"Spoiled Cupcakes..."

[Canterlot - Shining Armor's Office - Shining POV.]

"The first guard is ready for you, Captain." Raven Inkwell said.

"Thank you, Inkwell. How is Princess Luna doing?"

"She's going to make a full recovery. Her alicorn biology and Equestria's best healers had already regrown her crushed orbital socket. She's blind in her left eye, but the doctor says her vision may return. But, there will be scarring around the skin."

"Scarring?" I arched a brow at that.

"The doctors can't explain it. Pinkie shouldn't have been able to hurt her in the first place. Yet, Princess Luna still sits in the infirmary."

"I sighed as the first guard walked into my office. "This whole situation is beyond the pale. Please keep me updated. Cadance is almost beside herself with worry. She wants to cut her studies in Prance and come back. Thankfully, I managed to rebuff her concerns until after the execution. But we're all worried about Twilight. I'll try to speak with her later." I turned to the guard, who was patiently waiting as Inkerll left. "Alright, name and rank, solder."

"Sergent Crack Hooves, sir."

"Ah, hello again, Sergent. I remember you during the changeling invasion reports. It says you protected an orphanage from at least two dozen buggers. You performed admirably during that crisis."

"Thank you, sir. It was no trouble. If I may ask, captain, why did you want to see me?"

"I wanted to give a psyche val on every pony that worked in the Ponyville case. From the pictures and reactions from ponies, I want to ensure my guards are mentally well."

The Sergent lets out a bitter chuckle. "During the invasion, some of the buggers would disguise themselves as little fillies and coats to throw off our battalion and set up ambushes. It's scary how effective of a tactic it was. I mean, who would ever suspect a foal of any evil? Oh, I still remember this little unicorn coming out to me. I would've called her adorable if the situation wasn't dire. Capricorn was the name it gave us. She told my squadron that her mom got hurt when the shield fell. Naturally, the royal guard responded. We followed the filly to the dead-end alleyway. When I went to ask where her parents were, Capricorn stood before us, not saying a word. It wasn't until we heard several hissing that we saw the trap. Capricorn whirled on us as the changeling came crawling down the walls. Her eyes went from a violent tinge to a pale swamp green while green fire enveloped her, turning her into another changeling. That tactic almost cost me my squad."

"And how did you get away?"

The Sergeant's face smiles as he explains, "I fired a third-tier concussive wave right in the center of them. It gave my squad enough time to pull out." The smile leaves as soon as it comes as the Sergeant continues. "Of course, trust between our follow ponies broke down after that. Every pony that wasn't in our squad became a suspect of suspicion. Trying to maintain order was useless as every action anypony took came under suctintity. If you disappeared, you were a bugger. If you called out for help and tried to lead a guard somewhere, you were a bugger. It got so bad that one of the privates almost assaulted a real family before that force field kicked all the changelings out of Canterlot. Thank you for that, sir."

"Just doing my duty. And I am sorry. If I hadn't been compromised or listened to my sister's concerns, I would've spared a lot of ponies some trauma."

The Sergeant let out a chuckle as I looked at him, perplexed. "I bet it wasn't much trauma for you, sir. After all, you had two brides that day.'

"Haha, yeah, a wedding and a separation. With no alimony payments to Chrysalis, I'd say I'm the luckiest stallion in Equestria." We both laughed for a bit before I recomposed. "As much fun as this conversation is, we are going off-topic. How does the changeling invasion correlate with the Ponyville indecent?"

Sergeant Crack Hooves looks down in silence with a vacant look. "...I was on the responding team for the incident. I was covering a shift for a friend over there. Swift Charger. She called out sick for a whole week. I laughed since she swore that she would never take any sick days. And here she was, finally getting sick. I thought nothing of it until Princess Luna ordered us to investigate the premises and apprehend the suspect. The details were fuzzy as the Princess had a gag order on us the entire time. Then, when we finally got inside Sugarcube Corner..."

"Sergeant?" I called out.

"I'm sorry. When we got there and found your sister standing over her fellow element bearer in that room of horrors, I discovered my sick friend. Or rather, I saw her wings. It-It was a part of that disgusting cloak the suspect made!"

"Are you sure it was hers? For confirmation's sake?" I said as gently as I could.

"Her primary feathers had a dark purple shading around the tips. It's a rare trait for Pegasi to have. Swift said she would've been an ace Wonderbolt flyer if she weren't in the guard. She served the royal guard for five years! Five years of sleepless nights and dedication to the crown. She was up for promotion next week. Next Bucking Week!!!" Several tears fell as the Sergeant pounds his hoof against the desk.

"...I heard about Swift Charger. She was an exemplary mare."

"It's not right! After all her hard work, all that's left of her is a slab of flesh and a cutie mark. It wasn't even an enemy of the state, Nightmare Moon, changelings, or Discord that got her. It was our national hero. The one that is supposed to bring joy to everypony! I don't-- I can't understand it! All of this doesn't seem real. Sometimes, I believe that the buggers captured me back during the invasion, draining me dry in one of those pods while I go through some twisted fever dream!!!"

By now, Sergeant Crack Hooves is openly sobbing for his loss. I went over and patted him on the back. "Words can't express my condolences. But I swear that Swift Charger will receive the honest honors for her service. For now, I am putting you on paid leave. Take some time to rest and get your head right. If you still want to talk, all the high officers offer these sessions to everypony involved."

Sergeant Crack Hooves could only weakly nod as I helped him out of the office. "You know what the worst part about all this?"

"What's that, Sergeant?"

It was then Crack Hooves sent me the most haunting look all day. "When you corner a changeling, they change back to proper form. It's almost becoming a pride for them to take you out in their natural state."

"Maybe it's to add the intimidation against their prey, with the fangs and bug-like appearance," I added, but the Sergeant shook his head.

"No, it feels more like they enjoy you looking at them like that like there's a thrill to being out in the open or being honest about their intent. With Pinkie Pie, even unconscious and peaceful looking, I could tell she was still lying about her nature. That makes her worse than the buggers."

With that said, Crack Hooves left my office. I stood there digesting his words while trotting back to my desk. I met Pinkie Pie at my wedding. I read all the letters Twilight sent about her friends. And nothing from the letters and meeting the mare tipped me off to the predator hiding in plain sight. As the next guard comes inside, I only hope Twilight is handling things better than I am right now.