Fallout Equestria: The Ashlands Timeline

Date: Wednesday 11/9/2287
POV: Chrysalis
Holder

Ponies were such silly creatures. Even though she’d still murder any of them without a second thought if needed, they amused Chrysalis. Sometimes they even provided a challenge.

These two did not. A little coaxing and they were all over each other like Daybreaker on a flaming cheese cake. Chrysalis expected somepony that supposedly bested her in another timeline to prove craftier.

Chrysalis spent the whole last day of their trip smirking at them. Gloomy’s blush was so intense he was like a beacon of light in the sky. Even with her mask and leather armor on, Twilight couldn’t hide that she was about to pass out from embarrassment either.

“Don’t feel bad, you two,” Chrysalis got one last jab as they neared Holder. “Feeding a poor hungry changeling is nothing to be ashamed of. Besides, you would have slapped bellies sooner or later with or without my encouragement.”

“Shut up, Chrysalis,” Twilight growled.

“You should be thanking me,” smiled Chrysalis, then winked at Gloomy. “Given your prowess, I imagine you’re considered ‘good stock’ in Midnight’s breeding programs and get a lot of practice.”

“Shut up, Chrysalis,” Gloomy repeated. She must have been annoying for him to get offended that she called him a good lay.

“It’s really an elegant system, for ponies,” Chrysalis continued. “I like how they teleport the fetus out into an artificial womb so the high quality females can still fight and get pregnant again asap.”

“Shut. Up. Chrysalis,” Twilight and Gloomy repeated together.

Sadly, the mood couldn’t last forever. As they approached Holder, the trio landed to not alarm the guards too much with their sudden arrival. A griffon guard landed in front of the gate as they approached and stared at Chrysalis as if the others weren't there.

“Oh-ho-ho,” Chrysalis giggled, always happy to get a reaction to her ‘true form’. It’d been too long.

“Let me do the talking, ‘Chryssie’,” Twilight ordered.

Chrysalis gave a mocking bow and stepped back a few paces.

“Ginger,” Twilight nodded, recognizing the guard.

“Ginger?” asked Chrysalis. “What kind of name is that? He's blue and yellow. Shouldn't he be red?”

“It’s you again,” Ginger looked at Twilight. “Clover and… Gloomy was it?.” His disturbed eyes looked at Chrysalis again, a delightful expression. “You’ve made a new friend... with a disturbing fashion sense. I should check with the Empress before letting it inside.”

“Aw, did ‘it’ frighten you,” Chrysalis batted her eyes. “But it’s so cute!”

“The Empress?” Twilight tilted her head. “What about Kyo?”

“Kyo?” Ginger shook his head. “Oh goodness… you haven’t been here, right? Kyo Pie is deceased. She died in an accident during a mission to get help from Railway.”

“An accident?” gasped Twilight.

“Crushed in a collapsed subway tunnel,” Ginger nodded with a sigh. “The Empress got her hind legs shattered in the same collapse. It’s a real danger in any ruin.”

“That's terrible,” said Twilight. “Did the Tenwhinney rescue attempt go any better?”

“It was a partial success,” Ginger sighed. “They saved the little ghoul Dinky and gained control of the tower, but Limestone didn’t make it.”

“Oh my Celestia,” Twilight hung her head. “Maud must be devastated after already losing Marble and Pinkie. And poor little Custard.”

“That’s one way of putting it,” Ginger shivered. “I would suggest watching your words around Maud. She’s not safe to be around in her condition.”

“I should have stayed,” Twilight sighed.

“It wouldn’t have done any good,” Gloomy said.

“It wouldn’t have, from what I heard,” Ginger said. “Few ponies could get through Tenwhinney’s forcefield and sneak into that tower, and none better than Maud.”

“Did you forget me?” Chrysalis gave a mock pout, sticking out her bottom lip.

“Okay, what’s with this thing?” Ginger asked. “Because that outfit… what the fuck, mare?”

“I’m Chrysalis,” said Chrysalis, proud to still elicit such a reaction. “Progenitor of the changeling race and once and future Hive Queen. This outfit is what’s left of Nightmare Moon. I figured a settlement that thinks they’re Equestria would appreciate that.” She added seductively. “But you can call me Chryssie when we’re alone, or anything else in bed.”

“What,” Ginger stared. “But the system should have alerted us if a changeling was this close…”

“That is weird,” Chrysalis smirked. As if their dinky little system could detect someone like her. She didn’t need fancy tricks or magitech to avoid detection.

“This isn’t the time for annoying everyone, Chrysalis,” Gloomy growled.

“Don’t care, still evil,” Chrysalis answered.

It surprised Chrysalis how fun it’d turned out to be being open and honest. She turned to see how Twilight was handling it, only to find Twilight concentrating on her pipbuck.

“The broke-horn is ignoring me?” Chrysalis was only a little offended.

“Huh?” asked Twilight, then shook her head. “Sorry, I was speaking to the others on our PCB. It looks like everypony else is okay. They’re getting ready to do a memorial service for the fallen Pies, and then Starlight plans a strategy meeting. If I can convince her to let you in, you’ll want to attend that.”

“A PCB?” Chrysalis arched an eyebrow. She knew what it was, and was quite annoyed at her inability to detect it. She wanted to appear to know less than she did though. Besides, they deserved to gloat a little too after the fun she put them through.

“Looks like even ponies amass bigger hives than you now,” Gloomy sneered.

Oh and gloat he did. How delightful!

While Chrysalis wasn’t privy to the conversation, she could feel the sheer nervousness coming from Twilight in explaining the situation to Starlight, which she found rather amusing. Even so, it took less time than she expected, which she put down to Starlight being smart enough to realize that if they didn’t let her in as herself, she could just walk in as someone else and have all sorts of fun when they least expected it.

When they entered the gate, there was already a group waiting for them

Chrysalis recognized most as the gang from Stable 27. Crimson Prose, Mercury Shine, Solar Flash, and Tranquil Melody. She heard all about them and had them described to her, though this was the first she'd seen most of them with her own eyes. Behind them stood Olivia, who she understood was intimate with the local hive both figuratively and literally.

Chrysalis’ eyes locked with Olivia’s for a moment. If Kyo was dead, she would be its artificial queen. The thought of a non-changeling leading a hive sickened Chrysalis, but Olivia didn’t seem to care for Chrysalis’ presence either. Chances were she was here because she knew Chrysalis might detect the little hive on her own even if Trinity couldn’t.

“So did they tell you yet you took the wrong corpse back?” Crimson sounded like she’d been looking forward to saying that. “Meet my wife Tranquil, Totally-Clover. The one you took the time to return was just a swatted bug.”

“That’s a little rude…” Tranquil muttered. Chrysalis had to agree, but even a slight disagreement from Tranquil seemed odd given what Chrysalis had heard about their relationship.

“Sorry,” Crimson muttered at Tranquil, which was even more odd from what Chrysalis knew of Crimson.

“What?” Twilight head-tilted. “Oh wait. That was the… oh…”

“Oh damn,” Gloomy said. “We got to contact Stable 27 and tell them.”

“I think you’d best not,” suggested Chrysalis, removing her attention from Olivia. “You’d only hurt their feelings more to know she was roaming the wastes with a psycho-spouse.” Also it might delay or complicate other things, which is what she really cared about.

“I see you’ve heard of me,” smirked Crimson, and she'd apparently heard about Chrysalis over the PCB as well. “Glad you're here! Being the only antagonist in the team is more responsibility than I want.”

“Couldn’t you tell the body we had with us was a changeling?” Twilight looked to Chrysalis. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I don’t take it lightly to out any changeling, living or dead,” Chrysalis replied evasively.

She could tell if someone was a changeling alive or dead, usually at least. But she had to actually bother to check, which she hadn’t in that case. May as well check Tranquil instead.

She nudged her sense towards this Tranquil, trying to ease into her mind. It would only take an instant of telepathic connection to verify. Tranquil flinched as if in agony at the touch though, so Chrysalis pulled her energy back. Not a typical response for a changeling or a pony.

It seemed more logical that she wasn’t though. Chrysalis could feel the changelings at the brothel well enough to know how many were having sex, now that she knew to look for them. So it was highly unlikely she’d not be able to tell up close.

“So uh, hey, you’re a changeling queen huh?” Solar asked. “You look different from a regular one. My name is-”

“Yes, I know who you are,” Chrysalis chuckled at Solar. “And also yes… I would.”

“Would what?” Solar asked, tilting her head.

“Like to buck you,” Chrysalis said. “That’s where this was going right? The unbridled lust steaming off you could recharge the Sun.”

“Oh!” Solar chuckled. “I was only saying hello! But yeah, it would have gone there eventually. Sort of always does with me. So uh… great! I’ll add ‘changeling queen’ to my list so I can cross it off later!”

Mercury seemed visibly uncomfortable next to Solar as the latter winked. Chrysalis wondered if with a bit of nudging, she could do a two-for-one on them later. A bit of awkwardness helped spice a good meal.

“I think you’re my new favorite bug-horse,” Crimson smirked. “Even if you look like rotten cheese. We’ll get along well… but we’re not bucking. I don’t want to get eviscerated by one of your jagged edges while scissoring.”

“Okay, I’ll just leave you all to be weird without me,” squeaked Mercury as she started to back away, despite a wing coming around her rear from Solar.

“Oh I can do a lot worse than ‘weird’,” Chrysalis smirked. “And from what I’ve heard, I wouldn’t be the first changeling you’ve gotten weird with.”

“Tsk,” Crimson rolled her eyes. “I only almost got weird with one. And it’s a good thing I didn’t, or I’d have to fulfill my vow to kill every male I’ve bucked.”

“Amusing,”Chrysalis chuckled. “Though technically… gender doesn’t work that way for us. We’re all fertile as both genders, and initially herm in our base form, only drifting one way or the other as we age.”

“Well that’s just awkward,” Crimson was caught off guard for once. “How do I know which half to hate the most?”

“I’d appreciate it if any weirdness was kept to the bedroom,” Twilight sighed. “I’m going to the ceremony now. All are welcome to join; they need all our support.”

“I will leave you ponies to it,” Chrysalis said. “My presence would only damage the sacred atmosphere.”

“Yes, it would,” Gloomy growled.

“I appreciate the thought, Chrysalis,” Twilight said. At least she noted the act of pretend kindness. It was almost annoying how easily such things worked on her. “But you are still welcome to at least watch.”

“I would rather ram a broken bottle up my ovipositor,” Chrysalis hmmphed. “Maybe I’ll look around town and see what reactions I get, though I suspect someone here may wish to speak to me before I go anywhere.” She looked to Olivia.

“You suspect correctly,” Olivia said. Her words were polite, but the tension was obvious.

Most of the others left for their solemn little event, even Crimson, which seemed odd for what Chrysalis knew, but she was impossible to read. All her internal emotions were buried under a sea of guilt; Chrysalis had rarely encountered a being that despised themselves as much as Crimson did. She gave Chrysalis a run for her money in that respect.

Olivia waited for the others to be gone, then stepped aside behind one of the buildings, apparently not wanting to take Chrysalis any further into the city for now. She had her paws folded politely, but they were holding her grimoire, ready to fight. Despite this, the diamond dog’s emotions showed no aggressive intent, so Chrysalis showed no aggression in return.

Once around the corner, Olivia cast a spell to form a barely-visible dome around them. Chrysalis recognized it as a sphere of silence.

“So you are that Chrysalis,” Olivia said, once they had relative privacy.

“Yes I am,” Chrysalis chuckled. “Step into my office.”

“I will cut to the chase,” said Olivia. “Are you aware?”

“Yes, I know they’re here,” Chrysalis said. “You may have hidden them from the fake queen, but you can’t hide them from the original.”

“And your intentions?” Olivia asked.

The implication that she might force them into a hive annoyed Chrysalis. She’d never forced such a thing, even allowing hive members to leave freely so long as they didn’t oppose her interests in the process. But it was also an expected assumption, and logical from Olivia’s point of view, so she pressed it a bit to make sure of something.

“And what if my intentions are evil?” Chrysalis asked. “Do you intend to keep my children from me?”

“These are my children more than they are yours,” said Olivia, eyes and voice darkening. “They are already reeling from the loss of our beloved Kyo. If you harm, coerce, or frighten a single one, if I even suspect…”

“Thank you,” Chrysalis smiled. Her words were sincere.

“Pardon me, miss?” Olivia perked her ears.

“You faced the destroyer of the world,” said Chrysalis. “And told her you would kick her ass if she harmed those under your protection. It is a relief that my children have such a fervent protector.”

Olivia calmed. She surely expected something different, and the bait-and-switch maneuver had the effect on her that Chrysalis had hoped. The dog softened her grip on her grimoire, her power still crackling beneath the surface, but untargeted. It was an unusual amount of magical energy for a dog even after their changes.

“Then we have an understanding,” nodded Olivia. “Good.”

“And what if they wanted to go with me?” Chrysalis asked. “Hypothetically.”

“They wouldn’t,” said Olivia. “But if you somehow convinced them without deception, I would of course allow it.”

“Then I agree,” Chrysalis said. “We have an understanding. Do they understand?”

“They are aware that you are here,” Olivia said. “The hive has been ablaze with their hatred for you since they heard of your arrival, though your agreement has softened it. Still, please do not approach the spa.”

“Aw, you mean I can’t get a job there?” chuckled Chrysalis. “But yes, fine. It would only bring unwanted attention to them for me to go there.”

Olivia nodded, and the conversation seemed to have ended. Chrysalis turned to leave, just in time to see an angry looking zebra trudging into the alley with piercing eyes locked on them.

“I imagine that is my next appointment,” Chrysalis chuckled. “I should set up an advice stand and charge by the minute.”

“What is this?” Olivia saw the zebra and put one paw to her forehead. “And here we go. I should have known Xander would come running as soon as he heard you arrived. He may think we are conspiring.”

“Should we start kicking each other?” Chrysalis laughed. “Or we could start making out to fill his expectations,” she continued, tongue extending and giving Olivia’s lips and just a bit of the inside of her mouth a teasing, but the dog shied away with a slight gagging sound.

“What is this?” Xander screamed as he entered the bubble of silence, spittle splattering onto Chrysalis. He was so enraged that he didn’t appear to notice the translucent bubble. “I came as soon as I heard this creature was here, but I didn’t expect it to be conspiring with one of our own!”

“Mister Xander,” Olivia sighed as she turned to him. “This ‘creature’ is powerless. We all know that the changeling hive belongs to Trinity now, but their former queen may be able to help us identify them, yes? She’s far less dangerous in the open than if we don’t know who she is.”

“Don’t be foolish,” Xander snarled. “They are on the same side.”

“Oh this again,” Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “Why does everyone think I’m Trinity’s personal rug muncher? As if the Queen would allow another to subjugate her children.”

“This is a ploy to divert suspicion,” said Xander. “But I am onto you, and will not stop until I reveal and destroy every changeling in this city!”

“Is that so,” Chrysalis said. She felt her ire rising. “So you are threatening my children?”

“If it were up to me,” Xander said. “Your children would all be dead, and I don’t care who hears me!”

“So you are a threat to the safety of my children? Confirmed,” Chrysalis nodded. “Thank you for making me aware while we’re alone, Xander. It will make it easier to dispose of the body.”

“What?” Xander blinked at the sudden change of tone.

Then his eyes went wide as Chrysalis darkened the bubble of silence, hiding them from the eyes of anyone else that entered the alley. Chrysalis tugged him forward with her magic, wrapping her bony legs around his neck and… not moving. Her body froze. Her bubble of silence shattered as her faculties numbed.

At first she thought it was Xander, which would have been strange since zebra anti-magic techniques didn’t work on changeling magic. But no; Olivia reached out a glowing hand, eyes aflame with energy as she held them within a telekinetic field. That was an impressive power for a diamond dog, even after the changes of recent centuries. Chrysalis could spend energy to attempt a counter, but she honestly wanted to see where this went.

“No!” Olivia said. “Every citizen and visitor to this city is under my protection, Chrysalis, even yourself unless you refuse to follow the law.”

Olivia pulled Xander away and dropped the stunned zebra to the ground. Chrysalis felt herself released as well and shook her head to clear it.

“Did you not hear him?” Chrysalis asked.

“Let me finish,” growled Olivia, then turned to Xander. “If I was ‘conspiring’ with this creature, I wouldn’t talk to her in public and certainly wouldn’t have let you back in, despite you having been banished previously, if I had anything to hide. She is here to assist in Starlight’s plans against Trinity and Midnight. If you have any desire at all for that to succeed, you will cease getting in its way. This is your one and only warning.”

Xander looked back and forth, but spoke no longer. He seemed to consider what was said at least, but turned and walked out of the alleyway.

“You’re just going to let him go?” asked Chrysalis once he was back outside of the bubble. “Is that what your hive would want?”

“Yes,” Olivia nodded. “Because our intelligence indicates that recent events have him doubting his resolve. If he can be convinced he is wrong and uses his influence in our favor, it would do better in the long run.”

“I could just eat him, you know,” Chrysalis grunted, only half-joking. “It’d save you a lot of trouble in that long run.”

“As I said, that was his one and only warning,” Olivia reiterated. “If he disregards it, we may very well ask that you do just that.”

POV: Twilight Sparkle
Stable 11

It was a moving ceremony, so Twilight almost forgot about her awkwardness around Gloomy. It was hard to forget completely though with him sitting next to her looking even more awkward. It'd taken him this long to stop stammering every time he spoke to her.

Twilight had gotten caught up on events when she could. Starlight's successes impressed her, but perhaps not in a good way. The unicorn had solidified her control over Holder and conquered Railway and Tenwhinney while Twilight was away on an errand. Hearing about Cola’s swift execution didn’t help, and given the speed and lack of trial, she was sure Starlight’s spiteful influence was to blame.

It made her curious what Starlight's meeting would entail. They were holding it inside Stable 11 with only the participants knowing. Curiosity getting the best of her, Twilight visited the room before the meeting started, Gloomy trailing along with her.

They found that it was a simple room with a long table with seating cushions surrounding it. It couldn’t be much more without drawing attention, and they didn’t want to tip off anyone in the city that might be secretly faithful to Midnight.

Names at each seat designated where attendees would sit. Starlight must have not expected Twilight and Gloomy to return, or hoped they wouldn't, since their names were written instead of printed using the Stable’s computers. Chrysalis' name was the same, seated between Twilight and Gloomy as if she were their responsibility. Twilight couldn't blame Starlight for that.

On the other side of Gloomy was scribbled ‘Watcher’, who Starlight agreed to invite, but whether she showed would depend on how well she felt. Twilight hoped she could, since it was only in the interest of befriending Statera that Starlight allowed Chrysalis when they requested it.

It was surprising that Custard wasn’t among the other attendees, but the filly also probably didn’t mind not coming. Dinky as well, but Starlight might have worried about her influence on Maud.

Twilight was early, so she figured she may as well have a seat, but before she seated herself, there was a tap near the door. Twilight turned to see Mercury, by herself.

“T-twilight?” Mercury looked timid. “Can we talk alone?”

“Certainly,” Twilight nodded to Mercury then looked at Gloomy. “I'll be right back.”

“Sure,” Gloomy nodded and sat at his own place. “Just don’t go far, okay?”

Twilight stepped aside with Mercury into the next room, which seemed to be a storage area. Most of it must have been junk that wasn't used often since it was all boxed up, so it made a good place to have secret conversations.

“Swear you will tell no one,” Mercury sounded afraid of whatever it was she had to say. “My friends' lives will be in danger if you do.”

“I swear,” nodded Twilight, concern growing. She hoped nothing even worse had happened while she was away.

“Um,” Mercury whispered. “Did they tell you what happened to Kyo?”

“Yes,” sighed Twilight. “It sounded like a horrible accident.”

“It wasn't an accident,” Mercury said. “Starlight intentionally triggered the cave-in. I think Starlight convinced Maud that Kyo had designs on stopping their rescue of Limestone somehow… she mentioned wanting to take Custard under her guidance too.”

“I see,” Twilight's eyes widened. “Thank you for telling me. Was there anything else I should know about it?”

“Probably,” shrugged Mercury. “I’m not sure. I was just hoping you could have your Watcher friend find information. If it does that.”

“Thank you for trusting me,” Twilight patted her shoulder. “May I tell Gloomy?”

“S-sure,” nodded Mercury. “Just, please protect my friends.”

“I will,” Twilight nodded. “Did she threaten your friends?”

“Yes,” Mercury nodded. “Tranquil, Solar, and Crimson.”

Twilight doubted Starlight would harm Solar given her usefulness, but she wouldn't be surprised if she killed Crimson and Tranquil if they so much as spilled her tea. And even if Starlight wouldn't, threatening like this was something no leader should do.

“Let's get into the meeting room lest someone else arrives and suspects.” Twilight sighed. “Why don't you take a walk and return. We should put some distance between our arrivals so it won't seem like we talked.”

“Right,” Mercury nodded, shivering as she walked away.

Twilight wished she was surprised by this, but it only confirmed what she suspected. Starlight wanted conquest; making friends with settlements and gaining their trust was only a means to that end.

Maud was vulnerable to Starlight right now. No doubt she'd do anything so long as Starlight convinced her it was to revive her sisters. She could string Maud along with promises of finding a soul recycler for their gems.

Dinky had told Twilight about Maud's episode at Tenwhinney, and that she considered it her duty to keep Maud level. Perhaps Twilight could share her concerns that Starlight might take advantage of Maud's emotions with Dinky, without mentioning who gave her the concerns.

Either way, this was a mess. The team was in splinters. Many members had their own agendas and seemed more likely to coerce one another than work together. Twilight once believed her friends in her timeline were high maintenance, but she had no idea back then. She’d give anything to diffuse a tea party squabble between Applejack and Rarity right now.

Twilight sighed as she sank into her seat at the table. As Gloomy sat next to her and fidgeted, Twilight realized she should talk to him about 'that' as well.

“So, um,” Twilight took a deep breath. “Since we're alone, did you want to... um...”

“W-won't the others walk in on us here?” Gloomy asked, blushing. “But… I’m up for a quickie if you are.”

“Not that!” Twilight face-hoofed. “I meant to talk about what happened between us.” This was the first time they'd spoken about this in private, including when they did it.

“Oh, sorry,” Gloomy's blush doubled, though she didn't mind his thoughts going there. “I'm sorry... we don't have to again if you don't want to.”

“I do want to,” Twilight admitted as her blush matched his. “I should have said it before Chrysalis pulled her little prank. I don't want you to think I wasn't interested without that push.”

“Yeah, well,” chuckled Gloomy. “Even if her teasing will annoy me, I'm glad she did.”

“Glad I'm on foal control at least,” Twilight chuckled. “I told myself when I asked Mercury for it that it was in case of raiders, but I think I hoped that you'd make a move too.” She put a hoof on her face. “I can't believe myself. I shouldn't get attached to somepony like this when I'm... I mean...”

Twilight paused. She almost mentioned her intention to undo this timeline but wondered if he'd be okay with that. She wondered if she was okay with it now. She wasn’t even sure what the result of doing that would be.

“Ah, you're on foal control,” Gloomy said. Was that disappointment in his voice? “It's flattering to have a mare like you interested in me. Though something else bothered me and... it made me wonder about what you said... what you think about Nightmare Moon.”

“Oh?” Twilight flattened her ears. She'd not made her feelings a secret but still didn't want to argue about it, especially now that she was on banging terms with him.

“It's not that,” Gloomy shook his head, sensing her trepidation. “All that we found out from Chrysalis, all that Watcher told us about Nightmare being possessed. It made me wonder if I've been worshiping the Princess of the Moon or the Nightmare Force that subjugated her.”

“Ah,” nodded Twilight, careful with her words. “But if her beliefs on eternal night resulted from her possession, then it eliminates any issue I had with her goals, right? It means we can easily be friends.”

“Yeah, I guess it does,” Gloomy almost smiled. “I just feel stupid for not realizing it.”

“You’re anything but stupid, and she’s pretty ashamed of it herself,” said Twilight. “I remember how much trouble my Luna had coping with it. She never told us the details, so it's not surprising that Watcher hadn't.”

“I guess we'll see,” nodded Gloomy.

Gloomy's hoof moved as if he was thinking about reaching for Twilight but unsure if he should. She smiled and placed her own hoof on his instead. Maybe later they could find a place to be together where Chrysalis wouldn't sneak in to watch them.

“An interesting discussion,” Watcher’s voice buzzed from the door. Apparently the guards had been told to allow a sprite-bot in. She buzzed around the room to her place.

“Ah,” Twilight blushed. “Not sure how much of that you heard but…”

“It is not the time to discuss it,” Watcher said, probably unwilling to do so in a place where their conversation might be overheard. “For any of us.”

“Sorry,” sighed Twilight.

“Sorry,” Gloomy repeated, flattening his ears and looking like a scolded puppy.

As they waited, Watcher was relatively still, sitting on the table rather than hovering. Twilight started to wonder if she had gone catatonic; it wouldn’t be surprising in her likely condition. Meanwhile, Gloomy and Twilight sat quietly, each with a wing around the other.

Kamikaze was the first to arrive after Watcher. She sported the prosthetic legs that Solar had finally convinced her to put on, but still flew as much as she could as if it was beneath her to use them. They looked plastic and might bend if she actually tried to kick something. She tucked them beneath her a little self-consciously when they looked at her, as if a little ashamed of the non-awesome replacement for her old legs. At the very least, her wings seemed to work now that Dinky had taken a look at them.

“Sup?” Kamikaze tried to play it off at first, then grunted as she awkwardly hovered to her place. “Can’t keep your wings off each other?”

“Hello, Kami,” Twilight smiled. “Good to see you… well.” She was going to say ‘back on your hooves’, but thought better of it.

It also occurred to Twilight that Kamikaze might be envious of Gloomy, given Kami’s feelings for Twilight’s double, whether they were intentional feelings or not. She moved from her seat to give Kami a tight hug to at least reaffirm the platonic side, earning a slight groan that had just a hint of happiness to it. After, she sat with her wings to herself and just leaned against Gloomy instead, though he slipped his around her again and she didn’t have the heart to tell him not to.

Starlight arrived with Maud behind her. Maud remained silent, both guarding Starlight and staring at her. There was a clear tension, yet not enough for Maud to stop following Starlight's orders. Twilight recognized they were both dangerous, but it was two different types: ‘thirst for control’ vs ‘lack of control’.

Maud had armed herself to the teeth and also brought her sisters' soul gems and Boulder, sitting them on the table in front of her. It made Twilight a little sad when she saw her whispering to them occasionally.

Olivia sat quietly, folding her paws in front of her. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply to center herself before the meeting, perhaps communicating with her hive. That whole concept still creeped Twilight out, but she recognized they were different.

When Chrysalis arrived, all eyes went to her, and not just because she entered with a giant belch. Twilight tried to ignore her as she sat down, pushing Twilight and Gloomy apart so she could sit between them. She smirked and tried to wrap her own wings around each of them a few times before giving up.

“Chrysalis,” Watcher sighed. “It’s a big deal that you’re allowed here, so be good.”

“I’ll be affably evil,” Chrysalis shrugged. “You’ll have to deal with that compromise.”

Chrysalis spent the rest of her time before the meeting taunting Gloomy and Twilight or making intolerable insect puns. It was difficult to believe Chrysalis was centuries old and a fiendish villain given how utterly childish she acted. Twilight started to wonder if she’d really gone that batty or if it was just obfuscating insanity.

Meanwhile, Crimson was Crimson. She kept telling the story about how she nicked her ear that was different every time. She told Gloomy she got bit by a tortoise because she mistook him for a turtle. She then immediately claimed to Olivia that she was bitten by a parasprite that was accidentally hypnotized to eat ponies, which irked Twilight for reasons Crimson wouldn’t know.

“Friends?” Starlight finally smiled, raising a hoof for silence when the meeting time arrived. Most complied.

“And so I stare her right in the dick,” Crimson kept talking, “And was like ‘I can’t do that with a dull knife’”

“I would have slapped you with my ovipositor if I was her,” Chrysalis answered. “Maybe even choked you to death on it, not just tried to cut off your ear.”

“Anyway,” Starlight said firmly. “I hope everyone had a nice dinner; let’s begin.”

“Who were you again, purple thing?” Chrysalis asked Starlight.

“Empress Starlight Glimmer,” Starlight answered in a flat tone.

“Oh-ho, ‘Empress’,” Chrysalis snickered like a school foal that heard somepony say penis.

“Hay!” Kamikaze protested. “I thought up that title and it’s awesome.”

“It’s best if you ignore her; without a hive, she seems to have spent the last 200 years becoming more childish than I thought possible,” Twilight sighed. “Please continue.”

“Indeed,” Starlight adopted a forced smile. “Speaking of titles, I am altering the faction name from New Equestrian Empire to New Canterlot Republic.”

“It was my idea,” said Crimson. “Sounds less threatening.”

Crimson was still doing her job then, it seemed. Twilight, however, wondered if Starlight should have really been even calling herself a faction at this point. Starlight had gone far, but was still over-estimating her own influence, as evidenced by the fact that she hadn’t changed her title, probably despite Crimson’s likely advice.

“Also to note,” Maud spoke, raising a hoof. “NLR soldiers have been spotted coming close to Holder and communicating with someone over a radio. We believe there might be someone in the city feeding her information.”

“Right,” Starlight sighed. “So keep an eye out, and keep in mind everything is ‘need to know’ to reduce the chance of it getting out that way.”

Kamikaze yawned and stretched her neck a bit as if she was already tired of the meeting.

“Anyway,” continued Starlight “Our first real order of business is the local hive.”

“The local hive only wishes to live in peace,” Olivia said. “I will not have them used for dangerous missions.”

“Oh goodness no,” Starlight said. “I wouldn’t ask for that.”

Twilight was sure she had been about to ask for that.

“Apologies then,” nodded Olivia, looking incredulous as if she realized it too. “Please, continue.”

“I wanted to get an understanding of their relationship to Chrysalis,” Starlight moved on. “You are the original Hive Queen?”

“I’m the original changeling, period,” Chrysalis smirked. “If you’re implying I should take charge however, don’t dare suggest I should force it.”

Olivia looked at Chrysalis and nodded with a smile. “She has no current relationship with our hive.”

“Far be it for you to force anything,“ Watcher said bitterly, apparently still with them.

“I would never suggest such a thing,” Starlight assured, though Twilight wondered if she would were Olivia absent.

“Then potential alliances,” Starlight said, disappointed at the previous topic’s failure.

“While Statera is non-aggressive,” Watcher said. “A full alliance is out of the question until we've worked together for some time.”

“We will do our best to earn your trust,” Starlight nodded. “May I ask if there are other groups we might look into?”

“None,” said Watcher, as unlikely as it seemed.

“There’s Discordia, where Statera is based,” Chrysalis spoke instead. “But Discordia isn’t interested in alliances. I'm surprised they allow them to exist there, but at least other factions don't bug them.”

“Chrysalis,” Gloomy warned, but Watcher was oddly non-responsive.

“Are you part of Statera, Chrysalis?” Starlight quirked an ear.

“Definitely not with our knowing,” Gloomy growled.

“Watch yourself, Chrysalis,” Watcher finally input, as if worried she’d hint at something particular. “She is correct. Screwball allows Statera to base there so long as we don't make trouble. We're also neutral with the Crystal Empire, but do not know Skyla’s location.” It was a strange disavowal for an unasked question.

“I know Skyla's location,” smirked Chrysalis. She seemed to delight in pointing out how well-informed she was, but she quietened when Watcher turned to her.

“Are you their leader, Watcher?” asked Starlight.

“Many consider Ovo Factorem to be their leader,” said Watcher inconclusively.

“He’s bangin’ Skyla, lucky bastard,” Chrysalis added helpfully. “In every hole.”

“Silence,” Watcher said to Chrysalis. “Why would you even say that?”

“I like to live on the edge,” shrugged Chrysalis.

“I don’t care who is bucking who as long as it’s not me,” Starlight cleared her throat. “Can we contact them?”

“If you go to Discordia, he will likely speak to you,” said Watcher. “He is an alicorn that I trust for reasons I cannot adequately explain, much like with Chrysalis.”

“Is he an artificial or empowered alicorn?” asked Twilight. She’d wondered, but still failed to hide the surprise in her tone.

“Empowered?” asked Gloomy. “You mean like how Daybreaker promoted Cadance? He says he was born one. He’s powerful too, he can teleport between cities without magitech enhancement.”

“There’s some information that would be more dangerous to you than helpful,” Watcher added.

“Is that so?” Starlight asked, but moved things forward. “Chrysalis? Do you have forces?”

“Only my own giant ass,” Chrysalis chuckled. “But I am forceful, and virtually undetectable by any means. I could stroll through the best changeling detection systems available.”

“So you’re useful as an individual at least,” said Starlight.

“If only we could get Skyla to talk,” said Twilight. “The Princess of the Crystal Empire was a powerful ally in my timeline, almost single-hoofedly taking out Chrysalis’s army when they invaded Canterlot.”

“Was that Cadance?” Chrysalis asked, unfazed by the fate of her dimensional counterpart. “Skyla is Cadance and Sombra’s daughter, but I don’t think it was a happy marriage.”

Twilight felt sick to her stomach at the implication. She told herself that her Cadance would have not held any bad feelings against the daughter like some might, but she wasn’t sure about this timeline’s Cadance.

“That is an impressive pedigree,” Starlight pondered. “But a dangerous one if her talent stems from the wrong parent, perhaps more so if it stems from both at once.”

“I’m sure she takes after Cadance more than Sombra,” added Twilight with pity, using the thought of a loving daughter as a silver lining against the dark cloud of rape. “If she would use Sombra’s methods, she’d be more forceful than coy about reuniting Equestria.”

“She seems good enough, but looks can be deceiving,” said Watcher, “At any rate, having information on the Crystal Heart is probably the only way to meet her.”

“I know an approximate location,” mused Starlight. “But I may want to search for it myself eventually, so I haven’t decided if I should say anything. Or it may not matter; it’s unlikely to be intact.”

When Starlight said that, Watcher turned directly towards her, but didn’t comment. Chrysalis peered at Starlight so hard that her eyes narrowed to slits, the first serious act since she got to the meeting.

“That is correct, Limestone,” Maud said out of nowhere. “I am also impatient.”

“My apologies, Maud,” Starlight acknowledged. “I wanted to cover this last so it would be fresh in our minds at the end.”

“That is acceptable,” said Maud.

“The soul recyclers, right?” nodded Twilight. “Those that saw Zecora’s diary memories would have seen several in the Ministry. There was a room full of them where Starlight was resurrected.”

“While entering Trinity’s lair is a risk,” said Starlight. “I believe it is worth that risk for many reasons, assuming we develop a very good plan. Unless any of you are aware of other places to acquire one?”

“The only other place would be Unicornia,” said Gloomy. “They won't give one up to outsiders, and it'd be even harder to steal theirs. Their city has a permanent opaque shield and we can’t know what’s inside.”

“Could Chrysalis get into Unicornia?” asked Twilight.

“I’m sure their detection systems wouldn’t reveal me as a changeling,” said Chrysalis. “However, all their citizens have soul gems, which may be scanned for upon entering, and that is something not even I can duplicate. I’d have to take the place of a non-citizen that doesn’t have one, but it’s unheard of them to let anyone else in. Otherwise, I’d have already taken a snoop around to see what they’re doing there.”

“Then we must risk the Ministry,” Maud said. “We would benefit from their return, not to mention evening the odds with Midnight.”

“Evening the odds in such an impressive manner would definitely win favor with us,” said Watcher.

“Their library might…” Twilight trailed off, thinking better of mentioning the scroll she wanted aloud.

“Many entrances would be destroyed,” said Starlight. “Though there is the one I left Spike guarding.”

Twilight felt a chill when he was mentioned, but reminded herself he wasn’t the same.

“That area is too radioactive to be safe, which is odd since it’s not near the epicenters,” said Gloomy. “He was guarding it for at least a century after that, but we haven’t had a reason to check for some time. If he was there, it’d indicate that it works, else he wouldn’t feel the need to guard it.”

“I can send scouts ahead to check,” suggested Watcher. “However, if he has gone feral due to radiation, he may not be moving or visible until you approach.”

“Even without that, there are other ways,” said Crimson. “I know two potential methods. The Ministry of News in Baltimare had a teleport, as did most ministries. Given the sprite-bots are controlled there, the facility must be in good condition, maybe even guarded by Skyla if she uses them, so scout there too.”

“Oh, I’ve ‘scouted’ that,” said Chrysalis. “The teleport appears functional last I checked systems, but I haven’t tested it. There’s no crystal guards, since Skyla doesn’t want to draw attention, but it does have a lot of robots guarding it thanks to the SHIE AI. Don’t ask how I know; that would be naughty.”

“How Skyla and myself gained access to their computer is also not relevant,” said Watcher. “However the site is not in disrepair, since Skyla air dropped supplies to their warehouses, hoping the automated system would handle repair. It didn’t occur to me previously that being well-defended might be a problem for us later.”

“And then there’s another at Gora Soul’s lab,” continued Crimson. “Bet you didn’t know about that one. Aren’t you glad you didn’t kill me early on, Empress?”

Twilight recognized the name from her recent studies. She was the one that developed the chemical weapon used to assassinate Daybreaker, and Minister of Alchemy prior to betraying Equestria.

“Gora Soul had one?” Starlight sighed at Crimson, as if annoyed that someone like her was still one of her most useful minions.

“It was easier than you wanted to duplicate the frequency from one of the other Ministries,” smirked Crimson. “How do you think me and her got in and out so easily when it was time to swipe what we wanted? No reason it shouldn’t work if the location is untouched.”

“I can’t spare enough bodies to scout all of these locations in depth,” Watcher said. “But I can at least confirm it is there with sprite-bots. I doubt I can get close enough to test the teleports with spare sprite-bots though.”

“Yeah, this is fine,” said Crimson. “But this mission is suicide no matter how we get in, right? Everyone really okay with that?”

“I’m willing to...” Kamikaze started.

“We know,” the room as a whole cut her off.

“Discord could pop in and out without effort,” Twilight said. “Do you think Eris or Screwball can?”

“I’m sure they could,” said Watcher. “Convincing them to help is another thing.”

“You knew Discord in your timeline?” Starlight peered at Twilight.

“Quite well,” Twilight chuckled. “He was reformed… relatively. Fluttershy’s doing, in fact.” She was glad she didn’t do it herself since Starlight might have taken offense at another accomplishment.

“Well, that’s an odd coincidence,” Starlight shook her head. “But to those familiar with modern Equestria: What is the best way to get to Discordia from here?”

“West to my hometown, Ramble,” said Olivia. “Then north from there. That puts you on the border between Trinity and Midnight’s territories, but from what your friends say, they will be concentrating in other areas.”

“Any stables on the way, Crimson?” asked Starlight.

“Maybe,” Crimson said. “I’ll check the records to refresh my memory.”

“I’ll assume that means yes, but that you’re withholding information until it’s fun,” said Starlight. “I want reports with all the information you have on them tomorrow.”

“There is one of your ancient pony shelters near Ramble in the old Appleloosa,” Olivia was more forthcoming, “Stable 5, but we do not go there.” What was that in her voice? Dread? “I suggest you avoid it. There is another in the Foal Mountains that is occupied, but doesn't seem interested in communicating with the outside.”

“Take the fun out of everything, will you?” Crimson sighed.

“Yes, Stable 41 is the one in the Foal Mountains,” said Watcher. “It's close to Discordia.”

“It's still functioning?” asked Starlight.

“Indeed,” said Watcher. “We tried to contact them, but they shunned our attempts. Screwball has taken to rescuing the 'sacrifices' the cult leaves outside the stable, however.”

“Sacrifices?” asked Twilight.

“They leave infant bat ponies strapped to an altar outside,” said Watcher. “They are too young to explain or later remember why they were put there. A significant number of ponies in Discordia descended from those rescues; that's why there are so many bat ponies there.”

“Our scouts reported an altar outside the stable,” Olivia said. “We didn’t realize it was actually in use though…”

“It’s a good thing Midnight doesn’t know about them,” said Gloomy. “But she doesn’t like to even send scouts that close to Discordia.”

“Can’t you do more than rescue them once they're put out?” asked Twilight. “There's no telling what's going on inside. I'm not suggesting violence but...”

“I suggest violence!” said Kamikaze. “They’re endangering foals.”

“If we have an adequate way to do so,” Starlight nodded in agreement, likely more out of seeing an opportunity than caring for foals.

“I do not disagree,” said Watcher. “But one of Screwball's rules is that we do not bring conflict to Discordia. We'd risk getting Statera exiled.”

“Do you not already bring conflict?” asked Maud. “Midnight and Trinity must realize.”

“Midnight and Trinity were Discordia’s enemies already, so it doesn’t count,” said Watcher. “Screwball has a weakness for enforcing rules to the letter even against her own best interests.”

“She sounds a lot like her father,” commented Twilight.

“I do not care about stables,” Maud said. “The bottom line is that a mission to Discordia is next.”

“I agree,” said Starlight. “I will decide on who should accompany us, feel free to request inclusion, but do not bet on acceptance.”

“Count me in!” Kamikaze grinned. “Suicide missions are… kinda my thing.”

“We know,” repeated everyone.

Twilight wanted to go, but all the same wasn’t sure she trusted any group they put together for the mission. She was certain half of their group had active plans to kill one another. Chrysalis fit in so much better than she’d like...