Lieutenant Silverspark watched as Sergeant Cyclone and Sergeant Shield directed the rest of the troops under his command in setting up their camp. After having just finished receiving an update on the changeling situation from Princess Twilight Sparkle, he was now mentally going over the logistics for their campaign. They all might be here for a while with how difficult it would be to detect changelings, he knew that from previous experience.
“Private Volley, watch where you’re flying!” Sergeant Cyclone yelled out, a little too late.
The rear end of the Pegasus, who was flying backwards while carrying one end of a large wooden chest, collided hard into Private Strike. The earth pony mare toppled onto her side and released the rope to a corner of the command tent that she had been holding in her teeth. This caused the structure to collapse on Private Reprise who was inside bracing the central pole. The struggling unicorn mare’s head tore through the canvas roof thanks to her horn.
Silverspark let out an irritated puff of air from his nostrils and bit back the expletives he was about to unleash. The excitement of their arrival had attracted quite a few foals from around the town and many of them still observed the troops as they prepared their outpost. He didn’t want to be a negative influence on them.
“You yaldson Private Volley!” roared Sergeant Cyclone who apparently forgot or didn’t care about the present youths. “Where under Celestia's sun did you learn to fly!?”
“Sorry Sir!” Private Volley apologized.
“What’s a yaldson?” a green eyed, light grey unicorn filly asked her friend.
“I don’t know, let’s ask your sister,” the cerise maned, orange coated pegasus responded.
“Celestia help me…” mumbled Silverspark before he shouted out. “Cyclone, Shield, I want this camp up in less than twenty-five minutes and I want everypony assembled for mission briefing!”
“Yes Sir Lieutenant!” the two sergeants replied.
Twenty-one minutes later, Silverspark surveyed his troops. Thanks to their golden enchanted armor, each pony appeared to have the same uniform fur and eye color. For the earth pony and pegasi, it was powder white fur with blue eyes. For the unicorns and bat ponies, grey fur with orange-yellow eyes, however the barding for the bat ponies was a blueish purple.
A non-pony would probably have trouble discerning one guard apart from the next but if you knew the ponies scent and body language you could tell who was who.
“As you all know,” Silverspark started, slowly walking down the line of guards, “Queen Chrysalis has returned along with some rogue changelings. We have been deployed to track down their current location and rescue an earth pony colt by the name of Sandbar.”
Silverspark halted in front of Private Volley and stared at him briefly before continuing.
“Sandbar’s cutiemark consists of three sea turtles,” he informed them. “His fur is a pale spring green; his mane is a light cyan mixed with moderate opal; his eyes are a light sea green and his tail is cut short. If you have trouble remembering that, his parents have supplied us with some photographs of him.”
The lieutenant stopped walking and turned around once he reached the end of the troop line.
“Other than Sandbar no other citizens have been reported missing, yet,” the unicorn continued as he walked. “What we are going to see very soon is every stallion, mare and foal pointing their hooves at each other and claiming somepony is a changeling because they let out a fart.”
Down the line somepony made a soft snort, trying to hold back a laugh.
“I’m glad you think that’s funny Private Blaze,” said Silverspark to the unicorn stallion, “you’re my first volunteer for the job of going around Ponyville and recording any information the townsfolk have concerning changeling sightings. Now, would anypony like to step forward to assist Private Blaze?”
“I will sir!” Private Volley said.
“That’s very generous of you Private Volley,” said the lieutenant, “but I have a different assignment for you.”
Private Volley stepped back into line with a slight crinkle to his snout, most likely at the thought of the many unpleasant jobs he could be given.
“Private Spring and Private Coldsteel,” Silverspark said, “you two will be working with Private Blaze.”
“Yes sir!” Private Spring, a pegasus mare, and Private Coldsteel, an earth pony stallion, said as one.
“Now what you may not know,” Silverspark said, his tone turning grim, “is that the changeling queen now has a daughter. In other words, we are now dealing with not one but two changeling queens. I’m sure you’ve heard the expression ‘don’t come between a mother bear and her cub.’ Well, for us its ‘watch your rump if you find yourself between Chrysalis and her foal,’ understand?”
The lieutenant let a moment pass for the information to sink in for the troops.
“I will be splitting up some of you into three teams to scout the surrounding areas,” the lieutenant went on. “Alpha Team, led by Sergeant Cyclone, will be searching the White Tail Woods and the northern farmlands. Corporal Stardust along with Private Daydream, Insight, Sky and Claymore, you five on Alpha Team.”
The unicorn reached the opposite end of the line and turned around again.
“Bravo team will be led by Sergeant Shield and will be searching around the Everfree and Saddle Lake,” he continued. “Private Tradewind, Breeze, Spark, Strike and Dustoff, you are on Bravo Team. Charlie team will be led by Corporal Nightshade and will be searching Ghastly Gorge and Rambling Rock Ridge. Private Dewdrop, Larkspur, Cloud, and Hope, you are on Charlie Team. Are there any questions?”
Nopony spoke up.
“Private Volley,” Silverspark said, stopping in front of the pegasus. “Princess Twilight has informed me that some reformed changelings from King Thorax’s hive are here and will be assisting in locating the rogue changelings. You and Private Reprise will be going to meet up with them at the princess’s castle to assist in their endeavor.”
“Yes sir,” Private Volley said, doing a good job of keeping his face neutral if he was put off by his assignment.
“Yes sir,” dittoed Private Reprise.
“This should be a given,” said Silverspark, “but I’ll waste my breath saying it anyway. You are all to stay together. I don’t care what the situation is. I don’t care if you have to use the little pony’s room. I don’t care if Harmony Honey comes along and shakes her tail for you. You are not to go off alone from your group. I don’t need somepony under my command getting replaced by a changeling. If it happens I swear I will personally find you. I will pull you out of the pod they stick you in; and I will make you wish that I left you behind and just kept the changeling instead. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes sir,” the troop shouted in unison.
“Good,” Silverspark nodded. “Hardtack and I will be going to the princess’s school to see what we can learn. The rest of you see what you can find and return here an hour before Celestia sets the sun. Dismissed.”
It only took a few moments for the teams to assemble under their leaders and move out.
Later Lieutenant Silverspark and Private Hardtack trotted down the path leading away from the School of Friendship. They passed by many students as they crossed the campus grounds. Some of them moved about in groups, going to and from classes. Others talked with each other as they lay in the soft green grass under the warm sun.
They had just finished talking to one rather forlorn looking party in particular, consisting of many different creatures including a reformed changeling, who now sat quietly along the edge of the small pond that surrounded the front of the school.
“It’s unfortunate no pony had any more useful information,” Private Hardtack said, looking back over his withers.
“I had an inkling it would be a dead end,” the unicorn frowned. “The changelings did a good job of causing confusion to cover their escape.”
“Do you think we might have to resort to scanning every pony with magic to see if they are a changeling?” the earth pony asked.
“I don’t know how well that will go over,” the lieutenant said. “The ponies in Canterlot put up a big fuss when we started to do that there after the royal wedding. The spell doesn’t feel very pleasant.”
“It is uncomfortable,” Hardtack said with a shiver. “I remember when it was used on me, puts your entire body on pins and needles, leaves you feeling empty for a moment too.”
“That’s because it briefly cuts off you’re connection to magic,” Silverspark reminded him. “No pony or changeling enjoys that.”
“You know, my grandmother used to crush up lavender flowers and rub it on our hides when me and my brother were foals,” Hardtack said. “She did it to keep flies off of us in the summer.”
“I take it your suggesting there might be a natural changeling repellent somewhere,” implied the unicorn. “Well, if there is, the alchemists in Canterlot haven’t found it yet.”
The two guards stopped and their ears twitched at the sound of barking. A brown and white collie went zipping past, followed by a light yellow filly with a large pink bow in her red mane. The dog stopped and sniffed around on the ground before barking at a set of bushes.
“Good girl Winona!” the little earth pony filly said in an accent. “Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, I know y’all are in there.”
“Apple Bloom!” a voice from the bush said. “That’s not fair!”
“Yeah!” said another voice. “Using Winona at hide and seek is cheating.”
“Well, ya never said ah couldn’t,” the earth filly said with a smirk to the unicorn and pegasus fillies that crawled out from under the bush.
Both Silverspark and Hardtack watched the dog as it happily bounded in a circle around the arguing fillies.
“Hardtack,” Silverspark said and cracked a small grin. “I just had an epiphany.”