//------------------------------// // Additional Family // Story: The Wedding Aftermath // by Queen Sanguine Dreams //------------------------------// CHANGELING QUEEN BOMBED IN ROYAL PALACE Multiple eye witness accounts have confirmed a bombing yesterday when a loud explosion was heard at 5:00pm. The Royal Guard have refused to release a statement, and Captain Shining Armor also refused to comment. There are rumours spreading of a Black Alicorn escaping from the blast, and a pink pony chasing after it. No news yet on this mysterious fourth Alicorn, but we promise to report on this situation as it develops. This is CNN (Canterlot Nightly News), bringing you the BEST in the business. Back to you, Teleprompt! Celestia set down her magically animated newspaper and slumped back into her chair. Of course they would think it was a bomb. What was she even doing in there, and with Twilight of all ponies? This is going to get out of hoof quickly if I don't release a statement soon. Celestia readied her quill and began writing. ***** Dear Proto-Queen Aze Please stop blowing up the palace Please stop creating Alicorns Give me a break You're paying for the damages Please banish yourself to the moon see me in Day Court. Princess Celestia "Hmm. Well, it seems serious. Perhaps it is for the treaty?" "My Queen, what about all the crossed out sentences?" Gaius asked. "Well they're crossed out, so why should I worry about them?" Gaius blinked at me before relenting. "Very well, my Queen. ***** CHANGELINGS DISCOVERED ABROAD Citizens of towns all over Equestria are reporting sightings of Queen Chrysalis' brood. Most are badly injured or seeking refuge with well intentioned ponies. If you see a changeling, report them to the Royal Guard. Do not approach the changeling. Do not attempt to communicate with the changeling. Do not keep the changeling in your home and develop a relationship. Do not adopt the changeling like a stray animal. Do not attempt to hug the changeling. Do not attempt to teach the changeling what true love is. Do not capture the changeling without assistance from the Royal Guard. In short, just dont. Call the Royal Guard. Celestia's eye twitched. Letter time! ***** Dear Proto-Queen Aze, Seriously, get your plucking flank in here Your attendance in the day court is greatly desired. Princess Celestia "Oh! I completely forgot! Excuse me Twilight, I have to leave. I'm late for a meeting!" Twilight continued to fiddle around with liquidized elements, thick goggles preventing her from being blinded while cataloging the different reactions. "Huh?" The door slammed. "Whatever." ***** The doors to the Day Court were wide open, and I caught the ending of Celestia's rambling as I trotted towards the thrones. "... To be the absolute death of me at this- Oh! Proto-Queen Aze! I'm very glad that you were able to attend today." Her voice had shifted from anxious panic to motherly affection the second she spotted me. Ponies are strange. "I apologise for being late! I was caught up in my experiments and just now noticed your letters." I took a seat in front of the thrones. It was a small cushion on the floor. "That's alright. Guards? Please close the court." "Yes, Princess!" Uh oh. What's going on? "Princess Celestia? What is happening?" The heavy doors slammed shut with an echo. "I'll tell you! Ponies think that you were attacked, Chrysalis' Changelings are popping up left and right, and now theres a fourth Alicorn on the loose! All In one night!" Her regal mask had shattered when the door closed, and was in full panic mode. "At least with Discord we can always freeze him into stone! Any old evil that pops up can be blasted by the Elements of Harmony!" I sat patiently, waiting. "On top of that, there's changeling hate groups popping up, look!" She floated a newspaper to me, and I grabbed it with my magic. UNITED HARMONY FRONT DECLARES WAR ON CHANGELINGS Protesters of the White Tail Woods Hive and Equestria peace treaty have begun to arrive from all over, absolutely livid about the idea of peace with Changelings. One protester had this to say. "These con sarnned changerlings are jess going to sap the love out of our foals n leave em fer dead!" She was later taken to Helping Hooves Mental Wellness center. More on this story, as it develops! "What do you want me to do about it?" I asked, setting the newspaper down. "Something? I dont know, buy them all a house!" I wonder how much they cost? "Very well, Princess Celestia. I will purchase housing for your ponies in exchange for your support in the peace talks." "But-..." She groaned. "Yes, of course." "Pinkie Promise?" She glared at me before going through the motions of a Pinkie Promise. "I wouldn't worry about the Alicorn. The Pink One is dealing with it." ***** Pinkamena 'Splinter Cell' Diane Pie had the Alicorn cornered. He gave a good chase, but his constant angst gave him away for miles, and the sound of his self loathing and pity made him easy to track. Now, at the edge of the world, there was nowhere he could run. "You're out of options, Edgey!" "My name isn't Edgey! It's King Shadow Slaughter!" He whined with a stomp of his hoof that caused blood magma to bubble from the frozen ground of the north pole. "Nopey dopey, mopey! I'm pretty sure you're Edgey!" "Graaah!" He screamed, sending a bolt of red and black lightning into an Iceburg, shattering it. "You can't tell me who I am!" "For your sake, I'm sorry it had to come to this!" Pinkamena shouted over the growing blood blizzard, caused by Edgey's Angst. It was a magical comb that helped him style his mane into jagged spikes. It was soothing. "I'm too powerful for you to kill, Pie!" He growled, readying himself for combat. "Who said anything about killing you?" Pinkmena countered, also readying for combat. As the storm built to call the howls of the dead, and their bodies became soaked in blood, they charged. ***** "Yep. Nothing to worry about." ***** The next day, changelings from Chrysalis' brood had been getting captured with greater and greater frequency. All of Proto-Queen Aze's changelings had remained in White Tail Woods during the peace talks, supplied by visits from Aze. Her work with Twilight was building into a solid academic friendship, and was enough to sustain everyling. Aze herself, however, was exhausted. "I don't know how much longer I can be used as a battery and lay eggs every day, Gaia." "You're already three weeks into your growing Queenhood. That means its only eleven months and a week until you can decide when to lay eggs!" She's still too cheery for this situation. Laying down in the Hive pool, I spotted a trail of smoke winding its way towards me. I lifted my head to get a better look, and a scroll unfolded from the ashes in front of me. Dear Proto-Queen Aze, We here at CNN (Canterlot Nightly News) would love your input on recent events, and would like to schedule an interview at your earliest convenience. You can find our offices in the Haughty Quarter of Canterlot, just past Preening and Posturing. Awaiting your reply, CNN CEO First Scoop First Scoop An interview? Perhaps I could win the sympathy of those ponies not already allied with the protesters... Another egg laid. Yes, I will accept this interview. ***** I had sent my reply, accepting the interview to First Scoop. The interview itself would be held in two days to allow for 'hype' to build over the event. I had asked Princess Celestia for advice with the Interview, and her suggestion was to 'Drink Tea and look important.' Well, I can't drink tea, but I can certainly look important. I look important by default, and that's not my ego talking. (Yes it is.) The problem before me, however, was the small group of Chrysalis' Brood that had sought asylum in my room via bursting through the window from the balcony. They all looked like starved colts from Trottingham, with their Foalboy caps and vests. "You will be our Queen?" One of them asked, desperation in his voice. "Why would I?" I probably was going to anyway, but I wanted to hear their reasoning. "Because... Queen?" Oh, they were the Warrior Caste of Chrysalis' brood. The ones that were bashing their heads against the shield? Yeah, I heard about that too. "Right... Just sit in my quarters until I get you." They looked at me curiously, uncomprehending. "You. Room, go." "Yes Queen!" Most of them ran or flew off in different directions, but one stayed behind. "You are?" I asked. "Chitin, Queen Aze." "You're not a warrior, I assume?" "No, I am a caretaker." Chitin replied with some sorrow. "Queen Chrysalis even sent caretakers into battle? It's a wonder you're alive." "I was taken in by a kind stallion who nursed me back to health, but when he found out I was a changeling, he left me and started the anti-changeling movement. Apparently our situation has happened to alot of ponies and changelings after the attack." "Well, how would you like to change all of that?" She looked from the ground towards me, a look of 'hopeful suprise yet not fully trusting the sincerity of the speaker'. I'm not sure what word summarises that. "I am due for an interview with CNN in two days, and I would offer you a position as a guest." I explained. "Do you think it will work? Ponies aren't the most trusting after you betray them." "Who did you betray? Did you pretend to be some other pony?" "N-no! I made my disguise from what I liked of several other ponies." "Well, if you pretended to be yourself in pony form, then that is exactly what you were. You didn't betray anypony because they only see the surface, Chitin." She took a moment to reflect on my words before replying. "Thank you, Queen Aze." "Walk with me, would you?" ***** Pinkamena was breathing heavily, but Edgey was wearing out faster than she was. He had tried to use every spell he knew to defeat 'Splinter Pie', but she was just too quick for him. He had only been alive for a day, but the alchemical memories he had been given made him believe the world was an awful place with only suffering. Pinkamena was the culmination of all his angst and pain, in his eyes. "You're...*huff*... Gonna get tired sooner...*huff*... Or later, Edgey!" Pinkamena taunted. "I already told you! It's King Shadow SLAAAAAUUUGHTERRRRR!" He screamed, hurling unformed magic recklessly around, slicing part of an iceburg mountain clean off, disturbing some birds but otherwise causing no mentionable damage. Now, while he was distracted and enraged, Pinkamena had her chance. She ducked under a red laser beam, leapt over a conjured bomb and rolled into a jump directly at Edgey's chest. Straight into a hug. "W-wh-what?!" Edgey stammered, caught off guard by the deadly attack of his foe. "What are you doing to me?!" He screamed in panic, something happening to his chest as Pinkie held on, burying her muzzle into his chest. "S-stop! This feels weird!" "You're not going to be angsty and mopey if I have anything to say about it, Edgey!" He wanted to fight back, to throw this bright pink mare off of him and vanquish her, but something stopped him. It took all of his willpower to fight it, but just when he gained ground, she would hug a little tighter, or brush his mane, or say that she loved him, and wanted him to come home to his mother. "M...mom?" He asked, his legs failing him as he fell to the crystalised blood snow. Pinkie looked into his glowing crimson eyes longingly, letting the moment grow between them before she slowly moved closer to his muzzle. And booped him on the nose. "Nope! Queen Aze is your mommy! I'm like your aunt in a way. Isn't that crazy?!" She giggled. King Shadow Slaughter could only blink to this. "Yep! You're just like your mommy!" ***** Twilight had just finished categorising and alphabetizing all of her initial findings on Alchemy when Aze returned. "Oh, how are you doing, Aze?" Twilight wondered. "I've encountered a changeling of Chrysalis' brood that might help me in my interview tomorrow." Wait. "What interview?" Twilight asked, looking around at the stacks of newspapers that CNN insisted on delivering hourly. She had used them for scratch paper. "This one. I brought you a 'copy'." Twilight held the newspaper with her magic. CNN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH QUEEN AZE Tomorrow night on CNN only! Standby a CNN magical broadcaster to tune in, live! Really! We can't record this stuff! Special suprise guest! Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! Twilight lowered the article, setting it aside on her workbench. "Why am I not suprised?" Twilight whispered to herself, floating the goggles from her head to reveal perfect circles on her head where the coat had been spared the blasts of science. "Twilight?" Aze called. "I was just about to head to my hotel. Do you need anything?" "Oh! Well, I had wanted to repay you for all the help you've given me." Wait, really? "Queen Aze, you really don't have to do anything for m...mm... My. How did you get that many bits?!" She asked in shock, drawn to a bulging bag of bits like a moth to... Er, sore subject. Like a 'very interested pony' Better. "Well, it was revealed that Queen Ra sought to ensure her infiltrators and harvesters would never start off poor in Equestria, so we have alot f money. You were there for the transcription, weren't you?" "I was too busy trying to keep track of everything to really notice. How much do you have?" "Upwards of five hundred million?" ... "Twilight?" ... "Do you have a hive mind as well?" ... "I should probably get somepony..." ***** I heard Gaia call. ... YESYESYES! ***** "Hey, is that the one changeling queen thats been hidin' out in the palace?" A stallion with a neigh jersey accent asked, pointing to the glowing magenta lights moving across the night sky. "Nah, I think its one o' dem new earth pony flyin' machines they was talkin' about." "Oh yeah? 'Den whats them lights doin?" "Making sure nopony flies into it?" "Oh yeah, dat'd make sense. What're we doin' again?" "Picketing?" "Oh yeas! DOWN WITH CHANGELINGS! DOWN WITH CHANGELINGS!" ***** I flew from Canterlot to the Hive within five minutes. Color Fast would be so proud. Gaia beckoned, leaning out from an alcove into the Nursery. I rounded the corner just in time to see a little horn poke its way through it's shell. "Eeee! They're even more adorable when they're yours!" I squee'd, bouncing on my hooves in a most undignified manner as I cheered my offspring onwards. "Come on! You can get to mommy!" I cooed. The nymph had burst off the top of the shell, having it impaled through his horn and restinglike a helmet on his head. "Yes! My champion!" I cheered, and more eggs began to hatch as my excitement urged them onwards. ***** The hatching was shorter than I had expected, but now my first clutch, the fifty eggs i first laid, were nymphs surrounding me, climbing on top of me and nibbling my mane and tail. I enjoyed simply laying on the hive floor as they hung onto my horn or tried to wrestle with my wings. They were just too adorable for me to ruin their fun. A few of them tried to use the holes in my legs as chairs or storage spaces for whatever they felt worthy of collecting, which happened to be strands of my mane. After awhile though, the sun had arisen once again, and I had meetings to return to. "Don't worry, Gaia will teach you all how to talk to mommy through the hive mind! Be good!" They squeaked and chittered in reply, and I began my flight back to Canterlot. ***** "This Amethyst will project my voice?" I asked. One of the CNN crewmembers was affixing a necklace to me with a field of magic, as others worked to style my hair in an attempt to tame it. It stubbornly refused. "Yep, alls you gotta do is talk like regular, n' you'll be good to go." The unicorn replied, chewing on something. "Places in five minutes!" A voice called. "Ah'righr, we gotta get you ready. Follow us, Queeny!" I was lead onto a brightly lit stage, and a small sea of colored ponies sat in stands above the stage platform. The floor was mahogany in color, with white 'pleather' couches for myself, Chitin and the host to sit it. The backdrop was one half Canterlot, and one half a picture of the White Tail Woods. Looking into the stands I could see many grumpy faces. "Hey, don't worry. We got security everywhere." There was indeed security. They wore tailored black jackets with white collared shirts, and had their own gemstone communication devices that spiraled from their ear. "All set?" Nods from several ponies. "Welcome to our Sunday night CNN Special with Queen Aze!" Polite stomping of hooves. "Is there anything you'd like to say to the folks at home before we begin?" Oh! Sympathy card! "I'd like to give a 'shout out' to all of my newly hatched nymphs in the hive, as well as Twilight Sparkle for assisting me in my research, and Princesses Celestia and Luna for hearing my case and allowing the peace talks to continue." I did my best smile, and given that nopony fainted, I took it as a huge victory for me. "That's wonderful news! Tell us, how many little 'nymphs' should we expect to see running around?" "In Canterlot?" "Yes!" "Oh, well I plan on keeping all of my children in the White Tail Woods until our nations are better equipped to handle another." "Are you implying that Equestria is unable to 'deal with' you and your hive?" "W-what? No!" Booing from the stands. "Moving on. What can you tell us about your 'special guest'?" "Oh! Chitin, please join us!" Fanfare plays, some applause, some booing. "Now now, everypony. Play nice." The booing dies down. "So, Chitin is it?" "Y-yes..." "Ah, A shy one are you?" Chitin nods. "What can you tell us about yourself Chitin?" She looks to me for help, I nod in support. "W-well... I lived with a pony after the attack on Canterlot and-" A loud boo, followed by security tackling a stallion and throwing him from the studio. "...And I made my own disguise in order to blend in and survive. When the pony I was staying with found out that I was a changeling, they got very upset and threw me out. They're a part of the Anti-Changeling protesters now." She finished meekly. "Wow, tough break there." His attention returned to me. "Queen Aze, what do you plan on doing if the peace talks conclude in your favor?" Celestia's mentioning of houses returned to my memory. "Buy everypony a house." ... "What?" Complete silence. "I said that I would buy everypony a house?" A shout from the croud. "What kind of house?" "Um... any kind?" ... "Prove it!" Well, I did have some deeds to houses on me. Best to be prepared for anything, and the Pink One had given me the secret of what she called 'The Mane of Holding'. I withdrew a deed to some random house, and tossed it to the challenger. "You get a house!" He caught the scroll, and a camera zoomed in on the scroll magically adding the cutiemark of the stallion to the deed. He fainted. A great clamour of shouting and raised hooves happened at once, and I took it quite well. "You get a house! YOU get a house! Yooouuu get a house!" ***** "You get a house! You get a house!! Yooooooou get a house! And yoooou get a house! Celestia's teacup shattered, spilling liquid onto the carpet. "I'm bucked." ***** "And you're certain my mom is through this door?" Edgey asked, nervously balancing on the tips of his hooves while looking in a compact mirror, brushing his mane just so. "Yepperooni!" The Pink One chirped. "Go on in there and suprise her!" King Shadow Slaughter gulped, and willed himself to have the courage for this confrontation. He opened the door to a flood of noise, maneuvering through excited and jumping ponies, all reaching for scrolls that were flying through the air. One struck him in the muzzle, and before he could becone upset, he saw his Cutie Mark of a bleeding ghost appear on the seal. "And you get a house too! OH EGGSHELLS, EVERYPONY GETS A HOUSE!" A familiar voice yelled over the roar of the croud. "Mom?" Edgey mumbled in disbelief. He hadn't seen her for at least an entire week, which was his whole life. She was even more gorgeous than he remembered, and her coat was black; just like his! "Mommy!" He yelled over the croud, his Alicorn vocals booming out and stunning the croud into silence. "E-Edgey?" Mom stammered, setting down a filly who now owned a house of her own. "Is it really you, mom?" ***** What the buck? I thought that Alicorn was a joke from life itself! "Y-yes. It's me. Where have you been?" I asked cautiously. "Oh mom, it IS you!" He cried, tears of blood flowing from his eyes. "There there, Edgey. Everything will be alright now. Mommy is here for you." What the hay is going on? "Aaalright then everypony! This has been one exciting story, brought to you exclusively by CNN! Tune in next week for even more exciting news and... apparently, Drama!" ***** "I'm not going in there! YOU give her the tea!" A maid hissed. "Me?! Are you insane? Did you even SEE what she did to the last pony to give her another cup?!" The guard whisper shouted in reply. "Yes! And thats why YOU are giving it to her!" "No! That's not my job!" "Coward!" The door creaked open, and both maid and guard gave each other a curious look before investigating. What they saw would be sworn to secrecy on pain of banishment. Princess Celestia, Solar Diarch of all Equestria, Ruler of the Sun and all that dwell in its glow, was curled into a ball on the floor. Crying. With shattered tea cups everywhere. And tea bags blinding her from the CNN channel.