Chapter 20
Gray sat with his back against a rock, breathing heavily as he glanced around. Lieutenant Sentry was scowling as he scanned the tree line, spell gun raised and ready. It was his turn on watch as the other instructors were taking a rest. The man didn’t know what had happened to Dean, their squad having been separated when ambushed by all of their recruits, the thick forest releasing the whine of a magic-generated blast occasionally.
“Damn goat-suckers, how are we going to beat them now?”
Gray looked to one of the other ponies sat near him, a young looking unicorn whose skin around his right eye was a nice purple colour and showing through his white fur, courtesy of a ‘captured’ recruit.
Indeed, they got it bad during the surprise ambush, almost everyone wearing some bandage, but now they managed to regroup and would do their best to take out the recruits before they would get taken out instead.
“Alright everypony, on your feet! Enough sitting around, we’ve got some foals to deal with!”
Blueblood stepped in front of Gray, offering him help with standing up. The man took the offered hand and rose to his feet, the other instructors following suit and spreading along the treeline. With a nod from Blueblood they ventured under the foliage.
Gray could understand it, by doing that they covered a lot of ground, and there was no way that they could all be taken out at the same time. In the first hour things were too quiet, but as they reached the end of the second, word came down the line that one section had hit a clearing, meaning they had swept through the exercise area and were at the other side.
Blueblood quickly made the decision to surround the clearing, secure it, and pause for further planning. Slowly, the ponies began to work their way into a large circle, which then started to shrink as they approached the clearing. They were only a few meters away when Gray’s foot hit something that moved, and he raised his hand, the group halting.
Crouching down, the man pulled up some of the loose brush, his eyes going wide when he found a boot. He put his gun down and pulled more of the forest floor up, revealing the unconscious form of Dean, his spell gun nowhere in sight. Blueblood made his way over and opened his mouth, but no words came.
High pitched whines and beams of light rained down from above them, those that escaped the first volley returning fire into the trees. The unicorn standing next to Gray fell under the fusilade of fire, falling to the ground with a grunt. Gray reached for his gun, but couldn’t pull it up, as it was kept firmly in place by a pony's heavy boot.
Both Phoenix and Barghest squad leaders were grinning down at him, their woodland camouflage making them difficult to spot in the dusk of forest from more than few meters.Gray shook his head in disdain, but there was a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “You teamed up on us. Clever fuckers.”
“Just so you know sir, no hard feelings.” They both fired at his head, the man falling into unconsciousness next to his fellow human, the two ponies looking around as the rest of the trainers fell. Phoenix squad leader stretched out his wings with a groan. “So then, Glimmer Night… we sticking to the deal, or is everything going to break down into chaos?”
The mare to his side idly scratched an itch on her horn, then gave a shrug. “What do you think, Storm Drummer?” She knelt down over Blueblood and rolled him onto his back, breaking the crystal hanging out of his armour. It started pulsing, so she stood back up and began moving off. “Barghest squad, regroup and move out! Two hours rest, then we engage Phoenix!”
Storm Drummer stood perfectly still as fifteen ponies dropped from the branches and gathered around Glimmer Night, then they all moved off, leaving Phoenix squad to gather around him. His comrades chose to sit down where they were, whilst Storm pulled out his map. “Okay, there’s a canyon about twenty minutes away. We’ll rest there and get some lunch, then the fight is back on.”
Hiding in plain sight, especially during the day, was a rather hard thing to pull off. Unless one was well versed in illusion magic, and able to bend light around them, they might as well been walking around with a big target painted on their chest. But when the others were doing the same, the suspicion would significantly lessen.
That was the case with her current stay in Canterlot. She was walking the streets freely, not hiding her true nature at all, mimicking others of her kind. At first she was awestruck by the sheer number of changelings moving around the city without disguise and even though she had heard the rumors before she left her hive, she stopped dead in her tracks once or twice when she saw open signs of affection in mixed pony/changeling pairs.
Her previous attempts at infiltrating Canterlot castle ended in failure and few times almost led to her capture, but this time she hoped for a different outcome as she finally adjusted her plan to the current conditions. If other changelings went there as changelings without trouble, she could do that as well.
Of course she had no idea what the message she carried contained. It could have been a declaration of war or an unconditional surrender and thousand other things. But whatever the result, she felt unease just from the city itself. The attack her old queen performed was a too fresh memory, and the drone was lucky to escape Canterlot alive after Chrysalis’ plan failed. Despite her uneasiness she wouldn’t relent in her effort until the scroll would make it into the hands of the Solar princess as her orders stated.
Approaching the main gates to the castle, she saw a checkpoint set up. The guards were selecting ponies and changelings at random, checking documentation. Taking a deep breath, she joined the flow of ponies heading towards the line, doing her best to fit in. She kept her glances around to a minimum, but more than once caught the gaze of a guard. She shrugged it off, but as she drew nearer the end of the line, a hand was placed on her shoulder and she turned around to face one of the guards.
“Excuse me, miss, but can I see your personal ID and reason for visiting the castle today? It is merely a routine check due to heightened security standards” She tried to pull away, and his hand loosened a little, but he didn’t let up his grip as his features hardened a little. “Are you here for your ID today?”
A bead of sweat trickled down the back of the drone’s neck as two of the armed guards approached, and she panicked. Summoning her magic, she called forth a spell with which she could ward off animals that she didn’t want to fight, one that affected unprepared ponies as well.
The castle’s guards and visitors cried out in protest as a stinging liquid burst outwards from the changeling, temporarily blinding them. Taking her chance, the drone ran from the small crowd and into an alleyway, where she quickly took the form of a pony she had passed on her way into the city; now it was just another random unicorn stallion that stepped from the alley and began walking down the street.
The disguised drone had barely gotten any distance between herself and the gate when a sudden shudder swept through her, leaving a feeling that she knew too well; there was a changeling detection spell at work, and it had just centred on her. Walking to the nearest building, she breathed a sigh of relief to find the door unlocked, charging in and taking cover behind a counter; the place looked like a disused shop. There was a slight creaking that caused her ears to twitch, and she chanced a peak around the corner, watching as the door slowly closed itself… but was then pushed open by a unicorn in golden armour, a grim look on his face.
“Check upstairs, I’ll take this floor. If the drone has found it, we’ll need to capture or destroy it.”
“Yes, corporal!” Two more ponies entered, a pegasus and earth pony, followed by the heavy footfalls of boots on stairs, whilst the one in charge turned to look over the room. It was then the drone noticed the blazing yellow sun with a few purple flames on his pauldron, and she did her best to stop herself from panicking. Even one on one, she was no match for an earth pony of the Solar Guards, let alone a unicorn. His horn began to glow, and a scroll appeared before him with a flash, which he opened to read as the other two came back. “Nopony’s here.”
“We weren’t looking for a pony. But you’re right. Let’s move out.” The trio walked out of the building, the unicorn stopping to close the door behind him. The drone froze as his eyes locked directly with hers and his horn glowed again, but there was just the sound of a mechanical click as the door shut. Standing from her hiding place, the drone noticed part of the wall seemed to be loose, so she pulled it open to reveal a dimly lit passageway.
She wasn’t sure why the pony had chosen to do let her know about this, unless he was one of the changeling sympathisers she had heard about, but she took the chance anyway. Keeping her invisibility spell up, she slowly made her way along the passage, which looked like it had been hewn straight from the rock, with alcoves every now and then to let ponies pass. She stopped dead as her foot hit something, sending the sound of glass hitting glass echoing around her. Looking down, she saw several cider bottles strewn around, but nopony looking for the cause of the sudden noise.
Taking a deep breath, she continued along, finally reaching a door at the end. Pushing through, she found herself in a kitchen, and a glance out of the window revealed Canterlot Castle’s gardens, meaning she had somehow managed to get past the checkpoints and shield. Remembering where she was, she closed the door and left the room, creeping along the deserted corridors, which should have been full of ponies leaving for the day. Emerging into a lobby, she noticed two other drones, along with a rare hybrid, carrying several official looking documents each.
Even though not a part of her mission, she decided to follow them and see what was going on, blinking a few times at the sign stating what department she had just entered. The three she was tailing had moved into a room filled with filing cabinets. Whilst she was an infiltration specialist, she wasn’t big on committing intel to memory, and there was a lot contained in this room. “Mantis Gold, are you still here?”
The drone felt her blood freeze upon hearing the voice, desperately wanting the moment to be a nightmare as she slowly moved out of the doorway, just in time tpo. Walking past her with an aura of calm, followed by six guards, three of whom the drone recognised from a short while ago in the empty building, was Princess Celestia herself, stopping just in the room and smiling at the small group.
“Ah, your majesty. We were just finishing the proposal work. I think you’ll be very pleased.”
“I’m sure I will. Now, it is time for you all to go home. Besides, I have a meeting with a messenger, who shall be along shortly.” With a bright glow of her horn, Celestia sent a powerful wave of magic out, which made the hidden drone close her eyes and hope it was just a dream. It was not to be, as the sound of weapons being drawn made her drop her muzzle towards the floor, cracking open an eye to see the barrels of six spell guns pointed at her. She turned around when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she found herself staring into the smiling face of Celestia. “They won’t be necessary, corporal, this is the guest I told you was coming. Now then, I believe you have a message for me, young changeling? Also, you do know you could have just informed the guards as to why you were here?”
The drone wordlessly pulled out the scroll and passed it to the waiting princess, her cheeks heating up in her embarrassed state. Celestia unrolled the scroll and read it over a couple of times, before turning to the guards behind the drone.
“Send word through the guards, we are having a visit from a friendly changeling Queen tomorrow. And if you see Raven, get her to have the castle staff prepare several guest suites.” The guard bowed and turned to his squad, the six of them splitting off in seemingly random directions, leaving the drone alone with the alicorn. “Now then, what I am going to do with you, my little troublemaker?”
Gray and Dean trudged along the corridor exhausted, both wishing for some time to rest, but Celestia had summoned them. They didn’t even have time to get changed from their muddy uniforms, a messenger with a note from Celestia appearing as soon as the Gehenna had drifted into the airdock. They paused just outside the throne room to at least straighten their clothes out when Dean gave a thoughtful hum. “So, what do we tell her if she asks?”
“That fifty guards, including us, got our asses handed to us by a bunch of kids?”
“Yeah, that. There’s something else that’s bothering me. Why is it called ‘Deadeye’s Run’?”
Gray paused as he reached for the door handle, looking at the Marine with a frown, who just shrugged as he continued. “I don’t know, but I would like to find out. Maybe we can ask him when he’s done his time?” He pushed the doors open, blinking at the meeting going on inside and understanding why Celestia had told them to leave their weapons behind. “And it might not be a good idea to mention him during this meeting.”
They fell silent as they approached the table at the foot of the dais, where all three alicorn princesses sat, but it was the two who were sat opposite them that caused the men to be wary.
“Ah, they have arrived. I was wondering if the rumours were true, Tia.” This caused them both to relax a little, as no hostile changeling would ever call Princess Celestia that. The drone stood from her chair and turned around, bowing to the humans. “Sergeant Heartbelle, Sergeant Hollis, a pleasure to meet you. I am Queen Foedus, of Hoofington.”
The men glanced at each other briefly and nodded, Dean snapping off a crisp salute whilst Gray bowed slightly. Moving to the empty seat next to Celestia, Gray gently picked up Celestia’s hand and kissed, and Dean remained standing, his gaze on the changeling leader.
“Isn’t that a pony town?”
“City, actually. But they know of us, and none are under any spells.”
“Dean, please be seated, we have much to discuss, and Foedus has brought us some startling news.” He did as Celestia asked, about to question why several seats remained empty when a side door opened, Breezy Mint and Fair Heart entering quickly, followed by several staff from the Changeling Relations Department, filling the spaces around the table. Celestia’s horn glowed and all doors around the room shut, then had a golden aura placed over them. “Now we can begin properly. Foedus, what is it you wish to tell us?”
“There was a meeting a couple of weeks ago between changeling leaders, called for by Metamorphosis.” She noted with a grim satisfaction that not only the two humans but the other queen in the room bristled at that name, clearly ready for action against him. “Myself and four others attended, and whilst I agreed to no part of his plan, I cannot say the same for the others. Make no mistake, he is coming, and he is coming for blood.”
“Good, I hope he’s looking forward to drowning in his own.” All eyes turned to Breezy Mint as Fair Heart placed a hand on her shoulder. “I was part of his plans during the last attack, and now I am doing what I can for any changeling that just wants to live. With him gone, we can come out of hiding without any fear.”
“Tell me, whelp, from what hive do you hail?” Breezy met Foedus’ questioning and calm gaze with a glare, giving the queen a snarl.
“I don’t know, I was raised on common ground, so do not know from where I hail, but as long as it isn’t one of their filthy hives, I do not care.”
“And you, pony? You are her partner, yes?” Fair Heart pulled Breezy close, feeling the changeling shuddering with anger, giving the queen a nod. “Mirage, it is nice to see you found somepony.” What happened next nopony expected as Breezy broke free from Fair Heart and leapt across the table, slamming into Foedus and knocking her to the floor, pinning her limbs.
“THAT IS NOT MY NAME! REMEMBER THAT!” To her surprise, Foedus did not struggle or retaliate, she merely started laughing happily, causing Breezy Mint to stand up confused. The queen followed a moment later, wrapping her fellow changeling in a tight embrace.
“Oh my dear daughter, it has been far too long.” The group watching the exchange glanced at each other, Dean giving a shrug and then tabling the question that had been on his mind since the mention of the ‘king’.
“So what do we do about Metamorphosis? Just find his hive and take it down?” The hugger and the huggee broke apart and returned to their seats, Breezy confused and Foedus with happy tears down her cheeks. “If that’s the case, give me and Gray several squads, and we’ll go deal with him.”
“It won’t be that easy, Chrysalis controlled many hives, and even as her most trusted infiltration specialist, I didn’t know all of them. Meta would be operating out of one none of us know about.” Dean deflated at Breezy’s words, and Celestia leant forward to add her opinion.
“It seems we can do nothing but wait for him to act. Foedus, there was something else you wished to ask?”
“Yes, Tia, if you don’t mind.” She glanced over at Breezy and Fair Heart, giving a soft smile. “I was going to enquire about having some members of your Changeling Relations Department visit my hive. I want what the changelings living in Canterlot have for my drones, but a new idea has come to me. As the head of the department, I would be very grateful if Mir…” A growl from the other side of the table made Foedus give a small giggle, shooting her daughter a sheepish smile. “If Breezy Mint would come for the visit as well, and see her true home.”
Celestia sat back and locked eyes with Breezy, who seemed to be too stunned to respond, her gaze unfocused towards the other side of the room. “If she wishes to go, then yes, I will allow it. Before this meeting ends, is there anything else you can tell us about Metamorphosis? Strength of numbers, spies, that sort of thing.”
“His numbers, depending on allies, can go from hundreds to thousands, but if I know those that were at the meeting properly, you are looking at a force of around seven hundred changelings, but… he has other allies. Metamorphosis has gained a Diamond Dog pack.”
“Diamond Dogs? Bipedal creatures that try to take ponies?” Foedus locked eyes with Dean and nodded, causing the man to shudder. “Well, things just got worse. Princess Celestia, I’m going to need every bit of research you have on these creatures. I lucked out last time, so if you’ve got something, especially about any tactics they might have, it would be appreciated.”
“And you shall have it. I call this meeting to a close. Foedus, if any of your drones wishes to visit the capital, tell them they do not have to hide. Abide by our laws and no harm will come to them. Now, I believe you three need some privacy? Please, use my study.” Breezy Mint, Fair Heart, and Foedus rose from the table, giving a bow to the alicorns and then headed off to the side room. Celestia couldn’t help but grin as she noticed the changeling queen was nervous. “Dean, Gray, you are dismissed for rest, but first, how did it go out there?”
“We got our asses handed to us. I don’t know where they got clothing like that, but damn, their plan worked.” Celestia and Luna giggled as the two men walked away, the princesses glancing at each other with smirks. Oh, we know where the idea came from, and we’re not sure if you’d like it…
Gray was roughly brought out of his sleep as the train he was on jolted to a stop. He did, thankfully, have something to stop him from falling to the floor, and that was Celestia’s arms wrapped tightly around him. He reached up to remove his blindfold, but the mare forced his hand back down with a giggle.
“I told you, no peeking!”
He just grumbled under his breath as she helped him stand, a knock on the door given as a warning that it was about to be opened. Taking his hand, Celestia guided the man from the private compartment, along the carriage and onto the platform, where the man started to shiver from the sudden cold.
A thick coat was set over his shoulders and he quickly slipped his arms in, then zipped it up. Feeling his hand taken once more, Gray followed, frowning as his footfalls made a strangely familiar crunch on the ground, but he wouldn’t betray the mare’s trust by taking a sneak peek.
He could hear whispered conversations, sounds of mirth, and felt a lot of eyes upon him whilst they were walking along, but soon it was all gone and he felt the warmth of indoors once more.
“Careful, we’re going up some stairs now.”
Some stairs turned into lots of stairs, the amount of levels the pair climbed unknown to Gray as he had lost count. Eventually the stairs ended and after several more metres of walking he was left to stand still, a door closing behind him a moment later.
“You can look now.”
Gray reached up and removed the blindfold, blinking slowly to let his eyes get used to the light. Once he did, they went wide in surprise as he took in the room where he now stood. It looked like one of Canterlot Castle’s private suites, but the view coming from the window was vastly different.
He walked forward, glancing to where Celestia sat with a smirk on a couch for a moment, then approached the glass, his eyes growing wider. Unlike the view from Canterlot which showed rolling fields as far as the eye could see, here they were in the mountains, every surface outside covered in snow with the odd outcropping of rock. He felt the mare wrap her arms around him from behind, laying her head across his shoulders.
“Tell me Gray, can you ski?”
“No, I’ve never been.”
“Then a long weekend in Coltarado Springs should suffice to teach you the basics. Tomorrow we shall go to my private chalet, but for now,” Celestia pulled away, grabbing Gray’s arm and tugging him towards one of the side rooms, where a roaring log fire was going.
Gray looked around, smirking as his eyes landed on the queen sized bed, but the alicorn took him nearer the fire. Letting go of his hand, she slowly stripped down to just her underwear, then she helped him from his clothing.
Sitting down on the thick rug that lay in front of the crackling flames, Celestia patted the spot next to her, Gray taking the invitation. She shifted closer, and he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her against his side as her horn flashed, a bottle of wine and two glasses appearing.
They spent the rest of the evening sitting there, and when the guards finally came to check if everything was alright, as they hadn’t seen their princess for several hours, they found her in the man’s arms, a serene smile on her face, and covered the pair with a blanket.
Two remaining inside at the entrance just to be on the safe side, the others heading towards the two suites set aside for them.
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5105370
that is badass dude.
Not bad, not bad at all.
Add a "The" between "by" and "pony's"
I thought her name was "Fair Heart".
5127069 Indeed it is. It's also some foreshadowing, as that's Deadeye.
5127131 'a' boot, actually, and yes, Thanks for catching them.
5127168 How's the job hunt coming?
5127192 Not bad, applied for a few but heard nothing back. Applied for the same company my dad works for, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
Nice to see this story back.
I'll need to reread these chapters, as I have very little knowledge of what's going on now. Good to see this story's finally continuing.
5127224 Is that anything like the US Navy Reserve?
5127498 No, it's civilian. This is the company I have applied for.
5127503 OK, its like a civilian version of the USA's Military Sealift Command
5127650 Dude... you're going to just love the next few chapters. I wonder if you'll think the same after them!
5127653
I will, trying to take over the crystal empire (crystal heart yo) and killing the 2 princesses, heeell naw.
And it seems obvious the nurse is this heart person, and she was communicaing with the hivemind when she looked tired.
5127671 Nurse Openheart? Nope, guess again!
5127684
*eye squinting intensifies*
nice chapter and now i play the waiting game for the next cant wait
i492.photobucket.com/albums/rr289/axlthehedgehog_2008/responses/soon.jpg
stay classy
5130673 So, now you've gone through the last few chapters, still think he was in the right for killing Chrysalis?
5130677
All those families destroyed too.
Imagine if they got to the crystal heart...sooner.
5127827
yes, now we wait, soon, a new chapter will come img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120907213313/mlp/images/9/9e/Princess_Luna_reveals_herself_S2E04.png
5127503 so like the American coast guard?
5133421 No, we have our own coastguard as well. They are basically a civilian supply fleet that supplies the Royal Navy.
5134183 so the merchant marines?
5134812 I don't know what the US equivalent is. The RFA's main task is to resupply Royal Navy ships at sea, including refuelling.
5134817 oh wait it is an Air Force? Ooooh. I guess our equivalent would be the flying fuel tank pilots.
5134837 No, it's ships.
1.bp.blogspot.com/-An0r7YqMiBM/T0VWhLrIq7I/AAAAAAAAAt0/B2RCJUx6EfI/s1600/Wave+Ruler.jpg
The one on the left is an RFA tanker, the one on the right is a Royal Navy frigate. The job I am applying for is basically working on the engines and equipment of ships like the one on the left. The black line between the ships is a fuel line, and this is a RAS (Replenishment At Sea)
5134850 so your an engi? Cool! Just be prepared to have the Limeys break all of your stuff
5135888 ...I AM a Limey. The RFA is a Limey company. And yes, I am an engineer. I have a qualification in aeronautical engineering.
5135901 are you a British sailor? If not you are not a Limey, you are an engi. It's like calling a Navy sailor a leather head, they are close in millitary but not really. Leather head is a term for US marines.
5136038 I mean you no trouble, I merely wish to correct you. The term is "Leather Neck". I'd be somewhat offended if someone called me Leather Head. Another term would also be Jarhead.
5191934 I know. He and I had a chat over PM.
5193115 Not not here? just because he's in the show doesn't mean he has to be in a story. Do you see Coco? Suri? Gilda? Iron Will?
5192864 wonderful! Glad to hear it (read it?)
But I do agree with our author about the Discord aspect. It's kind of like asking "when is Discord going to show up?" When he's not part of the plot. That is, I don't see a role for him in this.
just read it again for funsies, can't wait for that update
stay classy
5421359 Just one problem there... I've got no idea where to take the next chapter. Sorry.
5421415 well that's disappointing, im sure you'll think of something
stay classy
this was a great story y u cancel it
I really want to read this, but it's cancelled…
5643656 5975222 I know it's been several weeks, but because of your comments... well, check back here in 10-15 minutes!
Gray you lucky b
stard
6105880
Three years later... He's still lucky