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// Her Most-Terrible Majesty 
// Story: Once Bitten 
// by Damaged 
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Princess Celestia was still weak. She tried to move again and again, fighting the poison in her system. After some time recovering her strength, she decided it was time for answers. "My sister…" She didn't want to think about what could happen, but she wasn't a princess because she shied away from things. "What will they try to do to her?"

Trapped by her Princess, Shining wanted to evade the question. "The worst case?" Celestia nodded to her, the slight motion almost enough to make Shining angry for what had been done. "The worst case would be they attacked Princess Luna, bit her until she couldn't move, and then implanted a larva into her."

Shocked, Celestia lay dead still while she tried to understand what that meant. Twice she opened her mouth to ask more questions, and twice she closed it again without knowing how to phrase a question for what she needed to know.

"Even if your sister becomes a changeling, I promise you that with Thorax's support she will not become a monster." Shining delivered the expected result for such an infestation along with her promise. "Best case would be they reach there and nothing is happening."

"You called that mare 'Sunset'?" The question wavered on Celestia's lips. She wanted to ask so much more, but the mare before her wasn't the pony to ask. Her own thoughts made Celestia smile a little, thinking of the monster she knew Shining to be as a pony was warming.

"Sunset Shimmer." Shining saw the shock of the confirmation, though slightly muted by the drugs, wash over Celestia's face. "But you need to ask her your questions. I can tell you just one more thing, she never stopped believing in you."

Celestia choked a gasp back. Closing her eyes, a wide smile covered her face while crystalline tears stained the bed-sheets under her. She felt a single weight leave her heart, and let her tears flow as a symbol of her joy. 

Buzzaloo stiffened at the sound of knocking on the door. His attention jerked to the sound of two short taps, then a pause, then one more. "Friendly pony, singular." His translation of the code changelings used for non-verbal communication was mostly for Princess Celestia—Shining already knew it.

Flash opened the door and slipped inside, Vinyl following quickly behind him. "Sorry, Your Highness, but things were a little tense. I am not sure I understood exactly, but Luna's 'guards' turned on her, bit her, and were trying to put some kind of worm in her." He shuddered at the thought of the thing. "But those fillies… or nymphs… whatever they are called, they were awesome! Beat up the two guards and saved the day!"

"Alright!" Buzzaloo flapped his wings in excitement. "Cutie Mark Crusaders, Princess Saviors!"

"Cutie Mark Crusaders?" Flash was snapped from his report by the adult-looking stallion acting like an excited filly. "Are you all just nymphs?"

Shining took the question to heart and stomped her way over to Flash, calling her magic at the last second to reveal her true form. "That is what the process does. Is there something wrong with being 'just a nymph,' or a Cutie Mark Crusader, Lieutenant?" 

Celestia, watching the "show" from her bed, couldn't help a giggle as the little changeling dressed down the big, brave Royal Guard. In truth, she was more than a little shocked as Shining Armor changed into what amounted as a foal. Thoughts clicked together, and she looked across at Vinyl—who had been keeping to herself. "Sunset might not be here to talk with, but you are a pony I hadn't thought to see while Shining Armor was around."

Vinyl couldn't help it, years of life as Shining Armor grabbed her body and brought her to attention before Celestia. "M-Me?" She looked askance at Shining. "I'm nobuggy important. I… the process of making a pony into a changeling, you know of it?" Celestia shook her head in reply. "Well, it all starts with somepony not being able to fight against the larva of a changeling. It crawls into them however it can, burrows deep and merges itself to its host." Her eyes were locked on Shining, not wanting to see how revolted Celestia was at the description. 

"I started as a horrible monster. I was that p-parasite. But I wasn't at the same time." Vinyl's voice was soft, but everyone in the room had gone quiet enough to hear it. "I couldn't even put a thought together until I linked with Shining. He… She… I owe Shining everything." While she watched, the little changeling that was her other half walked towards her. Shining's hug might have been small, but to Vinyl it meant everything. "Everything about me from before then is Shining. When I think back to being a foal, I remember being him.

"Shining Armor was the pony that grew up, though, not me." Vinyl rubbed her hoof along Shining's back, careful to stroke the nymph's crest properly. "I was only actually born today. I guess this is my birthday…" 

Celestia fought the poison in her system like she hadn't before. Even the thought of her own sister becoming a changeling hadn't moved her as much. In the back of her mind she theorized that there was a vast difference between desire for revenge and for wanting to protect somepony innocent. Climbing from the bed where she had lain for days, Princess Celestia reached Vinyl's side, and extended a wing. "It is your birthday, and I am sorry that it has to be this way, but tomorrow is important for all of Equestria."

Shining and Vinyl stared at Celestia. The alicorn towered above them, and despite her fragile situation, she seemed like she could carry the weight of Equestria on her back. 

"We need to sleep." Shining felt tiny in the room, but didn't care. She looked around for a place to sleep, and was promptly plucked off her hooves in golden magic. "P-Princess?" Celestia climbed back up onto her bed and settled Shining in beside her.

"Anypony else may join us." Celestia looked at Flash and shook her head a fraction. He returned an equally small nod.

"I would love to, Princess, but I think I might relieve our door guard." Flash Sentry opened the door and looked at the two surprised "Royal Guard" standing with their backs to him. "Head inside and get some sleep." When neither moved to obey, Flash drew up his best command voice. "Now, cadets!"

Adore and Apple Blossom scrambled to move, and got all the way inside the room before they realized that Flash had somehow tricked them. 

Vinyl giggled at the bewildered look on the two Crusaders. "Come on, get rid of your disguises so there is more room." Following her own example, Vinyl cast off her shape and jumped up onto the bed. 

Celestia felt more little warm bodies crowd against her. "Good night, everypony." Just the little effort she had put into getting up and showing Vinyl some kindness had sapped her strength. Reaching out, she banished the light in the room.





Knocking at the door startled Sweetie Belle awake first. Poking her head up from where she had been curled up in a pile with her fellow Crusaders—against Thorax's side—she heard the unique tap-code for, 'Friendly, six of us.' Her thoughts raced, and she realized that unless the other Crusaders had abandoned Princess Celestia, there would not be six outside. "Wake up." She began poking snouts relentlessly, trying to ignore the rapping on the door.

Thorax startled awake while staring down the short, hole-filled foreleg of Sweetie Belle. Focusing on the nymph's face, she could see concern. "What's wrong?" The rapping on the door came again, and she got up. "It won't be convincing taking all Chrysalis' drones. Sunset?" She gently rocked her twin's shoulder with a hoof. When Sunset's eyes opened, Thorax continued. "You need to pretend to be one of the guards, disguised as Luna."

"Okay." Sunset called her power and forced it to wash the pattern of Luna over her black chitin. Stretching, she realized she had wings and a horn to worry about. "Got it, who else?"

"Sweetie Belle, you are the most awake. You can be changeling guard number two." Seeing Sweetie already nodding, Thorax looked to the other nymphs—who were just waking up. "Everybuggy else with me."

Sweetie looked at the drones her queen had "captured," and picked one. The memory of the Royal Guard disguise they had used was pushed out and over her, rebuilding her body to resemble the image perfectly. "Got it too." She lifted her hoof to Sunset, and got a firm clop back. 

"What about us?" Luna had struggled awake, and looked between the changelings still in her room.

"They will expect you to be drugged." Sweetie Belle took charge, surprising even herself. "Having a parasail inside you—"

"Parasite." Sunset couldn't stop herself from correcting Sweetie.

"Right, one of them. When it is in you, at first, you can't stop obeying commands." Sweetie explained the situation as best she could. "So whenever we tell you something, just do it, okay?"

Sunset left Princess Luna and Sweetie Belle to the quick acting lesson, and approached the door. The tapped code came again, only now it was more like somepony trying to bash the door down. Wearing her guise as Princess Luna, Sunset unlatched the door. 

Luna, the real one, slumped onto the bed just in time. She made sure she could see the changelings at the door as they marched in.

"Why did it take you so long to answer, Your Highness?" Sting looked around the three occupants of the room. When he saw two Lunas, he smiled. "No matter. The task is done? You have compromised the only capable princess of Equestria?"

Sweetie embraced the confidence and forwardness of the Royal Guard he resembled. "Well of course. Do you think we are as incompetent as nymphs or something?" Pointing one iron-shod hoof at Luna, Sweetie cleared his throat. "Princess Luna can't speak anymore, but I bet she just loves jumping up and down on one hoof."

Luna's confusion painted the picture perfectly, although as she moved up and off the bed, she knew she was about to make a spectacle of herself. She shot a foul look around the room, and despite still being weak from the poison, began to hop.

"You can stop now." Sweetie Belle managed to hide his face from the "guests" and gave Luna an apologetic smile. "Lay back down on the bed, pony."

Sunset thought they had done it, and were clear. But just as she was getting excited inside, her heart ran ice cold. Shining Armor, or a pony that looked just like him, walked into the room with obvious disdain for everything in it. 'Chrysalis!' Sunset thought, knowing that the real Shining Armor would first check on the fallen princess on the bed.

"Well, well, well." Chrysalis arched his neck, looking as regal as he could in the stallion's form. "Another princess at my mercy, and the first that will be under my hoof completely." He flicked his head to what he thought was one of his own drones disguised as Luna. "Take two guards with you, prepare for the day. I trust you have learned your role well?"

A surety of purpose filled Sunset. She stared at Queen Chrysalis and bowed deeply. "Of course, my queen." Biting down on any further words, Sunset was struggling with the need to tell Chrysalis everything, absolutely everything. She gave one last glance at Sweetie Belle and almost cried as she left the nymph to the monster in the room.

"Another of the things dear Celestia holds dear." Chrysalis licked his lips in anticipation. "I have been waiting for this moment. Do you know what I did to Sunset Shimmer, Princess Celestia's personal student?" 

Luna's heart was thudding in her throat. Her every sense screamed for her to get up and run, fight, or both. Opening her lips, her dry mouth only let her croak softly.

"My queen." Sweetie Belle just about trembled in terror. "M-M-My Queen!" When Chrysalis' full attention turned on Sweetie, he did the only thing he could think of: he rambled. "We were playing with the Princess, and we told her she can't talk, and then Bite… Bite said we should make her lick our hooves clean and then we—"

"I see." Chrysalis cut the babbling drone off. He was used to fresh 'lings losing themselves in his presence, and wrote the drone off as young. "Very well. Guard her, don't let her come to any harm… or I will flay you." Diverting his attention back to Luna, Chrysalis showed off fangs he hadn't bothered to shapechange away. "Later, I will devour everything you hold dear."

Watching Chrysalis stomp from the room, Sweetie Belle couldn't shake the terror that he had been instilled with. His blood was icy in his veins. "Thhhh-Thorax… Help..."