Chapter 13
"I wonder what's taking Camo so long it's been an hour already" Sweetie Bell complained. “Yeah you'd think him being a Pegasus would cause him to be here quicker" Scootaloo chimed in.” Girls we must give him the benefit of the doubt he is our friend after all" Apple bloom said trying to make her friends stay positive about the situation. “I have an idea why don't we sneak out and go see the gryphons ourselves" Scootaloo thought out loud.
“Scoots that's a terrible idea we just experienced a gryphon up close and personal today why would we try to do something like sneak out" Sweetie Bell said smartly. “Because what if those gryphons are better than the last one plus were in town nothing bad can happen to us when other ponies are watching." The white and yellow filly thought about what she had said and started to think that maybe it was a good idea. “I guess it wouldn't hurt to go take a look" the red maned filly spoke warily. “Great let's go" Scootaloo said with joy.
After I left Fluttershy's cottage I looked around Ponyville for signs of other gryphons unfortunately I couldn't find any. I landed in the center of Ponyville and started to walk, hoping to hear them talk to the elements. I turned a corner and smacked face first into Diamond Tiara “ow" she said, we were both on the ground in a sitting position rubbing our foreheads. “Hey Diamond Tiara what are you doing out?" I said as I stopped rubbing my forehead and stood up. I helped her get back on her hooves and she said “I was looking for you actually, and thanks". “You’re welcome, what did you need me for?"
She dusted herself of as did I and afterward she said " I need to show you something follow me" she walked down the road and headed into an alley, if I was a normal foal I probably would have thought twice about entering but since I'm not I followed in without giving it a second thought. Halfway in she told me to look at the other side of the alley and see if anypony was on the streets. Of course there wasn't because of the gryphons and I started to wonder what she wanted to show me that was so important and secretive.
I walked back to her and told her there was no pony there. “You’re the temporary king of the changelings aren't you" I managed to keep a straight face and acted as if what she said didn't faze me. "I have no idea what you’re talking about" I said making sure that my voice held no indication on anything. “It’s ok my lord I'm a changeling as well you don't have to act so secretly." "If you’re a changeling then prove it revert back to normal."
“You ask and you shall receive." Pink flames covered her body and turned her fur from pink to black, wings that weren't there before sprouted from her back a horn protruded from her forehead her mane and eye color stayed the same as if she were still in her disguised form crystal blue, and purple with a streak of white in it.
I've heard about changelings like her but I thought they were myths, legends, stuff that no one thought were true but here's one right in front of me. Legend has it that Chrysalis was originally a pony who had been corrupted by her desire for everyone to love her. Angered by what she had become she vowed to get revenge on her sisters blaming them for her transformation but also thanking them for a way to increase her powers beyond that of her siblings. At the height of her power she corrupted the hearts of other pony's turning them into the original changelings. They had pony like appearances but were better than that of changelings, they didn’t need love to survive and they could easily fit into a crowd of pony's without ever getting caught.
These original changelings eventually died out causing chrysalis to create the changelings she governs now. Any way to ensure that she would almost always have the upper hand she planted egg chambers of the original changelings in each town. The release of one would happen when the previous one died ensuring constant watch of the town without having one of us normal changelings kidnap someone. “Are you the one the council sent to guard me?" She nodded and said “Yes I am they also told me you would need some help trying to locate the queen so I nominated myself to join you." I reverted back to my original form so that we can talk as equals and also if anypony saw us I wouldn't blow my cover with my disguise.
“What information do you have at the moment king Camo?" “Please don't call me that I’m not a king and I have no intention of being the king as long as there's a small chance that our queen is out there."
“Ok my lord but please tell me the information that you have gathered so far so that I may better understand our position." ”I believe that our queen is searching for more power and I believe the power resides in king Sombra and his crystal kingdom. Think about if we had the crystal kingdom under our control we'd have an endless amount of love, an ally, and somepony who wants just as much of revenge on the princesses as we do. The problem is she probably has to find Sombra first and that may take a while and I assume she will contact us to donate our power to allow Sombra to return to his original state. Until then though we have to make sure that we prosper so that when she returns she will have a powerful army to pay the princesses back tenfold."
DT sat there in awe for a moment before saying " you came up with that in how long?!" “In about an hour after I read up on what happened to Sombra though the whole thing is speculation and I could be wrong but it’s the only explanation I can think of with the information I've acquired."
“I can see why our queen thinks so highly of you and even appointed you to second in command."
“How do you know this if you were in Ponyville for the majority of your life?" I asked baffled. " The queen keeps us informed while were in our pods so we know just as much as you do when were sent out, what do we do now my lord wait for our princess to contact us?." “Precisely she can't stay away from us for too long and when she returns well welcome her back with open hooves but until then we lay low and wait."
“Since you’re going to be staying In Ponyville for a while you’re going to need a place to stay how about you stay in my house my dad won't mind."
"Wait a minute you have a father?"
" As Diamond Tiara I do as a changeling I don't come on I'll show you to the manor." She reverted back into her pony version as did I and we made the journey to her manor but before we even left the alley way I heard a trash can tip and fall and the soft clopping of hooves on the dirt. It dwindled until whoever was there was long gone. Someone was spying on us we have to be more weary of where we meet up next time.
Back at Sweetie Bell's house the three crusaders we're going frantic about what they had just seen and heard. “I can't believe there are changelings here in Ponyville we have to tell somepony" the white filly said. “No" both Scootaloo and Applebloom said” who will believe us were just children" Scootaloo said.
“I can't believe there going to emprisonate the crystal empire after all my sister and her friends did to save it" Apple bloom said. Both the white filly and orange filly nodded in sad realization, they all loved the crystal empire and would have given almost anything to go and visit it.
“We have to find out who the changeling is, maybe that will give us the advantage over them. But who can it be?" Said Sweetie Bell now deep in thought, the other fillies were thinking as well but no pony came to mind. “Since we can't think of anypony right now how about we look to see who is acting different and suspicious" Apple bloom said” That's a great idea and we might get our cutiemarks out of it to" Scootaloo said happily.
“Yeah we could get our cutiemarks in uh... changeling capturing."
“Is that even a real thing?"
“It could be no one knew about changelings until the wedding and if we get our cutiemarks from this will be the very first ponies ever to show of changeling capturing cutie marks."
"Alright all in favor for catching this changeling say I" All three filly's gave an excited "I" and started to make plans on who the changelings were disguising as and how to capture them effectively.