Reddling coughed as he fluttered back to Castle Celes. His idea for an "outing" to the town had not gone exactly as he had hoped. His trench coat was now cut on the shoulder slightly, and there was a fresh scratch on his chestplate. Reddling was a good fighter, but so was every other Silverfieldian he could have run into. Being a poor fighter usually meant you were driven away and didn't make it. It was part of your honor to be able to fight.

It was exactly why Rainy was glaring across the table at Nightshade and Tops as they all ate. Dropping through a hole into the main hall, Reddling stood next to Rainy, looking over at his friends.

"Hi Tops, Nightshade." Reddling said quietly, watching them eat their rations.

"Sonovabitch!" Rainy yelped, falling out of his chair and staring at Reddling while Tops waved across the table. Rainy stared up, his face still full of shock. "Reddling- you, how'd you get back there?"

"Wings." Reddling said simply, looking over at Nightshade. "I took a look around SIlverfield. I don't see ANY evidence of Changeling activity. Nothing odd, nothing anything. Either they're doing a better job hiding, or they're not here at all."

"Why'd you think they would be?" Nightshade asked simply, chewing on some toast she had spread jelly over.

"I guess- I guess I just figured that Silverfield might be an easier target than the Equestrian capital with tens of hundreds of ponies." Reddling said.

"Tens of hundreds?" Rainy asked. "How many is that? Like two thousand?"

"Sure." Reddling said, remembering his first visit to Canterlot. He'd almost fallen to his knees and cried at the site of such a massive city. "How has Rainy been treating you too?"

"Your nephew has-" Tops tried.

"He's an ass." Nightshade said, cutting her coltfriend off.

"And fuck you too." Rainy nodded across the table, retaking his seat.

"Rainy..." Reddling said disappointingly. "They may be Equestrians, but they are our guests." At least he didn't stab them.

"So Reddling, you two are getting along again?" Tops asked, avoiding a surly and unhappy glare from Rainy.

"I think it will be best if I say this change will take some getting used too." Reddling said, looking down at Rainy. "I don't intend to stop being a bat and go back to being a wingless, hornless earth pony."

"The only thing he'll say to us is "fucking Equestrians" and "dirty vampire bats."" Nightshade commented.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Reddling sighed. "I'd be a little concerned if he was being warm and friendly to you."

"I can tell your related." Snarked Nightshade, going back to her toast.

"Nightshade- ugh." Tops groaned, "You're just as bad..."

Reddling through for a few moments, licking his lips. "Hey- wait, what's that supposed to mean, Nightshade?"

"What I'm saying, is that if he had a stick and a chance to swing it, I'm sure he'd love breaking our legs." Nightshade said. Rainy gave a little nod at that, agreeing.

"I'm not sure he'd stop at that..." Reddling warned, looking down at Rainy. Right underneath this favor Rainy was doing for him, Reddling knew that the little colt wanted to cut the bats in the room into little pieces. Reddling looked up to Tops with a sigh. "Do you understand why I find Luna's plan to visit Silverfield Impossible?"

"Yeah, it's making a lot more sense now... so-" Tops stopped as Rainy cut him off with a growl.

"So when are you leaving?" Rainy asked.

"Leaving tonight, as soon as they're finished eating, unless any of you wish to endure each other any longer." Reddling said. A collective "NO" Rang out from Rainy, Nightshade, and Tops all at the same time.

"At least we're agreeing on something." Reddling sighed.

"Reddling, have you eaten already?" Tops asked, motioning to the roof. "We woke up and you were gone."

"I will be fine." Reddling said, drawing a quick and nervous breath. "I checked out the town and surrounding area while you two were asleep. We'll check out the western front and then head into the badlands tonight."

Reddling turned away from his friends as they finished up their food, grabbing up supplies and getting ready for travel. "Rainy, I'll visit when I have the chance again. You know my... "Work" will possibly keep me strangely busy."

"Maybe just come by yourself next time, okay?" Rainy asked, looking over distastefully at the other two bats.

"I'll try," Reddling said. "I was only able to come by this time because we were in the area. If this were vacation time I would have been alone." Can I even have him meet Web? How would he react to THAT?

"Alright, We're ready to go. Reddling?" Tops looked over at Reddling, who nodded.

"Yes, let's move." Reddling said, looking up at Tops before returning to looking at Rainy. "I'll see you again Rain, take care, and try to spend bits wisely. Living on every other paycheck makes it hard to buy a new coat every time it gets destroyed."

"Yeah... See you later." Rainy mumbled, looking down.

"Alright, on the road again." Reddling said. "I'll meet you at the gatehouse, I just want to go grab a fresh bottle of wine. I wonder if Changelings drink?" Nightshade just shook her head as Reddling stepped out of the room, leaving Tops, Nightshade, and Rainy alone once more.

The flight was extremely quiet. Reddling looped Nightshade and Tops around a ford in the Silverfield River as they soared over rolling hills of silverish grass spotted with purple flowers. The plains, streams, and rollicking hills passed away as the group sped away from the populated areas of Silverfield.

"So Tops, What do you think?" Reddling asked, looking over at his friend.

"I'm sure it was nice of you to visit your nephew, but it really didn't seem to help us at all." Tops commented meekly.

"We were in the area and had to stop anyway." Reddling reminded him.

"I guess it was sort of a taste of what your homeland is like, for when we come back later." Tops tried to be optimistic, but it was clear Silverfield was not scoring very high on list of tourist sites. Reddling licked his lips at the words Tops said, then hastily coughed.

"N-No! not a taste, no tasting of homeland- I mean." Reddling coughed again. "I mean, yeah, yeah." Why did he have to use the word taste!?

"Reddling, is something wrong?" Nightshade asked. "You're acting weird again."

"No!" Reddling squeaked. "Not wrong, it was okay- uh, I- No. I mean yes, yes I am acting weird, but no, nothing is wrong."

"You are the worst liar I've ever seen." Nightshade frowned.

"Reddling, you can talk to us. It's alright." Tops reassured.

"Uh..." Reddling looked over at Nightshade. "I can talk to YOU, Tops. She will turn me in, and I'll get in trouble- actually, haha, trouble with who? Certainly not trouble in Equestria or with Luna. We- Changelings. Let's do that. That Changeling thing we do."

"Reddling, you're acting bizarre." Tops said.

"Like I said Tops," Reddling said, licking his lips again and feeling a sick giggle rise up in him. It was the kind of giggle that made him realize he had done something very wrong and did not care. "It's fun to get a kicker!"

"Just ignore him, he's being stupid and won't tell us." Nightshade said.

"Reddling- did you!?" Tops asked, shocked.

Reddling felt a tiny squee escape his mouth alongside the near Web-like giggles. "Yup!"

"Reddling, we need to talk about that later, alright?" Tops said seriously. his eyes were a little wide, and he looked almost sickened.

"Now you're going to be all secretive about it?" Nightshade said, an obvious bit of prissiness rising in her voice.

"We'll talk about it when we stop for the day." Tops said, pointing in front of him.

Reddling was lost in the memories of his latest hunt. Something had felt very off about it. The entire time, he had some animistic urge forcing him to continue even when his mind told him it was time stop. His mind told him not to bite that poor mare, and certainly not to suck on her until she went cold and stopped moving. She had lacked the same flavor as Equestrians- the Silverfieldian had been extraordinarily bitter, almost to the point where Reddling spat out her blood a few times.

When the sun finally began to mark the end of the day by touching the horizon with it's tip, Reddling looked around below him. There were some cliffs leading downward to a deserted, desolate land. Silverfield had taken a full two nights of their journey, but it had been worth it. Reddling's mind was at ease, and he was sure that Silverfield was a place that Equestria had not bothered to check. The transition from Silverfield to the badlands was quite abrupt. At the top of the cliff was pleasant Silvergrass, while below was hard, cracked clay.

"Want to go further, or rest here before we go into hell?" Reddling asked, staring out at the wasteland.

"Sun will be up in a few hours." Tops said, leading the flight down the cliff. "Let's find a cave and stay here."

"Right." Reddling said. "Wherever we decide to park, let's make sure the cave is empty first."

Tops nodded. "Come on, we'll stick together." Tops pointed out a small cave opening. The three landed on the ledge, trotting inside with their weapons ready to be drawn. The cave proved to be much more sizable than it had first implied. flying in single file, the three of them would be able to get out of the cave in seconds. The cave sloped down like a pathway, staying just steep enough that the three were on edge with their footing.

Reddling pushed forward, not waiting for his friends to follow. A cave like this was a perfect place for some monster to live, and he wasn't about to be taken by surprise because he had overlooked simple safety measures. Light from above slowly began to die, reducing the cave to total blackness. Reddling blinked in surprise as he found himself unable to make out anything. A soft screech echoed from behind him as Nightshade began letting of echoing cries onto the smooth cave walls. Reddling stared out into the cave as the sonar began to show an opening. The cave was not a cave at all, but something closer to an oversized tomb built for a king.

It was also completely empty.

"This place is creeping me out. This cave is huge but there's nothing here." Nightshade said.

"Don't give away our position!" Reddling hissed, grabbing Nightshade and Tops and forcing them to their bellies with him. The three of them slid a little until they reached a ledge overlooking the huge cave. "I'm sure something must live here. Do you want to find another place?"

"Maybe we just keep going?" Nightshade asked. "This place is creepy though."

"I'm making the call then, let's get the hell out of here." Reddling said, turning and waiting for his friends to step in front of him. "Let's get the hell out of this- this." Reddling did not want to say the word "tomb". The entire place had an air of death about it- like it should have once been productive and happy, but now remained as only the shell of what once lived.

Outside, the sun was beginning to rise as the three bats searched for a cave. With no small amount of complaining from the three, they finally decided to set up sleeping bags and camp outside in the day. Nightshade used some of her magic to cast a spell similar to one from the wedding at Canterlot. There was not much room to move around, but the sun would at least be bearable long enough for the three of them to fall asleep.

"So, what the hell is going on with Reddling acting insane again?" Nightshade asked from her sleeping bag, looking over at tops and Reddling when all three of them had settled in.

"Reddling has been drinking blood." Tops said simply.

"TOPS!" Reddling cried. his voice was a mixture of anger, exhaustion, and at least three other afflictions he couldn't put a name too.

"Reddling." Nightshade said, turning and blinking once at him. "You are an enormous, fucking, idiot. I really hope you realize that."

"I-I am not!" Reddling said, his voice drifting slowly from indigence to a dreamlike state. "I was hurt, and it was our second date- and it was a treat, so smooth."

"So you went out and did it again to one of your... neighbors." Nightshade asked.

"My countryponies, yes. They tasted more bitter than I expected." Reddling said. He was going to continue with just exactly how different they tasted, but Nightshade waved a hoof to cut him off.

"Okay, just stop." Nightshade insisted. "That's disgusting, amoral, and twisted-" She stopped, scratching her chin for a moment. "Wait, you said second date?"

"What? No-" Reddling bit his lip. "mph. Yes, it was my second date."

"Web got you started on this, didn't she?" Nightshade accused, leaning forward seriously.

"Yeah, she did. She had a nice, juicy pegasus mare in mind." Reddling said sternly, meeting Nightshade's stare. "It was just a bad dream for the pony. Besides- Web, she's so... there is something hypnotic about her."

"And it doesn't bother you that you might be getting hypnotized?" Nightshade asked.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Reddling asked. "Don't be silly."

"You're going to get caught one day, and kicked out of the Night Guard. That shit's taboo." Nightshade said seriously.

"Web did tell me to keep it quiet. I trust you two will keep it quiet." Reddling said. Tops and Nightshade looked at each other, then both slowly nodded. Reddling let out a little sigh. A weight lifted off his heart when he saw their heads moved. Here were two ponies that he could trust. "You can't understand, it feels so natural- but I don't know. the first time it was sweet. In Silverfield, there wasn't any real high. I guess it was more fun with Web there watching."

"Yeah, she's playing you like a puppet." Nightshade said angrily. "You might think it feels nice- hell, maybe it does feel nice, but it's sick, twisted, and wrong. You don't even have the strength or willpower from keeping yourself from doing it when she isn't around."

"I- How dare you?" Reddling said weakly. "I can control myself."

"Reddling, if you need help with this kind of- of thing, we're here for you, okay?" Tops said, cutting Nightshade off. "You can tell us anything."

"I'll deal with it, Tops." Reddling said, licking one of his fangs and wrapping his leathery wings over his body.

"Alright, Reddling." Tops said. Reddling turned away and settled into his sleeping bag. Tops and Nightshade both took a little more time to settle in, slowly scooting closer together. By the time they wee settled in, Reddling knew the two of them were in each other's hooves, holding each other.

Why doesn't Web ever hold me like that? I got a massage one time, and that was it. I can- barely get hugs. She'll give me kisses when I've pleased her, but?

Tops!? Nightshade!? Reddling sat up in concern, his eyes flying open as he looked around at his friends. Both of them were laying asleep together in each other's hooves, just as he had left them. Reddling remembered his pre-sleep thoughts as he glared at them wistfully. His dream had been a somewhat brutal one, but now that he saw his friends safe and sound in front of him, Reddling sickly withdrew his concern.

Gathering himself up, the bat went out to do a quick scouting of the land. The badlands almost instantly presented themselves as worse than Silverfield. Silverfield had been endless rolling hills, but this was flatness that reached into the nothingness at the edges of Reddling's vision. Trotting back to the shadowy orb Nightshade had around their camp, Reddling settled down and pulled out some rations, eying Tops and Nightshade. The two were awake and munching on breakfast.

"So, we need to decide where we go from here." Tops said, looking up at the other two. "South takes us along the cliff face farther. West takes us out into the badlands. I can't imagine anything lives out there though. Who knows with those changelings things?"

Reddling through for a moment. In Silverfield, a lot of the settlements were near or around lakes or the Silverfield river. This was a common feature in Equestria as well, with almost every city being near a water mass. Indeed, some of the pegasus cities were water masses.

"They need a source of food, and a source of water." Reddling said. "They'll be keeping their hive someplace where there is a steady stream of water nearby. Do any rivers flow through the badlands?"

"I don't know." Tops admitted. "I don't think so, but there might be something."

"We should head into the badlands and look for any lakes or rivers." Reddling said, picking up his packs and preparing to leave.

"West then?" Tops asked. Reddling nodded seriously, watching as the other two prepared to leave, packing up their sleeping bags and materials carefully.

"Let's keep an idea of where we are, Tops. You're good at navigating, so can you keep an idea of where we are?" Reddling asked.

"Yeah, as long as we don't fly too fast." Tops said, pulling out a map and stuffing it into a compartment on his armor.

"Good. I don't want to die in this hole." Reddling said, taking off into the air. The sun was almost fully set now, leaving a cool night air to fill his lungs. Tops and Nightshade breathed fresh sighs of relief at the setting of the sun as they rose up on his sides, preparing to follow.

Nearly the entire night went by with absolutely no features. Seeing a dead tree or some large pile of rocks was considered to be a helpful landmark in the hopeless wastes of the badlands. After what may have well been a lifetime, Reddling finally saw something break the monotony. tops and Nightshade both pointed at something in the distance, making a line for it. Reddling followed behind them, trying to figure out exactly what was going on here.

What appeared to be a small oasis with dirty looking water was sitting in the middle of the bleakness.The ground around it was softer, and was muddy near the bank, although there didn't appear to be any plant life.

"Let's land away from the mud. I don't want to get too dirty." Reddling said. He landed on the ground, shrugging off his coat and saddlebags before taking a look around. Nightshade and tops both sat down, taking a quick breath.

"Well, we've found some water. There might be some changeling activity nearby, unless we're searching for these things in the wrong way."

"Well we found some water, so we might be able to find more." Top said.

Reddling gave him friend a nod, yawning as the ground gave a little rumble. He barely had time to look down before the ground completely collapsed, leaving his coat and saddlebags behind as he was pulled into the dirt. the entire motion was too quick for Reddling to even get his wings ready to fly away. Something was gripping onto his legs, but with his armor on it was impossible to tell what.

"Ack- GUYS!?" Reddling yelled, staring in panic at the other two before his head disappeared into the hole. Above him, Reddling could see Tops and Nightshade poking their heads over the edge. the hole was extremely small and tight, too tight for Reddling to do much more than be slowly dragged down. Drawing any weapons was out of the question, and little else came to mind in the way of outs.

"Throw me a rope!" Reddling yelled, pulling back one of his hind hooves as much as he could and aiming a kick below him. Whatever had ahold of him recoiled at that, but then returned with something sharp, which began to jab at his leg.

"Gaah! Water stealer goes down hole!" A tiny voice cried from below. Although it was mostly muffled by the dirt, Reddling still managed to make it out with his ears.

"I didn't steal your damn water, now let go of me." Reddling aimed another kick below him as he turned and screamed for a rope. There was a hard thunk followed by a whine below Reddling as he stopped sinking in time to catch the end of a rope in his mouth. Tops and Nightshade were not exactly moving quick enough for comfort, but after a few seconds Reddling had his hoof wrapped around the rope, riding it up to the surface. As soon as Reddling was free of the hole, he grabbed his stuff in an instant and flew into the air after Tops and Nightshade, panting.

"I... hate... this, place!" Reddling hissed. Below him, tiny little heads were bursting out of the ground. Dog sized creatures with tiny beady eyes and a stubby snout with hands that ended in long, black flat-claws were squinting up at the air. They were all covered in a brown fur that looked almost as suited for petting as their claws did for digging.

"Gaah! tall no hands water stealing fly bugs! Get out!" The creature shouted into the air.

"Bugs?" Reddling said, putting on his saddlebags and brushing dirt from himself.

"Our Water! Go!" one of the creatures screamed.

"Stop, we're not bugs!" Reddling said, flying lower, but not so low that he might get grabbed again. "Just have a look at us." The creature squinted for a few moments, then shook its head.

"You lie! No hands! no dig! Big nose fly bugs!" The creature said angrily.

"I don't want your water, and I'm not a bug." Reddling said adamantly.

"Don't care! Go away- our land, our water! Shoo! Shoo!" The creautre picked up a small rock and threw it in Reddling's direction, the rock missed completely, soaring off somewhere to the far left.

"Tell us where the "no dig bugs" are, or we'll make your pond into a landfill." Reddling hissed.

The creature pointed southward, growling. "Big holes, big caves, bad bugs!"

"Soon you may never have to worry about them again. Take care of your land." Reddling said flying back towards his friends.

"Go away!" The creature yelled at Reddling, throwing another rock in his direction.

"What the hell is with that thing?" Tops asked when Reddling arrived back up with his friends.

"I guess it's a dirt dog or something." Reddling said. "The Changelings have been stealing their water."

"Not surprised." Nightshade said simply.

"Well, let's see what happens I guess." Tops said. "We've still got the fire."

"Let's go find the exact location before we send a message, then we'll decide what we want to do about the hive." Reddling said, nodding southward.

"GET OUT!" Yelled the dirt dog from below.

"Groundhog! Shut up!" Nightshade yelled back down angrily. The dirt dog gave one final chain of ill-composed insults that were chained together clumsily before it dived back down into the ground.

After perhaps an hour, Tops, Nightshade, and Reddling all landed, staring at the distance with small gapes. Rising in the distance was a set of cliffs not dissimilar from the ones by Silverfield. Above the cliffs was what looked like a jungle with various vines hanging over the edge of the cliff. Everything seemed to be naturally formed, but there was an idea forming that Reddling didn't like.

"Maybe we'll find another cave like before?" Tops asked aloud.

"If so, that means this entire badlands area is filled with Changelings, or was..." Reddling looked at his friends. All three of them were remembering the cave they had stopped at right as they left Silverfield. if there was a cave system here filled with Changelings, then the other cave system probably was a Changeling hive- or at least, it had been at one time. "Let's go check this place out. Weapons ready."

Carfeully moving forward to the cliffs, Reddling took point as he and his friends traveled upwards. When they reached a similar height where the cave entrance had been near Silverfield, Reddling stopped and felt at some vines. Tops and Nightshade did the same, and after a few moments Nightshade motioned for the other two to come closer. Carefully creeping up, the three of them rounded a corner. The sound of something falling over and scampering off echoed out of the cave, but nothing more. It was already too dark to make out what might be fleeing, but Reddling was sure that they didn't need too.

"We've found it then." Tops said hastily. "We probably don't have much time- do we send the message and run or try and talk?"

"You guys stay out here and send the message, I'll go in and try to talk." Reddling said, gulping and staring down the dark pit.

"Why do you keep suggesting stupid suicidal- urgh, nopony gets left behind." Nightshade said. "We can send the message now and tell them to wait three or four days. If we don't come back, attack the hive."

"It'd be stupid for all three of us to die, Nightshade. If we send that message, Equestria won't wait. We all know damn well that Luna and Celestia would rather shoot a giant rainbow beam cannon at this place than risk another attack on Canterlot."

Nightshade sighed heavily. "If we all go in, I think I can Shadowstep us out." Nightshade blinked for a few moments at Reddling's confusion, then sighed again. "You've seen Web do it, it's how she jumps around from shadow to shadow."

"Nightshade, that's not easy to do. Can you handle that?" Tops asked, a rare lack of confidence in Nightshade downplaying his features.

"We'd be better off waiting for the whole army to march out of that cave and kill us!" Reddling argued.

"So sorry to interrupt." Reddling, Tops, and Nightshade all stopped and stared at the cave, shivering in fear. A new voice had spoken from the cave before stepping out into the moonlight. Standing before the cave mouth was a changeling. She bore a slight resemblance to a Changeling queen, but was noticeably smaller. She also lacked the sort of "crown" that Balefly and Chrysalis had had adorned atop their heads. Two drones flanked the unique changeling, their eyes an electric green.

"Changelings." Reddling said. Tops clicked his claws out and Nightshade drew her sword, getting ready for a fight. Reddling however, only stood ready to draw his weapons, keeping them away and waiting for the creatures to move.

"Always so ready to fight..." The semi-queen changeling said.

"Bad experiences." Reddling chimed back.

"We have simply come to welcome you to our humble hive." The changeling blinked at Reddling, eye his lack of weapons. Breathing deeply, Reddling closed his eyes for a moment, preparing himself.

Just because I hate talking to others doesn't mean I don't know how too. "We accept your welcome. I am Reddling Rain, a steward of Silverfield. These are Tree Tops and Nightshade of Equestria."

The Changeling blinked in surprise, almost backing up a bit. "How very courteous- A pleasant change. I am Princess Pupae of Hive Chrysalis." Pupae said, giving a little bow.

Hive Chrysalis. So they distinguish by hives and aren't all one mind.

"But," Pupae continued, "I am sure you are not here for pleasantries."

"I'm afraid that is incorrect." Reddling said. "You may have encountered other scouting groups, but that is not our mission. We are here to ask for diplomacy- parley. If that fails, Equestria will likely further the bloodshed. We would have an audience with your ruler."

"You wish an audience with our Queen!?" Pupae said with a quick laugh. her voice was not malicious, but had a musical pleasantness to it. Tops and Nightshade both flinched at the laugh, slowly putting away their weapons. "That is funny, actually, for that is why I was sent- To extend an invitation for for an audience with our Queen."

"What are the terms for entering into your hive?" Reddling asked, looking down at his weapons.

"We will escort you into the hive, where you may speak to her, and then you will leave. I would ask you to remove your weapons, but something tells me you will refuse." Pupae said, looking at Tops and Nightshade.

"We cannot begin to trust each other if we're pointing weapons at each other." Reddling brushed his mane back as he removed his helmet, trying his best to smile. "I will agree to disarm, however, my friends will be allowed to keep their weapons." Hooves are like knives without a sharp edge.

Pupae looked extremely surprised,blinking and looking at her two drones. "Very well. Leave your things at the hive mouth, and I will escort you down. Rest assured no harm will come to you as long as you behave yourselves."

Reddling exchanged glances with the other two, who both looked less than pleased with the situation. Reddling sighed and shrugged, beginning to take off his weapons; Sword, knife, crossbow, throwing knives, every weapon down to Ausfall.

Reddling looked up at Tops, hesitating. His knife deserved better than to simply be left out here, and certainly not where something could happen to it. "Tops, I can't leave this behind. Can you hold onto it for me?"

Tops nodded as Nightshade leaned closer to them, whispering, "I don't like this. This doesn't seem right."

Reddling turned back to Pupae, doing his best to ignore Nightshade's point. "Our terms are that we are allowed to peacefully enter and leave this meeting at any time. We will be allowed to leave without harm, without fear of pursuit, and have ample time to prepare for the journey home if required, as we cannot travel during the day. Do you agree to our terms?"

"Of course." Pupae nodded slowly, thinking them over and then turning. "Come."

Reddling trotted in first, breathing quickly. Although he was trying very hard, it was difficult to not be nervous as the Changeling princess led them deeper and deeper into the caverns. Like the other cave that was at the edge of Silverfield, it was possible to fly out of this place if you went in single file. The pathway sloped down gently, just enough to allow one to keep their footing.

Unlike the last hive however, there was light here. Reddling looked back at his friends, both of whom were staring at the hall from behind their helmets. A gooey, sticky slime was attached to the wall. The slime seemed to have some sort of energy that produced light, as it glowed and pulsed gently against the walls. The green light was barely enough for even the bat ponies to make things out, but it was still better than the virtual blindness that required sonar in the last hive.

This- goo. Reddling thought, feeling a piercing pain rise up on his neck. I've seen it before. In a dream- and it was NOT a fever dream! his mind began to swim with the memories of that night. It seemed like so long ago now, when he had trained alongside his friends in private, enjoying his new life. The blue queen, Balefly, had meet her end with Bruiser's hammer. But despite this, the pain remained.

As the bat ponies descended deeper and the pathway began to open up, smaller passages made visible branches from the main hive. There was more goo hanging to the walls, but that was not where Reddling and his friends had their attention. Gently glowing green eyes stared from dark holes where even sensitive bat eyes could not make out features. Occasionally a Changeling would poke their head out to look at the passing ponies, or even leave their hole and begin to follow the growing parade. Other Changelings shied away back into their holes, as if believing the ponies might lash out at them randomly.

"Tops, Nightshade, you guys okay back there?" Reddling asked, looking back at his friends again. Tops nodded, a clearly nervous look on his face. Nightshade looked almost petrified, like she wanted to do nothing other than turn and run as fast as she could from this place. Reddling didn't blame them- every fiber of his body was telling him that this place was dangerous and he could be leading his friends to a fate worse than death- and yet he knew that they had to go on. This wasn't just about protecting his friends and Silverfield, it was more than that. This was a matter of principle for Reddling. He'd reasoned that if Equestria resorted to genocide against yet another race, then he was no better than they were for not stopping the situation.

"This goo, Princess Pupae." Reddling said, leaning forward towards the Princess. "I've seen it before- before Canterlot. I was bitten by one of your kin, and I saw it in a dream. What is this goo?"

Princess Pupae stopped suddenly, causing everyone to nearly fall over as she turned, looking at Reddling for a bit. Tops and Nightshade turned to look at the other Changelings as they all leaned in. Pupae herself turned fully around to face Reddling.

"You were bitten, and dreamed of it?" Pupae asked.

"It began to choke and drag me down, yes." Reddling explained, "Shortly after that one of my companions was beating my face in after healing me in her own way."

Pupae leaned in very close, her muzzle almost touching Reddling's muzzle as she stared directly into his eyes. For a few moments Reddling could make out his own grey pupils with diamond-slitted irises reflected in the Pupae's eyes, each of them staring back at their own reflection. After a few moments, an odd curiosity seemed to spark in Pupae's eyes. Her eyes glowed with a brilliance that seemed to draw Reddling in, as if he was falling into a deep, bottomless lake. Although Reddling was sure that his surroundings smelled quite foul, Pupae reminded him of something strangely pleasant and resembling perfume.

"How odd... Yes, you were bitten, I can tell," Pupae said. Reddling sniffed the air around her, blinking at the unexpected pleasantness. "As for your question, it serves many purposes. Mainly to hold things"

"Like earth ponies who serve you mangoes every evening, yeah." Reddling commented, blinking and giving his head a little shake to chase away the perfume. "Many of them still haven't woken up."

"Ah yes," Pupae said a little hastily, "Many hungry drones took the chance during the attack to feed. I am not surprised that they were left in such a state. Had we not been driven off, we would not have left them to a fate of simply wasting away as vacant husks."

"They would be like Princess Cadance." Reddling said morbidly, remembering the poor pink Princesses's tears as she struggled to come to terms with her new form. "They would exist in your so very tasteful... whatever it is you call yourselves."

"You'll have to excuse me if I don't immediately know all your pony royalty by heart. Who is this Princess of yours?" Pupae asked, continuing her walk.

"The Bride." Reddling said quietly as the group began to move forward again.

"Yes, once again, I'm afraid I don't know who that is." Pupae commented snidely.

"I see. Well, she's one of your kind now. All, alien if you will." Reddling said, trying to be as kind with words as he could.

Pupae turned and gave Reddling a glowing smile. "Is that such a bad thing? Personally, I would rather be a changeling than a pony, had I the choice. Perhaps she should visit, and we would help her come to term with this. Who knows?"

"That's is exactly why she is not with us." Reddling said darkly, making sure to get some edge in on his voice.

Pupae gave a slight giggle, turning her head away again. "You ponies are so set in your ways. A little change is not a bad thing." Pupae turned a corner, and Reddling nearly fell back int other hall after he glanced at the larger part of the cave. Inside was a large cavern with a high, vaulted ceiling. A dim green luminiferous material was held in the goo on the walls, casting long shadows over the entire cave. Large twisting pillars rose up here and there, twisting and rising organically out of the floor.

It's all infested- ugh! Tops and Nightshade let out sounds of disgust as they reached Reddling's sides, looking down at the cave. Everywhere was infested with Changelings, either loitering about, talking, or eating.

"How much further?" Reddling asked.

"Patience, not far." Pupae said.

"Very well." Reddling breathed, continuing to follow. Pupae lead them down another hallway leading away from the main part of the hive. This hallway was different than the last- mainly in it's cleanliness. Little orbs of goo were held by organic looking stone pedestals rising from the floor. The passage remained gently illuminated by the orbs, shedding light on carvings in the walls. Some were shapes that Reddling couldn't identify, but others were Changelings standing triumphantly or Queens looking regal. Around all of the symbols were arrays of hearts.

Despite his best attempts, Reddling just found it to be utterly repulsive. It was all too alien for him to comprehend, and not something he wished to linger on for the moment.

"You keep track of your own history- there's a culture here?" Reddling asked, waving at the walls with a wing.

"Of course." Pupae said simply.

"Minds, souls, cultures, and a history, yet your drones lack names." Reddling said.

"Of course not." Pupae replied, "They don't need names, and wouldn't be able to tell each other apart even if they did. They are united in their love for their Queen, and kept satisfied by their Queen's love for them."

"Forgive me for finding that very strange. Equestria preaches a similar concept, both seem to me as some way of being supercilious to others." Reddling said, giving an almost dirty look over his shoulder to Tops and Nightshade. Before the two of them had a time to react, Reddling turned his head forward and listened to Pupae reply.

"I am sure they think their system is infallible. Here, you will never see a drone raise a hoof in anger to strike down another from their hive. Can you say the same of ponies?" Pupae asked, tilting her head over her shoulder.

"A good pony may, and a good pony may also put such a want aside. They may not even have the want to strike down another, but simply some wild imagination." Reddling leaned forward, keeping every word cool and collected. "However, I am not a good pony. Let us continue."

Pupae turned her head away, not saying anything more. After another minute or so, the floor began to take on a polished, shiny look to it. It was not unlike some black obsidian that Reddling had seen in some church artifacts. The hallway opened up to another large chamber filled with pillars on all sides that rose up to a ceiling of stone. The pillars were not twisted like the others, but rather carved to look like twisting tree trunks or roots. The walls were decorated in silky banners and illuminated with the same pale green light that had brightened other parts of the hive.

On the far side of the room, atop some rough stairs was a soft, comfortable looking chair that seemed to be almost mossy. Reddling drew in a deep breath as he stared up at the queen lounging on the chair. Queen Chrysalis was sprawled out in her chair, being attended to by several drones. Each drone was lovingly doting on her, rubbing themselves against her or braiding her mane and tail. Chrysalis smiled happily as she toyed with one of the changeling's manes, flipping it happily. To either side of Chrysalis were two soldiers standing guard. Reddling blinked at them for a few moments before drawing closer to Chrysalis, noting that they were the only soldiers he had seen in the entire hive.

"Mother, you have guests." Pupae said, bowing.

Of all the bugs I had to meet, why did it have to be the one I stabbed last time we met?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrWwtU7iyl0