//------------------------------// // My Heroes have always been Pony Princesses // Story: To be her Mother... // by Mayhew Cullen //------------------------------// The Summer Sun Celebration. Celestia herself had often thought about whether the occasion was still her favorite in the whole year. There were so many other days that had meant so much to her. Birthdays for Crystal, Luna, Twilight, Cadence, and Twilight’s friends, the anniversary of Twilight’s coronation, the return of the Crystal Empire, still it seemed that through it all her favorite day was the anniversary of her sister’s salvation. Which obviously happened to coincide with the Summer Sun Celebration. The sun princess sighed at the thought that perhaps the Celebration itself was simply becoming another Grand Gala, boring and repetitive. Then again maybe having Ponyville as this year's host town would bring some life to the festivities. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Infiltration successful.” “Well it won’t be if you announce it to the entire universe Fillet.” A rather calm unicorn mare quickly chastised a Pegasus stallion after he had spoken. She couldn’t help but feel that she had been partnered with a complete amateur for this mission. With a white hoof the mare pushed her rust colored mane from her clear blue eyes and continued, “Do you even remember why we are here?” The stallion nodded his mustard head vigorously shaking his brown mane. His grey, almost lifeless eyes seemed to shimmer with the cruelty of his reply, “Of course I do Zero, infiltrate, feed, and destroy.” A heavy sigh escaped the lips of the unicorn. She shook her head gently to keep from disrupting her mane before hissing under her breath, “Miserable single minded drone.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Several young fillies and colts sat and played in a well-lit play area quartered off for the foals of ponies involved in preparing Ponyville for the Summer Sun Celebration. Crystal Dream sat reading with her younger cousin, a reddish purple earth pony with a straw colored mane by the name of Pacific Rose. In another section of the play area was a small grey unicorn with a rather striking blue mane playing with blocks. The unicorn was the daughter of two of the performing musicians at the celebration. She was quiet aside from her almost constant humming of a significantly complex tune for her age. Another earth pony, this one quite a bit larger than Crystal or Rose sat near the grey pony obviously interested in the blocks but too awkward socially to ask to join in the play. Still her very presence kept the older ponies from disrupting the unicorn’s play. The earth filly was certainly a striking example of her tribe, built taller and stockier than any other pony her age, colts and fillies alike. Her coat was a drab olive green, but her mane was amazingly diverse in its hues, Streaks of two shades of tan beside streaks of forest green and black. She was often proud to proclaim that her mother was one of Princess Luna’s personal guards. Of course none of those ponies or any of the other colts and fillies were paying attention to the conversation between two rather conspicuous ponies and a cream colored Pegasus called Honeydew, Ponyville’s newest primary school teacher. “Now see here Miss...” “Honeydew, though I don’t,” the young teacher was almost instantly interrupted by a unicorn mare while her Pegasus partner remained on watch for anything out of the ordinary. “Well isn’t that wonderful? See Fillet I told you these country ponies had some of the best names.” Again Honeydew attempted to take control of the conversation, “Yes, thank you, but,” and again her attempt failed. “Look Miss Hanky-pank, we simply cannot be inconvenienced further. Just let us look through your foals and we will be on our way.” “It’s Honey...”This time she meant to finish this insane conversation once and for all, but there was something about the unicorn’s eyes. The crystal blue orbs had become a venomous green as Honeydew was stared down by the changeling called Zero. “Yes, yes, Miss Harpy Melon, but you see there is simply nothing to worry about.” “Nothing to worry...” the teacher’s repetition of Zero’s instruction trailed off into nothing just as the changeling continued. “I will just smell these pretty flowers for a moment and then we’ll be gone.” “Smelling the flowers gone...” Zero grinned; even in disguise as a pony her teeth seemed frighteningly dangerous. Still with the school teacher under her control she was free to examine the tiny ponies. She highly doubted that she would find what she was looking for until she came to the princess’s daughter. “You can’t be serious.” She stared at the filly’s eyes until she was brought out of her stupor by a young voice. “I’m not Sueious... Serpitus... I’m Chrysie!” Crystal announced herself with an enthusiasm only found in children. Zero on the other hoof acted with an enthusiasm only found in changelings who had suddenly found the prey they had been hunting for six years. She used her magic to almost instantly wrap the pink filly and pull her away from the other ponies. In a flash of teleportation she was gone. Fillet took the hint and also quickly moved to their predetermined rendezvous. While all the foals were surprised and even a little frightened, there were three fillies who jumped into action, a grey unicorn, a green earth pony and a terrified Pacific Rose. The first to address Honeydew was the unicorn with the blue mane, “Miss Honeydew. You have to do something, somepony was foalnapped.” The teacher simply looked at the fillies with a vacant smile on her face. This led the filly with the camouflage mane and tail to speak up next, “Ma’am we need you to call the guards, somepony took Princess Celestia’s daughter.” Still with an empty expression Honeydew finally spoke. However her tone seemed muted and void of all emotion aside from contentedness, “Oh hello pretty flowers, did you smell nice for the lovely mare?” Finally Pacific Rose had enough and opened her lungs crying out so that all the ponies nearby would hear, “SOMEPONY HELP!” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crystal struggled against her assailant’s magic with no results. She wanted more than anything to cry and scream for help but was interrupted from her first attempt by the sudden appearance of a Pegasus. The stallion then spoke quickly to the unicorn, “What have you done Zero? You said we are just to search and identify, why did you steal that pony larvae?” “Foal, you diluted genetic backwash, they call their young, foals and this is not a pony. Just look at its eyes.” Zero bit back at her partner harshly and allowed him to look at Crystal’s eyes before explaining, “Obviously this is a hereditary failure on the part of Chrysalis to build a new hive. It shows weakness that she didn’t simply kill it and she will likely come for it if we are patient.” Of course the bright green star above them burned with rage because it could not save the small filly from the changelings. It was also at that time when Crystal managed to speak. She shuddered with fear as she spoke, “Who are you? Why are we here? Where is Mommy?” Fillet growled as she looked down on the frightened filly, “Silence cretin! Who we are is none of your concern, but I will let you in on a little secret, we are here to draw your dearest mommy Chrysalis out of her hiding place.” “Chrysilisie isn’t Mommy...” “WHAT!” the Pegasus disguised changeling was furious to say the least. He was about to crush the filly under his hoof when Zero pushed him aside. “Pay attention fool. She obviously knows Chrysalis and I’m certain she will be kind enough to tell us everything she knows about her.” Zero’s tongue was silver coated in honey. A master infiltrator always had to hold the mission above any personal feelings. “I’m sorry for my associate but it would help us greatly if you told us all about Chrysalis.” Despite still being afraid, Crystal felt.. calm. She looked up at the changeling female and replied, “Chrysilisie is Mommy’s friend. Mommy says she’s always watching me and protecting me.” Fillet grinned, so harming the worthless foal would draw out their quarry. All he needed was the right application of pain. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” The two changelings turned to see a gray Pegasus with golden eyes and a yellow mane staring at them from the opposite entrance to the alley. The intruding Pegasus then smiled when she saw the unharmed filly and continued slowly moving toward them. Fillet glared at the Pegasus, but Zero raised an eyebrow as she asked, “Who are you?” “No one of consequence I assure you. All you need to know is that I can have every pony in town right on this spot in ten seconds flat. So if you don’t want your cover blown, I suggest leaving the filly and running like your lives depend on it, because... well I guess they kind of do.” “You’re bluffing,” Fillet replied with venom in his voice and was surprised at the mysterious mare’s own quick reply. “Try me parasite. You two obviously have no idea who you just foalnapped so I’ll clue you in. About five years ago the princess of the sun, Celestia herself, adopted a newborn filly of unknown origins. Now Celestia loves her filly very much and I’ve heard it said that she would destroy all of Equus if it meant keeping her little Crystal safe. That very same princess is not far away with her sister, her most successful student, and a whole company of royal guards all looking for this filly. Any questions?” The two changelings exchanged glances and vanished in a gout of green magic. They left the two Pegasi alone in the alley and the grey mare couldn’t have been happier, after all she was too old to be fighting off changelings by herself. She then turned her golden eyes to the still frightened filly, “Do not fear little one, I have to make sure the bad ponies are gone, but I promise, I will be right back.” Crystal’s rescuer then quickly ran to the end of the alleyway and was in a blink lost to the darkness, but just as she had promised she returned just as quickly, though now her eyes seemed... different. Of course a five year old filly would never notice something so trivial and happily jumped into the yellow maned mare’s hooves, “You’re back!” “No, I’m Derpy Hooves.” Derpy replied quickly with a gentle smile to show that she had been joking. With one eye she kept Crystal in sight at all times while the other carefully assessed a tipped over garbage can. The daughter of Celestia was quick in politely asking, “Princess Derpy Hooves?” The older pony’s kind laughter was warm and musical as if it had been practiced every day since she was foaled. She did manage to compose herself quickly so she could ask in turn, “Why would I be a princess?” “Because all the best ponies are princesses!” was Chrysie’s excited reply, but she was not quite finished as she happily provided evidence of her theory that all the best ponies were princesses, “Like Princess Mommy, and Princess Aunty Twilight, and Princess Aunty Luna, and Princess Aunty Cadence, and Princess Aunty Rarity, and Princess Uncle Big Mac, and Princess Aunty Cheerio,” She went through many other names that were quite familiar to the now cheerfully laughing delivery mare including Spike, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. Still the name she finished with made Derpy as happy as the day her own little muffin first spoke, “and now I have Princess Auntie Derpy Hooves!” Without any pretense Derpy embraced the little filly and spoke softly, “Come along my little pony, I’m sure your mommy is worried sick.” “Indeed I was, Auntie Derpy Hooves. However it seems we will need to have yet another coronation for yet another new princess.” A worried expression adorned the grey mare as she turned to find herself face to face with Princess Celestia. The royal alicorn of course saw the worry and quickly cast it aside, “fear not, you won’t really be expected to have any princess duties. Mostly I think is has become an excuse for my little Dream to have a tea party with cake. Something I most certainly would not argue with after this affair. So just consider it my thank you for finding my precious daughter.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “So... did it go well?” A smooth dark voice echoed through a poorly lit chamber in a deep cave. A grey mare with yellow eyes and a yellow mane suddenly burst into green flame as she spoke in reply, “Everything went swimmingly my master.” As the flames cleared they left the form of a changeling not terribly unlike the late Queen Chrysalis, though this one was a bit shorter than the deceased. Her master grinned at her transformation and report. He then reached out with a paw similar to that of a lion and snapped his claws creating a shimmering oval through which he was able to watch Crystal being reunited with Celestia. The changeling could see her master’s triumphant expression quickly soften to one of relief and a little bit of remorse. “Master, if you don’t mind me asking... why do you care so much for the wellbeing of Celestia and her daughter?” “Oh I don’t mind in the slightest insect, I’ll even answer you. It is none of your business Seed. I have more concern for Celestia and her little filly than most would ever imagine I was capable of. That is all you ever need to know.” “Of course Master.”