The Crystal Front: Hunted

“How do you know my name?” Twilight asked, stalling for time while her mind desperately looked for a way out. The Changeling continued looking at her impassively.

“Really, Twilight Sparkle, that is what you are focusing on right now?”

It was a very foolish question, her ever-present companion stated with dry amusement.

If you’re not going to help me, don’t say anything. Twilight looked back and forth, sidling away from the body of Smart Set and trying to conjure up some magic to help her. Purple sparks shot from her horn and the spell never materialized. Not now!

“What is this?” Cloudchaser tilted his head to the side quizzically. “Are you really going to fight? Or shall I say, attempt to fight? You certainly don’t seem to be able to do… anything.” Emerald flames limned the Changeling’s body again. Limbs extended and developed far too many joints, hole-filled claws grew from the tips of its legs, gossamer wings shrank and disappeared, and the body itself thickened and grew overlapping, chitinous scales until it was thrice her size. Twilight redoubled her efforts, concentrating with all her ability on a spell that would strike the Changeling down. Nothing happened, just like it always did.

“Honestly, this is pathetic.” The Changeling stared blankly at her with those cold, dead blue eyes. Twilight looked back, feeling utterly helpless in the face of danger yet again. Her companion laughed spitefully, savoring the terror assailing her mind.

So that’s what it feels like from this side. Oh, come now, child. We both know what you’re going to do. It’s the only thing you can do, after all. Cloudchaser continued staring at her, its body tensing in anticipation.

Twilight broke and ran. She made it about four feet before the Changeling sprang forward, grabbed her by her throat, and slammed her up against a tree.

“What was the point of that?” The Changeling frowned, exposing a teeth filled with razor-sharp fangs. “Why not simply surrender, and save yourself the effort? I cannot for the life of me figure out why my Hive was sent to capture you. It is not because you have any potential for fighting.”

Truer than he knows. Twilight’s companion laughed again.

“So it has to be something inside your head.” Cloudchaser continued looking at her while Twilight battered at its limb in a vain attempt to loosen its grasp.

Once again, truer than he knows!

“So I suppose that you do not need to be… wholly intact.” The monster’s lips curled upwards with a dark and savage joy, though it retained the same impassive tone. “I can simply remove your limbs and wait for my lord to rejoin me. Yes, I think that is the simplest course of action.” The Changeling brought its arm back and extended dagger-like claws while Twilight continued to struggle. Cloudchaser brought its arm down with a whistling noise emanating from the holes in its limb. Its claws were about to impact when a cyan bolt slammed into its side and the monster was hurled violently away from Twilight, who fell to the ground and lay in the snow, coughing.

“Who dares interrupt my revelry?” The Changeling asked with irritation in its voice. Twilight realized, with a start, that this was the first time any sort of emotion had tinged Cloudchaser’s words. Its only answer was another bolt impacting on its rear left leg with a loud crack, snapping the limb in two. This time, Twilight was able to see the a Pegasus wearing plain blue flyer’s armor and tinted flight goggles flare out her wings, flip herself supine in midair, rebound off a tree, and launch a kick as she passed the Changeling that took Cloudchaser on the left side of its face. The Changeling’s left eye exploded in a spray of ocular fluid and the skull deformed, and then the Pegasus was past and skidding to a halt near Twilight Sparkle. Cloudchaser collapsed in the snow, and the Pegasus looked at Twilight.

“Hi,” she said as if they were passersby meeting on the street. Her rescuer extended a hoof, Twilight grabbed it, and the Pegasus hauled her to her hooves. “Name’s Lightning Dust. You?” Twilight stared past her at the Changeling’s body.

“You’ve never fought a Changeling, have you?”

“Nope. Did pretty well for my first time, if I do say so myself.” Lightning Dust replied smugly, jutting her chest out and striking a pose. “Impressive, huh?”

“You’re not supposed to stop fighting.” Twilight said numbly.

“Huh?”

“Changelings like that, the ones who can take combat-tailored forms. You aren’t supposed to stop fighting them until you completely destroy the head or torso. Otherwise…” The young pony trailed off as Cloudchaser jerkily rose to its legs –it once again had both of its hind legs, Twilight noticed. The Changeling hissed as the green fire of its race enveloped its body once again. Lightning hastily wheeled around and stared as, over the next few seconds, the Changeling increased its already considerable mass and armor. Chitin flowed over the head and covered its mouth, nostrils, and eyes, leaving only narrow slits for the Changeling to see and breathe out of. At the end, the Changeling stood with two slightly shorter hind legs, a pair of extremely long front arms that were currently resting on the grounds, and thorn-like scales protruding from random parts of its armor. “Otherwise they’ll just regenerate when you stop damaging them.” Twilight swallowed nervously, and Lightning looked slightly less confident than she had a moment before.

“So… what’s your name?”

“Twilight Sparkle.”

“So, Twilight, you’re some sort of Special Operations veteran, right? Probably a sorceress that can blow up buildings with a thought?”

“Nope.”

“Line veteran, at least?”

“Nope.”

“Recruit just out of Basic?”

“’Fraid not.”

“Can you actually fight? Like, at all?”

“No.” Twilight felt a hot flush spreading over her face. “Sorry.”

“So… why is this guy after you?”

“I was just asking her that very thing.” Cloudchaser chuckled. The two ponies stared at the monster, astonished that it was actually laughing. The Changeling noticed the funny looks they were giving him. “My Hive is capable of feeling amusement at coincidence, much in the same manner as you. Now, shall we give battle? Or do you wish to attempt yet another futile withdrawal?”

“Twilight, was it?” Lightning looked at the young pony.

“Yeah?”

“How do you know so much about Changelings?”

“I read a lot.”

“Uh huh. Got any other advice if I’m gonna fight this guy?”

“They can shift forms quickly and adapt to their opponents, but if you’re fast enough, they won’t have enough time to regenerate damage. But where there’s one Changeling, there are usually more nearby, so it would be really, really nice if you could… kill,” Twilight swallowed, “kill him quickly.”

“No sweat.” Lightning launched herself at Cloudchaser and launched another blindingly fast kick at its head. This time, the blow glanced off the thickened armor coating the Changeling’s head, though the force of it was still enough to make the Changeling stagger. The Changeling lashed out with one of its forearms. Lightning Dust dodged nimbly out of the way and the blow smashed through some low-hanging branches. The Pegasus dashed out of sight behind a thicket before reappearing from a different angle far from her original position before blasting through Cloudchaser’s forearm, shattering the limb near the shoulder and detaching it in a spray of blue ichor. The Changeling hissed in pain and the limb soon regrew.

Twilight took a moment to marvel at the Pegasus’ speed, then returned to her attempts at spellcasting. Even as the fight continued, the best she was able to manage was a few purple sparks shooting from her horn: she couldn’t even levitate a pebble to help Lightning Dust, and she already knew how any attempt at fighting Cloudchaser up close would end. After several more exchanges, which always ended with Cloudchaser missing Lightning, receiving a blow or two in reply, and hastily regenerating whatever relatively superficial damage the Pegasus had been able to inflict, Twilight saw another pony lurking in cover of the trees around the edges of the fight. For a moment, Twilight thought it was an Alicorn: the figure was large, flying, and had a distinct horn atop its head. Almost as soon as she saw it, though, Twilight realized that was highly unlikely: for a start, the only known Alicorns were both in Canterlot. For another, this pony’s horn was firmly attached to what appeared to be a silver skull being used as a champron. Twilight felt a momentary sense of horror as she looked at the pony’s armor. It appeared to be a black-winged Pegasus wearing a suit of black iron armor that covered its entire body save for its wings: the suit had silver-embossed bones coating it. The upper half of a unicorn’s skull was being used as a champron, while detached rib bones were fused into the breastplate. It looked as though an entire pony’s skeleton had been dipped in silver and attached to a suit of black iron. A lance was resting in the crook of its right foreleg, and the pony seemed to be looking for an angle on the fight taking place in front of Twilight.

Silly girl. Tiwlight shook herself to her senses. That’s probably just steel decoration. No one would actually use a pony’s skeleton to make armor.

And yet, what sort of pony would willingly appear to desecrate another’s remains in such a manner? Her companion asked. Twilight had no response to that, and it didn’t matter. The newcomer launched himself skyward with a mighty sweep of his wings, lowered his lance, and streaked downward just as Lightning Dust disengaged from another exchange with Cloudchaser. The Changeling, its full attention fixated on the cyan Pegasus, did not see the blow from above until the newcomer had slammed his lance square in the Changeling’s back. The weapon punched through Cloudchaser’s carapace with a dull crunch, continued through, burst out the Changeling’s chest, and carried on until the lance head shattered against the ground. The black-winged Pegasus leveled out and slammed a heavily armored forearm into the Changeling’s head as he passed, cracking the chitin.

Cloudchaser shrieked in agony and writhed on the ground, reverting to a more pony-like form as emerald flames blazed and flesh sublimated off. The newcomer glided to a halt next to Lightning Dust and Twilight.

“I was afraid that I wasn’t going to get the chance to use that on this mission,” he said as Cloudchaser staggered to its feet, the splintered lance still lodged in its chest. “How are you this fine morn, Corporal Dust?”

“Heya, Storm. Apparently, we’re supposed to-“

“We’re supposed to continue attacking until the Changeling’s torso or head has been destroyed. Care to do the honors?” Lightning Dust nodded launched herself at the Changeling once again. Cloudchaser was barely able to generate a thin layer of chitinous armor before Lightning dashed it to the ground and began furiously raining blows on its head. Once, twice, thrice: with the fourth punch, the Changeling’s armor gave way and its head caved in. Lightning landed another few blows, further shattering the head, and then looked at the ichor covering her hands.

“Geh.” She grimaced and wiped her hooves in the snow before trotting over and removing her flight goggles. “So, why aren’t you with the rest, Storm?” The Pegasus –now that he was up close, Twilight noticed that his eyes were covered by plates of some material the same shade of silver as the bones on his armor- gestured at the tableau in front of them with a wing.

“I was ordered ahead as soon as I reported back in. Apparently, the Sergeant doesn’t trust you to act alone. I can’t possibly imagine why,” Storm said with a dry sarcasm. “And good thing, too. That was a Changeling Commander. Wonderbolts, while they’re good at quite a lot of things, are not ideal against enemies that can’t be worn down over time.” Twilight stared at Lightning Dust.

“You’re a Wonderbolt?”

“Hardly!” Storm laughed out loud. Lightning glared furiously at her comrade. “But if Lightning doesn’t want to get into that now, I shan’t either. Besides which, we have more urgent matters to attend to. Lightning, you realize that we have been separated in an area with a known Changeling presence?”

“Yep,” Lightning sighed. “Shoot.”

“What did I give you last Nightmare Night?”

“A black eye.” Lightning looked very sour at that. “Where is the Ossuary?” Storm suddenly turned very, very rigid.

“Not on your life, Lightning,” he whispered in a voice so low it was almost a hiss. “Or on mine. Pick another one.”

“Fine.” Lightning gestured at an amulet affixed just above the sternum of the ribcage on Storm’s breastplate. “What’s that?”

“A reliquary.”

“And how many are in it?”

“Two.”

“Alrighty then.” Lightning nodded. “Now that we know we’re us and not a Changeling, introductions. Storm, this is Twilight Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle, this is Storm.” Storm politely inclined his head at Twilight, and Twilight gestured at his armor.

“Nice… um… armor. It’s very… intimidating.”

“Thank you,” Storm nodded. “I am sure that my battle-brothers would thank you as well, were they present in soul as well as body and spirit.” Twilight looked at him oddly for a few moments until she fully realized what he had just said. The young Unicorn inhaled sharply and backpedaled furiously, stopping only when she slammed her back up against a tree. Her companion, meanwhile, was laughing maniacally inside her head.

“Those- are- actual- bones?” she panted out between short, sharp gasps. Storm chuckled with dark humor.

“Soldiers of the Regiment serve unto and past death. Integrating the bones of the fallen into our armor was the most reasonable course of action.” Storm spoke with a matter-of-fact tone, as if discussing nothing more controversial than the weather. Lightning Dust rolled her eyes.

“Sorry about that, Twilight. Storm is… weird. He’s on our side, though.”

“Of course I am.” Storm actually sounded indignant at the mere suggestion that he might not be. “We have more important things to discuss right now than armor design, however. Would you happen to be ‘Tansy’?” Twilight blinked rapidly.

“You’re wearing bones. Actual bones. As armor.”

“You’re remarkably quick on the uptake, aren’t you? Tansy. Are you or are you not, and if you are not, do you know anything about it?” Storm was starting to sound impatient. Next to him, Lightning Dust shrugged as if to say what can you do? Twilight gulped again.

“I think that I’m Tansy. They don’t tell me a lot.”

“I assume you were in Granite Springs when it was attacked?” Twilight nodded mutely. The events of the day, one after another, had piled on each other until she was numb inside to any more shocks. Mercifully, her companion was staying silent. It probably meant that Twilight was in for a truly horrendous time later, but right now she was grateful for the relative peace. Storm nodded, once, firmly.

“We can’t separate. Where there’s one Changeling, there’s more, and they’ll be looking for you. We need to move, and fast. You can fill us in while we go.” Storm turned to leave, then turned his head around and looked at Twilight, who was staring at the bodies on the ground. “That means now, Twilight. Move.” Storm’s order cracked her out of her reverie.

“Smart Set. The other Guards. We can’t just leave them-“

“We can and we are,” Storm interrupted. “Exigencies of combat.” Lightning gave Twilight an apologetic look.

“Sorry, Twilight. Nothing we can do. He’s right.”

“Changelings have a link" Storm explained. "If this one had fellow Hive-members nearby, they all know where you are.”

“I know how Changelings work.” Twilight snapped.

“Wonderful. Then move!”

Twilight glared at him, but began trotting out nevertheless.