//------------------------------// // This Chapter Holds No Overall Plot Relevance // Story: Of Princesses and Changelings // by Vigilance //------------------------------// “I still can’t believe it, it just sounds so absurd. I mean really, Princess Celestia dating the Changeling Queen? It just sounds like one of Rainbow’s terrible fan fictions about Daring Do.” “Hey!” Rainbow Dash shouted at her fashionista friend, hovering above her slightly. Rarity looked at Rainbow Dash with a semi-confused stare. “What Rainbow? I meant nothing by it. You’re writings are rather good, if lacking proper grammar and spell checking. Still, not everypony can be as skill at writing as Fluttershy.” Rainbow pouted and looked away. “Yeah, whatever.” Rarity was the Element of Generosity, and she was generous with many things, cold hard truth being one of them. Fluttershy, walking close by Rarity, hid her face away from Rarity’s compliment. “Oh, well… I wouldn’t call my writings that good. I mean… I can’t write adventure as well as Rainbow can.” “Not everything has to have explosions or epic battles or be heart-pounding to be good Fluttershy.” Rarity said reassuringly to her shy friend. “Though I bet Rainbow Dash would say otherwise…” Rainbow shrugged in midair. “Meh, whatever floats your boat. After all, I’m still your friend even after I found all those dirty magazines under your bed about…” Rainbow never finished her sentence. Rarity’s blue magic wrapped itself around Rainbow’s mouth and closed it shut. Rarity pulled Rainbow from her hovering position until both mares were eye to eye. The white unicorn gave the cyan pegasus a look of pure death. “We agreed to never speak of that ever again, correct?” Rainbow’s frightened face spoke volumes of the pain that would befall her if she dared to speak. The pegasus gulped. “Yeah… we did, didn’t we?” Using her hoof, the mare made a zipping motion over her mouth, smiling nervously. Rarity nodded, triumphant in her cover up attempts. Fluttershy cocked an eyebrow at the two while giving a frightened expression. “Umm… I don’t want to be rude but shouldn’t we keep going? We told Twilight that we would be at her house as soon as possible.” “Indeed, you are quite right Fluttershy dear.” Rarity replied, flipping her hair back (It returned almost instantly to its previous position so it really did nothing). “Let’s us hurry up and get to Twilight’s before the poor thing has a panic attack over why we were late.” “Then lets stop gabbing and get going!” Rainbow shouted, bolting off in the direction of the Ponyville Library, a rainbow streak left in her wake. The other two mares promptly followed. ~~~~ KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK “Alright, alright, calm down, I’m coming.” Spike the dragon opened the door of the Ponyville Library and looked out to see who it was. The poor thing almost fainted at the sight of Rarity standing before him. Luckily for the dragon, he had been bettering his constitution over the past few weeks and now had the strength to resist the urge to fall head over heels for the lovely mare in front of him (though that didn’t stop his tongue from lolling out at the sight of her… so damn sexy!). “Hello Spike.” Rarity said, smiling happily at the purple reptile. “Twilight called us over to show us some new magic she’s been working on. Can we come in?” “You can do whatever you want…” Spike replied in stupor-like manner. Rarity cocked an eyebrow at the dragon. “Uh… Spike? Are you… ok?” “Yeah…” Spike said dreamily. It wasn’t until Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash poked their head out from behind Rarity that the dragon came back to his senses. “Oh, right! Come in, come in!” The trio of ponies walked into the large tree house library. The library was, as always, the same. Books lined all the walls of the main atrium with the large circular table in the center with the horse head on top. Spike shut the door and left for the stairs, his current chores residing on the tree house's second floor. Twilight was, as usual, reading over a spell book and taking notes as she did. Unlike normal, however, the mare actually took notice of her friends coming into the library. Turning and packing the book away, the unicorn smiled widely. “Hello girls. Glad you could come to watch me try some new magic.” Fluttershy shied away for a moment, covering her face with her mane. “Oh, we would never miss something you asked us to come to Twilight.” “Unless a new Daring Do book came out…” Rainbow commented. Rarity promptly elbowed her in the chest. “Rainbow is, of course, kidding. We’d never miss anything of yours Twilight dear.” Twilight smiled. “Thanks girls, I can think of no better friends then you. It’s too bad the others couldn’t come.” Rainbow shrugged. “Well, Applejack’s gotta get all the trees from her southern orchid bucked if they want to miss the storm tomorrow.” Rarity’s eyes rolled. “And Maker only knows where Pinkie Pie is…” Rainbow Dash, who was looking to see if any new Daring Do books had arrived at the library, turned to Rarity, shaking her head. “Knowing Pinkie Pie she’s probably helping the Cakes deliver their treats everywhere.” Rainbow turned back to her book search. Rarity sighed. “True enough. She is quite devoted to them; you’d think she was their daughter.” Rarity turned to Twilight. “So Twilight, what sort of magic have you been working on?” Twilight, who had been quietly watching the conversation between her two friends, smiled at Rarity’s question and motioned Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity to come closer. “Alright, I think I’ve been able to improve on some already existing magic, real powerful too!” “Really?” Rarity asked, cocking an eyebrow. “And what magic is that?” Twilight smiled widely and turned to the kitchen, whistling with one of her hooves (how that is possible is beyond explanation). The shuffling of movement could be heard from the kitchen as something made its way to the main library room. Much to the surprise of Rarity and Rainbow Dash (and the delight of Fluttershy), Discord, God of Chaos, Bringer of Disharmony, and the greatest foosball player ever, stepped through the entrance to Twilight’s kitchen. The Draconequus had a distraught look on his face. “Twilight, you seem to be out of clam shells. How am I to make a sandwich without the improper ingredients? Ugh, this house is so orderly it’s sickening. I much prefer Fluttershy’s cottage, more my tastes.” The chaotic creature finally noticed the extra visitors. “Oh, hello girls. What are you doing here?” Rainbow Dash and Rarity took defensive stances. “I don’t know Discord.” Rainbow said, her voice full of venom. “What are you doing here?” “Helping Twilight of course.” Discord responded. He turned to the unicorn. “Speaking of which, when can I leave Twilight? My chaos shift has already started and I want to cause some chaos, it’s my thing.” Twilight waved the Draconequus off. “Soon, soon. Just let me show the others the improved spell.” Discord rolled his eyes but nodded his head, motioning Twilight to proceed. Twilight smiled and turned to her friends. “Alright girls, time for my demonstration! Here’s exhibit A, Discord. Take note of how hideous and grotesque this disgusting creature looks.” “HEY!” Twilight waved a hoof. “Discord, shh… You’re ruining the presentation.” Twilight returned her attention to her friends. “Now watch, as I turned this unsightly, gut-wrenching, nasty Draconequus creature into a presentable pony of society!” Discord grunted. “Equestria, the only place in the world you’ll find polite racism…” Twilight ignored his comment and charged her horn. The unicorn aimed her magic at Discord and fired, enveloping the Draconequus in a purple aura of arcane arts. Discord’s eyes widened and the God of Chaos writhed in… well; he just writhed, not really in anything. A blast and a blinding flash erupted in the library, causing all the ponies to turn their heads away. When the light settled, each one slowly turned and gasped in shock. Before them no longer stood a mismatched Draconequus, but a handsome looking stallion, just as tall as Celestia but lacking wings and a horn. Discord had kept his coat and mane colors. The God of Chaos shook off some lingering shock and looked at himself in a nearby mirror. “Eww… gross, I’m deformed.” The ex-Draconequus looked between his legs. “Well, it’s not all that bad.” He commented, shaking his backside in hopes for a reaction. Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash looked at Discord with agape mouths. Finally, Fluttershy shook off her shock and smiled. “Wow Twilight, that’s amazing! Is it some kind of illusion spell?” Twilight smiled wide. “Nope! He’s now a pony in every physical aspect. It’s a Star Swirl the bearded spell that was created along time ago. Of course, Star Swirl was never able to work on such a disfigured creature as Discord and make it work!” Discord grunted again. “Honestly, it’s like you ponies don’t even know how racist you sound. Every Draconequus looks like me or is very similar, so you’re saying my whole race is ugly… gee, thanks!” “Oh shush up Discord.” Twilight said, lighting up her horn and blasting Discord with another spell and converting the chaotic creature back to his original state in a blinding flash. “Oh, and thanks again for being my test subject.” “Oh, it was my pleasure…” Discord replied, sarcasm heavy in his voice (Twilight ignored it). Twilight turned to the girls and smiled. “Okay, now that that’s over, we can head out for lunch now right?” Rarity recomposed herself and slightly nodded at Twilight’s question. “Yes, now we can go for that lunch the six us planned. Even though two of us aren’t present.” The fashionista gritted her teeth at the two absent mares, whom shall not be named. “Good.” Twilight said. “I worked up an appetite from casting that magic! It’s really complicated. Only Changeling disguise magic is more powerful.” The mention of Changelings brought Rainbow Dash back to the world. The mare turned to Twilight. “Hey Twilight, speaking of Changelings, how have you been handling the whole thing about Celestia and Chrysalis becoming a couple? After all, didn’t that big bug ponynap Cadence and hold your brother in a mind control spell?” Twilight smiled. “Oh that? Don’t worry Rainbow, everything’s ok. Celestia sent a letter to me before arriving back in Equestria. She explained everything to me and told me not to worry. I trust my mentor fully and completely believe in and support her choices.” The other ponies nodded at that, believing it to be a good explanation (Twilight always had been a teacher’s pet). Twilight smiled. “Yup, I believe in her completely… that and she sent me this prescription and a free sample of anti-anxiety medication! It really helps calm my nerves!” The mare smiled as she showed her friends the pill bottle. Her smile was a small, creepy one and her eyes widened while her pupils shrunk. The unicorn twitched hard every ten seconds. The other ponies and Discord pulled their heads back, a creeped out look on their faces. Discord looked at the others and sniffed once. “Well, that’s certainly not a face I’d like to see in a dark alley.” Twilight returned to normal, she seemed not to have noticed her little psycho stare five seconds ago. “Ok, let’s go! …Um… girls, is everything ok?” Rarity smiled sheepishly. “Oh, yes, of course Twilight, everything’s fine! We all just remembered… a very scary story and it shocked us. Right?” The fashionista turned to the other beings in the room. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash nodded nervously. Discord put on a disappointed look. “Well… it’s about time for me to hit the old dusty trail. Have fun with the crazy unicorn girls, tatty-bye!” The Draconequus disappeared with a flick of his claw and a flash of white. Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “What was that about?” “Nothing! Nothing.” Rarity said, chuckling nervously. “Come on Twilight, let’s go have lunch!” The other unicorn nodded and the four of them shuffled out of the library. Rarity got close to Rainbow Dash and leaned towards her, whispering. “If she starts a collection of sharp objects we take her down, got it?” Rainbow Dash looked at Rarity and nodded. “Right, don’t have to tell me twice. Last thing we need is a crazed Twilight.” Rarity nodded. “Yes. And as planned, if she does go crazy, we send Pinkie Pie in to fight her. I’ll never understand how that mare got military grade close combat training.” ~~~~ On the border of civilized land Explosions! Bombs! Fire and hell! Bodies flying! Warriors crying! Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Stallions! It was pure chaos out there! Pinkie Pie hit the dirt as an explosion ripped through the air and caught several of her allies in the blast. Pinkie could only watch as what had once been some of her friends were blown away in a flash of fire. The mare breathed heavily as she looked around, her back up against a broken and blackened wall. The burnt gravel was littered with the bodies of friend and fiend alike, a gruesome sight whose ambience was well complimented by the black and red sky up above. “This madness has got to end!” The pink party mare shouted. She turned to look out at the battlefield before her, just as a flamethrower of hellish looking fire wiped out a squadron of fighters. “I can’t take this! I’m going out there!” The mare got up onto the rubble and readied herself for the battle to come. That’s when she felt the claw grab her back hoof and pull her down. The mare prepared an angered face and a punch for the one who stopped her, until she saw who it was. Pinkie Pie looked with some sadness at the griffin in front of her. The griffon know as Gilda looked at the pink mare. “Pinkie Pie, you can’t be serious! It’s too dangerous out there! You’ll be slaughtered!” Pinkie Pie smiled defiantly. “Then I’ll die fighting! I’ll not stand by and watch this madness continue anymore.” She took the griffon’s head in both her hooves and gave her a full on kiss, with tongue. Next to them the Capricorn Bladed Honor looked at them with a glare of disgust and disapproval. “Must you two parade your sloppy, perverse, cross-species love around like a carnival prize? It is disconcerting, and I think it may cause others watching to upheave their lunch.” Ignoring the goatfish and breaking the kiss, Pinkie Pie jumped onto the rubble once more, her silver armor clanking as she did. Steadying herself on the broken wall, Pinkie looked out over the blackened and ashy plains. The mare smiled. Her quarry had landed and was now in range for her to end its tainted life. Pinkie took a step forward. “It’s time for one last party.” A determined look in her eye, Pinkie turned to her allies. “Now is the time to end this! For Equestria! For the Griffin Meritocracy! For the Capricorn States! And any others I forgot to mention! Charge!” With that, the forces of the United Species Defense Force Against the Aggression of Hostile Dragons charged the draconic creatures and their attacking broods in the defense of all the free species of the world.