Chapter 11 - Summoned By Royalty
I stood alone in my room, staring at the mirror and failing to recognize myself.
No one thing defied my ability to identify the face that peered curiously from the glass. Not the pony body, nor the expertly coiffed mane. Not the gorgeous dress, nor the glittering rubies woven so perfectly into my tail. Not even the bright gold pendant which hung from my neck in defiance of those who would take it from me.
Rarity had helped me into my dress, added the rubies, and left me alone to contemplate her creation while she and Fluttershy changed into their outfits. I was sure she thought I needed time alone in case I had another emotional episode, but my stomach had twisted itself into too many knots for me to properly commiserate with the past.
An occasional faint clacking noise alerted me that I could not stop flicking my tail. I took a deep breath, but it did little to calm my pounding heart, and the clacking continued.
I finally realized that the situation and not my appearance had frustrated my sense of identity. What was I doing here? Why did I agree to attend this dinner? I should have asserted myself more and remained in my room for the duration. I had no business meeting royalty.
No, Princess Luna had not filled me with some sort of mortal dread. I only thought I wanted to gallop off and hide somewhere when I contemplated meeting her, like I faced some sort of grand test of my facade.
Yet the idea that I could pull this off floated before me like the carrot on the stick -- perhaps not the most ideal analogy for a pony, but still. I had only just broached the idea earlier of never revealing my past, of settling down with this new identity, and casting off the past. If I could get through this, I had every chance of succeeding.
As if my mind insisted on a counterpoint, Rarity's words echoed in my head: I doubt your past would ever change how we feel about you. By human standards -- my failures to Michelle and my mother notwithstanding -- I had done nothing truly bad. Even while living on the streets, I never hurt anyone. I stole something small here and there, but only to survive.
Yet it could all pale in comparison to being an alien.
I heard a knock at the door. "May we come in?" said Rarity.
I turned away from the mirror. "Of course."
Rarity and Fluttershy entered, wearing rather elegant outfits; I no longer felt quite so overdressed. "Do you like how your dress came out, Candy?" Rarity asked.
"Yes, I do, thank you. It's beautiful."
I managed not to choke up even as the memory of my twelfth birthday flickered in my head. I squelched it a little more easily this time.
Rarity trotted up to me. "In that case, I believe we are ready to go. Do you remember everything I told you earlier, or do you need a reminder?"
Rarity had mercifully assumed I had never stood before Equestrian royalty (well, other than Twilight), and had taught me the proper way to bow (which I previously had no idea how to do as a pony), the proper form of address ("Princess" was sufficient from their subjects), and how to carry myself ("with grace in all things," which I highly suspected was more Rarity's attitude than a requirement).
"Is there anything specific I will be expected to say or do?" I asked.
In a roundabout way, I wanted to know if any subjects of conversation were considered taboo, or if I were expected simply to defer to them in everything they said or did.
"Well, praise for their enlightened rule never goes out of style, of course, but they tend to be a little less stiff and formal than the Canterlot nobility," said Rarity.
"They really are friendly and nice," said Fluttershy with a small smile. "I, um, don't even feel nervous around Princess Luna anymore."
Fluttershy's first sentence had filled me with hope while the second had sent me crashing back into the depths of worry.
"And well you shouldn't," said Rarity. "It has been quite a long time since her Nightmare Moon days."
Nightmare Moon? Girls, please, stop helping me.
"She has come a long way since then," Rarity continued. "But then again, so have we. Funny this should come up, as I had spoken with Candy earlier about our Element-bearer days."
Our days? Was Fluttershy one of these Element-bearers as well?
"I-I have to admit, I kind of wish we had them now," Fluttershy said in a quavering voice.
"We have nothing to worry about," declared Rarity. "Not inside the Castle of Friendship."
"I know. It's just ... I still remember what happened at the wedding." Fluttershy paused and added in a lower voice, "So does Twilight."
"Is that what you two talked about yesterday?"
"Yes, pretty much. She was rather upset after her argument with Rainbow Dash."
"Can you share anything of what was said?"
Fluttershy hesitated. "Um, not right now. We need to get to the dinner."
"Very well." Rarity turned to me. "If you're ready, then, Candy."
"I'm ready," I lied.
"Then let us be off. It has been far too long since I had attended a nice, formal dinner."
More puzzle pieces that defied placement. I had to defer my concern. I had only so many things I could worry about at once.
I stepped into the banquet hall, and my heart leaped into my throat.
Princess Luna riveted my attention immediately. Even from the other end of the hall, she possessed a commanding presence. That she had looked no less real in my dreams finally impressed upon me how vivid they had been. They truly felt like pockets of altered reality rather than just thoughts and imagery.
When my gaze finally shifted towards the pony facing Luna, I knew her identity at once.
Princess Celestia stood a little taller than Luna, with a coat so white it seemed to glow. A golden, stylized sun graced her flank. Her horn was very long, longer than Luna's. Her mane and tail flowed as if blowing in a gentle breeze, striped in pastel colors nearly as liquid as her darker counterpart. Her wings were folded against her sides, but even quiescent they looked larger than any other winged pony I had seen. As if she really needed anything to further identify her as an absolute monarch, a tiara lay upon her head.
The two appeared to be speaking softly to one another. My heart skipped a beat when Luna turned her head, and her eyes met mine. Her gaze lingered on me for a moment before turning away.
So no sense of my soul being sucked out through my eyes when she looked at me. Not that I believed that would happen at all, just good to know.
My gaze finally swept down the length of the hall. Against the right side, a line of tables stood covered in more food than I had ever seen in any one sitting. Everything from vegetables and greens, to flowers and oats, to breads and desserts. Smaller, round tables and chairs had been set up on the opposite side.
"Hrm," Rarity said, raising a critical eyebrow. "Buffet-style. Not my first choice for a formal dinner to open a summit, but I defer to Pinkie's catering sensibilities."
"Oh, I don't know," said Fluttershy. "I think it makes it a little less formal."
I was with Fluttershy in that regard. I felt just a little bit less self-conscious.
The other members of the Council of Six -- as I started calling them -- were here, all dressed in finery. Even Applejack, though the effect was spoiled a bit by the stetson. Rainbow Dash actually stood on her hooves with her wings folded sedately against her sides. Perhaps her dress was not aerodynamic enough for her.
"--get the ideer from you to have the little 'uns escorted to and from school?" came Applejack's voice as we approached.
"No, that was Mayor Mare's idea entirely," said Twilight.
"Well, it was a good one, in any case."
Rainbow rolled her eyes. "I think it's ridiculous if you ask me."
"Good thing I wasn't," Applejack said with a slight smirk.
Rainbow blew her a raspberry. "Look, if anypony can handle themselves, it's the Crusaders!"
Crusaders?
"Like they do with every consarned hare-brained scheme of theirs?"
"I'm just saying it's wrong to keep them separated!"
"They ain't separated, they got school together."
Rainbow face-hoofed. "Oh, yeah, sure, that's a lot of fun. Maybe there's a cutie mark for good attendance."
Pinkie Pie interrupted the debate with a sudden high-pitched gasp, her eyes wide as she leaped into the air ... and hung there for several seconds, like she had just graduated from the Wile E. Coyote school of physics.
"Candy!!" she cried at the top of her lungs when she finally landed. "You look positively, prodigiously, powerfully, partytastically pretty!" She giggled and waved a hoof. "But then you knew that, didn't you?"
Good Lord. I did not need that. Now the gaze from everypony in the room weighed on me, even from the two princesses. From the amused looks on their faces, however, they appeared used to Pinkie's antics.
"You really do look purty, Candy," said Applejack with a smile. "Like the shine on an apple jus' ready to be bucked."
I ... think that was a compliment.
"You really do look lovely, Candy," said Twilight. "The dress is wonderful."
"Thank you, everypony," I said, smiling slightly. "But thank Rarity for the dress."
"I am rather proud of it," said Rarity. "I went with something simple but elegant in the limited time I had. I just may adapt it for a new line this season."
Rainbow trotted up. "Hey, Rares, now that you're here, maybe you can settle something."
Rarity rolled her eyes. "Would this happen to be about the Crusaders?"
"Do you have to keep Sweetie Belle cooped up in the boutique after school?"
"For her safety, yes. At least until this summit is over."
"Come on! Can't you at least let her out so they can have their meetings? I mean, they're just gonna be at their clubhouse! It's right there on AJ's farm. I already convinced Scoot's parents to let me escort her over there."
"Ya did what?" Applejack cried. "Fer cryin' out loud, Rainbow! Can't ya leave well enough alone?"
"All right, enough," Rarity declared. "We should not be arguing about this at a formal dinner. Why is this so important to you, Rainbow?"
"Because they're gonna want to here about their fellow crusader in Manehattan."
"What is this?"
Applejack smiled. "Apple Bloom got a letter from her cousin Babs Seed. It got here too late fer me to give it to her before I had to get ready for this here shindig. But I already know what's in it 'cuz her parents sent me a letter at the same time. Babs Seed got her cutie mark."
"Really?" Rarity said. "That is wonderful news, Applejack."
"Yes, that really is good news," said Fluttershy.
"Aw, too bad it happened over in Manehattan," said Pinkie. "I would love to organize her cuteceañera to celebrate!"
"But you see the problem?" Rainbow said. "Babs was running the Manehattan Cutie Mark Crusaders. They gotta know about that."
Rarity sighed. "Very well. I will see if I can get some time in the next few days to escort Sweetie Belle to the farm. Applejack, can you keep that letter to yourself for the time being?"
"Sure can," said Applejack.
"Honestly, I was just telling Sweetie Belle earlier that they worry far too much about acquiring their cutie marks."
That at least explained why the Council of Six were not concerned about my lack of cutie mark. That made me feel a little better.
The feeling was short lived. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I stiffened a bit when I saw Shining Armor headed towards us.
Rarity caught sight of him as well and turned. "Ah, just the stallion I wanted to see."
Shining Armor had looked about to speak to me, but he turned towards Rarity instead. "You do?"
"Yes. I believe you have something to say to Candy here."
"Well, yes, but how did you ... oh, you mean ...?"
Rarity looked at him expectantly.
Shining Armor took a deep breath and turned towards me. "Miss Swirl, I wish to apologize for my behavior towards you earlier today. It was uncalled for and rude."
I hesitated until Rarity nudged me in the side. "Oh, um, yes, thank you. I, uh, accept your apology."
"Much better," said Rarity with a smile. Twilight also smiled and cast an affectionate look at her brother.
"Now for what I had really come over here to say to Miss Swirl," said Shining Armor.
My heart sank.
"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna would like a chance to speak with you at your earliest convenience."
Fluttershy had offered to accompany me, but I didn't want to keep leaning on her all the time. If the princesses did have some sort of bone to pick with me, I did not want to involve the others. Nopony seemed at all perturbed at this summoning, yet visions of dark and dank dungeons plagued my thoughts as I approached.
I had yet to announce myself, but both princesses turned towards me as I approached. Luna stood far taller than I had remembered her from my dreams, until I realized ponies likely stood shorter than humans. Celestia practically loomed over me, at least with regard to her physical presence. A smile graced her muzzle that I hoped was as warm as it seemed.
Did she really move the sun? If size mattered with regards to horns, I guess I could see how that was possible.
Luna was not exactly smiling, nor did she appear hostile or accusing in her gaze. She seemed more curious than anything else. I felt stupid that I had never made the connection between her name and the night. Or I simply had not wanted to see it.
What was considered a respectable distance? I had not thought to ask Rarity. I stopped when their heads dipped slightly to keep their gaze on me, and I dropped into an awkward bow, lowering my head.
God, what was I doing here? Was I being judged? Was I trembling? Would that be misinterpreted?
"You may rise."
I flinched at Princess Celestia's voice. How long had I been bowed? I stood and looked up.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Candy Swirl," said Princess Celestia.
"As it is for me as well," said Princess Luna.
Even Luna's voice was exactly the same as in my dreams. "Um ... the p-pleasure is all mine, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna."
"Twilight Sparkle has kept me informed of the events concerning your pendant," said Celestia. "I do hope they have not left a bad impression on you."
"Um ... bad impression?"
"Concerning your arrival, of course," said Luna.
Did she mean Ponyville? She had to. She would be interrogating me much further otherwise. "Oh, well ... Pinkie Pie sort of took care of that while I was in the hospital with her ... uh ... song."
Celestia chuckled. "That is certainly a much better impression to leave upon you."
"So long as her presence was not too overwhelming," added Luna.
"Oh, but Pinkie Pie always exercises the most exquisite discretion and a rational approach to any situation, dear sister."
"Indeed she does. Only the other day I was thinking she would have been much better suited as the Element of Calm Restraint."
"Huh??" I blurted.
Celestia and Luna looked at each other and laughed. That had been a joke? They were sisters? Pinkie was another Element-bearer? My head spun.
Luna smiled at me. "Do not be so involved in your personal struggles that you fail to see the lighter side of life, Candy Swirl. If anypony knows how such a thing can consume oneself, it would be me."
What was I supposed to say to that?
Celestia took a step towards me. "And my advice to you, Candy Swirl, would be to trust in your friends."
Trust in my friends?
I had no friends. No, maybe that was too harsh. I supposed I had ponies who wanted to be my friends. Certainly Rarity and Fluttershy, but even they had known me for only a few days. Was Princess Celestia making an assumption? Perhaps she was powerful, but I doubted she was omniscient.
The map in the council room stirred in my thoughts again, with Rarity and Fluttershy's cutie marks floating above the castle. Was my attempt to associate it with me just the height of paranoia? Maybe I needed to stop thinking everything revolved around me.
"Thank you, Princess," I said, though my voice sounded a bit stilted even to me. "Um, both of you. I'll try to remember that."
Princess Celestia smiled gently. "Please feel free to return to the festivities. I am sure you wish to avail yourself of the wonderful dinner Pinkie Pie managed to organize in such a short time."
"Yes, of course. Thank you." I backed up a few steps before I remembered to bow again. I stood and tried to keep my pace to no faster than a trot as I retreated.
Rarity met me halfway back to the others. "That audience was rather short. Did it go well?"
I honestly had no idea. "Um, yes, I think it went fine."
"You do look a little rattled."
"Just nervousness over meeting them for the first time, that's all."
"Mm, yes, my first experience with Canterlot nobility was like that. Always worried about saying the right thing or maintaining the proper decorum. If it helps any, from what I saw from here, you handled yourself wonderfully."
I smiled faintly. "Thanks."
"We were about to sit down to have some dinner," said Rarity. "Please come and join us."
I looked around. The princesses were talking with Twilight. Shining Armor was conversing with some guards. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were having a spirited debate. I had managed to sink into the background again, which suited me fine.
"Yes, I would like that," I said. Some of the butterflies in my stomach had fled; I could actually eat something.
I still ate light, as only a few hours had passed since lunch. This was fortuitous, as Pinkie plied me with sweets and confections just when I was ready to head back to my room. I could not leave until I had sampled at least one of everything. Apparently she intended to make good on her claim that I needed to "catch up" in desserts.
That they were so tasty thwarted my efforts to resist.
The sun hung low in the sky by the time I returned to my room. I yawned through a farewell to Fluttershy before closing the door, and my stomach gurgled in protest against an overabundance of sugar.
I wanted to sleep, but I was too buzzed from gratuitous desserts. I discovered a remedy sitting on the dresser. I had made an offhand comment earlier to Twilight about having nearly completed the Daring Do book. Apparently she had Spike deliver the next story in the series to my room.
This induced energy tempted me to head over to the library, but my fear of running into Queen Chrysalis outweighed curiosity. Neither the efficiency of the guards, nor their ability to detect the changeling queen's magic, could compel me to make myself a target.
The opportunity to wear Rarity's great effort may never come again, yet I removed it with as much care as my still unskilled hooves would allow. History had repeated itself; I had done the same thing with the dress my mother had made for my twelfth birthday. An occasion "special enough" to urge me to wear it again had never come, and my mother's passing had dried up any further opportunities.
I took a deep breath and shuddered. I wiped an eye before climbing into bed with the book.
Not until the moon had well risen did I finally feel like I could sleep. I resolved not to let Pinkie tempt me ever again. I slid out of bed to use the bathroom. On the way back, I spotted something on the floor.
A folded piece of paper had been slipped under the door.
I trotted over and failed to open it with a single hoof. I sighed as I plopped down on my haunches. That was the most annoying problem with being a quadruped: having to sit down to use both my fore-hooves.
I unfolded the document and read:
It is of the utmost importance we meet privately. We have very much to discuss. Your future disposition in Equestria hangs in the balance. I cannot guarantee your safety if you do not respond to this summons. Be at the balcony at the end of the Guest Hall at midnight. Do not be late.
-- Concerned Royalty
My blood ran cold. I swallowed hard and lifted a trembling hoof to my pendant.
Concerned Royalty? Who had sent this? Princess Celestia? No, the tone was too harsh, if my short time with her had been any indication of her disposition. Princess Luna? Maybe. Her speech patterns were a touch more formal. Princess Twilight? No, that made even less sense than Celestia.
It had to be Luna. Dear God, she knew. She knew. Her words to me at dinner had been oh-so-carefully crafted. She had indeed meant my arrival in this world. Did Celestia know? Was Luna keeping this from her? Was Celestia's wrath a terrible thing to behold despite her friendly nature, and Luna was protecting me from her?
I saw myself in the alley again, facing down the bullet, knowing it should have pierced my heart. I had obviously blown that second chance, and now I had another. I could not screw this up again.
I stood and opened the door. One of the guards immediately turned to me. "Yes, Miss Swirl?"
"I-inform me when it's midnight," I said. "No, I mean ... ten minutes to midnight. If I'm asleep, wake me up."
The guard hesitated, but nodded once. "Of course, Miss Swirl."
"Also, did you see who slipped the paper under my door?"
The guard gave me a confused look. "I'm sorry? Paper?"
"Nopony has approached your door since Miss Fluttershy departed," said the other guard.
"Do you need us to summon Prince Shining Armor?" asked the first.
"No!" I blurted. "I ... I-I'm sorry, I was mistaken. Fluttershy had said she wanted to ... to give me a document, and I likely just dropped it by the door."
"No worries, Miss Swirl," said the first guard.
"We will summon you at ten to midnight as you requested," said the second guard.
"Thank you," I said before closing the door.
I doubted I needed to insist they wake me up. No way would sleep overtake me now.
A knock at the door jolted me back to full wakefulness.
"Miss Swirl? It is ten before midnight."
Somehow I had actually nodded off. Hearing the time instantly banished my lingering grogginess as I slipped out of bed and cantered to the door. "Yes, thank you," I said upon opening it. I stepped into the hall and glanced at each guard, opening my mouth to give them a completely unnecessary order. I closed it without a word and simply trotted forward.
The guards, as expected, fell into step with me, the only sound that of their hooves and the occasional clink of their armor.
Each of the other guest rooms were guarded as well, but as my eyes fell on what I assumed was Princess Luna's room, I flinched and stopped dead. Her guards appeared to be pegasi at first glance, but their wings were much different. Instead of feathered, they appeared leathery, almost bat-like.
They turned their heads towards me and regarded me with a narrowed gaze. I swallowed hard and continued on.
I gazed through the glass doors of the balcony. It lay empty. I almost hoped the doors were locked. Instead, they unlatched and opened easily at my touch. I shivered, more so than the cool air could account. I took a deep breath and trotted towards the railing.
Something shimmered just past the edge. I pushed a hoof forward, and my eyes widened as it met resistance, ripples spreading from my touch.
"A shield, Miss Swirl," said one of the guards, his voice giving me a start. "Courtesy of Prince Shining Armor."
I tilted my head. It curved around the entire castle. Fascinated, I failed to note the doors to the balcony opening again. Only when my guards turned and one cried, "What is this?!" did I whirl around.
My breath caught in my throat. Oh, dear God, what ...??
I had expected Luna, or maybe Celestia. This being certainly had the height and general shape of one of the alicorns, but all resemblance ended there. She was midnight black, with a twisted horn rising from her head, and translucent wings more like those of an insect. Her eyes were large, somewhat slit-pupiled, and bright green. Strands of teal hair spilled from her head. Holes pierced her legs near her hooves and shot through her wings. Chitin covered part of her barrel.
She was flanked by two Royal Guards, but they gave me no more sense of security than my own.
She cast her gaze at me and smiled. I shivered when I glimpsed her fangs. "Well, now, might this be Candy Swirl?" she said, her voice sounding disconcertingly like two voices at frequencies very slightly out of sync with one another. "Very good. You chose to answer my summons. This bodes well."
She stepped forward. I gasped and backed away. The sharp scrape of steel against steel sounded as first my guards crossed their spears in front of me, and the other guards crossed theirs before this creature.
"Advance no further!" one of my guards bellowed.
"With all due respect, Queen Chrysalis," said the other, confirming my worst fears as to the identity of this monster. "You should not be out of your room."
Queen Chrysalis narrowed her eyes. "I do not recall being confined to my room for the duration of this summit!"
"Nevertheless, you are not to approach Miss Swirl!"
"I wish to have a private conversation with her. All of you are to leave us at once."
"We cannot do that on your orders alone."
Chrysalis smiled. "Then perhaps we should let Miss Swirl decide."
My guards exchanged a look. "I would not recommend that course of action, Miss Swirl," said one.
I sure as hell didn't either! But nothing could silence the question shouting in the back of my mind as to why this creature wished to speak to me. Certainly she knew she could not make off with my pendant due to the binding magic. Or with me for that matter, not with this shield in place.
I swallowed hard before I demanded of the changeling queen, "Give me one good reason why I should send the guards away!"
The Queen's smile widened. "The girl in the alleyway."
My heart fell into my hooves. No, she couldn't mean ...
"And the fact that I know precisely who -- and what -- that little girl is."
I trembled. "Y-you're lying."
"This same little girl lost a friend so terribly, all because she did not get there in time. Her mother a few years before that. Tsk, such a terrible life, and all because of a little trinket she--"
"Stop it!" I screamed.
A guard turned to me. "Miss Swirl, are you--"
"Leave us alone," I said.
"Miss Swirl, I don't think this is a good idea."
"Y-you can detect her magic, right? That's what Twi ... what Princess Twilight said. You'll know if she uses it on me."
"Yes, we will, but not until after the fact."
"But she can't get out of here without you knowing. She can't take anything from me and run off with it."
"Well, no, but--"
"Then leave."
The guard sighed but nodded to his cohort, and they lifted their spears. The other guards near Chrysalis did the same. "We will stand right outside the balcony doors, Miss Swirl. Signal us immediately if you need help. We will come in if we detect the least bit of unauthorized magic from her, or if she appears to be harming you in any way."
"Understood," I said in a low voice.
The guards left. I looked up at Queen Chrysalis, resisting the urge to cringe. "The guards are gone. Now, talk."
Queen Chrysalis stepped forward. "Oh, I intend to. About a great many things ..."
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Failed a spot check! Criticaly!
No really, wasn't it obvious enough?
And Chrysalis a few step ahead of every pony, once again...
Yep. Totally knew that note from Chryssie. Next question is how did she find out? Did they manage to poke around in her head at some point? Bodes well, this does not.
On lighter note; Candy is realizing she's in with sharks. I mean walking with heroes. Of course, she doesn't know how important the elements were. Sad that Discord wasn't present for the summit though. Was really looking forward to her growing shock/horror as she recognized the voice
Daaaaaaannnnnnnnng Chrysalis You all knowing in some cases
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Problem?
i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NTAwWDUwMA==/z/3F0AAOxyaTxTVkPs/$_3.JPG?set_id=2
Of shoes, and ships and sealing-wax
Of Cabbages and Kings...
"The time has come," the bugpone said, "to talk of many things...."
When I saw the note was signed by "concerned royalty" I knew immediately it would be the Queen of Cheese herself.
6917214 Changelings do not possess mind-reading powers. This might suggest they have spies... ON EARTH!!!
ERMAHGERD!! CHERNGLERNGS ER ERN MEH EARTH!!! *runs around spraying RAID on everything!*
Wow, channeling Palpatine there a bit aren't you Chryssy.
And that poor phone getting called So many times.
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And why the sea is is boiling hot
And wether pigs have wings.
Well, looks like somepony forgot the most basic rule of delicate situations:
ALWAYS assume that covert communications requesting meeting alone in out-of-the-way places in the middle of the night might, just, on the off chance, actually be a trap.
And to quote Commissioner Gordon: "Always check your corners."
But that might just be my paranoid military side talking.
Carry on, good mare. Also, I'm interested to see how Chrysalis knows all this stuff...
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Good, good, you will see that the ponies are wrong... about a great... many... things...
-Emperor Chrysalis of the First Galactic Empire
Also, unfortunately, not inb4 Lewis Carroll references.
The sun was shining down, and he was shining with all his might.
He did his very best to make the billows clean and bright.
And this was odd because it was the middle of the night.
6917811 More like the First Galactic HIVE
quickmeme.com/img/01/01744bfadf1bb72af8d431e98a4eb906123504e035a75359a00da5aee6c966b0.jpg
6917823 Verily.
Uh oh....
What a cliffhanger to leave on.
I am very much enjoying story. Keep it up. 
Chrysalis you BITCH! I hope one of the guards manages to get a signal to the rest so Luna or Celestia can come to the rescue. I'd love to see Chrysalis try to take on Luna at night when Luna is Pissed Off at her.
I will admit.. it being Chrissy did throw me off a bit. I thought it would have been Luna cause of the fact she had appeared in her dreams. I figured the whole "I can't guarantee your safety" was kind of a "if I don't know what all is going on, I as a princess can't guarantee your safety" type of message. Great chapter!
I totally seen that coming from what the letter said alone, but it was still a well crafted chapter so keep it up I am still quite involved with this story.
If Rachel was voiced, what would she sound like?
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I was expecting it the whole time. What better to lure someone who is avoiding you than a vague letter that could be from a somewhat trusted source?
Let's just hope this doesn't go like it does in Yandere Simulator.
6924624 slightly and it is also addictive so if you're not careful I might follow you home.
Really though I get too much love and I would undergo a highly painful metamorphosis into a proper changeling instead of my specific variant.
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I fully realized that to some readers it would be obvious it was her, but it definitely was not obvious to Candy. She was especially floored by Chrysalis knowing so much about her ...
Thank you all for the comments
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I think I did that reference subconsciously when I wrote the first draft of that chapter, as it was not until I started editing that I realized what reference it could be. I decided to leave it in anyway ...
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That reference works, too.
6923380
Boy, that's a hard one. I mean, I can kind of hear her voice in my head, but it's hard to pin down exactly who she might sound like ...
Just a brief note that I may not respond directly to every comment. This story is getting far more comments than I anticipated
and it's hard to keep up sometimes (Not necessarily a bad thing, mind you ...)
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Oh, wait...
rs283.pbsrc.com/albums/kk316/AriElite/its-a-trap-cat.gif?w=480&h=480&fit=clip
And I've caught up. And of course I did so at a cliffhanger. *grml*
Very entertaining story so far. I love to hate those (realistic, I might add) social cowards that keep on entangling themselves further and further in their cover stories. Reminds me of myself in my younger years. The whole thing then goes south in a way far worse than if they would have been at least partly up front about everything.
Hi Chryssi. Despite all the obvious warning signs, it still threw me.
I'm just a bit surprised that Candy's guards take orders from her. I'd expected a 'Sorry, Princess Twilight ordered us to stay with you at all times and that is what we're going to do'. That would have been less dramatic of course... so I'll continue to keep my disbelief suspended.
Do carry on.
6927032 I knew it was her, obviously.
But really, if Chrysalis just out to lie, why not sign it Princess Luna or Celestia or Cadance in the first place?
This is the sort of thing that typically sets up even MORE warning flags, that the liar lying to you is REALLY trying to pull some major crap.
To be interpreted as even haltingly honest, Chrysalis should have at least signed something more like, "A concerned ally" which to an extent sounds like someone with honest intent, if not willing to risk direct exposure. The psychology of this sort of thing is very important for the mastermind to consider with regard to how the target will interpret it.
Hopefully Candy will not forget her Earth experiences and be VERY VERY suspicious, while also being clever enough to mask her suspicions and milk this bug beeyatch for every tidbit of information she can get.
A material made from animal hide, popular in pre-literate Europe as a writing material due to the prevalence of slaughterhouses and the scarcity of paper mills. Fell out of popularity as increasing demand for printed material made the paper industry far more economical (in addition to being a superior product in other respects). How exactly does a society of herbivores develop parchment?
6973476 lots of people use the term parchment when they mean papyrus or just as a general term for premodern paper and paperlike materials. I know it's not technically correct, but that's how it's often used
...It seems like every idiot that ends up in Equestria lies about SOMETHING concerning themselves and it always ends up biting them in the ass. Few are the non-wish fulfillment stories where this doesn't take place. Whether that lie is just somebody being stupid about telling others their name, their species, or what have you. They don't even try telling technical truths to cover the lie most of the time.
... Amusingly enough, Rachel Darrow translates to modern english as 'Ewe' and 'Oak Tree' (from hebrew and gaelic respectively). Ergo her translated name would be Ewe (or lamb) of the Oak Tree, or Oaken Ewe, if you want to shorten it to the normal two or single-word Equestrian name.
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7001193 orig11.deviantart.net/2d20/f/2013/174/5/4/mlp_4koma_45_by_shepherd0821-d6aeg09.jpg
7520946 I once sketched out a story where Twilight asked Spike to buy some fresh scrolls. This started a chain of ponies calling suppliers on down to Applejack who grabbed an axe and went to "talk" to Moorella the Cow. The next scene has Twilight complain about how long it takes to get quality scrolls, and they should just order a whole bunch of them at once. The End.
Never wrote it. Never felt right to do that to Pony.
Is it just me, or did someone forget to give the protagonist any personal agency? She rarely makes decisions of any significance, and she has no goal, no purpose, and no plan. She's not even properly conflicted about what to do next. She doesn't think about it much, and just floats along while things happen around her. Hay, she's given zero thought to how or whether she can go home, or become human again, or whether she wants either of those things.
The few significant decisions she's made (like the whole amnesia thing) were made without thought or explanation. We're seeing the whole story from the inside of her head, and we still can't see what makes her tick.
Edit: This seems to be improving a tiny bit a few chapters later. Maybe just a slow start. Here's hoping.
Missed opportunity.
6973476 They got it from the griffins.
Oh shit it doesn't bode well with me.
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It looks like it was changed to paper, if my guess is correct.
Also, as it seems the letter was from Chrysalis it's entirely possible she'd have plenty of parchment on hoof.
Have to do something with the emptied-out sacks of love.
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...that is a very disturbing theory. And a plausible one.
"i have just a corner and a couple of edges." (from the Diskworld book, Thud!)
If I may ask,
What do Candy and the Main Six’s dresses look like?
Oooohhhh stuff is about to get real!