Night loomed over the grove as the lead changeling drone sat bound under a tree, just like his other two comrades. The moon rose into the sky, almost full in the night sky. A single zebra sat a few feet away from him, who he had learned was called Zecora. The zebra had taken over the night watch to keep an eye on him and his fellow changelings.
Before night had fallen, they had been visited by the infernal unicorn known as Rowan, along with the banished traitor Naractia and the student of Celestia, Twilight Sparkle. During their visit, they had questioned him and the other changelings why they had followed Naractia here. It was clear from their questions that they thought someone else had sent them, besides Queen Chrysalis.
But the truth was that they had been sent by someone other than the queen. They had been persuaded to pursue Naractia by a spy changeling. The spy had been situated in Ponyville before, so he knew a fair amount of knowledge to help in the capture of the banished princess. But the spy had also told them about a plan that he had put into motion already, and capturing Naractia was a crucial part of the plan.
The plan was that when he, the lead drone, had captured Naractia, then the spy would mobilize his forces and-
"Psst!"
The lead changeling was startled from his thoughts as a sound emanated from his right, behind his tree trunk. He craned his neck around the base of the tree to see the source. It was one of his fellow changelings who was also tied up like him.
His comrade saw that he had the his attention, "Psst! Have you found a way out of these ropes yet?"
The lead changeling glared at his comrade, which he knew to be a female, not that it mattered to him. "Quiet you. I haven't found any way to escape yet, and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you in front of the zebra."
The female groaned, "You're just useless, aren't you? I don't see why you were made the leader." But then, something caught her eye. It was her other comrade, the other male. He didn't seem to be doing anything, except possibly watching the grass grow.
The female hissed at him, "And what do you think you're doing?"
The male shook his head as her voice brought him back to reality, "Wha-? Oh, I was just... thinking."
The female scoffed mockingly at him, "Oh, and just what were you thinking about?"
The male's eyes narrowed, "I'm only thinking because I've never been able to think before. I would have expected you guys to have tried it as well." None of the other two spoke, making the male sigh, "Haven't you thought about what Naractia said, about the queen lying to us? Do you think it could be true?"
The leader humphed, "It couldn't be true. It's all just a lie that the traitor planted in our minds."
The male shook his head, "But... our minds. We've never used them before today. And since we've never used them, then we couldn't have recognized if the queen was lying to us or not. Now, I don't like the sound of it, but Naractia's claims do have some... logic behind them."
The female paused, "Leader, he does have a point, but we must be loyal to the queen at all costs. What should we do?"
The leader stopped as he went through his mind. He was both conflicted by his duty and devotion to the queen, but Naractia's accusations were strong enough to match his loyalty for Chrysalis. How was he supposed to know what was true?
After thinking for a few moments, the leader reached a conclusion, "It's obvious that these ropes are weaved with enchantments, so we won't be able to escape for a while. But until then, we will watch Naractia and see if she shows any signs of having lied to us. If she slips up and accidentally reveals herself as a liar, then we continue with the plan as before."
The male piped up, "But what if she's not lying? What do we do then?"
The leader sighed, ".... I don't know."
Silence passed between the changelings. Not a sound was made, save for the occasional noise from the forest that surrounded them.
Suddenly, the male piped up, "You know, Naractia was right about one thing."
The female gave him a side long glance, "And what would that be?"
"It does feel good to think."
The leader narrowed his eyes at him, "And what's so great about thinking?"
The male smiled, "I've been doing a lot of thinking and it's helped me see some great things in life. I've come to realize that I take pleasure in several things, things that I've never bothered to notice. Things like animals, the trees, and even the bright colors that the hive lacks. Oh, and Flying!"
He looked up to the night sky, a grin spread across his face, "Don't you guys realize how great it is to fly? With the wind blowing in your face and the height at which you fly, it's the best feeling I've ever felt. But without the use of my mind, I could never have noticed how great it is. It makes me anxious just to get out from these ropes and fly away, forever." He paused and sighed, "It makes me wonder how much we've been missing out on in the world, and I doubt staying in the hive could help me see that."
The male turned his head towards the female, "What about you? What do you like?"
His question caught her off guard, "What?!... Um... I don't know. I haven't been doing as much thinking as you have."
The male shrugged as he turned his head towards the leader, "What about you, leader? What do you like?"
The leader shook his head as he groaned in annoyance, "Look, I know that you want to get us to start thinking about everything that we haven't before, but now is not the time. Perhaps you can use your thinking skills to figure a way out of these ropes. If not, then just go to sleep. We'll need some rest if we are to escape any time soon."
The male rolled his eyes, "Yes, leader. I'll just go to sleep. I'm tired of you two and the hive anyway." He rested his head against the trunk of his tree and closed his eyes. He was in the need of some rest. After all, anyone could get tired of thinking.