Equestria : After the Loss

"Well, that was certainly... enlightening," I grumbled to no one in particular considering I was completely alone. Witnessing firsthand what that genius Twilight was capable of had been an utterly humbling experience, to say the least. For a single pegasus mare to withstand all the firepower I'd thrown at her was completely abnormal and yet completely expected. The "chosen one" Twilight Sparkle, had once been Celestia's number one student, and had always been absurdly talented. It stood to reason that her real friends were just as amazing as she was.

Rainbow Dash had always pushed the boundaries of what it meant to be an aerial ace. Prior to the magic failing, she'd been recognized as a celebrity for her unrivaled skill in the sky. She was so talented she'd even performed feats once thought to be legend such as the Sonic Rainboom. She had to be one of the best Twilight had to offer.

While I'd technically won our battle, it sure didn't feel like it. The crazy pegasus had explicitly displayed the superiority of her friend's technology. That pissed me off more than anything else. After all this time, after all the painstaking efforts I'd made, I was still drastically inferior to the lavender unicorn.

Why?

I just couldn't understand how it was possible. Was the gap between us really that wide?

Why is she still so much better than me?

I had to make her see. I had to show her how wrong she was for what she'd done to us, no matter what she was capable of. She had to pay. I had to make her pay.

It was all so frustrating. I'd prepared months for this confrontation and never would've expected to be so quickly defeated. Modifying those four ponies had taken a lot of time and resources and despite their lack of real motivation, they weren't pushovers. They never would've "volunteered" in the first place had the queen not... nudged them in the right direction. She could be a whole lot more than a little persuasive when she wanted to be.

It's insane how much fear that monster could instill in a creature. Even when she wasn't around her victims, the mere mention of her name could bring about terror in any she'd previously come into contact with. Those four ponies had been more willing to go fight to their deaths against unknown foes rather than even try to escape the queen's clutches.

It was a sensible choice. She was a heartless murderer, after all. There'd be no mercy for any who chose to stand against her. Not like I had any grounds to talk, anyway. I'd never had the greatest facilities or materials to do my research. I couldn't count how many creatures had died under my care while I sought better forms of technology.

184. 86 mares and 98 stallions. Not to mention the other creatures.

Plus that unicorn just now. I swept a hoof over my face to alleviate some of the regret I was feeling. The trek back home was a long one and it was already wearing me out after having made it once just about thirty minutes ago. Well, it was probably that combined with the guilt. The queen forced me to install bombs into each of the four ponies, just in case they'd decided to try and rebel. I'd given her no resistance, going as far as to believe it was a good idea.

I'd detonated that unicorn's bomb. I didn't even know his name and I blew him up... killed him without a second thought.

I had to.

If I hadn't, Rainbow Dash might've been able to apprehend me and I definitely would've been in a predicament if that had happened. It was a split-second decision... one that I'd make again without hesitation. None of those ponies were Mini. I couldn't care less about them and I guess that fact was taking a toll on my psyche. When had I become so callous?

In spite of the defeat of my little group, I was still able to recover some of the materials that'd been provided to them. I managed to collect the three bombs from the incinerated ponies, as well as the majority of their modification chips.

I'd need the materials. The queen was constantly sending plunderers to other places to scavenge for necessities, but high end pieces of tech were still incredibly difficult to come by. We were wearing Canterlot's reserves thin, so every bit of useful resources we could save helped immensely.

The long trek back to Canterlot would take several more hours and I had a lot to think about on the way. Being pursued would've been a concern if studying the queen's anatomy hadn't proven so fruitful. The changeling couldn't transform anymore, that action being a wholly magical effort, but the elements that had once allowed her to morph her appearance still lingered deep inside her genetic makeup.

After years of backbreaking research and countless failed experiments, I'd managed to finally create a new form of technology from her DNA. Using the shape changing essence of the queen I was able to develop stealth tech. While it couldn't shift the appearance of a body, it could distort the... luminescence of one, mute it even, so that it didn't appear to the naked eye. The tech I was using now, as I made my way back to Canterlot, was even potent enough to make me undetectable by any sort of visual enhancement tech. I was basically a ghost.

Not even Twilight Sparkle could have developed a similar technology, unless she'd somehow come into contact with a changeling and done some pretty... questionable things to it.

Obviously, the queen was the first to receive the new chip. I mean, it was due to her contributions that I was able to develop the technology in the first place. In her graciousness, or more likely, because she could utilize me more effectively, she'd allowed me to implant myself with the tech. It was a really strange decision. She'd basically given me the ability to run away at any moment I so desired.

The thought would never cross my mind, though. Unlike her, I would never abandon a friend. Mini was far too precious to me, and she never left the queen's side for more than a few minutes at a time. If I even thought of leaving it'd be together with Mini, and that seemed more and more unlikely as each day passed.

Thinking about it now, I suppose I could have used my cloaking tech to try to escape from Rainbow Dash without killing the unicorn. Perhaps I was starting to enjoy all the death around me? Maybe I wasn't so different from Chrysalis, after all.

More likely though, was my fear of the cyan pegasus' capabilities. If she'd somehow managed to subdue me while invisible that could spell disaster for everything I'd worked for. The queen would not be pleased if I'd allowed that to happen. No, incapacitating... keeping her alive had been the smartest choice.

The queen would've been just as pissed if I had killed her prey. The bug was a complete and utter monster. If she even got an inkling that I might go against any order or made an attempt to betray her, she'd kill Mini, of that I was certain. I was too important to her, but that didn't matter much anyway. I didn't want to leave. I had a job to do.

Twilight...

Even after all this time, I could still remember what happened like it was just yesterday. I know I'll never be able to forget. She was supposed to be our friend, supposed to care about us, but on that awful day when Canterlot fell, she left without us. Me, Mini, Twinkle, and Lem didn't even cross her mind as she fled the city with her precious princesses.

Without the protection of magic or the guard the princesses were basically giant sitting ducks. They'd have been murdered... or far worse in seconds if Twilight hadn't saved them. I couldn't have cared less about them, though. What about us? What about our safety? Clearly, that didn't matter to Twilight.

The whole situation was complete chaos. The four of us stayed together, hiding away in my home for as long as we were able to. Somehow we remained undiscovered for months, but eventually we ran out of the most common supplies. We were forced to leave the safety of my home, mostly for food.

Needless to say, once we left our shelter the prince's mobs found us quickly. That's when everything really started for us, when we were brought before Blueblood. He'd somehow taken over the city once all the actual royalty had either fled or been dealt with. The less said about what was done to us by him and his lot, the better. Every day we'd hoped and prayed that Twilight would come to our rescue, that she'd save us from the hell we were trapped in. She'd always been there for her friends, hadn't she? She was the Princess of Friendship. We were her friends.

Apparently, we weren't. She never came. Lem and Twinkle couldn't endure the disgusting things we were subjected to say after day. Eventually they... first Lem and then a few days later, Twinkle. Their choice to give up left me... cold, but I really couldn't hold a grudge against them. Some days, I considered ending my own life.

Mini... Something inside Mini broke after their deaths. She became a husk of the mare she used to be, performing her duties for Blueblood without any resistance whatsoever. I hated seeing her like that, but there wasn't much I could do to help her.

Not until the first guns started popping up, at least. The devices were very complex machines, but as soon as I saw one up close, I was able to hammer out how they functioned. I tempted Blueblood with an arsenal, if he agreed to give me preferential treatment and the material to build it, I would make him a real threat to his enemies.

It was far too enticing a prospect for him to turn down. With dwindling resources and followers abandoning him by the day, he had no choice but to take my offer. That was the first time I was able to really protect Mini.

I'd gotten her treatment somewhat similar to my own. No physical contact, although I also received a modicum of respect as well, or at least it was faked when I was around. Being able to do that for her, for my best friend... for my only friend left... It propped me up, gave me the strength to go on... made me happy.

Thank whatever was still good in the world that she hadn't decided to give up like the others. If she had, I wouldn't have been able to hold myself together. Back then, I knew we had to bide our time, had to wait for the right opportunity to make an escape. It was then that I decided to live for only two things; Mini and revenge.

I'd provided the pompous unicorn with what I'd promised. Even when I'd made a breakthrough and began creating mods, I gave him some of those as well. It was a grating, but tolerable existence. I knew eventually something would happen to change our fortune. Something had to happen. And so, one day, something did.

Chrysalis showed up out of the blue. She got rid of the prince faster than I could've ever hoped and she spared me and Mini as long as I swore to help her get what she desired. It was an easy choice to make.

Live or die? I'm pretty sure the gruesome death at the hooves of the queen would've been a lot more horrifying than anything I could ever imagine. We became her slaves along with the rest of Blueblood's leftovers. So far, it hadn't been as bad as being the prince's property, other than having to walk on eggshells at all times around the queen.

I'd seen her do things I thought no intelligent being could. So much blood. So much pain. It was like she had no heart. Like she could do the most horrible, brutal things with a genuine smile on her face. She truly was a monster. A monster I'd use to reach my goals.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

As I trotted up to the doors of the castle and deactivated my cloaking device, my countenance brightened several notches at the sight that met me.

"Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long," I greeted Mini with a polite hug. She didn't reciprocate, though that was expected by now. She hadn't shown any signs of warmth since... since the day we'd lost Lem and Twinkle. I didn't really mind. She could behave however she saw fit, especially after all wed gone through.

"Not at all, Moondancer. You know I'd do anything for Her Highness and at the moment, she wants me right here, waiting for you," she shrugged. I still couldn't understand her uncompromising devotion to the changeling.

What had started out as gratefulness for being saved... that might be the wrong word, gratefulness. Regardless, her gratitude slowly turned into outright worship of the queen. Don't get me wrong, I was just as indebted to the bug, but I couldn't hold her in such a high regard as Mini. She was just a bigger, scarier threat that needed to be dealt with... eventually.

"Let me guess, she wants to see me right this instant," I sighed, pulling away from my best friend. I was tired, way too tired. I'd been walking for hours and hadn't had anything to eat yet. I just wanted to get what little food I could scrounge up and crawl into bed for a long night's rest. That obviously wasn't gonna happen, not any time soon at least.

"She wants your report immediately," she started on her way to the throne room. I fell into step next to her. "But I'm sure you already knew that."

"Once a slave driver, always a slave driver," I sighed. I really didn't want to deal with the queen's crap right now, but I had little choice in the mater. Pissing her off was a terrible idea, I'd firsthand experience of that.

"She freed us," there wasn't any irritation in Mini's voice, just... indifference. "I'd think you'd be a little more thankful."

"Not sure I'd call a change in management liberation, Mini," I playfully pushed against her side with a hoof. "One evil dictator replaced by another doesn't really make too much of a difference in the long run."

"Maybe, but that doesn't change the fact that we didn't have to keep-" she stopped walking, her gaze falling to the ground.

"Mini?" Her sudden change in demeanor was concerning.

"Moondancer... it never stopped." She looked... sad? That wasn't possible. I mean, she could definitely be unhappy, but she hadn't shown any signs of... well, any emotion in years. I wasn't even sure what she meant, my brain was having trouble processing this new development.

"What didn't, Mini?" I reached out to comfort her, but she recoiled at the possible contact. I flinched at her reaction to my touch, lowering my hoof back to the floor.

"You didn't know..." she was struggling to speak, doing everything she could not to lose it entirely. "You couldn't have, but..." Her emaciated body trembled as she looked at me with the most pitiful eyes I'd ever seen. "T- the beatings... the... the..." She broke down, collapsing in a heap as vicious sobs shook her meager frame.

I nearly fell over, my heart plummeting into my stomach as an undesired amount of bile began crawling up my esophagus. It wasn't possible. Blueblood had sworn she'd be spared of any harm, most of all... THAT.

It couldn't be... It just... it just couldn't be. If what she'd said was true then... I'd completely failed her. All I'd done had only ever benefitted me and she... she had continued to suffer the entire time.

"But... WHY?" I couldn't hold back. I threw myself onto her, pulling her into an embrace. I couldn't hold back my own tears. We cried together like that for far too long. The queen wouldn't be happy, but at the moment, I didn't care. "Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you tell me?" I asked once we'd both calmed down a bit.

"Blueblood said he'd kill you if you ever found out the truth," she sniffled. "I couldn't."

"He wouldn't have," I whispered. "I was way too important to him."

"I couldn't take the risk," she squeezed me. "You're my best friend. You're all I have left, Moondancer. If I lost you... I don't think..." She nuzzled deeper into me. All this time, she'd been the one protecting me.

"I'm so sorry, Mini." I was so weak. "If I'd have-"

"I don't blame you, Moondancer, she pulled away, standing to her hooves as she wiped her eyes with a foreleg. Her normal demeanor was back in an instant, like she'd never even had an episode only seconds ago. "I've never blamed you," her expression turned sour, full of disgust. "It was all that filthy stallion's fault." Her anger dissipated. "Now come on, hopefully Her Highness doesn't kill us for this." She extended her hoof to me. It might've been funny if it didn't have a very real possibility of actually occuring. I took her hoof in mine, standing up. Well, if anything, her devotion to the queen finally made a bit more sense.

"We've gotta get out of this mess, Mini." We continued toward the throne room. "We can find happiness again, I just know we can."

"I'm glad you came back safe, Moondancer," she said after a long silence.

"Me too, Mini," I sighed. "Me too."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"You two are late," The queen stared down at us from her cracked and broken throne, her expression unreadable. The wide smile plastered on her face was not an indication of what she was thinking or how she was feeling. She was probably the most deceptive creature I'd ever encountered and she was utilizing that particular skill right now.

"Forgive me, Your Highness," Mini bowed low. "I am to blame for our tardiness." I knew she'd try to sacrifice herself.

"You'll receive your punishment, Mini," the queen brightened up at the prospect of a good time. I cringed. She'd began calling Minuette my preferred nickname after she'd overheard me say it once. It pissed me off. It was my endearing name for my best friend. The queen used it purely to mock her and to piss me off. It worked so much better than she could've hoped.

"As you wish, Your Highness." Mini didn't break her bow for even a second.

"Join me in my chambers immediately after we retire. We'll have a splendid time together." Chrysalis licked her black lips. Entering her chambers was one of the worst things that could happen to any creature. The queen got bored a lot and when she did, she took it out on whoever was closest. Most of that boredom was eliminated in her quarters.

I'd only ever been in her bedroom once before. The experience was... not something I liked to think about. Mini on the other hand, was in there far more often, considering she was the one closest to the dreaded queen.

I had to do something to help her, or at the very least alleviate some of the punishment she was going to receive. I couldn't just stand around and do nothing. I had to help.

"Actually, it was my fault, Queen Chrysalis," I spoke up drawing her curious gaze.

Crap...

"I'm sorry." I slightly bowed my head in faux respect. I'd made a truly stupid mistake.

"Oh really!?" She cackled as if I'd just told the funniest joke she'd ever heard. "If you both wanted to be punished all you had to do was say so. It'll be a party then. Both of you can come together, we'll make it a ménage à trois. What fun!" Her grin had become so large it stretched her face beyond it's borders, giving her an altogether jarring appearance... at least more jarring than usual.

"Yes, ma'am." I wouldn't dare argue. Looks like I wouldn't be getting rest or food any time soon, though that was probably the least of my problems now. I'm not sure what she had in mind, but her punishment was never quick or easy.

"Now then," the queen leaned back on her throne. "Your ponies are gone, but you appear to be no worse for wear, Moondancer."

"The thing is," I stifled a groan. She was already evaluating my failures without giving me an opportunity to explain. "I-"

"Failed," her smile was gone, replaced by condescension. It wasn't just that, though. She was angry.

Not good. Not good at all.

"I don't have endless stores of fodder for you to throw away like refuse, Moondancer." The low growl that escaped her throat was several times more horrifying due to the sharp rows of teeth bared my way. "Tell me exactly what happened." The venomous glare she now displayed shook me to my bones. "Perhaps if your little tale satisfies me, maybe, just maybe," her gaze narrowed on me. "You won't have to find out what punishment truly means."