//------------------------------// // The Attack // Story: The B-Side // by KnuxChangeling //------------------------------// The next morning, Aqua woke up feeling refreshed. She had a great time with Princess Luna the previous night and felt the love and adoration for her pouring off of every pony that met her. Aqua went through her morning routine, brushing her teeth and hair, then left the room to join everyone for breakfast. Her guards were waiting outside her room looking alert and visual as usual. "Good morning", Aqua said cheerfully. "Good morning Your Highness", replied a guard. They went to the dining hall to find the princesses already there. Princess Luna was looking over a plate of pancakes that had fruit in the shape of a silly face, her face was alight with hunger and joy. Her sister, Princess Celestia, was just sitting down with her own silly faced pancakes. When Princess Celestia saw Aqua and her guards walk in, she smiled. "Welcome Aqua", Celestia exclaimed in joy, "Come you and your guards will enjoy the breakfast I've made for you all." "Wait, you made these", Aqua asked astonished, "I thought you had chefs for that! This looks beautiful and I don't want to eat it I'll feel bad." "I enjoy making things", Celestia said with a smile, "Please enjoy yourselves." Aqua and her guards sat down and smiled at their own breakfast. The faces were made of bananas, strawberries and pineapples. There was whipped cream for hair at the top of the stack. Aqua almost had tears in her eyes. Luna caught the silver lining the eyes of the Changeling Princess. "Art thou alright", Luna asked, worry coating her voice. Aqua sniffed wiping her eyes and nodded before replying, "This is the first time someone had ever made anything for me. It's sweet." Celestia nodded as she took a bite of her pancakes. Aqua and her guards did the same. The meal was full of laughter and happiness. It was actually one of the rare times she had actually smiled like she ment it. She didn't want to give this up, not ever. After the meal, Aqua was heading to a balcony that looked toward the entrance of Canterlot. Canterlot no longer held her interest, it was what she saw beyond the gates of the capitol. Lush green fields with sparkling winding rivers, forest as far as the naked eye could see. To her, it was something that was so new to her. She had never seen lands so lush with life before. It was amazing, hypnotic. She arrived at the balcony to stare at the wondrous site smiling and breathing in the fresh morning air. The sun sparkled off the rivers in the distance making it look like a river of diamonds. If that were possible, Aqua would be all over it and watching as it flowed past her. Aqua stood there for what seemed like hours. She didn't want to leave, afraid that she will wake back in her room in the hive, her time here but a mere dream. She looked out over the land again but saw something off. It was a little black dot that seemed to be getting bigger. Was that a Changeling? No it couldn't be. Not here of all places right? The dot just started to get bigger but even more dots started to appear. Aqua realized that it was her mother and the hive. She backed away and started running down the hall toward the dining hall. She had to warn the princesses! Aqua slammed the doors open to the dining hall finding it empty. She immediately turned around and looked for the royal study. It took her a few minutes after asking around then she slammed the doors open. The sudden slamming of doors startled the Princesses who were looking over paperwork. The papers went everywhere but Aqua didn't care. Her eyes were wide and her breathing was ragged from running around. "What is it", Luna asked trotting over. "My mother", Aqua rasped out, "She's coming with our entire hive. She's going to attack Canterlot to get me back." At this, the Princesses looked at each other nodding and running out the room. Celestia went and commanded the guards to tighten security while Luna started to evacuate civilians. Aqua and her own guards walked right up to the capitols gates and awaited her mother's approach which was quite quick to say the least. Her mother alighted down in front of her and embraced Aqua in a crushing hug. "Oh my darling", Queen Chrysalis rasped, "My dear little baby!" Aqua patted her mother's shoulder with a small smile. She knows how her mother feels about not seeing her for a while. Aqua was the princess after all. "Mother, I'm fine", Aqua said, "The ponies here are actually very nice and-" "LIES", her mother blearted, "ALL THOSE PONIES DO IS LIE! They could've been trying to get to me through you." Aqua shook her head and backed away from the queen. She looked down after seeing the broken look her mother had. It was heart wrenching because Aqua knew that her mother thought she was corrupted by the pony way of life. Aqua cleared her throat and finally looked back up at her mother. "They aren't lying", Aqua said, "They were very kind and loving toward me despite the fact I am changeling." The resulting gasp almost brought Aqua to tears. It was the gasp of someone heartbroken, someone who's lost something that they loved dearly. Aqua didn't turn away nor did she look at her mother, not being able to break her heart further. Queen Chrysalis' face soon twisted to a look of pure rage. "Do't worry", Chrysalis said in a quiet voice, "I will free you from the spell that they've placed on you." Aqua's head snapped up and before she could say anything, the horde of Changelings that have been hovering above, dove onto the city starting to tear everything apart. Aqua could only scream as the Changelings started to tear the innocent citizens of Canterlot to shreds. Aqua turned and rushed back into the city to help in the defense of the citizens and knocked out any Changeling that dared to harm anypony. Aqua fought through guts and limbs and blood everywhere. Her hole popped hooves were covered in it and so were the Changelings attacking. It made her sick to her stomach, not the fact that there's gore everywhere, but the fact that her own mother would do this. This was insane, there were ponies dying everywhere! She failed to protect one pony that had her throat ripped out and Aqua blasted that Changeling off the now dead pony running toward the castle. At the castle, Queen Chrysalis landed in front of the two royal sisters who were standing tall and had their horns aglow with magic ready to fire. The Queen was seething with hatred as her own horn started to come to life. "You've ruined my daughter", Chrysalis said, "Now let me return the favor." Chrysalis fired a sickly green bolt of energy toward the princesses and they dodged coming at the Queen from both sides. A shield came to life around the Changeling Queen turning into dark green vines that catapulted them into the brush on either side of the entrance to Canterlot Garden. Luna got back up first shooting a light blue bolt of energy at the Queen. Queen Chrysalis was ready, however, and moved out the way and it hit Celestia instead. Celestia screamed falling onto her side. Luna's eyes widened as she beheld her sister and soon scowled. Luna picked up a fistful of grass and twigs and dirt flying toward Chrysalis who was getting into a defensive mode. Luna threw the fistful of earth right into the Queen's eyes. Chrysalis cried out in surprise stumbling back. Luna tackled Chrysalis and charged her horn but Chrysalis shot her magic first catching Luna in the nose before she dodged. Luna wiped at the blood now leaking from her nose. Celestia came up behind the Queen bucking her into the shrubs and was greeted with a crack of chiten armor. Chrysalis howled in pain and stumbled up wincing. Her side was bleeding from her armor digging into the soft flesh beneath and it was now leaking blood. Celestia walked over to Queen Chrysalis with a worried, but cautious, look on her face. "Get away from me you pale trash", Chrysalis spat, anger clear in her voice. "We didn't want to do this", Celestia said, "But you've given us no other choice. Please, surrender." "As if", Chrysalis said, "I WILL SURRENDER TO YOU!" Chrysalis fired a bolt of magic at Celestia, who was caught off guard, and knocked her out. Chrysalis slowly walked over and stood over the Solar Princess and bared her fangs. She was about to to tear out Celestia's throat when a midnight blue blur rammed into her sending them both skidding into the nearby wall. Chrysalis shrieked in pain due to her skidding on her injured side. That was going to get infected if she didn't handle it soon. Luna got up off of Chrysalis breathing heavy, not because she was tired, but because she was in a rage. Her eyes were slitted and a lighter blue than normal and her fur was getting darker. At this, Luna wasn't thinking straight, all she saw was red. "Oh this will be easy", Chrysalis said as she stood back up. Luna just shouted something incoherent and lunged at the Queen. Chrysalis smirked and side stepped at the last second letting Luna hit the wall and knock herself out. Chrysalis almost smiled and stood over the fallen Lunar Princess. She was just about to tear into her flesh when a voice called out. "STOP!" Queen Chrysalis turned to find the Princess of the Changelings, her own daughter, standing before her in defiance.