Conscripted

Six hours later...

“Scabbard! Oh Celestia, Scabbard please wake up!”

The stallion in question groaned and slowly cracked his eyes, before the memories came rushing back. Eyes shooting open, he remembered hearing the screams in the caves, Swift practically dragging him down there, and then the fight with the changeling. That went well. But why did it bite him and Swift? When he looked over at his companion, however, the pieces fell into place. His jaw dropped.

“Scabbard, why are you looking at me like that...?”

“Swift, don’t freak out or anything, but your eyes... they’re kinda... blue.”

She gave him a flat look.

“Of course my eyes are blue, you dolt. Are you just now noticing?”

He shook his head rapidly.

“No, that’s not what I meant! They’re completely blue! Like...like a changeling’s...” He trailed off, leaving the implications hanging in the air. The changeling’s final words rang like funeral bells in his head. ‘Soon. Soon, you both will understand.’

She looked at him incredulously.

“Really, if you’re going to try and scare me, then at least try to make it believable. Everypony knows ponies can’t become changelings, it’s simple science.” With that, she turned forward and continued struggling to get out of the green resin that bound both of their forms to the cave wall.

Scabbard, however, was staring at the ground, with his jaw still wide open.

‘Why isn’t she taking this more seriously?! We’re going to become emotion-eating bug-parasite abominations of ponykind!’

A thought suddenly occurred to him. ‘Wait. If she has blue eyes, that means-’ His internal musings were cut off as his eyes suddenly felt like they were melting. Squeezing them shut, his cries of pain resounded through the caves. Not that anypony was anywhere within hearing distance. Slowly, they gave way to whimpers and tears. Opening his eyes once again, he looked at Swift. She was staring at him, jaw on the floor.

“Y-y-your e-eyes...oh Celestia, p-please, let this b-be a bad d-dream...”

Scabbard, however, was more than surprised once he eyes opened. ‘...Huh. Of all the things I was expecting, night vision was definitely not one of them.’

Looking this way and that, he could see everything in the cave just fine. One thing nagged at him though. ‘Why is there a torture rack down there?’ Internally, he shrugged.

He cleared his throat. “Okay, just calm down. We’re going to be fine, now let’s try and get out of this....stuff.”

Swift looked at him as if he had three heads.

“Calm down? CALM DOWN?!” Her screams echoed all around them. “We’re turning into CHANGELINGS! How in the world do you expect me to calm down?!”

He scowled and glared at her. “Yeah, I know. But I should be the one screaming at you; you’re the one that just had to drag me along on this little adventure. Now look where we are.”

She gave him a hard look. “It’s not like you had to come with me, after all, I did ask you first.”

Scabbard felt his anger building quickly as his extremities numbed. “No, you pulled me halfway into the cave before even telling me what you were doing! Then when we agreed we wouldn’t go too far in, we get attacked by a changeling! This is all your fault!”

Swift gaped at him, trying to form words, but no sound came out. He smirked. “What? Thestral got your tongue?”

She continued to stare at his forelegs, and when Scabbard looked down, he saw why. Underneath the resin, slowly climbing towards his midsection, were splintered black lines, slowly covering his legs and forelegs in a hard shell. He tried flailing around reflexively, but the green resin held firm. He could only watch as the lines slowly filled in his entire foreleg, before sharp pinches of pain shocked him out of his trance. He grimaced, but it was much more bearable than the feeling when his eyes changed.

Looking up, he noticed the same thing was happening to Swift. Like him, all four legs were slowly becoming black, but unlike him, she still had some fur to lose. Glancing back down at his own legs, he whimpered and put his willpower to the ultimate test by holding back his tears. He failed miserably.

“M-m-m-my l-l-l-legs h-h-have h-h-h-holes in t-t-t-the-e-e-em...” he trailed off as the sniffles began. It was too much for the poor stallion to take. He began to cry.

Flashes of pain lanced through his midsection before it began feeling like his insides were being torn up into a slurry. At the same time, his back stiffened up to uncomfortable levels before a slight buzzing noise was heard. Scabbard, however, noticed none of that through the pain. He screamed at the top of his lungs while a veritable waterfall of tears cascaded down his face.

Swift could only look on in horror. ‘Is this what will happen to me...?’ There was a pit in her stomach, and if she hadn’t been securely fastened to the wall, she would’ve been shivering in fear.

Finally, the pain ended for the poor stallion. He couldn’t see straight down, but something told him he didn’t exactly have a stomach in the traditional sense anymore. Suddenly, Swift began screaming. He tried to shut it out, but his hooves refused to obey, still stuck in the resin. Coupled with the pounding in his brain, the discomfort from the onslaught on his ears slowly morphed back into excruciating pain as he reflexively shut his eyes. A green glow slowly made its way up his head and past his eyes, replacing skin with shell and vaporizing fur. His horn felt like someling had grabbed it and was twisting it to their will. The tip pulled it up and back, giving it a curved appearance. A ring of fire flew up around his neck, eventually covering his head completely. His mouth was etched in a permanent snarl while his ears morphed into that of a changeling’s as his mane was reduced to ash. A shell quickly flashed over his face, before expanding and covering the rest of his head. A black fin popped up where his mane used to be.

Opening his eyes, the now-changeling glanced over at his female companion, who was still screaming. He watched with fascination as a horn grew out of her skull, before her neck, head, and shoulders were covered with a green fire. As quickly as it appeared, it dissipated into thin air, leaving a second, complete changeling in its wake. He licked his fangs in anticipation of her reaction. She looked over at him before squeaking in fear, and promptly falling through the resin onto the floor. He started laughing, before coughing violently and feeling a heat well up in his throat. There was a green flash inside his neck, then the feeling disappeared. He tried laughing again, but all the came out was a chittering noise. He scrunched up his muzzle, before trying to speak. All that resulted were a few hisses and clicks.

‘~Great. Now how am I supposed to talk to...what was her name again?~’

The nymph perked up and raised herself off the floor before walking over to him. Her horn glowed for a moment, before he suddenly fell away from the resin with a resounding pop. He faceplanted into the dirt in front of the mare.

‘-As graceful as always...brother.-’

He froze. ‘Brother?’ Part of him rejected the notion. But that pulsing in his brain told him that, yes, they were related. She was his sister and he was her brother. After all, all changelings are related. He shut his eyes as the pulsing became more intense.

‘I’m not a cha-pony. I’m a po-changeling.’ He scowled. There was some sort of magic at play here, mixing up his words and doing unknown things to him as time passed. The nymph stomped her hooves in irritation.

‘-Are you quite done yet? I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.-’

The drone looked up, before scrambling to his hooves.

‘~And how is she talking to me without moving her mouth?~’

‘-The same way you just said that. If I didn’t know you were a pony five minutes ago, I would call you a terrible changeling.-’

She gave him a wry smile. He only frowned and narrowed his eyes.

‘~You’re taking this awfully well despite what we just experienced.~’

Her face held an expression of confusion.

‘-What do you mean?-’

Now it was his turn to look confused.

‘~What do you mean, ‘what do I mean’? Do you not remember-~’ that was all he managed to get out before the pulsing came back, along with a buzzing that overpowered everything for a brief moment, before his eyes glassed over and drool started leaking out of his mouth. Shaking his head after a tick, he tried recalling the events leading up to then, but the buzzing grew to painful levels. His memories grew fuzzier and fuzzier, until all that filled his head was static. His mind barely registered a thump nearby as the nymph fell over, likely experiencing the same thing, as made evident by her moaning. The static continued to get louder and more painful, eventually causing a nosebleed in the drone. Mercifully, he felt his consciousness slipping away, even through the noises of his companion. Those were the last things he heard before going under.

The sound of dripping water was the first thing he registered coming out of a rather deep sleep. Opening his eyes, he felt...exposed. For one, he wasn’t wearing a disguise. If anyone were to wander down and see him, he would be immediately labeled hostile. He also had no energy at the moment. Thus, his best course of action was to hide, at least until his companion awoke. Instinctively, he knew she was an Infiltrator. He almost questioned how he knew that, before the buzzing wiped the mere thought from his head.

‘~Distractions, distractions...~’ he mused as he climbed up onto the ceiling of the cave, before settling on a stalactite. There he waited for his sister to awaken. He didn’t have to wait for long. She blinked a few times, slowly at first, before realization struck and she jumped to attention. His wings flicked out from under his shell, and they gingerly carried him down to the floor. He stood over her, mentally reaffirming his previous guess.

‘~What is your name, Inflitrator?~’

Her muzzle scrunched for a moment in thought, before looking him in the eye.

‘-Cocoon.-’

‘~Alright, Cocoon. First thing, do you feel that as well? That tugging in your head?~’

‘-...Yes. Should we follow it?-’

‘~Yes, maybe then we’ll have some answers.~’

‘-What are the questions, then?-’

‘~Don’t make things more complicated. Let’s go, I’ll take point.~’

With that, they followed the pull of the something in their brains. It seemed to be taking them out of the cave, at any rate, so they weren’t complaining. The only sounds came from their hooves on the dirt, otherwise all was quiet. That is, until Cocoon piped up from the back.

‘-You never told me your name, Soldier.-’

He hesitated, almost making the nymph bump into him. What was his name?

‘~Call me... Shift.~’

Apparently satisfied, Cocoon spoke no further and the duo continued onward in silence. About twenty minutes passed before they saw a sliver of moonlight up ahead. They paused at the mouth of the cave and took in their surroundings. They were near the edge of some forest on top of a hill, and further away, the lights of a small village beckoned them with promises of warm beds, warmer folk and hot food. At least, if they were ponies. The tugging in their heads was also directing them towards it. Shift turned towards to Cocoon with a stoic face.

‘~No sense in waiting.~’

Before she could think of a response, he started off on a brisk pace towards the town. She stared after him momentarily with a hoof in the air and wide eyes before galloping to his side.

‘-Waiiiiiit just a second there. We don’t know what we’re getting into here, and we’re not even disguised! This is just disaster waiting to happen.-’

He stopped for a moment, looking up in thought, before he resumed walking with an emotionless look.

‘~I imagine our objectives will become clear upon reaching the town; now whether that be infiltrate and observe or something else, I don’t know. Besides that fact, neither of us have enough energy to disguise. Any other concerns?~’

He could feel her agitation. He was not a changeling of high intelligence, but the soldier’s logic could not be countered. With no better plan, Cocoon mentally sighed, and fell in step next to him. She knew he wouldn’t budge.

‘-Fine, but speak for yourself. I can disguise myself, and that will be beneficial to our survival.-’ Shift gave her a sidelong glance, but remained silent.

That was the atmosphere during the remainder of the walk: total silence. The drone was scanning all around them for any changes, almost unconsciously. His status as a Soldier demanded nothing if not discipline and alertness. On the other hoof, the Infiltrator was lost in thought, replaying a thousand scenarios of possible first encounters over and over in her head. Stray ponies, guards, environmental hazards, streetlamps, and whatever in the world was dragging them to this town.

Eventually they reached the forest’s edge, and from there, they could see the border gates of the town. They could see a singular guard in armor sitting at the front gate. From their location, he would see nothing but darkness if he happened to look their way. Cocoon looked at Shift, who was scanning the gates. She tapped him on the shoulder, and he looked at her, exasperated.

‘~What?~’

‘-I have a plan to get in, so just stay here.-’ And with no further explanation, she dove into the bushes behind them. One flash of green fire later, Swift the pegasus climbed out of cover and onto the beaten dirt path. Shift noted her disguise looked beaten up, with cuts and bruises littered over her form. The unicorn guard perked up as she approached, and stood tall.

“Halt and state your purpose for entry, citizen!”

At those words, she collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily and tears soaking her face.

“P-please, you have to help us. My friend and I, w-we were o-out in t-the c-caves and got attacked by a changeling!”

Before she had even spoken, the guard rushed over to help her, but on the final word, he paused and gave her a pointed look.

“Did you say a changeling, ma’am?”

“Y-yes. Oh Celestia, it was so scary.”

“Right. And where did you say your friend was?”

“Just over by the treeline.”

“Lead the way, ma’am.”

“O-ok.”

They walked towards the forest edge, and when they were about 5 pony lengths from the first tree, she inwardly felt a bit surprised.

‘-Huh. I can’t believe it was that ea--’

A flash from behind, and suddenly she was sprawled out on her back with a pounding in her head. Dimly, she noticed her disguise was gone as well. With the changeling fully incapacitated, the unicorn guard delivered a swift kick to her stomach and was rewarded with a groan.

“Not tonight, insect.” He spat the word, hatred rolling off him in waves. He began circling her like a shark.

“We’ve already captured one of your kind today, but the higher ups don’t need to know about what’ll happen to yo-ack!”

While he was busy gloating over his fallen prey, he failed to noticed the second changeling slowly coming up behind him, before pouncing on his neck, silencing him, and dragging him to the treeline. All that Cocoon heard was rustling of bushes for a few moments, before a couple gulps followed by a thud as the guard fell partway out of the foliage, bleeding from his neck. He was there for a moment before being dragged back inside. Shift walked out shortly after, with his muzzle and fangs covered in rusty-colored blood. He licked them clean before closing in on the nymph.

‘~That was some plan right there.~’

Cocoon sat up and faced him with a hard expression.

‘-As if you had a better idea.-’

‘~I did, actually. We could have accomplished the same goal by simply throwing a rock.~’ He looked towards the bushes that held the unconscious unicorn.

‘~Now, I suggest you drink your fill.~’

She unconsciously ran her tongue over her fangs at the promise of a good meal, and gave a small smile.

‘-Well, we can’t say they haven’t been accommodating. Providing foreign dignitaries with a hot meal upon arrival, how nice of them!-’

He brought a hoof to his face before giving her the most deadpan look possible.

‘~Just go drink.~’

She needed no further encouragement, diving into the bushes with an enthusiasm not yet shown. All that could be heard was rustling and slurping. Shift didn’t know what she was doing, and wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Eventually Cocoon emerged, licking her muzzle and fangs clean. They nodded to each other, and a ring of fire surrounded each changeling. Once it dissipated, Swift and Scabbard stood tall. With caution, they trotted towards the front gate and let themselves inside.

        The tug on their heads got stronger the farther they ventured into town. Sometimes they made a turn here, went through an alleyway there, but eventually they ended up at the doorstep of the local guard base camp. The tug was directing them inside. Unfortunately, there were patrols all around the camp that prevented them from walking in as is. Fortunately, they were called changelings for a reason. Acting on autopilot, they both transformed into guards, one pegasus and one unicorn. While their disguises would work for the moment, they would be caught if scrutinized, since they didn’t actually know what they were doing. Wordlessly, they walked side by side into the camp. Nopony paid them any particular attention, even when Cocoon got tangled up in some tarp that was lying around. They followed the tugging towards the edge of the camp, before it ended abruptly as they reached the flaps of a tent that was larger than all the rest. Voices could be heard through the fabric, and they paused to listen.

“...still don’t know where they are.”

“Great. Two citizens and one guard disappear in less than one day. This can’t be a coincidence.”

Peeking inside, the disguised changelings could see two figures, both unicorns. They were standing around a table with a map and figurines littering it, Behind them, however, was a changeling tied to a post, who was glaring at the stallions. There was some sort of ring around his horn. He perked up as soon as they looked inside, and met their gaze. There was a chuckle in their heads.

‘*Well, well, look who decided to show up. Fitting that you two end up saving me after I saved you from yourselves...*’

The two guards looked towards the tied up changeling, and one scowled.

“Now if only somepony would cooperate with us...” he trailed off, leaving the implication hanging. The changeling just hissed at them. His reward for that was a hoof to the muzzle.

“We know you did something to them, a changeling doesn’t just show up at the same time three ponies go missing!”

The two not-guards outside the tent had to struggle to suppress their instincts to help their fallen brother, but they knew doing that would just end up with their capture. Pulling back, the two ran behind the tent, and faced each other. Shift started to speak, but Cocoon cut him off.

‘-I have a plan, but you’re not going to like it.-’

The two guards stared down at the bruised, battered, yet surprisingly defiant changeling. He was able to withstand all their interrogation techniques, as if he had prior knowledge of what strategies they would employ. He was nothing if not loyal, and they couldn’t fault him for that.

“He won’t budge.”

“I know.”

“So... what now?”

“I honestly don’t know. We could try-” Any further talking was interrupted by a rather large commotion outside the tent. Before they could walk outside, a unicorn guard entered with a changeling tied up on his back.

“Sirs! I caught this bug sneaking around the edge of town!”

They looked at each other before one took the changeling in his magic and tied him up to the post. He turned towards the first ‘ling, while the second guard enacted a self-sustaining soundproofing spell around the group.

“Looks like you get a friend to keep you company.”

He hissed again. A hoof met his jaw again. It was the same old song and dance as the last time they had witnessed this changeling’s defiance, but this time, the two put their plan into motion. The unicorn erupted into green flames as two green bolts of resin flew from his horn, wrapping around the two ponies’ legs and rendering them unable to move. Simultaneously, the second changeling’s “restraints” disappeared, while he shot two more resin-bolts at their heads, restricting magic use and quickly filling their mouths so they could not scream for help. Their noses remained untouched so they could breath. They remained stock still, but their eyes were darting around in their sockets. Not wasting any time, Cocoon untied both Shift and the mystery changeling, before they stood in a circle. The mystery drone cleared his throat (in their heads, of course).

‘*I suppose you would like some answers.*’

The duo looked at him, then at each other, before Shift spoke.

‘~Name?~’

‘*Fang. Yours?*’

‘~Shift, and she’s Cocoon. I think I know the ‘how’ we found you, but would you care to tell us why you were here anyway?~’

Fang almost looked sheepish.

‘*Funny story, actually. I made it into town before I was stopped by a guard detachment for a “random search,” got hit with an anti-changeling spell, and the rest is history.*’

Internally, Cocoon winced.

‘-Yeah, I got hit by one of those. Not fun.-’

‘~I don’t mean to be that changeling, but we really do need to get out of here. Only thing is...~’ Shift looked between the two with a sense of urgency.

‘~I haven’t the faintest clue of where. Any help would be very much appreciated.~’

At this, Fang smiled.

‘*Yes, I know exactly where to go. Follow my lead and we may yet escape this place undetected.*’

Cocoon bowed her head in understanding and agreement, while Shift didn’t look convinced. He held out a hoof in front of the changeling, blocking the exit.

‘~Not without telling us where first.~’

Fang looked at him, still smiling.

‘*The Hive, of course.*’

Shift nodded almost imperceptibly.

‘~An acceptable location. Lead the way.~’

Three green infernos later, and a trio of guards walked out of the tent and towards the exit. Not once were they questioned or detained, which was odd. They walked past a tent labeled “Missing Ponies.” Curious, Shift informed his fellow changelings of where he was going, and ducked inside, regardless of their warnings.

In the tent, there was a singular, sleeping pony in a corner on a military-issue bunk bed. In the middle, however, was a table with an open book, surrounded by ink pots, quills, and pictures of ponies. There were only three entries in the book. Walking up to the table, Shift read to himself.

Name: Swift Strike

Occupation: Guard

Age: 31

Last Known Status: Missing (High Value Target: Reacquire at all costs.)

Last Known Location: Between Ponyville and Canterlot

Name: Smooth Scabbard

Occupation: Blacksmith

Age: 27

Last Known Status: Missing

Last Known Location: Ponyville

Name: Sunny “Swift” Skies

Occupation: Flight Instructor

Age: 25

Last Known Status: Missing

Last Known Location: Ponyville

Shift’s eyes widened in realization, and he gave a short laugh, before remembering there was a sleeping pony in the room. Looking down at the book, he gave a sinister smile before grabbing a quill with his magic, dipping it into an ink pot, and quickly scribbling on the paper. Satisfied, he left everything as when he entered, and silently exited. It wouldn’t be until morning that the guard found the missing ponies info changed. By then, the three would be long gone.

Name: Swift Strike

Occupation: Guard

Age: 31

Last Known Status: Dead

Name: Smooth Scabbard

Occupation: Blacksmith

Age: 27

Last Known Status: Dead

Name: Sunny “Swift” Skies

Occupation: Flight Instructor

Age: 25

Last Known Status: Dead

“..zz-wha?!”

The guard in the bushes awoke from a night of restless sleep, plagued by visions of dark caves and even darker creatures that whispered his name into the night with the same inflection as if it were a foreign delicacy. Hammerhead...

“..ugh..I can feel my pulse in my face...”

Hammerhead pushed himself to a sitting position, before warily standing up and promptly falling over. Unbeknownst to him, he was about a liter of blood short and just beginning to undergo the first stages of a changeling transformation. He rested for a few minutes, before successfully standing and starting towards Ponyville. Before reaching the forest edge, however, something told him to go deeper into the forest. He knew he shouldn’t do it, he knew he should go to the encampment and report in to his superiors. But the call was too great to resist. With only some reluctance, he began walking briskly back into the forest. After a few minutes of walking in the direction his gut told him, he came upon a cave. He paused at the mouth and thought things over for a moment.

Dark, deep caves usually don’t have friendly things in them, so why do I suddenly now want to go down there?

As if to answer his question, there was a thud behind him and he quickly whirled around, only to see that a branch had fallen. Looking around to see who, or what had caused it, Hammerhead saw nothing out of the ordinary. He almost laughed at himself for being so skittish. Turning back around, he swore he saw two blue eyes staring at him from the darkness, but after rubbing his eyes, they were gone.

I must be going crazy. Scratch that, actually. I AM crazy. What they say about staring into the abyss is true...

He started slowly walking into the cave, hoofsteps echoing all around him, announcing his presence to any creature within.

May as well be ringing the dinner bells...

Continuing further down the path, he noticed two dark green stains on the wall, surrounded by drops and smears of blood. Hoofprints were also visible around the area, indicating a scuffle, but not much else. He ignored it, following his instinct. Finally making his way into the large room at the end of the passage, the first thing he noticed was the metal torture rack, and how out of place it was.

...I’m not even gonna question it.

Finding nothing conclusive, he turned around to leave, only to face two changelings who were looking at him with hungry smiles. He almost had a miniature heart attack, then one spoke directly into his head, and he did have a mini heart attack.

‘~Hello, brother.~’

...Brother?! No, he’s bluffing...

‘~Since I felt last night how much hate you harbor for changelings, and you nearly killed our sister here-~’ Finally, he found his voice and cut off the changeling.

“What do you mean, “our” sister? I’m a pony, there’s no way we can be related.”

A different voice answered him this time.

‘*He means you may not be our brother right now, but soon, you will be.*’

A cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"N-no...that's impossible...ponies can't become changelings!"

There was a thump behind him, but before he could do anything, something impacted the back of his head. Next thing he knew, he was getting up close and intimate with the dirt floor with a pounding in his head. Dimly, he was aware of a third changeling walking around him.

‘-I said the same thing...-’

His eyes widened and his pupils shrank to pinpricks at the implications of her statement, before it became too much for Hammerhead. The last thing he heard before fainting was chittering, or what he instinctively understood as changeling laughter.