//------------------------------//
// Chapter 10 
// Story: The Next Chapter 
// by Some Leech 
//------------------------------//

As the group followed the tracks, which Rush informed them did lead to Dodge Junction, the septet drifted into two teams: the first squad consisted of Flurry and the three drones, while the second included Cozy, Anon, and Chrysalis. It took them nearly the entire rest of the day to reach the edge of the forest, although they made the best of their time. Not only did they learn more about the trio of changelings, and visa versa, but a plan was carefully concocted.

Rush, Whir, and Storm were, by their own admission, the Dastardly Do-Gooders - the not so infamous shapeshifters who wandered aimlessly throughout Equestria being helpful and overly secretive. In their minds, they were insidious rebels who sustained themselves from the kindness and gratitude of those they helped. As silly as it sounded, it was as close to evil as reformed changelings could get.

In regards to how they’d stumbled across Cozy and her associates, they claimed to be headed south on the abandoned tracks to ‘look for creatures in need’. There were supposedly a small number of ponies or recluses who lived near or in the swamplands, even though they hadn’t seen any through their trek. She couldn’t say whether or not it was serendipity, sheer dumb luck, or if something was pulling at unseen strings, yet she was tentatively thankful for their aid.

Needless to say, Chrysalis was slightly less than pleased with the revelation. Generation after generation of her kind had passed, leaving her as possibly the last unreformed changeling in existence. Although it was possible that some solitary and predatory one of her kind existed somewhere in hiding, the chances were exceptionally low if not impossible. Her species had adapted and, for all intents and purposes, she was a living relic of a bygone era.

While the prehistoric and formidable Queen shrugged it off, vying to produce a hive of superior changelings, Cozy wasn’t sure if it was possible. Chrysalis, like herself, would be left to adapt to a land that, despite its similarities, was vastly different than the one they knew. At the time of their imprisonment, the world had entered a transitory phase, with the various sapient species truly coming together in unification. After hundreds of years in stasis, things had changed.

As for their plan of action, it was deceptively simple. Upon entering Dodge Junction, Rush, his band, and Chrysalis would disguise themselves as royal guards who were escorting Cozy, Anon, and Flurry to Twilight’s palace. Considering the Princess of Friendship hadn’t had a hoof in freeing the changeling Queen, there was a considerable chance that nobody would be expecting them to be traveling together.

Upon entering town and securing transit on a train, which would hopefully be relatively vacant given the late hour, they would ride to Ponyville and confront Twilight. There was only a single squadron of guards on duty at the Castle of Friendship at any given time, according to Flurry, so there should only be minimal intervention from the soldiery. Ideally, they’d be able to confront the Princess without any need for conflict.

As the woodlands started to thin, giving way to the arid landscape of the northern badlands, their pace slowed to a crawl. Finding a small clearing away from the tracks and within view of the small settlement of Dodge Junction, they rested until the sun had fully set. Enacting their scheme during daylight hours could have worked, yet the cover of night would mean avoiding the public and possibly drawing a crowd. Frittering away the final hour or so before dusk, the group sated themselves with their provisions.

“Shouldn’t we send in a scout?” Chrysalis inquired, munching on one of the remaining cookies.

“Having one lone pony show up in town at such an off hour might raise questions,” Cozy replied. 

Neither she nor Chrysalis were all that familiar with the dusty town and that wasn’t the only factor at play; while Rush, Whir, and Storm played an integral part of her scheme, she wasn’t exactly comfortable with letting them disappear into the settlement. Friendly though they may be, she’d only known them for a scant few hours and wasn’t willing to place her full trust in them.

“I just hope nobody questions why four guards would be showing up, from out of the woods, asking for a train to Ponyville,” Anon grunted, eyeing the lone locomotive resting on the tracks.

“I highly doubt anyone would stop us. With a group of soldiers escorting a Princess and two criminals - no offense - to Princess Twilight, we should get through without an issue,” Flurry noted.

“Just do most of the talking and try to keep the conversations to a minimum. You hold more authority than any of us. Once we’re onboard and underway, stick close. If things go awry, we need to stay together,” Cozy intoned.

“We aren’t going to have to fight, are we?” Rush asked, knitting his brow.

“If we do, just follow my lead,” Chrysalis huffed, leering at the trio. “Do they not teach martial and sorcerous combat in the hive anymore?”

“Hives,” Whir corrected. “And, no, they teach us that fighting is wrong.”

“It is, but being framed for crimes which you didn’t commit is worse,” Flurry grumbled. “If Twilight is really behind all this, I’m going to give her a piece of my mind…”

“We’ll figure it out, don’t worry,” Anon reassuringly stated, squeezing the alicorn’s shoulder.

“If it’s not Twilight, I’m going to give whatever is impersonating her more than a piece of my mind,” Chrysalis growled.

“Alright, alright, let’s save it and get ready to move out. Anon, stay somber and crestfallen. Rush, Whir, Storm, I want you to be as stoic and professional as possible. Chrysalis, you know what to do. Straight to the train, get onboard, order them to depart. The longer we hang around, the more attention we’ll draw to ourselves - even if word hasn’t reached the city about the goings on,” Cozy instructed, sternly looking to each of them.

The quartet of changelings nodded, before metamorphosing in a flash of light. While Rush, Whir, and Storm each transformed into armor clad versions of their pony disguises from earlier, Chrysalis chose a much more dramatic approach.  She transfigured herself into an absolutely titanic earth mare, easily larger and more heavily built than the average stallion, replete with a crested helm and medals of rank.

“Move it, you grubs! You will pay for your crimes at the hooves of Twilight, grand Princess of Friendship!” the unrecognizable Queen barked.

Rolling her eyes, Cozy motioned for Anon to join her. Their guards surrounded them, with Flurry taking the lead. Just as they began to trot towards the town, Whir rushed back, grabbed the basket with their remaining goods, and scampered back into formation.

“We can leave the goodies at the station for somepony!” the drone cheerfully remarked.

“Fine, but no more distractions please,” Cozy murmured.

As Dodge Junction grew closer, only a few figures could be seen trotting about on the dimly lit streets. The settlement had never been large and, from what she could tell, it hadn’t grown much over her centuries’ long absence. The environment wasn’t suitable for agriculture, outside of an orchard situated to the north near a river. 

The only major routes leading to the town, according to Flurry, were the train station and two hoofpaths leading to the north and south. While some of the residents made a living off the farmland in one direction, there were intrepid souls who braved the badlands to mine for rare opals and gold ore deposits - in either case, life wasn’t easy and the meager population reflected it.

Moving into the city along the packed earth of the road, they only passed a hoofful of ponies - all of whom were loitering outside the entrance of a tiny saloon. All it took was the baleful gaze from Chrysalis to send the locals scattering inside. The Queen-turned-praetorian snickered to herself, as she watched them flee.

To her utter amazement, they made it to the train station without a single delay or mishap. The locomotive sat imposingly behind the building, hissing dully as its colossal engine idled. They were so close to clearing the hurdle, to boarding the train, that Cozy wasn’t surprised when something went amiss.

“Well that was faster than I thought,” a stallion called out, causing the group to turn.

Wearing a leather vest, with a tiny silver star pinned on the collar, the pony peered questioningly at the odd assembly. It made sense that a constable was sent to investigate their appearance and, if they were lucky, the matter could be dealt with swiftly enough. Clearing her throat, the Princess turned to address the curious officer.

The group froze, staring over at the deputy. Something was wrong; they shouldn’t have been expected at all and the implications of the marshal’s words were anything but comforting. If he knew the situation, even in a limited regard, they would need to expedite their plans to flee.

“Sheriff, my guards and I are returning to Ponyville with these prisoners. I hate to be a bother, but we need your train,” Flurry intoned, playing off his statement.

“Shucks, it’s a pleasure to meet ya, Princess Flurry!” he exclaimed. Giving her a hasty bow, he trotted towards them. “I sure am glad they were able to find and rescue you, but where are the rest of the troops?”

“The other units split into teams and fanned out through the marshland. Given the nature of our captives, it is imperative that we return them to Twilight at once,” Chrysalis smoothly claimed, waving at the small pegasus and human. “My colleagues will doubtless follow us post-haste and will take the next train.”

The sheriff peered up at her, seemingly studying her for a second, before rubbing the back of his neck. “I can have one of my deputies send a signal for the rest of those guards. It shouldn’t take long.”

After a protracted pause, Chrysalis nodded. “Very well. We’ll secure the train and prepare it to be underway,” she grumbled. Thrusting a hoof at Rush and Whir, she glowered. “Remove any civilians and ensure them that they’ll be compensated for the inconvenience. The last thing we need are fine ponies being exposed to this filth,” she instructed.

“Yes Ma’am!” the two replied in unison, dashing into the open door of the nearest passenger car.

“You’ve done us a great service, officer,” the disguised Queen congenially noted, trotting over and clapping a hoof to the marshal's shoulder. Without awaiting a response, she turned and shoved Anon hard in the back. “Get moving,” she snarled.

“Right, y...y’all be careful with those two,” the sheriff stammered, turning tail and galloping away.

As Whir and Rush ushered the scant few ponies and creatures off the train, the remaining quintet saw themselves onboard. Moving through the coaches, towards the front of the massive vehicle, they kept quiet until they reached the more lavish cars. They chose a vacant room as temporary refuge to regroup.

Stepping into one of the private compartments, Flurry fretfully looked to her companions. “They’re out looking for us? How could they know we were here?”

“If I had to guess, Twilight used that map of hers - that or she sensed the immense discharge of magic it must have taken to teleport Anon,” Cozy answered. “Chrysalis, you tell the conductor to have us underway. Storm, go help your friends and finish clearing the train. Having passengers aboard would only complicate matters. Have everyone meet back here when you’re finished.”

“I’m on it,” the Matriarch grunted, dashing off to accomplish her goal.

Storm nodded mutely and rushed off in the opposite direction. Cozy closed the door behind him, leaving Flurry, Anon, and herself in relative seclusion. If there were other soldiers searching the Hayseed marshlands for them, they’d need to move quickly. Even if the other guards were some distance away, communicating via scroll or magical signal would mean their appearance wouldn’t give them much time to work with.

“At full speed, the train shouldn’t take more than five or six hours to reach Ponyville. Considering there are troops looking for us, Twilight will know we’re coming. Once we reach our destination, we’ll have to book it to the castle,” Cozy thought aloud. Making a mad dash to the palace was less than ideal but, barring some sort of miracle, it was the only avenue left to them.

“At least the tracks run along the western side of town and aren’t that far from the castle,” Flurry added.

Anon set his brow and glanced at the Princess and pegasus. “You know, you could just abandon me. If they’re looking for us here, I could be a diversion.”

The selfless notion struck Cozy by surprise. She couldn’t remember a time when someone had been willing to sacrifice themselves for her well-being and she didn’t take the offer lightly. While she had considered utilizing teleportation, she wasn’t willing to take that route; not only would it mean abandoning the man to fend for himself, an option she was growing increasingly less inclined to do, but it meant losing his unique skills.

“No, you’re too valuable. Even with Flurry and Chrysalis on our side, Twilight would probably overpower us - especially if she’s expecting us. You’re our ace in the hole for any sort of magical onslaught,” she murmured. “I dragged you into this, both of you, so we’re in it together.”

As uncomfortable as it was to admit it, a certain fondness for Anon and Flurry had been budding within her. Each of them had been instrumental in her release and, of their own volition, they had chosen to help her on every step of the way. If they’d decided to turn themselves in and plead their case to Twilight, they would have probably been spared of any punishment or ill will - probably, yet they’d stuck with her.

The most infuriating part of the situation was that it still didn’t make much sense. They’d been ruthlessly persecuted and hunted down for crimes they didn’t commit. Anon couldn’t have freed her on his own and, so far as she could tell, he’d just been trying to live his life. Flurry was a Princess and, naive or not, she certainly hadn’t been duped into doing anything remotely nefarious.

Twilight was no fool and was easily one of the most intellectually astute ponies she’d ever crossed paths with - that being said, the alicorn wasn’t without flaws. Before she’d been imprisoned, she’d heard tales of the Princess’ obsessive, nearly fanatical eye for detail. If she was behind all the goings on, it wasn’t without some reason or rationale. With centuries having come and gone, having suffered through the loss of her friends, she may have latched on to some strange idea or plot.

“If we’re going to run for it, stick behind me. I’m not sure if changelings can make barriers, but I know Flurry can. She should be able to shield you and the others from anything that gets by me,” Anon muttered, jarring Cozy from her thoughts. “But I don’t think my toga will survive…”

“Anon, I swear, I’ll buy you a whole trunk of new togas and a house to put them in, once we’re done with this craziness,” Flurry affectionately hummed, grinning weakly up at him.

Before the conversation could continue, the floor lurched beneath them. Flittering up to the window, Cozy saw that they were moving - albeit slowly. Pulling the blinds, reducing the chances they’d be spotted by anyone outside, she turned to face the door. Sure enough, after a few seconds, Rush and his gang appeared.

“Everycreature is off-board, just like you asked,” he declared, with his friends nodding behind him.

“And we’ll be at full speed shortly,” Chrysalis added, poking her head through the doorway.

“Good. How many cars are between here and the engine?” Cozy asked.

“Just one,” the Queen responded.

Looking to each of her companions in turn, Cozy gestured a wing towards the back of the locomotive. “I need everyone to go and shut and blind all the windows on the entire train. Secure each car as best you can then reconvene at the forward most coach. If they’re looking for us, we’re not going to make it easy for them.”

The motley crew nodded, slipping out of the small cabin to accomplish her task. Teleporting to a moving object wasn’t easy, although it wasn’t impossible either. It may have been an overly precautious measure to secure each car and draw the blinds on every window, yet they had time before they arrived and she was going to make use of it.

Left alone with Flurry, Cozy and the Princess moved from room to room of the carriage. With everyone working in concert, everyone finished up and assembled at the front of the train. In the relatively short span of time it had taken them all to finish their chore, the locomotive was moving along at an impressive speed. All that was left to do was wait and hope that their voyage would go uninterrupted.

“We can rest in shifts,” Cozy remarked, pointing to the two forward most rooms of the passenger car they occupied. “I know it probably won’t be easy to get any sleep, but we’ve been moving since morning and everyone will need to be ready and able once we reach Ponyville.”

“Wait, I had an idea,” Flurry chirped. “Rush, Whir, Storm,” she continued, turning to address the trio, “can you disguise yourselves Cozy, Anon, and I?”

“Could we disguise ourselves as you? Pffft - please,” Whir giggled, instantly metamorphosing into a facsimile of the Princess. In the blink of an eye, her companions did likewise, with Rush assuming the form of Anon and Storm transforming into a mirror image of Cozy.

“If there is going to be some sort of conflict, I don’t want you all involved. Once we get to Ponyville, I want you three to book it into town and hide. You won’t have to keep up the charade for long. All I want you to do is cause a ruckus and get away, that’s it,” the Princess explained. “This is our problem, not yours.”

Cozy was floored. She knew Flurry wasn’t daft, but she would have never expected the alicorn to devise something so brilliant. The chaos which would ensue from having two groups of fugitives flee from the train would, at the very least, cause confusion and force the soldiery to split their forces. Considering none of them were exceptionally fit for combat, should it come to that, the plan was a stroke of genius.

“I...if you’re alright with it, of course,” Flurry concluded, smiling bashfully.

“We’ve been sneaking from town to town for nearly three years and haven’t been caught yet,” Rush smugly said, transitioning to his original form and looking to his cohorts. “Getting away shouldn’t be too hard, so we’re game.”

“Hyu-man Anon, give me your arm,” Chrysalis asked, causing Cozy to turn.

“It doesn’t come off,” Anon joked, extending one upper limb.

Rolling her eyes, the Queen shifted back to her natural state and ignited her horn. The cloth draping over his arm drifted upward, exposing his flesh from the shoulder down. With a throaty cough, she hocked two small gobbets of thick phlegm onto him - with one covering his forearm and the other his bicep.

“Don’t touch it and let it harden,” she instructed, reaching out and smoothing the material. “It won’t be as strong as steel, given that it will only have a few hours to harden, but it should suffice to protect you from impacts.”

“Can you make a shield too?” Anon inquired, experimentally bending and flexing his arm.

“I don’t have a limitless supply, but yes. Underlings, fashion the hyu-man a curirass and armor his legs,” Chrysalis ordered, glowering at the trio of drones.

“We can’t. After the great reformation, we lost the ability,” Whiz sullenly explained.

“Great reformation,” Chrysalis scoffed, flicking her mane away from her face. Hacking up a sizable ball of the resin, she levitated the wad and fashioned it into a buckler. “If we’d had a few days, it would be as durable as stone; sadly, we don’t have that luxury.”

It was a stunning sight to behold. Everyone, despite having only known each other for an all too brief period of time, was helping one another. Flurry had devised a remarkable diversion, which would also remove the Dastardly Do-Gooders from any potential harm, and Chrysalis was fashioning armor for Anon. It was profound to see such a band of misfits come together and work as a team and it sparked a glimmer of hope in all of them.

Although they were going to face a Princess and whatever protectors she had, they actually had a chance. Between Anon’s resilience to magic, Flurry and Chrysalis’ sorcerous power, and Rush’s band running interference, they should be able to make it to the castle. Making use of their respective abilities was all they could do, since resources and time were not in their favor, yet their task was far from impossible.

“I’m going to take a nap. Wake me only if we’re about to meet an untimely demise,” Chrysalis grunted, gently resting the small shield outside of one of the rooms. Before she disappeared from view, she stopped, stepped back, and looked over to the Princess. “I’m going to hold you to your word, you know.”

“Pardon?” Flurry quipped, cocking her head.

“Ideally, yes,” the Queen stated. “Once this is over and done with, if we’re not imprisoned in some form or fashion, I would like a pardon. It’s the least I deserve for helping a Princess.”

“Chrysalis,” Flurry began, trotting to the Matriarch’s side, “you have my solemn vow, on one condition.”

“That being…?” Chrysalis groaned, shifting in place to face the marginally shorter alicorn.

“That I get to visit and learn from you. Oh! And document everything, of course,” the Princess added, grinning broadly.

Incredulously, Chrysalis studied Flurry for a moment. “And what purpose would that serve?”

“Well, for starters, we’re both royalty and it seems only fitting,” Flurry noted.

The Queen nodded. “This is true.”

“More importantly, so help me, I meant what I said before. I want to learn about you and everything you’ve gone through. Call me crazy, but I don’t think it’s fair that the history books only get a one sided view of everything,” the Princess continued.

“If you insist, although I’ll be expecting confections. So help you if you bring - bleh - cheesecake to these proposed social engagements,” Chrysalis virtually shivered.

“No cheesecake, got it,” Flurry snickered, leaping forward and ambushing the stunned changeling with a fleeting hug.

As dumbfounding as it was, Chrysalis didn’t fight the brief embrace. She simply stood wide eyed and scrunched her snout, before the Princess retreated. Without saying a word, she fled into her room and shut the door behind herself. It was, in all respects, the closest thing to reciprocated affection Cozy had seen from the Matriarch and she couldn’t help but fight back a smirk.

“I’ll take the first watch. Rush, I’ll get you up in an hour or so,” Anon noted, clapping the drone’s shoulder as he strode to the back of the car.

“I’ll keep you company. There’s no sense in keeping a silent vigil and being lonely,” Flurry admonished, her positive energy standing in stark contrast to the severity of their situation.

“If there’s any sign of trouble, just come and get us. Keep an eye on the skies or overpasses, since that’s where we’d probably get attacked from. If it were me, I’d spring a trap over the Ghastly Gorge,” Cozy mused, rubbing her chin.

Flurry stopped and gazed over at the diminutive pegasus for a moment. “I can see how you nearly won.”

“Close doesn’t count,” Cozy asserted. “Nearly winning in chess simply means you delayed a loss, that’s why you always think several moves ahead.”

With that, she proceeded into one of the tiny cabins to make herself comfortable. She doubted she’d get much rest, but it couldn’t hurt to try. Hopping onto one of the twin sofas, easing herself onto the cushioned seat, the train trundled along around her. Her biggest fear at that moment was that her adversary, whether it be Twilight or some imposter, hadn’t predicted their next move…