The Changeling Wars

by Alkonium

The Chapter With No Name

[youtube=rHqJ4berKYM]

En Route to Dodge Junction

The train ride provided Twilight and Derpy with a much needed respite, even if many of the ponies and bison on board were wounded being transported to Dodge Junction's hospital.

Seeing an opportunity to get to know Derpy better, Twilight asked, "So Derpy, how come I've heard so many ponies call you Ditzy Doo? Is that a nickname or something?"

"Actually, Ditzy's my twin sister. Mostly identical twin, but she tends to dye her mane and tail red." Derpy explained.

"So she's the one who dropped the ball on Bird Retrieval during Winter Wrap Up two years ago?" Twilight asked.

"Well, yeah. I was on Cloud Duty with Rainbow Dash." Derpy replied. "Listen, between Time Turner being stuck behind enemy lines, Dinky being alone in the Canterlot refugee camp, and Ditzy and Sparkler being deployed to Cloudsdale and Vanhoover, respectively, I don't really want to talk about my family right now."

"Believe it or not, Derpy, I know what you mean. I haven't heard a word from my parents, my brother, or my sister-in-law since the war started, and they're in Canterlot. Spike's practically my son, and he's trapped in Ponyville at the mercy of Queen Chrysalis." Twilight sadly replied.

"What about Cheerilee?" Derpy inquired.

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked, not quite sure what Derpy was talking about.

"Chrysalis tried to feed on you in her form; she must mean something to you." Derpy pointed out.

"She doesn't know." Was all Twilight said about it. That could have gone better. Twilight thought to herself.

As the train ground to a halt, medic ponies rushed aboard, ready to transport the wounded bison and ponies to the Dodge Junction Hospital. At the same time, one of the train's crew approached Twilight and Derpy, and said, "End of the line, ladies, unless you plan on just going back to Appleloosa."

"I thought this train went all the way to Ponyville, or at least Canterlot, considering." Derpy responded.

"Orders from Celestia. We're limited to two way trips to and from the nearest towns, for the sake of safety and security." The crew member explained.

Celestia? Luna is the one who should be making these decisions. Twilight thought, but said, "Is there anything you can do to help us?"

"There is another train going to Whitetrot, but that's about it." The crew member suggested.

"Thanks anyway." Twilight replied, finally getting up from her seat, and leaving the train with Derpy right behind her.

Dodge Junction

There was still a couple of hours before the train to Whitetrot arrived, so Twilight and Derpy saw no sense in just sitting at the train station the whole time, and wandered about the town, but their spirits further dampened at the sight of the refugee camps set up across Dodge Junction, much like the ones in Canterlot that they had heard about.

"Those orders from Celestia don't make any sense. It's inefficient, and way less secure. There's too much time wasted in transferring supplies from one train to another, and only going between the nearest towns is a huge waste of fuel. It would be like if when I had to deliver a package, I had to stop at the nearest house, pass it on to another mailmare, and she'd do the same, until it ended up where it needed to be." Derpy commented

"Celestia is supposed to be deferring to Luna in times of war anyway. None of this makes sense." Twilight pointed out.

"You don't think ..." Derpy tried to ask, but was afraid to finish the sentence.

Still, Twilight knew what she meant, and she answered with, "I'd rather not consider that. Even without the massive shield over the city, security in Canterlot has gotten a lot tighter. There are screeners everywhere, though they didn't seem to do much for Ponyville." Derpy couldn't help but notice a hint of self-flagellation at the mention of Ponyville.

"It's not your fault, Twilight. You couldn't have known they were going to betray us like that." Derpy said, trying to reassure Twilight.

"I should have suspected something! They were open to highest bidder, practically by their own admission, and all I did about it was reprimand them for attempted profiteering!" Twilight retorted.

"Ponies helping the Changelings was unprecedented, and we don't even know what Chrysalis offered them." Derpy pointed out. "Even if they hadn't betrayed us, Ponyville never was holding the entire horde back. There were reports of Changelings in Trottawa and Hoofington as little as a week after Ponyville was hit."

"I suppose you're right." Twilight conceded.

"For what it's worth, Twilight, I don't blame you. You're not the one who killed Mayor Mare, and you're certainly not the one who shot out your eye." Derpy said, finally managing to get through to Twilight.

"No, I'm not." Twilight replied, letting out a small smile. "Do you really think it'll be as easy as taking the train to Whitetrot?"

"Probably not. There aren't many towns that far north, but there are still plenty that are north of Canterlot." Derpy answered.

"Regardless, the sooner we get to Canterlot, the better." Twilight said in response.

Fortunately, their promenade had brought them close enough to train station to hear the sound of a train pulling in. The two mares ran to the train station as quickly as they could, but as they approached the front door, they were knocked back by an explosion that ripped the building apart. Twilight quickly got back on her hooves, having sustained little more than a few bruises and a nasty ringing sound in her ears. As soon as she spotted Derpy amid the chaos, she roused the grey pegasus and led her further into the wreckage.

Examining what was left of the two trains in the station, they quickly realized that casualties were light, due to the Whitetrot train primarily carrying supplies, and the Appleloosa train being vacant, except for the crew. While Derpy gave her aid to the medics rushing in, Twilight began further examining the blast itself, along with the cargo from Whitetrot.

"What exactly was the train from Whitetrot bringing here?" Derpy asked one of the medics.

"Ammunition and medical supplies, mostly. Nothing explosive, and certainly nothing strong enough to do this." The medic replied.

"I thought so. The centre of the blast appears to be in between the tracks, and there'd have been no time for a bomber to get a bomb into that spot before it went off." Twilight spoke up.

"Why wouldn't it have gone off sooner? There certainly would have been more casualties if it went off when we got here." Derpy commented.

"Think about it. Every dead pony is a pony the Changelings can't feed on. They want us alive and subdued." Twilight pointed out.

"Any idea how it was set up?" Derpy then asked.

"It's difficult to say. They could have rigged up something with pressure sensors, or the bomber could have had a remote detonator, but anything this close to the centre of the blast radius would have been incinerated." Twilight surmised.

"The bomber's probably posing as a pony who worked here, and they're probably still in town." Derpy suggested.

"Any sort of employee records would have been destroyed in the blast, but if they're a Changeling, they won't risk switching disguises; seeing two of a pony in town, or a complete stranger would be a dead giveaway." Twilight added.

"Maybe not. Places like this usually have some sort of safe in the main office, and it would have survived an explosion like this." Derpy pointed out. "Let's check there first."

As they entered the burned remains of the train station's main office, they found the safe already open, and a brown and red Earth pony mare going over a set of papers, somehow levitating them despite her lack of a horn. At the sight of Twilight and Derpy, she burned the pages, and threw them back into the safe. She then leaped out into the street, with the unicorn and pegasus mares quickly giving chase.

It would be easy enough for the bomber to get lost the crowd once she was in the open streets, so Derpy quickly flew up for a bird's eye view. Twilight then followed the bomber into the crowd, guided by Derpy from above. Once the bomber got out of the crowd, she took to the rooftops, seemingly propelled by invisible wings. Twilight turned towards the nearest alleyway, and started making her way up the wall, while Derpy swooped in on the bomber. The chase persisted across three more rooftops, until the bomber leaped out, and Twilight managed to shoot through one if her invisible wings. The bomber then tumbled to the ground, her pony disguise falling apart as she fell. Twilight jumped down after her, magically slowing her descent, and she and Derpy landed on opposite sides of the Changeling.

"Gotcha." Twilight said, trying to intimidate the Changeling. Not in the mood to surrender, the Changeling muttered something that sounded like little more than screeching and clicking noises to Twilight and Derpy, charged up its horn, and exploded.

Covered in green slime, Derpy commented, "I didn't know they could do that."

"Well, this has been an unequivocal disaster. Celestia seems to be deliberately sabotaging the war effort, we're stuck in Dodge Junction, and the Changelings have gotten deeper into Equestria than we thought." Twilight said in response. "Come on, I need a drink."

Dodge Junction Tavern

Having cleaned the bits of changeling off themselves, Twilight and Derpy entered the tavern, each ordering an ale. As the bartender poured their drinks, another mare entered the tavern and approached the bar, her face and mane obscured by a hooded cloak.

"What'll it be, miss?" The bartender asked the hooded stranger.

"Oh, um, just a Screwdriver. I mean, if it's not too much trouble." The hooded mare answered.

That voice was unmistakeable. Twilight turned to face this other mare, and asked, "Fluttershy?"

Comments

[DreadedCandiru2]

And outside, Derpy is asking if somebody's drones have personality chips.

[Luminous Lead]

Now we just need Time Turner and those Flim Flam fakers :D

[Alkonium]

1145435 You mean the same Flim Flam brothers who shot Twilight in the eye, killed Mayor Mare, and sold Ponyville out to the Changelings? "Time Turner" will be in soon enough, though.