Day One: (Afternoon) The Offer
Tuesday Afternoon
Canterlot was amazing. The towering buildings, the fancy architecture, and the stunning view that stretched for miles. Glamour and sophistication were practically tangible here, and all of this was saying nothing of the Royal Palace itself, a several-acre singular structure with dozens of floors and several, several towers, all adorned in shades of white, gold, and lavender.
Aslith didn't care about all of that. No, Canterlot was amazing for a completely different reason, and that was that it existed at all. A whole city, a fairly large one at that, suspended artificially over a dizzying thousand-foot drop. Not only that, but it didn't even have any enchantments or magic to attribute it's stability to; merely the excellent engineering of the original builders. Even the Great Canterlot Fire almost a century ago, which had destroyed many of the buildings topside and reduced many of the inhabitants to living in tents, had barely affected the structure below.
Of course, the Palace itself was situated on an actual part of the mountain, theorized by some to be the exact spot where Princess Platinum had planted the flag of Unicornia so long ago, and this ledge provided further support for Canterlot. Regardless, that did little to undermine the changeling's appreciation for the seeming impossible construction, and so it was she found herself walking along the city's edge. Ignoring the chaos of the invasion-turned-madhouse to her right, her focus was more on the view to the left, and the breathtaking landscape laid out before her. The sunlit fields and plains and mountains stretched out to the horizon, the air was so clear that even the more distant of landmarks were remarkably visible. Even the great stone mesas and monuments of the badlands showed gold and orange, not purpled by haze like usual.
More importantly, she could see the Canterlot Resivoir, an enormous artificial half-bowl sticking out of the cliff face a ways below the city proper. Canterlot was fed from a stream from the mountain above, but it was allowed to flow through the city unhindered until it ran off the side of the mountain entirely, for a thousand-some meter drop through the abyss and into Canterlot Lake so far below. Of course, there were many tributaries before then, and they were all directed to flow into the resivoir, where a downright snarled mass of pipes ran back up the cliff face to feed the city's running water needs. Oh, but the reason Aslith was interested was in the construction of the resivoir itself, which from what she could tell seemed to use similar principals as the greater Canterlot.
She was considering whether it would be ill-advised to fly over the edge for a moment, just to get a closer look at the struts holding up the city, when the slight pounding at the back of her head chose to reassert itself with a vengeance. That unicorn's bolt from earlier hadn't knocked her out for long, just long enough for the Element Bearers to escape. After picking her way out of the piles of unconscious drones, the changeling had quietly slipped to the edge of the city. It was only a matter of time before this foolish expedition was ousted, and she wanted to indulge at least a little bit in her ulterior motive for coming.
But that would have to wait again, as the clattering of loose shingles across the street brought her attention to a group of drones gathered in the middle of the road. They were all chittering laughter, but the Changeling could hear whimpering as well, and so she approached the small crowd. 'What is going on here?' She asked in Vespid. The drones did not respond, of course, but they understood enough to open up and let her pass.
In the center of the circle, an Earth Pony mare with a pale yellow coat and curly orange mane mane laid on the ground, crying. A couple of the drones had shifted to resemble her, prodding her quivering sides and taunting the poor pony while the rest laughed. Aslith scowled at the sight, and stomped her hoof, activating her horn. Small green bolts shot out to hit each drone in the forehead, and they were hers once more. The first order, of course, was for them to stop at once.
The pony didn't notice at first, but after a moment of silence, lifted her head. "You... you saved me?" She asked, awed and confused by the more pony-like Changeling standing above her. Aslith instantly cursed herself for not thinking to take on a disguise first.
"They have better things to be doing with their time." She told the pony coldly, then turned to her new thralls. 'Cocoon her quickly and move on.'
The mare screamed again as her legs were bound up, while another set of drones quickly set about creating a rough rectangle of hardened slime. Soon enough, the pony was rolled up tight, and the ends sealed. Though she still thrashed now, she would soon fall asleep and dream peacefully. It was unnerving to Aslith how the drones' bedding made for an effective prison for other races, even True Changelings, but it was better than letting the mare suffer.
Aslith left the drones behind, maintaining only a slight connection to ensure they remained on-task, while she herself returned to admiring the view once more. She came to an intersection, the wide road she was on now meeting with some tree-named avenue leading deeper into the city. As she did so, a distant rumbling noise reached her ears.
Turning in the direction of the sound, she saw a bright pink bubble of magical energy expanding from the castle. It moved at a deceptively leisurely pace, but even as Aslith watched, every flying black dot it came into contact was sent rocketing away so swiftly that they almost seemed to have simply disappeared.
Then she saw the edge of the bubble approaching her down the avenue, and her mind kicked into gear. She pumped her wings fast and hard, ignoring the pain as they threatened to tear, and pivoted on a dime to leap up onto the ramparts she’d been peering over only a moment before.
She dropped a good story or two before regaining her wings properly, then it was full speed ahead. If she could outfly the blast until it dissip-
Sharp pain exploded across the Changeling’s back, and suddenly nothing made sense. The sky and the ground exchanged places multiple times per second, blurring into each other, while her body felt like it was being torn apart, every little bit wanting to go in a completely different direction than the others.
Another harsh impact, and suddenly she was underwater, bubbles and foam around her while a terrifyingly strong pressure forced her down. No thought now, just blind panic. Something seeped down her throat, and suddenly her lungs were filled with water. No air! The world dimmed in her vision, the muffled sounds of thrashing meeting her ears, the taste of salt overpowering, and she was going to die, wasn’t she?
She broke the surface. Coughing, retching up, her throat hurt, but she couldn’t stop. She swallowed more water, then breathed in some glorious air, then expelled both again. Her eyes opened again slowly –when had she closed them?- and began a crude sort of paddle to keep herself afloat.
Looking around wildly as the adrenaline belatedly kicked in, Aslith saw to one side open air, while the other was dominated by a huge cliff-face covered with pipes leading out of the water. It took longer than it should have for her to connect the dots; she’d landed in the Canterlot Reservoir. She should find the shor-
A crackling and rumbling noise drew her gaze upward, where the pink bubble, still strong, had covered the sky almost entirely in her field of vision, looming over the changeling, an indomitable wall of energy. 'Oh, this is gonna su-'
Everything forced back down into the water. Head impact, vision flashing red. Bubbles escaping her mouth, passing through the shield magic like nothing, drifting upward to the sunlight that was rapidly shrinking away. No time to hold breath, lungs filling again.
And then she hit the hard, unyielding, metal-reinforced stone at the bottom of the basin, and suddenly every nerve was on fire. The wall could not push her down further, so it began passing through her. The sheer pain was so intense that she almost could not feel it, and she took a moment to appreciate that she was being crushed, drowned, and tortured all at once. As deaths went, it was at least memorable.
Then the wall had passed, and blackness came to claim her.
The limp form of a changeling rose to the surface of the reservoir, not reacting as the churning currents recently stirred up by their entrance began pushing them towards one edge. A stray limb hooked on one of the many pipes feeding from the artificial lake to the city above, and the figure jerked to a halt. Their head lolled, snout going beneath the water for a moment before thankfully coming out above it. An unconscious cough erupted from them, form convulsing as nasty barking hacks were let out, and then there was silence.
Present
The room was still, and aside from the ticking of the clock, utterly silent. Ebony chitinous limbs stretched out across the luxurious couch, but their owner couldn’t bring herself to relax.
Chrysalis was gritting her teeth, looking at nothing in particular, as a torrent of thoughts and emotions ran through her head like a raging river. A sense of indimidation and fear toward her warden battled with her wounded ego and desire for revenge, while her drive to victory conflicted with a sense of despair at the seemingly hopeless situation.
She caught herself wishing that she had some way to communicate with her forces; assuming her Praetorians had survived, she could try to contact them and have them help her escape. Even then, though, could it be enough? Chrysalis was not yet sure if she could outsmart Luna, but what she had seen so far had not given her the impression that the Alicorn was a fool. And even if she did escape, all of Equestria would likely be after her head now. And there was the matter at home...
On the other hand, perhaps staying here was an opportunity. She already had Luna believing her changelings were starving; if she could play on the Alicorn's pity, she might be able to make her way to a position of power and retake Canterlot from within. She could defeat Celestia once again, and rule as Queen!
But that was dependent on a lot of very big ifs. If Luna didn't decide to kill her after all. If Luna trusted her enough to let her out. If Luna didn't notice her plan. If nopony else, now likely looking for changelings, ousted her. And if the other Changelings... Well, best not to go down that road.
Still, she caught herself wishing that she had some way to communicate with her forces; assuming her Praetorians had survived, she could try to contact them and have them help her escape...
Chrysalis' circular train of thought was rudely interrupted by a sharp BANG from the hallway. Pressing her ear to the door, she heard slightly muffled shouting. "You idiot, be careful with that! If the princess learns we put even a scratch on her new furniture, I won't be putting my neck on the line for you!"
"Okay, okay, I promise I'll do a better job." The other voice was quieter and subdued, but the changeling could detect just the slightest hint of resentment in the tone. "But while Princess Luna isn't exactly Princess Celestia, I think she'll forgive a little mistake."
"That doesn't mean you should have made it to begin with!" The first mover shot back. "Alright, it's just in here."
Chrysalis' eyes widened, as she realized what was about to happen. The doorknob began to wiggle, and the Changeling dove behind the couch just a second before it opened.
"Did you hear that?" Now that the pair of stallions were inside, she could sense their emotions more clearly. The first one was older, likely the boss, and somewhere between frustrated with and yet very proud of the younger one. Emotions were contradictory like that. The younger was just frustrated, both at the elder's scolding and at his own clumsiness. Interesting.
"Hear what? I don't know about you, but I'm busy trying to, you know, move this couch." Chrysalis considered camouflaging herself and trying to sneak out the door while they were distracted. Peeking her head out, she found her vision blocked by the black oak door, the end of which rested against the current couch. Her way was blocked, and even if she tried to sneak around the other way, that would increase the risk of her being caught before they were done. The changeling suppressed a growl, doing her best not to be heard.
Oh, Draril strike me down, I'm going for it. With that, she twisted around in the cramped space to crawl to the other end of her protective wall. Looking out into the room from her yielded better results, with a pair of stallions grunting and struggling to gently lower a near-duplicate of the first couch in the adjacent corner. The door was wide open, but the younger and lankier of the pair was still right next to it, his hindlegs stepping back and forward as they attempted to maneuver themselves. It would have been funny in any other situation, but Chrysalis was afraid he'd back up right into her.
So it was that the changeling found herself slinking like a cat, carefully turning her chitin and mane alike into shades of tan and cream to match with the floor and couch. Fifteen feet... It was nerve-wracking, trying to stay low and step softly, but the pair were fortunately much more focused on the recalcitrant piece of furniture between them. Ten feet... It didn't help that there were two of them; multiple ponies were much harder to camouflage against than just one. And of course, only now did it occur to her to just disguise herself as some assistant and talk her way out... though they would probably wonder what she was doing behind the couch. No matter; she was only five feet from the door now!
And of course, that was exactly when the furniture ponies finally set the couch down, standing up straight and stretching out their limbs. "Good job. Let's get going before the Princess comes back." They exited quickly, looking about as though expecting Luna to appear from nowhere, and the door slammed shut.
Chrysalis dropped her camouflage, one hoof still outstretched toward the freedom she had been moments away from tasting. "Oh, now that's just not fair." She wanted to scream, but opted for simply pounding her face against the door. The blunt impact stung a bit, but her chitin was ever-so-slightly springy, enough to soften the blow. Somehow that just felt worse.
An hour or so later, after the frustration of her foiled escape attempt had died down, Chrysalis turned her attention to the redundant couch that had been brought in. "What's the point of you?" She asked. The couch opted to remain silent. Stupid thing; she would have its secrets sooner or later.
Her thoughts wandered back to the furniture ponies, and their silly argument. She frowned, mulling over their brief mentions of Luna. The Alicorn was an enigma, one she'd only been vaguely aware of until yesterday. But if she wasn't wrong, she'd detected just the slightest bit of trepidation in the ponies' voices, as though they were intimidated by the dark princess. Interesting, and it was good to know she wasn't the only one.
Clearly she doesn't want me dead... yet... if I'm still alive and she hasn't announced my presence. She wants something from me. But what? The lack of knowledge on this front... it scared her. Perhaps she means to torture me? Horrid visions flashed in her mind. Yet that didn't seem quite right either, not from the way she'd been talking earlier this morning. And then there was the evening prior, when she had declared that Chrysalis' invasion had somehow hurt the changelings as well, yet seemed just as angry about that as about the cost to her own people. Bah, ludicrous notions, both of them.
But what if she has a point? Certainly, starvation had not been a problem for most Hives for centuries now, but there was the other matter...
"ANYWAY," Chrysalis said aloud, forcing her thoughts onto a different track. She would go with whatever Luna wanted for the time being, within reason, but would remain wary. And the first chance she got to double-cross the princess and escape, she would take it. Determination fueled the Changeling, and it was with a sense of purpose that she strode back to her couch and assumed a casual pose, ready for Luna to return so she could begin her greatest deception yet.
A moment passed. Then several more. The room was still, and aside from the ticking of the clock, utterly silent.
"Urghhh! I'm bored."
“So that's what happened.” Twilight finished lamely, glancing at the clock. It had taken a good two hours for she and her friends to retell the story of the wedding.
Mayor Ivory Scroll nodded calmly, but her eyes were wide with shock. “Oh my.”
“Yeah, that's one way of puttin' it.” Applejack nodded.
“Okay... okay.” the mayor said. “Okay.” After repeating that a few more times, in a manner not unsimilar to an engine attempting to start up and failing, clarity suddenly returned. “Alright, the first priority is Ponyville. If any of the... changelings... landed near us, we need to be prepared to catch them before they can kidnap anyone. I take it the princesses have sent some of the Royal Guard?” At Twilight's nod of confirmation, she began trotting to her cabinets. “Excellent. They can help...” She trailed off, lost in thought as she began opening drawers.
“Well, I think our work here is done!” Pinkie announced, bouncing out of the door with her friends following at a more sedate pace. “What do you all say to milkshakes at Sugarcube Corner? First round is on the house! Not literally on the house, of course. That would be silly.”
“Pinkie Pie, you are so random.”
“That would be lovely, darling.”
As the group made their way out of Town Hall and down the street, though, they felt a change in the atmosphere. Ponies had newspapers out, whether it was the Equestria Daily or the Canterlot Bugle it did not matter; both had the Changeling invasion on their front page. Passing a certain flower stall, Twilight slowed down to listen in on the conversation.
“I heard that they kidnap ponies and replace them to drain love!” Cried Lily, a pink earth pony mare with a blonde mane, and one of her namesake flowers perched over one ear. “Could you imagine if one of those monsters took any of our friends?”
“That would be... terrifying.” Daisy responded, eyes wide as she focused on the blurry picture of several Changeling Drones in the middle of a Canterlot street. “They look so scary...” Her curly green mane seemed to quiver just slightly out of phase with the rest of her.
“The horror!” Roseluck contributed, then after a thoughtful moment added “Well, maybe they aren't all so bad?” Roseluck was a pale tan color, with a dark red mane and vivid green eyes.
“That's right, Rose. We can't just roll over, we have to stand tall and do our part!” Lily struck some vaguely heroic pose. “We ponies won't let these invaders anywhere near Equestria! They can't drain us to husks!”
Roseluck just sighed, looking away from her friends with a troubled expression, and in the process meeting Twilight's gaze. The unicorn raised a hoof to wave, but the other mare barely seemed to even notice her. “At least there aren't any in Ponyville. Shouldn't we get back to our arrangements?” The other two gave her befuddled glances, but shrugged it off.
Twilight trotted past, then broke into a sprint to catch up with her friends. Something about that conversation seemed off to her, but she couldn't put her hoof on it. She could certainly sympathize with Roseluck, though; the poor mare seemed to be trying to be the voice of reason for once, instead of going along with her friend's usual fearmongering. Perhaps she should talk to the Mayor again later, bring up the possibility of having a town meeting to set some facts straight.
Of course, the unicorn had to admit to herself, there was a lot that they still didn't know about Changelings to begin with. If only she had one to study...
Luna seated herself across from her nephew-by-virtue-of-adoption, a stallion with blonde mane and shining white coat; objectively handsome, if perhaps not appealing to her own tastes. But Blueblood was certainly an interesting stallion regardless, and one whom it had taken some time for her to get used to after her return.
"Hello, Auntie," he began. "Would you like a drink?" He gestured to an assortment of wineglasses in the cabinet behind him.
“No, thank you.” Luna simply said. “There is much work to be done yet, and I would like to keep my wits about me. However, if you have any water...” Blueblood nodded, using his magic to pull out a pair of more normal cups, and filling them with water from the nearby sink.
The two of them were in Blueblood's royal suite in the castle, a rather impressively-sized set of rooms. Smaller than Luna's own quarters, but not by much. It was sparsely decorated, not giving away much information about the nature of its inhabitant, which was just the way he liked it. Luna herself, much as it irked her to admit, still struggled to make heads or tails of him at times. His public image of a shallow but kind noble contrasted sharply with his 'private' image of a shallow and selfish jerk, which was completely different from his clinical professional persona, and all three were further divergent from his intelligent but friendly behavior in truly private company. And of course, he was so convincing in all four that it was hard to tell which was the 'real' him. At the moment, he seemed to be in 'professional' mode, meaning she couldn’t exactly expect pleasant and relaxed conversation, not that she had the time to engage in it. “So why have you called on me?”
Blueblood simply sighed. “As much as I would like to sit and speak for a while, I have business. I had an emergency census taken; most of Canterlot has been accounted for, but there are some ponies who haven't been seen since the attack.”
Luna nodded, grimacing. “Do you think they've been imprisoned or killed? It may be prudent to search their homes thoroughly.” She took a sip from her water.
Blueblood simply shook his head. “Already did. I ordered thorough investigations into each of them. Still waiting on the verdicts for many, but a couple have already come back with... interesting results.” He set a pair of folders on the coffee table between the two, and Luna picked up the first. The pony was a unicorn stallion named Ice Crystal. “It was very thorough, I have to say, but their identities were forged. Birth certificates, but the nurse, now retired, who supposedly delivered them both at different points claims he doesn't remember them. I talked to him myself, and he remembers every pony he delivered. Not them.”
Luna raised her eyebrow, looking over the pony's information within. He had a wife, North Star, and a twin sister, Powder Snow. Powder was also among the missing. “There's more, isn't there?”
Blueblood nodded again. “Many of their papers are legitimate, but the pony who signed off on them is also among the missing. And they, along with all of the other missing ponies, moved into the city at twenty to twenty-four years of age, from other towns. It'll take time to hear from those places, but I highly suspect the records will say they never lived there.”
“So you believe they were changelings using constructed identities.” Luna stated.
“Very strongly, yes.” Blueblood said. “Whether that means this invasion was planned well in advance, or if they are innocent of everything but some lies about their identity, it's hard to say at the moment, but my rather considerable amount of money is on the latter.”
Luna nodded quietly, not sure yet how to feel about this information. She certainly had some questions for her shape-shifting 'guest,' though. Standing up, she nodded at her nephew. “Is that all?”
Blueblood simply nodded, standing as well. “Yes. I'll keep you updated. But for now, I'd best let you take care of other business. I have a feeling that if left alone too long, the nobles will start organizing a witch hunt. Best of wishes.” He opened the door, and she made her exit.
Upper Crust and Jet Set sat in a pair of chairs to Luna's right. Fancy Pants and Fleur De Lis sat to Luna's left. A number of other nobles sat beyond them, but it was the four closest to the Princess (herself at the head of the long table) who seemed the most communicative. Well, the three, as Fleur was as quietly watchful as always.
“We need to search everypony!”Jet Set announced, stomping a hoof on the table, for a given value of 'stomp.' He and his wife wore matching frowns.
“What we need is to stay calm.” Fancy Pants retorted, tone level as he peered at them through his monocle. “The majority of the changelings have all been repelled from the city, yes? And those that remain were, by all accounts, in no shape to impersonate anypony, and have all been detained.”
“Easy for you to say!” Upper Crust retorted, voice shrill. “Our yard was desecrated by those filthy bugs!”
“And the Pants's house was heavily damaged by falling rocks, an explosion, and one of the drone soldiers crashing into their living room.” Luna interjected. Upper Crust's frown grew deeper.
“Yes, it will be an interesting experience, living in the shelter for the next several weeks.” Fancy commented. “More to the point, I think we can shift our focus from how to detect these... Changelings, to deciding what to do about them.”
“And what would you propose?” Luna asked, genuinely curious. Fancy Pants was well-known for his patient, amiable attitude and level head, one of the things that truly endeared him to the Princesses, but even he had his limits in places, and it would be interesting to see how he felt about the intruders after they had done such damage to his home.
And apparently he himself was just as uncertain, as it took several moments for him to come up with an answer. “I... could not say, at present. I think...” He glanced at Fleur for help.
“We must study,” She simply said, her Prench accent showing through. “Find if they speak for themselves or are simply extensions of the Queen.”
“Yes. It is difficult to pass judgement upon them until we know more.” Luna said. “But I understand the need for justice. They will likely face due process in time.”
Jet Set took issue. “They're insects. They make goo. They aren't recognized by any nation as existing, let alone as having rights. Due process is wasted on them.”
Luna didn't even bother to fix him with one of her patented chill glares. “A thousand years ago, many of the races from beyond the eastern ocean, including Minotaurs, Zebras, Sphinxes, and the Saddle Arabians, were all but completely unknown of by Equestria. Would you suggest that we should have denied them the right to introduce themselves simply because we found them strange and did not recognize them as citizens?”
Jet Set bit back a retort, eyes darting nervously to Fleur, who was known to have Saddle Arabian ancestry. “Yes, well,” he responded, more carefully now. “the key difference here is that none of them attacked our capital city -and your sister!- by means of introduction.”
Luna nodded, acknowleding his point. It was almost a shame that he had in the process stumbled right into her trap. “And I, as Nightmare Moon, also attacked, imprisoning my sister within the sun and threatening to bring about an everlasting night, as my first acts upon returning to Equestria. I do regret those actions now, but that was my first impression. You were all likely suspicious of me when I came into the city, even though I was already stripped of my dark powers and mindset. Yet upon learning the full story between my sister and I, and getting to know me better as your princess, have you not all come to accept me?” Nearly all of the nobles nodded, except for a particularly elderly couple on the very far end of the table. Luna frowned sadly at them, but turned her attention back to Jet Set. “As Fleur said, we must learn more before we are to pass any kind of judgement.”
He and Upper Crust both seemed to still be dissatisfied with this conclusion, but did not speak any further.
“Excellent.” Luna clapped her hooves once. “If that is all settled, is there any further business anypony wishes to bring forth?” After a brief pause of silence, she nodded. “Then let us adjourn.”
The hospital wing was situated in the very southwest corner of Canterlot Castle. The tall-ceilinged room was shaped like an arc, following the inside wall of the tower. Luna followed it around, glancing at the beds as she passed; a few ponies had been found in cocoons similar to that which had imprisoned her sister, and had been taken here for treatment. They seemed unharmed, thankfully, if somewhat drowsy and frightened.
At the very end, right beside a door leading to the back rooms, was where she found her adopted niece, and the captain of the guard. Cadence was looking somewhat better now, but still a bit uncomfortably thin, and certainly quite ragged around the edges. After she and Shining had released the wave that repelled the Changeling forces, she'd been rejuvinated and healthy... for a while, anyway. She'd collapsed not an hour later as the temporary refreshment wore off. Malnutrition and exhaustion, the doctors said. She needed to rest and eat, and would hopefully be back to full health for real within a week.
“Hey, Auntie.” Cadence raised a hoof and weakly waved, a tired smile gracing her muzzle. “I hear you've been holding down the fort.”
“Hello,” Luna replied with a warm nod. “I see you make for an excellent pillow.” Indeed, Shining Armor lay slumped across his marefriend's chest, snoring slightly.
“He needs the sleep. Been running around trying to get the Guard back in order and making sure all the... you know, are apprehended and secure. All I've had to worry about is the doctors force-feeding me.”
Luna frowned. “If they are treating you roughly, you-”
“It was a joke, Auntie.” Cadence chuckled humorlessly. “Maybe one in poor taste, though, since I brought this on myself.”
Luna's frown grew deeper. “You shouldn't blame yourself for any of this. It was Chr- the Queen's doing.”
“I know that,” Cadence replied, rubbing her hooves together nervously at the reminder of her captor. “She did bring me meals, if not terribly often, but I didn't eat most of them. I was afraid she had them poisoned or something, but if she really wanted to kill me there was no point in holding me prisoner. I was being stupid.”
Luna sighed. “I am simply glad you are safe now.”
“Me too.” They sat in silence for several moments, looking out the tall windows. The sun was beginning its approach toward the western horizon, bars of light creeping their way along the floor and up the bed. Soon they would cross over Cadence herself, and the mental image reminded Luna a bit too closely of prison bars. Fortunately, her niece spoke up once more. “Have there been any signs of the Queen?”
“Not yet, though we've got word back from a few nearby cities, of injured changelings landing nearby. They have already been detained. But no, I do not yet know where the Queen could be.” The lie was almost alarmingly smooth. “I'm sure that wherever she is, she is in no state to hurt you at present.” That much was true, the Alicorn's mind flitting back to her office.
“Thanks, Auntie. I hope she stays that way.”
“Oh, she will, if I have any say in the matter.” Luna gave a cocky smirk before standing up again. “Well, if you will pardon me, it is nearly dinner, and I have more business to attend to. Be sure to eat well.”
“Of course. And Auntie?” Luna paused, looking back at her niece. “Thank you.”
“You could try to be a little more grateful.”
“I suppose so,” Celestia reasoned, “But I'm just really hungry.” If Fancy Pants was well-known for his patience, Celestia practically defined it, to most ponies. Most ponies had clearly never seen their beloved princess when she was extremely hungry, however. “Why can't they hurry up? I'm not asking for a fancy meal, I never ask them for a fancy meal unless it's a stupid state dinner, but what do they always give me?”
The question hung in the air for several long moments, before Luna turned to look at her sister. “Was that rhetor-”
“A stupid fancy meal!” Celestia cried out. “And it always takes so longgg.”
“Sister, was that whining I detect in your tone?” Luna found herself unable to suppress an amused smirk. “My my, whatever would mother say if she could see you now?”
“Something about being grateful for what I have, ponies much less fortunate than I, etc. That's half the reason I agreed to become princess, you know, so I could make sure ponies were fortunate, so I wouldn't have to feel bad about complaining about dinner.”
“Truly, you are an inspiration to the masses, a bright beacon of upstanding moral fortitude.” Neither of them could keep a straight face any longer, the two sisters bursting out into uproarious laughter. Thankfully, their private dining room was rather small, so unlike one of the ballrooms or grand halls that could be found elsewhere in the palace, there was no worry of echoing to disturb other ponies.
“But speaking seriously, I do want them to hurry up with the food. I would eat the greasiest hayburger in Equestria right now, just as long as it didn't take three hours.” Celestia added.
“So, did you sleep well?” Luna decided it would be best to get her sister's mind off food for the time being.
“Not really, no.” Celestia frowned grouchily. “As it turns out, my curtains aren't nearly as thick as yours, and the sun was shining in my eyes the whole time. Probably something ironic about that.”
“I daresay there is.” A grin appeared on Luna's face, despite her attempts to suppress it. “Still, at least you got some rest?”
“I thought my time would be better-spent speaking with the Changeling prisoners. Except, of course, a certain somepony apparently told the guards to direct me back to my chambers if I arrived at the dungeons. So then I reviewed the minutes of your meeting with the nobles. Why am I not even remotely surprised that Set and Crust are being difficult?”
“Because it's them.” Luna sighed. “Listen, I know what this is about. You didn't notice the imposter in time, and they defeated you in one-on-one combat. I understand your pride is wounded, but that doesn't mean you have to run yourself ragged trying to fix everything.”
That was when the food finally arrived, plates and platters, bowls and pitchers of all sorts being loaded onto the table. Celestia waiting quietly until the serving staff were safely out of earshot. Then, still silent and calm, she neatly used her telekinesis to slice or otherwise divide each of the numerous dishes in half. One half was left on the plate, while the other floated rapidly into the solar princess's waiting maw, all in complete silence. It was like watching a black hole or a vaccum at work, Luna decided, but somehow more disgusting.
“One thousand years and your table manners are still horrendous.” Luna grinned widely. “I was beginning to fear you were replaced, sister, but I am glad to see some things haven't changed.” In truth, Celestia normally ate as daintily as as everyone expected her to, even when it was just the two of them; likely out of force of habit. It seemed she was either in an unusually playful mood, or under an unusual amount of stress. For Celestia, the two were likely one and the same thing, however; there was a reason she had borne the Element of Laughter and not Luna.
“Anyway,” Celestia said calmly, once the methodical carnage had ended, “I won't be running myself ragged, not with you back.” She smiled, that particular melancholy grin that appeared whenever the subject of Luna's banishment was brought up, “But I failed my ponies. I can't afford to make that mistake again. I have to do this.”
Another thing about Celestia that most ponies didn't typically think of with her in mind – she was infuriatingly stubborn at times. Probably her Earth Pony side showing. Luna took a moment to consider her response, knowing it would be difficult to convince her. Perhaps it would be better to compromise? “That may be the case, dear sister, but you don't have to do this right now.”
Celestia simply frowned, brow furrowing as she avoided her sister's imploring gaze. Luna wished she could tell what she was thinking. Finally, Celestia stood up. “Perhaps you're not wrong,” She simply said, and then left. Luna grimaced, troubled. Even if the roles were reversed, this was all feeling a little too familiar.
Celestia strode down the hall, a numb and empty feeling clawing in her stomach. 'I was beginning to fear you were replaced, sister, but I am glad to see some things haven't changed.' Luna had meant it as a jest, but it was still a poignant reminder of how long they had been apart. Have I gone soft? I have done my best to usher in an age of peace, to negotiate with the other nations with quill instead of axe and over tables instead of on the battlefield. I sought to remove suffering, both for my little Ponies, and for the other races who call this world home. Yet have I perhaps gone too far, that I am now unable to defeat one... insect.
Now I know how you must have felt when I wasn't taking you seriously. I'm incompetent now, aren't I?And maybe... maybe you're not wrong. I have to do this, to prove I'm still competent, still the same old Celestia, or else make myself that way again.
And I need to find the Changeling Queen.
Luna was glad to find the contents of her office undamaged this time. Perhaps it would soon be safe to bring her abacus back, without having to worry about the Changeling destroying it. Additionally... “I see they brought the couch in. Good.”
“I was wondering what the point of that was,” Chrysalis said casually, her head sticking up from behind the original piece of furniture.
“Ah, and you're still here.” Luna said approvingly. “No attempt to escape?”
“None at all. What would be the point?” Chrysalis lied, crawling back over the couch and flopping back down into an alluring laying pose, her head propped up on one hoof. Paint me like one of your Prench mares. “It's not like I have anywhere to go.”
“Is that so?” Luna raised an eyebrow. “Well, I just hope you keep that in mind.”
Chrysalis hesitated a moment, growing wary. “Yes, well. That doesn't mean it's necessarily any better here.”
“I suppose you may have a point there,” the moon princess conceded. “But for the time being, I have some questions for you. It's up to you whether or not to answer them, but if you won't be truthful, don't say anything at all.”
“This has nothing to do with that other rule about saying nice things, right?” Chrysalis asked, an innocent grin plastered across her face. “Because that's one I was always bad at.”
“I would never have guessed,” Luna's tone was drier than a desert. “Anyway, you saw fit to impersonate my niece. Are there any other missing ponies I should be aware of?”
Chrysalis considered lying for a moment, but shrugged upon realizing there wasn't really much point. “Not really. Collectors construct their own identities; I just took her because I needed a way in to the castle, and getting one of the princesses out of the way in the process was too convenient to pass up. I was planning to let her back out of the caves once Canterlot was under my control.”
“I see.” Luna had been pacing behind her desk, but now stopped and turned to look at her captive head-on. “I blocked the unusually high magical frequency of your horn. Do all Changelings have that same signature? And can you still shift despite the block?”
Chrysalis gave a slow nod. “Yes, they do. And...” After a moment's hesitation, she was enveloped in green fire, and Luna found herself staring at her own mirror image. “Yes, I do believe I am capable of such a feat, despite your most compelling efforts.” Her voice was by intention not quite as exact, a monotone parody of Luna's verbose tendencies, but it was still rather close.
“How amusing.” Luna didn't look terribly amused. “Final question – How is it that your kind collect love? I have heard a number of theories over the past day, with some ponies claiming it is a draining process involving your fangs.”
Chrysalis let out a harsh bark of laughter. “Oh, yes. I plunged my fangs right into dear Shining Armor's neck and drained the love right out of him, along with plenty of other things important to his continued wellbeing.” She licked her lips, then put on an expression of fake sympathy. “I do hope you thought to put the poor dear on an IV drip.”
Luna raised an eyebrow, remaining impassive. Chrysalis frowned. “Did you not hear me? Your dear nephew-to-be is liable to die of blood loss... or something.”
“The doctors performed a thorough examination of him that says otherwise. And his neck was rather thankfully free of any bite marks, aside from a couple from the real Cadence.” She fixed Chrysalis with that penetrating stare the Changeling was beginning to really despise. “So the truth now, if you please. Is your 'feeding' as harmful a process as some ponies seem to believe?”
Chrysalis rolled her eyes, frustrated at how pointless her attempted jab had been. “No, it's completely harmless. I don't know the specifics, but I understand the broad theory – As I'm sure you know, every race has magic, and can direct it with our intent and emotions. But even when not actively channeling, that emotion remains, and leaks out into the surrounding ambient magic field. We can somehow absorb and gain sustenance from that emotionally charged energy at most frequencies, though that from other Changelings is canceled out for some reason.”
“Thus the necessity of hiding among other races,” Luna guessed.
“Pretty much, yes. Among other things.” Chrysalis shrugged. “Now would you care to explain why you needed me to provide this riveting lesson on Changeling physiology?” Mentally, she added And why you're still keeping me locked in here instead of parading me around as a trophy of victory?
“All in due time.” Luna smirked. “But yes, I do suppose now that those particular questions are answered, and since I do find the answers acceptable, I can return the favor, after a fashion.” She walked with deliberate slowness around to the front of her desk.
“After a fashion?” Chrysalis grumbled under her breath, but shifted to a more attentive sitting position despite herself. “Alright, let's hear your grand master plan, oh captain my captain.”
“I am offering you a choice,” Luna began. “The first option is that I let you go free. I drop you off in the wilderness, and leave you be. You may go wherever you wish, even attempt to regather your forces for another attempt at invasion if you wish.”
That would never work, Chrysalis knew, but she felt no need to share this with the Princess. “But the catch?” Chrysalis also knew there was always some sort of catch.
“The catch is that I inform my sister and all of the guards that I happened to spot the Changeling Queen herself whilst flying over the woods. You will be hounded and hunted at every turn, and will most likely wind up back in this castle again, sooner or later. I hear the dungeons aren't nearly so comfortable as this room, though.”
Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “Well, isn't that just peachy. I suppose this is the part where I'm supposed to ask you about Option Two, like it's sooo much better.”
Luna simply shook her head, still amused. “The second option is that you are given the chance to take on responsibility for your actions, in an indirect way.”
Chrysalis frowned. “I hope you're not expecting me to announce myself to the public and beg forgiveness.”
“Oh, nothing so asinine, I assure you. In fact, if all goes well, nopony aside from myself will even know you are still gallivanting about in the city.” Luna's amused grin faded, replaced with an oddly hesitant gaze. “Though there still will be a certain degree of sacrifice on your part.”
Chrysalis couldn't even begin to guess what exactly that meant, but the way it was said put the Changeling on edge. “What kind of sacrifice are we talking here?”
Luna was actually avoiding her gaze now, and clearly uncomfortable with her next words. “I may be able to find a way to protect you from being detected or unveiled as a Changeling, but the spell may also lock you into one form for a certain period. Given your horror with the prospect of being unable to change this morning...”
“Wait, you knew about that? How... why did you ask me about it just now, then?” Chrysalis looked about in sudden paranoia, wondering just how much the Alicorn knew, but Luna began speaking again.
“But I would help you take on a new identity in this city. Live out your life as you see fit, or use it to help the brethren you led on this foolish crusade, it matters not to me, so long as you abide by certain restrictions on your behavior. I will not intervene or assist you for the most part, and will deny any connections to your persona. Though if you harm a single one of my little ponies, I will know, and I will not hold back against you.”
Luna turned to look at Chrysalis. It was not the soul-piercing gaze she was accustomed to; it seemed instead that the Alicorn was looking her up and down, taking in all of her instead of focusing on one particular part. “Still, I do feel that this path offers you more opportunities. I will not expect an answer right away, but I will ask now – do you accept my offer?”
Before she could stop herself, Chrysalis began to give it genuine consideration. Living under the mysterious Alicorn's hoof wasn't exactly ideal, and the notion of being trapped in a single form, if only temporarily, was downright horrifying, but strangely enough, there was a small part of her pointing out that it was still a much more palatable option than spending the rest of her increasingly numbered days hunted in the wild. And sooner or later, it would be more than just the ponies after her...
And as Luna had pointed out, she would have options. If she could find some way to work within the system to undermine the Princesses, or to help free the captured changelings from their captivity, perhaps they would be grateful enough to consider supporting her for another attempt... It was a small hope, but it was better than nothing. Her earlier resolution coming to mind, the changeling stood up, tall, proud, bent but not broken. She could work with this.
“Yes, I do accept.”
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- hauntu4ever · 5.8k words · 48 2 · 1.6k views
- Bronysins · 1.2k words · 20 0 · 1.2k views
- overlord-flinx · 1.4k words · 20 2 · 1.3k views
- AppleJared · 17k words · 27 3 · 725 views
- LadyRFC · 2.4k words · 101 1 · 2.9k views
- LunasCaptain · 48k words · 312 14 · 5.5k views
- Inky Shades · 9k words · 54 3 · 1.7k views
- KingBrony · 108k words · 33 4 · 2k views
Stats
Page generated in 0.149 seconds
Total duration
900 users online
340,332 hits today, 2,314,256 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Sisters at cross-purposes again. Yeah, this'll go well... moar. :D
I'm not sure why Chrysalis caved to those questions. She had the option of not answering Luna, or outright refusing.
7474391
True, but she could easily guesstimate about where things would end up.
Given the spell Twilight used to unveil that one changeling during the big courtyard fight in ACW, despite changelings being pretty new to her, I'd think it wouldn't be too hard for her to inform others. Plus, they wanted to get the info out as soon as possible, so while Luna may have exaggerated with the leaflets, but that was definitely already in the planning stages, and they did already have dispatches sent to the other towns to give them the quick rundown (Aside from Ponyville, since the Mane 6 were tasked with carrying that information)
Indeed.
7474368
Of course! How could it not?
7475298
She did have that option, but it wouldn't have achieved much but delay, and she was anxious to learn just what Luna intended for her anyway. (Plus, the truth was (slightly) less incriminating than claiming to have replaced more ponies. And she wasn't really thinking when she revealed she could still shift her form.) And she was still a bit of a smart-alec there.
What I enjoy in this series so far, is that Chrys and Luna are playing a match of fencing using mental more than physical actions.
The end game of Luna perhaps seems to be a redemption option for Chrys, one with a cost of course. Luna certainly seems to be taking her own past lessons into account. Having a nightmare in your head for so long, probably puts a powerful BS detector in your mind, and Luna definitely seems to know when Chrys is playing a game or being serious.
7482296
Yeah, the flow of information is a big factor in this story. I'm glad you like it!
Oh, definitely.
Indeed. Chrysalis is rather impulsive and Luna is rather experienced, so Chrysalis has her work cut out for her trying to pull one over on the princess of the night.
Really? I feel like it would be the other way around...
I'm calling you out on this. Blueblood's royal lips would never touch common peasant tap water. Or anything less than sparkling mineral water from a cut crystal drinking glass.
...Seriously? Did you seriously do that?
I mean, it might've worked as a joke, but it was just so far out of place...
Wait, what? Already? Just like that? Life changing decision and she doesn't even want to sleep on it? I mean, I'll grant, that particular option was pretty much the only choice, but... she doesn't even want to hold out for another option? I mean, Luna didn't say she has to pick right now, did she?
7490579 You raise a good point. I just didn't want all of the old comments/discussions to get deleted.
7490746
Many ponies still find Luna rather intimidating.
The palace's tap water is really really good? I may fix that scene. XD
Chrysalis' mind works in strange ways.
She'd already decided to more-or-less go along with whatever Luna wanted from her earlier on in the chapter, so yes.
7491256
Certainly, but the sentence I originally quoted implied that most ponies find Celestia intimidating, regardless of how they perceive Luna. Tia just seems too damned benevolent to warrant intimidation. So that sentence kind of sticks out.
But... I mean... ok, fine. Then why in the hell would Chrysalis want Luna to know that she'd make such a decision so quickly? The fact that she immediately agreed would be suspicious to Luna, implying that Chryssi either A. isn't taking any of this seriously, or B. Chryssi is playing her, somehow.
7493238
Ah, there's the crux of the problem; perhaps I could have phrased that line better. It was meant as "Luna may not be as forgiving as Celestia, but I think she'll forgive a little mistake"
As I mentioned here, Chrysalis is rather impulsive.
What purpose does that offer serve I wonder. You're going to continue this story right?
8585556
Hoping to, at some point. I've been rather out of the loop lately, and my inspiration is at an all-time low. I know what I have planned for the future, but actually writing it is another matter entirely. But I'm going to try to get back into Pony, hopefully enough that my muse returns to me.
8753374
I'm in a similar position plus I really can't write anything with the constant of the army being over me. It's like I can't even focus on writing.
8754010
Ouch, I feel you. Hope things get better on that front!
8755627
Well army ends around mid October or September. I get advanced training from Monday 3 weeks. It's not the same as American army but it's ok nonetheless.
I would take option one. Ponies would regret messing with me. Though I'm pretty sure me and chrysalis would have different opinions on torture and killing.
Love it!
. I hope you will finish at some point.
10252534
Thank you! It's one I keep wanting to come back to, but I've been kinda away from Pony as a whole for the past few years. Keep wanting to come back, just don't know when it may actually happen. But finishing this fic is definitely an item on my bucket list...