"... and then I said 'no, you silly filly, you can't put lima beans on a cupcake!' Lima beans! It turned out okay with the brownies, though." Pinkie Pie had been expressing her excitement throughout the ride back to Ponyville. How she landed on the subject of a wacky backstory to the discovery of one of her new favorite snacks was anyone's guess.

Ray felt sick again. Not because of Pinkie's story, but because of nerves. He was heading into the hornet's nest with a super-weapon that he had never actually seen in action for self-assurance's sake. Yes, they were cute little ponies. But they apparently wielded power beyond imagination.

All of the ponies seemed excited to use the elements again, even the overly-timid Fluttershy, as if they had done it multiple times before with success. Which, of course, they have. Twilight, however, held a different expression.

"Something feels so wrong." She finally spoke up.

"What's the matter, sugarcube?" Applejack asked with concern that spoke for the rest of them.

"I've never known the Princess to make such a huge mistake."

"Don't worry about it." said Rainbow Dash. "She's a pony too, remember? Everypony makes mistakes, even great minds like Princess Celestia."

"I know, but this is the kind of mistake that jeporadises a number of lives."

Ray preferred not to interfere in other individuals' affairs, but seeing as the current situation had been called upon by human interference, he felt he should add something reassuring. "It was still an honest and forgivable mistake. The Raiders caught us all by surprise."

"You don't know her like I do, Ray."

"That may be, but it no longer matters anymore, does it? After all, we're just a train-ride to victory." I hope.

His words seemed to do the trick, though in minor affect, for Twilight managed a slight smile. Satisfied with his small success, he reclined in his seat, turning his head towards the window. The contrast of the interior lighting with the darkness outside made only his reflection visible. His face was a weary mess of dirt and bloodstains on seldom-shaven skin.Good lord, is this how I presented myself to the Princess?

His thoughts were interrupted by a green glow streaking past the window. "Whoa."

"What?" Twilight asked. None of the ponies seemed to have noticed.

"Something green just shot across the window outside. Like a big tracer."

"What's a tracer?"

"It's a bullet with a colored pyrotechnic charge at the tip that ignites when-..."

A loud thud was heard on the roof above them, followed by what sounded like something running. Something with four legs, no doubt. Definitely not a tracer!

"I don't think now's the time for any more Q&As." Applejack said. "I think those buffalo are back, y'all."

"But we're not even near Appleloosa!" shouted Rainbow Dash. "Are we?"

Something shook the passenger car violently, like an explosion somewhere near the frontal quadrant. Then a second one came, but this one was strong enough to force everyone tumbling to the floor. The car began shaking as if it were in the epicenter of an earth-shattering quake. Ray and the ponies hung on to their seats As tight as they could, until the car began tilting to the side, eventually rolling around and around like a turbine. Everyone was thrown around the compartment, gaining injury from frequent impacts with rough surfaces.

The car suddenly stopped at a tilt to the left, with everyone colliding into the windows. The force of Ray's impact with the sturdy composition of his rifle between him and the glass forced him to crash straight through, with many dozens of shards cutting him on the way out.

Ray fell about ten feet, onto a steep slope that caused him to slip and roll an additional hundred-fifty until a level trail stopped him from going further. He was on his stomach, aching all over from the violent impacts, his skin and clothing covered in dirt and bloodstains. He managed to roll onto his back with a groan, trying to find the train. He saw it off to the left just further up the slope, derailed, with the passenger car laying sideways between the tracks and a giant sequoia tree. He rolled back onto his stomach, relieving the additional discomfort of his gun digging into his spine.

He mustered the strength to get on his hands and knees, and finally upright on his feet. It was a miracle none of his bones were broken.

Someone silhouetted in the moonlight was approaching him on the trail, just a few meters away. Humanoid.

Ray unslung his rifle, aiming with his iron sights instead of the scope, since the lenses were caved in. "Stop! Who's that?!"

The person kept walking towards him, no hesitation whatsoever.

"Stop right there!"

He did no such thing, except for raising his palm out as if to identify himself as a friendly individual, and for Ray not to fire on him.

"Who are you?"

The person finally stopped where the moonlight illuminated the area through the branches of the surrounding trees.

Ray lowered his weapon in shock, for the individual before him was a photo-accurate and cleaned-up representation of himself. As Ray stepped closer to ensure his eyes weren't deceiving him, his apparent "copy" did the same, with a duplicate expression of curiosity. How can this be? What kind of magic is this?!

"You're... me." Ray said, hoping to invoke a verbal reaction.

Sure enough, it did. The duplicate Ray repeated his words in the exact same tone and voice.

This is freaky. Wait... The memory of his conversation with the princess made his heart sink in realization. "Oh shit..."

The duplicate Ray threw a punch so hard and fast that it knocked him out cold.

...

...

...

Faust stepped over tons of debris left from the destruction of the town hall, scouting around for survivors. There were obviously none at the surface, but he knew there was a secret room where ponies could hide in an emergency. Sort of like a bomb shelter. All spies of his division knew about it.

And sure enough, Faust found himself standing on a large, wooden trap door on the floor. He kicked pieces of debris off and pulled it open, peering through the dim lighting to see inside.

It was just like an old bomb shelter, with beds lined everywhere. And to his surprise, the population in its entirety filled it just over its intended capacity. They all stared silent at him, just waiting for him to do something terrible. He looked around at the surface around him. No one could see him where he was. I wonder if I should tell them...

Something nagged at his mind, something he could not explain. No. Not yet. And with that, Faust put a finger over his lips with a "shhh", closing the door and covering it back up with the concealing debris.

"Hey Faust!" Someone called outside.

"Yeah?!"

"Come here, I need your help."

Faust took a pause to look at the door, unsure of his decision. Forget it. Worry about it later. "I'm coming."

...

...

...

"A thousand years!" Riggs was reading a book from the shelf of the town's library.

Tolwin's Chinook was sitting just outside of the giant tree structure, in a clearing just wide enough for blade-clearance. Tolwin accompanied Riggs, reading some of the material as well, but Jones stayed in the aircraft in case they were to get a message from Marchetti.

"What?" Tolwin asked curiously.

"It says here this 'Princess Celestia' banned her sister to the moon for a thousand years. Good god, how long have these creatures been here?"

"You don't really believe this crap, do you?"

"Well, wait. When was the apocalypse?"

Tolwin shook his head. "I dunno, about a few hundred years ago, I think. Look, it's just a story book these things wrote for entertainment. From what I see, this collection is filled with nonsense about magic and potions and whatnot. It's all crap."

"Still, it's the only book I can find so far that describes their origin. Though vague, I think I could figure out what's real and what's fiction. You know, like translate."

Tolwin nodded with faux agreement. "Translate fiction to fact, huh?"

Riggs smiled. "Yeah."

Tolwin grabbed the book out of his hands and hit him on the head with it, then threw it on the ground next to him. "Keep looking." He then went back to reading his own book.

Riggs gritted his teeth, turning back to the shelf. Don't you have a basecamp to set up?He spotted a book titled "Supernaturals: Natural Remedies and Cure-Alls that are Simply Super". Amused at the title, he picked it up and thumbed through. "Hmm."

Tolwin turned around. "What now?"

"It says here that spider webs can be used as an antiseptic for cuts and scars."

"Gossamer. Yeah, you didn't know that?"

"I don't think it's exactly common knowledge, sir."

Tolwin rolled his eyes. "Crack open a survival manual once in a while."

Riggs flipped through more pages, unable to hide his amusement for what passed his eyes. "Poison joke?!" He let out a laugh that echoed through the entire library. "Sir, look. It has a cure for 'poison joke', a plant that causes ponies to temporarily loose their 'special talents'. That's not all, look. 'It is like poison oak and ivy, but its results are like a joke'. Oh my god, can I keep this? Please?"

Tolwin sighed. "Sure. Consider this the basecamp's complimentary souvenir shop."

"Man, this'll kill in the mess."

Marchetti entered through the open door, announcing his presence by clearing his throat.

"Marchetti," Tolwin said in the lightest tone possible, still facing the book in his hands. "why aren't you manning the radio in the Shilka?"

"Me and Virus found something you might want to see." He stepped aside to let Virus in. He carried a large, old-fashioned two-reel movie projector and a rolled-up projection screen, setting it in the middle of the room. Faust followed behind him, holding a box full of film reels. He set it on a nearby desk, moving his hands away to reveal lettering on the cardboard reading "Archives: set three of nine."

Riggs was dumbfounded. "Wow."

"I know, right?" said Virus. "This thing's got to be a million years old."

"Yeah, but the films look brand new." Faust interjected.

"Hey," Riggs said, stepping closer to the items presented to them, "let's watch one. The box says 'archives', so maybe we'll find something on there."

Tolwin thought for a moment, then closed his book and tossed it on the desk with the box of film reels. "Alright. Set it up."

...

...

...

The familiar vacuum of nothing. The familiar bleeding of transitioning color pictures. The familiar dream. Then, awareness.

Ray awoke from what felt like the most restless sleep he had ever gotten. His entire body ached as it lay sprawled on the... ground? Where am I?

He opened his eyes and sat up to see his surroundings. It was dark, but faint features on the supposed "walls" could be seen by glowing orbs of green material wrapped in the most bizarre mixture of what appeared to be bone and smooth but rotting flesh. But it did not smell like decay at all. In fact, he could not smell anything at the moment.

It was like a cave with no way out. A cave made from the inside of some giant creature's ribcage.

He could hear sounds around him, like the slither of something slimy. He bolted to his feet, reaching behind him for the muzzle of his WA-2000. To his surprise, it was not there. Even his 1911 was gone. All of his weapons. Eventually, the slithering stopped, replaced by the familiar footsteps of four-legged animals.

He turned to see a pair of bright, blue eyes squinting at him. They seemed to lack pupils of any sort. Before long, he found himself surrounded by even more of these eyes.

"You have no way out, human." One shadowy figure spoke up. "You're trapped. Don't even bother looking for an escape. The hive will stop you."

... Hive? "Alright... what if I ask nicely?"

A heavy laugh echoed from outside, followed by the slithering sound again. To Ray's realization, the sound came from an opening doorway to the room. A doorway that resembled a biological orifice of some kind.

A much taller figure entered, with a green glow emitting from a jagged unicorn-type horn, illuminating the room far more than the surrounding orbs in the walls did. It had the familiar big and expressive eyes like the ponies he had previously met, but the rest of it was truly bizarre. Not only did its elongated pupils resemble that of a cat or snake, but it also had wings like a cicada, bright-green wing covers like a jewel beetle, a teal abdomen like a bluebottle fly, and a mane and tail made up of what appeared to be thick, blue gossamer. Its fur coat looked more like an exoskeleton as it reflected light, except along the leg regions. The hooves appeared to be riddled with holes, like ashen Swiss cheese.

Now that there was more light in the room, Ray could make out the other figures. The usual pony size, bearing similar features as this larger one. They seemed like hybrids of ponies and insects. Insectoid equine. Or equanoid insects?

"I often forget how amusing you humans can be." The tall female cerapter spoke in an accent that stressed every word that rolled off her tongue, with a voice that carried dual-frequency.

"Who are you?" Ray asked flatly. "What do you want from me?"

She did not answer. Instead she levitated his WA-2000 in front of him, well out of arms' reach.

Ray lunged for it, but she quickly levitated it away, causing him to crash to the vainy floor again.

She giggled. "I knew there was a good reason for keeping you alive. You'll be quite fun to play with."

Ray rolled into a sitting position, a vengeful scowl on his face.

"I am Chrysalis, dear human. Queen of the Changelings!" She stepped closer to Ray, lowering her head to him with a devilish grin. "Welcome to my hive."

Ah, so these are the dreaded changelings! "You're a lot uglier than I imagined."

The grin faded into a scowl that met his. Ray expected a form of physical punishment for his words, but instead she backed away and levitated the weapon in front of him again.

"This is a strange weapon, human. But very fascinating nonetheless. How does it work I wonder?"

"Keep wondering. I'm not telling you anything."

The grin was back. "Oh, you're going to talk, my friend. Oh boy, are you going to talk if it takes me twisting every one of your limbs with my bare hooves until they snap!"

Is she serious? Ray could not help but laugh at her threat.

The grin left once again, replaced by a snarl. "What is so funny?!"

"Why me? Of all humans that have recently infiltrated Equestria. Honestly, miss Chrysalis, you amuse me."

"Oh please, we both know you were closest to my territory on the way back to Ponyville. And you shall address me as 'My Queen', dear human!"

"My name is Ray... my queen." Yet another miracle liberated Ray. The fact that this changeling queen had a high tolerance for his bold sarcasm.

"However, more specifically, I needed to do something about you and your new friends so you wouldn't spoil my plans."

"What plans?"

"My invasion of Canterlot, of course! While the Phantom Raiders weaken the defences of the Royal Guard in Ponyville, my battle-ready army will infiltrate the palace and strike the heart of Equestria. And with the two princesses out of the way, we'll be able to combine our forces and finish off the remaining Guard. Equestria will be ours!"

"So it appears you've gotten to know the faction. Or have you always been in cooperation?"

"Pft! They are merely pawns in this operation, and they don't even know it! And to ensure everything follows as planned, I've taken the liberty of placing one of my best agents under cover in their organization."

"So, how did you know they would be coming here, into Equestria of all places? Did you lure or drive them here somehow?"

"Mmh, no, you were a good enough lure, much to my own surprise, though I haden't really factored you into the plan. In fact, that's when I came to realize you would be a problem... as soon as I heard about you from one of the Raiders themselves. Anyway, we hadn't known exactly when and how a human force in power were to invade. It was a long and agonizing wait, especially given that previous 'visitors' had suffered such quick fates. You are a very violent species, Ray."

A long and uncomfortable pause washed over the room, until Ray decided to speak up again. "What a wonderfully delusional plan... my queen."

Chrysalis slipped a tongue over her snake-like fangs, then turned to face her minions. "Did you hear that, Cattani? Your plan is wonderfully delusional."

One of the drones snorted in response.

Ray tilted his head in confusion. "I thought it was 'your' plan."

She turned back to him. "Not in its entirety. I came up with the base plan, and my 'primary operations advisor' here polished the rough exterior. He's quite brilliant, if you ask me."

"So what do you plan on doing with the Raiders once Equestria finally lands in your hooves?"

"I believe Cattani calls it a 'mop-up operation'. Basically, when we combine our forces at the heart of Canterlot, we can properly defend our new land against the invading humans. Us changelings vastly outnumber them thousands to pathetic hundreds! Not even hundreds, if my calculations are correct. I forgot about their losses on the way here... back in the desert. Thanks for your assistance on that matter, by the way."

Ray shook his head in disbelief. "Do you even know what you're dealing with?"

"Hmm, yes, I have a very good idea. But please, tell me your point of view. You're the one who is supposed to be talking anyway. This was, after all, an interrogation!"

Ray pointed at his weapon still floating in the air. "See that gun?"

"Ah, yes. I believe I asked you how it worked."

"Well, it shoots bullets... or small metallic projectiles, at a fully-automatic rate, at an extremely high speed. Nothing can avoid it."

She inspected the weapon with great enthusiasm. "Interesting."

"But there are much larger ones that fire even higher calibers than this one. Some strong enough to punch through feet, not inches, of thick steel armor. They have power to decapitate, even explode depending on the bullet design."

Chrysalis' jaw was obviously dropping slightly at what she was hearing, but she retained her stern expression.

"The Raiders are equipped neck-deep in this kind of firepower. But that's not all, my queen. I believe I mentioned explosives? Yes, they have plenty of that, in the form of hand-thrown or muzzle-launched bombs called grenades, and projectiles like rockets and computer-guided missiles. Keep in mind these have power to level things like a small hut, to an immense superstructure.

And chemical weapons! Poison gasses. Terrible and painful way to die.

Lastly, vehicles. The Raiders have vehicles that climb literally any terrain without much hesitation. Land and air. They have a gunship. A flying machine with a combination of all of the weapons I've told you about. It alone has the power to destroy more than half of its own faction. It's a damn miracle my own vehicle was agile enough to escape it back in the desert."

"And what is this all supposed to mean to me?" Her eyes showed contradiction to her question of relevance. She understood perfectly.

"It's very obvious, my queen. You are nothing but gnats in a garbage can. They'll plow through you and your forces like a T-90 through a wooden wall! A nuisance. A mere nuisance. Not even close to a serious threat by comparison. I'm not even sure the famous elements are powerful enough to stop them."

Chrysalis paused for a moment. "Hmm. It seems I've been neglected certain intelligence. What say you about these latest details, Cattani?"

Cattani cleared his throat nervously to speak. "It's the first I'm hearing of it, my queen."

"I'll bet. And what of our diligent 'Operative Twenty-Nine'? Have we heard anything new from him yet?"

"Yes, my queen. Just a moment ago."

She sharply turned around to face Cattani, magically throwing Ray's rifle to another drone. "What?! Why didn't you inform me?!"

"You were busy speaking with the prisoner, my queen. I didn't want to interrupt you."

"Interrupt! By all means, if its operation-related interrupt to your heart's content! Understand, Cattani?"

He bowed his head "Yes, my queen."

"Fine then, what did dear Operative Twenty-Nine have to say?"

"I have the letter right here." He picked up a roll of paper from the ground with his horn, levitating it to her.

"Ah, wonderful!" She began reading it, then stopped to look at Ray. "You know, Ray, your species' writing skill is very poor compared to that of unicorns and cerapters. How unfortunate poor Operative Twenty-Nine has to carry the burden of taking human form until the next step in the operation." She went back to reading the letter. Awkward silence again, as she took her time with every word. She wore no major expression to note, but something was definitely wrong, as she appeared to be reading the letter over again, about a second time, then a third time. She finally stopped and rolled the letter up, giving it back to Cattani.

"Okay..." Ray muttered impatiently.

"Well, Ray, you have given us much to think about. You may now join the rest of the prisoners." She raised a hoof to someone behind him.

Before he had time to react, the ground gave away, forcing Ray to tumble through a jungle of slimy root-like protrusions, until he hit the ground of another similar room. But this one was slightly different. It was lit somewhat brighter, with glowing blue orbs on the walls instead of green.

"Ray!" A familiar voice shouted, followed by a barrage of hooves wrapping around him.

"Yeah, it's me." Ray said hoarsly.

His senses did not deceive him. Before him were his pony friends, excited to see him again. They all bore minor injuries inflicted from the train wreck, but they didn't seem to phase them at this particular moment. They eventually let go of him.

"We were so worried!" Fluttershy said. "We thought the changelings might've done something terrible to you."

"Yeah," agreed Rainbow Dash, "especially since they dragged you off to a different cell than us."

Ray looked closer at his friends. Some important details were missing. "What happened to the elements?"

"We don't know." Twilight said. "We were looking for them after you went missing. The changelings captured us before we could finish searching."

Damn.

Ray looked around at the surrounding faces. Three of them, however, were out of place in addition. Human faces. The Raiders... They sat upright against the nearby wall.

One of the men met his gaze and spoke up with a friendly smile. "Hi there. I'm Faust. I believe you're our enemy."

Well, this is going to be interesting. I have quite a lot to say to these imbeciles.