The first thing I noticed was that I was wearing my peytral and carrying my hammer, which was strange. No previous dream had that been the case.
The second thing was that I was standing on a cloud. Or, at least, level with clouds, far above the world below me. Looking down, I saw forests, hills, rivers, hamlets, mountains, and more, all quite visible despite the fact that it was night time. Directly beneath me was a large set of ruins, set on the side of a ravine in the middle of a massive forest.
The clouds immediately to my right dissipated, and Nightmare Moon strode forth, the mist streaming behind her in a disappearing cloak. Her nebulous mane standing in contrast to the black sky, the blue field of stars flapping in the wind.
Like myself, she was prepared for war. Nightmare Moon wore dark cyan horseshoes, peytral, and helmet. The color matched her eyes, I noted. The peytral had a moon on the center of it, and her horseshoes had fleur-de-lis acting as front guards.
‘Now that’s just a good taste in fashion.’
“The Promised Day is tomorrow, Prince Phasma. Art thou prepared for our return?”
“My forces will lay siege to Canterlot the moment the sun touches the horizon. I did not inform my forces about our alliance, as well as your existence. I figured that some things are better played close to the chest. I feared word and rumor of another alicorn existing could spill out of my loyalists’ organizations, and jeopardize their clandestine existence.”
“Then thou shalt inform thy levies posthaste, as undue confusion on the battlefield We shall place entirely on thou.”
“I weighed the two risks, and decided that hiding my disloyalty was more important. Don’t worry, I’ll tell them.”
Nightmare Moon glanced down below us.
“That ivy ridden refuse resembles our castle, The Castle of the Twin Sisters.”
“Told you. Canterlot is the capital now, the castle must have fallen into ruin in your absence.”
“So it would seem. Hast thou heard of the whereabouts of the Elements of Harmony?”
“Our scouts could find no mention of them anywhere, outside of one historical account. Princess Celestia seems to have let knowledge of their existence fall by the wayside.”
“She seeks to hide her most potent armament, no doubt. Find the Elements, she would in her wisdom keep them close to her.”
“The plan is to trawl the vaults and secure rooms of the Canterlot Castle once we capture it, but infiltrating it beforehoof has proven to be an arduous undertaking. If Princess Celestia chooses to wield the Elements in combat, facing her would be a near fatal task. That’s a detail I seemed to have failed to mention to my mother…”
“Then we shall triumph together, side by side, for the Elements can only be utilized against one individual at a time. The rituals have been complete, the sacrifices made, the proper spells cast. We have no doubt that We can trounce our sister in combat. With two of us, we shall outflank her every maneuver!”
I waited politely as Nightmare Moon cackled villainously. It took a short while for her to regain her composure and for me to continue our conversation.
“Any word on your own loyalist forces?”
“The thestrals have remained quiet, We hear none of their voices. Nevertheless, We shall call upon the shadows themselves, for the barriers between realms have been weakened considerably!”
“.... Right. So anyways, we are leaving the Canterlot’s outlying communities for you to take with your forces. My army is on a very tight schedule, and we don’t have time to get those. If you could take particular care to make sure word doesn’t get out about our takeover, then securing the rest of Equestria should be a sinch.”
“It shall be so! We shall not miss our battle in Canterlot for this, however.”
“Perfect. If Celestia does defeat my mother in combat using these Elements of Harmony, then that would simplify things so much. Which is to say, there’s no way that it’s going to happen. My life is never easy…”
“The life of a monarch is fraught with trials, young Prince Phasma. Fret not, for thou hast wisely chosen a powerful ally. Together, we shall vanquish our foes!”
“Onto the next subject I’ve been meaning to ask about. This eternal night… Plants can still grow during it, right?”
“Most assuredly. Our moon shall provide the energy the flora of our world requires. No more relying on the hateful globe which burns all that it sees, the gentle comfort of our moon shall mother the life of Equus.”
“Lovely. Finally, there’s the discussion of lands my people have already captured. Every settlement directly south of Canterlot is in our control, and it would be near impossible for us to relinquish it. The attacks on the East and West portions of Equestria can be cancelled, though.”
“Then do so once We have linked forces. We intend to rule all of Equestria, but if relinquishing just a meager portion is the price to pay for thine forces and pact, then We shall pay it gladly on stipulation.”
‘Everything has a cost.’
“Name your price.”
“Thy kin feed off ponies, as thou said? Yes, then thou shall relinquish thy kingdom, and integrate thyselves into our Equestria as a protectorate. Thy kin will receive as much sustenance as they desire, and in return We expect fealty.”
"You expect me to put the safety and fate of my people in the hooves of another? Why would I ever agree to that?”
“For thou would receive a position in our own governance. Prince Phasma, thou shall remain a Prince, though thou wilt be one of Equestria, not… Thou hast not shared the name of thy kingdom.”
I rubbed my chin, pretending to think it over, before pointing out the obvious.
“That’s still putting my people in your hooves.”
“Nay. They shall be loyal to thou, though beholden to our law. We shalt not give them order, only thou will.”
“But you just said you expected fealty?”
“Thine, of a sort.”
“So you expect me to trade one master for another?”
“We would not be thine master, We would be thine… companion.”
“Come again?”
Nightmare Moon looked away, towards the moon, bright white and rising high over the world around us.
“It has been so many centuries since we had even conversed with another, let alone… None of the stallions of our age hath wooed us with promises of matricide, marching to war, or any other entertainment.” She looked back at me, “Prince Phasma of unknown lands, We would ask for thy hoof in courtship.”
‘Oh fuck. She was serious when she said that mares make the first move.’
I didn’t worry about fighting a blush, since I couldn’t, but I did feel my face heat up, as well my heart beat faster. I cleared my throat, as well as my mind.
“Ahem, I… I am very busy right now. I can’t even entertain the idea of being with anyone else, not until everything is more stable.”
“And once that is so?”
“Once…. I’m going to be honest with you, Nightmare. I’ve never pursued the thought of being with another. Never. The pleasure of others, while being a pleasure, never quite had my interest.”
“Is that a nay?”
“I’m saying I don’t know.” I rubbed my head with a hoof, trying to think.
‘She does look nice, for a pony. Gee, what could go wrong with dating a demon/alicorn/goddess as my first foray into that side of my life? Is she really going to be expecting me to do things like murder others to win her favor? What’s her idea of a date, razing a town to the ground? This just seems like a bad idea.’
I looked back at Nightmare Moon. Remembering my lessons in pony body language, I could pick out a few details. Her ears were straight up, indicating attentiveness. She was ever so slightly leaning towards me, as if trying to listen closer.
‘Something tells me saying no is a suicidally stupid idea. Typical medieval society, courting for alliances and shit. I’m sure that I can… That we…. Oh hell, this is totally going to end in my death.’
I turned away from her this time, staring at the pine trees of a coniferous forest resting at the base of a far mountain. I gathered my thoughts to respond. I couldn’t lie. Well, maybe I could, but I didn’t risk not controlling what I said.
“I don’t enjoy murder or going to war, Nightmare Moon. We are similar, but… I do what I have to do, not because I enjoy it, I usually don’t, but because I must. I admit, I have been having fun with conquering the pony towns in my way, though a nagging voice in my mind has been telling me that this is all wrong. I ignore it because I know there is no alternative, so I might as well have fun while doing my job, Panar knows I’ve had no other way of getting entertainment out of this life.”
I looked back at Nightmare Moon. She looked like she hadn't even twitched a muscle.
“I’m sorry, I’m not who you think I am.”
“Thou art exactly whom we think thou to be. We know you dislike some of our passions.”
That got a start out of me.
“But you just said you are interested in me because I come to you with war and murder on my mind.”
“Prince Phasma, We already know thou take no pleasure in murder. Thou seems to be schooled most effectively, but We have been practicing our craft for centuries; thou possess subtle signs of discomfort when such topics are conversed. Yet thou would still plunge the knife if needed. We know thou has a distaste for war, yet thou carries a war hammer without hesitation. No stallion We knew outside of our loyal thestrals could do such things. Nopony has even looked at us without ill will outside of our thestrals, too.
“Yet thou art not a thestral, raised and trained to worship and grovel at our hooves. Thou art a stranger, who hast listened to our story and understood our views. Thou finds displeasure in what We do, but thou finds pleasure in our conversations yet. Thou cannot hide the phantoms of a smile that graces thy face when thou sees us when We enter.
“Thou art a kindred soul, Prince Phasma. Do not conform to the wishes of others, and never apologize for thy aspirations. And truth be told, if thou were a copy of us, We would rend thy mind asunder for fear of usurpation.”
“How very reassuring. The fact that I’m unaging and a dreamwalker has nothing to do with this decision to court me?”
“We would have our eye on thou without those factors. With them, this is an opportunity We cannot afford to miss.”
"I see."
I took in a shaky breath and considered my options.
I could say no. The alliance between us might still hold, we hold a common enemy. Negotiations with her would always bring this subject up, again and again. And considering she would hold a near monopoly on our food source, that puts our entire future risk.
I could say yes. She said she’s fine with me not being a murderous psychopath. What a lovely basis for a relationship.... There’s also the fact that she’s good looking. For a pony, that is.
I look at her up and down. She did the same.
“Thou art also pleasing to the eye.”
“I think you’re just in love with your own reflection.”
“We think thou art as well.”
“Maybe so.”
“Doth thou have an answer?”
‘I’d be lying if I said it was entirely out of duty…’
“... I accept.”
I stopped channeling energy into the vision spell, letting the complicated lattice structure of it collapse on itself, bringing my sight back to my immediate surroundings rather than the target ahead.
Canterlot was before us, the gleaming city halfway up the mountain ahead. A bright pink bubble enveloped the entirety of the city, shimmering in the moon’s light.
On its walls, I had seen ponies marching into defensive positions, readying themselves to repel a force that outnumbered them three to one, should their first line of defense fall. Their torches bobbed as they moved around the walls, though their colors were muted.
Around me at the base of the mountain, right in front of the railroad tracks leading up, the scouts of Swarm Group Center were conversing with each other out in the open, the need to hide clearly no longer important. The full moon lit up our staging area at the base of the mountain, and it was so bright there was no need to cast light spells to see the way.
“How did they know about our approach?” Eucharis voiced, coming up to my side.
“A missed message? A delayed report? An incorrect codeword in a faked report? A scrying spell, or some other unknown form of divination? There’s a hundred possible reasons, and none of them matter. We planned for this.”
“Yes, My Prince. We’re here on time, now we must take the gleaming jewel of the Equestrian Principality, and the Princesses along with it.”
“Fetch a communication disk. It is time to inform Queen Chrysalis that we are in position, and that she must bring the defenses down from within.”
The shield belonged to Captain Shining Armor, leader of the entire Equestrian Royal Guard. The shield itself was in every sense of the word impervious. Not even my psychics-defying hammer could destroy its defenses, for it was immune to anti-magic spells.
So the plan was to exploit the weakness of Shining himself. Namely, his fatal weakness to being stabbed in the kidneys.
As long as his concentration was disrupted, or he was led to believe that Canterlot was already infiltrated and therefore the shield was useless, the shield would be dropped. Chrysalis, her few Praetorians, and the few Will of The Nine sent with her would target Captain Shining Armor from within his own defenses, his spell leaving himself vulnerable.
A changeling brought the device forward, and activated it. The pieces floated up and formed a circle, magic zapping between them, quickly dying out and forming a mirror-like surface. After a moment, my reflection was replaced with a changeling. They were in the middle of a cave, covered in pink crystals, and illuminated with blue glowing moss taken from the hive.
“My Prince!”
“Tell Queen Chrysalis that I wish to speak with her.”
The changeling hurried off, leaving me to look at the empty crystal cave. Instead, I glanced back up at the city. The sounds of stomping hooves, orders being yelled, and conversation between the troops droning out any sounds of nature around us, or the forest we had just left.
“Prince Phasma.”
I looked back at the device. Queen Chrysalis was there, wearing a set of Adamantium armor: helmet, peytral, and horseshoes.
I brought a hoof to my chest in a salute.
“Queen Chrysalis. The Legions are in position and ready for your order. The Equestrians have noticed our advance, however…”
“Yes, intercepted communications suggest the presence of a clandestine intelligence organization. They noticed a strange happenstance south of Canterlot, too many incidents for it to be explained naturally. It matters not. Do your duty and provide the distraction. Give me five minutes, and I shall be in position myself. Then, bring the dawn.”
“At once, My Queen.”
The device shut off from her end, returning the surface to its mirror-like quality for a few seconds before the changeling attendant shut off our device.
I turned back to Eucharis, and nodded to Oest who was standing right next to him.
Earlier in the day, I told him about, then ordered him to spread the word of, Nightmare Moon and her forces. I emphasized trust in myself, and that I would secure a future far more secure and better than what Chrysalis could offer.
He was surprised, and a bit angry that I hid the existence of a third all-powerful alicorn, but did as I asked.
“Chamberlain Eucharis, assemble the army.”
The Legions of the New Swarm were flying just above the city, the ground far beneath our hooves, the buzzing of our wings producing a loud, ever present noise.
There were thousands of us.
A swarm in every sense of the word.
Before us stood the grand city of Canterlot, its population far more than there were changelings alive. But its guard forces, those we outnumbered by a considerable amount. The Equestrian Royal Guards had rushed to positions along the edge of the city facing the cliff.
In truth, the city had the majority of its defensives facing the numerous sets of train tracks at its front, expecting any conventional army to approach via land. They maintained defenses around the rest of the city in the event of a Griffon attack, and as such did not have many anti-magical wards imbued on the parapets of the walls.
The walls themselves were strengthened as they acted as a support structure for the section of the city that was nearly overhanging off the mountainside. Still, the covered towers that housed the spell-slingers, ballistae, and crossbowponies were not to be ignored.
The changelings surrounded the city, our black chitin shimmering in the full moon. At the vanguard of our forces, shields were put up and maintained, on the small chance that the shield came down early and the Royal Guard opened fire. The greenish hues of the shields stood out almost as much as the offensively-pink Equestrian shield.
I flew ahead to the vanguard formations. Each of the front line formations formed a three dimensional X, with the changeling at the front and middle of the formation, and the four behind them, maintaining the shield.
Oestridae and Eucharis followed me as I went, as did a changeling with a communication device. Just before reaching one of the forward shields, I stopped and turned around.
“Activate the devices.”
“At once, My Prince!”
The device the attendant was carrying turned on, and since it was broadcasted to the many devices now being activated distributed across the entirety of the Swarm across Equestria, it once again showed a reflection of me flying in front of Canterlot, the green and pink shields distorting the city behind me.
I casted a voice amplification spell, and addressed the entirety of the changeling race.
“Changelings of the Fourth Hive, The Promised Day has arrived at last.
“For so long, our kind has worked to achieve the chance before us, this opportunity to end our suffering. By seizing this dawn, we secure not only our safety, but the future of our race!
“We must strike down the Equestrians, here and now. We must rip out their empire, root and stem, for nothing less shall spell their doom. We must be prepared to risk everything to achieve the victory we so desire. If we risk nothing, we will achieve nothing.
“This Battle of Canterlot shall decide the fate of the next epoch! Our nymphs and our nymphs’ nymphs shall sing of the glory that unfolded this day! Stories will be told, from the day after tomorrow, till the day our kind walks amongst the very stars above in the heavens. Stories will be told of our heroism, our strength, our courage! We will carve out our future from our prey, who so foolishly cast us out from this world!
“Let us show these ponies the true heirs of the world! For the Eternal Hive, we bring the dawn! Panar’s Hammer, rattle. The. Cage!”
The Legions bellowed, “For the Hive Eternal!”
Just an hour before Celestia would normally carry the sun in an extravagant celebration, the changelings of the Fourth Hive created their own dawn.
One hundred fireballs, each gargantuan in size, were sent soaring through the night sky, hitting the pink Equestrian shield with a loud BANG! each. The rapid staccato of the fireballs impacting the shield echoes loudly across the entire area, heard for miles. The accompanying flash lit up the entirety of the city, as well as the rest of the mountain.
The fireballs, we all knew, did nothing. Nothing except distract and scare the absolute hell out of anyone watching. I myself pressed a hoof to my chest, above my heart, as the fireballs started hitting. The sound of the fireballs hitting reminded me of–
‘Focus! That was then, this is now!’
I shook my head to clear the thoughts, and waited. I did my part, now it was time for the advance teams led by Chrysalis to engage Captain Shining Armor.
It took five minutes and nineteen seconds for the infiltrator teams to find Shining. He was on top of the front wall of Canterlot Castle and out in the open. Thirty changelings and one Queen descended upon him.
Noticing the dark shapes approaching from the city, the Royal Guards closest to him shouted a warning, and threw up a shield around the group. It was immediately dispelled by a piercing blow from a directed will spell, the laser beam set to counter the specific patterns that formed the shield.
Desperately, two more shields were thrown up, and two more shields were taken down in a similar manner.
“Warn the Princess! The invaders are already here!” Captain Shining Armor yelled at a Royal Guard behind him, who saluted and galloped off.
‘We just have to hold out until Princess Celestia c–’
“Nngehahahahaha!”
Captain Shining Armor turned to face the threat. An invader, far larger than the rest, had come to a rest on the parapets. Her greenish armor reflected the pinkish-red flashes of light that periodically brightened the city.
She had her head thrown back in her evil laugh, revealing a fanged maw. Her strange cyan hair flowed in the winds that constantly pressed against the high walls of Canterlot Castle. At her sides, what Captain Shining Armor assumed to be the thing’s minions, chuckled along with her.
The large invader ended her laugh, now staring directly at Shining. Her fangs were still visible as a sickening grin stretched the corners of her muzzle into a smile.
“Scamper on, little pony! It will do you no good, for your doom has arrived!”