They're EVERYWHERE!

156, 387: 5

Darkness has fallen on the forest and the changeling group is sitting in a clearing, all pretty much invisible to common observers aside from the teal bioluminescent glow of their eyes.

"It's time for a story about one of the old queens..." 387 waves his forelegs in a spooky fashion, making the drones huddle together. A piece of bark drops from the open jaw of 36658, "Yeah, you'd better be scared. Most of them were absolutely nuts."

"Marking as a traitor in 3... 2... 1..." 156 smirks, pretend-writing into an invisible journal.

"You know where you can shove that invisible pen and set it to vibrate, don't you?" 387 snorts, "Anyway, this one's about Shroud, the second changeling queen, and the horror of burrowing worms."

He glances at 156 who is watching him intensely, not commenting on what to her has to be a made-up story.

"Go on," she nods.

387 clears his throat.

"So, Shroud was a shrewd, heh, queen in the times when changelings were hiding away from the rest of the world. Back then, ponies were aware of changeling existence and far from friendly, so she led the hive away from major pony settlements, instead taking out small towns and villages, straight up cocooning entire populations and having her drones carry them."

So far, that's par for course in the eyes of the listening drones.

"Eventually, though, the settlements grew more and more sporadic and with the hive numbering hundreds of thousands the cocooned ponies couldn't last long. Her scorched ground strategy also made sure that she had nowhere to return, so the only way was forward."

"Umm, did she start eating other changelings?" asks 57999, raising its hoof.

387 grins, leans closer, and says in a conspiratory hushed voice:

"That's the thing, she didn't!"

"Wooo!" cheers 54331.

"Go queen!" adds 10013.

387 suddenly points at 36658 who immediately hides its chunk of bark behind its back.

"Mhmmpf?!" it also completely forgets that it's been chewing on more in its mouth.

"Why? Because she could extract love from inanimate objects. Not much, granted, but in her situation, every little bit counted."

"Like... from bark?" asks 36658, eyes widening, proving once again that quick thinking isn't a drone's main purpose.

"No, I was pointing at you just because I wanted to stretch my leg," 387 rolls his eyes.

"Awww..."

"Yes, even from bark," 387 sighs, realizing that sarcasm doesn't get across well when targeted at someone made for taking things literally.

"BEST. QUEEN. EV-" 36658 bites down when 156 shoots him a scowl, "...secondbestqueenever..." it corrects itself quickly.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be so quick with the praise if I were you," 387 nods, "She was an infiltrator queen and her speciality was venoms, namely acid that could dissolve pretty much anything and absorb love from it, even something as minor as flowers. Something with bees loving it or whatever, I don't know the details. In short, if there was any love to be had inside any physical matter, she could melt it and absorb it. Got it?"

Group nodding ensues. From the corner of his eye, 387 notices that even the other warriors on watch and 918 have inched a little closer to him.

"So, eventually when the hive got so far from civilization that even the ponies in cocoons began withering beyond the point of usefulness, she started with the usual love-saving methods - hibernation of anyone not crucial, eating the lowest ranks, and so on. You know the drill better than anyone," he points at the huddled drones who nod again and shudder.