Chapter 2 - Ripples
In the wake of Luna’s announcement, the wheels of bureaucracy began to turn in earnest to smooth the passage of this new development. As ponies pored through ancient tomes hunting for precedent and procedure, Princess Celestia dictated a letter that was to be sent out to a select group of friends, family, and interested parties whose help would be needed to break this new development to a citizenry who were, perhaps a little unkindly, often seen as being quick to panic.
Here are some of the reactions.
Ponyville
“SHE DID WHAT?” This near scream was followed by frantic hyperventilating as Spike looked on. The little dragon sighed, used to Twilight’s occasional histrionics by now, and reached for the emergency water bottle he kept for just these occasions. Three firm spritzes later and the now soggy alicorn sighed as she flicked her dripping mane back from her face.
“Thanks Spike.”
“No problem, Twilight.” Spike set the bottle back down on the table, picking the newly arrived letter from Princess Celestia up from the floor and peeking at the contents. “Whoa.” His eyes went wide as he scanned the flowing text. “Luna can’t do that, can she? An alicorn can’t just not be a Princess, right?”
“I don’t know.” Twilight finally admitted, as much as it galled her to admit there was a gap in her knowledge. “I just always assumed…” she trailed off as she dropped to her haunches. With a flash a towel appeared, hovering in the air before her as she dried herself off. “Maybe only two sprays next time?” she quickly rubbed it through her mane before teleporting it off to the library’s laundry basket.
Spike continued to read the letter, then paused, eyebrows lifting. “Did…you see what Celestia said she was going to do about it?”
Twilight sighed, retrieving the letter and scanning through it again as she snorted a damp strand of her mane off her nose. “Accept it, apparently. Why? Did I miss something?”
Spike shifted in place, wringing his hands together. “You might want to read all the way to the bottom this time. While you do that, I’m just gonna go to the kitchen and start making a really, really big pot of tea. I think we might be needing it.” He didn’t wait for a reply, turning tail and scampering from the room without a backward glance.
Twilight blinked. Huh. That was kind of weird, even for Spike. “Let’s see here…okay. Following the abdication of Princess Luna, no ceremony when she leaves, no forwarding address, Twilight Sparkle to serve in newly created post of Adviser to the Princess, well that all seems-wait what? To serve as WHAT?” She stared at the neatly printed text as if she somehow expected it to say something else. “But…how? Why? SPIKE! Take a letter!”
The Crystal Empire
The letter arrived on the tray along with their breakfast. Shining Armor was the first to open it, holding it in the blue aura of his magic as he munched on a piece of toast. “Wha-” he coughed and spluttered as he inhaled the next mouthful instead of swallowing, finally managing to dislodge it after thumping himself in the chest with a hoof. He snatched the letter back up, watering eyes widening as they flicked over the text.
“Cadance!” He called.
“Yes dear?” Came the response from the couple’s bathroom over the sound of running water as the alicorn prepared herself for another day of helping the crystal ponies adapt to their sudden and abrupt return to a world that had almost forgotten them. “Have they got our breakfast order mixed up again? I swear those ponies sometimes get so distracted.”
“No, no. Breakfast is fine.” He shook his head as he re-read the letter, “It’s what came with it. A message from Princess Celestia. You might want to come and read it.”
“Ooo. What’s Auntie Celestia saying now?” Cadance trotted back into the bedroom, the pink alicorn’s face still damp from her morning wash. “Twilight hasn’t accidentally opened a portal to some other universe where there’s alternate versions of us that walk around on two legs and wear clothes has she?”
Shining blinked as he slowly set the letter down. “Noooo.” he drawled, “That’s…a really specific thing to worry about. Is there something I need to know?”
“Nope! Nothing at all!” Cadance sat on the bed, reading while she picked up a toasted muffin and nibbled thoughtfully on the end. “Oh. Huh. Well. That’s going to make things interesting,” she mused.
“Interesting?” Shining’s eyes bulged as his wife’s nonchalant tone. “Luna’s stepping down! Our enemies might see that as a moment of weakness for Equestria. The griffons might take it a sign of instability and make a push at Equestria’s borders. The Changelings might regroup and decide to have another try at conquering Canterlot when there’s one less Princess there!” He pushed the blankets down and slipped from the bed to pace back and forth. “We need to speak to their new captain of the guard, coordinate things to make sure there’s not even a hint of weakness. Maybe even try and suppress the-”
His increasingly frantic tirade was gently but firmly cut off as a glowing pink aura surrounded his muzzle and pressed his mouth shut. “Shining, enough. I know you’re worried for Auntie Celestia, but I guarantee you she’ll be fine. You’re not the Captain of the Equestrian Guard anymore, and your replacement is more than capable. You trained her yourself, didn’t you?” She waited patiently until Shining nodded. “So you know she’s up to the task. The griffons won’t try anything, they’re barely organised enough to keep their own borders secure, and the Changelings won’t try it while the Elements of Harmony are still in play.”
Shining muttered something and his wife smiled, the pink alicorn releasing her hold as she turned her attention back to the letter, humming to herself. “If anything I think it’s Twilight we need to be most worried about. We both know how she’s likely to react to that last part.”
“True. Do you think we need to start packing for a visit to Ponyville?”
Cadance beamed at her husband. “You read my mind, Shiny. But first, get back into bed and we can snuggle some more while we finish breakfast. The fate of Equestria can wait till we finish our tea.”
Canterlot High
Principal Celestia turned to look thoughtfully at Vice-Principal Luna. “You aren’t thinking of quitting, are you?”
Luna paused, setting her pen down and looking up from the pile of papers she had to grade. “I…No. No, I had not. I am quite happy here. Why? Has someone said something?”
Celestia pursed her lips. “No. The idea just suddenly popped into my head.” She tapped her lips with her pen. “Huh.” She gave a little shrug and turned back to her own stack of paperwork.
The Changeling Hive
“Report.”
The changeling drone prostrated himself on the hard stone floor before the dark spires of Chrysalis’ throne, legs and insect-like wings splayed in submission before his monarch. “Initial reports from our spies in Canterlot have now been confirmed, Majesty. It would seem that Princess Luna has given up her crown.”
The queen of the Changelings leaned forward, the dim lights of the hive making her chitinous back glow with a sickly green hue. A long, black tongue, glistening with a dark ichor, slipped out to drag along her lips as she tasted the emotions swirling through the air. There was a subtle rustling from around her, a whispered chittering, as the entire hive tensed and shifted in excitement along with their queen. “How interesting. Have we also confirmed the report that Luna intends to travel alone? Without a guard or escort?”
The drone risked a glance up at his beautiful and terrible queen and nodded. “Yes, Majesty. One of our other spies overheard her speaking with Princess Celestia. The two argued about the need for protection and an escort but Luna insisted that she be allowed to move as if she was merely a common pony.”
Chrysalis’ smile widened to display long, sharp teeth. The drone shrank back, fearing that he had said something the queen disliked, only to gasp and quiver in near ecstasy as the warmth of pure, freshly harvested love surged through him. He whimpered, his glowing eyes closing as he lost himself to the pleasure of it, feeling the gnawing hunger in his belly withdrawing till it was the barest whisper. He opened his eyes to gaze up adoringly at his generous monarch. “Th-thank you, my Queen.”
Chrysalis grunted and flicked a hoof to dismiss him. The drone rose, staggering slightly from the after-effects of the rich and filling meal. He left, followed by the envious stares of dozens of eyes. Chrysalis uncurled from her throne like a languid feline, rising to her hooves and slowly circling the room, weaving her way between the ragged spikes of rock that ensured no attacker would be able to simply charge right up to her throne with a knife.
“Malphigian.”
A form detached itself from the shadows at its queen’s command. This drone was bigger than many of her hivemates, her chitin shining, her horn razor sharp. “I serve at my Queen’s command,” she rasped as she bowed her head till her horn touched the floor. “What is your bidding, Majesty?”
Chrysalis continued to move as she spoke. “Gather up ten, no. Twelve, of your finest infiltrators. I want them posted on all the major roads leaving Canterlot. I want additional infiltrators in every tavern, inn, hostel, waystation and stable where our former Princess might bed down for the night. I want her found.”
Malpighian nodded. “As you command, Majesty. And when they find her?”
“They are to report back so we can gather additional forces.” Chrysalis stated. “Once she has moved far enough from the safety of the castle, we will strike. We will overwhelm her with more drones than she can hope to repel.” She suddenly turned, grasping Malphigian’s face between her hooves, her emerald green eyes blazing with a sickly light. “She will be brought back to this hive and once cocooned she will provide enough love and magic to power this hive for decades! No more living on scraps! The failure at Canterlot will be nothing but a memory and we will be triumphant!” Her voice rose until the very room resonated with every word, the surrounding drones hissing and chittering with excitement!
“As my Queen commands,” Malphigian replied as she bowed once more and turned to put her Queen’s plan into action. Soon. Soon they would never be hungry again.
Canterlot - Offices of the Canterlot Daily
“You’re sure?”
Nosey News nodded eagerly. “Princess Celestia tried to order every one to secrecy, but you know what ponies are like. They can’t resist sharing a story.”
Peppermint Page, editor of the newspaper, sat down behind his desk, chewing thoughtfully on the toothpick that seemed to live permanently in his mouth, staring across the expanse of folders and papers at Nosey.
The unicorn fidgeted in place under her boss’s regard. “I swear it’s legit, boss.” Nosey insisted. “We’ve got to get this out in the evening edition! We can’t be the only paper that knows about it.”
Page pursed his lips and sucked air through his teeth, absently rubbing a hoof over his thick brown moustache as he stared at his less-than-favourite reporter. “This ain’t gonna be like that Pigasus debacle again, is it? Because y’left us lookin’ like some two-bit gossip rag when ya went harin’ off after that load’a hooey”
Nosey coloured, ducking her head down to try and hide behind strands of her long, black hair. “No,” she muttered. “No, boss. I’ll stake my job on it. I heard it from one of Jet Set’s servants who heard it from Jet Set himself. The Princess said she was abdicating the throne and there was nothing Celestia could do to change her mind.”
Page grunted. He chewed on the toothpick as he rocked slightly in his worn leather chair, the wheels squeaking as he moved. “Will this servant go on the record? I’m guessin’ not as the Princess tried t’keep it quiet” He rolled the toothpick from one side of his mouth to the other, clicking his tongue thoughtfully.
“We’d be inviting a load of shit from the castle if we broke the story…” he mused out loud as he slowly spun in his chair. “But if this source of yours is right, if you ain’t just pullin’ this out your plot, this’ll be biggest story since Princess Luna’s return. Hell, this might be the biggest story ever!” He spun his chair back around to face Nosey. “Now what kind of newspony would I be if I let that slide?”
He slammed a hoof down onto the intercom on his desk. “Staff meeting, my office, five minutes ago! I want all senior writers and all the legal team in here, and I want the front page for the evening edition held!” He released the button and jabbed a hoof at Nosey. “You got half an hour. Write it.”
Canterlot - Barracks of the Night Guard
“Settle down. SETTLE DOWN! Oh for the love of the night, ATTEN-SHUN!”
The thunder of hooves slamming to the floor brought a brief moment of silence. Night Guard Captain Ember took a slow, deep breath. Calm. Must remain calm. Can’t treat them all like the toddlers they suddenly seemed to have devolved into. She shook herself and lifted her eyes to meet the ranks of the Night Guard that stood at attention before her.
“At ease. And keep your mouths shut, if you’d be so kind.” She growled, waiting until the rustling and shifting had stopped. “I see scuttlebutt goes ahead of the official announcement. As none of you seem to have the patience of a foal at Hearth’s Warming, I suppose it falls to me to clear the air. The rumours are true. Princess Luna is step-DID I SAY YOU COULD SPEAK?” She thundered as the room erupted with noise, ponies gasping, arguing, and then quickly falling silent again. “Celestia’s sainted tits! Will you lot just hold yourselves in check for one godsdamned minute so I can get through this and THEN you can resume your panicking on your own time. THANK you.”
She sighed, loudly, tipping her helmet back to rub between her eyes at the headache that was coming along nicely. As if this whole thing wasn’t enough of a kick in the knackers. “Princess Luna, our Mistress, is stepping down. Let’s be honest, nopony here should be surprised by that. We’ve all talked about it, gossiped about it. Even heard the Mistress herself grousing about it when it’s just been her and us together. We knew, WE KNEW, this might happen.” She raised her voice again to drown out a rising murmur from the ranks. “We knew,” she repeated, “and plans have been made. She’ll argue with us. She’ll fight about it, but in the end we’ll win. We all know what will happen the moment she sets hoof outside of Canterlot, don’t we?”
Heads nodded and looks were exchanged. None of the Night Guard were fools and, bless their Dark Mistress, she could sometimes be a little headstrong when she got an idea in her head. To think that she could just walk away and be one of the common ponies? There were too many threats to Equestria lurking in the shadows, too many enemies who would see a lone alicorn as an opportunity too tempting, a prize too precious to pass up. And they would take chances where otherwise they might have held off.
Ember let the silence stretch for a moment. “I will be taking volunteers. Four of you. Unmarried ponies without foals only. I want the Mistress guarded day and night. You’ll work in pairs, which means you’ll need to get used to daylight duty. You’ll be issued a helmet with tinted lenses to protect your vision during the daytime alongside your usual issued gear.”
Ember started to pace slowly across the room, taking the time to make eye contact with every one of the batponies in the front rank. “Understand this. When you volunteer, this isn’t just for a shift. Or a week. Or a month. We don’t know how long the Mistress will be gone or if she will ever return to us. This posting could be for life. The hope being that by that point, any threats to the Mistress will have been neutralised.”
She paused to let that sink in as she let her gaze sweep the room once more. “I’m not going to do anything as daft as ask for volunteers to step forward or any of that flickerpic nonsense. You can drop your names into me after morning training.” She paused once more and sighed. “Just…think about it. Understand that you might never come back to Canterlot, or even Equestria again. Who knows where an alicorn might wander?” With that she straightened back up, thumping her hoof to her breastplate.
“NIGHT GUARD!” She bellowed, “Who stands in defence of the Mistress?”
The response was immediate. “We stand!” roared dozens of voices in unison, every batpony there standing a little straighter as they recited the Night Guard creed.
“Who stands in defence of the night and the dream?”
“We stand!”
“What do we do when our enemies surround us and our comrades fall?”
“We stand!”
“What do we do when the ground quakes and the heavens shatter?”
“We stand!”
“Night Guard! What will we do when all is lost?”
“WE WILL STAND.”
“Dismissed!”
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"Celestia's sainted tits".
You win the Internet.
No, no, that'll come later.
Ehhh, gonna need a whole lotta drones then, Chryssi, because something tells me it won't be that easy to snag Luna like that. She is still a powerful alicorn, first of all, and one often believed to be more combat trained than the likes of Celestia, so...(and that all assumes you really CAN catch her alone in the first place)
Sure, if you throw enough drones at her all at once, you can still take her down. Nothing is so powerful that numbers can't still overwhelm it if you have enough of them. It's just getting enough numbers with which to do that with that'll be the tricky part, and I can't help but think that whatever number of drones you plan on sending, Chryssi, it's still not going to be enough.
A respectable one, maybe?
Truthfully for all their fuss has anyone actually bothered to think about Luna. Her guards only want her because she is a princess. Shining is more interested in security than her. Twilight is caring about Celestia. And none them care to make Luna feel needed.
Ha you weren't expecting it to be so well received were you, but I have to wonder why you didn't it's a Luna fic and an interesting idea did you think it was going to be ignored by the fans?
11718885
Her guards likely understand why she's stepping down, but still realize that she's an important figure in the world and Equestria's enemies aren't just going to let her walk around freely. There's a reason why former US presidents still have Secret Service details.
11719044
Yeah but do they want her to stay and be unhappy. If they want her to stay and be safe then make her wanted by the people.
Poor Chrysalis she has no clue about what she is walking into. I kinda hope this gets her hive to start defecting faster.
BORK!
Wrong story Rahs!
This looks very promising.
Great story