The Siren Song of Felaccia
Silver Lance sat a short distance away from the changeling’s guest suite. A creepy-crawly feeling dug into his back, sending shivers throughout him periodically. It wasn’t enough to push him away, though. There was something else he felt just as clearly.
Loneliness.
Confusion.
Sadness.
Each of the changelings felt it, he knew. But it was radiating from a central source. A core. They were just amplifiers. Or maybe dampeners. Maybe they were trying and failing to conceal the source of the emotion, so that nobody could be drawn to the pain.
There was no way he could help Mom and Dad. He knew that, even before he went to check on them. He just wanted to see for himself. But here… here he could maybe do something good.
A troop of changelings stood guard outside the suite. The leader, a chiseled old grump named Bugly, turned to him. The leader’s missing eye made Silver’s stomach churn, but he pushed past it. “What do you want, colt?”
“I saw that the queen was sad, so I brought some chocolate.” He held up a box, tied with a purple bow. “I think there’s enough for everybody.”
“The queen is not seeing anybody.” Commander Bugly snarled at Silver, but the young colt didn’t bat an eye. “You don’t seem afraid.”
“I’m not.”
The commander raised a chitinous eyebrow. “Why not?”
Silver braced himself for the usual conversation he had with adults whenever the topic came up. “Because I know you’re not gonna hurt me.”
Bugly almost looked insulted. “How could you possibly know that?”
“I just know.” Silver Lance tapped the side of his head. “In my knower.”
“We’re dangerous changelings.” Bugly’s good eye shot to one of his subordinates, who shrugged. “We might eat your soul.”
“Not really.” Silver Lance shook the box and the candies jangled. “Changelings only eat magic, not souls. I learned that in school.”
“So we’ll eat your magic.”
“Nah.” Silver Lance smiled in an unassuming sort of way. “You just want me to go away and stop bugging you.”
Commander Bugly stared quietly for a moment. “Will you?”
“Nope.”
“Come on, kid—”
“I just wanna give this to the queen.” Silver Lance lit his horn and held the gift over his head. “I think it’ll help a little.”
“Tenacious little—” Bugly scowled and took a step back. “Listen, kid. Sometimes you can’t help. Sometimes you just gotta leave well enough alone.”
“I don’t think that’s this time.” Silver gave the box a shake.
Bugly sighed. He scratched behind an ear with his hind leg. “I’ll ask the queen. But if she says so, you gotta scram, hear?”
“Yessir.”
***
Queen Chrysalis the Second of the Changelings lay in darkness. Enveloped by blankets. Shrouded in curtains. Sequestered with shadows. The twelve-year-old filly stared into the empty suite, taking in the full breadth of her recent realization.
Celestia could not be relied upon. Not indefinitely.
Her loss of control over the sun had to be the beginning of something deeper. Darker. Other kingdoms would seek the sun. Conflict would resume. The changelings would have to either stand aboard a sinking ship, or be swept away by the waves immediately.
Equestria itself could fall, the same as any kingdom. It was only as invincible as its sovereign.
The guards outside her door were the only military she had, save for the half-dozen guards she left with the hundred-or-so changelings that remained alive. The Changelings could never return. Even with the full might of a healthy Equestria behind them, they could merely survive.
But Equestria was not healthy.
Her people were as good as dead.
But she wouldn’t stand for it.
She, the discarded spawn of Queen Chrysalis the Tyrant. The follow-up to the most despicable villain to darken the Badlands. A failure in every sense. Every move she made to lift the changelings out of their hole ended in nothing but worthless gestures.
Delaying the inevitable.
She had long given up hope of ever finding King Thorax and his changelings. They’d been hiding ever since her mother’s Changeling Civil War. Lost. Forgotten. Unattainable.
But she had to do something. Her very soul cried out to lead them from the mire.
She left the bed behind and walked to the darkened window. Her horn sparked as she reconfigured her appearance. She had tried to maintain the disguise for the entire trip. She had tried to hide what she was, to spare Shining Armor and Cadenza the truth of what she was. She failed, and they all paid the consequences.
Perhaps Andean was right. Perhaps the changelings would be better off siding with him.
“There is hope.”
Chrysalis’ ears perked up, though she had not head the words. She had felt them in the core of her being.
“Queen Cicada is even now securing the power necessary to liberate the changelings.”
“Who’s there?” Chrysalis cast her eyes about the room, seeking without finding. “Identify yourself!”
“A proselyte of the Once and Future Queen. A servant of her right-hand enforcer.” The being’s presence could be felt through the balcony window. Chrysalis crept closer, narrowing her eyes. “She has commanded me to collect you, so that you might share in her victory.”
“Victory?” Chrysalis spat. “She is dead. A ghost. There is no way—”
“She is planting the Sunspear into the ancient capitol.” The voice was impassive, stating the facts as though reading from a history book. “She alone shall control the sun by the end of the day.”
“Alone?” Chrysalis felt a burning sensation grip her chest. Dread. She could see fire on the horizon, an oncoming, out-of-control blaze intended to consume all in its path. “Doesn’t Ahuizotl have the sun device?”
“When the spear is secure, and the power is restored,” the voice said, “she will destroy those in power until no government remains but the changelings, as in the Second Age. Andean shall be the first to die, and Ahuizotl shall follow.”
Only the glass and a set of drapes separated her from the presence. She hesitated, her hoof poised to pull the curtain aside. “Why does Queen Cicada want me?”
The answer sent chills running along the length of her tail. “You shall raise a new generation of changelings who know nothing of pain and strife. You are the key to Cicada’s perfect future, Chrysalis.”
She swallowed hard. She backed slowly away from the being, hoping that her guards would detect the presence and charge in.
She shook her head. “If I refuse?”
The window burst inward. A mechanical monstrosity strutted into the room, all clicking gears and glowing optics and bladed legs. It matched her adult-disguised size, meeting her eye to artificial eye. A leg reached out for her, but she leaped into the air. “Don’t touch me!”
At that moment, an explosion rocked the castle.
***
Shining Armor stood to his feet as tremors rumbled through the halls. It felt like an entire thunderstorm had unloaded its ammo right in the dining hall. “The girls!”
A Royal Guardspony trampled past. Shining stopped him with a foreleg. “Do you know anything?”
“All I know is there’s an intruder in the dining hall with an enchanted lightning orb.” The soldier continued his march as fast as he could. “That’s all that’s come down the grapevine!”
Shining Armor stomped a hoof. He had to move. Flurry and Amore could be in danger. He turned to knock on the door again; his armor and javelins were in the suite.
Cadence opened the door before he could move.
Husband and wife stared at each other for a critical, painful, eternally short moment. “Cadence…” Shining choked back tears. “I’ve got to—”
“I’m coming, too.” She levitated his armor onto his body. He set about fastening the clasps. A set of silver plates interlocked across her back as well. “We’ll talk later. We have to.”
“Cuss.” He blushed at his wife. “Sorry. Language.”
She shrugged at him. “What can I say? We’re in a real rut, hon.”
She filled his quiver with javelins and attached the weapons to his side. “Is Lance with the girls, do you know?”
“No, he’s in this wing.” Shining took off at a deep stride. “The sooner we put down the intruder, the safer he’ll be.”
***
Rumble opened the door of his and Scootaloo’s shared suite. His injured wing shivered at his side, jolting with occasional shocks of pain. Scootaloo landed on his back to look over his head, and Rainbow Dash hovered over her. The three of them looked up and down the corridor, seeing a massive trample of servants and guardsponies scatter this way and that.
Rumble waved at a passing guard he recognized. “Sturm! What’s up?”
Sturm and his partner Drang slowed, but did not stop. “Intruder alert. Have you seen Prince Silver Lance?”
Rainbow Dash exited the room and rose into the hall’s air-lane. She shadowed her eyes despite the lack of sunlight. “Is he missing? You need help?”
Drang glanced up at her. “We could use an eye in the sky. The attack’s in the dining hall, but we need to secure the royal children.”
Sturm began to walk backwards to keep Rumble in his sights. “You oughta rest up. That wing looks bad.”
“My legs’re fine.” Rumble shut the door behind him, Scootaloo still astride his shoulders. She flitted off and hovered beside Rainbow Dash, flashing a salute with the wrong hoof. “I can take the left corridor if you guys wanna take the right.”
“We’ll meet back here in ten minutes,” Scootaloo said. “If nobody finds him, we can split back up.”
Sturm and Drang nodded, and sped on their way. Scootaloo looked ahead and let out a sigh. “Oog. That’s where the changelings are staying. He probably won’t be there.”
“That’s what we gotta find out.” Rumble set out at a canter. “Just don’t make eye contact with Bugly.”
Rainbow Dash looped overhead and flew upside down. “Which one’s Bugly?”
“The one who really, reeeealy lives up to his name.”
***
Celestia flipped the table with a spell, shielding the children from the shock of the Bolting magic orb. Wood burned away, revealing the solid metal beneath. Her coat stood on end as the Painted One readied another blast. Her guards scrambled towards the villain, but the sheer energy contained within the orb radiated enough electrical power to numb limbs, fling spears from grips, and completely scramble the magic shield surrounding their bodies.
A flash of Celestia’s horn dragged Natter, Sky Wishes, and the injured Slab Bulkhead behind the table. “Get the children out of here! Now!”
Natter could only sputter, but set about his assigned task all the same. He lifted Twilight Amore onto his back, and Sky did the same for Flurry. The children covered their ears as thunder and lightning assailed the dining hall. Bulkhead removed his melted, malformed chest plate and used it as a shield to push their way out of the room, towards the exit.
Celestia climbed over the table with catlike grace. She spread her wings, making a large target out of herself. She drew the Painted One’s eyes immediately, and he sprang into action. A thunderbolt the likes of which would light up the skies of Canterlot shot towards her.
A glistening, round, razor-edged shield halted it in its tracks. The awesome power ricocheted upwards to impact against the ceiling. Another shield floated along beside the first. And another. And yet another.
Celestia stood strong behind a blockade of six shields, each one decorated with the same symbol that made up her cutie mark: A noontide sun. A haze of smoke and static clouded the air between them. “Guardsponies, stand back and wait for the moment to strike!”
***
The sound of volleygun fire filled the sky above the Felaccian capitol. The Blitzwings hunkered down on the spires and battlements, taking aim at the hundreds of bug-shaped Strutters buzzing the castle. For each ship that fell, the hole in the ranks was swiftly swallowed up. They were too small for heavy artillery to hit, so the regulars were scrambling to switch from cannonballs to flak.
Any airship that attempted to flank the mountainside and fire upon the Hesperus Mactans was torched to cinders by the mechanical spider’s lasers.
Each strike of Andean’s sword that managed to pierce Ahuizotl’s defenses collided uselessly with the mad god’s armor. Ahuizotl, too, found Andean’s armor difficult to pierce. Their duel degenerated by the minute into a violent melee of thrown fists and thunderous strikes. An jerked elbow from Ahuizotl flung the Euroclydon from Andean’s loose grip. The pommels of the Wyrmslayer blades came down upon the king’s head, guiding his beak into the stone.
A lionesque roar tore from Andean’s throat. He grasped Ahuizotl by the shoulders and spread his wings. His talons dug into his foe’s shoulders until he was completely locked in. A burst of wind from his wings lifted Ahuizotl into the air, his hind legs barely scraping along the ground.
The hand at the end of Ahuizotl’s tail grasped a Wrymslayer and drove it into Andean’s side. The red-hot tip penetrated the armor and sent a searing pain through the king’s body. Andean tightened his grip and rolled, throwing the both of them to the ground. He nearly had what he wanted. He just needed another moment.
With one Wyrmslayer dropped, Ahuizotl grasped his remaining blade with both forepaws. He levered it between the plates in Andean’s armor, seeking to do permanent, mortal damage. He screeched aloud as Andean’s talons found Ahuizotl’s bone.
With the pain growing too fierce, and his short-term mission nearly accomplished, Andean released the mad god and ran towards Euroclydon. Ahuizotl pursued him every step of the way, his blade blazing and his grin widening.
Andean kicked him in the chin, lifted Euroclydon, and sliced at Ahuizotl’s shoulder.
The clasp for the bejeweled breastplate, weakened by Andean’s attack, severed completely. The armor fell away, exposing Ahuizotl’s chest and back. The mad god stared in wide-eyed shock as Andean drew back for a fatal stab.
A cloud of Strutters broke off from the main group. They positioned themselves behind Ahuizotl and opened fire. Andean lifted his sword to shield his eyes. The blasts had no effect on the blade itself, but they chewed through Andean’s armor. The feathers of one wing charred to useless bristles. The skin of one foreleg was gashed and red.
Captain Crested Barbary descended on the foremost Strutter and sliced the Painted One pilot in twain. He raised his off-talon and fired on the other ships with his four-shot Turner volleygun. Five of the Strutters slumped to the top of the tower, while the others took off in pursuit of the Blitzwing captain.
With one talon refusing to work properly, and one wing out of commission, Andean gripped the hilt of Euroclydon in one claw and lay the blade across the other foreleg. Ahuizotl shrugged of the pain in his shoulders as he twirled both Wyrmslayers.
The mad god smiled. “You’re only going to embarrass yourself, Your Grace. Shut your eyes, and I shall make a clean slice.”
Andean narrowed his eyes. “You’re the fool who’s cornered a predator.”
“Your troops are struggling to make headway, and I control the skies.” He raised a saber heavenward. “Soon I shall be lord of the skies!”
Andean jabbed, and Ahuizotl deflected. A downward strike from the mad god prompted Andean to raise his blade to intercept. He just as quickly stabbed Euroclydon towards the ground to block the lower follow-up attack.
The mad god and the griffon king circled each other, each far more wary now that their armor had been destroyed. One wrong move spelled death for the both of them.
***
Button Mash flinched as a Strider hit the ground beside him. He continued his mad run towards Cicada and Sweetie Belle, blood dripping from a debris-given cut on his forehead. Blankety moved alongside him, moving as fast as he could despite the cracks in his carapace. Martial ran rather than try flying through a sky full of lasers. He cast glances back at Ahuizotl and his uncle, his attention not split so much as fractured.
“You can’t kill that thing,” Caballeron said to Button. “Cicada’s not a creature anymore. She’s all but a fairy, giving life to a suit of mechanical armor.”
“We don’t have to kill her to save Sweetie.” Button sucked in a gulp of air. “We just have to stop the sun device from plugging in.”
The four of them skidded to a halt. Antlike Striders scurried across the castle roof, their red eyes trained on the Knights and their allies.
Blankety pulled Martial’s bag open and hastily handed out potions to each of them. “E-explosives! Aim for the feet!”
Button took a jar of the bubbling liquid and scanned for a target. There! A Strider prepping its laser cannon! He launched the potion with an overhand throw and hit somewhere behind the target. The blast was instantaneous and devastating. Three Striders buckled, their metal hide bent out of shape.
Caballeron grinned. “Clear a path!”
Several potions arced into the mob of mechanical foot soldiers. Those that did not scatter were blown to pieces. The four of them charged through the newly-formed gap, leaping over melting legs and broken gears. Still, more Striders moved to fill the space. Button sidestepped a swipe from a sword-like leg. A green potion broke against the ground, from which sprang a large, multi-vined piranha plant. The vine tangled up with the automatons, growing tighter with each Strutter that struggled.
Button’s eyes lit up. “Those are Apple Bloom’s potions?”
Martial grunted as he blocked a strike with his rapier. “Perceptive.”
Button eased himself behind Caballeron so that the older stallion could get in close with his spur. “Did she give you any Balloon Juice?”
Martial scowled. “Balloon Juice?”
“J-just one vial,” Blankety said. He passed the requested potion to Button. “Wh-why?”
“It has a funny reaction to magic…” Button hefted the vial and gritted his teeth. “Can one of you guys break this in midair?”
Martial pulled his Turner from his belt. “I’ll handle it.”
Button took aim at the largest cluster of Strutters. “Say when.”
Martial closed one eye. “Pull!”
Button launched the vial over the crowd. Martial sucked in a breath, held it, and squeezed the trigger. The vial shattered, and a clear liquid showered the Strutters.
One by one, the automatons began to float in midair. They tumbled, their legs scrambling for purchase. Before long, dozens of Striders littered the sky, causing trouble for the airborne ships buzzing the Felaccian defenses.
Caballeron lowered his eyebrows. “What in the blazes?”
“Balloon Juice. It reacts with the heart’s magic to make a pony lighter than air.” Button let out a titter of relief. “I guess it still works when there’s just a heart.”
“And you said you only had one vial?”
Button turned, his ears laid across his head. The voice had been feminine, mechanical, and quite bug-like. He looked up, up, up to see Cicada’s armored head bearing down on him.
“Good,” Cicada said. She hit Button with a mean right cross.
Martial fired a volleygun slug right into her chest, but it pattered harmlessly to the ground. He stuck the Turner back into his belt and swung his rapier, scouring Cicada’s shell with the tip of his blade. A kinetic blast of force hit him in the chest, followed by a gearbox-powered kick.
Caballeron and Blankety grasped her hind legs to weigh her down. Martial directed a thrust into her neck, but found no flesh to pierce. Her jaw opened, contorted, and clasped around his blade. She wrenched her head to the side, snapping his wootz rapier.
Martial clutched the hilt of his severed blade, his face turning a pretty shade of purple. “Why do you mechanical types keep breaking my bloody swords?”
She answered with a headbutt that sent his beak chattering. He batted at her with his wings as he backpedaled.
Button grasped an explosive potion from the bag. He reeled back to chuck it at the queen. His hoof stopped halfway through its arc. A sickly green glow surrounded his foreleg. He gaped in horror as it drew closer to his mouth, until the rounded bottle was placed firmly between his teeth.
Caballeron and Blankety released the queen. Martial halted, rubbing his beak ruefully. Button felt his heartrate increase by the second as sweat pooled on the tips of his mane.
River Cicada turned to Sweetie, who stood by the Sunspear, surrounded by Strutters. “Well, Miss Belle? Is this the incentive you desire?”
***
Stella stared out the rear viewport of the Corona airship. Roc burned behind them, the fires from the castle intermingling with cannonfire and crashing Strutters. Corona put her talons on her little sister’s shoulders. If she looked hard, she could see the blue lightning of their father’s sword clashing with the red fire of Ahuizotl’s.
They were on the last ship to leave Roc. The other lords and ladies of the Felaccian court had dispersed, leaving them to ride with Lord Morphnus Barbary, whose younger brother captained the Blitzwings. The Barbarys and the Ursagryphs had long been allies and friends, trustworthy to one another.
Less trustworthy were the other two lords joining them; Aquila Gildwing and Bubo Tigris. These two had history with nearly all the lords. Corona half-suspected they had been placed aboard the Corona so that she and Morphnus could keep an eye on them.
But she found great difficulty taking her eyes off the battle.
“If we were going by sheer numbers…” Aquila’s iron beak clicked in time with his syllables. “Ahuizotl’s forces have the clear advantage. More machines continue to pour from the flyder.”
Tigris rested his considerable bulk against the twisted wooden cane he kept by his side. His owlish eyes blinked, a gray fog coating them. “Many good griffon lives will be lost today. It seems Ahuizotl was as prepared for this eventuality as Andean was.”
Corona swallowed hard. She looked over the city below, which lay quiet despite the destruction. “Sending the people into the caves spared us needless loss.”
Stella pulled away from Corona. She wiped her eyes and huddled on a chair facing the cliffs.
Morphnus looked at the little griffon. He spoke at a half-whisper to Corona, out of the side of his beak. “Some might say all loss is needless.”
Corona grasped her beak. She released it just enough to speak quietly. “Some don’t know how the world works, sir. What it takes to stop evil.”
Tigris coughed in the back of his throat. “You believe this Ahuizotl to be… evil?”
“He has no goodness in him, Lord Tigris.” Corona gestured to the battle. “If he had, this could have been avoided.”
“Bah.” Aquila Gildwing waved a dismissive talon. “Andean had always planned to fight Ahuizotl. If not, he would not have sent us away, nor would he have prepared our army. The entire alliance was a farce.”
“Good,” Stella muttered.
The red blade bit into the blue sword. Euroclydon’s lightning struck the castle.
Corona clenched her fist and rested it against the window pane. The Hesperus Mactans billowed with yet more reinforcements. The defenders of Roc—of Felaccia—would soon be overrun. Wiped out. To a griffon. The regulars, the Blitzwings…
Father…
Her talon opened and rested against the spot where she could see her father. She clicked her beak. “Isn’t there more we can do?”
“You father ordered our evacuation.” Morphnus shrugged, his voice strained. She could see in his eyes that Crested Barbary was on his mind. “I fear my hands are tied, or I face the wrath of the king.”
“Indeed,” Aquila scoffed. “Imagine the punishment we would draw if his little treasures were in any way damaged.”
Morphnus lowered his ears. His frown was more heard than seen. “You don’t have children, do you, Aquila?”
“I had a daughter.” Aquila Gildwing turned away, talking a seat at a small bar built into the observation room. “Once upon a time.”
Morphnus waited for him to continue. When the wait proved fruitless, he let out a small “tsk” and stood beside Corona at the viewport.
The elder princess ground her beak. “They’re too busy fighting the strike craft. If they connect the Sunspear, Roc is gone.”
Morphnus furrowed his brow, his talon cradling his chin. “If only we had more reinforcements—”
“Corona!” Stella hopped up in her seat and pointed to the west. “Look! Look out there!”
Corona flew across the room. She placed her talons on the back of Stella’s chair and looked across the cliffs surrounding Roc. There, in the distance—ships?
Morphnus Barbary peered at the flotilla. “It seems to be an entire navy. But whose?”
Bubo Tigris leaned forward. “Reinforcements? Allies?”
Corona spotted the flagship and deciphered its colors immediately. “It’s Equestria! Princess Luna came to help!”
“What?” Tigris’ beak snapped shut with a resounding clack! “Ponies? Coming to our aid? Idiocy!”
“Idiocy?” Morphnus glared at Tigris over his shoulder. “Have we not collaborated with them time and again? The defense of the Saddle Arabian border—”
“Idiocy to allow their military entrance into our country.” Bubo Tigris slapped his cane against the floor. “I’ll not see Felaccia become a protectorate of Equestria!”
Corona hovered in midair before the aged griffon. “But Luna’s forces could be just the push we need to turn the tide—”
“They’re not coming,” Aquila said.
The others turned to him, all silent, all pensive. Aquila took a swig of his drink and shook his head. “I saw them an hour ago. They haven’t moved.”
Stella spun her chair around, gripping the back in her tiny claws. “Well then somebody’s gotta call them! We can radio Luna right now!”
“No!” Tigris stood from his chair, his back creaking audibly. “I forbid it!”
Corona landed before him, dwarfed by his mass. “How can you say that? If they don’t know—”
“If we let them into Felaccia,” Tigris shouted, “they will destroy the sun device!” He returned to his seat, letting out a dusty breath. “And then the world shall be lost.” He stared at each griffon in turn, his talons tapping against his cane. “We shall follow the king’s plan for as long as we are able. Clear?”
Corona turned her back on him, unable to fight with that thought. Not with any hope of success. Of course Luna would destroy the sun device. She had shown, time and time again, that she would fight tooth and hoof against anything that threatened her family.
But weren’t Corona and Stella also her family?
Corona wasn’t sure anymore.
***
The violence around Sweetie Belle brought back memories of her childhood, oddly enough. It seemed like the Cutie Mark Crusaders were caught up in every madcap battle and adventure that found its way to Equestria. The Changeling Invasion and later the Changeling Civil War. The Return of Nightmare Moon. The Conquest of the Storm King. Tirek’s Rampage. Discord’s—um—existence.
They’d always faced them together.
But Sweetie was alone.
Worse than alone. She had people relying on her. Button’s silent scream gnawed at her heart. He seemed to be pleading with her not to sing. She knew he would be the first to willingly sacrifice himself to prevent Cicada from winning. To prevent a madcreature from controlling the sun. He would give up his life to defend his home, his people, his friends.
So Sweetie knew she had to do everything in her power to keep him alive.
Andean and Ahuizotl clashed in the near distance. Strutters gathered, ready to slay in an instant. A battle raged across the skies. Sweetie Belle closed her eyes to put the chaos from her mind. She focused on the hearts beating within the Sunspear. They beat at irregular rhythms, fear clouding their lives. She couldn’t give them peace, but Sweetie could give them direction. She could give them purpose and drive.
With the sounds of war offering percussion, Sweetie opened her mouth. She lent rhyme to the rhythm as the song slipped from her lips.
“The mournful siren
Fights a battle that won’t see an end
Time grows short
Power reveals
The weight of all I apprehend
“The mournful siren
Fights a battle for total control
So hear my song
And heed my voice
Your misbegotten role”
She felt it immediately. The hearts within the Sunspear beat with one accord, in conjunction with her own. The pace was feverish. Her breath grew short. She turned venomous eyes upon the impassive queen of the changelings, gritting her teeth as the song radiated through the battlefield.
“Standing tall
Heroes fall
Sin revealed, pain congealed!
“Reject the past
Realize at last
You’ve been defeated, kneel and yield!”
With the volume of a full orchestra, the power of a mighty chorus pealed out from the hearts. Not just the ones trapped in the sun device, but those contained within the Strutters. Their spiraling patterns revolved around the castle, their weapons falling in with the rhythm.
Griffon voices joined in. The entire city echoed with the chorus, even as the violence raged.
“The mournful siren
Fights a battle that won’t see an end
Time grows short
Power reveals
The weight of all she apprehends
“The mournful siren
Fights a battle for total control
So hear her song
And heed her voice
Our misbegotten role”
Sweetie Belle walked towards Cicada, slowly and surely. The queen took a single step back, her head swiveling to take in the actions of her forces. Her horns glowed, and her voice projected. “Return to the battle! Annihilate the defenders!”
Sweetie Belle drew close to Button, who tried with all his might to take his hoof away from his face. Cicada’s spell maintained its hold, inches away from ending his life.
“Your passion lacks
Taken aback
Since all along you’ve been wrong!
“So full of hate
Denied your fate
Fall to pieces in my song!”
Panic-stricken expressions fell across Blankety, Caballeron, and Martial as their voices sang alongside hers, lifting up lyrics they didn’t know. Ahuizotl and Andean’s swordplay slowed as they, too, were caught up in the natural siren’s song. The only ones not singing were Button and Cicada.
Sweetie couldn’t worry about that. She had the hearts aligned with hers. She needed only command them. But how? She’d never consciously directed anybody before. She hadn’t dared! It was an invasion of privacy, a mockery of free-will! But she was desperate. So very desperate.
“The mournful siren
Fights a battle that won’t see an end
Time grows short
Power reveals
The weight of all she apprehends
“The mournful siren
Fights a battle for total control
So hear her song
And heed her voice
Our misbegotten role”
A massive clatter of mechanical parts sounded behind Sweetie. She spun and beheld horror. The hearts had acted without her intervention. The Sunspear’s metallic talons extended and seated itself within the mounting port. Power flowed from deep within the core of the mountain to the changeling device. Green magic tinged the edges of the sun device; Sweetie realized with a start that Cicada had been controlling it throughout the song.
River Cicada sang. It had not the power or influence of Sweetie’s siren song, but served instead to dispel its effects.
“A flimsy whim
A shattered hymn
Your deepest cries all defied!
“You’ve lost your chance
A failed romance
Your final struggle is a lie!”
With her attention weakened, Button was finally able to break out of Cicada’s grip. He spat the explosive potion to the ground, where it rolled across the tower. He scrambled after it, grasping with blunt hooves. He overshot it, falling to his chin.
Sweetie’s horn shimmered. She pushed the bottle beside his hoof. When it connected, he kicked on instinct. The potion flew straight for the center of Cicada’s chest. The deposed queen reacted with a fiery spell.
The ensuing explosion knocked Sweetie Belle off her feet.
Her ears rang. Her eyes clouded with blurry whiteness. Her mind seemed clear; emptied. She couldn’t quite remember what happened. Strange sensations touched her limbs. Was somebody shouting at her? She seemed to be lying still on stone—she couldn’t have been dead. Wetness trickled from beneath her mane.
A sturdy paw clasped around her throat, cutting off any questions. Blueness filled her vision. A smell like dead fish and burning oil stung her nostrils.
Ahuizotl held her tight to his chest. Singed patches of fur covered the mad god from his battle with Andean. He looked back over his shoulder; the griffon king’s roar could be heard fast approaching.
Cicada pointed a metallic hoof to the edge of the battlements. “Take her away from here! Silence her song and get the Sunspear operational! I’ll deal with the king!”
Ahuizotl appeared uncertain for a moment, like he wanted to counter her order with one of his own. His eyes fell upon the Sunspear. A spark appeared in the depths of his blackened soul. A grimacing smile overtook his face. Sweetie knew exactly what he wanted most: Control of the sun. It was so close. So nearly within his grasp.
Ahuizotl leaped over the side of the tower, his killer claws digging into the stone to slow his descent.
***
Button Mash spat out a tooth. He wasn’t too concerned with it. A visit to Zecora would have his dental facilities right as rain in no time flat. He was more concerned with the massive griffon king bearing down on his position.
Andean swung his sword in a wide arc. Thunder and lightning played across the blade. Electricity sent Button’s mane standing on end. It was not Button that Andean was aiming for—it was Queen Cicada. She sidestepped the sword as she commanded Ahuizotl to retreat.
Button let out a cry of rage as Ahuizotl leaped from the parapets, Sweetie Belle clutched in his massive paws.
He had to follow. But how? The walls were practically sheer stone. He’d have to grow wings in order to—
He looked across the tower’s top. The dragonfly-shaped Strutters left behind by Crested Barbary’s rescue remained quiet. Lifeless, if only for the Painted Ones draped across the controls. A closer look revealed that power still flowed through their systems. They were primed and ready to fly.
The shriek of magic against metal raked across his ears. Andean had finally connected with the queen, but a shield of green fire protected her from harm. She responded with a blast of infernal energies that scorched his already-damaged wing.
Orange, honeycombed panels protruded from Cicada’s back. She rose into the air on the mechanical wings, out of Andean’s reach. He screeched at her and pointed the blade, but his attack was completely ineffectual.
“Andean Ursagryph,” Cicada said, her voice loud enough for all to hear, “for defying the sovereignty of the Changeling Empire, for defying the will of its queen, for preventing proper use of the Sunspear, for harboring ill will to the world, I sentence you to death.”
Andean clutched a bleeding wound with one talon while the other swung Euroclydon. “Then slay me if you can, deposed queen! I shall fight you ‘til my final hour! Felaccia will never surrender! Felaccia lives on!”
The Hesperus Mactans climbed over the edge of the castle. A series of magic cannons swiveled to point at Andean Ursagryph. Their glow turned blinding white.
Button’s voice cracked. “Your Grace, look out!”
Martial picked himself off the ground. He sprinted for his uncle, his talons digging into the stone dust.
Cicada spoke quietly. “Felaccia lives long. But I live forever.”
Andean stabbed Euroclydon into the ground. A shield of electricity surrounded him, Button, Blankety, Caballeron, and Martial, just before the Hesperus Mactans hit its mark. The ground around them erupted in ash and brimstone, while the ground beneath them crumbled.
They fell into fire and smoke, and darkness engulfed them.
***
“Papa!” Stella screeched, her tiny fists pounding the viewscreen. “Papa, no!”
Corona saw it all. Her eagle-sharp vision watched as her father and the other defenders disappeared in an explosion of raw magic power. Half of the tower caved in on itself, but the Sunspear stood tall.
And there a mechanical monster hovered, her magic guiding the attack on Roc. Her horns flashed as she tweaked something on the Sunspear, then she flew into the mouth of the giant flyder-shaped automaton straddling the castle.
Bubo Tigris leaned on his cane with a weighty sigh. “So the battle is lost, then. We must retreat and gather our armies to take back the capitol.”
Words sprang to Corona’s mouth, but she swallowed them down. Every fiber of her being said to fight. Every ounce of her will was put to work preventing such an outburst.
Lord Morphnus Barbary was silent for a moment, obviously taken aback by the sight of Andean disappearing in such a violent manner. He looked to the other side of Roc, where the Regulars were fighting with the same fervor that they’d started the battle with. “We still have enough troops to put up a fight. It’s not over yet.”
“Are you mad?” Aquila Gildwing tossed a cup to the ground. It was made of plastic, so it bounced rather than shattered. He gazed at it with mild scorn, then glowered at Morphnus. “That… thing working with Ahuizotl has taken control of the sun device. Those griffons are as good as dead. We shall be as good as dead if we do not make haste.”
Corona looked out across the sea. She could still see Luna’s armada. Luna could control the sun. Maybe she could prevent the sun device from firing?
But that would be tantamount to handing the sun device over to her.
Would it be worth it?
“We have to save Papa.” Stella grabbed Corona’s arm. “Tell them, Corona! We have to go back and make sure he’s okay.”
Corona’s throat constricted. “Papa can take care of himself.”
“But he can’t take care of everybody by himself.” Stella tugged Corona to the viewport closest to the sea. “Luna can help. She always said she would. She wouldn’t do anything to hurt us.” A serious expression overtook Stella’s face. Her voice grew low. “She would do the right thing, Corona. I know she would.”
Corona clicked her beak. “But what is the right thing?”
“You know what it is.” Stella nodded. “You just gotta admit it to yourself.”
Corona looked across the ocean. The flotilla awaited word from Felaccia. She could see ponies ready for war. Ready to defend.
Lord Tigris twisted a knob on a radio waiting beside his chair. He spoke into the mic with the immense gravitas that befit the situation. “This is Bubo Tigris, Steward of Felaccia. I order the Stella and Corona to move, full speed ahead. Roc is lost.”
“What of the Equestrian Navy, My Lord?”
Bubo sighed from the depths of his soul. “Tell them to go home. They are not wanted in Felaccia.”
“Belay that order!”
Shame immediately washed over Corona’s face as the lords look on. Total shock was an understatement. They were astonished.
Bubo in particular was incensed. “Know your place, girl. Your father is no longer on the throne. As acting king, I command—”
“I am the eldest daughter of Andean Ursagryph.” Corona spread her red-feathered wings. “I have just as much a claim to the throne as you, Lord Tigris. Perhaps a greater claim.”
Aquila stood from the bar. He moved to stand beside Bubo, his talon on the hilt of his sword.
Stella made an attempt to stand by Corona’s side. She was stopped by Morphnus, who laid a claw on her shoulder. He shook his head, motioning to wait.
“You are yet a child of sixteen.” Tigris tapped his cane with a blue ring he wore around one talon. “You are in far over your head, girl.”
Corona indicated the armada with a wingtip. “Look! Equestria waits to jump in and help us save Roc! To save Felaccia and the world! To save the griffons fighting and those trapped in the caves!” She strode forward until she was eye-to-eye with Bubo. “Luna can control the sun. This is nothing new. With her at our side, we have a chance of actually stopping the sun device!”
Bubo Tigris growled deep in his throat. “She will stop it by destroying it.”
Corona shook her head. “I believe she will do the right thing.”
Lord Tigris snarled. “She will not get the chance.”
“As Acting Queen—” Corona held out a talon towards the ancient lord. “—I order you to contact the Equestrian navy.”
Aquila Gildwing drew his saber and menaced Corona with its blade. “The crown is won through bloodshed, little girl! Not through posturing or birthright! If you seek the crown, you must be willing to bear arms!”
Morphnus lanced a blade between the two of them, carrying Aquila’s point away from Corona’s chest. “Do not draw a blade on the king’s daughter, Aquila! You’ll be forced to contend with all the people of Felaccia for such a foul action.”
Aquila drew his saber back, metal shrieking against metal. “If the brat wishes to pretend herself an adult, then she should suffer the consequences of adulthood!”
Corona jumped into the air and hovered, her red-trimmed wings brimming with magic. “Then I accept your challenge for the crown!”
Morphnus gaped at her, his sword dropping to the ground. “Is now really the time—?”
“I have a chance to save Roc. To mend the broken ties between Felaccia and Equestria. To rescue my father!” Corona flew to the corner of the observation room. She took her spear off its sling and gripped it tight in both talons. She landed before Aquila and Bubo in a ready stance. “I’ll fight you, Aquila, and you, Bubo, and whoever else desires the throne. It belongs to the Ursagryphs!”
Aquila shoved Morphnus away. He charged with his wings flapping, and his iron beak snapping. Corona flipped her spear end-over-end and impacted the bottom of his chin. She swung her body around to slice his sword-talon, disarming him. She leaped up to press the spear haft against his throat, and threw him to the ground.
She unclipped the iron beak and tossed it across the room. A solid punch to the side of the head left him dazed.
Corona returned to her ready stance and faced Bubo.
“Please, Lord Tigris,” she said quietly. “We have a chance to make things right.”
Bubo Tigris gave an unimpressed glance to the unconscious Aquila on the floor. “I can see that you cannot be stopped, Princess Ursagryph. That, like your father, you shall fight until death takes you.” He raised his talon to look at the blue ring he owned. It brimmed with magical energy, ready to strike. “But you are not your father. Nor are you yet queen.”
He tapped his cane against the deck. “I cannot stop you, but I shall take no part in your defense of Roc. Whatever you do shall be of your own accord. I shall pray that the Ursagryphs do not leave Felaccia a pile of ashes.”
Corona grasped the radio and called the control room. “Yes, operator? This is Princess Corona! I need you to contact the Equestrian fleet! Get me a line straight to Luna!”
She waited a tense moment. Before long, though, a familiar voice hailed on the other side of the signal. “Corona? What is the meaning of this? We were just told to leave.”
“Things have changed, Princess Luna!” Corona said in Equestrian. “They’ve connected the sun device! You might be the only hope to save Felaccia! Please, come. Please help us fight Ahuizotl!”
Bubo bowed his head and shook it, gripping his staff close to his chest. He stood up and slowly shuffled from the room, while Morphnus could do nothing but watch in total silence.
Princess Corona Ursagryph stood before the battle flaring in the distance, her spear in one talon, and the radio receiver in the other. Her wings spread, and specks of light glistened on the ends of the feathers. Stella stood beside her, brandishing a small rapier. The sisters shared a small, quick smile.
“As acting queen, I would like to formally invite the Equestrian Armed Forces to aid us in the defense of Roc.” Corona slammed the butt of her spear against the deck. “Felaccia calls for aid!”
***
“Felaccia calls for aid!”
Luna stared at the cliffsides that made up the natural border of the Kingdom of Felaccia. “And Equestria will answer her.” Despite herself, a small smile crawled its way across her lips. She lowered the radio mic and hailed the ponies under her command with the Royal Canterlot Voice. “All hands on deck! Make way for Roc! For the defeat of Ahuizotl! For the rights of the Sapient! For the defense of our friends! For the sake of Harmony! My Little Ponies, we sail at once!”
Apple Bloom struggled to buckle her armor, before a gentle spell from Luna’s horn set it right. Apple Bloom nodded her thanks, then strapped a bag of potions over her shoulder.
“Stay by my side, Apple Bloom. We shall see our fair share of action.” Luna set a golden helmet on her head. Her armor shimmered as a field of magic fell around her body. “Keep an eye out for Sweetie and Button, but do not let your guard down.”
“Yes ma’am, Princess Luna.” Apple Bloom’s helmet didn’t quite sit right on her head at first, but after a moment, the armor resized itself to suit her. “I been meanin’ to ask, why ain’t you got a weapon?”
“On the contrary, Apple Bloom. I am the most heavily armed pony on the field of battle.” The princess tapped her horn. “I carry my entire arsenal with me at all times. I was personally trained in the art of combat by Clover the Clever herself.”
She stood at the prow of the Buttercup’s Folly, the wind kicking at her mane and tail. “Trust me, Apple Bloom, when I say that you are about to witness some serious horseapples.”
Stats
Page generated in 0.02 seconds
Total duration
982 users online
1,614,438 hits today, 2,004,447 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Just when I was wondering when this would update again. Nice!
You just couldn't help yourself, huh?
What a kick-flank action chapter!
Silver Lance should assert sibling prerogative.
Future Queen being the operative word here. River plans to make Chryssy junior a brood cow. Time for Shining Armor to go all Liam Neesan!
You better watch it, that and a p-word or two will get this story a mature rating.
Both Celestia and her personal guard have been jolted into greater preparedness by Hurricane.
This entire fighting scene is so riveting! I feel like you were inspired here by Optimus and Megatron fighting each other, including how the grunts would occasionally interfere but kind of cancel each other out. And of course, you don't get the easy choice of laser blasts to show hits but not have them matter (something I always dislike).
Does this violate Apple Bloom's rule about not using alchemy to harm others?
Hehe, reminds me of that scene in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Take it from a veteran tabletop gamer, if you are going to fight robots with swords, make sure they are heavily enchanted.
At this point I actually kind of agree with Tigris. Long term the world really, really needs another sun device.
In retrospect, demanding a pony sing seems like a really bad idea.
Ah boo, BOO! River has magical singing too?
Ah yeah, that's some great couple-fighting!
That's a great villain line.
Here's where he lost me. The facts on the ground changed but he hasn't reconsidered things.
I thought this was the climactic battle, but its building to an even bigger one next chapter.
9845983 All must unite to stop the Lord of the Rings... of Scorchero.
9845983
I was pretty sure after a while that I had written the entire Equestria vs Felaccia subplot just so I could use that line one day.
Horses coming to the defense of a reluctant warrior nation holed up in a mountain fortress, facing an immortal foe that's basically a living suit of armor? A'yep, definitely planned this from the start.
9849469
The poor boy actually doesn't know yet. Might not be old enough to understand the situation.
I have a very peculiar set of skills, most of them shield-related. I will hunt you down. And I will sic my O&O gang on you.
Thank you for saying so! I've been looking forward to this fight, though not as much as the fight between Ahuizotl and
REDACTED, which is sure to be a showstopper. Of course I've been inspired by many an awesome sword fight, and many an epic brawl between giants.I;ve always liked the final battle of First Knight, that King Arthur movie from the nineties starring Sean Connery as Arthur. Say what you will about the movie, the final battle is just epic enough to capture my imagination, and includes much mook-to-hero interference, and many a traded sword-strike.
A Jerry Goldsmith score elevates it quite a bit, too.
Apple Bloom specifically states she wouldn't give a potion she wouldn't drink herself. I figure an oversized cherry bomb isn't gonna be too much of an ethical violation.
It's more a rule to discourage the brewing of love potions and poisons than anything else.
Eh, less magical singing and more good timing with her derisive couplets.
On the other hoof, her singing is so bad she starts a war with it. Go fig.
No way, man! There's so much more climax to be had! I've had over 200,000 words to build this thing up, and I'll be darned if I don't fire every single gun in Chekhov's armory!
Celestia bursts in on Daring Do, wearing Twilght Sparkle's Starswirl costume. "Is it secret?! Is it safe?!"