"You know what's the only annoying thing about fighting is?"

"Don't know, what is it?"

"Getting the gore off your weapon."

"Very true Captain."

Captain Hard Chitin leads his changelings back to Foalis Foalba after repelling a bandit swarm. Hard Chitin was at first disappointed that he was voted to stay behind, but the bandits provide him with plenty of sport. Hard Chitin is a fairly big changeling, he has a birth defect (I wonder if you see a pattern) in which he has thicker chitin. A normal changeling's chitin is half an inch thick, Hard Chitin's, one and three quarters of an inch. He practically has a suit of armor. It also is a little too thick round the joints so he struggles a little moving, but he's gotten used to it. He also can't fly very far or high. Things in Foalis Foalba have been quite for some time, so the occasional bandits who get too close makes it tolerable for him.

"I must say that I can't wait until they come back, to be honest, I ju-"

"Captain, what is that?" said one changeling.

"What, where?"

"That, over to the east."

"Wher-, I-I don't know." There was a large blob heading towards the city. "You, with the spyglass, what is that?"

The changeling flew up and took his out spyglass, "It looks like a bunch of ponies sir!" he called out.

"Bandits?" As much as he would love to fight again, the blob looks like it's a thousand ponies strong. The bandits are usually only forty strong.

"I don't think I see diamond dogs, but we're too far away for me to see!"

"Well, let's go on over and see then! Take off everypony!" Every changeling sputtered their wings and flew towards the blob.

Hard Chitin had developed a tactic to keep up with them. He'll fly until his wings get tired, then he'll gallop on the ground until his joints start to ache and repeats the process. After rushing over to the mass of ponies, he takes front and center. He's ready for whatever they throw at him. He wasn't ready for what happened though. It wasn't that they weren't bandits or they were coming to meet them, it was who they sent to meet them. Hard Chitin never saw ponies as stupid but, he wonders why they sent somepony sooo, well...

"And to whom is it to my misfortune to have to speak to?" said the grey unicorn.

"That misfortune would mine, your regalness. I'm Hard Chitin and I'm in charge here."

"I'm Gravel Stone and is that your actual name or is it some half-flanked attempted at a nick name?"

"Try to throw a punch at me and find out."

"You're not worth the effort."

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF CELESTIA DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!!!" Yelled a galloping orange unicorn. "We turn our backs for one minute and you take off to be the irritating, miserable, old crank that you are! I'm so so so so very sorry that you had to deal with him, my name is Orange Blossom and I'll be the one to introduce us."

"Not required Orange, I will be the one to handle this."

"YA, when tartrus freezes over!" yelled another unicorn stallion. "Get away from here, shoo shoo!"

"Apple, I'm not going anywhere. I'll be the one to handle this bug."

"Oh no you're not, now get back to the group and stay there."

"Oh please no, me and, what was it, Gravel was just becoming the best of friends. In fact, we just were going to do a friendly hustling."
Hard Chitin interjected.

"Gravel, leave, now." Orange demanded.

"Fine, but when you're an emotionless husk, don't come crying to me, begging to make it all better by risking myself for all of our safety."

Gravel then heads back to the mass of ponies to the east with Apple.

"I'm sorry for that. He was unconscious when we made the decision to come here." Orange said to Hard Chitin.

"Him, I'm used to. You, not so much. What do you want?" Hard responded.

"We're survivors and we were told that you have a home for us."

"Who told you that?"

"A changeling scouting team told us."

"A scouting team? Oh, yes. We've heard of the team. But why did you trust them?"

"To be frank, I sometimes ask myself that same question. I suppose that we were desperate and the changelings hadn't turned us to husks, so we listened."

"Hmm, fair enough. So you want a home? Well if you and your friends are able to follow our queen's laws, then I say welcome to the swarm."

"I'm glad."

Hard Chitin leads the newfound queen's citizens to their new home. The mass had almost comprised itself of unicorns with a handful of pegasi. While heading towards Foalis Foalba, some of the earth pony farmers took off towards the city. When the mass got to the city, they were met by a wall of earth ponies.

"What's the meaning of this!" Hard Chitin demanded.

One of the ponies up front answered, "First you changelings come kill our ruler and you take over! But we draw the line here when you try to bring unicorns to live in our loved one's houses! So now when you want to come back into our city, then it'll be over our dead bodies!"

"YA!!!" called out the wall of ponies.

"This is treason, part the way at once or you'll punished to the highest extent of the law!" Hard called.
The crowd was unwavered.

Orange stepped up, "Now listen, we want no trouble, we just want a place to call home! We're all ponies here an-"

"No, your not gonna have a home here! You unicorns have had too good a life to live in our paradise!" interrupted the same pony.

Apple and his family came forward as well, "Come on, this is pitiful, we should be able to have a home! We have lost families and are still trying to hold on to what's left!"

"We all lost much, we all now must band together to rebuild!" Added his wife.

"No, we had earned our place here! You have had your life of luxury, now it's our turn!"

A pegasi mail pony came up, "We all have had our struggles! I sometimes had to work to where I only got to see my family once a year and only for a week! But that wa-"

"You didn't serve under them! Why don't you fly on back where you came from!"

Berry Blossom tried to speak up, "Why must we all fight each other! Can't we al-"

"Shut up you stupid brat!"

Apple trotted forward and drew his sword, "DON'T YOU EVER SPEAK TO HER LIKE THAT EVER AGAIN!!!" he shouted.

"Or what?"

"There's only one thing worse than changelings and that's a bunch self-entitled ponies who think that's any way to talk to a little filly!" yelled Gravel as he trotted up with some other members of lower nobility with their weapons ready.

"I'm not asking again! Move out of the way, or your 'over our dead body' request will be granted!" Hard Chitin demanded.

The wall of ponies looked at the mass as more unicorns came up with their weapons drawn. Unicorn magic is a scary thing to go up against. They also have proper swords. The changelings draw their own weapons. The wall slowly parts.

Later that evening, Hard Chitin was going through Hay Stable's old things to find answers. He finally stumbled upon Hay's journal. The journal states that the earth ponies here were once slaves that he helped free. He sent the unicorn and pegasi survivors to the east and lead the earth ponies here to his estate.

Hard Chitin decided to handle the situation tomorrow. He went to his bed. It was Hay Stable's and is the best Hard ever had the opportunity to sleep in. He snuggled into the soft blankets and pillows and shut his eyes. The night was blissful, except for one thing. He felt pressure on his neck. Then a crack made him snap his eyes open to see, in the darkness, a earth pony top of him. The pony has a metal rod and is pressing it into his neck. Hard goes to scream but the crack was the sound of the powerful earth pony having broken the thinner chitin around his neck and is now blocking his airway. Changelings need oxygen to process love like we with food do for our energy. Hard struggles. He tries to pull head out from under the rod, he tries to push his head into the mattress, he tries kicking with his rear hoofs, but each to no avail. Hard casts daze but the pony is still pressing on the rod. The darkness is creeping deeper into vision and his head is going lighter. He searches his mind for a spell, any spell. One comes to mind, sleep. It's a love costly spell but he needs it and needs it now. Hard's horn glowed its green and in a flash, the pony slumps over and goes into a deep sleep. The love lost in the casting the spell goes right to Hard's head, he struggles to stay conscious. He takes a deep breath and screams, "HELP!!!" Then he passes out.