• Published 19th Jun 2018
  • 564 Views, 13 Comments

The Changeling War - Captain Morgan



When Chrysalis and a few remaining changelings took over America, all hope was lost. But when a small group of survivors meet Twilight and company, they show their new friends the way of survival and agree to let them help fight against Chrysalis.

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A New Beginning

“Morgan, you alright?” My friend Jacob asked as I snapped back into reality.

“Hmm? Yeah, I’m fine” I replied.

“Well come on, we’re not getting any younger just standing here,” Jacob said.

“Alright, I’m coming.”

My name is Morgan. N. Grey. and Today is August 17, 2023. It had been five years since America fell and the Changelings took over. Nothing has been the same since. The Changelings were nothing that America was expecting, they were ‘magical creatures’ that had the power to shapeshift into anyone at will. Chrysalis and her army came from another planet where magic was apparently real. But after they took power, they started taking us for granted. They killed people for no apparent reason and burned down homes leaving millions homeless.

A lot of people referred to it these days as The Changeling War, except no-one in the world had the guts to go against Chrysalis and her Changelings, hell, not even North Korea. I have been holed-up at the school since the day everything went to hell, along with a few friends over the years and we’ve never had a liking toward Chrysalis or her army. Jacob and I were doing our weekly scavenging, looking for any supplies that would help us survive: food, water, medicine, ammo, anything that would help us last a while longer. There were two others in our group, Chris, and Markus. They were the ones who had to stay behind and make sure no one stole our equipment while we were gone.

Jacob and I were both outfitted with clothes we’d found over the years. I was wearing green camo cargo pants, a pair of hiking boots, a Brandit M-65 Field Jacket and under it was a grey T-shirt that had a tattered American flag on it. On my back was a sheath that contained an eighteen inch serrated bush machete with a hand guard that I found in a pawnshop a while back, a dark green beanie and tan aviator sunglasses.

And because Jacob was a military enthusiast, he wore his brother’s camouflaged M-65 military tactical jacket and underneath was a tactical response combat short sleeve shirt, Camouflage military pants with knee pads, combat boots, and a Map Pocket Ranger Cap.

We had been searching for about four hours but hadn’t found anything useful. We stopped at an abandoned 7-eleven store, but the place had been picked clean years ago.

“Another day, another looted store with nothing in it,” Jacob stated as he walked down the aisle of shelves with nothing on them.

“It’s been five years since our world was taken over Changelings and five years since our species started getting treated like shit, Jacob. What did you expect?” I said bluntly while sitting on the counter.

“Well, I was expecting that there would be some food left to last us a more few months,” Jacob replied.

“Dude, we already have enough food.” I reminded him

“Yeah, Enough food to last us three weeks!” He yelled, not loud enough to draw attention.

I was stunned; I had never seen him this stressed.

“Sorry, it’s just that… ” He paused for a moment. “Look, we’re running low on supplies, most importantly food and if that happens, we’re either gonna starve to death or-”

“NO!” I said, cutting him off “I know that we’re desperate, but we are not turning those “shape shifting-freaks” and ask them for food, they're the ones who destroyed this country in the first place!”

I walked up to Jacob and put my hands on his shoulders, making sure that he was paying attention. “We are survivors Jake, we have survived this long, we’re not quitting now, and I’ll be damned if we’re going to walk up to their doorstep ask them for a handout.” I let him process what I had just said.

“Fine” Jacob sighed.

“Come on, There’s bound to be some food where we're going,” I reassured. Jacob nodded and we both walked out of the minimart, hoping we would find something good at our next destination.

*******

We’d been walking for about 30 minutes when we reached our destination. It was a sight that made both our jaws drop. We were looking at the remains of the U.S Bank Stadium, with a C-17 Globemaster’s tail sticking out of the glass ceiling.

“Holy Shit,” Jacob muttered. We’ve never scavenged in the city; we have always stuck to houses, military checkpoints, and grocery stores. But this was the first time in 5 years we have ever stepped foot in Minneapolis.

“Never thought we’d come back here,” I said.

“Same,” Jacob said, still gazing at the sight.

“Let’s hope there's at least some food that we can take home,” I said as we started walking.

As we were approaching the stadium we passed abandoned Medical tents and in each one there were about a dozen gurneys with some useless medical equipment.

“Guess this used to be a checkpoint for those who got infected,” Jacob said.

“Yeah, but the real question is, what happened to all those people who infected?” I replied noticing that there were no human remains in any of the tents.

There were rumors of a disease brought from the Changeling homeworld that infected almost half of America. No one knew how it originated or what had happened to the people who first got infected. All that we know was that the Changelings built walls which are almost half as tall as the Empire State Building around major cities all across the country and started calling them ‘Dead Zones’ and that no-one was to enter no matter the cost. But people started getting cocky, thinking that there were fresh supplies behind the walls and the ones who ventured into a Dead Zone, were never seen again. It funny actually, not about the missing people, but that we happen to be a few blocks away to the walls that border's the Dead Zone. But you don’t have to worry, we won’t be venturing there any time soon… I hope.

“Let's get inside and find what we need,” Jacob said. “This place is creeping me the hell out.”

I nodded, and we started making our way to the entrance of the stadium.

The inside of the stadium’s lobby was even creepier than the outside. Dried blood all over the floor, luggage bags stacked into piles, and decaying bodies scattered about the room. My guess was that they used to be doctors and U.S soldiers.

“And just when you thought the outside was creepy,” I said, seeing what we’d just walked into.

“Let’s check the field; it’s probably where they stashed their medical supplies and food,” Jacob said.

“Ok,” I replied. “But keep your guard up, I have a feeling we’re not alone here.”

We both took out our weapons that we’d brought along in case we were attacked - Jacob pulled out his FN Fal, and I took out an AK 47 with a shoulder strap.

As we made our way down the hall, we peeked into rooms making sure there wasn’t an ambush waiting for us or if there were supplies hiding in the corner. Once we made to the field, we saw that there was nothing left. The tailfin of the Globemaster had broken off and was stuck in the ceiling while the rest of the plane had destroyed the field where the medical tents were.

“Well, it doesn't hurt check right?” I said trying to brighten the mood.

Jacob just rolled his eyes and made his way to the wreckage. Even though this was our only hope of getting food was literally crushed, we still had to make sure there was at least something worth scavenging.

*******

It took us thirty minutes sorting through the remains of what used to be busy makeshift hospital just to find anything to help us survive. We put what we found from the wreckage on a fold-out table that I had found. I started listing out what we had found: “Ok, seven MREs, morphine, three bottles of antibiotics, a pack of C-4 explosives with a detonator, a few shotgun shells, two bottles of painkillers and some bandages.”

What we had found wasn’t enough.

“God Damn It!” Jacob yelled as he kicked over a cart with surgical tools on it.

“Jacob, Calm Down!” I said.

“Calm down? Look at this Morgan, we walked four hours for this shit and all we find is some food that will barely get us a week and medication which we have plenty of. There is nothing left here Morgan, both here and in this God forsaken country. We are screwed in this world you hear me - We Are Screwed!”

“You think I don’t know that?” I retorted. “You think I like living like this? Watching everything and everyone I love die right in front of me? To walk twenty-six miles back home only to learn that neither of my parents were there? I pray to God every night, hoping that everything will go back to the way it was. But guess what, it’s been five years and I haven’t seen any proof that things are getting better, so do me a favor Jacob, do everyone a favor and SHUT THE HELL UP!”

There was a strong silence a few seconds till we got a cold blast of wind.

“What the hell, it’s the middle of May, how did it get this cold!” Jacob said.

Just then we both heard the sound of electricity crackling.

“You heard that too, Right?” I asked making sure I wasn’t going crazy.

”I think it came from the plane.” He said.

We then grabbed our weapons and started running to the remains of the cargo plane.

*******

As we made our way to where the Globemaster crash landed, even though we didn’t see any signs of Changeling activity, Jacob was starting to freak out.

“It has to be the Changelings,” Jacob rambled. “They must have followed us in here or maybe they're using this place as a testing site for new weapons or maybe…”

“Jacob, get a hold of yourself!” I quietly yelled, making sure we didn’t give away our position. “Whoever or whatever the hell it is, I’m pretty sure we can take them.” We then heard it again but sounded close.

“It came from the other side of the plane,” Jacob said.

We passed through a hole in the side of the plane. Then, I caught something in the corner of my eye - 20 crates of missiles were loaded onto the plane, probably enough to destroy half the stadium, I was surprised that they didn’t explode when the plane crashed. As we approached the side door, we got on either side of the frame as cover. I then looked at Jacob with a stern look on confidence on my face.

“Alright, you ready?” I asked Jacob.

He replied with a simple nod. “Ok, One.” We both readied our weapons and made sure we had enough ammo for what was about to happen.

“Two!”

I checked my pocket for my pocket knife in case I needed it as a last resort.

“NOW!”

We busted through the door and aimed our guns at… nothing. There was nobody there, besides the left wing of the cargo plane which had broken off, and a few dozen smashed crates.

“That’s it; I’m done with this crap!” Jacob said, storming off.

“Jacob, where are you going?” I asked.

“To Saint Paul, where do you think?”

“Jacob you are not going there, that place only brings you-”

“I DON’T CARE!” He yelled, which had startled me. “I am done living out here Morgan, we found barely enough food to last us a week and now we’re going crazy!”

“We’re not going crazy, Jacob,” I said trying to reassure him

“Then how do you explain the noise we just heard or that cold blast of wind or the feeling that someone has been watching us the minute we stepped foot in this god-forsaken place! Being out here has either drove us crazy or paranoid and I’m betting on both, now I’m going to Saint Paul where there’s food, water and hopefully a Goddamn therapist and you’re not gonna stop me!” He said as he started walking away from me.

I caught up with him and grabbed his shoulder “Jacob, sto-”

I didn’t get to finish as he slammed me against the Globemaster and pulled out his Glock 17 and aimed it at my head. “Read my lips Morgan, I. Am. Done!”

“You think killing me and getting away with it is going to solve your problems?” I asked, not showing any fear.

“I have put up with the death of my family for too long Morgan, I thought that surviving with you would help me be at peace, but things change Morgan and there is nothing left for us to scavenge, so if killing you would mean I could start a new life without going hungry ever again, then so be it.”

“We have survived out here for five years Jacob and we’ve never had a problem with finding supplies, but if you think killing me is gonna make things better for you, then do it God damn it, pull the damn trigger and take me away from this world because there is nothing left for me, so go ahead, DO IT!”

There was a long silence. I didn’t know if he was going to put away the gun or if he was going to end my life where I stood. But we got our answer as we heard the sound again and as we turned our heads simultaneously to the left we saw that there were electrical sparks coming out of thin air. All of a sudden we felt the cold wind again and as on cue, a blue portal appeared out of nowhere. Something seemed oddly familiar about it, but I couldn’t tell what. I then realized that the portal in front of us was the same portal that had brought the Changelings to Earth five years ago.

Jacob then broke the silence “Morgan? Please tell me that you're seeing what I’m seeing so I know that this isn’t just paranoia.” He asked, not taking his eyes off the portal.

“Jacob, you just took the words right out of my mouth,” I said. The portal then started to pulsate at a fast rate and from what I could tell; I think that something was coming through it. “Jacob?” I asked.

“Yeah?” He replied

“I think we should take cover,” I stated, realizing that whoever or whatever was coming through that portal wasn’t going to be friendly.

“You’re probably right.” He agreed as we got away from the portal as fast as we could and took cover behind some crates that were still intact. Just as we got behind the crates there was a blinding flash that lasted for about five seconds and then everything went silent.

*******

“What the hell was that?” Jacob whispered.

“Jacob, I think I might be seeing things, but I think that’s the same portal that brought Chrysalis and her army here five years ago!” I suggested.

“Are you saying that more Changelings came through that portal?” He asked.

“I have no idea Jacob, but if there’s a portal here, that means something came through.” I quickly replied

“Well, how many are we dealing with?” He asked.

I quietly peeked around the stack of crates, but what I saw was strange for me to describe. There were eight creatures, all of them looked like horses but had weird features. Some of them had horns, bird-like wings or none at all and the other four had both horns and wings, but what really stood out was that their fur was different colors, even their mane was multicolored. They had strange tattoos on their hindquarters, one had three apples, another had party balloons and another had butterflies. It looked like that almost all of the creatures were female. For a second I thought that these creatures were just like the Changelings, ruthless and cold-hearted, till one of them spoke, pure English.

“Well everypony, this is the place.” A purple one who had a horn and a pair of wings said.

“You sure this is the place Sugarcube?” an orange one who wore a cowgirl hat and talked with a southern accent “This place looks like a Hoofball Stadium?”

“AJ’s right,” A light blue one with a rainbow and wings said. “This place looks exactly like the stadium in Manehattan.”

“Did one of those things just call Manhattan, ‘Manehattan’?” Jacob questioned as I noticed that he was peeking over the crates. I shrugged with a look of confusion and continued listening.

“Wherever we are, it looks like she was here first.” A tall white one said, mentioning to the hole in the ceiling and the crashed cargo plane.

The white creature looked like the one in charge because she wore a gold necklace and a tiara and she was taller, probably six or seven feet tall. She also had a tattoo that had the sun on it, a horn and pair of wings just like the purple creature and colorful hair that blew with the breeze, but what was strange was that there was no wind.

“What kind of ghastly machine is this!” said another white creature that had a horn and a purple mane that curled at the end, examining the plane.

A pink one whose pink hair was all over the place spoke up. “Oh-oh, maybe they used this to make cakes and pastries, or maybe it’s a giant boat that's still being built or maybe they…”

“Used this to fly.”

They all turned to a creature whose fur was midnight blue and had a mane that resembled a starry night sky, looking at the disconnected wing from the Globemaster. She too had a horn, wings a tattoo which had the moon on it and her mane flew in the non-existent breeze as well. It looked like she also wore a necklace and tiara, but instead of gold, it was pure black. I don’t know why, but I thought that this creature was beautiful.

“Who would want to fly in that? It looks to be entirely made of steel - how something so heavy could fly?” said the rainbow-maned one.

“It would seem that we're in a world that has machinery beyond what Equestria has.” The midnight blue creature said.

“Equestria? Well, that’s a new one.” I thought.

“You think whoever built that is gone?” A yellow creature with a long pink mane said, cowering behind the orange one with the hat.

“This machine looks like it hasn’t been touched in a long time,” The purple one said. “So I think it’s safe to say that it’s just us here.”

“Ah don’t know Twilight, ah don’t think we should be jumping to conclusions just yet.” the orange pony said.

“Oh come on Applejack,” The so-called ‘Twilight’ said. “What could possibly go wrong?”

*******

“I’ve had enough of this crap,” Jacob said as he grabbed his gun started to get up.

“Jacob, what are you doing?” I whispered.

“I’m just going to say hi and ask them out for tea, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK I’M DOING, I’m going to hold them up for any food they have on them!” he quietly yelled.

“Jacob, we are survivalists, not roadside bandits,” I replied harshly, but he just sighed.

“Morgan, I know that it’s against the group’s rules, and I respect that!” Jacob explained. “But times have changed, we aren't going to last much longer with supplies becoming more and more difficult to find each day. This is our chance to get that food we need in order for us to continue living, now we can either rob them of any food they have on them for us to survive a little while longer, or you can be the one tell Chris and Markus how we came back empty handed.”

Jacob had a point, this was the apocalypse after all and there was only one rule in life, kill or be killed.

I shook my head and sighed. “Screw it. Fine, we’ll do this your way, but you're doing that talking.” I said as we both got up and came out from cover, about to break a rule that our group would never do.