Armor's Game

by OTCPony

The Panicked Hive

“Eleven legions?!”

The drone did not dare meet Chrysalis’ eyes. “Yes, My Queen. We lost five at Maneden. The rest were slaughtered in the Tailwald Wood. Nothing stands between Shining Armor and the Changeling Kingdom.”

“Where is Lord Cocoon?!” demanded Queen Chrysalis. Behind her, the five surviving Lords of the Hives stood in horrified anticipation.

“Dead,” whispered the drone. “When he saw all was lost, he took his own life.”

Chrysalis turned from the drone and paced slowly around the room in the ruined palace. All eyes followed her. A cloud of pheromones laced with bewilderment and horror surrounded her.

“Eleven legions...” she whispered again. “How?”

“Lord Cocoon knew we couldn’t escape a pony pursuit if we followed the Great Trunk Road, so he took us west into the Tailwald Wood. He thought that the trees would give us cover and slow their Pegasi vanguard.”

“Go on.”

“We were on a forest track. It was too narrow and the trees were too thick to put out flank guards or a vanguard. Our artillery and our captives slowed us down, and the rain made things worse. At the front of the column we were constantly felling trees. It all gave the tribes time to muster.”

“The tribes?!” gasped Chrysalis. Fresh clouds of pheromones that reeked fear surrounded her and the Lords.

“Yes, My Queen. We didn’t take into account what sort of effect the Equestrian victory would have on them. Armor wasn’t pursuing us at all. He’d sent his cavalry out to every independent Lynx lair still in the area and rallied them against us. By the end of the battle they must have assembled nearly ten thousand to attack our column. Cocoon killed himself on the fourth day. We made one last advance to the west, but we had a bog to our north and the tree line was close to the track. The Lynxes kept striking out from there, and the ponies were firing their spears in support. By the afternoon they’d thrown a barricade across the track. We made one attempt to storm it but our axes just bounced off the palisade. While we were stuck there they took us in the flank and rear.”

“How did you get out?” demanded Chrysalis.

“One officer kept his head. He rallied together a dozen of us and we fled into the bog. We stayed there until nightfall and then we struck south as fast as we could. We were marching for three days. I was the fastest, so when we got to the Recinante Cliffs he sent me ahead to warn you.”

The drone shook suddenly and his detachment broke. Unbidden, a thick cloud of sadness surrounded him. “They’ve all been massacred. I lost friends I’d known since I was a nymph...”

Chrysalis waved a hoof dismissively and swept towards her Lords. Her gnarled horn glowed and the map of Southern Equestria descended from its roll on the wall. There marked in blue was the long wedge of Lynx territory the Changelings had captured, two weeks ago bold and imposing, but now hideously vulnerable. “How many legions do we have left in the Lynx Territories?”

“Four, My Queen,” whispered Lord Pupa. “The Thirteenth and Fourteenth besieging Afleasia, the Twelfth patrolling the Great Trunk Road, and the Fifteenth acting as a mobile reserve.”

“And Shining Armor is bringing fifty thousand ponies against us,” hissed Chrysalis. “And potentially forty thousand Lynxes from unconquered territory!”

She returned to pacing around the room, wings buzzing. Her Lords stayed silent. After a moment she spoke again.

“Break off the Siege of Afleasia,” she ordered sharply. “Pull all our legions in the Lynx Territories back to the Recinante Cliffs. Captives are desirable but if it slows them down they are to be abandoned. I will not have another twenty thousand Changelings cut off from home.”

“They will have to move now, My Queen,” said the drone. “We ran across a Lynx war band at least ten thousand strong less than five miles from Afleasia as we moved south.”

Chrysalis’ eyes narrowed. “How did you escape?”

The drone was suddenly surrounded by a cloud of pheromones showing consternation. “I... that is, we...”

“You broke my orders not to take the form of others, didn’t you?” said Chrysalis dangerously.

The drone did not dare meet her eyes. “Yes, My Queen, but if we had not, we would have never made it back to the Kingdom. We took the forms of Lynxes and joined the back of the column. We broke away after a mile.”

Chrysalis bared her teeth. “I have one last thing to ask of you. How did Cocoon fight at Maneden? How did he match Armor’s spear fire?”

“He ordered us to increase the strength of our individual magical blasts from our horns to match the range of the Equestrian spears. It halved our rate of fire compared to what we used against the Lynxes, and the rate for an individual pony must have been twice ours, but I know he was looking into ways to increase it as we retreated.”

“Lord Pupa, do you believe you can replicate and improve these tactics?”

“I think I know what Cocoon was doing, My Queen,” said Pupa.

“Good. I want the entire army trained in them. We will catch Armor as he descends the Recinante Cliffs. As for you...” she turned back to the drone. “You disobeyed my orders not to take different forms, and as a result you may have seriously drained our store of love.”

“Yes, My Queen,” stammered the drone, “But if we had not...”

“Regardless of the circumstances, I cannot allow any other drone to believe that there is any occasion where they might disobey my orders out of concern for their personal safety. Thank you for your information, but an example must be made.”

Chrysalis’ horn glowed again. The drone’s eyes had a moment to widen in horror as he realised what was about to happen, then in a spray of ichor, he fell dead to the floor, his throat opened.

Behind Chrysalis, pandemonium erupted. Her Lords were bolting in horror to the door. Her horn glowed again and the pitted, peeling double doors slammed shut in front of them. Terrified, they turned to face her.

“My Queen...” whispered Pupa.

“You now realise the desperation of our situation,” said Chrysalis grimly. “No Changeling has ever killed another. I want the rest of this drone’s unit brought to me so I can see to them for their transgression. Lord Pupa, I want the army ready to deploy to the base of the Recinante Cliffs in a week. At all costs, Shining Armor must be stopped.”

Comments

[musicluvr1974]

The drone’s eye had a moment to widen in horror as he realised what was about to happen, then in a spray of ichor, he feel dead to the floor, his throat opened.

This should be "fell"--which is the past tense of the word "fall."

That said, I hope both sides realize what kind of trouble they are now in, and that "Chryssy" does the smart thing and sues for peace--or surrenders.

Break out the popcorn, everypony--this is getting better with every chapter!

[Magthere]

Chrysalis, showing that your unwilling to have your orders questioned even if it means certain death is bound to create strife at home. Unless she wins spectacularly in the next battle she may have to deal with a revolt in the hive.

[Charles Rocketboy]

There ain't no employee tribunals in the Changeling Kingdom!