//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3- Bon Voyage 
// Story: Secret Agent Changeling 
// by Darkmetroidz 
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The spiraling tunnels that led from the Changelings' underground home let out into the town of Stallion Station. The entire settlement was a fake set up by Chrysalis to draw attention away from their hidden home. At any time, two hundred drones were stationed aboveground, posing as normal villagers and going about their lives as such, running shops, growing crops, and socializing as normal. Even with its use as a decoy, the biggest benefit the fake village provided was a train station which could be used to ship Infiltrators across Equestria. All the employees at the station were Changelings, although the crews of the trains were not. Regardless, the existence of Stallion Station allowed Changelings disguised as ponies to slip into the wider world undetected, which was precisely why Queen Chrysalis had poured a huge quantity of resources into building it. 

The nine agents, plus Chrysalis, stood in their pony disguises on the small wooden rail platform impatiently waiting the train that would bring them to the junction in Fillydelphia, from where they would go their separate ways to their assigned towns. Calypso would be taking the same train as Orion and Antigone, which would drop them off in Canterlot before going south to Ponyville.

Before they left, Chrysalis had given them each a new suitcase, partially filled with supplies. Among the contents were a few days worth of crystallized love for food, a guidebook written by retired agents containing advice for blending in, and a list of hazards and dangerous individuals in the area they should avoid. 

Chrysalis had entrusted one further parcel to Calypso. Inside the small burlap sack was a Seed of Corruption-the spores of a dark fungus used by Infiltrators to transfer energy back to the hive. Once planted, the fungus would reach out with its roots to connect to the hive's network, and once it was fully grown, agents could use it to send energy home. As an added benefit, the fungus functioned as a sort of communicator, allowing the agents to communicate with the Queen whenever they needed. It was vital nothing damage the seed, otherwise their infestation would be ended before it started. 

"No matter what, that fungus must not fall into Princess Celestia's hooves." Chrysalis instructed. Her voice was dire, and seemed to hold a tinge of fear. "If somepony were to discover the network, it would lead them straight to us."

"I won't let you down, my Queen." Calypso assured. The house they were moving into would have a basement, a perfect place to let the seed grow undisturbed. As long as nopony came inside, they would have nothing to worry about.

"Keep it secret, keep it safe." She instructed. Calypso took the small pouch containing the seed and carefully placed it in her suitcase, wrapping it in a scarf for added protection. 

From the distance, they could hear the telltale sound of a train whistle. "I wish you the best, my children." Chrysalis smiled as the group stared excitedly toward the approaching train. Unexpectedly, the Queen wrapped her hooves around Calypso's neck in a passionate hug before moving onto Antigone and the rest of the group to do the same. Just as she finished, the steam engine screeched to a halt, opening its doors. Only two ponies got off, both likely Changelings themselves. 

"All aboard!" The conductor shouted. The Infiltrators took their luggage and got onto the train car. Their ride to Fillydelphia would take about seven hours, all in the luxury of an otherwise empty first-class car. 

As the train slowly pulled out of the station, Calypso swore she saw a tear leaving Chrysalis' eye. "I hear she gets really emotional whenever she sends a group of us off." Odysseus commented. "She gets attached. After all, she's been watching over us since we hatched." Calypso had never regarded their queen as a mother figure, even if she technically was their mother, along with every other drone in the hive. For her, it must be like watching her children grow up and leave the house. Calypso reminded herself that once their seed was planted and grown, she would be able to get in touch with Queen Chrysalis whenever she wanted. 

The ride seemed to go faster than Calypso had expected. Most of the time she was just staring blankly out the window, taking in the beauty of the Equestrian countyside. After a life spent underground, the vastness of the open sky was amazing to behold. Every now and again, the train would grind to a halt, pick up a few passengers, and continue on its way. 

By the time they finally arrived in Fillydelphia, the train was still not very crowded. "Attention passengers, this is the end of the line. Thank you for travelling with us and have a nice day." As soon as the conductor finished speaking, the passengers stood up from their seats, retrieved their luggage, and departed the train, including nine otherwise unremarkable ponies who all carried identical suitcases and stayed huddled close together. 

The exit put them out into the huge rail junction, with rows of tracks on either side of the platform. Each Changeling pulled out their ticket, trying to figure out where they were supposed to go. 

Pandora groaned with annoyance. "My train goes west from here. So basically I'm going back past Stallion Station and further. It looks like I get to sit for another fourteen hours."

"We have an express straight to Manehattan." Io read. "I guess this is goodbye, at least for now." They all embraced in a hug before Pandora, Odysseus, Io and Cassiopeia went off to find their trains.

The remaining five would be taking the same train, the number eight to Canterlot. They navigated their way through the bustling station until they finally found their platform, boarding the train at three-thirty sharp. 

Again, they were riding first class, but unlike last time, the train was almost full. They dared not talk about their assignments, fearing somepony might overhear them. Instead, they propped their handbooks inside of newspapers and read them in silence.

The ride to Canterlot was spent in silence, but Calypso could sense a growing feeling of dread in Antigone as the mountainside city got closer and closer in the window. "It's okay. I know you're scared, but you'll be fine, Margarita." She said with a wink.

Antigone nodded, talking with in a Marexican accent. "Gracias, amiga. I just so scared about coming here."

Calypso leaned in close and whispered in Antigone's ear. "I'll write you, okay? Every week, I promise." 

"Thank you." She whispered back, wrapping her hooves around Calypso. 

"Last call for Canterlot Station!" The conductor called. Antigone and Orion took their suitcases and got off the train. Before they were killed, the last agents were able to destroy the energy link in their home, saving the hive from a greater disaster. Orion carried with him a new Seed of Corruption, which he would be planting at their new residence, which he said would be as lousy an apartment as they could find. Calypso rather admired their commitment, forsaking the many comforts living the Canterlot highlife would afford them for the sake of their disguises. 

The train pulled out of the station, heading for the series of mountainside tracks and tunnels that would eventually put them in the flat plains around Ponyville. Just one more hour before her new life began. Calypso felt butterflies flapping around in her stomach. She didn't know if she was more nervous or excited. Either way, she couldn't wait to be off the train. 

"Ponyville Station, last call!" Now it was Calypso's turn to grab her suitcase. She cantered off the train car, followed closely by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Outside on the platform, they set their luggage down to take in their new surroundings. 

Ponyville was a beautiful small town, bustling with life. Calypso's eyes swept over the town, failing to see anything out of the ordinary, until she laid her eyes upon… it. 

The crystal monstrosity that tore at the sky in the distance. That was the palace of Princess Twilight Sparkle, an individual listed in their handbook as "frightfully perceptive and extremely dangerous". They would do well to avoid attracting the Princess' attention. If memory served, she was the one who was responsible for the Queen's defeat during the invasion of Canterlot. 

Then again…

This was a pony with whom the Swarm had a few bones to pick. Should the chance arise, perhaps she could engineer some trouble for her royal highness. Mess up a romance, sabotage an important meeting, or publish some embarrassing photographs. 

Calypso shook her head. There would be time for all that later. Right now the most important thing was planting the Seed of Corruption. 

"Hey Twinkle, what the hay is that?" Guildenstern asked. 

She turned around to see what her partner was talking about, only to be blasted in the face by confetti. "I knew there would be new ponies in town today!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, as she slammed a party hat onto each of their heads. "My Pinkie Sense never lets me down!" She fired off another round from her party cannon before presenting them with a cake, which Rosencrantz and Guildenstern eagerly ate. "So, you three are moving in?"

"Yeah," Rosencrantz said with a smile, and if Calypso wasn't mistaken, a sparkle of... something in his eyes.
"I'm not doing anything for awhile, would you like me to give you the grand tour?" 

"No, we had best just go to our-" Calypso started. 

"We'd love to!" Rosencrantz answered. 

Pinkie was delighted by his answer. "That's great! I'm Pinkie Pie by the way, what are your names?"

"I'm Candy Floss." Rosencrantz answered, "And this is my brother Thunder Dust and my sister Twinkle Swirl." 

Once Pinkie's back was turned, Calypso roughly grabbed Rosencrantz by his neck. "Why did you say yes to her?" She demanded.

"Guidebook!" He coughed, struggling to breathe with Calypso's hooves around his throat. "Chapter 2, section 4- ack. It's bad manners to refuse a tour when you move somewhere!"

Calyspo groaned. She put her suitcase on her back and followed the upbeat pink mare, saying little while Rosencrantz talked back and forth with her. They seemed like a perfect match; more energy than brains, and what little they had seemed to be made of sugar.  

After two and a half hours of walking, Calypso had been forced to learn about every building in town. Town Hall, Quill and Sofa Store, Carousel Boutique, and so on. Pinkie had probably rattled on about Sugarcube Corner alone for a good fifteen minutes. Calypso had decided to avoid that building like the plague. In fact, she decided to stay far away from Pinkie Pie as long as she was in town. Her guidebook listed her as "Wholly unpredictable", with a note from some of the drones who had attacked Canterlot warning of the cannon she could pull seemingly out of nowhere that could fire confetti at painful speeds. 

Finally, Pinkie did one thing Calypso was at least a little grateful for; she showed them to their new cottage. Calypso could have found it on her own, but at least she didn't have to spend even more time wandering around after having to suffer through Pinkie's entire tour. 

"So if you guys ever need anything, find me and ask okay?" Pinkie smiled as she turned away. "And remember to stop by Sugarcube Corner some time!"

"Sure thing Pinkie!" Rosencrantz and Guildenstern yelled back. 

Finally with some peace and quiet, Calypso stuck the key Chrysalis had given her into the lock and opened the door. There was a small group of Changelings in the hive whose jobs were to shop around Equestria for real estate that would be suitable to serve as lairs for agents in the field. The cottage they had bought in Ponyville was a fairly spacious one, with more than enough space to accommodate three residents. It only had two bedrooms, however Calypso doubted that would be a problem, seeing as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were anxious to try out what the Ponies called "bunk beds".  Otherwise, the house had a kitchen, a living room, a dining room, two bathrooms, and most importantly, a cellar. The basement was meant to be used to store foodstuffs like cheese and barrels of cider, but at least part of it would be devoted to keeping the Seed of Corruption. More than anything else, it was absolutely vital that nopony other than they three ever go into that basement. A common pony might mistake the Energy Link for a simple fungus, but should the building ever be connected with Changelings, it was likely somepony would figure out that it was no ordinary mushroom. 

Calypso opened the door to the basement, trudging down the creaky wooden steps while "Candy Floss" and "Thunder Dust" explored the upstairs of the house. The basement was unfinished, its walls and floors made of dirt. The cellar was relatively dark, and dreadfully damp. Calypso liked the cold, wet feeling of the basement. It reminded her fondly of her old den back home. Were it up to her, she would rather sleep downstairs in nest made of dirt than in a bed, but unfortunately she had to keep up her appearance as a Pony, which would mean sleeping on a mattress. 

She dug a small hole in the ground in a secluded corner before dropping the seed into it and covering it. Within an instant, the soil around the seed had blackened to a sickening dark color. The seed would be fully grown in about ten days. In that time, they would not be collecting energy beyond what they needed to survive, because they would have nothing to do with the excess. She would have to check on it daily, to make sure nothing disturbed its growth. 

The house's upper floors had been set up with basic furniture, but it would be up to them to decorate the rest. This was one of the few tasks Calypso felt comfortable delegating to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. She did not see it as important enough to put her own attention into, and she had always had a poor sense of design regardless. Best let the idiots play interior designer. Hopefully it would keep them out of trouble, at least until the seed was finished growing.

The two bedrooms were on either side of the short hallway at the top of the staircase to the second floor. Calypso had claimed the master bedroom for herself, leaving Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to the two twin beds in the other room. As Calypso settled down on the plush mattress of her spacious bed, she could hear the sounds of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern struggling to lift one bed on top of the other to get the bunk setup they wanted. The sounds of them struggling to lift it became annoying very quickly. "Hey, I have an idea!" Calypso yelled, straining her voice to reach the other room, "Why don't you pick it up using magic?"

She heard the bed land with a thud, and a muffled 'ouch' from Guildenstern. "Great idea Cally!" Rosencrantz yelled back, "Thanks!" 

She sighed. They were hopeless. Calypso threw off her soft cotton sheets to go check on them. The light in their room was out. She stuck her head inside, to see their beds stacked on top of each other on the far side of the room, Rosencrantz on top and Guildenstern on bottom. They had found a ladder to use to get up, and were soundly asleep in their new bedroom. Calypso yawned. It was late, and they would have another long day ahead of them. On their long list of things to do now that they had moved in, tomorrow they would be job hunting.