A Pink Queen

by Ponyess

A Brief Visit: 8

Author's Note:

Twilight Sparkle's POV

I had enjoyed my breakfast with Pinkie Pie and her new friends. Of course the other friends were there too. I had invited them to share my breakfast.

At the moment, we are in the Royal dining hall. Had I been alone, I would have preferred to have my breakfast along in my Royal chambers with Spike and Ouwlowiscous. Only today, this time I am sharing my breakfast with my friends, and Pinkie Pie’s newly acquired hive. Apparently, they had chosen her to be their Queen.

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I don’t even try to understand, not just because I am still on an empty stomach, but I basically gave up on understanding Pinkie Pie, more than a year ago, even as one of my few closest friends. To try to understand why the Changelings chose her, when I know next to nothing of them. The little I do know is from the event at Cadences wedding, which was a formidable disaster, even if I, or we managed to save her wedding at the very last instant.

Maybe Pinkie Pie chooses to fill me in on the details along the way, if I ask her kindly? I think I will ask her to explain a few things along the way as the days go. She always was the Pony closest to them with all the nonsensical antics we couldn’t understand. To the best of my knowledge, she was the first to even have any positive interaction with any of them in the first place.

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Since this is a royal business, I had opted for the chef to serve the meal for us. Pinkie Pie had filled her in on what would be appropriate for a Changeling’s Breakfast. The rest of us merely enjoyed the meal royally.

Only now, a guard hastened in to stand on my right side with a stern look on his face.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle. I have a last minute guest to your breakfast waiting. A Dr. Whooves, Time Turner Whooves, if you have heard of him? Shall I let him enter?” he whispered in hushed, but reverent tones on his voice.

“By all means, let him in. This would be the safest of all times to see him. Between my friends, Pinkie Pie and the Changelings, this should prove to be very interesting. Besides, it could save some time on my social calendar, while being interesting!” I responded.

“As your Royal Highness commands!” the guard whispered in return before slipping out of the hall, passing the doors on his way out.

“Funny, these guards are merely convenient errand colts when I have as competent friends as I have by my side. All the guards of Equestria would have been chance-less and useless against both Nightmare Moon and Discord. I guess I can enjoy them, while ignoring to enlighten them of their standing at my court!” I pondered, quietly, never parting my lips or making a single sound to let on what was on my mind.

“You are absolutely right, Twilight. Never let them know, it would merely dampen their spirits, something I can’t afford!” Pinkie Pie bursts out, giggling uncontrollably for a full minute.

“These guards are painfully formal, at moments like these!” Rarity pointed out.

“They sure are. Ah reckon they need to lighten up, even if it may be tradition?” Applejack suggested with a dour face.

“All these Royal traditions suck. Just dead stiff. Good thing, both Celestia and Luna are both alive and openly friendly, as opposed to these statue guards!” Dash muttered.

“Yes, both Celestia and Luna are alive. I have enjoyed them for most of my life!” I responded.

“You are most fortunate, Twilight. To be the privileged protege of Princess Celestia herself, living in the Royual castle in Canterlot. If only I had been lucky enough to live in Canterlot at least, but thanks to you, at least I was permitted to attend to the Grand Galopping Gala and make friends with a few of the Elite!” Rarity responded.

“The only thing that saved that experience, is that we got to enjoy the company of Celestia. The party was as dull and lifeless as these guards!” Pinkie Pie whined, before giggling at the entire debacle.

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“Make room for Dr. Whooves!” a guard broke in, a few minutes after the first guard had enquired if he had been permitted to take part in the Prnicess’ Royal breakfast.

A medium brown Stallion with dark mane and tail, blue eyes, he is apparently wearing a green tie and bright white, stylish collar. For an Earth Pony, he is definitely a high class, which shoes in his bearing and manner as well. The good Doctor carried himself, almost as if he had been a Unicorn of Canterlot, from all I could see and his accent was going fairly well with it, even if there were a few notes that spoke of a story very different indeed.

“Good morning, Dr. Whooves!” I addressed him.

“Good morning, Princess Twilight Sparkle!” he responded.

“Greetings. Would you care to share breakfast with me and my friends?” I enquired in a light tone.

“Well, thank you, Twilight. I would love to!” he responded in his strange dialect.

“Have a seat. Right here on my right!” I offered, indicating a seat that had been placed there for him.

He slowly moved to the chair and sat down, momentarily looking around the table, giving eye contact with each and every one of the guests at my table.

“I would suggest the tea, Early Grey!” Rarity suggested, finding a friend of her sense of style in the newly arrived Stallion.

“Thanks, Rarity, and the salad does look prime and fresh!” he responded, as he laid eyes on a bowl of salad.

“It is, thank you, Doctor, I have always enjoyed a fresh salad, and this is one of my favorites from before I ascended!” I put forth.

“The reception makes me think back to olden days when I was truly respected. The cloak of nostalgia makes me feel old in a very unfamiliar way I just can’t put a hoof to!” he responded with a strange grin on his face.

“Some of us know these feelings all too well. I may not be old, but I have been around, seen things. Just as I know a certain friend, who would love nothing more than to wipe that nostalgia off of your face and plaster a wide grin all over your face!” I offered in sympathetic tones.

“I certainly could enjoy one of these old time refreshing smiles right about now!” he put forth.

“I just so happen to be the Queen, now. Besides, a great ball is in order. A celebration and a feast. Smiles will be as free as the punch, of course!” Pinkie Pie declared.

“You had better prepare yourself, this will be a marathon. I have no idea as to what she will put us through this time. Although I guess you can write to your grand children, or whoever is coming after you and describe, what she is to put you through!” Rainbow Dash suggested with a mild smile, hiding the implied, impending pun in the understatement.

“Thank you, Dash. I have been through a few things in my day, What could you possibly put me though, to rival the weight of my past?” he put forth.

“I am not certain, but I doubt I want to know. There will be cake and pastries, there will be punch and cider. Then there is dancing and games. She will expect you to be up and about the entire night. Besides, I doubt you can believe what she is capable of consuming!” Rarity stated with a weak, tentative smile.

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“I guess a slice of her cake could be enjoyable. I have all the time in the world, in the most literal of senses, if you like the pun, Princess Twilight?” Time Turner expressed.

Pinkie Pie enjoyed a bright smile on the Time Lord’s face, in her usual manner, returning a smile of her very own in his direction.

“Literal puns littered my former home, the Oak tree library our Princess granted me for the duration, although she did extend my stay there, until a Lord Tirek ended that lease. Shortly there after, I moved over to this castle with my assistant librarian, Spike the Dragon. I soon had to promote him to Royal Librarian since my duties as Princess claimed too much of my time to manage the library duties, while I maintain my friend ships and my own life!” Twilight responded with a silly grin.

“This seemingly insignificant rural little village certainly did gain in importance and status in short order. I feel this place has more importance than is yet realised. Not just a garrison on the rim of an inhospitable forest and a Princess in a royal castle. This is a nexus of things to come, maybe it is in order to have me close by for a while longer!” Dr. Whooves pronounced in a thoughtful voice as he looked at the gathered Ponies, Changelings and Dragon.

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“I merely organise the group into a coherent force. Our Mayor keeps track of the day to day formalities and ceremonies. Rarity makes certain we are clothes, as fashionable as any Pony could wish for, while Applejack keeps us fed and Fluttershy manage our wildlife and Rainbow Dash manage the weather. There are yet others, but the list gets boring if I have to point at every Pony with relevance, who isn’t here right now!” Twilight pondered.

“I have the feeling Pinkie Pie, as the new Queen of Ponyville can and will advance and extend her influence farther than ever before. This will be a royally jolly place in short order, then Ponies may travel here, just to experience Ponyville and the parties!” Time Turner suggested.

As serious as his statement was, he made as serious an effort to smile and keep his straight face away as he looks at the pink mare known as Pinkie Pie.

“I think Pinkie Pie is the first ever Pony to become a Queen for a Changeling Hive. On the other hoof, few Ponies have even attempted any interaction with any Changeling while knowing full well it was a Changeling, meaningful or otherwise!” Constellation pointed out, trying to beam as bright a grin as she mustered.

“On the few occasions we did know they were changelings, they were under order from their respective Queens, they left very little options, but to fight them. If their orders were benovelent or hostile at the time didn’t change the situation, at least that is what our records stated. Although records are written by our side and could have been altered after the fact to cover up things, for all I know!” I conceded.

“Since I don’t have these records before me, and how no idea of which incidents you may have read, I can’t confirm or deny any of what your records said. I have to conceded, however, the records on our side could easily suffer the same inaccuracies. Which means we have the best opportunity to set the records straight, once and for all, right here and now!” Breezer put forth.

“Very few records from as far back as when the Changelings entered Equestria are actually available. We have a few very serious conflicts on our hooves. If there is any chance we have a common history or ancestry, Now may be the best time to reconnect to these common bonds out of the past?” I suggested.

“Since the roots to the conflict is so deep in the past, yet, the solution so close at hoof, I feel very privileged to be at this table right now!” Timeturner pointed out.

“If you don’t mind, I think I have a position and a few services to ask of you, Dr. Whooves?” Pinkie declared.

“You do? When you put it like that, you make it hard to impossible to refuse you, my Queen!” he responded.

“In this particular case, I may have special services to offer. Certain means to get at some of these problems. I may be able to retrieve information, inaccessible to any other Pony!” Dr. Whooves proposed, in a generous offer.

“You mean to say that you can access the records of what actually did take place, all these centuries back?” Princess Twilight inquired, her curiosity clearly piqued.

“That is exactly what I was saying, my dear Princess!” he responded.

“The information may have waited for centuries, but if you can get to them, I would love to be there with you and see what was, as opposed to what we are told!” she responded.

“I think I can take a few passengers with me, even if I had to point out that that would be at your own peril. Going where I have to go, in order to get in touch with the information we are interested in, may come at a risk. I can never promise a safe trip for either of you. As a matter of fact, even I can’t be entirely safe on a journey such as this!” Whooves pointed out.

“Even if there is the chance that going together increases the risks, there is a chance that we can protect one another as well. All depending on where we go and the conditions where and when we arrive!” Twilight responded.

“In this case, when we arrive may be the critical point, for both the risks, and what we actually can learn from going there!” he put forth.

“Either way, I would still love to go, even beyond the chances and risks we may encounter!” I declared.

“I can’t make a Lady, a Princess or a Queen insist, I am too much of a gentle-stallion for that. If you want to go, you need to make certain preparations, both for the trip and the possible eventualities!” he pointed out.

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