Chapter 1 - When Spirits Break
The foul Changelings had infiltrated almost every corner of the Pointyplot Empire. Battles raged in the streets. Ponies fled for their safety, but everypony they encountered that they thought they could trust turned out to be a Changeling in disguise.
"Truly," murmured Princess Donut, watching the chaos below, "these are the times when spirits break."
The Pointyplot ponies below gazed up to see the reassuring sight of their leader, Princess Donut, wings outstretched, flying overhead. The Princess's magenta coat reflected off every shiny surface, perfectly complimented by her flowing, red and black striped mane. She wore black metal boots, a black necklace and a black crown, in memory of her late parents. The crown sported a large red gem, symbolizing the Princess's deep emotional devotion to her subjects. Her cutie mark of a pink frosted donut glistened as she spun through the air. The Princess's heterochromic eyes, one an earthy green and the other a lovely sky blue, scanned for threats around her. Many assumed her heterochromia was genetic. She didn't have the heart to tell them otherwise. Her horns glistened as she fired off spells to aid her people below. Yes, horns. As a Pointyplot pony, she had two: a horn on her head and a horn on her rear end, where a lesser pony's tail would be. The tail horn allowed her to use two types of magic at once, or amplify her magical ability greatly. The magic of the Pointyplot Ponies rivaled that of even Alicorns. This was the cause of much jealousy on the part of the Alicorns, but since the Pointyplot Ponies were instrumental in the construction of the Elements of Harmony, the jealousy remains largely suppressed.
Princess Donut flew past the orphanage where she normally delivered her daily shipment of donuts. There were no donuts today, however. Most of the children left inside were probably Changelings anyway. She flew on, shedding a tear for the poor orphans. Her strong wings caught the wind perfectly, allowing her to quickly climb skyward. The two Changelings pursuing her followed suit. Princess Donut grinned. They had fallen right into her trap. She kicked her hind legs forward, aiming her rump horn straight at her pursuers. A quick blast of magic is all it took to fry their wings. The Changelings realized their folly too late and screamed as they plummeted to the ground.
Another pair of Changelings charged. The Pointyplot Princess was not scared, however. She quickly dispatched them by grabbing one with her magic and impaling him on his wing-pony's horn. The jagged Changeling horn stuck fast, and the pair tumbled out of control, splatting against the side of the Pointy Palace, a building consisting of twin giant spires rising out of the center of Pointopia.
Princess Donut pitched towards the towers, diving between them. An entire flock of Changelings gave chase, unaware that they were being funneled by the two spires towards the fountain that lay between them. The Princess splashed down in the fountain's reflecting pool and quickly charged both horns, feeding her magical energy into the large fountain. Before the Changelings could react, an arc of magical energy surged forth from the fountainhead, streaking up between the towers. Every Changeling in its path was bisected, and as it reached the tops of the tower, it exploded radially, slicing up several more groups of Changelings unlucky enough to be in its path.
Princess Donut stood in the cool, fetlock-deep water and gazed upward at the darkening sky as Changeling parts rained down around her.
"How did it all come to this?" the Princess wondered aloud.
Months ago, far north of Pointopia, a wedding was taking place in Canterlot. This was no ordinary wedding, however. This was the Royal Wedding between Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and her husband, Shining Armor. But something was amiss during this happy occasion. The bride was not who she was meant to be. The evil queen of the Changelings, Queen Chrysalis, had attempted to impersonate Cadance as her first step to a full scale invasion of Canterlot. As her plans came crashing down around her, Chrysalis found herself blasted out the window atop an ever-growing magical sphere. The entire Changeling army found itself tumbling at near sonic-rainboom speeds southward. They passed over a desert, above a forest, over the Equestrian border line and crashing down outside a small hamlet named Hayvana, one of the northern reaches of the Pointy Empire.
Realizing her Canterlot full-frontal assault plan was flawed, Chrysalis began another, this one dripping in subterfuge. Hay-vana only had a population of a few dozen ponies. Five Changelings infiltrated the town under the guise of being tourists. Every night, they would abduct one house's worth of townsponies, replacing them with Changeling spies. It wasn't long until they controlled the entire town.
From there, the Changeling plague spread from town to town, hitting increasingly larger cities. Running low on numbers, the Changelings realized they need not abduct every single pony, just enough to maintain dominance. The secret theft of the Pointy cities went unnoticed for a few more weeks. Then, reports from the northern towns of strange goings-on finally led the Pointyplot Intelligence Agency to put two and two together. Students in Jahayca not knowing the Pointyplot Pledge of Prosperity. The town baker in Hayvana suddenly being unable to produce her Empire-famous banana-creme donuts. Mail delivery ponies in Hayti, a confusingly laid out city, no longer being able to follow their routes. News of the Changeling attack on Canterlot was the last piece in the puzzle. The Pointyplots had a Changeling infestation, and their first step was to contain it. A military perimeter was established around the affected towns. Princess Donut pledged her support for the besieged settlements through a megaphone as she flew over, promising, should any non-Changelings be left in the town, that the Changelings took their prey alive, and that the Provincial Pointyplot Army will find them and free them as soon as possible.
One sunny morning, Princess Donut alighted on the large balcony outside the Pointopian orphanage, her front horn bearing as many donuts as it possibly could carry. She pushed the massive, ornate wooden doors open and greeted the orphans inside. Her horns lit up, levitating a donut to each filly and colt. The children gobbled the donuts down with childlike enthusiasm, and Princess Donut smiled at their innocence.
"Princess," spoke a young colt, "We love seeing you every day, and we especially love the donuts you bring us, but don't you have more important things to do than to visit us orphans?"
"No, my little Pointyplot pony," Princess Donut giggled. "Visiting you all is the most important thing I do all day! I love to see the smiles on your faces. Not many know this, but I am an orphan myself."
The fillies and colts gasped, their eyes starting to water because of their Princess's sad story.
"Yes, it is true," sighed the pretty pink Princess, beginning to tear up a bit herself now that she was remembering her parents.
Her mother had been a nag, always demanding her daughter to be better while offering little help. Donut had tried to hard to please her, and time and again had failed. Her mother would only ever punish her with disapproving looks and lectures. Donut's father was much worse. Yes, Princess Donut's father, King Cruller, was very cruel indeed. He drank heavily, and when he didn't get his way, he'd take it out on his wife and daughter. To this day, Princess Donut has panic attacks whenever she hears the crack of a whip. It is why whips have been outlawed in all of the Pointy Empire for nearly a thousand years.
"But you little orphans do not know how lucky you are," murmured the Princess as tears streaked down her face. "Sometimes, it is better to have no parents at all."
The foals began to sob loudly.
"No, no, please do not cry, children!" The Princess implored. "One day, each and every one of you will have loving families that care for you! Just you wait!"
That seemed to calm their spirits. Satisfied, she took to the air and departed for the Pointy Palace. As she flew, she made a mental list of what she planned to do that day. First order of business was to visit the Royal Court. Perhaps that visiting guard from Equestria would be there. Flash Sentry had brought the news of the Changeling invasion of Canterlot, and Princess Donut was so enamored with him that she bid him stay on vacation in Pointopia for a few weeks. The pair had dined together every night since, and Princess Donut was very happy with him. Perhaps she would even ask him to be her very special somepony! These thoughts died in her head as soon as she burst through the door to her Court to see that she was already there.
The other Princess Donut turned to face the intruder.
"A Changeling in the Palace!" cried the fake Princess Donut. "What a pitiful attempt at subterfuge. Guards!"
Princess Donut's eyes widened in fear as her evil doppleganger's eyes blinked green. Around half of the guards' eyes in the room flashed the same color green. The rest, Princess Donut surmised, were already replaced by Changelings. Her heart fell as Flash Sentry's eyes blinked green as well.
"Guards," Flash Sentry commanded in an enthusiastic monotone. "Kill the impostor!"
Princess Donut dove through the nearest window and out onto the spiral balcony wrapping around the Pointy Palace. An alarm was raised as she escaped, calling all guards in to attack. Princess Donut ran as fast as she could, drawing her magical blade Nightshade from the gem in her crown. A guard charged her, but she dispatched him quickly by hurling him over the balcony's railing with her magic. He bounced off a store awning below, collapsing dazed but unharmed into a basket of laundry that had been placed nearby. Two more guards attacked. Princess Donut struck at one with Nightshade, decapitating him in one slice. The green blood that spurted from the neck stump confirmed her first Changeling kill. The Changeling corpse landed on the other guard, pinning him to the ground. Princess Donut leaped over the two and over the railing, using her wings to glide to the top of the building across the street. Guards had been posted on nearly every rooftop, however, so Princess Donut had to fight her way through the city.
The guard on the rooftop she had just landed on drew his sword. She parried his blow, and, using her tail magic, swept his feet from under him. He clattered to the ground. She leaped to the next roof. Two more guards leaped to the roof to join her. She swatted the one upside the head with the flat of Nightshade, knocking him towards the other. His companion stumbled to catch the falling guard, and got Nightshade in the face for his trouble. The guard's exterior dissolved into that of a Changeling as Princess Donut withdrew the blade. Five more guards leaped across the gap between the buildings. Princess Donut conjured a temporary magical barrier between them and the roof they were leaping towards. All five collided with it and tumbled into the street below. Two of the guards, normal Pointyplot ponies, landed safely in well-placed hay carts. The other three splattered on the ground, revealing mangled Changeling corpses.
Across town, Princess Donut caught sight of an airship. The crew had begun casting off. This was her opportunity. With Nightshade held out in front of her, pointing the way to go, she leaped from building to building. A guard landed right in front of her, blade already in mid-swing. Nightshade blocked admirably, but was knocked out of Princess Donut's magical grasp. She gasped as the magical blade scraped and bounced along the rooftop, sliding off the edge. The heart-red gem on the Princess's crown glowed and recalled Nightshade, which turned into a red mist and disappeared into the gem. Princess Donut let out a frustrated growl. She grabbed the guard's own sword with her magic and bent it back around, impaling the guard in the face. The unfortunate Changeling howled and dropped his disguise before collapsing on the rooftop. Two more guards fell out of the sky. Princess Donut caught them both with her magic, flinging one off the roof for a safe splash-down in a pond. The second found himself slammed face-first into the roof and reverted to his normal Changeling appearance. As the Changeling staggered around in front of her, Princess Donut drew Nightshade from her crown again and put him out of his misery.
Only a few blocks remained between the Princess and the airport. She leaped across the street. A guard on the other side hurled himself at her in an attempt to knock her down to street level. Princess Donut spun in mid-air and bucked the guard aside, sending him crashing into another awning. This did reduce her momentum slightly, and she barely made it to the other roof. Another pair of guards leaped to the roof to stop her. She brushed one off the roof with the flat of Nightshade's blade. The other, however, turned out to be a competent swordspony. Princess Donut struck first, but found her blow blocked by the baddie's blade. He returned in kind, forcing the Princess to give up ground. The pair matched blow-for-blow as the guard pushed Princess Donut back towards the edge of the roof. The rest of the chasing guards stopped in their tracks to watch the display of supreme sword skill. Cornered, Princess Donut realized where she was. This was the roof of one of the city's most prominent blacksmiths. Thinking quickly, she sliced the cap off the nearby chimney and shoved her attacker's head down it. The blast furnace below roared, but not loud enough to cover the sound of the Changeling's screams. The pony's lifetime of sword fighting experience had amounted to naught. Moments later, the screaming mercifully stopped and the body of the Changeling slumped away from the chimney, only to reveal that the foul creature's head had been baked in the form of the guard it was imitating. Princess Donut regarded the grotesque corpse.
"Eww, nasty," she deadpanned.
The guards watching the display all had their mouths hanging open in shock. The Princess took this opportunity to get in a pre-emptive strike on the few remaining guards in her path. Before the group of guards on the next roof could react, she landed in the middle of them. A quick buck knocked one of them off the roof and onto the back of a passing Changeling on the street below, killing the Changeling but allowing the guard to escape unharmed. Nightshade sang as it cut through the air, slicing through the rest of the guards' throats. They all reverted to Changeling form, gasping for breath as they choked on their own blood. Princess Donut dropped her hold on Nightshade, allowing it to return to her crown. She took off running, hopping to the last few buildings between her and escape.
As the airship cast off the last line, the Pointyplot Princess hurled herself towards it in a blind leap of faith. She grabbed onto one of the dangling ropes. Turning, she gave a sarcastic salute to the pursuers that had gathered, menacingly shaking their weapons, on the building far behind her. She shimmied up the rope, then took flight. Alighting unseen atop the balloon, she hid herself just in case the airship's crew were under the same bewitching spell as her guards.
As the beauty of the Pointy Empire unfolded before her, Princess Donut silently wept for her nation.
"Mr. Seeker," said Captain Clear Skies, "please conduct a fly-around inspection of the ship. These sorts of things are standard procedure, you know."
Seventh Seeker saluted and took to the sky, slowly circling the hull of the vessel. His keen eyes examined every nook and outcrop along the ship's weathered hull. Every crate, rope and hatch on the deck were scanned by his discerning gaze. Finally, he flew above the level of the balloon, and came face-to-face with a very surprised Princess. Princess Donut yelped in surprise and leaped over the side, gliding down to the deck. Seventh Seeker gave chase and landed right behind her.
"Captain!" he announced. "I found a stowaway atop the balloon!"
"That's the Princess!" retorted the Captain.
"No, it's a Changeling impostor!" yelled another crew member.
"Kill her!" screamed a fourth.
Princess Donut gasped and drew Nightshade. "I do not wish to harm you," she declared, getting into a defensive stance, "but I will defend myself!"
The sight of Nightshade proved her identity. "Stand down!" ordered the Captain.
Half the crew did not obey him. The two vocal crew members drew their swords and pounced. She parried the first pony's strike, but ducked the other, leaving the attacking pony to impale himself on her strong front horn. The Changeling screamed in agony as it reverted back to its normal form, stuck fast on Princess Donut's horn. He screamed again, this time in fear, as another hostile crew member leveled his musket at the Princess. A bang resounded around the deck, launching a musket ball straight into the head of the unfortunate Changeling impaled on Princess Donut's horn, the Princess herself having ducked out of the line of fire. The impaled Changeling did not die from the shot, however. His agony was prolonged until his colleague made another swing at the Princess with his sword. Again, she dodged out of the way, but not far enough for the poor, suffering Changeling on her face. The Changeling's severed head splattered on the deck. Seventh Seeker saw his chance and charged the Princess from behind. She tossed her head back, flinging the dead Changeling from her horn and into the face of Seventh Seeker, who tripped and tumbled on the deck, ending up pinned under the headless corpse. With one quick slice, Nightshade separated the front of the attacking crew member's torso from his back half, sending another Changeling corpse to the deck.
"We've got a Changeling mutiny on our hands!" cried the Captain, seconds before a Changeling hoof rammed itself into his muzzle.
This sent the rest of the crew into a frenzy. Crew members turned on each other, immediately coming to blows. Swords were drawn, pistols were drawn, and chaos ensued. The musketeer finished reloading his gun and took careful aim at Princess Donut again. She saw this, and, grabbing his weapon with her magic, quickly turned the gun around and fired. The musket ball exploded out the back of the Changeling's head, causing him to stumble back and tumble overboard. A few more crew members, still confused over the identity of their Princess, charged her. She swatted one upside the head with the butt of the musket, rendering him unconscious. The deck cannons glowed, one glowing green to match that of the Princess's tail horn, and the other glowing blue to match that of her fore horn. The two cannons were brought to bear against the Princess's last two attackers. One blast hit a Changeling straight in the barrel, knocking the wounded creature overboard to fall to his death. The other cannonball caved in another Changeling's head. The unfortunate creature grabbed at his new iron noggin with his fore hooves before collapsing in a heap on the deck.
At this point, most of the crew had dealt with the attacking Changelings. The remaining few were dispatched and lay in the many pools of green blood running along the deck. Princess Donut surveyed the aftermath of the carnage and was helping a few unconscious and injured crew members to their feet when a realization struck her.
"Where is the Captain?" she cried.
The crew looked around in a panic. Princess Donut took charge and lead them down below decks. There, in the cargo hold, Captain Clear Skies was fighting a doppleganger of himself.
"About time!" said one of the Captains.
"Yes, get this brute off me!" called the other.
The two rolled to a stop and stood, facing each other.
"I'm the real Captain here, this one is an impostor!"
"Don't believe his lies!"
Princess Donut slowly approached, wielding Nightshade. The magical blade glowed in the darkness of the hold, casting intense shadows on the Princess's determined face.
"Captain," she murmured, raising Nightshade to strike, "forgive me."
She brought Nightshade down in a quick slice, carving off a piece of one of the stunned Captains' cutie marks. The injured pony screamed in pain, reverting to Changeling form. Princess Donut quickly brought Nightshade around, slicing through the horrid creature's throat and leaving it to bleed out on the floor. The Captain sighed in relief.
"Thank you for your help, Princess," he said. "We owe you our lives."
"Think nothing of it," elegantly replied the Princess, allowing Nightshade to return to the gem in her crown. "But I do require passage to the large Provincial Pointyplot Army Base near Rio-hay-Janeiro with all haste."
"We would be happy to take you there, my Princess," intoned the Captain. "Since we lost half our crew, our Southward progress will be slowed, but we should be able to make Rio-hay-Janeiro by tomorrow morning."
"That will have to do," nodded the Princess. "Thank you, my little Pointyplot pony."
"You are most welcome, milady," replied the Captain. "Welcome aboard the PPS Star Catcher."
Captain Clear Skies bowed and motioned for his crew to return to work. He led Princess Donut on a tour of the ship, ending back on the deck. The Princess was happy to see the deck much cleaner than it had been when she left it. All of the Changeling blood had been mopped up, and the carcasses thrown overboard. She gazed over the side as the Captain checked with the navigator to make sure all necessary course corrections had been made. Pointopia was a faint dot on the horizon at this point, barely visible at all. Between her and her Palace lay the farms, forests, hills, valleys, streams, rivers and a few towns of the great Pointy Empire. In stark contrast to her day, the land stretched out before her looked so peaceful. She regarded the few dotted towns below, recognizing them to be Monterhay, Haynosa and Hayduras. Tears dripped from her eyes as she wondered if there were Changelings infiltrating those towns too, breaking up families and sowing confusion and contempt.
As the sun began to set, the Captain approached Princess Donut and spoke to her, finally breaking her out of her introspection.
"You look tired, milady," he observed. "Perhaps you would like to retire for the evening?"
"That would be wonderful," replied the Princess, blinking the tears from her eyes. "I have had quite a rough day."
"You may have my quarters," bowed the Captain. He lead her below decks and set her up in his quarters at the stern of the mighty airship. She bid him good evening and collapsed on the bed, falling asleep almost instantly.
Princess Donut stirred in the middle of the night. Her ears pricked up, detecting that something was amiss, and her eyes popped open. Without moving, she glanced around the room. The compass hanging on the wall that had been pointing almost due South when she had gone to sleep was now pointing North.
"What..." she began, but before she could utter any more words, a pony pounced on top of her.
He pressed his body against hers, pinning her wings to her sides and her legs to the bed. She could barely make out the face of Captain Clear Skies in the darkness, a triumphant sneer on his face. She felt his hot breath on her cheek as he laughed, then felt the cold steel of a dagger press against her neck. Her eyes snapped over to her crown that was sitting on the table beside her bed, but the Captain quickly followed her gaze and with a burst of green magic, knocked the crown to the floor and out of sight. Her terrified eyes stared up into his.
"Sorry, Princess," he smiled, "but you're not going to make it to Rio-hay-Janeiro."
Chapter 2 - The Curse of Empathy
Cruel King Cruller sat on his throne as the adorable filly Princess Donut snuck into the room. A well-worn Army captain addressed him.
"Sir, we are poised to invade Chilhay," he saluted. "The indigenous population of Zebra will not be able to repel us. I foresee us taking the entire province in a few months."
"Excellent," replied the King. "You have my orders. Tomorrow morning, you are to start the invasion."
"Sir, " the captain wavered. "I must again protest this invasion. The Zebra are peaceful, and we do not require the land..."
"We are an Empire, empires must expand!" the King shouted, silencing the poor soldier with a crack from his whip. "After we have conquered and settled the Zebra lands, we can raise a larger army. Then we can set our sights on bigger prey. Equestria, perhaps. Reclaim our stolen Elements of Harmony."
"S-sir," the soldier stammered, "you promised them that if they defeated Discord, they could keep their half of the Elements that they recovered!"
"Nevertheless, Celestia and Luna are a threat to our livelihood," grunted King Cruller. "They invaded the Crystal Empire and captured King Sombra last year, remember? They claimed to be 'liberators,' but the entire city was wiped out! Some liberation. We should strike them first before they decide to do the same thing to me."
"Inadvisable, sir," retorted the captain. "Intel indicates they have moved their capital to the much more defensible old Unicorn city of Canterlot, which is also much closer to the floating military base they're building, which I believe is named 'Cloudsdale.' I advise we maintain our peaceful relationship with Equestria."
"Very well, we will stay at peace with our 'friends' to the North," sighed the King. "For now. Now, leave us and prepare for the invasion of Chilhay!"
The old captain bowed and ran from the throne room. The little Princess scurried from her hiding place.
"Daddy!" she called. "You cannot harm the Zebra, you just cannot! They have not done anything to us!"
"They are in our way," grumbled the King, tired of his daughter's outspokenness. "We can do whatever we wish."
"But would you not feel bad if they did it to us?" chided the filly. "Put yourself in their horseshoes!"
"I do not suffer from the curse of empathy like you do, child. When you're grown you will understand. The Zebra are evil and must be destroyed!"
"No, they are not evil!" Little Princess Donut held up a small hoof-stitched Zebra doll. "Look at this doll I made, daddy! The Zebra are beautiful!"
The King levitated the doll from his daughter's grasp and inspected it. He let out a loud snort of disapproval and chucked the thing into the nearby lit fireplace. The filly squeaked in horror as the flames consumed her work. She stared into the fire as the Zebra doll turned to ash, sobbing softly. True to his word, her father stared down at his daughter with nothing but contempt for her compassion.
"Sugar Sprinkles," King Cruller called to his long-suffering wife. "Come deal with our daughter."
Hearing him speak, the young Princess Donut turned to face her father, staring up at him with her tear-soaked, innocent, bright blue eyes.
Princess Donut's heterochromic blue and green eyes gazed into the harsh green eyes of the Changeling that stood atop her, holding a dagger to her throat.
"Any last words, Princess?" chuckled the evil being.
The Princess narrowed her eyes at her attacker. He didn't notice her back horn start to glow.
"Yes."
Sensing something was amiss, the Changeling attempted to plunge the dagger into the Princess's flesh, only to discover it was no longer his green magical aura around the weapon, but hers. The horn atop her head glowed blue and lifted the Changeling into the air. The Princess turned herself to completely face the Changeling over her head.
"What is your plan!?" demanded Princess Donut. "You already hold Pointopia, what is the point in continuing?"
The Changeling laughed. "We seek the total conquest of the Pointyplot breed. We are the Changeling Empire, we must expand. After we have conquered and subjugated the Pointyplot Ponies, we can feed off all of you and grow a bigger army. Then we can set our sights on bigger prey. Equestria, perhaps."
Princess Donut's eyes widened in shock.
"Besides, the Ponty Empire is ours by right."
"Whose right?"
"The Queen's."
"What do you mean!?" snarled the Princess.
The Changeling above her could only laugh, and laugh he did. He smiled so wide his entire fangs were bared. His cruel laughter pierced the Princess down to her heart, chilling her to the bone. She demanded silence, but he would not comply. After repeated demands were ignored, she plunged the dagger into the vile creature's open mouth. Her silence was won after a minor gagging and choking fit. She threw the Changeling corpse to the ground and rose to her hooves.
On the deck above, Princess Donut addressed Seventh Seeker, the PPS Star Catcher's first mate.
"The Captain has gone missing!" she announced. "I was just attacked by a Changeling that wore his face!"
Seventh Seeker panicked. He ordered the crew on deck to begin to search the ship, stem to stern. The search was cut short, however, when Princess Donut heard a banging inside one of the crates on the ship's deck. She found a crowbar and pried the lid off, ready to strike whatever may be inside. As the lid swung open, a bound and gagged Captain Clear Skies was revealed.
"Captain!" she shouted, relieved.
She took the Captain's dagger from his belt and used it to slice the ropes binding him, taking care to knick his hide in the process.
"Yeeouch!" he screamed.
Princess Donut was relieved to see that he did not change form.
"Forgive me Captain, but now we know that it is indeed you." She hugged the poor Captain and hauled him out of his crate prison. "What is meant to be in these crates anyway?"
"Not sure," replied Seventh Seeker. "It's a shipment meant for the southern cities."
"Just to make sure, let us take a look, shall we?"
The Princess did not wait for an answer before advancing on the nearest crate with her crowbar. She gingerly pried up the lid, knocking it open to reveal a surprised Changeling inside. He rose to his hind legs and hissed in alarm before she could silence him by jamming the pointy end of the crowbar into his throat. Suddenly, nearly all the crates aboard the deck and all through the cargo hold burst open, each one revealing an angry Changeling all ready to attack. The Princess reached for Nightshade, but to her shock realized that her crown was not atop her head, but back in her quarters where she had left it. She defensively raised the crowbar as the tiny crew prepared to fight to the last pony.
A few brave Changelings pounced first, only to be bashed across the face with a crowbar and knocked overboard. The rest of the attacking horde held back, and then, as if by some hive-minded agreement, all transformed at once into a spitting image of everypony's preferred powerful pink Pointyplot Princess. They charged the crew as one and chaos ensued. The crack of a few muskets firing echoed across the deck as green blood sprayed anew. The Princess bashed the front horn off her nearest doppleganger, launching it into the eye socket of the comrade standing next to him. A pair of hooves landed on her back, causing her to instinctively buck them away. As her rear hooves caved in an attacker's barrel, her rear horn slashed the throat of another. Another one of her evil twins lashed at her with bared fangs. She caught the foul beast's mouth with her crowbar and twisted it, breaking his jaw and knocking out most of his teeth. She stabbed him through the mouth with the pointy end as a send-off. In an attempt to dodge a thrust by a few opponents, she stumbled over the Changeling corpses at her feet and rolled into the remains of one of the crates, knocking it the rest of the way apart with a loud wooden crack. As the Princess scrambled to her feet, Seventh Seeker, his attention drawn by the calamitous crash of the cracking crate, steadied his musket at the creature he thought had just broken out of it. Princess Donut screamed, closing her eyes and holding out her crowbar as her only possible piece of cover. The gun went bang. The shot ricocheted off the crowbar, through the head of an attacker and lodged itself in the brain of another, sending both Changeling corpses down for the count. Seventh Seeker saw his folly and was about to call out an apology to his Princess, but was forced to wheel around and stab a false Pointyplot with his musket's bayonet, and so lost his opportunity. The real Princess brought her crowbar to bear on her attackers in a sine wave pattern, breaking and dismembering their wings. She then swept them all off the deck with her magic, taking their screams of terror as confirmation that they had fallen to their deaths.
More Changelings swarmed out of the hold, these taking the form of crew members. The deck cannons were loaded with grape shot and brought to bear on the hold, each blast peppering the deck with Changeling blood and corpses. Between shots, Captain Clear Skies, his dagger stuck fast in the third Changeling corpse he had killed, charged the oncoming horde and bucked them with his strong hooves, knocking them back into the line of fire. Silver Seeker and the other crew members picked off any one that broke free with muskets and swords. The Changelings started hurling the bodies of their fallen comrades as projectile weapons, striking the Captain and some of the crew. Princess Donut caught a few cadavers that had been hurled her way and returned fire, hoping the sound of cracking of carapaces reporting from the impact zone were from live Changelings. The Captain rolled to his feet and bucked a charging Changeling into the air, serving him up like a clay pigeon for Seventh Seeker's raised musket. The shot sounded and green blood splattered the deck as the dying Changeling spiraled overboard. The cannons fired again as a new wave of Changelings fresh from the hold gained more holes in their bodies than they were prepared to deal with.
Finally, the flow of Changelings ebbed. The crew grabbed their shovels and prepared to dig out the massive clump of collapsed Changeling cadavers. The Captain looked around.
"Where's the Princess?" he yelped in distress.
The crew looked around and found the Princess embroiled in a battle with herself near the bow. Princess Donut and her doppleganger stared each other down, each magically gripping an end of the crowbar. The first Princess threw herself headfirst at the second, who drew back, allowing the first to land unceremoniously on the deck. The second Princess kicked the first hard in the side of the head, causing her opponent to bellow in pain and spit out a few teeth. As the Pointyplot with fewer teeth staggered to her hooves, her opponent whirled around, smashing the side of her outstretched hoof into the previously pained pony Princess's shoulder. The first Princess reeled from the blow and attempted to counter with a strike from the crowbar, which slipped from both ponies' magical grasp and slid towards the bowsprit, stopping itself against the rail with a loud clang. The second Princess took her opportunity and delivered a vicious hook to her opponent's jaw, scattering more blood and teeth. As the mostly toothless pony staggered backwards, she side-stepped her opponent's attempt to grapple her. The bloody-mouthed pony struck back with an uppercut, but its target dodged it with ease. The healthy second Princess kicked her clone's legs out from under her, sending her crashing down hard to the deck with a shout of pain. In a last-ditch effort, the downed Princess lunged for the other Princess Donut's face. Her opponent blocked the lunge, grabbed her leg, and head-butted the bloodied Princess for good measure. Outmatched, the bleeding, toothless Princess Donut collapsed to the deck. The other Princess grabbed the crowbar with her magic and held it over the incapacitated pony's head. With a shout of rage form the standing Princess, the crowbar was bashed down on her victim again and again. The creature taking the beating let out more and more pained grunts and groans before finally reverting to Changeling form and passing out. The beating continued until the body stopped twitching. Swatting the corpse overboard, Princess Donut stood triumphant. Tears began to run down her face as the weight of the battle and what she had just done finally overcame her. The pony embodying the hope of the Pointy Empire threw herself upon the blood-soaked deck and sobbed her eyes out. Seventh Seeker slowly approached, intending to give comfort. He was held back by a hoof on his shoulder.
"Let her cry," the Captain said softly. "Sometimes, a mare just needs to cry."
The Princess's sobs trailed off, but she did not raise her head. Seventh Seeker slowly approached. His ears pricked up and caught the tail end of his Princess reciting an ancient Pointyplot prayer of strength.
"Sacra pistrinum," the Princess intoned. "Sit panem oriatur. Scilis sapit bonum ad mundum, scilis sapit bonum mihi."
Princess Donut nodded, wiped the tears from her eyes and rose to her feet.
"No," she spoke. "I will not let the world beat me down. I am Princess Donut, ruler of the Pointy Empire, and I will not allow this Changeling invasion to stand. While I draw breath, I will work to send each and every one of these Changelings to the pits of Tartarus where they belong."
She lofted the crowbar skyward as if it were the sword of truth itself. "While I remain a free mare, I am the best hope of my nation!"
The magenta Princess regarded her weapon. "This humble crowbar has served me well," she announced. "Mighty mote of metal, I hereby christen thee Freemare! May the mighty clang of your heavy blow strike fear into the black hearts of all whom would harm my little ponies!"
The assembled crew cried "huzzah!" and whooped in approval, glad to see their Princess on her feet and fighting fresh.
"Captain!" shouted Princess Donut. "What say we search the Star Catcher stem to stern and cleanse her of any remaining Changelings?"
Captain Clear Skies saluted in agreement. "Ok colts, you heard the Princess. Buddy up and check the ship in pairs. Seventh Seeker and Mizzenmast, check the balloon. Fortnight and Half Mast, check the outside of the hull. You others, go below and rouse the rest of the crew. I'm staying with the Princess and we'll check the deck. Go!"
Half Mast and Fortnight dove overboard and began their spiral circuit of the ship. Seventh Seeker and Mizzenmast ascended to the balloon. Changeling corpses were hurled overboard in small groups as Princess Donut and Captain Clear Skies searched every inch of the deck, clearing a path through the remains of the last battle. As Freemare cracked open the last remaining crate to reveal only apples within, the two other patrols landed on the deck.
"We found one Changeling," reported Fortnight. "It had gotten snagged on the rudder and was trying to get its wing free."
"We took care of it," reassured Half Mast, drawing his hoof across his throat.
"The balloon is clear," Mizzenmast stated.
"I even checked the inside," wheezed Seventh Seeker, his voice a few octaves higher.
Princess Donut giggled.
"Where's the rest of the crew?" asked the Captain.
The six ponies' eyes rested on the hatch. Nopony had returned from below deck. The tiny party descended below to find out why. Seventh Seeker, having the best vision, went first. Every single candle and lantern had been snuffed out. As the darkness enveloped him, Seventh Seeker lit his horns. Black, gooey threads of Changeling webbing ran across and down the hallways. An eerie, faint glow shown out of the crew cabin. The scout pony motioned for the others to follow. They slowly crept along the hallway, their horns casting sharp shadows behind every surface. Seventh Seeker poked his head into the crew cabin and recoiled in shock. Inside, his fellow crew mates had been imprisoned where they slept in Changeling cocoons. Without thinking, he rapped loudly on one of the chrysalises. The crew members outside the casing cringed as the sound echoed around the ship's interior. The crew member inside opened his eyes, and after realizing his predicament, thrashed wildly to no avail. He pounded loudly against the sides of the cocoon in an attempt to break it open and free himself. Princess Donut bashed Freemare against the chrysalis, but to no avail. The terrified pony inside succumbed to the chemicals around him and passed out once more, leaving only the sound of dozens of skittering Changelings making their way towards our heroes. The remaining crew raised their weapons. Suddenly, the sound stopped. The ponies exchanged worried glances.
"Where did-" began Mizzenmast, before he screamed as he found his legs suddenly yanked from under him.
The crew turned to face the threat, but only saw Mizzenmast's horn light shining out from under one of the bunks, becoming steadily dimmer. His screams sounded further off, until, without warning, both the screaming and the light suddenly stopped. The Princess turned a worried eye to the Captain.
"They're using the ductwork!" called Captain Clear Skies. "Get out of close quarters! Into the hold!"
The five ponies poured back into the hallway. A few Changelings waiting for them. Freemare rang a resounding "ping!" as it broke a Changeling's jaw. A musket blast took care of the other, sending Half Mast tumbling backwards.
"Don't use a gun in such a confined space!" chided the Captain.
Half Mast didn't have a chance to respond. Two sets of Changeling hooves sprang from the floor vents, grabbing at the fallen stallion. They grabbed a leg each and both began to pull, fighting over which Changeling got to claim the screaming pony. Princess Donut sent Freemare crashing down hard on the nearest attacker's legs, shattering the bone inside. The legs' owner howled in pain and withdrew his ruined appendages, allowing the other set of hooves to drag Half Mast into his vent. The pony's light and voice were quickly snuffed out, as before. The Princess brandished Freemare and the four pushed on, beating and slashing any Changeling that got in their way. The ladder down into the hold loomed out of the darkness in front of them, surrounded by Changeling webbing. Fortnight bashed the webbing out of the way and quickly descended the ladder, only to be immediately overwhelmed by Changelings at its base. The last the ponies above heard of him was a quick shout before his light vanished. The Princess cast her light further down the ship's interior, recognizing the door that was illuminated at the end of the hall.
"The Captain's quarters!" she exclaimed. "My sword is within! Gentlecolts, we must retrieve it!"
Seventh Seeker nodded and lead the way, slashing through the thick black Changeling webbing like a jungle explorer. Princess Donut reached the door and opened it, darting into the room. Three Changelings were waiting within. One lunged at her, but she caught the creature's open mouth with Freemare. Seventh Seeker charged in, pinning another Changeling to the wall. The final Changeling advanced on the Princess. Captain Clear Skies reached for his flintlock pistol.
"Close your ears!" he commanded, raising the weapon.
One loud bang filled the room, accompanied with smoke. One lead ball filled the heads of three Changelings, but only temporarily, before it came to its final resting place in the Star Catcher's wooden hull. The Princess quickly shoved her hooves into her metallic shoes, pulled on her ceremonial black necklace, then reached for her-
"My crown!" she exclaimed, her eyes scanning the room. "It is not here! They must have taken it!"
"It'll be in the cargo hold then," sighed the Captain. "That's the only place we haven't been."
He headed back out the door, his first mate and his Princess in tow. Mercifully, there were no Changelings between them and the hatch down into the hold. Captain Clear Skies peered down into the darkness, readying his flintlock. Seventh Seeker pointed his musket into the opening as well. On the count of three, both of them fired. Seventh Seeker dove in first, stabbing his musket's bayonet into the heart of the Changeling that didn't have enough sense to die when he was shot. The Captain landed on the corpse of another Changeling, cracking its carapace. On the deck above, a pair of Changelings lunged out of their hiding places in the dark. Princess Donut smashed the first's head in with Freemare. The second slammed into her barrel, nearly knocking her down. She steadied herself by wheeling away from the blow, catching herself on her front hooves. She countered with a buck to the Changeling's jaw, her metal boots ensuring he'd never be able to eat solid food again. The unfortunate creature staggered backwards, dripping green blood from his mouth. Princess Donut put the Changeling out of his misery by spearing his brain through his eye socket with the claw end of Freemare. She pulled her trusty crowbar from the Changeling's skull and descended into the hold.
Clear Skies and Seventh Seeker were nowhere to be found. The Princess held Freemare aloft, bashing and prying at the chitinous Changeling webbing that permeated the hold, keeping everything dark, dank and dreary. A Changeling leaped out from behind a shattered web, instantly getting a crowbar to the throat for his trouble. He collapsed, coughing, wheezing and grasping at his shattered neck, to the ground, never to rise again. More webbing crumbled away, and Princess Donut found herself face to face with Mizzenmast, who was now contained in a goo-filled chrysalis. His eyes were open and he stared back desperately. Freemare was brought to bear against the container, but the evil structure held fast. The Princess struck a few more times before she realized her efforts were useless. She sighed in frustration.
"Fear not," she whispered to the ensnared pony. "I promise you I shall get you out of there."
Mizzenmast's eyes widened and he stabbed his hoof against the clear surface in front of him. Princess Donut understood his meaning and ducked, whirling around to face the threat. A magical blade sliced through the chrysalis wall like it was nothing, exactly at the height of the Princess's neck only seconds earlier. Though the Princess could dodge, Mizzenmast wasn't so lucky. His prison of slime eagerly sacrificed him to the blade. Princess Donut leaped to her feet, brandishing Freemane. She gasped and stopped short when she saw that the blade hovering next to her head was Nightshade. A poor facsimile of herself grinned in the darkness, stepping out of the shadows and into the eerie green glow.
"You stole my blade, you filthy creature, and now you are going to die." Princess Donut shouted.
"We shall see," replied the Changeling, not even bothering to use the Princess's voice.
The Changeling Princess lunged with Nightshade. Thinking quickly, the real Princess swung Freemare into Nightshade's path, and to both ponies' surprise, it held. Nightshade was raised again to strike. Seizing her opportunity, the Princess swatted her evil twin across the face with Freemare. She attempted to steal Nightshade away using her magic, but the other pony's hold on it was still too powerful. Nightshade struck again and Princess Donut rolled out of the way. Freemare clanged against Nightshade and found itself brushed aside, forcing the Princess to duck another swing. The foe faux Princess raised Nightshade high into the air for a killing blow. This time, Princess Donut aimed higher, swatting the crown from her enemy's head. Reaching out with her tail magic, the Princess grabbed her crown, even as she blocked another attack from Nightshade. As soon as the crown landed on her head, Nightshade realized its error and withdrew back into the crown's jewel. Princess Donut smiled at her disarmed adversary. The evil Princess hissed a curse before Freemane shut her up by uppercutting her in the jaw. As the Changeling's head snapped back, Nightshade, freshly pulled from its gem again, finished the job by severing the vile creature's head. Princess Donut stood, panting elegantly from her exertion. She turned back to find Mizzenmast lying beneath the slashed-open chrysalis in a pool of slowly reddening slime. He was passed out and bleeding from a wound across his muzzle. The Princess picked him up with her magic and cast a cure spell on him. Singing one of the songs she would sing to the orphans at the orphanage, she carried the poor pony up to the crew cabin and laid him down in an empty bed. Then, with Nightshade, she sliced open every Changeling chrysalis she could find. After all the crew was freed and the Changeling webbing was cleaned away, the Star Catcher was finally cleared of its infestation. Everypony aboard slept peacefully for the rest of the night.
Princess Donut arose in the morning to a light knocking on her cabin's door.
"M'lady," greeted the Captain. "We have arrived."
The Pointyplot Pony Princess ascended to the deck and gazed out over the majestic vista that is Rio-hay-Janeiro. She smiled as the sun rose over the beauty of her empire and prayed that the Changelings hadn't infiltrated this far. The PPS Star Catcher descended to moor at the sizable fort in the middle of the military base north of the city proper.
"Halt!" came a shout from below. "This is Colonel Haythan Giddyup, base commander! Under whose authorization do you land here?"
Princess Donut leaped over the side and swooped down to land on the ramparts below. "Mine."
"Hold it, Princess!" hollered the Colonel, drawing his rapier, Santiago. The soldiers around him snapped to attention, their swords still sheathed, but glowing with magic.
"Sorry, my lady," he barked, "but we've had a report of a Changeling impersonating you and we will need proof of your identity!"
Princess Donut drew Nightshade from her crown. "Is this proof enough?"
The Colonel advanced on her, raising Santiago into attack position. The assembled soldiers tensed as the swords drew nearer. Above, the crew of the PPS Star Catcher could only look on in shock.
"We'll find out," muttered the Colonel.
