Diary of the Night

by CalebH


War of Shadows - Interlude XI

The river of gold stretched through the Everfree Forest. It flowed through the dense undergrowth and left a broad path in its wake that a modest supply train was pulled along. Closer inspection revealed a living river of ponies in golden barding. Unicorns with spears, bows, and crossbows. Pegasi with curved blades along the leading edges of their wings. Earth ponies with hammers and flails in their mouths and others with lances couched into their armor.

The scouts were terrified of Celestia’s guard’s revenge coming from the west. Chrysalis was more afraid of the forest to the east. No scout had returned. No ‘all clear’, nothing. The best hidden look out points in the east had been taken out without a sound while the river of golden armor flowed in from the west. In the middle Chrysalis and her Changelings were trapped. As the sun set a battle line began forming to the west.

The sun’s orange rays glinted off the polished armor making the west look like a blazing inferno about to descend and destroy. And yet the east sat unnaturally still as if frozen. A cold breath of wind chased a chill through Chrysalis.

Fire in the west, Ice to the east. The Changelings could try to run but they would either be cut down while they fled or hunted doggedly until they died from exhaustion. They had to stand and fight. No matter how slim, it was their only chance.

As the sun descended grand speeches were made in the west. The army roared their battle cries and thrust their weapons into the air, adding sparks to the fire.

The east sat frozen.

The hive buzzed in response. The few hundreds that had returned outnumbered the ponies but Chrysalis still feared Canterlot’s revenge. The Changelings she had were less than half of what she came with. She had expected a few losses and perhaps a few to be discovered. It was only after a dozen flew back from Manehattan and told her of ponies like bats who carried death with them that she recalled her swarm. Less than half returned.

It was supposed to be easy, fool the Sun Princess, blinded by her own brightness, and feed off of the love of Equestria for centuries. That damned Luna and those things she called guards had ruined everything and killed countless changelings.

The fire in the west came to embers as the sun fell below the horizon, still battle cries thundered from the massed formation. The moon exploded into the sky with a cruel brilliance.

Fire and ice fought to meet.

☾ ☾ ☾

The night guard had nothing that could match the power of a charge by earth pony lancers. While the night guard to the east struggled to gain leverage over their enemies the day guard ripped through the changeling lines. Arrows and bolts rained in from both sides breaking on the Changelings’ hard chitin or piercing through gaps in the natural armor.

Within an hour lines on the west had completely dissolved into a furious melee while lines on the east strained to the breaking point before the weight and skill of the night guard. In the skies changelings fared no better. They were more stable in a hover but that only served to make them easier targets for the raking attacks of Pegasi and Night Ponies.

On the eastern lines Chrysalis saw Luna. Chrysalis went to her changelings to rally a group of them them against a weak point in the night guard lines but as they charged Luna's magic took hold of half of them. They died midstep. Luna summoned swords to her side and the rest were cut down soon after.

Chrysalis scrambled back into her lines to call a retreat while the weak point rallied behind Luna and became the center for the night guard's advance. again and again Chrysalis tried to rally her troops against the night guard only to have the advance cut to pieces by Luna. Every time she watched Chrysalis fall back into the mass of changelings with the same even gaze.

As the night drew on the changelings fell back again and again, redrawing their defensive line tighter around the cave where they hid. By the end of the first watch the skies belonged entirely to ponies. By the end of the second archers had to cease fire for fear of hitting their own while aiming at the thinned changeling line.

As the third watch drew in Chrysalis looked around in panic. The battle was not going well at all. The skies had ceased raining changelings who’s wings had been ripped apart for there were none left, the ground was covered in dead and dying. Her own power was nearly completely drained already, she was yet a formidable opponent but she could do little to turn the slaughter back to a battle.

She called another retreat. Less than twenty changelings responded while the rest remained trapped in losing skirmishes. This was all that was left of a swarm of thousands. All because of that monster. At first she was nothing more than an oddity, so guarded was Luna’s mind that Chrysalis could sense no emotion yet her face betrayed her feelings much more readily than her sister’s. She was supposed to be nothing more than a reformed villain, weak and powerless before the mighty Celestia.

That was before Chrysalis had seen Luna wade through her swarm and kill with impunity. Now she waited, holed up in a cave like vermin, for her exterminator to arrive. The Night Princess would not come alone; she would bring the whole of her army if she could fit them. Chrysalis had gleaned at least that much from the short battle.

Luna was brilliant, she did not take risks and she did not relent. She would not ease up or scale back her attack until Chrysalis was completely crushed and she would not show mercy. The sound of hoofsteps marked her approaching demise and Chrysalis only had time to hope that some of her children had escaped this fate before the battle was met again.

Dark armored ponies tore into the last of the changelings and the dark princess met the queen. There was no trading of words, no exchange of monologues, there was only pain. Blades and beams of pure magic ripped apart the air between them. Some were blocked, dodged, or deflected with magic, leaving deep gouges in the stone, while others were not.

Chrysalis saw Luna walk forward calmly. Her draconic eyes swept over the cavern again and again looking for a counterattack that would never come. With each gap in Chrysalis’s defense Luna made her pay in flesh. A wing, her tail, another hole in her leg. Chrysalis felt herself being cut apart piece by piece. With a last desperate cry Chrysalis poured the last of her magic into a beam.

It struck uselessly against the ground as Luna dodged. Chrysalis’s legs could no longer hold her. Her body trembled on the ground as she gave great heaving breaths. The dark shadow of Luna’s form fell over her. A sneer from the Night Princess revealed a row of pointed fangs.

In a last desperate attempt Chrysalis cried out, “Just because we are not like your precious ponies you would exterminate us rather than let us be. What did we do to you? We did not kill or maim, we only sought to live. We were trying to run awaAH-”

Chrysalis’ speech cut off to a strangled yelp as Luna’s hoof shut off her windpipe.

“I once tried to destroy the world because I was jealous of my older sister. Do not think that the pittance of guilt you may dredge up is enough to sway me,” Luna said as she leaned into Chrysalis’ insect like neck.

Her world faded to black.

☼ ☼ ☼

Chrysalis’ eyes reluctantly opened. She was surrounded by ponies in golden and black armor. Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth Ponies stood side by side with those monsters to peer curiously at her. Chrysalis could only peer back at them as they seemed to levitate by. The pressure on her leg increased and the world spun around her.

Pain lanced through her body as she came to a stop. Shining Armor glared down at her in the predawn light.

“You wanted revenge on this wretched creature. I give her to you so that you may take it. Consider this a belated wedding gift,” Luna’s voice said.

Chrysalis weakly craned her neck. Luna was a few steps off giving Shining Armor a calculating look. Gone were her fangs, leathery wings, and slitted pupils. It seemed that particular look was reserved only for her enemies.

Shining closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. The sun crested the trees behind him and he arched his back slightly as if to absorb its warmth.

“Celestia’s sun rises on friend and enemy alike,” he intoned. “It offers no accommodation for friend nor judgment for enemy. Only it’s merciful light for all.” His eyes opened into a burning glare. “As captain of her royal guard it is my duty to see to it that only those who would live as a friends of Equestria live to see it set. If you will not finish her off then I will but do not pretend that killing something half dead will satisfy my honor.”

Chrysalis could almost feel the cruel smile that played on Luna’s lips. “If it is a fight you want then you shall have it.”

Luna’s power poured into Chrysalis. It did not heal her wounds. It only offered strength enough for a desperate fight before she met her end. Chrysalis rose weakly. If this was to be her end she would meet it standing up.

Her first attack met Shining’s shield. She deflected his counter but it set her well off balance and she did not see his follow up coming. Armored hooves crashed into her chest staggering her and robbing her of breath. She desperately deflected an attack from her left only to be blindsided by a wall of force coming from the right.

Her head spun and she struggled to stay upright. She sent off a desperate attack only for it to strike ineffectually against Shining’s shield. His counter crashed down unimpeded, crushing her into the ground. She tried to rise but another attack slammed into her. A third took her legs out from under her. Shining’s magic pinned her to the ground and she could only watch as he approached her with a spear hovering beside him. He rested it over her heart.

“Cadence wouldn’t want this,” he said. “The only reason you live is because Cadence wouldn’t want me to kill you.”

“Peace, forgiveness, mercy,” Luna said as she put a hoof on Shining’s shoulder. “They are the marks of my sister’s throne and they are the banners she would have you raise. You and Cadenza have learned them well. Leave death for those born of darkness.”

The last thing Chrysalis saw was the purple aura of Shining’s magic on the spear being overtaken by the blue of Luna’s and the spear plunging downward.