Chapter 51: Betrayal

James awoke early the next morning. At least, he thought it was morning. It was impossible for him to keep track of time anymore. What little sleep he had managed to get had been tortured by nightmares of battle and death; nightmares he was certain he couldn't blame on Luna this time, or even on an aisling.

A chill hit him as he pulled the blankets off of himself, a dull glow through the grating of the stove telling him that the fire had burned down to smoldering embers sometime in the night. There was no reason to stoke it. He wouldn't be around to enjoy it as they would be on their way to war within an hour or two. War. The thought made him shiver again, as if an icy blast of arctic air had suddenly rushed down a mountain slope and slammed into him. He was no longer sure it was the cold in the room that was chilling him to the bone. He stood up, glancing at the only other bed in the room. It was empty, Lieutenant Swift Wing up already, no doubt making plans for how they would enter the battle.

He stepped out into the common room, finding it empty. Most of the changeling soldiers and royal guards were likely still asleep. Battle, even if not routine for them, was something they had known was a possibility ever since the day they had become soldiers. Some of them had almost certainly seen battle before. Some of them had probably even faced off against each other in the Battle of Canterlot several years ago when the changelings had launched their surprise attack on the capital city of Equestria. He, on the other hand, would have thought anypony crazy only six months ago if they had told him he would be leading an army into war. What am I doing here? he thought to himself for what must have been the hundredth time.

A fire blazed in the large stone hearth, providing some flickering light for the common room, but it was of little comfort. The unsteady light caused shadows to dance and writhe on the wall. He tried to keep his imagination from running wild as it changed the dark shadows into attacking griffins, writhing ponies, and terrifying entities from The Beyond; a macabre dance of death and suffering. The fire provided little warmth in contrast to the chill of anxiety that had an icy grip on his core. A large kettle of water hung over the flames, steaming and boiling.

He stepped into the kitchen, looking around and eventually finding a mug, tea ball, and some tea. then, he went back to the common room and ladled himself a mug of hot water from the kettle hanging over the fireplace. He began to walk toward a table in an isolated corner of the room. He changed his mind, walking toward one in the center of the room. Better to let any soldiers, changeling or pony, see him as soon as they entered the room. After all, he was their leader, and they needed to see his presence. It would not do for him to hide in a corner.

A million thoughts swam through his head like schools of fish in an ocean as he idly bobbed the tea ball up and down in the steaming cup of hot water. He was their leader. He was supposed to give them some kind of pep talk before they went into battle, wasn't he? But what should he say to them? Talking about oaths and duty to their Princesses and to Equestria was obviously unlikely to have a motivating effect on the changelings. If anything, it might have the opposite effect. He wished he knew more about changeling culture now. About their ideas of honor among soldiers, and so on. Did changelings believe in an afterlife? Would it do any good to talk to them about honor that would await those who fell in battle? Or would they simply look at him as if he had lost his mind?

"A bit for your thoughts?"

The voice made him jump, splattering hot water onto the table as he almost overturned the mug. A second mug of hot water set on the table now, and Lieutenant Swift Wing stood next to him. The pegasus wasn't wearing his plate mail yet. Only the heavy cloth undergarments. The cloth was thick enough, and of a heavy enough stitch, to hold off griffin talons and sharp beaks for quite some time.

"I really don't have any business being here," he confided to Swift Wing with a frown. "I know little of military tactics or strategy. I don't know why -" He had been going to say he didn't know why Celestia had asked him to join the Council, but he bit his tongue. It wouldn't be good for morale if the guards were to see that the Council member with them was questioning Princess Celestia's judgement.

"You were a scientist before you joined the Council, weren't you?"

"I still am a scientist," he responded in a more defensive tone than he had intended. He didn't know if that were actually true or not. He knew he could never be just a scientist again. But he didn't want to admit to himself that he had changed that much, and that going back to a life of cozy labs and sheltered academic life was no longer in the cards. Deep down, he knew that life was gone. And he could never get it back. If Swift Wing had been offended by the tone of his response, he didn't show any sign of it.

"Then you have a very deep understanding of logic. You've played Chess, haven't you?"

"Of course," James responded.

"And you've played the various other strategy games that the councilors play?"

"Yes." Chess was the only game the Royal Council played that he had already been familiar with. All of the other ones, they had had to teach him. All of them were strategy games, but most of them were much more complicated than Chess.

"They aren't just games, Councilor. They are exercises designed to teach strategy and logic. They're the same games that students in the Royal Officer Training School at the Academy play."

He nodded once. It made sense. But still, playing strategy games was a lot different than actual warfare.

"Besides, the other officers and I will be there to advise you. Don't worry. We'll let you know if you suggest anything stupid." Swift Wing had said the last part of it with a slight chuckle, as if trying to break the icy mood and put James' mind a little more at ease. But he doubted that even Twilight Sparkle could put his mind at ease right now. Not even if she were to cast a sleeping spell on him. He hesitated for several moments before nodding once.

"So what can you tell me right now, Lieutenant?" he asked, trying to get himself into the right mindset for war planning. Not that he had any idea what kind of mindset he was even supposed to be in for such things.

"It's stopped snowing, and the wind has let up some. That means we'll be able to fly there."

"That's good news."

"Also, I sent scouts out a couple of hours ago to look for the flank attack forces."

"Flank attack forces?"

Swift Wing nodded. "A favorite tactic of griffin military forces is to use a frontal attack force as a decoy, and then launch a surprise flanking attack from one side or the other. The problem is, unless we can find their flank attack forces in advance, we don't know which side it's going to come from. That means we are forced to split our own forces to guard both sides. But the ones we send to the wrong side will likely see no action at all. So having to deal with the surprise flank attack greatly weakens our own capabilities."

James listened intently, putting the mug to his lips and sipping the tea. It was still too hot, but it felt good going down his throat and into his stomach, helping to take the internal chill off, even if only slightly.

"The scouts should be back before we leave. If not, they know where to find us en route. Of course, if they are spotted by the griffins, then anything they learn is useless to us because the griffins will change their attack plans if they know we found their flank forces."

James held the mug to his lips a moment longer, taking in the warm steam before lowering it and setting it on the table. "Lieutenant ... What should I tell the changelings? I mean I'm supposed to give some kind of motivating talk before we go into battle, right?"

"Tell them the truth, Councilor. This battle isn't a battle for Equestria. It's a battle for survival of every living thing. The changelings have just as much vested in it as we do. Their hives, their families. I suspect even the griffins will see it sooner or later, and abandon King Aetos for the fool that he is. I just hope they see it before it's too late."

"I didn't think changelings formed families," James said.

"Not in the sense that we do. But they consider the entire hive their family. And they have a very strong sense of loyalty and duty to protect their hives."

James nodded slightly, sipping his tea again and turning his attention to the rest of the room. In the time the two of them had been talking, a few other royal guards had shown up and were occupying some of the tables. At other tables, changelings had gathered. The room had naturally divided itself in half, the royal guards sticking to one side, and the changelings to the other. Tension hung in the air like a thick fog, and every once in awhile, a changeling or pony would cast a glance towards the other side of the room; glances filled with a kaleidoscope of emotions including fear, anger, and contempt. He winced slightly, half expecting a battle to break out right in the inn's common room. The faster he could get them into battle with the griffins, the better, he thought. He hoped giving them a common enemy to fight would allow them to take out their aggression and anger on something besides each other. At the same time, maybe it would unite them and lessen the contempt they felt for one another.

Lieutenant Swift Wing finished his mug of tea, setting it down on the table and drawing James' attention back to him as he stood up. James quickly downed the rest of his own tea and stood up as well, speaking with as much confidence as he could muster.

"Rouse the rest of your guards, Lieutenant. We'll leave here in twenty minutes and meet the rest of the changelings and guards at the armory."

Twilight Sparkle walked down the spiral staircase leading to the Canterlot Castle dungeons for the second time in the last week; the third time she had ever been in the dungeons. The first time was when James had first arrived and she had met and interrogated him. The reminder caused her thoughts to drift toward him again and worry poked at her heart.

He should have been back by now if his diplomatic mission to the Changeling Empire had succeeded. What if Chrysalis had taken him prisoner and locked him in her dungeons? The thought caused her stomach to turn queasy. Chrysalis's dungeons weren't exactly known for their hospitality. In fact, they were known for being intensively uncomfortable, designed to break the will of prisoners until they would agree to virtually anything the Changeling Queen demanded if it would get them out of the dungeon. The Royal Guards sometimes quipped that it wouldn't take more than a few weeks in Chrysalis's dungeon before a changeling or unicorn would cut off their own horn, or a pegasus cut off their own wings if it meant being released. The guards would always laugh slightly afterwards, but she wasn't certain whether it was because they intended it as a joke, or because there was a little too much truth to it.

Or even worse, what if Chrysalis had locked him inside a feeder cocoon? Then again, given the reputation of the Changeling dungeons, maybe a feeder cocoon would be a mercy compared to them. Guilt at having sent him on the mission competed with fear and unease now. Had she sent him on a suicide quest?

She shook her head slightly, forcing her mind back to the task at hoof. There was nothing she could do to help James right now, and it had been a necessary risk to send him. He understood that as well as anypony. And besides, she had more than her share of problems to worry about right now. Problems she actually could do something about. Like the Elder Dragon Ambassador that was currently confined in one of the special dragon holding cells in a rarely used part of the dungeons. In fact, it had been so long since Equestria had had trouble with dragons, that nopony could remember the last time there had been a dragon in the dungeon. Captain Swordstorm had said there had never been a dragon in the dungeon during his entire watch as Supreme Commander of the Royal Guard.

She reached the heavy, reinforced door at the bottom of the staircase, which two spear-armed guards opened for her. She nodded her thanks, walking into the main corridor and taking several turns down different paths along the way. It was easy to get lost in the Canterlot Castle dungeons. They had been intentionally designed that way in order to confuse prisoners and help thwart escape attempts. Most of the cells she passed were empty, although occasionally a pony would glare at her from behind the bars, sometimes demanding her, sometimes pleading with her, to let them go. Mostly, the ponies down here right now were the few looters and rioters who the Royal Guard had picked up. They were the exception, though. Most of the ponies had remained calm and shown the best side of Equestria as they helped each other through the crisis they were now facing.

Finally, she came to another door, the guards posted there once again opening it for her. As she began to descend another set of stairs, a musty smell assaulted her nostrils and a thin haze of dust formed ghostly halos around the magical glowing orbs that lit the walls, the smell and dust both reinforcing how long it had been since this part of the dungeon had been used.

She passed through one more guarded door, this one much bigger than the others, as well as made from solid, reinforced iron. Then, she started down an enormous corridor. Looking up, she couldn't see the ceiling, the walls seeming to disappear into darkness, as if the height of the hall went on forever. Looking to her sides, she marveled at the width of the hall, easily able to accommodate  twenty ponies walking abreast. Enormous doors, the tops disappearing into the darkness, were spaced far apart on each wall, again, made of solid iron; the size of both the hall and the doors a testament to the size and power of the creatures they were designed to hold.

For awhile, she thought the hall would never end, stretching on until it became nothing but darkness, as if it were tunnel leading to nowhere. Eventually, though, two magical, glowing orbs, like giant eyes, faded into view from the darkness, followed by an enormous cell door. No fewer than ten unicorns guards waited for her outside the door.

"My Lady," the commander in charge of the guards acknowledged, all of them saluting as she approached. She still hadn't gotten used to being saluted.

"As you were," she responded, politely saluting the guards in response. "Has he said anything?"

The captain in charge seemed to hesitate, then responded with a hint of nervousness in his voice. "That ... would be a little difficult in his present condition, My Lady."

She raised a questioning eyebrow. What was that supposed to mean? Had the guards done something to him? Abused him? She opened her mouth to ask, but then changed her mind.

"Unlock the door," she commanded, in a slightly stern voice.

"Yes, My Lady," the captain responded before turning, towards the door, all nine other guards turning in unison with him. He inserted his horn into the lock on the massive door. It glowed briefly, the huge lock disengaging and echoing off the hall like the sound of a cannon shot. Slowly, the massive door crept open, the guards stepping backwards and out of the way, a sliver of light spilling from the widening crack between the door and the wall.

When the door had finished opening, the guards entered first, spreading out to surround the dragon. She followed them in. As the guards continued to spread out, allowing her to see passed them, she got her first glimpse of the massive dragon, stopping in her tracks.

No, the guards hadn't roughed him up. But what they had done, is bind him so tightly that he couldn't even move. All of his limbs were bound tightly to the floor, as were his enormous wings. Four enormous chains looped over his back, holding him tightly to the floor. Two more chains over his head and muzzle held his head to the ground. Yet another chain bound his muzzle shut tightly. So that's what the captain meant when he said it would be difficult for him to speak in his present condition, she thought to herself angrily, rounding on the captain with her eyes narrowed.

"This is how you treat the Elder Dragon Ambassador? Her Majesty's friend and trusted confidant of more than four thousand years?" she said in a raised voice, causing the captain to flinch and take a step backwards.

"My Lady ... We thought ... I mean we didn't know ... What if he tried to breath fire?" the captain stammered.

"Reasonable precautions are one thing, captain," she responded, her voice still angry. "But binding him to the floor so tightly he can't even move his limbs at all? Surely you are aware that excessive restraints are normally considered cruel and unusual punishment under Equestrian law? And that the use of excessive restraints can only be authorized by one of the Princesses, or the Regent? And only with very good reason?"

"My Lady, I -"

"We'll speak of this more later captain ... at your disciplinary action hearing. Now, unbind his muzzle so he can speak! And remove all of the restraints except the ones holding his limbs so he can't lash out at anyone!" she ordered angrily.

"Y ... yes, My Lady," The captain stammered before motioning three of the other guards to him, the four of them working diligently to fulfill her order.

"Leave us," Twilight said sternly, once the guards had finished unbinding Firewing and loosening some of his restraints.

"My Lady, I'm not sure -"

"I said leave us. And close the door behind you." she responded in a caustic tone, narrowing her eyes again.

"Y ... Yes, My Lady," the captain responded nervously, taking a step backwards before turning and stepping out of the huge cell, the rest of his guards falling in behind him and marching out as well, before closing the door with a heavy bang that echoed off the huge walls and high ceiling of the cell. When the door had closed, Twilight turned back to Firewing with a frown.

"I'm ... deeply sorry for how the guards treated you. Are you hurt from the prolonged restraining? Do you need any medical care?" she asked, trying to sound calm and collected, although her heart beat rapidly as she tried to keep fear at bay. But deep down inside herself, she was confident that Firewing had not betrayed Celestia.

"I'm fine. I've been through worse, recently," Firewing responded in a deep voice that had a distinct note of sadness in it. "Don't punish the guards too harshly, My Lady. I suspect they've never seen a fully grown dragon up close and were terrified." He sighed -which coming from a dragon and echoing off the walls of the enormous cell, sounded more like a strong gust of wind than a sigh- and looked at the floor. "And given recent events ... I can't say I blame them. He raised his huge head to look at her again. "And tell me, My Lady, why do you trust me any more than they?"

She looked back at him, his gaze catching hers, trying not to shudder slightly.   Just one of his eyes was larger than her entire head. She hesitated a moment before answering slowly.

"Please ... Just call me Twilight ... I ... I couldn't believe that you'd betray Princess Celestia. Not after more than four thousand years of loyalty to her. Not after all you have been through with her. I knew something else must have happened. Something that kept you from coming here sooner."

His eyelids drooped heavily and he averted his eyes to the floor at her statement. Were those tears she saw him trying to hold back? He appeared to be searching, as if looking for the right words, or as if he had the words, but trying to say them was extremely painful. After several moments, he responded, without returning his eyes to her.

"Five of my Council members betrayed me and joined with Cinderfang. The other three are dead. I'm the only one who is still alive. I tried to come sooner but they were constantly looking for me so I had to remain hidden. They wanted to kill me too." A single tear slid from his eyelid now and rolled down his large muzzle.

A wave of emotions flooded Twilight, like a tsunami washing up over a beach. Fear, knowing that some, if not all of the dragons were now at war with Equestria, and sorrow for Firewing and his loss. It was several seconds before she found the strength to respond.

"Then Cinderfang is the new ambassador?"

Firewing shook his great head slowly once. "There is no ambassador anymore. Cinderfang proclaimed himself King of the Dragons, dissolved the Council of Nine, and broke off all diplomatic relations with Equestria ... It pains me greatly to say it, Twilight, but Equestria and the dragon clans are officially at war."

Twilight looked at the floor, her worst fears confirmed. A feeling of hopelessness flooded through her. The dragon clans, the Griffin Empire, both at  war with Equestria. The barrier weakening and forces from the Beyond threatening to enter Equestria any day now, both Princesses missing, James missing, which could indicate the Changelings were also at war with Equestria, or at least, not willing to help them. Fear, and despair wrestled with anger for control of her emotions. What she said next, was a mixture of both.

"The fool! Doesn't he realize that if we don't get the sun back soon, the dragons will likely be the first race to go extinct? Their cold-blooded systems won't be able to tolerate the chill nearly as well as mammals, or changelings who can hibernate through it!"

"I tried to tell him, Twilight. I did," Firewing responded desperately. "But he wouldn't listen. He's convinced the artificial sun project the rogue ponies are trying to create will work."

"But it won't!" she responded in frustration. "I discussed it with James at length. We even considered using it as a backup plan in case we can't figure out how to get Princess Celestia back or free Princess Luna in time. And we came to the very confident conclusion that it won't work. No combination of science and magic can make it work!"

She stomped her hoof once in frustration. Ironically, the thought crossed her mind that perhaps the dragons wouldn't be a problem for Equestria after all, even if they were at war with them. It wouldn't be much longer before the increasing cold put the dragons completely out of commission, and then started killing them fairly rapidly.

"I tried telling him that too, Twilight," Firewing responded in a pained tone of voice, causing Twilight to flinch, only now realizing she had been taking out her frustration by raising her voice with him. That wasn't fair. He hadn't done anything wrong. In fact, he had done everything he could to try to stop this ... Hadn't he?

Her stern look softened and she responded in a calmer tone of voice. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. It's not your fault."

Firewing looked away from her again. "There is one thing I could have done differently that might have averted this ... I could have turned Cinderfang over to Equestria when I had the chance ... Although I would have had to go against the rest of the Council of Nine to do so ... Celestia knows I had the opportunity and let him go. I told her when I contacted her."

For a moment, Twilight felt anger rise in her. He had had a chance to turn Cinderfang over to Equestria, and had let him go instead? But the more she thought about it, the more she realized it probably wouldn't have helped. In fact, it might have made things worse. If Firewing had gone against the will of the rest of the Dragon Council, it probably would have only made them resentful and caused them to declare war on Equestria sooner. Obviously, war with the dragon clans was not a situation she wanted under any circumstances. But if it had to happen, it was better that it happened now when the lack of a sun and the increasing cold would put the dragons at an increasingly serious disadvantage. Her anger had dissipated before she responded.

"I suppose it wouldn't have made a difference in the long run if you had turned him over. It might have only made things worse."

"You may be right," Firewing agreed with sadness in his voice.

"Is there anything else you can tell me?"

He shook his head once. "I don't know anything about what their plans might be. But as you said, we dragons will be some of the first to suffer the most serious effects of the cold. If Cinderfang is going to lead an attack against Equestria, he's going to have to do it very soon, or the dragons will be in no condition to do so."

She nodded once, her tail drooping slightly as she looked away from him in thought. So that was it, then. The dragons had betrayed Equestria, and there was nothing else Firewing could tell her. She returned her attention to him.

"I'm sorry for the way the guards treated you. You should stay here, in the castle. You'll be safe here."

He shook his head slowly. "I thank you for the offer. But I must return to the dragon groves. I must try to rally whatever dragons are left that still remain loyal to the Princesses."

"But Cinderfang and his followers will kill you if they find you!" she protested. "And if they don't, the cold eventually will."

"All mortal beings die eventually, Twilight. Even we dragons don't live forever. And I can't let fear of that stop me from doing the sacred duty that Her Majesty has entrusted me with."

She frowned and looked at the floor. For a moment, she pondered ordering that he remain held in the dungeon for his own safety. But only for a moment. It was his decision to make. Not hers.

Reluctantly, she nodded her head, walking towards him before lowering her horn to the shackles binding one of his limbs. She touched the locking mechanism, her horn glowing briefly as the shackle opened and fell to the floor with a clang. After repeating the process with his other limbs, she looked over her shoulder and called loudly to the guards on the other side of the heavy door.

"Open the door!"

The huge dragon stood up, completely dwarfing Twilight as the door began to open. Then, the two of them left the cell, walking down the corridor abreast of each other. They took a different way path than she had taken to get down here; one that lead directly outside from this part of the dungeon. Firewing would not have been able to fit through the main dungeon corridors that she had taken to get down here.

After passing through several guarded doors, they climbed a massive set of stairs. The guards at the top opened the door, and a blast of snow hit them along with the biting cold wind. Twilight shivered slightly at the sudden icy assault, but she knew it must be even worse for Firewing. As the two of them stepped outside into the cold darkness she turned to him.

"Be careful, Firewing ..." was all she said.

"I will be as careful as I can," he responded. Then, he spread his massive wings, and took to the sky, a gust of wind pressing down on Twilight and raising a miniature blizzard from the snow on the ground as he flapped his wings and gained altitude. He banked to the north, and within seconds, was lost from her sight, consumed by the driving snow and inky dark sky.

Chrysalis found herself standing in front of the Shrine of Queen Dorylini the Great, although she didn't remember how she'd gotten there. She definitely hadn't walked into the room. Furthermore, a strange fog seemed to fill the room, obscuring her vision so that all she could see was the shrine of the great Changeling Queen, founder of the Changeling Empire.

She blinked as the shrine seemed to change before her eyes. Gray stone gave way to shiny, black carapace, stone eyes giving way to reflective green. One hoof moved forward, then the other, as the shrine, seemingly come to life, looked down on her. She quickly lowered herself to the ground, prostrating herself before the Great Queen of the Changelings.

"Great one," she said, trying to hide her surprise and shock. Although the changelings believed the shrine of Dorylini the Great contained the immortal spirit of the Great Queen, never before had the shrine actually come to life for her. In fact, she had never heard tales or read of any previous changeling queens having similar experiences with the shrine.

The Great Queen stopped, placing a forehoof dangerously close to Chrysalis' lowered head. It was all Chrysalis could do not to pull backwards on reflex. Then, the Great Queen spoke to her, in a voice that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once.

"I'm very disappointed in you, Chrysalis. Did my writings not teach you that the changelings have no friends? That all the world is your enemy? And you make an alliance with the ponies of all species?"

Chrysalis winced, flattening herself to the floor even further in supplication, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice as she answered.

"G ... Great One ... Their human counselor was right. We won't survive without ... Celestia's sun." Even now, it was hard for her to say the word Celestia, her bitter enemy who she had nearly defeated at the Battle of Canterlot. The name of the solar pony princess rose like bile in her throat every time she said it.

"The ponies are your enemy, Chrysalis!" The Great Queen spat. "Now is the time to strike them. When they are at their weakest!" She chuckled darkly for a moment before continuing in a calmer voice. "But perhaps you aren't such a fool after all. Didn't I teach you in my writings on war that all war is deception? And that is even more true for we changelings. What greater act of deception then to send military aid to them and let them think you have an alliance with them?"

"Great One?" Chrysalis, questioned, raising an eyebrow now and daring to lift her head from the floor slightly.

"Equestria's military is being pulled in too many directions," Dorylini continued, pacing around Chrysalis now in a circle. "A large portion of their army is headed east to fight the griffin invasion. Another part, headed north to guard the barriers against agents of the Beyond breaking through."

"But Great One ... Even if I could take Canterlot, changelings still need the sun or we will not survive," she protested.

"I can teach you to raise the sun Chrysalis, and the moon. I can make you more powerful than Celestia and Luna combined. But first, you must claim the seat of power in Equestria."

Chrysalis blinked and raised an eyebrow again. Was it true? No changeling history text she was aware of mentioned Dorylini having the power to raise the sun or the moon. But, Dorylini was a goddess, and the texts did say she had many powers and did many things that were not recorded. Still, there was another problem.

"But Great One, even with Equestria's army being pulled to the north and to the east, Canterlot still maintains a very formidable defensive force."

"The Royal Guards in Canterlot will surrender quickly enough," The Great Queen responded, stopping in front of Chrysalis again.

"The Royal Council will never surrender. Their oaths are too strong. And if the Council doesn't surrender, neither will the Royal Guards," Chrysalis objected.

Dorylini gave a slight, dark, chuckle at that, looking towards the ceiling for a moment before returning her gaze to Chrysalis.

"The Royal Council will bow to you, kiss your hooves, and swear absolute and total allegiance to you. After all ... It's what Celestia would want them to do ... if it's the only way to save her ponies." Chrysalis chanced lifting her head a little higher as the Great Queen continued. "And when the Council surrenders, so will the Royal Guard. They will swear allegiance to you just as the Council members will, and will become yours to command."

Dorylini lowered her muzzle towards Chrysalis now, her green eyes boring directly into hers. She spoke again.

"You will rule the world, my daughter. All species will become your subjects. Even your bitter enemies the griffins will bow before you. All will worship you, Chrysalis ... as the savior of the world ..."