The Chimera

by Scarheart

Chimera 16: That Sinking Feeling

The Aurora lurched, bucked, heaved, rebelled against the blast. Ponies and griffons were tossed about like dice in a cup with the ship, most on the observation deck were hurled over the sides. The ship rolled seventy degrees to starboard, nearly capsizing in midair. Anything external jutting from the ship and in the brunt of the blast was sheared away. Luna had deflected most of the energy with a powerful shield, but more than enough broke through as she and Silent Wing disappeared in the expanding ball of white light. The fabric covering the ship's frame tore away, either from flames or from the concussive force of the explosion.

Somehow, she stayed aloft, the determined captain at the wheel screaming and cursing at the mother-loving bucking bucket of bolts to not roll, to not burst into flame, to not die and take everypony with her. The Aurora seemed to listen to her mistress, riding out the magic storm as she tried to obey the will of the griffon. Gilda pleaded, coaxed, and even crooned to the wheel, making promises out loud while continuing to follow up with a string of curses at whatever thing caused damage to her ship under her breath. The alarms blared on, but the airship slowly righted herself until she hovered between a fifteen and ten degree list, the wind rocking her. Gilda felt a lump in her throat as she realized her ship was dying.

She was drifting away from her destination with no mechanical means of propulsion. The battered Aurora even creaked and moaned as her frame was bent and twisted, yet she held together, remained aloft.

But she was indeed a dying ship. Her injuries were fatal and there was no means to repair her. All four engines were gone, only two stabilizer fins remained. This meant steering was rendered pointless. Gaps in her skin revealed the great sacks of hydrogen, the volatile gas keeping the ship aloft, along with the magical enchantments protecting them from inadvertently being ignited. Hydrogen was very dangerous, but was used because it was abundant and easy to acquire. Gilda was worried of a possible spark coming across a leak.

"Damage report," she called out. "Let's see how bad we are." The captain straightened herself as best she could, given the starboard side slope making standing a bit of a challenge. "Get me a casualty list. Get eyes on that ship. She's still out there! We need cover, dammit!"

She was crisp, still in control, and in no mood for foolishness.

"And somepony tell me what the buck just happened out there!"

Gilda noted the crew member taking the wheel from her had a gash over his head. "Get that checked," she said gruffly, pointing at it. "There's no point with the wheel anymore. The Aurora can't navigate." Aloud, she told the bridge, "Everybody check each other for injuries. Let's get some measure of control back." She needed her ship stable.

Fifteen minutes later, the damage was far worse than she had expected. The speaking tubes brought her nothing but bad news. Not only were the engines gone, but half the life boats were shattered. Engineering was a twisted mass of pipes and struts, shredded wires entangling everything. The chief engineer was dead, impaled by splintered metal. Nor was he the only casualty. More than twenty were dead, another dozen wounded. The ship was losing bouyancy. Worse still was the enemy ship was still closing, but the changelings were holding back. Losing something as powerful as a dragon had made them fearful and wary.

But for how long? Their courage would return once their ship caught up with them.

She was less than two miles away now, having slowed and assuming a parallel course with the Aurora. She was not as long as the airship, but she was a solid construction of iron, it seemed, with nary a sail upon her. Black smoke billowed from four funnels in the center of her superstructure, a pagoda-style bridge towering at the front. Four turrets each bearing a pair of very large long barreled guns were placed two forward, two back. All eight were trained on the Aurora, but held her fire. There were several different secondary armaments bristling along the center of the ship, also trained on the dying airship.

"Prepare to abandon ship," Gilda said to Flick. "Where the hay is Princess Luna?" she demanded helplessly. "We're sitting ducks here."

"We're still looking for her, captain," he said quietly. "There is the possibility she did not survive the blast. We've got one changeling left and he says he saw her and Prince Silent Wing get swallowed by the blast. Nopony else saw what happened."

She stared at him in disbelief. "Why am I now being told this?" Gilda demanded, pounding the wall with a taloned fist.

"I'm sorry, captain, but I just now found out. Captain Cruise is down to just himself and one other fighter for air cover. Almost all of the Unicorns who put up the shield are in no condition to fart, much less help defend us. They would not have been able to stop an explosion of that magnitude. It would be reasonable to assume the princess used herself as a sort of shield." Flick sounded tired, worn, beaten.

Gilda sagged against the wall, nodding. "All right. Let's get bodies off this ship. She's as good as done." It was like telling someone she had to put her favorite pet down.

"Yes captain, we've got the boats almost ready."

"Load the wounded first, let's try and space them out evenly. Food. Water. Weapons. Anything we'll need to survive." She lifted her beak, sighing heavily and straightening herself. "Get moving, Flick." Neither wanted to add the obvious problem. They would all soon be prisoners. "Just perfect," she added, forcing herself to deal with the next problem in a line of many.

---

Frakas was a broken changeling. It was not because he was covered with wounds nor the fact his armor was torn or because his carapace was cracked. Blood was flowing through cuts in his chitin, mostly stemmed by now. Some still trickled. Having settled on the scorched wooden observation deck, he stared with his solid blue eyes at where his friend, his prince had once been. He could not move, as if expecting Silent Wing to appear next to him and tell him everything was all right and it was time to move on with the adventure, that this was just a little setback and that everything would be all right. His mind could not fathom Silent Wing being gone. All of his brothers were gone, his prince was gone. He had seen Silent Wing embrace Luna at that last moment before... before...

"Like a hero," he spat, fighting the tears. All the others were gone, taken by the blast. The last one died in his hooves, asking Frakas if there was love in the afterlife before the light went out forever in his eyes. At least in the end Silent got his girl, a bittersweet end. "Like a bucking hero," he repeated, shaking his head, "but he was supposed to win."

Blazing Cruise saw him, his own body covered with bumps and bruises, a few cuts here and there, having been on the far side of the ship relative to the explosion. He limped, one of his hind legs either broken or tweaked, he was not sure.

"We're not done yet," he said to Frakas, tapping him on the shoulder. "We've got to get ready to abandon ship. Help me set the charges on the ship. We're rigging the Aurora to be scuppered. Gilda's orders. Can't let the enemy have her. After that, we're probably going to get captured, so I'll need you to do what you changelings do best."

Frakas turned his heads towards him, ears laid back flat. "What more do you want from our kind?" he demanded, staggering to his holed hooves. Soot smeared his body to go with the superficial cuts and bruises along his lean little frame. "My prince is dead and I am lost without my prince. He was my friend. I lose my brother, now I lose my friend and the only changeling I would ever follow without question into battle." Frakas chittered sadly.

Cruise settled a hoof on the changeling colt's shoulder. "Look son. I know you're hurt, but we need you free. We need you on the inside. They're not interested in killing us, so you'll have time to heal and recover. Most importantly, I need you gathering intelligence on the enemy. Can you blend in with them? Can you infiltrate their ranks and be my eyes?"

Frakas sighed, thinking. They had just lost the powerful Princess Luna and they were still looking for a way to fight back. This battle was lost, yet they continued to plan the campaign ahead of them, changing like water with the flow of the river. Just as Master Tsang Tzu had preached all those years. Where was that old bird, anyway? There was no way he would fall to these losers. Bringing down the dragon was still fresh in the changeling's memory. Frakas wondered why his master would be nowhere to be seen while the dragon was attacking them. Surely...

Wounded? A great deal of griffons had been badly hurt. Perhaps the teacher... no, that's impossible. Nothing could beat Tsang Tzu!

In a swirl of pain and fading anguish, Frakas straightened himself and nodded to the Pegasus. "All right, I'll do it. Only because Silent Wing would have wanted us to push on. On top of that, we were all fond of Applejack."

A brief smile crossed Blazing Cruise's lips as he turned and started for the elevator. "Yeah, I know. She doesn't know yet. None of them do. Those who saw what happened are limited to just you, me, Rainbow Dash, and Lightning. Let's keep the hope for them alive a bit longer."

"Why?" Frakas spat bitterly. "They'll find out eventually."

"Morale. Come on, kid. Let's go."

---

Pain. His world was mindless, endless waves of pain. The magic had surged into him like a vacuum cleaner the moment he held Luna in his hooves, encasing her as best he could with his wings and body, his back to the blast as she heard his voice in his ear the moment before his world exploded around him. He could feel the magic wash over him, wave upon wave, upon unimaginable wave, screaming in pain. Wild magic poured into his body like a vessel, filling him from deep within the chasm he could feel yawning impossibly wide from within. Through his eyes clenched shut against the tide of indiscriminate fury, he could see those eyes from the new dream stare right back at him. Luna heard his words, the dark form in his mind simply smiled at Silent as his insides were on fire. It threatened to consume him, his body giving out beneath the pressure slowly. The darkness within him became more and more aware as more magic coursed in and remained, as if snatched up by an unseen force just now coming to wakefulness.

Trust me.

He held Luna protectively, with all his being, unaware the miles were passing beneath them as they were tossed with great force. All he knew was she had to live and her magic prevented from breaking, from falling away and dooming the ship and those on board her. Silent Wing did not know if the Aurora was safe, but his words to Luna sang in his mind, in his heart. The thing within him felt his feelings, flickered its attention to his thoughts, his heart, and examined it. Its formless mass fed upon the magic, stirring for the first time since it was torn to pieces so long ago in a war long forgotten by the master who had sought to wield an untamed magic in its own right.

Trust me.

The two forms were hurled in directions unknown, a ball of wrapped blue and dirty yellow wings enfolded around each other, neither aware of their surroundings. Luna maintained her shield somehow. Surely it would have shattered if Silent Wing had not used his body to absorb some of the magic contained within the heart of the blast in the aftermath of the dragon's death. By all rights, the two of them and all those around the airship should have been reduced to dust.

The concussive force not borne of magic had torn through the prince's body, rendering him on the brink of death. It had also launched the two winged forms through the sky and towards the northwest, away from the Aurora and towards the unknown. Luna's own magic was nearly spent as she used what she could to keep him stable. She found herself the only one with the strength to maintain hold. Their far-flung bodies were beginning to slow. How long were they thrown? How far?

Flaring her wings, she was able to slowly stop the spin of their two forms and brake, tweaking her feathers this way and that as she adjusted on the fly. The strain upon them was painful, lancing along their lengths to her shoulders and spine. Every moment threatened a wing failing or worse. She was so exhausted herself from using her magic, she was amazed she was able to gain some measure of will to fight against the tumbling. Yet she succeeded, somehow even as every inch of her body screamed in pain and torment.

Silent Wing groaned pitifully in her grasp, his face pressed into her furred chest. She had wondered if there was indeed a limit to how much magic he could absorb. She could sense within him more power than any living being should be able to stand. The dark Alicorn feared for his life more than the wild magic he now had within him. Sensing the pain the prince was in, she did what she could to deaden it, her magic only partially effective as the colt's body was still trying to absorb more power. With numb shock she realized she could see tendrils of magic crackling along his fur in a strange array of colors. Little spasms wracked his body. He was breathing in shallow gasps. She was able to sense out with her magic his most severe injuries; burst organs and the bleeding from within. It taxed her greatly and she knew she was already too weak, too much to allow her to fly for much longer.

She peered down, drawing Silent close to her chest gently when he groaned loudly in pain. Below her the sea met a vast and Celestia-blasted desert of stones and rocks and sun burnt shrubbery. It seemed to her a landscape in ruin from some sort of catastrophic event long ago. Here and there were craters of various sizes, many of them very large indeed. Angling towards land, she followed along the shoreline, ever angling inland gradually, searching for a place to land she felt was safe enough. She spotted further inland a smallish crater surrounded by palm trees and other greenery. With a weary sense of determination, she brushed her lips on the colt's forehead and glided towards what she hoped was a place to rest. The further in she went, she realized she was losing her magic.

"What is this?" she wondered out loud. Yes, her magic was failing her! Luna found it was also sapping her strength as her magic was also tied into her physical strengths from being an Alicorn. She shifted, letting her natural abilities take control. It made carrying Silent Wing all the more difficult, but she managed.

By the time she reached the palm trees, she understood this was an oasis, a small spring fed by an underground river system deep beneath the desert. The crater was old, worn from maybe hundreds of years of erosion, but the water looked pristine and blue. Finding a soft spot on the ground, Luna landed, settling her charge with great care to the ground. She found a golden eye roll open for a brief moment, stare at her with some focus, then wink shut.

She gave him a quick nuzzle and smiled. Next, she set herself about the task of seeing what was available to her. But first, she tilted her head and tried to reach her sister.

Nothing.

The Alicorn frowned, shook her mane and tried again, thinking it might just be from her exhaustion. She had never been without the ability to speak to her sister's mind nor Celestia to hers save for her time banished.

She tried to contact Tia a second time. Perhaps it was mere fatigue or the distance between the sisters, or the roundness of the planet itself. There were numerous factors. Even the magic - what little there was - felt alien. No, the magic wasn't alien in the land here. She could not quite understand as she found standing to be nearly impossible. Though not quite as injured as Silent Wing, she still bore cuts and bruises enough. Her own blood was smeared, mixing with her Intended's in her fur.

"Most curious," she noted aloud with worry. "Perhaps I am more exhausted than I at first thought." She considered her dilemma professionally. "Very well, I shall rest a bit and try again when I have more strength!" She spoke because her inability to use her magic effectively was making her nervous. "As for young Prince Silent Wing," - her gaze lingered to his battered form - "I know not what I am to do with you."

Her emotions were aflutter, she knew. Luna didn't just want to fall for some colt out of a sense of lust or just an urge to purge her loneliness. She had plenty of stallions who lined up to please her at her whim, but she wanted more than just satisfying her pleasures and desires. Of all those available to her, of those she could have chosen from, she found her heart was set on this one. He wasn't particularly handsome by pony standards, but he was a rugged little colt who refused to give up and attacked without thinking of himself. Silent Wing was small, yet had the determined strength of an Earth pony. He was foalish, yet thoughtful. He went to battle gladly, yet was the first to offer words of calm. He loved his family, though his mother was the fiercest of monarchs to be easily associated among the ranks of rulers to be garnered not one shred of trust what so ever. Yet he trusted Chrysalis completely and loved her as any good son should love and respect any parent.

Silent Wing was an enigma. Silent Wing was badly injured. The revelation did not sit well with Luna. Something would have to be done about that.

Magic was not going to work here, she realized as she was at the water's edge now. Luna tried to pick up a globe or two of water to give the wounded prince, but time and time again her power ebbed away as if something simply snatched it from her grasp at the last possible moment. Her eyes scanned her surroundings. There was thick green grass beneath her feet and growing in abundance in this small place, so food was not going to be a problem. A few inspecting nibbles at the shrubbery revealed they were edible, if a bit bitter. The grass was plain save for a sweet aftertaste towards the stems. The pond itself was not large; two bounds could carry the Alicorn over its round expanse. The water was cool and sweet, but there was nothing which she could bring it to Silent.

Unless.

She almost blushed, but set herself to filling her mouth with water. Turning, she approached Silent and gently nudged him with her snout, turning his mouth to face hers with a gentle hoof. Slowly she allowed a trickle of water to pass from her lips into his. His reaction was positive as his own mouth opened a little, his tongue greedily searching out the reviving coolness. Luna found she had to use the same hoof to steady his head, to keep him facing her. She took her time, making sure none of the precious water was wasted. With restraint, she reluctantly pulled away from him when there was no more to give, but she did caress his cheek before setting him to rest.

She also found it odd the magic within him was not disappearing like her own. How odd! Could she possibly tap into it should the need arise? Her thoughts shifted to the airship and the others. She had no idea where they were nor if anypony had survived. They had to have, she believed as she and the prince had been squarely between the blast and the Aurora.

"May the Creator watch over them," she whispered into the blue sky. It was still morning. In any case, she was not going anywhere with Silent Wing in the state he was in. She knew not this land nor its dangers. Surely there had to be a few to consider to say the least. There were plenty of fully capable ponies on the ship. All were adaptable and each one had each other to depend upon. If she left, Luna knew the colt would have no one to watch over him.

She could only hope the others would be seen to safety. Luna was worried almost to the point of being sick, but she had to have faith in them. There was also reason to believe Celestia would come, driven by the urge as to why she could no longer feel her sister. Perhaps she even thought she was dead.

Tia might be in tears right now.

"Horseapples!" Luna blurted, using a term she had heard Applejack use many times before. She never meant for her sister to cry! Surely Tia was an emotional wreck, not knowing if her little Lulu was alive and well, if she had perished.

Closing her eyes, she suddenly realized how weary she was, how worn she felt, how weak. Shade was plentiful here, she surmised, casting her gaze to the light canopy from the trees. It was enough the sun was broken by the shadows of moving leaves and branches in the morning breeze. It was already proving the day would be hot and dry. With nothing better to do, Luna prescribed herself rest and went over towards Silent Wing. He was on his side where she had left him, asleep. She noted a wing out of place and used her mouth to set it correctly, properly, as it should be. Her eyes lingered to the changeling legs of the prince presented before her. Thoughts lingered as did her gaze to the one who claimed to have sired this colt who had probably just saved not only her life, but the lives of others whom she held dearly.

She found herself smiling in memory of Chrysalis rising to defend her colt's honor. Truly she had indeed rose to protect a child she considered as her own flesh and blood. Those legs reminded her of that night, the exhilarating feel of being in combat. That had been one-on-one, honorable, and with rules.

Luna frowned. Those light brown changelings were not honorable. Their little flying lizard minions were certainly not honorable, little more than trained pets. Then there was the now-dead dragon. She was growing so tired of dragons! Flamespyre takes Twilight Sparkle, her son, and the Princess Atalanta. Scarheart terrorizes Canterlot. Draccaria upends the stability of the Emerald Kingdom and reduces it to a state of civil war. Now this one. She did not know this dragon. But it was certainly a Battlesinger, as Tia had informed her.

"One less to worry about," she conceded wearily. "But what if the others are this...explosive?" Her voice carried over the water as she settled down in her selected spot. The grass felt nice beneath her as her legs folded beneath her body.

Oh, she was tired! Up all night only to fall under attack, battling a very powerful foe. If it were but so simple to lay down and seek sleep. It would not come to her easily, she knew. Too many things had happened. Her body was still tensed for action. Her mind still raced and she still worried for the badly wounded prince laying in front of her. Was he dying? Was he going to die before her eyes?

In a sense, his father had taken his body, stealing five thousand years of magic from him. Flamespyre saw his children as little more than tools, Luna believed. Perhaps he no longer cared if the colt lived or died, having taken what he desired from the prince.

But what about now? Even in her weakened magical state, she could feel the unsettled magic broiling like a hurricane within the colt's body. How was he containing such energy? Why was his body not disintegrating from having that much magic in him? By all means, he should have been burnt to a crisp or transformed into some magical monstrosity, or perhaps something else entirely. Right now, it seethed and she could practically see it in an aura around his whole frame. It was not much different than watching her sister's horn glow as she worked her magic. Why was it surging now? Luna did not recall seeing such a display before. As she noted this, the aura faded as the magic began to settle.

No, it was still there. She noted with a great deal of interest as the entirety of the magic flowed beneath the colt. But to where? It was still attached to him. The connection felt permanent.

"Are you becoming a full Battlesinger? Are you becoming a monster like them?" she asked him curiously.

Silent Wing, of course could not and did not answer.

His shadow did.

She lept to her hooves as it stretched out from beneath him, his own shadow. A pair of golden eyes flew open in narrow slits and gazed at her curiously. Just as quickly, it retracted back beneath the prince's body, leaving behind it a ghostly air of having passed through, sending cold shock through the Alicorn's body despite the heat of the blazing sun. Luna was chilled to the bone with fright, staring at the spot where the eyes had been just moments ago. That... that thing was so powerful, so familiar!

It felt like Nightmare Moon's presence had come out to greet her like an old companion in passing. Teasing. Taunting. Beckoning.

What was it doing in Silent Wing?

---

The Aurora was burning, a dying phoenix living the last moments of a very mortal life. Captain Gilda had ordered the charges to be set once the last of the survivors were on board the life boats. The once proud airship now rolled towards the sea, her bags of hydrogen catching flame one by one, rolling forward from the stern to her pointed bow. From the moment the first charge went off, the ship had less than thirty seconds to live. The ball of fire quickly advanced forward, sending a great black pillar of smoke into the blue sky. Many tears fell as the ship died with groaning struts and frames. The Aurora died with great fanfare of her captain's design, settling at last stern first to the ocean swells.

A thousand changelings surrounded them within the hour. Captain Gilda and her crew surrendered, as did Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity. They all did. The children huddled with their mothers, either out of fear or to protect. Blazing Cruise and those others trained for combat were identified and placed in heavy chains. One of their own, a Unicorn mare shifted, became a changeling of who they were discovering to call themselves Topaz as well as the eyes of their chosen God, Flamespyre.

They were upset at the loss of one of the sons of their lord and master.

They were in the process of ferrying the last of their prisoners on board the great ship of steel. Their commander was none other than Myzanum. He presented himself before the surrendering Gilda and accepted it gruffly before stripping the Bearers of Harmony of their necklaces. Somehow, the book and map had been salvaged from the ship and given to him by one of his soldiers.

"You are aboard the Vengeance," he told them before they were led to the ship's brig. "Your home until we reach port in Kahsoon, the Shimmering Beacon and capital of the Topaz Kingdom. Please feel uncomfortable as you contemplate your fates to the whims of the Twin Queens."

The spy who had been with him spoke to him quietly, with respectful politeness. The hulking changeling nodded and dismissed her, casting his eyes towards the sea, then back at the gathered group just as they had been accounted for. They were lined up on the deck of the ship, at the bow before the first turret bearing the massive twin guns. Changelings were everywhere. Minotaurs were numbered among the crew, as well as strange bipedal fish creatures, like diamond dogs.

"Where is your last remaining changeling?" he demanded, scanning his captives.

Frakas was nowhere to be seen.

"He bailed on us as soon as he saw his prince bite the dust," snorted Gilda with contempt. "Little bastard just threw in the towel and ran like a coward."

Myzanum snorted at that, chittering his contempt at her answer. "Not him. Not any of them, captain."

Cruise felt one of his eyes twitch, carefully masking his pride for brave colt. The master of the Vengeance had yet to be revealed, though he thought he could see a tall and slender figure observing them from the open bridge above the second turret. It was a changeling mare, by all appearance and she could not be bothered to see her prisoners herself as she believed Princess Luna was still lurking out there.

The last remnants of the Aurora disappeared beneath the waves, leaving a large debris field as her watery grave marker. None mourned her loss more than Captain Gilda

The ship's crew remained at their action stations for a long time before she turned and steamed for home at a speed no Equestrian ship could hope to match.

---

Celestia was about to teleport to where she had last felt her sister until alarms sounded off throughout the castle. She was being held back somehow by the words of Queen Chrysalis, who argued leaving Canterlot exposed was dangerous and unwise. Another pause to her leaving was the sudden vastness of magic being used to the east, towards Fillydelphia. She dreaded what it might be. Chrysalis gave her a grim stare. Besides, a more dangerous possibility had reared its head. Ivory Buttons.

"What if one or two or perhaps more of those damnable dragons were to come while you go in search of a dead sister?" she snapped, her own heart mourning the loss of her son. "I want to find my boy as much as you want to find your sister, but we have the responsibility of a nation to see to! There is a war going on, in case you haven't noticed, Celestia."

Shocked, the white Alicorn stared at her dark counterpart, her voice thick with emotion as reason found its way through. However, she replied, "But I must know for certain. I won't be gone for long."

Horns blared and calls for an incoming messenger echoed throughout the courtyard. A Pegasus lathered in sweat and escorted by two Guards appeared before the balcony and landed, falling on his sides. He gasped as Celestia ordered some water to be brought.

"Catch your breath," she told the wheezing messenger as he tried to hurl the information at her weakly. He nodded and gratefully accepted a cup of water offered to him.

Finally, he was able to gasp out, "The left flank collapsed. General Flash Sentry ordered me to come here and request assistance. Dragon. Big one. Black with red tips. Using magic. Whole battalions slaughtered."

"Messenger coming!" came another cry from the courtyard.

"What now?" wondered Chrysalis to Celestia worriedly. The princess gave her a pained look and a weary sigh.

A second Pegasus joined the first one. "Grazeland has fallen. The enemy received reinforcements who smashed through the center. Even now, they own the road and our forces are in full retreat," he was less winded, though battered and bruised. "Has any of the other messengers made it?"

"Others?"

"We were overwhelmed, so our commander sent all his messengers at once to find help. The garrison was in flames when we arrived and we were ambushed by creatures we could not identify. Flying lizards, of some sort with barbed tails." He tried to maintain his composure, but wilted beneath the steely gaze of the Queen of the Changelings.

"You are the only one from the northern front," she said to him tonelessly.

"Sweet Celestia," he murmured, closing his eyes sadly and lowering his head.

A cup of water was pressed to him as well. He drank slowly, not even aware he had taken his ruler's name in vain in her presence.

"They're making their move now," Celestia noted with a shake of her head and a weak smile. "Very little we can do against overwhelming odds."

Chrysalis leaned over and whispered into her ear as Ivory Buttons hurried in. "If one of us leaves, he'll make his move. If we move on him, the front is lost."

Celestia considered the queen's words. Yes, they were most likely true. Equestria's position was precariously close to collapse. Her eyes brightened when she considered on possibility she would have dismissed. "I'll face Blood Assault," she said to Chrysalis, holding a hoof up to Ivory Buttons to maintain his distance. He smiled and bowed apologetically. "You stay here and deal with our friend. I think there is still an ace card we can play, but only if you are on the field. Here. In Canterlot."

Chrysalis arched an eyebrow. "Are you serious?"

"Very, Chryssie. Please trust me on this. Besides, you know I can't function very well here in the castle. The limitations. I suspect there is a range to the influence he's putting on me, so I should be able to face Blood Assault with a clear head."

"Very well. I hope you know what you're doing, Tia." Chrysalis offered her rival a brief smile, the sort of grin made by those who think an idea is insane and what's worse, she's accepted it as her only option available.

"What news have you for me, Ivory?" Celestia asked him with a kind smile, though weary.

The Secretary of Defense approached, his expression somber. "I'm sorry to bother you, princess, but it would appear the changeling camp is in an uproar. They are calling for their queen and demand more ground upon which to move about. There may be a revolt."

Chrysalis shrugged. "Lady Trixie can handle it."

"But," he protested. "She is not an official!"

"She is the Great and Powerful Nanny!" snapped Celestia coolly. "Queen Chrysalis has given her authority as... what was that rank again?" she asked Chrysalis curiously.

"Overseer," supplied the monarch helpfully.

"Yes, that's it. Thank you!" Celestia returned her attention to the portly pony. "The Lady Trixie has been appointed as Overseer to the refugee camp. If there was any trouble, then she would be the first to notify the Queen directly. I fear you may have been mongered into a trap of fear set by those who would love nothing more than to cause a bit of chaos."

The Queen of the Changelings arched an eyebrow curiously. "Great and Powerful Nanny?" Chrysalis asked her, the serious moment lulled into a spat of weak humor. It wasn't intentional, she realized as Celestia was not in a state for such things. Her eyes were wild and fighting to maintain control as she battled her emotions.

"She would have to be with over two hundred freshly adopted princes under her care." Again, there was no humor, just simple facts as Celestia focused on the topic to reign herself in. Remarkably, it worked well enough. Celestia wanted to drop all airs and fly to Luna, but she had to maintain herself now, especially at this moment. Everything was happening too fast. There simply was no time to mourn. Her smile was as faux as her cheerful mood. If word were to get out Luna had fallen, the panic would be catastrophic.

Ivory Buttons merely smiled. "Ah, of course, of course! The front requires help. Our Unicorns are holding as best they can, but the dragon attacking them seems to be exhausting their magic. He's too powerful!"

"I am going," Celestia announced firmly. "Directly." Her horn began to glow as she summoned the spell needed to physically teleport her from her current location to where she could sense magic unknown to her. It was within her country, so she could seek it out and locate it. "Fare thee well, my friend," was the last thing she said to Chrysalis before disappearing.

There was a lapse of sound as the Queen pondered the word. "Friend, eh?" Perhaps it would not be so bad to establish normalized relations with the ponies. There were other countries run by ponies, but this was by far the largest and most influential of them all. No, they would never be friends. Tolerant adversaries at best, but never friends. After the war, they could...after...

But what if such thoughts were for nothing should Canterlot fall?

Her eyes settled upon Ivory Buttons. He was smiling up at her, awaiting her to say something, to ask a question, or to solicit him for advice. The Unicorn was simply too eager to please, too determined to make things easier for his ruler. Clearly he had started to become irritated with Chrysalis and her meddling in Canterlot affairs. She was simply too nosey and objected to almost everything he proposed! Oh, they seemed sound, but the scheming queen was as up to the task at uncovering his efforts as he was in putting them in place. As a result, she bore the brunt of his scathing glares when he thought she was not looking.

Foolish Battlesinger.

Chrysalis thought she might be in over her head, but she trusted Celestia. She had to trust the Princess of the Sun. Her subjects were defenseless. Her nation was in a state of civil war and also had troops pushing against Equestrian forces without their Queen to lead them.

"Fiddlesticks," she sighed, dismissing the messengers and the guards. The Queen waved at Ivory Buttons to remain.

"Majesty?" he asked through an oily smile.

"I only have one question for you, Mr. Secretary," she said, calming herself for what she knew was coming. "It's rather important. I think the fate of Equestria hangs upon your answer."

He set his monocle to his eye. "Of course, your Majesty. What is your question?"

"Which Battlesinger are you?"

Ivory Buttons smiled, his eyes changing to golden dragon eyes. "I thought you would never ask."

Author's Note:

I had to redo portions of this chapter compared to what I have published on DeviantArt, but that's where I put all my rough drafts.

Please tell me what you think of this chapter! Comments and critiques are always welcome.

Comments

[Evowizard25]

And another bites the dust. {Surely he knows that he nothing compared to the might of the Immortal Changeling Queen. LONG LIVE CHRYSALIS!}

[Razzy]

Welp, it's officially on in a manner similar to that of Donkey Kong. Chryssie's gonna wipe the floor with him.