Destiny's Gambit Part I: The Wayward Soul

by Echoes of the Voice

Chapter 2

Theme: "Def Con" by Immediate Music

"FIRE!" the commander shouted.

The air and surrounding area was suddenly saturated with multiple colors, as beams of light erupted from the tips of the unicorns' horns, including Firebrand's. Most were a series of short, small bursts, though there were a hoofful of a continuous blast that swept the swarm as the changelings charged downward. A few of the invasion force were struck, plummeting straight downward, either stunned or killed. But to Firebrand's horror, a large portion of the beam attacks missed. And the changelings closest to the train station were swiftly upon them.

"Wait for the bulk of the swarm!" South called out, referring to the Phalanx Splinter. "Ponies in front, defend yourselves!"

The unicorns kept up their barrage, as the ponies at the front of the formation let out a war cry, and met the first of the invasion in close quarters. Bursts of green magic incapacitated some of the Royal Guard, but the swift jabs and strikes with the spears evened the odds and held them at bay. Some of the changelings were hesitant. They were waiting for the much larger force descending from above. Dozens upon dozens of that force wrapped themselves in destructive magic, making themselves massive, powerful projectiles. Many of which were on a collision course for the guards below, and were fast approaching.

"Phalanx Splinter...now!" South ordered.

Just as the changelings were about to impact the guards and pound them into submission, the Royal Guards raised their spears skyward. It was far too late to change course. The spears pierced their carapaces with ease, and the station rang with the shrill cries of what must've been a couple dozen changelings. But there were screams of ponies as well, as some did manage to miss the weapons and hit their mark. The rest of the swarm realized what was going on, as many diverted their course away from the guards, spreading outward.

Firebrand barely had time to process this before he had to leap out of the way. A couple of changelings impacted the pavement upon which he stood, hard enough to blast bits away and leave a small crater. Unfazed by the hard collision, they immediately stood erect and hissed, their snake-like tongues wriggling out between their fangs.

Firebrand blasted one immediately. It unceremoniously collapsed to the ground. The other, staring at its cohort in shock, fell from another blast immediately after. A rather strange reaction, but no time to think about it now.

He glanced out at the station and saw that the soldiers had thrown the unmoving bodies off their spears and were completely embroiled in battle. All was chaos.

Pegasi, including South, took to the sky and met the changelings flying over the battlefield, the formation of the guards disintegrating as each soldier now battled on their own. The mutlicolored blasts of the unicorns, along with the green beams of the changelings, were fired every which way; some impacting and chipping off debris from the surrounding buildings.

It wasn't long before Firebrand standing apart caught the attention of the swarm. Blasts erupted around Firebrand's hooves as four changelings, flying in from behind, fired upon him. He dove to the side, ensuring that the beams would miss, then unleashed a blast of his own, knocking the closest one out of the air. His second and third blasts missed, however. These changelings were more maneuverable. Firebrand raised his spear, ready to stab, but they halted their attack vector and stopped just short of the blade, landing on the ground. One remained in front of him, the other two circled him. He kept his head swiveling, ready to strike, but not in the way they thought. Firebrand pretended to run his gaze over one of the changelings, but then leveled his horn at it and unleashed a blast. This time, it was too slow to react and was sent flying backward. He saw movement in the corner of his eye, seeing another lunge out at him. Firebrand parried it, causing it to lose balance and fall. He thrust the spear downward, ending its life. But the last changeling took advantage of his lapse in attention. Firebrand took a full blast straight into the side of his body, strong enough to send him reeling and falling to the ground, hard. Before he could think about getting up or wonder if there was anything broken, he was suddenly wrapped in the levitation magic of the changeling, and it pinned him down. As he looked up at the beast, still bleary-eyed, he saw three more fly down out of the corner of his eye.

"Commander!" South shouted. The changeling which held him barely had time to see her coming before her incoming forehoof sent it flying, smacking against the wall. Firebrand was freed and slowly got back on his hooves, taking deep breaths as his vision cleared. South was the changelings' new challenger, and she wasted no time. Before they could strike, she used her superior speed to charge and thrust her spear towards the nearest combatant. It barely managed to dodge, but South quickly followed up with a horizontal slice, knocking it flat. Before it had even hit the ground, South lunged once more at the next, this time landing the strike just as its horn was glowing. The force of the impact knocked it onto its back and South drove her spear downwards, completely penetrating the exoskeleton. The last of the group leapt backward, trying to get some distance, but with a small toss in her hoof, she switched grips and hurled the spear, hitting it square in the chest. It crumpled, unmoving.

Firebrand blinked. In the back of his mind, he was beaming with pride for South. After pulling her spear free, she ran up to him, exhaustion mixed with concern in her eyes.

"Are you alright, sir?"

"I'm fine, don't worry about me. Let's get these..."

His voice died when a half dozen more changelings landed nearby, their horns glowing. He knew that now was the time to unleash his trump card, the reason why he kept himself separate from the rest of the guards.

"South, fly up!" he commanded. She did so, without hesitation.

Firebrand charged his horn as he leapt and rolled aside, the changelings' beam barrage narrowly missing both him and South. He aimed his horn, two green beams filling most of his peripheral vision. Then he unleashed it. A great plume of fire roared outward, Firebrand's hooves scraping backwards from the sheer force ejecting from his forehead. All changelings that challenged him were consumed by it, the flames and the heat killing them almost instantly. Once it was clear they were no longer moving, he deactivated the spell. There were a handful of fires that burned around him, but none that threatened the train station or the nearby residents.

Firebrand breathed heavily. He wasn't completely drained, he just needed time to recover. And it was fortunate timing, as the din of battle was growing quieter. He looked down upon the platform. Bodies were littered everywhere, more changelings than Royal Guards, thankfully, and most that were down were merely subdued, legs chained together with some sort of thick green goo. He didn't want to imagine where that came from. As the last of them were freed, it became clear who the winners were in this battle and a cry of victory rang out.

Firebrand propped himself up and addressed the troops. "No! It's not over yet. No celebrations until Canterlot is cleared out, understood? You've all earned a breather, but stay alert. It's only a matter of time..."

Rapid hoofsteps. It was coming from the city, and growing louder, along with the clanging of armor. Firebrand cautiously looked down the street, and spotted Royal Guards, galloping faster than he'd ever seen them go.

"Friendlies!" a voice rang out from amongst them. "We're friendlies!"

Seven ponies approached Firebrand. One with the markings of a lieutenant upon his helmet spoke. "Commander Firebrand, we..." His voice caught when the commander levelled his spear at him. Then took a couple steps back when others walked up beside him, including South, the tip of their own spears thrust forward threateningly.

"Prove you're not changelings, right now," Firebrand said.

After eyeing the tip of the spear warily, he said quickly, "I'm Lieutenant Fetcher, within Commander Poppinfresh's vigil of one hundred and twenty ponies, of which I oversaw sixty."

Firebrand nodded. That was certainly information that the changelings wouldn't have known about. Each of the other soldiers gave such information, including one mare who pointed out that Royal Guard was at full capacity before this battle, which meant that there was once a total of two hundred and forty-five ponies within the Royal Guard. Satisfied with the answers, Firebrand lowered his weapon.

"Very good. Report, lieutenant."

"For a couple minutes, we held the line at the plaza, and the defense went smoothly. However, right when it seemed victory was ours, a massive wave came from behind us. In other words, they'd successfully taken the castle." This news drew gasps and worried murmurs amongst the troops. "Their numbers were overwhelming and we were dropping like flies, mostly captured, but a small number were killed. The commander gave the order to retreat right before he and Lieutenant Blood Boil were captured. The changelings chased us, but eventually broke off pursuit and followed the others."

"The others? Where were they going?"

"They turned east. Most likely heading for the residential quarter. I hate to say it, but I don't think the guards over there stand a chance."

Firebrand's mouth formed a thin line, remembering who he sent to that part of the city and how many. There were close to the same number of guards there as there were in the plaza. And the latter was overwhelmed. With even greater numbers heading for the residential quarter...this information brought a grim conclusion.

His heart felt twice as heavy as he turned to his own vigil, and took a deep breath. As he spoke, the words felt surreal, as if it wasn't really him speaking. He relayed what he just learned to the troops, then spoke those cursed words. "There is simply no realistic way of standing against such an overwhelming force. Canterlot is lost. Our objective now is to get as many civilians out of here as possible. While this part of the city is quiet, we're to load this train up with as many ponies as possible. And do it fast! It's only a matter of time before the rest of the swarm realizes they lost here and try to cut off our escape. That goes for you lot, too," Firebrand said, turning to the seven newcomers.

The ponies saluted and all began running past him and out of the station. All except for South, who stopped beside him. "But Commander, what about Forest?"

Firebrand kept his face stoic. He knew this was coming and mentally prepared for it, but it still wasn't easy. "We should focus on those we know we can save, instead of those we might be able to save. There's no time for both." For a split second, Firebrand saw that pain in her eyes, the look of betrayal. Her gaze lowered, saddened. "South, you know where the engineer lives, right?"

She nodded, without looking at him. "He doesn't live far."

"Go get him."

Without another word, she took flight and soared above the soldiers, who were now bringing frightened ponies into the station. In the end, she knew he was right, and wouldn't overtly blame him if anything happened to Forest. But he had a feeling that a small part of her would, since in the end, he did order him to go to his likely capture, or possible death.

Firebrand looked in the direction of the residential quarter. "I'm sorry, Forest," he muttered.

Lieutenant Forest Evergreen had barely reached the edge of the residential quarter, with dozens of guards stampeding behind him, when the barrier shattered. The earthquake that ensued knocked a few of the guards off their hooves, and Forest had to stop and crouch down to stay upright. Fortunately, none of the guards were trampled, as far as he could tell. All managed to come to a halt with only a bruise or two at worst.

"Back on your hooves!" he barked. "The changelings are bearing down on us as..."

The words in Forest's mind vanished as the entire sky suddenly morphed from blue to green. The swarm had turned themselves into hundreds of living green projectiles, propelled downward by gravity and magic.

Time to go to Plan A.

"Pegasi, intercept!" Forest commanded, pointing to the changelings. "Rest of you, forward and fan out! Protect the civilians!"

Dozens of pegasi soared just above the charging ponies. They stabbed at the invaders with their spears, their screeching cries mingling with the screams of the pegasi echoing over the ponies' heads. The closest changelings that weren't knocked off course made impact. The roofs of houses cracked, jutting corners of buildings were blasted off, and small craters were left in their wake. The swarm's bombardment thundered across Canterlot, like a tsunami that pummeled and threatened to swallow the city. Soon after came the wounded ponies and changelings that fell from the sky, but Forest had no time to ensure their survival. Beating back the invasion was the chief priority.

Forest glanced behind him and saw that the guards were beginning to disperse, each taking different paths according to their own prerogative. It would've been far more convenient if they had a specific plan to follow, to counterattack more efficiently, but there was no time. All they could do was fight the changelings wherever they found them, and hope for the best. He prayed that that would be enough.

He rounded a corner. Ahead, changelings up and down the street were attempting to breach the houses. He broke into a sprint and let out a war cry. The guards that were still with him took up that cry as they all charged against them as one. The closest changelings, caught by surprise by the sudden attack, immediately flew up and tried to get some distance, but they were shot down by beam spells. A couple dozen rounded on them and, with a surprising show of courage, charged back. Unicorns levelled their spears out on either side of Forest. Once they were close enough, Forest raised his hoof and leapt forward, catching the changeling in the lead off-guard and knocking it against its comrades. The changelings pierced by the spears fell immediately.

Forest kept wailing on each changeling he came across, kicking and bucking at every one he saw. The few earth ponies in the Royal Guard leapt over the changeling wave, crushing them beneath their hooves. The changelings realized that the situation was turning against them, so they took to the sky and blasted the guards from afar. Forest heard them land their marks. He and the other unicorns blasted back, taking three down.

Suddenly, he heard the guards cry. They were not cries of pain, but of panic. He whipped around just in time for a changeling to snatch hold of him and whisk him high into the air. He was held from above, on his back, so Forest couldn't reach it with his hooves as the ground grew distant. So he looked up and blasted a beam spell directly into the changeling's face. This was enough to send both of them plummeting. Forest used the levitation spell on himself to slow his descent, coming to a complete stop right before reaching the ground. The others were not so lucky, either carried away to suffer whatever dark designs the changelings had for them, or fought back and were dropped, landing hard.

How suddenly the situation changed within just a few seconds. The surprise attack sent many of the guards fleeing, with a few now bound by some kind of green adhesive. It was as if the changeling numbers were unchanged from before the clash. In fact, there seemed to be even more. A hoofful were pounding on the doors, but most were bearing down on Forest. And he was now alone.

If he charged them now, he wouldn't last longer than a few seconds before he was overwhelmed. So Forest turned and ran, only barely catching the jeering and mocking the changelings shouted at him. Ignoring this, he assured himself that the changelings would not harm the ponies, their new food source, if they managed to break in. Most ponies would not eat a bruised apple if one in perfect shape was available.

It was also in this moment that Forest realized that this battle was all but lost. There were too many invaders, and too little preparation. With a hundred of them, perhaps more, between the scattered guards and the train station, there was no hope of escaping for unicorns and earth ponies. All they could do was band together and last as long as possible before their likely defeat, and order the pegasi to abandon Canterlot.

Forest glanced behind him. Fortunately, it seemed he wasn't pursued. And even luckier, he saw bolt and beam spells shooting into the air in the distance from a specific point, aiming between the guards that flew above it. He made a beeline straight there.

A scream brought him to a screeching halt, his heart now beating even harder than it already was. That was not a normal expression of fear. His instincts told him that this was something more, something worse. Another one pierced his ears, this one a different voice, but no less forlorn. He looked in the direction where it was coming from, but saw nothing at first glance. It was close, though. Close enough to be heard over the din of battle. He glanced at the fighting two blocks away only for a moment, before darting towards the screaming.

Forest happened upon what he thought was a small square at first, but it was actually an ornate front yard of a large house, almost a mansion, complete with well tended bushes and trees, and some of the greenest grass he'd ever seen. Nearby, a couple statues had toppled over, shattered to pieces. But these were just passing thoughts to Forest. What he paid far more attention to were the five changelings that were blasting the front door with their magic. Judging from its splintered state, they were almost through. Without hesitation, he threw himself upon them. They were caught by surprise and before any of them could react, two of them were down. The third tried to blast him, but he dodged and knocked it out cold. The last two panicked and took flight, running away.

Rather than pursuing them, Forest turned his attention to the door. He ran up and peeked through the crack, and saw a pair of pink eyes looking back.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

A mare answered in a posh accent, thick with fear and desperation. "We're fine. Thank Celestia you came! You have no idea how close we were to dying."

"The changelings aren't here to kill ponies. They're gathering them up as a food source."

"No, no, no, I heard them talking. They said that our home was designated for 'sport.'"

"S...Sport?" Forest asked, in shock. "They were just...going to kill you?"

"Yes!" Her voice cracked. Tears welled in her eyes. "Please, you have to keep protecting us! We don't know how to defend ourselves. If the changelings get in, we're finished. My son and daughters are here, my children!"

An explosion in the distance rumbled through the ground. Forest looked behind him. It was coming from the pocket of resistance. Then he could hear a low, but loud buzzing in the air. That couldn't be anything else but a changeling wave, and it was growing louder. Those guards would need help fending them off. And should they be forced underground, they would have the survival skills and knowledge of Canterlot needed to possibly take back the city. From a tactical standpoint, that would be the best choice. That would be the greatest chance for the city, and by extension, all Equestria. What did these ponies in their lush homes offer?

Forest turned back to the mare. "Please," she said. "Please stay."

There was no need to think about it. The answer was obvious.

He spoke urgently. "Grab any furniture, anything heavy and sturdy, and place them in front of the windows. You have to make it as difficult as possible for the changelings to enter. And grab anything heavy you can swing. Anything is better than nothing."

"Alright, but...what about you? Are you staying?"

"Yes. I'm staying."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much! Um, but what about the door?"

"Remember what I said about making it as difficult as possible for them? I can help with that. Stand back as far as you can. And I'm sorry ahead of time."

She was momentarily confused, but Forest heard her ushering her children away from the door. Forest looked around. That wave of changelings would be here any second. Then he heard her voice call out that they were clear. For the first time in his life, Forest summoned the full might of his magic, placing a levitation spell upon the structure just above the door. He squeezed his eyes shut as he pulled down with all the force he could muster. The cracking and shattering of the refined and refurbished stone, followed by small quakes through the ground beneath him, told him all he needed to know. Once the noise stopped, he opened his eyes. Where once was a door, there was now a massive pile of rubble, impossible to surpass quickly or efficiently.

The buzzing, which had reached a deafening crescendo, suddenly silenced. Forest turned slowly around. He saw exactly what he feared.

The front yard was crawling with dozens of changelings, all fixed upon him.

One stepped forward, and spoke in a voice like crackling leaves. "We've returned, pony, and now you're far outnumbered. Give yourself up and you will be treated well."

Forest spoke, loud and brave, trying to hide the shaking in his legs. "I think not. I can't trust you to follow through on your word. The ponies within this house are under my protection. If harm is your intent, then I will defend them. Otherwise, move on."

The changelings exchanged glances, then laughed as they smiled dangerously. "We were hoping you'd say that. Since you're so dedicated to the ponies marked for sport, then you will be marked, too."

Forest's mane stood on end, and his mouth went dry.

"It's good that your last stand is near such a nice place. This is a sight you will see for all eternity."

Adrenaline coursed through him, and his horn charged, formulating a powerful spell. If there was ever a last resort to which he would save his magic, this was it. And should this expose him, then so be it.

"Kill him!"

The changeling lunged at him. Forest leapt aside and twisted, thrusting his hind leg into the assailant's side, knocking it over. Another tried jumping on him from above, but Forest dodged once more. A third came at him from the side at the same time, so he was forced to leap away, but then suddenly bounded forward, striking it down. This caught the others by surprise. Forest used this moment to slam his body against one, sending it flying against others.

He then caught a glimpse behind him and saw four of them trying to dig through the rubble. A futile effort, but he wasn't about to take chances. Forest wrapped one in a levitation field, while still charging that first spell, and then used its body to smack the others away.

Before he had a chance of throwing it back into the swarm, however, a black hoof impacted Forest right in the face. The punch sent him whirling and falling to the ground. He was seeing stars when several changelings were suddenly lunging at him at once.

Forest recovered and grabbed a changeling with his magic and threw it aside, knocking two of the others over. This created an opening and he charged upon one, thrusting his hoof into its face and knocking it onto its back. He caught movement in the corner of his eye and spun, bucking the attacking changeling back. Another foolishly charged right before him. Forest sidestepped and used its own momentum to knock it to the ground, where he stomped his hoof upon its head. It wasn't a killing blow, but it would stay down.

There was a flash of green. Forest cried out as a changeling beam struck him directly, hitting just below his armor. His skin burned and fur singed. The pain made him lose concentration and another changeling tackled him to the ground. His head hit hard, ears ringing within his helmet. All thought left him, leaving only instinct. Kicking wildly, he managed to send it flying and stand back up. He tried discerning the individual changelings, but they blurred together into a massive charcoal blob. Then he saw yet another green glow. Focusing upon that one, he ran for it, eyes fixed upon its head. Then he barely noticed the slight tilt, the telegraph he watched for. With all he had, he ducked and kicked into a spin, the beam searing the helmet's plume. Before the changeling realized what was going on, Forest bucked, sending it flying into the rest of the swarm.

Then Forest realized his mistake. That swarm was now completely surrounding him, and the changelings knew it. They charged and grabbed him from all sides. Forest kicked in all directions, but couldn't shake them. They pulled him down, and pummeled his underbelly. He felt ribs crack at their blows.

And then it was ready.

With a cry as much of anguish as of fury, Forest fired the charged spell. A cylindrical crimson beam, as thick as Forest's entire body, burst forth, sending the changelings above him flying and crying out in pain. Still screaming, he stood up and swept across the swarm. All that were caught in the concentrated maelstrom didn't get back up. Whole layers of stone were sheared away, the bushes, trees, and grass were set ablaze, and so little remained of the statues that they couldn't be identified as such. This collateral damage was worth taking out nearly half the changelings there.

What may have turned this into a pyrrhic victory, however, was the state of Forest's stamina. He could barely hear any sound above his own breathing, it was so heavy. What part of him didn't burn from the changeling beam burned from fatigue. He was too weak to speak, so instead, he looked at each of his remaining foes, challenging them with the fiercest glare he could muster.

He heard glass shatter. He whipped around and saw two changelings flying near the second floor of the mansion. He gasped. They'd broken through the window! Forest summoned the little magic power he had left, wrapped them both in the levitation spell, and slammed them into the ground.

Once more, they saw the opportunity. And once more, they pounced.

Forest had forgotten that there were changelings between him and what was the door of the house. And when he saw them coming in his peripheral vision, it was like his body decided to stop moving. Then he realized, deep down, that he'd reached his limit. He didn't have the strength to resist any more.

They grabbed and threw him against the building. The wind was knocked out of his lungs. He could only lay there, trying to catch his breath. His vision grew darker.

Was this it, then? A last stand to defend innocent ponies from nefarious invaders—this was to be his destiny? The final destiny of Forest Evergreen? Yes. It was indeed worthwhile. He could not think of a nobler way for his life to end.

The changelings were upon him. His entire world was the cracking of bones and the crushing of his body. His world was pain.

Until nothingness took him.

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[Echoes of the Voice]

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Yep, your question will be answered in the next chapter. Haha I'm glad you like it! XD