1# The matabili mercy. The way the young are steeled. PT1.
The Screen fades in to show a rather old but kindly looking changeling. His barding slacks are khaki. His button up cotton shirt is white. His hat is wide brimmed brown treated leather. His eyes a deep soulful brown show the soul of a bug who has seen all he can in his own home dimension and yet longs for more. A twinkle in the side of them as he stands before a massive mound of dirt covered in holes.
"Ladies and gentlecolts of Equestria. I am Sir Digger Attaburrow. And it is my pleasure to show you. Not just the world beyond "The mirror of sunset and twilight" But to show you an aspect of this world so few get to see even inside of . I am currently standing inside of the perimeter a Hive outpost of the sub swarm . I am here to give you a secret view into a world you never get to see. This is. The secret world of the swarm: life among the changelings"
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The scene shifts to him sitting in a hole in a cliff side as hundreds if not THOUSANDS of changelings swarm buzz wiggle and communicate in a way utterly alien to any mammal well clinging to the rocks and moving among the tunnels. The soft kind voice now fades to a VO to the scenes he describes to the viewer as the recorded images match.
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"We start of course with The sub swarm Matabili. A strong and powerful strain of changeling. These bugs make the hives they call home in the sheer cliffs of the coast, as you can see the tunnels still open directly to the ocean.
Matabili are the hardiest in terms of sheer power of all changelings. With mandibular jaws that can shatter rock like schoolhouse chalk, and a stomach acid that reduces even obsidian into slag. These natural strengths alone has been enough to make most other Sub swarms fear them.
but what is truly shocking is the way they raise the young nymphets. The mothers attach the eggs with a caustic goo produced by the stomach to the underside of the outcropping tunnels. When the young hatch they must learn instantly to take wing and glide to safety or meet a swift end on the rocky coast below.
This however serves a purpose to the Matabili hive. This sacrifice of the weak is not in vain. It ensures only the strongest hatched survive. Well the dead draw in marinosaurs to the carrion of the "rejected" that the hive hunts for food. A sick but totally functional and accepted ecosystem to the Matabili changelings.
Like all changelings the Matabili desire one core emotion among all. For them it is, pride. The desire to dominate and relish
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The scene cuts to inside a literal mountain. The changeling presenter stands and countless almost formless changelings buzz and wander by heeding him not. Like he doesn't exist.
"I am standing here. Inside of the core of a Matabili hive. As you can see the entire place is awash with activity. Thousands of changelings wandering from sector to sector ensuring all things are running in- Oh I am sorry!" A few changeling brush by.
"As you can see the entire colony is a wash with life. But not of our doing. today is a special day for them. Today the regent of the sub swarm, The ruler of the hives they call home. Princess Matabili will be visiting. For these bugs today is a most important day, and the fact we are given permission to see this, let alone interview the princess Matabili is of the highest honors any can have! I can not stress how much tension the hive is giving off. If even the slightest aspect of the outpost is unacceptable the princess will decide it to be destroyed and its populace relocated. A factor these Matabili changelings do not want. We must tread with great care so as not to upset her majesty when she arrives. "
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The scene cuts to an image of a minor grassland side of the island. The guide is gazing intently onto a literal giant 400 foot long marinosaur. The large grey black scales of the marinosaur flash with light into the water. Hundreds if not thousands of changelings are dashing to and fro, rattling off shots to its water ripples with basic shoreline firearms.
"No matter how brutal the enemy. When a marinosaur locks into a foe it makes a kill. Oh dear. Can we replay that? As you can sadly see. Those two young guards are snapped out the air like it was nothing to the reptilian oceanic predator. However notice how the entirety of the defensive units have now started to be more aggressive? Like all changelings the dead release a genetic chemical scent programmed nanomachine tracker that acts like a draw point, or as you ponies say, a "siren song". Making it clear who the enemy is. Drawing even more in. Me and my Camera and sound crew not being military, we are unaffected, but amazingly as you can see it has triggered the entire hive defensive grid. I will state that according to our records, NO marinosaur of this size has ever been spotted at sea let alone beaching to feed. This is in excess of over 400 feet from tail tip to horn snout. A bit smaller then the last record sighting of "watcher spike" by the NEC. who host The "War Wyrm of the World." show. Next airing, Next week on dial AM 97.3. At 6pm.
*a near sonic boom of buzzes as an entire batallion of changelings armed with high explosive ordinance buzz over head out of a outcroping hole to the green lagoon. The marinosaur constantly dipping down too deep for most depth charge ordinance to trigger, well contracting its body thin enough to literally leaping up to snap changelings out the sky when they buzz over the lagoon like a jumping water serpent*
The VO Starts again. " As you can see despite the violent reactions of the marinosaur. More swarm overhead, helmets off, as IRV is useless against a non sentient. Instead as you can see they are relying on instinctual reactions, popping off more shots and even closing to CMS strike with the inbuilt venom. Some are dragged below the waters to never taste light or air again. They are working to use webbing and chewing off its front claws and webbing up its mouth. Its most lethal weapons disabled. Well thousands have died in this single offensive. The hive will always replenish, especially with princess matabili's visit. But this record breaking sized giant marinosaur is now dead, and yes a few thousand lost in the fight, is a tragedy, BUT! It is nothing compared to what it will provide this matabili outpost with a years worth of food. As well as a most fitting feast for the princess.
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The shot changes now to the inside of the grand hive.
In the dinning hall. A massive hall. To one end giant doors guarded by massive suits of armor. To the other a raised platform with a large table to seat 200. The hall was oddly built. Off to the side over 70 tables able to seat 100 each where filled with young maggots. And even a few youth of other species. In the main hall on the dias sits the documentary master. As well as several generals. Even species of multiple races and groups. The hall is filled with tables of thousands of changelings and other species of the local islands as well. Honor guards diplomatic enovoys. All together and break bread.
The Princess matabili. Her hyper enhanced muscled carapace hardly restrained by her "Royal battle armor" which was if anything just highly shined battle barding plate in a "hardly tasteful" place that barely covered her "shame".
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A zoom into the face of the princess. Her few facial scars only help accent her glory. A true living goddess of combat.
"My people. Sons, daughters of matabili. Allies of blacklight, and Refugees of the mainland. Of this much I promise you all... The history of our enemies will be written in blood. As our new allies came to our hive step asking for help. Did we reject them? NO! We embraced them. Welcomed them in and said "know us better!" And now as the enclave dares set hoof, onto what little land we have left, do the families of sick or weak, do they run. NO! We are standing at a precipice of madness. I ask you all. Every matabili. From my first born. To those of the latest generation. As well to ALL of our main land allies. Are we to sit by and let those who want nothing more then us, Die? To lose we have all gained even when fighting to the last breath? Together side by side as Family in arms of the need of war?
I SAY NO!
Oh my children. My matabili. Is it not our place in the hive. As the strongest. To stand vanguard against all those who wish to harm the weak?
I SAY YES. I PLEDGE TODAY THAT WE THE MATABILI WILL ALWAYS; Be there to help the refugees of the Azcoltian provinces. We will be the army they can not have. We shall ensure they can know the same freedom and joy we all do!"
The entire rooms explodes into cheers as camera sprites hover in.
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Close into to the left curtain the princess leaves the stage to mingle in the crowd.
A band takes the stage where the princess once stood. They are called the "diamond dog revival". On the mainland in the NEC they are considered bigger then the pre-war changeling band "The Beatles" But not bigger then the "Twilights of lil pip" Or the "Blackjack revivals". Being survivors of multiple projects by the enclave they all had a soul of a child soldier at war. But sung with a need for peace. The latest tune they howled out was "NO PRINCESS SON". To get them to buy into this event must have taken millions in raw metals. As dogs dont take caps. Or allies, its all business.
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The camera cuts now to a primp proper-ish room. The walls are lined with weapons. Of all sorts. From melee of a changeling to a mainland design. From magical energy blasters to slug throwers of the pre-war. Barding of all sorts of eras stand on mannequin, even power armor from the dashite and the steel ranger outcasts, before they joined then NEC. As well as an extensive collection of changeling made "Powered stealth barding". Which seem oddly "well worn" A few still sporting clear bullet markings, especially the battle dress model.
Princess matabili having not changed since her speech and thronglish mingling during the concert, save a holster on her left back leg. Her regal presence sits pleased sipping a glass of Whiskey from a magical levitation field. Her eyes show a woman who can see nothing but glory to her people, a sheer confidence even a unity alicorn would balk in terror at. Her carapace still glistening from the heat of the lights, her speech, and her dancing among the people. She was the "social warrior".
Enjoying her own body as it is, a hoof into her lower barding, smiling with each sip and; Methodically checking each firearm and melee weapon for proper efficient work and sharpness. Loading in live rounds into a revolver, with a sickly knife like muzzle before placing it in the leg holster. Then taking a machete oddly curved like a changeling horn and placing it across her lap. Gazing at it like a mother would a child.
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"Get those sprite cams out the way.. what? We are live? OH! Oh dear me!"
