Somewhere in Seattle

Untouchable Ness dodged to the side with every ounce of alacrity he could manage. The thought of the horror should he be hit, unimaginable. He just barely managed to twist out of the way of globular mass and hop to the side, avoiding the small splatter as it hit the tunnel floor. A sigh, and a straightened tie later and he felt his composure returning.

He glanced at the roof of the tunnel at the Changeling that had nearly hit him. Well, the bits and pieces of one. Another drop of Ichor Blood fell, splattering over the scorch marks and remaining fragmentary bits of mono-filament grenade that littered the tunnel.

“Disgusting and bothersome,” Ness half sneered, the Changeling had almost gotten its blood on his suit.

Around the corner sounds of heavy hooved armor thudded through the tunnels. In the distance, the sharp staccato of rifle fire echoed. A Firewatch Captain approached from a central room.

“You look pale Ness. Nothing to worry about, just cleaning up the wounded ones too far gone to be worth the Lab's time.”

“Are you kidding? Surely you know how hard it is to get Changeling blood stains out of fabric. And you’ve made a right mess of this place.”

The Captain let loose a belly laugh, and then patted the hilt of his vibrosword.

“Suffer not a Changeling to live, but that doesn’t mean we can’t occasionally enjoy saving the world, eh?”

“Regardless,” Ness Interjected, eyeing the places where it looked like some mad artist had gone wild with orange and green splatter paint, “have you found a Queen?”

“No,” the Captain turned solemn, “your suspicions proved prescient. These appear to have been ordered to hold their Hive, there doesn’t appear to have been any effort to protect a Queen or enact a higher strategy other than fight to the last.”

“Troublesome…”

“How so? Sacrificing their drones is pretty par for the course for a Queen. I’m just thankful none of them have figured out the living bomb drek from before the Royal Sisters.”

Ness rewound the fight in his mind's eye.

“You know, about the same time we tracked this place down, someone was running what looks like a PsyOp to erode support and play down the Changeling threat. We have a recent episode where the evidence would strongly seem to support the conclusion that what is likely a nascent Hive may have taken great pains to evacuate its wounded. There have been other oddities.”

“So? A Changeling acting out of character is strange, but if there’s two hives here or a splinter Hive situation, well they still bleed the same.”

Ness looked over the crumpled forms of several dead Orange drones.

“You ever read Kirin literature Captain?”

“Mostly stick to The Pine's Recommended Reading List.”

“They’ve had a few smart fellas. One of them wrote a book on how to win a war. Made a big drekking point about how too few ponies truly understand their enemies. Understand yourself, and you’ll do alright, not great, but alright. Understand how your foe thinks on top of that, and suddenly chummer you are a hard opponent to deal with.”

“There a point to this Ness?”

“The changelings don’t 'get' us like we often have trouble getting them. Chrysalis didn’t understand the power she stole from Mi Amore. Erytora didn’t fare much better. They can mimic decently enough but their headspace feels alien… Inevitably the differences trip them up, but this ghost is different. This… this doesn’t feel like what it would do.”

Ness stretched out a hoof to the walls drenched in blood.

“The Queen that pulled this…that’s from the standard playbook. The other one…the other one has done a remarkable job at thinking like us, like a pony. It understands us, making it hard to catch. And that prospect scares me.”

“So how’d that happen?”

“I don’t know…but I intend to find out.”

Elsewhere

“I do not know what possessed your upstart of a Queen to offer this, but there will be no further discussion of this…buzz…foolishness.”

A pair of orange wings fluttered, a matte black hoof rent with holes traced the top of a drone's head as it lounged at the hooves of the larger Queen. A signed document was tossed to the floor of the cave, disappointment was reflected in two pairs of gem-like amethyst eyes. All around paired orange eyes glowed sullenly.

“Orange Queen, with all respect,” the mottled white and black Changeling protested. “It is clear that the ancient foe Radiant Pine seeks the destruction of all Hives, not just ours. If left to his devices he will surely bring about another great purge. If this is not to your liking is there anything we may convey back to the Amethyst Queen that may help prevent such an ending?”

A chorus of angry hisses and buzzes echoed from all sides. It stopped abruptly as the Orange Queen rose.

“I will tolerate your impertinence only so that you may deliver this message. If any of her weaklings enter my territory again.

I will kill them.

If she is unable to defend her own, then may the ponies kill her.

If she has forgotten how to be a Queen, then her death can only be a benefit to the Swarm, before she infects others with her aberrancy. Now begone from my sight!”

The mottled changelings gave a bow and backed out of the chamber, chased by an angry chorus of hisses and buzzing.

It was a long awkward trip back to the surface. An even longer conversation with their Queen.

A thousand miles away Tisiphone sat alone in the council chamber. The Orange Queen had rebuffed her. Strawberry Hooves had disappeared with nary a word after the last argument when Vixie, Split Klaw, and Gwynn had made it clear they would not hand over a magical artifact of great power to a Changeling. Tisiphone’s earlier suspicions had been proven right. Now that her compatriots suspected the power in the artifcats, they were far less blase regarding their care. Now every intention of Strawberry Hooves was suspect given her aspirations and the confirmation of knowing what the changeling was.

Strawberry Hooves wanted to be a Queen. All else had seemed secondary to the Nymph. Including discretion. Tisiphone rubbed her eyes. She could almost hear the school foals from her vision shrieking about the monster. Oddly it was the Orange Nymph on the podium and not her.

…But she was dangerously close to this fallout, only a minor bit of attention, and someone would notice the similarities between the fool and the jester. Tisiphone had danced with Endgame but she was on eggshells with the team, and with others. The dreaded Changeling Hunters had surely been summoned.

A light cough from the doorway made her look up.

“How long have you been standing there Facet?”

“Long enough to know that the proposal to the Orange Queen did not go well. That much is written on your face. I take it even the revelation that her wayward spawn seeks to supplant her was not enough to sway her?”

“No.”

“What will you do now? The Orange Nymph's indiscretions leave us little room. You are very much in danger every time you go out as Darkly.”

“Maybe, but while this is a problem, it is also an opportunity. So many odd events have occurred in Seattle of late.”

A crocodile smile spread across the Amethyst Queen's face as she continued.

“Oddities which can now be answered. Queen Strawberry Hooves of the Orange, the mighty, Scourge of Equestria deserves her fair due. Ensure she receives all the attention a 'Queen' of her reputation deserves.”

Facet smiled, “She will be credited for all the infamy she deserves. Now with the left hoof drawing attention what is our play with the right?”

“The Gem Cores, my compatriots understand these are dangerous now. I could tell them what they really are, but in no future would they permit them to stay solely within my control. Between Strawberry and Endgame my hoof has been forced. I agreed in principle to their destruction to buy time. The only way to restore the old equilibrium is if no pony knows I have them.”

Tisiphone brought up a projection of what looked like old Buddhist scrolls. Then with a flourish produced a manacase battered and beaten, with the same scars of battle as the case she had so recently fished out of Tacoma harbor.

“Intaglio's group at the Temple has outdone themselves.”

Tisiphone opened the case, revealing near perfect copies of the Songcrest Meridian and Magewood Circlet.

“I can’t make these as magical as the originals, but with Strawberry who knows where only Vixie would be in a position to notice. The pedestal switcher is likewise quite clever a contraption. I’ve made all the arrangements I can, drawn on all the theatrical tricks I know. They will have to be enough. Be ready with the ambushing group at the volcano path should circumstance not favor us at the Temple.”

“As you command…my Queen.”

Later

The sun shone down brightly, the summer day pleasant. In the distance a Knight Errant drone passed on a patrol, weaving among the Bellvue buildings. They had passed three parked Knight Errant patrols and at the base of the office building across the street ponies queued up to pass through a hastily erected scanner. The parting gift of Strawberry Hooves.

Glass Darkly's face was neutral as he walked up to the door. An unassuming sign noted that the monks were away for a conference, please come back tomorrow.

A thin monk with a shaved mane swept the courtyard just beyond the door. Wordlessly the monk opened the door and admitted the group. The small, recently installed bioscanner was dark. Not that it would have mattered, the unit was mostly for scanning for hidden transmitters. The prominent indicator light 'Not a Changeling' always shone green.

Glass nodded to the monk. A psychic comment followed.

“Be wary my Soldier, this is a delicate time.”

“None shall disturb you, my Queen.”

The monk closed the door behind Gwynn. Across the dappled courtyard, under the leaves of the tree, a scene of tranquility greeted them. The breeze carried wafting notes of incense. Glass paused a step and tasted the Mana.

Clean, very clean. The hint of a note of a different taste to that of Bellevue lingered at the farthest edge of awareness. Glass sensed it only because he knew it was there. He feared Vixie's nose like few other foes in this moment. The incense wafted and the building had been scrubbed and cleaned floorboards to rafters. Yet Vixie seemed relaxed as Darkly resumed his walk to the far side of the courtyard where Clear Chakra introduced himself and bowed from within his saffron robes.

Glass Darkly was putting an immense amount of responsibility on Intaglio. To Darkly’s joy his lieutenant and member of the Amethyst Shadow Society did not disappoint.

A few moments later

The several pound lump of steel flew into the ceiling like a cannon shot. Split Klaw likewise flew into the opposite wall, leaving a dent. The dull thud spoke to how just how thick the wall was. A rain of synth wood splinters cascaded down. The Hobo's insistence on being allowed the opportunity to simply smash the relics had created a moment of chaos, and a blinding flash of retribution. Gwynn was out in the hall, unwilling to be present while someone hit a magical artifact with a hammer. Split Klaw was in a tangled heap, dazed. Vixie blinked away the spots in her eyes, half-blind.

Glass Darkly saw his chance.

“Okay that’s about what I expected,” he solemnly noted and pushed the gems back into the manacase.

He firmly set the manacase right above the geometric design that hid that fact that the table top wasn’t a singular piece.

“Okay, I think it’s time to go over the information Chakra and I found….”

A few moments later

“…the Great Khan was cruel and depraved…” Chakra pointed to a picture of a yellowed, ancient scroll fragment that had been written last week.

Glass moved quietly, but caused the occasional creak and bump.

Tisiphone was pleased, Intaglio was keeping it concise. Much of this had been meant to override the protests of Strawberry Hooves. But the Orange Nymph was gone. Agreement on destruction was forgone. The tale being told now was a pale reflection of the actual history. Tisiphone needed a villain. The ancient Yak Khan had sufficed.

“Tea?”

Glass Darkly asked Vixie.

“Oh thank you.”

Behind the two of them, there was a slight swish and soft click. Glass Darkly fought to keep his heart rate down. Vixie’s ear twitched, but her attention returned to the trideo.

… The world Glass Darkly was building had been saved.

Later

“You know I didn’t think this would work, but it’s hotter than the volcano.”

Glass Darkly sighed as the last bits of thermite buried the mana case. He was improvising again, Gywnn had objected to taking a set of valuable artificats out into the dangerous no-pony's land at Mt. Ranier, and had instead insisted that she could achieve the same effect with a thermite crucible. Tisiphone didn't care much, the manacase that had just disappeared from view contained nothing but replicas. The real manacase and Cores remained in the base of the display pedestal.

Vixie from the background piped up.

“Hey so I have my own case, to put them into.”

Vixie withdrew a new manacase and held it up. Glass Darkly’s eye twitched before he brought his expression under control. Tisiphone’s heart pounded. Was this planned? Was the fox-mare so cunning and devious? Tisiphone hadn’t even considered this might happen. Was she done for? Her elaborate ruse at an end? No…she had backup plans. She had arranged for an entire litany of options at the volcano. But this!!! Surely the fox mare would notice?! The 'gems' in the case NOW were but hollow glass filled with the most concentrated astral dye Tisiphone had found. Vixie had seen the cores astrally. The imitations were pale copies compared to the real cores. The Amethyst Queen was hoist upon her own petard….unless.

“We've already loaded the thermite, and the original case is contaminated. Might as well dispose of it as well.”

“Oh, okay.”

Vixie shrugged, and Tisiphone’s heart began to slow. She had so nearly been undone. A crackling flame soon lit the room and rendered the point moot.

Glass Darkly had never been happier to see 15,000 nuyen go up in flames. The fakes had never even been seen.

“Intaglio…,” Tisiphone asked Chakra through the Hive Mind.

“Yes, Queen?”

“Have a set of spare cases ready, as soon as we leave, this room goes through a full astral decontamination. The original manacase has become saturated. It’s not safe to take these back to the Hive until fresh manacases are in place. Going forward, decontamination procedures are in effect for anyone who enters the room these are stored in. Keep the old case though, not at the Hive, we’re going to use this against our foes.”

“Yes, Queen.”

The fire burned for an hour before finally, the ashes were cold. Split Klaw scratched at the bottom of the firing vessel.

“Bits of gold, plasteel, and melted glass…,” Split muttered.

“Faintly magical,” Vixie noted, possibly a bit suspicious that the gems had melted so easily.

“Well, only way to be sure, who’s up for a hike to the Volcano,” Glass Darkly rubbed his hooves.

Later

Glass Darkly made no attempt to stop Split Klaw as he hurled Vixie’s Mana case full of melted slag into the caldera of lava far below.

In the sky above a few apparent storm spirits circled. Tisiphone felt better with the third security team up there providing over watch. She felt better that finally, the Interdictor Cores were back under her control. The damage and disruption caused by Endgame had finally been set right. She regretted that she had needed to manipulate her team to this degree, up till now she had managed largely by omission, not clarifying what exactly it was that they had stolen on that fateful night so long ago. Until Endgame had come, along with Strawberry Hooves' demands, the dual assault had forcibly reminded everyone of a key fact most of them had forgotten. But Tisiphone had other, older debts to pay. An unspoken promise to a mother-Queen barely remembered, to succeed where she had failed. Tisiphone could not break faith with those who had sacrificed all to ensure her survival. In that she silently thanked Split Klaw, Vixie, and Gwynn.

They had finally saved the world……

Tisiphone's.

Author's Note

Game Notes: This was a fairly awkward session, as it occurred as a result of the Endgame attack and the general decision to destroy the gems. Given the anti-hero 'B-Plot' the Tisiphone character had been running and the fact that the Cores represented the primary 'victory' condition for Tisiphone, the difficult decision was made to restore the status quo by making it appear that the 'Foci' (which to this point no one else besides Glass Darkly/Tisiphone had cared to investigate, or had discovered what they really were) had been destroyed. This being the first time the main plotline and the character B plot had come into conflict.

As such the other players found this mission surprisingly easy, as they had expected an attack by a third party ala Endgame. The author playing Glass Darkly was sweating bullets the whole time.