//------------------------------// // Chapter 61; Decision in the West // Story: The War of 1002 // by Fireheart 1945 //------------------------------// James stepped out of the tent and into the morning air. Dawn was just past, and the sun was slowly climbing over the horizon. He scratched his back for a moment - somewhat painfully, as his newly injured shoulder protested the motion - before sitting down under a tree. It was now two days after the Changeling army had joined. Anywhere between thirty to forty-thousand had joined the allied ranks, heavily tipping the scales in their favor. The tunneling efforts had been continued; indeed, two more tunnels were being dug in addition to the first one. There was an almost never ending buzz of wings as patrols swept by overhead. More than a few ponies were uncomfortable with the development. They were starting to feel dominated, and many, even those who had been friendly toward Changelings, were acting with serious caution. Other than a few shouting matches between species, however, there was little trouble, which was good, as they still had enough problems to contend with. The number one issue was that they still had no immediate way into the hive. No entrances had been found yet, and that was a serious breach of security. While he had survived an attempt by the enemy to kill him - though he had sustained a couple serious injuries - several soldiers had been assassinated, and not all of them had been ponies. Every Changeling hive present had suffered at least one death. He began to walk around, trying to marshal his thoughts. They'd already been in position for nearly a week, and supplies were not infinite. Although he had received enough for another week just a day ago, the haulers had informed him that, unless he got more from airships, they would not be back for yet another week, assuming there was no delay... and the enemy were not stupid. They'd be doing all they could to disrupt the supply lines, which were already long and vulnerable. The enemy had still showed no inclination to push back against the siege lines. He'd thought that the defection of the massive army that Chrysalis had depended on would have caused her to snap, but as the days had gone by with no major counterattacks, he had, reluctantly, decided that this was not the case. Obviously, he'd have to rely on the allies' ability to break in, eliminate resistance, and kill or capture the Queen. More than a few were for her immediate death in battle, or execution if captured. While he understood their concerns - the Queen was extremely powerful, and expecting her to stay in jail was perhaps too much to hope for - he wasn't the kind of man who relished slaughtering someone who was, however temporarily helpless. Yes, he'd kill an enemy who was shooting him or making some other effort to kill him; that was war, would always be war, and there was nothing for it. But there came a point were combat began to turn into murder, and he didn't intend to cross the line. Of course, the Queen would likely fight to the death rather than let herself be captured - he accepted that was likely to happen. He agreed that would be most convenient, as much as it repulsed him to think that way, but in that case, two things were likely to happen, based on whether the Queen had set up an heir; the hive would die, or it would obey the dictations of a new Queen. In the first case, there were few options; they could live as prisoners, but without the guiding force of a Queen, they'd slowly wither and die out. In the second, whether the hive continued to fight would be entirely up to the new Queen. He was so busy thinking about this that he didn't see the root on the ground. He tripped over it and fell on his face. "Oof!" He pushed himself back up into a sitting position and glared at the object that had caused his fall. He kicked it, which wasn't a smart choice, as his foot got caught under it and he fell over again. "You alright?" He looked up to see a friendly Changeling looking him in the face. "Yeah, I'm fine," he answered, getting back to his feet. "Somebody left this stinking thing lying around and didn't bother to pull it up." Without thinking about it, he reached down and gave the root a hard tug. At first, it didn't give way. He pulled harder. He heard a sound, like that of stone grinding together. He stopped. "What's going on?" a pony nearby asked. "Trying to pull up this - damn - root," he said, the last few words being punctuated by hard tugs. A crack in the ground appeared a few feet away. He was so surprised that he let go of the root. The crack sealed up again almost instantly. "Did anyone else see that?" he asked. "I sure did," Shining Armor said, trotting over. "Do you think...?" "Only one way to find out. Give me some help here..." Both of them tugged at the root. The crack appeared again. Other soldiers began to help, and before long, the crack had widened into a decently sized hole, one big enough for a pony - or Changeling - to get into. James couldn't help a grin. Neither could Shining. "I think we found our way in," the white stallion said happily. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Alright, so we have three tunnels, one each here, here, and here," James said, pointing out the approximate locations of the tunnels they'd been digging on the map. "And we found a secret entrance here," he added. "And we shouldn' use this right away why?" Camilla asked. It was nightfall once again. The secret entrance had been secured quickly; the single Changeling who had been manning it had been a key reason why the crack had been so hard to open. He had been captured, though not without several bruises inflicted on those who captured him, and sent back to Equestria for imprisonment. No effort had been made by the enemy to destroy the entrance, so clearly the discovery had gone unnoticed. James, Shining, and the numerous Queens were in a Changeling-made tent together, and were discussing plans for the attack, along with several officers of the rank of major or above with them. "Because the tunnel we found is made in such a way that it is necessary to move single file," James answered. "We won't be able to get a decent foothold inside before the enemy discover it and counterattack, destroy the foothold, and collapse the tunnel. The ones we're digging, on the other hand, can accommodate several troops side by side at once, plus artillery, which won't fit into this secret entrance." Camilla sat down again, once more crossing her forelegs in stubbornness. "Those concerns aside, we have to make sure this remains our secret," Shining added. "I don't want any knowledge of this leaving this room, or what qualifies for one." "Then what do you intend to do?" Cocoon asked cautiously. "It's a simple plan, but if it works, it will make things easier," James said. "Our forces from the three tunnels will launch diversionary assaults on the hive, while a force takes the secret entrance, slips around the battle, and attempts to kill of capture Queen Chrysalis. If they are unsuccessful, we'll shift our main efforts to the three columns we'll have sent into the city, and push on from there, with all efforts being made to get to the palace, which is our primary target. All our forces will make a beeline for it and attempt not to get held down in costly street fighting. I don't want this to turn into another Stalingrad." "A what?" someone asked. "Never mind," he said, mentally chewing himself out. "Our objective is to take the Queen down, one way or the other, as fast as possible and with as few losses as possible. If we get bogged down in street fighting, our losses go up, and with the war here almost won, it would be a shame if a lot of people died who didn't have to, people who could rebuild after this devastation if they lived." That got a nod from almost everyone. "Can we pull it off, though?" Shining asked. "Assuming we can hold their existing forces in place, we have a lot more we can do at once than they can," Cocoon observed. "If push comes to shove, we can just have some soldiers fly over or through the battle to the palace." "Not the worst idea ever. I'd also insist on the Changelings in our army wearing something on their persons so as to prevent friendly fire," James said. "I would rest a little easier if we didn't have to worry about that." "Friendly fire will likely happen no matter what we do," Metamorphosis observed. "But doing that would definitely reduce it. In any event, I agree that speed is paramount. We need to win fast, or risk this becoming a massive slug fest. We'll still win either way, but the number of lives lost would make it a hollow victory." And therein was the problem. If the operation did what it was supposed to... if things went their way, or if whatever makeshift plans they were able to make in the midst of battle did what they were designed to do... If that succeeded, the war would end quickly, and with any luck with minimal losses to either side. But plans often failed to survive contact with the enemy. The plan was relatively simple, but it was not foolproof. And if heir efforts to end the battle early did not succeed, an entire hive would be wiped out, and the allied forces would suffer severe losses putting them down. Some would cry the word necessity in this case, and perhaps that would be the case. But necessity did nothing to ease guilt, and did not bring people back from death. He sighed. This battle was hardly something that would be resolved easily. Everyone who participated would have to be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice and make the ultimate effort if things were to go their way. "Does anyone object to the plan?" Shining asked. Various faces looked around; it was clear that no one was certain whether the operation would succeed, but while there was some whispering, no loud objection was raised. "When will the tunnels we're digging be completed?" James asked. A Changeling - not a Queen - who was present answered, "We should have the first one complete very soon, within the next day or two. If we really focus everything we have on the project, we might be able to complete the other two tunnels... three days from now, but only if we really concentrate of building them, if we have thousands working on the projects at any one time. James crossed his arms. They would have enough supplies to last to that point, but that was a long time to assume that the secret entrance they had captured would survive; if the enemy had any idea that the entrance was compromised, they would doubtless destroy it. On the other hand, even if they did, the three tunnels they were digging would allow soldiers to move in en masse into the hive, and perhaps some units could be sent down secondary routes to the palace. "...I suppose, if that's the best we can ask for...?" "It is. We'll have to rotate soldiers and equipment over numerous shifts a day, and it will require time. I'm sorry, General, but you can't rush a job like this past a certain point, not without workers dying from exhaustion and equipment failing." "I see. Alright, I'll take your word for it. But please, get this work done as soon as you can. I want the entrance we discovered to remain a secret from our enemy, and its not a secret that can last forever. Nor can we rely on supplies to last for more than a week." "I understand. We'll work with the utmost haste and efficiently as possible." "Good." He looked around. "Anyone have anything else to say?" "I don't think so," Metamorphosis answered. The other Queens and officers said similar things. "In that case, I think we can adjourn this meeting. I think we can all agree that nothing we've said is to leave this tent. Now, let's go out there and get this job done." ----------------------------------------------------------------- The next three days were a blur of activity. The work was intense, as more and more earth was dug up, brought to the surface, and either hauled out of camp or used to strengthen the existing camp defenses. Wood and black Changeling building material were brought into the tunnels to strengthen them as well. There was always a large crew of workers, mostly Changelings, but with some ponies, at work, digging as fast as they sanely could. Every day, soldiers were sent out to gather water to drink; with the precious substance becoming rare - the oases nearby simply didn't have enough water to quench sixty-seven thousand soldiers - using it to bathe was forbidden until further notice. It took about three and a half days for the tunnels to all be completed. A number of obstacles - mainly underground boulders and small deposits of coal and oil - had made the digging a bit more difficult than expected. At last, though, each tunnel was completed, or near enough. In order to keep the enemy unawares, the final layer of dirt and rock had been left un-dug. Dynamite was being prepared to blow this away, so that the allied army could get into the hive. The battle plan was unchanged. All three forces would primarily aim for the palace, though detachments would occupy buildings on either side of the streets they used in order to keep enemies outside the area from interfering. A few companies would sneak in through the secret entrance and try to capture the palace from an unexpected direction. Once inside, the detachment - or any of the columns, if the detachment failed - would aim directly for the Queen's throne room and private chambers. Metamorphosis and the other Queens had provided the directions necessary to reach those destinations, having been ordered to the palace numerous times before. Chrysalis would be given the option to surrender... or else. Assuming she took the second option, the force present would use whatever means necessary to neutralize her. In the meantime, thousand of soldiers, all with wings, would fly cover over the mesa and the surrounding land to prevent the Queen and whatever remains of her forces were left from escaping. The need to win the war, and win it quickly, was emphasized on the third day of digging when Chrysalis attempted a series of attacks similar to that she had used to escape back to her hive several days prior. As allied fliers were always patrolling above the mesa, she could not safely exit the hive to aim. As a result, the energy that was released was wildly inaccurate; blasts of energy, each enough to devastate a town, blasted areas of the Badlands far from the allied forces. How the energy was able to leave the hive without needing to blow a hole in the top of the mesa James didn't know. He only knew that blasts of green and orange light fell on the land around the hive. So far, none of the attacks - he couldn't help being reminded of SCUD missiles - had done any harm, though the scorpions and snakes living the areas that got hit might have disagreed. But they couldn't rely on the Queen's bad aim lasting forever. Sooner or later, if you shot at a target long enough, you'd hit it. A single blast that actually hit could obliterate a fourth of the army easily. It couldn't be allowed to happen. They made the necessary adjustment to the plans. The assault would be launched late in the afternoon that day, as opposed to noon the next day, as they'd been thinking of doing when news of the delays in the digging had reached the officers and Queens. As James had put it, the threat of being nuked made you act pretty quickly. At last, everything was set. Shining Armor was going to lead one of the three divisions going into the dug tunnels, with Camilla and Metamorphosis to share command. Cocoon and two other Queens would lead a second column, and the remaining Queens would lead the third. Which left James to lead the detachment assigned to sneak in and assault the palace. The time set for the attack to begin was 5:00 P.M., five minutes away. Two hundred Equestrian soldiers stood with him, his friends among them, along with about the same number of Changelings allied with them. He kept glancing at the watch as soldiers began to pull on the root that opened the secret door. The crack opened up, and the Changeling they'd put down there let out a reassuring click. The Changeling who had helped to open the crack turned toward James and nodded. James nodded back. So far, the game hadn't been given away. He could almost swear he could feel his heart beat faster. This was it. They were about to bring this theater of the war to a conclusion. The odds were heavily in their favor, but, as one who had read many books of history, he wasn't sure he could trust in the outcome until the battle was over. It was now one minute till go time. Already, the other wings of the attack would be ready to attack. They'd already be in the tunnels, just far enough away so that the exploding dynamite wouldn't harm them. He probably wouldn't be able to hear or feel the detonation, but the hive sure would. The assault from the other tunnels would hit the enemy at once, consolidate gain, and form a perimeter at the mouth of the tunnel to ensure reinforcements and artillery could approach without undue risk. The attack was timed so that the enemy would be dealing with the three big attacks, unaware that one of their secret entrances had been discovered. The fourth attack force - his - would then strike and make for the palace as the enemy was distracted. They had about two regiments worth of reinforcements, but James - and, he could tell, most of the soldiers, both pony and Changeling - knew that if the detachment got caught as it exited, that stage of the assault would turn into a catastrophe. Maybe some soldiers would be able to get out, but... He reached into his coat pocket to check to see whether the little cross he carried was still there. Intellectually, he knew it was, but intellect only got one so far. He murmured a short prayer only audible to him before he stopped fondling it and placed it back. He checked his watch again; fifteen seconds left. They'd be lighting the fuses in the other tunnels now... Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one... A short, sharp blast on a whistle nearby signaled the beginning of the offensive. James turned around. On many faces, fear was abundant, though most were trying to suppress it. On others, mostly on those of Changelings, a stoic determination was present. "Come on, boys! Sooner we end this mess, the sooner we get to go home! Freedom for all!" This was met with a cheer, but he didn't pause to listen. He jumped into the pit below, nodding to the Changeling at the station there. Ponies and Changelings dropped in as well, one by one, as he walked down the corridor. Although he had to duck his head at bit, the ceiling wasn't low enough that he had to crawl, or anywhere near it. What's waiting for us down the line? he asked himself. He'd find out, and his command with him. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Shining Armor cast a directed version of the shield spell he was known for to protect himself and his troops from the detonating dynamite. This version of the shield was not designed to bubble around the caster, but was intended to reflect any incoming projectiles or enemies coming from a single direction. It cost less energy to set up an maintain; certainly much less so than the shield he'd used to protect Canterlot. But even so, the spell was severely challenged by the force of the explosion, and for a moment, he was sure that either the spell would be broken or the ceiling would collapse. Neither happened, of course, but he could help letting out a big sigh of relief. "Come on!" he shouted behind him. "Go, go, go!" He was quick to follow his own command. He raced through the dust and smoke. His hard hooves made a comforting clop as they hit the ground just beyond the tunnel they'd made. He looked around. No one had been quite sure just what they'd find when they got into the hive. As the dust cleared, he got a better idea of what he was seeing. They had broken through the wall of rock facing a street. Two buildings were only a few feet away, with what appeared to be another street some distance off to the right. Off in the distance, on the street they were facing, a massive, castle-like building stood, in what looked like the approximate center of the gigantic cavern. He knew immediately that it was the palace. More to the point, there were hundreds, if not thousands, of Changelings who were now staring at the site of the detonation, and at the ponies streaming through. Clearly, the explosion had caught them off guard, but that was already starting to wear off; there was no mistaking what the many growls and hisses meant. "Spread out! Make room for the rest of the division!" Ponies and friendly Changelings - the latter all wearing black and green bands around their legs and green headbands - rushed through the hole, weapons at the ready. Green jets of light began to fly toward the attacking force; a loud buzzing arose as many Changelings on both sides took flight, some firing with their horns at the opposing side. Equestrian soldiers were no less active. Rifles began firing at those who attacked the expedition, and as some soldiers fired at the defenders, others moved to secure the nearby buildings as strongpoints. Allied Changelings moved to do the same. Although some of the enemy had begun to fight back, it was clear that most of those who were currently fighting had little to no combat training of any kind. At first, many of the enemy attacked en masse, without any real organization. That didn't work, as most of these were cut down before they could get close. Others simply fired from wherever they'd happened to be when the detonation had occurred, and as a result were felled where they stood by accurate rifle fire. If Shining could have used a single word to describe them, it would have been "shocked." They had had no idea this was going to happen. It was almost certain that the enemy drones attacking them were maintenance, construction workers, and haulers; civilians, in other words. They were not up to fighting with determined, trained, and well equipped soldiers. They were fighting simply because they'd either received an order from someone after the explosion, or, much more likely, had been told beforehoof by the Queen to fight any invaders they encountered. Bolts of green light flew through the air as he turned his head back toward the tunnel. "Get our artillery up here, now!" He shouted, before turning back to the fight, such as it was. I hope the others are doing well. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Queen Cocoon ducked behind a building as a storm of green jets of light swept over the forces she and Nocturnal commanded. She blazed back, and thought she'd hit something. She spat on the ground. The enemy had been prepared here. Somehow, some way, proper enemy combat troops had been stationed here. The only thing she could think of was that the tunnel's location had been discovered by an enemy drone during one of their attempts to assassinate allied soldiers, and sent the information back. Not that they'd had an entire legion of soldiers facing them when they'd broken through, but enough troops had been stationed nearby that the enemy had been able to gather quickly. Apparently, they'd had some idea where the tunnel was going to come out, but hadn't gotten the exact location. Not that that mattered at the moment. Right now, staying alive counted for more than speculation. That could come later. "Keep moving, keep moving!" she yelled to her own troops. "Some of you go around these fools and pick them off from the side!" Hundreds that she could see quickly moved to obey. While some of them got picked off, the enemy weren't able to stop that force from going where she'd told it to go. She could hear Nocturnal shouting similar orders to her own drones. She looked to her left. Queen Antennae had been one of the first to be hit when the column had come out of the tunnel. She was on her side, being tended to by her subjects, who surrounded her to form a protective shield between her and the enemy. Cocoon had no idea whether she'd live through the battle, or even if she'd live at all; she'd been hit in the chest, which wasn't a good sign. No matter how prepared they'd been, the enemy were outnumbered, and badly. The fact that they were being flanked and were unable to do much about it was proof of that. Add to that the immediate assault from three directions, and they couldn't even concentrate their forces against one spot without critically weakening their defenses elsewhere. A slight minority of those fighting were ordinary drones, untrained in combat. They were fighting anyway. She could understand. A drone had to obey its Queen's orders. And since they had to fight, they'd have to be taken down like any other enemy. It was unfortunate, but unavoidable. Cannon fire broke out from somewhere to the northwest of her position. Shining Armor must have gotten the Equestrian artillery into action. Just after the roar of the cannon came the crash of a falling building. Dust arose from somewhere in the hive. At the moment, though, she and her wing of the assault were being hit by withering fire. She had to beat this enemy force, or at least push it back. She hoped she could do it without suffering too many losses. ------------------------------------------------------------------ James had his pistol out and ready to fire as the detachment proceeded down the hallway. There was barely enough room for pony-sized beings to move through one at a time. So far, nobody and nothing had been encountered. The enemy didn't seem to have any notion they were there. After some time - James wasn't sure, because it was too dark to look a his watch and check - a large door, not that different from the one he'd encountered in the secret entrance of Metamorphosis' hive, began to loom out of the darkness. Explosions and shouts, very muffled, came from beyond it. Maybe we've done it, he thought. Maybe the enemy- "Scra! Scree leek an clee!?" came a demanding voice from somewhere up ahead. "Shit," he cursed. At that moment, a Changeling in their detachment answered back. The voice shouted again, this time sounding threatening. "Come on!" he yelled. "Forward!" At the same moment, he rushed ahead. A dark silhouette came out of the darkness, a green light building from its horn. He fired. The enemy drone screamed in rage and pain as it went down. It tried to shoot him again. A second shot put an end to that. "Sir, here's a stick of dynamite," a soldier said. A cylindrical stick fell into his left hand. At the same moment, a unicorn in the detachment lit up his horn, allowing James to see what he was doing. A shutter in the door opened, and almost immediately closed up again. James took a match out of his pocket, lit the fuse, and tossed the dynamite at the door. At the same time, several unicorns threw up magical shields. There was a deafening roar, louder than that of a cannon going off. The tunnel shook, and here and there pieces of it fell in. Two of the shields were broken, but the rest stood up under the sudden blast. They collapsed when the unicorns who'd cast them felt it was safe to let them do so. James ran through the cloud of smoke and dust. He felt himself trip over an outlying object and fell. He pushed himself up and moved to let the others through, "Come on," he said. "Watch out, there's a slight drop." The Changeling who had opened the shutter just second before was lying in a heap just opposite them. It wasn't dead, but it was unconscious, and there of no threat. The detachment had come out in a corridor somewhere, as there were no buildings. Light shone from crystals located every so often along the wall. About nine soldiers, five ponies and four Changelings, had come through the wall before a small squad of enemy drones rounded the corner. They shouted in surprise. He didn't give them a chance to recover. He shot two of them quickly. A shot from one of the ponies took out the third, and a series of shots from the allied Changelings killed the fourth. "Hurry up!" he shouted. "If they know we're here, we'll have a hard time of it unless you get out here now!" The soldiers under him moved as quickly as they could. While the corridor they'd come out into wasn't particularly wide, it wasn't prohibitively narrow, either. Before long, forty more had come through the holed that had been blasted in the wall. The blast wouldn't go unnoticed for long. A roar that loud would draw attention. He partly regretted having to blow the door down, but it was likely that the enemy would have been notified in any event to their presence. And besides, he liked blowing things up. WHat young man didn't? "Guns and horns at the ready. Get moving." "Sir, we've only gotten sixty or so out this far." "They'll have heard the big boom we made just now. They'll be sending reinforcements." "And if we set off before the others can get out, we risk the enemy wiping out the rest of the detachment." James would have argued further, but decided not to do so. For one thing, the soldier was right. He couldn't know absolutely whether the enemy had committed everything they had to the major fighting yet, and if they hadn't, they might have a thousand troops or so waiting to attack. On the other hand, if they didn't move fast, the Queen might escape. It was unlikely that she could fight her way out... unless she used that destructive spell she had been using recently utilizing. He briefly considered whether she'd use it on her own city, but dismissed the question almost as soon as it had properly formed. It was stupid. Of course she'd be willing to use it. She'd been more than happy to suck a thousand or so of her own people dry just to get back here, so it didn't take a big stretch of the imagination to assume she'd be willing to obliterate part of her own hive to maintain her rule over it. He waited for a sudden attack to come, but except for the four who had just been wiped out, no further counterattack came until the unit had disengaged from the tunnel. As the last few soldiers began to walk out, an enemy drone appeared around the corner, sighted them, and shouted something in his own language. Several soldiers attempted to blast him, but the drone whipped out of sight before the shots could connect. A moment later, more drones rushed around the corner. Several were hit. The others charged forward, some firing with their horns, others trying to get close enough to strike with the spears they carried. None of them got the chance to use them. In less than fifteen seconds, all of the thirty or so attackers were down. Although a number of ponies and Changelings had been hit by jets of green light, none had been killed outright. Nonetheless, James decided that they'd overstayed their welcome. "Come on!" he insisted. This time, as he advanced, he heard countless hoofbeats behind him as the rest of the detachment - those who weren't dealing with the wounded, at any rate - followed him. After rounding the corner, they came into a large street. His eyes required a bit of readjusting after having been in a dark tunnel for about thirty minutes or so; he rubbed his eyes a couple of times before continuing to take in their surroundings. A bolt of green light came in from the right and struck the wall to his left. That jerked him out of complacency. "Half of you, cover us, we're going in," he ordered. He ran forward, revolver out in front of him, as the others, or at least a substantial number of them, followed. Initially, there was little resistance; while here and there the enemy tried shooting at them, they were not present in significant numbers, and they were neutralized without any undue trouble. Let's be careful, he reasoned inside himself as a measure of optimism arose. Don't count them out until they're out. This feeling of caution was well advised. A few minutes later, as they were a little less than halfway toward the palace, he saw a gate open. Hundreds upon hundreds of well-armored soldiers poured out. The golden plates of their armor shone brightly, and the spears they carried glinted in the light. "You reckon that's their version of the Royal Guard?" James heard someone behind him ask. "I guess so, he replied, though he wasn't sure the speaker had been asking him. "I think we might have a fight ahead of us after all. Anyone who's good with a gun, get into some of the buildings lining the street. I want any Equestrian Royal Guards we have to line up and prepare to receive the enemy if they're able to get close enough; some of them will probably make it through the gun fire, considering the armor they're wearing." There was no arguing, only action; about fifty Royal Guards put down their rifles and reached for their spears. Regulars either laid down in the street, found cover in the street, or followed his instructions to get into the buildings and fire from there. Changeling drones fighting on their side took to the air and prepared to fire from there. As the enemy unit approached, James thought it looked as if its numbers were slightly fewer than the detachment he led. Nonetheless, he knew that it was highly likely that he'd take some casualties here. If ordinary enemy drones fought to the death, he could expect these guys to keep fighting even after loosing limbs, assuming they were the Queen's personal Guard. They didn't rush forward, like the other soldiers had. They marched forward, without any concern for their own safety but without launching a reckless charge. In the meantime, the soldiers James had ordered to cover his advance had caught up. At this point, he was glad to have their firepower. The enemy unit increased its speed to a trot, but it kept ranks. He thought he saw something shimmering in front of them, and, cursing, he realized that they had cast some sort of shield in front of them. Hopefully, it was a weak shield, and could be penetrated by gunfire. "Hold your fire until I give the word," he ordered. "Hold... hold.... hold... Now, let 'em have it!" A ripple of rifle fire burst from the Equestrian forces, and a multitude of bolts issued from the allied Changelings. The storm of fire struck the shield, which wavered under the onslaught. A second volley brought it down. At the same time, the enemy formation increased its speed again, now galloping toward them, but still in that eerily controlled manner. They started falling almost at once; even the armor they wore couldn't protect them from a volume of fire like this. They didn't hesitate to respond in kind; green jets flew at the allied forces, even as the enemy ranks charged ahead. agonized hisses, buzzes, and shrieks told him they were scoring some hits. With a strong effort, he kept his attention on the enemy force. Equestrian gunfire and Changeling bolts were tearing sizable holes in the enemy unit, but not as much as he'd expected or hoped. Clearly, the enemy armorers had known what they were doing. The enemy troops were going to get into melee range, and he wasn't going to be able to prevent it. With that in mind, he holstered his gun and got out his sword. He was none too soon. A spear lanced upward, and he was just able to dodge out of the way. He hit back and felt the blade strike metal. Sparks clashed as the two weapons struck. The enemy soldier withdrew his weapon, intending to thrust out again. Dodging again, this time to the left, as the Guard jabbed at him, he stuck his sword in the warrior's neck. He expected this to end this particular opponent, and thus he was very surprised to find that the spear came for another strike, just grazing his arm, before the Guard Changeling seemed to realize what had happened to him and finally crumpled. James didn't even have time to take a breath. Another armored Changeling came up over the body of his fallen comrade, his spear falling in a downward arc toward him. It took an upward swing of his sword to forestall the attack. The enemy soldier pressed hard, trying to use his weight to complete the attempt at killing him. At this, he partially succeeded; James fell over backwards from the weight, but the spear only struck the ground between his chest and arm. The Changeling tugged at the spear, which seemed to be stuck. James didn't waste time. He pulled out his gun again and shot the enemy soldier dead. As this second opponent fell, he used the last two bullets in the gun to kill a third and then a fourth Changeling. He holstered the gun again and picked up the spear of his first opponent. A fifth enemy was coming to engage him. The spears struck one another as he tried to block the enemy's strike. The two soldiers, one human and the other Changeling, now had their spears clashing right up between them in a deadlock, each pushing against the other, as if each was trying to break the other through strength and sheer force of will. It was James who broke the deadlock; he kicked the enemy soldier's barrel, and while this force was insufficient to knock his opponent over, it was enough to break his concentration. As the Changeling, unsteady standing on its hind hooves, tried to regain its balance, he reached under the enemy's weapon with the butt end of the spear and struck him in the chin with as much force as he could muster. The Changeling dropped his weapon and settled back to all four hooves, an his horn started to light. He didn't give the enemy the chance to utilize the spell. He stabbed the enemy Guard in the neck with the business end of the spear. The Guard tried to stab him back with his horn, but James was able to step back in time, and the enemy crumpled to the ground. James clutched at his chest with an empty left hand. He took a couple deep breaths and then looked for more enemies to fight. There weren't that many left. The enemy had thrown themselves with discipline and an utter lack of regard for their own lives in to the battle, but they had been weakened by gunfire, and a number of soldiers, mostly Changelings, had been able to get around them and strike from the sides and from behind. Encumbered by armor, the enemy couldn't react as quickly; they couldn't fly at all, in fact, which was how the pegasi and allied Changelings had managed their feat. Under attack from all sides, the enemy force wasn't able to sustain its attack. If it had been fighting entirely with foes who all had armor as they did, they might have succeeded in slowing the detachment down for a longer period of time, if not thrown it back. A sixth enemy rushed him. His one was covered with green blood, presumably his own, but that didn't seem to phase him much. James picked up his sword and blocked the attack before slaying this opponent as well. A seventh enemy Guard shot at him, but the shot was deflected by a shield cast by a unicorn. James rushed this enemy and cut him down as well. By now, most of the enemy were down. It wouldn't be long before the rest of them were taken out, and then the advance could proceed. ------------------------------------------------------------- Another artillery shell flew across the hive, obliterating yet another building. Numerous structures had been destroyed, and more were coming down every minute. Before long, the allied forces would be able to break through the defenders and have a clear shot at the palace. More and more of the hive was being destroyed in the fighting, yet it was doing the defenders little good. At best they were able to hold the attackers for a while, but then the enemy had the choice of either retreating or being overrun by an avalanche. Most of them remained in place and died at their posts. Shining shook his head. The enemy weren't accomplishing anything other than the destruction of their home. For the first time, he could actually feel sorry for them; if the regular drones among them could have given up, he was sure they would have done so by now. Even with overwhelming numbers, the army wasn't moving fast enough; he could feel time slipping by, lost opportunity blowing by without an effort made to properly exploit it. The Queen could be leaving the hive through an escape hatch right now, and if she did that, who knew how long it would be until someone was able to nab her? And how much damage would she be able to inflict before then? His eyes widened as an idea formed in his head. He ducked a bolt of energy that had been fired at him as he thought about it. "All Guards, fall in behind me, giant delta formation!" he ordered. "What about us?" A sergeant in the Regulars asked. "You just stay put, and hold off the enemy. We're going to make a beeline straight for the palace." "And how are you going to manage that?" the sergeant yelled back; a cannon firing behind them seemed to add an underline to that question. "I'll deal with it. You just keep them busy here. And limber up a couple cannons, and move them in with us." He looked behind him. About a hundred Guards or so had lined up, weapons ready and awaiting his further orders. The rest must not have heard him. It would have to do. Shining concentrated his magic. His horn lit up brightly as he cast a gigantic shield over himself and the company of Guards behind him. "All unicorns, give the shield more energy as necessary," he instructed. "We're going to go straight for that palace like a living battering ram, and nothing is going to stand in our way. We need to get there, fast, before the Queen has a chance to escape, or worse, cast the spell she's been using to glass the Badlands around our camp." He nodded as they stood silently. They'd heard him just fine, and understood just what he wanted them to do. "Alright; forward!" If someone had asked him, as the company began trotting forward, whether he was nervous, he couldn't have honestly said no. The shield spell was one he'd had a lot of practice using, true, but only when it was stationary. Of course, he knew the theory around making a shield capable of being moved, but he hadn't had much practice, and he'd never used it to protect an entire company before. Nonetheless, once it got started, it seemed to catch the enemy by surprise. A number of Changelings remained in the street, firing at the shield, but their individual efforts were no match for it; all those who stood in the way got plowed out of the way as the pace increased to that of a gallop. Enemy drones and debris flew away from them as it was struck. More of the enemy concentrated their fire in an effort to kill the shield. Unicorns in the unit simply used their own magic to strengthen the magical barrier. He took a quick look behind him; the limbered artillery pieces were starting to lag behind, as the crews weren't used to having to run while hitched to them. However, they looked like they'd be able to remain under the shield until it reached the palace. More enemy drones attacked, this time crashing into the shield in an attempt to break it. He tried and failed to suppress a satisfactory grin. Last time they'd tried this, he'd been under what was essentially mind control, and, without a constant re-charging of the shield, it had been easy pickings. That wasn't the case this time; this time, he was fully in control of his actions, and, with over two dozen other unicorns helping, the barrier was not going to fall. Unless she uses that spell... that might be powerful enough to do it, and us, in. With that in mind, he ran as fast as he could go. He wasn't the most athletic unicorn; earth ponies were better at running than unicorns. It didn't matter. Chrysalis didn't use the spell; whether that was because the Queen didn't know. or whether she simply didn't think of using it in time, he wasn't sure. Either way, they reached the wall in front of the palace unscathed. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief. "Unlimber those cannons," he ordered. "Blow up the wall," he added, "and then bring them into the grounds and bring down however much you can of the palace." The artillery crews, showing some relief at no longer having to run at full speed while towing their own guns, quickly unlimbered and loaded them. Shining released the shield he'd cast during the run, and cast another one to protect the rest of the company before he let the artillery crews fire. Two loud roars - though nowhere as loud as the dynamite had been - let loose almost at the same moment. The section of wall that had been blasted was ripped apart by the cannonballs used to breach it. When the dust cleared, there was a massive hole more than big enough for the unit to run through two at a time. "Come on!" With a brief, impulsive rear, he rushed at the hole. He thought he was the first one through, but the other Guards ran through almost immediately. He'd thought he'd be facing armed opposition, but there was no one in front of him. He was surprised. An unexpected explosion off to his left made him jump in surprise. Another section of the wall - the one facing north - blew in. He cast a small barrier in front of himself as a few pieces flew his way. The dust began to settle. A bipedal figure emerged from the dust, holding a gun that could only belong to one person that Shining could think of. He smiled as ponies followed James through the second hole. "I thought I was supposed to get here first," James said, walking over. "Yeah, I would have told you, but that would have taken too much time." "Oh really? No excuses. And I was wondering why a giant pink bowling ball was crashing through town." Both of them chuckled. "I thought we'd be facing somepony right now," Shining went on. "Would have been the Queen's Royal Guard, if they hadn't been engaged us. Reason why we're late." "The Queen has a Royal Guard?" "Yep. Wearing gold-plated armor and all that. They hurt us," James added, and Shining could hear a wince in that statement, "but we took them down in the end, and the fact of the matter here is that we're here and they're not... anymore." Both of them looked at the palace that loomed before them. It resembled nothing so much as a castle built entirely out of black material. It was made readily for defense. For whatever reason, no one was- The head of a drone appeared at one of the windows and let loose a bolt at them. "So much for a break in the action," James muttered, going prone at once. He holstered his pistol, drew the rifle that had been on his back, and fired back at the drone. All at once, more enemies began firing from the battlements and windows. The cannons began firing at once. Changeling building material was blasted away, and defenders were thrown from their positions. "Forward!" James ordered. "Faster we pull this off, the faster the war's over!" Shining moved forward as well. The soldiers followed them. They were eager to end this war, and they weren't going to take no for an answer from the enemy. ---------------------------------------------------- Metamorphosis fired another blast from her horn. The spell was intended to stun rather than kill, and her attacker crumpled onto the window sill he'd been firing from. The enemy were still fighting back hard, but they were being overwhelmed. She had given orders to stun the defenders wherever possible, and well over a thousand prisoners had been captured, bound, gagged (that last to keep them from chewing through the ropes) and sent to the rear. Almost all of them were civilian drones, not soldiers. The enemy were being overrun by sheer weight of numbers. Their soldiers simply weren't enough to halt the attack, and the civilians who had been, for lack of a better term, drafted were so poor at fighting that they were more of a hindrance than a help. They didn't know when or how to take cover properly, and their aim left a lot to be desired. In close quarters combat - which was happening more and more frequently - they were fierce, but they had so little training, if any at all, that a trained soldier could defeat them relatively easily. As she watched, some of the enemy drones began to fall back. That was surprising, until she remembered the rather dramatic attack by Shining Armor just a few minutes ago. If an attack force had managed to get inside the palace, Chrysalis wasn't going to take kindly to it. The trouble with that was, that meant that the allied forces could move forward against lighter opposition. Metamorphosis nodded. She wasn't a battlefield genius, but she didn't have to be to win this battle. "Keep moving!" she yelled, to Changelings and ponies alike. "Let's show them that they can't keep us back!" She was quick to take the lead. Not far away, Camilla was yelling at her own drones, telling them to get moving. This ends today, she thought, and relished the thought of peace. ------------------------------------------------------------------ James crouched behind a black-sized object and returned fire with his rifle. The enemy he was aiming at fell. The hallway he and the others were in was a storm of fire; bullets flew in one direction, green energy in the other. Here and there, colorful energy flew at the enemy as unicorns fired spells of their own. "We're getting nowhere fast," he said, to no one in particular. The attack had been designed to take the Queen out quickly in an attempt to spare as many lives as they could. Clearly, that plan, if it was still even feasible, was in jeopardy. They couldn't take the cannons inside, not when they were busy reducing the outer defenses. Luckily, the enemy unit in front of them didn't last long, and the defenders were taken out, one way or another. James stood up, sighing. "Anyone have any idea where the throne room is?" he asked. He wasn't expecting an answer, but a Changeling in the detachment replied, "I was inside the palace once when I had to personally deliver emotional energy here. I think it's quite close, actually." "Lead the way, then." They followed their guide for a few minutes. It was made longer by the fact that the drone had to stop and think a few times when they came to intersections, but he was never held up long. A few of the enemy also attempted to stop them, but these weren't present in great numbers, and were easily dispatched. Nonetheless, James was eager to end the battle before the fighting got too out of hand, and more importantly, before too many people died. He spotted the doors to the throne room easily; they were the largest doors in a large, long. spacious hallway. Apart from that, several more of the gold-armored Guards he'd fought earlier were in front of it. They spotted the attacking force at once and moved to engage. James hit one with his rifle, before a bolt from one of them melted part of the barrel and set the wood on fire. He dropped the weapon in haste and took out his revolver. He managed to take down another of the enemy before the last of them got close enough for melee weapons to be effective. He holstered the gun quickly and unsheathed his sword, just managing to get it out before one of the enemy Guards attempted to run him through with an armored horn. He blocked the attack, though just barely. The soldier tried again, then, when that didn't work, suddenly turned around and bucked him in the chest; James fell backward several feet and almost lost his sword. Ow, my back... Ugh... The same enemy as before attempted to gut him again. He rolled to the left, even though his back protested with pain, and lashed out with his sword. The enemy soldier blocked the strike with his hoof and then delivered a powerful punch to the chest, knocking the wind out of the American. A bolt of energy struck the enemy soldier, who was blasted off him. James quickly got to his feet and saw that Shining Armor was the one who had blasted the enemy drone. He nodded in quick thanks and moved on the enemy combatant, who was now on his back and trying to right himself like an upside-down crab. It was almost comical. He looked around, and saw that none of the other enemies were still alive. "Take him prisoner," he said, pointing to the upside-down drone. "Shouldn't be too hard." A couple of friendly Changelings chuckled, and moved to do as he'd said. The rest of the unit moved over to the gigantic doors where James made a noise similar to that of a whistle. The doors were big, and no doubt sturdy. They had been built for grandeur, and to make anyone who came upon them pause in awe... and, perhaps, fear. Does anyone still have any dynamite?" he asked. "I still have a couple sticks, General," one of the engineers answered, but, on something that big... I don't know how thick they are." "Let's use them," Shining said. "Might as well, the artillery probably won't get in here for a while. If it doesn't work, the unicorns and Changelings in the unit will combine to blast the doors." The engineer laid the dynamite next to the doors and lit the fuse on them. Everyone ran down the hall a decent distance, and the unicorns cast shield spells to protect the unit from the explosion. The detonation blew pieces of Changeling masonry outwards; the noise assaulted his ears, even though he'd covered them to protect against the deafening roar. Even he looked up, a big hole had been torn in the doors, though most of them remained intact - say what you would about them, Changeling architects didn't skimp on their projects. -------------------------------------------- James and Shining were the first to breach the hole in the doors. The other soldiers followed them. The room they entered was full of dust and smoke; James coughed, and he wasn't the only one. Slowly, the debris began to settle. A large, horse-like figure appeared in front of them, shrouded as if it were merely a shadow. The dust cleared, and the form of Queen Chrysalis formed in front of them. She looked completely unconcerned that the door to the throne room had been blown in, or that several companies worth of soldiers were coming through it. "So," she said at last, as the clouds of dust finally settled. "So. You've broken into my hive, destroyed my house, and now you're going to try to finish me," she went on, in the same arrogant voice that was so typical of her. "Not if you give up now," James said, setting more bullets in his revolver. "Make it quick. Even you can't survive getting shot by hundreds at once." Chrysalis was silent for a moment. Then she began to laugh. "Fools," she said. "You think I'll just hand over my crown and my kingdom, just like that?" "You have five seconds," James warned. "Otherwise, you'll have so many holes torn in you that it'll be hard to tell which ones you had originally." The Queen's horn lit up. "Fire!" A green bubble of immense proportions formed around the Queen just before the soldiers opened fire. Bullets and beams struck and were turned aside. From inside, Chrysalis laughed again. "Fools! You'll all perish before me!" Her horn lit up again. A wave of green energy came at them from the center of the bubble. James - and as far as he knew, everyone else - was blasted about twenty feet away; rifles and spears flew about the room, dropped and scattered. He felt his already painful back scream in protest as he hit the ground once more. "But not before I punish Equestria for their transgressions against me!" "What does she-" Shining Armor began, before stopping. "Oh, no." "She'll try and vaporize a city," James said, although he was sure he didn't need to remind his fellow commander about that. "I'd say she wants Canterlot blown to pieces." "There's some stuff stacked behind her," a soldier noted, a hoof to his head. "Those are canisters used for holding emotional energy!" a Changeling hissed. "That's where she's getting this level of power from!" "Great," James answered, as the unicorns in the unit - those who had recovered already, at any rate - blasted the shield again, to no effect. "Always great to know why you're going to get killed." A blast of green energy came through the window and struck the shield. The barrier wavered, but held up under the assault. Chrysalis staggered, as though she'd been hit, but recovered quickly. "Your time as ruler is at an end!" came a loud shout from outside. Moments later, Metamorphosis flew through the window, followed by Camilla. "I should have expected you'd be here," Chrysalis muttered audibly, though her voice sounded distracted. "I'll deal with you both in a moment." "No, you'll deal wit' us now!" Camilla answered. "The energy-!" James yelled. Metamorphosis looked at the large pile of canisters behind Chrysalis and nodded before looking back at the opposing Queen. "You're not the only one who can use energy on this scale," she said. Her own horn lit up as well. "What're you-" Chrysalis' eyes lit up. "No, no, I forbid it!" "You have no authority over me anymore," Metamorphosis replied. Energy gathered around her. Camilla followed suit. For a few seconds, they stood still. hen, without warning, they unleashed massive blasts of energy at the shield, which wavered, faded, and finally popped. "You treacherous slime!" Chrysalis hollered. "Takes one ta know one," Camilla answered. "Well, you're too late," Chrysalis said, and with a wicked smile, the energy she'd built up glowed bright green. James noticed a large black entity above the Queen he hadn't noticed before. Without thinking about it, he rushed her, as did Shining. They slammed into her just as she unleashed the energy. The world seemed to go black and green, and it was unbearably hot as the three of them fell over. There was an explosion; masonry fell from the ceiling... I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead.... After about ten seconds, he heard himself breathe, and realized he couldn't be dead if he was breathing. He felt Chrysalis' chest move, and realized that being next to a furious Queen wasn't the best way to remain alive. "You!" she shouted at him as he rolled to his right; Shining rolled to the left. "You've ruined my plans for the last time!" "Yes, I have," he replied, drawing his gun, "because you'll have no plans after today." She fired a blast at him, but a shield of combined pink and green deflected it. He looked up to see that Shining and the two allied Queens had combined their magic as he quickly backed away. Metamorphosis looked almost as if she were at peace within herself. "Oh, the energy," she murmured. "It feels wonderful!" James realized what she'd done very quickly. She's absorbed all the remaining energy in those canisters. I hope that has no negative effects, on her or any of us here... She turned toward Chrysalis. "But what will feel even better is when you're no longer Queen, and we can live in peace." She fired a blast of her own, much more powerful than the one Chrysalis had used. The evil Queen only just managed to fly out of the way in time. A massive scorch mark was left on the floor where she'd been moments ago. Chrysalis retaliated with an attack of her own, but it lacked the strength of her opponent, and her attack was kept from its intended target by another shield, this one cast by Shining and Camilla. "Never thought I'd like working with Changelings," the white unicorn muttered. "Feels good to be wrong!" Chrysalis landed in the middle of the throne room. She looked disheveled, and her entire body was shaking with rage. James was suddenly reminded of the times Twilight had lost control. "I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!" she screamed in her loudest voice yet. "MY THRONE, THIS KINGDOM, THIS LAND, ALL ARE MINE!" "It's over," Shining said in a firm voice. "Give up. Now." She snarled, and charged up another spell. James knew immediately and instinctively that the Queen was not going to give up short of force and that further attempts to negotiate were useless. A bolt of green energy lanced outward... He felt his gun buck against his hand as he fired- BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! He cocked the weapon a seventh time and pulled the trigger, but all that reached his ears was a click. He'd fired all the bullets he'd had in the gun. Chrysalis wavered. Three of the bullets had struck her; one had severed her horn at the base, two had struck her chest, and the other three had missed and lodged in the chair just beyond her. She coughed, staggered, and finally fell on her right side. Her crown fell off and rolled away. He let his gun arm lower, and he holstered the pistol. He looked around as soldiers began moving forward again. The first thing James noticed was that the noise of battle had died out, not just in the throne room, but across the city. No further screams as people were hit, no more cannons or rifles firing, and, apparently, no more beams flying. "Camilla! NOOOOO!" a voice to his right cried. Oh no, he thought, turning slowly to his right. Queen Camilla had been Queen Chrysalis' final target. She'd been hit in the chest; apparently the shield she'd tried to use to defend herself had collapsed and the beam had gotten through. A red hole marked where she'd been struck. A Changeling rushed over, checked his Queen, and then said something quietly in his own language. "You, medic," he added, pointing at a Guard with saddlebags marked with a white cross, "get over here, now! Help me, before she dies!" The Guard looked a little frazzled at being ordered around by a Changeling, but he didn't object, and ran right over. He also looked her over, even as he pulled bandages from his bags. "I don't know if-" "Do it!" Metamorphosis snapped. "Enough!" James shouted, as did Shining Armor. "Medics," James went on, "Do what you can, everything in your knowledge, to save her. And get someone to check Chrysalis, too," he added. Shining went over to the enemy Queen's body. "I'm not sure she's still..." He paused for a moment. "Let me look," a medic from among the regulars said. James wasn't sure what he should do if they found her to be alive. Chrysalis was a dangerous enemy, and he wasn't sure a prison could hold her. On the other hand, she wasn't going to get much love from a dungeon; if anything, she'd suffer dislike and mistrust, which would, if anything, weaken her. And, awhile he was fine with killing an enemy when that enemy was trying to kill him, it didn't feel... he supposed some people would have called him a fool, but it didn't feel... well, the same to kill one who was already on the ground and wounded beyond the point of consciousness. Metamorphosis was muttering something in Changeling over her friend's body. A drone who was with the medics - James wasn't sure whether he was a medic himself or not - looked up and said something to her in their own tongue. She hissed something back, and he responded, though in a nervous tone of voice. Camilla looked slightly less shaken, but her fear for her friend's life was still evident. The medic looking Chrysalis over turned his head around. "She's dead," he said, "At least clinically. But some of her organs are still operating, and I think her heart is still in working order. I might be able, with some help, to revive her." He looked over at Shining, who looked conflicted, but nodded. "Equestria does not murder its enemies while they lie helpless," he said. "We'll try saving her, but it's off to the deepest pit of the deepest dungeon once she's up and running again." "In the meantime, we'll have to transport them both back to the camp," James said quietly, though audibly. 'But that's going to be a long trip, and I'm not sure they'll make it that far." "They won't have to." James jerked in surprise. He whirled out his gun and pointed at the intruder, a short white Changeling, who walked out from behind Chrysalis' throne. "My name is Princess... no, Queen, Amalda, now," the newcomer said, in a quiet but soft and almost childlike. "And I might be able to provide some assistance."