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Changeling

by Yukito

Chapter 5

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Odysseus examined the scene before him closely. A dead changeling, Morgan, lay on the floor, blood pouring out of a wound caused by Odysseus’ sword. Around him lay many documents, most of which were stained by blood.

“My lord!” a voice called out from behind. Odysseus turned to face the soldier addressing him. “Forgive me, my lord! He got away!”

Odysseus brought a hoof to his forehead and closed his eyes tight. “Alexander… you truly are a beast among changelings…”

Odysseus still couldn’t believe what had happened.


“Odysseus! What the hell is this?!” Alexander shouted out through his choking.

“Relax, dear brother. It’s not poisonous. Those kinds of gasses are far too dangerous to leave just lying around.” Odysseus flapped his wings to disperse the gas and laid his eyes on his brother. “I’ll kill you myself,” he said, “And then I can blame your death on Equestria, too. What better motive for war than revenge?”

Alexander, much to Odysseus’ surprise, charged towards his brother, swinging his sword upwards and then bringing it back down. Odysseus tried to block the attack with his own sword, but was knocked aside by the force of his older brother’s attack. Alexander dashed out of the room as quickly as his hoofs would allow him, Odysseus attempting to give chase but being preventing by something pulling at his back leg.

“What?!” Odysseus exclaimed upon turning around to see Morgan latching onto his leg as he lay on his stomach and gasped for air.


“I still can’t believe it,” Odysseus grumbled, pulling his sword out of Morgan’s and proceeding to wipe it clean with a hoofkerchief. “That nerve gas would have rendered even mother immobile… yet Alexander was not only able to overpower me, but also able to escape?”

“He was injured as he tried to escape, my lord,” Odysseus’ soldier reported. “We had him cornered, but he then fell into the Styx River. With that fast current, it was impossible to chase him, but chances are that he’s dead by now.”

Odysseus put a hoof to his chin and then looked back over at the documents scattered across the floor. He pondered the situation for some time. ‘It doesn’t seem as though he managed to get away with any evidence… and it’s unlikely that he still lives…

“But if he is still alive,” Cutthroat interrupted as he walked into the room and greeted his prince with a bow, “It could be trouble. After all, that river links to Equestria and, as you’ve just witnessed, Prince Alexander is a lot stronger than we ever thought.”

Odysseus considered Cutthroat’s reasoning for a moment and then nodded his head in agreement. Cutthroat was one of Odysseus’ top – and most trusted – soldiers. His insight often proved helpful, and would often help Odysseus reach a decision whenever he was uncertain. “Aura is one thing, but Alexander is…” Odysseus’ eyes lit up as an idea presented itself to him. He let out a small laugh and turned to his soldier. “Cutthroat,” he addressed, “Could I ask you to keep an eye on Victoria in my stead?”

Cutthroat raised an eyebrow at his prince’s request. “My lord,” he began, “With respect, without you, keeping Princess Victoria in check might be… impossible.”

“Not to worry. Victoria is easier to control than you’d think.” Seeing the quizzical looks on his soldiers’ faces, Odysseus decided to explain. “Victoria dotes on her two sisters, Elizabeth and Aura. With Aura gone…”

“I see!” Cutthroat shouted as he jumped to attention. “If Elizabeth is in danger, Victoria won’t be able to lift a hoof!”

“Exactly,” Odysseus said with a nod.

“But my lord,” one of the other soldiers said, “Our troops are spread thing preparing for the war and the coup. We can’t-”

“Of course, we can’t actually afford to assign any soldiers to Elizabeth,” Odysseus admitted, “But for Victoria, a simple bluff should suffice. She wouldn’t gamble on her sister’s life, and Elizabeth by herself is nothing to be concerned about. Without Victoria, she’s like a sword with no master.”

Cutthroat nodded. “So, what will you be doing, my lord?”

“I’m moving the plan up a bit,” Odysseus said as he sheathed his sword and began moving out of the small room, his two soldiers following after him. “I’m going to Equestria to set the stage. I’ll take a small tracking party with me to seek out Alexander and, if he’s still alive, to kill him.”


Aura stood atop a hill, looking towards the towering metropolis of Manehatten in the distance. She could see many ponies entering and exiting the grand city, all of which looked like ants from how high up she was. Luckily, there were none around to see her in her natural state.

She shifted her gaze to an open field below her, where two young fillies were playing with an older mare, presumably their sister or mother. The scene reminded her of when she once played in the Royal Gardens with her mother. The day was so much fun, even if it was cut short by an emergency summons for the queen.

“Don’t worry, my daughter. I have to go for now, but you will always be number one to me.”

“Mother…” Aura whispered into the wind, “Were your words back then just lies? Or did something change? You were so kind once… How could you cast me aside, as though our years together meant nothing? Why-”

“The queen? Kind?” a voice from behind said with a bitter laugh. Aura didn’t react to it. She had already felt Shark approaching her from behind, so his voice didn’t surprise her at all. “That’s a load. It was thanks to your mother that I was locked in that hellish prison for so long.”

Aura slowly turned around, staring into Shark’s eyes with fear barely concealed by a veil of courage. Her entire body was shaking. “Shark Raptos, from the Changeling Assassin Squad. You held the rank of captain and were well on your way to attaining the rank of general, but you continually threw your chances away by acting violent towards your superiors. One day, you got bored of only being allowed to kill assigned targets, and you went on a murderous rampage to satisfy your insatiable bloodlust.” Aura gulped and narrowed her eyes. The changeling before her only stared back with a menacing grin as she continued.

“After finally being subdued, you were locked away in the dungeons as a Class A criminal,” Aura recited. “You brought that upon yourself,” she told the laughing assassin. “My mother was only doing her job to protect her subjects.”

Shark’s laughter echoed through the air and continued for a few seconds before slowly dying down into silence. “Oh, is that the story you were told? Man, your mum must really take you for such an idiot or something!”

Aura’s shaking stopped. She glared daggers at Shark and said, in a sharp tone, “Just what is that supposed to mean?” As Shark took a step closer, Aura gasped and her horn lit up.

“C’mon! Isn’t there an obvious contradiction in that story?” After no response, Shark explained. “When a captain class soldier or higher goes on a murderous rampage, what’s the penalty for such a crime?”

Aura thought for a second and then answered, “Execution.” After a couple of seconds, Aura gasped as it hit her. “Immediate execution,” she said, sweat dripping down her body as she considered what this could mean. “But then… why are you still alive?”

“Because I’ve committed no crimes warranting execution,” Shark answered matter-of-factly. “In fact, I’ve committed no crimes period. Well, none warranting more than a night in the slammer, at least.” He took another step towards the princess, who backed up gradually until her back hooves were against the edge of the cliff behind her. “You wanna know why I was really locked up?” he asked her.

Aura didn’t answer. She was too focussed on trying to stop her legs from shaking as Shark approached her. ‘Mother… locked up somebody who was innocent, and then lied to me about it?

“I’ll tell you,” Shark said, tired of waiting for a response from the youngling. “I was locked up so that I could become a weapon that your mother could control.”

Aura’s eyes widened and she gasped. “That’s not true,” she whispered in a cold breath. Her weak response only ignited Shark’s laughter once more.

“That’s right! Your mother, the so-called ‘kind-hearted Queen of the Changelings’, locked away an innocent changeling… simply because she was afraid of him!”

“That’s a lie! My mother would never do something so horrible, and what reason would she have had to fear you to begin with?!”

“Well, as you said, I could have become a general if I had only behaved myself just once. Or rather, the real reason I was never promoted was because they were afraid to give me that kind of authority. So they made up some bull stories ‘bout how I have a short fuse. Didn’t bother me, just as long as I got to kill.

“But then, they saw that just keeping me as a captain wasn’t enough. Y’see, I’m not like other assassins. I don’t consider killing a job, or a necessity, or even a pastime.” A toothy grin appeared on Shark’s face that stopped Aura cold in her tracks, gripping her with some invisible force all around her body. “Killing is what makes me me! If I were a pony, my cutie mark would be a dead pony!

“That’s why I became an assassin! The thrill of battle, the excitement of knowing you’re putting your life on the line with each new mission, and that amazing feeling you get when you end a life… The exhilaration, the mad rush… It’s wonderful. To me, killing is a sport, and I’m the defending champion!”

“So… you were locked away because-”

“You’re really insistent on casting your mother in a good light, aren’t ya?” Shark asked, his expression shifting from excited to annoyed in an instant. “No, I’m not insane. I just like killing, that’s all. But, unfortunately, your mother and her four children… that is, the four who were born before you, were afraid of my power.

“They feared that one day, I would turn against them. At the time, the rebellious group RE was still active, and my loyalty was being called into question. Afraid of the possibility that I would be enlisted by the enemy to assassinate the royal family, they locked me away in that dungeon, sealing my powers away. They kept me alive in case a time ever arose where my power could be of use.”

“Which would be now?” Aura asked, running Shark’s story through her head. If she had heard it one week ago, she wouldn’t have believed it. But now, she wasn’t sure what to believe. Only one thought was running through her mind though, which was: ‘If I die here, no one else will have to be put in harm’s way.’ Soon, all of the pain she was enduring would be washed away.

“I guess so,” Shark replied, raising a forehoof. A steel claw was attached to it, glinting as it reflected the light of the moon. He took one step forward, but then stopped. He felt something behind him – it was an incoming attack. He spun around and slashed his claws at the incoming projectile swiftly. His claw collided with a glass bottle, causing it to shatter and pour the liquid contents all over his body. “The hell?” Shark took a whiff of the liquid that he was covered in. “This is…”

“Vodka,” Trixie finished as she made her way slowly towards the two changelings. She stopped once she was close enough that she didn’t have to raise her voice for them to hear her, but not so close that she was in danger. “Aura, come here. Now!”

Aura looked at Trixie in confusion, but Shark spoke up first. “Hey now, if ya get in the way, I’ll have ta kill you, too!”

Trixie smirked at the changeling’s threat and summoned her magic. Two sets of fireworks, one on either side of herself, ignited and sparked for a good few seconds. Shark and Aura watched the display, though Shark was visibly bored whilst Aura was both confused and enchanted.

“Try it, and you’ll burn,” Trixie said as soon as the fireworks died down. “Just so you know, those weren’t illusions, and Trixie can easily set them off where you are right now… whilst you’re covered in that vodka that is eighty percent proof.”

Shark grinned at the showmare, seemingly unafraid of her threat. “Yeah, I’m sure ya can… but ya won’t.” He raised a forehoof and pointed it straight at Trixie. “Maybe if I wasn’t covered in alcohol. But I can see it in yer eyes… you’re no murderer. You don’t have what it takes.”

Trixie narrowed her eyes at the confident changeling. “Try me,” she said, before lighting her horn up. Before Shark could react, fireworks shot up around his body, taking him by surprise momentarily.

“I told ya, they aren’t real,” he said, though this time a bead of sweat dripped down his head as he told her that.

“It’s part of a showmare’s job to hide the truth in a shroud of lies, and to always wear the perfect poker face.” Trixie flicked her mane and brought out a file, running it against her hoof as she said, “Trixie assures you: she can take life without a second thought.”

Shark thought about her words for just a moment, before shaking them off and focusing on the fireworks display in front of him. Suddenly, he felt a burning sensation on his flank and, as he turned to examine it, noticed that he had caught fire. Slowly, the fire spread to his wings, and then to more parts of his body. It didn’t take long until he was entirely engulfed in flames. Shark let out a loud, ear-piercing scream that echoed through the night and dropped suddenly to the floor, rolling around in a desperate attempt to extinguish the flames.

Aura watched the scene in horror, trying her hardest to keep what little food she had in her stomach to stay there. “Aura, come here, now!” Trixie shouted once more, snapping Aura to attention. “Hurry!” she added with a stern look on her face.

Aura quickly rose to her hooves and hurried over to Trixie, taking care to avoid the flames in front of her. “Y-You killed him!” she shouted as she reached Trixie’s position.

“It was a trick,” Trixie said quietly. “Trixie assured him that she could do it, so he believed her. Illusions will feel real the moment your mind loses to that of the illusionist.”

“But why?” Aura asked. “Why are you trying to save me?”

“Because Trixie wants to!” Trixie shouted, using her magic to dispel the flames surrounding Shark. When they were gone, Aura noticed that Shark was completely unburned, yet was still lying on the floor whilst shivering and twitching his legs. “Trixie didn’t waste her food and medical supplies on you so that you could just die. Now let’s go, before he recovers.”

Aura turned to Trixie, who had turned around and started to walk away. Aura herself remained still, keeping her eyes fixed on Trixie as she tried to figure out what she should do. Trixie noticed that Aura wasn’t following and stopped to turn to the youngling. “What? Are you afraid Trixie will hand you over to the Royal Guard? Don’t worry… Trixie has no intention of doing that anymore.”

“But I’m a changeling, and you’re a pony… Even if I can trust your words, why would you go so far to help me, knowing that it’ll put your life at risk?”

“… Trixie does not need to give a reason for her actions. She will save who she wants to save, and fight who she wants to fight.”

Aura’s eyes widened and her stomach began to churn. Suddenly, it felt as though the entire world was spinning around her. She whispered, “Knight…” A single teardrop rolled down her face.

“Knight! Are you ok?! What happened?!”

“An accident, that’s all. There’s no need to concern yourself over me, Princess. Now, go back to your dinner, before it gets cold.”

Aura nodded slowly before making her way back to the dining table, or at least pretending to. She hid around the corner so that she could listen to her two knights.

“Knight, why did you help me? I’m a changeling. You’re a pony. We’re supposed to be mortal enemies, and yet… you risked your life to save mine. Why?”

“… Iris, I helped you because I wanted to. That’s all. I don’t need to give a reason to save who I want to save… and frankly, I’ve yet to see any reason why we should be enemies. After all, we both have the same goal of protecting the princess, right?”

Aura gulped and wiped the tears from her eyes, before staring up into Trixie’s eyes with a strong gaze. “It won’t end with Shark, you know? They’ll keep coming after me… They’ll keep sending more assassins to kill me, until I’m confirmed dead…”

“… Trixie knows this,” Trixie replied in a calm and collected voice. “But that is a risk that the Great and Powerful Trixie is willing to take. And she is not going to let you say no, Aura. Because Trixie… Because Trixie knows what it is like to be alone. To have nopony but yourself to rely on.”

“How touching,” a voice called out from behind Aura. Trixie and Aura quickly turned towards the source of the voice to find Shark approaching them, his grin back as he laughed over their stunned expressions. “Damnit, I thought I’d gotten better at dealing with illusions… Well, I won’t fall for it again, I can assure you.”

Trixie used her magic to levitate Aura behind herself, and the two slowly started to back away, keeping their eyes on Shark and watching his every movement closely. “Aura,” Trixie whispered to the youngling. “When Trixie gives the signal, run past Shark and jump off the cliff’s edge.”

“But-”

“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine… as will I,” Trixie said. ‘Well, that’s half-true, at least. I’ve made arrangements for Aura, but I never expected him to recover his quickly’. “Trust the Great and Powerful Trixie. It will all work out.”

“You done saying your farewells to each other?” Shark asked as he closed the distance between himself and Trixie. However, instead of lunging forward and striking, he stopped in his tracks, surprising the two targets. ‘That smell… What’s he doing here?

Shark narrowed his eyes as he continued staring into the direction of Trixie, but he wasn’t staring at her; he was staring into the trees behind her. After a few seconds of silence, something caught his eyes. A projectile was fired towards him, aimed in-between his eyes, but he was just about able to dodge it before it could hit him.

Trixie and Aura quickly spun around and watched the trees cautiously, until a voice came out from behind them. “Huh? Strange. Am I losing my edge or something?”

A black creature with large blue eyes emerged from behind the trees, hovering a crossbow in the air with a green magical aura. It was another changeling, and one that Aura recognised immediately. “Razor?!” Aura shouted in both surprise and fear, before running around Trixie and taking cover behind the blue unicorn.

“Shark, how did you know I was there? I have to say, it’s quite unsettling to think I’m losing my stealthiness.”

“… I could smell you, Razor,” Shark said, scowling at the new changeling on the scene. “What the hell d’you think you’re doing? I thought we had a deal!”

Razor examined his body for a second and noticed a small cut on one of his forelegs. “Oh my. I must have cut myself on a rock or a tree or something back there. Still, to think you could detect me from just that small amount of blood… Very impressive. And it’s for that exact reason that we’re going to kill you, before you can use that ability against us.”

Shark’s brow furrowed and he stomped a hoof forward as he roared, “WHAT?! What about our deal?! I kill the princess, I get my freedom!”

“Yes, about that… you’re simply too dangerous to be allowed to live,” Razor said, grinning with delight as he levitated a new bolt from his holster and loaded it into the crossbow. “Besides, you know how it works, Shark. Leave no witnesses… No loose ends… Which, of course, includes you, unicorn,” Razor finished as he turned to face Trixie, who winced upon meeting his gaze.

“You were planning on killing me from the start?” Shark asked, though he didn’t bother waiting for an answer. “Damnit! That’s just like that bitch of a queen! I can’t believe I didn’t see this coming!”

Razor laughed maniacally. “Yes, you should take that anger with you to the afterlife,” he said. ‘Then when you meet the queen there, you can put on a good show for Aura and Alexander. Too bad I won’t be able to see it…

Shark remained still as he kept his eyes fixed on Razor, or rather, on Razor’s crossbow. “Hey,” he said quietly to Trixie, “You’re an illusionist, right?”

“What of it?” she asked, not taking her eyes off of Razor, her entire body shaking more than when she confronted Shark moments earlier. This was a development that she really wasn’t expecting.

“His eyes are more sensitive to light than most changelings,” Shark told her. “You got any flash bang spells or anything?”

“That’s not illusionary magic,” Trixie corrected. “But Trixie does know a ‘Burst of Light’ spell. The trouble is that it’s not strong enough to blind somepony… Not unless Trixie has enough time to conjure up a few of them and release them together.”

“That’s fine. I’ll distract him for a few minutes. You charge that spell, and then use it to blind him for a bit, and in return, I’ll help you get away from here alive.”

“And why should Trixie trust you?”

“You heard him. He’ll target me regardless of what I do.” Razor sighed as he felt her sceptical gaze falling upon him. “Look, you don’t have any reason to trust me, but at the same time, you won’t last a minute against him. Pick your poison, unicorn.”

“Well then, Shark,” Razor started, “Do go on ahead and reserve a spot for me in Tartarus, won’t you?” Razor fired the bolt from his crossbow, this one aimed at Shark’s neck.

Shark jumped into the air to dodge the projectile and charged forward towards Razor upon landing, attempting to strike him whilst his crossbow was empty. However, when he saw Razor throw his crossbow aside and pull out a bolt with his magic, Shark quickly halted and jumped back a few steps, assuming a defensive stance. ‘The bolts have poison tips! One hit and I’m dead!

“I’ll deal with you later, Shark,” Razor said, turning towards Trixie, whose horn was glowing as she gathered magic into it. “But first, the unicorn, whose power is unknown to me, is more of a threat, so I’ll kill her first.”

“Oh no you don’t!” Shark shouted as he got between Razor and Trixie as quickly as he could. “If you want her, you’ll have to get through me first!”

Razor laughed as he levitated a few more bolts out of his bag. “Well, that confirms it then. She’s your trump card, right?” Shark grunted and lowered his head, taking up a charging position. “Which means…” ‘Shark was never good at protecting others. He prefers to just fight without the extra baggage. Which means that, if I simply target both him and this unicorn, then I’ll win.

Razor threw the many bolts into the air and then used his magic to send them flying towards both Trixie and Shark from various directions. Shark used his magic to stop the bolts flying his way, but when he turned around to face Trixie, he saw that he wouldn’t make it in time to save her.

Trixie proved to be in good shape, though, as she used was able to nimbly dodge all of the bolts that were fired towards her. “Oh please! I dodge flaming daggers all the time!” Trixie shouted with a proud look on her face. A scream drew her attention towards Aura, who was on the ground with a bolt protruding from her foreleg, which was slowly turning green.

“I have you now,” Razor said as he fired a second volley of bolts towards his two targets.

Shark was once again able to deflect the bolts heading his way with ease, but this time, Trixie was too distracted and too flustered to deflect her own. “Damnit!”

Trixie felt her heart stop as the bolts drew near. She took a step back but tripped onto her backside, leaving herself completely open and vulnerable.

Razor grinned as he levitated out a few more bolts, ready to attack Shark once more. However, he froze when he felt a powerful surge of energy nearby. “What? Who’s that?” he asked as he looked towards the source. His eyes widened as he saw Aura, her eyes glowing green as magical energy leaked out from them. She was floating in the air, her forelegs stretched out as magic shot out of her horn, piercing the sky above her. ‘She’s awakening at a time like this? Damnit… Although, this might be interesting to watch…

“We still have a chance,” Shark muttered under his breath as he saw Aura’s body levitating in the air, magical tendrils shooting out of her horn and stopping the bolts aimed at Trixie dead in their tracks by disintegrating them. ‘Yeah, that’s about right for changeling royalty,’ Shark thought to himself with a grin as he admired the princess’ impressive display of magical prowess. Wasting no time, Shark turned around and started charging towards Razor.

Razor noticed Shark approaching however and quickly responded by throwing his bolts towards the incoming changeling. Shark dodged the bolts by jumping out of their way, but Razor quickly levitated out more bolts, making it impossible for Shark to close the distance.

Not that it mattered to Shark, since he was now close enough to reach what he wanted. He used his magic to grab the crossbow that was discarded earlier and quickly loaded one of the bolts that was lying on the ground nearby into it. Razor’s eyes widened as Shark pointed the crossbow his way, but he quickly calmed down when he noticed Shark’s flimsy control over the contraption.

“That’s right,” Razor started with a sigh of relief. “Ranged weapons aren’t your forté.”

Shark smirked as he fired the bolt, which was easily dodged by Razor. “No, but I’ve bought enough time, at least.” Shark covered his eyes with his left foreleg, just in time to shield them from a sudden burst of light that surrounded the area. He could hear a scream, and a second later, Shark opened his eyes to see Razor retreating, using his magic to guide his way through the trees whilst covering his eyes with a foreleg.

Trixie turned to Aura, who was still floating the air, and used a gentle application of magic to try to calm her down. “With ponies, foals often undergo bursts of magic, either when they build up an excess of it without releasing it, or when they become emotionally unstable.” Trixie slowly brought Aura down with her magic. “I’m assuming that this is something similar, correct?”

“More or less,” Shark replied. “She’s royalty, though. Her bloodline means that she has higher powers than even some adults when she becomes unstable.”

Trixie nodded. “There’s a spell that we use for moments like these. It was used on me once, too. I should be able to copy it…”

“Copy a spell that was used on you when you were a foal?”

Trixie grinned. The light covering Aura began to die down and the little youngling landed softly onto the ground. “Anything you can do, I can do better.”

Aura stirred. Her eyes opened and she looked up at Trixie. After seeing Shark standing behind her, she gasped and rose to her hooves quickly. “W-What-”

“Calm down,” Trixie instructed, checking Aura’s leg, only to find that the wound had closed up, and that the green from earlier was gone. “But how? That’s-” Trixie shook her head quickly. “Never mind, we have to get out of here!”

Trixie led Aura by hoof towards the cliff’s edge and then levitated the youngling onto her back. “Hold on tight,” she said. Aura simply nodded. Trixie jumped over the edge of the cliff, causing Aura to scream loudly as they fell down quickly towards the ground. Trixie used her magic to unsheathe the halberd strapped to her side and struck it into the side of the cliff, stopping her descent suddenly and hanging onto the prop with one hoof. “It may be useless for battle, but it’s still a tool, and every tool has a purpose!”

Just as Trixie had planned, she had landed near the exit of a cave system, and quickly used her magic to levitate Aura up onto the ledge. Once Aura was safe, Trixie reached over, trying to grab the ledge with her free hoof. She may have miscalculated, since she was unable to reach over to the ledge. To make matters worse, the halberd she was holding onto was starting to fall out of place.

“Miss Trixie, grab my hoof, quick!” Aura shouted, extending her hoof towards Trixie. Trixie was just about able to reach it and was quite surprised by Aura’s strength, since the youngling was able to pull Trixie up onto the ledge with only minor difficulty. Although Trixie noticed soon afterwards that the youngling was using both hooves, her wings for support, and her magic.

Suddenly, Trixie felt envious of changelings, but that thought was quickly pushed aside as she made her way inside the cave, Aura staying close to the showmare as she led the way.


After navigating their way through the cavernous system and making their way cautiously through the forest outside, Trixie and Aura eventually reached the showmare’s trailer. The two felt uneasy as the neared it, though.

Trixie told Aura to stay close to her and slowly opened the door. As expected, there was no one inside. How could there be, when she had locked it with her magic? Still, she couldn’t shake the uneasiness that she was feeling. She could tell from Aura’s shivering body that the youngling was feeling the same way.

“‘Bout time you two got here,” a voice called out to them. The two immediately turned around to see a changeling enter the trailer. From the steel claws attached to its hooves, Trixie could tell that it was Shark. “You morons just had ta take the long way, didn’t ya?”

Aura quickly retreated to the back of the trailer, whilst Trixie stood between the two changelings, staring Shark down with a deathly glare. “Get out. Now.”

“Hey now, is that really ok?” Shark asked, letting out a quiet laugh. “After all, now that Razor’s seen your face, there’s no doubt he’s gonna come after ya, and you won’t get lucky a second time with him… and to be perfectly honest, I don’t think I can defeat him on my own, either.”

“What’s your point?”

“Man, you’re dumb,” Shark said bluntly, aggravating Trixie even more. “Basically, I’m suggesting we stick together. You watch my back, I watch yours. That simple enough for ya?”

Trixie didn’t lower her guard for even a single second, and gathered some magical energy into her horn. “And how does Trixie know you won’t stab her in the back?”

“Oh come on, think about it. If I kill you, I’ll still be killed by Chrysalis’ assassin. And to kill said assassin…” Shark turned his head to hide his embarrassment as he spat out the rest of his sentence. “… I need your help.”

“Trixie’s not interested,” Trixie said sternly as her horn continued to glow. “Go away.”

“Wait, Miss Trixie,” Aura called out from behind Trixie. Trixie didn’t take her eyes off of Shark, but saw Aura walk up next to her from the corner of her eye. “Shark knows the enemy better than either of us. I think it would be wise to accept his offer.”

“But-”

“Maybe we should continue this conversation on the road,” Shark suggested, opening the door slightly to look outside. “Razor’s probably gone back to looking for us again. We need ta keep moving if we don’t wanna wind up dead.”

Trixie looked at Aura, who was staring right back at Trixie, her eyes filled with a fire that wasn’t present mere minutes ago despite still trembling in the same fear that seemed to dominate them. She then looked back at Shark, who had taken a seat on Trixie’s bed, apparently determined to stick with them for the time being. Trixie let out a loud groan and then made her way towards the door of her trailer. “Fine! You can stay for now! But, Trixie wants a proper talk with you later, to determine whether or not she can really trust you!”

“Fair enough,” Shark said, falling onto his back and placing his forehooves under his head as a makeshift pillow. “But for now, sleep.”

Aura turned to Shark, still wanting to continue her conversation with him. However, when the sounds of snoring started to escape from his mouth, Aura sighed and climbed onto the other side of the bed, curling up into a small black ball. “Fine, we’ll talk tomorrow…”


Shining Armor opened the doors to the throne room with his magic and led his captive forward, stopping a short distance away from the throne where Princess Luna was seated, looking down at the captain. Shining Armor saluted his princess before moving aside to reveal a changeling tagging along behind him. The changeling’s forehooves and hind hooves had been shackled, his wings had been covered by a saddle that locked onto his by a chain, and a ring had been placed over his horn.

“Report, Captain,” Luna ordered.

Shining Armor nodded and turned to face the changeling. “This changeling was caught sneaking into Canterlot-”

“Entering casually,” the changeling corrected.

“… Entering Canterlot earlier today. He requested an audience with Princess Celestia, claiming to be here to negotiate peace with Equestria.” Shining Armor turned back to the princess. “As a safety precaution, we bound his wings, magic, and hooves before bringing him here.”

Luna nodded and then turned to face the changeling. “Speak, Changeling. What is thy name?”

The changeling smiled kindly at the princess and bowed respectfully, or as best as he could mange whilst in his shackles. “My name is Prince Odysseus, Your Majesty. I am the fourth offspring and second Prince of Her Royal Highness, Queen Chrysalis.” Odysseus rose up again, his smile still plastered on his face. “It is an honour, Princess Luna.”

Next Chapter: Chapter 6 Estimated time remaining: 5 Hours, 42 Minutes
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