Equestria’s Changeling Princesses and the Kinsbane

by vren55


Chapter 13: Target Acquired

The tension in the hive could be cut by a knife, or popped like a needle piercing a balloon. Chamelia’s hive was large and powerful, but the knowledge that amongst the changelings was a queen who had killed some of their number and was trying to kill more of them had them all understandably scared.

What none of them knew was that it was actually worse with Chamelia’s forces.

Ever since the first small battle, Ragnar’s hive had been fleeing, and Chamelia’s had been pursuing, but it also led to a series of small skirmishes between scouting parties from both forces.

Ragnar’s scouts would lay in the tree cover and jump out when Chamelia’s changelings passed. Or her scouts would hide in the underbrush and then surprise their trackers.

The Evergreen hive’s scouts were therefore extremely cautious, but that had paid dividends with bodies of enemy changelings dying on the spears and axes of her companies.

Yet, that caution had a risk.

“You mean we have lost Ragnar?” Sarar asked over the crystal.

“We have been trying to locate her forces over the past few days, but while we have tracks of their forces, they are heading in multiple directions and may be decoys,” said Chamelia. “I am certain we will find them, but with my tracking spell having worn off, it is a setback. Has there been any progress finding the infiltrator?”

“She hasn’t made a move recently. Then again, we have been on high alert with identity checks and patrols,” said Thera.

“And how is Mirage?” Chamelia asked.

“Staying with the children for the moment. She said she feels better, but would prefer to take a more passive role,” Kyria said.

“Alright, I think we need to continue with this defensive stance and provoke her to action by destroying the enemy force,” Chamelia said. “They are in retreat. I should be able to overpower them in a fortnight.”

“You are right. For us, we will continue to guard the nursery. I don’t doubt there will be casualties, but In the meantime, we can limit the queen’s actions,” Thera said.

“But would the two queens let us do this so easily?” Sarar asked, frowning. 

“They will not, but the situation is against them in the long run,” pointed out Chamelia.

Kyria didn’t say anything. She privately believed Sarar was right, but she wasn’t sure what the enemy queens could possibly do.


Seven-year old Chrysalis practicing with a spear was the most adorable thing Mirage had ever seen. Well, right now it just a staff, but the older princess was slowly helping the changeling through the steps of one of the first patterns.

She could hear the irony ringing through her mind, but she didn’t think she would be affecting the timeline too much. After all, the little queen already liked the spear.

The fact that Alternia was thumping with her hooves as her sister finished the pattern simultaneously brought a grin to Mirage’s face, and a wince. 

“That was amaaaazing Chryssy!”

Chrysalis tried to stand as tall as she can with the staff butt on the ground. “Thank you!” She levitated the staff over to Alternia. “Do you want to try?”

“I think Alternia’s a bit too young to start yet, Chrysalis. When her magic gets stronger, she can do it with you,” said Mirage, kindly. She passed Chrysalis a flask of water. “Perhaps a halberd pattern.”

“Halberd?” asked Alternia.

Mirage blinked, swallowed, hard, and chuckled weakly. “Or spear like your sister-”

“But I want a different one! What’s a halberd?” Alternia asked.

The princess, now really sweating, glanced at a guard who proffered his halberd.

Timeline shenanigans. TIMELINE SHENANIGANS. Was mom’s favorite weapon’s choice influenced by me????

Mirage took a deep breath. But… but  a beginner pattern should be fine! I mean, this isn’t going to be completely paradoxical… is it? And so the princess went through the pattern, slowly, swinging the weapon in cuts, slashes, and stabs that one could use the weapon for. 

When she finished, both Chrysalis thumped her hooves on the ground appreciatively, whilst Alternia looked almost beside herself.

“Can I? Can I?”

“In a few years, when you grow up, Alternia,” said Mirage. Slightly sweaty herself, she grabbed a flask and sipped it. “I need to go now, be good and get ready for lunch.”

The pair groaned, but after a brief hug, Mirage managed to extricate herself from the nursery.

Which was when she promptly ran into Kyria. Not literally, but they did nearly bump noses as they rounded the corner.

“Mirage!”

“Sister!”

Concentrating, Mirage focused on the link they had. You in front of me right now?

Yes. Kyria sent, along with quite a bit of worried emotions.

“Kyria? I can feel you’re worried. Is there something you’d like to talk about?”

The younger queen looked uncertain. “It’s related to the defense of the hive. I’m not sure if you want to hear it, especially since you should be trying to relax.”

“Oh, but…” Mirage groaned and settled herself with a resigned smile. “Oh alright. But if there is anything I can help you with, please, don’t hesitate.”

Kyria nodded and suddenly looked rather thoughtful. “There is actually. I… I have a suspicion about something… well. What have you done when you disagreed with your superior officer about something?”

Mirage narrowed her eyes, but decided that for her stress levels, she should simply answer the question, and not enquire more. “I would ask them for a private meeting, where I could inquire as to the reasons for their decision, and then explain that I disagreed with them, and why.”

“But what if you disagreed because you had a hunch? And… you need their help because you can’t figure out the conclusion on your own?” Kyria asked.

The older princess nodded, slowly. “Then I would specify to them, what was making me so nervous and why it was making me so nervous, and how would it benefit our side to rectify that issue.”

From how Kyria immediately smiled, her eyes wide, Mirage knew she’d said the right thing. 

“Thanks Mirage! I’ll explain later. I need to go. Sorry!” she exclaimed, and she was off, buzzing down the corridor.

“You’re welcome!” Mirage called back.


“Kyria? Is there something wrong,” Chamelia asked. Kyria was filled with urgency, which to Chamelia, felt like a tangy, fluttering, wave through the link.

“Grandmother, I’m sorry I had to ask to talk to you, but I have an urgent concern regarding the enemy’s intentions and the situation at hand,” stammered the young queen.

“Go on, and slow down, Kyria.”

 “You said that we would win the conflict in the end because the enemy queens have lower numbers than us, right?”

“Indeed.” Where are you going with this, Kyria? Wondered Chamelia privately.

“If we know this, then the enemy queens have to know this as well, and they will be formulating some plan to balance the scales. Should we not be more concerned that we’ve now lost contact with their forces?” Kyria asked.

“I am concerned, Kyria, which is why I am trying to find them,” said Chamelia patiently, but with the barest hint of exasperation pulsing down the link.

“But…” Kyria took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Remember what Mirage said, focus on what specifically is bothering you. “The thing is, Grandmother, I’m unsure as to why one of the queens is luring your forces away from the hive, when their goal is to kill your children, my aunts and my mother.”

“They’re doing this to reduce the number of forces that could track the enemy infiltrator,” Chamelia said.

“But you said it yourself, if we stay alert, we would win in the long term. They have to know that.” The princess’s mind hurt, as it thrummed through the scenarios, the possible reasons. “The only reason that their first attack on the nursery failed was because they didn’t expect Mirage and I to be there.”

Chamelia could feel the growing alarm in Kyria, and… she felt increasingly worried as well, but she wasn’t sure why. “That is true…”

“Which means that these two queens tend to create plans that are designed to maximize the probability of killing the young queens.” The young queen put her hoof on her chest, forcing down the panic. “Now, luring some of your soldiers away and leaving an infiltrator behind to attempt an assassionation could have worked, but they have lost the element of surprise by this point. Since they prefer plans with the highest probability of success, they will switch to a different plan. Something else, something new, with a higher chance of success.”

“Alright, I follow your reasoning, but do you know what will they do next?”

Back at the hive, Kyria threw up her hooves. “I don’t know! I… I’m not a military strategist. I just… I just try to read creatures. I mean… Huh.” The young queen blinked. “Grandmother, let’s say… imagine you were in the enemy queens position. What would you do to try to accomplish your goal?”

Chamelia frowned. “I would back off. At this point, it is too risky. I would lose far too many changelings if I engaged them in any way. Yes, I have a queen on the inside, but their movements are heavily restricted.”

“Okay, let’s say… you didn’t care about how many changelings died. You just want to kill the children, at any cost, to hurt Chamelia, Queen of the Everfree hive. What would you do? You’re being tracked by a superior force, your infiltrator is finding less and less openings to exploit in an increasingly alert hive. What would you do to try to… well not say even the odds, but just increase your chances?”

The younger changeling was speaking through the link so quickly now that Chamelia had to shut her eyes to process it all.

Do or die. Everything for the mission. The mission. I need to finish the mission. Well first, I’d lose the superior enemy force. They’re pinning me down. But what would I do next—

The solution hit Chamelia like a charging bugbear. 

Kyria could feel the cold horror pouring through the mental link like the tsunami that had hit Venecia all those years ago. It actually threw her out of the mental link. She was about to refocus on her crystal to reestablish it, but Chamelia’s mental message hit her first.

Kyria! Thera! Sarar! Mirage! Ragnar’s attempting a strike at my hive! She lost my forces so she could launch a direct attack on the hive! Get every changeling to battlestations and protect my children! They will be there in less than three days!