"I would rather fight an army of lions lead by a sheep than an army of sheep led by a lion."
–Bucephalas of Maredon, 429 BCE
The sky was still dark when Thunderball climbed out into the desert. The ponies they had rescued thankfully remained unaware of the crisis in the heavens. One of the few drawbacks of near–idyllic Equestrian life was that, when taken out of their comfort zone, ponies could easily succumb to panic and mass hysteria. (With a possible exception for pegasi, whom Thunderball staunchly maintained had the same nerves of steel as their ancestors.)
The relative calm was broken by a cry of fear as a flight of seven changelings raced down from above, their black carapaces having camouflaged them against the night sky until they were almost on top of the outcropping. At almost the same time, the clouds above them broke open to reveal four griffons diving down with bared sabers. The two groups clashed in the air, and the changeling scattered in the face of an unrelenting whirlwind of blades.
The lead griffon, a greying veteran, was the first to land amongst the group of ponies, right next to Meriwether. "Mon dieu, madamoiselle! This is a little more than we agreed upon, no?"
"Sorry, Blademaster; things didn't work out quite the way we anticipated. But you can get them out if we cast a cloudwalking spell on them, right?"
The griffon counted the herd. "Twenty–two unicorns and earth ponies, five pegasi, excluding yourselves. If all the pegasi pitch in, maybe — provided that the changelings do not catch us first."
Creme stepped forward, and ignored the looks of surprise and suspicion the griffons shot at him. "Changelings are slow fliers, and don't gain altitude well. You can outrun them."
"Twenty–two passengers is no small amount. I cannot say that we would make it with confidence."
Creme looked to Thunderball for additional input. After a moment's calculation, Thunderball spoke. "Well, the hive's pretty angry at us right now. If we stand in their way I bet they'd go for us first. You should be able to make a clean getaway while we're fighting."
"Sacrebleu," the griffon muttered. "That is the worst idea I have ever heard of in all my years."
"You're not being paid to have ideas," Meriwether snapped. "You're being paid to extract these ponies. Attend to your end of the contract, and we'll tend to our's."
The griffon shook his head sadly. "Then adieu, my little ponies. May we do business again in the future."
He saluted them before turning away to help his comrades and the pegasus captives pull down clouds. Flash Point and Phrase Marks set about casting the cloudwalking spell on the rest of the ponies, while the strike team gathered in a corner.
"I do sincerely hope that you've got something up your sleeve, pone, because dying in a heroic last stand was not what we signed up for," Meriwether growled over the radio.
"What's your alternative, let Chrysalis keep all those ponies?" Thunderball shot back. "I'm doing the best I can given the circumstances."
Daisy cleared her throat. "If it makes you feel better, the changelings are far more likely to take us captive than kill us. Of course, this would result in us being put into pods, and subject to memory probes. While I would like to believe that our mental defenses provide an adequate barrier to mind control, having Chrysalis get into my head makes me far less certain of that.
"Great," Meriwether groaned. "We're going to become bug food."
"Actually, given recent events, I would say that Celestia will likely mount an attack on Chrysalis soon. We would probably be rescued shortly after capture."
Meriwether rolled her eyes. "At which point Celestia learns of our existence and identities. That's possibly even worse."
Thunderball pounded his hooves against a nearby boulder. "If any of you have a better option, I'd be delighted to hear it. If not, then stop bickering and help me with a battleplan."
"Phosgene."
Thunderball glared at Daisy through the lenses of his gas mask. "Try again."
"Fine, knockout gas."
"That'll do," Thunderball nodded. "What about egress?"
Meriwether looked over her shoulder at the hole the Diamond Dogs had come out of. "Gypsum's tunnel might still be up. It'll be a tight fit, and I've got no idea where it leads to, but anywhere'd be better than here."
"Alright, then I guess we have a plan. We'll hold them off until the griffons are out of range, then escape through the tunnel, collapsing it behind us."
Daisy raised a hoof. "What do you want me to do about Dive Bomb?"
"If he's in condition to fight, give him a combat knife. If not, tie him up and throw him aboard the first cloud out of here."
Somepony tapped him on the shoulder, and he saw that Daring Do and Creme Brulee were standing behind him.
Daring Do gestured to a dense pack of clouds above them. "Sorry to intrude on your private conversation, but our transports are ready."
"Then I suggest you leave with them." Thunderball quickly raised a hoof to cut off their complaints. "Both of you."
"Daring Do does not run from danger," she replied stiffly.
"Yeah, well, Daring Do also wouldn't let innocent ponies get caught by changelings. They need you pushing the clouds more than we need you fighting down here. Besides, didn't you say you were the only one who could undo whatever Chrysalis did to the sun? Sounds like you're too important to risk your life." Thunderball turned to Creme. "Do I have to convince you to go as well?"
Creme shook his head. "No, I'm going. I just...I wanted to say–"
Thunderball cut him off with a quick hug. "Save it for when we're back in Ponyville, ok?"
"Yeah," Crem breathed. "Yeah, that'd be best. I'll buy you a cider or something."
Daring Do sighed as she watched the farewells. "This isn't how it's supposed to end. Daring Do doesn't let ponies sacrifice themselves for her! Everypony's supposed to go home safe and sound after the adventure's over!"
"So change the ending in your next book," Thunderball grinned. "I look forward to reading it, Mrs. Yearling."
Dive Bomb came to as the last transport was being loaded. Flash Point immediately caught him in a joint lock before he could do damage to anypony. He struggled against her in a blind panic for several minutes before Daisy stepped up and slapped him across his gas mask.
"Ow! What's the big idea?" Dive Bomb looked around at his surroundings. "How'd we get out here?"
"You got possessed by your weapon," Daisy stated simply. "We will issue you safer equipment in the future. Right now, we're covering everypony else's retreat. Can you stay and fight?"
His mane bristled. "Why wouldn't I?"
Daisy simply pointed out into the distance, and Dive Bomb let loose a low whistle as he saw a swarm of black specks issued forth from the main hive. They filled the air like a black wind, as if the entire hive was out to get them. Chances were good that it was. There were cries of terror aboard the clouds as the griffons promptly took off. However, even with help from the pegasi, their speed was too slow to escape the changelings unaided.
The rocky outcropping made for a superb defensive position; the granite formations shielded the occupants from return fire, and commanded the high ground. Flash Point sat in the middle, watching the incoming changelings draw near. The average unicorn would not have been able to reach out over several miles with their magic, or affect the hundreds of cubic feet needed to blanket the swarm. But the average unicorn did not have the distilled essence of the night sky wrapped around their horn.
A pink aura spread out from her horn and lifted her up in the air as Flash Point forced the well of raw mana in the Shard of Midnight through the focusing prism and her horn. Pebbles and dust swirled around her as she whipped her head to face the incoming changelings. There was a flash of light from her horn, and then black bodies fell from the sky like raindrops as her horn glowed, spiralling in dizzy patterns as they crashed into the desert sand. However, a good portion soon emerged with their snouts and eyes covered in a translucent green slime.
Flash Point floated in the air, bathed in light, as she channeled more energy through her horn in an attempt to create a more powerful sleeping agent. A piercing scream filled the air — it took a moment for Flash Point to realize that the voice was her own. Pain crept through her head as a pink beam shot straight out of her horn into the heavens.
Her hooves scrambled to remove her helmet, exposing a white–hot ring on her horn. Flash Point wrapped her hooves around the burning crystal and pulled. The surge of magic from her horn ended the instant It left her horn and landed sizzling on the ground. Flash Point found herself falling out of the air and into Dive Bomb's hooves.
"Flash Point!" He set her down on the ground and pried her eyes open. "Look at me! Stay focused!"
She nodded gave a weak moan as agony and an incredible weariness wracked her body.
"Would you mind allowing me to examine her?" Daisy pushed him aside and took Flash Point's head in her hooves. "You have a mana burn — you will be out of commission for a few weeks."
Thunderball glanced at the incoming changelings. "We don't have a few weeks! I need her on her hooves now."
"Understood." Daisy pulled a hypodermic needle out of her saddlebag and gave Flash Point an injection in the flank. "This should help with the pain. Spellcasting is still impossible, but you should be able to walk and maybe defend yourself."
Flash Point nodded and drew herself upright on shaky legs. "Will they make it?"
A glance upward showed that the changelings were flying high, and passing over the outcropping in steady pursuit of the transports.
Thunderball stomped on the ground. "They didn't take the bait!"
Meriwether activated the electric field on her hoof. "We could fly up there and take 'em."
A soft yellow glow bathed the outcropping; they turned their heads to see Phrase Mark with her horn aglow. "You have another unicorn, you know. Get behind me, and I'll pick up where Flash Point left off."
The moment the last pony had gotten out of her way, Phrase Mark let loose a high–frequency sonic burst that resonated with the granite and shook the outcropping. The small portion of sound that reflected off of the rocks and back at the group caused Thunderball to clutched his helmet to his head. HIs headset did its best to cancel the noise, but it could do nothing to stop soundwaves from squeezing their way through his body, as if a dozen jackhammers were going full–blast around him. Sound waves worked their way up through his legs and socked him in the stomach. His vision swam as he collapsed as the air was forced out of his lungs.
"Cut it out!" Dive Bomb yelled from somewhere to his right.
The pressure on Thunderball's internal organs was abruptly replaced by a high–pitched ringing in his ears and an extreme sense of nausea. He caught sight of the sky as he lifted his head; the scores of disoriented changelings who had borne the brunt of Phrase Mark's sonic attack careened wildly in the sky and collided with each other came crashing down to earth.
He shot upright despite his head protesting every movement and started pulling the others up. "Come on, we're done here. Let's get out oh he–"
Green light flooded the outcropping as changelings teleported in. Thunderball had no time to count the enemy before one pounced on him. The changeling knocked him back against a pillar of stone and drove its fangs down towards his neck. He countered with a vicious headbutt, and was rewarded with a satisfying crunch sound as mithral met chitin.
The changeling crumpled, allowing Thunderball to catch a glimpse of the battlefield. He could barely make out his cousins in the swarm of black chitin. There were so many changelings around them — how had they even managed to teleport this far? The question was quickly brushed aside as the swarm focused its attention on him. Adrenaline caused his heart to thunder in his chest as he drew upon the speed enhancements in his horseshoes.
Two changelings coming up from the right of him each received a hoof to the face. One who was creeping up behind him caught a kick in a very sensitive part of his anatomy. A charger came directly at him from the front; Thunderball breathed into his gas mask and lowered his head to meet the enemy head on. The enemy's horn deflected off of his helmet as Thunderball bull–rushed the changeling backwards.
The air around him came live with electricity as he plowed through the battlefield. The electric blast shocked the changeling he was holding and knocked dozens of others out of the way as he rammed his opponent into a rock on the other side of the outcropping. Now that the battlefield was less cluttered, he could see that his cousins were still fighting in scattered pockets of resistance.
"Fall back! Fall back!" He shouted during the reprieve, turning away from his enemy.
One of his hooves refused to leave the ground, and he promptly tripped. He looked back to see that he had stepped into a glob of green changeling slime. There was a hacking sound from above him as a changeling spat a generous helping of slime at Daisy, sticking her rapier and the hoof wielding it to a stone pillar. The rest of the changelings followed, and the air was thick with slime as his cousins became pinned down one by one.
The changelings came down on them once again. Thunderball punched the first one to reach him in the jaw, but the next one weighed down his good foreleg and sank its fangs into the other, right on top of his rapier wound. For an instant, it felt as if Daisy had cut him all over again, and Thunderball found himself paralyzed in pain.
An orange blur quickly replaced the changeling with a flying kick, while shouting out "Yeah! Flash Entry, baby!"
Thunderball blinked tears out of his eyes and saw that a familiar royal guard was hovering above him, clad in heavy armor and with a spear outstretched. To the side, he could see Daring Do pounding a changeling into the desert sand, while the guard methodologically sweep through the outcropping. A shadow blocked out the moonlight shortly afterwards, and Thunderball heart froze as three winged figures descending from the skies.
The Princesses had arrived.
Flash Sentry bowed before them. "Your Majesties, the area is secure. We've taken numerous changelings captive, and relieved..." He looked back at the ponies they had just saved. "Um, who are you guys?"
"Just some friends of mine," Daring Do quickly injected. "They have this thing about anonymity — I'm sure you understand?" She looked at Twilight as she said it.
Twilight slowly examined the masked ponies. "I don't know, this raises a lot of questions…"
She glanced at Celestia and Luna for a second opinion. Luna opened her mouth, but Celestia laid a gentle hoof on her shoulder. "I have every confidence in your ability to make the right decision, Twilight."
Luna nodded. "Verily, we trust thy judgement."
A bead of sweat traveled down Twilight's cheek, but she began breathing deep to retain her composure. "Well, I can't deny I'm curious, but I think that, given the circumstances, Equestria owes you something for freeing Chrysalis's captives and retrieving the Scarab of Ra."
There was a brief burst of magic from her horn, and the changeling slime holding them down disintegrated. They stood up and bowed, but remained silent to outside observers. The radio channels, however, were alive with a furious debate over the next course of action, with Thunderball furiously whispering for his cousins to stand down, and a growing number of them in favor of making a quick escape while they still could.
The silence dragged on for nearly a minute. Soldiers began whispering among themselves sporadically, while Twilight exchanged confused glances with Celestia and Luna, whose steadily deepening scowl grew to dominate her face. "What is the matter? Does royalty no longer demand proper gratitude for its actions? Speak and thank your princess, blackguards!"
Celestia stepped forward to try and diffuse the tension in the outcropping. "Sister, please–"
Luna's eyes flashed. "I will not stand for these knaves insulting the dignity of the Crown!"
The statement was followed by a flash of lightning from the sky. As the sound of thunder filled his ears, Thunderball could make out the distinct ping of a pin being pulled. He turned around yelling "No!" at the top of his lungs as somepony — in all honesty, it was probably Daisy — sent a grenade flying past him. It exploded with a dull bang right in front of him to create a thick smokescreen.
Somepony grabbed him from behind — he tried to shake himself free, but found a metal hoof pressed against his flank, followed by a paralyzing surge of electricity. He found himself being carried on Meriwether's back air came alive with the sounds of anger and confusion. There was a purple flash ahead of them in the smoke, before Meriwether abruptly collided with a translucent pink bubble that cut off the outcropping from any form of escape.
"Alright! No more Miss Nice Pony!" Twilight lifted Thunderball up by his armor and brought him close to her. "I am placing you all under Royal Arrest!"
Her telekinetic field quickly pulled their weapons off of them — including the cursed kukri, Daisy's rapier, and both Shards of Midnight. Celestia let out a small gasp at the sight of them.
"These are dark artifacts!" She brought the kukri close to herself and gazed at her reflection in the blade. "Where in Equestria did you get these?"
Twilight glared at her captive. "I have a feeling we'll find out as soon as we take off these masks!"
Thunderball took in one final breath before Twilight's magic enveloped his gas mask and tore it aside.
"Thunderball?" Twilight's telekinetic grasp faltered, and he found himself dropped onto the ground. "You–you told me you were going on a trip with your family!"
"That, um, isn't technically untrue, Your Highness," he mumbled, staring down at his hooves.
The other gas masks were quickly ripped off. There was a general lack of recognition — even Dive Bomb seemed like an average thestral outside of his stage costume and makeup — but Celestia's eyes widened.
"But I know you," she whispered. "You three are the children of Amber Waves, my castle gardener for many years before she transferred to the Crystal Empire! And you two are the daughters of Morning Herald, my court messenger. What are you doing here, with all these dark artifacts?"
"I...we…" Thunderball looked back at his cousins hesitantly. "Your Celestial Majesty, I assure you that there is a reasonable explanation for th–"
"Silence!" Luna grabbed him by the front his armor and lifted him up into the air. "Do you think us blind to your game, scoundrel? You have been tying a rope around the necks of Equestria's rulers! Out with it, assassin! When were you planning on tightening the noose?"
Celestia gently wrapped Thunderball in a telekinetic field and set him back on the ground. "Captain, how do you propose to explain the remarkable coincidence that your aunt and uncle are in service to the Crown and the Crystal Empire, respectively?"
Daisy stepped forward and cleared her throat. "Your Majesties, if I may? After the events of Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadence's wedding, we deemed it prudent to keep a closer eye on the princesses."
Luna stared at her icily. "I believe there is already an organization tasked with such a mission; perhaps you have heard of the Royal Guard? There are recruitment centers all over Equestria."
"The guard serves their purpose, and well, but we prefer to operate more discretely. The guard fought the changelings in Canterlot, but we denied changelings access to sensitive information and ensured that —" here Daisy shuddered "— Prince Blueblood remained safely hidden. Had the invasion continued, we would have assisted remaining members of the guard gain access to secret passages in the Castle and free you."
Celestia nodded. "I do not doubt the truthfulness of your story, but it is incomplete. Morning Herald and Amber Waves have been in my service for decades. You will tell me the real reason for their presence without further attempts at prevarication, or else we will continue this conversation in the Canterlot Castle dungeons. Do I make myself clear?"
Daisy quickly bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty. I apologize for not being forthcoming. Our primary mission is to ensure the elimination of threats to Equestria — including rogue alicorns."
"Well, that explains the dark artifacts," Celestia sighed. She looked around at the scene of battle and shook her head. "How long has this been going on for?"
"Ever since we found out the truth about Nightmare Moon, Your Majesty."
Celestia closed her eyes. "Of course. House Argent. I should have recognized your handiwork."
"What?" Twilight's eyes darted back and forth between Celestia, Thunderball, and his cousins. "But that's impossible! House Argent died out eight hundred years ago!"
Thunderball gave her a sad smile. "Ah, but adopted children were not eligible to carry on a house at the time…"
"And would not have been counted as legitimate descendants." Twilight began breathing in tightly controlled bursts. "A continuation not in blood, but in spirit. Clever."
"Um, Your Highness? Are you alright? You look a little…"
"The Sun's been taken hostage yet again — why is it that villains always go for the sun?" Several strands of hair sprang out of Twilight's mane. "Seriously, is it just their way of getting at Celestia or something? Oh, and there's a secret war going on between a rogue unicorn house and the entire changeling hive, one of my friends turns out to be a highly trained assassin sent to watch over me and regicide me if I should go Nightmare Moon." Her left eye twitched. "And on top of all of this, my schedule for Project Everfree has been thrown into complete disarray!"
"Your Highness, I am sorry. You can expect a letter of resignation first thing tomorrow morning."
"Denied!" Twilight growled. "You're not getting out of this that easily! You're going to stay with me and fix every single problem you caused. Every. Single. Problem." She punctuated the last sentence by jabbing him with her hoof at each period. "Is that understood?"
He bowed his head. "Yes, Your Highness."
"Good," she growled. "We are taking you into custody; you will return to Ponyville with us right after we finish business here."
Luna snorted. "Why would you wish to retain his services? I would have had him drawn and quartered for such perfidy."
"Luna! Not only do we not do that, we've never done that!" Twilight paused and searched her memory. "In fact, the only people I can think of that did do that were the griffons, and it's been over a thousand years since."
"My point still stands."
Twilight motioned for Luna to follow her and walked away from Thunderball. "Three reasons," she whispered. "One, he's still a friend, even if he's made some serious mistakes. Two, ponies who have learned from their mistakes are better for it. And finally, I'd rather have them working with me rather than against me. You know what they say, keep your friends close."
"And your enemies closer?"
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "No, why would you do that? If anything, you should keep your enemies under constant surveillance."
"My, how times have changed," Luna chuckled. "I wonder, how do you treat enemy heads of state now?"
"You'll find out soon enough." Twilight pointed at Celestia, who was gently conversing with a terrified changeling. "I think Celestia's just informed Chrysalis of our presence."
It was a short wait, as Chrysalis chose to teleport to the outcropping. Despite all the injuries that had befallen her, Chrysalis arrived with a small retinue of advisors, carrying all the haughtiness befitting her royal status. Not even the bruising that stretched from below her horn to her left eye could take away the impression that she gave of a divine right to rule. Not even the fact that she was, by far, the weakest member present at the meeting.
"Congratulations," she hissed, while descending into a mocking bow to Celestia. "It seems your little assassins did their job well. We've got dozens of casualties, an entire hive woken from hibernation early, and no food to feed them. I'd be surprised if we made it to next year. How does victory through genocide feel?"
"Silence!" Luna roared. "Do not confuse our magnanimity for weakness, insolent cur! I would have your head on a pike if it were not for my sister and Princess Sparkle!"
"Luna, please." Celestia stepped forward and cleared her throat. "Queen Chrysalis, I would like to being by offering my sincerest apologies. The ponies who attacked your hive did so on their own initiative, without authorization or knowledge of the Equestrian government. You can rest assured that they will be dealt with appropriately."
"Well, then I would like to thank you deeply for your apology," Chrysalis sneered. "Do you, perchance, feel sorry enough to return the ponies that my hive needs to sustain itself?"
"I cannot allow Equestrian citizens to be taken captive, Chrysalis, but I would like to help you feed your people."
"There's a catch, of course?
"Only that it take place on Equestrian territory and under proper supervision, to ensure the safety of the ponies you feed upon. I think that is a fair offer."
"Oh yes, very fair." Her laughter echoed through the outcropping. "First you take our food from us, then feed us scraps from your table. Very fair indeed."
"If you find the terms disagreeable, then you are, of course, free to obtain sustenance elsewhere — but Equestria will not tolerate the kidnapping of its citizens." Celestia turned away from Chrysalis. "You may contact me at any time if you change your mind. I believe you know where to find me."
The comment left Chrysalis sputtering in outrage. A member of her retinue took advantage of the lull in conversation to dart forward. "Wait, Princess Celestia, the Queen doesn't speak for all of us!"
"What are you doing, you fool?" Chrysalis growled. "If you don't get back in line this instant, I am going to pin you to a piece of cardboard and find myself a new Adjutant."
Adjutant bared her fangs. "I've had enough of starving while you hoard resources for your petty revenge schemes. I'm leaving for somewhere where I might have a future."
Chrysalis spat in Adjutant's face. "Go ahead, then, if they'll be willing to have your traitorous hide."
Adjutant looked at the ponies around her timidly. The Royal Guard's gleaming armor and House Argent's dark dragonskin were both equally imposing, but not nearly as much as the two alicorns who towered over her. Even then, Adjutant knew that it was Princess Twilight who had personally fought off all manner of monsters and threats to Equestria, and who might well be one of the most powerful magic–users to have ever lived.
The familiar face of Daring Do stood out among the crowed. Without hesitation, she stepped forward and extended her hoof. "Welcome to the herd."
Adjutant shook her hoof and prostrated herself before the alicorns. "Your Majesties, I will always be grateful."
Luna seemed quite pleased by the deference, Twilight looked aghast, and Celestia accepted with a hint of resignation.
"Your thanks is more than enough." Celestia smiled warmly and spread her wings. "Please fly with me back to Equestria. We have much to discuss."
Chrysalis shot them one last venomous look before the Princesses lead their party away into the clouds. One of her changelings suddenly broke ranks and flew behind the Equestrians, followed by more.
"Traitors!" Chrysalis shouted at their retreating forms. "I hope your chitin rots off!"