ponies that have been completely sucked dry of their love for the queen become low class workers that are mainly used for cleaning the hive and other menial tasks. having to walk on jagged rocks most of the time leaves them unable to run away and mimics their superiors appearance in a grotesque way. they cannot exist outside the hive because they have forgotten what it means to be a free willed individual and will only live to serve the queen.

im only using strap here to illustrate the point because we know what he normally looks like. having to live underground has bleached his coat