Awakened

The Awakened are a group of seven-foot insectoid humanoids from Equestria. They first came around after a Changeling who had abandoned Chrysalis asked to follow Blackchurch into a Precursor Genetic Modification Facility, and volunteered to be put into a machine that was designed to uplift the Changelings from "simple insects" to "the next organism". The procedure, though unbearably painful for the unnamed Changeling (nicknamed "Smallchange" by Blackchurch), was a success and thus the first of the Awakened was born. The first Awakened took a new name to befit his status - Harbinger.

History
In the Forgotten Era, the Precursors had taken note of the Seeker insects that infested the Below and wished to test their ability to force an evolutionary spike in a species. As such, they gathered swaths of the bugs and began genetic experimentation on them in an attempt to "break the line" and force an evolution. Most attempts were met with utter failure, either disintegrating the nervous system of the insects or creating horrifying monstrosities that were then euthanized. With the Forerunner Invasion, Cryptid Infestation, Elder/Ancient War, Leviathan Attack and Endeavour Outbreak occurring in sequence, the Precursors mostly dropped efforts to uplift the insects.

However a small number of Precursors continued work on the project, making some progress. After so long, using similar methods and DNA structures to the Ponies also being uplifted, they created the first of the Changelings. However, the insects were incomplete and unfit for their intended purpose. Despite this, they showed signs of intelligence and thus the Precursors refused to destroy them, hoping to use them as a basis for the "final step" in insectoid evolution. Before they could finish, the series of events they referred to as "The End of Us" wiped out most life on Prequestriah, putting a premature end to the experiments. The remaining Changelings held within the facilities were released alongside the other subjects as part of the Precursors' "Begin Again" protocol once the circumstances had improved.

For centuries, Changelings struggled to survive on the surface due to bigger, more predatory races such as the Dragons, Timberwolves, Manticores and even early Pony tribes hunting them. As such, they fled underground. They remained largely unchanged for years but could not reproduce alone, lacking a queen. Eventually they discovered how to use their natural "Changeling Magic" to shapeshift, using it as infiltration to kidnap and forcibly mutate Queen Chrysalis of a smaller kingdom on the surface. Chrysalis became the new Changeling Queen, creating dozens of the insectoids in a short time.

In the year 32BD, the Changelings attempted a hostile takeover of the Crystal Empire to no avail. They were thwarted by Empress Obsidian's forces and aid from her allies - the Kingdom of Spurling and Romare Empire. Due to their defeat, they retreated back underground and again waited for a chance to strike, their many infiltration attempts being met with failure after failure.

In 0AD, the Changelings were spared Celestia's "Daybreak" due to their stealthy nature and home in the Below, which was difficult to navigate and extremely dangerous to non-inhabitants due to bigger species such as the Siege Worm and Megarachnid prowling the tunnels. They were forced to keep low, but would continue their clandestine operations against the newly-reorganised Crystal Empire.

When Blackchurch arrived in 2058, the Changelings attempted to sway his cause to aid them by deceiving him, imitating Ponies he had allied himself with. This attempt was also a failure as Blackchurch's natural perception allowed him to realise the "Ponies" were acting irregularly, and promptly interrogated the Changelings for information. The Changeling Hive was then under threat as Blackchurch arrived and threatened to burn it out with Thermite, but he relented at Live Wire's behest and thus the Changelings were spared another disaster.

While the rest of the Hive was ordered by Chrysalis to return to hiding, one of the Changelings chose to abandon the Hive and joined Blackchurch on his journey. This eventually led them to a Precursor Genetic Modification Facility, where "Smallchange" (as Blackchurch called the Changeling) volunteered to be put inside a Precursor device designed to "finish" his species' evolution. Blackchurch and Twilight Sparkle both operated the mechanism, causing a flash of green light to envelop Smallchange. The Changeling writhed in agony for minutes until his body gave way, revealing a much larger entity springing from it. Thus, Harbinger was born and the Awakened had been created.