Chapter 7: Betrayal

2 Days earlier

Queen Chrysalis

Queen Chrysalis was sitting on her throne thinking of the things that would have to get done to grow her hive and even about the chance that the infamous Demon would fail the task she wanted to give him, then the question of if he even existed in the first place. She did not dwell on those questions too long seeing that she could just resort to an attack or finding someone else to do it. She was about to go back to looking at the storage of love the hive had when her messenger ran through the throne room doors panting when he stopped. “Ah, I see you are back though over an hour late.” She emphasised ‘hour’ with some irritation and a snarl before it vanished into her usual bored demeanor. “Anyway, you may explain your tardiness later. So did you find this demon that the legends speak of?”

The messenger bowed, “Yes my Queen I found what myself and some other scouts believe to be the Demon, the creature fit most of the description of the legends and the better news is that he accepted your offer saying to meet him in the ‘Greyfort Castle’ ruins in the ‘Sacred Woods’ noon tomorrow. But that brings me to my tardiness your Majesty. Shortly after the Demon and I parted ways I was captured by the royal guard. Later I was questioned and after many hours of questioning and waiting I was released and given a letter with the instructions to give it to you.” The Messenger fished for the letter in his brown coat's pockets and handed it to his queen’s guard for the Queen to receive.

The guard took the letter and gave it to his Queen. Chrysalis read the letter and then once more to make sure she was not misreading anything. Chrysalis looked at the changelings in the room and said with a wave of her hand “Messenger you may go guards prepare for the flight tomorrow.” The mentioned parties bowed and did as they were asked leaving the Changeling Queen alone in the sparsely decorated throne room. “Oh Celestia so desperate are we to go to me for help but for the price of enough love to last me and my subjects for over a decade how can I refuse, besides I will be rid of Queen Exo and get the love supply if he does succeed and if he fails I would still be able to get the reward from Celestia for getting rid of him.” The Changeling Queen burst out in laughter at her sudden fortune. She prepared her response and called the messenger and told him to get it to Princess Celestia quickly.

Present day

Tristan

After many hours of trekking the Sacred Woods the Greyfort Castle was in sight. I jogged the remaining distance not wanting to delay the possibility of finding a way back to my normal life for any longer than necessary. When I entered the castle I was greeted with Chrysalis sitting in one of two chairs at a faded wooden table that was not in the castle's front hallway before. She was dressed in the silky toxic green dress she wore during our first meeting but unlike then she had two Changeling guards wearing with black chitinous armor with several toxic green markings painted on, along with a sword on their hip and a spear in hand standing at full attention behind her.

Upon seeing me Chrysalis smiled as if she was seeing an old friend, it was odd and slightly unnerved me. “So you survived and managed to slay Queen Exo but did not see her advisers whom are probably alive right now.” Chrysalis sighed, “That is of not bother it will just delay the assimilation by a couple days. So you filled your part of the deal to satisfaction now it is my turn, so what do you want of me?”

I took a breath as I ignored the sultry look and tone that the Changeling Queen spoke with as she asked for my wish. “My request is simple, I want to go home to my own planet in my own body.”

I saw the Queen’s eyes widen for a moment before she regained her composure quickly enough that most would have never noticed. “So be it, I will see what I can do but I can make no guarantees that such a thing exists.”

I nodded putting my armored hand on the chin of my helmet, “Keep me up to date on your research.” I pulled out my knife and in a blur of motion I slammed it into the table with just enough force to crack it through the middle, causing Chrysalis's guards to crouch down and point their spears towards me. I ignored their gesture, “If I think you lied to me about any progress or lack of it I will personally find and tear your hive apart.”

The Changeling Queen smiled in response waving off her guard, “Of course, I would expect nothing less.”

“Now that we are at an understanding this meeting’s over, I’m sure that you know your way out.” I watched Crysalis get up and exit the castle with her guards silently following.

Once the Changeling Queen was out of sight I headed to the castle's second floor back to where Discord and I fought the Royal sisters so long ago and looked through a broken hole in the stone wall overlooking what used to be a garden behind the castle. I remembered leading troops through the garden to surprise and block in Celestia, Luna and whatever troops were inside the castle, while Discord lead troops into the front gate. I even remembered the plan, Discord was to distract the Sisters with a heavy frontal assault while my troops and myself went in through the garden. Alongside the small detachment of troops I commanded, I was to take down the wards suppressing Chaos magic in and around the castle, surprise Celestia and Luna and put a bullet in both of their heads.

If I was unable to kill them that way then I would use a panic rune that would notify Discord and he would give up the distraction and appear behind them and then kill them. Once the Princesses were dead we would finish off any who did not surrender, and Discord would fill his part of the bargain. Well we did not know about the Elements of Harmony or the damn Changeling mercenary that found out about the plan and sold the information to the sisters.

******

Myself and four of our best stealth units walked through service tunnels used by the maids to deliver room service to each room quickly and without disruption. I looked at a copy of the castle’s blueprints and mentally traced a path to the Magi’s chambers. The walk through the service tunnels was quiet but we made it to the Magi’s chambers where ten of the best mages that were in the sisters army maintained a suppressive ward that prevented a lot of Discord’s magic from doing any real harm while a group of five Alicornium armored and armed elite guards stood to prevent the mages from any threats. All of the pony’s following me drew their blades and I drew my combat knife, I held three fingers up and counted down. “On my command, three..two..one.. now!”

I kicked the opened the door and we all rushed the five nearest unicorns. I plunged my knife into the neck of a nearby mage and before they could react put the knife away and activated my energy sword, lunging for another mage. The weapon found itself inside the mages chest. The confusion cleared up by the time I killed the second mage after taking a quick look around I saw that there were enemy’s left in the room. This time the guards drew the swords out of their scabbards and charged us sword hands raised in the air eager for blood while the mages fired bolts of magic one hitting one of my soldiers the pain causing him to be open for a guard’s sword to pierce his neck.

The guard blindly lunging at me tried to put his sword through my neck, I effortlessly stepped to the side and with the momentum and my own strength, slammed the guard down on the ground with my free hand hearing the snap of bones and pained scream of the the guard just before I put my energy sword through his unprotected neck. The fight ended soon after with all the guards and mages dead and one of four of my soldiers dead. “Captain!” I called out.

“Sir?” replied Shadow Flame, a Bat Pony mare with a purple mane and tale both with a orange tint to them, wearing the grey-black armor that signified her position in my strike team.

“I want you and the rest of the fireteam to go back to camp.”

I got a response of “Yes sir” and the fireteam picked up the fallen soldier and left through the way we entered I disliked the idea of dismissing my squad but the next part of the plan would be risky at best near suicidal at worst and I didn’t want to put others in the way of certain death.

Before I left the Magi’s room I got out my pistol and checked its magazine despite the enchantments on it to automatically replenish over time. I holstered the pistol and left the room with a path to the war room in mind nothing that got in my way survived.

******

I remembered how the attack on the sisters went down. I entered the room shot at them they blocked the shots with magic and together used their magic to pin me to the wall. I was able to use the panic rune and after a rant about how things could have been different Discord appeared surprising the sisters and stopping their hold on me, then we fought.

My musings were stopped by three red blips on my motion tracker and the clanking of metal armor coming from the stairs behind me. Responding in turn I pulled out my magnum and aimed it at the intruders, the two to appear at the top of the stairs was a guard and much to my surprise Princess Celestia herself.

We had a small staring contest for a moment, my weapon trained on her head. “It seems the Changeling Queen did betray me after all, should have seen it coming.” I mused before getting back on topic. “Well we both know what side of the fence we stand and therefore will happen so let's get to it.”

I pulled out my magnum and before it was even possible for Celestia to react her guards had two large holes in their heads the gold plated steel doing nothing to save them. I just as quickly put my magnum on my hip and took out my Energy Sword and just as I hoped the Princess was enraged.

I briefly wondered why guards did not rush up when I fired my gun as I watched as Celestia drew her sword and lunged. I caught the blade with my hand and shoved her to the side. I took that moment and dashed to the exit. My question was quickly answered when a group of thirty guards were waiting for me in the throne room. “Shit” Upon seeing me the guards raised their sword hands and charged with some of the unicorn guards firing spells. I did not wait for an invitation and charged the group blocking my exit.

Once I reached the first line of them I slashed with my sword two fell, another attempted to attack my back I elbowed him and a crunch and a gargle in response. The fight continued like that for about ten or so minutes slicing and punching through the guards. By the end of it my Energy Sword was depleted and I gathered a couple of small burn marks when my shields overloaded and a couple of spells hit me.

Knowing that there were more than likely more I put the Energy Sword hilt on my hip to let it recharge and drew out my knife. “You have something waiting for me Celestia that’s why you're not here after you have lost thirty-two of your guard.” I mused before exiting the castle and sure enough there were what seemed to be hundreds of guards with spears and swords in hand. I knew that I could not fight them all and win but I did not need to I just had to get further into the forest. Though I was quite interested in the fact that Celestia was willing to risk this many troops to defeat me.

With a goal in mind I found a place with slightly less guards blocking my way into the forest and charged assault rifle in hand, firing bursts as I went and when one got too close bashing them with the but of the gun It was working and I was able to move quite quickly through the mass of troops but then Celestia once more got in my way.

The solar princess landed right in front of me and as I was about to barrel through her I saw the flash of six familiar gems and before I could attempt to destroy one I found myself turning to stone then the world faded to black.

Author's Note

Thanks for the patience and I hope that you enjoyed this new chapter despite it taking way too long.