//------------------------------//
// Chapter 21 
// Story: Crown of Winter 
// by CartoonNerd12 
//------------------------------//

"Oh, this does not look good. This does not look good at all. Here I was, sitting in my study with a nice cup of tea…" Starlight then glared at the trio of trespassers and scowled. "…until Night Gilder tells me that there are three ponies intruding on my property!" Her voice then calmed down to a silky but menacing tone again. "Well, what do you have to say for yourselves?"

The sisters and Rock Salt were flanked by Night Glider and Party Favor. The mild grey stallion said, "Please, we mean you no harm. We lost our way and we were just passing through."

Starlight scoffed, "Ha! I don't see any baggage on you."

Little Button glared at Rock Salt for making a terrible lie. He glared back at her with eyes that seemed to say Well, it was worth a try!

Snow Pea then spoke up, "All right. You want the truth? You're going to get it."

Her companions looked at her in worry.

She took in a deep breath and braced herself as she said, "We're not supposed to be in this timeline. This is a different one than the one we grew up in. Since our parents might not be together, we might not exist in this universe." She pointed to the gem on her tiara, "Because of the gem on my tiara, I erased an important day and now everything's all wrong because of me. I only wanted what was best for Equestria, but now I see that…I still ruined everything." She hung her head in shame.

LB touched her sister's shoulder, "Snow Pea, you didn't know. How could you? All you saw was a tornado."

Starlight scowled, "A tornado? No good could ever come from a tornado."

Snow Pea said, "Well, this one did. Or would've in this universe."

A voice then asked, "This universe?"

The ponies in the room turned to face Sunset as she slowly came down the stairs.

Starlight scolded, "Sunset, what are you doing out of your tower?"

Sunset said, "I won't let you force three more ponies to become your servants, Starlight."

"I am the mistress of this manor. Everypony shall do my bidding!"

Suddenly, a blast of snow blew at Starlight. When it died down, she found that her horn was suddenly encased in ice. She gasped, "What?" In the next instant, her hooves were covered in ice.

LB asked her sister in shock, "Snow Pea, why did you…?"

Snowy responded, "It's the only way to stop all of this."

Sunset pleaded, "Don't do it! Freezing her will not make this any better."

Sugar Belle said, "And Starlight's the only one who can lift the lockdown spell around the manor!"

Snow Pea nodded, "I know. But I won't freeze her."

Starlight asked in sheer confusion, "So-o-o what are you going to do?"

"I just want a heart-to-heart talk with you, me, and Sunset. Do you want everypony else in the room to leave?"

When Starlight nodded, everypony left the room, but she, Snowy, and Sunset stayed behind.

Snowy then said to Starlight, "I know who you are, Starlight Glimmer."

Both Starlight and Sunset asked, "You do?"

"Mm-hmm. In the timeline I came from, you were just a good pony who suffered a lot of misery because you were lonely. I have a feeling that you're that same pony here."

Starlight scowled, "How do you know what I'm like?"

"I know your great-uncle is Star Swirl the Bearded, I know you had a friend named Sunburst, and I know you cast a spell of eternal youth on yourself so you didn't become like Star Swirl." Sunset's mouth was open with shock, but Starlight was even more shocked at this revelation. Snow Pea continued, "You kidnapped Sunset because you wanted payback for having your phoenix taken from you. But that's not entirely it, isn't it?" When Starlight sorrowfully shook her head slowly, Snowy said, "That phoenix was a reminder of the only friend you ever had. When Sunset shared the same coloring and the word 'sun' with both Sunbursts, you wanted to take her in and raise her as your own, just so you could be happy."

Sunset asked her caretaker, "Starlight, is this true?"

Starlight shook her head in denial and shouted, "No! It's all lies!"

Snow Pea asked the amber unicorn, "Sunset, how did you come to be in Starlight's care?"

Sunset answered, "She found me in the woods when I was little. My parents left me with a note for anyone who found me."

"And what else was there?"

Starlight shouted, "Nothing!"

Sunset contemplated, "Wait. That might not be exactly true."

"What do you mean?"

"Before I tried to escape, I found a music box and a necklace with the word 'SIS' on it." She eyed Starlight suspiciously, "Something tells me that you're keeping something from me."

Snow Pea offered, "I believe I may have an answer, Sunset."

Starlight bellowed, "No! Don't you dare!"

Sunset knew then that Snow Pea was about to tell the absolute truth, so she scowled at Starlight, "You just sealed your fate."

Snowy told Sunset, "Starlight took you from the royal family of Canterlot. She made them forget you so they wouldn't come looking for you. They don't know that you exist."

Starlight yelled as she broke free of the ice, "ENOUGH!" She then lit her horn and angled it at Snow Pea. "Well done, my little pony. Nopony else would've figured out my secrets. But you…You are a threat to everything I hold dear! I'm going to make sure that you will never blab about this ever again!"

Sunset shielded Snow Pea and shouted, "No! You will not hurt her! Not like with me! For too many years, I have been cooped up in this manor, never fully tasting freedom except that one time. I won't let you keep Snow Pea here for the rest of her life!"

Snow Pea pleaded, "Please, Starlight. Don't become like Star Swirl. You're capable of so much more, but you have to open yourself up. Star Swirl never did, so don't you make the same mistake he made. You can start a new path by letting Sunset go. If you treat her like a friend, she'll come back to you. But if you don't…and she finds a way to leave…she'll never return."

Starlight hung her head in shame as tears slid down her face. She then saw a white hoof extended towards her. She took Snow Pea's hoof and tearfully smiled at her. Sunset also put her hoof on theirs as a sign of her friendship with them – both of them. Starlight lit up her horn once more and a light turquoise aura permeated through the manor.

She then told Sunset, "You're finally free to go, Sunset. And I'm sorry for keeping you here longer than I should have."

Sunset smiled, "You wanted companionship. I don't blame you. Although some friendship tips would've helped."

All three chuckled at that.

After Starlight told her servants and the two newcomers that they would be able to leave the manor, she took Sunset and the trio of visitors to the secret room. She opened a trunk and took out a box.

She said as she opened the box to reveal glowing pink stones, "Ta-da! Memory stones. They're what I used to take your family's memories of you. And now they can have them back." To the shock of the others, Starlight poured the stones onto the floor and broke them. She reassured them, "Don't worry. Breaking the stones will restore the memories."

Sunset sighed of relief, "Okay. That's very good to know."

Little Button looked all around and exclaimed, "Wow, Starlight! You have all these amazing knick-knacks and treasures!"

Starlight said modestly, "Well, I wouldn't really call them treasures. They're more like little mementos."

Just then, Rock Salt spotted something shiny behind a desk. He said to the sisters, "Hey, girls, look."

Snow Pea used her magic to grab it and pull it out. To their amazement, it was a mirror shard!

Starlight said, "That's weird. I don't remember ever seeing that."

Snow Pea said, "This is part of the mirror that showed the tornado. When we find all of the pieces, we're going to fix everything."

She peered into it and saw an image playing on the shard. There was the tornado, so powerful, so strong. Just then, her Grandma Tia and Aunt Luna swooped in from the sky and blasted at it. After continuous blasts from their horns, the tornado was eventually reduced to strong winds.

After the image faded, Snow Pea exclaimed, "Whoa! Did you see that?"

Little Button asked, "See what?"

"The tornado. Grandma Tia and Aunt Luna were blasting at it and turning it into strong winds. How could you not see it?"

Rock Salt shrugged, "I guess we just didn't."




Screw Ball, Gem, and Moth Ball sat in the dungeon cell as two guards were stationed near them.

Moth Ball whispered, "They cannot know I am Chrysalis's son… That won't do any of us good."

Screwy whispered back, "I agree. If anything, it'll just make things worse."

Gem pointed to herself and Screwy, "I still can't believe they think we're changelings."

Screwy pointed to her eyes, "I think they think I am because of my eyes."

Moth Ball gave a small smile, "Changelings would be lucky to have eyes like yours to make us more unique. After all, we all look the same in the Hive."

She ended up smiling at him.

Suddenly, the dungeon door opened and three maids carried in prison rations. Once the girls got a good look at them, they gasped.

Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle wore maid outfits as they glanced at the prisoners before pushing the trays underneath the cell door and then left.

Gem gasped, "That was Aunt Sweetie Belle!"

"And Aunt Scootaloo and Aunt Apple Bloom!"

"More relatives of yours?"

Screw Ball listed off the numbers, "We have ten aunts and uncles, eighteen cousins, and one first cousin with her husband, who happens to be the captain of the royal guard right now and responsible for our arrest."

"Ouch."

Gem questioned, "So three of our aunts are maids?"

"Don't you remember the story? They were adopted into the family when Grandpapa came back, but in this world… since he didn't…"

"Oh, no! So they got stuck as maids?!"

"I'm afraid so."




Twilight questioned the maids, "And have you given them the rations?"

"Yes, Your Highness." they bowed.

Whirl Wind, Fire Spark, and Starling were shocked to see their three aunts like this. They were used to seeing them as nobility.

"Very good. You may resume your duties."

They bowed once more and left.

Whirl whispered, "And to think last Hearth's Warming, they were so chummy and happy."

Star said, "Here, it's like Mom doesn't bother reaching out to them and they just follow her orders."

Twilight turned to the group, "It's kind of exciting to study changelings face-to-face, to learn more about their power…"

Fire put on a half-smile, "Oh, yes, it is exciting…"

Twilight led them down and reached the prisoners' cell. The guards opened the door for her as she approached them. Gem and Screwy were shocked at their aunt's appearance.

Twilight saw Moth Ball, "You are the changeling that Captain Shining Armor saw?"

"I am. These two…" He gestured to his companions, "…are ponies like you. They are not changelings."

Twilight examined the other two, "How do I know you're telling the truth? If I let you go, I could be putting my subjects at terrible risk."

"We can vouch for them." Star entered and stood by her cousins.

Fire followed after, "They are our cousins."

Whirl said, "And they really aren't changelings."

Twilight was shocked, "But-but why didn't you say something sooner?"

"We weren't sure you would believe us." said Fire. "Please, let them go, including Moth Ball."

"Moth Ball?" she turned to the changeling.

"He's a good changeling." said Screw Ball. "He has been a big help to us."

Twilight could hardly believe her ears. Her mother always taught her that changelings were evil and heartless, but looking at this changeling, she saw the fear in his eyes like he knew he was about to be punished for something he didn't do.

Around her, the cousins waited anxiously for what she would say, she finally spoke, "I'll let you all go if you answer some questions regarding changelings…"

A great relief washed over them.