Button Mash opened his eyes as sunlight streamed through the window. He moved one limb, then another, then found the strength to roll onto his hooves. The muscular pain had subsided. The bruises weren’t quite there yet. He had the faintest of headaches from all the crying he’d done.
He figured by midmorning, he’d be fit enough to run screaming from whatever monster decided to show its ugly face.
There was no ambrosia left. Sweetie Belle had taken what little remained the previous night. Without her regular, prescribed dose, she was going to be in pain all too soon. She slept on the chair, facing the bed, her glasses folded up on the suite’s two-seater table. He curly mane bunched up between her shoulder and the chair; a poor-pony’s cushion. She breathed softly as she savored the one glimmer of peace she’d had in the past couple of weeks.
Button’s breath hitched in his throat. She was beautiful. No, that was too weak a word. She was phenomenally gorgeous. A fuzzy, warm sensation flooded his chest and face, causing his mind to do backflips. It took all his strength not to gawk like an idiot. He pulled himself towards the window to look over Roc, but everything in him dragged his eyes back to Sweetie Belle.
“Oh, Creator, I’m a creeper,” he said softly, pressing his nose against the window pane. “A grade-A creeper.”
He grumbled under his breath, locking his eyes on the horizon. He expected to see more movement in the town surrounding the castle. To see fishing boats on the water and airships making their rounds.
He saw none of that. Roc was as quiet as the catacombs deep within the mountain.
“Storm’s brewing.”
Button’s head twisted around at just below the speed of light. Caballeron stood beside him, his Ponyma hat pushed back on his head. The doctor narrowed his eyes at Button and gestured to the window. “Open it. I want a smoke.”
“Smoke in your own room.”
“I would, but the princesses insist that they need the room to prepare our breakfast.” Caballeron brushed Button aside and opened the window with a flick of his hoof. He leaned out into the air and stuck a cigarette in his mouth. “Seems they don’t want to disturb their hero.”
Button Mash felt his face heat up. Sweetie stirred on the chair; her eyes fluttered open, only to close again. He blew a gentle breath and lowered his voice. “You mean Sweetie, huh?”
“Are there any other heroes in this room?” Caballeron clicked his lighter, but the sparks failed to ignite the cigarette. He shielded his mouth from the wind and clicked several more times, each with similar results. “I doubt it.”
Button Mash’s nostrils tingled at the scent of cinnamon on the air. It came from Caballeron’s room, where the clatter of plates mingled with the ting of silverware. “Heroes don’t last long, do they?”
A spark finally ignited. Caballeron took a drag and—mercifully for Button’s lungs—allowed the smoke to disperse over the city. “Sapients are selfish. Heroism is the denial of that selfishness. Eventually, everyone returns to their nature, or their sacrifice destroys them.”
Caballeron turned his head to cock a brow. “Every legendary hero has a skeleton or two in their closet. No one is exempt. We all have things that, if people were to learn about them, would completely ruin their perception of us. It’s hypocrisy… but that, too, is the nature of a sapient.”
Button sat on the edge of the bed. He glanced at Sweetie, but only for a moment. Only to make sure she was still snoozing. “That’s a pretty sad outlook, Doc.”
“To deny it is to deny yourself.” Caballeron scratched his unruly chin hairs with an audible rasp. “The worst sort of naïveté. Can you name any true hero?”
Button narrowed his gaze at the haze surrounding Caballeron’s head. “Princess Celestia—”
“—created a kingdom by reigning through fear of the sun. Killed other heads of state. Subjugated the Diamond Dogs. Treated her own sister in such a way that she went stark-raving mad.” Caballeron waved his hat in front of his face. “Boy, you’re going to have to do better than that.”
Button frowned, his blood pressure building. “Starswirl the Be—”
“—the creator of banned magic? The imprisoner of evils which are still now causing chaos in the world? The stallion who nearly caused the destruction of our entire universe with his mirror experiments? Who vanished without a trace, never to return?”
Button all but snorted steam. “Twilight Spar—”
“—Celestia’s heir apparent, who will do whatever her liege asks without question. Who has time and again shown her willingness to reshape the minds of others with her dangerous spells. Who personally failed to stop the most vicious attack the Equestrian homeland has ever known.”
Button stood and trotted towards Caballeron. “That’s horseapples and—”
“And you, who have consistently failed to meet the challenges set before you.” Caballeron flicked the remains of his cigarette into the ether. “And I feel I needn’t mention Queen River Cicada of the changelings—”
“Yeah, I’m probably gonna screw up and fail.” Button Mash gritted his teeth as he stood eye to eye with the doctor. Neither moved for a good, long moment. The air practically crackled between them as they each waited for the other to speak.
Eventually, Button broke off the staring contest. He wheezed and stumbled over to the door.
Caballeron bobbed his head in noncommittal acknowledgement. “What it means is that you should never put your heroes on too high a pedestal. Neither should you expect too much out of yourself. You’ll be disappointed, and you’ll be unable to deal with the reality of the situation.”
The doctor pressed his lips together. He watched Button pace the room with his ears pressed against his scalp. “We’re all just people, trudging through life however we can.”
Button Mash sucked in a deep breath. He glanced at Sweetie Belle and saw that her eyes were indeed open, having heard every word. No surprise, since raised voices made for a poor atmosphere for sleep. He mouthed a dim “I’m sorry.” She shook her head; no apology necessary.
“Even if heroism only lasts for the moment…” Button looked to the doctor, pressing past the gaping pit in his heart. “What choice do I have but to make this my moment?”
Caballeron curled his lip. He reached for another cigarette. “Spoken like a true hero, boy.”
The griffon chick from the previous night poked her head into the room. She assessed the situation, found it unpleasant, and broke in with a quick chitter. “Breakfast is ready if you’re done yelling. If you’re not done yelling, then please stop and eat.” She glanced back into the room, exchanged a high-pitched twitter, and spoke quietly. “Hurry up, because Sheesha is sending us away with the Lords.”
Sweetie Belle yawned. She gingerly eased her glasses onto her face. “I think it would be wise to accept the princess’ invitation.”
Caballeron stuffed the tobacco away for later. He bit down on a stick of minty gum as he passed her chair. “Sleeping, ma’am, or eavesdropping?”
She refused to answer him, and instead trotted—head held high—into the far room.
***
A beetle-shaped aircraft glided over the walls of Canterlot Castle. Three Painted Ones lay within its hard shell, while the fourth occupant was a deadly automaton. Dissero, Lapsus, Confuto, and Insurgo disembarked under the cover of darkness. Though morning’s first light had hit Felaccia to the east, Equestria had hours left before Twilight Sparkle pushed the sun along its course.
The Painted Ones hid their ability-enhancing pigment beneath long cloaks. They spread out throughout the empty courtyard, keeping an eye to the wall for the guardsponies of the night watch. They found the servant’s entrance. The door was locked.
Confuto looked over his shoulder. “Guests stay in the far wing. Dissero…”
Dissero’s metallic legs skittered their way up the central castle building’s walls. The automaton chittered as the panels on its back opened and folded. The faint glow of the magic in the elderly stallion’s heart faded from view as he rounded a corner, headed for the suite windows.
Confuto watched the automaton as long as he could. He reached beneath his long cloak and produced two crystalline orbs. One glowed a chilled blue, the other a stinging yellow. He handed the blue enchanted orb to Insurgo. Passing the yellow one to Lapsus, he gripped the stallion’s foreleg. “Take the Bolting and head for the east wing. Draw away the guards. We’ll act as backup for Dissero should something happen.”
Lapsus gritted his teeth. “If Ahuizotl’s victory requires my sacrifice, so shall it be.”
“Keep your wits about you and you shall see the new world.” Confuto revealed a third orb, one that blazed a bright red. “Fail, and there is no force in the old world that can save you.”
***
Shining Armor walked morosely through the halls, like a pony headed to his last meal. It felt strange to be so uneasy about Cadence. The last time he’d been at all nervous in her presence was secondary school, years and years ago. Back when they were teenagers. Back before they were the sovereign rulers of northern Equestria. Back before they’d raised three children together.
But the thought of speaking with her left his knees shaking.
He came to the door of their suite. Solid wood, intricately carved. The golden handles beckoned him in. The hefty lock shooed him away.
He bowed his head, raised a hoof, and knocked. “Cadence?”
He didn’t expect an immediate answer. He was already on his way to the next knock. “Cadence, it’s Shining. We need to talk.”
He heard a shuffle on the far side; the soundproofing barrier hadn’t been renewed. He could feel her approach, her familiar magic wafting on the air. She came to the door, as quietly as she could, and pressed her ear against it.
Shining Armor touched his forehead to the cool wood. His horn made a soft tap against the smooth surface. “Please open the door.”
Cadence said nothing.
Shining shut his eyes. “That little girl… I know where she comes from, but she’s my responsibility now. She’s never had real parents before. She has the weight of the world on her shoulders. She can’t handle it alone. She needs help. She needs me.”
Shining rolled until his back was facing the door. “And I need you, Cadence. I always have. I’m not a whole person without you.”
He bit back a quiet little sob. He longed to simply reach through the door and touch her hoof. Just the slightest contact. Just the softest touch. Any reassurance that she still loved him. “I know you need me, too. We can’t make it through this alone. If we try to heal separately, we’ll never be able to graft back together. Please, Cadence. Please let me in.”
His ear snapped up at the sound of tiny hoofsteps retreating down the corridor. He recognized the gait instantly: Silver Lance. The scamp was eavesdropping. He was probably hoping for the door to open as much as Shining was.
Shining Armor blew a soft breath through his lips. “We all need each other, Cadence.”
***
Princess Celestia descended from the balcony that overlooked the dining hall. The usual retinue of Royal Guardsponies acknowledged her presence with the usual stiff nod. The two little fillies waiting at the table remained motionless, their heads down.
“Hello, My Little Ponies,” Celestia said softly. “What brings you to the dining room so late at night?”
“Can’t sleep.” Twilight Amore propped her face up with her hooves. Weary bags traced the bottoms of her eyelids. “Want cocoa.”
Flurry Heart nodded, staring at her hooves.
“Where’s your brother?” Celestia took a seat beside the fillies and wrapped them in one massive wing. “I’m sure Silver Lance would enjoy a cup as well.”
“He said he’s gonna see Daddy,” Flurry said. She leaned back and melted into the feathers. “He said he wants to help.”
Celestia sighed. She called out to two guardsponies. “Sturm? Drang?”
When the two stepped forward, she gave them a curt nod. “Find Prince Silver Lance and either bring him here or to his room. Explain to him that his father and mother must make amends themselves. Gently.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Celestia sent a message to the kitchen via a spell from her horn. “I think I’ll join you girls. How does that sound?”
Twilight Amore seemed near sleep; near enough to not answer immediately. Flurry Heart smiled at the High Princess and nodded. “Yes, Auntie Celestia. We’d like that.”
***
A pegasus maid trotted into the castle’s kitchen, carrying a tray filled with various ingredients. She wiped her mane beneath her lacy headdress. “I swear, those kids drink more late-night cocoa…”
The maid made herself busy. Cocoa, sugar, and marshmallows blended together into a hot mixture. “If their mom and dad would just talk the kids could get some sleep now and then.”
A portly stallion followed in behind her, yawning wide and polishing a monocle. “Sky Wishes. Are those children still up?”
“Hay, Natter.” She set two spare mugs to the side, in addition to the three prescribed for the royal children. “Yeah. They’ve been tossing and turning for a couple hours now.”
“Dash it all.” Royal Scheduling Advisor Natter leaned against the stove beside her and rubbed the bags beneath his eyes. “Children need their sleep. They’ve been lazing about the castle with nary an iota of motivation betwixt them.”
“They’re in a bad spot.” Sky Wishes leaned against Natter and wrapped one wing around him. They faced the door, though their attention was wholly on each other. The pot simmered behind them, nearing a boil. “Y’ think the rumors are true?”
“About Chrysalis the Second?” Natter wrinkled his nose. “I daren’t speculate on the royal family.”
“Afraid of gettin’ fired?” She patted the top of his head with several soft, pink feathers. “Relax. They wouldn’t know what to do with themselves without you.”
“Fine.” Natter leaned his head back. “How can they be anything but true? What else could drive a wedge between the poster children for true love? What else could have the entire castle so set on edge? Where else could a new changeling queen have come from?” He laughed halfheartedly; little more than a soft hiss between his teeth. “I need a vacation.”
“We could stay with my sister down in Ponyville.” Sky Wishes gave him a sly smirk. “Ribbon says it’s real warm this time of year, and they’ve got some nice, peaceful, secluded places around the outskirts.”
Natter allowed the monocle to drop to his chest. “Dear mare, are you casting aspirations on my honor?”
“Nah. I’m casting aspirations on mine.” She swatted him with her tail as she stood. She proceeded to pour a measure of sweetness into each of the five mugs. “Relax, Nat. I’m teasing you. But tell me you wouldn’t jump at the chance for lying in the grass, birdsong all around, a picnic sitting half-eaten beside us…”
Natter set the monocle in its place and let out a little chortle. “I didn’t say I was opposed to the idea.”
“And hay, maybe we can get Flower Wishes to visit, too. You could meet the whole family. All three Wishes.” She kicked the door open and threw a final thought back to him. “Keep those mugs warm for us, ‘kay?”
Natter glanced at the two servings she’d set aside. He lit a spell with his horn and covered the mugs with an insulated shield. “I’ll be waiting with bells on.”
“Yo, guards!” There was a tiny, strained laugh from the mare. “Make sure the workaholic doesn’t wander away, alright?”
A hefty, brutish mass of a stallion—coated in full Royal Guard regalia—poked his head into the kitchen with a baritone laugh. “You two getting into shenanigans again, Nat?”
“Get your mind out of the gutter before it starts to mold.” Natter scooped the mugs in a telekinetic bubble and floated them along behind him. “Miss Wishes, I shall be awaiting your company in the dining hall. Slab Bulkhead, you are not invited.”
Bulkhead feigned a pout, even as he trailed behind. “Gee, and here I am, all dressed up and no place to go.”
***
Lapsus neared the dining room, his eyes alert for any sign of guardsponies. The electrical charge in his Bolting tingled through his body, interacting with and aligning to the painted markings on his legs, chest, and face. To someone looking at him, it would appear that his body itself was glowing beneath his cloak.
His mission wasn’t exactly stealth-reliant.
He peered around a corner to the brightly-lit dining room. Guards stood at each of the four walls. The long, gold-laced table stood in the center, seating three ponies. One was a young pegasus filly. The second was a slightly-older alicorn filly. The third…
The third was Princess Celestia.
Lapsus looked down at his Bolting, then to the princess. It was an impossible, one-in-a-billion chance. If he could fell Ahuizotl’s greatest enemy… perhaps Confuto would no longer be High Priest. Perhaps it would be Lapsus’ turn to rise.
He strode into the room, grinning from ear-to-ear.
“Who the heck are—”
He spun around and found himself face-to-startled-face with a pegasus maid. A pudgy, monocled stallion and a green-coated Royal Guard captain flanked her. The guard hefted his spear. He had only a moment to act.
The Bolting ignited and threw Bulkhead against the wall.
***
The Blitzwings led Button, Sweetie, and Caballeron onto the top of the castle. The wind picked up as the Hesperus Mactans approached, its cargo bay open to the air. The Sunspear hung from a grasping claw welded to the bay’s ceiling. Painted Ones and Blitzwings surrounded the area, most concentrated around the castle’s connection point. King Andean Ursagryph stood front and center, Ahuizotl beside him. They both glistened with their best armor: Ahuizotl with gemstones studding the breastplate, Andean with silver adorning his head, forearms, flanks, and back. Mail coated the griffon king’s chest, and his sword sat ever-present at his side.
When Ahuizotl turned to the mechanical flyder, Button got a good look at the blasted Spade of Hearts—the cursed dagger that started this whole mess.
“The time has come, my Painted Ones!” Ahuizotl crowed, raising his arms. “The sun shall at last warm my back with its power!”
Behind the soldiers, past the castle battlements and the lake, beyond the cliff walls, Button could see a trail of airships moving beyond the border of the city. Probably the lords the princess had spoken of. Well, no matter what happened here, at least the young Stella and Corona would be safe.
More than could be said for Button.
The Hesperus Mactans descended. Each of its eight legs gripped a tower of the castle. The flyder, with its legs fully extended, had a diameter nearly the size of the carved mountain itself. Its wings collapsed and folded into the shell of the mechanoid.
Ahuizotl pointed a claw towards Sweetie Belle. “Begin the song! Tell the hearts to beat as one!”
“Hold!”
Andean Ursagryph held a talon up, palm out. The gathered ponies and griffons paused as one, waiting with bated breath.
Button raised an eyebrow. One griffon did not stop. He looked familiar, though the face and name sat on the edge of his mind, refusing to come into focus. Another griffon on the far side of the battlements shuffled, not quite picking up his paws as he walked. The two of them appeared to be scoping out the scene, separate from the Blitzwings.
Button’s ears fell against his scalp. Martial Paw. Blankety Blank. They were here. They were gonna destroy the sun device.
And hopefully, they’d rescue him and Sweetie. He just needed to keep cool.
Ahuizotl turned to the griffon king. “I beg your pardon, Your Grace?”
“Hold. For just a moment.” Andean removed his helmet. His bald, wrinkled head glistened with a light sheen of sweat. “I must… have my say.” He tossed the helmet lightly to himself. “Ahuizotl, do you know why I wish to control the sun?”
Ahuizotl narrowed his eyes. He grinned with clearly-feigned jollity. “To wrest its control from those who would abuse it, of course. To make all nations equal beneath its light. To make sure no one creature is the strongest.”
“Hmm.” Andean tapped the helmet. “To what end?”
Ahuizotl’s grin became a dire grimace. “I’m afraid I did not come all this way to play idle games, Your Grace.”
“This is no idle game.” Andean looked to Sweetie Belle. He held her gaze as he continued. “How many hearts did you say were in that device? Fifty? With two-hundred more aboard the vessel?”
“Roughly.” Ahuizotl made two tense, blood-draining fists. “What of it?”
“I seek control of the sun only for an event where the alicorns fail.” Andean Ursagryph pointed at Ahuizotl and took a measured step closer. “In which the world is left undefended. Left to rot. My end is to save lives, Ahuizotl.”
“We’ve been over this a dozen times.” Ahuizotl crossed his arms. “Get to the point.”
“There are two-hundred and fifty lives in the balance as we speak.” Andean’s attention went to the airship and the Sunspear. He set the helmet back on his head with a decisive thrust. “I cannot imagine a world in which their sacrifice is necessary. I will not live in a world where such a sacrifice is made lightly and freely.”
Andean stood at his full height, reaching above Ahuizotl’s head. He turned to the side to look the mad god in the eye. “My command is thus: If you wish to make use of the castle that stands at the center of my kingdom, then you shall work alongside me to create a power source that does not rely on lost lives. We shall work together to create a safe, secure world. We shall give these hearts back to their owners. And we shall share control of the sun with all peoples.”
A shadow fell over Ahuizotl’s complexion. Blood trickled from his palms where vicious claws dug into flesh. “You dare to alter our bargain so late into the event?”
“We were always going to seek an alternative, Ahuizotl.” Andean drummed his talons against the stone floor. “But I cannot in good conscience allow this atrocity to continue. We are merely pushing back the preliminary testing.” The griffon king’s voice grew low. Deep. “Would you dare object to such a requirement?”
“After everything I’ve worked for?” Ahuizotl chuckled. “Very much.”
A mechanical clanking dragged Button’s ears upward. His jaw dropped as an armored figure appeared at the mouth of the cargo bay. Green magic shimmered from between the joints in the armor. Fire billowed from every gap in the plates. Two green eyes locked on the three ponies as two orange wings extended from the creature’s back.
It took a gentle step off of the ledge and flew towards Andean and Ahuizotl. It landed with nary a sound. The creature, whose body seemed to be pure magic, inclined her head.
Andean Ursagryph reached for the hilt of his sword. “Who are you?”
The creature’s metal horns flashed with turquoise-trimmed lightning. “I am Queen River Cicada, whose machine you seek to make use of.”
Button nearly choked to death on the spot. The news was too much to swallow, let alone process. Sweetie looked at him, aghast, but he had no response for her. Caballeron shuffled back, his eyes wide with horror that Button felt nicely mirrored his own internal struggle.
“Queen Cicada.” Andean’s talon remained at his sword. If anything, he seemed even more ready to draw it. “The chronicles say you died nearly two-thousand years ago.”
“There are many ways to reach immortality. The Spade of Hearts is mine.” Cicada raised a hoof to her chest. “I extracted my heart before my death and placed it within a control chamber in my capitol city. My body faded away, but I was able to remain.”
She waved towards the Hesperus Mactans, her tin-tinged voice taking on something akin to pride. “Through the connectedness of the greatest changeling cities, I have come to restore my kingdom to its former glory. I have come to see the changelings returned to life.”
Andean glared at Ahuizotl, who stood idly by with a smug grin. “Are you for or against the activation of the Sunspear?”
“I am for it.” Cicada walked towards Sweetie Belle, who half-ducked behind Button. He reached out a foreleg in some slight hope of warding the ancient changeling off. “The changelings shall always be seen as little more than monsters without the power of the sun to call their own. We must take the sun back from the ponies if we are ever to see the world as it should be.”
She turned her head, as if she had just heard something unpleasant. Her horns glowed, and she dragged a griffon out of the crowd. “I give you a prime example of what happens to us under the rule of ponies.”
Andean began to draw his sword, but halted when he got a closer look at the griffon. “You are not a Blitzwing. Who are you?”
Cicada’s magic gripped the griffon’s wrists, ankles, and neck. He squawked, green fire licking at the edges of his wings. “I-I-I am no-nobody!”
“He is named Mandible.” Cicada hung the griffon in midair before all in attendance. “He is a changeling under the employ of Princess Celestia. He is a spy. A saboteur. He was sent to destroy the sun device.”
“M-my name is Blankety Blank,” the griffon said. “I am a special agent in the Equestrian Armed Forces.”
“This piece of filth is what we have been reduced to.” River Cicada’s emotionless face belied the venom in her electronic voice. “A failure of a species. Scattered to the four winds. Denied a home. Denied dignity. I feel, King Andean, with your cooperation, we can restore not only your kingdom, but all kingdoms who have suffered under Celestia’s method of rule.”
Blankety screamed as Cicada crossed his legs behind his back. Tears streamed down his face as the fire grew fiercer, reverting his feathers and fur to black chitin.
That fire resounded within Button Mash’s chest. How dare she? How. Dare. She?
“It is my belief, King Ursagryph,” Cicada said, “that the restoration of the world is worth a paltry few pony lives.”
“You were the best of us!” Button’s soul spewed forth, and his mouth was all to eager to go along for the ride. “You were given the Elements of Harmony! You were the defenders of the world! And you gave it all up!”
Sweetie Belle stood beside him, her voice clear as a silver bell. Her melodic tone held the sway of every heart it came into contact with. “You lost the right to defend the world when you started to murder people to satisfy you own ego!”
Button looked at Sweetie with a gaping mouth. The power, the righteous fury, the just indignation… He was in awe. Above it all, her voice added strength to his own resolve. He turned to the vile deposed queen and continued to bleed his heart out. “If you can’t spare the time to think of a better solution, you don’t have the guts to be a ruler!”
“You’re a coward!” Sweetie Belle took a solid step forward, and nearly the entire audience took a step back. Only Cicada and Button remained where they stood. “You and Ahuizotl both! Prove yourselves worthy of the sun and make a change for the better! Let these ponies go and do the right thing for once in your black-hearted lives!”
Andean chuckled. A smile broke out across his beak. His laugh grew in volume and assurance. “‘But the Creator chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; the Creator chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.’” He released the hilt of his sword and spread his palms towards Ahuizotl and Cicada. “Do not be a fool, as I was. Acquiesce, and we shall see a brand new world shining forth. Are you with me?”
River Cicada strode closer to Sweetie Belle and raised a regal hoof. She looked over her shoulder to Ahuizotl. “Will you allow us to be made fools of by mere ponies?”
A foul breath exhaled from Ahuizotl’s decay-laden grimace. “Perhaps.”
He reached over his shoulder to draw a Wyrmslayer blade. The superheated metal ignited instantly, angling a strike right for King Ursagryph’s neck.
The Wyrmslayer flew from Ahuizotl’s paw. It embedded point-first in the stone a few meters away. Ahuizotl howled and clutched his wounded claw, scurrying back as he did so.
Andean Ursagryph held Euroclydon in a high guard. Lightning traced its length. Light filled the griffon king’s eyes. “I’ll not ask again. Striking a king is grounds for war.”
Ahuizotl drew the other Wyrmslayer. The Blitzwings readied their volleyguns, while the Painted Ones hefted their spears. The mad god growled. “Well. When you strike a king, you must kill him.”
King Andean gave a lingering gaze to the Sunspear. “I had hoped… But neither of us shall get a second chance.”
Ahuizotl sprang to action. High, middle, and low strikes swirled in rapid succession, beating back the griffon king. Euroclydon sparked and shrieked, its magic leaping to the surface of the Wyrmslayer. Fire and lightning blasted forth in an array of colors that nearly left Button blinded.
Caballeron’s forelegs fell over Button and Sweetie’s shoulders. He dragged them away from the fight, towards the staircase into the castle. “Run!”
Cicada’s magic wrapped around Sweetie’s hind leg. The young mare found herself drug backwards, away from any semblance of safety. “Button!”
River Cicada raised her head to the Hesperus Mactans. The massive automaton shifted, rising higher on its eight legs. Turrets appeared on every surface of the monstrosity. Magic pumped from the imprisoned hearts to the tips of the weapon emplacements. Each turret selected a predetermined target, gained a lock, and opened fire.
Lances of pure fear and agony pierced the sky. They struck the military structures floating nearby the castle. Airships folded over and burned to cinders. Towers crackled before collapsing in on themselves. Ballistae and cannons exploded into deadly shrapnel.
Below the Mactans, Blitzwings ducked for cover as the changeling Strutter turned its ferocity on them. Painted Ones and Blitzwings alike were caught in the crossfire, vaporized in an instant. Those that remained entered a violent melee, volleygun shots competing with bayonet strikes for number of kills. In moments, the Painted Ones had been dealt with to a pony.
Andean swung Euroclydon. The motion kicked up an isolated stormfront that struck Cicada with the force of a thunderbolt. The deposed queen’s magic fizzled out and released Sweetie. Button hoisted his friend to her feet. A muffled cry escaped his throat as he was thrown to the ground by Caballeron. Ahuizotl’s sword passed just over his head. Button and Sweetie crawled as fast as their knees could carry them, while Andean intercepted the mad god.
River Cicada’s hoof clamped down on Sweetie’s tail. “I command you to sing!”
Button charged in the hopes of bucking the queen away. Cicada merely raised a hoof to bat him aside. He rolled and got to his hooves in a single motion, ready to charge again. This time a hefty thwack clubbed his skull, courtesy of River’s metallic knee. Sweetie’s horn glowed; she dragged Cicada’s head to the side, but the grip was broken by a fierce kick to her stomach.
An explosion rocked the Hesperus Mactans.
Queen River Cicada stared across the lake to the source of the projectile. A few cannons had moved in to replaced the ones that had been destroyed. An array of ballistae launched explosive missiles towards the flyder. Rockets joined the fray, as well as fifty-millimeter-bore volleygun emplacements. Cicada’s flagship found itself jostled and jolted, rocked and riddled. The Hesperus Mactans’ turrets found themselves turned to scrap metal one after the other. The changeling queen found herself on the losing end of a tide of fire and shockwaves.
Her scream was loud and clear. “Fall back!”
The enormous flyder crawled to the far side of the castle, away from the direct fire of the Roc Defense Force. A final parting shot hit the Hesperus Mactans just before it moved beyond range. The explosion dug deep into the inner workings of the vessel, and one of the eight legs collapsed. The severed limb tumbled down the mountainside into the drink, dead and cold. A cheer rose from the Blitzwings and the Roc Regulars.
Andean socked Ahuizotl with Euroclydon’s pommel stone, and the mad god faltered. A kick with his hind legs caused Ahuizotl to roll to the edge of the castle. The monster sprang to his feet and charged across the battlements to grasp his other sword. He brandished the twin Wyrmslayer blades, and found himself facing a score of volleyguns.
“You’ve already lost, Ahuizotl!” Andean held Euroclydon high. “Surrender!”
Ahuizotl laughed. The Wyrmslayers blazed with fire, and his breastplate burned with the same intensity. “Do your best, fool!”
Andean lowered the sword. Twenty volleyguns fired at a blistering pace, pelting the mad god with volley after volley.
Each round turned to ash when it touched his armor.
Ahuizotl dove headfirst into the Blitzwings. The quick ones took to the sky and kept out of reach, but three fell to his blades. Andean rushed to catch Ahuizotl’s strikes. Euroclydon moved like the lightning that powered it, deflecting and redirecting the mad god’s frenzied assault.
Sweetie and Button eased away from Cicada. The queen approached one painful step at a time. However, she was not watching them. She looked beyond, to the surviving airships and gun emplacements. A spell left her horn and traveled to the Hesperus Mactans, which lay out of sight.
A horrendous buzzing filled the air.
Strutters poured from the cargo bay of the Hesperus Mactans. Dragonfly-shaped ships darted to and fro, while beetle-shaped craft lumbered head-on towards their destinations. Dozens of them belched forth from their mothership, clouding the sky, lasers spewing.
Martial Paw grabbed Button Mash’s foreleg. “Get to the edge of the roof!”
Button bit back a curse as the large griffon male nearly tossed him bodily from the changeling queen’s reach. Before Martial could repeat the maneuver with Sweetie, Cicada struck him in the center of the chest with a gout of fire. The queen grasped Sweetie, took to the air, and sped towards the connection point.
Martial held no qualms about cursing. “Horseapples! You and Caballeron get in the castle. Captain Carrot will fly in with an airship to pick you up as soon as there’s an opening!” He pointed his rapier at Caballeron’s chest. “And you! I’m gonna make sure the job’s done this time!”
“Like hell you will!” Caballeron snapped.
“I’m not leaving without Sweetie!” Button Mash walked towards the center of the castle tower, but was stopped by Martial’s firm foreleg. “Let me go!”
Martial closed his talon to scratch the nails across Button’s upper leg. “And get yourself killed? Better than you have tried.”
“I’m used to it by now!” Button pulled away from Martial and sprinted. He only got a few meters before a pained cry hit his ears. Blankety Blank lay curled up on the ground, his griffon disguise having melted away completely. Andean and Ahuizotl’s duel took place dangerously close to him. One wrong move, and the changeling would be slain by sheer happenstance.
Button redirected his course. He knelt beside the changeling. “Can you lift your foreleg? Put it around my neck. I can carry you!”
Blankety reached a foreleg up, and Button moved his shoulders to hoist the changeling to his feet. He half-walked, half-dragged the changeling away from the dueling titans. The Spade of Hearts flashed in the corner of his eye, held by the hand at the tip of Ahuizotl’s tail. The blade sought Andean’s chest, but was rebuffed by the griffon king’s chainmail.
Caballeron grasped the far side of Blankety Blank. Between the two of them, Button and the doctor carried Blank to the edge of the tower, near where the Hesperus Mactans moored. Caballeron kept his head on a swivel. “Where’s that blasted airship Martial was going on about?”
“Care…” Blankety coughed up glowing green phlegm. “Care’s circling the b-base of the mountain. There’s n-n-no way she can m-make it up here with all the Strutters flying around.”
Button looked over the battlements, seeking hide or hair of Care. “Why do they call them Strutters if they’re always… flying?”
Ant-shaped Strutters crawled up the sides of the castle. They scurried from the cargo bay by the dozens, then used the legs of the Hesperus Mactans to reach the walls. Each one had a dorsal-mounted laser at the ready. Each one made a bee-line for the summit.
Button looked up to a sky black with insectoid airships. He looked down to a maelstrom of metallic limbs. To the left, a king and a god battled tooth and claw for survival. To the right, an ancient queen from a dead kingdom held a hero hostage.
Button breathed a sigh through clenched teeth. “Creator, if your plan includes our survival… now would be a good time to let us know.”