Blight of The War Horse (Reforged)

Damnit! Storm Breaker mentally spat, thundering hooves rushing down lengthy halls. Idiotic, brainless, and moronic didn’t even begin describing the titanic mare, muttering frantic curses under her breath. Cadance acting like a bitch: Strom already knew.

But, shockingly, the ‘alicorn of love’ is a bitch and an imposter! Pony's eyes don’t switch color and pattern.

And what did she do? Sneak around, concealed by shadows, without ONCE raising a hoof or her blade against this sickly impersonator like a coward! Dear Goddess, her sense had dulled. Nevertheless, Storm Breaker ignored startled guests and castle staff as she raced by, laser-focused on a single destination: The royal gardens. Celestia abandoned the wedding hall minutes prior, and preparations for outside concessions still required preparation. Surely, Celestia would be there.

However, shall the solar diarch believe her? Twilight failed to reveal fake Cadance’s ploy to anypony, Celestia included. They possessed a several-year-long relationship; who’d believe somepony like her?

Hades, It’s better than sitting on her hooves!

Suddenly, frantically rounding a corner, a guest room door exploded open, multiple white hooves catching Storm Breaker off guard and pulling her inside. The door instantly slammed shut as she rolled across the carpeted floor.

Impacting a bed, Storm Breaker, dazed, tried standing until unrestrained bucks and punches forced her down, continuing their unrelenting assault. Storm Breaker, enduring her assailant's strikes, swept a foreleg outward, hitting at least one body, accompanied by a feral screech. Still, those impacts left their marks, blood trickling down her left nostril. Finally rising, Storm Breaker wiped her muzzle, rolling her aching shoulder. Huh, Thunder Charge’s pals came to play, she sarcastically thought, neck angled toward her hip-bound blade.

Five royal guards, golden-dressed stallions and mares, poised to strike if their low stances implied anything. No weapons? She guessed they’d felt cocky today. Yet, something persisted in bugging Storm, scanning them closely. Since the windowless room’s light wasn’t on, she vaguely realized the guard’s uncanny features- mainly their slightly glowing eyes. A sharp hiss drew Storm Breaker’s attention, allowing the warrior mare time to barely dodge a skinny, lunging unicorn guard, whose face got politely introduced to her hoof. Afterward, the guard collapsed hard and became engulfed by neon-green flame, similar to fake Cadance’s magic. The stallion guard, or it, groaned, retreating from Storm’s bewildered gaze and crawling back into its partners’ company, regaining its fake outward appearance. “What are these beasts?” She thought.

Taking advantage, one disguised guard- a pegasus mare -gained airborne advantage while the other, an average Unicorn sentry, went low, stabbing his horn at Storm Breaker's heart. The warrior mare was too slow, a thundering, hot pain electing a sharp hiss from Storm, recoiling away and removing the offending prick. Luckily, their blood-covered horn was too short, causing little cause for concern, but it hurt nonetheless.

BANG! BANG!

Fiery green volleys grazed Storm Breaker’s head, ducking downward and biting her sword’s leather grip, the skinny unicorn taking a reckless charge in her direction. Her sword swiftly exited its sheath, cutting the air and the second unicorn guard’s mid-section, almost splitting it halfway. Like then, green flames unmasked a bug-like monster with hollowed- hole-filled -hooves, black chitin, and sea-green eyes. Insect ponies who could transform? It wasn’t any beast or animal Storm Breaker knew before.

Seeing their lifeless comrade fall, the remaining four beasts roared furiously, rushing Storm Breaker simultaneously.

The first strike, provided by the airborne pegasus guard, forcefully impacted her jaw, but Storm Breaker parried a second round, her sword’s broad side knocking her away. Next, three ‘guards’- two earth ponies and the second unicorn -unleashed bites, bucks, and punches wildly, all narrowly missing their target, dancing around the guest room. Holes lined the walls, shattered furniture laid asunder, and tattered cloth soon layered the sudo-battlefield, both sides receiving varying amounts of cuts and bruises. Storm Breaker swung her weapon, clipping the unicorn’s cheek, then blocking the pegasus’s downward kick, punishing the hovering pretender by thrusting her sword into the right wing. The pegasus mare shrieked, dropping and cradling her pierced feathers in agony.

Holding back a cry of pain herself, feeling a leg bone crack under a burly earth pony guard’s headbutt, Storm Breaker switched her priorities and picked up a disembodied bed frame leg, and THWACK smashed it to splitters over the guard’s head. His body fell limp. Distracted due to her injured leg, a more spindly earth pony guard disappeared into her left side, unhinging his jaw, and successfully latched onto her barrel. Releasing a startled whine and dropping her blade, Storm hastily tossed herself left and right, the creature’s dagger fangs further tearing the wound open.

Having somewhat recovered from the pain, the pegasus tackled the mighty warrior mare’s legs, knocking her to the ground. Retaining itself by the room’s singular exit, the second unicorn prepared his horn.

Heat built inside Storm Chest, an enraged battle cry bellowing from her throat.

Moments later, the room's hole-filled interior faces gained a sizable addition when the parasite guard, crushed by her stampeding shoulder, came off, breathing ragged breaths with his back firmly pressed into a decently sized depression. Unfinished, Storm Breaker temporarily withdrew to the pegasus. However, there was nothing this impersonator guard could do. Reeling her hoof back, snarling, determination-filled shrieks escaped her until Storm Breaker performed a back-hoof, drawing unnatural emerald blood, letting the faux guard crumble. The warrior didn’t waste a second, her teeth tightly clamped onto its leg.

The spindly guard’s quaking legs desperately lifted him, only to give once Storm returned, his ally pathetically dangling in her possession. His eyes widened; the titan pony lifted his limp friend and repeatedly brought them together. Over and over, greenish liquid pooled and littered the immediate area’s walls, hard chitin colliding and crumbling together as the warrior vented, her hate and frustrated yells masking wet impacts.

Sometime later, the ‘handle’ of her makeshift mace’s leg suddenly lost its heft, and Storm Breaker unceremoniously dropped the lone limb, heavily panting and staring at her grizzly work.

“Dammit.” She gruffly mumbled, spitting crimson, unbeknownst to quiet steps departing behind her. “There’s more- I’m sure of it! Something to do with this crummy wedding, no doubt. What’re they, though? Ugh, that doesn’t matter!” Cutting off her out-loud thinking, Storm exhaled. Point taken: Terrorists weren’t completely harmless. It’s time for a new plan. “I need-…to s-stop…th-the…wed…ing.”

Storm Breaker’s voice faded, leaving her mouth agape and strangely dry. The longer her gaze lingered on the two bug creatures’ remains, the harder breathing became. She felt a soothing, cruel frost bake her skin, two unicorns dressed in crude tribal armor laying before her, dead. A scent of metal filled her muzzle, the viscous texture of foreign ichor coating her hoof and face, and nostalgic stinging fire poking her wounds. Her heart increased in tempo, a piercing ring plugging her hearing, her eye trying vainly to look elsewhere. There’s more of these things, right? So arrogant, daring to believe they had a hope of killing her?! Commanding cries filled her flicking ears. Storm subconsciously gritted her teeth, tightly sealing her eye shut.

They wouldn’t live long enough to try!

Creek.

CRASH!

Then, she blinked.

“Huh?” Uninterrupted by her distractive mind, Storm Breaker stared blankly, confused.

When had she moved in front of the doorway? And, speaking of which, said door seemed absent, her outstretched, clenched foreleg facing an empty frame supporting wood chunks dangling off its bent hinges. “I…Uh?” Retracting her limb, she retrieved her weapon and fully entered the hall in a hurried blur, wincing at a sudden headache. Weird, across the hall’s width, a pony-sized hole appeared on a window, droplets of green tainting the broken stained glass. Weren’t there five insect monsters?

“Wait!” Snapping to her left, Storm Breaker resisted attacking when a frightened maid approached. “I heard a commotion! Is everything alright?” She questioned, stopping a few paces away.

“...Yeah.” Storm Breaker shrugged.

The maid looked at her funny but grimaced upon seeing the destroyed guest room. “This’s bad! Princess Cadenza’s wedding just started- we don’t need a mess right now!” She panicked. “Out of the guard's troublemakers, why you?!”

In the great words of a farm pony she deeply respected:

“Ah, horse apples.”

An infectious round of stunned gasps overflows the wedding hall packed with noble ponies staring wide-eyed at its entrance. Furrowing her brow and glaring, the rugged, unkempt Cadance eyed her befuddled counterpart.

“What?!” The malicious masquerader shouted. “But how did you escape my bridesmaids?” She questioned.

Before her and Twilight’s escape, Cadance awoke underneath Canterlot’s abandoned crystal mines, trapped in an isolated cavern. Days must’ve passed, ponies wistfully unaware of her capture. But thanks to her alicorn physiology, starvation would never have let this moment arrive, dooming Canterlot and Equestria. Aside from that and Twilight nearly blowing her head off, the two escaped through an opening in the cave’s ceiling, guarded by three entranced mares. A tossed bouquet and arduous flight later, she’d been lucky enough to stop her imposter from stealing her- hypnotized -Shining in time.

“Funny,” Fake Cadance sneered, snorting. “Sadly, you’re still too late.” She smirked.

A well-dressed Applejack, accompanied by the other similarly-dressed elements of harmony, tilted her head sideways in confusion. “Wait, I don’t understand. How could there be two of them?” She said.

Stepping ahead a few paces, Cadance scanned the crowd, pointing to fake Cadance, “She’s a Changeling! She takes the form of somepony you love and feeds off your love for them!” The crowd looked mortified by her explanation while her faker scowled deeply, eyes glowing green. You learn a thing or two when your foalnapper is a raving maniac.

Suddenly, a green pillar of fire erupted from the ground, encircling fake Cadance. Every onlooking pony watched in disgust and terror as faux skin and feathers melted off black, armor-like flesh, growing three-jointed legs snapping, twisting; lengthy, gorgeous locks shed, replaced by oily blue hair. Blunt pony teeth shrank and broke, forming razor-sharp fangs. And ‘Cadance’s’ violet orbs shrank until two cat-like eyes remained, withholding a sense of malevolent glee, seeing the terrified crowd. Once the burning spire died, a horrid noir demon taller than Celestia stood above all in attendance, smiling cruelly and licking her teeth with a slivery, green tongue.

“I applaud your excellent deduction skills, my doltish princess.” Queen Chrysalis cackled, resting a hoof over her broad chest.

“And as queen, finding food so my children can eat is my bestowed right!” Stepping away from Shining, the insectoid monarch slowly approached the glaring Cadance. “You glorified cattle selfishly hoard it all, sadly. No matter, my dear kin will feast for untold winters once I’ve harvested every last drop from your pathetic bodies. I will gain more power than ever before and make you kneel in my divine presence.” She ranted, stopping herself and leaning closer to her face.

Cadance scoffed, “They’ll never get the chance! Shining’s spell will keep them from reaching us!” She retorted, much to Chrysalis’s sinister chuckle.

“Oh, I relish in your foalish hopefulness. Nevertheless, this castle will become Celestia’s tomb.” Chrysalis’s jagged horn went ablaze as she looked over her shoulder, hungrily eyeing Shining armor. “Do you agree, dear?” Emerald-glowing eyes pulsating, the entranced stallion mindlessly nodded.

“Uh-Hm.” He droned.

A brief flash of distraught flashed across Cadance’s dust-covered features, quickly replaced by determined fury. However, upon taking a forward charge, Chrysalis, using her sickly magic, tripped the love alicorn and clicked her tongue. “I wasn’t done gloating yet, pony.” The bug tyrant spat, walking away as Twilight aided her old foal sitter. “Despite the short time frame, Shining’s adoration for you has proven immensely useful these past few days. Moreover, for every moment, he grows weaker, alongside his pathetic spell.” Queen Chrysalis reappeared closely by Shining, stroking his cheek teasingly, making Cadance angrily growl. “Even as we speak, my children grind your defense away.”

Glancing out a nearby window, Twilight gasped, “Dear Celestia…!”

High above the panicking Equestrian metropolis, hundreds- no, thousands of Changelings savagely beat themselves against Shining Armor’s once impenetrable barrier, creating devastating cracks. And below, chaotic cries rang out, citizens in uproar and panic, running to and fro like confused ants under a magnifying glass.

“My little message caused you so much panic it blinded your search for the enemy within.” Chrysalis laughed maniacally. “Sorry to say, but I hereby terminate poor Shining Armor from his role as Captain of the royal guard!”

“Not my Shining armor!” Cadance cried.

Spreading both paper-thin wings, the insectoid monarch hovered high, smiling widely. “My forces shall exterminate all you ponies hold dear! Fields will burn, heads will roll, villages will crumble, and no creature could ever hope to face my unstoppable might! Today is when equine scum finally receives judgment for their sins! For thousands of winters, I’ve awaited this singular instant- seeing your face’s filled with terror almost masked this enteral starvation you’ve cursed upon my ilk!” She madly ranted, her eyes growing wilder with every word.

“No, I won’t allow it!”

Arching a brow, Chrysalis turns to see a scowling Celestia approaching. “You may have made it impossible for Shining Armor to perform his spell. But now that you’ve so foolishly revealed yourself, I can protect my subjects from you!” The solar diarch boldly proclaimed as Chrysalis landed.

A quick chuckle, “Apologies, I almost forgot you, Celestia.” She said, coating the sun alicorn’s name in potent venom and vitriol. “After all, you are the sole reason for my grand arrival today!” Chrysalis sneered.

“Whatever grievance you have against my ponies may be,” Suddenly, Celestia rushed toward the changeling queen. Accepting her challenge, Chrysalis did the same, meeting the sun alicorn halfway and locking horns together. Although, the horn clash was short-lived. Celestia retreated and flew up, her horn glowing a blindingly bright golden hue. “You will not see your wickedness prevail!” She shouted, smiting a pillar of blinding magic upon Chrysalis. Hastily producing her own beam, the queen of the changelings' power impacted Celestia’s, creating minor shockwaves and staggering everypony. Both rulers struggled over dominance, signs of strain visible on the former's face, while Celestia kept a stoic sternness. All the while, Cadance watched suspensefully, wordlessly wishing victory for her aunt. Chrysalis’s legs began to buckle, sweat trickling down her face. Just a little more! The love alicorn mentally cried, a hopeful smile adorning her muzzle- pity, this mighty Changeling warlord wasn’t as powerful as she boasted.

Sadly, just as she finished her arrogant thought, Cadance's smile dropped like drowning lead, noticing Celestia’s magic beginning to recede, pushed back by Chrysalis. The love alicorn’s warning never left her mouth as the dominating changeling magic contacted Celestia’s horn tip, shock adorning Equestria’s leading princess.

BOOM!

Time appeared to crawl agonizingly slow; Cadance followed her aunt’s detached crown soar through the air, crashing beside Celestia’s unmoving body, her lengthy horn chard black and smoking, faint burns scaring her upper face.

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight called out, immediately rushing to aid her teacher, followed by her friend’s. The surrounding gaggle of nobles gasped and murmured.

For Cadance, witnessing the one pony she thought invincible in such a state left her frozen. How could this have happened? The solar diarch still breathed, but just barely. Flashes of tender moments between her and Celestia flashed through her mind, summoning hot tears as she feared the worst was on the horizon. “Shining Armor’s love for you is stronger than I thought!” She heard Chrysalis say. There’s no conceivable way she managed such a daunting feat, leeching off her soon-to-be husband’s love! There’s nothing she can do. Cadance isn’t strong, not like Celestia. And Luna, having mysteriously disappeared, hadn’t shown face.

“Consuming it has made me more powerful than Celestia!” Chrysalis victoriously bellowed.

No, this wasn’t a choice of can’t and won’t; it would go against everything Celestia taught Cadance! As her niece and an alicorn, Cadance maintained a duty to lead and protect ponies, even when faced with insurmountable odds. Steeling her nerves, the love alicorn prepared her horn, aiming at the distracted Chrysalis. If she died, that’s it.

Her husband and Equestria were in danger, and sitting idly by wasn’t helping anypony.

BAM!

So, the fun already started without her?

Storm Breaker's perpetually furrowed brow spied the insect queen ahead, who eyed her with bewilderment, mirroring the expressions of numerous standerby’s. "I take it you're the queen maggot?" she asked, her hoof lowering after forcefully swinging open the double-door entrance. Going off the grim atmosphere and pants-pissing ponies somehow having not fled by now, She’d arrived too late.

“I’d hoped the increasing empty voids within my hivemind might’ve been flukes,” the oversized hornet snorted, “You’re as fearsome as every Vanguard knight I’ve slain before, not that my praise will do you good.” She added.

She ignored the queen bee, her lone, narrowed eye widening slightly, spotting an injured Celestia encircled by Twilight and her friends. What a lousy guard she was- If only those straggling imps hadn’t slowed her down. And, seeing their disguised forms under sunlight made Storm wonder how anypony hadn’t mentioned a concerning amount of sickly-looking guards. Still, she defeated Celestia. Considering her last hostile encounter involving an alicorn, goddess be damned if she lived through this without teasing death once or twice.

Bleeding from multiple fresh cuts and feeling slightly light-headed, Storm Breaker would do what all Vanguard Knights do: make the most out of nothing.

Lifting and directing her blade at the bug queen, the warrior mare’s gaze hardened, “I am Storm Breaker, a knight of the mighty Vanguard and soldier of Princess Luna’s royal night guard vowed to protect and serve.” She spoke through a handle-filled maw.

Without warning, the elements of harmony- plus a yellow and pink pegasus she’d never seen before -unexpectedly began running toward Storm Breaker, catching the bug queen’s attention. Alighting her horn, the propelled volley of fiery magic aimed directly at the fleeing group. Storm Breaker acted immediately, blocking the line of fire and swinging her blade at Chrysalis's magic, deflecting it into the western wall, frightful guests screaming as dust and falling rubble subsided.

The elements stopped and looked back as the warrior mare winced, teeth and jaws aching. That single attack felt like she pushed back an entire rampaging Ursa Major. “Are you alright?!” She heard Twilight call out.

“Worry about yourself, Sparkle. And get out of my way next time!” She replied, somewhat harshly due to her pain-wracked nerves.

“Sorry.”

Snorting, Storm Breaker refocused on Chrysalis, “Whatever, just let me deal with the overcompensating worm.”

“Okay, hold her off while we get the elements!” Was what Storm heard vanishing into distant halls beyond the closing doors. If those mares needed the fancy power necklaces to perform their ultimate, beat-evil-shit-up rainbow beam, why were they stored in Canterlot, Storm Breaker pondered.

Nevertheless, the insectoid monarch released an echoing chortle, grinning broadly. “So, Equestria’s finest champions throw their ancient guard dog into the wolf’s den as a distraction?” Chrysalis taunted, “And here I thought your kind couldn’t get any crueler.” She said. “However, I’m feeling merciful right now. Kindly surrender and prevent me from wasting time and energy killing you, or I’ll disembowel every worthless, dressed-up donkey here.”

Strom Breaker started having a bad case of deja vu right about now. “Keep talking; you’re practically a spitting image of somepony I wanted to reconnect with three thousand years ago.” She snarled.

Away from Chrysalis’s and Storm Breaker’s back-and-forth session, Cadance began helping ponies escape the wedding hall and away from the distracted warlord. Pegasi fled through windows, unicorns teleported, and earth ponies borrowed the path the elements of harmony took. Throughout her rescue attempts, Cadance studied Storm Breaker, unbeknownst to her, keeping her mental observation quiet. Once everypony escaped, Cadance’s magic coated her horn.

“Hey!”

Reacting slowly to Cadance’s voice, Storm Breaker caught glimpses of pinkish clouds of mana soaking into her damaged skin, healing the more minute and recent wounds. “P-Protect…auntie!” She requested before succumbing to exhaustion and passing out. It was a miracle somepony so worn-looking managed this long. Yet, Storm Breaker internally sighed, thankful the real Cadance didn’t act like her counterfeit.

Chrysalis, however, wasn’t feeling so likewise, “Damn horse,” She spat, “Guess your only mercy disappeared, knight.”

“Like I needed it.” Storm replied, taking a defensive stance. “I’ve always wanted to kill something as powerful as Captain Sunshine. Sadly, I’ll have to settle for second best.” She said, empathizing her last two words, smirking.

The combination of rage, disgust, disdain, and outright fury that appeared on Chrysalis’s face was palpable, getting compared to Celestia as her lesser. “Oh, I’m going to enjoy killing you, slowly.” She seethed, her magic-coated horn contaminating the air with a vile static. Was it smart to anger a creature capable of beating Celestia? No. Did it feel good? Hades yes. “Feel honored, mongrel, because you’ll join Celestia and her loved ones soon when I nail your corpses to this castle's walls!” She roared.

“Save me your tantrum! The only thing I’ll feel when you draw your last breath is boredom!” Tensing her muscles, Storm Breaker shot off, pulling her sword back.

The end was nigh.