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// A Treasonous Discovery 
// Story: A Turbulent Change 
// by StormLuna 
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Colgate's Announcement

Once the two headed outside they were pleased to see that the whole town had been gathered, along with the other leaders and Colgate's guests.  Scootaloo gave the crowd a smile knowing soon that they would be not just her citizens, but her subjects.   Like it was when the last war ended and Colgate gave Dark Night an award, a platform had been sat up.  Colgate and Scootaloo walked up it, joining General Dark Night and General Lightning Storm. 

The crowd began to cheer as the three most distinguished ponies and the most distinguished changeling stood before them.  After a minute of cheering Colgate raised her wings and lowered them to silence the crowd.  After a few seconds of silence she began, "Citizens of Ponyville, leaders from abroad, my fellow guests, today is a day which will mark a major change not only here in Equestria, but across the whole world."

Applejack, who was standing in front asked, "What kind of change?  What is happening?"

Colgate continued, "Before I tell you what is going to happen, let me tell you about what led me to calling this meeting."  She took a deep breath and continued, "Just a few days ago, I looked upon the world with the blue eye and like it has been for the past year absolutely nothing was going on and I'm going to admit, I have become bored, very bored.  While I am ashamed to admit this, I was actually hoping to see something exciting going on."  Colgate knew that she could never mention wanting an enemy so she continued, "I was hoping that a storm would have struck somewhere so we would have to go and help everypony rebuild.  All I do is check on Scootaloo once a day and visit the Apple Family every now and then.  When I'm not doing that, I'm doing absolutely nothing and I feel like I'm going to go nuts!"

The entire crowd gasped in shock when they heard the Supreme Commander they hold so dear admit to this.  Colgate knew that before ponies began to react negatively that she needed to continue, "It was during breakfast that morning that I was given some advice that I step down and retire to private life.  Naturally that was not an option in my eyes so I decided to take a flight over the Everfree Forest."  Her voice became more nervous as she continued, "And while you may think I'm going completely nuts, when I landed I thought I heard the voice of Twilight Sparkle."

Again the crowd gasped as Colgate continued, "Well I heard her voice and naturally I headed in the direction it was coming from, wondering if she had somehow came back and I headed into a cave.  Well I found myself going through a portal and wound up in a completely different world."  She motioned for her guests to step forward and up onto the platform and continued, "It was while I was in this world that these ponies helped me realize that I was not hearing Twilight.  They helped me realize that the stress of my job was causing me to lose my sanity."

She paused for a minute and motioned for Luna to step onto the platform as well, "And it was during a nightmare I was having when I was getting some sleep that Queen Luna gave me the same advice that my guests and my officers gave me as well."  She motioned for her guests and Luna to return to the crowd and continued, "And I have realized that they are right, the stress of having been Supreme Commander for so long is finally starting to break me.  Because of this, I have decided to step down and Commander Scootaloo shall become Equestria's new Supreme Commander."

The entire crowd gasped before going into a stunned silence.  The silence was almost deafening.  Colgate motioned for Scootaloo to walk to the front of the platform to speak, "Hello everypony, I am Commander Scootaloo.  I have been Colgate's second in command since the defection of then Commander Shining Armor.  I have been through many, many battles and captured Lemon Hearts after she was responsible for the attack on the Equine Empire.  However, I know that I have much to learn about the executive role involved in ruling a country but I hope that Colgate will give me advice if I need it."

Colgate interrupted, "Don't worry Scootaloo.  If you need advice on the economic or diplomatic aspects of ruling over Equestria, I will gladly give it to you."

Scootaloo replied, "Thanks."

Colgate continued, "So upon one final task, changing the great eye from blue to orange, Scootaloo shall become Supreme Commander Scootaloo and I shall become, like I was four thousand years ago, Dr. M. Colgate, D.D.S."

The crowd continued to stand their in shock but one thing that nopony noticed was that while Scootaloo was giving her address, that Scoots had rushed into the tower to set her plan in motion, the plan that would prevent Scootaloo from unleashing her malicious plans upon Equestria and the entirety of two worlds, theirs and hers.





A Tyrannical Discovery

While Colgate had resumed talking to the crowd going more in depth about what led her to her decision along with how the world had changed over the past four millennia, Scoots had rushed up to Scootaloo's quarters and was gathering everything she had discovered.  While she was doing this, she noticed Scootaloo's saddle bags under her desk and thought, "This will make carrying all of this so much easier.  We really need things like this in our world!"

Scoots grabbed the saddle bags and began to put all the materials in them, the maps, the list of what she was going to do to everypony and the picture of Twilight.  As she was putting the picture in the saddle bags, two more sheets of paper that were stuck to the picture fell onto the floor.  

What she found was even more disturbing.  On one of them she saw a picture of her and her friends with a green haze over their eyes bowing to "Dark Goddess Scootaloo" and on the other she found one of the other world leaders, bound in chains and being whipped by "Dark Goddess Scootaloo."  She was appalled by what she saw and realized that this made it all the more important that she get these to Colgate prior to Scootaloo altering the eye.

While Scoots was retrieving the materials from Scootaloo's quarters, Colgate was continuing her speech, "I have seen the looks in many of your eyes but I want to promise you, Scootaloo is a lot like me.  She likes stability, she will do anything to protect Equestria and she will work well with the other leaders to keep the world's economy balanced."  She looked at Scootaloo and asked, "Shall we?  Shall we make the transition of power final?"

Scootaloo replied, "Yes, we should."

Colgate looked at the crowd and finished, "So now at any moment, once the great eye changes from blue to orange, know that you will have a new leader, Supreme Commander Scootaloo!"

The crowd began to cheer as the two Alicorns flew up to Colgate's balcony and headed into her bedroom.  Scootaloo faced the window, her horn began to glow orange as she recited, 

"While the blue eye is fine 
orange it shall be since it is mine,  
the old energy is gone as it can not stay 
with me the fabric of Equestria will never fray,  
orange it shall now be 
so I can spy upon all that belongs to........

before she could finish the spell something crashed into her, breaking her concentration and a great yell was heard, 

"STOP!"

When Scootaloo hit the ground she shouted, "What happened?  Who knocked me over?"

Colgate saw what her guest had done and was very unhappy.  She snapped, "What the hay did you do that for?"  She saw that Scoots had Scootaloo's saddle bags on and continued, "And what are you doing with my commander's saddle bags on?"

Scootaloo got up and was furious.  She grabbed Scoots in her aura and yelled, "What are you doing with my saddle bags?"  She pulled her up to eye level and continued, "Once I'm supreme commander I'll have your head for this!"

She sat her down and Scoots yelled, "Colgate, you have to see what is in these saddle bags, you can't let her take over!"

Again Scootaloo grabbed Scoots in her aura but caused her saddle bags to fall to the floor.  Unfortunately for Scootaloo though, some of the material in them fell out.  Colgate saw this and levitated one of the pages up to her, it was the picture of Dark Goddess Twilight.  This did not sit well with her.  She broke Scootaloo's hold on Scoots and yelled, "Scootaloo, what is this?  Why do you have a picture of Twilight Sparkle?"

Scootaloo flat out denied it.  She yelled, "That isn't mine!  She snooped in my quarters, she stole my saddle bags and she planted that picture in there!  She must be punished for this!"

Colgate knew that the Scootaloo from the other side of the portal would never plant things like that, much less be in possession of a picture of the most hated pony in history.  She snarled, "Yes she snooped in your room but tell me, how would she be in possession of a picture of HER?"

Scootaloo began threatening Scoots with death when Colgate levitated the other papers to herself.  What she saw next enraged her.  She grabbed Scootaloo in her aura and yelled, "What are these?"

Scootaloo yelled, "She drew those and planted them in there while we were gone!  You should know she doesn't trust me!  You should know that I would never draw such a thing!"

Colgate's voice became louder and angrier, "So, you think you can just brainwash them and become a dark goddess huh?  You think you can enslave all the world's leaders just like that, huh?"

There was one more sheet of paper on the floor, which Scoots held up to Colgate, "Colgate, if you think those are bad you may want to check this one out."

Colgate grabbed the sheet of paper and was enraged by what she saw.  She knocked Scootaloo to the floor and yelled, "So, you want to banish the other leaders to various places, huh?  You want to kill me, huh?  You want to brainwash my guests, huh?  You want to enslave their world and our world, huh?  You want to conquer the world and demand tribute, huh?"

Scootaloo yelled, "That isn't my hornwriting, she wrote that and is trying to frame me!  You need to let me cast my spell so I can punish her!"  She grabbed Scoots in her aura and snarled, "And with you, I'll make what I did to Black Feet look like foal's play.  Mark my words you lowly rat, you will suffer more than anypony else ever has!"

Colgate levitated Scootaloo's spell to herself and compared the writing, they were an exact match. Colgate smacked Scootaloo so hard she knocked her across the room.  She boomed, "Tell me then, why is the writing of your spell and the writing of these treasonous plans the exact same?  There is no way she could perfectly duplicate your writing, not to mention list all the world's leaders BY NAME and list where she wanted to banish them to." 

Scootaloo yelled, "Well then it had to be Dark Night!  I know he wants my position so he wrote that, drew those pictures and had her put those in my quarters to frame me!"

Colgate again smacked her and yelled, "Well then, we shall see what the other world leaders have to say about this.  Tell you what, since you are so certain you didn't write or draw any of this, you can prove it in front of all of us."

Scootaloo laughed, "Oh Colgate, if only you knew."  Her horn began to glow and her eyes began to shine.  At first they were orange but soon they turned into something Colgate hoped she would never see again.

Colgate yelled, "Scootaloo, over by me now!"  Scoots rushed over by Colgate and her horn began to glow and her eyes began to glow a deep blue as she cast a protection bubble around the two.

Scootaloo laughed, "You really think that is going to work!  Face it Colgate, your days of ruling are over, the days of Dark Goddess Scootaloo are about to begin!"

Scootaloo's horn again began to glow, albeit a bit darker orange and green beams of energy shot out of her eyes as she recited, "You have committed treason and that is not in season, you are a threat to me and I simply can not let that be, I can no longer be annoyed so you shall be cast into the void."

Her energy shot towards Colgate and Scoots but it bounced right off of the bubble and threw Scootaloo up against the wall, knocking her unconscious.  Colgate lowered the bubble and rushed over to who was now her foe.  She pointed towards a cabinet and said, "Scootaloo, there is a box labeled horn caps in there.  Open it and grab one, I need to disable her magic."

Scoots grabbed one for Colgate and it took it to her.  Colgate's horn began to glow as she levitated the cap onto Scootaloo's horn.  Scoots saw this and asked, "Colgate, why did you have to use your magic to put it on her?  Couldn't you have just used your hooves?"

Colgate replied, "No, I had to use my magic so that I could enchant it.  This way, I am the only pony who can remove it."  Given that Scootaloo was still knocked out cold Colgate continued, "Scootaloo, I need you to keep an eye on her while I notify everypony that there will be no transfer of power."  As she began to head towards her balcony she continued, "And I'm going to round up the other leaders and your friends.  We are going to go to the throne room to present this evidence to the others."

Scoots asked, "Like what would happen in a trial?"

Colgate replied, "Yes.  I'll be back in a minute."

Colgate flew off of her balcony down to the anxious crowd.  The first to say anything was Luna.  Luna asked, "Colgate, what happened?  Why did she not change the eye and what was that bright blue light coming from inside?"

Colgate replied, "That is something that must be discussed inside."  She pointed her wings at Scoots's friends and continued, "I need the three of you, General Dark Night along with all the leaders to meet me in the throne room.  Something bad has happened and we have important things to discuss."

A pony in the crowd asked, "So do you want us to wait here or go home?"

Colgate replied, "Return home.  I am not sure when we will get everything situated."

While everypony else headed home, the other leaders and Scoots's friends headed inside.  When Colgate arrived back in her sleeping quarters she pointed her wing at the papers that Scootaloo had and said, "Scootaloo, I need you to put those in her saddle bags and follow me down to the throne room."

Scoots nodded and while she grabbed the papers, Colgate levitated Scootaloo and headed towards the throne room.  While she was not exactly sure what would happen, Scoots did know one thing.  She knew that there would be no transfer of power that day and wondered if there would even be one at all.