“COME ON BOYS THE SHIELDS’ ALMOST DOWN!” I heard my Lieutenant shout. I was anxious for the long awaited moment that the shield would go down at Canterlot. This was mainly supposed to be a shock and awe operation. We rain down from the sky all menacing-like, we subdue the ponies and try to restrain, no casualties if we can avoid it.
The original plan as the queen had said was this was supposed to just be a hostile takeover so we could settle on peaceful terms from a position of strength but my thoughts told me otherwise. I am drone designated number 060147 of batch Theta-Delta-Phi. Drone class is raised to follow and take orders but some of us questioned them. They were the ones executed for treason.
I panted slowly as I looked down upon the massive city, far more intricate and detailed then our hives. I thought back to the many starving from being love deprived and I knew I had to help fight for them. These ponies had everything and most races had nothing, it would be nice to knock them down a few pegs. Supposedly they were going to be like sheep. Easy to corral and not really expecting to fight. So they would be easy to subdue. The royal guard would be lazy, though on alert it was doubted they would be expecting to fight anything more than a drunkard or two today, let alone a full scale invasion.
The pounding of my brother’s bodies on the force field will remain in my head to this day. It was another tactic to help with the whole shock and awe thing. The constant sound of buzzing and thumping against the one thing that kept them protected made them be aware of the constant threat and that we were an army that would not stop. The buzzing in the back of my mind was dull but it kept reminding me of our mission and our goals. That was the hive mind. For those of you that are unaware, basically imagine having a walkie talkie in your skull that your leader is able to broadcast to their subjects with. It was annoying but it was strangely soothing at the same time. It’s hard to explain if you haven’t felt it.
Suddenly I heard the shield shatter and it seemed the others practically began cheering in glee. I swear I heard 060234 begin humming Ride of the Valkyries or Flight of the Bumblebees, I always get the two mixed up. I let out a deep breath to calm my nerves as I prepared the spell to make my descent and crash as dramatic as possible. “Shock and Awe” I muttered and dived down like a green javelin. Plummeting down and causing a sizable quake in the ground.
I leaped up and out of the crater and made my way around a corner. I set my eyes on a couple and foal I had noticed on the way down. I quickly corralled the family into an alley as was orders. I saw the look on the little ones face and felt a twinge of guilt but I knew I had to look menacing for the job. I bared my fangs and let out a creepy hissing laugh. A typical means to dominate and take control of the situation that us changelings were taught since we were hatchlings. I sent up a blue bolt of magic with my horn to signal a builder drone over. He swooped down and spat out a green goo that quickly hardened and blocked off the ponies exits as another drone took my place to guard them.
“Move brother! We have gotten word that a group of rebels are in search of an anti changeling weapon to repel us.”
“Where are they?”
“East of here by the main castle, we need more troops to hold them back, they are surprisingly adept fighters, six of them, two pegasi, two unicorns and two earth ponies.”
“On my way.” I replied and flew over, trying to make it there in brisk time when I felt something whizz by my wing. I barrel rolled left and looked down to spot a Canterlot guard try to pick me out of the sky with magic just before he was tackled by a lieutenant and three drones. I smirked and kept flying to my destination.
“Need to just repel this group of fighters.” I muttered when I spotted the fighting.
I swooped down and changed into a purple unicorn, getting into position to slip in and pretend to be a fighter before bumping into an orange earth pony. I got up back to back with her to get her guard down before changing into my real form to snarl at her and hopefully shock her, but she only expressed her confusion at the situation before I tackled her, immediately being covered in copies of my brethren disguised as her.
We had almost neutralized the target when I heard the sound of magic and was promptly blown off the mare in a blinding flash of purple light. I landed hard upon the cement nearby. Dazed I tried to get up but suddenly felt weak and I collapsed again, My body feeling numb and unstable.Suddenly the commotion had stopped, the nearby troops were all lying on the ground, wounded. The group of rebels rushed for the doors to their objective. I thought I had failed but was pleasantly surprised when they opened the doors only to be greeted by more of our troops and I sighed in relief. The rebels were then quickly subdued.
I slowly stood up as the spell wore off.I looked around and noticed other drones slowly stood up after the defensive spells wore off for them too. A few not getting up at all. The dead with eyes wide open. Those of us that stood up were battered and bruised, a few missing wings. One of the drones sent up a green bolt of magic to say the area was secured followed by an orange bolt to get some medical attention.
I steadied myself and found I was strong enough to be able to move and my worst injuries was a minor sprain in my front left hoof after having landed on it funny. I flew up and searched for a Lieutenant, finding one a few blocks away and I asked for a report on the area.
“Eastern Canterlot is locked down and secure. 16,489 civilians have been neutralized and we have received only 1,457 casualties along with the civilian casualties at only 19. Now if you stop bothering me and get back on patrol of the area we might just be able to keep it as low as we have it at. MOVE YOUR CARAPACE!” He yelled in my face so loud I swear I flew back a few inches.
I searched the area and was surprised to find it actually was fairly well locked down and secure just as the Lieutenant said. “We won….” I said aloud, not believing the words myself. Looking at the streets we now had occupied. We had actually taken the pony’s capitol and negotiations of some sort were sure to happen soon just as the Queen had promised. “Her plan actually worked…..”
I almost felt at peace atop the building when suddenly the familiar hive mind in my head was screaming in agony and my entire head throbbed as I noticed several red bolts of magic were sent up symbolizing a failure followed by black bolts which symbolized “Retreat” in only the span of a second before my vision was blurred by pink and I felt as if I had been hit by a tidal wave of stone. My last thoughts before completely losing consciousness was of the incredible pain I felt in my body and in my head and then everything went black.
Chapter 2
My ears rung as I sat awake, my head throbbing from what felt like I had been headbutted by a thousand minotaurs. I stood up shakily before suddenly doubling over and retching on the ground. “Oh fuck….everything hurts….” I cried out as I looked at the ground, having thrown up blood, the neon green almost blending in with the grassy field I found myself on.
“Where am I?” I asked to no one. I looked around and realized I must have been just outside of the forests past Canterlot. I stared in the distance and spotted a black figure lying on the ground a few hundred yards away. I stumbled over to it weakly to find a dead Builder, his eyes glossed over and flies buzzing around him, some inside a big gaping hole he had in his chest from the blast of magic that must have killed him. His green blood blending into the grass around him. The smell made me retch and vomit more of my blood up again and I collapsed in the pool of blood next to him.
It took me a few moments to finally realize two horrible things. My skull throbbing how it was meant that either the queen was dead, out of range, or is in too much pain to even be able to connect to it. Which meant the troops I knew as my family were scattered and on the run. Hiding from the same species we thought were like sheep. We had lost the battle of Canterlot.
I heard the sound of faint buzzing somewhere and I thought it must have been the flies coming to feast on my soon to be corpse until I realized the sound was getting closer and it was much louder then flies could ever be. I went wide eyed and looked around, my vision fuzzy from what I assumed was a concussion. I saw two black figures flying toward me and I was hit by another wave of pain, causing me to collapse. “Sweet Larva Chrysalis that hurts……”
“We got a survivor!” The smaller of the two shouted and flew over.
“Help me get him up….come on….” They said, the voice definitely had to be a younger drone of some sort and the frame definitely suggested he was a medic class. The larger one hauled me up onto his back
“We need to get him away from the grass, Royal Guard is bound to come out here any moment now and begin making patrols to find survivors. We need to move now. “ The other said, which I could now tell was a Lieutenant based on the armor I felt he was wearing.
“Then let’s move!” The medic said as they rushed into the woods, the Lieutenant with every bump he made over the trees’ roots made my body ache as I felt myself slip away again into unconsciousness.
I regained consciousness sometime later, feeling fine except for some minor throbbing in my chest and head.
“You had a major concussion and a few broken ribs, Drone. It’s a miracle you’re alive……..” I heard the familiar younger voice say as I opened my eyes, seeing the two changelings I was with much clearer. The medic had a chipped left fang and a blue bruise just above his right eye. He looked young, this must have been his first battle. The Lieutenant had scars covering his face and body, his right side seeming to have been mauled years ago but his body showed a few recently healed cuts and gashes.
“Thanks um, uh….?”
“Number 068888 of Theta-Sigma-Alpha, though my buddies just call me ’32’ on account of my four eights.” Chimed in the Medic
“Uh, alright, and yo- “ I began but was quickly cut off
“Alpha-Delta-Zeta was my batch, I am the last one so my numerical designation no longer matters.” He says coldly and I felt a chill go down my spine, remembering the legends about that hatchling batch and how they were some of the fiercest Trooper Drones around a couple decades ago. If this old bastard was the only one left alive he had to be the toughest son of a bitch to ever come out of the hive.
“Time for talking is over, we have to move if we’re to make it to the outpost before nightfall, when it hits nightfall we’ll have to worry about them spotting our eyes and deal with snipers or hide somewhere, so shut the fuck up and let’s move out.”
He says and begins making a brisk jog ahead.
32 looks to me with his goofy grin
“Well, I know It’s sure as hell safer to stick with him, let’s move Droney boy!” He says and rushes to The Lieutenant.
I chuckled dryly and sprinted. “You ain’t leaving me behind!”
——————————————————————————————————————————
Several hours later I spotted a light in the distance where the outpost should have been.
“Holy shit…..” 32 muttered as we got closer and The Lieutenant snarled when we had reached what looked like the dying embers of a burnt down loghouse in the woods, in the center of the wreckage was green blood and fried changeling corpses. The rancid smell of burnt flesh and charcoal lingered in the air
“Fuckers burned it down……” The Lieutenant muttered.
“MOTHERFUCKERS! PIECES OF SHIT KILLED THEM! THOSE BASTARDS KILLED THEM!”
32 yelled and The Lieutenant tackled him and put his hoof over his mouth to muffle him
“Shut your mouth, they may still be near, let’s hope they haven’t heard you…..”
32 struggled under The Lieutenant as best he could.
“What happened?”
I asked, in utter shock at the sight of what was supposed to be the hidden outpost.
“We can talk later, what we need to do is head North-West of here, look in the dirt.”
The Lieutenant said and pointed to what looked like hoof tracks
.
“Those hoof tracks are pony, came from the West and took this outpost out, Then they headed north east to the next outpost to take it out, we need to head northwest and avoid them.”
“How do you know they are going to take out the next outpost?” I asked as 32 finally got loose.
“Because somebody fucking sold us out that’s why! “ He shouted.
“It doesn’t matter if somebody sold us out now, what matters is we get out of here and get back to the hive to warn them. Not go for foolhardy revenge against these bastard ponies, we rush over there and attack them head on we get killed, we build up a fortification in preparation at the hive and we can fend them off for however long we need to.” The Lieutenant replied and got off 32 and he let out a sigh of defeat.
“Fine, I guess you’re right…..” He said and stood up
“Should we look to see if there is anything left in the rubble?” I asked the Lieutenant.
“No, looks like the ponies either took most of the supplies or destroyed them. All that’s left is ash and dust.”
“Fuck……” 32 muttered and looked at the corpses.
“Don’t think about it soldier, we need to move now, the Hatchlings at the Hive depend on us. “ The Lieutenant states.
“I know, just…..fucking hell…….” He mutters and we begin trotting again, The Lieutenant kept ahead of us while I kept a good pace next to 32.
“Why do you think someone sold us out?” I asked
“Well think about it, someone knew where our outpost was, the ponies went on high alert before we even got there and we had to change the whole plan to deal with a huge fucking shield that we wouldn’t have been able to get through if the Queen hadn’t dealt with that pink alicorn bitch before then. Of course somebody sold us out.”
“I was thinking so too, just wanted be sure we're on the same page.”
“Question is, what sick fuck would sell us out?
“
"I don’t know, but when I find the fucker I’m going to make him pay if it kills me.” He says with a look of fierce determination.
“Save some for the rest of us.” I said and he gave me an evil smirk.
“The more the merrier.”
