A Change in Plans

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 4
Chapter 6
Chapter 3
Chapter 5

Chapter 1

Scout Number One-Five-Nine, report to the Queen’s chamber. The monotonous voice of the hive mind interrupted my thoughts as I was strolling through the corridors. I repeat: Scout Number One-Five-Nine, report to the Queen’s chamber.

“Oh, dear…” I muttered. I had a feeling this wasn’t going to be our usual chat of my clumsiness. With the recently failed invasion, the Queen wasn’t in a good mood. In fact, she was in such a bad mood that she hadn’t said a single word since that spell fired us out to the middle of nowhere. Sure, all that happened a few days ago, but that was the most important moment in changeling history and we blew it. I would be surprised if she was calm.

Scout Number One-Five-Nine, report to the Queen’s chamber. Was I imagining it, or did the usually calm hive mind have a hint of agitation?

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” I said worriedly. Every changeling knew something was wrong if the hive mind suddenly used emotions in its messages. I galloped through the corridors as fast as I could. Other changelings along the way jumped out of my path to avoid being run over. I was nearly at the chamber entrance when a familiar group of Worker class changelings stood in my way to "greet" me.

"What's the rush, 159?" Worker 074 asked sarcastically. "Are you running late for another 'meeting' with the Queen?"

"Yeah, are we in your way?" Worker 106 chided. The back of his head was soon met with 074's hoof.

"Hey, I can do this myself," he snarled at his companion. "Why can't you be more like 131 over there?" he pointed a hoof to the silent worker of the trio.

"But... But I thought I could help with the..." 106 whined, suddenly losing his earlier gusto.

"But nothing!" 074 snapped. "I don't need you to echo everything I say." The small corridor had suddenly become dangerously awkward. I cast a glance behind them where the Queen was waiting for me.

"Well," I said, "I'd sure hate to come between this perfect chance for the both of you to bond, but I'm afraid I'm needed elsewhere." I dashed around the two and slammed headfirst into a black wall of chitin. As I massaged my pounding head, the black wall, also known as Worker 131, closed in on me.

"Don't think you getting away that easy," his deep voice grumbled.

"Yeah," 106 piped up. He was thoroughly smacked across the back of the head again by an annoyed 074. "What did I do that time?"

"Can it," 074 barked. He turned to me with a scowl on his face. "Look, we never got the chance to properly... 'thank' you for collapsing that tunnel and making us miss the invasion." A crowd of changelings gathered. I could see their faces light up eagerly with anticipation for a fight.

I gave a nervous chuckle. "What? You can't possibly pin that little screw-up on me. Besides, maybe if the support beams the Workers built were stronger, it wouldn't have..."

SMACK! A strong hoof connected to my face. I leaned up against the cold stone wall for support as my vision blurred. A green aura surrounded my body as i was dragged up to 131.

"Don't you dare tell us how to do our job," he snarled. He drew his hoof back for another blow.

"Hey!" a feminine voice called out. The trio of workers looked around curiously.

"Who said that?" 074 asked.

"Who cares? Just listen to her!" I gasped.

"Move it! Coming through. Gain way!" Changelings in the crowd shuffled to avoid whoever was advancing on us. Worker 230 soon broke through with her eyes locked onto the three changelings around me. Her wings began buzzing in an agitated fashion. "Put. Him. Down," she growled.

The green aura around me instantly vanished, causing me to fall hard on the ground. The three workers hesitantly backed away from me.

"If I so much as hear you plan to do anything to Scout," she warned as she put herself between me and the crowd, "I will personally make you incapable of performing the one job you were given. Do you know how the Queen reacts to those who can't perform their duties?"

The trio simultaneously gave an audible gulp. Of course they knew what the punishment would be. Every changeling did. Any changeling incapable of performing his or her duties was to be either put to death or thrown away to rot outside of the hive. Most would prefer to be put to death rather than the alternative; it was a much quicker way to die.

"Come on, 230. You can't seriously be sticking up for this guy," 074 nervously chuckled.

"And why not?" she challenged. 074 was at a loss of words. I could practically see the gears slowly turning in that empty shell he called a head as he tried to come up with a good reason. "My thoughts exactly," 230 continued. She helped me up and walked with me to the Queen's chamber. Behind us the crowd released a sigh of depression. They really must have wanted to see me get my abdomen kicked.

"Um, thanks," I said.

"Anyway I can help," she replied. "So I take it you got a message, too?"

"What do you mean 'too'?"

"I got a message to go to the Queen's chamber. When I saw you back there I figured you got one too." A wave of relief flooded me. For a while I thought I was about to be punished for something. But if she was sent here too, then that probably meant it was just something else.

The guards at the chamber entrance stiffened as we walked by. That was unusual. Normally, when I came by, they would groan or make a snide remark. Inside the room, Queen Chrysalis sat in her royal throne with bandages covering her torso and forelegs. Nurse changelings were tending to her wounds.

"Sit," the Queen commanded. We immediately obeyed. "Scout Number One-Five-Nine, Worker Number Two-Three-Zero," she greeted.

"Your highness," we simultaneously answered as we bowed.

"Do you know why you're here?"

"No, your highness."

"You are here because I have chosen you to take part in the next invasion." My ears perked up at the statement. Another invasion? Now? After the recently failed one and while she was in this pitiful state?

"Forgive me, my Queen, but did you say the next invasion?" I asked.

"Yes, Number One-Five-Nine. I have been thinking about the previous invasion ever since we returned. It was foolish to attack the heart of Equestria while it was strong. But I do not intend to make the same mistake twice," she slammed her hoof on her throne. She winced as pain shot up her holey leg. The nurses tending to her rushed to soothe the pain. Chrysalis quickly shooed them away, trying to show that even in her broken state she was still strong. "Before the Canterlot invasion, I created a new breed of changelings." 230 and I struggled to hold our surprise. A new breed? Such news was revolutionary in the hive. Waves of questions flooded my mind. How would the other changelings react? What was the purpose of this new breed of changeling? What was going to make them so special? Would another Class become inferior and therefore exterminated due to this change? "This breed," she continued, "was initially created to be placed into settlements and slowly replace the indigenous population after the main invasion. I call them the Interloper Class."

"Excuse me, Queen Chrysalis," 230 spoke up. "What exactly are you planning?"

"I am planning," the Queen said with a mischievous smile, "to take over Equestia from the inside out. Starting with the small settlements on the outskirts and working towards those closer to the heart. As I said, this breed is fairly recent, and has yet to be properly tested. I want you to escort a small batch of ten to the pony of 'Appleloosa,'" she struggled to say the strange name, "to test it. If all works according to plan, you shall be greatly rewarded and you shall have the honors of controlling the settlement. Any questions?"

Many rose up to mind. If they had never been tested before, then they have no experience on the field; which meant we would have to teach them. I didn't like the sound of this 'Interloper Class' either. Their job description sounded a bit too familiar with that of the Scouts. A fearful thought crossed that I might be helping my own replacement.

"When can we start?" 230 eagerly asked. She obviously didn't understand the intensity of the situation.

"Tomorrow at dawn. A nurse and guard will be accompanying you along with the new Interlopers. I recommend you get your rest."

"Yes, your Highness," we said in unison as we backed out.

As we made our way back up to the resting chambers, 230 was skipping in delight. A very odd thing for a changeling to do.

"I can't believe it," she said excitedly. "My very first small invasion or whatever it's called."

"Reconnaissance," I corrected. "Why are you so happy? These things are serious! Besides, I can't be the only one worried about this whole 'Interloper' business."

"Oh, you're just scared that they're going to overthrow the Scout Class changelings," she laughed.

"Exactly!"

"Quit your worrying. Look, we have a big day tomorrow. Let's get some rest, report for duty tomorrow, and get this 'reconnaissance' thing over with. I'm sure you have nothing to worry about," she coerced. I let out a deep breath.

"Alright, alright. I guess i am just overreacting a bit," I finally said. We reached the intersection where our paths would soon split. "See ya in the morning."

"See ya," she called out. I was halfway down the corridor when she hollered for me again. "Hey, Scout. You said you were near the Queen when that magic wall pushed us out of Canterlot... Any idea what put her in such a mess?"

I froze in place as I went through a flashback.

The Queen and I were next to each other for the entirety of the fall. After asking for my old position of Scout back, we started to lose our momentum. The ground soon started to draw closer. Out of pure luck, a random gust of wind blew me to the side before the ground had a chance to catch me. I landed on something relatively soft compared to the unforgiving earth. Something softer... and much blacker. Through my dizziness I could hear the Queen shouting in pain. I suppose I weighed much more than I thought.

"Um, nope. None whatsoever." I darted down the passage, leaving a rather confused Worker 230 behind.

<><><>

Scout Number One-Five-Nine, report to the Hangar. I woke up to the hive mind bombarding my thoughts. I was never so relieved to wake up to that voice in my life. I was having the worst nightmare about the mission ahead. Visions of the new Interloper class hindered me from having a good night's sleep. I groggily got up as the hive mind repeated its dull message.

230 met up with me along the long walk to the hangar. She was absolutely delighted. Ten nymphs soon followed us. They didn't show any facial expressions, emotions, or personalities. They weren't even roughing around like other nymphs usually did. I didn't like it.

"Hey," I said as I turned to face them. "I don't know or care who you are or what you want. If you're trying to pull some prank than you can just forget about it. I have places to go and I don't need a bunch of nymphs stalling me, got it?"

The leading nymph stopped and cocked its head to the side in confusion. Its solid blue eyes stared straight into mine. Something was definitely wrong with these nymphs.

"Order unrecognizable," the lead said in a monotonous voice. "Please offer another command or translate previous in a more recognizable fashion." Its voice sounded too familiar to that of the hive mind.

"Scram!" I barked. The nymphs instantly scattered in all directions. I glared at where they vanished, daring one of them to show their faces.

"159, what was that about?" 230 nervously asked.

"You heard that too, right? That was completely strange and unnatural!"

"Yes, but they were probably just pulling a prank like you said. There was no reason to snap at them like that."

"I don't know. They just seem... off," I said.

We continued our journey to the hangar. When we arrived, Queen Chrysalis was patiently waiting with a guard and a nurse. The latter was tending to her wounds. Chrysalis looked up and beckoned us closer.

"You sure took you time getting here," she remarked.

"Humblest apologies, my Queen," I bowed. "We ran into some trouble with a group of nymphs."

"A likely story," the Queen replied. Her horn lit up in a vibrant green.

Interloper Numbers Zero-Zero-One through Zero-One-Zero, report to the Hangar immediately. I covered my ears as the hive mind pounded my head. It was strange to receive a message that wasn't meant for me. At the end of the order, Chrysalis' horn faded away.

The ten nymphs from before entered the hangar and bowed before the Queen. These were the Interlopers? I thought. That was absurd! They were nymphs for crying out loud!

"Good, now that you're all here it is time to let the siege to begin," she said. Chrysalis started pacing before us. "I cannot send you directly into an inhabited area due to the possibility of being instantly spotted. Therefore, I have decided to transport you to an abandoned train station. A train should be passing by shortly that is heading towards your destination. I recommend you find a way to get on board to hasten your arrival time. Once you arrive at the settlement there will be no turning back. Such actions will be considered treason and shall be punished with banishment from the hive. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, my Queen," the thirteen changelings and I shouted. A shiver ran up my back at the sound as the ten monotonous voices of the nymphs hollered in unison.

"Very good," Chrysalis said with a pleased smile. "Before I send you off, I wish to inform you of a few traits of the Interlopers." The guard, the nurse, 230, and I turned our heads as the Queen halted before the nymphs. "As you are well aware, they are, in fact, still nymphs, but they are the only successful prototypes that passed my test to become the forerunners of the Interlopers. They are to be handled with care. If I am to find out that one of you either do or plan to do something that would hinder their development, I will personally crush you into fine powder from the bottom up and feed you to the next generation. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, my Queen!"

"Excellent. Now, there is something important you should know about the Interlopers. They are not capable of mimicking a target on sight. They, require a DNA sample; whether it is hair, skin, saliva, or blood. They have already been programmed with an alternative form, but in order for the test to work you are going to have to give them a host. Once they have their sample, they shall become a perfect mimic of the host in mind, body, personality, and everything in between. I cannot stress it enough how valuable they are. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, my Queen!"

"Perfect. Now, off you go. It would be a shame for you to miss your train." With that, the Queen's horn lit up and a ring of green fire circled us. It grew higher and higher into the shape of a dome. Once the fiery dome was completed, the ground seemed to melt under our feet. The nurse, guard, and I were fairly calm throughout the process because we were familiar with the process. This was the only way to enter and exit the hive. 230, on the other hoof, was visibly straining to keep her cool as the liquefying floor began swallowing her. As soon as we were fully submerged, our heads resurfaced. We were lifted out of the ground again by an invisible force with the dome. I took in my surroundings as the green flame died out.

The cavernous stone hanger was replaced by an old, rotten, wooden train station. Cobwebs were clustered in the corners. An old ticket booth with shattered glass stood in what I supposed was the back. A warm breeze blew through the tattered windows. In the distance, the sound of a train's horn blared.

"Alright, changelings," I said. "It's time to get to work."

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."

Chapter 4

"It's not... too bad," Rainbow Dash tried to calm me. She was doing a horrible job at it. I was having a huge breakdown ever since I saw my destroyed wings.

"Not too bad? NOT TOO BAD?" I screamed. I leaped up on all for hooves. A ring of green fire raged around me, causing the frightened ponies and dragon to back up. "How's about I burn off your wings, and we can see just how you feel!" I shouted as I pointed a hoof at her.

"Changeling, y'all need to simmer down before ya start giving us unwanted attention," Applejack spoke calmly. How could she stay calm in a catastrophic time like this? And who was she to tell me to calm down? She's still in one piece.

"I don't think you've noticed this, pony," I snarled. "But we're the only living things here within miles!" I added. Still, I found that the fire had burned down slightly.

"Quit acting as if it's our fault," Spike said. He sounded pretty agitated. "It's not like we burned your wings off." The flames roared up to new heights.

"No, but I didn't tie my wings together with a rope," I snapped.

"Oh, no you don't," Applejack snarled. "You ain't pinning this on me. Besides, you're the one on a mission to Appleloosa."

"I'm not... You're the one... I... They," I struggled to find someone to blame my dilemma on. It had to be Applejack's fault. She's the one who tied me up. But it was my spell that burned it and, therefore, my wings. If that stupid Diamond Dog hadn't attacked me, but I'm the one who attracted their attention. I never would have been stuck in this situation If 230 hadn't changed into Applejack before the train came. But how could she have known that Applejack was on the train? So it was Applejack's fault! No, she couldn't have known about the invasion. The invasion... If Chrysalis hadn't made those confounded Interlopers... No, the Queen was never to blame. It had to be my fault. It was my that 230 met Applejack. I could have told her to stay with the Interlopers. It was my fault that I had lost the fight with that Braeburn character. When that nymph was biting Spike, I could have easily finished the fight. It was my fault I ended up in this situation. Everything was all my fault.

The green fire died down to an ember, no longer fueled by my rage. I lay in the middle, clutching my head in my hooves in hopes of finding somebody else to blame. It was always my fault. No matter how hard I tried, I always made a mess of whatever I was doing. Why? It never made any sense!

I slammed my head into the dirt, hoping to override my pain with something more physical. It worked, for the most part. A gentle hoof tapped my shoulder.

"It's not the end of the world, changeling. I'm sure you can live without wings," Applejack said softly.

"You don't get it, do you?" I grumbled. "I'm practically dead to Chrysalis now that I can't fly. In fact, she'll kill me if I go back looking like this."

"But can't you just grow them back? You know, with your 'changeling magic' and all?" Rainbow asked.

"It doesn't work like that."

"Why not?"

I let out a sigh. "Because it just doesn't. A changeling can't fix itself by changing to its original self; the wound would still be there. It would be like a unicorn using a spell that did nothing but create a magic spell. It's pointless."

"Back it up a bit," Applejack interjected. "Y'all said something 'bout Chrysalis killing you, why would she do that?"

"Because without my wings, I'm no longer able to perform my job. I'd be nothing more than a waste of resources."

"What's your job suppose to be?" Spike asked.

"I don't have to tell you," I snapped.

"Well..." Applejack rubbed her chin. "Actually, you do."

"Excuse me?"

"Y'all said that you'd tell us, and I quote: 'The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.' So I guess you're stuck with us until we know what we want," she reasoned. "So quit your complaining and get up. We got a long day ahead of us if we want to make it to Appleloosa."

I reluctantly rose from my pitiful state. We cut a trail to parallel to the railroad. I was asked plenty of questions; all pertaining to the upcoming Appleloosan Invasion. I answered all of their questions and then some. They had a hard time digesting the whole "Interloper" part, but other than that the interrogation went well. Spike seemed a bit annoyed throughout the whole ordeal. He was probably just tired though.

"So let me see if I get this straight," Rainbow said while flying overhead. "You changelings are trying to slowly replace the entire Appleloosan population... with ten foals?"

"Nymphs," I corrected. "And yes, that sounds about right. Although, Chrysalis did mention something about the Interlopers being prototypes... So you can interpret that however you want."

"Aren't you guys supposed to not, you know, give away secret information?" Spike asked annoyed.

"Well, naturally, yes," I answered. "It's an extreme crime. But I suppose I can just say I was tortured with corny songs, crummy ghost stories, and bribed with s'mores to talk. Most changelings won't know what s'mores are and we all know how horrible you pony folk's songs are, so I might get off a little easy."

Spike was about to respond when Applejack cut him off. "Y'all hear that?"

We all paused and perked up our ears. It was faint, but I could definitely hear the sound of hooves pounding against the earth in the distance. I tilted my head to figure out where it was coming from. The sound was coming from behind us, and it was getting closer. A small cloud of smoke appeared over the horizon. Through my slightly enhanced Scout vision, I could make out the outlines of large beasts.

"Are they more Diamond Dogs?" Spike asked, squinting.

"No. Diamond Dogs don't have hooves," I replied. If there wasn't so much smoke I could probably figure it out.

"Hmm," Applejack pondered. "Ya know, they almost look like-"

"Hey, it's Little Strongheart!" Rainbow Dash interjected.

I didn't know who this "Little Strongheart" character was, but I did see a smaller figure diverge from the mass of shapes in our direction. It looked like a young buffalo. An honest to Chrysalis buffalo. It even had one of those feathered headdresses on that some of the changelings back at the hive described.

"Shouldn't you... You know," Applejack elbowed me.

"Huh? Oh, right." I changed into the yellow stallion from the train. As the buffalo drew nearer, I leaned into Applejack. "Anything I should know about this character?"

She gave me a quick look over. "Braeburn or Strongheart?"

"Either one, preferably the one I am."

"Well, for starters, your name's Braeburn. You're my cousin," she seemed to have a hard time saying that part, "and a farmer from Appleloosa. You're a bit overly enthusiastic at times and a glass-half-full kind of guy. It's been a while since we've last met. You, er, Braeburn needed us to help him with a problem at Appleloosa, but he said he would tell us when we got there. Also, you're gonna have to speak with an accent."

I pondered on the new information. It wasn't much to work with, but hopefully it would be enough to trick a buffalo.

"Hey, Strongheart," Rainbow called as the buffalo came within earshot.

"Hey guys!" Strongheart replied. "What brings you way out here?"

"Well, we were supposed to be in Appleloosa by now," Spike said. "But we ran into a problem on the way." He cast me a glare.

"It's not the Diamond Dogs again, is it?" Strongheart asked. I could see worry etched in her eyes.

Applejack tilted her head in confusion. "Beg pardon?"

"You haven't told them yet?" the buffalo asked me. Sweat dripped from my brow. I put on a smile that I hoped wouldn't betray my worried condition. I recalled everything Applejack had told me.

"Sorry, Lil' Strongheart," I said in my best Southern accent. "I reckoned it'd be best if I told them in Appleloosa. You should probably tell 'em."

Little Strongheart let out a sigh. "Well, it started a few months ago. Some Diamond Dogs found a large deposit of gems near the orchards. They started digging up path the settlers cut for us and fell a few trees to make the tunnels that lead to the mine. For the most part, they were peaceful, but recently they have been coming into Buffalo territory and stealing our valuables. We've had some missing tribe members, too. I think the dogs are responsible for that as well. Braeburn told me that Appleloosa is having the same problems, which is why he asked you to help. Did I miss anything?" The last part was obviously directed to me.

"Nope, I reckon that's it," I answered. I was going out on a limb with this conversation. Hopefully the topic would change.

"You know, two Diamond Dogs paid us a visit last night," Rainbow added. "You should have been there. I don't think I've ever seen Spike do anything like that before," she gave the dragon a pat on the back.

"It wasn't that cool," Spike humbly said.

"Now you and I both know that's a lie," Applejack through in. "I don't think I've ever seen a rodeo like that before in my life."

"Well now that we're all acquainted and all," I said while backing up, "we best be heading back to Appleloosa. See y'all later, Strongheart."

"Oh, well okay. You're always welcome to Buffalo territory if you need anything."

I was pushing the others in the direction of the settlement. "Thank you kindly, miss. I'll remember that," I called back. When we were a good distance away I stopped. I stole a glance behind me to check on Strongheart. She was already rejoining the stampede of buffalo.

"What in tarnation was that all about, changeling?" Applejack asked irritably.

"It's not good for changelings to stay in conversation for too long," I dropped the accent. "Especially if we know so little information about our character. Besides, if you guys want to get to Appleloosa anytime soon, we need to get going."

They couldn't argue with my reason. We carried on our trek through the desert, barely talking. As the sun came to its peak, we took a break to eat. The ponies substituted their meal with more s'mores. I was given some, but I knew that they wouldn't fill me as much as I needed. Normally, I would have stolen their emotions for food. But in my weakened state, I decided against angering my stronger captors. At the end of our meal, when we were all packing up, my stomach let out a beastly growl.

"Wow. You sure you got enough to eat, partner?" Applejack asked. "We could probably cook up some more of them s'mores if you'd like."

"Yeah, that doesn't sound like a bad idea," Rainbow Dash commented, still licking a mess of marshmallows off of her hooves.

"No, no. It's not that, it's just that we changelings have a different diet than ponies." I tried to pick my next words carefully. "I'm not trying to impose anything, but could any of you... you know..."

It took some time for the ponies and dragon to interpret what I was asking. As realization struck, Applejack and Rainbow Dash cast each other a worried look. Spike somehow managed to vanish from sight. Applejack nudged her head in my direction, not breaking eye contact with her friend. Rainbow mimicked the gesture with a quizzical look. Applejack repeated, only again to be copied by the pegasus. Their faces soon transformed into scowls. I watched on the sidelines as the telepathic argument raged between them. Each adversary's eyes squinted in concentration. Was it really that bad? I thought to myself.

They suddenly broke into motion as they each clasped one of their forelegs with each other on top of a nearby flat rock. They appeared strained, as if they were competing in an intense battle of the ages. A battle that would determine the fate of the very universe itself, whose winner would achieve the utmost glory for their hive sector. Applejack's hoof gained a height advantage over Rainbow Dash's. She bore a smug expression at the sight of the pegasus's worry. Rainbow Dash's hoof was almost touching the rock when suddenly

WHAM

Rainbow's hoof was firmly planted above Applejack's on top of the rock. She flew up into the air, shouting a loud "Woo hoo, still the champ!" before floating back down. Applejack hung her head low in defeat and moped up to me.

"Alright, changeling, let's get this over with," she sighed.

"Sheesh, talk about awkward," I said under my breath. My horn lit up in a green aura. A bolt of similarly colored lightning connected our foreheads together for a few seconds. I soaked in the nourishing emotions until I was satisfied. At the end of my spell Applejack seemed completely drained of energy. She could barely stand on her four legs. Rainbow Dash swooped in to the rescue and kept her from falling over. Maybe I took a bit too much.

"So, are you guys done with your little... thing?" Spike appeared behind a few rocks.

"I certainly hope so," Applejack moaned as she braced her head with a hoof. "Let's get moving. We're burning daylight."

Our uneventful journey continued once again. As dinner time came, Applejack went out of her way to sit as far away from me as possible. I wouldn't blame her. The spell must have been pretty painful for her to need Rainbow Dash's support for the majority of the walk. I was still filled from my last feeding to worry about eating anyway. After we packed our supplies, we walked until the moon began to rise. Through the thick veil of the night I could make out the silhouette of a structure slowly rising from the ground. A faint glow emanated from the same direction.

"Hey, I think I see Appleloosa!" I shouted in the night.

"How can you see anything through this darkness? I can barely see five feet in front of me," Applejack complained.

"Eh, I guess it's just one of the perks of being me," I answered. I broke out in a sprint towards the light. "Come on, it doesn't look like it's too far away."

"Changeling, wait!" Rainbow cried.

"What? It's right there," I shouted as I continued running. The full town came into view. It wasn't very large; I could tell by the dim illumination between the few buildings. Something was off about the sight though, it almost as if I was looking down upon it. It wasn't until I started falling that I realized I had run off of a cliff overlooking the settlement.

Normally I would have just flown to safety. But no, I managed to burn my wings off recently. That narrowed my options down to just screaming and falling; which, for the record, I successfully did both. As I was busy plummeting to my ultimate doom, I felt a sharp pain where my tattered tail met connected to my backside. Rainbow Dash had my tail between her teeth and carried us back to the top. Once the cliff's soil was beneath us she spat out my tail, causing my to slam into the ground headfirst,

"Do you even wash that thing?" Rainbow asked in disgust. She was still trying to spit the taste of my tail out of her mouth.

"Not regularly. It's not every day I get picked up by the tail," I replied. A shudder ran through the pegasus's body. She started rubbing her tongue with her hooves frantically. Could this have been another game?

"You can't go running around blindly like that, changeling," Applejack scolded. "If it weren't for Rainbow here, you would have been a paste."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Can we get going now?" I asked impatiently.

"Actually," Spike yawned. "I think it would be a good time to call it a night."

"What?" I looked at him incredulously.

"I'm with Spike on this one," Rainbow chimed in. "I'm beat."

"But we're almost there!"

"Yes, but I reckon it'd be better if we made our way down in the daylight," Applejack reasoned.

"But, but, but," I sputtered. "Ah, what the heck." I knew it would be futile to reason with these ponies. I let out a deep yawn. "I guess a quick nap will do."

We made another makeshift campsite a small ways from the edge of the cliff. I was free to sleep with them this time; not that they really had a say in the matter without a rope to hold me to a cactus. We fell fast asleep next to the warm fires Spike had made. Before my fell into sleep's sweet embrace, I could hear an ever so faint, ever so familiar voice echo through the night.

The settlement is in sight. We will be rejoining you in the morning.

It was the hive mind. It appeared that one of my captors weren't who they were pretending to be...

Chapter 6

"What in blazes were you thinking, Braeburn?" the sheriff scolded. After we rushed Applejack to the local hospital, the sheriff dragged me to his office.

"Jeez, Sheriff Silverstar, I didn't expect any of this to happen," I apologized. Of course, I could have cared less about any of this. But for the time being it was best to stay in character.

"What do you mean you didn't expect this to happen? These raids have been going on for weeks on end! Now, thanks to your carelessness, we have an injured pony and a missing dragon. As if I didn't already have enough on my plate." Silverstar was obviously furious. I didn't blame him, but it seemed unfair for him to be taking it out on me. "I apologize for my behavior; I know it ain't yer fault. I'm just not in the best of moods at the moment," the sheriff sighed. "With all these abductions going on..." He buried his head in his hooves.

"Er, there, there," I patted his shoulder. "There's gotta be something we can do to stop them lousy mutts."

Sheriff Silverstar shot upright. "That's it! Braeburn, you're a genius!"

"I am?"

"We can send some ponies to face them rascals head on! Once we show them what us settler ponies can do, they'll never come anywhere near here again."

"Sheriff, with all due respect, just where are you gonna get ponies crazy enough to fight the Diamond Dogs?"

Siverstar's sudden burst of energy disappeared as fast as it came. He paced around the room, muttering his thoughts out. I stood uncomfortably between him and the door, every now and then casting a glance to the latter. Seconds ticked by, soon becoming minutes. Sheriff Silverstar was still pacing. His muttered words slurred into incomprehensible sounds constantly playing like a broken record.

I slowly backed up towards the door. "Well, it's a darn shame I couldn't help you anymore. If you need me, I'll be with my cousin. See y'all later." I spun around and ran through the open doorway.

"Wait!" So close...

I peeked through the doorway and put on a smile. "Yes Sheriff Silverstar?"

"I want you to help me recruit some crazy ponies for this mission. With the two of us working together, we should have a decent band of ponies itchin' for some dog hide in a week."

"Beg pardon, but ain't that a job for the deputy?" I asked.

"Yep, which reminds me," the sheriff opened a drawer of his desk, rummaged through it a bit, and returned to me. "Congratulations, Braeburn. You're gonna be my new deputy!" I held back a few tears as he painfully pinned a bronze five-pointed star on my organic "vest." Inscribed on said star in fancy lettering was the word "Deputy."

"Shucks, Silverstar, I don't know what to say," I said through a strained smile. A few words did pop up to mind, but they weren't very... appropriate.

"You can thank me later." Yeah... thank him... That's what I'd do. "Now get going, Braeburn. We've got ponies to recruit."

I stumbled out the front door and trotted down to the hospital where Rainbow Dash was supposed to be waiting with Applejack. I received a few greetings from the local ponies along the way. Whoever this Braeburn character was seemed to be quite popular among these ponies; in a positive way, too. It was something I had a hard time adjusting to considering my popularity at the hive.

I found the rainbow maned pegasus waiting outside of the saloon. Why was she not at the hospital like we agreed? Had something happened? I approached her with a multitude of questions on my mind. "Rainbow Dash, why aren't you with ."

She stuffed a hoof in my mouth to shut me up. She cast a glance in both directions. "Come with me," she blankly commanded. She didn't give me much of a choice as she dragged me into the saloon by my vest.

"Rainbow, what are we "

"Shh," she whispered harshly. She dragged me up to the wooden counter. A tall, grey stallion was cleaning some of the glasses with his back to us. Rainbow cleared her throat. The bartender looked over his shoulder.

"Just one minute, please," he said. He spun around to a brown earth pony with a blonde mane who was lazily resting on the counter top. "I thought I told you to scram!"

The pony jumped up in fright. "But, but, but..." he said through dried lips. Was that salt around his mouth?

"No buts. I thought I made myself clear when I said you've had enough salt for today. Now get before I through you out!" the bartender threatened. Salt? Was that what this whole ordeal was about?

"Can I at least" The salt lipped pony was hurled out of the saloon. " get a glass of water?"

The grey stallion returned, oblivious to the others cry for hydration. "So, what could I do for ya?" he asked.

I glanced back at the swinging doors where the brown pony was dizzily walking away. "Shouldn't you give him some water?"

"Who, that old timer? Nah, we go through this kind of thing every day. It's kind of a thing we do," he explained.

"Ah." Ponies sure had some strange traditions.

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat again. "Do you have any place where we could be alone?"

The bartender stared between me and her. "We have a few rooms upstairs for rent."

"That'll do. How much?" Rainbow asked while getting out a pouch of bits.

"Well, that depends on how long you two plan on staying. For overnight, I'll have to charge you ten bits; for about a week it'll be sixty; and for a month "

"We'll only need it for a few minutes," Rainbow cut him off.

The stallion gave her a confused look, and then a sly smile crossed his face. "I see. And what, might I ask, do you plan on doing?"

"None of your business," the pegasus snapped.

His smile deepened. "Well, normally I wouldn't allow ponies to rent a room for that short of a time, but for you two lovebirds I think I can strike a deal. Five bits." Lovebirds? He didn't seriously think that Rainbow Dash and I...

"Deal," Rainbow tossed the a few gold bits on the counter and grabbed the room key with her mouth. "Come on, you," she said as she tugged me up the stairs.

When we reached the closed door, she tossed me in (yes, literally tossed me in) and locked the door behind her. I shakily got back up and dusted myself off. Before I had the chance to nag her about throwing me around like that she slammed me into the far wall. The breath was knocked out of me.

"Alright, this is how it's gonna work," she snarled. "I'm gonna ask you some questions, and you're gonna answer them. Got it?"

"What the heck, Rainbow?" I wheezed. "I didn't do anything, I swear!"

A blue hoof slapped me across the face. "I said I'll be asking the questions. And don't act like you didn't do anything, pony." She flew us up higher, keeping my back pressed against the wall. "How did you escape?"

"What?"

Rainbow slammed me into an adjacent wall. "You heard me! How did you escape from the desert? Did the other ponies help you?"

"If by other ponies you mean you and Applejack, then yes," I answered.

"Good pony," Rainbow said through an evil grin. "Next question: What did you do with the two changelings?"

"What 'two changelings'? I didn't see any others. And you certainly didn't tell me of any others." Rainbow Dash was starting to get on my nerves with her meaningless questions.

The pegasus threw me onto the room's only bed. It squeaked and groaned in protest to the sudden increase in weight. Rainbow Dash landed on top of me and pinned me down. I struggled underneath to free myself, but I couldn't break free. A green flame scorched her body, leaving it as black as a moonless night. Her wings became translucent and sprouted holes. A horn protruded from her forehead and her eyes turned solid blue. The body of Rainbow Dash had been replaced with one of a Worker class changeling. "Don't try playing any games with me," she warned. "Where are Scout 159 and the Interloper nymph?"

"Worker 230?" I asked. The changeling was caught off guard by my question. She looked me over. It took me a while to remember I was still Braeburn. "Heh, maybe this'll help," I chuckled as I removed my disguise.

"Scout, you're alive!" she screamed and locked me into a chitin crushing hug.

"230... you're... crushing... me," I gasped.

"I can't believe you're okay!" she exclaimed, ignoring my cry. "By the time we realized you were thrown out, we were too far away to recover you. I was worried that something might have happened to you while you were"

"230!" She let go of me in shock. I landed on the creaky wooden floor gasping for breath. "You were worried about me?" I asked smiling. "Come on, this is me we're talking about here. I can take care of myself you know,"

230 didn't respond. I looked up to her after regaining my breath. She was still sitting on the bed with eyes wide in shock. Her countenance was frozen in a horrified expression. Her attention was directed at me, too, which succeeded in making me feel uncomfortable.

"Hello? Equestria to Worker 230," I waved a hoof in front of her.

There was a slight tremor in her voice. "159? What happened to you?" she asked.

Confused, I gave myself a quick inspection. Nothing seemed wrong, minus the bleeding wound where the bronze star was still pinned into me. That must have been what she was worried about. "This thing?" I asked while pointing at the star. "Oh, it's nothing too serious. But get this: I am now officially the sheriff's new deputy. Can you believe that?"

"159... you're wings... are..." Oh, right... That.

"Yeah, uh, funny story about that...." My mood darkened. I gave the singed remnants of my wings a quick buzz, just to hear the higher-than-normal pitch that replaced the one I knew. "I almost forgot about that." I could feel myself slipping back into my depression.

Worker 230 hopped of the bed and examined my back. "159... What happened?"

"I burned them off," I muttered.

""Why did you do that?" she asked in disbelief.

"Because I thought I could start a new fashion trend at the hive," I snapped. 230 flinched. "I'm... I'm sorry, I just..." I choked on the sobs slowly forming in my throat.

230 pulled me into a hug. "It's okay, it's okay," she cooed as she gently pat my back. I shrugged her off after a while and walked to the door. "Where are you going?" 230 asked.

"I need to talk to someone," I muttered as I resumed my disguise.

"I'll come with you," 230 offered, reverting back to Rainbow Dash.

"No, you don't have to. You can just go"

"I said I'm coming with you," she interjected, "and you can't change my mind. Besides, how would it look if two ponies entered and only one came out?" There was no point in arguing with her. I knew that she follow me no matter what. With 230 by my side, we walked out of the saloon and back into the streets. "So, where are we going?"

"Over to the hospital. I need to check on someone."

"Who?"

"Just some pony I picked up on the way here," I replied. "There was a nasty fight earlier today and she got banged up. I promised I'd meet up with her." The hospital came into view. Few ponies were near it and rarely any actually walked inside.

"So what's your story?" 230 asked. "After, you know, the whole throwing you off of the train ordeal."

"Thanks for that by the way," I smiled as I playfully ran into her. I recalled my tale of the past few days. She absorbed every detail of my journey I had to offer, especially the part of the s'mores. "I'm telling you," I said after describing the holy greatness that was the s'more, "when we get back to the hive, I'm gonna have a talk to Chrysalis about bringing those things in. Every changeling will love them; I just know it." I told her about how the Diamond Dogs snuck into our camp at the middle of the night and the series of unfortunate events that unfolded afterwards.

"Wow," was all 230 had to say. "I'm sorry to hear about that. But on the upside, I think you're the only Scout class to ever successfully cast two bombardment spells and lived to say it."

"Yeah, 'successful.' That's the word that I was thinking of when I saw these two stubs of wings," I said with a half-hearty laugh.

"Maybe Nurse 013 could help. He is a professional in this field you know."

"Maybe..." I echoed.

We entered the hospital before I could return to my story. "I'll tell you the rest later," I whispered. We approached the front desk where a pony sat dillydallying with the random baubles on her desk. I cleared my throat. "We're here to see Applejack."

She lifted her eyes to see the two strangers who had interrupted her break. When she saw me her mood visibly lightened. "Howdy there, Braeburn. I haven't seen you since the Sheriff dragged you off by the ear," she chuckled. Her gaze fell down to my chest. "Well, what have we here? Is that star what I think it's for?" I nodded proudly in affirmation. "Ooh, this calls for a celebration!" the nurse said as she clapped her hooves. "Come over to the saloon later today and we'll throw a party, 'kay?"

I chewed on the thought of that. A party might be nice after the recent events. "Sure, why not?"

The nurse was delighted at my response. "Oh, we can get the whole town in on it. I'm sure everypony will be excited with our new deputy," she giggled.

"Yeah, yeah, that's nice and all," 230 interrupted, "but we kinda have a schedule at the moment, so could you...?"

"Right, your friend," she blushed. She flipped through some pages on a folder. "Uh... Room Number Six. It's down the hall, third door on the right. Can't miss it."

"Thanks you kindly miss," I nodded.

"Oh, anything for a friend, Braeburn. Redheart?" the nurse called out to the back. "Could you step in for me? I have something special to put together." Without waiting for a response, she packed up and sped out of the door.

230 and I migrated to the back hall where room six lay. I had a nagging feeling in the back of my head that I was forgetting something. It probably wasn't too important. When we were nearly upon the door, it swung open. A lone doctor walked out.

"Braeburn. Rainbow Dash," he nodded. He paused for a second and peered back into the room; then back at 230 in confusion. "Bah, I needed a break anyway," he shook his head and walked off.

We entered the room without giving any thought to the doctor's puzzling side note. Applejack was laying in bed with bandages covering her in seemingly random places. She looked much better than when I had left her. Perhaps all she needed was a bath to wash away most of the grime. Rainbow Dash was sitting in a chair reading a book. She gave as a glance and continued reading. A few seconds ticked by before she slammed the book down and glared at us.

"What the hay is going on here?" she demanded.

I was taken aback by her sudden outburst. I suddenly remembered what was nagging me as I saw that Rainbow Dash was also standing next to me, glaring back at the Rainbow Dash across the room. "I am such an idiot," I grumbled.

Rainbow and 230 took flight and met each other in mid-air in combat. As they flew around in the enclosed space of the room, I was busy bashing my head against a wall, punctuating each hit with a "Stupid!"

"I got her pinned down, Scout. Run while you still can!" 230 shouted. I raised my head to see the two Rainbows wrapped around each other, making both of them pinned down. I almost laughed at the sight.

"Alright, for starters, I'm not going anywhere," I said while forcing down a laugh. "Second, you two can get yourselves untangled. I'm only here to talk to Rainbow Dash, whichever one of you that is," I added.

The pegasus and changeling eventually separated themselves from each other. 230 dropped her disguise the second she was free and buzzed her wings with agitation. Rainbow Dash dusted herself off and glowered at me. "I knew you couldn't be trusted," she accused. "You thought you could replace me while Applejack was down and Spike missing. But it'll take more than a couple of changelings to take me out."

"Obviously, considering that one managed to single-hoofedly pin you while the second was busy hitting his head on the wall," 230 retorted.

"You wanna go for round two?" Rainbow challenged.

"Bring it, pony."

The two were almost at it again when I forced myself between them. "Will you two quit your horseplay?" I pleaded. "We have bigger problems at hoof."

"Like what?" the two combatants demanded simultaneously.

"Rainbow, what's Applejack's condition?" I asked.

"She's fine; only a few cuts and bruises. Why?" I dropped my disguise and approached the bed where the sleeping earth pony lay. She looked so peaceful. So tired. It would be a shame for something to wake her up.

"Wake up, AJ!" I shouted as I violently shook her.

Applejack's eyes snapped open as she bolted upright. "Ah didn't eat the apples, I swear!" When she came back to her senses, she cast a surveyed the room with curiosity and her eyes fell upon me and 230. "Uh, Rainbow? Why am I in a hospital bed with two changelings in the same room?"

"That's a good question," Rainbow Dash answered. She gave me a skeptical glance. "In fact, I was wondering the same thing."

"I assure you, there is a perfectly logical reason for all of this," I said. "I have a plan that might help us with our 'missing dragon' problem, and I'm going to need your help to play it out."

Applejack scratched the back of her head. "Alright. If it'll help Spike, then I'm all for it."

"Me, too," Rainbow Dash added. "Besides, if we came back to Ponyville without the little squirt, we'd have a hard time explaining it to Twilight."

Worker 230 walked up to my side. "Heck, why not? It beats nymph-sitting the Interlopers all day." I couldn't help but smile. Everything was going to fall into place perfectly. Nothing could possibly go wrong! Now all I had to do was raise an army of riotous ponies, and then we will be set.

"So, Scout," 230 piped up. "What's phase one of your master plan?" The two mares in the room also appeared curious with what mad scheme I had concocted.

My grin grew even wider. "Phase one, you ask? Simple. We go to a party."

Chapter 3

"Talk," the orange mare, whom I've come to know as Applejack, ordered.

"Nah, don't think so," I nonchalantly replied.

"Talk," the pegasus named Rainbow Dash pitched in.

"No, thanks. I'm good." This little "conversation" of ours had been going on for a good hour. After I blew my cover, Rainbow Dash and Spike (as the ponies called the young dragon) pinned me to a cactus, which I had the pleasure of being tied to up to this point. I reverted back to my original form, seeing it redundant to keep it in this situation.

"Talk," Applejack tried again.

"OK."

"Really?"

"No, I lied." The ponies let out a groan. I allowed myself to smile at my handiwork. Despite being left behind by my fellow changelings, I was enjoying myself. Sure, I would have preferred to be tied up to something a bit less... prickly, but beggars can't be choosers. Rainbow Dash started pacing back and forth trying to come up with a plan. Applejack was busy massaging her annoyed head. Spike... Actually, I didn't know where he was. He disappeared behind me a while ago.

"Aha!" the pegasus exclaimed. She zoomed up to me with an eager expression. I returned the favor by bearing a bored one. "If you tell us why you were going to Appleloosa, we'll let you go," she cooed.

"Go back to your pacing," I said, disgusted.

"What? Come on, that's a legitimate deal!"

"I've heard that bluff plenty of times," I snarled. "And you know what? That's all it is. A bluff. And I have a feeling yours is no different." Rainbow Dash let out a huff of annoyance. "Am I wrong?" She lifted a hoof in response, and then lowered it. She flew off in an angry fashion and continued her pacing.

"I got it!" the Southern pony shouted. "Y'all changelings need to eat stuff right?"

"You're a genius!" I exclaimed in shock. She ignored my sarcasm.

"Well, eventually you'll need to eat. So unless you tell us what you changelings are planning, y'all can kiss your dinner goodbye." She looked very prideful with her breakthrough. I was going to love bursting her bubble.

"Alright, you got me," I spoke with a defeated tone. "I'll tell you, but you'll have to get closer." Applejack and Rainbow Dash leaned in. "Closer." They obeyed. "Closer." They were right in front of me. I cast a nervous glance to the left and right. "Closer," I persisted. They leaned in with their ears perked up.

A jet of green magic connected my glowing horn to their foreheads. Their eyes gained a greenish tint and rolled in their sockets. They cringed in pain - a minor side effect from the emotion feeding spell that the changelings possess.

"Gets 'em every time," I said in delight. The ponies were rubbing their temples in an attempt to relinquish themselves of the pain. "Thanks, that was very refreshing."

"That's it! I have had it!" Rainbow yelled. "Come on, Applejack. Let's just ditch this guy."

"With pleasure. Spike, get over here. We're leaving."

"What did you say?" the dragon walked by me and yawned. He must have been napping over the course of our chat. Lucky him.

"We're leaving this no-good, over-sized bug," Applejack spat. "At the rate things are going, we'd be better off going to Appleloosa to find out what's going on ourselves."

"Wait a second, you guys are serious?" I asked. I didn't plan on them leaving me. If they left, I wouldn't have anything to feed off of. If I didn't have anything to feed off of, I would turn into nothing more than an empty shell. An empty shell tied up to a cactus! "Wait, I'll talk! Just don't leave me alone!"

The ponies paused in their tracks. Rainbow Dash slowly turned around with a grin on her face. "Really?"

"Yes, yes, yes. Just please don't go!" I pleaded.

"No tricks?" she asked.

"No," I reluctantly admitted. The stakes were too high for me to gamble with. If I wanted to stay alive, I would have to do what these ponies said.

"And you're gonna tell us the truth?" Applejack pressed.

"The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth," I promised. My captors huddled to a group, deciding my very fate. Every now and then one of them would steal a glance at me. I tried to put on an innocent smile; ponies loved that sort of stuff. Applejack approached me, leaving behind a smug Rainbow Dash and a skeptical Spike.

"Congratulation, partner. You have yourself a deal." I was saved! "On two conditions." Sort of.

"What kind of conditions?" I asked.

"We're willing to let you go as long as you stay with us and tell us what you know," she said.

That sounded reasonable to me. I could pretend to say all that I thought I knew until the ponies were satisfied. And when they were asleep, I could probably sneak off in the night and head off to Appleloosa to rejoin my changeling companions. All I had to do was play my cards right and I would be out of this situation in no time.

"Alright," I finally spoke up. "That sounds doable."

"Then we have a deal?" Applejack held out a hoof for me to shake. I managed to wiggle a hoof loose and gave hers a firm shake.

"We have a deal," I confirmed. "Now get me out of this. Cacti aren't exactly known to have a comfortable surface."

With the help of her friends, Applejack unfastened the rope that held me to the uncomfortable needles. I stretched out my limbs for a bit. Being held up in a vertical position via rope and a cactus doesn't do well to the changeling body. I gave my wings a quick buzz. They acquired a few extra holes during my captivity, but I didn't fret too much over the matter. It wasn't like my wings didn't have holes in the first place. A tight constriction suddenly strapped my wings to my back.

"Hey, what gives?" I craned my head to see Applejack tying my wings to my body with the rope. She carried the leftover slack in her mouth. I was utterly dumbfounded. She had turned my bindings into a leash. "This wasn't part of the deal," I growled.

"It was implied," she simply answered. "Now giddyap, we're burning daylight."

We trudged through the arid wasteland. The scorching sun beat us with wave after wave of intense heat. Not a single drop of water could be seen, nor a morsel of food discovered. Applejack traded the end of my leash to Rainbow Dash and lowered her hat enough to shield her eyes. A glance to my left revealed said pegasus had unfolded her wings and was using them as a makeshift canopy over her head. Spike was on the other side of Applejack, clutching his stomach in hunger.

"Are we there yet?" he whined.

"Spike, it was a two day trip by train," Applejack panted. "And we were so kindly interrupted about halfway," she gave me a look. "So I don't think we're gonna be getting there for a while."

"But I'm starving!" he complained.

"I don't see what the big deal is," I interjected. "I'm full." Three pairs of hateful eyes stared daggers into me. "Too soon for jokes?"

When the sun set, my captors decided it would be a good time to set up camp. I didn't complain; I was tired, too. My leash was tied (much to my displeasure) to a cactus. The ponies gathered a bundle of sticks in a pile a small ways away, which Spike lit with his fiery breath. I figured they would go to sleep after that. Boy was I wrong.

Throughout the night they were singing mediocre songs and playing ridiculous games. Not once in my entire life as a Scout have I ever encountered a group of ponies this annoying. I would have preferred that bragging blue unicorn with the purple hat over these two. At least with her I would have a show. I lay down and tried covering my ears with my hooves to blot out their singing, but the holes in my legs allowed the corny tunes to seep into my head. I found myself humming to the stupid songs only after a few minutes of exposure! No matter what I tried, the catchy tunes persisted on playing.

Next, they began telling "ghost" stories, which completely threw me off. Why would anyone want to be frightened before sleeping? Was it an act of bravery by conquering new fears? Or perhaps it was a contest to see who would have the worst nightmare? If it were, Applejack and Spike were doing a horrible job. They were barely into the game when Spike was curled up in the fetal position. Applejack was just a lousy story teller. After her story, she let out a little "ooh" and wiggled her forelegs before her to add to the creepiness. To be honest, it just made me laugh. With Spike still curled up, it was Rainbow's time to shine. She told some story of something she called "The Headless Horse." At the end of her tale I actually found myself shaking. I suddenly wished they hadn't tied me up so far away.

"Aw yeah! Time for s'mores!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she procured a bag of small white cylinders. Her companions cheered as she revealed to also have some chocolate bars and crackers. "Hey, Spike. Crank up the fire, would ya?"

Spike didn't hesitate to comply. After the fire grew to a suitable size, they skewered the white cylinders and placed them over the flames, save for Spike who roasted his with his breath. Again, the ponies had confused me. What were those small white cylinders? Were they the "s'mores' that Rainbow Dash had mentioned? If so, then why were they burning them?

I rose up and carefully inched as close to them as my restraints would allow. Even with my closer range, I couldn't decipher what these s'mores were. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were exchanging jokes while they waited for their s'mores to cook. Spike had sandwiched his between some chocolate and crackers and plopped it in his mouth. So it was a food? That still didn't explain why they burned it.

An eerie silence dominated the premises. All that could be heard was the crackling fire. Something was missing. Some kind of sound from earlier. It had occurred to me that no one was talking. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Spike were all staring at me with cynical looks. The rope around my torso became heavier and I could hear the cactus calling my name. I sheepishly walked backwards and lay back down at the base of the plant. Rainbow nudged Applejack and carried on a conversation in a hushed and rash tone.

"Stupid ponies. Stupid s'mores," I muttered to myself. I turned my back to the campfire. "Who needs to know about s'mores? It's probably just another stupid pony thing anyway." I felt a presence behind me.

"Uh, changeling?" I turned my head to see Applejack behind me.

"What do you want?" I snapped.

She let out a sigh. "Well, against my better judgement... Here." She held out in her hoof one of the sandwiched s'mores.

"What is it?"

"It's a s'more," she bluntly answered. I was greatly puzzled by this revelation.

"But I thought the white thing in the middle was the s'more."

"No, that's the marshmallow," she corrected. Marshmallow? What was this madness? I gingerly received the square snack. I moved it around in my hooves, inspecting every detail possible. A small trail of steam oozed out of the still warm "marshmallow" that was placed on a fraction of a chocolate bar. The crumbly cracker that held the entire oddity together left small leftovers on my hooves as I turned it. "Are you gonna eat it or not?" Applejack asked impatiently.

"What did you do to it," I stopped my inspection to look up at the pony.

"Other than waste it on a bug, nothing." I ignored the insult and returned my attention to the s'more. I reluctantly stuffed half of it into my mouth and took a bite.

"Sweet Chrysalis, what have I been doing with my life?" I exclaimed with chunks of the glorious s'more still in my mouth. It was heaven in the perfect bundle. This "marshmallow" thing was incredible! As I was chewing, it kept the sweet warm chocolate bar and crunchy cracker together as opposed to letting them all become scrambled in my mouth. I gobbled down the rest of the precious snack food. Snack food? I laughed to myself. This treat was the food of the gods! I nearly cried when I realized I had eaten it all.

"Please, ma'am," I asked as I changed to a small colt. I held my forelegs out expectantly. "May I have some more?"

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Go to sleep," she called out as she walked back to the camp.

"Ponies have no sense of humor," I concluded. I returned to my changeling form and curled up next to the cactus. I quickly fell asleep to the soft sounds of the dying fire.

<><><>

Thump. Thump. Thump.

I tried to shrug off the noise. There were too many s'more filled dreams I had to attend to.

Thump, thump, THUMP. Crunch

"Careful, you mutt! You're blundering will wake them up," a hushed, raspy voice spoke.

"Sorry boss," a gruff one replied.

My ears perked up at the sound of the two strange voices. I've never heard them before. In fact, I've never heard a pony call another pony a mutt.

"Silence and get to looting," the first voice said.

Looting? This I had to see. I cracked open an eye. The campsite was in full view. Applejack, Spike, and Rainbow Dash were fast asleep against a large rock. Two large silhouettes were rummaging around. They were large, burly creatures, appearing to be bipedal for the most part. Their hind legs were scrawny compared to their massive forelegs. The larger of the two was clad in a silver helmet and armor. The other was wearing a vest. In its pockets, I saw a variety of gems, glistening in the moonlight. Its head was canine in structure.

"I'm not seeing any valuables, boss," the second voice grumbled. It appeared to belong to the larger.

"Keep searching! They must have something," the smaller one ordered.

Two large individuals, probably both canines, searching for valuables in the middle of nowhere; one bearing armor and the other loaded in the pockets with various gemstones. It I didn't know any better, I would think that they were...

The smaller one moved to the other side of the fire. For the first time, I could see his entire canine body. I confirmed that there were gems barely staying inside the pockets of his red vest. A small orange diamond hung from his black collar. There wasn't a shadow of doubt in my mind that these were none other than the notorious...

"Diamond Dogs!" I screamed.

My sleeping captors woke with a start due to my sudden outburst. The Diamond Dog with the vest glared in my direction.

"Squash the bug! It blew our cover," he screamed. His lumbering companion charged at me on all fours.

"Me and my big mouth," I muttered. The dog quickly covered the distance between the camp and my cactus. I leaped into the air to fly away from my attacker, only to be reminded of my tied wings by quickly returning to the ground. "Stupid ponies," I growled. The dog stopped directly before me and raised his burly fists into the air. It didn't take a genius to know that he wasn't about to give me a hug. I rolled back to the cactus as his fists created a small crater where I once lay. I scrambled up the cactus as fast as I could, thanking my lucky stars for my exoskeleton's protection, until I was just out of reach from the oversized dog. The beast circled the base of the cactus many times trying to come up with a way to bring me down.

"Come down here, bug, so I can squish you!" Really? Was that the best he had?

"No way! I prefer my insides inside," I called back.

The mutt started barking at me as if he were trying to scare me into coming down. I almost felt bad for him and his messed up sense of logic. He placed his massive front paws on the cactus and began shaking it violently. How he was ignoring the pain of all of the needles poking into his paws was beyond me, but it seemed to have its desired effect. I was struggling to keep hold of my perch. My hooves began slipping. I fell off of the top towards my doom. Before the ground could welcome me, I became suspended in midair. The rope was digging into my stomach. The Diamond Dog lifted my leash to where I came face to face with him.

"I have you now," he declared. A smug smile graced his ugly face.

"Gee, whatever could have given it away?" I hate myself sometimes.

The dog growled and severed the rope. He began swinging it, along with me, wildly above his head. The swirling images started giving me a head ache; I wished he would just stop spinning me. He tilted my spinning angle until I was perpendicular to the ground. I watched in horror as the ground zoomed in and out. I knew it was only a matter of time until he let go.

What was that spell the Siege Drones used at the invasion? I had only successfully preformed that bombardment spell once out of pure luck. Question was: Could I do it again?

I focused all my energy into the spell. The spinning became more rapid. A small green flame burned before me. The Diamond Dog lifted me in the air one last time. The flame instantly flared around me, singeing the rope. I hit the dirt hard.

A loud boom echoed throughout the empty desert. I was perfectly fine, save for some earth in my mouth. An annoying ringing sound was reverberating in my ears. I observed my surroundings. I was at the bottom of an immense crater that stretched for roughly ten yards in each direction. I never recalled the spell being that strong. Then again, last time I tried it, it was against the pavement of the Canterlot streets. The Diamond Dog was nowhere in sight.

"Retreat! Retreat!" I recognized the voice belonging to the dog in the vest. Applejack and Rainbow Dash appeared over the edge of my crater.

"Wow, did you do this?" Applejack asked.

"Uh-huh," I weakly replied. I was far too tired to even sit up.

"Ten bits, AJ. Fork 'em over," Rainbow proudly said. Applejack reluctantly handed her a bag of what I assumed was ten bits. Was I just part of a bet?

"Can one of you ponies help me out?" I moaned. Rainbow Dash swooped down and lifted me out of the hole. I struggled to maintain my balance.

"How the hay did y'all pull of that trick?" Applejack inquired.

I waited for my vision to regain focus before answering. "It's a standard Siege Drone bombardment spell. All it basically does is form a fiery dome around a changeling as protection from an imminent impact."

"'Fiery,' huh? Well I suppose that explains what happened to your... um..." Applejack elbowed Rainbow Dash in the side to shut her up.

"What happened to my what?" I screamed. I examined my body to look for any damage. Other than a thin line of charred chitin across my torso where the rope had been, I could find nothing wrong. "What's wrong with me?"

"Um... well... How do I put this gently?" Applejack asked herself. "Well, you kinda..."

"Dude, what happened to your wings?" Spike called from behind me.

I twisted my body and stretched out my wings... or what was left of my wings. They had been singed off from where the rope had fastened them to my back. All that was left were small stubs. I tried buzzing my wings, unwilling to believe what my eyes were seeing, but unfortunately the familiar buzz of my full wings was replaced by one of a higher frequency. I would never be able to fly in this condition. I would never be able to return to the hive. Even if I did, I wouldn't be able to perform my duties as a Scout. I would be killed by the Queen. Or worse, sent into exile. I had become... useless...

Chapter 5

I was the first one to wake up. The sun was just starting to rise over the horizon. The ponies and dragon were still snoring soundly. One of them had to be a changeling. But which one? It could have been any of them. I quietly made my way up to the sleeping forms of my captors.

I loomed over Spike, closely inspecting every small detail I could. It was hard to tell if there was anything out of place without a reference. The scales seemed to be oriented in the correct direction. The colors weren't smudged. For all I knew, this was the real Spike.

I moved onto Rainbow Dash. I delicately extended one of her wings. She stirred. I froze in place with her wings in my hooves. A violet eye cracked open. I panicked and lit up in a green blaze. Rainbow Dash cast me a confused look.

"Since when were there two of me?" the pegasus asked lazily. I would have slammed my head against a cactus for my stupidity. Why in Chrysalis's name would I have chosen Rainbow Dash as a disguise?

"Uh, since you decided to have an awesome dream, of course!" I smiled. Would she buy it?

"Huh," Rainbow yawned. Her eyes were struggling to stay open. "That's pretty cool... I guess." She gave up her fight to wake up and rested her head back on the dirt. "Good night, me."

"Good night." Alright, it definitely wasn't her. I moved on to Applejack. If she wasn't the double agent, then I didn't know who it was.

I dropped my Rainbow Dash guise and inspected the sleeping orange earth pony. She was leaning up against a rock. Her hat was tilted over her head to shade her eyes. I moved around her, trying to consume every ounce of detail I could. I lifted her hat just high enough to see her eyes. When the morning sunlight hit her closed eyelids, they shot open.

"Changelings!" Applejack screamed. She rolled onto her legs and gave me a good buck to the face. I stumbled backwards and tripped over the dead fire pit. Déjà vu. "What the hay was that for?"

I rose up from the old ashes and dusted myself off, occasionally coughing from the burned debris floating around. "Well I thought you were asleep, so"

"And that made it fine to sneak up on me?"

"What?! No! I wasn't trying to do anything!" I said defensively. "I was just checking something."

Applejack's eyes narrowed. "What kind of something?"

I couldn't tell her about the message form the hive mind. She was still a suspect in my little mystery case. If I told her, and she was the changeling, then she would know I was onto her. If she wasn't the changeling, she would probably alert the changeling about its own presence. I had to come up with an excuse.

"I was just wondering if you were awake is all," I lied. "I figured we could get a head start on the trail to Appleloosa."

Applejack seemed unsure of my story. I tried to encourage my point with a weak smile. The commotion woke Rainbow Dash and Spike.

"What's the big deal? I was in the middle of having an awesome dream," the pegasus complained.

Spike rubbed his eyes into focus. "Yeah, what's with all the noise?" he yawned.

"Nothing," I sputtered. "Nothing at all. I was just wondering if you guys were awake and I guess I just startled Applejack."

"Now hold on just an apple-pickin' second. Who said I was scared?" Applejack growled.

"Let me see if I can copy your reaction." With a cough to clear my throat, I stole Applejack's hat and placed it on my head. I tilted it just enough to hide my eyes from my audience. A green flame encompassed me and warped my form into the shape and color of the orange mare's. I lazily adjusted the hat until Applejack came into view of my drowsy eyes. My eyes widened in shock. I shouted "Changelings!" and gave the earth pony a strong kick to the face. Applejack flew back a few feet and landed on her back.

I dropped the disguise and leaned over the dazed pony. "Did that sound about right?" I chuckled as I dropped the hat on her head. In the background, Rainbow Dash and Spike were busy stifling their snickers.

Applejack moved the hat back in its appropriate position and glared up at me. "Why, you no-good, lousy, shape-shiftin', "

"Over-grown bug," I completed. "I've heard the drill before."

"Well, I was also gonna say 'wingless' too, but I suppose that would just be overkill," Applejack remarked with a smug smile. I gave her the best death stare I could muster. She rose up and happily pranced over to her friends. "Come on now, y'all. Now that we're all awake, we best get a move on."

We "decided" to take the long way down the cliff. "Decided" as in Rainbow Dash was too lazy to carry the weight of a changeling, a dragon, and a pony down the cliff, so we had to walk around it. The three of us couldn't have been that heavy. Regardless, we spent countless hours searching for another path down. Unfortunately, the trek involved us losing sight of the settlement.

"It's so hot outside," the pegasus panted.

She was right. It wasn't even noon and the desert was hotter than the last couple of days. Everyone was dealing with the heat in their own way. Applejack managed to fan herself with her hat by connecting it to the end of her tail. Rainbow Dash would occasionally pull of an aerial stunt to feel a cool rush of air. I changed into Braeburn to let the brighter coat reflect the heat. Spike actually appeared unfazed by the higher temperature. I guess that was just one of the perks of being a dragon. The wavering form of a clock tower appeared over the scorching horizon.

"Hey, guys? Am I going delusional, or is that the settlement up ahead?" I asked.

"Either that or we're all having one strange mirage," Applejack said with hope. "Let's get a move on. Time's a-wastin'!"

We sprinted to the pony settlement without hesitation. Finally, after all of those horrid past two days of wandering through the desert, we had arrived! We entered the settlement and were... disappointed... by our welcoming. The place was deserted. There wasn't a pony, or any other creature for that matter, in sight. The eerie silence was disturbing. We walked into the center of the settlement.

"Hello?" Rainbow Dash called out. "Is anypony home?"

A tumbleweed rolled by in response.

I turned to the others. "We are in Appleloosa... right?"

A hushed but stressed voice pierced the silence. "Braeburn!"

Our heads shot up at the sound of the alien voice. I scanned the surrounding buildings for the source.

"Braeburn!" A silhouette appeared in the saloon up ahead. "Braeburn! Get yer flank over here now!"

We only stared at it in confusion. The stranger tried beckoning us closer.

"What do you think? Should we go?" Spike asked warily.

Before anyone could answer the clock tower struck twelve, causing an ominous metallic ring to sound throughout the small settlement. The silhouette retreated back into the saloon. We looked amongst ourselves in hopes that someone had an answer to this madness.

"Is this normal for you ponies?" I asked.

"No," Applejack and Rainbow Dash answered simultaneously.

A small tremor shook us. A mound of dirt slowly rose in front of us. We leaped back as it exploded in a fountain of Diamond Dogs.

"Run!" Applejack screamed. The Diamond Dogs turned to face the sound of Applejack's voice.

"You and your big mouth," I muttered as we ran for our lives. The dogs were right behind us. We took every twist and turn possible to throw them off, but they still persisted in staying behind us. More mounds of dirt exploded around us, each containing more Diamond Dogs armed with lances to add to our trouble. "How many of these guys are there?" I shouted.

We came to a halt as another fountain of dirt erupted directly before us. Instead of the usual amount of armored mutts exiting from the hole, only three came out of this one. They each wore vests and diamond studded collars. I recalled the one wearing the red vest as the same Diamond Dog from the other night. The only difference about him was a bandage wrapped around his right upper arm. His eyes narrowed.

He raised a gnarly finger at Spike. "You."

"M-m-me?" Spike stuttered. The dragon took a few steps back.

"Yes, you. You have given me much pain," he gestured to his bandage, "and now I am going to make you pay." Our chasers had caught up to us and closed off our escape. "Harvest the ponies! And take what you wish!"

Tension built up in our tight circle. The dogs became antsy waiting for someone to make the first move. We each cast one another a glance. A silent message was relayed between us. One of the armored brutes shouted "Dog pile!"

Rainbow Dash grabbed Spike and rocketed into the sky before the wave of dogs could get to them. Applejack and I, on the other hoof, weren't as lucky. I quickly lost sight of the orange pony in the mess of brown fur and silver armor. The weight of the mutts slowly started cracking the exoskeleton under my disguise. If I didn't come up with a plan soon I would be reduced into nothing more than a pile of chitin and bug juice. If only they weren't so much bigger, I might have had a better chance. Wait a minute. I'm a changeling for crying out loud!

I erupted in the familiar emerald flames. Many of the Diamond Dogs were blown back from the scorching blaze. My form vibrated rapidly as it tried to copy one of the Diamond Dogs. Naturally, it would have been simple to do if I had done it before. Braeburn's golden coat was darkened into a brown hue. My hooves began to contort to form four bulky digits. The brown hat and vest transformed into silvery armor. My pose shifted into a bipedal stance. My entire body suddenly expanded to a Diamond Dogs size. After my body made a few more minor adjustments, I was set for round two.

The brawl carried on for a good thirty minutes. All of us, including our foes, were dog-tired. The blows exchanged between the two parties became less intense. I spotted Applejack surrounded by a few mutts. She was having a difficult time keeping them at bay with her bucks and riding skills. Maybe she needed a helping hoof. Or paw.

I covered the distance between us quickly with my larger form. Applejack saw me charging and advanced in my direction as well. She must have not realized that I was on her side. That needed to be changed pronto. Fortunately, another Diamond Dog cut off her path. Well, fortunately for me, unfortunately for her.

The beast easily overpowered her distracted state. He pinned her down with a single paw and lifted the lance-wielding other. Before he could deliver his blow, I rammed my armored shoulder into his back. He flew off into the chaos of his running companions.

Applejack stared at me in disbelief. I extended a paw to help her up. She stared at it, then back at me.

"Changeling?" she asked.

"You know it," I replied in my new, rough voice. She accepted my gesture and hopped to her hooves. Just then, a question rose to mind. There were plenty of Diamond Dogs running around, but hardly any of them were focusing their attention on us. So what were they busy with?

"Stay away from Applejack, you slimy dog!" My head shot up in the direction of Rainbow Dash's voice. She was speeding towards me with Spike still in her hooves. Anger was plastered over her face. I could practically see a fire burning in Spike's eyes, too.

I waved my paws before me defensively. "Wait, wait, wait!" I desperately called.

It was too late. In the middle of her dive, she released Spike upon me and raced back into the clouds. The small dragon let out a brutish battle cry, which, in my opinion, would have had a better effect if he wasn't so little. As deceiving as his adorable battle cry was, I didn't stand a chance against the force that struck me as his head connected to my chest plate. Even though the armor was just supposed to protect me from harsh blows such as this, it was still organic; which meant I could still feel some pain. I was knocked onto the unforgiving dirt. My disguise disappeared instantly.

"What the... You!" Spike shouted. "Are you crazy? Why would you copy a Diamond Dog now of all times?"

"Well at the time it seemed like a good idea. I didn't exactly expect this to happen," I countered.

"Whatever. Now I need to find a way back up to Rainbow Dash. Thanks for nothing." With that, he ran off into the mess of mutts.

"Anyway I can help," I sarcastically replied.

"We have what we want! Retreat!" the red vested dog shouted. The Diamond Dogs obeyed immediately. They rushed to whatever hole they could find. The settlement was once again devoid of life.

Rainbow Dash dived down next to me. "The ponies are coming out. Hide!"

"Where's Applejack and Spike?" I asked as I changed back into Braeburn.

"I'm not sure." For the first time I thought I saw some worry in the proud pegasus' eyes. "Come on, we gotta find them."

We galloped to the main road of the town. Rainbow was right. Ponies were slowly emerging from their various hiding places. Next to a large mound of dug up earth laid an orange mare.

"Applejack!" Rainbow shouted. She zoomed over to her prone friend. I struggled to keep up with her, but she still managed to beat me to earth pony with seconds to spare.

They were already engaged in conversation when I joined. I don't think I've ever seen a pony in a more pitiful state. Applejack was covered in cuts and bruises. Her mane was frayed and covered in dirt.

"Are you sure?" Rainbow asked.

"Is she sure about what?" I asked.

"Yep, I saw it with my own eyes," Applejack coughed.

"Saw what with your eyes?" I persisted.

Rainbow Dash shook her head. "I can't believe it."

"Can't believe what?" This lack of information was driving me mad.

"It's Spike. He's gone," Applejack moaned. "The Diamond Dogs took him."

I was rocked by the intensity of those few words. Spike was gone? That didn't seem possible. It was only a few seconds after he left me when the dogs retreated. Surely he couldn't have been captured that quickly. Before I could press for details, Applejack fainted from exhaustion.

Rainbow Dash tried shaking her awake, occasionally saying her name. I was still busy trying to process the information to notice a brown earth pony with a black ten-gallon hat, blue vest, and a large black mustache approach.

"Braeburn," he said. He had the same voice as the stranger from the saloon. "You got yourself quite a bit of explaining to do."