Irradiated Changes

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“Hack. Hey. Hacksaw!” the hyper intelligent, for his species anyway, Changeling groaned, pressing his hooves over his ears.

It’s too early Mother... Five more minutes... he attempted, hoping to placate the voice.

“Hack, seriously. Get up, or I’m not letting you use my tools again.” that voice... was not his Mother’s, the drone realized slowly.

Actually, it was too masculine; something he normally attributed to memories locked away. Ones that re-surfaced on rare occasion. No, it was...

“Master James, sir, I do believe he’s still in heavy R-E-M sleep.” at the sound of the synthetic second voice, Hacksaw quickly realized that he wasn’t being spoken to by his Mother, let alone any siblings.

He sat bolt upright, quickly regretting the action as a wave of nausea and a throbbing pain in the back of his skull hoof-slapped him. It was a feeling he had not felt since a time during excessive alcohol consumption at a meeting of the major Swarms across Equestria and beyond, and accidentally hitting on Cocoon. Yet another reason he was glad Changelings didn’t possess genitalia in the same way that Ponies did.

A muffled sound entered his ears, but he could barely understand it. The volume was too high for his dehydrated brain. Desperate, he let out a low whisper, “Quiet...”

“Yeesh, how bad of a hangover do you have, Hack?” the voice from before spoke quietly. Definitely James that time.

Hacksaw slowly opened his eyelids, “Is there a motorcycle in the house?”

The Lone Wanderer’s blurred face came into existence within his limited field of vision, “Uh, yeah...”

“Then very. Hang on...” the Changeling idly fumbled with his hoof, attempting to connect into his pocket dimension. After a moment, he found enough purchase to slip inside, pulling out a small pill with a bright green coating.

“For the hangover, I take it?” James’ voice had gotten further away now, though it felt more like a slight yell than a whisper.

Hacksaw set his jaw, attempting to raise his voice without shattering his chitin, “Yeah...”

He promptly shoved the pill into his jaw and dry-swallowed, instant relief flooding his body and mind to devour the pain and nausea. Within moments, he was able to open his eyes fully and speak without a sledgehammer splitting the hardened plates of his skull. He heard James’ voice behind him again, “Better?”

The medical drone nodded turning to see the Knight with a bottle of water in-hand,“Better. Any property damage?”

“Nope, though the motorcycle is made from a small chunk of my scrap supplies. How did you rig the thing up, anyway?” the Lone Wanderer asked as he walked past him.

It took Hacksaw a moment to realize that he was sitting in a pile of scrap metal and whiskey bottles. Pulling himself out enough to take flight, he followed James to a round table with three chairs, one of which was occupied by Moth. The maintenance drone shrugged in answer to the question, “Drunk science.”

“What?” the Knight’s face was the picture of confusion, an eyebrow cocked like the hammer of a revolver, except it wouldn’t sign someone’s death certificate. Or maybe it could, considering his semi-artificial body. Hacksaw filed that thought away for later questioning.

The Changeling visibly sighed was his mind was brought back to the question, “Basically, its what happens when Moth and I touch alcohol at the same time. Well, mostly myself. I always get crazy ideas when I’m drunk, and usually am able to make them a reality. Don’t ask me how it works, because honestly I don’t know. Its like there’s an entire system of my brain that works when alcohol is ingested or something. Half the time my inventions are actually fairly useful, like that motorcycle.”

To emphasize his point, Hacksaw pointed to the machine lying against the small bookshelves across the room, the table and its chairs having replaced the work bench for the moment. It was a fully-built motorcycle; one of many husks spread throughout the Capital Wasteland, except it was repaired to look as if it had just been built. Said two-wheeled transport was complete with an all-grey paintjob and a Vault 101 logo on each side of the gas tank, a pair of holsters on each side set in a way that, for an average human anyway, it wouldn’t get in the way of the legs. The back piece, instead of the usual metal setup, was outfitted with a second seat, a series of bars along the side allowing for bags to be clipped to the motorcycle’s frame.

COMPLETED (Hacksaw): (Optional) Finish your projects

Moth hiccuped, lifting his head up from the table enough so that one single orb was able to look out at the human and his sibling, There’s also a severed head in the fridge. And it still talks. And is alive. I really need to stop drinking with you.

“Yes, yes you do.” Hacksaw noted. Before he could mention the severed head, he heard the sound of a fridge door being opened, and turned to see Wadsworth in the general location of the fridge, presumably having opened it to retrieve breakfast for the three. He could just barely hear the slight Prance accented voice over the jets of the golem-like machine, “Kill me.”

“Later.” the posh voice of the Mister Handy stated, shortly before closing the fridge and floating over to the trio, several ingredients in the glow of his tractor beams.

In a somewhat impressive display of mechanical dexterity and timing, he’d managed to open several packages and toast a few slices of bread, cook half a dozen eggs, and fry bacon, as well as the application of what hacksaw assumed was Brahmin-based butter. Once the quick display was over and the unused ingredients and trash hovered in two different beams, Wadsworth served each a platter of eggs, bacon, and toast, with the vials of love from Hacksaw’s Industrial Diggers for the two Changelings.

While Hacksaw normally didn’t partake in non-Changeling cuisine, due to the fact that it was much too filling for little to no nutritional value, he decided that, for once, he was going to indulge himself. In a quick two-shot slam that would make even the fastest drunkard proud, the medical and maintenance drone picked up the two shots of love and threw them down his throat with a lightning-quick flash of movement. He then slammed them down and licked his lips before levitating a fork and knife James had been patiently holding out to him. The entire series of actions took a small handful of seconds between picking up the vials and slicing into his eggs.

The Lone Wanderer whistled slightly, “Pretty fast. How long is that going to last you two?”

“Couple days tops if we didn’t use spells or move much, but in practical terms, about a day or so.” Hacksaw answered with a shrug, before taking a bite of his food, “This is some good stuff. Thanks Wadsworth.”

“My pleasure, Master Hacksaw.” the handyman accepted as it floated by a second time.

James, meanwhile, was nibbling on a piece of toast and looking over the motorcycle with a cryptic eye. Moth was somewhat silent, though a couple of thoughts regarding the events to come formed into his mind, and Hacksaw shared in the ideas. In all likelyhood they would be heading back to Mother soon, who would likely be waiting for their arrival before she went to speak to the Brotherhood of Steel’s King. Er, leader. Elder, was the word the Lyons’ Pride had used.

After a few minutes of eating, the drone broke the silence, “So I take it we’re heading to the Citadel after this?”

The Knight nodded, chasing his food with a swig of water before replying, “I’ll need to make a couple of stops on the way, but basically, yeah. I’ve got a few friends to visit, caps to distribute, and foodstuffs to deliver, since I’ve not been on a run for a while. Should be a simple loop around the Wasteland from Arefu around to Project Purity. Hey, did you ever hook up the auxiliary batteries in the motorcycle?”

“Not that I can remember, why?” Hacksaw questioned, taking a bite of bacon.

James smirked slightly, “Because I think I can solve the need for gas and make our trip go faster for a longer distance...”

***

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Celestia woke effortlessly, her mind practically ticking down the seconds before she’d deemed it a proper time to awaken. Lifetimes of mental training had earned herself and her sister this skill, so that as soon as one raised or lowered their respective celestial body, the other would be able to pick up the slack with mere seconds between control. Well, that and other, more grim reasons, but the former was what she kept telling herself, and often what its purpose was used for. In recent times, anyway.

She cracked her eyes open a fraction of an inch, seeing that Applejack and Fluttershy had already left, likely off to help with the Enclave’s crops or some such. Rarity and Pinkie Pie were just now leaving, talking avidly about a party of sorts for the Enclave troopers. As the door opened, young Rainbow Dash immediately flew out and stopped just outside of the room, posing a question to the two, “Hey, uh, shouldn’t we wake Twilight and the Princess?”

“Oh, I don’t think we should wake them, darling. Twilight was up for quite a while with a friend in the offices. Something about,” the fashionista unicorn shivered slightly, “Weapons and armor or something. Dreadful color scheme, honestly. Too intimidating; like a demon from Tartarus or some such.”

“I guess...” the prismatic mare shrugged, quickly dropping the subject.

The three left swiftly, leaving Celestia to mull the event over as the blast doors slid closed. Rarity was obviously both intimidated and somewhat agitated by the highly militarized organization, but the Princess of the Sun had already accounted for that during the course of yesterday. All things considered, she was doing fairly well, all of them were, by distracting themselves in whatever ways they could. Celestia herself was used to the military sucked-in-chests of warriors with far more pride than the remnants of a dying organization anyway. Generally more creative weapon as well, but that was from several years of experience on her part.

The irony of that statement hit her as her thoughts drifted back to the six element bearers and close friends. True, she was immortal in one of the acutest sense of the term, but they were just mares; regular ponies. Soft, fleshy beings who would likely not live to even see a fraction of the time she had. Yet she had asked them to put themselves in the line of fire and jump head-first into an alien world not even she had seen until now. Not to mention the massive amounts of radiation once they had arrived...

Celestia bit her lip slightly, I shouldn’t have brought them here...

They were innocents to the ways of war. Even Twilight, scholar that she was, had only read but a few novels on military tactics and common Equestrian presentation when the subject of her brother had crossed her mind prior to leaving for Ponyville, and Celestia doubted she’d read much else on the subject. War, violence, and the way of the gun were things that existed in myths and legends throughout Equestria proper, or were spoken of in hushed whispers when talk of the other nations was brought up.

Griffins, Dragons, even Changelings knew it better, and it was for that reason that she had signed and brokered as many deals and peace treaties as possible in her endless life, to ensure that her little ponies weren’t driven into a wholesale slaughter should the thought of war be brought up.

And it’s all my fault to begin with. she noted with a twinge of guilt, If I had just kept the Army around instead of relying on the Guard. Maybe... we could’ve been more prepared...

It was a thoughtless notion that had been circling the solar Alicorn’s mind for hours on end, even subconsciously, since the Changeling Invasion had begun. That little ‘what if’ that many often experienced, What if the Forgemasters and Officers were right? What if I really have sealed the fate of millions... Not just in the past and across the other universes, but in the future with limiting them so much...

She did her best to quash the thought and force it to the back of her mind, opening her eyes fully and letting out a slight yawn. To her, there were far more pressing matters at hand than the distant past and far future. Namely, doing her best to keep the six element of harmony bearers, including her faithful student, alive and well.

At the thought of Twilight Sparkle, Celestia paused, turning her head to look at the lavender mare. She was still asleep, sprawled out on a mattress with a slightly uncomfortable look on her face. It was likely a bad dream, and while Celestia was not her sister in terms of control over the realm of dreams, she knew enough for a simple enough task.

Reaching out with her magic, she calmly slid her focus into the mind of the unicorn, hoping to quell whatever thoughts might be troubling her most faithful student. What she saw within the dreamscape of Twilight’s mind was jarring, to say the least. Actually, Celestia could think of a list of words she could use to describe the scene before her.

To put it into simple terms would have been impossible, as Twilight’s dreams were little more than a series of constantly-shifting thoughts of fear, worry, and uncertainty given form. The subject of this roiling sea of emotion and mind games, however, was obviously centered around one pony in particular. It was a general feeling of genuine desire to protect and love that was deeper than Celestia had thought possible from the young mare. As far as the princess had perceived, seemed either unable or unwilling to both comprehend and have any sense or source of loving another was ingrained into Twilight, whether it be simple lust or genuine love itself.

Atop those desires, however, were piled vast metaphorical mountains of pain and torment, both from within, and without. It was an ambivalent mixture of positives and negatives. Fear of rejection, both from her love interest and her family and friends. Fear of losing the one she fawned over most. Of the consequences and possible futures, or losing them.

And then the memories and thoughts seemed to slow down, gradually forming together into a particular scene...

It was during the wedding of Shining Armor and Celestia’s caring niece, Princess Cadence. The scene was that of the reveal by Queen Chrysalis, and her speech on the events that transpired. A phantom ache made itself known in Celestia’s horn at that moment; a painful reminder of the events that followed, even as the princess watched it unfold before her.

The memory of Celestia challenging the Changeling Queen. Of being overpowered by the massive love energy provided from the groom, and the resulting blast to her immortal body with the force of a nuclear bomb. The sick wave of nausea from being overwhelmed threw the actual Celestia’s stomach into flips, as well as the pain and shame from being defeated so easily. She, who had been Equestria’s leader by martial prowess few still remembered or bothered to learn, taken down within a few mere moments. She, who had traversed the multiverse, constantly fighting a seemingly endless and pointless battle to create an Equestrian peace that would have been eternal...

The scene differed from there, however. Rather than run off with her friends to find the Elements of Harmony, Twilight stepped forwards, putting herself between Chrysalis and Celestia, “I won’t let you hurt her!”

A haunting, insectoid laugh passed through the memory of the Changeling Queen, mixed in with subtle tones of what might have been the laugh of Nightmare Moon for an added effect of fear inducement and hopelessness. Twilight crouched low, teeth bared and a low growl in her throat as tears of pain and hatred threatened to spill over from the corner of her eyes. The desire to give her life for the pony she loved...

That pony being the Alicorn herself, Celestia realized with no small amount of shock. What had been blurry half-images overlaid with hundreds of other ponies had now solidified into a clear picture, and it all began to click into place within the Solar diarch’s mind.

Twilight loved her. She did not show it, for fear of rejection, and what it would mean. To the young unicorn, it was a case of forbidden fruit; one centuries older than herself, and royalty at that. Somepony who would outlive Twilight herself, if she even made the relationship happen. And then there was her parents to consider, as well as the public’s opinion; a young mare dating the princess of the sun?

Preposterous, thousands of imaginary voices cried out. Out of the question for the student to love her mentor; common mortal to have goddess.

And yet, the thoughts of laying down her very life for her love still held on throughout Twilight’s despairing ocean of thoughts. Of loving the princess with all her heart and soul, doing whatever she could to both help and be with Celestia.

It was a violently conflicting, but endearing sea of dreams laid out before the princess, formed into one scene that continued to tell everything at once.

Twilight stepped forwards, and the dream Chrysalis laughed again, her horn glowing a sickly green moments before a bolt of energy surged forth. Celestia watched as Twilight attempted to counter, pouring all of her might into a combat spell similar to the one Celestia had used, even attempting to copy it. The pain of such an advanced piece of magic, however, was difficult for even the greatest of unicorns, and throughout the confines of her mind, Twilight screamed in pain as the spell managed, by some miracle, to transpire. Violet energy met green as the two battled for dominance, and it was painfully obvious that Twilight would lose within seconds.

Celestia herself felt a pang of guilt and self-loathing swell within her chest, like a rusty knife or a horn jammed into her heart. She was unsure of her feelings at this kernel of knowledge, and what this would mean if the lavender mare were to confess her feelings aloud. Twilight was, to Celestia, one part faithful student and child she did not have, and two parts dearest friend as the filly that was Twilight Sparkle had grown to be a strong and intelligent unicorn of age. It was an odd notion, admittedly, but a truthful one. She wasn’t a potential lover of life and intimacy... was she?

If only she had the strength of mind or the time to simply sit down with Twilight and talk things over. To clear the air and let the chips fall where they may to decide if the two really did have a potential relationship, opinions of other ponies be damned.

Except there was no time. There never seemed to be, with all of the events and scheduling the Princess of the Sun had to endure day in and day out now, and the hopeless mess of jumping across all of existence then. Simple visits to Ponyville were becoming more and more rare as time passed, and she hadn’t even glimpsed Twilight in the months between the wedding and the last time Celestia had seen the lavender mare. It was much like her youth in that respect; no time for relaxation or rest. She was always moving, working, and never indulging in the simplest of life’s pleasures.

She still didn’t have that time, even now. She had to smooth things out with the Colonel and do what she could to get on his good side, so that she would have no distractions for when she attempted to mend the tear in time and space between Equis and Earth.

Unless...

Unless she managed to convince her faithful student to join her in her task of aid. It wouldn’t exactly be anything more than  simple companionship while Celestia herself went about the base, but it would be, at the very least, something that could hopefully placate their distraught emotions enough to calm the both of them. It wouldn’t be the grand talk and laying out everything to one another like Celestia desired, but...

But it would be enough. For now. At least until she could hope for a moment of respite to just... talk. She would be grateful to a chance to even speak to Twilight for but a few minutes in peace, without others around to hear; a personal moment between the two, that only they would know the details about and remember. Hopefully, with time and effort, that hope could become a reality.

Celestia poured a bit more magic into her actions, making herself semi-physical within the metaphysical world of dreams and rushing forwards, revolver in one hoof as the other wrapped around the pained and exhausted unicorn. Powerful energy from the dream Chrysalis’ horn cascaded over her right wing for but a moment, but by then Celestia had already pivoted her head long enough to line up a shot. With a roar of ignited powder, lead, and magical energy, the nightmare that was the dream Chrysalis shattered, banished from its owner’s mind.

Despite this, the pain the nightmare had caused was enough to force a hiss of pain from the Alicorn as she galloped through, away from the tortuous scene and deeper into Twilight’s subconscious. As she went, her uncovered eye managed to catch the faintest glimpse of violet eyes staring at her in shock and surprise, but by then they had gotten far enough into more peaceful waters. Celestia held Twilight close and pecked her lightly upon the cheek, depositing her consciousness deep within more soothing, peaceful memories and dreams.

They were of times with her friends and family, and of events and occurrences from the past that had sought to comfort the purple unicorn when she was in such a stressed state. They would, hopefully, keep her in a more peaceful, if somewhat deeper, sleep for the time Celestia required. With a kind smile as the representation of the young mare began to drift off into a dreamscape Ponyville, the Princess of the Sun slowly burnt off her magical connection...

The second she let go of Twilight’s consciousness fully, Celestia immediately released her spell in a soothing wave of thought and returned her focus back to her own body. She smiled for but a moment, content with the now peaceful look upon her Faithful Student’s lips. A rare moment of calm in the stormy reality of the situation at hand...

The Alicorn sighed, pulling off the golden shoe of her right hoof and tapped it upon the metal floor. A hollow ringing sound, like that of two pieces of metal striking one another, was her answer. To the untrained ear alone, this would have been an odd phenomenon; a seemingly normal pony producing a sound that flesh and bone simply did not make. To the solar mare whom performed the action, however, it was a much simpler test that years of hearing the sound had driven her to.

Being extremely careful, Celestia’s magic formed around her foreleg, starting at the shoulder joint and slowly peeling back a faux fur lining. Beneath, the joint was one part metal and one part flesh, which had been slowly forming over the intricate machinery of plates, wires, and technology that would have made any member of the Brotherhood of Steel’s jaw drop. Sinew and muscle had long fused to the joint, creating a sort of machine-flesh as the solar diarch continued to heal from wounds gained more than a thousand years ago. Already, fur was beginning to grow around the red, irritated flesh, slowly changing and adapting to fit the needs of its constantly-worked form.

Celestia paid all of this no mind as she peeled back the fur covering even more, until it hung at the very tip of a fully mechanical hoof.

While ancient and advanced beyond Equestria’s time, the piece showed obvious signs of disrepair and age. As she’d known and stated to herself before, Celestia had little time anymore, and was often forced to do on-the-spot repairs of her more... prosthetic elements in order to maintain a fully functional and unhindered body. This was, of course, the case now, as well as the reason she had placed Twilight Sparkle within such a deep sleep instead of letting her wake peacefully.

To Celestia, it was like many other times; on-the-spot maintenance of one of her prosthetics. In this case, the joint of her knee was looser than it should have been, creating a subtle difference in sound, so small it might as well have been nothing. For the Alicorn, however, it meant the possibility of a sudden, annoying, and painfully obvious screeching of metal on metal as she walked. It would not do, especially around a seemingly technology hoarding organization like the Enclave.

And so the Princess of the Sun lightly pressed a hoof to the gem in the center of her necklace, causing the left front side of the piece of jewelry to slide open and reveal a small rack of maintenance tools, lubricants, and tiny replacement parts; one of many scattered across her prosthetic-fitted body and jewelry. Without even looking, Celestia levitated out a few small wrenches and screwdrivers, going to work on repairing the minor slip of machinery before it turned into something that was actually serious.

Next to her, a wing from the working mare draped over her protectively, Twilight slept in peace, content with the image of the Princess, the one she desired to be hers, being beside her once more. It brought a small smile to the Princess’ lips, but it was quick to fade as it had appeared.

Again, a blade of guilt twisted within her heart at putting the saviors of Equestria, on multiple occasions no less, into such dangers, Perhaps... perhaps I should attempt to elevate them in the same way as myself... Shouldn’t be too hard, after the initial spell is completed... and it would mean that the Elements of Harmony would be ready at a moment’s notice...

The thought in mind, she kept working, a plan slowly forming within her head as the gears of spellworks and life turned in sequence...

***

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Chrysalis awoke long before anyone else within the room, having been drifting in and out of sleep the entire night; often just barely below the waters of wakefulness, others heavily in memory-infused dreams as her conscious and subconscious both rolled around thousands of questions, few of which had answers she could find herself.

That wasn’t to say she didn’t sleep well. On the contrary, the Queen of the Changelings had finally awakened feeling refreshed, mind abuzz with multiple thoughts going on all at once. Namely, that of possibly finding a way back to the rest of her children. Without a Queen and Mother to guide them, it would not be long before the already fragile Changeling empire fell, if it had not happened already. It was now, technically, the third day for the Changeling Queen within the Capital Wasteland, after all...

Chrysalis banished the thought with a shake of her head, They’re safe. They have to be. The Equestrians are not that intentionally cruel to begin hunting down my children...

She nodded to herself, Celestia is neither stupid nor a tyrant. If something happened, the other Swarms would bring retribution. Even those against mine...

COMPLETED (Chrysalis): Sleep. You have a feeling you’re going to need it.

Reassured by that notion, the Changeling Queen slid out of the blankets and strapped her backpack and guns to her body, checking to make sure that the gear from the Raiders was still there as well. What pilfered weapons, ammunition, and supplies were her own, Moth, and Hacksaw’s stared back at her, alongside the plethora of ammo for her pistols and sniper rifle. She shrugged the backpack on again and slung her rifle over one shoulder before buzzing out of the room as quietly as possible, intent to let her children and the rest of the Pride sleep peacefully.

She wandered aimlessly at first, moving about the Citadel and simply looking over the place in curious fascination. Few, were up yet, and usually so busy with their individual tasks she either walked or flew by without a single glance in her direction. Utterly bored at the thought of having to wait for a few hours in order to speak with Elder Lyons, she finally relented with her stomach and stopped flying, slowly walking towards the room marked as the Citadel’s mess hall... or was it cafeteria?

She checked the sign. Mess hall it was. She rolled her eyes at herself as she proceeded within, finding three men had apparently woken up and had the same general idea as herself.

She instantly recognized one man encased neck to toe in a suit of power armor in the Lyons’ Pride colors, or rather, the colors themselves. He was dark skinned, with a well-trimmed beard and mustache alongside the thin layer of hair along his scalp. His dark brown eyes neatly followed her as he finished a bottle of water, a cleaned plate before him. He seemed familiar, yet she had not seen anyone without their helmet on matching his face...

She kept her mask of calm on as she quickly realized why that was, only slightly shocked by it. She’d seen all of the Pride without a helmet at some point or another, or rather herself and her children. Yet there was one who none of them had seen, and thus was the only person that the man before her could be.

She slid out of her backpack and deposited it a short distance away, taking a seat across from him, “Gallows.”

“Chrysalis.” the Knight Captain replied with a curt nod.

The two other men, who had been talking before and even slightly after her arrival paused in their conversation upon hearing her name, sharing a quick glance of eyes.

The Changeling Queen gave them an even look and a small nod of acknowledgement.

One was incredibly aged, wrinkled skin and pale blue-grey robes befitting of one who commanded great respect alongside great age. His hair had long ago greyed as well, with a beard of size much larger than that of Gallows.

The other was only slightly younger, yet carried about him an air of equal experience and deserved respect. Unlike his fellow, he sported faded robes of a red color, and was extremely clean shaven, nearly bald much like his comrade.

“Well, I had heard the reports that an insectoid race had been encountered and allied with by the Pride, but I can see now that their description was poor at best for something so inherently alien.” the man of red noted, though his tone seemed less pretentious and more cautious. Kind, almost.

Chrysalis responded with a shrug, “Well, the Changelings are alien to Earth, after all. I assume you have not yet been informed of the full details?”

“Not as much as we would like to, no. Your arrival during such times is about as out-of-the-blue as we’ve received in several months.” the man of grey-blue noted, keeping his gaze strong and unwavering as they locked eyes, “Would you care to explain, given that we have an actual sense of peace in the hours before the Brotherhood has fully awaken to their tasks?”

The Queen of the Changelings’ eyes narrowed slightly at him; a fraction of a fraction, really. She was used to these sort of fishing questions, though often they were much less subtle than outright asking. Still, she could feel no sense of deception of greed from him, nor his companion, and certainly not Gallows.

I suppose word will get around better if more know. Might save me a trip to the Elder for a few hours explanation if the story will simply be relayed across the Hive... she considered to herself.

“I suppose I could skip morning training for a recent history lecture as well. I doubt young Irving here would be much encouragement in the ways of history luck us old fossils, eh Owyn?” the red-robed man noted with a light chuckle.

Chrysalis could’ve sworn she saw the ghost of a slight smile on the dark man’s lips as the oldest man laughed, “I suppose so, Reginald. Of course, I will not force you to explain anything, madam.”

“No, no, it’s quite alright. Easier to explain it when we have a bit of piece. Would help with easing it to the Elder of your Brotherhood if there are bits and pieces floating around between warriors regardless.” she noted, thinking she had seen a small change in the blue-grey robed man as she finished her words.

She was likely simply looking into things too much. Digging round within her gear bag, she pulled out a crystal of pure Joy and stuck it between her gums and mouth, letting its precious, if sugary-tasting and somewhat adrenaline-like quality, energy seep into her body like a lollipop. Only one problem came to her mind, however. One she quickly voiced allowed, “Where should I begin...”

“Perhaps, given how long we have before any of the others are properly awake, it would be best to give the whole story and start at the beginning.” the man of red, apparently Reginald, noted.

Chrysalis shrugged, “Very well. I was born to Queen Cocoon, whom I later suggested as the name for one of my daughters and one of many successors should I perish. She had long ago solidified a policy of neutrality with many of the other Swarms of Changelings, allied with others, and done what was once thought impossible to many before her. That being of allying with, fighting alongside, and later dispersing on peaceful terms with the nation of Equestria; possibly the most powerful nation one our planet Equis, if only for stopping for what passed as the god of Chaos and Disharmony himself. Twice, I might add.”

She kept her gaze travelling to each, expecting some form of questioning. Seeing that there was none, she continued, “So once mother passed I was about... twenty five at the time. Just starting to develop into a full queen, I had been trying to learn what I could in the days of her passing. We had decent enough feeding grounds that none of our neighbors had the strength or desire to intrude on, so my rule wasn’t exactly horrible to begin with. It was often just simply organizing and leading the swarm through our hivemind, given that most of them, and even many of my own children, lacked any sort of personality that distinguished them from one another.”

The Changeling Queen smiled slightly, “It was a peaceful transition and I had little desire to interrupt our treaties and agreements. We were a vast swarm, sure; our Behemoths and Praetorians, not to mention the Centurions, were easily twice that of the average swarm in sheer numbers. That’s not even mentioning the Soldier Drones and Commanders being drilled to the point where they would often react before the news even reached myself... but above all we were defenders. Protectors. An allied Swarm was attacked, and I would direct a force to aid in preventing any major bloodshed and simply hold the line.”

She chuckled, “If only it had stayed the simple, maybe I wouldn’t be in this mess...”

***

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“I think we’re getting into proper range for the hivemind. I can hear scraps of thought.” Hacksaw noted as they rode.

James gave a nod of acknowledgement, the engine purring softly below him as they road, the only sounds besides the low, near quiet hum of the machine being the slight winds and crunch of tires on gravel as they drove across the Capital Wasteland. The Knight idly glanced at his Pip-Boy’s map, finding that they had already made excellent progress. Already they had passed the Super-Duper Mart and were swiftly approaching Wilhelm’s Wharf after only about an hour or so of driving.

Behind him, Moth tapped his shoulder, pointing past him, “Hey, you see that?”

The Lone Wanderer followed his hoof, seeing a squat, quadrupedal figure off by the wharf; a dark brown smudge against irradiated water, “Yeah. Think it might be one of your siblings?”

“I’m not getting anything over the hivemind from its direction. I think we should-” James quickly slowed down and hit the brakes, coming to a halt about a dozen or so yards away from the figure.

He felt the semi-soft impact of Hacksaw against his back, followed shortly after by another, much lighter one as the bag of gear caught up with the sudden stop. The Knight grinned sheepishly, but nonetheless gave a short word of, “Then we see who else from Equis has stumbled into America.”

“Fine, just, fucking warn me next time, James. Ow...” the medical drone noted gruffly as he slid down, slightly jostled but not worse for ware.

Moth, who had been rolling alongside them in his ‘Idle Hooves’ as he’d taken to calling them apparently, slowed down in a slightly better condition than his brother, readjusting the Pre-War fedora he’d grabbed before they’d left. With the change out from emotion-based energy to Microfusion cells, he was easily able to keep pace with the motorcycle while his brother rested.

Each of them were still dressed in their respective suits of combat armor, with weapons resupplied on ammunition and the sun at their backs as they went., though with several additions and changes. Notably Moth’s hat and the balaclava now around Hacksaw’s mouth; a series of bandana’s of a grey color sewn together to protect him from dust and debris as he rode.

James now sported Sydney’s ‘Ultra’ SMG at his side and his Vault 101 baseball bat on his back. With the holsters on each sides of his legs, he’d also decided to carry his Reservist’s Rifle in one legside holster and the Metal Blaster in the other.

Hacksaw still sported his Industrial Diggers, though he’d jokingly referred to and renamed them as Auto-Rollers on account of each having an Auto-Axe blade along the outside, protecting the Microfusion Cell casings and allowing them to quickly be replaced when needed. Moth, despite having his Idle Hooves, had also grabbed a combat knife, now strapped to his side.

As the maintenance drone stepped down, The Lone Wanderer checked their supplies. The massive gearbag remained secured by the heavy straps and cables; a bag that held a plethora of weapons, ammo, and armor pieces that still made the Lone Wanderer think how they’d managed to make it all fit.

Then again that wasn’t taking into account the dimensional pockets that both Hacksaw and Moth had used to help transport a bit more of the supplies, so it wasn’t like they were lacking in anything.

James shook his head and knocked the kickstand out, letting his bike lean against it as he stepped down from the refurbished machine. the quadruped, similar in body shape to a Changeling without a horn and feathery wings instead of chitinous insectoid ones, was now sitting on his back hooves against one of the dock posts with his forelegs crossed.

At the trio’s approach, he lifted a hoof in a wave, “Was wondering when you three would show up. I’ve been trying to track you down halfway across the Capital Wasteland. You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to find a pair of creatures that can appear as almost anypony.”

The Knight paused, glancing at the two Changelings beside him, “You know this guy?”

“Not that I can recall. He’s a pegasus though, so clearly Equestrian...” Hacksaw noted as they kept walking closer, “I’d keep an eye on him. This isn’t a good sign if the ponies followed us here...”

James nodded, and a few seconds later they were only a couple of feet from the pegasus, who was clad in a heavy brown suit, with several varied and edged blades along his back and sides, a few of which stuck upwards into the air like porcupine quills of a creature bred for war. The man raised an eyebrow behind his shades, “Why have you been trying to find us? I know I’ve done a lot, but its not everyday that an alien travels across the universe just to find me.”

“Technically it’s multiverse, but you’re not nearly that far along technologically, so its an easy mistake. Hell, I sure wasn’t when I started out.” the pony noted with a shrug of his shoulders, “But where are my manners. I’m Brass Cloud; a traveller who decided to jump through that portal here when I heard about some other world or something. You’d be surprised how much the Royal Guard is in disarray after the invasion.”

“And you’re also a terrible liar.” Hacksaw noted, his sidearm drawn and pointed at the pegasus, “Except about that last part, considering that we nearly had the entire guard either covered in raw emotion gel or in prisoner cocoons.”

“Smart as always, Hacksaw. I suppose this means that either you don’t remember me without the suit, or Chrysalis sealed a few memories off when you left and went back to her?” the pony known as Brass Cloud asked.

Hacksaw lowered his pistol slightly as James stood aside to let them talk. Moth looked between the two and shrugged, moving to James’ side again. The Changeling squinted his eyes at the pony, “Possibly both, since you’re not trying to deceive this time. Who are you?”

“I’ll answer your question as soon as I get my own. Do both yourself and your mother have a weak memory spell cast on your minds?” the pegasus tilted his head to the side, as if to emphasize the question.

Hacksaw shrugged lowering the pistol slightly more, “Yeah, we do. Can’t remember what, obviously, but something along the lines of it being an emergency kickass switch.”

“Ah, so its the later, then. Short version is that I’m one of your friends from before you went back to her. You know that gap from the spell between Queens Cocoon and Chrysalis? Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about. Now, the way I see it, you can either not believe me and shoot me, or tear the spell apart and we can catch up on old times, because I would really not like to get into a fight right now on account of my orders.” Brass Cloud explained, waving a hoof nonchalantly.

“Well at the very least you’re to-the-point.” the hyper intelligent drone noted.

“Eh, I just don’t like to keep stringing along the lies when I know I’ve been caught. Makes it easier if you’re amongst possible allies.” Brass Cloud tossed back.

“True enough. We’re too far out for a proper connection to the hivemind and to Mother, so I suppose I’ll have to wait to see if you’re really telling the truth like you’re giving off.” the pistol-wielding drone said, holstering the weapon.

“Well, mind if I join you then? I see that I might be able to kill two birds with one stone and get the bigger mess my boss has me involved in cleaned up without any bloodshed.” the pegasus asked as he uncrossed his forelegs.

“I don’t see why not.” James spoke up, “So long as you aren’t out to do something stupid like stab us in the back.”

“I’m carrying only melee weapons, only about six of which I can throw without setting myself up to be shot with impunity.” Brass Cloud deadpanned, “I may act like a clown half the time, but I’m not stupid, mister LeBlanc.”

“So long as you know the general rule.” the one man of the four shrugged, walking back to his motorcycle, “Are you going to fly, or do you want to ride?”

“If Hack’s okay with it, I’d prefer to ride. I’ve been flying non-stop for the past couple of days.” the pegasus said, casting a glance at the Changeling.

Hacksaw shrugged and pulled out his Auto-Rollers, going about attaching them as James climbed back onto his motorcycle, “I’ve been riding enough anyway.”

“Cool. For what its worth, you haven’t really changed much, Hack. Y’know that, right?” Brass Cloud noted as he flew up to sit behind the Knight.

“Yeah. Just a couple years worth of memory sealed off and being thrown across dimensions. I still want to see what you’re talking about before I go getting chummy, though.” the drone noted as he rolled over to stand beside Moth, who eyerolled.

“Wow, don’t even remember him and you’re already making friends with the guy.” James noted as he started up his bike’s engine, “You work fast, Hack.”

“I’m just giving him the benefit of the doubt. Last thing we need is more ponies coming over to Earth for revenge.” and with that, the two Changelings and one human-pegasus combo drove off again.

James idly had to wonder just what this would mean, taking on an Equestrian, one of the nation that the Changelings had apparently invaded, into his group of companions...

***

Now Loading

“So basically what it boiled down to was a lack of Love to provide nutrition of healthy levels for all of us without draining our supplies at an extreme rate, what with most of the feeding grounds having dwindled to nothing since the railroads replaced travel by hoof.” Chrysalis noted, taking another sip from the Nuka Cola that Gallows had passed to her about a half hour ago in the explanation, “Or in the simplest terms, a famine.”

All three had rarely asked any questions about Equestria or the Changeling Empire, let alone the race itself. Beyond the occasional asking for clarification, they seemed to both understand and even show a minor degree of sympathy behind steely eyes.

Then again it could have simply been politely holding all questions for later. She didn’t really care which as she continued, “So eventually I got the grand idea in my mind that we would take on the most powerful and love-filled nation in the world to end our hunger... basically forever. Turn us into a superpower and make the Changeling Empire carry a bit more weight than simply being the most powerful Swarm. All we had to do was take the capital, and then...”

Chrysalis chuckled, rolling her eyes, “Then I thought we could just simply take over. Oh, how foolish I was...”

The Changeling Queen sighed, leaning back and letting her hair spill behind the chair’s back like a waterfall of pale blue, “Three quarters. Three bucking quarters of the Royal Guard, the only decent defensive force in Equestria, was stationed in Canterlot because someone in the Swarm had slipped up. Sure, most of the Swarm was stationed outside of the shield in hiding, but a decent portion was actually inside before Shining Armor, the Captain of the Guard, had even put up the Tartarus-damned thing. If there was even one slip up; if they had time to react properly, or if I couldn’t take down the Royal Family...”

She smacked one hoof on top of the other for emphasis, “Dead. Gone. Vaporized in fire or frozen and sold as Changelingcicles to the masses. It all hinged on so many ‘what if’s and gambles that it was a wonder that it even worked. And once it did, I just acted like a larvae, gloating at my victory until the bride and groom nearly knocked my flank back to the badlands...”

Chrysalis sighed dejectedly, lowering her head slightly below its normal position, letting her hair cover her eyes a bit, “But I suppose in the grand scheme of things on Earth that none of it matters. All that does at the moment is that I get back home. There are a good ten thousand or so warriors in the Swarm that likely were thrown out by that magical blast of overloading Love. Each of them carrying either my genes or my mothers, created by the Breeders. Each a life that I’ve done everything I could before now to protect...”

She tried to keep calm as tears threatened to form in the corners of her eyes, “Even if it’s been three days, I still need to go back to my own planet. Still need to find them and try to keep them alive and bury the dead.”

The Queen of the Changelings laid her head on the table, “I’m afraid that its going to be a mountain of corpses by the time I manage to find a way home...”

“You really do care about them, despite your own sins, don’t you?” she glanced up at the grey-blue robed man, Owyn, from behind the bars of her hair, “That you would go up against such foolish odds to keep them nourished and alive.”

“Of course I would. They’re my children. Maybe not in the same way it is to a mammal’s or a common insect’s, where they actually give birth to them, but they all still carry my genetics. They’re still my brothers and sisters, sons and daughters. I can’t just be so heartless as to abandon them.” she noted with a hint of protective anger, “It’s just... its wrong. Horrible, terrible, and a just plain wrong act I could never forgive myself for doing, even if it means condemning others. I joined alongside the Pride for survival, but I stayed alongside them here because I know now what you do.”

“Oh?” Reginald spoke up, his tone questioning but guarded.

“Similar, at least. You kill off the raiders and scum of the Capital Wasteland, right? You kill because it both thins out the population, and keeps the honest, kind humans alive. A necessary evil to kill to allow others to live.” she levitated the Nuka Cola to her lips and drained it in one long, heavy gulp, setting it down on the table again, “Same thing.”

“I suppose you are correct, madam.” Owyn nodded in understanding, “The Brotherhood does what it does to keep the good people of the Wasteland alive, even if it does mean shedding blood upon its grounds.”

“Please, just call me Chrysalis. I’ve grown far too tired of the fanfare and etiquette of the royal life between the Hives.” she grumbled, annoyed at the prospect, “I don’t deserve what I haven’t earned the right to be called. Yet, at least.”

“Very well, Chrysalis. While your story certainly is vast by human standards, I suppose that it is nonetheless noble enough a cause for us not to deny you aid. I fear, however, that we would not know where to start, and thus can not help you immediately.” the old man replied solemnly.

“I suppose that was to be expected.” she muttered dejectedly, “I wasn’t exactly expecting a miracle from anyone out here in a place almost as bad as Tartarus, no offense.”

The Changeling Queen sighed and leaned back a bit in her chair and slinging a foreleg over the back of her chair, “Regardless, I suppose until we can find a way back that the only logical course of action would be to join your Brotherhood. Maybe not officially, as I doubt many would take kindly to an alien race walking around, but perhaps as mercenaries? Freelancers? Allies? Whatever term you need to ease your conscience, but the point remains that you’re probably the one group out here that I’ve noticed with enough arms and armor to lay claim as the protectors of the Capital Wasteland.”

“I suppose if you are willing. You’ve had contact with our Knight LeBlanc, have you not?” Reginald questioned, and Chrysalis could’ve sworn she saw a spark of mischief behind his eye.

“I have. My sons, Hacksaw and Moth, are travelling with him as we speak. He’s just outside of hivemind range, but I can get bits and pieces of current thoughts.” she explained.

Reginald and Owyn shared a glance as Gallows picked up his trash and tossed it into the nearby trashcan before leaving, giving the three a curt nod.

Chrysalis returned it as she watched the two. Reginald spoke first, “Do you think we should? Young James is known for getting into some of the Wastelands more... unsavory, conflicts.”

“True, but he’s also kept all of his companions alive. Even his ally Fawkes has proven to be useful in more ways than a sophisticated wall of strength, Super Mutant aside.” Owyn countered, “That, and we can’t exactly measure the Changelings based upon the ideal criteria of the men and women we put in as Knights. I think it would be best to simply place them under James’ care with the same respect we gave him.”

“So, not officially members, but honorary enough to provide them with information and trading equipment, then.” Reginald tossed back, a bit of his tact missing.

“Essentially, assuming you and your current children would be happy with the arrangement, Chrsyalis.” Owyn noted as he turned his gaze back to her.

“So long as we have a safe haven in the Capital Wasteland, I’d be willing to accept that. Though, shouldn’t such a decision go through to your Elder first before such an important decision is made?” Chrsyalis asked, an eyebrow raised in question.

Both men chuckled, but it was Reginald who spoke first, “Owyn is our Elder, Miss Chrysalis.”

Chrysalis’ mind suddenly ground to a halt as it processed those words. She had just spent the last three quarters of an hour or so explaining everything in hopes of passing it along to the elder... and she had been speaking to him the entire time, “Oh...”

***

“So, they’ve made it, then.” the first voice, female and slightly mechanical in tone but nonetheless calm spoke. It wasn’t a question that was spoken, but a statement. It was a tone that lacked most emotion, as if it didn’t know how to display it anymore, or maybe never had.

“It would seem. He’s very charismatic to have befriended such alien creatures. Perhaps we should sit back and see where this goes.” a second, sophisticated voice suggested. It had the texture of a gentleman, a slight British quality even lingering within it. It was the voice of a scholar and a tone that made one wonder if it was a helpful companion or a ballroom backstabber.

“No.” a third, commanding and strong voice ordered. It was that of a powerful male, as if it had been born with authority, and groomed since a young age to be the perfect leader, “We shall send him a challenge. Lead him towards the others. We shall use him to secure the destruction of the... lesser, factions of the nation’s capital.”

“Yeah,” a fourth, country-accented voice agreed. His voice was full of southern twang and cocky courage, “Let the Enclave delude themselves inta having a chance at survival with their own aliens. They’ll be betrayed and taken down, in due time.”

“Oh, fine.” a fifth, annoyed and female voice stated, “We’ll let ‘em fight it out, but I still think we’re playin’ with fiya here. LeBlanc already dealt with Armitage and Zimmer, and... ‘Harkness’ is untouchable as far as gettin’ him over to our side is concerned. Maybe even an ally if our presence is revealed.”

“True,” the second commented, “But then again so is Benjamin if he and LeBlanc cross paths.”

***

“Which they undoubtedly will.” a sixth voice, smooth and cold, as if chilled in the void of space itself spoke, knowing it were fact. It was a calm and calculated female’s voice, like given to a mad god that had taken mortal form, “I don’t know, what do you think?”

It was the laughter in the background one hears in dreams. The force behind the wind on a stormy night. It was the beckoning of the shadow on the moon at night, filling the hearts of mortals with equal parts fright and delight. It was the reply to the 'who's there' that one would meekly call out to the darkest corners of the room. It gave the other voices pause upon hearing, having never been exposed to it before that time.

“What the hell...?” the fourth voice spoke softly. The sound of a shotgun cocking rang through the air.

“Oh, certainly. I would be surprised if they didn’t at this rate. Do you think we should tell them that they’re going to die? I’ve wondered if androids can feel fear.” a seventh voice answered the sixth. It's tone and pattern was of a female, fiery and oppressive. When it spoke, it was with a grandeur and ferocity that threatened to reduce the unworthy to ash, yet within that was tender mercy and a warmth that promised to nurture and guide those loyal and worthy within the eyes of it's unfathomable owner.

It was warm and comforting, but holding an edge in its obviously female tone, as if the slightest thing would ignite an angry volcano of fury that would seek only to destroy all in its path. Warped, almost double-toned, as if two were speaking in tandem was the most noticeable quality. One side sounded gentle and calm, while the other held the quality of boiling lava within it, as if in a volcano about to explode.

"Wouldn't change anything. The other times haven't worked." the sixth noted calmly, as if accepting the inevitable.

"True, but who's to say it wouldn't this time? Celestia took over twenty thousand lifetimes and universes to get it right and ascend." the seventh countered with some note of curiosity at the idea, as if baiting the sixth.

"Yes, but Celestia was after godhood, not simply taking over a nation’s capital.” the sixth countered effortlessly, apparently ignoring the owners of the other voices as firearm hammers and pins click and energy weapons let loose the low whine of powering up.

“How about we try the experiment again, then. You, sun or moon?" the seventh asked suddenly.

"Get out." first commanded, her monotone voice gaining the slightest tinges of malice, as if it were forced.

"Fine, fine, but your hopes to win despite everything will fail just like the other factions." the sixth stated, as if trying to warn despite being slightly offended.

"Obviously. They're so violent. No patience for combat. No different than the Slavers, really." the seventh noted with a bit of disgust.

“Ironic, coming from you.” came a note of impishness from the sixth.

“I consider combat to be an honorable and noble thing that is where one shows off their skills or defends loved ones, not a way for petty land grabs in such a short mortal life span.” the tone of the seventh growled with anger and hatred, and for a moment the fury and rage threatened to spill over, like a volcano erupting with the force of a nuclear bomb.

“ I suppose. Well at least they didn’t shoot at us. Tried to Mez us, but that was rather to be expected with Eulogy.” the sixth noted with a slight tinge of acceptance and comprehension.

“ Too bad that they’re going to be killed by the Changelings. I rather wanted that Chinese sword in their weapons shop.” the seventh grumbled, as if annoyed with the prospect of losing the chance at a blade.

"Did they just?" the second voice finally stated, thrown off as the sound of a light bulb burning out echoed throughout the room.

"Who... cares?” the fifth in a mixture of annoyance and a lack of carrying.

“They are just aliens like the others. The power of an advanced machine mind will beat that of the weak flesh just like it always has.” the third stated, as if fully believing it to be fact.

A tense silence settled over the group, only to be broken by the second again, "So, who's going to be our lead?"

A  pause filled the void between the five voices, "...Seriously? Oh, fine. Since I'm apparently the only one with the motherboard to do it."

“...I’ll do it. I’ve got a bone to pick with that asshole anyway.” an eighth voice, who had remained quiet throughout the entire conversation until then, spoke, “He owes me for that bullshit he pulled back at The Pitt regardless. I want first crack at him...”