//------------------------------// // Prologue: Princess of Paperwork // Story: The Changeling Trials // by PastCat //------------------------------// Celestia felt harassed. Seriously. The least known part of being a princess was all the paperwork. Celestia’s office was crowded with stack after stack of various documents having to do with the administration of Equestria. And now… these had started to show up. In the wake of the wedding and attempted invasion by the changeling hive of Queen Chrysalis, the Royal Guard had been kept busy seeking out and rounding up changelings all over Equestria. That, though, was not the cause of the excess paperwork. Not directly anyway. The growing mountain of paper here consisted of petitions from ponies asking for amnesties for changelings. There were dozens of them, more coming every day. The Princess of the Sun sighed. There was not enough time in the day (and there was no way that a newly returned Luna would ever agree to shorten her night for the sake of finishing paperwork), but it was all still there. Paperwork. Ugh. Her mental complaints were interrupted by a knock on the door. “What?” The princess snapped. The door was eased open by a pale blue aura and a dark blue alicorn stepped through, bearing a tray with a teapot, two cups, and Celestia’s favorite angel food cake on a platter of its own. “Sister, thy Luna hast brought thee some repast!” Celestia glanced at the clock and started. It was that time already? She and Luna had restarted an old hobby of sharing a snack just before each princess performed her duties at sundown. Luna was looking askance at her sister. “You forgot again, did you not?” Celestia sighed guiltily. “Yes.” “Tia, you are working too hard! What in the name of Faust is all this?” Luna levitated a page off the stack nearest to her with her shimmering magic aura and read the first few lines. She glanced back up at her sister. “Tia, how many of these changeling petitions are in here?” Celestia rubbed at her forehead with a hoof. “I do not know. I have not had time to look. Too many.” Luna rolled her eyes at her workaholic sibling. “Sister, you have not slept in two days. Do not try and tell me otherwise; I know these things. You will wear yourself to a nub if you do not take a break. Is there any of this that you would let me take over,” she tapped the pile of petitions, “like these?” Celestia looked confused. “But Luna, are you sure…?” She began hesitantly. Luna quelled her by looking Celestia in the baggy eyes and interrupted. “I am not fresh from the nightmare moon thing any longer, Tia. Plus…” the blue alicorn hesitated before continuing, “I am not certain you would be the best judge for these non-hive changelings. Both you and Cadence had painful encounters with Chrysalis and her hive. I am not sure that, were I the friend of a changeling, I would trust your objectivity.” Celestia looked scandalized, then thoughtful, then guilty. It was true; she was not inclined toward a gentle treatment of the changelings. “And you are?” the older alicorn asked. “Moreso than you think. I did, after all, sleep through the whole incident when it all blew up. I at least have the advantage of no direct encounters with the attackers. Besides, due to what little we know of the changelings’ feeding needs, we should deal with this as quickly as possible. Not even changelings from a hostile hive should be allowed to starve.” They were good reasons, all of them. Celestia inhaled before responding. “This seems… odd for you, Luna. I am not used to you being a voice of… mercy.” Luna smiled in sympathy. “You taught me about the benefit of mercy, sister. Do not forget the role you played during my salvation via the elements at our old castle. I would like to apply it my way, to help some pony, or some changelings as the case would be. And who knows, these changelings could be of benefit to society in Equestria.” Celestia sighed again before slowly nodding. This was one argument she was not about to win. Luna had always been a lover of logic puzzles, even as a foal. Celestia preferred to use her time differently. Besides, her sister had brought up good points. “All right, Lulu. If you are certain you want to take these on as part of your Night Court duties, I will let you do so. I will also notify the couriers to direct all changeling petitions to you from now on.” “I thank you, sister, for trusting me with this.” Luna lifted the entire stack of petitions off her sister’s desk and replaced them with the cake and hot cocoa. “Now Tia, it is time we ate and spoke of naught but pleasantries.”