Present day, Cloudsdale crevasse system under city border
P.O.V Delta Hooves
"Thank you for your efforts Delta, although my sister was more stubborn to object to call for your help, your help has helped us secure a very vital town in this war. If it weren't for you Miss Watersmoke and her company would have been overrun." It was surprising how well a radio signal somepony can get through clouds, although a little static is heard it well clear enough to make out her words.
"Thank you your highness, but I also apologise for not getting there sooner, for those who I couldn't be there to save..."
"Their sacrifices will be post-humorously honoured, but you shouldn't blame yourself for such needs; you had no idea the attack was happening but thanks to you it was a crushing defeat for our common enemy."
"Speaking of enemy; what happened back there at the exchange?"
"The cause behind the shape shifting you witnessed was an enemy we feared would enter the war again. The species is known as the Changelings and they were the ones responsible for the attack on the Canterlot wedding by the now hopefully peaceful, Queen Chrysalis."
Changelings eh? Seems self explanatory but why peaceful? "Why do you suppose the queen would be peaceful? The attack was only a few years ago."
"We can understand why they attacked, for a changeling to survive it needs to live off pure love, a love that was so rare from their overwhelming birth rates that they quickly fell into famine."
"So they attacked the wedding to survive? Seems legit seeing how Cadence and Shining now rule the Crystal Empire, romance is quite the custom over there."
"Exactly, we hope they're less desperate now but if the changelings are entering the war against us, we could be in trouble."
"What do you suppose I do to sort this out?"
"Keep an eye out for any activity concerning changelings, but I would not advise going to the changeling realm, we've bordered with them peacefully but things on the border are like the North and South Rein-ea DMZ, very tense and when you're inside, no telling what's going to happen there. But if they are in fact peaceful, it may confirm our reports of changeling mercinaries being hired Equestria-wide."
"Spying on a suspicious faction isn't exactly a good way to make friends you know."
"We are desperate Delta, please try to understand this. With my sister becoming increasingly paranoid of her rule she's been... well..."
"I understand. Keep me posted where I am needed next, I'll be ready."
"Thank you Delta, your new munitions and food is being teleported as I speak, Luna out."
Sugarcube Corner, Twilight P.O.V
Personally I would have preferred to discuss a plan of our mission somewhere a lot more professional, I couldn't deny the subtly of a cellar under a restaurant and seeing how Pinkie managed to renovate Mr. and Miss. Cake's business, she was able to convert the cellar to a map room where she would organize deliveries of her produce. It's surprising how many bits somepony can make from being a baker, but however for what we were about to do, the red on the streets of where our plan will fall into action will not be a spilled drink, but spilled blood of a 'hero'.
"Okie dokie lokie! One salad sandwich for Twilight, one Victorian cheesecake slice for Rarity, a caramel dipped Zap apple for Dashie and a nice chocolate smothered cupcake for me, all on the house of course!" I couldn't help but give a giggling smile at Pinkie's childish manor seeping from the cover of professionalism as she gave us our snacks for the time being, each of us thanking her for her tasty snacks as we got given them.
"Thank you Pinkie, please sit down though, we've got planning to do." She gave a quick squee and nod as she sat down; now that we were all seated it was time for us to begin. "Ok, here's the set up. Celestia has scheduled an assault on one of the few remaining rebel camps, seeing how the counter attack at Saint-Mare-Eglise had left the strongest remainder of their massive force decimated from combat or surrender. This attack is where Celestia has planned for us to execute Delta. Make no mistake this is an active combat zone, a zone where a ponies like us and the enemy will DIE. So be careful, stick to cover and to each other and we should be fine."
I gave a short nod to Rarity, gesturing for her to explain her part of the plan. "I know it seems un-lady-like for a mare like myself to take part in such violence, but I recall a certain amount of patriotism in times of war from mares like myself. To get anywhere near the combat zone, I'll be making us some Kevlar body armour bearing the colours of our soldiers assaulting the camp, we should slip in unnoticed. Face masks and additional armour plating will be needed to hide our identities."
"Thank you Rarity, Pinkie Pie? Care to explain your part?"
Finally getting her face out of her snack with a muzzle camouflaged in chocolate, which she cleared with a single swirl of her tongue, she gave a nod as she pulled out a map of the battlefield, one which Rainbow recognised well to which she explained. "Hey, is it just me or is this camp set in the Appleloosa Plains? This sector is barely 100 miles out from a major fault line!"
"Exactly, and that's why we're using it to our advantage, what we'll be doing is flying myself to the old Appleloosa mines where we will plant some charges on weak points of the fault line! Hehehe!"
"Triggering an earthquake?! Are you nuts?!"
I put a hoof on Dash's shoulder, getting her attention. "Relax Dash, it is only part of the plan and I myself will use magic to ensure the tremors only hit the camp, this will create enough confusion for me to take a shot at Delta. But if that fails, that's where you come in Dash; you'll be our failsafe in case he flies off. You recall what happened to flight 246 departing from Stalliongrad airport?"
"Of course. Pegasus accidently set off a sonic rainboom, it was small but that was enough to cause enough of a shockwave to blow away a whole Boeing 747 in the air, all 368 lives aboard were lost and the airport took considerable damage."
"Exactly, now if a small one could do that, imagine what your rainbooms could do to a single Pegasus caught in the blast?"
The look on her face was shocked at first but soon into approval as she realised what her role was. "If all goes well the attack will commence tomorrow evening and by midnight Delta will be dead and we will all be royals. Any questions?" Silence followed this question for other ones. "Alright, we're done here..."
Somepony's gonna have a REALLY bad day, REALLY soon...
