Equestria and the Angels from the Stars

It was late in the evening when Twilight and her friends made it back to Ponyville, everypony else went to their homes while Glimmer and others headed straight to bed. They had a long day and quite an adventure to last for the next several months, and Glimmer needed the rest after such a stressful trip. Having played her part in saving the Princesses, her brother, her friends and herself from from Queen Chrysalis and her dastardly ambitions. In doing so, with oddly enough, the aid of Discord and Thorax helped turn the tide and rescue the Changeling race from a dark path. It became quite a sight to see a male version of Queen Chrysalis, that once pony sized drone had grown to fit his new role complete with a long horn and a strange crown studded with natural gemstones. She set a date to talk to Thorax about his future plans and his new body after they all recovered from the ordeal. Glimmer went off to her room after wishing good dreams to the others, which Sparkle and Spike returned before she had a report from Princess Celestia about a problem in the west.

"So what do you think could be the problem? We just finished a world ending scheme by Chrysalis again, now we have another on our claws?" he scoffed with a scowl at how fate laughed at their peaceful lives.

"Now now Spike, I'm sure it won't be something dangerous, probably another friendship issue we can solve without rescuing anypony or battling something as bad as Tirek. More than likely it could just be a... a roving horde of Hydra that only Fluttershy might know how to deal with?" she said trying to keep a convincing smile.

The young drake did not buy her reasoning, "Right, so I'll see you in the morning then. Somethin's got my scales on edge with whatever the princess sent you." he yawned and left to his room in another hall.

"Good night Spike!" dropping the guise once he left her vision.

It was right to say they all were truly exhausted and had to get some shut eye in, Sparkle could feel the dryness in her eyes and sore muscles from the pod they were put in. Not to mention they never were really asleep during their capture, just some kind of tranquilizer spell for Chrysalis to draw power off of. Suffice to say they were awake for the last two to three days straight. At least she was having spent the third day writing up on the new Changeling leadership and kingdom for the future meeting in Canterlot. All the notes she compiled were for the Nobles who'd surely cause a ruckus over the once evil creatures that invaded the city.

Even as the call of her sleeping quarters sounded like music to the ears and mind, the quick skim she gave the message earlier did not sit well with her. There had been an additional scroll stuffed inside the primary letter, to which as soon as it came to mind the mare pulled it out from her saddle bags as she reached her room. Closing her door behind her, she levitated the piece of parchment before her, magically lighting the desk candle off to the side to light up the room. The Princesses had only just returned when the trouble had been brought to their attention, it seemed that as soon as Celestia confirmed that the Changeling Kingdom was pacified. Stand Alone elements of Chrysalis's brood were out and about causing chaos for whatever reason, a reason that seemed either to convoluted to comprehend or there was something else ahoof.

"Thorax said there were no other hives in Equestria... so if Chrysalis had planned to overtake the crown and gain love through deception. Why would she send out scouts to to abduct the population when it completely goes against the plan?" Sparkle wondered as she crawled into her bed, the candlelight keeping the room somewhat visible.

Yawning again, "Let's see what this whole mess is all about, I can't imagine what it must have been like for them to go back to the palace and receive this bit of good news."

After ensuring she was comfortably ready on the soft quilt beneath her, the wax seal stamped with Celestia and Luna's cutie marks came off. Unfolding the parcel, her magic straightened out the sheet as her eyes began going over every little written letter, sounding it out in her own head.

'1st Lieutenant Brazen Bronze, current commanding officer of Solar Guard Regiment 104th Tortoise Shell. My Princess, I write to you bearing bad news of dire importance. To begin, forward scouts of outpost Diamond 3 came across the remains of a small village that use to be called Gidder's Pass. Summation, a trading site for miners and gatherers close to the northern area of the Appalachian Mountains, head count around two hundred ponies with foreign merchants amongst them. Smoke in the sky drew the forward scouts to the devastated area to which they explored and found no pony left. Evidence of a struggle was clear as day by the destroyed homes that seemed like a mad bull minotaur had a temper tantrum on the village. Before they could report back to base, they happened across a strangely colored Changeling hauling an unconscious foal into a tunnel dug right in the south eastern portion of the village. Regrettably they were unable to save the foal as the Changeling sprinted away and the Scouts were unprepared to deal with a possible swarm under Gidder's Pass. Upon debriefing, then acting commander Major Silver Trebuchet ordered half of the regiment to investigate the ruins. What should have been a simple sneak peak had devolved into an all out battle to which there were no survivors. All that the scouts who were sent out could find were random weapons dropped and pieces of armor. Silver responded with half of our remaining force sent in fully geared out for combat only for they too to disappear. Scouts found a disturbing trend as more deserted villages and towns popped out closing in on the outpost. Major Trebuchet took the remaining guards to meet the enemy head on, and what became a two week involvement welcomed us with one lone messenger who quickly succumb to severe exhaustion. We have yet to glean any information as to what became of the Major's whereabouts or the bulk of 104, however, upon recovery of the Solar Guard he uttered one word to his rescuers. Uttering 'Changelings' before giving into unconsciousness, medical staff are giving his condition as mana exhaustion. Private Sunny Springs is under close monitoring of his vitals until his magic returns, however, I regret to inform that one of the doctors warns that the serious depletion may never regenerate. In closing, Regiment 104 is no longer combat effective and with the threat of the Changeling Swarm I fear without reinforcements we will lose this area. We need immediate asset denial with all outer city centers and villages. Citizens of the affected area have been deemed lost to the enemy, even down to the foals. Princesses I urge swift action to mobilize effective immediately. Commanding Officer 1st Lieutenant Brazen Bronze.'

It took a few minutes before Twilight could even react, overcome with the contents of the letter and her mind finding a way to fix the new problem. King Thorax had never mentioned any other Changelings, and surely the others would have said something about another contingency plan in the works. Whatever Queen Chrysalis was working on, she must have assumed either two things to be the most prominent courses of action to take. If she won, she could use this raiding swarm to draw attention to the outside threat while her brood impersonate and drive Equestria into focusing on the danger. Thereby allowing the imposters to cement themselves as the Princesses themselves as well as her and her friends. No pony would be the wiser as soldiers were sent into ambushes coordinated by replaced officers and such. The second thought was likely the Queen's gambit if the plan failed and she wanted to start rebuilding quickly, a well calculated backup scheme to secure sources of love.

"That would explain why she left Starlight's offer of friendship... she knew they might lose... Clever?!" Sparkle thought, "But if that was the case, we just need to find the new hive and make those other Changelings see that giving love is a better way to live. We'll need Thorax for this, because if this new swarm was able to take out a regiment of guards then this could be very dangerous."

Revisiting the letter again and again, Twilight pondered on the rather careful planning Chrysalis had displayed. Being so vain and proud of herself, it seemed like the polar opposite to ever consider a fall back plan. She usually was too boisterous to ever think she'd lose, but perhaps Canterlot was the last straw that broke the pony's back. Being blasted away by Shining's and Cadence's love might have knocked some strategy into the Changeling Queen for the worse. She just hoped that this would be the last of the love sucking Changelings, there would be no telling how to end the fight without the reformed ones joining in.

It was strange to see the alterations that occurred after Thorax ascended into a King caste of his kind. His eyes lost their compound featureless blue orbs, gaining the draconic-like oculars Spike and Chrysalis possessed. Rather than the jade hue of his former queen, Thorax' had a soft pinkish tint on violet irises which the drones around them took on. Beyond that they didn't change very much besides the holes in their bodies filling in, some kind of biological reaction to giving love freely and some kind of backwash from the thrones destruction. Though if that were the case, Sparkle feared they might not be able to free the last of their own without the throne to feed. Changeling magic was just too new for her to even consider, and she'd likely off to the guards and help within the week.

"Guess I won't have any advance time to study much less learn from King Thorax about their magic. Well... at least he'll have the power of Chrysalis now, there may yet be some way to work around the throne's magic suppression field and mimic it for Thorax to act in place of. Ugh... it's way too late to be worrying about all this." the letter rolled up and floated to the desk of the room.

Snuffing out the candle flame, she threw herself back first onto the soft mattress. Considering they had to walk for several miles after the train stalled out, their magic had been slow to return after staying so long in that hive with the throne. Only Celestia, Luna, and Cadence somehow were able to revive far faster, which was a good thing since they had to return back to Canterlot before the city discovered the truth. Though surprisingly her own magic had just barely peaked halfway to its proper level as she returned to the castle, even now it still felt a little weak. No teleportation spells for them after getting stranded, but at least it served to warn her of how much she needed exercise.

Looking out the crystal pane window to the outside, the starry night sky guided her thoughts into calm serenity. She vowed to spend all day tomorrow to get all the information she needed and to understand what it was that Celestia wanted of her in the matter. Until then, Luna's dream realm would have her for the night, a clear mind was an efficient one.

Outpost Mustang 1-3

Located near the mountain range known as Solaris where the Everfree met the slopes, the current quarantine area affected due to the new changeling threat. A small platoon of Solar Guard stand on watch for threats to signal to the other towers in the distance with a magical bonfire. Since the loss of a large force as of late, Mustang 1-3 had been on alert for the last few days with little sleep and adrenaline buffering when sounds were heard in the distance. The area had been perfect for fog to settle, grassy plains to the thick forest anchored the low lying clouds that could not pass over the tall jagged mountains like static in hair to balloons. Only the few teams who possessed unicorn guards who could caste a dispersal spell to clear a decent swathe of land could see.

Torches stood alight in the early morning hours along the stone walls of the miniature fortress, giving every pony visibility through both the lack light and looming sunrise. Currently, seven guards stood at attention at each corner of the base while the others patrolled with weapons ready. Private Gold Bloom scanned the outer reaches of his zone, looking for any movement or sign of life as he was ordered to do. It had been several hours since he was posted, the Sergeant had made it clear that any who shirked their duties would be summarily punished to the fullest extent of the law. The loss of a combat ready force was enough to jar command into enacting such harsh punishment, but Gold would not falter.

As his eyes looked over the zone he was issued for the eighteenth time, a female voice spoke up behind him, "Gold don't you think its time to call it a night and let me take over for you? You've been up here for nearly two days with barely any break other than to eat and stuff!"

Bloom did not register her words physically, he simply replied, "When a dragon is ahoof, you don't let one eye go without watching the skies. It is the only way we know when the flames of death come at us before it is too late...Private Ivy Star."

She shook her head within the ornate encompassing helmet, "I don't know what empowers you to do what you do, but at some point any soldier must rest. Please, let me help you so we can have our best capable soldiers always at their peak?!" she beckoned hoping to get through to the stallion if not through his ego.

The guard sighed feeling the strength of fatigue starting to onset beyond his ability to hinder, "Perhaps your right... I am feeling a bit tired." he yawned.

"Good, then come down and let me take up the post." she asked as she watched him start to come down off the wall.

Gold seemed to be reluctant at first, he held his position with closed eyes and a relaxed posture with his tail swaying like a pendulum. Ivy felt certain he'd provide some resistance due to his need to fulfill his duty. Since she'd known him, Bloom was the kind of pony to take his tasks with the utmost importance. Resulting in her need to step over the line to get him to come to sense.

"Okay, come on down then... we've yet to see any danger for the last week and I doubt we'll have any problems with the caches we have stock from. Just trot to me and we can switch, seems easy right." Ivy asked as she welcomed the pony with open hooves metaphorically speaking.

Breaking his concentration, Bloom looked at the mare and wondered what it was like to just breathe for the moment and relax. It felt nice to consider the lack of strain on the mind and horn if for a moment. The C.O. had them pulling double shifts with little rest since the recent threat made itself known, and honestly he could use a wink of sleep even on the hard ground. He gave a heavy sigh and looked back to the mare in golden armor, a pastel green coat could be seen between the joints in the frontier armor guards like them were given. These areas far from Canterlot and its cities were often wrought with dangerous things, so having the additional padding saved lives even if it was a burden to wear. The Ocularian Helmets upon the guard were designed to offer superior enchanted protection to the neck and head without detracting from their ability to hear and see. Segmented and heavy, it still offered a wide range of movement while having the stopping power against javelins and the rending claws of beasts. He could see her ruby mane poking out a bang just above her inquisitive hazel eyes, she was always the most helpful of the unit looking out for everypony like a sister.

"Fine, you win... just let me get down off the ramparts." he chuckled to himself as his hooves started to move to the steps a few feet to his left.

Another guard yawned at the other post nearby, having had no care to heed the two and their conversation. Though that reaction to his boredom or fatigue had Gold follow suit and let loose the call of bed. Feeling the liquid squeezed out of his eyes, a couple small tears formed at the ends of his vision as he drew a deep strained breath. Letting it out as he paused so as to avoid falling off to a good twelve foot drop below, it felt pleasant to be on his way to getting a couple winks. His soft violet eyes opened again with a flitter, viewing an empty section of the wall where the solar guard once stood.

Gold stalled in place, his ears swiveled to see if the private had just moved quick enough out of his vision. However none of his senses picked up the soldier as if the stallion simply vanished or leapt off the wall. That hopeful idea was forfeit when the spear the guard had held in a forelimb just then fell to the stone embattlement, the lit torch near the site shimmered with the last evidence of an air current flowing off the wall. All that quickly surmounted into an alarm which the once tired pony then had his body pumping in the chemicals to do him justice.

"Ivy!! Sound the alarm! NOW!" he shouted enough for the others on watch to turn their heads at the frantic guard.

The mare had not taken the hint and assumed he was joking with her, "Come on, no one's seeing anything for awhile what's the big deal in doing that? You know I could get into a lot of trouble for..."

Gold grabbed his lance and used a spell to light it on fire, "DO IT!!!"

By that action of magically activating his weapon, she took it as confirmation that he was serious. Why he acted as he did now she could only assume he saw something, and well risked getting the commanding officers wrath afterwards. Far be it for her to question any soldier in his state, no pony could fake sensing danger as honest as he displayed.

"Get the Lieutenant out here before..." he yelled only to stop mid sentence as to why, it would haunt Ivy Star for the rest of her life.

She was just about to turn around and make it to the bell when something came over the ramparts. A strikingly colorful insect that seemed to be twice as large as anypony, her vision caught sight of four of its visible legs. Two of which had anchored itself on the ledge of the gray stone wall while two were near a large fleshy trap jaw mouth. Those taloned limbs were in the act of shoving the private into the gator-like mouth where the incisors held silver fangs that had to be a hoof long or more. Tiger stripes of black serrated the carapace of the monster gave some kind of disorientation to it which if her own terror had not been at the forefront she'd have tried look away.

In the span of a few seconds, Gold disappeared within the insect as it swallowed him whole and lept away like a shark that had just breached the waters surface for a seal and went crashing down into the blue abyss. There was the faint sound of wings beating, like a large bumblebee disappearing into the night. He never even had a chance to scream or finish what he was saying, Gold was now gone inside the stomach of the only thing that his attacker could have been. What she and the other few guards who witnessed saw, a Changeling attack was underway and it started with the ambush.

She staggered backwards still in disbelief as her armored rump clacked on the cobble stone ground. Shouts came from other guards around her, but they were barely even registered by her even as the screaming began. More and more stallions and mares were turning their yelling into frantic cries as their nearest squadmates were being plucked from their positions by more of the Changelings. Her eyes remained glued to where Gold once was, the reality of losing a guard was beyond difficult to just adapt to. She'd served with Gold and Mustang 1-3 for two years, longer with the guards themselves as they once served at the southern bases during the peak of the Hydra population back then. Even during that time of immense danger they never lost a pony or were ever hurt, at least thanks to the lack of attack by the vile lizards.

A pegasus guard flew backwards into her vision holding a crossbow, firing wildly to the right corner of her eyes. A colorful blur flashed before her towards the stallion and he vanished, followed by a standard spear which had been thrown haphazardly to Ivy's left coming to a rest just three feet from her hooves. Her head pivoted to look at the discarded weapon, noting the glyphs etched into the wood staff were unique to one pony of the squad. Though before she could begin to remember, something big and heavy suddenly slammed in front of her.

Her thudding heart and icy limbs held no further dread as she gazed upon the creature that came for her, a yellow green shelled Changeling with beady black eyes. Shiny obsidian orbs at the tip of the nose, reflecting her stupefied face as the same fate that befell the others was upon her. The crocadillian maw revealed the cavernous gullet from which she'd make her grave, her eyes never blinking as it came closer and closer.

"STAR!!!"