Time for a Change-ling Exhibition! (Sponsored)

[Blueblood]

What must Manehattan have thought when it saw the black-chitin tower of the Changeling exhibition being constructed in the Park?   “What in the name of Tartarus is that?”  Would likely have come first, closely followed by, “AAAHH!  Changelings!”

 

            It was Kahz’s mission to change that.  Not just figuratively, either; he was here on official assignment from the Hive to act as a kind of ‘cultural ambassador,’ and to overall make ponies less paranoid about his kind in general.   After all, ponies and changelings weren’t actually going to kill each other, right?  So the rest was just haggling over details like who would actually be in charge.  Minor quibbles!  And, given that two previous invasions had not resolved the issue, it couldn’t hurt for the Hive to keep its options open, right?

 

            That was the argument that he’d given Queen Chrysalis, and surprisingly enough, she agreed, and put him in charge of the whole thing!  What was even more surprising, however, was that Princess Celestia had given her OK to it as well!  Apparently, she was orchestrating some sort of program of her own to attract changelings to Equestria, and defect from their own Kingdom. 

 

            Which would probably mean that this exhibit would not only be a meeting place of pony and changeling, but also of Loyalist and Defector.  Kahz held out no hope that this would be any great source of love, but it would certainly be an education for all involved.  Also, a barely controlled three-ring circus surrounding a tower that looked like it came out of a bad horror movie, with a short, crooked-spine changeling drone as ringmaster.

 

            And what a circus!  Kahz was kept busy all throughout set up time, buzzing first to the architects,“Fantastic!  The Queen will probably want to move in which she sees this!”, then to the gate-greeters “Lovely smiles!  Feel free to flirt all you like, just put on like starving waifs if anypony gets mad.  After all, we gotta eat, don’t we?”, and finally to the musicians, “Remember, we can takeany request; heck, we’re probably the best possible cover band in HISTORY.  Who else can replicate any musician ever, eh?”, and back again, all the while shouting encouragement and egging them on to further efforts.  The Changeling Kingdom didn’t allow much scope for art and creativity, it had to be said, so this was a rare opportunity for his whole crew to go all-out on making the Hive look good!

 

            When it came time for the gates to open, Khaz had finally come to a stop, still wired with energy, at the foot of the chitinous construction that the architects had erected around the initial booth allotted them.  The guests were here, and soon the show would begin!  He couldn’t wait, and what’s more, he was genuinely happy to see them.  Kahz didn’t bear anybody ill will, changeling or pony; he just was secure in his loyalties.  Maybe he could get them all to understand…

[PyroBlaze]

Flux was bouncing happily through the fair, her wings buzzing slightly with each bounce. She had initially arrived in her disguise, but once she spotted other changelings without disguises, she decided to drop hers as well. She was getting mixed reactions from that, but she didn't really mind. She hummed happily to herself as she moved along, gazing around at the various booths to see if one caught her attention. The first thing to do so was a large, black tower poking above the other attractions. 

 

The changeling tilted her head slightly before heading over to check it out, bouncing along cheerfully. By the time she made it, her smile had grown wider. A changeling exhibit? Cool! And even better, there was someone she recognized there! She bounced over excitedly, sliding to a stop in front of Khaz before wrapping him in a friendly hug.

 

"Hiya Khazy! It's great to see you again!" She chirped happily before releasing him and sitting down in front of him as she lightly hummed a happy little tune to herself. It was always great to see old friends again! It was even better than making new ones! Not by much, but still.

[Blueblood]

And today's lucky first visitor was... Flux the changeling!

 

Kahz was probably one of the few members of the Hive that had enough energy himself to keep pace with the energetic little bugball, and when she dove in for a a hug, he was ready to take the impact and fly with it!  Only for a short way, though, letting her down in front of the display tower, by the recently-constructed music stage.

 

"Great to see you too!  Figured you'd be the first to show up; you're always racing ahead of everyling else."  He'd met her twice, on two very different occasions, but he'd never known her spirit or speed to falter under any circumstance.  It was a pretty refreshing sight, to be honest; very few back in the Changelong Kingdom shared her happy-go-lucky attitude.  Perhaps it would rub off on the others here?

 

"So what do you think of all this?  I'm amazed they let us set it up at all; things are changing, changing fast!  We gotta keep up, but I think you'll do fine with that."  Kahz winked at his first guest, buzzing his wings as he burned off nervous and excited energy.  "It's a new world, and we're a part of it now!  I can't wait to see what's coming next!"

​

[SteelEagle]

 

 

Pathfinder loved herself some good, old fashioned villains. What was the point off an adventure if half of the time the only enemy you faced was yourself and some traps? Everypony knew that traps made everything ten times better but if you were starting at such a low level that being ten times better than meh was only meh times ten. Why not be good times ten, or great times ten, or awesomesauce times ten? Any mathematicalticiansaurus pony would tell you that it could only mean a bigger number, and in this case a bigger number equaled cooler adventure! Her experiences backed this up. She was always happy to have villains crowding her dungeons and ruins and today would hopefully be no different. Well, maybe a little, teeny tiny different.

The enemy, the villain, was the same. Changelings were a pretty snazzy foe. They could be anypony at any time and ate your yummy love. Was love yummy? Probably. That was why they ate it all the time, right? They also dd so many truly bad evil things. Invasions here, there, and everywhere! Why didn't more species target Equestria as villains? And why didn't most places have evil hives right over relics she wanted to find? That was what made Changelings cool. She had been captured before but nopony had ever pushed her as far as those Changelings did when she was captured by them. She had escaped but she couldn't blame them for feeling like she was too cool for them. Maybe this time they wouldn't be uncool and would just tell her all their secrets.

So yeah, this Friendship Expo looked like it could be fun as Pathfinder approached the Changeling exhibit, noticing that the Changeling in charge was one of those who had captured her! And was at her wedding, if she thought about it. She had less memory of the second because she was being strangled by a dress, but whatever. Fun! “Hey there Changey! Remember me? I remember you! How's the hive? How's Chrysalis? What's this? What's that?” Pathfinder said, fluttering about and pointing at things.

[RedCedar]

Red Cedar walked slowly through the concourse of the exhibition towards the looming edifice in front of him, taking his time to examine every detail of the structure in front of him as though calculating whether he really wanted to go much further. None of the descriptions of the Changeling Hive he had been given by Naj had truly prepared him for seeing such a truly alien building, entirely unlike anything anywhere else in the entire fairground

 

As imposing as it was, Red kept approaching. This was likely to be as close as he would be able to get to visiting the actual Changeling Kingdom, as that was still considered a bad idea, despite the extraordinary circumstance of the changelings being allowed to set up a pavilion at the Expo. Still, this was a chance to learn from them, to interact with changelings from the Hive, and maybe, just maybe, influence a few changeling minds into thinking differently about how to get their sustenance.. After all, he was already arriving at the exhibit with another changeling.

 

Red looked over to Naj as they approached, as he could see there were already several changelings and a curious pony or two milling around the entrance to the exhibit. He couldn't help but wonder how she was feeling through all this, as this was about as close as she'd have come to the Hive since her exile began. "Hey, are you feeling okay about this?" he asked her softly.

[RarityDash]

Along with Kahz, Luxuria was probably one of the only changelings with any loyalty to the Queen to see the value in having a changeling presence at the World Friendship Expo. With the Gypsy Moth, Luxuria idd in her way, seek to bring something of the culture beyond the kingdom back to it--doing the same in reverse, introducing the true face of changelings to the world which saw them only as enemies, was equally worthwhile. If it was a chance to make changelings--and herself--look good, it was worth the effort.

 

it was unusual for the tall, shapely pink-maned changeling to appear with no disguise before ponies, but she didn't feel uncomfortable but rather proud. She had ever confidence her natural shape was far more alluring than any of her assumed ones.

 

She admired the effort Kahz was putting into it all. He had shouldered most of the burden, taking charge of the whole thing. He was definitely a tryhard, but she favored that kind of attitude to the bloated indolence and unwillingness to think which filled the hive elsewhere. Seeing him work so hard and so quickly get swarmed by high energy visitors, she felt it only right to offer a hoof in seeing it went well.

 

Seeing new guests arrive--a red earth stallion alongside and unfamiliar changeling--she strode toward them. "Welcome to the changeling kingdom exhibition," she said to them. "We do hope you enjoy your time here, seeing this glimpse of our kingdom."

 

She smiled a charming smile as she looked at them. "If you have any questions about any of what you find, do not hesitate to ask," she said.

​

[PyroBlaze]

Flux smiled widely at Kahz's response, giggling from happiness. She waited for him to finish as she listened, just keeping herself from bouncing in place as she did so.

"This thing looks cool! How'd you set it up?" She asked, looking at the tower for a moment before looking back to him and giving no chance to respond yet. "I know! Isn't change great? Well, not always, but sometimes it's the greatest thing that can happen! And it can be exciting too, and that's fun!"

She stopped there to give her friend a chance to respond, though a pegasus mare arrived before too long, asking all sorts of questions. Flux smiled widely before zipping in front of the mare, her wings buzzing to keep her in place.

"Hiya! I'm Flux! Who're you?" She asked, tilting her head to the side questioningly as she looked at the mare.

[Blueblood]

When, at last, a pony finally had the courage to walk through the imposing gates of the Changeling exhibition, it was the sort of pony who would blithely trot, fly, run, or crash through any sort of opening that promised danger and excitement.  Kahz, of course, remembered Pathfinder.  It was hard to forget the striking character of the adventuring pegasus, not to mention the unusual circumstances under which they met.  After all, what other pony would make it all the way into the heart of the Changeling Kingdom, get captured, escape, and then invite her interrogator to her high-society wedding?  *If I had your sense of style and audacity, I'd be Prime Minister by now.  Or dead.  What is your secret?*

 

Well, perhaps he could find out today!  Grinning from ear to ear, Kahz accepted her greeting with aplomb.  "I certainly do!  I'd imagine Her Majesty would as well, but I don't think she's here."  He smoothly passed over the question of the well-being of Chrysalis and the Hive, well aware that giving away too much information would call his loyalty into suspicion.  "Oh that?  That's the Tower; it's a full-blown obstacle course, but not as dangerous as the one you threaded on your own trip to our lovely home.  The architects worked really hard on it; it's not everyday they have a chance to show off, so they jumped at it!  Beside it's the stage; me and the band will be taking requests once the crowd grows a bit.  And that..."  He grinned even wider as his gaze followed Pathfinder's hoof, "Is my lovely co-host Luxuria, and the headline singer of our stage show."  There was no possibility of keeping her off the stage, or off the top of the marquee if one wanted to keep on her good side.  Given how good (and good-looking!) that side was, Kahz didn't mind in the least.  Having just one other prominent changeling believe in his vision was such a huge encouragement to him...

 

He cast an eye to the pair she was greeting at the moment, and the one Flux was now headed towards as well.  Looked vaguely familiar... why, yes, he knew them too!  Well, one of them at least.  Naj had been at the Crystal Empire at the same time as he, and since her actions there had risen to a kind of prominence.  She was certainly the most publicly-known defector, though even that wasn't saying much; it wasn't a trumpeted fact as of yet.  But, she was the first to be granted legal status in Equestria, a possible harbinger of things to come.  Kahz knew the Hive would have to adapt to this new reality, and so he was going to keep a close watch on how she and those around her interacted with the exhibit.  He gave her a friendly wave, not wanting to overwhelm the new guests just yet...

​

[DerpRavener]

Naj was amazed at the very concept of a 'friendship exposition'.  Leave it to Equestria to come up with a crazy idea like this, and then go on to pull it off!  With so many different and unusual cultures, and even a species or two that Naj had barely even heard of, on display Naj couldn't help but be a little entranced.  Having discarded her disguise in the interest of cultural exchange, she'd meandered around with a smile on her face as she and Red walked, trying to get as much of a glimpse as she could of the different booths as they neared their destination.  She almost hadn't been sure where to start.

 

Almost.

One booth in particular had caught both of their attention, though calling it a booth didn't create the right mental image.  The spire towered over the other displays, and it's changeling origin was unmistakable.  To Naj it would likely be a bit less informative than it might be to a pony, but she just had to know what was going on.

 

It wasn't until they drew close to the tower and Red spoke, however, that Naj finally clued in to her companion's anxiousness.  She shot him a grin.  “Ahh relax, what's the worst that could happen?”  She knew that wasn't a good answer, and in fact one should never utter that phrase or they invite disaster, but she had been feeling adventurous.  She was about to offer a proper explanation, that she was a bit nervous that she might be recognized, but overall didn't expect much danger from changelings acting both in the open and peacefully, but they were interrupted.

 

The two of them were approached by a tall, slender changeling approached.  Naj almost thought it was another queen at first, and though a closer look and a bit of logic quickly disproved the concept, this changeling still carried an air of importance.  Naj didn't recognize her, but more than anything else it made Naj wonder what this changeling was doing here.

She didn't think it would smart to just outright ask, though.  “...I'm curious, more than anything else,” Naj said as she recovered from her surprise, responding both to Red's question and the newcomer's introduction.  She took a moment to hesitantly return Kahz's wave, unsure where he knew Naj from at the moment, before returning to the conversation at hoof.  “Queen Chrysalis actually allowed this?”  She gestured to the changeling 'booth' as a whole.  She had to wonder what the queen either was or thought she was getting from this, or what these changelings had to give up to get it going.  “She doesn't strike me as type to approve of these kinds of things.”

[RedCedar]

“Ahh relax, what's the worst that could happen?” Naj had told him, trying to be reassuring. Red decided not to answer that. Between recent happenings with the changelings in Ponyville and their disastrous last vacation to the Crystal Empire, Red, really didn't want to think about it. Still, this was Manehatten, arguably a lot further into Equestria than the Empire and probably better defended, with plenty of extra security on hand, so he guessed fearing the worst was probably unnecessary. Smiling back to Naj, he said, "Well, probably nothing that we haven't already seen, eh?"

 

Red didn't want to admit it, especially not to anyone nearby, but despite his recent experiences with changelings he was fairly certain that the only one he could immediately distinguish on sight was Naj. At least, that was what he had thought, until now.

 

They were both approached by a very tall, and distinctly pink changeling, unlike any other he had seen before, welcoming them to the changeling exhibit. She was so unlike any other changeling Red had encountered that for a brief moment he wondered if this was in fact the fabled Queen Chrysalis, but Naj herself dispelled that idea quickly, asking indirectly about the Queen's reason to approve her Kingdom's participation in the Expo. Red had to admit, he was curious as well, wondering what seemed to have softened the stance of the changeling leader towards co-operating on anything with Equestria.

 

His eye still wandered, however, between this new, almost regal changeling and the rest of the pavilion. There was just so much to see, after all. There, another changeling caught his eye. This one also seemed quite distinct from the others, but not for the same reasons. This one appeared to have a twisted frame, as though suffering from some malady, at least by pony standards, and Red recalled just such a changeling from the Crystal Empire that Red had had to heave over his back and carry into an office to hide while tending a broken exoskeletal hoof.

[SteelEagle]

 

Pathfinder listened intently to the lingaling. Well. Kinda. Sorta. Kinda sorta. She stopped thinking of much beyond cool when the prospect of an obstacle course wwas brought up. Pathfinder froze mentally with joy. She loved obstacle courses. Where else could the adventure be brought into the mundane world? Sometimes they were tricks. Ponies would put real traps in the obstacle courses and hope to catch a pony off guard. You had dodge and dive and start thinking without blinking and really get into it. And who else to do it but changelings? She could hardly wait for whatever kooky trap they had designed to trap silly ponies who thought changelings could be anything less than sneaky! Awesome. She had to be the first to activate it, of course. For the safety of others. Yes.

First she had to play dumb. “Nice! Remember the wedding? That was fun. Remember when I escaped? That was even more fun!” Se laughed, slapping him on the back in a friendly manner as she hovered in place. “Well, you make sure to tell Chrysalis to prepare the Hive, because there is more stuff I want to find that exist underneath the Hive and I'm coming soon! Don'tcha be worried though, I'll be even more prepared this time. Why, I bet you'll have to try super duper hard to catch me this time! My wing healed and everything, see?!” Pathfinder offered her wing for extension, blanketing his face with wing feathers before pulling back as she considered the band and the pretty hot singer they had. “That is one pretty changeling! What's your name, Lingaling? Oh, maybe all of you can sing the Daring Do theme from the Daring Do and the Secret of the Amber Waves Living Photpnovel!” Pathfinder said excitedly before she grabbed Flux the Lingaling in with on hoof, eyes focused on the obstacle course.

“I'm Pathfinder and I adventure all the time! You're pretty cool looking for a Lingaling. What's your name? I'll let you go now! Speaking of adventure-” she let Flux go and pointed with impish glee at the obstacle course, “anything cool in there, Kahz ackoo?”  

[RarityDash]

Luxuria smiled at the foreign changeling's question. It was very typical for those who lived their life away from the kingdom to look back to it with shifty eyes. It depended on the circumstances, whether they were a defector, from a small isolated hive or raised among ponies as that adorable creature Aria had been, but it was all effectively the same. Their minds had been shaped to look upon the Queen and how she ruled through the same prism as those around them. Instinct and identity was sacrificed in favor of being able to belong to the nicer, prettier world which existed outside the kingdom.

 

She could, of course, understand that sort of thinking, her own just diverged. She would rather change the kingdom that was her home into something prettier--something which suited her--than live behind a mask amongst creatures who feared and did not understand the thing she was.

 

"I believe you misunderstand our Queen," Luxuria started, smiling as she looked at the guests. It was  kind of odd of her to defend the queen, considering the jealousy she held for her, but it felt only appropriate. "What cause would she have to refuse? She may not be in a position to extend a firm hoof in friendship toward our neighbors on the continent, but why would she stand in the way of those of us who would strive to bolster amity and understanding between our nations?"

 

"No, you'll find that while the Queen had no part at all in organizing the event, she did not hesitate to allow those such as Kahz and myself to do as we would please here this day," she added and looked toward Kahz. Just as she did, she was suddenly interrupted by a strange pony.

 

This pony, a pegasus mare, complimented her and then requested a song. Luxuria giggled at the praise. "Why, thank you, dear. You're pretty adorable yourself--I like the intensity behind your eyes," she said flirtily to the over-excited pony. "It is, perhaps, about time that I take to the stage for a song... but I am sorry to say I am not familiar with that one. I would, however, be happy to oblige any of you which might have a more common request." She looked to the crowd, curious to see if anyone might have a song they wanted her to sing.

 

"Oh, and it's Luxuria," she added, recalling that the pony had asked her name.

​

[PyroBlaze]

An obstacle course? That sounded fun! Flux smiled widely at that before the mare grabbed her into a one-legged hug of sorts as she introduced herself as Pathfinder.

"I'm Flux!" She chirped happily, smiling from the mare's words and attitude. She seemed like a fun one! Her eyes then traveled over to the other little group, and recognized all of them! Yay!

"Hiya you three!" She called happily, giving an enthusiastic wave to them as well as a wide smile. She knew Naj and Luxuria had seen her in this form, but she wasn't sure that Red w-... Nope, never mind! He had seen her as a changeling during that party after the Crystal Faire, if not during it.

"Y'know, we could go in and find out! The fun of the unexpected!" She said, turning back to Pathfinder with her forelegs spread wide as she floated in mid-air. She paused for a moment before looking at Khaz. "We can go in, right Khazy?"

[Blueblood]

There was a genuinely frightening moment for Kahz when Pathfinder slapped his back; his chitin wasn't as strong as most changeling's.  The various injuries and recoveries he'd sustained over his life accounted for most of the oddities in his posture.  Fortunately, there was more energy than direct force in the blow, and he was able to sustain it with only a loss of breath.

 

"Whoosh!  I remember all right.  I don't suppose you'd ever consider applying for a visa instead of putting us all to the trouble of watching for you?"  Not that the Changeling Kingdom had ever issued visas, but if this event was successful, who knows?  He was about to speak further when a faceful of feathers hit his snoot, triggering an instinctive sneeze.  "A-CHOO!  Er, sorry."  He hand't time to block himself from spraying the poor pegasus, in front of all the guests, and Luxuria too!  How embarrassing...

 

Taking a scrap of spare canvas from the banner, he offered it to Pathfinder as a kind of peace offering.  "I don't have a handkerchief on me, sorry."

 

Only somewhat subdued by the incident, he walked over to Naj and Red to greet them personally.  "Yep, it's like she said; The Queen gave us a go-ahead and a free hoof!  And really, given the sort of ponies I've had to privilege to meet, yourself included Mr. Cedar, I should say the effort was well worth it, circumstances of meeting notwithstanding.  I'm certain your, ah, companion here would agree?"  If he was reading the love-flow correctly, 'companion' was a mild word for it, but it would be rude to presume more at this point.

 

It seemed that Luxuria was about to prepare for her Equestrian stage debut, under her own name and form, at least.  "If you hum a few bars, I may be able to place the tune.  Luxuria and I have traveled in divergent musical circles in our own little forays into your country."

 

Besides the music, however, Flux and Pathfinder were especially interested in the obstacle course.  Kahz's grin returned as he answered.  "Oh, I'm afraid I can't give you specifics.  Designed to be safe, of course, though the difficulty is adjusted between foals and adults.  Unfortunately, one has to be over a certain threshold of physical fitness to participate and I... am not."  He coughed, a little nervously.  He didn't like drawing attention to his own defects, but he brightened up soon after.  "But you two should be fine if you want to give it a go.  I think you'll be excitingly surprised!"

[DerpRavener]

"I believe you misunderstand our Queen,"

“Wouldn't be the first time...” Naj muttered under her breath.  Her understanding of the queen had dramatically shifted at some point during her exile.  Still, Luxuria's explanation made a lot of sense.  By the sound of things, Chrysalis hadn't really done anything to make this happen, instead simply allowing it when subjects came to her with plans.

It wasn't exactly consistent with her past actions however.  “That's good to hear,” Naj said after a moment, “though it's the first I've heard of her being this...diplomatic towards Equestria.”  She didn't want to provoke anyone, and undermine anything she herself was ultimately working towards, but the whole thing still seemed curious to her.  In fact, she could probably spend all day speculating on it.  Was Chrysalis finally started to mellow out?  Was it some kind of ploy to earn Equestria's trust before trying something?  Or was there some sort of division in the hive, and Chrysalis was either worried about maintaining control or coerced into letting this happen?

 

Naj couldn't think of a good way to ask, one that wasn't likely to cause an argument.  Luxuria seemed pretty loyal at least, and while that could easily be an act it gave some clues.  Unsure exactly how much they knew about her, Naj also wasn't sure she wanted to reveal her connection to the hive just yet, even if that would preclude a number of the questions she would otherwise want to ask.

 

Naj was largely lost in thought as Luxuria began excusing herself to go perform a song, and Kahz wandered over, apparently to take Luxuria's place.  Naj smiled, a little amused by Kahz's wording, but nodded her agreement.  He had guessed correctly, and Naj had found how wonderful Equestrians could be, if one discovered how to look.  Kahz seemed to be addressing Red though, so she added no more than to the conversation for the moment.

 

Naj was also a little distracted, having finally realized fully what Luxuria had said, and noticed the other changelings with instruments.  Wait, what?  How long had this been going on?  She supposed the skills would be easy enough to pick up as part of infiltration, or using it as an excuse, but it still caught her by surprise.  She leaned a little toward Kahz.  “I might not be the most aware of these things, but I never knew there was a changeling band.  How long has that been happening?”

[RedCedar]

Red nodded to himself as Luxuria reintroduced him to Kahz. That was a name he had indeed heard before. Turning back to Luxuria, however, he said "Well, I hope all the effort you've gone to pays off. After all, I think there would be some definite benefits to both Kingdoms if there were more cooperation," and then looked to Naj with a smile. She was evidently still skeptical, and maybe with reason, but to Red, it was perhaps a small first step, interacting with the changelings who had come to show off their homeland.

 

Then Kahz himself approached, and Red smiled as he continued explaining, "The Queen gave us a go-ahead and a free hoof!  And really, given the sort of ponies I've had to privilege to meet, yourself included Mr. Cedar, I should say the effort was well worth it, circumstances of meeting notwithstanding.  I'm certain your, ah, companion here would agree?"

 

Red nodded, "Well, I certainly count myself fortunate for meeting the changelings I have. I hope I keep having good luck with it," he said, turning to give Naj a little nuzzle as if to remove all doubt. Certainly, Red had no reason to think Kahz couldn't tell just by standing in their proximity, and the way he had said "companion" certainly suggested he suspected more than that. Red then smiled and added, "Good to see you again, Kahz. I hope that leg has healed and I didn't do you more harm than good."

 

Red also was a little intrigued at Luxuria's announcement that she would be performing. Naj had had little exposure to music, so the fact that there was a changeling singer for a changeling band rather surprised him as well, and he wondered when they had the time to learn such things, or if it was just that Naj and this near-queen of a changeling had such vastly different roles and, with it, different opportunities. As Naj asked Kahz about the musicians, Red added, "I'm curious, too. I wonder how they sound?"

[SteelEagle]

 

Kahz ambushed Pathfinder with a super ingenious new attack method. She had to give him credit for his new attack vector. Most creatures wouldn't think of lulling their opponents into a false sense of security before dropping such an accurate disease bomb on their snouts. What a devious strategy! Maybe it would be acid and her face would start to ache. Well, she had been acid attacked before. It was all about the swift and unrelenting movement towards super water or clean energy sources to clear her up, and there was plenty of magic to help out! Hah! Silly Changeling should have thought twice before messing with Pathfinder...!

...Or it was just a sneeze. Major super let down. Was it true that nothing bad was going to happen? She accepted the tattered edges of a banner to clean herself off, which she did quickly as Luxuria's voice soothed into her. She sounded pretty pretty too! “Thanks! My wifey Snowfall likes my intensity too. And she think I'm adorable, but putting me in bows and under a tree during hearthswarming was a bit too much for me. You should meet her. You'd totally like her!” Pathfinder chortled with delight for a moment before the pretty changeling said she didn't know the song. Wait. Wait what? What sort of culture did they roll around in where they didn't know all the Daring Do things? She gasped and her hooves went to her mouth, silently strumming out notes of no no no to the sadness she felt. “Oh, you poor creatures! No wonder you're so starved for love! You don't know all the best things! Here, next time I infiltrate your hive I'll bring recordings and sheet music for you so you don't have to live in such a super sad state of affairs!” Pathfinder clapped her hooves excitedly at the end, more than excited to point out in such a fashion to Kahz that there would be no visas, only adventure.
 

“So, we're totally clear to go into that obstacle course? Multiples at a time? Flux can come, right? Changeling in the back!” Pathfinder said, purposely setting herself up for an ambush.  

[Pretzelparty]

 

Soon another changeling entered the scene, this one bearing a slightly 'softer' look to her than the rest. The insectoid mare seemed to have notably less and smaller holes dotting her legs and virtually none in her wings. At her side was a small bag with a medical cross on it. Her carapace was one or two shades brighter than her fellow hive dwellers and she had a rather messy mane. 

 

The changeling looked over Pathfinder and searched around her bag, pulling out a towel that had a faint anti bacterial smell upon the fabric, "Please take this Ma'am." The changeling spoke with a somewhat out of place drawl, the kind that might come from a native of dodge junction, "Ah don' really know changeling germs can do ta ponies... but Ah'd rather not take any chances." Aria was actually sure, nothing terrible could happen from being sneezed on by a changeling but truth be told she was incredibly bored and unsure of what to do with herself. She'd come to the expo with the other changelings with one desire; to get the hay out of the hive and get back to her family. She'd given up on hiding her accent now since she was sure she wasn't gonna return to that place anytime soon...

 

She turned to Kahz and smiled, "Bless you. Next time ya'll feel like ya need to sneeze, try and do it inta the crook o' yer foreleg, kay? Germs aren't good fer any species!" The strange changeling offered kahz a hanky from her medical bag should he require one.

[RarityDash]

"The queen is exacting and she knows what she wants, but she is hardly a tyrant," Luxuria said, aloof. "Every action she takes it, is for the benefit of the changeling race. Sometimes this manifests in ways other than merely finding us love to feed on."

 

She smiled then at the questions of the changeling band from the two visitors. "Bringing music to the kingdom, that was my doing. I am proprietor of the Gypsy Moth a lounge and one of the few places of recreation within our austere wasteland home. My design was to bring music to the hearts of changelings, so that they might be fuller for it."

 

She laughed and looked toward Kahz. "Of course, the band I put together was utterly atrocious. It is only by the virtue of this one's patience that they were taught to know one note from another," she said giving credit where credit was due.

 

Her attention went to the silly pony and clicked her tongue. A little flirting and immediately she brings up the spouse. How cute. She giggled at the pony's silliness and tilted her head. "You surely exaggerate. We are pleased to accept all musical donation at the Gypsy Moth, however. If it's something our band can be taught, it may prove worthwhile for us to learn it."

 

It was then that, our of the crowd, Luxuria's ears picked up the sound of a sweet, honeyed drawl. Delightful. It really had been too long since last she had seen Aria. Her pink eyes searched and then honed in on the sweet changeling and immediately she sauntered up to her. "Aria, my darling little pet!" she cooed as she through one of her forelegs over the adorable changeling and hugged her. "I had hoped to see you again."

 

She giggled affectionately and grinned. "I was just about to take the stage, but perhaps we could make it a duet instead?"

​

[PyroBlaze]

Well, those three must not have seen her. Oh well, they were busy talking to each other. Flux instead turned her attention back to Pathfinder and smiled widely at the mare. As Pathfinder spoke, Flux's smile grew. She would love to go through the course with someone else! That'd be fun!

"Yeah! Can we both go at the same time, Khazy?" She asked before she noticed the other changeling. She looked odd, barely any holes on her... Huh... Oh well! The exited changeling zipped over to the new face, smiling widely as she gave a happy wave.

"Hiya! Luxxy says you're Aria, right? Well I'm Flux! Nice to meet you, Arry!" She chirped happily to Aria, still smiling as she awaited the response from her and Khaz.

[Blueblood]

Kahz was willing to trust his impressions, provided that he didn't receive explicit contradictions.  He prided himself on being able to read the moods, personalities, and relationships of ponies on sight; all changelings did, as it had long been essential to their survival to do so.  Almost none of them were what could be strictly called anti-social, in that they all possessed social skills, though few used them to unselfish purpose.

 

A change in this might have seemed impossible, but it was demonstrably proven to work on an individual level.  Naj was in a genuine relationship with a pony, and Kahz's own helpful and friendly approach had moved the diplomatic mountains blocking the way between the Hive and setting up this exhibition.  And now, here they were!  Funny old world this could be, where a changeling could talk with a pony about old battle-wounds from a fight in which they'd been on the same side.  "Ah, the leg's alright.  Sure, it's 28 degrees out of alignment, but that's only 3 more than it was before, so no real harm, eh?" 

 

On a more serious note, he nodded along with Luxuria's assessment of the Queen's policies.  True, they were not always of the peaceable sort, at least from the outsider's perspective.  But neither was she an implacable enemy; otherwise, why the recent opening here?  "Our kingdom is... what you might call underdeveloped.  Unlike Luxuria, very few of us have shown any initiative in making it any better.  Quite frankly, before Chrysalis ascended the throne, we had nothing like what you would call love for our own land.  But things are changing on that front, too, and I'm privileged to be a part of it."  He ended with a smile towards Luxuria; any 'ling would be privileged to work closely with her, but to be given genuine favor... that was not a thing to be lightly treated with.

 

Though, with both Pathfinder and Flux around, it would be hard to sustain any serious mood.  Kahz grinned at their excitement to partake in the obstacle course.  "I don't see why you couldn't go in together.  Pity you didn't bring Snowfall with you; I heard the architects put in a few sections ideal for couples.  Still, if she won't mind, go have fun you two!"  He waved them onward towards the tower, sneezing again as he was tickled by a stray feather from the mare's wing.

 

As if by some magic, the sneeze summoned a newcomer, who immediately started to offer help in cleaning and staying healthy.  Kahz took in her appearance as she offered him a hanky.  *Why, Hello Nurse!*  He didn't recall crossing paths with Aria before, though he'd heard of her.  "Thank you!  I don't believe we've met; I would certainly recall an encounter with one so sweet and kind."  He gave a wink at her; there were few pretty females in the hive that he hadn't flirted with at one time or another, and since his recent rise in musical fame among them, fewer still the ones who resented the attention!  "Do you sing?  Oh, we must do a number together, then!"

 

 

Meanwhile, at the tower, the changeling at the entrance was looking keenly at the prospective first visitors.  "Come to brave the tower, eh?  Race through the black tunnels, avoid being captured by the green goo, and try to reach the top without being forcibly ejected!"

 

The doorway beyond was darkened; it was not until the the threshold was passed that the first challenge would be revealed: a series of shelves bolted to the wall, just wide enough for a pony to stand on.  Below was a pit of green goo; the potential contestant would need to leap from shelf to shelf to avoid falling into the pit.  It would seem that all flyers would have an untoward advantage in this room, except that the whole was rigged so that if enough time passed without anypony setting hoof on the shelves, the ceiling would open, dropping a cascade of goo down onto the cheeky cheaters!

​

[Pretzelparty]

 

Aria smiled soflty and hugged luxuria back. These two changeling's friendship had been an odd one; it had begun on nightmare night, back when the changeling army had attacked and trapped the six elements of harmony and even Princess Celestia. Little Aria had even been assisting the equestrians by messing up changeling operations as best she could, sadly she was jettisoned like the rest of her carapace bearing kind and as a result she was left only with her instincts to try and tend to the wounded given her upbringing. At the time she was too scared to try and slip away so she wound up living amongst the hive dwellers and singing on occasoin in luxuria's little tavern. if she did decide to leave the hive she would actually miss this lounge singing changeling...

 

Aria smiled brightly and nodded, "That sounds great! ah'd be glad to join ya!"

 

Soon another voice spoke up, sounding rather sweet and inquisitive. This once belonging to an unfamiliar changeling named flux. "It's nice to meet ya too, Flux. Ah don't think I've seen you around the tavern very often. Do you live in Equestria with the ponies?"

 

Hearing the changeling stallion let out a nother sneeze, Aria smiled and followed it up with a perky sounding, "Bless ya!" and hintingly waving the hoofkerchief around before the male accepted it. The changeling blushed a bit as Kahz paid her a few compliments, "Yer too kind, mister... also maybe ya should check with a doctor to see if yer allergic to pegasus feathers." she said with a playful chuckle. When the stallion proposed singing together she thought for a moment and look to Luxuria, "Should we turn our duet into a trio?" she asked with a hint of excitement in her voice.

[DerpRavener]

"Good to see you again, Kahz. I hope that leg has healed and I didn't do you more harm than good."

Ah ha!  It hadn't clicked until now, but that's why this changeling was so familiar.  Along with Red, Naj had met him during the Crystal Faire fiasco.  He'd been in disguise at the time though, and by the time he did eventually drop it for Red to see, Naj had been occupied by more immediate concerns.  She couldn't say she entirely trusted Kahz, but he seemed friendly enough and she was overall glad to see he'd made it out of there as well.

 

An excitable mare Naj didn't recognize and a changeling prepped to try out the obstacle course, and Naj finally recognized the changeling as Flux.  Flux had even waved, but Naj had been distracted...again.  Apparently this was becoming a problem.  Naj finally waved back, though by then the moment had passed.  Ahh well.

So the tower was an obstacle course, or at least contained one.  Naj idly wondered if it was anything like the courses they had in combat training, and contemplating joining in, to see how it compared, if nothing else.

 

But not just yet, there was the conversation at hoof.

"Every action she takes it, is for the benefit of the changeling race. Sometimes this manifests in ways other than merely finding us love to feed on."

Try as she might, Naj couldn't help herself, and gave Luxuria an almost angry look.  “That is blatantly untrue.”  That she muttered it rather than shouting her reply was the extent of her restraint at the moment.  There was a time, before and at some points during her exile, when Naj had agreed with the sentiment.  She'd since found some serious evidence against it though, and while some part of her still believed in the idea, overall she'd felt betrayed.  When she discovered how easy it could be to make friends with Equestrians, rather than trying to take love by force...

Kahz's argument made Naj pause however.  “You...might have a point there...”  She had known, or at least knew of, a number of changelings who were pretty apathetic.  And one of the things she had always admired about the queen was her ability to motivate.  It made things more complicated, if nothing else.  At one point Naj really liked the idea of removing Chrysalis from power, but doing so might just trade one set of victims for another.  “I still wish she'd used her abilities better,” she muttered, though it was half-hearted.

 

As Naj was contemplating this, another changeling came by, of which Naj recognized neither the newcomer or her accent.  She'd never heard it in the hive.  But then, Naj had never been the most aware of changelings, and there were probably a lot of things she didn't know about the hive when you got down to it.

More interestingly, it sounded like Luxuria, Kahz and this new changeling were about to all get on stage together.  Naj looked at the entrance to the obstacle course one more time, but soon turned her attention back to the stage.  She suspected she had some idea what would happen in the former, even if she wouldn't entirely, while changeling music was something she'd never encountered before and was very curious about.

[moonshineTheleocat]

Java had always been a supporter of Changelings. Well... the more peaceful not so... eat your heart out kinds that is. Heck, he found it incredibly unreasonable to be scared of a creature for what they are by nature! It's not their fault that they have evolved into beings that feed on emotions! Underneath that chitinous hide... there was a pony like skeleton... maybe? Do they just have an exoskeleton? Who cares! They still look like ponies!

 

Heck! Not even the horrible events of Nightmare Night, or the Canterlot wedding prevented him from knowingly hiring a few! A few as professional Engineers! Java knew how capable Changelings were at structures and materials, and he quickly pounced that chance! And one as a lab assistant, whom he made friends with rather quickly. And oddly enough she might have developed a crush on him. Odd thought at that. But anyways, they all received payrates equal to that of any other pony or griffon!

 

And why was he here? Well the scholar in him, might be an engineer, but there was always a thirst of knowledge! And the ponies of equestria simply don't know enough about Changelings! And when presented with the best chance in history! A great buckin hive in the middle of Manehatten, he just simply had to stop by!

 

And... well if it wasn't for the characteristic noises of buzzing bug ponies, his heart could have probably spilled out the excitement, and anxiety of seeing so many chitanous creatures roaming about freely... and very few... ponies in the area. He continued making his way closer to the large black tower. His eyes dancing too and fro to ponies and changelings alike. Or... were all the ponies actually ponies? Such a question was immediately qued when he caught a pony suddenly change form in a flash of green light. Maybe they too were changelings. Oh... this is going to be one confusing day.

 

“Ah! Excuse me!~” The stallion hummed, waving out to a Changeling whom seemed to be running the place. “What is this large structure here? Is it a tour of Changeling architecture?”

[RedCedar]

Red smiled, glad to hear that he hadn't completely crippled Kahz with his rather makeshift first attempt at first aid on an injured changeling. "That's a good start," he said. "After all that, one of the first things I want to do is gain a better understanding of how to help an injured changeling. There won't be a lot of doctors in Equestria who can do that." It wasn't just for emergencies either. Having a great interest in keeping Naj healthy beyond simply sustaining her was one of the primary reasons for wanting to study what he could when he could on the subject.

 

And then Kahz turned back to Flux. Flux! That was why the changeling seemed so familiar. He couldn't place her immediately in her natural form, but in retrospect, it should have been obvious given her way of moving. He gave a wave as her interest turned to the obstacle course within the changeling spire. While he figured it might appeal to the thrill seeking ponies among the crowd, he had no real interest in being pursued by green goo or forcibly ejected from who knows what point up the side of the tower. This trip may have been about building bridges between the hive and Equestria, but Red couldn't help but think their PR skills needed a little work.

 

Red's ears perked at Naj's muttered disbelief of Luxuria's assessment of the Queen's intentions. She was evidently still feeling bitter, somewhat, about her situation, and he couldn't fault her for that, honestly. It was just that now might not have been the best time for a heated debate on the subject - not when this was such a golden opportunity to achieve better. "And, if we took that newfound love of community and put it together with a spirit of co-operation like we see here, there's no reason the Changeling Kingdom couldn't catch up quickly." he suggested. Best to always put a positive spin on things, even amid doubts about their current leadership. Still, at some point, a leader was as accountable to those led as much as those who followed were accountable to the leader.

 

And then there was Aria. She alone seemed to present a mystery just by her presence, being at once kind, thoughtful, and possessed of an accent that Red didn't think possible for the changeling larynx under normal circumstances. As she trotted off to join the singers on stage, he turned slightly to Naj. "That was interesting," he said. "From her voice I'd have sworn she came from Dodge Junction."