The Siren

by McPoodle

Chapter 39

A room in Canterlot Castle.

On that same day, Twilight Sparkle and Spike the Dragon visited their former foalsitter, Princess Cadance.

She seemed in a very uncharacteristic mood when her hoofservant showed them into her bedroom, flipping between various volumes of Who’s Hooves in Canterlot and preparing the guest list for an enormous party. “Ugh!” she groaned. “Who showed you in? I’m very busy.”

“Candance it’s me, Twilight Sparkle,” the unicorn said politely. “Your ‘favorite filly’? I can do the Ladybug Dance if you really don’t remember me.”

---

A few days earlier.

“Do you like it?” Queen Chrysalis said to the cocooned Princess Cadance in a copy of her own form. “I’ll be able to have ever so much fun with it!”

“You’ll never be able to get away with this!” Cadance cried out. “Princess Celestia will be able to see right through your disguise!”

“Really? Because I just came back from tea with Her Royal Highness, and she told me that I had ‘just about perfected holding yourself like a princess!’.” The quote had been delivered with a perfect copy of Celestia’s voice.

“Well, Twilight Sparkle will certainly stop you! She’s one of the smartest and most-powerful unicorns in all of Equestria!”

“Twilight Sparkle?” Chrysalis asked herself. “Wow. You’re right. I don’t know a thing about her.” She then began to advance menacingly toward her captive, saying, “Now show me all your memories of her so we can fix that little shortcoming…”

---

“Twilight Sparkle!” the false princess exclaimed, suddenly giving the unicorn all of her attention. “Of course, I remember all about you! What brings you to see me?”

“Princess Celestia gave me a top-secret spell to turn me into an alicorn,” Twilight said, settling onto a cushion.

“She’s not sure if she wants to use it, so she’s gathering data,” Spike added. “As she does.”

“Of, of course,” the disguised Chrysalis replied. Inside she was reeling. She had never even considered the possibility that alicorns could be made. If she cast the spell on herself, would it make her unstoppable? It might not work—Chrysalis was in some ways the alicorn of changelings, after all. In that case, could she dare to cast it on one of her underlings, so she wouldn’t be so alone anymore?

A moment later, she shook off the sentimental thought in annoyance. Perhaps if the spell were studied, it might be reversed? Imagine, reducing the high and mighty Princess Celestia to the level of a common pony!

“Cadance?”

Chrysalis looked over at Twilight, and felt the fear radiating off her, a response to her own bloodthirsty expression. Quickly, the changeling queen composed herself. “Oh!” she exclaimed. “Sorry about that. Memories.”

“Yes,” said Twilight, slowly recovering herself. “That’s why I’m here. Memories. I’d like to know how you became an alicorn.”

“Oh,” said Chrysalis sadly. She had no idea how Cadance had become an alicorn. But…

The pony the others thought was Princess Cadance got up. “You know what? My story is very personal to me, and I’d probably get it all muddied with my emotions if I tried to tell it to you. You want the facts? Then we should speak with Uncle Blueblood.”

Twilight thought for a moment. “Prince Blueblood?”

“Yes,” Cadance said, rising to her hooves. “The prince has been entrusted by Auntie Celestia with the study of how alicorns operate.”

In fact, he was at the very top of the list of ponies to be replaced by changelings at the party that Cadance/Chrysalis was currently planning.

---

The moment Chrysalis walked into the audience chamber of Prince Blueblood she picked up on all of his emotions. And she immediately decided that he was not to be trusted. After all, if he found out about this top-secret spell, who was to say that he wouldn’t use it first?

“Twilight, could you please let me do the talking?” she asked the purple unicorn in a whisper.

“Um, alright,” Twilight said. And immediately felt a sense of relief. Despite her time with her friends, she still didn’t feel very comfortable around strangers, and Prince Blueblood had quite a reputation.

“Your Highness,” Chrysalis said with the proper bow. “The Bearer of Magic, Lady Twilight Sparkle, is here to see you. She wishes to hear your analysis of how I became an alicorn, in order to advance her magical studies. I felt you could do a far better job on the matter than I ever could.”

The unicorn stallion ate the praise like candy. “Well, I appreciate any chance to serve the ponies that act as Equestria’s defenders. Follow me, Lady Sparkle, and I will tell you what I know.”

Prince Blueblood led the group into the Archives, and over to a room dedicated to alicorn studies. From a bookcase he removed a book filled with his own hornwriting, and after reading it for a bit, began to summarize: “Princess Cadance was born as a pegasus. She grew up in a small earth pony village outside Vanhoover. One day she noticed that the villagers had become listless...drained of their love.”

Twilight, Spike and Chrysalis all listened intently.

---

In a neighboring suite of the Archives, a door was jimmied open, allowing a pony in a gray catsuit to sneak in. The suit was specially enchanted to make its user hard to see. Feeling herself safe now that she was in the rarely used room, the pony removed the part of the suit covering her head, revealing her as Ex-Agent Sweetie Drops.

It’s alright, the pony with the rictus grin kept telling herself. I’m saving Equestria from a thieving LIAR!

She worked her way through the various ledgers stored in the room, until she found the one dedicated to Ponyville.

I knew it! she thought triumphantly as she found the piece of information she was looking for. Lyra is a threat to all Ponykind! And when I expose her, the Princesses will have to reinstate me!

Laughing hysterically under her breath as she put her costume back on, Sweetie Drops made her way back out of the Archives.

Author's Note:

Here are the notes for Chapters 36-39.