//------------------------------//
// Chapter 20: Sisters 
// Story: Princess Celestia: The Changeling Queen 
// by vren55 
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“Sisters function as safety nets in a chaotic world simply by being there for each other.” 
― Carol Saline



Firm hoofsteps softly thudded against the carpeted floor as Lamia approached the two guardsponies. It was not the two ponies she was afraid of. After all, to her immense chagrin, she did have a full squad of changeling chevaliers escorting her during her every waking and sleeping moment. While she understood the precaution and felt secured by her increased escort, nobody liked being followed by ten bodyguards for every minute of their life.

The past few days had been… tense. Every scrap of food and drink was being tested, as was the cutlery they were being served with. The changeling contingent had been taking their meals in their allocated chambers, and no longer did they venture out in the ‘social events’ organized by Cadance and Blueblood. 

Lamia would have understood- in fact, supported- her mother if she merely chose to limit herself to increasing security. The ponies needed to be shown that their carelessness had a cost and the security measures were a bit extreme, but reasonable. However, not for the first time in recent days, Lamia was beginning to question her mother’s judgement. In the negotiations, the younger queen had to hold her mother back several times from provoking Celestia too far. Her mother ‘kept’ to the promise Celestia exacted from her regarding the treatment of the prisoners, but she had demanded reparations and disciplinary actions so gruesome that the spirit of the oath was all but nullified. 

Her mother was going too far. Despite Celestia’s apparent patience, Lamia had seen the very slight strain in the alicorn’s face as her mother had pressed her demands. And while Celestia had shown almost no sign of wavering in her calm demeanor, Luna showed far less restraint and on several occasions Lamia had become worried that Nightmare Moon might make a second coming. 

The hostility Chrysalis was showing to the ponies did not stop with the Princesses. Prior to the assassination attempt, the changelings and ponies were coordinating their security efforts. Albeit, it was in a limited fashion as the chevaliers focused on the protection of the queen and her living quarters, while the ponies dealt with the base’s security. Still, chevaliers and guardsponies had worked together on several security matters. Lamia had been surprised when she noted a growing respect between the two guard units and they could actually share tables in the mess hall. They did stay in their respective groups, but at least there was shared chatter, or chitter.

Lamia and Shining Armor weren’t sure what exactly had caused this, but they had observed that both armed forces shared a common trait of strong loyalty to their respective monarchs. Whatever the case, relations had been friendly enough that the two commanders had been considering organizing a friendly military parade competition between the two companies.

Now, she couldn’t even glance at Shining Armor without her mother dragging her off. The military parade competition? Scrapped. None of the chevaliers dared to even mention the Royal Guard, unless to criticize them for something that they probably didn’t do. Every changeling was on edge thanks to her mother’s own paranoia, and it was beginning to wear them all down.

Something had to be done about this situation before it got more unbearable than it already was. However, every problem-solver knows that the only way to solve a problem was to get to the root of it. She had to talk to her younger sister, who lay behind that metal-studded door behind the two guardsponies. Her sister, who had betrayed their hive and their mother.

Lamia gritted her teeth, her fangs pinching her lower gums. She was glad that Cyndra was safe. It was a joy that had overcome her initial anger at her sister for her betrayal. But that joy gave way in light of the revelation of the Equestria First terrorists. Now, Lamia had hundreds of questions and she could not so easily suppress the hurt and the anger that came with Cyndra’s betrayal. This talk was long overdue.

So, without her mother knowing, Lamia had asked Celestia if she could speak to her sister. To her relief, the alicorn had immediately granted her permission and told her the location of the room. However, the eagerness in Celestia’s voice made it appear as if the alicorn actually wanted Lamia to talk to her sister. The question then was, why would Celestia encourage this?

The young changeling queen shook her head. Trying to get into that alicorn’s head was like attempting to navigate a maze without an end. Besides, Cyndra came first.

As she drew nearer to the two guards, Lamia noticed the two ponies warily tighten their grasps on their spears. Good. It appeared that Celestia’s scolding had put the Royal Guard on edge. 

“I would like to speak to my sister,” said Lamia. “Privately.”

The guards glanced at each other before nodding at the same time. “Her Highness Princess Celestia has granted you permission to visit your sister, but you must not bring your guards in with you,” said the senior guard. Lamia blinked at the stoic reply. 

“I consent to your terms, as long as you allow my guards to check the room first,” said Lamia. The two guards nodded, so Lamia lifted her hoof to signal her chevaliers to stand by. The lead guard knocked on the door three times in quick succession. After a pause, Lamia heard two knocks from the other side of the door and it swung open to reveal two more gold-clad guardsponies. Warily, four of the chevaliers entered the room first, while Lamia and the rest remained outside. About a minute later, the chevaliers trotted out along with the two Royal Guards stationed inside the room and told Lamia that the room was safe.

With nothing stopping her from entering the door, Lamia took a deep breath to steel herself and slowly limped in.

Once inside, Lamia blinked as she was met with a rather dimly lit room. The only light came from the open door behind her and the gaps between the single window’s curtains. Not that Lamia minded, she could see perfectly well in the dark and it was in that darkness that Lamia found her sister.

“Hello Lamia,” said Cyndra, sitting perfectly on her bed, ready to receive her. It didn’t hide the slight tremble in Cyndra’s eyes or the tearstains Lamia could see on her sister’s cheek.

“Cyndra,” said Lamia, her voice coming out as rather curt. The changeling queen groaned inwardly and cleared her throat with a cough.

“May I sit with you?” asked Lamia, softening her voice.

Cyndra relaxed and nodded. With some difficulty, Lamia limped her way to the bed. Cyndra quickly rose to her feet, unable to tear her eyes off her sister’s missing leg, but Lamia shook her head to stop her sister from helping her. Once she made it, however, Lamia threw herself somewhat ungraciously onto the soft mattress.

“If only the beds in the hive were this soft,” snorted Lamia as she felt the soft down and springs that made up the mattress. 

“I asked for a harder bed, but the Princesses decided otherwise,” said Cyndra. Her eyes were focused on the burnt scars and eyepatch over her sister’s left eye. She couldn’t help it. No matter how much she tried to ignore it and focus on her sister as a whole, her eyes kept being drawn to what was absent.

It only deepened her feelings of guilt.

“Hmm, it appears they really care about you,” said Lamia in an almost trivial manner, but without letting a hint of emotion leave her voice. 

“Yes.” Cyndra swallowed once and met her sister’s narrowed eye. “Lamia, what do you want to know?”

At her sister’s question, Lamia’s forced her lips into a thin line.

“Why did you betray our hive? No excuses. I want a detailed explanation on what you thought our hive could have possibly gained if you gave the Princesses our infiltration strategies,” said Lamia.

Cyndra shuffled back slightly as her elder sister loomed over her, her single eye hard and her jaw locked in place. Her sister wasn’t mad, not just yet... but Cyndra had never seen Lamia so stern, so near to true anger. She always remembered her as the kind, caring older sibling, who took time to play with her and show her around the hive. Not once had Cyndra ever seen her sister in such a light, so damaged, and so serious.

“I-I-I’ll do my best.” Cyndra took a deep breath and cringed. “At the time I did what seemed like the right thing to do as I made it based on what information I had. But… I made some of my choices out of fear and as I found out more about the hive situation, I realized that those choices were mistakes.”

Lamia stiffened. At least Cyndra was going to get to the point and admit she was partly wrong, but there was still a question.

“Alright, but what led you to make that mistake?” asked Lamia bluntly.

“After my banishment I roamed across the desert and into Equestria. I survived by doing odd jobs and feeding off of ponies when I could. For most of my exile, I was a castle maid in Canterlot,” said Cyndra.

She sighed. “That was the longest time I had been around ponies, ever. I learned so much about them. Their good traits, their bad traits, and even all the weird quirks they have as a species. I even made some friends in the guard and among the castle staff. They taught me that ponies aren’t bad, they’re kinda like us in a way. Protective, loyal, and most of them are quite honorable,” said Cyndra.

“Hmm, do they happen to be any of the guards standing outside your door?” asked Lamia curiously. Not surprisingly, her sister winced at the question.

“Umm, yes. I dated Corporal Arrow for a short while and Sergeant Bombard was one of the guards for Celestia’s room, so I talked with him often. I have to admit I’m rather surprised they weren’t angry,” said Cyndra, blushing slightly before coughing into her hoof.

“The point is, Lamia, during my exile, I came to a realization. Ponies are easily frightened, but the more they understand, the closer they are to an unknown, the less frightened they become.”

Cyndra suddenly paused and gritted her teeth. “Then Canterlot was attacked.”

Lamia flinched. The sheer anguish in Cyndra’s expression as she shut her eyes was heart-rending. She didn’t want to put her sister through this recollection, but Lamia needed to know. Their family couldn’t continue like this anymore.

“After the hive’s failed invasion the pony guards discovered me, threw me into a prison and then into an interrogation room facing Princess Luna and Celestia. I thought I was going to die. They were saying that mother had nearly killed Celestia, after all. So I tried to appeal to the ponies’ better nature by telling a partial truth: that I left my hive and didn’t take part in the invasion. Except it didn’t work. Celestia realized almost immediately that there had to be a reason why I was without a hive. I admitted to her that I had been exiled, but she somehow deduced I was Queen Chrysalis’s daughter.” Lamia’s eye widened in horror and she raised her only leg to cover her mouth. Cyndra closed her own eyes for a moment, as if recovering from her confession.

“You shouldn’t have told them that you were exiled. Most changelings aren’t exiled after all. But how did she figure that out? You look… well, you have our mother’s eye shape and color, but you aren’t a queen!” exclaimed Lamia.

“I don’t know, but something strange happened after that.” Cyndra opened her eyes to look into her sister’s. Despite the shaky fear in her voice, the younger changeling spoke in a slow, clear manner. “When Celestia found out, she was angry. Furious, even. I honestly thought I was going to be roasted alive. Except…”

Lamia cocked an eyebrow, “What?”

“She let her anger go. She allowed me to escape the interrogation area and asked for me to meet her later in her chambers,” said Cyndra.

Jaw agape, Lamia stared at her sister. “But why?”

“I don’t know why. I was just grateful she didn’t decide to incinerate me. I ran away, wanting to put as much distance from Canterlot as possible,” said Cyndra. The younger changeling crossed her hooves and averted her gaze. “But then I realized… I couldn’t run. So I went to her chambers,” said Cyndra in a resigned tone.

Lamia’s brain ground to a halt as she finished listening to her sister’s last sentence. “Wait, what? Why didn’t you just flee Canterlot?” screeched Lamia, her bewilderment throwing away all control she had over her emotions. She simply couldn’t believe the craziness of her sister’s actions. She had the perfect opportunity to escape, but she had thrown it away.

“I was the only changeling in Equestria who could speak for our hive. For our mother. For you! If I didn’t talk to Celestia and try to defend our hive, then who knows what could have happened? I had to go, even if I would forfeit my life for doing so!” cried Cyndra, tears just beginning to moisten the corners of her eyes.

Lamia stared at her sister, speechless. Her mouth was slightly parted, but her single eye narrowed as Cyndra continued to speak. 

“While I was waiting for Princess Celestia at the meeting place, I realized that the only way to save our hive from the aftermath of our mother’s attack was to give the Princesses some harmless information about our hive so they could know we can be reasoned and that they could negotiate with us. I never considered giving them our infiltration strategies, but I knew that without any knowledge of us but as invaders, nothing would stop them from countering our attack.”

Lamia shook her head. “Cyndra, you’re not making any sense. Our hive could have survived a war with Equestria. You couldn’t have come to your conclusion simply from observing the strength of the ponies’ friendships.”

“You’re wrong, Lamia. Our species, once regarded as myth, was revealed to the entire world as a hostile force. Equestria may value peace and we may have the advantage of stealth, but they are a far larger nation than our hive. Already their paranoia from their knowledge of our presence is affecting how we gather love. If it came down to conflict, both our hive and Equestria would inevitably suffer,” said Cyndra in a solemn tone.

To Lamia’s aggravation, despite how insane the idea was, the reasoning behind her sister’s meeting with Celestia did make a degree of sense. Without Cyndra providing a character reference by which Celestia could judge their hive, it was likely that the ponies would not have been so willing to pursue a peaceful option. 

Needing to get closer to her sister to evaluate her reaction, Lamia shifted herself forward. With some annoyance she noticed that her sister cringed at her injuries in the same way the others did. But Lamia could understand why Cyndra had been no different. Her scars were rather ugly.

“Cyndra, I understand why you gave yourself up to Celestia.” Lamia swallowed, forcing herself to think logically despite the multitude of emotions brimming in her chest. “It was commendable and quite logical in the situation.” Lamia allowed herself a small smile as her sister looked at her with hope, but the young queen forced her expression back into a solemn mask.

“But why in the Queen’s name did you reveal to Princess Celestia the only ways we could have kept hidden? That’s hardly innocuous information!” demanded Lamia, involuntarily raising her voice. Cyndra whimpered, but the hard light in her sister’s eyes forced her to continue.

“I-I…” Cyndra shut her eyes. Lamia sighed. She hadn’t intended to shout but her frustrated state of mind made it difficult for her to keep her voice level.

“Cyndra, look at me right now.” Cyndra did so immediately, but her eyes seemed to be focused over Lamia’s shoulder. The elder changeling groaned. She knew that most people found it uncomfortable to even glance at her wounds, but it was still painful that her own sister was no different from them.

“Cyndra, I don’t want to hurt you, but I can’t help you if you don’t tell me everything about why you did what you did. I know I probably will get angry, but I will do my best to evaluate your actions as objectively as possible,” said Lamia, placing her hoof on her sister’s. Cyndra trembled at her sister’s soft touch and she swallowed. Paying no attention to the time, Lamia waited patiently for her sister to speak.

“During the meeting, I basically offered myself to Celestia’s mercy, and answered several of her questions. That I had been banished from my hive and had no idea why mom was doing this. That I actually had pony friends that I liked and who I thought didn’t deserve this attack. She then asked me if she could trust me, despite the fact she may be forced to take action against my mother. I told her yes. Because that way, I could at least try to tell her what I thought our mother would do and convince her that she had only thought about what is best for her hive.” Cyndra hesitated after she finished and her eyes dropped away from Lamia to their touching hooves.

“She asked me to tell her our hive’s infiltration strategies. She argued that she needed to use the strategies to protect Equestria and try to force our mother to negotiate. She pointed out how our mother’s attack had endangered all the changeling hives and how she needed to be stopped.

Cyndra winced and shook her head. “I never expected her to ask me that, and it caught me off guard. I didn’t want to believe what she had said, but...” Cyndra shut her eyes and she braced herself against her sister’s inevitable anger. 

“At that moment, I didn’t trust our mother, or that what she had done at Canterlot had a good reason. I didn’t know you were hurt, or that the hive was starving, or about the Shadow Empire. All I knew was that she had attacked one of the largest countries in the world and revealed our entire species as hostile. I thought our mother had gone mad, and Celestia’s offer to stop her from doing more damage to our hive, and Equestria, and our way of life sounded more reasonable than what our mother had done.”

As soon as she had finished, she shut her eyes, only watching her sister through the crack between one eyelid.

Lamia’s features were blank and her one eyebrow was relaxed. However, Cyndra could see that every muscle in her sister’s body was taught, forcing her to remain still.

“And you believed her?”

Cyndra frowned. “Mother had revealed our kind’s existence to the entire world and-”

“You fool.”

Cyndra blinked as Lamia’s hoarse voice cut her off. 

“How could you willingly place the welfare and safety of our hive in the hooves of a pony?” demanded Lamia. The queen’s teeth were gritted, her brow crinkled and eyes filled with fury. The half of her lips that was not charred chitin pulled back into a twisted snarl. Yet the remaining, disfigured half of her face remained motionless, unable to move.

“Ponies aren’t-”

Lamia waved down her protests. “I have nothing against ponies as a species! I hate those worthless cowards who took my leg, but I keep telling myself that there are good ponies out there, and I have seen them.” Lamia took in a deep breath, biting a corner of her lip. Pain shot into her mind, diverting her attention from the sheer rage she felt within her. She didn’t care if her sister was staring at her as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Lamia was actually furious at her sister for the first time in her life.

“What you did wrong was that you entrusted the safety our entire hive’s infiltration network, our food and information source, in the hooves of an outsider! I know Princess Celestia appears to harbour no ill intentions for our hive and our species, and she is the one who organized this conference.”

“But she-” Lamia cut her sister off, wincing at Cyndra’s hurt expression. But the young queen needed to explain just what her sister had nearly cost their hive.

“But what? Regardless of who she is and what mother did, you gave up our strategies, knowing they were being used to coerce our cooperation! You endangered hundreds of undercover changelings across Equestria and the food situation of our hive because you didn’t trust my mother or me! Thank the Great Hive Mothers that Celestia is a forgiving ruler, or else our entire hive might have ended up wounded, dead or starving thanks to you!”

“But Celestia never did any of those things, Lamia. She organized the conference and has been trying to protect us ever since!” protested Cyndra.

Lamia chuckled, making a bitter, biting sound that chilled Cyndra to the bone. “Yes, but what if she did?  And what was the end result of your revelation to her? If Celestia was so trustworthy, so understanding, why did you have to give her this secret? She gave you the opportunity to make a conscious choice! You could have easily withheld them!”

Cyndra’s eyes were wide. “I-” she protested weakly.

“Cyndra, you gave her a sword that she could have used to kill our mother and the hive. A sword Celestia could have used as blackmail if mother protested her peace policies. Could still use! Celestia knowing our infiltration procedures only serves as insurance against our hive and to protect her own ponies. She never even used it. That was how dangerous telling Celestia the infiltration procedures was! It never brought us to peace, it was never used to bring us together for peace. You gave them a weapon of war and we’re just lucky they didn’t use it!” screamed Lamia.

Cyndra’s mouth dropped open in shock and horror. She always had known her betrayal would hurt her mother, but what she had never realized was the magnitude of the peril she had placed her hive in by doing so. Now she wished that she had never acquiesced to Celestia’s request. Tears forming at her eyes as she broke down, sobbing.

Lamia heaved in breaths of fresh air, her eye glaring at her crying sister. Yet, despite having screamed all the reasons she was so mad at her, she felt no better. In fact, she felt more wretched than ever.

“Well? What do you have to say for yourself?” demanded Lamia. Cyndra didn’t look up. She kept whimpering, and sobbing. 

Something within Lamia snapped. Her horn sparked to life as she seized her sister’s chin with her telekinetic grasp. Raising Cyndra’s face up, Lamia thrust her nose right up to her sister’s.

“What? Are you too afraid of my face? It’s right here for you to see!” roared Lamia.

To Lamia’s surprise, Cyndra didn’t resist. Lamia found herself looking into straight into her sister’s moist eyes.

“Lamia, you’re right. I… can’t believe I was so stupid… I could have killed Mother. I could have killed you!” Cyndra swallowed, shut her eyes, and hung limply in Lamia’s magical grasp. “I’m sorry. I… I don’t deserve to live.”

Lamia’s heart stopped. “What?”

“I don’t deserve to li-”

Cyndra cried out as pain blossomed across her cheek. Eyes wide, she shook her head and stared at her sister in shock.

Her older sister was crying, tears pouring down her cheek.

“Don’t say that, Cyndra! Please don’t say that! I can’t bear to lose you, not again,” begged Lamia. She wasn’t quite sure why she was crying, but she couldn’t help herself. 

“Lamia, I’m a traitor!  I endangered our mother, the hive... you! Why don’t you want me gone? Wouldn’t it be easier for you?” wailed Cyndra. She couldn’t understand why her sister was crying. Wasn’t she furious at her only a few seconds ago?

Lamia shook her head, not trying to stop the tears flowing from her only eye. “I’m furious at you, and what you’ve done hurts me worse than the fire that took my leg, but…” Lamia took a deep breath and managed a small smile.

“You’re my sister and I love you.” 

With that, Cyndra flung her hooves around Lamia’s shoulders, embracing her at the same time Lamia seized her little sister with her only leg. The two tear-stricken siblings pressed against each other as if they were two parts of a whole trying desperately to reform. When their limbs grew so tired that they could not embrace each other any harder, the sisters relaxed, drawing comfort from each other’s presence.

“Lamia, what happens now?” asked Cyndra softly, wiping the last drop of moisture from her eyes.

Lamia grimaced. “I will try to explain the circumstances of your choice to our mother. What led you to betray her, but also what you did to try to defend her and how sorry you are. Hopefully, I can get her to forgive you and resolve this situation between the ponies and changelings.”

Cyndra winced and sighed. “Do you really think she might forgive me?” Lamia nodded, and Cyndra’s expression lifted a little with hope. “Thank you. I’m sorry for reacting badly to your injuries earlier. I can see that it hurts you,” whispered the smaller changeling.

“It’s alright. I look pretty hideous,” chuckled Lamia, trying to laugh it off. She wasn’t fooling anyone though, and Cyndra could clearly hear the dejected tone in her sister’s voice. 

“But Lamia, you’re not a monster. I might take some time getting used to your… your new look, but no matter how you look, you’ll always be my sister,” said Cyndra sincerely.

Lamia blinked and snorted. “I should listen to my own advice more. Thank you, Cyndra.”

Cyndra reflected her sister’s smile. Although she was tired- emotionally exhausted, really- she was happier than she had been for a long time.

“You’re welcome, Lamia.”