Gossamer wings spread majestically wide, Queen Chrysalis flew northeast, skimming the shorter and shorter buildings of Val Roa's warehousing district. She took one glance back at the High Council Building and the distant air battle beyond. Hissing, she looked forward again, narrowing her pale eyes.
“This is far from over.” The mutated alicorn's jagged horn glowed from top to bottom with emerald fury. Her eyes pulsed with a matching aura. “I'll rip this city apart like shredded meat.”
With that said, she fired a pulse of energy into the sky. The green beam exploded, splitting apart in a thousand different directions before descending on the Capital like a translucent umbrella.
“Prowse, look!” Basso exclaimed.
The pilot in question was doing his best to avoid cannon blasts from two hulking battleships. “A little busy to be doing anything but pissin' right now, boyo!”
“No, he's right!” Booster Spice said, pointing past Zetta. “Something's happening to the city!”
Prowse flung a sweaty glance beyond the windshield, catching a haze of green light cascading over the urbanscape like a blanket. “Well, now that's just brilliant,” he grumbled.
Citizens of Val Roa stirred nervously across the Sandstone District. They watched as the emerald aura descended, finally collapsing over them and through them. Though several bucks and does gasped, they appeared completely unaffected.
The Soul Sentries, however...
Fl-Flash! Their antlers brimmed with a conjoined pulse. With identical movements, they stood up straight, spun about, and faced the helpless crowd in a solid line.
“M'beraat rekkhar threatta Xon-Nagu'n!” one of the Xonan warriors proclaimed, pointing.
“Sabbatical's over, kindergarteners!” Seclorum shouted to the other heroes gathered nearby the High Council Building. “Queen Arachnobitch has reattached the strings!”
“Everypony remain calm!” Crimson hollered. “We're prepared for this! And Rainbow Dash has got our backs!” He pointed at Tweak and Lucky Strike. “Now! Launch it now!”
The Soul Sentries clenched their jaws and aimed their fiery antlers at the crowd.
“You heard the stallion, bro!” Tweak shouted.
“Launching—!” Lucky Strike catapulted the first of several black crystals into thea ir.
Tweak cocked his rifle, aimed, and fired at the glittering projectiles while they were over the heads of the Soul Sentries.
P-Pow! They exploded with bursts of mana, shooting energy outward in all directions.
Within a blink, a third of the Soul Sentries that the group had gathered before the steps of the High Council Building had collapsed with groaning breaths. The crystalline discharge had shorted out their leylines, leaving them partially disconnected from their nefarious source of control.
“Did that do it?!” Phoenix stammered.
“Partially!” Seclorum said. “A good chunk of them are still able to give us the zap!”
“Tweak?!” Crimson exclaimed.
“Workin' on it!” Tweak shouted, giving Lucky Strike a nudge. “Ready when you are!”
“And it's away!” Lucky catapulted a second volley into the air.
Tweak aimed and fired, causing the crystals to explode and short-out another cluster of Soul Sentries. The remaining reindeer with glowing eyes marched forward, firing blasts of mana at will. Flash! Fl-Flash!
Bursts of concrete and bronze caught aflame. Citizens shrieked, galloping away for their lives.
“This is it!” Crimson levitated his hammer out, brow furrowed. “We've gotta hold them off!” He craned his neck to look at the rest. “Remember! The goal is to maintain them! No killing Val Roans on our watch!”
“You think they're gonna respect us the same?!” Phoenix's squeaked.
“I didn't give you permission to bitch, soldier.”
“R-right...” Phoenix cracked the joints in his neck and charged forward, clamping his teeth around his mace. “Rrrrrgh!”
“Ohhh I feel the gray hairs multiplying.” Seclorum's horn glowed as he rushed the Council Building's front steps. “Move your tattoos, big guy!”
“Dreit!” Archsod thundered forward, flanked by his likewise burly companions. “Hala'gennar Xon-Nagu'n!”
“Raaaaaaaaugh!”
With swinging weapons and bursts of telekinesis,the warriors met the Soul Sentries head on, knocking reindeer aside while deflecting blasts of emerald energy. The entire Sandstone District erupted with noise while pained bodies fell left and right, their connections with Chrysalis strained by the second.
“Duchess! Duchess!” Nilla bounded up through the hallways of the High Council Building, flanked by Mamunia and Jet. The gazelle skidded to a stop in the doorway to Arcanista's balcony, gazing at her with wide-eyes. “The Soul Sentries! They... th-they're attacking Val Roans!”
Queen Azira gasped, holding Eine close. King Lunarius gazed firmly in the Duchess' direction. “It is as you predicted...”
Taking a deep breath, Arcanista trotted towards Nilla and the two ponies. “Are the ones in the Sandstone District being contained?”
“Yes!” Jet exclaimed with a little hop. “The Tarkington's ponies are holding them back!”
“But they can't for long.” Mamunia shook her head. “What about all the reindeer under her control throughout the rest of the city?”
“The stabby stabs will likely be drawn to Tarkington boomers,” Floydien grumbled. “They'll choke them with shimmer glimmer.”
“Then what do we do?!” Kera's voice cracked. “The Jury and the Tarkington are busy trying to take on those crummy goblins!”
“And someone has to take down that foul monster who just escaped,” Lunarius grumbled.
“We all must have faith in the plan,” Arcanista said calmly. She turned to gaze at the hole through which Chrysalis had exited. “It's all in one pony's hooves now...”
Queen Chrysalis glided lower and lower, her dark flank to the chaotic city southward. Despite her easy escape flight, she was panting nervously, fangs showing as she sweated and strained like a frenzied addict.
“Must... m-must find the crystals,” she hissed, shaking her head as she made for a warehouse located along the fringes of the Grand Choke. “Must g-get a recharge...” She gulped dryly. “I can still salvage this...” Her fangs glistened. “I can still sow enough misery to make this all work!”
She descended swiftly, approaching the side door to the warehouse. With a heavy grunt, she fired a beam of magic that blasted the door open.
Then, just as soon as she entered the concrete structure's spacious room, Queen Chrysalis skidded to a stop, gasping.
Rainbow Dash stood in the very corner, her legs crossed casually. Every shelf inside the warehouse was empty, leaving the spacious storage room dull and barren. She made eye contact with the mutated alicorn, and her glinting eyes matched the sheen of her pendant.
“Hey there. It's about time.”
“... ... ...” Queen Chrysalis stood in place, shivering.
Silence.
The door behind her swung gradually shut, forcing the metamorph to flinch.
Rainbow gestured towards the center of the room. “Have a seat.”