I looked out the window at the shimmering pink bubble covering the castle, the sunlight outside filtering in, giving everything a pink hue to it. Outside of which seemed to be a couple of thousand guardsponies, the rest of the Elements gathered to the side.
And Princess Celestia herself.
Midnight were facing her through the shield bubble, explaining what was going on.
I turned to look away from the window to where Cadance and Chrysalis were still facing off across the table. But they were talking now.
Quietly with flashes of anger and snarls from each side, but talking.
Shining Armor was to the side, looking out the window as his magic shimmered slightly around his horn.
He was standing almost at attention, his face schooled in a carefully neutral expression I recognized from the royal guards.
He was not happy.
But I didn’t need him to be happy, I needed him to keep the shield up. Not sure if it was Midnight or Cadance that talked him into it, but as long as he was doing it, it’s fine.
I crossed over to him, “Shining Armor. How are you holding up?”
“I’m fine,” he said tersely, looking out the window at the forces gathered below, “It’s not the largest shield I cast.”
“Not when I mean,” I said, keeping my voice down, “Your counterpart from my world is a friend. I know how difficult it would be for him.”
He didn’t answer for a long moment before he spoke with a low voice, “...Now we’re trapped in here. With these monsters.”
“You’re thinking about it all wrong,” I told him with a small smile, “You’re not trapped with them. They’re trapped in here with you. Besides, if everything goes wrong, all changelings are in one place and fully surrounded by the royal guard.”
Shining Armor looked at me before he frowned, glancing out the window for a second before he looked back at me, his eyes slightly wide, “...Did you plan that? From the start?” he asked in a whisper.
I smiled at him before I crossed over to Talon where he was sitting by the other end of the room, keeping an eye on things, “Ready?” I asked him.
He nodded, “Ready. Hope it still works,” he said and jumped to his feet.
“Don’t see why it shouldn’t,” I said and shrugged my wings, “It worked back home.”
Talon nodded and reached to pick up his pen and parchment, “Ready.”
I smiled at him and motioned for him to follow before I motioned for him to follow and we stepped outside, the door closing behind him.
I blinked as we were suddenly in the middle of a hive of a hundred changelings piled up just outside the room, “Excuse me,” I told them, “We’re just going to send a message and don’t want to interrupt anyling inside.”
“What message?” Amber asked suspiciously.
“You can hear it if you like,” I told her with a smile, “Talon, take a message.”
“Ready!”
“Dear Princess Celestia,
Negotiations are going forward and I hope you take this message as a sign we have not all been mind controlled or replaced with a cuddlebug. Nopony but Spike or Talon would have the magic to send you a message in this way.
Of course, it doesn’t prevent trickery, but I have yet to meet anypony or ling that could mind control a dragon.
Please, just sit tight and listen to Midnight.
Prince Blank Page of Equestria.”
“Got it,” Talon said as he finished before he looked up at me, “Want me to add the usual titles?”
I grumbled, “...Yes, we likely should, as pretentious as they feel.”
Talon grinned quickly and then kept writing, “Alicorn of Stories, Prince of Equestria, Ruler of Nocturnis, Speaker of the Hive, Defender of Equestria, Warmage, Centaurs Bane”
“Okay, send it.”
Talon rolled it up, tied a bow around it to keep it closed and then sent it away with a stream of green fire, “Sent.”
“Thanks,” I told him and sighed, “Hopefully that’ll help Midnight convince everypony to chill for a bit.”
Talon nodded, “I’ll go get everypony some breakfast, this will take a while. Want anything?”
“Just some tea, please,” I said and then slipped back into the room again.
Nopony had killed anypony while I was out. That’s good.
Then again, the way Cadance and Chrysalis were glaring at each other I wasn’t even sure either of them had even noticed I left.
I walked over to the window next to Shining Armor, looking down towards the Alicorns below. Celestia was floating a parchment in her magic.
Midnight stomped her hoof, her wings high as she was saying something.
Shining Armor frowned slightly and then glanced at me, “...Is it me or has my sister gotten more assertive while away?”
“Oh yeah,” I agreed before I sighed, “...She’s been through a lot. She may tell you, or she might not. But be patient, a lot if it is difficult for her to talk about.”
He frowned, looking down before he nodded again.
ah politics
rubbing elbows with people you wish you could just shoot
pinky bypasses this problem with the party canon
I think he should tell them to lose the grudge considering he had worse than either of them. Shining amour wasn't replaced and although he almost married the wrong girl that was partly his own fault for refusing to see something was wrong considering even twilight could see it and bridezilla or not they shouldn't been worrying about a wedding while the kingdom was under threat considering the priority should have been finding out more about the threat and stopping it. And even twilight had been wrong with the brainwashing spell nobody who had seen that would have thought any different and exactly what proof was she supposed to get the queen running around without her disguise, she Was trying to the right thing under the circumstances. Celestia should have appreciated that fact. What did she want twilight to do if she thought someone was putting an evil spell shining amour even if they were known to be trustworthy. For all they knew someone could have using cadence to get to shining amour. They were so busy with their biases and the wedding that they refused to see anything but what they wanted to see.
Page was kidnapped and had the love suck out but he still put it aside for their sake and he could have not cared what happened to them.
Yknow, I don't think we've had any confirmation of whether or not there was any time dilation? I get the impression that not very much time has passed in Midnight's world compared to Page's. She was gone for years from her perspective...
Thanks for chapter!
Have a good day!
11320543
This world's Cadance got trapped in a cave and left to starve while Chrysalis mind-wammied Shining and was going to conquer Equestria and turn its inhabitants into food. Whether everyone should have listened to Twilight or not doesn't really change that particular grudge.
It also doesn't help that Chrysalis is entirely unrepentant about any of it. Compromise requires both sides being willing to move, and if Chrysalis doesn't want to move, neither will Cadance.
11320562
Potentially, yeah. If this is season 6 finale we're looking at it would have been a year, maybe two, having passed in this world. Though given that the whole thing with Starlight involved time travel, they could be anywhere in the timeline.
11320596
Yeah but expecting someone who is doing what their kind has done for generations to change just because you want it doesn't work that. She has offered her life as a way of making it up her and no she going get why cadence is upset because it is 2 different culture viewpoints. Cadence needs to lose the grudge considering she has to think about the future a future in which nobody needs to fear the changelings. Considering he was slowly making that future a reality in his world it can happen in this one. And I'm surprised that shining hasn't bothered to find out anything about what happened with his sister while she was gone. What kind of big brother is he?! He doesn't even tell his sister he engaged and plans to get married soon then after she gone for possibly over a month he still doesn't even bothered to look in her to see that she is okay.
Does this really need to be doubled? Besides that, I have nothing to point out. Just keep up the good work.
Good thinking with the confirmation that everything is under control. Let's just hope Celestia doesn't know about something that can mind control a Dragon that Page doesn't.
One jackboot that hasn't been brought up already:
Centaur's Bane
11320602
Honestly? Expecting ponies just roll over and accept changelings demands to be nothing more than food is even more ridiculous, in my opinion. Because that's what it often boils down toven when she offers her life, Chrysalis doesn't even deign to use Cadance's name, referring to her as mere food. High ranking food maybe, but still mere food.
Cadance has every right to tell Chrysalis to shove it with her attitude, because it's Cadance and her ponies who are the victims here, not the changelings and their "woe us changelings, are you really going to let us starve?" gaslighting routine. It's not the ponies' fault that changelings have never considered diplomacy before and instead just chose to hide and steal ponies, or in the case of Chrysalis's hive, conquer and consume civilizations like a bunch of locusts. It's Chrysalis who needs to back down and actually show some humility and genuine intent to change here. Especially since there isn't a Page in this universe to constantly whack Chrysalis with the proverbial newspaper to keep them moving forward and improve. The initiative has to be on Chrysalis here to change, not Cadance, because if the changelings don't change, then this endeavour is doomed from the start without a Page to keep it moving.
As for Shining, he has been talking to his sister about what went on in the other world. But it's Twilight who doesn't want to talk about the more painful parts that led to her being more assertive, on account of them being, well, painful.
I wonder how. Any titles he's going to have by the time he's Celestias age... Tia will have probably given him alot just to troll him XD
11320624
Talon(Spike)'s been a little slow since coming back to his home dimension, so....
11320666
But from a changelings perspective that what she is. Considering the changelings until Celestia interfere had been among ponies without harm and they began to kidnapped ponies because it was that or starve. You expect them to trust ponies when their leaders chased them away. In time they might be able to come around to the pony point of view a little more but if they are never given a chance to learn a new point of view nothing will ever change. Cadence from their point of view was a buffet and they really need food. Changelings haven't been able to eat their fill and not worry about the next meal for a long time so the pony who has been blessed vs the species who been just surviving isn't going get a ton of sympathy from me. If she expects Changelings to change their points of view overnight when she is the who has been blessed with a home that is pretty safe and plenty of food and nobody hates her for what she is then she needs to stop dreaming.
11320708
Which is again giving the changelings all the benefits of all the doubts while chastising ponies for not wanting to be eaten. The problem here is the changelings, not the ponies. It's the changelings that need to change if they want to actually move forward as a species, not the ponies. Their food problem is entirely of their own making, a result of their desire for secrecy and seeing themselves as above the other species. Blaming the ponies for the changeling situation is pure gaslighting.
11320712
Until Celestia interfere the ponies had just fine and considering how prejudice against non ponies ponies can be do honestly think that they would have given the changelings a fair shake.
Chrysalis: Well if you don't want to kill me BUT you feel my word alone is not enough for peace then there's only one other option: Political marriage.
Cadance: EXCUSE YOU?!
Chrysalis: Don't worry. We don't need to consummate it and I'll be willing to sacrifice my dignity by looking pretty at some of your pony dinner parties.
Cadance: ABSOLUTELY NOT! Even if we did, no pony will believe such a sham!
Chrysalis: *huff* No wait you're right. It was silly to even consider such a disaster.
Cadance: Good. Now then lets back to the possible settlement locati--
Chrysalis: I mean why should WE marry when you have a daughter and I'm planning to raise up a princess?! I'm glad we agree on this future arrangement! Gives us plenty of time to plan the wedding!
Cadance:
11320733
That would be funny. But in a way it could work out. Skitter becomes in charge of flurry heart who is a tiny size huge bundle of trouble and flurry would probably love the shape-shifting trick plus if she tries to run off she will be caught out hopefully before she creates a disaster.
They're talking, that is good.
Now we just need to hope the Celestia of this universe has enough trust in Page to wait.
shiny, she's killed dinosaurs with trees, trees she's flung at them like spears, that should give you some clue
Where is Luna?
*Suddenly Luna appeared in a massiv flash of teleportation with her Guards in smooth suits and some of Rarity quality gowns*
Luna: "Huzzza, the Snuggels shall beginn"
*Lunas fearless and damn fine dressed guard eatch snuggel up to one Changeling*
Page: "What is going on?"
Luna: We shall snuggel Chrysalis and the Stallion saltlick*coughs shortly*, for the greater good!
We know how it can feel to be alone and being unwelcome. We shall snuggel tonight, rule tomorrow together in cooperation and prank my Sister on a weekly basis from now on!"
Chrysalis: "This has to be going to be more productive than Princess of Food being angry about not being eaten out as half as often as us Changelings..."
Page: "Wait - What?!"
Chrysalis: "Apperently Princess Cadance, ruler of the Crystal Empire is jealous that we Lings get our Waifus and Husbandos to finish us off for their fun with foreplay only sometimes. Even she never managed that..."
Cadance: "That cheating, using your emotivore nature to become great at love making... I worked hard for my skill and you teach it all in schools?!"
Chrysalis: "Not my problem ponys are prudes..."
Page: "Learned something new every day"
Luna: "Huzzaaaa, the snuggels and gentlemares and Studs shall be teached us to become better lovers than my Niece Cadance as Love Alicorn can archive!"
Cadance: "Whhhhyyy?!"
*Luna levitates Chrysalis and Page over for double the snuggels*
》》》Happy-End《《《
Nice.
I love how little that happens every chapter. A few words with shining and a message sent. See you tomorrow
11320712
You are right, it's changelings, who need to change their mentality and attitude. But remember, changelings are adhering to methods, laws and traditions, that were efficiently protecting and feeding them for minimally centuries, more probably milleniums. These rules, considering highly stratified and communal nature of changelings, are probably considered sacred, so it's kinda expected, that they are reluctant to change these rules and that they don't see anything wrong with their acts. They were doing similar things for untold number of generations and they were doing it for survival's sake. It's no wonder, that they are resistant to change. Who wouldn't be in their position.
Wait, but Amber?!?
Really wish there had been a "Oh, Hi Amber, you can hear it if you like,"...
Followed by *Confused Changeling Noises* from Amber.
11320513
At least it’s Equestria, so the negotiations shouldn’t take much longer than perhaps a week and result in a reasonably practical compromise that, while it may initially not make anyone happy, both sides can at least live with.
Imagine sufficiently stubborn human diplomats going at it instead...
11320716
Sure, fine, if you consider the odd pony disappearing every once in a whole to become changeling dinner for a bit fine. Celestia didn't think that was fine, and thought all ponies disappearing during Chrysalis's invasion to be even less fine. And so she moved to protect her ponies from either enslavement or extinction, depending on what Chrysalis's long term plans were.
I'm... not sure how that's a bad thing?
11320874
"It's tradition" is a poor excuse though. It was tradition among the Romans to keep slaves, but if an Italian tries to convince me he has the right to own me because it's his ancient tradition I'd laugh and tell him to sod off. The idea that Cadance needs to let go of her grudge first, otherwise she might step on the ancient changeling traditions of seeing ponies as beneath them makes just as little sense.
11321328
According to the changelings they didn't have take anyone back then until Celestia interfere with them because they were taking everything they could back then. Now Celestia certainly didn't give much of a story beyond they had been kidnapping ponies. Now if that started because they couldn't nibble freely enough to be full and it was kidnap or starve and considering how ponies can be around non ponies I highly doubt that they would have welcomed the changelings with open arms you tell me what they were supposed to do.
11321341
Celestia and Luna's side of the story says they conquered several towns before being stopped. That sounds like a wee bit more than Chrysalis's "we were just defending ourselves."
As for what they were supposed to do, not skulking in the shadows, stealing their forms and feeding of them in secret would be a nice start. I know that if I were a ruler and I found a secret cult of alien psychic vampires feeding on other humans I'd tell them to knock it off too. And if that resulted in fighting, you bet I'm going to fight the invading aliens. Now if they were to approach me and openly to start negotiations, then I'd be far more willing to see what compromises we could reach. But if you secretly infiltrate my nation to feed on my people without anyone's say so? Yeah, I'm going to stand up to defend my people.
Which is all Celestia and Luna did, really: defend their ponies from the strange shapeshifters that were infiltrating their nation to feed on their ponies.
Now some might argue that the ponies wouldn't have given the changelings a chance. But I just point to the main timeline, where even after the changelings invaded Equestria with the intent of enslaving/harvesting its inhabitants, the ponies of Equestria still have them a chance.
1132137
Ponies weren't willing to welcome a zebra do you honestly believe the species which almost froze themselves would be that welcoming. Unless something happens that forces Ponies to see their stupidity they don't really want to change their minds about anything. As for the towns did you ever think that could have been the result of the rumor mill considering that zecora was an evil sorceress who ate ponies its possible that the changelings got caught by accident a few times sneaking around and the rumor mill started.
11321328
You understud me wrong, I don't say, that something being traditional is self-rightrousing. Absolutly not. I merely claim, that moving away from old tradition is hard thing, no matter if it's good or bad. Especially for such society as changelings. Using your own example, if you would say to 1st BCE Roman, that slavery is absolutly evil, HE would laugh you off and call you pathetic and absolutly wrong about issue. I speak about this issue, not about traditions being right or wrong.
11321494
Ah, I see, apologies. I suppose the root of the argument ran away from me a bit. At the core I was just a bit annoyed with the idea that all the responsibility for getting the negotiations going lies with Cadance, rather than Chrysalis.
"Not what I mean,"
Huzzah, the motion has been doubled!
C'mon, seriously? You just used that joke a few chapters ago.
Me: But it's funny!
🦉 Who?
⏳No, I'm not in this story. I don't find it funny, either.
Me: I'll just show myself out now...