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Changeling

by Yukito

Chapter 13

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Mystic led her forces through the dank, dark tunnels beneath Canterlot Castle, using her illusions to sneak by unnoticed and incapacitate guards along the way. It was when she and her team had entered the Special Block that security to ease up somewhat. There were fewer guards there, although many of the cellblocks were sealed by powerful spells to keep their prisoners in and intruders out.

Thankfully, the prisoner that they were looking for was there unofficially, meaning that no such lock should exist for her cell. “Still though, to have so few guards stationed this deep into the dungeon…”

“They must feel safe enough with just the spells and enchantments casted throughout,” one of Mystic’s soldiers, Felt, suggested. “Their confidence will work to our advantage.”

Mystic nodded her head in agreement. “Luna’s cell should be just a bit further ahead. I can feel a strong presence there.” Mystic stopped suddenly and turned around, looking past her soldiers and down the path that they had just come from.

“What is it?” Silk asked, following the general’s gaze only to find nothing but the dark corridor ahead of her. “General, there’s nothing-”

“Get back!” Mystic’s cry came late. An series of arrows flew by, one striking Silk’s neck and causing her to fall to the ground. Felt and Glass had managed to raise their shields in time to block the attacks and Gravel dodged to the side. Mystic simply disintegrated the arrow heading for her as it came near. “Silk!”

“She’s fine,” Felt reported after he crouched down to check the fallen changeling’s neck. “The arrows’ tips were blunt. She’s out, but she’ll live.”

“Only one?” a voice down the corridor called out. “How infuriating. I was hoping to take you all down in one fell swoop.”

Mystic used her magic to light the corridor. From the shadows emerged a pony dressed in the Royal Guard armour assigned to a captain, with just one minor difference: the material was leather, not steel. In his left hoof was a bow, and to his sides were two quivers filled with arrows. The captain’s wings wrapped around his front and stretched out faster than Mystic’s eyes could follow. There were five arrows in each wing.

“I cannot believe that you would be foolish enough to come back after having narrowly escaped before,” Precision Perfect said as he raised his bow, using his right wing to load one arrow against the bowstring and pull it back. “I have no idea what you’re after, but you shouldn’t have left your hoofprints behind if you intended to be sneaky about it.”

“Hoofprints?” Mystic asked. “We didn’t leave any hoofprints! What kind of amateur do you take me for?!”

“Every action leaves behind a trace,” Precision Perfect said. “While anypony else may have missed it, my eyes did not. I am Precision Perfect, Captain of the Royal Guard and the Right Eye of Celestia.”

“Precision Perfect?” Mystic asked. “I see. So you’re the captain said to be the greatest archer in all of Equestria, second only to your father, the ‘Left Eye of Celestia’.”

“What’s that?” Gravel asked, using his magic to pull Silk back behind the general.

“The ‘Left Eye of Celestia’ was once a general in the Royal Guard feared by many who met him on the battlefield. His original title was simply the ‘Eye of Celestia’, but ever since his son also claimed that title, it was split into two.”

“That’s correct,” Precision perfect said, firing his arrow and striking Felt before he could react. “And you must be a captain yourself, seeing as you are clearly in charge here.”

“Sorry, but you’re a bit off the mark there,” Mystic replied. “I am General Mystic, Knight to Princess Elizabeth.”

“A general?” Precision Perfect chuckled. “Oh, I see. I had assumed you were a captain, but if you’re a general, then I pity your country’s military prowess.”

Mystic gritted her teeth as the captain loaded another arrow onto his bow. “General,” Glass said, “That was a sharp one.” Glass held up Felt’s leg, which was bleeding from the impact.

“Take him aside and treat his wound,” Mystic ordered as she stepped forward to shield her comrades. “Gravel, you continue to the end of this corridor and secure our target.”

“Yes, sir!” Gravel answered with a salute, springing off down the corridor without any hesitation.

“Now just where do you think you’re going?” An arrow fired from Precision Perfect’s bow and struck the fleeing changeling… or so he thought. The changeling turned into gravel and crumbled before the startled captain’s eyes.

“Before you go bullying those weaker than you, perhaps you’d like to try taking on an opponent who can actually fight back?” Mystic’s horn lit up. The room began to shake around her and soon rotated until everything was upside-down, including its occupants.

“An illusionist!” Precision shouted as sweat began to trickle down his face. He narrowed his eyes and loaded the remaining three arrows on his right wing onto his bow.

“Go ahead. Pick a target,” the fifty Mystics standing before him taunted in unison.

Precision Perfect responded by grinning as he fired the three arrows towards a single target. All of the Mystics moved to the side, his target dodging the attack. “Did I hit my mark?”

H-How did he-’ “Who knows? Maybe you’ll want to try again? I’ll stand still this time, honest.”

“If you insist…” Precision Perfect loaded one arrow onto his bow and fired it, this time towards a different Mystic. This one teleported out of the way, causing the other Mystics to disperse as she reappeared, staring speechless at the captain. “I thought you weren’t going to move.”

“General…” Glass looked between the two combatants in awe. “He’s seeing through the general’s illusions…”

“I told you, I am Precision Perfect! My sharp eye catches onto anything, including those illusions of yours!” Precision Perfect fired his remaining four arrows towards Mystic. She jumped to avoid them and charged up a magical counterattack, only to stop and gasp as she caught the captain firing another arrow her way. “Too slow.”

Mystic used the energy that she had gathered to create a quick barrier. The arrow pierced the shell, but it slowed down enough that it only hit her foreleg. “GAH!”

“I have you now,” Precision said, firing two more arrows to pin both of Mystic’s hind legs as she fell down towards the floor. “For Princess Celestia, I will execute you here and now, General Mystic. Rest assured that your comrades will be spared… for now.”

Mystic slowly rose to her hooves, huffing as she looked at her opponent. He was already prepared to fire with four arrows on his bow and two more on each wing. “… Glass, how’s Felt’s condition?”

Glass looked over Felt’s body. “He’s stabilised. So long as we don’t remove the arrow, he’ll be fi-” A hoof to the back of Glass’ head knocked the medical changeling out.

Precision Perfect’s eyes widened as he watched the general attacking her own subordinate. “What game are you playing here, Changeling? Are you taking your anger out on your own soldier?”

“I don’t like working with others,” Mystic said, her breathing now calm and steady as she took a few steps towards Precision Perfect. “I can’t go all-out without risking killing them. But with Glass’ condition stabilised, and now that I know the extent of your power, I can end this now.” Mystic’s horn sparked to life and she disappeared in an instant.

Precision Perfect pointed his bow up and fired his arrows, striking Mystic in the neck and causing her to fall to the ground. “I told you, I can see-”

“Me?”

Precision Perfect gasped and turned around, loading two arrows onto his bow, but found nothing there. He felt a sharp pain in his side and slowly turned his head. Mystic was standing behind him, three arrows in her neck, and one more in her hoof, penetrating the side of his body.

“H-How did you-”

“You can see through illusions, but your mind can still be tricked,” Mystic said. “Illusions aren’t the only means of deceiving. As well as creating fake images, we illusionists can also mask reality.”

“You took those arrows to the neck and then projected your voice behind me?” Precision spat. “That’s insane! What if my shots had hit any vital spots?!”

“I made sure that they didn’t,” Mystic said. “I guided them. Just a small nudge, so that you wouldn’t notice, but enough to spare me so long as I cast a silent protection spell.”

“… You… You dare to throw off my aim? My aim?! My aim is true! My aim is perfect!” Precision Perfect loaded his final two arrows and spun around, aiming his shot at Mystic. “Every shot hits its mark! I am Precision Perfect, the Right Eye of Celestia!”

Mystic simply grinned as the two arrows passed through her, striking the floor behind the ephemeral mare. “By the way, when you lose you cool against an illusionist, you lose the battle.”

Lava shot forth from the ground beneath Precision Perfect’s chin. The stallion screamed as his head became buried in the burning lava, soon leading to his entire body catching fire. The tortured screams continued until the lava vanished, leaving the captain stumbling backwards, completely fine save for the paleness of his face and the shaking of his hooves.

“Wow, you came out of that better than I would’ve thought,” Mystic said. “I’d have killed you, but I’m sure she wouldn’t approve of it.”

“And who might that be?” Mystic’s head shot up and she looked past the captain. Hoofsteps slowly made their way through the darkness. Precision Perfect’s breathing started to steady, and he too became curious as to the identity of the new creature joining them. “Captain Precision Perfect, it seems that you still have a long way to go. You let your guard down, but against an enemy of equal or greater rank, that is unacceptable.”

“T-That voice…” Precision Perfect stood tall as the stallion revealed himself. He was a large stallion, and his size wasn’t due to muscle. The brown-coated stallion appeared to be somepony who might place first in a pie-eating contest, though his armour suggested that he held the rank of ‘general’.

“And you, Changeling, were too soft. You could have ended this battle much swifter if you had simply aimed for the neck, as opposed to the side. Or better yet, you could have used the dusty ground to your advantage and obscured your opponent’s vision. As an illusionist, I would have expected such a tactic from you.”

“… Who are you?” Mystic asked, moving her hoof towards her sabre.

“General Ironhoof, I thought that you went to the battlefield with Princess Celestia,” Precision Perfect said, quickly righting himself and saluting to the general. “Uh, sir!”

“At ease, Captain,” the general said. “I felt uneasy. As I was leaving Canterlot, I felt an ominous presence over Canterlot Castle, and so I came to check it out… I’m curious as to why this changeling is willingly entering our dungeon, and also, as to the current whereabouts of Princess Luna.”

“Princess Luna?” Precision Perfect asked. “S-She travelled to Ponyville, to gather the Element bearers.”

“Oh? Has the situation become that dire?” Ironhoof raised a hoof to his chin and stroked a beard that wasn’t there. “The war has only just begun, after all.”

“Well, sir, there was a break-in. A pony had infiltrated our dungeon and freed the changeling prisoners being held here.”

“… And for this, she made the journey to Ponyville, to recruit the princess’ student and her friends, as opposed to recruiting the very seers and soldiers we have stationed at the castle?” Ironhoof hummed in thought. “I would expect such an action from her sister, but I always felt that Princess Luna held much higher regard for our troops.

“There is also the matter of the two guards tasked with watching her. I hear that they have vanished and been replaced.”

“We’re looking into that matter, sir,” Precision Perfect assured. “General Ironhoof, sir, if I may ask, what is it that you’re suggesting?”

“I was hoping that maybe General Mystic might be able to answer that very question,” Ironhoof said, causing the captain to face the changeling. “Tell me, General: why did you come here?”

“…”

“General Mystic!” Gravel’s voice called out. “I got it! The chamber’s open!”

Mystic grinned and withdrew her hoof from her weapon. “… Why don’t you come and see, General Ironhoof? Of course, you too, Captain.”

Ironhoof nodded and allowed the other general to lead the way. They left the unconscious changelings behind as the three traversed through the long, dark corridor, eventually reaching a chamber at the end.

“The Chamber of Sealing,” Precision Perfect said. “It’s not currently in use.”

“Then why was it sealed?” Gravel asked, stepping aside to allow the three inside. “She’s waiting, General. I’m afraid my power isn’t enough to-”

“It’s fine. Thank you, Gravel,” Mystic said as she entered the chamber. Ironhoof and Precision Perfect followed her inside, both stopping and gaping at what they saw.

Inside the chamber, in the middle of a large, glowing circle and shackled in chains, with a strange device fixed to her horn, was Princess Luna of Equestria.


Trixie fired a beam of magic past Shining Armor that pierced the barrier behind him. She fired a few more, gritting her teeth in anger when they all passed through harmlessly.

“Sorry,” Shining said. “This barrier prevents you from escaping. Your magic will just pass right through it. The barrier’s weak points are all centred around me, which means that if you want to escape-”

“Silence!” Trixie commanded, using her magic to teleport close to Shining Armor. She delivered a kick towards his face, which he easily blocked with a forehoof. She then summoned some magic into her horn and fired it at his body.

It was a direct hit, but the stallion was able to use his own magic to soften the blow. At the same time, he delivered a kick of his own, knocking Trixie back. She fell down hard onto the floor and let out a few pained coughs as she tried to stand back up again.

“Will you just surrender already?” Shining Armor asked. “I don’t want to have to hurt you, but I will if you don’t stop all this.”

“Don’t you dare look down on me!” Trixie shouted, magic flaring back into her horn as she wobbled a bit, struggling to keep her balance. “I’m far from finished!”

Shining Armor sighed and then entered a defensive stance, ready for whatever attack she threw his way next.

Okay, so now I have an idea of how he fights,’ Trixie thought to herself, examining both her opponent and the area around them. ‘He doesn’t like to initiate combat but has no problem going through with it. He aims for places that will immobilise his opponent, but not cause lasting damage.

In other words, he’s a softie. He’s too strong for me to take on by regular means… I wonder if I should risk it?

Trixie ran forward, her horn alight. When she got close enough to Shining Armor, she pulled something out of her cape with her magic. “Try this!” she shouted as she threw the object in her magic onto the ground.

Shining Armor jumped back with a start as a cloud of red smoke appeared and a familiar scent wafted through his nose. “P-POISON?!” He quickly used his magic to dispel the cloud of smoke. His eyes widened as he saw the blue mare lying on her back on the ground, breathing heavily. “NO WAY! A suicide attack?!”

He rushed to the pony’s aid immediately. Even if she was the enemy, he wasn’t going to let her die. “I’ve gotta get her to the hospital… No, first, I have to get the poison out of her system!” He focused his magic, straining himself as he thought back to his training. “Darn it! Why didn’t I practice that spell more? For now, all I can do is slow down the spread of the… What?” He scanned the mare’s body over with his magic, searching for any trace of poison inside of her. There was none.

“Surprised?” Trixie asked as she fired a blast of magic directly at Shining Armor’s horn, causing him to yelp and fall backwards. She quickly got up and stood over her opponent with a victorious grin on her face. “I’m glad I was right. You’re so worried about the safety of others that you take no chances when something strange happens.

“That smoke? Just harmless coloured smoke, with an artificial scent similar to a common poison that I’d wager the Royal Guard has been trained to detect.”

Shining Armor shook his head to clear away the pain and rose to his hooves. As he did, he noticed that his spear was now being held by his opponent. “You… That’s a dirty trick.”

“I’m an illusionist,” Trixie said. “Tricking ponies is what I do! And a true illusionist can do so even without their magic!” She gave a theatrical bow, before charging forward towards Shining Armor, delivering kicks and swinging his spear at him. Each attack was easily blocked by the stallion, but he refused to fight back.

“Darn it…” he mumbled angrily to himself.

“Indeed,” Trixie said, noting his anger. “You can’t hurt me because I’m deliberately leaving my most vital points open to your attacks. If you strike, you could cause serious damage, and I now know how much you’d hate to-”

Trixie was cut off by a blow to her abdomen. It took her a few seconds to realise that she had been hit before she staggered backwards in pain, staring in shock at the pony that had hit her.

“That’s not why I’m angry,” Shining said, his horn and hooves surrounded by pink auras. “I’m angry that the citizens of Equestria seem to take the Royal Guard for fools… Not to mention that that spear is a family heirloom.”

Trixie glared at her opponent, upset that she had underestimated him. “Is that so? My apologies. I’ll give it back when I’ve beaten you.”

Shining entered an attacking stance this time. “No thanks. I’ll just take it back right now, if that’s all the same to you.”


Aura looked in horror at the pink princess standing before her. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza – or ‘Cadance’, as she liked to be called – was a legend in the Changeling Kingdom. After all, together with Shining Armor, she was the one who had defeated the changelings’ queen and thwarted her attempts to takeover Equestria some months ago.

Cadance looked down at the shivering filly with a concerned look. “Are you okay? Are you lost, by any chance?”

Aura flinched and took a step back when Cadance extended her hoof, but calmed down a bit when she saw that Cadance wasn’t wearing the same goggles that the Royal Guard were wearing. “I-I’m fine,” she said, taking another step back cautiously.

“PRINCESS!”

Cadance’s wings snapped open and she quickly picked Aura up with her magic, taking the filly into a nearby storage closet. The room was cramped and housed only a single mop and a bucket. Aura struggled against the princess’ magical hold and was about to scream for help before Cadance raised a hoof to her mouth and asked her to be quiet.

Aura did so, but not out of fear. There was something in the princess’ voice that calmed her. It was gentle, and soothing. ‘Almost like Mother’s…

Hoofsteps could be heard outside, along with two male voices.

“Darn it! Princess Aura, where are you?!”

“Chill, you go on ahead to the dungeon! I’ll search for Aura!”

“… Alright, if you say so.”

The hoofsteps outside split off into two directions and, once they could no longer be heard, Cadance let out a sigh of relief and released the filly in her grasp. “Sorry about that,” she said, opening the closet’s door so that they could both leave. “I thought they were after me… The Royal Guard has insisted that they escort me everywhere I go, but it’s so troublesome. Honestly, I can’t even go to the bathroom in peace anymore…”

Aura watched Cadance cautiously. “I-It’s fine. Uh, Princess,” she added with a courteous bow.

“Oh, please. Just call me Cadance,” the princess said, smiling at the little filly. “But… I wonder what they were talking about? I’ve never heard of a ‘Princess Aura’ before…” Aura gulped and took a cautious step back, ready to run like the wind. “I certainly hope Blueblood hasn’t been fooling around with mares again! I’ve told him repeatedly to act more like a proper prince and that he’d only land himself into some deep trouble someday!”

Aura eased up a bit but was still preparing herself for a long sprint. “W-Well, I should probably get going now…” she said, deciding to walk down the path that Cadance had just come from. “It was nice meeting you, Pr-Er, Cadance.”

“Aww, do you have to go so soon?” Cadance asked. “I was just on my way into the city, to visit this bakery that I like. They make the best cakes you’ll have ever tasted! It would be nice to have somepony to chat to.”

Aura shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. I have somewhere else I need to be.”

“Would that be the dungeon?” Cadance’s question made Aura freeze as the filly looked up at the princess in shock. She focused her magic to subtly open one of her saddlebags. “Please, there’s no need to be alarmed.”

Aura wrapped her magic around the pistol inside her bag. “How did you know?”

“Well, a young filly comes running around the corner and then a few seconds later, two stallions come by whilst calling out for somepony?” Cadance winked at the filly. “I’ve been through that before. It was easy to figure out that you’re the ‘Aura’ they’re after.” Cadance casually took a step closer to Aura. “I never knew that Blueblood had such a cute daughter. I’ll have to offer him my congratulations later!”

Aura stared blankly at the clueless princess, unsure of what exactly she should say. “Y-Yeah,” she managed to let out before releasing her magic. “D-Daddy… wanted it to be a surprise!”

Cadance giggled. “Yeah, that sounds like him.”

In what kind of family would such a thing be considered normal?!’ Aura thought to herself as she giggled along with Cadance.

“But why are you on your way to the dungeon?” Cadance asked.

“O-Oh, it’s, um… research?” Cadance gave her a strange look, telling Aura that that wouldn’t do. “On the, uh… history of Canterlot?”

Cadance smiled and raised a hoof. Aura flinched, but calmed down when she felt a gentle touch on top of her head. She looked up to see Cadance patting her on the head. “My, doing research at such a young age. Your father must be proud of you.”

“Yeah,” Aura said, feeling a little embarrassed from the way that Cadance was praising her. At least she wasn’t roughing up her mane like Alexander would do, though. “Anyway, I really should be on my way now.”

“I’ll come with you,” Cadance said.

“Why?” Aura asked, sweat trickling down her forehead. “D-Didn’t you say you were on your way into the city?”

Cadance thought about it as she tapped a hoof to her chin. She then shook her head and replied, “I’ve changed my mind! I want to get to know my niece a little bit!”

Seeing that there was no way out of it, Aura resigned to her fate and allowed Princess Cadance to go along with her. ‘Well, it’s only one of them… I may be able to lose her and then go and help Miss Trixie.


Twilight Sparkle and her friends sat around the table in the library’s lower room with Princess Luna, who had been waiting patiently for the six friends to gather before her. Spike came out of the kitchen carrying a tray with seven cups of tea on it and started to set them down for everypony.

“Well, now that we’re all here, We shall be brief,” the princess said, ignoring the tea placed before her. “We have little time, so please pay careful attention to what We are about to tell you.” The six friends exchanged worried glances before nodding. “… Equestria is once more in need of your help.”

“Another enemy?” Twilight asked.

Luna nodded and levitated the box that she had brought along onto the table. She opened it up to reveal the Elements of Harmony inside. “Earlier today, the Changeling Kingdom declared war on Equestria.”

“They what?!” Rainbow asked, her eyes wide and her face twisted in a frown. “Didn’t they learn their lesson after last time? No one messes with Equestria without feeling the consequences! Also, there’s a ‘Changeling Kingdom’?”

Luna offered the pegasus a smile and gestured for her to calm down. “Quite right. Unfortunately, they chose a bad time.”

“What d’ya mean?” Applejack asked.

Luna brought the tea up to her lips and took a sip before answering. “Our sister… she isn’t feeling so well.” The group shared a look of concern, but Luna smiled reassuringly at them. “It is nothing to fear, she is just feeling a little overworked at the moment. Unfortunately, this means that she may not be able to defeat the approaching army of changelings all on her own.”

“Then… shouldn’t you be helping her?” Rainbow Dash asked, but Luna shook her head.

“Even if We were there to assist her, We doubt it would do any good. Our powers are such that we must fight on our own, lest we run the risk of harming each other, as well as the enemy.”

Twilight turned her hardened gaze towards the Elements. “So… that’s where we come in?”

Luna nodded. “Yes. Unfortunately, We must ask that you accompany us to the battlefield, and use the Elements of Harmony in order to defeat the changelings’ queen.”

“B-B-Battlefield?” Fluttershy asked, shaking as she scooted backwards away from the table.

“We understand that this is a difficult task We ask of you,” Luna said, sighing as she looked down at her hooves. “Before you answer, you must be aware that, unlike your previous ventures, you will be wandering into an area filled with blood… and death.”

A cold chill descended down the spines of everypony in the room and the six friends asked for some time to discuss it amongst themselves.

“We understand,” Luna said, getting up and turning towards the door.

Twilight nodded and watched as Luna left the room. “By the way, you’re still using the royal we,” she noticed, stopping the princess in her tracks. “Moreso than before, in fact.”

Luna gritted her teeth together. ‘Am I overdoing it?’ After clearing her throat, she said, “Old habits are… hard to break.”

“Hey, Princess?” Applejack asked. “It might be nothin’, but there’s a pony in town that’s been actin’ mighty suspicious.”

“Oh?” Luna asked, turning around with a look of intrigue.

“This new pony that showed up recently. Name’s Shock.” Applejack’s face turned sour as the stallion’s face flashed into her mind. “Ah haven’t got any proof, but ah got a bad feelin’… Y’think he might be a changelin’ in disguise?”

“That would explain how an earth pony could keep up with me!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, grinning as she nodded her head with a look of content. She then noticed Applejack glaring at her. “Eheh… No offence.”

“There is no need to worry,” Luna said. “If there is a changeling spy here, he will not escape our sight.” Luna turned back towards the door and continued to walk. “We shall give you some time. Please be quick, though. We fear that Princess Celestia may not last for long on her own.”

After Princess Luna had left, Twilight turned to her friends to begin discussing the situation at hoof. “Personally, I feel that-” She turned her head to the door as something hit her and stared at it with a questioning gaze. “D-Did she just say ‘Princess Celestia’?”


Outside of the library, Odysseus walked over to the chariot where the Royal Guards escorting him were standing guard. They saluted as he approached, their eyes glowing green as they simply stared off into space.

“Shock, I have a task for you,” Odysseus said whilst still disguised as Princess Luna.

Shock walked out from behind the chariot and bowed to his prince. “Yes, my lord?”

“It doesn’t look like some of them are up to the task. We’ll need to ‘motivate’ them.”

A grin appeared on Shock’s face and sparks started to form in the air around him. “How many?”

“Just one should do. All we need is one casualty. That should be enough to provoke them into action.”

Shock nodded and rose to his hooves. “Very well then. And anypony will do, right?”

“Yes. I’ll leave the target up to you, just make sure that you’re noticed.”

Shock released his pony disguise and took to the air with his wings. Odysseus turned his attention back to the library as he let out a soft chuckle. “Soft and naïve, but strong-willed. Both ponies and changelings are so easily manipulated, but sometimes surprisingly smart.” Odysseus spied on Applejack through the library’s window. “With this, I can trick them into action and erase Shock all at once. Two birds with one stone. Thank you, Applejack.”


Aura and Cadance walked together through the castle’s hallways, occasionally stopping to hide whenever somepony passed by, most of which were either looking for Cadance or for the intruders. Whilst Cadance skipped forward with a cheerful smile on her face, Aura was clearly quite anxious, looking around herself every few seconds and waiting for a chance to Cadance to let her guard down so that she could run away.

After roughly thirty minutes, Aura was beginning to grow impatient. She had to reach Trixie and she had to reach her soon.

“The castle is rather big, isn’t it?” Cadance asked, receiving a nod from Aura. “I wonder if anypony’s ever gotten lost in this place?”

“I would imagine so,” Aura replied. “For one who doesn’t know the layout, this place just seems to the same endless hallway repeated over and over again. Even the decorations are arranged in exactly the same way in each hallway.”

Cadance made a note of her surroundings and gasped at the new revelation. “You’re right,” she said, noticing that the busts standing in front of the walls were all exactly the same and were spaced the exact same distance apart each time, with a painting of the same size in-between each one. “The only thing to let you know you’re not caught in an infinite loop is the contents of each painting.”

Aura nodded. ‘Darn it! I have to lose her! Miss Trixie could be in danger right now and I’m just walking through this castle, making friends with one of the two ponies that defeated Mother!

“Aura?” Aura snapped to attention. She turned to her side, only to find that Cadance was gone. “You’re going the wrong way.” Aura turned around to find Cadance giggling at her, standing at a three-way intersection that the youngling had just right by.

“S-Sorry,” she said before rejoining the Princess.

“Do you have something on your mind, little one?”

“It’s nothing, really.”

“Come on, you can tell me,” Cadance said in a reassuring tone. “You may not know this, but I was once a foalsitter, you know?”

“Is that right?” Aura asked, looking around for anything that she could use to escape. By that point she was even considering the possibility of knocking the other princess out with one of the busts, but then started to wonder if she even had enough strength to do a thing like that.

“Yes. A lovely young filly name Twilight Sparkle.” Aura flinched at the name. “She was a lot like you, always spacing out whenever she had something on her mind. And she would always try to hide it, too.

“That’s why I can tell that’s something’s bothering you, and that you’re trying to handle it on your own.”

Aura’s mouth hung open but no words came out. A gentle smile from Cadance spread to the youngling and she replied, “Well… it’s not really something you can help me with.” Aura’s eyes shifted to the floor as Cadance leaned down and placed a hoof on her shoulder.

“Try me.”

Hesitantly, Aura nodded and began thinking about where to start. ‘As long as I don’t mention the changelings, I should be fine… right?

After a deep breath, Aura began. “You see, there’s somepony out there who’s done so much for me. They saved me and helped me out, when I thought that everypony else had abandoned me… They’ve gone through so much pain because of me, and I’ve totally messed up their life… but she still sticks by me and helps me out, no matter what.

“And now she’s in trouble, and I can’t do anything to help her. I want to, I really do, but even if I got to her, will I just be getting in the way? Will I… just become a nuisance to her? I don’t want her to hate me… but at the same time, I can’t just leave her… It’s so confusing and I don’t know what to do anymore!”

The two were silent for a moment save for the ragged breathing coming from Aura. Cadance extended her wings and wrapped them around the filly, startling her. “Aura…”

Aura looked up and into Cadance’s eyes. They were calm, gentle, and full of kindness… Just looking into them filled the youngling with hope. They were the eyes of her mother.

“Yes, Momma?”

Aura hadn’t realised her slip up until Cadance had started giggling. She immediately blushed a deep crimson as soon as she did. “Aura, tell me,” Cadance said as she stopped her giggling to give the filly a serious look. “You’re not really Blueblood’s daughter, are you?”

Aura’s breath caught in her throat. Her eyes trembled as she stared back into Cadances’, unable to produce any intelligible response.

“Princess!” The two turned around to see two Royal Guards approaching them quickly. One was a pegasus, whose wings were flared, and the other was a unicorn, whose spear was being held in her magic. “Get back! She’s a changeling!”

Cadance gasped turned to the filly, who quickly jumped back and pulled out a pistol from her bag with her magic. “Aura?”

“You’re under arrest!” the unicorn guard shouted, charging towards Aura. However, before he could reach her, a blast of green magic hit him from behind, lifting him up into the air before dropping him back down onto the floor.

“Aura! You okay?!” Alexander shouted as he rushed past the two guards and took up a defensive stance in-between Aura and Cadance. “What were you thinking, runnin’ off like that?!”

“But… Miss Trixie is-”

“Trixie will be just fine!” Alexander said, not taking his eyes off of Cadance, who was staring back at him with a blank look on her face.

“That’s… That’s a lie, isn’t it?!” Aura accused, dropping her disguise and running down the hallway.

“WAIT!” Alexander tried to give chase, but he was stopped by an attack from the pegasus guard behind him. He dealt with the guard swiftly by throwing her to the side and then turned his attention back to the retreating form of his sister. “Aura, stop!”

Aura did indeed stop, before using her pistol to blast a hole through one of the large windows to her side and then spreading her wings to soar through the opening. “I’m sorry, brother!” she shouted as she looked back over her shoulder. “I have to go! Miss Trixie needs my help!”

“Damnit!” Alexander shouted as he followed Aura outside of the castle, through the hole in the glass window.

Meanwhile, Cadance watched as the two changelings became smaller in the distance. “That youngling…” Cadance thought back to Aura’s eyes the moment before she had run away from the older changeling. She hadn’t seen that kind of resolve since a time in her past when she was walking through the city with Twilight. It was when a lone filly was being bullied by a group of colts.

“But Cadance, I can’t just let this continue… Somepony has to stand up for them!”

“I agree, Twilight, but what if you get hurt?”

“I don’t care! I’d rather take the risk, than do nothing at all and regret it later!”

Cadance smiled. The two guards behind her groaned as they rose to their hooves.

“Princess, please forgive our incompetence,” the unicorn guard said with a deep bow.

Cadance shook her head. “No, it wasn’t you fault…”

“Please allow us to escort you safely to your room.”

Cadance giggled before spreading her wings and turning away from the two surprised guards. “Sorry, but I can’t let you do that,” she said.

“P-Princess! Surely you aren’t thinking of going after them?!”

“Sure am!” Cadance replied, running down the hallway and taking flight through the hole in the window. The two guards had chased her and were pleading for her to stop from the other side of the window. “Don’t worry! I’ll be just fine!” she shouted back, not entirely sure if they were even able to hear her or not.


Trixie was knocked backwards by the force of Shining Armor’s blow. This had been the fifth time in a row now and she was starting to grow tired of it, letting out a frustrated cry. “Damn… Stop that! You’re not supposed to be able to knock me down so easily!”

“If you give up, I’ll stop,” Shining Armor said sternly.

“Never!” Trixie shouted, getting back up to her hooves despite still feeling dizzy from all the punishment that her body had taken during her battle. ‘Even though I deliberately throw my vital spots in the way of his attacks, he doesn’t hesitate like I thought he would… Somehow he’s still able to hit with the precision to avoid my vitals despite the openings I leave.

I hate to admit it, but he’s good… A better fighter than me, that’s for sure, and without my illusions, I may not be able to… No! The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn’t lose, not even to a Captain of the Royal Guard!

Shining Armor sighed when Trixie charged forward again and dodged the two blast of magic that she had fired his way. As he expected, she tried an attack that put her in dangerous position. He was aware of her strategy: she wanted to take advantage of his soft nature. But it wasn’t going to work.

“You’re under arrest!” he shouted as he fired a binding spell, sensing that she was too weak and exhausted by that point to fight it. Chains shot forth from the ground, surrounded by a pink aura, and wrapped themselves around his opponent, binding her legs close to her body and preventing her from moving whilst she was suspended in the air. She struggled for a bit but was unable to break free. “Sorry to do this, but it is for the sake of peace.”

“Damnit!” Trixie shouted, summoning her magic to try to break free, but failing each time. ‘I have to delay, just a little longer!

“Now, are you going to calm down, or do I need to use a sedation spell on you?”

Trixie glared at the stallion with a furious gaze. ‘How dare you?! How dare you look down on me like that?! The Great and Powerful Trixie, beaten by some nopony?! Never! I will not be humiliated like this! I will not go down so easily!

“I won’t surrender,” Trixie said as she tried once more to break free. Magic gathered into her horn. Shining wasn’t worried, at least not until he saw that the magic aura was no longer purple… It was black. “You have only witnessed a small fragment of the Great and Powerful Trixie’s true magical abilities!”

A black light exploded from Trixie’s horn, knocking Shining Armor backwards and destroying the binding spell that had been holding her in place. She fell gracefully down to the floor and directed her horn at Shining Armor, the tip of it gathering more of that black aura. Her target cast a barrier spell, ready to deflect any incoming attacks.

“NO! I’m sorry! Please forgive me!”

Trixie flinched and shook her head as a memory entered her mind. A memory of herself, walking down a dark alleyway, the buildings much taller than they usually were…

“I’m sorry! I won’t do it again, just… please let me live!”

She gasped as she remembered walking towards a cowering stallion and lowering her horn towards him… Her small, blackened horn, which flared to life before being coated in red, along with her surroundings. She could hear the tortured screams of the stallion running through her mind and she screamed in unison.

I… I can’t…’ Trixie’s magic began to die down. ‘I can’t use this magic! Not again!

Shining Armor saw his chance and fired a concentrated blast of magic at Trixie’s horn as he dropped his barrier. His attacked knocked the showmare down onto her back, and the black energy dissipated completely from Trixie’s horn.

As Shining Armor slowly approached his downed foe, she had managed to slowly get up. Her mask had cracked and suddenly broke into two pieces, each one falling off her face as she looked up at him. Her eyes trembled as she saw the towering stallion above her. Her blood was hot with rage, but at the same, it also ran cold.

“MISS TRIXIE!” a voiced called out from the air. Both Trixie and Shining Armor turned their attentions skywards to find a small changeling hovering above, just outside of the barriers. Or rather, the barrier.

“What the?!” Shining exclaimed as he noticed that one of his barriers was gone. Thankfully, it wasn’t the one that had prevented illusions, but he was still stunned by this revelation. “It must have happened when she knocked me down…”

“Get away from Miss Trixie!” Aura shouted as she flew through the lone barrier and crashed down to the ground in front of Trixie. She used her magic to pull her two gunpowder pistols out of her bag and aimed them both at Shining Armor.

“You… you’re working with the changelings?!” Shining Armor asked Trixie, but she didn’t seem to acknowledge his question at all. Her attention was entirely focused on the youngling before her.

“You idiot!” she shouted. “What are you doing here?! You’re supposed to be at the castle!”

“You’re in trouble,” Aura said. “I’m here to help you! I’ll distract him, and you get away from here.”

“Are you insane?!” Trixie tried to summon some magic into her horn, but found it impossible in her current state. “If I was arrested, I could have gotten out with bail… or heck, just breaking out! But you… you’re a changeling! They won’t be so lenient with you!”

“Oh, so it’s okay for you to risk your life for me, but the other way around is completely out of the question?!” Aura shouted, surprising both Trixie, and herself, too. “Um, I mean… you’re my friend, Miss Trixie. You helped me out so much, so I wanted to return the favour…”

Trixie groaned and struggled as she rose to her hooves. She turned to face Shining Armor, who was now once again holding his spear in his magic. “Well, it’s too late now… If we’re lucky, we might be able to reach a sewer entrance and lose the guards, but Trixie wouldn’t place money on those odds.”

“If you two are quite done,” Shining Armor said, his tone of voice much harsher than when he was fighting only Trixie earlier, “You are both under arrest. You, for high treason,” he added, looking at Trixie, before turning his attention to Aura, “And you as a prisoner of war.”

“I’d like ta see you try it!” another new voice shouted. Another changeling dropped down in-between Shining Armor and Aura. “Lay one hoof on my sister, and I’ll make you experience our highest level of torture!”

“Alexander!” Aura called out, smiling at the sight of her brother, yet slightly worried at the same time.

“And you!” he shouted, not turning his attention away from Shining Armor. “I’ll have a word with you when all this is over!”

Aura frowned and gave a small whine. She then put her pistols away and turned to Trixie. “Let’s go! My brother can hold his own against an opponent like this!”

“I don’t think so!” Shining Armor shouted. “Guards! Capture them at once! Dead or alive!”

Trixie and Aura both immediately started running, but stopped quickly enough when they had found themselves surrounded on all sides by guards. There was no possible path of escape other than to fight through them.

“Guards, stand down!”

Everyone present turned their attentions to the sky, where they saw the majestic figure of a pink alicorn slowly descending down onto the battlefield. All of the guards immediately found themselves saluting and backing away, save for one Captain Armor.

“Cadie, what are you doing here?!” Shining asked as Cadance approached, only to earn a slap in the face from his wife. “C-Cadie?”

Captain Shining Armor!” she shouted in an strict tone, putting emphasis on his title to let him know she was speaking to him not as his wife, but as a princess… and a very cross one, at that. “Could you please repeat your last order to me?”

Shining looked at his wife in bewilderment for a moment, but a stern glare from her quickly whipped him into shape and he snapped to attention, saluting and answering in a formal tone of voice, “Princess Cadance, sir! I believe my last order was: ‘guards, capture them, dead or alive’, sir!”

“And tell me, what crimes warrant the death penalty for these tree individuals?” Cadance asked.

“Sir, two of them are changeling troops, who we are currently at war with! The other is working with the changelings. She has committed high treason, sir!”

“Do you have any evidence that they are soldiers?” Cadance asked. “Because from what I see, one is only a youngling, who seemed more afraid of you than you did of her, and the other is her older brother.” She noticed the older changeling glaring at her as she looked them over and prayed silently that he wouldn’t start anything, before turning her attention back to Shining Armor. “As far as I’m aware, the only crimes any of these three have committed are minor property damage, disturbing the peace and resisting arrest.

“The two changelings are simply accomplices to the pony who committed those three crimes. Hardly what I would call crimes deserving the death penalty, wouldn’t you agree?”

“B-But they-”

Furthermore,” she continued, silencing her husband, “The older changeling aside, one of your targets is too exhausted to even fight back a few of your lower-ranked soldiers, and another is but a youngling, who probably has insufficient experience in combat to fend off your guards for long.”

Aura regarded Cadance with awe, but made sure not to let her guard down. Not with the Royal Guard still surrounding her.

Cadance turned back to Shining Armor, this time frowning. “Shining, I had no idea that you could be so ruthless… Do you even realise that you gave the order to take the lives of these three, without any clear evidence that they are dangerous threats?”

Shining looked at the three fugitives to the side and then cast his gaze down to the ground. “Well, I guess… ordering the mare’s death was a little overboard, but the changelings-”

“Not all changelings are our enemy, Shining,” Cadance said. “And even if they were, a Captain of the Royal Guard, one who gives the orders for the lower-ranks to follow, must know where to draw the line. Two of your opponents can hardly fight back, and the third, you know nothing about. He might not even prove to be a threat at all.”

“Hey! I’m standin’ right here, y’know?!” Alexander shouted. “You think I’ll lose ta that-”

Aura quickly jumped onto her brother’s back and placed her hooves over his mouth to shut him up. “Please don’t make this worse,” she pleaded. “That’s Mi Amore! Those two together defeated our mother, remember?!”

“AURA!” Trixie shouted, but it was too late. Aura quickly slammed her hooves over her own mouth, whilst Trixie facehooved so hard that she was sure it would leave a mark.

“T-There!” Shining Armor shouted, pointing a hoof at the changelings. “They’re changeling royalty! They must be here as enemy spies!”

“Even so,” Cadance started, “I think you’re missing my point… I’m telling you that there is no need to use such excessive force to subdue them. Even if they are our enemies, what would we gain from needlessly killing them? As a captain, you need to set an example for your subordinates to follow, but the example you’re setting right now is ‘violence solves everything’. Is that really the teaching that you want to pass on, Shining?”

“Well spoken!” a voice boomed overhead. Shining Armor was beginning to grow annoyed by these constant interruptions, but he recognised this new voice very clearly… He was confused, though, because the voice in question belonged to somepony who shouldn’t have even been there at that time. “As expected of our niece! You show compassion, even to our enemies! But for now, the time for fighting has passed!”

Princess Luna teleported into the area, startling many of the guards ponies. The Royal Guard and Princess Cadance all bowed immediately. Trixie’s eyes focussed on Mystic, who was standing beside the Princess of the Moon, whilst Aura and Alexander looked anxious. “Something’s not right,” Aura whispered.

“Yeah,” Alexander agreed. “Where’s the rest of Mystic’s group?”

“You don’t need to worry,” Chill said, emerging from the other side of Princess Luna. “They were injured, but not killed. They’re currently being treated by an Equestrian General.”

“He has good ears,” Aura said in a surprised tone, receiving a nod from Alexander. She smiled and added, “I’m glad they’re okay.”

“I’m glad they made it here in time,” Trixie said. “Though I wouldn’t have minded if they had come a little sooner.” Trixie winced and brought a hoof to her aching side, grunting as she crouched down in pain.

“P-Princess Luna?” Shining Armor asked, concerned about the two changelings that she had brought with her. “What are you doing here? I thought you were-”

“There is little time, so We shall be brief,” Luna said, commanding Cadance and Shining Armor to rise with her hoof. “Our two countries are in danger, so we must hurry. Our real enemy is not the changeling queen.”

Shining Armor was about to ask what she meant, but she continued before he could, using her magic to conjure up an image of the changeling prince that had arrived in Canterlot not long ago. Shining Armor recognised him instantly.

“Prince Odysseus, fourth offspring of the current changeling queen… He is on his way to the battlefield to assassinate Queen Chrysalis, using the Elements of Harmony as his weapon of choice, as we speak.

He is our true enemy.”

Next Chapter: Chapter 14 Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 43 Minutes
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