The Queen of Changelings in the Wasteland

by Corvo Storm

Meeting the Minutecolts

"Help me? You want to help me when you don't know what it is that I'm trying to do? Why? A better question is, how do I know that I can trust you?" Chrysalis asked as she tried to wrap her mind around the events that happened a few moments ago.

Blade just smiled and jumped down his perch while strapping his rifle on his back. When he got in front of Chrysalis, he answered while his smile didn't falter even the slightest, "Yes help you, still yes, to help you survive the wasteland and know what to expect, and I just saved you from a griffon with horrible naming skills." He walked past her and began to loot Gut Choker's corpse. He picked up some caps, ammo that he can't use, and some bubblegum. He offered her the bubblegum but she smacked it out of his hoof while giving him a glare that said 'are you serious right now.' He shrugged it off as he put the caps in his military fatigues pocket.

Chrysalis just continued to glare at him before rubbing her temple with a hoof. This stallion seems to be so carefree about everything that he'd possibly help even the worst pony for nothing. Blade might go against her when she tells him that she wants to the princesses dead. Best just tell him about the later than now. Though she can't just trust him because he saved her life but rather be more wary because it could all be a plan to let her guard down. She needs more proof that he is trustworthy or at least be able to trust him enough. She sighed knowing that things have begun to become even more complicating. "How should I trust you when you just saved my life? I need more than a life savior to earn my trust."

Blade nodded. He knew what she meant. His life was saved a few times and those who saved him ended up betraying him. It's a common thing in the wasteland. One that many had died to because of ignorance. He shook away those thoughts and looked back at her. His smile never wavering the slightest he answered, "You don't know who to trust. After all the wasteland is unforgiving. The rad storms is an example seeing as it's a storm with radiation. There's nothing rad about it at all."

Chrysalis rolled her eyes as he giggled at his own little joke. If anything this stallion seems to have the mental capacity of a griffon mixed with a minotaur. Maybe not like that but he knows the wasteland better than her so it was all or nothing with Blade. With a heavy sigh she said her decision, "Alright you can help me. However, you must follow my orders. Got it?"

"Alright. You're leading this show so I'll follow along with it."

"What about me?" They looked over to the sound of the voice and saw Krall peeking out from behind the now open gate, his black eyes studying Blade closely.

"You can go back to that red rocket place we found."

"That's fine by me." Chrysalis was confused when Krall said that. He wasn't willing to leave her side after the deathclaw encounter and now he's willing to leave her side just to go back.

She had to ask, "Why would you want to go back there?"

He rolled his eyes (if one could notice) and answered, "So I don't have to encounter anything else dangerous while traveling. I'd rather stay in a safe place than be out in the open where there could be anything that could strike. I still can't believe the minotaurs did this."

"Zebras."

"What about the zebras?"

"They're the ones who caused this. What made you think minotaurs did?"

"Because they're a lot more barbaric than zebras. They were more likely to attack than other nation. It makes a lot of sense."

"Except that they didn't own any nuclear bombs because they prefer to fight head on instead of launching a bunch missiles. Ever think of that?"

"No, not really."

"Well now you know. Now Chrysalis, would you like me to come with you while he goes back home?" Blade asked with a smaller smile than what he had before. Chrysalis took a moment to think about it. While Krall can be annoying after ten minutes of traveling, he is rather useful when it comes to building because he did help design the hive and fix whatever broke. Then Blade is even more annoying but he knows the wasteland better than her and has combat experience. His attitude seems similar to that of the element of laughter because he doesn't seem to stop smiling so it's possible that he is an element. She'll have to keep an eye on him just in case he tries anything but other than that he seems to be the best choice.

With a reluctant sigh, Chrysalis gave her answer, "Fine Blade, you can come with me. Krall head back to the station. At least you'll be safe there than out here." Krall took a moment to think about it.

His answer came shortly after, "Very well, though to be honest, I was thinking about telling you that I'd rather go back than continue traveling with that idea you have. I really don't see a point to it if they're already dead. They're all probably dead thanks to this fallout."

"Who are they?" Blade asked wondering who they were talking about. Chrysalis gave Krall a glare to let him know to not say who.

Krall made the gesture of keeping his mouth zipped shut. When Chrysalis was sure he wouldn't say anything, she turned to Blade who awaited the answer. "I won't tell you."

"Why?"

"Because it is none of your business."

"Damn. I was hoping you would say 'because' instead of that. All well, you ready to head out?" Blade asked not pushing the issue. It seemed strange though. He was thinking of making it a little game but, while disappointed, didn't push her to tell him. If anything Chrysalis is really going to watch him closely if he does have something planned.

Taking a few moments to look over her gear and the bottlecaps she collected knowing that they have a use, Chrysalis nodded to him and told Krall to go to the Red Rocket. As he left Blade and Chrysalis began their journey. They both walked in silence for a few minutes before Blade broke it. "You know where we are going right?"

She just gave him a glance and looked back at the road they were walking on. A moment later she answered, "Canterlot."

"Why Canterlot?"

"It's personal."

"How personal?"

"Very."

"Do you want to talk about it?" The look Chrysalis gave Blade made him shut up, but only for a few minutes. When he spoke up again, he began asking other questions such how she was doing to more personal questions.

She finally had enough, "How about you tell me about this wasteland? It could help me know what to expect." Bad idea. Blade went into a full lecture mode on the wasteland and what it contains. He talked about creatures she had fought before such as the mole rats and the deathclaw. She stood still for a moment when he started to talk about the feral ghouls. He talked about the post war settlements that have been made such as Diamond City which is a baseball stadium and Sanctuary where a stallion, that leads a faction known as the Minutecolts, has built a safe haven for the residents of the wasteland as well as help other settlements grow and stay protected. Blade sounded like he knew the stallion personally but Chrysalis didn't ask for she was taking in the information she was being given. While it was useful, it was also becoming annoying having to listen to talk about everything in one go. She didn't even know if he even stopped to breathe.

After a few minutes of nonstop lecturing about the Wasteland, Chrysalis finally had enough. "Will you shut up already?! It hasn't been half an hour and I'm already regretting telling you to tell me about this wasteland! Now just stay quiet the rest of the way!"

That shut Blade up, if only for three whole minutes. After that he was cracking a joke here and there and talking about how things were before all this. Chrysalis tried to block him out by looking through her supplies for some water but was unsuccessful. It wasn't long when the first building came into sight. Upon seeing this, Chrysalis picked up the pace. A few more minutes later, they were seeing more buildings and soon an entire town. Chrysalis felt relieved while Blade groaned. He wasn't glad to be here because of what happened last time. That was a week ago and now the place is swarming with raiders. Chrysalis didn't seem to notice until she heard the gunfire. "What's going on in the town? I can hear ponies using their weapons but what are they shooting at?"

"Just more raiders. Their attacking someth-" Blade was caught off when he heard a sound different from other guns. He could identify the sound of pipe weapons and 10mm pistols but the sound he heard was more of a, well he couldn't describe it but, he knew the sound. It can only have come from a laser musket which meant two things.

A. The ponies he worked for got a hold of some laser muskets or B. the Minutecolts were in the area. He's going to go with the latter because he doubts that his superiors would try to take a place like this back. It's not even near those suspended highways so there's no point. That and they use other laser weapons. It had to be the Minutecolts.

Blade began to formulate a plan while Chrysalis just stood and listened to the gunfire. Some was close and a few distant but the sound of the laser musket had her thinking. What all is in this new world? How did the ponies manage to even survive this? Do they even need the princesses anymore? Her thoughts were interrupted when Blade poked her side and explained the plan he came up with. His plan was to sneak up behind the raiders to see who they were attacking. While a simple and probably deadly plan, it was the only one they had so Chrysalis just decided to go along with it.

A few minutes later and they were greeted by a battle. The raiders were attacking a museum and up on the museum balcony was a earth pony that wore what looked to be some type of old fashion trench coat and hat that had one side bended up. He was firing at the raiders with what looked to be a musket, but instead of a bullet and some gunpowder to fire, it used energy that was charged up from the crank on the side of the weapon. He looked like he was having a hard time keeping the raiders at bay because they just kept coming from nowhere.

Chrysalis knew that allies were scarce in the wasteland and if there was a way to make more to help her cause then she'll do whatever it takes. Raising her gun's sights on one of the raiders, she took aim and fired. The shot into the raiders head and out the front as his blood splattered the concrete. Upon seeing their comrade dead, a few of the raiders turned around to see Chrysalis shoot off another round into an unlucky raider who turned around in time for the bullet to go through their eye.

That set off a chain reaction which caused the remaining raiders to fire at Chrysalis as she retaliated and Blade stayed behind cover checking his rifle's clip before looking over his cover, took aim, and fired at the farthest raider. Her head exploded when the bullet landed. One raider that had a bladed tire iron, tried to get close only to have his kneecap shot by Chrysalis and his head explode by Blade's rifle.

Another one of the raiders move closer but was shot down as soon as she moved from her cover. As time passed, more raiders fell one by one until the last one tried to make a run for it, only to be shot by the pony on the balcony. He shouted to them with distress(obviously), "Thanks for the assist but there are more inside and their almost through the door! Please you got to help!"

The pony went back inside the building but not without saying, "Take that laser musket. You're going to need it." Chrysalis looked at the laser musket next to a dead pony that wasn't in any raider armor, just some type of uniform. She picked it up as well as the ammo next to it and studied it carefully. It had a spell on it that she wasn't familiar with and had a crank. Curious about the crank, she turned it. A red glow emitted from the glass container of the weapon with a low hum, and a beam of red energy went from the container, that has the red glow, to the muzzle of the weapon. Turning the crank again, the glow got a little brighter and the humming got a bit louder. Chrysalis tried to turn the crank again only for it to be stuck. She tried again but with a bit more force. Nothing. She tried again with even more force. Nothing again. She tried a few more times before deciding that it won't turn again until she shoots it.

Looking back at Blade, she had some questions for him before they went in. Sensing this, he knew what the first question was. "That stallion is a Minutecolt. He must've been ambushed by these raiders. The only question is why. Raiders don't usually attack the Minutecolts. Let alone a small group. They must be after something. Anyway, we should get inside and help them. There's no telling what those raiders will do when they get them.

Heading inside, they were greeted by four raiders watching the door. Two on the same floor as her them and two on the second floor. All four saw them enter and drew their weapons. Blade quickly aimed his rifle at one of the raiders on the second floor and took him out. Chrysalis aimed her recently acquired laser musket at the raider that tried to rush her and attack with a tire iron. When Chrysalis pulled the trigger, a beam shot out of the weapon and made contact with the raider's chest and disintegrated his entire body. Not having time to think about what happened, Chrysalis turned the crank two times, finding it easier to turn now, and fired at the remaining raider their floor while Blade took out the last raider on the second floor with a shot to the heart while making a pun when the bullet connected, "Aw what's wrong? Are heartbroken?"

Chrysalis just rolled her eyes while the raider she just killed disintegrated like his comrade. Continuing on, they went up to the locked gate in the room. Blade searched his pack for a bobby pin but couldn't find one. He searched his pack some more to make sure. Chrysalis on the other hoof looked the lock over and pulled out a bobby pin she had. Blade saw it and made to grab it but Chrysalis gave him an intense that said not to. Looking back at the lock, she inserted the bobby pin and took a screwdriver that she found at the Red Rocket to help turn the lock when she found the sweet spot. She put her ear near the lock and slowly turned the bobby pin left. She didn't hear anything that way, so she turned it to the right slowly. Then she heard a click from the bobby pin pressing against the locking mechanism. Slowly turning the lock with the screwdriver while holding bobby pin in place, she unlocked the door. She smiled at her accomplishment.

Her smile faded away when Blade spoke, "Where did you learn to lockpick?"

She answered simply, "It's personal." It was the truth. The only reason she knows how to lockpick with bobby pins was when she was just a nine year old nymph. Sounds strange for a nymph knowing how to lockpick right? It was only because of a necklace her mother rarely wore. It was a pendant necklace. The pendant was made of ebony and encrusted with four types of gems. A sapphire at the top, two rubies on each side, and a diamond on the bottom. In the middle was a large emerald that shined brightly in the light. The necklace was gift from her father to her mother back when they got along. When he cheated on her and was exiled with the brand mark showing that he was exile, she never wore that often. Then on Chrysalis' sixteenth birthday, her mother gave her the necklace as a gift and to always keep to remember her when she finally passed. Sadly, Chrysalis lost the necklace when she was defeated. She had cast an invisibility spell on it so the other changelings don't think she was trying to look nice for the invasion. Though they wouldn't have minded and that was what she thought. Anyway when Chrysalis was defeated, the necklace fell off and she never could find it. For years she searched for it until finally, it was time for the hibernation.

Shaking her head from the resurfacing memories, Chrysalis walked through the unlocked gate and fired her laser musket at one of the two raiders on the other side while using her magic to snap the other one's neck. There was a giant hole where the floor collapsed, making a ramp into the basement. There was a wall mounted terminal next to a security gate which contained a fusion generator. Chrysalis didn't know how the terminal worked so she tried the door and found that she could use a bobby pin to lockpick the door. Before she could, she heard typing and turned to see Blade on the terminal. She was about to ask what he was doing but the door opened before she could. Deciding to not ask, Chrysalis went up to the generator. Looking it over, she found a button that said eject. If it was good or bad it didn't matter because she had a feeling that it wouldn't do anything that could harm her.

Her hunch was right when the fusion core ejected from the generator and allowed her to collect it. After that they continued to the second floor. They heard voices coming from a room that had a mural. crouching down to avoid detection, Chrysalis and Blade snuck into the room.

"We got to get out of here."

"Why do you want to get out of here?"

"There's some ponies attacking this place. Didn't you hear the gunshots?"

"Yeah, so what? That could've been are guys killing them."

Just as those words left that raider's mouth, Chrysalis and Blade sprung out of their hiding place. Chrysalis shot the raider on the left while Blade took out the one on the right. Going up to the third floor, they heard a raider beating a door yelling how he'll kill the ponies inside, only for the raiders comrade to call him off and to get ready for the stallion and changeling. The raiders were quickly dispatched of. Finally they made it to the stallion from the balcony.

When he opened the door for them, they were greeted by a small group of ponies. One pony with a gray coat, black mane and tail, and wearing a mechanic jumpsuit, was typing away on a terminal, an elderly mare with a dirty scarlet coat, a white mane and tail, and wearing a gypsy outfit, a mare with with an amber coat and deep blue mane and tail was pacing back and forth, muttering to herself, and a stallion with a white coat and a black mane and tail, sitting against a desk with his head in his hooves. Both were wearing farmer clothing

The stallion from the balcony spoke up, "Thanks for the assist. We were getting are asses kicked by those raiders. Whatever caused them to attack us is unknown to us but doesn't matter."

Looking over Chrysalis a bit, he introduced himself and the others, "Names Preston Garvey, Equestrian Minutecolts. Behind me on the terminal is Sturges, that mare sitting over there is Mama Murphy, and those two are the Longs. The mare is Marcy and the stallion is Jun."

Chrysalis introduced herself, "My name is Chrysalis. You might know me from the invasion of Canterlot that was before all of... this."

"Well nice to meet you and I think your actions here would make up for what you did long ago. Of course, few even remember the invasion. History in the Wasteland is hard to come by. I'm one of the few who know the history of Equestria. It's a shame that it ended up being reduced to this. Anyway we need to get rid of these raiders before we can leave. We have a plan. Oh and hey Blade."

"Hey."

"Sturges, care to tell them the plan?"

"Sure thing boss," Sturges said before explaining the plan to Chrysalis, "I'm sure you saw the crashed vertibird on the roof. Well, one of its passengers had a seriously sweet goody. A cherry, full suit of T-45 power armor, military issue."

"That sounds useful," Blade said.

"It is. However, it's out of juice. Probably for a hundred years."

Preston began to explain the rest, "What you need is an FC. A standardized fusion core. Your long term nuclear powered battery."

"I get the idea," Chrysalis said a little annoyed at how he was explaining the fusion core.

Sturges began to explain where to get a fusion core, "There's a fusion core in the basement, but it's locked behind a security gate. Look, I build things, I tinker, but breaking into things isn't my specialty."

"Don't worry. We already got it," Blade said while taking the fusion core out of Chrysalis' bag who took it back.

"Nice. We might be able to turn this around."

Chrysalis did have one question before she did this, "What is power armor anyway?"

Sturges beamed when she asked that and began to explain, "Power armor is the most defensible armor ever made. It has stabilizers in the hind legs to allow ponies to hold any heavy weapons while standing and walking on their hind legs. Do to its weight, pegasi can't fly in it unless it has been modified to have a jetpack for temporary flight. It can withstand a drop from any height and it enhances your strength. Speaking of strength when you get in it, you'll be to rip the minigun right off the vertibird. That'll teach those raiders a thing or two."

"If I'm able to fit in it that is."

"All power armor has been made to adjust to certain sizes thanks to ponies that were fighting. Hell, they were all made to even fit someone your height thanks to a spell. You'll be able to use it. Promise."

"If you say so," Chrysalis said with doubt. It seemed unlikely that was possible for power armor. Though, this stallion seems to know what he's talking about so all she could do was hope. With a sigh beckoned Blade to follow her, but not before talking to the old mare known as Mama Murphy, "Hello there 'Mama' Murphy."

The old mare looked at the ex-changeling queen with a small smile. "I know your wondering about my name but doesn't matter right now. Right now, your off to deal with those raiders. I knew that you'd come and help us. I saw it."

"Saw it?" Chrysalis questioned, a little intrigued.

"It's the chems. It gives me the sight and it gives me the ability to see what was, when is, and what is right now, and right now, you have to deal with those raiders. However, something is coming, drawn by the chaos and, it is angry."

"What is it? Mama Murphy I need more."

"I'm sorry but the sight isn't always clear. All I know is that you need to be ready for one hell of a fight. I'm tired now. The sight takes a lot out of me. Maybe if you bring me some chems, I'll be able to tell you anything that could happen in the future." That was all Mama Murphy said before laying her head back and closing her eyes to rest. Walking past the Longs, Chrysalis and Blade made their way to the roof.

Author's Note:

I finally did it! Sorry for the long delay but this took a long time to figure out. The first faction has been introduced and three more to go. I hope you all like the chapter and the small backstory part I made up for Chrysalis is how you will know about how she got most of her skills such as the her ability for lockpicking.

The next chapter will be made as soon as possible but after that's finished, the story will be put on hiatus so I can work on a Skyrim crossover I have planned.

That is if something doesn't change my plans.

Comments

[Crescent Glaive]

Hmm.....

[Korps]

Hmm.. indeed what will we get for the next chapter