Damn I've been posting these chapters like no tomorrow. 5 chapters already? It's quite impressive if I say so myself. I got one or two more chapters left for the siege arc. Then we have a recovery arc then a revenge arc.

No new reviews for the time being. Let's get started

Changelings hissed with chattering teeth as they waited in the underground caverns. Hunger knotted. Tongues lashed at their teeth and moistened their lips. How long will they have to WAIT?! The barrier shattered, sending all of Canterlot into a panic. Easy prey! Citizens are scrambling for bunkers and hidden passages here. Where are they?! They mapped these deep, damp caverns for generations under Canterlot and the surrounding mountain range. One of their heads perked and grinned hungrily after a sniff. Someone's here! It's a single person. A powerful one. They stopped. High-ranked changelings chittered orders to surround them. Chrysalis will want them alive. This was one of Celestia's honor guards. A worthy prize. Their scent indicates them as an Earth Pony.

"Come face me vermin," The honor guard challenged, raising their halberd to the gluttonous horde. Igneous was their name.

"You moron! We have you surrounded by a hundred to one,"

"Not even a challenge for me," The crimson warrior scoffed. "Yes you may outnumber me but you can never kill nor eat me with your pitiful strength. I'm a lion. You are ants. I wonder how many will die by my hands," Igneous boasted as a water droplet fell from an overhead pillar.

"You won't live to count!"

"Come," Igneous encouraged, igniting their halberd in a ready stance. They swarmed with bared teeth and acidic spittle leaking from their mouths. It was over before another drop fell. Igneous stood in a death ring surrounded by the charred remains of Changelings. No less than 5 paces. Emerald vapor sizzles off their armor, sanitizing and removing any traces of their blood. "146 for this one. 211 for the last one. 98 for the one before that," Igneous calculated their kill count. They're near the top among the honor guard. First to 500 wins. What are the others? Solar Breeze has 376; now it's 397. Damn, they're catching up to them fast. Aurelien Step just broke the 400 benchmark and is rising. Igneous rested their halbert across their shoulders and paced to their next objective. The leader changeling hyperventilated, covering their mouth while behind a pillar as this DEMON walked away. This wasn't part of their plan. How did Celestia's forces find them so quickly? A haunting jolt awoke a horrible thought. Someone told Celestia! They need to flee. Rings of emerald flames coated their bodies as they changed into a rodent. Warning and fear pheromones signaled their situation. They must warn the Queen. After minutes of tense evading, a group of changelings came into view. The high-ranked changeling morphed back.

"We need to inform the Queen. We've been compromised!" They informed their broodmates. Time is of the essence and more importantly, escape from those flaming demons. "Traitors in our hives," They whispered grimly, unsure of who or where they were. There's no fear in their tone. These are their lesser brood mates making their loyalty and obedience a fact.

"We know," One of them answered as if someone asked for the time.

"Good then. Wait, what do you mean, you know?" The high-ranked changeling nodded before jerking their head in the lesser's direction. These changelings had weapons drawn. Stained with Changeling blood?! "Explain all of this!" They exploded finding themselves surrounded with a rainbow of eyes glaring with the utmost hatred.

"We found a new better ruler," One of them spoke, changing into a pegasus. More did the same until all turned into Equestrian citizens.

"Stop this! Stop this now!" The high-ranked changeling commanded as the noose tightened. "I! AM! ABOVE! ALL OF YOU! YOU WILL LISTEN AND OBEY EVERYTHING I SAY!" Why aren't they listening?! They're emitting the most potent command pheromones making only the Queen's demands absolute.

"Not anymore," They declared before pouncing on them. Piercing, stabbing, and bludgeoning their former leader into a sloppy crunchy jigsaw puzzle. They left their 'leader' to rot. Their new monarch needed their help more than ever. Igneous observed them return to the surface, nodding and reporting their findings. These scenes were played out all over Canterlot. Loyalists and Traitors sprang unexpected ambushes, culling each other's numbers for their respective queens. The earth rumbled. Igneous glanced at the ceiling; that was Celestia's magic but something was wrong. Dreadfully wrong. What happened to the elements? Igneous snorted recalling how the other Elements treated Dusk Shine.

"Of course, it won't work," Igneous marched, shattering the screaming rocks with their polearm. Blood hissed. Replies announced the Elements were being escorted to safety while Dusk Shine & Luna went to the Castle. Cadance and Captain Shining Armor rushed to the Villas to reinforce the loyalist Sentinels. Gem Wisp was captured with them. Igneous shuddered. Out of all the horrible things this world has created, those things make the most brutal death a verdant lofty paradise.

"All changelings exterminated. Return to the surface," Bonfire commanded. All the dispatched Honor Guard replied affirmatively. Igneous pressed a rune and vanished in a golden flash.

"CAN YOU FEEL IT?!" A Chaplain exploded with a mighty fervor, bashing changelings and traitors with their heavy war hammer. A blank reflective mask covered their face but the defenders saw the wide smile underneath. They were in the thick of battle near the villas. The Castle wasn't too far. "The magnificence of our beloved Princess Celestia's illumination!" They evaded a swipe and headbutted a changeling pushing them back. A kick shattered a traitor guard's knee and sent them to the ground. The Chaplain swung the heavy head at their skull as they pleaded with a raised defensive arm. No mercy. Their skull caved like an egg. An upward thrust into the headbutted Changeling's chest. They wheezed at their broken ribs. Blood filled. The Chaplain whacked their lower jaw off its hinges. The Changeling tried to regenerate and stopped the flow when the scorching metal rocketed between their eyes.

"She fights for us all! Including our new Changeling brothers and sisters!" The Chaplain praised, gesturing their hammer to the Neo-Changelings shining gold and green. They're fighting harder than anything before; ignoring severed limbs and using them as weapons. Using their last vestiges of strength to save their newfound friends and family. "They learn the magic of friendship! The wonders of the Elements of harmony. The beauty of unity. They learned what it means to be alive and valued as an individual!" The Chaplain extolled, positing their hammer as a spear, and blasted a trio of burning light into the enemy ranks. "For years they've been told their lives meant nothing. An insignificant. Now they see the value of their lives, achieving things incomprehensible under their foul Queen Chrysalis! Lend them your strength! So they can return to us tenfold!" Their hammer quaked the ground with a rippling shockwave, launching several in the air.

"For Equestria!" The Neo-Changelings thundered for their new home, friends and family.

"You heard them!" The chaplain encouraged, raising their warhammer. "For Equestria!" They repeated.

"For Equestria!" They echoed.

"Prince Blueblood has armed himself for battle to protect his home and nation. He grew. He's not like some of these cowards who hide behind their status. Betraying the position Celestia gave them only to spit in her generosity," The Chaplain approved as Blueblood dealt with his own battle. He's in Royal Guard armor in his house colors with a shield and sword.

"Yes, I know," Blueblood grunted, blocking a sword slash and pushing the attacker away. An arrow pierced their eye socket. He winced but buried his worries. Equestria at stake."I was a spoiled rich brat who never knew struggle and hardship thanks to being Celestia's nephew. Dusk Shine humiliated me during the Gala and stole my honor. Yet he restored it," Those memories looped for months. Dusk Shine outclassed him in every possible way in a handful of minutes. He has Celestia's approval. The element of Magic. A Sentinel. Foreign leaders have heard about Dusk Shine and his accomplishments. What does Blueblood have? Nothing! Those scathing words echoed in his dreams.

"There's going to be a time when Celestia, Luna, and Cadance won't be available. Nobody is going to you to lead Equestria besides being a figurehead or puppet king. The real leader will be someone like Fancypants or my brother. You aren't fit to rule despite your solar bloodline"

"That debt . . . must be repaid!" Blueblood avowed, his horn and aura glowed intensely, marching to the front. His magic flared with magnetism, attracting all the ferrous equipment to a single spot. Traitorous killing strikes were interrupted. Swords, spears, bludgeons, and axes were pulled for their hands. Gawking at their weaponless grips. Loyalists exploited their bewilderment, sending them to Charon to be judged. More held to the shields while being dragged. Blueblood pushed. Racks of fully armored traitors floated, twirled, and slammed into each other like autumn then crashing into the ground. They struggled to pull off each other but resigned to be a jumbled mess of bodies.

"Well said," A pair of voices praised. Cheers erupted as groups of changelings and traitors fled. Princess Cadance and Captain Shining Armor arrived! Their forces swelled, advancing and rescuing several attachments through Canterlot's villas. They're held. Just how many changelings are left?! Did they even make a dent? Celestia already dealt with the underground reserves but will it be enough? Their weapons were slick and dulled with changeling blood. Some had to scavenge for useful weapons from the dead after their blades were nicked and spears splintered. Acid stripped the armor's paint but it held.

"Cadance, Shining Armor," Blueblood greeted his family. Today was supposed to be a momentous day for everyone. Not a siege.

"You look awful," Cadance commented. Blueblood was a mess, stained with sweat and crimson and emerald blood. Hair strands fell out of place.

"And you need a shower," Blueblood shot back, covering his nose. Cadance sniffed one of her armpits and gagged with a wince. She coated herself with a deodorized spell.

"What's our next step Captain?" Blueblood asked.

"First dealing with them," Shining Armor sneered at the traitorous pile. "Disgraceful," He muttered, summoning a cruel containment box with thick bricklike walls. Blueblood's spell faltered. A gaggle of traitors sprung to their feet, using whatever combat tool they had available. Hands, feet, heads, shoulder bashes, and helmets meet a spongy resistance. They can't harm themselves inside. Pegasi tried to leap, discovering their wings frozen, useless, and bound. Unicorns found their magic fizzle out. They're trapped. All their determination sapped from their bodies and sank to their rears awaiting their punishment.

"We'll watch over them," The Chaplain declared with a bow, taking the labor off their shoulders.

"Thank you," Cadance returned the bow.

"Here Princess Mi Amore Cadenza," The Chaplain knelt offering their warhammer to the new princess. "You can use it better than me,"

"You serve the crown well," Cadance thanked, putting the hammer on her shoulder. She did a few practice twirls single-handedly thanks to the improved Alicorn strength even in her weakened state. "Maybe I have your name?" She asked to later thank them for their service.

"My name is irrelevant at this moment," The Chaplain implied as the sun refracted off their mask.

"Dusk Shine should be at the castle by now," Shining Armor predicted. "You coming?"

"Of course, I live there," Blueblood exclaimed jokingly. They rushed for the castle to raise the flag for all to see.

The Wonderbolts base was on HIGH alert. Canterlot is under siege. The barrier shattering was their first clue but the morse code from the wedding hall's dome spoke of a dire situation. Traitors. Sirens blares as personnel rush to prepare.

"Come on! Get the lead out of your flank!" Spitfire ordered, getting squadrons of Wonderbolts ready for their first major official battle in several years or decades. This wasn't a local threat. The fate of Canterlot and Equestria was at stake. Changelings of all things. Spitfire groaned. She thought the revival of Nightmare Moon would be their first fight but it's this. Thank Celestia, a messenger was set weeks prior and Dusk Shine offered his advice. She owes him a favor after Spike went wild.

"My flight is ready ma'am," Soarin saulted. More pegasi were in ready formation. Their flight armor was lightly reinforced with tighter snitching, light metal, or leather pads. Short curved blades, circular shields, ranged weapons, and bags filled with throwables.

"Good. What's the situation in Canterlot?!" Spitfire commanded. It's barely been an hour since the siege started. Years of training told her it only takes a fraction of a second for everything to go to shit.

"Celestia and Chrysalis are engaged in a brutal dogfight. Soldiers on both sides are supporting their respective leaders," The watchtower operator reported. Chrysalis shifted between four main forms during the fight. Green was her default using twin blades. A bulky blue for defense, appearing more plump. A raging scarlet for offense with massive razor fist-claws. A gaudy yellow with ridiculously dense leg muscles blitzing through her rebellious children. Wait. They zoomed in. "No way . . . Captain you need to see this,"

Spitfire flapped to the telescope and looked into it. She saw as expected. Traitors fighting loyal troops in the name of the Sun, Moon and Crystal Heart. However Spitfire didn't expect to see Changelings rebelling against their Queen. These Neo-changelings placed a sun on their foreheads.

"Well damn. We got more help," Spitfire chuckled and secured goggles on her eyes. "Roll Call!" She resonated, landing on the runway.

"Fleetfoot, 6th squadron"

"Blaze 446th wing,"

"High Winds, 126th wing"

"Misty Fly 28th flight,"

"Silver Zoom 67th flight,"

"Surprise Showers 99th wing,"

"ALRIGHT! I'll keep it short! Canterlot is under siege by changelings and traitors. They're holding but we don't know for how long. We're a sub-faction of the Royal Guard. When you joined, you took an oath to let Celestia's light shine on the darkest days. Today is one of those days," Spitfire broadcasted to all available Wonderbolts. Other cities were preparing their forces as well but they couldn't wait for them. Ponyville is the nearest settlement. However, it's a modest town with a token armed force thanks to being right under Canterlot. "Ready!" She turned, getting into a running stance as did the rest.

"Yes, Captain!" They replied with a hurricane's wrath and copied their leader's pose.

"Wonderbolts, let's soar!" Spitfire commanded, leading the charge as always.

Dusk Shine and his cohort approached the castle, sensing Fancy Pants & Fleur De Lis' magic from here. Same with his classmates. They're still alive for now. Good. He encountered resistance as expected but fortune highly favored them from the sky. Luna joined their assault as well as members of his family guard. Nacht Knight, his standard bearer, stayed behind him, hoisting the Shine family banner high as he pushed forward. Dusk Shine and Luna covered each other using their blades and spells against the enemy. She raised a brow at the blade. The size and weight were too cumbersome of his stature yet Dusk Shine wields it with the shocking dexterity. Luna asked for the name. Dusk Shine answered, scolding the sword as it struggled to pierce a defensive spell. The sword obeyed. Luna laughed heartily as she remembered Holzfäller over a thousand years ago. She's grateful. For it's in good hands.

They arrived. The battle still raged with the wedding hall barrier shattered in numerous places. Cannon shots boomed. The Nocturnal Legion entered the exposed holes. Their noses were assaulted by a charred miasma from a garden of smoking changeling bodies. The corpses formed several mini mountains throughout the area. Luna and Dusk Shine's forces spread out to observe the battlefield and the carnage. How many bodies did Chrysalis throw at them? They estimated the number in the thousands as some piles were taller than Celestia. Some were in a death crawl after briefly surviving. Limbs were meters behind them.

"This was your spell correct?" Luna analyzed. She experienced the arcane might while still in the castle, battling Iron Clasp and Gem Wisp. It's remarkable. The crown sits well on Dusk Shine's head.

"Yes, but it wasn't enough against them," Dusk Shine scolded himself. Luna's face softened. He has a War mask on. It's one of the things she wished remained in the past. A mental and emotional blockage to cope and process the horrors of war. So young. And a scholar too. She hopes he can break the mask and return to the gentleman who helped her that night. Dusk Shine's eyes scanned the field, praying he wouldn't find someone he recognized. He focused on individuals or pairs of pony bodies surrounded by dead changelings in their defiant fight. Soldiers and the occasional civilian. It didn't help the stone in his gullet. A lost shoe. Broken strap. Trinkets like rings, necklaces, and earrings shattered in the dust. Dusk Shine didn't know what he'd do if he found Lyra, Twinkleshine, or Minuette. What will he tell their families? Their old classmates? Bon-Bon? Was she here in the city?

"Hey, we found one," One of their members found a barely living guard. Dusk Shine pushed them out of the way, recognizing them. A male unicorn named Cobalt Marker. Dusk Shine knelt and grabbed their hand.

"Dusk Shine. How bad is it?" Cobalt wheezed, feeling uncomfortably cold.

"Your intestines should be inside your body," Dusk Shine informed, making Cobalt angle his head to see the damage. That's not good. "What happened?" He asked, shooting a glance at the apothecary. They shook their head. Excessive blood loss, acid burns, ruptured organs, and the disgusting mix of bacteria from the changeling mouth.

"Got overrun. That crazy bitch must've thrown thousands at the barriers," Cobalt remarked. Is that all Chrysalis can do?

"Chrysalis isn't known for being strategic with her numbers," Luna interjected, kneeling beside Dusk Shine.

"Princess Luna?" Cobalt groaned and coughed. "Sorry, we couldn't hold much longer,"

"It's alright. You gave it everything you had," Luna encouraged, gesturing to the tally of dead enemies around them. They were loyal and defended their home making it all worth it.

"Thank you," Cobalt muttered, using the little strength he had to speak. "They. . . went inside. Me and a few others held them off. The honor guard helped. A lot. It still was too much for one of them," He gestured to a scorch mark where numerous changeling corpses and an Honor guard lay. Shimmering crimson flames danced on the bodies. "Where's Shining Armor?" Cobalt asked.

"Near the villas. He should be on his way here to help and end the battle," Dusk Shine answered, comforting the guard.

"The Elements," Cobalt asked. Dusk Shine didn't answer. "Of course, it failed after they treated you. Good thing you took combat lessons when we were kids," He coughed with a smile then lost it as blood splattered on his lips. "Can . . . you tell them?"

"I will," Dusk Shine promised.

"Give them hell Dusk Shine," Cobalt asked, his eyes dimming and grip limp. Dusk Shine nodded and closed their eyes. He placed their shield on their stomach wound. Can't risk a changeling having another snack while they escape.

"You knew him," Luna pieced together their conversation. Dusk Shine is in pain but refuses to show it. The tragedy of war never changes.

"One of my seniors," Dusk Shine answered stonily. He found the unit's standard, shook the dirt off, and used it as a marker. A few arranged nearby bodies in a line, honoring their last moments together. Will he find Aqua Lily after this or what's left of her?

"Does he have any next of kin?" Luna questioned, keeping a respectful distance away. Did funeral rites change as well?

"Yes. Both parents, a grandmother and uncle, in-laws, aunts and a few uncles, two siblings, a husband, and a kid," Dusk Shine explained as he performed the battle burial. One of his family guards muttered a eulogy and blessed the bodies, easing their spirits to their next life. "They were going on a family vacation to the southern Isle in a month,"

"A husband?" Luna asked. Times truly have changed.

"Yes. The family vacation was going to be their anniversary trip," Dusk Shine confirmed.

"Were they battle bonded?" Luna continued. It was an ancient custom from militaristic culture forming semi-informal domestic partnership between soldiers. Sometimes entire squads or cohorts will form these relationships. Was that still a term in this era?

"No. They courted each other as normal," Dusk Shine corrected, thinking about what they were going to say once this was done.

"A wonderful progression since my banishment. Has courtship become this simple?" Luna beamed at the simplicity of modern relationships. She recalled the hoops, hurdles, and mountains one has endured to romantically pursue another. It's so simple. The envoy gave varying answers and gestures. "Come on," She gestured to the castle. They nodded and followed the chorus of battle, avoiding the corpses on the steps.

The inside was better by the simplest of margins. Hallways laid with traps and reap their quarry in earnest with traitorous screams. Celestia's guard cleaved through their ranks as infernal wraiths, sparking terror into their souls as they fled. Fighting as a minimum. Skeleton crews of changelings experienced what it's like to be hunted one by one until nothing remained. The advanced changelings were becoming more common.

Chrysalis must've exhausted her numbers if she's using her elite troops.

"Dusk Shine, Luna," Bonfire greeted them. The Goliath was behind them with their split head open as oozing burning metal dripped from their helm. "Follow me please," They followed before signaling the envoy to stay vigilant and supportive. The Honor Guard led them to a makeshift infirmary, tending the wounded, dying and close to dying. Many stood as Luna entered the room, waiting for any final orders.

"Dusk Shine," A trio of familiar voices called to him. He smiled as they rushed to him.

"Lyra, Minutte, Twinkleshine, you're all okay!" Dusk Shine embraced them all. They're alive. They're alive.

"Barely," Lyra motioned to their injuries. The trio were grateful to have nothing personal or disabling. They will have scars. Puncture marks and acid marks all over their bodies. Twinkleshine had her arm in a sling. Minuette had bandages wrapped around her face, doused in disinfectant and healing balm. Lyra had a noticeable limp.

"We're almost done. Chrysalis will be cast away from our city," Fancy Pants informed, supported by Fleur De Lis. He lost his monocle with a few claw marks across his face. They're almost done. They can win this once and for all. The castle rumbled.

"Please be well children. Please be happy and keep learning," An elderly voice chimed in the gifted students' minds.

"No. . . ," They muttered with teary eyes. The students clutched their chests, covering their faces and burning throats from hearing the voice.

"What was that?" Luna ordered. Who was the voice and why did it have an adverse effect on them?

"That was our old teacher!" Dusk Shine exclaimed in a panic. He grabbed the girls and focused on finding a vantage point to see the school. They vanished in a flash and were one of the higher levels. The students rushed to a balcony. Their jaws dropped. The school of magic was damaged with several exploded windows and smoke fluttering up from the second floor at one of the wings.

"MISS HONEY KINDER!" They lamented. She taught all of them since they were children and until they graduated. Honey Kinder received honors for cultivating some of Equestria's best and brightest students. She could've easily retired but she stayed.

"That was Silver Ballad's forces who did wasn't it," Fancy Pants probed. Dusk Shine nodded with a furrowed brow, offering the telescope to see for himself. Honey Kinder refused to teach Silver Ballad as their family attempted to bribe, leading to heavy gossip resulting in private lessons from tutors. It stained their honor.

"Don't worry Dusk Shine, they'll pay for what they did to Lady Honey Cake," Fleur De Lis consoled, wiping tears from her eyes as well. "She taught me as well,"

"The castle and surrounding areas have been secured. All remaining enemy forces are either captured, dead, and routed to whatever hole they could," Bonfire reported, easing the tension off their souls.

"We still have that," Shining Armor commented, viewing the sky as Celestia and Chrysalis fought. The brothers embraced along with Cadance.

"Numerous parts of Canterlot are being contested but if we get rid of Chrysalis. We can take them. She's the lifeblood of the hive and they'll do anything to protect her, making them prime targets for ambushes," Blueblood elaborated on their potential action plan. They stared dumbfounded. "What?" He questioned.

"Are we sure he's not a changeling?" Fancy Pants muttered.

"He's Celestia's nephew. Good to see luxury and privilege didn't dilute her power and ethics," Luna confirmed. Blueblood lowered his head with shame weighing him down.

"There's still the issue of reclaiming the rest of Canterlot. They still outnumber us," Cadance emphasized.

"You have an idea don't you," Shining Armor predicted after seeing the glint in Dusk Shine's eyes. He smiled and guzzled all of his unused elixirs.

Celestia and Chrysalis battled furiously in their aerial duel. Their units gave them a wide berth, respecting their leaders' strength. Yet they remained close. Chrysalis had a retinue of drones and soldiers behind her, creating or exploiting openings in Celestia's guard. Their skulls and chests were incinerated with every swipe.

"My Queen the Wonderbolts are here!"

"Stop them!" Chrysalis ordered, evading another swipe with a head tilt. Her skin heated. Being near the weapon made her sweat. Chrysalis forced her regeneration into overdrive, countering the burns and refusing to meet the same fate again. Damn Wonderbolts. Chrysalis thought she had more time to raze Canterlot. She signaled her hive to delay them.

"We're trying! They created several mini tornadoes!" A changeling informed. Chrysalis invaded their mind and viewed what they saw. Dozens upon dozens of changelings and equestrian traitors yelled while caught in an aerial death dance. Spitfire led the assault. She's fast. Her units might as well be cutting the air. Their eyes met. The last thing that changeling felt was the wind slashing their skin and Spitfire's curved blade gliding through their neck.

Chrysalis watched their head fall from their body and bonked another changeling on the neck.

"Why are all of you so USELESS?!" Chrysalis exploded. Everything is going wrong! Luna appears out of nowhere and saves the day with the Night Court. Her children defect to Celestia. What else could go wrong today?!

"Reinforcements from Ponyville!" They came faster than expected but only a few dozen or hundred at most. A minor inconvenience.

"The civilians are rioting and pushing us back!" Another interjected. Irritation spiked in Chrysalis. Oh great. She's fighting a battle on 3 fronts now. They grabbed what they could for weapons, easily identifying who was the enemy thanks to Celestia's spell. Rainbow Dash led one of these groups. The other elements lead their own resistance groups in the city after getting separated.

"DAMN IT!" Chrysalis exploded, her refined features becoming more savage with each frustration. "USELESS SACKS OF FUCK SHIT!" She sliced a royal guard from shoulder to hip.

"Oh my such a filthy mouth," Celestia mocked, shoulder-bashing the Queen who tumbled in the air and regained balance. Chrysalis snarled, clutching her dual blades. Celestia gripped HAR's handle. They felt it. A dominating sensation, jolting their nerves. They paused their charges, turning their heads to the castle for the source.

"What?" The monarchs muttered. An overwhelming magical surge of meteoric proportions skyrocketed their shock. Portals layered the city. Chrysalis sprouted multiple eyes all over her body to survey the disaster. Citizens cheered as the royal castle was secured with dozens of Sentinel flags flapping in the wind. Her mind thundered. What's happening?!

Changeling leaders shrieked their reports.

"My Queen! The Bisons are pushing through our lines-aHHHHHH!"

"Appleosan caverns are cutting us down!"

"Manehattan gunners! We're being slaughtered!"

"Is that a fucking MANTICORE?!"

"Why do they have a Sea serpent?! We need to flee!"

"Dodge Junction golems!"

"Dusk Shine, Luna, Shining Armor, Cadance, Blueblood, and others are charging through our lines. Our allies fled! We can't hold them off. There's too many!"

Blood vessels popped, repaired, and popped again in Chrysalis's head. Green ichor painted her sclera and returned like the ebb and flow of a beach tide before a tsunami crashed. Her face was taut leather. Elongated teeth shifted into ivory needles piercing her gums and shattered under the crushing pressure and regrow them. Her body shifted. Bones lengthed, muscles reformed with denser fibers. Chrysalis's upper body grew with broader shoulders and a crimson exoskeleton similar to a crustacean. Heavy gauntlets wider than her seductive waist were her weapons.

"YOU! This was all your doing wasn't it?!" Chrysalis snarled and charged once more. This was her fault! Who else had the means to summon allies all over Equestria into one spot?

"No. This was all my dear Dusk Shine's doing," Celestia denied keeping her grin to taunt Chrysalis infuriating the Queen even more. He gathered allies through his travels. "I'm just as surprised as you," She confessed. Dusk Shine keeps surprising her today."You lost again," Her eyes narrowed, whacking Chrysalis away with HAR, blocking the strike with her bulking forearms. Black marks hissed on the crimson shelling and flaked off.

"Fine! I won't let you savor this bullshit victory," Chrysalis seethed nastily with the apathy of defeat on the horizon. She failed. The fact she was about to be outnumbered, insulted her in ways unimaginable. "MY SWARM! KILL THEM ALL AND CAPTURE ALL YOU CAN! Make them suffer!" She resonated, bombarding the city with her solemn used berserker pheromone. Her drones eyes blazed a bloody crimson, snarling and snapping at their enemies. Ignoring death blows while hissing acid. Defectors attempted to resist but fell to the manufactured wrath. Waves of changelings crashed into each other in a gory melee to the Equestrians' horror, watching them rip their siblings apart.

"TO ME!" Chrysalis ordered, blasting a potent command pheromone, drawing in hordes of changelings to her. Their eyes are blank and submissive. Chrysalis grabbed one and threw it like a spear. Celestia dodged, motioning her troops to stop this. Chrysalis grew more arms, launching her children like ripe fruits unfit for sale but still has a use. The bodies crashed against shields and armor, bursting like pumpkins as they crashed from the sky. A contingent of Equestrian loyalists circled, using their swords to cull the backlines while Chrysalis was lost in her rage. Celestia constructed a dome, unable to evade the bombardment of changeling bodies. Chrysalis honed on the Solar princess.

"What madness is this?!" Celestia demanded, being pushed by the impacts. Chrysalis is using her children as weapons. Green blood sizzled off her solar casing as Chrysalis snatched another pleading for mercy and swung them by the leg. Their head cracked. Chrysalis swung more as if she were beating the dust of an old blanket. The crimson armor granted enhanced strength and ferocity characterizing the Queen's brutal nature and callousness toward her children. A leg remained. She consumed it whole, restoring a portion of her magic.

"It's only madness for someone who's weak!" Chrysalis shot back, not bothering to wipe her jaw clean. She launched another. Then another. Then another. Then another. Another. Another. Another. Another. Another. Another. Another. Another. Her arms blurred. Tossing dozens upon dozens at speeds that make all professional baseball players envious. She wasn't tossing bodies anymore, Chrysalis's monstrous strength yanked limbs from their sockets. The berserk hazed changelings didn't notice."We're goddesses! They're queens who ruled for over a thousand years. We're eternal. They are beneath us!" She thundered, continuing to launch her drones like stones. Their deaths meant nothing. They'll be replaced by new broods before the moon rises with all the love they've captured. This siege has culled the weak and foolish, making her hive stronger. "Yet you want to treat them with respect! You want to give them rights. To share power?!" Chrysalis spat on the concept of sharing. Rulers don't share. They take! "You can do whatever the fuck want to them!" She turned to a group of changelings and traitor guards. "Like so. Hey, you kill them now,"

"What?!" The Equestrians stammered, feeling the chill of the air in the fury of battle. This wasn't the deal. Their changeling allies' mouths salivated at the meal.

"Yes my queen," They nodded. The equestrians attempted to defend themselves, bringing a few down with them. It wasn't enough. Hands severed at the joint with a chomp. Acid melted their faces exposing muscle and bone to the burning air. Slime clogged their throats and obscured their vision. Few tried to escape. The mass of changeling bodies halted any escape plans muffling any screams. Blood drew in other changelings like moths to a bonfire, muddling into a ball of black and green. Chrysalis rocketed through. They exploded into chunks, scattering the living to the wind. She chased. Her fists were wrecking balls, exploding whole sections of their bodies into green mist. One tried to escape but Chrysalis grabbed them by the neck. Their eyes bulged, kicking and wriggling from the suffocating force.

"Why?" They choked. Chrysalis wrung their neck like a sponge. Bloody tears pinched. Crunch. The head limped with a narrow tube of a neck. Chrysalis yanked their head like a root and casually discarded the body.

"They're your children!" Celestia yelled, incinerating a pair of changelings. Her magic choked and launched some traitors into a building beneath her.

"So?" Chrysalis shrugged, munching on a severed skull like a juicy apple, leaning casually. "Do you know children I've birthed over centuries? I had more children than you had cake slices," She only gave names to her elites as they have more unique features. Two came to mind. Pharynx and Thorax. A rare set of twins with Pharynx being older. Pharynx will make a wonderful Changeling monarch using ruthless deception beyond most changelings. Thorax is submissive as he should, following his elder's orders. The rest had unique smells. "Once your lessers realize their places in the hierarchy, nothing is beyond reach," Chrysalis boasted, holding both loyalist and traitor changeling over her head and a royal guard. She tore them. Pulling their arms and legs, hyperextending their muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Bones snapped out of their sockets. Skin peeling. Chrysalis smiled at their screams and grunts, licking her lips and teeth at her next meal. Celestia and her cohort attempted to rescue them but the changeling swarm them in bestial madness. The royal guard was first, dousing Chrysalis in red, lapping the ichor to savor the taste. Next was a loyalist changeling then the defector. Chrysalis extended her jaw and tossed the mutilated bodies in the air, snapped her jaw, and swallowed. She blew a heart bubble at Celestia.

"I'll turn you to ash," Celestia raged, her rainbow hair darkened into an orange dancing flame. She hasn't boiled in rage like this in centuries. Her soldiers gawked and sweated.

Daybreaker.

Changelings can't get near her, immediately catching on fire by her aura and gaze alone. Fat bubble and burst. Skin charred, cracked, and pulled turning faces into pained rictus masks. Nearby clouds burst into steam. Blinding the charging traitor hordes inflicting a bygone plague of scorching blisters on their exposed skin. Some fell. Others prolonged their gambit but the house always wins. Celestia's excruciating heat crashed like a rolling avalanche and slammed into a tsunami of steaming oil. Metal simmered like butter. They shrieked in agony, trying to scoop the scolding liquid metal off their skins. Gold and other metal sealed opened wounds dipping into their bones. Spear shafts burst into flames.

They scattered. Searching for water or dirt to smother into the flames. Few dive-bombed into ponds and other water bodies within Canterlot's borders, frightening waterfowl. They were shallow. Their necks and skulls crunched upon colliding with the bottom. The fortunate died immediately. Others drowned, fully conscious unable to move becoming one with the water bottom.

Blub

Blub

Blub

Blub

GRRHHRLLLINGINURAL

Nothing. The bubble stopped. The waterfowl returned ignorant of the battle.

Spice Rush was one of the lucky ones. They found a deeper water body and had enough strength to be aware and struggle against it. He gasped for air. Arms flailing to keep to the surface. Where were they? Are they in one of the rivers but which ones? Spice dropped and sprung up, ejecting water from his throat. Terror replaced it. Their wings were charred into mottled nobs, leaving them useless on his back. Something bumped into him. He yelped and flipped the body over. His blood chilled. Honeydew! Her face reminded him of the grilled cheese sandwiches his mother used to make. If it wasn't her pin, Spice wouldn't have recognized the corpse. Mom. He thought.

Was she still alive right now? His squadron crept so after. Spice and his conspirators dispose of the loyalists when the barrier broke. Bloody weapons and pained looks from his commanding officer who STOLE his rightful position. Spice's strength sapped. Why? Why did he do that? Envious pride for Burst's promotion before him despite being there for longer. Ecstasy to bed women all the people in his dreams including the princesses and more. All of that. To be burnt by Celestia and drowning in a river away alone until someone fished him out. It doesn't matter anymore. Spice allowed the water to take him adrift. Something or someone hooked his shoulders returning him to the surface. He wasn't alone. Crystal Feather. Half of her face burnt, losing her eye, an ear and a significant chunk of her shining hair. She pulled him to the river's edge and onto the stony grass. They panted. Rolling to their sides. Crystal groaned. The heat damaged her throat and vocal cords rendering her mute. Spice grunted a thanks. Crystal gave him a half smile or what he was a smile. Exhaustion slammed their eyes waiting for the end.

"You already ruined my beautiful body centuries ago, even passing your wrath to my children. Yet you call me a monster," Chrysalis accused as the flames danced around Celestia. "Do your worst," She challenged, raising her bulky fists. They glared at each other with the foulest hatred. Celestia for the defilement of her city. Chrysalis for the ruination of her body, weeping for years as her children matched her scars.

There's another.

Canterlot's amethyst star crashed in and joined the brawl, magic encasing his body to join his ruler. Their eyes widened. Dusk Shine rocketed like a comet and struck the Queen in the face, shattering her jaw and snapping her neck in several places. His face contorted in cosmic determination, stunning Princess Celestia with his presence. The Hive will starve. The traitors shall burn.

Dusk Shine crashes into battle. How will he and the others defeat Chrysalis now that they have her on the ropes? However, she's a cornered animal with little to lose but so much to take

Blueblood's magic is Magnetism. Why? His cutie mark is a Compass Rose. I thought it would be cool for him such a complicated magic displaying he's of Celestia's lineage

For Chrysalis' forms, they're based on the artist Chrysalis Draws(TW: THEY DRAW A LOT OF NSFW ARTWORKS. BEWARE!) I gave her several modes to show her shapeshifting capabilities. Each mode has it's own pros and cons.

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