Bray Call helped pull me up to my hooves while Cadence started issuing orders to the ponies.
The plan was for us heavy-hitters to stay in a group while patrols scoured the Palace. If Chrysalis, Luna, or Celestia were spotted, then we'd come running as a group. Shining would return either with Tarsus, or with news of failure.
"You alright, Phasma?" Bray asked.
"Yeah, yeah," I said, shaking the leg that was hit. "Bastard just got lucky. Thankfully, it's only burnt chitin. A surface wound, nothing more, thanks to the fact that I have an exoskeleton."
"Was… he right about that?" Warm Dew asked. "That he found a weakness, I mean?"
"I don't think we should be saying anything in front of him," Bray elbowed Dew while glaring at the collapsed Commander Scorpion.
"He's not going anywhere," Search chuckled, and then pointed to the mess of changeling goo that was already drying on his horn and hooves.
"Oh," Bray frowned. "In that case, I am curious too."
"Unbroken Radiance doesn't deal well with point-blank spells," I admitted. "And energy spells are more stressful on the shield than elemental spells. Though I'm sure that in its heyday, the enchantments were much stronger."
'Not strong enough to save its original wearer, though.'
"Do you know that changeling?" Bray asked. "You seemed to recognize the name, at least. The only time you recognized a changeling you fought was…" She gestured to Pharynx, who had followed us inside.
"Tarsus," Pharynx explained for me, "is a ling that was part of Prince Phasma's inner cabal."
"You make it sound so sinister," I muttered.
"Wait, so he's like an old friend of yours?" Bray asked, starting to smile.
"Something like that," Pharynx laughed. "All things considered, this reunion is going to be interesting."
"Why's that?" Sergeant Search asked, looking between me and Pharynx.
But before either of us could answer, Cadence's beloved returned, dragging a changeling that was smoking around their withers.
"Sorry Phasma," Shining grunted as he hefted the drone around him and dropped him to the floor. "The muck-sucker got his message off to a couple more lings, who scattered. There's no stopping that information now. Hopefully that…"
I flipped God-Splitter upside down, dragging its metal head across the marble floor as I slowly walked up to Tarsus.
When it started making a grinding sound as it gouged the stone, Shining had trailed off, watching me. I didn't need to be an empath to sense his confusion.
"Tarsus," I growled. "So good to see you again."
The twitching changeling collected himself enough to raise his head.
"Phasma…"
Using the spike end of God-Splitter, I hooked him under the chin and dragged him forward and up, pressing him against the nearby wall. The changeling kicked and struggled uselessly, grasping at God-Splitter’s head and trying to wiggle out.
"What the Tartarus?" Stammered Shining Armor. "Phasma? What are you doing?"
"Don't do this, Phasma," Cadence warned.
"I'm going to execute a traitor," I said, putting a little more power behind God-Splitter. "I've been waiting to do this for a very long time."
Tarsus groaned at the increased pressure on his chest, neck, and head.
“Did he just say– oh crackers,” Bray moaned. “That’s one heck of an escalation!”
"I know you might harbor a grudge," Cadence spoke up, "but now is not the time to pursue it. You're far from calm, and you're going to make a mistake you'll regret for the rest of your life."
"Mmmm, and you, Tarsus?" I said slowly. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?
"You have no idea why I did what I did, Phas. I–"
"Don't you dare call me that," I hissed, squeezing him more for the insult.
"Are you really going to do this now?!" Shining snarled. "We don't have time for this! Cadence, rein him in! I'll manage the patrols!" He yelled as he stomped off to deal with clearing the castle.
"Phasma," Search said, "whatever this is about, it can wait. Right?"
"Listen to the Princess," Bray agreed. "I'm sure that…"
I tuned them all out.
Bray, Search, Dew, Shining, and Cadence all were trying in some way to get between me and Tarsus’s fate. Pharynx was looking on with amusement. Scorpion was not really in a position to do anything, if he even cared.
I bared my fangs, "Well, Tarsus?"
"You risked everything," the scarred changeling spat. "You gambled our entire species on a couple of ponies! They even betrayed you in the end! I had to defend the Hive Eternal! I had to defend all the changelings, drones and nymphs all, who you were dooming! I had to stop this war before it grew bigger than just a scuffle in the Palace!"
I snarled, my fangs just inches from his throat.
"You didn't stop this war, you just picked the other side! Now, Oestridae is dead and it's all your fault. Hundreds, if not thousands of changelings are dead because of you! If I had won that day, if we all attacked Chrysalis at once, none of this would have happened!"
"I don't believe that," Tarsus said. "And I don't think you believe that, either. Where were your pony 'allies' when you fought the Queen? I don't know if you've been brainwashed, or if you've been this foolish the whole time, but I will always pick the Hive Eternal over you."
"You picked Chrysalis over me, you overgrown cockroach!" I hissed back. "You think we wouldn't all burn in the fires of Chrysalis’s ambition? Do you really think she could have beaten Daybreaker?"
"Princess Celestia is destined to fall. As it is woven, so it shall be!"
"Unbelievable," I shook my head. "You really think Panar will just gift you victory?"
Tarsus looked up to the ceiling, "We are her favored. It is destined! Panar decreed that we must lose first, so that we may grow stronger! We cannot lose, not forever. Setbacks test us, but Panar guarantees the future. That is how we defeated Equestria the first time, and that is why we will defeat it again."
"Panar did not win our battles." I twisted the hammer, eliciting a pained grunt. "I did! I was the one who sacrificed the Masquerade Protocol to defeat the world's largest army. I am the one who will save our species, not that spineless, backstabbing wretch!"
He looked at me with pity in his eyes, "You failed, Phasma. You trusted the ponies, and you were let down. Maybe that's a good thing; now we know for certain that they can never be trusted. But now it's time for you to rest, and leave the rest to Our Queen. She is the one who will finally secure our place in the sun!"
I shook my head and gritted my teeth, "You are the brainwashed one. All this talk of Panar and Chrysalis, as if we aren't the ones dying in the battlefields. War is won through a test of numbers, equipment, and tactics. Not faith! Who do you think will win this war? Chrysalis, all alone now, or me, with three alicorns and two armies at my side? It's over, Tarsus, and now you'll pay for dragging this out and getting so many changelings killed."
Tarsus sighed, "I see there is no hope of reasoning with you. May Panar save you, before you doom us all."
Before I could squash him like the insect he was, I looked over my shoulder. Cadence had put a hoof on my right hip, and was trying to talk to me.
"Phasma? Can you please listen to me?" She looked at me, concerned.
The three Hooferville guards were behind her, giving me concerned stares.
".... Make it quick."
"You're going to kill this changeling, aren't you?"
"Yes."
Cadence grimaced, "After everything you've been through? After everything we've talked about? Even with four of your friends telling you you're making a mistake?"
"Yes," I said again.
She sighed, "Need therapy sooner rather than later– look, Phasma. Killing somepony because they betrayed you isn't… it isn't something we do. I understand that technically I can't tell you what to do, but just because it's a changeling this time doesn't mean we'll turn a blind eye. This isn't the time for… for… for extrajudicial trials! You're definitely not in a calm mindset, and killing ponies without a trial is not something that can ever be accepted in Equestria!"
I glanced back, towards the Palace's open doors, where the battle was being mopped up.
'I could easily argue semantics, but maybe she has a point. In fact, I know just how to arrange a trial.'
I pulled God-Splitter back, letting Tarsus fall to the ground, gasping.
I glared at the drone, "You will stand trial before the First Fang. When the majority of us come to a ruling, that's when I will kill you. Thorax may decide to spare your life, but Coxa, Lace, and I will not."
Tarsus looked up at me, "Delaying my execution, but not stopping it?"
"Nopony is getting executed!" Cadence stamped a hoof.
"Tarsus isn't a pony," I shot back. "And you will pay for Oestridae's death. The First Fang having a say on the matter is proper… Yes, it is decided. Bind this drone, and make sure he doesn't escape! If he does, you'll all–"
I stopped myself before I threatened my changelings. I didn't want to be like Chrysalis at all, especially in that manner.
"Just do it," I huffed, walking away.
At least I could distract myself by helping out with clearing the Palace. These may be Shining’s Royal Guards, but my Red Right Hoof could help, and I was the only one here who actually had experience in urban warfare.
‘Actually, I don’t know what Shining was up to after Canterlot… Well, I know I can help, at least.’
Princess Cadence watched Phasma stomp away angrily.
‘That could have gone better. Definitely could have gone worse, though.’
“What the buck was that?” Private Warm Dew hissed, looking between the other three ponies. “I mean, I’m sorry Your Highness, but what was that?!”
Cadence grimaced, “Phasma is… a work in progress.”
“That’s an understatement!” Sergeant Quick Search whispered. “He just tried to execute somepony!”
“Not a pony,” Tarsus mumbled as one of the Red Right Hoof applied changeling gel to his horn and hooves.
Cadence quickly turned away from the prisoner. Seeing the changelings practically vomit on each other was not something she liked seeing at the best of times.
“Well he didn’t, and that’s progress,” Cadence said. “He agreed to a trial, and it won’t be too hard to get him to agree to make it a unanimous vote. I’m not going to try to get anyone else on this jury of peers, but I’m certain that I can change the vote.”
“Will that change anything, Your Highness?” Search asked, staring at the prisoner.
Cadence smiled, “You heard Phasma. His friend Thorax, who would sit on this trial, would never condemn another to death. So if the vote becomes unanimous, then…” She pointed to the prisoner, “Tarsus here will be fine. Sorta. Look, it’s tomorrow’s problem. No one’s dying today, and that’s enough for now. We should focus on the battle still going on.”
“No one except Queen Chrysalis,” Pharynx chuckled from behind Cadence. “I don’t think you can convince him to spare her.”
‘Harmony! Where did he come from?! I swear, he’s like a ghost, always lurking behind me…’
Cadence cleared her throat, “Yes, well… uh… that is a problem.”
“Is it?” Pharynx raised his eyebrows. “To the victor goes the spoils, and while the Queen was going to spare Phasma, she certainly wasn’t going to be gentle about dismantling his brainwashed mind. Which, I admit, is looking increasingly like an incorrect assumption. You ponies seem very… forthcoming. Naively so. If you had actually brainwashed him, I would have been killed long before now.”
“But I’m sure the Princesses of Equestria have a plan for that,” Corporal Bray Call smiled. “Right, Princess Cadence?”
“Uhhh….” Cadence mumbled. “Well, no. We didn’t exactly discuss anything beforehoof. This all kinda happened sooner than we had anticipated.
“Princess…” Search frowned. “We don’t want Queen Chrysalis to be killed…. Right?”
Cadence cleared her throat again, “Not if it can be helped, no. But what little we’ve discussed about her, we came to the agreement that if we had to choose between Phasma and Chrysalis…”
“But you are going to stop him from killing her, right?” Search repeated.
She nodded, “If I can, I will. However, Queen Chrysalis is not a foe to be taken lightly. We might not get a chance to solve things diplomatically, or stop before it's too late.”
“And you’re supposed to be helping Phasma depart from these bloody… inclinations?” Bray asked, looking at Scorpion and Tarsus. “It seems like there’s a long way to go before our depressed buggo is, ah, trustworthy?”
“It doesn’t help that changelings are quite a bit more visceral than ponies,” Cadence admitted. “He’s got a very short list of friends who actually think like ponies. In fact, you three are practically half that list.”
The three Hooferville guards shared a look.
“You know, Sergeant,” Bray said coyly, “Phasma is loaded. I’ve seen his wealth in the papers. If you really want to retire with a huge pension, maybe it’d be better if you applied to be in his guard instead?”
Search smiled back, “Hey Bray, I know you’re going off to university and all that, but maybe there’s a work opportunity within the Palace for you? It’d pay a lot more than whatever horrible retail job you’d get while attending university, and maybe Phasma would even offer some sort of payment plan to help with tuition while you worked for him?”
“... I’m staying in Hooferville,” Dew said abruptly. “It’s my hometown, and I still want to be Captain one day.”
“Well, it sounds like we’ve got a plan then,” Bray grinned ear to ear. “Dew stays in Hooferville and we keep in touch. Search becomes the first pony to ever serve in a changeling army. I become Phasma’s aide or whatever, and maybe even get a degree in… politics? Ah, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that we’ll see Phasma regularly, and we’ll be advancing our own careers.”
Cadence blinked in surprise, “That…. sounds like a wonderful plan. I’m sure Aunt Luna will take all the help she can get in making sure Phasma doesn’t go lopping off heads.” Cadence frowned, her own mood spoiled by the thought. “In any case, we should properly meet and talk over tea. I’ve heard a lot about you three, and I’d love to make your acquaintances, but now we must return to saving Equestria.”
The four ponies went to Shining and Phasma and stood around, not being able to offer much in the way of help. They did help patch up some of the wounded sent their way, though.
The battle outside had finally finished. It would take a long time to get the number of injured, and an even longer time to get the number of dead. But, it was far higher than Cadence would have liked.
She internally wondered how Phasma was dealing with the losses. The fact she wasn't sure whether Phasma was hurt by the losses or if he had already written them off was worrying. She made a mental note to check in with Phasma after Chrysalis was dealt with. Also, she made a mental note to make sure Luna would do the same. Phasma would undoubtedly give different answers to the two of them, and it would be up to them to figure out how he truly feels.
'Stallions,' Cadence shook her head dismissively.
It had taken her quite a while to get Shining to open up about the war. He had lost a number of friends while pursuing Chrysalis and had gained little from their sacrifice.
Needless to say, he had taken the war pretty badly.
She wasn't taking it any better, but she at least was able to open up to Shining and get support from him when she could. She also had the option of opening up to Celestia and Luna, though that option had a distinct lack of cuddles. Cuddles and sex.
On that note, Cadence was still struggling to find a special somepony for Auntie Celestia. It had been over a century and a half since Celestia had lost her last other-half, and while that was a fraction of her lifespan, a century and a half was still a century and a half.
'Perhaps Twilight…? No, idolizes Celestia too much. Lieutenant Iron Heart? No, a bit too iron hearted. Raven? Heh, that would be something. I'll need to check out what their feelings are, though. Maybe I need to look outside Canterlot. Maybe even outside Equestria… I wonder what the griffins are up to. If the rumors are to be believed, then maybe–'
The changeling drone she was aiding gasped, and went limp. Cadence had finished casting a numbing spell, completing her work on setting the mangled front right foreleg.
"Thank you…. Your Highness," the changeling sighed.
"It's no problem," Cadence smiled. "Just get plenty of rest, and see a real doctor as soon as you can."
"... Not a hint of malice," the changeling said under her breath. "It's true, then? You really will… help us?"
'Oh, she must be from the Fourth Hive, not the Fifth.'
"Of course. King Phasma had just approached a rather… evil mare the first time. We're all more than happy to help you all."
The changeling nodded slowly, thinking on what Cadence had said. Cadence moved onto the next pony in need of aid. This time, it was a Royal Guard who had taken an ice spell to their muzzle.
‘Now, where was I? Oh yes, giant, muscular, foreign griffons. I’m sure Celestia would love–’
“Everypony, form up!” Shining suddenly barked.
The ponies and Red Right Hoof armored soldiers started getting ready to move. The ones that weren’t injured or tending to the injured, at least.
“What’s going on?” Cadence looked to her fiancé for answers.
“We’ve made contact with Princess Luna,” he announced. “We’re going to reinforce her right now.”
“Northern wings swept,” a pony reported to Shining as we marched. “Some pockets of resistance, but they’re being handled as we speak.”
“Good, good. Keep up the good work, Corporal,” Shining dismissed his subordinate.
The pony saluted, “Aye aye, sir!”
“Now, we should be getting close,” he said quietly to himself.
“That’s good to hear,” I said, having overheard him. “I’m honestly quite lost in this place already.”
Actually, I had a pretty good idea; we were somewhere in the Western end of the castle, close to the main entrance to the gardens. I only knew that because of a sign we had passed two intersections back, though. Otherwise, this hall would have been completely unremarkable and easily mistaken for at least seven other halls in the Palace.
I was keeping an eye on each branching-out hall we passed on my side, staying alert for any signs of an ambush or other trouble. We were passing by an ornate set of stained glass windows on the far side when I caught a flash of movement on my side. Something purple and orange.
I signaled with a hoof to stop moving, and all the ponies and changelings halted, going into an alert stance.
I then signaled towards the movement I had seen, and started slowly prowling down the offshoot. Several R.R.H. soldiers followed me, going equally as slowly and silently.
The movement I had seen was around a corner up ahead, so I kept as alert as possible, not just for sight or movement but for any emotions if it was a pony.
There were lingering traces of fear, but that had been the case for every other part of Canterlot. I heard nothing more, and definitely didn't see any movement. We had to be careful, though; we had to be prepared for everything from an ambush to a maid simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Taking point, I dashed around the corner, a stun spell at the ready. My soldiers mimicked my action a fraction of a second later, covering all angles.
"Clear," I announced, relaxing when I didn't see anyone around the corner.
I still held the spell at the ready as I continued to look around. However, I didn't sense any magic, nor see anything out of the ordinary. At least, no magic or anything else other than what was right in front of me.
Sitting on a splintered and shattered side table was the portal amulet, glowing slightly purple. I could sense its magic: a teleport spell was half finished, present within the artifact.
Cautiously, I picked up the amulet to examine it further. I didn't detect any traps. There wasn't any movement, and all the doors in sight were firmly shut.
"Someone's been looting my stuff," I mumbled angrily and I flipped the amulet over.
I scanned the amulet again, but picked up no change. The teleport spell was decaying away, but now that I saw how it was structured, I could easily replicate and finish it.
"Teleporting indeed. Alright, let's get back in formation," I told my lings.
"What is it, sir?" One asked as we began to backpedal.
"An artifact from the First Hive. I don't know who left it here, but they did so in a hurry. Get a squad together and start sweeping that corridor."
The changeling saluted, nodded to four others, and went back to the hallway we had just peeked down. When I rejoined the ponies, Shining gave the order to resume moving.
"What is that?" Shining asked, nodding to the necklace I was holding.
"From Nisir," I repeated. "Someone must have stolen it, used it, and abandoned it in a hurry. There's no other magic present, so it can only be related to teleportation. When the squad picks up our thief, I'll be sure to thank him or her for figuring out what the amulet is for…"
"You're sure it's not a trap?" Cadence asked, eying the magical device.
"Certain," I nodded. "I've seen quite a few traps now, and I only detect a decayed teleportation matrix on this thing."
I put the amulet around my neck so I wouldn't have to hold it.
As scared as I was of a trapped piece of jewelry, that was peanuts in comparison to the big threat of Chrysalis and being defeated by her. I needed every advantage I could get.
"You're really certain of that?" Cadence asked, clearly not convinced.
"I walked around for weeks with the biggest trapped piece of magical jewelry in existence during the invasion. Since then, I've made sure to get very good at detecting other spells present in enchantments."
That much was true. I might not be able to replicate most enchantments, but I could at least distinguish between them and identify the types of magic. Unbroken Radiance was, for example, an incredibly complex artifact, though much of the enchantments had decayed over time. God-Splitter, on the other hoof, had layers of complex dispelling enchantments around a core of… something. Likely the Mithril inside was doing something magic-related, but what exactly was beyond me. There wasn't anything outside of the core that would suggest a way to speak with the Dead, so whatever it was that was causing me to hear Princess Procho was in the hammer's core.
"Besides, we might need every advantage we can get against Chrysalis. I'm sure she's got a few new tricks of her own."
Cadence shrugged, "Alright then. We should be getting close, now…"
We heard our allies before we saw them. Sounds of spellfire and yelling caused our lead elements, namely Shining Armor and a squad of Royal Guards, to break into a gallop. I maintained a quick pace, continuing to check around for ambushes. The fact that we were nearing a battle meant that there were in fact enemies nearby, and I wasn't about to make the assumption that every one of them was focused on Luna. If I were in charge, I would have kept some lings back to ambush any would-be reinforcements.
But, aside from a few scared staff members hiding in a guest bedroom behind a makeshift barricade, there were no surprises for us.
Shining Armor had run up to Princess Luna, who was leading an offensive of fifty ponies and changelings. Their target was a massive barricade of overturned furniture and shields down the hallway, who were throwing out as many suppressive spells as they could.
"Phasma!" Luna acknowledged my arrival with a smile and nod.
Seeing her smile, all perfectly healthy– save for a few cuts– filled me with a sense of relief that was like jumping into a cold pool of water.
"Sir!" An armored changeling next to her nodded.
After a moment, I recognized him as Captain Katydid. He was bleeding in several places, but was still standing.
I ducked down into cover next to them, "Luna, Katydid. You have no idea how happy I am to see you two. Hope you weren't having too much fun without us?"
"We've got a problem," Luna said with a noticeable contraction.
"What?" I asked, realizing that this was serious.
"We found Celestia," Luna announced. "But we weren't the first."
I looked past the changelings’ defenses, “Well then. Good thing I’ve got the world’s best battering ram with me. Let’s make this quick. If Celestia is injured…”
It was, after all, my fault that Celestia was in danger. I had abandoned her in favor of saving my own changelings. A necessary decision, but one that I still felt guilty for.
God-Splitter tapped quietly against Unbroken Radiance as I stared her down.
At my sides, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence, and Captain Shining Armor stood at the ready in war gear, eyes glued to Princess Celestia. My eyes never left hers.
The room we were in, a large open room that was a break room for the countless staff that rotated in and out of this part of the castle at all hours of the day, was nearly empty. All the tables and chairs had been taken out and used in the Praetorians’ barricades, leaving the room with just its fancy paintings, light fixtures, and curtains.
The doors we had entered from, we had shut behind us. The only other feasible exit were the massive floor-to-ceiling windows on the far side, which overlooked a portion of the castle’s massive garden. The setting sun cast its yellow and orange rays through the windows, reflecting brightly off the laminated wood floor beneath our hooves.
Then there was Princess Celestia, the shrunken alicorn of the sun. She was lying prone on the ground, with several armor pieces colored pitch black and encircled with gold filigree; the war wizards of the many illustrious orders of the Royal Guards. Celestia had used them as personal bodyguards.
Now, they were piles of ashes scattered around fallen armor sets.
Celestia herself was staring at the pieces, eyes wide and heavy with the fear and sadness that surged from her like waves crashing against a shore. The white alicorn seemed duller around the edges, with her eyes and mane many shades duller than what they should be. The reason for that was quite obvious; the reason was smiling, and looking quite satisfied with herself as she loomed over the defeated alicorn.
Her Adamantium boots, thin half-barrel-plate, and crown shined in the sun’s rays.
Her chitin, as black as my own, was pitted and scarred with a hundred and one cuts, some as shallow as a scratch, and others as deep as a knife wound.
Her weapon, a sharpened blade of glowing stone, black as obsidian, bobbed lazily by her side.
Her mane, once a straight curtain of blue, had been cut short in many places, and messed up and stained with blood in many more.
Her eyes, the green orbs which matched my own, didn’t waver for a second. The moment I had opened the door, there was only one thing she cared enough to stare at.
Her Weave, the unwelcome presence at the back of my mind, reminded me of everyone who had died as a result of this madmare.
Queen Chrysalis of the Fourth Hive smiled at my entrance, and hadn’t stopped smiling since.
“Phasmatodea,” she cooed.
“Chrysalis,” I snarled back.