//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 // Story: Twilight Sparkle Becomes a Changeling Queen, Book 1 // by bahatumay //------------------------------// It was around noon the next day. Twilight was finally getting the hang of navigating the hive when a changeling appeared nearby and coughed lightly. He seemed to be cowering slightly, and his stance was somewhat defensive. “Your highness?” he started. “Yes?” Twilight asked as disarmingly as she could. Though the changelings for the most part seemed to have gotten over their cowering and cringing every time she passed them, most still hesitated when starting conversations with her. “You’ve got a visitor,” he reported, “but she doesn’t want to come inside.” “Who?” Twilight asked. “The pink one.” Twilight frowned. “The pink one? Pinkie Pie?” He cracked a little smile and shook his head. “No, we like her. The larger pink one.” He lowered his voice. “The scary pink one.” Twilight blinked. Which pink pony scared the cha-? Her ears perked up. “Cadence!” she shouted. She closed her eyes and teleported to the main entrance, where sure enough, Cadence stood waiting. Twilight wrapped her in a hug, and paused as she felt Cadence tense beneath her. She pulled back. “It's really me,” Twilight said. “I know; it's just…” Cadence sighed. “No, I don't know,” she admitted sadly. “Your favorite flavor of jelly bean is black licorice?” Twilight tried. Cadence cracked a smile, accepting this for now. “You’ve been here a while,” she commented. “I just need to be here,” Twilight shrugged. “I can’t explain it.” “Is there even anything to eat?” Cadence asked. Technically, yes; but nothing Twilight wanted to eat. Twilight didn’t want to worry her, but she really didn’t want to lie, either. “I haven't been hungry,” she said, which was definitely the truth. Cadence sighed. “Just... stay safe, ok? You know I worry.” “I know.” Twilight gave her a comforting hug, which this time Cadence returned. “You've always been the best at taking care of ponies.” “Just the ones I really love.” Cadence grinned, but it faded quickly. “I can't help but think that you're going to be replaced and then the you they swear fealty to tomorrow is actually a changeling.” Twilight paused. This was actually a very valid concern. “How about I stay with you tonight?” she suggested. “I can leave right now.” Cadence smiled. “I'd like that.” “We can do all the things we used to do,” Twilight said, starting to get excited about this new idea. “We can go to the library, go out for frozen yogurt, do each other's manes, braid each other's tails, paint our hooves!” She clopped her hooves together. “Perfect!” * * * That evening, Shining Armor paused as he neared his room and slowed to a stop by a mirror. He adjusted his uniform slightly until it was straight. In one saddlebag, he carried a bottle of Crystal berry juice in Cadence’s favorite flavor. Cadence had been under a lot of stress recently; lucky for her, he knew just how to help her relax. He paused to adjust his mane briefly and spray on just a dash of cologne before opening the door with a seductive look on his face. “Oh, Cade-” He stopped short as he saw Cadence and Twilight laying tip to tail, magically braiding each other's tails into that strange interwoven chain that all girls seemed to know how to make. Both mares looked up at him, then at each other, back at Shining Armor, back at each other, and then back at Shining Armor again. As one, devious smiles spread across their faces, and Shining had the distinct impression that his nightly plans were about to be put on hold indefinitely. Cadence lifted a hair tie in her magic. “Oh, Shiiining… It's time for a makeover!” Shining managed to suppress a grimace. There was always tomorrow night. * * * “And this I swear,” the official intoned. “And this I swear,” the gathered changelings repeated. They wore no obvious disguise, but Twilight had seen their throats all burst into flames beforehoof as they changed their voice boxes to those of ponies. Bruch had told her that a changeling in disguise while still appearing as a changeling was somewhat of a major taboo in changeling culture; but since the other option was having them disguise themselves as random ponies (and thus raise all manner of suspicion if they accidentally chose a form currently being used by somepony), Twilight had decided to order this option instead. “To disavow queen Chrysalis,” he continued. This line came much louder. “To disavow queen Chrysalis…” A few even leaned down to spit at her name. “And to forever serve,” “And to forever serve,” “Her royal highness Twilight Sparkle,” “Her royal highness Twilight Sparkle,” “As long as I shall live.” “As long as I shall live.” Twilight was not used to hearing her name chanted like that, but she kept the smile on her face as she inclined her head. “I accept; and I shall be your princess for as long as I shall live.” The ceremony ended, the applause came. At least, it was supposed to be applause. Twilight frowned as she looked at the nobles, many of whom were not clapping. Many more had chosen to be absent; and of those that had come, most looked upset, even angry. She winced. Not good. Afterwards, Twilight quickly dropped to the ground and pulled Bruch aside, making the guard nearest them raise an eyebrow. “How was that?” she asked. Bruch shook his head. “They don't trust us. At all. I have never tasted so much distrust or hatred or fear.” He made a little groan of displeasure as he exhaled, and Twilight realized that she might have just seen the changeling equivalent of nausea. “And I think I might be sick.” Twilight bit her lip as he stumbled off to rejoin the changeling train back to their temporary hive. She hadn’t expected any different; but it was still disheartening to hear. As she watched him leave, she heard hoofsteps approaching, and she turned to see her friends coming. Twilight brightened. “Did you come for the ceremony?” “We’ve been here,” Rainbow grumbled. “You’ve just been so busy with the bugs that you’ve forgotten your friends.” “Hey!” Twilight protested. “I haven’t forgotten you at all! This is important! The changelings don’t have a leader now, and it’s up to me to…” “That’s great and all,” Rainbow interrupted, “but what about us? Aren’t we important, too?” Twilight put her hoof down. She looked at all her friends, meeting their eyes one by one. “Girls, we've been through enough that you should know I'm not abandoning you. I didn't change when I became a princess, and I'm not going to change just because I'm a queen. You're my friends.” “But-” “No, no,” Applejack interrupted, “she's got a point. I've been around Twilight the longest and I've never seen her once let any of us down.” She leaned in close to Twilight and whispered, “Rainbow’s just been a bit fussy ever since she found out her season pass expired and she had to miss the Wonderbolts show last week.” Rainbow pointedly ignored this. She folded her forelegs. “Yeah, fine; sorry we doubted you.” Twilight pulled her friends in for a hug. “I promise, nothing will ever come between us.” Pinkie nodded, but then her tail, left ear, and right thigh shook wildly. She brightened. “Ooh! That's the one I get when somepony says something they'll likely regret soon!” Needless to say, that did nothing to alleviate Twilight's worries. * * * Celestia smiled at the knock on her door. It was a familiar pattern, one that she would never forget. She put her bookmark back and went over to sit on her bed before answering, “Come in.” Sure enough, Twilight Sparkle poked her head in over the threshold. “May I come in?” she asked hesitantly. “Of course. I did just invite you, after all,” Celestia said, scooting over and gesturing for Twilight to sit. “What's bothering you?” Twilight grimaced slightly as she entered. “Is it that obvious?” Celestia took in Twilight's messy mane and tail littered with flyaways, her unkempt, tousled coat that seemed to be thinning in patches, and her nervous eye twitching. A tiny smile played at the edge of her lips. “I just know you very well,” she said. Twilight hopped up onto the bed, and it all came tumbling out. For nearly three minutes straight, her fears and concerns about abandoning her friends and being a bad queen were laid bare in front of her mentor. When she was done, Celestia pondered this for a moment, and then smiled. “I believe I have a solution.” “What?” Twilight asked excitedly. “Go to bed,” Celestia said with a twinkle in her eye. “What?” This time Twilight's voice was more quiet and confused. “When I invited you to join us as a princess, it was not Princess Twilight Sparkle I sought; it was Twilight Sparkle I was looking for.” “What?” Twilight repeated again. “Twilight, I did not ever want you to change. Everything you were and are is perfect for you. You just needed to see it for yourself. Don't worry about being a good queen; worry about being a good Twilight Sparkle. Everything else will fall into place, I promise you this.” Twilight nodded hesitantly. Celestia smiled and lifted up the covers with a wing in invitation, just as she had done for little filly Twilight so often all those years ago. “And yes, you may sleep here tonight if you wish.” Twilight, a fully-grown mare with more power in the top segment of her horn than most unicorns even dreamed of wielding, bounded up on the bed like a filly a fifth her age. She turned in place three times and then lay down, curled up, just like she had many years ago. And just as she had many years ago, Celestia spread a wing protectively over her and rested against her; and soon both were sleeping soundly.