They're EVERYWHERE!

CH: 6/13 - Mandible

Chrysalis removes her disguise, the green flash making both 68 and 96 transformed into earth ponies pulling a cart with her and their supplies glance backwards. She doesn't bother with explaining anything. After all, she's the queen. Queen with growing appreciation for her subjects, but still the queen. They've finally reached the barely inhabited forests stretching from Manehattan all the way to Appleloosa so the chances of them being spotted are miniscule and diving into memories has proven to be easier if she's in her real form. Still, just in case of supremely bad luck, she hides under the tarp covering the cart's contents.

As her mind vanishes from their hive links, 96 and 68 understand that their queen is going for another dive into her memories and doesn't want them to be affected by anything that might try to crawl out.

No reason to waste time. Thanks to Venom, I'm as ready as I'll ever be.

Chrysalis skips the hive mind waiting room and finds herself hovering above a scorched pony village. She quickly finds her link to the memory - a changeling infiltrator disguised as a Royal Guard in a small group of heavily armed ponies led by a paladin and a pony who, despite her being almost completely covered in a visibly heavy full plate armor, can't be anyone other than Celestia because, you know, size, horn, wings, and a huge halberd floating next to her.

Celestia takes her helmet off, revealing her flowing rainbow mane cut short and a devastated look on her face. Unlike the princess, with Chrysalis' experience from the ruthless life in the hive, the scene of a massacre underneath her doesn't faze the queen in the slightest. Ponies impaled on spikes are lining the road ahead, more are hanging on nooses from the occasional still standing two-story building, and the stomped ground is red with blood. Too much blood spread too evenly, notes Chrysalis, as if someone systematically tried to create a horrifying scene rather than simply wiping out a pony village.

This wasn't done in hate, this was for show.

"Your Highness, please, wait here-" says the paladin walking by Celestia's side. A familiar paladin, actually. Last time Chrysalis saw him, he'd just had his mind shattered by Scream.

Holy Shi- wait, no. Holy Storm, that was it.

Their armor barely changed over the years... how far in the past am I? Timekeeping has never been our strong suit. Weird for a species with a perfect internal clock and shared memory.

"Holy Storm, I always appreciate your concern, but I've seen more than your whole order combined since its inception," Celestia cracks a grim smile, "Scorched earth tactic is nothing new to me."

"I was walking about what the monsters did before the scorching, Your Highness."

"What did your scanning spells detect?"

"They weren't all killed, most were tortured as well. A few are still alive in agony but beyond saving."

"You know what to do."

"Yes, Your Highness," Holy Storm levitates up his solar symbol, the clouds above scatter, and numerous beams of light strike multiple places of the village including several of the impaled ponies nearby who turn to ash in an instant, "Done. Barring us, the scanning spells show there's only one living creature in the village now a short distance ahead."

"The town square," Celestia nods, "If I were to leave a messenger, they would be there."

It doesn't take long for the scouting party to reach their destination, during which Chrysalis can only roll her eyes at the pure theatre of atrocities unfolding ahead. Flayed ponies, buildings covered in blood from butchered corpses on roofs, more and more spectacle. A brutal spectacle but still one nonetheless. She can't stop herself from facehoofing at the sight of intestines and strips of skin hanging from anything even remotely vertical in the square.