Celestia remained at the Hive to watch over the girls, Shella, Mavis, and protect the Hive from another possible attack while Luna and I returned to Canterlot and to the portal to Terra.

We cross through and ask a Terran guard to escort us to Vortigan.

"So what is this favour thou wish to ask the King?" Luna asks me as we walk through the halls of the Castle.

"I'm going to ask for some forces to attack Chrysalis. We'll bring some juggernauts in to push through the Hive and take most of the blows with Clerics following behind them healing along the way. We'll then subdue the changelings that fight back with elven enchanters and when we reach Chrysalis... I'm going to kill her," I reply with a frown.

The bitch is going to regret attacking my home and its people, especially for hurting the first friends I made here.

"What if the Changelings resist to the end?" she asks me.

"Knock them out or if there's no other choice, kill them. Chrysalis' personal guards will have to be slain as well," I reply as we go around a corner and come face to face with that fatass noble who insulted Luna when we first arrived.

"YOU!" he yells in anger and gets right in my face blocking my path. "What are you doing here you barbarian!?" he demands.

I'm in a bad enough mood as it is. "Mr. Thornston if I remember correctly? Move aside or I will move you aside," I threaten him.

"How dare you speak to me like that! Royalty or not I am a high ranking noble of Elysium and you will sho-" he replies but I cut him off by spraying him with a single shadow element silencing and deafening him.

He goes wide eyed as I casually push him aside and walk past him. He tries yelling at me but nothing is said and he grits his teeth in anger.

We finally reach the throne room and Vortigan looks up at the sound of the door opening. "Adrian! To what do I own the honour of this visit?" he asks me with a smile, which fades once I remove my helmet and he sees the frown on my face.

"I wish it were under better circumstances, but one of our towns was burnt to the ground by a changeling Queen by the name of Chrysalis. I've come to request aid to siege her Hive, kill her and show her changelings that there is a better way," I reply and request.

"I see, and do you have a plan?" he asks me.

"The start of one, if you can offer any advice I'd welcome it," I reply.

He hums for a few seconds and then nodded. "Very well, please come with me and explain in detail what has happened and what you plan to do," Vortigan tells me and gets up.

We follow him into his office and over the next three hours discuss a strategy of assaulting Chrysalis' Hive.

We've come to the decision of sending ten juggernauts first followed by ten clerics who will also be protected by our guards and his battle-mages while a squad of elven enchanters use sleeping spells to pacify the attacking changelings. Although lethal force is recommended if needed. Vortigan himself said he would be honoured to join us in battle.

So after five long hours gathering our forces together we stand outside the Lapis Hive with Shella and Luna beside me while Celestia is staying behind to protect the Hive and the element bearers.

Shella with her own changeling guards are coming along to persuade Chrysalis' changelings to join her by showing them the healthy condition they're in and the fact they're allied with Equestria while Luna will be acting as Shella's bodyguard.

"You've all been briefed on the plan, we are to assault the Jade Shell Hive and subdue its population while hunting down their Queen Chrysalis and end her cruelty. Lethal force is authorised if you cannot subdue them," Vortigan shouts out to our forces.

I then speak up. "Battle-mages! You will periodically cast the nullify spell as changelings can disguise themselves with a spell as another person, so keep an eye out for that!" I tell them, getting cheers in return.

"Juggernauts! You'll take point! Push into the Hive and repel the changelings as we head for their throne room!" Vortigan tells his forces and the large armoured soldiers slam their shields together eager to get started. "Clerics! Keep them alive! Battle-mages and pony guards! Keep the clerics safe!"

Once everyone is ready, we march into the Everfree with a force of five-hundred soldiers while following the directions of the changelings who converted to the Lapis Hive and are with us to help convince the others.

We were attacked by a few of the beasts of the Forest like manticores and timberwolves but they were easily dealt with.

After a couple of hours navigating the vegetation, our changelings inform us that they've detected Chrysalis' hive mind network nearby, and that she most likely knows we're here as well.

The entrance to the Hive is up ahead which looks like a fortified cave opening with barricades and about twenty guards posted there.

"Vortigan, once we find Chrysalis I need you to put a barrier around us so no one will disturb us," I tell him as I look at the entrance.

"Very well. So then, shall we begin?" he asks as the guards at the cave are now looking in our direction.

"Let's go say hello," I reply and look back to our forces. "Juggernauts advance!"

The Juggernauts take the lead and charge at the entrance with the clerics and elven enchanters following behind them. Vortigan, Luna, Shella, and I follow after them with the guards and battle-mages around us.

---

---

After Adrian left with Luna and Shella, Prin... Queen Celestia has been trying to comfort me from the loss of my horn. I feel like I've lost a piece of my soul, what makes me... me.

"Don't worry, Twilight. We'll help you get your magic back," Celestia tells me while holding my left hand.

"B-But I'll have to give up being a pony for it..." I reply with a sad frown.

"Is it really that bad? Your brother became a human just so he could protect Equestria better. It doesn't matter what you'll look like, you'll still be the student I took in all those years ago. You'll still be the same mare you've always been, nothing will change that," she tells me and squeezes my hand.

I reach up with my right hand and gingerly touch the stump of what's left of my horn. I then look on the table to my right where my horn has been cleaned and preserved. I reach out and gently pick it up and hold it in front of my face, tears slowly falling down my cheeks as I'll never be able to use it again.

"Have you decided if you'll take Adrian's offer?" Celestia asks me.

I remain silent for a few seconds before looking back at her. "I'm not sure, while his magic is fascinating, it just seems bland and limited... but the elven magic sounds more versatile and has much more functional uses like our magic. If I had to choose, I guess I'd pick being an elf," I reply, but can I really just give up being a pony just to have my magic back?

I gasp as I feel a gentle warmth coming from my cutie-marks, as if they're telling me to go through with it. Magic is my calling, it's who I am, it's what I love doing... More tears flow out as they're right. It doesn't matter what I'll look like, I wouldn't be me if I couldn't study and practice magic anymore.

"I'll do it. I want to be able to use magic again," I reply and start sobbing quietly.

Celestia gently hugs me and wraps me up with her wings as well, I've missed these hugs from her. "It'll all be okay, Twilight. Once Adrian returns after putting that vile mare down, we'll help you get your magic back. So just rest for now and try to cheer up," she tells me while rubbing my back.

I nodded and just hug her back.

---

---

The juggernauts barrel out of the tree line and charge right at the terrified looking changelings as the hulking heavy armoured men slam right through the barricades with ease pushing the changelings aside where the elven enchanters put the knocked down guards to sleep.

The clerics follow right behind them and cast healing beams at the juggernauts periodically as they stomp through the entrance. As we reach forks in the tunnel, a juggernaut, a cleric, two elves and ten guards break off from the main group and begin sweeping the Hive subduing the soldiers that are resisting.

The changelings that converted guide us through the Hive as we battle our way through.

One of Chrysalis' changelings manages to squeeze through and charges at me with a pair of daggers. I hold my shield to my right and once it gets close I sweep my shield to the left and slam it into the changeling's head, knocking it out where our guards tie it up and leave it at the side of the tunnel.

This is a new type of changeling I've not seen before. It's smaller at roughly three feet tall, thinner and much more agile looking, explains how he got past the juggernauts easily.

Vortigan thrusts out an armoured boot into another one of the small and slender changelings face with a nasty cracking sound as the carapace on her face cracks open and knocking her out.

"So these are what Chrysalis’ changelings look like..." he says as he picks up the small changeling he knocked out by the collar of her armour and looks her over.

"Well I haven't seen ones this small before," I tell him and slam another changeling in the head with my shield.

"They're infiltrators. their job is assassination and stealth," Shella tells me while Luna is protecting her, although when Chrysalis' changelings see her they hesitate for a second before they're knocked out.

"Then why doesn't the Lapis Hive have any?" I ask as one of the little buggers jumps on my back and tries to stab me through my armour which held strong.

Vortigan then grabs the pest off me and throws it into the wall and then kicks it in the head knocking it out.

"Chrysalis took all of the military lings back to the main Hive when she destroyed our town..." Shella replies with sadness in her voice.

I frown and look forward again. "How much farther is Chrysalis' room?" I ask.

"We're almost there, but I can feel a lot of lings there waiting for us!" one of our changelings replies.

The wall to our left crumbles and a flood of changelings swarm out and threaten to overrun us.

We're not going to be able to knock them all out without casualties... I channel four fire elements while Vortigan channels five and we cast a torrent of flames into the hole in the wall and roast the changelings inside as their cries of pain and agony echo throughout the Hive.

After a few seconds we cancel the spray and then some unicorns cause the new tunnel to collapse in on itself with their magic.

"Good job! Let's keep moving!" I yell out and our forces cheer in response, despite losing a few of our own forces during their attack.

'Soon, Chrysalis. Your head will be stuck on the tip of my sword for what you've done,' I think to myself as we continue to push forward.

Next Chapter: Chapter 78: Jade Hive Siege Part 2 Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 41 Minutes