• Published 5th May 2014
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The King Is Dead, Long Live The Emperor! - Bucking Nonsense



A changeling, sent back in time due to a freak accident, kills King Sombra... and ends up as the new ruler of the city. Hilarity ensues.

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Between Today And Tomorrow

"Ow! What did you do that for?"

Luna glared down at Pan, her chest heaving from exertion and her hoof stinging from having just slapped Pan. She'd forgotten how sturdy that carapace of his could be, and how weak she was in the form of a filly, but she felt that it was necessary that she bring him back to his senses.

Trying, and failing, to keep the emotion from her voice, she asked, "Do you have any idea... any idea at all... how worried everypony is about you?"

Suddenly looking ashamed, Pan said, "I... I realize that. I'm... I'm sorry. It's just..." The changeling gulped, then took a deep breath and admitted, "I... I've never had friends before. I'm... so scared that something might happen to them... and that it will be all my fault."

An eyebrow raised, Luna asked, "Never? You've never had any friends before?" That was... unexpected. Pan was so kind, so generous, so... friendly. It seemed impossible that he would have never have had friends before now.

"Well," he said, correcting himself, "I guess Tragedy and Comedy count as friends, even if they are kind of distant: They're more like mentors, really. The other actors at the theatre weren't, since they'd have turned on me if they found out my true nature. And the Starsmith was sort of a friend, even if we only knew each other for three days. But, beyond that, no. After I was disowned and booted into the army, everybuggy avoided me as if I had the plague. And before that, my family was..." Pan stopped suddenly, then looked away.

Her eyes narrowing in suspicion, Luna asked, "Your family was what?"

Pan let out a long, long sigh, then said, "Of my entire family, which consisted of my mother, my father, my brother, and my fraternal twin sister, there was not a single one of them who could be considered truly decent, at least by pony standards. My mother, a member of another high house, bore three eggs for my father as part of an arranged marriage, then tried to murder him and all three of her offspring as part of a power play orchestrated by her 'true' house. My father killed her without hesitation, and purged two-thirds of the competing house in retaliation for their treachery." With a snort, Pan added, "If you looked up 'monster' in the dictionary, you'd likely see a picture of my father, strangling kittens while sitting atop a pile of changeling corpses. The only times he seemed to be happy was when he was either killing something, or when he was arranging the downfall of a rival. Beyond that, I never saw him demonstrate any emotion, even when I told him my brother had died."

Sorrowfully, Pan admitted, "My brother was my fiercest rival, and he attempted to kill me, in order to take over as the heir to the title of Lord Scorpion. Ultimately, he fell into the same trap he had pushed me into. While we both escaped, working together, Winter found us shortly afterwards, then killed my brother, and cursed me. And my sister..."

This was... beyond anything the princess had ever imagined. While she had known that in some places, there could be true monsters amongst the higher classes, it sounded as if Pan's family went above and beyond anything that she could have ever imagined. Afraid to pursue this line of questioning, but unable to stop herself, Luna asked, "And your sister?"

"Her name is Pandinus Magrettii, and the two of us were spawned in the same birthing. Since she was a female, she could only become the heir if both my brother and I died or were disowned. After my brother's death, she found out that I wasn't able to use magic," Pan said, "and told my father of it within five heartbeats of the discovery. While she did plead with my father to spare my life, it was only as part of a power play of her own: Within minutes of my father publicly disowning me, my sister struck him down, during the very ceremony where she was proclaimed his heir." With a grim little chuckle, he added, "The only reason she'd not struck me down as well was because of a little white lie I had told the rest of the swarm, that whoever killed me would be struck by Winter's curse in my stead. Since I was revealed to be without magical ability, and officially banished from House Scorpion besides, I was no longer a threat to her dominion over the House anyways: The precedents were clear regarding the rights of succession in that case, and besides, the aristocrats of the other high houses would never allow a 'commonborn' to rule a high house, even if I had been born an only child..."

"That is why I'm so scared of becoming something like them," Pan admitted, his voice strained. "It's because I am part of that kind of family, the kind that would not hesitate to destroy their own in order to gain power. Remorseless murderers, treacherous backstabbers, and scheming opportunists either contributed to my blood or shared it." Looking down at his hooves, sorrow written plainly upon his face, he continued, "Changelings are monsters, we've always been monsters, and we'll always be monsters. Who am I to think that I could be any different? That I could protect anypony I cared for? That instead of destroying everything around me like they did, that I could ever create anything meaningful here?"

Luna gently placed a hoof on Pan's shoulder, and said, "There's something that I need to tell you. I don't know if you'll believe it, but it's the honest truth."
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Gold Coin and Shimmering Radiance were surprised to find Pen Stroke in bed, fast asleep, seeming little the worse for wear. More surprising, however, was the nurse that was tending to him. While she might not have been as immaculately beautiful as Dream Charmer, she was a definite knockout: She the sort of figure that most ponies would associate with a dancer, and the fact that she was a little dirty, a little disheveled, made her seem more... real than Dream Charmer. Most surprising, however, was Gold's reaction to her.

"Mama?"

Shaking her head sadly, the unicorn said, "That's twice today that I've been mistaken for a pony I've never met. I'm beginning to wonder if I might have had a twin sister I was never told of." With a polite bow, she said, "Tender Loving Care, at your service. I'll be looking after your father until he's feeling better." Looking at Gold Coin with a stern expression, she said, "I have to admit, I am a little disappointed: Vanishing all of a sudden while your father was so ill did no good for his peace of mind, nor his health. I promised that I'd wake him when you returned, but the chancellor needs all the sleep he can get..."

"I'm already awake," Pen Stroke said, with a weak chuckle, "and I do appreciate your concern, miss. We'll keep this short: It's well past my son's bedtime." Giving Gold Coin a look, the chancellor asked, "Were you able to find the identities of the assassins?"

The two youngsters nodded, and Shimmering Radiance said, "We did. We have a list of names, and an idea for how to use them. We'll give them to the emperor, and the plan we've got in mind, as soon as he's up."

The chancellor nodded, then said, "I wish you had waited until the morning to do this. There's not much to be done until after sunrise. The next time you two plan on going out this late, you had best take an adult with you, for my own peace of mind if nothing else. Now, to bed: You've got a big day ahead of you."

The two turned to leave, looking chastised. Before they exited the room, Pen Stroke said, "And well done. Both of you."
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Golden Grace smiled as Dream Charmer entered his study. A smile on his face, he asked, "How did it go?"

With a giggle, the mare said, "Quite well, thank goodness. You were right, 'Urchin' did seek me out right away. Clever girl: She saw right away what Scarlet Wake was planning, and has come up with a rather... unconventional way of dealing with it." Easing onto a nearby chair, taking the weight off of her lame leg, she admitted, "Had I known how sharp a mind she had, I'd have sought her out and taken her in as my protege. Still, she's going to make the political world of the Crystal Empire, and probably all of Equestria, incredibly interesting when she matures."

Laughing aloud, he said, "Wonderful. Then we know who to turn to when we've both decided to retire." It was something that the two of them had discussed after Sombra's death: Golden Grace, even though he was in his twenties, understood that he would not be around forever, and he did wish to start a family with his fiancee in the near future: He would never be able to do so as long as the two of them had to maintain their double lives, since a member of the nobility and a royal heir would be considered extremely dangerous political entities. Hopefully, by the time this entire affair had resolved itself, the two of them would be able to prove they were no threat to the new emperor.

His expression turning more serious, Golden said, "We two mongeese will be leaving in the morning, my lady love, to spend a few days in the viper's nest. Are you ready?"

Dream Charmer's horn flared with magic, and her appearance changed. Where before there stood a sublimely beautiful lady, there was now a bespectacled, plain-looking mare who looked like she'd spent her entire life in a library: The royal heir had changed her appearance, through use of a spell, into that of Golden Grace's secretary, her cover for when she was not working as The Lame Horse. The only thing that the two had in common visually was that both shared a crooked hind leg.

"Ready," she said, grinning mischievously.
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Pan's lack of expression after Luna had finished her explanation was even more worrying than his depression of just a few minutes ago. Learning that not only were his ancestors ponies, but that Pan could, potentially, become one himself was a revelation that likely had shaken the changeling to the core. It was clear that he was now in deep thought about something, but what could it be?

"When I awaken," he said, breaking the silence, "I will need to do some research: I have sneaking suspicion that I'll need to confirm. I cannot say if it is connected to the current situation, but it is something I'll need to verify for my own peace of mind." A smile slowly spreading across his face, Pan added, "In the meantime, I think that a change of character is in order."

Raising an eyebrow, Luna asked, "A change of character?"

Nodding, Pan said, "All this time, I've been playing the part of the good king, via King Arthur. Sadly, while certainly a good griffin, Arthur was terribly blind in a number of areas. He was too... naive. His inability to see any threat less subtle than an invading army was what ultimately led to the first united griffin kingdom being destroyed from the inside by his illegitimate son, Mordred. If I am going to rule over the Crystal Ponies and at the same time ferret out this traitor and bring him to justice, I'll need to take on a different persona. I'd like your help in picking out the right one."

After a moment, Luna nodded and said, "I''ll help any way I can."
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Nopony looked at the two guards outside the door to his family's quarters within Scarlet Wake's estate. He asked, confusion clear upon his face, "What is the meaning of this?"

He had heard two members of the kitchen staff discussing a proclamation that the emperor had made, one that had changed everything: If Nopony were to inform the emperor of Scarlet Wake's transgressions, not only would the aide face no legal penalties for doing so, but he would be rewarded. He had planned to take his wife and daughters away this very night, and throw himself at the emperor's hooves, begging forgiveness.

But the two guards, who never had been station here before, now barred his path. Worse, these were amongst the worst guards in Wake's employ: a pair of hulking, brutish criminals only saved from the headspony's axe due to the baron having paid a significant amount to overturn the judge's death warrant, on the condition that the two served as Scarlet's enforcers. Both of them were murderers, and one of them was known to have taken a delight in murdering young fillies in front of their parents.

Nopony had a suspicion regarding what was happening here, and it was nothing good...

"Ah, Nopony," a terribly familiar voice said behind him, with a dreadfully cheerful tone, "Just the pony I was looking for!"

Turning around, Nopony saw Scarlet Wake advancing behind him, all smiles. Right away, the aide knew that something was wrong. "I apologize for the guards, but I feel that they are a necessity: The city is on edge after the assassination attempt today. Since I value your continued assistance during such trying times, I decided that I should place a pair of guards here at your quarters, for their protection." With each word, Scarlet Wake had drawn closer and closer. Now they were face to face, an unnerving prospect, given the baron's smile. Placing a comradely hoof on Nopony's shoulder, the Scarlet said, "After all, I know how precious your family is to you, and that you'd do anything to keep them safe... right?"

Nopony calculated the odds of being able to kill Scarlet Wake, plus the two guards, without getting killed himself in the process. The odds, sadly, were small: While Nopony was in very good shape for his age, he was past forty, and Scarlet Wake was half his age. Worse, while Nopony lacked any knowledge of combat magic, Scarlet Wake was something of a virtuoso in that field, especially in the use of pain spells. With surprise on his side, Nopony might have succeeded in landing a fatal wound, but that would leave the two guards, either one alone would be more than a match for the older unicorn. And if any of the three survived, Nopony's wife and daughters would pay dearly for it...

"Yes, milord, that is true," Nopony said, resigned.

"Wonderful," Scarlet Wake said, his grin almost manic in its cheerfulness. "Now, go spend the night with your wife and daughters. Be ready to get up bright and early. Golden Grace and his entourage have decided to grace us with their presence. It seems that he's a little bit worried about recent troubles himself, and has elected to marshal together our collective forces until these assassins have been brought to justice. I am certain that everypony will feel much safer once those traitors have been caught and executed."
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Celestia gave a sigh, as she waited for Luna to reappear. The princess swore to herself that, after this, she'd never complain about having to attend another meeting of the Ministy Of Silly Trots ever again: After the last week, and the events of just the last forty-eight hours, she would have given her left hoof for an hour of boredom that didn't have any underlying tension to it...

With a sudden pop, Luna reappeared, looking none the worse for wear. Smiling cheerfully, she said, "Mission accomplished."

Stretching, Pan said, "Ah, jeez, was I really out that long? This is terribly embarrassing. A thousand pardons, your highness."

There was something off about the changeling. It wasn't something that Celestia could put into words, nor was it something that seemed sinister, but it was definitely there. The way the emperor held himself was subtly different from before.

Celestia, after a moment's hesitation, asked, "Are you alright, Pan?"

The changeling and Luna shared a brief look, seeming to smile at a shared joke that only the two of them would get, then Pan said, "I've never felt better."