Infinite Horizons Guest Chapter
(Warning, one or two spoilers for the main story. If you are confused what this was supposed to be... read the authors notes on the previous chapter.
Infinite Horizons Guest Chapter by vren55 and Zervziel
About a year ago, if Alternia had been told that her very universe was merely one among many other universes and possibilities that were scattered around a massive multi-dimensional universe, she would have laughed.
Now, as she exited the turbulent currents of the warp stream, into a broad hallway teaming with ponies, many of which were unnervingly familiar, she couldn’t help but be a bit nervous The disguised changeling queen numbly stepped to the side as a group consisting of yet another Twilight, her brother Shining Armor, Princess Cadance of all ponies as well Rainbow Dash and an orange pegasus she was surprised to recognize as a teenage Scootaloo. Oddly enough, the younger pegasus seemed to edge away from her hero as she walked.
Also accompanying the group were two earth pony stallions Alternia didn’t recognize. One stallion possessed a golden mane and coat. His apple cutie mark hinted at being a member of the extensive Apple family. The other pony was a bulky gray earth pony, whose cutie mark wasn’t visible from where she was standing, as they passed by.
Immediately afterwards, Alternia found herself being pulled into a clean room with off white walls, the Twilight she was following nowhere in sight. One wall was a window where a brown earth pony waved at her before tapping at the console in front of him, the window fading to the same shade of white afterwards.
In an instant, a magical pulse dispelled her Celestia disguise as the startled queen was levitated off the ground by a field of some sort. Before Alternia could react, she was sprayed with jets of soap and water from what seemed like every direction. Half blinded by the soapy attack, she was unable to deflect a more direct assault on her dignity as robotic arms telescoped from the walls and grabbed the protesting changeling, scrubbing her from snout to flank and from horn to hooves. Smaller, gentler arms even made sure to clean inside the holes in her legs and wings.
Eventually she was released by the arms. Opening her mouth to protest the unwanted cleansing turned out to be a bad idea as she was blasted by what seemed to be the combined strength of all of Saddle Arabia’s scorching winds. One searing windstorm later, the changeling staggered through a door opposite of the one she entered as the technician gave her and Twilight a hearty wave before opening the other door to allow what seemed to be a ball of animate pink fluffy to shuffle into the room.
“Sorry about,” Twilight giggled. “Sanitation is taken pretty seriously around here. Everypony has to undergo a cleansing process upon returning to the Station.”
As if to emphasize her point, a bedraggled looking Shining Armor emerged a couple doors down, his mane and tail a fluffy mess. The two mares couldn’t help but smile at his plight as the former guard wrestled with a brush in an attempt to make his appearance somewhat passable.
Now that she was clean Alternia followed her guide outside of the building only to be greeted by the sight of a city several multitudes larger than even Canterlot. Gigantic towers of metal and glass reached for the evening sky as pegasi and the occasional alicorn flitted by. Also soaring through the sky was a great multitude of apparently self-propelled metal chariots of some sort, hauling everything from young joyful ponies to cargo.
On instinct, Alternia looked to the sky to check on the sun only to stop and stare in awe. In place of the sun, a massive spiraled, cylindrical construct dominated the slowly darkening sky, stretching so far as to actually fade into the distance on both ends.
It wasn’t until then that her guide’s words when Twilight first came to retrieve the queen came back to her. Though Alternia was seeing it with her own eyes, she still had trouble believing where she was. According to Twilight, she now stood on a facility wider in diameter than the orbit of the Earth around the sun, that spiraled upwards and inwards like an immense unicorns horn.
That alone was hard enough to conceive, much less envision. However that wasn’t the most fantastical part of what the cross-dimensional Twilight had told her. No, that had been the “fact” that the entire spiral shaped shaped structure was anchored to the horn of an alicorn the size of a galaxy.
Alternia had laughed as anypony would at such outlandish claim, but now, staring up at the horn that pierced the heavens, she could understand why the pony had possessed that knowing grin even as she had laughed.
“Your Majesty, we’re ready to go when you are.”
“Thank you, Twilight. I believe we are short enough on time. Take me to this Lady Shard,” said Alternia with a disarming smile. Twilight, nodded, but said nothing else.
Even as they turned to leave, yet another door swung open as a draconequus pranced out with a towel around his waist and horns, singing heartily into a rubber platypus as his tail scrubbed his body with a microphone. “My little pony, my little pony! Ahh, ahh, ahh, ahhhhhhh!”
While Alternia trotted after this version of her faithful student, she she couldn’t help but look at all the different examples of advanced technology present in the space station. As curious as she was however, she could see from the tense trot of this alternate Twilight that it would not be a good idea to ask questions about the facility’s technologies. That, and the curiously hostile stares of various ponies, convinced the changeling to remain silent.
Alternia wasn’t sure how the two of them would reach the tip of the gargantuan station that Twilight had once referred to as Central Core, until the pony lead her to something called a teleportation facility. Alternia could only guess it’s purpose was for traveling long distances without tiring the caster to the point of death. What the changeling wasn’t ready for was the very rough ride that entailed being disintegrated before being shot through a miniature wormhole to a receiving teleportation facility. Upon materialization, the changeling was never so happy to have followed alternate Twilight’s advice about not eating anything before leaving.
As soon as she was finally able to concentrate on anything but her mercifully empty stomach, Alternia was once again taken aback by the sight. Before her was a massive cylindrical structure that protruded down from a vast metal sky. Central Core certainly lived up to it’s name as large highways protruded from it like spokes on a wheel, some even stretching to the sides of the station. As she stared Alternia recognized the view of a city from above.
“In case you’re wondering, you’re technically standing at an angle perpendicular from where you were before.” Twilight quipped only to blush as the changeling gave her a patient look. “ Oh sorry! I forgot you’re the one who taught your universe’s Twilight gravity magic.”
Without a word, they walked inside, weaving in out of the constant stream of ponies coming and going from the structure.
Upon entering through an atrium faced with soaring glass windows, the pair found themselves in a series of winding hallways, their journey to the center of Central Core occasionally interrupted by security checkpoints, Twilight and Alternia found themselves in front of a large wooden double door. To the right of the doors was the desk where a secretary would normally sit.. However at this time, the secretary had her head and shoulders buried in a drawer, her dark furred rear and blue ethereal tail waving in the air as she searched for something.
Before Twilight’s hoof could descend upon the desk bell, a low rich feminine voice emanated from the drawer.
“Lady Shard is ready to see you now.”
The door handles glowed a dark blue as the doorway opened to admit them, revealing a mammoth desk piled high with mountains of paperwork. A dark steel-blue alicorn, with a light blue mane and tail was resting her head on the desk gazing pitifully at the small mountain of work that was the in-box A whirling space vortex marked her flank. It was Lady Shard. And behind her, Alternia was surprised to note was the actual tip of the Horn, stretching up to the ceiling behind the Lady’s desk. Her eyes traveled from the pointed monolith to lock with the weighted gaze of a creature whose determination to see her cause to the end knew no bounds.
“I'm going to be blunt with you, Ms. Alternia," Lady Shard began, as she raised her head from her desk. “We have a bit of a situation here on my station. Our resident changeling hives… kingdom or whatever they call themselves in your home universe are getting a bit restless and are objecting to our current conditions about feeding and our treatment of them in general.”
Alternia frowned. From her limited interaction with The Order of Destiny, the organization that maintained these separate realities and protected them, she had got the sense that they were not used to asking for help. The situation must have been incredibly dire if Lady Shard herself had requested her presence.
The administrator tapped a hoof on her desk, causing a holographic display to appear in the air between them. It showed a large dark castle surrounded by a sizable plot of land bordered by large metallic towers. Between the towers buzzed small silvery drones as they skirted a faint blue outline of a shield. Every now and then a changeling would step past the bounds only to have one of the drones start following it. Alternia resisted the temptation to frown, but she must have shown some sign of emotion, because Shard stood up.
“I'll admit it's definitely overkill for a monitoring system,” Shard admitted, as she turned away from the changeling. “But it's necessary. Unfortunately, old hatreds don't disappear as soon as a pony walks through one of our portals. Ponies are still afraid of changelings and in turn changelings are getting restless and don't like being segregated so much. While there are a few integrated communities across the station, they are relatively few and far between.”
Turning back, Shard’s eyes met Alternia’s and the changeling froze, transfixed by the sheer desperation in Shard’s gaze. “That's where you come in. You've successfully ruled Equestria for a millennia after the Celestia of your world pressganged you into the role. Even after you were found out, you worked to keep the peace between as well as finding alternate ways of feeding. While I can't guarantee those methods will work at all on some of the changelings, I could very much use your help.”
Alternia nodded in understanding. She was beginning to see why she of all the alternate Celestias and changeling queens had been requested. The problems she had solved in her universe had given her a unique set of experiences that she could use to help Shard… who was beginning to look a little demented.
Suddenly the alicorn was directly in front of her and seized the changeling by the shoulder, her eyes becoming wild and her voice gaining a hysterical edge. “I've got the council of Celestias and Lunas and that daft republic breathing down my neck with talks of a cleansing order and the Queen's Collective are doing the same to have the restrictions lifted. I do not need this on top of four universes going dark in one solar cycle alone!”
To Alternia’s immense relief, the alicorn relaxed her grip and backed off, embarrassed. “Sorry about that.”
“Apology accepted,” said Alternia as calmly as possible. Shard was a terrifying figure, but Alternia could sympathize with her. Dealing with one Celestia was maddening enough, dealing with an entire council of Celestias and a collective of Chrysalis’s? Alternia wondered how this pony managed not to go insane.
The deadly serious expression returned to the administrator’s features. “My question still stands. Are you game?”
Alternia paused contemplatively. “I’ll need an escort of at least five ponies, a quill, inkwell and a lot of paper or parchment.”
“Done. Anything else?” asked Shard.
“Yes. Assemble both the Queens Council, the Council of Celestias and Lunas.”
Shard heaved a sigh. “Those two groups are like water and oil. It’ll be difficult but I can do that. Just what are you planning, Alternia?”
The changeling queen gave the administrative pony an unintentionally toothy smile. “I’m going to have a talk with some Princesses and Queens.”
Rainbow tapped her hoof on the floor outside Shard’s office in anticipation, making a clink-clink sound. Shard had summoned her and the Paladins for some reason that had yet to be elaborated. Whatever it was, the mission had been labeled high priority and Rainbow was eager to get into the action.
“Rainbow, could you please stop that? I’m trying to read,” asked an exasperated Twilight. The unicorn gave the cyber-pegasus an irritated look before she turned her attention back to her book on the various celestial mechanics found across the multiverse.
“Aw, lighten up egghead. Aren’t you at least a little eager to be on this mission?” asked Rainbow.
“You’re a mite too eager, Rainbow,” remarked Braeburn as he lay back. Rainbow snorted and turned to the others. Slate, the large muscular earth was using the time honored skill of any guard pony, sleeping whenever and wherever. From the dull look in his eyes and the fact he had locked his legs in place, the cyborg couldn’t help but suspect he was also making use of the time honored tradition of sleeping on the job.
Princess Cadance had followed Twilight’s example and was also reading a book she had brought from the Paladin’s barracks. As for their last member, Scootaloo… As her gaze met the young mare, Rainbow saw her squirm. Even though this older Scootaloo had been told Rainbow was trustworthy, the orange pegasus still treated Rainbow as if she was expecting to be attacked at any moment. Heaving a sigh, the cyber-pegasus returned to lying back against her chair.
Her head still in the drawer, Shard’s secretary opened the office doors to admit the team. However, as they walked into Shard’s office they froze at the sight in front of them.
The familiar form of Lady Shard was standing alongside a changeling queen. Twilight and Cadance immediately tensed and ignited their horns. Meanwhile Slate and Braeburn sprang forward into a battle stance, ready to intercept if the tall changeling decided to rush the casters instead. Scootaloo and Rainbow however, were intrigued. Both came from home universes that hadn’t been introduced to changelings and while they had heard of them, this was the first time they had seen one. Still at the sight of their teammates’s reactions, the younger pegasus leapt into the air while Rainbow Dahs extended a foreleg. With a series of mechanical clicks, the limb split open on unseen seams before dividing and expanding. Upon finishing this startling transformation of her own, the barrel of the pegasus’s built in weapon began to give an eery blue glow.
As soon as she was done changing and charging her weapon Rainbow had to resist the urge to pull back the weapon as she realized the changeling bore an eerie similarity to Princess Celestia. Like an alicorn, she was tall, slender, with a graceful frame that was only broken by the holes in the lower part of her legs. Instead of skin though, the changeling had a glossy black carapace and two translucent insect wings replaced feathers. Her horn was long, but crooked instead of straight like a unicorn’s.
But perhaps the strangest thing about the changeling to all of the ponies and especially to Twilight and Cadance, was the changeling’s attire. She bore a silver crown studded with black opals as well as a neckpiece and hoofshoes also of silver, also adorned with black opals. The regalia had an eerily similar design to the ones worn by Princess Celestia and Luna.
As the agents took in this sight, Lady Shard stepped forward as she used her magic to point Rainbow’s weapon at the ground.
“Stand down, agents. This is the changeling queen Alternia. You will be escorting her for the duration of her stay,” said Shard.
“But Lady Shard, she’s a changeling queen!” protested Twilight.
“And she’s our best chance to making sure that the Queens Council doesn’t break out in rebellion and to prevent the Council of Celestias and Lunas from purging every changeling in the station, Ms. Sparkle.” the administrator snapped in a cold tone. The agents cringed at the irate alicorn, but to their surprise, the changeling stepped forward.
“Lady Shard, if I may, I would like to “brief” my escort. I will explain my… unique situation and my mission to these agents myself,” said Alternia. The changeling smiled and winked at the flabbergasted Shard. To everypony’s surprise, the Lady simply bowed to Alternia after a moments hesitation, who then proceeded to lead the agents out of the alicorn’s office and down the hall, turning the corner just as Nightmare Moon finally got her head out of the drawer it had been stuck in.
“At ease, Paladins. I am Queen Alternia, but you may call me Alternia,” said Alternia, inclining her head politely. The ponies watched the changeling suspiciously, slightly less wary, but still on guard.
“Queen Alternia, with all due respect. Why are you here and why do you need our help?” asked Cadance icily. She remembered all too well the day the changelings had descended upon Canterlot like a horde of ravening locusts.
“To be honest, Princess Cadance. Its more of how I can help the Order and Lady Shard.” Alternia then proceeded to explain the hostile situation with the changelings and the ponies on the station. It was a conundrum that Twilight and Cadance were familiar with as having often interacted with the Shining Armors who had designed the monitoring system. Yet nopony had realized just how badly the situation had deteriorated so far.
Twilight was confused and more than a little angry. “So where do you come in?” she demanded in a suspicious tone.
Alternia smiled. “Twilight, in your years on this station, have you come across changeling versions of yourself or your friends?”
The unicorn blinked. Now that she thought of it, while corresponding with various other Twilight Sparkles, she had in fact heard of missions where agents had interacted with such changelings. These stories had been slightly disturbing to Twilight. Some Twilights hadn’t even known they were a changeling at all until events revealed this to them, often with nightmarish results. Others had been infected later on and turned into changelings.
There was also a final category of changelings that was most unique in her humble opinion. These were changelings that in their universes, had been the ponies they replaced. She and Cadance had met one of these changelings, a ‘Cadance’ who for all intents and purposes, was the same pony that Shining Armor had fallen in love with. This changeling ‘Cadance’ had replaced the original pony when the latter was killed. The changeling version had been accepted by her friends and families and had eventually married Shining Armor.
Something clicked in Twilight’s mind and she glanced back up at Alternia. This changeling seemed way too familiar… so familiar in fact, that she was sure it was somepony she knew very well. The way this Alternia spoke, the way she carried herself and her Equestrian styled regalia just screamed of that pony, but it couldn’t be…
Cadance had come to the same realization, but was far more vocal to voice it.
“Princess Celestia?” gasped the alicorn.
Alternia grinned. “Almost correct. In my world, after Luna fell to Nightmare Moon’s influence, Princess Celestia was too badly wounded to return to her duties and had to go into a healing sleep. I happened to come across Celestia and was… persuaded to impersonate her, to be her proxy. For a thousand years, I ruled in Celestia’s stead, when I really was a changeling queen and sister to my world’s Chrysalis.”
Some of the ponies gasped, and Alternia allowed them to calm down before she continued. “Eventually I was revealed to my friends and family at Shining Armor and Cadance’s wedding by the love-enhanced spell, but they accepted me for whom I am after a few difficulties. With their help and support, I forged a peace between the changelings and ponies of Equestria using what I knew of changelings and what lessons I had learned as Celestia.”
“Which would explain why Lady Shard called you to help us. You’ve solved a similar situation before and you can speak to both Celestias and to queens,” finished Twilight, her eyes wide.
“Indeed. Now we must hurry. I believe Lady Shard said the meeting would be held in the Grand Council Chambers?” said Alternia urgently. The ponies nodded and the group set off.
The Grand Council Chamber was huge. Hundreds of balconies made up the walls spherical chamber. There was also one additional balcony, but this one was jutted out into the empty space in the middle of the chamber by a walkway. It was this walkway that Alternia strode confidently down, her escort trailing meekly behind her, even Rainbow was silent. And there was good reason for it.
Twilight couldn’t help but shiver as she saw the discerning looks of so many Celestias, the glowers of so many Lunas and the leery gazes of the Chrysalises. She had watched these councils debate and argue, sometimes fire spells at one another. But never had she walked out onto the central podium, with BOTH councils present.
“Courage, my—, I mean, Twilight Sparkle,” whispered Alternia. Twilight glanced up at the smiling changeling in surprise. It was Celestias smile she saw on Alternia’s face, and yet, not Celestias smile. All the same, it gave a small degree of comfort to the unicorn.
Without further hesitation, Alternia stepped up to the microphone in her balcony and looked up. There were so many Celestias, Lunas and Chrysalises. Alternia was scared, but she knew had to at least try if she wanted to have a chance at pony and changeling relations and knew that she had to speak. There was nopony else who could do this.
“Greetings to you all, Celestias, Lunas, Chrysalises and Changeling Queens. I am Alternia—”
“That name means nothing to us!” roared one of the Celestias. She was joined by the jeers of a few of the other Celestias and Lunas. Most of the alicorns, the changeling queens and Chrysalises however, simply waited with exasperated expressions. So, Alternia raised her voice again, cutting over the cacophony like a knife through butter. Her voice clear, yet courteous.
“I am Alternia, sister to Queen Chrysalis, Oathsister of Princesses Celestia and Luna. I ask you all to listen to what I have to say.”
That silenced the entire assembly. The changeling queens began to murmur in awe to one another as did many of the the Lunas and Celestias.
“Thy world’s Luna must have been a fool to make an oath of sisterhood with thee!” laughed one of the Lunas. Once again, the council chamber fell into disorder as some of the ruder Celestias and Lunas took their chance to throw insults at the changeling queen standing in the middle of the chamber. Albeit, the majority of the assembled alicorns remained silent, examining Alternia contemplatively. Unfortunately, there were enough of the hecklers that Alternia simply couldn’t continue speaking.
Alternia frowned and her eyes narrowed.
“As a Changeling Queen and one of the three ruling princesses of my universe’s Equestria. I think it will be wise that listen to what I have to say.”
The changeling’s voice was quiet, but the iron tone in the her voice seized the councilmembers attention and sealed their mouths. Yet, while the tone of Alternia’s voice demanded respect, it what she said that astounded everypony. A changeling queen, a RULER of Equestria? That was impossible! In all of the alternate realities that had been explored and contacted, nopony had ever heard of an Equestria willingly consenting to be co-ruled by a changeling princess!
“Thank you. Now, I am sure you know quite well why you were brought here today. But why was I asked, you may wondering. So I will tell you a little more about myself.”
To the council, Alternia explained her relation to Chrysalis and how she had been brought to rule Equestria as Celestia. After a brief description of her thousand year rule, Alternia told everybody how her identity was revealed at the Royal Wedding of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, and how she had been accepted after proving herself. She then told of her efforts to create a peace between changelings and ponies, and the success she had finally achieved. Finally, Alternia spoke of her own ascent to the throne of Equestria and how she now ruled in peaceful cooperation with her world’s Celestia and Luna.
“So far, our peace and my rule as Equestria’s changeling queen has lasted for three long years. There have been hardships that were faced in forging this peace.” Alternia seemed to wince as she said this.
“I suffered much pain and hardship, but fellow changelings, fellow rulers of Equestria, there is one great lesson from my story. It is that no matter how hard it may be, how difficult it may seem at times, how much hate, Equestria, her ponies and the changelings can coexist! Ponies can learn to love changelings and changelings can learn to love ponies! Among you all, there are different ponies and changelings and perhaps the methods of feeding are different. Yet if I, a mere changeling queen, and her friends forged a lasting agreement between these two hostile races, how hard would it be for an entire council to do so?”
Alternia’s gaze scanned over the entire room of alicorns and changelings, sitting in rapt attention and shook her head slowly.
“Councilmembers, you’ve already lost too much to let this conflict come between us. Celestias, you have no sun. Lunas, you have no moon. Chrysalises and queens? You’ve got nothing but the carapace on your back and whatever changelings you managed to save. What could have possessed you all to turn on each other when we’ve just lost four alternate realities in the past year to the Red Queen?” demanded Alternia. It was as if a whiplash had cut through the room. Every Celestia looked ashamed, each Luna distraught and all the queens cringed.
“To those who called for the complete removal of each other’s races with some cleansing order, how could you be so cruel and so short sighted? Celestias and Lunas, can we not learn about the mysteries, the strengths of the changelings and their ways of deception and the subtlety in which they operate in the shadows? Suggesting a cleansing order only shows fear of difference, fear of trying something new and fear of forgiving others, or does forgiveness only apply to your sisters and not to strangers?” snapped Alternia.
Several Celestias and Lunas who were seated next to each other glanced guiltily towards each other. Others simply nodded in agreement. Still there were others who looked coldly indifferent, warily eyeing both Alternia and the assembled Queens. However their number were fewer than before, the changeling princess’s words winning many of the assembled leaders over. Encouraged by this, Alternia forged onwards.
“Chrysalises, I know you're living in confining and chafing conditions, but from what I have heard, you’ve all done nothing to encourage friendship with the ponies! Ponies, whose bonds have allowed them to succeed against numerous trials, time and time again. Instead, you sequester away in your own hives, demanding for more and more, like greedy parasites. What will ponies say when they talk of the once great changelings? That they withered away, while hiding in the shadows like cowards unable to take a step forward into a better world?”
Alternia’s disappointment seemed to permeate throughout the room, every one of the rulers felt some degree of remorse and self-pity at the changeling’s speech.
“But it is not too late, Celestias, Lunas, Chrysalises and queens. You can change this. You may not have a sun to move or a moon to raise, or hives that may be shades of their former selves. But all of you, are still rulers and role models to your ponies and changelings.”
Alternia turned to the Celestias in the council chamber. “Do we not have, the bravest, most glorious Celestias that shone all over Equestria?” Several Celestias nodded sagely to one another and to their sisters, their smiles returning to their faces. More than a few of the majestic white alicorns looked rather embarrassed, while a great many simply looked amused at the changeling’s choice of words.
Next Alternia faced the Lunas. “Do we not have assembled, the most elegant, creative and innovative Lunas who wove the heavens like no other?” Many Lunas raised their heads haughtily, their mouths carving into satisfied smirks while a select few simply facehooved in exasperation to their counterpart’s haughty antics
Finally, Alternia regarded her own kind, her gaze boring into the eyes of every queen. “Do we not have the most adaptable and determined changeling queens, in this chamber?” The queens cheered, hundreds of buzzing wings and hoof claps filling the chamber. The Celestias and Lunas were not far behind as they banged their hooves on the rails of their balconies in agreement and approval. It got so loud that Alternia had to raise her hoof for silence.
“So, answer me, council members! Will you work together, to forge a new destiny for your lost subjects? To take on this challenge to make friends out of old enemies? Answer me, council members, will you be willing to open more integrated changeling and pony towns? To organize joint missions to strange new worlds and to go where no pony or no changeling has ever gone before? Will you band together against all the odds, against all the trials, even if it seems unattainable, because you, as Celestias, Lunas, Chrysalises and Changeling Queens, will never let a challenge go unanswered?”
The changeling queen in the middle of the chamber smirked. “Because I am challenging all of you to do better than I have done in my own world. I challenge you all to beat me and to shove your success in my face and into the face of Lady Shard! I challenge you all, changelings and ponies, to work together because I know you won’t back down and I know you will succeed!”
Alternia didn’t just end with her speech though. As soon as she finished, she immediately presented a suggested outline of procedures and options for increased pony and changeling interaction. This included adding changelings to the Agent ranks, additional pony settlements and the manipulation and reproduction of the Crystal Hearts that had been brought to the facility. Questions had followed Alternia’s presentation and she went into great detail when answering all of them.
By the end, everybody was exhausted, pony and changeling alike. Almost dead on their hooves with the exception of Rainbow Dash, the team escorted their charge out of the Grand Council Chambers only to stop short at the sight of what seemed like a battalion of battle ready agents kitted out for war.
Ponies ranging the entire spectrum of earth pony to alicorn stood ready, protected in advanced armor and wielding weapons whose function Alternia could only guess at. Teams of these armed ponies were stationed at each entrance as if waiting for the worst to happen. Cautious, Alternia approached one particularly tall unicorn as he directed squads.
“Excuse me, sir, but may I ask what all this is about?” Asked Alternia, as she waved a hoof to indicates the agents.
The helmeted unicorn turn a black-mirrored gaze on her. “Just call us Plan B, marm. If negotiations are done in there Lady Shard would like to see all of you in her office.”
Thankfully the trip back to the administrator’s office, was mercifully uneventful. As before, the office doors swung open to admit the team as they approached.
The first things the Paladin’s noticed as they entered was a small holographic copy of their changeling charge. The holographic Alternia was in the middle of her speech before the image image froze in place as Shard paused the playback as she turned her attention to the real Alternia.
“I must say, Lady Alternia, that was quite impressive,” she said, with a grateful smile. “You’ve managed to convince a rather large portion of both parties to actually try to work together. I can’t express how hard it is to get those two groups to agree on any one thing much less agree to a major reform. There are still a few hold outs, but I can deal with them.”
Alongside the changeling, the Paladins were nodding their heads in agreement. Alternia blushed slightly at the praise.
“I merely tried to make a point with the councilmembers. It is now up to both them and you to make something of it. Here’s the copy of the suggestions that I worked out with you earlier and that I presented to the council,” said the changeling, handing Shard a stack of papers. The alicorn carefully slipped them into a plastic folder and into a special place on her bookshelf for safe keeping.
“Once again I thank you, Lady Alternia, for the service you have rendered The Order of Destiny. I can have your guide from earlier or you can take this team as your escort your home universe,” said Shard. Alternia nodded, but before she turned to the waiting agents, she grinned mischievously at the administrator..
“The pleasure was mine, Lady Shard. Although I must remind you one thing…” Shard couldn’t help but frown at the changeling, slightly confused. The changeling chuckled and she slowly sauntered out of the office. Before she left, Alternia looked over her shoulder.
“You owe me one. Now come along, Paladins. I would like to introduce you to my sisters, and perhaps your counterparts. Don’t worry, Rainbow, yours is just as awesome as you are,” remarked Alternia cheerfully, noting the skeptic look on the pegasus’s face.
Twilight brightened up as and Cadance couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous as they realized what this meant. Rainbow and Scootaloo couldn’t help but chuckle, while Slate and Braeburn groaned.
As for Shard, her expression was completely unreadable. However, as the office door closed behind Alternia and her escort, the changeling thought she heard a low groan.
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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
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It was fun fleshing out some of the earlier and later aspects of this chapter. For example, Alternia's encounter with station sanitation and Shard's back up plan.
Alternia keeps getting goddess to owe her. Thats a hell of a skill.
And i think you accidentally part of a sentence and the rest of a paragraph there.
I was drawn to your work yesterday evening from reading this chapter shortly after Zervziel posted it in his story. I was impressed by the quality of the writing and thus came here to see if there was more. I was not disappointed. I love the idea behind this story and the work that's been but into crafting it. The attention to detail and the quality of the different view points are excellent.
Crazy face of approval.
4006678 I know :D I liked those additions a LOT
4006824 More like one heckuva misfortune.
4007992 uhhh oops
4008387 Thanks a bunch! Glad you liked it! Though to be honest, this chapter was a half and half effort from Zervziel and I. I wrote the dialogue pretty much and he added the world-building bit.
4008196 Nah, I just don't play Warhammer...but there are plenty of Warhammer references in Warcraft!
This comment refers to the slip chapter, for the time when it gets replaced with the actual one in the story.
Were there spoilers? We're not entirely sure, unless my confidence in the outcome of this fic has become head-cannon...
I wonder what that Alicorn-the-size-of-a-galaxy looks like? Hmm...
Keep going! ;)
4009931 I'd think saying that Alternia survives, succeeds in bringing peace and then manages to somehow ascend to Princess is being spoilery
4009943 oh yes, I suppose, but since there is no tragedy tag...
Not to mention timing hints from Celestia herself...
I suppose we're just too good at figuring plots. ;)
4008063 tis be good news! now i know i shall be surprised!
Before I bother reading this complete tangent from the actual story, is it canonical to the main story?
4011461 Yup. But it takes place after the main story.
4011863 Then why is this being interjected right smack dab in the middle...
4012291 ... I explained everything in my authors notes on Chapter 16. read it and don't complain because I said you didn't have to read the additional chapter.
As she what?
4012466 hmmmm
... perhaps 
4013189 corrected :P
4014633 that's alright. :D
4027312 Well remember that she does have a carapace that at least blunts the blow a bit. Its painful as hell, but there's a point past the pain threshold in which Alternia will just stop feeling pain... by the time she is talking to Celestia, she's past that threshold, but getting delirious.
4031614 Its been a while since I wrote the chapters and I got HW, so I'll be brief.
I don't remember forcing Blueblood to help with the interrogation, it was a natural decision, but I don't remember having any specific reason other than showing him getting involved with his aunties and not being a useless prick... which he is, but he isn't. Its also to prime him for when he later helps do some other stuff regarding changelings. Yes... the interrogation could have been done better, but the point was that it drove the plot forward, sorry for being painfully obvious, but how else am I going to have Celestia and Luna get info? The Oh Crap I have a niece... (correction... it'll be nieces :P) Subplot is a go.
As always, thanks for the review.
The council scene reminds me of the conversation between The Architect and Neo in Matrix: Reloaded, where all the Neos shout "Bullshit!
".
Great - now I have to read yet another fanfic before my binge is over.
Thank you, vren55! [/kidding]
As always, your chapters are top-notch. Can't wait for this story to conclude and the teased sequel to arrive.
4033258
4046796 Not really... Alternia isn't like The Architect at all
4046833 Welcome. Although at this rate... my teased sequel might be more of a series of one-shots detailing life after...
4049576 ... Long live History... social studies does NOT count as history. All the same I'm glad you caught the reference.
4049924 Thanks.
4050323 That is some good reasoning. No comment on whether you're right or not though.
4050752 She does make really long explanations, however, like The Architect. Otherwise, I totally agree. My line of thought was more towards the arguing copies of Luna, Celestia, and Chrysais like the Neos on the teleisions.
Meringue La Pie... Hmmm....*puts2and 2together*
*gasp*! Is Meringue La Pie related to the Pie family? ( I mean like Pinkie Pie) If so, IM A GENIUS
4033258 I don't get it
Hiya!!!
I am sorry I have not commented on the current latest 2 chapters, but I kinda had no opportunity before.
I will comment properly once I get the chance. I just wanted to tell you that I am still reading and following your story and that I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE where you are taking thus far!!!
Do keep the good work up!!!
P.S. I am so deeply involved with the story psychologically I dreamed one night that Lamia and I had a friendly get-together!!! She was my best friend that dream! Imagine that!
4059377 Actually, no. From what I gather from the author's comment Meringue draws her inspiration from Merlin's (recent TV series) Morgana.
4067567 4059377
Yes. Meringue is related to Pinkie Pie although not directly in my conception. But also yes she's a reference to Morgana Le Fay from Arthur... though not specifically from the Merlin series.
4068205 So I was indeed correct, though mistaken about the source. What Morgana was lucky enough to have such a wonderful spin-off pony character?
Just straight up awesome.
4050752
Well classes are often called social studies (at least pre-high school) It probably has something to do with the study of societies requiring a working knowledge of past human history and the human societies that shaped it.
6395600 Instead, please enjoy the bonus chapter I published which was a collab between Zervziel and Myself.
6395627 Which is why i uploaded that bonus chapter instead with no references to seaquel whatsoever XD
Eeeew no. There's a point where an alternate universe is too alternate. Just no.
6395675 trolololololol. Ah well, I had fun writing it XD
6395680
I meant the guest chapter.
I loved your story!
... Huh.
Red Queen
This was a beautiful story.
Tracking the sequel...
Oh yeah, I remember this side-chapter. How did you get it moved to the end here like that? Nifty!
6395675
The thing that broke my suspension of disbelief the most was the facility being as large around as earth's orbit, yet circling the horn of an alicorn the size of a galaxy.
Ringworlds are nothing new to sci-fi, nor are larger megaconstructs like Dyson Spheres or Alderson Discs. That's actually not my issue here.
Nor is the presence of a galaxy-sized alicorn, although I personally found it rather cheesy.
No, my problem is that if the alicorn has anything like normal alicorn proportions and is the size of a galaxy, the ring would have had to be -far- more than 1 AU in diameter in order to encircle it. Its diameter would have to be measured in light years, hundreds of light years. Thousands even.
Now, maybe this alicorn had the most needle-like horn you can imagine, (rather than the somewhat blunt tipped ones normal alicorns have) and maybe the station was situated at the very tip where it tapers down enough for it to actually fit around it, but for me that was very jarring.
Ironically, making it large enough to actually fit would have been less SoD-breaking for me. (and there would have been bonus points for trying to convey to the readers the sheer mind-shattering scale involved, rather than a couple throwaway sentences that make the scale sound trite and arbitrary, just chosen for a cheap sense of grandiosity)
*cough*
Don't mind me, I just tend to get a little... pedantic about analyzing sci-fi stuff I come across, and I love stories taking place on megaconstructs with a modicum of thought put into their portrayal.
(one of my favorites being the City from Blame!, which is stupidly massive like you wouldn't believe)
Anyways, looking forward to the sequel of the main story.
6396464 It's out if you haven't noticed (the sequel that is) XD
6396227 function on fimfiction
6395901 Zerv would like that XD and yes I watch Flufflepuff :D
6395737 I know XD. Hope you enjoy the sequel :D
While this is interesting, I really want to know what happened to the first Twilight that escorted Alternia to Lady Shard's office. She just... disappears and a new Twilight is put in her place. I guess the first Twilight just got to stand out in the hall with Nightmare Moon.
6403703 O_O they can?
SO wait THAT IT!!! NOW personally I LOVED YOUR STORY SO MUCH!!!!
Plus I really wanted to know what happened when Alternia announced herself to the ponies of Equestria. Basically I want to KNOW more please 
SO awesome, well even better it was amazing
The only thing that I miss is that there wont be anymore of princess/queen Alternia.
6402759 No. I checked it. Twice. It's the opposite.
6404110 Then you need to go back and retake English because it's quite plain. It's better to take the risk and accidentally save a guilty person than to accidentally condemn a guilty one.
Especially considering it's a Voltaire quote, who was imprisoned without trial and championed religious tolerance and free thought. It's literally the legal concept of reasonable doubt.
6404158 First of all no. And second of all I misread true. I think the quote itself is kinda worded oddly.
Is this guest chapter from a full story? If so ill need to go searching for it.. never mind, I just found it
I really enjoyed this chapter. 
6409060
Oh, okay. That makes sense.
6409060
6409113 Actually that chapter is a bit out of date... i basically wrote this a while ago while Cadance's alicornness was undetermined and people were calling her a pegacorn.
Except with Season 4 finale we know she's an alicorn :P