//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12: The Drawing of the Lines 
// Story: Princess Celestia: The Changeling Queen 
// by vren55 
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Chapter 12: The Drawing of Lines


“War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.” 


― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers


I usually like my chairs to be soft and comfortable, preferably covered in worn velvet or perhaps by cool faux leather.  Yet, for the moment, I was content with the unyielding support of a high-backed cedar throne.  I could not afford to be relaxed.

I had not called a meeting of the Equestrian Chiefs of Staff for a year.  Thus, it had been a while since I had sat in the Equestrian War Room: a low-ceilinged oval chamber dominated by a huge table of polished oak.  Yet, the centerpiece of this room was the topographical representation of Equestria and her surrounding neighbours.  This model was highly detailed with cities in miniature, various landmarks, hills, tiny trees, and mountains.  Even a miniature railway line had been built with a diminutive Friendship Express.  Scattered throughout the map were miniature ponies holding the standards of various Equestrian regiments.  

I resisted the urge to sigh.  Already, the chatter of officers, majors, and generals had filled the War Room as they filed into the chamber and took their seats.  Back when I was a changeling queen-in-training, I hadn’t needed to go through so much protocol and planning.  Then again, I had been only leading around three hundred loyal changelings. Now, I had the lives of an entire nation at my hooves.

I saw that Luna was focused on the centre of the table, studying some of the troop placements.  At the same time, she held several files detailing some of the most updated weapons available to Equestria’s military. I briefly picked out the schematic for the newly designed, lightning spears. These polearms were enchanted to deliver bolts of lightning upon impact and would be very useful for our pegasi cavalry.  

I then turned to Twilight.  My student was nervously stacking and re-stacking her papers.  Admittedly, I did pull my student away from the wedding preparations to take the meeting’s minutes, but I did think that attending this meeting would be a good experience.

With a final glance to the clock, I decided it was time to begin.

“Ah hem.” The buzz of officers and commanders ceased.  Raising my voice, I addressed the entire chamber of ponies.  “Shining Armor, Captain of the 2nd Equestrian Royal Guard?”  Just to my right, my loyal captain snapped a textbook salute.  He had abandoned his red wedding parade jacket for his Royal Guard Captain Armor.  His smile was gone, eyes stalwartly facing forward. 

“General Caesar Salad of the 1st Dragoon Guards and of Central Army Group?” My eyes searched the room to see Caesar, dressed in his trademark toga, raising his vine stick in acknowledgement.  The unicorn was a cranky character, but I knew he was loyal to my cause.

“Major General Iron Duke, of the 88th Manehattan Rangers and of the North-Eastern Army Group?” An earth pony clad in an immaculate red and gold uniform raised his hoof, his face an emotionless stone mask.  Most ponies would have been put off by Iron Duke’s cold demeanor, but I knew he was a softy.  When Twilight was younger, he would always sneak her some candy corn when he thought I wasn’t looking.

“Lieutenant Sharpe, 88th Manehattan Rangers.”  A tan earth pony on the Duke’s right, with a deep scar on his right cheek, saluted quickly, albeit with the wrong hoof.  I had heard a few things about Sharpe from reports sent by his superior, Iron Duke, who wrote: “Sharpe has absolutely no respect for authority, which is his greatest weakness, and admittedly, his greatest strength.” 

“Meringue Le Fay,  Head Sorceress of The Royal Equestrian Casters.”  Instantly, I found the cream-colored hoof of the only pony not wearing a military uniform, and her smile.  Meringue was a mystery, even to me.  Exceptionally skilled in baking magic, the unicorn could make the best lemon meringue pie in Equestria.  Yet she devoted herself to pursuing combat magic to spell doom for Equestria’s enemies.  All she would ever wear was a simple velvet green cloak and a sorceress’s pointy hat of the same color.  However, even now I could see officers and some of the generals glancing appreciatively at the enchantress’s rich chocolate mane and sparkling green eyes. 

“General Hanna Belle of the South Eastern Army Group, and of the 23rd Légion étrangère d’Equestria.”  After searching the table, I picked out my old friend’s dark brown coat and blinked.  The earth pony was wearing a distinctive gold-leaf helmet and polished cuirass of interlinked bronze disks.  It was the armor I had awarded to her for leading a deadly successful campaign against the marauding southern dragons.  I grinned happily, pleased at her gesture, and she responded with the predatory smile I had taught her.  

“Lieutenant-General Bloody Guts, Western Army Group, 12th Vanhoofer Artillery Regiment.”  A rather plain-faced unicorn in a brown army jacket and a faux-fur overcoat raised his hoof.  I had always wondered how Guts had gotten his name. The stallion was always so normal, almost ordinary.  But ever since I had assigned him his command, the Western Army Group had not had a single fatality.

“Colonel Stonewall, 5th Las Pegasus Royal Hussars."  A solidly build earth pony with rather impressive sideburns as well as a beard stood and saluted.  He wore a grey-blue uniform with a cap, and a long sabre at his side.  From what I heard, he was a capable officer, skilled in leading attacks, and holding strategic positions.

“Marshal Ermane Rommel, Royal Equestrian Air Command and CO of the Cloudsdale Blues.”  A middle-aged pegasus in a neatly ironed, dark grey uniform gave me a solemn salute.  Ermane was a former Wonderbolt, and it showed in his muscled frame which sported remarkably large wings.  From his lapel hung the Golden Cross of Equestria, matching his golden-yellow fur.  I had given him the award after he had led a squadron to victory over an entire air wing of griffon bandits and sent them back to Griffonia with their tails between their legs.

Finally, I read the last name on the list.  “Captain Vlad Pikehead of the Lunar Guard.”  Looking up, I observed the thestral’s salute.  His family, in fact his entire tribe, were longtime members in the Lunar Guard.  I had maintained the guard during my rule and protected the thestrals.  Despite the headache I suffered from that decision, I believed the gamble had paid off.   The continued existence of the Lunar Guard really helped Luna’s reintegration with Equestrian society, and the Lunar guard was highly useful to the Equestrian Army as an elite stealth force.

With the attendance completed, I raised myself from my chair, addressing all of my commanders.

“Thank you all for coming here with such short notice.  As you are aware, Canterlot was attacked by a changeling force. Their leader, Queen Chrysalis, imprisoned my niece Princess Cadance and took her form.  She then proceeded to hypnotise Captain Shining Armor.  By siphoning off of his love energy, Chrysalis weakened the security shield we had erected, allowing her forces to break into Canterlot.”  I paused and grimaced.

“Chrysalis also imprisoned my own student, Twilight Sparkle, in the crystal mines that lie underneath Canterlot because she was perceptive enough to see through her disguise.”  Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Twilight trying to hide her blush behind her papers.

“But Chrysalis made a critical mistake; she imprisoned Twilight with my niece.  Together, they were able to break out of the mines and reveal her true identity.”  A little of my anger must have leaked through my mask because some of the officers shivered at my tone.  “However, it was too late.  The Queen had siphoned too much of Captain Armor’s magic, the shield was compromised, and it fell after the changeling army assaulted it.

“After she was unmasked, I confronted Chrysalis, but she had siphoned too much of Captain Armor’s love, and I was subsequently defeated.  Princess Luna, who had been preparing for the wedding reception, was ambushed by a changeling battalion.  Special mention goes to Captain Vlad and his Lunar Guard for protecting my sister while she dealt with the threat.”  Vlad grinned as the other generals nodded their approval.

“I sent for my student and her friends to get the Elements of Harmony, but they were intercepted.  The only reason why I am talking to you today, is that Cadance and Captain Armor combined their magical reserves and channeled it into his shield spell, repelling the changelings from Canterlot.  But we cannot confirm Chrysalis’s death, and neither can we confirm if she can mount a counter-offensive.”

Luna took over, the iron authority in her voice resounding throughout the room.  “The goal for this gathering is to determine Equestria’s course of action, primarily; how we should protect our cities, and how we should respond to this changeling threat.  We would now like to hear thy suggestions.”

There was a momentary pause as the various commanders processed the information.  To my surprise, Caesar was the first to raise his hoof.

“I suggest we should first increase the Canterlot garrison and have the 2nd Royal Guard undergo an independent review of all its procedures.  Then we should have the rest of the other cities garrisons checked for infiltrators.”

I raised an eyebrow. I agreed that a review should be conducted in light of the ineffectiveness of the Royal Guard, but I didn’t quite understand why Caesar was insisting that it should be independent.

Neither did Shining Armor, as he spoke up right after Caesar.  “Begging your pardon General Salad, but I think the Royal Guard can conduct its own investigation into the matter.”

Caesar shook his head. “Captain Armor, let me be blunt.  Your regiment’s performance at the Royal Wedding was disastrous.”  I blinked, and my captain’s eyes narrowed.   I knew there would be some resentment regarding the invasion of Canterlot, but I never realized the discussion was going to take such an ugly turn.

“I can understand why your shield failed, you were hypnotized after all.  But just because you were taken in by a changeling disguised as your own wife doesn’t mean the entire Royal Guard has the right to collapse in on itself and cease to be an effective fighting force!  According to reports, almost all Royal Guard were incapacitated or isolated within fifteen minutes.  Your Highness, you were captured by Chrysalis herself, and somehow, nopony was available to assist you.  I demand to know, Captain Armor, how could you let this military disaster happen!” roared Caesar, his vine-stick pointed like a spear at Shining Armor. I said nothing, knowing that I had to let my captain defend his own actions against his superior.

“I had been alerted to a possible threat by Princess Celestia, although at the time, we knew not what the threat was, neither the size of it.  Given this lack of information, I decided to deploy the Royal Guard to maximize security against small-group or individual attacks.  Hence, I spread the Royal Guard out in small five-pony squads, with several key rally points established within the city, including the Guard Barracks, the Train Station, and Canterlot Castle itself.   Moreover, I also put up my shield spell.  However, this formation was wholly inadequate against the large scale air to ground assault that took place.  The patrol sizes were too small, and the changelings were able to isolate and overwhelm them.  Had we been aware of the scale of the changeling attack, I would have deployed my troops in a different fashion.”  Caesar was still frowning, but he had put his vine-stick back down.  The other officers were murmuring their grudging approval. 

“What I do wish to know, is: how could such a large air force sneak into attacking range of Canterlot without any warning whatsoever?” asked Shining Armor.  I nodded at my captain’s question, for it perplexed me as well.  Just how was my sister able to sneak an entire changeling army into the middle of Equestria if her hive was in the Badlands?

“Marshal Ermane, do you have an explanation for this?  You are in charge of monitoring the airspace near Canterlot and Cloudsdale after all,” said Caesar snidely.

Rommel glared at Caesar.  “We appear to have been infiltrated by the changeling that changed the schedules of the patrols.  This created an hour long gap timed exactly for the last vows of the wedding.  Admittedly, there could have been more patrols, but we had just completed joint exercises with the Las Pegasus Hussars, and I was loath to tax my exhausted troops any further.  Besides, who would have expected an entire changeling army to slip past the Southern Army Command?”  I held back a groan, silently wishing Ermane could have been less blunt.  Now, all of the officers of the Southern Army Command were furious.  Hanna Belle herself had risen to her hooves, dark eyes flashing menacingly.

“Do not even think of blaming my troops for your mistakes!  It is our responsibility to protect the ponies in the South, but there’s no way we could have covered the entire border!  And has everypony forgotten that these are changelings and that they can disguise themselves as ordinary ponies?  We don’t even know how long the changeling’s plans have been in motion!”  I didn’t disagree with Hanna Belle. Although the general did have three regiments, including her Foreign Legion based in Baltimare, there was no way the entire border could have been watched, not at the current mobilization levels; and  especially since she was dealing with changelings.

“Your inability to keep an eye on the movements within your own turf, Hanna Belle, has almost cost us our capital!” retorted Caesar.

I was about to rebuke Caesar, but was cut off by a hoof slamming on the table.  Turning, I blinked as Iron Duke, a snarl on his normally restrained features, rose on his hind-legs.  “Caesar, that’s enough!  If General Belle had spread her forces wide enough to cover the border, she would have run the risk of her cities being overrun by any unforeseen threats!  We should be lucky that none of the southern cities have ever been attacked by changelings.”

“Besides, Caesar, where were your Dragoon Guards?” inquired Bloody Guts, the pony still lying laconically on his seat.

It was like all the chatter and buzz in the chamber was sucked out.  I watched Caesar bite his lip and squirm uncomfortably in his chair as the weight of so many gazes began to bore on him.  I wanted to step in and spare the old commander the pressure he was facing, but my curiosity would not abate.  The Dragoon Guards were my elite guardsponies.  They didn’t watch over me from day to day like the standard Royal Guard, but when I had personally led campaigns, or in emergency situations, they were the first on the scene.  I had heard nothing about their involvement in the attack on Canterlot, and I needed to know why.

“The Dragoon Guards were deployed right after we saw the shield fall.  We engaged the changelings, with the objectives being the reclamation of the main castle.  However, when I heard of your fall, we changed our priorities to securing Princess Luna and evacuating Canterlot.”  My eyes widened, barely noticing the outcries and the gasps of the surrounding ponies.

“My decision at the time was undertaken chiefly because Her Highness had fallen.  This meant that Chrysalis was stronger than Her Highness, and therefore; it would be foolish to try to confront the changeling queen.  To make a stand with Princess Luna, who had only recently recovered from being purified by the Elements of Harmony would be a foolish mistake.  Canterlot was being ambushed and we had also received news that the 2nd Royal Guard was in complete disarray.  Not to mention we had lost contact with the Lunar Guard in the chaos.  While I could have ordered the Dragoon Guard to retake the castle proper, I was unsure if we could really deal with Chrysalis if she was able to defeat Her Highness.  Thus, I attempted to curb our losses and create an opportunity to reassemble our forces against this new threat,” explained Caesar.  To my annoyance, I realized that at the moment of my apparent death, things must have looked horribly grim from a tactical standpoint.  Inwardly I groaned as I was reminded of my mistake of underestimating my sister.

“I appreciate your cautionary judgement, Caesar.  But rest assured, the next time I confront Chrysalis-”

“Your Highness, under no circumstances should you confront Chrysalis again without the support of our military!” exclaimed Iron Duke.  I felt my eyes widened as the normally deferential Iron Duke interrupted me.  

“And why precisely should I obey that order?” I demanded, my voice caustic.

This time, it was Bloody Guts who spoke up.  “With all due respect, Your Highness, you were defeated by Chrysalis.  We cannot risk losing you again.  If Chrysalis is stronger than you are, we must take this into account as her chief target will be you.  If you are actually stronger than her and can explain why you failed to stop her, then we will do our best to trap Chrysalis in a favorable confrontation with you.”

My shoulders tensed, and I struggled not to flinch.  I had always deliberately kept my generals in the dark as to how powerful I really was.  It was a ploy meant to keep them in awe of me and to protect myself.  Now, they had begun to doubt, to question.  I was no longer invincible.

“The point is Your Highness, is Chrysalis stronger than you?” asked Iron Duke. I opened my mouth, but words would not form in my brain.  My thoughts receded like the tide going out, leaving only excruciating blankness.  

“No.  She isn’t,” I finally croaked, my throat suddenly dry and rough as desert sand.  I couldn’t let them know I messed up.  That I had underestimated my sister, and let her overpower me.  I couldn’t let my generals know that despite my long years of hoarding love away, I was afraid my sister was stronger than me. The sun and moon were cruel burdens and sapped most of the love I had gathered.  My power was great, but I never truly knew the extent of my sister’s might.  She had had years to perfect and hone her enhanced changeling abilities, including the hypnotism she had used on Shining Armour, granted to her for being an Ascended Queen.  I had never ascended, and in that respect, she had a distinct advantage.  If my generals knew about this, they would worry about me, fret about my safety.  Chrysalis was my fight, nopony else’s.

“But how was it that you were defeated by Chrysalis then?” asked Iron Duke.  Even Hanna Belle, who I had taught as a filly, looked uneasily at me.

“It doesn’t matter,” I said dismissively.  My officers protested, but I ignored them, shutting out their exclamations.

“But Princess, it does matter.  We are talking about your life here!” argued Shining Armour.  I snarled, furious at the doubt of my own officers, of my own guard captain.  Hurriedly, I suppressed my rage, but the room was silent once more.

“Captain, I appreciate the sentiment, but I can handle Chrysalis on my own,” I said, but even as I spoke, I felt my statement’s emptiness.

“Um, Princess Celestia?” stuttered a voice.  I turned to see Twilight, her hoof raised, her stack of notes on the table.

“Everypony here is just concerned for your safety.  Please, we know that you want to protect everypony from Chrysalis, and that you don’t want anypony to worry.”  I observed a few of my officers coughing from being told of what they ‘knew’.  But Caesar, Hanna Belle, and the rest of my elite commanders simply nodded in agreement.  “If you could please tell us how and why you lost to Chrysalis, everypony can help you think of ways to triumph over her the next time you meet,” concluded my faithful student.

I sighed. “It’s not as simple as that Twilight.  Chrysalis is too dangerous for anypony other than myself to face.”  May Celestia strike me down if I involved any more ponies than I had to in my conflict with my sister.  

Shining Armour’s raised hoof caught my attention. “Princess, this is Equestria’s fight.  Not just your fight with Chrysalis.  She has attacked our capital, declaring war.  If you lose, Equestria loses.  You may want to protect us, but we are already involved in this conflict.  Not letting us know how powerful you are will not allow us to plan for the inevitable confrontation between Chrysalis and her hive.  You will be endangering us instead of aiding us.”

I almost groaned aloud.  Why did everypony seem to come up with so many reasonable arguments against me?  Damn this stupid disguise.  If only I could just tell everypony that Chrysalis was my traitorous sister, and that I reserved the right to punish her for killing our mother. 

“I assure you all, I can deal perfectly well with Chrysalis by myself.  My defeat at the Royal Wedding, was a mistake on my part.  I underestimated Chrysalis, and never used all my strength,” I conceded.  My generals grumbled, annoyed that they couldn’t get the information they wanted.  Some seemed comforted though.

“If that’s the case Princess, I guess we don’t have anything to worry about.  I mean, even not at full power, I heard you were able to make Chrysalis squirm quite a bit.  If we were ever to launch an attack on Chrysalis’s hive, I’m pretty sure that you would be able to deal with her, at least on equal footing.  Not that we know where Chrysalis’s hive is anyway,” said Hanna Belle.

“It is in the Badlands, likely in the The Grand Canyon,” informed Luna, placing a onyx-black, miniature changeling onto the model.  Everypony on the room stared once again at Luna, who blushed.  “We have captured some changelings, and our interrogations with them have revealed the location of their hive.”

There was a great hubbub as the revelation of the changeling hive’s location caused the officers to go into a frenzy.

“Well what are we waiting for, Your Highness?  Give us the order, and we’ll crush them,” declared Hanna Belle, excitedly. 

“General Hanna Belle, I don’t believe that would be the best course of action.  While I don’t doubt the capability of your forces, any attack on the changeling’s home will be met with great resistance, and most likely, great casualties,” warned Bloody Guts.

“Guts, I don’t see the problem with her strategy. As long as we plan this out carefully, it should work.  A quick decisive strike from both the air and ground will envelope the canyon, pin them in the ravine and defeat them,” pointed out Ermane.

“The problem, Generals Ermane and Belle, one I am rather shocked that you are not aware of, is that Equestria’s military is not offence oriented!  We are in no position to launch an offensive of any type against any enemy nation!” growled Caesar.

“Salad, we won’t win this war by fighting defense!  We have to take the battle to the enemy!” retorted Hanna Belle.

“On the contrary, Hanna Belle, given Equestria’s railway system that connects every city to Canterlot and the positioning of regiments within every major city, we should be quite well suited to fight a defensive war.  The changelings will have to throw themselves at our fortified troops and garrisons, where we can win any battles handily,” said Iron Duke.

Hanna Belle looked murderous, but Shining Armor held up his hoof.

“I understand your argument Iron Duke, but the changelings probably know we are better at defense.  Coming from personal experience, I know that the changelings are experts in infiltration.”  Shining Armor bit his lip in embarrassment as the room filled with chuckles and raised eyebrows.  “They could have scouted the layout of our regiments and already infiltrated our armies.  If they train and prepare for a calculated offensive strike, they have a chance of actually doing damage.  I do believe we will win in the long run, but we need to be aware that they know we will be on the defensive.”

My captain raised a valid point.  My sister would have undoubtedly scouted out my forces.  Burrowing in was not without its risks.  “Hmm, I agree Captain Armor. Colonel Stonewall?” I asked.

Stonewall paused for a moment and then spoke quickly, “I would also like to end this conflict as decisively as possible.  Anything else will prove a drain on our military resources.  Already, mistrust is forming within our ranks.  If this situation drags on, our forces will begin to lose their morale.”

It was then Lieutenant Sharpe slammed his hoof on the table and snarled, making most of us jump in our seats.

 “Are you all mad?  Let’s say we actually do manage to even cross the desert, approach the changeling’s homeland without our armies being harassed and our supply lines being cut by infiltrators running amok in our ranks and at home.  What then? Our regiments aren’t even fully mobilized yet and most of the soldiers in them are untrained greenhorns who haven’t seen any battles worth remembering.  Our commissioned officers are noble bureaucrats who posture with all their fop and knowledge, but don’t know a thing when it actually comes to soldiering!”  The entire table began to bristle; Hanna Belle looked as if she might fly across to beat Sharpe up and Ermane had fixed the lieutenant with a dagger-like glowers.

As for myself, I was quietly considering Sharpe’s points.  The lieutenant was right about the dangers of launching an attack .  I knew that there was no way Chrysalis infiltrated this meeting of military officials.  The encryption of the notice meant that I was the only changeling in this room.  The risk that was posed by even lower level military officers or even civilian contractors working with the military was still too high for my liking.  Regrettably, I also realized that Sharpe’s assessment of the majority of commissioned officers was correct.  Even if they weren’t noble bureaucrats, most of my lower ranked commissioned officers lacked actual combat experience.

“That’s enough from  you, Sharpe!” rebuked Iron Duke coldly.

“Still Duke, your subordinate does raise a valid point, even if he doesn’t exactly present it in the best way,” I remarked, directing the last of my statement to the loud-mouthed lieutenant, forcing Sharpe to gulp and sit back in his chair.  With a nod, I turned to Vlad.  “Captain, what is your opinion?”

The thestral snorted.  “It’s quite obvious, your Highness.  Chrysalis’s changelings are like dogs backed into a corner.  If we were to attack them, they have no escape, but they know that, so they will fight as hard as they can.  Attacking would throw us in a whole cauldron of shit.  But that’s not all.  If we are to believe this is the main hive of the changelings, then we should consider that their young are there, and that these changelings will fight like demons out of Tartarus.  We’d be properly buggered if we lay siege to Chrysalis’s hive, Princess.”

Although I winced slightly at the Vlad’s language, I did not refute his advice.  Changelings, similar to ponies, were quite protective of their young, and by extension, of their hive.  Confronting the changelings at their hive would almost certainly lead to a fierce battle to the death.

“You’ve put it rather crudely my Captain Vlad, but I can understand where you are coming from.” I turned to Luna.  She had been silent for a long time, and was peering closely at the model of Equestria.

“Sister, do you have any insights you wish to share with us?”

Luna started, scattering some of the papers in front of her to the ground.  Taking a breath, she paused, head bowed, as if to collect her thoughts and directed her attention to the other officers.

“Commanders, right now, we appear to stand at a crossroads.  Some of thee suggest that we could attack the changelings in all our power and strength of arms.  Yet, others have suggested that it would be unwise to launch an assault at the changelings, and that we should fortify ourselves and sit through this storm.” 

Luna pointed at the tiny black flag, representing the changeling hive in the Badlands.  “To those of you who suggested to attack, we can see the advantages of thy strategy.  To end the war quickly in a swift stroke is an admirable sentiment.  What is more, we have regiments positioned in the area that are capable of accomplishing the task.”  A indigo glow surrounded four plastic ponies representing threeseparate regiments.  Slowly, they arranged themselves in a rough circle around the changeling statuette. “If we have the Foreign Legion, supported by the Cloudsdale Blues, and Las Pegasus Hussars, we should be able to lay siege to the changeling’s hive.”  Ermane, Hanna Belle, and Stonewall, grinned eagerly as the Princess examined the deployment of the figurative troops.

I almost started as a sudden flare of magic, roasted the flags the plastic ponies held into charcoal.  The legs of the pony miniatures themselves were swiftly amputated and they rolled ignominiously onto the desert.

“Thou art fools to think that such a siege would be successful!  We know nothing about our enemy other than where they are.  Who is to say that Chrysalis has reserves of changelings we do not know about?  What if there are traps set in The Badlands?  Even if we can achieve victory, at what cost shall we pay?” demanded Luna.  With a flash of her horn, the plastic figurines were repaired and replaced back in their original places.  Glancing back at Ermane, Hanna Belle, and the others who had advocated for a quick assault, it seemed quite obvious they had been chagrined at their princess’s opinion.

“Then there are others, who wish to burrow into the ground, draw strength from our existing defenses.  To ‘weather out the storm’ as one says.  We must commend thy reasoning, for Equestria as it is, is strongest on the defensive.  By staying in the defensive, we can fight on our home ground, where we can dictate the field of battle and fight where our supply network is extensive,” commented Luna, gesturing to the railway track as well as to the individual garrisons within the cities.  I noticed Sharpe, and Vlad nodding eagerly, but Caesar and Iron Duke merely observed Luna warily.

“Yet, what then?” asked Luna.  The changeling figure, surrounded by Luna’s blue magic, charged at the pony miniature representing the 88th Rangers with it.  The changeling deflected off the pony figure and hit the Statue of Liberty, breaking its torch off.   Turning around, the changeling rammed into the figurine of the Lunar Guards.  A ear snapped off of the changeling, but the Lunar Guard figurine was knocked over.  Zipping around the map, the miniature changeling knocked into several buildings, tore up several tiny fields, and ran into more toy regiments until the figure was cracked and dented beyond recognition.

“Aye, we will win, but see the consequences of merely standing on the defensive.  This is not like your typical war, where we have one united front.  Chrysalis’s changelings have the ability to strike literally anywhere, as demonstrated by their assault on Canterlot.  Besides, one does not win a battle by being purely on the defensive.  We will have to attack.”

“I take it you have a plan then, sister?” I inquired.

Luna nodded.  Her horn glowing, she repaired the model and replaced the figures again.  “We should first deal with the infiltrators among us and solidify our defenses.   When that is finished, we should do everything in our power to prepare for an attack on Chrysalis’s hive.”   Once again gripped in an indigo glow, all of the miniature pony regiments danced to The Badlands  “With a well planned offensive, we can defeat Chrysalis effectively, and not have to worry about being stabbed in the back.”  Quickly, the plastic ponies surrounded the changeling statuette and buried it under their combined weight.

I smiled at Luna admiringly. Her plan was brilliant, simple, yet effective.  Turning my attention to the map of Equestria and its surrounding lands, I said,  “A sound plan sister.  Let us…”

“Your Highnesses, beg your pardon for interrupting you, but have we tried negotiating with the changelings yet?” asked Meringue Le Fay innocently.

You could have heard a pin drop, in Ponyville, in Pinkie Pie’s soundproofed testing laboratory for party cannon prototypes.  That was how quiet the room became at the sorceress’s question.  Everypony’s eyes now focused on the two of us, their faces impassive as the castle’s stones.

“No, we have not.  It was an option I and my sister had not considered,” I admitted sheepishly.

“And what if the changelings refuse?  What would you propose then, Meringue?” demanded Caesar Salad.

“If we can save our ponies from this conflict, then we should do so.  You all know as well as I do that war is a messy business.  Nopony will benefit from fighting,” said Meringue slowly, the enchantress’s voice cold like a Windigo’s breath.

I decided to quickly quell any dissatisfaction before things got out of hoof, and raised my voice. “I agree with Meringue.  I and my sister will personally draw up a proposal to be delivered to Chrysalis via the changeling prisoners we have captured.  Moreover, to ensure that our terms are made clear to everypony, they will also be distributed to the press.”  Personally, I doubted that Chrysalis would ever negotiate with ponies, but now that I reconsidered the issue, it had been a thousand years ago.  Perhaps, my sister would see reason.

“But Princess!” gasped Shining Armor.

“Captain, I know this is hard for you, but if there is an option to spare the lives of our soldiers, and any civilians, we should take it,” I said to Shining Armor.  The stallion cringed and sighed.

“I understand, Your Majesty,” said Shining.  Twilight took a break from her note taking to place a comforting hoof on her brother’s shoulder.  Shining Armor smiled gratefully at the gesture.

“Your Highness, we can’t negotiate with these changelings!” shouted a voice.  Generals, commanders, and observers turned to focus on Golden Star.  Internally, I winced at the cacophonous jingling of his medals.

“And why not?” I asked, barely able to suppress my irritation at the major.  

“Because they are savages, and should be put down as such without any conditions!  Like barbarians, they attacked Canterlot and ran havoc in our streets!  We need to pay them back and even the scales...”  Golden Star’s raging rant suddenly petered into silence.  

I noticed all of my generals were averting their gazes away from mine, while some of my generals’ subordinates were covering their eyes in fear.  Twilight had sprang away from me as if I had suddenly had burst into flame.

“Thou impugnes thy station, Golden Star. Dost thou imply that we, once Nightmare Moon, did not deserve to live?  What right dost thee have to pass judgement on an entire race?” growled Luna. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Luna’s icy blue of glare of a winter’s blizzard that could cut through bone.  Her black pupils were as dark as a starless night, devoid of compassion, a void.  Shakily bowing his head, Major Golden Star resumed his seat.

“Golden Star, I understand that you are worried about Canterlot’s safety.  We promise that any terms and conditions that I and my sister will agree upon will not endanger our ponies, nor put them in any disadvantage,” I explained grudgingly.  Golden Star relaxed, his fears slightly abated.

“Moreover, there are two crucial pieces of information we must impart to all of thee,” added Luna.  Taking a deep breath, Luna narrowed her eyes.  

“According to our interrogations with several captured changelings, Chrysalis’s hive is suffering a shortage of love.  We are not sure how great, but it was serious enough to warrant her extreme action of attacking Canterlot.”

Hastily sucked in breaths and widened eyes met Luna’s announcement.  I even noticed some guilty glances.  Not surprisingly, nopony expected the changelings to have such a valid reason for attacking Canterlot.  Even Golden Star appeared abashed at his earlier actions.

The visages of my senior officers only appeared to become more grim, and their hooves tapped worriedly on the table.

“Your Highnesses, this does open the possibility of the changelings negotiating out of desperation.  However, it also means that if we go to war, it will be unlikely that Chrysalis will surrender,” pointed out Shining Armour.

“But what caused this shortage?  Why haven’t they attacked us earlier if they were in a shortage?” asked Meringue.  

“That is the second piece of information we must disclose to thee.”  The alicorn paused for a moment to make sure everypony was listening.  “There is another hive, other than Chrysalis’s.  A hive that can match Chrysalis’s forces, perhaps on equal terms.  A hive that has not revealed itself to us as of yet, but has attacked Chrysalis’s, possibly forcing her to attack Canterlot.”

Hastily drawn in breaths and mutters of astonishment and fear filled the room.  Twilight stared up at me in apprehension.  Glancing reassuringly to her, I rapped the table with my gold-clad hoof.  At once, the room became silent.  I nodded to signal Luna to continue, and with a grateful smile, she did.

“We cannot accurately predict the consequent actions of this hive, should Equestria declare war on Chrysalis’s.  What we do know, is that we must be cautious.  Hence, whilst we will send the changelings our terms of negotiation, we will prepare for war.”  Luna took a deep breath, and spoke to the entire chamber of military personnel.  Now was the moment to suggest the measure that I and Luna had discussed prior to the meeting.  “Generals, we are asking thee to order a full mobilization of Equestria’s Armed Forces.”

I watched as Twilight almost broke the nib of her quill and my officers panicked like frightened chickens.  I didn’t begrudge them though.  The Equestrian Army had never fully mobilized in the lifetime of these ponies.  There had been some major skirmishes and short campaigns fought on the borders, and times when entire regiments needed to be mobilized, but never the entire army.  It was what Equestria paid for after years of peace.

My reflection was interrupted as  Caesar Salad slammed his vine stick on the table, silencing the hubbub of aides and officers.  With a cough, the general addressed me directly.

 “Princess, I cannot speak for everypony in this room, but I for one, approve of your decision.  If it comes to war, only our full might can withstand this onslaught.”

“Spoken well, old codger,” quipped Hanna Belle.  Caesar responded by rolling his eyes at the mare.   One by one, the commanders and generals gave their approval to the plan to mobilize.  

As the final affirmation was given by Shining Armor, I realized that there was something I had to say.  I hadn’t planned this with Luna, in fact, I really owed it to Golden Star’s outburst.  So I stood on my hind-legs, my hooves braced against the cool surface of the table and head proudly raised.

 “Before we move on to discuss the details of our strategy to defeat the changelings, I have one last piece of advice to for you all,” I announced.  My officers, commanders, generals, Twilight, her friends and Luna looked at me expectantly, wondering what I was going to say.

“I know that Major Golden Star and many others, are angry at the changelings for what they have done to us.”  Some of the officers squirmed uncomfortably, thinking that I was going to rebuke them.  I sighed.   It was not so unreasonable to demonize a species that had only so far, shown hostility and deceit of such a heinous nature.   Although Golden Star certainly annoyed me, I did realize that his anger towards Chrysalis perhaps was not as different as my own.

“You have every reason to do so.  I for one really want to get back at Chrysalis for what she did to my niece.”   Some of my officers gulped and nervously adjusted their shirt collars.  Seeing their unease, I took a deep breath to get my temper back in control.  

“Yet, the moment we start fighting the changelings for revenge, we will have already lost.  We would be no better, no, we would have stooped to a level lower than they have.  These changelings may have hurt us, struck fear into us, and infiltrated our dreams, but what do we gain by attempting to commit genocide on them?”  I directed this question to the entire room, making ponies squirm in their chairs. 

“Nothing, only more tears, a legacy of death, and guilt that would turn us into monsters!  Equestria must not lose against these changelings, that is for sure.  But, they attacked us because they were hungry.  Do we really have the right to deny a species their food?

“Remember, my little ponies, we must not only seek victory on the battlefield.  We must prevail in preserving our way of life, our beliefs and our harmony!  This fight will not be easy, but with your help we will win this struggle of swords, and of hearts.”