Twilight looked around, unmoved by the strange corridors of the hive.

As she walked along the worn ground, she gave another glance to the drone assigned to escort her. It saw her glaring again and backed away.

It knew to stay away from her, not an order from Chrysalis but a simple spell that Twilight had shown it. One look in her most violent memory and it was nearly a pile of shaking chitin with eyes.

'I don't understand why she had to assign me such a clingy little thing.' Twilight thought agitatedly. 'Even that drone back in Ponyville wasn't this bad.'

As she wandered in her thought's, she failed to notice a second drone appear next to her. He had a slightly guilty look on his face.

She stopped and turned to look at him, he shrunk back a little but held his ground.

"Yes?" She asked.

"I... I deserve to give you a reason for why I just fell out of the sky like that." He said blowing some air out from its nose.

"Out of all the... Fine. Go ahead, it's not like I have anything else to do." Twilight said shaking her head. "Hurry up, I've got nowhere to be and I'd like to get there as soon as possible."

"Right, right..." He said. "Well, I just wasn't expecting that huge surge of pain. Being the closest one, I took most of it and I lost consciousness."

"I already know that." She said. "Could I not talk to the changeling that ponynapped me? I swear, she put-"

"No. Queen Chrysalis did not put me up to anything." He said sternly. "I asked to speak with you. See if you have any questions about your... Unrequested exit."

"Yeah," she said. "I have a few. Let's talk and trot. If its not to much trouble?"

He merely nodded before glancing at the other drone. It kept its eyes down to the floor but still looked back at him and shrugged.

"So, if you were staying for the night, wouldn't somepony have seen you talking?" Twilight asked. "Or maybe stop you later to ask who you were?"

"Actually, I used some invisibility for that. Only you saw and heard me. Anypony that came along would have thought you were talking to Spike. And since he apparently heard and saw me, I'm guessing because of his own senses, I had to muffle that. Make it seem like you two were having a conversation."

"Alright... But what about me meeting you?" She asked. "When I first saw you, I felt slightly uneasy. But when you were standing in front of me... I almost felt relaxed."

"Ah, " he smiled. "The magic of pheromones. They can be used to seduce, agitate, or even knock out victims. Or targets mind you. Or, simply protection of oneself."

"Anything else you did?"

"Uh... I replaced those dead roses on the dining table with some daisies."

"I'm allergic to daisies!" She said stomping a hoof.

"Well how was I supposed to know that? I wasn't the one sent to replace you!" He countered back. "Thankfully. I'd hate to meet whoever managed to kill a changeling and cause so much pain. Makes my feelers run cold just thinking about it."

"I already have a good feeling who did it." She said smiling slightly. "It was probably Spike burning him alive, or maybe my coltfriend grounding him to a pulp."

"I'm betting the latter. That one took on two whole squads of the royal guard... And got a few good hits on you too. That was real nasty with that smash to the head, beautifully executed though."

"Um... Thank you?" She asked staring at him. "Hey, why aren't you speaking like any of the others? Like referring to yourself as 'drone' or 'others' like I've been hearing?"

"I'm part of the royal swarm." He said. "Better intelligence, and we have feelings. As for the others, they can have feelings made when faced with certain situations. And for the one next to you, it seems you scared him to nearly doubling over."

She looked over at the cowering changeling and rolled her eyes before placing a hoof on its back. It froze up before relaxing when she merely rubbed it, giving it a small smile.

"Don't worry, I don't hate any of you." She said. "Just Chrysalis and that one drone."

"Drone?" The other asked. "You mean the one I knocked out? Oh... Oh dear, that poor little thing." He shook his head. "Sad little thing indeed."

"What do you mean by that?" She asked temper flaring again. "Let me guess, he gave you that little pity story too?"

"Yeah, he told me alright. But its not fiction that's for sure; the poor drone's hatchling and mate are somewhere down in the dungeons." He said coldly. "He came to me for help, but then Queen Chrysalis found out and... I guess you... Know the rest."

"Yes," she hissed shutting her eyes. "I know so very much. And yet, now I'm starting to fell sorry for him. Great, I'm feeling pity for the one who ruined my life. Why couldn't that piece of stone have just went though my heart?"

"Because, your strong." He said placing a holed hoof on her shoulder. "Smart, dangerous, and a superior to almost every changeling here. How about I give you a real tour? Maybe we could go to the archives?"

Her ears perked up, looking back at the calmed changeling it nodded before trotting away.

"Alright, go ahead and take me to the archives your majesty." She said sarcastically.

"Hey, there's no need for the attitude." He said frowning. "I could have just dragged you along in a sac. But I was nice and carried that box on my back. Do you know how hard it is, trying to balance that, flap your wings and make sure your unconscious body stayed in place to get it balanced? Because its not easy; some of my chitin was bent because of it. And now, now I'm picking splinters mixed with, for some reason, clites. And if your wondering what that is, it's that protective goo you made from in the holes of your legs."

"Well excuse me, maybe next time I'll send a little postcard saying when I want to be abducted." She shot back. "And you could thank me too. I did jump out of the box to try and save you."

"You were trying to wake me because you don't know how to fly." He said. "Now come on, and try not to scar any more drones. It's very unbecoming of a queen."

"I. Am not. A queen." She said slowly.

"Actually, you are." He said. "That's why you have the superior strength, magic, endurance and senses. And that's why my queen had requested your presence. She wouldn't have batted an eye if you were a drone. Now come on, were killing daylight."

With a huff, she followed him.

They transversed the tunnels, Twilight noting the occasional changeling passing or even the glowing roots along the wall. All in all, to her it looked like a dirt tunnel.

They quickly ascended up a worn ramp where larger changelings were gathered.

As they passed, a few actually bowed as Twilight passed. She merely gave a groan as the small band of changelings began to follow them.

"Hey, could you get them to stop following me?" Twilight asked peering back at the six or so changelings following closely. "It was bad enough to have to deal with one changeling in Ponyville. But six of them I cannot do!"

"Well order them to stop following you," the changeling said smugly. "You are their queen afterall."

She was about to protest but stopped. Taking a deep breath she turned to the six awaiting changelings.

"Alright, listen here and listen closely," Twilight said. "Please, just stop following me. Or atleast keep a good distance away. Now, shoo."

With a wave of her hoof, the small group quickly dispersed to the other end of the hall. She sighed putting a hoof to her temple. She looked over as she felt her guide's hoof on her shoulder.

"That was very calm for you." He said. "Good work. Queen Twilight Sparkle." He laughed.

"I-I don't even know why I bother anymore." She groaned. "How much farther is it?"

"Just around a few corners, but we could simply go through the wall instead." He said with a sly grin.

"Through the wall?" She asked dubiously. "Unless you can pass through solid earth, then-"

He lit his horn and shone a green light on the wall. It seemed to melt and right before her, she could see the outlines of hundreds of other changelings in various halls.

"You know, for the element of magic," he closed her mouth with a hoof. "You seem to know quite little of it. Come on, I'll explain what the walls are made of. But... It isn't pleasant."

Before they passed, he did a small bow much to her confusion.

Uneasily she entered. The gelatinous wall was warm, thick, slightly scratchy but what caught her attention was the fact she could breath. But not through her mouth or nose as they had been pressed shut by the weight of the mass. But she looked down, the gel not even bothering but enhancing her vision, she saw the holes in her legs moving the jell back and forth in accordance to her lungs.

As she was contemplating her own anatomy, she felt a hoof on her shoulder and was suddenly pulled out into another hall. Her guide was slightly grim-faced as he stared at the green mass.

"What was that stuff?" She asked in slight wonder. "And why was I breathing through my legs?"

"Do... Do you remember the wedding in Canterlot? The one where Queen Chrysalis led the attack, and you," he chuckled. "You were the one to uncover it. Did you ever wonder what happened to the changeling's that were forced out while indoors? Not by any windows? But just... Air to one side, and a wall to the other?"

She remained quiet, feeling a deep sense of dread and guilt coming over her.

"Well, they survived... In a way. You see changelings can group together and combine their magic to mimic carts, large animals, even small buildings. These walls, the green gel their made of..."

"Are the changelings." She said looking at the wall as it turned solid again. "And this is what happened at the wedding? Because of me?"

"It's not directly your fault." He shrugged. "Chrysalis knew of the risks, the casualties... Yet we all had to. We were starving to near death."

As he opened another wall, she merely stared at it, listening to him speak.

"Twilight, changelings in nature aren't evil." He said pulling her through swiftly. "We don't have a choice but to feed on others. What the drone did to you, I couldn't imagine but... From when I was tieing him up, I looked through his memories and found something odd."

"And what was that?" She asked meekly. "How I was the monster?"

"No. I found him questioning his old queen, even in private he would stare at the wall. Thinking of a loophole, or studying in the archives trying to find another way. What he did, he didn't do it without force. When I went as far back to the incident, it was a blank."

"Whats that mean? That he didn't remember doing it to me?" She asked feeling tears well up.

"It means," he said stopping her at the entrance to a large set of doors. "It means he was being controlled by an outside force. And by sticking by your side, feeling the urge to rush to your aid even after being threatened, he's trying to make it up to you. If I were you, if I ever saw him again, I'd atleast sit down and share some of your problems, and then hear his. He doesn't lie, and... And..."

"A-And what?" She said letting her voice crack.

"He's different from the other drones, he can feel. Think for himself. Yet, he chooses to listen to you. I'd say that gives him a right for you to atleast try and come to terms with him."

"I don't know if I could. Even if he didn't do it willfully, he still did it."

"Well, do me a favor. Try for not just him, but yourself." His ears suddenly went up. "I've got to leave, there seems to be a meeting. Goodbye."

As he turned away, Twilight decided to speak up.

"W-What is your name?" She asked laughing erratically through her tightened throat. "I know its silly, but I never got it even before you ponynapped me."

"I...I don't have a name. I'm just a drone." he said simply.

"Well, I think you atleast deserve one. From... From a friend?" She asked smiling. "How about... Alfred?"

"Alfred?" He said. "I like it. You've made my day just now, I've got a friend and a name. If there's anything you need, just ask for me, ok?"

"O-Ok." She nodded.

At that, she turned away and faced the large doors again.

They were a large darkened wood, copper hinges and handles were attached tightly. She reached out and without even a creak, it swung open.

"So, these are the archives?" She said. "Time to get studying."

Author's Notes:

Breaking Twilight's mind? I'd make a great psychiatrist.
I made a Batman reference and still managed to keep this semi-serious.