“A thought occurred to me,” Moth grinned, and in a flash of changeling fire, her unicorn-Twilight form suddenly sported a pair of pale-green, gossamer wings, “The game will be much more effective if the ponies know who we are.”
“Moth!” Pinkie 13 bounced in front of the older changeling and leveled her fiercest glare. “No breaking character!”
“I’m not breaking character, Thirteen.” Moth smiled at the youngest of her wards. “I’m just… personalizing my character. You should all do the same. If we’re going to claim this territory right out from under Princess Fast Change, we’d do well to let the ponies know which hive is in charge. When this is over, they will know that while Fast Change hid safely in her hive, it was the Shadow Hive that came forward to fight the invaders.”
“You make a good point darling.” Sweet Shift smiled warmly as she flashed from Rarity to Nightmare Rarity. “A rather fabulous nightmare wouldn’t you say?”
“I got one!” Split Shifts Rainbow Dash disguise was suddenly starkly contrasting black and white. “Because everything is 20% edgier in black and white!”
“Is this alright?” Everypony turned to the changeling who had previously been disguised as Applejack, and still was… sort of.
“Tazzlejack? That’s pretty good Early Shift!” Split Shift grinned.
“Ah’m a big fan of the Unspoken Prince.” The orange pseudo-pony blushed and turned her head to one side.
“Don’t forget me... please… if you don’t mind that is…” Flutterbat hid her face behind her pink mane.
“Oh, you know you’ve been wanting to do that all night, Evening Shift.” Pinkie 13 teased her sister. “Well, I guess it’s my turn then!”
Thirteen struck a dramatic pose, but instead of changeling flame, her main and tail just seemed to deflate and hang painfully straight as the brightness of her coat became ever so slightly dimmer. Her eyes seemed to lose focus and the young changeling whipped out a knife out of nowhere, held in a manic grin. “Wanna make some cupcakes?”
“Well, the good news is I don’t need to use the little filly’s room anymore.” Split Shift stared at her little sister in semi-awe.
-=-=-=-=-
“Hey! Will you look at that! And here I thought all the little bug ponies were hiding in their hive with their bug princess!” The unicorn guard sneered. “Haven’t you bugs heard the news? Nopony loves you anymore! In fact all the little ponies in Canterlot HATE changelings.”
“Now you see here! A small umbrum pony flittered into the guard’s face. “Princess Fast Change has done more for Decanter than any of you lot on the hill!”
“Bug lover, eh?” The unicorn brought the butt of his spear across the umbrums head with a decisive crack. “That’s what we think of bug-lovers in Canterlot!”
“Did you see that?” The whispers began. “That guard just assaulted Miss Shadefire!” Ponies began to hurry finding their way off the streets, as the guards merely grinned at the accusations. “She’s just a school teacher! Celestia would never allow this!”
“Clear the streets, peasants!” The guard captain bellowed then turned to the assembled changelings. “You should have hid out with your little princess traitors. Do you really think five little love starved drones can make any difference?”
“Six.” A voice seemed to echo in the air around the guard and even into his very soul.
“What the…” The guards all turned around in confusion trying to locate the source of the sound.
Suddenly a blade burst forth from the guard captains head, and Pinky Thirteen appeared out of nowhere in her Pinkamena suit, leap frogging gleefully over the already collapsing changeling soldier. “STABBY STABBY!”
Ponies screamed in horror as the “guards” dropped all pretense, as well as their disguises and scattered.
“Thirteen!” Moth scolded the murderess. “What did I tell you about killing drones?”
“He wasn’t a drone! He was a leader-caste! And you saw what he did to that poor little umbrum!” Miss Shadefire was grasped gently in 13’s magic and nudged into consciousness. “Are you alright, miss?”
“Oh my!” The little grey changeling stood on unsteady legs. “W-what happened?”
“That mean old stinky changeling from Queen Stupid Face attacked you!” Thirteen supplied helpfully. “And Princess Diane sent us to drive them out of our territory.”
“P-princess Diane?” Shadefire questioned. “You mean Train Wreck’s daughter?”
“Yeah, she’s my big sister, and we’re totally taking over Decanter!” Thirteen explained happily. “So I guess all you ponies belong to the Shadow Hive now! We promise to be super-fun overlords, so don’t worry… well actually do worry. We feed off fear. And by law you have to feed us! And umbrum! Because I like umbrum! So don’t worry, but be very afraid!”
“S-she killed that changeling!” A pony stammered. “She just killed him without a second thought!”
“The Unspoken’s heir is usurping Princess Fast Change?” Ponies began to step outside.
“Chrysalis has invaded?” More and more ponies began to murmur in panicked tones.
“C-can I come with you?” The little umbrum asked uncertainly.
“You aren’t exactly a changeling.” Split Shift raised an eyebrow.
“Neither was Sketch, but Diane let her in and she’s super cool!” Thirteen bounced with unrestrained glee. “Besides, we have more in common with umbrum than we do with most changelings! Can we keep her, Auntie Moth? She can be super helpful! She can be our hives scare master! And she’s a school teacher! It will be that thing you grown-ups like so much… educational?”
“Miss Shadefire!” A harried unicorn mare approached timidly. “You can’t go with these ruffians! The pink one just killed somepony!”
“Oh pull your head out of your privileged flank! You just saw the same thing we all did!” Shadefire fluttered above the assembled ponies and raised her voice, shouting over the confused din. “The royal guards are Chrysalis soldiers! We aren’t being infiltrated, we have been infiltrated! How long has it been since the sun moved? This isn’t an invasion. We. Have. Been. Conquered! Canterlot has fallen! Our leaders in the Castle have likely been replaced. Our Princess of Changelings hides in her hive. We were broken and divided by the Nopony, the shadow that hung too long over Decanter. He delivered us to evil! He banished even our own Prince, the Undestructable Train Wreck! He led the forces of Queen Chrysalis to our very doorstep! And in the end it took the courage of a filly to end his evil. One of my own students, I’m proud to say! You speak in shock of death? This is war! Do we hide behind Changeling fillies while we debate if they go too far to defend us? I stand with Princess Diane Pastel and her Shadow Hive!”
Uncertain murmurs passed through the crowd until a young Minotaur stepped forward. “I’m in!”
“Rock Steady!” Shadefire scolded the young bull. “I told you to stay inside!”