A Change in Plans

by Blank Page

Chapter 2

"I still don't see why I have to be the bait," I grumbled as 230 tied me to the railroad.

"Well this is your plan," she replied. She gave a strong tug on the rope to render me immovable.

"Yeah. But in my plan," I gasped for air as she pulled a little too tight, "some other changeling was going to risk his or her life. Preferably one of those nymphs..."

"Quit your complaining, Scout 159," the nurse called out. He was making sure our "precious cargo" was in shipshape condition for the coming train. "Besides, if you get hit I'm sure I can salvage enough to send back to the hive."

"Haha, very funny," I deadpanned. Nurse 014 was notorious for his sarcastic remarks and superb medical skills. Some changelings say it's due to his field of work. Where most of the Nurse Class changelings were given the more petty cases, such as a broken wing or cracked exoskeleton, he was given the more severe cases like broken horns, dismemberment and amputations, and working for the Queen of the Changelings herself. He has an air of superiority around him, which leads to the sarcastic remarks towards those he believes to be under him.

"The train's almost here. Every changeling, get in position!" the guard cried out. Guard 125 was the typical stereotype of the Guard Class changelings. She was extremely reserved, only talking when she deemed it fit. Even then, she wouldn't say much, but whenever she did, you could bet your abdomen it was pretty darn important. She was positioned to watch a small ways apart from us to monitor the train's advancement.

The ten Interlopers were lit up in a green blaze and replaced by the pony version of nymphs; "foals" as the ponies called them. From my horizontal position, I could see what their original black shell was now covered by manes and coats of every color imaginable. The nurse, now in the form of a brown earth pony and a curly orange mane in a doctor's coat, ushered them inside the abandoned station. 230 became the orange earth pony with the cowpony hat we encountered in Canterlot and pretended to be straining to pull off my bindings. Guard 125 took the form of one of the pegasi from Celestia's royal guard (go figure). She stood by the station's opening and tried to convey an expression of worry by prancing in place and looking back and forth between us and the train.

"Hey, pick a disguise!" 230 harshly whispered. Why she whispered was beyond me. No one was spying on us. I quickly changed into a yellow pegasus. "No, that one blends in too well with the sand," she scolded. "Try that pink pony from Canterlot. She should stand out perfectly."

Meh, I've seen better. I made a grimace as that horrid pink pony's words reverberated in my head. I still can't believe she insulted me like that! I've spent a good majority of my time in front of a mirror trying to perfect that copy ever since the invasion. I reluctantly changed to the pink mare. I should have taken pride in the efficiency of my change. I was without a doubt a perfect doppelganger of her. Not a frazzled hair was out of place. The picture of the three balloons on her flank was in the perfect place. The coat and mane wasn't a single hue off. But I was still unsatisfied. I felt as if I would never be happy with this alter ego unless the Discord-possessed mare herself approved of it.

The train was rapidly approaching and showed no signs of slowing down. 230 started calling out to it in hopes of catching the conductor's attention.

"So what happens if this doesn't work out?" I asked.

"I don't know; you're the one who came up with this plan. What do you think will happen?" she whispered while flailing her forelegs out in desperation.

"Well, I didn't think that far," I admitted. "I didn't expect to be the one tied up, so I decided not to worry about it."

A sharp screech sounded from the speeding locomotive as it strained to halt. It came closer and closer. Perspiration poured from my newly developed sweat glands. The train was barely slowing down. At this rate it would definitely turn me into a fine paste.

"Untie me, now!" I screamed. 230 quickly got to work on the ropes. I started shouting crazy things like "whose stupid plan was this, anyway," "I can't believe you let me do this," and other things of the sort. The train might as well have already been on us. I closed my eyes as the sound of metal scraping against metal became unbearable. Soon the sound was replaced by one final metallic groan of relief. I could feel heat radiating off of a foreign substance and assaulting my face.

"Scout, we're alive!" 230 exclaimed with pure delight.

"We are?" I cracked open an eye to have instantly assaulted by floating dirt. After a few seconds of squinting, a large, grey, metal figure dominated my field of vision. "Whoa!" I struggled to squirm away from the massive bulk of train before me.

"What the hay do you think you're doing!" an incredulous voice cried out from behind the massive machine. An earth pony with a conductor's hat and red handkerchief appeared to the side. He obviously wasn't very happy. "Well?" he persisted.

"I woke up and said 'Today feels like a good day to get run over by a train,'" I said in a sardonic fashion. The conductor obviously didn't understand sarcasm. I let out a depressed sigh. "I was tied up against my will! Are you gonna help me or not?"

After a few awkward minutes of untying, I was finally freed from my bindings. I stretched my limbs to test their mobility. Everything was fine and going according to plan.

"So how exactly did you get tied up in the first place?" the pony asked.

"Oh, it was awful," 230 dramatically cried. "One minute we're taking the class for a field trip to the great outdoors, and the next thing we knew we were attacked by bandits! They stole all of our valuables, harassed the children, and tied my friend here to the tracks." She embraced the conductor in an overly dramatic way. I had to stifle a laugh as his body visible turned rigid at the sudden invasion of personal space. "I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't shown up."

"Er, you said you were with a class?" he tried to change the subject.

"Yeah, she did," I interjected. I turned to the old station. "The coast is clear, guys! You can come out now."

On cue, the Interlopers and nurse exited the ramshackle facility with 014 following closely behind. They clustered tightly together and shook in fear. Guard 125 pretended to count their numbers to see if anyone was absent.

"Is it all s-s-safe now, mister? Are all the bad guys g-g-gone?" one of them timidly asked the conductor. I had to hand it to those guys; for a bunch of nymphs, they were pretty good actors.

"Yes, there's no need to be afraid, colts and fillies," he assured them. He directed his attention to the guard. "So, you're a royal guard, huh? What are you doing so far from Canterlot?"

"I was sent here by Princess Celestia herself to watch over the foals," 125 answered in her newly masculine voice.

"Right, right," the conductor didn't seem to be buying it. If he started picking around for questions, things would soon get complicated. "Care to show some identification?"

"You don't need to see our identification," 125 waved a hoof dismissively. The conductor stared into her expressionless face. After a while he checked a pocket watch that he conjured.

"Eh, I don't need to see your identification. Come on board and I'll drop you off at our next stop at Appleloosa."

"Actually that's where we're heading," I commented. We followed the conductor to one of the cars.

"You don't say? Well then, that just makes it all the more convenient." He opened a door to let us in. "Don't worry about the money. After what you guys have been through, this ride will be free of charge. The train is pretty packed. You might find some seats closer to the back."

The ponies already occupying the car starred at the cause of their delay. We moved further and further into the back searching for some open seats. In the second to last car we found a few vacant benches. There was just enough for ten of our group of fourteen if we squeezed close together. I turned around to our group and lowered my voice.

"Alright, so far all of the seats have been taken. There should be enough space in this car for at most ten of us if we squeeze together. 125, I want you to stay here with nine of the nymphs. If they start getting out of control, I can't think of any changeling more qualified to settle them." Guard 125 gave a brisk nod to show that she understood. "230, 014, and one of you Interlopers come with me to the caboose. There should be enough space for us to stay in there, got it?" They gave a quick nod. One of the "foals" separated itself from the group and joined us. "Let's do this."

My plan was set in motion. The Interlopers made their way to the empty seats in various ways. Some pranced, others moped, and a few of the pegasi type flew. Fake conversations were carried on between a few groups to make them appear more normal. 125 took her seat with her usual bored expression. 230, 014, one of the nymphs, and I entered the caboose.

The caboose was devoid of seats. Instead, the three ponies and young dragon occupying it were just sitting in the middle engaged in banter.

"And so I was like, 'What do you mean reading is stupid?'" a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane said. "And he said..."

"Yeah, yeah, Rainbow, we know," a familiar orange earth pony deadpanned. "We were there, after all."

"Uh, cuz?" a yellow stallion with a brown vest and hat spoke up. "Why are there two of ya?"

My group froze as the occupants looked at us in confusion. The young dragon looked between the orange pony and 230 in confusion.

"Pinkie Pie? I thought you were foalsitting for the Cakes," the pegasus scratched her head. "What are you doing here?"

"Shut the door, now!" I screamed to 014. He immediately obeyed and locked it for extra security. "Copy and replace!" It was a common order among most changelings. The directions were pretty straight forward: find a target, copy its appearance, and dispose of the original while trying to prevent as little commotion as possible.

I tackled the stallion while mimicking his image. We rolled across the car floor trying to best the other. Through our tussle, I caught a few glimpses of my companions fighting with their counterparts. A cry pierced through the commotion.

"It's biting me!"

Everyone paused to gawk at the sight in the back. The Interloper was back in its nymph form and latched tight onto the frightened dragon's arm with its teeth. The dragon eventually shook the reluctant nymph off and cradled his wounded claw. The nymph lay motionless on the floor. A leg twitched. The entire car was silent.

A brilliant jet of green flames shot out from the Interloper. I shielded my eyes from the blinding light. When the fireworks ended, all that remained from the little nymph was a small, purple, scaly ball. It slowly rose up on two hind legs. Green spikes lined its spine from the top of the head to the bottom of a pointed tail. It outstretched two clawed arms and released a small green fire from its mouth. It was a perfect copy of the baby dragon.

They are not capable of mimicking a target on sight. They, require a DNA sample; whether it is hair, skin, saliva, or blood. It all made sense. The Interloper couldn't copy the dragon without having a DNA sample first. So it decided to take one. Very interesting...

A hoof to the jaw reminded me of my surroundings. I dismissed my thoughts of the Interloper for later and returned to the brawl. Blows were exchanged between both parties. Soon I couldn't tell the difference between changeling and pony. The stallion landed on top of me with a devious smile on his face. Through my peripheral vision I noticed that the other opponents were posed in a similar matter, minus the dragons who were rolling out of the recently opened back door.

"Throw them out the back!" the pegasus - I wasn't sure if it was 014 or the original - shouted. Regardless, the victors dragged their foes out of the caboose and hurled them off the edge. The stallion grabbed me by my artificial vest and pinned me to the guard rail.

"Well, it was a mighty fine pleasure to meet you," he said. "But, unfortunately, this is where your ride ends. Happy trails, handsome!" He pushed me off the edge.

I tumbled across the dirt. The world was spinning around me. Three other thumps sounded after me.

"Is everypony OK?" 230 groaned. Something was funny about her voice. It almost sounded like she had an accent.

"I'm good."

"Same."

"I'm a bit wounded, but I'll suffice," I added. When my vision finally corrected itself, I could see 230, 014, and the nymph giving me odd looks in their disguises. "What?" They continued to stare. "Alright guys, you can all drop the act. The train is gone and there isn't another pony in sight."

"What did you say?" the pegasus version of the nurse asked.

"Oh, come on, 014. This isn't the time for one of your jokes," I replied.

"Braeburn? Are y'all feeling all right?" 230 asked.

"I'm perfectly fine, 230. And why'd you call me 'Braeburn?' What kind of name is that?"

My companions cautiously approached me. Uncertainty filled their eyes.

"Come on, guys," I chuckled. "There's no need to act so weird. Come on, Appleloosa isn't going to walk to us."

"Did you just call Applejack '230?'" 014 asked. Where in the world did they keep coming up with these ridiculous names?

"Yes, I called 230 by her name. What are you gonna do, sue me?" They took a step back at my sudden snap. I let out a deep sigh. "Look, I know it's stressful to lose a fight like that, but can we please get a move on so we can catch up to the rest of the nymphs? If we lose them, Chrysalis is going to have our heads!"

230 let out a gasp of surprise. "C-C-Chrysalis?!"

"Yes, we've been over this before. Let's get a move on, changelings."

"Changelings?" The nymph asked.

"Yes! What is wrong with you guys? We're all changelings here, right? We're... all..." Why did 230 say "everypony" when she called us? She never used it before when we weren't around ponies. And Nurse 014's face didn't hold any sarcastic qualities. The Interloper was even showing curiosity. From what I've come to know, the Interlopers didn't convey any emotions unless they were trying to blend in. Why did 230 call me Braeburn? And forgetting the mission? 230 never forgot anything. Unless she wasn't 230... Which would imply that the others...

"Oh dear."

Comments

[Obsi]

okaaaay... Jedi changelings...
...
...
I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!

[Razzy]