The frontal assault was doing everything it could to keep the changelings occupied. The crystal pony soldiers started spinning spears above their heads, whacking away incoming flyers. Every hiss was met with an angry yell. When one pony soldier got bitten and dragged away, a different changeling got impaled through the head. At first, it seemed like a calculated risk.
That being said, more changelings seemed to be flying out of the hive to replace the fallen numbers. Shining Armor's troops did not have any reinforcements. He kept shouting orders. This was to make sure his army kept up the pressure and also to keep as many enemies off the inside squad as possible. But a quick scan of the situation showed that morale was dropping every time a pony got picked up and knocked unconscious... or worse.
"We've got to pull out!" exclaimed Onyx.
"To where?!" shouted a crystal pegasus. "They've got us surrounded!"
---
"Any time you want to bring up one of those 'plan' things, it would be appreciated!" Discord looked impatiently among his current allies.
"How do we plan for this?!" Trixie stared at him with just as much frustration. "We don't have our magic and my illusions certainly can't beat them!"
"Wait a minute." Starlight did a double-take. "Trixie, do you have smoke bombs?"
Trixie scoffed. "Is that a trick question?"
...
As a patrol of changelings rounded a corner, they heard a sharp whistle. They turned their growls toward what appeared to be a blue unicorn carrying a weighted pack. She was laughing and taunting them. When they dove down after her, she threw down something and a puff of smoke appeared. The changelings grunted when they couldn't find the pony.
Another laugh drew their attention to a different cliff. It was the blue pony again. They growled and flew straight at her position. She threw down another ball of smoke and showed up at a different cliff. She stuck out her tongue, drawing the changelings' ire. She galloped down a cavern pass as the changelings followed her. A couple took a different cavern path.
"A clever use of misdirection." Cadance was hiding at a position that could overlook the entire string of events.
"Mm, I guess it wasn't too bad, for a bag of puff tricks." Discord rolled his wrist around for emphasis.
"I'll take it." Trixie smiled wryly.
"That worked better than I hoped." Starlight watched the changelings leave the vicinity.
Trixie(?) appeared in a puff of smoke and trotted up to the group.
"Klutzy..." prompted Starlight.
"Draconequus! / Draconequus!" Both of the Trixies said while the one with the pack shifted back into the form of Thorax.
Discord grumbled. "I really think we should get a different password."
"When did you pick up teleportation?" Pharynx tilted his head.
"A little before you came to the Crystal Empire." Thorax passed the supplies back to Trixie. "But since my favorite disguise didn't have a horn, I never found a good time to use it until now."
Cadance chuckled. "Well, no time like the present."
"Speaking of present, what do we do now?" Trixie looked around. "We kind of ran away in a panic and I didn't see any of the landmarks the ends-in-x-brothers described."
Pharynx deadpanned. "That's a dumb way to group us together."
"She does have a point," admitted Thorax. "We kind of got turned around while confusing that patrol."
"Actually, I had a thought!" Starlight slapped a hoof over her mouth before coughing. "I mean, if that's alright with everyone."
"Sure, Starlight." Cadance smiled encouragingly. "What is it?"
"Two of those changelings in the patrol earlier didn't chase after Thorax." Starlight drew a diagram in the loose dirt with her hoof. "If we follow them, where do you think that would end up?"
"Huh." Pharynx nodded. "I guess lightning can strike twice."
"If the changelings know an enemy is inside the hive, their natural instinct will be to send a few directly to the throne room to protect the queen!" Thorax's eyes glinted like his wings. "Good thinking, Starlight!"
"We should probably get going." Cadance looked around. "Before they realize we gave them the slip."
Pharynx grabbed onto Starlight and Thorax grabbed onto Trixie to glide them down. While unable to gain any elevation, Cadance was glad to find that her wings could still be used to slow her descent to the lower levels. Discord, however, ended up tripping over the ledge and rolling several times along his body's length. He landed face-first at the cave they needed to enter.
He groaned as he picked himself back onto his feet. "What do you changelings have against soft cushions, or at least a bed of flowers?"
"Plant life can be used to hide enemies," stated Pharynx as a matter of fact.
"Cotton and feathers can get stuck in our holes." Thorax wiggled his hoof before continuing to walk.
Discord mumbled, "What do you have against rhetorical questions?"
---
The inside team climbed some mossy steps. Once near the top, they peeked over the edge. A few changelings in their own variant of armor stood watching. The team ducked back down.
"Right, they moved to protect the queen." Thorax twiddled his hooves. "Maybe that part of the thought was more important."
"If I was sure they didn't know I switched sides, I could probably fool them with a fake missive." Pharynx sighed. "But with Cantrip's information, they'd probably grab me before I could even finish calling them maggots."
"No use beating yourself over what's already done." Cadance shook her head. "We just need to think of something else."
Trixie shuffled a hoof around her pack. "I'm all out of smoke bombs."
"We need another distraction." Starlight tapped her head lightly. "Something big, loud, and... really out of place."
Discord glanced around at his team. "What? Me?"
"Yeah." Pharynx nodded. "Your existence alone might make them short-circuit. I mean, make them think too hard."
"Please, Discord?" Starlight pressed her front hooves together. "The sooner we can get past them, the sooner we can rescue Fluttershy and the others."
Discord exhaled. "Alright! For Fluttershy!" His paw scrambled around Trixie's pack and pulled out a microphone. He then hopped onto the ledge and put on his trademark comedian grin. "Hello, changelings of the hive! How are you doing this pleasant nighttime even though the sun should have been up hours ago?" He chuckled. "When I first arrived, I thought I was beside myself! Then, I realized it was one of you."
The armored changelings chittered with confused expressions. One tilted his head. Another looked left and right, wondering what was going on.
"Hello?" Discord tapped his borrowed microphone. "Is this thing on?" He walked over a few steps as eyes followed him. "Why don't you shape-shift those frowns into smiles?"
All of the guard changelings growled and hissed. They used their wings to hover and slowly approach the draconequus.
"Well! It seems you just don't appreciate good stand-up! I'm leaving!"
Discord tossed his microphone and scampered away on all fours. The changelings picked up the pace and flew after him in a frenzy. Once they were far enough away, the infiltrators made a dash for the cavern. They pushed aside a vine-tied curtain before ducking around the opening.
"I can't believe that actually worked." Trixie deadpanned.
"Well, it's like Pharynx said with lightning and striking." Cadance smiled slightly.
"That was one for Discord." Pharynx waved a hoof dismissively. "I've yet to see his number two."
"I hope he'll be okay." Thorax glanced at the opening.
"Come on, it's Discord!" Starlight insisted. "If he can handle dealing with Twilight and her friends on a semi-regular basis, a few changelings can't faze him."
---
They waited around for what felt like five minutes. Thankfully, there was no sign of the changeling guards returning to their post. The draconequus, however, was also absent. Trixie tapped her hoof against the floor and groaned.
She turned to face Starlight. "If he doesn't come back soon, we should probably get going. The sooner we break the dumb absorption throne, the sooner we can get our magic back and free everyone."
"Maybe we should go back and look for him?" Thorax shrugged.
"That would waste time and the chance he gave us," Trixie pointed out.
"Hello!~"
A voice called out gently. The draconequus pushed the vines out of his way before resetting the curtain. "Fellow rescuers, I'm back."
Cadance gave the rest of her team an unsure look before returning her attention to their chaotic ally. "Klutzy...?"
"Huh?" Discord nodded. "Oh, yes. I'm very klutzy. But I heard one of those nasty changelings talk about the way to the queen. Follow me!~"
He walked lively past the group toward another set of caves. The rest of them followed, but at a significantly slower pace than they had before.
Trixie leaned her head close to Starlight. "We all know that's not the real Discord, right?"
"No point in stating the obvious," Pharynx retorted in his own hushed voice.
"This way!~" 'Discord' slithered into a cave to the left. "Our friends are right through here!~"
"Clearly, he's trying to lead us to a trap," muttered Thorax. "We should definitely take the other path."
Trixie clenched her hoof before putting on a determined look. "You guys go on. I'll keep the faker occupied."
"What?" Cadance did a double-take. "Trixie, no. That would be suicidal."
Trixie wasn't swayed. "If no pony follows him, he'll chase after us and that'll blow our chance of ever reaching the throne room in any destroying state."
"But..." Starlight grabbed her friend's shoulder. "Trixie, I can't do this! Not without you! I couldn't even take charge at the town festival without your support."
"Yes, you can." Trixie tapped a hoof against Starlight's chest. "Look, I know you said you're too scared to be a leader again, but you're really good at it." She moved her hoof off to the side. "You don't need magic to figure out what to do next. If you won't trust yourself, then trust in the words of your best friend." She turned her hat around and started trotting for the left cave.
Starlight reached out a hoof but stopped. Pharynx and Cadance urged her to move to the right cave. She looked one more time at her departing friend before reluctantly parting ways. Thorax trotted next to Starlight, offering a one-hoofed hug before they kept going.
"Hey, Discord!" Trixie's voice called out through the wall. "Wanna see a new trick I came up with? I call it... the changeling hanker-snare!"
That exclamation was met with a hundred hisses, only to be followed by deafening silence.
---
A lone unicorn slowly trotted into a large chamber with a high ceiling. She gasped as her eyes rested on the floating, cocooned bodies of Princess Celestia, Luna, and a few ponies in Crystal Empire armor. She tried to force herself to walk further inside, only to pause again at an echoing laugh. It almost sounded like her friend, but it was too deep and distorted.
"One little pony, all alone." The queen of the hive laughed while hanging effortlessly from the ceiling. "How will I ever thwart such a daring rescue attempt?"
Several nearby pebbles shape-shifted into her changeling drones. Starlight went wide-eyed as they all swarmed her position. Seconds later, she found her hooves trapped by some green gunk. Struggling did nothing to get free. She let out a couple short breaths while watching some other changelings bring in two more cocoons. These contained Discord, Trixie, and... one that nearly made her throw up. It might have once been a Crystal Guard named Onyx, but his head was missing.
"Do you want to know why I didn't bother capturing and replacing you?" Chrysalis trotted around with a smug grin. "It's because you were worthless. I knew a mere student of a princess couldn't have a shred of hope to stop me. Nobody's left to save you. It was just your little squad, and now it's just you."
Starlight grunted before putting on a brave smile. "Thorax is still out there. He can find a way."
"Don't you ever mention that traitor's name in my presence!" Chrysalis's mood soured immediately. "He was a fool to leave and an even bigger fool to return!" She sulked and trotted between a couple of her subjects. "When I get my hooves on him, I'll give him a traitor's punishment."
"Oh, so now he's worth your notice?!" Starlight's eyes glinted violet.
Chrysalis spun on her hind hooves. "I take it back. It seems I'll need to deliver punishment for two betrayals!"
She shot out a ray of green magic. Pharynx yelled out as his disguise was ripped away. Small trails of smoke funneled out of a few of his holes. He grit his fangs and growled at his former queen. She went back to her confident smile.
"Well, well, well." Chrysalis purred mockingly. "Are you finally here for your debriefing, Pharynx?" She spat at him, getting it all over his right eyelid. "You're only an invasion too late. Capturing Shining Armor and Mi Amore Cadenza would have gone more smoothly had you simply followed your duty, like a good little drone!"
Pharynx shook his head. "What good's a queen if she stops giving a chitin about her own subjects?"
"And what would you know about caring about the changelings?!" Chrysalis snarled. "You abandoned command of my armies just to... fraternize with the enemy!"
"At least my brother aimed to find another way to survive that wouldn't jeopardize the quality of our food in the future." Pharynx stared indignantly. "Did you forget how short the preservation time is for marinating ponies? And how their ability to love runs out faster in the cocoons than letting them live and love naturally?"
"Shut your mouth, you treacherous silkworm!"
Chrysalis slapped his cheek. All of the standard changelings in the chamber visibly flinched and took a step back. Despite his shell already being black, the dark bruise mark showed on Pharynx's face immediately. He spat out to the floor. Some lighter green, thick blood joined the drop of saliva.
"You have no right to talk to me that way!" Chrysalis's horn looked like it was burning. "You don't matter! None of you matter! The only way this hive survives is if I'm in charge!"
Pharynx coughed, yet he managed to chuckle. "Sure, Your Violence. Dig that hole deeper, why don't you?"
"I gave you an order to shut your mouth!" Chrysalis slapped his opposite cheek.
Despite a second bruise, he still smiled. "Hey, if I'm getting punished anyway, the least I can do is make sure you don't get to enjoy it."
"M-Mommy?" A small, voice cut through the tension.
Every changeling looked over at the source. It was a small changeling, looking barely older than a first molter. She had an identical blue eye-color of Chrysalis.
"Is that true what you said?" The small changeling shook. "That... none of us matter?"
"Can we talk about this later, Ocellus?" Chrysalis rubbed a growing migraine. "Your Queen is busy right now."
"But if none of us matter, then..." Ocellus shook in place. "All that stuff you said about me taking your place one day, all of those life lessons... It was all a lie?"
"Heh, hallelujah." Pharynx breathed unsteadily. "With a smart daughter like that, there's hope yet."
"You don't deserve to hope!" Chrysalis shouted while shooting a beam at him.
He cried out as his exoskeleton burned in pain. More smoke trails funneled from the rest of his body's holes. He would've collapsed to his knees, had the goop not forced his legs to stay mostly straight.
*Tink!* *Tink!* *Tink!*
A chipping noise caught Chrysalis's attention and she turned her facial wrath at the perpetrator. Starlight and Thorax were busy trying to attack the base of the throne seat. Thorax was levitating stalactites at the darn thing. Without her magic, Starlight was forced to hit it slowly with a rock in her hooves. They stopped and slowly turned their attention to the queen that was glaring at them. Chrysalis hissed and flew toward her throne.
"Uh-oh..." Starlight chucked her rock to one side and jumped out of the way.
Thorax spun his held stalactites around and launched them at Chrysalis. She fired three consecutive blasts and turned all of the pointy rocks into rubble. He flew around to Starlight's hiding place, and Chrysalis was fast on his tail.
"Hah!" Chrysalis forced herself to laugh. "What were you hoping to achieve? Nothing can break my throne and you're never getting the magic you need to fight me! Give up now and I can promise you a swift end."
"Just like you promised to give the hive's rule to your daughter?" Thorax countered. "I don't think so!"
Chrysalis punched the rocky surface closest to Thorax's head. "You're as pathetic an excuse of a changeling as your brother!" She turned around to look at the other changelings in the room. "What are you waiting for, you fools! Get them!"
For the first time in her rule, several changelings hesitated on the spot. They looked at each other with uncertain expressions. There was some quiet chatter mixed with bug noises. Chrysalis's head threatened to turn red and steam erupted from her horn.
"It seems you've spent so much time ruling with the stick." Hoof steps accompanied a familiar mare's voice. "But in doing so, you've worn it down to a splinter."
Chrysalis growled. "You..."
Princess Cadance gave the stare of a disappointed mother. "Chrysalis, let your prisoners go. Then, we can calmly discuss our kingdoms' relations moving forward."
---