My Little Pony: Lion Heart Princess: Donut's Secret War

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.