• Published 11th May 2017
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Friendship Bling and Changing Things - PinkFluffyAlex



During her brother's surprise wedding, Twilight meets a demon from her past that overturns the lives of everypony around her, and threatens to tear apart their friendships. Meanwhile, Twilight's enemies, old and new, close in as her spirit fails.

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2 - II - Keep a Steady Mind

Part Two: Recollection
Chapter II - Keep a Steady Mind

———<Northern Equestrian Plains… 1013 Years Ago>———

“Hold still, Luna. We can’t quite close the cut if you squirm so much.” Celestia wove a needle through her sister's skin, slowly sewing the gash on her withers where a changeling had hooked on with its hoof. Celestia pressed the needle in a little too deep, causing Luna to grunt in pain.

“Our apologies. We’re not quite sure why small pricks in the skin are more difficult to bear than a magical burn, or slash from a blade.” She coughed and wiped some sweat off her forehead with a lavender, ichor-stained hoof.

She watched as a vulture dove down from above and began picking at a corpse. Luna couldn’t tell what kind of corpse it was. It was covered up by the scraps of metal, other corpses, and dried lavender and crimson fluids that covered the field.

It was over. After months of hunting, searching, and loss, they had finally killed Queen Aysune. Luna glanced over at her headless body, sitting not too far from where she sat. No more ponies would lose their equinity because of Aysune. After being turned, a pony was able to be forced by Aysune to do whatever the Queen desired. Which included attacking a loved one, or an important royal figure. Or both. Luna grunted as Celestia pulled the wound closed and tied off the string.

“Alright, Luna, you’re good. Now for our turn. Remember what we taught you.” They spoke in unison. “Steady mind means steady recovery.”

Luna took the medical kit in her magic and hovered a clean needle and string to a wound. “We know, sister, don’t worry. We’ve patched you up before, remember? Back when…” She jerked the needle forwards and it sunk deep into Celestia’s side.

Celestia cried out in surprise and looked back at her sister. “Stars above, Luna, keep a steady mind!” Luna nodded silently, taking a deep breath as she got back to work.

“Apologies. We’re just… how can anything with intelligent thought do the things that Aysune did? Your own student, our… She turned him against us, used him as a pawn. Only let him see the things he had done once he was dying. We aren’t the only ones who were played, either. Countless other ponies have similar stories: looking in the mirror to see a changeling, having to kill their friend or spouse when they were attacked…”

Celestia touched Luna’s side with her wing. “But it’s over now. Aysune is dead, as are her Royals. The ponies are strong; they will recover from this. That starts with us giving them an example. We have been attacked before, we have lost loved ones before, and we shall continue to do so throughout our lives.”

Luna closed a cut and continued to the next. “What is the purpose of it all? What is the point of having a lover, if only to see them wither away?”

“Because unless we let others care for us, we will cease to care for others. Chemical Catalyst was a wonderful pony and he cared for you excellently. You need ponies like that in your life: ones who will support you and your talents.

“Our curse and blessing is our long lives. We may be physically durable, but our minds can still decay and darken like any other pony. We must take extra care to make sure that does not happen.”

Luna sighed and furrowed her brow. “I understand, sister.”

———<Northern Equestrian Plains, Present Day>———

Scout #1555, or Eye Fiver to his friends, was bored. And cold. He had been assigned an extra shift on guard duty, since Double Dozen had gotten a bad infection of chitin-rust and couldn’t make it to her post.

His light blue wings fluttered as a breeze stirred through the air, chilling him further. He considered shifting into a pony, just to reap the benefits of a fur coat, but decided against it. He would rather be cold instead of hungry.

He saw a flash of light to his left and turned his head. One of the other lookouts saw something. He carefully worked out the meaning of the pattern as the pale blue light flashed. “South… friendly… Queen? We weren’t expecting any Queens today, I wonder what’s going on. I hope it’s Queen Amortentia, she is always nice to be around.”

The wind shifted, sending a cold spray from Neighagra Falls into Eye Fiver. He groaned and watched as the scout to his left began blinking another series of lights. “Whitetail? What about…” The signals for Whitetail and alive began flashing over and over. Eye Fiver quickly got the attention of the scout to his right and began relaying the message.

The news spread quickly, until eventually a messenger retreated into the hive in order to tell Queen Nepthysis the good news. After two decades of silence, the Whitetail hive was alive.

———<A Small Distance Away From Neighagra Falls>———

Citlali watched as a series of flashes spread around Neighagra Falls. “Well, Spike, we’ve certainly been spotted. I give them maybe a dozen seconds before they send someone to see us. I hope Queen Rivera is still doing well, it would be nice to see her again.”

“That’s good, I was getting tired of walking. I’m looking forward to meeting another Queen. Another friendly Queen, I mean. Well, actually, I’m exited about all of this! Meeting more changelings, other Royals, seeing how hives function! It might make it easier to imagine how our hive was, back in the day.”

“Yeah. Our hives look immensely different, though. Whereas my hive was underground, lit by enchanted crystals, Rivera’s hive has rivers flowing through it, and plenty of one-way windows that look like stone from the outside, but show beautiful views of the Falls from inside. The Atrium is many stories tall, from below our level, to the top of Neighagra Falls. They run the tourist services on the outside and harvest astonishment that way.”

Spike watched a black and blue changeling took off from the mountain towards them. “Huh. Did we ever have something like that? A service we ran?”

“Well, our harvesters were mostly the artistic type. Authors, actors, artists, and similar. We harvested appreciation on a wider scale than Rivera. She usually kept her harvesters close to home.” The changeling coming towards them landed and stood in place.

Citlali smiled. “Speaking of close to home, I think that’s our welcoming party. Let’s go introduce ourselves, shall we?”

They approached the changeling, who stood at respectful attention. Once they were in speaking distance, he addressed them. “Queen Citlali, welcome back! The Queens have missed you and feared for the worst. My Queen will want to hear your story.”

Citlali nodded with a smile. “It’s a crazy story, I’m exited to tell her. How is she? Queen Rivera, I mean?”

The changeling looked confused for a moment, then sighed. “Oh… oh. Uh, come on, the Queen will want to see you. She can catch you up on what has been happening among the Queens.” They began walking towards the hive.

Citlali frowned, glanced at Spike, then followed. When she noticed the changeling glancing at the figure on Citlali’s back, she chuckled. “Oh, uh. This is one of my soldiers. I assume you heard what happened at Canterlot?”

“Yes, everyone is buzzing about it. Chrysalis has a bounty on her head right now. After what she did to you, she was hated by everyling. Now, because of Canterlot, she can’t return to her hive, and can’t seek refuge in another Queen’s care. Essentially, she’s changeling enemy #1. I assume you were in Canterlot as well?” the guard asked.

“Yes, we both were. Spike is my Royal and Vahan here is actually a sleeper. We both got hit by the initial blast, so I’m going to keep with him while I tend to his injuries. Has your Queen reported any casualties?” Citlali turned an inquisitive eye to the guard.

“Only a few. Most of our harvesters were outside when the bomb went off, though we didn’t have many harvesters in Canterlot anyways. You said Vahan is a soldier and a sleeper, yet… he has a name? Is he a Royal as well?”

“Oh, no. It’s… it’s a long story. I’ll explain it to your Queen once we meet.” The guard nodded and flashed a few lights at the guards above them. Another series of flashes came back, to which the escort nodded.

“The Queen is able to see you. She will open the Falls to let you in.” Citlali nodded and watched, with Spike, in awe as a series of glowing blue lines etched themselves into the stone. It outlined a stone doorway, with writing along the top. With a rumble, the doors slowly slid open.

Spike whistled. “That’s pretty cool. Once we get our hive built back up, we need to get a door like that.” Citlali chuckled and nodded in agreement.

Inside was a long bridge connecting to another door on the other side. There was a large stone cylinder, indicating a massive room, in front of them, with many other bridges above, and below, them indicating many more locations in the hive.

The bridge they were on had a fence on either side, with holes in it to allow visibility. Gutters on either side had white stains in the blue crystal tile, indicating where water once flowed. Changelings, all light blue in color, flew through the air, landing on various bridges, repairing walls, and chatting to each other. Windows allowed light to fill the whole room, as well as charging the tile on the floor that would activate when light was low.

The guard pressed on the doorway, which slid upwards and revealed the Atrium. A series of ringed floors encircled an open space in the middle, allowing the three changelings sight of the flows of water crisscrossing through the air, into a pool below. Fences were only found in some spots, letting changelings walk off into the center whenever they pleased.

Pillars of a pale white stone held up the floors, with patterns of various aquatic animals adorning them. At the top of the room was a massive skylight, letting sunlight flow into the room. More sun tiles were found along the floor and walls. Spike’s jaw dropped, and Citlali smiled, happy to see her friend’s home once again. The guard was content with their reactions and indicated a door on the top floor.

“Up there is the Throne Room. The Queen shall open the doors for you. It’s good to see the Whitetail Hive returned, Queen Citlali.”

Citlali summoned a fire portal underneath her and Spike, placing them outside the Throne Room. The changelings around them gawked, obviously surprised to see lavender changelings. Once they stood outside the Throne Room doors, they slowly began to slide open in a pale blue glow.

Both stepped forwards, excited to meet Queen Rivera. Citlali stopped, however, and held Spike back. It was not Rivera on the throne. This Queen had long, wavy hair, with various stone ornaments hanging from it. Her horn was longer than Citlali's own, and curved like a snake. The two Queens stared at each other with dropped jaws. Spike looked between them questioningly, until the blue Queen began to laugh. At first it was just a chuckle, then it increased in volume until the Queen was roaring with laughter, wiping tears from her eyes.

“Well I’ll be damned! The Whitetail Hive is even hardier than I thought! This is the second time you fellows have come back from the dead, and you look… actually you look like rotten gel. But rotten gel is a whole lot better than dead, I’ll say. Welcome back to the land of the living, Citlali.”

Spike looked at Citlali, who was in shock. “Nepthysis!? Since when have you been Queen?” Her look of shock fell into a frown. “What happened to your mother?”

Nepthysis looked down. “We had a nasty infection of chitin rust a while back. The hive is still trying to finish it off. It took her and corroded her to the point that healing her was starving the hive. She told us to let her pass to the All-Mother, allowing me to take the throne. Who’da guessed the two of us would both become Queens, right?”

Queen Nepthysis stood and approached the lavender changelings. “And who’re you two? A royal and…” She looked at the group as if seeing them for the first time. She took in the extensive injuries on Vahan and Citlali, and cursed under her breath. “You two were in Canterlot, I’m guessing?”

Citlali nodded and cleared her throat. “We were in the same room that the bomb went off in. I used the love in the air to shield Spike and some of my sleepers.”

“Sleep— All-Mother curse you, Citlali, you’re still making sleepers!? Are you kidding me? Your hive nearly died because your grandmother was making sleepers, and you never once considered that the Princesses would want your head because of that?” Nepthysis pressed a hoof to her face and shook her head. “How many others do you have out there?”

Citlali bowed her head. “Ten.”

“And how many changelings do you have in your hive?”

“Thirteen. Not counting myself. Ten sleepers, Spike, and two eggs.”

Nepthysis gasped, then stared at her friend in shock. Then, in one swift movement, she wrapped her neck around Citlali and held the embrace. Citlali felt some charged emotions flow into her, which she used to heal most of her antenna. “All-Mother above, I’m sorry. I— We all thought that you were either dead, or hidden in a new hive. We never considered that you were just scraping by somewhere.” She pushed out of the embrace, wiped her eyes, and looked between Spike, Vahan and Citlali. “Well, what can I do to help you three?”

Citlali smiled. “We need to use the guest’s quarters and some supply of emotion. I’m trying to use as little as possible, so I can hatch my last two eggs and start rebuilding my hive again. I haven’t had much time, since I’ve been disguised as a pony for the last twenty years.”

Nepthysis whistled. “Only one pony? How’d you pull that off?”

Citlali chuckled and shrugged. “Dropped myself and a sleeper off on a doorstep, disguised as siblings. The family took us in and raised us as their own. There’s nothing quite like mother’s love to keep a changeling alive. My other sleepers are all in positions where they get enough emotion as well.”

“Damn. As much as I disapprove of your sleepers, that probably took some serious organization. Not that organization is an issue for you, Miss ‘Number One Assistant.’”

Spike coughed and looked up to Citlali. “You were a number one assistant too!?”

“Ehh… I helped my mother with whatever she needed. Just like you!” Spike smiled and slid a hoof down his fin.

They all jumped when Vahan flinched on Citlali’s back, and fell off with a shout. He opened his lavender eyes, looked at the two Queens, and changeling in front of him, and scrambled to his hooves. Vahan conjured a quick shield in front of him, then began to speak in a shaky voice.

“Where am I? What did you—“ He grunted, then collapsed to the floor as his injures made themselves known again. He looked at his scorched chitin. “What did you do to me!? What is— what is…” He slumped back to the floor in silence.

They stared at him as Citlali cheerily clapped her hooves together. “Well, it’s been fun seeing you again, but I have a brother who is actually my son who most likely now wants to kill me. I’ll need a private room to talk to him, if that’s alright with you.”

Nepthysis patted Citlali’s withers. “Of course. If you need anything, just ask.”

———<Canterlot Castle>———

The Bearers watched in silent pity as yet another changeling, colored crimson this time, was dragged through the halls of Canterlot Castle, kicking and screaming. “I’m not one of hers! I’ve been here for seven years now, I’m in the Royal Guard! Just ask Shining Armor, he knows me! Please, I’m not with Chrysalis!”

The doors to the dungeons shut with a slam, plunging the room into an awful silence. The guards had been bringing discovered changelings in all day for questioning about the attack. The Sisters had eventually shielded the city from any exit, so whatever changelings were in Canterlot were stuck in Canterlot.

Fluttershy was not among the Bearers watching the prisoners come in. After the first couple changelings, she had retired to her dorm room, and had stayed there for the rest of the day. Pinkie Pie had disappeared off to somewhere, which left Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash.

“I really wish this wasn’t necessary. I understand the need to know who and who isn’t a pony, but this just isn’t the way. The Princesses should have issued a decree saying that any changeling who steps forward and reveals themselves is pardoned, or something similar in nature,” Rarity said. “Apart from the ones colored teal like Chrysalis’ own, none of them have violently resisted arrest.”

Applejack scratched her chin. “What’dya think the colors mean? The changelings that’ve come in so far have all been different colors.”

“Different Queens, maybe? Twili— The Queen that was replacing Twilight was purple and Chrysalis was green. The little changelings had those colors, too. I hope we find them soon. The real Shining, Spike, and Twilight I mean.” Rainbow poked at the ground, a frown on her face.

Rarity scoffed. “According to Princess Celestia, we have. The lavender Queen, Citlali, said she had always been Twilight, Spike revealed himself as a changeling, and Shining was dropped off at their parents’ house at the same time as Twilight.”

Applejack did a double take at Rarity. “Twilight and Shining Armor are adopted? How come she never said anythin’ about that?”

Rainbow scoffed. “Probably the same way she never mentioned Shining Armor, or her fear of what would happen if she missed a letter, or being a changeling Queen. Twilight doesn’t really mention anything you don’t ask about, AJ.”

The farmhand threw a hoof into the air. “Then how come Shining or Spike never said anythin’? Did they really not trust us enough to tell us somethin’ as big as this?”

At that moment, the doors opened yet again, revealing two guards holding a changeling. This one was lavender, just like Twilight’s hive. The changeling was silent and melancholy, until it glanced at the bearers. It locked eyes with them and opened it’s mouth. “You… you’ve gotta help me, please! I’m with you, I’m one of you! You have to trust me!” The dungeon doors closed.

Rainbow shivered. “That was disturbing. Whaddya think she mean when she said she was with us?”

Rarity stared at the dungeon door. “Nothing good, I’m sure.”

Author's Note:

Nepthysis is based off of this design by the talented egophilliac: https://derpibooru.org/1038813?q=oc%3Anepenthe

If I mention a changeling based off of somebody elses work, I'll list the source in the Authors notes like this, okay?