Chapter 38
Amie considered changing back into any number of different pony disguises. But the windows were always drawn, and he already knew. Hiding the truth about her nature would not help. Besides, she needed to know whether or not she was imagining things.
She shook herself off, removed a towel from the hook, then wrapped it around her shoulders as she stepped out. He clicked the door closed behind him, watching her from across the small space.
Tailslide didn't look different, anyway. He was still covered in the grime of a hard day's work in the factory, still wearing a torn pair of saddlebags and nothing else. At least having a good night's rest and some proper food had helped him. He wasn't staring off into space, and he looked a little less like the flesh was going to slide right off his bones. A good week or so of proper nutrition, and he would probably be right back to where he started.
"I need you to be honest," Amie said, drying off as quickly as she could. "Do I look different to you?"
He crossed the room slowly, then stopped in place, looking her over. After a few seconds, he nodded. "There are some differences. What did you change into?"
She winced. "I... nothing. This is just how I look. I feel like it was different before, but it's not like I took pictures. Who wants to remember looking like a freak?"
Tailslide patted her gently on the shoulder with a wing. "It's... not what changelings are supposed to look like. You think maybe you're changing like your brother? Maybe this is the first step of your transformation. Like... Equestria is recognizing that you're not evil bugs who want to eat us. Eventually you'll all look like him, and you won't need to feed on love anymore."
"Maybe! That... does sound better than any of the nightmare explanations I've had. I think I'll go with what you said." She settled back onto her haunches, tossing the wet towel onto the floor. "How was work?"
He groaned in response. "Wish I could say it was getting better. Base commander still knows I'm here, and he's putting pressure on everywhere I go to fire me. Until I'm out of Agate, he'll never let me rest. I wouldn't be surprised if he has me fired again by the end of the week."
Amie ran one hoof through her hair as he spoke, only slightly distracted. It had been a long time since she had hair, he couldn't be mad at her for that! Technically she had it every day when she was with Ivy, but that was pretending. This was real.
"We could go out for dinner again," she suggested. "Things might be... about to hit the fan here. I don't know who will come out the other side. But it might be our last chance for a while."
"Hit the... fan?" Tailslide asked. He tossed his saddlebag onto a hook, then froze. "Your eyes—they didn't always look like that?"
"Nope," she said. Amie blushed, turning away from him. Bugs could still do that it turned out, leaving patches of blue on her face instead of red. "Do you want to go out for dinner or not? I'm already going out of the way here—where I come from, it's usually the stallion who does things like that."
Tailslide thought about it, scratching his chin. "You don't eat."
"Who cares?" she asked, annoyed. "I want to relax. I might not get another chance. I'm pretty sure you don't have movies, I'm not even sure what alcohol would do to me if we went out to a club..."
And even if it isn't just poison, I can't take the risk it might compromise my judgment and make me do something I'll regret. Amie had already revealed her true nature to several ponies without intoxication to encourage her.
"We could go to the lake," Tailslide suggested. "It's a short flight. I know you can look like a pegasus if you want to. Just let me steal something to eat from the other room first."
He didn't wait for her response, just slipped out through the open door, leaving her behind. Amie had a little time to consider how she would look. She'd used the same pegasus with him a half-dozen times now, and just as often on various errands around the city. Something about that repetition had her feeling restless. Amie was meant to change, wasn't she?
Besides, Amie's strange new eyes had her thinking of where she'd seen them before—there was a whole tribe of ponies meant for the night, with wings that lacked feathers and eyes like hers.
She wasn't translating her old human self into a pony, the way she'd done with Healing Touch. She wanted a pony who looked like her real self... as close as possible. She looked into the mirror, imagined what she would look like—then changed.
Her bat self would have a bright green mane and wings, blue eyes, and a firefly for her cutie mark. She even kept her fangs, though the bats were shaped very differently from her own. She gave her a short mane, though it would grow with time. Maybe her own newly acquired hair was a sign of things to come.
I could be changing into Wes's species. It's not the worst theory. If only there hadn't been a few snags with that idea, nagging on the back of her mind. Having more colors of her own did match with Wes, but his eyes were still insectoid, and his back still had fins instead of a mane.
I'll ask Pachu’a when he gets back here. Assuming Albrecht didn't have him shot.
Tailslide came through the door a few minutes later, still smelling slightly of salad dressing. "Woah. You're, uh... who taught you to do a thestral?"
"If people taught me anything my life would be a helluva lot better," she said. "But I've seen a few on base. They seem pretty cool—dangerous, exotic. The hearing is really interesting. I can... hear my brother through the wall. And your heartbeat."
Of course it was no pony sense that showed her just how accurate her guess about Tailslide's preferences had been. Bats were mysterious and dangerous to him, muddled up in a confusing blur of feelings she couldn't untangle. However her powers were expanding, they didn't show her his thoughts.
Amie would have to figure those out the old-fashioned way. She didn't anticipate much of a challenge, if stallions were anything like men. "I planned on visiting the lake with... my client. But I don't think we'll ever get the chance. You sure that's what you want? You don't need the exercise."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Tailslide said. "But I'm sure. I've had enough self-pity in my old favorite restaurants, I think. You're the one with a whole city's worth of ponies to save from certain doom. I'm just the one who failed to help."
Amie stopped to leave one last message with Wes before she left. "Remember, Rick and Beth are probably coming soon. Get them inside, keep them hidden. Make sure they don't go wandering through the building. I haven't got to talk to Bud about having them yet."
"Sure." Wes was sitting at the kitchen table, with a salad slowly going soggy in front of him. His attention was entirely focused on his... phone? He had a stylus floating in the air next to him, and scrolled absently through it.
Amie caught herself in the doorway. Her own relaxation for the evening could wait. "Right, Rick mentioned that. He was setting up a repeater antenna. It should cover Agate by now."
"It does." Wes looked up. "Did you check your messages? Might want to look. There's a lot here... but some of it is about you."
She didn't want to know. Given her track-record, any message waiting for her could only be some new fire to extinguish. Probably it was something she couldn't even help with, since she was a dozen miles away behind enemy lines. But hiding from it wouldn't make it go away.
"Something wrong?" Tailslide asked. He stood still, watching her dart back into her room. "Should we go another night?"
"No!" She left the door open, and didn't turn around. "Just... gimme a sec. I think there might be a message for me."
She removed her phone from the pack with her mouth, settling it onto the table in front of her. It would be easier if she changed into something that could use a horn. But if she did that, that would be one more step away from a relaxing evening with Tailslide. They both needed some time to catch their breath.
The phone took a moment to start. As usual, there was no signal until she started Rick's bodged program. The screen flashed once, then suddenly she was drowned in messages.
Many were from her campers, begging for help. All of you hold on a little longer, she thought to herself. I'm gonna get you out.
But none of those were surprising. Instead, her attention jerked to the series of messages from Director Albrecht.
"I do not know if you will receive this," began the first. "This is not a true cell network, I know there are communication limits. I wanted to send this anyway, in case you ever receive it.
I am sorry for alarming you over your brother. In your place, I might've done something similar.
We received a relief party today. They explained you had sent them, with information about Camp Stella Lacus. Doing this was not your place—there should have been a conference over what information to share, and how to arrange any diplomacy with outsiders. It was wrong for you to do this.
I do not believe we would have survived without it, however. We owe you our lives.
Not counting you and your brother, sixteen campers have passed away or gone missing since the Transit. This number has only begun to accelerate as the youngest and weakest succumb.
I guess the supplies they gave us will last two weeks. If we continue hunting during this time, we should be able to extend that. It will be a rough return to meat after finally having a supply of real food.
They refuse to commit to another delivery until completing some arrangement you made with your brother. I know I don't have the power to force you. Stella Lacus was dying. With new allies, we may be able to protect its campers and staff.
Whatever it is you're doing, please don't stop. I do not know if any of us will see home again. But even if we're doomed to be exiles forever, we have a responsibility to keep them safe."
Amie didn't have time to scroll through a month of missed social posts from the camp. She could imagine how depressing they would all be.
She did take a second to type out a reply, even if she had to use the stylus in her mouth. It didn't have to be a long one.
"Albrecht — I know you were cutting my kids off from their fair share, blaming them for what I did. In exchange for facilitating this, I have one demand.
I may start bringing them out of camp. I can use more people here, people I know and trust. And having them here lets me know they're getting fed.
When it's time, you're going to give your blessing, and let them go. You aren't going to steal from them or mistreat them, and you aren't going to kick them out.
If you agree, I'll make sure you get another shipment. I don't know what the Elders will ask for in payment, but I'll negotiate as well as I can.
I wasn't gonna let you vivisect my brother. But I haven't forgotten about Stella Lacus either. I've been trying to help you since I left.
That's all I want."
To her surprise, the reply was already coming through seconds after she finished writing. The phone buzzed, and a single line appeared on her screen.
"I agree to your terms."
She switched the phone off again, then sat back up. Tailslide had made his way back in.
"It's a little later than I hoped," he said. "If we get caught outside the wall after dark, we'll have to wait until morning to come in."
She shrugged. "We're allowed to camp at this lake, right?"
He nodded. "So long as I can make it back by first bell."
She grinned back. "I'll get the sleeping bag."
Amie left the building behind, along with a whole lifetime's worth of stress. They would still be waiting for her when she got back, like a dozen different explosions all moving in slow-motion. But maybe this trip into nature would actually let her relax for once.
She had to try.
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The more I think about it. Makes me feel like you slipped in some Rick and Morty characters into your story. Rick and Beth doing tech related stuff and all that.
Amie must be so stressed
Thestrals. Mysterious :)
It seems that Amie and Tailslide are going on a proper date. Tailslide won't be able to tell Amie that she has some resemblence to the Changeling Queen that invaded Canterlot since he's never seen her.
11410173
Except Rick isn't fall down drunk
11410187
Yet... Love bugs getting love drunk.
Oh snap. They're gonna run into the other changelings and get taken to the council.
Albrecht actively trying to reconcile with Amie was a surprise. I still suspect he had some ulterior motives, but it's obvious that he's not capable of leading the hive, while Amie's link with the outside world was the only hope for Stella Lacus' continuous survival. No amount of propaganda can stop a swarm of changelings crazed from hunger from tearing their useless leader to shreds. All things considered, he made a smart move.
"Relax"
Strike Albrecht off the antagonist list. Looks like all he needed was some sanity-bringing love.
Next up, Commander Path. Think he can be swayed? I imagine even presented with images from a phone he'll still end up in denial for at least a while, but hey, 5 stages of grief, once given that push he might be on the path to acceptance. Just make sure not to put anyone at risk showing him the phone.
I imagine Amie could set Ivy up with a phone to convince her father.
First, Put some changeling pictures on the phone to potentially counter incorrect assumptions made by the Commander. Next, instruct Ivy to show her dad the human photos in a casual fashion. Ex: "Hey, I'm gonna go to Canterlot, but check out this cool camera I found lying around! Weird creatures, right?"
Once her dad has seen everything and is clearly intrigued by the human photos, reveal the truth. Ex: "Guess what, dad? Those poor creatures got teleported and transformed into the same changelings you're guarding on the mountain." Show the changeling photos and their associated dates compared to the human photos.
When Mr. Path denies it as a changeling deception, point out that the architecture and infrastructure of Camp Stella Lacus is nothing that has ever been seen of changelings, and that can be verified with scouting parties. Point out that changelings were never known to produce such advanced cameras.
If he is still in denial, the most risky thing left to do is to reveal her own direct contact with the changelings.
Of course, how to keep Rain Fly's secret safe during all this? Difficult. Perhaps impossible. It might be reasonable to consult Tailslide and Amie's boss about all this and see what we can do. Maybe Amie and Wes could ditch their present disguises, but it would be a huge blow.
Here's an idea. Ivy: "I went on ahead of Rain when she stopped to take a break. I accidentally stumbled into Camp Stella Lacus and met some changelings who told me of their plight and showed me these photos. When I came back, Rain was still there. She was clearly getting worried because I hadn't shown up for an hour, but I convinced her that I just got lost for a bit and we came back without her knowing a thing."
That or something similar might work.
Finally, Albrecht is being reasonable! Shout-out to Pachu'a, the real MVP here.
Hah. Doubt it.
If Albrecht is as reasonable as he seems then Amie might've finally ended this conflict. It's major progress for Stella Lacus.
It's unfortunate about Amie mistaking her queen evolution for reformation. Pachua should be able to set the record straight but I have no doubt the other hives will ask for her presence in addition to her brother's. She'll have to make time for that.
11410186
Can't say I'm not a little worried. Amie might've been passively feeding on Tailslide in the past and likely didn't do much harm back then. But if she's a queen now, inexperience or maybe even increases to her appetite might make her accidentally feed a little too aggressively. She might end up her own worst enemy.
The sleeping bag, eh? A queen bug has needs.
Reading Albrecht's letter has all the hallmarks of a narcissist. Refusing to take responsibility, blaming Amie for the problems, and even when he apologises it's over Wes, not directly to Amie. People like this don't suddenly change their tune - he wants control and he'll do/say anything to get the errant leaf back where he thinks it belongs. Probably the stress of the situation has gotten to him, and once the immediate danger has passed - food/isolation resolved - he'll go back to his usual self, but right now, he's dangerous.
It's possible he's going through some kind of metamorphosis to a queen-equivalent, also.
Can’t wait until they can share their tech with the rest of Equestria, and get some MMOs running. I can’t imagine not having Minecraft.
11410202
I wasn't surprised, honestly. In fact, if he didn’t try and reconcile I'd be more shocked. He's in a situation where he has no other options. Even if he was the worst guy imaginable, he'd still have agreed.
The question is if he'll try something else once things stabilize and he isn't desperate anymore.
things are moving in the right direction.
i am hopping they move fast or there is going to be a hard tool to be paid.
11410552
He isn’t in a position to transform, one of the prerequisites is an abundance of magic to feed on. Unless he is the only one not rationing (fairly likely) then it won’t happen. And even then, it would have only started after they all got the relief.
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11410552
11410202
Personally, I think you're looking at this too much from a Disney movie perspective and not enough from a real people perspective. If we think of Albrecht like a person and not a permanent antagonist, then we should 100% expect him to end his hostility.
Albrecht got stuck leading the equivalent of the German 6th army at Stalingrad, and Amie took the one ray of hope in the whole situation and ditched camp. The guys he dispatched to detain them then all died, somehow. The only indication that Amie was still out there was the occasional text while she was still in range. Over the next few months, Albrecht had to watch over a dozen campers starve to death while also dealing with hunger-induced insanity himself.
And y'all expect him to be cordial?
All of Albrecht's actions thus far have reeked of desperation and resentment. Nothing less than the saving grace of a new food supply was going to sway him back.
I wholly expect Albrecht to count on Amie from here on out, and there's no way he will pick a fight with her now (even if he still has lingering resentment, which I'm sure he does).
Also, no, he's not a narcissist. He said he was sorry for scaring Amie into acting and that the campers owe Amie their lives. Remember, we're assuming he wasn't planning to hurt Wes when he summoned him (though as the months progressed, he and everyone else likely would have gotten desperate). And come on, you can't blame him for maintaining control over the camp and disregarding Amie's text reports. You can't hand the reins over to someone who's not even present and is liable to drop out of contact (and no one else, we assume, was willing to take over camp), and anyways, while Amie's reports were informative, they did not solve the problem of starving to death while encircled by hostile military forces.
Albrecht's gone from minor antagonist to supporting character. That much is clear.
I expect him to be replaced in the antagonist role by Commander Path, along with possibly other influential Equestrians, maybe Chrysalis's hive, and maybe even Pachua's hive (doubtful, but he referred to ponies as prey, and Amie is out here befriending ponies, so that's a major potential conflict, like the North v.s. the South in pre-Civil war America).
11410898
Dunno why you replied to me also, I agree with you.
11410906
Just thought you would find my input relevant.
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11410898
I think there's three additional points about my observation: first thing is that Albrecht was not a capable leader, all of a sudden he found himself responsible for a desperate changeling hive and he's completely clueless. Hoping Amie would sort things out for Stella Lacus was certainly his best bet, but if he always knew what's for the best, the hive wouldn't come to this in the first place. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect him behaving more irrationally, if not because of some stereotypical antagonist malice, then because of the sheer pressure he'd been under. The second thing is that he tried to contact Amie first, not the other way around. Maybe he would do the smart thing and listen to Amie should she decides to go and confront him directly, but she clearly wasn't going to do this anytime soon. The fic is written from her perspective, so if this development's unexpected for her, it should be unexpected for lots of readers as well. Lastly, the timing of this played a part as well. The plot has been progressing pretty quickly recently, and the last chapter was left on somewhat of a cliffhanger. Readers were expecting Tailslide's reaction to Amie's transformation in this chapter, but actually he didn't have much of a reaction, while Albrecht's message's the real development here. I don't think people expected this to happen, even if it's not the most groundbreaking plot twist ever. As for whether he had any ulterior motives, well, it's still a fanfic based on a kid's cartoon so stereotypical antagonist stuff can still happen, right? I tend to predict things a bit pessimistically while reading fanfics so that I wouldn't be too disappointed afterwards.
11410981
The relief visit by Pachu'a would have relieved the pressure on Albrecht dramatically. Of course he would be willing to talk things out now that everyone isn't on the verge of dying all the time. Also, he can't stick around as the antagonist because there are so many other antagonists around the corner (namely, Commander Path), and you can only have so many at one time.
Starvation can do some crazy things to a person's mind. Albrecht is probably safe now... Emphasis on the 'probably'.
Now, we just wait for the next villain to rear their head. I still maintain that Chrysalis may be able to sense the 'birth' of a new queen in some way...
Good chapter!
11410898
I'm looking at it from the perspective of I'm an old man and I know old man bullshit when I see it. Albrecht doesn't respect Amie as a competent team leader, he sees her as a tool/pawn to help him lead the camp. He will never accept her leadership.
1 - He didn't apologise for trying to have Amie killed, he apologised for alarming her over her brother.
2 - He criticized her for doing something 'not her place'.
3 - He didn't take responsibility for being the reason Amie couldn't easily return to camp, and instead said "I might have done something similar." This is a common turn of phrase (similar to "I am sorry you feel that way") when somebody is trying to placate feelings without really admitting wrongdoing.
4 - The line "I don't have the power to force you" is horrific. What if he did have that power?
5 - We know that Albrecht had been lying to the camp about why Amie left.
6 - He didn't invite Amie or Wes to return to the camp.
7 - He uses emotional pressure ("We have a responsibility to keep them safe").
So while it's entirely plausible that this is just the author's projection of the character and I'm just a paranoid potato, the content of this letter would make me highly suspicious of Albrecht's objectives here.
Edit to add: He is probably worried/unconsciously worried that campers are leaving his team to join Amie's, and he will eventually end up having to accept her as the leader. Even if he does decide to 'accept' her, he's the type to continue to undermine and criticise her decisions, simply because she's younger. It takes deliberate reflection and profound self-awareness to overcome this kind of issue. I'm not saying Albrecht can't do it (and it would be excellent character development or him if he can), I just don't see signs of that yet in his letter.
11411450
1 - He didn't try to have Amie killed, why would he apologize for something he didn't do? Remember, he just sent those hunters to detain Amie. They decided in the moment once one of them died to kill Amie. Albrecht didn't have any control over them at that point. So nothing to apologize for.
2 - Diplomacy is generally not something that people should do without leadership, as it can produce commitments or promises that the leadership back home can't keep, just as an example. Imagine accidentally joining both sides of a war because two people went out on their own to do their own diplomacy. Despite mildly criticizing her to warn her away from becoming overly eager in her diplomatic efforts, he immediately followed up with praise and gratitude for saving the campers' lives. Clearly, he considers Amie's actions regarding Pachu'a to have been the right move. He just wants to minimize the possibility of running headfirst into the consequences of Amie's diplomatic actions later. Case in point, he was specifically referencing how Amie gave away potentially risky information to strangers. In the future, he clearly wants "conferences" (multiple camp personnel, then) to decide on such risky actions like giving away information and making deals.
3 - The thing is, he shouldn't apologize for wanting to study Wes. It was a legitimate idea with some hope of providing useful insights on food sources. He should be sorry for being so pushy about it, which he is, as he said he was sorry for scaring her. By saying he might have done something similar, he's saying that Amie's actions were reasonable and forgivable.
4 - "I don't have the power to force you to keep saving our lives", is the meaning I get from that, given his follow up line, "Whatever it is you're doing, please don't stop." Can't really fault speech like that. I say stuff like that all the time. "I can't force you to do the dishes, but please do." "I can't force you to feed the cat while I'm gone, but please don't let him starve." These things are innocent in real life, why can't it be here?
5 - Honestly, can't recall him doing that. From Chapter 15, he warned camp that she may have taken hostages, which was a reasonable concern given that he hadn't heard back from his guys or from Amie at that point. Not lying, just wrong. Also, we know Amie really was armed and dangerous, so he was just dead right about that. Amie was upset that he left out that the hunters tried to kill Amie, which is odd, because there's no way he would have known that to be able to mention it. I really think she just wanted someone to blame in those poor circumstances. From Chapter 18, he'd upgraded Amie to murderer status. We don't know if he ever found any bodies or not, but we can assume at least that he never found the body of the guardsmare Gale. Even if he never found a body, after so long without any sign of his men, assuming Amie had murdered them is not unreasonable. What else could kill three hunters all working together? Of course, we know that it was the guardsponies, but Albrecht didn't know those existed at the time. So him calling Amie a murderer was reasonable, if wrong. He wasn't lying because he believed it himself. From Chapter 19, "If you didn't kill those men, Amie, who did?" further illustrates my point. He's talking directly to Amie, he doesn't lie. He generally didn't think anything else could have killed them. "You've abandoned Stella Lacus to our fate. Run away then." And this is the reason why Albrecht resented Amie.
6 - He probably forgot to invite them back. Remember, he said, "Whatever it is you're doing, please don't stop." He doesn't want Amie or Wes to come back in the first place, not because he doesn't like them, but because he thinks she's doing good work out there. Of course it would slip his mind to invite her back when he surely knows neither he nor Amie actually want her back at camp for the near future. He never banished her in the first place, either. If it comes up, he can always invite her back then.
7 - Gee, how dare he remind Amie that a dozen kids have literally DIED of starvation over the past few months? He should just keep his mouth shut. It's not like Amie, a camp counselor, has any responsibility for the kids formerly in her care, right? Oh wait, she does, and she said it herself. I'm pretty sure she even used the same phrasing at least once. "I have a responsibility to keep my kids safe" sounds like something she has said. But now when Albrecht says it, it's "emotional pressure"? He doesn't even say "you", he says, "...we have a responsibility to keep them safe." That means he's not just referring to her, he's referring to himself. It's a reaffirming statement, not some hidden manipulation. It reaffirms why Amie and Albrecht should really be on the same side and helps reinforce and clarify Albrecht's overarching message that he wants to work hand-in-hand with Amie again.
I hope you appreciate how long it took me to write this.
This does not sound like someone who's turned over a new leaf to me. Albrecht is still desperate to dictate the terms of everything that happens in his camp in defiance of all logistics and reality—How exactly could there have been a conference?—and the only reason he's letting this go is because he owes his life to Amie's interference. I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn he's gone from hunting the wildlife to aggressively extracting love from any nearby ponies.
Still, at least the two of them are coming to something resembling an amicable solution. We'll see how well the arrangement works out, and what other wrenches find their way into the works.
Awww what a cute couple
11411964
You logic doesn't make sense. Who would lead camp if not Albrecht? Amie? She's not even there. How could she possibly lead camp? You're complaining that Albrecht isn't leaving camp in anarchy?
Also, a conference means more than one person involved. It's not "Albrecht wanting to dictate the terms of everything", it's him wanting to have people discuss and agree on irreversible actions, so that you don't just have people going off, telling secrets to outsiders, and making deals that camp might not be aware of and might not be able to uphold. It's just common sense to not have multiple people running around doing their own diplomacy for the same group with no coordination, or even one person. Thus far we've had Amie doing scouting and diplomacy without any contact with camp and Albrecht leading camp with very little information on both changelings and ponies. This cannot stand. Camp decisions should be coordinated, so as long as Amie is within range of Rick and Beth's new node, she should keep camp informed and work cooperatively with camp leadership, which, from the "conference" comment, definitely includes more people than Albrecht, regardless of the reader's and Amie's perspective that he's some kind of dictator.
Something that I find fascinating in the face of this burgeoning transformation is that Amie's behavior lately has been really Changeling Queen-like, and not just in the obvious "I'll do everything I can to save my kids" way.
Think about it. So far, she's turned one of the Guards to her side, she's sent a subversive agent to Canterlot, and she's planning to insert a bunch of changelings and set up Rent-A-Friend as a mass feeding program. She's learning how to control her 'subjects' and sees that as a helpful tool rather than something terrifying, she's planning to set up her camp group first because she trusts them most (an early hierarchy in the hive?), and I also notice that she's increasingly been crafting disguises that maximize her target's attraction to her.
I'm not saying she's done anything wrong, or that it's not completely justified in her position. It totally is. She's in a desperate situation, her motives are pure, she barely knows what she's going to do half the time, and she's not trying to manipulate anyone... but maybe there's a reason she hasn't turned into a Skittlebug despite the abundance of friendship and caring about ponies she's been doing lately. And maybe there's a reason the other changeling hives have turned out the way they have, if they really do all share the same common origin, because I could see Equestria reading this situation extremely badly - especially if the pony making those calls is a certain Commander Path.
(On the flipside, one of the prevailing mysteries in this story to me is why Wes did become a reformed changeling, because it seems like he was one of the most isolated and introverted people in camp, and apart from Amie, he didn't share camaraderie with anyone. But I'm sure the answer will be revealed in time...)
11413352
It's possible reformation doesn't work as canon in this story. Also, they did ascertain that Amie can't control her kids against their will, so under that light it's not really a bad thing. The mind reading thing is more significant. If she puts in the effort she could figure out the intentions of every other changeling just by reading their minds. There's no way she doesn't take over leadership of the hive at this point, the only thing delaying it is her distance from camp.
Now that things are starting to get better in camp, hopefully, Mr. Albrecht starts to ease up a bit. Well yes, he did get out of control for a while there, you have to keep in mind he was becoming desperate to keep everyone alive. While he might have done some questionable things, desperation to survive can do that to you, and Amie running away with Wes didn't exactly help things in that regard. Now that the relief party has arrived at Stella Lacus, hopefully, the desperation of their situation should start to die down a bit.
11413352
She not doing anything but trying to live the ponies took one bad incident and decided that the entire species was bad because they chose to remain ignorant about the species. Genocide is never a good answer.
Amie if you trust Director Albrecht, you are a complete moron. That b@$tard was and still is willing to do whatever he wants to keep his power. Do not believe his lies. He is worthless garbage and will turn on you without a thought. He chose evil, and evil he shall stay.
If you think about it, every one of the deaths of the campers and staff are at least partially the fault of Lyra and Bon Bon. The director (before he turned pure evil) tried talking to them. Instead of saying, 'Hmm, this is very different. These Changelings use different tools and tried talking to us.' NOPE! They teleport away and bring the entire Guard down on the mountain. They hold solid responsibility for the deaths. They are just as guilty as the racist murderous Guards
Wait, she still hasn't told Wes about their agreement...
Why do so many female characters have to put down men? It doesn’t make them better characters, it just makes them look weak. Amie’s not as intelligent as she thinks she is.
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What do you mean? I feel like she jumped to conclusions thinking Albrecht would disect her brother at the start, but I do not see how any of her interactions have been about putting down men.
11585933
Yea I'm not seeing it too.