The Changeling King Part 2: Kings' Gambit

by th3l0stch1ld

Rude Awakening

A boom in the distance. Another. Closer, louder, every time getting that much closer. Until…BOOM! Both Amor and Chrysalis sat up. Over and over again, explosions came from outside. Amor jumped out of the bed and stood in front of Chrysalis.

“Stay behind me.” Chrysalis obeyed and walked close behind Amor. They slowly walked to the door, but before they made it a changeling soldier burst through.

“Sir, I am here to guide you to safety.”

“What’s going on?!”

“We’re under attack!”

Amor’s eyes went wide but he quickly recovered. “Chrysalis, go with him.”

“But-“

“Go!” Chrysalis hesitated, but nodded before following the guard. Amor was close behind them until making it to the main castle chamber, now in ruin. Escara and Avispa rushed to Amor.

“Sir! The threat has been identified as changeling. What are your orders?” Amor expected Hornet to attack, but not this soon.

“Escara, guard the prisoners, kill them if you have to. Avispa, you’re with me.” With a nod, both changelings did as ordered. Escara ran to the prison cells as Amor rushed for the exit of the hive, Avispa soon following. The hive was in panic, changelings running every which way to find cover. Ignoring it, Amor finally made it to the exit. Large green beams of energy flew through the air and struck the rocky exterior of the hive. Surveying the area, Amor noticed groups of changelings battling each other with swords and spears. The changelings from Purity’s hive wearing dull grey, almost black sets of armor. In an act of paranoia, the armor was recreated to hold from confusion on the battlefield.

“Amor!” The sound of Avispa’s voice broke him from thought, just in time to see a blue armored changeling charge at him with a sword. Amor fell to the ground, but before the changeling could strike him dead, Avispa intervened and blocked the attack with his own sword. Amor didn’t wait, he quickly rolled over just as Avispa moved out of the way. He kicked his back legs with all his might and caught the changeling in the jaw. It dropped its sword and rolled over on the ground. When it finally got to stand, the changeling’s mouth hung open, the bottom jaw dangling by the skin, its tongue hanging out. With a snort, it turned and retreated. Amor grabbed the sword in his teeth.

“Avispa, follow me.” The two changelings tore through the crowd, swinging their swords at anything wearing blue. Swinging, tearing, slicing at the fur-covered flesh. A quick jab and Amor caught one behind the shoulder. After letting out a cry of pain, the changeling fell. A swing and he caught another across the neck, and all that was heard from him was a gurgling noise as blood filled his airway. It seems like they would keep coming, like there was an endless amount of them. Amor didn’t care. If he had to, he would fight them all. Another charged Amor and he quickly retaliated. Blocking the swing with his sword, the two found themselves eye to eye. Amor twisted his head, and thankfully his horn was longer than the soldiers, because it caught him right in the eye. As the changeling backed away, covering its bad eye with a hoof and trying to somehow look in the direction of the bad one with the good one, Amor charged and plunged his sword into its chest. He wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take.

Eventually, and thankfully, the firing stopped, and the changelings from the opposing hive ran for the hills, in the direction of their hive. Amor stood panting and covered in blood and dirt, the sword clenched in his teeth was also covered in blood. A large team of changeling in black armor came from the direction the air assault was from. Avispa approached.

“Sir, the air attack was the result of large groups of changelings concentrating their energy into one powerful beam.”

“I see. This news will help. Get a group to clean up the dead. Find weapons, armor, anything that could be salvaged, and…prepare the corpses for burial.”

“Sir, ours or all of them?”

“Ours are to be buried. Do what you wish with the enemies.” Amor let out a grief filled sigh as he looked over the battle scared land of his home. He walked back into the hive, but began running as soon as he remembered his family. Please be okay. Please be okay. Amor burst into the main chamber of the castle to find Chrysalis, Purity, and Escara, standing in a semi-circle. Escara wielded a bloodied spear at his side, leading Amor to one conclusion. “Escara, what happened?”

“Sir, the changelings in the cells were going crazy. They kept throwing themselves at the cell doors. One finally broke out, he was the first to die. After that the rest turned psychotic and threw themselves against the cells harder. I had to take action.”

“You did the right thing. I was going to have to execute them anyways. They were growing too numerous to house in the hive.” Amor passed the sword to Escara as he drew closer to Chrysalis. “Are you two alright?”

“We’ll be fine, Amor, thank you. The question is are you okay?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re bleeding!”

“It’s not my blood. It will wash off.”

“No, not there.” Chrysalis walked closer to Amor a pointed her hoof at a long slice down Amor’s side. “There.”

Amor turned his head to look at his side. Sure enough, there was a clean cut from just in front of his flank to his left shoulder. He didn’t recall ever getting hit, but in the heat of battle, it is highly possible that he was too preoccupied with his bloodlust to ever notice. “I’ll be fine.” He parted the hair on his neck to reveal a large bite mark only inches away from his jugular. “I’ve been through worse, remember?”

Chrysalis moaned. “Don’t remind me.” In an attempt to reveal how bad the wound really was, she prodded at it with her hoof. Amor winced every time her hoof made contact with the bare spot the skin wasn’t covering, and Chrysalis quickly took notice. “It’s still pretty bad.”

“I’ll tend to it later.”

“No, you won’t. I know you.” Chrysalis licked the cut, coating it in wax to stop the bleeding and close the wound. “There.”

“Thank you, Chrysalis.” Soon after the words left Amor’s mouth, Avispa trotted into the room. He stood erect before Amor and Chrysalis.

“Sir. Ma’am.” He then bowed before Purity. “My queen.”

“You may rise.”

Avispa rose to his feet again. “Thank you, my queen.”

“Avispa, what do you have to report?”

He turned his attention back to Amor. “Actually, some good news. There were no dead from our side on the battlefield.”

“Really?”

“Nope. Not a single changeling of ours. A lot of injured, but no dead. It’s a miracle.”

“It’s not a miracle, we have skill apparently.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I have the luck of a black cat that broke a mirror with an open umbrella in the house.” The whole group looked at Amor with puzzled looks on all their faces. “Very, very, very bad luck.”

Chrysalis closed her eyes and sighed. “Well then…”

“Hey, you know I’m not joking. Only I could leave the hive, find an ursa-major, get captured by Canterlot guards and get threatened with my life in one week.”

“Fair enough.”

“Not to mention that, just because I was there, a timberwolf tore my neck and shoulder to shreds, broke my leg, and put me in a coma for a month.”

“Alright! We get it!”

“Just making a point… what were we talking about?”

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “Avispa, do you have anything else to report?”

“Let’s see… well the weapons and armor salvaged from the battle have been moved to the armory. And… no that’s about it. But, um, I…I think war is inevitable.”

Amor sighed as he sat on a fallen pillar. “I figured as much. Avispa, get me a messenger.”

“Yes sir.” Avispa trotted out the door on his next mission as Chrysalis sat next to Amor.

“Why do you need a messenger?”

“Well, we don’t have a dragon and I don’t know how to get a note around like Celestia, so it’s the best way to get a note to her. She needs to know what is going to happen.” Amor’s horn glowed and a quill, inkwell, and a parchment appeared before him. He then floated it in front of Purity. “Here.”

“What?”

“I can’t write it. I’m not in charge, so here.” Purity sighed. She dipped the quill in the ink and began writing her note.

Dear Celestia,

I wish I wasn’t writing to you under these circumstances, but I have no choice. Recently, we were attacked by another changeling hive located in the hayseed swamps, and we have no other choice but to retaliate. Please respond as soon as you can, for it is going to be hard to fight an enemy if Equestria is off limits as a war zone.
Purity
Amor rolled the paper up. His horn glowed again and a red ribbon appeared and tied around the paper just as Avispa returned with another changeling. Both bowed in the presence of so many higher beings before approaching the former king.

“Sir.”

“Get this note to Princess Celestia of Equestria as fast as you can.” The paper floated to the messenger and landed in his mouth, being held in place only by his two large fangs. Doing just as instructed, the changeling turned around and left in a full sprint until he reached the exit of the hive, where he took to the air.

Comments

[Razzy]

Let loose the dogs of war.