Hot Chocolate Comes to Town

by Bronyxy

3 Call Out the Guard

When the happy trio arrived back at Sweet Apple Acres, Granny Smith heard their laughter and came out to meet them, a little surprised to be seeing them back so early. This surprise was however as nothing compared to what she felt when she saw what her grandson was carrying.

“Looks like them bugs are growin’ bigger over in the west orchard” she commented dryly.
“Eeyup!”
“Hey Granny” chipped AJ “Mind if we leave the trash here while we get Twilight? Only I don’t really want to cause a ruckus draggin’ them all through Ponyville, if you know what I mean.”
“Only so long as Big Macintosh is here” she replied.
“What, to defend you Granny?” enquired her granddaughter, concerned.
“No; to defend them from me, you cheeky young ‘un!” she snapped playfully, giving them a taste of her indomitable spirit from days gone by “Now get on your way!”

The two mares made the walk back towards town and instead of turning off for the station, pushed deeper into the bustling conurbation. All the ponies they met were friendly and most wanted to stop and chat to the new arrival, especially given her unusual colouring and unique cutie mark, but AJ had to take an increasingly firm line with them as now really wasn’t the time for socialising; there was no doubting that Pinkie Pie would see to that as soon as she found out.

Exercising all of her tact, AJ finally extricated the two of them from the hordes of inquisitive and welcoming ponies and navigated them to the Golden Oak Library. She knocked the door and there was a theatrical creak that betrayed the time since the hinges had last seen any oil. Chocolate had to look down to see who had opened it for them, and staring back up at her was a pair of bright green reptilian eyes set in a lilac head. She didn’t mean to, but nonetheless jumped back involuntarily as the baby dragon frowned slightly.

“Hey AJ” he said with a distinct male edge to his juvenile voice.
“Howdy Spike” drawled the farm pony “This here’s Hot Chocolate, she’s a friend. Hey, to cut to the chase, is Twilight about? It’s kinda urgent …”
Spike showed them in and looked over the stranger, then stared back into her slate blue eyes.
“Unusual cutie mark” he observed, then giggled “I generally have my hot chocolate in a mug with marshmallows!”

“Spike, don’t be so cheeky!” chastised a more refined female voice from further inside.
“Only saying …” muttered the baby dragon and made to turn away dejectedly.
“Oh, that’s fine” consoled Chocolate raising a forehoof gently to hoofbump, shake claws or whatever a pony was supposed to do when they met a dragon for the first time. Everything she had ever heard about dragons suggested that the first time a pony met one was generally the last, and ended up with the dragon enjoying lunch.
Spike obliged and gently gripped her hoof with his claw.

“Don’t worry, it is a little unusual, but at least you didn’t try to lick it – seriously you’d be surprised how often that happens!”
“Hey, does it really taste of chocolate?” he asked expectantly.
“Spike, no!” came the refined voice again “We don’t go round licking friends. Like, really - urgghhh!”

Chocolate looked up to see a lilac pony trotting over towards her.
“Hi, I’m Twilight Sparkle; it’s very nice to meet you” she said cheerily, then turned her head slightly “Hi, AJ what’s up?”
“You got to come quick Twi, we’ve got some uninvited guests over at Sweet Apple Acres.”
“What, like a vermin infestation?”
“No, Twi” said AJ, nodding towards the baby dragon.
“OK, OK, I’m off!” grumbled Spike, trudging grumpily across towards the kitchen.

Twilight looked expectantly to her country friend and waited for her to speak.
“Changelings” she whispered conspiratorially “We’ve captured a pair of them over at the western orchard!”
Twilight’s jaw dropped and she stared momentarily before resuming her composure.
“Elements – Elements of Harmony!” she chanted to herself; then “NO! Rarity’s gone to Canterlot and won’t be back until tomorrow!”

AJ stood back and Chocolate followed her lead as Twilight lowered her head and started pacing furiously, mumbling to herself all the while. Abruptly she stopped and raised her head “I must contact Princess Celestia at once!” she deduced fixedly.
“Spike!” she sang out towards the kitchen. The kitchen door opened just a crack, and a lilac face peered round, his green eyes looking expectantly towards his mistress.
“Spike, I want you to send a letter, but I’ll write it myself if that’s OK?”
“Sure thing Twi” he said, basking a little as he resumed his place at the centre of events.

While Twilight scratched away on the unfurled scroll, a silence fell over the others in the room.
“So ...!” exclaimed the baby dragon, with so much enthusiasm that the ponies jumped. Spike offered an embarrassed giggle and started to blush.
“So that cutie mark” he began again, this time at a less strident volume “It looks like a chocolate bar with, like, steam coming off it. Am I close?”
“Yes, yes you’re right” said Chocolate, recalling her senses from the place they had wandered when she hadn’t been paying attention.

“We’ve got some ponies here in Ponyville with sweet cutie marks a bit like yours – Mr and Mrs Cake, Bon Bon, and of course, all the Apple family. My favourite is Rarity - she’s got three blue diamonds. Hmmmmm”
“Easy now Spike” reined in AJ “I don’t know if you’re all thinking of Rarity or her cutie mark.”
Spike went bright red at that comment; both statements being equally true.

“Tell me Spike” asked Chocolate, throwing him a social lifeline “Do dragons get cutie marks?”
Before he could answer, Twilight interrupted “OK Spike, ready. This is really important; would you send it to Princess Celestia right away please?”
Spike took a deep breath and then there was a gout of green flame as he exhaled, sending the scroll to Canterlot while Chocolate stared open mouthed at what she had just seen.

***

Princess Celestia was at a formal working lunch that she was starting to find a little trying. Well, if she was honest, it had probably been dull from the outset. She found herself wishing for some form of diversion that would enable her to make excuses and leave, and next thing there was a flash as a scroll appeared.
“Oh my; I am working well today” she thought.Then she started to read:

Dear Princess Celestia,
Two changelings have been captured near Ponyville and are currently being held by Granny Smith and Big Mac at Sweet Apple Acres.
Please come soonest.
Your faithful student
Twilight Sparkle

Immediately she rose from the table and proffered excuses to the assembled dignitaries before departing, issuing orders as she trotted down the castle’s corridors to rouse both the Royal Guard and the Night Guard, ready chariots, wake her sister and then reeled off a list of names rapid fire of teachers and academics from the School for Gifted Unicorns, and do it all NOW!

She strode into a large briefing room and accompanied by only a pair of aides reached for a scroll and wrote:

Twilight
We will be with you this afternoon with full support.
Prevent the prisoners from escaping until we arrive.
Celestia

She reviewed its simplicity and directness just one more time before sending it. This was not the normal communication with her faithful student, following the expected frills and artistry from a ruler versed in tact and blessed with a gift for expressing herself through the medium of words. No, these were instead the words of a general; a leader.

She paced the stage, fragments of plans spinning around in her consciousness, then starting to take root in her head, coalescing into a coherent plan while she waited for those who had been summoned to arrive.
First to her side was a blue alicorn.
“Good afternoon Luna, I am sorry to have disturbed your sleep.”
“Sister, it would not be without a good reason. What has happened?”
“The changelings are back” she said with unvarnished determination seizing her voice.
“Where and in what numbers” she replied, her mind sharp and focused despite it being the middle of her sleep cycle.
“Ponyville; only two so far.”
“There will be more” she echoed the warning evident in her sister’s intonation.
“I agree” said Celestia “They will be unlikely to travel too far from their hive.”
“Diligence suggests we would be wise to assume that they are present in numbers, Sister.”
“And that because we have two of their number, then they will by now be aware that we know they are there.

Celestia turned to one of her aides and requested her battle armour; Luna giving a gentle nod to confirm that her sister’s request went for her too.
“We have faced worse, Sister” said Luna
“Agreed; but there is never room for complacency. The changelings beat us last time until Cadence and Shining Armor’s love magic sent them packing. This time we don’t have them to rely on.”

The room started to fill with military officers, intelligence specialists and a slow trickle of miscellaneous unicorns, mostly greybeards from the School. When Celestia was happy that those she had summoned were in attendance, she outlined what she knew and proposed a strategy. Once her briefing was complete, she threw the table open to discuss the options she had laid out and the attendees entered into a discussion, weighing up the merits of different approaches.

During the course of these discussions, four Royal Armourers came in carrying battle armour for the two Princesses and without pausing were directed to their Diarchs onto whom they proceeded to strap the various items of practical yet stylish protection that were required.

All present could sense that time was short and mercifully avoided going down paths of needless conjecture, sticking to the necessary facts and developing a military response to the clear and present danger being ranged against Equestria. By the time the two sisters had been kitted out in their battle armour, everypony in the briefing room knew it was time for the Princesses to agree and announce their plan.

“Thank you for all your informed debate” announced Celestia “We will fly to a farm known as “Sweet Apple Acres” just outside Ponyville where the two prisoners are being held and see what we can learn about our enemy’s location and strength. We will fly directly with pegasi from the Royal Guard who will lead in daytime engagements and Princess Luna’s Bat Ponies who will lead in night time operations and low-light underground combat. Furthermore, we will be travelling with the most able unicorns who can land a magical punch as strong as the brute strength of our brave guards. In parallel, a contingent of earth ponies and unicorns of the Royal Guard will make their way down by train to support the advance force and provide reinforcement. In this way we will be ready for the challenge that faces us.”

The instant the briefing was dismissed, the highest ranking officers began barking a succession of quickfire orders to their respective entourages, apportioning their forces between those that would be stepping up their alert status to protect Canterlot, and those that would be embarking on the mission. This was quickly followed by another round of orders that concerned what equipment they would carry with them, and what would be taken by train with the reinforcements. To the untrained ear it sounded like a jumble of unrelated commands being shouted at random, but to the highly trained guards it was like looking inside a clockwork watch, every little piece apparently doing different and unrelated jobs, but all coming together to deliver the desired result with finely tuned precision.

While this had been unfolding in the briefing room, the guards had all been mustered for full inspection and were awaiting orders; they did not have to wait long.Celestia and Luna appeared on the balcony overlooking the courtyard where the assembled army stood expectantly. Many of the seasoned professionals waited eagerly, aching for an opportunity to prove themselves once more, while some of the more recent recruits could be seen to be shaking slightly at the first sight of their leaders in battle armour.

Row upon row of ponies wearing highly polished metal armour and many more of midnight blue stood to attention to hear their leaders’ address. There was not more than the slightest breeze rippling across the assembled display of military might, not enough even to tease the crests that adorned the helmets of the Royal Guard.

“Ponies of the Night Guard and the Royal Guard, defenders of Equestria!” began Luna “It has not been long since our borders were invaded by Queen Chrysalis and her changeling army. On that occasion we were caught by surprise and were only saved by Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor. Today we have received word that changelings have been captured near Ponyville and we cannot allow such an incursion to pass unchallenged, for the sake of all of us who live in peace in Equestria; our families, our friends and all those of many different races who live and work happily alongside us. We have the advantage; any attempt at a surprise attack has been unmasked and we are ready; ready to act, ready to defend ourselves and free ourselves from the threat of their attack.”

“Time is of the essence” roused Celestia “We must strike before they have had a chance to react to being discovered, before they can muster their army to full strength. I do not know what we will face, but I know we have the bravest fighters and the most able unicorns with us, so we will rise to any challenge and we will prevail!”

Her last words had no chance to die away peacefully, but were pushed forcefully aside by loud cheers from everypony present.

They were motivated.

They were ready.