//------------------------------// // Spy vs. Spy // Story: Entrenchment // by SFaccountant //------------------------------// Entrenchment An Age of Iron story Chapter 8 Spy vs. Spy **** Centaur III – CNN broadcast studio “Hello there, and Welcome to the eight o’clock news! I’m your host, Scoops, and this is my co-host and certified lovable roughneck, Kilroy!” Scoops waved to the camera. Kilroy sat down next to the mare and adjusted his tie. “My certification required the slaughter of an entire village’s militia! The children of that hamlet still weep for the loss of their fathers!” Scoops giggled, and then slapped a hoof down on a sheet of paper. “Tonight we have a very special report! We’ve received news about the 38th Company’s main fleet, which barely escaped total catastrophe in the depths of space!” “After I finished savagely beating them, sources within Canterlot Castle revealed that Princess Celestia had been contacted by her former student, Princess Twilight Sparkle.” He pounded a fist into his open palm. “As many of our listeners are aware, Twilight Sparkle has joined our mighty fleet in its mission to supply the forces of Chaos with weapons and material to continue the Long War!” Kilroy jumped up, throwing his fists into the air. “All glory to Chaos!! Death to the False Emperor!!” “Right you are, Kilroy!” Scoops winked. “Unfortunately, that mission ran into a hitch when the Nethalican was damaged, causing a disastrous encounter with an Imperial war fleet!” Kilroy sat down again. “We are not clear on all the details of the encounter, unfortunately, as the castle staff was rescued from my interview after a timely assault by the Royal Guard. However, we are certain that the conflict ended with a resounding victory for Chaos, and that the Imperial worms were left shattered in the wake of our glorious fleet!” “Yes, it looks like once again, the forces of evil have triumphed! And, by extension, so has Equestria!” Then Scoops frowned. “However, authorities are still unclear on what happened to the Nethalican to prompt this unfortunate crisis! Journalists dispatched to question Serith, High Sorcerer and penultimate Nethalican expert, have so far failed to return. So we reached out to Chaos Priest Virgil, instead! He had this to say.” A holo-screen appeared above the desk, obscuring the journalists with an image of Virgil standing in front of the gates of the Chaos temple. “If anyone has information regarding the owner of the cow behind me, contact the Nethalican as soon as you are able,” Virgil said, gesturing to his side. The image panned over slightly to include a blood-streaked calf. “At first we assumed it was one of the Apples’ animals, but the farm has confirmed it is not. It is best if the creature is claimed promptly. The Acolytes have proposed a cookout.” The calf mooed, and then started grazing. Virgil bowed and then turned to enter the temple. The holo-screen winked away. “Less informative than most of our sources, unfortunately,” Kilroy mumbled, drumming his fingers against the desk. Scoops shook her head. “Right you are, Kilroy. Is this nefarious sabotage another part of the planetary insurgency rising up against the Company’s armies? Experts disagree.” “Considering that the Nethalican mainly serves to protect the world from alien invasion, and that the main complaint of the weakling natives is OUR alien invasion, it seems an unlikely target, at best.” Kilroy snorted. “However, I expect no great feats of logic from the scum that think to take up arms against Chaos. Perhaps the wretches thought the Chaos temple was simply a vulnerable target, with no more thought as to their actions.” “If so, then this is a case of unusually subtle resistance,” Scoops pointed out. “While most insurgent activities involve attacks on military personnel or extraction centers, this case appears to be a covert infiltration and sophisticated sabotage. Some suggest, however, that there’s no way the enemy could have predicted the consequences of attacking the Nethalican in this way; even our own Chaos forces were surprised.” “It is true! The mechanics of the Dark Portal are curious, and such lore belongs exclusively to the Legion Sorcerers!” her Cultist co-host agreed. “Also, there was little evidence of military activity around Ponyville, nor any sightings of foreign creatures. Even greenskin activity and wandering monster sightings have dropped dramatically thanks to the militarization of Sweet Apple Acres!” Then he pointed at the vid-capture unit. “Sweet Apple Acres is the supplier of blue moon apples, the delicious and healthy way to start your day! BUY THEM! NOW!!” Scoops blinked in surprise, then glanced off-screen. “Kilroy, I don’t think the Apples are one of our sponsors.” “That was not a paid endorsement. I just really like those apples,” the man insisted. “Ah. Well. Moving right along, next we have our Battle Report segment!” At the mare’s announcement, the words “THERE IS ONLY WAR” appeared on a holo-screen in front of them in large font before vanishing. “At last! News of consequence!” roared Kilroy. He slammed his fists on the desk. “The offensive against the weakling non-equine races of this world has begun! The forces of Chaos march, and all will submit or be DESTROYED!” Scoops nodded. “Company forces have already taken a few key Diamond Dog settlements, including Yorkieshire, Bonesville, and the ironically named village of Fortune.” “Casualties, sadly, were very low, as was collateral damage. Very few screaming and helpless civilians were cut down in the crossfire or sacrificed to the Dark Gods. The rapid surrender of the inhabitants and lack of organized resistance is credited with the ease of victory,” Kilroy explained with a disappointed sigh. “While evidence of organized resistance activities were found, very few active fighters were caught defending the captured villages. With the enemy continuing to elude the Company military juggernaut, strategists are concerned that the insurgency could distract vital time and resources from the greater struggle against the Orks.” “But fear not, viewing audience! Chaos has heard your pleas for bloodshed and carnage!” Kilroy interjected. “Even now, our forces are moving in on the Griffon Kingdom, aiming to crush the feeble hybrids and gut their forces! In both the metaphorical and literal senses!” “The Griffon Kingdom is unique among the insurgent races as having a well-organized and generally competent military as well as a highly centralized government. This gives the Company armies the advantage, as they have a highly visible seat of power to attack. But the griffons will be ready!” Scoops warned. “Will the forces of Chaos be able to overcome the capital of Griffonstone and defeat the mighty armies of Crown Prince Geoffrey?” The two news anchors paused, staring hard at the vid-capture device. Then they started laughing. **** Griffonstone – Guff Castle “Atten-HUT! No sleeping on the job, soldiers!” Two castle guards straightened up as a griffon Captain rounded the corner, shouting at them. The officer was huge, for a griffon, standing nearly a foot higher than the other warriors and wearing enchanted golden armor. Twin scimitars hung underneath his wings, which were themselves shielded by light metal plates. The guards showed no particular interest in the officer, but their eyes almost bugged out as they saw another two soldiers and one other figure follow him down the hall. The individual they were escorting was a female equine of the bat pony species; they recognized the leathery, featherless wings right away, both of which were bound with leather straps to keep her from taking flight. Judging by the way she was being escorted by two royal guards and a Wing Captain, anyone would have expected the pony to be a high-profile prisoner. Yet she was looking around the castle with a bored expression, like a teenager being forced to tour a museum. “Is that… Is she Lunar Guard?” one of them mumbled as the mare walked by. “Unclear,” admitted the Captain, “she’s here as a messenger for the apes, apparently.” He smirked. “Calls herself Empyra, Queen of Shadows. You have a proper rank to go along with that, fangs?” Empyra regarded the Captain with an even, disinterested stare. “Empyra will do, Captain Gestalt. My exact position within the ranks of the 38th Company’s Equus division is… unclear. My enlistment was not voluntary.” “Really, now? Aren’t they afraid you’ll defect?” asked one of the soldiers. Empyra giggled, which sounded like several sharp squeaks just on the edge of a shrieking howl. “Defect? To you? I can’t think of a better way to once again experience the humiliation and distress of being beaten and captured by the Company than joining their next victims.” The guards posted in the hallway glared at the mare’s backside as the escort moved on, heading deeper into the castle. “You underestimate the griffon people, Empyra,” Gestalt said, opening a set of double doors into the next hall, “we are a proud warrior race, unlike the equines.” “I do not underestimate your ignorance, Captain,” the mare countered, “you face a species you’ve never met, wielding weapons you don’t understand, supported by a power you can’t imagine. To the 38th, the entire military hierarchy of the Griffon Kingdom is but an irritating distraction from the task of annihilating the Orks.” “And do you, as a pony, think that’s okay?” one of the other soldiers asked. “Do you want to see this world dominated by the space monkeys and covered in their city-factories?” Empyra snorted. “I do not moan about what’s ‘okay’ or what should be. I see what is, and determine what I can do about it.” The guard narrowed his eyes, but Gestalt arched an eyebrow. “Well, then, from where you’re standing, what do you think we can do about this?” he asked. “From where I’m standing? You can make it easy on your people and give up,” Empyra said snidely, “or you can sacrifice your kingdom on the altar of your martial pride. You’ve already lost. Whether you drag your kingdom down with you is your choice.” The Captain rolled his eyes. “Gloomy, aren’t you? It’s no wonder your kind was exiled for a thousand years. The other ponies probably would have probably given some kind of uplifting monologue about friendship and hope.” “Maybe,” Empyra admitted. “Then again, the other ponies were killing aliens on behalf of the powers of Chaos long before I was forced to join them.” . They entered another hallway, and then headed toward a set of reinforced double doors with a pair of guards standing at attention. The guards looked surprised to see Empyra, and one quickly moved to stand in front of the doorway. “Apologies, Captain Gestalt, but Prince Geoffrey is in a strategy meeting at the moment. He is not to be disturbed.” The soldier bowed his head to the larger griffon. “A strategy meeting, at this time of night?” Empyra glanced above her, where the night sky was visible from a large gap in the stone wall. “He must be nervous.” The griffons all paused to glare sharply at the mare. Then Gestalt turned back to the guards at the doorway. “This visitor here may be of strategic importance. She’s here as a messenger from the 38th Company.” The guards at the doorway recoiled slightly, glancing uncertainly at each other. “I think it is important that the Prince at least be informed of her presence. We can wait here for him to finish the meeting if necessary.” One of the guards nodded, and then opened the doorway to slip inside. As soon as the doors cracked open, those in the hallway could hear arguing from within the room. “-the only way! They have weapons, experience, and the soldiers we need if we’re to have ANY chance!” “Oh, don’t give us that. We have more than ten thousand wings available to deploy if necessary; far more than the monkeys. Having to deal with the diamond dogs will probably make our armies LESS effective.” “Ten thousand wings means nothing if we don’t know how to defeat the enemy’s war machines! We’ve already lost some ground to the blasted Ork raiders, and the Company is the force that DEFEATED the Orks! Against far more than ten thousand of them, I might add!” “Still, to deal with the rebels who got us into… hold on. Yes? What is it?” “My liege, Captain Gestalt has arrived with a… messenger. A thestral mare, apparently with news from the Company.” “The Company? As in the psychotic tin men from space, or the traitorous white witch who sits on her mountain watching our world be torn apart?” “Uh… I… don’t know, Prince. I’m not really familiar with their hierarchy.” “Bah! Fine! Send her in! I could use a good laugh!” After a few seconds the soldier emerged and opened the doors completely, saluting to the Captain. “You may enter!” Gestalt nodded and gestured sharply to Empyra with his head. She walked forward into the throne room, still looking generally bored. Once inside, the hall guards closed the door behind them, and Empyra got her first look at the throne of Griffonstone. Its current claimant, Prince Geoffrey, sat upon the dark wooden seat. He was a fairly young griffon, with snowy white feathering and a thin golden circlet upon his head. He was a far less impressive figure than the warriors who had guided Empyra through the castle, and she made sure her tired sneer expressed as much. “Speak, wench!” There were a half-dozen older griffons in the room standing around a table in front of the throne, and one of them pointed to her. “State your name and your message!” “I am Empyra, Queen of Shadows. I come before you today to present the terms of your surrender,” her eyes roamed the throne room while she spoke, and she still acted more like a bored tourist than someone acting in any sort of official or military capacity. “Let’s move this along quickly, please. I have much to do tonight.” “We won’t waste much time on your proposal, I assure you,” Geoffrey sniffed. “Captain Gestalt, where did you find this thestral?” “She landed right in front of the main gate and surrendered to the main guard contingent, my liege,” Gestalt explained, stepping forward. “She was searched extensively, and we only found this object.” The Captain placed a small metal cylinder on the table. The others stared at it briefly, each of them utterly unable to so much as guess at its purpose. “What is this?” demanded Geoffrey. “One of the ape’s bizarre trinkets. I don’t know what it’s supposed to do, although they did assure me that it wouldn’t explode.” Empyra shrugged. “Can I get on with this, now?” “You may,” allowed the Prince. “Good. Tomorrow morning, the 38th Company will deploy a primary strike force directly to Griffonstone, with the aim of capturing the city and immediately neutralizing the griffon’s royal authority. The gunships are already fueled up and ready for the assault, and you possess no weapons capable of stopping them.” Empyra paused dramatically, her lip curling up to reveal the curve of her fangs. “Your time upon the throne is at an end, Prince Geoffrey. However, if you surrender rather than forcing an assault, the Company is prepared to allow the following mercies.” She cleared her throat. “First, the military and royal order shall be disbanded and moved into the general population, rather than being butchered or enslaved. Second, that population will likewise not be incarcerated, killed, or enslaved, with the exception of those who resist. Third, the entirety of the Griffon Kingdom shall henceforth be controlled and administered by the nation of Equestria.” This last item surprised some of the nobles in the court. “Equestria? Not the 38th Company?” asked one. “The Company controls Equestria!” snapped another. “Debatable,” Empyra interjected, “although undoubtedly as the first nation to submit to Chaos, Equestria enjoys a… curious level of autonomy. It was a matter of intense debate – and a direct request from Princess Luna – that Equestria take control of the day-to-day administration of your kingdom rather than the human soldiers. Us ponies familiar with Chaos consider this a considerable boon to your people, and for good reason.” “A moot point, I assure you,” Prince Geoffrey growled, “as I will not be surrendering to that blasted solar tyrant OR her simian lackeys! Do you think I don’t see what’s going on here?!” “Yes, but please, continue,” the mare replied with a smirk. “Celestia, the immortal and all-powerful ruler of the very sun, sits on her throne high in Canterlot, preening and spewing asinine nonsense about ‘love and friendship’ while alien warriors swarm over the planet and tear the other nations apart! The humans bow and scrape at her feet, and die in droves to defend her kingdom, but that is not enough! No!” He jumped up from his throne, shaking a fist in the air. “Long has Equestria coveted the Griffon Kingdom! And now that she has an army of any real strength, she sends the apes to take the land that her weakling ponies could not capture themselves! And she even has the gall to declare that her kingdom will rule us after our subjugation as an act of ‘mercy!’ Ha! As if!” Empyra cocked her head to the side. “Let’s say – for the sake of avoiding needless debate – that that’s true. So what? Do you think this brilliant deduction will make the lasers hurt less? The apes will absolutely annihilate any griffon that raises a claw against them. And I can’t guarantee that they’ll stop there. You choose between your pride and the lives of your subjects, Prince.” “Territory can be recaptured. Citizens will obey whoever commands the soldiers in the streets.” The Prince leaned back in his throne with a deep frown. “The dignity and legitimacy of the royal order, however, is much more difficult to rebuild. I’m certain you already understand that, ‘Queen’.” Then he waved at the Captain. “Gestalt, I’ve decided to show the Company’s envoy the same courtesy they’ve shown ours. Take her outside and execute her immediately.” Captain Gestalt recoiled slightly, but then nodded. “If that is your will, my liege.” Empyra kept staring up at Geoffrey with the same mildly disinterested expression. He leaned forward and scowled at her. “Ordinarily I would let you suffer first, but you DID have the courtesy to warn us about the general timing of the Company’s attack. For that, I offer you a clean death, at least.” He swiped a talon toward the door. “Take her away!” Gestalt sighed and pushed the doors to the throne room open. “Bring the mare. We’ll do this in the courtyard.” The other guards took up position behind Empyra, who still looked perfectly calm while she followed the Captain out into the hall. “Not that it makes a difference, of course, but I feel like you misunderstand…” Gestalt suddenly froze, his head snapping to the side and his nerves immediately on edge. The guards who were supposed to be standing sentinel at the throne room were gone. A splash of wet blood slashed over the stone floor and ran up the wall. “On your guard!” Gestalt shouted. “We-“ He didn’t get any further before two dark shapes dropped from the ceiling from above his subordinates. Adamantium hoofblades scythed into their backs, punching through the iron armor with ease. Razor wingtips laced with enchanted toxins sliced across the solders’ necks an instant later, throwing fresh blood across the stonework floors. Before the guards had even hit the ground, the thestrals had bounced off to take out their next target. Gestalt raised his wing shield just before one fired a burst from its splinter rifle, and the griffon warrior felt the crystals shatter upon the enchanted metal. He found little respite, however, as the second bat pony surged forward and slashed toward his throat. Gestalt blocked, his enchanted gauntlet proving a fair match for the advanced metals of the blade. By the time he drew his own weapon the bat pony was already rising into the air, darting out of range now that the advantage of surprise was lost. Neither soldier attacked; Gestalt feared he would be instantly flanked by the other pony, while the thestral seemed to be waiting for something. “… I said that the human gunships would be arriving tomorrow,” Empyra continued, lowering her head. The bat pony that wasn’t facing off with a soldier sliced open her wing bindings, and she immediately stretched the appendages to relieve the cramped muscles. “The Lunar Guard has been attacking since I arrived. You probably haven’t noticed.” The same bat pony threw a shadowy cloak over her back, and she locked eyes with the trio of glittering green lights set in an obscuring metal visor. “Tell her the deal went as expected. We can proceed.” The soldier saluted, and then whispered something into her mask. All of this happened in full view of the throne room. The nobles were completely stunned, staring slack-jawed at the sight of their dead guards and the ponies that had infiltrated their castle. “T-Treachery!” howled the Prince. “You come here as a ‘messenger’ when your goal was assassination!” Empyra turned her head back toward the throne room, her eyes narrowed. “Not true. I came as a messenger, and I have no intention of harming you. Not that I don’t want to, necessarily, but somepony else insisted upon the ‘honor’ of personally brutalizing a crown prince.” The device on the table, largely forgotten by the griffons, started to hum. Then the middle of the disk opened up, revealing a ring of glowing blue light. “Have fun, kitties.” Empyra’s wings stretched to grasp the edges of the doors, and then she slammed them shut behind her. “And now… that just leaves you…” Empyra looked over to the griffon Captain, smirking. The two Lunar Shades hovered close, waiting just out of his swords’ reach. They were the elite soldiers of the Lunar Guard, and each of them was completely covered in ballistics armor and blades, with an enchanted cloak that resembled an ink shroud over their backs. Both also possessed splinter rifles, which made Gestalt curious as to why they weren’t shooting at him. “Your Company will not prevail, equine! The Griffon Kingdom will not fall so easily!” Gestalt growled. “Sure. Whatever.” Empyra shrugged. “I must confess, I don’t care in the least. I act on behalf of my people, nothing more.” She tilted her head to the side. “Although I have to say, your angry resistance seems VERY familiar. I probably shouted something very much like it to the human wretch that wandered into the Bloodborne Caverns to ‘recruit’ my ponies to the Company’s ranks.” She chuckled. “Isn’t that funny? I wonder if we might be fitting you for carapace armor in a week or so.” Gestalt suddenly broke and ran, his wings launching him down the hall as fast as possible. One of the Shades promptly shifted her position in the air and lined up her splinter rifle. “Don’t bother,” Empyra interrupted. The soldier hesitated, and the shot was lost. Captain Gestalt rounded the corner and was instantly out of sight. “He’s probably headed to trigger the alarm. The Tau Stealth Suits should be covering that. And frankly, even if he managed it, it wouldn’t make any difference.” She walked toward one of the windows, glancing back at the entrance to the throne room. “This place is already lost. Griffonstone is ours.” **** “Wh-What is that thing? What is it doing?!” sputtered Prince Geoffrey, his claw pointing to the device on the table and quivering. “She said it wasn’t a bomb, right? So it’s not going to explode, right?” “As if we can take her word for it! The treacherous mare was fooling us all along!” “Guards! Guards! Someone help us!” One of the advisors up-ended the table, dropping the machine on the floor and providing a shield for him and his peers. As they covered behind the wooden slab, a black mist emerged from the disk and started to expand rapidly, taking on the appearance of a pitch-black pool rising up from the floor. Spots of light glittered from within the void, giving the appearance of a patch of the night sky opening up in the middle of the throne room. With that sort of backdrop, it wasn’t especially shocking to anyone when the darkness formed the shape of an alicorn in gold and ebony armor. “BEHOLD, CHILDREN OF GRIFFONSTONE!! THE MASTERS OF THIS WORLD HATH COME TO CLAIM THY LAND AS THEIR DUE!! WHO SHALT STAND BEFORE US?!” Prince Geoffrey shrunk back into his throne, his talons digging deep into the arm rests in terror. “No… it can’t be! It’s… It’s NIGHTMARE MOON!!” The alicorn immediately recoiled, as if slapped. After a few seconds, her helmet peeled away from her muzzle in a wave of tiny metal chips, revealing her scowl to the griffons in the room. “We art not Nightmare Moon! Thou shalt address us as Princess Luna!” the mare demanded hotly. The Prince looked confused. “Wait, I thought you were called Nightmare Moon when you’re evil.” “FIRSTLY, Nightmare Moon is an entirely different entity! We art not she! Secondly, We art not evil!” “Debatable,” interjected an advisor sheltering behind a table. “You launched a surprise attack and serve a bunch of lunatic slavers that worship ‘Dark Gods.’ Seems pretty evil to me,” mumbled another. Luna’s eyes and horn flashed, and the griffon nobles watched their protective barrier of a table rip apart in two before being tossed to either side. “Thou shalt have ample time to discuss our ethical shortcomings during thy interrogation and imprisonment.” Luna walked forward, an expression of hardened determination on her face while she gazed at the Prince on his throne. “Thy detainment shalt not be long, depending on how quickly thou submits.” “NEVER!” Geoffrey sputtered. “Then that shalt be when thou art released.” Luna’s Iron Gage rose from her shoulder pads, flipping over and closing into fists. “Make no mistake, Prince: thou art not escaping this encounter. Griffonstone is ours. However many more of thy warriors must die is all that is left to be determined.” Prince Geoffrey stood up on his chair, and the feathers behind his head rose in agitation into a crest over his crown. “You will not get your way so easily, tyrant! I will not bow and scrape at your sister’s hooves, no matter what happens to me!” “That is satisfactory. It is doubtful Sister will be making any visits to the mines,” Luna admitted. One of the black gauntlets opened and floated forward, moving over the heads of the advisors. “Don’t just stand there!” shouted the Prince. “Stop her! General Grist! Attack!” The gauntlet froze in place. One of the other griffons – an elderly, grizzled sort with a thick scar over his neck and shoulder – looked up at the giant mechanical hand floating above him, and then back at Geoffrey. “You’re not being serio-“ he didn’t get any further before the giant metal hand slapped him in the side, smashing him into the wall of the throne room. Luna heard some bones crack, but was confident the General would survive; all the griffons in this room would be valuable prisoners, and she adjusted her power accordingly. “What are the rest of you waiting for?!” Geoffrey screeched, launching himself from his throne. “Kill her!” The advisors made no such move to do so, and Luna’s head tilted to the side to track the retreating royal. He made a beeline for a back door, his talons clawing desperately for the handle. A wave of glimmering red magic covered the exit, holding it shut. Geoffrey tugged at the handle, trying to budge the door, but made absolutely no progress before cold, metal fingers closed over his shoulder and dragged him away. “Take thy seat, Prince,” Luna commanded, dropping the young royal in front of his throne, “we hast much to discuss…” **** Griffonstone – city limits Ten hours later Captain Gestalt peeked around the corner of a stone building, his eyes narrowing. Devilfish APCs were speeding overhead, zipping toward the castle to fill it further with troops. Human and pony soldiers stalked the streets in small squads, going from door to door and searching for weapons and sheltering enemy warriors. He could see one such team just down the street. Three human mercenaries took the lead, one banging on doors while the others stayed back and covered him with their weapons. Behind them was a large cart towed by earth ponies, piled high with swords, daggers, crossbows, and the odd primitive firearm. A pegasus hovered over the cart, playing sentry to their confiscated armory. “Do you think you can beat them?” The Captain scowled and pulled back behind the wall. “I could. The pegasus is alert, but the earth ponies look like they’re fighting to stay awake. If I can get an angle…” “Yeah, fine. Those six guys. MAYBE. But I wasn’t talking about just them.” Gestalt seethed. “I KNOW, Nox! But… this is…” A set of talons laid on his shoulder pauldron. He glanced back into the steely gaze of the griffon behind him. “I know. You’re watching your home being ripped apart. It’s hard for all of us,” Nox said with a sad nod. A shriek came from somewhere nearby. Gestalt flinched, and then he trembled when he heard the sound of lasgun fire follow the scream. “The worst part is, this is only the beginning,” Nox said darkly. “With the capital taken, the rest of the land will submit quickly. The soldiers protecting other regions will be disarmed and disbanded. Or forced to labor as slaves. Or perhaps simply… killed.” Gestalt’s feathers quivered angrily. “But there is something we can do. We CAN resist,” Nox continued, her green eyes gleaming. “You cannot stop this. But you can absolutely make these alien wretches regret it. We can strike back. Not just the griffons, but EVERYONE who’s been threatened by these alien thugs.” The Captain’s talons dragged down the surface of the wall they were sheltering behind, leaving thick tears in the stone. “… What should I do, Nox?” A ghost of a smirk tugged at Nox’s beak. “You’ve already managed to evacuate many of our soldiers from the castle, yes?” “I… I told them we were regrouping for a counter-attack. But-“ “It doesn’t matter what you told them. You’re the highest-ranking griffon in our kingdom’s shattered military hierarchy,” Nox reassured him, “they will obey you, or turn themselves over to the apes to beg for mercy. There are no other options.” The sound of something very large and heavy stomping down the road reached their ears. Gestalt turned to look, but Nox quickly pulled him back, making sure to maintain eye contact. “Listen! Bring every warrior you can find to the base of Guff Spire by dusk. We will find them there, and take them someplace safe.” Nox’s eyes hardened. “From there, they will join with the rest of the warriors resisting the dominion of Chaos.” Gestalt felt his blood boil at the thought of the insurgents. As violent vigilantes that fought outside of a state authority and killed others for their ideology, he was predisposed to loathe the insurgents. That was, of course, before taking into account their provoking this war and subsequent invasion. But with enemy soldiers overrunning his home and murdering the people he had sworn to protect, that judgment inevitably faltered. “All right. Make sure they’re ready to receive my troops.” The stomping came closer, and they were able to hear the noisy whir of a turret weapon servo shifting its gun back and forth. The griffons bolted from their hiding place, ducking into a low alley behind a retaining wall. “This had better work,” Captain Gestalt hissed, “I want to see the Princess of the Night PAY for this, Nox. I’ll see her head on a platter even if the blasted moon plummets from the sky as a result.” “Don’t be so quick to condemn the dark sister,” Nox warned, being careful not to smile, “she is as much a slave as any of the other equines. The ponies are not the enemy. CHAOS is the enemy.” Nox separated from the Captain, starting down a different path. “I’m sure she feels for what she’s done to your people, Captain.” The green-eyed griffon saluted and then darted away, disappearing into the shadows. **** Sweet Apple Acres Big Macintosh clenched his teeth around the grip of his oil can, gently dripping machine lubricant into the crevices of his front left leg. After a few seconds, he put the can aside and then lifted up the augmetic limb, testing its resistance. A warm whirring noise was the only result. Nodding in satisfaction, the apple farmer headed toward the door to his bedroom, ready to start his day. The door slid open. Princess Luna stood on the other side, grinning. Big Macintosh blinked in surprise. “We conquered a kingdom last night!” the Princess gushed. She seemed to be breathing heavily, which made Big Mac wonder if she had sprinted here rather than just teleporting or taking a transport. “Uhm-“ before the stallion could form a coherent word, Luna surged forward through the doorway and pulled him into a deep kiss. His eyes widened, and then he started staggering back when the Princess forced her way forward, pushing toward Mac’s bed. The door slid closed behind her, and with a quick flash of magic, it locked shut. **** Ferrous Dominus – sector 24 Landing platforms “All right ponies, we’re on clean-up duty today!” Dozens of armed pegasi stood in a line side-by-side next to a gunship being loaded up with troops. Lightning Dust, wearing a small pair of chevrons marking her out as a squad Sergeant, marched in front of them while shouting through the vox amplifier in her mask. “All pegasus squads are to head to the assigned waypoints for your team, and keep a keen eye for enemy resistance! We’ve had small pockets of griffon fighters trying to organize and ambush us since Griffonstone was taken, and it’s believed that they‘re using the adjacent villages as staging areas and riling up civilian resistance! You get into the sky and patrol your sectors, and if you see a griffon with so much as a wood knife, you take them down!” Lightning Dust paused in her shouting briefly, staring at the last two ponies in the line. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were the only two who were power-armored, as well as the only ones who didn’t seemed to be paying strict attention to the briefing. Fluttershy had her head down as if trying to avoid attention, while Rainbow Dash seemed to be staring into space, suggesting that she was watching something on her helmet visor. Lightning clicked her tongue and turned around to pace back toward the other end of the line. “Keep in mind that we ARE taking prisoners! You are encouraged to disable or corner targets and call in for retrieval, especially if the enemy is clearly civilian! This goes TRIPLE if you see anyone with Company tech out there! We’ve received word that some of the clowns ‘resisting’ Chaos rule have managed to dig up lasguns and grenades somewhere!” “I found that intel!” Rainbow Dash shouted, raising a leg into the air. “Yes, great.” Lightning Dust rolled her eyes. “However, you didn’t actually capture anyone who knew why or how they had them! The higher-ups want to know if they scavenged the gun or found someplace to buy them, or what! So this is a crucial secondary… hmm?” A man approached Lightning Dust from the sector entrance, and then pointed to Rainbow Dash. “Equinought Squadron! Come with me! Your deployment orders have been rescinded!” Fluttershy perked up immediately at the news, but Rainbow Dash scowled. “What? Why?” “Someone’s here to see you. Follow me, they’re waiting in the command center.” He turned and headed out again, not waiting for a response. “Aw, c’mon, really? They’re the only power armor in our deployment!” Lightning Dust complained. “Can we at least keep Fluttershy? Dash is just going to goof off until there’s a firefight anyway, but we might need a medic!” “Hey, shut up!” Rainbow Dash retorted. Then she shouted after the messenger. “Seriously though, who’s calling us up now, right when we’re making our push into the Griffon Kingdom? We have more important things to do!” The man paused and looked back over his shoulder. “I can’t say you’re wrong. But most of you equines seem to think Princess Celestia is pretty damn important.” Rainbow Dash flinched. Fluttershy gasped. “The Princess is here?” the meeker pony asked. “Waiting in the command center. Doesn’t matter to me a whit if you see her or not, frankly.” He shrugged and continued heading out. “Well ain’t that a pile of rotten hay,” Lightning Dust grumbled. “I thought the whole point of joining the Company was so that we wouldn’t have to be lectured by Miss Love & Tolerate anymore.” She clicked her tongue and snapped a wing to the side. “Whatever! Equinought Squadron, you’re dismissed! Go see what the Princess wants!” “Okay! I hope it’s nothing bad!” Fluttershy stepped out of the line and started galloping away, fretting audibly the entire way. Rainbow Dash hung back for a few seconds, groaning to herself. Then she too broke ranks and rushed down the avenue. **** Ferrous Dominus – sector 17, command center Auxiliary briefing room When Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy entered the designated meeting room, they found pretty much just what they expected. A dozen Royal Guards stood at attention around one end of a long, metal meeting table. All were armed with lasguns and combat knives, which made them far and away less dangerous than the mares in power armor on the other end of the table, but it was still nice to see the defenders of Equestria equipped with half-way decent wargear. Behind the guards sat Princess Celestia, looking as bemused as ever. It was her first time in Ferrous Dominus, and it showed. Celestia’s eyes kept darting away, as if trying to catch sight of something off in her peripheral vision, and she kept fidgeting while occasionally moving to scratch her horn with her hoof. The ponies in the room had never seen the Princess so nervous, and they had witnessed her at some of her weakest and most humiliating moments. At the other end of the table was Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. The former two mares looked grim, while Pinkie was obliviously munching away at a bag of kettle corn like she was watching a movie. “Ah, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash. Good. I am pleased you could make it,” Princess Celestia said, “I was informed that you two were being sent into battle, and wasn’t sure that I’d get to speak to all of you at once.” She grimaced. “I wished to summon you five to Canterlot, but all of my attempts to do so were refused by the individuals in charge right now, evidently. They insisted that if I was to speak to you, then I had to come here.” “Was it necessary to come yourself, though? What’s the matter?” Fluttershy asked. Rainbow Dash walked up behind her, sitting down quietly beside the other pegasus. “I believe it was. This is not a matter I felt could be easily or safely dealt with through messengers.” Rarity shook her head. “I still can’t believe it. Poor Twilight…” Rainbow Dash flinched, generating a sharp whirring noise from her armor suit. “Wh-Why? What happened? Is she okay?” “No, she is not,” Celestia said with a sad shake of her head, “for you see, she has gone with the 38th Company fleet to the Eye of Terror!” There was a short pause, and Fluttershy cocked her head to the side. “Uh… yes. We know. Didn’t you ask her to go with them, Princess?” Fluttershy asked. “No, I did not,” Celestia replied. Fluttershy’s jaw dropped open in shock. Rainbow Dash’s head slumped. “All this time, we thought she was goin’ on some kinda space field trip, and it turns out it was a trick all along!” Applejack growled. “As if that wasn’t bad enough, apparently she was almost killed!” Rarity added, levitating a napkin to delicately wipe her forehead. “Granted, that seems to have been unrelated to whatever sinister force forged the Princess’s letter in the first place. It’s just rather dangerous out there.” Rainbow Dash clenched her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut. “This puts the apparent insurgency against the 38th Company in a new light,” Celestia said, her gaze hardening, “before, it was believable that the warriors banding together were simply trying to protect their land and people from Chaos dominion and choosing an unwisely aggressive strategy. I could even say that I personally sympathized with their efforts, although I could not condone their methods. Now, however, we see that there is another element to their plot. Their plans go much further and are more insidious than a mere band of resistance fighters trying to protect their land. In fact, it is my opinion that the only enemy of Equestria who could manage such subterfuge is…” she took a deep breath. “Me,” Rainbow Dash interrupted miserably. Celestia froze, her eyes going wide. The Royal Guards blinked in shock and confusion, and some of them hesitantly aimed their lasguns as if they were preparing to arrest the pegasus. Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy all snapped their heads around to stare at Rainbow incredulously. Pinkie Pie produced a soda and took a long slurp before scarfing down some more popcorn. “I was… I was about to say ‘the changelings,’” Celestia confessed, stumbling over her words. “Wait, what? Rainbow Dash, YOU wrote that letter?” “Yes,” Rainbow Dash mumbled, hanging her head. “Well, technically, Tellis wrote it. But it was my fault.” “WHAT?!” shouted nearly every other pony in the room. “I didn’t think it was going to be a big deal, okay? The humans make the trip all the time! Hay, I didn’t even think she was really going to fall for it! I was just as surprised as Tellis that I won!” “Won? Won what?” Applejack asked, narrowing her eyes. “Dash, just what did you do?” Rainbow groaned again, but then continued with her explanation. “I was talking to Tellis one day about how Twilight actually wasn’t just a boring egghead and was actually kind of awesome, because of all the bad guys she beat. Then he wondered why she had to do it when Celestia and Luna were supposed to be so powerful. One thing led to another, and I eventually bet Tellis that Twilight would do anything if Princess Celestia sent her a letter asking her to.” The other ponies stared, jaws agape. “So, yeah. He wrote a letter with a ridiculous request, to see if she would do it,” Rainbow sighed, “in my defense, I made him re-do it after the first one asked her to exterminate the donkey race and the second one wanted her to light all of Ponyville on fire. By the time he got to ‘follow the Iron Warriors into space’, it really didn’t seem so bad.” Her ears twitched, and she stared at the floor again. “But apparently it still is, and I’m sorry.” “Dash, you feather-brain…” Applejack sighed. “Well, this was unexpected,” Rarity grumbled. “Among other things, I’m quite surprised that Tellis could reasonably reproduce Princess Celestia’s hornwriting.” “He totally didn’t.” Rainbow Dash engaged her helmet, and the plates of metal shifted up and enclosed her head. “I just coached him on what the letter should say to sound kind of like the Princess. Even then, it was pretty awful. Here, I have a pict.” The table had a hololith projector in the middle of it, and Rainbow quickly uploaded the file to the projection cogitator. The letter appeared and then expanded, zooming in so that the crude, inelegant font was easy to read. Dear Princess Dork Twitlyt Spackle, Twilite Sparkel, Need your help with something. You know how the Iron Warriors are going to the Eye of Terror soon to drop off their stuff? Go with them and have some kind of awesome space adventure. For science or friendship or whatever. This is not a trick. Yours, The White One Sun Horse Princess Celery Princess Celestial “Twilight, you feather-brain,” Applejack sighed. “Looks legit to me,” Pinkie remarked, idly licking sugar off the tip of her hoof, “I’d totally go on an awesome space adventure too if Princess Celestial asked me to.” Princess Celestia slapped a hoof against her face, exasperated. “This is… most unseemly. And, unfortunately, it seems that little can be done at this point. The 38th Company is not about to turn their fleet around, or even a single vessel, just to return Twilight to her home planet.” “Is it really that bad?” Rainbow asked anxiously, disengaging her helmet again. “I thought she’d be pretty safe with Gaela and most of the Iron Warriors around.” “The presence of Chaos Space Marines rarely makes things more safe,” Celestia said wryly. “It is my understanding that the trip has been extremely turbulent for my former student.” She decided not to press the matter further when Rainbow Dash lowered her head sadly again. Clearly the speedster felt guilty enough. “Princess…” Rarity said hesitantly. “You were saying something earlier about changelings? Did something come up?” “Aside from the news that Twilight Sparkle was in space, no,” Celestia admitted, “I considered the possibilities, and I thought that only the changeling spies would be capable of that level of subterfuge. If they had nothing to do with the forged letter, then I have no reason to think they’re involved with the uprising at all.” “Yeah, I don’t know why they’d want to bother humans. There’s not a lot of love around here,” Pinkie pointed out. “It’s just that there is a mystery of sorts right now in regards to the insurgents,” Rarity pointed out. “Everyone knows that the insurgency sabotaged the peace conference to provoke the Company, and that it worked. However, no one was able to figure out HOW they managed such a thing. The saboteur was never caught, and the Saddle Arabians, to my knowledge, still have no idea how he managed to infiltrate or escape the palace.” “While a changeling would have the capabilities necessary, obviously, there’s the matter of motive,” Celestia pointed out, “why set the Company against this world’s inhabitants? Why spread further war? And if the changelings wanted to set the Iron Warriors loose on a nation of their choice, why would they not choose Equestria itself? The changeling race holds no grudges against the diamond dogs or griffons, to the best of my knowledge.” Applejack shrugged her shoulders, shifting the massive armored pads and rattling the attached chain. “Maybe they think the insurgents can win?” One of the Royal Guards barked out a laugh. The unit Sergeant glared at him sharply, and he quickly cleared his throat and fell silent. “While it seems unlikely from where we’re standing… if the native species of our world were united against Equestria and the Company, it would at least SEEM like they stood a chance so long as the bulk of the Iron Warriors are away,” Rarity pointed out. “But to what end? The elimination of the humans? Why would Queen Chrysalis care about that?” Celestia asked with a frown. “I’ve got it!” Pinkie Pie shouted, suddenly jumping up and planting her front hooves on the table. “If they upload the experimental love.exe app into the local servitor population, they’d have hundreds of perfectly docile love generators to feed their people for generations! It’s so obvious! They want to turn our cruel and hateful military superpower into a FARM! Those fiends!” The other ponies stared at Pinkie for a moment, and then Applejack turned back to Celestia. “Anyhoo, as long as Twilight manages to tough it out and make it back, we’ll get through this. The Company’s already cleanin’ up the Griffon Kingdom, and Ah hear the minotaur tribes’re next. If there were any changelings involved, reckon they’ll learn to keep their heads down right quick.” “I’d heard that Equestria will be administering the conquered territory after the initial invasions,” Rarity noted, raising an eyebrow at Celestia. The White Princess sighed. “This is true. I’ve already prepared a regional governor for the Griffon Kingdom, and I’ll ready one for every other captured nation if I must.” She drew herself up. “I have failed, time and time again, to stop the bloodshed that now threatens to engulf our world. But I will do whatever I can to prevent further suffering. If the best I can do is to assign an overlord to the territories who is unlikely to massacre civilians for their passing amusement, then so be it. Ponies of character, patience, and humility will rule these conquered people and provide a steady hoof for the troops controlling the populace. In time, perhaps I can even replace the Company soldiers with my own.” “That might be tough when we get to takin’ on the dragons,” Applejack pointed out. Celestia grimaced. “We shall cross that bridge when we come to it. We will find a solution besides… besides genocide and slavery. We MUST.” “Okay, wait, no. That won’t work,” Pinkie interjected, an expression of intense concentration on her face. “Using love.exe like that totally violates the license agreement. The changelings could get sued. Maybe they’re not involved after all.” “I must go,” Princess Celestia said, finally standing up from the horribly uncomfortable metal chair she was seated in. “There’s much to be done yet, and the situation is… different from what I’d assumed.” “Sorry…” Rainbow Dash mumbled again. “I forgive you, but it is not me to whom you truly owe an apology, Rainbow Dash.” Celestia turned toward the door, and her escort immediately split into two groups, one opening the door and filing into the hall while the other stayed by her side. “If you send me a letter, then I shall send it to Spike to give it to Twilight.” “Ugh. Yeah, I really should do that,” Rainbow Dash agreed. “Thank you, Princess.” “You’re welcome, Rainbow Dash. Farewell, my little ponies, and please, stay safe.” Rainbow Dash blew a lock of hair out of her face after Celestia and the guards left. “I was really hoping that wouldn’t come back to bite me in the tail until AFTER Twi returned.” “So you didn’t even think you’d get away with it? Then why would you do such a thing?” Rarity demanded. “I wasn’t thinking, okay?” Rainbow protested. “Besides, our day job now is literally to fly around and kill people while they spray us with machine guns! I really didn’t think Twi would be in any more danger out there than back here!” Applejack was scrolling through a hololith screen over the table, checking the gunship deployments. “Well, Ah think we could still catch one of the transports headin’ to the Griffon Kingdom and help ‘em out. Y’know, if ya wanna blow off some steam by pillagin’ a village or two.” “Nah. I should start on the letter right away, while I’m still feeling guilty,” Rainbow admitted. “Ooh, are they deploying to New Gerall?” Rarity asked with an excited gasp after looking over the list of griffon settlements. “I’ve always wanted to visit Feather Falls! And I should really take the opportunity now, before it’s destroyed or drained for precious metals. Let’s go!” Applejack turned away and stomped off, and Rarity eagerly trotted after her. Pinkie Pie bounced after them, grinning widely. Fluttershy watched them leave, having absolutely no desire to head out on a mission herself. Then she turned to Rainbow Dash. “Uhm, I suppose it’s too late now, but… nopony mentioned the insurgents having Company weapons to Princess Celestia.” Rainbow looked over at the other pegasus with an eyebrow arched. “What would she do about? Or do you think that the changelings snuck in and stole our gear?” Fluttershy frowned. “Well…” “Doubt it. It takes more than looking like a human to get into the Ferry D armories. I mean, hay, they still give ME a hard time when I’m getting extra ammo, and there isn’t a single human or post-human in the world that doesn’t know and love Rainbow Dash!” She turned away from the table and trotted toward the exit. “Between the security badges and sensors everywhere, I’m pretty sure a changeling would get weeded out pretty quickly around here. And there’s no way they could make off with a bunch of guns.” “Oh, well, yes… but…” Fluttershy’s already weak protests faltered as Rainbow Dash left the room. She’d actually meant to point out that the only other sovereign power stockpiling laser weapons and other modern ordnance was Equestria. She’d been reminded of that when she saw the Royal Guard. And certainly Canterlot’s armories were less tightly guarded than the Company’s. “No, I’m being silly,” Fluttershy mumbled to herself, “Equestria would notice if a lot of their wargear went missing.” Feeling reassured, and very pleased that she had gotten an excuse to forgo deployment, Fluttershy trotted to the exit after Rainbow Dash. **** Changeling hive – entry node A lone Ork ducked under the jagged stalactites hanging from the mouth of the cave entrance, slipping into the darkened halls that led to the central hive of the changeling race. The Ork had a few weapons tucked into a large backpack, but it brandished none of them while wandering the cave. It trudged through the darkness with an exhausted gait and the effortless familiarity of a creature perfectly at home in these tunnels. It only stopped when a trio of larg-ish changelings emerged from around a bend, carrying spears and lighting the surroundings with the glow of their horns. “Intruder!” hissed the insect-like creatures, standing fast with their spears leveled at the greenskin. The Ork paused in its approach, staring down at the soldiers. Then its eyes flashed green. “It’s me,” Gox mumbled, “I have returned to report to the Queen.” The changeling guards dropped their spears immediately, stepping out of the way for the guardian. Gox continued along her path, rubbing the side of her head. “Hive sister,” one of the guards said before she could leave, “are you injured? Perhaps you should seek care before reporting to her majesty.” Gox regarded the lesser changeling with a mildly annoyed frown. “I’ve been constantly injured since the beginning of my mission. Living amongst my targets is not for the faint of heart. Or soft of carapace, I suppose. I’ve gotten used to it.” The changeling guards shared a concerned glance, uncertain how to respond to that. Compassion and empathy weren’t exactly strong traits in their species; if their hive-sister didn’t need help to complete her immediate task, their instinctual response was to stay out of her way. Gox continued on her way into the tunnels, leaving them behind. The soldiers watched her go, and then started wandering back to their posts. One, however, heard a scraping noise come from further down the entrance, and immediately froze to listen. The scraping noises continued, and started coming closer. The soldier buzzed its wings, and the other guards quickly picked up the noise and returned to their formation. Dimming their horns, they carefully crawled back down the jagged, rocky pathways, their spears held at the ready. Once they reached a cluster of stalagmites, the guards laid in wait behind it, preparing an ambush. The scraping came closer, and the lead soldier saw light coming from up ahead, closer to the entrance. The light built brighter, shining around the corner ahead of the source. The guards raised their spears, ready to leap as soon as they confirmed that the intruder was not one of their own. When they saw their target, however, they halted in confusion. “Hmm? Is that…?” **** Changeling hive – central cavern “And THEN the blasted thing falls apart right under me! The steering wheel literally pops off in my hands!” Chrysalis shifted uncomfortably as Gox gave her “report”, describing her experience of infiltrating the Orks in a series of angry rants. The changeling guardian had already reverted back to her true form, and paced back and forth across the hive chamber furiously. “Do you know what the Ork initiation rituals are?” Chrysalis started opening her mouth to speak, but Gox cut her off. “Punching! Do you know what the Ork greeting rituals are? ALSO punching!” Chrysalis frowned. “Punching is, additionally, how these morons express displeasure! AND how they express joy! How the blazes does that even WORK?!” “Gox, calm yourself,” Chrysalis commanded. The guardian stopped pacing and then sat down, seething quietly. “I realize that your assignment has been… difficult. And painful. But our understanding of these fiends is crucial if we are to manipulate them,” Chrysalis explained calmly. “Oh, I understand them, all right,” Gox said, “Orks are motivated by violence. In case you hadn’t picked that up, yet. Everything they do revolves around warfare, and they think of murder as a team sport, rather than a crime or mechanism to accomplish some other aim.” She frowned, raising a twisted hoof to her chin. “They have a rather… abstract fear of death. It’s strange. They attach no sentiment or sacredness to life, hence why they see war as nothing more than a thrilling game. But they still possess a basic sense of self-preservation and fight-or-flight response.” “Yet they still throw themselves into battle against the humans at every opportunity?” Chrysalis asked. “As I said, it’s strange. They have little concept of long-term strategy or of conquest. If they did, then a great many of the other nations would probably be overrun by now.” Gox shook her head. “But Orks want a fight, and they’ve decided they get the best fights from the space apes. Even after fleeing numerous Company raids and losing every battle, the green thugs remain excited about the war and tell grand stories about Ferrous Dominus.” She cracked her neck to the side, wincing. “The stories are usually followed by enthusiastic punching.” “Interesting… so even their losses do not frustrate them?” Chrysalis asked. “In a way, perhaps. When their leaders fail to bring them victory, then they turn against them and replace them with new ones… assuming those leaders aren’t killed in the aforementioned lost battle. That happens a lot. But anyway, regardless of who takes over, the goal is the same even when the specific vision changes: fight, fight, fight.” Gox hung her head, sighing. “It’s quite tiresome, really.” “So then, their leadership changes? Frequently?” Chrysalis grinned, her fangs shining under her lips. “It does, my Queen,” Gox explained dutifully. “The largest and most powerful Ork is the leader of the warband. When the Ork meets a rival of similar size and might, they fight and the stronger alien thug slaughters the other. All that Ork’s former subordinates generally join the victor, and in this way a successful Warboss can build an army. Of course, this method causes constant turmoil and infighting as the green imbeciles constantly butcher each other for advantage and rank. With no goals other than violence and personal power, there’s no reason for them to unite against their actual enemy. Idiots.” Chrysalis pondered this information silently, looking thoughtful. Then she tilted her head to the side. “I’m surprised they can maintain population with that sort of existence. They must be voracious breeders.” “Orks don’t breed,” Gox said curtly. “They don’t even have genders. I tend to consider all Orks as male because of their body structure and temperament, but the term is basically meaningless to them.” “Then where do new Orks come from?” Chrysalis asked, intrigued. “No idea.” “Hmm… I suppose that question would be somewhat strange for an adult Ork to ask…” “It’s not that. I brainwash Gretchin and interrogate them all the time. But the Gretchin don’t KNOW. I’ve never risked doing the same to the Orks, but generally they’re even DUMBER than the Gretchin. The species is so mired in ignorance that they don’t even know where new Orks come from. They don’t even care.” Gox sighed, her ears dropping against the sides of her head. Chrysalis smiled warmly. “My dear Gox, you’ve been through quite a trial. But you have done so well.” The guardian looked up, a few traces of cautious hope on her face. “I have?” “Oh, indeed. Out of all my beloved children, perhaps only Tox herself had a more difficult assignment. And yet you have prevailed.” Chrysalis stood up, and then beckoned to the guardian with a hoof. “Come here.” Gox walked up to the changeling queen, and Chrysalis smiled and placed a leg over her withers. Then she hugged Gox, pressing the guardian softly against her chest. The changeling infiltrator was almost brought to tears, and squeezed her eyes shut as her mother nuzzled her. Changelings could not absorb love from other changelings; their physiology shielded them from being psychically drained. Even so, however, she could feel the wellspring of pride and satisfaction within the changeling matriarch. She knew that she had satisfied her mother, and that even now her Queen was concocting another brilliant scheme to put her efforts and sacrifice to work. “You need a bath,” Chrysalis whispered Gox. Gox sniffled miserably. “Orks don’t bathe. At ALL. They barely understand the concept.” Her voice hitched slightly, trying to restrain a sob. “Oh, you poor dear,” Chrysalis cooed, “you’ve been through so much…” Her nose twitched. “Seriously though; we have baths, so you should go take one right away.” Gox nodded as she was released from the hug. “Yes, my Queen. Honestly, it’s getting so bad even I can smell it again.” She sniffled, and then shuddered. Then she hesitated, and sniffed the air again. “Wait, that… That isn’t me!” she shouted, suddenly feeling slightly offended. A scraping noise came from the entry tunnel behind them. When Chrysalis and Gox whirled on the intruder, they were relieved to see it was simply a changeling guard. They were fairly unnerved, however, to see it in a state of near-death. It staggered weakly through the hall, leaking a trail of ichor behind it. The ichor bled from a huge tumor around its rear left leg, which Chrysalis was fairly certain she hadn’t spotted the last time she’d inspected her guard detail. “What?! What is this? What happened?” Chrysalis demanded, stepping down from her throne to approach the weakened soldier. “Q-Queen…” the changeling hissed painfully. Its eyes, normally a gradient blue, were almost pure white. It tried to speak further, but immediately fell onto the ground and started coughing. “What’s wrong? Answer me!” Chrysalis stopped approaching once the guard began spitting up a vile, green-tinted substance. Changelings didn’t vomit normally, mostly on account of having no proper digestive system. Love didn’t exactly require much in terms of organs to consume. The changeling Queen was more than hesitant to risk touching the fluid. The guard moaned pitifully and slumped onto its side. It was either unconscious or so delirious that it could no longer respond to its mistress. A pair of green lights shimmered in the darkness of the tunnels. “SHOW YOURSELF, FOOL!!” Chrysalis’s horn flashed, and the small torches that provided light deep within the caverns suddenly grew considerably brighter all around them. Gox got a look at what was in the tunnel and gasped. Chrysalis simply recoiled, stunned silent. Other changelings, attracted by the commotion and fearing that something could endanger their Queen, started scrambling out of the other passages attached to the throne chamber. Every one of them stumbled to a halt upon catching sight of the intruder. Or, rather, intruders. “Hello, my Queen,” Tox breathed. Her voice was raspy, and a thick mucus oozed from the side of her mouth as she spoke. “I’ve come to report back...” The guardian was a horrifically twisted mess. Growths were scattered over her body, some of them visibly pulsing along with her heartbeat. The numerous holes and pits in her carapace dripped viscous fluids onto the floor. Her eyes, normally a brilliant green, were milky and unfocused. Her mane was a pale shred of the lustrous curtain it used to be. As terrible as her appearance was, however, the changelings were even more alarmed to see the other individual behind her. Leonard Kruss looked from one end of the throne chamber to the other, his breath rasping from within his respirator mask. He was clothed again, and bore no apparent weapons, but was also unrestrained. “Tox…?” Chrysalis hesitated. Her initial instinct was to step forward, to reach out to her daughter, but the absolutely repellant smell and the presence of the human instantly put her on her guard. “What happened to you? What is this alien doing here?!” “Oh, my Queen,” Tox lolled her head to one side, “I’m so glad I made it back. I have so much to share with you…” “Tox! The human!” Chrysalis glared at the man, and her twisted, notched horn sparked with green magic. “What is it doing here?!” “She insisted I come with her,” Kruss mumbled, staring down at the Changeling Queen through the foggy lenses of his mask. “Yes. Yes!” Tox gasped as she nodded happily. “This is Leonard Kruss, Queen Chrysalis! He knows many, many things!” “He KNOWS where the hive is!” Chrysalis hissed at the infected guardian. “And he clearly isn’t restrained, much less mind-controlled!” She took a step back. “Tox, what happened to you? Why are you… you…” “Diseased?” Tox asked, smiling through rows of jagged teeth. “Impossible! We can’t get sick!” Gox protested. Tox laughed, her entire body shuddering from the motions. “Oh, but we can, my beloved sister. And it is WONDERFUL.” Chrysalis turned her horn, still glowing with power, on Tox as her eyes narrowed. “As Gox suggested, I am unfamiliar with illness. But I’m given to understand that it is NOT ‘wonderful’.” “But you don’t understand, my Queen!” Tox stepped forward. Chrysalis stepped back. “There is more to this infection than mere disease! I have found a new power!” She took another step forward, but then Chrysalis’s horn sparked loudly. “TOX. Stay back, child. You will stand where you are,” the Queen hissed through clenched teeth. Tox did as she was asked, bowing her head. “Very well, my Queen. I do not wish to defy or harm you.” “You can understand why I’m skeptical,” Chrysalis growled. “You come to the hive off of schedule, bring this human with you without restraining him, and… and…” The Queen gagged in disgust, her tongue hanging out. Then she pointed a hoof at the comatose changeling on the floor. “And THIS! What have you done to your brood-siblings?!” “It is but the first step, my Queen! The introduction to Nurgle’s embrace!” Tox said eagerly. “It is unpleasant at first, of course, but once you speak to Grandfather-“ “What the blazing Tartarus are you going on about?” Chrysalis demanded. “Your grandfather?” “Our Grandfather, my Queen!” Tox corrected reverently. “I’m pretty sure we and Queen Chrysalis have different grandfathers,” Gox said. Then she cocked her head to the side. “Although… who IS our grandfather? Actually, who’s our father? Have we ever met him? Is he still around?” “Long story. Not now,” Chrysalis snapped. “Tox, what were you saying?” Tox shook her head, and then glanced back at Kruss. “Tell them, Preacher. Explain the glory of Nurgle to them.” “Nurgle is the God of Plague and Cycles,” Kruss intoned, bowing his head, “one of the mighty deities of Chaos, he-“ “No, no! Don’t tell them that!” Tox interrupted. “Tell them he’s the God of Love! That’s the important part!” “The God of WHAT?” Gox asked, recoiling. Kruss groaned, hanging his head. “Tox, child, you can’t just open up with that part. You have to ease into it.” “Why?” “Because the most obvious aspect is disease! Nobody believes that Nurgle is the God of Love when they first see a Nurgle worshiper,” Kruss explained. “You’re right, I don’t believe you,” Chrysalis interjected. “See? And now you’ve totally ruined the mood.” Kruss crossed his arms over his chest. “YOU explain it, if you think you’re such an expert after barely a day of Nurgle worship.” Tox rolled her eyes. “Ugh! Why did I even bring you along?” “I don’t know, I wanted you to just let me go!” “Well I couldn’t do THAT! You would have told the Company about us!” “Which wouldn’t have mattered if you hadn’t-“ A green surge of lightning flashed past Tox’s muzzle, and then Kruss was blasted backward off his feet. He slammed into the wall of the throne chamber, and then collapsed onto his knees. “Kruss!” Tox shouted in panic. Then she turned back to Chrysalis. “My Queen, please! Wait! This isn’t-“ “No,” Chrysalis silenced her agent in an instant. “I gave you the chance to explain yourself, Tox. And instead you offered me lunatic rants and the words of our enemy.” She pointed to the smoldering human on the floor. “How can I trust you, Tox? When you’ve allied yourself with these feeble apes and devolved into…” she made a face and gestured to the guardian. “THIS.” Tox glanced left and right, her body swaying slightly from the movements. She was surrounded on all sides by changelings with spears and smaller blades. She had little to fear from her lesser brood-siblings, however; besides being much weaker than she, they were clearly hoping they didn’t have to approach. “My Queen! The humans! They have a… a power!” Tox stumbled over her own words, wishing she had worked out a proper speech ahead of time. “It is difficult to explain, but it is FANTASTIC!” “It doesn’t look so great from where we’re standing,” Gox noted, cringing. “Nurgle comprises but a small fraction of the true power of Chaos! I’ve felt it!” Tox exclaimed, nodding her head. “The humans have built a structure in Ponyville. The… uh…” “Nethalican,” Kruss mumbled from the ground. “Yes! Thank you! Nethalican!” Tox nodded rapidly. “This structure is absolutely saturated with… well, not love, but some kind of fantastic, emotional energy! With just a touch against the outer wall, I could nourish myself! Unlimited power, all for the taking!” Chrysalis raised her head uncertainly, and the glow from her horn dimmed. “Really? And the rampant and disfiguring disease?” “Uh...” Tox hesitated, then aimed a hoof at Kruss. “His fault.” “Oh, it is not,” Kruss spat as he tried to push himself to his feet. “You attacked me and put on my-“ Another flash of lightning slammed into him, throwing him back into the wall. Tox winced. “My Queen? I… rather wish you wouldn’t do that.” “And I wish you had not brought him here. So I consider this approach an acceptable compromise,” Chrysalis retorted. “Although, if the human wishes to join our cause, then he may kneel before me and swear his allegiance. That would also be acceptable.” Kruss’s hand rose. “Not happening.” Another lightning blast struck the fallen Cultist, and his body twitched on the ground among the curling wisps of smoke. “Then this where we stand. Tox, you have failed me,” Chrysalis said sadly. “B-But-“ the guardian began to interrupt, but a surge of magical energy wrapped around her muzzle and pressed it shut. “You were to infiltrate the humans. Instead, you have let them expose and corrupt you.” The Changeling Queen drew a deep, calming breath. “You have brought the enemy – as well as some sort of horrific pestilence – into our hive. This is not merely a failure, but a betrayal.” “NO!!” Tox snapped, surprising the other changelings. She took a step forward, teeth clenched, and Chrysalis took a wary step back. “I have betrayed NO ONE! I still serve the hive! Nurgle will make us strong! His power will sustain us!” “What are you going on about, Tox?” Gox stepped up next to Chrysalis. “I think your brain has started rotting. We don’t want this Nurgle freak’s power if it means having to contract magic dysentery.” “I do NOT have-“ Tox stopped mid-shout, frowning. “Wait. Maybe… uh…” “Not actually a thing,” Kruss said, pushing himself up again. “HOW ARE YOU NOT DEAD?” Chrysalis shrieked at the man. Tox laughed. “Now you begin to see our strength! Nurgle protects us, frees us from the miseries of pain and the symptoms of contagion!” The infected changeling lying on the ground started twitching. The growth on its leg began to swell, and the carapace cracked open. “Do not fear, my Queen! My siblings! My family!” Tox reared up, her wings buzzing while she spread her front hooves. “Embrace Nurgle’s gifts! Accept his love into your heart! Take his strength, and no creature – not the humans, not the Orks, not the wretched ponies – will be able to stand before us!” The lesser changelings recoiled in horror as their wounded sibling shrieked. The tumor on its leg finally split open at the top, and the wet, gleaming head of a large wasp ripped its way out. Its legs came next, pulling away and shredding the remains of its birthing pod. Before the hissing insect even finished pulling itself free, more wasps started wriggling out of the breach around it. “What are those?! What are you doing, you maniac?!” Gox screeched, feeling her hackles rise. “These are vessels of Nurgle’s power!” Tox proclaimed, laughing and gesturing to the emerging horrors. “Accept the gifts of the Plague God, my sisters! Do not fear!” Her words did very little to stem the panic among her hive siblings, many of whom broke and ran from the central hive chamber. The first of the daemon wasps leapt into the air, its wings thrumming loudly while it compound eyes searched the chamber for new victims. Its abdomen pulsed, squirming with horrific venoms and parasitic larvae. It died in an instant, swallowed in a haze of green fire. Tox recoiled in surprise. “My Queen? But-“ “Be silent, traitor!” Chrysalis snapped. Her horn was awash with emerald power, and she promptly fired another blast at the downed changeling. It barely had time to gasp before its body disintegrated into ashes, along with the remaining wasps. “I have heard enough. As I said earlier, you have failed me, and you have failed your hive,” the Changeling Queen glowered at Tox, who wilted under her gaze. “I will determine what to do with you in time, but for now… I think a quarantine is in order.” “A what?” Tox took a step back. “What do you mean a-“ Another blast of green light poured from Chrysalis, and the infected guardian yelped as she was surrounded by intense magical power. After several seconds that power coalesced around her, generating a thick, green film that sealed over her carapace. Within seconds the spell was complete, and Tox was sealed within a fluid-filled chrysalis. A patch of translucent film covered one section of the prison, allowing the prisoner’s terrified expression to be seen by the surrounding hive. “Now, then.” Chrysalis turned toward Leonard Kruss, her eyes narrowing. “What to do with YOU?” Kruss glanced at Chrysalis, then at Tox. The corrupted guardian was writhing angrily within the pod, struggling but apparently unable to get free. Then he dropped to his knees and clasped his hands together. “Ah, yes. This is a good start,” Chrysalis said, smirking. “Please, go ahead. Let me hear your futile begging.” “Praise Lord Nurgle, God of cycles. Lord of pestilence. Guardian of the parasite. Patron of despair.” This was, obviously, not the pleading Chrysalis expected, and her smirk faded. “Tch. Boring. Die, then.” A thin beam lanced from her horn to Kruss’s chest, slicing straight through his body and cutting into the stone wall behind him. “Hear my cries, Grandfather, and answer my pleas. In this hour of darkness, I call upon your warmth.” Chrysalis blinked in surprise. The man had barely even flinched. His blood and a few less colorful fluids were splattered across the floor behind him, and still he pontificated in front of her. “Blessed Lord Nurgle! Speed me to your embrace! And within my body, let your children flourish! Spread your gifts upon the unworthy! Let them feel the fevered bliss of your touch!” Chrysalis fired another beam, this one much larger, and swept it down across Kruss’s chest. His flesh tore, spilling blood and bile across the rocky ground in front of him. Kruss fell forward, slapping his palms against the ground. To the surprise of the watching changelings, the gore oozing beneath him started to run across the ground in a series of curved lines. It was clearly an unnatural effect, and Chrysalis herself felt a cold chill while she watched the blood race across the stone. “Stop it!” the Changeling Queen growled. “Just die, already!” “I give myself to you, Lord of Plagues! Make your-GUGH!” Kruss was struck with another blast of force, smashing him off his knees and slamming him into the wall again. Although technically no more painful than any of the other attacks, this time the Cultist heard his bones break and felt his breath evacuate his lungs. “Changelings! Surround him! Kill the ape!” Chrysalis commanded. The drones and soldiers of the hive obeyed, darting toward the crippled human. “Death is not the end,” Kruss gasped out. A spear punctured his side, and then another dug into his chest wound. “Death is… merely another beginning…” More spears plunged into him. The changelings snarled and hissed, buzzing around his corrupted body as Kruss’s vision began to go dark. “Chaos… ascendant…” A flare of green fire shot into the Cultist, causing the changelings to flinch back. Kruss was engulfed in flame in an instant, and the changelings quickly abandoned their spears to the conflagration. “Well. That was… unsettling,” Gox admitted with a shudder. “Those humans sure are creepy.” “What is this?!” Chrysalis snarled, rearing up furiously. Gox seemed surprised at first. “What is what? Isn’t he dead now?” “The floor, Gox! Look!” It took a few seconds for the guardian to understand what the Queen was talking about. In the brutal violence of the last few seconds, Gox hadn’t noticed the spread of Kruss’s fluids across the ground. Now that she did, she could see that they had spread and curved about to form a triangle of three circles. “Okay. That… What is that, exactly?” Gox asked. “It’s some kind of enchanted rune!” Chrysalis explained. “Stay away, my changelings! Who knows what vile power it may contain!” “I’ll bet that human does. I mean, did,” Gox pointed out. “Be silent, Gox! This is serious!” the Changeling Queen snarled. “With this so-called ‘Plague God,’ we can take no chance of infection. This chamber must be sterilized, such that-“ The green cocoon that imprisoned Tox quivered. Chrysalis stopped speaking, staring at it. She could no longer see Tox through the translucent window of the pod. The fluid within had turned thick and murky. The bloody rings on the floor pulsed with unnatural light. The cocoon began to tremble and stretch. “The pod! She’s breaking free!” Chrysalis shouted. “What should we do, my Queen?” Gox asked. Chrysalis didn’t answer right away, her mind racing. A serrated, crab-like claw suddenly punched through the skin of the cocoon. Foul-smelling fluids poured out of the breach, and the nearest changelings scurried away in terror and disgust. “No… No, no, NO!!” Chrysalis’s horn flashed bright green, drawing deep upon her magic power. “Tox, be still! I WILL destroy you if you disobey me!” A snarling hiss came from the magical prison, and then a scythe-like leg ripped another hole in the pod. “I think she’s pretty set on disobedience,” Gox mumbled weakly, creeping backward. The confines of the pod were bulging now, swelling far past the point of a changeling guardian’s natural size. Chrysalis had no idea where all the additional mass was coming from; Tox had completely surpassed the limitations of a changeling’s morphing abilities. “Gox!” The guardian stopped backing up and snapped her head toward Chrysalis. The Queen’s horn was glimmering brighter than ever, surrounded by crackling arcs of power. “It’s too late! Attack! Strike her down!” The guardian only hesitated a moment, and then her horn blazed green alongside her queen. The two changelings fired together, releasing twin beams of emerald fury across the throne chamber. In truth, Gox’s own attack was so weak compared to Chrysalis that she needn’t have bothered, but she pushed her magic reserves to the limit to assist her hive mother anyway. The beams punctured the outer layer of the pod, burning into the grotesque, growing mass within. The cocoon quivered, and an enraged hiss briefly rose above the sound of magic power searing through raw biomatter. Then, after a several tense seconds, the beams broke through. They burned through the back of the chrysalis and bored into the wall, spending the last of their power against the stone. The pod seemed to deflate slightly, and the noise from within petered out. All was silent for a few tense seconds. “Okay, wow,” Gox breathed, “I don’t regret ending up with the mission against the Orks anymore. Seriously, that was just-“ The pod suddenly burst apart, and a feral screech boomed through the hive chamber as Tox emerged from her prison. Or, at least, the creature that used to be Tox. She was nearly unrecognizable now, a horrendous, tumor-ridden mass of flailing scythe limbs and cracked chitin. A series of thick, bulging tendrils wound upward into a long, twisted neck, and upon that grotesque appendage sat Tox’s head. Huge, deformed, and crackling with corrupt power, it was framed by a long curtain of filthy, seaweed-green hair that swung lazily with every movement. “No, no, no, NO!” Gox recoiled, skittering backward until she bumped into the wall. “What the hay? What happened? I thought we got her!” Changelings shrieked and chittered in fright, but Chrysalis fixed her eyes on her wayward daughter’s chest. “Do not falter, changelings! She is wounded! Attack!” Indeed, the monstrosity had already been speared through the breast, courtesy of Gox and Chrysalis. A smoldering hole was burned through her torso, and her movements were staggered and difficult. The lesser changelings obeyed their hive mother, launching toward their corrupted sibling. “Gox! Attack from afar! Do not let her touch you!” Chrysalis snarled. “Slay her! Bring her down and burn her remains to cinders!” “Why do you do thiss, Mother?” moaned Tox, her jaws drooling bile with every word. “I wanted to make uss sstrong… make uss complete…” Changelings rushed at her with spears and bare hooves, although the latter bunch seemed reluctant to touch their target. Tox endured the assault with lazy indifference, staggering forward through the thrashing black limbs and flimsy melee weapons. One unfortunate hive soldier was speared in the back by a knife-edged leg stepping on him. Another few managed to tear open one of the throbbing growths on her side, only for a clutch of wasps to emerge from the broken shell. The insects dove at the changelings immediately, stinging and biting with suicidal fervor. “Don’t you ssee the power that Grandfather givess me? Won’t you accept hiss love, Hive Mother?” Tox moaned. “NO, Tox. I will not.” Chrysalis summoned her magic to her again, her horn glowing brighter. “You’ve rather ruined my appetite.” Again, a sizzling beam of green magic blasted from the Changeling Queen’s head. This time, however, Tox brought her own horn to bear, and fired an identical beam right back. The magical streams plowed into each other, roaring to a standstill and tearing a deep crack in the chamber’s floor. Gox immediately fired her own magic blast, striking Tox in the neck, but the attack fizzled while barely scorching the corrupted changeling’s chest. “Gox! This is no time to hold back!” Chrysalis shouted. Beads of sweat dripped down her hair, and her body trembled from the power being channeled through her horn. “I know she is your hive sister, but she has turned from us! She is beyond saving!” “That’s, uh, not really the problem,” Gox admitted in embarrassment. “You see, it’s pretty hard to find love around Orks, you know? So I’m kind of low on energy right now. Like, almost out. Completely. Sorry.” The magical energy converging in the middle of the room suddenly exploded, tearing through the throne chamber in a wave of green force. Chrysalis was blown off her hooves and even Tox, despite her much greater mass, lurched backward while changelings were blasted off of her. The respite did not last long, and Tox began lumbering forward immediately. “Sstop sstruggling, Hive Mother. Nurgle’ss domination iss inevitable. Your sstruggle only increassess your ssuffering, and that of my ssiblingss…” “Back! BACK, you monster!” the Changeling Queen snarled, charging up her horn again. “You are not my daughter! You have stolen her from me, and brought our enemies to the hive! DIE!” Chrysalis fired a sphere of energy, launching it in an arc toward Tox’s head. In response, Tox slammed her legs hard into the ground, and a green pulse of magical energy washed out from her body. The fireball in the air dissipated instantly, and every one of the lesser changelings still nearby fell to the ground in pain. Chrysalis snarled incoherently, her hatred burning ever hotter as she watched her children writhe and scream. Vile fluids clung to their carapace, leaking greenish-tinted plumes of gas into the air. Every one of them had been infected, painfully and irreversibly, and their lives would be forfeit whether or not the changelings won. Unfortunately, Chrysalis wasn’t generally empowered by hate and anger. As she charged up her horn yet again, she saw the writing on the wall: if she didn’t manage to land a decisive blow against Tox, the corrupted guardian would overwhelm her. With her out of the way, the changeling hive would be infested by parasites and disease. All her efforts would be for naught, and the mighty changeling race would perish or be reduced to monsters. “You will not leave here alive, you vile traitor!” Chrysalis screamed. She fired another magic beam, and Tox again met the attack with one of her own. The energy beams smashed together in the middle of the room, and the floor cracked and shifted further from the abuse. “You cannot overcome me, Mother,” Tox assured her. “I am infinitely replenished by Nurgle’ss love. You exhaust yoursself with no ready ssupply of power. Give in. Let me SHARE thiss sstrength!” The beams crackled against each other. Tox started walking forward, pushing ahead into the tide of magic. “Gox! Do… Do something!” Chrysalis barked. The guardian gulped. There were other defenses against intruders available to the changelings, but none of them seemed useful right now. Enormous stalactites hung in a ring around the throne chamber circumference, ready to drop and block a given entrance, but Tox was too far away and already in the chamber. There were also more changeling soldiers she could bring to help, but Gox couldn’t imagine that mere numbers could take Tox down. “What should I do? I don’t have any ideas!” Gox yelped fearfully. “You’ve spent all this time hiding amongst warriors, haven’t you?!” Chrysalis growled, reaching deep into her magic reserves. “The Orks fight these sorts of beasts! What do they do?!” Gox jerked upright, suddenly inspired. She had completely forgotten that she’d entered the hive with a bag full of weapons. Leaping to the side of the cavern, she located the discarded backpack and started rooting through it. The first weapons she discarded were the shoota (already jammed from the last time she tried to use it) and the choppa (easily the most worthless axe she had ever seen); neither would turn the tide against the corrupted changeling. Deeper in the pack was a stikkbomb, which was closer to the grade or ordnance she needed. Below that, however, was a larger explosive. Flat and disc-shaped, with a large red button on the top and “BOOOOOOOOOM!!!” written in huge red font in a ring along the explosive’s outer edge. Mines were uncommon weapons in Ork armories. Orks considered such passive weapons boring, and hated the idea of potentially causing explosions when they weren’t even there to see them. Their disdain wasn’t great enough to discard perfectly good ordnance, however, so when unused mines were looted from the enemy the Orks modified them and used them anyway. Usually their use involved making Gretchin run toward enemy vehicles and slam the mines directly onto the treads, button-first. It was a tactic Gox would have gladly utilized in her current situation, but luckily she had something even better. As she was levitating the mine out of the bag at what she hoped was a safe distance, the magical deadlock in the middle of the chamber broke once more. Gox was nearly bowled over by the resulting energy wave, and Chrysalis wasn’t much better, stumbling back and tripping over her own throne. Only Tox remained unbothered by the blast, and she lurched forward toward the Changeling Queen with an insane hunger in her bulging, bloodshot eyes. Oozing tendrils of cancerous flesh broke free from her chest carapace and curled ahead of her twisted body, reaching for the stunned monarch. Then the sound of metal sliding across stone came from her side and underneath her. Tox glanced down, blinking at the strange metal plate that now sat underneath her body. “I’m sorry, Sister!” Gox barked as her horn glowed. Tox prepared herself to deflect a projectile, but the projectile never came. Instead, an aura of green magic surrounded the mine’s detonator button, and it depressed with a distinct, ominous-sounding click. Everyone froze. Nothing happened. The mine made several more clicking sounds as Gox pressed it over and over again, each time with the same distinct lack of result. The guardian gulped. Her corrupted sibling raised a slime-soaked eyebrow. “Heh, heh! Ork tech! Go figure!” Gox squeaked, grinning fearfully. “Poor, helplesss ssisster,” Tox groaned. “Worry not. For under Grandfather’ss reign there will be no need for the complex treachery and ssubterfuge of the old wayss. Chaoss will rule thiss world, and the Orkss will die. Hah hah hah hah haaaaah!” Tox laughed, her voice bubbling through a lump of bile and mucus. Then another magic beam slammed into her. Tox snarled in frustration, staggering backward against the tide of force that burned into her chest. She felt no pain from the attack, yet that didn’t protect her body from slowly breaking apart under the assault. Carapace plates buckled and fell to the ground, and several of her new tentacles shriveled and burned down to their stumps. Yet even as she was pushed back, she could see the strain coming from Chrysalis as she poured more and more energy into her spell. This would be the Queen’s last chance, and it would fail. After her magic was spent, Tox would walk up and seize her, and then this hive would belong to Nurgle. “Okay, wait, let’s see if THIS works,” Gox mumbled, levitating the mine up into the magic beam. Magical witchfire managed to succeed where Ork engineering had failed, and Tox was flung backward by a tremendous explosion. Chrysalis cut her spell short, gasping, and watched the hulking monster that used to be her daughter roll and skid across the floor before coming to rest before one of the chamber entrances. Tox's chest had been badly shredded from the explosion, and at least two of her legs were blown off and strewn about the room. Thick burns decorated her body and scorched insects and maggots fell from her wounds only to shrivel to ashes on the floor. Still, though, Tox was not dead. She raised her head, glowering at her defiant family, and her horn sparked with power. “None can ressisst the cycle. None can deny their mortality. None can sstop the ssupremacy of the Chaoss Godss.” “Then I suppose I’ll have to settle for killing you,” Chrysalis snapped, her horn pulsing again. “You have failed me, Tox. Now… sleep.” Chrysalis fired a magic bolt. Tox fired a counter-shot, trying to intercept it, but her angle was off and she missed. This was because the attack was not aimed at her, but the ceiling above her, and the stalactites that had been placed as a defense. The green pulse smashed apart the weakened roots of the stone, instantly dropping the massive spikes of rock onto the corrupted changeling below. Tox died not with a shriek or a shout, but something more like a resigned burble. Her body was completely ripped apart and crushed under the avalanche of stone, and the last twitches of life left her body as a pool of grayish ooze leaked from the pile of rock and chitin. Chrysalis trudged forward, breathing hard from the exertion of her battle. A nearby wheeze distracted her, and she saw one of the changeling soldiers lying on the ground at her side. It was curled up and quivering, and some manner of vile, horrific insect was gnawing at its neck. Growths had already started swelling beneath its outermost shell, no doubt full of more infectious horrors. “Quiet, child. That’s enough. You did well, and now your service is complete,” Chrysalis whispered. Her horn glowed softly, and the soldier whimpered. Then it burst into flame. Chrysalis turned away from her burning warrior. There were many more, and she didn't have the strength left to destroy them all. “Guards! Get in here!” A pair of changelings that had been lucky enough to avoid the encounter in the throne chamber peeked through the entrance hesitantly. “Get the others. Find some torches and fuel and light this room aflame. The infected cannot be spared. Every trace of this debacle shall be burned clean!” The changelings bowed and then bolted away to find the necessary supplies. Chrysalis sighed wearily, and then glanced over her shoulder. “Gox?” The guardian, who had been maintaining a respectful silence, suddenly perked up. “Yes, my Queen?” “You were carrying that explosive with you the whole time?” “Yes, my Queen. Why?” “In that bag you brought with you?” “Yes.” “And all it takes to detonate it – in theory – is to press the large red button?” “Yes.” Queen Chrysalis frowned. “Weren’t you at all concerned that the button might be activated by accident just from being jostled around during your journey?” Gox paused to consider the question. Then her eyes bugged out. “Oh, blast! I didn’t even consider that!” She slapped a hoof over her face. “Living with the greenskins has made me sloppy. I’m so used to being around high explosives and stupidly dangerous machines I don’t even think about it anymore!” Chrysalis approached the exasperated guardian. “You’ve had a very difficult time, Gox. But you have remained loyal to me and our mission. Thank you.” Chrysalis looped a leg over Gox’s withers, and pulled the infiltrator into a hug. Gox leaned into her mother eagerly, her wings buzzing in delight. “I will not fail you, Queen! Tox was weak!” Chrysalis shook her head. “No, my child. She wasn’t.” She released Gox from her embrace, frowning delicately. “The task I required of her was simply too much. Infiltrating the humans with changeling spies may be impossible to accomplish before the 38th Company finishes dominating the lesser species of this world. But we simply cannot defeat them head-on. We require a hoof in their corner, one way or another.” Gox furrowed her brow. “Then… what are we to do? Send spies directly to Ferrous Dominus? Perhaps as refugees or immigrant citizens?” “No. I cannot risk such a thin ruse. Not against such powerful foes.” Chrysalis turned and started walking out of the chamber while changelings carrying torches and barrels rushed by in the opposite direction. “If one of my finest agents was foiled in her effort, then I cannot rely on clumsy, desperate retaliation. I need a different approach.” Then the Changeling Queen smiled. “Gox, I need you to stay here for a few days. Oversee the cleansing of the main chamber, and keep the hive locked down. I’m going on a trip to Canterlot. It’s time for Plan B.” Gox blinked in surprise. “Canterlot? You’re going to try to turn Princess Celestia against the invaders?” Chrysalis laughed. “Oh, my, no. What did I say about clumsy and desperate measures? Celestia and I have too much history together. And frankly, even if I could convince her, I’m not sure she would be very useful.” A long grin stretched across her face. “My tool of choice is nothing so obvious. I just need to go pick it up.” Gox remained puzzled as the Changeling Queen chuckled to herself, heading to one of the exit tunnels. “Very well, my Queen. I obey.” **** Canterlot Castle Royal Statue Garden “Halt! This area is closed!” “Please stop where you are!” Two pegasi stallions in molded flak armor and bearing lasguns swooped down on a small group of four ponies approaching the perimeter of the statue gardens. It was late at light, and from high above the pale glow of the magic streetlights didn’t allow them to get a good look at who was trying to enter the area. Once the guards got low enough to get a good look, they stopped short in surprise and confusion. The ponies were all royal guards, and all of them unicorns. They seemed to be escorting a large wagon covered by a dark blanket. Also, despite having the appropriate armor on, none of them had rifles or ballistics harnesses. One of the larger unicorns, a dark-furred mare, tilted her head up and regarded the pegasi with an arched brow. “Is there a problem, gentlecolts?” “I could ask you the same thing,” one pegasi replied as he and his partner landed. “What’s going on here? The gardens are closed for the night.” “Obviously,” the lead unicorn sniffed, “I’m just delivering a new exhibit. It’s rather short notice, but the artist demanded that her newest work get a guard escort since she thinks it’s so important.” She shrugged. “As long as we’re here, we may as well relieve you two, if you’d like. We’re scheduled to be here most of the rest of the night.” “Really? Yeesh, we must be getting light on bat ponies. The Lunar Guard is supposed to be handling the night shifts, not us,” mumbled one of the guards, approaching the wagon. “So, what is this thing, exactly? I wasn’t aware there was a new exhibit coming in.” “I’m not sure who the artist cleared it with. You know how those self-important ninnies are,” the unicorn replied bitterly. “I can take it back if you’d like, but it’s just going to waste everypony’s time.” “Eh, I don’t think there’s any need for that. Just let me inspect the cargo…” the pegasus bit onto the edge of the obscuring blanket, and the two unicorns hauling the wagon unhooked themselves and stepped back. The mare’s eyes narrowed dangerously. The blanket was pulled off of the wagon, and both pegasi blinked in surprise. Sitting in the cargo bed was a big, bare granite block. “…… Wait. THIS is supposed to be a new statue?” asked one guard incredulously. “It’s just a big cube!” The mare’s expression shifted immediately to one of bored indifference when the pegasi turned to face her again. “Technically it’s not a cube, since the length is much greater than the other dimensions. It’s called a cuboid.” “Okay, fine. It’s a cuboid. My point is, who the hay thinks they can pass this off as a finished statue?” “That would be Ruby Radiant, who appears to be going through an avante-garde phase. This is apparently her attempt at modern art,” the unicorn sneered. “Frankly, I can’t see it taking up space for long. In fact, you shouldn’t be surprised if you never see it after tonight…” “I hear that.” The pegasus guard shifted the blanket back over the block, and then backed away. “Whatever. They don’t pay us to play art critic. You sure you’ve got the next shift handled?” “Absolutely. You two fly off and enjoy the rest of your night.” “Sweet! Thanks, guys! Maybe we can still make that poker game!” One of the guards vaulted into the air, obviously excited to be relieved. The other one hesitated, staring at the unicorn mare. “Uh, hey, I’m fine with getting a night off from guarding useless rocks, but shouldn’t you guys have lasguns?” There was a brief flash of emotion that crossed the mare’s face, appearing and vanishing before the stallion guard could hope to identify it. “… We didn’t want the harnesses to get in the way,” she replied calmly. “Besides, this is the middle of Canterlot. What are we going to find here that might require laser guns?” “I understand, but we can’t take security so lightly anymore,” the stallion reasoned, wagging a hoof at her. “We’re at war, you know. The Royal Guard of Equestria has to be prepared to take on the enemy on the open road or the heart of our capital city!” He paused and glanced left, then right. Then he stepped closer to the unicorn mare. “Besides, we can never be completely sure where the enemy is, you know? We have to be ready for anything.” The mare regarded him silently for several seconds. “… You make an excellent point,” she said finally. The pegasus thought he detected a hint of sarcasm in her voice for some reason, but dismissed it and took to the air. “All right then, I’ll leave the rest to you! Make sure to stop by the armory later! Good night!” After the pegasus flew out of earshot, two of the unicorns hooked themselves back up to the wagon. Another one turned to the taller mare. “Should we stop by the armory and bring back a shipment of weapons too, my Queen?” “I’m honestly tempted,” Chrysalis sniffed, “but no, we cannot afford the risk. Even the Royal Guard’s incompetence has its limits. I mean, probably.” She started heading forward again, constantly scanning her surroundings for any signs of eavesdroppers and patrols. “Besides, we’ve already stolen plenty of pony wargear for our little puppets. At this point I’m surprised there’s any left. Move!” The infiltrators moved into the heart of the statue garden, glancing back and forth at the carvings of beasts and equines. Chrysalis took the lead, her senses keen for any sign of interference. Her assistants were less focused, and their gazes lingered on some of the surrounding statues as they pushed forward. “Queen! Is that a Space Marine?” gasped one of the disguised changelings, stopping to point. “I’ve never seen one before!” Chrysalis twisted her head around, and she stared briefly at the carving her servants had pointed out. It was ten feet tall from the bottom of its boots to the tip of its horns, and cut in admittedly fine detail. The Astartes warrior carried a boltgun in one hand, while the other was sheathed in an upturned power fist. In what was a very compelling touch, the artist had enchanted a stone in the palm to emit a small, constant red flame, so that it appeared the alien soldier was carrying the fire above his palm. The statue generated a potent sense of malice and intimidation, and the lesser changelings quivered under its stone gaze. “To think that the insipid ponies are actually glorifying such creatures,” Chrysalis snorted and turned away. “But this place is not just a place to honor their allies. Celestia has also made it a prison for her foes.” Her horn flashed, lighting the way ahead and illuminating their target at the edge of the yard. Chrysalis grinned maliciously. Standing before them was the Tau High Commander, Shas’o Voidsong. To be sure, the alien didn’t cut a very imposing figure. She was smaller than a human and lacked any sort of natural weapons or imposing stature. Even her pose looked pitiful; she was hunched over and seemed to be frozen in mid-shout. An utterly pathetic visage of a villain, particularly compared to the hulking Iron Warrior lying at the other end of the path. But Chrysalis, of all people, could appreciate that appearances could be deceiving. The changelings pulled away the wagon’s cover, exposing the bare block of stone. Chrysalis stared hard at the statue of the imprisoned alien, and her horn pulsed with an emerald shine. The bare stone was surrounded by her magic, and then started breaking down. Sheets of rock splintered and slid away by the dozen, and large gouges were carved away. The large cracks and cuts soon gave way to smaller, more careful ones, digging small grooves and details into the shrinking mass. After some ten minutes of magical carving, Chrysalis levitated a counterfeit Voidsong statue into place alongside the real one. The semblance was good, but not perfect. With the two side-by-side, it was easy to pick out small imperfections or awkward edges that didn’t properly mimic actual flesh turned to stone. Fast, covert, magical rock-carving had its limitations. “Good enough so long as nobody knows what to look for,” Chrysalis mused while her changelings pushed the original over. The statue of Voidsong dropped into the wagon bed, its impact cushioned by the ground-up remains of the stone block. The Queen of the Changelings lifted her duplicate statue onto the pedestal, and then carefully shifted it so that it was facing the same angle as the original had. With a satisfied nod, she turned away. Next she used her magic to shift the wagon’s contents, sinking the statue beneath the stone shards and rubble just in case it was inspected again on her way out of Canterlot. Like the statue, the ruse wouldn’t survive dedicated observation, but combined with some quick lies it would be plenty to get out of the city. Once she had settled the blanket over the wagon’s contents, she began leading her servants out of the gardens. “Security is so weak,” noted one of the other changelings, glancing around. “Two weakling ponies and nopony else? Do they not care that this is a great enemy?” “Hence why most rulers don’t treat their prisons as tourist attractions.” Chrysalis chuckled lightly to herself. “But I can hardly blame Celestia for her laxity. The best kind of theft is stealing something no one else wants. After all, what POSSIBLE use could one have for the alien warlord that almost doomed our planet?” Chrysalis grinned viciously, revealing a mouth full of curved, razor-edged teeth. “I can’t wait to find out…”