The screaming had finally stopped, but nopony liked what had replaced it. Following Twilight’s fit of night terrors, the Princesses had found her and rushed her to the Fillydelphia hospital. She had continued screaming as tears ran down her face, matting her fur and causing her eyes to become bloodshot and swollen. Her friends had quickly been informed of her condition and had rushed over as swiftly as they could. When they arrived they found themselves greeted by the princesses and Shining Armor, all of whom looked as shaken as they did.
“Is Twilight all right?” demanded Rainbow Dash, flying up to them ahead of the others. The others nodded, turning questioning eyes on those already in the waiting room. Celestia took her time to gaze at all of them before sighing.
“She is . . . physically at least.” Applejack looked at the princess confusedly.
“Physically? So what else is wrong with her?”
“When we found her she was screaming like a banshee in her room, tears pouring down her face. We brought her here and called Shining Armor before sending out runners to get each of you. By the time we got her here she had stopped screaming, but she was murmuring something incomprehensibly in her sleep. The doctor’s only recently declared her physically fine, but I fear that something has happened to her mentally or emotionally to reduce her to this.”
The others looked at each other fearfully. This was something that had never happened to Twilight before. The five mares had seen her stressed to her breaking point and immersed in pain and sadness on separate occasions, but never in all this time had Twilight reacted to anything like this. This was an anomaly, something different that none of them quite knew how to deal with. And it scared them more than any of them wanted to admit.
“Can . . . can we see her princess?” Asked Fluttershy.
“I’m afraid not Fluttershy. The doctors say that they want to run some more tests to ensure that she is fit for visitors. I know how painful this must be for all of you, but I’m afraid that all we can do now is wait and pray.” The others nodded as they took seats in the waiting and waited to be allowed to see their suffering friend.
----
Triune was pleased with how things were going. Their new military base was still not finished, but the temporary barracks and command complex were up so at least they had working facilities. In addition the diplomat, drone 624 if he recalled, had returned to her hive to report to her queen. Reinforcements for their position had been sent in by train and the new garrison now totaled over 2,000 men, a few dozen mortars, eight siege cannons, and sixteen field pieces. What had once been a frontier settlement was now a fortified garrison bustling with the sounds of human industry as they hammered, sawed, forged, and beat the land around them into a form more pleasing to them; civilization imposed on the desert wastes. Interrupting his reverie, one of his guards appeared at his shoulder.
“My lord,” he reported. “We’ve finished raiding another buffalo camp. In total we encounter two dozen buffalo and one dozen ponies that escaped the purge. More than half were killed in the fighting or when they attempted to flee. The survivors include six ponies and two buffalo. What should we do with them?”
“Simple. Interrogate the buffalo and see if there are any more camps.”
“And the ponies sir?” Triune turned to face him, his expression stern.
“Keep them as prisoners for now. While I might not know very much about 624’s race, I think that they would be amenable to a snack after such a long journey.”
“Sir,” the soldier said, snapping Triune a quick salute before leaving to see to his commands. He followed his soldier with eyes as he ran through the bustling town towards the armed group just entering the town. They led, on chains of iron, the prisoners, all of them bloodied and downcast. Not a single one had any trace of defiance except the buffalo and even they were quite close to being broken. The buffalo were taken away to be interrogated while the ponies were roughly led to a hastily built prison near the center of the town.
Just before the last of the group were forced in, one of the ponies looked up and their gaze met Triune’s. They were the eyes of a broken being; no happiness, hope, or defiance. Yet, they seemed to plead him for mercy. The last thing the mare saw before being thrown into the prison was that of a human turning his back on her plight after tossing her a disgusted look.
----
“Princess!” Celestia looked up at the entrance to the hospital waiting room to see two of her guards standing at attention.
“At ease guards. What do you have for me?” The guards relaxed slightly, but both of them still looked tense.
“There are two griffons asking to see you Princess. They claim that they are envoys from the King of Griffonia himself.” That got everyone’s attention. Equestria and Griffonia had never quite seen eye-to-eye in all their years of coexisting. It made sense: Both nations had extremely divergent views on how society should function and it had resulted in multiple wars in the distant past. Luckily the wars had ended relatively quickly, but they had created great rifts between the nations that had never quite healed. If they were approaching them now, it could only be because they were afraid or they thought that the Equestrians were weak.
“Sister,” said Luna. “What should we do? Somehow I doubt that the griffons are here to inquire after our health.”
“I know Luna,” Celestia said, slowly getting to her hooves. “But in our current position we can ill-afford to ignore the King.” Rainbow Dash raised her head up from where she had been napping at this.
“Do you need our help princess?” Celestia smiled wearily at the blue pegasus.
“No Rainbow Dash. It would be better if Luna and I handled this on our own.” Rainbow Dash sighed as she slumped back into her seat.
“Alright princess. I just . . . I don’t like just sitting here and doing nothing.” Luna smiled knowingly at her.
“I understand your concern, but right now the best thing you can do is stay here with your friends. Twilight will need you, of that I am quite sure.” And with those parting words, Celestia and Luna took their leave of the hospital and followed their guards to where the diplomats stood waiting.
----
Triune could scarcely believe his eyes. The gold-brown wastes of the desert had been covered in a virtual carpet of pitch black chitin and buzzing, insectile wings. The Changeling Swarm had finally arrived and they had come in force. He could see that the majority of the Swarm was the simple drones, but the sheer mass of them had all of the human forces on alert. The Swarm had built up their camps on the edge of the settlement and soon their diplomats had flown into the town. Shaking his head, Triune returned to his command tent. While their new allies were here, the military base had yet to be completed. Taking a deep breath, he turned toward one of the soldiers near the tent’s entrance.
“Guardsman, send for the Changeling envoys. I will see them here, understand?” The guard snapped Triune a quick salute and went to fetch the Changelings. He didn’t have to wait very long. He heard the heavy, thudding footsteps of his soldiers as well as the slight buzzing of a changeling’s wings approaching the tent. When they entered, Triune saw a few of the drones surrounding a central figure. The figure in the center was taller than the other drones, and instead of the thicker, hunched forms of the drones this figure had a more slender and graceful form. Its wings were thin but powerful and the horn on its head curved up, ending in a sharpened point. The eyes were a light green in color and hair fell from it head down past its shoulders.
“Greetings Lord Triune,” it spoke, the voice oddly familiar. “It is good to see you again so soon after our last meeting.” Triune frowned at it.
“Greetings to you as well, though I cannot recall ever meeting a changeling such as you before.” The changeling mare looked confused for a moment before letting out a heartfelt laugh.
“Of course you wouldn’t. I apologize, but I had forgotten how much I have changed since we last spoke. You knew me as Drone 624.”
“624? You look . . . different.” She laughed again at his confusion.
“Yes, well, my Queen saw fit to reward me for my service. She raised me up above the rank and file drones and I can now have my own thoughts and ideas outside of the hive mind of our species. It is both a form of evolution and mark of status. It is similar to becoming a noble in your civilization I believe.”
“Interesting. So what I should call you now that you are no longer a drone?” She flashed him a toothy smile.
“You may call me Lilith, lord Triune. Now, shall we get on with the business at hand?” Triune nodded.
“Yes, I believe it’s time we did. My Emperor has been informed of your offer and only asks that you submit to a simple test before we can formally conclude our negotiations.”
“Oh?” She said, cocking her head to the side. “And what test might that be?” Triune stood up and walked around the desk. When he stood in front of her, he removed the armor and cloth covering his right arm.
“I want you to send a small blast of your magic at my arm. Depending on the results, we will decide how these negotiations will be concluded.” Lilith stood there, confusion plain on her face.
“Just send a blast of magic at your arm?” Triune just nodded at her, his arm tensing in anticipation of the blast. With a mental shrug, Lilith charged a bit of magic to her horn, the green light illuminating the tent’s interior. After a few seconds of gathering the energy and shaping the blast, she released a small beam of energy at Triune’s unprotected arm. When the beam struck the smell of burning hair filled the tent, but other than that there were not untoward effects.
Triune could only stare in shock at his arm. What should have been a massive injury had barely burned him. It was definitely magic . . . of a sort, but it didn’t have the same, horrific effects of the daemon’s magic. It seemed that Magnus Himself was smiling upon this alliance after all. With another quick glance at his arm, Triune turned to smile at Lilith.
“So,” she said. “Did I pass?” In answer, Triune held out his right hand towards the changeling. Lilith extended her right hoof and the two shook.
“Oh yes,” said Triune happily. “With flying colors.”
----
“You guys ready?”
“Of course we are. These bastards took our home, why wouldn’t we be ready?”
“Alright then. Then just remember the pl . . . oh hay here they come. Get ready.”
Down the cobbled streets of Canterlot walked two human soldiers. Neither was of the heavily armored variety, nor were they of the Blessed. They were just ordinary soldiers on patrol just like their orders told them to do. Unfortunately that put them in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“For Equestria!” With a shout, bolts of magic flew out from the darkened alleys and into the unsuspecting guards. There was nothing that the two could do as the magic burned its way through their bodies. Steam rose from their bodies as their flesh sloughed off. The two guards screamed in agony. The pain of magical exposure was unlike anything they had ever felt before.
A group of unicorns and earth ponies stepped out from the alley towards the fallen guards.
“All right,” said one of the unicorns. “Let’s grab them before they make any more . . . what the hay?!” The ponies could only look in horror at the corpses of the two human guards in front of them. Enough of their skin had burned off that their skulls were partially visible and their bodies still twitched spasmodically even after their deaths.
“That . . . that wasn’t supposed to happen,” one of the earth ponies said quietly, trembling as he did so. The lead unicorn stepped forward, and examined the corpses. Behind him he could hear one of his friends retching at the sight and smell of the bodies.
“How did this happen?” He thought. “I could have sworn they repelled magic. So why are these two . . .” Suddenly he heard yells and heavy footfalls coming ever closer. His face paled as he realized that they had just killed two humans and more were on their way.
“Everypony, we have to get out of here now!” There were panicked murmurs of assent as the group quickly scattered back into the alleys, running from the scene of the crime as fast as their hooves could carry them.
----
Helmholtz was furious. His guards had just reported that two soldiers on patrol had been killed by magic and the perpetrators had gotten away scot free. This was more than murder; this was an insult against him personally. As governor he was responsible for everything that happened in Canterlot and if ponies were able to kill his troops than it was his own fault. But it was time to correct that mistake.
“Guards!”
“Yes my lord?”
“Bring me the Council. It’s about time they made themselves useful. I will bring an end to this insolence once and for all.”
----
Celestia and Luna walked into the room where the Griffon diplomats were waiting. When they entered the room, the griffons rose from their seats and inclined their heads slightly to the princess. It was typical of the griffons: enough of a show of respect to avoid being thought of as rude, but not a deep enough bow to indicate actual respect for the being they were talking too. The one on the right stepped forward. He was wearing thick robes and had multiple rings on his talons.
“Greetings Princess Celestia. Princess Luna. I am Ambassador Highfeather and this is my associate Ambassador Leda.” The other griffon gave another slight bow at the mention of her name.
“Greetings to you as well ambassadors,” Celestia began. “To what do we owe the pleasure of being host to personal ambassadors of the King?” Highfeather puffed out his chest slightly before launching into his pre-prepared speech.
“We have come to discuss the recent attacks made against your nation, princess. The King is stunned that a foreign race has so quickly taken much of Equestria out from under you and he wanted us to ascertain what kind of a position you were in now.” Luna growled under her breath, furious at the ambassador’s pompous tone.
“I can assure you,” Celestia said carefully. “While we have been beaten back we can still fight. And fight we shall.”
“How very interesting,” mused the griffon. “Well then, that makes things a bit easier doesn’t it? We have an offer from the King that I believe you will be most interested in.”
Celestia frowned at this, unsure just what kind of offer the King would send them in their weakened state.
“Very well. What is this offer?” The ambassador unfurled a large scroll bearing the seal of Griffonia’s royal family and spoke in an imperious voice.
“Princesses Celestia and Luna of Equestria. The King of all Griffonia formally extends an offer of alliance to you so that we may assist you in the war effort against these unknown creatures.” Celestia and Luna stood there, barely keeping their jaws from dropping open in shock. They weren’t sure what to make of this. The griffons were offering them an alliance, but dealings with them in the past proved that they were never this generous with their help.
“That is a very generous offer,” said Celestia.
“Indeed,” Luna said, cutting in quickly. “But we are not so foolish to suppose that this offer is coming simply from the goodness of your hearts. So why are you offering this to us?” For his part, Highfeather merely looked amused at the situation.
“Well princess you make it sound as if we are giving this to you for free. But you two should know better than any,” at this he flashed them a wicked grin. “Nothing is ever free.”