Nebula's War

From that day forth, everypony in Equestria lived in fear. They cowered when a dragon passed by, they cringed when they saw the razor sharp beaks and claws of the griffons, and they developed special codes and hoof shakes to prove that their trusted friends were not changelings in disguise. Many were unwilling to leave their homes, certain that one of the monsters would leap out of the shadows and devour them. In fact, it was six months before a new development got ponies talking again.

It was a quiet day in Ponyville as six armor-clad soldiers marched up to the massive golden doors of The Castle of Friendship. Although they could not hear what was being said, two unicorns in the public library clearly saw the soldiers entering the castle.

"How strange." said a female unicorn, who had been reading a book on hypnosis. "Trixie thought that the soldiers had already found evidence to prove that Discord had kidnapped the princesses. Why would they be going back into the castle?"

"Maybe they want to double check their facts.,” replied EagleHeart, a male unicorn with grey fur. "Haven't I always said that Discord was innocent?"

"Yes yes, Trixie remembers." Trixie sighed, but there was no malice in her tone. "You've told Trixie that kidnapping 'isn't Discord's style', and 'I'll go before Blueblood himself and prove that Discord is innocent'. So why haven't you?"

"I wish I could, but I don't have any evidence." EagleHeart admitted, absentmindedly twirling a quill in his emerald green aura. "If I could just get five minutes to investigate the castle, I'm sure I'd find the proof I need!" All of a sudden, a bloodcurdling roar erupted from The Castle of Friendship. EagleHeart and Trixie looked out the window in time to see the soldiers leave the castle, clamor into their sky chariots and fly away.

"… What the hay was that?" EagleHeart cried as the soldiers returned to Canterlot. "What scared them off? Did they trip some sort of magical burglar alarm? Or is there a monster living in the castle? And most of all, why were they in the castle in the first place?"

"All wonderful questions, but no answers. "Trixie laughed. "What do you say we put our research to the test?"

"Well… okay." EagleHeart conceded, and returned his spell books to the appropriate shelves. "But don't get cocky, we have no idea what's in there!"

"Who, Trixie?" Trixie laughed in mock surprise. "Trixie may be a performer, she may refer to herself in the second and third person, but she is anything but-!"

"EagleHeart, Trixie!" A voice called from Sugarcube Corner. "Long time, no see!"

"Oh! Hi Anamir." said EagleHeart. "Sorry, but can we get back to you later? Trixie and I-!"

"Oh, don't be silly!" Anamir laughed. "There's always time for a friendly chat and a sweet snack! Come on, just a few minutes?" EagleHeart stared longingly at The Castle of Friendship, and back at Anamir's pleading eyes.

"Oh come on, EagleHeart!" Trixie insisted. "Just a few minutes! The castle will still be there when we get back."

"I guess you're right, as usual." EagleHeart sighed as he and Trixie trotted up to Sugarcube Corner. "I don't know how you do it, Trixie, but you're very persuasive."

"Trixie supposes it’s her natural charm." Trixie giggled as they trotted up to the dessert display. "Hmm… Trixie will have a slice of cinnamon nut bread, please."

"Certainly!" said Anamir. "But first, which creature did you loose on Ponyville during your first show?"

"… Excuse me?"

“Which creature did The Great and Powerful Trixie loose on Ponyville during her first show?"

"Um, let's see, it was a bear made of stars… an Ursa Minor!"

"Oh, thank goodness!" Anamir smiled, and handed the soft, warm slice of cinnamon nut bread to Trixie.

"Anamir, what-?" EagleHeart began, but Anamir interrupted.

"Who trained EagleHeart in the arcane arts?"

"Chakra. Why?" EagleHeart replied, and Anamir gave a sigh of relief.

"Sorry, I had to be sure it was really you." She explained. "It's almost impossible to tell a pony from a changeling."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." EagleHeart replied, and glanced down at the pastry display. "Let's see… I'll have a carrot cupcake, please."

"Coming right up!" Anamir chirped, and passed a sweet, moist cupcake over the counter. "No no, this one's on the house." She insisted as EagleHeart held out two bits. "Go and sit with Melody and Silver," She added. "They arrived just a few minutes ago." EagleHeart had never seen Sugarcube Corner as empty as this before: aside from his friends, the only patrons were a bat pony with red fur and yellow hair and a stallion who sat in a darkened corner of the cafe, wearing a hooded cloak and sipping a cup of tea. The hooded stallion unnerved EagleHeart, but he reasoned that a changeling would not dress so conspicuously.

"Hey, the gang's all here!" Silver cheered, lifting a mug of hot chocolate in greeting.

"Hello, Silver." said EagleHeart. "How are things in Cloudsdale?"

"Pretty much the same as Ponyville." Silver admitted. "I mean sure, it's a city made of clouds, but nopony really goes outside anymore, not even to hang out with friends. They're afraid that a griffon will gobble them up, or a changeling will try to weasel secrets from them."

"It's ridiculous!" Melody cried. "Ponies wouldn't have to live in fear if they just gave the non-equines a chance! Even the changelings have turned over a new leaf since King Thorax took up the throne!"

"Old wounds run deep, my friend." Silver said, patting Melody on the back. "Starlight Glimmer may have reformed them, but it'll take a while for ponies to accept the changelings. Remember when the changelings led an assault on Shining Armor and Princess Cadence's wedding?"

"But that was years ago!" Trixie objected. "The changelings have reformed, Trixie saw it with her own eyes!"

"Yes, but my point is that until the changelings PROVE that they've changed for the better, they'll be seen as monsters. Same with the dragons and griffons: we've been told that they've changed their ways, but we've yet to see any proof." The group was silent for a moment, and then...

"Proof!" EagleHeart cried, loud enough to attract the attention of everypony in the bakery. "Trixie and I need to find proof that Discord is innocent!"

“I beg your pardon?" Chiarascura asked.

"Trixie and I were sitting in the library, and we saw a team of soldiers march into The Castle of Friendship. We didn't see what happened, but something in the castle roared, and they all ran back to Canterlot! Those soldiers are up to something, and we're going to find out what!" Again, the room fell silent.

"EagleHeart, you know I love you like a brother," said Silver. "But I have no idea what you're talking about."

"It doesn't matter!" EagleHeart cried, and beckoned for Trixie to follow him. "We need to get into that castle before the guards get back!" They ran for the door, when all of a sudden…

"Stop!"

"Oh, what now?" EagleHeart sighed. "I'm sorry, but I don't have time to talk!"

"Um, that wasn't us." Melody explained, and pointed to the corner booth.

"You'll never get out of that castle alive." The hooded figure growled. "Not without my help." He threw back his hood, revealing a thick purple beard, a long curved horn and a purple mane that was tied back in a ponytail.

"What the-?" EagleHeart spluttered for a moment before comprehension dawned on him. "Wait a minute, you're Azure Night!" Azure was taken aback.

"You've heard of me?"

"Of course I've heard of you! I visited Canterlot every week to watch your sparring matches. But then you disappeared, and I thought you were dead!"

“You’ve seen me spar, and yet you underestimate me?” Azure replied. "Now as I was saying, follow me to the castle. I wouldn't mind getting some proof myself."

"Well then, lead the way!" said EagleHeart. Without another word, Azure galloped down the street with EagleHeart and Trixie following close behind.

"Hello?" Azure called as he entered the crystalline fortress. "Jacob, are you here? It's Azure! I know we haven't spoken in a while, but I'm here to help!"

“What's going on here?" EagleHeart panted as he arrived on the scene. "Who are you talking to?" His question was immediately answered as a hulking mass with black fur and red eyes stepped out of the shadows

"Azure." said the hulking mass. "Long time, no see."

"A werewolf!" EagleHeart shouted. "So the soldiers weren't trespassing, they were exterminating!" EagleHeart lowered his glowing horn to point at the wolf. "Well, I won't stand by and let you desecrate Princess Twilight's castle!"

"STOP!" Azure shouted. "He's not a monster, he's a resident!" And Azure explained that the wolf, Jacob was a friend of Twilight who was guarding the castle in her absence.

"… Oh. Well, I guess that's okay." EagleHeart admitted. "Sorry I tried to kill you, Jacob."

"Happens all the time." Jacob admitted, and shrank back into his pony form. "So Azure, I guess you're here to ask about the intruders?"

"You got it. I was having a cup of tea in Sugarcube Corner when these two charged in, saying that a team of soldiers ran into the castle and got scared off." A smug grin played across Jacob's muzzle.

"Yeah, that was me. I was taking a nap on when I heard a disturbance in the library. When I got there, I saw a bunch of soldiers pulling books from the shelves and stuffing them into big purple bags. Naturally, I started growling and snarling at them, and they ran off."

"Interesting." Azure said, stroking his beard in thought.

"The good news is that they left their bags behind." Jacob continued. "Bad news, they'll eventually come back to finish what they started."

"Excuse me?" said EagleHeart. "May I take a look around?"

"Yeah, okay." Jacob replied. "The library is just down the hall." As EagleHeart and Trixie went to investigate the scene, Azure turned to address Jacob.

"So, have you given any thought to my offer?" Azure asked. "Do you want to help me find the princesses and prove that Discord is innocent?" Jacob shrugged his shoulders.

"I admit that there's something weird going on, Azure," He said. "But I can't leave the castle unprotected, especially after what happened today. This castle is my home, and I'm not going to let anypony take it away."

"Jacob, I know how important this castle is to you and Twilight," Azure sighed. "But if you want Twilight to come back, you need to-!"

"Excuse me?" called a voice from the entrance. "I'm sorry, are we interrupting?" Azure and Jacob turned to see Anamir, Chiarascura, Melody, Silver and the red bat pony standing in the doorway.

"Explain yourselves, citizens!” Azure shouted. "We're dealing with an issue of national security, and any civilian interference could blow the whole investigation to Tartarus! So explain yourselves or begone!"

"Well I'm sorry, but we wanted to make sure that our friends were safe." Anamir explained, sounding a bit more than offended.

"We don't want to get involved or jeopardize your mission, Sir." Chiarascura insisted. "We'll just get our friends and leave you be."

"And I just wanted to see what The Castle of Friendship looks like." Admitted the red bat pony. Azure stared incredulously at the starry-eyed stallion.

"… And who are you?" He asked.

"Oh, I'm Aaron! I was sitting in the cafe when I heard all this commotion about an invasion on The Castle of Friendship. It sounded like fun, so I just followed everypony here." Azure sighed and rubbed his temples in frustration.

"'Aaron'? Geez, and I thought MY name was weird." Jacob murmured.

"I don't think any of you understand the danger of the situation!" Azure shouted. "This isn't a field trip, this is a crime scene! If Blueblood finds you here, he'll have you thrown in the dungeon for the rest of your lives!"

"Well, I look forward to meeting him." EagleHeart said as he and Trixie stepped into the room, dragging a large bag of spell books. "Because I have a few questions that I'd like to ask our ruler." Back in Canterlot, Grand Valor was in high spirits: he had made a complete recovery from his battle with Azure, and was ready to resume his duties. He returned to the barracks, slid into his highly polished golden armor and strapped his long sword to his back before galloping down the hall to the throne room. Before he could enter, however, he heard the noise of a heated argument coming from within the room: Grand was certain that King Blueblood was in the room, although neither of the voices sounded like Blueblood's. Grand Valor hid behind the doorway and listened carefully to the conversation.

"… don't see why you bother, really." said Strong Arm.

"We've been over this before." replied a cold, haunting voice that Grand Valor didn't recognize. "They wouldn't take me seriously if they didn't think I was their legitimate ruler. I don't care if somepony else gets the credit, just so long as my plans come to fruition."

"Yeah, well, it'd be a lot easier to maintain the illusion if you just asked the changelings to-!" There was the sound of a hoof hitting flesh, and a yelp of pain.

"Don't you dare suggest I ask those worthless vermin for help!" Hissed the haunting voice. "Not after what they did to…" The voice trailed off, and cleared its throat. "At any rate, I have them working on a more important task."

"Okay, okay, fine!" Strong Arm said in an annoyed tone. "So the changelings are working on something important. I don't know why we bothered enslaving the dragons and griffons, though."

"Their races are too volatile." said the haunting voice. "If left unchecked, they would have eventually figured out our plan and come to shut us down. Trust me, they're leading more fulfilling lives than ever before."

"Yeah yeah, you're a real hero, Nebula." Strong Arm laughed. "You'll singlehandedly save Equestria from itself, and all it cost you was your immortal soul."

"For the last time, I don't care!" cried the stallion called 'Nebula'. "I couldn't have kidnapped all four Princesses of Equestria without the power your master provided!"

"Oh, you'll care eventually. They all do." Strong Arm chuckled. Grand Valor was so horrified by what he was hearing that he barely heard the thundering hooves running down the hallway. Grand only had enough time to hide behind a pillar before six armor-clad soldiers charged onto the scene and into the throne room.

"Ah, right on time!" Nebula cheered. "Did you find what I asked for?"

"No sir, there were… complications." Admitted one of the soldiers. "As it turns out, The Castle of Friendship isn't completely vacated."

"What do you mean?"

"There's another demon living there, sir. His name is Jacob." There was a long silence.

“Do you know this demon?" Nebula asked.

"Yes sir, but we thought he was dead. He disappeared from Tartarus last year, after his brother died."

"Well, I suggest we pay this 'Jacob’ a visit." Back in the hallway, Grand Valor was frozen in terrified disbelief. This 'Nebula' was masquerading as King Blueblood, and was keeping the changelings, dragons and griffons as slaves! Grand's mind was racing as he formulated a plan: first of all, he would find Azure and tell him that he was right to not trust King Blueblood. Then he would help Azure spread the word that King Blueblood was an imposter who-! At that moment, Grand Valor felt a horrible pressure on his chest. He gasped and spasmed for a few seconds, and then fell to the floor. A tall, slender figure stood over him, a unicorn with cobalt blue fur, crimson eyes and a magenta mane that waved and sparkled like a nebula of stars. For some reason, the stallion's gaze did not show anger or revulsion, but sadness and pity.

"Hello, Grand Valor." The stallion said in his deep, haunting voice. "I'm sorry it had to end this way, I really am. You were one of my most skilled and loyal soldiers, and if you hadn't heard our conversation just now, you could have been great. But I can't let you tell the nation what's really going on. It would destroy them."

"Y-you… you're already destroying them!" Grand choked. "You k-killed the princesses and …enslaved the non-pony races! T-they're living a l-lie!"

"Perhaps, but it will all be worth it in the end." Nebula admitted. "Goodbye, Grand Valor." A white wolf, ten feet tall with blood red eyes stepped into the hallway and laughed at the sight of Nebula standing over Grand Valor's body.

"What the Tartarus was that?" He laughed in Strong Arm's voice. "Are you trying to get an award for Most Dramatic Death Scene?"

"I stopped his heart. We'll say he had a bad reaction to the infirmary's medicine and nopony will be the wiser."

"Bah! I would’ve slit his throat and thrown his body in the furnace."

"Yes, but then they would suspect foul play. This is less conspicuous.” Nebula explained. “Besides, he was loyal to me. The least I could do was give him a quick, painless death."

"Yeah, well, if loyalty gets me killed, count me out." said the wolf. "Now come on, let's go kill Jacob."