Back in Canterlot, life was back to business as normal.
Well, as normal as it was ever going to get for a newly crowned changeling queen.
Twilight dropped the measuring tape and sighed. “Increase of two millimeters,” she reported.
Spike nodded and scribbled that down, then handed her the protractor. Twilight measured once more, then closed her eyes and shook her head before taking a second measurement. When her second reading gave her the same number, she dropped it, exhaling sharply. “Increase of two degrees,” she said.
“That's not bad,” Spike said, bending over to collect the protractor and putting it back on the table.
“But I like my horn. It's been a good horn. It has served me well,” Twilight nearly whimpered, bringing a hoof up to buff it lightly. “I don’t like all these changes happening. I’ve been through puberty once, and then I became an alicorn. That’s more than enough life changes to last me the rest of my… well… life!”
“So, do you think you’ll end up looking like Chrysalis someday?” Spike asked.
“I’d rather not think about that,” Twilight said airily as she used her horn to pick up the measuring tools Spike held out for her. “Or about the fact that my coat has been thinning and my skin’s getting itchy. Don’t we have an important meeting or something to go to?”
She was being facetious, but Spike answered seriously. “Actually, yeah,” he said, setting the notebook down on Twilight’s bed and walking over to the nightstand. He retrieved the scratch paper he’d placed there. “Princess Celestia thought you might want to come to this meeting.”
Twilight blinked. “Which meeting?” she asked.
“The one deciding if it is legal for changelings to live in Canterlot.”
Twilight nearly missed a step. “The what, now?”
“Yeah. A bunch of the nobility are getting together and writing up a law trying to ban changelings from living in Canterlot. They’re actually agreeing on stuff.” He tapped his claws together. “It’s kindof weird.”
“It is weird,” Twilight agreed, “and probably slightly illegal because it focuses on just one species; but it might not be necessary.” She exhaled heavily. “Spike, how would you like a promotion?”
* * *
At the knock on the door, Celestia looked up, and raised an eyebrow as she saw Twilight and Bruch enter. “Twilight? You’re a bit early; the committee won’t meet for another hour or so.”
“I know; but it doesn't really matter. We can't stay here, even if they did vote to allow us to stay. The caves don’t make a good hive, and the changelings aren’t happy here.”
"We?"
Celestia's single word question was quiet, but it made Twilight freeze. She looked back up at her mentor, over at the changeling next to her, and then back up at Celestia.
“I started this when I killed Queen Chrysalis. I can’t abandon them now.” She looked at Bruch. “They are my subjects, and I must care for them in a way that makes them happy, even if I can't understand it.”
Twilight was a bit taken aback at the thankfulness she felt emanating from Bruch.
Celestia stood, her mane and tail flowing in the breeze only she felt. "Twilight Sparkle. When I first discovered your talents and natural perchance for leading, I can honestly say that this is not what I had expected to happen. But you have grown into a true leader, and I am proud of you."
Twilight decided that protocol was highly overrated and gave Celestia a powerful hug.
"We can still keep diplomatic ties though, right?" Twilight asked, looking up through Celestia's feathers.
Celestia nodded. “I would enjoy that. How official that is remains to be seen; I, unfortunately, must abide by the decision of the committee.” She pulled Twilight in tighter. “But no matter what happens, you are always welcome here.”
“Thank you, Celestia,” Twilight whispered. She pulled back slightly and briefly looked down. “In the interest of full disclosure, though, I won’t be taking everypony- uh, every changeling with me.”
Celestia chuckled lightly. “If they’ve managed to stay hidden this long, I suppose they deserve to stay,” she agreed.
Twilight smiled. That’s not what she’d meant, but it was nice to see that Celestia was still sympathetic towards her changelings. “I’ll come back and visit,” she promised.
“You’d better,” Celestia warned. “Luna has been quite put out that she has barely seen you.”
Twilight exhaled slowly. “She’s not alone,” she murmured.
Celestia understood. She leaned down, close enough that she could whisper. “Don’t worry, Twilight,” she said. “Just trust your judgement. Everything will work out the way it is supposed to.”
Twilight sighed. “I hope you’re right.”
“I know I’m right,” Celestia returned cheekily. “Now, I'm sure we can find a productive way to spend this hour; do you feel like a cookie or two?”
Twilight brightened. Though the cookies didn’t really appeal to her right now, the thought of spending more time with Celestia did.
* * *
“So… banned,” Bruch repeated.
“Yep,” Twilight said, reading over the document. “Technically, any changeling within the boundaries of Canterlot is trespassing and is subject to immediate arrest.” She held it out so Bruch could read for himself.
He shook his head, refusing it. “We’re not very good with legal documents,” he confessed. “No changeling ever hides as a lawyer.”
Twilight cocked her head. “Why not?”
“Nopony loves a lawyer,” Bruch said in all seriousness. “Not even their own mothers.”
Twilight chuckled. “True as that may be, we still have only until sundown to evacuate.”
“But how will they know if we’ve all left?”
“They won’t,” Twilight shrugged. “But they have made the law; and I notice that I have made no such law. If a changeling stays behind, well, that’s their choice.” She shrugged even as a little smile played at her lips. “They made the law; let them enforce it.”
Bruch cracked a smile.
Twilight stood up and stretched. “Well, I’ve got to pack and give Spike the keys to the library, and I should probably tell him where I’ve been hiding the sapphires he loves so much. Do you have many personal items?”
Bruch shrugged. “We transition so much that that isn’t really a problem. The biggest issue will be love transport and moving the nymphs. Carrying them one at a time like we did on the journey here takes up too many changelings.”
Twilight nodded. “I’ll requisition a cart. Does Jarret know what to do about the love stores?”
“I’m sure he’ll figure it out,” Bruch said, a thin smile crossing his lips. “We changelings are good at improvising.”
Twilight nodded and lit her horn, pulling her things onto the bed for easy organization. “Then let’s do this.”
Walking out of her room for the last time might have been the hardest thing she’d ever had to do.
* * *
That evening, the changelings lined up in preparation for their mass exodus. Twilight herself helped hitch some of the changelings to the cart the Royal Guard had donated.
Then again, calling it a 'cart' would have been generous. The bed was currently being held together by a little hardened applied slime and good luck. It was clearly one that they were not going to want back. Nymphs and a few injured changelings were loaded in, and Twilight was fairly certain she saw one changeling carefully carrying an egg.
From high up above, Princess Celestia sat on a chair, looking regal even out here. She watched over these proceedings, her face nearly expressionless but not unfriendly. Princess Luna sat next to her, still half-asleep and rocking on her haunches, releasing a steady stream of curses on the nobility under her breath that sounded vaguely like air escaping from a hot air balloon.
Twilight turned, and saw her brother standing at attention by the gate, dressed in his full ceremonial armor. Beside him stood Captain Farsight, the commander pro tempore of the Lunar Guard and technically second in command for the entire Royal Guard.
Shining Armor stared straight ahead stoically, not looking at Twilight at all. “Captain Farsight?” he said.
“Yes, sir?”
“It’s a shame that the standing orders prohibiting me from communicating with banned individuals are currently stopping me from talking to my sister, isn’t it?”
“It certainly is, sir,” Farsight agreed.
“But do you know what I would say if I could talk to her?”
“I assume you’re speaking hypothetically, sir?”
“Yes, Farsight, I am.”
Farsight shrugged. “Many talents I have, sir, but mind reading is not one of them. Would you care to share, sir?”
“I do believe I will. I would tell Twily that I am proud of her for standing up for what she believes is right, and I would also tell her that I believe in her, and that I don’t think there is anything she can’t do.”
Twilight felt tears starting to form in her eyes.
“I’d tell her that she is already a great leader, and that she will be the greatest queen the changelings have ever known, and I hope I’ll see her again soon.” Shining frowned. “It’s too bad I can’t tell her, though.”
“A crying shame, sir,” Farsight lamented, “but as they say, sir, orders is orders; and if the Captain himself can’t follow orders, why, the entirety of Canterlot might fall.”
Shining Armor turned and gave him an askance look. “Now you’re just being silly, Captain Farsight.”
“Permission to speak freely, sir?”
“Granted.”
“Go and boil your head, sir.”
Twilight laughed along with Shining Armor, and turned to look outside the gates. She was ready now to face this new destiny thrust upon her.
…Just as soon as Bruch showed up to show her where the hive actually was again.