Peace, love, and understanding are paradoxically precious things. The more they're needed, the harder they are to come by. And they are very much needed as Chrysalis's war swarms sweep Equestria, seeking out any lingering pockets of resistance after their queen's victory at the Princess of Food's wedding.
Meanwhile, Tree Hugger is still a few minutes away from fully processing that there's a problem.
A refined version of the second place entry in Everfree Northwest 2022's Iron Author contest. Prompt: Write a story with a guru, a guerilla, and a gaffe. Rated Teen for grim atmosphere typical of a Glimmer splinter and violence beyond what was implied.
Chapters (1)
Makes me glad I avoided the Season 5 finale like the plague. It showed beyond a doubt that Equestria cannot win a war. Did like the story though. Like. I didn't need those brain cells, ya know?
HA! Tree, you are a magnificent madling. I love it.
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Now, now. No need for personal attacks. Certainly not through tailor-made memes.
I hope it's not much of a spoiler to say I enjoyed the twist ending.
I'll give ya a thumbs up just for "Princess of Food"
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Not the first one either they've commented. I'm staying out of it.
Oh. One of Starlight Idiot's subsidiary timelines.
My headcanon here is that Tree Hugger is not the anomaly, but the norm, and hails from an entire hive full of green-freak beatniks.
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I know I've seen that before, but not sure where. It's pretty good, yeah.
...
Tree Hugger's cool! But, really hope Megaloxantha's got some better spokesponies than her, given what happened. But hey, she's alive, so her choice wasn't all bad?
This is all kinds of awesome and I seriously wouldn't mind seeing more of this universe
Seriously, Treehugger being a Changeling is wild, though it does make me want to ask: if Zecora checks all ponies with her salve, how did she miss Trixie? And I'd figure everypone would be too mystified by Treehugger's pretty colors to associate her with Chrysalis. Then again, this is probably my Azorius talking 
But it all just makes me wanna read more
You. Are. Awesome!
Love it. The way you manage to pull off that many Tree Hugger lines without feeling like you’re exhausting her is genuinely impressive. And yeah, great ending.
[SPOILER IMAGE]
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People really need to write Tree Hugger more often.
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She prefers "alternatively sane."
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Not at all! Glad you did.
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Credit for the phrase goes to Kris Overstreet, and probably several others who I'm forgetting.
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The reason they were created may be dumb, but they still represent a gold mine of narrative potential.
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(Though I will assure 11352513 that Tree isn't the only such herald who got sent out with that message.)
That was the intention, yes.
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The intent is that Trixie got replaced after she was let into the sanctum. That way the drone could sow distrust and paranoia, undermining the ponies' defenses before the final strike. Chrysalis's dramatic reveal shows that the place isn't nearly as secure as ponies would like to believe.
As for the pretty colors, well, when you audibly identify yourself as a changeling, it doesn't really matter what you look like as far as the angry mob is concerned.
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Thanks to both an old therapist and a mother fascinated by the paranormal, I have a broad vocabulary of New Age buzzwords. Still, not sure if I could have gotten much further. This version only has a few hundred more words than the Iron Author entry. Anything else felt like it was dragging out the joke for too long.
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She is a very useful and unique perspective. Well, unless you consider Flax Seed and Wheat Germ, but few people ever read the comics.
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Sanity is merely a matter of perspective.
😊 Far out,
manhorse. Boopin' to unlock a chakra... like, wow.[Also, congrats on the Iron Author prize!]
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The fact that seven people upvoted that comment is sad in and of itself. Guess personal attacks are fine if it's me.
*Sings* We're an angry mob!
"My bad": short, but very fitting last line.
I didn't see the twist coming. I liked it!
Forgive my thickness (not to be confused with thiccness), but is Trixie meant to be Chrysalis or just one of her drones?
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Just a drone.