Lullaby for a Princess

Chapter Two: The Changeling War

A battered mare trudged across the burned landscape of an Equestrian battlefield. Her hooves were sore and bleeding, her mane was singed, though not by fire. Her eyes grew heavy from loss of blood and sleep.

But she had to make it.

Had it not been for the dirty shadow that was her wings and the long horn, no pony would ever guess that this sad creature was a powerful mare. In fact, she was none other than the great Queen Solstice. Immortal though she might be, she was weary with age. From having seem too much. The Changeling War had begun when a mutant colony of insect-like ponies had come from the north and begun attacking Equestrian towns. Solstice shook her head at the memory. So long ago. It could have just been a simple bug problem, had it not been for one thing: the enemy were all alicorns. Each had both a horn and wings, along with a thirst for blood. But their worst weapon was their magic. Their Queen, Indigaceus, had demonstrated it before Solstice's very eyes. True to their name, Changelings could take any form. They took the guise of a pony, made their way around, with no one the wiser. And then, little by little, they would drain the love of the ponies around them. Without it, ponies became despondent, and if not freed, would die a painful death. Sirius and Solstice, as King and Queen of Equestria, were responsible for the protection of the ponies. So they had recruited, planned, and armed themselves. The estimated time until victory was five years.

That was two hundred years ago.

So many lives had been lost, both in villages and in Equestria's military. Sirius and Solstice had walked into desolate places where homes had once stood. The only reminder that life had been there was the smoking rubble and the green slime cocoons. Some cocoons had bones. Others had whole ponies left inside, few of which were still alive. The feelings Solstice had walking through such desolation were mostly normal: sadness, fear, anger. But she also had the sense of failure to protect. She had failed those ponies. They had trusted her and Sirius to save them, and help had come too late. And there had been two hundred years of this terror. Equestria had almost shut down. The normal ponies had died or fled for their lives, the alicorns were getting fewer with each passing day. There were only six left, including Solstice and her family. If it didn't stop, nothing would be left. So Sirius and Solstice had decided to challenge Queen Indigaceus in a fight to the death. If they won, she would be no more and her Changelings would disperse. If she won....Equestria would die along with Sirius and Solstice. It had been a cloudy day when the three had met before their armies to decide the date of Equestria. Solstice trusted that good would win over evil, as it always had.

But it cost Sirius' life.

He had taken a particularly nasty magic blast to the head in an attempt to block it from Solstice. "Go on!" He had shouted to her. He sent another blast of magic to join hers. That combined force was enough to win the day. Indigaceus fell to the ground. Solstice was too tired to cheer. She had floated down and smiled at Sirius. "We won." But there had been no answer. And so Solstice found herself walking alone through the wasteland. She was trying to reach the palace, where her two daughters were waiting for news. For their parents. It was for then that Solstice pushed on. I am one of the last six alicorns that walk Equestria. I have two others at home waiting for a father that will not return alive. I must be there for them. The journey lasted what seemed like an eternity, even for an ageless alicorn. But the sad truth became clear to Solstice as she walked on: she was dying. If only I can see my fillies one last time... No one bothered the mare as she dragged herself up the steps of the palace. No one was in the palace halls to see her. The only sign of life was the sound of a lullaby, hummed in a sweet voice. It was a beautiful melody. Solstice followed the lullaby to the nursery and pushed open the door. There was Starswirl, napping by the fireplace. On the rug was Celestia, humming the music to a very tired Luna. Solstice smiled. This was home. The war was over, and her fillies were safe.

Starswirl found the Queen's body the next morning, leaning on the doorframe with a smile on her lips.