Jump to Equestria

by Diloboi

6: Changeling Chase

LOCATION: SLOPES OF CANTERLOT MOUNTAIN
TIME: 1420 HOURS
OBJECTIVE: FIND RAINBOW DASH IN PONYVILLE

Autumn eyes searched the outside landscape idly, her head resting against the glass. The valley below was now close by now, the last stretch of track leading into it. The sun had continued to drift west, and some clouds had seemly come from nowhere, floating over the horizon to the east. Sitting back up, Autumn cast her gaze on the interior of the car.

Autumn's helmet sat on the seat beside her, next to Lyra, who was looking over a magazine. Across from them, Rocky rested peacefully on the seat, lightly snoring. Around the interior, quiet murmurs of conversations could be heard throughout the car, along with the rumble of the tracks beneath. The warm sunlight streamed in through the windows, cascading on the passengers inside.

"So... Any reason you're going to ponyville?" Lyra spoke, looking up from the magazine in her hands.

Autumn turned to face the mare, looking on a for a second before speaking, "I'm going to see Rainbow Dash. She wants to help me with something."

Her earlier excitement returned slightly as she spoke again, "Rainbow Dash is helping you? What is she helping you with?"

"She's helping me find some friends." A saddened look crept on her face for a second, before she smiled again, "It's nice of her."

"Friends? Like more humans? Can I meet them?" Lyra's excitement began to return in full force.

"I hope so..." Autumn said, her smile disappearing. Lyra took notice, and her once excited demeanor left her. She spoke again, in a softer tone.

"Is something wrong?"

Autumn looked up for a second, a small mist forming on her eyes, before shaking her head as she spoke, "Just me getting worried over nothing. I'll see if you can meet them when they come back." A smile formed on her face, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"Okay..." Lyra looked back at her magazine as Autumn looked out the window. Autumn couldn't help but drift into a daze. A bad thought, images of a broken drop-ship, crept their way into her mind. She tried to reassure herself, to mild success.

Mel is strong. She'll be safe.

Her train of though was interrupted as one of the doors opened. A rush of air, and two unicorn guards, both adorned in golden armor, entered the car. Shutting the door behind them, they turned to the crowd of passengers, most of them looking up in attention. One of them, a mare, cleared her throat before speaking.

"All passengers! Please be ready to have a anti-disguise spell cast on you. This is for you're safety. The spell is completely harmless." The guardsmare turned to the other guard, a stallion, who nodded before his horn started to glow. A small tingling passed over Autumn as her body glowed a pale blue color for a second.

"Hey... I'm getting something-" The stallions word's were cut off as a passenger, wearing a simple brown trench coat and jeans, leaped to his hooves and socked the guard in the jaw. The guardsmare quickly grappled the passenger from the back, but it was all for naught as she was thrown over the passenger's shoulder, laying her flat on her back with a loud clang. The passenger quickly brought a hoof down on the mare's head, slamming it down and knocking her unconscious.

As the other passengers began to panic and shriek, Autumn examined the passenger. The Stallion, as she identified, had parts of reflective black poking out of his deep green fur, his red mane looking like fins, and one of his eyes glowed a deep purple.

"Changeling..." Autumn muttered, standing to her feet. The changeling took notice, eyes widening. Moving, his disguise fully fell as he charged through the train's door, breaking it off its hinges. Autumn quickly snapped into action, grabbing her helmet and pulling it on as she sprung after the changeling.

"Autumn! Wait!" She barely heard Lyra's fleeting words.

Ahead, the changeling sped through the first car, jumping and dodging past passengers. Autumn kept after him, doing the same, slowly gaining on the creature. He slammed through the next door, before jumping into the next one. A cart, filled with suitcases, stood of to the side of the main aisle. Quickly acting, the changeling threw the cart down, pilling the luggage in Autumn's path.

In just a second, Autumn dove over the pile, expertly rolling before taking off in a full sprint yet again. The changeling's eyes widened, and he began to run faster. Pushing open this cars exit, he slammed it shut. Gripping a chunk of metal from the railing, he ripped it off before jamming it into the door's handle.

Autumn stopped before the door, trying to push it open, to no avail. She caught the creature smirking victoriously through the window before it turned and sprinted into the third car. Taking a step back, she observed her surroundings.

No straight path through here. She looked out the window to her right, before shrugging and taking a step back. I've done dumber things.

Taking off, she flew out the window, over the large cliff below. Falling for a second, she twisted through the air as she launched her grapple in the metal exterior of the car. Her trajectory changed rapidly, swinging her along the cliff-side and back up to the train. Her jumpkit activated as her feet met the metal wall and windows of the train. Running across the third cars exterior, the ponies inside looked at her in a mix of wonder, amazement, shock and confusion as she zipped across.

Reaching the end of the car, she off boosted towards the edge before shooting her grapple near a window on the fourth car. Launching herself, she flew in legs first, shattering through the glass before her boots met the running changeling. The poor creature was launched from his feet, slamming into the wall and seats as Autumn slide across the floor.

Standing, Autumn looked over the extent of the damage. The changeling had a green ooze gushing from his forehead, and his mouth dripped the substance. His clothes looked battered, chunks of wood and glass embedding into it. His left hand clutched his chest, and his right one hung limp, more green stuff dripping from it.

She stalked towards the creature, drawing her data knife and pointing it towards the changeling.

"Thought you could get away, didn't you?" She remarked as she approached, her voice slightly distorted from her helmet.

The changeling barely looked up, spitting out a glob of green before speaking.

"Sa-Save it. Just..." He coughed roughly afterwords, more of the stuff splattering on his clothes.

Underneath her helmet, her expression darkened as brought her knife, ready to deliver the final blow, when a voice, higher pitched and full of terror, spoke.

"St-Stop! Please!" Autumn turned as another changeling, with blue eyes and a black fin, spoke. He was a small build, wearing a white buttoned shirt with a pair of suspenders for his brown pants. His eyes were focused on the human, and he shook violently.

"Who are you?" Autumn questioned as she stood up, now pointing her knife towards the other changeling, who began to shake even more.

"Th-Thorax. Please. Don't hurt us. We were ju-just trying to escape Canterlot. We di-didn't want to hu-hurt anypony." The changeling gave a pleading look towards the human. She stood there for a second, regarding Thorax before speaking.

"Why should I trust you? And why do you care about him?" She gestured towards the changeling on the floor, who coughed yet again.

The changeling looked more frightened, and a few tears formed on the edges of his eyes as he spoke. "He's my brother. I need to help him. He'll d-d..." His words tapered off as he looked at his brother.

Autumn paused for a moment, considering the creatures words. According to Lightning Dust and Steel Hoof, the changelings were parasitic creatures that only cared about feeding. It was quiet easy for Autumn to believe earlier, as she had witnessed them placing ponies into cocoons. But now, a changeling stood, only wanting to help his brother.

What the hell am I doing...

Autumn sheathed her blade, instead digging around in a pouch before pulling out a red syringe. She crouched down, pulling off the cap and stabbing the object into the fallen changelings right wrist. Behind her, Thorax looked on in horror, stuttering out his words.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

"I'm giving him a medical syringe. It will accelerate his healing, but he'll be a little out of it for a while." Almost as if on cue, the changelings wounds began to close.

Thorax looked on, stepping and crouching next to his brother. He spoke quietly to him.

"Pharynx? Are you okay?"

Pharynx looked up, his eyes unfocused, but still saw his brother. He smiled slightly, speaking.

"Yes... Just great..."

Thorax looked a little confused for a moment, before shaking his head and giving Pharynx a big hug, which her returned with his good arm. Autumn stood up and walked back. She looked around at her surroundings. All of the ponies had left the car, but it wouldn't be long until the guards from the front made their way here.

She cleared her throat, prompting the brothers to look towards her. "Sorry. You two should be leaving now. The guards will be here soon." She paused for a second, then spoke, "Where will you go?"

Thorax stood, helping Pharynx up, draping his arm across his shoulder. "We're going to hide in the Everfree. It'll be safe there until things cool down." The two walked to the train door, thorax pulling it open. The both spread their wings, ready to go, before Thorax hesitated. Turning his head, he spoke.

"Thank you."

Autumn nodded as the two buzzed into the air, flying off to a distant forest. Autumn stood for a second, looking towards where they went, before the crunch a glass caused her to turn. Standing wide eyed, Rocky looked at the Human.

"What the Bu-"

Author's Note:

Taking a week or two break to work harder for school.

Comments

[Chythar]

"So... Any reason you're going to ponyville?" Lyra spoke, looking up from the magazine in her hands.

Autumn turned to face the mare, looking on a for a second before speaking, "I'm going to see Rainbow Dash. She wants to help me with something."

"So... Any reason you're going to ponyville?" Lyra spoke, looking up from the magazine in her hands.

Autumn turned to face the mare, looking on a for a second before speaking, "I'm going to see Rainbow Dash. She wants to help me with something."

Her earlier excitement returned slightly as she spoke again, "Rainbow Dash is helping you? What is she helping you with?"

Unless we have a strange time skip here, you've duplicated a couple of lines.

[Frazikar]

Or the Matrix reacted ...

[Diloboi]

11486559
Oops

[Aresnightsworn]

11466168
Giant fucking death robots and a corrupt capitalist corporation

[Diloboi]

Just saw someone add this to dead stories in my notifications and now I’m depresso espresso. Writers block is a pain.