//------------------------------//
// The Best Laid Plans Of Changelings and Ponies 
// Story: The Tale Of Staticspark 
// by Staticspark 
//------------------------------//

“WAKE UP YOU USELESS GRUBS!” The authoritative voice of Pharynx rang out. Changeling battle drills always started for all young changelings at the Changeling Academy before the sun even rose. “EARTH PONY!” was the order yelled out first. In a flash of light several young changelings changed shapes. Next to him Pronotum changed into a cute young mare that was known to the hive through the changeling intelligence network as Apple Bloom. 

‘These pony names have taken a great deal of learning to understand properly’ thought Electroplaque to himself ‘Changeling names make so much more sense.’ 

Several others imitated ponys such as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Struggling Electroplaque attempted to take the form of Babs Seed but as the changing field reached his scar the terrible familiar pain he knew rang out again. 

His change field collapsed and in the room were several decent representations of young fillies, a very angry hive commander and a small black changeling that bore a lightning bolt scar on his left side.

“IN MY OFFICE NOW” yelled the voice of a very angry Pharynx. Laughter erupted from a group of young pony imitations as well as a few choice words better not repeated. Timidly Electroplaque began the slow walk to the commander's office. A ritual he knew quite well. He was already playing through his head all of the possible responses he could give Commander Pharynx. All of them he knew would be wrong.

Quietly closing the door quietly, Electroplaque sat slowly down on his flank with his tail tucked between his legs, knowing what was coming.”You know Queen Chrysalis’s Royal Inspection is coming up in just 3 days right? I’ve already held you back for 2 years and the Queen is growing impatient with your progress. I’ve actually known her to expel changelings she finds to be useless in her battle plans from the hive entirely. She's considered doing it with Thorax for years and only Coxa and my begging for his useless carapace has stopped her from doing so.”

“I’m sorry sir, I've practiced several hours every day. It's just the pain…” said a very pensive Electroplaque.

“PAIN! HAVE YOU SEEN ONE OF YOUR CHANGELING BROTHERS HAVE HIS WINGS RIPPED OFF IN FRONT OF YOU WHILE INVADING THE DRAGON LANDS. HAVE YOU SMELT BURNING HEMOLYMPH BEFORE ELECTROPLAQUE? GET OUT OF MY OFFICE AND PRACTICE UP”

With those final words Electroplaque ran out of the office. Tail tucked between his legs and wings held close to his body. He could barely keep the tears from streaming from his eyes. He ran back to his bunk. Sadly even in such familiar surroundings, was not a place of refuge for the beaten down bug pony. 

“How about you change into a loser. Oh wait, you already are one.” Said a sneering Pronotum. Pronotum was top of his class at the Changeling Academy with top marks in disguise, infiltration and sabotage. He was not a classmate to be taken lightly, and he had bullied Electroplaque since Changeling Kindergarten.

In a giant flash of light Pronotum changed once again into Apple Bloom. With a sneer on her face a surprisingly high pitched voice mockingly said “Maybe you would be better as a pony, you could even date me sugar darling.” In a second bright flash and a cascade of laughter Pronotum changed back into his familiar angry self. 

“You should have seen the look on your dumb face, I’d bet you’re actually attracted to ponys too.” Pronotum screeched. He was barely able to get through the gasps of laughter. Not being able to take it, Electroplaque left the room with his dignity in shambles. He left the confines of his shared room into the wider hive. The shape of all the corridors changed but with an almost instinctual sense he navigated each twist and turn.

What he couldn't bring to understand instinctually was how rejected he was from the other members of the hive just by being different. The stares and the whispered speech anytime he was around told him that. So he kept his head down and headed for the gap in the outer wall of the nest only a select few knew about. 

This small gap existed between the guard officer of the day’s office and the triage department for wounded changelings. By squeezing through a small gap between the ceiling of one and the floor of the other he could gain access to the ventilation shafts. Things like ventilation shafts generally had to exist in most of the same places even if the hallways changed inside the hive to prevent accurate maps being made and falling into enemy hands.

After squeezing through and out an air duct, Electroplaque ran away to his normal hiding place. It was merely a small rocky outcropping just outside the nest, but it was the closest place to a home he felt he had. Whenever things would get hard he’d come here as a respite from the mocking and stares of others. He also used this area to practice without the dissuasion of his classmates.

 “Change, damn it” he yelled at himself from within a bright flash of light. Finally completing the change he had tried earlier, he let out a sigh of relief. Without the pressures of his peers looking over him he could usually pull off a full transformation save for a single issue. His scar. 

Ever since his egg was hit by that lightning strike, his exoskeleton had bore a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt. This scar also shows through any disguise. Hopefully this could be something he could hide during the Royal Inspection. 

The flaw of his scar was something he had already planned for though. It came through as bright yellow in any one of his disguises, but all he had to do was disguise himself as Apple Bloom when he transformed. Her coat matched the shade of his scar perfectly. He even kept a picture of her above his cot for the purposes of study. He had to be able to match her features perfectly so he needed to study her. That's all, no other reason, not at all.

    As his cheeks grew hot he decided to get back to practice. Only 3 days left until the Royal Inspection. He could not fail to transform in front of the Queen. 

Little did he know that other plans were in motion. “Frons, Scutum get over here” said a sneering Pronotum. “We have to show up that loser Electroplaque so we don’t get stuck in a platoon with him the rest of our lives.”

    “Yeah, he’s such a puny gnat, I can’t stand the look of him,” said Frons

    “Plus all the Ow, Ow, my scarrrr hurtssss, stuff gets so old and grating,” said Scutum.

    “Wait, heh heh heh, you just gave me the best idea Scutum.” Said Pronotum. “This is going to be so much fun. We are going to embarrass poor hurt Electroplaque.” 

With that the three set to scheming. Foolproofing their plan to take their target down. Growing more proud of their plan by the second. After all, scheming and subterfuge were what changelings did best.