Unity: A Tale of Arcadia

by Kieva Lynn

Book Four: Chapter Eleven

Book Four: Our Worlds at War

Chapter Eleven

XXXXX

Queen Chrysalis lunged at the bearers, Twilight her primary target, even as the Trollhunters were summoning everyone's armor. She hadn't counted on how quickly Twilight could put up a shield. She slammed into the energy barrier and flipped backwards away from it. Landing on her hooves, she snarled and hissed and changed form, burrowing into the ground.

"Whoa! What's she doin'!?" Applejack exclaimed.

"Watch the ground!" Jim answered, and half a second later Chrysalis erupted from directly beneath them, inside Twilight's hemispherical shield. Jim struck with his blade, as did Rainbow Dash, while Toby used Warhammer and Twilight blasted with magic but it was all for nought, as the Queen's new form was heavily armored. She lashed out with a shockwave from her own magic, knocking everyone back.

Before most of the group could recover their wits, Chrysalis struck again, diving once more straight for Twilight, the front end of her body shifting into a maw large enough to swallow a pony whole and filled with sharp grinding teeth. Twilight teleported out of the way, leaving Chrysalis to slam into the ground. The Queen changed again, into something similar to her usual form but with armor plates and long wicked spikes. As the team recovered and tried to fight her again, anyone using melee weapons, no matter what angle they attacked from, found themselves countered by spikes used like swords.

"For someone who's supposed to want to be beaten, she's sure not making this easy!" Toby shouted.

"She probably can't!" Twilight answered. "There could be a clause in whatever magic is involved that it has to be a legitimate defeat!"

"Very good Twilight Sparkle!" Chrysalis sneered. "I will fall and rise, but if I can take you down first all the better!"

"Fall and rise!?"

"Wouldn't you like to know!?" Without warning, Chrysalis changed again, suddenly swelling into a spiked ball like an enraged blowfish. The sudden move caught everyone fighting in close by surprise, and they were spared skewering on the spikes only by their armor.

Momentarily free of close range opponents, Chrysalis again focused on Twilight. Applejack and Pinkie opened fire on her, but the armor she had formed was impressive, and the energy blasts did little to even slow her until Twilight joined in with a magic burst powerful enough to drive the Changeling Queen back.

Chrysalis was thrown, hard, into a brick wall that crumbled from the impact, burying her beneath several tons of brick and mortar. Yet still she rose again. The Queen roared in anger as she shifted to a form similar to an enormous troll, shaking off the debris. "Before my glory or after, Twilight Sparkle, I will have your head!" She hefted a large steel beam that had fallen from the impact, and charged again...

XXXXX

When the battle began, Gandalf and the other wizards were still busily working in the Golden Oaks basement. Three heads turned to look towards the stairs at the first sound of trouble. "It begins." Starswirl said.

"Indeed." Gandalf grabbed his staff and sword. "The time has come. Let us do our part." Starswirl and Gandalf nodded and they rushed outside. Their first unlucky opponent was a Gumm Gumm soldier who charged, battle axe held high. It had no idea what it was facing, and was dispatched in seconds. The wizards continued on their way, and soon came across a large group of civilians fleeing ahead of a squad of perhaps twenty Orcs and a pair of Trolls. Several of those running for their live started to change course towards the wizards, but Gandalf called out "No! Get to safety! We'll hold them off!"

As the crowds fled, the wizards stepped into the road behind them, facing the enemy soldiers, Gandalf in the middle with Merlin to his left and Starswirl to his right. The tip of Gandalf's staff began to glow, while Merlin drew Excaliber and Starswirl's horn flared with magic. The soldiers stumbled to a halt and stared in confusion. Clearly, they hadn't expected to meet resistance. "Today we will feast upon these meek men and ponies!" The Orc commander declared. "Stand aside and perhaps I will let you live until last!"

"You stand in the presence of three Maiar." Merlin declared. "You are outmatched."

"Indeed." Starswirl agreed. "As I believe Gandalf here would say, 'You shall not pass.'" And he fired a beam of magic, carving a line in the ground just before the first row of Orcs.

At this the Orcs were anxious, knowing they faced Gandalf. They did not flee, no, but did not advance past the line either. The Gumm Gumms, having less direct experience with Maiar in their past and, in any case, mind controlled, roared and attacked. It was over quickly, and now the Orcs, seeing the swift defeat of beings that could fight a hundred of them solo and win, turned and scrambled away. They didn't get very far.

Even as Gandalf made to follow, there arose the sounds of a battle from around the corner the Orcs had fled around, and the wizards turned the corner to find Vendel and several other Trolls, the Orcs on the ground at their feet. "Lose something?" The old troll asked with a chuckle.

"Quite." Gandalf answered.

Merlin said, "Not that I'm complaining, I expected you to be out given the cloud cover... But why are you here and not in Arcadia?"

"Arcadia and Trollmarket are in good enough hands with the human defenders... Especially with the Doctor's aid. Besides which, there are far fewer enemies there anyway. I thought our assistance would be best offered here." Vendel explained.

"Well I thank you for your assistance." Gandalf said, "But we must continue on. I hope to join forces with the Trollhunters and Bearers."

Merlin said "I think that you and Starswirl should continue on that path, yes... I must find Morgan."

Gandalf allowed himself a small smile. "Very well. Good luck Merlin."

XXXXX

Bert Gumbal braked hard, squealing to a stop in an intersection and opening fire on a squadron of Orcs with explosive-spell enchanted rounds. This would have been a suicidal strategy under normal circumstances. Luckily, he had an illusionist bodyguard riding shotgun: "Ha ha!" Trixie cheered as the Orcs chased after an illusory enemy she was projecting. "They fall for it every time!"

"Just keep it up!" Bert said.

"Oh don't you worry... The Great and Powerful Trixie can do this all day!"

A group of civilians rushed past, taking advantage of the temporary safety. "Why aren't these people in the damned shelters yet!?" Bert grumbled. He put the Hummer back into gear and started to pull away, but before they had moved far another vehicle, a small car, came hurtling down the cross street, flipping and spinning as it bounced twice and crashed into a building.

"Bert we've got a bigger problem!" Trixie pointed back the way the car had come from, to where a trio of Gumm Gumms were tearing up everything in sight. Then, as one, the evil trolls saw the Hummer and charged. Bert stomped his foot down and they were soon rapidly accelerating away from the threat.

As they tore straight down main street, the outpaced Trolls still in pursuit even as they fell further and further behind, a flood of Gremlins erupted out as they sped past an alleyway. Luckily, most of the creatures missed the vehicle entirely, but at least a dozen were clinging to the roof, the sides, and the windshield. "It's like the first time all over again!" Bert cursed, and began weaving back and forth in an attempt to dislodge the creatures.

"Oh buck no!" Trixie said, "These things almost killed me the first time! I am not repeating that experience!" Her horn flared with magic as she swept the Gremlins off the windshield. Then she looked back through the rear window. "Bert! All this swerving is letting the Gumm Gumms catch up!"

"Yeah! Hang on tight, I'm gonna try something!" Bert rammed down on the pedal even harder, practically standing on it, as they rocketed down the road. Then, at the last possible moment her braked hard while turning down a side street, the move throwing the remaining Gremlins clinging to the roof away. Then they were rolling again, away from their pursuers.

"Nice!" Trixie cheered.

"Thanks. Now let's find Twilight and the others. I expect they'll end up needing a hand before this is over..."

XXXXX

Tessindra had observed the opening blows of the battle with Chrysalis, but decided she would be more help elsewhere. With that in mind, the young elf made her way across town, and out through the north gate, to the edge of the forest where Durban and Gillas had parked their airship. She arrived just as they were about to lift off, crying out for them to wait on her. They did, and once aboard she quickly made her way to the control deck. "What are we doing?" She asked.

"Providin' air cover lass." Durban answered. "There's Changelings everywhere, fightin' with Pegasi and Gryphons, we're gonna see if we can even the odds a little."

"Indeed." Gillas added, "The heat ray weapons we've attached to the ship should be a great help. If you would like, I will take the port side and you can take starboard."

"Sounds good!" Tess found the starboard gunner's chair and strapped in, pulling her googles down over her eyes and switching them to targeting mode. She had no shortage of targets: As Durban had said, there were enemy Changelings everywhere. She lined up her first target, which was chasing down a wounded Gryphon, and fired. The Changeling burst into flames and fell, leaving the startled Gryphon to look about in shock, then zero in on the airship and give a thumbs up before continuing on his way. Tess lined up a second shot, and then a third. "I hope Xix and her hive are staying on the ground in this." She muttered...

XXXXX

Gandalf and Starswirl arrived at the park to find the battle with Chrysalis still ongoing. The Changeling Queen was in the form of a troll, swinging a steel beam at Twilight who repeatedly teleported away. "Stay still!" Chrysalis roared. "Make this quicker and easier on both of us!"

"Yeah, I'm not suicidal!" Twilight shouted back. She teleported again, this time arriving directly behind Chrysalis, where she activated her armor's abilities to create a sword, then flung it at the Queen in her magic aura. Chrysalis probably would have managed to dodge, but having several other opponents to worry about as well there was only so much she could do: The blade struck home, penetrating her armor and sinking into her back. With a roar of pain that echoed across the town, Chrysalis fell to her knees.

"Now, Twilight Sparkle!" Gandalf cried out, "The Elements of Harmony! If you can seal Chrysalis in stone the third keystone will not have fallen!"

Across the park, the Bearers all began to float up into the air, glowing with power which formed a rainbow beam of magic, aimed directly at Chrysalis. For half a second, it looked like it was going to work. Then, just before the beam would have hit her, Chrysalis used her shape changing magic again, to splash down into a puddle of goo that the rainbow passed over.

"Alright that's cheating!" Rainbow, Pinkie, and Toby all shouted at once.

Chrysalis laughed as she reformed back into her normal body. "So much for your 'big gun.'" She snarked. "Now finish me, or I most assuredly will finish..." She stopped, a strange look coming over her face.

"What's she doing...?" Jim asked.

"Nothin' good." Applejack replied.

"I sense something..." Chrysalis barely more than whispered. "I sense..." Suddenly she made a quarter turn, and her horn glowed. A squeal of fear rose from nearby, and Nyma appeared, held in the Queen's aura. "Well well... A little Queenling."

"Let her go!"

"This isn't about her!"

"Release the child!"

Everyone was either shouting at Chrysalis to let Nyma go, or else shouting at Nyma asking what she was doing. "I'm sorry! I just wanted to help!"

Chrysalis sneered. "Oh, you've helped alright. Come then Element Bearers, Trollhunters! If my threat to Twilight's life wasn't enough to bring your full might against me, perhaps the threat to this little one will!"

"We've gotta do something!" Claire exclaimed.

"But what?" Twilight asked, "Any move we make will put Nyma in danger!"

"I have a question..." Rarity whispered, "Would anyone like to speculate on why little Nyma is... Smiling...?"

It was true. The little Changeling was, indeed, smiling, unnoticed by Chrysalis. And at just the right moment she said "You think I'm important because I'll be a queen... But it's like in chess, the most important piece isn't the most powerful piece."

"What are you babbling about!?" Chrysalis demanded.

Nyma smiled wider. "Checkmate."

And even as she spoke the word, Varvatos Vex made his move. The alien warrior, no longer in his human disguise as Aja and Krel's grandfather, leapt into the fray from Chrysalis' blind spot, wielding his serrator as a blade, slicing away one of the Queen's legs with a cry of GLORIOUS!!"

Chrysalis screamed in pain, and as she did also lost control of her magic. Nyma was free, and fell, only to be caught by Claire opening a portal beneath her and delivered safely behind the Bearers and Trollhunters. While several of them chewed her out for such a reckless plan, Twilight turned to Varvatos, along with Aja and Krel. "It was you! In the Ally that night, when the Gremlins were chasing us!"

"Indeed! Varvatos Vex had decided this new town needed investigation, and when the attack began he remained to defend the innocent!"

"Well thank you. For then, and now. Even if we will have words about endangering a minor." Twilight sighed.

And then they all heard Chrysalis laughing again. They turned to look, and there she was, standing on three legs, wounded but seeming triumphant. "You have bested me." She said, "And so now my time has come! Behold!" Chrysalis looked up to the skies, and as she did a new portal opened. It was smaller than the others, and just one thing came through: A simple looking golden ring, which fell from the heavens, and seated itself directly upon the Changeling Queen's horn.

"This is bad." Pinkie said, and no one disagreed.

"The power! I can feel the power!" Chrysalis shouted, certain she was triumphant. Flaming markings appeared on the band, and in one moment, as quickly as switching a light on or off, Chrysalis' expression changed from triumph to fear. "No! No! What are you doing to me!? You promised me! The prophecy! You promised-" Her words were cut off in the most soul rending scream anyone had ever heard, accompanied by a flash of blinding light. When the light faded, Chrysalis was still there, but with her lost leg restored, standing much taller, her eyes glowing purple and her normally black chitin blood red.

"...Chrysalis...?" Twilight asked.

Gandalf shook his head. "Not so. Queen Chrysalis is gone, perhaps for good... We stand in the presence of the Quiet Darkness..."

Author's Note:

Next Week:

Book Five: Third Law Ascendant

Comments

[Venerable Ro]

A simple looking golden ring...

[Herald of Opera]

Well ****. Chrysalis with the One Ring would be bad enough. Add someone competent having commandeered her body and we've got something that will take the whole of the next book to kill at a minimum.

[badninja]

Well that can't be good. I wonder how long Chrysalis’s body will last if she is no longer in control and is technically dead?