Chapter fifty three

The fight continues on outside as the Equestrian guards and the queens own brood combat one another. Overall it’s still a fairly even fight, both combatants have been trained to wage absolute war. Though in the ponies’ defense, they tend to shy away from such things and do try to find a more diplomatic solution to matters. However, if need be, nothing will stop them from crushing an opponent with their last dying breath. Applejack bucks wild after a changeling that tried to latch on to her back, digs his fangs in to her soft skin.

“Agh! Ya bloody varmint!” she reaches her hooves back and grabs hold of his neck, flipping him on to the ground in front of herself. Kicking him over to a royal guard, he brings a battle axe down on the hapless victim. “Thanks for the assist,” she tips her hat to the colt.

“What we’re here for ma’am,” he nods as he turns his attention to the one sneaking up behind her. Launching a lightning bolt from his horn and impacting the changeling with enough energy to leave nothing but a pile of ash and a pair of translucent wings on the ground.

“And thank you for the save…” she gasps, realizing how close of a call that one had been.

“Not a problem…” he grins as they take care of their respective opponents, watching out for one another in the turmoil of battle.

Meanwhile Luna and her brother in law have been going at the enemy any which way they can at the moment. More than happy to take the much needed break from such bureaucracy that they have to deal with in the capital, and have a little twisted fun in the end. Though at the same time, this is war, something that neither of them (with the possible exception of Discord at least) want to partake in. The chaotic prince duels his broad sword with a morning star that he conjured, as it cracks in to the sculls of the changelings before him. Racking up kill after skill while the prince swings the weapons in to the enemy ranks, as the two make their way to the castle.

All the while, Luna goes to town with both her swords, wreaking havoc among the changelings around them while peppering a few spells here and there for good measure. Casting a ray spell from her horn, she burns through three of them in a row as Dissy takes notice the skill of the kill.

“Nice one, sis,” Discord calls to her, bringing out his own magic in the form of roots from the ground. Wrapping them around the legs of a dozen creatures and quite literally tearing them limb from limb, “though I have to say mine is better…”

“This is not…” the night mare pile drives one, before shoving her blade between his ribs and twisting, “a competition!”

“Call it what you will, no matter, it’s all sport to me,” he picks one up in his lion paw before chunking him at the castle’s rotting doorway, “besides, shall we knock?”

The lunar princess doesn’t even grace his question with a response, choosing action to speak for her as she charges up a magical blast and sends a bright blue ball of energy in to the already weak frame. Tearing it off its hinges, the sheer weight crushes a few changelings that were apparently behind it. Stepping in now across the bloody emerald trail of what’s left of them.

Luna whips her mane out of her face, “I do not knock when it’s my own home…” she answers as Discord and the fellow soldiers on their part nearby file in, not seeing any other troops at first as they enter.

“Well doesn’t seem to be any one here?” Dissy takes note, “Suppose we’re in the wrong place?”

“Can you take anything seriously?”

“I took your sister seriously when I married her…” Luna face hooves herself in response as he chuckles, “cheer up now, its war… have a sense of humor, live a little.”

“We’re going to have to talk to Tia about this one, to see who is sicker in the head.”

“Well I believe that’s a little bias, considering that’s my wife you’re talking about…”

“Which means she should take your side?” Lulu persists as they slowly walk further inside.

“Yep… and she’ll say it’s me,” he says just in time to lose the breath out of his chest after taking a war hammer to the sternum of his suit from a hidden enemy. The changeling ready to deliver a second blow, had an ice spike pinning him now to the wall not halted that aggression.

“And you owe me…” Luna teases, her horn calming down as she helps him to his feet.

“Oh grow up…” Discord brushes himself off, pointing to several groups of guards that have followed them inside as he stands there with the broadsword on his shoulder, “Listen, goal here is simple… one, find the Elements of Harmony. Two, locate Princess Twilight… Captain Shining Armor and a bright orange Pegisy by the name of Flash Sentry should be in here doing the same,” they nod to him acknowledging their understanding, “if you see either of them, help them out,” With a simple wave of the paw. He dispels them from his presence, listening to the clopping of hooves against brick as they go in search.

“The others outside the castle should be able to hold their own,” Luna remarks, looking down either corridor, “we were doing quite well, and even I would say winning… though if Chrysalis or Sombra gets the Elements on their side, or at least able to use them…” her voice starts to tremble. Already having dealt with the feeling of having those relics used against herself by her own sister.

“That’s why we don’t let that-” the wall breaks suddenly next to Discord, interrupting his sentence as a gaping hole is made big enough to walk through.

As the dust settles, they find that he and Luna are now staring in to the main dining hall. Along with that, the pair hear a rather forced laugh in the mists, to go along with their confusion. Looking off to the side, they see the familiar white unicorn captain there on the ground. Bruises, cuts, and burns scattered across his body. Yet at the same time he has a smile on his face.

“HA!” Shining blurts out, “you missed…” he points to his attacker. Sombra steps out closer to him, though still hasn’t noticed the other regal pair watching.

“Oh do you really think it’s good to test my patience?” Sombra deadpans.

“Well I probably should be testing your aim more… seems you could work on that some,” Shining, for even having his injuries, still manages to be a strong and spry one. Darting off from the ground and across the room as he avoids the many enchanted spikes being hurtled at his hind. “Seriously! I get you were dead for a while, but I’d expect more from you.”

“Enough!” Sombra bellows.

Charging up a dark spell, blackened flames soon shoot from the king’s horn, emitting a shower of bright sparks from whatever they hit. Though even as they touch a surface, it burns hot enough to melt some of the bricks on the ground. Because of the chaos though, Sombra never hears one coming up from behind him.

Only to feel a light tap on the shoulder.

“Excuse me, king?” he turns around, only to be staring at the armored form of Discord standing there before him, “May I have a word?” the prince sends an armored fist in to the head of Sombra, causing him to skip across the ground like a stone on the water, “That… is for my wife.”

“I didn’t even do a thing to her?” the monarch rubs the top of his head, surprised to feel such pain after so long, “that was Chrysalis’s deal.”

“Well then you will have to suffice for us, till we can get to her,” he hears the sweet voice but vicious voice of Princess Luna stepping out and over to Shining, helping him up to his feet. “Are you alright?”

“What are you talking about?” the captain spits out a mouth full of blood, “I had him right where I wanted.”

Even in the moment of combat, Luna can’t help but chuckle at the comment, “well never the less, it seemed you could use some back up in this case…”

“And by seemed, she meant you absolutely needed some help,” Discord chimes in.

“You aren’t helping the subject, Dissy.”

“And neither are you, Lulu.”

Luna sticks out her tongue at him, “how did I end up going to war with you by my side?”

“Who would you rather have?”

All she does is raise an eye brow at him, “you want the list?”

“There’s a list?” he says in a faked shocked voice, not drawing any sort of reaction of humor from either the princess or Shining, “oh why do I even bother,” Discord lowers his head back down and wipes his hand across his face.

“Well this is just all and good to see you all getting along now… more or less,” Sombra says finally after growing tired of watching the two in-laws banter back and forth, “…though if you wouldn’t mind. My blade is drying out, and I’d very much so like to get it wet more before the day is out. What do you say, hmm?” he whips out the blade to his side, and the shield on the other. Only having the regal in-laws nod to one another as they are joined by the captain to even the fight against the king.

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The young couple makes their way around the castle. Flash gladly allowing Twilight to lead the way, considering that she has already been here several times to retrieve artifacts from back in Celestia’s and Luna’s day (mostly books that is). Sentry has filled her in by this point on what is going on outside, and that her brother and himself came in here to find her and the Elements.

Consequently after arguing for a minute or two, Flash eventually submits to her wishing to find the Elements instead of getting her to safety. Considering although Celestia was the one that wanted her brought to safety, there isn’t much you can say to the mare when she is here and ready to fight on her own… other than give her some sort of direction.

“Do you have a clue where to start looking?” Flash proposes the obvious question, knowing full well that the longer they trek around without a final destination, the more likely they will be found out.

“Well…” she tries to say with the utmost of confidence, already having the same idea as what just went through his mind, “no… though if you managed to find me. How hard would it be to find a changeling as tall as Celestia with a misshapen horn, cheesy legs, holy wings, and a really, really pissed attitude at the moment?”

Although he may not like the plan completely, when Twilight’s right, she’s right. Quickly checking to make sure the coast is clear around them before trotting down the hall. After avoiding contact with a few more patrols, as the changelings move about to counter the attack from the Equestrians now finding their way in to the castle. They finally find themselves blocked off from further advance by a collapsed in archway.

“Wait? This isn’t supposed to be here?” Twilight points out as she looks over the obstruction.

“How so?” Flash answers, looking for a possible way around.

“I’ve traversed these halls plenty of times already, though it has been a few months sense the last time I was here now,” she cringes, forgetting to think of a backup route in case things changed in her absence. “The path must have crumbled away sense then… it is quite an old place.”

“Makes sense, though would you possibly know another way around this little issue?” Sentry proposes, knowing that they just passed several enemy troops behind them and if they follow any sort of military order (which they do) then they’ll be back around soon enough.

The princess tries to think of a route they could use. Though many of them are main pathways and consequently can be a problem when you and your coltfriend are the only ones to help defend yourselves. Not a really good idea to stick out, when on top of that, your magic is on the fritz and out of commission at the moment. “Maybe… though you won’t like it.”

“Try me,” he grins slyly at her.

“Well for the most part the castle flows inwards from the main gate, to the main dining hall, and then on ward to the primary court yard… though past that,” she pauses to take a breath before continuing, “there is always the throne room… it links to many halls and passages so the royalty could get around easier.”

He digests what she puts out to him, quickly taking in to consideration, “makes perfect sense… though do you remember how to get there, from here?”

“We would have to… double back about another three halls, get past some of the same changelings we just did. Cross over a few large open areas that are set up for show casing art work from back in the day. Make it across a bridge archway spanning towards the royal hall. And then finally, go through the main library… all while avoiding more and more enemies that we haven’t even seen yet,” she somehow manages to explain with the utmost of confidence. All the while Flash’s face slowly falls more and more in to a gasp as he realizes that this is probably not going to end well for them. Twi can’t help but chuckle eerily at the look on his face, “Well…I never said that path was going to be easy?”

“And yet you seem to be taking it so well… see as more or less, it leads to death,” Flash puts it more bluntly than he originally intended. Though before he can take back his words, he catches a single hoof over his mouth. And to top it off, a pair of soft lavender lips giving him a quick but sincere kiss.

“Normally…you’d be right in that assumption…” Twilight snickers, kicking the wall next to her as the brick she hit goes back in to the wall. The crumbling sound of mortar cracking away fills their ears as what Flash thought was a solid wall, opens up to revile a stair case leading down. Looking back to Twi with a rather confused look on his face, she explains, “During my first visit here after returning the Elements, me and the girls located a few secret passage ways. Afterwards, I took it upon myself to search to see if there were any more… just in case.”

“Well it certainly came in handy,” Sentry nods to her, as they both look down the new path.

“Although I may not be able to light our way… this will lead right in to the throne room…” Twilight answers him. Leading herself and Flash down the path way in the dark, calling more on memory than anything to guide her in the absence of her magic.