The Conversion Bureau: The Other Side of the Spectrum (The Original)

by Sledge115

Old Wounds

"If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that bad news invariably comes in the middle of the night."
- Benjamin Sisko, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: “In The Pale Moonlight.”

“Funny, what I miss about him, it’s not how we were, it’s the possibility of us getting on better. I’ve changed in so many ways. I think he might have too.”
– Porno, by Irvine Welsh

It came as no surprise that Canterlot Royal Hospital had specialized rooms for… well, the doctors and nurses called them ‘problem patients’, lacking a better term. Sometimes, students summoned things they shouldn’t have, sometimes they ended up transformed into monsters from Equestria’s past, or spells just went wrong. This was Equestria’s seat of power, hanging directly off the side of the Canterhorn, a geologically improbable mountain bursting at the seams with magic even after the mines had closed. The irony that victims from the ill-fated Wedding Invasion had been housed in here wasn’t lost on Chrysalis.

Yet surely they’d never housed a patient quite like this one before.

“Oh dear, oh dear,” Chrysalis said, smacking her lips as she eyed the unconscious Discord lying on the gurney, with the obligatory IV strapped to his sickly green arm. “Rotten stroke of luck there, eh, chum? Mind you, I do find the new color quite fetching, if I do say so myself.”

“It’s no laughing matter, Chrysalis,” Celestia said firmly.

“But it is!” Chrysalis insisted, with a giggle. “‘Look at me,’” she said, a forehoof pressed to her barrel, delighting in Celestia, Bauer and even the mustard-yellow nurse unicorn’s upturned expressions at her perfect imitation of Discord’s voice. “‘I’m the hooting-tooting Chaosmeister, pick the tail off the Sun Princess’s rear with a snap of my claws, run roughshod over the land like I own it, and that’s three times now I got beaten by nothing but silly mares wielding a few nifty trinkets.’”

She allowed herself a minute’s titter. “I’m telling you, Celly, either the old boy’s growing soft as years pass, or it turns out our Lord here was never wearing any clothes.”

Celestia glanced at her warily. “I know I’ll regret asking, but what’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s a human expression,” Bauer interceded, flashing Chrysalis a warning stare. “Based on a folktale from a little country not far from my own. I believe what Her Majesty means to say is that, in her opinion, Discord isn’t as infallible as he makes himself out to be.”

“The results speak for themselves,” Chrysalis said innocently, a glowing tongue of green fire licking her frame to assume the shape of a gossamer sundress. “After all, who here actually bested Princess Celestia in single combat?” She batted her eyelids sultrily at Bauer. “And, Major, though I’ve no place inside your head like the dear draconequus, I promise, come closer and you won’t be disappointed to find this dress is woven of shadows and fog…”

“We’ve been through all that. The answer is no.”

“Smart man,” Chrysalis nodded as she let her illusionary dress melt away. It was no great loss, anyway. Tonight, she still had plans to meet a certain white stallion who, once upon a time, had marveled at how quickly she could remove her finery during their intimate moments. “Smarter than the guy in the bed over there. No-one told him that when you brush against thistles, expect prickles.”

Bauer looked habitually impassive, yet Chrysalis knew she’d spotted an unladylike tug at Celestia’s lips. Could it be that the prim and proper Sun Princess, standing watch at her older brother’s sickbed, was experiencing something so petty as smug satisfaction over seeing him brought low?

Even if she did, it didn’t last in the face of Bauer’s next question. “So you say there’s no standing doubt? Your doctors can’t fix him in record time?”

Grimly, Celestia inclined her head. “Nothing is ever certain where Discord is concerned, of course. However, based on our knowledge of the alicornial tissues in his physical makeup, three months won’t be enough to pump out every last trace of that poison from his system, not a whole ounce of it. While he will gradually regain control over his powers, we’re looking at a year before full recovery.”

Opening her mouth to speak, Chrysalis felt more than morbidly surprised when suddenly, a black-and-green butterfly escaped her mouth.

“Just because my health is in bad shape,” Discord sneered from beneath the sheets, “Doesn't mean I don’t have some magic left, little bug.”

A sharp, electric pain snaked all the way up her spine, ejecting more live butterflies from Chrysalis’ throat as she realised, shocked, that he’d just used the horned end of his tail to slap her on the rear.

“Don’t do that, Discord,” Celestia said tiredly.

“Why not?” he asked. “I’m pretty low on overall enthusiasm, and I’m bored!”

“I’d suppose ‘it’s coarse and demeaning’ wouldn’t actually stop you, would it?”

“Nope,” Discord said with a grin. “Besides, not like Chryssie’s above it herself, now, is she?”

His expression did soon shift to one of somberness, though, in looking over Bauer. “Major. Good to see you in one piece. Believe me, you’re lucky I got this and you didn’t.”

“Why?” Bauer asked, with some surprise. “It’s fucked you to the gills.”

“Yes, but I’m not like you are,” Discord explained, shifting his attention back to Chrysalis. “If this nasty stuff laid me out, pretty sure it’d kill anyone else, other than Celly or Lulu, in seconds. As for you, Chryssie, well, you might pull through, thanks to that nectar you queens eat. But it’d be a life spent in agony, that’s for sure.”

Chrysalis hiccoughed again, before smiling slightly. “I will bear that in mind. Unlike you, I don't think I’m unstoppable, so hearing I can die hardly shocks me. And the other me did last longer than you, by all accounts.”

Discord chuckled weakly. “You act like you think you’re unstoppable.”

“I can act however I want,” Chrysalis retorted, clamping her tooth down on a butterfly as it tried to escape, and crushing it. Discord winced. “Doesn’t change what I think, and I think about a lot more than I’d ever let on to you.”

“I’ll bear that in mind,” he said, smirking. Clapping his paw and claw together, Discord glanced at his caretaker. “Now, off with you! The lovely nurse needs to do her duties without leaders hanging over shoulders!”

Though none of the three leaders would admit it, they were trying not to stare the nurse’s way. She’d been chosen for this job because she was trustworthy; nevertheless, the slightest risk of what consequences would entail should the story leak out, bore down upon them. For Chrysalis, common sense dictated they ought to have left Discord in the care of her loyal, secretive Hive, if it weren’t that for some reason, Celestia adamantly opposed the idea.

More’s the pity, given the unexpectedly rich love she tasted in the draconequus’ black heart. And speaking of love…

“I shall discuss today’s ramifications at length with Colonel Renee,” Celestia told Bauer. “For now, sir, the best place we can start repairing the damage would be with one whom you care for very much. Young Miss,” she said, addressing the attentive nurse. “Please take us to your other patient.”

“Happy recovery, Lord Discord~,” Chrysalis said in a sing-song voice.

Whatever his posturing, Chrysalis knew it was all merely a cover for his own embarrassment. As they exited the room, door closing, she even deigned to give him a little shake of her rear for good measure. After all, adolescent males were all the same, whether they were fifteen-year-old studs or five-thousand-year-old draconequii. Though she was hardly one to lecture on pride, she wholeheartedly believe that while the pot may call the kettle black, the kettle was no less black for it.

Chrysalis and Major Bauer, along with Celestia, were led on, on toward the far end of the hospital attic. Past stacks of books even the stuffiest academics considered too bland to read, past wheelchairs and artificial wings, past a weird corkscrew-like device labeled as an antique prosthetic horn, until they came to a wooden door with odd markings on its jamb, one that simply reeked of magic.

“Right this way, please,” said the nurse. Her horn glowed orange, clashing strikingly with her green mane, as a spell enveloped Chrysalis and Bauer.

Reluctantly, Chrysalis admitted to herself that the nurse mare, Caduceus, deserved credit for seeming completely unfazed by the presence of an alicorn princess, an alien soldier, and most of all, her.

The door opened, onto a rather secure-looking room, a glass box big enough to fit a minotaur contained in the middle. Inside was Miss Lulamoon, heavily restrained to a bed with so many belts one could hardly distinguish she was a pony, not a wax figure. A warning sign adorned the thick glass box, claiming that only authorized personnel were allowed.

But then, of course, Celestia was with them. That was authorization enough.

“This does seem… excessive,” Bauer said, frowning.

Chrysalis tittered. “Do even you believe that?”

“Chrysalis,” Celestia said sharply, glaring at her. “Enough.”

“The thing about love, Major Bauer,” Chrysalis told the impassive alien soldier, hovering over the bed of one whom, not long ago, she’d have regarded as just another nutrient. “Is that it’s like the Sun. People used to think it was good for you.”

Bauer’s facial expression scarcely changed, but for a twitch in his neck.

“And what has that go to do with Trixie, Your Majesty?”

Chrysalis gave a little cackle as she looked back at the heavily-restrained mare on the bed. “Oh, Major, Major, Major. Didn’t my other self tell you what a treat our stage magician here used to provide for me and my brood? On stage, bathed in her own self-infatuation, now, that there was a rare delicacy. Ah, small wonder illusionism turned out to be her special talent! But pray tell me, what do you know about your girlfriend?”

Bauer didn’t answer, his eyes widening for a fraction of a second. Then he regained what little composure he’d lost.

“That is hardly your business,” Bauer stated, crossing his hands behind his back. “Still, I could tell you how she accidentally fell in with a group of Imperials on her run to Berlin, or how long she’d scraped by for that second cart… which I broke… or that it was her grandfather who first encouraged her to take the stage.”

At this, Chrysalis clucked her tongue. “Tut-tut. Congratulations, sir, you did your homework. Do I need to spell it out? I was asking what exactly it is you love her for. The whys, the whos… that sort of thing.”

“If it’s all the same to you...” Bauer said stiffly. “Now’s not the most appropriate time.”

Rather than acting offended, Chrysalis gave him a sly wink. “Or… could it be that you don’t really know? Know her, know why it is you think you love her? Because she doesn’t, you see.”

“What are y–”

“She doesn’t know why she loved herself,” Chrysalis clarified, smirking on the inside, as her remark had at last drawn some reaction from him. “Because what she loved was something that never existed. An illusion, you might say. She’s hardly unique in that regard.”

Bauer snorted, rolling his eyes at her claim. “Name one other pony who’s ever wielded Changeling magic. With that, Trixie is just as dangerous as myself or Marcus.”

“You have to be exaggerating,” Chrysalis said derisively. “I took Celly on.”

Alas, this didn’t prompt the Princess to indignantly hiss that she was standing right there. Shame. Celestia was too focused on silently staring at the little pony inside the glass box.

“Yes, but you wouldn’t see Trixie coming. I’m one of the few people on a very short list that could take her on and win if she has magic on her side. And even then...” Bauer rotated his hand from side-to-side uncertainly. “Even then, I’m not sure. She could still surprise me.”

“Oh, you poor thing,” Chrysalis said, rolling her eyes. “Caught off-guard by your girlfriend. Who else is on this list?”

“We’re a globe-spanning organization with many unique soldiers,” Bauer said. “It would take too long to explain.”

“Please,” Chrysalis said. “I have the time. Tell me, who–”

Before Chrysalis could finish, the door swung back open, and both she and Bauer turned to face the newcomer. Colonel Renee, for it was he, granted Chrysalis a nod, before addressing his comrade.

“How is she doing?” he asked curtly, scarcely glancing at Miss Lulamoon.

“Besser, but as you can see, we’re keeping her restrained. It’s for everyone's safety, including hers,” Bauer answered, taking note of the tension in his friend. “You?”

“This entire day has been a fucking mess,” Renee grumbled. “I wanted… you and Trixie, you deserved peace and quiet. If anyone’s fought hard enough to earn a break, it’s you two. And then all this shit had to go down.”

“We couldn’t get away from busman’s holidays, even back home,” Bauer said somberly. “It isn’t really all that much different.”

“Except this is practically paradise,” Renee said. “No war. No looming annihilation.”

“There are monster attacks,” Chrysalis pointed out. “Enough for it to count as on regular basis. And I’m here.”

“That’s not out of the ordinary,” Celestia retorted, looking away from the glass. “Well, the former isn’t, anyway. Besides, thanks to the efforts of S.M.I.L.E., few ponies have been seriously hurt for quite some time now.”

“It shouldn't have mattered,” Renee growled, shaking his head. “The PHL have been set up in the Everfree, and we’re driving away every monster thinking they can use us as a chew toy.”

“It’s okay, Amerikaner.” Bauer gave him a dry look, to which Renee only snorted in return.

“Fine, I’ll drop it.” Renee rubbed his neck, as a soft blue glow appeared on his tattoos before vanishing just as quickly. “But the newspapers are going to be a disaster. Celestia, Your Majesty, I apologize for taking you away so soon, but we’ve no time to lose.”

“Marcus, we’ll sort this out,” Celestia said evenly. “The newspapers are going to be focused on mine and Luna’s decision to step back from executive power, congratulating Sir Fancy on his return to office. It should provide a distraction for a few days.”

Of course, Chrysalis knew Fancy had provided her distraction for more than a mere few days. She tried not to let her grin show as memory washed over her, keeping her attention on the blue mare, and the bearlike human staring anywhere but at his beloved in the glass case.

“Hopefully, you’re not gonna need to make a decision that’ll paint you in bad light.” Renee rubbed his forehead. “Alright, Stephan, who’ll be coming to relieve you?”

“Corporal Harwood, he’s the most immediate medic available. Operative Cutter relayed the instructions to Lieutenant Scratch, Princess Luna should be here soon. However, Princess Cadance, she said, was unavailable for comment.”

Chrysalis was glad no-one could see her smirk. Though Bauer had outwardly shown no understanding at the hint she’d teasingly dropped about Cadance’s lesser-known powers, before she’d trotted away for a well-earned wing-scrub and a massage from her drones, his subconscious would surely have picked it up.

A mage of the mind, as well as the heart, Candy. He’d get suspicious of her soon enough.

“Great, catch some rest when he arrives,” Renee ordered. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Celestia furrowed her brow. “And I, too, will return, Major.”

“Jawohl.”

Marcus nodded his head once and turned to leave, Celestia paused to look at Chrysalis, a pained look on her face as the Queen turned her face away in a clear snub. With a soft sigh, the Sun Princess followed in Marcus’ tracks. Left alone with his girlfriend and a double of the mare who’d tutored her, Stephan faced Chrysalis, opening his mouth, but she gave him such a fierce glare that he snapped it shut.

The Changeling Queen gestured toward the secured Trixie.

“Back in Ponyville,” Chrysalis hissed, raising herself to her full height. “When I had her tied up. Why didn’t you let me connect with your sweetums, Bauer? I’m the voice in every little Changeling’s head. The whisper which eggs them on, give into any childish urge, find their prey and make them taste our nectar, so that love, intoxicating love, may bloom! They utterly worship me. If I ordered them to nibble the lice in my hair, they’d do so in a heartbeat.”

For emphasis, she gave her stringy mane a scratch. “Huh, how about it. Really, the staff ought to know better, than to admit a giant bug into a hospital…”

But that reminded Stephan of where he’d first met Chrysalis, what she’d told him.

“Trixie…” he started, stroking his temple in deep thought. “Trixie isn’t a drone. Chrysalis, our Chrysalis, explained that Trixie doesn’t have the parts necessary to make a true connection with another Changeling. Otherwise, they’d have been chatting with one another all the time, poking fun at everyone around each other, and giggling madly about it.”

“This is silly. I can sense a connection but…”

“You know how our radios work, right?” Stephan asked, gaining a nod from Chrysalis. “Then it’s very like that. You don’t have the codes required to make a connection to that radio, because it’s encrypted. You need to establish a... a handshake with her, or else it could be quite deadly.”

“How deadly are we talking?”

“Brain dying due to mental feedback,” Stephan answered bluntly, causing her to wince a bit. “Though probably no head explosions, not like in that movie… fucking Kraber, he gets half his ideas from this sort of shit…”

“I feel like I’m better off not asking,” Chrysalis said.

Stephan nodded.

“Ah, sounds like what happens when two Queens try connecting to one another,” Chrysalis mused aloud. “At least, that’s what my mother explained… ”

Her voice trailed off and her eyes lit up. A peculiar expression was spreading across her face, not quite a smile, not quite surprise.

“Excuse me?” Bauer asked.

She paused contemplatively. “Two Queens… queens... royal jelly…”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Royal jelly,” Chrysalis repeated, now looking quite, quite harried. “Fools. Why didn’t I address this before? Changeling magic, at its core, isn’t some parlor trick. My other half, a fool. She fed Miss Lulamoon on royal jelly!”

Stephan stared at her, as it dawned on him. “Ja, we knew that. The Queen, she used to call it her secret ingredient.”

“It’s so much more,” Chrysalis growled, teeth clenched. “It’s what makes a Changeling Queen. The shared genetic memories of an entire hive. And now, that mare over there is like a queen without a hive, the voices still sounding in her head. Of course her brain’s a trash heap! How do you think a unicorn with none of the...” she searched for a term.

“Muscle memory?” Stephan suggested.

“Yes! The muscle memory! It’s not the right term, but it fits all the same! How do you think a unicorn, with none of the muscle memory Changelings have, managed to learn in a year what my hive knows from birth? If it was that easy, everyone would do it!”

Dismayed, Stephan finally found the courage to look in his Trixie’s direction. Beads of sweat formed upon her listless forehead, the rest of her clamped unforgivingly in place to the bed.

“Chrysalis… I mean, the other Queen...” he began, making himself stare Chrysalis in the eyes. “She did warn us that… some side-effects may occur. But she also claimed to be confident a mare as assured of her own grandeur as Trixie could handle the pressure.”

“By the looks of it, she’d been doing quite well, seeing as her mind didn’t melt,” Chrysalis commented ruefully. “Until something came along and set her off. We Changelings, we’re used to an inner voice like that, Major. Ponies aren’t, with the possible exception of that pink one. Except it’s not just that we’re used to it, we practically yearn for it. Lulamoon, her mind is an echo chamber. She’s been filling the gap. She’s… she’s an imperfect hybrid.”

“In that case, Heaven only knows what a mess her head is in…” Stephan said slowly, the full weight of the Changeling Queen’s words beginning to bear down on him, as he realised just what occult forces they had been dealing with.

Looking out the window, a lovely view of the moonlit Canterlot Royal Gardens presented itself to Ana. There were worse sights, she supposed, than they could have given the Sarge to treat himself while confined to this waiting room. She did have to marvel, though at how well-stocked she’d found the Equestrian infirmary to be, both with local medical equipment and items she could only assume were imported from Earth.

‘Ana? Are you alright?’ whispered a voice in her head.

“I… don’t know,” Ana whispered to herself, fingers twiddling nervously.

She wasn’t alone in the infirmary. Vinyl Scratch, Prasad and Harwood were all there as well. Most of them either weren’t injured or only had minor injuries, but they had all been asked to wait here for Colonel Renee. She could’ve sworn Harwood heard her, judging from his raised eyebrow, but Ana quickly shut down any potential inquiries with a quick smile.

“So…” Sergeant Jaka started, staring at the group with some concern. “Why are you people all in my room? I figured you’d enjoy not being in my presence longer than necessary.”

Ana forced a smile, looking over Jaka on the gurney, bandaged up and on an IV. “Sorry, Sergeant, but we all received a message from Colonel Renee to meet here.”

“Yeah, something tells me that it’s going to be another one of those days,” Vinyl griped.

Soon, the Lieutenant was muttering under her breath about getting better materials for her speakers and what she would needed to set it up. Murmurs about their mission abounded from the group. It had been quite revealing to some of them that the involvement of the Element Bearers, and even more so their greatly increased fighting prowess, was what had helped turn the tide of the fight.

Then the sharp echoes of footsteps as well as hoofsteps caught their attention.

“Celes– uh, Your Highness, are you sure this is the right thing to do? The fallout alone would destroy everything we’ve worked for, all the progress we’ve made,” Colonel Renee’s voice filtered through the doorway, causing everyone to fall silent.

“Marcus, one of my own subjects died at the hooves of one of your own people,” Celestia responded. “If there’s one thing I have learned over the course of the last few centuries, it's that some of my little ponies can be… reactionary. They will take what others say at face value until told otherwise.”

“I…”

“Yes, we know better,” she cut him off. “The Spy isn’t to blame, but my subjects would only see what is given before them. In the turmoil of the past few months, this is a perfect storm. Fate, at least, decided to grace us with a small mercy, that only three sets of eyes witnessed the act. I will talk to the sister and daughter personally, as well as Luna, to inform them of the truth. Had anypony else been there, it would be a disaster of Discord’s level.”

“You give him too much credit.”

“You don’t give him enough.”

Renee’s voice sighed. “All I know is, this was a clusterfuck from start to finish. The fallout from this could... hell, I don’t even know what it could do, all I know is if we don’t do something about it quick, things will get out of control faster than Kraber at a gun convention.”

“Given the memories of the man, yes, I could see what you mean. Go, Marcus. Do what you must, and I will do what I can. Fancy and the new fledgling government will not suffer due to mine and my sister’s decisions.”

The Solar Regent quietly made her way past the door, the soft clinks of her shoes soon replaced with the sound of clomping boots.

Ana got to her feet and stood at attention as Marcus Renee marched into the room, coming up to the group, his face grim. He looked from Sergeant Jaka, to Prasad, to every single person present there. All, it seemed, except her. He looked like he was thinking of what to say.

“Alright then,” he said tiredly. “Listen very carefully, because I’m only going to say this once. As of right now, the mission to rescue Major Bauer is blacklisted. Top-level confidentiality. I don’t care if God Himself asks you about it, tell him ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about’. Clear?”

The various PHL looked at each other in mixed confusion and surprise.

“I asked, am I clear?” Renee repeated through clenched teeth.

Vinyl grimaced. “Colonel, can I question something?”

Renee opened his mouth to retort, only for that to shrivel up and die in his throat when he took in who was asking, before silently nodding his head.

“Why? What’s going on?” Vinyl prodded.

Ana wondered what hidden conversation flittered between the two superior officers, as they exchanged a look which bespoke of something no-one else here had been privy to, nor would ever be.

Renee sighed, pinching his nose before answering. “Look, since you were all involved and have been part of operations of this level before, I’m going to tell you everything I can... which isn’t much.”

“That’s not comforting,” Vinyl noted.

“It shouldn’t be,” Renee admitted. “This is a situation that could lead to the collapse of the Alliance. We have to black this thing out. Now.”

Was it her imagination, or had the temperature in the room dropped by several degrees? And not the good kind of temperature drop from the old country, either.

“Great,” Vinyl muttered, “More secrets.”

“In this case, we don’t have any other choice,” Renee said bluntly, his expression grim. “I don’t like it any more than you do. Just be thankful you’re not the one responsible for cleaning this particular shit-stain up.” He looked to the rest of them. “So we’re clear. No discussion. This mission never happened.”

“Yes, sir!” they all responded.

“Alright then.” He motioned to the door. “Anyone who’s not injured, you’re dismissed.”

Ana moved to go with the rest, but Renee held up a hand.

“Not you, Bjorgman,” he said grimly. “I need a word.”

She stayed put, stiffening slightly, wondering precisely what it was that he wanted to speak to her about. Harwood, wheeling Jaka’s gurney, threw her a quizzical glance, but she shook her head and he exited. Then, after a moment, she was alone with Colonel Renee. When all others had departed, Prasad closing the door behind them, he went over to the window and peered out of it for a moment, before turning to look at her. There was a pregnant pause as he scrutinized her, while she remained still and at attention.

“At ease,” he said evenly. He motioned for her. “Sit down.”

She did so slowly, but still very uneasily. Her heart was beating a million times in her chest and her throat felt dry and tight. She had no idea what to expect; she knew she messed up... no, more than messed up. A civilian was killed by accident, and like Renee said, so much was at stake. And she was alone in a room with a decorated military commander. Who knew how he was going to act?

“So,” he said softly, as though he was considering his words carefully. “I’ve read your AAR.”

Ana said nothing, waiting for him to continue.

“I could list a series of mistakes you made out there,” he continued. “From what I can tell, you made calls based on what you were seeing, and they didn’t pan out.” He sighed. “But they were mistakes.”

“Sir… I had a lead, and with due respect, I couldn’t just… leave the girl,” Ana replied earnestly, not sure whether she should resist the urge to cower. “After, well, what, what she told me... I can’t just leave a, poss... potential lead in the dust, right? Sir.”

“I understand, Bjorgman. In any other time, you would’ve been reprimanded and knocked a few ranks down.” Renee then paused momentarily. “Now I can’t dismiss you from the group completely. That will lead to questions that I don’t want anyone to ask. I just have to know that you are aware of your decisions and the results of them.”

“I’m not about to pin the blame on her for her own death, sir,” Ana retorted. “It’s… I’m sorry but, it’s all so, confusing and, I couldn’t just leave the Blue Spy alone. I didn’t know why she was there or, why she looked for all the world like a murderous menace but… I couldn’t sit just back and do nothing!”

Ana realized her outburst and immediately zipped quiet, but, to her complete and utter surprise, Marcus just bitterly sighed and gave her a look of sympathy.

“Believe me, Ana, I know what it’s like, making literal life-or-death decisions on the fly. In the end, I have a kidnapping, ponies with lost memories who were involved, gangsters, and nothing but breadcrumbs to follow. The real mastermind is still out there, somewhere, and there is a mare, a mother and sister, lying dead as a result of her meddling in her understandable if misguided attempts to protect her child.”

Ana blinked rapidly, trying to keep herself from crying. She simply nodded and said, “I know, and-”

“In a way, Bjorgman, you’re lucky,” he interrupted her, his tone reassuring. “If this had gone this much to shit any other time, on any other mission, in any other way, you’d be lucky to be reassigned to Antarctica. As it is… this is bigger than your mistakes. This is bigger than any of our mistakes.”

“Permission to speak freely, sir?” she asked.

“Go ahead.”

“What’s going to happen now?”

Renee sighed, again rubbing the bridge of his nose. “What happens now, Bjorgman, is that I have to deal with the aftermath of this incident. That, however, is above your pay grade. What happens to you, until such time as we figure out exactly what our response to this should be, is a period of leave.”

“... Leave, sir?” she repeated.

“You were in the middle of this clusterfuck, right there when the mare died,” Renee told her. “Simply put, Bjorgman, I need you out of the way while we deal with this. And out of the way is where you’ll stay, until such time as I deem fit. You and the entire group involved have just found your leave days saved up, and you’ve chosen to take a little backpacking trip through Sunny Equestria. You’ll have to remind them about all their saved up days. Am I clear?”

She nodded slowly. “I understand, sir.”

“Alright then,” Renee said. “You’re dismissed. Oh, and Bjorgman?” he added as she motioned to leave.

“Yes, sir?”

“You’re going to be on leave,” he said dryly. “So try to have fun. That’s an order, and I would like it passed on.”

She nodded, a reluctant smile gracing her features. “I… yes, sir.”

He nodded, and she turned and left the room. It took all she had in her not to fall to the floor to catch her breath.

“Major Bauer, this is your partner, in both love and profession, whose sanity is at stake,” Chrysalis said authoritatively, acting every inch the queen she was, given the gravity of their current situation. “How do you suggest we proceed? For all my experience, what we have here is as much an unknown to me as it is to you, save that you know Lulamoon better than I.”

Bauer massaged his temples. “The other Chrysalis, she said the connection would feel faint, that it takes time and care to even establish it. If you want to help, try to calm her down. Just send a message to ease her mind, at least disrupt whatever’s in control.”

Chrysalis chewed on the idea for a moment, before nodding. “It would be best to at least establish a… handshake, as you say? In which case, I’ll need physical connection, given that this mare isn’t part of my Hive. And that means opening the case.”

“Go ahead, Your Majesty,” Bauer told her with only slight hesitation. But as the green glow of her magic wrapped around the glass coffin, he added, “Be careful, Chrysalis. Remember what I said.”

Irritated, she didn’t even bother to shake her head as she sought focus, pressing for forehoof to Trixie spasming, sweaty forehead.

“Yes, yes. No true connection, no playing around,” Chrysalis sighed, closing her eyes, “Now then, Baby Blue. Let’s hear what you’re thinking.”

Echoes surrounded her, distant voices of her people whispering to one another in a way only few beings could ever understand.

‘Oh, he was right, it is faint. Now, let’s see if I can tap into it.’

Experience washed over her.

‘Have-to-kill-them-all-No-Stop-They-Are-The-Enemy-You-Are-The-Danger-We-Are-Trying-to-Save-the-Worlds-Foolish-Girl-I’m-not-Foolish!’

‘Well… isn’t this interesting?’ Chrysalis commented to herself, causing the voices to pause. ‘Calm yourself, my dear, you will only…’

‘NO-SHE-IS-DEAD-IMPOSTER-FAKE!-Stop!Getout!-YOU-WILL-NOT-BREAK-ME-Dont-Make-a-Connection-ONLY-THE-TRUE-CHRYSALIS-CAN-BE-WITHIN-HERE!’

‘You have to kill them.’

‘Wha–’ Upon hearing this new voice, Chrysalis barely had time to formulate an idea on what to do, before the images bombarded her, with a voice she knew, oh, very well.

“I will teach you how to hide within the crowd, to escape the gaze of your enemies.”

“You are a natural at this, this should be easy.”

“Changeling magic is, by nature, a means of survival in a world that hates us. This new world we are in, you are going to need all the help you can get.”

“You are the best thing to ever happen to me… I’m am so glad to have passed my people’s magic to someone who can push it even farther. You… are the last of my people’s legacy, Trixie.”

“Goodbye… Bellatrix. Take care… little sister.”

Chrysalis’ head snapped back, like she’d received a blow to her jaw. She stumbled back, green blood flowing from her snout, the forced images ringing in her mind. Dimly, she felt Bauer behind her, holding her steady as she coughed and began choking for air.

“What happened?” Stephan asked, gripping her briskets in surprise and concern.

Chrysalis wiped the blood from her snout, processing what she’d just witnessed. “I can control several Changelings at once hearing all their voices. But Trixie...” she made a short pause, looking at her own blood. “It was like an army of voices.”

Bauer moved in front her, a finger held up before her eyes, motioning to-and-fro. She tracked it easily enough, but her mind was on fire. He snapped his fingers next to her ears, causing her to wince at the sharp noise. “Alright, you look alright, how’s the head?”

“Burning.”

“Sounds normal. For the first time, this happened to Trixie and Chrysalis as well,” Bauer explained as he lead the queen toward a nearby couch. “Heh, was it a blast?”

“It was something alright,” Chrysalis grumbled ruefully, a small smile on her face at how Bauer relaxing felt to her. It was…

Nice. Was this what her counterpart felt whenever he was relaxed?

“So, the voices. You think it’s because of the influence of that corruption? The Jelly?”

Chrysalis shook her head. “Maybe. There more to what I witnessed that leaves me doubting that it was just a side-effect of the jelly itself.”

She settled herself, watching the encased Trixie with curious eyes. “It is something more conscious. I believe that her connection with the other ‘Me’ was so strong, she took me for a fake. How’s that for irony.”

Bauer tilted his head. “But you two are basically the same. Trixie even worked with you here for some time.”

“That makes no difference. Her subconscious knows that ‘her’ Chrysalis passed on long ago. All her other personalities know that, too.”

She let out a heavy sigh. “During our time here, we only worked together, but not ‘together’. Not like it usually is in a Hive. I never attempted to have a connection with her before. I’ve helped her here and there, but only on the surface of her powers. But the other Queen… she went deep. She had to, make the necessary connections within her head, infusing her with our Changeling powers, make it work. She was, like...” Chrysalis paused, trying to figure out how to describe it. “She was like a sister to her. Sibling queens who shared their closest secrets with each other. And only them.”

“And that’s why she won’t let you in,” Stephan concluded.

“But that’s all a theory, purely academic,” Chrysalis said, resting a cheek against her forehoof. All of a sudden, she felt tired, and didn’t care who knew. “I’ll only be able to tell for sure once I take a closer look in her head. In her current state? No, that won’t be happening.”

Bauer frowned. “I guess we really need Luna then.”

“As much as I hate to concede that,” Chrysalis grumbled in annoyance, “I have to agree. So, Woona it is.”

“But?” Bauer said, knowing that there was a catch. Like always.

Chrysalis looked back at Bauer, giving him a serious look. “That connection we do have may show her all my secrets, since I’ll have to lower my mental defenses against her. I’ll be like an open book for her. And I am not willing to share my secrets. I am certain you’ve already thought about that.”

Bauer sighed, getting up to be closer to Trixie. Yes, politics could be so annoying. “Of course. I am sure Luna shares the same concerns. And we can work something out. But we have to be quick, for her.” He lightly squeezed Trixie’s shoulder.

Then, the doors swung open, and who else should it be but reveal the alicorn in question, looking harried if her mane was anything to go by.

“My apologies,” Luna told them. “I have been working on dispatching summons to various newspaper owners across the land. With any luck, they shall receive them quickly, and arrive faster still.”

“It’s no problem, Princess.” Bauer nodded at her, Chrysalis smirked privately, sensing the waves emanating from him at the princess’ arrival, but chose to nod as well.

“Well, it’s much easier with a Hive to spread the news,” Chrysalis commented passingly, earning an annoyed look from Luna.

“Not many of us can simply connect with every Changeling in the country, and it is an ability I’m glad I do not possess. I get plenty of complaints via dreamwalking, and I’ve seen my sister’s court during the day. I have neither the patience nor the willpower to deal with such…”

“Squabble?” Chrysalis provided.

“Idiots?” Bauer took a much more blunt response.

“Rubes…” Luna sighed at the twin Cheshire smiles she was on the receiving end of.

“Hm…” Chrysalis shrugged at the word, but otherwise made no comment.

“Now then!” Luna clapped her forehooves together, looking at the two with a smile on her face. “We have a pony that requires the deft touch of the mind, yes?”

Stephan grimaced. “We may have a bigger problem than we suspected.”

“Yes, a lovely problem at that.” Chrysalis rubbed her snout, feeling for any traces of blood. “It would seem the little Spy is not quite as… together as we first thought.”

“What do you mean?”

Chrysalis began to explain in detail of what she experienced, and neither of them liked the look on Luna’s face as she stared at the unicorn trapped behind glass.

“I see,” she sighed. “This might not get solved in a single night, then. I’m afraid I will have to postpone this spell until I am set.”

“What do you mean?” Bauer demanded, perhaps a bit too loudly, and Chrysalis could have sworn she saw his fingers twitch.

“I’ve seen the dreams and minds of ponies of…” Luna frowned as she searched for the word. “Multiple personalities, they call it.”

“On Earth, I believe we call that dissociative identity disorder,” Bauer said, still tense.

“Do you?” Luna replied, musing. “Hmmm. I may need to read up on that. ‘Multiple cores’ might be a better term for some ponies here. Their minds are dangerous to traverse and can leave even a being like myself reeling from the conflicts within. I’ve had to send guards on more than one occasion to ensure the safety of ponies for the individual in question due to their… more unhinged personality.”

“So… Is there a chance we may not be able to…”

Bauer trailed off, Luna shaking her head at his question.

“I won’t know until we are within, but there may be a chance. I believe she did not have such a split for a very long time, and I believe there may be more to this than we can anticipate.” Luna tapped her hoof to her chin in thought, and then shook her head. “I’m sorry, Major. But I cannot allow our attempts to continue without some safeguards in place. Until then, we must keep Trixie asleep for the time being. I will try to attempt a safe passage on my own, but until I am sure, I will not be taking either you or Chrysalis within her mind.”

Bauer sighed, slowly nodding his head as he sat down in his seat once more. Chrysalis gave Luna a firm nod as well, slinking out the door to give the human his privacy, Luna trailing behind her.

“I take it will be quite dangerous.”

“It is, the cleverer the being is, the more dangerous their minds are.” Luna explained, quietly, looking over the dread room once more, seeing Bauer grip Trixie’s hoof. “And we are dealing with a very clever assassin.”

“It could be fun.”

“Indeed.”

It was scarcely appropriate, but Ana nevertheless felt the need to sit back, and lean against the walls in contemplation. What, precisely, had happened? Where did Harwood go? When will he return? She didn’t look up when a shadow fell over her, and she caught the familiar voice of Mridula Prasad.

“Harwood told me about Cheerilee, and how you left her involvement out of your report,” the pilot stated sternly. “Why?”

There she was, standing firmly with crossed arms. She didn’t looked much worse for the wear, but under the left of her uniform’s neckline, the bandages holding the shoulder where she’d been wounded could be seen.

Ana took a breath. “Dula. How’re you holding up? I uh, heard the Spy cut you up pretty bad.”

“That she did,” Prasad said, nursing her shoulder. “Clever minx approached me in disguise. Said she had orders from up top to execute the young stallion I’d captured. You’ll never guess who she was pretending to be.”

“Who?”

“Miss Cutter,” Prasad replied, her lip curled. “No idea what possessed her, but if it’s true what they say, the Spy catches a little bit from all her playacting, no wonder her brain’s gone wonky, borrowing the inside of that little devil’s head like this.”

And Ana shuddered, hands pressed against the wall, the old memory of that fateful encounter in Indonesia going through her own head again.

“I don’t think that’s what it was,” she said slowly. “I don’t think anybody can ever really guess what Pina’s thinking. Not even the Blue Spy.”

“Maybe,” Prasad stated, characteristically gruff. “But that doesn’t answer my question. Why leave Cheerilee out of the AAR? Harwood got the story from Jaka, said you’d–”

“Where is Harwood?” Ana asked, feeling frantic.

“Upstairs,” reponsed a new voice. They glanced around, and found their eyes reflected in the magent shades of Vinyl Scratch. The Lieutenant tapped her badge. “Major’s orders, requested me to pass them on to him. Far as the PHL’s concerned, Lord Discord and the Spy are his exclusive patients. Confidentiality, you’ll understand.”

“That’s ridiculous,” retorted Prasad, before Ana could get a word in edgeways. “When’s the last time that man slept?”

Blue aura shining weakly, Vinyl removed her shades. “We all could do with the kip, Sergeant,” the Lieutenant said, rubbing her reddened eyes. “Unlike you, though, I’ve still got a meeting with the Commander to look forward to. And what’s this about omitting the local Miss Cherry from your report, Corporal Bjorgman?”

“I… she…” Ana stammered. “Miss Cherry asked me. She asked me to take Ruby Pinch, her… the girl I mean, to find her mother. It’s… it was Cheerilee, Lieutenant. How could I possibly say no? I forgot. I shouldn’t have. She wasn’t our Cheerilee. My fault...”

“Ah, I see.” Vinyl sighed. Picking out a cloth, she began to give her shades a wipe. “Yes. Just following orders, then. Even when it’s not really your superior officer. How could anybody explain that one properly?” The Lieutenant put her shades back on with a dejected sniff. “That changes things a bit, Cheerilee being present for when you picked up Ruby. I’ll make a note, cross-examine how this matches Cutter and Jaka’s reports. You’re dismissed, Corporal. But please, do try and have some fun. You’ll need it.”

Just like that, Vinyl marched past them and opened the door, without further ceremony. It wasn’t until the door had closed, shutting them out, that Ana realised she could feel Prasad’s hand on her shoulder.

“What is it, Dula?”

“Bjorgman,” the pilot said gently, the usual fire in her eyes replaced by something else. “I wanted to let you know. Perhaps you did fuck up badly, in the end. But you did nothing wrong by me, taking a child back to their mother.”

Brought into custody hours ago, repeatedly interrogated, and still allowed no rest?

For Noteworthy, that made it official. Holding onto one’s integrity for a cause was no fun. At least they’d shown the decency to move Miss Peachbottom, with her injured foreleg, over to the hospice ward. So they were playing nice. Oddly, he didn’t feel surprised. Left to ponies, the lady could be trusted to find herself in good care, eventually. It was the people standing behind the ponies whom he distrusted. Poor Miss, though. She looked like one with a habit of turning up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The detective, a unicorn stallion of the deepest blue, whose brown mop of a mane looked constantly close to falling across his own dark green eyes, faced him from across the table. Detective ‘Truth Inquiry’. That name sounded vaguely familiar. Wasn’t it yet another blue unicorn, only, weren’t they a mare, well-read and a Royal Guard to boot?

Blinking, he fought to pierce the scramble of color and memory, yet turned up a blank.

“...And that’s all I’ve got to say about the brickyard, detective,” Noteworthy concluded glumly. “Last thing I knew, my neighbors, Miss Rarity and Miss Applejack, were seeking refuge in the pug-mill from this rampaging mud-monster. For some reason, Miss Rarity had got the idea to pry a heavy iron nail off the tracks, and DJ Pon-3 was making noise... as usual. Most peculiar taste in music, that girl’s got, it’s like some sort of fizzy drink, mixed with a touch of hyacinth…”

“Alright, thank you, Mr. Noteworthy,” Truth Inquiry told him, snapping his notebook shut, a gesture straight out of the moving pictures. Purely theatrical, Noteworthy suspected, for surely the detective was about to ask him a real question. “Oh, and one more thing…”

Yep, called it.

“Before returning you to custody,” Inquiry elaborated, “I wish to enquire into a matter beyond facts and figures. Motive. Of course, whether you’re deemed ‘guilty’ is for the courts to decide, not me. However, given this case’s sensitive nature, it may come as no surprise to you that our legal system may sit on it for a while. Should you feel any need to express where you stand, now would be best.”

“I can tell you where I stand,” Noteworthy said boldly, his cuffs clinking together. “I’m a conscientious objector to Equestria going to war. You want to ask me about motive? It’s humanity’s motives which I don’t trust.”

“Conscientious objection refers to those applicable for military service,” Inquiry said, pen tapping against his lip. “You’re a civilian who never signed up for this war.”

“That’s true,” Noteworthy acknowledged. “But I am, however, a Ponyville reservist, as are most in the Town Watch. If the war dragged on, I could get drafted into fighting on the front. And I... didn’t come to this decision easily, sir. When the first human, Renee, went on his rampage through town… well, I just thanked my lucky stars that no worse came from it.”

The detective stared at him quietly, Inquiry’s sharp, clever eyes drinking in every line on his face as he spoke, an action Noteworthy knew well.

“Discord’s light show,” he said, “is what cinched it.”

Now this, by the look on Inquiry’s face, was news. The green-eyed stallion opposite him leaned forward, forehooves clasped on the table.

“Detective Inquiry, um, I know this isn’t standard, yet may I ask you a question? What’s your favorite color?”

Inquiry crinkled his brow. “I’m sorry, but while I don’t take you for some sort of criminal savant who can read people based on a single fact, the only person qualified to ask questions in this room is me.”

As it turned out, life wasn’t the books. It really wasn’t.

“Fair enough…” Noteworthy sighed as he fretted with his cuffs. “It’s like this, you see. A big part of my day job, it’s all about hanging around theatres. Smokes and mirrors, colors and fireworks, no hocus-pocus about it, just, well, create an illusionary world, make it real, what they call a different kind of magic… Bury a unicorn while everyone knows they can teleport, nopony cares. Bury any other pony, crowds will gather to see how they’ll get out of this one. No business like show business. Even when you have a unicorn try to undergo Hoofdini’s famous trick, it could work. That’s a manticore, that’s dangerous. You are still trying to dazzle the audience.” Spotting the impassive look on the detective’s face, he ploughed ahead, unto his point. “And Discord is a con artist.”

“Curiously,” Inquiry said dryly, “that’s the least of the charges raised against him. Are you trying to make me believe your objection to the war is based on artistic sensibility?”

“As a matter of fact… yes.”

“I’m just going to sit here and stare at you uncomfortably until I come up with a witty comment,” Inquiry said, with all the subtlety of a flying mallet. “Come on, son, at least try for moral equivocation here. You don’t like what the war might be doing to us as people in the future. You’re afraid of what could happen to your family. Hamburger meat, for Celestia’s sake. I’ve heard better reasons.”

But Noteworthy was beyond feeling fazed.

“What’s the phrase, detective,” he said coolly, hating himself for sounding like the stereotypical nutcase in shackles, too worn to really care. “‘Artists use lies to tell the truth’? Somehow, I feel like I’m not the first to reference this… However, if you want to get a message across, don’t ask a Scion of Deceit to deliver it. Because then the required lie grows too big, and smothers whatever truth you had.”

Inquiry pushed himself backward. “And would you be so good as to explain what you mean to tell me with that?”

“Just what it sounds like,” Noteworthy said. “Ever since that giant human city emerged from the ground, the cries resounding from its rooftops, with their ceaseless refrain of how mankind must be saved, must not, cannot be allowed to die lest reality dies with it, have turned into white noise, a bloated chorus which drowns out all other voices.”

He brushed a lock of his mane away from his muzzle. “Listen. You don’t have to take it from a chap who knows theatre to understand. New New York was first designed as a stage. A stage to persuade your allies, once and for all, that this was a fight they needed to join. How long before the players made their entrance?”

Noteworthy scrunched his eyes shut, terrible images from that day replaying behind the lids. Woe his curiosity, indeed, that he’d thought it a smart idea to sneak a peep through Miss Sparkle’s old observatory at the extraordinary scene unfolding in the valley below Canterlot.

Shadows under attack by darker shadows, who seized them and made them into their own.

“It was… an impressive spectacle,” he breathed, opening his eyes. “Impressive. Truly a sight to strike terror into anyone’s heart, a pony’s most of all, to imagine we could be capable of this. And trust me, I’ve seen how some of us carry themselves... if you squint, it’s almost as though they were surrounded by this awful hue, a green more poisonous than the direst Changeling’s, a red angrier than the most rage-filled dragon’s.”

Sighing, Noteworthy rubbed his forehead. “But, watching, I’m sitting there, and now I’m thinking to myself, something’s not right. This is cruelty beyond anything from Equestria. And, well, then it strikes me. I’m looking at an echo chamber... Only people insecure about themselves would shout so loud, expecting the world to shout back that they’re right:”

He felt the shadows creep from behind his eyes, and envelop them, as he stared at Inquiry.

“Does that answer your question, detective?”

“You’re doing this because you felt they were insecure,” Inquiry said. “About whether they were good or evil. If anything, I might say that could be a good sign. Evil… ponies, evil people, they usually don’t ask themselves if they’re doing something wrong. And because you’re traumatized by what happened in the city, I think.”

“No,” Noteworthy said. “Just… disheartened. Good and evil, eh, not much I know about those, except a few platitudes about how even ‘dark’ magic isn’t necessarily ‘evil’ as we understand it. You’re the copper, I’ll leave morality to you. However, if you think I’m traumatized, when I ain’t, it’s because of what we all do to hide from ourselves… we project. And I get the feeling that humans are very good at… projecting.”

“Which prompted you to do this… how?”

Noteworthy shrugged. “I took a gamble on my hunch being right. What else can I say? I’ve no idea how another Equestria might behave, I admit. But my gut instinct tells me, in a meeting between the land I know and an alien species from an Everfree World, a more believable scenario wouldn’t play out such as has been hammered into us.”

“Yes, it is quite fishy. Then again, what’s their endgame? They gave us weapons, trained our own soldiers in their ways of war, and managed to boost our economy in such a way. What use is there, to give us these gifts, to pretty up images and beautiful scores, present us with a new city in which to house millions and still have room for more? What’s the endgame there?” Inquiry asked, tapping the table with his pen. “They have the force necessary to take all, yet they give in abundance… it’s almost like they want to be remembered through how much they’ve given to this world.”

“As the saying goes, Detective…” Noteworthy said slowly. “Beware griffons bearing gifts.”

Inquiry smirked a little at the saying, nodding his head in agreement as he stood up. “If it’s as you say, we’ll find out in a few short months if the words of humans hold water, or are just one large lie to keep our flanks open. Won’t we?”

Throughout the evening, during all her endless cross-examinations of the assets who’d been present in Ponyville for the disaster, the only thought keeping Lieutenant Vinyl Scratch going was that, at least discretion meant she wouldn’t have to break this news to Rarity and friends, and procedure couldn’t get any more painful than being stuck with Operative Cutter’s expressionless face as they discussed terrible things.

But the Changeling Queen’s flightiness ran a close second.

“Now, be honest, Lieutenant,” Chrysalis said airily, holding up a sarong before her lithe frame. “Would I look fat in this?”

“Stick to the topic, Queenie,” Vinyl hissed, tapping on her aura-born iPad with unconcealed impatience. “One more question to go, and you’re free to leave on this date of yours.”

“Well, it’s not a date, so much as meeting between new political partners and long-lost friends…”

“Spare us, Chrysalis,” Marcus admonished her, though Vinyl was relieved to note he kept his arms folded behind his back. “And just answer the Lieutenant. We know, Celestia told us you agreed to fly for Ponyville on the condition that the Prime Minister share a drink with you tonight.”

“Oh, alright…” Chrysalis grumbled as she crumpled the sarong and let it drop onto the bed. “The answer is, Lieutenant, no, I’ve seen neither hide nor mane of this ‘pale mare’ you say your little friends ran into along the road. Although, I agree with you that everything about poor Miss Lulamoon’s condition points towards the tricks of a mind mage, or a dreamweaver.”

“There you have it, Colonel,” Vinyl said. “Would also corroborate Princess Luna’s suspicions behind all the dissenters’ memory loss.”

Marcus stroked his chin. “It doesn’t explain why they’d accost Rarity and the other two Bearers. That was a pretty big risk to take, after already showing themselves to Major Bauer and Discord.”

“Applejack’s AAR says they were trying to stop her friends from reaching the brickyard. That they went into this big spiel to dissuade her from helping the Alliance. As though they believed the Bearers might have a change of heart.” Vinyl nudged her shades for emphasis. “And here’s what I don’t like, sir. According to Applejack, they made a clever argument, showing they knew a great detail about human history. Added to Major Bauer’s statement that our mystery mare could speak German, it’s plain that whoever this is, we’re not dealing with a few ignorant bigots any longer.”

Even after they’d covered most of this on their way to meeting Chrysalis, Vinyl could see Marcus was struggling not to let his true feelings show when these words were spoken aloud. To her credit, Chrysalis caught on pretty quick.

“You’re worried the Empire might have planted an agent on this world,” said the Queen, suddenly grave. “And they’re not afraid to let us know they’re here.”

Both officers nodded.

“That’s right,” said Marcus, sitting down on the bed. “And, given your experience with… subterfuge, we were hoping you could further aid us by helping to shed light on the situation.”

“Marcus,” Vinyl interrupted, unable to hold herself. “I know you’re fixed on this hunch of yours, and trust me, I know how rich it’d be of me to call you out for paranoia… But, I’m sorry, I find the idea of an Imperial mole within the PHL hard to swallow.”

Chrysalis tilted her head. “A mole? Not just a spy?”

“He thinks,” Vinyl said. “I disagree, yet that’s why we’re asking you. Given how thoroughly mind-fucked the Tyrant’s truest followers are into going potion-happy upon any humans who don’t recognize her rule, the thought that anyone of them could play at being buddy-buddies with Betrayers and monkeys for a long time… it beggars belief.”

“They did fine back before the war, when it was just the Bureaus,” Marcus pointed out grimly.

“That was then. This is now,” Vinyl insisted. “Many of us didn’t know better, either. I didn’t know better… nor did Tavi.”

As the former musician’s head dropped in painful reminiscence, Queen Chrysalis considered them, these long-suffering friends and comrades. Gladly had she sought to direct Major Bauer’s suspicions towards a certain mare with the rare gift of uniting people’s hearts and minds, a mare she knew very well. A mare who had good reason to hate her back, to serve Celestia without question. But had she really come so close to the mark?

“I can help you,” Chrysalis said at last. “I’ll only ask that I do things my way.”

“And what way is this?” Vinyl asked tiredly. “Come up with a cunning plan, then witness defeat snatched from the jaws of victory because of your own gloating?”

“You’ll be eating your own words, Vinyl Scratch,” Chrysalis said in far too calm a voice, “when the day comes that I’m the only one you people can crawl to, begging for me to bail you out.”

“I’ll just note down, ‘the Changeling Queen has agreed to help us’,” Vinyl told Marcus, who hadn’t uttered a word, as she traced her digi-pen across the pad. “And that marks the end of this cross-examination, sir.”

Marcus nodded. “Very well. Thank you, Your Majesty. We’ll now be leaving you to your meeting with the Prime Minister.”

“Oh, and one more thing,” Chrysalis added, her playful mood returning. “You were there, weren’t you, Lieutenant, when that strange pea-sized pegasus told me off at the brickyard.”

Vinyl’s ears perked up. “Wasn’t that Fuse’s wife?” she said. “Yeah, figured there was something odd about her. Takes guts, being married to that guy, let alone giving the Changeling Queen lip… Ah, I recall it, Rarity had another strange tale to tell. Pegasus seemed to think she was a former sidekick, and the gang we picked at the brickyard were villains, all from a series of storybooks.”

“Storybooks, Vinyl?” Marcus echoed, giving her a curious glance.

“Kid’s stuff,” Vinyl said quickly, nudging her shades. “Nothing like the brutality these goons showed themselves capable of. Fuse himself admitted, it’s his fault the mare’s a bit funny in the head.”

“Not about this,” Chrysalis crowed. “What your officer doesn’t want to say aloud, Colonel, is that Miss Tome is Daring Do’s former sidekick, and those ‘goons’ are members of the nefarious Caballeron’s gang.”

“Now you’re just fucking with us, Chrysalis,” said Marcus. “I’ve read the reports, remember. Sergeant Jaka personally captured the ringleader, Locksmith, and Rarity mentioned the one gangster gone AWOL, name of Blackjack, who–”

“Whom investigation will soon identify as the top dog of a gambling den in Manehattan,” Chrysalis finished for him. “That den is a facade for other, more exotic ventures. Doctor Caballeron is real, my dears. Or, should I say, Don Caballeron. Big fish in a small pond of scum, next to what you know, no doubt, but it’s here, in Equestria. It’s where my people have skulked for years, with nowhere else to go.”

“So where does Miss Yearling get her muse? Surely not dens of iniquity and vice?”

“Oh, that.” Chrysalis giggled. “Amazing, isn’t it, how a pair of glasses can fool the simpletons. But you don’t play a player. One trip to a book-signing convention, where the love abounds, was all it took for me to pin it. A.K. Yearling is Daring Do, a silly old mare who writes about her own life, like unimaginative hacks everywhere do.”

“Interesting,” said Marcus. He turned to Vinyl. “If what she says is true, we might have ourselves a new asset, exclusive to us, from this world. Cheerilee did tell me she suspected the Equestrian Resistance were keeping an ace or two up their sleeves.”

“Now, c’mon,” Vinyl pleaded, grinning nervously. “Children’s entertainment turning out to be real, and a force to reckon with? In what crazy-ass world does that happen?”

He looked at her but said nothing.

The sound of a heavy iron lock turning made Blackberry’s ears perk up.

Back into the holding cell walked Mr. Noteworthy, a somber, moody gait to his step, and Blackberry shrank back, just a bit. According to the coppers, they and the other ten or so ponies from the brickyard who weren’t gangsters, were partners in crime just the same, but for the life of him, after racking his brains all day, he still couldn’t remember their names. The blue unicorn stallion was the only one who looked like he’d a clue, and with no-one else to turn to, Blackberry felt safer around him.

Or rather, he would be, if said unicorn wasn’t eyeing him as the door slammed shut. Noteworthy was quite a thoughtful stallion, Blackberry recalled. Always one with a cutting, precise remark, and an observant one too. He wondered what the guy was thinking now.

Blackberry cleared his throat. “Is something the matter, Mr. Noteworthy?”

“Kid,” Noteworthy said softly. “Look where we are. Everything’s the matter. If you can spot a ray of sunshine down here, more power to you. Goodness knows I’m struggling.” Then he frowned a little. “Just what exactly happened out there, in the Forest? That human, all cut and bloodied like she was, she didn’t seem to bother you too much…”

“Oh, um… yeah, I helped her with that.”

“You what?!”

“After this crazy mare attacked her,” Blackberry explained, falteringly. “She was trying to protect me. They’re not all bad, that I know. I mean, I’m not sure what I’ve heard but the doe woman seemed nice.”

“Doe woman?” Noteworthy demanded, pacing up the cell. “What, the angry-looking female in the sling?”

“Not, not exactly, no, not her,” Blackberry hurriedly corrected. “But shortly after my… arrest, Miss Prasad got a call and the voice on the other end... I’m not sure why but, I wouldn’t have been surprised at all if, if it came with the sound of tinkling bells, you see.”

“And have you met this… woman?”

“Um, well, no,” Blackberry said. “But it’s just… I mean, a voice which just says sweet and kind, whoever it belongs to, it’s gotta mean something, right? Cos, didn’t Princess Celestia herself raise a dragon as her son? I… don’t see how an entire race can be all evil, all the time.”

“No offense, kid,” Noteworthy said laconically. “But a voice isn’t much to go on. Trust me, I’d know. Ever heard of Sirens? And it’s not only about race. It’s about culture. With a warrior culture like what these humans have been proudly thumping their chests over, sweetness, kindness... they’d regard those as weaknesses to be stamped out.”

But Blackberry merely shrugged. “Well, I don’t know for sure, because, there’s always that one ray of sunshine…”

Clinical, ancient, historical. That’s what the Canterlot Royal Palace felt like to Ana.

There had been so little left for discussion with Prasad, now all was said and done. For all that the pilot wasn’t too crusty once you got to know her, she would be first to admit she’d forgotten how to be comforting anymore, and would rather hit the bottle in private for now. So Ana found herself walking alone across the castle hallways, with only the voice within to accompany her.

And what a hallway this was, if she cared to look closer. Too bad she’d got lost. Again.

‘Walls,’ Ana bemoaned to herself. ‘Why must all buildings have walls?’

Perfectly silly question, she knew it. Except that, no, she didn’t think it was so ridiculous to ask. If further proof were required that some of the more lunatic environmentalist ravings of the PER were unfounded, seeing how the ponies most certainly didn’t commune with Nature all the time was just it. They liked their brick and stone buildings, too, where they could warm themselves by the hearthfire and stay safe from the many uninvited guests outside, even as they opened their doors to more welcome guests.

Even so, there were times, Ana thought, when it would be nice not to feel so closed-in. That was what she’d hated most about her time aboard the rusty old Mamayev Kurgan and sought so hard to escape from in her mind. But at least the ship was small enough not to get lost inside of.

Opulent palace walls. Just boringly flat, and smooth and all very samey, not full of twists and circles and distinguishing features like the branches on trees, or the ever-shifting nooks and crannies of a mountain slope in all seasons. Nor did it have the soul and life of a simple brick-and-wooden home, built from the ground with heart’s desire.

No wonder she preferred it when her sights fell upon urban areas from a safe distance.

“Miss Bjorgman?” The kindly, motherly voice cut into her wandering mind, and Ana paused in her steps, just before she’d have collided with the vibrantly white mare.

There she was. Celestia. The spitting image of the very Tyrant that had destroyed so much of Earth, including Ana’s own home country with that Barrier, taken away the lives of countless men, women, and children alike. Her pink mane flowed in an ethereal breeze, and Ana felt compelled to look away from her visage.

But this was not the Solar Tyrant, she knew. There was something to her, an indescribable presence, a warmth, that Ana had never seen in the Tyrant that besieged her world. It was just Princess Celestia, she reminded herself, the very image of compassion and caring, if the words of her trainees were anything to go by. Nothing more.

“Yes?” Ana replied quickly

The alicorn looked worried, concerned even, as the two stared at one another in silence.

“How are you feeling?” Celestia said tentatively. “Her death wasn’t your fault, Anastasia.”

The use of her full name certainly caught Ana’s attention.

“Th-thank you, Your H… I mean, Celestia,” she corrected herself. The alicorn before her, according to Moondancer, wasn’t keen on officiality. Much to her relief, the words came true, as the princess smiled a little. “But... it’s alright.”

“Please,” Celestia pressed on kindly, lowering her horn soothingly upon Ana’s forehead. “I mightn’t have experienced the more violent forms of warfare for centuries, but I remember all too well to know when things are not alright.”

“I… I don’t know, but...” Ana paused, as the gears in her mind turned, the other voice inside her head began to stir, and it dawned on her who was speaking. The warmth of the nearby fireplace flushed over her, and she could hear the laughter of children, fillies, as they played in the snow with their friend and nanny.

“... Celestia?” Ana asked dreamily. “If it’s all the same to you, how’s Grandfather doing?”

Celestia blinked. It was a minuscule exertion, but there was something strange. Almost… hungry about it. Ana couldn’t quite tell what.

“Pardon?”

“Sorry, I... I meant Sint. Sint Erklass.” Ana amended quickly, twiddling her fingers. “How’s... how’s the Allfather doing?”

To her relief, the Princess relaxed, even if she still showed a hint of surprise and curiosity. The mere mention of his name, after all, had briefly brought back the filly from all those years ago.

“He’s hale and hearty as he should be, Ana Bjorgman,” Celestia replied sweetly. “Do you wish to meet him? By your name, I am told you herald from the Frozen North of your world.”

“I… I don’t know. Maybe?” Ana rubbed the back of her head. “I’ll think about it. I mean, we do have an… equivalent of him back on Earth, like, how Norway is like your North, yeah. But… I’m not sure if it’s appropriate. Sorry.”

“Don’t worry too much, dearest,” Celestia said. “The gates of Adlaborn are always open, and Sint Erklass always listens. Especially to those who feel lost.”

Unconsciously, Ana bowed her head, a small, grateful, sad smile marking her features.

“Thank you, Princess Celestia. I… really appreciate it. But… not tonight. No, I think I’ll, well, need to… gather my thoughts. Rest. Pray. They did set up a little chapel somewhere around the palace, right?”

“Yes,” Celestia smiled. “When my sister bid the wise and holy of your world welcome, so that here in our land, they may determine how Madame Heartstrings was your angel of mercy, she thought to provide the space for your gods. If you’re looking for peace, you may find it there.”

‘It’s amazing how different they are,’ Ana thought. ‘Not like the sun and moon, that one’s too obvious, but it’s like… the sun on a cold day and the sun on a summer day.’

The Princess reached to embrace her, and Ana accepted gladly. But a thought crossed her mind as she let go.

“Um, Princess? If it’s not too much to ask, where’s the exit? Cos’ I am rather lost.”

The night sky was aglow with starlight, conjured either by magic or travelling vast distances from unknown suns. It was a majestic sight to take in from the balcony of the Canterlot Royal Palace. Good company made it better, and better yet quality wine to go with both at once. Queen Chrysalis smiled at the dashing unicorn across the table, fond memories returning to her from so very long ago, of a colt just coming into his own. Her eyes wandered the night sky, until they dound a lone battlement, a familiar alicorn standing upon the balcony, horn aglow as she gracefully bobbed her head to and fro.

Chrysalis closed her eyes, annoyance rising in her chest at the mere sight of the alicorn.

“Are you alright?”

The wine in Fancypants’ glass swirled slowly as he gazed at the Changeling Queen.

“It’s nothing, just a little reminder, that’s all,” Chrysalis answered, her voice so sweet, she had to mentally berate herself for laying it on too thick. Fancy only hummed, his gaze slowly drifting toward the tower where Princess Luna was wrapping up her nightly task.

But Chrysalis had barely taken a sip of her wine, savoring the taste, before Fancy, to borrow a human expression, dropped a veritable bombshell of a question.

“Do you hate us?”

“What?” Chrysalis quickly dabbed her lips using a napkin, looking to Fancy in askance. “Whatever do you mean?”

“During the wedding, you seemed so assured of your victory,” Fancy replied, silently placing his glass on its coaster. “What did you plan on doing to us once you... took care of the Princesses?”

All she did was widen her eyes a fraction, but that was enough for Fancypants to chuckled at recognising her befuddlement It had been so long since they were together, and he could still leave her floundering, the rogue.

Chrysalis sighed as she looked up to the stars. “Fancypants. Do you remember what I told you when we first met?”

She scowled, thinking about her people’s history. Fancy said nothing, noting the anger she tried to keep hidden. But he would spot her tells, she was Double Flash, after all, and they’d once been in love, or so she thought. It was just a name she’d made for herself. Double Flash was her, Chrysalis, her true nature laid bare for all to see.

“Other leaders grow old and die,” Chrysalis recited, unconsciously pawing at the tablecloth. “Passing the torch unto the next generation, but the Royal Sisters of Equestria are eternal, only the dragons anywhere close on their tails...”

Fancy coughed, prompting her to stop before she pulled the whole table down. “I see.”

“Do you, Five-Blade Fancy, do you truly?”

“Celestia’s exile of your people,” Fancy answered, taking a slow sip of the aged wine. “Princess Luna got me up to scratch on their past decisions. Your people have suffered, and no amount of truce between us could ever wipe that away.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that.” Chrysalis awarded him a flirtatious smile as she pushed out her empty glass, a nearby maid trotting up to pour more wine. “Other hives have done well enough for themselves, out in the expanses of the Southern Continent. We are nowhere as forgotten there as in your land, and there are those intrepid souls who’ll keep a kind ear open.”

“Although they’ve been quiet since the wedding, haven’t they?” Fancy raised an eyebrow as Chrysalis rubbed her forehead.

“Yes… there is that.” Sighing, Chrysalis pulled out a hoof-held fan from her kimono, and began cooling herself down. “Warm summer night, isn’t it? You’d think it would stay chillier, after the Snow Maiden’s freak galestorm a few weeks back…”

“We’re still feeling Princess Celestia’s state of mind,” Fancy replied sadly. “Alas, as you saw in Ponyville, her two-month retreat has left a vacuum not felt in Equestria for centuries.”

“I met one erstwhile friend of Changelings over there,” Chrysalis said wistfully, leaning her head on one hoof, fanning herself with the other. “Miss Do’s former second fiddle. She... didn’t have many kind words to say.”

‘If things were different, my husband might’ve been partnered to these... freedom fighters, like you. But things are what they are, and that’s why he’s facing justice, not you. So enjoy it while it lasts. Just do something good with your life before then.’

Maybe those weren’t teeny Minus Tome’s exact words. But, how they resounded in her mind...

Fancy frowned as the maid poured some wine into his own glass. “There has always been a hardness I’ve felt in you, Chrysalis. Even when we were lovers. Like you cannot give anything without taking in some form. And to be truthful, amongst my mingled feelings when you left… there was also relief. As time has passed, much have I had the chance to ponder what it would’ve meant if I’d been the one to leave. I fear you may care about revenge more than you care even about your people.”

“Really?” Chrysalis demanded, raising the glass to her lips. “If that were true, when the call came from the Great Horn, do you think I’d have answered? I was shocked to hear it, really.”

She stared down into the wine, as if hoping to extract some secret knowledge from within.

“From what I’ve gathered,” Fancy said, “this was a call every intelligent, stardust-imbued being in our world must heed. The Concordia Maxima is ancient, forged in a time never known to us, by a being far more powerful than the Royal Sisters and the Lord of Chaos combined.” Breathing deeply, he took off his monocle to clean it, the maid finishing her task and heading back inside without a sound. “Still, we must be thankful. We can at least meet each other for a call greater than our petty differences.”

“...I suppose you’re right.” Chrysalis smiled at the maid returned to their balcony with a silver tray full of snacks, eager to start pigging out on the delicious-looking morsels. Strangely, Fancy was staring at the maid all the while, as she placed select dishes before the Hive Queen.

He replaced his monocle. “Must your people always leave the house in disguise?”

“Heh, no, they don’t, but given our history…” Chrysalis’ head snapped up, and she paused in her fanning to stare at him head-on. “Why do you ask?”

Fancy smirked a little. “This maid has yet to be called for, and yet she appears without prompt whenever we require her. Plus, if I recall, I’m pretty sure the maid your servant has disguised herself as, is in the final term of pregnancy.”

Chrysalis released a titter of laughter, grinning at him as the maid blushed and reverted back to her true, purple-maned drone form. The Changeling female hung her head in shame.

“It’s fine, Aphid.” Chrysalis leaned forward as she gave the Changeling servant a smile. “As I was guiding you via our special bond, I’d expect no less than your utmost commitment.”

“You’ve provided us excellent service, Aphid, was it?” Fancy asked, gaining a grin and nod from the Changeling. “My left eye is not what it once was, yet I’ve still got a flair for detail.”

Chrysalis was tempted to call him out on this, but withheld her words, not wanting to ruin the precious moment. She mussed up the drone’s mane.

“Aphid,” Chrysalis told her genially. “We ought to be fine, go enjoy the night with the others. Just don’t forget to have your horn varnished and your wings dusted in the morning.”

Fancy’s ears strained as the Changeling whispered out her gratitude. All he caught was ‘Mother’. He watched as she left in a demure state, only for her to practically rush out the moment she was out of sight, if the scurrying of hoofsteps was any indication.

“Such a quiet girl, that one.” Chrysalis gave the open door a fond smile. “Though quite the chatterbox in disguise, I’m told. Either way, she’s the best fangirl a queen could hope for.”

“Yes…” Fancy mused, warily eyeing the decorative implement she was using to cool herself. “Yet I must say, if half the stories on how you use your drones contain a kernel of truth, it’s so very good of you to show consideration, to use a proper fan in my presence, dear Chrysalis.”

This remark actually got her to burst out laughing.

“Oh, my, my!” Chrysalis giggled, as her mirth wound down. “Oh, it’s true; I never could pull the wool over your eyes for long, Fancy. But trust me; there are few better things in life than a well-dusted pair of wings’ breezing your mane, not least on a warm night like this... Yet I can sense you do not approve. Shame, I’d have gladly shared little Aphid’s delights with you.”

“Mother… in a whisper, she called you ‘Mother’...” Fancy sounded the word out. “It bespeaks more of an honorific title than a term of affection, especially towards one who’d treat her own brood like walking furniture.”

“Pfft, hush,” Chrysalis said, with a huff. “You make it sound bad. I promise you, before this tiresome week is out, I’ll be enjoying the attention my drones lavish upon me to the fullest. The sweet girl, like so many others, looks up to me as the one who feeds and cares for them. Hardly an inappropriate title, now, is it? What’s a little hooficure on Aphid’s delicate horn compared to that?”

“And what of Mythueslon, the Elder?” Fancy enquired placidly.

“Perish the thought!” Chrysalis exclaimed, shaking her head, a shiver running down her at the idea of Mythuselon calling her ‘Mother’. “Have you seen how coarse and twisted his horn is? Fortune forbid he changes his ways, he or the other dried-up old bugs.”

As a gleam shone off Fancy’s polished monocle, Chrysalis knew he’d caught the bitter note in her tone at that last phrase.

“You are not fond of the Changeling Elders,” Fancy said, slowly taking a new sip. “More of a ruler who appeals to the youth, then.”

“Always have been, Fancy,” Chrysalis replied, forcing a smile. “You do remember, don’t you, from when you were a young stud, your good looks not yet gone rugged as they are now? Those were the days, with no families to tell us what we could and couldn’t do.”

But opposite her, the distinguished, silver-backed noble let nothing betray his emotions. Nothing outward, anyway. Even after all these years, she could taste his feelings acutely upon her tongue. And still he’d had to ask if she hated his kind...

“From what I hear,” Fancy told her softly, “they, amongst others, weren’t too happy at how your involvement in the Royal Wedding turned out.”

Chrysalis sighed at the truth. “No… they were not. Most of the Changelings at the wedding were young, and as you’ve seen, they follow my rule to the letter. How can they not, with my voice in their heads, to comfort them amidst the howling winds of the Badlands...”

Fancy put down his glass with a rough ‘chink’.

“Why did you leave, Chrysalis?” her one-time lover asked softly. “And of all ways to return, why choose this?”

She felt herself begin to pale. But how, when she was cold-blooded, could the blood drain from her face? No. He would not gaze upon her in that state.

“I am a Queen of the Hive,” Chrysalis said simply. “As a grub, I was deemed by the Elders as the strongest in my mother’s clutch, as was her mother before her. We Changelings place value on family, yet parents do not long cherish their children, for once our wings soar and our horns shine, we are taken to be raised elsewhere, and all become children of the Hive. And a Queen, from birth, has no sisters but the mightiest daughters of other parents, fed on royal jelly like I was. They who may take my place should I die.”

Memories of those times flooded back into her, and she glanced at Fancy, he of the Five Blades, knowing, or hoping, he would understand.

“I must, a Queen must always exist to keep the Hive together…” Chrysalis sighed as she looked away from him. “To tell you the truth, I’d planned on having several daughters, just needed to find the right mate.”

“Sounds like you thought long and hard on this.”

“I have, but frankly speaking, the stallion in question is already married.” Chrysalis gave him a bemused, flirtatious look. Fancy released a quiet sigh at the look, looking down at his plate with a long stare.

“Maybe if this were a couple of decades ago, we’d have had a niche.”

Chrysalis internally wilted at his phrase, though she maintained an aloof air before him. She brought her glass to her lips once more, wondering what to say.

“I did like what we had, Fancy,” she said, after a moment’s thought. “The outings through the city night life, the wonderful dinners and plays, our time in the bedroom!”

Fancy flushed somewhat as Chrysalis batted her eyes at him. “Then why did you leave? No note, not a letter, not even a trail in the sand. I spent years looking for you.”

“Do you remember, a few months before graduation, an old stallion came looking for me.”

Fancy tapped his chin, then nodded. “Yes, he arrived at your flat while we were… that was Elder Mythuselon, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.” Chrysalis took in a small amount of glee as Fancy turned a nice shade of red as he began to put the pieces together. “It was all the more embarrassing for me, since he could taste it in the air.”

Pause.

“Sir Fancy, listen to me well, for I’ll only tell you this once.”

He glanced at her. Queen Chrysalis had spoken in a murmur, yet there was no gentility to her tone now. Only a coldness he couldn’t quite place. It didn’t fully match her wistful expression.

“Me leaving you…” the great Changeling matriarch told him, “was the best thing that could’ve happened to you. You thought you knew me, underneath the glamor, and perhaps it was so. Out of all the love I’ve tasted, yours, given to me as myself, not as an impostor, shall always be the richest. But you were right, right about the part of me you don’t want to be right about. Though I loved you, though you’re in my dreams, there’s one dream I’ve had since I was small. And I cannot let go of that dream.”

“I see…” Fancy said slowly, struggling not to let the sudden weight on his chest show. “Yes. For a long time, I’d suspected who that old stallion really was, though I’d thought he’d merely come to return you because your mother was wasting away. Yet, call it vanity, or youthful foolishness… I had hoped. Hoped our love would help you let go of your pride.”

“Maybe you thought right.” Chrysalis said blankly. “How long would it have lasted, though? You may have brokered a peace between our people, made my true form acceptable in the eyes of Celestia. It would have made no difference. One day, after a year, ten years, who knows, I’d have gone behind your back. I am not a forgiving mare, Fancy.”

“And this Alliance… what of it?”

“I’ll do what I deem best by my people,” Chrysalis stated. “The Elder may disagree with me on the finer details, but he is not Queen. I am. Be grateful to Mythuselon that, even when it felt I’d truly fallen in love with you, he spirited me away.”

Though the words stung, in his heart of hearts, for all he longed at times for the future they’d planned together, Fancypants knew she spoke truth. Had he gone to share a path with her, he would never have become ‘Five Blade Fancy’, best and greatest of all Knights in the Realm. Never have met beings from far off lands. Never established friendships that spanned the entire world. Never met Fleur.

Oh, what could have been, indeed. Yet could a Changeling truly change its gaping spots?

“Well,” Chrysalis finally declared, yawning. “Till we meet again. Wouldn’t you say?”

The Prime Minister looked over to her, and sighed.

“I suppose, Double Flash…”

It was lonely.

Much as he frustrated her at times, Minus felt a certain longing for her ruffian-of-a-husband. Short Fuse was crude, but their dwelling felt that much emptier without his voice calling for her. He’d almost certainly miss the birth, she thought with a pang, giving her belly another stroke. Rotting behind prison bars, for who knew how long.

There came a knock.

Minus sat up sharply in bed, but she didn’t cry out, or so much as utter “who’s there?” Whoever this was, they plainly could break into her place at their whim, yet thought it worth letting her know where they were. She was an old hat at this game. Some couple they made, Fuse and her, building secret tunnels beneath their home and his workspace. In case of emergency, there was always that trapdoor beneath the bed she could make a beeline for.

Not that she’d want to, in darkest night and in her condition.

She got a safe distance away from the bed, and tugged at her table lamp’s pullswitch.

Sure enough, rather than turn off the light, this raised her cupboard-bed back in place. The whole setup had taken ages to work out, but hey, everyone needs a hobby.

With the trapdoor’s outline now exposed, Minus stalked over and nudged at it.

“Who goes there?”

The reply came from a voice she had not heard in years, one she never would have expected.

“What’s the trapdoor under the bed for?” grumbled the voice, muffled by the floor’s thick wood. “Gal, sure you don’t sometimes get tired of your husband, or what?”

Catching her breath, after brief hesitation, Minus reached for the trapdoor’s iron ring, pulling it wide open, whereupon a grizzled, grey-maned figure in a purple dress, red glasses and an explorer’s cap emerged.

“Other way round,” Minus quipped at the newcomer, even as she took a step back. “That thing there’s his one-way slide down to the cellar, on nights when he won’t behave himself. Why change the habits of a lifetime?” She paused, then, taking a quick huff of air, spoke bluntly. “Daring? What are you doing here?”

Daring Do chuckled fondly, taking off her glasses as she stood to her full height. “Thought I’d pay an old friend a visit, you know?”

An ‘old friend’ was stretching it, but Minus held her tongue.

“A visit, you say?” she repeated. “It’s quick of you to get here so soon after… what happened.”

“Yes, well,” Daring said, rubbing the back of her head. “Business calls, and it just so happened I only now found out, an old friend of mine is close by. So how’re things going, with that husband of yours and all?”

“Oh, grand,” Minus replied, deadpan. “Living the high life. He’s outshone himself so well, they’ll remember me more as his wife than for who I am, long, long after today’s gone by. Sure is nice to be famous, innit… Miss Yearling?”

“Miss Yearling…” Daring repeated thoughtfully. “Funny hearing it from you, always so used to hearing it from the press, and not folks close to me.”

“Close, now, are we?” Minus muttered, Yet she couldn’t help but smile a bit in remembrance. “Didn’t think you’d remember me that way, Daring.”

“Well, sorry to burst your bubble on that score,” Daring replied. “These are interesting times, figured I’d need to bring a friendly face along with me.”

That attracted a curious look from Minus. “For… your business?”

“Yep,” Daring said affirmatively. “Got something down over in the Castle of the Two Sisters. Sort of an official permit, after all this time. And I figured, you being a Ranger and all, fancy taking that trip down memory lane?”

Minus chuckled bitterly, remembering how often Daring Do had spoken of the wonders of the fabled castle in the Everfree. And she herself had never set hoof in it before, despite her job. It was her constant, willful temptation, like a child eyeing a stick of candy at Sugarcube Corner. Probably one of the only few memories she actually recalled in full.

“Memory lane. Fascinating choice words you got there, ma’am,” Minus replied. “And you’re positive this is nothing… outside of legal boundaries?”

“Nope!” Daring replied eagerly. She held her forehoof outstretched, in a gesture that spoke volumes of her trust. “C’mon, Miney. Just like the old days?”

But Minus said nothing, at first, peering down blankly at the outstretched hoof.

“Your mane’s gone all grey, Daring,” Minus softly told her old companion. “I’m starting to find the first grey streaks in mine. Sorry. I... can’t.. Not with… the little one coming along.” She rubbed her belly meaningfully. “And, besides, more than anything, I promised Fuse.”

This drew a scowl from Daring, who also withdrew her forehoof.

“Him? What do you owe that scoundrel anyway?”

“Perhaps more than I do you,” Minus said quietly, trotting over to a nearby seat. “You break into my home, after not sending word in years. And you expect me to leave all this behind at the drop of your hat? Like the way you left me when my brains turned into mush?”

“Minus, I–” Daring began, but Minus would have none of it.

“Do you know who was there for me, Daring? He was.” Minus snapped, her eyes narrowed with years of repressed anger baring full force. “I woke up with no clue who I was, where I was at, surrounded by folks who knew my name only cos’ you put it down on a slip of paper, like some stray dog!”

Daring flinched at the tone. Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to form words, buth nothing came out.

Minus felt the tears begin to spring from her eyes. “Fuse found me, wandering around like a lost sheep in the streets of Manehattan. He began to play the same routine we always did. Thing is, I’d no idea who he was at that time. This strange, bulky stallion walks up to me and begins bantering like we were rivals, and all I can do is shrink into a blubbering mess… He knew something was wrong, something had happened, and he blamed himself for it.”

“Of course he did!” Daring said indignantly. “He bashed your head with a piece of stone!”

“It was either that, or let me go on a rampage with that stupid necklace you wanted so badly!” Minus snarled at her. “The Amulet with no name, always mentioned throughout history as what can gave anypony a power to rival Celestia! And it fell onto me in our scuffle.”

“That wasn’t the true Amulet. It was a knockoff by–”

“I don’t care! It still caused me to go into a mad rage!” Minus angrily wiped her tears away. “He waited with me, Daring. He waited for you to come back so he could leave. But you never did. We waited months, then your stupid new book came out, and you wrote me out the way of a retiring sidekick. Too tired to fight anymore, so off I go back home to be a student and live a normal life. And because I’d insisted you not use my name, I knew going to Velvet for copyright earnings would be no use. So there I was, penniless.”

Minus stomped up to her, poking her in the chest. “Where were you when I needed you most, Do?”

Daring rubbed her leg, looking away for a moment. “It… it was supposed to be a quick trip. Leave for a few days, be back before you know it. But… Ahuizotl got the jump on me, taking the Amulet. I…”

“You forgot about me to stop him.” Minus sighed in disappointment, lowering her head before turning around.

“I didn’t forget! I just… I got so busy trying to track him down, writing down notes…” Daring kicked at the floor. “All for nothing. It had taken me months to figure out where he was going, when he just showed up at my hotel room in broad daylight, tossed the thing at me, saying it was junk, and left.”

The explorer gave a resigned shrug. “I was on the Minotaur Islands. It took about a month to return across the South Luna Ocean, I wrote out the manuscript and managed to send it to Velvet just before boarding the train to Manehattan. I’m telling you the truth, Minus. The first thing I did was go back to the hospital, but…”

“I was gone,” Minus whispered, still refusing to look at her.

“Yeah… I searched for you… But you’d left them no address.”

“Yeah? Well, too bad for you that Velvet’s such a speedy editor,” Minus chuckled mirthlessly. “Shows where your priorities lie, don’t it? If you truly cared, you’d have checked up on me before finishing your book.”

“C’mon, Minus,” the other mare insisted. “I mean...”

“No, Do. I get it. You’re a writer first and a friend second,” Minus interrupted with a hiss. “What, think you can leave me for years on end, and just… return, and everything will be alright? Things don’t work like that no more.”

With a wing, she gestured towards the door.

“So, if you please…” Minus said quietly, a foreleg wrapped around her belly. “Leave us.”

Pause, as the two estranged adventurers looked over one another in stony silence. Finally, the famed explorer relented.

“Right… guess I’ll be on my way,” Daring said, almost regretful. “I’ll… see you around, Minus. When the time comes, I’ll be seeing you both around, if you’ll have me.”

Vinyl Scratch stood in contemplation, looking out upon the carbon copy of the hometown she had abandoned years ago. The town square was empty at this time, and she stood alone. It felt so very familiar, she thought, and yet so distant. There was a touch of innocence she could hardly comprehend, something pure and untouched.

Something tainted forever, by their presence.

She shook her head, and pushed up her shades. This was something she needed to do, for this Ponyville, at least. With her new pair of speakers in tow, her music filled the late night air.

Wasn’t it just yesterday we cried,
Thinking that all was lost inside.
Trying to hold on to a crumbling dream that died
Right before our eyes.

Ponies looked out from their windows, curious at the hauntingly beautiful music coursing through the town. A few might have wept.

“Beautiful piece of work, right there,” a voice chimed in, breaking Vinyl’s thoughts. Besides her stood her charge, Daring Do. They would be heading towards the Castle of the Two Sisters when morning came, but for now, they stood still.

“Yeah, well, I do what I do,” Vinyl replied, forcing a grin.

It had seemed futile at first. Perhaps this sweet little town would need to be taught a few home truths about the harsh reality that was Earth, and the wars to come.

But not today.

Solemn, Ana stood contemplating of the carved figure on the cross.

Out of everything in the chapel, this was the only item not to look hastily knocked-together. Even both stained-glass windows were crude facsimiles, printed on transparent colored paper, covering the real windows of what must once have been some tea-room or gallery.

Yet now Colonel Renee and Prasad, even Princess Celestia, had each said their piece, whom else could she turn to, if not the long-dead man before her? For once, Thomas Harwood’s face had scarcely crossed her mind. Beneath his quirks, he was a soldier in body and soul. He would not disagree with the Colonel.

Well look at us now, figuring it out,
On top of the world we’ll fly tonight,
The pages will turn, the past will burn,
We’ll build a new dream for you and I.

With a nervous pinch of her crucifix, Ana glanced at the rows of makeshift pews on either side, and then exhaled, more deeply than she had all day. She marveled there was any breath left in her. Moving as though in a trance, she went to seat herself in the front row, but not to pray, not yet. Instead, she bent down and began tugging at her boot.

On this sad evening, alone, Ana felt that, downright physically, she needed more than a cheap plastic chair, if in prayer, she hoped for a soothing touch.

One boot came off, then the other, and she gingerly folded up her socks and put them together. Ana stood up, flexing her toes, drawing some comfort from the warm, smooth feel of the varnished wooden floor under her bare feet.

Here she was, in the beautiful Equestria promised by photographs during the early days. And only now did she think to resume this girlhood habit of hers. Not out on the grassy summer hills or mountain like those from home, quietly proud that she always seemed to know where to step or not to step.

No, once more, since a final night’s talk in the hall of a mosque, before her departure for North America, Ana found herself barefoot inside a place of human worship. Silently she knelt, head bowed, before the man who was a prophet to one faith, savior to hers, whom even Lyra hadn’t displaced in many hearts.

Thus she stayed there, well into the night.

The pale mare looked up.

Music, glorious music streamed through her consciousness, drifting past the eddies and swirls of a dream in the making. She couldn’t quite make it out, yet from the beats, the vibrancy, she guessed it to be of the wild style Lieutenant Scratch always favored. Not much to her taste, neither slow nor soft, unlike the classical music Miss Melody had practiced, yet the cry for life in its tones was powerful, undeniable.

If only this were the only cry which resounded within little Ruby’s slumbering, haunted mind.

The darkness loomed, all around a girl left alone, whimpering and huddling herself, in this cold barren desolation. Somewhere amidst these disparate threads, there had to be a red string, tying the child’s heart to another’s. Not a lover, nor as deep a bond as could be knit between daughter and mother, yet strong. Gaze into the stars, and you see ten million other worlds, and they know nothing of it.

And you will know, you will know,
When it’s time to go.
To make a little more new dream.

Then someone came.

Pain exploded inside Weaver’s forehead, for all that her body was as much a construct as the rest of this ethereal plane, and, gasping, she clutched at her horn as she felt it burn furiously, in recognition of the fuchsia all-over tones of the Teacher, well-honed instincts screaming at Celestia’s Sword to act now, strike while the iron was hot, after all, wasn’t that the task she’d pledged to obey, not to wonder why, anymore…

She had known such pain in the years before the war, before she’d had to witness others fall prey to the eternally recurring headache brought on by inescapable misery, grief and sometimes loneliness. And so with a supreme, forceful effort, she willed herself to withhold. This here was no intruder, no meddler in the Queen’s grand plans. Not her enemy.

But the child’s comfort.

“Take good care of her,” she spoke, too quiet for anyone to hear. “Because, you can...”

Silently, she turned to open a door and step through into halls of dreams, gently closing it as Cheerilee’s words to her niece echoed in the background, their minds joined together by the thread she, a dreamweaver, had pulled from the ether.

“Hold on, sweetheart. Everything will be alright...”

Would it, though? Yes, perhaps it would.

Feeling the old melancholy settle over her, the pale mare knew that, come what may, even with two worlds so alike to one another, she would never be able to reunite this child with a mother lost. Never, no matter her skills, capable of doing more than offer a small respite for those like Ruby. Yet she’d help them see a world past all of life’s meagre sorrows.

And the Sun would dry the tears from their eyes.

Humming a little ditty to herself, Queen Chrysalis, mind full of lingering thoughts on her “not-date” with Fancy, marched the corridors of Canterlot, back to her private chambers.

You will know, you will know,
When it’s time to go.
To make a little more new dream.

Yet when she got there, aside from two of her largest, most trusted guards, she found someone else waiting for her.

“Who are you, pony?” she hissed. “Why do you skulk outside my bedroom?”

The stranger blew away a tuft of green mane, revealing a dark, unblinking eye which fearlessly met her glare.

“They call me Cutter, yes. I have a proposal to make, Your Majesty.”