Chapter 1: Back for Blood
August 4, 2558
1800 hours
The Scorchedlands (575 miles southwest of Equestrian borders)
The Changeling Grand Palace/Military Training Grounds
Queen Chrysalis sat on her throne. She was silently fuming, her face a contorted screen of rage. It had been almost a year since she and her army were defeated in Canterlot; and she was determined to have her revenge.
They will rue the day… she thought.
Her anger turned to joy however, as her most trusted General trotted through the grand gates into her throne room. He wore a dark purple helmet, a hole through the top to allow his horn to protrude, as well as the flowing dark blue robe used to identify all non-combat officers. He marched about three-fourths of the way between the doors and the Queen`s throne before he stopped, and then spoke.
"My Queen," said the General before bowing to his superior.
"General Hives," said Chrysalis coolly. "What news do you have for me?"
"Our armies are ready your highness," said General Hives. "Just give us the word."
"Excellent!" said the ecstatic monarch. "May I observe?"
"Of course, your highness."
They then proceeded to walk out into a long hallway; making their way to a balcony that overlooked the training grounds. When they reached said balcony, the General was once again the first to speak.
"I trust you will be pleased with our progress my Queen," said Hives smugly as they both looked down upon their troops in training. "Our weaponry has advanced well beyond that of the Equestrian armed forces. Observe our training exercise."
Hives pointed to a changeling trooper in front of three pony combat training mannequins. He was holding a black spear with an emerald green point in his two front hooves, and was standing on his hind legs. Suddenly, the drill instructor used his magic to make the central mannequin bolt forward. In a flash, the changeling spun left and sliced the poor mannequin`s head right off. The instructor then levitated the mannequin that was now in front of the changeling soldier forward. He quickly decapitated his second adversary by performing the same technique as before, but to the right that time. Then, before the instructor could move the third one, the trainee sliced it in two; the head and forelegs on one half, and the hind legs and tail on the other.
"Very impressive dance show General," said a now unimpressed and indignant Chrysalis. "But I see no new weaponry at all! I specifically remember soldiers of Celestia`s Royal Guard wielding spears that look almost exactly like those!"
"Patience my Queen," said the changeling General. "The demonstration is not yet over."
Suddenly, the drill instructor used his magic to levitate over twenty pony mannequins over a hill in an all out charge on the changeling soldier.
"You are about to see, your majesty, that our spears aren`t, exactly like those of the Royal Guard," said Hives.
What happened next caught Chrysalis off guard: the changeling soldier took a knee and held his spear at his waist, the tip pointed directly at the oncoming charge. Then the changeling`s horn and spear began to glow bright green; as he was clearly using his magic to make the spear do something.
What that something was however, would leave the changeling Queen nearly speechless.
The spear`s tip began to not only glow, but shine bright green before a brilliant beam of green-colored energy burst from the tip, incinerating the lead mannequin instantaneously.
Queen Chrysalis could only let her jaw drop as the trainee managed to keep the beam going, aiming it left and right through his crowd of targets; it incinerated every pony mannequin that was unfortunate enough to get caught in its linear maelstrom of burning destruction.
"They`ll never see it coming," General Hives said smugly. "We designed the spear to channel the energy of the user`s magic into the tip and then amplify its power tenfold. It then holds it there until the user wishes to fire. The magic is under the user`s control during the whole process; it is the user`s magic after all. Also, a single beam isn`t the only thing that can be fired; the spear can throw anything the user`s mind can think of: from the single beam you saw, to explosive balls of fire, to even a siphoning beam that can siphon a unicorn`s magic."
"General," Chrysalis began. "If I`ve ever told you that you`ve outdone yourself, I was sadly mistaken. Now, you`ve outdone yourself!"
"Thank you, my Queen."
"You said the troops were ready?"
"Yes, my Queen, they`re right down there actually."
He pointed straight down off the balcony, and when Chrysalis looked, she saw what must have been entire battalions of troops right below her; each and every one of them wielding the same type of spear that was just demonstrated to her.
"How did I not notice them?" said the incredulous monarch.
"First, second, and third divisions are ready for deployment you highness," said Hives. "The amassment of fourth division will soon be complete."
"Outstanding! We will hold the fourth in reserve," said Chrysalis before pointing straight down at the troops below her. "Right now, see to it that they start cutting a path to the north, straight to Equestria!"
"Yes, your highness," said General Hives before he moved to the very edge of the balcony and placed both his front hooves over the railing. The division leaders below saw him and gave crisp salutes.
"Gentlecolts! Preseeeeeeaaant hooves!" commanded each division leader. Immediately, every changeling on the ground put their spears in their left hooves and gave crisp salutes to their General above.
Hives then used his magic to increase the volume of his voice to the point where he was his own loudspeaker.
"Our Queen has given us the word!" he announced before pointing to the northeast. "Move north to Equestria, and obliterate everything that stands in your way! For the Queen!"
"FOR THE QUEEN!" shouted the troops in a powerful battle cry before taking to the sky.
Any ray of the waning sun that wasn`t already blocked out by the smoke coming from surrounding volcanoes was almost entirely blocked out by the changelings` numbers.
After a minute of watching his troops fly away, General Hives then used his magic to contact the division leaders telepathically.
"All division leaders, report," he said out loud.
"Leader of first is ready to receive orders."
"Leader of second reporting."
"Leader of third hears you loud and clear."
"Gentlecolts," said the general. "Here are your orders: first division is to fly north across the water to Canida; your objective is to capture its capital of Ottapaw. When those dogs surrender, have the entire division occupy the country until further orders arrive. Understood?"
"Yes sir!"
"Second and third, you two are to head east to Boardor. Your job is to capture that territory from the boars; leave two platoons from second behind for the occupation. The rest of you are to then fly north to Canida to regroup with first. Understood?"
"Yes sir!"
On those last set of commands, Queen Chrysalis saw two-thirds of the group break away from the full force, changing their headings eastward.
"And so it begins," she said smugly.
"Even if they do see us coming," said the General after disconnecting with his troops. "There`s no way they`ll be able to stop us!"
The two shared a maniacal laugh as they headed back inside.