//------------------------------// // A Failure and A Broken Heart // Story: The War of the Mark // by Wise Cracker //------------------------------// Celestia revelled in the situation. Chrysalis and the drone squads were now deadlocked against the Treeguards, and while the changelings swarmed the gardens with superior numbers, there was no way for them to penetrate the Princess’s defenses. One squad of six was ahead of her, but the leader of that group had taken a blast already. One squad was ten paces above ground, trying to keep track of any more birds coming in on her six o’ clock. Then two flanked her on her two o’ clock and her eight. The last group circled around up above, slowly. The swarm tensed. Don’t get cocky. It’s almost impenetrable, Celestia. She can still speed her way through. One drone tried just that, as soon as Discord sent the thought through. The wooden giants were slow to move, but with that many between her and the enemy, Celestia didn’t even need to do anything. One swipe was all it took to get the thing off the ground, and the follow-up blow crushed it like a bug. I got a signal out of that. Celestia’s ears perked. She’s broadcasting her powers from somewhere, but it’s not a direct line. She’s got intermediates, other broadcasters. “That’s why they’re in groups of six,” Celestia concluded, whispering. “It’s always one dominant brain and five underlings.” And those dominant brains have a controller, and those controllers link back to Chrysalis. I can feel the one steering this little warband, but only barely. You’re going to have to get the drop on a lot of them for me to get a ping. “Patience,” Celestia whispered. “She’s thinking. By now, she’s probably figured out she can’t win on speed and numbers alone.” Then what are you two waiting for? Get to fighting already. “I am waiting for her to decide on her next move: fight or flee. And she is waiting for me to play my hand. I only have six Treeguards I can spare for an attack. She wants to know how I’ll deal with her army if those are too slow on the offensive.” The swarm revved up its wings. “Cute trick, Celestia, I will admit,” one drone said. “But your defence is stationary,” said another. “As long as I have you here, I can keep plundering your city without anyone stopping me. And eventually, I will get a pony’s power that can match yours.” “There we go,” Celestia said under breath. “That’s precisely what I wanted to hear.” You want her to plunder Canterlot? Celestia whipped her horn back and unleashed a ball of fire at the group closest by on her two. They all dodged out of the way, scattering them across the garden and sending a few up into the air, where they had room to move. Or at least they would have, had there not been a giant roc still patrolling the general area. Roxy came in with a mighty flap of her wings and blew the group of drones away, towards Celestia and the mass of walking pine trees. Celestia kept a close eye on them as they tried to adjust. She zapped one with a solar beam, blasted another with a lick of flame, and managed to catch three of them in a fire spell combined with a small gravity trap. Oh, I see. She’s still trying to exhaust you. You’re being efficient. Celestia let out a confident hum. The ones in the air had fallen to her magic, but her Treeguards had taken advantage of the situation and clobbered their way over six more. I’m getting a signal, Celestia. The master drone is due East, about five blocks away. She’s on the move, though, I think that one’s in combat already. “The Academy,” Celestia reasoned. “No doubt that one is hiding in a corner somewhere, gathering information in the library, perhaps looking for any weaknesses to exploit, or a weapon.” She closed her eyes, thinking. “I can take a wild guess what she’s grabbing, then.” What do you plan to do about it? “Neighpoleon said it best, I believe: never interrupt your enemy while they’re making a mistake.” Celestia laughed out loud, resorting to her Royal Canterlot voice again. “You know, you almost fooled me there, Chrysalis. I was ready to break formation and wipe you all out in one fell swoop. But that’s what you want, isn’t it? Even if I destroy every single one of you, there’s a back-up ready to descend on me. Sorry to disappoint. I can hold you at bay for as long as I need to, and pick you off one at a time.” Roxy did another dive run, unleashing a whirlwind upon the drones. A few of them tried to blast upward, green bolts pelting upward, but Roxy was smart like that. The changelings still lacked an anti-air spell that could hit a roc at that range, and to fly upward was to risk getting sniped by the Princess. The only remaining option was to fly up as one organised swarm, and it was precisely that tactic that Roxy was making impossible. The Chrysalis drones could stick to the ground, to some extent, even walk on walls, but once airborne they suffered the same weakness any flying creature did: no grip. If they tried to lift off as a group, they would be scattered and destroyed as a group. Two squads had already been crushed, three remained. Five more came in from all directions to circle around at a safe distance. “This won’t work forever, Celestia,” a fresh Chrysalis growled. “That bird of yours is going to slip up eventually. It’s only a matter of time before I get some voltage on that overgrown poultry.” “You’re right. But in the meantime: Treeguards! Suffocate and exterminate!” Taking the offensive anyway, then? What happened to waiting her out? “I never planned to merely wait: I need to exhaust her before she does the same to me. Roxy is a good disruptive element, but I can’t rely on her. If Chrysalis sees it coming, she can counter-act a gust, or start sniping her.” Unless your little anti-magic field expands a little. “Exactly. This is going to come down to who overplays their hand first. I’ll need to time this perfectly.” The six Treeguards lumbered across the lawn, stomping their roots and picking up the pace to a steady walk, then a clumsy run in simple straight line formation with their arms crossed. The Chrysalises flew up to evade them, and much to Celestia’s delight, they did keep an eye out for the roc. But while they were doing that, they neglected their blind spot. Another swirling orb of fire erupted from her horn, sucking in three drones who would have only been grazed by it. The main body of the group disintegrated into smoke and ash. After that rush, she signalled those Treeguards back. Two more squads of Chrysalis drones arrived to take up space, perching on the walls of the nearby labyrinth. Well done, Celestia. I’m surprised you’re holding out so well. “Don’t cheer yet. She knows what I can do now. I suspect she’ll be launching her counter.” Wait. She’s in Canterlot now. “I know she’s in Canterlot, Discord, she’s right in front of me, forty of her.” No, I mean the real one. She’s draining a pony right now. “No matter. She can’t use spells while my Treeguards are standing.” It’s not spells she’s draining, Celestia. It’s an Earth pony. She’s stealing Earth pony strength, she’s going to go for the face! No sooner did Discord warn her, or the counter-attack was already happening. Celestia’s vanguard of trees swiped at the black assailants, but in mere seconds one was covered in Queens and toppled over. They pounded the thing with their hooves, cracking wood and splintering its eyes and mouth. The rest of the trees braced themselves and stared in awe. “Right. So, as I was saying: this won’t last forever. Your little Treeguard trick only stops magic on the outside. But I can steal more than mere spells now, Celestia,” one Chrysalis taunted, waltzing over the wooden corpse. “I just ate a lovely little martial arts instructor off on Bleet Street, cracks cinderblocks in half on Saturdays. And I still have my speed.” They rushed into the front line, and more Treeguards fell. The garden was filled with the sounds of roaring, cracking, and the occasional splat. Even with the added speed, the Queens still had to get a grip on the Treeguards, and staying still long enough to strike, for some, meant staying still long enough for those tree trunk arms to come together in a crushing slam. The trees moved closer together, to swat off any strays trying to get a shot at their unprotected backs. Celestia growled. She was giving up ground. She mentally signalled to Roxy to stay out of the melee for now and head to the Academy instead. Nine Treeguards had fallen, and Celestia had lost count how many dozen Chrysalis drones had been disposed of already. Still the changelings poured into the garden, six at a time, called back from their raids on the city, no doubt. The Queens regrouped and struck again, this time forgoing any pretence and simply lunging to hit the conifer collossi in the face. The brawl erupted in all directions, the swarm spread out. This is bad, Celestia. I hope you have a back-up plan, because you’re not going to like mine. “Again: patience, Discord,” she whispered. “I still have the advantage, she just doesn’t realise it yet. All she’s doing is getting closer to evening out.” That’s still closer than I’d like! Another one of the giants fell. What are you doing? Why are you not doing anything about this? “I want to see something. A little experiment, if you will.” See what? The enemy breached the outer line. With her front forces down, sixteen Treeguards had now fallen, and the eight on her secondary wall were getting overwhelmed. “See what happens when she is the one surrounded.” Celestia dug her bare hooves into the ground and concentrated. A golden pulse shot out of her body, and some of the drones hopped over it on instinct. When the pulse hit the remains of her fallen first line, the splinters and chunks of trunk started to quake. Five of the drones, ones that weren’t busy fighting, looked behind them. “Oh, no.” Celestia smirked. “I told you, Chrysalis: solar magic still works. My power is strongest in supporting others.” The roars filled the air once more. From the splinters, new wood grew, new roots sprouted, and eager warriors emerged again. These were smaller Treeguards, not fully grown, but still capable of a firm swipe and certainly more than a match for a featherweight changeling Queen. “One of the upsides to working with plants: death does not mean the same thing it does for animals, neither does resurrection. Thank you for walking right into the middle of my forces, by the way. I couldn’t have gotten them into position otherwise. Oh, and thank you for the additional units, too.” “Ugh, the old Sorcerer’s Apprentice trick.” A Chrysalis up in the air groaned. “That went out of style when Star Swirl was in diapers.” “Don’t exaggerate: he’s the apprentice that started it, after all. Now then, about that Earth pony?” What remained of the swarm quickly took off, hoping to reposition in the air. Celestia grinned. “Treeguards! Fly trap, now!” The sound that came over the garden resembled that of an angry herd of porcupine. Needles shook and rattled against each other, the scent of lemon and pine filled the air. Even Celestia had to stifle a cough. The Chrysalises were worse off, however, now covered in a sticky amber substance. With their wings weighed down, flying wasn’t an option. And with their magic shut down by the Treeguards, neither was cleaning it off. Oh, clever girl. You waited for them to get flanked, so you’d cover their escape path in one big swoop. “Thank you, Discord,” Celestia said. She blinked, and tried to ignore the spots in her eyes. Careful. That Second Sunrise spell is a doozy. It’ll take a lot out of you, even I need to lie down when I try that one. She wobbled on her hooves. “Tactical error, Celestia,” a Chrysalis on her left said. “You’re exhausted. We don’t need to fly to get to you, remember?” The drone went into super speed again, ducking and weaving past the Treeguard swipes. It burst into flame once it got past the second row. “And I don’t need a high-level spell to light you up when you’re soaked,” Celestia retorted. With a stomp of her hoof, she ignited the oil. She lit up her horn to feed more magic into the flames, and her garden became Equestria’s largest outdoor oven. It didn’t destroy the Chrysalis clones outright, but it burned them and hurt them enough for the Treeguards to march in and snuff them out. A few drones stumbled here and there, flailing blindly as the trees descended upon them, but once they fell, they turned to ashes. “Strange. I guess they really were already dead, if their bodies decompose so quickly.” You got them. You really got them, all of them. “No, not all of them.” Celestia turned her head towards the sound of clapping. Another group of Chrysalises, twenty or so, came walking out from beyond the garden’s labyrinth. From the other side, twenty more came flying in, though they kept their distance. “Wonderful trick, Celestia,” said one of them. More and more descended upon the Princess and her guards. “Truly wonderful. I’m impressed.” “Do it again,” said one behind her. “And again.” “And again.” On and on it went, just as it did before. Ten groups, sixty individuals this time, on a quick head count. Celestia, you just burned a big spell, and she knows it. What are you planning to do now? She let her head hang. “I have to buy time. Every single one that falls here is one my little ponies don’t have to fight.” The stallions made it to the second floor unharmed. Neighsay let the two suits of samurai armour take the lead, leaving Sunburst behind him and two antlered halberdeer suits taking up the rear. Glancing around at the top of the stairs, Neighsay couldn’t see any enemies. This section of the museum was wider than the ground floor, more of an open build with bigger windows, leaving plenty of light. It also lacked options for cover. The openings between the halls were, likewise, wide, wide enough for five ponies to fit, at least. The hall they were entering now opened to his left, one giant exhibit pointed at him in a welcoming fashion. “The Lizard Tooth?” Neighsay asked, nodding to the exhibit. Sunburst walked up as Neighsay and the armours entered, then shook his head. “No. That one’s all off centre.” “Further in, then. Keep your eyes peeled. I don’t like this silence.” They walked past the Lizard Tooth exhibit, giving a wide berth to the windows and staying low while their animated guards covered their backs and front. The two empty samurai suits went into the Tailed Beasts exhibit, and Sunburst pointed at one object in particular. “That one. That one’s perfect.” “Alright, let’s restock, then.” The two trotted over carefully, keeping a close eye on the walls. “Going somewhere?” The samurai suits turned, and were immediately blasted to pieces by fire, this time. Rope and gambeson burned under the metal parts, and the two flesh and blood ponies behind the suits made a dash to safety. Neighsay spotted them now: behind the Parrot Dragon skeleton in the next hall and the Shingleback fossil nearby, two Queens had been lying in ambush. Two more tried to cut off Sunburst at the pass as he headed towards his mark. “Get that thing moving, Sunburst, I’ll hold them off!” Neighsay swung his magic chains at the ones in front, letting the halberdiers deal with the rear guard. Once a whip crack got the two out of position, he cast a mending spell to speed up the recovery on the samurai suits. Apparently he hit the katanas, though, because those got up and started swinging without their owners. “Unorthodox, but I’ll take it.” He kept one eye on Sunburst, one eye on the enemies. Four to six, it should have been manageable, but these Queens were stronger now, if not faster. They hissed and jumped from spot to spot on the ceiling, ducking and weaving under every shot of his chains. They’re getting smarter, too. Not good. “Sunburst? Now, please!” “I’m casting as fast as I can!” Sunburst called out, before continuing his incantation. “You really should learn shorter spells, you know,” one of the drones taunted. Neighsay cursed under his breath. One drone had broken formation to sneak up on Sunburst, and the suits of armour were useless against airborne enemies. Even the katanas wouldn’t reach Sunburst in time. Even so, Sunburst grinned. Neighsay grinned along with him. That Chrysalis hadn’t realised where she was standing. And while they were clearly adapting to match their opponents, these drones hadn’t learned one of the most basic lessons in magical combat yet. Never fight an animation wizard in a dinosaur exhibit. A heavy club tail came down on the thing’s head, cracking its skull and snuffing it out immediately. Sunburst let out a nervous chuckle. “There we go, more friends.” “Ah, the Macetail, my favorite,” Neighsay said. “Please, Neighsay, it’s an Ankylosaur. Only children call them ‘Macetails.’” The rest of the fossilised skeleton began to move: a squat quadruped as long as two ponies, but about as high at the shoulders as a pony was at the head. This was one of the smaller, more compact specimens in Canterlot, and Neighsay counted his blessings when he noticed the hesitation in the other three drones’s eyes. Sunburst gestured to his right, and a Shingleback skeleton rose up from the metal prongs that held it aloft. Stegosaur, Neighsay mentally corrected himself, another one of the smaller specimens of that species. Two halls down, a screech marked the animation and liberation of a Three-Horned Parrot Dragon, known among academics and other such stuffy types as ‘Triceratops.’ The first two were tank types that were built to repel or withstand any attacks from above, both armed with swinging tails. The third was a bulky ramming type with an armoured plate to protect the neck joint, not that these things needed it, if the pieces could move on their own. The odds were turning in favour of the Unicorns, by any metric. Even the samurai suits had managed to reassemble themselves. Neighsay snapped a hoof and launched a set of chains at one of the drones above. She dodged, but he grazed the tip of her hind leg, and that’s all he needed. With a mental command, the chain expanded and wrapped tightly around the stray limb, then pulled. One firm yank of his magic, and she was in between the two herbivore tanks. One tail swung like a hammer, the other presented its spikes, and only ashes remained of the Queen. The one that had been next to her already descended on Sunburst, but the halberdiers were in position this time. Faced with two axeheads, she hovered away from the armours and charged up her horn. She got three horns pinning her down for her troubles, though only the nose horn actually penetrated hide. The other two horns held her down at the shoulders as the Triceratops skeleton came down from its magic-aided jump. The halberdeers finished the job. “Only one of you left now, and more and more of us,” Neighsay said. “You can’t win. Surrender, and we might show leniency.” “Silly ponies. You think you can defeat me with a pile of bones? You really don’t understand, do you? I’ve already won. It’s only a matter of time. Every pony who falls before me, strengthens every single one of me. It doesn’t matter if you kill ten or twenty of me. While you’re doing that, there are fifty of me gaining so much power it’ll only take one to defeat you.” Neighsay aimed his next chain at the throat. “So what you’re saying is: if we kill so many of you you have to stop feeding, we win.” She stared him down. She didn’t even try to evade the attack. “You’re a fool. I only need one to win. And I already know where he is. I’m closing in on him as we speak.” He yanked the chain and set her down in between the meat grinder pair. “If you’re referring to Bastion, he’s long gone by now.” “You sent him to the town square. Clever of you not to use a portal farther away, but pointless. I’d already prepared for that. Face it, Neighsay: I outsmarted you.” Neighsay growled. Even right before defeat, these things were so desperate for attention, so hungry to have their supposed superiority confirmed. “You’ve not outsmarted anyone. You’ve gone on a suicide mission, and turned your own demise into an annoying little puzzle. Well, I’ve solved your puzzle already. And before I send you to your maker, one more thing you should know.” “What’s that?” she asked as the dinosaurs raised their tails. “These aren’t bones, you dumb cretin: they are fossils. While they may look like mere bones, you should be aware they are, in fact, solid rock.” He didn’t bother looking back at the result of the execution. Once the room looked clear, he sighed. “Maybe you should have sent Bastion farther away,” Sunburst started. “She would have chased him. And there’s no place in Equestria where ponies can defend themselves better. No, we make our stand here.” “Up a level, then?” “Yes. We secure this floor, get to the roof, and then we declare open season on these things. If you can hold up your friends, that is.” “No problem,” Sunburst said with uncharacteristic confidence. “As long as I’ve got someone to line up the shots, I can take out these Queens pretty easily.” “Good. Have you noticed she hasn’t tried grabbing anything with telekinesis?” “I did. I’m guessing these things can’t, but we shouldn’t let our guard down.” The Triceratops led the way into the next hall, which was themed for prehistoric plant life, so it was completely useless for their purposes. Neighsay’s heart pounded with anxiety. Every corner they turned they had to check for traps, make sure no enemies were in hiding. “She’s not tried to change shape here yet, either,” Neighsay noted. “So young Bastion’s observation was accurate.” “These drones are weaker. What do you think she’s trying to do?” “I can only hazard a guess.” Neighsay stepped further in, following the animated skeleton. “From the looks of it, this is some type of life manipulation magic, mixed in with essence farming. She’s trying to harvest identities somehow. That alone is worrisome, but not unheard of. Your friend Starlight would have the same sort of background in these things.” “But not the numbers,” Sunburst concluded. He set up his last set of armours, the two samurai, to guard the windows. “No. That’s the truly disturbing part. She’s sharing these powers throughout her army. Every drone she uses has identical strengths.” “And identical weaknesses.” “Well, yes, but that won’t matter past a certain point.” “So why hasn’t Canterlot fallen, then?” Sunburst tried. “With that many drones, there must be an army of ponies who’ve fallen already.” “Unless the drones cannot feed. She was researching plant-based magic, as I understood it. If these things are like leaves on a tree, then I would assume the root is what is connecting them and feeding them. Perhaps only the root can feed.” “Meaning the real one’s probably at the Academy, where all the juicy targets are.” Sunburst snorted. “Guess it's a good thing that I didn’t end up there, then, after all.” “No, it isn’t.” They stopped. Neighsay closed his eyes and let his head hang, bracing himself. “I suppose now is not the best time to say it, Sunburst, but I may not get another chance. As one wizard to another: I want you to know we are trying to change things now. What happened to you in Canterlot was scandalous. My predecessor allowed far too many mistakes to happen. You should take some pride in what you’ve become. A lesser pony would have been driven to anger by it, even vengeance.” Sunburst chuckled softly. “I don’t know. I think my friend might have been a little more vengeful than me.” ”Deservedly so, to a point.” The Chancellor stared at the ground, lost in thought. “We can’t keep losing Unicorns like this, not again. We’ve lost too many already.” Sunburst put a hoof on his shoulder. “We always make the sacrifice when we have to. It’s in our nature.” Neighsay’s ears twitched at a cracking sound on his right. Sunburst noticed it, too. The wall. They were standing too close to the wall. Before he could react, Sunburst had shoved him away. Dust and stone hit him in the head, knocking him out for a few seconds. When he got to his senses, the stallion was gone, and in his place two Chrysalis drones stood. “Honestly, I thought you two would never stop moving,” one started. Neighsay growled. She’d broken through a brick wall with her bare hooves. He readied his chains, but he could already hear the sounds of crumbling armour and falling fossils. She’s got him. She’s knocked him out already. I’m sorry, Sunburst. “Oh, don’t look so glum. You ponies are so melodramatic, it was only a matter of time before you let your guard down. And speaking of guards, I do think I just shut down your little toybox as well. So, Neighsay, Chancellor, why not surrender now? Give in, let me have your power. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.” Neighsay rattled his chains, moving to the middle of the room. Now that the drones had super strength to go with Bullet Time’s speed, above and below he had no real cover to rely on, either. Only one thing left for me to do. No mercy, no witnesses. He sat down and brought his front hooves together with a resounding ‘thud.’ The drones hesitated, and he felt the glow burning from his eyes. Pure arcane energy swirled above him. His cape unbuckled itself and flew off. His cutie mark, normally kept hidden by his uniform, was on full display. The mark was that of a swirl of magic, coming out of a limb that did not belong on a pony. He let out a low, guttural growl as rage took over his senses, feeding it into his horn, fuelling the swirling energy. “Maugris of the Frozen Woods, Charlemane the Great, give me strength!” With a flick of his horn, the energy took shape, and slammed down. The boys made their way through the streets, ducking and dodging away from the sight of any Chrysalis drones that flew overhead. Just like Live Wire had said, there was a food stand not too far from where they’d made their turn. Seeing no vendor pony, they quickly grabbed what waffles and donuts they could, along with drinks, and left some coin, before sneaking off further to eat. Bastion sighed in relief as he munched on his waffle, though the sound of buzzing wings above still made him anxious. None of the drones were looking at them, the invisibility spells still held up, but he wondered for how long. The drones were flying towards where the portal had opened. “They’re gonna come after us soon,” Bastion said once he’d finished his food. “Chrysalis can beat this kind of cloak.” “She shouldn’t beat mine,” Doldrum said. “Back at Fight Camp, they told me changelings never got past this sort of thing.” “Me too,” Bastion whispered, “but she’s stealing pony magic now, and she beat it in Ponyville.” “Okay, don’t rely on just the cloak, got it. We’re all clear on the plan, then?” “Get to the crystal caves, hold out there,” Live Wire said. “And if that doesn’t work,” Bastion started. “We go for plan B,” Doldrum finished. Doldrum led the way, always checking if a street was clear or not, motion to his compatriots with a minor signal from his armour, nothing that would give away their position, as far as Bastion knew. They went through a fashion district, huddled at the corner of a street, then dashed silently towards the arts and crafts district. They got as far as a wool shop when they spotted a Chrysalis blocking their way at the courtyard ahead. “I know you’re out here, Bastion!” she called out. “I can smell you.” “Okay, that’s a problem,” Bastion whispered. “If we try to go past her, she’ll detect us, and if we go around, we might not make it to the mountain. What do we do?” “Stick to the plan,” Doldrum said. “You had a good plan, and it’s still good. She’s not alone, obviously she’s trying to set up an ambush.” “So we’re trying Plan B, then?” Live Wire asked. “Yeah,” Doldrum replied before Bastion could. “We’re going to have to.” “Don’t just say that. She’s going to kill you if we try that,” Bastion objected, “both of you.” “Don’t worry,” Live Wire reassured him. “We’re the toughest colts in the country. We know what we’re doing.” “Besides,” Doldrum added. “You still need to make sure you’re right about what she’s doing. There’s only one way to know.” They moved ahead. The square where the Chrysalis was standing guard was another one with a fountain, as before. This square was wider, though, one reserved for fairs and weekly markets. The fountain was one shaped like a cornucopia, a horn of plenty, something Bastion felt was probably ironic in some way or another. Doldrum gestured to his lips in a silencing motion, then he vanished from view, even from Bastion’s perspective. Doldrum went on the prowl, and Bastion and Live Wire were alone under the changeling’s cloak. They went into the square, and immediately the buzzing sound of more Chrysalis drones filled the air. One of them flew atop a paper supply shop, and stared intently at the fountain below. “I know you’re there, Bastion. You’re holding something that belongs to me. Give it up now,” it commanded. The other drones, four in all, spread out and started clicking their tongue. Bastion’s hearts sank. Sonic pings. It’s different from before. She must’ve gotten to a Night Guard. Further and further the two crept, each time waiting until there were no eyes on them. They made it to the fountain where the first drone kept watch, her eyes staring on in the distance beyond the pair. The colts circled around as the other drones kept on clicking their tongues and sniffing the air. The one drone on the fountain hopped down, behind the boys. They quickly moved to the other side of the fountain so her click wouldn’t detect them. Live Wire tapped Bastion’s shoulder. Both of the boys were pressed against the stone. Bastion shrugged, and he was already starting to wonder if maybe the sound of running water might block that sort of detection. A scream echoed through the streets. Looking up, they saw the one monitoring the square had an injury: three claw marks were on her chest. A moment later, frost and fire erupted from the marks, and the drone fell. Bastion quickly risked a look around. All of the drones in the square had stopped moving. “Now’s our chance. Blast them!” Dropping the cloak, Bastion unleashed a volley of blue orbs at the nearest drone, electrocuting it before a white orb froze its skull. Live Wire took out two drones farther up the square, opting for a quick twinned lightning bolt to the eyes. Doldrum got the last two, firing off a pair of ice orbs from a necklace under his suit. The projectiles impacted cleanly on their skulls, leaving them a mess on the ground, before they disappeared into green flame and ash. He joined his friends once they were clear, his own cloak dropped. “That worked. That really worked,” he said. “You were right.” “She’s using some of them as broadcasters,” Bastion concluded. “They’re not all identical. If we know which ones to hit, we can eliminate her advantage.” “Well done, boys,” a voice called out. “Three against five, it almost sounds unfair. Three against five, how unfair. Three against five, unfair!” it laughed and mocked. “She baited us,” Bastion said. More drones came from all directions. Where the first broadcaster had fallen, three drones took her place. Where the boys had entered the square, six blocked their path, above and below. Where they planned to go, three more stood in the way, and three hovered above. “Well done,” said a drone blocking their exit. “You managed to get away from me twice today, Bastion. And you didn’t even need to sacrifice your friends to do it. But you’re out of luck now. You’re going to have to give up some ponies if you want to go any further.” “What is she talking about?” Doldrum asked. “You haven’t realised yet?” said the drone. “I suppose you wouldn’t. Little Bastion here is a trained strategist, remember? He doesn’t see friends or allies, only resources. He’s using you to save his own hide. He’s using you well, I’ll admit, but still, using you. Give him up, and we can leave this whole mess behind us.” “You’re lying,” Doldrum hissed. “Am I? Think about it: he’s a changeling. He doesn’t belong among ponies, never did. All you really are to him is a snack. I mean, honestly, how long have you even known him? You’re outnumbered, outmatched. And you won’t get a sneaky hit on one of my Primes again, little boy.” “Primes?” Doldrum asked. “So they’re called Primes, then? Those higher drones?” “Oh, yes. It took me quite a long time to get them just right, but I managed it. And now-” she froze. All of the drones froze. “Are you doing this?” Live Wire asked. “No,” Bastion replied. “I don’t understand, why would they-” From the right end of the street came a white stallion with a fancy moustache, brandishing a thin duelling sword. He wiped something black off of it, before turning back and yelling: “Fleur! More vermin down here! Be a dear and break out Old Betsy, would you?!” The boys quickly dashed past the squadron of drones, leaving the stallion to clean up. It didn’t last long, however, as another band of six descended upon them two blocks down. Doldrum stopped to catch his breath. “You guys go. I can cover you.” “No!” Bastion replied. “You can’t let her get you.” Doldrum had already fired. Whatever Frost Amulet was in that armour, it was meant for use in war. With a standard shot, nine balls of ice shot out from it, forcing the drones ahead to fly up. More of them cut off their escape, behind them, on the left, on the right. Doldrum panted. He let loose another volley, and another one, but while it forced their pursuers to slow down, nothing connected. Meanwhile, the sounds of combat erupted from where they’d escaped. Bastion was sure he heard the hissing of drones mixed in with cries of pain, but there was no way there’d be any reinforcements for the boys, not with Chrysalis so focused on the three. A squad of five landed in front of them. More swarmed the buildings, stalking the boys and hissing in frustration. The colts stopped, looked around for a way out, and finding none, stood back to back to each other. “Can you tell which one’s the Prime?” Doldrum asked. “No,” Bastion replied. “Probably more than one, and probably hiding.” “I think I’ve been a very good sport about this,” said one of the Chrysalises. “Now surrender. Don’t make this any harder than it needs to be.” Live Wire gulped. “W-what happens if we surrender? Are you just gonna let me and Doldrum go?” Bastion froze. “What?” “Of course,” said the Chrysalis. “I have urgent things to do with him, important business. I wouldn’t have time to deal with either of you, as fine a pair of specimens as you might be.” “And after that, what? You’re just going to leave?” She winked at the Unicorn. “Well, I suppose there’s no point in lying now. No, I won’t leave. I’ll remake this city in my image, and I’ll feast on whatever I want.” Live Wire gulped. His horn crackled, his hooves shook. The drone snorted and giggled. “Oh, put that thing away. You can’t harm me, not really. Strike one of me down, and two more will take my place. You’re only going to end up hurting yourself. If you surrender, it’ll be painless. I’m not as bad as you might think. All I want to do is feed, is that so bad? You ponies let Bastion do it all the time.” Bastion growled. Live Wire closed his eyes, his whole body was trembling now. Doldrum shook his head. “Don’t do it.” The Chrysalis in front of them took a confident step forward. “So? What’ll it be, little boy?” Finally, Live Wire took a deep breath in, shot her glance, and breathed out. “Eat this.” Bastion felt a hard form push him to the ground, before the ground quaked and the air erupted. He closed his eyes on a reflex, but even then the flashes of light burned through his eyelids. Thunderclaps rocked the street, windows shattered, and dull thuds marked bodies falling from the sky. One flash bang, two, three, four, on and on, for a whole minute, there was a bone-rattling impact in the air with the regularity of a clock. Silence descended on the streets of Canterlot. Bastion’s ears rang, and his nose curled with the scent of ozone and smoke. When the ringing passed, Live Wire was standing. The drone who’d approached them was not. Neither was any of the few dozens or so that had surrounded them. “You did it,” Bastion said, rubbing his ears as the ringing subsided. “You took out a whole squadron with just one spell. You could flatten a whole city block like that.” He chuckled. “Guess you really are Royal Guard material.” Bastion could only see him from the back, but he could already feel something was off. Live Wire's mane looked more frazzled than usual, and so did his coat. There were little spots where the hairs stood upright, or had fallen away entirely. Tiny droplets of blood started to leak from those bare spots. "Live Wire?" The little Unicorn didn’t reply. Live Wire stumbled, his horn crackled, but differently this time. The sparks usually spiralled up his horn and flew off. It looked like they were flaking now, pulsing but not quite managing to make it all the way to the tip, like a heart that couldn’t pump to the whole body. Doldrum tried to get to him, but even at only two paces away, Live Wire collapsed under his own weight too quickly. Bastion’s hearts pounded as he joined the armoured Pegasus. Live Wire’s mouth hung open, his breathing sounded laboured. “D-darn it,” Live Wire said with a wince. His chest spasmed with every breath. “Oh, darn it.” “What’s wrong?” Bastion asked. “It’s nothing,” Live Wire replied. He sucked in another breath of air and groaned in pain, one hoof clutching his chest. Doldrum sighed, and offered his hoof to his friend. “It’s okay. You’ll be fine.” Live Wire clutched that hoof to his chest for comfort, his face a mask of agony. “A-h-haah… I-I just wish…” His body shivered, curling up into foetal position. “What?” Bastion asked. “I-I…” “What?” He whimpered, and a tear ran down his face. “I can’t think of anything cool to say.” He sighed, and his eyes drifted shut. The buzzing in the air returned. Two more squads of six were heading their way, from the sound of it, and closing in fast. In seconds, he could see them approaching. They had eyes on him and Doldrum, and he could feel the telltale signs of detection magic. Chrysalis, or her swarm, was fully focused on them now. The stallion with the rapier was nowhere to be seen, but Bastion heard a few shots of magic coming from where he’d been. They were alone, and in sight of the enemy. “Come on, we have to get him out of here,” Bastion started. "She's locked onto us." Doldrum leaned in, put a hoof to Live Wire’s neck, then shook his head. He turned over the body so it was lying on its belly, and patted his friend’s head. “No. We have to leave him.” “But we can’t just-” “He’s gone. His heart’s blown.”