//------------------------------// // The Changeling Court // Story: Pony-Losophy // by Newenglandee //------------------------------// Establishing the ground rules for a new group of citizenry was always tricky. When it came to immigrants, there was always a minor, initial amount of worry and nervousness that permeated the citizens of Equestria's thoughts. The idea of "Will they truly be able to fit in". Sometimes it was just a minor little thing that only flashed up in small amounts, occasionally seen by people conducting nervous conversations with the newcomers. Other times it was plain and simple "Stay away from this person completely" fear. And, regrettably, the Changelings had gotten an immense amount of the latter. So much so that they had almost ghetto-tized themselves rather than truly "interact" with other Equestrians. The mindset was understandable. Why bother trying to be like the citizens in Canterlot? They wouldn't forgive the Changelings for the invasion. So it would just be a case of "You don't bother us, we don't bother you". The problem was that the Changelings still had to be subject to Canterlot laws...but no judge really wanted to take the case. Or at least, no judge initially. Luckily, Luna had, in a surprising display of kindness, offered herself up to be a circuit judge to fill this void. And it was to Luna's "Changeling Court" that Twilight was now on her way to visit as she trotted along the sidewalk through Canterlot's Eastern "Changeling District". The wind blowing lightly through her mane, she stopped when she saw a few young Changeling dibbuns sitting on the nearby street corner, looking with a certain amount of anger, annoyance and sadness at houses off down the street. "What's wrong?" Twilight asked, approaching the threesome as they glanced at her, then at the houses, sighing slightly. The first one, who had a very thick set of blue wings for his age, sighed and gestured with a hoof at the biggest of the houses. This wasn't saying too much, it was far from a mansion. It had slightly patchwork windows with ugly faded yellow curtains, a faded yellow paintjob on the house, and the path leading up to the front door obviously needed work since there were rather large cracks in the pavement. But still, it was clearly the kid's home. "That's your house, isn't it?" Twilight asked as the little colt nodded. "Kai and his friends moved in. Kicked us out. They want us to pay them for "protection"." "Where's your parents?" The alicorn inquired, frowning a bit as she scratched her head, the young Changelings all looking slightly away, obviously not wanting to answer the question. Twilight got the picture. The parents couldn't help. "So you all just live alone in there?" "It isn't all bad. We know a lot of people in Canterlot are tryin', but-" The colt frowned darkly, seeing a group of red-winged Changelings coming out of the house as they laughed and chuckled among each other, Twilight frowning at this sight. The wind seemed to pick up as she approached them, her brow set, jaws firmly clenched as she approached, the Changelings whistling a bit. "Woooooo. Did not see this coming. Got to tell you, you here to buy some of our fine merchandise? Because if you are, you're a LOOOOT cooler than we heard you were." The skinniest of the Changelings said, showing off a very fanged mouth, the black chitin-esque skin he had made of oh-so-tiny scales that were only faintly visible to the naked eye in the midday sun that even now was partially blocked by the clouds above. Twilight gave him a frown, her face like stone as his buddies chuckled before he waved a dismissive hoof in the air. "No, wait, lemme guess. You wanna scare us out. You think we're gonna start shaking and say "Oh, Twilight, pleeeaaaase don't hurt us, dear princess! Please don't zap us with your horn!" You ain't gonna do shiiiiiiiiit. You ain't gonna do shiiiiiiiiit. You! Ain't-gonna-do-shit! You ain't gonna do! Ain't gonna do SHIT." The changeling said, dancing around Twilight, leaving his friends behind. Cuz his friends didn't dance, and since they didn't dance, they'd be no friends of mine, that's for sure. "Let me guess. You're dealing in moonflower?" She inquired, sighing slightly, putting a hoof over her face. Moonflower was a deep bluish flower with a faint white halo around the stem that almost resembled the moon. It often bloomed only at night and under the light of the full moon, which seemed to give it a mystical, intriguing set of properties. Properties which made you feel very, verrrrry strange after you ingested it. It could be eaten, smoked, boiled up, all various ways of bringing about an incredibly powerful and incredibly nice high. And there was a telltale sign: it turned you red. For ponies, the change came in your fur color. For changelings? Their wings. "So what? Go tell that to Judge Luna. Hearsay ain't admissible." The Changeling snorted, poking her slightly in the chest as she gave him a small chuckle. "Not exactly. The Equestrian Constitution protects you from unreasonable searches according to the Fourth Amendment. But as a Princess, well, my word carries powerful weight and I can do pretty much anything I want! So you have ten minutes to get your things out of there and give the children their home again. Or I iwll tell Princess Luna...or set your stashes on fire. Whichever I think would make you more upset." The Changeling's smirk fell. It was understandable he wouldn't realize how remarkably above most laws Princesses were. And he and his friends immediately bolted inside the houses, swearing up a storm as Twilight turned around and gave the kids a knowing wink before trotting off down the street, heading for the far-off, dazzling-blue-painted courthouse at the far end. She'd swing by later just to see if they'd left and she probably wouldn't have really set their stashes of moonflower on fire. Rainbow Dash might have, but not her. But that didn't meant the temptation hadn't briefly flared up when th Changeling had been prancing around her like a buggy ballerina. She inwardly slapped her face. Ugh. No, no, no. She couldn't think of them as "bugs". That was a racist, racist term to describe them. After all, they were a different species entirely, it wasn't fair of her to be put off by their appearance when she'd seen minotaurs, a three-headed dog, a hydra! Still, she had good reason to distrust the Changelings since her own brother had been under their queen's spell, and who knew how far it might have gotten had Chrysalis not been discovered- Oh. No. NO. Queen Chrysalis was in the court. Yes, there were five guards at the front and back of the room, standing by tall and proud banners that displayed the regal beauty of Princess Luna. Yes, Princess Luna was in full regalia, dressed dazzlingly in golden armor as her mane as alluring as a river that reflected the night sky above flowed around her. And yes, Chrysalis wasn't exactly looking in the best of shape, her green, slimy hair was even more ratty than before and she smelled, like she always did, like she'd used too much bad perfume, a burning stench hitting the young alicorn's nostrils that made her think of cooking oil that'd been set on fire and left to rot in the summer sun. But Twilight steeled herself even as heart beat a little faster, Luna waving her over. "The Queen and I are discussing some new Changeling protections she would like us to implement into our legal system due to complaints of harassment. And we're discussing some of it over a very nice bit of chess." Princess Luna admitted as she gestured to the side at a large table where a stone set of red and white chess pieces lay, Chrysalis taking her seat down at one end as Luna did the other. "How good to see you, Twilight. Tis a true delight as always!" "I feel the need to ask, I...thought that Changelings would have sufficient protection under the Third Amendment of our Constitution." Twilight admitted with a wave of her hoof as Luna gave her a sympathetic nod, Twilight levitating her notebook out of her belt and beginning to scribble down in it with the quill and ink she'd brought along as Luna sighed slightly before speaking. "The Equal Protection Amendment. Yes, "Equestria shall not deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of laws". When it comes to race, alienage or national origin, those factors are seldom relevant to the achievement of any legitimate interest. Laws based around affecting people based on those factors are deemed to reflect prejudice and antipathy. Even sex and legitimacy of birth. It doesn't matter if it's a boy, a girl, a child born in or out of wedlock, the protections must and are equal." "But my people are inherently discriminated against due to several factors-" Chrysalis began to say. "Like you invading the city? That kind of makes people hate you when you invade places." Twilight remarked. Chrysalis's hoof had been over a queen and she halted its movement, slowly turning to glare darkly at Twilight. But Twilight wasn't going to wilt under this glare. Her own indigo eyes stared deeply back into the queen's furious green as the Changeling Queen put her hoof away in her lap with her other hoof and frowned. "My people's needs had to come first. We were hungry." "I get hungry too, but I don't break into someone's home to get their pies or cupcakes." Twilight reasoned. "What was stopping you from just approaching the Princesses and asking straight-up for help?" "Oh, that would go well. "Hi, my people need to leech off your emotions in order to remain nourished! Can we occasionally stick you in cocoons and suck on you for hours at a time?" Yes, no doubt it'd go splendidly. I learned long ago to throw away compassion and love for any other race but my own. My cooperation with your princesses is solely based on self-interest and preservation. And the simple solution that would have fit our goals was a swift, powerful, all-out invasion that would have knocked you all out in a single blow at the capital of your species's power." Queen Chrysalis intoned. "I'm sure the Princesses have heard stranger requests than that." Twilight defended, shaking her head back and forth as Luna tilted her head to the side. "A few, actually. Many of them from the kingdom far to the west where the Centaurs call home. The place where Tirek originated from." Luna remarked with a shudder. The very mention of his name brought up unpleasant memories in her and Twilight as the "egghead" looked from Luna to Chrysalis. "My people inherently have a power that your species doesn't. The ability to shapeshift means that there is inherently an edge that your race doesn't naturally have. This means that we can make ourselves, if we put enough effort and we've enough power into it, stronger, faster. We can be a minotaur or monster if we desire. As such, we need more protection. When people see something they don't have, they covet it." Chrysalis said, now moving her queen across the board, Luna rubbing her chin thoughtfully "Projecting, much?" Twilight inwardly mused. "Ponies have abilities your species doesn't. Why should you get special treatment because one part of you is so much different from everypony else?" "Because we're inherently starting at a disadvantage." Chrysalis reasoned. "None of our people have the years of ancestors building up wealth that your race has. We won't be hired for jobs like yours will." Luna moved a bishop forward, capturing Chrysalis's own and she groaned. "Nobody is going to be rushing to date us, Twilight Sparkle. Until the playing field is equal, we will need additional assistance. It's not putting a handicap on you, or giving us a headstart. It's making sure we all start at the same time in this race." Twilight was silent for what seemed to be a very, very long time, the chess game playing out before her, Chrysalis managing to take a Rook and two bishops before losing her Queen, Twilight finally finding the courage to speak. "How does your species choose who gets to be queen?" "Well, how did your own race?" "They can raise the sun and moon, they defeated Discord and Tirek the first time, they exiled King Sombra, they were all the natural fit. Everyone decided they were the best leaders Equestria could ask for." Twilight reasoned. "So they drew up a Constitution and became our monarchs." "So in essence, their acts of power were what qualified them to be in charge. Their power demanded they become the Law." Queen Chrysalis remarked with a small, wry smile, Twilight realizing she was building on a point that was slowly beginning to manifest in her own mind. "If, say, your Princess Luna demanded nobody could eat lettuce, and you decided to eat lettuce anyway, you'd be punished. Their commands are backed by the threat of force. Ipso facto, they're the law." "Then that would apply to you demanding Canterlot surrender. Or a bank robber holding up a bank and demanding a teller to put the money in the bag." Twilight reasoned, waving a dismissive hoof in the air. "It can't just be about that!" "No, the law must also be issued by someone in authority. The sovereign." Queen Chrysalis admitted as she put a hoof on her chest and closed her eyes, looking almost regal for a moment. "And the requirements are simple, really. One: the sovereign must be habitually obeyed by most of the citizens subject to them, and that person can't regularly obey anyone else. And it applied to me. I was an expert on the battlefield and I answered to nobody but my own skills and intelligence. I, like your Princesses, was the natural choice. I showed I was meant to be the Sovereign." "By your logic, though, that means you can't ever really listen to what your own people have to say." "I know what they need. They don't need to say it. Do you think every single king or queen is just some bumbling idiot or blind tyrant immune to the needs of their kind?" Queen Chrysalis asked, looking rather annoyed. "No, wait. I'll answer that." She said, holding a hoof up, cutting Twilight off as her green eyes turned accusing. "You do. Because your own system is more democratic, you have an inherent distrust of any governmental system that doesn't put much power into the hands of the everyday pony on the street. You want to have a say because you don't truly trust your Sovereign to do what's right on their own. If you did, you wouldn't have asked Celestia and Luna to create a Constitution. You put that in as a reminder that you're the last word in the government. As a way to remind them they are meant to serve you." Twilight wanted to speak up. To object to this. She wanted to say it was oversimplifying to an extent, that such an idea was too cynical, but Chrysalis was on a roll. She clearly needed to get this out of her system. "I will benefit my people and I will rule over them. I will protect them and provide for them. But I won't "Serve" them. That implies I am somehow their equal or their lesser. My very position as Sovereign means I'm superior. And frankly, you don't want an everyday mare on the street to be in charge, my little pony. Because they're stupid. You WANT the best of the best. The elite. The most intelligent, the most brilliant, the most powerful, you want them to be in charge. Not the moron who gets you a salad in a diner." Chyrsalis moved the Knight she had to the right forward, Luna sighing. "Checkmate." The Queen said, standing up. "Well. I rather enjoyed this spirited little discussion. And such a lovely game." She smirked a bit at Twilight before turning to Luna. "Shall we speak more privately in your study for the moment?" "I'll be with you shortly, Twilight." Luna offered, Twilight watching Queen Chrysalis and the guards escorting her into the double doored office of the Princess, an unmistakable air to the queen's way of walking. Well, she called it "walking". To Changelings, they might call it walking. To most ponies it would be called "A swagger". And to Twilight, it would be called "being a complete thing I would like to say but am too much of a lady to do so." She hoped Luna would hurry up with the discussions. There were questions she wanted to ask her. Especially about Night Mare Moon. Twilight had always wanted to know how things had gotten so bad that Luna had allowed herself to be corrupted, and hopefully the Lunar Regent would be able to give her an answer. In a way though, Twilight couldn't understand it. Why would Luna ever want to try and kill her sister out of pure jealousy alone? It had to have been an outside force influencing her. The idea anyone would turn on their own flesh and blood of hundreds of years from pure jealousy and frustration made absolutely no sense to her. Then again, Twilight wondered to herself, Gilda had turned on Dash over some stupid pranks she thought Dash had done. And they'd been best friends for years. Sure Gilda hadn't seemed all that good and pure, but perhaps it wasn't so much of a stretch to imagine Luna just outright snapping after years of frustration, finally giving in to the worst her spirit had to offer. How much of it had been here, and how much of it had been Night Mare Moon? What if the evil entity hadn't put something into Luna but had just brought out the latent evil that was already there? Rarity had once been possessed by her, did that mean that she'd had something awful waiting within for a dark touch to bring forth? Twilight began to wonder if she really wanted to know the answer to that question.