• Published 26th Mar 2020
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Diplomat at Large - Evilhumour



Following her adventures in the Packlands, Twilight and Spike set off around the world on an extended diplomatic visit, while their friends have their own adventures back home.

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Chapter Two

Chapter Two

It was later in the day in Canterlot and there was a buzz with the over a hundred changelings given free reign. And not just because some of them were flying around either.

Most of them were eager to explore the famous pony city, with guards acting as chaperones and guides. Most of the Queens had remained in the castle to help write proper laws between the two to help entrench Twilight's own decree while Queen Scolopidia, who was now sporting a largely red and darker cyan body to go with a slightly darker red mane, along with several of her guards took an unexpected visit into Canterlot’s more modern section.

The rest of Scolopidia’s guards, when questioned why they had not stopped her or informed anyone, had simply replied that their Queen was notoriously stubborn when she wanted to do something, and very little could persuade her to change her mind. It was better that some went with her opposed to just arguing and her going off on her own. There were some who claimed this was actually a good thing, seeing as they were fairly certain she had strong-willed her way through the final stage of her metamorphosis, refusing to let her own biology stand in the way of her reaching the level she needed to be at in time to save her hive.

The rest of her hive had also pointed out that she had been pushing herself to learn all of her new duties as a Queen with very few breaks for herself, along with donating more of her own power to help stabilize King Thorax during his first metamorphosis than the other Queens and she was still quite young in comparison to the other Queens.

That had made Celestia stop and ask a delicate question to Pharynx who had no inhibitions to talking freely about such matters.

“She’s about three hundred years old, give or take,” he said shrugging his shoulder as he sat around the tea table-she was not going to call it a coffee table as only Luna, among the entire group of changeling Queens, King, alicorns and high ranking guards, drank that stuff. Celestia was watching the commander of the new changeling King and she fought to keep a smirk off of her face. She, along with the Queens and her niece who were sensitive to emotions, was aware that his eyes kept glancing towards Luna despite the conversations going on. “About a teenager for the royal breed of changelings.”

“She only made the change less than a year ago,” Queen Tegmina admitted, tapping her cup with her hoof. “Her mother… her mother had gone into the mountains near the border of Yakyakistan, and had a run-in with a Gmork that left her badly injured. She wasn’t going to survive, so Scolopidia had to undergo the change as fast as she could to prevent her hive from dying.”

“The poor dear,” Cadance said, raising a hoof to her lips. “Has she had the chance to grieve yet?”

“She says she cried on the inside,” Metamorphia replied tenderly, looking away from the group. “We haven’t been wanting to push her though, with everything else going on.”

“I honestly think she hasn’t had the chance to process it all,” Queen Remigium said a bit bluntly. She seemed to lean on more direct actions instead of maneuvering around to them. “As soon as Scolopidia finished her transformation, we required her help in containing her before she could start some new scheme - I believe it would have involved harnessing the power of the Secretariat Comet, which would have given her magic a tremendous boost if we hadn’t managed to get her locked up and out of its reach in time. And then she was called in to help with King Thorax and his metamorphosis, which took far longer than it should have because she was actively fighting against it and he wasn’t a royal drone.”

“Does that mean any changeling could have become a Queen?” Shining Armor asked, causing all to turn to the sole normal member at the table who was dwarfed by nearly everyone present.

“Theoretically,” Queen Taenidia said. “King Thorax is actually the first to do so without being a royal drone in… well, almost since the first generation of Queens, well over a thousand years ago. Until he came along, there had never been a need for a regular drone to make the attempt, because all of us always had at least a few daughters ready to replace us if needed, as with Scolopidia and her mother. She did not have any, probably because she thought they might try to overthrow her.” She curled her lip. “The Eternal Swarm only knows she would have pulled that off if she hadn’t been the first Queen of our kind; her mother was a normal changeling nymph.”

“From this Eternal Swarm?” Luna asked, leaning inwards with the other changelings, Pharynx included, letting out gasps at her words.

“That is… a sacred term for us,” he said softly, the first time he had shown anything but an aggressive tone. “But yes; back when there were no Queens, there was just the swarm.”

“Comprised of leaderless changelings, preying and feeding on all those they could ensnare in order to survive,” Metamorphia said with a distant look in her eyes. Awe or terror, Celestia wasn’t sure yet with these changeling Queens. “Then she somehow underwent a metamorphosis into the first Queen. Others did so as well, and thus the royal bloodlines began. There were a few dozen at first; some of them had extra daughters who underwent the change and founded their own hives eventually. But as we said before, no normal drone has felt the need to become a Royal since that time.”

“But she is the first Queen,” Celestia said stiffly, making them pay attention to her. “And I am guessing that by your refusal to say her name, there is still some part of you that admires her.” Their silence and guilty looks answered that question. “No doubt there are other Queens who are further away and less affected by her actions that are still in awe of her and would back her if they could.” Celestia ventured, beginning to get a better grasp of the changeling political structure.

“There might be some,” Queen Tegmina admitted. “I must admit… when her powers are Sealed for good, more than a few of our people will mourn the loss of a legend. But we understand that it is necessary. She was a tyrant, and she had no love for anyling but herself. If we had not taken steps, she would surely have doomed us all in the end, driven by pure greed and utter selfishness the likes of which the world has never seen. Not even Tirek, brute that he was with his lust for power, could match her in that regard.”

“How is she sealed now?” Cadance asked sharply causing the changelings to turn to face her.

“With the strongest and most potent restraints possible, short of the Seal itself, and guarded by the Packlands’ most skilled rune wolves along with several squads of the White Changelings,” Queen Tegmina said. “We have taken every precaution possible to ensure she can never escape before the final Seal is applied.”

“White Changelings?” Celestia asked with a raised eyebrow, hiding her face behind her teacup.

“Our elites,” Pharynx answered. “Top trained changelings with high degree mastery in most magic spells. They also wear pure white outfits to hide what hive they belong to and to break up any potential hive from gaining control over the entire order.” He looked grim. “Not one of them would have sided with her during the invasion, or any other Queen who might have tried to pull that kind of stunt. They all know better.”

“Not that she could have in any rate,” Taenidia said, lifting a teacup to her lips. “She never contributed any members to the ranks of the White Changelings, no doubt wishing to keep her elites to herself. She certainly had some who might have qualified over the years, but whenever asked, always claimed they weren’t quite up to the standards.” She eyed Pharynx. “Personally, I think the young Commander here would easily qualify, but I doubt he’d ever join them of his own free will - he’s rather inclined to stay at his brother’s side. Not,” she added, seeing the drone bristle at her words. “That that’s a bad thing. Family loyalty - true loyalty at that, which you both have in spades - is a valued trait among us Royals.”

Both of the brothers squirmed at that, blushing and looking away from each other.

“Would that more nobles felt the same way, instead of scheming against their own kin to get a bit of extra power for themselves,” Luna muttered with her eyes lingering on the older of the two brothers. “I’m hardly one to talk though.”

Celestia laid a hoof on her sister’s. “You had legitimate reasons to have issues with me,” she said. “Reasons I failed to recognize until it was too late and the Nightmare had found a foothold in you. You weren’t seeking power for power’s sake like some others I could name.”

“Regardless, the past is the past and there is nothing I can do to change that,” Luna said, shaking her head. “I have a short time before I need to head back to the border station. We are almost done with our last stack of papers and the border guards have been well weeded of corruption and misdeeds, though most decided to throw themselves at my hooves and beg for mercy opposed to me coming after them.”

“Did you show them any?” Pharynx asked as he leaned across the table.

“Of course not,” Luna said, throwing her head out slightly. “They had reneged on their duties and the oaths they had sworn. Only fitting that they be punished accordingly.”

“Wiser words were never spoken,” he said, tipping his head with his wicked smirk on his face. “That attitude is why no ’ling was able to get through your guards; they were too careful and alert that she deemed it too risky to try and replace them.”

“Unlike the Solar guards,” Luna said with a roll of her eyes and a chuckle on her lips. “No offense Celestia but you must allow me to properly train your so-called elites. The thousand years or so apart have changed them from being terrors of the field to being terrified of field mice.”

Shining Armor looked rather indignant, but opted not to speak. Mostly because Cadance had placed a hoof to his barrel to keep him in place and not interfere whatsoever. Celestia had to bite back a giggle; for all of her talents as the Lady of Love, when she got focused her niece was a bit too obvious at times. Though Celestia would not be opposed if something were to occur; her sister deserved someone who was a match for her, and despite being her sister and her only family left, there were parts of Luna’s life that Celestia could not fill.

“Maybe when you’re less busy I could help out with some weaknesses I spotted, Luna,” Pharynx said as he leaned back into his chair, unaware of the approving nods that the changeling Queens were giving him.

“I would never discount fresh eyes helping me see what I am missing, good commander,” Luna replied with a smile on her face. “When this business with the border guard is complete, I will gladly accept your contributions.”

“Were they really all that bad?” Shining Armor spoke up with Cadance giving him the stink eye. “I can’t believe that every single Guard out there was lacking.”

“Unfortunately, the majority were,” Luna said regretfully. “Not every member had complaints against them, mind, and there were a few for whom the complaints were very minor - in fact, I believe one of those complaints turned out to be utterly fraudulent, brought on by an individual who ran into a situation that had never been brought up before, and he filed a complaint against his supervisor for not giving him the training necessary to handle it. But the overwhelming majority have had to be removed, and replacements will be needed.”

“I will issue a drive for recruitment as soon as you deem it appropriate, Luna,” Celestia said, moving away from weighing up Luna’s potential suitor to equally important matters.

“You might need to do so within the day,” Luna said, shaking her head. “While there is due cause to be respectful to those still within the border guards, we leave ourselves open with the borders understaffed. The wolves of Strong-Defend are well-trained, but it would be improper to make them handle the task alone, to say nothing of our other border stations.”

“Very well then.” Celestia sighed as she knew it would be a hard sell towards the noble council to pass. “Would that the world was in a state where such things were unnecessary,” she said quietly.

“Knowing Twilight, I have a feeling that might be her goal in the end, even if she doesn’t realize it,” Cadance said. She looked down to her stomach for a moment. “I’d love it if I knew the world was safe for everyone,” she murmured quietly.

Queen Tegmina seemed startled. “Are you…” she started.

“No, not yet,” Cadance told her. “Just thinking about the future.”

“If we don’t have to worry about either Chr-her,” Shining said, looking at the changelings. “Or Sombra attacking, then I will be much more confident about bringing a child into the world.”

“Speaking of that, Aunt Celestia,” Cadance said, turning sharply to face Celestia, with some of the steel that she’d taught her niece appearing. “There is that bugbear and the other escaped convict loose. Have you made any progress in capturing them?”

“The Packlands’ Observers are still tracking the bugbear’s path at the moment, though I have alerted our Guards and other agencies of it,” Celestia said. “Including the members of the team that brought it in in the first place, in case it decides to seek them out for revenge. We are still making an effort to track and identify the other one - Discord has been keeping special watch for whomever it may have been, and I’ve been preparing a team to enter Tartarus and survey the cells to determine who or what is missing; they should be leaving tomorrow.”

“You realize the other nations are going to have words with you about releasing him at the next International Gathering, don’t you?” Queen Taenidia inquired.

Celestia gave her a firm look. “I did what I felt was right, and I will gladly defend my decision to the last,” she said. “I have long known that Discord would make a better ally than enemy and had wished to see him aiding us - all of us - for multiple reasons, including precisely this type of situation, something he knows full well. But it was not until his first encounter with Fluttershy that I was able to identify just who might have the best chance of teaching him friendship.”

“I hope you can convince the rest of the world of that, Celestia,” Pharynx said.

Celestia nodded. “He is Champion of Chaos, and thus of change,” she said. “I very much hope that his presence helps to encourage positive changes in this world.”

“It certainly helped strengthen Twilight’s faith in her bonds of friendship when he broke out and tested them so,” Luna noted. “And again, I wish you’d woken me up when he did that. I may not have my bond with the Elements anymore, but I would have stood beside her regardless.” She tilted her head. “I probably would have surprised her by showing up, but I would have done it anyway.”

“I would have done the same, had I not been needed here to try and counter the localized side-effects of his escape,” Celestia told her. “And you were still not back to full strength then.”

The two suddenly noticed all the eyes on them, and cleared their throats. “Ahem.” Celestia turned back to the Queens. “At any rate, what’s done is done, and I have full faith in his bonds with Fluttershy and the others he has connected with.”

“Time will have to tell,” Thorax said, trying to sound impressive but the drone was clearly out of his depth. If the Queens and his brother would permit, she would take him under her wing to get him much needed training.

“Indeed,” Luna said, shaking her mane as she stood up. “I have about half an hour before I need to leave; Pharynx, if you wish to accompany me towards the training yard with your chosen squad, I would like to see your suggestions.”

Pharynx grinned wider, puffing out his chest as he stood up. “Fine by me, princess,” he chuckled, buzzing his wings at several changeling guards of Thorax’s hive to follow him before he walked alongside Luna. Only when all were out of the room did Thorax turn to the group and asked. “Am I the only one to think my brother might have a crush on Princess Luna?”

“No one thinks he might have a crush, young Thorax,” Metamorphia said with a chuckle, the other Queen’s wings buzzing excitedly. “Nor do we think she might have a crush on him.”

“I don’t- oh,” he said as he realized, his face reddening. “You mean they definitely have feelings for one another.”

Cadance reached over and patted his hoof. “If that’s not a budding romance, I’ll eat my throne,” she said with a grin on her face. “With steak sauce.”

“Isn’t your throne made of crystal?” Queen Tegmina asked teasingly.

“Exactly, which is why I wouldn’t have said that if I weren’t so sure,” Cadance told her, her ears wiggling.

“Should I say anyt-”

No,” the Queens and Cadance chorused.

“They are still in the stage where they have yet to figure it out for themselves,” Celestia said as she stood next to the young drone. “Once they’ve spent more time together, then you can start teasing your brother about it. I know I will,” she said with a giddy giggle. “I’ve been wanting to see my sister find a special someone since before we defeated Sombra.”

“What about you?” Queen Metamorphia suddenly asked, standing up with the other Queens giving her coy looks.

Celestia dipped her head. “I… I can’t,” she admitted. “I tried once. It didn’t work out.”

Cadance’s ears flicked. “Why not?”

“He… lives in another dimension, but the path I used to get there was unstable,” Celestia admitted. “Attempting to keep it open was destabilizing both our worlds, and one of us going to the other’s world for good would have had the same effect. Starswirl was forced to seal the portal permanently, back before he vanished.”

Metamorphia blinked. “Is this the same other world Twilight went to?” she asked.

The others looked at her, startled. “Princess Twilight has been to a different world?” Queen Tegmina asked.

“She mentioned it once, to Maxilla,” Metamorphia said. “I didn’t get any other details though, just that she went there once not long after ascending and developed feelings for someone.”

Celestia sighed. “I know the dimension you speak of,” she said. “So do you, Cadance. And no, they’re not the same.”

Cadance’s eyes widened. “The world on the other side of the Crystal Mirror?” She pumped a hoof. “I knew she met someone there!” Then she looked distressed and turned to Celestia. “But what about you-know-who?”

“That’s still a delicate subject,” Celestia said, eying Shining Armor. “And one that we need to talk to Twilight about when we get the chance.”

Shining Armor looked startled. “Who’s this guy, and who’s this you-know-who?”

Metamorphia raised a hoof of her own. “I don’t know who the latter is, but I can shed some light on the former,” she said. “Princess Twilight told Maxilla that she thought she had feelings for a boy she met in another dimension, but she came back to this world because of her responsibilities here,” she said. “So no need to go overprotective sibling on her.”

Shining Armor shook his head. “I wish somepony’d said something to me about that sooner,” he said. “And I’m still waiting to know about this you-know-who.”

Cadance leaned over and whispered in his ear for a minute, causing his face to redden. “Oh.”

I am still waiting to hear about this Crystal Mirror,” Queen Remigium said.

“It was a creation of Starswirl the Bearded,” Celestia told her. “It was mainly used for scrying and other purposes, but once every thirty moons, it opens to allow passage to another world for three days.” She sighed. “My former student, Sunset Shimmer, fled through it when she had become hungry for more power and ultimately rebelled against me. The last time it opened, Sunset returned to Equestria and stole Twilight’s Element. Twilight went through it to recover her crown, and bonded with some of the locals in the process of doing so. She also helped teach Sunset the value of friendship, something I had failed at, and has assured me that Sunset is in good hands there.”

“Hands?” Shining Armor blinked. “What, are they minotaurs?”

“Not… exactly,” Celestia said. “They are a race that has never existed in Equestria or this world, and that is all I wish to say on the matter.”

“Is this something the rest of the world should know of?” Taenidia asked.

Celestia shook her head. “Only a few on the other side even know that Twilight and Sunset were from another world; they were all civilians, and have sworn to keep the secret. After Sunset fled there, I searched all of Equus for other portals to this place in the hopes of going there myself to find her and bring her back, but found none; unless something changes, the Crystal Mirror is the only stable way to reach that world. As such, I do not believe there is any way of maintaining regular ties with its people.”

“Well, we will be telling the Alpha about this regardless of the lack of danger,” Remigium said. “He will make the decision to bring it up or not.”

Celestia looked stricken, but nodded, reluctantly. “Can I at least ask that you also ask him to speak to Twilight about it before he decides, since she has been there and seen what it is like?”

“We’ll tell him what you said about her,” Queen Tegmina said gently. “Knowing him, he will likely agree to it.” She smiled. “He was quite impressed with her, you know,” she said.

“Twily has that way about her,” Shining said with a smile.

“That she does,” Celestia smiled with great pride.

“So when are you going to tell Velvet and Night Light that she is gone?” Cadance asked with Celestia jolting in surprise.

“About that…”


Scolopidia was enjoying herself for a change of pace. She knew she should have stayed for the tea party that was undoubtedly happening back in Canterlot Castle, but honestly, if it was anything like what she’d had to experience before, it would have been so boring. She had been forced to attend so many of them back in the Packlands while dealing with Thorax and Chrysalis with the other Queens ‘inviting’ her, which was code for mandatory attendance or she’d be disgracing her mother’s legacy and dishonouring her mother’s memory if she didn’t appear to be the perfect changeling Queen.

She snorted at the thought of the her hive’s elders. As if they knew her mom better than her. Her mom would have never stayed for any of those tea parties if she didn’t want to; her mom hated tea for the Swarm’s sake. And so did she. Give her a good glass of cold, sweet cider any day, just like her mom!

What really cheesed her off was that they didn’t even want her to do what she felt was the proper thing and make sure that Gmork never hurt anyone ever again like it did her mom! Just because she was still young, and didn’t have any heirs herself meant she couldn’t go avenge her mom and had to leave it to her elites to finish the job.

It was just… wrong, leaving the duty to others, even when she was still going through her changes to become the new Queen. The only reason she had gone through it before her mom had… left- the word left a bitter taste in her mouth- was because her mom told her to do so and she was too tired to argue with her.

Scolopidia paused midstep, the thought of the last moment of her mom causing her eyes to water. “No,” she muttered angrily to herself. “Not now, not he-

Whoa, you’re sparkly!” a voice from in front of her causing her to snap her head upwards. “Ain’t she Octy?”

“Oh by Celestia’s horn, stop pointing Vinyl!” the mare next to the unicorn that was indeed pointing at her hissed, radiating embarrassment mixed in with deep love. The unicorn mare herself was radiating pure curiosity and awe, with a reserve of love directed towards her companion; obvious lovers. “You’re one of the new changelings, are you not?”

“Yes, I am,” Scolopidia said, nodding her head. “I am-” she began to introduce herself before one of her guards stepped in front of her.

Your highness,” he hissed. “You-”

Scolopidia glared at him. “Back off, I know them,” she hissed back. “Or at least one of them,” she said, realizing she did recognize one of them with a giddy joy building within her.

The off-white unicorn grinned, tilting her glasses down. “Really? Who is it? ‘Cause I’ve got to say, Octy here’s really well-known, but so am I, and no matter which of us it is, we’re always glad to meet a fan!”

The gray mare groaned. “While my companion may be somewhat excitable, she has a point,” she admitted. “I’m afraid I’ve never seen you at any of our performances, for obvious reasons I’m sure, but we welcome all who aren’t there to cause trouble.”

“And some who are,” the unicorn added with a grin. “‘Cause let me tell ya, some of those guys threw the wildest after-parties!”

Scolopidia’s guard looked appalled, but she ignored him. “As I was starting to say, before mister paranoid here interrupted me-” and the off-white mare giggled. “I am Queen Scolopidia. And you are the famous DJ-PON3, if I’m not mistaken.”

“Sure am!” The unicorn grinned even wider. “But you can call me Vinyl Scratch, your highness. And this here’s my main girl Octavia Melody,” she said, pulling the now blushing and surface-level furious mare to her side.

“Pleased to meet you,” Scolopidia said as she held out a hoof for the two, Octavia being the first to break free of Vinyl’s grip and shake it.

“Pleased to meet you too, your highness,” she said pleasantly. She looked back to Vinyl, who approached and stuck out her own hoof with a grin.

“Nice ta meet ya Scolopy,” Vinyl said with Scolopidia staring at her in complete shock.

VINYL,” Octavia hissed, smacking the back of her mare’s head. “Your majesty, I am terribly sorry for my partner’s uncouthness. I’m afraid her mouth has no filter.”

“No-, it’s not that,” Scolopidia said, struggling to hold back her tears. “It’s just that that’s what my mom used to call me.” She began to hiccup as the tears were running down her face and she couldn't stop it.

“Oh dear.” Octavia drew closer. “There, there,” she said in a soothing tone as she pulled Scolopidia into an embrace. “Let it all out.”

Meanwhile, Vinyl was staring in shock. “Oh. Oh wow.” She lowered her head. “I didn’t know, your highness, I didn’t mean to upset you…”

“You couldn’t have known,” Scolopidia managed before she buried her face in Octavia’s shoulder again.

When she had no more tears, she looked at Octavia, who was still giving her a soothing look. “Thank you,” she said. “For…”

“It’s quite all right, your highness,” Octavia said. “I could tell you needed that.”

“Please, call me Scolopidia,” she said. “It’s been your highness or Queen Scolopidia for far too long.”

Octavia smiled. “Then Scolopidia it shall be,” she said. “And I am Octavia. You know Vinyl, I believe.”

“Y-yes, actually,” Scolopidia said. “I’ve snuck out and attended a few of your concerts. In disguise, but I was there,” she said, directing this to Vinyl.

“Far out.” Vinyl was still looking a little down, but her previous cheer was clearly returning. “Like I said, always glad to meet a fan.”

Octavia let out a tsk, causing Scolopidia to turn back to face her. “Your makeup is running, Scolopidia,” she said with the nymph raising a hoof to her face. “Come along, we have an apartment in Canterlot. You can freshen up there if you wish.”

“Thank you,” Scolopidia said with her wings buzzing at the prospect of seeing where DJ-PON3 lived. “I really appreciate this.”

“It’s no problem,” Vinyl said as the trio started walking, Scolopidia’s guards trailing them. “But if you think this place is cool, wait until you see our digs down in Ponyville.”

Scolopidia turned to her, startled. “You have a home in Ponyville too?”

“Octavia inherited it from an aunt years ago,” Vinyl said. “We like it out there - sure, it’s kind of nuts at times, but the countryside’s always a great place to go and relax in. ‘Sides, that’s where one of my favorite party ponies lives!”

“Now if only people would stop mistaking she and I for sisters,” Octavia muttered. “I don’t know where they got that idea… I look nothing like any of her siblings!”

Scolopidia stared at her and thought of Pinkie Pie, no doubt that party mare she was talking about. She nodded her head. “I agree,” she said turning into the pink mare before standing next to Octavia. “There are so many bone structure differences; there’s no way you two could be related unless one of you were adopted.”

Vinyl eyed her for a moment, then laughed. “So you’ve met Pinkie too, huh? Awesome, isn’t she?”

“She was one of the Equestrian representatives to my homeland recently, yes,” Scolopidia said, turning back to her normal self, her colourful self. “Though I admit, I spent more time with miss Belle.”

“Ah!” Octavia looked quite happy to hear this. “She is a wonder, I do believe. An excellent seamstress who has a taste for the finer side of society. And has earned more than a little of finer society’s respect, for that matter. Good sir Fancy Pants was quite impressed with her when they met.”

They continued their conversation as they kept going down the street, until finally they’d reached their destination.

“Wait a moment,” Octavia said, looking at Scolopidia. “How were you able to tell that Pinkie and I were not related so easily?”

“I am a changeling Queen,” she said with a shrug. “We’re all taught how to recognize details in anyone we might have to turn into and compare them, just in case. That includes basic body structure. Also, I heard her talking to someling else about her sisters and what they did, and none of them had your name or musical cutie mark.”

“Ah.” Octavia said with Vinyl giving her a confused look, Scolopidia recognizing the feel in her emotions.

“Are all of your kind that good?” she asked as Octavia let them inside, with her guards sweeping inside in pairs and examining the rooms.

“Some of us are better than others,” Scolopidia said. “The longer we’ve had to study and practice, the better, and even then we can make mistakes. The way I heard it, that…” she let out a word that didn’t translate into Equestrian but her guards gave her a disapproving look. “Was caught out by Princess Sparkle because she hadn’t done enough research into how her target behaved.”

Vinyl shook her head. “So, not a fan of that other Queen, huh?”

“We call that event ‘Chrysalis’ Folly’ for a reason,” Scolopidia said with her changelings hissing as she said her name with the Queen rolling her eyes.

“I gotcha,” Vinyl said. “I heard about some of that - most of it went down while I was getting the music ready for the reception, so I missed out on the big fight, but they were talking about it for hours afterward.”

Scolopidia gave her a nod of acknowledgement before Octavia led her into the restroom to clean her face and reapply her makeup. Even though she could just use her natural magic to change her face, she had found she enjoyed this when Rarity first introduced her to it; she wasn’t quite sure what it was that made it feel different from normal shifting, but it just… did, and she liked it. When she’d finished, they rejoined Vinyl outside.

“So, what d’ya think of the place?” Vinyl asked.

Scolopidia thought back to the interior of the apartment, with signs of both their tastes in music very evident, records and electronic musical equipment on one side of their living room and more traditional instruments and associated decorations on the other. “It’s… definitely interesting,” she said.

“Yeah, me and Octy have different styles, but that’s one of the reasons we’re crazy about one another,” Vinyl said.

“Or in your case, just crazy,” Octavia snarked at her, a hint of a smirk in her expression. “But that’s how I like you.”

As the two bickered good-naturedly, Scolopidia couldn’t help but smile even more. With all the love she could feel radiating from both mares, she knew they were perfect for one another. Suddenly, she felt a sharp raise in emotion, and looked across the street to the source.

“When we get there, I swear I am going to give her a piece of my mind,” a white unicorn mare grumbled with a blue unicorn stallion trailing after her.

“Velvet, you cannot yell at the Princess,” the stallion said. “Once Twilight gets an idea into her head, it’s very hard to change her mind about it.”

“She could have at least told us Twilight was going out of the country!” The white mare turned to look at the stallion. “I know she can take care of herself, but she’s still my baby girl and I worry. And after this! What was she thinking allowing her to go there.”

“Excuse me, but are you talking about Princess Twilight Sparkle?” Scolopidia asked, causing them to turn to face her.

“Yes we are,” the mare said.

“Are you talking about her being in the Packlands?” Scolopidia asked with her wings buzzing angrily.

“Oh of course not,” the stallion said, shaking his head, looking at his wife. “My wife here is upset that our daughter decided to go on a year’s tour without informing us and she decided to go to Byzantion.”

“Wait, what’s in Byzantion?”

“Bureaucracy,” the stallion said. “Lots and lots of bureaucracy - the headquarters for the International Bureaucracy, in fact.” He shrugged. “Actually, given her fondness for organizing, it sounds just like her kind of place to me.”

“Though apparently, our dear daughter decided to go invade the place!” the mare said with a snarl.

“She did what Scolopidia stared in disbelief with Octavia and Vinyl holding back their gasps of surprise.


“Twilight, you really think this was a good idea?” Spike asked her as they rode the train out of Byzantion.

“Of course Spike,” she said, placing a hoof on his shoulder, smiling at the setting sun. “Sure I am banned for life from ever returning to Byzantion, but at least the griffon’s debts are finally fixed and they can start rebuilding their country.”

“Did you really have to toss everyone out of the building while you went into that ‘crazy paper filing mode’?” he asked as he looked over the railing on his seat that she created just for him.

“Spike, if that’s what it took to keep them from interfering and deliberately stalling the process any more than they had for the last century and a half, it was worth it.” She giggled. “Besides, it was so cathartic!”

“Only you Twilight,” he chuckled with Twilight smiling and nodding her head. “So onto… where now?”

“Mount Aris.” Twilight looked grim. “I know Princess Celestia and the Packlands have their own investigations heading down there, but I want to check it out personally. There’s something that just doesn’t feel right about it. And while we’re there, we’ll check out Seaquestria too. After what Luna and the Alpha have both said about it, I want to meet this Queen Novo of theirs.”

“You think we should tell Princess Celestia of what we did here?” Spike asked, holding out a parchment.

“Let’s wait until we get home to tell her about this little adventure,” Twilight said with a nervous giggle, rubbing the back of her neck. “I’m sure that this would be one of those things that I am not supposed to do and I still need to think of a way of properly telling her about all this.”

“All right, but I kinda get the feeling they’re going to tell her their side first,” Spike said. “And it’s probably not going to make you look good.”

“Spike, they can tell her whatever they want,” Twilight said with a sigh. “If Princess Celestia decides she wants to hear our side, she knows how to reach us.” She then straightened herself and spread out her wings, letting the wind brush through her feathers. “Besides, I am not ashamed of what I have done and I would do the same again if need be.”

Spike turned to face her, pride deep within his heart at her words.

Turning his head back to the setting sun, he could not wait to see where this adventure led them next.