The Age of Hunting

by SwordTune

The March

The hunter-drones buzzed around in the sky ferrying injured game to the nest. They were a day's march away from the hive, but thanks to the ponies the princesses had brought along, that left them in the middle of the jungle.

The groundskeeper's nest-room was larger than the ones further north, though, with her and her sisters resting in it, Spectra didn't feel the space. It didn't help that Tenacity had insisted on bringing five of her ponies.

High in the nests, the ponies were kept. They were watched by hunter-drones all night. It served little purpose, however. None of them was a pegasus. They had no way of leaving their nest like the Changelings. If they tried, it would be a long fall.

Spectra could sense the unease of the packs. In total they had a hundred and seventy-two hunter-drones in their army, captains and lieutenants included. Even when fed by the local wildlife, the pack was still hungry. Many were young drones born around the same time as the princesses. They craved magic the most so that they would grow strong and serve their princesses.

The scent of pony magic hovering above the army didn't help either. The hunter-drones knew not to overstep their bounds, but that didn't make resisting their urge to feed any easier.

Spectra herself wanted to help herself to the magic Lunti had recovered. But after the march, the three princesses decided it was for the best to let their food supply rest. For the ponies, the pace of the pack's march was strenuously fast, and without proper rest, their flavour would quickly spoil.

They picked apart animals the nest's traps had caught. Tenacity chewed sadly on a species of large rodent. Majesta picked her way slowly through the stomachs of a few brightly feathered birds. Neither seemed interested in their twitching prey. They had tasted life and now hated death and how it tasted when magic left a dying animal. Spectra felt the same silent disappointment.

Regardless, she used it as an opportunity. A large reptile convulsed as Spectra shredded its hide with her fangs. It was a close relation to crocodiles and alligators, though noticeably smaller. The groundskeeper said it would be a good way to start on their kind.

She ate its flesh but focused on its magic. Even in death, emotions and instincts danced all over its smell. Spectra tried her best to learn its intentions. She linked the reptile's actions to sudden bursts of a certain smell, and quickly caught onto how it wanted to escape and what limitations it understood. Picking apart its body told her everything she needed to know to become it while picking apart its brain taught her how to fight like it.

Her sister Tenacity gave a cry of frustration. "This is ridiculous. We march the whole day and they're the ones who are too tired?" She gestured with her horn to their ponies.

"The captains advised us not to make them too weak," Majesta replied, trying to calm her.

"But I'm just so hungry!" Tenacity buried her head into her meal and moaned in unison with the animal's dying breath.

"Then let's do something to take our mind off things," Spectra suggested. "We could share stories about where we went."

From her dinner, Tenacity groaned. "No way. Thinking about that place is only going to make me hungrier."

The other two princesses stared. "How's that?" asked Spectra.

"It was the most amazing place I've ever seen." Tenacity pulled her head out of the animal and cast her eyes up at the night sky, picturing the memory in her mind. "Pony have this place where stallions go to give and get love. Sometimes with other stallions, but usually with mares."

"Oh." Spectra turned to see Majesta gagging. It surprised her. She didn't think anything could get her bigger sister to emote the way she did.

Tenacity leered at her sister. "What right do you have to react like that? Bet you've never been to one."

"They have those in Luneshard," Majesta said once she composed herself. "It's a city with a magic school at the centre. I enrolled as a student and made some friends. They invited me out to one of those places, but only for mares to meet other mares. Thinking about it, I can still smell it."

Tenacity shrugged. "Maybe you were just doing it wrong."

Majesta snarled back. "I didn't do anything. That kind of love smelled horrible. I don't want to imagine what it would taste like."

That puzzled Spectra. Emotions were not equal, but she didn't think any form of love or pleasure could be worse than something as simple and common as hatred or fear.

Tenacity pushed aside her dinner and rested her back on the edge of the nest-room. She hung her head back, sticking just over the top of where the floor curved up and formed a low wall. "I bet you stuck your nose into spell books and stuff. Hard to imagine finding love there."

"And that's why you would have failed in my place," Majesta sneered.

Tenacity brought her stare back to Majesta. She looked about to say something but switched at the last moment. "What about you, Spectra? I heard Riverfork had some big changes while you were among them."

Majesta agreed. "Yours would be the best. I remember you mentioned posing as one of them."

"True, but I've only read about the city itself," Spectra said. "All I know is that they're famous for their crafts. Many masters of building and architecture pass down family recipes for a mixture called caementine. It looks like really thick mud at first, but hardens into stone."

"It must be easy for them to build sturdy structures then," Tenacity commented. "Do they build defensive structures?"

Spectra shook her head. "They mainly use it to make paved roads and artificial streams, to bring water closer to their homes. Army camps are separate from the residents and marketplace."

"So sister dearest would have needed to build her own defences." Tenacity pointed to around them. "I imagine a nest like this would be easy to sniff out."

"Even if we find them, the pack is small," Majesta added. "It won't be enough to find their nest. It's too easy for them to disperse and regroup."

"That's all theoretical right now." Spectra's words shut them both up. She focused a thin beam of magic on a wide piece of bark lying in the nest, making a crude map out of charred markings. She drew the docks and streets by memory, recalling the lessons the groundskeeper had to cram into her brain. She drew the streets and its dead ends, marking key buildings with simple shapes.

"We'll probably have to change our plans once we take a look at Marblestop for ourselves," Spectra said, "but right now let's assume our sister has the docks under watch."

Spectra pointed temple markings. "These temples are higher than all other buildings in the village. We'll need to stay out of their sight."

Together they reviewed the layout of the village, guessing at their sister's intentions and creating plans to counter them. It surprised Spectra. As long as they had a common enemy, they seemed to work together just as well as ponies did. Tenacity was eager to fight, but she never failed to think through how she planned to win. Majesta's calm kept their aggression in check and often found ways to counter Tenacity's plans.

A few more days of marching and they'd be at Marblestop's docks, undoubtedly prepared.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Watch your step. The ground's still muddy here."

Spectra listened as a group of hunter-drones heaved Lunti off their raft. Crossing the swampland between the jungle and northern forests was harder than she had imagined thanks to the ponies.

Every one of them, save for Majesta's, thought it better to die at the jaws of alligators rather than stay captives of the Changelings. The pack needed to tie them down to the rafts they used to cross the water, just so they wouldn't try to kill themselves.

"There's over a hundred of us," Tenacity growled. "Why not just carry them?"

"Mammals are heavy," Majesta spoke from a boulder, standing above the muddy grass below. "Do you want our packs to get tired before they even make it to Marblestop."

"Besides," Spectra added, "their food rations were also too heavy to fly with." She pointed to the first two rafts to hit solid land. The hunter-drones were still struggling with the barrels of nuts and dried fruit harvested from the jungle. In case they couldn't find enough during their campaign, the princesses agreed to take with them enough to keep their livestock alive.

"They're more hassle than they're worth," Tenacity said, poking her hoof in the mud while they waited for the rest of their army to get off the rafts.

Spectra nodded. "No doubt, but Halfwing's not going to leave ponies for us to feed on."

Majesta whistled to her second captain, the one who had escaped Halfwing's rampage in Marblestop. He stood at the banks of the swamp with ten of his twenty-five hunter-drones.

"Scout the path ahead," she commanded him. "Make sure it's safe for the ponies to cross."

The captain nodded and barked orders to his drones. Immediately the ten drones took to the sky, some in their Changeling forms, others flying farther ahead in the bodies of hawks and eagles.

Their army marched a mile ahead and stopped, letting the hunter-drones rest after two days of rowing through the swamp, wrangling with audacious alligators and gigantic whiskered fishes. As dead tree branches were hauled to make tents, Spectra stood at the edge of the campsite and watched the sky turn from a midnight-blue to pitch black.

The infinite stars came sparkling through immediately. It lit the night sky like nothing else. Even the constructs of ponies seemed inconsequential compared to the massive heavens beyond. She wondered which, if any, of the pony gods, was responsible for creating such a beautiful display of colours.

A breeze brought a shudder to her carapace. They were nowhere near the forests but the northern winter was already noticeable. Soon, rain and snow would blanket the villages, and in the spring the river will flood.

Her stomach growled. It's been days since the last time. There was a long march ahead of them, and the approaching winter had already pulled back some of the water. According to the returning scouts, the in-between area that joined the forests and the swamps had lost most of its water.

There was no need for rafts beyond this point, meaning Lunti would need her strength to survive the rest of the marching. If she had some drones carry Lunti, then the whole army would have to be slowed to allow them to keep up. If Lunti was too weak during the march, then the same would happen.

Spectra sighed. She wanted to taste Lunti again, to roll her magic around in her tongue, but it would have to wait. A few more days and they'd be at Marblestop and rendezvous with the groundskeeper in the area. That meant an end to the marching and a safe place where the princesses could enjoy their prey.

Spectra stopped herself. Thinking about it would only fortify her appetite. Instead, she focused on the possible animals she could learn about while crossing over to the forest. Surely, somewhere among the grassy wetlands, there was a snake, or perhaps an owl.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Their horns stung whenever it was the smaller Changelings who forced them to march. A jolt of magic ran up Lunti's back, tensing every muscle in her body for just a moment.

She snarled. The larger ones, likely older too, had more control.

What were they doing? Marina, no, the Changeling princess, she didn't tell her any details. The other's didn't know either. All she knew was that some kind of rift was happening between the Changelings.

The march made her legs ache. The farther north they travelled, the colder the air got. Worse still, they were still crossing over to the river land forests.

The princess chattered something to her sisters. They spoke in a voice Lunti couldn't understand. It didn't even sound like a language to her. All that came from their mouths was senseless chattering and hissing. Another jolt of magic cracked through her back.

At first, the ache in her legs became sharp stabs in her joints. Every step was like a knife threatening to peel away her kneecaps. But after a few hours, Lunti lost all feeling in her legs. She took it as a blessing, even though she couldn't be sure she was moving her legs without looking down.

When night fell, the princess and her sisters decided no to make camp. No doubt, Lunti figured, they had some way to see in the dark. The other prisoners looked horrified to see owl eyes and cat eyes glaring from the carapaces of the Changelings. But Lunti didn't let it take her attention. Even the briefest distraction would take her mind off the pain from the endless march. And after a distraction like that, the numbness would go away.

They must have entered the forested region in the middle of the night. Lunti felt the bushes and branches scraping her legs and face. Without any way to see them coming, she just let it be. She flinched every time a bare branch scratched her skin. But as much as it hurt, the small drips of blood gave some welcomed warmth to her chilled coat.

The Changeling in the lead, one wearing a black armour that looked like his carapace, hissed to the rest of the army. Immediately, the others stopped. Lunti turned to some of the other prisoners who she could hear breathing behind her.

"What's going on?" she spoke in a hushed voice.

"How should I know?" replied a stallion. "Just shut up and wait."

Lunti heard buzzing and felt the ground beneath her hooves give way. She flailed for a moment, but recognized the rough grip of Changelings and felt the stronger breeze as they flew over the trees. The night sky was a canvas of clouds, but the moon cut through just enough to whiten the treetops. Lunti barely saw the nest before she was thrown in.

Pine leaves poked her skin, making the small cuts across her body sting. But she finally had rest. She let the leaves do their worst. With any luck, a cut would do her a favour and get infected. It'd be a painful death, but no worse than what the Changeling princess would do to her from now on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The nest and its nest-rooms looked exactly the same as the one near Riverfork. She wasn't surprised. The climate and terrain were nearly identical on this side of the river, and Marblestop wasn't that far from Riverfork anyways.

Large masses of branches locked together and formed enlarged versions of bird-dwellings. Some even had branches coming up, forming walls like a makeshift tent suspended in the trees.

Spectra plucked the coniferous leaves from her chitin. "You had to keep marching, didn't you?"

"Everyone in this army is a whelp," Zorne grimaced. "If you can't handle a little marching then princess Halfwing's not going anywhere."

Spectra scowled. "She won't be going anywhere after I kill her."

The old captain shrugged. "We'll see. The groundskeeper already prepared your nest-room, so you better rest those young legs, princess. After you tend to that pony."

"What are you talking about? The drones can handle the feeding," Spectra said. "The prey traps are surrounded by berry bushes, so we can save on the rations."

Zorne shook his head, disappointed by Spectra's response. "The Queen was generous to assign me to you. Do you really think food is enough to keep those ponies healthy? They're delicate creatures. Can't even see in this dark."

Spectra frowned. "Marblestop's just across the river. The army will rest here for a few days while we scout. Should be plenty of time for them to rest."

"Let me show you something." Zorne reached out and grabbed her hoof, flipping it over. Spectra was taken aback for a moment, unused to a drone getting so close to her as he did.

"Our carapace is tough, but even it can be worn down during a long march." Under the green light of his horn, Zorne showed Spectra the numerous scratches and cracks at the bottom of her hoof. Nothing broke through the exoskeleton, so she didn't feel it, but it was definitely weaker than it could be.

But Zorne simply touched his horn to her leg. She could smell the magic trickling from him, but unlike emotions, this magic had focus and intent, like a transformation. She watched intensely as her wounds closed up.

"The magic we use to transform can influence other creatures as well." Zorne let go of Spectra. He raised his own foreleg and sank his fangs into it, spilling ichor all over the dirt.

He thrust it at Spectra. "Heal it."

Spectra gathered her magic at her horn. She could feel its power but didn't know what to do with it.

"Gently release it," Zorne said. "Imagine the scent of happiness, pride, and accomplishment. Ponies feel these when they conduct acts of generosity."

Spectra listened and followed, letting go of the magic like releasing a breath slowly. But it went everywhere, spreading to the air with no direction or control.

"You're remembering scents, observations," Zorne corrected her. "Remember the feeling itself, and what it made you think."

Spectra tried again, gathering more magic and focusing on Zorne's wound. The emotions he talked about, the feeling of generosity, made her think about Esilis. With Lunti replaced by a drone, there'd be nothing stopping Esilis from being with Reiter. The thought played at a primal hunger, to toss aside a rival and bring their mate into the pack. Reiter and Esilis were hers now, and it was only right that she let their bond grow stronger.

"That's enough magic, your highness," Zorne interrupted her, pulling his leg away. The bite he had just given himself was gone now.

"Kind of pointless, isn't it?" Spectra said. "Could've done it yourself."

"I could have." He pointed to the highest nest-room, where Lunti was resting. "She sure can't."

Zorne spread his wings and began hovering to his part of the nest. "Ought to look at those scratches of hers. Let them fester and you might as well eat a bag of rats."

Take care of Lunti? Now that was a strange thought indeed. Spectra unfolded her wings and flew into the forest to collect some berries. No point in wasting time by healing and feeding separately.

She whisked through the trees and the bushes, piling up the wild fruits that ponies called delicacies. Spectra's mind began to wonder as she worked. She felt in her element on the surface. There was power in the life that thrived here, and she easily understood why Halfwing would rather stay than go back to the hive.

They outnumbered her and had surprise on their side. Halfwing would lose. But then what, return to the hive? She could pretend to be Marina another time and bring more ponies back to the hive. And then she'd repeat the cycle until Majesta or Tenacity threatened her claim to the throne.

Maybe Halfwing wasn't weak after all. The more Spectra thought about it, the more she realized there was no reason to go back. She'd have to end her sister's reign, of course, but why not take her place?

She needed to take baby steps. The first task was to make sure her current pony was still in good condition. She gathered up the berries in a field of levitation and flew back to the nest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It didn't surprise her that Lunti was fast asleep. Spectra looked over her body and could see scrapes and bruises from tree branches and rocks. Her hooves were rough and worn down at every edge.

But she wasn't quiet enough. Lunti opened her eyes sleepily but was wide awake as soon her eyes adjusted to the dim moonlight illuminating the nest. She scrambled away at the sight of Spectra but stopped when she hit the edge of the nest.

"Jump and I'll catch you," Spectra taunted as if she dared Lunti to try escaping.

She whirled around and glared at the princess. "I won't give you satisfaction. Just do what you came here to do."

Spectra couldn't help but smile. Even now, she was proudly defiant. Being raised by a council member certainly didn't do any harm to her sense of dignity. But breaking that spirit would take time. Spectra released her levitation and neatly piled the berries onto the nest.

Before Spectra could offer it, Lunti pounced on the food. Even with her primitive sense of smell, the sweet fruit was too strong to miss. She ate greedily, barely giving herself time to breathe. Spectra reached out and grabbed Lunti. She flinched and tried coiling back, but their forelegs were locked tight.

"Relax," she told Lunti. "You can gorge yourself later." With a soft amount of magic, she shined a green light over Lunti's wounds. She thought about how she had the power over the life and death of her pony and felt great pleasure in knowing it was by her grace that Lunti would be kept in good health.

In seconds her skin sealed up the scrapes, and her hooves smoothed out. Lunti stared at herself, and then at Spectra. She rubbed where she had been healed, getting rid of the itchiness that came with healing.

"You think you'll get what you want by acting mercifully?" Lunti's voice went flat. "Mercy would to just let me die. I don't care how. It'd be better than being your prisoner."

Her words sounded like surrender, but Spectra smelled her conviction. She was powerless compared to the Changelings. Dying was her only act of defiance.

"Maybe one day you'll get your wish," Spectra said, putting her hoof around Lunti, holding her a breath's distance from her lips. "But for now, you'll be cared for and watched over. All you need to do is behave."

Spectra drew Lunti's magic lightly, but she still squirmed. She feels soft. Spectra noticed herself and her rough carapace.

"Oh, perhaps you'll enjoy something more familiar." Spectra morphed into Marina's form effortlessly. By now she had plenty of practice changing her flesh.

Lunti didn't move away but lay stiff as Marina's tongue invaded her mouth, forcing the magic out of her body. It was slow, unlike the aggressive draining she had experienced before, but it still fatigued her.

Spectra broke off just as her eyelids began to weigh heavier. "Lucky for you, I'm just taking a little sip." She pushed her prey back into the leaves and stepped onto the edge of the nest.

She turned her head back to Lunti. "Sweet dreams, sweet thing."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scouts were returning before the sun rose on Marblestop. Four owls, six crows, three otters, and a snake. They moved deep into the forest before transforming before their princesses.

"What did you see?" Majesta asked. It was only the second day of the reconnaissance and Spectra's larger sister was already taking control of the war.

"No Changelings, your highness," one lieutenant bowed. "We have spotted ponies on the streets, however. They're sticking to the centre of the village."

"A pack as small as Halfwing's couldn't hope to eradicate all of Marblestop," Tenacity commented, taking her stance right beside Majesta. "They must be the survivors. In which case, they'll attack us on sight as well if they suspect we're Changelings."

"Or welcome us as saviours if we play it right" Spectra countered. "We can take the form of ponies and call ourselves Marblestop soldiers. Make them think we're on their side."

Both Majesta and Tenacity wanted to take a tougher stance, seeing no point in worrying over a few stray ponies, but the lieutenants exuded a scent of confidence and trust.

Most of them were from Zorne's pack, and each lieutenant had as much experience as a typical captain. Her sisters knew that if they supported Spectra, then it was likely the right choice.

Then Majesta did something neither of her sisters expected. "Spectra should take the lead, then."

Eyes wide, Spectra stared at her sister handing authority over to her. "What?"

"You've lived side-by-side with the other survivors," Majesta said. "Even if you taught us everything your groundskeeper taught you, we'd still be less experienced."

"If she's handling that, then what will we be doing?" Tenacity protested. Dead tree branched snapped under her hooves as she stomped her frustration out.

"Watching the border of the village," Majesta answered. "If the survivors were free to roam, then they'd have all tried escaping to Riverfork like their fellow ponies."

"While I was in Riverfork, no pony arrived by land," Spectra answered.

"Meaning there must be something stopping the remaining survivors from leaving," Majesta continued. "Something like our sister's pack, keeping an eye on the village borders."

Now that she saw the plan, Tenacity nodded in agreement. "They're probably hidden as animals or other ponies. The scouts didn't see them when they passed over."

The senior lieutenant interjected their planning. "If I may, your majesties."

"Go ahead," Majesta permitted.

"A couple scouts reported that they saw unusual behaviour in some of the ponies," he told them. "Some carried weapons and openly practised with them. These were near the border of the village."

"Then those must be Halfwing's hunter-drones," Spectra's wings buzzed with excitement.

"And they'll smell your magic the moment you get near them." Majesta dismissed the scouts with a wave of her hoof.

The three sistered stayed near the edge of the forest, peering through the trees to see the marble buildings across the river.

"We'll need a plan to take out Halfwing's pack when you enter the village," Tenacity said. "And a quiet one. The moment we cause any alarms, the ponies will probably cause too much trouble and alert out sister."

"Agreed," Spectra said with a smile. "But as long as something keeps their attention inside, they won't notice an army slipping in from the outside."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Standing in Marblestop for the first time was surreal. Spectra saw everything she had learned about. Images that were once dots and names on paper turned to marble buildings and paved roads.

They arrived in boats disguised as ponies, she and her personal pack. She kept count of them in her mind: twenty-two hunter-drones, four lieutenants, and her captain. Her sisters by now should have encircled the entire village.

Marblestop may have been smaller than Riverfork, but the village was still massive in scale. Canals ran the length of the village, cutting through the buildings and streets. As soon as the winter ended, Spectra guessed these were the waterways that would redirect the spring floods.

"There are fewer ponies out on the streets today," a songbird chirped from atop a granary that had its wall broken down. "Might mean trouble."

Spectra nodded but kept moving into the village, away from the freezing wind and water blowing in from the river. The bird was one of Zorne's hunter-drones. Aside from the rear guard left to watch over the ponies, Zorne had his entire pack transformed as birds and rodents across the village. They couldn't mask their magic completely, but that was part of the whole plan.

With just a fraction of Zorne's pack helping her's, Spectra had fifty Changelings moving through Marblestop. Without a doubt, it'd raise alarms throughout what was left of Halfwing's pack.

"This place looks completely different," a couple lieutenants whispered to each other as they strode through the commercial district.

Of course they know what to expect. Even though they were in command, the princesses still had less experience than even the youngest lieutenant hunter-drone. Many of them have been on hunts before, and have seen much more of the world in the process.

But whatever her sister did to Marblestop, it was new even to her hunter-drones. "Since we're the bait," Spectra said as they passed busted-down doors, "we should take some time to find out what happened. So far it seems the survivors have abandoned this section of the village, but be ready to act like we're scout's from Marblestop's militia."

Every hunter-drone in the pack nodded and set their focus on their tasks. Spectra realized even though her command was an over-simplification of a much larger task, her pack had the experience to carry it out. Lieutenants were assigned hunter-drones by the captain and they quickly looked through the damaged buildings.

The captain stuck close to Spectra as she decided to take a look herself. "For a small pack," the captain commented, "Princess Halfwing inflicted massive losses on Marblestop."

"She had the element of surprise." Spectra walked through the storefront of an olive workshop. She could smell the apparatus in the back used to process the pitted fruit into various products. Some of the spilt content was scented, some were for cooking, while other bottles had a mixture used to fuel lamps.

The captain scrunched his nose when he smelled the flower-scented oils. "Not enough. Not for destruction this big. Even our forces would have had trouble against the whole village."

He pointed to the servants' quarter. "You see that?"

Spectra followed his pointing hoof. Next to the workshop was a medium-sized room, furnished with six rickety beds and curtains between them as walls. The building itself was made out of caementine, with only small windows along the top of the walls for light.

"Never seen a servants' quarter like this," Spectra said. "I thought ponies treated even their drones as comrades."

"Some, but not all their drones are the same," her captain explained. He kept an eye on the entrance while Spectra inspected the room. "I've heard all sorts of names that mean different things: servants, labourers, serfs. I believe Marblestop calls them slaves."

Spectra turned slowly, looking around the room. Despite the poor condition of the room, everything was in place. Things were not smashed or turned over like the rest of the workshop. Even the glass in the small windows was still intact. She wondered how that was possible.

"Whatever they call them, it looks like Halfwing ignored them." Spectra concluded her search and walked back out, leaving the workshop.

Her captain followed. "Not much time for love among slaves. Plenty of hate, however."

"They must have had mixed feelings when they found their masters under attack then," Spectra mused, imagining ponies fighting between fear of her sister's pack, and relief that they no longer had to work for their oppressors. As they walked down the street, both of them heard the high pitched call of one of Zorne's scouts.

A small herd of ponies is headed your way. Coming from the centre of the village.

No doubt if they could hear the message, the rest of her pack heard it as well. She changed her vocal chords to emit a call too high for pony ears to pick up.

"We're done investigating," she commanded. "Move toward the ponies, and be prepared to sell our story."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Both groups eyed each other cautiously as they met in the open street. Walked brazenly in the front of her pack, however. The locals knew the village better, and if they were comfortable enough to be walking out in the open, then her sister's pack must not have been close.

Their clothes were worn, but not tattered, and they carried crude weapons on their side. Many just had clubs made from debris and household items. Only a few, Spectra counted three, carried real spears.

Were they Changelings, monitoring the herd like a shepherd? Spectra focused her nose on their magic as best she could but there was no sign of Changeling magic, besides her pack. She guessed even some of the surviving ponies would have gotten their hooves on weapons. It's unlikely they would've survived otherwise.

The herd of ponies stood across the street from her pack. Spectra decided to give the first signal and win their trust. She invited the ponies, silently waving them over with her hoof. They seemed wary, trading glances to decide what to do. But finally, the herd sent a few of their stallions over to meet hooves.

Unsurprisingly, the one who led them was armed with a spear. The other two carried tree branched with a slightly sharpened point on one side.

"Haven't seen you around here before." The spear holder took a good look at Spectra's pack. From their hairstyles to the way they stood, her hunter-drones had mimicked the Marblestop militia perfectly.

Her captain took the lead in the conversation, as planned. "We're surprised we ran into you so quickly. We just arrived from Riverfork."

The spear-holder narrowed his eyes at the captain. "Why would any pony from Riverfork come here?"

There was a pause as the captain swivelled his head around, double checking his surroundings. "Can you be sure there aren't any Changelings around?"

"We're alone," the stallion replied.

Spectra could tell by the scent of his magic that it was true. Besides, if one of Halfwing's drones had hidden among the ponies, at this range she'd be able to smell their Changeling magic, even if they were wearing Marblestop perfumes.

"I'm Captain Fairview," her captain said."Commander Iridi sent us to scout out the situation here. The rest who escaped, they might plan a counter-offensive depending on what information we bring back to them."

"Is that so?" The stallion's eyes widened. "Well then, the name's Septarian."

The other two ponies whispered something to each other but kept close and Spectra couldn't make out their words. She only smelled confusion in the magic.

"We should take them to the village centre," one of the other ponies told Septarian.

Spectra kept her view along the rooftops. Zorne's hunter-drones were watching the dialogue as well. No doubt they were judging her skill at fooling the ponies, but also watching for any threats.

The spear-holder nodded and gestured the pack to follow across the street and rejoin with the rest of the herd. Spectra's captain kept by his side, discussing the situation while the hunter-drones mingled with the locals as if they really were refugees that had finally returned home.

The captain and spear-holder kept at the front of the herd. "The commander's cautious. A lot of us have settled down in Riverfork, and the urge to return is slowly dwindling."

"Then he should be pushing harder to attack while we still have morale," the pony replied.

The captain shook his head. "He thinks if we lose, every pony will just give up and stay where we are now."

The spear-holder went silent. Spectra figured he was considering the position of the refugees in Riverfork, imagining the amount of help that would actually arrive. He was some kind of leader, though Spectra could only guess his role among the surviving Marblestop ponies.

"Between you and me," her captain added. "I want to sleep in my own bed. Riverfork ponies make their beds way too soft."

The spear-holder laughed. "Don't worry. Once you tell the commander how many ponies are still fighting here, you won't have trouble getting his support."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spectra let her pack disperse themselves throughout the herd. It seemed natural for returning soldiers to try catching up on everything that had happened since the attack. Spectra listened in on every conversation on the way to the village centre.

She noted which streets were destroyed, which temples were still operational, and where her sister's pack had last been seen. She wondered, also, how her other sisters were doing on their side of the mission. It was doubtless that Halfwing had her eyes on the border of the village, which meant for Majesta and Tena to push in from outside, she'd have to draw a bigger crowd.

"How have you managed to stay away from the Changelings?" Spectra asked the spear-holder.

No, Septarian. Spectra refreshed his name in her mind. It didn't do her any favours to treat the ponies like drones. They were a lot more unpredictable, and she needed to be on their good side if it came down to a fight. If anything gave away her disguise, the whole pack, Zorne's drones included, would be facing a village that, by Seris's own estimate, had thousands of survivors still in it.

"They keep to themselves," Septarian replied. "The initial attack they did took enough ponies. Haven't really seen them around, save for outside the village."

Spectra and her captain nodded. Halfwing was near, but not in the village. She'd have to be drawn back in from the village borders if Majesta and Tenacity had any hope of surrounding her.

Ahead the centre of the village came into view, and Spectra decided she needed to instruct her hunter-drones to be more thorough in their reports. What she saw was more than just a gathering of ponies; hundreds of ponies worked in unison to clean up the damage that still remained from Halfwing's attack.

Builders poured caementine into cracks and holes in the floors and walls. Blacksmiths hammered out nails and horseshoes for the builders. Even new buildings were being constructed over the existing shops and homes. The village centre was a massive square of flat caementine with a fountain in the middle. Though it had lost its water, the painted tiles still looked clean and polished.

At each corner of the square was a place of worship for one Marblestop's patron gods. They were spirits of stone, Spectra remembered from talking with Voxa, and their temples showed no sign of deterioration. As Septarian guided Spectra's pack into the village square, they passed interlocking scaffolds that climbed over the temples. Thicker walls and taller towers were being added. In all the violence that had torn apart their homes, Spectra was surprised to see them defending their faith so strongly.

"...we don't know where they keep them." Spectra refocused her attention on the dialogue between her captain and Septarian.

"Can't convince the commander to attack if we don't know where the enemy is," her captain replied, still pushing for more ways to flush out Halfwing's pack.

Septarian gestured to the fountain. "I'll get the rest of the leaders to meet you before we introduce you to every pony. If there is some information about the Changelings, I'm sure it'll be brought forward once everyone knows what you're here to do."

"Very well," her captain replied. "As long as the Changelings aren't around, I suppose we have long enough to wait."

Septarian nodded and left the pack to mingle with the rest of the Marblestop survivors. Spectra looked around, picking out her own drones in the crowd as she walked through the square. Subtle nods here and there were commands for her drones to join conversations with key groups.

Half worked on construction projects, talking to builders and blacksmiths to figure out anything in the structures that would be advantageous if it came down to a fight. She had the rest stick their ears into any talk about the Changelings. She and her captain kept to the edge of the village centre.

"Probably dozens of ponies are still out in the village, scouting like Septarian's herd was," he summed up once they were out of earshot. Her captain walked slightly ahead, giving off the impression that he was the one in command to any pony who bothered to look.

"It doesn't matter," Spectra replied. "Zorne's drones probably already warned my sisters that Halfwing's not in the village."

"So it's a change of plans then?" her captain asked, however, it sounded a lot more like a suggestion. Either way, Spectra was inclined to agree.

She shifted her glance to the hills further inland where Marblestop's quarries and nature's forests clashed. "Hopefully they do what I expect them to and stay outside of the village. They'll probably be searching for Hafwing by combing through every bush and leaf in the woods."

The two stopped by the back of the temple to the Phoenix. "You're right, your highness. But we better act quickly before Princess Majesta and Princess Tenacity give up on their hunt and leave with our reinforcements in tow."

Spectra raised a brow. "How do you know they will? We may be gambling on the hope that my sisters won't actually be able to find Halfwing. But if they do find her..."

Her captain shook his head. "Not likely. A single pack can stay hidden in a forest almost indefinitely. It's just too much land to cover, and too small of a target."

Spectra didn't have much time to consider her next steps. They both heard the commotion of the village square die down, replaced with a few louder voices coming from the very centre.

"That'll be our queue," Spectra said, following behind her captain.

"At this rate, we should quit hunting all just work as actors," he joked, shifting his voice to become slightly lower and rougher, exactly in the fashion that Marblestop stallions spoke.

But as soon as they started moving to the centre, Spectra could feel something was wrong. The atmosphere had changed. Though most of the ponies tried hiding it, she could smell adrenaline spiking in their blood. Their magic radiated an ocean of worries, but there were so many ponies in the village square, Spectra couldn't pick any single emotion out.

"Smell that too?" her captain asked her but kept his eyes on the other leaders walking with Septarian. Spectra followed his gaze.

They weren't armed like he was. One looked like a carpenter, another had rough hooves as if he was a farmer or a dock worker. All the others looked the same. In total there were ten leaders, each most likely in charge of some aspect of rebuilding the village.

But Spectra had experience with leaders and how they handled crowds. The way Seris spoke, in front of Riverfork's council members especially, was direct. Leaders met their followers with their eyes, looking into the crowd. But these ponies kept their eyes up. Looking around but never at the ponies gathering toward them.

Spectra gave subtle nods with her head to signal her pack to close in on them. Eliminating the leaders would throw the village into a frenzy and draw out Halfwing for sure. As for escape, undoubtedly Zorne's drones were close enough to provide cover if any of the ponies were brave enough to give chase.

But even as they closed the distance, something was wrong about their eyes. Only halfway through the crowd did Spectra see their pupils, and what they were focusing on, and it was like looking into a mirror. They weren't watching their crowd.

Spectra grabbed her captain and turned him around to see the streets that led into the village centre. The leaders were signalling. In the crowd of ponies, Spectra couldn't differentiate the smells of the citizens from the soldiers who were closing off every exit. Brick and wood that had been placed by construction sites were now pushed over and blocking the streets.

"What is the meaning of this?" shouted her captain. "Have you lost your minds, we're here to liberate you!"

Septarian just laughed. "Lady Changeling was right, your kind still don't understand much about ponies."

Lady Changeling? It was impossible, Spectra thought. There was no way ponies would willingly work for her sister if they knew her true nature. She focused her nose again to pick out Changeling magic in the air, but she only sensed her pack still. Which also meant Zorne's drones weren't in the village centre either.

"Are you all insane?" Spectra could smell confusion in her captain and her drones, but nevertheless, they kept their act going. "How many of you here are even real ponies?" Her captained whirled his head around. He looked panicked, but in a quick sweep, Spectra knew he had taken a mental picture of their battleground.

Dozens of ponies armed with makeshift clubs and spears stood in every street behind blockades of rubble and debris. Spectra could hear the fluttering of wings just beyond the village centre: a whole flock of birds. Below, old waterways build from caementine flooded with small mammals, their scent lingering just outside the square. It was Zorne's hunter-drones, no doubt. But something was stopping them from reaching the pack.

Septarian smirked at her captain. The demeanour sent chills down Spectra's spine. As Changelings, they were used to being looked down on when they took disguises that were weak. For the hunt, they could endure anything.

But though she was young, Spectra knew no pony had ever dared to look down at a Changeling once they knew the truth. Their prey cowered. It was in her instinct. Memories from her egg-dream flooded back, reminding her of the fear Changelings could wield. But maybe that was exactly the problem.

Lady Changeling. Her sister had done the opposite of what any of them expected. They knew. The whole village accepted Halfwing.

He extended his leg, Septarian. And that sight told Spectra every part of the story she needed to know. Scars ran around his leg, marks left behind by the chains used to keep slaves controlled. Now that she knew what to look for, the hindsight made her feel blind for not noticing it before.

She could see healed cuts and scrapes peeking out from under the clothes of some of the other Marblestop ponies. There were dozens of them that she could see. But if she had to guess, Spectra figured every single pony Halfwing had spared was a slave.

She and her captain traded glances. They knew they both had come to the same conclusion. Halfwing was supposed to blend in with Marblestop society. Instead, she created a new one, a village of liberated slaves that would revere her as a hero.

"If you were real ponies," Septarian goaded, "you wouldn't be coming to us as friends. When Lady Changeling freed us, we happily revolted against the masters and offered them to her, in exchange for our village."

"Well you missed a few, by our accounts," her captain replied, trying to stretch the banter along. The ponies were in a position of power. If he could keep the talk going, they might hesitate just long enough for an opportunity to show itself.

"Well, whatever the case may be, eighty noble ponies seems enough for Lady Changeling's appetite." The other leaders acted as if on queue, raising their hooves to gesture to the soldiers surrounding the village square, all while Septarian continued talking.

"I know you can smell our every thought," Septarian laughed. "But I wasn't lying when I said I didn't know where they were. No, she'll be coming to you. After that..." He gave a mocking shrug.

Spectra pooled as much magic as she could into her horn. The time for subtlety was over. Septarian was done talking.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

8744014
But, then how do you explain the normal-talking changelings on the show?

[SwordTune]

8865142
Even in their natural form, they can change their vocal components by applying their shape-shifting magic on an isolated area. Before the defeat of Chrysalis, Changelings did a lot of hissing, however, since then they've had more interaction with the rest of the world and have lost the need to maintain their natural sounds, opting to speak in the lingua franca instead.