Distraction
The changeling queen stood at the center of the ballroom. Dozens of party guests had burst into flames and taken on their true forms as changelings while more buzzed in through the high windows. The party guests were panicking and screaming as they ran for the exits.
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Scootaloo said, watching from the entrance to the hall. “There’s no way the changelings could win a fight here.”
Apple Bloom tugged on her dress to get her attention. “We need ta find the others and hide.”
Scootaloo nodded and pushed her way into the panicked crowd.
*****
“Lirean,” Celestia said calmly, descending the steps to the changeling queen.
“Celestia, how nice to see you again,” Lirean said. “It’s so rude of you, throwing this grand party without inviting us.” She pouted. “I do hate rudeness.”
“Take your changelings and leave. Now,” Celestia said. “This is your only warning. You can’t truly believe you can defeat me and my guards here, at the center of the dampening spells. I—” The changeling queen rushed, horn awash in bright green fire. Celestia sidestepped the rush and used a pulse of magic to send the changeling queen sprawling across the dance floor. Her horn brightened, but before she could launch another attack, the changelings dived at her from above.
Celestia flashed across the room and the changelings came down on empty space. She prepared a spell to send them flying, but screams came from the entrance to the castle. Dozens of changelings were blocking the exits, hissing and snapping at the terrified ponies. Celestia turned to help them evacuate, but Lirean was on her once again.
The queen's attacks were pathetic under the influence of the dampening spells, even weaker than Celestia would have expected. Still, they were enough to pull her attention away from her subjects long enough to send Lirean flying once more.
The changelings had regrouped and attacked Celestia from above as the the terrified party-goers moved as a horde from the front doors, running down any hall they could. It was obvious now, Celestia realized. That was why the changelings had attacked tonight, in such a crowded area. Celestia couldn’t possibly protect her subjects and herself from the changelings while fighting the queen. She skipped back as the changelings rushed her again, horn flaring up.
Before she could do anything, a deep red beam cut through the dark mass of changelings, sending them flying in every direction. Shining Armor rushed through the crowd to her side a moment later. “Princess Celestia!”
“Perfect timing, Shining Armor. Round up as many guards as you can. Make protecting the party-goers your top priority.”
“Yes, Princess,” Shining said. “In the meantime, please allow the guards to escort you to—”
“That won’t be nessacery. Just worry about the other ponies.”
“Uh, yes, Your Highness.”
Princess Celestia scanned the room. The fresh wave of chaos the guards had brought with them had settled, and Shining Armor was ordering the ponies to evacuate. The exits had already been cleared by the guards.
The changeling queen had pushed herselerself back to her hooves after Celestia’s last attack, and was making her way to the back of the room. The guards were doing a good job of pushing the changelings back. Lirean’s and Celestia’s gazes met. The changeling shuddered and took a hesitant step back.
Celestia’s horn flared up and the queen found herself falling head over hooves through the air. She smacked into a wall and flailed, catching at the party decorations and pulling them into a heap around her. The rest of the changelings broke ranks and fled up the stairs. Some took to the air and out the windows. Celestia cleared the ballroom in a single pounce, coming down on the changeling queen, horn and eyes glaring like the midday sun.
“Please, no more,” Lirean whimpered, shying away from the princess.
Celestia frowned, heart pounding from the fight.
“We’ll go,” Lirean said. “We’ll never return to Equestria. Just don’t hurt me.”
That didn’t sound like the changeling queen. A horrible suspicion gripped her, and Celestia’s horn flared brighter. The changeling yelped as green fire twisted around its body. It shrank. Its snout shortened and its wings shrank until it was no different than any of the other changelings flying about.
Celestia had been wasting her time with a distraction.
*****
Scootaloo and her friends ran through Canterlot, trying to put as much distance between them and the changelings as possible. Apple Bloom clutched at Scootaloo with one leg, the other hung limply off to the side. She’d twisted something on the stairs outside the ballroom, and Scootaloo had volunteered to carry her, being in better shape than Thistleroot or Pal. After a few blocks though, the weight was starting to get to her. A stitch in her side cut deeper with every step until finally she stopped.
“I think that’s far enough,” Scootaloo panted.
“Here, let me carry her for a while,” Thistleroot offered. Scootaloo nodded and they awkwardly moved Apple Bloom to his back. Apple Bloom apologized repeatedly the entire time.
“What do you think’s happening back at the castle?” Thistleroot asked.
“No idea,” Scootaloo said. “I want to say that Princess Celestia and the Royal Guards will kick flank and drive the changelings back. It shouldn’t even be a tough fight. But I’m sure Lirean wouldn’t attack if she didn’t have some kind of plan.”
“Right you are, Scootaloo.”
Everypony froze. Seemingly out of nowhere, a dozen identical changelings appeared, pouring out of shady alleyways and touching down from above. A white unicorn filly with bright blue hair stepped out in front of them.
“Crystal Ball,” Scootaloo said, her memories hitting her like a ton of bricks. “That’s why you kidnapped me and blocked out my memories. I recognized you at the resturaunt, talking to Star Shine, and you didn’t want anypony to know about it.”
Crystal Ball’s eyes shined with malice as she smiled. “Too little too late, I’m afraid.”
“Thistleroot, do you still have that necklace from the princess?” Scootaloo asked.
“Yeah. You think it’ll help? How do I turn it on?”
“No idea.”
“Well, that’s not particularly helpful.”
“Take it and get everypony out of here.”
Thistleroot cast her a sideways glance. “You’re starting to sound heroic, and it’s scaring me. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s a bad idea.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to give myself to them or anything. But they’re after me, so if we split up, you guys will have an easier time getting out.”
“And just what are you two whispering about,” Crystal Ball asked, moving closer. The changelings followed her lead, tightening the circle around them.
“That still leaves you by yourself.”
“Yeah. No offense, but I can move a lot faster that way. Don’t worry about me, I was trained by the best filly flyer in Equestria. I promise, I won't let them catch me.” Before Thistleroot could answer, Scootaloo spread her wings and launched into the sky. She pumped her wings, rocketing up, ignoring the pain in her side.
She hadn’t expected the dress to cause so much drag. She tried to find some way to hold it, but anything she did just made it worse. She made it about two blocks before one of the changelings managed to grab onto the dress and drag her back. She struggled to kick it free, but another changeling hit her from the side. She lost a few feet in altitude as she struggled to get herself straightened out.
Something heavy hit her from behind. She tumbled through the air. Her vision blurred from the speed of her fall. She bounced off a wall and slammed into the ground.
The world slid sideways and went dark.
*****
“Is it done?”
Crystal Ball nodded. “Of course. She won’t be a problem anymore.”
Rose breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. There’s no telling how long before the memory spells slipped.”
“Actually there is. She remembered seeing me that night.”
Rose glanced up.
“Nothing more though. I’m sure the rest of the memories would have come back soon enough. Speaking of, how did your evening go?”
“As well as planned. The girl’s memories were right, the spell was of the Draconequus’s own design. We lost one of our ponies, but it was an acceptable sacrifice.”
“Lost?”
“He went mad.”
“Ah. Well, what would you expect, diving into the mind of a spirit of chaos?”
Rose Thorn nodded. “I believe it’s time we moved on to the next step of our plan.”
Crystal Ball made a sound eerily similar to a purr. “Now we get those pesky Elements of Harmony out of the way.”
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Excuse me: four times in two days. Is this the climax or something? Are we near the end? Or are you just on a role?
I think he has a comic he wants to post, and he can only post it at a certain point to avoid spoilers.
2081679 2081708
I have a comic drawn up for the very next chapter. Granted, I'm not a great artist, but I'm still happy with it and want to show it off.
Thistleroot! Sing a song and save Scootaloo in no particular order!
Ahh, I was hoping Starswirl would come and fuck some bitches up when Scoots went down. Oh well, conversation that I didn't understand in the slightest works too.
encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSuyJOYN-3KTd9rYi6niUi-N8--cbzrKl_CE0eRRw9Nyoux5g5MRg
Why? Just... why?
queen's
a lot
"That won’t be nessacery"
good chapter though
Dun dun dun!
What? Did they kill Scootaloo? WHAT FREAKING HAPPENED?!?!
And where's Twilight in all of this??
moved as a hoard from the front doors
cleared the ball room in a single pounce
1. Horde.
2. Ballroom, one word.
Applebloom >> Apple Bloom
_____________
Cap.
____________