//------------------------------//
// Chapter 52 
// Story: Hostile History 
// by Jest 
//------------------------------//

“What? That's bullshit!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “We are completely spent and you want us to go do more?”

Perfect Tempo frowned. “I know you have been through a lot already but you are the only ones who can get this done.”

“Why don't you try carrying your weight huh?” Applejack accused. “You and your posse are plenty powerful enough.”

Perfect Tempo’s frown deepened. “You know very well that this world constrains our powers. Worse yet, being this close to the barrier has left us weaker than normal.”

“They aren't from Earth like we are,” Fluttershy offered. “Even Sunset has a closer tie here than us.”

“Precisely,” Perfect Tempo exclaimed. “Furthermore we are needed here if we wish to keep the auxiliaries alive while also creating a big enough mess to keep the changelings occupied.”

“Yeah, yeah I remember. It still sucks though,” Rainbow Dash muttered bitterly, kicking a rock.

“Now if the complaints are out of the way, we can-” Perfect Tempo began.

The man was abruptly cut off when a massive explosion shook the entire quarry. Glancing back to the source of the noise, they saw an enormous fireball rising in the distance, the flames dying quickly in the cool night air.

“That was on the perimeter. Probably one of the armored personnel carriers,” Twilight Sparkle muttered.

“Evidently the queen still has enough of her faculties and is attempting to escape. You must stop them before they get out into the city and cause mayhem,” Perfect Tempo exclaimed. “Go to the equipment shed over there. I’ve left you several full heals. They should be enough to see you through the night though the hangover tomorrow will be brutal.”

“Come on girls. The night ain't over yet. Let's see this through,” Sunset Shimmer stated.

“If we must, but I do believe we are owed overtime after all this,” Rarity remarked.

Perfect Tempo chuckled. “If we all survive and don't have to fight the National Guard, then I’ll pay you whatever you want. For now, you must go, I fear this is not the last of the changelings Celestia is going to dump on our heads and I’d advise you leave before the next wave arrives.”

“You might be right. That big glowy door is still up there,” Applejack muttered.

“Come on, let's get moving before more come through,” Sunset encouraged.

“Good luck,” Perfect Tempo exclaimed.

Sunset Shimmer took the lead, walking over to the small equipment shed Perfect Tempo had indicated earlier. Though unassuming and not very large, once Sunset Shimmer was inside, she found herself surrounded on all sides by weapons and supplies. Ammo, guns, explosives, and even a spare set of electrified armor as well as a stun stick were waiting for them.

“I didn't even notice this earlier,” Twilight muttered.

“Shotgun stun stick,” Rainbow Dash declared, dashing over to the rod and slipping it into a belt loop.

“Stock up on ammo, and grab as many grenades as you can,” Sunset Shimmer ordered.

“Can do,” Applejack declared.

“Found the quote-unquote full heals that Perfect Tempo mentioned,” Rarity offered.

Following her friend’s pointed finger, Sunset Shimmer found a row of blue potions waiting for them amidst several grenades.

“Excellent,” Sunset Shimmer remarked.

Grabbing one for herself, the girl distributed the rest of them amongst her friends. Once each had one, Sunset Shimmer noticed that there was one left, which she tucked into her bag. After that, she removed the stopper, tipped back the contents, and swallowed it all in two quick short gulps.

“Just as gross as I remembered,” Sunset Shimmer muttered.

“Oh, it's not so bad. Not any worse than cider that’s gone bad anyway,” Applejack added.

“I think it's great. Reminds me a bit of how purple tastes,” Pinkie Pie declared.

“I…” Twilight shook her head. “Am going to pretend I didn't hear that.”

“Oooh look they even have a bunch of glitter!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

Sunset Shimmer turned around and found that yes, there was a whole ammo crate full of glitter.

“I have so many questions,” Rarity muttered.

“Best not worry about that at the moment,” Applejack interjected.

“I suppose you’re right,” Rarity agreed.

“Um, I’m ready to go when you guys are,” Fluttershy offered.

“Same, let's get moving,” Sunset Shimmer declared.

Together they left the equipment shed behind and reentered the battlefield, only to be immediately deafened. The crack of gunfire and the boom of grenades or other explosions were near constant. What was also omnipresent were the screams, be they of the dying, or from those charging into battle it wasn't certain.

Standing there amidst the tides of suffering Sunset Shimmer froze up. She had expected a fight and she knew it was going to be bloody but she had never thought things would have gone the way they did. Bodies were littered everywhere, as were the injured or dying, most of whom were changelings snapped out of their madness by nearing death’s door.

“Sunset, Sunset! We have an opening!” Applejack shouted while shaking the other girl.

Sunset Shimmer brushed off her friend's hand and looked over to where she had pointed. There in the distance, near the quarry’s edge was a section where the changelings had grown thin, and the defenders were pushing forward. If they used such an exit they would have to go around the main bulk of the crazed shapeshifters to reach their target but it was better than slogging through them.

“Right, go! Applejack lead the way!” Sunset Shimmer yelled.

Like a well-oiled machine, her friends charged off together, each one falling into their familiar position. Rainbow Dash led the pack, charging ahead and scouting the area while Applejack thundered behind, having already grown to twice her usual height. The rest fell into a loose wedge formation with Rarity on the left flank, Sunset Shimmer on the right, and the last two in the center.

If they hadn't been charging through a literal battlefield Sunset Shimmer would have congratulated her friends on their coordination. They weren't perfect, not by a long shot but they were starting to move as a squad, and without even needing to be told what to do. The sense of pride that Sunset Shimmer felt in her chest was stifled by the bleakness of the situation and the importance of the mission that lay ahead of them.

They needed to take down the queen. It wouldn't secure their victory, but it would slow the changelings down. If they got lucky it might even be enough to win the battle, but only time would tell if that would happen.

Just as they neared the line, and Sunset Shimmer was about to start barking orders, the defenders suddenly surged outward. Ice constructs threw themselves into the changeling horde and exploded, freezing dozens of shapeshifters at a time. Into the gaps created by their now-destroyed allies charged the zombie hordes of Princess Platinum. The undead changelings and zombified humans shot, punched, clawed, and chewed their way through the opposition.

What few fully sapient and living humans were left threw grenades into the centermost point. The resulting detonations opened up a pathway big enough for Sunset Shimmer’s squad to slip past. With Applejack still at the front, they did just that, Rainbow Dash falling in behind to watch their rear and strike where she was needed most.

“Don't waste your time on anything not directly in our way!” Sunset Shimmer shouted.

The former pony conjured a lance of fire, and threw it forward, cutting down several changelings and widening the gap. Applejack ran into the opening created, her club swinging in a wide arc and sending mad shape shifters flying. Rarity secured their exit by creating several barriers where the fighting was thickest, allowing them to slip through unmolested.

“Hard left, go around, towards where the explosion was!” Sunset Shimmer yelled.

Her squad obeyed, turning the moment they were free of the tangled mass of crazed changelings. Once outside of the main battlefield, the group picked up the pace. No longer needing to be concerned about changeling resistance they broke into a sprint. Their freshly rejuvenated muscles ached, but there was no pain and the discomfort was only minor. Even still, the girls knew that they were on borrowed time, and no matter how good they felt, under it all, they were still exhausted.

“Look, more!” Exclaimed Pinkie Pie.

Sunset Shimmer cursed under her breath. She watched as the green door became black, its otherworldly light drowned out by hundreds if not thousands of changelings. Like those that came before, they began to twist and go mad, only they didn't fall straight down like the others.

No, they seemed to have more sense and righted themselves before they hit the ground. Taking wing, they spread out and glided towards the perimeter defenses. Though still not wholly unified, the attack was at least semi-organized, and would likely pose a problem for the distant defenders.

With a ball of fire in her hand, Sunset considered summoning more power and aiding the defenders as best she could. Then she saw something strange. A changeling fell suddenly, its body cut in half by an ethereal blade that flashed in the night.

Then another, and another, each cut down before they could escape the quarry.

“Harvest Moon is really going all out,” someone remarked.

Sunset Shimmer didn't turn around to find out who said that. Instead, she refocused her magic, narrowing its scope, and tightening the flame until it was a tiny blue orb. Only then did she raise her arm, and unleash the spell at the closest changelings who had escaped getting cut in half.

Like the blast from a shotgun, Sunset Shimmer’s fireballs flew out, scattering far and wide. Though inaccurate they didn't need to be aimed perfectly as even though a good number had been cut down there were still many left. A number which shrunk considerably when Sunset Shimmer’s fireball spray struck true, blowing holes through a bunch of them.

The survivors who escaped the devastation of both Harvest Moon and Sunset Shimmer were dealt with easily. Rarity’s magical hammer, Twilight's telekinetic aura, and a surprisingly accurate series of silenced pistol rounds cut them down. Applejack needed only to bat a single one of them aside with her club to clear the way for their advance.

Sprinting around the battlefield, Sunset Shimmer glanced over to where the fighting was fiercest. There she saw each one of Perfect Tempo’s posse had taken to the field and were getting stuck in. The usually tight and efficient fighting they were known for had been tossed aside for grand sweeping attacks that cleared many but left them open. That gap in their defenses was planned though, as the changelings couldn't help but attack. Further keeping them contained not by maintaining a perimeter but by tricking them into a fight.

It was smart, and though dangerous, Sunset Shimmer knew Perfect Tempo and his friends were too strong to be taken out by mere changelings, even if they were empowered by their own madness. The human auxiliaries under their command were another story entirely, and to ensure as many of them made it through as possible she would need to pick up the pace.

“We’re almost to the spot of the explosion, get ready for hard contact!” Sunset Shimmer shouted.

Her friends all yelled back a mixture of affirmations, or grunts that meant about the same thing. 

Sunset Shimmer herself charged ahead, joining Applejack at the front of their group. There she was able to better survey what lay ahead. What she saw did not look good, as the blockade set up by the perimeter defense force was utterly smashed.

Erected on the same winding dirt road they were now running on, the tangle of hastily erected barriers had been knocked aside. The armored personal carrier that had served as the main obstacle at the center of the road had been crushed flat. Whatever or whoever had done this had been massive, though there were only a scant few prints of that size present.

“They must have kept going, we have to hurry!” Sunset Shimmer pressed.

“Look, drag marks!” Pinkie Pie pointed out.

“Follow it, you all know what to do,” Sunset Shimmer ordered.

The group advanced as they had before, with Applejack up front. This time she wasn't quite as large, ensuring that those behind her could still see what lay ahead. A smart move, for as they moved off the road in search of survivors, they came across a small enclosed area.

Here the survivors were holding out as best as they could, the small group of humans shooting at an enormous lumbering creature. The monster was slogging through the small pond at the center of the shallow indent, its great bulk displacing the water onto the sides of the pit. Though vaguely draconic, the abomination was a changeling, as it had the same coloration as the shapeshifters.

“I think it's the queen, look at its head,” Twilight Sparkle offered.

Sunset Shimmer looked to the creature’s brow, where a strange chitinous crown sprouted.

“Everyone attack and if you can, restrain it!” Sunset Shimmer ordered.

The sudden shout seemed to shock the lumbering giant from its stupor and scrambled forward with jaws extended. The small group of human survivors tried to retreat up the rocky sides of the pond area but the monster chasing them was faster. One was crushed flat by one of the changeling’s feet, another was bisected with a flash of claws, and the last was bitten in half.

Cursing herself for being too slow to save them, Sunset Shimmer peppered the monster’s side with small fireballs. She expected the attack to do little, but surprisingly it knocked the changeling back and left behind large scorch marks. The scaly hide it sported was not fully formed yet, and Sunset Shimmer watched as it twitched and contorted.

“What the…” Sunset muttered.

The changeling turned and roared something that almost sounded like several words all spoken at the same time. Applejack didn't flinch and charged right in, the club aimed for the monster’s chin. The strike knocked the beast off balance, giving Rainbow Dash the chance to dash in and repeatedly smash the stun stick against its side. With each impact the creature roared and twitched, recoiling from the source of the pain but unable to escape. 

“Applejack, Rainbow Dash, go for the legs! Pinkie Pie, gum grenades, Rarity, defense!” Sunset Shimmer shouted before turning. “Twilight, ready a stasis barrier, and I’ll fill it with mana!”

“What would that… oooh,” Twilight muttered.

Sunset Shimmer glanced back to the fight, confident that Twilight had figured it out. Just in time too, as the changeling was growing larger in an attempt to match Applejack who stood a full head over it. The farm girl kept on the offensive though, striking the monster repeatedly with her club to slowly decreasing effectiveness.

With each impact the changeling shifted its form slightly more, hardening its scales and becoming harder to hurt. At about the third hit, the creature didn't even recoil and instead lurched forward with the intent of biting Applejack’s arm. It never reached its target though as a reflective gem wall suddenly appeared before it, leaving the beast to slam its nose against the barrier.

It recoiled in pain, and clutched at its injured face, howling in agony all the while.

“Gotcha!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

Winding back, the pink girl threw two handfuls of brightly colored grenades directly at the changeling’s maw. The impact barely made a sound, but the effect was immediate, with a mass of rapidly hardening goo spreading across the changeling’s features. Pain turned into confusion, and the monster tried to rip its hands-free of the cement-like stuff closing around its face.

“No you don't,” Applejack interrupted.

Wrapping her arms around the changeling’s shoulders, Applejack held on tight as the monster struggled. A gem barrier blocked a knee aimed at the farm girl’s midsection, and the repeated furious jabbing of a stun stick kept it off balance. Even Fluttershy aided her friends, the usually reserved girl using a bit of necromancy to sap the creature’s strength.

For a moment it seemed as though it was going to escape, its body was bulging and it continued to grow. The pink cement was starting to crack, and it was overpowering even Applejack’s titanic strength. The stun stick was doing less and less, and Fluttershy’s necromantic magic was barely slowing it down.

“Hey ugly, does this smell like chloroform to you?” Pinkie Pie asked.

She then threw what looked like a glass football at the creature and struck it square between the eyes. Upon impact the barrier shattered, and the liquid inside spilled out over the changeling’s face. One deep breath was all it took for the monster to begin stumbling, and after two it was starting to weaken.

“Hold on Applejack, I’ve got you!” Fluttershy exclaimed.

Shifting from sapping strength to giving it, Fluttershy laid a hand on the enormous leg of her companion. With fresh vigor flowing through her, Applejack was able to contain the changeling’s struggles until they suddenly ended. All at once it was swallowed by green flame, which once dissipated revealed a much much smaller creature.

“I got you,” Twilight remarked.

Now too small to be contained by Applejack or Pinkie Pie’s gum grenade, the changeling fell into Twilight's waiting telekinetic grasp. Once grabbed, Twilight quickly deposited the changeling into a purple sphere filled with similarly colored glass. After it was inside the sphere was sealed, and Twilight fell to the ground with a thump.

“Great work girls!” Sunset Shimmer exclaimed.

The others rejoined them quickly, returning to normal size or otherwise shaking off what little damage they received during the struggle.

“Whoowee, if that critter wasn't madder than a bear with a beehive on its nose I woulda been in for a whole heap of trouble!” Applejack remarked.

“Don't move. You strained your shoulder,” Fluttershy ordered.

“Right, sorry about that,” Applejack murmured.

“I’m just glad we took it down quickly. That thing was nasty,” Rainbow Dash added.

“It isn't so intimidating anymore. Why its barely larger than a pony,” Rarity exclaimed.

“Fitting, isn't it?” Twilight mused.

“So what's with this purple thing anyway,” Rainbow Dash inquired, tapping the side of the barrier.

“It's a stasis spell I altered to create a mana-rich environment reminiscent of Equestria,” Sunset explained. “It should stabilize the changeling’s form and help it regain its sanity.”

“Sure looks like it's workin’,” Applejack remarked.

Peering a little closer, Sunset confirmed that did indeed seem to be the case, as the creature’s twisting form was starting to stabilize. The dramatic, alien alterations that it had been in the midst of were fading, its body gaining a smooth, glossy texture. Four hooved limbs emerged insectoid wings sprouted from its back, and its eyes opened to reveal not the madened, twitching orbs seen earlier.

“Don't panic,” Fluttershy whispered in a low tone, extending a hand. “We are trying to help you, just breathe.”

For a moment the creature just looked at Fluttershy in confusion before reluctantly doing as it was told. Several deep breaths later, its form solidified completely, and the lingering touch of madness left its eyes.

“I’m Fluttershy, and these are my friends,” Fluttershy offered, rattling off each name while pointing at said name’s owner. “-And lastly, Sunset Shimmer.”

“Hey, how are ya feeling?” Sunset asked.

“Sane,” murmured the changeling.

“Well, that's good. Maybe you could help us make some of the other changelings less crazy,” Fluttershy offered.

“My children, they are…” exclaimed the queen, only to suddenly slump to the bottom of the sphere and grab her head. 

“Fluttershy, keep up the healing. Everyone else send as much positive emotions as you can,” Sunset Shimmer declared.

“I’m not sure how that works but I’ll try my best darling,” Rarity exclaimed.

The changeling took a short breath, breathing in a waft of rainbow energy. Upon swallowing it, she shook her head and looked around as if for the first time.

“Why are you helping me and why do you look like that?” demanded the changeling, her voice so weak that it wasn't the least bit intimidating.

“You are in another world. One with people who have the same name, and general personality as those you may have met on the other side but who are fundamentally a different person,” Sunset Shimmer explained. “As for why, well you seemed to need the help.”

The changeling seemed ready to offer some kind of angry retort but stopped herself before she could speak it. Biting back that urge, she swallowed her pride and looked out over the small group of humans arrayed before her.

“If you truly wish to help my children then you must bring me to them. If I am lucky they have not had the chance to spawn another queen after I was wrenched out of the hive mind,” the queen offered.

“Another queen?” Twilight asked.

“Yes. This sphere along with the shock of the mana stopped my heart just long enough to disconnect me,” explained the changeling. “And without a queen, they will create another; only this one will be born of madness and rage.”

“Just tell us what to do, miss?” Fluttershy offered.

“Chrysalis,” answered the queen. “You may call me Chrysalis.”