Attack on Two Fronts

by Shy-Brony

Twofer Tragedy

That Same Day...

"Because maybe I like the way it tastes!" Siren yelled. Moments before, Chrysalis had left find information on the empire, leaving her children alone. A minute later, a dessert trolley had rolled by, and Siren decided to help herself to some cake. She took another bite. "It won't fill us up or anything, but--"

"So why eat it at all?" Cege asked tossing the depleted crystal. "You're just going to gorge yourself, bloat, and end up a liability. We can't afford that."

She sputtered, her pride wounded. "You're calling me a liability!? Since we were defeated at Canterlot, and even after that wannabe-king showed up, I've been doing the most work around here! All you've done is fret and criticize!" When he didn't react, she crossed her front legs and huffed. "Just because you were gifted a name, you get all cocky..."

He snorted, and allowed himself a smirk, a welcome change from the perpetual look of annoyance that he had worn the past two days. "Jealous? Or rather, envious? Knowing you, it's probably both." She stared at him, angrily chewing her cake. "See, the difference is--"

"I know the difference! Geez... I'm starting to wish you died, too."

"Now, now. Don't talk to your brother that way." Chrysalis said, returning to the booth. She glanced at Siren, who quickly scooted closer to the window. Sitting down, she continued. "After all, we're all we've got. Let's try not to damage the swarm any further, hm?"

"Yes, my queen." They answered, bowing their heads.

With the bickering silenced, and eyes on her, Chrysalis pulled a sky-blue brochure from underneath her wing. "Guess what I found?" she sang, waving it around. "It's a brochure for the Crystal Empire!" She unfolded it, revealing a map of the area, with tourist attractions and popular destinations clearly marked; these were ignored. Rather, they focused on the most advertised attraction, one that received an entire page to itself, along with multiple paragraphs: the Crystal Heart. She jabbed a hoof onto the picture."This is our target. I don't expect it to be easy. Any ideas?"

"We could just walk in and take it." Siren offered, earning yet another glare from her brother. "What? This place just showed up, right? There's no way they would know about us."

"It's not a bad idea," Chrysalis said, "but I don't think we'll have to take it at all. Judging by how we can sustain ourselves from sheer proximity, we should be able to drink our fill by getting close to it."

"So... the plan is to walk in, head to the center, and just loiter near the heart? That seems too easy." Cege said. Of course, with the recent series of events, they couldn't blame him for being skeptical. Knowing their luck so far, the empire may well have vanished again, or the Crystal Heart may have been destroyed after Sombra was defeated. He would've been surprised if the heart was still open to the public, or maybe--

"Fillies and gentlecolts, we are arriving at the Crystal Empire.

The train lurched forward before coming to a stop at the platform. At once, left the booth and walked out the door, ready to face whatever came their way. Stepping out onto the platform, they quickly realized how unnecessarily cautious they were being. The second they were outside, they were greeted by no less than three crystal ponies.

They sighed in delight. They weren't even in the empire proper, and already they were nearly stuffed with love. Wariness replaced with confidence, they strode into the empire, heads and hopes high. Once inside the gates, they were immediately greeted by a uniformed mare.

"Welcome to the Crystal Empire!" she greeted with welcoming smile. "Are you visiting or moving in?"

A wicked grin spread across Chrysalis' face. "Moving in."

Oblivious, the mare nodded, turning towards the heart. "Wonderful! I'll sent a notice to Princess Cadence. In the meantime, feel free to wait near the Crystal Heart, which can be found at the base of the tower."

Chrysalis face fell, and her good mood almost completely vanished. "Princess... Cadence?"

"Yes. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, ruler of the empire. She took over once it returned, and she's been doing a wonderful job of it. Such a kind, loving pony." She sighed wistfully, a blush appearing on her face. "And that husband of hers!"

"That's enough!" Siren shouted, disgusted. She and her brother marched into the city, stopping when they realized their queen hadn't joined them. Rather, she stood still, an unreadable expression on her face. "Mother? Are you coming?"

That seemed to do the trick, and she jolted out of her daze. Clearing her throat, she regained her regal airs, taking point with her head high. In silence, they walked toward the enormous Crystal Tower. The children used this silence to admire the city.

It was nothing like they were expecting. Based on what Topaz had said, they thought it would just be coming back from the brink of despair, with the king's tyranny evident on every street corner, fear clear in the eyes of every traumatized stallion, mare, and filly. Rather, the citizens were even more upbeat than Equestrians, with every action punctuated with a smile. That, combined with the odd glow that each pony seemed to posses, as well as their sparkling, see-through bodies, made them want to vomit and dance with joy at the same time.

All of it, however, was justified by the aura of raw, unfiltered love that permeated the empire, filling the very air with its soothing, filling light. With each breath, the changelings grew stronger, their previous aches and worries vanishing, replaced with warmth and that funny, pleasant feeling one gets after a large, satisfying meal. It left all three with dopey smiles on their faces, with Chrysalis' toned down to a proud grin. Here, they would thrive, unimpeded, unopposed, accepted, even. There was just one problem: Princess Cadence.

Chrysalis snarled at the very thought of the young alicorn and her husband. It was bad enough that she was humiliatingly defeated at Canterlot --by the same power she used to overcome Celestia, even-- but now she's the ruler of their last good chance for survival! A more foolish pony might cherish the thought of an arch-nemesis, a recurring foe with which to match wits and power against, but not her. No, this time, Cadence will be killed, as she should have been before the wedding.

These thoughts and more were purged from the queen's mind the second she stepped into the heart's light. More than filling, it was empowering, filling her very being with a strength she had never known before. In no time at all, she was drunk on this power, wandering over to the heart and rubbing her face against it. That's right..., she thought, entranced. With this I can do anything! No one could stop me, no one could even think about raising a hoof against me! All I need... is this heart here...

"See? Every time!"

"Like you were much better, Shining."

A pair of all-too-familiar voices snapped Chrysalis out of her reverie, and she stepped away, her children quickly taking her place. Slowly, she turned to face the giggling alicorn, accompanied by a grinning Shining Armor. At their approach, the children hid behind their queen, playing up the "shy little kid" bit. Chrysalis laughed with her, trying to hide her anxiety. "I'm so sorry about them. They were just so excited to see the Crystal Heart that they couldn't help themselves..."

Cadence waved her hoof dismissively. "It's nothing to worry about. A lot of new residents react that way. The Crystal Heart promotes peace of mind and body, and fills you with the love and kindness of generations of crystal ponies." She sighed, savoring the feeling. "Why do you think I hold the interviews here, instead of inside the tower itself?" She offered a welcoming smile. "I'm Princess Cadence, ruler of the Crystal Empire."

Shining stepped forward, adopting the stoic posture he acquired in training. "I am Prince Shining Armor, co-ruler and former Captain of the Equestrian Royal Guard. Please, feel free to come to me if you have any issues."

Cadence nudged him. "Not so fast," she said with a wink, "they're not citizens yet. Of course, there's really nothing holding you back. I just want to get to know you better. Starting with your names?"

Chrysalis stepped forward. "My name is Citrus Daze. These are my children, Siren and Cege." She gestured to the duo, who were fidgeting in place.

"Are they alright?" Shining asked moving towards the duo. "Do you need to see a medic? I can escort you to the hospital if you want." They said nothing, their fidgeting escalating into an unnatural, full-body vibration.

Chrysalis tried to speak, to come up with some excuse for their peculiar behavior, but the second she opened her mouth, a deluge of neon green ooze poured from her mouth. Acting fast, the couple conjured an extra-strength "Quarantine" force field around her.

Once he was confident that she was sealed, he knocked on the bubble, horn glowing dangerously. "Who are you? What is your business here? Answer me!" He demanded. She couldn't reply, so he grabbed the two children in his magic, hoping to interrogate them instead. Before he could get a word out, all three exploded into an aura of green flame. The flames faded, revealing the changelings for what they were. Oddly enough, their chitin seemed to be damaged, with volcanic cracks bursting with green energy breaking through at a steady pace.

"Changelings!" Shining yelled, herding his wife behind him. He doubled, then tripled the strength of the barrier, using everything he had. It was useless, and with a flash of green light, the two generals burst out of their shells and his grip. When the light faded, two ragged, discarded shells lay at their hooves.

They stood upright, at least as tall as Celestia. Gone were the gruesome holes that riddled their bodies, their armor now plated, layered, and smooth, resembling that of a dragon. Their wings, now shielded behind sleek black plating, spread to their full length. One lifted the ailing queen, and the other took the heart, taking them to the throne room of the tower.

"Not a chance!" he yelled, firing magic bolts at the monsters. The blasts glanced off of their armor, and went unnoticed. Cadence soared after the trio, conjuring a barrier around the balcony. With her relatively small size she was able to catch up with them, her horn lighting up in anger. The moment she got close enough to fire, Chrysalis raised her head and launched a stream of slime at the princess, knocking her out of the sky. Shining managed to catch the sticky lump that was his wife, and cut her free. They looked up to see the changelings effortlessly shatter her barrier and enter the tower.

"No!" Cadence yelled. She turned to Shining. "Mobilize the guards, tell them to lock down the tower!" He saluted, running towards the barracks.

---

Inside the tower, Chrysalis was in pain equal to, if not greater than, the boost in power she had felt earlier. Her tortured screams echoed through the halls, causing the building to shake. Like her children before her, she broke free of her old shell. However, she did not gain a faster, stronger, more powerful form for her troubles; no, what emerged from that broken shell was a bloated parody of the queen, one that filled the throne room from wall to wall. Her legs were almost entirely absorbed into the bulbous egg sack that now made up most of her body, held in place by a mass of chitin. The light blue patches that once held her wings now housed six gaping holes, each dripping with sickening slime.

Desperate to help her queen, Siren placed the Crystal Heart into Chrysalis' mouth, the queen using her vampiric fangs to clamp down on the artifact. It came just in time, and the heart muffled another bloodcurdling screech, which was shortly followed by a sickening squelch and a wet plop on the floor. On the floor lay a slime-covered ball, the size of a basketball. Cege, overcome by his curiosity, lightly poked the ball. It twitched in response.

Their queen had given birth.

---

February 18, 698

I've done it. I've successfully cast the "Soul Sight" spell. Before me lies an executed criminal. I hope this works.

It did! Let it be known that on this day, Sombra had made contact with Death itself. Legend states that those who see Death command it; I will command it to give me power, enough to defeat anything that may threaten my empire!