//------------------------------// // Years Later // Story: A Queen's Adoption // by Danger A Dragon //------------------------------// It’s been fifty years since I’ve been adopted by Celestia’s and Luna’s parents. Roughly thirty years after I got adopted, thei - our - parents got tricked into killing each other at the same time by a chaotic entity known as Discord. The only thing that stopped him were these gems called the ‘Elements of Harmony’ which were bestowed upon Celestia and Luna by a blindingly white tree. Don’t ask me how that works. During the next twenty or so years, I decided to try and rebuild my hive from scratch using books I had found in the library in my old hive. So night by night, I would gradually rebuild my hive and hopefully, it will be a fully functioning hive again in the near future. For now, I had to open my eyes and wake up to a bout of shaking from my dear sister, Luna. “Hey, Chryssie. Wake up. Time for breakfast,” Luna said cheerfully. “Already? But we just had dinner,” I complained and pulled the covers back over myself. “You know you love my love and affection. So, come along or I’ll get Celestia to wake you,” Luna said. I instantly bolted up and looked at her in fear before realizing what she just did. “Why do you keep using that?” I deadpanned as I slid out of bed. “Because it always works. Why fix something if it’s not broke?” Luna said with a chuckle. “To make it even more broken,” I grumbled and stretched like a cat. “So, I should use Celestia in her true form so it’s more broken?” Luna asked with a grin. “No. Don’t do that,” I said immediately after stretching and trotted to the door of my room. “Hmm, perhaps I should go the other direction and use me in my true form?” Luna mused as she followed me. “That will never work on me. I like that form too much,” I pointed out. “Then maybe I should use it as a reward instead of fear fuel like I do Celestia,” Luna said thoughtfully. “I believe the term is ‘nightmare’ fuel instead of ‘fear’ fuel,” I corrected automatically. “Nope, you’re awake and I use her to wake you so it’s fear fuel until you start having nightmares every night I use her to wake you up,” Luna countered. “Thanks for clearing that up,” I grumbled, the happy feeling gone out the window. “Does someone need a pick me up now that I’ve made her grumble?” Luna asked goofily. “Apparently, but not from the one that caused the grumble in the first place,” I grumbled back. “Fine, how’s this?” Luna asked before changing to her true form. “I’m not me like this, I think.” “It’s just a fresh coat of paint,” I replied before shaking my head and giving her a smile. “Happy now? I’m smiling.” “Yes, I am. Are you or are you just humoring me again?” Luna asked before realizing something. “Are you saying that my base form could use ‘a fresh coat of paint’ as in its worn out and you want to replace it?” “Can it not be both?” I questioned. “No, it was just an expression I found in a book and I thought I could apply it here because your base form and your true form have different coloured coats.” “Oh, thank goodness. I was afraid that those rumors had started to get to you, too. And yes, it can be both, but that usually doesn’t happen,” Luna said with a sigh of relief. “Not those rumours again,” I groaned before changing my voice to match Celestia’s perfectly. “You really shouldn’t believe everything you hear out there, sister.” “Easy for you to say, Sister. You don’t have any bad rumors circulating about you,” Luna said before grinning at me. “Oh, really? Then what about that time you and Chrysalis started the rumor about me eating cake twenty-four-seven?” I asked in Celestia’s voice before switching back to my own and giving a laugh. Luna chuckled with me for a moment. “That one didn’t last very long if I remember correctly,” Luna said. “It didn’t and both of us ended up in the infirmary for weeks after she found out we had started those rumours,” I said with a small shudder at the memory of lying in bed for at least six weeks as my legs healed from being broken in a couple of different places. “She did not show mercy that day.” “She showed a bit since she didn’t use her true form, but that was as much as we got,” Luna replied with a shudder of her own. “Couldn’t even fly around thanks to her breaking all six of my limbs.” “That was the scary part. Her not being in her true form,” I whispered as we got into the dining room and noticed that Celestia was already there. “Morning, Celestia,” I told her in a more normal tone. “Morning, Chrysalis. I’m surprised you’re awake,” Celestia replied. “Why would that be? Luna always gets me up at this time,” I said in confusion before sitting opposite her. “Well, you’ve been going out and coming back so late that I assumed that you’d be impossible to wake up even with Luna’s help,” Celestia explained. “Oh, that’s why. Luna’s very persuasive when she gets me up so I don’t think I need to worry about that,” I said as I rubbed the back of my neck with a hoof nervously. “Any reason why you’ve been going out during the night every night?” Celestia wondered. “There is, actually. I’ve been … rebuilding my hive using the books found in my hive’s library,” I explained hesitantly. “And how long have you been doing this?” Celestia asked. “A few weeks after mom and dad died,” I answered with my head hung low. “But you could have started this, say, fifty years ago,” Celestia said. “Yeah, well, I didn’t. It held too many memories and yes, it’s taken this long to get over my grief, Sister,” I said, nearly raising my voice at her but I managed to keep myself in check. “So, it took that long and for Luna and I to grieve along with you for you to decide to start rebuilding your hive,” Celestia said with a bit of irritation in her voice. “Um, Luna already knew,” I said softly with a raised hoof. “Of course, she did. Why wouldn’t she?” Celestia grumbled. “I don’t know. You’ll have to tell me why,” I said and stood up before involuntarily stepping back. I looked at Luna in trepidation and it appeared she mirrored my movements. “You know why, you parasite,” Celestia said in a low voice as she stood and glared at me. Parasite? Why did she have to use that word with me? She must have known it was racist to call my species that! “I … um … I’m really drawing a blank here,” I said nervously. “Then you’re just a stupid bug and you don’t belong in this family if you can’t figure out what I’m talking about,” Celestia said. Bug!? Celestia has the gall to call me a parasite and a bug? “Me … taking your little sister?” I guessed. “‘Took.’ You already did it, thief,” Celestia replied. “I’m sorry? I don’t think that’s going to cut it this time,” I said. “No, it definitely won’t. You stole my last family member and you only decided to rebuild your hive after our parents’ deaths. So, you’re a parasitic thief of a bug,” Celestia said before trotting towards one of the doors. I couldn’t answer her but I could catch her in my magic and throw her against a wall at a sickeningly fast pace. She rose from the impact as smoke rose from her body and when she was standing once more, however she was doing that, she was in her true form. She wasted no time and grabbed me in her magic before flinging me out of the dining room through one of the closed doors. “Stay down, last warning.” I kept my mouth shut as the joints where my wings connected screamed in agony from the impact of the door. Its splinters were all around me and I glared at Celestia as I stayed put. “Good. I’d hate to kill you since Luna likes you so much,” Celestia said before flying out of the room, her legs limp as noodles. I closed my eyes and did a few breathing exercises through my nose to calm myself down. The nerve of her! Why does she think I stole Luna? I never wanted to steal anypony! Just because her studies kept her busy and I was around to keep Luna happy doesn’t mean I stole her! “Are you okay, Chryssie?” Luna asked in concern from beside me. “Of course, I’m not. You heard what she called me,” I said in a growl. “Yes, I heard. Should I take you to the infirmary?” Luna replied. “I think she managed to break my wing joints with that toss,” I grumbled and huffed. “One ticket to the infirmary then,” Luna said before transporting us to the infirmary. “I actually didn’t think it would take this long for her to crack, though,” I admitted once I was bandaged and cleaned up yet again. I was resting on one of the infirmary beds with Luna sitting next to me. “When did you think she’d crack?” Luna wondered. “When mom and dad died,” I replied. “She did, just not at you,” Luna said sadly. “How did she crack then and at who?” I asked. This was news to me. “It was mainly a mental thing and at Discord,” Luna answered. “Oh that poor draconequus,” I said with a sympathetic shake of my head. “I joined her. I just didn’t crack. He had it coming and it was so cathartic it’s a shame he’s a statue,” Luna replied. “I saw you leave long after Celestia did but I didn’t know the outcome. Where’s the statue?” I asked. “I placed it where it belongs, under a latrine in Tartarus,” Luna said in a low voice. “That’s a fine place to put it,” I said with a chuckle but then it quickly went away as I thought about what Celestia had said. “Now all I need to do is stop those rumors and get Celestia back to her old self. That’ll be easy,” Luna said as a flash of black went across her eyes. I thought it was strange at first but I quickly chalked it up to some weird Alicorn magic and breathed. “The most important thing is for you and your sister to patch up your relationship,” I told her as gently as I could but I wasn’t sure how much good that would do. “Right, patch things up with a mare who obviously hates my best friend and doesn’t think the rumors spreading about me are anything to worry about it,” Luna said crossly. “I said that as a joke. I didn’t think she had actually said that to you,” I said in astonishment. “She didn’t, but she doesn’t have to since her actions speak for her and she’s done nothing,” Luna clarified. “You know I would quash those rumours in an instant if I could but you also know I’m not like you and Celestia so I can’t really do that,” I said quietly. “I know you would, Chryssie, I know. I just wish another sister would at least try instead of leaving me to defend myself when I hold court,” Luna said. “I sometimes attend your court in the guise of another pony to try and help but I don’t think it’s been doing much good,” I admitted. “I appreciate that, but one pony against the mob won’t do a thing unless that one pony is white, wears a gold crown, and is so incessantly perfect she makes the rest of us look that much worse,” Luna replied with a stomp of her hoof at the end. “Maybe eating one of her cakes will cheer you up a bit?” I suggested but ultimately knew that she would just go back to being bitter about her sister. “No, that’s her thing. I’m going to go spar with my guard and make sure they’re better than hers,” Luna said before trotting off. “I’ll see you later then,” I called out to her before resting my head against the nearby pillow. Why did Celestia think she’s better than us? We’re her sisters so technically, at least her and Luna would be on equal hoofing but it doesn’t make sense why she would pick on me. Maybe I did steal her sister but who knows!? That fat flank obviously has it in her head that I did something to Luna ever since I bumped into her all those years ago but the truth of the matter is that I didn’t. I just happened to be closer to Luna’s age than Celestia was and I just happened to be a really excellent friend in place of Celestia. I honestly didn’t expect things to turn out like this. “So, Luna isn’t with you for once,” Celestia said as she flew in as her true self before landing on a bed and changing back so the doctors could attend to her injuries. “No, she’s not. She said she had to go spar to blow off some steam,” I told her without looking at her. “So long as she isn’t near you,” Celestia replied as she began to get bandaged up. “Luna told me you wouldn’t help her by quashing those rumours about her coat. I’ve done the best I can to help but do you know who she wants help from the most? Not me the parasite, you the oh-so-perfect Princess,” I sneered at her. “Those rumors aren’t a threat to her and any who see her would know they’re untrue,” Celestia replied. “‘Any who see her’. She’s stuck in here because she’s afraid of going outside!” I yelled at Celestia while keeping my eyes trained on the wall in front of me. “She’s not a coward! I don’t know the true reason why she won’t go outside, but it’s not because she’s afraid! There’s nothing for her to fear!” Celestia shouted. “Well then you obviously haven’t been paying enough attention to her, fat flank,” I said under my breath. “You know those studies that kept me busy all the time? They’ve been replaced with the workload of our parents. I know Luna does her part, but my part is even larger than what my studies were. So, this is as much of a break as I get yet I expect a pony to start bringing me paperwork to do any minute now,” Celestia said. “According to you, they’re your parents and not mine,” I said in a low voice before mustering up the courage to teleport myself to my bed. “It’s still ‘our’ since they’re still Luna’s parents as well as mine, stupid bug,” Celestia replied. That sentence echoed through the teleportation field before it completely disappeared and I pulled my covers over me with my magic before staring at the wall opposite me with my head on the pillow. I’m not a stupid bug and Celestia can’t tell me otherwise so why do I feel so angry and sad at the same time? Angry because she called me names? Sad because those insults and nicknames may be true? Whatever the case may be, she still hurt me and as far as I know, she also hurt Luna unintentionally. “How...are you...holding up?” Luna asked as she breathed deeply after she’d teleported in my room. “Just peachy after my latest insult-filled run in with your sister,” I said in a fake cheery voice. “Crap, now what do I do? I’m angry again, but don’t have the energy to blow it off,” Luna said as she plopped down on my bed next to me. “Try to sleep on it. It’s the only thing I can do. Oh, I told her what you told me about those rumours and you know what she said?” I asked. “Ahem, ‘They’re not a threat and there’s nothing for you to be afraid of’ or something along those lines,” Luna said in her imitation of Celestia’s voice. “Close enough and the voice wasn’t half bad either,” I commented approvingly. “Thanks, I mock her enough after all and I figured she say something like that. She doesn’t have rumors about her coat and what the darkness around her cutie mark means,” Luna replied. “She isn’t a parasitic bug that’s stupid and has no parents either but who are we to complain?” I asked sarcastically. “It’s probably the peasants comparing her coat to mine that started these rumors in the first place,” Luna said bitterly. “Probably and then it just got out of hoof,” I muttered to myself and wasn’t willing to turn to look at Luna. “Do you think I deserved your parents?” “Yes, and you had a wonderful set of parents who loved you just as much as they loved me,” Luna said as she held me with a foreleg and a wing. “Thanks,” I said quietly and held her foreleg with one of my own. “Why do you think Celestia is picking on me other than the fact that I ‘stole' you from her?” “I’m not sure, but if I had to guess I’d say jealousy. Jealousy because she had to study so much for centuries while you weren’t made to study anything if you didn’t want to,” Luna said. “So you think it’s sibling rivalry?” I asked and wasn’t sure if I was using the term correctly or not. “Basically. She wants the freedom you had and to be as close to me, if not closer, as you are,” Luna explained. “It may sound like dumb reasoning but I can see why she thinks that,” I hummed. “So, how’s the rebuild coming along?” Luna wondered. “It’s coming along. It’s just taken a lot longer than I thought it would because I kept having to go back to the books every time I stuffed up a changeling,” I said in thought. “Ah, trial and error. That definitely takes awhile. How much longer do you think it’ll take you to get it to a satisfactory level?” Luna said. “I don’t know but I definitely know that it’s going to take at least ten more years, if not more,” I said confidently. “Well, I wish you luck. Let me know if there’s any way I can help,” Luna said kindly. “Mmm, thank you, Sister,” I said with a smile before sighing when I realized how badly Celestia messed up my wing joints. “I can’t do anything until my wings heal up so, do you think you can get me a few books from the library in my hive?” “Sure, just tell me which books you want and where I need to go,” Luna said with a smile. “The hive is on the outskirts of the forest. The library is about four levels below ground, round about the middle, and the books I need will be laying about on the floor in the middle of the library. You can’t miss them,” I informed her. “Okay, I’ll be back in a little bit,” Luna said as she melted into the shadows and disappeared. I smiled to myself as I rested in my bed. I wonder how she’ll react when she sees the multiple stacks of books dotted around the library? She would most likely stare before picking out some random ones so as to not bring too many back. My wings twinged when I tried to move them so I kept them still and groaned when I felt a burning sensation on the back of my neck. “You’re up and about fairly quickly, Celestia,” I said calmly without facing the doorway. “You know the training I’ve gone through so you know that your toss wasn’t the worst I’ve had. My ponies need me up and about as well. So, I’m enduring the pain as I always have,” Celestia replied from the doorway. “You can’t even get Luna to fill in for you while you recover?” I asked. “I would, but I can’t find her and all of the nobles keep asking for me by name when they come to see us,” Celestia said with a sigh. “She’s most likely still sparring. If they keep asking for you, then why don’t you let Lulu have some time in the limelight as well?” I questioned. “Because there are too many of them and her taking my place would slow down the entire process since she would have to explain to each petitioner why she’s there instead of me and who know how long that’d take with some of the nobles,” Celestia replied. “Then stand with her and share the responsibilities,” I said with a huff. “How do you think that’d turn out with them asking for me? They’d just ignore her and direct everything my way. I could make them acknowledge her, but that is not the way things should go,” Celestia said. “Anyway, I came here thinking Luna was with you, but she’s not so I must go.” “Why shouldn’t they go that way? At least you’d be spending time with her,” I said to myself when I heard Celestia’s hoofsteps recede. “Chryssie, how many books did you want me to bring?” Luna asked from the shadows a few minutes after Celestia had left. “Depends. How many did you manage to get?” I asked curiously and was glad for the distraction from princess hothead. Stacks of books began to emerge on the floor. “Um, all the books that were on the floor of the library,” Luna said. I watched about ten stacks emerge before they finally stopped and stared at them all. “I said in the middle of the library, not the entire library,” I muttered before levitating a stack I recognized from a few nights ago. “Just … just this one will do. Sorry, Lulu.” “No problem. I’ll put these ones back and be right back,” Luna replied as the other stacks vanished. I put my stack back on the floor before levitating the first one off and began reading it as it floated closer to me. “So, what are you reading about?” Luna asked from behind me. “‘Pony to Changeling Volume 8’. This is my latest attempt in about four or five thousand,” I replied casually. “Why would you need that? You can already change into a pony and back again,” Luna said in confusion. “It’s more for changing kidnapped ponies into changelings through the goo I create,” I clarified. “Ah, okay,” Luna replied. “Wait, you’re not kidnapping ponies are you?” “Not yet, and if I would, it would be from far off towns and villages that aren’t even worth mentioning,” I said with a twirl of my hoof before going back to reading. “Couldn’t you just ask for volunteers? I’m sure there would be plenty of them if you asked those that could use a new chance at life,” Luna said in concern. “I could but who would want to be a completely different species?” I asked sadly and closed my book gently. “Maybe … maybe Celestia is right and I am just a parasite.” “No, she’s wrong. You’re not a parasite. You’re my sister,” Luna said comfortingly. “And I suggest going to the areas of towns where homeless ponies live. They’d want to be a different species if it meant having a home and food again, I’m sure of it.” I laid my ears flat against my head and pushed into my pillow. “She’s not wrong. All I do is feed on emotions so what kind of life is that for a homeless pony? To be called a parasite and be a stupid bug?” I asked bitterly. “It is better than starving to death, sister, and I’m sure there are ways of feeding off emotions that are beneficial to both parties. We just haven’t thought of them yet,” Luna said optimistically. “I could ask but Celestia’s words will still ring in my mind, Lulu,” I said softly. “Then let these words ring in there as well. You are a kind and loving sister who I wouldn’t trade for the world,” Luna said lovingly as she held me from behind with her wings. I couldn’t say anything so I let Luna hug me while I stared at the stack of books beside my bed. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re better than Celestia, Chryssie.” “Better how? All I am to her is a thief,” I said. “You’re a better sister. You listen to me and help as you can whereas she’s always tied up in her paperwork and taking care of those blasted nobles,” Luna replied. “I asked her if she could let you handle the nobles and she said that it would take too long for you to explain why you're taking their requests instead of her,” I told her. Luna sighed at this. “I can see why she said that. It’d probably take me half an hour just to get them to tell me why they came and then they’d just be comparing me to her the entire time,” Luna said quietly as her wings became limper. I was going to continue on but when I felt this, I fell quiet for a time until I remembered what Celestia had told me. “She was looking for you and figured that you’d be with me,” I informed her. “Did she say why she was looking for me?” Luna asked quietly. “No. After she said that, she left and then you arrived with my books. I told her you were sparring but I don’t think that did much good,” I replied. “Thanks, Chryssie. She was probably going to try to give me a pep talk or something. All she’d end up doing is the opposite right now,” Luna said sadly. “Meaning what?” I asked confusedly. “Meaning that every encouraging word she’d utter would just remind me of the rumors and what the nobles and other ponies think of me. How she hasn’t done a thing to stop that and how much we truly are like night and day,” Luna explained. “Princess Hothead most likely thinks that those rumours build character or something else that’s stupid,” I mumbled. “Yeah, she probably does,” Luna replied as her wings turned black for a moment before turning back to blue. “Um, you okay? Your eyes turned black back in the infirmary for a brief amount of time and now your wings just did the same thing,” I said in concern. “I-I’m fine, sister. I-I just need some rest after blowing off some steam again,” Luna replied. “If you’re sure about that,” I said quietly after feeling her presence leave my bed. “Th-There’s nothing else I can do besides that,” Luna said as she trotted to the door before pausing in the doorway. “I’m not sure if this will help or not, but look into mental spells. I can’t perform them on myself.” “Sure. I can do that for you. Do you want me to perform some on you?” I questioned when I realized what she had asked of me. “Yes, please. I’m unsure which will be needed, but at least one will be,” Luna replied. “I’ll go do that then. The hive can wait,” I said with a thoughtful look before carefully getting out of bed and walked over to my doorway. “No, rest and recover for now. The issue isn’t big enough to worry about as of yet and I’m not even sure the mental spells will even do anything,” Luna explained as she blocked the doorway. I sighed and looked at her. She didn’t need to block the doorway but I’m guessing it was to make a point. “Your mental state is slightly more important than my health at the moment,” I replied evenly. “I appreciate your concern, sister. I just don’t want you getting more hurt while helping me should you encounter Celestia again and things get out of hoof,” Luna said. “I won’t. If she encounters me, I’ll just teleport away with the book,” I said with a shrug. “Okay, thank you. I will be with my guard for a while before retiring to my room if you need me for anything,” Luna said with a smile before trotting off towards her guard’s training grounds. Now that my way wasn’t blocked, I can head off to the library at a casual gait. Maybe I could see if those mental spells will do anything. Only one way to find out. Thankfully, Celestia wasn’t around on my way there. I walked among the bookshelves in search of a few different spellbooks and caught a few in my magic before trotting over to a study table. I cracked one open and began reading it to try and commit as many mental spells to memory as possible. “This is a rare sight. You’re studying,” Celestia said as she trotted by with a few books in her magic. “This is a rare sight. You’re not in the throne room,” I retorted without looking up from my studies. “Court is over for the day. I needed to look up a few things so I came to get the necessary books. Simple as that,” Celestia explained. “What things? How to catch bugs unaware?” I sneered. “No, I can do that quite easily already as you are already aware of. One of the nobles brought up an issue that I wanted to be sure about before deciding one way or the other about,” Celestia replied. “What issue would that be?” I asked, doing my best to keep my cool and to not hit her into next week. “The noble complained of his household and all under him suffering from nightmares and wondered if putting up a statue of some kind to ‘frighten them away’ would work or not,” Celestia said with a heavy sigh. “And yes, I know Luna is already an expert in this area and enters dreams to help with this, but I still can’t find her. So, I will be doing the research myself.” “You can’t just wait for her in her room to ask that?” I asked as I turned a page. “If I can’t find her then she doesn’t want to see me unlike you,” Celestia said bitterly. “What’s that supposed to mean? You just happen to bump into me wherever I go,” I said angrily. “It means that she’d rather see you than her flesh and blood sister!” Celestia shouted. “If her sister made an actual effort to let her join in on the throne than alienate by not doing anything about rumours, maybe, just maybe, she would actually talk to you,” I growled before picking up the books I was planning to read in my magic and teleporting away, back to my room. “She has her own court to run. It is not my fault that our subjects come to me instead of her and I only know what little about those supposed rumors as Luna’s told me about. Other than that I haven’t heard a single one and neither have my guard,” Celestia replied after she’d teleported after me. “You most likely haven’t heard them because you’ve been too busy listening to stuck up nobles instead of walking out there in the towns,” I told her. “I would much rather be out amongst the ponies than stuck in the throne room, but I don’t get to have that since it’s my responsibility to listen to the nobles,” Celestia replied. “I doubt the rumors are as bad as Luna makes them out to be, but tell me some and we’ll see.” “‘Why isn’t her coat lighter?’. ‘That blue princess should not be seen out in daylight. The dark hides her so well’,” I rattled off a couple of rumours I had heard and perfectly mimicked the voices I heard them in. “Are those the worst of them? Those don’t seem to be bad enough to affect Luna as you said they have,” Celestia said with a raised brow. “No, those aren’t the worst, but what they imply is a different matter because they expect her to be just like her big sister,” I snapped. “Then they are wrong. I’ll do what I can to stymie these rumors, but I am not sure if they will actually stop. Thank you for telling me,” Celestia said before teleporting away. Whatever. At least she didn’t throw me against the wall. I was just about to hit her with a few books as well. I walked up and climbed onto my bed before resting beneath the covers and started studying the mental spells again. Hopefully, some of these will work and if they don’t, I could most likely fine tune them to suit my illusionary purposes.