the sound of falling rock.

A quick head count was taken right then and there, and the lead changeling waved it off when all the excavators had been accounted for.

Gaze still drifting, Eclipse’s eyes took note of a stage set up not too far away, complete with a trio of changelings setting up various instruments on it. One of the beetle changelings was plucking a few strings on a guitar-like instrument, though it was oddly shaped and seemingly constructed out of a combination of chitin and metal.

Nearby, a classically styled changeling akin to the ones that attacked Canterlot was much more excitedly strumming his instrument, hooked up to what Eclipse presumed to be an amplifier as if he was ready to begin at that moment. Based on the buzzing of his wings, he certainly was.

Lastly, one of the scorpionfly changelings was just finishing setting up her instrument, a percussion instrument reminiscent of a drum set, but without cymbals and placing a much heavier emphasis on large bass drums. Along with this was a strange headset. Putting the headset on and checking to make sure it wouldn’t fall off, she spoke into it, causing her voice to echo from several speakers placed around the stage.

“Test, test, three, four…” The changeling turned to her compatriots. “You ready?”

“Yeah, for like, an hour.” The beetle said back, though it wasn’t nearly as loud. He turned to the third changeling. “What about you?”

The changeling simply strummed his instrument before lifting his head, giving Eclipse a full view of a pair of dark sunglasses. Why he was wearing sunglasses in an underground cave, Eclipse had no idea.

Thorn seemed to have noticed Eclipse’s distracted state of mind, as the changeling followed his gaze and smiled. “Don’t tell me you’ve never seen a band before.” The changeling chuckled.

“Not in a changeling hive.” Eclipse responded. “Nor did I ever expect to.”

A silence that lasted several seconds drifted between the two of them, both of whom had stopped walking by this point. Finally Thorn broke the silence.

“Would you like to stay and listen?”

“That does sound interesting…” Eclipse began. “But wait, what about your matriarch? Not to mention my own companion.”

“The matriarch is already busy.” Thorn answered. “This may actually make things simpler for her. Besides, she expected this sort of reaction from you, which is why she is allowing them to play even with your untimely arrival and… introduction.”

“…And?” Eclipse asked after a moment.

Thorn smiled again. “The phoenix griffin is a creature whose power is well known among us, as we’ve already said. Even had we a mind to cause her harm, none would have the exo to actually do it.”

Eclipse had to accept this as enough for now, even though he still had no idea what ‘phoenix griffins’ were capable of or what it meant that Aranna was one of them. “As interested as I am, I’d prefer to get my business done and over with. Maybe later.”

The perimeter guard nodded. “Very well. Follow me.”

“Eclipse. I present you to the matriarch.” Thorn stepped aside, giving Eclipse a full view of the changeling in front of him.

She didn’t sit upon a throne, nor did she have a flock of servants attending to her whims. Instead, she was standing next to a desk, shuffling several official looking pieces of parchment around and doing her best not to drop any. Between the constant buzzing as her wings lightly vibrated from how rushed she was and the frazzled look of her moss green mane, she looked very much like the unfortunate character who had stumbled her way into politics and was doing her best to keep it from falling out from underneath her, with varying results.

She also looked younger than half the changelings Eclipse had seen. Clearly, the title of matriarch was not dependent on one’s age.

In her haste to stow the documents, she had not noticed Eclipse entering the room behind Thorn. When she turned around to greet the newcomer, she jumped in surprise at how he had already made it to the halfway mark between her and the door, a distance that was really only two dozen feet if you were feeling generous.

She quickly composed herself, giving Eclipse the same sort of smile Celestia gives nobles when she wasn’t sure she really wanted to talk to them.

“Please, forgive me. I wasn’t expecting company. Especially not after the incident with our perimeter guard.” She tapped her hooves together, still nervous. “What can I do for you?”

Eclipse couldn’t help but run his gaze up and down the changeling. “You’re the matriarch?”

He could feel Thorn glaring at him, so he clarified.

“When I hear the word ‘matriarch’, I tend to imagine an older sort. The kind who’d be yelling at small children to get off their lawn, but nicely.”

The matriarch laughed, causing the physical force of Thorn’s glaring to lesson greatly, though it did not disappear.

She smiled gratefully, her nervousness wiped away. “My mother is the true matriarch. However, as she grows old, I’ve taken more and more of her duties. As of now, only an official transfer of title is what separates me from any other matriarch.”

Eclipse nodded. “Well, it seems that Vangar believes you to be attacking them. That’s why I’m here.”

The matriarch took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “I should have known. Blackreach should not have allowed Nexus hive to set up a nest here. But I just had to have hope…”

Eclipse shuffled on his hooves. “You allowed them to set up shop?”

“We…I-I thought they may turn out like us. It should have been apparent that something was wrong. So uniform… I should have known they were a hive minded sort. No doubt their sovereign has a solid hold over the will of each changeling.”

Eclipse took a step back. “So some changelings are hive minds while others are free willed, like the ones in Blackreach hive?”

“Yes.” The matriarch nodded, frowning. “Certain hives, mostly ones who are already completely bonded to a singular mind, will have their young brought into the hive mind, though at the cost of that changeling’s individuality and, should the hive mind ever break, their sanity. It is rare for a changeling to escape a hive mind with their own intact, but more common are adult changelings who are forcefully integrated into a hive mind.”

Eclipse shuddered, imagining having his free will stripped away and being forced into a hive mind he didn’t want to join. That thought alone made him prepared to wipe Nexus Hive off the map, even though he wasn’t even sure that Nexus engaged in such practices.

“Does each hive have a unique moniker for their leader?” Eclipse asked, pointing to the fact that he had heard queen, matriarch and sovereign to describe the leader of a hive.

“Yes and no. Time apart from one another can cause differences in one hive from another. The title of their leader is one such possible difference, as well as the emergence of new breeds of changeling.” The matriarch nodded towards Thorn. “We have a very rapid rate of evolution, but may also go an eon without the slightest change. It’s matter of survival.”

Eclipse finished writing his notes, intent on giving them to the princesses as soon as he returned to Canterlot. Stowing the paper and pen, which neither Thorn nor the matriarch had noticed before, he raised his hoof. “One more question: Can you tell me where Nexus hive is?”

The matriarch hung her head. “No, but someone in Blackreach hive might. Also, find a changeling who knows about phoenix griffins. From what I was told, you were just as surprised as the perimeter guard at her true nature. If you need assistance, I, Matriarch Nightwhisper, will do my best to aid you.”

Nightwhisper retrieved her stack of parchment, immediately returning her attention to it. From the lack of dismissal, it was clear that she had wanted to resume her other duties as soon as possible, despite the forgotten formalities.

Thorn led Eclipse out. “Per the matriarch’s orders, I’ll serve as your guide through Blackreach.” He announced, wings buzzing slightly. “First, I believe I will show you to the guest quarters.”

Eclipse realized that it was late afternoon, possibly even nighttime outside the cave. Thorn would likely retrieve him in the morning. If not, he’d happily tear a massive hole in whatever cell the changelings had thrown him in and proceed to beat each of them into a fine, gooey paste.

Author's Notes:

Yes, Blackreach hive's name and description are based on best Skyrim location.

If you hadn't noticed that or do not understand the previous statement, please move along and pretend you saw nothing in this set of author's notes.