The Changeling Wars

by Alkonium

To Befriend and Defend

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War Room
Two Months Later

"How big is it?" Twilight asked Derpy, who was examining the long range scanners.

"It's big. Maybe even bigger than their first attempt," Derpy responded. Over the past two months, the Changelings had continued their barrage of skirmishes against Ponyville's defences, but in much smaller numbers than their first attack, and the ponies were always able to drive them back with minimal casualties on their side. However, with each repelled attack, the number of unaccounted for Changelings grew. Ponyville's defence team had every reason to be concerned; the number of Changelings they couldn't account for was now almost at 200.

"Applejack, prepare to launch gunships!" Twilight instructed over the comm.

Sweet Apple Acres

Applejack's gunship squadron lifted off the ground, but just as they were about to leave Sweet Apple Acres' airspace, the two gunships flanking Applejack were shot down by the turrets at the barn door. Pinkie Pie and Caramel quickly returned fire, making short work of the hijacked turrets.

"Mayday, mayday! Changelings have infiltrated the defences. I repeat, Changelings have infiltrated the defences." Applejack sent out on an open channel.

War Room

"This is bad, very bad." Twilight commented, checking the display table and finding several similar occurrences throughout the town.

"The Pegasus Attack Force will need to be especially careful," Derpy pointed out.

"They'd have gotten the same warning as everypony else; what we need now is a visual on Fluttershy's cottage." Twilight instructed. Flim then changed the main screen's input accordingly.

Fluttershy's Cottage

Fluttershy trembled in the seat of her turret. Sure, she had gotten used to firing upon the Changelings attempting to invade Ponyville, but this time, it was different. This time, they were headed straight for her. While she was able to stop a few of them, her gunfire did little to stop them from divebombing the turret itself. Seeing the Changeling headed straight for her, she jumped out of her seat and flew to safety as it tore through the turret. She lacked even a moment's respite, as one of Ponyville's own gunships flew past. Rather than firing upon the Changelings in the area, it took several shots at Fluttershy's cottage, reducing it to smoulders. However, she recognized the pilot and the gunners, and she knew all of them were supposed to be operating ground turrets, not a gunship. Flying to a secluded spot, Fluttershy sent out a message back to the the War Room.

War Room

The team in the War Room, including the Mayor and the Flim Flam brothers, watched in horror as Fluttershy's home was destroyed.

"Fluttershy, come in!" the mayor shouted over the comm.

"I'm alright. I made it out just in time," Fluttershy replied, static slightly garbling her message.

"Good. If you can, find Rainbow Dash and join her attack force," Twilight instructed.

"It looks like they have their own problems, Twilight" Derpy commented, pointing to the Carousel District on the display table.

Carousel District

Rainbow Dash's team made their way through the streets, believing themselves to be ready for the Changelings. Even with the news of Changelings infiltrating the defences, Rainbow Dash still wasn't expecting Flitter, still in attack formation, to make a move on her. She quickly realized what was going on, and slammed one of her front hooves into the fake Flitter's face, followed by a quick buck at the base of her wings, sending her down to the ground. Unfortunately, the Changeling's horn lit up, evidently in preparation for a divebomb, and ended up blowing a massive hole in Carousel Boutique.

Rainbow Dash now wondered who else in her team could be a Changeling in disguise, and realised the problem would be worse for her and the pegasi in her team than it would be for anypony else. She looked back at the rest of her team, and took note of the expressions on their faces. "Is it paranoia I see in their eyes, or the fear of being exposed prematurely?" she thought to herself.

To make matters worse, it looked as though Blossomforth and Cloud Chaser were about to start fighting, as if each suspected the other of being a Changeling. "Odds are neither of them are." Rainbow Dash thought. Just before it came to blows, she then gestured to Snowflake, and the hulk of a pegasus grabbed both of them, and gave them each a stern look in the eye, silently telling them to break it up.

"Keep an eye out. The Changelings are enough of a problem without us turning on each other." Rainbow Dash then said to Snowflake.

"Yeah." He responded, much quieter than usual.

"I can trust him. It would be difficult for the Changelings to mimic his form." Rainbow Dash thought.

Sugarcube Corner

What was left of Applejack's gunship squadron managed to intercept the Changelings at Sugarcube Corner, but they were too late to save Sugarcube Corner itself. The establishment was burning from the bottom up, and there were already several holes blown in the sides of it.

"No. No!" Pinkie Pie shouted. "At least the Cakes can't see this." She thought, but it was her home too, and losing it was enough to deflate her mane. In an almost blind rage, she opened fire, mercilessly gunning down any Changelings in view. The hail of magical gunfire persisted until Pinkie's guns overheated and knocked her to the back of her seat.

More Changelings flooded in from west of the town, but Pinkie's outburst gave the Pegasus Attack Force the opportunity it needed to break through to the front lines. Despite being reduced in number, and on edge from suspecting each other to be Changelings, they still fought with great ferocity against the actual Changelings.

War Room

"It appears we're actually driving them back." The Mayor commented. "We may still win this one."

"Good. Vinyl, get the Bass Cannon ready." Twilight instructed.

"No can do, Twilight. Damn thing's burned out. I'm guessing sabotage." Vinyl sent back.

"That wouldn't surprise me." Twilight thought.

"Twilight! Look!" Derpy called out, pointing to the camera feed from near Fluttershy's ruined cottage. Out of the dense foliage of the Everfree Forest, Twilight could see the unmistakable outline of the Queen of the Changelings herself.

"She's here," was all Twilight could say in response.

As if on cue, the shields over Town Hall dropped without warning. "Rarity! Get the shields back up! Now!" Twilight called out over the comm. No response.

"Derpy, get me the camera feed for the generator room." Twilight instructed, but as Derpy brought up the feed, all it showed was static.

"I'm going to try the last thing it recorded. That might tell us something." Derpy suggested. This time, what came up was a video of Rarity, maintaining the shield, like she was supposed to, until she took a hoof to the back of the head, and fell unconscious. As Rarity fell to the floor, her assailant revealed herself to be another Rarity, who then used her horn to destroy both the shield generator and the security camera.

"But that means the screeners are-" Twilight said as she realized her mistake.

"Fake." Flim finished her sentence. In a unprecedented moment of anger, the Mayor charged at the Flim Flam brothers, only for Flam to fire several shots at her from his horn, killing her in a matter of seconds.

"Honestly, Commander, we should be thanking you for making it so easy for Queen Chrysalis to counter your offer." Flim continued.

Panicking, Twilight made a mad dash for the microphone hooked into the PA system, but it was cut short after Flam fired another shot of magical energy from his horn. This time, it hit Twilight in her right eye, and she screamed in pain as she fell to the floor.

"Trying to warn Ponyville? I don't think so." Flam taunted, but Twilight was too focused on the searing pain to notice. Though she had lost the use of that eye before, the pain was much worse this time. Between that, and the sight of Mayor Mare's body, she was almost certain the damage was permanent.

Even over the pain, she did hear the sound of wood shattering above them. "That should be the Queen now." Flim commented nonchalantly. Twilight thought back to the last time she saw Queen Chrysalis; not even Princess Celestia was a match for her. What could a one-eyed unicorn in shock and a wall-eyed pegasus do against that kind of power? Twilight trembled as Chrysalis entered the War Room.

"Twilight Sparkle, I've been looking forward to meeting you again," the Changeling Queen said, maintaining her melodramatic tone. "You have so much love for me to feed on. But who to start with?" Chrysalis asked. "Your friends?" She said first, shifting between the forms of Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy. "Your family?" She said next, shifting between Twilight's parents, and Shining Armour. "Royalty?" She then shifted between Princesses Celestia, Luna and Cadance. "Or maybe that schoolteacher you're so fond of." Chrysalis finished, settling on the form of Cheerilee.

"Not her." Twilight thought, terrified of what would happen to her if Chrysalis managed to feed. Chrysalis approached with a malevolent green glow in her eyes, but the glow fizzled out as she got close enough to feed.

"Nothing? No, it's there, I just can't get at it." Chrysalis said in Cheerilee's voice, before reverting to her true form. Angrily, she turned to the Flim Flam brothers and shouted, "You had to shoot out her eye, didn't you? She's useless to me like this!" She then turned back to Twilight. "Perhaps a taste of your brother's medicine is in order instead." Chrysalis said, charging up her horn.

Just as the spell fired, Derpy jumped in the way of it, causing it to launch both her and Twilight out of the War Room and into the unknown.

"Idiot," Chrysalis muttered as she stepped up to the PA system's microphone.

Activating it, she announced, "I really must commend you all for your valiant efforts in defending your quaint little town. I never thought ponies were capable of such violence. A shame it was all for nothing. Drop your shields, lay down your weapons, and welcome to Changelingville."

To Be Continued...

Comments

[DreadedCandiru2]

Oh, dear. I wonder which one of them turns into Matrix. (Probably Twilight.)

[Luminous Lead]

Heh, Twilight Matrix and Andeya Doo. Off to battle across the... I don't know.

A taste of her brother's medicine? That shield thing? Or that banishment spell that Shining and Cadence cast?

[Alkonium]

961680 Yeah, it was more the banishment/repulsion spell, although in practice, I think they were actually the same spell. The difference being it was aimed at a specific target, rather than everything hostile in Canterlot.