The Secret of Smarty Pants

by Rough_Draft

A Ray of Light

Twelve – A Ray of Light

Exhausted but unbowed, Cadance strove to uphold her regal bearing as the guards dragged the imprisoned changeling into her chambers. Shining Armor stood by her side, silent and loving as ever. Just being next to him was enough to keep her focused on the matter at hand, even while her mind recoiled at the sight of a changeling.

But she wasn’t that frightened. As twisted as they seemed, it wasn’t the changelings’ faces that plagued her nightmares, nor even Chrysalis’s true face.

Far too often, it was her own face, wearing a mocking smile, staring out from the depths of the crystal caverns—

Celestia help me, Cadance prayed. I’m stronger than that. Be brave. Be brave for your friends and your subjects.

The changeling looked up from the glowing net in which it was held. “Ahh, Princess. So nice of you to grant me an audience…”

“That’s enough,” said Shining Armor. He put a protective hoof on Cadance’s shoulder. “Show some respect for the Princess of the Crystal Empire.”

“Yet I serve a queen,” the changeling hissed. “I think that puts her one rung higher on the chain of royalty, wouldn’t you say?”

Cadance stepped forward, cutting off her husband’s sharp retort. She looked down at the pitiful creature, trying to keep up a stoic façade.

She asked, “What is your name?”

The changeling looked up, blinking slowly. “Wr-Wriggler.”

Cadance looked at the doll that one of her guards was carrying in his saddlebag. She used a levitation spell to bring it forward for all to see. “And what did you want with Smarty Pants, Wriggler?”

She watched the creature’s jaw work in consternation. As a former foalsitter, Cadance knew how to deal with children who had been caught doing something bad. Interrogating prisoners was really no different. You just had to be firm and steer the conversation down the right path.

Finally, Wriggler said, “I… I only came back… for the love inside the doll…” Then he threw his face down between his hooves, letting out a soft buzz into the floor.

Cadance looked the doll over. It was more than just a gift she’d made for Twilight. It was the work that had brought out her cutie mark. Love infused in a simple toy for a darling filly.

And apparently, it was strong enough to draw the attention of a changeling in enemy territory.

“If we were to give you this doll,” Cadance suggested, “what would you be willing to give us in return?”

Wriggler looked up. His jaw dropped in astonishment. “What?”

Shining Armor turned to her in confusion. “What are you doing, Cadance?”

“I’m trying to see if our guest here is willing to be civil.” Cadance turned a smile onto the lowly changeling. “So far, he hasn’t been harmed. All I’m asking is that he returns our… courtesy.”

“So you’re saying,” Wriggler hissed softly, “if I tell you what you want to know… I get the doll?”

Cadance nodded.

“The ponies you’re looking for are being held in the Old Forest six kilometers east of here,” he rattled off with a casual grin. “Queen Chrysalis has made her camp there as well. And as we speak, there is a swarm of my brethren—eight hundred soldiers strong!—poised to rain down over your precious empire and claim it at dawn.”

Shining Armor lifted up a hoof to stop him. “Whoa, hold on a second. You’re spilling the beans just for a doll?”

“Oh, but you’ve no idea! That doll is magnificent! Appetizing! Everything we would need!”

Cadance looked at her husband, then down at the changeling. “Your kind feeds on love, yes?”

“We do.”

“And this doll contains enough love for one of you to feed on?”

“Zzt—yes!”

Cadance allowed her wings to carry her off the floor and into a midair reclining position. She held Smarty Pants in her hooves and examined her a little more closely. Rarity had done a good job of patching her up. And even though it no longer contained the Element of Patience, the doll still had a certain spark inside. An echo of the beautiful fire of love that had swelled up inside Cadance’s heart when she put the last stitch in and wrapped the doll inside a gift box.

Even years later, that spark was still powerful. Or perhaps it was from the use that Applejack’s brother was giving Smarty Pants. Either way, there was a magic at work that couldn’t be denied.

A slow smile formed on Cadance’s face as she turned to Shining Armor. “I have an idea, but I need you to summon every dressmaker, toymaker, and tailor to the palace at once.”

“Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?”

Her only response was to land beside him and wink.

Shining Armor laughed. “I keep forgetting how smart you really are, Cadance.” He turned to the guards and nodded. “You heard the princess. Let’s send out those summons.”

---

Twilight’s stomach churned when Ichor returned to the prison pods with a host of other changelings. When she’d left Fluttershy, the impostor had seemed pensive about their little chat, which gave Twilight a sense of hope. But when she returned, Ichor’s face was unreadable. And she had company—all of them wearing the Elements of Harmony.

It seemed like the start of something awful.

“Longlegs,” Ichor buzzed. “Open Pods One through Six.”

One of the larger changelings—who was wearing the Element of Loyalty around his neck—grunted and walked behind one of the gnarled trees on the edge of the clearing. Twilight couldn’t see what he did, but she felt a sudden chill as the green front of her pod dissolved and fresh air came rushing in. Twilight gulped in as much as she could and dropped onto the blessed cool dirt.

When she looked up, all her other friends were being released from their pods. Fluttershy was the first to be fully awake. After shaking her wings and stretching out her hooves, she quickly went to each pony and nudged them. While that happened, Twilight cast a simple rejuvenation spell on them.

As the four sleepers began to get their strength back, Twilight faced Ichor with a steely glare. “Would you mind telling me what this is about?”

“It’s about your precious Elements of Harmony,” said the changeling pack leader. “What I told you earlier was wrong. Turns out you really can’t fake friendship.”

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Twilight couldn’t resist a cruel grin. “Could you repeat that?”

The changeling growled. “I said. We. Can’t. Fake. Friendship. Is that clear enough for you, Princess?”

“Crystal clear.”

“We need you to teach us how to use the Elements. If you do, I’ll see to it that you’re allowed to go free before the queen knows what we’re up to.”

Twilight reared back. “We’ll never help you take us over!”

She felt a gust of wind as Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flew to her side, followed closely by Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity. None of them were smiling. In fact, they all seemed ready to tear the changelings limb from limb for what they’d done.

Ichor seemed to appreciate this fact. Her eyes scanned the ponies. Then she turned and waved a forelimb at her companions. At first Twilight was expecting an attack, but instead they huddled together and quickly chatted in their native tongue.

When Ichor stepped away from her group, she buzzed in a way that sounded like a tired sigh. Twilight watched as she touched the Element of Kindness on her neck.

Then, very slowly, she removed the Element and tossed it to Fluttershy, who caught it midair.

Twilight’s jaw dropped. One by one, the other changelings did the same, returning the ancient artifacts to their rightful pony owners. It felt good when Twilight got her crown back, even though she didn’t enjoy wearing it on non-formal occasions.

“P-please understand,” Ichor hissed. “We only want love for sustenance, but lately…” She pawed at the ground for a moment, clearly collecting her thoughts. “Lately, our queen has not been very reliable. Our closest victory to date was the conquest of Canterlot. But now our plan hinges on mastering these Elements without any true sense of friendship. It is folly and we can’t win with it.”

“Glad to hear somepony’s finally talkin’ sense,” Applejack exclaimed. Her eyes were sunken, but she seemed no less fierce and honest than usual. “Now, how’d you reckon we’re gonna fix this here situation, Twilight?”

Twilight looked at her friends. So courageous and strong, though clearly hurt by their captivity. They wanted a quick resolution to this long and terrible conflict. Then she turned and observed the changelings. Timidly staying back and regarding their pony counterparts at a safe distance. They seemed exhausted. And if Ichor was to be believed, all they wanted were answers.

“I don’t know if we can give you love to feed on,” Twilight said slowly, “but we can teach you a thing or two about the magic of friendship. Maybe it can help your people in a way that Queen Chrysalis can’t.”

“Oh,” a cold and sinister voice called out, “I very much doubt that.”

Twilight huddled close to her friends as she frantically searched the treetops. It was just like being in the crystal caverns again. “Chrysalis! Show yourself!”

“I think not, my little pony princess. I’ve got an empire to claim. But don’t worry! I’ll be sure to tell your in-laws hello for you.”

Her mocking laughter echoed through the forest. Twilight caught the briefest glimpse of green eyes and a fanged smile that soon became a bright green flash racing away through the trees. If her calculations were right, she was headed west and that could only mean—

“She’s going to the Crystal Empire!” Ichor snarled. She leapt up, her wings buzzing as she glided to Twilight’s side. “My dearest mate Wriggler is there. Can’t you help him?”

Rarity giggled. “My, my. I didn’t know changelings could be so romantic.”

“Yes, we can. And shut up.” Ichor’s glare sharpened. “Please, Princess Sparkle. Will you help us?”

Twilight looked at the changelings. They seemed a little more confident after Ichor’s speech. But she couldn’t sense anything hostile in their approach.

Very cautiously, she leaned over to Fluttershy and whispered, “You seem to know her the best. What do you think?”

“I don’t think she’s that bad,” her beloved pegasus answered. “A little rough, sure, but they’ve all had such a hard life. I think we ought to give them a chance.”

“I guess it’s a good sign that they returned the Elements of Harmony to us.”

“Trust is a good foundation for any friendship. Remember when we went out after Nightmare Moon?”

Twilight smiled and nuzzled Fluttershy, remembering her bravery in handling a very belligerent manticore. “I sure do.”

“Well?” Ichor prompted.

“Okay, we’ll work together. But we’ll work in teams of ponies and changelings. I don’t want to see any backstabbing or hear any putdowns from anypony. Is that clear?”

With her declarative tone and her sparkling crown, it was hard for everypony not to nod in agreement. It was one of the nicer parts of being an alicorn princess.

“Then let’s get moving, everypony! The fate of two races is in our hooves tonight!”

Comments

[djthomp]

There's that doll plan I was imagining a number of chapters back. And it looks like the Elements of Harmony are back in the game, excellent.

[Rough_Draft]

2296762 It was always obvious to me where the doll was going to develop, but I'm glad you picked up on that plan, too.