Chapter 30
Stigandr defiantly moved a bishop to block his king. He counted four moves until checkmate. Discord took the bishop with the pawn shaped like the unicorn's head. Fortunately that turned the piece into it's own block while Stigandr neutralized the threat that would have him in check next turn. Discord confidently fixed it with the pawn that bore the bust of Scott. With a reluctant sigh Stigandr performed the last move of the game and moved his king back one space.
“Thank you for the exhilarating game,” Discord said with a smile. “Definitely much better than I expected.” Then with a single stroke of his paw Discord knocked over his own king. “Oops.”
“Why'd you do that?” Stigandr said, the worry evident in his voice.
“Because obviously I want to give you a head start,” Discord replied. “If I didn't let you know what would happen until the last moment I may risk losing one of my more prized pawns.” Stigandr noticed that the shadowy talon was balancing on the head of Ancro's pawn.
“What's going to happen?” Stigandr said, charging a spell in his horn.
“Please we both know that won't do anything,” Discord replied. “Besides, if you did hit me, and per extremely low chance, harm me, who would tell you about the twenty praetorians in the palace? And that Ancro is being stalked by two of them, one of which happens to be the commander? Also, you know that little tingle feeling you've been getting in your horn?” Stigandr took off running realizing how stupid he had been. It never occurred to him that he was adapting to the changelings more passive abilities as well.
---
Celestia sat atop her throne, holding court. A griffin dignitary had apparently found out that they were holding a member of their race as a prisoner. She was glad she did not have to lie about holding him any longer. As far as she was concerned Scott was free at the moment. He wouldn't leave without Ancro or Stigandr. Scott was far too good a friend and she knew he'd be lost and in trouble within a few days.
“I'm aware that you are not holding one of my kind any longer,” the falcon headed dignitary said, “However, all my government wants to know is why you didn't at least inform us of a situation involving a griffin? We understand if it was some internal affair and you wished to hold him.”
“We did not wish to take the chance of you deporting him.” Celestia replied, “We understand that this is a breach in the trust of our two nations but this griffin, Scott, is a special case.”
“And how is that,” he asked, raising an eyebrow in intrigue.
“Firstly he is under a geass by an unknown party,“ this only piqued the dignitary's curiosity as he waited for more. “Second he is the friend of a changeling.”
“I fail to see why that would worry you or why you would hide him,” he replied. “It is my government’s prerogative to extradite all griffins who break major laws abroad.”
“Yes, but it is my prerogative to not allow a single being under my care to suffer,” Celestia replied. “I bear no love for the queen of the changelings but listening to the agonized screams of the changeling when he was starving is too cruel a punishment.”
“So you were keeping one of my people locked up so that he could feed your prisoner?” The griffin dignitary replied, only years of experience preventing him from screaming at this outrage.
“I assure you we made it known that deportation was an option,” she said, trying to salvage the situation. “He made the choice to stay of his own volition. The changeling wasn't using any control spells and his magic was blocked. If he had asked to be deported we would've granted it to him. He elected to stay.”
“I wish to see him,” he said, containing a growl. In all his years of working beside Celestia he had never known her to do something so low. The prisoner's opinion didn't matter in the event of something like this. Especially when several felonies were involved!
“My guards will fetch him at once,” Celestia said calmly and nodded to two of the guards.
---
Cadence and Shining Armor strolled through the garden. Shining Armor had heard about Ancro's release and was doing his best to keep an open mind. Yes, Ancro had saved his wife, but the changeling's general attitude towards every situation got under his skin.
“You've been quiet,” Cadence said as they strolled.
“Sorry, I'm just distracted,” he said, “I have several promotions to take care of. Not to mention a mountain of paperwork.”
“That's not the only thing that's bothering you,” the alicorn said, smiling knowingly.
“I'm just having trouble believing that it’s over,” Shining armor sighed. “We catch the spy, he takes a shot at Ancro, and we drag him to prison where he shuts up.”
“And you think something else is going to happen?” Cadence asked.
“Yeah I do,” Shining Armor said. “It just seemed to easy.”
“Maybe it seemed that way because you had help,” Cadence said. “Ancro and his friends were useful and from what I heard it was Scott's idea to use taste to lure the changeling out.”
“You are right. I'm probably just being paranoid.”
“Still doing better than your first week as captain of the guard,” Cadence said.
“You will never let that go, will you?” he chuckled.
“Not anytime soon,” she started laughing. “It’s still funny that you put the palace on high alert because of a broom handle.”
“From my angle it looked like a spear,” he defended. “I'm just glad they stopped calling me Captain Broom Handle behind my back.” His wife's chuckle indicated otherwise.
“Well you don't have to worry,” Cadence replied, deciding she had teased him enough. “I, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, shall protect you and the kingdom from all threats. Changelings and broom handles alike.”
Shining Armor blushed a deep shade of crimson as his wife continued to laugh at his mistake. From years ago. That anypony could've made. He was sure that just because he was the first didn't mean there wouldn't be another pony eventually. He really hoped somepony else would do the same thing before he retired.
---
Una eagerly watched the cell door waiting for her brother to come in. She knew it was him and she couldn't wait to tell her how proud she was. He most likely already knew she could barely contain herself. To be part of her brothers mission as praetorian. She had wished she didn't have to be killed for her failure and that it was fighting and feasting alongside him.
She couldn't help but feel tiny, barely noticeable bits of uncertainty and trepidation leaking off him and through the door. It was only noticeable to her since she had known him for his entire life. She knew every emotional twinge and how his mind worked. The praetorian knew he was sad that he was going to have to kill her.
She remembered watching him pass his initials in praetorian training. She felt so proud that her brother had a good chance to be in the same group as their parents and her. She wished she could've seen him fight. She showed him how to make weapons but he wasn't nearly as proficient at the talent as her. His was a quiet cunning in combat and self restraint. Something that she was sure would make him a great praetorian.
Una hoped that she'd be able to see his apex when he killed her. She regretted never being able to see it. To the untrained changeling they all looked alike but to a trained praetorian there were subtle differences to each of them. Some wore the armor differently, others put a vestigial horn in their claws so it would let them blast their preys insides with ease. She preferred keeping her claws protected by a gauntlet of chitin. She found it allowed her to change her forelegs into the weapons with more ease. And she did love using weapons.
---
“Floor!” Ancro shouted when he felt the magic. Immediately he blasted himself and Spike into the wall. A blast of green fire went by where they had been half a moment earlier, incinerating the treats that had been knocked out of the dragon’s claws. Ancro felt the next spark and managed to scream for the little dragon to run before the hallway exploded. Ancro managed to magic his armor up and not get killed by the blast. He was sent further down the hall, blasted far ahead of the baby dragon.
Spike had been on the outskirts of the blast and hit the ground. Ancro stumbled to his feet and ducked into a doorway. The changeling grew a second horn, regretting that his primary was still in the process of healing. Poking his head out he fired several shots down the hallway, trying to provide cover for the dazed dragon.
“Spike!” Ancro shouted, snapping the dragon out of his dazed state just in time to duck down the hallway and avoid the next blast. Ancro tasted the fear coming off the small dragon and it worried him. Not just the delicious taste but because it reminded him of his little brother.
“Get to the kitchen,” Ancro said, pulling his head back in time to avoid the next shot. “Warn Applejack.”
“What, Why?”
“The changelings are attacking for something,” Ancro said analytically. “What better reason than to subdue the elements of harmony! Take one and they are all powerless. I’ll buy time.”
“Warn Applejack, got it,” Spike said and started to run off. Before he got too far away he turned back to Ancro. The changeling was currently shooting several fireballs around the corner. “But what about you?”
“Spike relax,” Ancro said, slipping into his more relaxed slouch as his head snapped back from the corner. “I'm perfection incarnate, nothing is going to kill me.”
Why did Ancro taste laughter?
“Spike, if you see any guards send them my way please,” Ancro called to the dragon who was running away as fast as his legs would carry him. He then looked around the corner just in time to dodge the changeling's charge.
---
Stigandr's dead sprint ended at the doors to the throne room. They were shut and barred with the sounds of combat coming from the other side. Suddenly it burst open and several changeling's went flying past.
“How dare you endanger my subjects in my own throne room,” Celestia spoke in a terrifyingly stern tone as she walked out of the shambled throne room. Her one visible eye narrowed to a glare. Even Stigandr was shaking and he wasn't even the object of her rage.
The four changelings picked themselves up and in a flash of green became the form they had taken on in the prison. Celestia didn't appear the slightest bit deterred or impressed by the change. She spread her wings and charged her horn. Preparing a spell that she hoped would finish this fight for good. She didn't hear Stigandr's warning.
She wasn't aware of the fifth praetorian until it was too late. The force of the blast cast the alicorn out of her throne room and into the open air. The praetorians kept the pressure up hoping to prevent Celestia from creating anything more than a defense.
---
“What the fuck's going on!” Scott shouted as the palace shook.
“Changeling's are attacking,” Specs said swapping back into her pony disguise, hoping that it would protect her. “We have to get to Ancro, he's in trouble.”
“Yeah but where is he?” Scott said, already flying towards the door. He was yanked out of the air just as it flew open. A young skinny guard walked in.
“I've been sent here to ensure the safety of the palace's guests,” he said with a nervous salute. “My name's Chariot.”
“And you are going to protect us,” Scott said looking at the skinny and nervous pony skeptically.
“Yes sir,” Chariot said.
“Scott, calm down,” Specs said, “he's still a guard.”
The changeling turned on her hooves and started firing shot after shot into the pony guard.
“Specs what the hell?” Scott shouted.
“He's a praetorian!” She said leaping out of the way of the return fire. “Get to Ancro. I have this.”
“Aight,” Scott said and flew out the door.
---
An explosion destroyed Luna's tower. Dazed and still half asleep, rubble and dust filled the air and clouded her vision. While she tried to make sense of the green fire fireballs that continued to rain down on her. She saw the work of ages of scholars and spells that had taken many lifetimes to create, master, and perfect, burn in an instant. Then a massive fireball many times larger than the others exploded on top of her. She felt the tower scream and groan beneath the strain and knew it wouldn't be able to take much more stress. Luna was now awake.
Soaring out of the remains of her room she found herself surrounded by large black changelings. They charged a series of blasts, which all bounced harmlessly off her magic barrier. She crashed through them, firing magical bolts at the changelings who dodged. They went crashing toward the ground but inches before hitting they flashed green and became black blurs. She examined them and came to the conclusion that this was the form that was used in the prison.
Two curved, vicious horns, long gnashing teeth, layered chitin armor that looked to be of a much higher quality than Ancro's. The back legs of a cat with claws so large that they couldn't be sheathed within the feet. Dexterous claws sharp enough to cut metal. She felt a claw pass through her mane and Luna knew this fight was just beginning.
---
Rainbow Dash napped atop her cloud. When an explosion rocked her cloud the weather pony wrote it off as a thunderstorm. She rolled over trying to go back to sleep. When it didn't work she pulled out part of the cloud and stuffed it in her ears. Finally, with the thunder muffled she went back to sleep. After all, she had slept through worse.
She wasn't the only one sleeping. Elsewhere in the palace, Blueblood was desperately trying to catch up on his sleep. He had been dealing with the insufferable changeling the other day. That changeling's mocking tone and taunts had pushed him to the point of commissioning a really big fly swatter! It was set to be delivered within the week. Now the palace was having an earthquake. Why did Celestia put the palace on a fault line? Except it wasn't on a fault line, or any where near a fault line. As his brain processed this he realized he was hearing explosions as well. He finally woke up when his window exploded.
---
Rarity had taken to the halls that were rapidly filling with ponies. The palace had started to explode and those vile changelings were currently battling the princesses. Ponies were panicking as they fled the palace.
“Everypony calm down!” Rarity shouted, trying to get them under control. If they panicked more ponies would get hurt, or worse. What was worse was the changelings didn't seem to care about collateral damage as they took shots at the princesses and the palace alike. “We need to leave in an orderly fashion!”
“Yeah, we don't need to run screaming around like crazy!” Pinkie Pie said from the other side of the hall. She had several thick notebooks that she was using for something, as well as several books with notes sticking out of them. “Everypony follow me. Two at a time!”
After a bit more convincing the ponies were calmly making their way out of the palace. That was before whatever monsters the changelings had become came crashing through the window landing on the far wall. It fired a single fireball that exploded on contact with Celestia, then let out a victorious roar before bounding out the window faster than it had crashed in. Then everypony lost their minds.
---
In a flash of purple light Twilight teleported outside the kitchen. This was the last place Spike had been.
“Applejack have you seen Spike?” Twilight asked, worry evident in her voice.
“No, he was with Ancro when this all started!” Applejack said. Tossing baking soda onto a fire that had started when the first blast hit. “What the hay's goin’ on?”
“Changelings are attacking the palace,” Twilight said. “You don't think Spike's...”
“I don't know but we are gonna find out,” she said, stomping the ground.
“Ancro!” an unbelievably loud voice bellowed through the halls.
“Was that Scott?” Twilight said, her ears ringing.
“You know another griffin that can get that loud?” Applejack said, remembering how loud he was in the Everfree forest. They nodded and took off towards the yelling.
---
Ancro bolted down the halls. The other changeling was hot on his hooves. The only thing that had been keeping Ancro ahead were various obstacles and his own craftiness. Unfortunately Ancro was out of tricks. Desperate, he made a turn, hoping he'd find someplace to hide or a defensive position. Even better, he ran into a patrol of heavily armored guards.
“Move!” Ancro shouted as a green fireball erupted behind him, the blast giving him a slight push down the hall as he kept running.
The changeling came around the corner. He had been so focused on getting the traitor he had forgotten to check for ponies. Now he had a spear lodged in his shoulder and the target was getting away. He had been hoping not to burn his energy using his apex. Now he had no other choice.
Taking a deep breath he smiled. Those poor ponies had no idea what they were getting into. He relished the sensation of confidence and bravado turning to fear and panic. Any attack they tried was almost harmless. They were either far too slow or not powerful enough. Regretfully, he didn't have the time to enjoy their hopelessness. He quickly finished dispatching them before turning his head and finding his prey.
The coward had made it surprisingly far. The praetorian smiled and looked up to his prey's approximate location. He anchored himself and in flash of green fire his horns turned nearly flat, going over his head and much of his back at various points. Small barbs came out of the inside so that they were facing a barb on the opposite side. He always preferred extremely long range, and in the confines of the palace he hadn't been able to do what he wanted. In retrospect, ambushing him by a window would've been better, but he just hated getting himself dirty like that. It was so much more fun to hunt his prey from a distance and steadily let the terror engulf them.
---
“Ancro!” Scott shouted. He had already decided not to look outside. Not even Ancro would be stupid enough to go out in that mess. Even inside he'd occasionally duck from an explosion of magical energy.
“You!” Scott felt himself jerked around by somepony's magic. He was brought fully around and face-to-face with some unicorn. “Whatever you hope to accomplish it won't work! I knew you and your changeling friend weren't to be trusted!”
“Let me go!” Scott shouted trying in vain to get free. “Ancro's in trouble!”
“And so are you,” the unicorn with the compass cutie mark said. “I personally found Celestia to be far too kind. I know just what to do with scum like you.”
The pony’s already glowing horn began to glow brighter. Scott, not wanting to stick around for whatever this pony had in mind, tried all the harder to to break free. It was proving nothing more than futile. Then Scott took a page from Ancro's dirty fighting playbook and spat in the unicorn's face.
The unicorn frantically started wiping his face, Scott all but forgotten. At least until something grabbed him on the horn. Scott had remembered something that Ancro told him one of the times he had tried to teach him to grapple back on earth. Where the head goes, the body follows. And over the course of the next thirty seconds the head was going into the griffin's fist, a wall, and finally through a vase.
“Take that you ass,” Scott growled, giving the unicorn one last kick before continuing his search for Ancro.
---
Discord thoughtfully scratched his chin. With some luck Ancro would survive. Specs was able to get a head start on the praetorian commander, thanks to his warning, and now she was closing in. Unfortunately the commander was healing and would be back on his hooves shortly. Stigandr was blindly running through the halls trying to find his friend before tragedy struck and Scott was luckily heading in the general direction.
The princesses were still tied up. If not for their worry of 'collateral damage' they would've been able to crush the praetorians. Also it didn't help that Celestia had let herself go since the time he had seen her in action, Starswirl would be disappointed. He figured all these years of relative peace would cause her to be a bit rusty but wow, he never thought it was this bad. Her turns weren't as tight, her spells had lost their precision, if Celestia from a thousand years ago could see herself now she'd never stop training.
Luna was only in slightly better shape but still, she was pretty rusty too. Also, it didn't help that she was terrified about hurting a pony, while Celestia was only worried. One thousand years locked in her broken mind and heart had her terrified of losing control. She had only just earned her subjects love, she didn't want to risk losing it. Discord found it adorable.
Shining Armor and Cadence didn't even see the ambush coming. One moment the throne room exploded the next they were subdued and being wrapped in cocoons. The captain of the guards was less than pleased as was Cadence. Oh how the draconequus couldn't wait to see the outcome.
His attention turned from the battle to the prison. Specs was looking to keep her word and save Ancro, no matter the cost. Which was good. Now all he had to do was figure out the most fun way to save her brother and gain a new piece for his board. He did hate sacrificing pawns but he accepted it as part of the risk of playing chess. Besides, if done right he'd gain a new pawn in the process.
(Thanks for reading! As usual feedback is always enjoyed whether if in PM form or a comment. Thanks to my editors Lone Spartan, Soulstorm65, Tsujin Rilauco, Billahsaurus101. Almost didn't get this one done on time. But I did and now have to start busting my tail to get the next on done. With some luck I'll have the next chapter done on schedule too. I probably will since I can do action and fighting scenes pretty smoothly. Also allow me to wish a happy belated birthday to my good friend and fellow brony Chris.)