Moving deep within the complex tunnel system, three changelings, with the limp bodies of their brethren on their backs, made their way through the rocky tunnel, navigating through its dark halls and narrow sections. Seemingly alike in their changeling forms, with their scaly skins and insect like eyes and wings, the only real difference between the three were the different builds of their body.
“Uhhh…why do these guys have to be so heavy?” The smallest of the three groaned, as she struggled to carry the one on her back. “Seems like he had a feast before being flung half way across Equestria!”
“Oh, come on, Gem, they’re not that heavy.” The largest one said, from his position from behind her. “Besides, I doubt that any of them managed to have a feast during the Canterlot attack. From the rumors I’ve been hearing and the evidence clearly in front of us, the entire invasion was just one big fiasco that went horribly wrong. I wish we could have been there; we could have kicked some serious flank and maybe even change the tide of battle. Hey, maybe we could have won if we were there, ain’t that right, Iggy?”
The changeling leading group didn’t respond and remained silent. With no mood for chatter, he just continued to move through the tunnels, choosing the right direction that lead to their destination.
“What’s gotten into him? I know he’s usually quiet and all, but this just seems a little too quiet.”
“Mmm….I don’t know, Pan-Pan, let me think.” Gem said, turning her head to face him. “Oh, I know, probably because ninety percent of the hive is gone.”
“Well yeah…” He said, in a quieter tone. “…that is quite a tragedy. But the hive would be up and ready in no time. After a month or two, the Queen would have had replace the same amount of drones lost and we would soon find ourselves in full operation again.
“Yeah, too bad the Queen isn’t here with us?” Gem muttered.
“Isn’t with us? What do you mean?” Pan-Pan said, some worry evident in his voice.
“Well, well, well…” Iggy said, finally speaking up. “…isn’t this a shocker. For a changeling who likes to listen to rumors, I’m surprise you haven’t heard the biggest of them all.”
“Oh, shut up, Iggy.” Pan-Pan rebutted, wishing for the changeling to remain with his silence. “Now…” He said, turning his attention to Gem. “…what’s this rumor about the Queen?”
Shaking her head, she kept her eyes front as she told him of what she knew.
“Well, the higher-ups haven’t confirmed it yet, but word is, the Queen has been taken prisoner by the ponies. Some survivors say that they saw her being dragged by a couple Royal Guards. I try not to believe what the rumors say, but ever since we started collecting bodies…” She said, gesturing the dead changeling on her back. “…the only changelings who seem to be ordering us are the higher-ups. I haven’t once seen the Queen, ever since our defeat.”
“Oh…” Pan-Pan said, his mood changing to a more somber one. In the hive, almost everything centered on the Queen and her orders. But now, if the rumors were true, the possible loss of the Queen could bring destruction to the hive.
The rest of the journey was a silent one, with only the occasional grunts from Gem, as she had a difficult time, trying to carry the deceased changeling behind her.
After the events of the Changeling invasion, many of the changelings of the hive were shot across the land, due to the blast that sent them flying from Canterlot to the Badlands. Some of the changelings managed to survive the blast, but many weren’t so lucky to do so.
With hundreds of changelings littering the desert, and the honor of those deceased at stake, it was the job for the remaining healthy changelings to pick them up and follow tradition by throwing them in the changeling burial grounds, which was the small yet acceptable honor any drone would get.
Having been in the tunnels, as a part of the group that was in charge of guarding their home while the hive attacked, Pan-Pan, Iggy, Gem, and the rest of the changelings who stayed were left healthy and uninjured. With this fact in front of them, the changeling high command ordered these changelings to split into two groups.
One being in charge of picking up and taking care of the wounded, while the others were given the task of picking up the dead and disposing of them.
Pan-pan, Iggy, Gem, and a dozen or so ponies were given the gruesome task of picking up these bodies and throwing them in the pit.
Reaching their destination, the three changelings exited a tunnel and entered a large cavern with a gigantic depression in the middle of it. This was known as the Pit.
The Pit, a place which changelings hate, not only for the sad mood it brings, but also because of the foal stench that rose out of it. Located in the center of a large rocky cavern, the pit’s hole covered most of the place, dwarfing anything that stood on its edge, while its depth went deep into the earth, with nothing but a dark void visible from its entrance.
With the stench filling the large cavern it was in, it was almost equivalent to a dump site, which it technically was, as it was the place where the fallen members of the hive are thrown to rot.
With a loud thud Gem dropped the changeling she was carrying near the edge of the Pit. Huffing and trying to catch some breath, she immediately flinched, as shed caught a big whiff of the foul smell radiating from the Pit’s depths.
“Uhhh…..that’s just repulsive!” She coughed, trying to remove the air from her lungs. Despite the fact that the Pit was used to dispose dead changelings, the stench that was emitted didn’t seem to be just dead changelings. It comprised of something else, something that no changeling knew, nor wanted to find out.
“Well, better get this job done as quick as possible…” Pan-Pan said, preparing to push the dead changeling he carried.
Recovering from her coughing fit and turning towards Pan-Pan, Gem’s eyes fell upon the dead changeling in front of him as they suddenly widened. Despite not caring who the dead changelings they carried, the one he was about to push seemed so familiar and she finally realized why.
“Hey, wait; don’t push him in just yet!” She didn’t know how she didn’t notice it at first, but now, she knew who that changeling was. “That’s Jar!” She told him. “I remember meeting him when we were posted at Las Pegasus.”
Looking down, she stared at the changeling with a sad expression plastered on her face. Memories of the changeling flooded her, as she
shook her head to let them leave her alone.
“Oh, I’m sorry…” Pan-Pan said, putting a hoof on her back in an attempt to comfort her.
“Why are you sorry?” Gem asked, giving him a confused look.
“Well, he was your friend, wasn’t he?”
“Friend? Pfff, yeah right.” She said, rolling her eyes and dismissing the thought. “He was a total jerk; I would never consider him as a friend.
The only reason I care about him is because he owes me a hundred bits, which I loaned him while we first met. Apparently, he was going to use the money to seduce some mare for some love. Seeing that it seemed like a good idea at the time, I lend him some money. Some investment that turned out, now he won’t be able to repay me.”
Looking towards the changeling below her one last time, she gave him a powerful push, sending him over the edge and straight towards the
bottom of the pit.
“Next time, you should repay me first before dying!” She shouted, as the body disappeared from sight.
Listening to fragments of the conversation but learning enough of it, Iggy rolled his eyes as he faced the two changelings. “All right, enough chattering you two…” He called to them. “…roll over your share, Gem, so we can go. Those bodies outside won’t trot themselves here.”
“Hopefully, they won’t…” Pan-Pan said, shuddering at the thought.
After rolling over the last dead changeling, Gen trotted towards the two as they prepared to leave the place.
But just as they were about to leave, a single changeling drone buzzed towards them, obviously carrying some kind of important message.
From their initial glance, they could easily see the fresh scars on his scaly skin, where blades ripped through the strong scales and penetrated through the softer skin beneath. These were the common wounds taken by most of the changelings, as well as the endless amounts of concussions that were received.
But large scar like that was nothing compared to the mutations given to unlucky changelings who received far worse battle damage.
“Drones Iggy, Pan-Pan, and Gem?” The Drone Questioned as he hovered in front of them.
“Yeah, why?” Iggy said, replying for all of them.
“Commander Valko wants to see you all as soon as possible. He says it’s about something important.”
“Great…” Gem muttered. “…what did you buck up this time, Pan-Pan.”
Glaring towards the smaller changeling, Pan-Pan gave her a growl like sound before rolling his eyes.
Commander Valko wasn’t a big and muscular changeling, but instead, a lean and sleek one, that stood just under Pan-Pan’s height, a normal size for an average changeling. But life in the hive didn’t rely on size but in abilities and when it came to disguises and infiltrating, Commander [Insert Cool Name Here] was the changeling for almost every job. A veteran of many of many missions assigned, Commander Valko had been to almost every part of Equestria, taking up one of his hundreds of disguises.
But now, as the three stood inside a cold stone room that was his office, staring at the Commander in front of them, they didn’t see the changeling the legends told, but instead, a weak and weary one, who was scarred by the wounds of battle.
With bandages and gauzes all over his body, he looked more like a roll of tissue paper that a commander. One particular gauze ran down his face, covering left eye, the Commander stared at them with his remaining good eye, trying his best to stand tall and dominant.
The only thing separating them was the stone desk between, which was littered by an extensive amount of medical supplies that were there to help aid the Commander through pain.
“So…” He said, with a sore voice. “…your files say that you three have served five missions in highly populated areas, is that true?”
“Yes, sir.” They all said in unison, staring back at the changeling in front of them.
“Good, good…” He said, before letting out a loud painful cough. “We’ll need your skills and experience, they’ll be very helpful in the mission I have for you.”
“Mission, sir?” Iggy asked, curious to what assignment they were about to be given.
“Yes, a mission, a very important mission.” He said, putting his hooves on his desk and leaning forwards towards them. Normally, mission like the one I would give you three are placed under the hooves of the most skilled changelings, the Special Forces. But seeing that all our Special Forces have been eliminated or are too injured and weak to do anything, we are forced to go with you three.”
Gem groaned as she felt the insult slap them, but she still kept her ears open as she listened.
“You see…” He informed them. “… you three are the only changelings left with enough energy to take on disguises as well have a decent amount of experience to blend in with ponies without raising the alarm. There are at least a dozen more changelings who have enough energy for this task, but they lack the experience. So we would just have to put them on reserve and call them up in case you fail your mission.”
“Which is?” Gem said, getting a little impatient.
Staring at them with a plain expression on his face, Commander Valko stood straight as he spoke to them with a stern tone.
“Why, my little changeling, you three are going to rescue the Queen from the Canterlot dungeons.”
