The invasion of Canterlot has failed and the changelings have been cast out of the city. Captain Shining Armor and Princess Cadance were married just afterwards and all has been well for two long years.

But the changelings were not intending on giving up. The second invasion is on it's way. An event which will drastically alter the life of one changeling in particular. This is his story.

(By the way this is my first Fanfic ever so please give it a read and remember that both criticism and compliments are appreciated!)

Faux Pas: War Engineer of Chrysalis' Hive, a personal advisor to the Queen and one of the select few allowed to think freely.

Military genius, master strategist in both offense and defense, mastermind of the Canterlot raid.

Of course he got captured.

For his actions during the raid on Equestria's capital, he is put on trial and judged by a court out for his blood. The odds are stacked against him, and there is hardly any doubt that his days are numbered.

But changelings are nothing, if not masters of deception. Faux's got his own plans for the trial.

Now has a sequel

A/N: My submission for the fourth Author's Prompt, which is about, you guessed it: being on trial. It's a little darker than my usual fare, and I'm not too sure about the ending. Feedback is appreciated, as the story hasn't been officially submitted to the prompt yet.

19/12 Edit: Woop! Judges loved it, offered suggestions. It has been rewritten with their suggestions in mind.
Some changes:
-actual trial is more two-sided. Both parties have a fair point.
-fight that breaks out during the trial is longer.
-Celestia is made more believable in general (I hope, it's really hard in this sort of story).

One foggy morning in Ponyville, the residents wake up to find their deepest darkest secrets sloppily written in red paint on their homes. No one knows who the culprit was, the only thing that the town knows is that it will not come off, no matter how hard you scrub. The town is baffled, humiliated, and in shambles. But no more than Twilight and her friends.

In a time where everything you fought to keep hidden is out into the open, will you embrace your faults or sins, or will you let them consume just who you really are?

Time to fess up, Ponyville.

Thanks to ThePristineEye for the coverart!

Also thanks to Kleora for editing!

Oh, and Skeeter The Lurker for proofreading.

Novel Tale is an author that's been living in Canterlot for about ten years now. That's a pretty good track record for a changeling. He's even included a changeling character in his latest book, and his fans have been loving his take on such an obscure mythological creature, especially his biggest fan, Twilight Sparkle. Things are looking up!

Then an army of changelings from another hive attacks Canterlot.

Now all of ponykind knows that changelings are real, and his readers are sure to realize that the changeling in his book was too similar to the real thing to have just been based on a myth...

earlier chapters have been revised as of 7/19/13 to be more inline quality wise with the later chapters.

Featured on EQD 10/5/13!

Let it be known that there will be extensive changeling world building in the chapters to come.

cover image courtesy of ackdari.

Much thanks to Nyerguds for proofreading and to all my fellow tropers on the TvTropes pony fanfiction thread for helping me develop this from a vague idea into an actual story.

The Wedding Gambit has succeeded. Canterlot has fallen, the princesses are captured, the Elements defeated. Queen Chrysalis has everything.

But Equestria is more than one city, and Equestria isn't going down without a fight!

Pincer is a changeling, a proud soldier of Queen Chrysalis. After the failed invasion of Canterlot, he finds himself trapped and at the mercy of Princess Celestia's Royal Guard. Believing that Celestia sees his species as nothing but soulless monsters, he prepares himself for the worst. The weeks crawl by, marked by an endless series of questions he will not answer for fear of endangering his friends and family at The Hive. As his nerves wear down and his interrogators learn just how ruthless he thinks they are, they have nothing to report but his belief that they will kill and destroy his kind without mercy.

Celestia steps in to prove him wrong, and what Pincer learns leaves him questioning everything he has ever known — but also gives him hope for what he'd never thought possible.

Cover art commissioned from http://www.demonkings.com.

Now with a TVTropes page.

Humans.

Truth or myth? Ancient lost civilization or just an old pony's tale?

No pony has ever seen one, and most haven't even heard of them. But Lyra knows that these wonderful creatures are more than just old legends, and she's going to find out... and possibly drive her roommate insane in the process.

When your life is as dull a gray as the world that surrounds you, the mundanities can make it all seem meaningless. Sometimes all we need is a little color -- or six -- to reintroduce us to what truly makes life worth living.

*6-16-2017 Edit, added Rainbow Dash tag because it triggered knighty.*