Hopeless

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How can one describe their feelings after going through what I have suffered? Only a few words can suffice. Emptyness, loneliness and... pain. Like a balloon against a needle I have become undone. Become lifeless.

Days have passed since the traitor Thorax took the hive and forced the queen to flee. The changeling race was almost gone, only to be replaced with those I know only as converted drones. Former beings of their true selves. Each and every one of them standing at the side of the new king without shame, without loyalty to their former ruler. Am I the only one who understands that word? Loyalty? Not that it matters now. What does any of it matter?

What do I matter?

I am but a single changeling warrior. A swarm leader fitted with the role of leading changelings into battle. That has been my role ever since the trials of the greater warrior, where I, out of many proved my worth, my determination to the hive. Only a handful of swarmleaders are selected to rule for an age before being replaced with another more capable for the role. Though my time of leadership and command lasted two years up to this point, I would at least like to belive I performed to the best of my abilities and proved not just to my kind, but to all that I was ready to do my part for the hive.

But now... I begin to wonder. Do I even have that right? To call myself a warrior, let alone a swarmleader?

A sigh escaped my mouth. I removed my helmet and stared at the very top of it, seeing my own reflection stare back at me. The face of a coward who ran.

But... running to survive, to preserve both my purity and the remaining purity of the once great changeling race, surely that isn't what a coward does, is it not?

Do I even have the strength inside me to answer my own question?

Without a second thought, I tore my gaze from my unforgiving reflection and placed my helmet back on my head where it belongs. I then looked down to the forest floor hundreds of feet below me.

After days of travel I had to take some respite. And the nearby forest seemed like an ideal stop provided I didn't get too close to the ground. Even from the branch I'm sitting on, the snarls and roars of unknown beasts can be heard as clear as the day itself. I have been listening to those sounds for an hour. Probably longer as there was no way to tell the time. If I could continue travelling I would, but my wings ache, and my heart beats so fast and so loud. It is impossible to continue forwards towards an unknown, and probably pointless destination.

The headache is of no consolation either. When was the last time I feasted upon a fresh source of love? Too long. It was just another problem to add to the list, but one that would become more and more of a burden in time.

After an appropriate amount of time passed, I took flight once more, hoping to the queen that my struggles would not be in vain as I continued my path towards the unknown.

As more days passed, the more my headache grew. And with it, hunger, frustration and stubborness. I became stoic and unreadable, as though my brain had shut itself down and my body had taken over. It did me little good. But one fateful night was what pushed me over the edge.

It was dark and cold. Rain hit my chitin body like miniature spears. The wind unforgiving as it tried to swallow and carry me away. But even that was nothing compared to my own self torture. My headache and stubborn side convinced my foolish self that it would pass and to ignore sheltering within the endless forest. Perhaps that was my determination? That I was so sick of seeing nothing but endless forest for days, that I just wanted to see the sight of something new? Not that I could see since I was shielding my eyes from the hard rain. Or had I allowed my foolishness to cloud my instincts? I suppose it does not matter any more. With every buzz of my wings I once again grew more and more exhausted until at last my body gave as little resistance as a single leaf in a tornado. The futile fight against the elements had come to a predictable outcome.

I crashed. I felt every bump, every scrape, every tree I was thrown against. Though I would not dare admit it at the time, I was helpless. Only when I was lying on the soft yet freezing ground of the forest was I safe from the winds relentless power.

However, when I thought the worst had passed, nature was quick to remind me of its cruelty. Even with the howling of the wind, it was easy to hear another kind of howl. The howl of a predator.

Wolves.

With my remaining strength I forced myself to my four hooves. One of them twisted making it hard to run on. My wings were crushed making it impossible to fly. And even then I would not dare risk the wind again. Were it not for the chitin that covered me from smashing into those trees, I would make a very easy meal for the beasts.

I can't remember much of the chase. Only that I tried to escape in vain as the creatures caught up with ease. It was clear my fate was no longer mine to control anymore. I made it to a large tree and turned my back to it.

Like demons from tartarus, several pairs of bright yellow eyes stared from the darkness and the safety of the bushes. Snarls from bloodthirsty monsters, existing only to take life from everything they encounter.

Is this where it all ends? With me being taken down by savage beasts? This is my fitting end? Where my loyalty, my determination and pride has led me?

Perhaps... perhaps.

But death shall not see me cower in my fallen hour. Nor shall it see me run or create sounds of terror. But instead it shall see a final act of bravery from a changeling. An act of strength and nobility! I am a swarmleader! If I am not that, then what have I left to hold onto? Nothing. Nothing at all.

"Bring your worst"! I barked.

Those were my final short words. And whether they heard me or not, they charged with snapping jaws.

My only regret was that I lasted for a maximum of ten seconds.

A couple of well aimed blasts from my horn were enough to send a couple of the black furred mongrels back into the darkness from whence they came, but all it took was one to knock me off my hooves. I had no more strength to fight with. I had exhausted every last ounce of it.

It wasn't long until the hot breath of one of them could be felt on my head. My helmet would provide no protection. It had flown off when I had been knocked down. Now it laid forgotten somewhere nearby. Low snarls sounded right next to my ear. I didn't even have the strength to care.

At least my final moments, the final moments of the last loyal changeling, I could hold my head high and mighty. That was all that mattered to me anymore. That was all there was to it.

My eyes were too weak to stay open. I closed them and all noise withdrew, becoming silent.

And, perhaps within my critical state I began to hallucinate, but before my eyes shut for the last time... I could have sworn there was some-ling behind the wolves, running... this way. Speaking. Only when my eyes closed could I have sworn I heard what was said.

Something along the lines of... "Protect"? And soon to be followed by muffled blasts... And before my long awaited moment of death, I heard... "Everything's going to be alright".

If only that were true.

If only...

Infiltrators

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I was alive.

That was the very first thought that entered my head the moment my eyes opened. It took a second for my brain to comprehend it, but there was no denying it. I was in pain and I was tired. But I was most certainly alive.

But despite the joy that continued to burst within my own head, the seriousness of the situation took control as I began to realise that some-ling, for some reason must have saved my life. It was the only explanation for my continued existance. After all, wolves are vicious creatures without guilt or remorse. They would have torn me limb from limb. One could argue that the small chance of a larger predator coming across the scene and frightening away my would-be killers would also be a possibility. But I doubt it.

Besides, it wouldn't explain the warm feeling stretched across my back. Nor the orange glow that overtook me, fading out just before it reached the nearest tree. I must have been resting next to a fireplace. But again, who would save a changeling?

I doubted very much that whoever was behind me was a pony, that much I was sure of. A cowardly lot who would never venture this far into the forest. Griffons perhaps? No. I could hear the shuffling of hooves, definetley hooves. But they sounded lighter-

*SNAP*

I flinched. That was the sound of a branch breaking, coming from the direction I was currently facing. For a slight second I thought it was the wolves again.

It wasn't.

You can imagine the shock and surprise that overwhelmed me upon seeing that it neither wolf, nor pony nor griffon. But instead a changeling trotting into view, levitating a bunch of sticks.

Upon noticing that I was looking right at him, he almost froze mid-trot. He mirrored my own expression, but it was most likely he was more... accepting of the situation than I was. I couldn't even ask a single question out of the hundreds that exploded in my mind all at once. But the one thing that could be confirmed was that I wasn't the last changeling drone after all.

Finally after what felt like hours of awkward silence, he lowered the sticks before letting them fall from his magical grip to the ground next to another small pile of sticks. He then spoke.

"Thank the queen, you're awake at last".

There was a sudden rush of commotion behind me. I turned round carefully, knowing full well what to expect but was still unable to mentally prepare myself. There were another six changelings, all surrounding a small fire. All looking right at me. It took another seven seconds before I was finally able to speak a single sentence.

"How is this possible"...?

My question had meant to be rhetorical and directed at myself, but I still recieved an answer. From the one who had emerged from the dark.

"Well, it wasn't hard. Wolves aren't too brave when faced with larger numbers. It's lucky we heard the beasts howling otherwise you would be naught but bones by now".

"That's not what... How are you here, is what I meant. I don't recall seeing any-ling else flee from the hive".

"That's because we didn't come from the hive. At least not when we learned of its fall".

"Then where"?

"The pony castle near Ponyville".

"The... castle"? My brain clicked into place. "The infiltration teams! The ones sent to replace the princesses and their closest known relatives! You are them"?

I recieved a nod. "We are the largest of the three sent, yes".

That explains it then. Those teams were the only known groups outside of the hive once the queens plans to conquer Equestria were in motion. But if this was just one team...

"And the others"?

"We do not know. The team in Canterlot was able to warn us in time that the princesses were returning. Whether they or those in the Crystal empire escaped in time, it seems unlikely".

I admit I know little about the hives infiltration teams. Only that they served our queen as scouts, sent either to find food sources (The ponies) or to blend into the society of another species to gather information. Each and every infiltration team had at least one leader and one warrior to accompany them with every mission they made for experience and protection. Before me was the warrior, that I could tell from his two fangs which stood out bigger than the others. Meaning the leader was among the changelings behind me.

I simply nodded to the warrior and turned to face the others. I could sense their panic, their worry for what may become of them. Do I blame them for it? No. For I felt the same way and they probably knew it too.

"Who among you is the leader of this team"? I asked after a few mere seconds passed.

The closest changeling on the right of me stood up and stepped forwards. I nodded and gestured for him to follow me. There were questions that needed answering.

He understood and moved at once, after ordering the others, including the warrior to stay and secure the area. Meaning doing what they were already doing before I woke up and disturbed them. I took the leader over just where the light of the fire faded. I assumed we would be safe enough. Far enough for no-ling else to hear but close enough to call trouble should it arise.

"First things first I would like to know your name".

"Fang, sir". He replied without skipping a beat. Pushing his chest out proudly showing the proper respect one would and should give to some-ling of a higher rank.

"Fang"... I repeated before nodding. "I need to know of some very important details regarding the last few days. I trust you will have no trouble answering me"?

"Of course not sir".

I asked my questions right away, being sure that I covered everything from his side of the story. He knew almost everything that I did, but only through rumor and the other infiltration teams before they stopped responding.

I even asked why they had chosen to shelter in the middle of this dangerous forest. He told me it was because the ponies knew that they had escaped and that they would be searching the towns for them. That they would not have the guts to check this deep into the forest.

It made sense I suppose. Sometimes the the most dangerous spot can prove to also be the safest.

As for finding me, he said it was because of luck mostly. The warrior played the biggest part since it was he who heard the howls. I was unintentionally galloping not so far away from their camp and they simply took precautions by checking it out. The chances of all that happening are small but possible all the same. Either way I am both glad and thankful that it happened.

"If that is true then I thank you all". I bowed respectfully to the leader.

Upon raising my head I realised that the weight of my helmet was not offering any resistance. I quickly spotted it next to the area that I had woken up from and calmly walked over to retrieve it. The leader, Fang was still following me.

"It's kind of funny really". He chuckled. "Within the time I served the hive, not once did I ever have to serve under a swarm leader. Now when I believed that would now be impossible, along you came".

"The last few days have proved to be strange and unpredictable Infiltration leader. I doubt that yours shall be the last".

I waited a moment to grasp my helmet once again and placed it gently upon my head. A soldier should never be without his armor. Not here. Not in times like this.

"Unless there is some-ling I have yet to meet, I assume I am the highest ranking changeling here"?

"That is correct Swarm Leader".

Then it's confirmed. I am in charge. Very rarely have I needed to command a group of any number and now I find myself in charge of the only changelings that exist within all of Equestria. What can I even say about that? There is no straight answer. All that can be done is to accept it and be done with the fear of it.

"Very well then. In that case I will assume control and establish our main priorities tomorrow when your men have had their rest".

"Our number one priority sir"?

"To find retake the hive, take revenge on those who tried to extinguish our kind and find Queen Chrysalis. Our very future depends on it".

Speeches and doubts

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Most ponies already know that our ability to devour love can increase a changeling's magical power and can keep us from starving? But there is more to it than that. One example is that love can also be manipulated for the sake of healing purposes. Whereas a pony would need to wait days for a minor injury to heal, a changeling can heal using love and recover in minutes should we choose to do so. For ourselves or others at least.

It seemed that this manipulation had already been used on me when I was still unconscious. My shock from discovering more of my kind distracted me from it at first, but I soon learned that the hoof I had first injured from the winds was now fixed. My wings however had taken more time to heal and took until the morning until I could so much as fly once again.

Had I known they had planned to use a fraction of their remaining love to heal me faster, I would have refused. I certainly was unhappy about it and made it clear by arguing with the infiltration leader. He insisted that it was for the best, to keep the highest ranking warrior in top condition. I was in no mood to continue a discussion about what had already been done and dropped it at that. As far as I could see it, a limited source of love should not be wasted unless every-ling was in agreement about it. I seemed to be the only one in disagreement.

It was just as well in the end I suppose, considering the sleeping arrangements.

As you can imagine, sleeping on the ground of a dangerous forest is risky. Therefore our solution was the branches above. Most thick enough to support our weight.

So, once every-ling was ready, they simply flew up and rested on the best branch they could find, some even arguing over who got a certain branch. Fang helped me to mine and that was that. No-ling else spoke a word as they almost immediately fell asleep. I however remained awake in thought.

I remembered what I had told Fang earlier about what our top priorities should be. He was in agreement but of course there were some problems. The biggest being how do we find the queen? I did not know, obviously. And without her, the other priorities fell apart. A force of eight changelings was never going to be enough to deal with the entire land of Equestrian.

So I continued to think of a solution. A hint, an idea, anything that would help in any way. But nothing came.

So instead I took a different approach. Instead of thinking about what we didn't have, we needed to look at what we DID have.

We have this camp, as small and weak as it is. But even a fortress can be created from nothing. Even the hive was built in the land of nothingness and it throughout time was once the power and might of our kind. We have maps, which I learned the warrior stole from the pony castle before they fled. Most of them showed the forest we were currently residing in and the nearby pony settlements near it. I'll be sure to take a look at those tomorrow and with luck get a proper fix on our location. And we also had Chitin Scarabs. Every infiltration team were expected to carry them when on missions if ever they needed to inform the queen of their progress. They didn't seem of much use at the moment but perhaps in time they would. That was everything we had other than my armour.

I remembered at that moment, when I was a drone, my own Swarm Leader told us that every resource you carry can be used to great effect no matter how small it may be. That a single device was all that was needed to save your live.

It would be a step in the right direction if I followed that advice. But how to apply it to my advantage, in this situation was something else.

Perhaps I'll go over it tomorrow with the group and raise some ideas with it.

...........

Hours pass and the light of the sun finally seeps through the dense forest and into the camp. And like every other morning I rise the instant I feel its heat, as do the others. Every-ling takes flight and descends below to the ground floor Before I try the same I give my wings a quick test to see if they are fixed. A loud buzz tells me yes.

That's some good news at least. Better than sleeping on the ground.

A few minutes go by. I decide that now is a good time as any to go over my "battle plan", so to speak. Something I choose to do to raise confidence and bring smiles where they are most needed. Which was right here, right now. A simple talk to boost morale before planning the bigger steps. To Tartarus if any-ling believes that THIS is how they are going to spend the remainder of their lives, we are stronger than that! And I shall prove it.

A few minutes more pass and I have every-ling where I want them. All eight including myself sat down in a circle. No-ling but the Infiltration leader knew what this was about. Now was as good a time as any to take the first steps towards progress, was it not?

"I imagine that most of you are wondering why I have brought you here instead of scavenging for food, yes"?

The infiltrators nodded in confusion while the warrior continued to listen.

"Last night I spoke to your infiltration leader about what our top priorities should be, regarding our situation. And as I'm sure you should know, finding the queen is the most important priority of all".

This earned a number of cheerful responses and hisses. But what I would say next would silence them as quickly.

"As important as it is that we do this, we will not".

As I expected, their smiles turned to confusion. A few even hissed in anger at my words. Good. It proves their loyalty to the queen.

"We will not, because we can't. Not in our state".

I stood up. Now was as good as any time to lay down the truth of the matter, for those who did not already understand the seriousness of the situation.

"We are most likely all that remains of an army of thousands. A mere eight soldiers. To stand against the might of both our former brothers and ponies would be impossible. And perhaps we may never regain what has already been lost. But that does not mean we will lay down and accept this future, will we"?

Mutters of agreement rose from the mouths of a few changelings.

"No. We shall not. We will continue to survive as we always have for generations. As long as we remain, the changeling race shall continue to survive. Each and every one of you is a beacon of hope that will continue to shine as we find a way to climb out of the darkness. We are changelings and we do not accept defeat. We shall endure and survive the harshness of reality as we always have and will overcome it like we have before."

More positive responses and replies could be heard. They seemed much more cheerful now. Not a hint of fear or sadness could be detected.

Speeches, I shall admit are not my strongest point. I'm sure my fellow changelings knew it as well. But I know what every-ling here wants, including myself. Hope. A way to reverse the damage we have already suffered through. Something to hold onto as we climb from the pit of despair.

It was a start at least. As the ponies say themselves, it is best to strike while the iron is hot. We shall continue.

For the remainder of the time I went over every-ling with the maps, trying to figure out the closest pony settlement. As I said our power and hunger for love will begin to gnaw at us in time. We would need to be quick, precise and stealthy to pull it off. But that was a matter for later.

Finally, after most important details were dealt with I left the maps to the two best changelings that understood pony cultures and moved on. The warrior seemed to notice this and took the chance to speak with me.

"Swarm Leader, if I may discuss an important matter with you"? He asked patiently as he walked alongside me.

"Of course. And please, I rather you use my name, Abdonis".

He nodded. "As you wish, swarm leader Abdonis. During your little... talk with us, you mentioned we needed to build up our strength, yes"?

"It would be a necessity, yes".

"In that case, I must ask how? With the dangers of the forest, what is to stop a group of timberwolves from rampaging through this campsite"?

The warriors' tone seemed rather hot tempered. Like he was critical of me. For now I bit my tongue on it but continued to talk on his subject of interest.

"I don't believe that there is much that would be damaged, other than a few mere sticks for the campfire. Those can be replaced with ease I'm sure". We are in a forest after all. Though I am sure that is not what he's getting at.

"Perhaps so, but a changeling can't. If something were to happen to one, the damage done will not be replicable. I can be most certain of that".

"You doubt your fellow brethren"? I asked. Could the tone in my voice be a little angrier I'm sure the entire forest would pick up on it.

"They are the ones I am doubting, Swarm Leader Abdonis. However I believe I may have a solution to keep that from happening".

"Then perhaps you would feel free to share it before it does happen"?

The warrior stopped after we had walked a fair distance to the end of the camp. I turned to face him and he raised a single hoof and spoke as though what he had to say was simple knowledge.

"As you know, the Throne of Chrysalis is made of a rock that wields unnatural properties, capable of cancelling and expelling any magic within it's range".

"Even a nymph knows this general knowledge warrior. Get to the point".

"Were we to take that rock and place it here, its effects would boost our defences. Animals, magical or not will be able to sense the rock's power and keep their distance from it. Ponies would be that much weaker and easier to deal with should we be attacked. This is something we need".

"Then you are a fool. The throne has already been destroyed and the magic it holds is long gone".

"Not entirely true, Swarm leader Abdonis".

It's not? The look on his face is confident enough and I can't find a hint of doubt in his emotions. So what is it he knows that I do not?

"Explain".

"If the throne is destroyed, and lies in pieces then the magic isn't gone, but merely seeping out from the broken areas, as blood does from a wound. Were we to gather a piece large enough and round off the broken area, it would be enough to mimic the effects the throne had before but on a much small scale. Enough to protect the camp at its current state at least. Even a lowly warrior such as myself, knows this general knowledge, Swarm Leader Abdonis".

His rudeness aside, I had to admit. It SOUNDED like it would be a big advantage. But that would mean some-ling would have to go back to the hive, collect one of these stones have they not already been destroyed and gather the right tools to round and smooth out the broken areas. To me, it sounded too risky. To go all that way back to the hive just to end up with nothing in the end.

"I will... consider this. But until I say otherwise, no-ling is to go back to the hive under any circumstance. Not yet. Do you understand this"?

I received no response other than a slight shift of anger in his emotions.

He surely would not be foolish enough to disobey would he? I swear if he is thinking otherwi-

"Yes. Swarm Leader Abdonis. I understand perfectly".

...

"Good. Now go and help the others with the maps. It would be helpful for all of us to pull our weight around here".

"Yes. It would Swarm Leader. I just hope you'll manage. Being the last swarm leader of the hive probably isn't an easy thing to take in".

The warrior, having said his peace left and carried out the order I had given him. For a moment I was content with the short amount of time I was given to be alone with nothing but silence.

"What was that about"?

While it lasted...

The Infiltration leader, Fang seemed to make himself noticed by me as he asked his question and pressed on.

"He seemed rather hot headed when he was just leaving your side, wasn't he"?

I suppose it's only fair I explain. Most infiltrators know little of the relationships between warriors and their leaders.

"It's not so surprising to me. I had the feeling it would happen at some point anyway".

Fang for his part seemed confused. I suppose infiltrators have an easy relationship in the chain of command.

"When I began as a warrior, I served under the command of Swarm Leader Thorn. A changeling who controlled the force of three hundred warriors. See, each Swarm Leader is given a certain number of warriors to command depending on his experience. And like I did, each warrior is expected to give their courage and loyalty to the one Swarm Leader they serve under. Just the one. Including our warrior right here in this campsite. Throughout that time, warriors bond with that Swarm Leader and build a mutual trust. No other Swarm Leader can just take control of a warrior who's loyalty lies with another Swarm Leader and expect him to fully comply. That is why your warrior is acting with a lack of professionalism. I would be lucky if he sees me as even a fraction of his former Swarm Leader. In short, I need to earn both his trust and loyalty, and that is a very difficult thing to do if he knows nothing about me".

"That sounds... a little confusing I must admit". Fang spoke with slight discomfort.

"Call it a warrior thing if you wish". I smirked. "It just means I need to show that I'm a leader who knows what he's doing. Which will be challenging all in its own way".

"Surely not that challenging". Fang smirked. "You're a swarm leader yourself right? I have confidence you will prevail. Chrysalis knows how many warriors you have commanded".

My smirk fell.

"Perhaps it would interest you to know that I actually have very little experience as a swarm leader Fang. I have only held that title for two years. Most other swarm leaders with warriors to lead at that time were too experienced or too young at that time to be replaced".

And thus Fang's smirk fell.

"So... you mean to say that no-ling has served under your command"?

This next part was going to be a little embarrassing to admit...

"In the two years I have spent as a Swarm Leader... you and your team are the first official changelings I have ever taken under command".

I did not see his face but I could sense surprise. Couldn't say that I felt the same.

"Well, it's an honour to be the first I suppose, hm"?

I looked over to see Fang smile. An actual genuine smile. Now I could say that I felt surprised.

"This... does not disappoint you, what I've just shared"?

"As my own leader used to say Swarm leader, there's no better experience than learning on the job, out in the field".

"That is... a good point actually. Thank you, Fang".

"Happy to help sir".

With that, he left me on my own. I couldn't help but feel a little better after his talk. He did raise a good note or two. Either way only time will tell if I can prove to hold my rank or not.

For now however it would be best to check on how well the maps are coming along.

Two more problems

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Two weeks had passed by quickly. Two weeks of infiltrating nearby towns to gather love and build up our defenses. Not much has changed from where we first started out. At least, our defenses haven't changed other than a few magical barriers placed around the camp, powerful enough to stop one, maybe two timberwolves, but useless against something larger, for example a manticore which, by the queen I hope we won't ever have to deal with.

As for our food sources, gathering love was, of course the top priority to begin with. Infiltrators would travel to the targeted towns every few days to gather whatever love they could before returning and sharing it with the rest of us. It was enough to keep us happy at least. The first time they came back from a pony town full of love, one of them nearly started a fight over who should get what amount of love. It was lucky that the warrior is as strict as he is and dealt with the matter at once before our already fragile group was shattered by our own hostility.
Speaking of the warrior, he seems more... tolerable than he was to begin with. However I feel that that is only because he's trying to win my decision for the retrieval of the throne rocks. For now I'm still in disagreement about it. Perhaps Fang wouldn't mind sharing his opinions on it? It would make me feel easier if he had a say in it as well.

Moving on to today, the camp was silent. Not that it was different from any other day. The changelings that hadn't already been sent on the love run were going about their own buisness, talking amongst themselves. Passing the day in whatever manner they pleased. For me, I had much on my mind to bother with small talk or take a break.

As I said before, the infiltrators, in teams of three, travel to the pony towns, take love by disguising themselves and absorbing the delicious emotion before returning back here. Despite it being my orders to do so, it is not something that we can keep on doing for much longer. It's been two weeks and we are not one step closer to accompolishing any of our goals. If we keep it up I worry that the morale of the group will drop drastically and after that, we will be fewer in number than we already are. Hmph... Perhaps I should start considering the warrior's idea? Maybe. I'll discuss this with Fang tonight and see-

"Swarm leader"!

In an instant, I found an infiltrator in front of me. Though not just some random infiltrator. This was one of the three I had sent to retrieve love this morning! Normally they wouldn't return until the evening so there shouldn't have been any reason he would be back so early! He was nervous. I feared the worst!

"What's going on? Were you found out by the ponies"?

"Well, yes and no Swarm leader"!

"Explain"!

No sooner I asked did I hear the buzzing wings of what I assumed to be the other infiltrators ascending slowly from above. When they landed, I immediatley knew what the issue was. Both of them carried an unconcious pony on their backs each. One male, one female. Both of them earth ponies. The moment they landed, the remaining four changelings scattered around the small camp had come closer to see what was going on before talking among themselves, unsure why the infiltrators had brought the enemy to our hidden camp site.
I wasn't sure what I should feel. Anger, confusion or even happiness. I decided to wait to hear their side of the story before I decide. They explained right away.

It turned out that the infiltrators had found the pair past the outskirts of the town who asked them for help handling their wagon. A long story short, something fell from the wagon and onto one of the infiltrators horns, cancelling their disguise for a mere moment. Enough for the two ponies to put two and two together. And since they knew of their existance they could not be allowed to escape and warn one of the very few food sources we have. A few knock out shots later, followed by the destruction of the wagon for good measure, and the infiltrators headed back at once with the witnesses. And now it's up to me to decide what happens to them. In fairness, it was hard to be angry after hearing the story. And considering it all to be true, I dismissed all but the one who warned me of this to begin with.

"Was there anything that may have been of use in the wagon"? I decided to ask. You never know what ponies are carrying that may be of use. One-ling's trash is another-ling's treasure. Better to know just to be sure.

"Only a bunch of pony food and farming tools". The first infiltrator replied. I simply nodded in response.

"I see". I gave a moment of thought as to what the best way of dealing with these ponies were. Out of all the possible answers, one rose above the rest. A simple method that befalls most ponies caught.

"Find out if they were meant to be meeting up with any-ling. We need to make sure our tracks are covered before we make another move on that town. Once you've done that... cocoon them. And make sure to place them high above on the trees. I don't want any predators to get at them".

The infiltrator nodded. "Yes Swarm leader". He then turned and instructed the others in his team to carry out what I had asked. Cocooning is an easy enough process to learn and understand. In order to 'store' love, we need the freshest sources we can find. In this case, ponies. Once they are placedinto the cocoon, they quickly fall unconcious thanks to the materials changelings produce to form the cocoon. Nothing that harms them, but unless the cocoon is ruptured, they will remain in a sleep-like state for the remainder of their natural born lives.

At least it would save us from making too many trips to the towns. But two cocooned ponies for eight changelings, that isn't enough to keep us full for long. Meaning more trips to the towns, meaning the possibility of more incidents like this. And if one of these incidents were to get out of hoof...

I would not feel comfortable about this but...

"Warrior. A moment of your time". I called out, causing our only soldier to make his way over to me. Here goes nothing."You have your wish. Tomorrow morning, I want you and Fang to head back to the fallen hive and find out about the remains of the queen's throne".

I never thought I would see a smile appear so quickly on the warriors usually stoic face.

"Yes Swarm leader". He nodded.

"However"! I quickly snapped before he could leave. "If and when you find them, you will contact me first before you do anything else. And if any of those abominations begin to suspect you, you will retreat from that place at once! Understood"?

And thus, the frown returned. For a moment he said nothing. Before I could repeat myself he responded with "Yes Swarm leader" and dispersed from my sight.

Tomorrow is going to be an infuriating day.

Offers and loyalties

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"You did what"?! I snarled into the hive mind.

"We had no choice Swarm Leader. They overheard us talking and they confronted us". Came Fang's reply.

"And you did nothing"!?

"They meant us no harm! They heard us mention our camp and they want in".

"You fool! They're lying"!

"Normally I would not argue against you, Swarm Leader". Piped in the warriors voice. "However while they can't use our hive mind, they could just as easily use theirs and call a swarm down upon us".

"And did you stop to think whether they even HAVE a hivemind Warrior?! How do you know that they aren't just tricking you so that you lead them to our hideout"?

"I don't Swarm Leader. I'm not doing this for them. I'd have blasted these vermin immediatley were we not stuck inside the enemy's home. But we could always use them for food were we to persuade them to join".

This has become a frustrating afternoon. Just minutes ago I had been called via the hivemind from Fang and the warrior, telling me that they had found the shard pieces and that they were for whatever reason swept aside next to what remained of the throne. Not only that but, as we are currently discussing right now, a small group of changedlings approached them out of the blue to chat. After hearing how much they talked about how their new hive wasn't as fantastic as what they thought it would be, Fang VERY FOOLISHLY led them away despite the warrior's subtle attempts to stop him and explained almost everything! I would be sure to punish Fang for this. We are very lucky. VERY very lucky to even still be talking!

"They're talking to me Swarm Leader. They're saying that if there's a problem"-

"Which there is"! Warrior reminded him.

"- They claim that they're willing to do anything to prove themselves".

"Hah! The pleas of coward"! The warrior snorted. "Willing to do anything to keep in the good graces of their superiors. We should be rid of them now before they change their minds and call their hive's wrath down upon us".

"We are not as simple minded as you are warrior! There's more than one solution to dealing with these kinds of issues".

"You dare to call me me stupid, infiltrator"?!

"Well if the horse shoe fits"-

"Enough! Both of you! You're worse than newborn nymphs"!

I doubt that saying no on their offer is going to be beneficial for us. We cast them aside now, They'll blubber to their king of us. We need to stay invisible to ALL of our foes for quite some time. And I am certainly not going to take them right into the heart of the camp. If what they claim is false, we'll be captured in a couple of days easily. This leaves me with one idea.

"Get those rats out of there right now! Bring them to the edge of the forest and I'll meet you there! Then we will see what they have to say".

I was so angry I cut my link to the hivemind before either one could reply.

My mind right now was on Fang's foolishness. He may have had the body of a changeling, but right now his heart was like a pony. Too kind, too sympathetic. Risking too much to help another random being! Idiot!

I just stood there, right at the edge of the campsite, staring into the darkness distracted in thought. A sigh escaped me.

On the other hoof, if this works out we'll have extra numbers on our side, which we need badly. And if not... well, they're traitors filled to the brim with love. Only one thing can be done.

"You two! Over here"! I called to the two nearest changelings. They saluted once they were right in front of me.

"I need some-ling watch my back while I meet with your infiltration leader. I trust you're up to the task"?

Both Changelings nodded.

"Good. We'll be leaving in an hour. Siphon some love from the ponies and pass the remaining time however you please".

They both left. Leaving me to ponder.

"You had better be right Fang. If I don't make you regret your recklessness, the warrior certainly will".

A day passed. That was how long it took for me and my escort to reach the edge of the forest. At this point, the two infiltrators had learned of what was to come. The plan would be have one disguised as a bush at the edge of the forest and the other as a rock several meters out into the grey stone area which looked as though it went on forever, giving me two firing points. Given myself, them, Fang and the warrior, we would be able to take down a small force of six. Of course, I never actually asked how many were coming with Fang. I doubt that many, surely.

As minutes came and went I decided to take a moment and hide in the shade the forest provided. The sun was boiling for a change. Not that it bothered the others. The bush had plenty of shade from the forest and the rock was smart enough to hide in front of a bigger rock, leaving me to fend for myself. It would probably take at least another hour or two before they arrived, and being in the middle of nowhere didn't offer much to pass the time, making me feel impatient.

Hours. Hmpf! At this rate it may as well be until days end.

I took off the metal helmet which I had decided to bring along. Traitor or not, I'd prefer for them to know who they will be dealing with. I placed it down on a nearby flat rock and dumbly looked round until my eyes fell on a small stone close to my hooves, which I kicked lightly in an effort to relieve myself of the ever growing boredom. It entertained me for half a second before I became bored yet again.

Finally after the longest half hour of my life passed, I saw something in the air flying towards us. Too small to see what but I could count five dots. One in front, three in the middle and one behind. Probably the warrior, making sure none of those multicoloured fools chicken out and run. Seeing this, I stepped back out into the sun, remembering to grab my helmet and put it back on my head. Even from the height they were at they would notice me easily.

They came down quickly. Fang making it down first, bowing down and pronouncing me by my rank. I bowed back and looked behind him in time to see the reason I had dragged myself and two others out for.

One red, one yellow, one green. One with a horn and two without. It was hard to tell if they were warriors, drones, infiltrators or anything else. Not that it mattered right now. Maybe if this goes bad and we catch them and ask later. For now, I trotted past Fang and towards them. Each nervous. One even had trouble looking me in the eye. The warrior continued to stare menacingly from behind, pacing as he did ready to jump into action if necessary.

"So". I began. "You three are the reason I've been called out here".

I sounded as tough and intimidating as I could. I wanted to get as much as I could out of these worms.

"You have one chance to explain why".

The three looked to each other for a moment, none wanting to speak. At least until the red one with the horn got nudged forwards by his friend. His fate rested in his words alone.

"Well sir, I"-

"It's Swarm Leader to you"! I snarled. The changedling took a step back, scared as my attitude went from unfriendly to murderous.

"S-sorry. Swarm Leader". He corrected, trying to correct himself by standing up straight and doing his best to look me in the eye. "We've actually been wanting to leave the hive for a few days now. It's only because of the changeling behind you that we've had the courage to do so".

I glanced behind me, clearly aware they meant Fang. He shuffled his hooves and looked at the ground. He looked like he was beginning to regret his decision. I turned back to the red one.

"So things aren't what you hoped they'd be back in your love filled, pony loving society then hm? I find your words hard to believe worm".

"It's true! Any love we gather must be shared out among every member of the hive, no matter the amount you've collected! I almost ran myself ragged yesterday trying to collect what love I could only to end up with a few measly scraps"!

"And how exactly DO you collect love? From those ponies"? I interrogated. Of course Thorax would go that quickly to begging for their help, the poor excuse for a-

"The ponies"? The changedling unintentionally interuptted. "Well, despite what Thorax says, things with the ponies are not as good as you would imagine. I travelled to Manehatten just two days ago and I got nothing but glares and insults thrown at me! It was horrible! Another reason why things have worsened since Thorax took over"!

Manehatten? Isn't that a major city for the ponies? And from his words he was there undisguised? That could prove useful...

"You just went there? In your true form"?

He nodded.

"I see. And you remember the emotions from those who gave such glares to you"?

"Anger mostly. I guess we should have expected that from the Canterlot wedding but... that was so long ago! And only a small hoof full of ponies were aware of the queens second invasion"!

I could see and feel his own anger welling up as he made himself remember that day.

"And come to think of it"! He continued. "I think I did better off the way we were"!

I certainly had more reason to believe his reasons for swapping sides. His anger and frustration wasn't something that could be just faked. Every changeling knows this. The other two I had yet to trust. Not that I entirely trust the one in front of me, but I had more of a reason to believe him over the others. For now at least.

"Let us say, everything you have told me is true. Why should I trust some-ling who has already betrayed our kind once? What can you do for us to prove your worth"?

"Information". He blurted out. "I know plenty of things that have occured within the hive since everything changed. The new military guards, the pony changedling trade routes, even information on the king and his new council".

"Very well then. I suppose I can take your word on it for now".

I tapped into the hivemind for a moment, then back out just as quickly.

"However there is one thing your friends will need to do to show themselves trustworthy".

"What would you like us to do"? The yellow one spoke in a raspy voice.

"Remain still".

No sooner had I said it, the infiltrator disguised as a rock had returned to his original form and had magically restrained the yellow one. The warrior did the same to the green one as the sudden attack on his friend had distracted him. Now neither could move. And thanks to the love intake the infiltrator had before we left the camp site, he was powerful enough to keep his captor in position without him fighting back, And I doubted the warrior would have any trouble whatsoever. The red one however, nothing. I want him to prove himself loyal. If he doesn't, I have the still hidden infiltrator at the tree line.

"What are you doing"?! THe red one asked in alarm.

"Ever since Fang told me about you three switching sides it got me thinking. Your kind are so full up on love. Even though you complain you don't get enough I am sure a lot of it goes into creating and maintaining those sickening forms. And I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if we drained it out of them? All of it"!

"All of it?! But won't that end up"...?

"The worst of it I'm sure is that they'll feel hungry". I reassured harshly. "At least this way we'll know for sure".

"But, you aren't going to do it to me"?

"Only because I trust you slightly. If you three truly want things to be the way they were, this is the way to do it. If things work out the way I hope they will, then we'll do you".

He said nothing. He was uncertain, unsure about my methods. Just as I was unsure about his loyalty. If he does nothing now, there will be no problem with him. If he does then a lifetime in a pod is his reward.

That now said, I looked past him, past the two restrained beings that said nothing and at the two holding them in place and nodded.

They changedlings almost immediatley shined. Dim at first but it grew until they were as bright as the stars themselves, forcing me to shield my eyes. A warm feeling could be felt in front of me. A tasty sensation rose within me, telling me to absorb the love rushing out from their bodies. But I refused. I couldn't risk interuptting the flow. I heard a small moan beside me, sounding like the red changedling. He could feel it too, meaning he was just as hungry. At least I now know he wasn't lying about that. The glowing lasted for a total of ten to fifteen seconds before it slowly went out. When I looked back, I no longer saw a couple of colorful rejects. I saw changelings. These ones though were not infiltrators like almost every-ling else under my command. They were drones.

Drones are like pony construction workers. Builders. It's because of them that there's even a hive to live in. They create the exact kind of material needed to build its foundation and walls. Even able to build underground if the queen demands it. With them, we stand a better chance to boosting defences around our camp. Build defensive walls, an underground hive, even beds so that we don't have to fight over who gets to sleep on the branch with the fewest splinters.

"It... it worked"? The only remaining changedling asked in surprise.

"Indeed it did". I smiled before giving my changelings another nod.

They released the two restrained changelings, and the buckled onto their knees almost right away. I was right, they would come out of it starving. And that's the last thing I want of a fellow changeling.

"Give them back half of what you took".

And like that, the two were back on their hooves after a small transfer. And from them I saw genuine smiles as they looked each other over. The love used to maintain their image has now been converted into food. A lot of it too. Now for one more thing.

"It's your turn now". I spoke, turning to the red changedling. He looked to me, back to his changed friends, then back to me again and nodded.

"Fang, come over here if you would".

I no longer made myself harsh to the infiltration leader. His risk had paid off. Not that I was entirely planning on letting him off. He would be spending the rest of the night on watch, making sure the camp remains safe until morning. For now, he can feed to his hearts content.

"You can take care of the last one I'm sure. You've earned it".

His ears perked up and he offered a small smile.

"Yes Swarm Leader. Thank you".

I said no more as I watched the inevitable happen. Not once did the changedling refuse or stall. He simply accepted it. The exact same thing came and went. Unlike the ones before him, he came out a warrior changeling. At least looking at his body structure, which was slightly thicker and stronger than either drone.

After Fang returned to him his half of love, I decided that it would be time to introduce them to the rest of the group. We're returning to the camp site. Well, almost all of us.

"Warrior, a word"?

I did not mean the warrior just converted. No, he was busy telling the others how he hadn't felt so full since before Thorax took over. I meant our warrior. The one who never gave up his name, forcing me to call him by what he is.

He strolled over as the new chatted with the old. Once he was away from them and out of earshot, I spoke.

"I want you to go back to the hive in a few days time".

"Surely you aren't asking me to look for more recruits"? He questioned with a raised brow.

Hah! Like I would trust him with something as delicate as that.

"No. Actually for a number of reasons. The least important one being to take a throne shard".

"That is the least important one"? He asked in disbelief. "And why just one"?

"If we take too many then surely some-ling will notice and begin pointing hooves. The second, more important reason is that I'll be squeezing what information I can from our new brethren. I want you to see if that information is solid. Make sure they're telling the truth. Anything I pass on, you find out and confirm it".

"As you wish Swarm Leader".

With that over, we went our seperate directions and headed home. We now had to introduce the rest of the group to our new brothers.

Griffonstone

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"Drone. Why do you merely wait here in the air when the fighting takes place below in the city? Have you no stomach for the field of battle"?

"Battle? Is that what you're calling this"?

"Is there another word for it"?

"There are mares and foals down there too! How can we even think of attacking them"?

"They're ponies. Do you think they would show you the same compassion you give to them, however undeserving it be"?

"And that makes what we're doing any more right? How can you even side with this"?

"Because our queen demands it! She does right by us and in return we should do right by her"!

"But she's leading us down a path we can't go back on"!

"She is the queen"!

"She's... she's not my queen"...

"Bite your tongue this instant! Should an officer hear you speak like that you'll be punished"!

"How can you defend her like this? You know what she's like! What reason do you stay loyal to her"?

"Isn't it obvious why"?

I still remember that memory well. That brief moment we spoke, just the two of us. Out of all the creatures of this world you'd think that he, another changeling, would know exactly the reason why.

... I suppose not. Not him. Not then, not now or ever. Just another example of his disloyalty.

Did you know that that was the first and last time I had spoken to Thorax? On the day of the Canterlot invasion, I out of the thousands of us there was the only one to notice his... individuality and lack of companionship among his fellow brothers. Just me and me alone.

He tried to shake my faith with his words and yet he only strengthened it. Why do I remain loyal to Chrysalis, even in the face of hopelessness?

Is it really so hard to understand...?

"Swarm Leader"?

A call of my rank snatched me from the thoughts of the past. I turned to find myself in the camp once more as one of the infiltrators stood in front of me.

"Yes? What is it"? I muttered in a tired tone, making it clear that I was in no mood for this.

"It's the warrior, sir".

"What about him"?

"He's demanding to speak with you at once".

I hope that it's important. Then again, why else would he be trying to contact me? It must be a good reason considering he's supposed to be blending in at the hive. I just hope that whatever it is is good news. Chrysalis knows we need as much of it as we can get.

Tapping into the hivemind required but a second of my time after making sure that no-ling else was listening. Our newer recruits may be trying to prove themselves worthy but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

"This is the Swarm leader. Warrior, what is going on"?

"There are a couple of things that we need to discuss swarm leader. There is something strange happening here at the hive".

"Strange? In what way"?

"The security here has tightened up around here. There have been guards placed around the entrances of the hive".

That's rather strange. It couldn't have anything to do with us, we're too small a threat for the hive to take such a step even if they had learned about us.

"They haven't caught onto you have they"?

"Of course not. I am smarter than that"!

"I see. Can you still leave at least"?

"Yes. It's getting back in that will be a problem".

"Very well, we'll worry about that later. What's the other thing"?

"Do you remember the other two infiltration teams from Queen Chrysalis's second attempt to take Equestria"?

"Yes, what of them"?

"I've been listening in on some of the guards conversations and it seems that both teams have been held in the Canterlot dungeons".
They've been in the Canterlot dungeons? For this long? Hmmm... You'd have thought the moment Thorax became king that the ponies would have hooved them over. Maybe they've been interrogating them about the whereabouts of the team now under my command? Has to be. Unless there's something I'm not understanding, that's the only reason I can think of.

"Have they mentioned if and when they'll be giving them over to Thorax"?

"In a few days".

"Understood. Stay inside the hive . I want you to gather anymore information regarding the captured infiltration teams. The more we know the better".

"As you wish swarm leader".

Well. That was that then. At least it wasn't bad news. Now all I had to do was to find a way to free those infiltration teams, before they end up like the rest of Thorax's followers. Of course, that's easier said than done. We don't know how many ponies or changedlings will be delivering them for a start meaning they could easily outnumber our entire group. Not to mention attempting this attack at all could result in our group's discovery. So how in the queens name do we pull this off?

Disguise as Changedlings or ponies and fool the other side into handing them over? It could work, however we don't yet know where and when they're meeting to trade them over or even if the changedlings are going to be arriving at the pony capital to collect them. If they catch on we might not be able to escape and end up caught ourselves.

There is one other idea that may work. It's less risky, but...

"Fang"?

The infiltration leader flew over.

"Yes swarm leader"?

"Get some of your strongest changelings ready. We'll be heading out soon".

"Where to sir"?

"Griffonstone. We have some griffons to round up".

(Four hours later)

I remember a lot about Griffonstone, including its location. I was sent here once with a small group to help scout out the area quite some time ago. Of course back then, the place looked to be falling apart and on the verge of collapse. Not much has changed now, but things looked... different. Like the city was starting to slowly rise up from the ashes. Even from a distance, the once rotting buildings and nests were now cleaner and stronger looking than they had been in years.

Not that it mattered. I know how many of these griffins work. So many of them willing to do anything for the promise of shiny objects such as gold and jewels, or even the pony currency of bits. And no doubt that there would still be some trusting enough to help us out.

That was the reason why myself, Fang and three of the infiltrators were out this far. Of course, I had yet to properly explain our purpose for even being here, hence burst forth Fangs curiosity.

"Swarm leader, is there a reason we have travelled out here? To this place"?

"Of course Fang. Years ago, just before the Canterlot invasion, several scouting teams were sent to spy on the capital cities of different species".

"Why"?

"Once Canterlot had been taken, Queen Chrysalis had planned on focusing on all remaining pony cities before moving onto bigger and more dangerous prey. When the last pony city would fall, we planned to move onto here, Griffonstone, then Saddle Arabia, and more until we would be strong enough to take on even the dragon lands. With all the love and power gathered from everywhere else, even they would have fallen. I was the warrior escort sent here with a team of infiltrators. Heh, you should have seen what things were like back then. No-ling trusted each other, always suspicious and paranoid. We thought it would be easier to cause chaos among them and deal with whoever came out on top. Unfortunately we didn't get the chance to after the Canterlot wedding".

"So why are we here? We're not trying that here now are we"?

"Of course not. We'd only attract the attention of the ponies. You know how they are on terms with the griffons. No, we're here to try and hire some bandits".

That got the group a little nervous. Without even needing to look back I could still feel all four pairs of eyes on me.

"We're hiring griffins for our fight against the ponies"? One of the infiltrators asked.

"Yes and no. We will be hiring them, but only until we've rescued our brothers. Then we shall get rid of them afterwards".

"I see". Fang spoke up once more. "But how are we going to convince them to join us? Aren't these brutes nothing but selfish barbarians"?
"You let me worry about that. For now, worry about step one. Disguise yourselves, search the city and look for the toughest griffons you can find. Then bring them to me near the front entrance of the city. I shall deal with the rest".

No-ling chose to argue, but did what I asked. Each one transformed into a rough griffon each and took flight into the city. I shortly followed after and diguised as the toughest looking griffon I could picture within my head. I couldn't help but release a small and dark chuckle. This was going to be easy.

Discovery

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"So. I hear you're gathering griffons for an important job of sorts. That right"?

Not much time had passed since Fang and the others headed into the darkest corners of Griffonstone and returned with plenty of Griffons following their lead. A mere five, but even a single griffon could hold their own against three ponies. Even so, it will be enough to give us the edge we need to free the remaining changeling prisoners, if I can convince them to carry out this task.

The five griffons themselves seemed somewhat... qualified. By which I meant that they were big, overly aggressive and hopefully not too smart as to ask more questions than needed to be answered. Most also carried a weapon of their own. Either a club or an axe. How very... primative. But as long as it gives us an edge, it matters little.

"Indeed I am". I replied. "I need some reliable claws in stealing prisoners from an Equestrian escort. The more prisoners we steal, the more we'll pay you".

The top griffon, a black feathered brute with a gruff looking attitude, took a step forwards. Then another and another until he was but a few feet from my face. He then spoke with a twisted grin.

"Stealing prisoners? Ha! Why would we need to waste our time helping such scum"?

The other griffons nodded in agreement. Seems that they all had some intelligence. Perhaps enough to share one whole brain among them all.

"Two reasons. One being the prisoners are some of the last actual changelings in Equestria"-

"Changelings"? The griffon cut me off. "Why would anyone want to free one of their kind"?

I gave a fake huff of amusement. If only we weren't in the middle of this bird infested city... "Clearly you don't know how much changeling chitin brings in, do you now"?

"We don't no. That's why I'm asking how much"!

"That's the second reason. If we pull this job off right, we'll be recieving a mighty bounty of not only bits, but gold, gems, everything you could hope to get your claws on, and more".

As expected, their eyes lit up once their promise of shiny metal had been offered to them. I couldn't help but mentally laugh at their idiocy. Were they not so greedy and slothful, they could have been the top species in all the land instead of ponies. At least until the might of the changelings would have eventually struck their lands.

"One other thing". I spoke up. "The prisoner escorts are planning on meeting some of Thorax's soldiers in order to exchange the prisoners over to their so called right hooves, which means we must strike before they can join forces. Could be as many as ten well trained ponies willing to fight tooth and nail, we don't need twice that amount overrunning us. Even now, time is of the essence which is why I'll ask only once. Are you in or out"?

They took a moment to excuse themselves as they decided whether or not to follow my lies. Even from a distance, their squabling and sharp tongues could be heard as they continued to make up their minds. As they did, Fang strolled over.

"Think they'll help us out"?

"Please. These creatures would turn on each other if we promised them enough gold. They'll accept, I have no doubt over that".

"As long as they do their job, I suppose I have no complaints. Foul creatures".

I raised an eye at that last bit.

"Foul, perhaps. But remember Fang,every creature, big or small, smart or dumb, has a use for us. We merely need only to trick and manipulate them before using their strengths unknowingly for us".

Fang merely grunted as I continued.

"These birds are the first of many. Which reminds me, once this is over, I'd like to talk to you about... a special assignment".
This time, Fang managed to pay proper attention.

"Special assignment"?

"You're our top infiltrator, so I trust only you with this. You remember where the old swamp near the camp is"?

"Of course".

"Good. I'll explain more later. Now's not really the time or the place".

I twisted my head to the side and looked past Fang, just noticing the griffons moving back our way.

"Looks like our friends have made up their minds".

The group slowly lumbered back over. As they did, Fang stepped on over to the side allowing me to be on my own with them. Each griffon had an unreadable expression. They didn't say a word, not just yet. They seemed almost reluctant. Maybe they knew that this job could end up with them being wanted by the Equestrian military. The rest of us didn't have to worry about that, for obvious reasons. But for them, well who knows what will happen.

"So. Do we have a deal"?

THREE DAYS LATER

"Swarm leader, Fang here. We're all waiting on the hill above you. How long until the convoy arrives"?

"Worry not Fang, our griffon scout just arrived back. We'll be right on top of them in roughly four minutes".

"Ah, excellent. How's your end looking"?

"We're all ready. Some of our griffon friends are becoming impatient but they'll behave for the moment".

"Swarm leader, this is Shadow speaking. Forgive me but I must ask. What is the plan for dealing with the feathered rats once we achieve our goal of freeing the prisoners"?

"Worry not Shadow. Once we get our friends out from pony hooves, we lead them away close to the camp and ambush them. I've already discussed this with some of the others and each infiltrator has already been given a single griffon to attack once I give the signal".

"Understood Swarmleader. Our group is disguised and ready to attack".

"Excellent. That's- hold on. One of the griffons has the convoy in sight. Every-ling prepare yourselves and remember your roles. We do this right, we'll all come out of this is one piece".

"Yes Swarm leader".

"Understood Swarm leader".

Three days had gone by and now we could finally put our plan in motion. The equestrian military had already set off from Canterlot with the changelings and thanks to our griffon scout, we knew exactly which route they were taking. An old dirt road trail that led quite close to the edge of the Badlands, which is where I assume they'll be giving over the last few loyal soldiers to Thorax and his ilk. Luckily that's not what is going to happen.

This area we're currently at is a perfect spot to ambush them. Steep hills and large boulders on both sides of the path would be enough to hide our entire party. Behind them, four groups ready to strike. The front consisting of most of our griffon cannon fodder where they'll distract the enemy by attacking from above. They should be fine as long as they keep moving, but if not it'll be one less griffon to deal with later. The next two groups, led by myself and Fang would be striking from both the left and the right, ready to push them back against each other so they'll have as little space to fight as possible. And finally, there was the group led by Shadow, the Changeling warrior that I converted back to his natural form. He would be in charge of dealing with any cowards that try to flee. And as a bonus, we've had hours to relax and wait while the ponies have been marching all day. No doubt they'll be tired and exhausted while we remain eager and ready. It will be nothing short of a slaughter.

And indeed, there they were. I could see the convoy itself getting closer and closer. With them, six changelings. Though what made my blood boil was the cage they had been shoved into, as though they were mere animals! Filthy Equestrians! They'll suffer for this insult.

They continued to trot forwards. I could see the looks of exhaustion on their long faces.

They were close enough. Now was a good time as it would ever be. I signalled the front group to begin their attack.

In mere seconds, all of Tartarus broke loose.

SIX HOURS LATER
THORAX'S HIVE

The changeling hive had rarely been seen by pony eyes before Thorax claimed the throne. Now, many were allowed to come and go as they pleased. The old, dusty and even scary hive certainly felt more lively than it had done in a very long time Even without the few ponies who would come to see the marvels of the hive, the place continued to give off a very friendly atmosphere as its more natural residents acted very differently compared to their former selves. Now, it was impossible to pass some-ling without getting a friendly hello or a wave or even a simple smile. No longer were the olden days of snarling and fighting just for the sake of doing so. The hive was no longer even a hive, but a home to thousands of changedlings who acted more pony-like than anything else. And no-ling had any complaints about it.

Of course, there was more to it than that. For underneath the hive, not everything was as cheerful as it seemed. Within the lowest level of the hive, the dungeons, were two changedlings who were talking in privacy in a private quarters room.

"So Scuttler, why exactly did you bring me all the way down here? I hope it's important, Flutter is depending on me to help welcome some ponies she met in Manehatten".

"Sorry Mandible but this is something that you're really going to want to hear".

Mandible sighed before sitting down. "Very well, let's hear it".

"Do you remember our fellow changeling, Claw"?

"The one who was meant to be meeting the pony escort? What about him"?

"That's just it. He never met the escort".

"What? How can that be? Did he make a mistake and miss them"?

"I already checked with Claw and made him point out his position on the map. He even marked it with an X in case he forgot. He was exactly where he needed to be".

"So the ponies didn't show up? Do we know why"?

"Yes. Claw had decided to travel the route into Equestria. When I asked why he did so, he told me that he wanted to see a certain un-reformed changeling that he was close with and couldn't wait to help him be more than what he already was. In his own words of course".

"I see. I suppose that would make sense. We've come a long way from looking out for only ourselves. So, out with it then. Did he find the pony escort"?

"He did. After fifteen minutes of trotting down the path, he found what was left of it".

"...Pardon me? What do you mean what was left"?

"When Claw found the escort, they were in a bad way. Every pony in the group had been knocked unconcious. Some had black eyes and bloody snouts".

"Do you mean to say that they were attacked"?

"Yes it seemed to point to that, but there's more".

"What more"?

"The changelings that were meant to be placed into our care were gone".

"Gone"?!

"Yeah. Gone".

"Are you telling me that they somehow managed to overpower an armed pony escort? Surely they would have been outnumbered, right"?

"Six against ten, yes. But I don't think they did escape. When Claw found them, the cage was nowhere in sight. Some-ling else must have taken them".

"Who would want to attack ponies over changelings"?

"We already know who Mandible. After talking to Claw, he mentioned that he spotted two griffons examining the ponies".

"Griffons huh? Makes sense in a way. I've heard plenty of ponies tell me that they've been living in tough times since the loss of their golden treasure long ago. So do we at least know why they took them"?

"In a way, yes. However, Claw has been very persistent in letting us know that these particular griffons he saw aren't actually griffons at all".

"... What are you trying to say Scuttler"?

"I'm saying that when Claw came across the griffons, he was able to observe them from a distance. It was hard to tell but he swears that he saw them cast spells on the ponies".

"Spells? That's impossible! No griffon has such magical ability"!

"Indeed, no griffon can. However, Claw did mention that the colour aura from both griffons was a sickly green colour".

...

"Do you see where I'm going with this now Mandible"?

... "Does king Thorax know about this"?

"He's speaking to Claw right now".

"Huh. Well I'll be. And here I thought all of us changelings had enough common sense to live our lives for the better".

"Well we never heard word from the infiltration squad who impersonated Princess Twilight and her friends. We've been searching for them for some time but with no success".

"And now we know that they're still out there. Just out of curiousity, what spells were they casting on the pony guards"?

"Memory loss spell. Once all the guards woke up, they knew nothing about the attack. They weren't even sure why they were out so close to our lands. Clearly the rouge group was trying to cover their tracks".

"Why not just take the ponies with them? It would mean more love for them to siphon".

"They must have had other matters to take care of. Anyway, I've wasted enough of your time as it is. King Thorax has already asked to speak to us both once he's finished with Claw".

Mandible stood back up. "Alright then. I suppose we're doing no good just sitting here talking. Any idea on how Thorax plans to deal with this"?

"No clue. No doubt he'll want those changelings found".

"Don't we all".

Moving forwards

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Right now, there was nothing that could make me smile any harder than seeing our once imprisoned bretheren now cast from their shackles and celebrating their freedom. All six prisoners had been retrieved without any casualties on our side, other than a couple of bruises on one or two of the infiltrators. And now, here we all were. Seventeen changelings in total celebrating what at the moment feels like a major strike for our kind. There was plenty of talk from each infiltration team on their missions to take over their targeted pony leaders, taking them back to the not so long ago past when we were strong enough to topple empires, back when our true leader was in charge.

Well, I say let them remenice on the past. It keeps them from dwelling on what may be an unkind future. Something I need to keep one step ahead of. An increase of numbers, as enlightning as it is, means more work for me. Being the highest ranking changeling here, I obviously need to keep everything and everyling in order. Not by too much but still the list of things to do steadily grows.

So far we have ten infiltrators, five warriors including myself and thee warrior undercover at the changedling hive, and two drones. The only problem is that I need to find a way to have them do more than merely talk and chat all day otherwise we're not going to get anywhere. I've already put the two drones on building an underground hive some time ago. As one can imagine with merely two of them it's a work in progress and will remain that way. Especially with our newest arrivals but once it is done, we won't have to worry about being attacked by the wildlife as we sleep. Speaking of which, that's something I can get the remaining few warriors to do. They're practically bred for it. As for the infiltrators, I have several ideas on how to use them effectively, some of which I'll talk to them about soon.

Speaking of ideas, I still need to talk with Fang about that special project I mentioned to him yesterday. It will be interesting to see the look on his face when he hears about it.

"Fang"! I called out. The infiltrators head popped up out from the crowd and he steadily made his way over to me. "We need to talk. About what I discussed with you yesterday".

Fang's face scrunched up a bit as he tried to remember. Five seconds passed before he realised what I meant and his face quickly took its original form.

"Of course. About the swampland"?

I nodded. "Yes, about the swamplands. One thing I remember, back when I was taught about changeling tactics from my own swarmleader when I was a youngling was that you must use the environment to your advantage. For our kind, a simple skill we must use every day to survive. But I choose to go further and seek what exists in the environment and use it to our advantage".

"I don't think I follow. Is that not the same thing"?

Amusing how naive and confused we can be when forced to adapt to new situations. Like a nymph learning everything on our entire species. Again.

"Yes and no Fang. The old rules still apply to changeling-kind, but now with too few of us we must find new ways to survive. Create new rules, understand? One in particular I wish to bring into effect as soon as possible".

"You know I follow and admire your goal to restore us to our former glory, but I still don't understand. What is this rule you talk about? And how does it relate to the swamplands"?

What I was about to share with Fang was... sensitive information, so even after checking to make sure no-ling else was anywhere near us, I used the hivemind on Fang and Fang only. I told him what I knew about the swamplands and one rather critical piece that almost made his eyes bulge from their sockets. I could see the gears turn in his head as he did his best to process this news. At least it proved that he knew nothing about it. In some ways that was a good thing, but hearing it now, what I have planned, I do not doubt that he would refuse it. I wouldn't blame him for doing so, even I had difficulty wondering if this was worth the time and resources. However I still remain confident that we should at least try, depending on whether he agrees or refuses. I suppose I should have waited until everything else has settled down first before addressing it. My superior always told me I was quite easily inspired.

"So". I began again, snapping him from his frozen state. My confidence drained slightly as I noticed this. "Now you know".

For a moment, Fang still said nothing. Perhaps he still couldn't get over the risk of what I had in store. Or maybe he was trying to figure out how I could have come up with such a ridiculous idea. I almost didn't notice that I was holding my breath, eager for some kind of response. Finally he spoke.

"That is... a plan I don't believe any changeling has come up with before". He spoke, voice slightly shaking.

"No, it's not. We never needed to worry about this sort of decision making in the past, but now. Now it may help give us the edge we need".

"And... how do you know it's there? In the swamps"?

"A scout told me several days ago when I decided that we needed more knowledge of the surrounding terrain. I had to order him not to tell another living soul about what he found. I'm sure that hearing about it now, you're curious why I've not shared it among everyling else".

"It would help to know, yes". Fang's voice sounded slightly irritated.

"Because they would demand that we leave and set up somewhere else. After everything we've been through you would expect us to simply go somewhere else"?

"Considering what you told me"-

"We've spent enough time building up this camp. It's easily defendable against anything this forest can throw at us".

"Even that thing you would have us find"?

"Fang. Look where I'm pointing. That is the direction of the swamplands. A fair distance seperates us here from there. Do you see what else seperates us from the dangers of the swampland"?

Fang followed my hoof as I pointed in the direction of the swamp. For a moment he focused and thought hard at what I was trying to show him. Eventually, it clicked.

"The trees"...

"Exactly. The area is thick with trees. Thick enough to stop anything big from approaching. At least unnoticed. An early warning system, just in case".

"Then why go through with this plan? If we're as safe as you say we are then what's the need"?

"Two reasons. One to rid ourselves of a possible threat. The second to gain some serious power".

"Power"?

"If we are able to pull this off, it will be one stage of many". I took a moment to allow my thoughts to sink in. If I was doing something reasonable or insane. Sometimes it's a must to take risks and gain something in return, or face the inevitable of remaining with nothing for the rest of your days. "You know everything I do about this plan. Now all that I can do is ask if you will trust me and follow me on this? I won't be able to do it alone, and I trust you more than any-ling else".

Of course he said nothing right away. Not because he had been reluctant to speak like he had been throughout this entire conversation, but because he needed to think about this just as hard as I had. He knew the risks, but he also knew what success would mean. He took at least three minutes before he delivered his judgement.

"Normally, I would disagree on such a... bold idea, even against some-ling of your rank, Abdonis. However, after everything we've been put through I have yet to see a plan or strategy of yours fail. Maybe it's luck, but it's been wth us this far. I still can't believe you would want to try this, but maybe you're right and we can indeed benefit from this madness". He sighed before continuing. "I don't like it, but I trust you have the best interests of the group in mind, so I'll do it".

Lack of enthusiasm aside, it was still enough to make me smile.

"Thank you Fang. Now, first things first, we're going to nee"-

"Abdonis, we have a serious issue that needs your attention"!

Disbelief filled me as the hivemind sprung to life at the worst possible time.

"Okay, Fang, gather as much love as you can from the cocooned ponies. I need to deal with the Warrior for a moment".

"Yes Swarmleader". Fang nodded before disappearing from my sight. I then returned to the Hivemind.

"This had better be important warrior"! My anger was well known to him as my words were spat with venom.

Twenty minutes later...

This is bad. Very bad! They know, HE knows we're out here! Chrysalis curse it all! I expected it to happen at some point but not this quickly!

Thorax knows of us. He knows we're hiding from him and according to the warrior, he intends on trying to find us!

I was panicking on the inside, feeling as though I had caused this by rescuing the changeling prisoners.

The warrior had told me everything that had occured over the last few hours at the hive. It seemed that Thorax had warned the entire hive that we were out here. He claimed that he would do everything in his power to find us and make us see 'the error of our ways'. No doubt that means he's going to try and convince us to transform into them! Fat chance I'll go down that path! Fat! Chance!

Right okay, so let's focus on the good news. If they've learned of our existance today then they'll most likely be coming up with a plan to track us down. And if they're doing that, I can have the warrior find out about and possibly sabotage it before they have the chance to put it into effect. And since Warrior is going to have to remain in the hive, I'm going to have to step up my own plans. I'm still going to proceed with Fang to the swamps, but first things first. I need to have a chat with someone else.

"Shadow. I need to talk to you. Get over here".

As I mentioned before, Shadow is the warrior who I personally converted back to his natural form. He my not know it now, but how he's about to answer the question I'm about to give him could depend on the entire future of the changeling race.
"Yes, Swarmleader? You called me"? The changeling wheezed as he made his way over in seconds.

"I need you to be truthful with me Shadow. What I'm about to ask you is more important than it may seem".

"I'll do my best to answer it Swarmleader".

"You came to Fang back at the hive because you wanted to go back to how things were before, yes"?

"That's right. A decision I do not regret Swarmleader".

"During your time as one of Thorax's minions, how did you feel from the moment you transformed to the moment you met me face to face"?

"Well, at first, I felt amazing! I no longer felt the hunger that had pestered me for so long, and for the first time in ages, I was happy! As the days went on however, Thorax quickly set up diplomatic relations with the ponies and upon doing so, declared that Changelings were about to enter a new era where they would embrace the friendship of ponykind. I remember that some of us were allowed to travel to pony cities in order to bond and become more accustomed to our so called new friends. But it was clear that many ponies still despised us, as though nothing had changed. I was called names and humiliated the entire time. The more it happened, the more I realised the Thorax's new era was not what he expected it to be. Like everything he said was nothing more than a gigantic lie. By the end of the week alone I was miserable. And remained that way until I was given the chance to come here and be given another chance. When I returned back to normal, the hunger slowly returned as well, but even then, I felt happier than I did under Thorax's rule. And I still am to this moment".

I listened carefully to everything Shadow had said and picked up on the pieces of information I had been looking for. It was interesting how fast he had gone from going to loving Thorax's rule to hating it. And there hid the key to hope.

"Thank you Shadow. I appreciate you telling me this. You're free to go". I paused for a moment. "Oh, and... gather every-ling up in five minutes. I have something they all need to hear".

"Yes Swarmleader".

Once again, it was me on my own. Good. I needed to think on how I was going to tell every-ling about Thorax's discovery of us. And afterwards, Fang and I's journey to the swamplands. And then... a lot of work lies ahead. But for now, I need to access the hivemind once again.

"Warrior, do you here me"?

"I hear you Swarmleader. What do you need"?

"We need more soldiers. So I want you to begin recruiting. And here's how I want you to do it"...

A rise of strength

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"Hey mandible. Do you still have those papers on drones Cutter, Tremor and Chrazzix"?

"Of course Scuttler, they're right here. Correct me if I'm wrong but arent these the newest group of changelings that vanished"?

"Vanished? Well that's one word considering that we don't know where they've gone. But I can tell you without a doubt that that renegade force Thorax wants found had to do with it. Just like they have with the other so called vanished". Scuttle gave a moment to let out a sigh. "So much for all our troubles disappearing after Chrysalis".

"Has Thorax or the council found out anything that may help us"?

"If by found out anything, you mean asked me to look into it, then yes. I did find something that may put a face and a name to the head of the renegade group".

"Ah, good then. So, who is it"?

"Checking the files of the changelings we know didn't transform, other than the infiltration group that escaped not so long ago, there are three names".

"Let's hear then".

"The first being Infiltration Leader Fang. He and his squad was the only infiltration group to escape capture after Chrysalis's plan failed. The changelings under his command are clearly loyal enough to him since none ever tried returning here".

"Who are the other two then"?

"Pharynx. Thorax's brother".

"Are you serious Scuttler? Pharynx? I get that he hasn't accepted the idea to openly share love but he's clearly loyal to Thorax. Even if he is a complete jerk to the rest of us".

"I thought that too at first, but considering that someling is recruiting our own from inside the hive, it may be safe to assume that Pharynx is trying to turn things back to the way they used to be. Either way it would be wise to keep an eye on him".

"Have you told Thorax that you suspect his brother"?

"No. Not yet at least. I may choose to hold off on that until I can back my theory up with some serious evidence".

"Good idea. And number three"?

"Swarm leader Abdonis. Immediatley after the rest of us turned to Thorax, he fled the hive to who knows where. Even knocked out poor Exo who tried stopping him. Considering the list we have in front of us, I'd say that he's the most likely suspect".

"And because of one of these three, we've had more than fifty changelings 'disappear' over the last month. King Thorax can't be too pleased".

Scuttler grumbled sourly. It hadn't been the most relaxing month. And the results proved that things were going to get worse for them. At this rate, the listed suspect would have himself a small army in no time. After that, who knows what could happen. Mandible put down the paper he had scribbled the name of each suspect on before checking on the files sitting on the table to his right.

"Just as well we made peace with the ponies". He murmured to himself. A ghost of a smile appearing on his face as he glanced over the papers on his desk. "These materials they've given us makes it so much easier to keep track of everything, as well as everyling".

Trade with the ponies had proven to be very beneficial when it came to new supplies such as paper and quills. Organisation had never been so easy.

Scuttler nodded in confirmation, even though he wasn't paying full attention. Instead he was focused on the list of suspects that Mandible had finished with. A rather big detail caught his eye.

"Mandible"?

"Hm"?

"There are only three suspects, right"?

"That's right. Why do you ask"?

"You seem to have written down a fourth name".

Mandible froze for a second before letting loose a heavy sigh. Turning back round, he used his magic to snatch the paper away from Scuttler and double checked what had been written down.

"Thought I crossed this one off". He muttered bitterly before using a nearby quill to scribble out the final name.

"I take it that's a suspect proven innocent"? Scuttler asked.

"Not exactly".

"Care to explain"?

"There's not exactly much to go by. His name is Toras. A changeling warrior who left the hive during Chrysalis's reign. He was... dangerous to say the least. I'd go into detail about him but... I'd really rather not".

"Seems he left an impression, hm"?

"Indeed. Not everyling knew of him, as you've unintentionally proven". Mandible paused for a moment. "Perhaps we can talk about this later? There's still too much work to get done right now, and I'd rather not waste it talking about unpleasant past memories".

Scuttler shrugged before returning to work. He knew there was no point prying for information that he could find out later. Besides, Mandible was right. There was FAR too much work to be done.
..........................................
Elsewhere...

"Are we ready"?

"As ready as I ever will be Abdonis".

"Good. Let us begin".

The two changelings crept forwards into the swamp, allowing their limbs to be swallowed up by the murky water. As they made their way towards their target, the occasional brush against their legs could be felt. Most likely a fish. Fang couldn't help but freeze whenever it happened. Just for a fraction of a second before continuing to follow the swarm leader in front.

Abdonis on the other hoof paid this minor annoyance no attention. He needed to focus. Even now he was saving the love energy he had taken from the chrysalis pods. He needed a lot of it and for even a chance for this plan to fall into fruition, he needed to use all this energy in a single spell.

In truth, the changeling was nervous. But he didn't let it show. Not in front of another fellow changeling at least. This entire plan was a gamble, based on a theory that had taken an entire month just to now execute. He was risking his own life just to test it as well as Fang's. Perhaps it would have been best to have him wait back just in case things go horribly wrong. He at least had the experience to lead the remainder of the group.

Still. He doubted the infiltration leader would obey the order anyway. He would continue on and do what he was told to do. Distract the target.

Besides, speaking of the target. It was right ahead. Its head poking out of the water.

Abdonis mentally groaned. Had the beast been on land they could have used the tight spaces between the trees to outrun the creature. But that was no longer an option and neither was waiting. Instead they had to face the monster in its own territory if they wanted to get close enough. It was just was well the muddy swamp water was shallow enough so that the target wasn't completely submerged.

A few cautious steps more and they were in position.

There was no point in delaying the inevitable. Abdonis purposely splashed the water, breaking the tense silence. If there was the chance to turn back before, it had certainly gone now.

The target rose its head and turned slightly. A large red eye surveyed the surrounding area and locked onto the creatures dumb enough to step into its home. Unhappy, the beast twisted its ugly green head towards its prey and begun to swim towards them. Now it was time to play chicken.

Abdonis stood rooted to his spot. The view of a large reptile a dozen times his own size making its way towards him was an experience he was only just now introduced to. Despite being nervous before, he did not feel as scared as he had expected to be. Maybe it had to do with the faith he had on the plan succeeding. Or perhaps the amount of magical energy he had stored inside his body made him feel invincible. Either way it did not matter.

The beast began swimming faster. Even if the two changelings tried retreating now, the beast was now too fast. Even if they tried flying into the air. The large predator opened its mouth revealing its large, flesh tearing, bone breaking teeth. Seconds away from tasting blood.

The time had come.

Abdonis released all the energy he had been storing with a single blast from his horn. The aura was so large and bright that neither changeling or beast could see. Only a green flash and a roar.

Only when the brightness had died down did Abdonis open his eyes. What he saw brought a large and almost wicked grin on his face.

"Fang".

Fang, who had had his eyes shut even before the flash, opened his own and was taken by what he was shown. It took a few seconds before he realised that the swarm leader had just addressed him.

"Yes swarm leader"?

"Prepare a swarm patrol. I know a nearby pony settlement that's close by and far enough from the prying ears of the Equestrian capital where we can test our new weapon. It's time to emerge from the shadows of the forest".

A changeling's purpose

by SwarmLordAbdonis

Hopeless

Infiltrators

Speeches and doubts

Two more problems

Offers and loyalties

Griffonstone

Discovery

Moving forwards

A rise of strength