A Canterlot Invasion: Strategy Meeting.
I followed Twilight and Shining out onto the sky bridge, laying down by the railing near them. I ignored their conversation, having gotten the important bits from Leo earlier. I closed my eyes and laid my head onto my front paws, calming my mind, and thinking back on some of my training with Eros. Over the winter we had gotten to the point of exploring my own mind. Now, I was trying something we had only just started working on. Eros knew how to do it, though she admitted that she needed to evolve to actually do it.
Taking a final calming breath, I let my body fully relax, then stood up.
I looked back at Twilight and Shining, and forced myself to see the normal world again. I looked at my paw to ensure that my red tether was clamped there, and that the chain led back to my body. I lightly pushed against the bridge and floated up onto the railing. As Twilight began going down memory lane, I tilted forward and fell off the bridge.
I drifted down and floated above the guards stationed below the garrison. I kept watch on their minds, admiring the mental disciple they each had. I figured that they unknowingly gained this mental shielding during training. It made the fact that Chrysalis had managed to get into Shining's mind all the more impressive.
I drifted further out and spied a changeling. I could easily tell because her glamour was only a haze on the astral plane. I also spied another green chain snaking off of her, connecting her to another nearby changeling. Another, fainter one speared off down a side street, fading away into nothing a few yards away.
Oddly, I quickly spotted another with a blue chain that pointed away from the other changelings there.
A gentle breeze buffeted me from the garrison's tower. I floated through the wall and saw her stalking up the stairs. I glared at the queen of the changelings, her hazy disguise of a pastel pink alicorn doing nothing to hide her black chitin. A rat's nest of chains surrounded her body, some spearing into her, others shifting around her. But the chain that drew my attention was the only one that was latched to her horn.
I knew that the other end was attached to Shining. I flew past her and sunk myself back into my body as she stepped into the ponies' view. I ignored Twilight doing her little song and dance as I learned of the reason pokemon didn't astral project in battle.
My tail lashed to one side. Shit, that was supposed to be my leg... I missed the entire meeting with "Cadence" as I sorted my body out. I was able to stand and follow Twilight as we made our way towards the kitchen.
I was not looking forward to the long day up ahead...
[Leo]
I had spent the day in the garden with Rainbow. We were subjecting ourselves to the only checklist we cared for, the one for a Sonic Rainboom. Every muscle was stretched and limbered in turn, short sprints were done as warm ups, and the flight path was charted on a map a guard helpfully provided.
The only time I paused in helping Rainbow was when I heard a slight commotion from the area Fluttershy was rehearsing in. I excused myself and poked my head through the hedge to see the Queen holding her ears as a red bird screeched out what I assumed was a song. Conner was doing his best to listen without cringing, while Fluttershy was just trying to get the bird to stop.
I pulled myself out of the bush and warned Rainbow that "Cadence" was checking in on Fluttershy and might be coming to see her next. Thankfully, she never came.
Later that night, after the girls had left for their dinner, the full Pack were sitting in our suite, chowing down on our own food. We were waiting for another person to arrive before we got down to business. I was just settling in for a quick nap when there was a knock on our door. Abes floated the empty bowls into the kitchen while Yomega answered the door.
"Ah, Luke!" He stepped back into the room, bowing as he did so. "We are honored you could find the time to meet with us, your highness..." Almost as one, we all gave a bow to Luke.
"I’m really hoping you guys are just making a well rehearsed joke." Luke waved a paw while covering his eyes with his other one. "You guys don't need to do that stuff with me, we're all friends. Right?"
"Absolutely, your majesty!" Zann bounced in place.
I decided to butt in before we completely lost the thread of why we were here. "You certainly rose through the ranks quickly."
"Well," Luke coughed into his paw, "that was kinda our plan. Ember's and mine, I mean."
"Speaking of plans," Yomega waved us into the common room, "we need to go over our own for tomorrow."
Abes floated a table and tea set over to the largest couch in the suite. Lulu and Villhiem quickly brewed up a large pot of our special herbal tea. The Pack crowded onto the couch, while Yomega gently pushed Luke into a separate chair. We politely waited for Luke to take his first sip of the tea before starting to enjoy our own.
"So, firstly," Yomega rolled a paw, "you should know that we are going to be fighting tomorrow. Not with Twilight and the others, but out in the city."
"Finally abandoning protecting the timeline?" Luke asked.
"Nope." I spoke up.
"We only know what happens in the show, so we know that the Element Bearers will be fine." Abes said. "So we are planning on lending our aid out in the city itself."
Vince nodded. "Basically, we're going to rescue and protect as many ponies as we can until the 'ling's are kicked out of town."
"If anything," Cy added, "we're going to maintain what we can until Twilight ascends. After that, we promise we'll come clean."
Luke sighed. "You'd better. I don't know if you'll even make it that far, though. All it takes is for one summoner to summon in one of you guys, and it's all over."
"Got that covered!" Zann chirped. "See if you can get a copy of Moon Dancer's reports on us, it'll explain it in better detail, but they believe us to be naturalized summons."
"To be fair," Yomega cut across further conversations, "we were planning on mucking with this one anyways. This "fighting in the streets" plan is the only one we have left. Anything else ran the risk of the Queen slinking away and coming back with a better strategy, or couldn't be completed due to outside circumstances." He pointed at Abes. "His personal project was the closest we had to resolving this early, but..."
Abes sighed. "You couldn't make it past those crystals in the cave. I was going to rescue Cadence, then have Luna quietly capture the Queen, but I couldn't make it past a different cluster of crystals that were further in than yours." Abes turned to address the rest of us. "So, I got Luke to go in and see if he could rescue her instead."
Luke sighed, taking another sip of his tea. "I couldn't even get as far as you did. What's stopping Lulu or Villhiem from going in?"
Yomega grimaced. "Not enough time. The Queen's army is in place, all she'd have to do is drop the shield in the middle of the night and the city will be taken in its sleep. The ponies will have a better chance to fight back during the day. So!" His cup clinked back onto its saucer. Yomega poured himself another cup before he continued. "Is there somewhere in the city -or castle- that you feel is important for you to protect?"
Luke paused in thought. Eventually, he nodded. "If I can convince Garble to look after our egg while we're at the ceremony, then we can help protect either that wing of the castle, or the hospital. Where will you be going?"
Lulu spoke up as Abes unfolded a map of the city. "We'll be pairing up and helping anywhere we can. We'll focus on guiding ponies to the more well defended areas, like the university and the hospital. It's not a perfect plan..." Lulu finished uncertainly.
Yomega nodded encouragingly. "But it's the best we got. Conner and Abes will be going here, Zann and Lulu here, Villhiem and the Duo here, and Leo and I over here." He tapped the map with each word of here, pointing out the different districts of the city. "We're going to be focusing on helping ponies, not fighting 'lings."
"That's a lot of city for you guys to cover..." Luke sighed. “If Ember, Smolder and I split up, we can hold the suites around Garble, the hospital, and the University. Could you guys try to guide ponies there?” He leaned back into his seat, rubbing his face with a paw. “I don’t know how many ponies we’ll be able to shelter and protect, though…”
"I don't expect us to make a significant difference in the battle." Yomega sighed. "But, if we can help save even one innocent pony who wouldn't have otherwise survived, then that'll be enough." We lapsed into silence.
I decided to break it. I leaned forward and poured each of us a fresh cup. I raised mine and grabbed everyone's attention. "To the wedding of our time, and one hell of a bachelor party."
We all clinked our glasses in toast and slurped back our cooling tea.
Luke looked at his cup in contemplation. "... This is really good tea."
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I'm going to once again bring up Keep Calm and Flutter On; for reasons the Pack admittedly couldn't know about, that's the point where maintaining the status quo becomes irresponsibly contrived.
10661470
Why would Discord being Fluttershy's friend harm the Pack's attempts to keep the status quo?
10661470
Agreed
I half-expect the rest of the Eevees to evolve during the invasion.
10661470
10661577
10661603
Discord is the one responsible for the pack, and their presence is breaking him free whenever one evolves. You really think we’re gonna make it to his reformation intact?
This is a interesting and awesomely chill chapter I still hope they can make a peaceful resolution with Chrysalis.
That just might be one reason why everything change after the Invasion. Often do a sinple death make a difference. For better or for worse...
Great chapter
The calm before the storm 
Wouldnt it be better to keep Luke and Smolder together? The one can sence Changelings and the other still recovers from a forced birth... Plus PTSD in the middle of a invasion? Better dont let her alone if she is to shield a area to make it safer ...
I have a bad feeling about this tea...?
So, the whole plan is just to stick to canon, but have some Pokemon mixed in during the fight? Well, if that's the plan, the actual events almost certainly won't go that way.
10661577
Snap and the language barrier is voided.
10661879
I just thought it was a batch of the Villhiem-Zann combo tea when he pointed out it was good.
10661960
Good point. Right before shit hits the vent , i guess i see twist and turn were are non there yet...
10661653
Exactly what I meant. We certainly have no business making it further.
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10662003
Yea. It’s just the running joke that first-time drinkers make that comment about the tea.
10661825
That was at the end of fall, this is the begining of spring. She's had plenty of time to heal. Also, she doesn't have PTSD, she has PTFO.
10662348
I see! Good to know so just fearful but not in a paralysis inducing way. That makes it a lot better. Guess there ready to kick ass and take names
10662458
No, no, no. PTFO stands for Pissed The Fuck Off.
10662464
Google showed me 'passed the fuck out' ... Huh... Neat