Battle of Crystal Hill

*Crystal Tower, 11 days after news arrival.*

"-ou mean you saw some coming this way!" Screamed Sombra, cape flaring. "Would you tell me they are three to four days early?" Soaring stood still, seemingly unfazed by the unmistakably angry Sombra. "I'll repeat Sombra, they were a large scouting party, twenty at the most." She said with a air of uncharacter-like professionalism. "Please calm down, I've dispatched thirty-two of my best troops"

Sombra paced, his nostrils letting out puff after puff of white air. "You should not have send anyone without my permission." He looked over at her, obviously still displeased, however showing signs of calming. "It's a test of their battle prowess, and you were at least a three minute glide from me when I got the news. If I lost any more time our men would have lost sight of them." She said, muzzle moving quickly as she slid the words off her mouth. "I will not allow them any leeway this soon."

*Cutting to the changeling scouting party*

"Underqueen Z'rah, report what you have found." A voice carried to the mind of the green flamed mother. "No, difference in status, the city is obviously aware of our presence. It seems they had already done so before our infiltration unit was even inside. My party and I will be heading back toward the pack shortly, however we have become tired and plan on detaining a group of guards as they patrol the outskirts." The voice from the Queen was met with a response almost immediately, with a dark undertone. "What method of feeding?" Z'rah stood sonic-still for a few more moments before responding. "Seduction-Forms will be ineffective. Forced emotion extraction via capture and fangs."

The group moved to look over a snow covered bank on the outskirts of the city, the lush green of the field surrounding the city full of tents and ponies moving toe and fro. As Z'rah was scanning for prey that would be easy to snatch away without incident a voice yelled behind her, followed by loud hoof beats. Turning her head, she saw a group of ponies at least twenty-five strong charging her way. Too many! She panicked, barring teeth and sending out a mental call to arms of her party, scattered along the snow bank. Almost as one they all turned, battle stances and furious fangs dripping green visible.

The battle was turning for the worst for the guardsmen, many were strewn along the snow bank, bloody fang marks and bruises covered their still forms. Z'rah was fighting with a passion, obviously enjoying some of it as she impaled another foe on her horn while firing a bolt of green out the tip once it had protruded out the poor guard's backside. The bolt flew into the face of yet another guard who had just swiped his sword trough the tough natural armor of one of the lings, red blood streaking down the thin gash in the underskin. The guard barreled back, his face looking scorched but undamaged, when he attempted to continue fighting however, his legs gave out and almost instantly after his face planted in the ground in unconsciousness.

The battle had only lasted a mere minute before the victor was apparent. Z'rah allowed a small smirk, looking quite disgusting from the point of view from the remaining conscious guard, laying half-limp on the ground in a small pool of blood. "Y-you can't take this city." Z'rah's smirk of amusement  vanished, replaced by a cold face of stone. "Yes we can." With that she sent a bolt of magic into him, he fall limp, noticeably he had stopped bleeding when it hit however. "Retrieve any that were successfully rendered unconscious or are not dead from the wounds inflicted yet. Heal them and bring them with us. We dine tonight."

*To the View of Rooster Hoof*

"Well....Darn, I didn't think they could be beat." Exclaimed the rather surprised worker-pony as he looked down a slope of snow now stained with crimson in particular spots. Only the corpses of four of the darn creatures were accounted for. The entire guard force save the sizable fourteen bodies remain. The group of other militia members behind Rooster were somber, respectfully quite. "Well uhh.. I don't think we'd wanna chase after them." He said, sucking in a breath after. "Just...Grab one of them black suckers bodies and bring it back to the medical ponies in the city, the rest of you are with me carrying these poor souls back to their families." The group nodded in agreement, making small steps and movements as they went. Obviously shaken by the sight and thought that they had lost with more numbers. "Mr Hoof, we caint beat them if we got less men in the first place." Rooster looked over at the flustered stallion. "Now look here, if Sombra or that captain of the guard were here things would have been different. We got ourselves here notion that this group of them fanged boys had a leader. They had someone helping them in combat. We didn't and I think Sombra is gonna be a might upset that Miss Dash didn't send a leader with em. We'll see soon enough what our men can do when properly ordered in combat."

The rest of the talk was small as they made their way back to the city. Met with Soaring who had to fly alongside Rooster to talk. "What's the scoop?" Rooster looked over at her at the strange question. "They lost and you shoulda been there! That's what." The pegasus stopped mid-flight, hovering in place with her jaw open slightly, her white teeth visible. "I ain't gonna even tell you how bad it looked, but more than half the bodies are missing and almost non of the darn enemy died." She swallowed thickly. "Y-y-ou mean they are all gone? Dead or missing? From a scout party?" Rooster looked over his back at her still hovering form before answering with Venomous. "Pretty much. N' you are gonna tell Sombra how it's your fault for not taking them seriously. They obviously had a commanding officer or their version of one anyway."

"I didn't think you would fail me on our first engagement Miss Dash, if this is to happen again we will have some choice words. Ending in you as a crystal or the city as rubble because I'm stupid enough for you to get strike three." Was all that was said that night before the training requirements went way up, followed by increased armor production as Sombra slept.