//------------------------------// // A Shadow Of Liberation // Story: The Shadowborne Rampage of a Winning Pony // by Gavel Coaster //------------------------------// Blossomforth pumped her wings hard, struggling to keep up with the larger, fitter ponies leading the column. The borrowed militia suit she had been given from the old Ponyville armory didn’t fit her so well, especially around the wings. The pinching was annoying, and also made her feel like she couldn’t get up to full speed. Flying in armor must have taken a lot of practice for the Guardponies… Derpy was there too (and despite everything Blossomforth felt a certain guilty pleasure seeing her wrestle even harder with her silly lime-green conscript suit). She was panting and sweating heavily, no doubt regretting all those extra muffins as she flapped her wings to try to keep up. She clenched her jaw, ashamed of herself. Derpy had much more to be worried about than she did! Not only was Cloud Kicker still in Canterlot, but Sparkler and the whole Doo family were there too! If there was ever a time Derpy deserved a break, it was now. Blossomforth had to admit she couldn’t even imagine what must be going through her mind right now…with her parents, brother, and teenage daughter trapped in a city under siege by an unknown, enemy strong enough to snatch the capital right out from under their muzzles… She then turned back to the horizon, where the Night Guard, headed by Princess Luna herself, were leading their flight. Blossomforth had been completely stunned when Luna recognized her back in Ponyville town square and commanded her to round up as many volunteers from the Ponyville weather team as she could. They were going to war… Most of Ponyville already guessed something was up when the sun wasn’t setting, but it was only after the arrival of Princess Luna at the head of an army that everypony knew something had to have gone horribly wrong. Monsters called “changelings” had somehow shut down Canterlot and trapped the Night Guard and the Long Patrol in the outer reaches of Equestria… Cloud Kicker… Blossomforth swallowed a lump in her throat, redoubling her efforts to get ahead. They had to get there as fast as they could. Cloud Kicker’s life might depend on it! Long Patrol trooper Storm Kicker led their column in silence, her head turned straight towards the northern horizon with her jaw clenched. She’s angry, Blossom thought. And who can blame her? The rest of Long Patrol had divided the Ponyville and Cloudsdale volunteers between them for leadership, and there was no doubt they had to cut back on speed for the sake of their untrained and under-equipped followers. At this rate, it was going to take them at least a day to make it Canterlot…and that was only the advance pegasi force. The massive sky-chariots behind them carrying Big Mac and all the other earth ponies and unicorns would probably take even longer… Blossomforth glided down to where Derpy was. The other pegasus looked at her, but said nothing, shifting in mid-flight to swing her rusty old crupper back into place again. Blossomforth leaned down and bit on the strap on Derpy’s shoulder, pulling it tightly between her teeth until it slid through the catch and Derpy’s breastplate hiked up into place. Derpy looked at her for a moment, eyes narrowing, before she nodded and turned back to the horizon, “Thanks…” “We’re going to get there soon, Derpy,” Blossomforth said, wishing she believed it as much as she pretended to, “I’m sure Sparkler’s fine. We both know Cloud Kicker would do anything to keep her safe, no matter what…” Derpy made no response beyond biting her lip and flapping harder, redoubling her efforts to keep up with the group. Blossomforth sighed to herself, her less-than-successful attempt to reassure Derpy already starting to sting. I probably just made it worse. At this rate, we’re all going to strip ourselves down to our last feathers and still get there too late! Wait…what’s that noise? Suddenly, out of the deep blue ahead, there was a rumble in the air. A hungry growl was echoing through the ears of every pony in Blossomforth’s platoon. Many of her fellow volunteer-militia faltered in mid-air, craning their heads around to look for the source of the deep, rolling sound. Blossomforth felt a brief tremor of panic. Her nerves were already frayed and more surprises were the last thing she – and probably everypony else – needed right now. She felt her wings twitch slightly as she hovered. Then there was a jolt! An invisible, but perfectly detectable, burst of force through the air that rattled everypony’s armor and sent the chariots to waving… She instinctively cringed back from the mysterious force…but it wasn’t in the least bit painful. The force came and went through her with no more than a faint jump of her bones. Blossom didn’t know what it was, but it was strong, and obviously, coming from very far away… What was that?!! Princess Luna’s ear-shattering Royal Canterlot Voice echoed out over the clouds.“HALT!!!”  And then, they saw it. Out in the far distance, over the horizon, a thin, golden beam was arcing across the sky. Whatever it was – it was far away and no thicker than a needle, but it couldn’t be missed for the forks of golden lightning that branched and flickered off as it flew across the sky, arcing over to the west… Wha-?! The beam began to swell up and gather speed, and Blossomforth realized it was getting closer. She turned her head and followed its path, as the rest of the force watched, mystified… The beam arced around over the north-western horizon and struck the sun... …which quivered in the sky like it had been struck, and slowly began to crumple to the ground… Darkness fell around them in a matter of seconds, the sun turning a sullen orange, then red, and then vanishing completely beneath a darkening horizon in a matter of seconds… Shocked gasps erupted all over the column. Nopony had ever seen the sun set so quickly before. Blossomforth however, had a sudden thought and turned to look at the Royal Chariot again… Princess Luna immediately flared into life. A silvery-blue aura surrounded her, eyes turning white as her horn glowed brilliantly… Stars immediately appeared in the sky, blinking into existence like raindrops on a great glass window. Shimmering streaks of silver emerged from the gloom and the great eyes of swirling nebulae winked down at the ponies as Luna’s night fell. Blossomforth whipped her head around and…sure enough…in the gathering night, she saw the faintest outline of a white orb emerging through the gloom. Night had fallen… …In less than ten seconds. What the hay is going on?! Blossomforth would have pinched herself if she could move that far in her armor... The Royal Chariot promptly wheeled in mid-air to face the ponies. The pegasi were still staring at the almost-instant nightfall, and the sky-chariots floated on their limp chains, many of the ponies within muttering and obviously scared about the halt. Blossom did not blame them, it had to be unnerving for a groundpounder to suddenly be floating on a tiny platform miles above the earth… “FRIENDS, PONIES, LOYAL SUBJECTS!!!” Luna boomed from the royal chariot, her face seemingly unfazed and set with determination, “GATHER THINE ARMS AND STRENGTHEN THY HEARTS! NIGHT FALLS NOW THAT OUR ALLIES IN CANTERLOT HATH STRUCK THE SUN TO ITS SLUMBER!!” As she spoke, her mane and coat began to glimmer. Her horn and cutie mark shone with magic as she gathered her power… “PREPARE THYSELVES NOW!! WE RIDE UPON MY MOONBEAMS TO THE CAPITAL WITH ALL HASTE!!!” Her horn lit and up and Luna’s aura swelled powerfully, becoming a flaming white pillar. There was a chorus of muttering all around – becoming cheers and approving yells as the moon finally came fully into view, the sky darkening into deepest night… Blossomforth swallowed, glancing at the rusty old wingblades the Night Guards had slapped on her. She had never used wingblades before, and had only the faintest idea of how they worked from the crash course Long Patrol had given them before take-off. Hope my special talent lets me adapt to wingblades too…I don’t want to cut myself. She glanced at Derpy, who had clenched her jaw and was raising a giant mallet (she’d “borrowed” it from Pinkie Pie’s home) in her forehooves. Blossomforth quirked one eyebrow at her and turned to look at Storm Kicker, who had drawn herself up in a stoic soldier’s pose, eyes flashing with determination. Princess Luna tuned her head to face the moon, which – somehow – also managed to look larger and more powerful than usual, gleaming with bright white moonlight. Luna’s horn gleamed as she cast – not with a gentle chime or whisper like Blossomforth usually heard from unicorns, but with a massive crack that startled her. Storm clouds immediately gathered. Before everyponies’ eyes, the clouds clutched at each other, blocking the face of the moon. The night grew darker and darker, as the clouds drew closer together, embracing and snaking around each other…until only a single, wide shaft of gleaming moonlight shone through their midst. Without hesitation, Luna’s Night Guard dived straight for the moonlight. They gathered speed, descending faster and faster…until they pulled up and expertly landed on the moonbeam with a slam. As though it were solid ground... As Luna’s chariot thundered towards the gap in the clouds, Storm Kicker wheeled around and faced them. “It is time, citizens of Ponyville!” she barked loudly. Her voice was strong and authoritative, not wavering or betraying a hint of fear for even a single moment, “These changeling monsters have come to take our families and loved ones!!I think it’s about time we show the changelings how Equestria deals with pesky bugs!” She pumped a hoof, scowling, “We SWAT ‘em!!!” The answering roar was immediate. Even Blossomforth felt like joining in, adrenalin bubbling up in her veins and pins and needles erupting everywhere over her body. Even the armor didn’t bother her anymore. Storm’s courage was infectious… She scowled, the butterflies in her stomach forgotten. Then what are we waiting for?! “Forward!!!” Storm Kicker roared, diving for the moonbeam – Blossomforth, Derpy, and most of the Ponyville weather team right behind… Blossomforth hardly felt the sudden, rough landing on the moonroad. She hardly felt the dark, grasping fingers of the storm clouds as they galloped towards the light. Didn’t even care it was too bright to see when the moonbeam finally swallowed them... * “CLOSE FORMATION!” I yelled, as the first wave of changelings descended on us. The Sanctum Solarion had already shut down and was beginning to float back down into the spire. The upper dome of the library tower had shattered, the sanctum’s shield protecting us from the debris as we emerged. Whichever bright-spark architect had the idea of building that massive purple onion on top of the elevator shaft obviously hadn’t counted on the sanctum ever being used again… The gyroscope platform was rotating slowly in mid-air as it descended, the central globe now dark and lifeless. We had done it. Night had fallen – and fast – but I knew the enemy would be on us in a matter of seconds and it was going to be tough with just the ten of us fighting them off until the sanctum sank back into the tower. And even that was no guarantee we’d be safe – the changelings would probably just swarm inside… Bottom line, I had to take the fight to the enemy right now and hold them off by myself until Star and the others could escape. Now that we were outside in the cool, night air again, I could feel Shadow’s power spilling out of the grooves in the armor again. With no crystals anywhere around, she was up and raring to go… My forehooves clenched and I raised my wings, shooting up into the air as the buzzing grew louder, “Here they come!” At least fifteen changelings were coming at us, and that was just from above. I had no idea how many could be approaching from the palace floors below. Even with Shadow’s armor, I was going to have my hooves full fighting them all off at once… “Get back down and into the atrium,” I yelled down to Star, “Get those ponies strung up down there back out!” Although she must have had her doubts about me engaging those changelings alone, Star clenched her jaw and snapped off a salute before she turned and yelled to the unicorns, “Shield!” There was a rush in the air, and before I knew it, horns lit up and a large blue magic shield had sprung up around the gyroscope. Once again, I was glad for my little cousin’s brains. That barrier wouldn’t last forever, but at least it’d give the unicorns some much-needed breathing space and, hopefully, the time Star needed to come up with a plan… Turning, I saw the lead six changelings flying for me with fangs bared. Well, Shadow, let’s see what your armor can do in the air this time… She didn’t reply, but her shadows flared out, and I let out a snort so hard I could actually see my breath in the cool, misty air. Shadow’s strength rolled through my muscles like a crashing tidal wave, and these poor bugs were flying right for it… That hyper-balance, equilibrium thing I mentioned before was back in the play, and through the eyes of Shadow Kicker’s helmet, I could see every single current of air those bugs were diving on. Let’s see how many I can knock off ‘em, then… I clenched my wings and climbed, extending the blades as I blew past the drones. A matching pair of high, shrill shrieks and mismatched tatters of disembodied insect wings floating through the air told me it’d had exactly the effect I’d wanted – the changelings were plummeting to their deaths. The next two were in close formation, but that didn’t faze me. I angled my charge to compensate and sped on, knocking them aside like they were made of cloud – before I pulled up sharply at a 90-degree angle, snapping my body like a whip. Before either changeling could right itself, I was on them with blades bared. The first one died without even a scream as I cut its head off. The other one was slightly faster and dodged my first couple of swipes, hissing furiously, before it opened its mouth to spit goop. It never got the chance though – I’d already slipped my blade in under its guard while my other wing obstructed its sight, neatly gutting it from throat to abdomen. The drone stared right at my snarling face through those hollow, turquoise eyes before it gurgled weakly and went limp. I kicked it off my blade and readied myself again as more changelings appeared below… One of them smashed head-first into Star’s shield and fell, cross-eyed, to the platform. Good, it couldn’t get through…but on the other hoof my troops couldn’t hit the thing while it was still on the other side of their shield either. And the changelings following it weren’t quite as dumb. They slowed up and started pounding against the barrier. Star flinched slightly and grit her teeth, pumping more magic into it together with the other unicorns. That other, glowing green shield was still in place around the palace grounds, and we were now inside it with a wall of green between us and the emerging night sky; the changelings out in the city couldn’t get to us, but there were still dozens of the things flying out of the palace itself. This was bad. I dived back to the gyroscope to take out Star’s attackers, but the changelings parted before my charge, hissing – every soulless blue eye on me as they retreated several steps back. They didn’t move to attack again after I landed. Something was up…  “DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE, CLOUD KICKER? DO YOU?!!” That voice. I looked up and across the towers at the balcony of the Royal Solar, where Chrysalis was glaring down at me, her children flanking her sides. Unbidden, I felt my lips stretch out into a snarl and fury bubbled up in my veins… The gathering night made the greenish gleam from her eyes all the more ominous as she scowled at me in return, fangs glittering with venom as she spoke, “IF PRINCESS LUNA TAKES ONE HOOFSTEP WITHIN THIS PALACE, I WILL CONSUME HER PRECIOUS SISTER AND EVERY LIVING BEING WITHIN! THIS CHANGES NOTHING!! NOTHING!!!” “You take one single life, and not one of your children will ever escape from us, Chrysalis!” I yelled back, “I swear on Celestia not a single changeling will survive!” I glanced down briefly, before I saw Chrysalis’ scowl morph into a twisted grin. “BRING HIM FORWARD!” she commanded her drones. I groaned inwardly, knowing where this was likely to go. Of course Chrysalis would try that! Still, it would buy Star and the others some time until the Sanctum sank back into the tower… There was movement behind Chrysalis in the archway back to the throne room…and Shining Armor walked out onto the balcony. His face was pale and haggard, his mane tangled and breath coming heavily. His formal wear was frayed and smudged with green changeling ichor, but his eyes were the worst of all. They were a deep, poisonous green. Chrysalis had him in thrall. Just as she had Lyra. It all clicked. Finally, I understood. Shining Armor’s behavior. His muted warning to me. The Canterlot shield falling. The whole conspiracy unraveled like a loose bandage... Chrysalis, you sneaky parasprite… “Kicker clan militia, citizens of Canterlot…” Shining Armor slowly spoke, but his voice was hollow and cold, as though he was speaking through an enormous metal pipe, “On the authority of the Captain of the Guard, you are ordered to stand down and surrender yourselves! Canterlot has surrendered and Princess Celestia has been imprisoned. Queen Chrysalis is our rightful ruler now.” I didn’t even bother dignifying that with an answer. Instead, I simply lifted Shadow’s wingblades, tapping into their ancient enchantment. Deep, orange flames burst from the tips of the blades, licking up and along my wingspan. Chrysalis was right in front of me, and one lucky charge with the full force of Shadow’s power might end this for good... The bug bitch queen hissed, probably realizing my train of thought. Instead of fear or rage, however, her face morphed into a twisted grin, “I WOULD NOT DO THAT IF I WERE YOU, CLOUD KICKER…” She turned her head, back into the alcove behind her, “Aluuulaaaa! Come here, sweetling! Somepony’s here to see you!” My heart froze. I still don’t know how I managed to keep enough wits about me to stay airborne over the events of the next few seconds. There was a shout from the alcove behind them, and squeal of pure terror that sent shivers down my spine, and the sounds of a muffled struggle, followed by a pained grunt and a thud… Then a changeling drone dragged my terrified, tearful little sister out of onto the balcony by her hind hooves. Alula was struggling, wailing and crying, uselessly scrabbling on the floor with her forehooves as the thing dragged her out. I went cold. Then red hot… “GET YOUR FILTHY HOOVES OFF HER!!!” Alula froze at the sound of my voice, her head whipping around to stare, the flow of tears clearly visible under her reddened, terrified eyes. “Cloudy!!” She somehow managed to kick her legs free of the drone and ran for the edge of the balcony, but she didn’t get more than a couple of steps before a large, hollow leg scooped her up around the middle… My little sister screamed loudly and kicked at Chrysalis, who lifted her up to look her right in the eyes. “Such a ssspirited little brat, isssn’t she, Cloud Kicker?” Chrysalis said in a revoltingly-sweet tone, turning those hateful green eyes in my direction, though her face did not move from leering at Alula, “And a little filly’s spirit tastes so deliciousss…” “ALULA!!!” I couldn’t help but yell at the sight of her struggling. I didn’t dare move. Chrysalis was more than ten wingspans away. Even Rainbow Dash probably couldn’t make that distance before Chrysalis had time to bite. There was no way I could hope to wrest her from Chrysalis’ grip in time if I charged… Then I felt Shadow’s presence again. The events of the following few seconds will forever be a jumble to me. Suddenly, I was hovering there in mid-air, wings flaming for a charge, and then I felt like I was suddenly shunted back into a corner of my own consciousness. I was aware of my own body, but it felt like somepony else was pulling the strings. Whatever Shadow was doing, she apparently needed to take a few liberties with my body to do it… It was then I realized Shadow had been practically shouting in my ear for the last ten seconds while I hovered there in terror and shock. Since she couldn’t slap my senses back into place, Shadow had apparently shoved me out of the saddle and taken the reins… When I came to, I was somehow hanging off the wall below and to the left of the balcony. Clutching the wall like a spider. In my place up in the air, a shadow clone was hovering where I had just been. Chrysalis obviously didn’t notice any difference if her hideous gloating was any indication. “Ssso quiet, Cloud Kicker? Just as well! There isss nothing you can say, vermin, and nothing you can do!” They couldn’t see me from where they were. If I lifted back up, I could probably take Chrysalis by surprise… “I have your full attention then? Where are your brave taunts and insults now, Cloud Kicker?” …but it’d still be pretty risky. Who knew if there’d be time to give Alula that one fatal little bite? “Surrender to my drones now…and give us the armor…or your precious sister will meet the same end as your mother did!” I suddenly felt a chill in my left forehoof. Glancing down, I almost had a heart attack. The moonlight was doing a pretty good job of illuminating the place (if you didn’t count the slight greenish tint from the shield), but of course there are all kinds of nooks and concave alcoves where the gloom stays. My left forehoof had landed in the shadow behind a balcony pillar and almost literally melted into it. My foreleg was gone almost to the knee in the shadowy stone. Then I realized the armor was glowing again. A vivid scene flashed in my head as Shadow shared another memory with me. She stood there, tall and proud, with several snarling monsters bearing down on her. They looked like ponies made of living darkness, except bright orange flames licked up and along their bodies, and their gaping muzzles were like nothing equine. Probably warlock's conjurations. Shadow stood there quietly and impassively as they approached her. When one finally got close enough to bite, Shadow lit the armor and thrust a hoof right into the shadows beneath. It swallowed her hoof, her leg, then all of her. She faded into the shadows below, slithering through the darkness as a flat, insubstantial shade. I could see her position clearly by her glowing blue eyes, but the fire-things all gazed around bewildered until Shadow leapt back out of the pool of darkness and ambushed them... ...then the memory faded. Smirking, I lit the armor. My body melted down into the shadow and the color faded from my vision. I could see, but everything was hazy…purple and hazy. I was a flat shadow, slithering along the marble surface of the tower… …was there anything this old hunk of magic metal couldn’t do? I knew I was invisible, just another crawling after-impression of some tower that caught the moonlight to the changeling’s eyes. I could climb up to the top and… …end… I clearly heard that word. I froze. The whispering in my ears I’d been hearing all night was much louder now. As this crawling shadow, I was…hearing them clearly. The voices in my head were saying something…and they didn’t sound happy… …war…cruel…blood…end…lie…no hope… I felt a shiver run down my spine. Just what were these voices? “If I recall, descendant…” From the tone of her voice, I could just imagine Shadow looking up at the sky and rolling her eyes, “’Twas it not always said to be unwise to tempt fortune by pondering its gifts rather than being grateful for them? Thy sister awaits above…” Right. Alula. Couldn’t worry about phantom voices now when my precious little sis was stuck in that monster’s paws… I felt my lips peel back from my teeth in a snarl as I resumed climbing with ringing in my ears. As I crawled up the wall, completely unseen, I could hear Chrysalis taunting my decoy in front of her, though in my present state, her voice sounded hollow and far away… “I will not say it again, Cloud Kicker! Tell your pathetic militia to surrender, or I will consume your precious little sister right here and now!” The changeling drones in the air still weren’t moving, hovering there tensely, every muscle coiled for instant action their queen commanded it. I was going to have to do this fast… “Do you think I’m bluffing, MAGGOT?!” Yeesh, it sounded like my decoy’s lack of response was starting to piss her off. At least Star, Bons, Lyra, and the others were out of harm’s way. When I glanced down, I saw the Sanctum Solarion gyroscope platform had sunk back into the library tower and the drones hadn’t bothered trying to stop it. I could only hope my little cousin could get everypony back out okay… “This is your last chance, Cloud Kicker!” Chrysalis hissed, lifting my squirming sister in her forelegs and baring her fangs threateningly as I continued to climb. “Surrender now!” I positioned myself on the apex above the balcony, slithering over the keystone and looking down. Chrysalis was directly below me, Shining Armor on her right, and Alula in her left foreleg’s grip. They were still staring at my double… I powered down the armor, and my body began to rebuild itself from the shadow. Color returned to my vision. I wasn’t sad to hear those voices die down either… “VERY WELL!!!” Chrysalis suddenly screamed in frustration, “Your sister is MINE!!” “CLOUDYYY!!!!” Alula screamed in pure terror as Chrysalis slowly opened her jaws wide in front of her face. “NO!!” I yelled, the armor amplifying my voice, “YOU ARE MINE, CHRYSALIS!!!” Startled, Chrysalis spun around and had just enough time to scream in fury before I barreled right into her. The three of us crashed together against the stone banister, which cracked and groaned threateningly, but did not give way. With a thought, fire flashed along my wingblades and I swept one up in an arc, neatly severing Chrysalis’ foreleg as I pinned her against the railing. Alula cried out as she tumbled to the floor, the severed appendage still hanging onto her. I stuck out a hindleg to try and slow her fall, but that proved to be a mistake. Chrysalis took advantage of my weakened balance to shove me back, snarling and hissing in pain and anger. As I stumbled to regain my balance, I was faintly aware of a gasp from behind me and the faint rustle of a head shaking. Then Shining Armor nickered in surprise, “Shadow Kicker?!! WHA-!!” Alula squeaked on the floor and tried to struggle out of the severed foreleg. Chrysalis looked down and made a grab for my sister with her remaining foreleg, but I slammed her back into the balcony. “ALULA, GET INSIDE!!” I roared as I grappled with Chrysalis, “RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY AND DON’T LOOK BACK!!!” There was a sudden crackle of magic and, despite myself, I glanced behind me and saw Shining Armor, pale, haggard, and jaw set with fury, sweeping Alula up in his magic. His eyes had unglazed and his horn was lit a bright blue instead of the poisonous green. He was himself again. Two changeling drones emerged from the alcoves behind him, hissing and snapping their jaws, but he blasted them both with his magic. As they fell to the floor, twitching, Shining Armor glanced at me and gave a quick nod. He lit his horn again and shot a blue bolt at his green bubble shield. The shield shuddered and let off a loud groan as though it were in pain…before great shivering cracks started to sprout along its surface…  Shining Armor then turned and ran back into the dark throne room with my little sister. “Cloudy! CLOUDYYYyyyyy!” Alula screamed after me all the way. Sweet Celestia, please let them be okay… That silent plea was rudely interrupted by the screech of fury from Chrysalis – right in my face – and she lit her horn. She promptly reared her head skyward, bright green magic flowing up from her horn and crawling like a massive, bright-green slug over the shield, hurrying to try and mend the cracks to hold the weakened shield in place… I held her pinned sideways against the stone banister, her one remaining foreleg flailing uselessly and her back bent sideways over the rail so she couldn’t get any hold with her hind legs. She hissed at me, those poisonous green eyes staring into mine with a killing glare - before I stumbled back against a crackling, stinging green magic burst that made my forehooves smoke. Then Chrysalis lunged at me and we collided with a loud KERRANNNG that knocked all the air out of my lungs and lifted me off my hooves…carrying both of us back through the archway… * After what seemed like forever, the light finally faded. Blossomforth slowly opened her eyes, half-dazzled by the moonbeam and half-afraid of what she’d see… Oh sweet Celestia! No! She had only been to Canterlot three times, and kept two of her visits short. Cities, especially groundside cities, had never been Blossomforth’s thing. It struck her as terribly boring to simply try to admire so many buildings she’d never enter and gardens she’d never use, and she often wondered how some tourists could be so fond of the ‘scenic’ route. For Blossomforth, looking at groundside city was always like reading a map with a lot of big stone paperweights on it. Except what she was seeing now was beyond a feathering map with stones on it! Canterlot was covered in a thick layer of smoke. Most of the building and towers were dark and lifeless, not gleaming and shining as the city usually did under the moonlight. Even worse were the large, greenish-gray masses sticking out of the city blocks. They looked like wasp’s nests, except they were enormous, and wide, black apertures stuck out in the air. Changelings. The roar was immediate from the column of ponies as the moonbeam faded behind them. Everypony was shouting in anger, fear, or surprise. Then, a large column of pegasi rose up from the city streets, seemingly flying up to rendezvous with them. There were a lot of them – at least two hundred – and Blossom sighed with relief. Whew! I guess we got lucky. They must have cleared out most of the bugs already! I guess if we’re already on the offensive I can go find Cloud Kicker and the o- “Halt!” Storm Kicker barked, “Ready arms!” Wha-?! Blossomforth, stunned, barely managed to rein herself in before crashing into Raindrops in front of her. At the front of the column, Princess Luna had lit her horn, glowing with silvery-blue moonlight. The Princess of the Night lowered her horn, and a great white bubble burst from the tip. Blossom shut her eyes and looked away from the painful white light… When the hum of the spell faded, she opened them again…and Blossomforth felt her jaw fall open in shock. The pegasi before them were letting out inequine shrieks, writhing in mid-air as green fire erupted along their bodies. Princess Luna! What did she-! One of the leading pegasi suddenly gurgled and fell from the sky. As it dropped, the green fire enveloped it completely. Blossomforth’s first thought when the flames cleared was that the poor pony had been burned to a crisp… …but that wasn’t it. The creature had large, insect-like composite eyes and wings, and it was only-vaguely equine in shape and encased in chitinous black-green hide. And instead of a deep, toothy muzzle, it had a beak full of sharp teeth that glittered up at them… The creature fell, limp, until it finally crashed with a sickening crunch on a rooftop below. The pegasi…they’re… Shocked, she looked up to see the other creatures writhing in pain and flashing green as each and every one of them turned into dark, winged monsters… She had never seen anything like it. She knew the changelings were shape-shifters, of course. It had been in the “briefing” they’d been given by the hurried officers before lifting off. But seeing it for herself was another matter altogether… Blossomforth gulped, suddenly very aware of how many of those monsters there were. She felt heavy in her armor, the wingblades on her wings felt large and clumsy, and the ground seemed much further away… Then she was aware of a hoof on her shoulder. She glanced up to see Derpy there, looking at her pleadingly. Her expression was full of fear and worry as she looked out over the city. Blossomforth could tell she was hoping to see some sign of Sparkler… Sparkler…Cloud…Rainbow Dash… Blossom set her jaw. I’m not going to run away and leave everypony I care about in danger, even if I am just a weak, clumsy weatherpony who has no business fighting monsters... Storm Kicker immediately reared up in mid-air. “Charge!” she yelled. Derpy let out a high shriek and immediately barreled forwards with some of the other seasoned soldiers leading their group. Blossomforth was hot on her tail, drawing up her wingblades. Okay…okay, if I got this right…the idea is to lock my wings up and clip those bugs’ wings while dashing past them. No head-on collision…too dangerous! Just get in and out without hitting anything solid. It’s no different from basic aerodynamics…C’mon Blossomforth, you can do this! They were approaching the bugs fast, who she could literally hear hissing with fury. Blossom grit her teeth and, despite herself, shut her eyes tightly as her unit hit. The roar, snarling, and crash of armored warponies clashing against thick, chitinous hides was like nothing she had ever heard. Cloud Kicker had told her several stories about mock battles she’d been through in West Hoof, describing them as exciting, heart-pounding clashes where all sense of caution, all of your fears, and all of your inhibitions faded away in the driving fight-or-flight instinct. But at the same time, Cloud Kicker admitted it was probably nothing like what a real, life-or-death skirmish would be like, and it was true. What her mock battles didn’t include was the screaming, the cursing, the furious shrieks of enraged monsters, and the shocking sprays of blood and sticky green ichor that seemed to hit Blossom from every corner of the mass of shifting, writhing bodies. She felt her knees start knocking in moments after they crashed into the changeling swarm. Blossom’s head swam and she felt like she was going to puke. It took all of her willpower just to keep her wings locked as she plowed on through the walls of black chitin, trying to focus on Derpy’s hindquarters right in front of her. Just…gotta…keep going… Then something grabbed her wing. Blossom’s charge stopped taut and her legs flew up in the air as she was yanked to a halt. A furious screech rent the air right next to her ear… “SKREEEEE!” Blossom screamed, terrified tears filling her eyes, and without thinking, she spun and sliced… The changeling thing that had grabbed her gurgled and let go of her wing, thick green ichor welling from the gash she’d cut into its neck. It glared murderously at her with glittering blue-green eyes. Blossom could only hover there in shock, unable to believe what she’d done. She glanced at her wingblade, and almost fainted at the sight of thick, green blood staining her feathers… The thing opened its mouth. Its neck cavity constricted, a deep hollow ramming down its throat, scooping something up… And a heavy club descended on its head from behind. There was a loud crack, and the changeling’s head collapsed on itself. Blossomforth was still so deeply in shock she hardly registered the sticky green stuff that was squeezed out from between the beast’s crushed jaws. The changeling lost flight and fell, and she was left staring at a snarling, blood-spattered Raindrops, lifting the club back up in her forehooves. She was roughly turned and shoved forward by the other pegasus. “Move!!” Blossom shook her head. I-I must go on…I can’t give up now…Oh, Cloud Kicker, where are you?! * Sparkler gulped as the changeling cut its way through the tent, leering at her. The sounds of battle were ringing everywhere outside. She could hear crashing, groaning, and loud battle-cries. Whatever was going on, the Kicker clan was right in the middle of it now. As the thing advanced, Sparkler knew what was coming and tried to fight off her fear, swallowing a lump in her throat. Uncle Cirrus and the other patients were in here. If she got scared and ran off, the thing would kill them all even if it didn’t catch her first. She couldn’t count on having enough room to escape in time anyway. The tent was narrow and long, and there was still lots of heavy med equipment around, like the storage fridge and cabinets, as well as the metal gurneys and beds for patients. Sparkler tried to remember all she knew about fighting, as well as the tidbits Cloud and Star had taught her about hoof-to-hoof combat… This was going to hurt. That was the first thing she had learned growing up in the system. If you got into a real fight, then you weren’t going to miss out on the pain unless you were really, really lucky! And that wasn’t going to happen here, with the way Sparkler’s luck had been going recently… But she also knew changelings weren’t quite as fearsome as they looked. Their only natural weapons were their jaws and that green goo they loved to spit. Their horns were too small and blunt to be used as weapons, and their legs were hollow and too light for bashing. Even a full-on buck from a changeling probably wouldn’t do more than crack a couple of ribs. But that didn’t mean she could get cocky. They were also quick and agile from what she’d seen, and the only places they were vulnerable were the joints between their body plates, all of which were creases no more than a few inches long... As she lit her horn, the changeling spared a brief glance around at the med tent – then promptly flashed with green fire. It shifted and twisted as the light bent around it. The turquoise eyes darkened to amethyst, bright pink fur erupted from the plates, the wings vanished, a horn elongated and warped into a bright, pink cone, and a two-toned violet mane flashed into existence. A trio of diamonds became visible on its flank… And Sparkler was looking at a mirror image of herself. She snorted inwardly. Is that supposed to scare me? The thing leered again, grinning, and she groaned. Sweet Celestia, does my face really look like that from the side? I guess that is scary! Second thing she’d learned: retreat and counter-attack wouldn’t work more than once. If she kept falling back from the changeling’s assault, she’d be stuck on the defensive and the thing would get her eventually. So take the offensive and strike first. As hard and dirty as you can. Sparkler planted her hooves and gathered her magic. The air around her began to hum and her horn pulsed with power. The changeling drew itself up and charged just as she let fly with her spell. Crystal materialized before Sparkler, spinning in a fast, razor-sharp cone that ran in the air, guided by her horn. The changeling snorted and leapt aside, dodging the attack, but Sparkler didn’t let up, turning her head and guiding the crystal lance after it. The second time, she lunged, the changeling just barely managed to twist out of the way and came for her, the fire peeling its fake jaws back as it stretched out its neck to bite… …and got a mouthful of crystal shards for its trouble. It screeched, green fire erupting from its hide as the disguise fell away. Sparkler wasn’t sad to see it go – watching herself choke, scream, and spit green blood out of a mouth full of razor shards was not pleasant. It was like she could almost taste them herself. She pushed, trying to force the crystal cone deeper down the thing’s throat, but in the next instant, green ichor erupted from the thing’s mouth and her crystals vanished, cut off from her magic. Sparkler grimaced as her horn started to throb. Having your spell shattered really did a number on your skull…but she knew she couldn’t hesitate for a moment. She still had the advantage. Her hard, persistent attack had knocked the changeling off-balance, and she had to put it down before it could recover and fight back. With her horn still stinging, she did the next best thing, lifting her forehoof and whacking the monster right across its bloody jaw. She knew from fisticuffs in the old orphanage that even if the blow did no damage, the changeling would still feel the pain from its ruptured mouth… Crack! “YeeeoOWWW!” …Although, she did forget what happened when you punched a solid skull without rearing up and putting your whole weight behind it first… She hopped around in pain, clutching her cracked forehoof, while the changeling barely stumbled, hissing in anger. It whirled on its legs and bucked out, and Sparkler went down into the dust, air whooshing from her lungs at the impact. As she choked and spluttered for breath, the bug snapped its injured jaw back into place and spat a glob of goo at her. Sparkler felt the adrenaline take hold and she rolled, the goo only just missing her as she came to her hooves, panting. Okay, now she was officially mad. Sparkler felt all her fear vanish and she bared her teeth at the bug. She didn’t care about whether the thing got her or not anymore. She just wanted to kill it before it killed her, and nothing else mattered. It hissed in return and ran for her immediately, snapping its bloody jaws. Sparkler lit her horn again, ignoring the ache, and pushed out an expanding forcefield. The bug slammed against the barrier, hissing furiously, and Sparkler pawed the ground and charged, pushing the changeling along in front of her, slowly lifting the thing off its legs on her shield as she picked up speed. It realized what she was about to do and tried to move, but it had no leverage against her shield’s smooth surface. Sparkler rammed the bug against the row of empty hospital gurneys the docs had set up. With an enormous crash, most of the gurneys jolted and were jarred out of the way by Sparkler’s charge, but every single one struck the bug right in the back, drawing a shriek from it every single time. She finally hit home, ramming the thing against the heavy med fridge in the corner of the tent. Her magic failed and the shield disintegrated on impact, but Sparkler didn’t care – she had the monster right where she wanted it! She kept going, ramming her own body shoulder-first into the bug, mashing it against the fridge door. Loud cracks resounded throughout the tent, a foul smell filling the air as the changeling’s back plates split open and ichor welled out. It let out a high shriek, which slowly faded into an agonized whine, cut off as it vomited green ichor from ruptured lungs.. Sparkler slowly grit her teeth and pulled back, letting the broken changeling slide down to the ground. It twitched weakly, slimy black-green ichor spilling out of its broken back. Its wings fluttered, but couldn’t find any grip on the air. All the while, it whined pitifully, every moment obviously agony. Sparkler, pumped full of adrenaline, snorted and reached up with her good forehoof. Slowly, she took hold of the back of the med fridge… The bug’s eyes widened, and its twitching suddenly became much more frantic. Sparkler began to ease it forward…and then slowly tipped the fridge over onto the broken changeling. It had just enough time for one last shriek before vanishing under a hard, white wall with a crash! Sparkler snorted again. She might’ve tossed off a one-liner about pushing the fridge if she wasn’t so tired... She limped back to Uncle Cirrus, gritting her teeth and trying to ignore the throbbing in her forehoof and ribs. She slowly collapsed, exhausted, back at her unconscious uncle’s side, “What would you say if you saw all that?” She half-laughed and half-sobbed, “Mom would fuss all over me and say ‘I’m so glad you’re okay’, then she’d ground me for a week and tell me never to do anything like that again…” Before she could pass out, however, there was an immediate roar from outside. “Clan Kicker! Clan Kicker! Free Canterlot!!” Loud voices were cheering. The buzzing sounds were growing louder, much more frantic, and then there was an enormous clashing noise. Sparkler raised her head groggily.Wha-? Is there some kind of celebration going on? Did…we win? Overcome with curiosity, she limped to the hole in the tent her bug friend had generously provided and peered out. Sparkler felt her eyes widen. Wait, could it be-?! Did Star and Cloud and the others do it?! Ponies were diving from above. Some of them were tight in pegasi formation, others were landing in massive sky-chariots pulled by black-armored guards, and some were already grappling with the changelings, overpowering the furious bugs as they shrieked and hissed. She could see a hooffull of changelings were trying to disguise themselves, halfway between pony and bug form, but bright blue flames kept erupting from their bodies and licking up their sides when they tried. Not a single changeling could hide, and not a single changeling was safe from this overwhelming counterattack. “FLEE IN DESPAIR, ABOMINATIONS!!” an enormous voice roared, “FOR THIS IS THINE FATE AT OUR HOOVES!!” Sparkler jumped. They did it! I-I…don’t believe it…Princess Luna’s back! Her face split into a huge grin and Sparkler did a little dance. Yeah, I knew they could do it!! Those bugs are in for it now!! Wait…wha- Before she could finish her thought, Sparkler felt something slam into her side, wrapping its forelegs round her  – her already-bruised ribs creaking and forcing a scream of pain from her throat. Sparkler’s anger flared back into life, and without thinking, she rolled over, grabbing hold of her attacker and pinning it to the floor. I’ll show you, you damn, clopping- But when she raised her forehoof to bash the changeling’s skull in, a familiar voice rang out. “Sparkler!! Sparky honey, it’s ME!” That voice. Sparkler opened her eyes and slowly lowered her hoof. “M-m-m-…” She felt tears start to sting to her eyes and her lower lip started to tremble, “M-m-m-mommy?” * I groaned and staggered back, trying to ignore my impressive new shiner. I imagine I looked even more charming than usual – scratched, grimy, and bleeding with my left eye purple and swollen up again. Chrysalis didn’t let up, darting forward on her newly-regrown foreleg and ramming into me. This time, I managed to pivot the momentum and fling her around behind me, but she landed on her legs and bucked out. I only just managed to duck before she could splatter my brains against the tapestry. I lit Shadow’s wingblades with flames and tried to take advantage of the opening by slashing at Chrysalis’ exposed legs, but her head whipped around and she took flight. My blades flew wide and I barely pulled back before Chrysalis stomped back down on them. This was not too good. The bug queen may not have been a match for me while I was at my peak, but I was wounded, tired, and even with Shadow’s armor there was no avoiding muscle fatigue. I was starting to slow down and unless I found a way to end this quickly, Chrysalis was going to get the upper hoof... We were back in the throne room. The walls were speckled with luminous green cocoons I guessed were holding prisoners, including one particularly-large one above the central dais. I couldn’t tell from this range, but I was fairly certain it was holding the Princess…if its size and location were anything to judge by… The drones were likely still under orders to keep guard – apparently, Chrysalis hadn’t gotten hot enough to lose her head and command them to abandon her prisoners and swarm me. Either that, or I just wasn’t giving her the chance… But I didn’t have any time to get a closer look who they were guarding – I couldn’t take my eyes off the bug bitch queen for a moment unless I wanted them bitten out… …And she was trying her very best to do just that if her expression was anything to go by. Hay, if I thought she was mad before, she was downright pissed now. Her eyes were flashing red and I swear I saw smoke rising off her. Hard to blame her, right? After all, I’d just kicked her plans to splinters practically right under her muzzle - almost exactly the same way she’d managed to snatch Canterlot in the first place. How’s the irony taste, bitch? The moon was up, her shield was cracking and failing, her children were losing the city, Princess Luna was on her way back, and now here she was locked in mortal combat with me again. Not counting her initial invasion, absolutely nothing had gone right for poor Chrysalis… …and it was all because of me. That sudden realization pumped new strength into my weary muscles. Because of me. I snarled and stomped a forehoof into the floor again and again to display my eagerness for combat, “Bring it, Chrysalis! That head of yours is gonna look pretty good stuffed and mounted on my wall…” Chrysalis hissed in reply, dropping into a lunging stance, “Bah! Your tauntsss are hollow,” she hissed back, “I can taste your deliciousss fear from here.” I snorted, bringing my fiery blades up in a defensive half-crouch, “Oh yeah, really scared here! Think I just want to go crawl in a hole under a rock…” Chrysalis braced and smirked at me, “That isss where you’ll be when I’m through with you…” This time, I was ready for her. When Chrysalis charged me, I tapped into the armor’s power and slid to the floor in the shadows again. The voices in my head reached a deafening roar for the split-second I was a shade, but it was over before I could really notice it. Chrysalis cursed loudly as I vanished from her sight and she slammed on the brakes, but I was already behind her and she was in no position to protect herself from the rear when I attacked. I pivoted and slashed horizontally, aiming at Chrysalis’ hind legs. Even with my fiery blades, I knew I couldn’t cripple Chrysalis permanently – but at the very least, hamstrung legs would slow her down for a few seconds. Hopefully enough to try for a lethal strike. Let’s see if she could heal up from a blade through the brain… Chrysalis shuddered as I raked her legs, penetrating the chitin and severing the black muscle tissue beneath, but she didn’t collapse. She spun back around and bit at my face, but I expected that. My stab just missed her snapping mouth, scraping painfully along Chrysalis’ cheek and neck. Her body quivered slightly against my wing, and I guessed her back legs were spasming from my slash. She was leering up in pain, unbalanced – so I promptly crouched down and charged her point-blank, butting my helmeted head right into her exposed underbelly. The bug queen was heavier than she looked, and I had to shove off my hooves hard. But it worked. She teetered to and fro like Pinkie’s Party-sized Precariously-perched Pineapple Cake before toppling over backwards. With me on top too. Always a great position to be in with a mare. Especially if you happen to be unloading a thirty-ton barrel of whoop-flank on her! Huh, can’t imagine Chrysalis was enjoying me repeatedly slugging her in the face as much as I was though… She croaked in pain, dazed, as I finally let up to catch my breath. She was breathing heavily and almost cross-eyed. I didn’t doubt that she was still conscious though, and if she was letting up…it could only be because… I took the second to check around us for any intervention. We were back in the throne room of the Canterlot Palace. Several changelings were about, but they weren’t attacking me. Instead, they were buzzing out the doors and the windows. I could only guess they were all scrambling to intercept the Kicker clan militia and anypony else attacking the crumbling green shield outside. Shining Armor and Alula must have fled out the far doors, which were yawning wide open… Chrysalis twitched under me, signaling an end to my moment of contemplation and snapping my attention back to the problem at hoof. I knew I couldn’t let her recover. I doubted she could survive a severed head so I raised a wing to finish Chrysalis off. But that was a mistake… As I did, Chrysalis’ bright green eyes unglazed and glared at me, full of hate and rage. She was playing possum, I had time to think before she lifted a forehoof and dug it into my side. She was too close, too quick, and the second I’d let up had given her just the chance she needed to find a gap in my armor… There was a crunch, a sharp crack, and a stab of pain lanced up my side. A strangled scream erupted from my throat, and before I knew it I was on the ground next to the bug bitch queen, writhing in pain. I clutched instinctively at my side with my forehooves, and to my horror they came away sticky and positively drenched in dark blood that looked almost black in the dim moonlight. As I stared in shock at myself, Chrysalis chortled and got to her hooves, seemingly unfazed by the craters I’d just smashed into her face. I managed to roll over, keeping my injured side high, as Chrysalis stood over me and bared her fangs, no doubt planning to rip my throat out while I was still helpless… The voices grew louder and louder in my ears, and it was getting almost painful by the time the armor finally responded... Chrysalis’ fangs snapped shut on empty shadow as I dissolved into the floor again, slithering over to the cocoons. She hissed and followed me with those poisonous green eyes...or at least, she tried to. Through the misty purple of my vision, I could see her eyes darting in all directions for a surprise attack after I vanished into the shadows. I reconstituted myself behind one of the cocoons, letting out a sharp, pained breath I prayed the bug queen didn’t hear. That was unpleasant, and doing it with this injury was even worse. The pain had dulled when I faded into shadow, but coming back out made it seem all the worse now… Shadow murmured, and the armor glowed faintly, healing my shattered hip slowly. Too slowly. And those pesky voices, whatever they were, got louder and louder every time I drew on the armor’s power… Was I going crazy? Or was this just some other effect of the armor enhancing my hearing? Whichever it was, I was in the middle of a fight for my life and I couldn’t afford to be distracted by it now…anymore than I could by the painful hole in my guts, the bites, the concussions, or my tongue still bleeding where I’d accidentally chomped down on it… “There isss no point in hiding, Cloud Kicker…” Chrysalis hissed from somewhere around the cocoon behind me, no doubt checking the throne room from corner to corner, “My children are on the way asss we ssspeak! Your pathetic militia will never overcome the entire ssswarm whatever the outcome of the battle at your compound. And while I hold Celestia, Luna can do nothing…” I gave a small smirk despite myself as I held on to the wall. The bug bitch queen had forgotten one thing… * “This way!” Star Kicker hissed to her followers as the Sanctum Solarion finally groaned back into place at the bottom of the library spire, “Lyra and Bon Bon…you two stay here and hide!” Bon Bon nodded, finally lowering the mumbling, barely-conscious unicorn from her back. Seems all that ruckus up in the sky had finally woken Lyra from her slumber… Star swallowed as she cantered back up the stairway, her horn lighting up as she disengaged her wards on the way to the library. What in Celestia’s name am I doing here? I’m just a West Hoof cadet barely out of agent training… But somehow, fate had dealt her this card. Well, fate and being trapped in a city suddenly gone dark and full of monsters, at the side of the pony who claimed one of the most powerful artifacts in the world… She swallowed and pushed down her doubt. No different from another mock-field operation at West Hoof…we’re all flesh and blood…hay, even General Thunder Heart himself couldn’t do any better… She snorted lightly. And maybe he could do a lot worse since he’s probably strung up in a cocoon with all those other ponies in the Atrium… The Atrium. That was the next stop. Luna and the Night Militant had returned, Cloud had taken the fight to Chrysalis and the bugs, and the Kickers would be charging into the palace any minute now. There was only one thing left to do… As she erupted from the secret passage below the Star Swirl the Bearded section, a changeling sentry promptly turned and hissed before Star unleashed a volley of magic missiles, splattering half its head against the wall… Damn…they know where we are… “Move!” As they barreled back down the hallways, Star could only hope the changeling hive mind had too many problems right now to throw any more forces at them. And, luckily for her, it did. * Sparkler choked and stumbled back in amazement, wide-eyed, nearly gagging from the smell as Princess Luna roasted another changeling drone alive. Since her return, Princess Luna had made a point of avoiding too much of the public eye, and if there was ever a reason why, Sparkler was seeing it now… Her Highness’s face was drawn, tight and lined with fury – a fierce, fanged snarl on her muzzle – as her horn glowed with such a heavy aura of power it almost bowled Sparkler over… The changeling shrieked and whined, flailing helplessly as dark blue fire licked up and around its body, superheating its chitinous armor and cooking the flesh inside. Within moments, it collapsed, thrashing and squealing weakly. Sparkler retreated another step after one too many lungfuls of the bug’s aerosolized corpse, and backed right into her mom. Derpy, still crying, wrapped her wings around her daughter, “It’s okay, sweetheart…Oh, I’m so glad you’re okay! It’s okay! We’re all okay!” At any other time, Sparkler would have rolled her eyes and grumbled at her mom’s coddling, but right now she was just too relieved to care…she didn’t even mind the chafing from that ridiculous suit of green armor her mom was wearing. Princess Luna turned her head briefly to glance at the two of them, before turning back to glare out at the exposed courtyard of the Kicker forward camp. Changelings were pouring out of the city alleyways, grounded by rain that weighed down their wings. It was an advantage, but it made ground-based counter-attacks slow and meeting with stiff resistance. The Princess of the Night turned away from the two of them, barking orders loudly to begin a pegasi bombardment tactic to push the bugs back. Far above, Storm Kicker – Sparkler’s heart leapt as she recognized her – and several other official Guard-looking types promptly snapped into formation and flew over the bug ranks, tossing immobilizing gum-bos down to ensnare the bugs. Some of them tried to disguise themselves as ponies when they were caught, but that didn’t do any good since it was plain to see they were trapped in the stuff and surrounded by the enemy. But even when they got these bugs under control - the work wouldn't be done. There was still the palace... The princess, meanwhile, was drawing all of her magic into a concentrated beam. Her horn glowed and pulsed with enough energy to make Sparkler’s fur stand on end at that distance. She could only watch, mesmerized, as the Princess of the Night began to levitate over the ground. She was all aglow, eyes burning with white fire, her wings flared but stationary as she floated in a way that had nothing to do with flying... Luna slowly lowered her head, as though holding such power where it was took all her effort. She pointed her horn directly at the Royal Palace in the distance. The changelings’ shield was still there – cracked, faded, and phasing in and out every few seconds as if it were being hit repeatedly with a giant hammer – but it was there… Luna cut loose with a long, white magic beam, which arced out over the city. Sparkler followed it with her eyes, and time seemed to slow down as it reached the shield… CRAAAACKKKKKKK!!! * Chrysalis suddenly screeched and fell to her knees as a massive, concussive blast filled the air outside. I had been poised to dodge another charge from her. She’d gotten me with a lucky scrape that had gashed open my shoulder but luckily missed my wing, and I was fairly certain I had another cracked rib – but Chrysalis was bleeding from half a dozen cuts and she was starting to tire out and slow down. She was just trying to lull me into a false sense of security again – I’d already sniffed it out. Hay, she’d already played possum once and I wasn’t fooled by the fact that she wasn’t even trying to heal herself up. This though, was something else altogether. Chrysalis let all her guard down and just collapsed, clutching her head between her forelegs as she howled in agony. Bewildered, I couldn’t help but turn my head in the direction of the blast… I grinned, the pain in my body suddenly a lot easier to bear. The shield was completely gone, shattered into thousands of arcane shards that dissipated into ether as I watched. The backlash from having a palace-wide shield spell cracked like an egg must have been quite uncomfortable, if Chrysalis’ moaning was anything to go by... Suddenly, there was another, wet, squelching crack! Princess Celestia’s massive cocoon had sprouted a long, gooey rent in the middle. The crack was small, no larger than my forehoof, but it gave and stretched out as a blue glow erupted from within. Disgusting yellow tendrils of goo broke like old string as the gap began to widen… But the bug bitch queen wasn’t done yet… As I turned my gaze back to her, Chrysalis’ eyes snapped open and glared at me, full of hate and rage. She made a loud half-groaning, half-screeching noise and levered herself back up onto her legs. I felt the adrenalin punch me in the gut again. The now-familiar pins and needles erupted along my body as I fell back into combat mode, pain and fear vanishing. “It’s over, Chrysalis…” Was it me who spoke? Or Shadow? Or was it those voices that relentlessly screamed in my ear now? Whoever it was, she wasn’t impressed. “Not yet, Cloud Kicker…” she snarled, “Not yet. I ssstill have you! And I ssstill have your preciousss Celestia! My children have overwhelmed your pitiful little militia – the cccity is oursss! And the maggotsss who followed you here are my childrensss’ prisoners! Sssurrender now, and I may show you mercy!” I felt Shadow give out a mental snort at almost the same time I did. Seemed like she and I were doing that more often now – thinking and acting in sync… This was the fourth time she’d demanded my surrender, each time with less to dangle in front of my muzzle... Well, Chrysalis was either a brilliant actress, or she really was as stupid as she looked. I only lifted my wingblades in response, fire flickering up and down their lengths. She hissed, her eyes darkening to red again… There was another loud crack, and then another, powerful voice rang out in the throne room “You shall do no such thing!” * “Almost got it!” Star scrabbled with her hooves, digging through the membranous coating of the prison egg for the silhouette within. Her horn sparked, exhausted and deprived of magic, but she didn’t need it anymore. Hooves worked just fine now. Across the Atrium, Glass Eye pulled again, rupturing the front of the egg and releasing the gasping, gunk-lathered purple unicorn mare within into a flowing green puddle. The remnants of the egg promptly shriveled and hung limply in the air as the guard helped the shivering mare up… Grinning as she recognized Twilight Sparkle, Star finally dug her own prize out. She gently lifted the unconscious pony’s head from its still-encased body. She’s alive. Good. The light-blue, rainbow-maned head twitched in her hooves and took a deep gasp of breath, air flooding back into the captive’s lungs. C’mon Rainbow Dash, please don’t be a changeling trying to trick me… Rainbow Dash opened her eyes – slowly and calmly as if she were waking up from a good nap – and stared at Star… Then her eyes unglazed immediately, and she stared down at her body. She promptly stuck her tongue out and gagged. “Ugh! Gross!!! Lemme out! Get me outta this thing! And where in the hay is that bug-faced bitch?! I got some serious flank-kickin’ to do!” Star just rolled her eyes. That’s her alright. * Chrysalis lowered her head and hissed venomously as Princess Celestia summoned a magical aura. Her cocoon disintegrated, bursting like a ripe fruit in a flare of sunlight. The princess was all aglow with an aura of power. Even the bruises and burn marks on her horn didn’t make her visage any less intimidating as powerful magic appeared around her. I had to hoof it to the princess. She had to be exhausted and in pain from her earlier defeat and Chrysalis holding her in a powerful magic grip all this time. But now that the bug queen was weakened by her shattered shield spell, Shining Armor breaking free, and all the damage I’d piled onto her… …well, let’s just say there was probably a bigger chance she’d come out second-best this time. Chrysalis’ glare shifted between the two of us, me standing tall with my wings raised and flickering with fire, and Celestia aglow with light, wings flared and eyes burning like the sun… Well, even she knew this was a fight she couldn’t win. She began to back away from us, summoning a green shield. “I spared you once, Chrysalis!” the princess said, her light, melodic voice still somehow managing to resonate throughout the chamber and shake the pillars, “And now my foolish mercy has cost the lives of so many of my little ponies! I hoped the years would grant you wisdom, and now I see all they granted you was yet more darkness…” Chrysalis did not reply. Instead, her eyes tightened. Her expression was a bit hard to read. She looked pretty angry, sure…but it wasn’t quite…what it should have been. Something was…off. An odd thing happened at that point. The voices in my head. Suddenly, it seemed – just for a moment – like their nonsensical chatter made sense. It was brief, just for a fraction of a second, but I suddenly had a knot of dread in my guts that was gone before I even realized what it was. I tried to grasp it – remember what it meant – but…somehow…it just seemed that even the memory of it was gone too quickly. Just what were those voices saying? I felt a mental prod on my skull. Shadow was letting me know it was time to make a move… I raised my wings and let out a battle cry. Time to end this now, while I had Chrysalis outgunned. I charged, leaping off the floor and rocketing at full speed at the changeling queen… …who turned tail and ran. “Coward!” I yelled, skidding back down onto my hooves as she headed full pelt for the doors. But just as she reached them, they were slammed open in her face. Shining Armor, Dad, Star, Bon Bon, Lyra, Rainbow Dash and all the others were looking right at her. I had to stop myself from cheering out loud! My clever little cousin had got them all out! I’d never been more relieved in my life when I saw Dad rear up on his hooves, bashing his way through the few remaining changeling sentries. He was bruised, bloodied and stained with ichor, and his fine clothes had been shredded by his battle with the changelings, but he looked madder than Tartarus as he glared at the bug bitch queen. Rainbow and Twilight and the others were poised, ready for any action. And Fluttershy - my heart leapt - she was there, with them. She was okay! Relief flooded into me. Eepysqueak was still there for me. I swore I was never going to let her out of my sight again once this was all over. Rainbow Dash – true to her usual resigned, patient self – immediately tucked in her wings and dive-bombed right for Chrysalis’ face. But she turned and ran again, making for the far balcony… …only to be cut off by a beam of brilliant moonlight and the clatter of silver horseshoes hitting the marble as Princess Luna descended to the balcony, eyes shining with power. “THOU WILT PAY FOR THIS, ABOMINATION!” Luna snarled, the Royal Canterlot Voice reverberating throughout the chamber, “EQUESTRIA SHALL NEVER FALL TO THE LIKES OF THEE!” I’d only ever seen Luna that scary once before, back when she was Nightmare Moon at the Summer Sun Celebration. Right now, she wasn’t holding anything back – great living beams of moonlight coalesced around her like hungry snakes, snapping hungrily at Chrysalis… Who turned and ran again, for the other balcony. Guess what? Her way was blocked again… …by a wave of Kicker pegasi, rising up with wings flared in the moonlight as they streaked up and above. My heart leapt again as I saw Storm descending to the balcony with an armed escort. And she wasn’t alone… Blossomforth? Derpy?! It was them. Blossom was decked out in some old Ponyville militia suit and carrying a pair of wingblades, but it was her, no doubt about it. My beautiful Blossom…she must have volunteered, or been conscripted, when Luna and the Long Patrol stopped in Ponyville. I swallowed, hoping she’d have the good sense to start running quick if things got violent again. I knew for a fact she couldn’t even swing those blades straight. Better have a word with Storm later about who she brings to the front lines… And Derpy…she was wearing some Doo clan family armor…and, sweet Celestia, was that Pinkie Pie’s mallet she was lifting up in her hooves? I knew she was packing some strength behind that sweet, bubbly exterior (what with how she’d given me the other black eye) but damn…if her face was anything to go by, she was just itching for the chance to use that thing on the monster who’d put her daughter and her family in danger… Chrysalis, her expression starting to waver, backed away yet again. Right into the middle of the chamber. Surrounded on all sides. There were no more exits. She was trapped. I felt a grin spread out on my face as the bug bitch queen started to show signs of panic, a fierce snarl on her muzzle as she gaped around in every direction… Shadow whispered in my ear again. Her voice was louder, more insistent… And then, suddenly, the voices tripled in volume and I felt myself being shunted aside again, just like out on the balcony. I was just suddenly watching from the sidelines again as Shadow acted with my body. But this time, Shadow used my mouth… “Chrysalis, did I not warn thee?” The bug bitch queen froze, her eyes suddenly wide. “Did I not warn thee to ne’er tempt fate again? Did I not warn thee to return to whatever pit from whence thou wert spawned and ne’er bring my hoof down upon thee again?” Then she was gone again, and I was back in my body... The events of the next few seconds probably marked the most emotion I had ever seen from the bug bitch queen. First, blank shock registered on her face…and that in itself was saying something with it being the rigid, inflexible chitinous mug that it was…then raw anger, then what might have been…sorrow? “From whence I wasss spawned…?” Chrysalis hissed, her voice low and unwavering. “Tempt fate?! You ssstill do not understand…” She had drawn herself up, all hesitation gone, and swept her foreleg in a vague half-circle, “None of thisss is yoursss. None of it wasss meant to be…” I decided to step in then before she could get into her cornered ‘I-was-trying-to-save-you’ speech. “Save it for the trial, Chrysalis! You’re done!” “Wait, Cloud Kicker…” To my utter surprise, the princess waved me off, her eyes fixed on Chrysalis, “Hear me now, changeling queen – that this may put your selfish quest for power to rest forever. As I have raised all of my little ponies to know, this land was made for them. It is theirs by right.” I didn’t know why the princess was bothering. We already had Chrysalis, and she wasn’t going to make any sort of trouble by the time we were done with her. Why was Celestia doing this? Did she really believe this little speech was going to snap the bug bitch queen out of it? “I know this because...I was there when this world came to be!” Celestia said, pausing for dramatic effect… …but before she could say another word, Chrysalis spoke up again. “Ssso was I, Celessstia…so wasss I!” She stood tall, flexing her battered body and summoning a dull, green aura of magic. “And your greatest missstake was not hearing my cries…” She threw out a magic barrier, shoving us all back against a telekinetic blast. It was just a futile gesture, not strong enough to immobilize anypony, just enough to make us all stumble. But that was apparently all Chrysalis needed… She turned her horn skyward and blasted a hole in the ceiling, revealing the starry night sky above to us all. “…and not knowing what you ssstole from me!” she snarled before shooting off the floor and up into the sky… As the commotion died down, I got to my hooves and glared up after her retreating figure. “Oh no, you don’t!” Lighting the armor, I extended the shadows, lifting off my hooves and soaring into the sky after her… This ends here and now…