The changeling invasion of Canterlot was a terrifying event, scarring ponies for a long time to come. However, in the end, kinder hearts prevailed over politics and power grabs, and a pathway to diplomacy between the two species eventually appeared despite rigorous opposition. An official peace treaty was signed roughly a year later, and changelings were allowed into pony cities without the fear of any official retribution. The unofficial but expected reactions of ponies varied from curious observation to straight up hostility. However, since most ponies had zero direct experience with changelings, the majority of cities eventually grew to regard them as any other newcomer as long as they didn't cause trouble. Of course, wandering around in the open was only an avenue for the few changelings tasked by the queen with testing the waters. The good old shapeshifting was still the main method of getting around, but the added safety of not immediately facing torches and pitchforks in case they burned a little more love expected, making their disguise fail, made work so much easier for infiltrators.
As one would expect, an easier job for infiltrators meant more love for the hive overall and, as heartless as it would sound, the same went for the fact that the overall number of surviving changelings post-invasion stabilized around three hundred. Thanks to all that, it could be said that the changelings were thriving, even though their numbers were microscopic in contrast to the times before the invasion. At least the living ones weren't starving anymore… or starving that much… or-
The point is, things got better overall.
In Canterlot itself it was different, obviously, due to ponies having a distinctly unpleasant set of extremely personal experiences. Technomagical devices made for detecting changelings were installed in all public buildings, changelings themselves weren't allowed to shapeshift into ponies without permission, and any short-term changeling visitors had to declare their business at Royal Guard gate posts.
In short, while three years have passed since the changeling invasion of Canterlot so far, and despite things having improved dramatically, attitudes and relationships will doubtlessly take many more years to reach a level where a changeling and a pony can live side by side and, as friends, hate all those damn immigrant diamond dogs.
As for how things are now back home in the Badlands hive…
The machine gun thudding of tiny hooves on a rocky floor echoes through a pitch-black tunnel deep underground. Five changeling drones are pumping their legs as fast as they can while being pursued by something completely hidden in darkness behind them. The only thing any surface dweller would see here would be five pairs of rapidly approaching, glowing, teal eyes.
"Is this normal? I hatched last week," asks 99782 via a hive link, its mouth busy gasping for breath.
"WHERE ARE ALL THESE PINCERY SKITTERERS ARE COMING FROM?!" screams 78821 out loud.
"WE WERE JUST DIGGING THROUGH THIS TUNNEL LAST MONTH AND IT WAS CLEAR!" adds 86995 in the back.
"Not normal. Got it. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" 99782 joins in the loud yelling.
"AAAAAAAH!"
"Do you think that the yelling is just making them follow us?" 78821 ponders the situation.
"THAT'S THE POINT!" calls out the drone in the lead - 10013.
"Wait, really?"
"YUP, NOW START YELLING!"
"Aaaaaah!"
"LOUDER!"
"AAAAAAAAAH!"
"GOOD JOB!"
"AAAAAAA -yay!- AAAAAA!"
Despite the nonexistent explanation, the final drone of the bunch, the biggest one, is completely silent, both orally and mentally, but it doesn't seem to bother anyone so it must be okay.
The mental communication, in contrast to the panicked screaming, flowing through the hive links of changelings in the vicinity is, if not calm, then at least somewhat organized.
"Tunnel x5–4d75. We need the Angry Shiny here! Who has the Angry Shiny?" calls out 10013.
"What's going on?" asks 2033, a warrior currently stationed in the underground sector in trouble.
"NEED ANGRY SHINY!"
"What's the target?"
"Pincery skitterers!"
"What the holes is a pincery skit-"
"Gots pincers! Skitters!"
"ASTONISHINGLY HELPFUL! How many are there?"
"ALLOFTHEM!"
"Why would I ever think a damn drone would make sense…?" 2033 mumbles and rolls his eyes before replying, "I'm on the way. Meet me at the T-section with x5–4dsa3. I'll be there in 34 seconds."
"41 seconds on our end," replies 10013.
As the warrior gallops to the correct tunnel, he can hear the screams echo way before he reaches the T-section. Once he's there, he has 7 seconds to fiddle with a strange device on his back which looks like a cylinder connected to a complex nozzle via a metallic hose.
Wrong.
He barely has the time to aim the nozzle glued with goop to his foreleg into the center of the tunnel as the drones round the gentle bend obscuring them.
"YOU'RE TWO SECONDS EARLY, DIMWITS! TWO WHOLE SECONDS!"
"WOOO! WE'RE GETTING BETTER AT RUNNING!"
"PUMPING MY LEGGOS AS HARD AS I CAN!"
"BURNING SOME LOVE SO THAT I DON'T GET ALL FAT AND STUCK SOMEWHERE!"
*SCARED DRONE FACE!*
"No, you damn idiots! I need time to get this thing set uuuu- WHATINALLQUEEN'SHOLESISTHAT!?"
Faced with the somehow almost silent tsunami of giant crabs, each easily over third the size of a drone, completely covering the rough walls as well as the ceiling of the tunnel, 2033 doesn't wait for anything, and bends his fetlock to push the responsive handle just as his eyes turn from bright teal to smoky grey.
It doesn't matter to him at all that one drone is lagging behind the group.
Screw you, drones. Learn to time things correctly!
Sudden blinding light and blistering heat blasting out of the nozzle is followed by immediate high-pitched screeching and the heavy stench of burning flesh. Without the time to stabilize himself due to the mis-timing of drones, the pressurized payload makes 2033's foreleg sway and lose precision.
"Smiley, cover us!" orders 10013, and the biggest drone stops a short distance behind the 2033, its eyes scanning the area for any pincery skitterers that might pass by the warrior. Thankfully, due to the nature of the narrow tunnel, any crab that passes by him is already mostly cooked, so all Smiley has to do is kick it back into the fire.
Less fortunately, whatever the changelings are using as fuel for the Angry Shiny is extremely sticky and flammable, and despite changeling chitin having decent heat insulation properties the slowest drone is halfway covered in flames, rolling on the ground without any luck as the flames keep spreading.
10013 mentally pings the two trembling drones standing by his side, both just staring at their kin being slowly consumed by fire.
"You two, shake me as hard as you can!"
They exchange glances as he sits down next to the rolling drone.
"Got it, shake 10013 like a can!"
"What's a can?"
"The opposite of can't. That means you can shake it and not can't."
"Ooooh, you veterans are so smart!"
They grab one of 10013's shoulders each and go at it.
10013 burps.
10013 purses its lips.
10013 starts spraying green foam from its mouth at the burning drone, aiming its head with both its forelegs, and covering the target's burning parts from front to back.
Contrary to the usual trait of anything goo-related immediately exploding or corroding things, this seems to actually douse the flames for once.
"Whhougheuheemm…" 10013 sways from side to side when the pressurized throwing up stops, shaken from both the chase and being quite literally shaken.
"...ow ow ow ow ow ow…" the half-cooked drone quietly weeps, unmoving so that the goo-foam can settle and harden around its body.
Smiley punts the last burning crab back into 2033's inferno and, shortly after, the warrior turns the Angry Shiny off, letting the heavy black smoke replace the bright flames.
"Let's move somewhere breathable," orders 2033 as he walks over to the half-cocooned drone, "What about 86995? Will it live or can I-"
"99782, help 78821 load 86995 up and get it to High Score. Smiley, 99782, and I will continue our tasks," 10013 gives 2033 a nervous smile, stepping between him and the wounded drone, "Is that okay? No need to eat anyone, it's just some burns. Give it two or three sleepy times and it'll be okay."
"We'll see about that once I report this incident," 2033 frowns, "Wrong timing, risking precious equipment, and endangering a ranked warrior. I'd sort this out myself, but… new rules are new rules."
10013 knows full well what "sorting this out" would mean before the new rules agreed on by the queen and 387. How a warrior like 387 managed to persuade the queen herself to change her attitude towards drones was a mystery to everyone, but since the first rule was "No drones being eaten for love or killed for fun unless agreed on by multiple high ranks responsible for their hive sector." there was exactly zero questioning any part of it.
Permission to leave granted, 78821 rushes off with 86995 on its back while 10013, Smiley, 99782, and 2003 stop several air vents away where the black smoke doesn't reach anymore. The warrior grows claws on his foreleg, grabs 10013 by its neck, and slams it against the wall.
"Okay, you absolute twats. In case you DON'T get shoved into the crusher for this - learn to holes-freaking-dammit at least DESCRIBE THE THREATS PROPERLY!"
The remaining two changelings only watch, fully knowing that whatever happens next isn't in their hooves.
"I did say pincery skitterers, didn't I?" 10013 just hangs there. Choking a changeling isn't really a thing without breaking their carapace, and the warrior has been careful not to harm the drone so far, "If I didn't then I'm sorry. I thought I did, but I might have panicked and-"
2033 lets the drone drop on the ground.
"Those were underground flesheater crabs. Not 'pincer whatevers', you idiots. If at least ONE of you identified them properly then this thing wouldn't be broken!" he shows 10013 the twisted handle which didn't survive the combination of heat and having to be moved around without proper stabilization.
"But… why?" 10013 gives 2033 a puzzled look, "Underground is redundant, we're all down here anyway. Flesheater isn't accurate, they eat chitin too. And what's that crap thingy anyway? They have pincers, they skitter. That means you know their method of attack as well as movement. Makes perfect sense."
2033's eye twitches.
"WE USED TO EAT YOU DRONES FOR MUCH LESS THAN THIS!"
"We know. We're delicious," 10013 sighs, nodding.
2033 turns around and just breathes heavily. 10013 looks to the other two drones to see how they're doing. 99782 is just sitting by the wall, trying to somehow meld with the jagged rocks while Smiley is…
…nibbling on its foreleg with a mix of curiosity and determination.
"We're not delicious to ourselves, dummy," 10013 flicks Smiley's nose which makes it stop, "Only to everything else."
Hearing that, 2033 just groans.
While the vastly decreased number of changelings means more love for everyone despite fewer infiltrators, it also means that fixing collapsing tunnels and keeping the routes necessary for in-hive mobility is significantly more difficult. Drone jobs are more hectic than ever, but there's one other major difference from before the new rules were implemented.
BREAK TIME!
"Wa-za-wha-wut?" 99448 stops clearing a caved-in crawl space, "Uhh, guys? I have a weird hive mind task here. I'm supposed to break something but there's no pointer on the map."
"Heeey, did anyone break a leg during worky time? Or are we supposed to do that now?" 99112, busy with digging upwards to connect two tunnels via an air vent, stops and just waits for an answer. Questioning the hive mind is, well, out of the question.
"Nope nope nope! Everyone whose first day this is, raise a hoof," the veteran drone of the group, 47989, reacts quickly, knowing that some of its companions can sometimes get a bit proactive.
"Meee!" replies 99448.
"Me, but I can't. Tunnel's too small," as expected, 99112 replies as well.
"Alrighty, come here," 47989 instructs the two, pinging a spot on the hive mind map.
Of course, considering that fewer than thirty drones survived the return to the hive after the invasion, and that it took a lot of time and love to stabilize the situation, there are drones being woken up each day from spare eggs within deep caverns prepared for such a situation. The survivor drones have no idea what happened to the hive mind knowledge base to lose practically all information they used to look up whenever necessary, and neither the queen nor any other high ranks ever bothered telling them. That, however, meant that any scraps of experience with underground threats ranging from natural disasters to hostile creatures had to be passed down to each freshly awakened newbie.
Supposedly, the drones got their own tiny hive mind space to store whatever information they deemed useful for everyone, but no one knew how to find it or do anything with it, and asking high ranks has never been a good course of action if one wanted to avoid getting eaten.
When the three drones group up, 47989 starts leading the newbies away from their assigned work spots.
"So, break time is kinda weird," the drone rubs a deep scar in the chiting on the back of its head, "We're not sure what to do, but we're not supposed to sleep or work. That's why it's not sleepy time or worky time. I think 387 once said he wanted us to… 'organically figure something out'. What that means is a mystery, but we think that a drone who figures it out will become closer to High Score somehow."
"My thinking sponge is an organ! Perhaps that's a clue," 99448 gasps.
"And thinking means figuring things out!" 99112 vigorously nods.
"See? You're halfway there and you hatched only 14 hours ago," 47989 beams, heading through the tunnels with the duo in tow, "Anyway, so far we've been using break time for the things we used to do whenever we managed to finish our tasks earlier without a high rank noticing."
"What do you do?"
"First, we examine anything that hurts, stings, itches, or slows us down. If needed, we patch up what little we can. Finally, we trade."
"Trade what?"
"Anything interesting, really," 47989 shrugs, "Did you find anything shiny, useful, or weird in a way that doesn't try to eat us?"
"Oooh ooh ooh!" 99112 raises its foreleg, "I got some shiny lint in my leg hole, look!" it presents it to 47989.
"Neat! Someone might find it interesting and offer something of theirs for it. It's hard to say."
"Awww… I've got nothing," pouts 99448.
"That's alright," 47989 pats its head, "It took me days to find my first nice and round stone. I traded it for a stick that fit through both my leg holes at the same time. You don't see that every day!"
"Woooooow!" both drones look at their forelegs, "Do you still have it?"
47989 shakes its head.
"Nope. The cave where I kept my stash collapsed while we were gone."
"Awwww…"
"It happens," 47989 shrugs, "Besides, thanks to the new rules I got to keep a shiny I found last month. It fits in my leg hole, it's green, and it sparkles!" when it sees 99448 bend its neck to the ground, it adds, "I got it tucked away in my new stash so that I don't lose it while digging. I'll show you in a moment. We're almost there."
47989 slips through a heavily reinforced crack in a tunnel wall that almost immediately widens into a short, smoothed-out tunnel. What lies behind is something… unimaginable by most changelings who never left Badlands no matter the rank. The hive's current ratio of drones to ranked changelings is around two to one, and the vast majority of the two hundred drones must already be here for whatever this 'break time' is.
So… regarding the 'here'.
It's a cavern, everything large enough that's underground is. This one, however, could compare to Canterlot castle throne room in size and shape. Numerous pillars support the ceiling, randomly scattered from the inconspicuous entrance all the way to the back. The walls are baseline smooth but covered by scratched pictograms. There are two short sets of stairs, one on each side of the entry tunnel, both leading onto a walkway lining the entire place. In the back, these two lead up to another floor, and those in turn wind back to the entrance area, and to the top floor near the ceiling. None of this is necessary, not even particularly useful since changelings can see in the dark perfectly as well as fly, but coupled with the shimmering globs of green goop dotting everything it looks completely out of place and absolutely stunning.
For some reason, there's also a fairly steep… slide leading from the top floor down. A slide currently occupied by a drone jumping on the smooth rock while yelling "Wheeee!".
Compared to everywhere else, this place is loud, filled with buzzing of wings and chatter of drones not talking via hive links.
47989 leads the stunned duo into the center of the, for lack of a better word, cathedral, where it finally stops and faces a life-sized statue of a drone on the back of which sits a plush toy of a dark blue alicorn radiating a tiny but constant amount of love. It has seen better days, clearly. On the other hole, the drone statue is as majestic as a drone could imagine. Its carapace is made of smooth, obsidian glass. It has a sapphire instead of each eye, and- well, that's it. Drones don't have any particular distinguishing characteristics. However, if there's something special about the drone, it's its determined look forward.
A stone tablet is glued to its two hooves high base which, uniquely to this place, bears letters instead of pictures:
[HIGH SCORE]
[HIGH SCORE]
Faced with the inspiring statue, the two newbies look down and 47989's hive link instinctively shares the knowledge required for reading.
"We asked 387 to help us write it in proper scribbles to make it so that even a pony would know who this was," 47989 answers the unspoken question out loud, "High Score was the best drone to ever live. It did things that might sound completely impossible but that just proves how amazing a drone it was."
"Whoooooah," 99112 touches the statue's leg reverently.
"What did it do?" asks 99448.
"It could make high ranks not eat us… sometimes. It could also dig tunnels so quickly that it already had sleepy time while it was still worky time," 99112's jaw drops when 47989 says that, " And one time a bitey melter bit High Score. After five days of excruciating pain, the bitey melter died. Still, if you want to know the full story, you gotta find the Potatoes."
"Whozzat?" 99448 tilts its head.
"The drones who were with High Score before it went on to destroy the ultimate evil dream bad guy alongside 65536 and the soup princess. I was there only for the big fight," 47989 smiles, "Fun times. Scary but fun. Fary? Scun? Combining words is hard. Anyway, this place is for all of us to remember High Score and for you new guys to know there's someone who watches over you and inspires you to do your best even when you feel small, the tunnel is collapsing, and everything feels too tough."
"Awwww!" 99112 smiles.
"Speaking of the Potatoes," 47989 nods towards the raised dais in the back under the balcony where 36658, 20100, and 57999 are in the middle of a chat, "There they are. Looks like we made it in time, they're about to start."
It approaches the trio with 99112 in tow.
"Hi, guys!" 47989 greets them, "Whose turn is it today?"
"Mine!" 57999 beams, "I'll be talking about the time High Score dealt with a wall of fake changelings side by side with 387. But I decided to make it special this time - it'll be a tractor."
"What's that?"
"I won't just be talking. We'll play pretend to show everyone how it went."
"Woooow, I love the idea!" 47989 stops its hooves in excitement, "Who's playing the wall?"
"I got a bunch of newbies to help!" 57999 gives it a proud smile, "I'm playing High Score and I asked a few guys to practice standing on each other."
"Buuut the fake changelings were flying," 47989 tilts its head.
"True, true," 57999 doesn't lose any of its enthusiasm, "But this way I can make them trip and have the whole wall crumble."
"Buuut that's not what happened," 47989 keeps poking the holes in the story, "At least I think, but I can be wrong. I have had rocks fall on me a bunch of times since then. Some were pretty heavy."
"No, no, you're remembering it correctly," 57999 doesn't stop smiling for a moment, "But doesn't my version just sound way more, you know, High Score-y?"
"Ooooh!" 47989 finally nods in understanding, "Can't argue with that. That would make for a much better play- uhh- tractor."
"Yup! 36658 is playing 387 and 20100 will be 156."
"I'm the mean but eventually kind-hearted infiltrator!" 20100 bounces up and down.
"And I'm a smarty warrior who argues with you but deep down I like you and we hug in secret when no one is looking!" 36658 grins.
"Eeeeee, I can't wait!" 47989's eyes go wide before-
10013
"Gasp! That's a drone number!" 47989 blinks when the hive mind starts publicly broadcasting, making the buzzing and chatter all around stop as all the gathered drones start looking around.
20100, 36658
"Those too!" 99448 concludes after a brief moment of deep thinking.
99111, 99526, 99380, :-)
"Eeep! That was almost me," 99112 hugs 99448 for safety, "Wait, what was that last one?"
93, 387. Everyone, report to the throne room immediately!
The order is followed by every mentioned changeling's mind lighting up with a marker on the shared hive map. Granted, most ranked changelings know precisely where the throne room is, but in the case of drones that's certainly not true.
"Awww…" 57999 pouts, "GUYS, WHO WANNA PLAY 387 AND 156 TODAY INSTEAD OF 36658 AND 20100?"
Among the chorus of 'me me me!'s, the seven called out drones gather at the High Score memorial exit, look back at everyone, and leave without a word. Everyone knows the rules:
If we don't come back, whoever finds our stash gets to keep what's in there.
10013 withers under the gaze of two warriors guarding the entrance to the throne room, pulling its head between its shoulders. The other five drones are visibly shaking, and it's clear that the only thing stopping them from running away is the hive mind marker pulsating inside their head… and the knowledge that if either of the warriors wanted to do anything to them there would be nothing to save them. As for Smiley, it sits down behind everyone else, waiting for what's about to happen.
"W-We're supposed t-to go in…" peeps 10013.
The left warrior scoffs but nods sideways to a small, oval hole next to him. As he touches the black wall with his hoof, the hole expands into a fully functional, still oval, entrance.
"T-Thank you," 10013 forces a polite smile before heading in. It probably won't help but it can't hurt.
The throne room is vast, dwarfing the High Score's memorial, but it's just a cavern, not actual architecture. In its center sits a large throne made of black rock not found anywhere else in the hive. The eyes of the three new drones go wide as they see the queen for the first time, and even the survivors of the Canterlot invasion who only met her for a short while after surviving their return to the hive feel a little unreal.
Right under the throne there are three ranked changelings, two female infiltrators and one male warrior whom the hive mind identifies as 93, 156, and 387. Just like giving drones break time and other freedoms, the new rules allow ranked changelings a custom trait in their natural form, which 387 used to simply change the color of his carapace to mossy dark green. 156, having often been picked for her experience over the few existing higher ranked changelings whenever the queen decided to leave the hive, is sporting a corset-like decoration on her barrel. 93, for reasons unknown to the drones, decided to grow a grey mane that's now tied to a smooth ponytail.
10013 breathes out, tripping as it takes a step forward and its forelegs tangle on each other but catching itself before it can faceplant on the floor.
"W-we're here, Your M-Majesty."
AS IF SHE DIDN'T KNOW, YOU DUMMY!
To its surprise, Chrysalis actually smiles at the drone group as she sits up, giving them something close to a heart attack.
"Now will you talk?" 387 rolls his eyes at the queen, earning a furious glare from 93.
"You will not speak to the queen in this manner-" she hisses at him.
"The energy of youth," 387 snickers, nudging 156, "She reminds me of old you."
156 just smacks the back of his head.
"Well done, 156," Chrysalis nods at her and levitates up a small tube, "Now that everyone is finally here, I assume you want to know why."
"...you think…?!" 387 mutters, glaring.
"Then, with no further ado - here it is!" Chrysalis unscrews the top of the tube, presenting a floating piece of gold-foiled paper to 387, "We, as a new, allied power in Equestria, received an invitation to a cruise followed by a stay in an island holiday resort, all expenses paid. The goal seems to be to get to know other members of nobility from all over the continent."
"Who in all holes invited us?" asks 387 immediately, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
In response, Chrysalis beams.
"The baroness of Northern San Palomino herself and her partner."
"You're saying that as if I should know them," 387 tilts his head.
"You really need to get out more," Chrysalis shakes her head in fake pity, "However, whether you know or don't know them is immaterial. The cruise ship leaves from Manehattan in a week, and it's a long trek from here. So pack up anything you deem useful and we're leaving in two hours."
"Just… one final question, if you don't mind."
"I do mind, but what wouldn't I suffer for such a precious member of my hive, right?" Chrysalis keeps her cool, which is only more of a reason for 387 to distrust her.
"If this really is just a polite invitation from some politician to get us to know the, ugh, cream of the Equestrian crop, then why are you taking a bunch of drones and only one warrior and one infiltrator as your retinue? That's… dangerous to you, if nothing else."
Chrysalis doesn't even flinch at the question.
"Your concern for my safety is appreciated, 387, and in the same way I can only ascribe my decision to having learned a little from you as well. After all, wouldn't you say that drones are the least threatening members of our species, and as such the most suited to being seen in public, considering our current situation? Besides, you were all about showing them what the world outside of the deep tunnels looks like, and now you have the chance."
With a sigh, 387 admits he lost. He looks up at smiling Chrysalis lounging on the throne one more time before turning around to leave.
"I understand, Your Majesty. Drones, meet me here in twenty minutes," he pings a hive map location, "Bring everything you've got in your stashes and I'll help you pick anything that might be useful on the trip."
"Will do!" 10013 nods, and all drones rush out.
387 leaves the throne room as well.
She's not THAT stupid, so what's her angle?