//------------------------------//
// In the Crystal Dungeons 
// Story: Trial of a Changeling 
// by twilightsparkle3562 
//------------------------------//

“Trial of a Changeling”
By TwilightSparkle3562

Chapter 1
“In the Crystal Dungeons”

General Kuwaga sat in his cell, reflecting on what could have been had he defeated his greatest enemy, Shining Armor.  The pain of his bitten wing from one of Lock Down’s dogs had not helped deter his anger for his failure.  Kuwaga had it all to avenge his fallen queen and it went through his holed hooves like sand.  

Now he was here, sitting in the dungeon’s of his enemy’s empire and quite possibly awaiting perhaps the moment he could end up on trial.  But, whatever the outcome, he would pay the price as a changeling general with only Chrysalis to swear allegiance to and nopony else.

“Who dares interfere with my solitude?” snarled Kuwaga as he heard a door open to the dungeons.  The changeling general was expecting perhaps a guard or somepony with news on his future, but it wasn’t.  

A large white stallion with a blue mane and tail came in and the changeling general snarled at who it was.  But, the stallion didn’t flinch one bit for he knew that it was his greatest enemy that stared him in the face once again.

“So, here you are,” said the stallion, coldly.  “When I am done with you, Kuwaga, you are going to wish that you never kidnapped my wife and sister.”

“Says the pony who defeated our race’s greatest triumph,” snapped Kuwaga, growling.  “I had you at my mercy, Shining Armor.  Our race needed love to survive and we could have gotten what we wanted if you hadn’t interfered.  When I get out of this, I will reorganize my forces and take you down like the cowardly colt that you are!”

But Shining Armor showed no fear and clutched Kuwaga with his magic, bringing him to his face and glaring at him.

“You don’t scare me, Kuwaga,” said Shining Armor.  “In fact, I am going to enjoy seeing you be shown for the cowardly bug that you are!”

“How do you propose you do that?” laughed Kuwaga, thinking that Shining Armor’s anger was quite a joke.  “Use the same power that you and your wife used to send my queen into the outer reaches of this kingdom?  Face it, Princess Cadence is much of a stronger pony that you are.”

Shining Armor ignored the taunting and dropped Kuwaga hard on the ground and landing on his injured wing.  

“We are both strong in our own way, Kuwaga,” retorted Shining Armor.  “Our love is stronger than anything you or your minions will ever know.  We will stop at nothing to protect those who look up to us for their protection.”

But, Kuwaga remained defiant and saw this as another opportunity to mock his greatest enemy.  For he knew that Shining Armor didn’t come alone to rescue Twilight and Cadence from his clutches.

“Then who will you look up, colt?” remarked Kuwaga, who was clearly referring to Shining Armor’s disgraced mentor and predecessor.  “That cowardly pony with those dogs who bit my wing?”

It was at that moment Shining Armor’s look of fearlessness disappeared when he realized that Lock Down, his mentor who accompanied him to rescue his wife and sister, was being mentioned.  Kuwaga was right, Lock Down was the one pony aside from Twilight that Shining Armor always looked up to and he was not there to support him.  

“I thought so,” replied Kuwaga.  “As long as he remains in hiding, you will always be alone like a scared little foal.  No matter what you do to me, he will never change.”

However, Shining Armor had another thing to say to Kuwaga and it was something that he knew was going to happen eventually. 

“Save your breath for the trial,” replied Shining Armor, after a short pause.  “You are charged with numerous crimes that are greater than you will ever know, Kuwaga.  I’m going to enjoy you being ripped apart by those whom you terrorized for so long.”

“What are you going to do, colt?” chuckled Kuwaga, sarcastically.  “Treat me the same way that your precious princesses treated my friend Tirek in Tartarus?  If I had my way, he and I would have had the greatest feast that Equestria has ever seen.”

The memories of his encounter with Tirek were still fresh in Shining Armor’s mind and Kuwaga bringing it up was something that struck a chord with him. Shining Armor could still remember Tirek mocking him and draining his magic from him as Discord, who had been tasked by Celestia to hunt and recapture Tirek, watched with a satisfying grin on his face.  It was a day that Shining Armor and the rest of Equestria wanted to forget and this certainly did not help at all.  

“Well, you will never have that day,” replied Shining Armor, closing his eyes trying to not think about what Kuwaga had said, before looking back up to Kuwaga with another cold look on his face.  “For you will end up in a much worse place than Tirek, I can assure you of that.  If you weren’t going to be put on trial, then I would have been your judge, jury and executioner all at the same time.”

Shining Armor felt at that moment that he needed to leave before he did something that he would regret greatly, however Kuwaga called out to him and stopped Shining Armor in his tracks.  

“Well, I have this to say, you pathetic excuse for a prince,” retorted Kuuwaga, clutching the bars of his cell with his hooves.  “I will defend my actions and claim them as for the glory of the Changeling race and I will be free to finish you and this whole empire off once and for all!”

But, Shining Armor stayed silent and unhesitantly walked away with only the sounds of his hooves beating against the crystal floor of the prison.  For he knew that Kuwaga was only bluffing and that he was indeed going to pay for his actions.  

However, little did Kuwaga know that his trial was not going to be in the Crystal Empire.  For all those he and his race had attacked were making their way towards another location…Canterlot.