//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Land of Confusion // Story: Fallout: Equestria - Vanguard // by Veprem //------------------------------// Fallout: Equestria - Vanguard Chapter 3: Land of Confusion ***** ***** ***** Disorientation gave way to brief panic as I found myself in freefall. Flurry and I ended up in the sky, almost at the Single Pegasus Project’s cloud blanket. Spreading my wings, I caught myself. Looking around, I spotted the changeling Empress plummeting towards the ground. Realizing she wasn’t conscious, I dove after her and enveloped her in telekinesis. Not wanting to injure her with whiplash, I slowed her descent gradually. Finally coming to a stop, I took a moment to take in my surroundings. We weren’t in the Frozen North anymore. The lack of snow and ice made that apparent, and instead I saw endless green forests. My navigation software wasn’t very helpful, simply stating that we were in an unmapped region. At least the compass works. I looked around for any sort of landmark on the horizon. Mountains. Tall, narrow, snow-peaked mountains that I thankfully recognized. The Smokey Mountains were somehow northeast of us. Sweet Celestia, Flurry Heart warped us halfway across the continent! Just how powerful is she? Speaking of which, the changeling did not look good. Her body and face were gaunt, her mane dull and flat, and any disguise spells were broken. She was completely magically drained. Given her nature, she could die if she didn’t feed soon. Question is, would I allow that? Should I allow that? She’s killed thousands. The crystal ponies are all but extinct because of her. Then again, it’s clear she didn’t know what else to do. If she knew how the Crystal Heart worked from the start, there’s a good chance the bugs and ponies would be coexisting today without issues. I could try to give her my energy, but I don’t know if synthetic magic will work for her. Maybe I could find some animals? Well, first things first, let’s get out of the middle of the air. ***** After making sure there wasn’t any radiation, I set Flurry down in the grass. Weighing my options, I decided to give her just enough magic to get her up and moving. With care, I touched my pristine horn to her crooked and porous one. A red glow shifted to cyan as it transferred from my body to hers. Groaning, Flurry groggily got up, rubbing her reddened eyes. “Cozy? What… Where are we?” “Some unexplored part of the White Tail Forest, I think.” I sighed, then narrowed my gaze. “You owe me an explanation.” She cocked her head. “Regarding?” Where to begin? “What did Chrysalis do to Princess Cadance and Shining Armor? What was her plan?” Flurry’s ears flattened. “She killed Cadance. Took her place, and put a spell on Shining to enslave him. As for her plan, she was going to wait out the war with the zebras. Once them and Equestria were weak enough, she was going to take over both.” That was ambitious, to say the least. “What changed?” “Mega spells were invented.” Flurry explained. “Suddenly, revealing herself would have been certain suicide. If the zebras or ponies knew how infested the Empire was, they’d turn it into a glass floor.” Two centuries prior, I would have said cooler heads would have prevailed. Now, I know better. The changelings really had no choice but to hide. She continued. “Of course, the bombs came anyway. Mom… She shielded the city from the worst of it while everyone got into the shelters. Protected her hive.” Sadness filled her face. “Dad… All my life, I wanted to know the real him, not the puppet mom turned him into. With the world exploding, I thought it was my last chance to… I broke the spell. Told him everything.” She winced. “He flew into a rage, killed mom, and fled.” She stomped a hoof, and tears began to fall into the grass. “How could I have thought he’d do anything else, then or now? I should have known he’d hate us. I should have known he’d still hate me.” She started to sob. “My own father hates me, and he has every right to! I’m a monster!” Against my better judgment, I wrapped myself around her. “I know it’s not the same, but I have some idea what you’re going through. Having a father who resents you for existing is rough. I… I know you’re trying. We’ll figure this out.” Easier said than done. Shining and those Rangers aren’t going to let us anywhere near those crystal ponies. “Look, if we can make our way to Seaddle, you can call off Tenna and I will get volunteers to restore the heart.” Flurry glared at me. “How do I know I can trust you?” Really? “I have been nothing but honest and helpful. I just want peace between us.” I sighed. “Let me give you some more magic, enough so you can fly.” Our horns touched again, and I felt energy leave my body and enter hers. Flurry soon looked much healthier. “...Thank you. I… I guess I can trust you.” Her brow furrowed. “I guess I’m the one who needs to earn trust.” Accurate, but let’s continue. “The nearest Commonwealth settlement should be Cervimento. From there we can get a ride to Seaddle.” I took off, and immediately felt a little woozy. Flurry must have needed more magic than I realized. “Golly… Hang on, I need to charge for a couple hours.” I began gaining altitude. “Charge?” Flurry asked, understandably confused. I stopped to explain. “This body’s power cells aren’t limitless. Every now and then I need to fly up above the clouds and collect solar energy.” She winced. “Aren’t you worried about the Enclave?” “No, they don’t have patrols out in the middle of nowhere.” My wings began to carry me up again. “I’ll be fine. Just find someplace safe to wait for me.” With that, I gave her the robe Daisy had gifted me. The sun won’t do me any good if there’s a thick layer of cloth blocking it. Plus, it was getting uncomfortably warm. Now wearing nothing but my mother’s yellow ribbons, which Tenna thankfully didn’t take, I made my way above the clouds. Just in case, I eased up slowly through the final layer, checking around. All clear. While they’re not a threat to me, an unnecessary fight with Enclave soldiers would make this situation all the more complicated. Finding an extra comfy cloud to stretch out on, I closed my eyes and got some rest while the golden energy of sunshine did its work. ***** oooOOOooo My mother’s hoof gently and shakily stroking my mane struggled to distract me from the steady beeping of a life support machine. Adjusting myself beneath the sterile white sheets she and I shared, I rested my head closer to the center of her chest, listening to her weakening heartbeat and ragged, shallow breaths. Mellow Cottage didn’t have much time left. I knew that. The doctor and nurses in the room knew that. My father knew that, too, even if he was hiding in the bottom of a bottle at home, refusing to accept it. Spending my nights with mom had been my after-school ritual for weeks now, ever since her sickness left her bedridden. Even her state, she’d still try to be a teacher, quizzing me on what the day’s lessons were. But not today. She was too weak. I could barely keep the tears out of my eyes long enough to look at her. She was still so young. Too young to look so ill. Far too young for her blank flank daughter to lose her. Her once gorgeous blue coat was frayed and patchy, and much of her curly pink mane had fallen out. Mellow’s brick red eyes met mine, and a comforting smile lifted the freckles on her cheeks. “Cozy… sweetheart… it’s alright…” She hugged me close to her chest again. The beat of her heart was fading. “Promise me… you’ll be a good filly… and you’ll grow up to be a good mare.” My tiny voice squeaked. “I promise.” Her horn glowed and tightened the ribbons she had given me. My mother used what little strength she had left to pull me close enough to kiss my forehead. “I love you. Always.” Her strength failed her, and she rasped a few times as she collapsed back into a lying position. “And… I know he doesn’t show it, but your father loves you too.” She chuckled. “So be patient with that silly stallion.” I nodded and hugged her. “I will. I love you, mom.” Mellow’s hoof stroked my mane one last time, then fell limp. Her whole body became motionless. I couldn’t hear her heart, only a droning note from the machine. My mother was gone. oooOOOooo ***** The sound of sniffles met me as I woke. A pair of sad, blue eyes looking down at me caused me to jolt up with a start. “Flurry!” My traveling companion stepped back, her horn ceasing to glow. “I’m sorry!” She sniffed again and wiped tears away with a hoof. “Were you watching my dreams!?” A violation of privacy like that is not the way to gain my trust! Her ears folded. “I’m sorry… It’s easier than talking… You said you knew what I’m going through. I wanted to see for myself. I’m sorry…” I relaxed, but only a little. “Okay, well, ask permission next time!” Flurry nodded ashamedly. “Can we keep moving?” Looking around, I could see it was nearly sunset. For such a short dream, a lot of time had passed. “Yes, let’s.” We burrowed back below the clouds and properly began our flight. Cervimento was a couple days away, more than enough time to tell Flurry about my upbringing rather than let her read my mind in my sleep. ***** The night brought with it a cool wind, which caressed us as we glided above the trees. On the horizon we saw the flickering of lights of Cervimento, and the glistening of dark waves beyond them. Well, I could see them with magnified vision. Flurry and I were still over a day away, and her vision likely can’t pierce such a distance. “So…” Flurry Heart broke the silence. “I saw what happened to your mother. What about your father?” At least she’s asking this time. “Well, we were already struggling before Mellow got sick. Manehattan’s an expensive place to live, even in the slums. “After she was gone, my father, Pawn Check, couldn’t support us with his job at the docks alone. He had to get more involved in his brother’s business. Organized crime. My uncle was a mafia boss named Gutter Ball. A big one, too. He ran practically all of Manehattan’s underworld. “Pawn… wasn’t very good at being a gangster. I think being family is the only reason Gutter put up with him. Still, he did what he had to do to provide. Anyway, it wasn’t long before I had to start pulling my own weight. Picking pockets, distracting police, whatever. Mom would have been so disappointed with me… “One day, a job went bad. It was just sticking up a small bank, easy pickings. I was outside doing my usual ‘lost filly’ routine to keep any nearby cops occupied. Then… gunshots. Police rushed in. I followed. Pawn… My father was on the ground, bleeding from his chest and back, paralyzed from a slug that went through his spine. “I barely had a moment with him before he passed. He didn’t even get to say anything to me.” Silence fell as I stifled choked sobs. My eyes can’t form tears, so it’s the closest to crying my synthetic body can manage. Flurry flew close and put a hoof on my shoulder. “How did you… How’d you get by on your own?” After composing myself, I explained. “I was sixteen by then. Old enough to take his place in the gang. It wasn’t long before I was one of Gutter’s most reliable enforcers. There was me, a mare named Babs Seed, and a couple griffons. The Lammergeier twins, who didn’t talk much. Or at all, now that I think about it… Anyway, we ran all the most important and profitable jobs. Blackmailing politicians, keeping businesses paying their dues, the theft and sale of antiquities and substances… We were very good at it. “I started getting greedy. Ambitious. I wanted to be in charge. I felt more deserving and qualified than my uncle, but I didn’t have the strength to oust him on my own. I was just a little pegasus, and he was a huge, hulking powerhouse of a unicorn. “I needed something to tip the scales in my favor, and an opportunity presented itself. Manehattan’s Museum of Arcane Artifacts, in the interest of national security, was transferring some of its more dangerous items to Canterlot. Princess Celestia was overseeing their transport by train personally. “The Alicorn Amulet was my goal. With that power, all of Gutter’s goons would answer to me without question. Babs was the only one I thought I could trust to help me get it. The plan went well at first. Bypassing magic security fields was foal’s play for me. As was knocking out guards with some gas grenades I put together. Then Babs…” I spat. “She threw me under the wagon, tattled on me. The Princess and Royal Guard were waiting for me in the vault carriage. I thought for sure I was going to prison.” Flurry tilted her head. “You… weren’t? Did you get away somehow?” A smug smile crept from my lips as I shook my head. “Nope. Turns out, Celestia was impressed. After I was detained, the Princess looked into my background. Flawless school record with a high aptitude towards magical studies. I… guess she also took pity on me regarding my parents. Anyway, she enrolled me into her School for Gifted Unicorns.” The changeling blinked. “But you were a pegasus.” “Yeah,” I grinned, “and I still got better grades than any other pony there. Even started tutoring other students.” My smile became bittersweet. “That’s how I met Radieux. He excelled at art and history, but struggled everywhere else. Poor stallion would’ve flunked out without my help.” I fell quiet, letting my mind get lost in nostalgic memories. Flurry didn’t pry further, apparently satisfied. ***** The remainder of our flight gave me time to think about how I was going to handle things. There’s no way Tenna will be expecting me to show up so soon, especially from the south. First thing I need to do when we get into town is send a message to Fort Reinier, tell them I’m being impersonated. That, and make it absolutely clear that I want the infiltrators taken alive. Thanks to Flurry, I knew that changelings can’t maintain their illusions while unconscious. I’ll instruct my people to use stun weapons on anyone suspicious. This wasn’t a foolproof strategy. Tenna has already proved herself to be very clever, and I’ve seen that changelings can turn into inanimate objects. She will almost certainly slip away. In the bustling city of Seaddle, she’ll be almost impossible to find. I couldn’t help but wonder what harm she could have already done while wearing my face. If it weren’t for me having a literal internal clock, I’d have had no idea how much time had passed while I was sealed in crystal. I was imprisoned for over three weeks. An entire invading force could have been smuggled into the Commonwealth in that time. Flurry assured me that Tenna wouldn’t do anything major without her order, but I had my doubts. Tenna seemed far more competent than Flurry Heart. If I were that little bug, I’d be taking matters into my own hooves. The writing was on the wall. The Crystal Empire had been getting by sustaining themselves on the ponies frozen in stasis, but they had run out. Flurry’s plan of using the Crystal Heart was tenuous at best. The pragmatic solution was moving the hive to a new feeding ground. I know they’re doing what they think they have to in order to survive. I understand what that’s like. They just need to be shown a better way. To do that, I needed to find one. ***** The potential wrench in any plan of action I come up with is Flurry. She’s trying to hide it, but she’s in distress. She’s not in a state of mind to think clearly. She hasn’t been for two hundred years. “You know,” I began, “Your changelings are very different. What happened to them?” She blinked at my sudden question. “I’m not really sure. Not long after Chrysalis died, we had a kind of… metamorphosis? Afterwards, we were able to somewhat sustain ourselves on our love for each other. It wasn’t enough, but it helped.” That explains the bond I’d observed between the ones we captured. “Sounds like your mother was holding you all back.” Flurry scoffed in anger, but it wasn’t directed towards me. “Oh, you have no idea. That egomaniac… It’s her fault I have no clue how to rule. She was so superior, so sure she’d never need a successor…” I suppose I’m a little guilty of that myself. Not that I don’t have a plan in place if something somehow happened to me. I just seriously doubt it ever will. My train of thought was interrupted by a very welcome subtle static in my head. We were close enough to Cervimento to get radio signals. With a smile, and a glow from my horn, I started sending signals to the Vanguard outpost there to expect me. Also, to have a uniform tailored and pressed. I am sick of being naked. “Flurry,” I smirked, “in case you’re planning on disguising yourself, don’t. Honesty will help things go smoother. You will have diplomatic immunity as long as you behave.” I narrowed my gaze. “Any hint at treachery…” She nodded, folding her ears. “I understand. You were my prisoner and now I’m yours.” “No, it isn’t like that.” I assured her. “You just needed my help. Now I need yours to stop Tenna. I’m not convinced she’ll obey you, but it’s worth a try.” Flurry puffed her chest. “I am her Empress. She must obey me.” You certainly are your mother’s daughter, for better or worse. ***** A squad of griffons and pegasi met us on the outskirts of the city. They wanted to put Flurry in restraints, but I ordered against it. After hastily making myself look like a General again, I led the flight into town. Cervimento wasn’t unlike Whinnypeg in some regards. Built on the edge of large city ruins, along a river. It was a winning formula, after all. The main difference was that Cervimento was much larger and more developed, and significantly closer to the coast. My guest could slip away and hide here, but I trusted her to realize how shortsighted that would be. We want the same thing, and cooperation is the best way to achieve it. Still, I kept a close eye on her. We touched down in front of Cervimento’s Vanguard base, a ten-story stepped pyramid structure we dubbed Fort Ziggurat. Just as I was about to lead Flurry inside, a boom of thunder roared overhead. Good, Wind Striker is here. The powerful pegasus landed just behind us, kicking up leaves and dust. He was adorned in combat armor rather than an officer’s uniform, and kitted with a battle saddle mounted with both a machine gun and a novasurge pistol. “Ma’am,” he began, “If you’d be kind enough to stand still for a moment.” I smiled and complied, and the Major proceeded to shoot me a few times with the pistol’s stun setting. Striker chuckled and relaxed when it had no effect. “Just making sure it’s really you, ma’am. Good to have you back.” I exchanged salutes with him. “Of course, Major. Any word on Tenna?” He sighed. “Afraid not. We’ve only captured a few bugs so far, and none match her description. Those we’ve caught won’t talk, either. This infiltration is proving far more effective than the one they tried in Whinnypeg.” I glanced in Flurry’s direction. “Because that one was sloppy by design. Tenna wanted to get caught and lure me into a trap.” “Yeah. I hate to say it, ma’am, but she had us completely fooled.” Striker was clearly ashamed to have been deceived. “Bug looked and acted just like you.” He looked at Flurry as well, with suspicion. Before he could say anything, I explained. “Flurry Heart is here to help.” The changeling Empress nodded. “I’ll call Tenna off. Cozy and I have another solution for my people’s… needs. We have an artifact called the Crystal Heart.” I continued for her. “If we get volunteers to migrate to the Crystal Empire, they can empower the Heart, and the changelings can sustain themselves on the residual energy. Think of it this way; The Commonwealth gets another diplomatic foothold, and the changelings have no reason to attack us.” Striker looked apprehensive, but nodded. “I’ll take your word for it, ma’am.” There was a caveat. “There’s a good chance that Tenna is acting on her own, and won’t follow Flurry’s order.” The Empress puffed her chest, but I shot her a stare. “So we may still need to handle her the hard way.” ***** ***** *****