> Sins of the Mother
>  by Chelis
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Oncoming Storm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

They say patience is a virtue. If one waits for the perfect opportunity and is bold enough: the world is theirs.


For one guard, It was a lesson he wouldn't soon forget.


It started during a crisp night in the capital of the Griffin Clan, high in the mountain ranges beyond the border of Equestria. The capital was surrounded by a 50-foot wall that was considered throughout the known world as impenetrable for the ten generations it  has stood. The Dragon Clan and their magic were the closest to breech the wall around a century ago, and if by close you mean to stain the bricks black with no damage. 

One guard was on his nightly patrol on top of one of the walls that stretched for miles. That wall in particular faced in the direction towards a ungoverned desert region hundreds of miles away. "The Badlands" they were called; where stories of a dark, agile, and aggressive colony of bloodthirsty creatures existed.

In the grand scheme of things: This guard was not special. He wasn't in the top 10 of his class. He didn't have any special powers. He didn't learn magic like some of those in the Pony or Dragon clans. He was just a guard doing his shift, trying to serve his clan and make some bits on the side as well.

Armed with only a sword, musket, a lantern, and his instincts, the young man made his nightly patrol from one tower to the other. The trek between each end of the wall would take a few hours each way, and would test a person's fear of heights. That night was a bit more difficult than most due to the new moon, so the visibility was only how far would the lantern let you see.

The first five minutes of his shift seemed normal. He left the warmth and security of the northwest tower and started his nightly patrol. A light breeze was chilling his exposed hands, and it made the bottom of  his brown cloak dance.

The guard wished he was at home, cuddled with his dog by the fire as he stopped for a break and kneeled down to place the lantern down to blow hot air into his hand. He didn't expect the wind to pick up, even if it was for an instant.

Problem was...

"That was no wind," his instinct told him. He looked around at his surroundings, even though he could of barely see in front of him. He could of easily seen the lights in the city, and the lantern light from the guard on the other side of the wall. He did look to the guard on the other end of the wall miles off in the distance: Everything looked normal at first, but he could only watch as the lantern from the other guy was swarmed with... whatever nearly took him not a moment ago. The guard left his lantern, and bailed back to the tower he was started from in full sprint.

He turned around while running to see that the light from the tower on the other side of the wall was also being swarmed. Whatever they were, they were crawling into the tower itself through the windows. The sounds of musket fire in the distance made the guard run harder: This was no hallucination. The guard pulled out his sword as soon as whatever was attacking the city starting jumping over the wall and nearly colliding with him.

Down in the city was chaotic from the guards vantage point: Fires were being started from the lanterns and candles that were being knocked over. Sounds of screaming, musket fire, and the blazes can be heard. Many of the towers started firing distress flairs, hoping that any of the cities nearby would see the signal.

"Open the door!" the guard screamed at the tower with the creatures leaping the wall all around him. The iron doors swung open, revealing two of his comrades motion him to hurry up.

"Close the dammed door!" the tower commander barked at the two guards as soon as the wall guard made it inside. As they were closing the door, of of 'them' jumped through. The thing was ugly: All black, green bug like eyes, sharp claws, and a horn protruding from the head. It looked around at the scared faces, Hissed, and went right towards the tower commander.  

Being the only one ready, the guard that ran through the attack shoved the commander out of the way, took a knee, and held his sword up like a pike. The creature ran into the sword, causing a crunching sound that made everyone in the room cringe.

The creature was motionless as the guard unceremoniously kicked it off his blade, which was covered in a green goop. The entire tower became face to face with what they were dealing with.

"Changelings," the commander announced. The guards were unnerved by that revelation. They grew up knowing the stories of the Changelings and their nasty ways of killing unsuspecting trespassers to their territory.

"Sir! A messenger came with a order!" screamed a guard from the first floor, with a man that everyone recognized from his attire as a member of the elite royal guards.

"The king has ordered all able-bodied men to defend the castle. He also has specifically ordered tower defenders to carry as much supplies as each member can. This looks like something that we can't beat back in one night," the royal guardsman decreed.

They didn't take long to strip the tower of carry able supplies. The supplies were divided into and crammed into bags that each individual guard had to carry on their back. The thirty man tower unit was huddled near the street level iron door, trying to mentally prepare to enter the fight. 

"Remember boys: Stick together. Someone goes down, get their supplies if its the last thing you do. If one of 'them' aren't attacking our unit: let them be," The royal guard yelled to the the tower unit. The entire unit looked scared, but they knew they had to do it to save their homes and families.

"Lets go!" Barked the tower commander as two of the guards swung open the tower gates. The unit rushed outside to the chaos that was the capitol streets.

It was pure chaos: entire blocks were ablaze, the dead and dying human and Changelings were lying on the streets. Civilians were running in every direction, with Changelings giving chase.

The unit ran as one, passing by the dead and dying. For the most part, the Changelings largely ignored the men. One against 30 armed humans was suicide and they knew it.  

Sadly, did not stop one Changeling to ambush a guard who was on the very rear of the unit. The Changeling leaped from a dark alleyway and tackled the rear guard, slashing away with its sharp claws through the guard's unarmored body.

A barrage of musket fire ended the Changeling's attack, but it was too late to save the guard. In fact: The guard was gone from the first swipe. As the rest of the unit had to stop and watch as a few of the guards pulled the bag from what was left of the body.

The closer they reached the castle in the middle of the city, the less amount of Changelings were spotted.  

The unit was carved down to 20 men, many had injuries from scratches and deep slashes. One was unfortunate enough to lose his arm. A collective cheer broke out in the unit as they approached their fellow guards where on rooftops and behind wooden, makeshift barricades.

The unit made their way into the outer walls of the castle. The massive courtyard that was usually filled with Lords, Dukes, and Barons were now filled with Soldiers, Blood, and Fear. The once luxurious Gazebo was turned into a triage center, servicing military and civilians alike. 

"Supplies goes by the fountains! Anyone who is injured: go to the triage center," one of the guards repeated in the chaos of the hastily made defense.

The unit began to drop off their supplies and began to carry their injured to triage, the tower commander among them.

"My boy, come here," the commander ordered the wall guard. The wall guard who survived the initial attack listened as the guards who was carrying the injured middle-aged man stopped. "I'm in no shape to make the trip to the throne room to report our unit battle ready. You must do it, you must tell them what you saw," he said as he was carried away.

The walk up to the emergency throne room was a long one. The emergency tower room was located on top of the massive tower sticking out of the castle. The entire trip though the never ending stone stairwell took around twenty minutes.

The emergency throne room near the top of this tower was not as luxurious as the one in the castle, but when that room was to dump many of the injured in the city, it had to do.

To the guards surprise: the prince and princess were the only ones awake in the room. The king and queen were slumped to their chairs.

"Guard," the prince commanded. "What information do you have for us?"

"I was to report that my tower unit was ready for the King's defense," the guard announced with a salute.

"I see," the prince said uninterested. "The king is in slumber, so you must be on your way. Although..."

"Why would the King be asleep at a time like this?" The guard accidentally asked out loud. 

The prince snapped. "How is that your business, pheasant?! The king decides when he sleeps, not you!"

"My apologies, my lord," The guard replied. "Anything else I can do for you?"

"Now that you mentioned it: The generals have kept me in the dark about the strategy to defend the castle. What are they?"

"They didn't tell me outright the strategy, but from the looks of things they are making a final stand at the outer walls of the castle," The guard observed.

"Thank you guard. And for your bravery: you are relieved from the upcoming battle," the prince said as he dissipated into a bright green light, along with the princess. The guard can only watch in horror as two tall, regal looking creatures came out. The eyes, horn, claws, and holes on the legs was a dead giveaway: They were Changling royalty.

The guard attempted to make a desperate break for the stairwell, but was stopped by seven changelings blocking the exit. As the two Royal Changeling Drones and the common ones walked closer, the guard could only pull his sword out, and prepare to defend himself.    
> The Hunters
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Golden Delicious and Cotton Candy. Source


Considered as one of the top scenic locations around the Equestrian town of Ponyville, the White Tailed Woods was usually a peaceful place in the springtime. Between the chirping birds, the sounds of wild animals in the distance, and the constant breeze rustling the leaves overhead; many believed that the woods was a representation of a place called the "great unknown": a universally accepted place where people and animals go when they die. Many said that "The Great Unknown" was a vast woodland with no end.

Today, however, the peace of the White Tail Woods was interrupted by a large deer that weaved it's way through the trees, hoping in desperation to elude it's chasers, who were closing in hot on horseback.

Both riders had their horse's bridles in one hand, and old muskets in the other. The riders were parallel to each other as they tried to get close enough to take a clear shot at the deer, but they had no luck. The deer was getting away and they knew it. 

"Prism Bolt! Try to get closer to the critter! Gonn'a take a shortcut around the thick parts of that deer's route!" one of the riders screamed as he looked for a gap between the trees wide enough to allow him to continue the chase in a less dense portion of the forest.

Prism Bolt immediately spotted a gap between the trees wide enough for the other rider to move into the less dense part of the forest, without the risk into running full force into a tree.

"Yo Del! Opening ahead of you!" Prism Bolt barked to the the brown haired man in a orange shirt and rawhide leather vest. Del disappeared behind the trees. Even the red bandanna that was around Golden Delicious's neck was nowhere to be seen. 

Prism's attention turned to the deer trying to get away in front of him. Prism whipped the bridle to force the horse to go faster. 

"Now's my chance," Prism yelled to himself as he tried to aim the musket on the deer's neck. The deer was still weaving through the trees effortlessly, while Prism and his horse couldn't get close enough for him to make a sure shot.

As soon as the trees became less dense, Prism aimed his musket at the deer yet again, hoping for that small opening. Again, the deer was zig-zaging through the trees in a frantic manner. Between the deer's movement and the sweat irritating Prism Bolt's emerald eyes, It seemed like he would never have the opportunity.               

As if someone from The Great Unknown was watching over him, a small opening in the trees came up and the deer ran into it. It wasn't a large opening, but it was enough for Prism's horse to run into it without a problem. Prism raised his musket again, relieved at the chance to finally take down the deer. 

As he aimed, he noticed a flash of red coming from the corner of his right eye. The flash came from the right side of the opening and towards a rocky outcropping 50 yards out.

The red flash came from one other than Golden Delicious's bandana. Golden headed straight for the outcropping with a smirk on his face.

The mare that Golden Delicious rode was his since it was just a foal, so she trusted him with her life, and it showed. The mare was fearless when it ran up the outcropping and jumped. As luck (or master planning) would have it, the deer was underneath them as they jumped, which gave Golden Delicious the perfect shot of the deer's neck, which he took without any hesitation.

The sound of Del's musket ricocheted across the woods, and caused the many birds in the area to fly off in confusion. Del's horse landed without incident next to the deceased deer.

"Dammit Del! I had it!" Prism complained as he stopped his horse next to Golden Delicious.

"You never had it Pris, I had it the second you told me about the opening in the trees," Golden Delicious smiled as he slinged his musket and patted his horse on the neck. "Stay here, I'mma get the cart," Delicious said as he motioned his horse to the direction they came from, leaving Prism Bolt with bits of dirt, leaves, and disappointment.


***


"Yo Del, can I ask you something?" Prism Bolt asked as the yonung men were sitting on a wagon, carting the deer back to their hometown of Ponyville. The deer was laying on the back of the wagon with a blanket over it.

"mmm?" the normally quiet Delicious answered.

"If you are so good at shooting, why not join the royal guard?" 

Del only shook his head and smiled. "Na. Got too many things to do 'round the farm. And mother would be worried sick 'bout me if ah' had to go out to battle."

"Makes sense, Applejack is always worried about you," Prism Bolt observed as the cart arrived into town. Ponyville was much larger than it was when they were kids, or even before their parents settled down and got married. Because of overcrowding at Canterlot years ago, many families packed their bags and left to more spacious pastures. Among them was the blond beauty by the name of Perfect Measure. She was as young as Delicious at the age of 21, but had already dealt with hardships many would not want to go through. Which is why she was the sole owner of "Measured Goods", one of a few general stores in Ponyville.

Usually, the mild mannered girl would sweep the front of her shop with a warm and endearing smile every morning, but that smile went away when the two boys stopped their wagon in front of her shop.

"Prism! Delicious! Ah' though ah' told y'all ya can't come by the shop no more!"  She screamed as loud as her light spoken voice could let her. 

"Ah' know Measure, but ah' wanted to apologize, so we did this" Delicious said as he got off his wooden seat and pulled the blanket to reveal the carcass.

"Is... this..?," she asked in disbelief. She covered her mouth as well while looking at the dead deer.

Golden Delicious nodded with a smile. 

The disbelief in Perfect Measure's melted into sheer joy, she gave off a girlish scream and wrapped her arms around Gold Delicious's chest. "Thank you Thank you Thank you! Ya don't know how much this means to me! Ah' dont' have to worry about keeping my shop for at least a few more months!"

"Oh, it' was nothin, ma'am" Delicious said. Prism Bolt can only laugh at Del's visible blush.

"But," Prefect Measure continued as she broke off the hug. "Ah can't just let ya do this for free, ah will at least pay y'all for this." 

Golden Delicious continued to blush. "Ah won't accept it, Miss Measure. This was a gift from me to you, right Prism?"

"Pffffff Na! I'll take the cash, Meas," Prism Bolt said with a grin.

"Prism!" Golden Delicious snapped.

"What? I wanted to take Whirlwind out to lunch," Prism Bolt responded, still sitting on the wagon seat.  

"Aint y'all not dati'n no more?" Del asked.

"We are still friends. And it's also why I'm taking the cash: My mom would of said the same thing if I asked her."

"Ah'm not surprised. My momma always told me Rainbow Dash is a smart gal," Golden Delicious joked.

After carrying the carcass into the shop's meat locker, Prism Bolt took his earnings and made his way into town, leaving Golden Delicious and Perfect Measure alone in the meat locker. Armed with aprons and meat cleavers, Golden Delicious and Perfect Measure went to work on the deer, removing the skin and organs, both with the precision and speed taught by their parents. 

"Ah have to thank ma pa," Measure spoke. "With the Cold meat locker, ah can sell meat 'stead of having to turn all of it into cheap jerky,"

The second Golden Delicious heard her say 'ma pa', he cringed. "How ya holdi'n without 'em?" he asked. 

"It's been tough since the funeral, but ah'm holdi'n on. A lot of my kin keeps writing say'in how I gotta get married or something to save the store."

Golden Delicious spoke without thinking. "I don't mind If ah' was the one you marry."

Golden Delicious blushed in regret. It was pretty clear to everyone but Perfect Measure he had a thing for her, but this was the first time he let it slip.

Perfect Measure stopped cutting up the deer as well and looked at Del with a blush of her own. The two was lost in each other's eyes for a few moments, before giggling and continued to the task at hand.


***


As a rule: Prism Bolt would never be caught dead at Ponyville's barracks, at least when he was not on duty. Usually, when he had to show up to that place and not report for duty, it was mostly dealing with the one girl he once called his girlfriend. Today was no exception, as he arrived outside the barracks as the morning shift left to their homes. Among them was a short woman with shorter, spikier hair.  

"Yo Whirl!" Prism Bolt yelled at a distance from the girl. Whirlwind perked her ears and looked at his direction. Even with the amount of energy she used during the shift, it didn't stop her from running into his arms.

"Hey Priz! Whats up!?" Whirlwind asked.  

"I was wondering if you wanted to get some grub with me, my treat," he said with a smile.

"Sure, why not?" Whirlwind said with a enthusiastic shrug.

As they made their way to Sugar Cube Corner, which was a popular restaurant and hangout in town, they began to talk. 

"You know," Prism Bolt began. "I think it has been a year since we broke up."

"Yea. And?" Whirlwind asked.

"Well, I've been thinking. We hang out like we are still dating and..."

Whirlwind shook her head with a smile. "It's not that simple, Priz. It's hard to explain, but somehow I'm not ready to date again."

Prism Bolt can only nod in a defeated smile as they entered Sugar Cube Corner. 

Sugar Cube Corner (or SCC) was always busy. In addition to a bakery, It had grown to a restaurant and party hall after the Cake Family moved in all those years ago. The Cake Family still own the store, but instead of the now retired Mr. and Mrs. Cake running it, It was their most loyal employee Pinkie Pie. She ran the day to day the best she could, along with the adult Cake children, her husband, and her oldest daughter.

Cotton Candy was her mother's daughter: Outgoing, hyperactive, and a little bit crazy. Fortunately, the sanity of Ponyville was spared when Cotton Candy grew up with just a tad more self control than her mother. This however, did not save Prism Bolt or Whirlwind when they took their seat.

"Cotton sweetie! Your friends are waiting for you to take their order!" Pinkie's familiar voice came out from the back. Seconds later, a young, petite woman appeared with pink hair with white streaks. Wearing one of her signature strapless dresses, Cotton Candy came to the table with a hint of mischievousness in her eyes, and they knew it.

"Welcome to Sugar Cube Corner!" Cotton Candy said with a enthusiastic smile. "So, can I start off with water for you and your girlfriend?" 

"We are not dating?" Prism Bolt explained.

"Why not?"

"It's complicated," Whirlwind answered.

"But you like her right Pris?" Cotton Candy asked 

"Yes?" Prism answered confused.

"And you Whirlwind, you like Bolt right?"

"I guess?"

"So why don't you two go back out?"

"This is going to be a long lunch," Prism Bolt and Whirlwind thought, as they looked at each other in embarrassed despair in front of a grinning Cotton Candy.
	
	
	       
> Office Tryst
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





 Anthea, Turquoise Blitz, Fluttershy, and Rarity. Source 



Down the road from Sugar Cube Corner, in the more merchant friendly part of town, stood a jewelry shop that looked a lot more well off than the others. Even the paint job to the building was very recent, as in the hint of of the paint was still in the air surrounding it.

The shadowy figure crept its way inside the shop, even managing to not set off the bell that was placed above the door that rung every time someone went inside the shop. Inside was remarkable: glass display cases lined the wall with unique earrings, necklaces, cuff links, bangles, bracelets, brooches, medallions, and pendants of all shapes and sizes. Every single one was beautiful. Every single one was designed by "the greatest jeweler in Ponyville". The figure made it's way to the back of the building, and down to the basement.   

The figure stood behind a table, with it's target still oblivious to it's presence. The target was sitting on a engraving table. The candle light was the only thing illuminating the room.

As a rule: Crystal Clarity loved to engrave alone and by candlelight. The concentration needed to engrave was needed due to the fact there was no room for error, or else having to scrap the entire jewelry altogether. That particular commission was special: Two friends from Canterlot were getting married soon and the groom asked Claire to engrave 'I love you' to the inside of the bride's ring. 

"That was fun," Claire muttered to herself in delight as she placed the final touches to the engraving. As she continued to examine the engraving for any other touches, she noticed something in the engraving that annoyed her: The words were moving and changing. In a few seconds they moved from 'I love you" to 'Hey Claire'.

Crystal Clarity sighed before she continued without turning around. "Hello Illusion, up to no good I see?"

"Aww that's not fair" Prince Illusion moaned. "I just wanted to see you, I even brought those croissants from Canterlot you love more than life itself" He said while holding a small paper bag. Claire had a giant grin to her face as she grabbed the bag and leaned in for the kiss to the cheek, only stopping her mouth a inch. She cleared her throat, and Illusion knew why.

"Fine," Illusion said. And with a snap of a finger, Claire watched from a distance as the engraving returned to it's original form. As soon as it was done, she gave him that kiss on the cheek he was seeking. 


***


If the smell of 'Pony Joe's World Famous Buttered Croissants' does not take you to another dimension of pleasure, the first bite usually would. For  Crystal Clarity, it would be the first bite. The croissants took her back to when she used to live in Canterlot when she was still a kid in grade school, where she spent her time kissing hanging out with Prince Illusion. Sometimes, it made her laugh looking back on how the rest of their classmates drove them away from their groups for not being pure pony clan members, which drove them together in the end. 

"Hows your parents?" Claire asked between bites of heaven.

"Same ole stuff. Only thing interesting part is talk of something serious going down in the Griffon Kingdom. I'm guessing Starburst's boyfriend is dealing with some heavy shit right now,"

Illusion's comment nearly made Claire choke on her croissant.

"Is he still sprung over her?"Claire asked.

"probably."


***


Crystal Clarity and Prince Illusion manage to enter a locked Carousel Boutique in a unusual time: Closed during the day. The store got a lot bigger between the time between Spike and Rarity moved back to Ponyville and now: Usually to deal with more costumers and two children in Claire and her younger brother Turquoise Blitz. It was unusual to be closed during the day, even more so that it was empty to boot.

"Maybe important last minute business?" Claire assumed.

Right as they were about to leave, they heard grunting noises from the back; two in fact.

A guy and a girls, who sound suspiciously like...

"Sounds like Anthea and Turquoise Blitz," Claire whispered in anxiety.

"Your little bro is growing up? I have to see this," Illusion chimed as he crept his way to the back of the shop.

Claire objected at first, but reluctantly went with the prince.

The sounds were coming from the cloth room, and not somewhere deeper inside the building like the kitchen as they first thought. The cloth room was medium in size and was used to hold Rarity's endless supplies of fabric. 

As Illusion and Claire got closer to the open door they heard the two teens talk.

"I told you I can help you. You are just doing too much again." T insisted.

"I can get it up myself, watch," Anthea replied defiantly.

Claire felt the entire situation was like watching a train wreck in slow motion: she didn't want to look inside the room, but she couldn't look away. She took a deep breath before Illusion and her peeked around the corner inside the fabric room to reveal:

Anthea and Turquoise Blitz rearranging the fabrics, to both Claire's relief, but to Illusion's disappointment.

T' was holding 4 large rolls of fabric, while Anthea was on a ladder trying to put one of the fabric rolls away by hand.

"This could go a lot quicker if you used magic Ann," T joked.

"I know, but I really want to show I can do this job without magic," Anthea said defensively.

"My mom does magic for the job all the time?"

"I- "

"This was not what I was expecting!" Illusion spoke loudly.

Annie and T were spooked, so much so that Annie lost her footing and fell, landing on the soft fabrics that T was holding.

"Allow me," Claire giggled as she extended her hand gracefully towards T. The air surrounding Claire's hand lit up to a baby blue color, so did the air around the rolls of fabric. The fabric levitated and found themselves in the appropriate places on the shelf.   

"Where's mom and dad?"  Crystal Clarity asked as the last of the Fabrics made their way into the shelf.

"They were summoned from Canterlot. Didn't know who or why though. Mom didn't want to make us lose hours so she had us re-arrange the entire fabric room and can call it a day," Turquoise explained as he also let Anthea down from his arms.  

"Still doesn't explain why you had the lights off and the doors locked," Illusion asked in suspicion. 

"Can you believe that even with a closed sign people still walk in thinking it's open?" Anne spoke sarcastically.

"I hate it when they do that!" Claire complained. "Anyway, want to grab something  from Sugar Cube Corner? My treat." Claire offered.

Crystal Clarity instantly became everyone's best friend in the room as they made their way outside.
> Daddy Daughter Time
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Night Light and Starburst. Source


Princess Starburst's philosophy about life could of been reduced to one sentence: everything is a battlefield. She did not want to spend all hours of her day like her mother: Surrounded by dusty, old books from sunrise to sunset, to learn things that one would not learn in the real world. 

What would be useful in the real world would be weapons and the ability to use them. Swords, guns, bows and arrows. Those were the instruments that made the world go round, paved the way to the rise and fall of mighty nations before her time, and would still be useful for the rest of time itself.

A good step to learning how to wield them was to practice using them. What better way to do that was in the sparring field that was in her home's barracks. The Castle of the Two Sisters was rebuilt years after the coronation of her mother into royalty. It was mostly due to the fact she was expecting Starburst. 

Fast forward many years later, and the castle looked as beautiful as the day it was first rebuilt. And on that particular day, the princess and her father were in that sparring field. wooden bleachers surround them, but were empty. The field was filled with sand. The thought was that it would make the fighters quicker on their feet in no time. Princess Starburst was slower on the feet, but she was as powerful on her swing as men and women twice her size. 

With the signal to attack coming from her father by a whistle, the young princess charged her father with a wooden sword in hand. He refused to move and even swung his piece at Starburst's head. She stood at 5'2, so dodging attacks were easy enough for her. She rolled under his swing and swung at his rib cage with all of her fury. With a simple twist to his sword arm as if he was to sheath it, he blocked her hack. She back out of his range, kicking up sand at the same time. It caused her to tear a bit which distracted her enough to signal her father to move and take a stab at her chest. She rolled away from his stab and again took a big swing at him. Again, he blocked it and countered with his own stab. Starburst decided to jump on his sword instead of dodging it and set her petite body up with a perfect strike at his head. She once again managed a large swing to his head. Not only did he block the wooden sword, but his other hand managed to smack the princess in the face, down to the ground.

Although a loving and dedicated father, Prince Flash Sentry refused to go light on his daughter. He believed that it was his duty to train his little girl to be the best soldier she could be, so that day where a soldier and the castle priest come to him and his wife with the terrible news that their little girl is not coming home would never see the light of day.   

"So, did you know what you did wrong?" Flash asked as he helped her daughter up, who was still nursing the stinging pain on her cheek. 

"Yes, Dad. I didn't swing hard enough."

"Sweetie, you can't just swing in anger. The only way you can succeed in battle is to clear you mind and body of any and all distractions. That also means anger, fear, joy, regret, and any emotion that is not required to defeat your opponent and sends you home in one piece." 

"I know father, It's just-,"

"Blood lust?" Flash asked. Starburst's split second emotion of shame gave it away. "It's alright, Starburst. Everyone wants their first kill. To know they are worthy as a warrior. I had the same when I first entered the service myself."

They sat on the bleachers and took a break. They had been training since before sunrise, and would probably continue until sunset. That was the way of the Pegasus clan. Non stop preparation, training, and drills to become a one person killing machine. Starburst was lucky enough the linage of both the magical Unicon Clan and the Bloodthirsty Pegasus Clan. Even if she did not like to use magic at all, she knew a few destruction spells in case she was in a really tight bind. 

Princess Twilight was busy in the affairs in running her kingdom, while the crown prince was charged in protecting it. But, being a small kingdom surrounded by their allies from Canterlot, the only action they would receive would be the occasional monster sulking about in the wild forest that surrounded the castle. Around 99.9% of the time, the creature would be put down without any real damage to the guards.

"Dad, can you tell me about your first kill?" Starburst asked.

"I never told you about that?"

"No."

Flash Sentry placed his waterskin down and started. "This was when I was a guard at the Crystal Empire. I was patrolling the border with your Uncle Shining Armor. Back then he didn't know that your mother and I were seeing each other. Anyway, It was uneventful up until that point, but I was nervous: I was supposed to ask him for his blessing of dating her. We were attacked by a small band of griffon brigands near the border. Shining was knocked from his horse and was nearly gutted by one of the brigands. Luckily, I had my flintlock in hand. I took down the kid in one shot. The rest of the brigands were killed by the rest of the patrol. As I checked to see he was alright, he proclaimed that "I can come over and fuck his sister". It was there and then he found out I was dating her."

On the other side of the courtyard, a younger man in robes was practicing some spells. Some were illusion (even to the point of him disappearing), alteration (tuned a lead bar in front of him into gold), and even destruction (shot a fire bolt at a straw target, incinerating it in a instant.

"Do me a favor, Star" Flash Sentry asked as they observed his son, named Night Light. "Someday you and your little brother might be called together into battle. Watch his back and don't lose sight of him, please? You two might not get along perfectly, but you both are family, and that is more important than anything."

"I will, father," Starburst promised as she took a giant gulp of water from her waterskin. 

"Tell you what, kiddo. You worked hard enough today. How about you visit your friends in Ponyville?"

"But I have so much work to do to be captain of the guard!"

"In time, sweetie. Remember: even protecting our kingdom is not a 24/7 job. You must have time off to preserve your morale. I'm not only saying this as your father, but also as your commanding officer, basically its a order, soldier." 

Starburst took less than a half a hour to get ready. All she really needed to do was have a quick, cold bath and get her usual clothes ready: undergarments, tank top, shorts, and her lucky pink bandanna that was loosely tied around her neck. 

Also on her person was a small dagger. Her horse's saddle carried the sword and musket. 

The ride from deep in the Everfree forest to the center of Ponyville was a twenty minute gallop. She planned to visit Golden Delicious at Sweet Apple Acres first, but decided to stop at Sugar Cube Corner for a quick drink, where she met her friends laughing at an embarrassed Prism and Whirlwind trying to avoid Cotton Candy's 21 questions. It all ended in cheers when they noticed Starburst. Hugs were exchanged and she was invited to join the already crowded table. 

For the children of the elements of harmony, their days of youth and pseudo innocence felt like it would last forever.

Unfortunately, everything good must come to an end, right?
> Power of Goodbye
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------






It was supposed to be a day of intense training and preparation.

Instead, it was a day of relaxation, fun, and friends. Even with all that, her best moment of the day was probably the long and relaxing salt bath to top off the night. 

With the tradition of the nightly salt bath done, Princess Starburst continued her nightly traditions with her last walk through the castle. It was a good way to ease her mind, which usually was in every direction during the day. Although she really did not really need it that day, she knew she would of been restless in bed had she not of done it. This particular walk was uneventful all the way up to her parent's chambers. Now, time and again she heard the whispered hushes of her parents 'getting acquainted' with each other, which always made her embarrassed every time. This time, however, instead of her parents in the throws of passion, they were fighting.

That was probably none of the princess's concern, but she was curious enough to stay and listen. 

"This is a trap! It screams a set up!" her father yelled.

"So what?! People are dying out there!" Twilight answered.

"They want to send the elements, and not the royal guards?!, that is too suspicious?!"

"The magic of friendship has beaten the Changelings before!"

"That was your brother!"

The fight went on into the night. Starburst sat next to the door, worried. There was a chance she was going to finally have some actual excitement in her usual mundane existence of training and preparing for the 'next war'. There was also a chance her mother, and all of her friend's mothers were going in what was described as a dead zone.

Either way, Princess Starburst, in a rare moment, had no idea what to do.


***


Within days, it was decided that the bearers of the elements were to accept the request and head off to the Griffon Kingdom. Their husbands, however, where the first to protest. They demanding that they go as well as their entourage and protectors, which included a small regiment of the royal guard.

Their send off to the kingdom had no fanfare. It had no confetti falling from the top of buildings, or even speeches and the whatnot. It was all on a lonely train station, with a empty train about to make its way to the Crystal Empire, and from there they were to take a carriage into the kingdom. The bags and supplies were all inside the train. All that was left were the goodbyes.


*


"Please take care of Icy Storm, Prism. You are the older brother after all," Rainbow Dash commanded. There were rare times where Rainbow would show her emotional side to her two sons. That was one of those times. Same went for Soarin, their father. Raising children put the fear in the once brave and bold Rainbow Dash, who became more cautious for her kids.


*


Fluttershy did not have a significant other in her life, but she did adopt the child of a old friend that perished along with his wife in a accident. Even with that and being born blind,  her adoptive daughter rose through her early troubles and became a star protege of magic under the mentor ship of her long time friend Twilight Sparkle.

"You know what to do when you are alone, right?" Fluttershy asked Anthea. Both were on the verge of tears since this was to be the first time they would be apart for a long time, but they kept a brave face for each other.

"Yes mom, and If I need anything I have Turquoise to help." 

"Well alright then, I just hope that I don't come back with a grandchild waiting for me."

"Wow, Mom."


*


"I wish we could of departed on better circumstances" Rarity said to her daughter Crystal Clarity and son Turquoise Blitz . "But, I know the both of you will be fine, so this is basically like a trip."

"Just like old times," her husband Spike replied. "And just like back then; you brought a unnecessary amount of clothes."

"Oh, and I assume you would like to see me with as less clothing as possible?" Rarity flirted back. 

She cleared her throat when she noticed the annoyed and embarrassed look from her children . "Anyway, I guess this is farewell."

All four came together for one last group hug.


*


"That's our predictable mom," Starburst and her younger brother Night Light said as they observed their mother go through the checklist of supplies for the third time and not even close to being the last time. 

"Don't be so hard on your mother. She only wants everything to go right. Especially because she wants to get back home as soon as possible." Flash Sentry responded.

"That's right," Twilight said as she hugged her two children. Although Twilight was not the most affectionate mother, she loved her children to the point where she actually preferred to send herself to deal with the situation rather than risk losing her daughter.

"Night Light, I would like you to continue your studies. And Starburst: please no dangerous adventures."


*


For Pinkie Pie, her three daughters was her biggest accomplishment in life. Yes, the adventures and becoming a element of harmony was fun and all, but her children were her pride and joy. Which was why she was nearly in tears, and her children were as well.

"Candy, I need you to be the big sister, okay?" Pinkie asked. Her husband was right behind her, putting the last of their gear into the train. 

"I will mom. You be safe out there, okay?"

She didn't answer, she just pulled her three daughters close. 

The parents gave their children the last goodbyes before they boarded the train to the Griffon Kingdom. In the back of everyone's mind, there was a nagging fear that it may had been the last time they have seen their loved ones ever again. Cotton Candy's two sisters started to cry as the train disappeared from view. As Candy consoled them, a grim fear fell upon the rest of the children of harmony. They all looked at each other knew that they were all thinking of the same thing. This was merely the beginning of a long and exhausting time in their lives.



> Bourbon of Destiny 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Anthea and Starburst: PSG style!


The cover of night was the preference for the lone rider's path through the Everfree forest. The road was winding, and it seemed like danger crept at every turn. Usually, riders would have a lantern to light the way. This rider used the light of the dim crescent moon and memorization of the road to guide the way.

The rider quickly found themselves outside of the forest, through the outskirts of Ponyville, and then finally in front of Sugar Cube Corner. The figure roped  their horse on a light pole and made their way to front of the establishment, and gave the door a few light knocks.

It took Cotton Candy a few seconds to get the door. When she did she looked down to the smaller figure.

"Oh hey, Starburst!" Candy said as she allowed Starburst into the place. The Princess was escorted by Cotton Candy to her room. Starburst had been visiting Cotton Candy every other night since their parents had left for the Griffon Kingdom. Days went by without a word from the Elements of Harmony. Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months, and those months were unbearable for the Children of Harmony. Every day was another dagger to their hearts, and a daily reminder that their parents might not ever come back was why the rest of the Children of the Elements were in the room when Cotton Candy opened the door to her colorful bedroom.

"I'm sorry Starburst, they all miss their parents as well, and I kinda told them about this..."

"It's fine." Starburst said with a smile, taking a seat on Candy's bed.

Her friends had the same feeling of fear for their parents safety, and they all were there... Except the son of Rainbow Dash.

"Where's Prism Bolt?" Candy wondered out loud.

"Right Herrrrs!" Prism said as he slumped his way into to room with a bottle in his hand. The bottle and his actions peaked everyone's interest.

"Prism, where did you get that?" Claire asked. She was sitting on the floor next to Starburst.

"I founds it in Cotton's mom's stash." He answered. Prism got close to Cotton and tried (and failed) to whisper to Candy. "I wouldn't go into your mom's stash by the way... You can probably guess why... unless you're THAT kind of girl."

Before anyone could say a word, Prism's drunkenness finally caught up with him and he fell in the middle of the room. 

Some alcohol found its way on Golden Delicious's snakeskin boots. Golden tasted the liquid and his face immediately went sour. "Ma's special bourbon. Surprised he was still standing after taking half the bottle."

"Really?" Anthea asked. She was sitting on Turquoise Blitz's lap before she reached over in a attempt to grab the bottle for herself. A full view of her petite bottom in jeans was in full view of T, and he looked away in embarrassment. He happened to turn to his sister, who noticed the situation and jokingly motioned her eyes at Turquoise to look at Anthea's backside.

"Almost... there..." Anthea said as she was close to taking the bourbon from Prism's hands. He reaffirmed his grip on the bottle and sat up.

"Say guys," Prism said as he took another swig from the bottle. "I have a crazy Idea. What if's we go find our parents."

The room went silent.

"Celestia is not give news, we find them." 

Everyone looked at each other. They all were thinking the same thing: "The dumb ass is drunk, but the idea is enticing...."

"If you's all with me, take some of dis shit."

Again, everyone looked to each other. 

Anthea was the first to grab the bottle. She turned to Turquoise with puppy eyes. "I don't want my future children to grow up with out a grand mother." She took a swig and handed it to T. "Don't you feel the same way?"

Turquoise took the bottle and took a swig as well before he received a tap on the shoulder from Golden Delicious. Golden motioned his hand in a way that basically asked for the bottle, which he received.

" I miss ma' and pa'. Uncle Mac is sufferin'. Red June and I are try'n ah' best. But, we can't replace them," Golden Delicious said as he took a large gulp of the drink. He held up the bottle in the direction of Cotton Candy, who was standing by the door. "Candy?"

Candy took the bottle, and looked at the contents of the bottle in thought. "My mother was the anchor of Sugar Cube Corner... My father I love dearly... What's the point of being here without them". She took a sip and handed it to Starburst.

"My mother and I never see eye to eye on much. But, Night Light misses her everyday and I love them and Daddy. Not only that, I'll get to finally see some action". Starburst took a small sip and passed it to Claire.

"If I take the bourbon, it means I have to go with you guys, right?"

"Yes!" Prism screamed.

"It's gonna be a hard decision. I know Mom and Dad. They know how to take care of themselves. T and I know about their adventures from when they were younger. They've faced it all together. I don't think they are in real danger, but..." Tears fell down Crystal Clarity's face as she took a few giant gulps from the bottle. "I miss them so much."

Cotton, Star, Anthea, and T consoled Claire as she sobbed. They started tearing up, while Golden Delicious had to collect himself. Prism was drunk and was still face up on the ground, oblivious to what was going on.

After everyone cleared from her, Claire suggested an idea as the alcohol set in. For Crystal Clarity, was a only a matter of seconds before she became drunk off the Bourbon, solidifying her reputation as a massive lightweight. "Let's do the thing next week."

"Wouldn't that give enough time for someone to try to talk us out of this?" Anthea asked.

"That's what I'm hoping for," Claire said as she took another large gulp of the bourbon.
> Peacekeeper
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Crystal Clarity and Prince Illusion. Source


The countdown until the departure day was a nerve racking one for the Children of Harmony. They lived their normal lives, normal conversations with family and friends, and normal routine under the shadow of what was coming. Their interactions with each other always broke down to discussing the plan, and whether or not the other person would try to talk the rest out of it like Claire predicted. Although everyone was reluctant to do it (with the exception of the Starburst the war hawk), they felt that there was no other way.

The night of the departure had everyone to meet a hour after sundown at the town square. 

At the former castle of the two sisters, Starburst packed her custom made and custom engraved sword and flintlock pistols. They were ceremonial in nature, but they were also made with the finest steel, the finest wood, and the finest iron. She also brought something more personal: a pink ribbon that she had since she was a baby with wild hair. She cut it short these days, but there was days she would need to tie her hair back and that ribbon came in handy. She tied it around her neck and prepared to set out, not before she crept into Nightlight's room, gave him an unusual, tearful kiss to his forehead, and left a letter from her.



 Nightlight,
By the time you read this, I will already be deep in the Griffon Kingdom. Me and my friends are going to find them. I wish I could of taken you, seeing how advanced you are in magic, but if I was to meet the unfortunate end, you must carry on the family bloodline and the kingdom. Keep on perusing your studies and please look after Candy's and Prism's siblings. 

Goodbye and I love you, take care of yourself,
Starburst.  



Over at Bolt's house, the same thing applied: The tough and cocky young man had to hold back tears while leaving a goodbye letter at the night stand of his little brothers bedside. Icy Storm was young, but was by leaps and bounds much more mature than his older brother, but the love was there even in the intertwined mutual feeling of annoyance toward each other. 

Luckily for Golden Delicious, there was no tearful goodbye, not worry to find a caretaker for the kids. He simply packed his family heirloom: a musket he had since he was just a boy and left. He believed that Red June was old enough to take care of herself, so no worry there. 

Crystal Clarity had to write a tear stained letter, but not to a child she was leaving to fend for themselves. She left the letter on the table on her work bench in the basement, where she knew the person who the letter was intended for would look for her the second he arrived in her abandooned shop.



Illusion,

I know you will be angry the second you hear about me and my friends going to find our parents. But I feel like it was something I must do. The kids are all safe and we asked aunt Sweetie Belle to take care of them in their absence. But also, you must know about the why as well. We have waited for an answer to where are our parents and yet nothing. They wouldnt even tell you, Illusion. I love Celestia and Luna like family, but it was either find a answer or possibly live the rest of our lives with the question of "what if?"
I wish it didn't turn out this way, but something had to give. I hope you understand why we had to. Its going to be tough not seeing that charming, mischevious smile of yours. But, I want to see my parents again.

With love to you,
Crystal Clarity 



"Ready to go?" Turquoise asked.

Anthea was 'looking' around in the dark, for anything else she might of been missing. She couldn't see anything anyway, but she took that time to think of what she had with her and made sure that nothing will go wrong leaving the cottage abandoned for a while. Fluttershy never moved from the cottage at the edge of the Everfree forest, not even after adopting Anthea all those years ago. She did it on her own, with no husband, but at the same time she took care of the sick and hurt animals while raising her own offspring, which was naturally why Anthea considered Fluttershy her hero. Although she had a daily struggle to deal with the debilitating shyness, her courage when needed was one of a lion.

"Yes," Anthea answered.

"You sure? all you have to bring was clothes and your locket."

Turquoise Blitz only had one thing in his possession as well: A dragons tooth necklace that  was handed down from father to son. Spike never knew his parents, yet he made one himself to pass down, and it was said that the necklace enhanced once's "dragon fire", a basic magic spell that only he and his sister only knows were flames can be expelled from their mouths like a flamethrower.

"I'm ready, T. Lets go," she said in a solemn voice as they left the cottage, which Annie hoped it wouldn't be for the last time.



To Cloudy Skies and Sugar Rush,
I'm not going to be home for a while. I'm going to go find mom and dad. Please don't cry, or be upset, or even go and find me. Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake will make sure you guys are alright.

I wish I can write more, but I have to go. I love you both so much and please be safe.

-Cotton Candy. 


 

They all met at the town square, ready to go. Without any preamble or words, they gave each other a quick nod and began their trek through the town. They walked past the homes of their friends, family, and in some cases, crushes.

Del broke from the ragged formation, and was walking towards the doorsteps of Perfect Measure's shop. He was stopped by Starburst.

"You know the rules del: Need to know only. We need to be out of Equestria before sunrise."

"A'h cant say goodbye?"

"I'm sorry, but there's no time."

Del hung his head as the moved on. It was tough, but they also knew that they couldn't run the risk of anyone finding out, and somehow alerting the princesses of their plan and ending the trip really early. What they didn't expect, however, was to run into whirlwind on her way home from a guard shift.  

"Hey! where are you guys going to?"

Everyone was silent.



"Prism? What's going on?"

"Whirlwind. We are going to find our parents," He said as he looked away.

Her mouth was open from the shock. "What?! But you all know the stories of whatever's attacking them. It's suicide!"

"We know."

"You all might die!"

"We know."

"Your parents are most likely-"

"We know!" Prism screamed.

His outburst silenced whirlwind. 

"We know. We are going to find them. It's crazy, and I cant say how I know it, but they are alive out there. We are wiling to die to find out."

"I know better than to try to stop you, you stubborn son of a bitch," she said as tears began falling down her cheeks. "I guess it's too late to tell you that I actually changed my mind about us?"

"What?"

"Yea, I was going to tell you tomorrow."

"Oh, um..."

Whirlwind ran into his arms, and held him as hard as she could. He reciprocate the hug, and held each other for what seemed like an eternity. Starburst tapped Prism in the shoulder. "I don't want to be that person, but he have a train to catch."

They let go, shared a quick, but tender kiss, and began the hard task of separating.

Whirlwind watched them leave the street until they were out of sight, while wiping the tears from her eyes 
> Rummage 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Cotton Candy and Starburst


A little known secret about the city of Canterlot would be the "SHTF Storage". It was a windowless building, probably a minute’s walk away from the train station, that was to be used when the emergency becomes too extreme or “when shit hits the fan.”

There were a few times in its history where the building was close to opening, and it's contents distributed among the finest of Canterlot's defenders. Either of  those emergencies either didn’t happen or it was something that the common Equestian military could handle. So for the few generations the building stood for, it was mostly deprived of life except the one time every week, when the inventory was checked, rechecked, and the perishables were replaced.

For the Children of Harmony, it was a mandatory pit stop on their way to the Griffon Kingdom.

They left the empty Ponyville-Canterlot late night express, past the just-as-empty station, and into the lifeless streets of Canterlot, with Starburst around ten feet ahead of the rest of them to act as the scout, because the guards running into a princess and a group of teens in the middle of the night in Canterlot would raise some dangerous and unnecessary questions. Since it was around midnight, it was common knowledge to the group that the guards would be changing from the late night to the graveyard patrols, which gave them only a thirty minute window to pack and head back to the train, which left to the next leg of its trip in forty minutes. Starburst was first to the unmarked solid wood door, and gave it a few pushes and pulls to jar it open.

Nothing.

The locked door situation was remedied when the rest of the group arrived. Anthea learned lock-picking magic a while back, so it was a simple spell to open the door. They closed it behind them and began to scramble around in the dark for the light source. One prod to the ribs while searching for a light source and messing with whatever prodded the person later, the lights finally came alive. It was a simple room, filled with uniforms, clothes, canned goods, many types of survival gear, various sizes of canteens and other gear.  The rest of the building laid hidden by the chain link counter, where the weapons were most likely stored. The slot in the chain link counter was big enough for Cotton Candy to squeeze through.

"Are the weapons back there?" Starburst asked as they began to distribute knapsacks hanging from racks among the group. There were different sized bags, from small to extra large. The strength of each person determined what size and how much they were carrying.  

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"Musket, Sword, Ammo. Look for flintlock pistols if they got- Never mind, I bet they are behind this cabinet."

Cotton Candy began to rush through the back room, smashing wooden crates filled with straw and fresh weapons. She grabbed one or two at a time and place them against the wall, one for everyone except Golden Delicious, who was carrying his own.

"Anthea, can you unlock this one for me?" Starburst asked, trying to force her way into the wooden engraved cabinet on the corner of the room. Anthea struggled with the lock, it was more intricate and made with actual steel. But, she never failed to open a lock, and the sound of the click echoed throughout. Sure enough, it was filled with hand engraved pistols, all of them new, all of them ready for action. Starburst began to hand them out between her friends, while keeping 4 for herself, she always loved to dual wield them for one reason or another.
Even Turquoise was getting into the personal style action as Cotton handed him his gear.

"Don't want the sword. Now, give me that!" he said, as he enthusiastically pointed to the large and heavy looking long sword hanging  on a glass case behind her. The poor girl took a while trying to get the sword that was tall as her through the slot. Cotton Candy slid through the counter slot once her job was done, and was rewarded with her own bag of food, clothes, and goods for the road.

"Everyone has weapons, food, supplies, and necessities. I think we are ready," Starburst said as she eyeballed everyone in the room.  They were wearing the same clothes as before, as they all agreed to change in the train, with the difference of the giant knapsacks on their back and the rifles slinged on their shoulders. "Alright, Let's go get get our parents."

They quietly left the store room and onto the abandoned streets, staying as close as the can to the walls of the buildings. Starburst would peek out from the corners, making sure none of the patrols were within sight. The process continued until they reached the station. The muskets and swords were quietly shoved through the caboose's only unlocked window, and there they planned to stay at or the duration of the trip to the next stop, least someone would recognize them. They presented the conductor their tickets and made their way to the caboose, where they flung the rest of their gear on the wooden floor and sat in a circle, awaiting the 'jolt' that told them they were on their way.

Starburst looked the most on edge, but had a cool smile when the jolt came, signaling the next leg of the young journey was at hand."Next Stop: Crystal Empire."
> Crystal Empire
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Different City was reached that night, yet the same strategy applied to that scenario.

They saw the cluster of dots around thirty miles out, a sliver of yellow in the vast expanse of the nothingness that was northern Equestria. Some of the group were excited to see the Crystal City, the seat of the Crystal Empire, once more, as few rarely made the trek up that north that didn't have family up in that part of the continent or at least business. To avoid raising an eyebrow, they threw their gear out the window and into the bushes that surrounded the station as the train came to a stop like at Canterlot. They were the only ones on the train, and at the station. Even the guards called it a night there. They fished their gear out of the bushes, and as they were about to head into the city, Starburst had an immediate change of heart to the plan.

"Everyone, meet us by the royal stables. Claire, come with me."

The good news was that they only had a four-hour window until sunrise, and when everyone back home would wake up to realize they were gone. The bad news was the Crystal City was the farthest way they could make by rail, as there was only one other train to the edge of the empire and into the Griffon Kingdom, and getting searched by the border guard is never any fun when trying to smuggle precious military gear and supplies out of the country without raising an alarm. It was pretty clear that they would need some help. For Princess Starburst: It would require cousinly help. Star and Clare worked together, creeping their way through the streets of the city they had visited many times growing up with ease. Just like Canterlot, and all seats of major empires, the guards were always out and on alert to protect the city from a surprise attack, fire, or anything that came their way. Even the most  observant eye can predict the guard's traditional guard routes, which the girls used to their advantage. 

Their destination was a house in the heart of the city, only a few blocks from the crystal castle. It was not overly as lavish as the castle, but it still hosted an important member of the kingdom.

Royalty. 

The stuck to the shadows whenever they could, only hiding in the dark alleyways when the patrols came too close, their torches being a dead giveaway to their presence. The patrols became more frequent and more massive the closer the got to the castle, even brushing with being discovered a few times, but were saved by extreme luck.

"Should we knock?" Claire asked as they found themselves on the doorstep of the house that housed Valiant Heart: Starburst's older cousin and the Son of Prince Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore "Cadence" Cadenza.

"Not when you know where he leaves the spare key," Starburst answered, pulling the doormat out of the way to reveal the small, silver key. 

"It's rude to just enter someone's house without permission: even if its family, but under the circumstances I'll say that works," Claire responded, a bit taken aback over how easy it was to enter the house of a prince.

The size of the home was not as spectacular as compared to the castle, but contained many decorations from the prince's trips through foreign lands and all corners of the world. When Valiant Heart was not serving in the Crystal Kingdom's armed forces, he enjoyed spending his royal purse on aid missions and philanthropic causes, believing that can benefit if everyone gave use a little bit more.... and the girls, especially the girls.

Because, the gene mix of a former ladies man and the princess of love would definitely produce one of the most charming men in history.

The two girls made their way upstairs, past the many portraits of Prince Valiant Heart in many different styles. 

"So we are going to just barge in?" Claire whispered, just outside his bedroom door. She had second thoughts about barging into someone's private room but given the situation they were in a small sacrifice to see their parents again.  

"Yeah?" Starburst asked. the tone of her voice read "is this even a question?"

"What if we see him naked?"

"it is the risk I'm taking for my parents, and you are one to complain, Ms. 'had that crush on him when we were kids.'"

"True point."

The opened the room and lit the lantern by the prince's bedside, which it revealed that the two girls and the prince were not alone in the highly decorated room, but another girl was curled up underneath valiant's body.

A girl they were both familiar with.

"Claire?! Starburst?! What in the hay are you two doing here?!" Red June screamed as she jumped off the bed, her cherry red and white hair whipping in all directions. Valiant jumped out as well, shielding the both himself and Red June with a blanket to hide the fact they were in their underwear, both backed to a corner of the baby blue colored room. .

"I could ask you the same thing, miss 'I’ll be too busy to see Valiant anyway, but I’ll be sure to tell him hi for you when I do." Starburst smirked.

Red June was embarrassed, ashamed, and scared due to this predicament. Just the fact she was alone with him in his house would bring shame to her family, and anger to her shy but gentle father.

Well, probably not, but it would be rather embarrassing.

"Please don't tell Aj or Big Mac" she pleaded.

"We wouldn't dream of it," Claire said with a warming smile. They were still friends, and friends had to look out for each other, even in the most embarrassing positions. Valiant and Red June had a big sigh of relief but was interrupted by Starburst.

"YOU don't get off that easily, mister! If you don't want me to tell your parents that I caught you with a girl alone, breaking some obscure marriage law that has probably haven't been discovered yet, i need you to do something to buy our silence," Starburst said with glee.

"You're evil, you know that, cousin?" Valiant asked.

"Me? Evil? Just wait until you hear the thing I have to ask."

> Cliffside 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Frozen North was once described as "Nowhere in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of nowhere.”

When daylight broke, it became evident for the horde of riders that they were in fact in the middle of nowhere. They left the Crystal City hours before dawn, but when it arrived, the city was nowhere in sight. The only thing visible was the mountains to the north, only a few bumps on the horizon. When they reached its foothills, it looked like it literally pierced the heavens, and then some.

"It's a crazy idea starburst, but it sounds like you’re out of choices." Valiant Heart said, trying to be heard by his cousin from the noise of the horses' hooves galloping on the hardened ground. 

"Yeah! It's not going to be easy, but I think we can do this," Starburst said with sincere determination in her voice. 

Valiant heart began to laugh. "Look at you. All grown up and giving orders. Your father would be so proud."

Between Equestria and the Griffon Kingdom is a large tract of unclaimed land that both used as a buffer to each other, in case one became aggressive and decided to invade another. Still, that did not stop nervous patrols into the unoccupied territory, with each side bringing a case of alcohol with them in case they ran into their counterparts where they would exchange them in a sign of peace. 

The group found itself at the literal edge of Equestria: a 150-foot cliff dropping off into the buffer lands. 

"That's one hell of a fall," Golden Delicious said as he looked down the cliff.

The three guards escorting the group wasted no time in setting up the ropes. Armed with three 200 ft ropes, they dropped two down the cliff face and made an audible "thud" when it hit the ground. The third tied it to the wagon that was tied to one of the horses, it was filled with bars of iron used to anchor the ropes themselves.

Starburst and Bolt Prism were the first ones down the line, their muskets sling around their backs. They rappelled down in increments, intentionally pressing vigorously on the rock they land onto to jar loose any rock that was not stable enough.

"Is this considered our first date?"

Starburst began to laugh. "No."

"Damn, okay."

The second pair to get down was the brother and sister. They were also carrying everyone's equipment, slowly rappelling down the cliff face. 

"You think our parents are okay?" Turquoise asked. They believed that their parents were fine, but they still had that nagging feeling that wouldn’t go away.

"It's our parents. They are fighters, survivors. They are fine," Crystal Clarity replied. 

"When I see them, I'm going to give them the biggest hug."

"Same."

They landed without incident, moving the equipment to the edge of the forest around thirty feet from the cliff face. 

Cotton Candy went by herself, screaming in joy with each jump.

Anthea and Golden Delicious were the last ones to rappel down. They were also the slowest. 

They took their time going down the cliff face. Anthea was adamant about taking her time, Golden Delicious was patient, but wanted to get out there and find his parents as soon as possible. Halfway down the cliff face, they felt a jolt, followed by a shaking feeling

Earthquake.

"We have to get down now!" Golden Delicious commanded, unfortunately it didn’t make Anthea go any faster. It was hard to rush someone with a blurry eyesight. 

Down below, Turquoise was being held down and dragged away from the cliff face by the rest of the group. He was trying to climb up there himself. Above him, Golden Delicious saw the cracks in the rock near the top the cliff, and if it gave way, would crash into Anthea. 

Wasting no time, Golden Delicious ran opposite of Anthea, trying to get as much of a pendulum momentum when the time came. He reached down and  pulled his flintlock pistols out and fired as he began his swing down, adding a boost to his speed. The rocks gave way as Delicious swung straight for her.. 

Seconds before the rocks smashed into her Golden Delicious flew past her, grabbing the rope above her and moving her out of harm’s way. He cut the rope with the knife that was strapped in a holster on his outer thigh.

"Hold on to me," He said as he began the slow movement back to where he was rappelling before.

It ended up being faster than the original  plan of each going down by their own rope. As they landed, Turquoise gave Anthea a giant hug.. He had to lower himself to his knees to do so.

He apologized for not being there. All she had to do was tell him it wasn't his fault and give him a kiss on the cheek. 

The group grabbed their gear and began the march into the woods, not before seeing the rope that was used to lower them being thrown off the cliff, being left behind by the Prince and giving Golden Delicious a chance to take enough rope as he humanly could.

The bond and love between the two cousins was strong; a mere nod to each other was enough. The Children of Harmony began their journey in earnest, disappearing into the thick pine forest.
> Maps 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





As the days of walking wore on, everything became a routine. 

Golden Delicious would be the last one to perform the night watch, getting ready once the first light of the morning sun arrived. He changed his military garb: a green, lightweight, tunic with an assortment of brown leather pouches throughout, and a large green hooded cloak. The 'Equestrian Ranger' garb, the same one that everyone in the group had. It was made for long distance traveling and scouting, which was the modus operandi of the plan.

Everyone else began to wake as he started to finish his daily breakfast of a hardtack with preserved strawberry jelly.   Everyone else was ready in an hour... except Prism Bolt.

To wake up the laziest member of the team, Golden Delicious would carry water when he was down by the local creek to the camp, for everyone to clean, drink and/or to wash their hair or body with a sponge. What was left of the pure water was dumped on the sleeping man. He wheeled around when he was slashed by the icy cold water, always waking up screaming "The fuck!"

He only had half an hour to prepare before they began their daily march to the Griffon Kingdom. Armed with a mandolin, Cotton Candy lead the group in song as they walked, sometimes making up music along the way. They commented on the beauty of the buffer lands, the large trees that seemed to pierce the heavens, and the many animals and birds that called the place home.

Towards the middle of the day, they stopped for an hour or two by a small stream or, if there was none nearby, a pond or spring. They would use the time to rest their feet, eat lunch, or if there was time or enough game: go hunt.  Usually, the hunting time would be reserved for a few hours before sunset, where they would find a cave or a hidden space with a source of water nearby and bunkered down for the night. While Prism, Delicious, and Starburst hunt and forage for mostly herbs, squash, and berries, everyone else either chopped the firewood, prepared the area for them or did an inventory of the remaining supplies. 

The hunters very rarely returned empty handed, usually coming back with small game like quail, rabbits, or even the occasional squirrel. 

When the source of water was large enough, they would go bathing in groups, usually the women and the men washed together, while the others temporarily took over their duties, also making sure that some of the guys (Prism) does not sneak out to peek at the women bathe and vice versa (Cotton Candy... and Anthea).

As soon as all the preparations were done and the cooking was complete, there was not much left to do but to relax and enjoy the meal, which always had a healthy amount of food for everyone. 

The conversation always started with their day of marching, but always went back to the solemn talk of their families and their homes. Every time that happened, Cotton Candy would always lead the group with songs from her mandolin.

With the night continuing, they took turns guarding the encampment while the rest slept, only to continue the same thing again. 

In the buffer, there were only two times that the group decided to settle for a whole day.

The first was a abandoned potato farm. They (mostly golden delicious and starburst) took a look inside, found the place to have been left years ago, the crop still thriving even without the help of human care. Coupled with a stream that ran next to it and the amounts of deer in the area they decided it was the right place to rest their head for a day or two. Deer and Potatoes were grilled that night, and everyone had large portions, it was a feast. 

They left a few hours later, as sleeping in was the group choice.

The second occurrence was at a less as exciting onion farm that had recently been abandoned, and quickly if the indications were correct. They would have moved on, but an afternoon thunderstorm had them pinned down for the night. They did come out with a whole lot more supplies than what to do with. 

All the traveling led up to their destination: the edge of the Griffon Kingdom.

"Woah," Cotton Candy said, looking at the towering statues that marked the border. They were now in dangerous territory: near the roads. That was the idea of the Princess. The idea was that the fewer people seeing them as possible would mean that their movements would not be tracked by either the Princesses of home or whoever was causing the crisis in that foreign land.

Cotton Candy and Anthea admired the three story statues as Starburst placed the paper map on the ground. She was surrounded by the rest of the group.

"We can stay off the roads if we go through this mountain pass, through there we can arrive at Grand Valley without dealing with roads. Once we reach the valley, it's a given with all those towns and farms that we will be seen."

"What about the crisis? Would that affect the valley?"

"My best guess is that if whatever is happening is only going on in the capital city, we will. if this is something more across the kingdom, well we will have to fight our way to our parents, assuming they are at the capital."

"Well, what are we waiting for?!" Bolt Prism screamed. "Let's go!"
> First Encounter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What do you see, Star?" Anthea asked. The group huddled in the bush, waiting for Starburst to finish observing the simple cottage from across the meadow. The brush between the tree line and the opening was thick, allowing them cover of the vegetation.

"I see... Squash farm," Princess Starburst replied. 

"Damn, why can't we get something better this time?!" Prism said in frustration.

"Maybe you would like more hardtack and water for dinner again?" Claire snapped back.

"That's enough, children. Let's check it out." Starburst commanded.

Golden Delicious stayed in the bushes with his musket pointed to the house in case any unwelcomed surprises appeared. With him was Anthea for her protection. Everyone else ran to the house while they kept their head down, but at the same time, looking around for any ambushes. They ran to the wall near the door and lined up against it.

With a swift kick from Turquoise's boots, the door exploded from the hinges and slid inside. Everyone else moved in with their muskets drawn, clearing room by room. 

"Empty again. Where the hell is everyone in this empire?!" Princess Starburst asked as she left the lone bedroom. Crystal Clarity waved Golden Delicious and Anthea over from the bush. Everyone dropped their gear where they could. 

"I'm starting to get concerned, you’d think we would see another person by now," Claire commented as she began rummaging through her bag.

"Maybe they’re all on holiday? A giant party in the capital?" Cotton Candy added.

"Whatever is going on, I bet we will find out when we reach the valley. Alright, lets call this home for the night. Girls get the bedroom." Star commanded.

"Sweet!" Cotton Candy squealed as she grabbed her sack and ran into the room, hoping to snag the bed first. She threw her bag on the bed and leaped into it with a child's giggle. Even with the stress of the journey, she still had the same spirit as when they’d left home. Her spirit was strong enough to reach in her bag and pull out her mandolin. She played a few melodic plucks while Anthea walked in with her bag. 

"Would of been nice to sleep in a bed for once," She whimpered.

"It's big enough to share it."

"Thanks, Cotton, you're a great friend."

"Anytime!" 

Anthea looked around. The colors of the blurs were all the same: pink. All she saw in the room was pink, all except two things: a large leaf green blob in the corner of the room that was cotton candy's garb.

The other was on the floor. 

She reached down to touch down the item but realized it felt waxy, like a crayon. She felt the waxy part and realized she was touching a piece of paper on the ground. 

What?

"Cotton, what am I holding?" Anthea asked.

"Paper!"

"What is on the paper, I feel crayon"

Cotton candy snatched the paper from Anthea and examined it. 

"What the?" She said as she got off the bed.

"What is it?"

"I-I don't know, maybe star knows!"

She rushed out of the room and outside, where everyone was planning the daily hunt.

"Guys! Guys! Look at this!" Cotton Candy said, holding up the paper for all to see.

"What... is that?" Prism asked.

"That looks like... a Changeling?" Golden Delicious answered.

"You sure?" Claire asked.

"Yea, they have a big colony far away from civilized lands. We get the occasional straggler trying to get at our livestock. We just put them down and let them rot where they lay, good for fertilization."

"If there are Changelings, we would of ran into them ages ago. It's most likely some kids wild imagination. Cotton, you and Anthea get the kitchen ready for the hunt and draw water from the well. I guess grilled squash and whatever we find tonight!" Star commanded.


***


"What the fuck?" Prism whispered, his complaints heard loud and clear to everyone else hiding.

"One hour. We have been here for an hour and no game or animals? Where are the animals?" Claire wondered out loud, perched on a branch.

"It's as if there's another animal around, but what kind of predator though?" Star asked.

"Bears, mountain lions, foxes. But even the presence of one wouldn't send animals to flee an area." Golden Delicious answered, hiding in another bush.

"Something isn't adding up here...." Turquoise said, hiding in the same bush as golden.


***


"Forget squash! Look at all this!" 

Cotton Candy couldn't believe her luck when she discovered the basement. Inside was a collection of different kinds of fruits and vegetables preserved and ready to eat. Anthea joined her but had a more difficult time seeing than she already could, so she just stood. 

"Imagine their faces when the comeback and see this! They even dated it, less than a week old!"

They heard someone walk in and assumed it was the rest of their friends when they heard more than one footstep above.

"I found a basement, guys! It has all kinds of food in here!"

The person up there began to make its way to the basement via the kitchen. Anthea and Candy listened, but there was something afoot.

It was growling, and making clicking noises.

"Maybe it's just a mountain lion?" Cotton said, grabbing Anthea and putting her behind her petite figure.

"Mountain lions don't make clicking noises," Anthea corrected her.

"I was afraid you were going to say that."

The creature went down the stairs, exposing itself to the two frightened girls. It was a mixture of green and black, the skin looked like a form fitting armor. Its eyes were large and beady, the claws were sharp as knifes.

"T-That is the creature from the drawing," Candy said, pulling the flintlock out from her side.

The Changeling stared at them while continuing to growl and click. 

"Hey little guy, I don't want to hurt you," Candy said, moving Anthea further into the cramped cellar.

The monster looked at them and hissed. The clicked and the growls became louder and fewer between. 

"Please, I don't want to hurt you."

The changeling crawled forward like a cat about to pounce.

Cotton Candy began to panic. "I don't want to hurt you! Just go away and I'll pretend I never saw you! I don't want to-"

Cotton Candy and Anthea both screamed as the creature pounced, its sharp claws aimed straight at the young girls.


***


"Did you hear that? Sounds like a gunshot coming from where the cabin is," Golden Delicious asked, hearing the sound of a gunshot echoing through the floor of the mountain pass.

"It does! Anthea!" Turquoise blitz screamed as he left his spot and began to sprint back to the cabin with his friends following closely behind. 

"Anthea?! Anthea!?" He hollered as he left the forest minutes later and came into the clearing. He went even faster when he saw a distraught Anthea standing outside. She ran into his arms when he was close enough.

"Where's Cotton Candy?!" Prism asked when they finally caught up. Anthea pointed inside the house. Prism, Delicious, and Starburst pulled their flintlock pistols and went inside, looking around. They heard sobbing when they reached the kitchen between the same voice apologizing to someone. 

"Its... downstairs?" Golden Delicious observed. They found the entrance to the basement in the pantry, and walked down to see Cotton Candy sobbing next to the body of the changeling. She was apologizing for killing it as a thick neon green ooze slimed out of the small hole between the eyes of the changeling.


***


After disposing of the body in the squash field, Golden and Prism left to hunt. They arrived thirty minutes later with them dragging a wild boar behind them. Cotton Candy did not leave her bed, the painful feeling of guilt consuming her, even after the assurance she saved her and Anthea's life.

Starburst and Golden Delicious began to skin and butcher the hog outside on a bench while everyone else was busy with their chores. The counter top in the kitchen was not big enough for the hog.

"Could that thing be a stray?" Starburst asked, gutting the vital organs from the hogs underbelly.

"Maybe, but what would it be doing so far south? Even I think of that when I find them at my farm," Golden Delicious wondered. 

'Whatever is going on, let's hope those 'things' are not what we are dealing with!" Crystal Clarity Amen'd from inside the kitchen, prepping the canned goods and squash for the dinner. 
> The Horde 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The changeling incident was quickly forgotten by the Children of Harmony, and it was passed off as a one in a million occurrence. The fact that Cotton Candy had the first 'kill' in the trip burned into Prism's soul, who up until that time bragged that he would get the first kill. At that moment, they were a day or so from leaving the mountain pass they had started climbing a day earlier to reach the Grand Valley, which was where all of the Griffon Kingdom's food supply came from. As the cool, crisp air rejuvenated their hardened lungs, Clair was heating up in more ways than one. She started to become anxious, jumpy, and nervous when Prince Illusion was brought up. 

"Why are you nervous today?" Anthea finally asked.

"It... It's been two weeks."

Everyone stopped and looked at the young woman watching their rear. Everyone had a different interpretation of what that meant, only one person had the lack of a filter to say it.

"You're pregnant?" Prism asked. 

Crystal Clarity began to blush in embarrassment and anger."What?! No! Shut the hell up! Every two weeks Illusion visits me... He should find out today that we are gone if he hadn't known already."

"Oh shit, that's bad. He will be totes pissed," Cotton Candy said.

"Unless he can show up out of thin air I don't think he will bother us. Besides, the only one who can do that is his father, he will likely not do that for him." Star commented dismissively.

"I guess... Hey do you hear that?" Claire asked.

Everyone stopped and looked around. A faint rumble was heard farther down the mountain pass. It began to get louder with each passing minute. They had their answer a few minutes later, staring down a large horde of Changelings running up the pass, heading their way.

"Uh oh," Golden Delicious said.

"Welp." Turquoise added.

"Whats going on?! You guys are scaring me!" Anthea cowered.

"R-Run!" Starburst commanded as everyone followed her back into the pass. 

"They will be on our ass soon! Better find a hiding spot!" Prism hollered as everyone continued their desperate sprint. There was little to no hiding places in the woods, and seven humans against a horde of maybe a few thousand Changelings was asking for a brutal death.

"Fallen tree! Everyone inside!" Star hollered as she ran into a large remnant of a sequoia tree. 

They all dived into it and crouched down, ignoring the ants, roaches, and centipedes that were crawling around in the panic of their peace being disrupted. The rumbling became louder and louder right up to being deafening in the last second. The forest became infested with the horses, the entire ground covered with a mass.


***


An hour had passed since the horde ran through the pass, a bit slower because of the narrowness contesting everything, making it a crawl through the heavily dense forest.

Everyone continued their statuesque posture, even with the various and unknown types of bugs crawling all over them. They continued to wait until the horde passed.

"Shit, that was.... Holy shit," Prism muttered.

Anthea moved her way to the arms of Turquoise. "I was so scared"

"Ain't gonna lie, I think we all were." Golden replied. 

"I don't think we are out of the woods yet. Looks like they left five behind." Star commented, looking through a hole in the bark. They were sniffing around, obviously the picked up their scents

"So now what?" Cotton asked.

"Okay... I have an idea. Anthea gives me your pistol. Alright, I will distract them. you guys go on without me. I'll catch up when I finish them.” Starburst said. 

"Let me join you!" Prism demanded.

"No, I don't want to put more of you in danger. Ready? Go!" 

Star Ran out of the log with her rifle in her hand and got on one knee the second she had a clear shot of the Changeling closest to them. She quickly presented her rifle towards the creature, unleashing a shot that crumpled its feral face inward without much effort.

"Oh come on!" Prism yelled in frustration from inside the log, his hope of being at least the second person to bag a kill dying along with that changeling.

Starburst began to run, with the Changelings on her heels and closing in. When the last one left, the group began to run down the mountain pass, looking back in hesitation whether or not to help their friend. 

One particular changeling was five feet away from Star and lunged at her, emitting a snarling growl as it was in the air. In the last second, she ducked and allowed the Changeling to sail over her. It rolled its way back on its claws, but its face exploded by the lead ball from one of Star's pistols. Star jumped over the creature as its body fell on the ground. The three changelings broke off and began to flank her, waiting for a mistake on her part. They didn't have to wait for too long as she was stopped by a rocky outcropping.

Crap.

The changelings were quick to surround her, clicking and growling as they moved on her. The Princess dropped her spent pistol and took a shot with her unfired pistol in the air, backing the changelings off a bit. 

Even with the proper military training, Starburst would still indulge herself in unorthodox fighting styles, with dual wield swords being among them. Her father was one of the best dual wielders in Equestria, and always had a piece of advice when his daughter wanted to learn that style of fighting: Don't stop moving and hope for the best.

"Alright, let's make this interesting." Starburst said as she pulled both sabres from their sheaths.

With her swords in each hand, she had it in her mind that if that was her final battle, she would make it an interesting one.

"Bring it, assholes!" She hollered.
> Enter Illusion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

For Prince Illusion, he lived life two weeks at a time. When you were in love with a girl, the times between seeing her and not dragged on forever. On that particular morning, he was rushed to get out the door and to the train that would whisk him away to see his girl. It was the royal train of course, so all he had to do was to give them an hour heads up of where he was going and where he was arriving. Even though she was his and he was hers, every time he came over, when she had, or visits to Canterlot he would still have the butterflies in his stomach and his heart would beat like the rhythm of a fast-paced song. In order to leave the castle, he would have to pass the chambers of his parents. It was a stereotypical love story: two parents hating the living hell out each other, then falling in love once cooler heads prevailed. That puppy love turned into a benevolent son who would one day rule Equestria as firm but fair as his parents. He was to let them know that he was to leave the castle to see his girlfriend, which their response to that always had been "Did you knock her up yet? ". 

He stopped to hear his parents in a discussion. His mother always loved the moments when she was not in the public eye and could 'let her hair down', which was why she was laying on the couch using her husband's lap as a pillow, her betrothed feeding her grapes from a crystal bowl next to him. 

"Do we have to discuss this now?" His father complained. 

"Yes. Our son will find out today that Claire and the others have left to find their parents."

"Why didn't we stop them in the first place?"

"By the time Shining Armor could relay to us that their son helped them into the Buffer Zone, it was too late to mount a proper search party. Besides, those kids have the same fighting spirits as their parents. If there's anyone who can save them from the horde, it's them."

"Yea, because they should be out there without any training or any supplies!" 

Celestia lifted her upper body up, and Discord merely turned his head. Their son stood in their doorway, his eyes piercing and firey.

"I cannot believe you two right now." Illusion sneered as he walked out of his parents sight, towards the castle entrance. "Oh dear, I have to-"

"I'll talk to our son," Discord said, moving out of his role as Celestia's pillow and went chasing after his son. 
***


Prince illusion stammered out of the castle walls and into the city streets, where the city's inhabitants were curious as to why the Prince would be  walking down the streets like a commoner. "Son, you need to-"

"Go after them?! Yeah, that's what I'm doing. I'm going to walk to the Griffon Kingdom if I have to! "

"illusion. . . Illusion. You're making this hard for me, I have to be serious here."

His son listened. He knew when his father was serious, it was definitely something to listen to. "I had done that before, go deep into a dangerous land to get your mother out, so I think you should do the same."

"I don't believe you are just going to let me risk life and limb."

"Really? Just look at yourself, son."

Illusion looked towards his chest to see that the clothes he had been wearing had been replaced with a military uniform, his red and green jacket replaced by a green winter cloak. It felt heavier as well, only to discover that he was armed to the teeth with a few pistols, a musket around his shoulder. A sheath was around his waist, but with no weapon. In his father's hand was a golden blade emitting a light, causing Illusion to shield his eyes.

"You'll get used to the light. It is your mother's blade. It is the "Light Blade". 

"And you're just going to give it to me? "

"From what I know about what's going on, trust me. "

Discord explained the entire situation, from who was invading, what they wanted, and the fates of the Elements of Harmony and their husbands. As he did that, his hands began to dance, as if it was possessed. He stopped when an oval appeared in front of them, on the other side was a forested area. "They are in danger right now. Go get them," Discord said. 

"You sure mom won't get mad? "

"She will be, but she will calm down and know she will see her son again."

"Well, I guess this is goodbye, Dad."

"This isn't a goodbye, this is a 'see you later.'"

"Like you and a cake, Mom." Illusion replied. 

As father and son shared one last hug, they were joined by the Princess of the Sun. "You be safe, alright Son?"

"I thought you would try to stop us?" Illusion asked. 

"I would, trust me. And once we get back to the castle your father is in big trouble. But, sometimes in life you have to get your hands dirty for the ones you love."

"Thanks, Mom," Illusion said as he hugged his parents one last time. "Go get her, tiger." Celestia answered, the tears starting to swell. He walked to the wormhole and looked back. His parents were looking on, with Celestia afraid, worried, but proud. Discord was smug as if he knew the outcome to the adventure his son was to have. With a few steps, he disappeared into the portal. It closed right after he slipped into it, leaving his parents alone. They were surrounded by the population of their subjects who stood and watched that family moment. 


***


Starburst was the first to notice a few weird things behind the changelings as they waited for opening. Leaves were collapsing under their own weight. The sound of them cracking were heard, but not listened to by the Changelings. That momentary distraction was enough for the changelings to attack. It was short lived by the appearance of a bright ball of light behind them. They turned around to stare at the light, which had turned into a  floating sword of sunlight. It took a swing and sliced the first changeling cleanly in half. In a state of panic, one of them charged the blade. It's reward for its bravery was impalement by the mid-air blade. The other one backed away, and into the buzzsaw of Starburst's spinning blades. "You are from the great beyond, right? You have my thanks," the Princess said as she bowed to the sword. The sword's helm began to expand, with a hand forming around it. The hand became a full arm, and the full arm became a body. Starburst became a deathly pale white when the face formed, and the face of Prince illusion formed. "Oh hey! Wh-what brings you to these neck of the woods? Get it? Woods? We are in woods right now? " She said nervously. 


***


"I'm telling you, we need to go back! " Prism demanded. 

"You heard her, she can handle them! " Claire replied. The heated debate lasted for minutes, and it wore on everyone else. 

"I think we should go, she is our friend! " Anthea finally spoke up. 

"Yea! Let us help her out! " Cotton candy chimed in. 

"She needs us," Turquoise added. 

"Eeyup," Golden Delicious finally added. 

"Fine, let's go get her," Claire sighed, "Knowing her she took all three down and probably found dinner.”

As they unslung their muskets and had them armed and in their hands, they were stopped by a familiar voice in the distance. "Its Star! I told them she would kick their ass!" Clare smiled. 

"But, who she is talking to?" Prism asked. They began to listen and heard her talk more. 

"Okay, okay, so we fucked up. What were supposed to do, man. . ."

"Who is she talking to?!" Prism said. That answer came soon enough when she was being carried by the arm by a familiar face. Everyone's heart dropped, and as for Claire she became deathly white. 

"Look, look! I'm sorry!" The princess said as she was tossed in front of the semi-circle the group was in. Illusion had no words to say, but his glare was enough to convey his anger.
> Reconciliation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The smell of cooked rabbit and onion filled the air around the brightly lit campfire. Usually, the night would be time to relax and not think about the outside world. On this night, it was impossible not to.

They all looked at the fire in front of them, unsure of what to say or do.

Everyone would steal a quick look over to the rocks a fair distance away, where their newest member of their party stared out into the black void of the night. They decided to settle in the same spot they used to escape from the changeling horde earlier that day, more concerned about Prince Illusion's emotions more than anything. When he had a temper, it was nothing to ignore or dismiss. 

"What do we do now?" Prism asked while eating his dinner.

"Let him simmer down, that's what." Golden replied.

"That will take all week. You know this." Cotton whispered.

"What we need is for someone to talk to him. We can't just wait around just for him to stop being a piss baby," Prism added.

Everyone turned their head slowly, right to the girl that Prince Illusion called his girlfriend.

She had a plate of rabbit legs and a couple of onion leeks, staring at it intently. When she looked up, everyone was staring at her.

"What?" 

"Well, are you gonna talk to him? You're the girlfriend, so you should calm him down." Starburst suggested.

"He is not going to calm down anytime soon." She said as she had her mouth close to the rabbit meat and onion mixture she was craving all day.

"Can you-"

"You know what?! Fine! I’ll talk to him! I just wanted to eat, but nooo!" Claire barked in frustration as she got up from her seat. 

She also picked up the plate that was meant for Prince Illusion and took it with her, stacking his on top of hers to warm her food up with the heat of the tin.

The walk to Illusion was a nervous one for Claire. She knew he was angry about all this, so at least food would help him calm though that was not going to help in reality.

I’ll just take my licks and get it over with. 

She sat next to him on the large boulder, looking at the abyss with Illusion. From the looks of things, it was in the direction of the Grand Valley. Normally it would be lit with fires of the farmers that occupied the land, but there were none.

"I thought you would be hungry," Claire said, placing the plate between them. He continued to look into the night, seeming to not take notice of her arrival. 

"So, how's your parents?" Claire asked, hoping for him to talk.

He didn't respond, but continued to look into the night. His intense glare remained unmoving.

"Um, how about Princess Nidra? What kind of crazy shenanigans she up to?"

It was then that the prince sighed.

Claire smiled. "So, wanna talk?"

"Yeah," He said as he turned to her. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?! Did you really think leaving everyone and everything behind was such a good idea?! Nobody knew where you were, and nobody knows how you all were doing! Everyone is worried sick back home. id you ever consider their feelings before you all left?! What about me, what about my feelings?!"

"We had to, we had no choice!" Claire declared.

In his frustration, illusion dropped his head."I.. I know. It's just that from the time I found out to arriving, I was afraid. My father said you guys were in trouble and I was worried that something would happen to you." 

"Oh come on, it would take more than some giant bugs to take me down, " Claire boasted.

"Yeah, yeah," illusion said as he took the plate. Claire scooted next to him and began to eat her food with him.

The meat was juicy, with hints of parsley and basil added to give it flavor. 

Towards the end of their dinner, Claire was still curious." Are... You still..."

"Oh yeah, I'm still pissed. We will have a long talk about this when we get home, but for now let's get your parents and go from there."
> Capture
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first thing they noticed when they arrived at the valley was the lack of life. There was also the smell… The awful, awful smell.

The rancid odor of decaying cows, pigs, and chickens assaulted their nostrils from the very first minute. It was relentless. They passed by miles upon miles of failed farms and dead animals on their way to the city. They would pass by one every hour or two and spend another hour ripping it apart looking for food, drinks, and supplies. They scored finding medical supplies and more rope in one of them. They left the farms stripped of supplies and weapons, believing that the occupants of the farms were killed by the changeling horde they’d survived the day before. 

Although, from the untrained eye, the grassland of the valley seemed dead, the Children of Harmony spotted many rabbits, prairie dogs, and the occasional deer. They passed by them without any harm because they knew there was the possibility of another threat lurking around each bend. 

They found a farm that had pure fruits and vegetables, no dead animals and no smell of death and decay and settled there for the night. With sunset approaching quickly, they opted to forgo the hunt and just concentrate on scavenging whatever crops were ripe and stay indoors.

"They even have firewood ready in the basement!" Starburst announced as she walked up the stone steps with a cord of chopped wood in her arms.

"Sweet! Claire, you can get the fire going, right?" Prism asked.

"Let's wait for after dark, Star, use that for the wood stove in the kitchen, I'll grab some more wood to get the fire going!"

Star walked in the kitchen to see Anthea and Cotton Candy chopping up the vegetables and fruit they had collected, mixing that with preserved meat they found in one of the previous farms. 

"I'm still surprised we actually want beef after passing miles of cattle carcasses." Star chuckled as she started tossing the firewood into the black, cast iron wood stove. The girls were on the other side of the kitchen, and the crisp sound of chopping vegetables filled the air.

"It’s all we have. Unless you want spoiled eggs." Cotton replied.

"Right?" Star replied, standing when there were four pieces of firewood in the stove. "I'm going to check on the boys upstairs, you can start the fire when you’re ready."


***


"Got any threes?" Golden Delicious asked.

"Go fish," was Turquoise’s reply.

Golden grumbled as he took another card. Their playing field was an old wooden box found amongst the sparsely decorated items in the attic. They were using the old wooden floor as their seats. There was another wooden box in the attic, but that was being used as Illusion's seat. He was looking outside the window, his mother’s sword in his hand. Instead of shooting anything that would have posed a threat he was planning to rather take them on himself. 

"Shouldn't you two be looking out for changelings?" Star asked as she walked up the old steps, each step being a heavy creak that felt like it was one more pound away from giving way.

"No changelings out there!" Golden announced as he looked out the window opposite of Illusion. Illusion could only roll his eyes and chuckle in amusement as he continued to peer out of his window.

"Anyway, dinner should be ready soon," she said as she walked back down.


***


Dinner was eaten around the table in the living room. The bowls of grilled vegetables and beef marinated in lemon and herbs were enjoyed by the group. They lit the fire when the dinner was done and, with the doors locked and all the windows boarded up, they enjoyed a quiet night with each other, waiting for the sweet serenity of sleep to arrive. As it arrived, they set out a sleep/watch schedule and went to sleep, having lookouts watch in pairs.

The first two up: Prince Illusion and Crystal Clarity.

"Well, if you think about it a different way, it's like a vacation!" Claire said, the fire warming them as they sat on the couch.

"First vacation spot I've been in where the locals try to kill you." Illusion replied. 

"Yeah, yeah."

"I was worried for you, you know," Illusion said somberly. "I was angry, but I was also afraid. I wouldn't know what to do."

"You know I can take care of myself," 

"I know... Just... I don't think I would have survived not having you in my arms ever again."

Claire smiled from that revelation. "You're just a big baby," she said as she collapsed into his chest. With enough force, she pushed his upper body down the sofa and she laid on top of him, their noses touching. 

"Claire, I..."

"Just relax," she said, bringing her lips to his. A peck turned into a tongue, and a tongue turned into Illusion kissing her neck.

They were finally in each other's’ arms, two lovers who were separated by weeks’ time. They were finally together, with not even hundreds of or even thousands of changelings stopping them.

So naturally, finally being together after all that, the topic of further enjoying each other's company was brought up.

"Hey, want to... You know, do 'it'?" Claire asked.

"W-what? Here? But your bro-"

"He’s too chickenshit to do anything. If he does I’ll stop him."

"Well, if you insist," he said.  He slipped his hands up Claire's shirt from the waist to her upper chest, exposing her bra to himself. They continued to kiss deeply until Claire stopped in a panic.

"You know what I just realized?" 

"What is it?"

"W-we were supposed to be on guard," she whispered.

They looked up to the door to see around ten to twelve figures, humanoid in figure. They were in black cloaks with no face to be seen. Their hands were non-existent, only sharp claws protruding from the arm holes. They were looking at them, and the young lovers knew they were surrounded.

"Oh shit," Illusion said under his breath.
> Enter Leon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well, this is romantic," Claire said to her boyfriend in the dark of night. They had been walking  for hours, their hands in the air while being marched away from their hideout. 

To their right and left, the young couple found themselves among hostile-looking, hooded figures that would kill them if they did anything out of line. 

Behind them, the young couple found themselves with hostile friends that would kill them if they said anything out of line. 

"So, was the sex worth it?" Bolt Prism asked in frustration, and with a small tinge of jealousy.

"We didn't do that!" Illusion snapped.

"Really? last time I checked people who are on guard don't get surrounded." Starburst pointed out.

"Can we just figure out what these guys want and go on about our business?" Claire asked. 

"You mean back to you two shtooping?" Anthea said with a giggle. 

Claire growled in frustration and ignored everyone behind her. They marched for hours on end in the dark, the path only being lit by the lantern held by the lead hooded figure. As dawn broke, a small dot appeared in the distance. As they got closer, they saw smoke that surrounded the encampment. There were also tents there, and more importantly: humans. 

"Oh wow, a settlement!" Cotton Candy squealed with joy.

Golden lowered his hands. "You all are humans! So glad to meet-" 

The hooded figure next to him raised its claws as if it was about to strike down the taller man. 

"Okay, nevermind," he said as he raised his hands again. 

When they entered the camp, it looked like a small village. The women were going from shop to shop, carrying baskets filled with food and other things for their homes. The children were either in a large group playing or being mischievous. There men were in armor and held muskets whilepatrolling, or men in clothes and armed with muskets preparing for their daily hunt. Outside of the village were ten to fifteen large wooden carts filled with dirt. Crops were growing out of them 

When they were escorted, they were more interested in the young prisoners than the hooded figures with sharp blades sticking out of the hand holes. The villagers looked on in curiosity, then continued on with their day. The Children of Harmony realized they were being escorted into the largest tent that sat in the middle of the village. It was maroon in color, with gold trim. 

"I guess we go in there?" Claire asked. 

"Yeah. I wonder what's in there?" Illusion asked.

Starburst had seen it all before. The maroon color, the gold trim, and the fact the village looked like it was in the custom clothes of the Middle Griffon Kingdom, the location of the capital.

"Aw shit," Starbursted breathed.

Everyone looked at Starburst in curiosity.

"What's wrong?" Cotton asked.

"Leon."

Everyone looked at the young woman, confused... All but two.

"Oh man! That guy who has a crush on you is here?! This is going to be fun!" Claire and Illusion laughed. 

They entered the tent and found something directly out of a lavish party. Food and wine were sprawled out and served to everyone in attendance. There were dukes, knights, maidens, and barons enjoying the feast. Everyone watched the humanoid figures walk in, escorting the young group. 

The hooded figures flipped their hoods to revealed that they were humans as well, their claws were actually gauntlets tied to their fingers. The black robed griffons took a knee

"My Lord, we found survivors!"

Starburst huffed as she saw their lord. He was as young as they were; thick, tall, and handsome. His steel colored hair was a sight to behold. And he was dressed in fine robes and a crown with many gems. 

"Thank you, Nightwatch. You are free to retire for the day." 

The robed figures got up and walked out of the tent, leaving the Children of Harmony in front of the court. 

"So, you no good, sneering, slimy Equestrians decide to show up at my door, eh? You all think you can come to my land and take over?" The king said as he walked up to Illusion. Illusion gave him a glare and expected the worse

Illusion was then grabbed by the king and pulled into a hug

"You sons of bitches! What are you all doing here?! It's been like forever!" 

Illusion and company took a sigh of relief, all but Starburst. The young man stopped when he saw her. His demeanor changed from a confident young man to a nervous careful one when he came up to Starburst. He took Star's hand and dropped to one knee. 

"It’s good to see you again, m'lady," he said as he give her hand a short, warm kiss. 

"Can't you find another girl to be infatuated with, Leon?" Starburst groaned. 

"Yes, but that means I would have to choose less than perfection. And, that's ‘King’ Leon now, a title I take with great sadness."

That remark brought Starburst to attention. "You're king now? What about-"

"Parents? Dead in the siege of the capital. My brothers and sisters died in the battles afterward."

"Princess Armonia?" Cotton asked in concerned. 

"My little sister? We sent her away with a good amount of our reminding gold to Sweetie Belle and her husband Button Mash. She should be in good care with them." Leon said as he sat on his throne. "This roaming village is the last of the free griffons, all the other ones are  either in a disorganized rabble of freedom fighters or enslaved by the drones of the Changeling Horde. In the meantime, since you all are accompanying both a prince and the most beautiful princess this world has ever known, you are all welcome to join us in this feast. And as for you Prince Illusion and future princess Crystal Clarity, our advance party told me of your state when you were found. We have a few tents in the back to continue your 'extracurricular activities'," he said with his biggest shit-eating grin he could muster. 
> Perspective 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Starburst walked out of the maroon tent while the feast was still going on. Her friends were enjoying proper food for the first time in ages. She stumbled in exhaustion from their previous hours of marching to the encampment.. She would have gone a whole day without walking into King Leon, who was sitting on an oak barrel munching on a bright green apple.

"Morning, beautiful," he beamed.

Star gave him a stern look for what seemed to be an eternity and a half before she walked away towards the barrack tent. He hopped off the barrel to walk afterher, the sounds of his bites drowned out by the noise of people going on about their day. 

"Why the cold shoulder, Star?" He asked, trying to catch up to her. She only increase her pace.

"I wanted to make a great insult, but I couldn't think of one so I'm just walking away," she sneered. 

"Just wait a minute!" he hollered. He grabbed her arm in an attempt to stop here. She yanked her arm out of his grasp and crossed her arms. "Why now, all of a sudden, do you decide to be mean to me?!"

"Why? Because I have a plan and a mission and we are wasting time hanging around here! If you don't mind I would love to head to your capital." She ordered.

"No can do sweetheart, it's crawling with changelings. The small lucky minority they allowed to live are slaves. They will know right away you don't belong there and will slice you in half, all of you." he warned. His eyes told the tale of fear and anger.

Starburst looked at him in thought. "Who is leading them? Chrysalis passed her life expectancy years ago."

Leon nodded. "Right, she is gone. From what we can tell is that usually the drones will fight and kill each other to be next in line. But there was an anomaly in her hatchling... The White Changeling,"

"The what now?" She questioned. 

Leon signed "It was an old soldier's tale, a changing that was white. Your cousin Valiant Heart was the only one who ran into it and survived."

"I see," Star pondered.

"Yea. Hey, well..." he slouched and made his best seducing pose. " Since you are around... Maybe I can invite you to take a seat with me in tonight's feast?"

"Oh, yeah?" Star smirked.

"Yeah. You all are more than welcome to stay as long as you like," he said in a soft voice. He got closer to her and had the warmest smile he could muster.  

"On second thought, I'll pack my shit and go," she hissed while she walked away.

"Look, Princess... As much as you may not like me because how much I like you, we have to come to an understanding here!" He pleaded.

Starburst's face began to redden. " I totally understand. You are trying to use my situation with my parents to your benefit. My parents are missing and I have to deal with you hitting on me!"

"At least your parents might be alive." He said with a stern look. 

When Starburst said that, she had forgotten what he had said earlier, and the regret began to overwhelm her. "I’m sorry, Leon... I-I didn't-"

"You are mad at the situation. I think we all are," he said as he reached out and brought her into a hug. He smiled as he felt the warmth and touch of the girl he cared for. "I genuinely want to help you all and it will be in everyone's best interest if we find your parents to help retake my people's land. Not only that, I really do want to work with and spend time with you in something you enjoy: War." He said as he looked down at the girl he was infatuated with him, she looked up at him.

"Leon?" She said.

"Yes, Star?" He chimed back.

"You have ten seconds to let go of me or else I will rip your balls off."
> First Date
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sounds of footsteps in front of her tent woke Starburst that morning. She gave off a slight groan and got up, reached for her robe in the process. She knew it was Leo. She covered her naked body and waited for the man to barge his way in. Sure enough, he did.

"Morning!" He said. 

"Shouldn't you knock before entering?" Star asked.

"Knock on fabric? Don't think it works like that." He replied. 

"Whatever," Star huffed. 

Leo smiled and continued, running his fingers through his hair in nervousness. "Well, I was wondering if you wanted to come ride with me to the countryside, maybe catch up?" He asked.

"Nah." 

"Trust me, it'll be worth your while," He suggested with a devilish grin.

Star sighed, "Alright. Who are they?" 

Leo’s eyes sparked at Star’s defeat. "Changeling Warband. Small, but it looks like they are just moving a high ranker in their organization. Usually, the type of changeling they are escorting can speak our language, so we can try to pry information from them." 

"I'll admit, you know what I like." Star Beamed. 


***


They rode for hours together... surrounded by fifty of the king's best dragoons across the valley, looking for their target. As they were planning to head back, they spotted a dust cloud heading down a mountain pass and into the massive valley. 

"That's our boys!" Leo shouted as he gave chase. The rest of the group followed suit. They rode to their target in an unorganized ramble trying to intercept them and begin the delicate process of separating the changeling hunter by itself. As soon as they were a mile out, the changelings were easier to spot as individuals instead of a running black and green blob. The group split into two groups. Leo and Star were with one group while another group rode beside it. The third group was smaller, and unlike the other two groups, they were not armed with muskets, only spears. 

The two musket groups went behind the changeling horde and closed in, and began shooting into the running horde. Each shot was followed by the snapping of a changeling exoskeleton. The creature would collapse from the group, and if any manage to get up, they would be speared by a passing dragoon lancer.

The process continued. The outer riders would fire the musket while the inner groups did the dirty job of reloading the muskets for the riders on the outside. Each minute saw the hordes number dwindle down, but the humans did not relent in their assault. Breaking off and fighting them while they were on horseback was suicide and left their commander vulnerable, so their only way to beat the humans was either to outlast their horses stamina or reach the other side of the valley, where the woodlands would prove difficult to maneuver. 

As a last ditch effort, the changelings ran through an abandoned village that lined one of the main roads, and Leo still couldn't do wrong.

"Split up! We will keep shooting once we pass the town!" He barked. 

His units obeyed, and went around the town on their sides, the lancers kept their chase through town. 

Once the riders passed the village, they continued their shooting, down to the changeling hunter itself. 

"Don't shoot! I want him for myself!" Leo commanded with glee. He picked up his musket and aimed for what felt like forever. He took his shot, and the snapping of the exoskeleton could be heard, which made the changeling collapse where it ran. All three units converged on the changeling, spears and muskets aimed right at the thing as it tried to get up but couldn't.

"Nice shot, but you didn't kill it." Star commented.

"Killing it wasn't the plan," Leo said as he got off his horse and walked to the changeling. A few of the lancers went with him, using forked spears to pin the creature[s arms and legs down. It struggled, but couldn't break free. 

"Where is the white changeling!? What are you planning!" Leo demanded, his flintlock pistol aimed right at the head of the creature. It gave off a number of untranslatable clicks.

"Sounds like it’s trying to tell you," Star observed.

"It knows our language. Talk you changeling! Talk! What are you planning?!" 

The creature continued to talk in clicks and purrs.

"M’lord," One of the paladins said.

"Right," Leo answered. He fired another shot into the creature, causing it to writhe in pain. "What are you guys planning?!" 

The creature continued to wiggle in pain.

King Leon shook his head as he reloaded his pistol.

"Dammit," He said as he executed the changeling, shooting the pinned creature in its head. 

"So, Star, we have our horses... Want to continue our lovely stroll through the countryside?"
> Unrequited pt 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"And how did you get yourself out of that one?!" Cotton Candy asked, pieces of meat flying out of her mouth, landing on the table or other people's food. 

"Well, Candy, I simply smiled and said, how about we make a deal? Either you call off your invasion plans, or I will remind your dragon clan how you failed the last time you invaded us," Prince Leon said. Laughter burst through the main table at the nightly feast. Although the disappointment of not finding more of the changeling that was leading the invasion was still evident, at least they did it with no casualties. 

Starburst, however, had a frown, deep in thought as she stared at her plate of meats and plants.

The children of harmony also enjoyed the beautiful, silk clothing that made the griffon clan well renowned, which beat the rough, equestrian scout clothing they had been wearing for days on end. 

"I tell you, friends. We have scouts all over my kingdom, looking for pockets of resistance. We will bring them in and we will march on the capital. We will win the war, win back our land... and the heart of a lovely young princess." King Leon proclaimed as he reached to Starburst's hand and gave it a quick peck.

When star realized what happened, she got up and left without a word, out to the clear, warm night. The hall became deathly silent as Leon felt the sting and embarrassment of her rejection. He snatched two goblets, and a bottle of wine. As he made his way to her, he was stopped by Illusion. 

"Look friend. I know how much you feel about her, but maybe you just need to take the hint." 

Leon looked at him and scoffed at the suggestion "Nous griffon ne jamais abandonner". He walked out to the camp, stumbling in his drunken stupor and looking for Starburst. He walked past the common civilians, having their own feasts. They were not as lavish as his, instead of pork it was chicken, the wine was replaced by ale and mead, but they were still fed. Their clothes were rougher and less colorful as his, but they kept them warm, and they had shoes to wear. Leon smiled as his subjects saw him. The women and children lowered their head in his presence. The drunken men and wenches raised their mugs to him and gave him a hearty cheer. 

"Thank you, men. There will be more mead where that came from when we take back our country!" Leon replied with his goblet in the air. 

The men cheered, as they gulped down what drinks they had left. 

"Gentlemen, do you see where Lady Starburst went?"

Everyone pointed to the watchtower that was beaten on a rocky outcropping within the camp. That is where he spotted her outline, looking up at the endless sky. He stumbled his way there, passing through more of the tent city that had to do since the changelings took the city he owned. He went up the ramp and walked next to her. He sat down next to her, but far enough where there was room for the wine and cups. 

He poured another round for himself, and one for his love.

He tapped her on the shoulder and handed her the goblet as soon as they locked eyes 

"Take it, it will take away all your troubles." he assured her 

She was hesitant at first but took a small gulp nonetheless. Her face went sour, and she stuk out her tongue in a motion to show her disgust

"Yes, it is an acquired taste, but once you get used to it, it is still better than drinking dirty stream water," 

She still held on to the cup as they stared at the night sky, both of them taking sips from their goblet. 

"I remember your mother and father. Nice people, really cared about you, your brother, and your people. If there's anyone who can survive the changelings, it's them," Leon commented. "At least you still have hope they are still alive. One of the first things I have to do when I retake control of my land is to find their remains and bury them in the royal mausoleum. So, I know how you feel that you want to see them again." 

Star took another gulp of her wine. "It's not about them that has me thinking," 

"Oh?" 

"It's about us... or me mostly."

Leon took a deep breath and ran a hand through his auburn hair.

"What do you mean?"

"You can be with any girl you want. Models, fair maidens, princesses who are prim proper, and posh. So, why me?"

Leon grew silent and took another sip of his wine. He looked to her, and she looked to him. He melted with her eye contact, staring at her beautiful magenta eyes. 

" I guess.... it had something to do the night we first met."
> Unrequited pt 2 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

If there was something Twilight loved to do, it was to throw parties. Not because of the sake of partying, but she wanted to find an opportunity to have her friends over. So, fancy receptions involving the heads of states and influential members of her kingdom was the natural way to go. Not only that, the heads of state used those parties to excuse themselves to a private room to talk business or to settle disputes. When the party ended, the families would have a room to sleep in and would wake up to a breakfast that was fit for royalty. More wine would be distributed, and the families usually either headed home, went their way to another city if they were planning on touring Equestria, or stay in the castle one more day. Entire royal schedules were worked around for the parties, which were always announced months in advance.

The Griffon Royal family arrived by carriage an hour late, but made it for the food and wine. Then again: those are never in short supply at the parties. The entire family and entourage came in the finest clothing and were properly dressed, save one of the young princes.

"Leon, I told you already: please look presentable and try to be more... Royal." his mother complained as she tried to fix him up in the carriage. Leon’s brothers and sisters were apathetic about Leon making them look like fools: he had been doing it his whole life. 

His father had a hearty laugh. "Just like me when I was a boy!" 

The royal family greeted Twilight and Flash sentry in the foyer, as the tradition of all who hosted an event like this. As the introductions were made, Leon looked down the hallway to his left, and a cracked door with light. he saw a small figure peek out, a girl maybe? the dress was frilly pink as well as the hair bow.

"Leon!" His mother snapped.

He straightened to attention under the glare of his scolding mother, which drew a laugh from Twilight and Flash.

"Just like our daughter," Twilight and Flash sighed.

***

There were two classes to the party: the adults, who indulged themselves with alcohol, food, and each others company and were having the time of their lives socializing and networking. The other class was the children, who were exiled to a separate room. 

Leon left that room, to look for the restroom. The real story was he couldn't stand the pompousness, and decided to go look around. He walked down the lavish walls of the castle and admired the art and armored mannequins throughout.  As he went up the second floor, he noticed one room with the door open and the light on. He decided against his better judgment to check it out.

When he entered, he was met with a girl his age, short hair, and pink dress. He had to admire the girl: she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen, even if she looking at him with a disapproving scowl. 

"The party is that way," She said, pointing to her right.

"Excuse me?" 

"you're here for the party, right?" she asked.

"That's not a party, that's an "I'm a bigger jackass than you," contest."

The girl giggled, and Leo laughed. It lasted for a few seconds and they ended up staring at each other, awkwardly. 

"Prince Leon, by the way," He introduced himself.

"Startburst," she said.

"Princess Starburst?" he asked.

She scowled again.

"I can take a hint," he smiled. He went further in the room and sat on Starbursts bed. There was another hint about her: she wasn't an ordinary princess. Instead of pink, it was more bold colors. The doll sets and makeup sets were replaced with stuff he would find in his room. books on how to be a good wife, mother, and queen were replaced by his favorite books: history, strategy, and battle theory. He realized how different Starburst was compared to most girls.

"I... like your room," he said.

"Thank you... I guess you have one too?" she asked.

"Maybe, are you talking about what I'm thinking about?" he asked.

She nodded. Starburst pulled her dress back to her ankle, while Leon did the same with his maroon trouser . Strapped to their shins were a ceremonial dagger that every royal and affluent person carried for personal protection. Each one was custom made, so it was a good way to tell what kind of person the other was. 

They unsheathed their daggers and quietly traded their blades. They realized theirs was nearly identical, save the style: both told the story of a mythical royal warrior, a hero to his people and the example of what it was to perfectly balance one's bloodlust for warfare and the wisdom and humility of ruling a people. It was when they realize the person sitting next to each other was not so different.

"So, you wanna see something cool?" Sunburst asked.

"S-sure."

They both got off the bed and left the room. they  quietly made their way to the kitchen, dodging the night guard, and eventually ended up going across the guarded courtyard and down a cellar door. It was dark and had a burning smell. Starburst flipped the levered switch and it lit up the room: the armory . At the end of the room was the doorway to the blacksmith, so the room they were in stored all the weapons that the castle had on stock.

"Wow," Leon finally said.

"It's one of my favorite places here. My father says I'm not ready, but I feel like I am. 

"I know how you feel, I can't wait until I learn how to train with real weapons," Leon admitted.

"What do you do until then?" Starburst asked.

"Fake sparring sessions with wooden swords." He said

"I guess wooden sparring is more common than I thought," Starburst replied

The two teens looked at each other, to a rack in the corner that had all kinds of wooden swords used for practice, and then to each other.

"Princess."

"Leon." 

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yes, and I guess I can teach you griffons how to fight like a proper warrior," Starburst teased 
> Unrequited pt 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

They each grabbed a wooden sword and readied themselves. They were fantasizing they were on the field of battle. The clashing of steel, the smell of gunpowder, the screams of the dying was heard in the distance. 

Leon charged in the tight space of the armory, every swing was met with her block, the sound of the tapping of wood resonated in the room. Leon's attacks were always in a pattern. First, he went for a slash across the belly, then he would raise his sword and try to slash in a slant. He would then turn and try to go for a diagonal slash on the other side, but each blow was being blocked by Star's wooden sword. 

Every time he would finish the three swing combination, she would go in herself on the attack. Unpredictable, quick, and not afraid to get close. They both swing at the same time,blocking each other’s hit, and got closer to their opponent.

"Whats with the attack, Leo? You are basically telling me your attack plan," Starburst grinned

"And your barbaric fighting is any better? Next thing I know you're going to tell me you eat without a fork!"

They backed off, circling one another like a pair of wolves, sizing each other up and waiting for a chance to strike. It became too much for the impatient Starburst, who chose to go on the attack striking at Leon with wild and unpredictable attacks. In the midst of her attack, Leon got in close and slapped her down with a hit to the cheek from his bare hand. Star stayed on the ground, her hand holding where she was smacked. A sense of guilt and fear washed over Leon, who realized he may have taken it too far. 

"Star? You okay?" he said as he slowly walked closer to her, and dropped his sword. Her back was to him, and he started to hear her quietly sob.

"I-I'm sorry, hey.." he said as he knelt in front of her back. 

Without warning, Star swung her sword backward, narrowly hitting Leon. She was already around and on her feet, swinging at the defenseless leon while kicking his sword away and under a rack of real metal swords in the process. 

"Never fall for the possum in battle!" Star laughed as she continued her attack.

Every swing would hit air or metal from the racks. Leon grabbed a decorative wooden shield from the wall and used it to block her attacks, trying to stay alive as long as possible until he got his opportunity. It didn't help that he was losing his energy just holding that thing up. 

Soon, he was backed into a corner, holding the heavy shield up as Star used every bit of her strength to keep hacking. Every time she did, it was met with the knocking sound of the sword hitting the shield. 

Star's last attempt at winning was grabbing the shield from the top and trying to pry it out of Leon's hand, throwing her sword aside to get both hands on it. The tug of war lasted only a few seconds, after which both combatants collapsed on the floor. Both were sweaty, unkempt, and breathing heavily.

They couldn't get up or move, the battle was over.

Throughout the fight, they were so caught up that they didn't know that in front of the armory, they had a small audience composed of Starburst's friends

"So she meets a boy, and she ends up sparring with him on the first meet," Bolt sighed.

"Is that like, sex for sadists?" Anthea asked. 

"Star is a sparring slut, what can you do." Crystal chuckled. 


***


"Wow, what were we thinking with that sword fight?!"  Star chuckled

"It was fun beating you," Leon said.

"Bull fucking shit! I had you fair and square!" 

"Whatever!"

The watch tower had become their personal meeting place, the lantern, and the moon their only source of light. They were laying down, watching the stars.

"I get it you like me, it's just... it’s just I’m preoccupied with things. I have a job to do and my parents to find," Starburst said

"I know. You know us griffons."

"Yea. Tell you what, Leon. After this is all over, we should finish our fight," 

Leon chuckled. "I usually don't give rematches to people who have lost to me, but for you, I'll make an exception."

"Wow, that's so nice of you," Star remarked, rolling her eyes.

They would spend the rest of the night sharing stories and catching up. Through that, they realized, like back in that bedroom that many years ago, they were not so different from each other. 
> The Drones
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Even with the lack of on demand heated water and no running water, Anthea still made it a point to bathe daily. She might have gotten into this journey knowing the hardship, but she was going to do it on her terms, even if it got in the way. There was a river nearby the camp so she had her water source. all she needed was someone to help her. Turquoise couldn't do it because for obvious reasons, even more so with Bolt. Even with how much of a gentleman Golden Delicious is, asking him was out of the question. Claire was asleep and was never a good idea to wake her. Same with Cotton Candy. 

Luckily, another girl at the camp was on her way, and they walked together. Sharing stories, gossiping, enjoying their new found friendship. The arrived at a sandy embankment at the river, and once her friend looked to see if the coast was clear, they started to undress.

"So, how about that cute boy, the one in your group, tall, handsome, green hair."

"Turquoise? He is hot... and he his mine, don't forget it," 

"For now."

"What?"

The fair skinned woman disappeared in a green light. Although Anthea couldn't see it fully, the blurry shapes that were the girl were no longer pale with brown hair. it was black and green. She had seen that shape before and knew she was in for a world of hurt.


***


The bells from the makeshift watchtower were loud and booming in the midmorning. For the farmers and peasants, it made them panic., for that meant they were under attack. the nobles, it was their wake-up call and a reminder of what happened when you drank too much. For Prince Leon, it was a cup of coffee, jolting him awake and alert, to lead his people into battle and to come out victorious as always. 

He saw that Turquoise was awake, and run around calling out someone's name. In the panic that was unfolding, Leon didn't pay attention. He had people to wake. 

The first tent he passed by was Illusion's and Clare's. They were both in their underwear, cuddled up and not moving, even if the bell and Leon were pounding in their ear

"What is the griffin rambling about?" Clare asked. 

"We're under attack," Illusion answered.

"Does this mean we have to get up?" she asked.

"Yep," 

"Fuck," Clare  moaned.

With the exception of Crystal Clarity, Prince Illusion, and Princess Starburst, everyone else shared a larger tent.  

So, when they were awoken, the boys were up and ready. Candy was not a fighter, so she didn't really have to get up, instead stay under the sheets, peeking at Golden and Bolt change to their uniforms with a sort of smile that showed that she knew she hit the jackpot. 

It was no secret that Starburst slept in the nude, so when Leon had her as his last stop. He knew what to do.

"Star! Star! Get up!" he shouted. Trying his hardest to not go inside. 

"Let me sleep! And tell the bellman to knock it off!" 

"We are under attack!" Leon shouted. He went silent, waiting for any sign of life in the tent. It took less than ten seconds, but Princess Starburst walked out of her tent, all dressed property and ready for battle. 

"Oh, and don't bother asking about how I got my guns loaded that quickly." she smugly said as she slung her musket.

"She truly is my dream girl," Leon said as he followed her.

They all met in front of the wooden palisades, while the rest of the guard were helping the commoners into the wooden walls. As for the children of harmony, all were accounted for, except one.

"Where is she?!" Turquoise panicked. It seemed that he was the only one that was worried for her, seeing how everyone else knew she can handle herself. 

"Calm down! where did you last see her?" Clare commanded.

She went to the river an hour ago with another girl... blue dress goes by the name of Marie Pierre."

Leon's paleness said it all. "I remember young Pierre... she was the personal maid to my little sister, but she died in the attack on the capital.... the same one where my family mostly were killed.... There's only one way she could be alive."

"You mean!?" A distraught Turquoise asked.

Leon nodded. "The woman Anthea left with was a changing."

it was then the sky became covered in Changlings. The black and green humanoids blotted out the sun, and chaos ensued inside the camp. There were three of the Changelings that dropped down, thinner than the rest of them. Two black and green ones, and a white Changeling. Next to them was another, unconscious and trapped in a green bubble. 

"You son of a bitch!" Turquoise shouted as he fired his flintlock at the Changelings, only for them to cast a barrier and stop it. 

"Ya, not gonna work," The white Changeling smirked. He turned his attention to Leon

"Hello Leon, have you decided to surrender yet? I hate to torture your people even further back in Griffinshire. 

"You can go to hell!" Leon spat back.

"Why are you even doing this?!" Clare asked.

"I hold claim to the Crystal Empire, and in order to enforce my claim, I will need a staging ground. The Griffin Empire is a great place," The white Changeling announced.

"Anyway, we are going to use this girl, obviously someone who means to you and get what I want. If you don't unconditionally surrender by this time tomorrow, I'm going to kill her and devour her heart." The Changeling smiled before flying away. 

Turquoise was sitting against a barrel, his hands over his head in anger. His friends were around him, trying to comfort him

Leon looked at that scene and turned to one of his generals. "Top twenty men of each battalion, our entire scouting legion. Our finest horses and our best canon crew!" 

"Leon, what are you doing?" Starburst asked

"Getting a rescue together. I will need her if I am to win this war."

"How so?" 

"The master plan," he said with a wink. "All I need is to find out where they are keeping her."

"Illusion stepped forward. "I know a spell."

"Good! Once you find out we can leave within the hour!" 

Illusion closed his eyes and began to concentrate. A blue aurora surrounded him as he continued. As soon as it started, it stopped. He opened his eyes and smiled. "

"How far is Fort Saint-Malo from here?"

"Not that far, why?" Leon asked.
> The Raid
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

By the time the sun was beginning its descent into night, they had arrived at Fort Saint-Malo, getting ready for the rescue mission. The scouts were already on the tree line, writing what they see and relaying it back to the command, who was stationed behind a hill so that the Changelings wouldn't know they were about to be attacked. The cannoniers were slowly moving their heavy cannons in position, moving little at a time and covered in branches, leaves, and twigs. 

As for everyone else. they were given the plan by Leon.

"At about sundown, the heirs to Chrysalis's throne and their top personnel will fly to the capital, leaving Anthea in the guard of the foot soldiers. I assume they want her in the area as a negotiation chip. So, the plan is simple: while we wait here, Princess Starburst, Prince Illusion, and Crystal Clarity will enter the castle using the old sewer drain that goes into the lake. Once inside they will locate Anthea, and rescue her. Before they disappeared into the sewer system again, they will fire a green flare. The second that flare hits the ground, all cannoneers, all shooters will open fire and leave the Changelings into a green pulp with a bombed-out castle. May our ancestors protect us."

With that call for protection, everyone took off to where they needed to be. The many soldiers slowly crept through the forest, headed to their positions, which at the end of their attempt to reach the tree line, they positioned themselves, with the plan to use their muskets to stop any Changelings from escaping. They were given one escape route since their attack spray would be a semi-circle, however. it would have taken them through a snowy mountain pass where if the cold didn't get them, the many large, nocturnal birds of prey would. 


***


"Oh man, this smells like shit?" Claire complained when they entered the sewer tunnel. 

"It is where the shit went when it was used. Good thing its dried now," Illusion said. 

"Let's get this over with," Starburst sighed as the three lifted their palms, their hands illuminated like a floodlamp to light the way. Through the old stone tunnel they went, their presence forced the rats and mice, and roaches that called their tunnel home to scurry further into the tunnel in fear. 


***


While the three were in the castle, the rest were preparing for the attack. The cannoneers were loading the first shots quietly, careful not to discharge prematurely and force the three to get Anthea out under a barrage of cannon fire. 

"This will be a quick attack, but more of a destructing of a good amount of the Changeling forces. Right now, they are sluggish due to the lack of sunlight. So, we can take them out with little to no casualties." Leon said, trying to reassure a worried Turquoise.

"And why I couldn't go in there and rescue her?" he asked.

"As I told you before: you're too muscular to get through the castle's many nook and crannies. Trust in the plan." 

"Yea, trust the man!" Golden Delicious said, carrying a musket in his hand, and shoving it in Turquoise's hands. "Cmon lets go!" 

"Good luck!" Cotton cried out as the two men started their climb in the foliage towards the tree line and to the action. 

The three in the castle were relieved to not be in the sewer, but they couldn't express it. there was no telling how many changelings were in the castle, and they were not in the mood to find out. They entered through a large floor drain at what they assumed was the old showers. each one leaped and climbed to the showers and pulled out their knives. They slowly made their way from room to room, hiding in the shadows or electing to take out any changelings by itself. 

The whole time they went from room to room, slowly trying to reach one of the towers, where the dungeon was. It took them nearly an hour, but they arrived. Starburst opened the door to a sliver and peeked inside. 

"Five of them. They seem to be resting," Star said.

"So take out the guards and get her?" Claire asked.

"You know I can be invisible, right?" Illusion asked.

"Well, then get her out!" Star commanded.

The two girls hid in the shadows of the hallway as illusion disappeared and went inside the room. The stone walls were dark and sooty, the air was musty, and the many chairs and tables were black and rotted. The changelings were asleep, the lack of sun driving them to rest. 

Illusion worked slowly, creeping to the front of the cage where Anthea was asleep as well.  Illusion shrugged and pulled out his blade. It lit up the room waking the guarding changelings. before each can react, Illusion started swinging. The first one beside the door got stabbed in the throat, instantly the gooey insides were steaming against the hot, golden blade. The next two changelings guarding the gate to Anthea's cage were slashed, the sizzling sound intensified. The other two were already up and charging at the blade, which was the object lighting up the otherwise dark room.

With one swing, both creatures were decapitated at the waist. 

Illusion reappeared with a smile as he sheathed his sword, dimming the room once more.

"What happened to sneak her out of here?" Star questioned.

"Too boring." he laughed as he unlocked the cage. He picked up Anthea, and Claire walked over to check her.

"She is okay, just sleeping," she said.

"Don't know how she can sleep heavy these days, we all were sleeping with our eyes open in the wilderness," Star commented as she pulled out her flare gun. "How will we get out before the flare drops?"

"I dunno, teleport?!" Clare hollered. "I have enough strength to take us back to the sewer, but we have to move once we get there."

"Star, if you would?" Illusion asked.

Star walked over to Anthea's cell to the small silt that was large enough to let her tiny arm through. She aimed to the sky and fired the green flare, lighting up the sky. she raced over to Clare, everyone held hands and dissipated in a violet cloud of magic.


***


"Here we go!" Leon shouted as the flare streaked across the castle sky. The cannoneers raised their string, while everyone else raised their muskets, aiming at the changeling that they spotted and wanted to take out. The changelings watched the flare fly above them and landing softly in front of the citadel.

The quiet sky erupted in a volley of cannon and musket fire at the fort. The old stone walls were no match for the cannonballs, and crumbled before the iron artillery, knocking down whole sections of the walls and towers. The musketeers took out the Changeling at the walls and quickly reloaded to pick off any changelings trying to fly to safety.


***


The three in the sewer started running as soon as they reappeared, not knowing what would happen to the tunnel the second the cannons started flying. Sure enough, they heard the booms from the cannons, and the sound of the stone castle above them explode. As they reached the entrance, they heard the sound of the sewer collapsing behind them, as the weight of the castle crashing down on the ground became too much for the archaic tunnel. When the jumped out of the entrance and into the ground, they were greeted by three horses that were left there. Behind them, the smoldering ruins of the castle, the musket, and cannon fire stopping. 

They rode the horses all the way back to the main camp, only to see it being torn down by the citizens in a frantic pace.

"Looks like you all made it in one piece! good!" Leon cheered. The rest of the main force still back at the fort packing up.

"What's going on, Leon?" Claire asked.

"well, since the changelings know where we are, we have to move and make camp somewhere else. It's going to be a long couple of days ahead of us!" 
> Battle of the Pass
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The entire camp was already on the move when everyone who participated in the rescue caught up with them. The women and children were on the wagons as the men were either walking or on horseback. Turquoise was in front of the pack, calling out for his beloved Anthea, who was slowly waking up. 

"You're okay! You're okay!" He shouted as he got off his horse and jumped on the wagon that was carrying her. He embraced her, but she was limp in exhaustion.

"I'm glad you're still okay," she murmured. 

The happy reunion ended with Turquoise allowing Anthea to sleep in the wagon as he rode his horse right next to it, protecting the love of his life, while the march continued. Only the front soldiers had the lanterns on to see where they were going, and the camp followed far enough to get away if they were attacked. The people on or around the wagons took turns to guard or to sleep. 

They had entered a valley as the first light was beginning to turn the sky a lightning blue, following an old, paved road that was not maintained for years, well before the invasion. 

Star, weary and tired herself, raced up to the front of the pack, where Leon was still awake, not letting the lack of sleep douse his determination

"Where the hell are we headed, anyway?" She asked.

"There's a fort a few miles out, I will need to get there for the next step to win this war." 

"What next step."

Leon looked to Star and had a wry smile. He looked forward and continued. 

"You know, Star: I do need a queen when I regain my land from the changelings. How would you like to be my queen-" 

He turned to look at Star, expecting her to be there flustered, and waiting for him to stop talking to say yes and to meet in a lovely kiss. Instead, she was not there. She started heading back the second he mentioned the word queen. 

"Oh well, she will say yes eventually" he sighed.

Star went back to her group of friends, who were as tired as her and anticipating the chance to sleep, even it was for a few minutes. They did perk up and when Star came to ride alongside them, not saying a word and a tinge of reddening on her cheeks

"So, what happened?"  Claire asked, "Did he ask you to be his queen or something?" 

Star's tinge became a full bright red, and rode forward in the space between the wagon and the front line of cavalrymen, causing a fit of laughter in her group of friends. 

An hour later, a frantic scout ran from up the road to Leon, in front of the rest of the scouting regiment. 

The rest of the cavalrymen stopped, and Leon pulled his horse to turn around and race back to the foot soldiers and the wagons

"Awaken, men of the Griffon Clan! An hour of victory is at hand!" he shouted. The regiment commanders rant to his king for orders, which the king gave and set the leaders loose to get their troops ready

"Whats going on, Leon!?" Star asked.

Leon had a smile to him as he rode alongside star "Scouts saw another cluster of changelings on patrol racing down the valley, we have around 10 minutes to set up an ambush," he said. 

"Anything we can do to help?!" 

"Of course, I have a calvary charge planned if you ant to join."

In the end, only Illusion and Star decided to join in the charge, while golden delicious took up his rifle with the dragoons planning the mop up duty. 

Of course, Illusion and Claire had a goodbye talk and kiss as he left. As star looked around, they were not the only one. Soldiers took off to the wagons to say goodbye to their loved ones. She closed her eyes, and began to think really hard, as if she was trying to send a message to her parents and her brother, even if there as no way she can do it, but tried anyway.

"Don't worry, ill be safe," 

The banner wavers were out and the drummers pounded the walls of the valley with sound. The line infantry was on the road to take on the changelings head on, while the Cavaliers hid in the trees for the trap. By the time that the final preparations were done, the cluster started charging down the road in the distance. 

"My follow Griffons, it's time to defend yourselves!" Leon Shouted right behind the line of the musketeers. 

By the time the changelings realized what was going on, it was too late. The musket fire went off and did not stop due to the formation of the lines: the front line soldiers fired and ran back, leaving the second line to run back, repeating the process with a never ending wall of fire every few seconds. 

The changelings were picked off like flies, each snap of the exoskeleton was an instant death or a slow and painful one. 

By the time the changelings were in full retreat, the dragons and the cavalry appeared out of the forest to give chase. Princess Starburst leads the charge, wildly swinging her sword down and cutting up any retreating changeling. There was one changeling left, who took off flying in the last act of desperation. The only one who gave chase was Golden Delicious, 
He aimed his musket as he rode, trying to concentrate on the shot. When he did finally fire off the only shot, the snapping on the exoskeleton was heard, and the changeling dropped from the sky. 

There was not cheer, no celebration. Everyone slumped back from exhaustion to their positions to continue the march. Even Leon was not cheerful because they still had a long way to go to find a place to finally sleep.