Death of a Queen, V2.

by Arkane12

47: Coming Back to Bite Us

Chrysalis hefted the door open and stepped into the castle. The cold marble only amplified the chill from outside. She let the door fall shut behind her, only for it to be stopped by a pink light wrapping around the handle.

“Wait for me,” Twilight said, slipping through the gap in the door.

“I am waiting for you. I just needed to get out of the cold. I don’t know how you ponies stand it.” To put a fine point on it, Chrysalis started to shiver.

“Well, the fur helps,” Twilight admitted. In a cat-like manner, she brushed up against Chrysalis’ dark shell, letting her feel her body heat. “Is that any better?”

“A bit, I suppose,” Chrysalis said.

The two of them stood in one of the outermost hallways of the castle. Light poured in from a row of windows on the nearby wall. Outside, across the garden walkway, the tops of buildings could be seen over the castle wall. Above those, pegasi weaved their way through the sky, gathering tufts of clouds to gather into larger shapes.

“They’re preparing for snow,” Twilight answered in response to Chrysalis’ unasked question. Chrysalis glanced away from the scene in the sky to toss a confused glance at Twilight.

“What possible reason could they have for wanting snow?” Chrysalis scoffed.

“Well . . .” Twilight eyes danced back and forth as she considered the question. “A snow day makes for an excellent bonding experience. Fillies and Colts get out of school and play together. You know, making snow ponies or starting snowball fights. It helps build social skills.” She took a breath. “And that’s not including the meteorological and economical ramifications.” She shrugged. “Plus, it’s fun.”

“Fun. Right.” Chrysalis sighed. “Of course I would hate your idea of fun. Whatever.” She took a step forward. “Why are we just standing here?”

“Because you were mesmerized by the impending snowstorm?” Twilight’s suggestion earned her a cold glare. “But you make a good point. I should probably go see Princess Luna. She’ll want to know how the mission went.” Twilight slipped a hoof into her bag, fishing for the piece of paper she’d stashed away. “Plus, I need to give her the ingredients list. Celestia knows how long some of those herbs will take to find, so we should get started looking soon.”

“And what about me?” Chrysalis asked.

“You could come with me.”

“I would prefer to head up to my bedroom and get out of this wretched cold.”

“Oh. Okay. I’ll find somepony to escort you.” Twilight glanced back and forth, searching for the nearest guard she could find. Before she could call him over, Chrysalis stopped her.

“This castle can’t be as labyrinthine as my hive. I’m sure I’ll be able to find it myself.” Chrysalis puffed her chest out proudly. “You could at least try having a little faith in me, Twilight.” The changeling turned and started off toward one end of the hallway.

The captain’s words returned to Twilight. “Hey, are you sure you don’t want somepony to come with you? It could be dangerous or you could get lost.”

Chrysalis narrowed her eye. “Twilight, I’m quite capable of handling myself. I’ve been doing it longer than you’ve been alive.”

“Well, yeah, but—”

“You go do whatever you need to do, Twilight. The sooner that’s over with, the sooner we can meet back up.”

Twilight frowned. “Alright.” She called after her. “I’ll probably swing by the mess hall first for some lunch. After that, I’ll stop by to check in on you. Does that sound okay?”

“Sounds great,” Chrysalis yelled back.

“Do you want me to bring you anything?”

“Nope.” Chrysalis offered an impatient wave as she rounded the corner and disappeared from sight. Snickering to herself, Twilight turned and started in the opposite direction.

Twilight hummed to herself as she walked through hallway after hallway. Whenever she passed, the guards would snap to attention. She responded to each of them with a hefty nod, unwilling to interrupt her own song. Eventually, her path led her to a great wooden door. The guards on either side stepped in front of the Princess, blocking her.

“Something the matter, Guardsman?”

The older of the two stallions stepped forward. “Going to see Princess Luna?” He waited for Twilight to nod before continuing. “Then we’ll escort you there.”

Twilight chuckled. “Your offer is appreciated, but isn’t necessary.”

“Orders from Princess Luna, I’m afraid,” the younger guard said.

“Oh.” Twilight glanced down at her hooves. During the lull in their conversation, she could hear the voices of an angry crowd of ponies coming from the other side of the door. “Is something going on?”

“I think Princess Luna should explain.” The senior guard nodded to his underling, who in turn unlatched the lock. He cracked the door open and slipped through. The guard motioned for Twilight to follow.

Taking a deep breath, Twilight followed into the next room, keenly aware of the other guard falling in behind her. In the castle entryway, a crowd of over a hundred ponies were waiting. Some were dressed as members of the press, their notepads ready and questions bubbling on the tip of their tongue.

But there were others amidst the crowd. Regular looking mares and stallions, dressed in attire not gaudy enough to belong to a noble had flooded the place, each of them with their brows furrowed and noses wrinkled. When the first of them took notice of Twilight, she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

“Where have you been, Princess? We’ve been waiting for you!” A mare yelled.

Twilight searched for where the voice had come from, but her escort urged her forward. The damage had already been done, though. At the announcement on her title, the whole of the room turned to face her. Questions bombarded her as she and her guards tried to push through.

“Princess, the public need to know what’s happened with Princess Celestia?”

“She’s--”

“Is it true that the changelings have infiltrated the palace?”

“No, King Thorax--”

“Are you the real Twilight Sparkle?”

“What? Of course--”

By the time her mind could formulate an answer, the next question had already arrived. The crowd swarmed like ants. Twilight’s escorts brandished their weapons, using them to keep a barrier between the princess and the crowd.

“We know the truth, Princess! You won’t get away with this!”

“Get away with what?”

Somewhere in the crowd, a unicorn’s horn started to glow. Their magic pulled at the guards’ weapons, causing the guard to stumble toward the crowd. Twilight tried to help, but he motioned for her to keep going. They passed the halfway point of the room. The two soldiers in front of the Throne Room door cleared a path the rest of the way, allowing Twilight through unhampered.

As the door opened, another squad of guards poured out. They brushed past Twilight and spread out, brandishing their weapon and pushing back the rowdy crowd. More and more soldiers arrived, their numbers eventually overwhelming and quelling the unrest. Before she could say anything, a strong hoof took Twilight by the shoulder and pulled her into the throne room. In a matter of seconds, she found herself being smothered in pink fur.

“Twilight?” Cadance stroked her little sister’s mane lovingly. “I’m glad you’re safe. I was worried about you.”

“I can see that.” Twilight squirmed until she was free enough to breathe again. “What in Celestia’s name happened while I was gone?”

Cadance released her death-grip hug and stepped back. “Where do I even begin?” She sighed. “Things have been bad. But Luna will want to fill you in on the details herself.” With a step to the side, Cadance motioned to Luna, who currently sat amidst a half-dozen squabbling nobles in the middle of the room.

“Can’t you see that things are getting out of hand, Princess? How much longer do you intend on keeping this charade going?”

“And what charade is that, Lord Brass?” Luna snarled. No matter how badly she wanted to interrupt, Twilight kept her distance. Another yelling voice wouldn’t solve anything.

“You know exactly what I’m referring to.” Lord Brass, spoke each word with a cloud of spittle. “Allowing those bugs to take up residence in Castle Canterlot. What in Equestria made you think that decision wouldn’t come back to bite you?”

“And what would you have done in this scenario? Tossed them out onto the streets. They are here as emissaries of the Changeling nation. They have just as much right to be here as any other diplomat.”

As Luna’s voice grew louder, Twilight felt a pang of sympathy in her chest. In the short time since she left to rescue Chrysalis, Luna had seemingly aged centuries. The lines on her face were more pronounced, her eyes sunken.

“Don’t play these games with me, Luna. These bugs are--”

“You will speak with the respect afforded to this court, Lord Brass.” Luna’s voice shook the castle to its very foundations. “And you will not speak ill of our guests in such a manner.”

“Despite his uncouthness, I do believe that Lord Brass makes a fine point,” one of the mares said as she stepped between Luna and the noble in question. “Can you hear the crowd out there, Princess Luna? They need somepony to be held accountable for all this chaos. If we don’t give them one, they’ll tear this castle down.”

“So, you expect me to simply throw the king of the changelings to the masses?” Luna growled.

“No. Not all of them. Chrysalis.”

Luna sighed and gritted her teeth. “And you think that would work? It was not Chrysalis they attacked in the streets.”

“I know this is difficult, Princess--”

The noble mare, Lady Berry, was shoved aside as Lord Brass continued his tirade. “It’s because you’re weak, Luna. If Celestia were here, none of this would have happened.”

The air grew a little colder. The shadows reached a little further. During the pause, Luna took a second to compose herself. “This conversation is over.”

Lord Brass stomped forward defiantly. “Don’t you run away from me, Luna.”

Twilight had just about reached her limit. She moved to give the Lord a piece of her mind, but a dark hoof reached out in front of her, blocking her path. She hadn’t noticed the thestral standing beside her until just this moment.

“Relax, Princess,” he said, a wicked smile revealing his fangs. “Princess Luna’s got this under control.”

“Lord Brass,” Luna said, her voice pleasant and steady. “Believe it or not, I have better things to do than listen to foolish little nobles who have far overstepped their authority. If you wish to return tomorrow and offer an actual argument for your case, then I would be happy to hear it.”

The snobbish noble tried to speak, but Luna silenced him with an icy glare.

“But as it stands for the moment, you have done nothing but insult me, our changeling guests, and the very throne of Equestria. You have made it very clear you have done nothing but come here to argue. And such childish arguments are beneath me. So return to your mansion and vent to your servants if you wish. Now, if you would excuse me, I have important duties to attend to.”

Brass stood, his mouth agape. He stuttered his way through several half-insults before falling into silent disbelief. But more interesting to Twilight were the worried glances the nobles exchanged.

As Luna turned her back on the court, she held her head high before marching off for the stairs hidden at the back of the room. Cadance motioned for Twilight to do the same, prompting the thestral to lower his blockade and allow her past.

Several of the nobles called for Twilight as she glided past them, but she ignored them, keeping her gaze locked on Luna. The two of them reached the bottom step at the same time.

“Luna?” Twilight asked, craning her neck to get a look at the other mare’s face.

Luna’s forward momentum never wavered. “Come with me, Twilight. We have much to discuss. In private, please.”

Twilight followed Luna to the castle’s upper levels. Partway up the stairs, they were joined by a duo of thestrals dressed in the dark blue of the Lunar Guard. Twilight recognized the stallion as the one who had restrained her earlier. Beside him, a similarly dark mare wore almost identical armor. They kept their distance, but followed Twilight as silently as her own shadow.

“Luna?” Twilight tried again once they reached the top of the stairs. “What happened? What was that argument about?” This time, her questions went completely ignored. Twilight frowned. She didn’t realize she was falling farther behind until she was flanked by the two thestral guards.

“Don’t take it personally, Princess,” the stallion said.

“Yeah,” the mare agreed. “Luna’s just been having a rough go of it.”

“Is it normally that bad?” Twilight asked. “With the nobles, I mean? They looked about ready to attack her.”

“They would die before they got the chance,” the dark mare said.

The stallion beside them laughed.“They’re stupid, but not that stupid.”

The rest of their journey passed in silence. Eventually, Luna led the group to her room. She threw the doors open with a flick of her horn and marched inside. The two thestrals took up positions on either side of the door. Unlike the other guards, they didn’t bother trying to be stoic. In fact, both of them looked about ready to lay down and fall asleep on the spot.

Steeling herself, Twilight plunged into the darkness of Luna’s bedroom. The doors closed behind her with an eerie creak. Despite the clock on the wall reading a few hours past noon, the heavy curtains smothered any hope of daylight breaching through the windows. Luna herself blended with the dark.

“Luna?” Twilight kept her voice low.

The princess in question stood beneath the windows, inspecting a table laden with jewelry cases and the same pony-head mannequin Twilight had at home for holding her crown. But Luna’s crown didn’t adorn the model. Instead, Luna held it in front of her face, seemingly examining the jewel upon its brow.

“Luna? Are you okay?” Twilight dared to take another step closer.

“No.” Luna turned toward the full-body mirror beside her dressing station. She stared intently at her own reflection, and at the reflection of the crown in her grasp.

“They’re wrong about you. You know--”

A crunch of glass caused Twilight to flinch. A long, webbing crack split Luna’s image into pieces. Her crown clattered against the tile, bouncing twice before scraping to a stop at Twilight’s hooves.

“Stop! We both know the truth, Twilight.”

With a gentle touch, Twilight lifted the crown from the floor. “And what truth is that?”

“I am not my sister. I never will be.”

Twilight set the crown upon its stand. “No one is asking you to be Celestia.”

“Everypony is asking that.” Luna tore her gaze from her broken image. “If she were here, and I were the one dying in the next room . . . do you think those nobles would have questioned Celestia? Do you think a changeling would have been attacked in the streets?”

Twilight’s heart dropped like a stone. “What happened, Luna?”

Another long sigh. One that carried a lifetime of pain behind it. One desperate for respite. “The secret is out. The ponies of Canterlot know of Celestia’s fate. And they know Chrysalis is responsible.”

“What?” Twilight’s eyes widened. “How?”

“Someone from the castle leaked the story to the press. In less than a day, a changeling from Thorax’s entourage was attacked. Nothing serious, thank Celestia, but that is only a harbinger of things to come.”

Twilight reeled like she’d been slugged in the gut. “Then that crowd gathered back there . . . ”

“They want revenge. They are calling for Chrysalis’ head. Some of them believe that the rest of the changelings should share the blame.” Luna shook her head. “It is chaos, Twilight. Absolute chaos.”

Twilight was only half listening. In her mind’s eye, she saw Chrysalis suffering at the hooves of an angry mob. Just the thought of it was causing her heart to race. “They must not know the whole truth, then. Chrysalis is trying to help me save Celestia.”

“They do not care. They are scared. Confused. Angry. The ponies of Equestria want revenge for their perfect princess. And the nobles want to force me to comply.”

Twilight’s back legs wavered, forcing her to sit. “Who?” was all she could mutter.

Luna contemplated the broken mirror.

“Who told them, Luna?”

Luna shook her head. “I do not know. I have trusted agents following leads. But so far, they have found nothing substantial.”

“Tell me what they’ve found,” Twilight demanded. “I’ll find answers.”

“No, you will not,” Luna shot back. “There are more than a few ponies already clamoring to make you into a villain as well. I want you to stay clear of this whole mess. Besides, you already have your task. Save Celestia. If you succeed at that, then nothing else will matter. Leave the matter of Chrysalis and the nobles to me”

“What?” Twilight snarled. “And what are you going to do, just give up Chrysalis on a silver platter? I won’t let you.” Twilight was back on her hooves, her heart thudding in her ears.

In the reflection, Luna’s eye twitched. She whirled around to face Twilight. The sudden motion and Luna’s flared wings caused Twilight’s bravado to falter momentarily. “Be silent. I have no intention of handing her over to them.”

“You . . .” Twilight repeated the words in her head to make sure she understood. “You’re not going to give her up?”

“Of course not--”

Before Luna could get another word out, Twilight lunged toward her, throwing her hooves around her neck in the most oppressive hug she could manage. “Thank you, Luna. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

The display disarmed Luna completely.

“Calm yourself, Twilight. You risk breaking my neck like that.”

“I’m sorry.” Despite the apology, Twilight didn’t loosen her grip. “And don’t take this the wrong way, but . . . why? I thought you hated Chrysalis?”

“I did. On a fundamental level, I think I still do.” Even in her sorrowed state, Luna managed a morose chuckle. “But I have had much to think about since we escaped the Nightmare’s realm. I have not yet forgiven Chrysalis for what she did to my sister. And though I am far from happy about it, I must admit that I owe her my life.”

Twilight finally released the other alicorn from her death grip. “What?”

“After the Nightmare was defeated, that world started to crumble. I tried to hold everything together long enough for her to get you out.” As Luna’s story continued, Twilight couldn’t help but hear her tone becoming more begrudging. “But she refused to leave me behind. She saved my life.”

“She never told me.”

“That is something you will have to discuss with her.”

Twilight felt proud of Chrysalis. Even after all the bluffing and bluster, she still saved Luna, and probably all of Equestria. It only made her more eager to finish this conversation and meet back up with her.

Twilight shook her head. “Nevermind that for now. What about you?”

Luna arched her brow. “What about me?”

“If you defend Chrysalis, you’ll end up in trouble, too.”

“I know.”

“Luna . . .” Twilight put a hoof on Luna’s cheek. “They’ll blame you, too.”

“I am aware. But I am not afraid of some sniveling nobles. They will do everything in their power to undermine me. But I will not break as easily as they seem to think I will.” Luna smiled, but even that looked tired. “Do not worry for my sake, Twilight. Just do what you can to save Celestia. For now, that is what is most important.”

“Alright.” Twilight nodded. “I have a list of supplies that I need to complete it.”

“Leave it with one of my Justicars outside. They will take care of it.” Their conversation drifted into silence. Twilight could sense the hesitancy in Luna’s motions.

“Is there something else?” Twilight asked, tilting her head with a foalish smile.

“There is. And I do not think you will like it.” Twilight puffed out her chest and tried to put on a brave face. “Until I can track down who is leaking information to the press, I am pulling the Royal Guard from the upper levels of the castle.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?” Twilight asked. She glanced back toward the door, knowing Luna’s personal guards were just on the other side.

“In the meantime, the Lunar Guard and the Solar Guard will take care of security.” The lines in Luna’s face deepened. “They are the most elite of the military, beyond even the Royal Guard, hoof-picked by me and Celestia for both ability and loyalty. They can be trusted.”

Twilight had only ever seen these elites once or twice. Unlike the Royal Guard, the Solar and Lunar guards were not loyal to Equestria. Instead, they swore their loyalty directly to their princesses. They would guard them with their lives.

“I understand,” Twilight said.

“And, for the time being, I would ask that neither you nor Chrysalis journey from the upper levels. It is the only way to guarantee both of you remain safe.”

“Chrysalis won’t like that . . .” Twilight frowned. “But I think I can convince her.”

“To help you persuade her, I will also offer this. Do you know the abandoned tower at the far end of this wing?” Twilight nodded. “I am giving it to Chrysalis, to do with as she pleases.”

Twilight could only imagine how thrilled Chrysalis would be. Inwardly, of course. Outwardly, she’d probably make a joke and act like she hated it. Such was the duality of Chrysalis.

“I’ll tell her,” Twilight said. “I’m sure she’ll love having a place to call her own.”

“Good.” This time, Luna was the one to initiate their embrace. “You have protected Equestria from a great many threats in your time, Twilight. Yet, I fear this may be one of the most difficult challenges yet. Know that I have the utmost confidence in you. I know you will make Celestia proud.”

“Thank you, Luna.”

The alicorns shared a moment of quiet camaraderie.

“Now go prove all those doubters wrong. Show them why Celestia chose you.”

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Is this story a sequel or not?

[Ralanost]

I don't know why I'm still reading this story. I like the characters and I know what I want from the story, but the title and feel from the story just gives me anxiety. I want Celestia to be saved. I want Twilight and Chrysalis to be a thing and eventually find some happiness. Yet I keep reading.

[vectorVll]

I think this is my favorite con before the storm moment. If I remember correctly the escalation heightens significantly around this point.

P.s another amazing chapter as well

[Arkane12]

11820454
So, this one is a rewrite of the original story. Not a sequel.

[Arkane12]

11820531
You had me concerned a moment there.

[Arkane12]

11820533
The last few chapters have some wholly new stuff compared to the original. In fact, I think it's mostly new stuff from here on out.

[DopplerEffect]

Gaah, the interactions between Chrysalis and Twilight are so sweet!

[Arkane12]

11820721
Im glad you think so.

[GeneraLeeDiscord]

A leak? Honestly there's plenty of people that would love to ruin everything just because a changeling is involved. Also coin tends to loosen the lips a bit