//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: My Secret Life as an Evil Insect Overlord // by LordBrony2040 //------------------------------// Epilogue Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Magic or Friendship…she really wasn’t quite sure what as Celestia had yet to appoint her to either an arch-magus role or make her head ambassador of Equestria, sat in her beloved library. At the moment, she was alone in her bedroom partaking of her most enjoyable activity that could be done by herself as her fillyfriend’s 'clopping' ideas usually entitled more pain than pleasure, what with hooves not really being made for that sort of stuff. In other words, she was reading. Unfortunately, before she could get more than three chapters into it, a knock at the door drew her attention and pulled her out of the newest edition of Daring Do that Dash had lent her. Surprising herself, Twilight found that she was somewhat glad for the interruption. She knew from personal experience that the story was going to get a little dark in the middle. So the alicorn put the public record of her adventure in The Valley of the Sun back on her desk with a bookmark inside to tell her where she left off. When the book did come to Flash Sentry’s death, Twilight made a mental note to have Fae and Dash there to.... Oh my gosh, that would be perfect! We could each read our parts like we were acting it out or something! A little giddy over the idea, Twilight forgot about the visitor waiting for her at the moment. Her eyes fell on the picture behind her book. In it, the Twilight was trying to pose neatly for the photographer while the dark pseudo-alicorn sported a mischievous grin and had her forelegs wrapped around Twilight’s neck in a hug she had leapt into at the last second when the camera flashed. The real alicorn found herself smiling at the picture, or more precisely, the memories that it brought up. In the past month that Fae had lived in Ponyville, she had apparently ended what Twilight could only be called an introverted period that classified her actions as Flash Sentry, just following others around. Instead, she was now actively trying to make friends with nearly every pony in town she could find. At least in the case of the mares that is. Thanks to the complications involving the mixing of two different transformation magic, the poor girl found it next to impossible for stallions to be around her for any long length of time. Fae explained in vague terms regarding some kind of chemical she was unconsciously giving off that Twilight only understood to mean even scent was incredibly arousing to stallions on a subconscious level. It didn't help that a royal decree from Celestia stated that in order to avoid a panic, all changelings had to be in disguise while in pony population centers. Fae had been having to deal with a lot of attention from stallions since then, all of it extremely unwanted. A series of much harder knocks reminded Twilight there was somepony waiting on her, and she hurried over to the door and out into the main room of the town’s small library. “Sorry, I was just taking care of-Mayor Mare?” she asked, her half hearted excuse ending at the unexpected visitor. “Is something wrong?” The elected representative of Ponyville lowered her hoof before she could knock at a door that was no longer there. “Princess Twilight!” she exclaimed. “Ummm, I’m afraid I need to voice some concerns that the citizens of Ponyville have had over past the few weeks.” Twilight blinked in surprise both at the mayor’s presence, and her request. Ever since Fae had taken up the title of regent, she had handled all of the mayor’s complaints and done a fair job as far as the alicorn could tell. If anything, Ponyville had even grown a bit more prosperous over the past month thanks to a few ideas the transfigured human had in regards to how things should be run. “Shouldn’t you be seeing my representative about this?” Twilight asked. It was what the position was for after all. The alicorn knew she would need a few more years of studying politics and about half a dozen other subjects before she would be ready to rule even a tiny kingdom. A nervous cough came from the earth pony and she looked back at the empty library for a few moments before turning her attention back to Twilight. “Well, that’s just it Princess, the complaints are about your representative and some of her recent…projects.” And so you waited until Celestia called her away to Canterlot, Twilight reasoned before she shook her head. “Okay, come in and sit down. I’ll hear any grievances you have of course.” After heading out into the main room of the library, Twilight hung a closed sign on the door and locked it before grabbing a pair of chairs from the corner with her magic and setting them on opposite ends of the library’s central desk. Once she had cleared a space on it so the two mares could look at each other without the clutter in the way, the princess took a seat and motioned for the mayor to do the same. “So what seems to be the problem?” Twilight asked nicely. “Well, let me just start out by saying that your…friend has done a fine job in making the Everfree Forest a less threatening place,” she began. “I don’t know if you’re aware of this Princess, but before you moved here, nopony ever went into those woods and came out again! And while I doubt anypony besides your friends and their sisters is…brave enough to venture into those woods, I do sleep better at night knowing a pack of hungry timber wolves isn’t going to come roaming into town.” Twilight nodded at the mare’s words. Fae hadn’t actually tamed the forest or anything, but after she moved her creatures into the newly rebuilt castle, she had carved out a territory for the changelings that included a good chunk of the Ponyville sector of the Everfree as well as the castle itself. Even the green dragon that had nearly hurt Spike had been dealt with. Although…Twilight was very disturbed that the creature’s head now adorned the wall above the changeling’s throne. That had taken the princess a good week to get over, and a promise from her fillyfriend to never do something like take another creature’s life again. The old changeling queen's death at her hooves had been a combination of self-defense, and protecting Equestrian royalty. But the slaying of  the dragon had been...well, Fae’s exact words on the subject had been, “Swag for one thing, but when it came down to it, I just wanted to slay a dragon.” Of course it had also been the biggest monster in the forest and killing it showed all the other creatures not to mess with the changelings, cutting down on the future number of conflicts, which was probably her real reason, but Twilight still didn’t feel right about it. A few seconds passed, and Twilight motioned for the mayor to continue. “I sense a but coming,” she said. “Yes well, these are simply the complaints that have come my way you understand,” she quickly said. “Now, one of our more…aspirational citizens has brought his concerns to my office about some of the recent changes that your regent might be affecting Ponyville commerce in a negative way.” Twilight frowned at the mare. She hadn’t heard any such news, or seen anything of the sort either. “What do you mean? Fae hasn’t made any decrees concerning the commerce except for cutting down on the number of forms needed to acquire a business license for operating in the town limits.” “No, this is about her involvement with the Apple family…um…” The frown on Twilight’s face cut the mayor off. “And I take it the citizen who’s had a problem with this is Filthy Rich?” she grumbled. After seeing the mayor nod, Twilight leaned back and groaned. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told him, the Apple family is receiving no assistance from the crown, and is simply taking advantage of the new distribution system offered by Legion Incorporated to sell their product direct to the consumer.” It was quite an interesting idea, Twilight mused. Although the vast majority of changelings, even the talking ones, weren’t fit to be among ponies long-term, the 1% that were could serve a variety of functions: instant transmission of messages, certain…physical diversions, or even do things like personal airmail hoof delivery. The Apples used a combination of the first and last to sell cider to the bigger cities at a much higher profit than they were used to in Ponyville thanks to…well, Fae called it mail order, but the process involved the changeling’s communicating via the hive-mind, so Twilight supposed it was more like mind order. Since those messages went much faster than the normal lines of communication, food and cider could easily be delivered by pegasi or changeling before it went bad. In payment, Applejack spent a few hours a week volunteering the use of her template at the mirror pool because her levels of mystical energy were higher than most ponies and changelings needed a constant supply of clones for food. Some days the mare came home also looking like Granny Smith from all the pruning. The changeling queen had also tried to talk the Apple family into buying the rights to Flim and Flam’s old cider machine and offered her minion's pseudo-unicorn magic to power it to help with the growing backlog of orders, but that idea had fallen on deaf ears. The Apples were traditionalists after all. “I know he’s losing money, as the Apple family is his number one supplier, but the changelings can just offer a better deal,” Twilight continued. “And before you ask, even Princess Celestia is finding this situation not only within the law, but agreeable to her as well. Is there anything else?” The mayor just sighed, and nodded her head. “Some of the parents in our community have expressed…concerns about Red Lantern Grove in the Everfree Forest,” she went on. “Do you know-” “I know what goes on in the tree houses within that area of the Everfree,” Twilight deadpanned as the mayor brought up that section of the forest located near the castle. “All ponies who get involved with the changelings there are consenting adults at least twenty years of age, and the area is nowhere near Ponyville, so foals cannot just stumble across it. Also, Fae has ordered that M&R, as well as rape fantasies are not allowed to be performed and anypony suggesting them are cast out as well as set to be monitored by the authorities.” After hearing that, the mayor frowned. “Well, I for one don’t see the problem with Mount and Rider as long as the pony wearing the halter and saddle is willing, but…what’s rape?” She tripped over the odd word, as if it wasn’t made for pony mouths. Twilight could only shrug. “No idea.” When she had asked Fae that same question, the changeling had just stared at her for a good minute, laughed, and said ponies in that way Twilight understood meant there was some huge discrepancy between their culture the alicorn was better off not knowing about. “But whatever it is, it’s not allowed.” “Well then…I suppose Club 63 is also something I can’t get you to intervene on?” she asked. That time, Twilight had to force herself to keep an eye from twitching as she figured out why that little place got its own special mention. The aforementioned brothel was in Red Lantern Grove, but…instead of copying the form of a stallion or mare, the changelings there changed into the opposite gender of whomever they were trying to copy. The place was a bit of an embarrassment to Twilight, as all the changelings in it were failed attempts to give her fillyfriend’s disguise the gender she wanted it to be. “Two consenting adults, not really any of our business,” she repeated in verbal short-hoof. Of course, out of curiosity Twilight had gotten one of the changelings working there to show her how Prince Twilight would have looked and…male alicorns looked to be extremely…virile. Or Shiny and Dad are just bad examples of our family’s physical traits. When another problem didn’t get presented. Twilight spoke to the mayor. “Is that everything ma’am?” “What?” the mare asked as she jumped out of whatever daydream she was having. “Oh um…yes, I suppose so. Thank you for your time Princess Twilight.” As the mare got up to leave, Twilight raised a hoof to stop her. “Mayor, would you please tell the ponies who brought up these concerns, well…except Filthy Rich,” Twilight added after a moment. When she really thought about it, Twilight suspected Fae had gotten the Apple family involved with selling cider long-distance because Diamond Tiara had called her a blank flank during her first week as a fake alicorn, when the CMC dragged her out to go play…and try to get her to join their little group. It had worked of course. Twilight had learned her fillyfriend's iron will crumpled like paper whenever a mare or foal gave her a watery-eyed look. “Tell them that while there are some changes going on, it’s nothing to be concerned about. After all, remember the big fuss everypony in town raised when I became an alicorn? All everypony needed was some time to adjust to the change, and everything has worked out just fine.” Although the EUP had been in existence since Luna became Nightmare Moon, when Canterlot had last come under siege by non-metamorphic creatures, the Equestrian military had been unable to hold off the assault even with the help of the princess. It had only been when the citizenry of the city joined in its defense, lending their magic to Celestia and helping her push back their attackers was the capital was saved. So that day, Celestia ordered a special school be built within Canterlot that would both bear her name and have the goddess’s direct involvement in its running. Unlike the others schools that existed out of a necessity to teach unicorns how to use their magic, the sole purpose of this school lay in teaching unicorns how to help protect Equestria from whatever should come to threaten it. Of course the pegasi who were involved in the defense just got a pat on the head and were told to apply to some stupid stunt team that only had about six or nine members for their role in saving Equestrian society...or something. Why should they have gotten recognized for anything? It wasn’t like the pigeon ponies ever did anything important anyway. As for Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, it truly deserved its reputation for being the premiere magic school in Equestria. Although there were a few academies also taught magical studies in Manehattan and Baltimare, those institutions also included earth ponies and pegasi among their ranks and thus had to diversify. Celestia’s school was able to pull ahead because it specialized…and offered a better salary, as well as the chance to cozy up to a student that might one day become divinity. Within those halls on a late summer’s day, the leaders of the two most powerful races in Equestria conversed about matters few ponies could even comprehend. So important was their discussion, that the entire school had been emptied out months in advance under the pretext of something called graduation. As for what this conversation entailed… “So your human name was Clear Field?” Celestia asked as she walked alongside the short changeling queen in her pony disguise as they moved through the school’s hallway. Fae rolled her eyes at the question. “No it meant clear field…I can’t actually pronounce it without the proper vocal cords,” she said before shaking her head. “It’s weird, we have the same alphabet…or a variation of it anyway, you have no idea how much time I spent brushing up on my cursive when I came here, but the spoken word sounds so different even though it all means the same. Hell, you can even understand when I use a damn stand-in human word and shit sometimes, even though its all Equish...or whatever.” Beside the shorter alicorn, the sun goddess rolled her eyes at the nonsensical words her counterpart spoke. “Indeed.” The two of them walked into Celestia’s office, and she took her place behind the desk while Fae continued to stand in front of it. Sitting on her haunches never did feel that relaxing. “So, what did you want me here for anyway?” After flashing the guarded queen one of her gentle, disarming smiled, Celestia began the conversation. “Yes, about that. Twilight says you used be a teacher of history.” “Calling it history is a misnomer,” Fae replied with a frown. “History implies I just told a bunch of foals what happened in the past. What I taught was a study of  society, giving the historical information in the olden as well as current context, why things happened, and the implications of those actions. I also gave lessons on governmental structures and economic models while providing basic psychology lessons.” Celestia couldn’t help but giggle. “My, that seemed…rehearsed.” Finally, the pseudo-alicorn cracked a tiny smirk. “It was, I’ve been to plenty of job interviews,” she said before her face turned back to its seriousness. “But if Twilight talked you into some sort of inter-dimensional studies program or something so she could fulfill her teacher fetish-uh, I probably shouldn‘t have mentioned that last part.” “I assure you, that’s not why you’re here,” the alicorn told her while holding up a hoof to stop any further words on the changeling‘s part for the moment. Twilight had sent several letters of correspondence on the subject, but Celestia had thought it better to conceal the truth about such things from her little ponies. Luna’s short-lived but harmless insanity was proof it was better left unknown. “Well, to teach that particular subject I mean. I do have a new optional class I would like for you to instruct. If you accept, it wouldn’t be more than one day a week and the class is only available to the senior students with high enough marks.” Fae raised one of her eyebrows at the baiting explanation. “Don’t tell me you want me to try and teach the changeling magic,” she mumbled. “There’s a reason its called dark magic, it’s all fueled by anger and a desire to hurt stuff. If it wasn’t for having some time to buck stuff in the Everfree…and me being a girl that turns heads when I go out in public, I’d probably make Rarity look like an alicorn when it comes to my magical power.” “How is that working out for you anyway? The gender swap I mean. I know mixing magic could have had unforeseen side effects, but I would have thought Twilight had discovered a solution by now.” The changeling rolled her eyes. “I can’t turn off my empathy or my pheromone production, how do you think I feel?” she grumbled. That was all Celestia was getting about the subject too, even in the case of Twilight’s progress for a gender swapping spell that was controllable. “And no, I don’t think teaching black magic to any unicorn is a good idea,” Celestia assured her. “But allowing them to experience it is. I want you to give them a taste of it? No….well, I guess the better way to say this is I want you to show them how to prepare for it so they might one day be able to defend Equestria against such magic if need be. Although I suspect many of your students will be military hopefuls, all ponies with the correct credentials shall be offered the chance to enroll.” After a moment of summarizing what she had just heard, Fae’s expression became one of hesitation. “So…what you’re saying is…you want me to be The School for Gifted Unicorns newest teacher in…Oh sweet Celestia,” she groaned before letting her head drop. *THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP* “…Fairy, are you alright?” she asked as the changeling queen slammed her head into the desk between them…repeatedly. “…yes,” Fae mumbled when she came to a stop, her horn stuck in the thick wood of the small table. After a moment, Celestia picked the changeling out of the desk with her magic, and mended the wood that had been damaged by Fae‘s horn. “If you don’t want the job, I could always…” The changeling queen didn‘t let Celestia finish. “If it’s not this, then it’s going to be something else, so…I might as well know what’s coming,” she said with a long sigh. “But I’m demanding complete health coverage before I sign anything. Oh, and I want a huge life insurance policy too." The odds were, she would be dead inside a year so it was best to get her bases covered while she could. After all, Fae knew what happened to magic users who got signed up to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts.