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Changeling II - War

by Yukito

Chapter 1

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Gilda perched herself on top of a branch on one of the many orange trees leading out of Detrot, and narrowed her eyes as she looked down at the road below her. It was too dark to make anything out, so she instead closed her eyes, and allowed her heightened sense of smell to lead her to her target.

She could smell her prey running away from her. She was a good distance away, but she was moving slowly. Catching her would be an easy feat, especially with the stench of fear leading the griffon to her.

Flaring her wings, Gilda jumped out of the tree and soared through the air, flexing her claws and licking her beak as she flew down the road to pursue her target. She found who she was looking for quickly, and lowered her flight path to attack the fleeing pony. A white Pegasus mare with a long, golden mane and tail.

“Gotcha,” Gilda said as she picked up her speed, advancing towards the pony faster than she could gallop. “You’re mine now!” Raising her talon, Gilda swooped down and passed over the pony’s body, slashing at her back with one swift movement. The familiar feeling of blood coating her claws told her of her direct hit, and the griffon looped around to go in for the killing strike.

The pony, now on the floor and panting heavily, quickly rolled over to try to avoid the attack. However, this only succeeded in giving Gilda the opening that she needed to pin the mare to the ground, placing a sharp claw against the pony’s throat and crushing her stomach with the heavy impact of the landing.

“No more running! You’re gonna regret comin’ here!” Gilda shouted as she raised her free claw, clenching it into a fist to knock the pony out. She gasped and backed away as a green blast of energy came from the mare, narrowly missing an attack that would have sent her into a daze for a few minutes had it connected.

“Changeling bitch!” Gilda shouted as the mare rose to her hooves, her wings flared, and her newly-formed horn emitting green sparks from the tip. “You really shouldn’t have come here. I don’t have to take you in alive, y’know? I can just kill you and leave you to rot here. Or maybe give you to our chef. He’s been dying to have a chance at preparing changeling flesh.”

“You’ll have to work for your meal,” the mare said as a green aura washed over her body. “I, Princess Elizabeth, second Princess of the Changeling Kingdom, will not lose to a mere Captain!”

“Heh! Maybe you aren’t aware of how griffon military ranks work,” Gilda said as she charged forward, so fast that her target couldn’t keep up with her. “In the Griffon Empire, Captain is the second-highest rank you can have!” Gilda thrust her claws forward, piercing the mare’s body and causing the green aura to disappear. “The highest being Emperor itself, of course. In short, I’m about as strong as one of your Generals.”

“I-It can’t be…” The mare raised her head slowly, glaring into Gilda’s eyes as she felt the claw being pulled out of her gut. “To be defeated… by a lowly griffon…”

“Deal with it.” With one swift motion, Gilda swiped her claws across the mare’s throat, severing an artery and causing a large volume of blood to pour out of the open wound. “One Princess down. But that’s okay. The one we need alive is still here in Equestria.

“Next stop: Ponyville.”


Trixie yawned as she exited her trailer, walking out into the streets of Ponyville in the early-morning sun to check her mailbox. She found that, since she had left to perform a show in Detrot last week, she had stacked up a considerable amount of letter. Fifteen in all. After a quick run-though, she discarded the fourteen pieces of junk mail, and opened the only legitimate letter in the bunch.

“Oh? A request to entertain at the party of Sir Fancypants next week? Well, it’s about time that Trixie’s talents were noticed. What kind of party is it?” Trixie’s eyes scanned the letter, picking up a few keywords here and there. ‘Wedding’, ‘Fleur de Lis’, ‘Bachelor party’… Trixie’s eyes narrowed, and a spark from her horn ignited letter being held in the air. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is not a stripper!”

“What’s a stripper?” a voice behind Trixie asked. She turned around and flinched when she saw the three ingredients of stress standing behind her. Sure, they looked adorable now, but that was a trap that Trixie wasn’t going to fall into again.

“Can we get our Cutie Mark in it?” the orange one, Scootaloo, asked.

“Hey, yeah!” the white one, Sweetie Belle, shouted. “Let’s do that! We’ll be the best strippers ever!”

“Then it’s settled!” the yellow one, Apple Bloom, said. “Cutie Mark Crusaders Strippers is go! … So, what’s a stripper, anyhow?”

Trixie glanced around the street nervously, and thanked the stars that nopony else seemed to be out and about just yet. But that raised an important question in the showmare’s mind. “What exactly are you three doing up so early?”

“Oh, we’re here to see Aura!” Apple Bloom said. “We haven’t seen her in a while, and we kinda miss her.”

“Hey, I know!” Scootaloo cut in. “Maybe she can be a stripper, too!”

“Yeah!” Sweetie Belle added.

“Um…” the four ponies turned to the front of Trixie’s trailer, where a red-faced Aura was staring at the three young fillies. “W-What’s this about me being a stripper?”

“Nothing!” Trixie said quickly. “It’s nothing at all! Girls, being a stripper is a bad thing, and you should want nothing to do with it!”

Apple Bloom put a hoof to her chin. “Well… can’t we pretend ta be strippers? Y’know, like when we pretend ta be bandits or bank robbers or evil geniuses or-”

“Trixie will pay you five bits,” Trixie said, interrupting the filly’s train of thought, “If you cease any ideas you have of being a stripper, real or acting, and never bring it up again. Deal?”

“Each?” Scootaloo asked, causing Trixie to release a sigh.

“… Each.” The three fillies cheered, and Trixie moved to enter her trailer to collect her purse. She stopped as she reached the door and turned to face Aura. “Wait, are you okay being up so early? You sort of dropped like a stone last night, on the way back here.”

“I’m fine,” Aura answered, skipping over towards the Crusaders. “I got lots of sleep, and now I’m ready to hunt for my Cutie Mark!”

Trixie rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Alright, if you say so…”

As Trixie moved back into her trailer, Aura stopped in front of the Crusaders and greeted each of them. “So, what’s the plan for today?” she asked them, prompting Scootaloo to pull out a scroll from the wagon behind her and unroll it. The sheer size of the list amazed Aura. “Oh… And what if we run out?” she asked in a sarcastic tone, though it seemed lost on the three fillies.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it!” Scootaloo said. “Now, let’s see… First one the list is…”


“Okay Aura, you can do this,” Aura assured herself as she lowered herself down, keeping her eyes on the target and getting ready to run. “You’ve only got one shot. Make it count.”

At the sound of the whistle, Aura pushed forward with her hind legs and galloped forward as fast as she could. She ran and ran as if her life depended on it, not once averting her gaze from her target. With a loud battle cry, Aura pulled her hind leg back, and delivered a swift kick at the soccer ball sitting in her path.

The ball sailed through the air, past the enemy’s goal and into the trees behind them. A loud crashing sound, followed by the sounds of an old stallion yelling about ‘darn kids’ breaking his window, and Aura looked around the field with a guilty look on her face.

“Whoa! Nice kick!” Scootaloo exclaimed, running up to Aura and offering her a hoof bump, which the filly gladly expected. “Now let’s see if it worked!”

The four fillies all looked at their flanks with expectant and excited looks on their faces… and then let out depressed sighs when they found that their flanks were still blank.

“Guess we’re not Cutie Mark Crusader Hoofballers,” Sweetie Belle concluded with a frown.

“Guess not,” Aura said, kicking the ground in annoyance. Well, feign annoyance, at least. She already knew there was zero percent chance of her earning her Cutie Mark, because changelings don’t get Cutie Marks. Still, it was fun to hang out with these three fillies, and playing along with them by pretending she really wanted her Cutie Mark was fun, too.

“Okay, what next?” Sweetie Belle asked, her frown replaced with a cheerful smile as she turned to face Apple Bloom.

“How ‘bout we let Aura decide?” Apple Bloom suggested. “After all, she’s been a Crusader fer a while now, but all she’s been doin’ is followin’ us.”

Aura scratched the back of her head and looked at the three fillies nervously. “Well… that depends. What have you done so far?”

“Pfft! What haven’t we done?” Scootaloo asked. “… No, really. I’ve lost track.”

“Um… Well, we could try asking Miss Trixie if she has any ideas,” Aura said. “She’s travelled around a lot, so she might know of some things we can do that you don’t find around here.”

“Good idea!” Sweetie Belle said. “Except, isn’t Trixie doing a show right now?”

“Oh, yeah… Then, we can ask her later!”

“Alright!” Apple Bloom shouted excitedly. “… An’ until then?”

A silence passed over the four fillies, before they sighed together in unison upon realising they had no idea what to do next.

“How about we go do our homework until then?” Aura suggested, receiving three hardened glares from her friends. “Um… Or, not?” To Aura, the homework from Ponyville Elementary School was nothing. As a Princess, her education was of a higher level; she had completed the entire Elementary level’s curriculum, and more, in the first two years of her education.

But she kept forgetting that her friends were different. They didn’t receive the extensive tutoring that she did, and their education moved slower than hers. Which was somewhat of a relief to Aura; just because she could get through her schooling, it doesn’t mean she liked it. Like any youngling, school was always so boring for Aura, and summer vacation was always the highlight of her years.

“I know!” Scootaloo shouted, racing over to her scooter. The other three followed her, and jumped into the wagon attached to the back of the scooter, waiting for an explanation from the Pegasus filly. “Let’s go visit Twilight’s library!”

Aura tensed up at the mention of Twilight Sparkle, the current bearer of the Element of Magic, newly-coronated Princess, and also, the one pony in Ponyville besides Trixie who knew of her secret. Well, that she was a changeling, at least. She managed to catch Aura feeding off of Trixie’s love within the first week of them living in Ponyville, but thankfully, the youngling’s Royalty was kept a secret, and Twilight agreed not to tell anypony that she was a changeling.

“An’ do what?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Make a mess!” Scootaloo answered.

“A mess?”

“Sure! Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are always saying that maybe making messes and getting into trouble are our special talents! Well, let’s go put that to the test!”

“You may be onta somethin’,” Apple Bloom said, rubbing her chin with a forehoof. “Twilight did say ta try doing what we’re already good at, an’ we’re mighty good at makin’ messes around Ponyville!”

Not really something to be proud of,’ Aura thought to herself. “I don’t think that’s really my thing…”

“Sure it is!” Sweetie Belle assured her. “Since you’ve joined us, how many mailboxes have you bent? How many letters have you ruined? How many ponies have you knocked over, how many fires have you almost started, how many times has Trixie scolded you, how many-”

“Okay, I get it!” Aura said, clamping her hooves against her ears. Even though it seemed that Sweetie Belle was trying to praise her, Aura didn’t exactly feel happy with being reminded of just how much chaos she’d caused in the past week. If anypony found out what she truly was, she’d be dead for sure.

“See? Y’all will do fine!” Apple Bloom patted Aura on the back, and the other filly gave a nervous giggle in response.

“Well, we can only hope, right?”

“Rgiht!” Scootaloo shouted. “So, Cutie Mark Crusaders: full speed ahead!”

“YEAH!” the three in the wagon shouted in unison, pumping their hooves into the air.


Trixie opened the door to the Golden Oaks Library, a big smile on her lips as she cheerfully trotted inside. “Twilight Sparkle, your dragon said that you were seeking an audience with Trixie? Lucky for you, Trixie is in a good mood today, but you had still better make this quic-”

The door slammed behind Trixie, silencing the showmare and causing her to jump with a start. “… This isn’t a friendly call, is it?”

“Well, considering that we’re here too,” Rarity started, catching Trixie’s attention, “I think we can probably deduce why we’re here.”

Next to Rarity was Applejack, and flying above the two was a very disgruntled looking Rainbow Dash. “Why am I here? I’m not even related to any of ‘em!”

“But Scootaloo sees you as a big sister,” Twilight said, motioning for Trixie to take a seat with the others. The showmare accepted the offer, and decided to sit next to Rarity, seeing as how the other two were still iffy with being near the showmare. “You’re likely the only one she’ll actually listen to. That’s why I asked you to come here.”

“And?” Trixie asked, looking around to try and assess the damage that had been done. “What did they do this time?”

“Can’t you tell?!” Twilight asked, to which the four other mares simply looked around with confused looks on their faces. “They completely reversed the ordering of all the books in the library! They’re supposed to be arranged alphabetically in ascending order, not descending! What maniac puts ‘Z’ before ‘A’?!”

Taking a close look at one of the bookcases, Trixie noticed that the books were indeed arranged in reverse order. Trixie couldn’t help but stifle a laugh at the ‘mischief’ that had Twilight so worked up, and Rainbow Dash seemed to be faring no better.

“It’s not funny!” Twilight said, catching them trying to hold back their laughs.

“Oh, but it is,” Trixie insisted, finally moving away from the bookshelf and letting her laughter out. “Trixie was expecting some actual damage, but instead, they just messed up your organization a little bit?”

Twilight’s face turned fierce, and the three that knew her quite well quickly began backing away. “Organization…” Twilight said, and for a split second, Trixie was sure that the librarian’s mane had caught fire. “IS NO LAUGHING MATTER!”

After a magical outburst that created a smokescreen in the library, as well as completely ruining Trixie’s hair and blackening her face a little bit, Aura and the other Crusaders were called downstairs from Twilight’s room, where they had been serving timeouts for their misdeeds.

Trixie found the idea that Twilight had been giving a changeling Princess a timeout to be rather amusing. Aura didn’t agree with her.

“We’re sorry,” Apple Bloom said to her big sister, and then again to Twilight. “We just thought that, because we’re always making messes, we’d get our Cutie Marks in it.”

“And did you?” Trixie asked with a grin, still amused by the whole situation. All four fillies shook their heads, looking downcast as they did so. “Awww, well don’t worry about it too much. Maybe next time?”

“Don’t encourage them,” Applejack said with a stern glare towards Trixie. “And don’t worry, Twilight. Ah’ll make sure Apple Bloom gets a good talkin’ to when we get home. Granny Smith is a big fan of proper organization, too, y’know?”

“Oh, no! Not Granny Smith!” Apple Bloom pleaded. Her sister or Big Macintosh, she could handle, but Granny Smith was strict, and scary when she was mad.

“Um,” Aura said, raising her hoof up meekly. “Does this mean no sleepover tonight?”

The other three Crusaders gasped in horror. That thought hadn’t even occurred to them! They quickly turned their pleading eyes to Applejack, who tried to avert her gaze from the giant eyes staring her way, begging for some mercy from the farm pony…

“Well..” Applejack looked to Rarity for help, but the white Unicorn mare had already managed to save herself by helping Twilight Sparkle with the re-shelving. With a defeated sigh, Applejack lowered her head and gave her answer. “Fine, the sleepover is still on…” she mumbled, receiving a chorus of cheers from the four fillies. “But,” she said, stopping the cheers as quickly as they had began, “No campin’ out in the clubhouse! Y’all will sleep in the farmhouse with the rest of us. Understood?”

“Yes…” the four fillies answered quietly.

“Well, now that that’s settled,” Trixie said, walking over towards the door, “The Great and Powerful Trixie was on her way to the spa before all of this, so if you’ll excuse her…”

As Trixie left, Applejack rounded up the four fillies and motioned for them to follow her. “Alright kids, let’s go. Sleepover’s still on, after all.”


Moving through the streets of Ponyville, the four Cutie Mark Crusaders discussed plans for tonight’s sleepover as they followed Applejack and Rarity. Scootaloo had jokingly suggested that they try to get their Cutie Marks in getting out of being punished, but the joke didn’t go over so well with Applejack.

Rarity parted ways with Applejack as they reached the path leading towards the farm, and the four fillies then followed the farm pony along the road leading through the orchard, towards the farmhouse. Along the way, they stopped as two griffons approached them. Both were tall, male griffons, one with black feathers, the other grey feathers.

“Can ah help you at all?” Applejack asked as the griffons stopped in front of them. They paid her no mind, and instead pulled out a photograph, which they studied closely for a few a seconds. They then lowered the photograph, and looked directly at Aura.

A terrible feeling passed through Aura’s body, and she instinctively raised a hoof to take a step backwards. “There’s no mistaking it,” the black griffon said. “That’s her.”

The grey griffon nodded in agreement. “And the others?”

“If they interfere, knock them out. But don’t kill them.”

Applejack’s eyes widened, and she quickly moved to guard the four fillies behind her. “A-And just what is that supposed ta mean?!”

Not paying the farmer any heed, the grey griffon reached into his cloak and pulled out the short sword that was strapped to his waist. Applejack and the Crusaders all gasped at the sight, and were unable to act as the griffon jumped over them, pointing his sword towards the white filly at the back of the group and bringing it down towards her…

“Princess!” A blast of green magic knocked the griffon backwards, sending him hurtling towards a nearby apple tree. A second later, a brown Unicorn mare with green hair was standing in front of Aura, her horn lit up as she glared at the remaining griffon. “Princess, stay behind me! The enemy is advancing from all directions!”

“M-Mystic?” Aura asked, looking at the mare guarding her with a look of shock on her face. “W-What’s going on? Who are these griffons? And why are they attacking us?”

“… That’s-” Mystic’s explanation was cut off by the black griffon charging towards her, his claws aiming for her eyes. She ducked to the side, and delivered a kick to the griffon’s stomach that almost caused his eyes to bulge out. “I’ll explain later! For now, we must flee!”

“But-”

Green flames shot out of the sides of Mystic’s body, and a moment later, there was a pair of wings to go with her horn. “Shark is keeping them distracted elsewhere, but he can’t keep them busy forever! We must go!”

Mystic used her magic to lift Aura into the air, and placed her gently onto her back. “Hold on there!” Applejack shouted, gathering Mystic’s attention. “Who are ya, and where d’ya think ye’re takin’ that there filly?!”

Mystic ignored the farmer’s yells and began to flap her wings in order to soar into the air. Below her, the four ponies began shouting at her to bring Aura back, but she paid their voices no mind. “Princess, I must take you back immediately. It is not safe here anymore.”

“Ya got that right!” Mystic stopped and turned around, and braced herself as she saw a brown, female griffon flying behind her, a menacing grin on her face and one claw raised in an intimidating manner. “All kinda baddies out there just tryin’ ta snatch ya. Good job you’ve got such a dependable guardian there, Princess Aura.”

“Captain Gilda,” Mystic said as she watched the griffon closely. “One of the sixteen Captains of the Emperor’s Guard… and by far the weakest.”

Gilda lost her smile at that, and released a growl as she glared at the disguised changeling before her. “You bitch. If I’m the weakest, then that must speak volumes ‘bout your Royals, huh?”

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

“… Heh. Just that I killed one of your Princesses last night, General Mystic.” Mystic’s eyes widened, and Aura’s breath caught in her throat upon hearing the news. “Yep. Second Princess, Elizabitch or somethin’. All it took was one quick strike to bring her down.”

Aura felt her heart pounding in her chest, and saw the world spinning around her. ‘E-Elizabeth is… dead?’ She shook her head, and tried to voice her disbelief, but no words came. ‘No… No, it can’t be true…

“Lies!” Mystic shouted, her blood boiling and her fangs baring. “My Princess would never lose so easily! You’re just trying to deceive me!”

“Think what ya want, but right now, our chefs are cookin’ her corpse up for a nice victory meal we’re sure to have tonight.” Mystic’s horn started to spark, and even Aura felt her anger starting to rise. “‘Course, I won’t be eatin’ any of that shit. I hear changelings taste nasty.”

“BURN IN HELL!” Mystic shouted, her horn sparking to life in an instant. Gilda prepared herself, and quickly moved back as her instinct warned her of approaching danger. She managed to avoid several pillars of fire forming around her, but Mystic was already planning her next move. The pillars of fire began to move in towards the griffon, ready to burn her to a crisp…

“Sorry, dude, but illusions won’t work on me.” Gilda took in a deep breath, puffing out her chest as she did so, and then, as the flames drew closer, she released all the air she had taken in in one loud roar. The flames around her disappeared, shocking both Mystic and Aura. “What, ya haven’t heard?! I’m the best when it comes to fighting illusions, ‘cause I’ve got my father’s ‘Keen Eye’!”

“Keen Eye?!” Mystic shouted in horror, backing away from the griffon a little bit.

“What’s that?” Aura asked her.

“Keen Eye is a special trait, that a certain bloodline in the Griffon Empire has been known to posses. It gives the wielder a heightened sense of their surroundings, and also… the ability to see through even the toughest of illusions.”

“That’s right!” Gilda shouted with pride in her voice. “I may not be as strong as the other Captains, sure… but when it comes to hunting down prey like you, I’m the first griffon they go to!

“Captain Gilda, top hunter in the entire Griffon Empire! No game evades my claws!”

Mystic narrowed her eyes, studying her opponent closely. “… Princess, I need you to get back,” she said to the youngling on her back.

Aura nodded, and used her magic to undo her disguise. She then jumped off of the older changeling’s back, and put some distance between herself and the battlefield.

Mystic charged a spell into her horn, prompting Gilda to strike before she could cast it. Mystic had to abandon her spell and ascend in order to dodge the quick strike, and then tried again. This time, she succeeded in using her magic to form a wall of green flames around Gilda. And this time, the flames were real.

“You think this’ll be enough?” Gilda asked as she breathed in air, and released the same loud roar that moment earlier dispelled Mystic’s illusion. As before, the flames were extinguished by the loud roar, allowing Gilda to launch her next attack against the changeling. “Us griffons may not be able to use magic, but we sure as hell know how to fight it!”

Mystic raised a magically-enhanced hoof to defend herself from Gilda’s attack, and then delivered a swift roundhouse kick to counter. At the same time , Gilda lunged her free claw towards the changeling’s chest, but the sudden movement caused her to miss, instead grazing against the side as she felt a hoof drive itself into her gut.

Gilda kicked away from Mystic, and descended down to the ground to catch her breath. Mystic followed after her, clutching her wounded area as she kept a close eye on the griffon.

“You’re… not bad…” Gilda said between ragged breaths.

“There’s a reason… I was selected… to watch over Aura…” Mystic replied, gritting her teeth as she tried to power through the pain in her chest.

“Hmph. Guess I’ve got no choice. Guys, attack now!”

Mystic gasped as she saw several griffons fly down towards her, each one brandishing either their claws or a sword. “Damnit!” Mystic’s horn lit up, and she dodged the first strike as she fired a blast of magic towards one of the incoming assailants.

Whilst Mystic was distracted with the griffon soldiers, Gilda turned her attention skywards, towards the youngling that was trembling in the sky. She then stopped, and narrowed her eyes as she examined the youngling. “Wait… that’s…”

“An illusion, yes!” Gilda turned around and ducked, dodging the blue hoof that swung towards her face. “And now, eat this!” A purple light surrounded Gilda’s body, and she felt herself being lifted off of the ground.

“You! You’re that pony who’s been lookin’ after the changeling brat, aren’t you?!”

“So, you have heard of the Great and Powerful Trixie?” Trixie asked as she smiled up at the suspended griffon. “Well, that makes things easier. Since Trixie has no interest in who you are, we can merely skip to the part where you’re on your knees, begging for forgiveness.”

Gilda felt a vein pop in her forehead, and let out a terrifying roar as she flared her wings. Trixie felt her spell break, and quickly worked up a new one. “Don’t get conceited, brat!” Gilda lunged forwards, aiming a claw at the blue pony’s face.

Trixie quickly moved backwards, and attempted to counter with an upwards kick, only to have her leg be grabbed by the griffon’s claws. “How dare you?! Let Trixie go this instant, you filthy brute!”

“I heard you were able to hold your own against an Equestrian Captain who held back,” Gilda said, pulling Trixie up to meet her eyes. “And that you were able to play support against a changeling General. Not bad for a pony, but news flash: a griffon’s body is built for fighting.” As if to emphasis her point, Gilda opened her free claw, showing off her sharp talons, and causing the showmare to gulp. “And this time, you’ve got no actual fighters to back you up.”

“Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong.” Gilda stopped as she heard the familiar voice behind her, and turned around to find four changelings approaching the scene. “She’s got three Generals to back her up, each one much stronger than you.”

Gilda stared at the changeling addressing her with a gaping look on her face, unable to believe what she was seeing. “B-But how?! I killed you! I slit your throat! I saw you get cut up by our chef!”

The changeling’s smile turned into a grim frown, and she cast her eyes towards the ground. “… The one you really killed… was my double…”

Gilda was taken aback by this news, and Trixie used the opening to teleport herself to freedom. She then looked over to the new changelings at the scene, two of which she recognised. “Shark. And, you’re… Elizabeth, was it?”

“That’s right!” Elizabeth shouted, smiling once more as she skipped merrily towards the showmare. “Sorry I’m late! I had to be sure you weren’t working for them before I made my move!”

“You thought… that Trixie was working with these brutes?” Trixie asked, sounding more disgusted than surprised or confused. “Anyway, what’s going on here? And, why are you-”

“All in due time, my friend,” Elizabeth said, raising a hoof to silence Trixie. “But first, we must get away from here. I trust that Aura is safe?”

“… She’s over there,” Trixie said, motioning her head towards a nearby tree.

“Ah, good. Then, we can go ahead and leave together.”

“I won’t let you!” Gilda shouted, furrowing her brow as she overcame her shock, and preparing to charge towards the changeling Princess. However, before she could move, a blinding flash of light filled the area. “GAH! What the hell?!” When she could see again, all that remained were her own soldiers, and herself. “Damnit!”


“Nice one, Princess!” Shark shouted as he ran alongside the Princess, at the front of the fleeing group of six changelings, and one very, very confused pony. “An emergency teleport spell that got just us seven outta there, and it went off without a hitch! Gotta admit, I’m impressed!”

“I’m flattered, but now’s not the time, Sharky,” Elizabeth said, earning a glare from Shark.

“Don’t ever call me that! Princess or not, I’ll slit your freaking throat!”

“Noted,” Elizabeth said with a smile. “Now then, please tell me, did you receive our latest letter just fine?”

“We did, Princess,” Mystic confirmed from the back of the group, along with the two soldiers that Elizabeth had brought with her. “About how the Griffon Empire has declared war on the Changeling Kingdom?”

“They what?!” Aura shouted, her voice cracking as she reached a volume she never thought possible for herself. “When were you going to tell me about this?!”

“Today,” Elizabeth said in a casual tone of voice. “We made plans to come and collect you today. The pony too, providing she wasn’t in league with the Griffon Empire.”

Trixie raised an eyebrow at that. “And why would you think that Trixie has any dealings with them?”

“Because they knew about the Princess being in Equestria,” Elizabeth answered. “And that she was staying in Ponyville. And that she was in Detrot until today. They knew all of this, which can only mean…”

“… That there’s a mole somewhere in our government,” Mystic finished.

“Or that the pony sold her out,” Elizabeth added. “But, considering what I saw today, as well as the fact that they clearly weren’t expecting to see you and Shark there, I’m willing to discount that theory. They knew about Aura, but did not know about her guardians. Or at least, they didn’t know who was guarding her until you showed yourselves.”

“What does that mean, then?” Trixie asked, slowing down a bit as she felt her legs growing heavy. The rest of the group slowed down too, to match her speed.

“Well, only a very few number of changelings know of Aura’s existence in Ponyville. Myself, mother, Victoria, mother’s advisors, and two other Generals, Orange and Lemon.”

“‘Orange’ and ‘Lemon’?” Trixie asked. “You changelings sure have funny names.”

“Like you’re one to talk,” Shark retorted.

“Those are their nicknames,” Elizabeth corrected. “Anyway, this leaves four suspects. However, mother’s advisors were well aware of who was sent to guard over Aura, and have been by her side at all times since Odysseus attempted coup. In other words, our mole is one of those two Generals… logically.”

“… Sounds like there’s a problem with that, though,” Trixie said, noting the tone of Elizabeth’s voice.

“Those two have been Alexander’s knights ever since he was a youngling. I can’t imagine either of them turning traitor, and definitely not selling out Aura. And their alibis are rock-solid. But, there’s no other place the leak could have come from.”

“… There… may be one,” Trixie said, sweating nervously as the thought presented itself. “Twilight Sparkle.”

“Twilight Sparkle? You mean the Spirit of Magic?”

“That’s right!” Aura shouted. “She knows that I’m a changeling! But, she said she wouldn’t tell anypony, right?”

“She did, but then, we know how loyal she is to Princess Celestia,” Trixie said. “Trixie will admit, the thought of Twilight Sparkle selling us out is preposterous. But if Princess Celestia found out from her of your existence, then…”

“That presents a whole new number of ways that the information could have leaked out,” Mystic said. “But, how did you know that the information was being leaked?”

Elizabeth let out a chuckle at the question. “Being a spy on the griffon’s side is hard, since they don’t even look equine! But changelings… specialise in espionage, remember?”

“You… have a spy planted in the Griffon Empire?”

“No. In the Royal Guard,” Elizabeth said. “Lots of them, in fact. However, this particular griffon group, was working with the Royal Guard when they received their orders. It was just pure luck that our spy managed to intercept their letters to and from the Griffon Empire.

“Anyway, I’m sorry to drag you into this, Trixie, but since your identity is known to them, it might be for the best if you come with us.”

“Where to?” Trixie asked.

“Where else? The Changeling Kingdom.”

Next Chapter: Chapter 2 Estimated time remaining: 30 Minutes
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