“Unicorn Colts and Fillies are advised to practice the Changeling detection spell with their parents often until they’re confident to cast it at a moments notice. Earth Pony Colts and Fillies are advised to find an adult right away if they think they’re in the presence of a changeling in disguise. If cornered, your strength is your best bet to defend yourself until help arrives. Pegasus Colts and Fillies have the advantage of flight, and while some changelings may transform to chase you, even the most average of Pegasus should be able to out run them. No matter what your tribe, run to the nearest adult for help that you trust, a changeling’s sting can knock even the largest Earth Pony unconscious.
Always be aware of who you’re with and if they’re acting strange. While changelings are excellent at mimicry, they lack our cutie mark talents or tribe strengths. Keep your eyes open and don’t try to take them on by yourselves. Find an adult!”
-“Colt and Fillies Guide to Dealing with the Changeling Menace” by Chaotic Note.
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Amber clouds floated in a sea of orange as the wagon bumped now and again as it made its turn on to the country road leading to the farm. Blackbriar, still swimming in a sea of sedatives imagined that there was an ocean of orange smoothie dotted with floating marshmallows. He suddenly recalled that he still hadn’t had anything to eat since arriving in this place and his stomach seconded that realization. He tried to move a hoof to turn himself over off his back but found the chemicals pumping through his body still hadn’t worn off yet, still very much paralyzed.
“Woo doggy, yah just might be related tah us after all pardner. Only feller ah know that’s got ah gut that loud is mah brother Big Macintosh,” Applejack spoke what she thought was an unconscious pony in her empty apple wagon. “Big bro doesn’t say much, not since Ma’ and Pa’ passed away, but his stomach and hooves do the talking for him. You’d never guess he actually has a real purdy singing voice. Last time ah heard it was the funeral, can’t blame him, ah didn’t so much as buck a tree for a month after we buried them by the old orchard. Always was a bit funny like that. He got Pa’s body and Ma’s voice, and ah got the opposite. Ah was so mad when ah was a filly. Can’t sing, not half as strong as Big Mac, and to top it all off ah got Great Gran’s freckles. Not sure how Apple Bloom’ll turn out yet, bit young to be bucking trees. . .”
Blackbriar felt the wagon incline as they were cresting a hill, and as Applejack started to carefully make her decent his view changed from the setting sunlit sky to a view of Sweet Apple Acres themselves. His heart caught in his throat as tears started to pour from his eyes. He was home, or at least something that looked like home. The trim, the color, even the type of wood were all familiar, all types he’d used before to erect his own home as a colt. Even through all the stress and confusion Blackbriar knew in his bones that he was finally where he belonged.
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Twilight was enraptured. Why hadn’t anypony thought to ask the survivors of the Crystal Empire about history?! They had actually lived there in that era a thousand and change years ago! And despite being a little filly, Zoisite Quill was a font of information. Just know she was finishing in a school report style oratory on the main exports and imports of the Crystal Empire. “And the Gryphon Kingdoms are particularly partial to our ewes. But because the foliage they eat only grows there, so even if they try to raise their own stock they end up as plain sheep in the next generation. Though I always thought it kinda of icky that we raise other animals for other animals to eat. But I believe you wanted to know about the Four Stars Mum.”
Snapping out of her note taking Twilight shook her head a bit and rolled up the parchment she’d been filling up with tightly spaced horn writing. “Yes, yes, of course. How silly of me. You just have so many experiences there either weren’t documented or were lost to time so it’s very interesting to me, let me get a new roll.” Shelving her previous roll with a growing stack of others in one of her cases of luggage a city guardsman knocks once and sticks his head into her personal train car.
“Princess Sparkle, the conductor has let me know after a brief refuel at the next stop we’ll be to Ponyville in roughly two hours, your highness,” the guard salutes and then gently closes the door with his magic.
“Ugh, I never get used to being called ‘your highness. There are some days when I wished I was still just a librarian in Ponyville. . .no matter, you were saying about the Four Stars.
“Um, yes,” Zoey paused a moment to gather her thoughts, “To be honest, the only reason I know what I know is because when there was still school we had to learn about current events and in the span of five years the Four Stars, at Princess Luna’s behest and backing, had ended two of three wars, ours do be the final one. At that time around Equestria proper there were the dragons to the South in the Badlands that had a tentative agreement after the fall of Discord. So we weren’t allies, but we weren’t enemies either. The Haysead Swamps held a large hive of Changelings that made the Southern Boarder of Horse Shoe Bay off limits to ponykind. Then in the North between Neighagra Falls and the South side of the Crystal Mountains there was a Griffon Arie. Not nearly as large as the ones in Griffonia proper but no small outpost either.
In the, forgive the term, chaos created by Discord’s defeat a power vacuum formed. Prior the Celestial Sister’s Equestria was easily the lowest in terms of economic power and martial might. We were still considered prey for a lot of monstrous creatures and when we suddenly managed to put down the single greatest through to the world the rest of the races suddenly took notice. While the Pegasus Military and the few combat sorcerers that survived the chaos were a force to be reckoned with they lacked the numbers of the changelings, the strength of the minotaurs or speed of the griffins.
During this time there was a lot of political upheaval. Many ponies thought the two sisters were weapons that should be controlled. Others worshiped them with a cult like reverence. When all was said and done two courts were formed. The Day court with Princess Celestia and her entourage, and the Night Court with Princess Luna. Almost all of the royal work force was day based, following suit with their previous unicorn masters. So tryouts were held as the great castle Everfree was being built in the wild wood. Being centrally located instead of on a mountainside meant that forces could be easily sent to any of the four corners of Equestria. In the end the positions were filled with strange ponies that few knew where they came from. In addition to Star Swirl the Bearded who stood as Arch Mage of Day and Night there also one Jester for both sisters. But the Four Stars filled the other positions: Head Chef, Senchal, Captain of the Night Guard, and Physician. And they were almost monsters in and of themselves. Some say there were born of need, that ponykind needed champions with aspects of their predators to survive. Others thought it was the meddling of some crazy unicorn. I just think it was a lot of rumor and hear say, or did until I saw them marching on the Crystal Empire’s Gates.
The Chef, was peculiar, from a prominent farming family he was rumored to be able to eat anything. And I mean anything, even meat. Even back then the Princess of the Night was more warlike and would frequently be the one to host visiting delegates during her night court where as Princess Celestia handed more of the day to day country running duties. But as such, the Night Chef had to account for the diets of non-vegetarian races, and his ability to eat anything made him valuable. The fact that he could crush those that tried to poison his mistress with extreme rage was a bonus as well. Some say he got the green fire around his hooves when angry as a boon for his efforts in crushing the Changeling menace near his ancestral homelands around Haysead Swamps.
The Captain of the Guard was the biggest Unicorn I’ve ever seen. Larger than even the sturdiest of Earth Ponies, his strength was legendary. None could challenge him and win in a horn duel, and few were foolish enough to try. He often led the charge, despite his high rank, against a besieged city or even a fortified line of opposing troops. But he was no dullard either, the speeches he gave before battle made the ponies under his leadership some of the fiercest fighters ever to take on the Minotaur Clans. During this less than civil time he also was the executioner for the Celestial Sisters. His mighty double bladed axe was a symbol of pony justice feared amongst those races that thought use simple prey.
The Senchal, in charge of running the Night Castles day to day affairs and acting as second to their Goddess was a Unicorn as well, but where as the Captain was huge the Senchal was slight. An adept at Fire Magic she was instrumental in forging the pacts that still stand today with the dragons in the south. In battle how ever she was almost never injured, her hide was as tough as armor and always wore her Night Court Tabard regardless of wading into a pitched battle or planning a dinner for ambassadors from visiting nations. All I know is when the monsters of crystal and dark magic tried to tear her apart like they did the advance troops she strode through their ranks, weapons snapping on her back while she melted them to slag with a fire so bright you could see it from the highest towers of the city. I recall being in the observatory for class when she trounced the King’s minions and it was not something I’ll ever forget.
The quietest and most unassuming of the Four was the Physician. She could diagnose and treat people in the battle field with grace and easy unmatched by the greatest zebra shaman or unicorn doctor. It was strange, because as a Pegasus who isn’t typically trained in the healing arts, she did have their speed. And then some. I know the papers dubbed her the Blur because on the field of battle she’d seemingly appear from place to place treating or caring for the wounded with out ever traveling from one place to the other. And if an enemy struck down one of her charges in front of her you didn’t get in her way. Her blades to clean away dead tissue and infected wounds could just as easily dissect a foe. Historically speaking she dealt with the griffins. Rumor had it that they betrayed the peace envoy and started slaughtering her guards to send a message to Princess Luna that there would be no negotiations. Their Arie isn’t even on the map anymore, their whole stronghold wiped out with not a griffin left alive. I actually got to speak with her before the city vanished, she couldn’t have been any older than you Mum, but she walked with the grace and wisdom of the Head Librarian. She had a kind of calm that only comes from great experience, and you just know that beneath it all is much much more. . . .
All in all they lot of them terrify me. The only other member of the Royal Entourage I got to meet was the Court Jester, Saucy Tart. I’d never met a Batpony before and she was scary at first. But she was a really cool acrobat, heh, I just got that joke. And she could make even the grim faced Captain of the Guard chuckle now and again. Everyone laughed around her, there was no place she couldn’t bring love and light to. She entertained at the Crystal Palace once or twice I’m told before the King took over and it is remembered to this day. Your friend Pinkie Pie was dressed rather similarly to her when you were putting on the Crystal Fair. And that’s about all I know, I hope it helped Mum.”
Twilight was just finishing furiously scratching down the last of her notes when she sighed and thanked the filly. “That’s immensely helpful Zoey! Thank you so much. Though you only gave me the name of the Jester, did you know the names of the others aside from Starswirl?”
“Oh yeah!” the filly remembered, “The Doctor was Ruby Heart, the Senchal was Blazing Torch, the Captain was Killing Blow, and the Chef was Blackbriar.”
Twilight’s quill snapped as it wrote down the last name and she looked at the crystal filly with dread in her eyes, “Did you say Blackbriar?!?”
“Yeah, the Chef from a farming family, big guy, black coat with green hair.”
Racing to the door and throwing it open with her magic she called for a guard and while he rushed to his Princess’ side Twilight turned back to Zoisite Quill and quivered, “That sounds a lot like the stallion my friend Applejack discovered in Ponyville. Maybe the Crystal Kingdom isn’t the only thing to be coming back after 1000 years. . .”