"Day 1: Log 1: I've managed to camp out for the night in this inconspicuous piece of shrubbery. The gardeners have been catching on to me. I found all my equipment and magazines in a trash can just the other evening. None the less, I've been able to conduct some research, and am now searching for signs of mind control."
Reflect paused the minuscule recorder, taking out a pair of binoculars to stare out of his bush. So far, morning in Ponyville was rather dull, with a few ponies and changelings moving here and there, greeting each other with a cheerful good morning.
"So far it seems peaceful, too peaceful. These queers aren't showing any signs of mind control. No blank stares or drooling from the mouth. And especially no evil minion mind control helmets, which clears any involvement with Cloudsdale. Not like those lazy maggots could ever come up with mind control, but still, it could happen. Back on track. Perhaps the substance doesn't kick in until later, or perhaps it's hidden itself so well in anticipation for an agent such as yours truly."
Reflect carefully pulled out a tiny scroll, flattening it on his hind hooves. On it was a map of Ponyville that seemed to have been drawn by a foal with lots of red, blue, and green crayons. Reflect had marked a large red "X" over Sugarcube Corner, followed by a dotted line that led all the way down to his position, with a very poorly drawn pink poodle crossing over it. Next to it appeared an even more horrendous drawing of what looked like a decaying piece of bark wearing sunglasses.
"I will wait for the one known as Pinkie Pie to cross over this path. I've monitored it several times and... hold on a second..." Reflect paused, the blood slowly draining from his face as he realized his mistake.
"Buck!" he facehoofed himself, "That queer lives in Sugarcube Corner! Well...none the matter...infiltration within enemy territory will still be accomplished."
He crossed out the pink poodle with a black crayon he had been able to salvage from the trash receptacle. Using it, he drew a question mark, before turning the recorder back on.
"Anypony who heads down this path with the intention of going to Sugarcube Corner will be followed incongnito. And it isn't because I don't remember where it was...okay...maybe I didn't remember every single street name in this emotion-forsaken trash pit...but I got the gist of it. And I was also partially inhibited by cider too."
Reflect facehoofed himself once more for going off topic. This wasn't about navigation. This was about espionage and a major crisis involving baked goods.
"So when I follow the target," he followed the dotted line.
"I will sneak in through the back," his hoof reached a very crudely drawn picture of himself with a laser beam.
"Find the recipe-" his hoof now found a rather poorly drawn square with the words "evil" printed in fairly legible Equestrian.
"And then I'll show it to the authorities!" His hoof ended on a picture of him receiving a golden trophy from his Queen, who looked like a dead tree fitted with wings and a crown.
"Hey Cheerilee!" a voice chirped. Reflect immediately pulled out his goggles, observing the magenta colored school teacher make her way down the path. The source of the voice appeared to be none other then Cloud Kicker from the night before.
"Morning dear," Cheerilee waved. "Just going to Sugarcube Corner to pick some stuff up."
"Ooo," Cloud Kicker kicked back on a fluffy white cloud that had somehow sunk to a few meters above the dirt. "What you gettin'?"
"Those choco-watermelon cupcakes!" Cheerilee giggled, "Pinkie's been giving them out in troves since she found them. That little dearie is giving me a baker's dozen on the house for the kids at school!"
"Sounds amazing!" Cloud Kicker was now back peddling the cloud to its respective position. "Well see ya later! Gotta check with Raindrops and make sure she doesn't do anything silly now."
"Bye!" the teacher continued down the path, humming to herself a cheerful tune. Reflect ducked back down, taking out the recorder once more.
"Poisoning the well of knowledge eh? That conversation sounded too nice to be genuine. Must be some sort of secret code or something. Perhaps both of them are in on it too! Explains Cloud Kicker's appearance in the store yesterday. Will pursue for further details"
He looked back once more, seeing the fleeting earth pony. Taking in a deep breath, Reflect continued. "As much as I hate those little queers at the schoolhouse, this chocolate covered morsel of pure evil will not succeed in taking over any town, no matter how much I may hate it. Operation: Just Desserts...is a go!"
With that, there was a flash of green and a white pegasus mare with a blue mane barrel rolled out of the shrubbery. Taking in his surroundings, Reflect carefully examined each suspect, making sure he wasn't being followed. Other then a few concerned glances, no pony seemed to be onto him.
The Ponyville Market Plaza was in full swing, with pedestrians frolicking to and fro, unaware of the underlying crisis threatening their dear town.
He carefully tip-hoofed to a carrot stand, hiding behind a knapsack of veggies as he checked his six. Other then a suspicious potted plant, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. After all, he was a professional and professionals never got caught unless one of their allies screwed up. In this case, that ally would have to be Morpheus, with his arrogant nature and tendency to drown out his sorrows in cider.
With the coast clear, he proceeded with the stealth of a ninj-a-roo (ninja kangaroo), only bumping past ponies he could not avoid, which was most of them. Now only a few feet away from the teacher, he went prone, snaking past several bewildered mares and stallions who eventually excused the behavior to some game of hide and go seek.
Hiding behind an old wooden cart, where a burly tan stallion was selling some rather fashionable sunglasses, Reflect made sure he still has visual. Cheerilee was still in sight, humming to herself as she greeted a few of the stall owners. Stealing a pair of inconspicuous shades, Reflect took off into the clouds.
With a bird's eyes view, Reflect could see as far as the town hall, and the distant Sugacurbe Corner. Any other changeling would have questioned why following Cheerilee was any more efficient then waiting at Sugarcube Corner, but then again they probably would have also questioned the integrity of this mission.
"Hiya, Lightning Bolt!" Reflect gazed below him to find the source of the voice: a lilac coated mare with an iris blue mane and two encircling dolphins as a cutie mark. "What ya' doing?"
"None of your business!" Reflect shouted back. "How would you like it if I asked how you were doing huh?"
"I'm doing quite fine Bolty," the unicorn giggled, "Just thought that since you were here, Rainbow Dash must have given you the day off-"
"Well I'm busy," Reflect snarled, "doing...errr...things that don't involve you!"
The unicorn shot him an incredulous stare, before yelling back. "Well fine then! I'll just go bowling by myself!"
"Praise Celestia!" Reflect shouted back, "Enjoy hurling dead weights across a chasm of depression while you take out your anger on pin heads!"
"I...I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" The unicorn began to sob, running off in the opposite direction. A few onlookers flashed him reprimanding glares, but Reflect ignored them as he flew down the street. As he glided over, he was able to catch a few bits and phrases like, "Lightning Bolt is a jerk!" and "Did you just see what she did to Sea Swirl?"
"Now with her out of the way," Reflect mumbled, "I can get back to the mission at hoof."
At last, his aerial vantage point proved fruitful when he spotted his target, Cheerilee, trotting down the street northbound on Yellow-Brick Road.
"Follow the bread crumbs...or in this case...the cupcake crumbs...all the way to the witch's hut," Reflect snickered. He figured he would need a new disguise, and saw a thatched roof ahead of him with a perfect hiding spot from any would-be spies.
Landing with a loud thump, Reflect backed himself against the brick chimney, before being consumed by a plume of green flame. This time, he was the lilac-colored unicorn from earlier, his eyes peering over the edge to see if anypony spotted him. Other then a few random pedestrians who had been startled by the sound, no pony was any wiser to his presence. Wiping the sweat that came with this disguise, Reflect turned back to try and find his target once more.
As if fate had intended it, the changeling felt the straw beneath his hooves start to slide off. A saboteur no doubt had anticipated this spot! Reflect grabbed onto the chimney for support, but it was already too late as his sweaty hooves lost their grip on the bricks.
"NO! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!..." was all he had to say as he fell over the house.
SPLAT!
Reflect was sprawled out over the grisly remains of mushed apples, carrots, apple cores, laundry, that daisy sandwich from last tuesday, and banana peels? Reflect stumbled to his hooves, gazing around him as several pedestrians tried to cover their mouths in the vain attempt to stop laughing. Taking a note of his surroundings, the horrifying realization came too late. I'm in a garbage cart!
He attempted to make a move, but only sank lower into the filth. He was trapped! He had read about quick sand in the distant lands of the Zebra, but he had never anticipated quick garbage was even possible. The driver of the cart, a pink coated mare with a yellow mane, seemed to be unaware of her latest addition to the cargo.
"Bring out your filth! Bring out your filth! Be eco or be uhh...errr...filth!" She chanted in a sing song voice, as various doors opened, flung two or three black plastic bags, and then closed with a resounding bang. It took all his muscle power to avoid getting hit by the repulsive projectiles. And all his will power to avoid shaking his hoof at the sun.
YOU MAY HAVE WON THIS TIME LIFE! BUT I SWEAR! YES I SWEAR YOU'LL GET WHAT'S COMING! Reflect couldn't believe how bad his life had turned out. Before, when the ponies had been a targeted race for conquest, everything had been swell and easy. His Queen would actually congratulate him, and he could stay in the solitude of his chamber for days on end.
Then everything changed when the changeling nation-his nation-attacked. Defeat, exile, and not one day after he had infiltrated the ranks had he been so easily pointed out by that devious pink mare and her yellow-coated assistant. And then he had spent the rest of his days in a cell with Morpheus! After that, well, his Queen no longer required intel on her allies. And despite the solid evidence that Equestria was hiding something, his Queen didn't even seem to adress the problem with her generals!
"Hey Cherry Berry!" a familiar voice greeted the garbage mare. Reflect froze, his ears twitching in recognition of the vocal cords, and he immediately clambered up the pile of rubbish to get a better look. Sure enough, Cheerilee was there, but this time she had a bright blue box tucked in her mouth. It looked quite fancy, with a blue ribbon tied over it and a cute drawing of the school tucked in the side.
It can't be... Reflect had been so busy trying to avoid detection that he had arrived too late to eavesdrop on the super-secret-evil meeting that must have occurred just a few minutes earlier. Sure enough, the gingerbread structure of Sugarcube Corner glimmered in the sunlight, the bane of his existence that had alluded him for all these years, had once again succeeded in keeping another secret from him.
Reflect now had to make a choice, and a tough one at that. He could A, barge in through the doors, steal the recipe, and be promoted. Or B, follow the school teacher, barge in the classroom, and save countless lives through his actions. Normally, he would have chosen A, but seeing that his Queen seemed to adore Equestria so much, choice B would 'be' the best course of action. Hang in there students, for the Crusader of Truth will save the day!
The Crusader of Truth had been a fancy title Reflect sometimes called himself in his spare time. It was one of the few things he indulged in saying, and a name he kept to himself, less he suffer the same ridicule Morpheus got when he called himself World's Best Commander of the Swarm.
"...and so the donkey says to the mule," Cherry Berry seemed to be happily sharing one of her infamous jokes before being cut off by Cheerilee's own voice.
"I'm so sorry Cherry," Cheerilee apologized, "but I really must be going now so I'll see you later!" With that, she took off, Cherry Berry looking on with a bored expression as she continued on her lonely trip to the dump.
NO! Reflect squirmed in his rancid prison, trying to break free from the confines that held him back. He needed to reach the schoolhouse before it was too late. Here and there, several curious onlookers gathered to see who they assumed to be Sea Swirl violently trying to break free from a garbage pile.
"Need help there, Sea Swirl?"
"How did you end up in there?"
"I heard what happened with Lightning, what a shame..."
The voices were getting to his brain, and he slowly felt his straining muscles fail under the sheer weight of the junk and high-pitched noise. He couldn't concentrate, and despite the mixture of worried stares and amused looks, he could see his target fleeing from him, disappearing around the corner.
"Sea Swirl!" Cherry Berry exclaimed, "How did you-"
"SHUT UP!" Reflect bellowed, his voice subduing the entire audience to silence, "JUST SHUT UUUUUUUUUUUPPPPPP! ALL OF YOU JUST SHUT UP FOR ONE MOMENT IN YOUR PATHETIC LIVES! PLEASE! SHUT! YOUR! TRAP!"
The crowd looked taken aback, a few nervous ponies moving along while the rest of them just watched who they assumed to be "Sea Swirl" trying to break free of her crappy prison. They didn't know whether to be offended or worried, but eventually one bright blue earth pony wrapped her hooves around the struggling unicorn, a scowl over her face.
"Just calm down for a sec will ya'?" Shoeshine was no stranger to ponies losing their cool, especially at something she did. So what if she cut in line a bit? The sheer outbursts that followed were just as rude! But none the less, she would rather have Sea Swirl free and out of her mane then watch as she attempted to wrench herself free.
Reflect at this moment had simply given up, content with just swearing under his breath as the earth pony began to tug. With one more moan, Reflect began to push as well. Inch by inch, he could see himself coming loose.
"Almost there," she uttered, "just...hrggghhh...give...a little...PUSSSHHHHHH!"
CRACK! WHOOOSH!
It was like the crack of a whip as Reflect and Shoeshine tumbled into a barrel of carrots, eliciting an audible gasp from the crowd. As they huddled over the scene, Reflect slowly got to his hooves. And that was when he saw the looks of horror.
His entire flank was covered in bubblegum, ranging from all spectrums of the color wheel. Even his 'mane' was had some fresh pieces tangled in. And this was not including all the grime that had also covered his coat. It was as if life was repaying him for a lifetime of worthless insults with one big heap of bubblegum.
Good one life...real nice. Reflect began to trudge towards the exit, only to be pulled back. Looking behind him, he saw to his horror that his flank was attached to none other then his would-be savior!
"Oh come on!" Reflect wailed, trying in vain to drag the earth pony with him.
"My fur!" Shoeshine seemed to be on the verge of fainting, "oh look at my coat! RUINED! Because of you, Sea Swirl, I'm going-WAAAAHHHHHH!!"
Raising his hind hooves, Reflect delivered a resounding kick in Shoeshine's flank, sending the poor earth pony flying into another barrel of carrots. The congregation of onlookers jolted back in surprise, starring at 'Sea Swirl' in disbelief.
"Sea Swirl? Do you need to see the therapist again?"
Reflect, however, ignored the harsh stares being directed his way. Now that he was free from the nuisance, he leapt over the crowd, running down the street and around the corner, leaving the rest of them to rub their heads in confusion.
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23 hours later.
"It has come to my attention," Queen Chrysalis proclaimed, her eyes scanning the table of generals, "that General Reflect Fury needs to go through a psych evaluation!"
There was an uproar as the generals-and commander of the guard-discussed the possible downside to this. The room was a cramp storage chamber, since every changeling feared Reflect had somehow wired their main meeting chambers. Thus, the Queen had to make amends and stuff her entire council in a cave no larger then a filly's room.
"I say it's about time!"
"How can we be sure?"
"What about electroconvulsive therapy? I heard there is a Dr. Crane somewhere that could help us out with that!"
"We don't need to send volts down his body! We need to just send him away! Far away!"
"Can someone please past the fungal beans?"
"ATTENTION!" The Queen held her hoof out, the chittering voices now muted. "I share your concerns with Reflect, and have tried before to...restrain him."
The group nodded, some of the bulkier generals shifting in their seats. Indeed, with only one bowl of fungi beans to share, and Morpheus practically devouring 2/3 of it, this meeting was going to be anything but peaceful. Most of the generals respected Reflect for digging dirt on some matter or someone, but they also understood the gravity of their current situation. Reflect had been troublesome since the start of the pony peace, publicly painting the image of a distrustful race while pursuing his own agenda behind their carapaces.
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24 hours and 50 minutes earlier...
Reflect had managed to wash out most of the gum in a creek, with a few pieces still caught in his frill. No longer disguised, he peered through the bushes, spotting the imposing structure that was...the schoolhouse.
It was more terrifying then he had imagined! The evil tower, with a sickly green bell that probably hadn't been polished in years, stood like a symbol of the corruption that filled the city streets. The gingerbread-styled roof, to lure innocent foals to their imminent doom. The red color choice, while not pertaining to any symbol in particular, could still have some malicious purpose behind its design.
The obsession with hearts! Why, the entire structure was covered in hearts. Could it be the symbol of winning the ponies' hearts and minds through...mind control? Or should it be heart control? Maybe vital organ control? Although almost every organ was vital...so perhaps it was just body control...which sounded dumb. So mind control-which would be universally understood by all creatures-was the answer!
It was devious, and Reflect swore he would get to the bottom of this. If Cheerilee was involved, then no hut or shack in the crystal mountains would be able to hide her from the eye of justice!
Reflect would make them all pay for this. This was his town, even if he was forbidden from entering most of the public buildings. For all he knew, he could be too late, but the day was still young and recess hadn't even started. He was sure, so as to not arouse suspicion, Cheerilee would wait before she gave out the poisoned treats.
But what if she didn't? What if she was under mind control as well? It would, as much as Reflect grudgingly admitted it, make much more sense that the good natured mentor had been subdued by the mysterious substance. But if that was the case...
Then there's no telling when she would offer them the cupcakes! Reflect thought to his horror. As he contemplated this new theory, a familiar grey pegasus had landed to make a delivery to the school mail box.
Derpy was absolutely thrilled with her day. Muffin Monday was tomorrow...or was today Wednesday? Either way, when Muffin Monday did come up, there would be no telling how many of those delectable morsels she would get her hooves on!
However, today had been especially odd. A changeling had been following Ms. Cheerilee all over Ponyville, taking the forms of Lightning Bolt and Sea Swirl. He even bucked Shoeshine into a carrot barrel, which wasn't nice at all. And now this same exact changeling was hiding in a bush, but whatever was running through his head, Derpy didn't have the slightest clue.
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23 Hours and 30 minutes later.
"Which is why I'm suggesting we use more...Equestrian means."
"What do you mean my Queen?" A voice shot out.
Chrysalis smiled. "I've discussed the issue with Celestia, and she agrees that our general needs to learn self-control."
"So lock him up!"
"Give him maintenance duty!"
"I've tried all of those options," the Queen sighed, "and they've just about all failed miserably in a torrent of swears and insults."
"What makes you think they can do it any differently?"
"A minotaur..." Chrysalis replied slyly, "A minotaur by the name of...Iron Will."
There was another outburst as changelings began to argue amongst themselves. A minotaur? And not just any minotaur, but a famous minotaur who was renowned for his abilities to change anypony from a timid door mat to a tough stallion. He could even take the most prideful mare you've ever seen, and reduce her to a humble ponytarian who donated to all charities. He was a miracle maker...but so far his cure had only worked on ponies...and goats.
"It sounds good!"
"But what if Reflect doesn't accept?"
"We'll force him!"
"You think that changeling will just go to an anger management seminar if you told him to? That general walks to his own drum!"
"Can someone please pass the fungal beans? I'm getting hungry!"
"Can it Morpheus! I think we should give it a try. Iron Will is just as stubborn as Reflect anyhow."
The Queen wondered why she even bothered to make this public. Whenever she brought up anything with her generals, they would all just bicker and argue until one of them plopped dead or Morpheus played a prank...and then Morpheus would plop dead.
"My fellow generals," the Queen hissed, "It appears that we cannot reach an agreement through verbal battle alone. So how about a vote?"
It was silent as the changelings pondered on this thought. Finally, the generals began to nod one by one, their eyes filled with fierce determination. Some of them still felt they owed Reflect a favor, but some of them also saw the threat he posed to not only Equestria, but the changeling hive as a whole.
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24 hours and 40 minutes earlier...
One guard at the door, Reflect observed the familiar mailmare who had wielded the camera during that "documentary". There was no doubt that she was in on this conspiracy too, the cross-eyed look speaking for itself. But there was no way he could enter the room silently without alerting the sentry. He would need to think of a better plan.
Meanwhile, Cheerilee was teaching the class about the various uses of sulfuric acid in society. The class was engaged with her lecture, although whether they were genuinely impressed by her own skills as an educator or by the tantalizing box behind her desk, Cheerilee wouldn't know.
But going back outside, Reflect was playing with the holes in his hooves, trying to concentrate. I could just wait for a distraction...Reflect mused, Although it would have to be a giant pastry to get this mare out of my frill! Gosh I hate it when I can't think of ideas!
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23 hours and 40 minutes later
"Okay..." Queen Chrysalis was now tallying the final hooves. It had already taken two rounds of voting before she could get every general to raise their hoof. As she counted down the marks on the clay tablet, however, she noticed that one mark was missing.
"It appears we've reached a tie."
There were groans and cries as the generals pounded their heads on the boulder. Chrysalis however, had anticipated a tie, which was why there was an odd number of generals present. And she had a pretty good idea who didn't vote too.
"Morpheus..." she droned in a monotonous tone, "will you care to break our little tie?"
Morpheus had dreaded this moment. So far, he had been able to keep his hoof down throughout the entire meeting, munching on fungi beans as the higher-ups argued about this and that. But now he was in the spotlight, and he didn't like it.
"Morpheus?" The Queen repeated, "You are his best friend after all. What do you think we should do about Reflect?"
It was true that Morpheus was the only friend Reflect still talked to, since his other friends were stuck in Manehattan cleaning up their own messes. But he just stood there, silently watching the Queen with a blank stare.
His mind was drifting off to a column in the paper that presented several situations called "moral dilemmas". Morpheus had been an avid reader of them, and had come across one particular dilemma that caught his interest. He was stuck in the woods, with an injured friend. His other friend was willing to go out and get help, but would require at least one other pony to stay behind and tend the injured hiker. Considering the threat of timber wolves in the area, Morpheus had opted to run for help. But now he was looking back on the situation, as if it applied to this meeting being held presently.
Would he stay and protect his friend? The changeling who had kept him company in a cell and helped him bake cupcakes? Or would he leave him to the timber wolves and save himself?
"Now..." Morpheus began in a calm voice, "I don't wanna look like the bad guy here, okay? I just want to do what's best for Reflect. I'm his friend after all. And brother. We're all brothers here. But I don't want to be the one who takes the blame. I'm not saying that any of you will cast me as your scapegoat...but I'm just saying that the choice I make shouldn't be used to judge my character to the audience..."
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23 Hours Earlier
"Day 1: Log 1: I'm outside the school and see no signs of intelligent life...anywhere." He double backed to make sure, only seeing the mail mare trying to fit another envelope in the mail. "Yep...no intelligent life what's so ever."
He didn't have a good view of the clock tower, but he knew that time was short. If he waited too long, he could already be late. But if he went in now, he could be caught and brainwashed himself!
Grrrrrr...buck this! The time for action is now! With that, Reflect burst through the bushes, dashing down the field like a goat waddling after its prey. However, in his mind at least, Reflect was a majestic puma, racing down an ocean filled with laser sharks. It was an odd fantasy, but Reflect was an odd changeling.
"Hi there Reflect!" Derpy waved her hoof cheerfully before getting tackled on the grass. Before she could react, the changeling had pinned her down, his horn glowing.
"This is for your own good!" And with that, Derpy felt her eyelids grow heavy as she drifted off to sleep. Oddly enough, even in sleep, her eyes still seemed to give the impression they were derpy, which was discomforting for some odd reason.
Reflect didn't even bother to stow away with the mailmare's body. He was going to be praised a hero in the next hour anyhow! Why I bet the Queen will even-
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24 hours and ten minutes later
-buy that lollipop from Bon Bon? Morpheus thought as he continued to utter his spiel on everything from lawn mowers to kittens to pop tarts.
"...And I know that you've all seen that hilarious clip of the dog and the pogo stick! But what's really the problem is lawn mowers and-"
"Morpheus!" Chrysalis bellowed, "Vote now or I'll toss you outside for the hatchlings. Do you understand me?"
"Ye-yes my Queen," Morpheus stuttered, "but I just don't wanna look like I'm playing favorites here. Reflect is my friend, and I respect him as a changeling. But sometimes enough is enough, and I feel that-"
"Morpheus..." the Queen said between gritted fangs, "you're trying my patience."
"Okay okay, don't get fresh Chrysalis," Morpheus held out his hooves, "I'm just saying that I'll look like a scapegoat with my hoof..."
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23 hours earlier...
Cheerilee was finishing her lecture with a final example from her own youth. "-and that's why all your fillies should never bring a bunny to your chemistry class!"
Most of the student's had barely been able to keep up with the scholarly mare. To be fair, however, Applebloom, Sweetie Bell, and Scootaloo had made careful notes of the many uses of sulfuric acid. After all, a cutie mark in sulfuric acid would be totally cool! And the Cutie Mark Crusaders would let no opportunity go to waste.
Cheerilee herself was rather exhausted, and let out a yawn, which woke the class with a startle. The look of surprise caused the magenta mare to stifle a giggle, not wanting to plant the idea that school was boring in the slightest.
"Okay my little ponies, you've been waiting ever so patiently for me to show you the surprise...so...here it is!" Bending down over her desk, Cheerilee lifted the bright blue box onto the tabletop, untying the ribbon with careful precision. With the ribbon stowed away in a drawer, she carefully lifted the cardboard top, causing the entire class to gasp
"Ms. Cheerilee," Sweetie Bell squeaked, "are those really-"
BANG! CRASH!
The class swiveled their heads to see a black, insect-like changeling standing over the remains of the door, panting as he caught his breath. Slowly lifting his hoof, he pointed at the box before him.
"CHOCO-WATERMELON CUPCAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKEEEEEESSS!" the changeling screamed as he ran down the aisle with renewed vigor, snatching the box from the bewildered school teacher.
The class was in chaos as several fillies let out high-pitched shrieks. One colt even bothered to step in front of Reflect, thinking he would be able to block him. Reflect simply plowed through him, sending the colt into a tiny wooden shelf.
Once she had finally gotten over the initial shock, Cheerilee's face contorted to a scowl. "Stop right there! What do you think you're doing?"
But Reflect paid no heed to the teacher, the box still impaled by his fangs as he departed out the door. Once outside, he lifted the box, as if presenting it to the sun goddess as a sacrifice. "BE GONE WITH YOU, HALLUCINOGENIC DRUG!"
He flung the box with the full force of a bull colliding with a triceratops! The box splattered in a colorful array of brown, red, and green. Then he proceeded to jump up and down, using gravity and his own weight to further degrade the sweets.
Behind him, several fillies had stopped in their tracks, unable to move as they saw their hard-earned goodies being smashed to mushy bits by a large, terrifying changeling!
Cheerilee had stormed out of the classroom, a look of utter disbelief on her face as she scolded. "How dare you try and steal..."
The earth pony gasped as she saw the bug-like cretin as he desecrated the box, squishing the pastries inside to mush. No longer was her attention focused on the intruder. Instead she turned around to comfort her own students. Sure enough, several fillies were trying to wipe away their tears, while some colts just looked on, unable to fathom what was happening before them.
Moving over to the tiny group, Cheerilee embraced them. "It's okay. It's okay! Shuuuusssh. Don't cry now."
"And take this!" Reflect vanished in a plume of green smoke, replaced by a fierce, red, teenage-aged dragon. Several students cried out in fear, cowering behind their teacher for protection.
With a thunderous roar, a bright orange plume of fire engulfed the box. After reducing the box to ashes, Reflect flashed back to his normal form, giving one last smug look at the roaring fire before spitting on it. By now, the entire class was reduced to tears, sobbing over the charred remains of their snack.
Never try to outsmart a changeling, Reflect turned away from the crackling fire pit to bump right into a magenta colored mare. Only the problem was that her mane seemed to be on fire, her eyes were a blazing red, and her magenta coat was now beginning to glow a hot white.
"WHAT!" Cheerilee roared, her voice like a gust of wind, "DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?"
The changeling calmly smothered the tiny spark that had just ignited over his ear, a smile creeping over his face. "Two words for you lady. You're. Welcome."
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24 hours and 50 minutes later
"...and then there was the entire issue with the party cannon in the infirmary-"
"MORPHEUS!" the Queen's eyes had turned to pillars of green flame, causing several generals to jump back in fear. Morpheus himself nearly wetted his chair, although he was too scared to tell if it was nearly or probably.
"STATE YOUR ANSWER OR I'LL CAST YOU IN THE PITS OF TARTARUS!"
"Throw his arse in anger management!" Morpheus cried out, "He's gone mental I tell ya! Absolutely mental!"
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24 hours earlier
Turning away from the fuming Cheerilee, Reflect took out his recorder, practically beaming to himself now. He had arrived just in the nick of time to save the students from a mind control substance that was odorless, tasteless, invisible, and showed no apparent symptoms of mind control.
He was practically a hero now, and as a hero, he could no longer be ignored by the pony populace. Now, more then ever, these foolish grubs would finally open their eyes to the truth that surrounded them. And he would be their guide, the fearless Paladin of Truth-because Prophet sounded boring-leading them to a better future.
It was a pretty generous offer too, considering how much he hated the town and his own swarm. But the pursuit of the truth would never rest...ever. Pressing the big red button on the side, Reflect pompously vocalized the two words he had been waiting to say for a long time.
"Mission Accomplished!"