The Rising Sun (Equestria at War)
I WANT YOU
TO JOIN THE EQUESTRIAN ARMY
THE CHANGELING MENACE MUST BE STOPPED
Cinder looked at the bright, colorful image of Princess Celestia pointing a hoof at her - and everypony else who looked at the poster for that matter.
“I don’t think she’s talking to you,” Blink pointed out, adjusting her sunglasses to glint off the sun.
“She’s talking to everypony else,” Cinder said with a frown. “War…”
“Everywhere, isn’t it?”
Cinder grunted, turning to look at the version of Canterlot they were currently standing in. She could identify the spires of the royal palace and many of the older buildings but the city was far from the one she knew. The bright colors commonplace in pony houses were muted by the constant presence of factory smoke in the sky, casting a thin shroud over Equestria’s capital. Massive airships floated in the sky, their oversized weapons shimmering with magical energy used for one purpose: killing Changelings. Probably anybody else who got in their way, too.
Propaganda posters littered every public wall. I want you was the most common, but there were numerous others. Report all suspected Changelings, we can do it, and Remain Strong for Equestrian Harmony all stood out. At the very least, ponies seemed to be listening to the last one - despite the clearly hard times, Cinder still saw ponies chatting and smiling around a couple fruit stands on a nearby street corner.
Naturally, those street corner ponies hadn’t noticed the Sweeties yet. Those who had mostly responded with fear and trepidation in addition to the usual confusion. There was no harmony for the Sweeties.
Cinder took one look at the Report all suspected Changelings poster and knew exactly why. “So. Changelings, are we?”
“Probably,” Blink admitted. “Terrible ones at that. We’re all variations on a single theme! How stupid must we be?”
“Unbelievably so, since we aren’t running away.”
Blink chuckled.
“Should we be running away?”
“I’ll judge the local law enforcement when they get here,” Celia said, her gemstone flashing as she levitated a discarded newspaper to her face. “Hopefully they aren’t murder-happy for cooperative individuals. If they aren't, we’re likely to get a hearing and access to more important ponies once we explain who we are.”
“I could give them a few tips on all these machines,” Seren said, making a ‘tut’ noise as she examined an airship flying overhead. “People always think blimps can’t be fast. But they can be, you just need to get a little creative with the propellor spells. I’m thinking wind cone 6-A for their designs.”
“I wonder what kind of Changeling they think you are.” Cinder pointed at the young anthro. “Can these Changelings even turn into nonpony shapes?”
Celia shrugged. “Not enough information for me to say one way or the other yet. I can determine that the war isn’t going well.”
“Newspaper say that?”
“Oh, no, it says the war is going excellent and victory is on the horizon.” Celia lowered the newspaper and raised an eyebrow. “I can tell you from the number of airships currently deployed in a defensive formation above us that is not the case.”
“Thirty-one flavors of propaganda!” Blink declared. “Welcome to pseudo-dystopia, how may I take your order?”
“Question,” Cinder said, raising a hoof. “Are we helping them or fighting them?”
“No idea,” Celia admitted. “It really depends on how things g-”
A unicorn teleported behind her and pressed a gun into the back of her head. “Don’t move.”
“Ah. Law enforcement, I presume?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, Changeling,” he spat.
“I assure you, I am not a Changeling,” Celia said. “I trust you have some sort of spell to determine my identity?”
“Not taking my magic off this trigger, bug. Too many fall for that trick.”
“Then you will detain us and check us later.”
“Yeah a- hey! You don’t get to say how this goes!”
“I’m not. I’m just trying to determine where I stand.”
“Just take us to jail already,” Blink suggested. “We’re not gonna fight you about it.”
This confused the officer. Evidentially Changelings weren’t known for going along with the procedure. “Uh… sure.” He put Celia, Cinder, and Blink in hoofcuffs, coming at last to Seren. He held up his hoofcuffs and examined her small arms. “Stupid nonponies…” He opted to permanently hold the gun to the back of her head rather than cuffing her. “Now march!”
Cinder could think of a thousand ways any of the four of them could simply overpower this officer and run away. She could toss a fireball with her back hooves, Blink could just phase out of her restraints, Seren could cast any one of her ridiculous spells, and Celia could probably charm her way out if she wanted.
Yet here they were, getting purposefully imprisoned.
Apparently a winning strategy that had proven effective time and time again on numerous Expeditions missions.
The police station was only a block away, nested between a junkyard of broken war machines and an inn of some sort that was compensating for the darkened skies by using obnoxiously neon paint.
“Changelings?” the officer at the front door asked.
“They say they’re not. I have my doubts, but they cooperated. You know the protocol.”
“Hmph. Too lenient if you ask me.” She took a sip of coffee. “Celestia should push the advisors a bit m-”
“Not interested in your politics.” The stallion led them into the station and shoved them all into a cell with a single bed and an open toilet. “There. Now I’ll see what you really are, Changeling scum…”
He lit his horn.
To his surprise, nothing happened.
“W… what?”
Cinder grinned. “Told you we weren’t Changelings!”
“...I need a second opinion…” He ran out, dragging the mare outside into the room. “Scan them.”
“Lentil, it’s five in the mornin’ and I haven’t finished my coffee ye-”
“Just scan them.”
She sighed, lighting her horn and finding them not to be Changelings. “Huh. Would you look at that.”
“What are you?” Lentil asked.
“Just a bunch of travelers from another universe seeking diplomatic relations with your nation,” Cinder said.
The two officers stared at her blankly.
“Don’t worry, we won’t take being imprisoned against you! In fact…” She glanced to Celia for confirmation. “We’re perfectly happy to sit in this cell until you can get somepony higher up the chain of command to figure out what to do with us.”
Their expressions did not change.
“You may wish to hurry,” Celia encouraged. “I doubt your government will be pleased to hear you kept friendly foreign dignitaries locked up longer than was strictly necessary.”
Both of them scrambled out of the room in a hurry.
Blink snickered. “Heh. Law enforcement. Idiots.” She phased in and out of the cell while doing a little dance. “Leaving prisoners unattended…”
“Blink,” Celia hissed. “Get back in here. Cooperation, remember?”
“Aw, fine.” She continued her dance inside the cell. Seren started clapping in time with her movements.
“Guess it’s random jailhouse dance party time,” Cinder said with a shrug. She joined in without another word.
~~~
“Applejack?”
General Applejack didn’t stop her walk through the streets of Canterlot, but she did look to her side. “Twilight?”
Princess Twilight trotted up alongside Applejack - not that anypony but close friends would have known it was the relatively young Princess since she was wearing civilian clothes that hid her wings and cutie mark. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back?”
“Ah’ll be leavin’ again as soon as Ah get the ‘report’ dealt with… Thursday. And Ah thought you said you’d be returnin’ to Ponyville first chance you got?”
“There… hasn’t been a chance,” Twilight sighed. “I’m sure you know why.”
“Eeyep…”
The two continued walking down the street.
“So, what you been up to?” Applejack asked.
“Keeping Friendship alive. It’s… well, it’s been successful enough.” She gestured at a bunch of foals playing happily in a modern playground… that was surrounded by fences covered head to hoof in propaganda posters. “I… know you don’t approve of the methods.”
“What’s done is done, and Ah ain’t here often enough to shout the truth in everypony’s faces.”
“Yeah…” Twilight shook her head. “So, what are you up to? Pretty sure there’s no army base this way.”
“Ah needed to get out of the office. Waitin’ around for a meetin’ doesn’t sit well for me. A weird report came up about some ponies that were arrested as changelin’s but weren’t. Quite a wild story they had.”
“Oh?”
“Bunch of nutjobs that think they’re from another world.”
Twilight frowned. “I mean… such theories aren’t entirely unfounded.”
“Ah know, Starswirl’s Mirror, Earth. Still, pretty crazy, but at least Ah’ll be doin’ somethin’. Wanna come along?”
“Why not? I’m out investigating for the Friendship Reports anyway, might give me some interesting viewpoints.”
They arrived at the police station and knocked. A stallion opened the door, looking nervous. “H-hello?”
“Officer Lentil?” Applejack asked.
“General Applejack!” Lentil sputtered. “Y-yes it’s me, I wasn't expectin-”
“You got lucky,” Applejack said. “At ease.” She trotted into the station.
Lentil turned to Twilight, taking all of ten seconds to figure out who she was. Her escapades into civilian Canterlot weren’t exactly secret, and what other tall purple “unicorn” would be walking with Applejack? He had to resist the urge to bow. It was not proper to expose the Princess while she was out among the ponies.
Twilight nodded in thanks to the officer, following Applejack to the cell that held four white creatures that shared a remarkable resemblance to Sweetie Belle.
Applejack stared at them. “Yer sure they ain’t Changelings?”
“O-our spells found nothing,” Lentil stammered.
Twilight fixed the tall Rarity-esque pony with a curious expression, receiving a similar one in return. The Princess lit her horn, using her control over the arcane to cast the best spell she knew of for learning the truth.
“Satisfied?” the Rarity-esque “pony” asked.
“Depends on what you mean by the word.” Twilight opened the cell door with a simple unlock spell.
“W-wai-” Lentil began.
“They are not changelings and almost all of them have enough magic power to break out of this cell easily,” Twilight concluded. “Furthermore, they all look like Sweetie Belle, and since they’re not Changelings and not using disguise spells, the other universe explanation seems highly plausible.”
Applejack frowned. “Well… guess this is gonna be more complicated than Ah thought. Ah’m General Applejack.”
“Celia,” the Rarity-esque pony introduced herself. “This is Cinder, Blink, and Seren. Am I correct in assuming you are Princess Twilight?”
Lentil tensed - but Twilight didn’t mind. “Naturally.”
“Hey, lucky us!” Cinder grinned. “Got right up to the Princesses already! I thought that was going to take a while.”
Celia continued. “We represent the League of Sweetie Belles, an organization of the multiversal society Merodi Universalis…” She gave the usual introductory speech. When she was finished, General Applejack had only one question - shoving her hoof into Twilight’s face to keep her from asking her thousands.
“That aid you mentioned, does it include assistance in war?”
Celia pursed her lips. “It can. Though we generally only resort to such methods when one combattant is clearly in the wrong and when we’ve attempted to resolve the situation peacefully on both sides.”
“That wasn’t a no,” Applejack observed.
“No. It wasn’t.”
Applejack turned to Twilight. “We need to get them to Celestia. Now.”
Twilight grimaced. “I knew it was bad out there… is it really that bad?”
“Yeah. Yeah, it’s bad. The Changelings took Baltimare, remember.”
Twilight grimaced. “I thought we were getting that back…”
Applejack fixed her with a pitying expression.
Twilight turned to the Sweeties. “Okay. I will have to seal your magic in Celestia’s presence. This is non-negotiable.”
“We simply wish to speak with her,” Celia said. “Blink and I have minor reliance on magic to exist, though, so it depends on the method by which you seal magic. The standard unicorn horn-cover should work.”
“Actually,” Seren said, holding up a finger. “The standard spell differs across universes and may have an unforeseen component we did n-”
“Just test it before we get to her, okay?” Blink interrupted.
Twilight nodded, lighting her horn.
~~~
Cinder hadn’t had her magic sealed for an extended period of time before. It felt… slightly uncomfortable, like she had a mild fever. It probably felt different for the others, since they didn’t deal in fire quite as much.
At least they weren’t in danger here. Cinder had been mildly worried at first about this Equestria, but both Applejack and Twilight were still… who they were. Sure, Applejack was a little desperate and beat up, and Twilight was going around as an undercover civilian, but they were both still friendly. This was Equestria, even in times of war.
She was currently following Twilight and Applejack through the halls of Canterlot castle with the rest of her team. The sealing spell worked on both Celia and Blink, though Cinder doubted Blink’s Void powers were sealed properly. Twilight had dropped her disguise and put on her regalia the moment they entered the palace, accepting bows from all they passed. Her presence was enough to keep ponies from questioning the existence of Seren audibly.
Twilight, as a Princess, was one of the few ponies in the country that could declare an emergency meeting with Celestia. The declaration had gone through remarkably quickly. In less than ten minutes they would be before the Princess of the Sun.
As luck would have it, they would run into the Princess of the Moon first.
Luna’s appearance was surprising, to say the least - not that it came out of nowhere, but because she looked terrible. There were immense bags under her eyes and she did not walk with confidence or power - rather in a dejected, almost timid manner. She raised her eyes to Twilight Sparkle. “Twilight? What is… all this?”
“An emergency meeting with Celestia,” Twilight responded.
“Are you sure that is… wise, given my sister’s current… state?”
Twilight bit her lip. “She is the only one with the authority to make a decision in a matter of this magnitude. I cannot promise these ponies what they need and what they offer is too important to leave them without an answer for long.”
Luna examined the Sweeties with her tired eyes. Her many thestral guards couldn’t decide if they should look on with curiosity or aggression at the unknown ponies. “Not Changelings.”
“No.”
“Unexpected…” Luna turned to Celia. “Be careful what you say in the presence of my sister.”
“I’ll be doing all the talking if I can help it,” Twilight said.
“I see the look in her eyes, Twilight. She will try something if she thinks she needs to.”
Celia nodded curtly. “You read me well.”
Luna sighed. “Whatever it is you offer, I should not make you late for your appointment.” With a slight bow to Twilight the lunar Princess took off, her thestral entourage moving in time with her.
Cinder noticed the other palace guards fixing the thestrals with glares of distrust. Looks like Friendship hasn’t been a complete success…
“That was foreboding,” Blink commented.
“Celestia’s under a lot of stress,” Twilight answered a little too quickly. “As long as you only talk when you’re questioned, you should be fine. I’ll handle all the rest.”
Celia bowed. “Very well.” Cinder wondered if Celia would really keep her word in that regard.
The group came up to a large set of golden double doors emblazoned with the solar emblem of Celestia. Twilight stood in front of the doors and cleared her throat. “Princess Twilight Sparkle of Friendship and Magic, here!”
“Enter,” Celestia’s voice called. Cinder shivered - that didn’t sound warm or motherly at all.
The doors slid open, revealing a throne room with giant windows and highly reflective surfaces designed specifically to increase the brightness of the room. Upon the throne sat Celestia, her pastel mane flowing as it did in most other universes. Her face, however, was not serene or welcoming - it was stern, tense, and judgmental.
“Princess Twilight, why have you called this emergency meeting? And why have you brought that into my throne room?” She pointed at Seren.
Twilight took a breath. “Princess Celestia, these four people come from another world in the name of a nation called Merodi Universalis, which contains many worlds of ponies and numerous other creatures. They are the exploration team sent to our world to establish contact. They come offering knowledge of other worlds and seek a relationship with us through friendship and harmony.”
“Well and good,” Celestia said without a hint of joy in her voice. “Not worthy of an emergency.”
“They may be willing to assist in the war effort.”
Celestia paused. “May?”
“It is conditional. As newcomers to our world, they do not wish to make a mistake by rushing into a conflict they do not understand.”
Celestia turned her gaze to Celia. “You have made mistakes before?”
“Yes,” Celia said, keeping it as short as possible.
“...Then the caution is understandable. What are the conditions for assistance?”
“They need to be convinced the Changelings must be stopped and that we are deserving of it.”
“Ah. So I am on trial, is that it?”
Twilight tensed. “Princess…”
“They cannot judge the Changelings from our point of view. I could spin tales for hours about how Equestria was peaceful, harmonious, and in a golden age before the Changelings invaded out of spite. I could show pictures, give personal testimony… all things you no doubt have done on the way here. No, they are here to judge me.” She turned to Celia. “You do not like what you see.”
Celia opted not to remain silent. “War has been hard on you. It is understandable.”
“You have seen this before, many times.” It was not a question.
“No doubt she has,” Twilight said, drawing attention back to her. “But that’s not what’s important right now. What’s important is that they cannot help until they meet with the Changelings - Chrysalis, if possible.”
“And what will they speak to them of?”
“The same things they speak to us about. Knowledge of the multiverse, relations with Merodi Universalis.”
Celestia turned to Celia again. “You know you are asking me to give my enemies a boon?”
“Yes,” Celia said.
“Why would I take that risk?”
“Because we’ll ask them if they are willing to end the war for it.”
Celestia paused. “...And you ask me the same thing.”
“Yes.”
Celestia pressed her hooves together and sat back in her throne. “...If you can convince Chrysalis to stand down, I will end the war in an instant even if you do not offer us gifts. I give you my word.”
“There it is!” Blink shouted.
Everyone stared at her in shock.
“Er… oops…”
Twilight cleared her throat. “I believe she means that you just proved Equestria deserves help.”
Celestia nodded. “They still need to visit Chrysalis.”
“We can help with that. Stalliongrad is due to send a diplomatic envoy to the Changeling Lands. I can get them on that envoy.”
“You trust these Stalliongrad ponies?”
“If Equestria falls, Stalliongrad is next. They know this.”
Celestia nodded. “Very well. You may join the Stalliongrad contingent into the Changeling Lands. I do not expect you will be able to deter Chrysalis’ mad ideals of vengeance even with promises of otherworldly gifts, but you are welcome to try.”
Celia bowed - the other Sweeties following suit. “Thank you, Princess.”
Celestia did not acknowledge the thanks. “In the meantime, I wish to know more of Merodi Universalis.”
“I will have a report sent to you as soon as possible,” Twilight said.
“Good. You are all dismissed.”
Everyone turned and left Celestia’s presence. The doors slammed shut behind her.
Cinder frowned. “...How long has this war lasted?”
“Seven years,” Twilight sighed. “Far too long…”
“Agreed.” Celia trotted up to Twilight. “We should discuss further in hopes to end this war. Blink, report to Suzie.”
“Righty-o boss!” Blink saluted, pulling out her communicator.
“You’re still in one piece,” Luna observed, walking past them. “It went well?”
“Well, we got what we wanted,” Cinder said. “That’s good.”
Luna smiled weakly. “Maybe. ...If only I-”
“Princess,” one of her thestrals said. “We’re due at the research center in five minutes, we shouldn’t dally.”
Luna frowned. “Apologies. Apparently there’s been a security breach in the research labs so big it requires my attention. Until then, Twilight.” She teleported away.
Twilight returned to speaking to Celia. “Naturally, we can’t have Seren go…”
“Oh, of course,” Celia admitted. “We’ll have to adjust the team.”
“Can I still go?” Cinder asked.
Twilight stared at her. “You want to go into the heart of the Changeling Lands?”
“I’m here for adventure. Political intrigue counts as adventure. I at least want to see it.”
Twilight smiled sadly. “...I miss seeing that innocence in ponies.”
~~~
It took two local days to get the Sweeties into the Stalliongrad diplomatic envoy. There were six ponies in the group, not counting Cinder, Celia, and Suzie.
Stalliongrad had only asked for one thing in return for getting them into the Changeling Lands - getting the same information Celestia was currently getting. Suzie had agreed without hesitation. After all, if things went south in talks with Chrysalis, it would be good to have allies in the universe.
They were taking an unarmed Stalliongrad zeppelin, currently flanked by seven solid black Changeling ships. They were armed.
“Changelings aren’t very trusting, huh?” Cinder observed.
“Good observation, little komrade,” one of the Stalliongrad diplomats said, a gray mare by the name of Tirryl. “And yet, they are right to be suspicious, in some regards.”
“Why? We’re not attacking them or anything.”
“You did hide your kommander in a portal while they searched us.”
“...Well, I mean, she’s not exactly a pony…”
“I know vhy ve did it, I am just saying, ve are hiding something.”
“Right.” Cinder turned her attention to the window, trying not to look at the black airship that was pointing a gun at them. The ground below was desolate and covered in knobby black spires. “Are those all Changeling hives?”
“Ve are flying over the center of their territory,” Tirryl admitted. “They prefer dense infrastructure.”
“It looks so… bleak.”
Tirryl nodded sagely. “It is not… pleasant to live in a hive, as I understand it. And yet they are fiercely loyal. The lack of love makes them driven to var. I know of only one Changeling who got away vith questioning the vay the Queen has built her nation. He did not live very long.”
“...Thorax?”
“You know of him?”
“In many universes he succeeds in overthrowing her, one way or another.”
“I am uncertain ours vould have accepted him if he did vin.” Tirryl frowned. “Do not mention him to them.”
Cinder laughed nervously. “Obviously. What can I mention?”
“I vould recommend speaking only of your nation, and vaguely at that. Even then, do not expect to be effective. Ve accomplish little in the vay of relations on these missions.”
“Then why do you come?”
“To tell those in power of kommunism, what else?”
“Ah,” Cinder said, deciding it was best not to comment on that.
Tirryl nodded sagely. “We are approaching Vesalipolis. You can see it in the distance.”
Cinder pressed her face into the window sideways to get the largest forward view she could. A massive, gnarled spire filled with holes rose from the ground, reaching to the sky with a slight dark aura. There were a few trails of smoke coming from the ground, indicative of factories somewhere within the tangle, but Cinder suspected the sky had been darkened here long before the smoke of industrialization had arrived.
Cinder started to feel the fire build up within her. “...We’re getting close to Chrysalis’ throne.”
“...Throne?” Tirryl asked.
“The thing that blocks non-Changeling magic around Vesalipolis? Or is that not a thing here?”
“It could be… ve are not certain precisely how she blocks magic specifically.”
“We’re landing soon!” Suzie called, walking up to Cinder. “Tirryl, when am I going out?”
“You are staying on the blimp until I am sure you won’t make them shoot us all down.”
Suzie nodded. “Understood. We’ll… hold tight. I’ll tell Celia to get off the phone with Twilight - untraceable or not, probably not a good idea to do it in front of them. Then I’ll go back to my coffin.”
“It’s just a large munitions container,” Tirryl deadpanned.
“I lay in it to hide from people, it is dark, and at this point it smells like death. It’s my coffin.”
Tirryl rolled her eyes, mumbling something sarcastic under her breath as Suzie ran off.
Their ships set down on an airfield just outside the main hive, surrounded by several tanks and a full platoon of Changeling soldiers.
“...Are there supposed to be this many?” Cinder asked.
“I was expecting more,” Tirryl admitted. “Well, let’s get this over with.” She trotted to the back of the airship and walked down the ramp, Cinder, Celia, and the rest of the Stalliongrad diplomats behind her. Celia had her mane combed over to hide her Gem since a magical horn disguise wasn’t an option right now. They were fortunate this world’s magic inhibition didn’t force her to retreat into her gemstone completely.
A Changeling in red armor walked up to them.
“Greetings, Commander R-”
The Commander Changeling ignored Tirryl, instead pointing at Cinder. “You. And both of your companions.”
Cinder tensed. “It’s just me and Celia.”
“Suzie. The captain. Get her out here.”
Celia frowned. “Had a spy on board, did you?”
“I am losing my patience.”
Less than a minute later, Suzie walked out, hands locked behind her back. She kept her head up with a calm dignity and narrowed eyes.
“So this is what a human is…” The Commander sneered. “Chrysalis will see you three immediately. The rest of you will be shown to the Stalliongrad embassy as previously planned.”
Cinder gulped. For once, getting to things quickly didn’t seem like a good thing.
~~~
Queen Chrysalis had more spies than she could count. Changelings were particularly well-suited for the job given their unique abilities and she had put them to their full use. Every nation on the planet had at least a dozen Changelings within the borders somewhere. Most of them were concentrated in Equestria, to be fair, but there were a decent amount in Stalliongrad.
She had received word of the mysterious ‘Sweeties’ shortly after they arrived in the small communist nation. Annoyingly, she hadn’t had enough time to inquire as to where they came from or who put them into the Stalliongrad envoy, but she did learn several interesting facts.
Two of them weren't ponies, though one could certainly play the part. They were from another world. The leader had military experience, the crystal one was a diplomat, and the small one… may have been an apprentice of some sort. There was little she could assume about them.
At first she had been skeptical of the reports, but her spies confirmed that they were definitely from another world. They had access to devices and magic that no Changeling had ever seen before.
And they were walking right into the center of Changeling power to introduce themselves.
What kind of host would she be if she didn’t speak to them the instant they arrived?
“Welcome!” she spoke with a reverberating voice common to the Chrysalis’ of the multiverse. “I trust your journey was pleasant?”
“It ended roughly,” Suzie said, gesturing at the Changeling Commander behind her.
“Mmm, yes, it appears as though the phrase ‘honored guests’ means little among the militaristic squabble these days. They will remain, of course. I cannot be certain of your intentions.”
“What do you think we’re here for?” Suzie asked.
“Why, to say hello! And no doubt many other things, but I’m sure you will reveal those in due time. I am Queen Chrysalis, ruler of all Changelings. You?”
“Captain Suzie Mash, Chalcedony Celia, and Cinder Belle,” Suzie introduced. “We represent Merodi Universalis. I take it you are aware of this?”
“Merodi Universalis, a coalition of hundreds of universes beyond the borders of our reality. A fantastic story I found hard to believe, at first. But here we are, a Queen and a Captain, speaking to one another as equals.” She leaned in, feeling the power of her throne course through her hole-riddled legs. “Now that the pleasantries are out of the way… do tell, why come to my lands?”
Celia spoke up. “You are one of the major powers in this universe, so you drew our attention for contact. It would not do to send a public radio message to the whole world, you understand, seeking out world leaders and revealing our presence to them is a much smoother procedure.”
Chrysalis nodded. This made sense - with Equestria on the ropes, the Changeling Lands were the greatest power on this continent. Naturally they would start here. “Stalliongrad?”
“It was convenient to speak to them upon arrival. We can’t choose where we appear first, you understand.”
She wasn’t lying, but she wasn’t telling everything either. Chrysalis didn’t discern this from her facial expression or tone, both were perfect obfuscations. No, it was the wording. She didn’t say they arrived in Stalliongrad. Perhaps they landed elsewhere, and used Stalliongrad’s envoys as a way to get to her.
They could have been in Equestria first. The idea made her blood boil, but she kept her composure.
“...Sensible,” she said, eventually. “Now, what do you have to offer me?”
The smaller Cinder spoke up, surprising Chrysalis. “We offer the same to everyone - knowledge of the multiverse, aid for those struggling, and a connection to the rest of existence.”
“Aid? War?”
“...It’s possible,” Suzie admitted. “But direct interference in wars is something that has to be deemed necessary.”
“So I am rejected simply because I am winning?”
“You simply do not need help.”
You would not have given it to me even if I was losing. I can see it in your eyes. You can’t hide as well as Celia. There’s hate in there - hate at what you see. I wonder if you’ll snap in the middle of this conversation? Chrysalis smirked, amused at the thought. “I appreciate your confidence in my Changelings. What is the cost of the other items you offer?”
“Basic multiversal information is free, no charge, given to everyone. The rest is determinate on need, willingness to cooperate, and a plethora of other criteria.”
“And what needs do you think I have?”
Suzie looked at Celia. The Captain doesn’t think she has the words to do what comes next. How cute, relying on her subordinate. Celia pulled her mane back. “We have seen the… conditions of your Changelings. We understand it is a necessary condition for your war machine, but it does not have to be like this. There are many groups of Changelings within Merodi Universalis that have found efficient ways to gather love and sustenance for their hives that far exceed even the most extreme methods you have uncovered. Your Changelings do not need to live in hunger.”
Chrysalis narrowed her eyes. That was true. That certainly explained why they didn’t look at her Changelings with contempt. They probably had Changeling friends.
The thought sickened her.
But that wasn’t the worst of it…
“I see. You can just provide this?”
“Changeling love relief is a somewhat common export of ours. We are well practiced in it at this point.”
“This is certainly impressive. I assume there would be no more need to feed upon the other races of the world?”
Celia nodded. “That is correct.”
“Well, this is excellent news! No more hunger, a great prospering age of Changelings! Self sufficiency. Why, I bet it works so well there’s no more need for a WAR.” She dropped her fake smile and glowered at them. “What kind of fool do you take me for!? I will not live like a pathetic whelp and leave Equestria alone! They have been a thorn in my side for far too long, and no gift of yours will change their fate! I do not refuse your gift, I refuse its implication. They will crumble to dust. I…”
She detected a change in Suzie and Cinder’s faces, stopping her in the middle of her rant.
“...I just failed a test, didn’t I?”
Celia cocked her head. “Excuse me?”
Chrysalis scowled. “Don’t play dumb with me, whelp!” She grabbed the three of them in her intense, green magic, lifting them into the air. “What are your real intentions!?”
“Swip…” Cinder gagged. “Now might be a-”
“SILENCE!” Chrysalis moved to pop Cinder’s head off - the other two could give her all she needed.
Instead, a portal in space-time appeared behind the three Sweeties, revealing another Sweetie - a unicorn brimming with dark magic.
Chrysalis’ throne did not extended its magic inhibition through the portal in time. The dark Sweetie was able to teleport her three companions out of Chrysalis’ grip.
The portal closed.
“Get the Stalliongrad envoys!” Chyrsalis shouted. “They are going to tell me eve-”
“The Stalliongrad envoys just vanished!” a Changeling with a radio reported. “Some kind of white ring!”
Chrysalis twitched. “...Send word to the spymaster. Search for everything we have involving Merodi Universalis. Pay particular attention to Equestria. I am not going to let a bunch of pale duplicates ruin everything!”
~~~
“So… what do we do now?” Cinder asked Suzie an hour later.
Suzie was standing at her console, composing an email. “Our job is done, Cinder. We came in, talked to some leaders, and determined a course of action. As soon as I send this off to the Military Division, we call it a day.”
“It doesn’t feel done though. There’s more to happen.”
“We are a small exploration team, Cinder. Even if I have the authority to declare war on a small scale, I probably shouldn’t when there’s an option to let the higher-ups do it.” She continued typing, pausing to focus on the wording of her message. “...Things are divided up for a reason. We are not the warmongers. That job is for other people.”
“Is that what this message is about?” She asked, pointing at the display.
Suzie nodded. “This is a strong recommendation for the Military Division to take Chrysalis out. Equestria will be saved, don’t worry. The worst Chrysalis has is mid-tier magitech weaponry, nothing we have to be all that terrified of.”
“I just…” Cinder frowned. “I know we have to help them, but are we sure military is the only way?”
“That’s up for O’Neill to decide, but I expect so.” Suzie stopped typing, scrolling over the message quickly to make sure it was done. “This is a world at war. We tried to talk Chrysalis down. She wasn’t having it and her Changelings weren’t either. So now we do something a little stronger than talk.”
Cinder nodded. “Guess it’s finally time for us to cause some large-scale interference, huh?”
Suzie nodded, pressing send on the message. It shot out of Swip’s subdimension, transmitting to a relay in Celestia City. It picked up the signal and re-routed it to Earth Tau’ri, right to General-Overhead O’Neill’s personal computer.
Currently, the head of all military forces in over a hundred universes was throwing darts at a dartboard, a little bored. He needed something to do… but there was no major conflict just then and no interesting events were going on that he could crash. Not that he would call what he did “crashing”.
Suzie’s message was like a gift from heaven. Finally, something to do. Sure, it was just another Chrysalis - he had to take care of one of those every few months these days - but this one was in what appeared to be a WWII technology base world. It would be interesting, at least. The layout of the world wasn’t standard either, so the tried and true methods of storming the Changeling Hive wouldn’t work.
He pulled up some reports and began reading. More began to file in as some of his personnel received the message and began to research this new ‘Equis Battlement’. Reports on Chrysalis’ forces, Equestrian forces, and neighboring nations began to pour in, mostly in the words of ponies living in the universe.
A plan began to form in his mind. The Aid Division always appreciated as little damage and loss of life as possible, which was an ideal he could never live up to even if he sure as hell tried. Chrysalis would need to be taken out, and then the Changelings would need to be kept in disarray…
That was it. Precision strikes upon places of militaristic importance, shattering the leadership and recovery of the Changeling Lands the moment Chrysalis was taken out of the equation.
And that was the problem, wasn’t it? Chrysalis’ rarely just went down, even if you glassed their palace. They were sneaky little bugs, every last one of them. Even the good ones.
She needed to be taken out first. Probably with a very specific assasination team. Which wasn’t his department.
Thus, the message was forwarded to the Expeditions Division, making it to Overhead Renee directly. She opened it and frowned.
An assasination mission?
She had a new team that was supposedly open to doing that sort of thing. She pulled up the files for the Mean Six, focusing on the smug picture she had of Curaçao. Naturally, she wouldn’t force them to take the mission - it would only be their second official one, after all, and assasination wasn’t anything to sneeze at. Somehow, though, she didn’t think they would refuse a chance to take out an evil Changeling queen.
She would have called them in right then and there if she hadn’t received a message directly from Eve, Relations Overhead, requesting that any military action be put on hold until Relations could send simple introductory diplomats to every nation of the world. They didn’t want to shake up this new universe too much. Equestria could hold out for a few days.
At least their Celestia could rest easy knowing help was coming soon.
~~~
Five days. It took five days for the mission to get the green light.
The instant it did, Captain Curaçao appeared in an abandoned tunnel under Vesalipolis, the rest of her team filing out through the portal. It closed behind them with an unceremonious pop.
“Mission two…” Curaçao said, clicking her tongue. “From exploration to assasination.”
“We did sign up for this,” Shadow pointed out, testing to ensure her magic still functioned. The Reality Anchor bracelet around her hoof ensured Chrysalis’ throne was unable to touch her. “Working as intended.”
Velvet giggled, angling one of her bloody tendrils like a scorpion tail. “Let’s go stab a bitch! …I love saying that.”
Grayscale rolled her eyes.
“So, can I call dibs?” Havocwing asked. “I call dibs.”
“Like, no fair, I didn’t know you could call dibs!” Insipid whined.
Curaçao smirked. “Whoever gets ze chance will take it. Remember ze plan?”
“Yes cap’n!” Insipid said, saluting. She touched Curaçao and absorbed her power, using Curaçao’s magic to mimic a Changeling. Curaçao did the same.
Grayscale looked them over. “Well. You look like Changelings.”
“Like, totally!” Insipid bounced up and down.
“Let uss try to ssound like them too, hmm?” Curaçao asked.
“Oh, yess right.”
“You’re accenting the s’s too hard.” Velvet pointed out.
Curaçao nodded. “This should be better.”
“Perfect changeling voice!” Velvet cheered.
Shadow turned to Insipid. “Ready to link?”
“Ready!”
Shadow tapped her horn to Insipid’s, allowing their minds to meld. “Done,” Shadow said, using both her vocal cords and Insipid’s. “I’ll teleport us all in the moment it goes south.”
“Hopefully it won’t be needed,” Curaçao said.
“It probably will,” Velvet said, pulling a book out of her mane about The Narrative and You. “Something something, chapter nine.”
“Is it bad I want it to go wrong?” Havocwing asked.
Grayscale shrugged.
“Just be ready for anything,” Curaçao suggested. “Insipid?”
“Right behind you!”
The earth pony and unicorn disguised as changelings walked out of the abandoned tunnel into Vesalipolis proper. They knew the exact path to Chrysalis. It wasn’t far - a ten minute walk if all went well. Curaçao would have preferred to be closer but this was the closest they could get and be sure they would arrive undetected. Right now, they had the element of surprise. They were a couple of changelings just minding their own business. Pony disguise spells didn’t work in the hive, so why would they be suspicious?
Changelings did not engage in idle chatter, so that made it significantly easier to walk around without garnering attention. It only got difficult when they actually arrived at the tunnel to Chrysalis’ throne room. They had to fall in line with a contingent of soldiers who were going to receive new orders from the Queen.
Chrysalis glared at the soldiers as they entered. “The Merodi have visited every nation on the planet. And yet, somehow, none of my spies have managed to capture a single one of them. Do you understand how infuriating this is? That I can’t trust my own subjects to capture even one of their number?” she growled. “They have a decently sized embassy in Stalliongrad. You and your troops are to invade. I do not care that it would make the war last another year, the Merodi are planning something and we cannot allow it!”
The Changelings began to file out. Curaçao and Insipid stayed in the back of the formation. Just as they were about to leave, Shadow cast a spell through her connection with Insipid. A beam of Void darkness launched from Insipid’s horn backward into Chrysalis.
The Changeling Queen blocked it with a sickly green magic shield. She grabbed hold of Insipid and dragged her to her hooves. “It has been a while since I’ve had a Changeling assasi- no… wait…” Chrysalis’ horn flashed, forcing Insipid’s disguise to drop, revealing the gray unicorn.
“Uh, like, surprise?” Insipid smiled awkwardly.
Chrysalis noted the Reality Anchor on her hoof. “Merodi…”
Four mares appeared around Insipid in a flash of dark purple energy. Shadow, Grayscale, Velvet, and Havocwing didn’t waste any breath. Void, gravity, blood, and fire hit Chrysalis with full force, throwing her into the back of her throne.
“You… DARE attack me in my home?” Changeling soldiers began to file in, firing bullets and spells at them, forcing Shadow to focus her energy on maintaining a magical barrier to protect them.
“Yeah! We dare!” Havocwing punched her barrier with a flaming hoof, plowing right through and hitting her square in the jaw. “Because you’re evil.”
“Yep! Evil!” With a loose bloody tendril Velvet held up her book and read from it. “An evil entity is one who exhibits a certain lack of morals and empathy regarding other people. Or that’s one definition, anyway.” She hit Chrysalis with the book. “You know what we do to evil people? We kill them.”
“Y-you are nothing compared to me!” Chrysalis fired a beam of energy at Velvet, shocked to find that getting a hole blown in her chest didn’t slow the earth pony down. “What!?”
“There’s a lot out there in the multiverse.” Grayscale flapped her wings, flattening Chrysalis like a pancake into the ground. “You’re just a bug.”
“I AM NOT A BUG!”
“You kind of are,” Insipid said, touching her and absorbing her powers, transforming into a direct mirror image of Chrysalis. “I mean, look at you!”
Chrysalis stared at herself in shock. She looked… terrible. Granted, she hadn’t gotten much sleep over the last week, but had she really been presenting herself to her subjects like… that?
Insipid blasted Chrysalis in the face with her own magic, tossing her into Shadow’s barrier.
Chrysalis struggled. “I… I will not…”
“Don’t have time for this,” Havocwing muttered, landing on Chrysalis and driving her hoof into the Changeling Queens skull as hard as she could.
There was a sickening crunch as her facial carapace shattered.
“Ew…” Havocwing muttered, shaking goo off her hoof. “...Done.”
“Très bon!” Curaçao said, dropping her invisibility. “Shadow?”
“Busy with the barrier!” Shadow called, straining to absorb several dozen bullets flying at her.
“I got this~!” Insipid trilled, touching Shadow. She cast a quick dimensional spell and the six of them left the universe.
“That… was pretty easy,” Grayscale admitted.
“Hey, somepony’s gotta do it,” Velvet said. “Might as well be us smashing bugs, right?”
“Eh. Sure.”
“Good work, everyone,” Curaçao said.
“I’m still covered in bug goo,” Havocwing complained.
“I don’t notice much difference,” Grayscale said.
“Wh - hey!”
“You know, I was worried for a moment,” Curaçao said, smiling brightly. “Not zat we would fail, but zat we’d find it… difficult.”
“Difficult?” Insipid asked.
“You know, ezically speaking.”
Havocwing put a wing around Curaçao. “Curie, we’re the ‘Mean’ Six, Elements of Pandemonium. A little killin’ aint’ gonna stop us. Isn’t that right girls?”
“RIGHT!”
“Now I’m hungry, think that noodle place is open?”
~~~
“Stradiverra! Stradiverra!”
A large female Changeling looked up from her book. “Yes, drone, what is it?”
“The Queen… she has fallen!”
Stradiverra dropped her book. “W-what?”
“Assassinated! Merodi Universalis agents! Not five minutes ago!”
“I…” She tossed her scratchy mane back and narrowed her eyes. “Very well. You have the rites?”
“The rites will be performed next week. You are provisional Queen as of this instant.”
“Rally the troops, call Vesalipolis,” Stradiverra ordered. “They may be going for more than just an assasination. W-”
“Urgent! Urgent!” Another Changeling ran into the room. “Merodi ships are appearing above major military installations! We need to fortif-”
Stradiverra realized they were in a major military installation a second before she heard the humming sound of engines outside. She ran to the window and looked up, devastated to see a massive white ship shaped vaguely like a lotus hovering above them.
She stared, transfixed as a glowing pink orb appeared on the bottom of the ship.
“My Queen! We must evac-”
“We are no more…” Stradiverra said, chuckling to herself. “Even if I did survive…”
“My Queen!”
“The Changeling Empire is finished.”
The Merodi ship fired.
The military dispatch outpost was reduced to glass in a flash of light.
Retaliation occured, most definitely. Across the Changeling Lands, Merodi ships were fired upon, assaulted, and were subjected to experimental weapons. Very few received any lasting damage, for they did not need long to jump into the universe, fire a weapon, and leave. Even those that were hit with the most advanced Changeling magitech survived. The only ship loss occurred around Vesalipolis, where the infrastructure was powerful enough to resist attacks for a few minutes. But even that fell.
In the coming weeks, the Changelings would scramble for power, trying to find a new Queen. They would not have to look hard - that was the problem. Several Queens rose at the same time, and none of them could agree who should take full control of the Changelings.
Battles still occurred on the Equestrian border for a few weeks, but with the Changeling chain of command essentially breaking into nothing, they would not keep it up for long. Some groups attempted to hold onto occupied territory, but they collapsed easily. Eventually Equestria would gain the upper hand and begin to push into the Changeling Lands.
They planned to go until they reached Vesalipolis.
~~~
Cinder could tell the local Twilight was nervous - it was written all over her face. “Are… you okay?”
“What? Yes! I’m fine! Why wouldn’t I be fine?” Twilight laughed nervously. “The Changelings are all but defeated and Celestia’s asked to thank you for all you’ve done! Why wouldn’t I be fine?”
Blink raised an eyebrow. “Do you really need to ask?”
Twilight twitched. “Okay, okay. Just… take deep breaths, Twilight…” She breathed in and out heavily, glancing to Celia. “It… it’s just a thank you audience…”
Suzie frowned. “Should we come back another time?”
“N-no!” Twilight sputtered.
Celia coughed. “It would be best to arrive as Celestia wishes. We wish for positive relations with this Equestria in the future, do we not?”
“Of… course.” Suzie frowned at Celia. The two of them proceeded to have a private conversation using expressions Cinder couldn’t parse. She decided to ask about it later. After all, they were going to see the Princess.
Twilight led Cinder, Blink, Celia, and Suzie back to the same doors they had walked through just over a week ago. Twilight cleared her throat. “Princess Twilight Sparkle of Friendship and Magic, here!”
“Enter!” The voice of Celestia was different somehow. It wasn’t as harsh as Cinder remembered it. She still didn’t sound like a normal Celestia, but now that the war was over she might be making a recovery.
Any thoughts of that were dashed when the Sweeties actually entered the room.
“Ships appear over the Changeling Lands and, in a handful of minutes, destroy most major military outposts while only losing one of their number.” Celestia lowered the newspaper she had been reading from and picked up a Merodi data pad. “Merodi Universalis is a Class 3 society, the lowest on a scale that ranges from three to one.” She placed the pad down and fixed the Sweeties with a fiery gaze that matched the solar flicker of her mane. The pastel mane was no more. “You could squash us like ants.”
Suzie tensed, glancing accusingly at Celia. The Gem’s expression was unreadable. “We have no intention of doing so.”
“I know full well you do not,” Celestia said, simply. “But you are not all that lives out there in the cosmos. My ponies were almost eradicated by a threat I knew! You know the horrors. You know what you had to do to face them.”
“Friendship and harmony?” Cinder suggested.
“And for the sake of friendship and harmony you almost didn’t help.” Celestia fixed her gaze on Celia. “I am aware of the history of your people, Gem. Befriended despite the atrocities you committed on a daily basis.”
Celia didn’t dignify this with a reaction.
“I really do wish to thank you though.” Celestia smiled. It looked so wrong on her face. “I had every intention of guiding Equestria back to the old ways the moment the war ended. You opened my eyes a-”
“Stop deluding yourself,” Celia said, unusually calm. “You were on this path long before we came here.”
Celestia frowned. “Was I?”
“I knew it the moment I spoke to you. Dismissive. Rash. Brutal. You had lost harmony. You just hadn’t embraced it. Now you have… like your sister so long ago.”
“There is no Nightmare within me,” Celestia hissed.
“There does not have to be,” Cinder mumbled, remembering the last Daybreaker they had encountered.
Celestia frowned, turning to Twilight. “And you, my once prized student. Given your tears I can see you do not approve?”
Twilight was, in fact, crying. “Celestia… don’t do this. Come back to us. We… we don’t have to stay like this! Let’s tear down the army, pull the posters down, and go back to Ponyvil-”
“We were caught unaware by the Changelings! We would have lost our nation for the sake of Harmony! The threats are not over, Twilight!”
“Bu-”
Celestia’s sigh gave Twilight pause. “...I should never have shared this, any of it.” She spread her wings and looked to the sky. “Empress knows best.”
Cinder grimaced. She wasn’t quite as evil as the last one… but she clearly wasn’t good, either.
“Equestria will not be joining Merodi Universalis in sisterly harmony,” Celestia declared. “We will not lower our army, and we will not go back to the old ways.” She turned to Twilight. “You will understand with time. I promise I will show you.”
“I… I’m so sorry,” Twilight sniffed.
“Sorry for w-”
With a flash of magic, Luna drove a blade infused with dark power through Celestia’s back. “Forgive me, sister.”
“L-lun…” The fire in Celestia’s mane went out and she unceremoniously slumped to the ground.
Twilight swallowed hard, trying to keep her hooves planted where they were. She lost the mental battle, running to Celestia’s form and holding her head in her hooves.
Luna fixed Celia with a hard gaze. “Your suspicions were correct.”
“I am sorry it was,” Celia said, bowing.
Suzie turned to her. “This… you knew this was going to happen?!”
Celia nodded. “She had all the warning flags of going Daybreaker out of a self-imposed deluded necessity. I questioned Twilight about using the Elements of Harmony, but… those have not worked properly here for quite some time, and as suspected, she did not actually have a Nightmare in her. So I told her and Luna to prepare. They did. Admirably.”
“There is nothing admirable about this,” Luna breathed.
Suzie looked like she wanted to yell at something but couldn’t find an appropriate target.
Cinder walked up to the form of Celestia, frowning.
Ponies just keep dying…
“Why…” Twilight breathed, not really asking a question.
Cinder didn’t know. She just knew Twilight needed a hug. So that’s what she did.
Luna turned to Celia. “Equestria will return to the peaceful ways of the past if… if I can bring the ponies to it. Many of them would have supported Celestia. Getting them to stop the march on the Changeling Lands...”
“We can help,” Celia offered.
Luna frowned, looking to Twilight. “I… would rather not. But if I am honest, neither of us are suited to bring back the golden age of Equestria. We will accept what you have to offer.” She ruffled her wings. “I must thank you for ending the war.”
Celia nodded. “It’s the least we could do.”
Luna turned to tend to her sister’s body.
Cinder returned to Suzie’s side.
“Why is it that some days I can look death right in the face and smile?” Suzie asked. “But on days like today I just want to walk away and never look back?”
Cinder shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“...You haven’t even been out here long, Cinder. You’re already shrugging at it.”
“I…” Cinder sighed. “I guess I am. I mean, this is a good ending. War’s over, peace is returning…?”
“Yep. And I bet years down the line we might even celebrate this. Heck, maybe even in a few days for all I know. But it’s times like this that make you realize someone’s sister was sacrificed for these things. Doesn’t matter which war it is, someone’s lost a sister somewhere. Somewhere.”
“...Let’s go home.”
“Yeah. Yours or mine?”
“Doesn’t matter. Pick one.”
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Oh my goodness I need to get back into reading stuff from you I didn't even know this existed.
And wherever she was at the time, Alushy muttered, "We're a culture, not a costume."
In any case, not the war I thought it was, but still an unpleasant event to witness. Everyone's somebody's child, and in many cases, somebody's sibling as well. But war doesn't care. It sends everyone through the meat grinder, and some come out less intact than others.
Oh well, if chrisalys accepted the offer, she would have obtained what she wanted, Celestia died at the hoof of her sister, that would have been OK with her, but oh well.
This did not show up in my notifications.....
9806262
Did you mean Fai? Maybe Fay, or Fey?
Just a heads-up... The supplemental link leads to "Sunset's Isekai" (chapter 36) instead of the actual supplemental chapter (chapter 35)
What ever happened to tossing all the villains onto a prison ocean planet?
9807996
good point, this one's hardly a bigger threat than the Insanities.
9807996
It was a really dumb idea and the super powered people got out and slaughtered a bunch of people?
Weird choice of a city, Baltimare is on the East coast in EaW. Unlikely that it would fall before Canterlot or Ponyville. A better choice could be Bales, Whinnyapolis (both close to Crystal Empire border in center-north) or Las Pegasus (on west coast).
Empty Horizons, aye? That's actually a story I have on my read-later list.
Disappointing but not unexpected. Perhaps in another playthrough...
I'd imagine not. This seems like the sort of situation where an actual changeling might as well die on their hooves to avoid torture. Not that I expect the changelings treat prisoners any better.
I wouldn't have been so quick to assume Princess myself. It's not as though Twilight was a nobody before.
Um, Chryssi? Even if your strike force could take out the embassy, an unlikely but certainly possible feat, that wouldn't even delay things. You are outclassed beyond comprehension.
What, do we not cout class 4s? But yes, they could.
Well. This may well have been the best of a lot of bad options.