A change of fortune

by The Wingman

Another dream? Great...

"Get down! everyone get down now!"

Dodging behind the cover to my left, I watch as a giant pillar falls and rolls past me. I grin for a second behind my visor. Damn thing nearly took us all out, never mind the assortment of robots in front of me all shooting at me at once.

I slide up the giant hill known as Grandhill, dodging bullets and explosions as I do. I enter a tiny little piece of debris, almost like a minature tunnel, and spot a robot spriting at me. I punch it and spot some more trying to bum rush me.

Roh ro.

......"Sam! Sam!"

The hell was that? Sounded....weird. Like it was more of a distant echo than an anything near me. Wait...why do I feel..

I pass out.

---

I wake up in a cold sweat, looking around the room. It takes me a moment to realise that I'd just experienced a dream and that I was still in Chrysalis's place. Not on Earth.

Fuck.

I rub my eyes, still coming around. I find the origin of the voice. None other than Dusk, the guard from yesterday who bug mommy...

Did I just say that?

Ahem, Chrysalis assigned to me. She was currently looking at me with mild confusion and some sort of concern.

"You alright there? I was trying to wake you up. It looked like you were having a nightmare." She shook herself as she got up, staring at me.

I chuckled and rubbed the back of my head. "Yeah....was a really weird dream about...think it was about a video game that I used to play. It was called Vanquish. I'm assuming you guys probably don't know what video games are, right?"

She looked at me as if I was crazy before quickly shaking her head in slight interest. "Vanquish? Interesting name. I do not. What are they?"

Ah, Vanquish. Great game. If only I could play it again. I yawned and slowly got out of bed. Man, my muscles are not happy with me today. "Long story short, they're a nifty bit of tech that my species created a bit ago that allow you to essentially play an interactive piece of media for yourself. Control a character or more than one. There's a lot of different genres. You guys have movies, right?"

Dusk nods, motioning for me to keep going.

"Think of it like a movie that you control, essentially. You're in contol of what the character does and how they play in a sense. They're mostly made for entertainment. Great way to distract yourself." I stood up and stretched, cracking my aching muscles. She was still staring at me, her interest seeming to grow the more that I went into detail.

"That sounds like amazing technology. Exactly how advanced are your species?"

I whistled to myself. Oh boy, here we go.

"It's...lowkey scary how advanced we're becoming. Last I heard before I got zapped here, we were starting to make artificial intelligence, we have weapons that are honestly pretty damn brutal and terrifying that can destroy an entire city in a few minutes and we're trying to evolve ourselves. Well, some people are."

Her interest seemed to hit its peak as she stared in me in slight shock and wonder. "....Artificial intelligence? Weapons that can destroy cities?"

I nod, letting out a big sigh. I figured this wasn't going to be mega easy to talk about. Never liked thinking about the path that humanity was going down. "Yeah. We've built robots that are supposed to mirror both life and our intelligence and the weapons that we've built, we use them in the worst ways possible. Our main weapons are called guns. They essentially are relatively sturdy objects that fire bullets. Bullets are pieces of lead that dig into something, namely flesh, and leave a bigger exit wound. Sometimes fragments of the bullet can get stuck in you."

This made her almost pale. "That...that is awful. Your species is that brutal and war hungry? I thought we were bad at times..."

I nod and walk past her towards the door. "You can say that again. I'm going to go find Chrysalis. Coming?"

She looked at me curiously, no doubt wondering why I was going to find her queen, but she nodded regardless and followed. "You do realise that if my queen finds out about how war hungry and advanced your species is, she will try and pry that knowledge from you to better our race and to advance us, right?"

I scoff and laugh, causing her to raise her eyebrow at me. That was oddly cute. Huh.

"I'm just an average guy. Sure I know what technology we have and I'm a bit of a geek when it comes to it, especially artifical intelligence, but I'm no mastermind. I can lay out what we had and how the basics work but I can't build shit."

She laughed, shaking her head. "Figures"

Cheeky fucker.

---

..."So you're telling me that your race has created artificial life?"

I sigh and glare at Dusk for a moment, who idly gives me a shrug in return. Damn cute changeling spilled the beans on what we spoke about earlier. I look back at Chrysalis and reluctantly nod.

"Yeah." I quickly hold my hands up. Ain't no way she's dragging me into a war more than she's already planned to no doubt. "But I wouldn't have a clue how to build them. I ain't no engineer."

"Oh, you don't need to be. I assume you know the basics of how these creations work?"

Roh ro. Figured she'd ask that. Problem is, if I lie, she'll probably find out and then castrate my ass. If I don't lie, I may end up causing the next war here. Thankfully, I hear a cough behind me.

"He does not know anything about how his species military creations work, my queen. We discussed this earlier."

I look behind me and see Dusk glancing at me. Thank you, Dusky. Gotta remember to give you a cookie for sliding in and saving my butt cheeks. I glance back at Chrysalis who's now shooting Dusk a curious and skeptical look but as soon as it appeared, it vanished. She let out a long sigh and looked back at me.

"I suppose that makes sense if you're just an average citizen of your species. Shame. Could have aided the changeling race in a lot of ways if the technology what Dusk told me about is how she said it is. No matter. We will still finds ways of breaking the ponies, one by one."

I frown at that. She notices and raises her eyebrow at me. "There a problem, Sam?"

I cough nervously. Hated being put on the spot like this by anyone,. let alone the bug queen. "Look...I know that I sided with you against Celestia and the ponies but..."

She leaned in, slightly irritated. "But?"

I gulp. Too close there, queeny. "But while I don't agree with what she said and how she was essentially leaving your race to die, war isn't the answer. We don't need more bloodshed, surely. I know that I commented that I didn't blame you for doing what you did in canterlot due to your situation, but that doesn't mean that war should be the first thought when it comes to a solution."

She scoffs, walking back to her throne before sitting down and looking at me. "Remember dear Sam, you sided with me. I will do what I must for my people. You're either with us or against us. You may have saved me in the Everfree but that does not mean you get to dictate how I handle my own species and the path that they take to get where they need to. Do I make myself clear?" She shot myself a glare. Man, she was in a pissy mood today.

I sigh, choosing to nod regardless. Fuck else could I do in this situation? I'm just a guy who plays video games and someone who's awful at deadlines. No military training, no degree, nothing. Not like I could stop this myself with just words.

"Understood."

She grins, nodding. "Very good. Now that's sorted, I have a task for you." That makes me raise an eyebrow.

"A task?"

"Indeed." She nods again. "My people are mining in the underground depths of the hive to find any more valuables down there that we could use. I would like you to put yourself to use and go help them. Dusk will accompany you."

Manual labor now? Fuck.

"I don't think they'll like me down there. They're not exactly used to me yet." She rolls her eyes and laughs softly. That laugh was still strangely alluring and intimidating.

"I've alerted them already about you coming to help them. They have no issues with it. I'm not sure what the ponies..." That word came out so sharp that it could have slit my throat. "...have told you about us, my dear human, but we are not monsters. We are merely another race trying to survive. Something that those ponies refuse to acknowledge. Anyway, head down there in the next hour and see what you can do to help them."

I just choose a simple nod and wave over for Dusk to follow. She walks behind me as we leave. As soon as the giant doors to the throne room signify that they've closed behind us with a loud bang, I stare down at her. "You had to mention about the technology, huh?"

She scoffs, rolling her eyes as she started to walk towards what I assumed to be the underground of the hive. I followed behind and waited for her to reply.

"Calm down there, hotshot. I briefly mentioned it. I did not go into detail. I did not say that you had weapons that could level entire cities. If I did, she would have kept pressing you. Unfortunately, she will eventually find out. We're all connected via a hive mind, remember? While my queen cannot directly read our thoughts, she can sense when something is up. And you're welcome, by the way, for me saving you in there."

I'm about to make a smart ass quip about how she nearly got me rimmed by the bug lord but I silence myself before I even open my mouth. She did technically save me back there. God knows what Chrysalis would have said if I'd have continued. I didn't exactly what robotic changelings running around with guns and if she could somehow pry into my thoughts, what with all the video games I've played what included things like Vanquish has....yeah, I'd be screwed.

"Fair. Thanks for the save." She turns her head and I see a slight smile, only for a second, before she goes back to her normal stoic expression. I saw that, cute bug. Can't hide your emotions from me.

"Someone's got to keep you out of trouble. Anyway, this way to the underground." I stop moving and she notices, turning around and looking at me curiously. "What are you doing? Let's get a move on."

I shake my head. "I'm going to go for a quick nap. I barely slept." She scoffs. What? Not my fault that I slept all of 3 hours last night.

"My queen told you to..." I raise my hand. She narrows her eyes but sighs, letting me say what I want to say.

"I know she did, but I'm not going to be of much use to anyone right now. I'm running on fumes. Just tell her that I'll help them later on. I'm assuming the mining job will be going on for a while."

Dusk sighed but nodded. "It'll take a few days, up to a week if most, with rotating shifts." I nod. Sounds good to me.

"I'd appreciate then if you could tell the queen what I said. I'll make sure to go and help them once I've woken up." Another sigh escapes her but she finally caves and nods, walking past me and back to the throne room. She side glances me as she opens the door.

"Don't let her down. The queen isn't exactly forgiving nowadays." And with that, I'm left standing in the empty hallway. Honestly right now, I was more focused on getting some amount of sleep than whatever she could do to me. I walked towards my room and prayed that I could dream about something else this time. Namely pizza.

---

"Oh for fucks sake, not this again!"

I was stuck in the same dream. The same damn video game dream. I loved this game but why did I have to be here again? As I'm thinking this, I feel a sudden burst of pain in my back. Some fucker just shot me. Thank god for this suit.

I say that as if this is even real. I'm fucking losing it.

"Get down! Everyone get dow..." I was waiting for Burns, the big guy from Vanquish, to finish his sentence that I'd heard a million times in the game but...he never did. I looked back, raising an eyebrow from behind the suit's visor and what I saw confused the hell out of me.

Everyone and everything was frozen. Burns, the marines who you fight alongside with in the game and the enemy robots. I walked up to an enemy robot and touched it. I could still feel it, as well as you could in a dream anyway, but nothing. It didn't even react. It was currently frozen mid battle stance, trying to slash a marine with its rifle bayonet.

"What the fuck is going on? I've had this same dream a few times and this has never happened."

"That's because I stopped it. Hello again, Sam."

I spun my neck around so fast that I'm honestly shocked that I didn't snap it. I recognised that voice.

Luna.

"Ah, hello again, Princess. What are you doing here?"

"We wanted to speak with you about your interaction with our sister and Chrysalis. Our sister has informed us of...your decision. We wanted to hear your side of it before we come to any hard conclusions."

Oh.

"Mhm. Figured this was coming." I sighed, looking around the dreamscape. She noticed me looking around and followed suit, raising her eyebrow at the environment around her.

"This is a rather...interesting dreamscape. What is this referring to? And why are you in...that?" I laugh softly, looking around at the sheer chaos that this dream had turned into.

"It's from something that I know in my life. A video game."

"A...video...game? Pray tell, what is that?"

I wave it off. "Long story short, entertainment made by my species." She laughs, looking around.

"This is what your kind do for entertainment? Reminds me of my youth back when I was a lot more....bloodthirsty."

That was surprising. She didn't come off as the violent type. A bit grouchy from what I saw the other day, sure, but nothing too extreme. Then again, I suppose we all have skeletons in our closet.

"Yeah. Anyway, you wanted to talk to me about..." Before I could finish, I noticed her vanishing. Like straight up just fading away.

I raise an eyebrow. Fuck is going on? "Luna? What's wrong?"

Before I could get an answer, I feel something pull me from behind, like someone had wrapped their arms around my midsection and yanked me backwards.

---

I wake up, confused and sweating at the sudden jolt. I look forward and see....Dusk? I calm my breathing down, her noticing that I'd finally awoken.

"You need to get up. My queen wants to see you." I sigh and groan. Of course she does. Again. How long had I even been out for?

"How long have I been asleep for, Dusk?"

She looked over at the clock. Forgot that was even there to be honest. "About 6 hours."

I mean heck, at least I got some sleep finally. Chrysalis probably isn't happy that I napped instead of doing what she said though. Welp...

"Right. I suppose we better go to see her, then." I see her nod, walking over to the door and holding it open for me as I stand up. I was subconciously dreading the next dream that I have, simply for the fact that Luna will probably not be very happy with me, given what she said earlier. No doubt Celestia had told Luna her side and her side only.

Another fun day ahead, it seems.

Author's Note:

Finally got the motivation to write something again. Hope this is up to scratch. A tad rusty.

Also, Vanquish is an S tier game. If you've not tried it, give it a shot. Just a very dumb and fun third person shooter.

Comments

[Prince Jules Moonshade]

A new chapter? Heresy

[Ralanost]

Glad to see this back. I do hope he helps out changelings properly.

[Codiert]

Did Luna and Sam not have this topic about the language 2 chapters ago? The whole Luna part sounds wrong if you just read the other chapter.

[Aiwhisper]

11935711
I have to agree. Luna and Sam already met and I would expect Luna to be a bit upset if Celestia relayed only her side of what happened.

[The Wingman]

11935711
Ah yeah, thanks for pointing that out. I'll edit the Luna part in this chapter. I legitmately forgot that I even covered that whole language thing a few chapters ago.

Apologies. I've been out of it :

[The Wingman]

11935711
11935969
Alright, the chapter is edited. Once again, I sincerely apologise. I've been out of the loop for a bit to the point where I forgot what even happened in some parts of my own story. I've edited it accordingly. Please let me know if anything else is amis and I'll get to it asap.

[Aiwhisper]

11936016
Reads much better now. Keep it up.