"A wedding?" Chrysalis stared at Cadance. "Congratulations!" She wrapped her dark legs around the pink alicorn. "Wait, what's wrong? You love him… he love-"
"Celestia!" Cadance leaned her head forward against Chrysalis' chitinous shoulder. "It is all her idea. I want to marry him, and he me, but it is all so soon!" The dark limbs tightened around Cadance and she couldn't help but let out a little sob. "She said it was 'for the good of Equestria'." The tears started, they began to pour from Cadance.
There was a million and one things Chrysalis could be doing, but she needed to be here for her friend. "What are you going to do?" There was love to be drunk, but it had an odd twist of bitterness that Chrysalis did not like.
"Marry him… run away… cry in your cave until everything is over?" Cadance tried to pull back from the hug but her friend wouldn't let her. "Chryssi, it just makes so much sense. She laid it all out for me and she was right, this will make everypony happy."
"No it won't." Chrysalis finally let go of Cadance and stepped back. "There is at least one pony who is not happy. What about Shining?" When Cadance shook her head, Chrysalis gave her hoof a little stomp. "Well, it is a week early… if you help me with something, I will come and ruin your wedding."
Cadance's tears stopped, she blinked at her friend. She snorted, then giggled. "You would ruin my wedding just for me?" She had to lift a hoof to cover her snout, but her laugh broke past it.
"For you? Cadance, for you and Shining I would invade Canterlot." Chrysalis joined her friend. "You will see, I am already coming up with the best trick ever. I…" She tilted her head. Twilight is the linchpin, she needs to be convinced about this. "You get a whole week holiday too, care of my hive."
Snorting with laughter, Cadance lifted her head high and let off a pulse of her magic. "Oops…" She rushed over to Chrysalis and grabbed her friend as she nearly fell down. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean it!"
"You didn't mean it? Cadance, you really are the best pony ever." Chrysalis let out a little giggle and struggled to get her hooves under her. "Okay, so the way this is going to work is, for the week leading up to your wedding, I am going to take your place."
"You what? Why?" Cadance was about to ask more but a hoof planted against her snout. "Mmfmr?"
"Celestia is going to invite Twilight and her friends. If I barge in and stop things, you can bet that they would beat me down quicker than you could say 'I do'." Chrysalis shook her head. "We need to give Twilight something to focus on, to agonize over. She is smart, Cadance, smarter than I am."
"Smarter than you are?" Cadance smiled at the admission. "I will admit I haven't seen her for a while, but that is good to hear."
"If I have any hope of holding Equestria together I need both Twilight and Celestia to help. Twilight… despite everything, she is amazing. Celestia is everything Equestria needs to run." Chrysalis looked up when she got a tight hug from her friend. "It's true, once I have control I… I don't want it all, I promise. But most importantly I need somepony smarter than me, somepony to check everything I do and to tell me if I am being a bad pony."
"You aren't being a bad pony, Chryssi. Look at this," Cadance gestured around the huge hall, at all the changelings working away, "I remember the mare who just wanted to learn and study, I remember her well. Tell me, Chryssi Cross-"
Chrysalis cut in. "That wasn't really my name."
"It is to me. So tell me, Queen of the Changelings, then. Tell me honestly you would rather be doing this than going to school, spending time with your friends, learning about this lovely world. Tell me you would rather do this and I will call you a bad pony." Cadance gave her friend a grin, she knew she had already won. "You are a good pony, Chryssi, you really are. A bad pony would have taken her drones and left, or stayed studying until the world crumbled around her."
"So I am good for taking over Equestria?" Chrysalis saw a little of the logic her friend was using, but she had to play devil's advocate, even against herself.
"Yes, you are a good pony for being willing to do this much, to risk everything you are, just to make the world better. Do you think Twilight believes any different?" Cadance saw she had hit a nerve when Chrysalis flinched and looked at her with a look that was fueled by an epiphany, she knew she had hit her mark.
"I have to protect her as best I can, she needs somepony to dislike in this but… I really wish it didn't have to be me." Chrysalis wore a half smile. "I promise not to let them marry us, even if things don't work out."
Cadance blinked and, without meaning to she giggled. "Marry Shining? Now that would save me having to have all the wedding and everything; and could you imagine Celestia's face?" She was outright laughing now, her friend joining her in mirth.
~~~~~+++++~~~~~
Scootaloo sighed in delight as she got home. "You here, lil-" She didn't get to finish, she never got to finish. The little queen changeling rushed from her bedroom and bowled the filly over backwards. "Whoa, you are moving faster and faster!"
Letting her disguise down, Scootaloo rolled on her back, making happy chirping noises with the nymph. "Had to apologize for all the bad things we were saying in the newspaper. Felt good and," Scootaloo leaned up and kissed the nymph, feeling her honey glands start pumping out liquid love to her sister, "ugh… and after it, well, you can taste it can't you?"
The bright chirp Scootaloo got from the nymph had her smiling wide. "Okay, for reals today, are you going to get your shape right?"
Another chirp was Scootaloo's answer and she watched the little changeling close her eyes in concentration. "Imagine your image, your pony self. Push her up into your horn." I still can't believe I have a horn, Chrysalis is the best sister ever!
Scootaloo felt the little rush of magic, even felt the flames of energy start to rush out. She is going to do it! With a swirl of fire around her tiny form, the little queen nymph was suddenly a tiny pink filly with bright orange mane and the most adorable little wings. "You did it!"
"Yay!" The filly spread her wings and buzzed them, not getting much done but looking absolutely adorable.
"You can talk?" Scootaloo blinked at the little filly, but she shook her head. "Oh, but you can understand me, which is really cool. Okay, if you can keep this up all evening and tomorrow I will totally introduce you to my friends, you can be a Crusader too!"
The tiny foal managed to drag herself up to her tiny hooves and bounce on Scootaloo's chitinous body.
"Now, I am going to have to get some things, and we are going to have to play-act a little." Scootaloo reached her hooves up to play with the nymph, the black, hole-filled legs no longer freaking her out. She is so cute. My own little sister.
A knock at the door shocked Scootaloo and she quickly pulled her flame over herself, pushing her image out into her horn and building her "Scootaloo" disguise. "Coming!" Lifting her sister up and setting the filly on her own back, Scootaloo made her way to the door and opened it. "Bloom! Sweetie!" She turned to the side. "Guess who is taking care of her little sister for a while?"
Two shocked faces stared on, looking from the tiny filly to their friend. "She is the cutest!" Sweetie Belle gave in first, racing up and cooing to the little disguised nymph.
"Since when'd you have a little sister?" Apple Bloom was a little more skeptical, tilting her head a little.
"Well, look at her Apple Bloom, since a few months ago. Okay, technically she is my big sister's foal, but I am still looking after her while sis is off… doing stuff." Scootaloo didn't want to lie. Technically this is the truth, right?
"She is a little filly, but you ain't telling me something. What is the truth?" Apple Bloom looked at her friends, both of them making much of the little foal.
"That… I can't tell you all of it. I am looking after her, can you trust me?" Scootaloo looked at her friend, nearly in tears at being called out on her lie so quickly. "I don't want to lie to you, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, but she really is my little sister and I really have to take care of her."
"She is cute." Apple Bloom smiled. "When'd you get so good at lying? I almost believed that one!" She stepped closer to look over the filly. "What's her name?"
Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo. No! I can't use those! What will I name her? Scootaloo was wide eyed. "That… is one of the things I have to do." She almost trembled, even though it wasn't a lie, she didn't like the half-truth. "We need to name her. We need a meeting, this could give us our cutie marks!"
"Glory Wings!" Sweetie Belle started bouncing. "Afternoon Shine!"
Apple Bloom wanted to try to pick holes in her friend's proposal, but she couldn't help going with it. "Apple Seed?"
"Her wings are pretty cool." Scootaloo turned her head to smile at the changeling on her back. "Bright Smile?"
"Ohh, that one is good!" Sweetie Belle stopped her bouncing and lifted a hoof. "Are you Bright Smile?" She pressed her hoof to the filly's snout. The little "filly" reached up both forehooves and grabbed the big hoof, kissing it.
Scootaloo looked at her sister, she tilted her head a touch. "Bright Smile?" The disguised changeling queen nodded enthusiastically. "Bright Smile it is then!"
All three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders quickly turned and looked at their flanks. "Awww." It was a cry in unison, but all of them started giggling.
Finally, recovering from the joviality, Sweetie looked at Bright. "Shouldn't little fillies be wearing a diaper?" Sweetie Belle tapped her chin. "There are a lot of things you are going to need!"
"Where would we get those?" Apple Bloom looked out into the town. "Oh, I know. We could go and ask the Cakes!" She grinned wide, so happy to have thought of the perfect solution.
"Well, I got some money, the worst case is I buy some things from them." Scootaloo stepped out into the early-afternoon sun. "I really am glad we got to apologize. Diamond Tiara was such a meanie!"
"Yeah, why is she so mean? It isn't like she always had her cutie mark." Sweetie Belle looked over at the tiny filly; her heart beating a little faster just at how cute she was.
"That's your sister yelling for you, right Sweetie?" Apple Bloom pointed with a hoof as Rarity noticed the Crusaders. "Here she comes."
"Darlings! Come quick, we need to get your dresses fitted and adjusted… oh no, there won't be time, you will have to come with us!" Rarity started to go into a bit of a panic. "Come on quickly, there is no time to waste!"
"Rarity, what's wrong?" Sweetie Belle tried to catch up with her sister. "Rarity!"
The cry pulled the unicorn up short. Rarity turned. "Sweetie, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo-" It was clear that Rarity was going to say something else, she might be in a panic but until her eyes fell on Scootaloo she was still functioning.
"Meet Bright Smile. I'm taking care of her for a while." Scootaloo smiled. No lie at all! "Rarity?"
"Taking care of her? Oh my is she your-" Rarity's brain had mostly caught up, but she almost asked something that would be crass.
"She is my little sister." Scootaloo's wings buzzed a little, tickling the filly on her back. "What were you saying about dresses?"
"Dresses!" Rarity started hopping from hoof to hoof again. "Come quick, you can help me pack!" Rarity was off again, the issue of a new filly completely forgotten.
"RARITY!" All three fillies were stopped dead, looking at the retreating unicorn. A little squeak and "Ity!" sounded from Scootaloo's back.
"Darlings, we must hurry. Twilight has been allowed to hold the train but we really shouldn't abuse that, we need to get to Canterlot for the wedding!"
Oh, I thought from this line in Prologue Part 3,
,that Scootaloo was going to be a queen changeling. Is she just a normal changeling or is she also becoming a queen?
Not sure if this story need a dark tag or not...It's kinda close to dark theme...with egg, invasion, traitor, mind control(with words) and stuff...
Okay I would love to see some fanart of Bright Smile being cute.
Also Chrysalis's actions/plans remind me of Lelouch and Itachi's, you know expect for the endless rivers of blood they caused.
7656071 Generally, to work out if something needs to be "dark" flagged, I look at how much darker than the actual show it was. So far, the only thing that is close to being darker than the show is Scootaloo's transformation. But even that is not actually shown as being something dark here, she honestly hasn't minded the change because (in her own mind) it has helped her belong to a family.
Mind-Control was something I had planned to be used on Celestia after the wedding, but am rethinking that, to the point of not presently planning to have that in the story (and even if I was, such was already in the show... many times. (it was thanks to the wonderful muses on my Discord channel that I saw that mind-control would be a bad thing, thank you everypony!)
The only reason I would rate this Dark would be if I also marked it E instead of M.
EDIT
Well, talking with others about it, I am going to bump this to "Teen" rating. There is definitely no plan for sex or explicit violence, or horrible grim-dark.
7656017 She is, but she is a little queen, there is another change in her that hasn't been mentioned (she cannot lay eggs) but she is a little queen, with all the intelligence and magic a queen can bring.
7656233 I don't really see anything dark here. Scootaloo's change read fully voluntary and seems to have improved her life in many ways.
Yeah, leaving out mind control is a good choice, it's really, really difficult to cast it in a good light and wouldn't fit this Chryssie.
Bright Smile... Too cute, heart failing...! *clutches chest* Hnnnnnng~
Something's wrong in this chapter.
I doubt Twilight being Twi that she wouldn't have been so organised as to have everypony at the train 20 minutes early
Sounds like you need a wife. If I might suggest one?
(We need a Cadance emoji)
(I can't not ship it! )
"Whoa,
Also, adorable nymphling is adorable.
7656523 Well, the problem is, Rarity has to manage dresses. Immediate three day timeout needed while she organizes to take the bare essentials. Besides, Twilight is off making a list.
7656530 Chirping changelings are literally the most adorable changelings. If Dorkalis chirped and rolled around with her nymphs... well, you wouldn't see the chapter because I would be dead of a heart attack and hyperglycemic shock.
I'm going to get a cavity from this.
7657236
Well, to be fair, this aspect ISN'T a product the AU, it is how Equestria is. We have seen one instance where mares were shown in a ceremonial role (Twilight's coronation) and they were not in armor.
Even in the Crystal Empire they don't allow mares in the guard (unless you follow my Big Mac's Duty series, hee).
Well it's a relief Cadance didn't stand that down.
Hey wait! Did they just take the new Queen with them?!? Oh dear, wrench spotted!
derpicdn.net/img/view/2014/4/1/590417.png
*ded*
7737762
media.tenor.co/images/cc91475c82154aba32b6c5bbec4c4057/raw
Had to stop at this line right here, I just... I couldn't... This sums up what I'm trying to say-
i.imgur.com/0mKXcg1.gif
Well done my good author, well done.
7658357 And it still be sexist otherwise. It would be historically accurate. If we take equestria mirroring Britain and the EU then we'll see that in the era equestria appears to be in, plus and minus some inconsistencies regarding technology, we'll see that in that time women could not join the armed forces.
Is there going to be some divergence from canon? Or will this be a "behind the scenes" kind of thing?
8691378 Absolutely. For one thing, Chrysalis wins.