Alright time to run... I rushed back downstairs to find Cadence getting everyone ready, the strong carrying the weak meager possessions gathered. I was surprised or maybe not that she had cowed the bullies I had sent down putting them to work.

"We need to be ready to move..."

"Almost, these ponies are weak some so close to... What is it? Something to do with those Griffons?" She gestured over to the small group of them who were looking around nervously.

"They certainly know what the problem is, and it's a big one..." The melee at the gate was still going on, I'd felt a few minor impacts but nothing significant almost like the enemy wasn't trying, as several of the dead zones and I now knew behemoths approached the gates I understood why. Thankfully they were slow, we still had time to escape and warn them. The scouting groups had retreated as well I now noticed hopefully they had seen what we did and if we couldn't warn them in time they would. "Quickly Cadence, please..."

"O... Okay." She levitated three foals onto her back leading them all out and they followed her, eagerly and happily if not quickly. She certainly was a born leader much like Celestia and Luna maybe it's in the Alicorn genes...

A muffled crash from across the school pulled me back into reality, something or someone must have noticed us as the behemoth that was moving away had turned back crushing its way into the school now moving faster than I cared for. "Hurry, hurry..." I urged the last few ponies, older and slow but they picked up the pace as it smashed through the gymnasium wall its ponderous footsteps shaking the very ground. They weren't moving fast enough still, I had to slow it down!

I threw up a wall, nowhere near as strong as I could but certainly enough to stop a goblin or changeling even a dozen of them. I was trying to gauge these things strength which I suspected was considerable, about halfway through the gym it struck the wall, barely even slowed it... It crashed through like a human walking through a spider web, I backed up a little slightly unnerved sparing a glance behind me all the ponies outside now the doors shut.

I put up another five feet in front of it stronger, easily able to fend off catapult stone or five hundred goblins, it plowed into its unseen face st0opping it though the strain on the wall was considerable. It stepped back just standing there as if confused the room was already lit lightly from the glow of Chrysalis’s magic holding this thing together so I could see it well.

Suddenly a dozen or so of the goblin heads turned my way a sneering smile spreading across their faces.

"So..." A hundred voices echoed the squeaking goblin voices tuned, mutated, changed to a deep feminine one. "Here you are..."

"Who...? Chrysalis."

"Who else? And here you are little thorn so far away, safe from my grasp... Or perhaps not!" The behemoth lifted one of its arms smashing through my shield easily though it did not advance.

"What do you want Chrysalis?"

"What does any mother want? Safety and security for her children, a place of our own, total domination over all living things... You know, the usual..."

"Riiight..." I edged closer slowly well aware of the dozens of eyes on me. "And these?" I gestured toward it. "Rewarding your faithful minions are you?"

"Hmm... Many of them would consider it a reward to die for me, still magical progress requires sacrifice, I'm sure you encountered some of my earlier experiments..."

The pony/goblin hybrids from before no doubt, controlled by the changelings which might be the way to defeat these as well though looking around I could see no changelings but that didn't mean they weren't there. "Failures, and unnecessary ones at that. Why are you doing this Chrysalis? Once you found the goblins you could have gone anywhere, taught them... There was no need for this..."

"No need? No need?! They starved my brood, defeated and humiliated me! Once we began I saw how it had to turn out, all ponies... All living things groveling before me!" She/it regained her composure calming down. "However... I must admit my plans were a bit shortsighted..."

"Oh?" Maybe there was hope yet.

"Yes, my little minions are so violent, so ravenous they nearly exhausted the reserves or ponies here... I've started a few breeding programs here and there to keep up with demand..."

"Demand for meat!"

"Of course..." She giggled. "And you have your own little breeding program, how thoughtful..."

"I swear to god Chrysalis I'll..."

"You'll what?!" The behemoth stomped forward with disturbing quickness smashing and shaking the floor knocking me off my feet, she/it loomed over me. "Did you think you'd be leaving here? I don't think so... But take some small solace in knowing that when I've crushed your pony rabble I will be sure to seek out your foals and incorporate them into the hive, your essence will live on in my children forever..."

"We'll see about that..." I hissed reforming the shield around me and creating a low corridor to the door as I finished breaking through the last few brickwork and support beams holding the building up, things I had been working on quietly since it smashed through the wall...

As the first few pieces of the building began to fall a look of confusion passed from face to face above me quickly turning to rage.

"You little worm...!"

She/it reared up to smash down on me, I didn't know if I could take the hit... Thankfully I didn't have to find out now, one of the huge I-beams from the roof hurdled down nearly tearing the behemoth in two the rest of the roof following burying me in debris and goblin bodies some of them still moving trying to claw and bite their way to me. I ignored them crawling my way towards the door, the building while no doubt hundreds of tons was far easier to fend then the changelings, behemoths or anything suffused with Chrysalis’s or changeling magic probably the Princess’s or Twilights even I guessed...

But natural materials worked or not were much easier making the goblins and their weapons far less of a threat no matter their numbers the stronger I got, but if this was any indication of the future... I couldn't drop a building on them all! I wasn't even sure this one was killed, destroyed, deactivated... Whatever, I could still feel Chrysalis’s magic though I hoped simply because she had been possessing this one.

I made it out of the door and found Cadence and several of the healthier captives waiting the others almost to the wall, no time now for subtly. The small opening I'd made I wrenched open tossing the huge logs aside making sure the ponies had a clear path.

"You’re ok!" Cadence took a step toward me but I motioned her back moving away from the fallen school myself.

"We're not out of this yet Princess..."

When she didn't reply I looked over to her to find her pointing at the school fear etched on her face as she screamed the ponies that had accompanied her already galloping away. I spun back around and the behemoth was pushing its way out of rubble, what was left of it lessened considerably now less than seventeen feet tall many of the bodies making it up crushed, missing arms, legs even heads!

"Not done with you yet..." She/it hissed.

Fucking things are going to be a damn huge problem. "Go Cadence, go!" I shouted over my shoulder backing away quickly, it was moving slower than before but still far faster than I was comfortable with. I turned to make sure Cadence had fled, she'd just turned and was galloping away I followed right behind her, as we ran I couldn't help but notice her beautiful mane flowing and her long thick tail bouncing against her ass... Stop thinking with the wrong head dumbass or you’re going to end up flattened! I ground to a halt just before the opening a few of the slower, older ponies making their way through Cadence urging them on.

"Run, run little ants. Sooner or later you'll tire and then we shall fall upon you!" Came Chrysalises’ voice from behind us as she crushed her way through the playground.

She was right... Even without the prisoners I could only push the wagons so fast before the wagons themselves couldn't take it! And if these things were... Independent, didn't need charging, didn’t rot away... whatever. Fine then, the main body of the army had retreated to a safe distance the scouting groups too were gone so all I had to worry about were the ponies behind me and to get to them they'd have to go through me, not that I probably wasn't the number one target anyhow, I still had plenty of energy the school falling on me and the minor melee at the gate hadn’t taken much so let’s see just how much damage you can take...

I grabbed a small log from the wall hurling it at the behemoth like a spear, it pierced through its arm destroying a few goblins but largely ineffective... Okay, I took ahold of a larger log swinging it sideways like a sword trying to bisect it, destroy more goblins... Anything! Even worse, I didn't know if they all could react as quickly or if it was because Chrysalis was in control but this one quickly lifted an arm blocking it crushing a few goblins but nowhere near the damage I wanted.

Taken aback I stumbled back tripping on a log ending up on my back as it tromped closer, in desperation I hurled five logs at it simultaneously while struggling to my feet, one through it's 'head' accomplishing nothing, an arm, leg which slowed it momentarily then the shoulder again fruitless each destroying a few goblins but if this was the only way to do it I would use every ounce of energy just to finish off one! The last passed through its chest looking just as ineffective as the others maybe eliminating a few extra goblins but it paused a moment re-arranging the goblins making up its body to close the whole and just for a moment a flash of something...

Not the goblins pallor nor the sickly green and black of Chrysalis’s magic, something different... I pretended not to notice again grabbing a sizeable log trying to battle it back while staying out of reach while I maneuvered a splintered jagged ended log behind it.

"Why waste your time here?" She chuckled. "Even if you defeat this simulacrum another shall come for you and another... And once you fall... Well that shall be the end of pony kind, then those insufferable bird-heads..."

"The only way this will end Chrysalis, is with your head on a pike..."

With that declaration I swung my makeshift club pushing it backwards slightly into the log I had been maneuvering stabbing upward trying my best to strike the spot I had seen. A white, blue and yellow spot burst through the front of the chest and with it a chorus of goblin screams Chrysalis’s rising above them all! I choked back bile in my throat now fully seeing the three Unicorns bound... Fused together, powering this thing somehow they were still alive impaled on the log they seemed incapable of speech but as their magic faded and the light in their eyes died I saw gratitude...

"What... How...?" Cadence trotted up beside me tears flowing as she stared in horror, I put my arm around her to comfort her partially also to comfort myself as she buried her head in my chest and I gently stroked her silken mane for a few moments.

"You had best get these ponies back and I've got to free the others..." I cut off not really knowing how to finish that.

"Yes." She looked at me her dark and light purple eyes burning with fire. "I'll get them back safely, I promise."

I gave her a soft kiss and sent her off turning back into the city, all eleven of the remaining simulacrums had turned heading my direction but thankfully not altogether. If I could isolate one or even two of them at a time maybe I had a chance, I knew how to stop them it was a matter of hitting the right spot and them not blocking or dodging it... Oh, and not dying...

Ok... You can do this... The two closest were only about a hundred feet to the west late to the party at the gate I suppose, I had a few minutes before they were in view so I tore down more of the wall giving myself more ammunition also carefully burying two logs point up. Within moments they smashed through a couple small houses approaching with single minded determination, it didn't look like Chrysalis was controlling either of them, they didn't move with the same speed or grace though I could see behind them a dozen changelings urging them on.

The first log I tossed passed straight through one’s head ineffective naturally but conveniently catching one of the changelings in its path crushing it and making the others scramble for cover. Good, less direction from them could help. They came steadily on ignoring any attack I made even those to the chest either I was too low or high as neither of them dropped but the changelings kept their heads down, I had kept things light hoping to conserve my energy but it still looked like it was going to be a long day.

They approached my trap in nearly the perfect formation hopefully I could adjust, one of the changelings must have spotted something peeking out of his cover as he shouted out bringing them to a halt then turning as if to split up, too late...

The shout had come at an opportune time and I took the opportunity both logs erupting out of the ground through their torsos one hitting the mark the other missing but exposing the 'core' enabling me to strike it easily. Their death cries echoed as they collapsed into piles of goblin corpses. I breathed a sigh of relief though my task was nowhere near complete, a group of four approached followed by the last five this time the changelings would be better prepared.

I took what little time I had to move a bit further down the wall into an area heavier populated with buildings they'd have little trouble breaking through them but at the very least it would slow them... There were a few changelings hidden amongst the buildings waiting in ambush, they I dealt with swiftly no love lost between me and them... Most of them I mused remembering Aurelia, her mother must have come up with this idea after her defection or she surely would have warned us.

They crashed through buildings methodically spread out to trap me against the wall, not much of a trap but with four of them... And then the last five four hundred feet behind them.

I shook my head. "Fuck em... Fuck you!" I yelled at them, I've got a lot to live for now and you’re not taking it! Logs from the wall, pieces of building even changeling bodies I hurled wildly impacting and piercing the oncoming monstrosities. I tried to keep them central but often my aim was off and by that I learned another important lesson, they could move their 'heart' inside themselves!

A wild shot through the shoulder of one pierced and finished one off, through little skill and more sheer dumb luck from my random throws they fell one after the other the last falling apart reveling the oncoming five. I'd used too much energy and was exhausted barely able to keep my feet certainly no match for one of them let alone five not to mention the hundreds of changelings still in the city.

Stupid, so determined to protect everyone you go and get killed dooming them. Should have asked Cadence to stay, she could have teleported us away, a short rest might have been enough... Sigh hindsight... Fifty feet, not enough space not enough time... I marshaled what little strength I had left if I was to die here at least I would meet death on my feet... I wondered if death would be a pony or a human? I hoped everyone got away safely with Chrysalis’s energy so close I couldn't tell... I'm sure they did. I managed a smile as they closed in. "Come on then.

The first to reach me wasted no time raising its two arms for a two fisted slam, I could try to dodge but I was so weary, Twilight... I'm sorry, I should have tried harder...

A loud thunk then explosion impacting the monster before me throwing me backwards off my feet into the ruins of a building as the simulacrum before me had its arms blown off, what? I managed to turn and look behind me finding the wagons lined up every second one opened to reveal a large ballista, Earth ponies loading and cranking, Pegasus aiming and Unicorns charging the bolts with explosive power or whatever magic they could muster.

The nearest I could see was manned by Shining Armor, Cadence and Twilight. Armor looked over shaking his head with a bemused smile. "You don't have to handle everything you know?" He chuckled as the ballista began to fire down the line.

As I collapsed back I noticed dash racing towards me from the sidelines heedless of any danger, oh Dash what did I ever do to earn your loyalty? My weariness started taking hold despite the battle taking place, sorry death not today. We'll dance one day of that I'm certain...

Darkness...

Author's Note

Still alive believe it or not! So lazy though, ah well I'll keep plugging away.