Queen Chrysalis sat brooding, silent amidst the insectoid flutterings of the Changeling Hive. Her scouts had completely lost control over the beasts she had been planning to use. More than a few had died upon discovering that fact. The rest had died upon her discovering it. This was a major defeat, threatening catastrophe if the Crystal Empire was evacuated.
The Changeling Queen was a long-term planner. She had worked nearly a decade to get herself into Canterlot, only to be thrown out in a day by the magic of her own food. But she had recreated her plans, prepared them, aged them to perfection… only to be foiled again. What angered her was not the setback - she was patient, and had many centuries still to live. What she couldn’t stand was that she had no idea who had defeated her. Without that knowledge, she couldn’t adapt. She did have an idea of how to get that knowledge, though.
“Grez!” She called, and her scoutmaster was instantly by her side. “Muster another company of infiltrators.”
“What would you have them do, Majesty?” Grez asked, bowing.
“I want sleeper agents all across the Equine Empires. Sooner or later, they’ll figure out what’s happened to the animals. And I will know before they do. Understood?”
“Yes… Majesty.” The scoutmaster backed away and launched himself into the chambers of the Hive.
A moment later, Chrysalis felt a tingle at the tip of her horn. She sat and cast a spell, and the image of a changeling appeared in front of her. “Nergaz,” she said coldly. “Again.”
“Majesty. I was unable to stop the evacuation. It begins tomorrow morning.”
“I see. Stay with them. See what you can learn.”
“Yes, my Queen.”
An armored fist slammed down on a boulder, shattering it. “Blast it, where are they going?”
“If we knew that, we wouldn’t be tracking them. And breaking rocks won’t get us any further.” The Toa of Fire stood up. “Let’s get moving.”
The Toa of Stone reached over to lever himself up against a rock, only to stumble forward as he realized he’d already shattered it. As he recovered from his fall, he shook his fist at the Toa of Fire. “Norik…”
A Toa of Ice approached him from behind, laying his hand on Pouks’ shoulder. “We are all angry, brother. But we must save our fury for the horde.”
Pouks breathed a sigh of frustration. “You’re right, Kualus.” He straightened a little and approached the Toa of Fire. “Right behind you, Norik.”
“Lead on, brother,” Norik said, gesturing to Iruini.
A call came from behind. “Brothers, come back!”
Iruini turned around. “What is it, Bomonga?”
“It’s Gaaki! Her mask!”
Iruini activated his mask and teleported by his sister’s side. The Toa of Water had apparently collapsed, though Bomonga had caught her in mid-fall. Her mask glowed brightly and she seemed to have gone limp. He looked up worriedly at the Toa of Earth. “Let’s lay her down.”
Norik approached at a lope. “Is she all right?”
“It’s fine, brother,” Bomonga replied. “I caught her. But I don’t like it. Every time she does this, we find nothing but trouble.”
“That may be true,” Norik answered, “but this time, we’re looking for trouble.”
The other Toa quickly returned and gathered around Gaaki. They waited in anxious silence for an endless minute before the Toa of Water began to stir again. She propped herself up, and looked around for a moment, disoriented. When she got her bearings again, she looked up at Norik. “I’ve found them.”
Princess Celestia frowned as she reread the letter from Princess Cadence. Evacuation! It was very sudden, and completely unexplained. Canterlot’s best zoologists assured her that these attacks were inexplicable, massive, and highly organized with respect to these creatures’ normal behavior. That could only mean an external force was at work, most likely a magical one. From what it had wrought on the Crystal Empire, it was unlikely to be benevolent.
Though Equestria had a larger population, with more and better-equipped guards, it was also much larger than the Crystal Empire. If these creatures followed the crystal ponies in, she would have a border too long and too empty to be defensible. She needed to ask for help, and her best option fell far short of trustworthy. Yet she had asked all the same, and he was expected any minute.
A puff of smoke appeared noisily in front of her, quickly dissipating to reveal a top hat and cape separated only by squinted red-and-yellow eyes. With a swirl the cape flew back to reveal the Master of Chaos. “Your Royal Highness!” he proclaimed ostentatiously. “To what do I owe the honor of this summons?”
“Discord…”
“Ah, ah!” he interrupted, advancing towards Celestia’s throne. “Allow me to guess. Had a little too much cake? Trouble with a tummy-ache? Escaping angry mobs demanding Princess on a stake?”
“Discord!”
By now he’d made it up to the steps, and he continued, heedless of the Princess’ calls. “But I’ve always wondered why it’s still Princess. Isn’t a millennium and a half enough? Aren’t you ready to be Queen? Or maybe, you think the title makes you look younger.”
Celestia found herself nose-to-nose with the Master of Chaos, staring her expectantly in the eye. “Discord!”
He stretched back, and in a single flip, returned to his original position. “What can I do for you, Majesty?”
“Discord, this is serious. Princess Cadence is evacuating the Crystal Empire.”
“Yes, yes, rogue Timberwolves, Ursae, all that. Your messenger explained. What do you want me to do? Reconquer the Crystal City?”
“No,” Celestia sighed. “The Crystal Empire is lost. We need to think of our own defense.”
“Defense? As in… border patrol? You realize I’m the Spirit of Chaos.”
“You’re the only one who can, Discord. I don’t have an army.”
“You have three other alicorns, Princess! And – oh yes! – a country.”
“Cadence is with the crystal ponies, Discord. My sister is clearing the way for their arrival, and I am needed here to ensure they have food and shelter when they arrive. Princess Twilight I will ask to investigate these attacks. Discord… we need you. Please. Help us.”
Discord hesitated for a moment, then began to smile. “Consider it done,” he said, and disappeared.