Chapter thirty one

The morning comes all too soon as the guards eyes split open at the sight of the first sun rays. Flash has even taken his time to come around fully as he relishes the sleep that he just got, and already sorely misses it at the moment he has to leave it behind him. Looking up and finding Twilight still there in front of the fire where he left her, Flash leans up and takes his place next to the princess as she saves the spot in the journal that she carried with her and slips it in to her bag. Taking out a few munchies to eat for breakfast before taking off to their destination.

Twi brings an apple out and hoofs it off to Flash in her magic grasp, “Thank you, Ms. Sparkle…” he nods to her.

Twilight chuckles at the sign of comic relief from Flash, a lighter side when you consider the serious type he had on the previous night. Not even considering the body that lays out in the woods as food now for the various critters, “Seems like somepony enjoyed their sleep,” she teases him while sharing in the snack and taking out her own.

“I will admit, I needed it more then I realized…” he scratches the back of his head after coming clean about her being right, quick to change the subject to avoid the I told you so, “…what did you have in the journal? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Not at all, just a reminder to fill Celestia in about the changeling last night,” she fills him in as they eat, and the other guards take their time doing the same to get their energy up for the moment after rousing up from their own slumber, “and to check Sunflowers home when we get the chance,” the tone in her voice starts to drop at the last sentence as it leaves her lips.

Flash puts a supportive hoof over the princess’s shoulder, “Hey… It has to be done, even if it may be hard to do.”

“I understand Flash… though for now let’s get this little trip done with first, shall we?” she gets up after finishing her small meal as the others soon do the same. All of them elect to get to the mountains as fast as possible, hopefully before noon. Allowing them to get out of the area soon, and back on wards to Canterlot.

The day’s trip isn’t nearly as bad as the first leg was, or at least turned out to be. The steep hills and mountains have all but leveled out when they got to a certain level. The sun has been clouded out and blocked. On top of this, thankfully after much examination of the map, it seems the major caves that were marked to be checked are placed around the base of one of the peaks. Making their job all the much easier as they make their way along through the woods.

The sounds of the forest have grown quieter and quieter around them, it could be just the fact that there is less wildlife. Or even just that their presence from last night nay have gotten some to take off before contact could even be made. Though that would only be expected in maybe the first hour of their journey. Not the third, fourth, or even fifth hour of their trip. After reaching the base and already searching one cave and coming up empty hooved, the group comes out to the still silent area around them.

Moving to the next cave on the map as Flash guides them, Twilight remains right behind him, looking around at the terrain. ‘Something doesn’t seem right with this?’ she puts together as the eerie feeling around her grows, ‘where are all the birds? The squirrels? Deer? Heck… anything at this point would be comforting to see now after almost half a day without even the slightest peep,’ she follows around the mountain and up a few cliff faces to reach the next cave. The mouth of the cave is pitch black thanks to the sun being blocked out at the moment, and even with the help from their light spell. The ponies can only see the dripping of water from the opening that leads further down in to the cave itself.

“Whelp,” Flash says, tapping on the top of his helmet to insure a snug fit, “We better get to it.”

They all follow as he walks in. Only having the steady drip of the water to fill their ears. The tunnel that leads them down is cold and damp, having almost no heat from the outside to comfort them as they venture deeper and deeper in to the system below.

It feels like an eternity as they walk down, all of them staying silent for the most part so as not to draw any attention to themselves from another that may be around. After all, the sounds can bounce off the walls and echo for miles if the noise is loud enough to carry.

“Does it say how deep the cave is, sir?” a guard asks Flash in a whisper as he holds the map.

“Sadly, it doesn’t,” he answers them. Though they don’t have to wait long to find something at this point.

Soon enough after the guard opens his mouth, they walk in to what must be the center of the whole system, the water trailing down with them spills off a ledge and pools in to the large body of bright water before them as the twinkle of gems imbedded in the ceiling shines bright from the glimmer of the water below.

All of the guards, even Flash, look up at the sight above them, almost mesmerized by the glints of light around. Though that isn’t the thing that manages to catch the eyes of the mare amongst them with a name that describes the jewels above. All she sees is the tattered remains of what probably used to look like a settlement of some kind.

Broken down pieces of canvas, mud bricks shattered apart, even a few foundations here and there mark where creatures used to call home. “It looks like a tornado came through this place…” she mutters, getting all of their attention as they view the sight and each of the guards try to figure out how they managed to miss that when they first walked in to the cavern. Each of them going down a small path to the ground level amongst the ruins as they walk further and further in to the site.

“What is this place?” a guard asks, looking for almost any sort of answer he can get from the others.

“I’m not quite sure,” a fellow guard replies, “though whatever it is, if we were sent out here to look for signs of other changelings… I think this would qualify as one.”

“I’ll say…” Twilight looks around once more, seeing a larger mound in the center of the structures. Whatever stood there is now reduced to rubble and pummeled down to its foundation, “…though if they really were here, they seem to be gone.”

“Oh…I wouldn’t be so sure of that one…” they hear a females voice almost hiss to them out in the shadows. All of the ponies look around to find the source of the voice that starts to taunt them while remaining out of sight, “did you think I would roll over? Did you really think I was gone from Equestria that fast? Did you not think that I would come back?” the mystery being questions them as they try to zero in on a location, “after all you took something that should have been mine… that day would have been… just perfect.”

Twilight feels her ears twitch as they hear the creature speak to them, the final verse in its teasing, shooting nerves off as it searches for the memory… and finds it sooner than she would have hoped, ‘…Oh no… not this all over again,’ she says in her own mind as they continue to stay on their hooves.

“Show yourself!” a guard yells out to try and get its attention.

“You know the last time I heard that, it didn’t end to well for the guard…” all they see is a large flash of green, at where the hefty pile of rubble in the center rests.

A few of them look away to avoid getting blinded for even the slightest of seconds, though the rest take the blur in anticipation at what is to come from it. Held up on long and toned, hole riddled legs that lead up to her tight core. A pair of green eyes appear behind the dark eye lids, just as a sinister smile covers the face and a single dark blue bang from her mane covers one eye. Queen Chrysalis stands there, extending her translucent wings out to their fullest as she rolls her shoulders to keep them flexible. Meanwhile the ponies before her all have their own little level of shock to the system at seeing the royal queen of the changelings standing before them. Bringing out either weapon or readying horn, all the guards and the princess herself ready up at seeing an old adversary.

Chrysalis looks at them all and can’t help but chuckle at the tenacity of the others there, “oh come, come now… are you really harboring old wounds from the last time I met with you?” she asks, eyeing the young alicorn. “Congrats by the way, on rising up and fulfilling your destiny of becoming a princess,” she spits out the last bit.

“You impersonated my sister in law, fed off my brother, ruined their wedding, and tried to take over all of Equestria!” the young alicorn shouts back to her, “how else am I supposed to feel right now, from seeing you?”

“Well friendship is magic apparently…” the snooty nature of the queen bubbles over in to her tone, “so I don’t know, perhaps forgiveness is as well?” her wicked chuckle fills the void between her and the ponies.

“What are you doing here?!” Twilight demands from her, even taking a step ahead of those that were sent to protect her while getting rather irritated at the queen as well.

“You would just love to know, wouldn’t you?” the queen taunts them as she slowly starts to walk in closer, step by step, “then again as far as I’m concerned, I don’t have time for this… after all I have a schedule to keep here now…” the queen taps the hilt of the sword in the holster on her hip, “…so if you don’t mind, I really must be going.”

Several other changelings burst from the rubble around them after the signal, taking their places along the sides of the ponies to box them in and keep them busy. Chrysalis steps up to the circled group, watching their eyes swivel trying to see their options at the moment.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Flash calls out to the queen, while keeping a trained eye on her subjects.

“Oh… I didn’t plan on fighting you all, they can do that for me at the moment,” she points to her changelings, as she starts to beat her wings and hovers off the ground.

Though she didn’t count on the guards managing to get the upper hoof with having a princess around them. Twilight’s quick Illumination spell does the same trick that it did back in the forest outside, allowing them all that split second that they need to pick their target and drop it at their whim while the creatures remain in a daze.

A unicorn guard whips his mace around in to the face of an opponent and cracks the skull open in one hit, splattering some of his armor with the bright green blood of the race as it seeps down his weapon. Twisting it around to strike another that is just barely able to raise its own blade against him, though the weight of the guard’s weapon helps, and breaks the changeling’s stance.

Another unicorn breaks out some magic in the game, and freezes the changeling in front of him solid, now using his telekinesis to pick up the ice block and use it to crush the changeling next to him, while shattering the enemy on the inside. Flash brings out his sword and quickly drops two others before him, cutting deep in to their throat with a flick of the hoof as they now hit the ground gurgling on their own fluids.

Even Twilight manages to put some of the negative thoughts about killing to the side, considering the circumstances, and deals her own damage. Launching out a Spike Bomb between three changelings, she casts a shield, trapping them inside with it as it detonates. Lifting the spell only to see the fallen creatures with spikes peppering their bodies like a Porcupine, as the face that they had before the hit remains to be seen by all.

The queen watches through the blur, as all of this transpires in only a matter of a few seconds, leaving her almost speechless as the Equestrians finish up with her soldiers. A guard dropping the last one with an axe straight through the top of his skull. The changeling falls and hits the ground without a word, while Chrysalis stands there as the ponies take up their own stance against her.

“Well… I guess this is a change to plans, isn’t it?” she mutters more or less to herself as the queen quickly draws her sword out for the fight to ensue, “let’s go, I have a date,” she winks at them while lunging forth with her blade and swipes it across their lines.

It’s a rather sloppy hit, one that one wouldn’t expect to come from such a higher ranking official. Though it does have the desired effect she was looking for at the moment, giving her room and separating them from one another. Yet now they have the queen surrounded as each of the ponies dive in to try and overwhelm her…probably a mistake that a few will come to regret.

Flash brings out his sword, whipping it up and over his head with all his might only to have it stopped in an instant by the queens own blade as she simultaneously uses her magic to shield herself from the Ray spell that Twilight casts. Lifting up her sword to break the lock she swipes at another guard, clipping him on the chin and brings a hoof back, bucking in to the highest ranking guard of the bunch. The force of the hit is enough to kick Flash back in to a pile of rubble, as a sharp stabbing pain is present in his chest and reverberates through his body, though it’s not like he has time to take care of that, as he runs out back in to the fight.

Chrysalis brings the sword around and uses it to now block Twilight as she fires off several more bolts of magic. All of them hitting the enchanted, expertly crafted blade, and causing the metal to heat up in it. Though not enough for her to drop it as Chrysalis spear throws it at the princess and after missing uses her own magic to pull it back. Only to bring the heated blade around at another guard, while the queen doesn’t even pay attention to the strike follow through. The head of the royal guard falls off of his neck and on to the ground while the heat of the blade has cauterized the wound, causing no blood to be spilled as his lifeless body follows shortly and he drops his own weapon. Flash leaps up and manages to tackle the queen’s tall figure down to the ground, only to get a quick hoof to the same side that he was already kicked in.

Watching the colt not even struggle at the severity of the hit, Chrysalis brings her head back and head butts the colt. Knocking him off to the side just in time to bring her sword back up and block another hit from a fellow guard. The armored head piece that Flash wears does its own damage to the queen, as she feels the pounding in her own skull like a drum, though she doesn’t have time for that. Punching the guard in the face to force a stumble, the queen quickly picks herself up and fires off her own Ray spell at a particular alicorn.

Like a laser, it burns in to the ground as she makes the princess use her own Teleportation spell to get out of the way at first. Reappearing not too far away, Twilight beats her wings and barrel rolls her way around the inside of the cavern to avoid the oncoming magic onslaught. ‘Well somepony is a little hurt about how her last visit turned out,’ Twi tries to think in order to ease her mind, though being attacked by the queen of the changelings doesn’t help to give a clear head ready to cast spells.

“Run Princess Twilight! Run!” the queen jeers, taunting the young one as she continues to burn her way around the room.

The darkness in her own eyes, is the only thing that can show the blood lust in her soul against Twilight. Although she originally told her own lover not to kill the princess, it really is tempting to fall back on that agreement and end it now. ‘No… I shouldn’t,’ Chrysalis tells herself, already picturing the expression on Sombra’s face if he heard the news, ‘he’ll be mad, and I’ll never hear the end of it while we stand atop the bones of the Equestria’s followers,’ she reasons before stopping the spell suddenly.

Standing there for a few seconds, Chrysalis brings up her blade quickly and hurdles it in to another guard’s chest, pinning him to the ground after he tries to lunge after her. The quick finishing kill of the night gives the queen the momentary feeling of satisfaction from her lust as she takes to the sky after drawing her blade back to her.

Then again some haven’t taken the hint quite yet…

Flash and another guard jump up off the ground at the same time, to try and bring her back down while they can. Though the queen in a flash of red is gone in an instant, leaving the two colts still in the air flying towards where she disappeared from. The guards crash headlong in to one another, almost knocking themselves out in the process as they hit the ground and lay there with their face in the dirt for a second or two.

Twilight runs over to the two guards on the ground with the other guards that had come with them. Three have lost their life in the process of getting here. One to the assassin, and two to the queen in a matter of a few moments. Thankfully the two getting up on the ground haven’t hurt anything more than their pride. Rubbing their heads from the impact through their helmets.

“Agh…” the guard grunts, “where did she go?”

“Expert level Teleportation spell, long distance…” Twilight mutters, knowing the spell extremely well by its tell tail sign of its use from the color it gives off when cast, “Chrysalis has been busy.”

“That is something that has to be brought to Canterlot as soon as possible…” the other guard amongst them states the obvious, “Sir, it’s been confirmed of the changelings…we have to get out of here now.”

“That I can agree with,” Flash cracks his neck.

After the hit with the armored comrade, his vertebra needed it. Though that motion didn’t help his side, having the rush of combat gone, he now feels the pain returning. Being brought down to his knees, Flash almost has to be held up by his fellow guards after the searing sting hits, “Ahgh!” he grinds his teeth. Soon having Twilight by his side in a moment.

“Flash!? What’s wrong?” she asks him, pulling her hoof along his own to feel for any sort of injury, while the guards stand by them in case there are any other changelings in hiding. Though when she gets to his side after taking off some of the armor, she can see the look on his face of a pony that is in pain, “Fractured ribs…” she says looking at the other guards.

“Can you do anything to help this one, nurse?” Sentry starts to chuckle to himself, though at the same time feeling the pain rise up in him from the act.

Twilight puts her hooves up to his side, running them along the length of his rib cage to find out which ones are broken, no matter how much it may be hurting him at the moment, “There isn’t anything I can really do right now really…” she pulls out a wrap from her bag, while removing the plate armor on him entirely. Putting the bandage tight around his chest to try and hold them in place. “That’s going to have to hold till we get back, when did this happen?”

“Probably when the queen bucked me in to the rubble…” Flash pounds his hoof in to the ground, thinking about how she also socked him in the same ribs after that, literally adding insult to injury.

“Don’t worry about it, Flash,” Twilight helps put the armor back on to give it extra support, “We know who were dealing with at least now. So for now, let’s get back home,” The other guards help support Flash until he can get his footing and walk on his own.

Although the trip may have not turned out the way they may have expected. None the less, they know now what they are dealing with. The queen is back, and she has to have something up her hooves. With the encounters that have already happened with her brood, there really isn’t any other option that would explain that. Though as for now, it’s time to get back to Canterlot and deliver not only an injured Flash to the med bay…

But also the dire news to the princess.