Wearing The Inside Out

Canterlot

Blossomforth carefully pinned her old medals on her new uniform, careful not to get the pin in her coat. She worried that she would- draw blood, she thought- because her hooves shook with nerves. She had played this moment in her dreams, coming back to Canterlot, semi-redeemed, not a laughingstock for being a 'terrible' Wonderbolt Captain. She brushed and tied her pink and green hair back in a slight cleaning up of her act- a fixing of the mask she had put on. She felt uncomfortable and wanted to run out the door as she ran through her list on the Wonderbolts. Check how they ran drills, worked under pressure, fighting practice- air and land.

"Blossom, you look insane." Cloudkicker strolled in, a box of papers in her hooves, and laid them out on the table nearby. "Calm down. You seem like a different pony, and I'd rather not fuck you if you asked right now. Feel like I'd be cheating on the pony I actually like. Even if I like you in uniform."

The cream colored pegasus sighed. "But I'll be going to the Wonderbolts, and its been. . .years. I'd take one step in, swear like a sailor and then they'd probably toss me out immediately. You don't know the bureaucracy and sheer rigidity that they have."

Cloudkicker rolled her eyes. "Coming from the pony who bedded both their mares and stallions so often? Their rigidity is like a pool noodle. Floppy and useless unless wet."

Blossomforth chuckled softly. "Never expected you to crack that kind of a joke."

The light pegasus shrugged. "Guess being roommates for years taught me a few things. Now kill them like I know you will."

Ponyville

"-today is a sad day. The loss of two ponies, both from circumstances outside of their control, and leaving friends and family behind to grieve while they are here in the embrace of the sun, their sins and behaviors of the flesh burned away and all that is left is the pristine white soul. . ." the priest droned on as snowflakes fell from the sky. It was unseasonably cold, bitingly so, and Sunburst pulled his cloak around him. He would have complained, ever so nicely, to whoever might have listened, if it truly mattered. But with the little bit of paper that was tucked away in his cloak, it didn't. It outlined the war plan for the coming few months and step one was a complete and total shut down of pegasi weather controls- letting nature take back what magic wrest from its control.

He sighed and turned his attention back to the priest.

". . .in the name of the sun, the stars, and the moon, I send both Spoiled Rich and Roseluck to a better place."

With that, it was done. Just two ponies whose life was technically over, though the deer said otherwise about that Roseluck pony. Sunburst didn't exactly know since the metaphysics of death and what happens afterwards hadn't been on his priority list. He walked calmly out of the graveyard, quietly noting to check up on his patients, and listened to groups of ponies talk amongst themselves, their low voices hard to pick out, but the sentiment was palpable. The loss of two, or at least one, well liked pony in circumstances that made the new army of deer look particularly bad? That was awful.

"What are you thinking about?"

Sunburst turned and saw Moondancer, her black coat dark as coal, and the red lines of her gem making her stand out like a sore hoof, her presence was a deterrent to most, the crowd parting like it was in the midst of a plague. Sunburst smiled briefly as she had tried to make herself slightly more presentable than usual, trimming her mane short in a pixie cut and attempting to put on makeup- though her coat color didn't do her any favors. "Just how odd it is to see snow this time of year."

Moondancer shrugged. "Yeah, but its fitting right? Everything's just fucked and I can't just see a funeral not work in the warmth of the sun. Even if the priest was running his mouth about it."

Sunburst rolled his eyes. "Guess I'll have to label you a heathen in the Church of the Sun's eyes."

Moondancer shrugged. "I'll just ask Celestia to pardon me. Hard to take seriously a religion like that when I know Celestia's main hopes and fears thanks to Raven. Have you heard from Mjolna about if we should meet and discuss plans?"

Sunburst sighed and fished the parchment out of his cloak, letting Mooondancer's magic grasp it as she read it. It took a few moments, and he could see her face react to each distasteful part of the plan, weather, drafting, food supply- all the banal things that were important in fighting a long battle. And one particularly thorny subject.

"Celestia's doing what with the Element Bearers?"

***

Luna sat watching Twilight's breathing, the deep up and down of her chest giving her a sign that the mare was asleep for the moment. The midnight blue alicorn sat there watching, her mind's worry not writ large on her face. She had slept terribly for an alicorn, because she didn't always need sleep. Not with the modern miracle of coffee, but the potion had only dulled her anxiety, her fears of being so close to Twilight. She had consoled her over Pinkie leaving, sure, she had done myriad experiments on how best to fix Dash and Shy's predicament, yes, problem still pending for a cure- but she hadn't expected to be inches near Twilight's self.

And with Luna herself still being stuck in a diminutive stature thanks to dying and reforming? Every little beautiful thing on the purple mare seemed larger, more full with life and heft. The smell of her, the smell of heady lilacs in summer mixed with a hint of rose, just something she had smelled all of last night. Then the tossing and turning of the mare, her small and bookish form hiding beneath it a strong sense of power bestowed on her by being an alicorn.

Luna had felt like she was at sea, drowning while being lured to her death by a Siren or other foul temptress. She had not dared to deal with these feelings so long ago, thinking that her attraction to mares was a failure of her soul, her sin of calling down the Nightmare, just for one night with Somnambula again, and she had repressed those feelings for so long.

Being near a physical presence such as Twilight, not just a perfect representation of her desire, her want in a mate the ability to be challenged mentally and be enriched by knowing her, the touch of her lips, a faint hope, soft and velvet like in her mind, just a sheer tower to beauty in all its forms.

And Luna had not slept a wink. Tormented by images not of her own making, not exactly, her hopes writ large in her reveries, her feelings of repressing something she rarely. . .

Twilight moved and the ranting nature of her thoughts paused and she beheld Twilight's eyes open, her orbs staring up at her.

"Luna, have you been watching me sleep?"

Luna lied. "No, not for long." For in her mind, there was no way to spent too long to stare.

"Good, my head is killing me. I didn't expect to drink yesterday and I rarely did before being a princess, being focused on my studies, so count me lucky that peace treaties end with what Rainbow once called, 'a massive rager'. The purple princess smoothed out her mane, out of place and tangled slightly by going to bed unwashed and hungover. "What time is it anyway?"

Luna stared intently at the nearby clock, the mechanical wonder still surprising her. "Nine in the morning. I would have woke you for the dual funeral, but with the last day everypony had, I guessed it was better for you to not go."

Twilight sat there silent. "Yeah. Wonder how Diamond is."

***

Diamond opened her eyes and blinked as the lights hit her face and blinded her for a moment. "Ugh."

Diamond felt terrible and dizzy for some reason. Sluggish. She turned over in the bed. Sterile room. All white, cold linen, bright magelights that buzzed and hummed an annoying degree. She wiggled her legs and felt something off. She still felt normal, but one of her legs, while still feeling there- wasn't.

She lifted her blanket, quietly hoping that it wasn't true.

What she saw was a wrapped bandage. And a stump of a leg.

Then the wooziness of the day clicked into place, hospital, last few days. Her mom. Diamond shivered at the thought, everything seeming foreign and odd.

She relaxed a bit, only a bit, when she noticed Silver Spoon, curled up and asleep on a nearby chair.

"Silver." The word came out in a rasp, barely audible. "Silver?" Nothing. Diamond was not really patient with these kinds of things. And with her having one less leg to stand on, she was rather not in the mood for waiting nicely. She glanced around the room, prioritizing what was in hoof's length and grabbed a few pencils. Diamond scrunched her eyes partially shut to concentrate and started lobbing pencils at her friend.

After a moment or two, the grey earth pony woke up. "Huh?" She was confused by the pencils surrounding her until she saw that Diamond was moving. Awake and alert. Better than the horror show that she had been, hooked up to wires and IV drips and barely conscious. Silver dodged a pencil that aimed at her head and it clattered to the ground uselessly.

"You're awake."

Silver smiled as she could almost hear the slight annoyance, the better than you attitude that Diamond had- a nugget of normalcy in this new situation of- Diamond shuddered and faked a smile. "Yep. You need anything?"

Diamond looked out the window and sighed. "Not really."

Silver carefully looked at her best friend and waffled about what she should say next. The silence was palpable and the gray earth pony shifted in her seat, unsure of what to do. She breathed out and threw her cares to the wind as she blurted out what was on her mind. "I can make a prosthetic for you. I mean its not technically hard. With my family, I mean. Like I can ask my dad what to do on the joints and everything and you'll be back to normal. Relatively speaking."

Diamond nodded. She didn't want to say that she was never going to be truly normal again. Not after losing her leg. And her mother. Nothing was going to be exactly the same and she wondered if Silver knew that. Her eyes told Diamond all she needed to know. "Thanks, I love that. But just make it something I'd like."

Silver nodded. "I wouldn't dream of making it plain and boring."

Klugetown

Capper breathed in the hot air of Klugetown and grimaced as he smelled burning flesh. The pyres burning all the unlucky dead ponies had worked overtime and yet there was still a few that the lizards had found squirreled away in enclaves and holes that the scared ponies had dug in fear. They wanted to survive and sadly Ziggy wasn't the most welcoming of hosts. He sighed, worried that his mother was in some kind of trouble, unsure of what to exactly do. "Be cool." He heard a commotion nearby and his ears perked up as he heard a decidedly non reptilian scream, more emotive and less raspy. In the desert of lizards, a voice like that sounded foreign now. He quickly rose to his paws and walked with purpose through the encampment, bones and meat scattered around him as he walked.

"This is a small one it is. Call Ziggy on what to do with pony. He not have enough meat on bones, but he is fighter, yes." A snake hissed, his jaw flexing as he stared at the morsel that he could swallow whole.

Capper ran up and smacked the unruly snake with a paw, without claws- blood would rile up the reptiles. "Well he's out talking to the rest of the clans, idiot. You get me instead."

The snake hissed in pain and grumbled as he waved his tail at Capper, a sign of what most civilized creatures called 'fuck you' in common parlance.

Capper shrugged and pulled the heavily traumatized colt to him, trying desperately to come up with some bad reason why he wasn't going to be swallowed whole and used as a meal. He stared down at the terrified colt and thought of the dumbest reason he could- he was of a long line of magical cats and while he had no powers to speak of due to the females getting the cool shit, he knew how to dissuade some idiots. "You magnificent snake. Don't you see that this earth pony has the look of a sick pony? I mean sure, his breeding is important, a highland pony, a noble breed of hardy stock and so useful as a hostage." He was really getting going now, he felt it in his paws and he grinned as he came up with the dumbest disease he could- for reptiles were slaughtering ponies out of rage and anger, not true knowledge of their species. He could say he was infected with a made up disease and no normal reptile would eat him. "But sadly, I see the beginnings of a dastardly disease, a disease so terrible, so wonderfully evil that if I don't take him under my indifferent paws, this whole camp will be infected by. . .toxoponytosis-itis. Or his infected flesh will turn all of you into brainless husks and then set you on fire."

The gathered reptiles hissed at the small pony and pointed at him in anger. But while they were rather angry about the loss of a sumptuous morsel due to disease, they ran as fast as they could to the winds- probably to spread the word to stay as far away from the dangerous and deadly pony for as long as possible.

Capper shook his head, praising Bast that cats were just good at lying and turned to his new charge. He wasn't going to let a. . .teenager. . .he guessed, to wander around this kind of place. Though he was always unsure about pony ages- what with them not howling up a storm while mating or just having their own social cues that he could pick up on easily this 'kid' could be like six or twenty two. "They are gone now. And they shouldn't be messing with you."

The pony looked up at Capper, his green orbs watery and sad as he climbed out of the hole that he had dug himself. Capper waited to see the damage on the male since he looked okay, but with how Klugetown burned down, he wasn't ruling out smoke damage or burns. The pony nodded and croaked out his response, his voice raspy and broken due to smoke and, probably, dehydration. "I thought I'd die. I mean my whole family. . ."

Capper nodded. "Yeah. Sorry about that. I'd rather not have these snakes eat a helpless pony. Dead? Sadly I'd say yeah. But not living ones. I have some kind of decency. Now if you stay close and don't look in their eyes, I might be able to get you something to eat and drink. Or I could leave you here and you'll slowly go mad with water lust. Whatever sounds better. But I'm going on patrol anyway and need to get supplies."

The male nodded. "Can I find my family's bodies first?"

Capper sighed. "Look. . .uh, pony. . ."

"Sandbar."

"Right, right. We just burned hundreds of corpses. The ones who aren't burned unrecognizable husks, sure. Or black soot staining the sand, but that's a far less common occurrence. And these idiots' meat stores got restocked. So sure, but its highly unlikely. And the views from here aren't pretty."

Sandbar looked through Capper. "It's fine. I've seen enough anyway. I know they aren't coming back."

***

Canterlot

Celestia bemoaned the Sun Court now. The mass of confused ponies that glutted the hall about any news about Manehattan was rather troubling. She had tried to calm the tides but some rather messy nobles were caterwauling about the right thing to do and how about their estates and the taxes and the stuff that was important, truly, but not enough than the loss of life and the need to rehome so many ponies. Not to mention the rather angry families of the guards of Manehattan. She had batted away most with money and a bit of tact, but there was one that was as obnoxious as a minotaur and as exact as a gryphon about where her particular son was. Like Celestia could move the earth and the political situation to save one stallion.

Even a goddess of the sun had her limits.

"Where exactly is my son, Celestia? I've been standing here for four hours, trying desperately to get any answer on my son."

Celestia stared down at the pegasus mare, her purplish mane and creamy yellow coat not adequate for the rage and hurt that was reflected in her eyes. The mare had quietly replaced her rimmed glasses with a wing as she paced back and forth like a lion.

"I'm rather sorry. I've kept my pulse on the reports and all I can tell you is that this, Zephyr Breeze, was it, he was stationed in an area that was razed to the ground by the few reports on the ground and the few reserve Wonderbolts I've been able to let into that particular airspace. We can hope he's okay. . ."

Juniper Wing stared daggers into Celestia and turned away. "I hear exactly what you are telling me but that's not enough. He just enlisted, to my displeasure, and you are telling me he's likely dead. My one good child."

Celestia groaned. "Yes, while I feel for you, I can't give you preferential treatment. Since I don't even know who you are."

Juniper grimaced. "Well this isn't over. Not until I get my son back."

Blueblood was not having a particularly great day. His usual day, when relaxing, was drinking a good stiff drink and travel into the velvet rooms and parlors of Canterlot, the feminine wiles and sexual immediacy of the place so enticing. He rarely did much of anything, more used to getting one of the mares for the night and use them less as a thing to be lusted after and more a shoulder to lean on and talk to, less an active participant in these matters. Unlike his father, Blueblood had at least some modicum of tact and decency when it came to prostitutes.

That was a normal day off.

He didn't expect that he'd get one in a while.

Blueblood knew exactly his view in the media- a prince quick to anger and one that had a string of debaucheries that trailed him like little stars, the scandal of his few attempted romances, the mass of mail for Canterlot's most desirable stallion that was tangentially in the royal line. Though, he mused, a step down than before. Twilight Sparkle, that genius mare, the number one pony in their Canterlot classes, the commoner that rose up to an alicorn, an impossibility, due to her perseverance. Blueblood chuckled. How very 'Twilight'.

He leaned in and moved the piles of pecuniary bills that scattered his desk. He never particularly enjoyed his job- financing the country by stringing along certain duties and cajoling businesses, aiding countries in their own existence. But being finance minister in effect was rather exciting in its own way. Even if Celestia and Luna probably saw him as a weak link. Blueblood sighed and ran a hoof through his mane, golden locks, so like his father's, shone in the dim light.

They probably saw him as too much like his father, Celestia's memory of the familial line going so far into the past that she could bring up stories about a lesser noble of his line so clearly that it felt like she was talking about yesterday, not 500 years in the past. And it was intimidating- being measured every day, thinking every outburst or any slip up might be forever remembered strained him.

"Not like it matters."

Blueblood grimaced as the memory of the Gala welled up, a particularly barbed memory that Celestia loved teasing him about. He blushed in remembrance, the thought of that commoner that had equaled, nay, surpassed the nobility and the aristocrats in her poise. He had walked up and expected her to come drooling all over his hoof like a common strumpet, stories of his sire had swirled in his head, thoughts of it being his debut in polite society had raised him up to the pinnacle of high society.

And she had cut him down like a practiced fencer, her words completely disarming him since he, as a newly minted member of the nobility, had not wanted to spoil his night. And he had so carelessly spoiled hers.

"And like Father, I'm stuck here dealing with a situation of my own making. Almost like a curse." Blueblood yawned and read through the reports of Manehattan, yet again, sadly comforted by his Gala blunder, as he read though the losses. The sheer restructuring of the tax plan, the bits lost in this one attack, the lives lost and the payouts of life insurance. It would be a hit to the coffers, but since he had been saving for rainy days, the hit should be manageable.

"Wonder what that mare is doing now anyway."

Blueblood knew of the exact mare that he had so grievously hurt and had followed her career in secret- donating to her causes in anonymous tips, being near to her in spirit. He had even attempted to come up and apologize profusely during one rather nice party held by Fancy Pants, but he had chickened out and sat at the bar, drowning his sorrows in Mexicolt mojitos and Yakyakistani vodka like a chump.

Blueblood picked up a paper and stared at the type, gold ink telling him that it was truly important. Celestia's own personal color and signature telling him a way to possibly see Lady Rarity again with a reason that covered his wounded pride.

"Elements of Harmony Task Force? What pray tell, are you planning Auntie?"

***

The Hive, Formerly Manehattan

Pharynx stared out at the wonderful sights of this burned out husk of a town. The walls of the hive were coming in nicely thanks to the work of the hierarchy- the drones did what they needed to do, the workers listened, and his fellow higher ups worked together like the tastiest royal jelly- light and sweet with just a bit of rage and a faint hint of melancholy. In effect, fantastic. He buzzed carefully though the street and laid out the royal rooms and antechambers of the hive in his head- very little truly interested him besides protecting and expanding the hive and that worked wonders for him. As Chrysalis planned out how each Changeling worked in the hive, birthing certain ones more or less thanks to her knowledge of genetics, he let the world spin around him as he focused intently on his work.

He buzzed through the halls of what Thorax called 'library' and he picked up the scribble things that the ponies had. Inefficient things these word collections were. He would rather not filthy his mind with unimportant words. He did not have to know how magic worked or what was the best way to unlock a door. Simplicity and, therefore, efficiency ruled his mind. If mother wanted him to torture the prisoners, he would do it. If she desired him to die, he would. He was unlike his brother in that way. Thorax was all about cooperation and alternatives, the bigger picture, the future. Pharynx was in effect, the speaker of the Now, writ large. Thorax was the designer. Ocellus was Mother's favorite.

As it should be.

Pharynx walked over the dead husks, the useless, lifeless, not food of ponies, and stared at the prisoners that had burst out so oddly into the sunlight of the Hive. For this city was now the Hive and will forever be the Hive because Pharynx couldn't fathom a return to pre-Hive. The shells of the ponies were toppled. The dead littered the streets. Gryphons, regrettably, flew through the air. Mother had them in truce, yes, but that could be re-arranged. Not his job, though. That was Thorax.

He stared at the green pony. The golden hair was not pretty. Ocellus and Thorax knew the concept, pretty. He didn't. So she wasn't pretty to him.

The thing spoke words that he recognized, he tasted the fear. He wanted so much to feed off the wonderful emotion.

He stared at the other creature, what Thorax called, a 'dragon'. Pharynx felt a buzz in his throat at that thought. The good pink pony had supposedly killed each and every dragon in Manehattan and yet one lived. Well, technically, he thought. It's shell was crisp and damaged. It had damage to the neck area- totally understandable- but the claws had not finished the job.

Pharynx shrugged. The wound had closed and scarred shut. It was alive thanks to the orange runt's own flames. They had spurted out in great gouts as it screamed in howling pain. And cauterized the wound.

If Pharynx had his way, he would have fed off the delectable pain that lingered in the emotions. But brother said to be nice, so here he was guarding the prisoners. Like a good Changeling. Staring into their eyes and wondering what they were thinking.

All in all. it was a wonderful day in the Hive.

***

The Storm Lands

Cozy Glow hummed softly as she walked though the hallways of the bleak castle, the clanking of machinery a nice and calming backbeat to her mind as she thought of what next to do. The information that Spike had leaked to the cat bitch was so enlightening in its own way. For one, it was so nice to have the prisons bugged. It made her life so much easier. Not that she didn't relish the look of a creature's face when she sussed out information that she shouldn't know. Couldn't know. The look of confusion and fear was just so interesting. Boring, expected, normal. But still after so long in this mortal coil she still got a bit of enjoyment out of teasing creatures.

Tempest's familiar rushed past her, his stumpy legs pitter pattering on the floor. So odd, she thought, a creature that was the last of his race, an anomaly to the world being so happy. Adorable.

"Hey, Grubber, what's the rush?"

The hedgehog turned and looked at the earth pony, his eyes quickly turning down as he realized who it was that was speaking to him. "Oh, uh, nothing much. Just going about my day. And I mean, Tempest is going on a mission."

Cozy Glow smiled. A fake smile, her lips turning up at the edges just enough to put the little hedgehog in his place. "Really? Where? I mean its just so hard with me being here. Alone. Well, not alone, but Stormy isn't a great conversationalist."

Grubber stepped back ever so slightly from the foal. "I mean its nothing too special. Just flying over the area. Might stop over at Mount Aris."

Cozy Glow remembered well Mount Aris. The seaponies were just so interesting to play with. Their song and dance numbers, their absolutely wonderful scales, the little jewel they had. It was so tantalizing to just fish for one of them. Cause the last time she had actually seen one was so long ago- so, so long ago. Same thing for the little cabals of smugglers, rapists, and horrible creatures that lived around there. She couldn't think of a good time in her recent lifespan that she actually visited that place. Sure, her parents had lost their lives there. But that was a thousand years ago. Or so it felt.

"You know. I just remembered something."

"What?"

Cozy Glow smiled. "I read in a book that the seaponies we have now aren't the seaponies of the past. An aberration of magic, one might say. Now I got some juicy information from the prisoners and I thought, since we are such good friends-" Cozy Glow hated that word. The last friend she had was nonexistent, and the closest confidants were in Tartarus or dead in the ground. "- I thought that we'd do a good trade. I get to go outside and see the fun stuff around Mount Aris and I get to share my info."

Grubber ran a hand through his hair. " I dunno. Tempest said that I shouldn't agree to stuff. Something about me being too trusting for a minion."

Cozy Glow sighed. "Okay, but she'd be out of a nice information dump. I mean she's all about ways to win against the other side."

"Okay, okay." Grubber grimaced, worried that Tempest would cut his pie rations in anger. "but don't be too sure on coming with us, its not up to me. You'd have to ask Tempest first."

Cozy Glow smiled sweetly. "Of course. Now have you ever heard of one alicorn by the name of Twilight Sparkle?"