Already stunned by the blow, the quiet changeling was pinned underneath his comrade. The large, size-ten hooves moved quickly to crack his right wing with a great *SNAP*!
“OW– MY WING!” He shrieked.
“Great job, PW! Two captured.” Night-Mare 2 commended Polaris and moved to pull tie-wraps out of her bag.
She quickly secured the Changelings’ wings to their bodies with them and chained their hind hooves together for good measure.
“Ugh– I swear I’m gonna pummel that freak!” The noisy changeling grumbled, coming to.
“You didn’t have to get me!” The quiet one whined as he tried not to strain his wing.
“Hmph– I didn’t know you had that much fight in you, pegasus!” The loud Changeling said. “W– who tied me up?!” He added in alarm.
“I didn’t do a thing. Then, or now.” Polaris smiled.
“Then, who…” The words fell as he turned.
“I did.” 2 declared, stopping what she was doing and rearing to her full height, seven-odd feet with her snow-boots on. Although PW would have said she was even taller.
“For Chrysalis’ sake; wha– what is that! We can't morph into that!” Cried the noisy changeling.
The quiet one could only stutter as he took in 2’s shifting augments, let alone her sheer size. “Run for it!” He finally shouted and sprang to his hooves. He didn’t get far before his chain tying him to his partner stopped him and fell to the ground whimpering.
“Get up, you idiot!” His partner shrieked.
The Night-Mare circled around to their faces like a cheetah stalking its prey and stomped hard into the ground.
“You are captured!” She shouted. “I’m calling the shots, now. You; loud one. Rear up; you’re being frisked!”
The changeling was unhappy and resisted by moving slowly.
“Move it or else you’re getting a bullet in your head!” 2 thundered, yanking his shoulder.
Polaris looked up at his towering companion, awed as she moved about frisking the changeling. Night-Mare 2 recovered his saddlebag and tossed it to PW, who dumped it out..
“You! You’re an accomplice! This whole thing was a trap!” He shouted in complaint as PW shifted through his things without a word.
“Your turn!” The imposing mare barked to the other changeling.
He reared up immediately and did not resist being frisked. His saddlebag was also chucked to PW who’d already neatly organized the first bag’s contents into tactical and non-tactical piles.
“Good job, guy!” Number 2 complimented his workmanship, pleased to see PW had sorted it for her as she too looked through the items.
“What’s the deal here?! You boys are apparently planning something!” The intimidating mare bellowed, throwing several maps before them. “What is this?!” She demanded.
“Uh, i-it’s…” Began the timid changeling.
“Quiet, you idiot! Don’t rat us out!” His partner cut him off.
Polaris and 2 exchanged glances, impressed at his resolve. “How many of you are out there?” She snapped.
“It’s just us lot.” He muttered behind a glare.
Night-Mare 2 turned to PW and gestured for a fact check. “Wrong, dirty liars!” He stamped the ground to directly assist the interrogation.
“Do you take us for fools?! Try again. How many of you are there?” Night-Mare 2 thundered and whipped her tail against their equipment with a great *CLAP*
“Us and two others.” The changeling held his ground.
2 looked down at PW. “Still not coming clean.” He said.
She closed her distance with the noisy changeling in a slow, snaking motion until they were inches apart. “I’m going to ask you ONE MORE TIME. How many of you are there?” The mare growled, building a temper to her words.
A forehoof found its way to the back of his head. Her metal fingers clicked from their sockets and gripped his skull. He gulped and shut his eyes tight.
“There’s eight of us on our own. A-and a group of thirty-two lagging back there.” He finally relented through a clenched jaw.
PW nodded that he was telling the truth. 2 backed off and took a look at the maps.
“This seems to describe what’s going on here.” She pointed. “I see a big blob and four small arrows converging on this location which looks like a cliff along the road. Then this big arrow is running up to the same cliff. You two seem to be on the path of the southernmost small arrow. So tell me; what is supposed to happen here?” She pointed to the cliff on the map.
“Um, we…” The quiet changeling grumbled.
“Shut up!” Rebuked the noisy one. He found his resolve again and said, “It’s a picnic!”
“A picnic? Where’s your food, then?” 2 chuckled.
“We don’t have it. The other guys are carrying it!”
“Really? If all five groups of you are going to converge on this one spot, after entering from the same location; why take separate paths? You’d think flying in formation would save time and energy.”
“We are explorers!” He explained. “Like the, erm, the Daring Do!”
“I don’t buy that…” 2 muttered and rose.
She thumped over to the quiet changeling and sat down in front of him. “You there. You look like you’re the kind of guy that doesn’t like to get bit for saying the wrong thing. Am I right?” The mega mare asked with a toothy grin.
“Leave him be, he doesn’t know anything!” Complained the noisy changeling.
She ignored him and clicked her fingers out before his snout. His breathing quickened at the sight, even more so when she gripped his shoulder.
“Are you going to talk to me? Or am I going to need to break even more of you?” The mare asked, leaning into and forcing herself over him.
The changeling gulped and shook in terror but said nothing.
Polaris, meanwhile, was having a field day watching this go down. ‘I’ve got to get HQ to let me take a film recorder if I get hired! For evidence, of course!’ He lied.
The huge pony next reached out and took the changeling’s unbroken wing in her fingers, examining it.
“Such an interesting, scaly complexion. Compared to my friend’s feathers.” She said as the changeling in her grasp trembled. She then worked her fingers against the wing, starting to bend it.
“So, um… here’s your chance to speak. Without it costing you.” She warned as she bent the wing back.
“Stop, please! I’ll talk, I’ll talk!” He finally cried and was immediately released.
“You pussy!” Mocked the other changeling.
2 rolled her eyes, reached over and yanked a neckerchief out of her bag and tossed it towards PW. “Give us some peace and quiet please?”
PW rolled up the cloth and gagged the noisy changeling, much to his irritation.
“That’s better. We don’t need to worry about your partner here lobbing insults at you while we have our conversation. You need to get your point across the first time. Unless you want these thighs to use your exoskeleton as a one-time exercise tool.” She sat down with a low *THUMP*. “So, why are you here?”
“It’s an ambush. We’re here to ambush the royal caravan.” The changeling whispered.
“You mean to drive it over the cliff?”
“Yes, exactly that.”
“And why are you separated from the main group?”
“Scouts went ahead to look for any Royal Guard!” He answered.
“Too bad. I’m Guard. I guess you could say you found us.” 2 next pointed to the map’s ‘x’. “Is this your rendezvous point?”
“Yeah?”
“What time is the rendezvous set for?”
“Tonight. At sundown.”
“Aw, yeah. Momma’s gonna hunt in the dark. See these eyes?” She pointed to her amber pupils. “They’re specifically suited to seeing in the dim light common at northern latitudes.” She stood and fished another gag from her pack. “Well, I think we have all the information we need. I’m glad you decided to talk and you should be, too. You’re still in one piece! Keep being good and I’ll put in a word for you. Might even get you a softer sentence!”
With that she inserted the gag and rose.
“I do believe you both know the way. Unfortunately, we’re going to have to travel across the ground now. Lead the way.” She ordered and turned to her companion. “PW, take their map into the sky and cross reference it with ours. Reassess all the positions.”
“Yes ma'am!” He said, taking off into the sky.
Night-Mare 2 pushed the changeling pair in front of her and the hike began.
Polaris meanwhile retraced his first flight and quickly found the 6 other scouts in the air. ‘No time to confirm the others!’ He realized, turning back. “Vanhoover Control, two changelings captured. Six more scouts will be arriving momentarily.”
“Copy, great job.” Was the response.
It wasn’t long before 2 and her captives arrived at Alpha.
“The scouts are nearly upon us! I didn’t even have time to confirm the main line’s position. What is the plan?” PW asked her.
“Changelings are predictable. They’re going to land beside the ice cliff where the ambush is intended. I’m going down there and we’re going to smoke them.” She caught herself and muttered. “I mean, subdue. We’re going to subdue them. Without casualties. As for these two.” Her voice went low as she withdrew her pistol and handed it over to a wide-eyed PW. “You’re going to have to watch them! If they move an inch, shoot them. No words. Just shoot.”
With that she saddled her bags up before trotting down the hill to the road. Polaris Wind was terrified but could not voice any reservations in front of the enemy. He eyed the weapon and mentally noted how he would aim something clearly designed for something with fingers. He wasn’t sure if he could even handle the recoil.
2 meanwhile trotted to the ice cliff, dug out some fallen snow from a snowbank and then burrowed into it to hide herself from view. Just a few minutes later a gaggle was heard entering the valley.
“That’s it!”
“How do you know?”
“I have the map, dummy.”
One changeling landed only yards from 2’s hiding spot.
“So where the buck is Chitin and the other guy? I ain’t a dummy and count six of us, not eight.”
“We’re at the right location so those idiots must have gotten lost!”
A gray object popped out of the ground and hissed a cloud of smoke.
“The hay is this?!?”
“Volcanic vent!” Another shouted as the cloud enveloped them.
“No, you imbecile, it’s some ca-AAUGH!”
“What’s a ca-aaugh?”
“Probably some stupid ei…”
“What the hay is going on?”
“Help…” Cried a voice familiar to PW.
“Who is that?”
“Idiots it’s a…”
“A what?”
“Is there somepony in the cloud?” One of them asked, finally escaping the smoke cloud.
A titanic hulk with a coat to match the smoke flew out of the opaque cloud like a giant wrecking ball and knocked the poor changeling back several yards.
“Sounds like a fight!” Cried yet another voice.
The mare instinctively turned for the sound and ran through the cloud again.
“It’s– !” Yelled yet another, silenced voice.
“It’s what…? Hello…? Guys…? EEP!” Went the last voice alongside an audible *CRACK.*
Despite the smoke 2 bundled up her catch and emerged from the smoke walking on two legs, with a changeling tucked under either of her forelegs. She simply dropped them onto the ground beside each other like sacks of rice and repeated the process until there were six in a row. The titan got to work binding their wings down, followed by chaining them together. Gradually, they began to regain their senses one by one.
“What happened? What is this?” One of them asked blindly.
“Don’t look now, Abbie, but we’ve been dropped.”
“That’s impossible.” The changeling stammered. “There’s nopony out here!”
“Wrong.” 2 stood and thumped over to the changeling. “Your little game is up. I know why you all are here; you’ve already lost. Now, keep your mouth shut. You’re of no use to me.” She quickly gagged the struggling creatures and shouted in Polaris’ direction. “PW! Take to the air and locate the main force. Radio the capture quickly, before dark!”
“I’m still holding a pistol!” Shouted PW.
The mare rolled her eyes and raced up the hill to meet PW and retrieve her pistol. The mare lifted the gun so strongly she almost pulled PW off the ground with it. She then yanked the two scouts off down the hill towards the others while he took off.
“Vanhoover Control, six scouts neutralized. Eight captured. Looking for the main group.” Radioed PW.
He found the formation flying in the twilight sky a few minutes later. “Vanhoover Control the main force is ten minutes from Point Alpha. I believe Number 2’s intention is to engage almost immediately.”
“Yup.” She piped in.
“Northwind, please radio back when the threat is understood to be neutralized.”
“You got it.”
PW landed just as night was falling. By that time 2 had relocated the captured changelings up the hill again, reuniting all of the scouts just above their planned attack location.
“Hey, I didn’t know you were into Daring Do!” The big mare teased.
“I mean, they’re good books!” PW defended.
“Uh-huh. Sure…” 2 scoffed.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Whatever you want it to.”
“Shut up!” He chuckled.
“Careful, now. I’m the one with the gags and I’m pretty sure you’re not stopping me. I got eight in the line and could easily squeeze in a ninth.” She fired back.
“Alright, focus now! What’s the plan?” Asked PW.
“Wow; you’re starting to sound like me! We’ll wait until the main party arrives and I’ll flashbang them.” She said.
It wasn’t long until the distinctive buzzing of changeling wings were heard overhead.
Night-Mare 2 walked out to the cliff's edge above the path and started counting them as they landed. “Thirty. Thirty-one. Thirty-two! With the scouts that makes forty.”
“Form up!” One changeling shouted below as Polaris rushed to her side.
2 grasped her grenade in her fingers as the changelings below organized themselves into ranks.
She reached with her other hoof to pull the pin.
A sudden *CLANG* caused her to freeze.