//------------------------------// // 112. She Who Feeds Upon Love // Story: Tales of the Oppressed // by Terran34 //------------------------------// My body seems to lock up, horror overtaking me as the reality of what's about to happen sinks in. There's so many of them...where the hell did Sombra get this many undead for his army? This was supposed to be an easy defense, but we fell right into their trap. I'm the Pegasus's Corps strongest asset right now, and if I can't get free to help them, they'll all be killed by the undead reinforcements...even Rainbow. “Get out of my way!” I yell angrily, throwing myself at Shatter without any thought of the consequences. Shatter smirks and holds his position, intercepting my poorly thought out assault and easily flipping me in the air through a swift maneuver of his hooves. Disoriented, I'm forced to take a moment to catch my bearings. I half expect Shatter to push his advantage, but he seems content to watch me struggle as his reinforcements get closer. Growling, I zoom at him once more, unleashing a flurry of punches towards any part of him that I can reach. Shatter crosses his front hooves and easily maneuvers his body around my attacks with just his wings, occasionally ducking his head beneath some of them. “Now this is just pathetic. You were doing better against me before. This is foal's play, now that you've lost your cool,” the general scoffs, smacking me hard on the side of my head. Shooting pain lances through my head to the point where I almost black out, but I don't stop there. I return to the assault, hoping to get at least one hit on him. “Have you lost hope? Or is it that there's somepony you care about up there, about to be massacred by my undead?” The general lifts his hooves and blocks a powerful double handed blow from me aimed for his head, his one visible eye narrowed and thoroughly unamused. I growl down at him with my teeth grinding together, the only thought on my mind is bashing this pegasus' head in. Shatter sighs, as if bored. He lifts a back leg and kicks me right in the stomach again, causing me to double over. Shatter leaps onto my back, constricting my throat with his two front hooves and holding me in place. He turns me around so that I'm forced to look at the oncoming reinforcements, which are so close that I can make out the individual undead. “Take a good look,” the general hisses as I struggle in his grip. It seems like the harder that I try to break free, the more his hooves squeeze around my throat. It's getting hard to breathe. “Say your farewells now, while you can. Your little pegasus friends won't be able to stand up against General Mist's crowning achievement.” Shatter points my head towards the front of the approaching undead formation. Like the army we're currently fighting, the undead amongst them are smaller dragons, griffons, or pegasi...with the exception of the single undead at the front. My eyes widen at the sight. At the head of the enemy army is a massive flying wyrm, unlike any dragon I've seen so far. It's so large, I estimate it's easily above twenty meters tall, with a similarly stretching wingspan. Its head is enormous, easily enough to swallow me and any number of pegasi whole. “She's a novice at necromancy, but she's always had a knack for controlling larger undead,” Shatter explains casually, as if we weren't in the middle of a battle to the death. “Not bad for a former slave, don't you think?” My struggles start to cease as hopelessness sets in. Against something that size, not even Pterax can hope to fight it. Without any magical support from me, the Pegasus Corps will get annihilated. I gaze at the enemy reinforcements, cursing my rotten luck. To make it worse, the wyrm opens its mouth and releases a gout of green flame, letting me know that it can use magic as well. How could things possibly get any...hold on a minute. A sudden thought enters my mind at the sight of that flame. I've never seen a single undead use magic before. Even the undead unicorns never showed a single spark. No way...could it be...? Shatter starts to notice something is amiss as well, because his grip loosens slightly around me as he tilts his head, looking at his reinforcements oddly. “Wait...something isn't right,” Shatter says uncertainly, watching the dragon and the other undead approach. I feel his grip loosen further and let myself fall slack, I’m just waiting for a chance to get free. “I wasn't aware that she discovered a way to allow undead to use magic...” The reinforcements draw closer to the Pegasus Corps, who have recently noticed their approach and are starting to panic. Even Spitfire looks extremely worried, as she's now snapping out orders as quickly as possible to prepare for the inevitable assault. The wyrm starts to glow with a sickly green aura, its entire body eventually burning alight with sheer magical power, enough to fill the air with a very familiar crushing feeling that I've only felt once before. As the realization hits me, I let out a sigh of relief and start to grin. Shatter's in for a rude awakening. “What!?” Shatter screams in utter shock when the wyrm's body explodes outwards, bits of undead flash scattering in every direction before dissipating in the wind. Out of the gory display soars Queen Chrysalis, her fangs bared and a blood chilling battle cry tearing from her throat. Around her, the other undead start to shed their disguises all at once, revealing thousands of changelings stretching all the way to the horizon. Next to Chrysalis, Mantis sheds his disguise as well. At Chrysalis' cry, they all lower their heads and fire countless beams of magic from their horns towards the enemy forces, blasting holes in rotted flesh and shooting down any undead unlucky enough to get their wings damaged. Spitfire, after realizing the situation, quickly reorganizes her pegasi. She is finally free to catch her breath. Now that the changelings have arrived, there's not nearly as much pressure on them as there was before. She directs her pegasi into a counterattack, hitting the undead as they try to face this new threat. When the changelings meet the enemy lines, there's a clash of epic proportions. Chrysalis tears through the undead with ease, laughing with delight as she does so. “How can this be...uh!?” Shatter cuts off with a grunt as I slam my elbow into his stomach, winding him and causing him to release my neck. Pushing my advantage, I whirl around and plant my palm into Shatter's chest, sending him hurtling down through the roof of a building below. When he emerges from the wreckage, his smirk is gone, to be replaced with grim determination. “You. Human. Explain now. What are those!?” “Never heard of changelings before? I guess you haven't done your homework,” I shoot back, confidence returning to me in droves now that the cavalry has arrived, so to speak. With the changeling army behind us, there's no way we can lose now. “So they're your allies...” Shatter growls, wiping sweat away from his brow. “No matter. I have more than enough power to deal with you. Once you die, our trap will be complete. Then, I will wipe out their commander and retreat. I will not let you have this victory!” Shatter suddenly speeds towards me faster than I've ever seen him go, quickly slipping beneath my guard and pummeling me with swift punches to my my chest, pushing me back. After coughing up a bit of blood, I manage to get my bearings and put up my arms, blocking some of his strikes. He's strong, though, and he's no longer holding back. I feel like my skin is going to peel off from the pain from every hit that impacts my guard. “I don't have time for this! Just die!” Shatter yells at me, losing his cool for the first time since this battle began. He viciously kicks me down towards the street, where I roll over several times and skid across the icy street painfully. He flies after me hastily in order to follow up...but he never gets that far. “Time's up,” Chrysalis says sweetly, seconds before she grabs Shatter by the neck and slams him into the ground. She's not done. The queen gallops across the street, grinding the general's face against the ground for several seconds, before finally hurling him with incredible strength through three buildings. I can't help but gape at her, her strength and timely arrival rendering me speechless. The queen pauses for a moment to check the streets, and then she turns around and casually walks towards me, her chitinous hooves clicking against the heavily damaged icy street. She doesn't look at me at first, instead taking a moment to look around. She looks with interest into the pool of liquid rainbow, going so far as to dip her hoof into it...which of course makes her withdraw it with a wince of pain. “I do hope you're happy to see me,” Chrysalis finally says, dipping her head down to my level, a confident smirk that bares her fangs on her face. I quickly compose myself, shutting my mouth and attempting to straighten up...only to realize that I still have broken ribs. Chrysalis notices my wince of pain and looks at me with surprise and a little amusement. “Are you serious? That pathetic little pony was able to hurt you? I expected more from you, Seth.” “Shut up....he can negate all magic, and he's a more skilled fighter than I am. What the hell was I supposed to do?” I shoot back, irritated from the condescending tone in Chrysalis' voice. As happy as I am to see her (and I can't fucking believe I just thought that), I still don't like her one bit. “Really? He can't be hurt by magic?” Chrysalis asks, looking genuinely surprised. Sure enough, as if to cement my point, Shatter emerges from the ruins of one of the buildings, glaring at Chrysalis and I with fury. The left side of his face is cut badly, from where shards of ice from the streets had sliced through the skin. The moment he appears, I drop into a defensive stance, while Chrysalis just eyes him warily, seeming to take the enemy far more seriously now that she knows she's at a disadvantage. “It seems you're right. That attack would have killed any other pony.” “Who are you, creature?” Shatter demands, his voice cracking like a whip as he stares at Chrysalis with simmering anger present in his eyes. “Oh, I suppose I haven't introduced myself yet,” Chrysalis responds, lifting up a hoof and gazing at it, as if she didn't really care about the whole situation. “I am Queen Chrysalis, monarch of the changeling race, and temporarily allies with Equestria.” “Where are my reinforcements?” Shatter snaps back, showing little to no reaction to Chrysalis' identity. Chrysalis gives a chilling laugh, licking her lips in a disturbing manner. She's still as terrifying and psychotic as always, but it's nice to know that sadism isn't being directed at me for once. “Them? I'm afraid they won't be coming. It just isn't safe to be flying around Equestria at this time of day. You never know what might be lying in wait,” Chrysalis taunts the general coyly. Shatter's brow wrinkles in fury, his teeth grinding together. “You destroyed them?” the general presses, his voice terse and filled with anger. “And I had such fun doing it. It isn't often that we changelings can sit back and enjoy a fight without the threat of Equestria hanging over us,” Chrysalis reveals, setting her hoof back down and staring at Shatter with her vivid green eyes. “I dealt with the dragon myself. Such a marvel of necromancy, that one. I delighted in killing it.” Shatter slams his hoof into the street, cracking it. He leans forward, getting into a combat stance that I've seen some of the other pegasi using. Oh shit, he intends to fight both of us. “I see. Then you have also declared yourself as King Sombra's enemy. He will not show you mercy, and neither will I. You will perish here, changeling!” Chrysalis releases a slight scoff and forms a deranged smirk, her fangs clearly showing. “You clearly don't know who you're dealing with,” she returns, showing seemingly no concern about Shatter's ability to negate magic. She turns her gaze to me next. “Stand aside and lick your wounds. I’ll take care of him myself.” “Yeah, okay. But be careful though. He’s a trained fighter,” I warn her, kneeling down to nurse my broken ribs. “Worrying about me? You’re cute,” Chrysalis giggles and then gets serious, lowering her head and firing a series of powerful beams of magic that make General Mist's look like a light sprinkle. I look at her in confusion, but she's raising a hoof to me, as if telling me to wait. “You fool!” Shatter hisses. His grin returns, only this time it looks truly demented. He knows he's at a disadvantage here, but is determined to fight us nonetheless. The bolts of magic collide with him and do absolutely nothing, splashing off of him like water ad dissipating. Next to me, Chrysalis lets out a little “huh,” as if she'd just wanted to see for herself his negation ability. Shatter pushes his advantage and powers through the other lasers, lifting his hooves and meeting Chrysalis in open combat. Once more, I see Chrysalis's true skill shining through as she blocks and counters everything the general sends her way. “You little foal,” Chrysalis taunts, her hoof plowing into the general's jaw, snapping his head back. “You can flaunt your so-called 'skill' as much as you like...but I have hundreds of years worth of experience.” Shatter is sent reeling back from a punch to his shoulder, completely overwhelmed by the Queen's assault. I can’t help but watch with a slack jaw as Chrysalis makes a complete fool out of the general. “Grr...how….?” Shatter growls, swinging a hoof at Chrysalis’s jaw. “You can’t use your magic!” Chrysalis casually flows around the general’s attack and just watches without counterattacking, infuriating Shatter further. The general turns his body and kicks out with both hind legs...only to have both of his hooves blocked with a single cannon bone from Chrysalis. “As if I need magic to deal with you,” Chrysalis returns with a shrug, pushing Shatter away easily and leaping after him. Shatter’s eyes bug out as he’s thrown completely on the defensive by the queen’s lightning fast attacks. Even as skilled as he is, Chrysalis seems to know exactly how he’s going to block. Her punches flow around his guard and pummel him mercilessly, forming bruise after bruise on his body. There’s an audible crack as Shatter’s nose turns to one side by a vicious headbutt from the queen. Shatter swings both hooves towards Chrysalis’ head, but the queen knocks his attack aside and shoves the general back by ramming him with her shoulder. Because he had been in the middle of an attack, the general is unbalanced and tumbles backwards several meters. Chrysalis lets out a hissing laugh and fires a beam of magic towards Shatter, but it goes over his head. “Hah! Where are you aiming, miss 'hundred years!?'” Shatter retorts. However, he realizes that something is wrong when he sees Chrysalis and I looking above his head. When Shatter looks up as well, he lets out a shout of alarm seconds before a building made of ice slams on top of him and collapses, its supporting cloud destroyed by Chrysalis' attacks. Damn, I should have thought to do that. “I will give you the privilege of fighting with me, Seth. Be grateful,” Chrysalis suddenly says to me, walking up next to me. I get up, understanding that she’s going to let me help finish him off. “Right. I'm not even going to begin to say what's wrong with that statement,” I return wryly, lifting my fists in preparation for a renewed assault on Shatter. “But thanks for the help.” “Get ready. We're going to take him down in one single attack,” Chrysalis whispers to me. I nod back, and the two of take a few steps towards the collapsed building. She then proceeds to taunt Shatter some more. “Did you really think you could trap anypony with this half-baked scheme of yours? You failed to take into account how old we royalty truly are. At your level of skill, you couldn't even beat Luna.” “Grr....don't you mock me!” Shatter roars, bursting out of the icy rubble and zooming towards us with his hooves outstretched for an attack. However, he's taken completely off guard when both Chrysalis and I appear in front of him with no warning. His eyes bug out and the air whooshes out of his lungs as both Chrysalis and I slam our respective limbs into his chest in an uppercut. The general doesn't even get to fly upwards. Chrysalis presses both front hooves together, and I clench both of my hands together, and we simultaneously hammer down on his back. That combined with the upwards momentum from our previous attack causes his back to bend, snapping something in his back. Shatter's scream of pain is loud enough to heard from all over the battlefield, even in the midst of the one sided melee in the air above. The changelings are systematically wiping out the enemy, with the tunnels already destroyed to prevent any more undead reinforcements. When the dust clears from the impact, Shatter is revealed lying in the middle of the street, the ice shattered around his body. The general is thoroughly defeated, hardly able to move at all. No kidding, I think we broke his back, or at least something important back there. Chrysalis approaches the fallen general with a smug expression, very similar to the one she wore back when she had nearly defeated Luna and I back during the changeling wedding. You have no idea how satisfying it is to see it directed at someone else. “Don't be dying just yet, little pony,” Chrysalis teases Shatter, giggling sadistically. “Now, I have so many things to ask you. You'll answer me if you want to live.” Shatter snorts with laughter at the queen's words...immediately followed by a groan of pain. “You want to gather intelligence from me? What good would it do you? You will perish in the end no matter what you know,” the general reveals to us. “King Sombra is far above the level of you maggots. All you can do is flail before his unending might.” Shatter forces himself to a standing position through incredible willpower, even as Chrysalis narrows her eyes at his response. “Spare me the empty threats. Time to die, little pony,” the changeling queen hisses, seemingly changing her mind about interrogating him. Just as she's raising her hoof to deal the finishing blow, Shatter reveals the amulet on his chest. Before we can do anything, he shatters the gem on the amulet. A burst of magic erupts from the broken amulet, obscuring his form with a crimson light so bright that we have to shield our eyes. When the light fades away and we can see again, there's no sign of Shatter in the clearing. He's just disappeared...which means that amulet must have held some kind of escape mechanism. “Dammit! He got away,” I curse, allowing myself to relax now that the battle is basically over. Without their leader, the undead in the air have lost any kind of organization and are flying in all directions...only to get annihilated by the combination of changelings and pegasi. The changelings' magic is ripping the enemy apart. Pain wracks through my body, causing me to collapse and hold my ribs, remembering just how much damage I actually took during the battle. “I can't believe I had to come all this way to save you,” Chrysalis observes with a hint of amusement, even as she sees me lying on the street in pain. “I just couldn't picture you as a damsel in distress, but here you are. It's so funny I could cry.” “Would you shut the fuck up and help me? My ribs are broken and I'm pretty sure my head is bleeding,” I snap back while holding my head, not amused at all. “I need you to take me to someplace where I can get some healing.” “Oh, Seth, don't insult me,” Chrysalis returns, leaning down on her front legs to bring herself closer to me. Her horn starts to glow with her sickly green magic, and an aura starts to surround me. I look around, alarmed...but then I feel the familiar warm feeling of the healing spell. “I can heal you, of course. The princesses aren't the only ones who know that spell.” “Thanks,” I respond, feeling more than a little sick that I allowed myself to look weak in front of her. I hate that I have to ask for her help at all. I lie back on the street and allow myself to relax. The sounds of the battle are slowly dying down as the rest of the undead are mopped up, so I don't feel the need to rush to their rescue. “By the way, how did you know to come to Cloudsdale? I told you to meet us at Trotsdale.” Chrysalis chuckles and taps the side of her head. “You have one of my infiltrators with you, don't you? The moment the situation took a turn for the worse, I directed my changelings here. In the process, we stumbled across a group of enemy reinforcements. I thought I should do you a favor and wipe them out.” “Thank god,” I say, laying my head back. That must be why Celestia insisted we take Pterax with us. That way, Chrysalis would have been able to see both the situation at Trotsdale and the one here in the cloud city. “I hate to say it, but you really saved my ass.” “Well, if you really want to thank me, I can think of a few ways,” Chrysalis responds with half lidded eyes, shamelessly flirting with me. Ugh, didn't I tell her before that I'm taken? “Hell no. Take the fucking compliment and don't push your luck,” I retort, shuddering a little. She soon finishes healing me, the ribbons of magic fading away. I get to my feet and stretch out my muscles, verifying that I feel as good as new. That healing technique is very useful, but there's no way it would work in the middle of combat. It takes too long, after all. “You really shouldn't be so tense. I was just kidding,” Chrysalis admonishes me playfully. I scowl back at her. She's even more infuriating now that I can't take a punch at her for being the ass that she is. “Whatever. Anyway, we should meet with Spitfire and get ready to move. Trotsdale needs us now more than ever,” I tell Chrysalis, taking to the air. Chrysalis nods and follows me, the both of us moving for the small group of pegasi. I wince at how reduced their number is. “I just pray the city hasn't fallen yet.” “It hasn't. In fact, the griffons have already arrived, if you really want to know,” Chrysalis reveals from her position in the air beside me. I glance at her in shock at her revelation. Chrysalis smirks back at me. “What? Are you surprised that I know that?” “How can you possibly know that? You didn't pass by Trotsdale on the way here, so...” I start to say, but then Chrysalis puts on a devious smile. “I may or may not have an agent present within the Equestrian army,” Chrysalis explains, looking far more smug than she has any right to be. I give her an stare. “Are you kidding me? We're allies now, you idiot! Why would you spy on us?” I snap at her angrily, even though I'm inwardly relieved. If she's to be believed, the griffons arrived in Trotsdale and the city is still holding strong. Chrysalis looks affronted. “And why wouldn't I? We are a race that has relied upon our intelligence for centuries. I don't see why that should change now that I've signed a piece of paper,” the queen argues, clearly serious about what she's saying. “I won't simply throw aside all of my assets and trust my race to your Celestia's goodwill.” “I...well...I guess you have a point there...but I don't like the idea of you having spies in our midst,” I grumble, unable to argue with that logic. I would never trust Chrysalis; not in a million years. If I had a spy in her number, I damn well would keep it there. “Seth. Stop complaining. My agent has been fighting bravely for you ponies, and serves as a source of information for us,” Chrysalis hisses, her eyes narrowing into a glare. A jolt of adrenaline shoots through me at her expression, making me feel as if I should be running. I don't care how many times we fight together in the future; I will never get used to seeing her bare her teeth at me like that. “Would you rather I have let you worry?” “Seth! There you are!” a familiar scratchy voice calls to me, interrupting our argument. I now feel more relieved than ever, and I turn up to Rainbow with a smile, meeting her head on as she flies right into my arms for a brief embrace. She quickly backs away after that, blushing momentarily. She's not a fan of public affection, but I'm guessing that considering the circumstances, a little hug isn't uncalled for. “I saw you getting hurt down there...but I couldn't get to you. There were just so many of those monsters...” “Rainbow Dash,” Chrysalis interrupts, looking rather grim. Her words cause Rainbow to stiffen and raise her hooves threateningly. The two mares glare at one another, and I swear I can see sparks flying between the two of them. Chrysalis then takes a moment to look between the two of us, her tongue slithering out to lick at her lips with barely contained hunger. “So you're the one who stole Seth.” “Oh great, and now she's here,” Rainbow growls, never taking her eyes off of Chrysalis for even a second. “And I didn't steal anyone.” “Well now, is that any way to address your savior?” Chrysalis taunts, turning her head aside and gazing at Rainbow through her mane coyly. “I can take my changelings and leave, if you'd rather I do that.” Oh shit no, even if she's joking, the thought of having to go up against Sombra without her is enough to make me intervene, even as Rainbow is opening her mouth to shout something back. “Okay, can we save the killing each other part for after we deal with Sombra?” I ask with a strained expression, moving next to Rainbow within tail grabbing distance in case she tries to do anything rash. “I didn't need her help...I would have been fine,” Rainbow grumbles beneath her breath, but she does back down. She tenses beside me when Chrysalis smirks in triumph. “Darn smug-faced witch.” “Dear me, this is going to be so much fun if I can antagonize her so easily,” Chrysalis responds with a mischievous grin. She sees me look at her sternly, opening my mouth to chide her further. “Oh fine, I'll abstain from stepping on the poor filly's pride. Such a needy marefriend you picked, Seth.” “Hey, I am not...!” Rainbow beings to yell back furiously, but thankfully calms down when I press a hand lightly on her chest. Instead, she settles with grumbling beneath her breath again. The next thing she says is in a low whisper that only I can hear. “I'm going to beat her up. I swear.” “Ugh, let's just go find Spitfire before you two start arguing again,” I insert before the situation can devolve further. The three of us meet up with Spitfire at the northern edge of Cloudsdale, where she's busy giving orders to the corporal in charge of Cloudsdale's defense. Pterax and Mantis are with her, conversing with one another. When we approach, Pterax and Mantis immediately lower their heads in respect, due to Chrysalis' presence right next to me. I had the presence of mind to fly between Chrysalis and Rainbow to prevent any further problems. “My queen...” Pterax murmurs reverently at her approach. “Seth! Good, you're here,” Spitfire responds once we join her and the other high ranking pegasi. She then locks eyes with Chrysalis, her expression unreadable. “You know, even though I heard you would be joining us, I didn't quite believe it until just now.” “Trust me, I'm not too enthused about the prospect myself,” Chrysalis returns, running a hoof through her mane nonchalantly. “I would much rather take my hive far away from this Sombra character, but...I've been promised quite a bit in exchange for my assistance.” “Nevertheless, I have to thank you,” Spitfire insists with a sigh. No doubt thanking our previous enemy is the last thing she wants to do. Without her though, we would have been screwed. Spitfire turns to me next. “I saw you fighting with their leader down in the city. Did he have the same immunity as the other undead? I didn't see you using your magic at all.” “He did. Thankfully he's the only general with that kind of ability. He intended to lure one of the princesses here and dispatch her,” I reveal to Spitfire, whose eyes widen. “He might have been able to, if they couldn't use their magic.” “We're just being led into trap after trap, aren't we?” Spitfire growls, anger stamped on her face. “Who does this Sombra think he is?” “Oh, don't be ridiculous,” Chrysalis butts in, uncaring about the whole situation. “That general was pathetic. I didn't need my magic to put him in his place. It would have been foal's play for Celestia or Luna to deal with him.” “Yeah well, I don't have hundreds of years of experience like the rest of you, so can you not make me look bad?” I snap over at Chrysalis. She just lets out a hissing giggle at my reaction. “Nevertheless, the battle is over. It's a shame we couldn't capture him, but we have to move, now. We need to haul tail back to Trotsdale, double time!” Spitfire commands us. Chrysalis once again scoffs, much to Spitfire's annoyance. “Something else you have to say?” “You can all relax. Trotsdale is safe. The griffons arrived not too long ago with a fleet of airships. The undead didn't stand much of a chance,” Chrysalis reveals. I'm the only one that's been told that so far, so Rainbow, Spitfire, and the others show signs of relief, despite their efforts to hide it. “How can you be sure?” Spitfire asks, looking doubtful now that her initial relief has passed. Chrysalis smugly taps the side of her head. “Don't underestimate the changeling intelligence network,” Chrysalis hints smugly. Spitfire looks unsettled by that insinuation, as does Rainbow. Pterax and Mantis just look proud of their race's accomplishments. “So there's no rush.” “So you say, but until we receive some kind of notice from Princess Celestia, we're going to move as fast as we...” Spitfire starts to say. “Uh, Spitfire?” I interrupt, a hint of a smile turning up the corners of my mouth. The captain turns to look at me, annoyed at the interruption. Her expression quickly changes when she spots the scroll in my hand that I literally received just a few seconds ago. “About that notice.” “Let me see that,” Spitfire takes the scroll from me before I've even opened it. Whatever. She's the commanding officer, so she might as well read it. No doubt it was meant for her anyway. Spitfire takes a few minutes to glance over it, and then she gives it back to me. “Okay. We have new orders.” “Oh? Then let us hear it. What does the illustrious Princess Celestia want with us now?” Chrysalis rejoins, earning dark glares from the other ponies due to her blatant disrespect towards Celestia. “Trotsdale is safe. Together with the griffons, they're currently mopping up the remainder of the undead that didn't flee when General Mist was defeated,” Spitfire begins, essentially confirming what Chrysalis told us. The queen has no issue letting us know how right she was too, considering how she's giving us all knowing looks. “As for us, we've been ordered to meet up with Commander Iron and the Bleak Island forces coming from the west, and then return to Trotsdale in preparation for our invasion of the Crystal Empire's territory.” “Yeah! So we're finally taking the fight to the big bad, right?” Rainbow proclaims. She's been silent for the remainder of this conversation, as she usually is during strategy meetings. “Now's a good at time as any. Thanks to our reinforcements, we've dealt the enemy a crushing defeat, and their forces should be weakened. If we're going to strike, we should do it as soon as possible,” Spitfire answers sensibly. Yet, she still looks troubled. “However, I'm concerned as to how the enemy built up such a massive undead force so quickly.” “That's what I said!” I agree, throwing my hands up emphatically. “There's no fucking way Sombra pulled over a million undead out of his ass all at once!” There's an exasperated groan from Chrysalis, who is currently rubbing her forehead with a holed hoof. “Something you know that we don't?” Spitfire demands impatiently. “It's obvious. From what I've heard from my agents, King Sombra has been sealed for a millennium,” Chrysalis starts to explain, sounding condescending. “Clearly his allies and subordinates have been preparing for the day of his release. If I were a general, and I knew that my king was going to break free in the near future, I would do all I could to ensure his victory over his enemies.” “Now that you mention it, wasn't that Hawke guy or whatever building an army up north before Sombra even got free?” Rainbow reminds us. Oh yeah, she was there when Captain Gale gave her report about that as well. At her words, Spitfire starts to understand. “Exactly, little pony. They've clearly been building up an invasion force for a great deal of time,” Chrysalis agrees, even though I doubt she knows who Hawke is. “I see. Either way, it doesn't matter now,” Spitfire decides, waving her hoof in dismissal. “Let's get the troops organized and link up with the Bleak Island forces. It's time for us to stop being on the defensive.” “Aw yeah!” Rainbow exults, pumping her hoof in the air. “Seth, you and Rainbow fall in with the rest of the Pegasus Corps,” Spitfire orders. She then turns to Chrysalis and the other two changelings. “Don't presume to give me orders. I am your ally, not your servant,” Chrysalis interrupts coldly before Spitfire can even open her mouth. The captain stares back, her eyes narrowed, but the queen ignores her, instead turning to Mantis and Pterax. “Mantis, rally the hive and get them ready to fly. We move on my command.” “Yes, my queen!” Mantis responds with a salute, and then he flies off to carry out her orders. Chrysalis looks at Pterax next. “Pterax, your orders have not changed. Remain with Seth and his 'squad' and follow his commands until I tell you otherwise. Am I clear?” Chrysalis commands him next. Pterax nods then salutes. He proceeds to take his place beside Rainbow and I. Huh. I guess he's sticking with us. Chrysalis returns her gaze to Spitfire. “Satisfied, captain?” Spitfire thankfully doesn't rise to the bait, instead nodding tersely. She turns her head back to the remainder of her troops. “Alright, everypony, let's get moving! Form up and tend to the wounded. We've got a long flight ahead, and I want us moving as soon as possible!” Spitfire orders loudly. There's a chorus of acknowledgment from the other soldiers as they move to do as they're told. “I guess that means we should get moving as well,” I say to Rainbow and Pterax. I gesture to them and fly towards the reforming Pegasus Corps. “Phew...I was not prepared for today.” “At least things turned out alright,” Pterax replies, nodding his head. He then lifts his head proudly. “I'm so jealous. You got to fight beside the queen herself! Isn't she just magnificent?” “Uh-huh,” I deadpan, not interested in his blatant gushing over Chrysalis. Rainbow is quiet for a few seconds, but then she flies closer to me, her side brushing against mine. “Rainbow? What is it?” “Nothing. Just..sorry for not being able to fight the general with you,” Rainbow expresses, her head dropping a bit. She looks around to make sure nopony else is watching, and then she nuzzles my side. “Thanks for helping to save my hometown...and would you stop drooling!?” Her last exclamation was directed towards Pterax, who is eyeing the both of us hungrily. He quickly closes his mouth and attempts to look affronted. “I'm not!” Pterax whines. I can't help but chuckle. Rainbow's right though. For what it's worth, I did manage to save Cloudsdale, even if all I did was hold off Shatter long enough for the changelings to get here. Even though I'm healed, I want nothing more than to rest. Unfortunately, I know that's not going to happen for a while. We have a lot of work ahead of us.