Chapter 62
"I've never captured a pony," Amie said flatly. "I've never attacked one, and I've never hurt one. I don't want to start now."
As she said it, dark shapes emerged from the fog all around them—three orange changelings, fully revealed. They'd ditched the saddlebags somewhere too, so their fins stood high and alert on their backs. Otherwise, their stance was much the same—aggressive, ready to break into deadly combat in an instant.
"Queen—I told you; she was too dangerous. She was going to see through your illusion in time. Now we have to deal with her."
Amie spread both wings, yelling in frustration. "You won't touch her! Back off!" She moved forward, putting herself between the changelings and this new mare. "No one is hurting anyone!"
The truth of that statement was disproven so fast Amie barely even realized what was happening. Something smacked into her from the side, tackling her to the ground and pressing up against her neck. Her heavy saddlebags protected her from some of the impact, but there was no protection around her neck.
A hoof pressed down there, hard as iron. "No one moves, or your queen dies!" the mare yelled, she was on top of Amie now, holding her with both forelegs. The force was irresistible.
Amie could barely see anything—the cloudy sky above, and her other eye pressed into the dirt.
"I should do it anyway," the mare whispered. "We never caught the other queen—those changelings will be back. But if you die, then the mountain can't threaten Equestria for long. It won't matter if your warriors kill me."
Amie struggled to speak. The mare pressed so hard against her throat that she could barely manage words. "Could..." Amie said. "I don't... think you will."
"Won't I?" Sweetie’s voice rose to a yell. "I mean it, all of you stay back!" Then she leaned down, pressing close to Amie. "How many ponies are dead because of you? How many murders?"
"None," she said. "You said... knew we hadn't escaped... because no one was vanishing. I've been... months. We weren't trapped."
The grip on her neck eased—not a lot, but enough for her to breathe again. "Order them to back off," the mare said.
"Do what she says!" Amie yelled; her voice hoarse. "Back away. Don't do anything unless she tries to kill me." Amie couldn't see what they were doing, she couldn't even use her powers to look. These bugs belonged to another queen; their eyes were forever closed to her.
But something must've changed, because Sweetie Drops lifted her leg completely. "Sit up. If you make any sudden moves, I might kill you. I might anyway."
Amie did, moving as slow as she dared. The orange bugs were about fifty feet away now. Pachu'a had a weapon on one of his forelegs, a bit of metal tied with cloth. The other hunter had a bow, though it now sat on the ground in front of her, undrawn. Natane was unarmed, and more relaxed than the other two. Her eyes were calculating, fear replaced by curiosity.
"When a poisonous snake bites a pony, it's not the snake's fault that it bites," Sweetie Drops said, voice low. "We still have to cut off its head, so no more innocent foals will die. How is this different?"
Amie kept her wings folded. She thought about changing back—Sweetie Drops's inherent disgust was not making negotiation easy. But if she did, the mare would probably interpret that as another attack, and respond with lethal violence. She couldn't risk it.
"A snake is ruled by instincts. If put in a similar situation, it will bite again. It will kill again."
The other mare still had her teeth bared. "You have killed before. A royal gaurdsmare was attacked, another received deadly injuries. He was so psychologically damaged he was discharged from the Royal Guard. That's just the attack we know about."
Amie met her eyes. "Equestria didn't send us diplomats—they didn't even post warning signs of where you decided we weren't allowed to go. When the guards attacked, they didn't land and ask us to leave. They killed two of us without provocation. Was it wrong to defend ourselves?"
The mare scoffed. "They would never do that! Ponies don't attack and kill without warning, we're not like you."
Amie puffed out her chest, meeting the mare's anger. "I was there! I cowered for my life while they murdered two people. When the fight was over, there were two dead bugs, one dead guardsmare, and one pegasus bleeding to death. I stitched Tailslide back together. I carried him to Motherlode to get medical treatment. If you don't believe me, ask him yourself. He works at Irongate Foundry in Agate."
A little of Sweetie's confidence faltered. There was still anger, enough to kill Amie if something provoked it. But a little of that mountain of hostility was wearing down. "What are you trying to accomplish, changeling queen? This deception is pointless. I should drag you back to Canterlot in irons, let you face royal judgment."
"My name isn't 'changeling queen'. It's Amie Blythe. I'm from Florence, Oregon, United States of America, Earth. My parents were Louise and Greg Blythe. I'm not supposed to be a monster. The bugs up on that mountain aren't supposed to be monsters either."
Sweetie's eyes kept flicking back to the changelings around them, then down at her. "You sure about that?"
She nodded. "You attacked me. Wouldn't you defend your friends if somepony attacked them? I never touched you. We were alone in that dining car for hours. We were alone on the walk up here, far from the sight or listening ears of Agate's guards. There was never an ambush. I just wanted to talk to you."
She dared to stand, moving slow enough that she could freeze if the mare showed any signs of aggression. But nothing happened, and Sweetie Drops let her do it. "There are two possible futures ahead of us, Sweetie Drops. Equestria can peacefully accept us, or they can attack like Path wants to do."
"We'll win," the mare said, without hesitation. "I'm sure he has attack plans drafted already, waiting for royal approval."
"Probably," Amie agreed. "And you could kill me right now. But if you do that, you'll show the bugs on that mountain that ponies aren't reasonable creatures. You'll show them that you don't understand negotiation, compromise, or friendship. When you want to take the mountain, ponies will die who could've gone home to their families. When you take the mountain, you'll kill hundreds and hundreds of helpless foals who just wanted to go home to their parents. Is that what you want?"
The mare backed away from her—not towards the mountain, but back the way they'd come. She took a few tentative steps, eyes wide. "If that's true, order them not to follow. Swear I can leave in peace."
"Don't follow her," Amie ordered, loudly. "This mare will not be harmed. I will react to any evil done to her as evil done to me." She glowered at the three strange bugs, teeth bared.
Then she turned back. "Someone has to stop this, Sweetie Drops. When words fail, violence is the only option left. I don't want that to happen. Please, help me."
"Stay on your mountain!" the mare shouted, exasperated. "We aren't the ones forcing this."
Amie shook her head once. "Lock yourself in your house and starve to death? That's not possible. But no ponies need to suffer for my mountain not to die. We can all live."
But the mare wasn't listening anymore. She turned on her heels and galloped off into the mist, leaving Amie bruised and beaten in the dirt.
"What a spectacular failure," Natane said, the first to break the long silence. She advanced slowly, followed by the other two hunters. "I've seen incredible bravery from queens in my time, but rare indeed is it joined by such incredible foolhardiness. Are you honestly trying to negotiate with ponies? Look where it got you."
Natane gestured at Amie's bruised neck. The shell there had cracked, and blue blood seeped out from inside. It already ached, and it would be worse tomorrow.
"Ponies are uncivilized barbarians," Pachu'a agreed. "When their society is homogeneous and they control all aspects of their own lives, they seem enlightened and friendly. Present even the slightest difference to them, and they stampede, trampling any threat down into the dirt. You can't reason with them, Queen Amie."
Amie stared back into the mist. She couldn't see Sweetie Drops anymore, but she could still hear her galloping hooves, echoing off the mountains. "I don't think I failed. She could've killed me, and she didn't. She listened to me. She saw what my kids really look like."
Natane laughed. "You informed her that her security methods had failed. I can tell you what that pony is thinking—she is plotting a way to detect your hunters in their population. You will not achieve peace; you will only make your swarm hungrier. Every new piece of information you share will only be used against you. You should abandon this path before it destroys you, Amie. The next pony you confront may be less cowardly. They may decide to simply kill you and be done."
Amie kept her mouth shut after that. The queen was probably right—Sweetie Drops now knew that her kind were loose. Instead of using the overconfident metric of murders to judge a city's safety, she would poke around. Maybe she would find the Rent-a-Friend.
Or maybe she would listen to what Amie had to say, and realize she was telling the truth. Ponies aren't barbarians. They're just afraid. We can make this work.
"That's my problem to solve," Amie said. "It's one you don't have to, Natane. Your home is safe, mine is exposed. If I don't make peace with Equestria, they will wipe us out. We can't win a war with a whole country."
"I am no queen," Pachu'a said. "But if I were you, I would be organizing my bugs to go to ground and separate. Spread out, then reconvene somewhere safe. You will give up the resources in your camp, but not be here when the invasion comes."
And leave the place empty for you and your hunters to loot, I'm sure, Amie thought. She resisted the urge to spit that into his face. He had still come with her on a humanitarian mission, risking his life to bring food to the hungry.
"That isn't the problem to solve today," she said, gesturing ahead. "We need to get into cover. That agent might run to the army and tell them the queen is in the open. Let's not be."
She changed again. Still a unicorn, since she might need the magic, though this one had a green coat and a lighter green mane, hopefully harder to see from above. Biological camouflage was better than nothing, if the fog ever broke.
It took only a moment for the changelings to recover their saddlebags. Each one changed, into a random smattering of other creatures. Pachu'a chose a griffon this time, while his apprentice was an earth pony, and Natane also made herself a unicorn.
So much for the fake identity. All the time investing into making True Silver seem real was wasted—one of the most dangerous ponies in Equestria now knew she was a fake.
Entirely my own fault. Maybe the bugs are right. I was stupid to trust her.
They reached the fork in the path, then passed the sign warning of extreme danger and death by changeling if they went the wrong way. "No rescue will be attempted." Had ponies tried climbing the mountain? They wouldn't like what they found if they did.
It wasn't much further to the highway. The asphalt was hard and uncomfortable on pony hooves, so Amie walked in the dirt alongside, imagining the roar of cars passing her up the I-5. Only in her mind, unfortunately. There were no vehicles rushing to her rescue.
No one would save Camp Stella Lacus, except her.
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Why am I not surprised by Sweetie Drop's not trusting Annie due to being a secret agent, the intense hatred for what happened during the wedding etc.
I do hope that peace can come for the displaced humans turned changelings.
Call me crazy but where ponies are concerned i somehow think they're very, very willing to massacre anything that isn't them.
11557797
I agree with you there, they're very eager to massacre anything that isn't them.
If anything, I don't think Bonbon really knows how to deal with this bunch of changelings after her exchange with Amie. Amie confused and to some extent scared her, and she'll need time to calm down and think before she can decide her next course of action.
11557812
I hope that she will listen. Ponies have been holding a grudge because of the wedding and yes change especially peace isn't easy but both sides have to be willing to make it happen.
This might seem like a failure now, but in the long term this may work out well. Bon-Bon wasn't the pony to negotiate with, she's too personally traumatized - see her bolting in fright when professionally she should be investigating. But the details of this encounter will eventually disseminate in S.M.I.L.E. and raise some questions - why Amie chose to reveal herself, why Bon-Bon wasn't harmed, whether or not the information on the identity of the changelings on the mountain can be trusted, the offer for peace.
Or it could be terrible! Who knows how Bon-Bon will interpret what just happened before she passes it on, and Amie did just reveal a lot of information that could be damning should Equestria decide to attack after all. And Pachu'a and his entourage were not helpful in the slightest, because they're far more aggressive than Amie's bugs and feeding into Bon-Bon's stereotypes about changelings even though they're not like Chrysalis's swarm either.
Also, I've gotta love the irony of Bon-Bon saying that ponies don't attack and kill without warning. Y'know, except where the changelings they've already decided are evil and must be exterminated are concerned. Maybe she'll see the double standard once she's calmed down.
Liked the implication that Kaya was watching through Natane - I wonder if she thinks Amie is crazy and dangerous, or if she's wise enough to hope what she's attempting works?
Many worldviews were challenged. Let's see if the stupor of being flat-footed interrupts the haze of hatred.
So very many secrets were revealed in so little time. BonBon has everything she needs to raid them, starting with lover boy. It's not like he's hiding after all. It's a good thing they all cleaned up the mess, there's bound to be visitors soon!
11557847
It's quite interesting, since BonBon openly acknowledged Amie is not the Queen they know, and has had direct contradictions to her beliefs slammed into her face by example.
It's all to easy to justify monstrous actions when one has adopted a "us vs them" mentality. One hopes eyes are being opened.
That certainly could have gone better but if Sweetie Drops calms down she might decide to investigate Amie's claims about Tailslide. She dislikes commander Path enough to not trust his evaluation when another is presented.
Will Ivy bring help to her friend from Canterlot? (Perhaps Twilight?)
)
And what will Wes role be in all of this?(other than being an uncle to a lot of changeling grubs soon
I'll speculate and say that the jeep/vehicle will never be brought into the limelight again since they first scouted out their new environment
I think I can see where the story is going to head. Amie isn't going to have any success in negotiating peace with Equestria until Wes goes north, meets Thorax and finds out how to teach other changelings to reform. Changeling reformation is going to be the lynchpin for Equestria to accept changelings as anything other than a threat.
At least, if I'm right about this. I honestly kinda hope I'm not, this idea doesn't really sit right with me. I mean the idea that they need to fundamentally change their nature to deserve any acknowledgement as living beings. Bonnie said they're "obligate parasites" last chapter, but even in their current, parasitic form, we've seen plenty of evidence that they can take strength from ponies in a way very similar to how plants get their strength from the sun. There's a good basis for peaceful relations already, and if it wasn't for that one prophecy, I'd say Amie and her entourage are already well on their way towards reformation on their own merits.
Sweetie Drops has been insufferable throughout this whole story. She really has no right to treat Amie the way she does. And I bet if she ever actually tried to handle a snake, she'd provoke the thing into biting within moments.
I imagine the first thing Bon Bon will do when she recovers her wits will be to investigate Tailslide. Either that, or True Silver. Probably she'll send an inquiry up the chain for information on potential ponies named True Silver to see if there's a match, and also to see if any of those potential ponies are missing. Might be easy enough, probably with a dragonfire message. But right after that she'll go to Tailslide.
I wonder if Bon Bon will let slip to Tailslide that she's already talked to Amie, or if she will get Tailslide talking first.
Will she present herself as a SMILE agent, a guard, or something else?
11557891
Yeah, I hope they don't have to reform just to gain the right to life. Life should be an unalienable right, especially since the changeling feeding doesn't even seem to have a meaningful negative effect on ponies.
Also about the snake analogy, even in our world such animals are generally protected. Alligators and crocs, too. You're not allowed to just go out exterminating these dangerous animals.
Also, I do have an issue with the way animals are perceived by many people. Thanks largely due to movies, but also just lack of human empathy, many people think of dangerous animals like bears and wolves not as normal animals with top priorities of survival and reproduction, but instead as monstrous creatures hellbent on killing any humans around them at all costs.
These fictional predators like in Jurassic Park, Jaws, or Alien charge headlong into gunfire and straight to their own deaths.
But real predators are never like this. They have a strong sense of self preservation, which is why a guy could discourage a croc by smacking its snout with a frying pan, why bears might recognize guns and keep their distance.
Frankly, I have zero confidence that humans would be able to recognize an intelligent alien race if they even killed just one human. Hell, we exploit cetaceans and great apes (and often kill them) despite having very strong evidence of their being among the most intelligent animals on Earth after humans.
So maybe not judge these ponies too harshly. They're essentially the same as us.
this is going to be interesting to see play out.
Consodering zecora who is far more pony yet still treated badly Equestria needs a long look in the mirror
That did rattle Sweetie Drops, I think. But for now, Equestria is not budging. But at least there are signs of uncertainty in her. Once Sweetie Drops recovers she'll have a clearer head to decide the course of action. Hopefully, that little bit of uncertainty Amie planted will turn to doubt. If not, then we'll see how things up north would turn out.
Now, I think the big part is what's about to happen up north. I don't know how close is this time frame to 'The Times They Are A Changeling' and I hope when Wes and Amie meets Thorax, it doesn't have any bad consequences that would alter the canon path of Spike befriending him and later convincing his friends as he vouched for Thorax's innocence.
11557891
t about animal behavior. Aggressive behaviors almost always result from either territorial instinct (getting too close to a wasp nest), misdirected prey drive (shark attacks), or just good old-fashioned fear (dog bites). If you make the effort to learn the animal's instincts, territory, and behavioral cues, you can almost always avoid provoking aggressive behavior (admittedly tricky if you didn't know the wasp nest was there, but theoretically possible).
11557908
Oh, thank HARMONY I'm not the only one who thinks that Sweetie Drops doesn't know sh
One thing that needs to be mentioned here is that Bonnie's living with someone Chrysalis personally mindfucked. Her stake in the game is so personal that she's literally the worst possible candidate for being diplomat zero short of glory-seekers like Path.
The most important payoffs take time to come to fruition. Sweetie Drops will be the hardest pony to convert so far. But she is the most important.
Though Amie's trying her best to ensure at least some group in the camp could survive.
Of particular interest is the possibility of another nymph rising up from the survivors. There's no guarantee she'll be as successful as Amie, but if she is... then the Canterlot Wedding will be a black eye compared to the revenge she will extract. It's really up to the ponies to see if this ends in peace or blood.
11557847
I'm guessing Bon's going to seriously think through the encounter once she's safe and gets some time to cool down. At least Amie's been firm in telling her how things are going to go. The changelings will make a last stand if pushed. They must continue to feed and will continue to feed. Ponies have been zealously aggressive and attacked first. There's no sugar-coating it.
11557908
The problem animals are usually ones that lose their fear of humans. It's unfortunate they have to be hunted down but aversion to humans must be enforced or selected for.
11558043
It's a bit trickier since part of the lifestyle of changelings involve active parasitic attacks (depending on your definition of feeding) on populations of ponies. Avoiding being fed on (regardless of the amount of harm inflicted) is a natural response and it'll certainly be something that'll have to be dealt with even if peace is achieved.
11557804
I agree ponies aren't super non pony friendly. Considering how many non ponies species did you see living among ponies in the show. I count 2. Spike the dragon and 2 donkeys
Doesn't even realize that her actions contradict her statement. I wonder how she would have felt if that had been pointed out.
I hope she doesn't have to learn its better to have a backup plan in case things go south let's hope Earth is able to crack interdimensional travel soon or they have someone that let's say 40k inspired and ready to make things like bombs molotov cocktail or better guns that use magic to work
11557908
Yeah but aliens we might be able to communicate with them. Animals we have tried and failed. We can only be so close when it comes to relationships depending upon the animal.
Does anyone thinks the ponies are going to if they do try diplomacy try to rule them with an iron fist maybe with the lie of " safety" and or freak out if they learn more about the human race and their ability or lifestyle like being omnivores maybe twilight will go into their library without them knowing and freaking out at the advance knowledge or of a world of 7 billion bugs.
11558162
Spike got a lot of side eyes
Donkeys are stubborn despite the local attitude
Cows are subservient it's a easy enough life with the ponys keeping you safe and fed
Goats follow the minos and handle the grunt work
All those predators though dragons griffins hippogriffs it's a hard time finding a pony you can laugh with with those teeth.
And let's not forget how quick ponys are to revert back to tribism once the rumor mill starts up.
Also poor zecora how many years did she live there before the episode, she needs more hugs.
11558281
Yeah but cows are barely Sapient and as for zecora the reason she lives in the woods might be because non ponies aren't really welcomed. Considering how ridiculous everyone acted when she came to town and after what happened with zecora you think they be careful about getting involved with gossip but instead they teach their sisters how to gossip and then blame them for it. As for the one Minotaur in the show he seems more like a traveling salesman than someone who lives there. He just stays there long enough to make a buck somewhat honestly.
That went quite well! Sweetie Drops has a lot to digest, here.
This is a great (second?) step toward peace. Sweetie certainly did the arithmetic here, and at least thinks there's a chance she isn't lying...
11558026
11558289
I don't really blame Equestrians for fearing the mare who came out of the magical murder-forest in a full cloak. I'd be pretty sketched out by that myself.
11558279
Ponies get along well with griffons, who are likely omnivores. It'll be fine in that regard.
11558341
Maybe the cloak was to protect her from the weather or she had another reason. Considering ponies did see her face but chose gossip over truth and even closed their ears when she tried to warn them. They chose to break and enter her home and accuse her of murder. Let's face it they were unfriendly until twilight convinced them that they were being foolish. Of course Considering she too got caught up in the gossip despite trying to tell her friends originally that there was nothing wrong with zecora. Now I don't blame her for the book Considering the title made it sound like it was ghost and stuff.
Wow, this chapter sure was tense. Luckily it ended without any sort of bloodshed. I'm really excited to see how Bon Bon treats this information going forward; will she assume Amie is lying and can't be trusted, or will Amie's words cause her to doubt what she knows as she begins looking into her claims?
Unfortunately, only the author knows the answers to those questions, leaving us no choice but to speculate in the meantime. I'm eagerly awaiting what comes next
11558368
I’m thinking Bon Bob’s more likely to be confused and go to Luna about everything going on.
11558377
Well, we'll see.
11558350
They were being unfriendly - but, again, she was living in the everfree. The place is unnatural, could be considered to be actively attempting to murder you in some way, and is full of a variety of creatures who all share the quirk of being INCREDIBLY dangerous.
Shapeshifters are known to exist. Zecora could have easily been some carnivorous everfree beast which takes some approximation of the equine form, covers itself in a cloak to hide the imperfections, and then goes hunting for a pony to devour. I wouldn't put that kind of thing past the everfree, and i'm sure that's what a LOT of ponyville was thinking.
The fact she has a home shows sapience - but again, she's living inside the magical murder-forest, why would she even DO that? Hiding from the law? Hunting for dark magic? There's many nefarious reasons she could have been there. Being an alchemist is pretty much the only innocent explanation.
11558532
Maybe but the princesses old castle is in said forest and nobody thinks badly of them for living there at one point. If nightmare moon hadn't happened they probably still be there. Things can seem scary without actually being scary because we let our imagination decide that it is scary.
11558341
i don't think that's the case for one let me just say I like stories and I found a few that really got me into reading some of the one's fanfics so I haven't seen the main show just know some lore from bits and pieces coming up but for one.
but no the ponies seem to fear and tolerate at best anything that's a danger to them also did we read the same thing the was not just a fucking horrible plan (not the idea the execution ) I know it's most likely for the plot if she was smart she would have tried to send a letter with some fucking backbone aka LIE LIE hard.
I mean this is my opinion and I am a fucking asshole to anything I considered an enemy Dame the Ponies would get the title by now and can even begin to calculate how big it is if you put my family into it now but Dame from what I have seen these guy would kill you and your kids call you a monster and have diner.
somewhere here I read someone says they're just like us and no just no there are aliens in an alien world at most some things about them are just like us long ago in mindset. and even then there is the problem that this is a monarchy and all this is up to one person which is why I talked about them being rolled with an Iron fist Harrmoy I laugh but hey I haven't seen the show just other fanfic and what I see here don't make me think any better of them or their leader.
best I could say there primitive that got hope at doing some amazing thing
11558555
Oh I forgot to mention the letter basically I threaten them hard with lies and truth best way I can put this is id channel star teak, HFY, and Warhammer 40k into what amounts eave us the fuck alone you monsters before we treat you like you treat us we won't run we will die standing taking as many of you primitive as possible and if that doesn't work mutual destruction(lie about spread advance tech to channelings )
also, I really hope they can make some new guns and ammo if there smart they can save ammo and take out the most ponies by clearing parts of the forest to give more clear view if they're lucky they can scare them to the negotiation table
Edit: HFY means humanity fuck yeah I don't want it go all world war pony but I don't think it going in any direction where someone isn't going to die and I rather it is the ponies. I do hope she can talk some sense into them she seems like a good person I hope she can pull this off with no death
11558555
I suppose the question is if the everfree was always as dangerous as it is now.
11558646
Fanfics ARE awesome - we're both on a fanfic site, right?
- but it's hard for you to tell when characters are acting genuinely out of character if you haven't seen the core material. Some of my absolute favourite fanfics have ponies acting heavily out of character - but Starscribe does tend to write them well.
People have a tendency to either write ponies as angels who can do no wrong (usually in fics where no humans are involved), or as extremely murderous xenophobes (usually when humans are involved). Celestia is often written as being a sinister puppetmaster, when the show itself shows that, while she is manipulative, she's always manipulative with good cause, and good intentions.
Ponies are known to accept griffons into their society. They have few allies at the start of the first season, but that's mainly because they're outright surrounded by hostile or economically devastated nations.
Yes, Amie's plan was horribly risky - but the fact Sweetie Drops DIDN'T kill her shows that she managed to implant sufficient doubt to make her decide not to kill the source of this hive. That is absolutely HUGE. Amie took a gamble, and it paid off.
Yes, if we landed in this fic's Equestria and turned into changelings, the guard would kill us without hesitation. I don't blame them for that! Chrysalis is basically a fascist warmonger, it's the equivalent of dropping into WW2 with a gun strapped directly to your forehead, covering yourself in german flags and walking around in allied territory - the good guys will immediately see you as an enemy unit and move to attack you. If you say you aren't with the axis (in a THICK german accent), the allied soldiers would naturally suspect you to be an obvious spy. The trick is to PROVE to them that you are not - so in this case, i'd locate something which could be used to force truth-saying, and approach the Equestrians with it (preferably without knowledge of the orange hive's location) - or outright look for some way to severely mess with Chrysalis, and use that as proof that we aren't on the same side.
I mean, legit, think about it. Let's turn the tables. Imagine that one day, an insectoid army randomly appeared on earth, and invaded a major country. They did tons of war crimes, and while they were repelled, they are still out there. Further research and interrogation reveals that their leader aspires to conquer the entire planet, and that their entire army was teleported to Earth from another planet entirely. I don't know about you, but i'd think the insects were INTENTIONALLY coming to earth, in an attempt to expand some kind of interplanetary empire. My take is, that's what ponies think is happening. They think Chrysalis was a general sent from Earth with the objective to conquer Equus, and when she failed, Earth's government sent another general (Amie) to finish the job and squash the locals under her hooves. Of course they're going to act like every changeling here is an enemy combatant until it is proven otherwise.
11558671
ok let kind go with that while i haven't seen the show I've heard about more than a few things that are red flags like ponies but let's just focus on this universe (that's my headcanon for all fanfic )
so far here both reasons have good reasons to be mad and or upset and or scared about the things going on clearing up a misunderstanding is just one step there is still attitude and opinions that are both going to be a major problem like Celestial thinking "my little ponies" iam sure means anything else doesn't get thought about or put much lower on the list.
and on to the point you made about "us" and I say us at the loss of words because we're human not just diverse but also pretty much the same at times ya I know. but during that time yes you had atrocities but that's not the same here for one there, not humans, and yes that matters they have different reactions than us for sure, and thought patterns yes there are some similarities but there in a completely different environment.
for one I am sure the invasion while by are standard not that bad in more than one way but the one that makes me think we would be willing to make peace and work out with them is their feeding habits need us to be happy and not really being bad for you from what i read as long as they don't overfeed.
they arent used to a more "dangerous world " They got a god empresses in the sense that takes care of everything for them that they can't deal with there going to be even more ready to panic and lose their shit at least i think more so than humans at large and that probably going to lead to them wanting to take no chance and what leaves no chance overwhelming force.
also, the nazi thing you bring up raises a point about the changeling i like and understand they would probably go that way of militarism and fascism what other way would make sense when your very survival in a hostile world make it a need thing I guess we'll get more chance to find out here from other changelings who seam survival forces about their history I wouldn't be surprised if there be a few hive hunts or something in the past.
also, i kind of get going for a nation so happy when you need love to survive and as kind a revenge or jealousy thing and again I just understand going that path of pain and suffering just beget more pain and suffering why would she have any mercy for any race when her's race (her kid i think) get any I'd be sad for her and her people if we had o go to war just as much as when i read a history book.
let hope the LIBRARY mention will help them with some lesson from the past
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Not necessarily true. Chrysalis's changelings grab ponies, pod them and bring them back to the hive to use as cattle. Obviously there's more than one way to extract food from a pony, and some are more aggressive than others - and ponies have mainly noticed the aggressive kind.
Strong disagree. In the words of a Fey in another of Starscribe's fics, "Equestria's eyes are open wide, and their axes cut sharper than they look. Whole kingdom feels like a party of love and friendship, but look around you, apprentice. World is full of dangers, and here Equestria is, surviving them all."
Ponies have cockatrice to deal with, airborne fungi with near-100% lethality rates, dark magic that takes over ponies and everything inbetween. Monsters COVER Equestria - Celestia isn't the one who deals with them. Her ponies figure out how to coexist with them, and deal with their extremely dangerous quirks. Traders carry tools and equipment to rapidly disarm sapient firebreathing chimera who want to fillet them, within swamps which spew flame from the ground at random (and yes, that is canon) - their world is deadly, and ponies, while they value friendship etc strongly, are no strangers to danger. They were moulded in it - which doesn't help Amie here, considering she is just one of SO MANY other threats at the moment, and few would be open to negotiation.
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lol i responded to the wrong one ya i know about the monster but they just makes me think its safer lol this is the logic their ponys are death for a normal human everything we've seen pit the on a high power level at least with their self-defense compared to us I think they don't use it to the max but even they are able to live in this kind world with a monster like you talked about so instead of monster there animals in my eyes what do animal learn to stay away from dangers thing.
what would teach them that I'd say over time when a big white pony comes in teaches the said lesson and teach her little pony to repeat it or they just came up with said idea them self and I'd say less in harmony more they regulate the local environment to fit there need with there magic what's the one place with natural( lest from my point of view) that they keep the hell away from i wouldn't be surprised if they drove more violent spice off no talking shit we do the same .
also i might not be true but I am willing to bet that it is that they can live off a loving place
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They definitely can live in a non-dangerous way - some forms of changeling feeding can't even be noticed by the changeling, let alone the 'host' - but at this point in the timeline, the main thing ponies will be expecting is podding. There's a reason they were using suspected murders as a proxy for changeling activity in the area.
I'm loving this story and this chapter was great. I'm so looking forward to finding out what happens with bon bon
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they're just like us fr fr
"The patronizing feeling vanished. Amie sensed something else in its place—confidence, maybe even a little relief. "So, you are IA? That was Princess Luna's theory, if I recall. You could just be honest about overseeing this mission.""
I think Amy's mission of peace is not a forgone conclusion if one of the diearcs of the nation is also against the conventional thinking about the changelings on the mountain.
That definitely could have gone worse. After all, Amie is still alive. We’ll see just what Agent Drops does with the enemy intelligence she’s been given, assuming she believes a word of it. In the meantime, the camp isn’t getting any better fed. For now, all Amie can do what she can where she can. We’ll see how events proceed from here, both in and out of her control.
Sweetie Drops is acting like a real hardheaded idiot right now. But I hope Amie didn't make a big mistake by trusting her...
Well, it could have gone worse, but with the kind of trauma Pony kind have with changelings, you'd either need to use the soft and slow method where they can take the time to adjust at their own pace, or hit 'em in the face with "Have you tried talking?"
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It was stated earlier that they did try to talk but Chrysalis was not interested. The problem ponies have is that they assume all changelings are like that. Of course Sweetie Drops has now been given proof of the opposite so we'll see if her personal trauma alows her to accept that fact.
Says the one who literally just threatened to kill her. Sweetie Drops is bloodthirsty, and is the proof that ponies are not so sweet like she claims.