War never changes, no matter how much we wish it would. Needless bloodshed, destruction, and sacrifice. Sorrow, grief, and anger. These are the only things to come of war. Heroism, bravery, and perseverance are needed to survive war’s cruelty. We must remember the mares and stallions who sacrifice their lives to protect their country. This is the tale of two such ponies and the trials they went through to save their illustrious leader and defend their beloved homeland.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“INCOMING!” The squad leader shouted as the cannonball shot straight at her group. The soldiers scattered behind walls and pillars as hot dirt and shrapnel showered the room. A piece of shrapnel flew straight through the hole in one of the soldiers’ leg.He let out a sigh of relief.
“Alright! Split up and regroup at the location indicated... now!.” A picture flashed in the soldiers minds for a brief moment. The squad split into pairs and left down separate hallways.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I just don’t understand how they could just attack us like this. How could the griffons attack us so randomly and preemptively Shapes?” asked one of the soldier, her voice high pitched and sweet, as they walked down the dark hallway. “What did we do to them?”
“I don’t know Syphon, but I plan to find out.” Shapes’s voice was deep and carefree. Shapes let out a sigh. “Let’s just keep going. I think we’re close.” The two approached the next room and gasped. Shapes ran out the room and wretched in a corner. The body parts of four changelings were scattered across the room, their heads mounted on pikes and cerulean blood coating the once black walls. The bodies of two griffons lay on the floor on the opposite side of the room. There were holes in their chests with drops of blood dripping from them, creating tiny pools of blood on the floor.
Shapes walked back into the room, wiping his mouth. “Wh-what happened?” he stammered. “Why would they desecrate our corpses? I know they hate us changelings, but to think they’d stoop so low.... Damn them.” Shapes walked up to the pike impaling the head of their squad leader and bowed his head.. “I’m so sorry ma’am. We should have been here sooner.” Tears began to run down his face. Maybe then you’d still be alive.” Shapes felt a hoof on his shoulder.
“I’m so sorry Shapes. I know she was like a mother to you, but I don’t think you could have done anything to save them. There are numerous talon prints leading out the room on the other side. We would have been slaughtered. If it’s any consolation, I think the captain got the only kills. Take pride in that,” she stated, taking off the captain’s helmet and putting it on Shapes’s head, “And live to carry on all she stood for.” She gave Shapes a kiss on the cheek.
“Thanks Syphon,” Shapes said. He wiped his face and gave Syphon a beaming smile. “Let’s find who did this so we can keep them from doing it to anymore of our brethren.
“Lead the way sir,” Syphon joked. “Lead on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shots whizzed past Shapes and Syphon. They were pinned down behind a slab of the floor from above. Judging from the pictures hanging on the wall, Shapes assumed a family had up there and he hoped they had made it to safety before the floor collapsed. He threw a few magical bolts over the debris, then hid back behind cover.
“That’s just sad,” Syphon whispered. She pointed a hoof at the floor. A trail of cerulean blood was streaming from underneath a fallen dresser on the floor slab. “Must have come from above.”
“Damn it. I had hoped they’d made it out.” Shapes charged up a bolt and went to fire it. A bullet hit his helm, denting it and causing him to lose control of the spell. The bolt hit the ceiling causing more of the upstairs to crash down on one of the griffons attacking the two.
Shapes turned to toward Syphon and gasped. Cerulean blood was running down her face from somewhere in her hair.
“I’m fine Shapes. Just hit my ear. It was close though.” Syphon smiled. Her horn flared as she fired two bolts at the remaining griffons. Both shots hit their target. “And it’ll take more than dumb luck to impress m-... the captain,” she said smiling again.
Shapes chuckled. “I have to impress you? Who’d have thought that one?” He gently pushed her and she dramatically fell to the ground. They both laughed and she pulled him down, threw her front legs around Shapes, and kissed him. At that moment, a bullet whizzed past where Shapes had just been. The two jumped up and turned to see a changeling in the doorway behind them, his hoof touching the gun.
“Oh my! I’m so sorry. You ok?” he asked, worry oozing out of every word. He quickly took his hoof away the gun and gave a sheepish grin.
“Aside from the heart attack you almost gave us, I think we’re peachy,” retorted Shapes. “What’s your name and are you military or civilian?”
“Private Chitin, sir! Today was my first day of duty. My squad lead sent me ahead to scout the area. Speaking of sir, where’s your squad?”
Shapes took off his helmet. “We lost them a while back. It’s been us two for a few hours,” Shapes replied, his voice becoming low and somber. “Griffons butchered them then mutilated the bodies before we had a chance to regroup.” Shaped began to hit the helmet, banging out the dent and releasing some frustration. “Our squad leader was taken out, but not before she put holes in two of the bastards.”
“I’m sorry sir. Do you want me to take you to my squad leader?”
“Please do,” replied a very somber Shapes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I’m sorry fer yer loss, son.” Crooked Bolt, a famous changeling soldier, had a very gruff and deep voice, but right now it was extraordinarily soothing. “‘Tis good to see another friendly face though. Been seeing griffons all damned day. Ah’m tired of it.” Crooked stomped his hoof on the ground. “There’s been no word of the queen’s whereabouts either.”
“Thank you Captain. It’s great to see you too, sir,” replied Shapes. He took off his helmet and saluted.,
“At ease soldier. And call me Crooked, son,” Crooked said, a stern look on his face.”
“Yes sir, Crooked. If you don’t mind, I’ve got a plan.” Crooked nodded. “Ok, well we need to find the Queen. Syphon and I will move on the queen’s chambers and see what we can find. You should probably move to the throne room. And squadrons either of us see should be sent there as well. I know our queen hates the throne room, but it is the most secure place in the hive. That sound good sir?
“It sure does, son. Now get out there and make our queen proud.” Crooked’s horn glowed as he lifted Shape’s helmet off the floor and placed it back on Shape’s head. “And make yer squad proud.” He turned to the soldiers of his squad. “Alright ya roaches! We’re moving to the throne room. Fer the hive!”
“For the hive!” cheered his squad. Buzzing filled the room as the six changelings began flapping their wings. The squad zoomed out, the buzzing dying out as they left down one of the many windinding hallways of the hive.
“Shall we go Shapes?” Syphon asked sweetly.
“Let’s” Shapes said. The two walked out of the room. Once they were gone, the room was utterly silent and empty save the flickering shadows coming from the torches on the wall.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the duo approached the hall to Chrysalis’s chamber, the sound of mechanical buzzing assaulted their ears. The noise was accompanied by the shrieking of metal on metal and yelling. Shapes and Syphon stopped at the corner. Shapes poked his head around then snapped back behind the wall.
“This doesn’t look good at all. We’ve got at least a dozen griffons around the corner. We need a surprise attack. Ready to put that training to the test?” Shapes asked Syphon.
Syphon nodded. The duo transformed into griffons and made noise on the floor t o simulated walking down the hallway. They turned corner.
“The commander wants this door opened NOW!” yelled Syphon, her voice becoming a smidge deeper and much colder. She began walking into the crowd. “I see anyone slacking, I will send you to the commander so she can punish you. Do you understand?”
“What the flying FEATHERS is going on out here?” asked the captain of the griffon squadron at the top of his lungs. He came out of his tent and looked around.
“Captain Steeltalons!” the griffons exclaimed as they saluted the captain. Syphon was the only one to not salute.
“At ease soldiers. You!” Steeltalons exclaimed as he walked straight up to Syphon. “Why are you yelling at my soldiers!?”
“Commander wants this door down right this instant!” she replied.
“Cutting team! How much longer?” asked Steeltalons.
“Any... second.... Now!” With that the door crashed to the floor.
“Good! No-” Steeltalons was interrupted as bolts of energy flew from Syphon’s horn, one completely obliterating Steeltalon’s face. The bolts flew in random directions, putting holes into anything they hit. Shapes, who had stayed back at the turn, had shields up over the two openings and Syphon before he was a changeling again. The tip of Syphon’s horn stuck out of the shield protecting her from bullets, allowing her to shoot the bolts around the room. It was a tactic Shapes and Syphon had been perfecting for months.
Once enough of the griffons were down, Syphon cast her own shield allowing Shapes to take the shield off her and put it onto himself. Before he put his shield on, Shapes threw bolts at some of the machinery causing explosions and smoke to fill the room. The two ran, shields up, to Chrysalis’s chamber. Shapes pulled the shield blocking the chamber down for a brief moment to allow the two through. Once they were through, the two went to search for the queen, only to find her sleeping in her bed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“And that’s why I was in the bed disguised as Chrysalis,” finished the royal assistant.
“So you played decoy to trick the griffons and allow the queen to get to the throne room unnoticed?” asked Shapes for clarification. If that was the case, Shapes hoped Crooked had made it to the throne room safely and was guarding the queen.
“That is correct,” the assistant stated bluntly. “There’s a passageway behind the bed if you wish to get to her. I’ll try to hold the griffons off as long as I can.”
“Why can’t you come with us?” Syphon asked worriedly. “There should be no need to sacrifice yourself.”
“I must, if you wish to have the passageway sealed behind you. The mechanism to close the passageway from the inside was shot by a griffon on their first raid before we could seal off the chamber.”
“Curses. I’m so sorry,” Syphon said, her voice low and sorrowful. “We won’t let your sacrifice be in vain then.” She placed a hoof on the assistant’s shoulder.
“Alright, sentiment time is over. You need to go.” He ushered the duo to the bed and pulled one of the bedposts, revealing a long set of stairs leading to a large passageway.”This will lead you straight to the throne. Should take about an hour.Oh, and be careful once you’re on the other side. The queen will probably have guards on the throne to kill trespassers. Keep your head down. He pushed the two into the passageway and sealed it. He shot a bolt at the bedpost, snapping it off, and turned towards the doorway. After a moment, the shield went down and a griffon entered.
“Hold right there you freak,” said the griffon. Try anything a-” the bedpost impated the griffon.
“And so the battle begins,” mumbled the assistant.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had felt like more than just an hour in the passage, but the assistant had been right about the throne. As soon as it had moved, royal guards had bombarded the passageway. If the two had not ducke, they would have been pulverized. Even then, they had come close to not making it. The guards had only stopped when Shapes levitated out his helmet.
“Hello my subjects. I’m guessing my assistant sent you through?” asked Queen Chrysalis herself. “I’m sorry about my guards.”
The duo walked into the hall and gasped. Royal guards and barricades littered the room. Guards were in rafters and behind pillars waiting to ambush anyone who came through the door. Shapes became worried when he didn’t see Crooked’s squad.
“There’s no reason so say sorry, your majesty,” Syphon declared, bowing, “it makes sense why you would have guards attack the only other way the griffons could get in.” She sighed. “How’s the battle going, ma’am?”
“Most of the griffons have actually retreated already. They realized that they couldn’t beat us on our own land. The hive is much more complex than they anticipated, and we’d beaten back most of the forces outside. Those left are either too intent on killing us, or they haven’t gotten the message to retreat.We have numerous squads out looking for any mo-.” Chrysalis was cut off as the two doors guarding the throne room blew open.
Shields went up instantly. The shields pulsed as bullets bombarded them. Two of the shields went down before the firing ceased. The whole hall went silent.
“This is Captain Crooked Bolt. Can we come in?” Crooked’s voice was music to Shapes’s ears despite the gruff tone of it. “Ah got me the queen’s assistant too.” The queen nodded, and the shields lowered. Squadrons of changelings filtered into the hall, some with prisoners in tow. Shapes smiled. The plan had worked.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“After ah found me a few squads, I sent one to check on the queen’s quarters. They found yer friend here,” Crooked pointed at the queen’s assistant, “fending off four griffons. They helped him out an’ brought him to me. I helped get him here safely.”
“Thank you Crooked. It would have saddened me greatly to see him harmed.” Chrysalis nodded her head. “How did you manage to find so many squads though?”
“Ah split my squad up so we could find em faster. Worked like a charm.” Crooked turned to Shapes. “He managed to not almost shoot someone either.” He winked.
Shapes chuckled. Changelings were getting together and sharing stories of the battle. He lowered his head in sorrow. He missed his squad. Syphon was right, the leader had been like a mother. But, then again, he had all these new friends to be with. He also had Syphon. He looked to his right to see Syphon walking up to him.
“Get any good stories from Crooked’s squad?” he asked.
“Only that they look up to you for your plan.” She chuckled. Who know something so simple would make you famous?”
“Oh good,” Shapes retorted, “Just what I alway wanted.” He winked at her. The two of them left the hall and walked down one of the many hallways of the hive. “Who’s to say that changelings can’t love.” The two embraced in a passionate kiss.
Author's Note
This is, in fact, my first fanfic and pony fic. If you could not tell, then that's a good thing. I want to thank anybody who got far down enough to actually read this as it mean you most likely enjoyed the fic enough to read it all the way through. And comments, concerns, criticisms, or any other words that may or may not begin with the letter C (for C is For cookie and that's good enough for me) are welcome below.
