Chapter 9: A Slight Change in Plans
August 5, 2558
2300 hours
Canterlot
Fireteam Icebreaker was now about halfway to the Royal Castle; they had formed a makeshift “convoy” in which each man was about three meters apart from each other in a hexagonal defensive perimeter around the princess, and up until this point, everyone in the group had yet to say a single word. The only sounds heard were the sounds of footsteps and hoofsteps combined with the evermore distant sounds of music from the party. The only pony in the group was the one to break the silence.
“So,” said Princess Twilight Sparkle, trying to strike up a conversation. “How was the party? Did any of you get to meet anypony?”
Finding themselves bored as well, due to a lack of something to keep their minds occupied, the six-man group around the alicorn decided to grant her request for a discussion.
“Oh, yeah,” said Private Oscar Morgan. “I got to talk to that pegasus named Fluttershy. Strange how her name seems to match her personality, ‘cause I'll tell you mate, in all that noise, it was a miracle that I was even able to hear her name when she told it to me. I don’t think I've ever met anyone as soft-spoken as her.”
“Well there`s Fluttershy for you,” said Twilight with a chuckle.
“Yeah, but I don’t care, I like her. She seems really kind and caring. I don’t see why anyone wouldn’t be friends with someone like her. How ‘bout you, Shifty? Who`d you meet?”
“I got to meet the one who orchestrated the entire party,” said Private Eugene Phillips. “That silly pink mare ironically named Pinkie Pie. I like her too, but I just don’t get her sometimes. She`s very naïve, she seems to have a thing for saying entire speeches in one breath, and then she starts defying the laws of physics. One moment she`s here, another moment she`s over there, then she`s suddenly right behind me! And then there`s the fact that she always bounces around everywhere; she never seems to run out of energy.”
“Oh that Pinkie Pie,” said Twilight. “She is quite eccentric.”
“Yeah, but strangely, it`s that eccentricity that I really like about her.”
“Hah! No wonder you could never find a woman back home,” teased Sergeant Alex Thompson.
“Oh yeah, sarge?” challenged Shifty playfully. “Who`d you meet then? Huh?”
“I got to meet that Applejack character. Seems that she grew up on a farm like I did, still works there too. She also really seems to like food, mostly anything apple based. I swear, if she wasn’t selling all those apple pies at her stand, she`d be stuffing her face with ‘em! Also, I don’t know where she went to school, but she had some pretty broken English-er Equestrian, if that`s what you prefer to call it. Jenkins? I believe you met that Rainbow-haired pegasus for the second time today? You were sitting at the same table she was at when you called us over. She still mad about what happened?”
“No actually,” said Jenkins. “She said she was fine and that she doesn’t hold grudges, which I find kind of weird, given how boastful she is by nature. The first thing she said about herself to me was a proud claim that she`s the fastest flyer in Equestria. Seriously though, where`s the proof there?”
“You`ll believe it when you see it,” said Twilight.
“Oh sure,” said Jenkins sarcastically. “Ooh! She should totally race one of our F-41s!”
“A Broadsword? Please,” said Corporal Marcus Williams. “That`s the fastest multipurpose strike fighter ever created by the Misriah Armory. It`d leave her in the dust.”
“Well, if she`s as fast as she claims to be, then she`ll at least keep up with it. By the way Corporal, did you meet anyone tonight?”
“Yes actually, tonight I met the acquaintance of miss Rarity. She`s a fashion designer at Ponyville`s Carousel Boutique, reminds me of my mother.”
“Your mother was a fashion designer?!” teased the Sergeant once again. “How`d you end up the military?”
“Oh, I don’t know Sergeant,” said Marcus indignantly. “Maybe the only planet humanity had left was under siege by an alien alliance that wanted nothing more than to see us burn?!”
“Okay, okay! Calm down, I know,” said a now serious Alex as he looked at the ground. “I'm sorry I said that. That`s why we all joined, and became ODSTs.”
“Then why`d you stay?” asked Gunnery Sergeant David Alvarez who, up until now, had been completely silent. “After the war had ended, you could have all gone home to your families; instead you stuck around, signed up to work on the Infinity as marines. Why?”
“Well, I had had friends before the war,” started Jenkins. “But when I joined the ODSTs, got assigned to this squad, and dropped into our first mission, we became so close that, I realized that none of my friends back home were true friends like you guys. I mean if they saw me drowning and were under fire at the same time, they would`ve run away to save their own asses, but you saved me. I just couldn’t leave you guys. I mean, I love my family and all, but I also found that there was no other paying job that I was good at than being a soldier.”
“You know what?” said Corporal Williams. “I think that`s why we all stayed.”
The rest of the marines spoke out in agreement.
“Well, your friendship seemed to have started in a, strange way,” said Twilight. “But I hope this bond lasts as long as possible.”
“Thank you, Twilight,” said gunny.
Before they knew it, they had arrived at their destination. Canterlot castle loomed overhead. In front of the main doorway stood two royal guards.
“We`ll take it from here humans,” said the one on the left.
“Alright,” said Alvarez as he stopped to let the alicorn princess trot past him. “We`ll see you tomorrow Twilight. It was nice meeting you!”
“You too,” said Twilight as she walked between the two guards. “See ya!”
The guards then proceeded to turn around and follow the princess close behind. Gunnery Sergeant Alvarez and his team then turned around and began their journey back to the party.
They had no idea of what was currently happening inside.
. . .
As Twilight trotted through Canterlot Castle, flanked by her two guards, she couldn’t help but think about the humans` peculiar story of how their friendship was started. She also found it hard to believe that the five men of that Fireteam under the command of that Alvarez soldier had, seemingly by coincidence, individually met each of her five friends.
Humans are so strange, she thought. Yet so interesting. Ugh, there`s my inner scientist coming out again. But there`s something else, I feel like I've seen their species befo-
Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when she entered the throne room, for the sight that greeted her left her too stunned to think, or move.
. . .
August 5, 2558
2250 hours (20 minutes earlier)
Canterlot
The Royal Castle
Princess Luna had just entered the main castle barracks and was about to call out for Shining Armor before two guards stopped her.
“Captain Armor is needed at once,” ordered Luna.
“Of course, your highness,” said the guard on the right. “Right this way.”
Luna followed the guards for about five minutes before reaching Shining Armor`s private quarters.
The princess of the moon wasted no time.
“Captain Armor!” called Luna before knocking on the door. “It is Luna! You are needed fo-”
She stopped mid-sentence as the door creaked open in response to her knocks.
“Shini-? *gasp!*” said Luna as she opened the door fully to reveal a gagged Captain of the Royal Guard, with a magic-restraining ring on his horn, struggling with sticky, green goo that restrained his forehooves.
This was the last thing Luna saw before the royal guard behind her knocked her unconscious with the blunt end of his spear.
As the princess of the night fell face-first onto the floor, the two guards materialized into the true forms of the changelings they were.
“Good hit sir,” said one. “Why`s this happening now?”
“I dunno,” responded the other. “Ten minutes ago, the commander telepathically ordered me to do this. You can ask him when he gets here with the purple one.”
Shining Armor froze at the mentioning of his little sister, but all he could do was give both changelings an angry stare that failed to faze either of them.
“Yes sir. So, what about these two?”
“Commander`s orders are to get all Equestrian Royalty tied up in the throne room. So get the princess here restrained with goo and put a ring on her horn while I carry the Captain over there.”
“Yes sir.”
. . .
August 5, 2558
2210 hours (one hour earlier)
Northern Equestria
The Crystal Empire
The Crystal Palace Throne Room
“Your majesty,” said a high ranking crystal guard. “An urgent message from Canterlot. Your presence is needed in the Capital.”
“Why?” asked Princess Cadence with much concern in her voice. “Is something wrong?”
“I'm afraid so princess. From what I hear, the changelings have returned.”
“Oh dear!” said Cadence, remembering her encounter with their queen. “Then it must be a security issue.”
“Yes indeed, we`ve already prepared a chariot for you. Follow me.”
She got off her throne and followed the crystal guard out of the throne room into the adjacent hallway. The hallway then led to a set of doors that opened to a large balcony revealing a chariot with two guards in front of it.
She walked up to the chariot`s side door, but when she reached to open it, there were suddenly three flashes of bright green light behind her.
Cadence froze. When she turned around, she saw that she was no longer flanked by three crystal guards, but by three changeling soldiers. They each pulled out a foot-long black rod that mechanically extended into their spears.
“Alright princess,” said the changeling in the center. “Turn around, open that chariot`s door, then get on your knees in front of it.”
Terrified and seeing no way out, as the three changelings could impale her if she tried to make a break for it and that they would be immune to her magic because they wielded their own, she unwillingly did so.
Once on her knees, facing the inside of her chariot with her hooves behind her head, the center changeling that had spoken to her collapsed his spear back into a foot-long black rod, attached it onto his back, walked up to the now surrendering pink alicorn, and spat a sticky, green goo out of his mouth and onto both of her front hooves.
“Ugh,” said Cadence, in disgust for the goo, as the changeling placed both her hooves behind her back and glued them both together with more of the green, gooey adhesive.
The changeling then glued her wings together (Cadence mentally facehooffing having not even thought to use them) before he finally placed the magic-restraining ring on her horn and stripped her of her crown.
A hoof placed on the back of her head was the last thing Cadence felt before her face was shoved into the chariot`s floor-fabric.
. . .
August 5, 2558
2310 hours
Canterlot
The Royal Castle Throne Room
In front of Twilight lay the sight of all Equestrian royalty on their knees, their forehooves glued behind their backs with some sticky, green goo and magic-restraining rings on their horns.
Before she could react, she was grabbed from behind and shoved to the ground by one of her royal guards.
“Twily! Nooo!” cried her older brother, who could only watch helplessly as the guard materialized into the changeling he was and restrained her hooves and wings with goo.
The other guard that was behind Twilight shape-shifted into the changelings` squad leader.
“Where is the human?!” he demanded as he walked up to the changelings standing by the sun princess.
“We don’t know commander,” one of them responded. “When we jumped Celestia, he was standing right next to her; but then when we had her on the ground, he was nowhere to be seen.”
“Gaaahh!” exclaimed the squad leader in frustration. “What will I ever do with you bums?!”
In desperation, Twilight`s horn began to glow as she tried using her magic to do something, anything, before yelping as the changeling soldier standing over shoved her head, face-first, onto the scarlet-colored floor carpet.
Her horn still glowing, the changeling said, “Don’t you dare! If you do anything with your magic, we`ll randomly vaporize one of your royal friends!”
The glow of Twilight`s horn faded, and the shape-shifter placed a ring on it.
“Good girl,” he said before lifting her to her knees, tears streaming down her face.
“I'm sorry princess,” she sobbed.
“It`s okay Twilight,” said Celestia, sympathizing with the lavender alicorn, even though they both knew it wasn’t.
All the while, Captain Lasky was in fact hiding right behind the throne itself. He concealed himself there when he and the princess were ambushed. He mentally thanked fate that these changelings weren't bright enough to search the room for him. Lasky was outnumbered, and out gunned; the changelings were ten soldiers strong, and wielding spears that could incinerate anything in the room, while all he had on his person was his M6H, which he now had armed in his right hand.
He needed backup, and fast.
He brought his wrist communicator to his mouth and whispered, “Fireteam Icebreaker! Come in Icebreaker!”
. . .
August 5, 2558
2312 hours
Canterlot
Halfway Between the Castle and the Party
“Fireteam Icebreaker! Come in Icebreaker!”
“Captain?” said Alvarez. “Is that you? And why are you whispering?”
“The changelings have infiltrated the city and have all Equestrian Royalty at gunpoint in the throne room! Get over here now! I'll contact Spartan Palmer to send additional support, hurry!”
The Gunnery Sergeant looked to his men and asked if they all got that message via their own helmet mikes. When they all nodded their heads, all six men immediately turned around and began their sprint back towards the Castle.
. . .
Meanwhile, back in the throne room, the situation was deteriorating quickly.
“Sir? Why are we doing this now?” asked one of the changeling soldiers. “I thought we were supposed to wait until the main forces got closer.”
“Well, I've decided to change the plan,” the commander responded. “By killing off all Equestrian leaders, we`ll throw Equestria into complete anarchy! By the time the main forces get here, Equestria will be in complete chaos, and takeover will be a breeze.”
“We`ll be heroes!” exclaimed the insubordinate.
“Precisely! The changeling empire will idolize us for its victory!” said the commander as he walked up to Celestia and placed the tip of his spear on her nose. “And now, such fame is but seconds away.”
BANG!
A bullet hit the commander right between the eyes; his head snapped back as green blood splattered onto the changelings behind him.
All at once, things went into slow-motion as his stunned comrades and their royal hostages watched as his body fell to the ground; Princess Celestia looked behind her to see that Lasky had broken his cover from behind the throne, the barrel of his weapon smoking.
Both Cadence and Twilight squealed in absolute shock as the doors of the throne room opened to reveal Fireteam Icebreaker with their M6Hs drawn level, PFC Ogden spearheading their breach.
“Targets front! Targets front!” he barked.
When Jenkins spoke, the changeling insubordinate that the commander had been talking to immediately spun to face the human with his spear; in response, the PFC shot him in the face without hesitation.
Each man in the Fireteam managed to headshot one changeling in the room (gunny managed to kill the one holding Twilight) before three Spartan IVs burst through the stained glass window right next to Twilight.
It seemed as if the changeling soldiers were done for, when something completely unexpected happened.
As the Spartans landed around Twilight, they were all hit by the fiery projectiles fired from the changelings' spears. When their shots made contact with their shields, they began to glow bright green.
Then, all at once, all three Spartans vaporized into thin air, their weapons clattering to the floor.
While every pony and live changeling had expected this, every human was utterly dumbfounded.
While they were stunned, the changelings then pointed their spears at the marines and fired.
But this time, to everyone`s surprise, when the marines were hit in their abdomens, their armor actually absorbed the projectiles and then blew them off their feet a few meters back. The breath may have been knocked out of them, but they were still alive.
When Alvarez became the only marine left standing, he immediately shook himself out of his trance and went to work.
“What the fuck is going on?!” he yelled as he and Lasky shot the final three changelings to death.