Chapter thirty four

A unicorn guard clad in red armor breaks his cover in the middle of the training field, tucking and rolling behind another brick wall. He looks over the top to try and eye his target, though when he finds nothing he motions to the other dozen guards with him to follow his lead as they all take cover behind the wall with him.

“Do you see anything?” one asks as he shows up with his brethren, only getting a head shake in response as they try and keep the sound of their presence to a minimum. Looking up though, one guard sees another unicorn, though this one in blue, peeking over top of a small barrier as he tries to get the drop on them.

“We have company…” he taps his comrade next to him, as they each take their own look.

The quote unquote leader of the group signals them to each take a different flank as they make their way around to try and circle the lone adversary. Each taking up their position as they prepare for the quick attack. Powering up their horns with a bright red spell, they cast and shoot off the bolts towards the target. The metal blue helmet peeping just over the cover piece gets shot off to the ground from the force of the attack, leaving the empty head protection there on the ground before them as they try to figure out what happened to the pony that was wearing it.

Though it’s too late that they realize it never was worn, it was in fact, just a trap for them all to fall in to by a rather skilled princess.

“Open fire!” the red guards recognize the voice of ‘Church’, AKA Luna, cry out from around their positions as bright blue magic bolts fly past them while they scramble to dive, ironically behind the same shelter that they themselves had just fired at. Seeing the error of their ways just a little too late. A few of them end up getting a large paint splatter on their rump and are taken out of the game in their walk of shame to the side lines. Now left with only eight guards to fight off the rest of the blue team, the reds are rather disgruntled with themselves at the moment as they try to fight back.

“How is it that we always end up in this situation?” one Red Guard asks to no particular pony.

“I don’t know, Griff,” another red answers as he peaks his head up and over. Laying out several more shots in to the oncoming fire, as another guard tries to answer the same question.

“Probably Sarge because volunteering for this game with Princess Luna was a good way to get out of having to do some mediocre task,” Griff answers sarcastically as he returns with a red shot, taking out only one of the dozen blue soldiers still continuing to attacking them.

“Just like you to try and take the easy way out, Griff,” Sarge calls out to him.

Soon watching as the mare of the night dives in and out of cover, expertly taking pot shots in midair, probably having more fun than should be allowed at the moment considering she is shooting at her own guards. Though she can’t be having nearly as much fun as the small audience that has gathered on the side lines to watch the wonderful exchange between the groups of guards.

Discord even starts to clap for the little altercation, glad to see some sort of pandemonium in Canterlot. Even if he can’t cause it himself, and it is only just a game. However, from his perch he can hear the laugher from Luna, as she has one heck of a time with her little game. The giggling like a lunatic coming from her, causes the prince to wonder if she has been around him too long. Though with the red team getting frustrated, they focus all fire upon her, forcing the princess to use her own magic to bring up a chunk of the earth to shield herself from the group attack.

“That’s cheating, ‘Church’!” Discord calls out to his sister in law in her codename, as he gets a mild scowl in return while the little competition continues.

“It’s only cheating if it doesn’t work!” Luna calls back out to him as she removes yet another opponent with an expert shot from her horn. Knocking him out cold as the shot lands between his eyes and leaves a large blue splotch on the helmet.

____________________________

Nurse Sterile takes a syringe and slowly eases it in to the bright orange guards hoof. Watching Flash bite his lower lip as he tries to not look at the mare doing this to him. She is rather impressed that he has managed to not be a complete pain in her own flank as Sterile manages to tend to his broken ribs without any fault. From what she can tell he seems to be healing rather nicely, no new breaks from what her medical knowledge can see, and the fractures under the skin are now only superficial at best.

Placing a pad over the injection point to stop any back flow of blood. She applies just a little pressure on it and tosses the used syringe in the trash can off to the side. “Well I have to say, today you’re doing much better for being a royal guard,” she remarks to him to try and take his mind off things, “you actually managed to turn out to be quite the pleasant colt.”

“That much the princess will be happy to hear,” Flash allows a small grin to pass on his lips, “I didn’t have the best experience with doctors while I was younger,” he explains himself to her to try and give reason to his behavior, “…I am sorry for how I was acting earlier,” the guard lowers his head down a bit to the nurse.

The bashful act from the guard makes her even blush a bit. Flash has managed to show her his true colors, even when he is in a place that he dreads visiting. Strong headed, but rather kind, and fairly easy on the eyes. ‘Very, easy on the eyes,’ the nurse tells herself, ‘I wonder what he’s doing when he gets out of here…besides protecting Twilight,’ she tries to think after seeing that he can manage to act like a gentlecolt, contrary to his previous behavior. Whatever Twilight said to him earlier, it worked.

“It’s quite alright, Mr. Flash,” Sterile allows a graceful smile to part her lips slightly, “I was never one for the doctors myself actually when I was young… though somehow I ended up in this job.”

“The irony is killing me, more than being here…” he remarks to her to lighten the mood.

“You can’t imagine the odd looks I got from my parents and siblings when they saw my cutie mark,” she giggles a bit after reminding herself of their rather surprised expressions, “Though I will say, Princess Twilight probably got you to turn around with your behavior faster than I ever could.”

“Oh, you have no idea…” Flash scratches the back of his head, recalling how Twilight can play ‘hard ball’ with him when it comes to his safety.

Though now he starts to wonder how his Marefriend is doing, she must have left by this time and it’s doubtful that they have already reached the Tree. Flash thankfully has those thoughts banned from his mind as he hears a mild knock at the door before it opens. Celestia herself walks in to the med bay with both her kids in tow as they follow their mother in to see the injured guard. The nurse quickly bows her head at the presence of the princess and her brood, rising up after due time to greet her.

“Good morning your majesty…” she says respectfully, “how has your day been going so far?”

“Oh the usual Ms. Sterile… tend to this, tend to that,” Celestia rolls her eyes, trying to play off the burden of being a princess of an entire kingdom, “though it does have its own moments where I can take a second or two to check in on a certain Pegasus,” she watches as Flash’s ears perk up at the sound of her almost calling his name, “How has he been lately?”

“As one would expect… the bones seem to be healing quite well. The injury’s still painful, but it is just hairline fractures to the rib cage now. I just gave him an antibiotic before you came in to keep any infection out of the picture…” she checks his records at the end of the bed, “on top of that, thankfully, he has gotten much better in terms of behavior sense Princess Twilight has talked to him.”

“She would have that effect on the young colt…” Celestia winks at Flash, while Sterile takes note of the action and starts to blush, starting to wonder the slight connection between the guard and the young princess, “Though I also wanted to let Flash here know that I got a letter from Twilight, and she has set out on her trip this very morning.”

Flash nods out of respect, seeing as from his position it’s not like he can bow at the moment, “thank you, Princess Celestia.”

“Oh it certainly wasn’t an issue at all… though these two, also wanted to see you…” Tia says as the cute little faces of both Havoc and Rosebud peer over the edge of the bed at the guard, not moving and just watching him like the kids they are, “the moment they heard you were in the castle, they wanted to stop by and say hello to you and see how you were doing,” their mother starts to beam at her kids, as they break off to either side of Flash.

“Good morning, Mister Flash,” Rosebud smiles as her little cheeks start to get a look to them just like her name implies, “are you okay?”

“Did you break something?” Havoc asks, seeing the bandaging on his side.

Flash admires the little tikes as they circle him, fascinated at the sight of a guard they only really just met not too long ago, but still in wonder at his presence here. Trying to put on his best face for the kids, he fights back the mild sting in his side from the drugs being pumped in, “Only a few ribs, and my wing,”

“Does it hurt?” the son asks watching him clench his jaw.

“Only my pride…and when I breathe,” Flash mutters under his breath enough for the two grownups to hear while he answers the children, “at first, however it has gotten better sense then.”

“How did it happen Mr. Sentry?” Rosebud asks the curious question, causing Flash to look over to their mother and try to get some non-verbal cue that he can at least answer the kids with some sort of truth to it. Thankfully getting a slight grin and a nod from the eldest princess in the room, Sentry takes a small breath to give them a little snippet of what happened… keeping out the more gory details and just telling them the basics.

“Well it’s my job to protect Princess Twilight from harm, and we got in to a fight with a particular… meanie, during which they did this to me,” he points to the bandage wrapped around his side and wing. Even when he doesn’t mention who the bag guys were, the aghast expression on the kid’s faces is apparent as they hold their hooves across their mouths. Flash leans in a little to them so they can hear him up close, “…All that said. You should see the look on the other pony,” he leaves off with a wink that seems to rouse the children’s spirits.

“So you defended Twilight like a knight in shining armor?” Rose starts to beam at the thought of seeing her aunt up in a castle with Flash riding chivalrously towards her to the rescue. The comment gets a rather warming chuckle amongst the adults in the room as they see the wondrous eyes of Celestia and Discords brood light up.

“Hehe…” Flash start to laugh, “you could say that, though I think your Auntie Twily would turn red if you had mentioned that with her here,” he says managing to entice another laugh from the kids at that moment. ‘Though she sure can handle her own in a fight,’ Flash reminds himself, replaying some of her own moments.

“Do you like out aunt?” Havoc asks the blunt question, though even before that can fully register in the minds of both nurse Sterile and Celestia. Flash answers them without even the slightest hesitation of the peach colored mare being in the room.

“I am rather, fond, of Twilight,” he winks at the son sincerely, rather happy that he can admit that to another pony without going completely red in the face.

“Are you and Twilight going to get married?” Rosebud asks out of the blue.

Catching them all, but her brother, by surprise here. Celestia quickly starts to snicker as she bites her lower lip while watching the grin on both her kid’s faces and the rather nervous expression on Flash’s face grow with every passing second that ticks by.

“I think we ought to let the nurse tend to Flash for now, while the adults chat…” she says to her kids as their mother starts to usher them out of the room for the time being, mostly to save the guard from any more blood loss at the moment, “…why don’t you two go play for now and after I’m done here, I can find you, and we can see what your father is doing?”

“Okay Mom!” they both beam at their loving mother, giving her a light squeeze around her fore legs as they dart out of the room.

“Good bye, Mr. Sentry!” Havoc yells back.

“Get well soon!” soon followed by his sister.

As they leave, Celestia turns back to the two other ponies in the room as she starts to giggle at her daughter’s last question to him. Mostly unsure how to take it coming from one so young that has managed to figure out the inner workings of the complicated relationship between the princess and the guard.

‘And at such a young age…’ Tia ponders to herself, ‘seriously how did it take them so long to figure this one out? When Rose and Havoc saw it on day one’, “Well Rose is rather fond of both Twilight, and you Flash. I’m sure it’s not the last time you’ll be getting a question like that…”

“I wouldn’t have expected anything less,” Flash also starts to titter, “though I wouldn’t have anticipated the question so soon…”

All the while the peach nurse stands there a little dumbfounded at the moment while she tries to put two and two together in her head. “Wait…” she finally gives up and tries to asks, “Are you and Princess Twilight…you know,” she jumps around the subject, not wanting to come out right and just say it to him. Though eventually the looks that both Tia and Flash give one another makes it quite clear, “Oh…Oh my. I see what you mean now,” Sterile starts to kick herself at her pervious thoughts of asking the guard out on a date with her after he got out of here. Now realizing the slight connection isn’t so slight after all.

“Well this is news isn’t it,” she tries to get her mind out of that subject.

“And I believe that Flash and Twilight wouldn’t want this to be… announced, quite yet,” Tia hints at to the nurse a she leans down and nudges the mare slightly to get her point across in the best way possible.

“I see what you mean,” she starts to nod furiously, “don’t worry your majesty, my lips are sealed… though I will say that Flash should consider himself lucky to have such a wonderful princess to go home to after this when he leaves, that can also patch him up as well…” she reminds the guard, looking away from the princess at him with a slight glare.

“Trust me ma’am, I do,” Flash answers the nurse sincerely.

Though as much as Celestia would like to stay back and keep an eye on things with Flash for her student. She knows very well that there are other things to attend to while the kingdom still remains standing. Giving her best wishes to Flash for a speedy recovery, and to Sterile to keep him under her care. The princess leaves their company to do her best to keep the little promise with her kids as well.

Walking out in to the halls of the great castle in Canterlot that she shares with both her husband and sister. It’s moments like these that the princess loves to have on occasion, by herself and able to think about all that is going on around her. The wonderful sky gives light to the warmth of the sun as it shines bright through the stained glass windows of the building. The quiet, content surroundings about, give much peace to the atmosphere as she starts to take her time to walk about without a single care at the moment.

Reaching the main hall which houses the actual thrones, Celestia admires the stained glass art work done up in the windows. Showing such things as the Elements of Harmony being found and used to bring down Nightmare moon, once her sister. The, rather eventful, wedding that took place here in Canterlot. The return of the Crystal Empire and Sombra’s downfall. And also, the defeat of Discord as she recalls his dark days as the master of chaos, and somehow resulting in him being her husband, after his reformation.

‘However that one worked out I’m not sure,’ Tia grins to herself as she stands there alone looking at the glass image of him, ‘but I am sure glad it did…’ now turning to the image of her own student’s coronation to a princess herself.

It was such a happy occasion when that day finally came. After the lessons that she managed to learn down in Ponyville, seeing how she might grow, what she might do, and what she’s been through. Twilight eventually became ready to take on a new life as being a princess, and literally getting her wings.

The joy in her student’s eyes is one image that Celestia will never forget, though she can’t help but also recall the many faces that Twilight had when she creamed herself a few to many times as she tried to learn to use her new wings. The princess tries to hold back the urge to, but it’s a losing battle as she starts to chuckle at the thoughts of those times, even if it is bad of her as the teacher to think of this.

Though her mind is about to have a million more thoughts in a few seconds…

The glass image of her student, shatters under a blast of green light as the shards come flying inside towards the princess as she stands there in a daze not able to make sense of what exactly is happening at the moment before her. A few pieces of the glass slice in to her pure white face and down along her body before she manages to lift up her wings and block the remaining shards.

Feeling the slight warmth going down her neck from the blood, and even able to see it starting to stain her coat in the reflection from the perfectly polished floor below. The alicorn mare looks back up as she sees the cause of the chaos in the palace. A single bare changeling stands there in a small crater that he made upon his impact in the floor. Shaking off the own stunning sensation that he gets from such a thing, the little creature hisses at the princess in front of him as he lunges towards Celestia.

“What in the-?!” Tia yells out as she parries the nuisance with her powerful wing, slapping him in to the wall next to her, even cracking tile from the impact. Although it’s a forceful hit, the creature manages to jump up right to his feet and eye the princess of the sun taking an offensive stance towards him. “Come on…” she taunts him, fanning out her wings to their fullest, “I’m ready this time.”

“Oh I’m sure you are, princess,” he sizzles back, as the changeling brings out a short dagger from underneath his wing and swipes it back and forth at her.

Though she may be over a thousand years old, Princess Celestia is not one who can’t hold her own when it comes to a little combat. Side stepping and only getting a mild cut on her shoulder from the razor sharp blade, Tia uses her fore leg to sock him right in the jaw and take her opponent off balance for a moment while she charges up her horn and fires a well places energy bolt in to him. The searing hot round cuts easily in to the unarmored body of its target and leaves a two inch gap right where in to its chest, where his heart should be. The creature stands there for but a moment while the bright green life fluid spurts out of the wound and on to the waxed floor, covering up any reflection it once had, as he collapses.

Tia stands over her enemy as he lies there motionless while his eyes glass over in the cold embrace of death before her. “I told you I was ready…” Celestia marks her words beforehand, as she steps over the body and tries to look for another pony to try and find out where he came from.

Though that will soon be explained to her as the windows around her start to break just like the first. Now more alert at what’s going on, she covers her form in the protective embrace of her wings in a flash to prevent any more superficial injury. Looking around her, she sees the figures of several more changelings standing about. Though these ones armored and with more military weapons. A few with swords, some have a mace, even one managed to haul a battle axe in to the palace for a fight.

‘Well this is new…’ she tightens her footing as she gets her bearings around her at the moment.

Two dart towards her trying to take the princess off balance and swipe their blades in unison with one another. One manages to clip the bottom of the pure white hoof as she takes off to the air above for a quick leap while she grabs the upper hoof, quickly powering up an attack and launching a bolt of lightning in to one as the current leaps in to the other. The charge in the metal armor causes the smell of singeing skin and flesh to fill the space above her as Celestia touches down in time to have the remainder jump in to action. One brings its mace down, but only manages to crack the tile underneath Tia as she rolls out of the way. Although she may stand literally a few heads taller than many, if not all, other ponies.

The sun goddess has always been a nimble creature, able to jump and leap on her feet as well as ones smaller than herself. Now using this skill to dodge what she can of their attacks. Picking up the swords of the two fallen changelings, she quickly parries a swing of another while mule kicking another behind her. Using her leg power, she pushes through the block and brings down the blade in one quick swipe upon the head of the changeling in front of her. His face freezes while the cranial cavity is pierced and green blood stains join the red ones on Celestia’s face, just as the heavy blade of the battle axe swings in her direction. Clipping the top of her tiara, the royal adornment bounces on the floor as it departs her head.

Tia whips around to the changeling responsible, and with a single shot of her horn, launches a frost spell in to the breast plate on the creature. The spell takes hold as it chills the metal down to its very core, but not striking the changeling. Though Celestia wasn’t going for that. Tossing one blade up in to the air, Celestia catches it in a magical aura and like a spear, hurtles it in to the chest of the axe wielder. The fragile metal breaks easily under the sharp blade and the force of the attack is enough to drive the blade in to his chest, and leave the changeling pinned to the wall behind him.

Tia chuckles to herself for a moment, recalling her own fault with this trick, ‘Thank you, Luna, for filling me in on that one.’

Though the eldest alicorn in Equestria doesn’t have time to grab her second blade as two other changelings pounce on her and manage with their own combined body weight to bring Celestia down to the ground. “Aargh!” Celestia screams out as she feels her enemy force her down. A blade from ones dagger neatly slices in to her cheek as she barely pulls to the side. Powering up her horn in a last ditch effort, an aura of magic pushes them off and with enough force pins them against the wall. Not too proud that she was bested rather easily by them, Tia continues the push of her enchantment against their skin.

Watching their faces as they squirm underneath the crushing spell and feel their very bones crack against the wall. The muffled screams that they let out while the life is snuffed out of them is never heard as Tia grinds her teeth in response of pure anger building up in her body. The rush of combat getting to her, while the temperature starts to rise up through her neck, feeling the heat starting to radiate off of her face.

Deciding that by the time their solid blue eyes burst under her might, they’ve had enough. Celestia watches as their lifeless corpses hit the ground as she quickly grabs the other sword and darts towards the balcony to find out what is going on. Though as she pushes the blinds to the side and opens the door, Tia finds one of the most disturbing sights that she’s seen in a while.

The castle is under attack by a mass of changelings, as they hover in the air, dive bombing the ground and punching through windows, doors, the roof, and where ever there is a weak point in the structure. Her wondrous eyes widen at the sight of the guards coming under attack as they try to fend off the intruders with magic, and good old fashion weapons like they failed to do years ago at her niece’s wedding.

“This can’t be happening…” Celestia gasps, “No! Not again!”

“Oh…” a familiar voice calls out behind her as she hears the distinct sound of hollow hoof steps getting closer and closer, “you better believe it, Tia… this is happening.”

Celestia whips around and brings her sights upon the certain changeling royalty standing before her in the form of Queen Chrysalis. The toned dark form now draped in a harness to hold her own blade while a protective helmet covers her head, and hoof bracers give her a little added force when she throws a punch… and more or less gives her the appearance of a queen ready for battle.

“You! This is all you doing!” Celestia shouts as she points a hoof.

“Well who else would it be?” Chrysalis rolls her eyes over at her pony counterpart, “seriously, I don’t see too many other changelings stepping up to this role.”

“Why can you not just leave Equestria alone? You were beaten before, do you not think it’s going to happen again?”

“Well normally a good queen would think the same thing…” the two females start to circle one another as they pace, waiting for the moment to strike, “though when you find out that your enemy’s biggest weapon is now in its rightful place…” ‘And you get some very handsome back up,’ Chrysalis keeps to herself, “it would seem like a good time to attack, don’t you think?”

That one comment is enough to prove to Celestia that the Elements truly are in danger at the queen’s doing. With one mighty swing of her hooves, and a little magic, the two swords that the princess uses, are smashed in to one another and forge welded from the heat. Fusing them together to make a long broad sword as she holds it to her side at the ready.

“Well you certainly picked one heck of a time to do so…” Celestia’s anger broods beneath her tone.

“So sorry that we couldn’t schedule this time killer at a better time.”

“What?” the sun princess says genuinely confused at the moment.

“Did you really think this was a full scale invasion?” the queen states the obvious as she points back out to the numbers of her followers out the window, “does that look like enough to over throw this place?”

“You do have a point there…” Tia starts to grin, “…after all, even with much more vast numbers last time, you didn’t succeed,” she teases, pulling the final straw between them as Chrysalis leaps towards her, pulling out her seriated blade and locks weapons with the princess across from her.

“This is just the beginning, Princess!” she yells as she pulls back for another swing, meeting Tia in the middle yet again as they go back and forth with one another on the tile that is stained with the blood of the queen’s own fallen.

Each leader is well matched with one another in this case. Celestia has literally a millennia of experience at her disposal, while Chrysalis has trained sense she was a young one and worked up to the position of queen. Well baptized in the toils of combat, the sparks fly as metal strikes metal. Pulling back a hoof, the queen thwacks her opponent in the face with a hoof and the handle of her blade. Sneezing at first as Celestia feels her nose fill up with blood as it starts to run down the front of her muzzle.

She strikes back with a quick well placed slash of her sword. The princess achieves in putting the blade just between her opponent’s neck and chest, though it’s not as deep as she would have wished. The green liquid starts to ooze from the wound as Chrysalis steps back in an instant to avoid a follow up attack. Blocking another strike, it takes all her might to hold off the enraged alicorn as Tia uses her slightly larger weapons mass against her.

Feeling the huffing from Tia’s nose pressing against her face as they are mere inches away from one another. The rather pretty eyes that belong to the princess, are now almost blood shot in the sweat of combat and war vision. “Some pony is irritated,” Chrysalis snickers while holding the princess at bay, “Seriously your majesty, you really should learn to manage your stress better.”

“Oh will you just shove it up your flank!” Tia hisses.

Bringing back her head, and snapping it back towards the queen. Celestia head butts her changeling counterpart, giving her a bloody nose to match hers while a black eye starts to develop already under the darker coat of the matriarch. Both of them taking a step back from one another as they start to rub their respective foreheads.

“Ahh…” Chrysalis moans out, feeling the migraine coming to her.

“No pony wins in a head butt…” Tia reminds herself under her breath. As they stand back from one another. Facing off as they both can hear the heavy breathing from the other after their duel. Each one has had their hits in, and each one has gotten hit just as well.

“Getting tired there?” Chrysalis licks the blood off her blade, tasting it in her mouth.

“Oh come now, I’ve had a thousand years to work myself in war,” Tia reminds her, “if I got tired that quickly I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have lasted that long…”

“Well then, shall we?” Chrysalis’s horn lights up a brilliant green around it as a green ray shoots out at the princess.

Who in turn, quickly powers up her own Ray spell as they meet in the middle and go back and forth with one another. The last time they faced off with one another like this, Celestia was beaten back by the queen being powered by the love from Shining Armor, which he has for her niece. Though on any other day, the alicorn would have had no problem in bringing the queen of the changelings to her knees.

She is far more skilled in magic than Chrysalis could ever hope to be, so much so that she can control the rising and lowering of the sun itself after all. But something is off about right now. Her mirror image is holding her own against the princess, something that can only mean she’s drawing power from another. ‘But…who?’ Tia wonders, trying to keep her concentration. The combination of their spells shoot off to the side, striking the wall and blasting a hole in to it while another bolt impacts a column off down the way and only a crash is heard from it, ignoring it as their attention is one the other. Glaring at one another, a single brow on her face raises as Celestia calls her bluff.

“Who are you draining? I can beat you on any day of the week… not to toot my own horn,” Tia, even in the heat of combat, holds her hoof to heart to maintain her modesty, “but you, you don’t have the ability to beat me unless you are drawing your power from some other pony.”

“Ah ah ah, a good leader never reveals her cards…” The wicked grin on Chrysalis’s face returns to her as she starts to lightly chuck at the seriousness in her enemy’s face, “besides, it’s not draining, it’s given to me… naturally.”

“Who are you impersonating?!” Tia demands.

“Awe… now I’m hurt…” the queen plays the dramatic bit as she antagonizes the princess yet again, “you think I need to put on a disguise just to have another fall for me? Well I don’t,” she says almost feeling wounded that the princess doesn’t even think that she’s attractive in the slightest, “I found a colt who is more than happy to show a little love, with me playing the part of…well, me…” she watches as the glare from the princess across from her grows ever more, “I must say though, even without him here… it feels oh. So. Good,” she powers up yet another spell from her horn and sends out a chilling blast of freezing wind towards her target.

With no time to waste, Celestia brings up a protective shield to block, but is still forced back at this point from the strength of the hit alone as she feels her hooves scrape against the ground below. Feeling the frost build up on her own coat, as even the air around her starts to chill down, Tia decides to heat things up and breaks out a Flame spell as a gout of fire spews itself from her horn and thaws out the next wintery blast that the queen attempts to cast. The puddle of water hits the ground with a minor amount of steam rising off of it as Chrysalis stands there for a moment. “Tis, tis…” the monarch mutters as the doors to the hall break open and in come several royal guards along with a dozen or so changelings as the battle starts to spread around the castle. Celestia breaks her focus for but a moment to see the new arrivals come in.

Though that’s all the time Chrysalis needs to take off down the hall and up the stairs to the next level.

Only giving Tia the glimpse of her tail slipping up and around the corner as she grinds her teeth at herself for letting the queen slip by so easily. A guard lands on his back after being tackled by a changeling, bringing his sword up and in to his gut to drop him quickly. He pushes the body off to the side as he gets up and finally sees the princess standing there by his side with a broad sword at the ready.

“Your majesty…” he acknowledges her presence while keeping an eye on the changelings still there, “they are all around the castle now, though they are being held off by our troops and don’t seem to have any back up to support them.”

“Noted, my guard… the queen is here with them,” she glances back to the same stare case where she saw Chrysalis take off, “I know where she is…”

“Go, princess Celestia, we can handle this,” he gestures to the fellow guards with him. Getting a nod from the princess as she takes off after the female that is causing all this.

Author's Notes:

Ten points to the pony who catches the Halo (Rvs.B) reference.