A New Purpose

by Sparky Brony

Chapter 8.

***Twilight***

Since Baltimare has been lost, and the Vore seem to be heading to Canterlot, based on the occasional report I've been getting from the Princess. We've headed south, Nick has to be with the Vore leadership, and I know a changeling has been involved. But how can a changeling be involved with these creatures? They are from outside our universe. It's impossible, but it's happening. I don't understand that. But then, I smile grimly, I'll find that changeling, and have it bring me to their queen. We've come across two Vore patrols during our time traveling, and with the knowledge that I've gained from the Princess on the time displacement magic, I've taken care of one of them, and the second was dispatched by Cloud Kicker herself.

Cloud looks at me over the body of the third Vore soldier, "Twilight, what's wrong?"

I shake my head, "I don't know, I'm not certain how they got the drop on us, thank you, my friend. You saved me."

She scoffs, "If you would get your head out of that pretty plot of yours, you would be ready."

I feel my face grow warm, "I'm sorry Cloud Kicker."

She comes up and nuzzles me, "I know how distracted you are by Nick, and I know how much you miss your foals, Twilight, but I need you to focus."

I nuzzle her back, "I'm really glad you came with, Cloud."

She beams at me, "All part of the service, Princess."

We continue on our path, the sun has just set, and the improvised magical goggles I've made help us see in the dark without me having to light my horn are on both of our faces. We have found that the Vore can sense a magic user when they are using magic. That has been useful when drawing them into a trap. I cast a spell making it seem that a pony is around using their magic, and they come to investigate, and we get the drop on them, it worked once, but the second attempt, they apparently learned. My scans of the bodies of the soldiers told me a lot. They don't talk because they can't. They simply do not have the equipment to make usable noises, not even rubbing body parts together like some insects do. But they obviously communicate. Cloud supposes that they are somewhat telepathic, along the idea of a hive mind. That's how they can change tactics in response to what we do, though the soldiers were killed. Cloud grabs her saddle bags.

"They know we are here now, so we better vacate before more of them show up."

I nod and grab my bags.

Cloud leaps for me, knocking me down, "What the hell Cloud?" I'm able to gasp, she puts a hoof over my mouth, then points with her other hoof. Someone is coming, I can see the leaves moving in the semi-dark. I charge my horn, though I've got a new spell sent by Celestia, to mask the charging from being felt by the Vore. It also mutes the glow of my horn.

We hear a muffled grunt, this isn't a Vore, is it a changeling? We both crouch by the downed soldier, letting the darkness mask our bodies. I hear the light tread common for a grounded pegasus. I glance at Cloud, she looks grim, if this is the changeling we are looking for, Nick might be nearby. A bush is pushed aside as a gray pegasus slips through, I know this pony. Dear Celestia, this had better not be a changeling. Cloud shifts position, and then springs to the air when the pony's head is turned away.

There is a truncated shout as Cloud Kicker tackles the pony, bouncing over each other, Cloud ends up on top with her wing blade at the pony's neck.

"Cloud Kicker!" The voice says, obvious relief and fear in her voice. I stand up and move to the two ponies.

"You look like Derpy, are you her?"

"Who else would I be?"

Cloud Kicker growls in the gray pony's face, "We know changelings are involved with this war, so, I ask again, are you Derpy? Of the Doo clan?"

The fear evident in Derpy's eyes is quite evident, I step forward, "I can find out, Cloud." I scan the pony, then smile.

"Let her up, Cloud." The armored pegasus looks at me severely, but gets off of our friend.

Derpy regains her hooves, and brushes herself off, "You have no idea how hard you are to track, Twilight Sparkle."

I step forward, "That was intentional, how did you find me?"

She looks at Cloud Kicker, "Well, you didn't leave a very good trail, but I've always been good at looking at a problem from a different angle. You are after Nick, right?"

We both nod.

"I want to help."

Cloud Kicker comes forward, "Derpy, you should be back in Ponyville, with Dinky and Sparkler."

"I have a friend watching Dinky, but I care about Nick too, if Princess Twilight is convinced he's alive, then I believe her, and she needs help."

"This is very dangerous, Derpy. I don't want you hurt." I say.

She smiles at me, "Princess Twilight, I don't know if Nick told you, but he and I were friends since Pinky's welcome to Ponyville party. We've had tea together every week pretty much since then."

"He's mentioned that, and I know he's had tea with you since the castle was built."

She nods, "He is my friend, if he's lost, I need to help find him."

I look at Cloud, she smiles at me, "I think she can help, Twilight. She's tracked us all the way from Manehattan." I appraise the gray mare closely, her mismatched eyes brimming with tears, I look over at Cloud.

Finally I sigh, "Okay, Derpy. You can join us."

She smiles, and flourishes her wings, I notice something, "You have wing blades?"

She nods, "Family heirlooms, I've had them sized for me. I took a quick trip to Canterlot before I started tracking you. I left most of my stuff at my base camp." She then looks down, "Sparkler is with me."

I look at her, aghast, "Derpy, she's fifteen years old."

She shakes her head, "She's sixteen now, and the call ups are calling ponies as young as sixteen. She was offered a chance to join the guard with family privileges, but she chose to join me on this."

I think about it for a long time, then a memory comes back to me, when I went to Nick after our huge blow up. When we finally got back together, Derpy was there when I showed up, I remembered him murmuring in her ear before she left, and the look on her face, "You love Nick, don't you?" I blurt out.

She smiles shyly, then looks down.

I look at Cloud, who has a stunned look on her face, then I smile, "That's it, isn't it?"

Derpy's face glows with a renewed blush, after a long time, she nods. "Yes, Twilight."

"It's been over a year since we got back together, why didn't you come up, and court Nick and I?"

She traces a hoof along the ground, "With you pregnant with royal foals, and with everything that happened the last year, I thought you wanted to wait until the foals were born to entertain new members of your herd."

Cloud Kicker looks thoughtful, "She does have a point, though the tabloids have been pretty quiet, many are wondering why you are keeping your herd so small, you are a Princess after all."

I stomp a hoof, "As if I don't have to deal with enough." I fume.

Derpy comes up and gives me a hug, "It's okay, Twilight, and once we find Nick, we can talk about that. But our first goal is to find Nick."

I embrace the gray pegasus tightly, "Thank you, Derpy. And I don't see any problem with you joining us. Though I agree, we should wait until we find our stallion."

***The Crystal Empire***

Cadance looks back behind her at the enhanced shield, Shining Armor is routing his shield through the Crystal Heart. It’s holding, thank Celestia. She has a hundred Crystal Guards with her. And over ten thousand crystal ponies are arrayed to either side. The Vore haven’t been able to handle the cold very well. Their hard exoskeletons get brittle in the cold, meaning that pony weapons are even more effective. The Crystal Army has repelled these creatures twice so far.

Cadance looks to the south, she wants to cry, an even hundred thousand soldiers are heading towards the shield. Cadance has already brought in the ponies living outside the barrier. How will they stop this horde? She calls orders to the officers in charge of the army.

“Princess, you need to get inside the barrier. There are too many here to risk losing you.” Her head general says softly.

Cadance glares at the light blue unicorn, “I’m not abandoning my ponies, General Snow” She growls.

Snow Swirl tosses his head, “Princess, we are outnumbered a hundred to one. I guarantee we will need to retreat through the shield. In fact, I would recommend that we retreat the army through right now, and let these creatures break their teeth on the shield.”

Cadance shakes her head, “No, the more they attack the shield itself, the more they will learn about it. Do you want them to deduce a pathway through it?”

He cocks his head to the side, “Princess, the only way through this shield is to have love in your heart for the Crystal Empire. These creatures will never have that.”

Cadance smirks, “And if they decide to turn, would you like this size force heading south? To hit other parts of Equestria?”

He looks thoughtful for a long moment, then he salutes, “We will make sure they are broken on our spears before they endanger anypony else.”

Cadance smiles, “That’s what I want to hear.”

She turns towards the advancing bugs, her telekinesis brings up her halberd, her voice rings out to all the ponies, “CHARGE!”

Cadance takes to the air with the rest of the pegasi, much to the chagrin of most of her personal guard. The two dozen pegasi in her guard take to the air with her. She doesn’t have any magic user pegasi among her crystal ponies, but she has some very effective fighters. They streak down towards the enemy, Cadance howling her rage at the invaders.

She slams to the ground, lashing out with the blade on her halberd, she takes one in the head, it drops immediately as she wrenches her halberd free. She whirls and slices a second one in half, using her magic to increase her strength. The rest of her pegasi guard are with her. And she can hear the rest of her compliment of the royal guard calling as they advance. Ten thousand ponies are all screaming. The Crystal Princess is in danger, and they are going to help her.

Cadance bounces into the air, screaming again, she brings her halberd in front of her as she slams into a cluster of bugs. One of them swipes at her, she smirks as she takes the blow on her armor, she rears back and lashes out with her powerful forelegs, crushing the head of the bug. Another tries to swipe at her, but is impaled on the lance of an earth pony that came up next to her. The mare screams as she forces the bug onto its back, where two more pegasi flash in, their wing blades slicing through the weaker part of its exoskeleton. The pegasi bounce into the air as the bug spasms in death. The earth pony yanks out her lance and whirls to face the next bug.

The bugs have learned, the unicorns that could, have learned the time displacement spell from the pegasus down south. Though when unicorns use the spell, the multiplier effect is somewhat reduced. The arcs from bug to bug don’t go as far. So, the bugs keep their distance from each other, reducing the effectiveness of the bolts. The unicorns can wipe out a lot of them, but eventually they tire out, and some have been overwhelmed in previous battles. Of course, the ponies have adjusted strategies as well, magic users that can do the time displacement bolts fire from pegasi pulled chariots above the battlefield, keeping them moving.

Cadance takes advantage of a small lull, she surveys the battlefield before her. Then her heart drops, “Oh, damn.” She murmurs, the bugs are adapting as well. Differently shaped bugs are trundling up, they are much larger than their bretheren, with enormous abdomens, they are guarded by cadres of the regular soldiers, telling Cadance that these bugs are valuable. One of them turn around, and aims.

“Pegasi, scramble!” Cadance calls as the massive bugs emit bolts of their own. Two chariots and a dozen pegasi are immolated as the rest scramble to avoid more bolts. Cadance whirls on her guards, “We have to stop those heavies, right now!” Wings are spread, and they take to the air, not looking for altitude, they skim over the forces fighting below. They are attacking the unicorns, what do they plan to do against an alicorn? Especially one enraged at the violation that these creatures represent. She can do the time displacement bolts too. She fires one at one of the artillery bugs, her bolt gouging a massive hole in the creature, which explodes. She grins as she fires a second bolt, with the same result. Then she feels an impact on her wing, a bug jumped high enough and got her with its hooked arm. With a scream, Cadance tumbles towards the ground, her body tumbling until she ends up on her back. She takes a moment to breathe, and slowly flips over. Six pegasi from her guard land around her, laying about with their lances.

After a moment, one of her guards helps her to her hooves, “Princess, you must fall back. We will work on these creatures, you need medical attention.”

Cadance looks at her wing, the massive rent in the flesh is dripping blood. She looks at the pegasus, and finally nods. She uses her one good wing, and the guard supports her other side, they skim back towards the shield perimeter.

“Princess!” General Snow calls out as she rushes towards the stricken Cadance. Two unicorn healers approach, both of them staggering a bit, with all the work they’ve done today, cool chills run down her wing as the flesh mends and the blood flow slowly ceases.

Finally the unicorns step back, one of them looks at Cadance, “Princess, we were able to heal you, but you lost a lot of blood, please don’t get back into that fight.”

Princess Cadance looks at the dark clouds coming in from the west, then at the battlefield. Her crystal army is holding the bugs back, but at a terrible cost. She looks down, “What are we going to do?”

Comments

[Phenrys]

I love Cadance as a badass here!

[harts fire]

Derpy is on the job and possibly joining or should I say expanding Twilight and nicks herd.
And when did Cadance turn in to a super bad ass.
Harts Fire

[harts fire]

wow I was sleeping the first time I read this chapter.
there is so much going on bugs drama love war and now a draft in Equestria.
this hole story is really shaping up to get supper good really fast.
but who am I kidding this is the norm for a Sparky Brony story.

and just a little poke at Phenrys you sire were the first author to follow me, I tip my hat to you good sir.
Harts Fire

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

By the throne....