Last Order

Chapter 3

Crash!!!

A crack appeared at the point where my head connected with the sphere.

“NOW OR NEVER, THE QUEEN IS DISCOVERED, ALL SQUADS AT MY MARK, GET THAT SHIELD DOWN!!!” General Drake screamed through the mind link.

“3...2...1... GOOOOOO!!!”

Crash!!!

The shield was strong, all respect to the caster, but it could not withstand the full force of the impact coming from two thousand different directions. So the inevitable happened, all the cracks connected and the sphere had to give in, it crashed down.

“MAIN ATTACK UNIT, SPRED OUT. All military troops, split up into your operation cells orders go through the operation cell leaders, AND REMEMBER RESTRAINING ONLY, DON'T INFLICT ANY LETHAL DAMAGE TO THE PONIES, WE NEED THEM ALIVE!!!”

That was when we lost the full link and got together into our twenty ling group, Drake flew to our position and gave a few orders: “We will be the anti reinforcement and supply group we have positions around the town that have to be secured, we have position alpha, any aggressor has to be restrained, you have authorisation for ‘poison’, ‘Anti-shield-Skyfall’ and ‘Cocoon’, formation arrow, SQUAD FIVE MOVE OUT!!!”

After the commands were given we went into formation, our destination was the gate at the town entrance.

We spotted forty guard, they were in combat with some of the civilian Changelings that crashed in from the west side.

“Make yourself look like pegasi and surprise them from behind, we can cut them in half and take on the rest”

All royal guards looked nearly the same so the disguise was easy to pull off, one of them saw us approaching and shouted something to his comrade.

Maybe they thought they got reinforcements. Their hopes got shattered quickly as we all collided with our targets. At the impact moment we lifted our disguise and rammed our teeth into the space that was free on their necks. Changeling teeth have a toxin that can paralyze a target within five seconds when their blood pressure is high enough, we had to be careful so we don’t use too much of it because if it is concentrated enough it can kill, one quick bite and kick them away with a buck on their chest piece, no lethal damage and the whole thing only took us three seconds, not enough time for them to realize what happened to one half of their squad.

But enough time for an Operation cell that was connected in mind to get into formation.

“Hold position!” we heard the command in our brain.

I imminently went behind my four squad members, as a medic I was a important assistance force and had to give a tactical overview and support spells like shields and a sometimes defensive blasts to protect my fellow lings from being shoot and if they get injured to give immediate medical assistance, I don’t like to brag but I am proud of the fact that I managed to keep all of my squad-mates alive since I started my medic career.

Now we had the advantage, with the quick hit we reduced them to equal numbers and we had a formation while they where shattered, we most likely hit their commander with the arrow because the moment they realized what happened they all lost formation and attacked us completely random.

It was a short lived resistance. The four combat-lines we established where enough to knock them out in the blink of an eye, quick, efficient, none lethal.

“Restrain them!” was the next command that followed. So we did.

The civilian fighters continued the offense and went for the town.

Before I could get the last guard to the pile where we tied them up, I found out that he was not so out cold as I thought. He tried to hit me with his wing blade, but the poison was inside his system, his movements where slow and sluggish.

One of his hind legs was completely dislocated, he probably had the bad luck to fight Blade Wall, this idiot couldn't even spell non lethal. I did learn a few things about pony anatomy before we went to the fight, all Changelings did, knowing your enemy is the road to victory.

Still while he was lying in the grass, watching me with cold and hating eyes I could only pity him, we where the evil, we were attacking his home.

A dislocated limb if not treated right away can block the blood flow and lead to amputation ore dead.

I couldn't bring peace but my promise still stood ‘to protect lives’. It was my creed and will always be.

I stepped behind the stallion that still glared at me, positioned his hoof between my hind legs and pressed with my full body weight. The loud crack gave me the signal that his bone was back in his natural position. The stallion screamed in pain, it gave him the rest and so he passed out.

The whole thing happened while we still had the squad link so it did not went unnoticed by my teammates some where shaking their head while others gave me a understanding smile.

The position secured and the guards restrained we waited for orders and after a while they came inform of a certain genius.

“We have secured the weapons and their leader is out cold, we start with the next phase!” was the direct order, next phase that meant we won, all defences down, no resistance left, we won.

A small amount of joy spread through the link, we have won, that insane plan worked, we achieved it, victory.

Not one of us was prepared for what happened next.

A shield was expanding from the castle with extreme speed and taking every Changeling along, the expanding was so fast and with so much force they got torn apart mid flight.

“COCOON!!!”

The brut force of the scream and the mental command was enough reap me out of my thoughts and follow the order.

And it was not a second to early.

The impact hurt, the extreme powers that were working on my shield felt like i got hit by a mountain, with closed eyes I managed to keep it intact. In that moment I learned how it felt to be a hoof ball.

I dared to open my eyes for a moment to be greeted with a sight that would burn into my brain. Hundreds of lings getting torn apart, ripped into pieces and then disappearing into ashes and get blown away with the wind, hundreds of us. I could only take that sight for two seconds. I closed my eyes and prayed, I didn’t know for what, that this was a bad dream, to survive the crash, a quick death I simply didn’t know.

As we passed the border to Equestria I snapped out of my day-dream, day-nightmare was a better term.

“We can’t risk attracting attention, split up and make you own disguise up, we should reach Ponyville in an hour” that confused me, didn't Twilight Sparkle live in Canterlot?

Having the mind-connection running I broadcasted my concern.

“No, while the Queen was observing her she was living in a town called Ponyville, southwest from Canterlot, she should be at the market in the morning, we can use the crowd as a advantage to get in position, Blackshell you will observe from above, remember the package has to reach her and we need a distraction for seven seconds, the crystals and the serum has to be taken in about two minutes before the operation start now spread out!” there was a short delay before he added:” All-free”.

At that moment it was clear, there will be wounded and worst case scenario death.

I took the form of a mint green Pegasus with a wheel for cutie mark and went to the west town entrance.

After I arrived at the little town, we got the information of the target position that indeed was moving to the town marked.

“Ok, all take in the crystal and take in the serum“ came Drakes order.

I took the little Uranium-crystal out of my hole and eyed it a bit before swallowing it, the feeling of my magic rising felt good, until I remembered that I now have two, five inch crystals inside of me that will have to get out somehow. My poor flank.

'Now to the second goody'. I reached into my saddlebag and pulled the serum out.

It was a green pulsing mass and definitely not healthy. by any means.

‘Well let’s see what it does’ was my thought before I drank it in one go.

Imagine a rotten apple and mix it with some dirt that is how it tasted, I had to hold back so I don't vomit it out right away.

After I got over the bad taste I stared my pace into town.

We approached the marked, the four with the serum on the ground the rest through the air and there she was the target was moving with a little dragon we kept our ten foot distance and waited for the command, Brain was sitting on a cloud and gave us the tactical overview, Blade Wall to my right and Shadow Dancer to my left.

“Approach and start the circle, Blade Wall on my command you get that dragon away from her that is the signal for all air forces to engage sky-fall, target all ponies that are close, try to knock them away, remember seven seconds is the time window we need, do anything necessary to keep the other ponies away” came the command from Brain and Drake.

“3...”

Slowly we approached, with a quick look to the sky I managed to catch a glimpse on the seventeen disguised Changelings waiting for a command.

“2...”

When making a circle with four Changelings than they have to be at a seven feet distance to the target, Shadows and Kanes and my distance was perfect, Blade was next to Shadow waiting for the signal so that he could ram the dragon away and take position opposite Shadows.

“1...”

Time seemed to stand still while I made myself ready for the inevitable. There were about thirty ponies on the soon to be battlefield. It would not be a pretty sight.

“GO!!!”

Blade Wall rushed forward and rammed Head first into the dragon that in return crashed into the cart behind him.

At the same time all Changelings crashed down like a meteor the unfortunate ponies close to the impacts were torn from their hoofs.

The target that had no idea what just happened made a panicky blast that missed horribly, while we dismissed our disguise and started channelling our magic.

six seconds left.

A red Earth pony stallion got quickly to his hoofs and started to dash forward most likely to protect Twilight. His dash got stopped by five Changelings smashing into him from the left. He got impaled on their horns and but still was on his feet, that guy was one hell of a pony.

In the meantime Twilight get her senses back and started an offensive spell in my direction.

The spell was interrupted by our general that has thrown himself into the blast. He smashed into the wall behind me before falling together into ashes.

Four seconds left, the first runes started forming under my feet.

A rainbow colored blur shot into our direction, and it was going fast, way too fast, if it would have hit the ground next to us we would lose our concentration, operation failure.

After taking a better look I managed to find out that it was a pony that was flying that fast, Shadow would definitely be jealous.

She was racing towards Blade who made himself ready for the impact.

She was barely ten foot away.

Her flight came to an abrupt end, Brain interrupted her by smashing into her side and hold her with his bear hooves. She completely lost control and smashed into a building, Brain holding his grip on her, smashed with her but the impact was to strong and he became dust.

The rainbow colored mare quickly was back on her feet and tried to continue her rush, only to find out that something was keep hold of her.

Brain enchanted his body cells so that they held together after he died. He didn’t let go, not even over his dead body, literally.

Two seconds left, the runes where all now clearly visible. And started expanding outwards

Twilight Sparkle created a bubble around her to protect herself from whatever was about to hit her.

Behind her was yellow Pegasus that lifted slowly of the ground with eyes closed.

When she opened them I had a feeling that my skin was ripped from me with a butter knife, it was the eyes of fear. I knew this ability it was made to inflict mortal agony to the opponent, and it would have worked if not for the fact that I wasn't afraid from the death, not anymore.

Zero, the spell was finished.

The circle under my feet was over the whole marked that was empty now except for the big red earth pony, the Changeling squad and the target.

Her shield was strong but she did the one beginner error that all made who had no knowledge about shields, she forgot to protect her bottom, and that is where the spell hit her.

Then the pain came. It was unbearable, thousands off needles ripping me apart, I wanted to scream I wanted to curl together into a tiny ball and cry, I just wanted it to end.

And it did, as fast as the pain came that fast is ended, I looked around to see all my fellow lings to be in a similar state the red earth pony was no exception Shadow gave me a smile and waved his hoof, he was saying goodbye.

Then he fell apart, he was not the only on all Changeling suddenly lost leg ore a wing whatever the serum did it needed extreme amounts of power, stolen from its surroundings, the grass around us was dead, rotten, the spell pulled away all live force.

I looked up into the sky, directly at the sun, I felt no pain, no hate, no joy, no emotion at all.

A large winged creature was coming towards me from the sky, it was a beautiful white.

I asked myself ’Is that an angel, coming for me?’ while my vision got blurry.

With closed my eyes i gave my last prayer.

I was ready.