The catch
“This is so dumb,” Chrysalis muttered as she sat kneeling at the hooves of Celestia.
“Sorry Chrysalis, you made the deal, now you’re going to go through all the formalities to get a throne.” Celestia scowled. “And you’re going to go through it all again during the coronation ceremony, so get a backbone.”
“This is hardly how I wanted it to go.”
“You want the crown and the position, then don’t whine. And stop looking so cute! It’s distracting!”
"No."
Celestia heaved a long sigh. Today had not been a good day in the slightest. Following the occurrence of most everypony in the library bursting into tears, many had been exhausted after all the shared grief and simply opted to find a room or two in the castle grounds to rest and relax. Celestia had offered up her own room because of the fact that she would not be needing it until her own bedtime, but Cheerilee insisted otherwise, saying: “I don’t exactly want to offend you if you actually decide you’re a goddess later on, your majesty.”
From her big sister’s pleading look, Luna had shoved the whole crowd (gently) into the sun princess’ private chambers, locking all the windows and bolting the door shut. What could she say? The luxury of royal furniture (and perhaps the several servants that were ordered to do anything that was asked of them) would do them a world of good.
Twilight Sparkle, while still understanding that she should be taking a good long nap, wanted to stay up long enough to make sure her plan for dealing with the queen went along properly. She wanted to make sure the crown she had conveniently found in a cupboard was ready for its new task.. However, her need for sleep outweighed her desire to stay awake, and the youngest princess was now sleeping soundly with her head on top of Fluttershy’s back, the latter quietly suffering for the sake of her snoozing friend. In the meantime, Chrysalis was going through the coronation rehearsal, and generally making a big stink about it.
Celestia picked up Twilight’s scrawled out notes. They contained a very detailed list of instructions regarding her… subject’s punishment. The list was as followed:
1: Conduct initial “Coronation” to trick subject into false sense of security (further instructions on Form A)
2: Offer up crude crown (will be provided)
3: Deliver sentence (Celestia’s decision, suggest house arrest and very close observation by staff and any party who doesn’t wish to follow step 4)
4: Find proper compensation for parties betrayed/used by Chrysalis.
5: Take a vacation for stress relief while Chrysalis is trained to be a proper ruler.
Celestia was not sure why having a vacation was included in the list, but she did like the idea. She’d have to thank Twilight for that idea. After squinting over form A for a while, she continued with the coronation rehearsal.
“Right then,” She said to herself. “‘Approach eldest princess’--which is me, ‘bow in reverence’--still need to get that reverence thing right--and I think that’s what we covered.” She smiled gently. “Next would be the oaths, which are listed here, but I know them by heart. So…” She smiled as she recited fondly. “Chrysalis, ‘do you hereby swear to obey and withhold the constitution of Equestria, submitting to its laws an authority?’”
“If I had my way, I’d tear your little constitution into a thousand pieces,” She snarked back. “There is so much wrong with that bloody thing--”
“That’s something that can be discussed with the council. Just answer the question.”
“...Yes, I swear,” She mumbled.
“You’re going to need a little bit more enthusiasm than that.”
“Yes, I swear it,” she mumbled loudly, as though it were such a chore.
“A little better, but let’s move on: ‘Do you swear to lend an open ear to your advisors to learn more, to pay mind to your fellow princesses with your decisions, and to listen to the concerns of your subjects that they may better provide for each other and for you?’”
“Provide? What on earth do they provide for me? I provide for them!”
Celestia held up several feathers, counting each of them with her other wing. “What do they provide? Let’s see… Food, money, medicine, marepower, knowledge, land, resources of metal, lumbar and cloth, and ultimately their trust. That’s all I can think of off the top of my head, but what do you provide?” Chrysalis mouth formed an “O” shape. Celestia smirked at her own little victory. “Well? What’s your answer?”
“Uh… Well--yeah, sure.”
“I’m going to need something a little more official than that.”
“...Really?”
“Yeah really,” Celestia replied. “Anyway, final question: ‘In times of war, do you swear to hold the front line and lead your brothers and sisters in arms, and should it be necessary, submit your life to your country and its people?’”
“Well, that’s freaking flowery.”
“Just answer the question, Chrysalis.”
Chrysalis thought a little. “...Yeah, no.”
“Oh, freakin--” Celestia huffed. “Why not?!”
“It’s not a ruler’s job, you dimwit!”
“I don’t like that tone!” Celestia snapped.
“Yeah, and I don’t like your stupid oaths!”
“Well I don’t like your face!!”
“Sister! Both of you!” Luna scolded, hitting her hoof against the ground. “We are full grown adults, not children! Act like it at least while you’re around each other!”
Celestia glared. Chrysalis glared back. Stupid changeling, she thought. She had no idea just how much of a free ride she was getting. Every student she had went through vigorous training to be a wonderful princess like her; caring, kind and a servant to her peoples. Sure there was only one case in her lifetime where a pony had actually became a princess, but that was hardly the point! Everypony who became princess earned it, and she didn’t. It was that fact that made her rather… impatient.
It was such impatience that made her simply crumple form A into a little ball, set it on fire and crush the carbon remains into a crude diamond, tossing it out the nearest window to be forgotten. She knew what was on the list anyway. Rubbing a hoof along her temples, Celestia sighed. “...Let’s just continue, shall we? We’ll just say that Chrysalis actually made her oaths, so the next part is much simpler.” Celestia fluffed her wings, right first then left, and clicked her tongue. “Right then. It’s time for our newest royal resident to have her tiara.”
Chrysalis’ eyes snapped open. “Wait, you’re kidding, right??”
“Oh I wish I was,” Celestia replied with an eye-roll. “By now, I wish you would have been locked up in a cell to serve a proper long-term sentence… But I resigned myself to Twilight’s plans, so now we’re going with that.”
The queen’s jaw fell slack. “Really? No theatrics?”
“Only because you frustrate me.”
Celestia watched as an infuriating grin grew on her face. “Oh, finally… After all this time...”
“Oh would you come off it? It’s only been five minutes,” Celestia huffed.
“So where is it?? You’ve got my crown, right?” She hopped up and down in a way that was almost adorable, but only almost. “Oh I really hope it’s a good one! It’s bigger than my other one, right? You put pearls on it? I love pearls, especially blue ones on black metal! The best!”
“Yeah, go ahead and rub it in my face, won’t you? Excuse me for a moment...” Celestia stepped off her perch on the throne, walking over to where Twilight was snuggled up underneath one of her friend’s wings. Fortunately for the pegasus, Twilight had to be woken up and removed from her sleeping spot in order to do what she planned. “Twilight?” She asked, tapping the littlest alicorn on the shoulder. “Do you have the crown ready?”
“Munh?” Twilight grumbled, wiping her eyes. “Sorry, what?”
“I said, ‘Do you have the crown ready?’”
“Mh, oh yeah… Here,” Twilight fizzle-popped(1) a crown into the throneroom. It was, by all accounts, unexciting. It looked like a cross between Celestia’s crown, and Chrysalis’ crown, all in all making for a rather boring average, seeing that the only distinguishing features were the sharp points with blue pearls on the ends. Another thing of note was the hole below the largest pearl in the middle. “By the way, princess...?” Twilight sleepily added.
“Yes, Twilight?”
“You kinda did a stare like Fluttershy… We should talk about that later… Then I should do some research...”
Celestia took a moment to ponder what Twilight said, determining just how important that would be later. “...Huh. Right, thanks Twilight.”
Soon after, Twilight fell asleep again, and Celestia walked back, crown in magic aura. Chrysalis could barely sit still, her dearest dream so close to fulfilment. Little shivers went up and down her spine in excitement. She was so close. So close, she could taste it!
Celestia never made it back to the throne before the changeling queen shot out to snatch the crown from Celestia’s magic. Celestia had to duck away from the jaws that snapped at the piece of cheap jewelry “Mine! I win! I win I win!!” Chrysalis laughed maniacally, admiring her reflection in the large blue pearl in the middle of the crown. “It’s done! I have won, and now I’m the princess of Equestria!”
“No, you’re not yet a princess,” Celestia corrected. “You still need to be trained--”
“HA! Says who?!” She shouted back. “I’ve got a crown worthy of your princesses, wings, a horn and strength beyond all measure once I secure my throne! I am a princess--no, a queen-- and now there is no power on this world that’ll stop me!” She raised the crown over her head, discarding her old one. “With this, I rule my kingdom and yours! I win, you lose!”
“I really don’t think just that makes you a princess,” Celestia retorted as Chrysalis slipped the crown on.
“It’s too late, Celestia! And the best part?? There is no catch!”
It was at this that Celestia started laughing. Chrysalis’ grin immediately faded.
“What… What?! What’s so funny this time?”
Celestia took a moment to catch her breath before she made her answer. “Oh my little pony… When it comes to earning a throne, there is always a catch.”
Click.
“...Click?” Chrysalis stared up at her crown.
Celestia couldn’t help but giggle harder. “That’s right, ‘Click!’ What’s it mean, Chryssy?”
“What’s it--What did you call me?!” She snapped at the princess.
Celestia still giggled harder. “What’s--hee hee-- What does the ‘click’ mean, Chryssy?”
“My name is not Chryssy!” Chrysalis charged up her magic, preparing to zap that dumb look right off the sun princess’ face. Celestia simply stood there, watching sparks fly from her horn as her magic glowed brighter… then backfired in a sudden--yet predictable--feedback surge. The queen let out an undignified squawk, and Celestia doubled over in laughter. “Oww… What’d you do to me…?”
“Oh you--you just fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book!” Celestia was laughing so hard that she fell on the floor, rolling. “It’s just so incredible, nopony ever checks to see if the crown’s hexed!”
“You mean-- You hexed the crown?! How was I supposed to know that?!”
“You weren’t! Oh man, so many decades of controlling my emotions, it all finally paid off!”(2)
“You mean you were faking it?!” Chrysalis hollered, slacked jawed.
“Why yes, yes I was! Weren’t you there when I hugged you?”
Chrysalis was astounded, and also pretty livid. “You… I… What did you do…?!”
“That really should have been a warning signal, Chryssy! ‘Say, why’s she so mean to me now, when she was hugging me before?’ I mean, I may think you’re stupid, and you don’t deserve to be a princess, but who am I to hate a pony’s face? It’s not your fault you have your face, after all!”
“What. Did. You. Do. To. Me?!?” Chrysalis screamed loud enough to wake up Twilight.
“Good heavens, would you lower your voice?!”
“Answer me.”
“Okay, calm down! I didn’t do anything. It was Twilight’s work that enchanted the crown. It’s not exactly your typical spell limiter. From what I heard, it’s got a stronger feedback depending on the amount of power you put into a spell.” Celestia shrugged. “I don’t know, I only understand enough magic to get by.” Chrysalis was at a loss for words, mouth opening and closing like some sort of fish. The words struggled to leave her mouth as she desperately tried to find something to say that could possibly justify her complete and utter outrage she had for this grave offense. Finally, something came out of her mouth in barely a whisper.
“So that’s it…? This was your ploy all along, to turn my dream into a living nightmare?”
“Oh dear… Well, I can’t say you didn’t deserve this...”
“Do you realize how hard I worked for this?!” Celestia rolled her eyes at Chrysalis. “Don’t roll your eyes at me, Celestia! I have worked so very hard on this! I schemed, plotted and planned for years and years on this, to finally get some sort of stability on love, our most prized resource!”
Celestia raised a hoof, stopping the changeling queen for a moment. “Sorry, just-- Do we really have to go through this? I have to deliver your sentence, so...”
“My senten-- My sentence?! Oh, so now you saw it fit to punish me!”
“Technically, that was also Twilight’s idea--”
“And you just went along with it?!”
“What? I think it’s a good idea!” Celestia defended herself.
“Says the pony who’s not being punished for nothing at all,” She snarked back.
Celestia stared. “Wow, you really are an idiot. You really think you did nothing wrong?”
“I’m no idiot, I did nothing wrong, and can do no wrong!”
“Oh for pete’s sake!” Celestia now knew intimately how little her patience was, seeing the crack developing in the floor below her. “Chrysalis, you Invaded my country, you threatened my little ponies, you stole my niece away, and,” Celestia pointed an accusatory hoof. “you lied to your own freaking children for the sake of your selfish, despicable desires! Don’t you at least have any sort of remorse for that last one?” Celestia took a moment to catch her breath.
Chrysalis’ ears drooped. One hoof with several holes in it dragged along the carpet in a back and forth motion before it finally stopped to rest on its sibling, its owner sitting down slowly. Technically, Celestia was right, but she didn’t want to show it. “...A little… Maybe. I regret letting them know!”
“Great, it’s a start!” Celestia clapped her hooves together. “The first step to solving a problem is admitting you have a problem! So with that, I think I can leave you in my dearest sister’s capable, loving hooves!” She giggled. “Twilight was actually quite detailed on how you were going to be reformed, and that’s impressive, considering that she only had five minutes to make a plan like that! Anyway, Luna’s going to be training you to be a princess. Isn’t that right, sister?”
Luna nodded, barely containing her dread. “I’d rather not, but somepony has to do it.”
“Alright then. Now if you don’t mind, I’ll be taking these two--” A glowing golden aura surrounded Fluttershy and Twilight. “--putting them to bed before I talk with the 'peasantry'.” Celestia turned to leave, but the queen’s hoof shot up in the air. Celestia heaved a sigh. “What is it this time?”
“Just what will you be doing this whole time that ensures that you can’t be available to train me as a princess? I’m not sure when the training part of the deal was struck, and I’d like that to be done on my terms.”
Celestia simply smiled. “Vacation.”
“What?! You… You little--” If Celestia looked carefully, one could swear that a little bit of chitin on her forehead cracked from the pressure of a bulging blood vessel underneath. Clearly she touched more than one nerve as was determined by the way the queen’s face turned a rich purple, hot enough that it could probably boil an egg. “I’LL KILL YOU!!”
However, Celestia had no time to look carefully, because it was at that moment when the queen of changelings stated her intent of murder that she was suddenly confronted by a very quickly forward-flying bug-pony which in her forward momentum, smashed her face into Celestia’s own soft white chest, knocking her and the princess into a near stain-glass window. The two tumbled out of the window in an uncontrolled mix of panicked flailing and vicious brawling; snarling, biting and crying all the way down till they hit hard on the floor of the courtyard.
---
Three ponies stared out the stained glass window that once displayed Cadance and Shining Armor’s victory over the very same queen of the changeling kingdom that they were trying to reform. The night princess was confused, the pegasus was nervous, and the bookhorse was simply too sleepy to form a coherent opinion on what had awoken her up from her little nap.
Fluttershy was able to make the first observation as she saw the two out in the courtyard. “Well, Chrysalis’ aim was quite… accurate.”
“Muh,” Twilight agreed.
“I would agree Fluttershy,” Luna added with her own sentiment. “But what’s more worrying is how despite the limiter, Chrysalis’ strength still shows.”
“Mmm,” Twilight mumbled in acknowledgement.
“Care to explain how that works, Twilight?”
“Muhnah?” Twilight rubbed her eyes. “Oh… Right, horn magic’s usually the most dangerous when used by an experienced pony, so...”
“So you only blocked her ‘unicorn’ magic, right?”
“Mmyeah,” Twilight confirmed.
Down below, Chrysalis screamed. “This is not over, Celestia! I will have the high ground!”
“O-oh my--!” Fluttershy squeaked. Two ponies cringed at Chrysalis’ flailing around. The third one’s eyes widened at least a little more. “Is she hitting her?!”
“My suspicions tell me that she’s trying to rip her throat out,” Luna suggested.
“O-oh--!”
“I’m not too worried,” she assured. “My sister has proven once that she can wipe the floor with her, I’m sure she could do it again.”
“That’s not very comforting...”
“I suppose not, but I’d honestly prefer Chrysalis being beaten up over Celestia.”
“And that’s not very nice!” Fluttershy protested.
“No it isn’t,” Luna agreed. “but neither is Chrysalis. It’s part of the reason why we have several misplaced younglings who really don’t want anything to do with their mother.”
“Younglings?” Twilight questioned.
“Changeling children, nymphs, younglings, same thing really.” Luna shrugged. “If they’re going to be living around here, I figure we need some sort of distinguishing name that’s non-interchangeable.” (3)
Twilight slowly blinked. “Sorry, too sleepy to understand half of that. Try again later?”
“Of course! Don’t worry your sleepy head.” Luna patted Twilight’s mane with a hoof.
“Um, hate to interrupt--” Fluttershy interrupted, hating to do so. “--But shouldn’t we be more concerned with what’s going on down in the garden??”
Down below, Chrysalis had taken to, after failing to rip Celestia’s neck out, attempting to deal blunt trauma to the solar princess, yelling at the top of her voice. “You may have trapped me in this feeble form, but I swear that this is far from over!! I am but one changeling, and there is a great family that I left behind, wondering where their queen, sister and daughter is!”
“Well that’s new,” Luna observed.
“Meh, the yelling’s hardly...” Twilight fought back a yawn.
“No, she just mentioned herself as a sister and a daughter.”
Fluttershy managed the weakest of smiles. “I’d like to meet them someday.”
“Sure, only if they’re not as nasty as she is.”
“Mmm,” Twilight agreed.
Chrysalis continued to scream. “I swear by your petty books of law, your fausticorn pony and any other higher entity you possibly believe in that they’ll come! And when they come, nopony will be safe! Not you, not your little citizens, not your nieces or nephews, and especially not your precious little granddaughter!!”
Luna was completely smitten with curiosity by now. “Granddaughter? I had no idea Celestia had a granddaughter. Probably adopted I suppose.”
Fluttershy whimpered, head drooping down quite obviously.
Twilight managed to notice in her sleepy state. “...Is there something you want to tell us Fluttershy?”
“No!” Fluttershy answered far too quickly. Her poor correction of “I mean-- I’m perfectly fine and have nothing to hide” did nothing to help with that.
Two ponies looked upon her skeptically. Fluttershy cracked under the pressure.
Twilight gently poked her. “...You okay?”
Only a squeak was her response.
“...Think she’s turned into a squeaky toy,” Twilight mused to herself. “Really gonna have to talk about this soon. It can’t be healthy for her.”
“I agree,” Luna spoke up. “But right now, a more pressing issue is at hoof. See? Celestia is coming back with… Goodness sister, did you do that to her?”
Celestia shook her head, carrying up her charge up along with her, exhausted, beaten up and clearly in a poor state of emotion. “No, I’m afraid she did all that to herself.” She threw a glance at Chrysalis. “How did you manage to give yourself a black eye?”
“You’ll--(hic)--you’ll p-pay for this, Cel--(hic)--Celestia!” was her reply.
Celestia faked shock. “Oh! Still after all this time, you’re still plotting the destruction of Equestria? You’re paying the price first, Chrysalis, not me.”
Chrysalis fell apart, to which Celestia grinned ear-to-ear, turning to her sister. “Oh man, that felt real good to break her! That was a long time coming, let me tell you!”
Luna stared, flabbergasted. “Celestia, what’d you do!? I’ve never seen her in such a sobbing wreck in all the time I knew her!”
“I simply stood there and took all her punches. She did the rest. Beside the point, you’ve only ‘known’ her for what, an hour? Not enough time at all to peg a pony.”
“It’s just… She looks so miserable,” Fluttershy meekly returned. “Will she ever recover?”
“Oh, I’m sure she will Fluttershy, she’s a little bit more hearty than that, I think.”
“Sister, what did you do?” Luna asked sternly. “And don’t say that you just stood there, I know there was more to it than that.”
Celestia shrugged. “Well when she started growling about how unfair her treatment was, I told her she didn’t have a choice...”
“Go on,” Luna urged.
“Then I said she would have to go through all the training as a princess...”
“Get on with it, sister.”
“And after I told her that I was going to pull a peace treaty for her to sign out of my butt after all the training was done and she proved herself sufficient--”
Luna sputtered. “E-Excuse me?!”
“--I told her that I was quite sure that you would find creative and interesting ways to make the whole thing as painfully tedious as possible, forbidding her to visit her family!”
“Sister, that is absolutely absurd!”
“What, you wouldn’t do that?”
“Well for one, I am hardly the sort for devious punishments and the like!” Luna scoffed.
“But I thought you were the bad cop?”
Luna stamped a hoof in reply. “Who was the ‘bad cop’ was established early on, the very moment you burst into flames, screaming about how you were going to kill Chrysalis.”
“Thrash,” Celestia corrected.
“Excuse me; thrash. At any rate, it’s clear that you are the bad cop.”
“Oh… Well, I wanted to be the good cop.”
“Sister, you’re missing my point! My point is that I’m not going to be mean, I’m going to correct her.”
Celestia sighed. “I guess it can’t be helped then… Very well, I suppose she’ll bring about her suffering by her own volition.”
“I find your sadism disturbing,” Luna opinionated.
“That’s why I’m usually not sadistic,” Celestia replied pointedly.
Luna stared back, still clearly upset. Fluttershy continued sitting in her own corner, cowering. Twilight’s head dragged itself as she tried to stay awake.
“Well then...” Celestia turned away. “If that’s all you need to talk to me about, I’m going to make a formal announcement in front of the public. In the meantime...” Celestia leaned down, gently touching a sleepy Twilight’s nose. “You need to take a nap.”
“Can’t argue with that...” Twilight mumbled.
“Do take some time to maybe find a suitable bedroom for our newest princess, hm? The poor thing’s probably not going to want to see anypony for a while. At any rate, I’m out of here!”
Luna continued staring as Celestia lifted the changeling queen off her back and on the floor, patting her on the head, and then making her exit, presumably out to the public balcony to address her people. The changeling queen sniffled, but otherwise did nothing as she approached her, putting a gentle hoof on her back. Fluttershy’s gaze had yet to leave the door that the solar princess had left through.
“...Fluttershy?” Luna asked. “Are you alright?”
“Well I just… I have so many questions,” she replied.
Luna nodded. “Yes, there really are. Chrysalis’ family, just how many changelings could be out there, even who could possibly be Celestia’s granddaughter of all things.”
“Eeep!” Fluttershy fell over, frozen up.
Luna Rolled her eyes.
---
To say the current residents of Celestia’s private chambers were not the usual ones, you would hardly be wrong. But that doesn’t exactly explain the situation to a sufficient point. Celestia’s private chambers were surprisingly expansive, equipped with one bedroom with a king-sized bed, several cushions, a walk-in closet and a doorway out to a private balcony, one bathroom with enough room for six ponies which links to Luna’s chambers, one office with a whole wall of bookshelves, an intricately designed oak desk, and a cushy office chair which one could sit in all day and still not get a sore bottom, a living room shared with her sister, with three couches, one very long couch, each with their own fold-up-bed for guests, two recliners, one rocking chair, several beanbags and a small cooler for snacks, and a kitchen with enough room for six ponies, equipped with a table and chairs, a stovetop, an oven, several cupboards, and a large refrigerator.
When one took into account that Luna’s chambers were just as well furnished and large as her sister’s, it was clear that the princesses did not go light on their house budget. But that was neither here nor there. In Princess Celestia’s bedroom, six bearers of harmony, twenty schoolfillies, thirty changeling nymphs and one schoolteacher had taken up residence, each in various states of exhaustion and/or misery. Most slept uneasily, taking up spots on the other cushions or in the corners, or even next to each other. But five ponies watched on with sadness as Lepidos Arthropa was--with much futility--being comforted by her big brother Formici and Miss Cheerilie.
Applejack pulled the nymph who clung to her closer, resting her head on his and sighing. “Can’t plumb believe that I had ta do that,” she mumbled.
“Do what?” Rainbow asked. “Call chrysalis an idiot? If you ask me, she totally deserved it.”
“That ain’t what I meant, Dash, I just...” She gazed at Lepidos. “...didn’t want to say it in front of them...”
“Just shows how much of an idiot she was.”
“We get it dear,” Rarity cut in between the two. “The thing that Applejack is upset about is that she had to say anything at all. You ever had to give bad news to your ‘sister’, for instance?”
Rainbow Dash cocked her head. “I don’t have any sisters.”
“I’m talking about Scootaloo, darling.”
“Oh.” Rainbow thought for a moment. “Uh... no?”
Rarity scowled. “You just ignored the issue and hoped she wouldn’t bring it up, didn’t you?”
Rainbow’s sheepish grin was obvious. “...Maybe?”
“Are you for real?”
“Um, I don’t think we should worry about that right now, Rarity,” Fluttershy quietly interrupted. “An argument isn’t going to cheer up these poor nymphs at all...”
Rarity sighed. “Well, yes, I can agree with that… Tact lessons for Rainbow Dash can wait till later.”
“What’s ‘tact’?” Rainbow Asked.
“And that is entirely the reason she needs to learn it.”
“Do not!”
“Girls,” Fluttershy scolded, a little louder. “Let’s save this for later… Please…?”
“Right, right, sorry; we’ve got bigger issues than that,” Rarity sat up, proudly placing a hoof to her chest. “And Rarity is a mare of action, not complaining.”
“‘A mare of action’, she says,” Rainbow mumbled. “And I’m an oversized, flying weasel.”
“Rainbow...” Fluttershy warned.
“Sorry. It slipped out.”
Fluttershy pretended to ignore her, instead opting to follow Rarity to the great bed in the middle. Hopping up, she crawled over to the center, gently catching Lepidos’ attention.
“Lepidos? Are you alright, dear?”
Lepidos snapped a glare at her. “What do you think?”
Fluttershy recoiled slightly. “Oh! Right, sorry; that was a bad question.” She tried again. “Are you feeling any better?”
“N-no, not any better,” she sniffled.
“It’z a zshame...” Formici mourned. “To think that we were betrayed by our very own mother, who had pretended to zupport uz for zo long...”
“I wish she was dead...”
Fluttershy gasped. “Oh my… Lepidos, you don’t really mean that, do you?!”
“Every word!”
“But that’s horrible!”
“I absolutely mean it!” She hiccupped. “She’s a horrible mommy, and I wish she was dead!”
Fluttershy choked back her own misery. “Okay… Okay, I-I understand...”
“Y-yeah, I might wish that...” She whimpered through Cheeriliee’s now tear-stained coat. “But… But only for a while, right…?”
Fluttershy sniffled. “Oh, Lepidos...”
“And… And maybe when she came back, she’d be a proper mommy… and she’d love me again!”
“But she does, I’m sure of it!”
Lepidos wiped her nose with a free hoof. “Are you just saying that to make me feel better?”
Fluttershy returned the question with her own. “Is it working…?”
Lepidos stared at Fluttershy. Then at Rarity. Then at her brother, who flashed a small smile, then at Cheeriliee and back at Fluttershy. With a quivering lip, she nodded.
“Oh, you poor, poor thing...” Fluttershy cried, opening up her forelegs for an eagerly accepted hug. Tears fell from her cheeks, and soon her soft crying turned to bawling.
Rainbow Dash stared, horrified. “Oh great, she’s crying again… Did I say something wrong? This isn’t about that tact thing, is it? P-Pinkie?!”
Pinkie was too busy crying to answer, so Applejack did so in her place. “No, No that’s alright. Everything’s fine, everypony’s just gettin’ all teary-eyed, that’s all.”
“Oh, right… Yeah, it’s getting all sappy around here… heh...” She nervously laughed.
“Ya know, there’s no shame in cryin too.”
It was only at that moment that Rainbow Dash noticed what she had rogue water droplets falling from her eyes. Furiously, she scrubbed at her eyes “Oh… Oh, Darn it, stupid eyes...”
Applejack chuckled, waving a hoof at her. “Go on then, I’m sure they’ll be fine with one more!”
“M-me? What ab-bout you…?”
She shrugged. “I cry on the inside. ‘Cept for special occasions.”
Rainbow Dash smirked, making her way to the bed herself. “I bet.” She sniffled. “There’s no shame in crying, Applejack!”
“Nope, not a bit! Go on then!” She urged her. “Don’t let me hold you up.”
Rainbow needed no more urging, so she joined the mess of ponies softly crying into each other’s fur. Applejack looked on, eventually standing up and depositing the nymph she was holding and Twilight on the bed. When she hopped up herself, she gently nudged the others aside to talk to Lepidos. “Howdy Little’un.”
“...Yeah?”
“Yer probably gonna want some place ta stay until this all blows over, huh?”
Lepidos nodded.
“So how’s about ah let ya stay at my place? You’ll get ta meet some sheep an’ cows. Maybe they’ll be honest unlike us little ponies. Would ya like that?”
She smiled, but that smile faltered slightly. “You seem so sad… Are you okay, miss Applejack?”
“Yep, ah’m right as rain! Not a problem in the world, ‘cept for sayin’ what I had to.”
Lepidos wasn’t buying it. “Did you learn that your mommy was evil too…?”
Applejack drew back. How did she find that out so easily? Granted, AJ’s mother wasn’t evil per se, but…
Eighteen years of experience controlling her emotions seemingly disappeared in a second’s time. “No… No I just...”
several changelings and ponies looked at her expectantly.
Tears welled up in her eyes. “I...I just mis my mama!”
Several sets of hooves wrapped around the two with a collective “Awwwww...”
“Hee hee,” Rainbow Giggled. “So much for ‘cryin’ on the inside’.”
“Sh-shut it, Rainbow...”
One pony princess nuzzled a little closer to the pony/changeling pile in her sleep.
---
A catch… of course there’s always a catch… Celestia despaired silently. She had come to the foolish assumption that even though everything so far went by swimmingly, everything else later on would go by just as easily. It was this assumption that she carried along down the hallway… at least until fifty feet from the public balcony.
She knew clearly that something was wrong when she did not hear the hustle and bustle of news reporters, or the white noize of a large crowd… but rather an angelic choir? Just what is going on here? Did they actually take my “claim to godhood” seriously? She sighed, nodding to the guards on either side to open the doors. What she saw dropped her jaw.
Celestia estimated at least a thousand ponies, all gathered up in neat little rows. Each and every one was as tense as a tight spring, ready to snap. As she stepped through, every single one of them dropped their heads, falling flat on their faces. The angelic choir had switched to a song of grander scale… something about how long she lived? Whatever, she was not even listening to it. As a matter of fact, it was getting fairly irritating. “Okay, would you please stop with the choir of angels? If I wanted to hear ponies singing, I’d go to the canterlot performance hall!”
The music suddenly stopped. The choir ponies took off their fake halos in shame.
“Sorry, It’s just… Really your singing’s great! But singing my praises? Or mentioning my age? I can’t take that.” She turned to the crowd, blowing hot steam through her nose. “Rise, my little ponies.”
Nopony dared budge an inch.
“Oh come on! All of you! You lot! Up up!” When they still didn’t listen, shaking in fear. her irritation rose. “Seriously, do you know how many dirty, smelly hooves have touched that ground? And you’re all jamming your noses in it!” Quickly, the whole crowd shot back up. some of them spitting dirt. “Thank you. Now, what is this all about?”
Celestia was quite beyond exasperation at this point, and was simply intending to get some answers now. When whoever it was that lead this whole thing had came into the front, that didn’t help the situation at all. Especially when he finally spoke.
“Well?”
“Hail, Princess Celestia del Sol of the immortal empire of the solar diarchy...”
Oh great, here goes the title
“...Lady of dawn; Our merciful ruler eternal, generous, kind and all powerful...”
Okay, powerful is definitely a stretch. Why did I ever let that stand?
“...Queen over all her light shines upon and warms; The never ending, the light in the darkness...”
Okay, did he add something? I’m going have a little talk with him after all this.
“...May you continue to reign for aeons, never grow old, and may your reign never be contested in your long rule...”
Good heavens, just take a breath!
“I come before you as but a humble servant, with but one request...”
Celestia waited with what little patience she had left for the pony to make sure he didn’t say anything more. “Very well then… What is it?”
“May I take your picture?” The journalist asked, holding up his camera.
Celestia lost all her patience. “I--What?! You’d go through all that just to ask for a picture?! LISTEN HERE, YOU--”
Then she said some very un-princessy words indeed.
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actually, that reminds me of this one scene in mass effect 2: "For the love of god man, breathe!"
6507148
I don't remember that Mass Effect scene, who said that? Was it Shepard? Seems like Shepard, to me.
6508481 it was from when you're recruiting Mordin Solus and he just keeps going on and on and on seemingly without end. renegade action iirc.
6510132 actually Lapis Lazuli is used in many paints for the resultant bright blue color known as 'Ultramarine', commonly associated with royalty and romance. And it's used in some advanced electronics to conduct electricity efficiently. So techncially.....
I wonder how many outburts Chrysalis will have when she meets the self appointed court jester Discord.
Discord: Fluttershy hasn't told me I can't annoy Chryssy to teach her patience.