Armor for two

by LostUmbrella

Chapter 7

"Now I want to know every detail of the attack plan," ordered Shining Armor looking at the chained changeling in the cell in front of him.

"I don't know the details since I’m a low rank, but the strategy is basically keeping on the siege until you surrender," explained the prisoner.

"And if we don't surrender?"

"You will, Shiny," said Chrysalis from the nearest cell "Sooner or later you will run out of energy, and your sister might not be able to keep the barrier up long enough for you to recharge; moreover, your precious crystal heart is not a treat to our kin, but a buffet."

"How many units are we talking about?" asked the unicorn ignoring the changeling queen’s words.

"Less than five thousands soldiers," answered the drone.

"That's good: we can keep them at bay long enough for the reinforcements to arrive," commented the white stallion relaxing a bit.

"The civilities are more than seven thousands and before you ask, capable of fighting."

The silence fell like lead and stayed until Shining whispered: "What should I do?"

“Kill the queen,” said Chrysalis in a bitter tone.

“What?” asked the king, not expecting help from her.

“If you kill the queen, the hive will be like a headless chicken: some will keep up the siege, but the largest part will either run or attack randomly, blinded by the flow of pain they’ll feel through the telepathic link my kind shares,” she explained sighing.

“Why are you telling him?” asked the enraged changeling.

“Why are you helping me?” asked the confused unicorn.

“I think it’s time you have a chat with your wife,” she simply said, biting down a grin.

---

After the meeting, Shining Armor gave dispositions for the defense of the city: the entire population was forced to took refuge in the palace while the guards built blockades in the streets; everypony willing to help was given a task, ranging from preparing siege supplies to real enlistment in the guards.
Two pegasi were sent to Canterlot to ask for help, but the king knew that they would have been alone for a day at least.
Both Twilight and Cadence helped in the preparation, creating moats with spikes out of the crystal pavement, barbed wire draped between near buildings and hideouts for the archers.
The weather, in the meantime, tried its best to kill the spirit of the soon-to-be-seized ponies with a constant weak rain.

And while the rain started subsiding and the sun got nearer the horizon, Shining Armor and Cadence found themselves alone on the balcony; they hadn't talked since the night before.

"It was such a lovely city," sighed the alicorn looking at the panorama before her still red eyes.

"In a pair of days everything will be back to its hold self," offered her husband with a weak smile, circling his wife shoulders with a foreleg.

“I’m really sorry for yesterday evening, I shouldn’t have lost my temper,” said the unicorn after a while.

"It’s ok, I know you were concerned for the empire and for me,” said the pink mare with a small but sweet smile, which faded swiftly when she continued “It’s just that you kept on saying I was mind controlled by Chrysalis…"

"You have to admit that this doesn't sound this much strange: I mean, she’s known for being deceptive.”

“I know, but you wouldn’t listen to me even after Twilight had checked me up… It hurt a lot seeing that you didn’t trust my judgment,” she said as tears started flooding her eyes once again.

“I know: I was a jerk and I’m very, very sorry Cadence. I know that what I did was inexcusable, but can you forgive me?” he said wiping away her tears with a hoof.

“To love is to know that you’ll be forgiven, Shiny; we are both at fault, so you have to forgive me too,” she said hugging him “I love you.”

“I love you too, Cadence”

They stood still for a couple of minutes, enjoying the warm feeling, before breaking the embrace.

“Anyway, why are you siding with her? Why didn’t you say anything?" he asked as the hug broke.

"I think we have a more pressing issue at hoof now," she said pointing at a dark cloud that was coming their way.

---

"My queen, crystal city is in view!" said one of the commanders flying near the now fully matured Ashley.

"Are you serious? Wow, I didn't notice the massive, shimmering, magenta dome in the middle of nothing that's right in front of us!" retorted her sarcastically.

"Oh, maybe we could find you a pair of glasses in the city..."

Ashley facehoofed. Hard.

As the sun started to set, the changeling swarm made itself visible while landing right outside the dome.
She inspected the city with her gaze, searching for a week spot, but she noticed something else instead.

"Are those three ponies with a white flag?" she asked her commander pointing at the source of her doubt.

"I'm happy to see that you're eyes are already getting better, my queen!" said with glee the changeling noticing what she was pointing "That seems to be a delegation of peace."

"Stop saying nonsense about my eyesight and follow me with some guards!" she said advancing towards trio.

---

While over ground the two parties' delegations were meeting, or to be more precise, arguing on who was to pay respect to who, in the dungeons held place a much more interesting discussion:

"Why aren't you running away? Those cells aren't enough to contain you," asked the changeling.

"I have nowhere to run," answered Chrysalis in a sad tone.

"What? You're a master at illusion spells, you can go wherever you want!" said the shocked changeling.

"Yeah, but here I found a pony that accepted me. I have nowhere else I want to be," she answered sounding even sadder.

A silent tear fell to the ground from the ex-queen muzzle.

"Why did you leave the hive?" asked the changeling after a while, his voice draped in sorrow.

"I had to solve a legal problem..." she said with a renewed emotionless tone.

"We could have helped! Your subjects -" he protested.

"I KNOW!" Chrysalis shouted cutting his phrase "But not every problem could be solved our usual way. Moreover, I told father what I was doing!"

"But he said you left us... That you severed the mind link with him..." he muttered as realization came to the changeling mind.

He wanted to share this information with the others, but his mind found it's own link to the hive severed. Yet he felt another link.

"We're just pawns: all that matters to him is the hive survival," said Chrysalis through their mind link.

"Why did you do that? I'm just a traitor."

The ex-queen could feel his pain in her mind.

"No, you are self-conscious, and that's a great thing," she said with a smile, then she sighed and continued "I'd like to promise to form a new hive with your help, but I doubt I'll see again the light of day."

"And the alicorn? She was on your side! And I don't think that ponies have death sentence."

"She's the queen but she's not like me: she will do what her subject ask because she hasn't absolute powers. And no, they will simply keep me in jail, or in stone..."

A roar came from over ground.

"It has begun," said Chrysalis hanging her head.

---

The three thousands soldiers on the city streets watched as the sky was obscured by a massive cloud of black bodies. The humming of their wings created an inaudible cacophony that corroded the ponies nerves.

Reminiscent of how they broke his barrier in Canterlot, Shining Armor shaped it with sharp spikes pointing outward, hoping to stop their reckless assault.

---

The entire swarm took flight as instructed by the generals and waited for the attack order. Instead, they were ordered to land on the barrier and stomp it, so to prevent meaningless losses and still waken the city only hope.

Meanwhile, in the middle of the mass, five changelings grouped around their queen. They had green stripes around their whole body, like zebras, and lacked wings: they were the sorcerers, the changelings master of arcane power.
At Ashley's signal, they focused their green magic blast in front of her, grapping the barrier and pulling it apart.
After almost five minutes, a hole large enough to pass through was opened and stabilized.

"Now is the time, my children! Follow me: CHARGE!" shouted the queen jumping in the hole.

---

At the sight of the black creatures flying inside the barrier, Cadence's voice, empowered by her magic, echoed on the city: "They breached! Stop them!"

A horn bellowed the fire signal, and Twilight was almost sure she had seen a bouncing pink pony playing it.
Received the command, many arrows flew towards the invaders, mowing them down.
After a second, a shimmering magenta wall appeared in front of the hole and fused with the barrier, stopping the flux of enemy soldiers.
As the sun disappeared behind the horizon, less than twenty changelings were still inside the city; unfortunately, all of them were flying at high speed towards the palace, leaded by their queen.

Author's Note:

And so the war begins...

Next week chapter may come a bit late due to some important matters that will require my full attention, but don't give up hope.

Comments

[Reisentanith]

So... no siege engines? Not even a catapult? Or boiling Oatmeal?

[Burnasius]

How fast did they break the wall?
First it explained spiked barrier and now they plow in with a good hole on it?
That was too fast, though I cannot wait for when Shining Armor gets to speak with Chrysalis formally about her issue. But considering the growing relationship of trust with Cadence... Here's hoping for something of a three-way gig.

[LostUmbrella]

2106427

No, since the city has no walls around it; moreover, once a good number of changelings gets inside or the first group gets Shining (wichever first), their mere number will be enough to conquer the city.

2106458

The spikes did their work by preventing the entire army to slam face first in the barrier, as they did in Canterlot.
The hole is created in around five minutes thanks to the combined efforts of five spcialists.

[Dementia Ravenmane]

Now is when I hope the Crystal Empire has über defenses.
media.moddb.com/cache/images/mods/1/9/8709/thumb_620x2000/Obelisk_Of_Light.jpg

[Frankie2]

Since when does the changelings have sorcerers???

[Edguy0009]

2361830
Burst Missiles would work wonders along with Experimental Mobile Factories, Experimental Artillery or a battalion of Shilkas and/or Tunguskas

[KvAT]

9764042
Get ten Finnish snipers with scoped M2 Browning and we have ourselves an anti-air defense

[Razzy]

That jerk is a jerky jerk. The father of Changelings, i mean.

[SonZohanda]

"I'm happy to see that you're eyes are already getting better, my queen!" said with glee the changeling noticing what she was pointing "That seems to be a delegation of peace."

Ashley and Chrysalis: *Shoot a beam to his face*