"Ahhh!" Sakura screamed as she gripped the controls tightly, and I could feel her fear through our link, but I pushed it away and tried to focus on the task at hand.
[DQ Bee: Targeting: All Ships]
[Lock-on!]
[Firing!]
I felt the DQ Bee's energy gathering in its mouth before firing a large red beam that cuts through all the ships like they were butter. The force of the blast sent us flying backward, but we quickly righted ourselves, but more of their ships poured out into space in all directions, including some I could see coming up from Kadeon.
'Honeycomb Cannon!'
'',
A large honeycomb-shaped cannon materialized on my back before firing smaller red beams that took out a large area of ships, but more just kept coming.
"We need to get closer!" Sakura yelled as she tried to steer us toward the center ship, but the other ships were quickly swarming us.
[DQ Bee: Targeting: Nearest Ships]
[Lock-on!]
[Firing!]
The DQ Bee fired a stream of red energy that cut through the first layer of ships before finally hitting one and causing it to explode. It was a big enough distraction that we were able to make our way toward the center ship without getting hit too many times, but I could feel my energy draining with every shot we fired. Q (now DQ) Bee was powerful, but even she had her limits against such overwhelming odds.
"Sakura! We need to go faster!" I called out as we neared the center ship, and Sakura nodded before putting all her focus into flying us through the maze of ships while barely avoiding getting hit.
A massive golden beam lanced through a group of ships coming up from below me, and I turned my focus to Helaina, who had fallen back to the ship, and was standing on the bow at the top. Guns were starting to appear all over the ships, and the moment they did, they started firing countless streams of bullets.
"I have your back! Keep pushing, and we will do our best to assist you, my Queen!" Helaina called, and I turned back to the fight where Sakura flashed in and out of sight, landing on ships with her Demon Neko Bee and tearing the ships apart. She was ferocious, and I grinned as I felt the DQ Bee's energy surging through me.
The stream of new ships from the Divinity spike had slowed, but now there was an even greater force rising up from the planet.
[Incoming force is too great for our current form. Request to Merge all drones and place all control in your hands, my Queen?]
DQ Bee's words rang in my mind, and I confirmed them before feeling a surge of energy entering my body. I felt myself changing as the three of us merged into one, and when it was done, I looked down to see that we were now in what appeared to be a gigantic golden armored bee-like form with two tails.
"What is this?!" Sakura yelled as Helaina and her appeared in my now expanded cockpit, but I was focused on the changes that DQ Bee was going through.
[Epic Bee Form: All systems online]
[Trait: Legendary Bee God Form] Given!
[System is re-calibrating for new form]
[Sync to Epic Bee] Activated!
[Queen System Reboot is required. Temporary Loss of consciousness resulted in rebooting the final Log File left by you, B1, Harbinger of The Everclock.]
Before I could react, My world went black, and I opened my eyes as I sat in front of my computer. I yawned and lifted my hand to my face to push the hair back out of my eyes. I was so tired, but soon I would go to sleep for a very long time, and I would get all the rest I wanted.
I looked up at the screen and sighed as I looked at where the mouse was holding over the record button. I had spent an hour just thinking about what I was going to say, but it wasn't easy. I needed to leave myself a message about what happened here and how things could be changed, but I still, even after everything that had happened with Tyler, still wasn't sure if there was anything that could be fixed. All I knew was that everyone was dead because of him and his selfishness.
I was the only person left because I had not been fast enough to realize what he had been planning the entire time. He was so sure that he was going to win that he risked everyone's lives on it, and now I folded alone in a single space station that was orbiting the Everclock that had stopped moving.
This world was done, and I was supposed to move on to the next; that had been what this was all about, but now I was alone, and all the people that I loved and cared about were gone. I had already left almost everyone but my wives behind, but even they were gone now.
That thought made me grab at my chest as tears rolled down my face in pain and frustration, but that was why I was going to send myself back to the Seed World, and I would make my way back through the F.I.R.E. The only thing is that it would take a while before I could regain who I once was, and if I went back, so would Tyler.
I was tied to that bastard for some reason, but I would not let that stop me. I had defeated him once now, and I would do it again, but this time it would be important for me to come back with an army to take Tyler out once and for all. I just wanted to get to the final world, but I refused to do it alone, so I clicked the record button and took a deep breath.
"Ashely, or me, I guess. This is weird, but I am sure seeing your reflection is just as weird for you. Your name is Ashely Burgeon, and many years ago, you started a journey identical to the one you are on right now. You have been in an eternal struggle with a Being that calls himself Tyler, or A1. This is not a human or anything like that; he is an evil entity that is trying to gain control of the Everclock so she can control everything within the F.I.R.E. You are the Harbinger of The Everclock, and it is your responsibility to stop him. You already have once, but you lost everyone that you ever cared about..." I explained but became choked up because of it.
'ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NovelB(i)n. ᴄᴏᴍ',
I knew that I would have them all with me and my heart screamed with pain, wishing that I could just have one more moment with them all. Life has been so hard, and to have it all end this way...
"No matter what happens, you can not do it alone! You must bring your entire hive this time and make sure that we can stop Tyler this time," I pleaded with the screen as tears continued to fall. "And spend every second that you can with your wives. You have no idea how much it hurts to lose everything, and I hope that you never have to experience this feeling! If you are getting this message, that means that The Queen System has become fully activated in you, and the Hive Expansion to your Queen System is being completed. I wish I could be there to see it, but I know that you will do an amazing job."
I hit the stop button before leaning forward and resting my head on my hand as tears continued to fall from my face for what felt like forever. This was harder than anything else that I ever had to do in life because of everything at stake. If we lost again, then Tyler would win this game of his once and for all.
Suddenly I was back sitting in my cockpit, the girls on either side of me looking worried as I could feel the tears still coming out of my eyes.
I was Ashley, and this wasn't my first time making this journey, but it wasn't like I got a bunch of memories back, but something had changed about me.
[Active Queen Sync] Activated!
Suddenly, I became aware of everything.
Messia and Miasma were working with Xani and Ryan while a strike team was taking over the hangar where the Flying Hive Fortress was being held. Miku and Rixie were being transported back to the Skunk Village while Tag and Sig focused on getting the goblins out of the Goblin Mountain. Gamble was working with a woman I was slightly familiar with, even though I had never met her, but she was linked in Gamble. There were more, but everything came to me at once, and I was slightly disoriented.
*Poof!* "My Queen!" Hilda said as she appeared as a boxy bee. "Are you okay?! I just felt a massive surge from your system, and I can no longer make changes to everything."
"There is no need anymore, my faithful helper. When this is all over, I will make it a point to get your old body back before we do anything for all your hard work, Hilda. I really couldn't have made it this far without you," I said as I wiped my eyes and then leaned over to kiss both girls passionately. "I love you both so much."
"Is it really you now, Ashely?" Hilda asked slowly, and I smiled sadly.
"I am still Ashia, even if I was once Ashley. I know what she went through and what I did to get here, but I will do as I said and do things the right way this time. I don't ever want to know what that feels like to lose everything that I love," I said, looking at both of my wives.
"I think that you are Ashely, and you always have been to me, but you have also become so much more than you were before. I believe that you can stop A1 this time," Hilda said, and I nodded.
"I think so too, but now it is time to deal with the clawed rat! DQ Bee! Full Body Sync Activated!" I called out, feeling more alive than I had ever felt as I became one with the true Queen of the Drones.
The True Epic of Bees.
'
The Epic Bee!