• Published 23rd Aug 2016
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The Pony Dreadfuls - No one is home



A series of stories about ponies. Dreadful in both subject and quality. Enjoy :)

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Chapter 46 - Unholy Ambition

“How far do we take this, your majesty?” Moth’s face was grim as the two queens conferred.

“You’re hooves are clean Moth.” Diane smiled wanly. “By all account you and my sisters are heroes… I pushed Sketch into going along with me. This was about revenge. It’s going to be over soon. And I have to pay.”

“We’re with you in this.” Sketch spoke uncertainly. “You didn’t force me to do anything.”

“You both misunderstand me.” Moth’s voice grew colder. “We have eliminated the Nopony’s command structure. The battle for the castle will be over in hours, but the confusion of clearing the infiltration could take weeks. Critical positions in the ruling bureaucracy will be left empty throughout lower canterlot.”

“You’re not suggesting we install changelings?” Sketch regretted the accusation the moment it left her mouth at Moth’s sad, reproachful look.

“I think it would be easier to instal resistance ponies, like Miss Shadefire, who have sympathies to our hive… over… hers…” Moth corrected her mate sternly.

“This was always the plan I suppose.” Diane sighed heavily. “Fast Change is… she’s always been a friend to my family.”

“We won’t be able to displace her of course.” Moth shook her head. “And it doesn’t have to be anything but a peaceful transfer of power. But when this is over, Decanter has to see our hive as having came to their defense and restored order while the Princesses on the Hill and in the Hive hid and did nothing.”

“She’s not a bad queen.” Diane cursed, as if this was the worst news imaginable. “It’s not even like she’s really hiding! You said it yourself, she’s protecting her changelings. That’s why we didn’t bust out Z! But you’re right, we’re only doing what we have to do. Rainbows and princesses and princes and happy endings have already failed!”

-=-=-=-=-

“E-ever since the goat… It doesn’t matter what I change into, the mirror just..” Diane sobbed in her adopted mother’s hooves.

“Why don’t you just show me what that mean old stinky mirror keeps trying to tell my little smile waggon she is?” Surprise hugged her daughter tight.

“I should… step back…” The filly sobbed, drawing a nod from Surprise and in a flash of pink flame Diane shuffled in place.

“I can see only two things you need.” Surprise carefully embraced the spiny changeling. “The first is something you need right now. You need a very careful hug. The second thing you don’t need yet, but you will. It’s something I used to tell your uncle Train Wreck after the fire. When you feel like there’s nothing left of you but a monster in the mirror, remember that your looking at your reflection backwards. Look behind you. There are ponies back there who NEED a monster, because sometimes the world just swallows rainbows whole.”

-=-=-=-=-

Diane looked slowly over her shoulder, and sure enough there was Sketch petting her own tail. There was Rock Steady slow dancing unsteadily with her sister’s disembodied smile floating at face level. She saw her sisters, walking freely among ponies and others in their natural forms, drawing not loathing, but admiration and respect. She saw the gathered citizens of Decanter, who had rallied behind her hive to push out the invaders. And she thought of two faces that should be there. Two ponies who should have been there to stand beside her. Two smiles she had been powerless to save

Diane smiled sadly. “When I sleep, I have dreams, almost nightmares, where they’re both still out there somewhere, I think maybe the text just sent them back to Train Wreck’s world and they're still out there having super-fun adventures. But I saw Noone’s card. I know what it meant. I can’t lie to myself. Train Wreck doesn’t exist anymore… and Carrot…”

“We have to focus on the present your majesty,” Moth’s tone was soothing but insistent. “We have to defend those the Princesses can’t… or won’t defend. And to do that we need power. They sat idly by while the Nopony crafted this invasion. When they did choose to finally fight back it was to take back their damned castle. You want to defend Princess Fast Change? Fine. She’s protecting HER changelings, which we are clearly not part of. You’ve expanded our hive beyond just our sisters. We include multiple species who right now are 100% loyal to you. If we wait until the Princesses regain control, that WILL change. And then NOTHING will change. Decanter will go right back to being the noble’s neglected playground.”

“She’s right, Princess Diane.” Hearing her teacher call her by that title brought a smile back to the changelings face, maybe not her usual face-splitting grin, but a smile nonetheless. But she was taken aback by the bitterness in Shadefire’s voice. “We have to lock in our power now, or we’ll just go back to being a bunch of ponies the Princesses can’t be bothered with because we’re not important enough.”

“So what do we do, then?” Diane inquired of her advisors.

“Well, we’ve removed Chrysalis soldiers from the streets,” Moth smiled coldly, “And you’ve removed the Nopony’s infiltrators from the nobles. Who’s to say how long the nobles have been infiltrated? Virtually every administrator they’ve appointed in Decanter is suspect.”

“Of course we’ll need our own guards.” Shadefire nodded in agreement. “And only our guards can be allowed jurisdiction within Decanter. That means the guards from Upper Canterlot, and it also means…”

“Fast Change’s Changeling Guard. I know.” Diane scowled. “I don’t like it. This would work better if we could get Fast Change to back us up.”

“She’s not going to do anything that might anger the two sisters on the hill while she’s still swooning over Prince Silver Watch and trying to get accepted into the royal herd.” Again there was that bitterness in Shadefire’s voice. “On the other hoof, we have the support of the ponies of Decanter behind us. If we demand she disband her guard, then the Princesses on the hill can object all they want. Let her guard try to patrol…”

“Alright, then, first order of business is to clean house in the city administration.” Moth stroked her chin with one hoof. “We’ll need you, of course, your majesty. Myself. Miss Shadefire, without a doubt to act as our spokespony should there be any public outcry…”

“Oooooo, a new game?” Thirteen detached herself from her minotaur perch and floated over joyfully. “Can I play too?”

“Not this time, Thirteen.” Moth scuffed the changeling’s invisible head with one hoof. “We need diplomacy for this. I nominate Sweet Shift and Split Shift.”

“Hmmm, not a bad idea. We better take Red and Blue as well, in case there’s trouble.” Diane nodded. “And all of the non-changelings in the hive.”

“An excellent idea, Princess.” Shadefire beamed at her young pupil. “A large contingent of non-changelings will make it clear we have the will of the ponies behind us.”

“If Rock Steady’s going, then so am I!” Thirteen insisted. “I mean what harm can it do?”

“No stabby-stabby, no hide-and-stabby, no lurking, and no whispering unspeakable words in ponies ears.” Diane spoke severely to her sister.

“The same goes for you, Rock.” Shadefire turned to her ward. “This isn’t meant to be a fight. If it becomes a fight than Diane’s guards will handle it.”

“Heh,” Diane grinned, grimly but not without pleasure, “I’ve got guards. Okay, let's get this done and over before they retake the castle. We need our ponies in place already when Celestia retakes control and Fast re-opens the hive. By the time they know what happened we will be the rightful and recognized authority in Decanter.”

Author's Note:

In the vacuum of moral guidance left by Train Wreck's disappearance, Diane turns to Moth and Shadefire. But do they really have her best interests at heart? :pinkiesad2: She's had her revenge, but she knows she was powerless to save Train Wreck and Carrot Plate. She needs power so that she never has to feel that way again. :pinkiesmile:

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