The Wrong Hoof

by ChainGunDragon

Dear Princess Celestia

Dear Princess Celestia
The battle is over. I wish I could say that the changelings won but to be honest, it’s not about winning or losing. After a long discussion I managed to convince Prince Vano to agree to a peace treaty as well as Princess Luna. You have been out for some time so there are a few changes you’ll need to catch up on and we all agree that the sooner you get used to the new agreement, the better. I found that the best way to establish piece was to negotiate a trade so I convinced Vano to agree to supply us with the Blackstone that they manufacture, giving us a valuable resource that can be used for construction as well as improve my studies as I may well be the first pony to conduct research on it. In return Princess Cadence agreed to supply the changelings with food since they feed on love. Cadence is less than happy about the arrangement but we’ve all had to make sacrifices. This way, if either of us were to turn back on the agreement we would be losing a valuable resource. In order to uphold this agreement, Prince Vano shall become a changeling ambassador among the ponies while I am to become a pony ambassador for the changelings. The two of us shall handle disagreements between our kinds directly as Vano no longer trusts you or Luna to settle them for understandable reasons. Due to recent events, we have agreed to keep the changelings separate from the ponies to avoid creating a panic, however after some time has passed, we wish to introduce them as allies to help ensure the peace, letting ponies and changelings to become friends on a casual level as well.

On a more personal note, Vano has agreed to remain as Flash Sentry around me until I fully get used to him being a changeling. Our relationship has been a bit rocky but we’ve managed so far and I’m sure we’ll find a way to pull through. As it turns out, the estate that I and my friends stood on when we defeated Karkinos didn’t belong to Vano. In fact he had already planned on letting me become a welcome guest among the changelings and that room was to become mine. Vano has eased up on his subjects and become a much more kind ruler now that it’s all over, I suppose the stress of keeping his people safe was just a little too much for him to handle back when he was being hunted. Dolus is to earn a medal when he wakes up due to his bravery in protecting us from Karkinos when we most needed him. He was badly injured but he is slowly recovering. Vano said he’d allow Dolus to remain friends with Fluttershy and he would be the only changeling aside from himself allowed to walk among ponies. All the same, Fluttershy has been accepted as a welcome guest to the changelings whenever she wants to visit Dolus in the changeling’s hospital. My other friends have been welcomed back to the changeling city as well but they aren’t very keen to return so soon. We have also tracked down the ones responsible for your condition. Changeling General Honeyrock and his loyalists have been arrested and your help in identifying them for the trial will be appreciated greatly as you were the only eye witness. With the loss of a general and a few experienced guards, the changeling’s defenses are slightly hindered so Shining Armor has agreed to lend a few guards where necessary. These guards will have to be selected specially as some might question the order to help protect changelings, but I trust my big brother can manage that. No one has seen any sight of Karkinos after he was freed from Luna’s control. A changeling tried following his tracks but they lead miles across the land until the finally reached a beach, trailing into the water. I suppose he must have really come from Atlantis after all. They are slowly rebuilding the city after the damage caused by Karkinos but for the time being, many of the changelings will continue to be housed underground in Ponyville until their orignial homes are fully rebuilt. Princess Luna has also taken on the role of raising the sun as well as the moon as you once did for her while she was away. As you can see, everyone is pulling their weight and so when you read this, your help in calming the residents of Canterlot will be much appreciated as well as assuring them that there will be no more changeling attacks. I look forward to continuing my studies and I hope you get well soon. I’d like to talk to you in person once you’re awake, especially as to the whereabouts of changeling Queen Chrysalis. A team of changelings has scanned a wide range of possible places that she could be and not so much as a clue to her whereabouts has turned up. I was hoping you might know something that could help us.
Yours sincerely
~Twilight Sparkle

“I guess you were right. The changelings did fine without you.”

“Karkinos is gone?”

“He has returned home.”

“And what of the prince?”

“Prince Vano is to become an ambassador among ponies.”

“Perhaps I will see him again one day after all.”

“Perhaps. They are still looking for you.”

“How is Twilight Sparkle faring?”

“She’s pursuing a relationship with vano, as well as becoming an ambassador among the changelings.”

“Then they do not need me.”

“But they still miss you. How come you do not return to them?”

“All things must come to an end. It is my responsibility to make sure they can survive without me when I am gone.”

“Well they’ve passed your test. What’s stopping you from returning now?”

“All in good time. There is still something I must attend to.”

“And what is that?”

“That is for me to know, dear Celestia. As for you, I believe your people need you.”

“Yes, but may I ask, when will I see you again?”

“Time will tell, sister… Time will tell.”

Author's Note:

So somehow it took me a month to write chapter 12 but finished it on a Tuesday, then finished chapter 13 on Wednesday and now chapter 14 on Thursday. Either way, the story is finally finished! I hope you all enjoyed the story and I especially hope that twist at the end there wasn't too much. The people have voted and there will be a sequel but not immediately. It could take months, maybe even a year to complete, so if you're waiting on a sequel, try to avoid holding your breath as much as possible.

Comments

[Perteks]

Name it crab battle!

[Pseudonymous]

Convoluted plot about war and ethics.
Protagonist betrayed as a major plot twist.
Final battle against giant armored enemy.
Over reliance on massive info dumps.
Phone call at the end reveals massive plot twist.
One known character is secretly another known character.

Hideo Kojima? You write MLP fan fiction?

I find the reveal that Chrysalis is Luna to be quite a powerful sequel hook.

[ChainGunDragon]

4708279
w-... wait... first, I don't know who Hideo Kojima is... and second, perhaps I made too confusing by throwing in the word "sister" but that isn't luna... *clears throat*

Celestia says

“They are still looking for you.”

after reading a letter where Twilight mentions

"I’d like to talk to you in person once you’re awake, especially as to the whereabouts of changeling Queen Chrysalis."

The character also asked

“Karkinos is gone?”

when Princess Luna was there when the beast left, so she already would have known. She also mentions to Celestia

"I believe your people need you.”

referencing that this character and Princess Celestia do not lead the same people.

“All things must come to an end. It is my responsibility to make sure they can survive without me when I am gone.”

First, the changelings are not Luna's responsibility by any means, and second, This comment wouldn't make much sense coming from Luna since she is the little sister of Celestia, Celestia is fully capable of taking over for Luna's roles if something were to happen to her just as she did when Luna was imprisoned on the moon and there's no reason to suggest that Luna might leave before Celestia. Also, in the previous chapter Luna mentioned

"I saw no sight of the changelings, only my sister’s stories."

Suggesting that Celestia could have lied to her.

Basically Chrysalis and Celestia hatched this plot together and kept it between them two.

EDIT: Just looked up Hideo Kojima, I assume you were referencing the metal gear solid series? I've never actually played it myself, all I know is that there is a lot of stealth based game play and it's infamous (or famous) for it's tactic of hiding in a cardboard box.

[Rathalos122]

Extinction

hmm somehow I think the name doesn't really fit

but rest assured if people REALLY want a sequel... I will put in my best effort.

yes

I have had a couple of ideas for where the story could go next although it may take a slightly darker route (the death of a beloved character, not naming any names) or I could go with Gdenofa's idea of a spin off story from Dolus' point of view.

Be careful of the pov thing it can easily done wrong and then you are retelling what people already know^^.
Hmm and be careful with the death or it feels to much "because the plot demands it". Oh and don't kill twilight. And if you have to kill Vano make sure that there is a heir on the way and Twilight now rules the changelings^^

[Soft Shell]

Well I can honestly say, I had, and still have, absolutely 100% no idea what the heck happened in this story. There were changelings and giant crabs and evil princesses, all wrapped around that one twishy line. So congratulations sir, you have bested my feeble wit.