Chapter XXIX
Edited by Chapter 13 and TuxOKC.
The emotions of battle have never changed.
War left little room for love.
Chrysalis could feel the anger and fear mixing in the air. It was an oppressive sensation, pushing against her mind and her chest. The hate from Taalia echoed throughout her army, reflecting her will. The surge of changelings approaching the Equestrian defensive positions forced both Chrysalis and Luna back. The ground came alive with Ravagers, the mutated changelings hissing and snarling in frustration at the pair. Missiles, magical and physical, filled the air at the approaching horde.
“I expected as much,” Luna muttered to the changeling with a rueful smirk.
Taalia was roaring orders to her army, moving among them towards the keep, her eyes constantly going up to stare at Chrysalis. The grin on her muzzle had never left, her eyes bearing predatory intensity. The air was filled with the sounds of battle as the pegasi moved forward to provide cover for their princess. The sound of changeling wings was loud enough to resonate through Chrysalis’ body. She ignored the sounds, having heard them most of her life in one way or another. Her thoughts went towards Taalia and they were troubled at what had come with the feline changeling.
Luna voiced her thoughts as she deflected green bolts of energy directed at her with an invisible shield conjured by her magic. “How is it you changelings can sneak such a sizable force without notice?” If she was bothered by battle, she did not show it.
“Moving at night, mostly,” confessed Chrysalis as she, too, was deflecting attacks upon her. She used her natural armor as her forelegs swatted them away. An irritated scowl showed her displeasure. The changeling was backing away, facing her enemies and wary of her exposed flank. “Changelings can move in small groups, coordinating with each other through the hive link. I’m sure you noticed the Ravagers who tried to eviscerate you. All changelings can tunnel, like diamond dogs.”
“Ah, most insightful,” grinned Luna. “Come, to the lines! The earth ponies will be able to detect such attacks and act accordingly.” Her khopeshes materialized as the first wave of changelings came within range. The smile vanished and she pointed with one of her swords. “What is wrong with those changelings?”
Chrysalis did not have time to look as a snarling face suddenly filled the right side of her vision. She spun, moving her hooves and hardening them in instinct. As she lashed out, she noted the dull glow in the eyes of the changeling, its mouth frothing as it hissed. A surge of pity overcame her as she understood. Broken changelings. Not hiveless, not feral: changelings starved of love and reduced to a mad, zombie-like state. Her slashing hoof caved its skull in. Another took its place, a desperate hunger in its eyes. The Void had consumed them, the Hunger devouring their minds. She dispatched this one just as easily, her pity overcome with anger.
Taalia had done this to them. She had done the unthinkable.
“Monstrous!” she cried, leveling her fury at the tigress. “How dare you!” Taalia was for the moment lost behind the throng of her warriors. Chrysalis sought out her hated enemy, but to no avail. Where did she go? Her guards buzzed their disdain, hissing in anger.
They fell behind through an opening in the lines. A wall of shields and spears closed behind them.
“Movement in the ground!” Chrysalis heard. The words were echoed up and down the line. The ponies then did a curious thing; half of the ranks placed their shields upon the ground. The armored earth ponies then proceeded to stand on their shields, keeping one hoof touching the earth. Each pony with a shield on the ground stared intently down, spears gripped tightly in their mouths.
“Here they come!”
Ravagers were charging at the lines. Other changelings were zooming in from the sky. Broken changelings came first, canon fodder for Taalia. Chrysalis knew they were disposable soldiers, barely rated above imbeciles in the eyes of most queens. They were the pathetic wretches of changeling society; without a queen, and stripped of mind and hope. Ravenous for love, they were easily controlled by queens willing to exploit them. Taalia was no exception. But why so many? Their numbers were easily in the tens of thousands, by Chrysalis’ reckoning.
The ground erupted, interrupting her thoughts as she tried to gather her wits. Claws and snarling heads burst upwards. Some were Ravagers, most were more badger-like changelings. Above, the pegasi were engaged with the airborne changelings and were being assisted by the unicorns. Bodies fell from the skies as the noise of battle amplified as the two forces clashed. Within moments, the scent of blood thickened the air. Earth pony soldiers were stabbing the points of their spears into the ground as claws and appendages tried to reach around the shields to get at what was standing on them.
“What is with these changelings?” roared Luna, sweeping away with her swords at some of the changelings getting through the lines. Other unicorns were doing the same as she as reserve units strode forward to guard the rear of the front line. “They are mad! What is it?”
“The Hunger has consumed them!” Chrysalis cried, charging her horn. She blasted three changelings in succession as they came at her in a ragged line. There was nothing but madness in their eyes. “The Void was never filled and now it has taken their minds. They cannot be saved, Luna. Strike them down!”
Luna gave the changeling an unconvinced stare before redirecting her attention to the lines. Glancing up, she took stock of the air battle overhead, licking her lips as her swords twirled idly around her. Gathering her legs beneath her, Luna launched into the air with a fierce battle cry, her horn snapping off shots in rapid succession. Chrysalis was on her heels, as she was not keen to being left in the middle of a battle between changelings and ponies. There was a good chance, in her mind, an opportunistic pony with a grudge would decide to poke her with his spear.
“I shouldn’t be here,” she grumbled to herself, dodging a falling body as she did so. Droplets of blood splashed on her, red and still warm. Some of it fell on her muzzle. Her tongue darted out and flicked at the blood. Pony, she noted in her mind. Definitely pony. Mare. Late twenties. Recently foaled. Chrysalis lifted her head to see if she could find the pony in question.
The pony in question was indeed above her. The pegasus was using her wing blades with skill against three Broken changelings. The queen witnessed Luna casually flick her swords, decapitating all three in the blink of an eye as the alicorn passed the battling mare.
“Princess Luna!” squeaked the mare through ragged breaths.
“See to your wounds, noble subject,” Luna called to her. “Thy blood calls out most loudly!” A glance over her shoulder fell upon the changeling following her.
Chrysalis scowled and bared her fangs at the alicorn.
They passed the retreating mare, weaving through the hundreds of smaller battles erupting in the sky. The sounds were deafening to Chrysalis. She lashed out with a hind hoof at a snarling Broken changeling snapping at her underbelly, crushing its chest. It fell to the battle on the ground, flailing its hooves, unable to breathe. Another crashed into her side, biting at her chitin. Chrysalis snarled and kicked it away with a forehoof, her horn igniting in her fury. A blast left a gaping hole in the changeling’s chest and it fell, the light already snuffed from its eyes.
Her mane and tail flowed behind her like a tattered teal battle flag. Luna’s battle flag was far more impressive. The sun was already setting, making her seem like a glittering shadow of immortal violence. She moved with swiftness, wasting nothing in her movements. She was quicksilver, her commanding voice lifting spirits and driving her ponies to fight all the more harder. The alicorn’s blades were used judiciously and with final judgement. Luna was in her element, by far the more competent warrior compared to her elder sister.
With sudden abruptness, Luna stopped in midflight, surveying the raging battle all around her. Her guards rose to take their positions, finding plenty of threats coming from all different directions. To Chrysalis, it seemed the thestrals were more capable than their feathered counterparts.
It was pointless. Chrysalis huffed, casting an annoyed stare at Luna’s back. This was not a good place to make a stand. There were not enough ponies to stave off Taalia’s assault! The changeling queen was certain Luna and Celestia were making a fatal mistake. Then again, this outright frontal assault by her former master was disconcerting. Never before had Taalia used such numbers! Her hive had never been large, usually housing enough changelings to service Taalia and her beloved Ravagers. Taalia preferred being able to move quick and adjust on the fly. She was a flexible commander and needed to flow with the field of battle. The tigress was an ambush predator and her minions reflected her preferred means of winning battles.
Chrysalis swept her gaze over the chaos, trying to make sense of this madness. Where did Taalia get so many changelings? Even the total number of hives on this side of the world could not possibly have this many changelings combined! Did she bring all of these changelings with her? If so, how did she do it without attracting unwanted attention?
There was something not right about them. Narrowing her eyes, she watched as one broke through the line and impaled itself on a thestral’s spear. It hissed and spat, snapping its jaws at the pony that had just killed it. It was a gaunt thing, scrawny and mad from being love starved. The markings, though…
Chrysalis watched the body twitch. Another one broke through, followed by several others. The queen was forced to defend herself, though her mind raced as she lashed out with her hooves. Her memory was fuzzy, yet something there struggled to free itself. She dodged, her mane whipping as she spun, kicking a Broken in the belly and exploding its internal organs. Another was slashed by her jagged horn, leg and body separating. Blood splashed over her muzzle. Some of it got into an eye. Chrysalis blinked, hissing in annoyance. With one eye open, she charged up her magic and ignited her horn. A Broken changeling was going for her throat, coming from her right. She whirled to face it, curling a lip as she reached out with her magic and seized the creature.
“Hold still!” she snapped, already irritated with having to deal with mindless fodder. The Broken changeling ignored her command, hissing and spitting at her as it struggled against her telekinesis. The markings on this one intrigued her, disturbed her. There was something familiar about them.
She would not have time to press her inquiry as she heard an unearthly shriek below her. Shoving the struggling Broken away, Chrysalis peered down and saw, to her unwanted surprise, a lesser queen rising from the ground. This one was like her, equine, as were almost all of the Broken. This queen had the same look as the other Broken. She was far more powerful than her counterparts. Yet, something was wrong with this queen. She was thin, her mane unkempt. Her facial bones protruded through her chitin. Like the Broken, the same dead fire raged in her eyes.
Chrysalis was shocked.
How did Taalia make a Broken queen? Chrysalis watched as the charging changeling tore through Luna’s personal guard with ease, screeching with madness. Her eyes burned like dying coals and she paid no heed to the wounds inflicted upon her.
“You poor thing,” Chrysalis whispered, her anger fading again for a moment of pity. The wild thrashing of the mad queen was driving the thestrals back, her fangs and hooves tearing through their armor like paper.
Luna was next to her, none the worse for wear. “What is it? Is she, too, afflicted with this… madness?” she pointed with one of her swords.
“A love-starved queen,” Chrysalis assented with a numb nod. “Such a thing is unheard of. Unthinkable! It is worse than being forced into becoming a broodmother. We need to put her down, Luna. She is suffering. She knows nothing but pain and agonizing hunger.”
“Very well,” Luna said with no emotion. Several more Broken broke through and descended upon the thestrals battling the mad queen. “Let us render aid!” Flattening her ears to her skull, the alicorn surged forward with a cry.
Chrysalis again followed her, buzzing her wings and going straight for the Broken queen. She wondered what the queen had once been and why she looked so vaguely familiar. A thestral fell, flapping his wings feebly. Dozens of wounds were on him. She ignored him and focused on the Broken queen.
The Broken queen was tall and lean, her body covered with scars telling a tale of a long life fighting battles. The sight of her struck a chord in Chrysalis and the memories of her distant youth flooded back. A free changeling was made a slave. Her changelings stripped and starved of love. Queen Taalia had violated yet another unwritten law, no doubt. The sense she knew this queen grew stronger. Then, she remembered a certain day, long ago, when she had been a nymph. She and her mother had meet this other queen by a river...
“Cerri?”
The former feral queen noticed Chrysalis’ approach and cast aside another thestral with an enraged scream. Her wild eyes settled upon the other queen before going to Luna. A slow, threatening hiss rumbled from her throat. A sickly yellow glow enveloped the length of her horn. It had a shape similar to Chrysalis’ own.
“It saddens me such beings as yourself must succumb to the whims of others,” Luna said loudly. Her features were like stone. The swords in her magical grasp were still. Chrysalis could feel her anger. There were many layers to it.
Good. Good! a voice echoed in the back of Chrysalis’ mind. She shoved it away, quite frightened at what lay lurking behind those words. A monster like Taalia. A creature Chrysalis wanted no part in becoming like.
“Leave this to me, Luna.” The queen placed herself in front of the alicorn and faced the Broken queen. A Broken changeling charged at her from the right, but she swept it aside without even a glance.
“You know this one,” Luna tilted her head to one side. She fell away nodding and giving Chrysalis space.
“I do.”
Chrysalis was already surging forward, her heart a whirlwind of emotions. The Broken queen shrieked again and unleashed wild, pure magic at her. The queen spun, dodging the shot as she corkscrewed, bringing her forelegs close to her body. The other queen went for her, hissing and spitting in her insanity. The pair snapped their jaws at each other, fangs gleaming in the dying light of the day.
The Broken changeling was very strong and her insanity made her even stronger. Chrysalis nearly buckled under the flailing hooves of the queen. The other queen opened her mouth, her eyes glowing with her magic. There was desperate hunger in those orbs. Chrysalis knew what she was trying to do and nearly panicked.
“Aunt Cerri, no!” Chrysalis cried.
The once feral queen hesitated, blinking. Seeing her opening, Chrysalis counterattacked, lashing out with her hooves. She darted in with her jaws and clamped herself onto the other changeling’s throat. The Broken queen, Cerri struggled and tried to scream. Chrysalis let her fangs do the work, crushing the windpipe and cutting through the jugular. Hooves flailed wildly at first, then became weaker and weaker until the Broken queen went limp.
Tears filled her eyes as Chrysalis released her victim, catching the falling body with her magic. Her sorrow shifted, morphed, became a deadly whirlwind of rage. Throwing her head back, she shrieked a single word.
“TAALIA!”
Her horn raged with her power, her eyes living emerald flames. Rage and hatred erupted and the queen unleashed her full fury, her power at a level unseen since her battle with Celestia many months before. The will behind her magic pulsed, washing over everything within the battlefield. The pressure was enough to give pause to the fighting, as it jarred all those around her. Clutching the body of the dead queen close to her, Chrysalis raged and raged, her maw opened as the air crackled around her with wild magic. Tendrils of her energy lashed and undulated around her, cracking indiscriminately. Ponies near her shied away desperately even as their opponents were thrown for loops in the literal sense. Everything within a hundred meters of Chrysalis was shoved away from her by telekinetic force. The closer they were to her, the more they felt the wrath of the raging queen.
Chrysalis dropped down, ignoring a voice calling her name. She held on to Cerri, screaming her rage. Her eyes had gone crimson. She landed with great force, rippling the ground and knocking combatants off their hooves nearby. A Ravager recovered quickly and went after her, snarling in eager anticipation.
The queen, not releasing the body of Cerri, picked up the head of a shattered spear. She turned as the Ravager bore down upon her and with an uncaring expression, shoved the tip of the spear up and through its lower jaw, through the roof of its mouth and into its brain. Hatred for the monster flared in her eyes. For this Ravager, she would show no mercy. Her horn charged up, filling the spearhead with raw magic. She poured all of her frustrations into her magic, dancing with the Ravager and avoiding its claws. The tip of the blade protruded through the top of its skull, just piercing the skin. Its eyes went wide. Chrysalis released the spell and the metal shattered. Parts of the skull visibly expanded through the armored chitin. The monster fell and skidded past the sidestepping queen, skidding into the blood soaked ground. There it lay, twitching in its death throes.
With gentle ministrations, she lay down Cerri, brushing strands of mane from her aunt’s eyes and gazing down upon her fully for the first time since she had been a nymph. “Why?” she asked. Need I ask?
Chrysalis knew the Broken she was fighting. Taalia had made feral changelings into Broken. From wandering, hiveless changelings to mindless fodder. A proud, free queen reduced to a mad creature desperate for love.
“Chrysalis!” Luna landed next to her, outraged and confused. “What is the meaning of this?”
Chrysalis whipped her head to the alicorn. “She was family! This happened to her because of my decisions!”
“No! This happened because your enemy wants you weak and wants you unable to think! Worry about winning this fight. We’ll deal with the how when the battle is won! Fight, Queen Chrysalis, my friend! Fight for your daughter! Fight for your hive! We cannot fall here!” Luna approached and shoved Chrysalis in the shoulder with an armored hoof. “I will stand with you, but you must keep yourself above your emotions! You must think of what will happen if we do not succeed!”
Queen Chrysalis glared at Princess Luna. For a moment, she thought she might attack the alicorn. How would she know? What had she lost? When had she suffered? The retort died on her lips when she opened her mouth and she reconsidered her own thoughts. No, Luna knew what it meant to suffer. In many ways, the Princess of the Night was still coming to grips with her own past and was dealing with it in her own way.
“We have lost sight of Queen Taalia,” Luna told her. “Her aura cannot be felt. Something is wrong. None of this feels right. Is the information you gave in regards to her character flawed? I must know, Chrysalis! I am uneasy about this.”
The battle around them rejoined. The changeling forces surged forward again, having recovered from the surge of energy from Chrysalis’ emotional outburst.
“We need to find her,” Chrysalis said in a dead voice. “This must end.”
“And we will end it,” Luna promised. “Together.”
The death glare the queen leveled at the princess would have laid waste to entire armies. “She’s mine, Luna!”
“You are not of the correct frame of mind to be confronting her! Your emotions are controlling you!”
“We are in the middle of a battle! A psychiatry session is not exactly prudent at this time,” Chrysalis shot back, staring down at her fallen aunt. Her anger swelled again and she stormed towards the front lines, baring her teeth and hissing in fury. She found a discarded spear on the ground and lifted it with her magic. It had a short haft, only two meters long. The blade was short and broad. It was a sturdy piece, she decided, testing the balance. It would do. She found a large, round shield near a fallen pony and picked it up, too. Determination framed her face.
“Taalia!” she roared over the din of battle. She slaughtered the first changeling that tried to fight her. And the next one. And the next. Another. Yet another. Everything blurred and there was nothing but a radius of death in front of her. She smashed faces with her shield, using it as effectively as she used her spear.
“Taalia!” Chrysalis roared, using an amplification spell on her voice. “Show yourself!”
She ignored Luna’s imploring voice. The alicorn lingered close by, engaged in her own fights and assisting her ponies where she could. She had yet to use the fullest extent of her power. Chrysalis wondered why a being as close to a goddess as one can get would restrain using that godlike power to destroy her enemies. It made no sense to Chrysalis.
The enraged queen was obliterating everything in front of her. She used the spear as an extension of her magic, using the spear head as she would her horn. Charging it with magic, she made wide sweeps, burning away her foes with frightening efficiency. Where were the rest of the Ravagers? To this point, Chrysalis had only seen a few. Of all the changeling forces, they were, unsurprising, giving the ponies the most difficult time. Unicorns had to resort to support magic to help bring the monsters down, as direct magic spells had proven ineffective, despite the warning from the queen. Chrysalis watched as every now and then a bolt of magic would strike one of the Ravagers, only to bounce off, doing no harm.
There were few Broken now, and most of them were concentrated on battling the pegasi. Still, the defenders were hard pressed. Chrysalis thought she was doing well, but when she heard a blaring horn from the ramparts behind her, she scowled. What was the meaning of this?
“Retreat! Fall back to the keep!” came the command. It was repeated by different voices. Sergeants went up and down the lines, tapping on shoulders and issuing orders.
The withdrawal was orderly and there was no panic. There were a lot of dead on the ground. The wounded had been picked up when it was feasible and throughout the battle, taken behind the walls. Chrysalis blinked, coming to her senses. All around her were the bodies of the fallen, victims of her savagery. Thumping the butt of her spear into the ground, she raised her head and looked back and up at the top of the walls. She could see her changelings firing bolts of raw and deadly magic into the enemy. She swiveled her head with deliberate slowness. In all her years, fighting a battle like this was not quite what Chrysalis was used to. It was too orderly, too formal. The ponies were falling back in good order, falling back in small groups while others covered them. The defensive fire from the keep increased. The skies rained with the dead and dying.
Breaking her own illusions with a slow exhale, Chrysalis understood the situation and fell back with reluctance. A wounded pony covered with the body of a dead changeling struggled to rise. There were no other ponies nearby. They had given the queen a wide berth in her fighting. She paused, looked at the pony and could smell something familiar. It was the pegasus from earlier, the mare, the new mother. The ranks closed behind her as other ponies rushed to seal the gap Chrysalis had caused in the line. As there was no longer a whirling dervish of death and destruction to plug the gap, the enemy was again surging in. Chrysalis used the butt of her spear to shove the dead changeling off the pony.
“Can you get up?” she asked the pegasus in a growl. Why am I doing this?
One wing was useless, she noted, as the pegasus rose to her hooves, unsteady and in a great deal of pain. One wing hung limp, useless. The injury was severe, crippling. The mare was useless as a pegasus now. She limped, determination written upon her features. “Thanks,” she said with a gasp.
An earth pony rushed up and offered a shoulder for the mare to lean on. He glared up at Chrysalis, though his eyes were confused. Focusing on the pegasus, he guided her while Chrysalis hung back, confused herself as to what she had just done.
Why did I help that mare?
Dazed from interacting with the pony, Chrysalis turned her back to the keep and swept her gaze over the rearguard. It was steadily falling back and taking heavy losses. The black swarm of changelings seemed on the brink of overwhelming them. In the skies, the Shadowbolts could be seen tearing through Broken changelings with ease. Where had they been at the start of the battle, and when was Luna’s sister supposed to show up?
“Damn it, Celestia, where are you?” she snarled. Then she roared, “Fall back, you fools!” She lifted off the ground as a wave of changelings flew over the heads of the earth ponies, taking the intense and withering missiles through snarls and hisses. Some dropped down upon the heads of the armored soldiers while others pressed onwards towards the keep’s walls. Chrysalis swished her tail as she hovered and rolled her shoulders in anticipation. “Come! Taste the wrath of the changeling queen!”
She struck out with her spear, skewering one Broken through the throat. Chrysalis flicked her weapon, sending the flailing body to the ground. She spun in midair, gathering momentum, slashing with the blade. Another changeling was deprived of a foreleg and the horizontal slash cleaved through another’s chest. At the end of her swing, Chrysalis adjusted the grip on her spear, her eyes already locked upwards. Her next strike angled skyward, a thrust through the belly of another Broken changeling. On her other side, she bashed with her shield instinctively and was rewarded with a dull crunching sound. Leveling out her shield, she swung it like an athlete preparing to swing a discus, crushing the snapping jaws of the changeling she had struck. It fell away, making strangled noises.
Chrysalis gave ground, but at a staggering cost to Taalia’s forces. They seemed to be thinning out, and the changeling queen believed the Ravagers, as well as her enemy’s regulars would soon be committed.
“Check for infiltrators!” she commanded. “Luna! They might use this moment to put infiltrators in your ranks!” Chrysalis was looking for the princess as she yelled, spotting her some distance away covering her retreating ponies. They locked eyes. Luna gave a nod and shouted orders to her officers.
Chrysalis shifted her attention to the walls. Her own changelings were still there, still defending. Ware the enemy acting as allies!
Yes, my queen! A changeling hoof waved down at her.
A grim smile of satisfaction creased her dark features. Chrysalis landed among the ponies as they fell back. Fearful glances were thrown at her, but they were ignored. Keeping her back to the enemy, she rested her spear on her shoulder and hovered her shield over her back. “Keep moving, my little ponies,” she told them in Celestia’s voice. “You’re no good to Equestria if you’re dead.”
Nervous chuckles, few and far between, nonetheless found Chrysalis’ ears. Most were not amused and scowls were directed at her. What was a little dark humor between a predator and potential prey? No, can’t think like that anymore, the glum thought strolled through her mind. Have to play nice. Don’t want to play nice. Stupid ponies and their stupid harmony crap.
She went on, “When retreating in the face of the enemy, don’t gallop. Trot! Make them pause with your actions!” The Broken wouldn’t care, but those behind them and watching would. Not all of the changelings the ponies were facing were mindless victims. To emphasize her point, she flicked her shield, crushing yet another Broken changeling trying to attack her. It fell to the ground, one feeble leg kicking. A smirk, grim and humorless curled her lips.
Unicorns were teleporting the soldiers to the other side. Chrysalis watched teams of them gathering up troops in a circle of runes glowing with magic. Several circles were placed in front of the gates. The portcullis was closed and arrows whizzed out from the tall and narrow slits in the gatehouse.
“I had wondered,” mused the queen in fascination.
A sergeant, an earth pony by the looks of him, bellowed nearby, “Form ranks! Third Platoon, go help Ninth Platoon at Gold Circle!” He noticed Chrysalis and paled. “Sweet Celestia!”
“Sweet Queen Chrysalis,” she corrected him with a derisive sniff, “but I’ll let it go this time.”
Luna landed next to her. The alicorn was coated in sweat and drying blood. She was a grimy as Chrysalis felt. “Stop playing mind games with the soldiers,” she chided the changeling. Luna then took stock of the situation, her eyes darting about with calculated efficiency. “Mine sister should arrive to the battlefield and soon,” she growled. “Lest we are bucked.”
“Or,” Chrysalis suggested with exaggerated airs, “You could just unleash all that magic you’ve got in your stores instead of,” —she made air quotes with her hooves— “letting the ponies fight for themselves.”
“There are rules, Chrysalis!” Luna snapped, striding towards the queen. She shoved her muzzle into Chrysalis’ own. “I cannot cast them aside and let loose my terrible power! I did that once and the world suffered! There was night for six full turns of the world and countless suffered because of my power!”
Chrysalis sneered. “If that is what you must tell yourself. Look at the dead littering this field and tell me if you still think you made the right decision.” Having given her opinion, Chrysalis buzzed her wings and lifted herself up and over the wall. Her changelings cheered her as she drew near. A cup of water was presented to her while the other changelings continued to fire from the ramparts. Other ponies had made a point to avoid this section of the wall.
“Thank you,” she said to the changeling who had given her water. It was down in a single go. “How does the battle look from up here?”
“Bad, Your Majesty. Very, very bad,” informed the changeling who had given her water. Chrysalis looked at him and remembered his name.
“Thorax, what have you seen from up here?” she asked.
“They’re using the Broken to probe for weaknesses,” Thorax said, blinking and glancing over the side of the wall. He fired a bolt of magic at a target then turned his attention back to his queen. “From what we can tell, the Equestrians have already lost a quarter of their strength.”
“Any signs of reinforcements?” Chrysalis quaffed a second cup of water. So thirsty!
Thorax shook his head. “None so far, my Queen.”
Chrysalis pursed her lips. She was finally able to clear her head and take stock of the situation. Below, she could see the remnants of the Equestrians filing onto the teleportation runes. Unicorns had replaced the earth ponies, erecting shields to fend off the changelings attacking them. Seeing the constant charges by the Broken upon the shields welled up some forgotten memories. Chrysalis winced and groaned, reminded of her own brush with triumph not so very long ago.
“We have a few moments of respite,” she observed, buzzing her wings. “Fleeting moments.”
“Your orders?” Thorax looked up at her, eager to please. It was good to have her changelings around her again. “Are we to abandon the ponies and make our escape? Taalia’s forces are greater than anything we had thought possible!”
Chrysalis shook her head. “She’s been gleaning from the hives she’s conquered in chasing us,” she replied, having just now come to the conclusion. “She has been taking all of their love, turning them into Broken. Every hive we have come across over the years, she has subjugated and destroyed. Those who did not join her willingly were turned into the wretches she now hurls at us.” Thoughts of Cerri brought fresh pain to her heart. A quick change of the subject was in order. “How are the others holding up?”
“Where you go, we follow, our last breath at your whim,” Thorax said with pride.
“Check the Equestrians for infiltrators,” Chrysalis commanded. “Eliminate them. Do not be discovered. The ponies are likely to try and kill you on sight. This would be an opportune time for Taalia to try and sow confusion and break the cohesiveness of the Equestrian units.”
A furious Night Princess landed next to her.
“Ah, there you are,” Chrysalis greeted with a smile. She ignored the ire levelled at her. “There is a good chance Taalia will try to infiltrate your soldiers again, if she hasn’t done so already. I’ve ordered my changelings to seek them out and destroy them. I hope you don’t mind.” She batted her eyes at Luna, mocking her.
Luna grit her teeth. “Fine. I shall allow this. You and I will have words when this battle is done!”
“We will probably have words regardless,” shrugged the queen, nonchalant. “You sister really needs to make an appearance and soon if we’re even going to entertain the notion of a cozy little chat.”
Luna adjusted her wings, flared them halfway, the resettled them, huffing in annoyance at the changeling. “My sister will be here. We need to hold our ground until she can deal with the threats elsewhere in Equestria.”
Chrysalis peered over the wall and made a sour face. “I hate sieges.”
“We are well stocked and well supplied. We have the finest unicorns available to hold the shield. We can keep Queen Taalia at bay for a little while.”
A cry rose up from the courtyard, “The last soldier has crossed the runes! The unicorns are now within the walls! Raise the shield!” A cheer went up from the ponies, ragged and tired. It had been an exhausting battle.
“So, now what?” Chrysalis asked Luna. “Do we just sit here?”
“We must be patient, Chrysalis,” Luna replied in a tired voice.
Magic hummed through the air as the unicorns combined their power and put a dome over the keep. It shimmered, starting at the top before cascading down like water over an unseen balloon. Some Broken changelings were caught within the barrier as it was established. Short work was made of them and the only Broken that remained pounded their bodies against the unyielding wall of magic.
Chrysalis clutched her spear and shield in her telekinetic grip, sweeping her eyes at the futile efforts of the enemy changelings. She felt pity for the poor things; they had no control over their instincts. Eventually, they would burn out their life forces and die as the Hunger consumed them and they fell into the Void. Taalia had done this to them. Chrysalis reflected upon her journey from the Savannah to Equestria, a meandering journey that had been slow and at times confusing. She imagined every changeling hive she had made contact with, Taalia had followed in her wake and took out her hatred for Chrysalis upon them. Guilt by association, the queen surmised with a sigh.
“Sweep them away with the storm,” Luna commanded. Her voice sounded distant.
Chrysalis blinked and made a deep, slow intake of air, filling her lungs. The air stank of smoke and charred bodies. She was tired. A great deal of effort and energy, as well as her liberal use of magic had left her feeling sore and empty. The battle was not yet over. The ebb followed the flow. At some point, the violence would resume as Taalia no doubt would try a different tactic.
“This doesn’t make sense,” the queen whispered, sinking to her haunches. Her body cried out for rest and she needed to feed. The Hunger called. The Void needed to be filled.
“What doesn’t make sense?” Luna approached, tilting her head to one side. Worry and curiosity were in her words.
Flailing with a weak hoof, Chrysalis replied, “This battle. Attacking a fortress. These are not changeling tactics. My kind are best at ambush and surprise. This doesn’t make sense.” She flicked her tail and hung her head, feeling very weak and tired. “Attacking Equestria like this doesn’t make any sense, Luna. This is insanity.”
She could faintly hear the sound of bodies striking against the shield over and over and over again. It was as though a giant was throwing a constant barrage of stones by the hoofful.
“A distraction, perhaps?” Luna speculated, dipping her head in thought. She blinked, took a deep breath, and stared off into space. “What if… what if you were not the target? What if all of this was nothing more than a ruse?”
“What do you mean?” Chrysalis curled her lips in anger. She glared at Luna, then some things began to click in her mind. Dread filled her thoughts. “The one who tried to have me assassinated, what sort of stallion was he? How was he able to discover where I was?”
Luna took a moment to digest the questions. “Quiet. Devoted to his wife. A stalwart supporter of my sister. He did not seem the sort to believe violence was the answer.” Her eyes went wide, like a terrible dawn had come before her. “Do you suppose one was all she took?” she whispered. “She wants your daughter.”
The explosive rage was immediate. “She will not have her!” Chrysalis roared, stomping a hoof. The stone beneath it cracked. How did Taalia know? How was she able to find me? How was she able to discover I was not dead? How did she know I had a daughter?
Queen Taalia had her pawns scattered within the Canterlot nobility, she was certain.
The last rays of the sun disappeared over the horizon. The overwhelming din of the host outside the shield was terrifying to the ears. The last sliver of sunlight sank away, drifting. Luna did not light her horn to raise the moon. She closed her eyes, her ears perking forward. Her nose tilted up and she inhaled as if on instinct. Her mane undulated around her, speeding up for a moment before settling down to its normal movements. The last shaft of sunlight stopped its retreat. The light held, refusing to fall back any more. Then, slow at first, it began to advance, this single solitary ray of sunshine, towards the keep, growing brighter and brighter, gaining speed as it came. Behind the light, rose the sun, and with the sun came its mistress.
Luna smiled. “Tartarus, it is nigh time!”
“Does she have to show off?” Chrysalis demanded, rolling her eyes at the spectacle.
“‘Tis the only way mine sister can burn off all the cake she consumes.”
Despite herself; her mood, and her worry, Queen Chrysalis chuckled with little humor. All she could think of was being with her daughter at that very moment.
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I just picture celestia saying by the power of cake I smite you
Three dimensional chess!
7750213 Ask, and so ye recieve.
*Sees Thorax, slowly reaches for a can of RAID* "Hey there little guy..."
I kid. Kind of. Not really though. Great chapter!
Great chapter, Chryssie in battle was awesome to read about.
Poor Cerri.
Nuuuuuuu, leave her daughter alone!
7762092 This Thorax seems much more loyal and less of a traitorous bastard, though.
7762065 The power of cake compells thee!
~ Chapter: 13
7762512 A dozen changelings stayed behind to help Chrysalis. They pretty much stayed out of her way. Confusion in the ranks and all that. Keep in mind this story is from Chrysalis' perspective, so she's going to be forgetful of a few things.
Luna smiled. “Tartarus, it is nigh time!”
I'm callin in my space marines now.
*Turns to Black Templars*
"Forwards brothers drive these foul beast back to the warp, purge them from this world, The princess declare it"
Because its your inner good Changeling wanting nothing more then to help out.
Also, yay Thorax! :D
Nice job
i am terrified of what that bitch will do!
Holy throne!
7763514 I've had it since April... very small income, but appreciated greatly.
The only thing I will say... for all the evil Taalia has committed to both Changeling & Ponies... death is to good for her. Make her suffer!
cue Ride of the Valkyries
Well that was a well written battle scene, cheers!
More please.
Please! More! I need to FILL THE VOID BEFORE IT CONSUMES ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2015...
(This is a random reminder that I'd like to see the story continued to the end. Kind regards)
Chrysalis has become DEATH IN LIVING FORM!
Is this story dead?
I don't understand this. People start writing things (like this one, 3 years ago) and then just give up on them. Why? It's such a recurring theme. I don't understand...
Aw man, I really liked this story...
I hadn't even realised it'd been three years - I can still remember the plot and watching it update as though it was last month.
I miss you.
I love this story!
9959199
I think its just some writers may have forgotten about There stories or they lost interest in them and moved on or they are too busy to write anymore but that doesn't mean it's dead you never know maybe scarhart will come back to this story maybe not who knows but it was a great story and it's always here to be reread
10289975
Less than 6 months and it'll be 4 years since this has been updated. Very, VERY low chance that anyone will do anything with this story.
10290025
Have a little faith
Aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!,why why are all the good stories left to wither and die? Such a rare and great Chrysalis story to add to frustration. I really hope that one day scarhart finishes this epic or maybe allows Someone else of equal talent to finish it.
I am caught up now and find this to be among the best chrysalis stories I've read so far. I can only hope this story will be finished one day as I'd hate to see it just end here.
Damn... To tracking then, I suppose.
And thus it was that Queen Chrysalis submitted to Equestria and the Love. Becoming a King and making a Queen out of Luna, at long last surpassing Celestia to rule all of Equestria.