• Published 3rd Jan 2018
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Strange Reflections - No one is home



A mad scientist using displaced humans to create new pony life faces the monster she created.

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Off The Rails - Switch Point

“Oh good,” Diane Pastel had never been so angry in her relatively short life, as the bloated mutant taunted Sweetie Belle, “it looks like at least one of you has heard of my little sister. That means you’ve heard what she does to ponies who make her angry. Everypony just hoof over their bits, and no pony has to die.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t bet on that,” Every muscle and every cell in Dianes small frame tensed.

“We gotta play this smart, Shortbread.” She wasn’t listening to the stupid blue colt who was choosing the exact wrong time to call her by the wrong name. “They still haven’t spotted us. Let’s just play this cool and cooperate. It’s not even our money.”

“Diane!” Sweetie rushed from her seat to confront the changeling she thought she knew, fearless in the face of Night Shift’s imposing presence. “You’re better than this! You’re NOT a monster! I don’t care what they say in Canterlot, I know you!”

“And there goes the smart plan.” The blue colt who called himself Dayglow sighed with heavy resignation.

For one brief moment as the larger spider bodied changeling scowled, it seemed like Sweetie Belle’s words resonated with the smaller, spiny changeling. And then she said the wrong thing, “Diane, please, just listen. What would your mother think of what you’re doing right now…”

The words shot a bolt of pure ice through the disguised heart of Diane Pastel, but the spiny imposter’s face contorted with sudden rage as she sprung forward to strike the little white filly in the face with a jagged, hole-pocked hoof, “Don’t you DARE bring my mother in to this! I’ll never see her again because of you stupid little ponies!”

“D-Diane!” Sweetie Belle sobbed as a bruise formed, on her cheek.

“I’M NOT DIANE!” The creature screamed, “My name is Debie! And I loved you stupid little ponies, even though everyone in my class said the show was for little kids, and you kidnapped me! You took me away from my parents and you turned me into a monster, and you can’t even call me by the right name!”

At the other end of the car, to unicorn guards entered and simply watched the unfolding scene with thoughtful expressions. Wasting no time, Nightshift grabbed Sweetie Belle in her front-most legs, holding her firm in a vice-like grip. “You want to join the game, little one? You can play the hostage! You get to sleep in a pod while your sweet nightmares feed the Shadow Hive. If your lucky you have rich parents who can pay the ransom before your an emotionless twitching husk! Red! Blue! Status!”

The Guards resumed they’re chromatic, fly-faced forms and snapped to attention before Blue Shift answered, “Easy peasy, the ponies up front have handed over all their valuables for ‘safekeeping when we told them there were reports of rogue changelings on the train.”

“Ah reckon we should get our sister back to the hive,” Red Shift shook her head, “She’s confused enough without these danged ponies making it worse.”

The remainder of the passengers cowered in their seats, with only two notable exceptions. Strawberry Shortbread rolled languidly into the aisle and sauntered coyly towards the monstrosity holding Sweetie Belle. “I thought for a minute there I was gonna have to kill a drone for doing such a bad job impersonating me, Night. I mean honestly, didn’t you even have a recent photo? They were all over the papers in Canterlot.”

“That voice… it can’t be…” Nightshift suddenly scuttled back, leaving the sobbing mass of spines unprotected.

“You’re lucky,” the pink filly cooed, stroking the spiny mess gently across it’s cheek with one hoof, “You dropped just enough spoilers to save your life today.”

“Red! Blue! Stop her!” Night Shift screeched, but a mere glance from the pink horror wearing a mask of innocence stopped them dead in their tracks.

“They’re not your drones, Night.” In a flash of pink changeling fire, Strawberry Shortbread was gone. The changeling’s sleek chitin was a deep burgundy, with tiger-like stripes of bright chartreuse. Two goat-like spirals erupted from her brow, divided by a crimson pink painfully straight mohawk of mane that fell lazily over one eye. Her snake-like, segmented tail twitched in agitation, the wicked stinger on its end dripping pink venom in anticipated as long, graceful dragonfly wings twitched almost spasmodically. The monster smiled like a shark with rows of razor teeth and spoke in a whispered scream, “They’re mine.”

“Dammit, Diane,” Dayglow rolled his eyes, as he rose in a huff to move beside his companion, “we talked about this. We literally had a long talk about how you weren’t going to do basically anything you’re doing right now.” The blue colt raised an eyebrow at the pair of nightmare changelings hold Sweetie Belle. “Huh, that’s weird. Why’d they go to the trouble of recruiting an imposter you if she’s just going to run around in your old natural form. It’s the least recognizable version of you they could pick. I mean, at least lose the spines… Diane never wore her spine’s in public. You’re pretty shitty at disguises for a changeling, you know that?”

“Stay back! Brat Queen!” Night Shift sputtered, hiding behind the counterfeit “Diane”, holding Sweetie Belle as a pony shield, “I still have your friend!”

“Please! Don’t hurt me!” The imposter pleaded for her life. “The big one said if I didn’t pretend to be Diane, the hive would tear me apart!”

The angry chittering of the Doppler Twins was not lost on the Shadow Hive’s true queen, her spoke in amused, ocking tones, “So, basically, Bloaty Mc Big Bottom made you pretend to be somepony you weren’t? Against your will? So basically… Nightshift named you?”

“Red! Blue! Why are you just standing there!” Nightshift fumed in abject terror. “Do something!”

“Please, I just want to go home!” The imposter’s words cut through the drones confused fog. Red Shift kicked open the train doors while Blue moved in a blur to the spiny changeling’s side, hissing defensively at Nightshift, and the pair of Sweetie Belle’s would be rescuers.

“Red! Blue! Stand down!” Diane’s order was ignored, as the crimson drone tensed.

“She’s just protecting the kid, Diane,” Dayglow held his companion at bay with a single hoof, “We don’t need a fight here. We’re just standing in the way of their way out.”

As the colt moved his reluctant companion aside, Blue seized the spiny changeling and disappeared with her sister out the side door in dash of speed.

“Too bad I just couldn’t make enough room for you to flee to safety as well.” The blue colt didn’t sound sorry at all as he shrugged. “But if you let Sweetie Belle go, I can prolly talk Diane into leaving at least a few of your legs attached to that fat torso of yours.”

In a burst of purple flames, Sweetie Belle fell to the train floor as a massive swarm of flyders formed in the air and fled for the open door. The white unicorn looked at the pair wide eyed, “Diane? Is it really you this time? What happened to you???”

“Freeze!” The Royal guard burst into the train from the previous car, spears leveled. “Step away from the filly and keep your hooves where we can see them!”

“Congratulations, Diane,” Dayglow replied dryly, “We’re busted.”