//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2- Disguises and Dinguses 
// Story: Secret Agent Changeling 
// by Darkmetroidz 
//------------------------------//

Calypso and the other Infiltrators sat idly in a circle outside of the Feeding Pit. They devoured their daily ration of crystallized love, which was 50% larger than the normal drones received. They had decided to let their meal settle before doing anything else, and were talking about their assignments, some excitedly, others angrily. 

"I can't believe you losers get to go to Manehattan and I'm stuck in some dead-end town in the middle of nowhere!" Pandora griped. 

Orion shot her an angry look. "Hey, at least going to Appleoosa isn't likely to get you killed! Antigone and I are being sent off to the slaughter, and you don't see us complaining."

"That's kind of what you're doing." Cassiopeia snidely remarked. She had always been a bit on the snarky side, which was why Calypso liked her so much. 

Antigone was eager to change the subject. "So, has anypony put any thought into their characters? You know, who we're supposed to be and all that?"

Years ago, when their group had been bigger, they used to talk and laugh all the time about who their characters would be once they got their assignments. As more of them died off, the survivors became more somber, and those talks stopped happening. This was the first time many of them had even thought about it in years. 

Pandora went first, enveloping her body in flames as she assumed her pony disguise. What emerged was a stunning Pinto mare with a white and brown coat, a curly mane, rosy lips and a seductively curved body. "Please, call me Indigo Blossom." She said with a classy southern drawl. The group struggled to contain their laughter. The accent could probably pass for real, but it was just overdone enough to get a rise from her companions. 

"Tell me about yourself, Ms. Blossom." Io encouraged with a giggle. 

Pandora flipped her mane with a pout and resumed talking. "My daddy owns a big ol' farm where they grow indigo to dye clothes. We had darn near everythin. Servants, big parties, and lots of money. But life was so boring, I wanted to move out west to have me an adventure."

In a puff of smoke, Pandora had returned to her Changeling body and returned to her spot in the circle amid modest applause. "Hey Orion, Antigone, how about you guys?" Rosencrantz asked. 

Orion and Antigone looked at each other for a moment and began whispering excitedly. After a few minutes of deliberation, they assumed their disguises in a puff of smoke and fire. 

Orion had taken the form of a pudgy green Pegasus with a sad looking face and a comically large moustache. Antigone had also opted to become a Pegasus, with wildly curvaceous features, much more than was normal, a chocolate brown coat and a slightly darker mane. Her eyes were a vivid red, signaling danger and adventure. "What do you think?" 

Calypso cocked her head curiously. Every detail seemed wrong. Canterlot was a city of posh, well-dressed, blue-blooded Unicorns. These strange looking Pegasi would stick out like a pair of sore thumbs… whatever those were.  
Everypony else was visibly confused. "Care to explain?" Odysseus asked. 

"We're migrant workers from Marexico." Orion explained. "We figured if we pretended to be rich Unicorns like Cantelot agents usually do, somepony might wonder why they'd never seen or heard of us before."

Antigone continued. "Nopony will give two foreigners who barely speak Equish a second glance. We're hiding right in plain sight!"

"Hola Senor," Orion said in an over-exaggerated accent. "Can you tell me, does this ID look real?" 

The changelings were rolling laughing at Orion's blatant and nonsensical racism. Antigone joined in on the fun. "Ay, jefe, I clean your windows, but I no find the Lemon Pledge."

"I do hope you two have your green cards." Everypony whirled around in surprise to see Chrysalis standing behind them with a smirk on her face. "And I do hope you are prepared to take these characters seriously. I guarantee nopony in Canterlot knows the first thing about Marexicans, but if your personas are nothing more than stereotypes, they will still see right through you."

Antigone and Orion reverted to their normal forms with their tails between their legs and their eyes glued to the ground. "Forgive us, Your Highness." Antigone squeaked. 

"We were only joking, I promise we will take our assignment more seriously." Orion added. 

Chrysalis nodded. "That being said, in theory your plan is solid. Nopony in Canterlot would even give these wretched creations of yours the time of day, let alone scrutinize them long enough to realize they aren’t ponies. A word of warning before you commit to them- you will be looked down upon by everypony in Canterlot, detested, scorned, spat upon. There will be few comforts afforded to you. You will be seen as the lowest wretches in society, condemned to poverty and misery. Will you be able to tolerate that?"

"A small price to pay for not being killed." Antigone flatly answered. 

Chrysalis' head snapped toward Calypso, entrapping her in a freezing glare. "And what of you, Calypso? Have you thought of a disguise yet?"

She swallowed. Calypso had not even begun to think of what kind of pony she would be masquerading as. She would probably have to work her character around Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, because they would be expected to live together. Orion and Antigone were planning to be a married couple, and Odysseus, Io and Cassiopeia were debating the idea of Odysseus playing their guardian. Might as well keep it simple. She thought.

"Rosencrantz and I can be brothers, and Cally can be our older sister!" Guildenstern exclaimed. Calypso shot an angry glare their way. They hadn't consulted her about this. She didn't mind the idea, but she liked to at least be asked before anypony made decisions-

"Very well. Assume disguises." The Queen's order interrupted Calypso's inner monologue and sent her into panic mode. Without thinking, she transformed into a pony without taking the slightest moment to consider her appearance.

What emerged was fairly impressive considering it had been created in a few seconds without any planning. Calypso emerged as a peach-coated Unicorn with a jet black mane that hung flatly on the side of her neck. Her eyes nervously darted toward her idiot partners. By a stroke of luck, they had all chosen to become unicorns. It was possible for siblings to be of different races, but the fewer unusual characteristics they had, the better. That was the guiding philosophy behind Calypso's disguise, which had no standout features to speak of. 

Her companions seemed to have other plans. Rosencrantz was short and slightly pudgy, and had a coat the color of blue cotton candy and a puffy blue mane to match. Guildenstern was taller and slender, with a coat that was a soft shade of neon orange with a striking spiked mane streaked neon yellow and green. Both of them looked very distinct and would not blend into a crowd. 

Chrysalis seemed satisfied. "The most important part of your Pony disguise is the Cutie mark. If you should neglect to consider this element of your character, your disguise can easily be compromised. She evaluated each of the three and smiled when she confirmed all three had a Cutie mark. "Now, what do they mean?"

Rosencrantz's blue flanks had two sticks of cotton candy, one pink and one blue. "My talent is making sweets!"

Guildenstern had chosen two lightning bolts. "Mine means I work with weather!"

"And you, Calypso?" The queen demanded. 

Calypso's eyes darted back to her rump. She was fortunate enough that there was a Cutie mark at all, considering she had put this form together without thinking. Her Cutie mark featured a quill and a sheet of paper. "I guess I'm a good writer." She answered with a tinge of doubt in her voice.

Their answers were satisfactory to Chrysalis. "Very well. Report to the Supply Warren to pick up anything you might want before you ship out. I expect you all to report the surface in pony form at eight AM sharp tomorrow." With that, Chrysalis turned and left, leaving the nine in an uneasy silence. 

Orion flashed into his Marexican pony form. "I don't know about you yanquis, but I need to go find a sombrero."

"Yeah, we had better put our costumes together." Io agreed.


*			*			*

The Hive's Supply Warren was a huge cavern, among the largest in the entire network of tunnels and caves that compromised the Changeling's secret home. It was filled with crates containing all manner of things past agents had brought back from their assignments, everything from clothes to tools to golden mountains of Bits. While her friends excitedly dug through the piles of garments and modeled for each other, Calypso was enjoying some time alone, silently evaluating a few pairs of glasses. 

Cassiopeia had commented that her Pony disguise would look better with a little pair of glasses, and Calypso had agreed. There were easily hundreds of pairs that had been brought back over the years, everything from big bug-eyed glasses to sunglasses to more than a few pairs of shutter shades. Finally, Calypso settled with a pair of tiny square-framed spectacles that sat on her nose and looked very cute in the mirror. 

Happy with her accessory, Calypso went to rejoin the others. They were all standing in a circle, appreciating and laughing at each other's taste in attire. 

Orion had gone full-out with his Marexican disguise. He had an oversized sombrero and poncho, while Antigone had decided to dress less flamboyantly, with a dingy shirt and ripped jeans. She wouldn't be winning any style awards, but her outfit was such a crime against fashion, Canterlot ponies would probably refuse to look at her- perfect for somepony who didn’t want to be seen. 

Pandora had found herself an old-fashioned dress that would blend in well in Appleoosa. She would need to get clothes better suited to the heat of the Appleoosan wastelands, but that was why she carried a large purse that jingled with bits. Odysseus wore a collared shirt and tie, while Io and Cassiopeia respectively wore a bow and a necklace.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern stood together giggling. Rosencrantz had a pair of the shutter shades Calypso had seen in the glasses section, and a soda drinking hat that already had a pair of colas in it. Guildenstern had a pair of cheesy sunglasses and a knit viking helmet, where it had come from Calypso could only guess. She looked again at their glasses. She had certainly seen them while she had been looking for glasses herself, but she hadn't seen either of them come and get them. Calypso tried to justify it in her mind. Maybe they found them somewhere else? 

Not possible. There was no way that separate agents had brought back the same pairs of ridiculous novelty glasses. She decided to just forget about it and move on. 

The group's attention suddenly turned to Calypso when she approached. "So Cally, have you picked out a name yet?" Pandora asked.  

Calypso cringed. Yet another detail she had not considered when she had created her pony disguise. Thankfully it was not Queen Chrysalis asking, otherwise there might have been consequences for not having an answer. Since it was only her friends, Calypso felt safe keeping them waiting while she thought. 

"Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have great names." Orion commented.

The two nodded eagerly, rushing in front of her to introduce their new selves. "I'm Candy Floss." Rosencrantz bowed.
"And I'm Thunder Dust." Guildenstern added.

Something generic. Come on, Calypso, you can do this. What's a name that somepony will forget the second they hear it? She quite liked her real name, but using it was out of the question. 

"Twinkle Swirl!" She exclaimed. 

Everypony else seemed underwhelmed. Their eyes wandered between themselves until finally Io spoke up. "That’s… nice?" She said, although it was obvious her words were insincere. 

It didn't matter what they thought of her name. Aside from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, or rather, Candy Floss and Thunder Dust, she wouldn't be seeing them for a long time. If all things went well, she would be staying in Ponyville for the rest of her days, or at least until she was of an age where she could retire and return to the Hive. The name would do what it needed to; give her something to go by, but be so bland it would never make an impression. For Calypso, keeping her cover would be easy. Making sure Rosencrantz and Guildenstern didn’t blow theirs would be the real challenge.