Chapter 66
Weapons clattered against each other, jostling on their straps as several of the assembled guards pointed them in her direction. She was surrounded by workers, so there would be no clear shots. Even so, she kept her attention sharply focused on their emotions. If one of them was about to pull a trigger on her, she needed to know.
“We don’t know that,” said Armando, frustrated. “We’ve seen some of her campers copy her now. You can’t just shoot someone.”
Would you be okay with killing me if you could? she wondered. Armando had always been a subdued, practical man. He wasn’t supposed to run the secret police—mostly he made sure older teenagers didn’t sneak off to do things together in the night.
“I am Amie Blythe,” she said, speaking clearly. “You probably shouldn’t try to shoot me. I just want to talk.”
“Bullshit!” one of the soldiers shouted. All six of them had uniforms now, olive green fabric with a US flag patch on one shoulder, and the camp patch on the other, along with their name in block letters. “You’re a killer! Garcia and the rest of his team—you killed them!”
Amie bared her teeth. The gesture didn’t make a lot of sense with a pony mouth, and the flat teeth within. But some instincts went deeper than any transformation. “I’ve never killed anyone, Brown.” She gestured, and the crowd parted for her. She cleared the distance between them in a few steps, so there were no obstructions between her and Brown’s weapons.
He had been a camper before, she was fairly sure. He had less discipline than those who were already working security. But Albrecht gave him a gun anyway.
“You’re not a killer, but you’re a kidnapper?” Armando asked. “What are all these campers doing here? They should be in the hospital.”
“Step forward slowly,” Brown said, gesturing with the gun. “You’re under arrest. For murder, treason, kidnapping, disloyalty…”
Her hooves remained planted. Physically, she hoped she looked confident, relaxed. But a faint glow remained on her horn, a spell held ready for his reaction. Or any of the other soldiers, for that matter. “Mr. Armando, you’ve seen what happened to Stella Lacus in the last few months. Do you think it would still be standing without the last shipment of food I sent?”
“I said back up, bitch! Move now!”
Amie spoke in a low whisper. She didn’t need to make sound at all for these bugs to hear and obey. But she wanted the soldiers to know too. “Surround them,” she said. “If they attack, kill them.”
Her little swarm of rescued insects moved as one. They parted in the center, surrounding the truck and the six-armed soldiers. It didn’t matter how big or small they were, they reacted. The bugs crouched low, flaring their wings and baring their fangs. Fangs they would use to rip Albrecht’s soldiers limb from limb.
“Not sure what she’s doing,” Armando said, just as quietly. “But I think you ought to lower your gun, son. If you want to walk out of this.”
“We can’t! I…” Fear gripped these soldiers, stronger than any anger with her. After all this time waving guns around and intimidating children, they’d never been threatened before. But workers didn’t feel fear. They could aim their shotguns directly into the crowd. They could attack, fire both rounds—but they would be dead before they could reload.
The others seemed to realize that, but Brown didn’t. She felt his thoughts, the growing desperation to resolve.
Amie jerked the gun forward out of his grip, tearing through the straps in the same moment. She levitated it there, up against his neck, just out of reach. If any of the guards even knew how their levitation worked, it wasn’t strong enough to stop her. “I don’t want anyone to die today, Brown! Don’t you think the graveyard is big enough?”
The sun drifted slowly upward, blinding the bugs all around her. Pony eyes were better suited to the day, so she was already comfortable. She positioned herself so these guards would have their faces to the east—one more weapon against them.
Brown didn’t piss himself, but he broke just as completely, dropping to the ground and covering his face with both forelegs. Amie pulled the gun back, then tossed it violently through the air, where it clattered up against the mine entrance. “We have real enemies out there, assholes! Equestria is ruled by immortal demigods! They have the power of an industrial nation and its army to slaughter every child in our camp! Is that what you want? You came to bicker over control of a few cabins while the sword of Damocles droops lower!”
She shouted so loudly that even her own bugs cowered back. Amie wasn’t trying to conceal her emotions anymore—she wanted them to feel every inch of it. Let them know her certainty.
“You can’t be her,” Mr. Armando whispered. He was the first to speak, and one of the few who didn’t visibly recoil in her presence. “Amie was a sweetheart. She comforted the homesick kids and taught them to tie sticks together into a shelter. Who are you?”
There were tears now too, she felt the moisture on her face. She kept screaming anyway, louder and braver than before. “I’m the Amie you and Albrecht and Princess Celestia and Lord Commander Path created! I’m the one who keeps these bugs from starving. I’m the one who will negotiate peace with Equestria one day. And I’m the one who demands the beatings, intimidation, and threatening ends today. Now.”
“You think you can fight all of us?” someone asked. Daniels, from the patch on her breast. “You think these bugs will keep doing what you want after we shoot you?”
Amie opened new eyes from beside her and changed. These bodies held so little magic, but they were also much closer to her. She could give them power here, far easier than reaching thousands of miles into camp.
She changed into the unicorn with a flash of magic, forcing confidence she did not really feel. “I’m not even here, Daniels.”
More fear from the guards, much stronger this time. A few looked towards the car, planning to sprint away. Amie ordered a few bugs to concentrate between them, blocking off that escape. Meanwhile, she stepped forward, using the new body this time. “I went into Equestria. I learned what we really are. I learned how to use our powers.”
Only Mr. Armando was brave enough to speak now. “So, you did kidnap them. All these campers—you’re controlling them, somehow.”
Kinda. “No. Albrecht’s incompetence killed them before I could even get here. I’ve restored their bodies, but their minds will be much harder. It may take years to restore them all. Unless you shotgun them first.”
Mr. Armando tossed his gun onto the floor between them, facing her. “Alright, Amie. We’re your hostages. Now what?”
“Just like that?” Another soldier—Amie couldn’t read her badge in the gloom. “We’re not going to fight back?”
“We aren’t,” he said. “She has fifty hostages and more.”
One by one, the other soldiers tossed down their weapons as well. Because of course—they weren’t soldiers. Albrecht didn’t even have a single real police officer in his staff. These were older campers, maintenance people, one was the camp’s old mail carrier! This wasn’t bravery, it was obedience.
“Give me your radio,” Amie commanded. “Now.”
He slipped it out of his jacket, then offered it to her in his mouth. She levitated it into the air in front of her, turning the dials until she found the general PA channel. Unlucky for Albrecht, she still knew how everything worked.
“Attention campers of Stella Lacus. I have returned with food. Any who want some should come to the old mine at the base of the highway. Each cabin should take the names of those too weak to come, along with their cabin number, so I can have food brought.
“There is room here for any bugs who want to live here with me. Any who do will be fed first with future shipments I bring. I am also taking volunteers of campers who are brave enough to go back with me into Equestria to gather food.
“You may ignore any instructions from the camp soldiers. I have six of them held here, that should only leave a few. If any campers are harmed, I will reciprocate that harm on these hostages, then punish the guilty party personally.
“The martial law is over. The starvation is over. It’s time to remember what it means to be human.”
She lowered the radio, twisting the dial again to the administrative channel. She couldn’t know for sure if her message had even reached yet, not until she got her reaction.
“You’re taking over the camp,” someone muttered. She didn’t even see who it was, or care. “After all this time. Albrecht was right. You were plotting to take over.”
She sighed. But there was no sense denying it anymore. This moment was exactly the coup they claimed it was, no matter what she wanted to call it. “I didn’t want to when I left,” she said instead. “But Albrecht couldn’t figure out how to run this place without any campers dying. I’ve been elected to take his place.”
“By whom?” Mr. Armando asked, indignant. “Your campers held an election, did they? That gives you the right to overturn everything Albrecht has tried to build. Winter is coming, Amie. The rivers will freeze, the game will flee. The fish have already been caught almost to extinction. What will we eat? What if the electrical systems fail? What will you do when the blizzards last for days and the batteries drain? Albrecht is a much older, more experienced administrator than you are.”
“By that magic of our new home,” she said flatly. “We’re changelings—eusocial insects. Equestria decided it was going to make me the queen—so here I am, saving my changelings one bug at a time. And about all that other stuff…”
She waved one hoof dismissively through the air. “I’d like Albrecht to keep doing it. I’m not trying to be a dictator. We’ll need the skills of every bug in Stella Lacus to survive against Equestria. That includes him, and you.”
The radio hissed, then another voice spoke from the other end. “Armando come in.” Albrecht himself. “Please God, tell me that PA message was a hack or something, over.”
She lifted the radio up again, then pressed the key. “Hello, Mr. Albrecht. This is Amie Blythe. I’ve got your men here, safe.”
“Prove it,” came the response, with a burst of furious emotion. She didn’t need any magic to read the anger in his voice, of course. Few bugs even had the food to get that energetic about anything.
She held the radio out towards Armando, keeping it in her magic. “Tell him. Make it the truth, please.”
The stallion eyed her, then lifted one hoof high enough to press the transmit button. “She used strange new magic against us, Albrecht. I’ve never seen anything like it. She could be anywhere, anyone. She could be right behind you for all I know.”
There was a longer silence this time. She could only imagine his rage, as he realized more than half his soldiers were now hostages. He’d chosen to run his camp with a small number of police he closely controlled—now he paid the price.
Amie took the radio back. “I meant what I said in that message,” she said. “And what I told you last time we spoke. I’m not leaving Stella Lacus to die. I’m coming back to fix it, right now.”
“Are you sure that’s what you want?” came the furious response. “You’re just a child! You have no idea what it takes to choose who lives and who dies! How many more of these children will never see their homes again, because you buried them?”
“None,” she replied, utterly confident. “You never fed them Mr. Albrecht. I’m the only one who ever did.”
Silence. She wasn’t even sure if he was still listening anymore. With a radio, she had no way to know. “I respect what you’ve accomplished holding things together as long as you have. But with you or without you, I’m reorganizing the camp starting today. You’ve got three choices. Either you can try to kill me with the soldiers you have left, you can run, or you can work with me to try and get these campers through winter. I hope you’ll choose the last option.”
She switched off the transmit button, then settled the radio into the small of her back. “As for you all—it’s the same offer. I’m going to hold you a little while, but that’s all. I don’t want to hurt you. Why don’t you come with me?”
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I'm sure when they learn the truth they will follow her vs their old leader considering they cxould see that it wasn't working out for them but they were roo scared to leave the familiar even when they knew they were acting badly.
11583233
Not much choice join amie and live join Albrecht and die
Meanwhile the pegasi watching from above are all "what in Celestia's name is going on here?"
It must be so hard to maintain loyalty in these conditions. Wonder if she sealed the deal by bringing a jar out LOL. Food will buy much from the starving...
I hope the ponies don’t panic and attack early.
I’m glad that negotiation is working. Albrecht and his troops were never the main antagonist group, so there’s no narrative requirement that they stay antagonistic. Successful negotiation shows Amie’s competence, and negotiation with the ponies might actually become impossible if they see the changelings killing each other.
11583249
Yeah but right now they don't trust her and are just putting up with her because they don't really want to fight. I wonder if the camp leader was even giving the food she brought to his campers.
11583288
The previous chapter made it sound like he was giving his enforcers the lion's share.
Reunification from a situation so desperate rarely ends without bloodshed. If Amie can do so, she will surely prove herself as a leader. That being said, it's not just the changelings she'll have to worry about. Dealing with Equestria will be a far more volatile affair.
11583303
Possible. I know they were in the best shape of everyone at the camp. The campers themselves it varied how good in shape they were. I assume when they see that she knows what she doing albrecht doesn't have a clue they will be thinking about putting him in his place because people are more willing to follow someone who can live up to their talk . Of course there are always a few idiots but since she doesn't have convince the world just yet just a few folks who will be able to see and hear the truth.
I'm pretty sure Armando and crew will go with Amie, if only for fear of retribution from her, but I have no idea what Albrecht will do. For all we know, he could go nuts and kill whoever remains at the camp for fear Amie will tap into somebody and kill him.
Hm... seems like Kaya's lessons have paid off, for better or worse. Amie's negotiations are playing out in her favor, but she's returning as a conqueror rather than a savior - no matter how true the latter descriptor may be, or how bad the straits the camp is in, taking hostages and making threats certainly leaves a particular kind of impression and isn't really going to endear anyone to her, when she did have the option of swanning in with food and letting that do the talking. And by going "come with me and you'll be fed first"... obviously she has a plan to feed the camp and Albrecht doesn't, but that's only a few shades less cutthroat than what he's been doing.
I don't think she's doing anything wrong, every move makes sense, her enemies are willing to use lethal force, and I know her intentions are pure. But it's really interesting to see this when a few chapters ago she was handling Sweetie Drops with pure idealism. Perhaps how dangerously that situation turned out was yet another chink in Amie's optimism?
On that note, loved Amie snapping over everything she's been through since the Transit, and Armando's line “Amie was a sweetheart. She comforted the homesick kids and taught them to tie sticks together into a shelter. Who are you?” What a wham line. Adversity changes people, can make them stronger... and it can make them harder.
11583372
She didn't take hostages she gave everyone a choice of safety and food or staying and little food if any. She was unfairly labeled probably by the camp head because he can't listen to someone who younger but knows more than him about the situation. Everyone who came did so of free will. She isn't forcing anyone to stay either but the kids know that they can trust her and she wants what best for them. She offered help and knowledge to them. The camp head hasn't done much of anything.
11583305
Yeah I think the only changelings they met are the love bugs but they are already making assumptions about her. Celestia is 50/50 on whether she go for peace. Luna I doubt it unless convinced. Cadence I highly doubt after what happened that without someone important saying yes she would agree. twilight maybe but not hopeful about that after all the wedding hurt her too.
11583409
Considering she is calling those individuals specifically as hostages, she took hostages
11583413
She knows that he will believe. I'm sure when they see she has the better deal they will wish to stay with the one who knows what they need and how to get it. He doesn't know anything about anything but rather than face it he will deny until it bites him. I would grab the Last of the kids and any adults who will come and leave him and his camp. He wants to rule the camp let him. He won't Last without food and the others especially those recovering from starving need it more.
11583409
She calls them hostages, orders the drones to kill them if they attack her, and threatens to hurt them if Albrecht's remaining soldiers at camp try to prevent campers from coming to her. They're hostages.
I'm not arguing Amie isn't in the right, that what she's doing isn't necessary, or that there's any question she'd be a better leader than Albrecht, I'm saying she's become more cutthroat since this whole thing started. Yes, she was unfairly labelled before - what I'm trying to point out is that she may be inadvertently convincing campers to believe Albrecht's lies about her with the way she's acting, making threats, bodyjacking, and controlling swarms of what used to be their fellow campers with her mind, and that her optics aren't great. There's more nuance to this than just what's right and what's wrong.
11583431
Well considering they attacked first and are idiots for believing that she would do something that mean unless she had no choice. She doing what she has to in order save as many as possible and to lead them to a better future. Sometimes you have knock sense into people's heads with a club. She can't just trust them 100% after they attack her even if she is saving them. She has to be ready for them to try and take her out if opportunity knock because that is the only choice that they can see.
Cutthroat! But she really did need to be.
Referring to herself as Queen won't be a good look. That was a slip.
On the other hand, the relief from finally getting food will endear most to her. Albrecht is certainly overestimating himself, and he's gonna be loathe to follow her for a good while... She's definitely going to have to watch out for assassination plots for a while.
Part of me does wonder if this cutthroat behavior is just a small hint of the instinctual problems while I have gathered from Luna's discussion with her... Time will tell.
Oof. Yeah, that pretty much says it all. The counselor is dead; long live the queen.
Ideally people wouldn’t want to make such tough choices.
Realistically, what other choices could people make?
So far things are going well and without armed goons Albrecht has very little authority. The fact that Amie is the only one who has real information about changelings makes her clearly the best choice to keep things running. Also Amioe is completely right that she was the only one who fed any of the changelings in Stella Lacus.
well Albrecht so what you going to do. she has all of your enforcers.
She could even be in this very room! It could be you! It could be me! It could even be
This is going fairly well thus far. The question is how Albrecht himself will take it, how much he's convinced himself of his own narrative as the sole hope of the camp against both the locals and the rogue. We'll see how it goes, but for now, a reliable food supply is a very persuasive argument. Still, probably best that Amie keeps performing negotiations by proxy for a while.
11583909
What are you, president of her fan club?
11583975
No. That would be your mother!
I wish Amie had more time to explain to everyone how this new system works, they'd likely be much more agreeable. But alas, that will probably have to wait, so I guess these "officers" will remain untrusting of her for a while longer
This is the best chapter yet. Amie is finally showing off just how strong she's become and all the build up is paying off.
11584598
And now here I am reading other people's comments to hold me over until the next chapter gets released
11583372
I think part of Amie's optimism with ponies and brutal realism with Stella Lacus is the fact that Amie doesn't know how things with ponies will turn out, which gives her room for hope while she knows the full extent of the crisis her camp is in, and anything she doesn't know she can only assume the worst.
So while she's willing to risk her life by revealing herself to Sweetie Drops and making a show of not attacking, making herself vulnerable, and asking for diplomacy, all for the hope of avoiding genocide at the hands of ponies, she can't do the same for her camp because she knows it won't work. Albrecht is too entrenched in his ways, too mad with power and would likely kill Amie or imprison her for life if he had the chance.
Albreicht is too much of an egomaniac to allow anyone to oppose him. He will likely capitulate in the short term but he will try to murder Amie later.
11583528
I get everyone but him out and stop the food for awhile. He will think about his actions when he sees that everyone is healthy and happy especially without him in charge.
Looks like a bunch of people here are taken aback by how forceful Amy is being here, but this is where she's been headed from the moment she decided she was going to take over. You might even say this was a given from the moment she happened to become the biological queen, although I don't really see it that way - she's right that she could have left Albrecht to his devices if his role want so disastrous.
If anything, it's a good job that she's managed to avoid bloodshed thus far.
Although I do agree that her character seems kinda inconsistent in how she acts towards ponies and how she acts towards her own changelings. Threatening the security guys it's a stark contrast from how she basically treated Sweetie Drops with velvet gloves.