Field Duty Sucks/ Let's Play Dance Dance Revolution
A week had passed and the invasion was becoming more and more of a realization. The hatchlings had hatched, the swarm was beginning the training of the last batch, and everyone was quite sure that mutants, maintenance workers, and even Leech would be necessary in this upcoming battle.
However, for the time being, Shift and Alter were busy scheming their next plan for obtaining a game. For all intensive purposes, they were getting bored. They needed something new, other then Tartarus Rises. After Alter had injured himself, the two had spent the last week playing the game to level 150, where you got all the items and had the option to restart. Well it was safe to say they were at the point of ripping each other's throats off.
"Shift! Alter!" came the barking command of their Centurion through the Hive Chat. Instantly, the two brothers rushed to the call, their hooves raised in a salute. "Shift and Alter here."
The Centurion gave a sigh before he started eyeing each of them. For a good minute or so, it was silent except for the shuffle of the instructor and the creaks and groans of the cave. However, the Centurion merely continued to survey each detail about them before sighing once more and settling back in the stance he had maintained earlier.
"General Flint would like to see you two."
For a moment, Shift was going to ask why when Alter nudged him in the shell, his eyes darting towards the entrance ahead. Mumbling to himself, Shift unwillingly followed his brother to the entrance, where a changeling in blue, ebony-plated, armor stood over a mass of what looked to be two memory crystals.
"Your files say you two are in your prime," the general casually mentioned without looking up, "and I must say, it seems quite a surprise to all of us as to what you two do with your time."
"Well," Shift began, "we're hard workers. We do work. And well...work doesn't always let us-"
"I mean becoming Big Brothers, both of you."
The two changelings froze, unsure of what to say. They were hoping to avoid something like this. Taking care of a hatchling wasn't only dangerous, it was outright messed up! They wouldn't survive ten seconds foal-sitting a changeling hatchling. Why, the mere thought as to what it would do if it ever got in their dwelling was-
"Shift! Alter!" Flint barked, clearly annoyed.
The two changelings got out of their trance-like state to pay heed to the General before them. "Yes sir," Alter said, "I've been thinking and me and my brother agree that taking care of a changeling is way out of our range and-"
"It isn't about what's within or out of your range Alter," Flint said with a irritated tone, "now I know we're all family here at the swarm, and that you and Shift are basically twins born of the same egg, but you two need to realize that eventually, responsibility comes first. With the invasion at hand, we haven't had as many volunteers as necessary. Now every other changeling is doing their part, so why won't you?"
"Because we can't!" Shift cried.
"Because you won't." Flint corrected him. "Listen, I understand following in your Big Sister's hoof steps is difficult to say the least, but we need every changeling to at least try. Most of the soldiers in the military are already too busy to care for their own little sisters and brothers. We need you now rather then later to-"
"Listen," Alter sighed, "me and Shift aren't equipped to handle that kind of responsibility. I don't think we'll be able to handle that responsibility for a long time, and we just want to do anything else but try to raise a hatchling on our own."
Flint merely stared at them. It wasn't a hateful stare. Moreover it was one of sadness. "Fine, but you two still have field duty. If you'll follow Transparence, you two will get suited with your identities."
The brothers made a salute and departed towards the entrance. Not two seconds in, Transparence materialized in front of them, her stare causing both changelings to jump. Grumbling to themselves, the brothers exchanged heated glances toward the elite drone.
"Don't pop up on us like that," Shift growled, "you nearly gave me a heart attack."
"Well I'm sorry," replied Transparence sarcastically, "but I've been waiting for an hour so we need to get you guys set up pronto."
"What's going on?" Alter asked.
"Well if you must know," Transparence hissed, "you two forgot you were on field duty again! And now the High-General will have my bottom unless-"
Shift nearly choked on his saliva at the words "High-General". Double had a reputation for being concise about every single movement in the swarm. Despite the apparent election of a new position, not much else had changed the new system being imposed upon them.
Without even bothering to salute, the two brothers rushed to the barracks, a single, chamber with few stalactites but plenty of boulders to make it the ideal hiding place. As they entered, several heads darted their way, giving off despicable glances. They were all part of the Big Brother and Big Sister program in the hive. In fact, everyone except Shift and Alter were in the Big Brother and Big Sister program!
"Sorry we're late," Alter managed to blurt, stopping to catch his breath. Shift, on the other hoof, was only gasping and sending back equally hated glances towards the crowd. They didn't seem to care however, content with aiming their attention to Transparence as she stood to inform the troops.
"Field duty again brothers and sisters."
There was the common sigh that was given off by the changelings gathered around the chamber, a tradition rooted into the past. After all, "field duty" was another way of saying "community service". It benefited the swarm as a whole, but no one ever really wanted to do it. Scratch that, there are those few psychopaths and maniacs who devote themselves to long periods of field duty. The usual result is meeting a pony, finding peace, trying to leave the swarm, and then supposedly "living happily ever after".
Shift thought of the idea of traitors like any other swarm member: victims to their own decisions. Alas, if these maniacs didn't spend all their time stealing love on extra extra field duty service, they would have seen what a wonderful world the hive was.
Budget cuts had reduced the armor production and ebony ore veins were becoming harder and harder to find. There may have been tension within the ranks. But they did have social events. Dances, market places, schools, and the Big Brother/ Big Sister program which was mandatory to any changeling not ordained as a Centurion or higher.
Anyway...getting back to the point....Transparence continued to adress the swarm.
"We're going to Bucksberry for this operation. We'll stay for the weekend, gather as much love as we can, and get out without leaving a trace. You will find your field assignments right over there." She gestured her hoof to a stack of leaves neatly piled on a boulder.
As Shift and Alter skimmed through the pages, they fell upon two interesting characters. One was a pegasus guard called Whirl Wing and another was a unicorn shopkeeper called Erasmus. Perfect.
Perhaps the most remarkable feature of a changeling is the ability to instantly and easily transform themselves, bending bones and features, and sometimes even genders, to make a perfect copy of their form. However, memories and other such personality traits were harnessed and built upon. A skilled operator could glance at a pony's photo and instantly know everything about how they acted around others. Usually the rest came from the files.
As Shift and Alter scanned their forms, other changelings were vanishing in green flames, replaced by a motley array of townsponies, guards, mayors, bakers, wizards, and even farmers. Each one would then be teleported via teleportation crystals five miles out of the residence, into the nearest cave, where they would then proceed to their residence and act out the part.
The changelings were now reassembled into their "town groups", each being sent to a different section of town. As Alter and Shift made their way to the town of Bucksberry, they couldn't help but imagine what games laid ahead of them.
%%%%
"We need to get the pre-orderd copy of Haylo 4," Shift began as they passed the old, discarded sign of Bucksberry county. "I mean think of it, we'd be pwning noobs like there was no tomorrow..."
"Unless you count work." Alter corrected him.
"Well after work, I mean come on, you remember how great the Haylo series was..."
"Was." Alter knew his brother to be an avid lover of FPS, First Pony Shooters, but it was still rather monotonous not to mention incredibly stupid regarding the group of gamers who played such various games. It wasn't that he necessarily hated them, it was just that they got on his nerves. And in his mind, anypony who got on his nerves wasn't worth playing with.
"What's wrong with Haylo?" Shift tilted his head in confusion.
"It's starting to lose it," Alter explained, "I mean I loved the story and all, but it was just slowly deteriorating over time. Some of the stuff I heard about the new game sounds more like Colt of Duty then anything else. I just don't think we should-"
"Blasphemy!" Shift cried out, "how dare you insult Haylo! That game was legendary and you know it! When we start playing Haylo 4, we'll be up all night, non-stop! I assure you on my right-wing that this is going to be..."
All teams split up! came the command from the Hive Chat. Reluctantly, both changelings split in different directions, each dreading the next few days apart from each other.
%%%%%
Erasmus was indeed an odd shopkeeper. His shop, unlike what either brother had expected, was filled with various antiques and old artifacts, buried under a clutter of dusty tomes and peculiar gems. Clearly this guy is not the modern clerk I was hoping for.
Here and there, pots and pans held priceless jewels, odd statues, and tokens from foreign lands. Some were made of simple, but sweet-smelling wood. Zebras. Others, were reinforced with stainless steel, but surprisingly light when lifted. Griffins.Then scattered around were various preserved herbs and incense that he figured was used for some sort of ritual. However, his quest for items also brought him to collect some changeling resin. Perhaps it explains his proximity to the changeling outpost here.
As Alter rummaged through one of the drawers he suddenly noticed a gleam coming from the bedroom. Upon entering it, he managed to fetch the item out of the tangled mess of beads and various braids. It was an amulet, crafted with a blood-red ruby in the center. What appeared to be an alicorn peered over the top, its gleaming eyes gazing hungrily up at him. The mere aura emanating from the amulet was contagious. If he could just. No.Alter shoved the amulet back in the drawer. Clearly it was hidden for a purpose, perhaps to prevent anypony else from suffering its effects.
Other then that, none of the other objects attracted much interest from the changeling. Most of the stuff around him was just useless junk and odd little trinkets. Although the shopkeeper probably made some bits off this junk considering he was still in business.
%%%%
Shift looked at his armor and sighed. Although Equestria was known for its blacksmithing, and the armor was indeed worthy of enterprise, he knew it still belonged to somepony else. Changeling smithing had fallen from grace during the recession and budget cuts. In the good old days, almost every changeling had some helmet to protect them when going to war. Now, you'd only see such honor bestowed upon a general or High-General.
Yet, he was being a guard for the day and he might as well live up to it. As he headed for the bright red jail for Bucksberry, a white stallion suddenly barged out, his legs wobbly and a bottle of cider gripped firmly in one hoof.
"Oy," he slurred, "where 'ave you been? I'veeeee ben waiting for th'ee hou's"
The stallion was significantly drunk, probably even more then that. Also, his inability to pronounce r's would make it hard to understand half the stuff he spat at him.
"Well?" The stallion managed to pronounce clearly.
How to act? How to act? Shift was scared out of his mind. He didn't know what to do at all. Perhaps it was best to play the part of the guard for this introduction. Gruff and easily tempered, which admittedly, is something Shift is very good at.
"Shut your trap and don't forget to recycle that bottle," Shift barked, "I was checking a disturbance in the woods and thought better that you guard while I investigate."
"We 'ad a distu'bance?" the stallion asked, one eye half closed," 'eckon I better check myself next time."
"Well regardless I'm tired and don't need you to be buckin around okay?"
The stallion raised his hooves in mock surrender. "I didn' 'ean 'o ha'm, calm down." And with that he turned and promptly fell on his bottom, snoring as loud as an ursa major. Shift heaved a sigh and proceeded to move the stallion's body to a nearby brown, and rather dirty, sofa.
Then Shift proceeded to take the time to relax on his own, feeling a soreness in his joints. He wasn't much for being an advocate for Alter's opinion, but he had to give the changeling some credit. As much as he hated to say it, he wished that Haylo 4 had improved, especially since it was formed from ponies working in the original company that originally published it. But now, he wasn't so sure if this new release was leading Haylo to a brighter or darker future. After all, this was the first independent game, not a recreation of a classic, but a real, new, continuation to what Shift considered to be one of the best games in the history of FPS. Who was he kidding, Haylo was what got him into FPS. It was because of Haylo that he got into Counter-Strike, Colt of Duty, and much much more.
As he sat by the couch, re-thinking his choices, a pearly white earth pony mare with green eyes, and in full armor, came from the corridor adjacent to him. "I see you're back, and that old Rusty took one too many."
"Perhaps three too many," Shift commented, "so what's the news?"
"Not much," the mare said, "although word is that there was a threat made on Canterlot recently."
Shift already knew very well who and how the threat was made. Chrysalis wasn't one for theatrics, but apparently she had a grudge against Celestia for who knows how long. It was only when the hive was finally running on broken cogs that the decision was made to even plan for this invasion, although a large sum of love would have to be gathered for the troops in case of a backfire.
"Hey, are you joining us?"
Shift nearly gulped in anxiety. He had been trained to act like he was suffering from amnesia, but under these circumstances it seemed rather odd."Uhhhh sure?"
"Well then come on, the foals already got it set up in the back."
Slowly, Shift followed the mare down the corridor to a tiny, dark-lit room where two other guards were standing over a small TV, two pads being folded out over the disheveled floor. As Shift's eyes adjusted to the dark, he saw that the pads were grey in color, with 4 arrows pointing in various directions. Glowing from the TV screen, he saw the title emblazoned like a neon rainbow.
"Dance Dance Revolution!" one of the guards cheered.
Oh shoot. Shift wasn't one to back away from challenged, but Dance Dance Revolution was his bane of existence.Taking in a deep breath, the changeling simply grinned, trying to act as much the part as he could think of.
"So Whirl Wing, you wanna give it a go?" the mare challenged, "Let's see the star in motion eh?"
So his pegasus was a pro at this game, considering that Dance Dance Revolution was the only form of entertainment for three hundred miles in this town. Shift was sweating profusely, his eyes darting from side to side. However, his "comrades" merely excused it to the fact he may have lost some practice.
"Oh come on Whirl Wing," another guard chided, "you were the one who asked us to set this thing up! I'd rather be playing Colt of Duty: Foal Ops right now."
Shift would have asked for a change in game, but that would break character. Well I suppose I might get some luck.
"Alright," Shift said in as intimidating a voice he could manage, "I hope you're ready. Cause I'm gonna bring the THUNDER!"
With that he trotted up to the pad and began to pound his hoof on the down pad. As he scrolled down the list, he could see both familiar and unfamiliar tunes that may or may not ensure success. It was now just a matter of which one he would choose.
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By now, Alter had scoured the shop, searching for anything that might give indication to a device made in the last century. Sadly, his search was in vain. Erasmus was an antique, just like his products. With a sigh, Alter leaned in an old rocking chair, letting it rock him to sleep.
CRASH!
By the time he got to the third rock, the chair collapsed in a heap of splinters and dust. Brushing the debris off himself, Alter swore under his breath and continued to observe his surroundings. An old grandfather clock was on the far side of the wall, half buried under a humble of junk and trinkets.
Odd how it's placed in a corner of the shop. Alter would have expected it to have been placed in a more, well, significant space. The clock was clearly the jewel in the buyer's eye. However, it seemed to deter anypony from buying by the simple fact of how much stuff was trapping it in the corner.
Suddenly, Alter froze, his eyes directed at the clock. It was too noticeable. Erasmus' bio said he was an avid collector, but also a braggart of his shop. It helped him raise the value on knick-knacks to the occasional customer who had little knowledge on Equestrian culture. On top of that, he was paranoid. Alter moved towards the clock, knocking off some of the items blocking his hooves to get a better view of the clock.
Sure enough, a golden latch immediately appeared. Alter grinned as he applied pressure to the latch and a tiny squeak indicated the secret compartment had opened. Going towards it, he saw to his amazement that...
"It's a box!"
But not just any box. Scrawled onto the cardboard surface, the letters barely made out "GAME BOX". Carefully pulling the box out, Alter opened it to find nothing other then.
"A variety of the latest games?"
Among the games were also receipts for pre-ordered copies and other such items. The fact however, was why did an old nag have all this video game contraband locked away in a grandfather clock. As Alter dug through the receipts and sealed covers, he saw a tiny journal with the words "Notes" stenciled in.
Taking it out, he leafed through the pages to find out that Erasmus had been so curious as to buy a ton of games for no good reason.
Entry 1
It may seem odd to the common eye to see such a collection bestowed before you. However, I guarantee this will be of no big surprise. I am conducting research on the odd fascination of video games. Alas, I had planned on getting some of these so called "consoles" but I ran out of bits. While having the promise of a hefty sum from a peculiar unicorn with a queue-styled mane, I still advise against selling him the Alicorn Amulet. It is too valuable and far too dangerous to a merchant who has only interest in profit. However, getting back on track, most of the gamers in this town are in-doors and unavailable for interview. However, with these games, and hopefully some profit on the changeling resin I will be collecting tomorrow, I shall have enough to conduct personal experimentation with video games and see their effects on me. Course it wasn't what was intended, but nopony in the town wants to be a guinea pig and so I must work with what I have. I've collected a large collection of games, keeping them in their prime in case the experiment fails and I must sale all these in the far, far future. Anyhow, I did manage to "pre-order" as they say. Anyhow, it was quite simple according to the cashier. I can go to any game store, turn in this paper and have my game brought to me. Simple as pie if I must add. Alas, I will save the rest of this journal for gaming reviews and what not. Tally ho!
Alter slammed the book shut, shaking his head in disbelief. Gaming Culture was not old enough for archaeological minds to delve into, and yet here was Erasmus, an old freak who bought more games then a colt with a rich mother. And indeed Erasmus must have saved dearly for this collection. Every game that he could have imagined was in here. Oh the choices were immeasurable at the moment. If only he could borrow it and just use it for the-
"No," Alter shouted to himself, "I would risk discovery if I took this back to the hive."
But then again, his mind whispered What's Chrysalis gonna know? She's too busy with that invasion of hers to care about what's happening in the swarm. Perhaps you could...well...borrow this. Old Erasmus had memory loss and could easily fall into self-doubt. Perhaps he had already forgotten about this anyway. All you have to do is take the games, cover up for a while and no one would know any better.
Alter couldn't do it. It was one thing to steal love, but it was-. Hold on a second, we're already parasites as it is. Stealing love and ruining lives is a part of our nature. So what if I take a little extra on the side?
Alter grinned at this thought, and began to heave the box back to the bedroom of Erasmus. When the time came, he would bring the box along with him, vanishing into the night. And then, he and Shift would have an unimaginable supply of games to last them a life time. Or a good year at least.
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"How about (insert song name here)?"
Shift dreaded that song in particular. In fact, he utterly hated anything that had to do with that song. But Shift wasn't known for being a coward. So, stepping up to the mat, he slammed his hoof and the song began to play.
"Get ready!" the screen proclaimed exuberantly.
On the other side, the mare had locked eyes with Shift as he did with her. He wasn't going to let a mare beat him. No, he was the master. The overlord. The one who conquered forty dungeons with nothing more then a bottle of love and his brother's snores to accompany him. On top of that, he had done it silently, swearing under his breath every time the Utheden Troll used it's Twelve Tongues of Fury Hammer on his character at 2 HP.
"Hope your ready Whirl Wing."
"I was born ready," Shift wanted to add something else, but thought better of it. Getting into the zone too slowly always had drawbacks. He needed his full concentration on the game, not on his competition.
"START!"
There was an outcry of yelling, laughter, and teasing as the two remaining guards cheered Shift on. Apparently, they had their bits on him. Shuffling his hooves, Shift twisted and turned to catch each arrow at the exact time. For now, however, his side of the screen was showing "ok's" and "miss". On the other side, the mare was getting "perfect" and her bar was showing it.
"Shoot!" Shift swore under his breath, pounding his hooves to get all the buttons. Alas, it wasn't working and he could see his performance slowly lower with it.
His hooves were coordinated for frontal assault, and so he was continuously having the problem of stomping on the frontal pad with two hooves instead of one, while his hind legs shuffled to and fro around the other three. Sweat began to pour down his face. The beat was getting faster and faster.
He was going to fail. He was going to lose and suffer the feeling of defeat. Charging himself, he cried out loud and suddenly, before even he could stop himself, shape-shifted. In another moment, the guard was replaced with an eight-legged spider who was hastily trying to simultaneously hit all arrows at once.
"AHHHHHHH!!!" A guard screamed in terror. The mare had by now stopped and brought her hind hooves up in defense. "Sweet Celestia! We got a changeling in here!"
Shift froze when he noticed how he may have emotionally transformed in front of a ton of guards. In another green flash he was back to Whirl Wing. "What are you talking about, it's me Whirl Wing!?"
The mare merely responded with a buck into Shift's chest.
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Alter had tried to sleep earlier, but alas it was proving to be harder then expected. Getting up with a yawn, he decided to take a stroll into the night, and probably visit some store that sold pretzels. Oh how he loved pretzels. The cinnamon ones were the best. The sugar-coated goodness, the warm interior that made your heart soar. He was one who ate food for the enjoyment, as love sometimes wasn't enough and besides, the taste became bland after a while.
The streets seemed to be filled with ponies rushing to and fro, lanterns in-between their teeth like reins. Here and there, a guard would rush by and eventually, Alter heard a shriek from an adjacent red building near his shop.
"What nonsense could be going on at this hour?" he pondered.
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Shift managed to get himself off the violet red mare was she backed into an array of trash cans. Before he could stop her, the mare was suddenly covered in the cities' local grime and gup. The stench that emanated off her was unbearable and Shift gagged.
"Get back changeling!" the mare screamed before running off into the streets, screaming hysterically for the guards to rescue her.
"Oh to Tartarus with you, nag!" Shift howled, "for the love of Chrysalis these ponies are a bunch of sissies. No wonder the only game they're good at is Dance Dance Revo-"
"SHIFT!"
The changeling turned around to see a rather elderly brown pony wearing owl-rimmed spectacles and donning a white beard. "What the heck are you doing here?"
Shift crossed his hooves, eyes suddenly becoming interested in how many holes he could count. Alter grabbed his brother's head and pulled it up to meet eye to eye. "WHAT. THE. BUCK. HAPPENED?"
"I may have... accidentally transformed in front of a couple of guards..."
Alter facehoofed himself so hard he groaned in pain. "You idiot! How the buck did you manage that? What the buck happened!"
"I was playing Dance Dance Revolution and-"
"You were playing Dance Dance Revolution? Shift! You know what that does to you!"
"But I had to act the part-"
"Toughlove! You could easily have avoided it!"
"But I'm a true gamer Alter! You know how I never resist a challenge!"
Alter slapped his brother in the face, his form reverberating in a green flash. Soon, two changelings were staring at each other, both with heated stares. "Because of you! This whole operation may have just been jeopardized!"
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!"
The high-pitched squeal of a mare alerted both Alter and Shift to turn around and face a pair of guards, their horns glowing with magical energy. Judging from the fact that they were positioned in a dead end, and that at any moment the guards could fire whatever spell they were casting, Shift decided now was the best time to practice Plan B in changeling field work.
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Ooh, cliffhanger!
Glad to see this updated again.
Dance Dance Revolution has that effect on me as well, can't stand the thing. As for the song... Gangnam Style maybe? That's a song I really can't tolerate!
Oh, and one little correction you may want to do...
Oops!
2141477
Oops
, thanks for letting me know.
Harlem shake!
Haha, the "Haylo" argument reminds me of a conversation I had with my brother. It was about the same thing, too. The new multiplayer is fun, but I can't use the same level of strategy, and it feels like there's not nearly as much skill in it. I just can't take satisfaction in victory anymore...
You have been playing too much Skyrim. Ebony is wood! They wouldn't mine wood!
Anyway, this is getting good.