February 25th, 1001 Domina Solaria
A sharp pain to Twilight’s muzzle gets the alicorn to sleepily smack her lips. She tries to raise a hoof to scratch the spot, frowning at the resistance. She yawns as she opens her eyes, slowly taking in that she fell asleep on the balcony and there’s this big blue cloud awfully close to the Crystal Castle, then abruptly stops at the pink hoof attached to her own.
Oh. Right. That.
She quickly runs through the mental checklist she made for this eventuality, only for what is probably a small rock to smack into her side. She absentmindedly rubs at the spot with her free hoof while she completes her checklist, thankfully finding no influences or anything out of the ordinary. Well, a bit drained, and a low level lingering headache. But that seems like par for the course when you fall asleep next to a changeling. Or interact with them at all. At least she slept soundly, knowing that the real Cadance is, well, not exactly safe, but not in any imminent danger.
A third object hits her, this time in the flank. Okay, who is throwing things at her?! Rainbow? Twilight zaps the goo holding her to Cadance’s still sleeping form, it dissipating into nothing. Wow, she has really good recall as an alicorn. She looks up at the cloud, eyes searching for that tell-tale rainbow mane. But instead of Rainbow’s normal MO, the cloud is cobalt on top, white on sky blue on the bottom, with a giant cobalt and gold compass rose insignia. Oh, it’s not a cloud, it’s an airship.
A white hoof waves at her from behind the railing, an amber maned unicorn peeking up. His horn lights gold, sending a fourth rock spinning through the air directly at her. Twilight’s horn glows a soft raspberry, plucking the pebble from the air and sending it back at Prince Blueblood. She gets to her hooves, noting the dozens of rocks littering the balcony (how long had he been throwing things at her?) and flying to the Lunaris Priestess.
“Ow!” yells Lunaris as her rock hits him right on the horn, a hoof rubbing the spot. He clears his throat as Twilight silently alights on the gondola, a nonchalant, “Morning, Princess.”
“Morning, Prince.” Twilight looks around the ship at the dozens of crates that cover every available inch of the gondola. “What is all this?”
“Relief effort, wouldn’t you know. Princesses thought that you might need some assistance feeding the locals. And I was happy to lend a generous hoof.” He holds his foreleg out, motioning to the city below. “Especially after I saw the shield around the city. And the Crystal Heart once we got in here. I take it you were able to fulfill your mission?”
“That’s great!” Twilight looks around as Lunaris scans the crystal buildings. “And thank you, but it wasn’t just me that defeated King Sombra. We all helped.” She can almost see him charting a map of the city in his mind. Her enthusiasm begins to wane as he just continues looking. “So, um, why did you wake me?”
“Two reasons,” Lunaris draws out, his smile pulling at his cheeks. “I don’t suppose you, well…”
Twilight deadpans, “Wanted me to carry all of these crates off the ship for you?”
Lunaris smirks, rolling eyes a little. “Please. I have ponies for that.” He clears his throat loudly, stamping his hoof against the floor twice. “You have ponies for that sort of thing, right?” He frowns at Twilight’s shake of the head. “You should really get ponies for that. Although I suppose that stallion of yours might count. He always seems agreeable enough, doesn’t mind putting in a little, what would he call it, elbow grease?”
“That’s not why I herded with him.”
Lunaris nods along, “Yes, yes, of course. And you have your assistant, Spike.” He pauses, lost in thought. “Perhaps I should get an assistant like that. It would be quite useful, I imagine. You don’t happen to know if he has any kin, perhaps from the same clutch?”
Twilight shakes her head, suppressing her glare, as three earth pony stallions come up from belowdecks, each scruffier and tougher than the last. Brown, dark gray, and light gray, each regards her like they are assessing a threat. “Pity. Princess Twilight Sparkle, meet Biff, Rogue, and Withers.”
“Charmed,” Twilight says, not very enthusiastically. The names ring a bell, and out goes any notion of this being merely a ‘charity run’. They each nod curtly back.
“To answer your previous question, I need to know where to set down.” Lunaris motions again to the city. “All of the buildings, well, they look alike, and I didn’t want to have to get her moving again." He caresses the wheel of the Priestess. "Not before I have to.” He glances to Withers. “I think we’re ready to start unloading.” The three earth ponies get moving, unpacking a heavy duty pulley system.
“And you didn’t think to, I don’t know, ask one of the locals?” Twilight points at several of the crystal ponies milling about, almost all of them gawking at the sight. Lunaris merely shrugs. Twilight sighs, pointing towards an open area on the south part of the castle, around the spot where the ponies are starting construction on a massive statue of Spike the Dragon in his Greed form.
“Thank you.” Lunaris turns the wheel, pulling levers with his magic. Loud clanks echo from about the ship as the zeppelin smoothly accelerates towards the indicated area, gradually losing altitude until they come to a rest barely ten feet above the ground.
A second brown stallion comes up, looking a little bedraggled. He adjusts the red hoofkerchief around his neck, then musses with his slicked black mane. He grins disarmingly. “Princesa,” his charming voice purrs, “many thanks for defeating the vicious tyrant oppressing these lands.” He bows slightly, though his eyes never leave her. “You have done a great service for all of ponykind.”
Twilight can’t help but stare at the character standing before her, looking every bit the dastardly villain she imagined him to be, if he just got out of bed and didn’t have time to make himself fully presentable. She finds herself falling for his charm, giggling a little.
“Oh, well, um, I’d say you’re welcome but I really did it for them.” Twilight’s hoof indicates the crystal ponies below. “But I guess stopping King Sombra from eventually invading us kind of counts, too.”
“Indeed,” he says with a chuckle. “The legends are full of tales of his cruelty and lust for power. Oh, but I get ahead of myself. My name is Dr. Caballeron, and it is a pleasure to meet you.” He sounds far more genuine than Twilight could ever make it. He takes two steps forward, kneeling down. Twilight can’t help but offer her hoof, and he lightly kisses it before getting back up.
“Knock it off, you. She’s already in a herd.” A light gold pegasus mare comes up from below decks, a wing dropping a pith helmet on her multihued gray mane. Twilight gasps as nopony other than Daring Do calmly walks up and elbows her in the barrel. “Incorrigible, am I right? But I bet you have lots of experience with that.”
Twilight gapes at the hoof that just touched her. “Y-you’re Daring Do! The explorer!”
Daring Do rolls her eyes, this time ending up on Dr. Cabelleron. “Nothing gets past her, huh? Anyway, I gotta jet. Can’t be seen getting too friendly with the competition.” She tightens the straps of her saddlebags as she flies off, zipping among the buildings towards the library.
“Adiós, mi amor,” Dr. Cabelleron says quietly, Twilight’s ears barely able to pick up the goodbye. He sighs, turning to help Withers move crates from below as Biff and Rogue operate the pulley.
“Quite the personality, isn’t she?” Lunaris says with a wistful sigh, watching the pegasus disappear. He glances over at Twilight, noticing she has a piece of paper stuck to her barrel. A gold aura surrounds it, lifting it to Twilight’s still outstretched hoof.
She glances down, reading aloud the short lines. ‘Twilight Sparkle; Another day, another adventure. Keep exploring! Daring Do’
“Oh, an autograph? How delightful.” Lunaris smiles as he adjusts the balance on the airship, keeping it from rising as more and more cargo is unloaded. “I’ve had many a mare ask for my hoofprint as well, you know.”
“Please, like you can compare to Daring Do.” Twilight smirks as Lunaris merely smiles. “So, what was the second reason?”
“Oh, for waking you? I am to offer you a ride back to Canterlot, should you require it. Much faster than traipsing through the snow, yes? Though there is a certain charm in moving under your own power.” He glances at a nearby timepiece. “The earlier we leave the better, unless you wish to fly during the night.”
“It’s such a beautiful place, I would hate to leave it.” Twilight sighs, glancing back at Chrysalis. The changeling, wearing Cadance’s form, has gotten up and is sitting near the Crystal Heart, staring at it. And… crying? “I’ll be right back.”
Lunaris nods as Twilight teleports down, the alicorn now a pace away from Chrysalis. Tears roll down the pink cheeks, her mournful eyes occasionally flickering with rage.
“Are, um, are you doing okay?”
“How does it look like I‘m doing?” spits out Chrysalis, no longer hiding her venomous glare. “It’s there, taunting me! All the power, all the love I could ever dream of taking, locked away!" She turns her head, closing her eyes and sobbing. “It is a cruel and merciless joke I would not play on my most hated of enemies. I want to leave. Now.”
“Oh. Well, I was going to say maybe you could return during a Crystalling. But you’re in luck!” Twilight motions to the airship as Chrysalis turns to her. “Our chariot awaits, once we’re all gathered.”
“Oh.” Chrysalis wipes a tear from her pink cheek, eyes narrowing at Twilight’s compassionate gaze. “It must be this form. Leaks all over the place. Go and tell the others that, um, we need all the time we can to prepare for the wedding.”
“Of course. I’ll go get them.” Twilight starts to leave, then turns back. “Oh, um, just fyi. Cadance is supposed to be going through heat. Might want to fix that.” Twilight flies off in the direction she last saw them, and it isn’t difficult to find them. It is a bit harder convincing them to leave, Rarity especially, but Twilight eventually succeeds by promising to return here once the railroad is repaired. They gather their things, boarding the airship as the last of the cargo is dropped off and the four earth ponies go on their way.
The view leaving the Crystal Empire is even more beautiful from up in the air, everypony watching until they break through the translucent bubble. The Priestess rises higher and higher, gradually getting closer to the valley between two peaks and able to make a straight shot towards Canterlot.
Twilight manages to get Doug alone in one of the two lightly furnished bedrooms, if one could call it that; space is certainly a premium with this configuration. “Doug,” she says, the human listening warily. “I know about Chrysalis’ plans for Canterlot. And your position as ‘arbiter’ between her and Celestia.” She explains the conversation she had with Chrysalis, and her promise not to hinder the changeling’s plans. “I want to bounce some ideas off you, since there aren’t any other ponies that I can talk about this with. And ask about what you think of her.”
Doug’s eyes shift, nodding slowly. “I have some information about changelings, but you can’t ask about how I learned it.”
“You didn’t sleep with her, did you?” asks Twilight, aghast.
“What? No!” Doug shakes his head, his eyes widening as he pulls back a little. “And what did I say about not asking?”
“I’m not asking, I’m guessing.” Twilight inspects Doug suspiciously, a hoof slowly rubbing her chin as her eyes narrow. “Are you planning on sleeping with her?”
Doug's reply consists of him covering his face with a hand.
“You’ll have to forgive me, it’s not like you’ve exactly held back on who you will-”
“Twilight,” Doug interrupts, to his credit only slightly exasperatedly, “do you want the information or not?”
“Yes,” Twilight says with a roll of her eyes.
“While Chrysalis may seem a monster, she’s working for her brood as best she can. Any ‘solution’ you come up with will have to account for that. She desires power, but is potentially willing to work with others as long as she sees a disproportionate share of that power going to her. For example, she’d be interested in rapidly expanding our borders and how many ponies there are if she gets to expand how many changelings are under her dominion.”
Twilight nods. “Yep, I’d gotten a lot of that from before. Um, how much do you know about changelings?”
Doug pauses for a few seconds. “So, they use the energy they absorb through love and other emotions to change their form, gaining some of their abilities. Oh, they’re all biologically female; I think, but I’m not sure, they can’t get each other pregnant, and can’t get a mare pregnant. They lay eggs if they swap back to a changeling form, but if they stay transformed for long enough they can have a foal.”
“Right,” Twilight says, nodding along. “I think if I can get Chrysalis to acknowledge the ponies as, at the very least, part of her dominion, one of her subjects, she’ll treat them as much more than cows to be milked. If she sees us as equals? I can’t imagine a better solution.”
Doug nods, a knock at the door surprising them. It opens swiftly afterwards, a grinning Applejack and Rarity poking their heads through. They glance at Doug, smiles widening.
“Oh, good; we were worried for a second there.” Rarity saunters over to Doug, followed shortly by Applejack. “Soo,” Rarity says seductively, wrapping her tail around Doug’s leg around the knee, “have you considered joining the mile high club?”
“Pretty sure in Cloudsdale that-”
Rarity rolls her eyes, “Please, cloud cities don’t count.”
Doug sighs as he turns to Applejack. “So, both of your heats, huh?”
Applejack chuckles as she nods. “Ah told Rarity that Ah wanted to wait until we were back at Sweet Apple Acres. ‘Cause, you know, that’s where it happened for me, and each of the little ones. But then she said we wouldn’t be going back to Ponyville for at least a week, and we’d be real busy with getting the wedding going.” She winks at him, drawing close for a kiss. “So, here we are.”
Doug smiles, hands rubbing along both mare’s backs as they snuggle close. “Seems like the perfect place to me. Quite the story to tell them when they grow up, right?”
Applejack smiles back. “Heh, Ah bet they’ll have more’n a little trouble believing it. Oh, and Twilight, we weren’t sure if’n Celestia would want to observe, too.”
“I’ll send her a letter,” Twilight says with a wink at the two.