A Storm is Coming

A Storm is Coming

Ch. 5: To the Death

Canterlot Castle was a warzone. Black dots swarmed in groups about the battlements, while the air sang with the sound of crashing lightning and pealing thunder, a chorus of magic and steel, and the cries of the wounded. Black cloud contrails traced intricate patterns through the shadows of the towers. All the while, rain fell in torrents about the combatants.

Above the fray hovered a tall, lank Changeling. Her mouth was set in a sneer as she surveyed the battle in progress below her. Queen Chrysalis laughed mirthlessly at the scene.

A Changeling in a blue cuirass and helmet, signifying his place of rank in her horde, joined her. He bowed his head respectfully toward her.

“My queen, the siege of Canterlot is proving more difficult than anticipated. The ponies were able to marshal together a defense quicker than expected.”

“That is not a problem.” Chrysalis waved the comment away with a hole filled hoof. “They will fall soon enough.”

“My queen, some of the troops were wondering if you intended to enter the battle at some point…”

He shrank away from her vicious glare. She smirked, fangs protruding beneath her lips.

“In chess, the pawns go first.”

The Changeling gulped, nodding his head quickly.

“As you say, my queen. Also, we were wondering when it would be acceptable to feed on their love. You gave us the order to not change form in the battle.”

At this, the queen’s smirk turned into a snarl.

“Our last defeat came as a grave surprise. I want them to know who defeats them now. There will be no changing form or consumption of love until after this fight is over. They will see our faces and they will fall by our hooves. And I will enter the fray when it pleases me. Go back to the battle, captain. Break their will.”

“Yes, my queen,” the captain said. Without another word, he buzzed away, bug-like wings flapping hard against the rain. Chrysalis turned her attention back to the carnage that was taking place beneath her.

And now I wait for the opportune moment, she thought. As she looked out at the battle, her gaze fell on a slate grey Alicorn darting amongst the flyers.

Taranis flew wildly, all thoughts dedicated to losing the trail of Changelings behind him. Around him, ponies fought for their lives. The cries of the wounded pierced his mind and body like a literal spear. With a grunt, he teleported directly behind his pursuers and shocked two of them with a bolt of lightning from his horn, frying them in an instant, followed by a series of quick kicks and jabs to finish off the rest. Each blow was accompanied by a satisfying crunch as hoof met hard exoskeleton. The Changelings dropped like limp flies to the ground below.

Grateful for a breather, he glanced around the battleground. For the past hour, his troops had held up better than he had anticipated, and the Wonderbolts were performing admirably, working the weather to their advantage, and confusing their enemies with complex aerial strikes. The Royal Guards fared less well. Being weighed down by heavy armor meant that they were less effective against the fast Changeling fighters. However, they fought valiantly, and several spears were now coated in a fine layer of green Changeling blood.

A screech interrupted his thoughts, as he now saw another Changeling charge headfirst toward him. The attacker’s stunted horn lit up, covering him in a sickly green glow. Before he had a chance to respond to the threat, Taranis was shocked to see a rainbow blur shoot past him, slamming into the charging trooper. Rainbow Dash head butted the Changeling, dropping him instantly. Taranis could not help but smile. He shot toward her.

“Rainbow!”

The Pegasus looked back to the Alicorn.

“Yeah?”

Taranis bowed his head.

“I thank you. Also, forget about any practice sessions. As far as I’m concerned, you are a Wonderbolt now,” he said. He meant every word.

Rainbow tried and failed to maintain an indifferent attitude. She grinned at him, only to laugh and glance at her hoof, slick with blood and rain.

“Eh, don’t sweat it. You can thank me when the battle is over,” she said as nonchalantly as possible. Taranis grinned as he saw the joy that shone in her magenta eyes. She could act relaxed all she wanted, but he could tell that she was beside herself.

They flew off, looking to rejoin the battle. Taranis looked below him and saw the other Elements fighting in a tight circle, a swarm of Changelings on all sides. He swooped down, guiding himself in a corkscrew motion, creating a whirlwind in his wake. In no time at all, he had flown around the Changelings, gathered them into the whirlwind, and had launched them into the air, only to be picked off by the lightning bolts of Wonderbolts and their passing clouds. He landed neatly in front of Twilight and her friends.

“I am surprised at you, Twilight. You were having a party and you didn’t even invite me.”

Pinkie cocked her head and fixed Taranis with a quizzical look.

“Well, of course this isn’t a party, silly! I throw parties for a living, and this is definitely not a party. I would know if it were a party.”

“I was making a joke, Pinkie.”

“Oh, well you should really work on your delivery. Or get somepony who can write comedy for you.”

Now it was Taranis who looked quizzical. He opened his mouth as though to say something, changed his mind and closed it again. He looked back at Twilight.

“How are you faring? I know that force field did a number on you.”

Twilight shrugged. Her hair was plastered to her face, and her breath came in spurts. The same was true of her friends. Fluttershy looked close to tears.

“I’m doing fine. Got a bit of a headache, but I’ll manage.”

“I have another question: the last time, these things changed to impersonate you and your comrades. Why have they not changed now?”

Another shrug.

“I don’t know the answer to that. Maybe they don’t want to confuse each other with the enemy?”

“Perhaps,” Taranis said as he looked back to the dogfights. “I need to return to my troops. Good hunting.” He flew away in the direction of the fiercest fighting.

“Good hunting,” Twilight echoed, turning back to her friends. “How is everypony doing?”

“Honestly, Ah’ve been better, sugarcube.” Applejack was favoring her left foreleg, grimacing whenever it came into contact with the ground. She had taken a hard hit from a Changeling captain at the onset of battle, and had been forced to fight on it for the past hour.

“Aside from my hair being an absolute disaster, no serious harm has come to me, dear.” Rarity was covered in a few minor cuts and bruises, but nothing serious.

Fluttershy said nothing, preferring to shudder at the chaos around them.

“I’m okie-dokie-loki, Twilight.” Pinkie had once again brought out her party cannon, and had a pile of Changelings in the corner bearing the damage of her high-powered confetti blaster. Aside from a black eye, she looked none the worse for wear.

Twilight nodded to the group.

“Since we don’t have the Elements with us, it might be best if we split up and try to help in any way we can. We need to contain this chaos as much as possible. Can you walk, AJ?”

The apple farmer grimaced, but immediately replaced it with a confident smile.

“Shoot, Ah’ve been through worse. Ah’ll manage.”

“Ok. Let’s go to different sections and fight from there. AJ, you head for the northeast corner. Rarity, the southeast. Pinkie, go northwest, Fluttershy, go southwest, and see about helping out the medics set up there. I know you don’t want to fight. We’ll let Rainbow continue fighting in the air. I’ll find a tower and shoot down whomever I can.”

With a nod, the friends shot away to do their respective roles.

Soarin’ panted heavily, looking desperately for a cloud. He was locked in hoof-to-hoof combat with a rather large Changeling, and it was giving him a pummeling. Blood oozed out of his left nostril, and one of his eyes wouldn’t open all the way. He ducked under a right hook and sent his own forehoof upward, smashing the Changeling’s shell underneath its chin. His opponent went limp and dropped like a stone.

Soarin’ breathed a sigh of relief and took off, searching for a cloud, or another pony to fight with. He and Spitfire had upheld their assigned duties, but as the fighting had gotten more chaotic, he had gotten separated from his troops in the initial struggle. Now it was just a free-for-all. He had had his doubts about being turned into a military force again, but now he was grateful for all of that training. It had saved his life several times over tonight.

The sound of a scuffle below startled him. He looked down and saw Applejack, fighting alone against a duo of Changelings. He shot down like a bolt of lightning, colliding with the biggest one. They landed in a heap a good distance away, and Soarin’ swung him around with his forehooves, letting go and sending him headfirst into a window. He did not rise again.

He turned back to help the farmpony and saw her buck the other fighter into the air.  She glanced at him as she gasped out breaths.

“Ah had it handled.”

Soarin’ grinned at her.

“Sure you did.”

Applejack offered a grin of her own.

“Besides,” Soarin said over the roar of thunder. “I can’t let the best cook in Equestria die.”

Before the farmer could retort, they were surrounded again. On all sides, bared fangs and snarls met them.

“By the Sisters, it’s like they just keep coming.”

“What’s the matter, flyboy? Nervous?” Applejack asked.

“Not on your life,” Soarin’ shot back. “I’ll make a bet with you: I take out more than you, I get another apple pie for no charge. If you get more than me, I’ll pay double.”

Applejack offered a wry smile.

“So either way, you get an apple pie?”

“Now you’re getting the idea.”

Without another word, he launched himself at the closest opponent.

The Royal Sisters were back-to-back, sending spells flying all around them. Changelings were in turn incinerated, crushed and vaporized as the two Alicorns brought death to all who opposed them. Celestia kept peering around for their queen, certain that she would show up any minute. She was not nervous, knowing that Luna would help in the ensuing confrontation, but the fact that she was probably here sent pangs of anger through her. She was anxious for a rematch.

Luna cast an Eversleep spell, sending four Changelings hurtling to the ground like rag dolls, completely unconscious. She chanced a glance at her sister.

“Is it just me, or is this too easy?”

The Sun Sister returned the stare. Sweat swam down on her forehead, mixing with the rainwater.

“My thoughts exactly. Why hasn’t their queen shown up yet?”

“And why haven’t they attempted to change?” Luna asked before shooting another Changeling down.

Celestia shook her head, matted hair swishing in the wind.

“This battle is raising far more questions than I like.”

Luna nodded her silent agreement. This whole battle seemed…off. Like they were missing the final piece to a puzzle.

“I’m going to go rally the Night Guard and work on a coordinated strike. Will you be fine by yourself?”

In answer, Celestia sent a massive fireball forth from her horn, turning a Changeling captain to ash.

“I’ll manage.”

Spitfire rolled with the current, picking up speed as she and three other Wonderbolts twisted in a tight wheel formation. She thanked Celestia for her goggles as rain splattered her face. Between the four aerialists floated a cloud, carried by their momentum. They were on a crash course for a roving squad of Changelings that were making mincemeat out of Steel Hoof’s squad of Royal Guards.

“NOW!” Spitfire roared, and all four Wonderbolts broke away from the cloud, flew behind it, and launched it toward their targets. The rogue cloud struck the first Changeling, causing a chain reaction as lightning bolted forth and zapped the whole group. The Guards waved their appreciation before turning their attention elsewhere.

A boom greeted Spitfire’s ears, and at first she thought it was the crack of thunder. A rainbow streak and similar colored shockwave flew past her, leaving a trail of dead Changelings in its wake. Spitfire struggled to regain use of her mouth, as it was reduced to hanging open in awe of Rainbow Dash’s spectacular speed.

She felt a small pang of jealousy. She had been unable to complete a Sonic Rainboom. Celestia knew she tried. Her yelps of surprise at meeting the unfriendly sound barrier had become a common sound during Wonderbolt practice sessions following the Best Young Flyers competition.

She was roused from her musings by the snarling of a Changeling behind her. She smirked and accelerated, flying into a swift barrel roll. Her hunter was still behind her, and appeared to be closing in.

The Wonderbolt Lieutenant Commander abruptly applied the brakes going into a tight curve, and watched with satisfaction as hunter became hunted, her assailant passing into her line of sight, unable to break in time. Spitfire was a quick study, and it had taken only a few maneuvers to determine that Changelings could not bank to save their lives.

She made quick work of him after that, slamming his forehead straight into a wall. When she paused to catch a breath, she realized just how tired she was. Her body ached and her wings felt like they were about to fall off.

I hope you think of something soon, Commander. We can’t do this forever. They’ll just overwhelm us with sheer numbers unless we do something.

The grey Alicorn called forth a bolt of lightning, frying a Changeling threatening an injured guard. He alighted next to the young stallion.

“Get to the triage set up in the southwest corner. You have done enough.”

“Thanks…your Highness.” The Unicorn limped away, taking cover in a side alley.

Taranis breathed heavily, every muscle group screaming in pain. He could not continue like this. His troops could not keep going. They were doing well, but there were pony corpses mixed in with Changeling corpses on the ground.

He shook his head, clearing his mind of doubt.

We have to hold on. They’ve been beaten before.

He turned around…

…and found himself face-to-face with Queen Chrysalis.

The Changeling queen had decided to take the field. Her eyes flashed maliciously and her grin turned absoluetely predatory.

“Hello, handsome.”

Before Taranis could react, the Changeling queen planted her mouth on his, in a kiss completely devoid of passion. Taranis’ vision turned blurry, as though she was stealing something from him.

“Mmmmnf…” was the only response he could make.

As quickly as it happened, she released him, using her magic to blast him through a wall. He slowly stumbled to his feet, shaking his head to regain his senses.

What the HAY was that about?

He decided that he could worry about it later. He had to keep fighting for his subjects. For his mother’s subjects. He had to get to her, and help plan a counterattack, and tell her that he had seen the queen.

He flew toward her general vicinity, following her magical aura.

Princess Celestia sent two well-aimed back hooves slamming into the chest of a Changeling captain, sending him tumbling to the ground. She had chosen as her battlefield the tallest tower in Canterlot. She figured that it would be the best place to oversee the battle, and to provide her soldiers with a moral boost upon seeing their princess fighting alongside them.

A grey speck caught her attention, turning into a grey Alicorn as it flew closer.

“Mother!”

“Taranis!”

Taranis landed next to her. He looked tired, but he seemed to be in one piece.

“Mother,” he repeated, breathing heavy. “I saw the queen!”

That got her attention.

“Where?” She asked simply.

He pointed west. “Out there, near the lower buildings.”

“Very well,” Celestia said, facing away from her son and looking to the west. “Leave her to me. I owe Chrysalis a rematch. Rally the rest of the troo-AAAAAAUUUUGGH!“

She did not have time to finish her sentence as an agonizing scream was ripped from her lungs. She looked down numbly and saw a long grey horn protruding from her chest, a thin line of blood dripping down from the tip. “Taranis” cackled, and spoke in a cruel voice that definitely did not belong to her son.

“I win. You lose. Again.”

The horn dislodged itself from her chest, and she slumped forward, crashing onto the top of the tower in an unceremonious heap. The last thing she remembered before losing consciousness was the sound of “Taranis” laughing overhead, only to be interrupted by an enraged bellow, and seeing a grey shape slam into the imposter standing above her.

The two grey Alicorns struggled in the air, hooves connecting in a flurry of blows. Taranis was struck by a hard left forehoof and crashed down into the courtyard below. He spat, sending a stream of blood from his mouth. The imposter hovered slowly down until her hooves touched the ground.

“Ah, that was fun. I must say taking your appearance had exactly the outcome I expected. I am stronger now than I have ever been.”

Taranis struggled to stand, his body completely drained of energy. Chysalis laughed at him and dropped her disguise, letting her grotesque normal form become visible.

“This is why I and my children feed off of love, you know,” Chysalis said. “There is more than one type of love, and when we feed on a creature’s love, we gain the love of every being that that creature loves, and the love of every being that loves it. So, theoretically, when I fed on your love, Not only did I gain some of your power, but also the filial love that your mother and aunt had for you, and the benevolent love that you and they feel towards the citizens of this land. It creates the most delicious web of power to draw from. And of course, it was most kind of you to fight my minions and tire yourselves out, while I have been resting comfortably, waiting for the moment to strike.”

Taranis at last found his hooves and stood upright. His horn began to glow. The Changeling queen simply scoffed at the young stallion.

“And what do you expect to accomplish by fighting me? Your dear, sweet mother could not even beat me the last time we fought. Now, I am more powerful than I was then. You are fighting a losing battle, colt.”

“I’m known for that.”

The Alicorn’s aura began to pulsate, surrounding him in a golden glow as he summoned what little remained of his strength.

Chyrsalis smirked.

“A display of power, is it? Very well, let me show you what you will be facing.”

Without another word, Chrysalis ignited herself in a green aura. Power emanated off of her as she charged, shaking the floor beneath her. Taranis immediately registered that he was in over his head. Well over his head.

What’s the point? I can’t beat her… he found himself thinking. She’s bigger and stronger than me.

Another voice entered his thoughts, this time from his past. The deep, measured baritone filled him with nostalgia, and a strange urge to fly laps.

Stallion up, little princeling.

The memory of his old combat trainer Oak Shield calmed him. He could clearly remember the day he had told him that as if it were yesterday. Taranis had arrived to combat training as a young colt one day, only to find the stoic Earth Pony sitting in a large ring, awaiting his arrival.

“All right, whelp. Your sole task today is this: Knock me out of this ring. Without magic, or wings.” Time after time, Taranis had found himself being flung outside the ring, landing roughly on his flank or head. He quickly grew tired of the exercise.

“How can I”, he had yelled. “You’re bigger than me!”

“Get used to it, kid. There will always be somepony out there bigger and stronger than you, whelp. If you allow those thoughts to enter your head, you’ve already lost.”

Taranis remembered when his eyes had grown wide in realization. That was what Oak had tried to teach him. He had to at least keep trying, no matter what.

Don’t worry, Oak. I won’t fail you now. I will stop her.

He re-focused, turning all attention to the murderous queen in front of him. Concentrating, he channeled his magical energy into the tip of his horn. Chrysalis copied him, her jagged horn coming alight in a sickly green glow.

“You know, this is just how I beat your mother last time. Do you think you can last longer?”

“Shut up and fight.”

With a grunt, Taranis released his energy into a beam of gold energy, laced with lightning bolts. It crashed into Queen Chrysalis’ green beam. The shockwave produced was strong enough to shatter the nearby windows. The Lord of Storms grunted as the pressure of the attack came back to meet him. He could hear Chrysalis grunt as well. It was not much of a condolence, but he was glad that she was in as much pain as he was.

It soon became clear to the young Alicorn that he would in fact lose this battle. Slowly, the beam inched back toward him. Chrysalis sent a surge, and the beam green nearly overtook the gold.

Taranis was about to engage in magic use use that Oak Shield would have called “bucking stupid.” With a cry of anguish, he sent a surge of his own, sending the wave of green back down the beam. His magical energy was waning fast.

It still was not enough, though. The beam struggle was still thoroughly in Chrysalis’ favor.

Princess Luna rallied her guards, sending them hurtling toward a gathering swarm of Changelings.

“FORWARD! WE HAVE THEM ON THE RUN!”

The indigo Alicorn was stopped in her tracks as she felt a massive surge of magic. She flew toward the tower where her sister had established herself, and saw Celestia’s prone form on top of the tower, lying in a small pool of blood. Luna felt her heart skip a beat.

“TIA!” she bellowed. She rushed to her sister’s side. “Please be alive.”

She shook her gently, and was rewarded by a fluttering of eyelids.

“Lu..Luna,” Celestia whispered. “Taranis…Chrysalis. Find them.” Hew eyes closed without another word.

Luna nuzzled Celestia and flew away, eyes scanning the battlefield for any sign of Taranis or Chrysalis. Her search was interrupted by another surge, this time from the castle courtyard. She looked down to find her nephew engaged in a magical struggle with the Changeling queen, and even from her position in the air, Luna could see that he was losing.

She flew down next to him. Her horn was already glowing before she hit the ground.

“Taranis, I’m here.

Taranis shot her a half smile, half grimace.

“What. Kept. You?”

Luna did not bother to retort, instead looking at Taranis’ visible strain. Her eyes widened in the realization of what her nephew must have done.

“Taranis,” she said. “How much magic did you put into your attack?”

Taranis grunted.

“Enough,” he growled.

“You realize that if you put too much into it, you could die? You will drain yourself out.”

“It’s worth it if I can beat her! She will pay for what she did!”

Luna said nothing, instead releasing her magic, adding her own dark blue magical power to the struggle. The blast sent the equilibrium of the struggle back to the center, and slowly the beam began to crawl back toward the Changeling queen. Chrysalis growled, clearly irritated at the interference.

“Even with the two of you fighting me, you still won’t defeat me! I am far more powerful than you could imagine! You have NO CHANCE!”

She sent yet another surge down the line, bringing the beam back to the center. They were evenly matched.

Twilight ducked under a green flash, sending the offending Changeling to oblivion with a well-timed purple beam. The battle was beginning to take its toll on her, and she found it harder and harder to sustain spells.

The power of the magical beam clash reached her, and she sensed Taranis’, Princess Luna’s and Chrysalis’ magical signatures all fighting for supremacy.

She teleported off of the western tower, and sprinted to the courtyard. She arrived to see Taranis and Luna struggling on one side, straining under the pressure of a powerful green beam. Even with their combined strength, she could see that they were not able to make the beams budge. She charged toward the fray, charging her horn as she ran. She stopped next to Taranis’ left side, startling him by her appearance.

“Twilight? What are you doing? Get back!”

“Looks to me like you need all the help you can get.”

She sent a purple beam hurtling forward, slamming into the other three beams, and tipping the balance of power ever so slightly.

It was just enough. Chrysalis gasped under the added weight of a third opponent, struggling to keep the power flow going.

“There, she’s off balance! Together!” Taranis shouted, as the three combatants sent forth a final surge to collide with the Changeling queen. She flew back, colliding with the palace walls. She staggered and crashed into the ground. Above, the Changelings seemed to sense their queen’s duress and stopped attacking. A swarm of them swooped down, grabbed a hold of her unconscious body and flew off, followed by the rest of the horde. Across the battlefield, whoops and cheers rose up at the enemy’s sudden retreat.

Taranis gasped, and realized he had been holding his breath. He stumbled forward, eye to the sky as rain continued to fall.

“Mother…” he whispered. “I did it. I beat her… we won.”

He did not recall hitting the ground, but his next memory was seeing Twilight and his Aunt Luna standing over him. Twilight had a forehoof around his neck, and was saying something about staying with them, to stay awake. He tried to laugh, to tell her not to be ridiculous, that he wasn’t about to go anywhere. But…staying awake was difficult. In the end, however, the darkness took him, drawing him into its sweet embrace.

END OF CHAPTER 5