"Your side?" Celestia glared at the changeling, her body still trembling from the magic duel. "You are a monster! What do you know of promises and ponies? I have ruled Equestria for longer than you have existed and it has been safe!"
Chrysalis shook a little, she had a plan for this accusation but having "Princess Celestia" call her a monster still hurt more than the changeling cared to admit.
Cadance's snout was pressed to Shining's, but the accusation against her friend didn't sit right. "Princess Celestia." She strode over to Celestia, looking down on her. "Chryssi is my best friend, she even came to you to help, she worked hard at school and is a good pony. Say what you want about all this," Cadance waved her hoof at the charade the wedding had become, "but don't you dare call my friend a monster."
Shining moved in with Cadance, taking the opposite side of Chrysalis.
It left Celestia with a shocked look. "Chryssi?" She blinked and looked at the queen changeling standing over her. "I… I didn't want you digging… Luna and I have so many… so many secrets. We are not proud of all of them." She felt herself breaking a little, memories of some of their less valiant times returning right on cue. We did it for Equestria, all of it…
"You are going to tell me all of them, now." Chrysalis reached a hoof down to touch Celestia's cheek. "Tell me all of them because you know now what I am willing to do to protect Equestria."
Celestia shook her head. "You did all this to 'protect' ponies?" She looked around and was a little shocked that the attendees were mostly calm about things, then she realized that some ponies were missing. "Where are Twilight's friends?"
A sinking feeling filled Chrysalis. Okay, it's okay. I didn't plan for those five to leave yet, but... A shoulder pressed against Chrysalis's left side, then one on her right. Her breathing was speeding up and it was like a runaway train.
"Slow down Chryssi, you are just having one of your attacks." Cadance spoke low, hoping her friend would be okay. "Make a new plan, don't panic." She felt as the changeling's breathing started to slow.
Chrysalis' world came back into focus, she took one last slow breath and sighed. "So, Celestia, will you administrate Equestria still?"
"You really are serious about this? You are going to defend Equestria?" Celestia looked up at Chrysalis, unsure still if she could trust the changeling.
"I will. My children and I." Chrysalis grinned, showing a little fang. "If anypony wants to help they will be most welcome. You can refuse if you wish." She turned and spared a look at Twilight. "Your second in command would have your spot."
"Second in command?" Twilight looked shocked. "What do you mean? I am just a unicorn and-"
"You are not just a unicorn." Celestia, Cadance, and Chrysalis all spoke at once, then all stared at each other. A nervous chuckle came from each of them.
"You will be queen?" Celestia asked, getting a nod from Chrysalis. "Then Twilight and myself will both be princesses. You will have my word that I will not interrupt your… defense, until you put Equestria at risk; do that and see how fast I will come for you."
Green magic wrapped around Celestia, lifting her up and setting her on her hooves, shaky as they were. She was at eye-level with the changeling.
"So you are both organized?" Cadance smiled. "I had to admit, I was a little worried you would turn her down." She lifted her gaze over the changeling's back, toward her coltfriend. "Shining, come on, we have something to do."
"What?" Shining blinked, but turned to follow Cadance. "Cady, what are you doing? Wasn't this all meant to be a joke?" He stood opposite her on the dais.
"Chryssi, your first duty as queen is right here." Cadance wore the biggest, cheesiest grin ever. "Shining Armor, will you marry me?" She watched shock, surprise, confusion, and then something that really made her smile.
"Mi Amore Cadenza-" Shining had to halt his saying of Cadance's full name by lifting a hoof to press to the Princess of Love's snout. "Cadance. I would want nothing more." The cheer of everypony in the room covered the buzzing of Chrysalis' wings as she flew up beside her friends.
"What am I supposed to do? Everypony is watching…" Chrysalis knew that her whole "invasion" wasn't riding on this, but it was still further from her comfort zone than she liked.
"My Queen," Celestia tasted the way it sounded and found something amazing about it, "I think I can help you. You heard the nuptials I spoke last time?" It is a yoke, a heavy yoke. I am not carrying it anymore. Celestia almost trembled at the thought. I hope she is strong enough for it. The thought surprised the princess so much she froze a moment. Gathering her wits, she continued, "Introduce everypony to them, explain how you have known them, then ask them both if they wish to be wed."
It wasn't one of her normal structured plans with alternate sequences and backup ploys, but Chrysalis was nervous enough that she grabbed at it. "Everypony." She looked up, seeing dozens of intrigued faces staring back at her. Then things clicked, the plan started, "We were here today, to see Shining Armor," Chrysalis lifted a hoof to Shining, "and Princess Cadance, wed." The wave of love she got from both her friends almost was enough to feed the swarm. "I first met these two, together of course, as the best of friends. Being what I am I could see something growing within them even then. I headed off one of the school teachers from catching them when they had their first kiss."
Celestia's eyes were wide; suddenly she realized just how right Cadance was in calling Chrysalis a pony.
"Since then I have watched them grow closer and closer. After Cadance got her cutie mark, and her horn, it wasn't long before a brave little stallion defended one of his friends from a bully. So, it is an honor that the first thing I do as your queen, is to bind them together as Mare and Colt." Chrysalis quickly looked around. Where are the… there! Her green magic found the pillow Twilight's little dragon had carried the rings in on. Levitating it over in her green magic, she offered it to Cadance first. "Will you take this stallion, until the end of your days, to be yours?"
"I do." Cadance was practically bouncing in place, she plucked a ring from the pillow and reached it up, settling it on Shining's horn.
"And do you take this mare, until the end of your days, to be yours?" Chrysalis offered the pillow over to Shining Armor. They aren't even noticing me; they are so cute.
"I do." Shining lifted the second ring free of the pillow and set it over Cadance's horn.
"Then let it be known," Chrysalis lifted her voice, "that you are now married. Shining, Cadance; please show these ponies how much you mean to each other."
The whole hive fed. Not a single changeling missed the pulse of love. Eggs suddenly filled with love and were ready to hatch, every drone in the city stopped and gazed to the castle. Chrysalis was at ground zero.
Night fell, not slowly, not calmly. The moment the two broke for air from their kiss darkness filled the sky.
~~~~~+++++~~~~~
"C'mon fillies, we's leavin'." Applejack didn't like where things had gone and with her little sister present she really didn't want anything bad to happen. Sharing a conspicuous glance with her friends, she began slinking around behind "the action" so that soon all five mares, the three fillies, and little Bright Smile all slipped from the main hall.
"What's going on?" Scootaloo looked between the mares, unsure of things. Her heart was pounding from the things that had happened. Did my big sister really just beat Princess Celestia and then make friends with her? She shook her head. "Please tell me what is going on!"
Rainbow Dash looked at the stopped filly and her little sister. "We don't know, but when all that madness starts happening, cool as it would be to fight, we have to get you to safety first." It ate every instinct Dash had not to charge in, but she liked Scootaloo too much to leave her in danger. And with that monster beating down Princess Celestia there is no telling how much danger there is. "Applejack, are you sure I can't go back in to help?"
A new voice, deeper and sounding ominous, replied, "No, Rainbow Dash." It was Princess Luna. "We…" I really need to use more common speech. "I felt my sister fall. What happened?"
"We were at the wedding and then Shining and the not-Cadance were about to kiss but then the real Cadance came in with Twilight and the not-Cadance said she was taking over and then Princess Celestia attacked her and then Shining Armor and Cadance kissed and the not-Cadance seemed to get stronger and…" Pinkie took a deep breath. "What?" Everypony was looking at her. "I'm done. That is when we left."
"The creature got stronger when Shining Armor and Princess Cadance kissed?" Luna wracked her memories and had a name. "Changeling. We have to leave, that monster will not be-" turning, Luna saw the hallway was lined with black creatures, their blue eyes focused on the ponies before them. The unnerving thing was the green venom dripping from their fangs. "Run!"
As the ponies around Luna began to move into various poses to fight, the alicorn lowered her horn and let off a bolt of darkness that filled the hall ahead. Scootaloo blinked, recognizing her other siblings. "What are we doing?"
"Princess says run, we run darling." Rarity pointed a hoof down the opposite hallway. "Come on fillies, full speed now; but do mind the dresses." She was already charging ahead, trusting her friends to keep her little sister and the other fillies on the move.
Without another option, Scootaloo broke into a gallop with her friends, chasing after the impeccably dressed fashionista, who somehow managed to make the mad dash not only look graceful, but did it in her full dress.
"What do these changelings do?" Applejack was running now, with Luna at her side.
"They devour love, they stuff ponies in pods in huge underground caves and treat them as grain." Luna focused on the running for a bit. "They will lie and scheme until they have everypony so caught up in confusion and then they strike. Those you saw, their venom can do many things." Turning the next corner she and AJ almost ran right into the other mares and the fillies. "More of them, it is time we leave."
A slight trembling of the floor nearly knocked all the ponies and changelings over, as Luna reached out and grasped her namesake. Heaving with all her might, Luna upended the day and plunged Equestria into an early night. As the blackness settled on the land, the Princess of the Night grew in power and reached with all her magic; gathering up the ponies and then taking them elsewhere.
Scootaloo's eyes widened as she recognized the inside of Twilight's library. Turning her head she saw her sister still in place on her back and leaned around to nuzzle her. They had gone from having the best feast of their lives to very little love in moments. "What's going on? Where is... Twilight?" She had almost said "Chrysalis" but saved her words at the last moment.
"Twilight Sparkle is a brave unicorn and is smart enough, I hope, to make her own way out." Luna looked around at the few she had rescued. "We must make ready to…" She trailed off, blinking and dropping to the floor. "Please be alright, Tia."
~~~~~+++++~~~~~
Twilight had been dumbfounded during the whole encounter, but when darkness fell over Equestria she snapped from her daze. "What happened?" She dashed to the windows to look out. The pink dome protecting Canterlot was gone, as too was the sun from the sky. "The moon is out!"
"How were you going to persuade my sister to your side?" Celestia looked at Chrysalis, her eyes trying to get a read on the changeling. Her memories dredged up reminders now, of her kind.
"I was willing to let her work beside you, or even go free if she wished. I guess this is for the best." Chrysalis was teetering on the edge of worry. "I will admit that this was not part of my plans."
"You are the strangest changeling I have ever met." Celestia had finally narrowed down where she had met Chrysalis' kind before. That one had been just as ruthless, but had none of the morals. I think I like this Chryssi more.
All of Chrysalis' attention fell on the Princess of the Sun. "You know of changelings? Where? When?" She had to fight her instinct to grab the alicorn.
Celestia probed at her memory. "When I was much younger, when Luna and I shared the defense of Equestria," that alone let both Twilight and Chrysalis know that it was over a thousand years ago, "all I remember was being captured, Luna saved me. Apparently I have a blind side."
Hearing her former teacher admit to such a grand fault startled Twilight; she trotted up to Celestia's side. "But that is for Chrysalis to worry about now, right?" She looked between Celestia and Chrysalis. "I mean, Queen Chrysalis."
"Princess Twilight." Chrysalis smiled at the unicorn. "Do not fret with titles so much. What Celestia was trying to point out was that I had captured her just as surely as what were likely my ancestors did."
"What about the other ponies? How many losses did your plan account for?" Celestia hated herself for asking, but she needed to know. She looked at the mare who now held the keys to Equestria with a little trepidation. How many will I rationalize? Five percent? Ten?
"Zero. The drones I sent out were told to protect the castle only, and even then with only words first, paralysis venom second. Their orders were to surrender if overwhelmed, two friends insisted on it." Chrysalis turned her head to Shining and Cadance. They taught me how to be a pony.
The Queen smiled widely until she realized someling was missing. "Scootaloo?"
"Wait, how did you feel your sister fall? You weren't even there," Applejack said.
"Years ago, we cast an enchantment upon each other that would alert us if the other ever falls." Luna said.
"Oh...that sounds mighty useful," Applejack said
Rainbow looked at Luna, confused. "Wait, if you felt her fall earlier, why didn't you bust through the windows the moment you knew?"
Luna blushed and looked away, embarrassed. "I was settling down for my nap when I felt her fall and I ignored it..." Luna muttered quietly.
"WHY WOULD YOU IGNORE THAT?" Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo shouted simultaneously.
"My sister slips on banana peels and garden hoes all the time. I didn't think anything had actually happened..." Luna said sheepishly.
So, yeah. There's that.
My only real issue with this story is that I expected Chrysalis to have a bigger reaction to taking in just that much love at ground zero. I was expecting her to be almost drunk or high from taking in so much love. Aside from that and the fact that the beginning of this chapter felt a little rushed and if I'm being truthful a little forced, it was okay.
You know, I really want to see in what way Chrysalis's plan would backfire right now.
Just for her to stop thinking that Celestia knows nothing about defense.
Hmm, I like it but Celestia seems pretty quick to trust Chrysalis. If she's met changelings before, then wouldn't mind control be something she's worried about? Hell, even ponies have mind control magic. Or even outright lies?
Gonna have to agree with Europa and HiddenMaster. This whole thing just resolved itself remarkably quickly. While getting her to do that is the entire point of this plan, Celestia just accedes to it all entirely too fast. It might have been better to stretch that out to two chapters. It feels like there's not even really any conflict in that.
7673694
No one's eyes are glowing green, so it's presumably rather visible that they aren't.
7673961 Celestia has, on the surface, given in. Actions speak louder than words however and, while it appears she has given in completely, letting go of the reigns of leadership will not be something she can do easily.
7674074
Fair enough, although I think a bit more resistance and argument might have helped the chapter feel more tense and exciting. It was just a bit anticlimactic after all the build-up.
Yay, typos to correct!
admit.
Everypony
Well, that happened. Hope Luna doesn't do anything rash when/if she figures out what Scootaloo and Bright Smile are.
That 'you' needs to go.
7674270
7674288 All fixed, thanks!
Interesting. I imagine the shift in power will take a while, but it seems that Celestia is tired of being responsible for every single thing as well.
I'm just worried what might happen to Scootaloo if she's discovered.
7674110 Something I am pondering, is spending a day or two every "chapter block" to rewrite and clean up chapters, then string the whole bunch together into a single block. Effectively making the "bit by bit" sections like a first draft.
7674552
Might be worth it, although that would take a bit of rewriting. Those are all pretty well-paced to be stand-alone chapters, after all, and typically end on a good natural break to a chapter. Maybe two chapters instead of one? A lot of people find 12k word chapters a bit intimidating.
What about changing "foolproof" in the auther notes to "foalproof"?
And one type "Appljejack wanted to get "gone", did you mean "'goin"?
Ruh-roh, Scootaloo better hope she doesn't get found out. But she will, because we need drama!
A thousand years later, and Celestia still git dun good by a changeling.
7676510 No, she git dun by a good changeling!
7675523 I cannot find that in the chapter. Can you quote the mistake fully please?
only problem that I saw was how you had described Cadance's "princesshood" for a better word, were she was a unicorn first, but she was a pegisus first in canon, and I did take into account this is alt reality but she's to streamline for a unicorn, Fleur aside.
7676944 That was a mistake. Ugh, sorry about that. Fixed it.
7677008 well this is your story and I said that. it was not really necessary for you to do that, but okay
7676567 OK, it wasn't a typo, I just read it wrong here was what I read:
Here is what I thought it said:
and so I thought you meant "'goin"
And the other "typo" in the auther notes I saw:
I thought, just to follow how ponies change our words, turn "foolproof" into "foalproof"
Great story, keep up the good work.
7678100 Foalproof is a typical ponyism, but I have heard the show itself use foolproof enough that I will let this one go.
7678329 OK, it can be confusing as to what to ponify, and what to leave as plain 'ol human words.
And, who knows if "Chryssie" woud even use the same ponyisms as, er, ponies.
it's actually really great to see Luna being the wild card. And she still holds the wrench!
I made it this far and then I lost interest.
The characters just don't seem believable to me.
Ah well.
Dang it, mane cast! You're making everything complicated.
8748094
...how so? They've done nothing that's unbelievable or out of character yet.
9171642 It's almost like they sense they should be the heroes!
9171644 I don't question such. Let people do their thing, I say, I'm just here to write.
Well, yeah! Almost every frame of the show that you're in has your crazy hair covering one of your eyes!
As a matter or fact, tons of the mares in this show sacrifice field of view for fashion, Rarity and Fluttershy included. Heck, if you look closely at Twilight, her straight bangs cover the top fourth of her eyes!
9597046
A small price to pay for
salvationfashion