When Chrysalis, former queen of the changelings, is finally found, it seems something strange has happened to her. The once proud and noble queen now has cats. A lot of cats.

(An idea based off of a brief conversation with YuGiOh Brony in the comments of A Changeling at the Breakfast Table. However, the two stories are in no way connected. So while I might encourage others to read it as a way to shamelessly plug myself, there is no need to in order to enjoy this story.)

(Now with a dramatic reading: here)

Rainbow Dash wants to hangout with Pinkie. Always-up-for-fun Pinkie Pie. Except just right now on this particular day she's not. She's lurking under her blankets and grumbling. Not just a day, but a grumpy day.

Well.

Rainbow Dash can't be having with this sort of thing. Time to give Pinkie Pie a piece of her mind.

Pinkie Pie reads a newspaper headline warning of an increase in the price of hugs. Now she has to track down all her friends and give them a final, free hug before she can’t afford them anymore!

A lighthearted tale of ponies, hugs, and the socio-economic implications of monetizing physical expressions of companionship in a post-capitalist society.

Twilight copes.

Five years ago, Nightmare Moon returned to Equestria and took it by storm. She imprisoned her sister in the moon, and Equestria fell into an Age of Darkness. She ruled with an iron hoof; her word became law. The Mare in the Moon became a grim reminder of what happened to those who opposed the new tyrant, and nopony dared oppose.

Except for one aspiring unicorn.

Twilight Sparkle, a mare shackled by the failures of her past, prowls the ruins of the old capital Canterlot, praying for a spell that can right what has been so horribly wronged. Buried beneath the rubble of the Royal Library, she finds a tome that might be the answer to her prayers.

A "Warrior of Sunlight"; surely he will be able to overthrow the wicked tyrant and restore Celestia to her rightful throne. Twilight can almost see the sun returning over the horizon. She just didn't expect this warrior to be so... jolly.

Set in Starlight's "alternate future" where Nightmare Moon reigns.

Audio reading by Skijarama

Being the Royal Advisor for Celestia and Luna, you've come up with solutions for many of the nation's problems.

Unfortunately you said a naughty word in front of a guard. Seeing as how these ponies are extremely sensitive, you lie your way out of it.

The events that follow could only be described as "completely stupid".

Rated Teen for naughty words being said.

Thanks to Zephyr for editing.

Featured within 1 hour and 30 minutes on Aug 12, 2015. Thank you guys so much!

Good thing I was reading this on the toilet, because this story made me lose my shit. -LeoneHaxor

When a freak reading accident causes Twilight to be admitted to the Ponyville hospital, Rainbow Dash is right by her side. Compelled by a sense of duty and repayment, she takes it upon herself to cheer up her friend.

During a lull in the conversation at an upper class charity dinner, Rarity takes a moment to contemplate some commonly held assumptions made of Princess Celestia. Specifically, her table manners.

Rarity has always believed that there exists a prince for every princess. And she's not wrong about that. She's just not right for quite the exact reasons she thinks she is.

Failing once in her attempt to take Canterlot and failing again in her attempt to take down Twilight, one would think Chrysalis would have cut her losses and let things be, but the queen has once again appeared, this time in broad daylight with no disguise and no army. Her weapon of choice? Diplomacy.

Now Twilight is having to deal with the changeling queen, but surely putting up with her antics will be worth the knowledge she's willing to provide about her mysterious race and the potential undiscovered agents still within their midst...right?

Takes place before Magical Mystery Cure and diverges from there.

With thanks to MisterGunpowder for proofreading and editing.

Revision History:

05/09/2015: Chapter 1 updated with millions of little corrections.
05/20/2015: Chapter 2 revised and edited with another million small and large corrections.
06/12/2015: Chapter 3 given a thorough editing and revision.
06/23/2015: Chapter 4 taken to the gutter and edited twice to be sure.
07/14/2015: Chapter 5 thoroughly brutalized with the editing stick.
08/03/2016: Chapter 6 finally edited. Yes, I'm still alive, dammit.
09/29/2016: Chapter 7 fell out of the editing tree and hit every editing branch on the way down.
10/26/2016: Chapter 8 has emerged from the editing emergency room.
11/17/2016: Chapter 9 found and edited. No casualties reported.
11/30/2016: Chapter 10 treated for whiplash after lightning fast editing.
12/22/2016: Chapter 11 edited. Chrysalis shot first.
01/17/2017: Epilogue edited. Time to hit the cider.