The master and the windigo

by stupidswampdragon

27 - A misplaced siege, pt 2

Lyra found herself backing away. She wasn't even aware of the fact for a while; her legs moved on their own. The sheer proximity to Chrysalis was too much for her. She had no idea what was going to happen, but she was sure that she wanted none of it. Chrysalis' sole command was lunchtime after all, and that had not exactly inspired her to stick around and see.

The other ponies around her had reached the same conclusion, but were more vocal about it. The crowd erupted into a cacophony of incoherent screams and all hell broke loose. Everypony started looking for the shortest way to safety - which, much to Lyra's surprise, often led them next to the very podium Chrysalis was standing on. Lyra would have expected ponies to scatter away from the Queen bug, to flee into the nearby streets; but at least two groups of startled ponies had darted past her already, a few of them almost running straight into the menacingly grinning Queen.

It was like dinner running straight into the hungry mouth.

Lyra could have sworn she saw Chrysalis lift a hoof and smack a fleeing pony down onto the ground. She couldn't be sure - she didn't get more than a brief glimpse. Most of the scene was obscured by the rest of the fleeing group. She was perfectly capable of filling in the blanks, though.

For the briefest moment, she thought about rushing there, about saving that unfortunate soul. Such heroic nonsense did little in the face of the primal fear that had been gripping her, however. In the end, she didn't even stop backing away.

This place is like a deathtrap!

She felt like running faster, actually.

I'm going to be the next if I stick around!

Those thoughts were easier to translate into deeds. She spun around; she had no idea which way she was going, but she didn't care either. As long as she was putting space between her and Chrysalis, it was all good.

She didn't get very far. A fleeing - and appropriately distracted - pony barrelled straight into her. Lyra wasn't bothered by her aching ribs this once; she was more angry at the idiot who had obstructed her escape.

Are you blind or something? Stop getting in my way! Heck - stop running this way, period! Can't you see that the monster is standing over here?!

That was what she had wanted to say, but a breathless groan was all that had left her mouth. The impact and the subsequent landing had completely winded her. She was still well enough to flee, however. She pushed the dazed pony off from her; a roll and another push and she was back on her hooves-

That was Lyra's plan anyway.

Right until the reason for the crowd's erratic behaviour presented itself to her. It was a sneering, drooling monster - a creature that looked like the unholy offspring of a bug and something with horribly sharp teeth.

That- that thing is like Chrysalis! Lyra gasped. Her eyes were so wide they hurt; but she lacked the control over her facial movements at that precise moment. She couldn't even blink. Especially not when the snarling creature broke into a loud hiss, and turned its bug-like eyes on her.

Her own terrified expression reflecting in the changeling's solid black eyes, Lyra was pretty sure she was done for.

I'm- I'm gonna get eaten by this monster-!

The changeling lunged at her, and that was the final straw. It was too much. It was simply too much. Lyra's nerves, already overloaded with dread, snapped. She squeezed all the air from her lungs with a beastly howl. She flung a hoof at the incoming figure, simultaneously using her magic to clobber the changeling with whatever she could reach.

Saliva dripping from its open mouth, the changeling only saw the incoming object a split-second before impact. The lyre creaked loudly, its wooden base separating into two upon contact with the changeling's head. Changelings weren't done in so easily, however. This one was still moving, too; it overshot Lyra, but still landed somewhat safely.

Gritting her teeth and sneering, Lyra flung the battered remains of the lyre at the bug-thing. She didn't expect that to do her much good, as even her panic-stricken mind could realize that she would need something better to defend herself with. Something like a real weapon.

There was no time nor opportunity to go looking for a weapon, though.

She sprung back onto her hooves, just in time to see her attacker regaining focus. Something - probably another pony - bumped into her from behind and pushed her forward; this accident decided her course of action. She broke into another howl and lunged at the bug-creature.

The changeling was clearly taken aback by such a turn of events; its mouth was left hanging even as Lyra rammed into its side. 'Food isn't supposed to fight back' was on the changeling's mind, but the bug never got to voice that complaint - a horseshoe landed on its head, knocking the creature out cold.

Lyra wasn't given any time to celebrate. Racing high on adrenaline, she turned around, searching for the pony which had bumped into her earlier. It wasn't a long search. She saw the blue violinist lying on the ground, dragging herself away from another of the snarling bug-monsters.

"No you don't!" Lyra hollered and sprang into action. Only then did she ponder on just what she was about to do, though.

Am I really going to pick a fair fight? Unarmed and everything?

Those monsters had a lot of advantages over her. They had sharp teeth, constant malevolent snarls, leathery wings and overflowing bloodlust...

She couldn't match any of those. She was just an ordinary pony, for Celestia's sake! All she had going for her was her unicorn magic. A pretty useless advantage without something to use it on, too.

Che! If only I had something to even the scales...!

There was no time to regret her decision. She tried to repeat her previous trick - she glanced down and grabbed whatever was near her hoof. She stepped between the violinist and the changeling, then flung the object without even looking. It was a reckless plan, and Lyra understood that fact on some level; but she didn't want to see that violinist fall victim.

She didn't want anypony to fall victim, period.

Of course, such desires didn't fully materialize in her head. She was still in shock, her conscious largely overridden by baser instincts. She had only understood that the changelings were trouble and that she had to oppose them; that they would be devouring ponies if she didn't do something.

As if! I'm not going to let you do as you please!

Lyra recoiled as her magic strained; the random junk she had flung at the creature connected. The changeling broke into a loud, jagged scream and staggered to the side. An unexpected reaction, but wholly in line with the trail of green blood trickling down its neck.

"Whoa," Lyra whispered. She was completely dumbstruck; she almost doubted her eyes. There was no way she could inflict a real wound on those monsters. Befuddled, she glanced back at the random thing she had grabbed from the floor. Then the mystery became clear.

She was holding the polished sword she had received from the Guard.

The Guard!

She jolted and looked around. All she could see was a swirling mass of ponies running in every direction... with an increasing density of black changelings, who seemed to trail and pounce on ponies without much rhyme or logic. There was something sorely amiss with that picture, as Lyra had sourly noted.

Where's the Celestia-bucked Guard?!

"Thanks! That was real nice of you. But I hope you won't mind if I... hsss!"

Her mind clouded by her frustrated musing, Lyra spent valuable seconds returning to reality. Running on first instinct, she held the sword in front of her.

It was the right call to make.

The violinist she had saved was now lunging at her, the blue pony's teeth snapping closed around the blade. That image was enough to make Lyra cringe; she couldn't imagine why anypony would do that. Then the violinist's body rippled and danced with a green light, turning smaller and black.

Wha... don't tell me all these bugs can shapeshift!

The realization came a little too late. The changeling, still biting onto the sword, threw a hoof into Lyra's face. It was a weak blow, barely enough to disorient her; but it was still enough to create an opening. The grip of her unicorn magic failing, Lyra saw the creature pushing her sword away. The sharp bug-teeth had a clean shot at her neck-

-but then the changeling passed up on the golden chance. It simply crashed into Lyra, even going as far as wrapping its legs around her.

Lyra didn't understand how she survived, but she didn't feel like giving the monster a second chance. She brought the sword down, striking the bug-thing on the head with the pommel. The changeling promptly went limp and collapsed onto the ground.

Whoa. I didn't even use the pointy end... this thing is ridiculously dangerous! Lyra gave the sword a glimpse, full of dread and admiration. Then she moved her gaze to the unconscious bug, and wrinkled her eyebrows. But why did the bug break off that attack? It's like... it forgot what it was about to do. Mid-move, no less.

"Master!"

Turning to the windigo with a self-deprecating chuckle, Lyra realized which very important power of hers she had overlooked.

---

"They... they're everywhere! We've no idea where they came from! They just popped out of nowhere!"

The Source gave the trooper a curt nod, but tried to pay no real mind to the snivelling soldier. It was annoying, having to deal with those inconsequential imbeciles.

Their armour and weapons may have been medieval, but a well organized force of fifty armed ponies could have easily wreaked havoc with Chrysalis' plans. The changelings, while numerous, were sorely lacking in tactics and coordination. Fifty troopers couldn't have won against the onslaught, that much was true; but they could have stalled the invasion, were they any bit competent.

Competent those Guards were not, however. They had let their chance slip by. They may have been trained and equipped, but this was the first time they had been involved in a real fight - and it clearly showed. Being ripped from their comfortable and peaceful reality had completely shattered their resolve.

They had been weighed and were found lacking.

Then again, this was the expected result. The Source mused silently, its violet-red eyes studying the shivering soldier. I would have needed to lure them away, were they threatening to interfere with the battle.

"Right. It seems we have fallen into a trap," the Source declared, in a stern and sterile voice. To anypony watching, the fake Guard officer persona must have looked like the most confident officer ever. "There's no reason to waste your lives in a meaningless battle. Fall back and send for reinforcements."

Giving actual orders wasn't strictly necessary. The only thing holding the Source's interest were the two players locked in their battle; but to maintain the act of Guard officer, it had no choice but to act out the concerns of a real Guard officer as well. There was no telling how long it had to remain in that disguise.

"Fall back? But... but Sir, those things are going to overrun the whole town!" The soldier stuttered. His armour clattered; he was shaking like a leaf. "It's going to be a disaster if we-"

"I doubt you could put a dent in that invasion force." The Source gave a guttural snort and flashed angry eyes. "You have failed to hold the plaza - what makes you think you could hold a much larger perimeter?"

The soldier's jaw drooped; he was obviously not thinking in such precise terms. He closed his eyes and drew a deep breath, then gave a slow nod.

"I'm... sorry, Sir. We were really trying our best, Sir."

"You have achieved nothing, in the end. Don't you know that trying is just wishful thinking?" The Source snarled, then drew the small blade from the holster on its armour. "I will keep them distracted. You fall back and wait until your reinforcements arrive."

---

Her teeth clattering against other, Lyra swung the sword with all her might. The blade glittered and drew a wide arc in the air, finally catching the wing of the changeling who was barrelling at the musician. The leathery membrane didn't offer much resistance and cracked at the mere touch. The changeling immediately banked hard and crashed into the ground, his face showing utter confusion even as he disappeared in a rising cloud of dust.

Lyra missed her chance to see that dumbstruck face. Two more changelings crashed into her, both on the right. The creatures were obviously aiming to bring her onto the ground; render her unable to resist.

They were doing a pretty good job at it, too.

The changelings' combined momentum was more than what Lyra could handle. She reeled under the impact and her legs buckled. Her world tipped, then her side hit something solid; finally, the dusty brown ground filled half her vision.

Uh-oh. This isn't goo-gyah!

A set of pointy teeth sunk into her skin. It wasn't as bad as the first time it had happened; she had already figured the bugs weren't biting to kill. Whatever they were getting from ponies, they needed to drain it while the victim was still alive. And as long as she lived, she had an ever-ready option to break free.

"Snowy!"

Her voice was completely drowned out by the chaos filling the plaza. Just speaking the words was enough, however. The two changelings froze and turned to each other, both of them expecting the other to say something.

Well, one of them did get to groan as two hooves rearranged their facial features.

"There's too many of them!" Snowy whined, the windigo's crimson eyes darting around the seemingly endless horde of pony-shaped bugs.

Lyra grunted something like a 'yes' as she pushed herself up. Blood was trickling from her neck; it wasn't a serious wound though, and she knew it would heal the next time she used Snowy's power. She was more worried about her head. A headache was building in the back of her skull, and it was getting worse every time she asked the windigo to help her out.

I'm losing my memories, aren't I?

She rose to a wobbly stand, and her first thing to do was to give her head a generous shake. There was no use in worrying over her memories. Given the choice of living as an amnesiac and not living at all, her decision came easy.

She used her magic to retrieve the sword from the dust, and braced for the next round. She was making good progress in getting away from the stage, but the plaza felt really big with all the changelings in the way. She had to fight her way through a real army just to reach the nearest street.

Raising the sword in an uncertain stance, Lyra narrowed her eyes and sneered at the next incoming changeling.

As if I would be dying here! Bon would never forgive me!

"Hold the sword firm! Point the tip upwards, keep it parallel to the ground!" Snowy barked instructions. The windigo didn't stop at words; she popped up in Lyra's vision and even tried to show how to handle the weapon correctly. "Thrust at the enemy, make him break the attack off!"

Lyra couldn't help but wonder how unlike it was of Snowy to use such a stern tone.

You're just repeating a lesson you've heard, aren't you.

Funnily enough, that made it even more important that she did as she was told.

She tried to keep the sword steady, then pushed forward when the changeling was close. The blade shot out, propelled by her unicorn magic; and the changeling reacted as predicted. He threw himself to the left, out of harm's way. The safety was very short-lived however, as the sword also corrected, veering towards him. The actual blade swished quite close to the changeling; it would have given his mane a trim had he had any. Lyra felt she would miss, and did a last-second correction, pushing the hilt down. The blade yawed upwards, and the pommel rammed squarely into the changeling's temple, knocking him out cold.

There was no stop.

Something fell onto Lyra, driving her face-forward into the ground. She didn't need to look; the snarling-hissing noise coming from above told her everything she needed to know.

"Let go of Master!"

Lyra grunted as another wave of pain rushed through the inside of her skull.

I hope this wasn't anything important, she winced. She was making full use of the sacrifice; she dug her left hooves into the ground and pushed, making herself spin around. The changeling atop her was so confused that he failed to react in any meaningful way. He lost his footing and tumbled to the ground, only twitching when a cyan coloured hoof bumped into his nose, roughly shoving his head back.

Lyra didn't even get to stand up this time. From the corner of her eye, she saw a changeling charging at her. The bug was brandishing a strangely familiar sword in his mouth, his head bobbing up and down as the weapon's weight dragged it. Rolling around so her hooves were all on the ground, Lyra gave the attacker an angered glare.

Oi, oi, oi! This isn't fair! That sword's mine! Give it back!

The changeling must have heard her thoughts. His white teeth sunk deeper into the weapon's bone-grey hilt, and he leaped forward.

Lyra found herself flabbergasted at the attack. This changeling was honestly going to kill her. She hadn't been fighting the bugs for more than a few minutes, but she was already used to them trying to take her alive. The direct, almost banal attempt on her life was a possibility she had forgotten about.

"DODGE!" Snowy screamed. She also tried to push Lyra out of the way, but her incorporeal legs passed through her master.

Lyra felt her legs turning into granite, in turn. She saw the blade reaching at her - she knew what was going to happen - she wanted to avoid it - but her body simply wouldn't react. As stupid as it soundws, she was bracing for the impact.

As long as the blow doesn't kill me, I can keep using Snowy to heal myself.

That was a pretty big if, though.

Even so, she simply flinched and flexed her muscles. The stained and grimy tip of the sword drew close to her and would reach any moment-

There was a loud clang. Sparkles popped into the air and then disappeared right away, almost as if they were nothing but a momentary illusion. The sword broke free of the changeling's hold and crashed to the ground, bouncing and skidding; the changeling himself landed shortly afterwards, his head digging a shallow trench into the dirt.

Lyra was overjoyed by what she saw. She didn't even notice, but she was grinning like an imbecile; no small feat with the headache lurking inside her skull.

"You came back!"

The Guard officer stepped off the defeated changeling and gave Lyra a small, barely noticeable nod. There was no approval in his eyes, though. Quite the opposite.

Actually, those eyes, those violet eyes with a crimson-red outer layer... Lyra was sure she had seen those before. She shook her head in an attempt to do away with the suspicion; this was hardly the right time or place for idle pondering.

"You're running away." The Guard officer pointed out a rather obvious fact, then cocked his head to the side. "Why would you do that? You did well. Especially so for a mere musician."

---

Of all the weird chats in Lyra's life, this was close to taking the cake.

"Oh come ON!" She hollered. She yanked the sword back into her grip - not a moment too soon either, for a changeling's sharp teeth were already clenched around the cold metal. "Of course I'm running away! DUH!"

"Why?" The officer repeated the question. He stepped next to Lyra and sunk his short-sword into the changeling's neck, near the base of its skull. The bug-creature jolted and collapsed like a marionette that had its cords cut. The armoured colt didn't even pause at the sight; he yanked the sword free and continued talking as if nothing of interest had happened. "Right now, we're about the only ones opposing these monsters. It feels like a missed opportunity, having you flee as well."

Backing away a little, Lyra heaved dryly. She hadn't realized up to now, but this was the first time she had actually seen something get killed. The legs of the changeling were still twitching ever so slightly, but it was obvious the thing was done for. She couldn't bear to look at it; and that body wasn't the only thing she felt uncomfortable about.

He killed this bug without any hesitation whatsoever. She gave the Guard officer a brief, overt glimpse. Is this really how soldiers work?

She must have been really obvious, as the officer deduced her thoughts with minimal effort.

"Don't give me that look. They wouldn't give you any quarter either. The only reason they aren't killing you outright is because that'd ruin their meal." He shrugged, stating the chilling fact with an impeccably even and uninterested tone. "Seriously, what do you think changelings need ponies for?"

Flinching away as uneasiness joined her headache, Lyra found no fault in the officer's argument. It didn't make her any less disturbed about taking lives, however.

"It's you or them," the officer stressed his point. "Even if you could convince them to leave, they would just attack another town. They wouldn't sit idly and starve to death."

"You sure make it sound trivial," Lyra frowned. She didn't like the finality in the officer's words. Appropriately, the sword she was holding felt heavier; she toyed with the idea of casting it away. She couldn't afford to be that squeamish, however. She was depending on that tool to survive. Without it, the next changeling would be the one to bring her down.

Talking of which, she noted something unusual. There was a lull in the battle. Compared to the mad rush of earlier, she had had no changelings charging at her for more than a couple seconds already. A bubble had formed around her, an area of empty ground. The bugs must have started keeping a safe distance from the troublesome pony.

That was one theory, anyway.

On the other hoof, she had beaten off dozens of the bugs and none of them had seemed to care. They had all been charging at her with suicidal determination... right until the Guard officer had come to her aid. Enter the soldier who was actually killing them without batting an eye - and presto, they were in a zone of relative safety.

Was I being half-hearted?

Her amber eyes scanning the wall of hesitating changelings surrounding her, Lyra found her mind grinding away on that very simple question. The dead changeling at her hoof, it was unsettling her. She had seen funerals, and knew that lives eventually ended at some point; but intentionally putting lives out, that was an incomprehensible concept.

Me or them, huh...

She had to re-evaluate her stance as the lull dragged on. She had felt fine earlier, but only because of the adrenaline clouding her senses. Standing still and winding down had allowed a better peek into her real condition, however. The first results were disheartening: she ached all over. Muscles all around her body were aching and burning, protesting against the unusual workload. She had lots of tiny bite-marks, most of them half-way healed; and even worse were the bruises she had suffered during the repeated falls and drops...

And then there was her head. She tried to avoid thinking about that one, but she couldn't ignore the issue forever.

Her bliss-born confidence melted away in the face of those pains. She may have beaten a lot of changelings, but she was only halfway out of the plaza.

Can I actually make it?

The various ails painting a grimace onto her face, Lyra could well imagine her body giving up before she reached safety. And, of course, she had no idea whether the changelings would keep hounding her. There were a lot of ponies in the plaza after all, so it seemed unlikely the bugs would follow her into the streets. Not when there was food more readily available-

She squeezed her eyes and shook her head, so wildly that her mane flapped against her neck. All in vain; nothing helped. The troublesome thought remained in the fore of her conscious.

I really was the only one fighting, she admitted, her teeth clenched so hard her gums turned white. Could I have made a stand instead? Could I have... could I have saved the ponies stuck here? Some of them?

"How long do you intend to run, anyway?" The Guard officer asked without bothering to look at her. The rude notion didn't bother Lyra this once; partly because of her other concerns and partly because she liked the idea of another pony watching her back. "At this rate, the changelings will completely overrun this town. Do you really think this threat has a minimal safe distance?"

"They can't follow me forever!" Lyra squeezed the words out her mouth. She punctuated them with a grunt, too; she was having difficulties convincing herself.

She hadn't realized until now, but her whole rationale was based on the changelings sticking to Ponyville. That would have given her the chance to run away, to reach safety. To disappear into Everfree, or beyond. But now, as she thought deeper about it, all she could see were the costs of that plan. She knew a lot of good ponies in Ponyville. It was her home.

It wasn't her duty to protect the place. Not by trade. The idea of so easily abandoning her home, however...

Not even mentioning her friends.

"True, they wouldn't hunt for you. Not when they have easier targets to devour." The officer nodded. He sounded oddly calm, especially for a pony describing a horrific disaster. "I wonder though, could you warn Bon in time?"

Lyra jolted. Her ears dipped and her jaw dropped, her pains fading into the background.

She hadn't forgotten about Bon, not for a moment - but she hadn't thought about how she would get Bon to safety, however. It was pushing her limits to just drag her own self out of danger. There was no way she could cover for another pony.

"It would be a shame if she were to become one of the sacrificial victims." The officer broke his emotionless tone for a dark chuckle.

"Wait a moment. How would a militia know? Is Master's relationship with miss Bon this widely known?" Snowy hummed and wrinkled her eyebrows. It was a worthwhile question, but also one that went completely ignored by the other parties.

"It's not my job to keep this invasion at bay...!" Lyra lowered her head and mumbled, her amber eyes focused on the wall of changelings ahead of her. She wasn't sure if she still had the spirit to fight. She felt like spitting; her words filled her mouth with a rancid taste. Something in her was driving her to flee, to save her own life; and while she was still listening to that subconscious urge, she was also hating her own self for doing so.

"Well, too bad! Life is what happens instead of our plans." The Guard officer chuckled. He also sneered and waved his short-sword at the changeling which inched closer to him. "You need to make a choice here, Lyra Heartstrings. You can either be a hero or leg it."

Lyra clenched her teeth, to the point where she could feel her molars wanting to pop from the places. She understood what the officer had said - she had clearly understood all of it. She simply couldn't bring herself to overpower that thrice-damned survival instinct of hers.

There was no way she would walk into her own demise. Willingly staying in a trap was nothing less, after all. Yet, at the same time...

...what's the point of saving my own hide? I get to wake up tomorrow, hip-hip-hooray. But... what's the point if I save myself at the cost of everypony else? Where could I go... where would I feel at home, if I couldn't take Bon with me?

"I understand you want to run away. That would have been my gut instinct as well... a long while ago." The Guard officer monologued on. He chose an interesting way to get Lyra's attention: he took a small step to the side, his armour bumping the musician in the rear. "However, I know better now. There is little value in merely existing. And now, it's time for you to make this choice, Lyra! Are you content with limping through existence... or do you want to leave your mark? To change the world?"

"Ever been told you're really pretentious for a professional?" Lyra glanced at the soldier with a wry grin. The colt was right, though. Just running away - she may live if she did so, but only at a terrible cost. She didn't have forever to make this decision, either. The changelings surrounding her were becoming restless; she tightened her magic around the sword and prepared for the newest onslaught.

Aaaaargh! Damn it all!

She swallowed, but her mouth and throat was as dry as sandpaper. Despite the lull, her breathing was jagged and each of her heartbeats were akin to a kettle drum going off.

"Let's say that I... that I go along with your plan. What... what do I do then?"

The soldier was going to ask her to stay and fight; she had already figured that much. With that one down, it didn't really matter what the rest of the plan was. Her part would be to stop running away and to keep fighting as long as she could.

Hehehe... it feels pretty weird, signing my death warrant. Lyra giggled to herself. Drops of cold sweat raced down her neck. The dull pain was lifting from her head, but it was a temporary relief at best. She would need to keep making use of Snowy; she stood no chance in a battle without the windigo's assistance.

I wonder which memory will come next...

Still gritting her teeth, her lips curled upwards to form a rather misshapen, toothy grin.

Eh, whatever. I'm going to die an amnesiac. Big deal! Still better than facing myself every morning, thinking about the good old times when I... when I hadn't let my friend die. Just so I could run away.

"The aim is to save as many as possible, of course." The officer turned his head around, his stern glare focused on Lyra. "Only, there's no way we could both get away and still save everypony. However, if you could buy me enough time to break out of this plaza and order an evacuation... then we could save a good portion of the residents."

Lyra cocked her head to the side and blinked, then chuckled darkly.

"Oi, oi... why does it feel like I'm staying so you could run away?"

"It's a matter of necessity. I am a Guard and carry the voice of authority; you are a nobody right now." The officer narrowed his eyes. The changelings were definitely creeping towards him; whatever aura of fear he had garnered was starting to fade. "From the two of us, the townsfolk would only follow my commands readily."

Lyra breathed in and nodded.

That makes sense.

"Make sure you get Bon out!" She grunted and placed her sword at the ready. "I swear I'll haunt you if you let anything happen to her!"

"I promise that nothing will befall her," the officer made a curt nod. "Provided you can get me enough time, of c-"

The changelings burst into a deafening roar, the loud noise drowning the rest of the colt's words out.

---

Still perched on the stage, Chrysalis watched one of the changelings feed and broke into a melancholic sigh.

No matter which angle she tried to pick, there was always something revolting in the scene.

The loyal minion wasn't even halfway done, but his pony of choice had already run dry. There was no outward indication of that, of course; but Chrysalis had seen enough glassy eyes and drooling mouths to know what the face indicated. She gave the pegasus a few more seconds before it was completely bereft of emotions. At that point the changeling would depart and leave the soulless husk alone, looking for a second meal.

According to Chrysalis' modest estimations, her army of changelings could wrap up the whole town in an hour or so. It's not that they were so fast - it was the poor nutritional value. The ponies in this sleepy town were barely worth anything.

How unsightly, greeting a Queen such as Myself with such paltry offering!

She averted her gaze from the underling and glanced to the left, at the red dragon. She tried to keep the look of a royal empress, she really did; but despite her attempts, her mouth curled into an angry snarl.

I knew I shouldn't have listened to you. All these morsels here barely compare to a single princess. And there would have been no less than three of them in Canterlot!

Chrysalis closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She fought her anger, suppressed it, bottled it down. It was an exercise in futility, wasting her emotions on her stupid servant. She had lashed out at the dragon so many times before - and always to no avail. The reptile was resilient to logic, to pleading, to threats... to pretty much everything in the known universe.

That was nothing like what Chrysalis had expected out of her deal with the Source. She was promised a being of infinite power, one almost on par with the mighty Discord. That could have been true, for all it was worth. Which wasn't a lot; not when her dragon only possessed the power to destroy emotions.

She had had the dragon for quite a while now, but her mind still boggled at the whole story. If only she could have met the Source again! She would have given that hooded hoodlum a piece of her mind. The nerve! To present such a useless gift to a Royal such as herself!

Then again, changing the target of her invasion wasn't the fault of the dragon. Not fully. All Sloth did was egging her about Canterlot; that attacking the place where all the Guard, all the Princesses and the Elements were converging was tantamount to suicide. That argument was solid, and still stood. What Sloth had forgotten to mention was how evading risks meant giving up on rewards at the same time.

Chrysalis couldn't bring herself to berate the dragon on that oversight.

A Queen such as Myself should really not need be reminded of such banalities, after all.

She shook her head slowly and sombrely, then stood up.

No sense in brooding over past mistakes. And let us keep in mind: we do have the whole countryside to ourselves! The other towns will be the same light on guard.

That was the exact kind of planning she wasn't used to: cautious and slow. Still, she could see one great benefit to it; one that allowed her to overlook her personal disdain.

My victory march into Canterlot will be a LOT sweeter with the fires of Equestria providing the backdrop. Ha! I'll dethrone that ugly Celestia even before I crack her puny fortress... she wouldn't be much of a ruler without anyone to rule over, right? Hah.

Standing on the ramshackle stage of Ponyville plaza, all of that was no more than a distant dream though. Chrysalis still found in her to smirk; she was already enjoying the taste of complete victory. Then the needs of the present pulled her out of her dreamland. Her minions were almost done wrapping up the plaza; so it was time for her to lead them into the adjacent streets.

The ability to think for themselves wasn't among the changelings many fortes.

"Changelings!" She boomed, her clear voice overpowering the cacophony generated by her feeding minions. "After me! Our next target is-"

A choir of enraged yells interfered with her refined voice.

Chrysalis turned her head and sneered; then hesitated and allowed the interference to slide. She was angered; it wasn't proper to interrupt those of royal standing. It was only a minor transgression though, especially considering the circumstances.

Battlefields had rarely proven to be receptive to etiquette.

She belayed her own order by keeping silent. She only shook her head, in both dismay and disinterest. It made no sense to move on, not until her minions were done with all the resistance. That decision she accepted with a curt nod, and paced forwards. She could sense how her minions had missed a few of the ponies; she might as well joined the clean-up herself.

Might as well make the most of this delay and tie all the loose ends.

She had to pay great care to her steps as she walked. The ground was littered with ponies; all of them with the same glassy eyes, the same expressionless faces. They were alive, in the technical sense of the word - but Chrysalis could only liken them to the zombies of novel books. She didn't give them too much thought, certainly no more than a spider would give insects trapped in its web.

"This is simply a rule of nature... no-one wants to starve. Only while you eat grass, we eat emotions." Chrysalis exclaimed as she came to a stop near a random pile of bodies. "Though I suppose I would not find this placating, were our roles reversed."

She rose a hoof and brought down, her hole-ridden leg landing on the side of a green earth pony. The pony came to life and kicked wildly - and in vain too, for Chrysalis was way too strong to be dislodged like that.

"Playing dead. A fine trick against wild animals or my less astute changelings... but a pretty poor bet against MY senses." Chrysalis flashed a sly grin. Then she closed her eyes and enjoyed the influx of raw emotions. Ponies were always so complex; they carried many layers of thoughts and feelings. While most of them were too shallow for a proper meal, there was no denying that they were a tasty treat all the same.

Even this specimen carried multitudes of emotions. A little excitement with a side-dish of curiosity. Sadly all that had been drenched in a thick syrup of desperation and fear - but Chrysalis still found the taste rich. She was an expert in picking out the smallest flavours.

She licked her lip in anticipation... and then the feed stopped. Chrysalis opened her eyes and frowned, then moved away from the glassy-eyed, drooling meal of hers.

Figured they would barely be more than morsels. She fumed silently, already heading for the next fool who had dreamed of fooling her. I can hardly wait to enjoy a proper dish already.

Her concentration was broken by another barrage of loud hollering, again from the same direction. Her minions were having continued difficulties, apparently.

Oh come on! Chrysalis groaned. She went as far as shaking her head in open dismay. This worthless joke of a town is as defenceless as it gets. What's the hold up?

---

The swords clashed with a resounding, metallic clang. Sparks flashed and disappeared instantly, bits of hot metal tearing away from the blades' edges.

Lyra afforded herself a smug grin. She had always wondered why so many of the Guard used polearms; now she knew first-hoof.

The changeling in front of her had scavenged a weapon from the plaza. Which was a fine idea in itself - but lacking magic, the changeling had to hold the blade in his mouth. This proved short-sighted at the very first parry. Lyra's magic easily absorbed the violent feedback of the colliding weapons; the changeling, in turn, looked as if he had taken the blow directly to his head. The weapon flipped from his mouth and he flinched away, dazed and disoriented.

It was a vindictive sight.

Hoh! Seems I'm not the worst at this swordplay thingy!

Lyra backpedalled to keep her distance from the rest of the advancing changelings, slashing the sword roughly in their direction. The distance was so big the attack had no chance to actually connect - but the aim was to scare the changelings and keep them away, which it did achieve to an extent.

The changelings stopped as soon as the blade whooshed in the air, cowering or even taking hurried steps back.

It was the same oddity that Lyra had noticed for the last few attacks. The changelings had surrounded her in a circle, but only attacked her meal-piece, and never from the front. It was as if her opponents were getting afraid of her.

No, it couldn't have been her. There was no way the changelings would be afraid of a simple pony, after all. She could only surmise that the changelings were getting increasingly afraid of the sword.

Lyra couldn't help but feel lucky for that ill-conceived notion. She couldn't possibly hold her own were all those changelings to rush her at once; but with the panic-stricken behaviour of her foes, she could hold the small army of them at bay.

"There's no way out. We're completely surrounded." Snowy stated the obvious. The windigo was standing back-to-back with Lyra, providing her master with an additional set of eyes. And some negativity, as well. "Master can't possibly deal with all these monsters! At this rate..."

Lyra gave the assessment a wry smirk and yanked her head to the side, flapping her wet mane to the other side of her neck. She was drenched in sweat; she wasn't used to such borderline-abusive workouts. It was only a matter of time before her stamina ran out, even with Snowy's healing power backing her up.

Big surprise.

Of course she would get overwhelmed. There was no way she could overpower so many changelings. But by holding out as long as possible, she was saving a lot of lives.

Including that of Bon.

Her magic squeezed the sword's hilt tighter, and she drew the blade closer to her.

"It's okay." Lyra mumbled, squeezing the words into the gaps between her shallow pants. "This is for... for the greater good."

"Master, if I may. We have been chasing that greater good ever since Master found me." Snowy growled, her crimson gaze focusing on the two most active changelings. "With all due respect, this might be a good time to give the whole 'hero' business a pass. It has worked our rather poorly so far."

Chuckling sombrely, Lyra had to give her windigo a silent commendation. Indeed, every time she had tried to help others, she had only sown the seeds for even greater disasters.

This once however... this was different. She was the only one to suffer this once.

Maybe it was for the better this way, too. She would become a hero, and wouldn't have to deal with her shattered life either.

Perhaps this is atonement. She clenched her teeth. The ultimate price for my cheats, perhaps?

She couldn't help but imagine that green-robed bastard looking at her from somewhere, snickering in the cover of the green hood. The thought upset Lyra, but the changelings gave her enough time to calm down as well.

I would have already died without Snowy anyway, she recounted the night when the snow had caved-in under her. Haha. Now that I think about it, wasn't my survival already a cheat?

"Master!" Snowy blared.

Lyra reacted to the call without any deliberation. She spun around, coming to face two changelings. Both were already in the air, and were followed by a smaller cadre of their brethren. It was a massive charge, but Lyra only gave the bugs a dry, toothy grin.

So I guess my death will be like, reparation.

It really shouldn't have, but the thought filled her with a strange sense of calmness. She wasn't giving up her life; she was making the most of a foregone conclusion.

She could see Snowy spring into action; the windigo's blue outlines flashed for a moment. Sharp pain rippled through Lyra's head, but she was already bracing for that after-effect. It didn't even slow her down - she was swinging the blade at the changelings.

Those very changelings fared a lot worse. The two leading the assault became disoriented mid-air, as if they had no idea what they were supposed to be doing. The hesitation came at a cost; they tumbled out of balance and crashed into the horde following them, creating a massive pile-up of screeching bugs. By the time Lyra's sword reached them the attack was already done for, the furthest changelings fleeing from the disaster.

---

There was something odd about that mare. All the changelings could tell that much.

The Guard officer was a professional; they had expected losses against him. He had already fled, however. That had left the odd mare alone, against a whole army. By all expectations, she should have fallen long ago. The changelings have tried assaulting her again and again, wave after wave. She should have faltered, become tired and slipped up...

Only she hadn't done any of those.

That pony stood and weathered all of their attacks as if they hadn't meant business.

That made the changelings profoundly confused.

That mare didn't even look that strong. She was a musician, helpless like all the other ponies they had devoured. Judging by her movements, she had no fighting experience either. And yet, no changeling could take her down. Not even the most seasoned veterans of many raids.

It was as if the mare had something supernatural protecting her. She had some power the changelings couldn't feel or even fathom.

The changelings could only guess it was that thrice-darned sword. That was the only thing this pony possessed and the rest had not.

There was no other explanation.

Faced with that bizarre situation, the changelings reacted the only way they could. They shirked away from the mare and her sword, keeping a distance they believed to be safe.

It was preposterous, but they were losing to a single pony.

---

"Huh? Are you playing a joke on me? Are you lot still being hold up?"

Chrysalis let go of the yellow unicorn, and the unconscious body landed at her hooves with an unceremonious thud. The Queen of Changelings was barely done feeding, but her attention was already demanded somewhere else; she was staring at the gathering of changelings.

The crowd had fallen silent, but wasn't dispersing whatsoever. Staring at them, Chrysalis could only feel... confusion and bewilderment. And disappointment. Lots and lots of disappointment.

She gathered all that negativity and formed a single sigh out of it.

It seems that in the end, I have to do everything myself.

She breathed in deep, ran a hoof down her mane - a Queen always ought to look proper - and headed towards the crowd at a measured slow pace. She had no idea what was going on there, but she was sorting it out. So far, she was only certain on two things however.

Firstly, her changelings were in for some sound lesson. There was no way she could allow them to make fools of themselves - and of her, by proxy.

Secondarily, whoever put up such a defiant resistance was in for a great honour. For having proven so resilient, it was only proper that the Queen herself would be claiming that pony as prize.