My little pony:Adventure of Seresia

Gazing at the changeling bound by magic inside the room, the two guards at the door started whispering to each other, wondering how it managed to sneak into Canterlot undetected. After all, the castle was protected by powerful magic, and they hadn’t encountered a changeling inside the castle in ages.

“How do you think it got in?”

“Could the defensive magic have failed?” the younger guard speculated, only to be immediately contradicted by his companion.

“Are you dumb? Princess Twilight checks on that magic every few days—there’s no way it would just stop working out of nowhere…” His companion paused, glanced at the room, then continued, “But I’m telling you, when the princess finds out about this, the ponies in charge of maintaining those magic are definitely going to be punished. They’ll be polishing armor for days, maybe even facing extra drills from the captain.”

The guard let out a smug chuckle, clearly pleased at the thought. “Honestly, they’ve been flaunting their frequent contact with the princess for too long—it’s about time someone knocked them down a peg.”

“Well, I can’t help but envy them… I’d like to work with the princess too,” the younger guard said with a dreamy smile, imagining himself carrying out orders under her guidance. His companion noticed and slung a hoof around his shoulder, pulling him close. “Speaking of extra drills, I heard you made the captain so mad the other day that he went green in the face and had you running twenty laps around the field. You’ve got some guts, Silver Flash—I’ve never seen anypony get the captain that angry.”

“It’s… a long story…” Silver Flash mumbled, ultimately deciding not to share the whole truth with his companion. After the incident, the captain had sent him to the infirmary for a series of tests, even suspecting that his habit of patrolling the garden solo had caused some strange issue, eventually assigning him to daytime shifts inside the castle instead.

“When is that foreign escort’s reinforcement supposed to arrive?” Using the opportunity, Silver Flash changed the subject, slipping free from his companion’s grip.

“Good point… it’s been quite a while.” His companion suddenly remembered, turning his head to check the hallway corner. Yet, even after straining his ears, he heard no hoofsteps approaching.

“This feels… off… Stay here and keep an eye on the changeling! Don’t let it escape—I’ll be right back.”

“Wait! Hold on!” Before Silver Flash could respond, his companion dashed off down the hallway, leaving him alone. Feeling increasingly uneasy, Silver Flash looked back at the changeling inside the room, gripping his weapon tightly for some sense of security.

“Hey, soldier over there…”

“Silence, you devious changeling! I’m not falling for any tricks!” Silver Flash shouted, trying to muster all his courage, but his voice quivered slightly, betraying his nervousness.

“I… I don’t feel well… Help… me…” The changeling put on a look of intense discomfort, as though it could barely breathe. Silver Flash hesitated, taking a tentative step closer.

“Hey… are you alright?” The changeling seemed to want to speak but slumped over, looking as though it had fainted. Startled, Silver Flash tightened his grip on his weapon and stepped beside the magic circle, feeling a pang of sympathy. Could the magical confinement be causing this? Was there something he could do? Questions flooded his mind, leaving him indecisive. Fortunately, his companion returned just in time, bringing several other guards with him.

“What’s going on? What did you do, Silver Flash?” Seeing the situation, his companion immediately assumed Silver Flash had done something wrong.

“I didn’t do anything! It just suddenly looked like that—I think it’s the magic circle causing it!” Silver Flash protested, prompting his companion to rush forward, pushing him aside to examine the changeling more closely.

“Dang… Maybe the magic circle is confining it, but the castle’s magic is meant to expel changelings by force, so it’s causing this…” His companion’s eyes lit up as he connected the dots, earning nods of agreement from the other guards. “Open the balcony window, just in case it hits the window once we put it down.”

Following his orders, the others opened the window, and then they gathered around the circle, debating how to dismantle it safely and let the changeling out of the balcony. Fortunately, the circle wasn’t complex—they managed to dispel it simply by erasing the magical-coating painted runes on the floor. Surprisingly, the changeling didn’t fly out as expected but instead fell straight to the ground.

“Ha! Looks like the castle’s magic really is down—let’s see how those guys explain that!”

“Forget about that for now. What are we supposed to do with this thing?” Silver Flash looked a bit of speechless, he didn't know how much enmity this companion had with those foals,looking at the mischievous smile on his face, he could only quietly give him a push, hoping that the other would recognize the current situation.

“Right… Let’s lock it up for now, then go report to the princess.” His companion chuckled awkwardly under the others’ stares, then moved closer to the changeling, intending to help it up.

But in an instant, the changeling sprang to life, grabbing his companion’s hoof and throwing him across the room in a wide arc. He crashed into a bookcase, leaving him unconscious. The remaining guards were stunned, exchanging looks before all eyes turned to the changeling. Time seemed to freeze, and everything around them fell silent. Each guard tightened their grip on their weapons, prepared for a fight.

Finally, one of the soiders lunged forward, followed by the second, then the third. But in a flash, they were all lying on the floor, the last thought in each of their minds being, *How is this changeling so nimble?*

Silver Flash’s hooves shook as he struggled to hold his weapon steady, his body frozen in fear. He swallowed hard, hoping the changeling would spare him as he tried to put on a brave face. The changeling approached him, and Silver Flash closed his eyes, instinctively holding his weapon in front of his face.

“Tell your Princess Celestia that Princess Twilight is in danger!”

“Huh?” He cracked open one eye, only to find the changeling gone. Yet, its warning lingered, echoing in his mind, impossible to forget.