Having managed to wangle a night at Sweetie Belle's house to make sure she could get some sleep, Scootaloo told Sweetie Belle "Thank you for letting me crash out at your house. My family are going to Prance because my father got a job there, so I won't be back for a while. I'm going to miss you and Apple Bloom so much. Goodbye Sweetie Belle." She hugged her friend and kissed her cheeks. "Don't forget to write back when you can, and let me know when you earn your cutie mark. We will miss you too. At least you won't have to put up with Diamond and Silver anymore. Goodbye Scootaloo," Sweetie Belle replied. As Scootaloo headed to the secret changeling den, she wondered what the Changeling Hive would look like. It'll be something like a cross between a giant beehive and a huge anthill, at least that is what it will look like from the outside. And inside it will most likely be earthy and covered in green glowing slime.
She tapped three times on the door and out came Babs Seed in her familiar pony shape and the other changelings, that had now taken the shape of pegusai. Four carried a basket which was attached by soft leather belts to their middles. She hopped inside and Babs Seed looked around and in a quick burst of green fire became a Pegasus too. "All aboard Changeling Airlines on a one way trip to the Badlands," Babs said, and they took off. Scootaloo looked down at the ground as it got further and further away. I'm forever leaving behind the life of a pony that I once knew, there is no going back now. It was not long before they had left Ponyville far behind, and then they entered the twisted canyons of the Badlands after about an hour's flying. They rounded a bend and Scootaloo gasped in amazement. Instead of what she expected, there was a beautiful castle made of gleaming black stone, with a myriad of towers, that seemed as large as Canterlot.
"There it is, the Hive, our home. Not quite what you expected? Queen Miasma has the sort of place that you think of what you hear the words "Changeling Hive." Not us. Queen Chrysalis likes to live in comfort and style, and she likes to have the same for her drones. She'll meet you of course and take the oath from you and then part change you, and when you have fully recovered you'll start your prospect time, to prove that you can contribute to the Hive. It won't all be unpleasant, you'll also start learning how to change, first the basics, and then so that you can change as well as any one of us. Then you'll make your bones by helping us replace a pony, and then you'll get given your wings and as a full Changeling, the sky is your limit. You could become an infiltrator-perhaps you might go further and become an officer."
They landed, and once Scootaloo got out, they unstrapped the basket ropes and took their changeling shape. A small gate within the oversized main gate opened to let them in. "You know us well, we are the Ponyville Chapter on one week's leave, and we bring much needed love to the Hive. We also bring a pony who wants to join our ranks named Scootaloo."
Scootaloo walked in with the others and stared in amazement. It was very much like a Changeling version of Ponyville, at least the part she was in was. Undisguised changelings were buying and selling goods, flying along on their way to some job or other, and generally getting on with their lives. The only thing that was different was that the lighting on the street lights was some kind of glowing gloop shaped into bulbs. What Scootaloo saw next made her get to her knees and bow. A mighty changeling the size of an alicorn with a small black crown of chitin upon her head. Queen Chrysalis herself. The other changelings just dipped their heads politely to their Queen, who stared at Scootaloo with narrowed eyes.
Scootaloo was in awe of the Changeling Queen and her gleaming body, and the powerful, clever mind within it. The closest that I have ever been to such a being is to Princess Celestia on the day when she formally and publically raised the sun at the Summer Sun Celebration. The ruler of the entire Hive, and she stopped what she was doing to come and see me. I feel so small and powerless next to her.
The Queen spoke. "After the disaster at the Canterlot Wedding we need to make up the numbers. You will now swear the oath of the Hive, pony, and I will turn you into one of us in everything except the wings, which you will need to earn. Until then you will be a prospect and will be tested to make sure you have something to offer the Hive. Repeat after me...
“I will stand by my brother and sister
My brother and sister will come before all others
My life is forfeited should I fail my brother and sister
I will honor my brother and sister in peace and war”
As soon as Scootaloo had repeated the oath, the Queen sunk her fangs into her neck, and she passed out.
She woke lying in a warm soft silken hammock with Babs Seed by her side, and stared at her new black hole-filled legs, and reached up and felt her horn. "You've been out for several hours whilst you changed into one of us. Now you need to go out there and show us that you can work for the Hive. You'll be asked to do a lot of things, even run off your feet at times, but it will be worth it."
Scootaloo's first day as a prospect was pretty hard, as all sorts of changelings would call her over with demands. "Prospect, polish my chitin." "Prospect, bring me some fungus to eat from the fungus fields." "Prospect, help me carry this piano to my house." But there were a couple of bright spots. First was when she was allowed to spend a couple of hours with the nymphs in Mr Opaque 's class learning how to change into pony shape. It was pretty basic stuff at this stage, but she was proud of how much she learned in such a short time. The other was her nightly ration of love soup. As soon as she drank it down she felt a warm loving feeling as the concentrated love spread through her whole body, and yearned for more.
As the days went on her prospect time became easier as she was called on less often and had a little bit more time to herself. Babs Seed showed her around the public and semi-public parts of the Hive.
Floor Zero was where the captured ponies and the occasional griffin hung in their cocoons from the ceiling. "Do you see the big smiles on their faces?" she pointed out. "That shows that in their minds they are blissfully happy, we did them a favour. In their minds it's like they are in heaven, with the job of their dreams and their family and loved ones around them. If it was unpleasant for them, it would squeeze out their fear, anger and hatred, which tastes utterly disgusting and when made into soup is poison to us. If more ponies knew what it was like, there would be a lot less fear of us."
Floor One was the main market, where instead of Equestrian gold bits, solid pink "discs of love known as sweets were used as the currency. "The great thing with changeling currency is, if you are very hungry you can eat it. It does mean that our bank managers and rich changelings have to have self discipline, particularly the former. A bank manager once got his wings ripped off and was busted to prospect, after he opened the vault one night to, he said "check on the money". Well, the bank staff found him sitting in the nearly empty vault the next day, hardly able to move because of the amount of love he had gorged himself on. True, most of it was regained by making him donate it back to the Hive, but a third of it had been consumed."
Scootaloo giggled.
"Don't laugh, it caused a financial crisis and there were a lot of very angry bank customers. The Queen personally gnawed off his wings in public, and it took seven years of hard prospect time for him to earn them back. We do have the death penalty but only use it for the absolute worst crimes, so our main punishment is prospect time. When you see a wingless changeling, he normally messed up."
Floor Two was the quarters for most changelings to live and sleep, in small but comfortable little houses of their own rather then uncomfortable dormitories. "Our Queen wants the best for us," Babs Seed said.
Floor Three was the fungus fields and chicken pens that, as well as their diet of love helped feed the Hive. "We can survive on love alone, but we like other foods and a lot of us enjoy eating meat. Some changelings go here when off duty for a little peace and quiet."
Floor Four housed such places as the armoury and the library. "There are all kinds of books here, once you earn your wings you'll have plenty of time to read. Floor Five-that's where the brass hats live. You only go there if you are called, or if you get to become an officer yourself. As for Floor Six-that is Her Majesty's private quarters, even most of the officers don't get to go there. You only get called there if you are either being heavily rewarded, or heavily punished."
Day merged into day, week into week and month into month, and Scootaloo learned how to turn fully into pony shape, griffin shape, zebra shape and even buffalo shape in her lessons with Mr Opaque has well as doing a lot of prospecting duties of all kinds. After over six months the Queen came once more to see her. "Scootaloo-you have done well. You have not slacked in your duties nor stolen love from your brothers and sisters nor tried to defect. You have to go through one more ritual to earn your wings and become a full member of our Hive, known as making your bones. You have to go back to Ponyville and help us capture a pony, a pony that you know well. A pony that goes by the name of Sweetie Belle."
Scootaloo gasped. "But she is...was...my best friend. If I cocoon her she'll never get a cutie mark, she'll..."
The Queen cut her off. "Remember your oath that you took when you joined this Hive? “I will stand by my brother and sister
My brother and sister will come before all others." You either do what you are told and make your bones, or yours are the bones that will be made instead. You will be given Babs Seed and three other changelings to help you, and to get you there in the first place since you have not earned your wings first. Now go and do your duty for me and this Hive, prospect."