Chapter 9

The day court was still in session when Agent Chaser walked into throne room of the Canterlot palace. Sure enough, some stuck up noble was giving a proposition to Princess Celestia who seemed like she was more than bored with her duty. Could anypony really blame her though? She had been doing this job for several thousand years. That kind of work would take its toll on anypony, even a goddess of the sun.

Chaser didn't bother to wait in line like all the other ponies who had business with the princess. He simply walked passed the ponies who waited their turns to present their petitions and presentations, whatever they may be. Before he was even able to reach the front, somepony grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Hey. You cant just cut like that!" the noble who wore a fancy suit, that Chaser really didn't like, said in an angry whisper. "Get to the back of the line."

"Sorry bud, but I think my business with the princess is a bit more important than your complaint about the silverware not meeting your standards," Chaser mocked. "Now, if you'll please excuse me..." He walked off, leaving the noble standing there speechless.

Upon reaching the front of the line, Chaser walked out into the open area in the middle of the spectating crowd, if it could even be called that, there really wasn't that many ponies in the court today or ever. After getting passed the noble who was currently presenting a plan for a new and improved sewer system that would more efficiently move waste by 60% - there was no way that number was correct, Chaser knew he was just looking for attention - he sat down next to Celestia.

"Good morning Princess," he said just loud enough for her to hear. "How's the court going?"

"You never talk to me unless we're working together, you have something to report, or you just want something," Celestia said, doing her best to listen to the noble who was still talking while also carrying out a conversation with her Agent. Participating in two conversations at the same time was a skill Celestia had become quite adept at over the years. She could even carry out four on a good day, so the fact that Chaser was interrupting her court was not really much of a nuisance. "What is it you need?" she asked Chaser before making an astute comment about the noble's sewer proposal to show that she was actually listening.

"I'm getting bored, like, extremely bored," Chaser informed. "I need a new mission and since I was working on the changeling case long before you called in Switchback and Princess Twilight, I figured I could help with that."

Celestia frowned as she began to realize what this was leading up to. Still, despite her better judgment, she contested Chaser. "Why do you want to take on the changeling case in particular?"

"Like I said," Chaser answered. "I'm getting bored. Beside, I already know everything about the changeling case, which means I'd be able to hop right into it. So what do you say?"

"You do realize that Switchback and Twilight's mission is one of diplomacy, correct? Not one of assassination."

"So what?" Chaser said, not caring what kind of mission it was. "If what we've been told is true, it means the hive is practically tearing itself apart. I could be your extra set of eyes in that chaos. I could get you any kind of intel you need. I could go on my own little intel gathering mission. It will be fun, and well worth it too. I guarantee it."

Celestia sighed. She knew that Chaser had a perfectly valid point, and she did give him the month off, which only indicated that there were no other missions for him to go on. This meant that she couldn't lie to him, by telling him that there were other important things for him to do. She really hated Chaser sometimes. He was the only pony that she had ever met that got under her skin in the way he did and made her feel like she was several thousand years older.

"Meet me in my office after I adjourn this session," Celestia instructed.

Chaser smiled. It looked like he would be getting a mission after all.

Moth walked through the tunnels of the hive not entirely sure of himself. Was he making a mistake? What would their leader think? Was this at all a good idea? These questions rang in his head more than he would have liked them to. Uncertainty was his biggest hatred in life. He found that any times of uncertainty, someone always ended up getting hurt, someone close. He hated it that things had to be that way.

Nonetheless, there was nothing he could really do about his current situation except continue down the cave with the ponies in tow. He was leading ponies back to his home. What was wrong with him? He really didn't know the answer to this question, neither did he want to know. All he could focus on now was what he was currently doing.

Not even five short minutes ago had he been approached by another changeling. No big deal right? Wrong. That changeling was friends with ponies. How could that possibly be? There were six of them. The first five that he had laid his eyes upon were all royal guards from Equestria. They each wore their unmistakable gold armor and wielded deadly swords. The sixth though, was special. She was an alicorn.

Moth's first thoughts upon seeing her were ones of confusion. He didn't at all understand why she would be there. Equestria sending soldiers seemed like a logical move, especially after the changelings' failed attempt to invade Canterlot that ultimately left them crippled beyond recovery. But the ponies had not just sent soldiers. They had sent one of their princesses. They had sent something that should have been safe in a castle running a country or doing whatever it was that princesses did.

It had taken a moment of thinking before Moth remembered the words Switchback had said. Help. Had the ponies really come to help? Was that why the Princess was there? Was she supposed to be acting as a diplomat? Moth figured that this made the most sense in the situation. He really didn't understand why the ponies would want to help them though. It was kind of weird to see a hostile nation just show up unannounced and say they wanted peace.

Despite the bad gut feeling that Moth was getting, he was still leading these ponies back to his home. Did this mean he trusted the ponies? Absolutely not. There was no real reason for him to. Anyone can say that they want peace and then stab you in the back only seconds later. For this reason, he was being very careful, keeping his sword close to hoof.

He had no plans on helping the ponies, but there was still that peace, that help that the ponies claimed to be offering. Everything that he had seen lined up with their claims, but what he couldn't figure out was why they would want to help. He continued walking on as he thought about this.

"How far exactly is this little settlement of yours?" one of the guards asked. He seemed to be the leader, a Captain, if Moth was judging the insignias on his armor correctly.

"Only a little ways more," Moth answered. "When we start to see the torches, we'll be close."

Sure enough, just as Moth had said, torches began to appear along the walls of the cave that now seemed to be growing wider and wider as they moved along, down, into the depths of the hive. The most interesting thing about these torches though was not the torches themselves, which were made from magically charged fire crystals instead of traditional sticks and an open flame. The most interesting thing, to Twilight at least, was the way they were positioned. When the light from one torch began to grow faint toward the very edge of it's source, another torch was not placed. Instead, a new torch was placed several meters down beyond the edge of the light so that the small spheres that they produced would only overlap slightly, allowing for more area to be covered with less torches.

As Twilight took note of these torches, she couldn't help but wonder if this arrangement was chosen for the sake of efficiency or if there was a shortage on fire crystals that forced this to be done. Even still, why use fire crystals and not just regular torches? They would have been just as effective, or did they not have enough personnel to insure that a torch would stay lit? She was pulled from these thoughts as they came across what appeared to be a wall of some sort.

The wall was mostly made from stone, mostly large pieces of rubble that had been glued together with what was no doubt the same green changeling goo that they had seen on their way in. It sloped up just slightly instead of standing exactly vertical. At the very top of the stone structure stood another layer to the wall. It was made from a dark gray and black wood. Wood? That couldn't be right could it? Where would changelings be getting wood from? There weren't any trees in the mountains.

Although this may have confused her escorts, Twilight knew exactly where changelings would get wood. It was during one of their little study sessions that Switchback had told Twilight a story about trees that used to grow in the frozen north, long before the time of Equestria. They had eventually died off on the surface because of the windigos, but thanks to the changelings and powerful magic that helped the trees adapt to subterranean conditions, the trees lived on within the hive. Some of the roots of the old trees, which twisted their way through the mountains were often used for construction purposes. Twilight made a mental note to write the story down in full when she returned to her castle in a few days, or weeks.

When the party got close enough to the wall, Moth suddenly stopped, bringing everyone to a halt. He quickly whistled a tune, loud enough to echo through the cave. This was accompanied by three clicks that no one could figure out how to produce in the same way, with the exception of Switchback of course.

All was quiet for a moment. Not a single sound was made, until a small gate in the wall was opened to grant the group access to the settlement, but instead of them entering, something else exited. Five or six other changelings, all outfitted in blue armor that barely matched, each seeming as if it had been cobbled together from the remains of an armory, walked out from the gate. Each carried a weapon, whether it be a sword, spear, or halberd, each was armed and ready for a fight.

The royal guards all prepared themselves for anything as they all began to realize that the clicks Moth had produced were in fact code for something. It was code alright, and they were about to find out just what it meant.

"I got a bad feeling about this," August said as he observed the armored changelings.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up," Jackpot whispered in irritation to the pegasus.

"We're being flanked," Talisman pointed out. "Two on each side." Sure enough, he was right. Four more changelings had come out of seemingly nowhere, bringing the grand total of contacts to ten. They were now all out numbered, and if a fight were to break out it would all come down to their training. The soldiers surrounding them did not seem to be aggressive nor hostile though, only cautious. Talisman could already recognize their formation as one of a more defensive type rather than offense.

"We have visitors, sir," Moth said to one of the changeling soldiers who's armor seemed to be a little more ornate than that of the other changelings around them. "One of them is even an alicorn. She claims to be here on a peace mission."

The changeling's leader raised what could only be described as an eyebrow. "A peace mission?" he asked, looking directly at Twilight, unimpressed. "I take it that you want to talk to the queen then. Well? It is true?" he asked after Twilight did not respond.

Twilight tried to shake herself from her nervousness, but was unsuccessful. She had gone over what she would say to the queen at least a hundred times in her head and even thought about a few scenarios like this, but now it was happening. She was being put to the test not at the risk of receiving a bad grade, but at the risk of being run through with a spear. She gulped as she found her bearings.

"Yes, it is true," Twilight finally replied. "My name is Princess Twilight Sparkle. I am acting as a diplomat on the behalf of Equestria. We wish to forge a peace between our nations and help to aide the hive in rebuilding." She wasn't sure if that sounded official enough, but she seemed to have the changelings' attention. "I am currently on my way to your hive's capital in order to begin peace talks. The guards you see here are but an escort, and Switchback here is acting as a guide. We mean you nor your soldiers any harm."

"So you wish to speak to the queen?"

"Yes, that is correct," Twilight confirmed.

The changeling commander smiled and then began to chuckle a little before he was actually laughing. All of his soldiers joined in. Gradually, the cave became filled with the sound of laughter.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha," Twilight joined in with a nervous laugh, beads of sweat forming as she watched all the soldiers find amusement in her task.

"You know," the changeling commander began, "after everything that happened, what with the failed invasion that our dear and dead former queen attempted, I never actually expected that it would be Equestria coming and begging at our door." He thought for a moment before giving out a few of the clicks that Moth, who had joined his comrades moments earlier, displayed when they had first reached the wall.

Any weapons that had been drawn were now lowered as the changelings all obeyed the commands of their commander. "We will allow you to pass through," he told Twilight.

"Really?" Twilight asked more than a little surprised.

"Yes, of course," the commander replied, "but know this, if you try anything or give the slightest hint that you are going to try anything, we will not hesitate to kill you."

Twilight gulped again. "We understand."

"Do you?" the commander questioned. "Princess, we are not savages. At any moment, I could have ordered my soldiers to attack you, but I did not. You see, we do not wish to engage in any kind of violence. We are simply defending our home, the only home some of us will ever have. So if you truly care for the fate of the changeling hive as you supposedly claim, seeing as you offer aid, and not just the desires of your own country, then you will do as I say while within our town. Is that understood as well?"

"Yes, thank you very much," Twilight responded almost a little too eagerly. "I give you my word that we will not cause any trouble."

The changeling commander smiled his casual and for some reason unnerving smile again. "Yes of course, your word," he said, almost rolling his eyes. "Please follow me." He turned and was followed by two of his soldiers as they entered the gate. The rest formed around the group of ponies, encasing them in a tight bubble where they could be kept in check.

"Good work, Princess," Rampart told Twilight as they started to follow the changelings into the town. "I knew you had it in you."

"Thanks," Twilight said. "I didn't think I was going to go that smoothly to be honest."

As the now much larger group entered the town, the first thing they were "welcomed" by was what seemed to be a much more relaxed atmosphere. After making it through the initial perimeter and about thirty yards of extra buffering between the wall and town, the first thing to be noticed was the sheer size of the place. The cave opened up into a massive cavern, one that was filled with all kinds of wonders. Twilight couldn't help but be amazed at the things that she had never seen before.

For starters, there were massive tree roots that grew from the ground, ran along the cavern wall, and all the way to the ceiling. Each had to be at least two ponies wide. They were accompanied by large waterfalls that created small lakes at the edge of the cavern. There were even living trees. None of them seemed to have leaves though, but despite their dark grey and almost lifeless appearances, they bared fruits that no pony had ever seen before. Twilight remembered hearing about fruit that changelings grew to help produce body fluids, but seeing them in person was a whole new thing.

Sure enough, there was also a ton of the green changeling goo that had come to represent their species. It was on the walls, the floor, the ceiling, everywhere. The homes that the changelings had created for themselves were not that different from what was common in a pony town such as Ponyville. Of course, the architectural style was completely different, but they were still easily identified as homes. The buildings themselves were made from stone and wood and seemed to resemble a cross between a Gothic and Nordic style.

There were many intricate carvings in the walls and on the buildings, displaying their own style and changeling culture. As entrancing and amazing as these were, especially to Twilight, although everypony was absolutely captivated by the town, this was not the most interesting thing. High above a large market in the center of the town, there was a massive yellow object hanging where all the roots that grew through the cavern met. It was a sun.

Okay, it was sort of a sun. More a makeshift imitation of one. It cast light out above the entire town. The cavern was clear as daylight because of it. It looked a lot like a big sack of honey, a giant, radiant, golden sack of honey.

"What is that?" Twilight asked in astonishment. Everypony seemed to share her curiosity as they all looked to Switchback for an answer.

"It's actually a lot of things," Switchback began to explain. "You know those glowing mushrooms you see in really dark areas, like in the Everfree forest and most caves? There's a lot different types of fungus like that in it. There's also some magically charged crystals. I'm not exactly sure what the magic or science behind it is, but I know it gets its yellow color from tree sap and it can be stimulated with magic to create day and night cycles."

"Fascinating!" Twilight said excitedly, completely forgetting that she was surrounded by not the friendliest of individuals for a mere moment.

"You know," August began as he stared at the makeshift sun, "ever since I found out that the hive was underground, I've wondered how you guys stand not seeing the sky. I never expected something so grand."

"Grand?" Switchback questioned.

"Yeah," August confirmed. "You guys manufacture your own suns. That's pretty cool."

"I think it's freaky if you ask me," Jackpot said as he looked at the object with slight disdain.

"How so?" August asked.

"I don't know," Jackpot replied. "Just look at it. I feel like at any moment it's going to come to life and try to eat me."

The group looked up at the strange object for another moment. It's outer lining twisted and convulsed ever so slightly as the bright fluids within swirled around, no doubt from the large amounts of energy inside. It churned like one's stomach would, or like a giant germ trying to digest another.

Talisman frowned. "I think I'm with Jackpot on this one," he said. "I don't think I would want to live with that thing hovering above my head twenty four seven."

"I think it's kind of poetic," Brisk chimed, catching everypony's attention and reminding them that he was actually there. He could tell by the looks he was getting from his fellow guards that no one really understood, so he took the liberty to explain. "Think about all the stuff we saw back when we first got here. Now think about this. It's like a light in the dark, a beacon of hope."

"Whatever floats your boat Brisk," Jackpot said. "I still thinks it's kind of creepy."

Before the conversation could continue any further, one of the blue armored changelings interrupted. "Switchback, right?" he asked casually, not really caring about being rude. They had all been whispering more or less so it would have been hard for anyone to tell if there was a conversation in the first place.

"Um, yes," Switchback answered nervously. He was now more than a little worried about what was going on. "That's me."

"Come with me," the changeling ordered. "The commander would like to speak with you."

Switchback looked to Twilight and the others. They merely shrugged, with the exception of Rampart. "Don't worry ambassador," he said. "I'm sure nothing bad will come of it."

Switchback nervously followed the other changeling passed a few of the other soldiers ahead and a spectating crowd that was accumulating as time went by. The commander was leading the group from a little ways up. He wasn't really sure when, but their new escort had doubled somewhere along the way and there were now many more soldiers present. It took a moment for him to reach the front where the commander of the small army was walking.

"Um, you wanted to see me, right?" Switchback asked nervously.

"Calm down," the commander said. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just wanted to know more about you. Who are you exactly, really? Why help these ponies?" Before he gave Switchback time to answer, his eyes widened and he looked back at him. "You're one of the queen's scouts aren't you? She sent you to bring the ponies here."

"No," Switchback said, holding his head low to the ground in despair. "I'm just a run-away. I left the hive with a group of about fifty a few years ago, before the invasion. It was around the time that Chrysalis began doing all those terrible things."

"I see," the commander indicated. He now understood what was going on. Switchback had at one point asked the Equestrian government to aide the hive, but because of the invasion, it had taken longer than originally intended. Just now was his wish being fulfilled. "And where are the other fifty?" he asked. "Surely more have tried to find help for the hive."

Switchback looked away from the commander as he tried to collect his thoughts and figure out the right words to say. "The rest are..." he swallowed harshly as he brought himself to speak of what had happened. "They're the husks near the cave entrance." He blinked several times, fighting back the tear that had built up in his eye. "Chrysalis's soldiers... killed them all. I was the only survivor."

The commander's expression softened and one could almost see sympathy in his eyes. "Oh," he simply said. "I am so sorry. That sounds..."

Switchback nodded. "It took me some time to even find a pony settlement to blend into. I was so emotionally messed up by the time I got there that it took me forever to gain enough trust to try and ask any pony to help me. Just when I had worked up the courage to do it though..."

"The invasion," the commander said, finishing Switchback's sentence.

Switchback just nodded.

Everything went quiet between the two for a moment, until the commander finally broke the silence. "Weaver."

"What?" Switchback asked in confusion.

"Weaver," the commander said again. "That is my name, just thought you should know it since we're having a civil conversation."

Switchback didn't really know what to say to this. Sure it was nice that Weaver was willing to tell his name and that they were now on terms that allowed them to speak without hostility, but Switchback didn't really care to tell anymore about himself. The fact that Weaver was asking questions about him in particular made him a little uncomfortable for some reason.

"So why return then?" Weaver asked suddenly.

The question caught Switchback off guard. It wasn't a hard question though, he knew the answer, but stayed quiet for a moment as he tried to find the right words.

"The hive beyond our little settlement here is an absolute mess," Weaver continued, "and you seem to be on good terms with the ponies. So why return? You could easily live out your life among them and Equestria wouldn't have to use its own resources to help us, but yet you come back, risking life and limb. Why?"

"I have to," Switchback answered. "I might have been free from all this, but the hive is still my home. I have to do what I can for it."

"I see," Weaver replied. "So little of those remaining within the Husklands display the selflessness that you do."

Switchback didn't acknowledge this. Selflessness Weaver had called it. Was it really selfless what he was doing? He had not told him the full truth about how he also sought redemption. Was redemption a truly selfless act? Was he doing this for the right reasons? Should he really be the one to be here?

No matter what he did, Switchback could not get the clustering haze from his mind. The more and more he thought about what he was doing, the more he tried to come to terms with how he had failed in the past, the more nothing made sense to him. He really could have gone for some company with Pinkie Pie. She always knew exactly what to say to make all your worries go away.

Suddenly, they changed direction as they began walking away from the exit that had just come into sight. "Where are we going?" Switchback asked in confusion. "The exit is over that way." He pointed to the large gate that several more blue armored changelings stood guarding.

"That is only one of the many exits," Weaver pointed out. "There is another that leads to a much more favorable route."

Switchback stopped walking for a moment. Something about Weaver's sudden generosity struck him for some reason. He didn't know why, but this small act of kindness made him feel as if there was really hope for a better future, like everything was going to be okay. He just had to search for it in the right places.

Little did Switchback realize at that moment, everything was not going to be okay. There was still a long road ahead of them and things were only going to get harder as they went along.

It didn't take long for the group to reach the other gate. They had gone through a few mostly empty streets and a market where even more of a crowd had amassed to see their town's new attraction. After getting through the crowds of what had to be at least one hundred changelings they reached the gate.

"Greetings Commander," one of changeling soldiers said as he hopped down from some scaffolding that lined the wall that had been constructed to close off this section of the cave. "I see you've brought us a little snack," he said with a sinister grin that gave everypony the chills. His left eye, which permanently squinted thanks to a large crack in the chitin on his face only served to strengthen this effect. He licked his lips with his long, blue, forked tongue as if he were starving, simultaneously eyeing down Twilight with his one good eye.

"No," Weaver said sternly. "These ponies are allowed to pass through."

"What?" the creepy changeling questioned in a shocked tone.

"This one has a message for Queen Cicadia," Weaver said pointing to Switchback, "and this one," he pointed to Twilight, "is an alicorn. So unless you want to either upset the Queen or step into a war with Equestria, I suggest you get to your post and open the door."

The changeling sighed before turning around and heading to a large lever that controlled the gate.

The wall and gate here was much different than it had been where the ponies entered. This wall was made completely from stone and ran all the way to the ceiling. Large wooden scaffolding ran up and down along the wall, obviously there for maintenance reasons. The gate itself, was much more of a gate and more of a large stone door that swung open slowly on it's massive hinges.

"It's time for you to leave, ponies," Weaver announced.

"Of course," Twilight said. "We wouldn't want to overstay our welcome. Thank you very much for allowing us to pass through."

"Yes, you are welcome," Weaver replied. "Just do me one favor Princess. Assuming that you are able to make it to the capital and back to your Equestria, be sure to mention us when making your plans for whatever it is you're doing. It may not look like it, but we could use help here."

"Absolutely," Twilight said. "Thank you again."

Weaver merely nodded as the ponies began to step through the door one by one. "So long ponies," he said before motioning for the large stone door to be closed. "May we meet again."

Switchback looked back as the large door closed with a noticeable thud noise. The sound of large deadbolts being locked in place could be heard only a few moments later and then the whole cave went quiet. The group was then alone again. There were no other changelings, no soldiers, no citizens looking on in aw. It was just them.

"Well, that went well," August pointed out optimistically. "I mean, we didn't get run through with spears, so I'd say this is a little victory."

"I don't think they really cared about us," Talisman countered. "I think they just wanted us out."

"Agreed," Jackpot said. "The sooner they got us out, the sooner we aren't their problem and the sooner we aren't their problem the sooner we can go get ourselves killed in these husklands I keep hearing about. At least, that's what they're probably hoping for."

"Whatever their motives, it doesn't really matter now," Rampart said. "We're through and we can now get on our way. Shall we?"

"Yes, Captain," Twilight answered. "That would be preferable."

"Alright then."

The group carried on, deeper into the cave which was lit with the familiar light of the fire crystal torches. Each shined brightly, giving them all more than enough light to see. They would continue to guide their way for only a short time. Soon, it would get very dark within the caves, and they would have to rely on their magic spells and wit to survive the darkness.

As they came across the end of the light, Talisman ran over to the side of the cave and grabbed the very last torch that was mounted to the wall. "I figure we might as well use this," he said. "It's not like their going to miss one torch. Besides, I'd rather not use all my flares unless it's an emergency."

With that, all light spells were ignited and the party headed back into the darkness of the caves. They were now heading back into the unknown. It was time to see if their relatively good luck would hold up, or if it would be extinguished by the trials that lied ahead.

Author's Note

So I finally figured out a good way to chase that goddamn writer's block away. I've started acting out almost every scene that I write. And I mean literally acting them out. Sure I probably look like a madman when I pace around my room whispering to myself and mimicking the emotions of my characters, but it works. I'm not entirely sure why I whisper though. I guess it's just one of those weird things.

Anyways, in this chapter I wanted to illustrate that the hive wasn't just a dark depressing series of caves that so many works of changeling fan art seem to display. There is some life in them, which we'll see more of in later chapters. I wanted to show that even though the hive is entirely underground, it still has some vibrancy to it. I also thought it would be good to do a little world building to make the hive more interesting. It was only a few paragraphs that I did this in, but I feel like I did a good job of getting to the point without dragging things out longer than they needed to be. Also, keep an eye on Chaser because he might have some fun parts coming up. Maybe... not entirely sure.

The next few chapters of this are going to focus mostly on Twilight, Switchback, and all their escorts. I should really come up with a name for that group. I think I'll refer to them as the party. Chapter's relating to Crawlway's medical condition and Shining Armor's problem will probably be sprinkled throughout. I may even say to hell with it and put those in their own little side story. Probably not though. Don't think I've forgotten about Fluttershy or the Apples either. I have a dastardly plan for them.

So yeah, enough of my constant blabbering. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed, and stay awesome.