//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Pluto // by Sailor_Pluto //------------------------------// "...What?" Everypony in the room stared, wide eyed, at Pluto. "Chrysalis. She's our oldest sister." Pluto repeated. "No." Celestia shook her head in disbelief. "No. You may be right about being our youngest sister, but there is no way...that thing is related to us, too. There's just no way." "She didn't originally look like she does now, you know." Pluto said. "With holes in her legs and whatnot. She didn't have those. She used to be a normal pony." "So what...happened to her?" Twilight asked. "Well, to put it simply, she was abandoned, bullied by her younger sisters when she found her parents, and then she developed a powerful magic when she met the changelings." Pluto paused for a moment. "...I mean, it's not impossible for alicorns to change form, you know." Twilight blinked. "Wha?" "Watch." A great white aura surrounded Pluto's horn, and she was briefly surrounded by light before emerging as Twilight. Twilight blinked. "Holy-" "It's quite simple, actually," Pluto said, even speaking in Twilight's voice. "All alicorns can do this, and even some high-level unicorns. Probably Sunset Shimmer, too." "Sunset Shimmer?" Celestia asked. "How...how do you know about her?" Pluto tossed her head, her long purple mane casting away from her face. "How do I know about anything? It's a mystery. But really, I know about everything that's happened in Equestria since Twilight Sparkle was sent to Ponyville." "How-" "IT DOES NOT MATTER." Pluto said firmly. "If I ever wish to discuss it, I swear upon all the honesty in myself that I will someday. But I do not want to talk about it right now, and you're just going to have to accept that." "O-okay," Celestia said, seemingly weak to her youngest sister's words. "Sorry." Pluto dipped her head slightly, eyes sorrowful. "No...I'm sorry. This is my first time seeing you all in person, and...here I am, being a huge...huge..." Pluto tipped her head back and looked at the ceiling, eyes now full of rage. "...ASS!!!" This took everypony by surprise. "...What?" Rainbow Dash's head tilted to the side. "Um...I didn't see that one coming..." "Sometimes I really loathe myself," Pluto spoke in a cold tone, just barely audible. "I'm such a jerk..." "H-hey," Celestia said, taking a few steps forward, face showing concern and confusement at the same time. "It, um...it'll be alright." Pluto, Celestia, Luna, Twilight, and her friends spent most of the rest of the day talking about Chrysalis and how Pluto came to Equestria. When evening came, Pluto was led by the Royal Guard to a guest bedroom off the throne room, where guards were put up outside just in case the alicorn wasn't as nice as she made herself out to be. Now, Celestia, Luna, and Twilight were all standing in the throne room, conversing quietly. "What do you think of her, Princess?" Twilight asked Celestia. Celestia shook her head. "I...don't really know what to think of her...at one point, she seems dark and mysterious, but at the next she's scolding herself and acting all innocent." Celestia shrugged. "I seriously don't know what to think of her." "Do you...believe she's your sister?" Celestia glanced at Luna. "I do," Celestia said after a moment. "There's certainly some things only a member of our family could have known, and she's proven that she does know them...she does some things I've only seen Luna do...I don't know, I just really feel like she's my sister." "I agree," Luna spoke up. "She definitely seems like she could be related to me. I see much of my younger self in her, which is quite a bit terrifying." "I see..." Twilight looked at the ground. "But even though she may be related to me and Luna, that doesn't mean I'm not suspicious of her." Twilight looked up. "Huh?" "I just feel like she's up to something," Celestia said. "Something about her makes me feel a little bit uneasy..." "Mayhaps she is a changeling?" Luna suggested. "It's not an impossible theory," Celestia spoke. "But I'm not quite sure that's it. I just don't know what it is." Celestia turned and started walking towards another hallway off the throne room. "Princess?" Twilight asked, walking at a brisk pace to try to catch up. "I'm going to bed," Celestia said tiredly, almost miserably. "A lot of stuff has been crammed into my brain today, and...it's made me very sleepy." "I shall turn in as well." Luna turned and trotted off after her sister. "You are welcome to spend the night in the castle, Twilight Sparkle. Your friends have already done so. But I must advise you," she turned and looked back and Twilight, and suddenly her eyes seemed a lot older. "Please do not stay in a room that is down the same hall as Pluto's room. If she is a dangerous pony...I would hate to have anything happen to our newest princess." Luna paused. "Well...our youngest not-natural alicorn." With that, she cantered down towards the wing that held her bedroom. Twilight just stood in that same spot for a moment, deep in thought. Eventually, she caught sight of a member of the royal guard in the corner of the room. She clopped over to him meekly. "Um...could you please guide me to an open guest room? Princess Luna suggested one in a separate hall from Princess Pluto..." Pluto started up at the dark ceiling, the only light of the room a silver beam of moonlight peeking out from behind the curtain that mostly blocked the window. She rolled onto her side, pulling the thick quilts over her head and cocooning herself. She was well aware of the conversation the three princesses were having in the throne room at that very moment, of the fact that they were talking about her. It was nothing new. Everypony who had ever met Pluto talked about her behind her back, thinking she couldn't possibly know. But she did know. As her eyelids grew heavy and her mental functions grew slow, she felt her mouth curl into a leer. "Everything is going as planned..."