Two days later
I watched the airship land behind the camp. We were now set up at Chrysalis' hive just in case they wanted to pull some funny shit. The doors opened and out came dozens of reporters and scientists all hoping to say that they were at the most important event in history in the last five years.
Following behind them were Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and Twilight.
I went over to greet them and saluted them. "Welcome, your Majesties." They returned my salute. "If you all follow me, I'll show you to the Queen."
"Have you been able to find the new queen" Celestia asked as we made our way through the camp.
I shook my head, "Not yet and honestly I'm beginning to doubt there is one. Maybe she's hiding in a safe room deep in the castle or hiding in plain sight. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if she was taught that ponies were savages and doesn't want to be found because of fear. As long as she doesn't try anything while you all are here." I still had everyone act like it was a combat zone, everyone had to have their gun on them at all times. A few even had knives and their sidearms, I had both options. A gun on my hip, a knife on my back and one more on my boot.
"I hope we can find her. I'd love to see us become friends with them!" Twilight said and I rolled my eyes at how obsessed this place was with friendship.
"We'll leave it in your capable hands Twilight." Celestial said and the two began to talk about a plan for it all.
Princess Luna walked up next to me, "I'm curious General, how many men did we lose?"
The one question I didn't want already came up in five minutes. "Personally, I've lost about a eighty men and a hundred wounded. A company stumbled across the unreserved and it was well defended. Most are walking wounded, burns and some nasty cuts from magic and about ten are seriously injured. A few may not make it, they're a day by day case. But, none were in vain I can tell you that much. Here we are."
I pushed the flip out of the way and they all walked in. Laying on a cot was a covered body and Celestia pulled the blanket off.
Underneath was the body of Chrysalis. She was in good shape considering what was thrown in her direction, a few grenade fragments and bullets were in her head and chest. One partially ripped her jaw off, leaving it lopsided while another piece ripped of two inches of her horn. Her chest also had large holes in it.
We all stared at her body before Celestia spoke, "I don't believe it. She really is dead."
"I suppose my brother and Cadence will be happy to hear." Twilight quipped.
"Do you have an idea for the body?" I asked
"I imagine this ghost of a daughter will want to do something. Whether an unmarked grave or a celebration because she was their ruler. Otherwise, we'll give her a simple burial, no individual should be denied that." Celestia said. "She will be given that much."
"If you don't mind me asking, what do you plan on doing with the other hives?"
"We were talking about that on the way over. They will be given a pardon since they were forced to help attack Canterlot and kept their emotion gathering to passive, for the most part. I was also planning on having them help put Chrysalis on trial. There were a few individuals calling to just have her executed, which rose after you found all those ponies, but it seemed a little harsh to me."
"Shame that is," I said, "but I suppose this way will do. Speaking of those ponies, they're set up temporarily outside of town, I'm not sure if you'd want to go and see them all."
Celestia recovered the dead queen and we walked out, "We were planning that, I relish in the chance to meet my little ponies. Now, how exactly did she die?"
Flashback, third person
David and his men slowly made their way down the hall.
"Sir, I'm not an architect but those big fancy doors make this hallway different from the other, three or thirty we checked." The sergeant, Shining Bolt said.
"Indeed. If I was a bad person, that's the last place I'd be, but then agin she does sound look a basic villain so it's where she'll be at."
They made their down the hallway, the dozen rooms before the large door being empty of anyone. Once they were all cleared the small unit took up positions on either side of the door.
"Anyone know how to breach?" David asked as the men looked at each other. "Excellent, all right I'll do it myself." He slowly tried the door, only to find it locked. "Everyone shoot the hinges, take these damn doors down."
A hail of gunfire erupted on the doors, ripping the hinges to nothing and leaving holes elsewhere in them. Magic from the defenders came right back through the door, adding to the damage. Return fire from the Equestrians went through the door, led by David's PPsh. Several bolts of magic went through and hit David. He slowly crawled for cover behind the wall.
"Medic!" Someone cried out. The medic of the squad ran over to help the bleeding colonel and started bandaging the wounds.
"It's not that bad. You took a pretty good hit to the leg and chest though, nothing's broken. You'll live, but sit tight I'll have a stretcher here in a moment." The medic explained, before having to cover him from the explosions going off nearby."
"Alright." David said, "What's going on? I don't hear anything are you sure I'm fine?"
"You're right. I think we got in that room, you sit tight I'll check it out." But before the medic could check the room, the squad came back out, dragging a dead body with her and cheering as they did. It took them a moment to realize it was Chrysalis.
"We got that bitch!"
"Its over! It's all over!"
"We did it!" Were some of the things that were shouted by the men as what they have done set in.
"Thank God." David said as the stretcher bearers came.
End Flashback
"Between the bullets and grenades, no one really knows what killed her." I explained. "But it doesn't really matter to me, but that's just me."
Celestia sighed, maybe upset by my apathy. "I suppose not. It was good to see however, General."
"You'll all be leaving here tomorrow morning." Luna added. "But we were hoping you could swing by Canterlot."
"What for? Lightbulb went out?"
"Not quite. The press would like to hear about what happened."
"Don't you guys have a press secretary for this whole thing? I mean no offense, but I'd rather be doing anything else than be in front of cameras."
"That's the price of having the honor of leading this assault. You were here and in charge, the press did not have anypony here, just that one reporter was here."
I knew there was no getting out, they would just order me to have it. "Alright, I'll do it. Just tell them no stupid questions."
"Of course." Celestia answered, "We can't make any promises though. Unfortunately, we have other events to handle. We will see you tomorrow afternoon, General and please, try and stay safe here for the next several hours. We don't need any more dead soldiers."
I watched as they all flew away, no doubt to visit the ponies that were kidnapped, maybe a quick stop elsewhere and return.
"Dan!" Someone call out and I turned to see who it was. Major Beam was heading towards me with a changeling. "This changeling here claims to be the daughter of Chrysalis and would like to speak with you."
I looked at her, she looked no different from all the other chnagelings, black body and blue bug-like eyes. But no one else ever claimed to be the child of Chrysalis so it was the only option I had.
"Thank you, Major. Right this way ma'am." I said, leading her away from camp. "Now, do you have any proof you are her child?"
"Please call me Iver. All of us are. She lays eggs dozens at a time, weekly, and a ten months later they hatch."
Well that didn't narrow it down. "Okay, now what give you the right, so to say, to be the queen. After all, everyone else is her child, are you the oldest?"
That got her to laugh, "No I'm only thirty one. I was chosen to be the next queen."
"Chosen? How so and long do changelings live to be?"
She shrugged, "I just was. She chose my egg over all the ones she has laid over the months and years. I was kept separate and lived in the castle, I'd occasionally go out of the castle. And changelings could live to be about a hundred and thirty in our ways of counting time."
"Okay. Now getting back on track, what can I do for you?"
"Well, as the new queen of the hive, I would like to negotiate a peace between my hive, as well as the others and Equestria. I figured you're the individual to help me do that."
"I suppose I am, it's a shame you showed up now, you just missed them. But they should be back within a few hours. No offense, but I have a feeling that the other queens may not want you to represent them."
That got a sigh from her, "I suppose it was rather foolish if me to think of that and I guess this eliminates the idea of having the talks here. Maybe I could just peace with Equestria and figure something else out."
"Not quite. Sure, the average citizen doesn't want the Princesses going into your hive, but how would you feel about going into a town?"
"Is that a rhetorical question? Sorry I'm bad at telling those."
"Not at all. I'm not sure if you know this, but there's a little town a hundred miles east of here. They probably got a meeting hall of some sort that could be used. Tell you what, why don't you head back to your hive and I'll run my idea by everyone else. Then I'll send
"Very well, I will await your word in my palace. Just ask for me. Thank you for this, General."
"It's no problem, I'll see you tonight with the news."
***
"Are you sure this is a wise idea?" Princess Luna asked. "Throwing all five of them in at once is asking for a fight to break out." They had returned from a small tour of the other camps and the refugee camp and I fillled me in about what happened.
"I'm not necessarily saying having all of them in there at once, especially with Iver. But they should be aware that there is a new queen."
"That they will, I would not be surprised if they made a demand from her."
"But what will they ask?" Celestia asked. "We know nothing about them, they could want to slaughter her hive."
"Perhaps, sister, but with Chrysalis now dead. They may not to doanything. They may just ask for the body and do something to it that will make it impossible for her to move on in their beliefs. They remove her stomach so she starves forever or something."
"Interesting theory." I said. Before I could say something else, the tent flap opened and in walked Iver. "Welcome back."
"Thank you, General. Your Majesties, please accept my humble apologies for everything my mother did."
I made my leave, the chances of a fight breaking out between them was slim. Plus one against three wasn't easy to stop from fighting. Hopefully, some sort of foundation of peace will be laid down.