//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Changeling II - War // by Yukito //------------------------------// When Gilda and her squad returned to the library later that night, Twilight Sparkle was almost half-tempted to turn them away and erect a barrier to keep the sharp-tongued, brutish soldiers away from her. But when Gilda presented the news of badly wounded Rainbow Dash at the Ponyville hospital, Twilight immediately set out to pay her friend a visit, telling Spike to alert the rest of their friends to Rainbow Dash’s situation. “What happened?” Twilight asked in a worried voice as she looked over the unconscious Rainbow Dash lying on the hospital bed, a white bandage wrapped around her abdomen with a red stain in the centre. “Was it the changelings who did this? But, the doctor said she had suffered from injuries dealt by a claw.” “Don’t even think it,” Gilda warned from her seated position on the other side of Rainbow’s bed. “One of the changelings had a metal claw as their weapon of choice.” Twilight gave Gilda a suspicious glare, but the griffin paid it no mind, instead huffing and looking down at the wounded Pegasus. “Bastard almost did me in. No way a n inexperienced fighter like Dash could’ve beat him.” ‘We’ve dangerously underestimated our enemy. I figured they’d be useless without their illusions…’ “Those changelings… they came for Aura and Trixie, didn’t they?” Twilight asked, receiving a nod from Gilda. “Why did you attack them? What could you have possibly gained from killing a showmare and a child?” “Ah agree.” The two turned to the door to find Applejack walking in, followed by the rest of Twilight’s friends; Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Spike walked in behind Applejack and approached the patient’s bed. “Even if she was a changeling, attackin’ a child is jus’-” “You knew, didn’t you?” Gilda asked Twilight, ignoring Applejack’s question beside her. “That the kid was a changeling in disguise. You knew, and yet you still accepted her.” “Is that true, Twilight?” Rarity asked. “Uh, yeah…” Twilight admitted, turning to her friends with a sad look on her face. It was late at night, and Twilight was eager to return to the library and get some much needed sleep after Pinkie Pie’s long welcome party for both Aura and Trixie. Since Trixie had visited Ponyville twice before and yet avoided a party each time, Pinkie Pie felt that she had to make up for it, and having two guests of honour seemed to mean that the party had to be twice as big as it would usually be. Twilight stopped as she realised something. “That’s right, I needed to ask Trixie if she could let me study her magic.” Twilight thought about it for a second, and decided that she wasn’t too far away from Trixie’s trailer that it wouldn’t be too much of a detour, and so, turning around, Twilight began her trek to pay Trixie a quick late-night visit. Illusionary magic was hard to come by, and even with her own large-scale grasp of multiple fields of magic, illusionary magic was still out of Twilight’s reach. It was the type of magic that you can either use, or you cannot, and Trixie was the type that could. Since she did not personally know anypony else who could use illusions, besides the basic level that Rarity could use, Twilight had had no chances to examine it in person before. She stopped at the entrance to Trixie’s trailer and was about to raise her hoof to knock on the door, when a voice inside caught her attention. “Trixie, I need some love.” Twilight’s eyes widened. She knew that voice. It was Aura’s. But, Aura was a filly. For her to say such a thing… ‘S-Surely Trixie isn’t-’ “Yes, yes, Trixie knows this. Just give her a second… Okay, Trixie is ready now.” Twilight waited for a second, before hearing a moan from inside. A pleasurable moan, which sounded like it had come from Aura. ‘No way… Trixie, how could you?’ “I’m done now, Trixie.” “No, not yet. Don’t just take the bare minimum. Trixie has lots of energy, so you can take a bit more.” Twilight couldn’t stand it anymore. She never thought that Trixie would be capable of such a thing, but then, she hardly knew the showmare, really. Regardless, there was no way that she would stand for something like this. Turning around and rearing her legs, Twilight steadied herself, and then bucked the door open. She turned around to confront Trixie. “What do you think you’re-” Twilight stopped as she beheld the scene before her, “-Doing…” Trixie and the small, black creature in front of her turned to Twilight in unison, staring at her with wide eyes and startled looks. There was a stream of green connecting their horns, which dissipated a second later, and now the three of them were staring in complete, awkward silence. “You’re harbouring a changeling?!” Twilight shouted in disbelief. “Are you crazy?!” “Of course not!” Trixie shouted back. “And be quiet! What if somepony hears you?” “Trixie, this is… I don’t… How could… ARGH!” “Trixie does not see what the problem is, Twilight Sparkle,” Trixie said, flicking her mane. “Aura is just a youngling who has no place else to go, so Trixie is offering her a home. Do you not feel sorry for the poor thing?” “But she’s a changeling! What if she’s a spy?!” “Then she’s a terrible one. She revealed herself to Trixie by accident very easily.” “And If that was just to win you over with some pity-tale?!” “Trixie trusts her,” Trixie said in a stern tone, sending Twilight a harsh glare. “And that is all that matters to me. Tell Trixie: since Aura has been in Ponyville, has anything bad happened?” “Beside that changeling impersonating Luna and playing us all for fools?” Trixie waved her hoof dismissively. “Not related. Aura was in Canterlot at the time.” “I’m telling you, Trixie, that changelings can’t be trusted! They’ve attacked Equestria many times in the past!” “Twilight Sparkle, a racist. Who would have thought?” Trixie took a deep breath, and then leaned closer to the frustrated Unicorn. “Twilight, listen, you have a dragon back at that library, right?” Twilight nodded. “Yes, but what does-” “Dragons have been known to burn down and raid villages, many times, in the past. Does that mean that Spike cannot be trusted?” Twilight gasped and gave Trixie a disgusted look. “How dare you?! Spike is not like other dragons! He-” “And need Trixie remind you of a certain incident that took place just a few days ago? Involving a certain King Sombra, who was a… what was he now? Oh, yes. A Unicorn. Does that now mean that all Unicorns are untrustworthy?” “… Trixie, it’s… it’s different!” “How so?” Twilight grit her teeth together and tried to form an answer… but none came to her. “Twilight, Trixie thought that you of all ponies in this town would realise: you cannot judge an entire group on the actions of one individual, or one faction of said group. The recent attacks by the changelings race were performed by adult changeling soldiers. This child had nothing to do with them, so she cannot be held accountable for them.” “But… But still, she could still be here to cause trouble…” “If that is the case, then Trixie shall take responsibility. But until then, she must ask that you keep this a secret.” Twilight stared into Trixie’s eyes intently for a few moments, and then sighed and gave her answer. “… Alright…” “I wanted to trust her. She seemed to genuinely trust Aura, and… and she was right. If we keep judging the changelings based on their past actions, we’ll never get any closer to a peaceful resolution with them. It will be a constant cycle of hatred between us…” “While that’s admirable an’ all, why didn’t ya tell us ‘bout it?” Applejack asked. “Mah sis’s been hangin’ out with a changeling all this time! Don’t ya think we deserved ta know?” Twilight nodded, setting her gaze on Applejack. “I did, but Trixie asked me to keep it a secret. She… She even went so far as to call it a ‘favour between friends’… How could I say no to that?” “She still kept one thing from ya, though,” Gilda said, drawing the attention of the ponies towards her. “That that kid, Aura, is actually a changeling Princess.” The five mares and one dragon gasped in unison. “A Princess?!” Rarity exclaimed. “Are you serious?” Applejack asked. “That filly was changeling Royalty, an’… an’ y’all attacked her?!” “That’s why we attacked her,” Gilda responded. “Because the Griffin Empire is currently at war with the Changeling Kingdom. Kidnapping the Princess would’ve been a great help to us… Of course, our stupid Emperor just had to declare the war before our group could make our move, putting the enemy on their guard.” “But how did you know that she was a Princess?” Rarity asked. “And that she was here in Ponyville?” “I overheard some of the Royal Guard talkin’ about it. I was sent to Canterlot recently, y’see, and I just happened to hear two guards talkin’ about the changeling down in Ponyville. Apparently, your Princesses know all about her.” “That’s a lie!” Applejack accused. “If she knew, there’s no way she wouldn’t tell us!” “It’s the truth!” Gilda responded, flaring her wings and glaring at Applejack. She didn’t care much for being called a liar, especially when she actually was telling the truth. “If she didn’t tell you, maybe it was classified or somethin’.” “It’s possible…” Twilight began, “… That she was didn’t feel Aura was a threat. If that was the case, there would be no need to tell us. Or rather, it would be rude to tell us, since it would be an invasion of Aura’s privacy.” “Y’mean she was being courteous ta Aura?” Applejack asked. “But why? Ah’d have thought the Princess would hate the changelings after those recent attacks.” “There’s a lot about your Princess you don’t know,” Gilda said, earning confused looks from everyone else. “It’s not all rainbows and lollipops on that throne, y’know? Ruling a land means having a darker side to your life, that has ta be sugar-coated with the image of a benevolent ruler. It also means that ya can’t simply see things as black ‘n’ white, ‘good’ or ‘evil’. Despite the attacks, the Princess sees potential in allying with the Changeling Kingdom, and befriending that young Princess would certainly be a good way to start.” “But, something is bothering me,” Rarity said. “Why would a changeling Princess be here in the first place, and living with Trixie of all ponies?” “No idea. All we know is that she was here, and her only allies were the illusionist Trixie Lulamoon, and two suspicious shadows sighted around town wherever she goes.” “That’s awfully convenient that you happened to overhear that when you did, just before you received word of war breaking out,” Twilight said, giving the griffin a sceptical look. Before Gilda could respond, a groan from Rainbow Dash drew everyone’s attention to the awakening Pegasus on the bed. “Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie Pie called out as she rushed to her friend’s side. “Are you alright?! Quick, what’s your name?! How old are you?! How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if- WAAAH!” Pinkie Pie was pulled aside by Twilight’s magic so that Rainbow Dash could have some room to breathe. “She’s just waking up, Pinkie Pie. Give her some space. I’m sure her head must be killing her right now.” “Where am I?” Rainbow Dash asked as she looked around the room that she now found herself in. Her eyes widened suddenly, and she shot up straight as she saw her friends around her. “What happened?! Where’s Gilda, and Trixie and Aura, and-” Rainbow stopped and winced as she felt her stomach in intense pain. “Easy, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight instructed, using her magic to fluff Rainbow’s pillow and gently lower Rainbow Dash back down onto the bed. “You’ll reopen those wounds. Just calm down. Trixie and Aura are fine, and Gilda’s right here.” “Not for long,” Gilda announced as she rose out of her seat. “I just wanted to make sure you’d wake up, so I could tell you how STUPID YOU ARE!” Gilda turned to the startled Pegasus and reached forward, grabbing her by the hospital gown’s collar and bringing her face-to-face. “What were you thinking, throwing yourself at an enemy soldier like that?! Why the hell can you never stay out trouble?! You always have to be the hero, don’t ya?!” “Gilda, please!” Twilight pleaded, placing herself between the two to separate them. “I was just trying to look out for my friend, G!” Rainbow Dash shouted, narrowing her eyes as she returned the griffin’s glare. “Y’know, like we agreed back in Flight School?” “That was then! I’m a soldier now, Dash, which means I don’t need you watching my back!” Gilda pushed Rainbow Dash back down onto the bed and turned to leave. “And even if I did, there’s nothing you can do. Your life in this town has made you too soft. You and I belong in different places now.” “G, I-” “Just stay here, heal up, and forget any stupid ideas you might have about going after those changelings! Because you’ll be useless against them, and you’ll only wind up getting yourself killed!” With that, Gilda left the room, slamming the door behind her shut in the process. “Well, that was certainly an interesting way to greet your friend after they’ve just woken up from a horrible injury,” Rarity said as she glared at the hospital room’s door. Rainbow Dash simply lowered her head and stared at the bed sheets beneath her. ‘But… you always trusted me to have your back…’ The frustrated Pegasus grabbed at her bed sheets, her body shaking as she tried to hold her anger in check. ‘I thought I could look out for my friends, but now… am I just a burden to you now?’ Trixie swallowed nervously as she walked through the streets of the changeling city she was now in. She was amazed with how big the Changeling Kingdom was, and how much it differed in appearance to the images that she had drawn in her mind. The buildings were all made out of some strange purple and dark blue stones that gave off some kind of glowing effect. But she couldn’t really admire them, as all eyes around the group seemed to be focussing directly onto her. “So, uh… what are these buildings made out of, exactly?” Trixie asked, trying to ignore the stares sent her way. “Magisette,” Aura replied as she walked beside Trixie. “A rock that isn’t found naturally. Changelings form it by ingesting a particular rock found in the jungles around us. They can take in energy from the sun, and convert it to magical energy, so we’re never short of magic here. That’s why our barriers are able to stay up constantly, yet remain so powerful at all times.” “Only problem is the stuff is so heavy,” Mystic added. “So we can’t take it with us over long distances very easily. We mostly transport the precursor rocks here and then create the magisette. Since the process takes time, creating them on a battlefield or at a base camp is a risky move.” “We’re here,” Elizabeth announced, stopping as the group reached the palace gates. Everyone behind her stopped too, and all except for Trixie and Shark bowed as a tall, female changeling began to walk towards them. “My Queen, we have returned. Aura has been successfully escorted, along with Lulamoon.” “Excellent work,” Chrysalis praised as she motioned for her subjects to rise. “Please escort Aura to her quarters. I have prepared a meal and a bath for her, and her servants are quite eager to welcome home their Princess.” “Yes, my Queen,” Elizabeth responded. She turned to Aura. “Come on, Aura. Let’s go show everyone you’re alright.” “But what about Trixie?” Aura asked. “I wish to speak with Trixie myself,” Chrysalis informed her daughter, sending a chill down Trixie’s spine. She sensed this and turned to the nervous pony. “Relax. If I had any intention to do you harm, I would have simply order my subjects to subdue or kill you long ago.” “Uh, right,” Trixie replied, laughing nervously as she looked down at Aura. “Um… don’t worry. The Great and Powerful Trixie can take of herself.” Aura wasn’t entirely convinced about that. She knew both Trixie and her mother well, and was sure of which one would win in a fight. Still, she trusted her mother’s word. “Right… Well then, I guess I’ll see you again later.” “Shark, Mystic, you two go with them,” Chrysalis ordered. “I will hear your report later. For now, I wish to speak with Lulamoon alone.” “Yes, my Queen,” Mystic responded. “More babysitting. Great,” Shark replied in a sarcastic tone. “Whatever. Just lemme know when the fighting starts up again.” The four changelings left the group, heading towards the castle together. Trixie watched as Aura faded out of sight bit-by-bit, and when she couldn’t see the youngling anymore, Chrysalis spoke up. “Where do you get that wound?” Trixie jumped, and then faced the changeling Queen… and gulped. “Uh, t-they were from a battle we were drawn into, on our way here. Trixie heroically fought off two griffin guards, but was injured in the process.” “Oh? You managed to kill two griffin soldiers?” “… Well, not kill…” “No, of course not. In fact, I think you didn’t defeat either of them.” Trixie flinched, and then turned her head away from the Queen’s accusing stare. “That wound is from a sword. I find it hard to believe that the same magic that overpowered my son, and broke into the Canterlot dungeons, was unable to shield your body from a lowly griffin grunt’s sword attack.” “… Trixie was… distracted…” Trixie closed her eyes, and images of that fight came flooding into her mind. “By what?” “… The griffins… they were more into fighting than the Royal Guard was. Trixie couldn’t… couldn’t do anything, unless she…” Chrysalis sighed after a long pause, and then turned around to face the castle. She began walking, and Trixie followed after her, not knowing what else to do in this situation. “You want to defend my daughter, correct?” “Yes,” Trixie responded without any hesitation. “And you want the power to defeat any foe that may threaten her?” “… I guess so…” “Yet you lack to resolve to kill whatever foes come your way.” Trixie froze in place, causing Chrysalis to stop too. The Queen turned to face Trixie, who was staring at the floor, a look of uncertainty on her face. “… It might be for the best if you sat out of this battle, after all.” “What?!” Trixie asked as her head shot up to face the Queen. “This is a war, Lulamoon. And a war against the Griffin Empire, at that.” Chrysalis turned away from the enraged pony. “If you go into battle with the resolve to not kill your opponent, then you will die. And I am grateful to you, for saving my daughter, so I would prefer for that not to happen.” Trixie remained silent, and did not move, even when Chrysalis began to walk away. “Enter the room to your left. I have prepared a bath for you. The maids shall escort you to your quarters after you are clean, where you shall receive a meal and warm bedding. I have picked out maids in service to Aura, so they shall be quite courteous towards. A doctor shall be waiting for you in your quarters, to attend to that wound of yours.” Trixie didn’t move for a while. She simply stared off into space after Chrysalis had rounded a corner, her teeth grinding together and her eyes narrowed as she felt her blood boil. Finally, she raised her left forehoof slowly into the air… and slammed it against the wall beside her. She ignored the pain from her wound, focussing instead on just one thought in particular. ‘Damnit. How can I suddenly be so useless?’ Trixie stared at her hoof touching the wall beside her, taking deep breaths as she tried to calm her emotions. ‘I said I would protect Aura. But, when it really counts… when she really needs me… is it all I can do to just sit aside and stay out of the way?!’ After a few minutes passed, and Trixie’s feelings felt like a swirling vortex inside her head, she decided to make good on Chrysalis’ offer for a nice, relaxing bath. She opened the door to the bathroom and stepped inside. “What should I do… Where should I go from here?”