139. Mended Fences
Fluttershy stifled a yawn. She had been training under Provato’s eye since dawn (having woken up much earlier so that her animals would have their food in their bowls) for several hours. As such, she hadn’t read in the newspapers about the important announcement Princess Celestia was to make in Canterlot at noon. However, Pinkie Pie came for her about an hour earlier, saying that it would be a great idea to watch it together at Twilight’s library, so that they could keep Spike company.
“Not just Spike,” she thought with amusement, pushing away her sleepiness as she opened the window.
What would usually be the sound of the rustling of leaves as the wind blew through the branches was now like normal speech. Well, not normal; the trees talked in a very different way than ponies. Their sense of time alone was much different. To the Golden Oak, Twilight and Spike had moved into it recently.
Despite what one could think, the tree was quite happy to have others living inside of it. The “recent change” made life for it more interesting, in comparison to the centuries it lived before.
“Fluttershy, come on!” Pinkie Pie called her from behind, shifting her attention back to them. “It’s about to start!”
“Oh, right, sorry,” she apologized, trotting back to them.
“Are you alright?” Nymph asked, looking at her with confusion and concern.
Before she came to get her, Pinkie had run into Nymph, and invited her and Big Mac as well. Fluttershy wasn’t entirely sure if that was a good idea; she would have thought that maybe they would have liked to spend the day in private. But then again, given the subject of the announcement…
The other changeling, Wind Reaver, was also present. Unlike Nymph, he chose his real appearance, which, as shameful as it was, unnerved Fluttershy a bit. It wasn’t just his bug-like look, or the sharp fangs that scared her (if she had issue with things like those alone, she would have a much easier time getting over them; after all, she helped many critters that were either insects or had really big fangs); it was that whenever his wings buzzed, she couldn’t help but remember the fight back in Canterlot not so long ago.
And he kept buzzing them every once in a while. By now Fluttershy had realized that he must have sensed her discomfort, because she caught him glancing at her with an expression oddly familiar to Rainbow Dash when she was annoying somepony on purpose.
“Yes I am, sorry,” Fluttershy told Nymph as she sat beside her and Pinkie Pie. The changeling was in her usual form of a black unicorn, her coat touching Big Mac’s who was on her other side. “I wanted to breathe some fresh air.”
She really hated lying to her friends, but Provato had asked her to keep his identity and everything he was teaching her to herself for now, and she would have hated to disappoint him. And even if she could tell them, how exactly was she going to explain that she could now talk with trees? “Dashie would just love this,” Fluttershy thought humorously.
“Well, we have a draft now,” Pinkie said happily, glancing at the window she left open.
“Okay…” Everypony’s attention turned to the dragon, who was working on the switches of Twilight’s television. The vision had finally become clear, letting them watch the balcony of the Canterlot Castle from where Celestia would make her announcement. “Sorry about that,” Spike said, walking away from the television and sitting beside them, “Twilight doesn’t use it too often, so the manual arcane calibration got-”
“Arcane whatsit?” Pinkie asked, tilting her head in confusion as she voiced Fluttershy’s question.
The baby dragon rolled his eyes. “The option to change channels got busted.”
“Oooh,” Pinkie exclaimed, “why didn’t you say so?”
“Um, Pinkie, he did,” Nymph said, looking at the pink pony shily. “He just used a more precise-”
“Oh oh, look!” Pinkie exclaimed, cutting the changeling off. “It’s starting!”
Fluttershy gave the slightly baffled Nymph an apologetic look before she turned her attention on the television. She managed to get a glimpse of the vast crowd gathered beneath the balcony before it switched to Princess Celestia, as she, flanked by her sister, Princess Luna, as well as Princess Cadance, walked towards the edge of the balcony, to address their subjects. The camera pony - probably a pegasus, guessing from the angle of the shot - briefly let it slide to the ponies standing behind them. Aside from a few guards, there were also a few other ponies present, and in the small group Fluttershy had easily managed to recognise three.
But there was something off with the expressions on their faces and motions they made. “Are they arguing?” Fluttershy thought, worried.
“Rough night?” Shining Armor asked him, smirking, as he stifled a yawn.
Arthas glanced at him, angrily; his comment made Twilight glare at both of them. Whether the look she was giving them meant that she was offended that they were talking now, when the Princess was about to address Equestria, or… she was mad about what Shining Armor was possibly referring too.
“I suppose you could say so,” he told him in a hushed voice. “Discussing all the details with Nymph and the Princesses via my mirror did take several hours.”
“Oh, I see,” the unicorn prince replied, slightly abashed. “So… you didn’t have any time to spend with Rainbow Dash?”
Arthas’s jaw dropped. He looked at Shining Armor, stunned that he would ask him so directly about his private life. Twilight, also surprised, frowned, and suddenly started paying more attention to their conversation. And she wasn’t the only one; one of the night guards’ ear twitched and he turned his head towards them, his lips curling in amusement. Arthas had also noticed passing smirks on the faces of the group on the opposite side of the balcony.
Glaring at the young bat pony with such intensity that the guard quickly looked away and ignoring them, the paladin addressed Shining Armor. “Since you’ve never put that much interest in my private life, I am going to assume your wife put you up to this.”
“Maybe.”
“Well then, even though it’s none of your business, you can report to her that Rainbow and I are no longer in any sort of relationship.”
“Really?” Twilight asked in a weird voice. “What happened?”
“Yes, why did she dump you?”
Arthas eyes widened, but then he frowned and looked back. “She didn’t dump me, Knight Tucker, it was mutual.”
Tucker, who Arthas took to Canterlot together with Guard Shield to represent the Order during Celestia’s announcement, smirked at him from beside the wall where he stood. “Mutual in what way? Mutual in the sense that you were both single the moment after she dumped you?” He then quickly added: “Sir?”
He opened his mouth, but then closed it. “Wait, why am talking to you about this?” Arthas wondered out loud. “Cleaning duty for three days,” he added, noticing the amusement on Tucker’s face. The aqua unicorn’s face fell. Guard, on the other hoof, as well as two ponies from Night Guard, Royal Guard and Crystal Guard each, all snickered. “Nothing happened,” Arthas told then Twilight and Shining Armor quietly. “We both… kind of grew tired of this some time ago. Rainbow and I talked last night after she had found Wind Reaver; she told me that she felt that she was becoming a bit too attached to me for her tastes, and I… well, I suppose in the end I am just not cut out for such a relationship without commitment.”
Shining Armor (who probably remembered everything to report to the Princess of Love later) nodded, accepting the explanation, but Arthas was far more interested in Twilight’s reaction. For a brief second, before she turned her head, he could have sworn that he saw her smile.
That… unnerved him. Arthas remembered - vividly - what Celestia had told him, that his relationship with Rainbow Dash was hurting Twilight, even if she wasn’t aware of that. Could it be that she had realized how she truly felt about it? Arthas couldn’t remember anything different in her behaviour that would suggest if she was hurt by his… stupidity. But what was that smile supposed to mean if not-
“Maybe,” he suddenly realized, “Twilight is glad that there’s absolutely nothing now between me and Rainbow because she wants to try and be more than friends…”
Could that be true? Arthas went back in his memories to that night in Altomare, when they’ve both decided that it would be best if they’d remain friends… had she changed her mind since then? Granted, what she had done after Rarity’s Birthday Party could be a big giveaway, but she was drunk…
“It’s starting.”
Twilight’s voice pulled him from his musings. Arthas shook his head and - trying to not think about his personal life - watched as Princess Celestia took first steps on the path to change the relations of two nations.
Celestia looked down at her ponies, her subjects, taking in their sight. She had served as their ruler for over a thousand years - most of those years by herself - all while leading them with a strong will and kind heart, despite how torn it was over what she had done to her sister. Now Luna was back, ruling together with her… and yet, despite that, despite of all the centuries of experience Celestia had, despite how many important speeches she had made… she found herself feeling slightly nervous about this one.
She forced herself to calm down. True, what she was about to announce was probably the most controversial matter Equestria had to face during her rule. However, Celestia had trust in her ponies that they would see the wisdom in the course they had decided to take.
Sensing her sister and niece’s comforting support, Princess Celestia smiled and started her announcement. “Citizens of Equestria,” she started, her voice carrying across the square, “I am grateful that so many of you have gathered here to hear my announcement, and so many more across our beautiful kingdom are watching or listening to it in their homes. Especially since you were informed about it so recently. I apologize about it, but I wanted to say this to all of Equestria as soon as possible.”
She smiled as she watched the ponies below her all murmur between themselves and stare at her with increased interest.
“Nopony can deny that Equestria is a special land,” Celestia continued, knowing she couldn’t she just drop the news on them without first preparing them. “This nation was born of love and friendship and throughout the two millenia Equestria had existed, we upheld the ideals the Six Founders had been inspired by, and no matter what storm we had faced, we stayed true to them. Just within the two last years this kingdom has been through a lot; the return of the Nightmare Moon, Discord escaping from his prison, and the Changeling Invasion. But we had prevailed!”
She raised her voice on that last sentence, and the crowd below cheered in agreement. Celestia waited until they've calmed down before she continued:
“My sister Luna was purged of the darkness known as Nightmare Moon and returned to me and all of Equestria as the rightful Princess of the Night!” Once again, ponies below cheered, a lot of them shouting ‘Princess Luna! Princess Luna!’. Celestia glanced at her sister; she was smiling, touched by the love in their cheers. “Discord had been once again imprisoned in stone, by the same brave heroes who saved Princess Luna, and brought back harmony to Equestria!” Another round of cheers; this time, though, there were less ponies shouting names. Twilight and her friends weren’t as famous as Luna, though Celestia thought it to be a good thing.
“Especially for Fluttershy,” she added humorously in her mind.
“And when the changelings had tried to invade Canterlot and almost won, they were defeated by the love of Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor!” she finished, and once more the crowd cheered.
Celestia did not miss the mild annoyance on the face of the pony leading the small group standing on the side of the balcony.
“The attack of the Changeling Swarm wasn’t the only occurrence when ponies were wronged by changelings, although it was the most known one,” Celestia said, finally getting near the real reason of this speech. “For over a thousand years, they’ve been stealing ponies’ love and feeding of it. For over a thousand years, they were our enemy. But… from this day forward, this will be no more.”
“I hope,” she added in her thoughts as she motioned the pony who got briefly annoyed earlier to step forward.
“Because on this day,” Celestia said as the black coated unicorn mare with a green mane stopped beside her, “Equestria and the Changeling Swarm are finally going to become allies.”
And with those words, green flames flashed around the mare standing next to her, and she changed into Queen Chrysalis. Likewise, the small group she had brought along to Canterlot also revealed their true forms.
The crowd of ponies fell silent. Celestia watched as they stared with widening eyes at the Changeling Queen, stunned. She recalled hearing about how in Ponyville everypony reacted when Nymph and Wind Reaver had revealed themselves.
“My beloved subjects,” she spoke before anypony’s shock could turn to fury fueled by fear, and worse, voice that fury, “I understand that this is an unexpected announcement to you, but I urge you; please, listen to what the Changeling Queen has to say, before you pass your judgement on the notion.”
Celestia glanced at the changeling standing next to her and nodded. Chrysalis straightened up a bit and spoke: “Greeting, citizens of Equestria,” she started; Celestia cringed inside a bit at her weird, dis-synchronised voice. “Just like your Princess, I too understand your shock, or even fear or hate. My kind has never been, to put it kindly, on good terms with ponies, and I would have imagined that your opinion about changelings had only grown worse due to our recent attack on Canterlot. However, that event had helped me to realize that the current relations between our two kinds couldn’t go on like it did. And that is why a few weeks ago I had reached out to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, with an offer of peace.”
Chrysalis nodded to Celestia, who, as they had agreed upon earlier when discussing the announcement, spoke to her subjects once more. “We had reservations against the offer, my subjects. Believe me, I had. But my sister and I have given it a lot of thought, and consulted this matter with our trusted advisors, and we came to a decision that Queen Chrysalis’s proposition is worth giving a try. After all, what greater victory is there than turning an enemy into a friend?” Celestia asked, looking at her subjects with love, her words having nothing but honesty. “What should a country, founded on friendship, do other than accept an olive branch when it is extended?”
Her words seemed to hit a spot in everypony, because they all began murmuring between themselves, and Celestia saw more than half nodding their heads.
“Most of you would probably say,” Chrysalis resumed as ponies opinion started to wave in the direction they’ve been hoping it would; everypony fell silent, eager to hear more, “that it is impossible for changelings and ponies to coexist peacefully. That is not true; when I first contacted the Princesses, I had sent, as a proof of good will, my daughter and heir, Nymph-”
Celestia’s eyes widened. “What?”
“-along with just one protector, Wind Reaver, to Ponyville, where they’ve been living openly with ponies for a while now.”
Shaking off the surprise after this revelation, Celestia spoke once more: “The two changelings had been staying under the protection of Sir Lightbringer, the Grand Master of the newly formed Order of Celestial Light. I’ve heard reports from both him and my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic, about how they lived in Ponyville, and neither of them had noticed anything that would suggest coexistence wouldn’t be possible.”
She spoke truly. Though both Twilight and Arthas mentioned that Wind Reaver seemed borderline aggressive at times, and Celestia herself still remembered that he had punched Rainbow Dash shortly after arriving in Ponyville, she considered him to act not too differently from a pony (especially when one would take his rather distressful situation into account). And this relationship forming between Nymph and Big Macintosh was truly heartwarming.
“Furthermore,” Celestia continued, “the two changelings had also made a short trip to the Crystal Empire, where they had an audience with Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor. And even despite having a very good, personal reason to distrust them and their kind, they’ve came to a decision that they spoke truly and the changelings really wished to be friends, and approved of the idea.”
Hearing about Princess Cadance and her husband, whose own wedding was nearly ruined by the very Changeling Queen that now stood beside Celestia, agreed that it was for the best, seemed to speak to ponies the most. Everywhere she looked, Celestia saw faces staring at her and Chrysalis warily, but with hope nonetheless.
Princess Celestia smiled and turned to the Changeling Queen. “Queen Chrysalis,” she said, looking her in the eyes, “let us work together to ensure peace and friendship between our kinds forever more.”
And as she said that, Celestia extended her hoof to the one who mere months ago had bested her and nearly conquered Canterlot.
Chrysalis’s eyes briefly shifted to look at her hoof before she smiled. “My words exactly,” she said, extending her own hoof and grabbing hers.
Before the large crowd gathered at the square and millions of ponies across Equestria who watched this at their homes, they shook hooves.
They didn’t react at once. However, slowly, slower than Celestia wished for, but actually faster than she had hoped for, ponies began stomping in applause. It steadily grew louder, until finally everypony was cheering and the ground beneath them shook as if in stampede.
This was the sign that the Wonderbolts had been waiting for. Still holding Chrysalis hoof, Celestia watched as the kingdom's best flyers shot from behind the castle and charged at the skies. The separated right above the square with such energy, that the sky became ablaze with magical lightning. Which, of course, made the crowd cheer louder.
Celestia smiled, happy that this announcement went so smoothly. “This feels nice,” she murmured.
Chrysalis overheard her. “What?” she asked, smirking. “Shaking hooves with somebody your height?”
The Princess blinked, then snickered, honestly amused by the remark. Indeed, Chrysalis was the first being she met in centuries that matched her height. “Not that,” she told her, letting go of her hoof. “I meant making peace with an enemy. It’s a really nice change of pace after Discord or Bane,” Celestia added as they both turned around.
“I suppose I can understand that. Though I’m afraid I cannot say I am as pleased as you, Princess Celestia,” Chrysalis confessed, glancing back as they began to leave the balcony, along with everypony (“And everyling.”) else. “All those ponies staring… for a changeling, that’s naturally unnerving.”
She was about to assure her that she, too, can understand her (given the nature of her kind), but then a thought hit Celestia. “I think I know of a changeling who is a lot more unnerved right about now.”
Nymph poked her hoof against the floor nervously as Spike turned off the television. For a brief second, the only sound she could hear was Wind’s chuckling, and then-
“You’re Chrysalis’s daughter?!” Pinkie repeated the question she had asked earlier.
“And to think” she thought, cringing. “I was saddened that Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash had already left for their camping trip with the Cutie Mark Crusaders by the time everypony was informed about the royal announcement. If they were all here, it would have been much more awkward… right now, Rarity would have been asking me-”
“So you’re a princess?” Fluttershy asked, her eyes wide.
“Yes, that, Ashvattha, thank you very much.”
“Um… well, yes and no,” Nymph replied, managing to stay somewhat calm thanks to the comfort Big Mac’s proximity was providing her with. “Yes, I am Queen Chrysalis’ daughter and her heir. However, we do not have ‘princesses’. I am the Queen’s Heir.”
“So a princess,” Pinkie Pie summed up.
“I… well, from a technical point of view, I suppose you could say so. But I do not have an actual title ‘princess’.”
“Still, that’s amazing,” Spike exclaimed. “Must have taken you by surprise, huh Big Mac?”
But the red stallion, much to confusion of everybody, shook his head. “Nope.”
Wind was the first to recover. “You told him?” he asked, looking at Nymph with tilted head. “Didn’t expect you to do something like that.”
“Why would I conceal it from him?” Nymph asked, frowning.
Wind Reaver opened his mouth to reply… but then he closed it. His eyes shifted from her to Big Mac, and then back to her. “Oh boy…” he murmured. Before anybody had a chance to ask him what he meant, he raised and flapped his wings quickly. “Well, not my business, I guess,” Wind said over the buzzing sounds his wings were making. He stopped and started trotting towards the door. “Besides, it would mean I would have less work to do. He seems more than capable of guarding you.”
“What are you-” Nymph started to ask, confused by his behaviour.
“I will be at the Abbey if anyling needs me,” Wind cut her off, opening the door and flying off.
Nymph wasn’t sure what to think about what she has just seen. Of course Big Mac was more than capable of guarding her; she had seen that just the other day when Zahara had attacked her. But why would that make Wind think he would have less work to do? His duty was to protect her whenever she would be in danger, be it day or ni-
“Oh,” she thought, suddenly realizing. “He did not know we’ve started dating… he must have thought I would be keeping Big Mac close… not that I don’t plan to, but he is his own pony, I wouldn’t force him to stay with me at all times, nor do I want him to shirk from his duties at Sweet Apple Acres or to his family…”
She was pulled from her musing by Fluttershy’s question. “So, Chrysalis is your mother?”
Nymph turned to her genuinely interested face. “Well… depends on what you mean. I am her foster daughter,” she explained, seeing the confused looks that she, Pinkie and Spike were giving her. “It’s.. complicated. If you want to learn about our customs and biology, you can come tomorrow when Wind and I will be explaining this to the Princesses and the others.”
“Sure!” Pinke immediately said, grinning. “That sounds fun!”
Nymph wasn’t sure if that was the word she would have used, but she pushed her thoughts away from tomorrow. Because before she would have to go through all of that, she had a whole day to spend with Big Mac, and she intended to spent it to the fullest.
And if the look the red stallion gave her when she turned to him was of any indication, Big Mac was thinking the same thing (and if it wasn’t, the emotions she was picking up from him sure were).
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Nice to see the Changellings and the ponies make lead with each other.
5582663 Of course, this means that when they find reavers mate locked up in Canterlot by some noble there will be a shitstorm not seen since the wedding.
Ponies think enemies are becoming freinds.
Changelings think they are taking over the kingdom easily.
No conflict.
Everybody Happy.
Wonder just how much Chrysalis is going to be struck, with how much Big Mac cares for Nymph, and tat it would be a Very Bad idea for her to complain though not setting her up with Wind Reaver?
hmm seems interesting il give it a go.
5582860 First time reader? It's very worth it.
Hmmmn i was a little bit sad that the chaper was too short. But all in it is a well written chapter.
Enemies becoming friends? Nice job :)
i'm liking the mac/nymph ship. works well.
Featuren!
Hm.... Anyone else thinks that Arthas should have either: punched Armor in the face to shut him the fuck up? Or give a kiss to Twilight to rub it in his face - Approved by Tucker - and kick him in his nuts?
Because I really didn't like it when he got too personal with his love-life. I'm just saying!
Yay, it happened! Hope we get to see more soon about how the Changelings are related to the Aqir and the Old Gods, or how the Elements of Harmony and the Titans -
... my god.
Brainwave. The Elements of Harmony look nothing like Titan tech. Titan tech is more mechanical and involved with preserving order in a specific way, even if it means obliterating a planet. The Elements are crystaline and seem to be involved with preserving, well, harmony and good emotions. The Elements - and the Crystal Heart now that I think about it - don't seem at all like Titan tech.
... they're more like something the Naaru would make.
Not ridiculous to think they may actually be a titan experiment, but will we, at some point, be seeing those talking chandeliers?
Ah Tucker, you just never know when to stop do you? Oh, and yay for peace, praise the sun and moon!
This sounds like a good story! I'll read it, wait a minute. 134 hidden chapters. I'll just uh, I'll take this one really slowly.
I may have missed it in an earlier chapter but who's Bane?
5583786
Someone ( somepony, something ?) that died. Some time ago. On an Island.
Celestia killed him (her? it?).
More specifics informations are not realest yet.
Stay calm and read on.
5583786 Had to Google it myself. Bane is a hippogryph (mentioned in Chapter 121) that Celestia defeated in the past. I'm assuming it's a character in this storyline, and not some obscure villain from one of the comics.
commander Shepard and Sunzu would be proud
5583211
There's actually a Titan Relic in the Badlands that cleanses corruption. It's used to purify a Black Dragon Egg, which is where Wrathion comes from.
5586861 I'm pretty sure that if he had seen somebody behaving like that in Lordaeron, and being so rude to his friend (his sister or Jaina), he would have done something about it.
5585999 you misspelled Sun-Tzu
5588964 yeah it was a spur of the moment spelling and i was tired, plus i suck at spelling
5583287
no read it all non stop like i did(when there was 110chapters)....it....is...amazing!!
5590454 I did it at 130. Binge-readers unite!
5588964 So did you.
It's Sun Tzu.
5593893 no he didn't, either that or u spelled it wrong too
I haven't read this story in a while [waiting for sufficient updates to get back to re-reading all of it >3>], and I like it... but...
Who the hell added this to a 'dark souls' list in the game crossover group? o.o I don't remember anything 'dark souls' being in this 'warcraft' crossover.
5596453 Sweetie, the difference is in the hyphen.
Since I have finally caught up I can take a few moments and write a proper comment.
Now, with exception of a rocky start, this story has turned out to be really good. You have crafted an excellent history that fit well with the current goings-on. I'm genuinely interested in what will happen to every character! Every character! That never happens, there is always at least one that is just boring to read about. But here, I even care whats going to happen to Provato and the Zebras. So props to you for that.
You have gotten a lot better at foreshadowing as well. Though, there are some that could use some work:
*cough* Lord Blackthorn *cough* He sure doesn't sound like one of the main villains.
(if you actually intended for him to be a good guy... I would look pretty stupid right about now).
Finally, I had a personally wish to see Arthas return to Azeroth at some point. In fact when he said that his paladins needed actual combat experience. I thought – for one glorious moment – that there would be paladin ponies dropping for the sky, startling some Stormwind guards.
Also, ArthasXCelestia I know it's going to happen, you can't fool me! I have seen the foreshadowing in between the lines!
5602510 Thanks for the praise
I'm pretty sure it's Lord Blackhorn
5602537
That's still a solid 9 out of 10 on the evil-o-meter, topped only by: Overlord Darknesshorn.
And so the Peace Agreement is signed. -Ish. And Nymph's secret is out. Well, one of them anyway. ;)
Looking forward to the next installment! Will we find Arthas and Twilight finally getting together? Or will that be around 5+ chapters from now?
5626737
5673688 Yeah, sorry. I sometimes go back to those old chapter and work on them, but it seems I keep missing some.
But don't worry, it gets better (
). I got an editor around chapter... 36? Or 38... To be honest, it still didn't make all grammar mistakes disappear, but I also later acquired a few proofreaders as well... sadly, that was around chapter 106, so... but it gets better
5676643
But why do they have to stand there for 16 hours? Why can't somebody else stand guard?
5715516
I think he's Polish.
5693941
At least they arent working in azeroth, pretty sure most guards only get a few hours rest every week :p
7289227
depending on the zone, a few equals zero
5693941
Hell..16 hours....
Most people only have shifts of around 12 hours max...
And even the supposed 16 hours shift, people can usually spend 8 of those hours sleeping.
Reminded me of that one jimmy neutron episode... With the salt