God Rest Ye, Merry Stallions

by Prisoner 24601

Invasion

The slow, solemn verse was sang low in the dark caverns beneath the mountains.

A lone creature, with a coat as black as night, and wings as thin as film, sat in the darkness, singing the popular Equestrian Hearth's Warming Eve carol. She was alone in the cavernous deep, almost 2,000 feet below the surface. All around her, the dark-faced rocks seemed to even weep at her loneliness. It was two evenings before Hearth's Warming Eve, and the betrayed matriarch sat in a prison of stone.

How could they? How could they betray and shun their own queen? Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings thought just this as she lay in exile. The whole event flashed past her eyes as she shed a single tear onto the rocky ground.

"NO!" Chrysalis shouted at the changeling before her. She was not outraged by his actions, only scared, "You can't do this to me! I'm your Queen!"

"Not anymore!" the changeling stallion said, a group of about eight changelings at his back, "You promised us enough love to live off of for lifetimes! Yet you bring us cruel, starving exile!" He pushed Chrysalis back further and further, to the point where she was leaning over the edge of the bottomless pit that led to the cavernous deep that she now called home.

"No!" she repeated again, "I tried to help, I really did, but those-"

"Shut up!" Said the stallion. "You failed us, and we have deciced not to let that action go without concequence. You are hereby exiled to the cavernous deep, by the four fifths majority of the Changeling congress!" The stallion gave one final shove, and Chrysalis, with a bloodcurtling half scream, half plea, fell into the dark abyss known as the Cavernous Deep.

The changeling responsible for the Queen's demise now turned, and faced the entiety of the changeling hive, sitting in pleasure across the cavern. They were cheering and hurrah-ing with the thought of their tyrannical quenn exiled to 3,000 feet below. "CHANGELINGS OF DEEP HIVE!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, which got the attention of the rowdy changelings, and calmed them down, "I, Magistrate Chang, have banished our old queen to the depths of the Cavernous Deep! I now take upon myself the role of king! I am King Chang the First! The people's whim is my order! I will listen to your pleas, and carry them out, no matter the concequences, only in return for your sworn loyalty!"

The changelings howled and cheered in agreement at the sight of the new King Chang the First.

Chrysalis now knew not what was happening above her, but from the echose coming down the massive silo to her head, she could safely assume they were preparing for war. The thought filled her with guilt. She knew why she had belayed war for so long: It was because the Changelings were weak without love. The entire Canterlot Wedding attempt was to prepare them for a greater war, and now they will have to face it starving and weak.

She knew that she, and she alone, would be responsible for the Changelings inevitable defeat. Oh, how she wished she could fly up, out of this dark cage, and help them, but that was impossible. Her immense force upon hitting the cold stone immobiliozed her. She could barely move. Even if she could, her right wing had snagged on a rock coming down, and flight was no longer a luxury she could aford.

She had managed to prop herself against a wall to sing the carol with her still working mouth. It gave her a symbolisation that the loved. Of the life she left behind...

********

King Chang the first stood on his balcony, overlooking the massive corridor that led to the only exit of Deep Hive: a huge hole in the side of the mountain. To his right stood his advisor, Jazar, and to his left, stood his highest general, Bjorn Greenblood. In front of them was a long bridge, connecting the back wall, to the bottom of the exit, and about 50 feet across. The changelings swarmed around in a mess, collecting armor, and magical stones to put in their crevices, increasing their magical potential.

The changelings of Deep Hive were preparing for war. They lined up in rows and columns, military formation. Two evenings from now, on the Equestrian holiday of Hearth's Warming Eve, They would attack. Chang was hoping for a quick battle, but judging by the malnutrition of his soldiers, he was counting on luck. He couldn't call off the attack now, not when they're already prepared. He would have to go through with it.

"My king," said Jazar in his slick, snake-like voice, hissing as he did, "The Changelings are underfed. They cannot hope to overcome the target without a ready amount of love. Unless," He strayed off for a few seconds, knowing Chang would be unhappy with his suggestion. He lowly hissed out, "He get help-"

"NO!" shouted Chang, not even looking at his advisor, "Where were the other hives when our people were suffering? Where were the other hives to help us recover? They were sitting comfortably in their hives, feeding off of loving stockpiles, and not giving a hoot about what happens to their blood brothers! We will show them the same courtesy.

"But King," General Greenblood spoke, "Jazar is right. Without reinforcements, our troops will be slaughtered."

"I said no, Bjorn. That is my answer. You cannot talk me out of it." With that, King Chang turned, and exited back into the executive quartering of Deep Hive.

"Hurry up, Bjorn!" shouted Chang to the armory. General Bjorn Greenblood was to lead the immense army of Changelings to their target today. It was invasion day. The military was in formation, and all they needed was their General to move out. While the ponies of Equestria celebrated and sang, the changelings stood at the ready to attack.

Bjorn exited the armory in a suit that reminded Chang of the Stallion of War, a legendary fighter who defended the capitol city of Canterlot from the Cyclops of the Everfree Forest. Shining silver armor covered every inch of his body, almost doubling the size of his shoulders, hooves, and head. His horn was also clad in metal, and the only way the general could see, was through a slit in his shining helm.

Without a word to the king, Bjorn took his place at the head of the pack. Chang could see no wings on his armor, and was wondering how Bjorn could fly without them. Regardless, the king took his place beside his general. Bjorn raised his hooves in a blood-chilling war cry. The changelings, and Chang, responded with a mimic. The general then fell upon the ground again, bending his hooves forward. As if by will, four slits appeared on the side of Bjorn's armor, and huge tendrils of white light spouted from them.

With this, Bjorn catapaulted himself out of the hole in the mountain, folloiwed by the king, and the rest of the 20,000 changelings who would attack their enemies that day. The general soared through the skies at speeds Chang would have doubted, had he not seen them for himself. Whatever was spouting from Bjorn, it was more powerful than any magic Chang could think up. A smile ran up through his cheeks as he thought to himself, Even the Elements of Harmony.

Within a few minutes, the changelings were flying in a huge line, 100 soldiers across, and 200 down the back. Jazar was not there. He was overlooking Deep Hive. They were just topping the last mountain, and could see the focal point of their attack. Chang shouted something, but with the speed of the wind, it was silence. Only Bjorn could hear him, and shouted it himself, careful not to let anything not withing a five-mile radius to hear

The words broke the wind as they were carried to the soldiers: "WE'RE APPROACHING CANTERLOT! READY YOURSELVES, SOLDIERS! DROP SPEED!" The massive line of changelings slowed down considerably as they approached the capitol of Canterlot. They swooped down, as to rise up for the attack, and continued for only a few moments. Then, they sharply pulled up, and grazed the edge of the castle walls. The War had begun the second they crossed into the city. All that was left was to end it.

********

The ponies were re-enacting the founding of Equestria when they first heard the signs. A loud bang, a crash, and a blood-curtling screech. The play was interrupted by the noise, and many ponies looked to the window. Most of them only had time to see a tower to one side of the hall split in half, and come crashing through the roof. The rest were divided. One half immediately took off down the hall, trying to escape with their lives, and the other half was trapped on the stage and in the dressing rooms.

General Bjorn and a few soldiers were atop the fallen spire soon. They looked down at the terrified ponies, cowring in the corner of the stage, and the two guards who would protect them to the end. One guard tried to fire a beam of light at Bjorn, but it was deflected by the armor, and sent into a window, shattering it, and sending the cold breeze of December in. Bjorn made quick work of the guards, slicing down with his wings, and thusting up with his horn. They were dead within moments. But the civilians were to important-not to mention, passive-to give the same fate. They, instead, were locked up in the green, gooish substanse that changelings use to capture their prey for later harvesting.

King Chang and his men were in luck. Using the special abilities that come with being a mimic, Chang, and three of his finest soldiers, turned themselves into Royal Canterlot Guards. They walked down the silent hall, ready to capture any pony in their way. But it was desolate. Empty. Not a love-rich soul in sight. Chang continued though, aware of the possibilities. Then, as they turned the corner into the kitchens, they finally found somepony.

It was a stallion, with a grey coat, and a chef's hat. He seemed unaware of what was around him, and only looked forward. Chang heard some voices talking, then the chef nodded his head. Afterward, there was the smashing of rock, and silence again. The stallion looked away from the four, then at them. His expression turned from cautios, to aggresive. enveloping his hat in a green glow, the stallion levitated it off his head, revealing a Unicorn horn. Then, as he put the hat aside, cast a fiery spell upon Chang and his associates.

The four changelings reared in surprise at the flames, but could not quickly recover. They heard the stallion shout, "Changeling scum!" before blasting a bolt of green energy at one of Chang's elite soldiers. The victim fell backward, and converted into his original, jet-black state. The stallion did this again and again, shooting bolts of energy at Chang. another was hit, but the king and the last Elite were still sound. They ducked behind a corner, and heard the chef say, "You're entire race is nothing but a slimey, lying, unloveable excuse for a living creature! The breaths you take are coated with tender lies! I can see right through your ruses!" He went silent, and Chang heard the sound of magic chargin up. "I'll be happy when you're all dead as my sympathy!" he shouted one last time before the wall behind the two changelings exploded into a shower of rocks.

Chang still was in his guard disguise, laying next to his cold dead counterpart. He stood again to face his opponent. He said, "Forget the luxury of living, you murdering scum! You'll get the very same fate my elite soldiers here got!" He fired a beam of magic just as the chef fired one. The two beams met in the middle, in an explosion of cinders and lightning. neither one was dominant, until the middle of the beams began inching toward the kitchens. It picked up it's pace, until Chang hhad nearly overpowered the grey cook. Then, there was an explosion from behind the pony, and both beams were cut off. Both the king, and the chef looked to the direction of the explosion.

the wall that used to be there was gone, and behind the dust and smoke, there stood an immense figure, shillouetted against the sunlight now flowing into the dark room. Chang could make out the shadow of massive shoulders and hooves, and a horn jutting from the head. He shouted out, "Bjorn!" The general looked his king's way, then turned to the chef. The stallion was backing away slowly, in fear, hoping that what he saw was not real. But when Geberal Bjorn Greenblood stepped into the kitchens, the chef could not argue. He lowered his horn, ready to fight the behemoth.

Chang took his chance. Soon after, the grey stallion reared back, and shouted in pain, before falling forward, a cinged splotch staining his coat on his back. Bjorn looked up from the dead stallion, and narrowed his eyes at his king, "What was that?" he asked, angry, "We need all the love we can get. Why kill the love-rich, my king?"

Chang wiped the green blood of his comrades off his face, then said, "He was hostile. He killed three elite soldiers. He diserved to die."

Bjorn said, "Fine. Where do we got next? The observatory, ballroom, and lowlands courtyard are in custody. Minor casualties."

Chang looked to the wall the stallion was looking at. He said, "Bjorn, do you think you can break down this wall?"

Bjorn Greenblood scoffed at his king's underestimation of his powers, and turned to the stone wall, regardless of the fact that he had no idea why. He reared back, and thrust his hooves into the stone. The wall came crumbling down, echoeing down the dark tunnel that the rubble revealed. "Well done, general. I think we've found our next objective." he chuckled as he and Bjorn walked down the tunnel, wherever it may lead.

There was a grey stallion left in the room. He was sprawled on the ground, as if dead, a splotch of burned fur on his back. A hoof extended from his body. It twitched a few times, then curled down, pushing on the ground. Two eyes opened.