• Published 12th May 2014
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Mente Materia - Arad



Twilight’s trip to Earth and friendship with the humans brings new friends and enemies to her peaceful world. With the specter of war hanging over them, Equestria will have to form an alliance like no other to fight the menace from the void.

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19 -- The Aftermath

I’m doing a terrible job as a big sister if I need you to help me, right?

------

01:10, 11/23/2015, THRONE ROOM, CANTERLOT

The moment the massive doors to the throne room slammed shut, Matt’s mind went into overdrive. What does Shiny mean, that’s not Celestia? The aliens haven’t made a fake that good yet. Unless... it isn’t an alien. That train of thought brought Matt’s attention to the dozen unicorns that lined the walls. They were sporting spotless white coats under their pristine golden armor, and they were all perfectly identical. “Contacts front!” Matt snapped as the flow of time resumed, and his rifle swept up to point at the current occupant of the throne.

Victor and Jack hesitated for just a second, but their well-drilled reflexes responded to the order. “Uh… sir?” the former asked with a clear amount of unease, and the latter’s silence conveyed the same amount of uncertainty.

“Harris, what the hell are you doing?” Fujikawa’s anger was palpable through the radio, as was her surprise. “Your orders were to remain on station until stand down orders were confirmed. Why in God’s name are you in the throne room pointing your weapon at friendlies!?”

Wait, what? Didn’t she order me to... Matt’s own trail of thought was derailed as another piece of the puzzle fell into place. “Command, Able Actual. Please recite today’s challenge code,” he said as calmly as he could manage.

Fujikawa’s rant halted and was immediately followed by a sharp intake of breath. “Challenge code is blue harvest. Contain the situation as best you can, Able. Command, out.” A handful of seconds later, muted shouts and banging on the throne room doors could be heard, but the locking bar remained firmly in place.

The realization that they were locked in with the pretender to the throne sent Matt’s mind down an entirely new train of thought. Why would this imposter want me here? I’m not important; if I’m wounded or killed, then there are others that can pick up for me. Same for Shiny and the Equestrian Armed Forces. She wants both of us here… but why? It’s not like the war effort would suffer too greatly if-- The last piece of the puzzle fell into place in Matt’s mind. It’s Twilight that she wants to hurt, isn’t it? A spike of anger replaced his apprehension at the situation, and his finger moved from the guard to the trigger of his rifle.

Mou, there’s no need to get so huffy, you two. We’re just waiting for one last pony to join us before we can begin,” ‘Celestia’ said with a pouting expression that seemed horribly out of place on the solar diarch’s face. That expression quickly changed to delight as she spotted something behind Matt. “Ah, so glad you could join us, sleepyhead!”

Despite the tenseness of the situation, Matt couldn’t help but glance behind him. All of the torches and light sources behind him had been overpowered, and a pitch black void had replaced the space behind him. The only feature that could be seen in the void was a pair of angry eyes glaring at the throne. The darkness began to recede and take Luna’s form, but the eyes never changed. “You will vacate my sister’s throne and shed her form immediately, Queen Chrysalis,” she ordered.

The mounting tension slowly came to a head before ‘Celestia’ let out a dramatic sigh and rose from her seat. “I did not come here or engineer this meeting to spark further confrontation, sleepy-”

The correct form of address is ‘Your Highness!’” Luna hissed.

“-Your Highness, but don’t think for a moment that I don’t have the power to challenge you now.” The white coat began to morph into black chitin and the nebulous mane became a far less colorful dark green. The horn atop the imposter’s head became bent and warped, and a disconcerting number of pointed teeth appeared in her grin. “The young prince’s love for his wife was intoxicating in its potency but the desperate hope and joy at seeing Celestia defend her little ponies has a quality and quantity all its own. You put on a good show, Luna dear, but it’s been awfully taxing of you to control both the sun and the moon as well as destroy all those ships that were outside the shield, yes?

“And you, Captain Armor, are far too exhausted to do much more than simply glare at me. Defending an entire city must have been quite draining, yes? I doubt you could do very much at this point, considering your current predicament,” Chrysalis grinned at the unicorn, and all of the guards in the room reverted to their undisguised forms, including the two that had followed Shining Armor into the room. The stallion jumped backwards and set himself into a defensive stance, which elicited a giggle from the changeling queen.

“Harris, what is going on here?” Finch asked nervously, and Matt could see he wasn’t the only one that had subtly switched his rifle from burst fire to fully automatic.

“Hold your fire, but keep your eyes open,” Matt said before switching to the officers’ channel. “Command, Able Actual. Confirmed indigenous infiltrators present within the throne room, current intent is unknown.” Before Matt could hear the response, Chrysalis eyes were upon him.

“And at last we have Captain Harris. Your companions are quite disciplined, but I can still taste their fear. You, however, have nothing but anger in you. Curious… very curious. I suspect it will be quite the mystery to unravel… later,” the changeling queen said as she brought her gaze back to Luna. “I’ve come to Canterlot to discuss the future of our world. We have much to offer each other, if you would hear me out. Of course, if you prefer a confrontation, then that could be arranged. You should know that even if you win, the truth that this fair city will see is you battling your sister again. Oh how the tongues will wag…”

“Enough,” Luna interrupted, and she brought one hoof down on the marble floor to punctuate the point. “I have little time to spend listening to your threats. Speak your piece and begone from my sight.”

“You wound me, dear, especially when we have so much to gain together,” Chrysalis smirked, and her gaze again fell upon Matt. If she was perturbed by the fact that his rifle hadn’t lowered once, she did not show it. “This patchwork alliance has done miraculous things considering the nature of the enemy that attacks you, but it is still lacking in several areas. It is my understanding that the humans have a network of eyes above their world that warn them when the enemy approaches, yes?” Her eyes narrowed and the grin grew. “Annoyance, suspicion and no confusion. It seems I’m right. On this world, you lack that same capacity during the day. I will admit that dragonfire messages and the creative uses of Princess Luna’s dream-walking is an inelegant solution, but it will not work for long. That’s just one of the many problems that my little changelings have seen so far.”

“What exactly are you proposing?” Luna asked pointedly.

“A deal, Princess. A deal in which I provide what your alliance lacks, and your people provide what mine need to survive. My changelings are everywhere, and through them I can see the majority of Equestria and the world beyond, and by extension I can sense where our mutual enemy appears,” Chrysalis explained before smiling.

“You’re offering a lot, but you still haven’t said what it will cost,” Matt said, and the red dot sight on his rifle shifted from the changeling queen’s left eye to her right when she turned to affix him with a grin.

“That’s the beauty of this little arrangement,” Chrysalis said as her form once again shifted to match Celestia’s for a brief moment. “With Celestia still unable to appear before the populace, morale has dwindled drastically. By appearing before them, I can inspire everypony and assure them that everything will be right in the end. Every appearance gives me more than enough love and joy to feed my broods as payment. It is quite the convenient arrangement, is it not? There is only one other condition I would have for my services.”

As the changeling queen continued to pitch her idea, Matt caught sight of something floating down from the roof. The shape resolved itself into the serpentine form of Discord, and an expression of manic glee appeared on his face when he caught sight of Chrysalis. An inflated balloon appeared in one paw, while a needle appeared in the other, followed by another limb with what appeared to be an air horn. Two more limbs appeared with a matching gong and mallet set. Yet another set of limbs appeared with a track-and-field starter pistol and (of all things) an inflated paper bag. Discord drew in a breath as he prepared to--
Oblivious to what was happening behind her, Chrysalis stated her last demand, “Discord must never be allowed within the same room that I reside in.”

“OH COME ON!” Discord shouted before vanishing as his target whirled around in a panic.

A long moment passed as Chrysalis looked about like a startled rabbit while muttering quickly under her breath before she remembered that she wasn’t alone in the room. She cleared her throat before trying to salvage the situation. “Y-yes, anyway! I also come on behalf of another who wishes to barter their services in the current conflict.” The rest of her apparent nervousness at the unexpected interruption was quashed under her anticipation as she said, “Shirogane and the dragon broods are ready to bury the hatchet, so to speak. Her conditions are rather simple, and I anticipate no problems fulfilling them.”

“Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and go well with ketchup,” Finch whispered through the radio before he realized that others on the line could hear him. “Uh, Command? Are you getting this?”

“Video and audio,” Fujikawa answered with equal parts amusement and trepidation. “Keep her talking for at least two more minutes. Beowulf and Gespenst will be prepared to lead a breach on your order, Harris.”

“Shirogane is a collector of many rare and valuable things,” Chrysalis said, directing the statement at Luna to answer a question that Matt had missed. “The aliens bring curious items and artifacts with them that this world has never seen that intrigue her. Her first demand is the choice of salvage that any of her brood manages to capture in combat.”

“We might not be able to agree completely with that, ma’am,” Matt interrupted as he began to lower his rifle, and he hesitated when he received a curious look from everyone involved. “Many of the alien artifacts are volatile or explosive if not handled by an expert first. It would be a shame if her collection were damaged or destroyed because of that.”

All eyes switched back to the changeling queen, who had adopted an unfocused and blank expression for just a moment. “She agrees with your assessment, and she will allow one of your ‘experts’ to evaluate and disarm anything she lays claim to.”

“Quick thinking, Harris. Just don’t forget that you aren’t officially authorized to negotiate on our behalf. Just keep stalling,” Fujikawa said, and Matt’s IFF pinged with a mess of friendly signals approaching the throne room.

“Shirogane’s second condition is non-negotiable in any form, I am afraid,” Chrysalis continued with a small amount of hesitation. “She requests to meet with one of her kind that currently lives here in Canterlot. I believe his name is ‘Spike,’ and she wishes to speak with him privately.”

A quick glance to the Equestrians in the room showed an equal amount of uncertainty from them as well. Luna finally broke the silence as she said, “I shall speak to Spike about this, but it will ultimately be his decision to meet or not. That is all I can offer.”

Again the slightly vacant look appeared on the changeling’s face for just a moment. “Shirogane eagerly awaits the answer then.” For the briefest of moments, she hesitated before continuing. “As for her last condition, it is related to the first. Shirogane is thousands of years old, older than Celestia’s rule if the tales are true, and she has come to value more than material and worldly things. She wants to hear tales of Earth.” Chrysalis raised one malformed hoof to hold off any interruptions. “She is not interested in books or dry history lessons. She wants to hear these stories from you, Captain Harris.”

What. “I’m not certain that’s a wise idea…” Matt started to say, but was interrupted by the changeling.

“It isn’t my place to question dragons, and truth be told I don’t know if I could understand the motives of a creature that is thousands of years old. You won’t be meeting directly, however. Just as I am relaying this meeting to her, so shall I relay the stories as well. Do we have a deal, Captain?”

A small amount of wariness crept into Matt’s mind, but he gave a small nod. A small glance to the other humans in the room was all that was needed for them to lower, but not safety, their weapons. He switched to the officers’ line in his helmet before speaking. “Command, this is Harris. Recommend stand down orders for the breaching team. They may not--”

“I don’t buy it,” Shining Armor snapped. “I don’t believe for a second that you’re being honest. Changelings are born to lie and hurt everypony they ever meet, and I’ve not seen any proof that you don’t intend to do just that the moment you have a chance. What proof do we have that you aren’t working for our enemies? This could all be a back up plan if their attack failed here!”

The mirth and good cheer on Chrysalis face slowly melted into a more calculating expression as she watched Shining Armor. “You’re quite right. I had anticipated some resistance from you, and I know that you cannot take my word at its face value. So I made certain to bring adequate physical proof that, if nothing else, the allegiance of the hive is not with the Empty Ones.” One of the changeling guards moved towards the center of the room and tossed a burlap bag towards them, which gave a muffled clang as it struck the marble floor.

A series of quick looks went between the humans and the Equestrians before Shining Armor used his telekinesis to untie the bag and remove its contents. “Sun above!” the unicorn swore once it was fully revealed, and his concentration faltered enough to let the object fall back to the floor.

“Harris, Command. Is that an Ethereal’s helmet!?” Fujikawa sputtered through the radio.

The major’s observation was accurate as far as Matt could tell, despite his own disbelief. An Ethereal helmet similar to the one that was seen during the first attack on Canterlot, and from what Matt could see, a head was still inside the helmet. “Confirm that, Command.”

“I’ll take everyone’s lack of further protests as a sign that our relationship has reached the next step,” Chrysalis said sweetly, as though she was commenting on reaching second base rather than providing proof that she had killed an alien that normally required air strikes to deal with. “Now, there’s just one more matter that needs to be attended to,” she added as she looked up to the roof of the throne room.

An equine shape hidden in the shadows detached itself and began to fall. Matt quickly recognized Firecracker as she twisted through the air to land squarely on her hooves with a crunch on the marble floor. She wasted no time assuming a fighting position with her spear and a cloud of gold coins hovering behind her; an almost feral growl escaped her clenched teeth.

The changeling guards reacted immediately to the hostility that now filled the room, but they stopped when Chrysalis shot them a glance. “Now now, is that any way to greet your--” Anything else she might have said caught in her throat as Firecracker’s spear shot within a hand-span of her head and embedded itself in the throne.

YOU ARE NOT MY QUEEN!” Firecracker shouted before stomping towards the throne room doors.

Everyone’s attention followed her as the exit opened almost meekly, and Matt was the only one who caught the regretful look on Chrysalis face before it became hidden behind the serene smile of a fake Celestia.

------

“Breaching teams, be advised,” Fujikawa’s voice entered Lana’s ears as she and the rest of Bravo tabbed their way to the closed throne room doors. “Possible hostiles are presently contained within the throne room, fifteen in total. IFF confirms three Equestrian and three human friendlies present so check your fire. MEC support will arrive momentarily.”

A disconcerting lack of gunfire or shouts could be heard through the door, despite Lana’s place at the head of the stack as the group formed up. A quick check of her laser rifle confirmed that a fresh battery was in place, and a brief pat down confirmed the positions of the flashbang and frag grenades on her webbing. Maybe I should just yell ‘Frag out’ when I toss the flashbang, just so I can scare the shit out of Harris, Lana thought vindictively, as the seconds began to stretch into minutes.

Several minotaur appeared on the opposite side of the hallway with Asterion at the head of the column. The axe in his right hand was drenched in alien blood and gore, as was the armor around his arm. The armor plates on his chest and shoulders were warped and melted, as well as the massive circular shield on his left arm. Crusted blood stained the front of his snout, and most of the hair on the right side of his head was little more than ash and cinders. The rest of the minotaurs in the column were similarly equipped and in various states of damage and injury, but the only sound they made was the sound of their armored hooves striking the marble floor.

Lieutenant Colson stepped out of the stack to speak briefly with the minotaur commander just as Beowulf and Gespenst came bounding around the corner, and everything happened at once.

Asterion’s sharp eyes locked on to the two MECs and a jolt of fear briefly appeared before discipline asserted itself. “Toys? Toys!?” the second word came as a disbelieving shout as he widened his stance. “I had thought you humans were smarter than this!? Are you trying to get everyone killed!? The Toybox was destroyed for a reason, and I won’t let the mistakes of the past repeat themselves!” The rest of the minotaurs bristled as Beowulf and Gespenst came to a halt, and Asterion gripped his axe with enough force that Lana swore she heard the wooden shaft crack.

Beowulf’s golden visor stared blankly at the minotaur leader before turning to Lieutenant Colson. “Is there a problem, sir?”

The young lieutenant had slowly begun to back away from the minotaur formation before he spoke into his helmet radio. “Command, Bravo. MEC support just showed up and the minotaurs are going apeshit. Orders?”

“The situation inside the throne room has resolved itself so breaching will not be necessary,” Fujikawa reported quickly before a brief pause. “Where is Firecracker? She should be able to diffuse the situation or at least explain what’s going on.”

Before Lana could balk at the suggestion, the barred doors to the throne room opened to reveal the mare in question. The changeling’s usual good mood was nowhere to be seen as she stomped into the hallway while grinding her teeth. Firecracker stopped when she noticed the congestion in the hallway, and her goggled gaze swept from the minotaurs to the humans. One hoof came up to her face and, to Lana’s surprise, she let out a comprehensive string of profanity in Spanish, German and Russian before taking a deep breath.

“Asterion, the golems that the humans employ are not like the Toys of the Toybox. They are not autonomous,” Firecracker explained slowly as though the minotaur were a particularly dim child before turning to Lieutenant Colson. “The minotaurs do not trust any construct that doesn’t have an operator they can see. Is everyone on the level now? Good.”

Firecracker turned and started to leave but Asterion’s raised voice caused the changeling to grind her teeth as she stopped. “Major Fujikawa, you’re going to have to tell them how the MECs work,” she said quickly into her headset radio. “I got access to this line the same way that I know how the MECs really operate. Sharing that is going to be the only way salvage any trust with Asterion and his kind. Yes, I’m sure.”

Firecracker continued to grind her teeth and growl as she disappeared down the hallway, and Lana took a moment to glance into the throne room to see just what had upset her. Shining Armor, Luna, as well as Harris and his men stood opposite of a small herd of unicorns and a radiant figure that could only be Celestia. What’s got Firecracker all worked up? Lana asked herself as Lieutenant Colson took off his helmet and raised his voice to attract attention.

“Asterion, I’ve been ordered to escort you to the compound. Sergeant Jenkins, you’re coming with.”

------

01:20, 11/23/2015, MEDICAL WING, CANTERLOT

Alvar hadn’t moved an inch since the Myrmidon had offered a blade to him. The sounds of battle had come awfully close to the doorway to the medical wings, but not a single enemy had managed to breach them. To Alvar’s senses, the battle may have ended hours earlier based purely on the lack of shouts from the corridors.

While Alvar wasn’t the only defender of the medical wings, he was surely handling the quiet better than others. Rainbow Dash hawk-like glare never left the door for more than a few moments at a time, but she had begun to conjure up additional stormclouds as time had passed. At the moment, the rafters in the medical wing entrance looked more like one massive thunderhead than any indoor structure should.

When the doors finally opened and the Myrmidon stepped through, Alvar finally allowed himself to relax despite the grumbles from the stormclouds above. He bowed his head and offered the blade back to his original owner, only to glance up when an additional weight was placed in his talons. Instead of retrieving the weapon, the Myrmidon had placed its sheath on top of it. The only reaction that the silent guardian gave to his younger charge was a simple tilt of the head.

For the longest moment, Alvar could only stare dumbly at the contents in his talons. Is he… is he giving me the blade? Even being allowed to touch a Myrmidon blade is a rare honor, and borrowing one for a single battle is rarer still! To be given such a thing, it’s… it’s not an honor. It’s a responsibility. The young griffon tore his eyes away from the elder and nodded. When the elder took a step back, Alvar spread his wings and rose into the air. The blade was nearly as long as Alvar from beak to tail, which made it awkward to wield from the ground, but in the air…

The young griffon took in a deep breath before giving the oversized blade a cut through the air, a spin in one talon, followed by a flourish that ended with the blade firmly in its sheath. Alvar sank back to the floor and slipped the sheath strap around his chest so the blade rested down the length of his back and between his wings. With his new weapon secured, he bowed to the Myrmidon. After a long look of appraisal, the Myrmidon returned the gesture. No words were necessary between the elder and younger griffon.

“Woah…”

Alvar looked to the side to see that the ritual had attracted an audience from both the residents of the medical ward as well as the guards that were entering for treatment. The word that had broken the silence had been spoken by Rainbow Dash as the clouds in the rafters began to disperse. A sense of awkwardness filled Alvar as everypony continued to stare, the Cutie Mark Crusaders included.

“Gilda told me all about the Mer... the Mire… about your big friend over there, and they never give anything away!” Rainbow Dash said as her hooves touched the floor. The surrounding ponies must have taken that as a signal to approach, as a large number of them took the opportunity to do so. At the head of the herd were the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

“Oh, oh, does this mean you’re a knight?” Scootaloo asked with a wide grin and stars in her eyes.

“I don’t think that’s--” Applebloom started, but was interrupted by Sweetie Belle.

“He’s not a knight! You heard the griffon’s talking earlier. He’s High Talon! That means…” the unicorn filly said before looking to Alvar, “what does that mean?”

The creeping anxiety that Alvar had felt only intensified as he struggled to come up with an explanation. I don’t want them to treat me like the rest of my clutch does now. I don’t want vassals… I want friends. “It’s… n-not important,” the young griffon finally stuttered out as he also realized just how close the Cutie Mark Crusaders had gotten to him, both emotionally and literally.

Even as the curious ponies began to pester Alvar with questions, the young High Talon caught sight of a tired Twilight Sparkle as she reunited with her friends in one massive group hug. How do her friends see the mare and not the position? he asked himself silently, and Alvar resolved to find out just how their relationship remained strong in addition to everything else he wanted to know.

------

01:32, 11/23/2015, XCOM COMPOUND, CANTERLOT

A steady stream of tired and bloodied XCOM soldiers made their way back to the compound, but all made way for the three MECs and the soldiers behind them. The tail of the column was formed by Asterion and a handful of his Hoplites, who looked increasingly agitated at the situation. That agitation only grew when the column was halted just outside of the compound by an equally annoyed Fujikawa with Firecracker at her side.

“Access beyond this point is restricted,” the human said evenly, and she did not flinch for a moment as Asterion glared down at her. “However, in order to facilitate trust and unit cohesion, you have been granted limited access so that you may understand the differences between our MECs and the ‘Toy Box’ that your people created.”

“We’ll come to our own conclusions about the folly of your ingenuity,” the minotaur leader grumbled, and both he and his guards moved to pass only for Fujikawa to raise one hand to halt them.

“Apologies, sir, but only you have been granted access. Your soldiers may wait here until you are done,” the major stated, and her tone was polite enough not to cause offense but stubborn enough to indicate that she would not budge from that position. When Asterion gave a small nod to his guards, Fujikawa continued, “Sergeant Jenkins will escort you to the relevant areas in the compound and provide an explanation. Bravo! Form on me.” With the last order, the female officer headed away from the compound with a majority of the soldiers in tow.

Well… where to begin? Lana asked herself as she and the minotaur stepped past the two alert guards at the entrance to the compound. “Well, I’ll do my best to explain the situation, sir. Just keep in mind that I rely on my experiences rather than technical details.” Asterion’s expression darkened at that, but Lana didn’t let that stop her explanation. “When Twilight first came to Earth, she started something of a chain reaction there. Several humans started showing the potential for what we call ‘the Gift,’ which I suppose could be considered magical potential.”

The two didn’t stop to acknowledge the pair of XCOM guards that shadowed them as they entered the MEC maintenance and pilot treatment area of the compound. Asterion’s expression remained surly as he caught sight of both Edelweiss and Gespenst in their maintenance cages along the far wall, as well as to cast a wary eye at the last remaining MEC as it unloaded all of its weapons nearby.

Beowulf placed its gatling weapon on the rack next to the other MEC weapons before detaching the belt feed from the drum over its right shoulder, then detaching the drum itself and setting it in the corresponding spot near the rest of the stored ammunition. The grenade launcher behind the left shoulder was also removed and placed within its corresponding spot. The blocky telekinetic strike module on the left arm was last to be removed before Beowulf took it’s place in the last maintenance cage. The engineers that had been standing nearby immediately began to swarm the MEC, removing the melted and damaged armor plates along the arms, shoulders and chest.

“As interesting as the history lesson is, I fail to see the relevance,” Asterion huffed as he watched the tear-down procedure for a moment longer before moving to follow Lana down the hallway.

“The relevance will become apparent soon,” Lana said as she slung her laser rifle over her shoulder and began to undo the Carapace armor plates around her left arm. “At around the same time that the Gift began to manifest in some of our people, it was also discovered that a Gifted mind tries to fill in the gaps should the body fail. It was only a matter of time before we developed a way to harness this capacity to do extraordinary things.” She carefully placed the armored plates and gauntlets on the table as they entered the next room.

One of Asterion’s ears was directed at Lana but the rest of his attention was directed towards the other occupants in the room. A small cadre of doctors tended to the figures that struggled to rise from two of the beds. The first was a dark-skinned man with both legs missing below the knee that dry heaved several times into the bucket beside the bed before accepting help into a nearby wheelchair with a weary look in his eyes. The second was a woman missing an arm and with scars along her face that nearly fell out of bed before the doctors caught her and helped her back up. When the minotaur glanced back at Lana and saw her holding her prosthetic hand in the air between them, comprehension began to dawn for him.

The look quickly shifted back to suspicion when the heavy footsteps of Beowulf could be heard entering the room. The MEC had been completely stripped down from its heavy armor and other miscellaneous equipment and now appeared as a comparatively thin figure. Wires and hydraulics in the limbs were clearly visible, as was the plethora of machinery built into its chest and abdomen. It walked wordlessly over to the third bed in the room and looked down at its occupant.

It might have once been a man, but any identifying features had been burned away along with most of his skin. Both legs and one arm were missing, and the remaining arm was twisted and warped. His lower body was covered in a white sheet, and the upper portion of his head was hidden behind a helmet that was connected to the wall with dozens of wires. The husk on the bed spasmed briefly before one of the doctors gave him a shot and a pained look.

Not a word was shared between them after that, and only the low din of the doctors and their machines took the place of their conversation for several minutes. “They will not like it, but I will speak with the others on this,” Asterion finally said as he looked at the burned man in the bed. “They will like it less when I refuse to explain why I have reached this decision, but they will accept it. With this information I cannot find fault with these… things, but your people would be wise to heed this advice: Never surrender control of the machine, or the machine will try to control you.”

With that cryptic advice given, Asterion walked out of the treatment area as quietly as he could, leaving Lana to look back to her own prosthetic limb and Beowulf as he continued to stare at the body on the bed.

------

02:30, 11/23/2015, CELESTIA’S STUDY, CANTERLOT

Matt was the picture of impatience as he waited for the fake Celestia to finish her reassurances to the ponies of the capital. His eyes alternated from the door to the study, the watch built into his armor, the rifle that was beside him, and (at last) his helmet which was carefully placed so the mounted cameras could view most of the room. The only sound that filled the study was the tapping of Matt’s armored boot on the marble floor as he considered his situation.

Shining Armor and Luna will be watching the camera feeds from my helmet, and they’ll be ready to kick down the doors if necessary, Matt reminded himself as he adjusted the angle of the helmet again. Still, why in God’s name would they leave the final decision of approving this alliance to me? I know they said they didn’t want to rule things out because of bad blood and I might be a relatively impartial third party, but I would really feel more comfortable leaving that kind of decision to Bradford or Fujikawa. They are in command, not me.

Any further thought on the situation halted as the fake Celestia cantered into the room before closing the door behind her with a rather swift kick of a hind leg. “They’re positively overflowing with love and joy for their princess, but I never thought it would be so hard to pull off the serene act for so long,” she complained as her disguise vanished in a huff of green flames. The grumbling ended just as quickly as it started when Chrysalis caught sight of Matt staring at her. “So good to see you, captain! I assume that because you’re here and not actively trying to shoot me, it means that your people have approved of my terms?”

“At this time, we can agree to them... with two stipulations. One, if you have any changelings present in Canterlot or within the XCOM compound, they are to identify and register themselves as such immediately. They may retain any identity they currently have so long as they are not forcefully taking the place of another, or they may assume new identities if necessary after registration,” Matt explained quickly, and his tone dropped as he locked onto the changeling queen’s gaze. “Any unregistered changelings that are found after this agreement will be considered spies during a time of war, and our agreement will be null and void.”

Chrysalis held Matt’s glare for a long moment before smiling. “Very well then. The foundation of any relationship is trust, after all. And your other condition?”

“You are going to tell me exactly how your people came into possession of an Ethereal helmet,” Matt said evenly. The science folks we have here confirmed the blood stains as genuine and the trauma around the neck seems to indicate a violent end for the helmet’s owner… but we have to know just what Chrysalis is capable of, he thought as the changeling queen assumed a scandalized expression.

Mou, you shouldn’t ask a girl for her secrets so early in the relationship, Matthew. Some mystery is necessary or things will grow stale,” Chrysalis said as she covered her mouth with one perforated hoof. When Matt’s glare remained steady and didn’t cave in, she dropped the demure act and sprawled out on the couch opposite to him. “Girls often don’t like a guy who’s too pushy. You might want to remember that in the future.”

I should be thankful Lana isn’t here. She would never let me live this conversation down. “Duly noted. Now, explain,” Matt said.

The teasing look on her face slowly morphed into a sour expression before she finally explained, “I have yet to find a proper term in a spoken language, but the best ones that I have discovered would be ‘partitioning’ and ‘mitigation.’ This ‘Ethereal’ had two forms of attack: A passive field it projects to weaken the willpower of anyling that is within eyesight of it, and a directed attack that breaks the mind of the target. Unfortunately for this one, the hives are uniquely able to resist both of these attacks.

“The changeling hives all possess some degree of telepathy and shared consciousness. The lowliest of drones have barely any individuality, and their only priorities are to sustain themselves and serve the hive. The higher a changeling gets in the hierarchy, the more individuality it is able to maintain. I am, naturally, entirely my self. The hive serves me,” Chrysalis pulled herself up regally and favored Matt with a smile that wasn’t comforting in the least.

“And what about Firecracker?” Matt asked, and the changeling queen’s smile took on a forced quality.

“It is poor form to bring up other mares during a date, Matthew,” Chrysalis said with just a hint of ice in her tone before she continued, “I imagine the Ethereal’s passive field works quite well against other sapient creatures, as it projects more than enough ill intent to erode the minds of dozens of individuals at once. What I suspect the Ethereal did not anticipate is that the effect of the field was diffused over the thousands of minds of the Hive, so its effect on the attacking drones was quite minimal. This is the ‘mitigation’ I am referring to.”

“The explanation is plausible… but keep your guard up, Matt,” Shining Armor said through the radio. “She has methods of suggestion that we might not catch through the cameras. Get out of there if you feel threatened.”

Chrysalis continued her explanation, oblivious to the voices in Matt’s ear, “The second form of attack that the Ethereal demonstrated was directed at a single drone in an attempt to dominate its mind entirely. The moment I realized the nature of this attack, I ‘partitioned’ the drone from the network to prevent any further damage. The Ethereal may have had other forms of attack, but it did not have the chance to employ them. Their bodies are quite fragile, and do not last for long in the rigors of close combat.” The changeling queen smiled widely, which was more unnerving than comforting with the number of fangs in her mouth.

One small detail of the explanation nagged at the back of Matt’s mind, and he gave voice to his doubts. “Why would the Ethereal single out a drone for that kind of attack?”

“Because it looked like me, of course. Recent events have taught me the value of employing decoys and doubles, as well as giving me incentive to develop ways of severing those decoys quickly from the Hive,” Chrysalis explained, and she suppressed a small shudder before continuing. “I do hope that you find my explanation properly satisfying. I would very much like to move onto a more interesting subject, like you for example.”

A small spike of apprehension entered Matt’s mind, but he was careful not to let it show on his face. “I fail to see how I am relevant to this conversation,” he said flatly.

“Oh, but you are relevant to the situation we now find ourselves in, captain. By all accounts, you were one of the people that cared for Twilight while she was on Earth, and it was her testimony that brought our world into this conflict.”

I don’t buy it for a second. “Twilight told me about what you and your people did to her brother and her people. Your actions may have potentially earned a place in our forces, but you personally have done nothing to earn my trust, and I’m not inclined to share anything about myself to anyone who might one day hurt the people I do trust out of revenge.” Matt ended his statement with a glare that left no uncertainty as to who he was referring to.

“Oh, you wound me so!” Chrysalis said with a dramatic hoof to her chest before fixing Matt with an odd look. A rolling green flame began to engulf her as she said, “Perhaps you would be more comfortable if I looked--”

“Matt, watch out, she’s casting something! WATCH OUT!” Shining shouted through the radio, panic clear in his voice.

“--more like this?” the changeling queen finished as the green flames vanished to reveal Twilight Sparkle stretched out on the sofa with an inviting look and a coy smile on her face. That look faltered as Matt shot from his sitting position and reached for his laser rifle.

“Queen Chrysalis, XCOM thanks you for the service that you have provided against the invader threat, but we regret to inform you that your offer of an alliance has been refused,” Matt said tersely as he checked the power level on his laser rifle before disabling the safety and turning back to face the disguised changeling queen.

“What… why?” the fake Twilight asked, and a small amount of sincere alarm crept into her posture and voice.

“Due to your status as an enemy of the state and continued antagonism of our allies, you have been designated as a risk to the united defense of this world. As such, you have been deemed persona non gratae in the lands ruled by the Princesses as well as Earth. You and your agents have two hours to leave before being designated as enemy spies. In these lands, they will be forcefully detained pending exile. In locations controlled by XCOM, they will be shot on sight,” Matt explained as calmly as though he were giving directions to the car wash. Not a single sign of the anger roiling beneath the surface was apparent, but he was well aware that the changeling queen didn’t need to see his anger to feel it.

“What? Wait! I said, wait!” Chrysalis begged as the disguise dropped as Matt issued the ultimatum. She jumped off the bed as he retrieved his helmet and strode towards the doors. “Wait, please! Please! I’m sorry!

The last statement gave Matt pause as he reached for the door handles. The sincere desperation in her voice was enough for him to look over his shoulder at the changeling queen. Where once there was flirtatious and provocative confidence, there was now uncertainty and fear in both her posture and her eyes. The look on her face would have looked more at home on an abandoned puppy rather than the matriarch of a parasitic hive race. Despite his every instinct telling him to just walk out the door, Matt’s curiosity got the better of him. “Why are you sorry?”

A mix of uncertain expressions worked their way across Chrysalis face before the words started tumbling out of her.“I didn’t think you would react that way! I know that you and Twilight are very close, and I thought that you might be more at ease and less angry if you were talking to her than talking to me.”

Matt very nearly snapped at the deception before an odd thought struck him. She assumed the disguise as much for herself as for me, didn’t she? “Why would you think that?” he asked.

“No one wants to talk to me unless I’m wearing a mask. After the fiasco at the wedding, everypony either attacks on sight or runs screaming if we reveal ourselves! Your people don’t have those prejudices, and you specifically are comfortable around non-humans,” Chrysalis said quietly, and she worried her lower lip before looking down. “It’s why I fabricated one of Shirogane’s conditions, so we could have this conversation. I want my people’s actions now to overshadow the mistakes of the past, but they won’t even have the opportunity unless we’re given a chance.”

Matt mulled over the changeling queen’s words, as well as her seeming transformation from a confident manipulator into… someone begging for a chance to prove themselves. Of course, she could be doing all this deliberately. If that’s the case then she’s a damn good actor. “Suppose I believe that you’re being honest with me now,” he said as he turned to face Chrysalis directly. “If you are being honest, then I want you to answer one last question: Why did you kill the Ethereal? You said it yourself, you’re a perceived enemy of the entire world, so what would motivate you to help us over them?”

The changeling queen’s eyes defocused for just a moment as she no doubt recalled the events that led up to the acquisition of her trophy. “It wasn’t alone, but I suspect you already knew that. It had a small group of attendants and guards with it, mostly of those brutish ones in the heavy armor. My outer sentries let them enter the hives because I was curious as to what their intentions were.” Chrysalis expression turned grim as she turned to look directly at Matt. “They had nothing in them. No bitter hate, anger, fear, or anything. The creatures that entered my hive were little more than puppets for something great and terrible, and it feels only one thing: purpose. It would have offered me only two choices: become a cog in its machine, or be crushed before it. Neither of those options appealed to me.”

Matt continued to search the changeling queen’s expression for any sign of duplicity, and found none. He opened his mouth to speak, but Shining Armor’s voice in his ear cut him off, “Harris, be advised, company is en route to your current location. I tried to stop her, but--”

A flash of purple light blinded Matt, and he didn’t need to see the new arrival when she exclaimed, “Princess! I heard that you were awake and-- what are you doing here!?” Twilight Sparkle spat, and Matt briefly wondered if interposing himself into the line of fire to stop the unexpected conflict would also get himself killed.

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