//------------------------------// // Dear Princess Celestia, Duck! // Story: The Wedding Aftermath // by Queen Sanguine Dreams //------------------------------// After a few misunderstandings and tense moments, I had convinced the six mares to calm down enough around me to not think that I was a monster. I was still distrusted and thought to be planning something, but the 'Pinkie Promise' discouraged their previous fears. I've asked Twilight, the smart purple one, about the Pink One and recieved no explanation for her abilities. I will have to ask her at some point if our friendship develops further. Pinkie Pie may terrify me with her unexplainable powers, but she was the first to 'warm up' to me after my promise. Detailing my desire to save my hive, I was given another limitation if the Six were to help me. I would be barred from changing my shape into anypony else unless requested. Their reasoning is that if I went along with them undisguised, they could deal with the Solar Guard as they appeared. The ponies called them Royal Guard for some reason. They give me odd looks. Our current goal was insisted upon by Pinkie Pie, as I had never been to a party before. Her determination overruled the objections of her friends by sheer desperation alone, combined with a guilt trip that she later apologised for. As this was to be a suprise party for everypony in town, (the townsfolk had not been told who the party was for), it was my goal to stay out of sight until preperations had completed. I was currently in Rarity's clothing shop named Carrotsale bow leak or something. She was talking about something I had no interest in but for her amusement I was being used as a 'Mannequin' for her designs. I was unable to fully shield the hive from my disgust at that. Gaius signed off. "Oh dear, could you move a bit to the left? Thank you!" Rarity cooed, a thin yellow tape of some kind floating next to my leg. Not having a clue what she was doing, I decided to ask in a less obvious way. "Are you in need of anything from me, Rarity?" "Oh heavens, no! I should be asking you that for giving me this opportunity." She happily sighed. "What do you refer to? I've only been standing here and listening to you speak." "Well, you've allowed me to be the first pony to have a shot at changeling fashion, darling." She waved a dismissive hoof at me, as if shooing my worries away. "Honestly, I'm most interested in those holes of yours." I looked to my holed hooves as if for the first time. "What do you mean?" "Well I have no idea what they're for, and I wouldn't want to cover up something important with fabric now would I?" I had no use for clothing, but perhaps things were different in pony society. I took this moment to ask the Hive while Rarity continued with her yellow strip. The infiltrators of the hive replied. "Darling, are you alright? You seem to space out quite a bit." Rarity was now standing in front of my face with a look of concern. Realising she hadn't asked what I was doing, I explained it away. "Oh, Its perfectly alright Rarity. I get carried away in dreams of planetary conquest and bloodshed, you know." I did my best to keep a serious face as she turned an even more pale shade of white. "Yo-bu-we-I" she blustered, her expression switching between confusion and shock. I snickered, which came out as more of a chittering noise, holding a hoof to my mouth to hold back my amusement. Realising my antics, she instead narrowed her eyes at me in mild annoyance as I giggled at her reaction. "I didn't know Proto-Queens were allowed to joke." She grumbled. "Oh come now, do you honestly think I would do such a thing?" "That's a bit out of my element, darling." she replied flatly, looking from the corner of her eye at me as she measured." I stood there for a few moment before realising. "Did... Did you just make a pun out of your position?" "Whatever do you mean, darling?" She winked, and we both giggled. ***** This situation continued for a few hours as Rarity had me try on several different outfits she dubbed 'Costumes'. I remember thinking such things were rediculous, as one made me appear to be a spider. Several others came and went before she finally settled on a costume. It was a strangely shaped set of armor, a soft purple-blue in color with a crecent moon in the chestplate. I was told it made me resemble an historical figure from their culture. Hopefully it wasn't a bad figure. Pinkie Pie's plan was to hold a costume party, so that I would be able to attend the party without causing a panic. Rarity assured me that I looked 'fetching' and took it as a compliment. The hour of celebration was soon approaching, but one detail had left Rarity upset. Her sister Sweetie Belle was missing. She had been pacing the floor for several minutes now, and I held sympathy for her position. I was going to have thousands of sons and daughters when I matured, but I hoped I would at least be able to compose myself better than standing idly by. "Rarity?" I asked softly, not wanting to startle her or increase her stress. "Yes?" She snapped, clearly upset. "I could search for your sister while you perform whatever du-" "No no no! I couldn't ask that of you. You're our guest!" She nervously laughed afterwards, her mane coming frazzled. I steadily walked over, not used to these 'hoof shoes' and rested a hoof on her side. "Rarity, you need to find your sister and you need help. Let us both go in search of her." She looked at me with a flash of suspicion before relenting. "Alright, but you don't want to miss Pinkie's party. You promised to never lie, and if you miss her party then she'll take it to mean you lied about coming to it." She warned. "Thank you for your advice, Rarity." I lowered my hoof to the ground. "Where is Sweetie Belle supposed to be?" I asked. "She was going to her friend Applebloom's clubhouse with Scootaloo, and they said they would be back by now." I had a hunch. I grumbled to myself, given the implications of this. Oh, I had forgotten about that. Rarity was staring at me again. I decided to take hold of the moment and keep my face perfectly still, my hoof slowly and silently leaving the floor and moving towards her muzzle. With a sudden bolt of movement, my head turned fast enough to startle her in range. Looking down at the last moment, she had no chance to evade my attack. "Boop." I flatly declared with internal triumph, both at my composure and discipline in achieving the feat. Rarity was suprised by this, rubbing her muzzle. "What are you really doing when you 'go away' like that?" She asked, unscrunching her muzzle experimentally. Welp, she asked the right question. "I am speaking with my children in the Hive Mind." An eyebrow raised in curiosity as the opposite eye squinted in appraisal. "Hive mind?" She asked, as if those words didnt belong together. "Yes. It allows me to communicate and sense other changelings of my hive." She thought for a moment before replying. "Does a hive mind mean that all of your minds are the same one, or that you're a collection of minds acting in concert?" "The latter. I would not have my children subjected to a mindless existance." A knock on the door broke our conversation, and Rarity moved to open it as I stayed back. I was too far to hear the conversation, but the emotions I could sense involved worry, anxiety and urgency. Rarity stole a peek back at me before finishing her conversation and politely shutting the door. "What news?" I asked. "They say that the creatures in the Everfree are being startled by something, and that ponies keep hearing chittering." She shivered. "Chittering? Maybe I could have a word with whatever it is." Rarity looked oddly at me, but I was becoming immune to her strange looks. It was easier to ignore them anyway. ***** The chittering in question had lead Rarity and I to a secluded area of the Everfree. Calling out, I sought to find the source of the disturbance. €Hello? I am Proto-Queen Aze. I seek to parley!€ I loudly chittered, oblivious to Rarity's discomfort. €My Queen?€ a voice replied, and several changelings buzzed down next to me, causing Rarity to shriek in alarm. "What is this?!" She panicked. "What's going on?" She continued. We collectively spared a look in her direction in synchronization that caused her to tremble, and resumed speaking. We heard ruffling of dead leaves and hushed whispers, but nothing revealed hostile intent or emotions, and was ignored. The changeling seemed upset by this, but reluctantly agreed. He promptly flew off with several others. As they departed, the rustling of bushes became a concern as Twilight and Rainbow Dash stepped from them. "See? I told you we couldn't trust her!" Rainbow growled. Twilight seemed skeptical. "Proto-Queen?" "You are free to address me as 'Aze', Twilight." "Aze then. What was all that about?" "Yeah! Are you abducting ponies?" Rainbow pressed. "Did you take Sweetie Belle?" Rainbow growled, "You took her too?!" This was quickly getting out of hoof. "I've not abducted any of your foals on purpose, nor betrayed your trust. If you wait here, we can resolve this easily." If they don't freak out, that is. "Yeah right! You've got your goons sneaking around the Everfree Forest!" Dash accused. "Those 'goons' are my children, Rainbow Dash. They are sneaking because your guards would kill them on sight, and they search for Chrysalis' Brood, not your friends." "Wait, why are you looking for Chrysalis' 'Brood'?" Twilight asked, her quill and parchment floating nearby. I remember wondering where her servant was, but dismissed the thought. "Were we to allow them to wander around, they might lead your Solar Guard to our hive by mistake. We try to avoid death if at all possible, unlike her brood." "What do you mean? The Royal Guard wouldn't hurt anypony, they're protectors!" Twilight replied. "Anypony. Not anyling." Our discussion was cut short by the return of my adopted family, a few struggling fillies and a very confused grey mare with a blonde mane and tail. "Derpy?" Rainbow asked. "Oh, hey Dash. Do you know where the party's supposed to be? I got turned around." She replied. "How does the mailmare get lost in her own town?" Twilight muttered. "Yeah... Its that way, Derpy." Dash replied, pointing towards a large tree in town. "Thanks!" She cheered, zipping off in a lazy spiral towards Ponyville. Meanwhile, the three fillys were set on the ground and their resin bindings being torn away. "Eeeew." One complained. "Gross." Two pouted. "I guess we're not Cutie Mark Crusader, Changeling Hunters." Three pouted. "What?!" Twilight yelped. "Um, nothing!" Two replied. "Scootaloo, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, just go home already." Rainbow tiredly groaned. The three then promptly scurried off, talking excitedly to another. Twilight, Rarity and Dash then stood opposite of myself and four changelings of my hive. It was what can only be described as 'Awkwardly Tense'. I declared, turning to the changelings for the benefit of the ponies. I turned back to the three ponies, one confused, one overwhelmed and the other relieved. "What just happened?" Dash asked. "Hive Mind." Rarity and I said at the same time, causing Rainbow and Twilight to jump with alarm. "Not us." We said as one. We then both looked at each other. "Stop that." We again said. "Seriously, you're freaking them out." Again. We both stood there, blinking in silent annoyance with the other as a purple glow started somewhere out of my direct vision. "Boo!" We both shouted. The purple light was starting to draw my attention, and I looked to Twilight only to be struck by a blast of magic to the chest. ***** I later found out that I had been struck by an overcharged stun spell that sent me tumbling through the forest and brush of the Everfree. This caused nearby changelings to sense my injury after I was unable to answer them in the Hivemind, and they decended on Ponyville. Since most of the town was in the Library for the party, the stragglers were easily subdued and gathered in the town square. I had been carried via magic to Twilight's treehouse, my costume combined with debris and leaves from the forest and my changeling nature leaving anypony unable to identify what I was even supposed to be. I later awoke to alarmed voices in the hivemind. I willed over the hive. "The changelings are attacking Ponyville!" I heard somepony shriek from downstairs, causing more panic and screaming as the music stopped. A loud buzzing soon deafened the noise of panic by comparison before it was answered. "Hey look! They're all flying away!" Somepony yelled. A loud roar of cheering caused my head to ache, but the Tree was filled to the brim with friendship, platonic love and joy. Enough to fill me and repair my injuries. This didn't spare me from the sensation of being watched, and I opened one of my eyes to see Sparkle's servant staring at me, playing with their hands nervously. Looking unimpressed at him, I took stock of my surroundings. I was laying on several blankets on the floor for padding and my head rested on a pillow. There were books scattered about, and one of my wings was bandaged in addition to my chin, horn, chest and left front leg. Any attempt at movement was painful, as my magics had not healed me fully. With a few blinks, I finally adressed the servant. "So?" This seemed to startle him, before he became curious. "So, what?" He asked. "So, why are you standing next to me?" "Oh! Um, Twilight said to make sure you weren't faking it." "Faking what?" "Your injuries." I glared at him for a moment, before painfully pointing a hoof at my bandaged wing. "Really?" I then pointed to the rest of my bandages before finishing. "You're kidding, right?" He sighed, and walked downstairs in search of Twilight, if his yelling was to be believed. ***** The servant later returned with Purple Smart, (I was having difficulty keeping track of all of their names, and decided to go with simplicity for my own sake.) and they carried alot of parchment with an inkwell and a quill. An interrogation? "I have an idea!" She declared, setting her supplies down nearby. "You look really banged up, so you won't be able to travel to Canterlot; but news of all of your changelings attacking Ponyville is going to spread, so the fastest way to cut off a response from the royal guard is if we send Princess Celestia a letter!" She seemed far too happy about this development, and she was the cause of my 'invasion of ponyville' in the first place. It only lasted ten minues at best, and nopony or ling was even hurt. At what point is it considered an invasion, officially? First blood? "Um, Aze?" Twilight brought my focus back to reality, which is a really boring place to be. "Right, how does one send a letter?" I asked, letting myself roll onto my uninjured side. Her excitement at my question would cause anything worry for her sanity, but she spent the next ten minutes on an in depth explanation and analysis of letter making to include a brief history of the mail system. Before she could launch into a tirade about her favorite postage stamps, I halted her with my magic closing her mouth. "Please, I do not know what you seek to gain from this form of torture, but I apologise for whatever I've done to incur your wrath, Purple Smart." I then released her, and rested my head on the pillow. She was upset at being forcefully silenced, but even more upset at something else. "PURPLE SMART?!" She yelled. Her servant returned with a lamp shade on his head, peeking up from the staircase. "Who is Purple Smart?" He asked. "Apparently I'M Purple Smart! She isn't even remembering our names!" She complained. Her servant laughed at her upset. "I think thats pretty accurate, Twilight. Maybe changeling names are more literal?" He offered. Smart blinked a few times, visibly mulling over that suggestion before doing the even smarter thing and simply asking me. "Is that true?" "You are both correct. It is very difficult for me to track all of your names, so I simply call you whatever sticks to my mind. As for changelings, we are named as a summary of our personalities after reaching the age of assistance." She seemed confused, so I continued. "The age of assistance is when anyling has matured enough to assist the hive." "So... What do you call my other friends?" She was taking notes the entire time, but I had just noticed. She was also enjoying this now, as I could sense her anusement after taking things less personally. "I'll just say all of them. You are Purple Smart, your... Thing over there is your servant. (Hey! / Quiet, Spike!) the blue one is Colors, The yellow one is Shy, the Pink One is The Pink One, the fancy one is Fancy, and the last is Orange or Apples." Smart was having trouble holding back her snickering at my names for her friends, when a knock came to the staircase. "Hey everypony and queenie!" The Pink One cheered, hopping up the stairs and landing between Smart and I with some kind of yellow food in her hoof. "Pinkie, what is that?" Smart asked. "It's a banana! I heard that Celestia likes them and you were gonna send her a letter, so I figured we could send her one!" This seemed like a good idea. "I approve of this... Pinkie." My memory allowing me to briefly recall her correct name. Smart was looking at me with a look of some kind, but I had quickly stopped caring about these looks as nothing ever came of them. "Shall we craft this letter?" This jarred her from her look giving with excitement. "Oh, of course! This will be the first letter from a changeling Proto-Queen to Princess Celestia ever!" She cheered. Pinkie held her criticism, seeing her friend happy. "Very well, let us begin...." ***** The letter? Oh, I actually have a copy of it here as a keepsake. Let me read it to you. Ahem! Dear Princess Celestia, Duck! Seriously, Proto-Queen Aze White Tail Woods P.S. I am very sorry about the mess. P.P.S I will send you a proper letter as soon as we catch Pinkie Pie. ***** Pinkie Pie had asked Spike if he was able to send Celestia food, and he confirmed this by immolating her banana. This caused Sparkle to freak out and change the subject of my first letter to a warning that was immediately sent after, on the hopes that it would arrive faster than the banana due to less 'mass' of the parchment. Pinkie Pie was more upset than Purple when she discovered something that alarmed her. "You don't eat?!" "We do not have stomachs, Pink One." "But... But how will you enjoy the cake I made you? Or what about any of the other things I baked?" She was visibly draining color from her body, and this caused me to act. "Pink One, do not worry. I won't starve so long as you and your friends continue to consider me a friend. Your party had left me fed well enough that when I return to the hive, I will be able to feed everyling for at least two full days." I tried to comfort her with a pat on her side, but my limb was either bandaged or being laid upon. "But you'll never find out what a cupcake tastes like either!" She continued. "Wait, how do you blend in to society if you cant eat?" Smart asked. "Our disguised forms give us the organs needed to infiltrate, but we cannot digest or process your foods. When we leave your company, we regurgitate or incinerate the food to keep up appearances. If we shift our forms while still full, a special pouch stores it away from our hearts. We become sick if forced to ignore stored foods, and usually try to get rid of it when able." She was busy scribbling and Pink was consumed with some kind of scheme, as I had learned to determine based off her state of activity. Completely still? Run away. Bouncing everywhere? Moderate threat. Hugging you? It's too late. A cough and sputter of smoke from the 'assistant' of Smart bore Celestia's reply. It was a duck with a letter in its bill. This caused Pinkie to giggle and the rest of us to become confused. Smart opened and read the letter. "Dear Proto-Queen Aze, Thank you for the warning. The Banana was delicious. Do you like bananas? I have sent the duck you requested as well. I look forward to receiving your next letter. Amused, Princess Celestia Solar Diarch of Equestria P.S. Princess Luna would like to meet you. P.P.S. I would like to meet you as well." Smart lowered the letter with confusion and concern, and Pink was in hysterics for some reason. "I think the poultry is a fitting trade for our banana." I said, examining the protesting duck as it floated around in my magical examination. Smart struck her face with her own hoof, and groaned. "I think if you stop striking yourself, you won't feel the pain of the action." I helpfully pointed out. She grumbled to herself and began writing another letter, which was quickly sent away. ***** Several letters were sent and received as I befriended the small bird. Pink was busy attending to the guests, and yelled suprise when a random pony walked through the door to avoid questions of who the party was being held for. This worked suprisingly well as the explanation was 'Pinkie being Pinkie.' Soon, I was told that a letter had come addressed to me. Smart read it aloud. "Dear Proto-Queen Aze, I formally invite you to Canterlot with Twilight Sparkle and her friends. She has informed me of your desire for peace, and put forth an interesting case. I look forward to hearing your side of the events that have taken place, and hope we can reach an agreement that will suit the both of us. Sincerely, Princess Celestia Solar Diarch of Equestria." A loud knock on the door and its opening announced a new arrival, though the clanging of plate armor made me nervous as it came up the steps. A white unicorn with ornate armoring and blue hooves stood over me with a stoic gaze, though I could feel hatred and resentment flowing like a river from him upon seeing me. "Shiny!" Smart cheered, glomping onto him. "Hey Twily, I have to 'escort' this changeling with you and your friends to Canterlot." He glowered at me before continuing. "Are you ready?" "Yep!" Smart chirped. "Just let me get my friends!" I was then lifted from my makeshift bed in a purple glow of magic, hovering helplessly after Smart with 'Shiny' following after me.