Generation Changeling

The train whistled through the dark forest in the northern lands of the Changelings, a grey uniformed Changeling sat asleep with his gear on the seat next to him, a rifle, helmet, and a military saddlebag with his bandoliers across his front over the uniform. A darker changeling picked up his MG-34 from the overhead area and pushed on the sleeping changeling. "Hey, Varynx. Wake up, we're almost there." He said putting his patrol cap on.

Varynx, as he was called, sat up and blinked the sleep from his eyes. "There he is, welcome back to the land of the living bug meat," another changeling this time with green eyes quipped with humor in his demeanor.

"Yeah, yeah, tell SL I'll be there when I'm there," Varynx smiled.

"What did I hear Soldat?" Said the older changeling with a sly grin across his features.

"Uh, nothing Hiveswebel..." Varynx looked left and right as the rest of his squad chuckled at their comrades' expense.

"I almost forgot the Heer revolves around Soldat Varynx," the Staff Sergeant began toying with his prey. "Oh, but of course Staff Sergeant," Varynx smiled. "Shut up and get off the train smart ass." Everyone laughed. Taking his gear he followed the rest of his team as the train came to a halt.

"Disembark bugs!" an officer yelled from the back of the car.

Varynx walked out of the car and dropped to the ground, his hooves coming into contact with dirt and gravel.

"Get these tanks off!" Someone yelled from far off.

"Varynx, you Zapper, and Loki get the supplies unloaded from car 7!" The squad leader bellowed to his subordinate.

"Roger Hiveswebel!" Varynx replied making his way through the crowd that was the Olenian deployment.

"Varynx, over here!" Yelled Zapper, who is the same ling from the train with the MG34 strapped to his side, next to him was Loki who was loading up the roads for the MG into ammo boxes that he was gonna be lugging around through the entire campaign.

"You got a cigarette?" Varynx asked the oversized changeling. He snickered in response. "Who do you think I am?" He replied pulling a box out of his front pocket in his green aura holding it out to Varynx who took one with his own aura.

"Alright, bugs take the gear, you know the Hiveswebel isn't a patient one," Loki said as Zapper, and Varynx grabbed the first ammo boxes and love rations from Loki who passed the boxes with cracked hearts stenciled down to them. They finished and Varynx took one last puff from his cigarette. Just then a Changeling from another squad came by with a smile. "Cheer up guys, first it's Olenia then Equestria," he said turning back to his own squad.

Varynx shook his head with a smile, "I didn't think I looked sad," Varynx commented. Loki walked to the edge of the flat car and sat down. "I'll tell you what it is," he said.

"It's that," he pointed to the love rations boxes sitting stacked on the ground.

"We each get 10 rations for the whole campaign," Loki took a puff of a cigarette he lit earlier and let the smoke out his nose.

"Well that makes me sad," Zapper commented drooping his ears. Varynx looked to him dropping his bud on the ground snuffing it out with his hoof. "I'm sure you would big guy."

"Calling me fat?" Zapper smiled cunningly. Loki laughed. "What, You? Nah, more like pleasantly plump." Varynx smiled back.

"Careful little bug I could bench press you," Zapper pointed at him.

"Hey Zapper!"

The three snapped to attention as a Changeling officer walked over sporting his Leutnant insignias.

"I see three Changelings standing around and not enough supplies moving, less chit chat more buzzing, come on!" The officer huffed walking off.

"Yes, sir!" The three saluted and got back to work.

The officer continued to walk and walked up to the Hiveswebel.

"Hiveswebel Buzzer," He approached the young squad leader.

"Attention!" Buzzer shouted.

"At ease," He said before looking to Buzzer. "Buzzer, tell me why I saw a group of your bugs standing around smoking and joking?"

Buzzer blinked, "No excuse sir, I'll correct it." The officer nodded but didn't leave.

"You got a smoke Buzzer?" The officer asked getting a nod from Buzzer who pulled a cigarette box from his pocket. "You officers always taking my smokes," Buzzer relaxed.

The officer took a cigarette in his aura while lighting it. "Well, it's the price of doing business, I gotta deal with you bugs all day and night, which is also why I can't get my own while in town."

The two turned and began to walk down the train line. "So do we know where we are setting up yet, sir?" Buzzer asked walking on the officers' right side. "Not yet, Hiveswebel, that's actually where I am going now if you care to accompany me."

Hiveswebel Buzzer followed his platoon leader along his route taking a cigarette for himself and lighting it.

"So is this really going to be like shooting at fish in a barrel?" Buzzer asked the Leutnant. The Leutnant blew smoke from his cigarette out his nose and then pulled it out holding it in his magical aura. A Panzer started up on the train as they were passing by the Panzerlings who were doing preliminary checks on their tanks.

"Well Hiveswebel, I certainly hope so, this is the Hiveheer's first major operation as a conventional force," he said taking another puff from the cigarette. Buzzer continued to follow them by a group of Changelings setting up a tent and moving supplies off the train. The Leutnant was walking right towards a group of officers with a map on the side of a train car. As they walked up another Changeling bearing the Hivesleutnant insignia looked over at them and gestured to them.

"Leutnant Goring is here, let's begin," he looked back at the map held up by two Soldaten that had just been unlucky enough to be walking by when the Hivesleutant nabbed them.

"Okay, so as you all know, our gracious Queen has ordered the invasion of Olenia. They hold rightful Changeling clay and it is our noble job to change that," the Hivesleutnant walked up to the map turning his head back to his audience. "Our job specifically is to drive a line through the mountains towards Elksburg, we stick to the coast and run over anyone that gets in our way." The Hivesleutant looked around walking back towards the semi-circle around him. "Any questions?"

There was no answer as a few officers finished jotting notes in their notebooks.

"Good, go time is 0800 tomorrow morning, we will not be setting up camp, you will dig your bug holes and cover yourselves with your ponchos if it rains. Listen for the whistle, dismissed."

With that, they stepped away and fell out.

A few Changelings walked to and fro as the train began to move and began to back out, all equipment offloaded. Varynx stood by a stack of love rations finishing off his cigarette.

"Hey, Varynx," A voice called out. Varynx turned his attention to the Changeling approaching him a white circle with a red cross painted on the side of his helmet which hit against his side as he walked.

"Hey, Healix, ready to go?" Varynx replied with a smile.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Healix replied. "As much as I would like to chit chat I have to check on everyone to make sure you guys are healthy and not motion sick like a bunch of babies," Healix teased.

"Ah, blow it out your ass doc, I slept the whole way," Varynx replied.

"When aren't you sleeping?" Healix responded before walking away laughing.

"You can blow that out your ass to bug brain!" Varynx called out to him.

Varynx smiled and shook his head before dropping the cigarette on the ground and stepping on it.

"Third platoon!" Buzzer called getting everyone's attention. "Rally up, it's briefing time!" He called.

Varynx picked his rifle up off the nearby crate and put his head through the strap letting it rest on his barrel. Then he followed the rest of the platoon as they gaggled around the Hiveswebel and Leutnant.

"Listen up!" Goring spoke up.

"We are going to dig in tonight, right at the edge of the tree line on the other side of this forest, grab your gear, and make sure you're combat-ready, we're going to train on the way there," Goring announced.

With that, the Hiveswebel stepped forward. "Listen up bugs, Hiveswebel Parallax isn't going to be with us for the initiation of the invasion, he's away on a family emergency, therefore I'll be stepping in as the acting platoon webel, remember that nothing has changed, keep doing what you're supposed to do and we'll be fine."

"Gear up!" Goring barked as bugs scattered, some bugs like Varynx only removed their patrol caps, placed them into their saddlebags, and fixed their helmets in place of the patrol caps.

"Let's go move out if you want to be done by dark, make sure you pass by the rations station and grab your rations too!"