Equestria Exiles: Dawn of Dream Valley

by Paradise Oasis

Infiltration

Infiltration

Morning came to the city of Canterlot, as Luna's night watch left their posts, and were replaced by the Unicorns and Pegasus of Celestia's day guard. Shopkeeps were opening there stalls, and the well-to-do unicorn elite were milling about. The capital was rising with the sun, beginning a day as it had a thousand more before it.

So wrapped up in ther daily routines were these ponies, that they failed to notice a dark shape moving beneath the surface of the river. Shadowy and silent, it seemed to swim towards the great mountain, and then up the waterfall against the raging current. No ponies saw it sweep into the town, and surface in the form of four sea ponies, pushing a large air bubble along.

Coming to a spot along the river where they saw no other equines around, the Sea ponies ejected the bubble onto dry land, where it popped and released the three changelings it had contained.

"Thank you for your help. my good sea mares." Shadowvale whinnied, bowing to the ladies who had brought them up the river. "You should all return to the castle now, my aides and I will take care of it from here."

"Shooby Doo! Shoop shoopy Doo!" The three ponies bowed to the changelings, then dove back into the river.

"Well, it's up to us, now!" Thornspike hissed, as the three of them changed form. "I hope those flutter ponies come through on their end of the plan!"

"Don't worry about those girls!" Mayfly assured him. "Just concentrate on what we're supposed to be doing!"

...

"Lieutenant, report!" The armored unicorn snorted, trotting out onto the castle balcony. "What news from all of the pony patrols in the past hour?"

"Sir!" The lieutenant saluted with his hoof. "All patrols report everything quiet in the city, sir!" The Stallion snorted confidently. "Status is normal."

"Very good, soldier!" The captain held his head up high. "Keep your eyes peeled, and inform me of any change!"

As he looked out over the city, Chocolate Tail admired how orderly he and his guard were able to keep the peaceful and prosperous pony capital. A unicorn from one of the city's chief families, Chocolate hade taken over the position of captain of the Canterlot royal guard, following Shining Armor's ascension to the crystal pony nobility.

He had studied under Shining as his second in command for years, but there had been no trouble under his watch, unlike his predecessor! Oh no, there would be no changeling invasion or discord attack under his watch!

"Hehehehe!" A giggle came from the street below, and both Capitan Chocolate and his subordinate looked down to see three mares smiling up at them.

"Sir look!" The guard told his captain. "It's Diamond Mint and her Friends!"

"Hello, ladies!" The brown pony with the laurel wreath cutie mark grinned. "How's the shopping in the Canterlot Market today?"

"Oh, just fine!" The blue unicorn mare giggled back, batting her eyelashes. "You should come down, and join us sometime!"

"Would love to, ladies! But duty comes first!" He bowed to them. "Stop by after our shifts sometime, maybe we could go out for a milkshake!"

The three filly giggled, and trotted away quickly. As soon as they were out of range, the three girls morphed back into their changeling forms.

"That was disgusting!" Shadowvale snapped, trying not to gag. "Playing a flirtatious female for those Stallions!"

"I don't know." Mayfly replied with a giggle. "They were quite handsome!"

"Would you save the hormones for later?!" Thornspike snapped, pulling out the crystal ball the queen had given him, handing it to Shadowvale. "Here you go, sir. You'd best contact the queen now!"

"Thank you, Thornspike!" He replied, tapping on the magical communication device's surface. "Queen Rosaline, this is Lord Shadowvale, can you hear me? We're inside Canterlot!"

...

"Yes, we're picking you up loud and clear!" She informed him, as she and her courtiers stared into the receiving crystal ball back in the dream castle throne room. "These portable magic communicators chancellor Pole picked up work like a charm!"

"I must say North, it looks like your little toy the unicorns in your R&D magic department came up with works like a charm!" Minuette grinned, nuzzling him every time the other ponies in the room weren’t looking. "It's like we're actually standing there in Canterlot with you!"

"Thank you, my dear!" North Pole smiled at her. "It works on the same principle as an enchanted viewing mirror, only portable!"

"Shadowvale, you and your ponies need to make you way to the castle!" Rosaline ordered. "Follow the directions on the map I gave you, and you should reach Celestia's inner chambers!"

"As you command, my queen!" He saluted her, and the three changelings went invisible. As they began following the map through the twisting and turning hallways of Canterlot Castle, the three ponies back at court saw everything they saw through the enchanted glass.

"Are you sure they're going the right way, my queen?" Minuette asked, in a concerned tone.

"I grew up in that place, my dear Minuette." Rosaline snorted. "I believe the directions I've given them, should lead our three spies right to Aunt Celestia's study."

"Apologies, my queen." Minuette bowed, as the three turned their attention back towards the viewing globe.

The changelings passed several servants going about their business, when Thornspike almost bumped into an earth pony maid, carrying a stack of folded sheets on her back. The maid flinched, then snorted and continued on her way.

"Watch your step, you stupid stallion!" Mayfly hissed. "Or your going to give us away!"

"Oh, sorry!" The changeling winced.

It was then that they passed a a small study off to the side, the three heard voices talking in very loud tones. Shadowvale was ready to ignore the conversation, until he heard the words 'Dream Valley' .

"Wait a minute, my brothers!" He hissed at the others. "I think we may find some awnsers in here!"

"Go ahead, Shadowvale." Rosaline quietly encouraged him. "I want to here what they are saying."

The three stealthily made their way into the study, where they saw a stallion and a mare talking to each other- the mare in a raised, dominant tone... and the Stallion responding in hushed, submissive whispers. The stallion was standing out in the open, but the view of the mare was behind a bookcase, making it so she couldn't be seen from where the changelings were standing.

"But how do you plan on delivering the Smooze to Dream Valley, my lady?" The wormy underling pony sniveled. "Any shipment to the everfree forest will be detected by the Princesses’ forces!"

"We'll have to get it there through unusual channels." The angry mare replied thoughtfully. "Perhaps we can take it through Ponyville..."

"The Smooze!?!" North Pole whinnied in shock. Rosaline and Minuette stared at him as a result. "No, it can't be..."

"It's a good thing the two ponies we're spying on can't hear us!" Minuette replied with a chuckle.

"We could try getting it though on a shipment of magical goods!" The lackey suggested. "Who cares if Ponyville is 'accidentally' devoured?"

"Dream Valley will at last be cleansed of that impure filth!" The shadowy mare chuckled. "And the everfree forest shall belong to the order of Gloom once more!"

North Pole and Rosaline noticed Minuette went pale at the mention of the order of Gloom, and decided they would question her about it later.

"Shadowvale, see if you and the others can get closer." Rosaline whinnied. "I want to see what that mare looks like!"

The three changelings trotted around quietly to comply, but at that moment, the mare suddenly seemed to detect them.

"Someone else is here, I can feel it!" The mare hissed. "Search around, you dolt!"

"At once my lady!" The lackey threw some magic powder into the center of the room... and the chagelings suddenly became visible!

"We've been compromised!" Thornspike hissed. "Everypony run for it!"

The three changelings leapt towards the large window, smashing through the glass, and taking to the skies in flight.

"Guards! Changelings!" The lackey pony called out. "Changeling ponies in the castle! Don't let them get away!"

"Shadowvale! Get your troops out of there, at once!" Rosaline yelled. "The Flutter ponies will cover your escape!"

It was at that point, that several Pegasus guards were hot on their tails.

"We've got incoming, boss!" Mayfly hissed, looking back at the approaching stallions. "Handsome, but very deadly!"

"Lets go, guys, pick up the pace" Shadowvale called out to the other two, as they flew higher. "It's up to our fluttery friends now!"

...

"All right, girls!" A Pink flutter pony with a sun cutie mark called out. "We're getting near Canterlot! Get ready to strike, and strike hard!"

The elite fliers of the Flutter pony tribe, the Windy Wing ponies were the insect-winged equivalent to the Wonderbolts. Queen Rosedust had sent them to aid the Changelings in thier escape from Canterlot.

"Aye aye, Capitan Sunglider!" An eager purple pony with a pink mane called out. "We'll hit those lowly Equestrian mules with the full burnt of Flutter Power!"

"You're waaay to happy about having to fight, Flurry!" A yellow pony with a green mane chided her. "We only enter conflict because we have to!"

"And you're waaay to much of a coward, Cool Breeze!" The flutter pony with the snowflake cutie mark snapped back. "What, you afraid they're going to scar up that precious palm tree cutie mark of yours?"

"Both of you, ENOUGH!" Sunglider snorted. "Now, let us fly low over the castle, and announce our presence!"

The seven mares swooped in over the city, causing several of the ponies to stare up at the sky, and point. A guard blew the alarm horn, and Chocolate tail and his troops came rushing out of the guardhouse.

"It's the Flutter Ponies! We're under attack!" " He called out, motioning with his hoof for his troops to strike. "Unicorns, fire! Pegasus, Scramble!"

The Pegasus soared up after the approaching butterfly-winged ponies, while the unicorn guards fired energy blasts at them.

"Oh, bring it on!" Flurry called out, as the flutters moved between the fleeing changelings, and the attacking equestrian ponies.

"Shift to utter flutter!" Sunglider called out, causing all of the Widy Winged ponies to vibrate their wings rapidly. The utter flutter created a force wall that both blocked the magical blasts, and blew the attacking Pegasus away.

"Sorry!" Cool Breeze called out apologetically. "Hope we didn't hurt you!"

"They...they can do that?!?" Chocolate Tail whinnied, his jaw hanging open in shock. "I didn't know their utter flutter could block magic!"

"See you later, losers!" Flurry called back, as the Flutters and flew up beside the Changelings. "For Dream Valley, and the Flutter kingdom!"

The defeated Royal guards could only stare up helplessly, as the two groups of ponies vanished over the horizon.

"I don't believe this!" The humiliated Chocolate Tail snorted, turning to his lieutenant. "Soldier, inform Princess Celestia about what has occurred. Tell her we have a situation..."

....

"You ponies know something about what is going on here, and you are going to tell me!" Rosaline snorted, her two highest ranking advisors before her. "I want answers, and I want them now!"

"As you wish, my queen!" Both replied nervously in unison.

"All right, North Pole.... out with it!" Rosaline snorted, looking down at the pony bowing before her throne. "I know you know something! What is the Smooze?"

"I-it was part of a top-secret project, being worked on by Celestia's unicorn researchers after the Changling invasion!" The Chancellor hesitated for a moment, before replying. "It was supposed to be some kind of weapon, to protect Equestria from it's enemies!"

"And... the order of gloom?" The queen looked over at Minuette.

"There was a story, passed down though my family..." The blue unicorn started. "About a top-secret order of mages, started by Princess Platinum, Commander Hurricane, and Chancellor Puddinhead... to safeguard the new Kingdom of Equestria."

"Top Secret... they must have been the medieval equivalent of black ops." North Pole realized.

"The order of Gloom did the dirty jobs to protect Equestria, that no other pony would lower themselves to do." Minuette continued. "It was rumored they operated out of this region, drawing on the dark magics that emanate from Dream Valley to casts their powerful spells needed to carry out their plans!"

"That must be why the weather operates normally in the everfree forest, and the true sun and moon shine forth on Dream Valley!" Rosaline exclaimed. "Their spellcasting influence must have held Discord's chaos at bay!"

"And, it might have also been what unintentionally corrupted a young Princess Luna into Nightmare moon." The Chancellor finished. He turned to Minuette. "Why didn't you ever tell us this?"

"M-my family thought the order had been destroyed when Discord Enslaved Ponykind!" Minuette replied defensively. "They never re-emerged after Luna and Celestia's takeover!"

"They must have gone into hiding, and infiltrated the new government after Discord's defeat." Pole theorized. "I wouldn't be surprised if they were the ones who convinced Celestia to Abandon the palace of the two sisters, to move the new government away from the nexus of their power!"

"And now, we're here..... squatters on land they feel rightfully belongs to the order." Rosaline finished. "So they're working from within the Equestrian government to wipe us out, and take Dream Valley back for themselves!"

"Your majesty, with all due respect..." Daisy Dreams replied, having been listening to both the inflation of Canterlot and the conversation from the sidelines. "Please don't tell me you're buying into all of this hearsay about 'clandestine organizations' and 'ancient conspiracies'!"

"This is clearly the work of the tyrant Celestia, seeking to wipe out the other three kingdoms with this 'smooze', starting with Dream Valley!" Ploomette agreed.

"My queen, surely you can see the danger here!" North Pole snorted.

"He's right!" Minuette whinnied. "We can’t be rash until we can be certain of-"

"Ladies, tell your queen we seek further information!" The queen informed the two flutter ambassadors. "We will not act until we are certain of what's going on here!" She looked back towards Minuette and North Pole. "Until then, not a word of this to any of this to the Dream Castle populace!"