Chrysalis laughed. She had revealed her true form, much to the horror and shock of the ponies. Truthfully, this was not according to plan, but Shining Armor was under her control. In the end, any response against her was implausible. Cadence stared furiously at her, eyes burning with rage and hatred. “Heh, some princess of love she is. She doesn’t remember ‘love thy enemy.’” Next to Cadence, Twilight Sparkle was livid with anger. Shining Armor stared ahead blankly, his free will completely drained.
“They’ll never get the chance!” Cadence exclaimed, “Shining Armor’s protection spell will keep them from ever reaching us.”
“Oh, I sincerely doubt that. Isn’t that right dear?” Chrysalis’s voice radiated smug satisfaction as Shining Armor nodded.
Cadence made to charge her.
“Uh-uh-uh! You don’t want to return to the caves now, do you?”
Cadence stepped back, obviously unwilling to return to the dank, quiet caverns beneath Canterlot. Chrysalis smiled venomously, those had been hard to find, but it had been worth it.
“Ever since I took your place, I have been feeding off of Shining Armor love for you. Every moment he grows weaker and by extension, his spell does as well. Even now, my soldiers are chipping away at it. He may not be my husband, but he is under my total domination. Thus, I am sorry to say, he is unable to perform his duty as captain of the Royal Guard.”
“Section leader, begin your assault upon the shield. I expect this to be an efficient operation. While I stall the Royals and the leadership hierarchy, you will break through and overwhelm all hostiles within the city. The royal guard is inefficient as a fighting force, and I expect nothing short of total victory. If you fail at this task, your biomass will be broken down and used for other purposes,” Chrysalis ordered her section leader telepathically. 152-13-21 had been selected for being a capable tactical commander. Chrysalis had given him some free will, so that he could act on his own prerogative if it was within the boundaries she set for him.
“I hear and obey, oh great Queen!” 152-13-21’s voice hissed over the link.
The communication had taken less than a second, and Cadence was still reacting to Chrysalis’s prior statement.
“Not my Shining Armor!”
“Soon, my army will break through! After suppressing Canterlot, we will move on to conquer all of Equestria!”
Another voice joined in, “No. You won’t. You may have countered Captain Armor’s spell, but now that you have so foolishly revealed your true form, I can protect my subjects from you.”
Celestia’s violet-magenta eyes were narrowed at Chrysalis. Her horn glowed, a golden, radiant symbol of power. A beam of pure solar energy shot towards Chrysalis. She countered with a beam of her own. It was a necrotic, dirty green. Chrysalis cried out in exertion as she felt the full power of Celestia’s vast reserve. She pushed back, and almost sighed in relief as her beam began to overpower Celestia’s. Her beam reached Celestia’s horn, and there was a massive explosion as Celestia’s power left her violently. Celestia fell to the ground, her horn charred.
“Ah! Shining Armors love for you was stronger than I thought. Consuming it has given me power that surpasses even Celestia’s!”
Chrysalis saw Celestia whispering to the six element bearers. Get the element of harmony. Chrysalis almost rolled her eyes. That was the Equestrian response to everything. Oh no, a chaos god is a attacking, better get the elements! Oh no, Nightmare Moon has returned, better hit her with a rainbow bolt! It was pathetic. One should not rely too much on specific weapons.
The six mares ran through the door.
“Section leader, what is the status of the shield?”
“A breakthrough will be achieved in two and a half seconds, oh great Queen!”
Chrysalis smiled in satisfaction. This invasion would be completed with ease.
***
Through the rose colored barrier, 152-13-21 could see six mares vacating the Canterlot palace. They could only be the Bearers of Harmony. The Queen wanted them. Priority would be given. Below, he saw Royal Guards milling about, trying to take up defensive positions. They stood atop of houses and at street corner, preparing for the battle that would inevitably commence.
His compatriots smashed the shield repeatedly, using sheer force to bring it down. It was painful, he supposed. Truly, drone couldn’t care less. They would never deviate from the directives that were given them. This made them disciplined and effective soldiers. They smashed the shield one final time; it flickered and died, shattering like glass.
“My Queen, the barrier has been brought down. The invasion commences.”
“Well done, section leader.”
152-13-21 switched his telepathic link towards his subordinates.
“The attack commences now. Remember what we trained for. Shields spells as you descend, detonations upon contact. Try to land in weak points within the Royal Guard formations. Sow disunity and confusion. Divide and conquer. If the Royal Guard is allowed to mass its troops, it will make this victory that much harder.
“The six mares that are heading towards the citadel are the Bearers of Harmony. They are the only ones with connections to Equestria’s super weapon. This makes them strategically important. The Queen wants them alive. Squads one through twenty-five, you are tasked with the live capture of the Bearers.”
Hissed conformations came back over the link.
The changelings dove headfirst towards the Royal Guard formation, green cones spreading over their heads. These shields spells were designed with rapid descent in mind. They would cause detonations upon impact. This was useful if a changeling landed within a formation, as it spread confusion through the ranks. It was also a good intimidation tactic.
152-13-21 descended with his command squad. There was a mass of Royal Guards atop of a roof close to the citadel. Its proximity to that structure made it a viable target. Capturing that rooftop would give him a clear view of the Bearers, so that he could direct groups accordingly.
Crossbow bolts streaked up from the roof. It struck one of his subordinates through the throat in a spray of green blood. Almost immediately, the changeling’s shield spell dissipated. He collapsed limply to the ground several meters below.
152-13-21 ignored this newly sustained casualty. He and the rest of his squad impacted the roof hard, sending shockwaves throughout the building. The guardsponies staggered, this ended them. The changelings fell upon the guardsponies with their teeth and horns. 152-13-21 tore out the throat of one pony, crimson vitae spitting violently into the air. He picked up the sword that the pony had been wielding with his own magic. It was a well balanced weapon. He spun and blocked a strike from another pony. He drove his own sword through the pony’s head. The pony hadn’t had time to scream as the blade cleanly bisected his skull. His compatriots finished off the others. Blood slicked the roof, pooling in the craters that he and his squad had created.
He stared out towards the citadel. The Bearers were locked in combat with his forces. Although changeling disguises were almost impossible for ponies to see through, changelings could quite easily identify those of their own number due to their gestalt consciousness. Changelings weren’t hive minded, per se, but they were all connected. They knew who was of their number, disguise or no disguise.
The sounds of battle roared around him. Explosions from landings, to the clashing of steel upon chitin. He turned away from the Element Bearers, and saw that ponies were trying to set up a strongpoint on the roof next to his. That was not good. From that vantage point, they could set up a chokepoint of that intersection. This would suppress the changeling’s mobility, which was one of their most important assets.
He and his squad took flight, wings buzzing. The guardsponies turned towards the noise, eyes widening. 152-13-21 fired a bolt of green energy from his horn, striking one of the ponies in the leg. The pony screamed as his leg was bisected completely, the wound cauterizing. The rest of the squad fire bolts into the formation as well. Screaming continued as limbs were lost, and heads obliterated. There was one pony that was bisected completely, his organs burning from the green fire. The survivors quickly surrendered, their weapons clattering to the ground. The changelings quickly restrained them with tendrils of biomass, as 152-13-21 returned to watching the Bearers.
The bearers were the linchpin of Equestrian defense. They were literally the first and last line of defense for the entire nation. The Royal Guard were nothing more than a glorified police force, and were easily beaten. The capture of the Elements was the prime directive. The obliteration of the royal guard was a secondary concern.
The bearers had fought their way through the squads he had sent. The bearers were using non-lethal tactics, much to 152-13-21’s surprise. Perhaps killing was considered disharmonic by the ponies. In the wastelands, killing and death were both realities of life. 152-13-21 almost envied the ponies and their relaxed lifestyles…almost.
“All squads report.”
Thousands of collective voices responded to his order, each responded that the hostiles had been suppressed, although a few continued to fight.
“All available squads are directed to capture the Bearers. Split your number, half within the citadel, half outside. Wait until the bearers have entered before revealing yourselves. Trap them in a pincer and make sure there is no escape. I will join the interior force. Squads are directed to leave two each to guard prisoners of war.”
Hissed affirmations came over the link.
“Squad, with me,” he ordered his personal squad, “13-25-11 and 123-15-26 will stay and guard the prisoners.”
They took to flight towards the citadel. Several squads were already gathered there. One was using his magic to open the side of the citadel wall. After a five second wait, a large piece of the wall fell away, leaving a hole big enough for the changelings to enter. They charged through the gap, landing softly.
The door burst open, and the bearers charged in. Relief was plainly written over their faces. Their relief turned to horror as they saw the hundreds of changelings within. The sound of buzzing wings caused them to look back. Hundreds more changelings landed behind them, pinning them. 152-13-21 knew that there was not enough space for the Bearers to maneuver. Fighting was impossible.
“Surrender,” he rasped with his physical voice, “Your situation is hopeless.”
***
“You won’t get away with this, Twilight and her friends will stop you!” Cadence snapped.
The door was suddenly thrown open, and the bearers of harmony were lead in by dozens of changelings. Leading the group was 152-13-21. That was good. He was an effective commander. She would give him greater control over his own will.
“Well done, section leader. You will be rewarded.”
“It is my place to serve, oh great Queen.”
Chrysalis returned to speaking with the ponies, “You were saying?”
She turned towards the bearers, “Well, well, well. No Elements of Harmony, I see. You do realize that the reception has been terminated, correct?”
She gestured to her Changelings, “Go! Feed!”
They raced from the room, the noise of their wings almost like a physical wall.
“I find it humorous, really. Twilight was suspicious of me all along. My acting was hardly convincing, after all. But you were too foolishly caught up in preparations to notice that she was correct in her suspicions!” Chrysalis had always loved to rub her conquests in.
She strode to the window as Twilight's friends apologized to her. She did feel like singing, but did not like spontaneous displays such as those. They made her feel…unprofessional. Instead she stared out at the explosions that continued to blossom across the cities as her soldiers rounded up and killed the remaining Royal Guard forces.
It was at that time that Shining Armor broke free of her influence.
“What? Is the wedding over?” He blinked, puzzled by the explosions that rocked the city.
Chrysalis laughed, unable to resist, “It is all over!”
“Perform your spell! Perform your spell!” Twilight shouted.
“No difference will be made, you fool! My forces already have a strong foothold within your precious city,” Chrysalis chuckled. Normally she would simply suppress them, but she wanted to have some fun taunting them.
“No!” Shining Armor exclaimed in horror, “I don’t have the strength to repel them!”
“My love will give you strength.”
Chrysalis blinked at that statement. She knew ponies were naïve, but for them to be so foolish was almost beyond her comprehension. Certainly, love strengthened her, but she fed off of it. She was a changeling. The ponies were not able to feed as she and her ilk were able.
“Truly, it is a nice sentiment, but absolutely pathetic.”
Cadence responded by embracing Shining Armor, much to Chrysalis’ chagrin. This was becoming old. She should have killed Cadence when she had the chance. She lit up her horn, preparing to strike her down where she stood. Light suddenly flowed around the couple. Chrysalis could sense the power radiating from the two. There was a sudden flash of light, and Chrysalis found herself being thrown through a window into the distance. No, this was impossible. The invasion had bee planned to every last detail. This could not be happening.
“Creator damn it all!” She screamed, “May the fires of hades consume you all!”
***
She felt hundreds of her subject’s lives end as they impacted the ground with enough force to tear them apart limb from limb. She saw one land on a rock, his stomach splitting open. Emerald green organs spilled out from a crescent moon slash in his stomach. She stood, coughing, blood leaking from her wounds. She stumbled to the dead changeling’s side. She slowly consumed his mass, repurposing it as her own. Her wounds healed, and she was well.
“152-13-21?” She queried.
“I…am…here…ugh…oh great Queen…” His voice was abnormally week, almost like it was muffled through wood.
“Rally all survivors and instruct them to meet at my position. We are returning to the hive to rest and rearm.”
“Understood, oh great…Q-queen.”
“This, this is just a minor setback. I will not be denied of what the changelings deserve. I will not be denied. May it all burn in hellfire if I cannot attain it.”
Chrysalis stared into the distance. She would be back, she swore.
