The Changeling Princess

"Wait," Rainbow Dash stopped. "Did you mention Thunderlane?"

"Yes," Joker replied, coming to a halt further up and looking over her shoulder. "Why?"

"How do you know him?" Fluttershy asked.

"He's a guard," Joker forced her voice to sound casual. "A great one at that. He got promoted rather quickly. He's a Lieutenant now. The annoying thing is, all the other guards know this too. In a fight where I had no magic, he could easily beat me and they know it. As a result, they try and keep him away from me, in fear I'd kill him."

"You mentioned her found out about the changeling thing," Applejack tried to keep the smirk off her face. "How did he react?"

"Shocked and he didn't believe it," Joker giggled. "I changed to show him and he was stunned for days."

"Typical Thunderlane," Rainbow smirked.

"So, how close are the two of you?" Pinkie Pie asked, bouncing along side Joker.

"We're just friends," Joker answered too quickly.

"Totally," Rainbow Dash said sarcastically, alerting Joker to her mistake.

Pinkie gasped loudly before smiling hugely.

"You love him, don't you?" her smile dominated most of her face.

Joker nodded, unable to help her own smile.

"How long have you known him?" Applejack asked.

"He signed up just before the Royal Wedding," Joker thought. "So, about three and a half years."

"And, how long have you been dating?" Rainbow Dash was dying for an answer.

"About half a year," Joker tried to fight back her smile, but it was a war she was destined to lose before it began. "He asked me because I was shy about admitting my feelings."

Rainbow Dash burst into laughter at this, but Joker's smile vanished and a cold looked replaced it.

"I am a changeling!" Joker silenced Rainbow with her powerful voice. "I am supposed to feed off love! I could easily feed off his love for me and if I'm not careful I could kill him!"

Joker walked on, leaving the ponies and Spike surprised in her wake.

The conversation, thanks to Pinkie's change of topic, stayed off things Joker didn't want to think about. But she knew, one day, she would have to face those thoughts she shoved to the back of her head.

The sun was setting when they decided to rest for the night. Joker, Rainbow Dash and Applejack went looking for anything that would burn of was edible while Fluttershy and Spike tried to make the ground softer to sleep on. The best thing they could think of were some weird looking leaves that were pretty soft to the touch. Still, it was better than nothing.

Spike was exhausted, so he was the first to sleep. The mares stayed up a bit longer, chatting.

"Changelings can feel love?" Pinkie Pie frowned. "I thought they didn't feel emotions."

"Most don't, like the drones," Joker corrected. "But they feel basic emotions like happiness and fear but Chrysalis trains them to ignore their own emotions. But fear is just too powerful."

"How does Shining Armour act towards you?" Fluttershy asked. "I mean, after what happened at his wedding."

"Let's say he blames me and I sped half my free time wondering how I can make it up to him," Joker sighed. "I have told him my side of events but he doesn't believe me. Maybe if I get you all out safe then he might stop being so . . . hostile. Ha! I'm being a wishful thinker once more."

"He might," Fluttershy comforted Joker. "He just doesn't want to be fooled again because that did look a little bad for his reputation."

"I suppose," Joker thought. "But he won't believe the story about my armour with the magically enhanced manticore. That is one thing he'll use as an excuse to stay mad at me."

"The magically enhanced manticore," Rainbow Dash frowned. "How did it become magically enhanced?"

"A mad changeling who happened to be a friend of mine," Joker giggled at the memory. "We combined our powers and magically enhanced a manticore. We wanted it to be our pet, you see. But . . . my friend got killed and it has been after me ever since."

"You were one strange foal," Pinkie Pie giggled. "Although, it was pretty stupid."

"I agree," Joker nodded at Pinkie. "But, hey, we were just kids. We had no idea it would turn on us."

"Magic users," Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Did you have any magic surges?"

"Um," Joker frowned, reaching further back into her mind for memories. "Once. I accidentally changed my personal guard into a para-sprite. I turned him into a few other things before I changed him back."

"What else did you change him into?" Pinkie said laughing.

"A toad, a mushroom, a-"

"A MUSHROOM!!" Pinkie Pie was rolling around, laughing her head off.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash joined in. Fluttershy giggled almost silently. Joker laughed herself, at the memory, but not as loud as Pinkie Pie.

"Shut up!" Spike groaned. "Some one of us are trying to sleep!"

"Sorry, Spike," Joker chuckled, getting to her hooves. "Although it might be wise to get some sleep. I would like to make sure Twilight and Rarity are safe."

"And where are you going?" Applejack frowned.

"Hey, if I'm going to be feared I need to have reasons why," Joker twitched her good wing. "Besides, if I stopped, Chrysalis would send her army back out to take Equestria. I need to stall them as long as possible."

"But wouldn't that just lead them to our location?" Rainbow asked.

"It would, but I'm going further north," Joker looked up the mountain. "It'll take a few hours, but I should be back by sunrise."

"And if you aren't?" Fluttershy asked, not wanting to know.

"Go on without me," Joker glanced at them all. "I should catch up. Or if the worst should happen then you should continue. Although, it won't happen."

"Be careful," Fluttershy said quietly.

"I normally am," Joker began to walk away.

"Oh, yeah, I bet you weren't careful when it almost ripped your wing off!" Rainbow Dash called after Joker.

"Two changelings advancing on you from two different sides is hardly fair!" Joker called back before breaking into a gallop and vanishing from view.

"She'll be fine," Applejack said comfortingly. "Now let's get some shut eye."

The four mares laid down. It wasn't long before three of them drifted off into sleep. One mare opened her eyes. She examined the area and made she her friend's were asleep before she got up, tiptoed away from her friends. Once she was out of sight, Rainbow Dash shot into the sky in record time and flew after Joker.

*

Joker cornered a group of changelings. They shook in fear of the princess. One leapt at her, closely followed by two more. Joker hit one with a powerful blast of green energy from her horn. It hit him in the chest, blasting him backwards into a tree. The tree shook with the force. When the changeling made contact with the tree there was a sickening snap.

The other two changelings didn't seem that bothered that their comrade was killed so easily. Their fangs bared as they drew closer, their wings speeding them up and closing the gap between them and Joker.

Joker grabbed the closest one by the throat, her jaws crushing the exoskeleton before she dropped it at her hooves and knocked the other one off course with her magic. She saw it only had been knocked out, trotted over to it, stood on her hind legs before throwing her front hooves to the floor with deliberate force that crushed the changeling's head.

Two other changelings tried to flee Joker's wrath, but the changeling needed to vent some rage and she caught them not too far away. One she skewered in the stomach with her sharp, twisted horn as it leapt at her from above. The other was far more slippery. It dived, ducked and dodged all attacks from the grounded changeling.

Joker eventually got fed up and pinned it down with her magic while she ripped it's wings off and then, still using her magic, she threw it further down the mountain, seeing the unmistakable figure of the manticore.

The princess of the changelings couldn't sense any more changelings here. She set a faster pace to another part of the forest,  ignoring the blood that ran down her horn and her legs from her attacks.

"How do you sleep at night?" Rainbow Dash asked, flying just above Joker's head.

The cyan pegasus made Joker jump.

"Bloody-" Joker growled. "What are you doing here?"

"Making sure you don't do anything stupid," Rainbow grinned landing in front of the changeling.

"I can take care of myself," Joker sighed. "And at the moment you are the one do something stupid."

"Oh, there are no more changeling's here," Rainbow Dash said as Joker skirted around the cyan mare and trotted off. "I did a little scout of the area."

Joker's horn glowed green and eyes glowed green for a moment as she amplified her sense to double check the area.

"You're right there," Joker sighed, disappointed, as the glowing ceased. "I suppose there's no point of being here."

"Nope," Rainbow Dash smiled as turned to head back to where their friends slept. "So, are you coming or not?"

"There's no point staying here," Joke admitted, following Rainbow Dash. "You can fly, so why are you walking with me?"

"To stop you doing anything stupid," Rainbow smirked.

"Coming from the very pegasus who decided to follow me in the first place," Joker sighed. "That was pretty stupid, in its own right."

"I'm trying to make up for earlier," Rainbow muttered. "I acted on instinct."

"Not the first time it's happened and surely won't be the last," Joker smiled. "Every pony reacts that way. One time, I got  my head smashed against marble flooring. I had a headache for hours afterwards. They admitted afterwards they were trying to crush my skull."

"Ouch," Rainbow flinched.

"I've heard worse," Joker shuddered. "Far, far worse."

"Like what?"

"I don't want to say," Joker looked at the forest floor. "Each time I remember one of the incidents I remember how close I can be to being found out and what could happen to me then."

"If any pony does find out, you know where to find us," Rainbow Dash smiled weakly. "We will do what we can to stop anything happening."

"I spend most of my time at the castle, so I'm hoping if anything does happen the princesses will back me up," Joker sighed. "I only pray that if some pony does find out I'll have some pony to defend me."

"Are you incapable of defending yourself?" Rainbow frowned, stopping.

"No," Joker frowned at Rainbow, stopping a few paces ahead of her rainbow-maned friend. "Against unicorns, their magic is different and even the simplest spell could effect me badly. Earth ponies are strong and could probably crush this exoskeleton as easily I can. Pegasi . . . are fast and have great stamina. If I were to be chased by them, they would catch me up. If three of you worked together you'd be able to kill me, easy."

"We can?" Rainbow frowned, processing this new information.

"The pegasi could wear me out, the unicorn then weaken me so I cannot defend myself or attack and the earth pony . . ." Joker drifted off.

To explain Joker transformed herself into an earth pony. She stood on her hind legs as a hologram equivalent of herself appeared sprawled before her. She threw her hooves to the ground. The moment they made contact with her holographic self, there was flash of bright light and Joker returned to normal.

Rainbow Dash shuddered.

"I hope that never happens," Rainbow whispered as they continued walking.

"Let's just hope no pony figures it out," Joker agreed. "I would rather die of old age than being killed just because of what I am and not what ponies know me as."

"It's annoying when they judge you by looks, isn't it?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Not that I ever had that problem because no pony really messed with me."

"A changeling; a reason to start accusing," Joker sighed. "I admit; I have killed before and I regret every moment of it. I only wish to make up what I did wrong, the guilt is too much to bare at times."

"And that makes you worthless queen!" Two familiar voices snarled. Two voices that made both the changeling and the pegasus freeze in surprise.