To Build an Army

by Tree Time

Chapter 6: A Slight Change of Plans

Pinkie's tail started to twitch, and Golden's ears flopped, tail waged, and left hoof shivered. Everyone attention, save Winnow's, shot to hole in the ceiling. We had just enough time to ready ourselves before two changelings dropped through the vent. They landed between the Pie sisters and the rest of the group. I felt rage start welling up inside Golden as their bug eyes looked over our faces. “You smell lovely,” the one of the left said.”

“Yes,” the other one agreed, “especially the shiny pony. I've never tasted a shiny pony's love befo...”

Her words were cut off by a sickening crunching sound as Dash's back hooves collided with the side of the changeling's face. It fell lifeless to the ground as Dash wheeled over to drive her front two hooves into the other changeling's back. There was another loud snap and the black bug pony collapsed into a motionless heap. “Move,” Dash ordered. “There will be more coming.”

We took off down the passageway. Pinkie and Maud lead the way, followed by the rest of group B. Dash and the spa twins were in rear. Behind us, I could hear the buzz of many droning wings. We rounded a bend in the passage. “That one,” Winnow pointed at a large purple set of crystal doors.

Pinkie and Maud galloped to them. “Their locked,” Pinked cried trying to force them open. Maud smiled and drove her hoof right through the door. “Oh ya,” I for got about that,” Pinkie grinned, helping Maud break a hole large enough for the rest of use to pass through.

Without looking back, I turned, skidding a little as I slid though the hole in the door. Golden, Winnow, Aloe and Lotus followed close behind. “I'm moving to phase 4,” I heard Dash yell from the other side of the door.

The place looked like a big warehouse store room. The round walls were lined with shelves containing an assortment of crystal based weapons. In the centre of the room was a floor to ceiling block of black crystal that pulsed with chaotic light. Within its dark inside I could make out the shape of the draconequus, Discord. Around his prison was an assembly line of equipment that I assumed was used to refine and construct the weapons of war that lined the outer walls. “There!” I pointed, “We need to get some of that crystal. Golden, Winnow you're with me. Team A, hold that hole.”

“With pleurae, my sweet stallion,” Aloe cooed in playful jest, as her and the rest of Team A took up defensive potions around the door hole.

The three of us raced to the crystal containing Discord. We dodged around the equipment and skidded to a halt before the jagged block of chaotic stone. My heart was racing, “Winnow can you carve us off some shards of this without freeing the creature inside?”

Her ears pined back to her head. “I can,” she responded.

There was a loud crunch from behind us. I turned to see a changeling had tried to make it through the hole. It now lay crumbled form a hoof to the side of the head.

“Then do it.” replied. I turned back to look her in the eyes, “I am still to off balance from healing you to try something this complex.”

She looked nerves, but struck the stone with decisive force, chipping off a muzzle sized chuck of sparking black purple rock. “How much do you need?” She asked. “This stone was made to give.”

“A chuck for each of us.” I replied, watching the door for more signs of intrusion. She went to work breaking off piece after piece until we had collected six hunks of the raw crystallized chaos. “Golden help me with these,” I said filling our vest's combat pouches with the spoils. “Winnow, how do we get outside from here?”

She pointed to the ceiling.

Seeing this, Pinkie sprang into action. She started to climb the walk that was adjacent to the door, plunging one hoof after the other into the stone. Maud followed suit, creating a second stone ladder next to Pinkie's. A shower of rocks started to rain down as they reached the ceiling. The stone giving way quickly under their hooves. The changelings seemed to sense something was going on. A second one tried to poke its head through the hole. Only to get knocked out cold my a sharp kick from Aloe's hind quarters. There was a small crash as Pinkie's hoof drove into the morning sunlight. Her and Maud climbed up and out of view. “You and Winnow go next,” Golden said firmly.

I complied, racing over to the makeshift ladder with Winnow in toe. I did my best to climb. My heart still pounding as I heard a loud shutter as the whole door shook. “Sir Star, I think they are trying to break through,” Lotus informed me, sounding concerned.

I heard Golden say, “you two go, I will hold them.”

My eyes widened with fear, but I didn't dare take them off the climb.

I felt Pinkie's warm legs around my mine as she reached down and pulled me onto the empty sunlit street. I crawled away from the hole, softly panting. I looked back over my shoulder to see Winnow, Aloe, and Lotus making their way out with the help of the Pie sisters. A loud curooosh echoed from under my hooves. I watched the hole with worried eyes. Seconds ticked by as if they were hours. After what felt like an eternity, Pinkie reached down and pulled the sunny haired mare from the hole. “Golden, you're okay?” I asked making my way over to her.

She nodded, “I had to use one of our chaos shards to seal the door. It should buy us some time to plan our next move.”

The rest of us looked at her in puzzled inquiry. I was just about to ask how she sealed a door with a shard of pure chaos, but the nagging inklings of gnawing dread I had been feeling since I arrived on the surface had reached the point I could no longer ignore them. I turned to look at the group, “do you feel that?” I asked, looking between Golden and the Flower twins.

They nodded, looking towards the citadel. From were we where, we could see the base of the crystal castle. A mass of lime green crystal had formed around it where the crystal heart would have normally been. “Do you think?” Aloe asked.

“I do,” Lotus replied. “Changelings feed on love, and that crystal heart is just that.” At that moment there was a loud BOOOM from overhead. We all looked up to see a brilliant rainbow nova filling the sky over the empire. “Good to see our Dash keeping them off us. Lets smooth out the next knot well we have the time.”

Everypony save Pinkie nodded. “Pinkie?” Maud asked. I looked over to see Pinkie staring transfixed at the sky. The rainbows above reflected in her eyes. Maud's verbal nudge pulled Pinkie's attention back to the present, and we took off towards the massive ominous green formation.

“Incoming!” I heard Lotus cry as a large ball of sparking yellow energy few towards us. We dodged left, the attack impacting the street, sending sparks spaying in all directions. I could make out two armoured crystal ponies standing beside an arched entrance to the green crystal structure. “”Free form!' Lotus ordered. The ponies from group A scattered, taking four separated paths towards the imposing guards. The second guard aimed her lance at three of us still running together and released another ball of yellow lighting.

We scattered, Golden to the right, Winnow to the left. I tried to change my path but was too slow. The ball of energy scored a direct impacted into my side. I tensed up, my body waiting for the impending agony. No pain came. Rather, my vest fizzled and disintegrated into a black ash. The three hunks of chaos crystal tinkering harmlessly to the ground. “I'll get those, you to keep going.” Golden pushed, turning around to retrieved the fallen gems.

Thankfully the guards didn't get another shot off. Pinkie and Maud had closed the distance and engaged the two crystal ponies in hoof to hoof combat. The crystal ponies armour was imposing. They both wore spiked platemail with large full face helmets. A red light glowed from their eye slits. On their backs were mound long lances with mouth handles. The spa sister moved right past the guards, and into the unknown darkness. Panting, I sped past the fray, skidding to a halt inside the massive crystal changeling hive. It looked like a bees nest. The walls, floor, and ceiling were formed of green hexagonal crystal. In the centre of the huge space was a large jutting column. Encased within it was the crystal heart. Lines of soft blue and red light flowed from the heart, dissipating into the surrounding hive. All round us was the sound of countless buzzing wings.

Suddenly, the outside light was cut off as a large crystal pillar formed out of the ground, blocking the exist. “Winnow, you must free the heart.” Lotus whispered, “It will take any of us more time then we have.” The sisters readied themselves. A sea of blue eyes locked on us from all sides.

A look of determination came over Winnow. She speed forward. The changelings unleashing a barrage of magic blasts from their horns. Aloe and Lotus were quick to intercept, dancing around Winnow blocking each shot with their vested bodies. The changelings magic seemed to be far weaker then the blast that had hit me, and the Flower twin's vests looked to be holding up well against it. Winnow reached the column, and dug into it with her hooves. The changelings, seeing their magic was ineffective, dove towards her. I watched as Aloe and Lotus moved in almost perfect synchronicity, dodging, weaving, landing strike after strike on the oncoming changeling swarm.

I was torn, I wished with all my heart that I could help, but I had no vest, no energy, and was still out of breath. My mind was made for me when two changelings dropped from the ceiling in fount of me, “Nice smell you have earth pony.”

“Yes, you will taste vary delicious.”

I watched as they both changed, Standing before we were to copies of the pony I loved most deeply. They laughed, seeing me shirk in embarrassment. “Silly earth pony. Your heart belongs to us now,” they said in unison. I saw their horns flash, and felt my body freeze. Before my eyes I was being rapidly encased by the green crystal of the hive. I looked back at the others. Aloe and Lotus were pinned, green crystal forming over they helpless bodies. The crystal heart lay on the ground. Winnow was standing over it, her hooves raised. I could see tears in her eyes. Her hooves came down on the heart, shattering it to bits.