“Will ya look at that,” Stormy Night strolled casually into the Belfry, with two lunar guards following behind him, ignoring the angry looks from the lunare ponies surrounding him. “All the worthless cowards, all in one room.”
“Figures Chrysalis would let him out.” A lunar pony muttered from the bar.
“Let me out? Hell I’m the new Captain of the guard! Luna was pretty clever, disbanding her guard at the last minute.” Stormy grinned. “The new administration would have had a hell of a time rounding you all up too, but that’s where I came in.”
“You filthy traitor!” Moon Phase spat in the larger stallions face. “I knew you were a thug, but I never thought even you would stoop this low!”
“Luna betrayed me!” Stormy lashed out to strike his former superior with both front hooves. “And you’re no better! Siding with that damned monster and his ugly mutant offspring, over one of your own kind!”
More of the fake lunar guards trailed into the bar, as Stormy Night continued. “I changed my mind about changelings though, they’re okay.”
“Changeling Removal Service!” Pinkie Pie dropped from the ceiling. “Looks like we’re just in time!”
“Stormy Night.” Twilight Sparkle stroke calmly through the door, followed quickly by the other elements of harmony.
“Heh,” The lunar pony sneered. “The elements of harmony are safely floating in pods back at the Queen’s hive. I guess it was just a matter of time though before the Bug Princess sent her useless minions. And Twilight Sparkle is an alicorn nightmare in the moon, but you lot are pathetic.”
“Nuh-uh!” Pinkie Pie argued. “We’re playing canterlot wedding! And Twilight was a unicorn when THAT invasion happened, silly!”
“Whatever,” Stormy rolled his eyes and replied, “My changelings are feeding on the love of Equestria’s beloved ruler, while you lot are picking at the scraps in a city that suddenly hates changelings. I gotta hand it to the Nopony, he handed Chrysalis the city on a silver platter.”
“He doesn’t even know.” Rainbow Dash snickered. “This is gonna be SO much fun.”
“No,” Twilight said grimly, disappeared in a flash into a black and pink striped, scorpion tailed changeling with a painfully straight, pink mane. And then she smiled. “He’s mine. Remember me, Stormy? Because I remember you.”
“Y- you’re that monster’s deformed brat!” Stormy took a slow step back. “How did you manage to get even uglier?”
“Fear, hate, sure that may be a problem for Princess Fast In The Sack.” Diane’s grin grew even wider. “But for me and my sisters, that’s all part of a balanced breakfast. I eat hate, you should understand, and right about now you look delicious.”
Dianes tail lashed out striking the large lunar guard squarely in the chest. She leaned in snout to snout and opened her massive jaws impossibly wide and leaned in closer partially enclosing the stallion's head. “A little kiss, I could never have become what I am today if it wasn’t for you.”
The nightmare queen inhaled in and seconds later the emotionless husk of Stormy night fell to the floor. Diane spun on the nearest 'lunar guard', “You, drone! Report back to your queen and tell her I don’t give two clops about her stupid castle or the stupid princesses. But Decanter and all the ponies in it are mine!”
“B-but I can’t! You don’t know what she’ll do to us if we deliver a message like that!” A quick inhale from Diane and the changelings lifeless, emaciated body fell to the floor.
The remaining drones dropped their disguises and shuffled nervously. “W-what did she just do?”
“And now you know what I’ll do if you DON’T deliver my message” The remaining changelings bolted for the door.
“Wow, sis! That was amazing! And Awsome! It was Awesomazing!” Pinkie 13’s cheshire smile bounced up behind Diane. “But you can’t just break character like that!”
“That was a personal matter Thirteen.” Diane replied coldly, before turning her baleful gaze to the pale orange earth pony and yellow unicorn in a booth in the back corner. “You! The changeling in the corner? Did you miss the news flash? I just explained that Decanter is MY territory. That goes for Princess Bug Butt’s drones as much as Queen Not-So-Bright! Or do I have to set another example?”
“Perhaps you need a reminder of whose territory this really is.” Tarot Solitaire's calm voice silenced the room. “I had hoped the price my cards imposed on you last time would have pushed you to become a better person on the inside. But I see you have embraced the monster in the mirror. It was always your choice to make, but I can’t have you roughing up my poor cousin. He’s gone through quite enough as it is. Deadlift, please show this young lady and her sisters to the door.”
“You know you can’t take me a fight, Jimmy Jack.” Diane sneered at the giant pale horse.
“Diane, what would Train Wreck say if he could see you right now?” Dead Lift shook his head sadly. “For once I’m glad Surprise passed when she did, because seeing you like this would break her heart.”
“You don’t know anything about it!” Diane snapped, before turning for the door. “Come on girls, let the bat-ponies have their stupid bar. I never liked the place anyway.”
“Wait!” Orange Pip stood up. “Are you the Shift Sisters?”
“You should really just shut your stupid face, drone.” Diane spat on the floor. “I’m letting you go because I owe the goat a favor. Don’t push your luck.”
“First things first.” In a flash of changeling magic the earth pony stallion was an emaciated changeling Queen. “I was hatched from the same egg as Madame Butterfly, but I was raised by ponies.”
“Butterfly’s not a name you should really be dropping like that Mister Missus.” Pinkie 13’s smile hung upside down in front of the new changelings face. “We kinda had issues with mom, ‘had’ issues until Diane decided to play stabby-stabby, which is usually MY favorite game.”
“I had no ties to Madame Butterfly. We never met, really.” Pip amended quickly. “But I’ve lived my entire life chained to a family that hated me for a dark deed committed when I was still simply a nymph. The Orange family had me sterilized, when they found out what I was, but in all other respects I have the full capacity of a changeling queen. I would like to join your hive as an adviser.”
“I dunno, Diane,” Split shift dropped her Rainbow Dash disguise, “I don’t like the look of her. What if she tries to take over?”
“Then she’ll end up in even smaller pieces than her twin sister.” Diane smiled evilly. “You know what? You get to be Twilight Sparkle. Go play ‘Canterlot Wedding’ with my sisters.”
“Pip…” Picture Perfect fidgeted nervously.
“It’s okay Pic.” The changeling quickly flashed into the form of the Princess of Friendship.
“No! No! No!” Pinkie 13 quickly argued. “Unicorn Twilight, and stay in character, Sheesh!”
“You better take her marefriend too.” Diane said thoughtfully. “We’ll need to keep her fed. And there’s not much love for changelings in this city anymore.”
“You sure about this, Pip?” Deadlift gave his friend a serious look.
“These fillies are my only connection left to my changeling origins.” Orange Pip replied in Twilight’s voice. “I can’t just spend the rest of my life pretending to be a pony.”