Out of the abyss of nothingness, a hint of light was the first thing that I can consciously remember. It didn’t mean anything. It simply was. It was all that was. Nothing else existed, even thought, but that little hint of gray in the dark stirred something. It grew, and as it grew, I slowly became aware. A thought slowly bubbled to the surface, and I knew where I was: the entrance of my hive, looking out the entrance tunnel at the light outside.

I heard sound. I couldn’t discern any details, any meaning to the sound, but I knew it must be my sisters, walking the tunnel with me.

I ached. My body felt oddly tight. I realized I was on my back. I wasn’t looking down the tunnel. I was… underwater? The light of day filtered down to me, cloudy and indistinct. The sound I heard was… a voice? Echoing faintly through the water to my ears. I couldn’t breathe, but I was still breathing. Somehow that made sense. I must have transformed into a fish.

It continued to make sense until it didn’t, and new scenarios floated to the surface. My brain struggled slowly up to speed, picking out fragments of memories and imagination to piece together and make sense of the jumbled and incomplete signals that reached it.

What finally pierced the haze of slowly dawning confusion was pain. The aching tightness I felt steadily grew in intensity, a focal point that my consciousness steadily crystallized around. As the pain grew, so did the hazy light. The gentle touch of affection teased at the edge of my senses, and I reflexively fed on it. Somewhere, muffled yet increasingly clear, I could hear Starlight’s calm, gentle voice.

My eyes opened, lids slow and heavy, and immediately shut once more against the searing light. Starlight’s voice was still there, soft and coaxing, then distant and loud, then soft once more. Again, I struggled to open my eyes, the blinding light slowly fading.

Starlight was still talking. I tried to answer. I think I managed a moan.

Something cool was pressed to my mouth, and something wet spilled across my tongue. Thirst suddenly flared up, and I weakly tried to grip the object with my mouth, struggling to drink as much as I could. I tried to grab at it, as well, but I don’t think my hooves were listening to me.

A warmth flooded through me as I drank greedily on what my brain insisted must have been at least half a gallon of fluid, yet it did almost nothing to alleviate my thirst. The world steadily focused. The pain seemed to both fade and grow more focused, in a way my half-awake brain couldn’t quite comprehend. My head and chest both felt like they were in a vice.

A dim silhouette steadily resolved into the soft, smiling face of Starlight, an empty healing potion floating beside her. The previously blinding light was nothing more than the glow of cloud-filtered sunlight through the thick curtains beside her.

She spoke again, and finally, I was able to make out the words. “That’s better. You all awake now?”

I opened my mouth to reply, only to wince in pain. Something was wrong with my jaw. It felt as if the carapace along my cheek might have been cracked. That thought led to noting the sharp teeth my tongue had touched. I was in my natural form.

Why was I in my natural form? And why did I ache? I tried to dig up the memories, but my memory was a morass at the time. I vaguely remembered something about working on my weapons and Starlight talking to me. I became very concerned that I had accidentally shot myself.

I must have missed several seconds, as Starlight was bringing a cup to my mouth. “...need your fluids. You’ve been out a while. If you wake up a bit more we can get you some painkillers, too.”

Dusty had entered at some point without me noticing. He stood opposite Starlight, though I couldn’t make sense of his expression.

I tried to drink greedily from the cup, but Starlight took it slowly, a hoof gently supporting my head. When it was done, she let it down again, and I sank into the pillow, panting. Even in my degraded mental state, that stood out as alarming. I was winded from taking a drink.

All sorts of questions immediately leaped to mind. What happened? Where was I? Why was I injured? How bad was it?

What I managed to croak out was simply, “...What…”

Starlight leaned in close, gently looping a foreleg around my shoulders. She didn’t squeeze, though the touch still called up a twinge of pain from my side. “You’re okay,” she said, her face close enough to be comforting without being so close as to seem uncomfortable or intimate, and I’m not entirely sure why that evaluation immediately came to mind.

The thought lasted only a moment before I managed a weak smile. Starlight was there. Starlight was good. That meant everything was good.

It was several more seconds before the questions started teasing at my senses again. It was around then that I registered the E.F.S. indicators in my vision. While it didn’t give me a lot of details, it did indicate that I was in poor shape, just in case the pain wasn’t making that clear.

“W-why,” I croaked, then paused, swallowing, and trying again. “...Why am I hurt?” My voice was off, my words tumbling around in my mouth and coming out all wrong. My jaw didn’t move right.

“It doesn’t matter right now,” Starlight said, her smile faltering for a moment before returning. “Right now, let’s just focus on you getting better, okay?”

I found myself mirroring her smile, my head sinking a little deeper into the pillow, and savoring the gentle feeling of her affection. That lasted only a moment before the concerns surfaced once more. I was starting to recognize how impaired I was, how slow and muddled my thoughts were. Something was very wrong. Naturally, I had to figure out what was wrong and how to fix it. “But… what happened?”

Starlight’s hoof gently touched my chest, which I finally recognized was covered by a blanket. I was in a bed. “Don’t worry about that,” she said, voice soft and soothing. “You need to rest, okay?”

The sound of her voice was so gentle and pleasant. I focused on the sound. A moment later I twitched, fighting off the lull of sleep; I could feel myself shutting down, dozing off, but I couldn’t do that yet. I had responsibilities, and no time for sleep.

“Details,” I asked. Even just that much made my chest ache. I needed to wake up, clear my mind, focus, and evaluate my situation. Maybe I could transform into something that handled the pain or injuries better, but I didn’t even know how hurt I was.

They had exchanged looks, silent for a moment, until Dusty finally spoke. “You were shot.”

I remember thinking that didn’t seem right at all. Being shot seems like one of those things you should remember. I had a hard time articulating the thought, so I simply repeated myself. “Details.”

He frowned, but finally replied, “A changeling tried to assassinate you. She shot you in the back.”

I actually had to stop and think on why a changeling would be trying to kill me. When I finally connected the thought, the memory of Serenity brought a spike of adrenaline. I was their enemy, and they were targeting me specifically.

Most times, I find adrenaline a nuisance, between the narrowing of senses and tendency towards jitteriness, but it beats the heck out of coffee for waking up. I can’t complain about the painkilling effect, either.

“How… how bad am I?” I wheezed, fighting off the sudden urge to cough. I rolled my head to the side, spotting the cup floating in Starlight’s magic. She must have recognized where I was looking, as she filled it again before floating it over. This time I was able to lift a foreleg to gently guide it, ignoring the twinge of pain at the motion.

Dusty waited until I had finished drinking to answer. “Bad enough that you’ve had four healing potions and surgery, and you’ve been unconscious for about thirty hours.”

Thirty hours. That was too long. What had I missed? Had the Trotsen forces already left? Had I slept through the entire fight? Too many questions came all at once, but as I slowly fell back into my training, I shelved them. I had to deal with my current situation before I could adequately handle anything more grand.

I tried to lift my PipBuck-clad leg, but I only managed to lift it an inch before the hot stab of pain made me set it down again. I was breathing faster just from that little effort. I repeated myself. “Details.”

“You need to rest.”

I looked at Dusty, doing everything in my ability to keep my voice firm and even, even as the world skewed strangely around my head; I was pretty sure I was observing the late effects of a concussion. “Dusty,” I said, pausing a moment to catch my breath. “I need details.”

He continued to frown down at me, staring right into my eyes. I held his gaze, putting all my focus into maintaining a steady stare. I must have managed it, as he gave a little nod and spoke.

“She had a weapon just like yours. A standard Equestrian Army pistol with suppressor, firing subsonic hollow points.” He gestured to my side. “She hit you from just off your flank, two rounds into the back right side of your chest. Two perforations of the right lung, one perforation of the left lung, laceration of the trachea and esophagus, serious damage to the diaphragm, and heavy blood loss. One of the rounds lodged against your heart. Your… shell, or whatever you’d call it, was shattered in one spot. We’re guessing one of the rounds broke a rib before you transformed.”

I realized Starlight had averted her eyes, her expression tight and fragile.

Dusty continued. “She followed up with two rounds to the back of your head, but you got lucky. The first shots must have knocked out your shapeshifting, so you had your armor. One hit low and to the side, slipped past the helmet, shattered your lower jaw, and lodged in your nasal passage. The other one struck the back of your helmet. That stopped it, but it still caused a minor fracture across the back of your skull.”

I lay there numbly for a few seconds, piecing everything together. It seemed so unnatural. “That’s… a lot. How…?”

“Immediate treatment with healing potions,” Dusty said. “And she didn’t have the time to finish the job. I forget how freakishly fast Sickle can be. Shit, she was up and moving before I even heard the shots. Busted through the door, took down the assassin, and I got a healing potion in you to stop the bleeding.”

“That’s… still a lot.”

“Blood loss was the biggest danger, and healing potions handle that very well. A bigger problem was getting the bullets out of you to do more serious healing. There aren’t many ponies around that can do surgery and wouldn’t freak out at you being a changeling. It took us hours to get Soaring Heart to come help you.”

I groaned softly, letting my head sink back. “...Great. I bet Echo loved my secrets biting me in the flank.” I winced, closing my eyes, and quickly added. “Sorry. That’s… not fair.”

I heard Dusty’s grunt, followed by a stretch of silence before he finally spoke again. “There’s more.”

My eyes cracked open again, blinking a few times against the blurriness. He met my gaze before continuing.

“She wasn’t the only changeling,” he said. “Serenity hit back.”

The fading tingle of adrenaline picked up again. “...How bad?”

“Bad,” Dusty said. This time, he didn’t wait for me to insist on details. “Hardwood is dead. Aurora is dead. Sightline, the Militia commander, is dead. Hail Burst was badly injured. One of Sandstorm’s riders died stopping an assassination attempt on her, and Axle’s still in bad shape. Then there’s the sabotage. They planted demolitions. Destroyed three motorwagons, damaged another two and one of the skywagons. Killed about a dozen Trotsen ponies and one of the Loyalist soldiers, plus some miscellaneous casualties.”

I felt like sinking into the bed and never coming out. This was bad. We hadn’t even gotten to the fight and already Serenity had hit us hard. “What… what happened since then?”

“A whole lot of nothing,” Dusty said, a distinct grumble to his tone. “Mareford’s a mess, sorting out leadership. The Militia is doing well enough, but the town itself is all chaos. Sandstorm’s pissed beyond all belief and growing impatient. She wants Mareford to pitch in, but the ponies running the mayor’s office are scared of getting involved now. Hail Burst isn’t impressed by any of this, and is talking about getting her ponies to safety. Gemstone’s still in, mostly thanks to Dazzle, but they’re pretty much the only ponies still on-board with the plan. It’s a shit show. You’d think being hit like this would make ponies more likely to work together.”

I listened, taking it in, digesting it.

Then I rolled weakly to my side, grit my teeth against the pain, and started pushing myself up.

Dusty was there in an instant, his hooves moving to my shoulders. “Oh, no. You need to rest and recover.”

I’d like to say I fought back, but that might imply that my feeble resistance had any chance of success. I found myself on my back again, with his hooves resting gently atop my chest. “Just rest,” he said.

“No,” I wheezed. Breathing was surprisingly difficult. I weakly raised my hooves, clutching at his forelegs. I focused all my energy into focusing on him and speaking in a hard, firm tone, though I imagine the effect was less than I had hoped for. “Dusty, listen to me. There isn’t time for rest. If this falls apart, we’re all done. Serenity wins. I need--”

I coughed, pain lancing through my side with the sudden convulsion and leading to several more pained coughs. I clutched Dusty’s leg tighter, focusing on the pain for a moment, eyes clenching shut. When they opened again, I fixed him with a glare. “I need… to do… what I can.” I weakly shook my head, the world twisting strangely with the movement. “I know I’m in bad shape, but… but I can still talk. That’s what I’m good at. If I can help keep things from falling apart, then I need to do so, before it’s too late for all of us.”

He had that tight frown again. That frown where he really disliked what I was saying even though he knew I was right. His hooves didn’t move. “Whisper, you can’t even stand up right now.”

“Then help me stand.”

He stared silently for several seconds before replying. “You’re not going to stay put no matter what I say, are you?”

“No,” I said, letting my hooves slide back down to my sides. “You’d have to tie me down, and I’d just shapeshift out of that.”

He gave a quiet snort, and after a moment, looked up to Starlight. “Get some painkillers.”

A minute later, Starlight passed a couple of pills to Dusty, who had produced another healing potion. He leaned over to give me the pills. I weakly raised a hoof, blocking his. “Only one,” I said, already breathing a bit harder from the sudden movement. “I’ve had those before. Too strong. I… I need my head clear. I need to think.”

“You sure?” he asked. “It won’t do much good if you can’t think past the pain.”

“Can handle that,” I replied, eyes half-shut. “Can… change. Relieve some injury.”

Starlight finally spoke again. “You can heal by shapeshifting?”

“Not heal,” I said, head lolling to the side as I looked to her. “Relieve. It’s… complicated. Rewiring nerves is hard, but… but I can work around the injuries.”

It was a bit of a simplification, and possibly over-selling my ability, but it was reasonably accurate.

“Okay, then,” Dusty said, removing one of the pills. “We can always give you more if you need it later.”

“Yeah,” I said. “That healing potion should help, too.”

“We’re running low on these,” he said. “But you’re right. We need ponies sticking together. Stocking up on healing potions won’t matter if Serenity wins.”

My hooves wavered as I reached up and gently clutched the healing potion. The pill I risked taking in my magic, receiving only a faint throbbing sensation along the back of my head for the effort. The small exertion also left me well aware of how depleted my magic was. I’d burned through a lot of it just healing up.

Starlight’s affection was still there, and I continued to cautiously feed on it.

I downed the pill and slowly drank the potion. The magic took hold immediately, the pounding headache and searing pain in my side fading a touch. I laid my head back, waiting for the painkillers to kick in, and bracing myself for what was coming.

In the next half-hour or so, I managed two significant accomplishments: I assumed a fully upright sitting position with only minimal help from Starlight, and transformed into my standard disguise without complicating my injuries.

The healing potions had mended my skeletal structure--carapace at first, bones after my transformation--to the point where nothing was shifting and tearing at my soft inner bits, but I still had significant soft tissue damage, as my PipBuck happily informed me via its medical screen. The painkillers were doing their job, which was both good and bad at the same time. The pain was much less immediate, but my head felt stuffy and muddled. I didn’t like it.

I’d also restructured and rewired several parts of my disguise as best I could, despite my temporary impairment. I think it worked, though with how much the pain and drugs were obscuring things, I couldn’t be sure. I left the minor outward physical signs of injury, however; not only would it be more consistent with my impaired behavior, it might be something I could play for sympathy.

Before those alterations, I had felt weaker than when I had emerged from that chrysalis two months earlier, starving and atrophied. Even after, I still felt weakened, but functional.

After a few minutes to recover from the effort and catch my breath, I finally felt ready to move on. “Okay. Dusty, what’s the situation? How do we get these ponies talking again?

“Oh, they’re talking,” Dusty said with a grimace. “At least, as long as you count arguing and bitching as talking.”

When I prompted him for details, he clarified. “Hardwood had made plans to have organized talks with all the foreign representatives and key members of Mareford. So far everypony’s holding to that, even Sandstorm, though she seems to be losing her patience for the whole thing. She’s getting the last of the weapons she ‘traded’ for tonight, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she takes off in the morning. She’s certainly threatened to.”

I slowly nodded, a hoof placed firmly on the bed beside me to keep my balance as the whole world wobbled. “Okay. So we need to make sure that doesn’t happen. Are they having any of these meetings before then?”

“Just one,” Dusty said. “Right now. It’s supposed to go for a few more hours, but like I said, Sandstorm’s getting impatient.”

“So we need to do this now,” I said, heaving another sigh. “Okay. Let’s… let’s do this.”

The first step, of course, was getting to my hooves. I turned slightly to the side, sliding slowly off the edge of the bed. Starlight moved to help support me, but I weakly waved her off with a hoof. “No, let me… let me try first.”

She hesitated, obviously wanting to help, but let me try on my own.

I got one hoof down to the floor and slowly slid until I dropped onto all fours. A thin line of pain ran across my side, along the partially mended rib, but I grit my teeth and bore it. I had to stay leaning against the bed for several seconds, but after another stabilizing breath, I gently pushed myself away. I wavered, spreading my hooves a little wider. My sense of balance seemed delayed, as if it took a second for the sensation of “down” to make its way through my muddled brain, but I managed to keep my balance. My side felt sore, but not pained. I could do this.

“So far, so good.” I heaved another deep breath and took a tentative step forward. It was slow and awkward, and the motion made my side ache horribly, but I retained my balance. My right foreleg trembled slightly, but held. “Okay. So… the meeting.”

Dusty led the way out of the room, while Starlight remained close on my flanks, ready to step in at a moment’s notice. I limped slowly along at a slow, shuffling pace. Not my best showing.

Both Sickle and Echo were waiting for us in the next room. Sickle watched me for a moment before cracking a smile and standing. “Well, shit, it’s about time you got up.”

Starlight snorted in sudden irritation. “Shut up, Sickle. She was shot.”

“And I don’t hear her bitching about it,” she replied, casually walking up to me. She paused, eying me for a moment before giving a chuckle. “Well, it might not have been a minigun or big fucking rifle, but hey, not bad.” Then she gave me a bone-jarring pat on the back. I grit my teeth against the pain that lanced through my side, a quiet hiss of pain escaping my lips past all my efforts.

Echo had stood as well, and now moved briskly to interpose herself between us. “Will you please stop trying to aggravate her wounds?”

“Oh, fuck off,” Sickle said. “She took a couple shots to the head and got back up. A pat on the back ain’t going to kill her.”

“From you, it might,” Echo replied. With her standing between us, I couldn’t see her expression, but I’m sure she was glaring.

By then I was able to breathe normally again, the pain in my side steadily receding to a deep ache. “Everyone… please, we have more important matters to deal with.” I paused, then added, “And Sickle?”

She looked to me, her smile fading away to her more typical, vaguely irritated look.

“...Thank you for saving me.”

Her head tilted slightly, apparently surprised at where I went. Then she shrugged. “Shit, I got to stomp a bug. That’s good enough for me.”

“Well I still appreciate it.”

She just shrugged again.

I paused to look around our gathered group. “As for the meeting… we should remain alert. If Serenity still has any agents in Mareford, we could be walking into danger.”

Echo gave a snort. “They had best not attempt anything. I will not permit them to harm you again.”

“Heh, I hope they try something,” Sickle said, grinning. “I could do with squishing some more bugs.”

I paused, and though I was fairly certain, I had to ask. “The assassin. I assume she didn’t survive?”

Sickle laughed. “Fuck no. Shit, it’s too bad you were out. You should have seen the splatter she made.”

I grimaced. “I thought so. Still… if another changeling shows up, it might be advantageous to capture her alive, if possible.”

“Eh, we’ll see,” Sickle said. “How many limbs can one of you bugs lose before dying?”

“Not many,” I said. I really didn’t have the energy to spar with her. “Let’s go.”

We headed out. While the meeting was being held at the town hall, just across the street, it still took an agonizingly long time to get there. The worst part was the stairs down from our rooms, which I had to take sideways, slowly moving one hoof at a time until I stood on a single step, before starting on the next. I distracted myself from the discomfort by listening to Dusty’s description of the situation and ponies I would be meeting. It mostly worked.

By the time we had climbed the stairs in the Town Hall and approached the old conference room, I had a tentative plan formed.

We entered with Dusty and myself in the lead. Ponies were talking, and while the conversation didn’t halt at our entrance, many ponies looked over to us. Reactions were distinctly mixed. Sandstorm and Hail Burst both frowned as they looked at me. Many of the Mareford ponies eyed Dusty, their expressions wary. Dazzle, who was looking a little worn down, brightened again upon seeing me.

At one end of the table sat the Mareford mayoral staff Dusty had told me about. Holly, Brushfire, and Mulberry all looked at us before returning to the conversation without missing a beat. Sitting beside them was Two Bits who, due to losses, had inherited command of the Militia, at least temporarily. He gave us a careful look, though he finished up with a small nod directed to Dusty. Finally, on the opposite side of the mayoral staff, sat Seroon. It was a little surprising to see him there, but Dusty had told me Seroon had quickly impressed Hardwood, to the point that the staff still consulted with him. He certainly seemed to have taken well to the role, and looked relatively relaxed compared to the ponies around him, even giving a soft smile our way. A touch of appreciative affection teased at my senses, and I thankfully drew on the energy he and Dazzle offered me.

There were other ponies, too, enough to make the fairly spacious room feel a little cramped. Sandstorm had a half-dozen of her riders behind her. Even more Mareford ponies were gathered around their end of the table, including a couple of more military-looking ponies and another of Seroon’s tribe. Hail Burst was relatively light, with only a single soldier at her side, although the power armor--menacing even with the blue and rainbow detailing--made their presence much more pronounced. Only Dazzle had shown up alone, it seemed.

“We heard you the first fifteen times,” Holly was saying, her impatience clear in her tone. “But right now, the only army I see is the one you’ve camped outside our gates in an attempt to extort us.”

Clearly, negotiations were not going well.

Sandstorm stopped glaring at me to shoot back a reply. “Well if you’d pull your head out of your flank for half a second, maybe you wouldn’t need other ponies to tell you what’s going on. Fuck, a bunch of their spies just bent you over the table and you still don’t see it!”

“Funny how they only became a problem when you showed up,” Holly replied.

That seemed like a perfect time for me to step forward and interject. “Excuse me.”

And I was ignored. “Oh, right,” Sandstorm said with clear disgust. “I forgot. It doesn’t matter if shit’s going wrong, so long as it only happens outside your walls.”

“Excuse me,” I said again, ribs protesting as I tried to bring my voice up to something more than a quiet conversational tone.

Holly snorted in irritation, while Mulberry took the opportunity to reply. “I would like to help, but we have to look to the safety of our citizens first.”

“Excuse me.” I even managed to speak loudly enough that most of the table might have heard that I had said something, even if they likely couldn’t make out precisely what I had said past the loud conversation.

“Oh, I’d love to hear you explain that one to the ponies in Stinkpit and Hayseed. Let me guess, you had to protect your citizen’s right to steal from them?”

Dazzle cut in. “Perhaps we should listen to what Whisper has to--”

“We did no such thing!” Brushfire shouted. “Those towns attacked our ponies!”

Mulberry quickly added, “And even if it’s true that Big Shot had set things up to fake it, we still--”

“Shut the fuck up!”

I cringed as Sickle’s powerful bellow pounded at my ears in the enclosed space, ratcheting up the headache a notch. In the stunned silence, she pointed a bladed hoof at me, her teeth bared in a snarl. “Whisper’s talking.”

And with that, every eye in the room was on me.

I carefully straightened up, taking a quick breath before speaking. “I’m… sorry about that interruption,” I said, even as Sickle snorted. “Also, I apologize if I’m a little hard to hear. I still haven’t recovered fully from my injuries, and I’m afraid I can’t manage much volume.”

No harm in playing for a bit of sympathy right off the bat.

It was Seroon who spoke first. “I hope I speak for all of us when I say that I am happy to see you are still with us, and to wish you a swift recovery from your injuries.”

I smiled, softly. “Thank you. I should probably still be in bed recovering, but with everything that’s happened, I felt I had to be here.” I turned to the mayoral staff. “I understand that you have to look after your own citizens. I won’t even try to argue that you should not, but you need to understand the threat you’re facing to do so. Queen Chrysalis, the Serenity hive, they’re coming. They’ve already wiped out one settlement. This gathering army is the best chance to stop them. If it fails, you’ll still have to face them, only you’ll do it alone.”

“So ponies keep saying,” Holly said, “but we haven’t had any problems before this army arrived at our gates.”

“Your government had been infiltrated, possibly for months,” I said. “Wild Runner had been replaced by a changeling. I’m not certain exactly how long it had been, but every indication suggests it was for quite some time.” Or at least, that was the scenario that made the most sense.

They shared a look of surprise, which thankfully gave me the opportunity to catch my breath again. “And how do you claim to know this?” Brushfire asked.

“Because I’ve made a point of learning all I could about Serenity’s activities. I know more about the capabilities of changelings and the threat Serenity’s assassins pose than any pony in this room.”

Behind me, I heard Hail Burst give a quiet snort at my wording.

I continued to press the point, even as the ache in my side started to grow again. “And more than that, they’ve attacked you directly. You might argue over why they did so, but it should make it clear that they hold no good intentions for you and have no problem killing anyone to get what they want. All it took for them to start killing ponies here was the mere possibility that you might be a problem to them.”

The trio looked to each other, with Holly murmuring quietly.

Before they came to a consensus, Two Bits cleared his throat to draw their attention. When they looked his way, he spoke. “It’s clear they have hostile intentions. Striking back with multiple allies gives us a stronger force and lets us control the circumstances of the conflict. It’s the reasonable response to being attacked, and gives us the greatest advantage.”

I was pleased to see that he was on the side of the allied effort. That meant more pressure we could make use of.

Holly shook her head. “We don’t even know if there will be a conflict.”

“They’ve killed our people,” Two Bits replied. “They drew blood. If they want peace, they can come out and say so, but until then, I’m under the opinion that these changelings just declared war on us.”

Mulberry shifted in her seat, ears drooping. “I agree it’s a… hostile act, but ‘war’ just seems a little…” She gestured vaguely with a hoof, as if searching for an appropriate word, but ended up leaving it unsaid.

Seroon slowly and gently put a hoof on the table, and immediately, the Mareford ponies stopped and looked at him in anticipation. I wasn’t sure if I should be impressed or concerned. In just a week, he’d impressed the ponies of Mareford enough that they were listening seriously to him. The only question I had was whether this was due to insight or personality on his part, or simply a sign of how desperate the ponies of Mareford were.

“If I might interject,” he said, his voice soft, but perfectly clear over the now-quiet room. “I know my kind has certain reputations. One of those reputations is for the use of assassins. It’s true. My tribe may be descended from soldiers, but we have carried the history of our people with us. Assassins were a respected profession, and while our ancestors did not possess those skills to pass down, they did pass down our understanding of them as a part of our culture.” He placed his other forehoof on the table beside the first, leaning gently on the surface. “You see, soldiers and assassins served similar goals.”

One hoof raised slightly. “A soldier is the sword, able to hew flesh or deflect a hostile blade.” He set that hoof down, and raised the other. “But the assassin is a scalpel. It makes the tiniest of incisions, but wielded with skill and restraint, it can cut out infection and save the whole body… or it can sever an artery and kill it.”

His hooves returned to the table. “But it’s a delicate thing. A fine blade. If you attempt to use it for every problem, it becomes dull, brittle. You risk breaking it. You can not hack wildly away with it, like a foal clearing brush with a machete. Neither can you make the aggressive slices and thrusts you can with a sword. You have to use patience, a delicate touch, and most of all, discretion.”

He looked squarely at the trio of mayoral staff. “This Serenity they speak of has sent its assassins into this city. They see Mareford as a threat, one great enough that they have spent the lives of two of their assassins, and an untold amount of effort and resources, simply to strike at us. They have marked us all as their enemy, and they must intend us harm.”

Brushfire looked uneasy as he replied. “We don’t really know any of that, though. All we know is that the assassins were changelings, but we don’t know anything about what’s really going on. Sending out the Militia all on the word of some strangers is inviting a worse attack.”

“There is more,” Seroon said, and slowly swept a hoof around the room. “Consider: who did they attack?” He gave them a moment before answering himself. “They attacked settlement leaders. Military commanders. They destroyed equipment that was to be used against them.” Then he lifted his hoof once more, slowly turning it to point straight at me. “And they attacked Whisper. They lost one of their assassins trying to kill this mare. That act stood out to me, and the message it delivers is clear.” He calmly crossed his hooves on the table. “This Serenity sees her as a threat on par with the leaders of the most powerful cities in the Wasteland, and we should listen to her words with the utmost attention.”

I absolutely love that he was able to put so much weight behind my words, but as an Infiltrator, that was an alarming number of eyes suddenly scrutinizing me.

Holly was the first to speak the question that must have immediately come to everyone’s mind: “Why?”

Seroon simply gave me a little smile, and left me to answer.

I felt increasingly exhausted under the weight of all their attention. I took a deep breath, steadying myself, and spoke. “Because I know how they work. I know what changeling Infiltrators are capable of, the tactics they use, and the best ways to defend against them. I know Serenity’s strengths and weaknesses, and I’ve been spreading that information. Serenity’s greatest advantage was that nopony knew that they even existed. Now they’ve lost that advantage. Ponies know that they’re a threat, and more importantly, they know where to find them.”

Dazzle pitched in as well. “Whisper’s the reason we’re all here in this room. She’s been spreading the word and bringing in as many ponies as she could to help stop Serenity. Of course Serenity is scared of her. She’s the only reason we can even fight back.”

She finished by quite blatantly turning to look at the mayoral staff.

Holly shook her head, but the motion was slow and hesitant, ending with a glance to Two Bits before speaking. “Even if that’s all true, sending out the Militia is a risk. It means leaving the city unprotected. It means leaving our defenses and fighting out in the open. The Militia can hold the walls against any threat, but if this is some sort of trap and we lose them…”

Two Bits frowned. “We’d have a better shot hitting them first.”

“Soldiers and walls might be good against raiders and other armed forces,” I said, “but they’re useless against assassins that can look like anyone. You can’t defend against this. If you fortify your position and don’t strike back, you give them all the time in the world to take care of any other settlements that are fighting back, and then they can take their time infiltrating and slowly picking you apart.”

Holly snorted in irritation. “They won’t find us to be such an easy target,” she said. “They might have landed a sucker-punch, but they blew their surprise. Now we know what to look for.”

Hail Burst gave another, louder snort.

Myself, I stared at her in silent disbelief. A small part of me--possibly made louder by the lingering pain and drugs--wanted to shout at her for being too stupid, but that wouldn’t be productive.

Fortunately, I still had another card to play. So, instead of trying to beat her down with my words, I instead spoke gently. “Holly, when I say that your walls and soldiers can’t stop a determined changeling from getting into Mareford, or even getting up close to important ponies, it’s not speculation. If you had any hope of doing so, you would have known that I’m a changeling.”

She had opened her mouth to reply before fully processing what I had said, and ended up stumbling on her words. Surprised mixed with apprehension and doubt.

“Yes, it’s true,” I said. “Many of the ponies in this room already know. I’m also a changeling that has access to a sizable arsenal, including multiple balefire eggs. If I were aligned with Serenity, I could have leveled this building and killed everyone within it, and there wouldn’t have been anything anyone could have done to stop it.” The risk of me not surviving the attack was enough that I wouldn’t want to attempt it even if I had been inclined to do so, but that wasn’t important right then. “That’s the kind of danger we’re all facing with Serenity, and that’s why we need to work together to stop them. The longer they’re allowed to operate in the background, the more people die.”

Murmurs were rippling around the room among the ponies who hadn’t already known, and Echo had stepped up protectively to my side, glaring down her muzzle at the assembled ponies. Somewhere behind Sandstorm, I heard one of the riders speaking to another. “I fucking told you she was brown before!”

Mulberry was the first of the trio to find her words again. “That’s… why you know what they can do? Because you are one?”

I nodded, despite the way it made my head swim. “Yes. And I know exactly how changeling Infiltrators train and operate. The more time we give them, the more they’ll pick us apart. We can’t defend long against them, but we can strike back and stop them at the source.”

Brushfire looked dazed, while Holly was shaking her head. Her expression wavered back and forth, as if torn between talking to me or ordering my arrest. Her voice shook when she finally spoke. “No. For all I know, you’re just like those other changelings, and you’re trying to talk us into a trap! The Militia isn’t going anywhere!”

She turned to Two Bits, but jumped as Seroon placed a hoof lightly on her foreleg. “She is trying to help. Trust her.”

“Trust her?” Holly replied with an incredulous look. “Why the hell should we trust her? You know what she is!”

“I’ve known what she is since the day we first met,” Seroon said with a calm, placid smile, and turned his gaze to me. “She is an individual who stepped aside from her own quest to help some strangers she had just met. Someone who put herself in danger to protect my kin, with no more reward than the satisfaction of having done the right thing. One who mourned over our fallen, and who ensured that the rest of my tribe would have a future. That is far more important than whether she is a pony or not.”

There was a momentary pause before his smile widened a hair. “Though I did notice that she was no longer a pegasus.”

My ears flicked back instinctively, and despite the embarrassment of that little detail being called out, I couldn’t help a weak smile. “I’ve been getting a little more relaxed with my disguises as more ponies know what I am.” Or possibly careless, but “relaxed” sounded better.

Mulberry looked anxiously around at the ponies and the zebra, and cautiously spoke up. “I think Seroon might be right.”

Holly shot her a look, then turned to look at me again. I made a point to keep my expression as soft and non-threatening as possible. I don’t think it helped much. “...I don’t trust her,” she said. “Even if she did all those things, what, she’s just turning on her own kind? I don’t buy it.”

“Serenity isn’t ‘my kind,’” I said, without showing any of the distaste I felt at the idea. “They see ponies as nothing more than food. My hive might have stayed hidden, but we always tried to work with ponies, not against them.”

Holly’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “You’re from a different... hive?”

“I am,” I replied with a small nod. “And Serenity has no more love for my hive than it does for your ponies.”

Her eyes darted to Echo’s glowering visage, then the rest of my companions, and finally returned to me. “And are they changelings, too?”

“No. They’re ponies.”

She slowly nodded, mulling it over, and her expression grew harder by the moment. “So your hive wants us to go to war with this other hive… and you’re all that they send to help us.”

“My hive doesn’t have any more to send.”

“Oh, of course,” she said with a snort. “A whole hive, and they can’t spare more than one single changeling. Why would they, when they can just send you, and you can get the ponies to do all the fighting and dying?”

Mulberry blanched, nudging her. “Holly…”

It seemed Mulberry had swung our way. Brushfire still looked dazed. We were close. We just needed a little push to tilt things fully into our favor.

Maybe it was the drugs addling my mind. Maybe it was the desperation of the situation and the absolute need for these talks to be a success. Maybe, just maybe, it was something else. Whatever the reason, an option presented itself to my mind. One that wouldn’t just give that final nudge, but might flip the scales entirely.

“I’m not ‘just’ a changeling.”

I focused on the magic of my disguise, but I didn’t unwind it. Instead, I steadily poured more magic into it. More, far more, than my usual transformations. I closed my eyes as the magic flames steadily flowed over me, slowly, as I carefully poured my meager magic into crafting the new form. The ache in my side grew in intensity for a moment, then rapidly diminished. I did my best to hide it, holding myself in a firm, confident stance.

Seconds later, it was done. I opened my eyes again to see the world had turned purple. Several ponies had started to pull weapons, but had halted as the shield bubble had snapped into place. Beside me, in the shield, Echo took a step forward, drawing even with me. She scanned over the ponies for a moment before looking to me with a satisfied expression.

More specifically, she looked up to me.

The shield vanished a moment later. I took one slow, steadying breath, before speaking in a softly resonant voice. “My name is Queen Whisper, and I am the last surviving adult of my hive.” I slowly turned my head to look across all the gathered ponies, and the tip of my great notched horn nearly scraped at the ceiling. “If my family is to have a future, it will be side-by-side with ponies, and I intend that to start here and now. I will fight alongside you, and do everything in my power to ensure we overcome the threat Serenity poses.”

Ponies continued to stare at me in shock, and I started to worry that I might have gone too far. I remained still, as non-threatening as my enormous form would allow, my heart pounding in my ears and sending throbs of pain through the back of my head. It was a few ponies murmuring in the background that finally broke the spell. Weapons lowered, tensions relaxing, as the giant insectoid creature before them refrained from attacking. While Hail Burst looked just as annoyed as before, many of the Mareford ponies looked awed, if a bit apprehensive.

Mulberry finally broke the silence with a simple question. “You’ll… help us?”

I gave a slow, serious nod. “To the best of my ability.”

Brushfire had finally come out of his daze. “Will that be enough?”

I gave a soft smile, careful to not show off too many of my sharp teeth. “Between the forces we have gathered here, I am confident that we can defeat Serenity. I will do what I can to make sure that victory comes at as small a price as possible. I may not be the greatest combatant, but I will offer every ounce of experience I have.”

“And that’s a lot?”

I paused a moment to consider how I wanted to answer that. “...I learned the art of espionage in Equestria, during the height of the great war. We had to avoid the attention of the Ministry of Morale and the scrutiny of an increasingly xenophobic population just to get the love we needed to survive. We did this, and turned over zebra spies and smugglers, and combated hostile changeling Infiltrators from other hives. I don’t want to overstate my ability, but I am experienced.”

I felt like I was imitating Echo, if just a bit.

Two Bits spoke over the growing murmurs. “And you can tell us about these other changelings?”

I nodded, giving me another moment to just breathe before speaking again. “I can tell you the approximate strength, equipment, and training of their forces, the capabilities of changelings, their strengths and weaknesses, and the mentality of their leader. I do not have any experience leading a military force or orchestrating military tactics, but I can offer my knowledge of these changelings to help you do so.”

The ache in my head grew, my heart pounding harder still. I couldn’t properly catch my breath; rapid breathing is a common sign of stress and tends to make you less believable. I wanted to project certainty and honesty, so I kept my breathing slow and steady, even as my body protested. Passing out would be preferable to appearing dishonest.

Two Bits slowly nodded as he considered what I had said, then turned to Dusty. “Is this all true?”

Dusty nodded grimly. “All of it. I’ve seen Serenity. It scares the hell out of me.”

Two Bits grimaced, and cast a glance back to the mayoral staff. “I say we take it. Hit back before they hit us worse.”

“I agree,” Brushfire said, looking to Holly.

She continued to look at me with wide eyes. “I… I don’t trust her.”

Mulberry placed a hoof on her side. “Holly…”

“I don’t,” Holly said again. “But… if you’re all convinced it’s the right call, then… okay.”

Mulberry smiled.

“About fucking time,” Sandstorm said, rising to her hooves. She looked to Two Bits. “We’re rolling out in the morning. If you and your ponies are coming to the party, you better be ready. We’ve already given these fuckers enough time to get ready for us.”

“We’ll be ready to move out,” Two Bits said in reply, standing as well. “I’ll pass the word and get everypony ready to move.” He looked to me. “When I’m done, I need to talk with you. We need a good idea of what we’re going to be facing.”

“Of course,” I said, dipping my head slightly, allowing myself to breathe a little more freely. As he turned to leave, I looked to Hail Burst. “Will you be joining us?”

“For now,” she said, her tone irritable. “You didn’t say anything about being a queen.”

“It’s a recent development,” I said. “Also one that might make me more of a target, but seeing as Serenity is already sending assassins after me, there isn’t much reason to keep it secret.”

“Yeah, sure,” she said, rising to her hooves and walking away. “Just don’t keep too many secrets from your allies.”

She left, and several other ponies milled around, discussing what had just happened. Some, naturally, approached me with varying degrees of nervousness and curiosity.

“I’m sorry,” I told them when they asked to speak. “I’m afraid I need to excuse myself and get some rest while I can. I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have once I’ve recovered a little more.”

The town hall was already more busy as we departed, with ponies hurrying around and talking rapidly. Soldiers had gathered, with commanders giving directions to their subordinates. Despite the activity, every eye turned my way as we passed.

I kept walking, putting on the look of calm confidence, with only a subtle slowness and favoring of one leg hinting at the extent of my injuries. By the time we reached the inn, the limp had grown. The stairs sent tendrils of pain through my side.

Finally, we reached the door to the room. I entered, took two more steps, and finally collapsed to the floor. My magic flickered out as I reverted to my natural form, groaning.

Starlight scurried up to my side. “Whisper!”

“I’m okay,” I weakly replied, wincing in pain as I rolled to my side. “I’m just… exhausted.”

Dusty stepped up. “Let’s get her back in bed before she hurts herself worse.”

The world abruptly turned purple as the weight lifted from my body, and I floated in Echo’s magic. It took me a few moments to fully connect that thought past the pounding headache. “I… didn’t hurt myself. I just… burned through a lot of magic.”

“Well, you did what you were aiming to do,” Dusty said. “Now you’re on bed rest until we leave. No arguing this time.”

“No arguing,” I murmured. I wouldn’t have argued even if I had the energy to. Moments later I was lowered gently into the bed once more. In that moment, it was the most wonderfully luxurious bed I had ever experienced. I slowly relaxed, weariness descending over me.

Echo was still standing over me with a thin frown. “...I can’t say I approve of the dishonesty,” she said, before begrudgingly adding, “but it did have a certain dramatic flair.”

“Not dishonest,” I murmured, closing my eyes.

I felt the bed shift as Starlight sat beside me. “What do you mean?”

“I mean… I’m the only one left in my hive. I’m basically playing the role already. Might as well call it what it is… at least for now.”

Dusty made some unhappy grunt, but didn’t say anything.

“Well I think it was pretty cool,” Starlight said, and I could tell she was smiling just from the tone of her voice. “You looked… you looked cool.”

I gave a soft chuckle. The conversation faded away, but Starlight remained there beside me, sharing her company and affection.

I felt a bit better by the time morning came around.

I’d spent almost all the time sleeping, interrupted only for a couple of hours to receive visitors. I had been gently stirred awake sometime that evening to meet with Two Bits. I’d wanted to get up to meet him more equally, but Dusty insisted that I stayed in bed.

We spent at least an hour discussing Serenity, their equipment and forces, the disposition of Queen Chrysalis the Sixth, and the capabilities of changelings. A good deal of time was spent with him inquiring about changeling psychology, as we collaboratively pooled our knowledge to get a better tactical picture of what we faced.

It was a very interesting conversation. I wish I had been coherent enough to remember the details.

At least I was clear-minded enough to explain my diminished size as an effort to conserve magical energy. That much was technically true. While assuming the form of a proper queen wasn’t as exhausting as mimicking Echo, it was certainly among the more difficult and draining forms I had ever taken.

The extra drain on my magic from my healing simply compounded the issue. Fortunately, I was well supplied on that front. I had brief visits from Dazzle and Seroon to wish me well, and I fed on some of the affection and appreciation they held for me. Dazzle even insisted on giving me another healing potion from her personal stash, which helped ease the returning pain in my side.

It was Starlight that provided the bulk of the magical energy I needed, of course. I hadn’t even realized how much I was draining her until I saw her wobbling a little, her eyes slightly unfocused.

“I’m okay,” she had said, her ears perking up and expression growling livelier for a moment, before slowly slipping back to slack weariness. When I apologized, she refused it. “It’s okay,” she insisted. “You need it more than I do. Besides, at least this way I’m doing something useful.”

I insisted that I was fine and that she didn’t have to worry about me now, but from the fragile smile, I could tell she didn’t believe me.

I tried to fill some of my little waking time being productive and making more of these recordings. I went over them a couple of days later and deleted the whole thing. It was rambling and semi-coherent, skimping on important details while repeating inconsequential ones. The whole thing was a complete and utter wreck and made me seriously question how sound-of-mind I had been at the time.

Still, I was feeling better when Dusty roused us. Only the faintest hint of light crept in around the edges of the curtains. Starlight groaned weakly beside me while I slowly pushed myself up to sitting once more. My side was still sore, but there were no more stabs of pain. The cracks in my carapace were fully mended, though the shell was still discolored in thin lines where it had split. More importantly, my head felt clearer, with only a faint ache lingering in the back of it. My jaw still felt tight and slightly lopsided, but not enough to impede my speech. I wasn’t up to normal, but at least I didn’t have that splitting headache any more.

Despite spending more than half a day in bed, I still felt exhausted. I slid from bed and onto my hooves, and while I wobbled a little from lethargy, my sense of balance had returned. Once Dusty had finally roused a grumbling and half-asleep Starlight, I staggered out into the common room. Echo and Sickle were already there, with the latter sprawled out and on the large couch, mumbling some incoherent greeting. Dusty guided us to chairs at the small table, and surprised us by pushing mugs of coffee into our hooves.

I started to decline, but after a moment’s pause to think, changed my mind. “I don’t normally care for stimulants, but I think I might have to make an exception.”

Sickle gave a weak chuckle, her voice thick with sleep. “Yeahhh, you call that weak-ass shit a stimulant. Heh.”

“I guess you won’t be wanting any, then,” Dusty said.

Sickle grumbled a little. “Eh, whatever. I’ve got plenty of Dash left. You want some, Your Highness?”

I winced slightly at that. “No thank you,” I said, and followed up with a sip of the coffee. The taste was just as strong and off-putting as I remembered, but that wasn’t the point.

Sickle shrugged. “Yeah, a lightweight like you’d probably just get all jittery with the good stuff.” She slowly stretched, letting out a drawn-out yawn as I took another sip before adding, “Maybe some Buck. That’s good for getting back on your hooves when you’re beat to shit.”

“I’ll pass.” Another sip. “But thank you.”

A thump and clatter drew my attention to the side, where Dusty had just deposited a bag. “Your armor,” he said. “Figured you’d want it back.”

I slowly nodded. “Probably a good idea.” It had already saved my life once already, and I couldn’t imagine things would be getting any safer until Serenity was dealt with.

I finished my coffee and started pulling out armor pieces. Donning it was awkward. Though I felt a good deal better, I was still stiff and sore, which made the process neither swift nor pleasant. Straps squeezed my carapace in ways it really wasn’t comfortable being squeezed just yet, and I was still reluctant to use my magic when I didn’t need to, just in case.

The final piece was the helmet. I paused, turning it over in my hooves to examine it. All I found was a tiny nick in the back, slightly off-center. It seemed like far too small of a thing to have hurt the way it did. I slipped it on, carefully buckling it in place. “...Okay. Guess I’m as ready as I’ll get.”

“There’s one more thing,” Dusty said. When I looked at him, he continued. “You made a big showy display of being a queen, yesterday. Are you planning on keeping that up, or going disguised?”

I stared silently for a moment before slowly, quietly groaning, and sinking down against the table. “Urgh. I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Well, it’s a little late for second thoughts,” Dusty said, frowning a little. “Still, it worked. You got everypony onboard, but you also got everypony talking. I’ve been trying to think on it, and I’m still not sure if ponies would be more concerned seeing a giant queen-bug walking around, or a pony they know isn’t actually a pony, or a bug that isn’t the bug they’re expecting.”

I groaned again as I considered all of those. “Past-me was stupid,” I mumbled, and finally, wearily, pushed myself upright once more. “As much as I don’t like it, I decided to take up the title, so I might as well live up to expectations. Anything else would be dishonest.”

Echo gave a soft snort, and I couldn’t tell if it was amusement or annoyance. “I am starting to lose track of what is honest, anymore.”

“I suppose it’s complicated,” I said. I closed my eyes, focusing my magic once more.

The change came easier. There was less damage to work around, no drugs or pain muddling my mind, and I had much more love and affection stored up than I had the day before. Additionally, I wasn’t fabricating a new form. I was retaking one I had already created. It was still an impressive amount of energy devoted to the change, but it was more like slipping on a comfortable old sweater than knitting a new one from scratch.

The change completed, I steadied myself, slowly looking over my form. I was so much like Queen Ephema, but another changeling would see the differences. They’d probably even recognize that it was me. The holes in my limbs were still my own, patterned the same as before. My mane was different from Ephema’s, with a more silvery teal color, lush and sleek, as opposed to her slightly shorter and straighter mane. Even the notches in my impressively sized horn were different, though only subtly. I couldn’t see my eyes, of course, but I knew they would be just like hers, vibrant green and expressive.

I could feel my throat tighten as I made the comparisons. Part of it felt like sacrilege, as if I were usurping her position, disrespecting her memory. I tried to shake those feelings off. Someling was going to have to take responsibility for leading the hive. For now, that was me.

I looked back to Echo, speaking in my new yet still familiar voice. “The best I can say is that I will do what I can to make this honest. If I am taking on the title of queen, I will do what I can to live up to that responsibility.”

She frowned in contemplation for a few moments before finally nodding. “I suppose that will do.”

“Well I think you make a great queen!” Starlight said, grinning sleepily as she looked up at me. I couldn’t help smiling back. “You look so cool!”

Sickle shrugged. “Eh, I’ve seen better.” She took a long swig from a beer before adding, “Now you add a dick to that, then maybe we’re talking.”

Starlight grimaced. “Damnit, Sickle! Do you have to make everything perverted?”

“Yep.” Another swig. “Shit, you know you’d love it. You’d jump right on that dick.”

Starlight rolled her eyes, and I stood to bail her out. “If you’re quite done trying to make Starlight squirm, I believe we have an army expecting us?”

“Yes we do,” Dusty said, rising to his hooves as well.

The next few minutes were spent gathering our belongings. In my case, that was simple, as my possessions had already been packed while I was resting. Dusty brought them out for me. Included among them were my rifle and pistol, resting atop the saddle bags. “I finished cleaning them for you,” he said quite simply.

“Thank you,” I replied. I hadn’t even thought of them until that moment.

When we left, I took the straps in my mouth, carrying my bags that way rather than using my limited magic on the task. I’d considered adjusting the straps to fit this new form, but I lacked the drive to do so at the time. Besides, I reasoned, my armor only fit in my natural form, so if there was any fighting to be done, I’d probably revert to that.

As we started to leave, Dusty started giving directions to everyone other than myself. The intention was rapidly obvious. Sickle on one flank, Echo on the other, Starlight bringing up the rear, and Dusty himself at the head. They were guarding me.

It was probably for the best. As you might expect, I drew attention. Every eye turned our way as we emerged into the main lobby of the building. Most of the ponies there were from Gemstone, and they looked on with curiosity, with only a few nervous gazes. Dazzle was there, and softened much of the effect by waving and calling out a clear “Good morning!”

I replied with a soft smile and a nod. A few other ponies followed Dazzle’s lead, though generally with a bit more hesitation.

That tone changed as we stepped outside.

The town was still shrouded in the dim blue haze of the pre-dawn twilight. A pair of militia soldiers were stationed near the front of the building, rifles slung across their chests. Two Bits had evidently spread word about me, as there were no looks of alarm or leaps to action. Instead, they watched me warily, scrutinizing my every step. I gave them the same soft smile and nod I had given to Dazzle. They didn’t react at all.

They also didn’t seem to pay Dusty any attention, so I suppose my big reveal accomplished some good.

It was only a short trip to our parked motorwagon. More ponies passed on the street, and the reaction there was decidedly more mixed. While some still looked curious, many flinched back upon seeing me. Considering I was standing between a vicious-looking over-armored beast of a mare and an ethereal-maned pseudo-goddess, that said quite a bit about the impression I was making.

Echo stood guard while we clambered into the wagon. I climbed into the cargo bay and peered into the passenger compartment. I’d fit in the back seat so long as I laid out lengthwise, though my horn would make things awkward. It’d be almost impossible to look out the narrow side windows without either sticking my head outside or twisting it completely sideways, neither of which sounded appealing.

The wagon rocked as Sickle climbed up behind me. “Guess you’re back here with me, huh?”

“If I were feeling better, I’d try flying along with Echo,” I said. Then I added, “So I’m not crowding you.”

“Shit, ain’t like I mind getting up close and personal.” She chuckled, lips peeling back in a lewd grin. “But hey, if you want to make the trip a lot more fun…”

Starlight called back from the driver’s seat. “Sickle…”

“Oh, relax,” Sickle replied, sprawling back against the back armor and filling almost half the cargo bay by herself. “I’ll keep your bug-friend nice and cozy back here.”

Once we were all settled in, we drove to the same gate we had entered. There were many more of the Mareford Militia soldiers gathered there. At least fifty were formed into ranks in their identical uniforms and almost-identical kit, while commanders reviewed their troops. More were marching in. A few smaller groups of similar soldiers stood to the side, bearing heavier weapons. I saw a few machine guns, massive rifles, and even a pair of rocket launchers.

A bit further away, some twenty other soldiers sat, talking while going over their gear. They were less uniform in their appearance, with seemingly personal selections of headgear, eyewear, and other accessories. They were also more heavily equipped, with a wide variety of weapons, and each had the bulge of a PipBuck hidden under the flaps on their legs. Rangers.

Several wagons were parked nearby, laden with supplies. Many ponies milled around them, checking them over. Some of Seroon’s tribe was there, too. I saw Bloodbeak among them, who hopped and happily waved at us. I raised a hoof, offering a cautious wave in reply, which produced a pleased smile from her.

As the gate slowly ground open, Two Bits parted from the group of Militia ponies to trot our way. “Hey, Dusty!”

Dusty poked his head out of the passenger-side window. “Yeah?”

Two Bits hopped up, hooking a hoof over the edge of Dusty’s window to be even with the other pony. “You heading out to the Trotsen camp?”

“We are,” Dusty replied.

“Good. The Militia is assembling. Let Sandstorm know we should be ready to march in twenty minutes.” He’d unbuckled the flap over his PipBuck, revealing a map. “We’re figuring about two days march to the rally point, here, though it’s a bit fluid right now. Sandstorm’s being bitchy about the wait, but she finally agreed we should hit the downed cloudship first. We don’t want the bugs getting it running. She also agreed to play a screening force for our march, so that should speed things up.”

“Sounds good. I’m sure Serenity will want to try something. Hopefully that’ll limit their options.” He paused, looking slowly over the map before nodding. “Okay. So who’s in charge of this show, anyway?”

Two Bits gave a dry laugh. “Shit, does it look like anypony’s in charge? We’re just all kinda going in the same direction. At best, we’re bashing our heads together until everypony’s more-or-less on the same page.”

I had to chime in. “That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Serenity will be looking to exploit any divisions.”

“Not to mention it’ll make tactical command a bitch,” Dusty said. “You remember how the Bloodletter raid went?”

“Fuck, don’t remind me of Bloodletter,” Two Bits said with a groan. “I still don’t know how you kept from strangling Hardhat for that shit.”

“And now we’re looking at the same thing with twice the number of commands and ten times the ponies. We need somepony in command, or at least a joint headquarters.”

“Yeah, I know.” Two Bits sighed. “Everypony’s getting together at camp tonight. We’re still trying to hammer out some details, but maybe we can beat some sense into these ponies. I could use your help there, Dusty.”

“I’ll be there.”

Military matters weren’t my strong suit, but if it was a matter of persuading ponies to do something, perhaps there was something I could do. “Is there any way I could help?”

Two Bits paused, looking back at me in a way that struck me as very analytical, though whether it was considering my ability to help or contemplating what threat I might pose, I couldn’t say. “I don’t know. Half of me says they’re not going to listen to some changeling, but it seems like everypony else knew it and went along with you anyway.” He considered a moment longer before nodding. “Yeah. If you think you can help, show up. I doubt it’ll hurt. Besides, I still need to pick your brains now that you’re not conked out on painkillers.”

I nodded. “If there’s anything I can do to help our odds, I’m at your disposal.”

He nodded back, then hopped down again, waving us through the open gate. “Get going! We’ll talk about the rest later!”

“Wait!”

I looked back as Bloodbeak came running up, barely keeping her pack and rifle balanced on her back with her good wing. She skittered to a stop before giving us a big grin. “Can I ride with you guys?”

“Sure!” Starlight called out. “Hop on!”

“Woo!” Bloodbeak leaped, pumping a fist, followed by scrambling to keep from dropping her gear. She quickly got ahold of the straps in her talons and hopped up, pulling herself into the cargo bed. “Thanks, Starlight!” She dropped her gear in the back, turning to give me a smile. “Hi, Whisper!”

“Hello,” I said, giving a smile and nod. As much as I was pleased to see her showing no concern over my appearance, I couldn’t help but glance at the pip on my E.F.S. compass. Non-hostile, for what that was worth. I didn’t like being suspicious, especially when she seemed so happy just to be there, but I’d already been quite literally shot in the back. A little wariness seemed appropriate.

“And you guys, too!” she quickly added, flashing a smile to Sickle and Dusty. Sickle just snickered, while Dusty nodded. “Oh, this is going to be so cool! I love this thing. How fast do you think you can get it up to this time?”

I caught Dusty both rolling his eyes and smiling. He gave Two Bits a parting wave before turning back to Starlight. “All right, Starlight. Take us out.”

Bloodbeak cheered, rearing up to place her talons on the edge of the roof and looking for all the world like an excitable and unusually feathery puppy.

We rolled forward once more, passing under the watchful eyes of the wall-top guards, and made our way to the small army camped outside, busy as ponies packed up supplies and boarded wagons. The ruined skywagon sat just outside the Loyalist camp, an empty shell scavenged for any vital parts. The destroyed motorwagons were nowhere to be seen; they had been stripped and cannibalized for parts, even the frames.

Thirty minutes later, the army started to move. It was a slow thing, like a great beast slowly coming to life, snaking its way onto the bare dirt path. Already, Loyalist flights were taking to the air, spreading out into a loose but well-organized formation on the flanks of the procession, while a few pairs climbed and flew further afield, on the lookout. Sandstorm’s Beast and some of the other large motorwagons led the great column, with us following close behind. Many of the Trotsen ponies were walking now, while the many lighter wagons, freed of the burden of their occupants, now roamed out ahead of the column. They sped towards hills and ridges and along the bare path before us, searching for any trouble.

Bloodbeak watched them go with a look of longing. Her eager chatting had ended as soon as we had started moving, but she’d quickly found the pace a bit lacking. “Maybe we should be out there with them?” she asked hopefully, but Dusty insisted we remained in the formation.

Behind us marched the Mareford Militia, neat and orderly. They weren’t some immaculate unit, like the Ministry of Image’s pictures of pristine parade-ground troops, but that had always struck me as superficial. Their bearing and organization gave me the impression of experienced soldiers. Their uniforms were worn and faded and stained by long use, but their equipment was well-cared-for. They didn’t march in some picture-perfect formation, but they still formed orderly lines and followed directions, even as some of the ponies chatted and joked. It was a clear contrast to the Trotsen and Gemstone ponies, who walked in a more blob-like herd.

At the rear trailed a few dozen wagons, laden with food, supplies, and munitions, with another group of Mareford soldiers bringing up the rear.

I sat back, watching the motorwagons ahead of us send up lines of dust across the Wasteland.

Over the rumbling of the nearby wagons, I didn’t hear the steadily growing thumping until the last moment. In a sudden burst of sound, a whirligig flew right over-head, just twenty or thirty feet above us, and a second one roared past us a moment later. Both flew low over the convoy at high speed before climbing and banking away in opposite directions.

In the front seat, I heard Dusty chuckling. “Damn showoffs. Heh.” Several of the Mareford ponies cheered behind us.

“That’s so awesome,” Bloodbeak said. “They wouldn’t let me ride on them. Wouldn’t that be cool?”

“They… can be fun,” Dusty admitted, and Bloodbeak chuckled.

We rolled on, as I continued surveying the scene.

We had dozens of armed vehicles, including a tank. We had power-armor clad pegasi, an armored skywagon, and a pair of whirligigs. We had wagons laden with weapons, munitions, and supplies. We had hundreds of armed ponies, many of them professional soldiers.

This was no simple band of Wasteland-dwellers. No raider warlord could compare. Even the most successful mercenary company would fall short. It was a proper army.

The Wasteland had seen no shortage of violence, but this was something different. This wasn’t a minor squabble or raid. This had the feel of something historic, something the Wasteland had never seen.

For the first time in two hundred years, Equestria was marching to war.

And I was right at the head of it.