"Ok, have fun with that!" Star looked down on the hive as she was being suspended into the cocoon. She closed her eyes and went into deep thought for a while, running plans through her head. "Hmm... Perhaps if I... no, that won't work. What if I... Nope." It was hard to think over the hypnotic buzzing of the Changelings around the hive. And the cocoon was radiating a magic that made Star feel sleepy. It was most likely to gradually break any resistance before the Queen uses her mind control. "Well, I haven't slept more than 3 hours in the past 2 days. Might help me to think if I get a little rest." She thought. Star drifted off to sleep for the next few hours.
Poison knew it wouldn't be a good idea but she wanted to at least watch Star. She didn't want Star to make her escape. She quietly watch as Star slept, her eyes never leaving the face of the mare that hangs before her. She knew the Queen wants Star as a pet as a punishment but something was telling Poison that maybe it maybe better to let... no she cannot be a treasonous fool. She knew it was a mistake to watch Star but she kept on watching. Her hard eyes softening a bit as she watches.
Star was in the middle of a dream, when she started to hear buzzing inside her head. "Give up." "Don't resist." "Offer yourself to the Queen." "It's futile." "It will happen anyway." She woke up. "What the hell was that?" She saw Poison, watching her. "The Queen put you on guard duty? That's pathetic. What's a unicorn with a broken arm and no magic going to do?"
"No, I just choose to do this of my own accord." Poison says simply. "I'm more certain that you have better worries than to ask a simple drone like myself questions." She says, the tone in her voice being not as hard as it was before. It was oddly soft, and gental.
"Well, I'll be stuck here for a while. Might as well do something. Say, I took a nap earlier, and heard voices earlier. Know what that's about, perchance?"
Poison then sighs. "If your asking then you're probably already being affected. Those voices are the hive mind, the voices of our people telling you to join us. It's part of how her highness convinces her captives to give in. For you it maybe odd, but for those born a changeling like myself, it's a common occurrence. It's a good way to weed out insubordination before it starts. Our Hive mind does have power but as long as all legs move for the same goal. That's why we are so undefeated, so untouchable." She says, then sighs. "Honestly, I don't know why I told you that but... I guess it's because I'm lonely..."
"Hive Mind? Geez, sounds like something out of a horror movie. I vaguely remember this the last time I was here. The Queen would put me in one of these, most likely multiplying the resistance dissolving by some absurd number and poured all her brainwashing magic into me. Don't remember much from the time except being a docile little kitten happy to do anything she said." Star looked around a bit. "Some of these walls look ancient and easy to burn." Star invisioned razing a weaker looking wall to the ground. She added the idea to a mental list of possible ideas. "An outsider, huh? I was never one to speak to other ponies at school. I would often rather read a book."
"The hive mind is something that part of us all. The last time you were here, our Queen tried to directly change you but seeing how well that worked last time, she is making extra precautions by letting the hive mind take it's effect on you." Poison explains and then sighs, closing her eyes. "Well I'm not exactly an odd one out as much as most of my kind fearing me due to my unpredictably aggressive nature. I know we changelings are aggressive but I'm to a point that it almost seems unhealthy..." Poison says and she then looks to Star. "A bookwork huh? Well, there is a repository of scrolls full of interesting things to read. I kinda gained my place because of the magic lore there." She says feeling good for once. Talking to someone does help, and maybe she could at least entertain herself with conversation. She has nothing better to do.
"I'm coming for you Lady Star!" A stallion armed with nothing more than a farming scythe and some armour consisting of pots rushed straight into the front of the Hive. "Oh Celestia no. Don't mind him he's just a... er... suitor. Doubt he's even worth your time." Star was clearly embarrassed telling from her facial expressions. If the cocoon wasn't restricting her movement, her head would be in her hooves.
Poison then sighs. "I can sense how you feel. I'm not pleased either." She then sighs and looks to Star. "Besides, he will most likely not be able to get past our guards. From the sounds of it... he is wearing piss poor armor at best." Poison would laugh if it wasn't such a pathetic display.
Poison then nods. "Sadly for the highest ranking female changelings like myself, it's pretty similar. It's kinda charming at first but then it gets super annoying." She then lowers her head and sighs. "It's not like I don't enjoy the attention, but the ones that flirt with me are the only ones who give me mind aside from her Highness. All the others... they fear me. I suppose it comes with the territory, but it's just feel like it's not worth it sometimes."
Star watched as the stallion was beaten aside and carried away. "So.. what's going to happen to him?"
"He'll probably be put in a cocoon till our Queen decides what to do with him." Poison says and sits down. "I really do wounder how such ponies pass as citizens of Equestria."
"Most of them are either dirt poor, not to be rude. Can't blame them, I suppose. They actually need money. Or just straight up lustful. I don't get that one either. Do I really look that nice. But the worst ones are the ones who are BOTH. You would not believe how many times I had to change my mailing address because of the amount of letters I get."
Poison then giggles a little and nods. "It's okay and I'm sure it gets annoying." She says. It was starting to feel like her and Star were having a good connection. Maybe not all ponies are all that bad. They are pretty entertaining to watch though. "It's rather humorous that males can be that desperate for a mare, let alone beautiful one."
"Well, it's been nice talking, but I'm going to think a bit and then maybe sleep for an hour or two. Tell the queen I say hello." Star sunk back into her own little world, deep in thought, continually adding to her list of possible escape plans.
Poison just kept quiet and sat there. Her own eyes close in meditation. She just let her own mind go to a peaceful place. It was peace for her as well as Star. Maybe they could speak through the hive mind if Star excepts it. That would be fun.
Star continued to think in her sleep, while ignoring the Hive Mind's calls. At one point she even had a legitimate discussion with it. Either it was getting to her, or she was just crazy. She even wondered if giving in her freedom was so bad once or twice. She then snapped out of it, realizing the Hive was thinking for her. She then had a genius thought: Somehow trick the Hive Mind into thinking she had given in, and allow Chrysalis to "Mind Control" her. An eye color spell could be used to change her eyes irises to green. But that would require both the suppressor ring and amulet to come off. Star could probably wait for her hoof to heal, and at that point her muscles would have atrophied to the point she could wiggle her hoof around to take off the amulet. The magic power suppressed by the amulet should be able to force the suppressor ring off, and her magic would then be usable. (One or two week time skip? My reason being that Star is probably going to be in the cocoon for a while, and I want to speed things up. Unless of course, you had something else in mind.)
Poison could feel Star's thoughts every once in a while for the span she was imprisoned. It was interesting that she so easily let it persuade her yet she still will resist. Poison then wonders if the hive mind will take her eventually. (I really didn't have much else in mind. The fast forward was for the better.)
