The Rise of Wrath

A shout across the room woke Captain Fenris Lore out of his daydreaming. He sighed. He missed the days before that blast, the blast that ended the Battle of Canterlot. He didn't turn to the changeling who had shouted. Instead, he continued looking at the holographic map.

“Magically scan that area.” he ordered a changeling, gesturing at an area nearby the large green blip that was their base. Then he turned his attention to the changeling who shouted. He waited until he could hear the soldier’s footsteps before turning around to face him. The familiar changeling alicorn stopped in his tracks, too nervous to speak.

“Lieutenant Felon,” Fenris said with relish, “We are not in the markets of Conorian. We are in a command room of the changeling army. Information is not simply shouted in the general direction of the recipient. Am I clear?”

The Lieutenant gulped “Y-Yes sir.”

“Good.” Replied Fenris, “Now, what is it you wanted to tell me?”

The changeling lieutenant licked his lips. “Sir, the scouts stealing the information from the Ponyville Library have returned.”

“Really?” Fenris asked, “Did they have any pursuit?”

“Yes sir, but they say they lost them.”

“Good, Lieutenant. Put the sentry line on yellow alert. Dismissed.” The captain watched as the lieutenant left. The young lieutenant, he corrected. Normally, no one so young and inexperienced would be able to serve in a command room. But then again, these weren’t normal times. The whole army was mostly made up of young, inexperienced changelings. After the Battle for Canterlot, they were left without the leadership of Queen Chrysalis, almost no decent supplies, here, in an abandoned village, with a large shack as a headquarters, in the middle of nowhere…

…Under the command of the greatest mastermind in the Changeling Armed Forces. Fenris smiled, a tight, wolfish smile.

Then frowned. Grand Admiral Wrath would want to know the information just given. However, it was the Grand Admirals meditation time, and if protocol frowned upon shouting across a command room, it frowned even more upon interrupting a Grand Admirals meditation.

Gathering up the courage of eight years in the changeling military, the captain headed down to the Admirals meditation room. Everyone knew that after the recent refitting, the Admiral had been spending a lot of time in there. It was a secondary command room, meditation chamber, maybe even more. What was a secret is what exactly he did in there. Fenris hesitated, but opened the door anyway.

Into a softly light art museum. Fenris felt his mouth drop. The walls were covered in paintings and relief sculptures, while free-standing sculptures dotted the room. In the center of the room, on an ornate chair, sat Grand Admiral Wrath. Fenris had never gotten comfortable with the Admiral’s appearance. The Admiral was about common size for a changeling. He was a unicorn, which was easily his second most astounding trait. Never, besides Wrath, had a non-alicorn changeling reached the rank of Grand Admiral. Thus, he was despised by his peers, which caused him to not be present at the Battle of Canterlot.

Often, Fenris was amazed by the Admiral. Sometimes he wandered if Wrath, not Chrysalis, had been in command of the Battle of Canterlot, and how different the results would have been. This leads to the Admirals most astounding trait. He has an uncanny knack for extreme tactics.

Fenris licked his lips and stepped forward.

“Captain,” stated Wrath “You have something to report?”

“Yes Sir.” Replied Fenris “The scouts from Ponyville Library have returned.”

“Did they have any pursuit?”

“Yes, but they said they lost them.”

Wrath frowned. “No, no I don’t think they did.”

“Should we go to red alert, Admiral?”

“No, we should have a minute or two.” Replied Wrath. “Have you ever studied art, Captain?

“No,” frowned Fenris “I can’t say I ever found time.”

“You should.” Said Wrath “You see here,” he gestured to one piece of ancient history. “I have reasons to believe that this piece dates back to the Discordant Era, predating the Royal Pony Sisters by about two hundred years.”

“Really Sir?” commented Fenris, only half interested.

“Yes.” Replied Wrath, half to himself “Illusions of course, all of them. They all reside in Equestrian territory.”

Before Fenris could half heartily reply, a panicked shout came over intercom. “SIR!!! We are under ATTACK!!!” came the voice of Lieutenant Felon. Fenris turned pale. “I need status on the enemy battle group, NOW!”

Wrath smiled, and suddenly, all the art pieces were gone. In there place was a massive dashboard showing the battlefield. Several green squares and circles represented the changeling base. Close, two massive red circles represented the Equestrian forces. Fenris turned surprisingly white for a black changeling. “Two Divisions.” He said, as soon as Felon said the same. Four hundred Equestrian Royal Guards. “Felon, give the order, we’re packing up cam…” Fenris started to say, when Wrath interrupted him. “Belay that order, Lieutenant.” Fenris looked at him incredulously. “Sir…” Wrath waved him off.

“Sentry unit one, move forward.”

Suddenly, a unit of four changeling dots moved towards the massive two red circles. One green light winked out. “That will be enough. Unit one, retreat.” The remaining three dots moved away from the enemy circles. “Division 234, move in a behind flanking maneuver.” The largest dot in the changeling base moved out, around and behind.

“See now, my strategy Captain?” asked Wrath.

“No, I’m afraid I don’t sir.” Replied Fenris. “I see that the sentries were to distract the enemy to let our only division out, but everything else is classic flanking maneuver. I don’t see anyway that Marines are going to fall…” “Not only are they going to fall for it” Interrupted Wrath, “They are going to be completely annihilated by it. Forty-Seventh and Eighty-Ninth, move into position.” Fenris felt his mouth drop. “SIR?!?!?” Suddenly, two massive green blips moved on-screen. The 47th and 89th Teleportation Corps Divisions had arrived. Fenris stared awestruck at Wrath. “Study your enemies art, Captain, and you will know your enemy.” Fenris stared awestruck as the extremely difficult Discordant maneuver was pulled off to perfection.

*****

An hour later, it was all over.

“Sir, how did..?” Fenris tried to ask, at a total lose for words.

Wrath was tinkering with a small, stone tablet. Fenris stared at his high-ranking superior as he started to reply.

“Well, Fenris,” said Wrath “Your scouts have delivered the second part of the puzzle. You see Captain, those two divisions were not a ridiculously large number to send at us.”

Fenris snorted. “You think? We slaughtered them!”

“Not like that Captain!” Scowled Wrath “On this tablet is the secret to one of the most secretive projects the Equestrians are taking. It is the second piece of the puzzle. The first is the location of a mine in the Buffalo Territories. This, the second piece, is just a little tidbit, showing the location of something large in this puzzle.”

And what puzzle is this, Admiral?” said Fenris, already guessing.

“Why,” said Wrath, smiling. “The only puzzle worth solving of course. The puzzle that will cause Equestria’s downfall into the Changeling Empire!”

Fenris smiled, and realized, that, under Wrath, they may get a second chance at Canterlot. Nothing will stop them this time!