I stood watch on top of the town’s lumber wall, lance in hoof and crossbow strapped across my back. The wall had been erected a few yards away from the first houses. It was built around an even older wall of granite from a bygone age. Every breath I took scratched at my throat. It was colder than any wintry season the weather teams could have hoped to create. The odd weather patterns of the Everfree ensured that it not only rained, but it also snowed—sometimes at the same time. Because of this, ground around the wall had been reduced to little more than a slurry mess of mud and half-frozen soil.
It had been two days since the manticores had been predicted to attack. From my vantage point on the wall, I could see the beasts gathering about half a mile away from the town in a small clearing near the main road. Every so often, I dared to peek through my spyglass to get a more detailed image. Every time, I saw them moving in what looked like formations.
That made no sense.
I stopped for a second and looked skyward. Thick black clouds still blotted out the sun. The atmosphere was starting to get to the other guards, most of which were unicorn and earth ponies. They weren’t as accustomed to the cold as pegasi were. At least it wasn’t raining yet.
I heard the sound of hooves coming up behind me. I turned around to meet Blitz. Rather than holding his spear out like he was supposed to, he had it strapped on his back, on top of his crossbow. I noticed he had bags under his eyes and looked paler than he should have. “Blitz, you okay?” I asked as I moved closer.
He smiled and nodded. “I just couldn’t sleep last night. Not with all that infernal roaring.”
I felt myself scowling. For two nights, the town had been assaulted by the manticore’s ear-splitting roars. Many ponies, like Blitz, had found it near impossible to sleep, so they hadn’t. After two days, it was starting to take its toll.
I gave my friend a pat on the shoulder and smiled. “Don’t worry, our shift’s almost over. You just try and get some rest then.”
“But the captain wanted us to watch Amber and Titus again,” Blitz replied.
“Weren’t they sent on another scouting mission under heavy guard?” I asked. Blitz nodded.
“Don’t you find that weird? He sends them out on scouting runs, yet he feels they can’t be trusted while in the main encampment?”
Blitz only gave a shake of his head. “Bonaparte, everything about this situation is weird: manticores not attacking, scouts going missing, and those infernal roars. It’s almost like the monsters are wearing us down.”
I nodded. Blitz sighed. I gave him another quick pat on shoulder and returned to my patrol route. Blitz hesitated at first, but turned around and went on his own.
An hour passed, and my replacements finally showed up. They too looked no better than Blitz or I did. I gave them a shake wave and jumped down from my position. Hitting the muddy soil caused a few drops of it to splash on my face, but I wiped them off quickly enough. I made my way to the rest of the garrisoned guards near the wall. Why we hadn’t settled into some of the houses near the town’s square was beyond me, but I guess being close to wall mean faster mobilization if and when those half-lion freaks decided to attack. Amber and Titus conversed with Rosovyy near an extinct campfire. Rosovyy had her axe holstered across her back, almost as if she expected to be thrust into combat at a moment’s notice.
“So, the rock farm’s been in your family for two generations?” I heard Amber ask Rosovyy as I approached the sitting trio. They had no tent set up yet despite the threat of a sudden downpour or blizzard.
Rosovyy nodded. “Da. My family originally hailed from Stalliongrad. We moved here after ancestor ran afoul of some of the seedier elements of city. He was rough stallion, so he started the farm.”
“Not to sound like an ass or anything, but your farm seems to have seen better days.” A meek smile formed on Amber’s lips. Titus gave her a jab of his elbow. She yelped before glaring at him. “What was that for?!”
Titus glared back at her. “I wouldn’t go complaining about Rosovyy’s farm if I was you. I have seen your ancestral home, and it’s an even sorrier mess.” He smirked and pointed a hoof at me. “Besides, we at least had our own room to sleep in. Bonaparte and Blitz had to share the living room.”
I turned to the side and spotted Blitz. He was keeping surprisingly quiet. It likely had to do with him having little to no energy to argue.
“True,” Amber replied. She turned to face me with a playful grin. “I did offer Bonaparte the chance to share my room, but he refused.” She pouted her face at the words. “I wonder why?” I rolled my eyes and took seat in the middle of the group, a healthy distance away from both Amber and Titus.
Before any of us had a chance to say anything, a loud thunder echoed across the town. Seconds later, rain and small pellets of hail started to pour. Rosovyy lifted the hood on her Manticore pelt and carried on as if nothing was different. Amber quickly lit her horn and moved a large umbrella to her position. Titus simply stayed on the ground, taking the rain and hail as if it was something soothing while Blitz, while looking miserable, didn’t really move.
“Oh boys,” Amber said in a sing-song tone. “Why don’t you both come and stay under my umbrella?”
Blitz scoffed and simply put his helmet back on. I looked to Amber and sighed. I moved next to her and took a seat set to her. She scooted over to give me enough room to comfortably sit, but kept pretty close.
“So, what’s the situation out there?” I asked Amber as I removed my helmet.
Her expression dropped. “Not good. Those manticores are just standing there congregating. I’ve never seen them do that. It’s almost like they are being led by something, or somepony.” She grew rigid at her last word.
I felt my brows furrowing as I took a deep gulp. I brought a hoof to my face and tried to wipe away some of the sweat now forming on my face. Though my mind raced trying to put together the pieces of what Amber had said, I was far too tired to do so properly.
“You worry too much,” Blitz said to Amber in as cheery a tone as he could muster. He winced every time a small pellet of hail struck his helmet. “Manticores are dumb. They don’t have the capacity to think rationally.” I rather large chunk of hail struck his helmet, causing an audible clank. “Damn this freaking hail!” he shouted to the heavens. Soon as he did, the hail stopped, but the rain intensified. He sighed.
“Say, Blitz, you should consider getting some shut eye,” I said.
“Sleep, in this rain?” He let out a restrained laugh. “Good one there bud.”
“I agree with Bonaparte,” Rosovyy said. “You need sleep. Come.” She scooted over. “Lay down next to me. Pelt should provide some warmth.”
Blitz’s cheeks reddened at the invitation. “Uh… Thanks, but I think I’ll just lay here.” Blitz fell on his knees and placed his head on a small folded cloth bundle. One minute later, he was already starting to snore.
Rosovyy sniggered. “Blitz reminds me of older brother. Always used to say he was the tougher of us both, but always turned out to be big baby.” She grabbed the pelt with her teeth and yanked it off of her body. “Evenfd whenfd hefd saidfd hefd wantedfd nofd helpfd, Ifd helpedfd.” She gently draped the pelt over Blitz’s slumbering form. She sniffed once and took a seat next to Titus, who smiled at the company.
The four of us talked for the next hour, trying to pass the time however we could. The rain soon turned to snow. Titus and Amber visibly began to shiver. Rosovyy scooted up to Titus, offering her body warmth to the changeling. I chanced a glance at Amber, and saw her teeth chattering and her wings vibrating. She soon crossed her forehooves to try and keep warm.
An idea popped into my head, one that made me blush. Amber must have noticed this, because she turned to face me with a smirk and a sly look. I quickly glanced away as I built up the courage. What am I thinking? I thought to myself. She’s a changeling! Still… she is really is someone I feel…
I heard her giggle. “So, the quiet treatment huh?” She quickly turned to face in the opposite direction, eyes closed and nose up high. “Fine. Be that way!”
I sighed one last time. Tossing caution to the wind, I wrapped my hoof around Amber’s body and brought her right up to me. To say she was shocked at first was an understatement. I tried to keep my gaze away from her as long as I could, but my sight constantly drifted back to meet her… beautiful sapphire eyes…
A few seconds after my move, she gave me another mischievous grin. Then, it morphed in a genuine beam. Her eyes softened, and something in her very being changed. She let her head rest on my shoulder and closed her eyes, enjoying the moment.
Then, I heard hoovesteps approaching me from behind. I quickly let go of Amber and turned around to face Captain Shining Armor. He looked at me for a second and grimaced.
“Ah, the prince finally joins us. Come, sit down and rest, you grump,” Rosovyy said as she beamed at the captain.
The captain shot Rosovyy an icy glare. “Tell me, Ms. Rosovyy, if you knew there were hundreds of pony-eating manticores surrounding you, would you sit down and ‘rest’?”
“Yes,” Rosovyy replied without any sign of hesitation. “It is impossible to fight if you are tired. Only those who are well rested ever make it anywhere in life.”
The Captain looked as if he would reply to Rosovyy’s statement, but in the end sighed and sat down next to Bliz’s still sleeping form. He took off his helmet to reveal heavy bags under his eyes.
“Sir, have you slept at all in these last two days?” I asked him.
The captain turned to gaze me before shaking his head. His sight settled on Amber. “Ago’dotis, let me ask you a hypothetical question. Say you found the perfect someone for you—” he shot me a quick glare before returning his gaze to her “—one that makes you feel complete, safe, and happy. Say you decided you were willing to spend the rest of your days with that someone.” His face turned steely. “Now tell me, how would you react if a bunch of love vampires crashed your wedding, imprisoned your fiancé, and attacked your ruler?”
Amber lifted her head off my shoulder and audibly gulped. Still, she managed to keep a smile on her muzzle. “I guess I’d be mad at those love vampires.”
“Now, imagine that the leader of these emotion vampires did things to your mind, made you see and feel things that weren’t yours.” The captain’s face turned to a glower. “How would you react?”
“I guess I’d be pretty sore about it,” Amber replied nonchalantly. She stared at the captain for a few seconds before sighing. “Captain, I know what Chrysalis did to you—”
The captain finally snapped and stood up. “Oh, you know what she did to me, do you? You know how she tried to make me see my wife as a monster? How she brainwashed me into loving her instead? How she tried to corrupt my very being with promises of a better future as king of her hive? Even worse, she made me consider killing—” he paused as he put a hoof over his face. He took several deep breaths as he slowly slid his hoof down his muzzle. “What you think you know about the invasion is only a fraction of the truth. Your kind wronged me and I…” he trailed off for a second before shaking his head. “Forget it.” The captain’s disposition changed all of a sudden. He went from pure rage to an almost somber state. He walked into the rain without another word.
And just like that, complete silence fell over the group.
By the fourth day of the ‘siege’ I didn’t know what to expect anymore. The constant roaring in the distance, the night raids on our supplies, the killing of our scouts when they approached the manticore gathering. It was clear the monsters had the capability to sweep through us like a pile of leaves.
So why weren’t they?
The rain and snow continued, but now we had a tent that Rosovyy and Titus had erected. It didn’t keep out the cold though. Everywhere I turned, I saw my fellow guards strained near their limits. I was constantly reminded that our situation was deteriorating by the hour. That thought only brought up the terrifying implication that our manticore foes knew what they were doing to us.
After another twelve hours of sentry duty on the wall, I headed to the tent for a few hours of rest. Soon as I entered, I came face to face with the captain. To say he looked worn-out was an understatement. The bags in his eyes seemed even larger than before. His hair was unkempt and shaped to the form of his helmet. He looked me in the eye with what almost amounted to some paranoia before turning back to face Blitz and Amber. She was starting to look worn as well.
“—Ago’dotis, I’m still waiting on your answer,” Blitz continued. “What’s the procedure your kind has for handling prisoners?”
Amber brought her hooves to her lips and blew on them a few times before looking up to my friend. “Unlike Equestrians, changelings have no set laws for prisoner handling. Our race isn’t known for that kind of warfare.”
Blitz rolled his eyes at the answer. “Right.”
Amber ignored his gesture and continued answering nonchalantly. “Changelings do not focus on militaristic might. We focus on intelligence gathering, infiltration, and socio-political manipulation. We fight only when we have no choice. If there are prisoners during any fighting, they are converted to the changeling cause. Afterwards, they are released into the populace to serve as covert agents or sources of love for agents on the field.”
Blitz gave a single laugh as he glared at Amber. “So, let me see if I am getting this right. You turn prisoners against their former comrades, all so you can bleed every bit of love from the populace you are attempting to invade?”
“You got it all wrong, Blitz. We do not ‘bleed entire populations dry of love.’ That’s a waste of resources.” Amber’s tone was rising. It was clear she was struggling to keep her voice even. “We find ways of keeping that population as productive as possible, for as long as possible.”
“So, you farm us,” Blitz said.
“Farming!?” Amber slammed her right hoof on ground “Listen here, Blitz, You’re pushing your luck with me as it is!” She let out a snort as she turned to face the captain. “My kind does not farm yours! We try to coexist, living among you in relative peace. We only take what we need to survive, no more, no less. That’s how it’s been since before recorded history.”
“So you admit to deceiving Equestrians in order to feed on them?” Captain Shining Armor asked.
“I don’t think Amber really said that, sir,” I said.
“Oh come on, Bonaparte! Amber here just plainly admitted to her kind living among us and feeding off of us like parasites!” Blitz replied, getting up and walking next to the captain. It was then that I noticed the bags under his eyes to be deeper and darker than even the captain’s.
“I never said that!” Amber said. “That’s something you Equestrians are assuming!”
“So you’re not admitting that your kind brainwashes entire populations into giving you their love freely?” Blitz asked, a smirk growing on his lips. “Yeah, you’re absolutely right. That certainly isn’t farming. Farming involves caring—working the land and its resources for the betterment of all. What your kind does is conditioning.” He scrunched his snout.
“You-you’re wrong, Blitz!” Amber stuttered out.
“Then what’s the truth?” Blitz asked.
“Changelings… We-we… well, we…” Amber started, but kept on stuttering. Blitz’s smug look was actually getting to her. Seeing her in this no-win situation reminded me of my childhood, how I was always stuck in situations just like this one. I couldn’t let Amber suffer that.
I opened my mouth to try and support Amber, but I was cut off by Titus, who has just walked into the tent alongside Rosovyy. “Changelings ‘condition’ a population to be twice as loving as they would normally be. This ensures enough energy to siphon for an entire group of changelings while the populace is left in relative peace and prosperity.”
Amber turned to give Titus a slight glare. “ ‘Conditioning’ isn’t the exact word I would use, Titus. It doesn’t help our cause here.” She sighed. “But in a way, that’s the most accurate way to put it.”
Blitz scoffed. “Condition or not, you still trick good ponies into feeling love that isn’t there, all in an attempt to feed.” He shook his head. “That only makes things worse.”
“You’re being too narrow-minded!” Amber said as she looked around. “Changelings and Equestrians share a symbiotic relationship. We make you all happy, and in return, your love feeds us. No pony gets hurt, and everypony is happy. The end!”
“It’s still wrong,” Blitz interjected. “It’s still like being farmed!”
“It’s not farming! It isn’t ‘conditioning’ either!”
“Then it’s herding,” Blitz quickly replied. “You round up the ‘mindless’ flocks of ponies, fill them with fake love, and then harvest them when they’re ripe.”
“That’s not it either!” Amber quickly retorted. Her tone started to grown uneven.
“Then its hunting!” Blitz barked. “You hunt us for our emotions!”
I couldn’t let this go any further. “So now you have something against the griffons?” I asked.
Blitz turned to face with a shocked look on his face. “Wha—No! Of course not! Darn it, Bonaparte! You leave Hilda out of this!” A blush started to grow on his face. I had struck a nerve.
“Griffons readily hunt cows, ibexes, deer, and buffalo. Heck, I’ve even heard rumors of some of them hunt ponies!”
“That’s just a rumor, and you know it!” Blitz pointed a shaking hoof at me.
“That’s not the point,” I said. “The point is that you are championing the idea of changelings being these evil creatures just because they consume love. Yet, when I bring up a species that actually consumes other living beings as a comparison, you suddenly change your tune.” I shook my head. “Blitz, didn’t you learn anything in school? Our world works because there is a circle of life. To survive, we must consume other living things. Ponies eat plants, which might I remind you, are still living things.” I turned to Amber. “Changelings, however, don’t actually eat us. Sure, they can harm us if they really wanted to suck our love dry, but as far as I can tell from history, that’s never happened.” I turned to Captain Shining Armor. “If anything, changelings have found a way to live outside the circle of life, because they don’t need to actually eat other living things to survive.”
“That isn’t entirely true,” Amber interjected. “While we can eat an almost entirely vegetarian diet like ponies, most of us prefer to have proteins in our diets as well. Many changelings eat fish and other insects to get such proteins.” Amber smile and placed a hoof on her shoulder. Her eyes said all the gratitude her words could never fully convey.
“Wa—ho—” Blitz stuttered for a while, but once my words sunk in, he shook his head and crossed his hooves. “Just whose side are you on?!”
I had a witty reply formed, something along the lines of “I’m on the side of reason!”At the last second, I choked. I said nothing else as Blitz continued his attack.
“Whatever the case may be about changeling nutrition, it doesn’t change the fact that you deceive populations all in the attempt to feed.”
“Oh, like what we do is any more wrong than making false promises to clean up crime or help out towns when nature decides to toss a tantrum,” Amber replied. “While I do admit that deceiving ponies into feeling extra love may be morally wrong, we aren’t making them slaves! That love is genuine love; it isn’t an illusion or a deception.” She leaned closer to Blitz this time. “If anything, we are making ponies lives better!”
“That still doesn’t change the fact that you changelings are a scourge on this world,” Blitz said. My eyes widened at his words. How could he say such things about them? It wasn’t at all like him to just snap like this.
Amber’s face contorted into a visage as hard and cold as the captain’s. “You… you close minded… BIGOT!” She slammed her hoof on the ground. “How dare you treat us like this?! We were given the task to help you bring our rogue queen to justice by your princesses, a job we intend to see done!” She let out a snort. “If we wanted to, we could just leave. We could walk out of here and let you fail at your mission. We coul—” A hoof fell on amber’s shoulder. She turned to face the owner. Titus only shook his head, his expression somber, but resolute. At this, Amber sighed and glared one last time at Blitz before sitting down.
Titus looked to Blitz in a surprisingly neutral manner. “The invasion of Canterlot happened because most changelings have lost their way. Our entire race has fallen under the rule of Queen Chrysalis. She is the one that’s leading us to ruin.” His face grew hard and cold at the mention of the queen. “She doesn’t care about love or its importance to our society. She doesn’t care about fostering it and ensuring it is ever present. All she cares about is extracting it all without thinking about the consequences. As we speak, she is ravaging thousands of years of my culture. She’s is the real enemy, not the changelings.”
Blitz took a step back at Titus’s words. He tried to form some type of retort, but he could only stutter words that didn’t really form any coherent statement. Finally, he just sat down in defeat.
The captain turned his gaze to Titus’s. “Chrysalis will always be the real foe. But the rest of your kind—” he turned to gaze at Amber. He seemed ready to finish off his words, but instead shook his head. Without another word, he stood up and left the tent. Blitz, after a few seconds of hesitation, also stood and followed after the captain. He turned to me and motion to follow. But I only gave him a glare. He sighed and took off after the captain.
Titus sat back down and sighed. I turned to Amber and saw her shaking with a mix of fear, indignation, and coldness. I turned towards the tent’s exit and found myself scowling. A creeping rage was building in me, and I need a way to calm it before it consumed me. Without really thinking about it, I placed my hoof around Amber again to try and keep her warm. She flinched for a moment, but then gazed at me with eyes that slowly filled with tears. Before I knew it, she had cradled her head on my chest and started sobbing. It was the first time I had seen a changeling cry.
A mighty roar echoed across the darkness. I pulled out my spyglass and took a quick peek at the manticores. Just as they had done for the last four nights, they had their largest members roar non-stop. I put the spyglass away and tightened my fetlock’s grip on my lance.
It was almost three in the morning. My shift wouldn’t be over until six. Five hours of rest and it was back on the wall for another twelve hours. I was starting to envy Amber and Titus. Compared to the rest of us, their recon tours, while certainly more dangerous than standing guard on the town wall, left them plenty of time to rest.
I yawned, letting my mind wander momentarily. Every step I took drove me deeper into exhaustion. It felt as if I would just drop dead at any moment. I stopped for a moment to try and shake the drowsiness out of my head when a wonderful smell caught my nostrils. I followed the smell, and quickly came to a small cabin that had somehow been built into the wall itself. I considered turning around, but the aroma was just too enticing.
I opened the door and walked into the cabin. Instantly, I was welcomed by warmth that cradled me like a mother cradled her newborn foal. There was a cozy fire raging in the nearby chimney, and a small wooden table that had seen quite a few seasons. Sitting there, beckoning me was a plate of the most delicious curry-covered pile of steamed vegetables I had ever seen. My mouth instantly watered at the sight. Without hesitation, I took a seat and dove into the meal.
“How are you enjoying the meal, sweetie?” a charming voice cooed from the cabin’s next room. I momentarily stopped to try and figure out why the voice sounded so familiar. I put the wayward thought out of my mind and kept eating.
“Easy there, Honey. You don’t want to spoil your appetite for dessert,” the same charming voiced cooed, which was soon after followed a giggle. It was the giggled that made me look up from my warm meal. Look right into her eyes.
Amber wore the cutest pink apron I had ever seen on any mare as she smiled at me with a sly yet oddly beautiful beam. Seeing her caused me to recoil in shock. I tripped over the chair and fell smack on my bottom. I moved to rub my rump, and when I turned back, Amber was on top of me, looking into my eyes with her… amazingly gorgeous sapphire eyes.
“What are a—” Amber placed a hoof over my lips and giggled. Before I could register it, she removed her hoof and moved in to…
“Wake up!” I heard a harsh bark, followed soon after by a pair of hooves shaking me as roughly as they could manage.
I shot open my eyes and came face to face with Captain Shining Armor. His brow was so creased that I didn’t think it was possible for him to smile, even if he wanted to.
“What…?” I mumbled as the captain picked me off my kneeling position.
“What were you thinking!?” he shouted directly to my face. “Sleeping on the watch? What if there had been an attack just now!?”
I shook my head, the images of my dream coming back and mixing in with the captain’s yells. If was almost like a cacophony of thoughts that drove my already fatigued mind to the brink of snapping.
Before I had a chance to really process it, the captain snatched away my lance, his eyes never once leaving mine. “You are relieved of duty,” he said in a cold, almost poisonous tone.
I said nothing. I only saluted and made followed the command. A part of me felt glad that I could not get some proper rest, but another berated me for having screwed up my job. Before I could really ponder as to why, a third voice brought up an old question, one that had bugged me since it had been uttered. I stopped in my tracks and turned to face the captain just as he started his walk.
“Captain, sir… Why did you not stop Blitz from saying those things?”
The captain halted. With a quickly turn, he faced me, bitter smile on his lips. “I let him ask because it was a question I wanted an answer to as well,” he sniggered. “Now I know what to do with Chrysalis when I got my hooves on her neck!” He grinned soon as the words left his mouth. “Then, once I’m done with her, I can finally exile every last changeling to the Badlands!”
I gulped. “Sir, I can understand why you would hate Chrysalis. But why do you hate all changelings?”
The captain scoffed. “I hate them because they stand for something I’ve come to loathe above anything else: deception. The day of my wedding, I nearly lost it all because of them—Twilight, Cadence, Celestia, my country, and myself.” He gritted his teeth. The glow in his eyes started to intensify.
“But they aren’t inherently evil! I mean, look at Amber or—”
“I’ll only say this once. You are not allowed to like that changeling.” The captain’s face grew grim. “She is a turncoat, remember?”
Without really thinking it, I blurted out my words. “She betrayed her kind to aid us. I can’t explain why, but just being around her eases me and makes me feel like nothing bad can happen. I’ve never felt like this about any mare before.” I sighed. “I… I don’t know, sir. She’s just… different!” I placed a hoof on my head, which was starting to ache. “She… she just is, alright!” My anger towards the captain was surging. All the grief and misery of the last five days slowly bubbled to the surface.
The captain moved up to me and grabbed me by the neck of my armor, bringing me nose to nose with him. “What makes you think she isn’t just using you? What makes you think that she won’t toss you away once she has what she wants out of you?!
I slapped away the captain’s hoof and glared daggers at him. “I highly doubt Amber’s going to stab me in the back, sir!”
The captain scoffed. “Good Celestia! She’s already got you under her spell!”
“I’m under no such thing!”
“Who is to say she doesn’t’? Think about it. She got you to trust her and Titus, got you take the two of them to our capital, and even got you to walk them right up to the palace! Think of how much damage she could have done to us!”
“But she didn’t! She gave her aid to our nation when we needed it most. She warned us of an ever greater threat, and she even went so far as to lead us to it!” This time, I pushed the captain. “It seems to me like you’re letting your own bigoted beliefs dictate your perceptions of the changelings!”
The captain punched me across the muzzle. I tasted copper and glared at Shining Armor. Without even thinking, I lunged, knocking him to the floor, where I delivered two punches before he shoved me off to the side of the wall. The fall knocked the air right out of my lungs. When I opened my eyes, the captain had jumped right on top of me. He delivered several blows to my face, denting my helmet and causing my muscles to tighten. As I gazed into his manic grin, I noticed the once faint dark purple glow in his eyes had intensified.
As I struggled to break free, I could see my own vision start to tint a dark purple. I could feel heat rushing to my face and I gritted my teeth. I wanted to tear Shining Armor apart with my bare limbs. I wanted to destroy him completely and leave nothing!
He placed both hooves over my neck and started to push down with all his might. I could feel my neck starting to strain as the flesh was pushed down. I turned my gaze to the side and saw my spear lying but a few hoofs away from me. All I had to do was reach for it with and drive it through Shining Armor’s neck. As the thought of his blood staining my face raced through my mind, I could feel the corners of my mouth rising. The taste of copper in my mouth was starting to taste absolutely delici—
Something grabbed hold of the captain by the chest and shoved him away. It was a black figure larger than Shining Armor himself. Instinctively, I lunged for my spear and moved to drive it right through Shining Armor’s heart.
A pair of black hooves wrapped around my neck, holding me back as the zenith of my rage bubbled over. Then, the owner of the hooves stepped forward to wrap me in an embrace. A warm sensation spread over my very being. Whatever rage I had been feeling slowly started to dissipate.
My savior released the embrace, but kept both hooves on my neck. I saw into her sapphire eyes. Two small waterfalls poured out of them. I let go of my spear as I returned her embrace. I shifted my gaze to Titus, who was still holding a thrashing Shining Armor down as best as he could. The captain’s eyes only seemed to grow brighter with every passing second.
I tried to recall what had happened to me, but all I could remember was being consumed by an unfathomable hatred. But then I felt the warm embrace, and a new thought entered my mind: This feeling… this bliss—I don’t ever want to give it up.
Shining Armor let out a primal yell, and using a powerful telekinetic spell, shoved Titus right off him. With a hop, he was back up again and snarled as his death-glare set on me. He lit his horn again, and wrapped his magic around the hilt of his saber.
A cacophony of roars louder than any before it erupted in the distance. He took this as a sign and lunged directly at me. Thinking as quickly as I could, I took off my helmet and used it to parry the first blow. When he rounded for a second one, I ducked and slammed my helmet on his head so hard that I floored him. He did not get up.
Up to this point, I had expected my fellow guards to race to either aid me or the captain. Instead, I saw just why they had not done a thing. They were too busy slaughtering each other. I saw in absolute horror as an earth pony guard pushed his partner into a lower spiked wall. He smiled as his comrade squirmed in agony. A unicorn, shoved an earth pony guard away and used his magic to set him ablaze. A pegasus grabbed a unicorn by his forelegs and shot up into the air. Second later, The unicorn plummet back down to earth. I did not see it, but the sound of a sickening splat left no doubt in my mind as to what happened.
I fell on haunches as I saw the debauchery before me. “No… Stop this…” I gritted my teeth as I felt the urge to vomit. “…please…” I slammed my hoof on the ground “STOP THIS!” My throat vibrated as the cold stabbed my vocal cords, forcing tears to my eyes.
“Shut up, flying filth!” One of the unicorns on the wall replied before shooting me with his crossbow. The bolt buried itself on my left wing, causing me to stumble into the floor screaming. As I fell on the ground, I saw the townsfolk. They too had taken to killing each other. I saw how Rosovyy tried to stop them, only to be pushed and shoved back constantly. She couldn’t stop crying.
“Bonaparte!” Amber cried out as she grabbed hold of my neck. Slowly she helped me to my knees. Another primal yell reached my ears. I turned my attention to the source. It was Blitz. He had his saber wrapped in his magic, galloping towards Amber at full speed.
He swung his weapon, aiming for Amber’s neck. At that instant, time seemed to stop. My mind raced, battered by the conflicted emotions it tried to process.
On the one hoof, there was my best friend, the pony I had shared years of my life with. The one pony who knew my hopes and dreams, whom I had laughed alongside, cried alongside, and bled alongside. The brother I had never had, and that in some ways I loved just as I had once loved my own parents.
Then there was Amber. Even though she wasn’t even a part of my species, she had become something I was willing to lay my welfare to protect. In the short time we had known each other she had become more than just my friend, more than just my comrade. She has filled me with a joy that I had only experience once in my life, fleeting as it had been. She was precious to me, far more than all the treasure in this world. Yet, I hesitated to accept my own emotions towards her. What I felt for her terrified me. Yet, I could not deny it.
No… My mind finally caught up to the events before me. In that split second, it made its choice.
I moved my head down and bit on the hilt of my saber. With one swift motion, I drew it out and lunged at my friend. My blade pierced his thick Royal Guard armor, stopping him in his tracks. A thin trail of blood ran down the blade, dripping near the hilt.
My friend grabbed hold of my head as he looked into my eyes with a manic grin. “Damn you… you changeling… lover” with one final breath, he pulled on my head, driving the blade through him. Blood splashed on my face. For the third time, I tasted blood. I let go of the saber and Blitz hit the ground, grin still plastered on his face.
The world became little more than a hazy blur as I fell on my knees again. The last of the guards killed each other, and the town went up in flames behind me. I felt two pairs of hooves pick me up. The first was Amber. The expression of her face could not be described. Next to her was Titus. On his back was the still unconscious Shining Armor. Titus gave me a stern look, but then his eyes widened to the size of tea plates. Whatever he yelled, I could not make out. I chanced a gaze back at what had caused him such horror. My own eyes widened as I saw Rosovyy being overrun by her fellow townsfolk. She kept waving her hoof forward, mouthing what I could only assume was the word “run.” Seconds later, we lost sight of her as a mob of crazed townsfolk rushed us. More roars, and a mob of manticores broke down the town wall as if it was made of cardboard.
Titus and Amber grabbed hold of me. There was a bright flash of light, and then darkness. There was only one thought running through my mind: I killed my brother.
A group of twenty chained changelings slowly shuffled into the palace courtyard, led by five grim-faced royal guards. While the changeling’s ages ranged from young adult to the elderly, they all shared the same dull tone in their chitin and faded eyes.
“Halt!” one of the gilded guards shouted. The chained group came to an abrupt stop, their bondages clanking against the shackles.
“Left face!” Almost all changelings turned to their left, facing a set of double doors. The few that didn’t turn in time slowed down the group, but they reached their destination eventually.
A sleek earth pony guard walked up to the row of prisoners and leered. “I bet you thought you could get away from the law, huh? Bet you thought we wouldn’t find you. Well, guess what? We did!”
“We are guilty of no crime!” one of the changelings spoke out.
The guard slowly moved up to him and chuckled. “You have the audacity to assert your innocence?” She laughed and faced her comrades. “Hey, get a load of this guy! Says he doesn’t know what his crimes are!” She drew out her baton and slammed it across the changeling’s chest, forcing him onto his front knees. “Your crime is being a changeling, scum!”
“But we have done nothing wrong!” one of the older changeling mares cried out. The earth pony guard slammed her baton over the changeling’s face. She stumbled back, losing her balance as a thin trail of blood formed on her brow. Her fall took the whole line of prisoners down.
The double doors swung open, and out walked a tall white unicorn in gilded lavender armor. He looked at the line of changelings and grimaced.
“Captain Shining Armor, sir!” all the guards shouted, snapping to attention.
The captain moved up to the earth pony guard, who quickly tried to stand up more rigidly. “What is this?” he asked, glaring daggers at the guard.
“It’s nothing, sir. Just a little bit of disciple,” she replied, fighting hard not to smirk.
The captain’s eyes narrowed. “Discipline?” He turned to gaze at the slowly recovering changeling. “This is not discipline!” He quickly snatched the guard’s baton away. “You’re relieved of duty.” He turned to the other guards. “No prisoner is to be harmed under any circumstance. Do I make myself clear!?”
“Crystal, sir!” all guards replied in unison. The sleek guard glared at the captain as she left without another word.
The captain let out a single snort as he turned to his other troops. “Well, don’t just stand there! Get this prisoner back on her hooves!”
The guard nearest the captain saluted and raced to pick up the changeling mare. He galloped back into line once he made sure the prisoners were standing correctly.
The captain took a single step forward, his face chiseled to a steely scowl. “You are all here because you have been found guilty of treason against the crown.”
“Lies!” an older changeling cried out. “I have lived my entire life in Equestria! I have paid my taxes, worked every day, and done nothing but help my fellow neighbors! I am no criminal!”
The captain completely ignored the older changeling’s words. “Your crimes are as follows: Identity theft, conspiracy against the crown, aiding a foreign enemy, bein—”
“Captain Shining Armor!” a voice boomed from the nearby balcony. The captain quickly turned to face the source and instantly bowed before the presence of his rulers and wife; Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Mi Amore Cadenza.
“What are these changelings accused of?” Celestia continued.
“Princess, theses changelings are traitors to the nation. They were found hiding despite there clearly having been a public demand for all changelings to report to the nearest internment camp.”
Princess Luna stepped forward. “Captain, are these changelings citizens of Equestria?”
The captain hesitated for a moment, but finally answered. “Yes.”
Luna turned to face her elder sister. Celestia’s expression was tired and worn, as if she couldn’t bear the emotions in her heart.
“Shining Armor,” boomed the voice of Cadenza. Her normally soothing quality turned to a high-tone command a few short decibels from being a shout. “You know well that it’s against the given laws of our nation to detain citizens, even if it is because of public demand.”
“I understand,” the captain replied. “But th—”
Luna again stepped forward. “Captain!” she stomped a hoof on the balcony floor, “we order you to release them at once!”
The captain hesitated for a second, his gaze shifting between Luna’s fury-stricken visage, Celestia’s somber—almost disappointed—gaze, and his wife’s near tear-filled expression. Finally, he sighed and turned to face his guards. “You heard your princesses. Release them!”
The guards followed the captain’s order without a single moment of hesitation. Once the chains were off, the changelings all turned their collective eyes to the balcony and bowed. Some of the younger ones started to cry, while the older ones tried to hold their heads high as they were led out of the courtyard by palace attendants.
As they walked, whispers could be heard from various castle workers. When the double doors of the palace courtyard swung open into the greater city, the whispering quickly became a cacophony of rage.
“Why are those monsters being released?”
“Have the princesses gone mad!? Those things aren’t citizens!”
“Why aren’t those pieces of filth in the camps? I paid good money to aid in the construction of the camps!”
A young colt picked up a rock and tossed it at the nearest child changeling, knocking him down. Slowly, he got up, glaring at the young pony before turning away.
“Yeah, you better run, you filths! Freedom’s too good for you all.”
As the changelings marched, several bulky unicorns tried to rush the freed prisoners, only to be held at bay by palace guards.
“Out of the way! If you can’t do what’s necessary, then let us take care of those monsters!”
“Yeah, if our leaders don't have the backbone to put those things where they belong, then it’s only fair we take matters into our hooves!”
It wasn’t long before the discussion turned into a mini riot as guards tried to keep the enraged citizens of Canterlot at bay.
Luna gazed down at the captain and scowled. She seemed ready to shout something, but she was stopped by her elder sister, who merely gave her a shake of her head. The captain gave a silent sigh as he turned to his troops. “Alright, that’s enough of that. Go help the gate guards keep the peace.”
“Sir, yes, sir!” the guards replied in unison. They quickly marched to the gate, leaving the captain with one final look at the balcony. His eyes again fell on his beautiful wife, but instead of being blessed with a soothing beam, he was met with a scornful glare. He took off his helmet and once again sighed. “Cadence… I’m sorry.” He turned around and headed out of the courtyard.
As the three princesses walked back into the small balcony room, they were met by a duo of figures in hooded robes. One was significantly taller than the other. The princesses gazed at them for a few seconds before sighing. “You were right,” Celestia started, eyes filled with deep disappointment. “I didn’t want to believe it at first, but you were right. He has indeed been consumed by hatred.”
“Sister, why do we still allow this?” Luna asked as she stomped a hoof. “Not only have the citizens of our nation commissioned and built camps even after we refused to, but now, even our Captain of the Guard has turned to bigotry. We have to do something before he ends up hurting more innocent civilians!” She turned to face princess Cadenza, who was keeping very quiet. “Princess Cadenza, we apologize for what we say, but you must see what has happened to your husband.”
Cadenza chanced a glance at Luna, and only nodded in reply.
“It’s not that easy, Luna,” Celestia suddenly said. “Shining Armor is still the best captain of the guard this nation has ever had. Replacing him isn’t going to be easy. The search for a new captain alone would leave our guard unable to react in case of another emergency.”
“But it’s clear that the longer Shining Armor is in command, the more damage he is doing to our nation.” Luna gazed at her sister with pleading eyes. “Please, Celestia, can’t you feel the hate he emanates? It’s poisoning the rest of the guards. If we don't do something now, his loathing will spread across Equestria.”
“It may already be too late for that, Princess,” the tall mysterious figure said in a deep and raspy voice. “Your nation is already consumed by fear and antipathy.”
“You’re wrong,” the shorter and slimmer figure said in a lustrous tone. “I have seen the good that is still left in you Equestrians. Hatred may have a hold over your captain and guards, but that doesn’t mean acceptance is out of reach. You just have to move now if you are to achieve it!”
Celestia’s face grew grim. “You both know well what is going to happen should you succeed in your task.” She shifted her gaze to the nearest set of windows. “And what of Shining Armor? Do you really believe he can handle this assignment without letting his feelings get the best of him?”
The taller figure sighed. “The captain may not be able to forgive her and let go of his growing hatred. He doesn’t show it, but I can feel it. He’s being poisoned by his own loathing. In some ways, I can’t really blame him. He was the most direct victim of her treachery.”
“That does not excuse him!” Luna interjected. “What Shining Armor has done over the last six months has bordered on everything we stand against. Even during his wedding reception, we could see the dark resolve growing in him.” She turned to face Cadenza. “He refused to go on his honeymoon and instead chose to hunt down changelings, leaving Mi Amore Cadenza alone for two days.”
“But he is not lost,” the shorter figure said. “Let him lead this mission. It’s the only way he will be put to the test.”
The three rules of Equestria turned to face each other. “Do you trust him to make the right choice?” Celestia asked.
“I do not know, Princess” the tall figure replied.
“What your captain ultimately does is a mystery, but I have hope that he’ll make the right choice in the end,” the shorter figure said. “After all, if he doesn’t, then he’s truly lost to his hatred.”
While Celestia and Luna seemed to ponder on the answer, Cadenza sprung forward. “Yes. We will send Shining Armor on this mission.” She walked up to the tall figure and placed a hoof on his shoulder. “I just pray that you two are right about my husband.” Her eyes grew watery as tears swelled up. “I… I just want him back…”
The tall figure nodded to Cadenza, who wiped her eyes as best as she could. He turned to his companion and the two set out of the room. As they did, their robes swayed with the wind, revealing porous and chitin-covered limbs.
Luna walked towards the balcony and stared into the horizon. Celestia strode next to her and smiled. “Something on your mind, Lulu?”
Luna turned to her sister and sighed. “We hope that when the time comes, Shining Armor will find it in his heart to forgive her.”
Celestia stood beside her younger sister. “I have faith that he will. He’ll forgive Queen Chrysalis, just wait and see.”
“He’ll do it,” Cadenza said, her tone full of resolution. “You’ll see. Shining Armor will beat this hate. He’ll find a way. He has to….”
GUESTS OF EQUESTRIA
CHAPTER I
Guests
“ 'Manticores!' I heard a shout erupt not that far ahead. It was followed by the cacophony of several dozen ear-splitting roars. All guards around me raised their shields and lances up. I tightened my fetlocks around my spear.
“Not three seconds after the warning went out, I heard a crash. I took to the air alongside a dozen other pegasi guards. Only yards ahead, I saw a dust cloud. Even more frightening, though, I could see earth pony guards being tossed into the air like ragdolls. I gulped and chanced a gaze back to the town we were protecting. Failure meant the death of hundreds.
“With a deep breath, I adjusted my helmet and pulled down my visor. I let my wings stop beating for a second and fell. As soon as I was in a dive, I beat my wings back with all the force I could muster, speeding down to the ground like an arrow. I saw my target: a female manticore using one of my fellow guards as chew toy. It only took seconds to cover the remaining distance.
“With one mighty shove, I drove my spear into her head. Instantly, the beast recoiled in pain, clawing and thrashing in desperation. I forcefully plucked the spear out of her head and shot up into the air again. A small adjustment in my flight trajectory, and I once again dove.
“The beast caught sight of my attack and swatted me out of the air with her powerful paw. I landed a few hooves away from her, my spear missing my head by millimeters as it pinwheeled past. She roared and pounced on me. I went for my weapon and brought its sharp tip to bear. The mantico—”
“I’m calling bull!” a loud voice suddenly rang, snapping me out of my own little trance. I fell down back to reality, and after a few blinks, once again found myself sitting on the old round table. “I was there, Bonaparte, and you did none of that!”
After blinking a couple more times, my sight settled on the unicorn that had so rudely interrupted me. I smiled. “Who’s telling the story here, Blitz?”
“I’m still calling bull. You didn’t kill any manticores that day. You were too busy flying around to, how’d you put it, ‘speed down to the ground like an arrow.’ ”
I grimaced.
“As a matter of fact, the only thing you really did that day was scream like a little filly soon as you saw those monsters.” He snickered. “You sure did take off ‘like an arrow’ though! Oh, how I wish I could have had a camera to save that moment.”
“Blitz!” I shouted, my face growing into a vicious scowl.
I heard a giggle, and turned to face the source: a tangerine mare sitting next to me. She smiled as she put her cards face down. “Not that the tale wasn’t engaging or anything like that, but I’m curious. Which of you fine gentlecolts is about to fold?” She ran a hoof over her wavy hazel mane and fluttered her eyelashes.
Blitz and I gave each other sideways glances. His cyan eyes narrowed at me, and I could see his shoulders tense. Normally, me and the beige unicorn were good friends, but Blitz’s competitive nature often got the better him. He blew a strand of hazelnut hair out of his eyes before looking back to his cards. I shifted my gaze to the tall crimson stallion across the table: Titus. His face revealed absolutely nothing about his cards. He was quite the gentle giant. Taunting him would be futile.
“So, just how long have you two been in the guard together?” I suddenly heard the tangerine mare ask Blitz.
Without looking away from his cards, Blitz answered. “Bonaparte and I have known each other since the Academy. I was the one that taught him how to ‘blend’ into Canterlot society.”
“So, Bonaparte, you aren’t a native of the capital?”
“No. I hail from Cloudsdale,” I replied before once again looking from my cards and to Titus, who remained just as stoic as ever.
“And my guess is that your armor makes you appear white and blonde, correct?” Amber asked me.
“What’s it to you?” I asked.
“Oh nothing, it’s just that I find it odd that Royal Guard armor changes a pony’s coloring.” The mare turned to face me. “For example: Blitz here, despite being beige with a hazel mane, ends up looking light gray with a silvery mane.”
Blitz scoffed. “That’s because our armor is also our uniform. We’re all part of a singular whole, so looking alike is part of the effect.”
“I can see that.” The mare giggled. “So, Bonaparte. I’ve heard a fair bit about you. It seems you’re the best pony with a lance in the outfit.” She let a thin smirk play across her lips before she out a giggle and leaned towards me. “Care to put a friendly wager on that fact?”
I shook my head at her attempt to unnerve me. Thankfully, I didn’t have to say a single word, as Blitz spoke on my behalf. “Get your story straight, ‘Amber’.” I noted how the mare groaned at the mention of her name. “Everypony knows I’m the best fighter in this outfit.” He gave her a wide grin.
At first, his taunt seemed to have worked, as Amber visibly shifted her weight around while forcing a smile. Her true emotions were soon revealed, however, for she scoffed and laughed at Blitz’s words. I could hear slight hisses in every one of her chuckles. She put a hoof on her forehead. “Oh, woe is me! What’s a gal like me to do when she’s accused of being frail?”
“Uh, what?” Blitz found himself asking, eyebrows rising at Amber’s nonsensical reply.
For her part, Amber giggled and quickly regained her composure. “At least I’m honest about my capabilities. Do you see me boasting all over the place about being ‘the best’? I don’t think so.”
“Uh…” Blitz turned to face me. All I could really do was shrug. He turned back to Amber and cleared this throat. “Says the chronic liar!”
I couldn’t help but wince at Blitz’s poor comeback. Amber merely shook it off as she confidently put her cards on the table. At that, she cleared her throat and turned to face Blitz with a wide toothy grin. “Everypony is a liar, Blitz. You’re no different.” She turned to face me. “At least some stallions at this table are quite humble,” she said, giving a wink. “At any rate, full house, colts.” Amber flipped her cards face-up. “Beat that!”
Blitz and I looked over her cards, utterly lost for words. Blitz scoffed, slamming his cards face down. I hid the sudden twinge of failure running through me. He turned to look at me with narrowed eyes. It was obvious he wasn’t going to let me live it down if I lost the play. I looked down at my cards; a pair of Princesses, a Jack, a three of Spades, and a three of hearts.
I shook my head and put down the cards without a single word. Blitz let out a loud groan. “Great. Just great! You had to go and lose the draw!”
I didn’t even bother with a reply. There was only so much that I could do with bad cards.
Amber smiled broadly at her companion. For his part, Titus remained stoic—not a single hint on his face that could show what his cards held.
Amber gave a sunny smile as she leaned on her forehoof. “I guess I win!” She moved to claim her prize: a pile of sugar cubes and a bottle of hard cider.
Just then, Titus smiled. He quickly placed a hoof over Amber’s as he revealed his cards: four aces. He didn’t say a word, but the message was very clear.
Amber’s face furrowed at first, but then the corners of her mouth slowly rose. She moved her hoof back and motioned for Titus to claim his prize. He didn’t waste any time. He let his horn glow as powerful telekinetic magic enveloped the pile of goods. Without wasting a second, he levitated a single sugar cube to his lips. Next, he moved the bottle of hard cider. At first, it looked as if he would just drink it, but then he surprised us by tossing it to Amber, who telekinetically caught it with a wide smile. She popped the cork and downed a rather big gulp, sighing with satisfaction.
“You Equestrians sure know how to make your cider taste good. Ten times better than the crud we have back home.” She laughed. It was one that Titus seemed just about ready to return, but he cleared his throat and shook his head instead. Amber gave him a smile and drank some more from the bottle.
At that moment, our captain walked into the room with a face as hard as steel. He was accompanied by two other guards: the elite corps. Both troopers looked ready to draw their blades at any moment and strike down anypony they deemed a threat. The extra protection was warranted however, considering the captain was Shining Armor—now officially Prince Shining Armor.
He wore his gold and purple armor with pride. Compared to the rest of the filth around us, his regalia was surprisingly clean. The young captain’s build was considerable, though not exactly “burly” by earth pony standards. He was still fairly husky for a unicorn, which showed just how committed to the training he really was.
“Attention!” one of the elites called out. Instinctively, Blitz and I stood up and saluted.
The Captain looked around at the room, eyes narrowing on Amber and Titus. Blitz and I quickly sat back down on our cushions, though we still kept our attentions squarely on the captain. He turned to his elite guards and motioned them to patrol outside. He returned to face us once more, focusing more on Blitz than myself.
“Is there any particular reason why our ‘guests’ have a pile of sugar cubes and a bottle of hard cider?” He was keeping his voice as neutral as possible, but then, it sounded quite threatening.
“It’s their prize, sir,” I answered.
“Prize?” the captain repeated. “Why would these two have prizes?” He looked down at our cards in the process. His brow furrowed. “Poker. I see. Just what in the name of Celestia do you two think you are doing playing cards?” I hesitated for a second, but ended up nodding in agreement. Blitz shook his head. “I hope you both didn’t lose anything else to—” he snapped his glare to Amber and Titus. “—these two.” His voice carried venom.
“Now, now, Mr. Armor,” Amber started, tone emulating what one usually heard from the Canterlot elite. “Your colts here haven’t been anything other than courteous all evening. Why, they should be commended for their outstanding service when it comes to handling prisoners.” She licked her lips soon as she said the words.
While sincere, Amber’s words were charged with meanings that the captain obviously picked up on. He turned slowly to her, eyes cold and still. “Is that so?” He turned to face us. “If what our ‘guest’ here says is in any way true, the two of you might find yourselves having a talk with me personally about your careers and residency in Equestria. Do well to remember that when dealing with them,” he said giving a harsh nod toward Amber and Titus.
“Of course none of that is true, you silly unicorn! You really need to liven up!” Amber interjected.
The captain stood closed his eyes and let out a breath through his nose. “Liven up and let my guard down?” He turned to face her. “I think I’ve done that enough around changelings. You’d do well to remember your place. The circumstances we provide for you now aren’t set in stone, so I’d stay on best behavior if I were you and not talk without given permission.” The captain shot a glare at the pair. As he did, he seemed to gaze deeper than most others could. “I’ll only say this once: drop the disguises.”
Titus and Amber looked at each other; Amber rolled her eyes, and Titus shook his head. “Booooo, you’re no fun,” Amber said. As she said that, her body became enveloped in bright emerald flames. Just as quickly as they had appeared, the flames vanished, leaving behind a shiny black equine. She had chitin for skin, a carapace for a chest, bug wings where there had been none, a somewhat sharp-looking horn, sky-blue shining eyes, fangs, and holey limbs. The changeling stretched her short wings and limbs before looking directly at me and Blitz, eyes still showing a certain amount of sultriness. “Well, colts, seems the captain prefers my natural looks. Better for me! Keeping up that pony form was starting to get old.”
The captain looked at Titus. The large stallion only shrugged. Seconds later, he too was enveloped in green flames. When they receded, another changeling sat where Titus had. Not only was he taller than the captain—yet somehow sported wings that seemed to be smaller than the average changeling, almost as if they had atrophied—but also had no holes on his limbs. Most striking of all was his right eye, which looked to have been injured. The injury had healed for the most part, but it left a scar running from his forehead down to his right cheek. The battle scar passed right through his glossy cyan eye, leaving behind a red gash and ring around the edge of the “eyeball.”
The captain glared at the two changelings. “So, Aga’dotis—” he said, looking to Amber. “—And Kr’agtaturn,” he said, looking to Titus. He turned back to Amber, his brow furrowing as he let out a groan. “Why can’t you changelings ever just use normal Equestrian names?”
“Just like you ponies, we use our own language to name ourselves.” She crossed her hooves and frowned. “Not all other races around the world worship Equestrian culture, you know.”
“Wouldn’t using Equestrian names be the easier thing to do?” I asked. “You know, considering your race tends to spend a lot of time among Equestrians anyway.”
Amber looked at me, eyes narrowed and snout twisted into a snarl. “Of course not! A changeling’s name is everything! It’s the first thing we hear when we’re born, and it’s the last thing we hear when we die. Why, to degrade ourselves with Equestrian names is—” She visibly shuddered at the thought. “It’s simply abhorrent!”
“But Equestrian names are full of meaning and purpose!” Blitz replied, rising from his cushion.
“Maybe for you.” Amber gave Blitz a nasty glare. “If you Equestrians recall, most pony names are based on trivial matters, such as objects or certain family professions. Naming yourselves after such things only signals your enslavement to the material. To changelings, that’s outright idiotic. We pick our names based on our family and their deeds. To bear the name of our forefathers and foremothers is the greatest honor of a—”
“You two, keep an eye on the prisoners,” the captain barked, interrupting Amber outright. “If these two aren’t here come morning, you’re off the guard.” With one move, he stood up and walked out of the room.
Soon as he was gone, I let out an uneasy breath. I turned back to Amber, curious as to what her little speech was going to lead to. “So, what does your name stand for?”
Amber glared at me at first, but quickly smiled. “ ‘Ago’dotis’ means ‘she who spreads love.’ It’s a name that’s been passed down from mother to daughter in my family for generations.” Amber looked to the ceiling rather longingly. “The name was bestowed on my ancestor after she selflessly gave her love reserves when our hive faced a famine. She died a heroine.” She turned back to Blitz. “This is why my name is precious.”
“Bah!” Blitz exclaimed. “If you lot really believed what you preach, you wouldn’t have thought invasion was the best way to promote peace and harmony. It’s no wonder your kind’s where it is now.”
“Not all of us wanted conflict,” Titus suddenly whispered. This shocked us all, particularly Blitz, whose eyes widened. “Some of us wanted a more diplomatic approach. Sadly, whatever our queen says goes.” Soon as he finished his words, he straightened up his cards and moved to take ours. He then shuffled and started dealing. As I picked up my new cards, my mind started wandering. I gave Blitz a sideways glance and wondered what he was thinking. My mind somewhat went to the past.
Me and Blitz had been part of a small detachment of border guards when Titus and Amber had approached us. The two changelings had chosen to defect because of Queen Chrysalis’ recent actions, which had taken a vicious turn the two felt was putting the entire species in peril. We had both been shocked to hear of “honor” among changelings, especially after their failed invasion of Canterlot. On further analysis, though, we found it somewhat believable, since during the invasion we had seen several of the invaders going out of their way to prevent any type of unnecessary casualty. Sure, it might have been a way to preserve resources, but a respect for life was still a form of honor.
Our commanding officer at the time, having thought that me and Blitz were the most “adequate candidates” for the job—meaning he wanted us out of his mane—gave us the assignment to escort the pair to Canterlot. It took us a good month and a half to actually get there since we were forced to travel half of the way by hoof. Along the way, we ran into a few strange occurrences, but perhaps the oddest of them all was how Blitz and I had grown amicable towards the two pseudo-ponies. We eventually took to calling them by the nicknames of Titus and Amber.
Titus had kept mostly to himself during the trip, speaking only when the need arose. Amber had been the lively one, speaking out whenever possible. For reasons that I could not fathom, she had taken a very strong liking to me.
I feel a smile creeping on my muzzle. I guess I had fallen a bit for Amber. Sure, she tended to be annoying, and she was still a changeling, but she was one of the few gals that actually made me feel just a bit warm and fuzzy on the inside. Of course, she didn’t know this. No one could ever know this.
Eventually, we reached Canterlot and bid the odd pair farewell as custody was officially passed over to captain Shining Armor. Me and Blitz, having traveled at very least a few hundred miles, asked for a week-long shore leave to relax and plan our return to the borders. Two days into our leave, we received our new orders. The message was short but very clear: we had been assigned to Shining Armor’s detachment as caretakers for the changelings. Now, it was two months later. We were in the last legs of the mission—arguably the most dangerous part.
“Bonaparte! Get your head in the game,” Blitz suddenly berated me. I shook my head and looked down to my cards.
Again, total garbage.
“Well gentlecolts, I’m bored and beat,” Amber said, followed by a yawn. I looked at the living room clock and realized that it was eleven minutes past ten. Not terribly late, but just enough to see Amber’s point about being tired.
I turned to Blitz, who put his cards down and groaned. He glared at the two changelings, but that changed when a yawn escaped his lips. “I guess we can call it a game here,” he finally said sheepishly. “Bonaparte, what’s the final tally?”
“Let me see here,” I said, pulling out a small scorecard I had kept out of necessity. “Titus has twenty wins. Amber has fifteen wins. I have six wins, and you got nine.”
“Amber got all her wins because she was cheating!” Blitz said.
Amber, in return, crossed her forelegs and gave Blitz a very foul glare before shaking her head and turning to face me. “Can you believe him? Blaming a lady such as myself of cheating! Seems to me more like somepony just doesn’t know how to take a loss well—unlike some fine gentlecolts I know~” She leaned in closer to me. Before I could form some kind of reply, the captain once again walked into the room, this time unaccompanied by his elite guards. Again, Blitz and I instinctively snapped to attention, easing up only after the captain saluted back.
“Blitz, Bonaparte, I’m afraid I have bad news. Our mission has just been severely delayed.” He took a seat and sighed. “We were supposed to move out by tomorrow afternoon, but some of the scouts I sent on patrol have reported that there’s an unusually large amount of manticores gathering in the nearby Everfree. Those manticores are currently hunting just outside the outskirts of town, and should be considered hostile. As guards, it’s our duty to ensure this town’s safety before we can even consider moving out.”
Amber groaned. “So we’re stuck in this town ‘til your guards either get rid of those manticores, or the manticores decide to move on? Oh, goodie!” She rolled her eyes and gave a sour smile.
Shining Armor glared at the changeling. “We’re all stuck in this town ‘til I’m one-hundred percent sure no pony is going to be harmed. I am not going to take any unnecessary risks with my troops or the townsfolk.” He turned to face Blitz and me again. “At least there is some good news. The beasts seem to be somewhat occupied with their hunt at the moment. Barring an attack on the town, we just have to wait them out.”
“Sounds good, sir,” Blitz replied, though his voice wasn’t as enthusiastic as he would have liked the captain to believe. Nonetheless, the captain nodded at his words before turning to our “guests.”
His eyes suddenly grew hard “I know you don’t like your situation, but I don’t care. Personally, I want nothing to do with your race, but Celestia thinks that we should try and coexist, and I’m bound by my oath to follow her orders. So let’s play a game: if you give me any reason to suspect that you are going to hurt any of my princess’s subjects, or betray her trust in you, then I will have you thrown in Canterlot’s deepest, darkest dungeon.” He snorted out as he turned to face Blitz and myself. I prepared myself for some kind of speech about us being too friendly with the “enemy,” but the captain instead said “carry on” in a voice that sounded restrained.
At that instant, the mare whose home we were using as temporary headquarters, Rosovyy, walked in. She had a no-nonsense attitude and was quite cranky to boot. Noting the rather high tension in the air, she turned to face the captain and gave him a glower. The captain apologized to her before leaving us to ponder his words. I looked back to Rosovyy, who shot the captain a nasty glare before closing the door and heading off to the kitchen.
Rosovyy. Now there was a very strange mare. I heard a snicker in the background. I turned around to see Amber holding back a laugh. “What’s so funny?” I asked her.
She shook her head, smile still plastered on her lips. “I was just remembering when we first met Rosovyy.”
Blitz grimaced. “That mare tried to bust our heads open with an axe!” He visibly shuddered at his words.
Amber just barely managed to stifle a laugh. “Aww, what’s the matter, Blitz? Afraid of the little bad mare with the axe, or are you simply too ashamed to admit that Kr’agtaturn here saved your sorry flank?”
“Oh, very funny, Amber.” Blitz replied. Once again, Amber groaned at the use of her nickname.
I turned to face Titus, who was still as stoic as usual. Somehow, this changeling had wound up as Rosovyy’s “Very Best Friend for Life” when he had not only stood up to her threats, but actually had proven he was willing to work alongside her gathering wood from the nearby Everfree. That act had gotten us shelter with her. Now, Titus would be at Rosovyy’s heels at every possible moment, either carrying baskets full of produce, or cutting up more trees in the everfree.
As Amber would tell me later, Titus was the sort of changeling to go leaping before looking. He also had more of an eye for ponies than his own kind. He was fortunate that Rosovyy seemed willing to accept the fact that he was a changeling and seemed to be taking a strong liking to him and his “strong silent ways.”
I sighed. Part of me wanted Titus to find his happiness here, away from all the contrived plots of nations, but I knew better. He was still the enemy. He was only using her. No, that’s not it, I thought to myself. If he was feeding, he could just take love from the couples back in town. This was something else. Maybe there was more to Titus than I was willing to give him credit for.
I momentarily wondered if things would be better in the morning…
...They weren’t.
A few hours passed by before Amber and Blitz got to arguing again. It was a continuation of their earlier disagreement, only now it was focused on the “subjugating nature of monikers” as Amber put it. Somehow, after a few minutes of non-stop bickering, the argument moved to old history. It was at this point that Amber started cursing her own kind for starting the Griffon-Equestrian war some six hundred years earlier. Naturally, Blitz tried to invalidate her claim by stating that changelings had no role in that war, and that the fault lay squarely on the griffon’s expansionist tendencies and the splintered dukehoods that Equestria was before full unification. Titus, who was sitting at the nearby tale, could only look at the two of them with a bemused, yet amused look.
Before either Blitz or Amber could continue their debate, Rosovyy slammed down her iron and pursed her little rosy lips as she turned to face the pair, fire in her eyes. “Ms. Amber, Mr. Blitz, you can think you deceive because I'm simple country pony. You can think I will eat up whatever nonsense you say because you are soldiers. But know this: I know what started the war between ponies and griffons six hundred years ago: it was sultan of Saddle Arabia who stole the holy dragon sword out of the temple of Neighpon, took it to the griffon lands, and convinced half-eagles to hide it. Quilins of Neighpon turned to Equestria for aid, and when sword was discovered in the Griffon Kingdom, war was declared.” She nodded with a grunt and a smile as she grabbed her iron and turned back to her task.
Amber and Blitz only looked at each other, confusion clear in their eyes. Titus smiled broadly as his gaze fell on the young mare. He almost looked at her dreamily. Rosovyy might've had a point—if any of that had actually happened.
She continued to fix the pair with a glare, but returned to her ironing. She was quiet for a few seconds before speaking again. “I know that look you both give me. You think Rosovyy is crazy mare. You think Rosovyy is out of touch with modern Equestria.” She once again put her iron down with a slam. “To you, I say Nyet! I know my history better than most. It is you both that need to learn how to see the truth for what it is.” She picked up her iron and returned to her task. “I am no silly pony. Sure, I wear manticore pelt, but I hunted the beast with my own two hooves. I am entitled to wear skin of dead animal.”
Before any of us really had an answer for Rosovyy, Captain Shining Armor entered the house. He was sporting his full battle regalia, and was brandishing both spear and sword. Blitz and I instantly saluted him.
“Blitz, Bonaparte, listen up,” the captain started. “We have a situation unfolding. Our scouts report that a group of manticores is heading directly at the town.” I hear the scraping of metal. I turned to face Rosovyy, who was holding her trusty exe in fetlock. “I’ve already ordered all guards to station, but we need everypony if we are going to push those monsters back.” The captain walked up to Amber and Titus. “As much as I hate the idea, we are going to need your help as well.”
“And why would we help you?” Amber asked. “You’ve done nothing but insult us and treat us like garbage.”
He turned to Titus, completely ignoring Amber’s words. “We’re in this together. If you don’t want to be manticore food, you will help us.”
“Hello!? I’m right here!” Amber said, waving her hooves at the captain.
The captain’s face turned to a scowl as he turned to Amber and stomped a hoof. “Will you shut up and listen!?” He sighed in frustration.
Amber rolled her eyes. “Not with that attitude, I won’t!”
The captain put a hoof over his face. “Ago’dotis—” he started, but then only shook his head, “—we don’t have time for this! Just do as you’re told!”
Amber scowled. She moved to retort, but Titus put a hoof in front of her face and shook his head. Amber snorted and scoffed. “Fine.” She turned to me. “But only on the condition that I’m partnered up with Bonaparte.”
The captain grunted, but nodded in agreement. Amber quickly moved next to me and grinned.
“I come too,” Rosovyy said. “This is my town, and this is my home. No manticore is going to come in and ruin way of life.”
The captain turned to face the young mare. “I’m sorry ma’am, but I will not let a civilia—”
Rosovyy grabbed his armor by the neck and brought him to her eye level “I. Come. Too!” She shoved him away. “Pampered prince is not going to stop me.”
The elites around Rosovyy drew their weapons and pointed them at her neck. In return, the young mare brought up her axe and bit down on the handle, glaring at the group of guards.
“Enough!” the captain bellowed. He glared at Rosovyy. “You want to go out there and possibly get mauled? Fine by me! Don’t say I didn’t warn you, though.” He turned to his elites. “Put those things away before you stab somepony’s eye out!” As instructed, the elites sheathed their weapons, but never stopped glaring at Rosovyy. He turned to me and Blitz, and his face livened up considerably. That didn’t last long though, as his face quickly turned back to as steely one. “Get your armor and weapons ready. We leave five minutes ago.”
Me and Blitz saluted and took off to gather our supplies. As I strapped on my armor and helmet, I kept getting this bad feeling in my gut. It told me that something wrong was coming. I tried to put it out of my mind, but the nagging just kept returning and returning. I gazed out the nearest window and saw the dark clouds gathering near the forest.
The words “something wicked this way comes” played over and over in my head. Never a good omen.
