Equestrian Subversion

Equestrian Subversion

Those who have failed and fallen are that much stronger when they get back up.

Chapter One: The Ashes Are Still Hot

“What a lovely but absolutely ridiculous sentiment,” the insect queen scoffed. Even though Twilight and the real Cadance escaped the caverns beneath Canterlot and forced her to show her true identity, they were no closer to stopping her than they were when Twilight and her friends arrived.

For months, she had fed off the love Shining Armor had for his wife. His love gave her power: power greater than even that of the princesses, as she had demonstrated with downing Celestia, the god emperess of ponydom.

The Elements of Harmony? Ha! They had no true power. Their powers came from jewels. Without their precious rocks, they were as useless as anypony else. The queen’s soldiers shattered the magic barrier protecting Canterlot, captured the Elements, and crushed both branches of the Royal Guard, the captain of which was too weak to so much as levitate a quill. The center of pony life was under her control. Did Cadance truly think she could restore his magic and her kingdom with love?

The two ponies embraced, and Shining’s horn was actually glowing now. Cadance sent magic to her horn as well, forming a cyan spark between them. The spark evolved and expanded into an orb of purple light with a white nucleus where their horns met. The orb started to rotate, and formed a funnel of wind around Shining and Cadance that gained power as the sphere grew in size. Shining Armor was quite surprised when he opened his eyes, as though he himself didn’t actually expect his fiancée’s plan to work. As the wind picked up speed, they shared a look and a smile that said one thing: keep going. The funnel continued to swirl and rotate, and its magic picked them up, levitating them slowly off the ground. Chrysalis had enough time to allow a look of horror and shock to take the place of her self-righteous grin before the now hot-white sphere exploded in the shape of a heart. The power of love was enough, because the blast spread throughout Canterlot and sent Chrysalis and her army flying out in an ever-expanding radius, beyond Ponyville, beyond the Everfree Forest, beyond the remote town of Appleloosa, to land in a nameless, featureless forest on the other side of Equestria.

The lucky Changelings were killed on impact, while the others suffered with broken or twisted legs and wings for weeks before finally starving or falling prey to the superior fauna of the unnamed arboreal waste.

Their queen was not so fortunate.

Most Changelings barely made a dent in the ground when they landed, mostly because they were slowed down by trees long before the forest floor was even in sight. Chrysalis, however, being nearly the size of Celestia, was significantly heavier. She approached the canopy at a sharp angle, and made a comedic Changeling-shaped hole in the leafy roof. She easily cleared any branches that got in her way from there, and skidded on the ground for about fifteen hooves before slowing to a halt. Luckily, the canopy had absorbed most of her downward momentum, so she had no serious injuries, only scrapes, bruises, and a clipped left ear.

Nevertheless, she made no effort to move from her crater. She was content to lie there, wallowing in her own misery and shame. Unlike Nightmare Moon or Discord, she’d didn’t intend to overthrow Celestia merely to rule the land herself; her people were starving and without a home. They needed the love of sentient beings to feed, not including each other. Equestria was close to where her colony was located at the time, and was ripe with loving citizens. As villainous as she may have made herself out to be to the ponies, she was only doing what any competent ruler would do if her subjects needed hospitable land. She was certain that if Celestia were in her place, she would do the same.

But her mission had failed. She was defeated, ironically, by the one thing that kept her and her people alive: love. She was banished and left to die by the bride she had mimicked and the groom she tried to steal. She had failed her subjects by not finding them a home, and she had failed herself by losing without putting up a fight. She curled up in the pit and did something she hadn’t done since larvaehood.

She cried. She cried as loudly as her body desired; no one could hear her, anyway, and there was no more shame that could be added to her.

When nightfall came, she had long run out of tears. She had made her final decision; she wouldn’t move, she wouldn’t fight back, she would simply wait for Death’s messenger to find her. Starvation, forest fauna, an angry onslaught of her famished followers; whatever came first was more than welcome.

Suddenly, a strange sensation surrounded her body, and she felt totally weightless.

‘So this is what death feels like.’

She opened her eyes, expecting to look down and see her spirit leaving her decaying carcass alone on the forest floor. Instead, she realized she wasn’t floating out of the pit so much as she was being dragged out.

“Your majesty.” The voice was all-too familiar to the Changeling queen. It belonged to one of her right wing soldiers, one of the only Changelings who knew the entirety of her plan to topple Equestria.

“Put me back, Bane Tooth.” Her command barely came out as a whisper. “You’re only throwing salt in my wounds by dragging me out like this.” She made no effort to make eye contact; she just didn’t have the energy.

Bane walked around to look his queen in the eye. “Surely, you have a plan to re-assemble the colony.”

“The colony is gone,” she replied. “We are a starving people spread dangerously thin in enemy territory without a leader. What hope is there for us?”

Bane smiled. “We’re not as broken as you think we are.” Bane’s wings began to vibrate. Not because he was taking off, but because he was trying to reach a certain frequency: the one that all Changelings used as an auditory beacon. It was the call to arms of every able-bodied soldier in the area. Chrysalis thought he was mad. Surely, no Changelings were able to respond to the call, and if any actually could come, they would surely have wings or limbs distorted beyond repair.

Once again, she was wrong.

Within minutes, masses of her black bodied, blue-eyed soldiers emerged from the forest shadows. Most were in decent shape: some were limping, some merely had cuts and bruises like their queen. The clearing was soon a lake of Changelings, writhing and waiting for their queen’s command. Bane smiled, clearly pleased with the turnout. Chrysalis, on the other hand, was speechless. To see survivors in these numbers that were more or less battle ready was astonishing.

The queen was filled with new energy. Like fresh blood racing to her limbs, it gave her the strength to stand up. She lifted her wings for the first time in what felt like days. She looked at Bane Tooth, but not with surprise. A new feeling molded her face like fine clay into a smirk that bled confidence.

Hope.

Step one was to strengthen the soldiers. The Changeling’s primary food source was love, and although the forest was a metropolis of flora and fauna, it was a barren wasteland for Chrysalis’ starved army. The local wildlife was about as loving and emotional as a pile of assorted boulders. This pushed the remnants of the hive to vampirism, something that, in Changeling society, was viewed as one of the most lowly, vile acts that could be done.

Vampirism was usually only done by psychotic serial killers, escaped prisoners in hiding, or as a desperate army’s last resort. And this was a very desperate army. Luckily, their ability to change shape and jet-black coloration made sneaking up on unsuspecting animals larvae’s play.

For Chrysalis, watching her army regain strength was like watching them grow up all over again as they adapted to a new world, taught themselves and each other how to survive, and prepared for the invasion. Slowly but surely, more stragglers came upon the clearing, some only moments before death. Those who survived were caught up to speed and given a rodent to get their strength back.

Days turned to months, then years, until the army had quadrupled in size and the clearing was filled to burst with Changelings. All silently awaited the words of their queen.

“My children, merely six years ago, we were brought to our knees by the Equestrians. We were battered, bruised, and separated by immeasurable distances. Now, here we stand, poised like manticores ready for the kill. We are stronger than ever before, and this time, we will claim our new kingdom. Let this be the day that Equestria trembles in fear. Let Celestia herself bow before me.

“Let Equestria crumble beneath our feet!”

A wave of shouts and excited buzzing filled the clearing, but before the invasion could begin, Chrysalis had one last errand to run.

“General Bane,” she called over the wall of noise. The equally-statured Changeling general obediently replied.

“Your majesty.”

“Send a message to the princess in Canterlot.” Bane Tooth stared back blankly.

“I beg your pardon, your highness?”

Chrysalis laughed, “Since their leader is so fond of letters, it would be my pleasure to send her the last one to add to her collection.”

“What should it say?”

“Tell her everything. The invasion, the army, Discord. Leave nothing secret.”

“Your highness,” Bane said in an increasingly worried tone, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Why would we tell her everything about the invasion? Wouldn’t it be smarter to surprise them and sneak into the cit-”

“I’m tired of sneaking around!” she screamed. “We tried being stealthy last time, and it nearly led to our extinction! I want them to have a glimmer of hope that they can win, then smash it into a thousand pieces. I want to take everything they love away and destroy it. I want them to hurt like I did!” Chrysalis was on the brink of tears when she finished her rant, and Bane Tooth had taken a number of steps backwards. He had never seen his usually calm and collected queen, or anyone for that matter, so consumed by rage.

She sighed, trying to calm herself down before she had an aneurism. “Write the letter, Bane. We’ll give them just barely enough time to prepare before we attack.” She turned to face Canterlot, a mere speck on a cliffside on the horizon.

“By high noon tomorrow, Celestia will be my prisoner.”

Something was horribly wrong.

Celestia had been feeling sick ever since she woke up that morning. It wasn’t due to physical illness; rather, it was a suffocating sense of dread, like something was hanging over her head ready to crush her. She hadn’t voiced her concerns to any of the nobles or even her sister, mostly because she didn’t know what was causing her restlessness and didn’t want to cause panic. So, she irritably paced on her balcony to blow off steam.

Then something caught her eye on the horizon. It was a small green flame, swirling and spinning in the wind like stray paper. When it reached her balcony, it spun in an ever-tightening circle before a piece of crudely-woven parchment materialized and fell to the ground. She hesitantly picked it up, as though it might explode if she held it too close.

For the eyes of Her Majesty Princess Celestia Only

Greetings from the farthest corner of Equestria.

Allow me to introduce myself. I am Bane Tooth, one of Chrysalis’ head generals. She would like to inform you of our invasion of Equestria, starting in Canterlot and fanning out. Her Majesty wants you to prepare for your demise and the collapse of your kingdom. She also wants to assure you that, upon capture, will not be harmed.

Provided you cooperate.

Be ready, because this time, we will hold back nothing.

P.S. Don’t be surprised if a few things from the garden go missing.

Celestia’s blood ran cold the moment she saw the word ‘Chrysalis.’ Shining Armor and Candance were in the Chrystal Empire, and there was no way to get either of them back in time to put up a shield spell. Her only chance was to get Twilight and her friends to get to Canterlot and stop the Changelings.

Suddenly, a guard burst into her room. “Your highness! Discord is gone!”

The statue of the god of chaos was dragged into the clearing before Chrysalis. How her soldiers managed to get it out of the royal garden and into the distant forest undetected was a mystery. Chrysalis’ horn emanated an eerie green light, firing an energy orb at the stone creature and shattering his rocky skin.

When the light faded enough for the Changelings to see, they saw Discord still in his horrified position he had before his defeat. He looked around the clearing at the army with a raised brow.

“Wow, the palace groundskeepers must really be behind.” He looked forward at Chrysalis and smiled. “Ah, if it isn’t her Royal Highness Queen Chrysalis.” He bowed his head and put one hand behind his back.

“How do you know who I am?”

“My dear,” he laughed, “I may have been encased in stone, but I wasn’t lost to the outside world.” He frowned and aimed his eyes down and to the side. “Although, sometimes I wish I had been. You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve heard about Blueblood’s “latest affair.”

All the Changelings, including Chrysalis and Bane Tooth, looked at him with extreme confusion.

“For the record, it’s seventeen.”

Chrysalis shook her head and tried to get the conversation back on topic. “Anyway, I’ve brought you here so you can assist me in my subversion of Equestria.” Discord stared blankly back at her. “We’re going to overthrow Celestia.”

“Oh. So, what’s my homework for tonight?” he asked, spawning a pencil, notepad, and a pair of glasses.

“My army and I will overrun Canterlot and capture Celestia, while you…” Truthfully, she didn’t have a plan for what to do with Discord. He looked away from the notepad expectantly at her. “Go to the mountains north of Ponyville. Get the Diamond Dogs to go into town and cause whatever mayhem they desire.”

Discord giggled as the notepad vaporized. “Mayhem is my specialty.” He dramatically saluted before disappearing in a puff of pink smoke.

“Diamond Dogs, your highness?” asked Bane Tooth.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “I have to keep him busy until I can think of an actual purpose for him.” Her attention shifted to her soldiers. “Is everyone ready?” she called. They responded by buzzing and hollering.

“Tonight, we march on Canterlot!”

Vivat nox.

-ClarinetOverlord