Chrysalis waited with her subjects at the door to their cell, ready to fight for their lives. Eventually the cell door opened, revealing five nervous royal guards and Corporal Pincer. Their weapons and armor had already been retrieved and rested on the floor behind them.

“...Well?”

The guards shook themselves out of their stupor and released their shackles and inhibitor rings and made room for the changelings to exit the cell.

“What is your procedure?” Chrysalis asked, levitating her armor onto herself as her subjects did the same.

“Wh-what?”

“Your emergency procedure, what is it? I need to know where we would be most useful," she explained, having already attached all her gear to her armor.

“U-Uh, most of our forces are out with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna ready to take on the enemy. Prince Shining Armor has erected a barrier to repel the enemy forces long enough to gather our troops as well as evacuate the citizens, and Princess Cadance along with twenty elite unicorns are with him, ready as backup.”

“And the Elements?”

“Wh-What?”

“The Elements of Harmony. What is their role?”

“Th-They’re civilians. Except for Princess Twilight, but she’s… not…”

The guard trailed off as Chrysalis looked at him, stunned.

“YOU LEFT THE HEROINES WHO HAVE SAVED EQUESTRIA TIME AND TIME AGAIN TO THEIR OWN DEVICES!?” she shouted.

“I-I-I-I… Princess Celestia and Prince Shining Armor never-”

“Ugh, that explains it,” Chrysalis muttered before turning to her subjects. “Stag, Stinger, follow me, we’re going to support Shining and Cadance. Pincer, you and the rest fan out, find the Elements, and get them here in the palace! MOVE!”

The changelings saluted and galloped off. Chrysalis turned to the ponies. “Well!? Lead!”

The royal guards stammered for a moment before galloping out, leading the queen and her chosen subjects along.

My Queen, why are we going so far to help the ponies? Stag asked via hivemind. Would it not serve us better if they were weakened somewhat?

You do not know the true horrors of the Demons of Tartarus. This battle will be the first of many, and if Canterlot falls, all of Equestria will likely follow. They are also the only nation that would likely be willing to offer us aid. For the sake of the Hive, Equestria must endure.

Celestia grimly observed the enemies just outside Shining Armor’s barrier, steeling herself for the inevitable battle. Near the city gates were lines of creatures she had hoped never to see again, as well as criminals that she had sent away. The native Tartarus demons had been sent to the front, growling, hissing, or squawking. Despite this, all held still like a line of well-trained attack dogs, ready to be unleashed. Her gazed then turned to the barrier itself and the beating it was taking, cracks starting to form, but repaired themselves quickly… at least for the moment. The barrier was being hammered by Looming Shadows, massive creatures that looked like millipedes with gaping maws and nearly a dozen rows of teeth, held aloft by six bat-like wings. To say they were giant was an understatement, some of them growing up to two hundred feet long and twenty feet wide. They rammed into the the barrier with their ash grey bodies, biting with their mandibles and scratching with their innumerable claw-like legs at the same time.

Against this kind of assault, Shining Armor could only hold out for an hour at best.

Just then Luna flew up to her, her expression grim. "How does it look?" she asked.

"An intimidating force to be sure, but nothing we can't handle," Celestia replied. "How goes the evacuation?"

“The operation is progressing steadily, but I fear not quickly enough. It is difficult to get an entire population coordinated when most of them are terrified.”

“I see. I only hope that-” Celestia began, looking out towards the oncoming force, before her eyes widened in shock. One Looming Shadow had hung back, simply hovering as it gazed at her. However, it was the creature on it’s back that got her attention.

The being stood on two legs, as tall as she was, wearing heavy armor and wielding a mace. Feline in appearance, orange with black stripes and yellow slitted eyes, it smirked smugly at the Princess.

A spark of rage lit in Celestia, one she hadn’t felt in ages. Luna noticed the scowl on her face as well as her mane and tail turning to a fiery yellow and followed her gaze, her eyes widening as well.

“Sister, I know how you feel, but-” Luna began before Celestia cut her off.

“I’m no fool, Luna. I won’t let my emotions get the better of me, especially when doing so could endanger our little ponies,” she said, barely masking her hate beneath her visage. Just then she saw the tiger begin to sprint across the flying beast, it’s body beginning to light up in flames. Celestia’s eyes widened. “He’s going to destroy the barrier!” she shouted before readying her warhammer and unsheathing her sword. “Luna, take command!”

“But Tia!” Luna pleaded.

“DO IT!” she bellowed before her body erupted in flames and her eyes shone white. She shot at the barrier, having it open just enough to pass through before it closed behind her, and confronted her opponent. He swung at her with his mace which she expertly deflected with her sword before slamming her hammer into his chest with enough force to send him shooting to the ground, even splitting the Looming Shadow he was riding in half. Two others broke off from attacking the barrier to focus on her, but she flew away and they gave chase. After gaining enough distance from Canterlot she turned to face the creatures and with a roar of anger produced a blast of fire that exploded from her horn, incinerating most of her pursuers' bodies and killing them instantly.

She then landed near the crater where her opponent landed. Her enemy rose to his feet, only slightly scuffed, before cracking his neck. Celestia's flaming aura and shining eyes died down, but her flaming mane remained as her mouth contorted into a scowl.

"Infernus."

He smirked back. "Celestia, it's been too long. I was afraid you'd forgotten about me."

“I wish I could forget about you.”

“Now now, don’t be that way. I think we’ve gotten even, haven’t we? You imprisoned me for a millenium, I killed your husband. What was his name again?”

Celestia’s eyes shone white. “His name was Valor, and you will not speak of him!”

“Oh come on, Celestia, I meant no disrespect. In fact I admired him. Unlike the rest of your guard he actually kept up to his namesake. He didn’t cower in fear, even after I caved in his chest and he started to choke on his own blood.”

Celestia snapped and dashed forwards, her aura returning, before slamming her hammer into the ground, Infernus barely managing to leap out of the way.

“Last time, Valor encouraged me to treat you like any other criminal and punish you under the law. It was his dying wish not to give into my hatred.” She then stood on her hind legs as she grabbed her zweihander with her hooves, levitating her hammer at her side. “THIS TIME, HIS MERCY WILL NOT SAVE YOU!”

Infernus smirked as he grasped his mace in both hands, a white hot flame radiating off it. “Oh, I’ve been looking forward to this. But first, I have an objective to complete.” He suddenly turned and swung his mace, unleashing a beam of heat and fire.

Celestia’s eye’s widened in fear as she saw what the beam hit: the barrier around Canterlot. The protective bubble instantly shattered, and Celestia’s heart dropped into her stomach as the hordes of Tartarus streamed in. She dashed towards the city only for Infernus’ mace to come at her head, managing to block it at the last second.

“I can’t believe I get this opportunity,” he gloated, fire leaping off his body and his weapon. “Not only do I get to kill Princess Celestia, I get to see her horror as she watches her city get slaughtered.”

Celestia’s anger returned a thousandfold, and with a scream of pure rage she lunged at her enemy.

“Shiny! Shiny, wake up! Shiny, please!” Cadance pleaded, trying to jostle her husband awake. Something had struck the barrier with enough force to shatter it, the backlash knocking him out.

“Princess Cadance, please! You must cast another barrier! The enemy is already inside the city!” one of the guards warned.

Cadance looked to the guard, desperation clear on his face. She stole one more glance at her unconscious husband, before nodding and summoning her power. Once she had gathered enough power she shot a blast into the air, traveling high through the skylight of the palace tower, before the energy expanded and enveloped the city in a blue bubble.

Almost immediately she felt the pressure of the barrier being attacked by the demons. Though she maintained control the sounds of fights and screaming coming from the ground at the bottom of the tower certainly didn’t help her concentration.

It’s like the Changeling Invasion all over again.

“What’s that?” one of the unicorns asked.

Everypony else grew quiet. Even with the sounds of battle outside a scratching noise seemed to be growing louder… and closer.

“Something’s climbing up the walls!”

As if in response, twelve creatures burst in through the windows or dropping through the skylight. Those who had been briefed on the native species of Tartarus recognized them, but even having seen drawings of them didn’t prepare them for meeting the real thing. The “Speeding Death” as they had been called, were flightless birds as tall as the Princesses, and known for their great speed as well as their viciousness— not to mention how well equipped they were to kill. As if having clawed talons wasn’t dangerous enough, the rust colored, orange eyed avians had sharp teeth in their long beaks, stinger-tipped tentacles sprouting from their backs, a jagged horn sticking out of their heads, and mantis like claws. Even the regimented Royal Guards had to take a moment to process their appearance. It was a moment too long.

The bird-demons descended upon the ponies like the predators they were. In an instant, three of the guards were dead, two having been decapitated by their claws, the other having his throat torn out after it bit into him, hungrily ripping into its prey. The next moment the guards reacted, four forming a barrier around the still unconscious Shining Armor and another four doing the same around Cadance who was unable to make her own due to maintaining the one around the city. The seven other attacked the beasts, firing spells or stabbing at them with their spears. Four of them fell almost instantly, slain gruesomely by multiple attackers, while the other three managed to kill one of them each, landing killing blows with their attacks. They too were killed moments later, stabbed, gutted, or decapitated by the survivors.

The surviving ponies stared in horror, seeing how their group of twenty elite unicorns, the best of the best, were reduced to less than half of their forces in seconds by the monsters, who were now tearing into the remains of their comrades, their feasting splattering blood against their magical defenses. This continued for barely a few seconds more before the beasts decided they had apparently had their fill and turned upon the rest of the guard, squawking as they began to viciously claw, slash, stab, and bite at their defenses.

I was wrong, this isn’t anything like the Changeling Invasion! This is a thousand times worse!

The guards readied their weapons, preparing to retaliate, when the door leading in burst open. In galloped Queen Chrysalis, two changelings, two unicorns, and three earth ponies.

“Your majesties!” one of them cried, attracting the attention of the demons who screeched angrily before sprinting towards them. The two unicorns began to fire spells, but the birds almost effortlessly weaved passed them, closing half the distance in seconds, stunning the now terrified guards.

Chrysalis and her drones, however, hadn’t stopped galloping and were just about to meet their enemy. Four of the demons lunged at them, only for the changelings to respond with the same, their bodies cloaked in green flames, and shot through the avians like cannonballs, leaving their bodies in pieces. The others stopped, recognizing the threat, and hopped to the side before resuming their attacks. Two attempted to stab the changeling queen with their stingers, striking simultaneously from both sides, but she ducked under attacks and responded by blasting one to pieces with her magic while tossing a sickle at the other, managing to score a killing blow to the head without even looking. A third tried to slash her with its blades, but Chrysalis expertly drew her scimitar and severed them before they could harm her. She then quickly ended its scream of pain by slicing off it’s head.

At the same time the two drones ducked underneath one of the Speeding Death’s attempt to slash them and drew their swords simultaneously, cutting off its legs. As it fell to the ground one of them ran it through with its horn before blasting a hole in its chest, while the other used magic to throw two sickled at the other avian. The demon managed to leap over the attack, poised to attack the two with its talons, when Chrysalis blasted it out of the air with a spell, spraying its body all over the room.

The ponies just stared, shocked at how brutal and efficient the changelings had dispatched the demons that had so easily taken down their comrades, only being shaken from their stupor as Shining Armor groaned.

“Shiny!” Cadance cried, running over to him as the eight unicorns droppe their barriers. She gingerly lifter him in her forelegs. “Shiny, please wake up!”

“Ugh… damn it… my head,” he groaned before finally opening his eyes. The scene before him caused him to leap to his hooves, only for him to groan and fall to the floor again, holding his head in pain. “Wh-What happened!?”

“Your barrier was destroyed, and these beasts attempted to kill you and your wife,” Chrysalis answered simply, using magic to retrieve her thrown sickle. “Stag, Stinger, seal the windows.”

The two drones, having already retrieved their own weapons, nodded and flew up to the shattered windows, spitting goo from their mouths and reinforcing the holes that once bore stained glass.

“Wait, you mean-!?”

“Yes, there are demons in the city. Not all of them though, Cadance managed to erect another barrier and cut off the rest.”

Shining got to his hooves and retrieved his spear. “What about the evacuation?”

“The barrier was destroyed before we had a chance to finish, sir,” one of the earth ponies replied.

“Then that means the civilians are in danger!”

“Go. We will stay here,” Chrysalis ordered, stunning the other ponies.

“Wh-What!?” one of the elites asked. “You can’t possibly think we’d let you-!”

“It’s alright, soldier,” Shining interrupted.

“But, sir!”

“Your forces need a leader to take control. My drones and I can protect Cadance here,” Chrysalis reiterated.

“What do you mean ‘take control’? What’s the situation?” Shining asked.

“Celestia is off battling their leader, and Luna is attempting to deal with the Looming Shadows that made it into the city. Your forces are in disarray and your people are being slaughtered.”

Shining growled, but nodded. “You five, come with me!” he ordered, pointing to the guards that had led the changelings. “The rest of you, protect Cadance!” The guards saluted in response as Shining spared one last glance at his wife. “Stay safe,” he said before he and his chosen soldiers galloped off.

The unicorns arranged themselves protectively around the Princess, warily eyeing the changelings who did the same after closing and sealing the door. Cadance and Chrysalis shared a glance before the Queen grunted and turned to face the door.

I guess the old saying is true. “War makes strange bedfellows,” Cadance thought.

I stood before the gathered changelings of the hive, prepared for battle. Of those who had survived the initial invasion only 8,000 were currently fit to fight. I hope it would be enough to back up Canterlot.

“They’re ready, warrior,” Thorax said, Princess Nectar armed and ready at his side. I nodded and stepped towards the army in front of me, taking a deep breath and exhaling.

Just stay calm. They already know what they need to do. They just need something to give them that extra push.

“Alright, listen up and listen good! I know this is something you’d probably never thought you’d hear in your lives, but we’re gonna go and save Canterlot!” I smirked. “You managed to take control of it before, so defending it shouldn’t be too much harder for you!” I actually got a few chuckles out of that. “Now, I want to make one thing clear before we go. I happen to have a special place in my heart for these ponies. I would die for them, and you better damn well believe I’d kill for them, too. And I know you haven’t forgotten what I did to you guys the last time you were in Canterlot.” The changelings looked nervous, some of them gulping. “So I’m sure you can understand the full impact when I say that if you fight to defend this city as you would your own hive, I will go to the same lengths to protect all of you.”

Many of them looked surprised before steeling their gazes and nodding. I then used my spear to cut open a hole in reality, large enough for all of them to jump in without having to squeeze in.

“We’ll be exiting this portal right above the city,” I explained, ignoring their shocked expressions. “Follow me and don’t wander off. Now move!” I ordered, jumping inside.

“FOR THE QUEEN! FOR THE HIVE!” I heard Nectar shout from behind me.

“FOR THE HIVE!” I heard them shout back before they all followed.

Please don’t let me be too late.

Author's Notes:

So yeah, that Mature rating? It's getting it's use here.

Really sleepy right now, but I hope you guys enjoy the read. Next chapter the action should really pick up.