• Published 17th Jul 2017
  • 4,456 Views, 854 Comments

An Exercise In Management - Nameless Narrator



A simple drone "accidentally" failed to leave the Badlands hive for the invasion to Canterlot. He was only two weeks old, one of the clutch specifically created to break through the protective shield. Now starving, he's just trying to survive.

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27: Into unexplored territory!

Hive mind! HIVE MIND!

I feel the estabilishing link hit me like a torrent of cold water. Unlike the connections I feel with the others which are more akin to tethers, this one is always forced and makes me buckle under the crushing pressure of the changeling minds long gone.

This is new. What do you want from us, failure?

Am I a failure? In their ‘eyes’ I must be. Nevermind, we’re here to talk business, something they might approve of.

I need to know how to make an infiltrator.

Not letting an experienced one go is a good start, The hive mind chuckles with multiple voices.

Are you going to be helpful?

You refuse our… advice, and now-

I refuse your ORDERS. If the survival of changelings is even remotely your goal, you will help me.

The link cuts off before quickly returning in full force.

Infiltrators are the most difficult and powerful changelings. They require… sacrifices. You cannot simply hatch one from an egg unless you can give it constant access to love during the whole process. They need to consume brain matter of ponies in order to gain proper nutrition. Change your ovipositor into a spike, and inject an egg into a pony’s skull. Keep the corpse from deteriorating as well as you can. When the larva hatches, it will eat the brain tissue, and then you simply give it as steady supply of love as you can.

Hmmm…

And what if I wanted to change a drone into one?

Then it must devour memories, skills, experiences from numerous ponies. When it starts suffering from crippling headaches, fill it with love which will give it enough energy to evolve. It will either survive, or go insane in which case you scrap the drone, and try with a different one. If you see physical changes like the loss of mass and weaker chitin even when compared to a drone, you’ll know it’s working. Infiltrators rely far more on love reserves than physical build, but thanks to that even they can reach physical attributes of warriors without constant training. A perfect hive with enough love to feed everyone would not need warriors, because overcharged infiltrators could easily do their job. Unfortunately, the lack of love resulted in the need for… specialized physical tools.

I see. I never thought I would say this, but… thank you?

Do you seriously consider mere thanks to be enough? We require sustenance.

And right now I need all the love I can get to create a proper infiltrator in order to save the survivors of Chrysalis’ invasion.

I ‘feel’ a deep growl from the combined minds of the most powerful changeling rulers.

We will… remain patient for now. Do not fail us.

The link breaks completely. I wait for few moments to make sure it isn’t only a pause, but the voices don’t come back.

Hmmm… so they don’t know everything that’s going on. Can they only read my intentions or recent past from my head?

This explains Four’s natural disposition towards infiltration, though. We DID have enough love while Eight was pregnant, enough for us and multiple drones. When a high-tier warrior like Eight had enough love, the tiny eggs inside her had to be positively soaking in it. Plus, only Four hatched, and she ate the other eggs immediately.

Of course! Does the hive mind maybe only barely remember the times when changelings were thriving? Was there actually such time, an era without us hiding or at war with everyone?

Focus! That doesn’t matter right now. Four must already be halfway through the transformation process. She got enough love as an egg, and Ten’s compiled experiences did cause her painful headaches. Unfortunately, I didn’t know how to make use of it at the time.

As much as I hate doing it, I think I need to overload her again, and sending her to absorb the memories of ponies isn’t the safest approach…

Oooh, I’ve got an idea, but it’s super risky. On the other hole, the hive mind’s comment about warriors might be just what I need to make this work.

I focus.

Eight tries to resist my intrusion into her head, but this time I break through. She panics, nearly stopping riding the stallion she’s feeding from right now.

”Eight, I need you.”

"What’s wrong?"

She never stops gyrating her hips accompanied by the drooling of the stallion under her.

”Umm… you know how I gave Four Ten’s infiltration experience? Now I need… yours.”

"WHAT?!"

”I need to transform her into a real infiltrator, and to do that I need your help.”

"Help? You want to get rid of me! First it’s knowledge, then it’s love, then it’s the grinder. The hive mind got to you, didn’t it? Hole no! You’re not getting any-"

”I am really sorry, Eight. Consider this a payback for you punching me out back in Wet Soil. You did it for the good of all of us, and I’m doing the same.”

Her resistance weakens the more I absorb her love via our link. She tries to break it repeatedly, but I don’t allow her. In the end, she’s completely under my control, pleasuring the stallion on autopilot as I dig through her mind.

It seems that what I felt to be words from the hive mind was in reality the knowledge of process and parts I would need to perform the transformation.

Unfortunately, when I’m done, nothing is like that time when I completely took control over Eight. She’s not gushing with pleasure. She’s quiet, distanced, with tears streaming from her eyes. Drained both physically and mentally.

I’ve got a lot to make up for. I guess this is what it means to be the king. For the ultimate good of the hive, I had to hurt Eight in a way no one else ever has… aside from Chrysalis maybe.

"I serve the hive…"

"I serve the hive…"

"I serve the hive…"

Eight just keeps repeating the mantra in her head.

”You’re the best companion I could have ever found.”

She doesn’t react.

"I serve the hive…"

"I serve the hive…"

I break the link.

***

Processing the information harvested from Eight and the hive mind, I come to the conclusion that no amount of love could make a low rank infiltrator a better protector than Eight is. There are limits to how much love our bodies can handle, and I’m about to test one of those.

”Four, come down here, will you?”

The drone on guard upstairs trots over, giving me a curious look.

“What’s going on, boss?”

“Boss?” I raise my eyebrow.

“K-King, I mean,” she panics, “I’ve been talking to Three a lot and-”

“Calm down, I don’t care what you call me. I’ve got a big mission for you.”

“Oh, what is it, King?”

“No boss?”

“No boss, King.”

I snicker.

“Alright. You’re smart and adaptive, Four, and we need a proper infiltrator. Eight can’t protect us and do all the information gathering on her own. Well, she probably could, but that would be a waste. I discovered a way to transform you into a real one. Being a drone doesn’t suit you.”

“B-But isn’t Three a higher rank… and more experienced?”

“By now you must know I’m not big on the old ranking system. Three is happy where he is, and you’ve got both the experience, and the physical potential. Plus, you like being outside.”

“Well, I do…” she takes a deep breath before looking me in the eyes, “Okay, King. What do I need to do?”

“Relax, and don’t panic if it hurts. I know you can do this.”

Closing her eyes, she opens the mental link to me on her own. She’s ready. The question is whether or not I am.

I hear her groan as I transfer Eight’s infiltration experience into her. She falls on the floor, clutching her head. What I took from Eight isn’t as organized and easy to absorb like what Ten prepared for me of his own free will. On the other hole, my incompetence might be exactly what Four needs - to be challenged by chaotic and incomplete information.

Opening my own love reserves, I bathe her in energy, forcing more and more inside her despite her grunts and squirming. Eventually, she begins drawing more herself, opening further channels and accepting all I can give easily. Before my eyes, green flames start licking her body, adding chitin here, lengthening her armor there, or taking away some mass around her barrel.

Her grey streaks on black chitin don’t change even after the process is over, though.

“Owwww...” she stands up, and immediately keels over. To my own surprise, I’m fast enough to catch her, “Heh. I’m sorry, King, I don’t think it worked. I guess I’m still the dizzy, stumbling, old me.”

“Not… really,” I help her until she can stand properly. She’s now Three’s size, albeit thinner. Her chitin clings more to her body instead of forming thicker protective plates like Three has, and her head looks more like that of a pony mare, although still made of segmented chitin, “How are you feeling?”

“As if I got hit by an ox cart… from the inside.”

Now I notice the biggest difference. Bodies can change, obviously. However, the mental link between me and Four is now strong, distinct, and feels like it can’t go away. Experimentally, I try to cut it off. It shrinks and becomes unobtrusive, but unlike before I know it’s active.

I frown. That’s going to steadily drain some energy.

“Four, can you drop the mental link, please?”

She focuses, and the link shrinks further into a tether. So, I can’t avoid losing love, but we can minimize it. On the plus side, I will now always know that she’s alive.

“This will take some time to get used to,” she shakes her head, “Anyway, what did you need to do that for? I feel a lot better… my head clearer,” she examines her forelegs and then the whole body, “Did it work? Am I a real infiltrator now?”

“Can you shapeshift?”

She does that in an instant. No billowing green fire, only a covert spark which runs through her chitin and changes everything.

“Wooooow,” her eyes go wide, “Sneaky. Alright, I’m ready,” she stretches her forelegs, “I feel so nice and loose!”

I watch the beaming changeling jump up and down, lose balance and smack into the floor, then without losing any enthusiasm do it again.

“Now, this will be extremely dangerous, and there’s no one who can give you information beforehoof, Four. I need you to start gathering information about the changeling prisoners. Location, possible access, everything.”

“Will do!” she salutes.

“Don’t you want to talk it over with-”

“Nope!” her wide smile never leaves her muzzle even when faced with such request, “I’ve got Ten’s and my own experience, Eight’s knowledge, and know exactly where to start.”

“Good luck, Four,” I shake my head, her smile infecting even me, “Most importantly - play it safe.”

“Don’t worry, King. I won’t fail you,” she walks off.

Yep, I do hear her trip on the top stair and hit the floor again. No, I don’t think she minds at all.

***

*SLAM!*

I immediately look out of Three’s eyes…

...into Eight’s.

Furious, burning, lit by the green glow of her horn.

“Where is that mind-raping worm?” Eight growls.

“Umm, we don’t have any new larva, miss Eight,” answers levitating Three, wiggling all four legs in the air.

She pulls Three closer to her face.

“I know you’re watching. Get your sorry ass up here right now!”

“I- I can’t really turn in the air with you holding me like this,” Three’s regrown wings buzz as he fights against Eight’s telekinetic grip.

“Not you!” she puts him down with surprising care.

That’s my cue to wobble up the stairs. I’m still not exactly myself after transforming Four and topping her off.

“Uhh, about what hap-” I raise my foreleg apologetically. Everything flashes green, then I hear a loud crash.

“MISS EIGHT!” yells shocked Three.

Owww… my side hurts. My head hurts. What’s that green stuff on the floor?

Cool, now there are two Eights coming towards me. Maybe one Sixteen then?

A pair of Threes jump between me and the Eights.

Heheh, are we playing cards?

“Out of the way, Three...” growls Eight.

“N-No, m-m-m-miss...” the drone’s looking up at Eight, his head barely at the height of her barrel.

Green glow envelops him, then Eight shoves him aside. I shake my head. The light show is making me dizzy. Where are the green puddles coming from?

“And stay out of this!” before she finishes the sentence, Three’s already between us again, “Damn it, Three! I ORDER you to get out.”

“Y-You can’t o-order me, miss E-Eight,” he looks uncertainly at me, then back, “I o-outrank you.”

Three turns his head in horror as he starts floating again, the green glow now centered around his neck.

“Then maybe,” Eight growls, “I want to climb up some ranks...”

His wings buzzing, Three flails his forelegs at Eight.

“B-Boss?” he tries to turn his head one-eighty and downwards towards me. Due to his lack of demonic possession, it doesn't work that well.

I wave at them. Everything is spinning.

“Hi, Threes. What’s up? Wait, you’re up. Eights, stop choking Threes, will you-” my head finally catches up with my mouth.

Eight threw me against the wall so hard she cracked my head. My side armor is full of spiderweb fractures.

She actually IS choking Three.

“Eight, put Three down!” I take a deep breath to fight against the dull beating inside my head.

“Why?” she dangles him in front of my face, “Maybe I want to take something important away from you after you did the same to me!”

“Eight, I COPIED some of your experience, that’s all.”

“SO THAT YOU CAN REPLACE ME!”

“NO, SO THAT I DON’T HAVE TO RISK YOUR LIFE IN A CITY GUARDED BY A WHOLE ARMY FOR EVERY LITTLE THING WE NEED!”

Expression unreadable, but certainly cold, Eight lowers Three on the floor. He’s unharmed, and immediately trots between us one more time. Eight ignores him this time.

“Wasn’t Ten’s knowledge enough? Why did you take my combat experience as well? Why did you do this?!”

Sighing, I hang my head.

“Because I didn’t know what to do the first time. I didn’t need your infiltration experience as such, I just needed as much knowledge as I could to pour into Four. I just… I copied what I could get my hooves on, Eight. I didn’t have time nor skill to pick little bits, so I took what I could. Honestly, Eight, what’s the problem? Why are you so afraid of losing all your power? I thought you were all about that?.”

“YES, TO SOMEONE I CAN TRUST! How can I ENJOY that all I want is to give you complete control when you’ll just get rid of me? When you can simply copy my mind and make a better me? One without this pesky… resistance.”

“STOP IT!” screams Three. We both look at him, “I mean… pretty please?”

Eight grins.

“What’s wrong, Three? Are you starting to realize your ‘boss’ will just copy your mind when you become inconvenient, and then replace you with a better drone? Face it, you’re not a smart one. Every competent ruler would have destroyed you and made a real drone.”

“EIGHT!” I scowl.

She leans back when faced with Three’s unexpected bright smile.

“I know, miss Eight, and I’m doing the best I can anyway. Boss even gave me enough love to regrow my wings. He gave you your leg back too! I wouldn’t be here without the boss, and neither would you. I wouldn’t get to see all the pretty colours, weird ponies and their ‘food’. I didn’t even know the reason I couldn’t fly was because my wings didn’t grow right. The world outside the hive is amazing, miss Eight. I don’t mind enjoying my borrowed time. The boss knows what he’s doing.”

No I don’t.

“No, he doesn’t!” Eight snaps her jaws at him, “Fine, if your stupid little head is fine with being a love storage for someone else, then so be it-”

What I’m going to do now is probably suicide, but I can’t stand her snarling at Three anymore.

I slap Eight. She stops, glaring at me.

Second five, I’m still not dead.

Six… ten…

I take a breath.

“You yourself said I should use the best tool for the job. I need Four to gather information about the captured changelings. I turned her into a real infiltrator. She doesn’t have the hooves-on experience you do, I know. Before you object, I’m going to throw at you another thing you said to me when you sent Three scout the mines - if something happens to her, it’s better her than us. I don’t believe it, but it’s YOUR logic. However, you know what was the most important, Eight?”

“What?”

“When I sent her out, she was the happiest I’ve ever seen her.”

“You sent me out because I was replaceable, miss Eight? You said you were busy,” Three gives her a disappointed look.

“Both things were true,” Eight looks away, frowning.

“Then why are you mad at the boss? You actually DID do what you’re only worried about him doing to you.”

Eight growls at him, opens her mouth, then closes it, saying nothing in the end.

“Eight,” I say quietly, “please, get some rest. I’ll check up on Four. She’ll need all the help she can get.”

I really should ask her for the love she took so that I can heal the bleeding, but if there’s something I’m certain of it’s that it would be the worst thing to do right now.

Without a word, Eight storms up the stairs to the upper floor.

My shaking legs give out. That was… horrible and terrifying.

“Three, can you drag me to the cellar just in case someone tries to come here?”

“Don’t worry, boss, I’m the drag king… boss.”

***

I can feel the bags being carefully arranged on top of me, and I can also sense Four going through Eight’s experience and comparing it to Ten’s and her own. She immediately notices that I’m in her head as well.

"Welcome back, boss."

”How is it going?”

Waaaaait…

Looking out of her eyes, I see a bar, but the ponies are rather… unique. Muscular, tired, and… armed.

”Four, why are you sitting in the corner of a GUARD BAR?”

"Where else could I find out the most about the captured changelings?"

”You DO realize you have to come back to us with that information, right?”

"Technically, I don’t, boss, since you’re in my head. Athough I’m planning to, don’t worry."

”So, what now? Are you just going to ask some pony about the changelings? I doubt it’ll be that simple.”

"I’ve got a plan, boss. Eight’s methods of seeking targets out are limited, but there’s something to them. I have no doubts that within few more minutes at most I’ll have somepony to talk to."

Aaaand here it comes. A muscular pegasus stallion, one of many in the bar, sits down on the chair across the small table from Four.

“Never seen you around here before, miss,” his voice betrays a hint of alcohol, but the look he gives Four is focused and not at all leery.

Four chuckles.

“It’s my first time here. I hope you don’t mind me being in your establishment.”

“Not at all, although usually the only ones drinking here are guards and policeponies. It helps being in the company of those who know how it feels to get hit by a brick in a dark alley.”

Four makes a circle with her hoof on the table before sipping from her glass.

“Ever since the attack… I don’t feel safe outside or at home. I tried hanging out in a mercenary bar, but those guys are too drunk and loud. I like it here, it’s quiet and there are a lot of armed ponies.”

“Mind if I speak freely, miss?”

Four leans backwards and smiles when faced with the stallion’s official tone.

“Of course.”

He grabs her hoof with both of his, gently patting it.

“We didn’t react well to the attack, I know, and without prince Shining Armor and princess Cadance it would have ended in a disaster, but you don’t have to be afraid. I’ve seen the changelings who got crushed against buildings or set on fire. Even they barely survived, well… a small fraction of them. Those who got blasted into the sky… well, remember that we’re halfway up a very high mountain. If some of those by some miracle survived the fall, I can say with certainty that they aren’t in any shape to cause trouble again.”

Oh, this is an UPPER Canterlot guard bar.

Four thinks for a moment, then gasps.

“Did you say they barely survived?” her eyes go wide, “They are still around?” there’s the slightest trembling in her voice.

“Calm down,” the pegasus stretches his wing out to Four, tickling her chin, “They are safely locked up in the castle dungeons. I saw them being brought in. They couldn’t move or talk. Most of them lost limbs and chunks of their… armor. As far as I know they don’t eat pony food, so they aren’t recovering. Trust me, they are barely conscious.”

“What if they’re just playing you? What if they run away again? They can be anypony...” Four whimpers, “They can change into a fly and get out through the window, or-”

The pegasus’ wing now pressed against her lips silences her rambling.

“Not a single one has done it yet. We don’t know to what degree they can change, but they can’t simply transform into anything. I’m not a unicorn, but-” he leans in to whisper into Four’s ear, “my friend is in the research team, and it seems that changelings can’t simply magic all their mass away. They can’t get out even through the bars, so there’s no chance of them getting out via the drains as a bug, and there are no windows underground.”

Four lets out a relieved sigh, relaxing a little. Then she looks from side to side before trotting around the table to the pegasus and taking her chair with her. Pushing it next to his, she jumps on it and leans against him.

“Can we stay like this for a while?” she mumbles, “Before I gather the courage to go home?”

He wraps his wing around her.

“Of course, miss.”

"I don’t like using his kindness to free those who wanted to hurt him, but it’s the easiest way, boss."

”Good job, Four. I’ll be right back.”

This time the link between us doesn’t fade completely when I hop inside Three’s head for a moment.

”Three, I’ve got a super important mission for you!”

“Yay!” the drone waves his forelegs, still sitting alone by the door, and listening for any potential intruders.

”Ponies have no clue how well we can shapeshift when we’ve got the love. There should be drains leading from the upper Canterlot sewers into the castle dungeons. It’ll be dangerous, but I need you to find them and see if we can fit in, and whether or not we have enough love to get the wounded moving.”

“I’ll be right on it! Do I wake miss Eight up to guard the door?”

”Let her sleep. She’ll need all her strength when we go there and arrange the escape.”

“Alright. I’m going then, boss.”

”Good luck, Three. AND DON’T TRY TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH SHUFFLES AGAIN!”

“But he’s cold and lonely… and he doesn’t even want my boots anymore.”

”Soul, Three, not a sole.”

“Uhhh…”

”Nevermind. Just stay safe, little buddy.”

“I’ll be right back with the map, and then we’ll have even more friends!”

Cracking an internal smile, I leave Three to his mission and return back to Four who is currently trying to get out of the bar.

Unfortunately, she’s being stared down by a stern, tall unicorn blocking the door.

“Your refusal is only making me more suspicious.”

”N-n-n-o, that’s o-okay, s-s-sir,” Four is trembling, this time for real.

“Commander,” the pegasus who’s been Four’s company until now salutes despite being off duty, “Will you please back off? I’m sure the nice lady will go through with the scan as soon as you stop looming over her like a furious minotaur.”

To my and Four’s surprise, the unicorn indeed does take a step back and even manage to conjure a friendly smile despite his scarred face.

“I guess you’re right, Starwing,” he nods, “Miss, the scan doesn’t hurt or anything, and it takes only a few seconds.”

Four takes a deep breath and nods. The ponies surrounding the duo sigh in relief as well.

"Any ideas, boss?"

”Ten could use this mental blast magic to stun somepony for few seconds. Can you do it too? Maybe the big guy when he’s defenseless, and then run as fast as you can?”

"I’ve never done it, but I may as well try."

As the unicorn lowers his head and his horn lights up, I feel a buildup of energy inside Four.

"Well, well, well…" an amused voice resonates through our link, one which doesn't belong to neither of us.

What?

”Four, is there someone else inside your head-”

My link to Four cuts off for a second.

When I once again look from out of her eyes, everypony inside the bar is staring blankly in front of them.

"What happened? Did I do it? I’m so tired…" Four's mind feels hazy with sudden exhaustion.

”Get out, Four!”

She’s limping. I realize she’s lost nearly all her stored energy.

Barely holding her transformation together, she starts hobbling on the long track back home. Again and again she keeps looking over her shoulder, but thankfully there’s nopony following her. Eventually, she gathers herself, hides in an alley, and uses her last remaining love to grow a pair of wings and lose her horn.

”What happened?”

"I… I don’t know. I couldn’t reproduce Ten’s spell so I just tried to push the pony away so that I could run, then I felt so weak… and then everything went white. My head hurts…"

”That was a crazy piece of magic, Four.”

"I just want to sleep…"

She lands near the house. Wings sure do shave the hour-long journey between the upper and lower cities into a quick trip.

“Hmm, I don’t recall YOU, little changeling. And here was me wondering why Royal Guards started running around with their heads scrambled. Tsk, tsk,” says a sultry female voice.

My link to Four cuts off completely. No matter what I try, I can reestabilish it, or even feel if Four is still alive.

“Four? FOUR! Uh oh...”

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