Battle of Crystal Hill

Five days after news arrival

Rooster Hoof was overlooking a band of inexperienced farmers holding swords and spears in their teeth or curled arms on the handles of either. The ones bearing horns on their heads, unicorns were unarmed. This didn’t necessarily mean they were defenseless. One of the perks of being one was that you had the powers of a warrior, a healer, and a worker all in one little extra horn.

“Well boys and lady.” He said to the group of 50 or so consists of all males and a female with a rather bad looking scar under her left eye. "It's high time I introduce myself by name, considering you've been speaking to and of me as 'sir' or 'boss'. M'names Rooster Hoof." He took a small bow "At your service."

The ponies whispered among themselves before quickly being cut off by Rooster. "Alrighty then, it's great that y'all are interested in my name. But it's quite time we move onto our training. I had to make it with no armor in mind."

They all walked along to a small grassy field with the mountains directly north, a hill in-between mountain and the city. "This here hill is where Sombra plans on making the defense effort. We will be placed along the left bank, where he expect little in regards to hostiles." He looked back at them before turning back around and pointing his hoof at a line of steaks placed into the ground along the whole hill's forward end, pointing toward the mountain. "We are charged with the left bank, so I plant on running us through a formation. I need y'all to......-"

Three hours pass

"That there is what I call a spear wall! Swordsponies in front be sure to make sure the spear bearers are kept out of direct conflict. Unicorns I want you to volley the mortar magic again." A flash erupted from the back of the group before balls of various colors flew almost directly up before fall down and creating small craters some 150 feet from the forward line.

"Perfect! They'll never know what hit em!" He silently thanked the royal sisters that he had found that book on griffon war machines and tactics. Converting magic to duplicate mortars was easy once he had found out one of the unicorns in his band, Sunrise Willow, was a master of spell construction. She was made second in command on the spot, not to mention that scar by her eye!

"Commander!" Rooster turned to see a pegasus mare with guardsmen armor flying at a rapid pace toward him. Muttering to himself he quickly called for a dismissal of today's training before running to meet the mare.

She collapsed on the ground upon landing, catching her breath. "Sir! The bug-err...creature you caught has escaped! The cell was found holding a guard with a bad looking bruise on the cheek, he was out of it moaning!"

What? Are you serious? Did no one think to tell the guards? Oh man. "What is being done with the guard?" he asked the pegasus slowly, making eye contact. "What? He is being taken to medical." A deep breath emanated from Rooster. "That was the bug, it can change forms yo-" He took a calming breath, chanting under his breath "They didn't know" for a few seconds.

"Go back to the castle and inform the guards that it's the prisoner! And for all our sake's it better have not escaped yet!" Rooster said as he went to gallop toward the city, pegasus flying ahead to deliver her message, looking out of breath.

Rooster thought to himself as he ran toward the city. His head was alight with questions pertaining to that creature. How could it have been in any shape to try an escape after Sombra's little temper tantrum? How did it manage to trick the guards watching it? Ugh, too much thinking for one stallion. But his thoughts were interrupted by one of his men galloping up beside him. "What's the hurry Mr. Hoof?" Rooster cocked his head, looking over to his soldier. "We got a mess of trouble, that creature we captured might have just escaped by making it seem like it escaped. N' I an not in the mood to find it if it's gone."

He stopped talking as he finally made it to the city, breathing hard as his fast pace took it's toll. Moving into the castle, calling out for a guard of some sort to take him to the infirmary. It was too late however, when they arrived all they found was a unconscious nurse and a mess of medical equipment littering the floor. "Darn it..." Muttered Rooster as he roused the guards of the city to find the beast.

Sombra had apparently locked himself away in his room to take care of "Personal matters" when Rooster went to inform him. The guards barred entrance, forcing the stallion to speak with Captain Dash on the matter. "It slipped under the nose of your guards! Now it's probably halfway to the army it serves laughing back at us." Soaring Dash was looking as Rooster hoof with a sideways frown. "I don't see the big deal, not like it has anything important to report besides that we have a big scary new leader with the power to crush one of them with simple telekinesis." Rooster huffed before responding. "That's the point! These things are obviously good with espionage! They could easily enough send one of their other spies to take out Sombra in his sleep or slowly kill off our leadership, replacing them with fakes!" Soaring Dash laughed, waving a hoof. "Relax big guy, Sombra said he had a research team come up with a spell that could mess with their disguises by a simply examination via horn magic. They'll have it done in a few hours, already got blood samples and the other such to do it from the creature."

The conversation ended with Rooster storming off, ranting about how much damage the failure to explain the power of the changeling to one of the guard rotations was a huge misstep. The rest of the day and night was spent searching for a changeling that had already disappeared.