Epilogue
Twilight was halfway up the ladder, trying to find the spot for Principles of Astronomy, Vol. 1, when she heard a kind but eager voice say “Excuse me.”
Twilight sighed and glanced over her shoulder. “Just a sec—” she began. Then, slowly, she put the book down on top of the shelf and climbed down the ladder.
The library was nearly empty this time of day, save for the couple in front of her: a tall, slim stallion, with a milk-chocolate coat and a coffee-colored mane, and, beside him, a mare with a golden coat, ivory mane, and a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
Twilight tried not to stare, but there was something about them… especially the mare… she could swear she’d seen that look before, though she couldn’t place the face…
“How can I help you, miss…?” she asked.
“Poppy,” she said quickly. “The name’s Buttered Popcorn, but everyone calls me Poppy.”
She grinned. “And this handsome stud is—”
“Coffeebean,” he interjected.
Poppy shot him a look, but turned back to Twilight. “Coffeebean,” she repeated. “We were hoping that you could help us find a couple books.”
Twilight smiled, even as the wheels in her head frantically spun. “Of course,” she said. “That’s something of a specialty of mine. What are you looking for?”
“Oh,” Poppy said, “something on interior decorating.”
“Sure thing,” Twilight said. She turned and trotted a few shelves over, then retrieved a book. “What about this one? I don’t know much about the topic, but I hear Pastel Palette’s an expert.”
Poppy practically giggled as she accepted it. Coffeebean spoke up next.
“What about Qilinese cooking?” he said. “We tried some on our last trip to Manehattan, and I can’t wait to try some at home…”
Twilight nodded. “Got it. Try…” she stood on tip-toe and stuck her tongue between her teeth, then levitated a bright red book between the three of them. “Chow Mein’s Far East Eating. A little outdated, but the recipes are great—I’ve tried a few myself.”
“One more,” Poppy interrupted, practically bouncing in place.
Twilight looked at her and raised an eyebrow, but nodded.
“Do you have anything on…” Poppy glanced around, then leaned in close, eyes glittering. “Changeling culture and biology?”
Twilight blinked several times in quick succession. She hesitated, then leaned over so she could get a better look at the only other pony in the building.
“Oh, Mrs. Creamsicle?” she said, the faintest tremor in her voice.
Mrs. Creamsicle looked up. “Yes, Twilight, dear?”
“I’m so sorry to do this, Mrs. Creamsicle,” Twilight said, “but I’ve just had some very dear friends come in from out of town for an unexpected visit. If you wouldn’t mind…?”
Mrs. Creamsicle stared at her for a moment, then sniffed haughtily. She set down her book, then marched out of the library, slamming the door behind her. As soon as she had gone, Twilight turned to Poppy and Coffeebean.
“Princess Celestia?” she asked eagerly.
“Shh, shh,” Poppy-Celestia said urgently. “Not so loud—we’re technically still incognito…”
Twilight shrieked, and pulled her in for a hug. “It’s so good to see you!” she cried. “How are you?” Her eyes glittered as she held her at arm’s length. “You have some time, right? Tea and cookies?”
Poppy-Celestia looked over at Coffeebean. “Well…” she began.
But Twilight had already locked the front door and jogged upstairs to start the kettle going.
* * *
“It’s been six months already?” Twilight gasped.
Celestia, already back in her changeling form, nodded gravely. “Indeed,” she said, as she filled her cup from the teapot. “Time flies…”
Twilight shook her head. “What have you been doing? The papers…”
“Are nearly always wrong,” Celestia interjected, sliding the pot across the table back towards Twilight “I have been in Canterlot, mostly—still holding Court occasionally, but I’ve also been trying on different disguises when I can.” Her eyes twinkled. “It’s been a riot being my own spymaster, for once…”
“Spymaster?” Twilight gasped.
“Well… more of a spy-in-training, to be honest,” Celestia said. “I’ve tried to talk to a few ponies, figure out what they really want from their government, that sort of thing—but most of them picked up on my disguises even faster than you did.” She took a sip of her tea. “But hey, I’m learning.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “And how’s Princess Luna faring?” she asked carefully. “Is she…?”
“She actually seems to be enjoying herself,” Celestia said. “She’s been getting good at raising the sun… it’s actually been a pretty good experience for her, I think. Plus,” she smirked,” It’s her turn to pick up the slack. And no,” she added, “Lulu’s been good. No signs of… of well, Nightmare—”
“Of her Bad dreams,” Twilight finished.
“Bad dreams,” Celestia repeated, nodding gratefully. “She’s actually turning out to be a great Princess…” She sighed. “Almost makes me wish I would have given in a little, back in the day, back when we had our argument…”
Twilight nodded solemnly. For a moment, everyone was quiet.
Finally, Twilight cleared her throat. “And…?” she prompted.
“And what?” Celestia asked.
“And what about the rest?” Twilight asked. “No one’s seen you in months…”
“Oh, you know,” Celestia said evasively, as Twilight took a sip from her cup. “Touring the realm… observing my subjects… visiting other Changeling Hives…”
Twilight sprayed tea all over Celestia. Coffeebean gasped, and Twilight started to cough, as Celestia laughed a little.
“You what?” Twilight gasped finally.
“Meeting the other Changeling Hives,” Celestia repeated. “Luna’s idea, actually… If Chrysalis was crazy enough to attack us once, when our security was at its highest, then she’s probably going to be crazy enough to attack again. And, when that happens…”
“It’ll be helpful to have some allies,” Coffeebean interjected.
Twilight shot him a questioning look. “Who’s he, anyways?” she asked Celestia. “A diplomat or something…?”
Celestia grinned. “Not exactly,” she said. “If you please…?” she said, nudging Coffeebean.
Coffeebean nodded, then turned to grin at Twilight. Suddenly the room was filled with a flash of brilliant emerald light, and Twilight shrieked and fell off her chair.
She scrambled up onto her seat again, then stared. Sitting across from her was… well, he might have been a Changeling. He was the right shape, more-or-less, but his shell wasn’t black, like Celestia’s—instead, it was a brilliant, iridescent green. On his head, he had a horn, flanked by two grand, sweeping antlers.
“Twilight,” said Celestia, “meet Thorax.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Thorax said, extending a hoof.
Twilight gingerly took it.
“Thorax is… something of an oddity,” Celestia said. “He’s been preaching the radical idea that Changelings don’t need to consume love—they can share it instead. He’s been wandering from Hive to Hive too, spreading his message…”
“Mostly her idea,” he said with a smile. “Though not many listen,” he added.
Celestia nodded. “But he’s still been a valuable aide to me as I try to form some sort of alliance…” her eyes sparkled again. “One Queen to another.”
“Queen?” Twilight repeated. She paled a little, then looked from Celestia to Thorax and back. “You don’t mean you’re…?” She fell silent, and a furious blush spread across her cheeks.
Celestia chuckled. “No,” She reached out, took his hoof in hers, and squeezed it. “Not yet."
At this, it was Thorax’s turn to blush. Both Twilight and Celestia laughed.
* * *
The sun was beginning to set. Twilight and Celestia lay on one of the library’s balconies, side-by-side. Celestia had assumed the form of a sage-green earth pony with a pink mane, a dusty rose on her flank. Between them sat a pitcher of lemonade and a few cucumber sandwiches. Down below, Thorax, as a tall, lanky pegasus, was eagerly learning to play soccer from a small group of foals.
Twilight looked over at Celestia. She was smiling—watching Thorax and the foals just having fun (no one but her and Twilight had noticed that Thorax’s Cutie Mark had shifted to a soccer ball about ten minutes before).
Something about the sight made Twilight’s heart glow. She took a sip of the lemonade, then turned back to watch the game.
After a long moment, she sighed.
“Do you miss it?” she asked.
Celestia glanced up at her, then back down.
“...Yes,” she admitted, “sometimes.” She was quiet for a moment. “I mean… it’s always nice to know who’s going to be looking back at you in the mirror… and I kinda miss having a coat and a mane to brush…”
Twilight shot her an odd look, but Celestia’s gaze had turned inward.
“And…” Celestia continued slowly, “I… I liked being honest. I mean…” she hesitated. “I had my secrets, same as anypony… my mask that I never let anyone see… but…” she sighted. “That’s a different sort of life. Now I’m always afraid that I’m gonna forget who I am at any given moment… let slip that I’m a liar and a fraud… y’know…” she shrugged. “That sorta thing. But, to be honest…”
She fell quiet for a long time. When she spoke again, her voice was hushed.
“It’s… nice. I feel like, when I’m not me, ponies are honest with me. They don’t treat me as anything special. I feel like a real pony again… not just some figurehead. I feel like what I do, day-to-day, actually matters—like I can talk to people, and serve them, and help them, without them being afraid of me. Afraid of the stares.” She chuckled darkly. “No one wonders if the pretty little mare with the bright smile is going to clap them in irons, or banish them to the moon, or chop off their heads if they say the wrong thing. It’s…” she sighed. “...refreshing.”
Twilight nodded slowly. “I could see that,” she said gently.
Celestia shot her a crooked glance, then looked back down at Thorax. “Plus,” she said, “Y’know…”
Twilight looked down at Thorax as well. “Have you…?”
Celestia sniffed. “He’s been a perfect gentlecolt,” she said haughtily. “And that’s fine with me, to be honest. I have enough on my plate at the moment, without having to deal with…”
“That,” Twilight offered.
“That,” Celestia repeated. “But…” She sighed again—and Twilight caught the faintest note of dreamy longing. “...someday, maybe,” she finished.
Twilight shot her a grin. “You’ll need to invite me to the wedding,” she said.
Celestia returned the smile. “I will,” she said. “Maybe I’ll invite Queen Chrysalis, too—or, at least, send her a thank-you card.” Suddenly, Celestia grinned wickedly. “Do you want me to ask her for some of that Royal Jelly for you, too?”
Down below, Thorax, in the middle of a complicated dribble, heard a strange noise. He froze, heedless of the ball now rolling away towards the drainage ditch that marked the edge of their impromptu field. He looked up at the balcony, and saw Twilight sitting next to Celestia, both of them with their heads thrown back, laughing together. And, with the setting sun lighting up her face, Celestia looked beautiful as a dream.
As Thorax watched them, he felt a crooked grin creep across his face. Celestia had been so unhappy for so long—so worried about whether things could ever go back to the way they were, whether she could ever find acceptance again, whether she could ever help her little ponies the way she once had—
But now, that had all fallen away. Here she was, with her friends, simply being. And she was happy again.
She’d make it work. Somehow. She always had.
Thorax’s grin blossomed into a smile.
She was going to make an amazing Queen.
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- ImNoPony · 6.5k words · 41 20 · 5k views
- AilingStar · 2.8k words · 49 2 · 3.1k views
- Mister E-Nonymous · 31k words · 18 4 · 1.1k views
- Cipher800 · 4.7k words · 39 3 · 1.7k views
- Alcatraz · 18k words · 115 20 · 4.9k views
- Damaged · 78k words · 104 15 · 3.6k views
- Narrative Style · 3.6k words · 78 7 · 3.4k views
- Blade Star · 53k words · 28 2 · 447 views
Stats
Page generated in 0.185 seconds
Total duration
746 users online
1,126,668 hits today, 2,561,572 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Heh. The shipping didn't even wait for the sequel. And Thorax ascended before Twilight did, it seems. One can only guess what Discord will have to say once he's freed.
This really needs to be expanded upon. Maybe a few years down the line, when Celestia is Starting her hive properly?
8392960
I have to admit, I may have cackled a little bit when I saw your first shipping comment :)
8392967
Sadly, I'm not planning on continuing this. I really appreciate the comment, but I'm happy with where I've left it.
But then again, stranger things have happened before...
Arghh! I want more!!!
Good job, this was an enjoyable read.
This last chapter though, there is one little issue I have with Celestia's speech. "Gonna", "sorta" and words like that. Celestia has lived and breathed officialdom for a thousand years, so correct speech is probably a very well in-grown habit to her which can be broken only with more than token effort.
8393019
Thanks for the compliment!
Avoiding contractions, at least to me, sounds stiff and formal, whereas Celestia is just hanging out with her friends. I wanted to keep things relaxed in this chapter in particular--and that's more of a Luna thing, anyways :)
Welp. I'm satisfied.
Bravo, good sir, this was fun.
Good luck on future endeavors :)
8393081
Thanks!
I saw this story yesterday, looked at the unfinished tag, and said "meh, i'll wait"
Well, best wait is short wait!
Feels a bit abrupt tbh...
~Crystalline Electrostatic~
12:43_8/28/2017
Hmm, an open ending, and new characters and projects put in place? Feels like a stepping stone to a possible successor story in the future. :)
8392126 Yeah, that's the question I always have with the 'Celestia is secretly a chernglerng' fics. Look at the power Chrysalis got from a few days with Shining. Celestia has been soaking up love from an entire nation for a thousand years... she'd turn Chrysalis into a soot smear without even trying. It'd be as hilariously out-matched as Yamucha vs Saitama. Or Yamucha vs Cell. Or Yamucha vs a week-old head of lettuce. (Super Kami Guru: "I don't know what this Yamucha is, but it sounds... disappointing.")
Nice Story
8393215
If you want a story that covers this, then maybe you should read the one-shot "To Lose When You Win" from KnightMysterio. :)
8393285
It was mostly just a joke.
i like this story if there is gonna be a sequel i will read it
8394998
Thanks! Not planning on a sequel, but I appreciate you asking!
8393374 I think I did read that at some point.
8393584 Well, it's also wrong. The Roman Empire fell from within, but then rose again as the Holy Roman Empire... which one can argue still exists to this day as the Papacy.
The Soviet Union self-destructed... but look what a former KGB agent is doing leading Russia now.
It's never wise to buy too deeply into such absolutes... especially when they are espoused by comic book villains... not the best place to find plausible situations.
8395163
The HRE isn't a very good counter-example... as I understand it, the HRE was seperated from the (western) Roman empire by like 500 years and a not-insignificant geographical distance.
The quote I've always heard is: "The Holy Roman Empire was neither Holy, Roman, nor an Empire."
In either case, you're right: comic book villains aren't generally good places to go to get your political theory--but they make good soundbites :)
8395202 It is actually directly connected via the formation of the Catholic Church by Constantine, which was ALSO a revival of the Roman Empire. It pulsated and changed several times. The Church actually adopted quite a large number of Roman beliefs into its version of Christianity... including the quasi-imperial figure of the Pope who was, as was the Roman Emperor, nigh deific in authority.
I had watched a documentary within the last year where a number of historians made the exact point: the Roman Empire never truly went away. It just changed its name and religion.
8395219
I'm not an expert, and I haven't seen that documentary, so I can't comment. In either case, I think the point stands: comic book villains may not "make sense," but they're a good source for fun ideas and cool sound bites.
8395274 Sound bites, yes. But you can't forget that there are also counterpoints to every point made. An echo-chamber of a single voice becomes rather monotone!
Still faving, but... Yeah.
Hey, at the very least Y'all didn't have tons of grammar and spelling errors, the plot in and of itself was cohesive and complete, so it's not a bad story.
Keep going! ;)
8440033
Thanks for all the responses!
Yes, of course there are other courses of action Celestia could have taken. Yes, of course it could have worked out differently. But, at least in the beginning, Celestia wasn't thinking clearly--after all, she was force-fed a mysterious substance that began to transform her into her greatest enemy.
Besides, I feel like it makes for a better story if, things go, not "cleared up in a half-hour or so" wrong, but "flaming wreck into the canyon" wrong. Seeing how characters deal with having to rebuild their entire lives, rather than having to simply grin and bear it, is fundmentally more appealing to me. (Does that make me a sadist...?)
Either way, thanks for the favorite!
I greatly enjoyed this fic! I’d actually like to see a bit more of what happens as this timeline progresses. That is, if you want to continue it/have any kind of plot to continue it. A good story, nonetheless!
Pretty good but kinda bare bones.
Maggie Simpson: ....sequel?
8949766
awesome
This doesn't feel like a full story. Not that it feels unfinished, but rather it feels gutted. It feels like a pretty decent story up until the scenes after Celestia is revealed onwards. After that, it feels like the author is just rushing towards a conclusion... any conclusion they can find. Maybe that's just me.
I just started and finished this story in a single sitting, after letting it languish in my Read Later for a year or so, and you can count me in among the voices that would love to see a sequel.
9139414
Percisely what I was thinking when I commented that, actually. (God I love the Hive series... I await every new chapter of its final entry with anticipation. :3)
9139427
i tend to be fond of all the changeling centric stories myself, especialy those that arnt afraid to touch on darker aspects, the darkest so far having been the horror peice involving queen chrysalis forcibly changing twilight into a queen at literaly the cost of the lives of every drone in her hive and herself....then twilight imediatly converts all her friends and spike into drones and takes over ponyville, leaves off with her offering celestia her favorite foods at the end, then theres a spinoff with a heavyly descriptive scene of what is basicly the violation and conversion of rainbow dash....soooo yeah
theres a similar one thats a bit more light hearted with rarity as the narroter too
but my absolute favorite of them all is a 3 part story series that begins with a story called 'queen no more' the titular story is rather short but the following 2 stories in teh series are a decent length...theres no external transformation but twilight is given changling powers via the stories core mcguffin.
9139427
though i reaaaly need to get around to reading 'fallout equestria 'the chrysalis' which is a story about a changeling drone that wakes up post megaspell war, a changeling adapting to a world wher elove is one of the singel most precious and rare comdities in existence is....a rather interesting idea.
9202196
Wasn't going for that--was thinking more like she had been attacked in her sleep or something like that.
YAY! THEIR GONNA GET MARRIED!!!!
9626027
Hehe--I'm glad you liked the story so much! Thanks for reading!
9626728
no problem!
9883748
Hehe! I'm glad you're getting such a kick out of this story!
8392970
This has potential to be it's own series/universe... this crossing over with Celestia XVII would be interesting.
9927634
Jeez, that would be fun... Not sure exactly how it would work, though...
9927653
Like I said it was an interesting idea. Maybe CotS Celestia gets transported to CXVII verse or the other way around?
Not a bad story, but your use of "arms" is really annoying. "Arms" gives the impression of them being bi-pedal and anthro, as opposed to the use of "forelegs".
9952675
Believe it or not, "Arms" is (one of?) the anatomically-correct name for forelimbs. [Link]. More importantly, I prefer using the term for readability: personally, it always takes me a second to translate between terms like "withers" -> "shoulders," "barrel" -> "chest," and so on. I find it easier to use just the human-equivalent terms.
That said: I apologize it took you out of the story. I hope you were able to enjoy it still, though!
9952675
9952695
Also, the show has on at least one occasion and probably more shown that ponies are quite capable of bipedal motion, even if its a little awkward, and that is probably because they don't do it often. So yes, Arms and shoulders works quite appropriately with the anatomy of all of MLP:FIM's sapient species.
On a side note: an interesting end to the story. Twas a bit abrupt, however.
10291425
I would disagree. If a being's primary method of locomotion is quadrupedal in nature, then they are forelegs/forelimbs, not arms. For the reasons I already stated. It does not matter if they can use their foreleg/forelimb to pick something up, or move objects with it. If you use it to walk on regularly because of a quadrupedal nature, it is NOT an arm, ever. I would say this even of a western dragon that had opposable thumbs on it's forepaws. Doesn't matter they can grab things or shake your hand. It's a forelimb/foreleg. Not an arm. End of story.
10291540
10291425
I think you're both right.
Some charts of horse anatomy refer to the forelimbs of a horse as the "Arm", to differentiate it from the much-different back leg. However, they still stand on their forelimbs, and thus it could be called a leg.
I err on the side of readability, myself. I feel like "arm" is easier to comprehend, especially when you're referring specifically to the forelimb. I've seen fics that use "leg" for all four limbs, and it's occasionally confusing what the're referring to (e.g.: one fic I read had one character place a plushie between another character's "legs." It took me several seconds to realize they were referring to the forelimbs, not the hindlimbs as I had initially thought.).
Either way: I try to be consistent, which I think is more important. Feel free to disagree, though.
10291574
I comprehend foreleg/forelimb easily enough. Anyone who reads any amount of fiction about non-bipeds really should. If you refer to a back legs, just call it that "back leg". Hardly a radical change. The use of "arm" makes me think of anthro, and I DESPISE anthro.
10291574
10291579
Personally, I use both forelimb/arm interchangeably but make it clear when they are reared up or not. Sorry to say it for you Bitter Pill, but FiM ponies were apparently designed with the capability of achieving all the poses a human could which technically makes them all anthro by the loosest sense of the definition.
10291593
You just don't listen very well, do you? I've already explained this. Doesn't matter if they can shake your hand with their forelimb, or scratch the back of their head, or whatever. How are they walking 99.9% of the time? Oh right, on all four. Like a quadruped. Thus they ARE quadrupeds.
If they were something like werewolves which could easily spend their time moving in either a bipedal or quadrupedal manner at the drop of a hat, the line would not be clear. But that line sure as hell is with ponies.