Chrysalis turned to meet their new company. The darkness and dust obscured their arrival. Angel spoke out in their direction.
“Announcing Princess Luna, Co-ruler of Equestria and current ambassador. Who goes there? Rise and present yourself!”
Before the dust finished settling Chrysalis whispered to Pinkie.
“Change back to your pony form. It will be hard enough to explain without a misunderstanding.”
“Yes my queen.”
The cloud settled and the queen of the changelings wobbled up.
“You there. Guard. Who did you say was here? Did you say Luna?” Her normally bright-green eyes were a pale grey. “She was banished over a thousand years ago! Why is she here?”
Angel continued to speak.
“You will address her as Princess Luna. Her highness has returned to us not three years ago.”
Finally the dust had settled and Luna could see her and Pinkie. Her eyes went wide and she started blubbering. Running forward past her guards she met the queen and started sniffing all along her form.
“Princess, wait! That is the enemy!”
“No, this is my sister.”
Pinkie’s exuberant background bouncing had stopped and she started to vibrate with excitement. Angel’s jaw went slack and nigh hit the floor. Molly’s wings flared out accidentally. All at once they started to jabber in varying degrees of excitement. Molly started talking to herself making battle plans and schedule readjustments on account of the new princess. Angel yelled at the ground about how this was wrong, and that Luna was obviously not in the right state of mind. Pinkie was actually jumping on and off Chrysalis’s back while talking about a “one-thousand year long reuniting party,” and gibbering about all the party planning she’d get to do. Through the ruckus, Crystal cleared her throat in a pitiful attempt to get their attention. Looking to the royalty gave no answers either. They were both silent and had their necks locked. Sighing, she belted out as a pastor would.
“Attention! Gather thee round and I’ll explain everything! About how Nightmare Moon came to be! How the princess of harmony fell from grace, and the broken heart of Celestia!”
The three of them warped to her feet quicker than she’d thought. She smirked.
“Still got it.”
Clapping her fore hooves together she started pacing. After a time she jumped back on her hind legs and regaled them with lost history.
“A long time ago there were three ponies of untold power. The eldest brought the sun and order to the land. The youngest brought the night and respite to those who dwelled within. The middle princess, though, was the most important. She oversaw the harmony between them. The eldest favored the unicorns as they were the most powerful. The youngest loved the pegasi for their love of the sky and stars above. The middle sister found the earth ponies to be so loving of creating and the natural way. With this came some strife. No pony wanted to be separated into class and began to fight for the top spot. The eldest, Celestia, wanted to force them to get along, but Luna, the youngest, desired something quite different. As time had passed Luna got tired of the pain of all the ponies and began to think. During the warring era she saw all the ponies sleeping through her night. The disorder was so great that no homes could be built and they all slept cold, miserable lives. She wondered if it wasn’t too late for them. If she could create everlasting night, then either the races would unite and come together or die and she could try again. In the annals of history we see that Celestia banished her to the moon to save the ponies her own way. With the youngest sister gone no pony would stop her from uniting the three pony races into one.
What the books have lost is what happened to the younger sister. Furious with her sister’s banishment and disillusioned by the hate and sadness of her ponies she left Equestria to the beyond. So angry with the world around her she tried to create an army to take control of equestria to run it her way. With neither the sun or the moon only the creatures she created could survive. From her we have manticores, griffons, chimaeras, even hydras to thank for. Celestia was no fool, however. Having united the pony races she told them to fight the soon forgotten middle sister. Even with the new army she was no match for the sun and her incensed ponies. Defeated and leaving behind a ravaged world she was very close to dying. Perhaps an act of hubris or pure love no one knows, but she saved her younger sister from death. This was not without a catch though. For her anger against ponykind she would be made a mockery of them. She was made to have to eat the love of her former enemies to learn dependency and humility from doing so. Locked away in the furthest reach of the world all alone she created her empire anew. This one was filled with culture, love and understanding. Still, though, her creations could not feed from one another and became black and withered. Shunned by the world that made them they could only stare across the sea at the ponies whose lives were so easy. Eventually they learned to sail and fly and become their own might. The middle sister sat upon her throne and saw her subjects grow hungry and sad. This time she would not let them die. Gathering them up she shone her horn and in one small moment created true harmony. The purity of her ponies’ collective thoughts and emotions shone in a new era of understanding and peace. Those who could traverse beyond the seas would bring back love from the world around them to bring it back for the ones at home to feed. No one was alone again.
The world around them was then in peace. Such an affront as the changelings stealing their happiness was too much. We sent out in peace our best speakers and historians to Equestria. We had hoped an understanding could be reached. They never returned. Soon we were hungry again. No foals would live without sustenance, and so we buried them. Even then we were laughed at cruelly by the fates who designed us to die as ponies but live as monsters. Our people were dying now. Our queen knew what she could do. By adding yet another sin to her long life she took control of our strongest and led an attack on Equestria’s capitol. Only our queen came back alive as our people were thrown across the world back home. We were lost then until our queen spoke to those of us who were left. She told us that she would shepherd us into the afterlife. Those of us who wanted to be real ponies again could. The rest of us would be joined with the stars to share in the beauty of the sky sea. Not a single one of us picked the former. We settled down to die. The few of us left either gathered with the queen to share their love until the end or settled down with their loved ones. Thats the tale of how the changeling race came to end. How three sisters became one. How some who are cursed make the best of what they have.”
No sooner had her front right hoof clopped down back on the solid ground did Pinkie, mouth full of popcorn, raise her hoof and bombarded Crystal with questions.
“But you’re still alive aren’t you? You said you all died but here you are! Ah! Are you a zombie pony? Who was the middle sister? How come Luna and Chryssy are hugging? Oh! Was she her? In the middle I mean? Omigosh, I can’t wait to throw the biggest party ever!”
Surely expecting something else when she opened her eyes, Crystal looked around and took in the scene. Angel was fuming and looked ready to kill her any second. Pinkie was hopping between the royalty and back firing off party ideas seemingly at random. She smiled at Molly’s reaction though. Sitting on her hindquarters she seemed to be lost in thought. Soon enough, though, Angel started screaming at her.
“How dare you say those things about my, er, our princess? I’ll teach you to lie like that!”
Looking to his left at Molly, ostensibly for support, he found only a softly disapproving frown. Towards Luna he saw the pair begin to separate and look at him incredulously. Luna glared at him and shook her head. Her voice was as deep as the cave.
“You’ll not harm a fellow citizen of Equestria on Our watch. Stand down guard.”
Everyone looked at her wide-eyed.
“From this moment henceforth all those in the changeling empire, alive or dead, are welcomed freely as citizens.”
Angel’s rebuttal died as he looked at the princess of the night completely aglow. As she ascended towards the unseeable roof her eyes shone with moonlit night.
“For a thousand years we’ve watched the growth of our ponies. Here was always a part I couldn’t see, and now we know. With all my power I decree the second great pony sister be given full title and respect!”
Pinkie flipped a hoof over and spoke up like she was blowing the words out of her hoof.
“But what should we call her? Princess Chryssy? Princess Bugbutt? Queen Holey-Moley?”
She was laughing now and thinking up even more names yet more ridiculous than the last. Still up in the air Luna sent out another decree to shake the very sea.
“We shall call her Sister! You shall ask her or face my wrath!”
Crystal looked around helplessly. She was hoping the saviors of her race would be more tactful. Seeing her queen standing up without help brought a smile to her face, and she trotted over. Chrysalis embraced her without a second thought and started swinging her around.
“Look! We’re saved! Oh joy of joys.” She brought her face closer to her subject’s, and whispered. “ Now we have to play along or they’ll kill us while we’re weak. This is the only opportunity we’ll have so keep your wits about you.”
Set down and dizzy she span around helplessly. From the other side of the room Pinkie stopped bouncing shortly to hear her stomach rumble. Chrysalis stepped aside and smiled. Her intent of grabbing the spastic pony’s attention failed with soft words she tried again.
“Hey! Get over here now! Your queen demands it!” She looked chuffed and tried again, this time with a wax smile. “Please youngling, come over here so I can feed you. You must be hungry.”
The light from Luna’s still lit eyes followed her to the queen.
“Thanks to my sister,” She looked up into Luna’s headlights and tried not to squint. “We have enough energy to feed you both. Lower your heads.”
Crystal’s quick acquiescence was matched only by Pinkie’s frantic headbobbing as she still marched out ideas for some sort of world-wide party event. Chrysalis’s horn glowed and she sent out the love energy she got from Luna. Filling up an almost starved changeling along with a pony twenty-one years deprived with love was a lot more than she expected. Not one to skimp on her subjects she filled them up before nodding off. For Crystal this was akin to jumping in an oasis after a week in the desert, and smiled vacantly at the ceiling. For Pinkie, though, Her normally poofy hair went positively dynamic. Her loss of “focus” meant her already poorly maintained disguise went out the window as she started jumping around haphazardly. Her exuberance was noted further by Angel’s angry outburst.
“Look! We haven’t been here for more than ten minutes and she’s already brainwashed and fed off of the Princess! She even turned a helpless pony into one of her minions! We can’t let this stand! Molly help me out here!”
Her face blank she kept staring off into the distance.
“We don’t really know what’s happening. We should use caution and advance further one step at a time.”
Angel’s blustering was halted prematurely by Chrysalis.
“I agree with the sensible guard. Sister, while I appreciate what you’ve done for me, I don’t really know if what you say is possible. I, Chrysalis, propose my joining you. Perhaps then when we go to meet Celestia we can smooth things over together. Also can you please turn your hi-beams off? They’re starting to hurt my eyes.”
“Of course we can! Watch!” Nothing happens. “Well, what do you want? I’m just too happy to turn them off!”
At that Chrysalis started laughing joyfully. Pinkie was soon to join in followed closely by more than a few chuckles from Crystal. Molly’s stoic frown soon curled up a bit, but no sound was heard from her. Angel couldn’t believe his eyes.
“There’s gotta be something wrong with this! I’m gonna tell Celestia the first chance I get.”
Angel’s internal thoughts were broken when Chrysalis again spoke up.
“I’ve spent too long down here. I will be back for a proper burial later. Once I have had time to think about how, or if, I should I’ll return. We should go outside. There’s the whole of Equestria to plan for.”
Luna flew down and touched Chrysalis’s flank.
“Nope! You’re coming with me on a trip across the world first! You’re it!”
Luna zoomed off before she could respond. Her membranous wings flared out and he huffed.
“I made these caves! You’ll never beat me little sis!” She too zoomed off towards the natural skylight above. The now uncomfortable silence following their departure got oppressive. Both Molly and Angel were staring in varying degrees of intensity at Crystal and Pinkie. Crystal started hovering.
“Come on Pinkie, lets get out of here.”
She cocked her head.
“How? I don’t have wings.”
Now crystal was exasperated.
“Yeah you do. At least now you do.”
With that she buzzed off. Pinkie flexed her newfound and still wet wings. With much less grace she wobbled up after Crystal.
Alone now Molly strode up to Angel. A quick and unreturned kiss later she beat her svelte, leathery wings to circle up unhindered. Angel sighed and flew up unceremoniously after his mate.
“I just don’t know what to do.”
The heat scorched their hides on their ascent. The midnight sun bore down from the aether. Changelings do not sweat, but only a short time after their arrival did all three of them begin to blanche. Luna motioned for Molly and Angel to retrieve the carriage. Now that they had left Chrysalis brought her hoof up to her chest.
“Our wings are too fragile to fly over the sea. We three will take the pride of our navy.”
Both Pinkie and Crystal were too subdued by the heat to put in much response. Luna seemed as cool as ever. The air around her perpetually steamed. Sweeping her hoof across the sea behind them Luna spoke.
“We ride together now. We sail for the Griffin High-rock.”
Molly and Angel now returned and appraised they all walked towards the beach. A fleet of schooners sat docked beneath the inlet. Pinkie cocked her head and quoth Chrysalis.
“But I wanted to ride together! These boats are all too small! Do you have a bigger one?”
Chrysalis was quick to respond.
“Of course I have another one. Did you think the great empire of the changelings would not be able to build a bigger and better boat?”
Her buzzing laughter funneled far out to sea as they walked. Now with Luna, Pinkie and Crystal piled in the carriage behind the bat guards the procession was rather one-sided. Coming down into the inlet proper they saw a boat massive enough to carry thousands of ponies. Everyone but Chrysalis looked shocked. Turning around she broke into a sing-song flittering noise.
“Here it is! The marvel of Changeling craftsmanship! I call her the Broken Elegance!”
Through some unseen command the ship bobbled forward out into the cove proper. The quad diamond blades in the back coupled with the inter-switching wooden buoys propelled the ship around to dock at the far northern outcropping they stood on. Chrysalis flitted aboard with a flourish. She yelled down at her still agape companions.
“The greatest minds of my people built this in secret. The living rock will carry us far indeed!”
The carriage brought aboard and Chrysalis squirreled away in the helm they all got situated wherever they felt the most comfortable in the nigh-cavernous underbelly of the ship. Luna had retired to the royal captain’s cabin. Crystal fashioned a cot in the brig and lay down to sleep inside the iron cell. Molly had found Chrysalis and they chatted a long while about the military applications of the boat. Their talk found its way to plotting the exact course needed to reach their destination and they barely slept at all the first night. Angel wandered through the hot steel and grinding stone that comprised the ships engine. Pacing up and down he wondered how to contact Celestia about this strange uprising. Pinkie set up a chair on the aft balcony. The waves rolling below threatened to put her to sleep before the pie behind her in the kitchen was finished.
In the distance they could see the light of the stars filter down past the weakening sunlight. Gliding into the starry sky the new troupe of friends eventually settled down to bask in the cool night. Tomorrow they would wake, and start the next leg of their adventure.