The Last Changeling War

by Coyote de La Mancha

Chapter Seven: The War Council of Equestria.

“Hey, everypony,” Princess Twilight said as she entered. “I... Sunny?”

For her part, Sunrise could only stare, eyes wide, visibly shaking. The sisters had only just begun to take a step forward when the amber-colored unicorn embraced Twilight in a sudden rush, holding her in a desperate, fierce embrace.

“Oh, my god, oh, god, oh g-god...” Sunrise exclaimed into the princess' mane, shaking even more violently than before.

“Hey, hey--” Twilight started, splaying her wings for balance as she put her arms around her friend.

“Oh, Twilight, oh, god, I thought you were dead, I thought...”

“Hey, I'm fine, you hear me? I'm fine,” Twilight reassured her, still squeezing. “You freed me, in fact, when you blew up the castle.”

Sunrise sniffled a bit, pulling back to look at Twilight. “What about the rest?”

Twilight looked away.

“I... I can't be sure,” she said reluctantly. “But I was the only prisoner.”

Sunrise embraced her again, hugging her fiercely, shaking harder than ever as Twilight hugged her back and stroked her zebra-like mane.

“Chrysalis has not killed her enemies before,” Luna pointed out.

“No, she hadn't. But it's different this time.” Twilight looked at Luna over Sunrise's shoulder. “You didn't see her. The Queen isn't just after conquest or food this time. That's too simple, too quick. She's got something else in mind.”

Luna cocked her head. “What?”

“I don't know, exactly,” Twilight said softly. Leaving Sunrise, she walked to the windows, seeming to study the heavy tapestries and their protections. Finally, she turned back to the other princesses.

“I don't know exactly what she's planning,” she said again. “I only overheard bits and pieces. You have to understand: Queen Chrysalis is insane. I don't know exactly how far she'll go, but I'm sure that if Sunny hadn't acted when she did, all the foals would be dead or worse. And Spike...”

She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the tears not to come. When she could speak, she continued.

“What I do know is that she wants you all to suffer as much as it's possible to suffer. I heard about the attempt on Flurry Heart's life, and I can't help but think that's just the beginning. She...”

Her voice trailed off as she looked around, and she asked, “Wait. Where's Cadence?”

“She wouldn't come,” Celestia said sadly.

Twilight stared. “What?”

“The near miss against Flurry Heart shook her worse than any of us could have expected,” Luna explained. “She has retreated into the very center of her palace, with only her daughter and the most trusted of her guard around her. Shining Armor is acting as regent for now, and he is focusing all his efforts on defending the Crystal Empire.”

Twilight looked pained. “Okay, I can get that, actually. So, then, we're on our own?”

Celestia looked uncomfortable. “Not quite how I would have put it, but yes. Still, I think we should be enough.”

Twilight sighed. “I suppose. The Crystal Heart should easily keep the Changelings at bay, now that the Crystal Ponies are ready. The Queen will still try, of course. Cadence is one target of her hatred. But she wants Celestia even more. Something about a pair of murders, I think.”

Celestia nodded. “The Crimson Queen and her son. Each of them terrifying, together they were absolutely horrific. And that was when it was those two, alone.”

“Now there is an army,” Luna observed. “An entire nation. This will go hard on us.”

Then, turning to Twilight, she asked, “When you were captive, were you able to overhear anything that might aid us?”

Twilight shook her head. “Not much. I did hear her talking with her generals, but nothing too specific. Initially, Queen Chrysalis' plan involved replacing all the princesses and the Elements, and then leaving Equestria and the Crystal Empire wide open to attack. With that plan foiled, I think she'll probably try a sneak attack.”

She went to the Cutie Mark Map and waved her hoof, miniature images of different military forces appearing as she did.

“She was going to have her forces coming up almost entirely from the South,” she said. “I guess the Hive is somewhere down there, hidden somehow from magical detection. I don't think she'll change that, they'll just be sneakier now. Then there was a small force to circle around in disguise, and try to sneak in from the North. But it was going to be small, like I said. A half-dozen at most. They were her elites, whatever that means.”

Looking back to the other mares, she said, "I don't think she'll change that, either. She'll use the main force to distract us, and then have the assassins sneak in from the North. If I'm there, my spells can make sure they don't get through."

“Anything else?” Celestia asked.

Twilight nodded. “The Queen has a spy in Equestria.”

All three of the other mares stared in horror.

“But... how is that possible?” Sunrise asked at last. “Your spells...”

“He never went near my anti-Changeling spells,” Twilight said. “He's in disguise as a pony musician. He's been touring the countryside ever since Cadence's wedding, scouting out everything he could, in preparation for this moment.”

“Do you know his name?” Luna asked.

“He goes by Black Rainbow,” Twilight said. “They never said his real name. But the Queen was still waiting for his final report. He's been assembling it for over a year, so if he could be found and stopped that might help us a lot.”

Sunrise, meanwhile, was nodding, her shaking having subsided, at least for the moment, to mere trembling.

“It makes sense,” she said. “He could go everywhere, traveling constantly, and never raise suspicion. He could even get invitations to ponys' homes and use that to get a closer look at, well, everything.”

“Exactly,” Twilight nodded. “Plus, he's been glutting himself on the love of his fans for years. Probably getting drunk on it,” she added with distaste.

“The amount of sheer power he could have stored up by now...” Celestia mused. "It could be akin to fighting Chrysalis herself, or worse."

Then she shook her head, and a glance was exchanged between her and her sister.

“What?” Sunrise asked. “What is it?”

“Long has it been since the death penalty was called upon,” Luna said.

“But these are desperate times,” Celestia agreed. “And pony lives are at stake.”

Sunrise stared at them both, still trembling. “You... you can't be serious!”

“Are you sure?” Twilight asked. “I mean, you... you haven't done that since...”

Her voice trailed off as she looked from Luna to Celestia, and back again.

“You mean it,” she whispered. “You're actually going to kill him.”

“Twilight, Sunrise, please,” Luna said. “You must understand. Even without his knowledge of us – which makes him dangerous enough – the amount of magical power he will have stored up could kill many ponies before he could be captured. If, indeed, such is even possible.”

“This is war,” Celestia added. “If we're going to save the lives of our people, we have to take the lives of our enemies.”

Twilight went over to her student, put a comforting wing around her. For her part, Sunrise stood, head down, as her shaking continued to get worse.

“Twilight, you...” she managed quietly, her voice unsteady. “You're w-with me on this, right? I mean, we're supposed to be the good guys, here!”

Twilight looked uncertainly at her mentors, then closed her eyes and hugged Sunrise gently.

“I know we are,” she said at last. “And I hate this. I do. But... I get it, too.”

“We cannot afford to give quarter,” Luna said. “Not in our cities, nor our villages, nor in the field of battle. For surely, the Hive shall offer none.”

Sunrise gave a hiccuping sob, and found herself in the double embrace of Luna and Twilight both, burying her face in Luna's mane.

“This is the beginning of the end of the Changelings,” Celestia intoned sadly, turning back to the map. “In time, perhaps we may be forgiven. Perhaps we may even forgive ourselves. But our people will survive. And for that, we must be ready to pay any price.”

“Oh, Sunny, beloved, shhh,” Luna whispered to Sunrise, who could only stand, mute, eyes squeezed shut. “I know 'tis hard. But one day, thou shall understand.”

Twilight looked up at the Night Princess. “Luna, we can't ask her to be part of this.”

“Nay,” Luna agreed. “Our Sunrise has been through too much. And in any case, her magic has shown no sign of itself since the explosion. Art certain that no forces shall attempt the palace itself?”

“Positive,” Twilight said. “The Queen only talked about going after Celestia, and then Cadence. If Celestia isn't there...”

Luna shook her head.

“We shall both be in the field, leading our forces, as we have in the past,” she said. “And Chrysalis would know as much. Very well. Sunny? Sunny, dear heart? We'll have you stay in the palace. You'll be safe, and away from the violence.

“It's alright,” she added as Sunrise began violently shaking her head. “Thou were meant for gentler things. Thou art the staff, I the sword. Be again the peaceable scholar. Let me do this.”

Then, looking at her sister, “Tia, Sunrise has been through a harrowing ordeal, and surely we have asked too much of her already. Might she be excused?”

Celestia nodded.

“Of course, Why don't you take her back to your rooms for a while? Twilight can show me anything else she knows on the map, and we can go from there when you return.”

“Very well. Come on, love,” Luna whispered as she led Sunrise to the great doors. “Come. Let me get thee to thy bed, and rest.”

Luna helped her young lover into the hall, and the portal closed behind them. A moment later, the two of them appeared in Luna's chambers in a burst of blue light. They released each other, and Sunrise flopped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.

“Jesus-fucking-C-Christ!” she exclaimed.

“Agreed.”

“I couldn't stop sh-shaking! The whole time, I c-couldn't stop! I had to just use it, you know?” She squeezed her eyes shut. “I mean, fucking hell, she-she touched my mane...!”

Luna lay down next to her, while Sunrise took a few calming breaths.

“T'was gross,” Luna affirmed somberly.

Sunrise propped herself on one elbow to face her. “No shit it was gross! And terrifying! And horrifying!”

Then she flopped back. “Jesus, I need a shower.”

After a moment, Sunrise sighed, adding, “Also, I'm cussing again. Fuck.”

“I think 'tis excusable under the circumstances, my love,” Luna smiled.

Sunrise stared at ceiling. “Yeah, I know. But still.”

She took a few more breaths, and then turned back to Luna. “You think she bought it?”

Luna nodded, still smiling. “I think so. And with thy apparent fragility so great, and thy lack of confidence so apparent, thy lack of magic became an easy sell.”

Here, despite it all, Sunrise smiled. Glancing over at a candelabra on the nightstand, her horn gave the briefest glow of concentration as the candles all lit into merry little flames. A moment later, there was another cyan glow and the flames receded, leaving only thin trails of smoke curling upwards from the wicks.

“Also, a quick question,” Luna said. “In light of all that has transpired till now, and all thou has done these last few days, would thou think it condescending if I said I was proud of thee?”

Sunrise pretended to consider, then grinned. “Nah, I don't think so.”

Rolling over slightly, Luna embraced her again, this time gently kissing her. Then she pulled away to stare into Sunrise's eyes.

“Then I am,” she said sincerely. “So very, very proud.”

Comments

[Spamotron]

Okay this chapter clears up a few things.

One thing I would be worried about is that Chrysalis is a master of mind magic and her changelings have been exposed to her power continuously since they were hatched.

Are they even capable of surrendering?

Maybe Thorax is a mutant with resistance to her control.

[Coyote de La Mancha]

11580083
All excellent points, which the princesses at this time do not seem to have considered. Time will tell, of course...

[FanOfMostEverything]

He goes by Black Rainbow

Did he release an album called "Dark Side of the Moon," by any chance?

I do wonder why Sunrise and Luna want to maintain this facade. I just hope that whatever they have planned doesn't trample on any of the other battle plans, though I suppose Luna will make sure of that. This will be very interesting going forward as gambits collide.

[BirdsBooksBrownies]

hmmm...that last bit has me worried and suspicious.