My Little Teelo: Masquerade

by Ardwolf

Tomorrow's Allies

In which Teagan finds out why violating the laws of physics is a very bad idea, Celestia receives a surprise visitor, and a distasteful fact of statecraft is disclosed in confidence.

In Teagan’s blind rage her subconscious demanded Crush’s full weight be released, only this time targeting the eight-foot tall monster in front of her. The last tiny shred of her sanity focused the power upward so the town would be spared the worst of the horrific explosion to follow.

For his part, the terrified draconequus only had time to make one tiny change to reality before fifty million tons hit him at a hundred miles an hour. Crush’s magic instantly transferred its momentum to Discord, which translated into mind-numbing accelerations not even possible in Earth’s universe.

The world turned white and an earth-shattering crack-ka-boom made the town shudder on its foundations, knocking most of the residents off their hooves. Teagan herself was smashed into the ground, the shock of the impact snapping her out of her flashback and almost into unconsciousness.

Fortunately Crush’s magic also negated most of the backlash, directing it into Discord instead of the town. Unfortunately the trickle of residual power smashed windows and knocked over carts and merchant stalls.

Discord became a slave to the law of conservation of momentum, accelerating at over two million gravities. His passage through Equestria’s sky sent a sonic boom racing around the planet, absorbing some of his ludicrous inertia. In his terror he instinctively changed reality to seek out the one bastion of safety he knew in this suddenly far-too-chaotic world. That saved the countryside between Ponyville and Canterlot a blast of superheated air that would have burned everything in its path.

But not even Discord could change reality enough to avoid everything…

ooOoo

Celestia was enjoying a leisurely lunch. For once fate had smiled on her, giving her a particularly light workload. She was celebrating the beautiful summer day with a single glass of wine imported from Prance. Her first sip was heralded by a tremendous boom.

The stiff wind that accompanied the sound snapped her mane and tail around, covering her eyes. It shocked her, since only the magic of the solar wind normally affected them. Hastily she set her wineglass down and wrestled with her abruptly uncooperative snarl of hair.

Just as she tamed her errant tresses a tumbling mass came screaming down out of the sky. Literally screaming. Before she thought to catch it with her magic the long snake-like body slammed into the lawn at a shallow angle and then skipped like a stone—straight at her.

Frantically she spread her wings and leaped into the air as the massive snake slammed into the table where she’d just been sitting. The remains of her lunch sprayed everywhere. Through some quirk of fate her wineglass shot straight upward, allowing her to snag it with her magic before it spilled.

Discord groaned from within the tangled pile of twisted metal. A single plume of smoke curled lazily upward from his slightly scorched form. She allowed herself a tiny smile, enjoying the sight of her old enemy so woefully undone.

Settling lightly to the ground, she waved a negligent wing at the Sun Shield swarming toward her. She took another sip of wine, allowing Discord time to gather his scattered wits.

“I take it Lady Teelo wasn’t happy to see you?” She asked nonchalantly when Discord finally managed to focus on her.

“She tried to murder me. Again,” he complained. “All I did was say hello! That club of hers is a public menace!”

Celestia sighed and drained her wine in a single swallow. It appeared her lazy day had suddenly gotten very busy indeed…

ooOoo

Teagan came to her senses sprawled in the bright summer sunlight. She remembered Discord appearing, her terrified rage, and then swatting him like a fly just before the world exploded in her face. But now all she felt was vaguely numb.

“That was a flashback—I guess I really do have PTSD. Oh, joy,” she groaned. A pair of hideously ugly faces peered down at her in concern.

“Min Dronning?” A third, only slightly less ugly face appeared. The king’s wife knelt beside Teagan. “Are you injured?”

Teagan took a moment to consider the question before venturing to move an arm. When no stabbing agony followed she tried to sit up, only to have the world spin treacherously.

“Whoa, head rush,” she muttered as Søyle caught her. “No, I don’t think so. Just dizzy, that’s all. Give me a minute.”

“Teelo? Are you okay?” Emma’s anxious voice came from her other side. Not wanting to scare her friend any more than she already had, Teagan took a deep breath and fought the numbness away, leaving her with a slight headache. She blessed all those hours Matt had spent forcing her to learn self-control. It was a Godsend right now.

“Yeah. I think I just had a flashback. That was Discord, right? Please tell me I didn’t just splatter some innocent pony!”

“Is Discord an eight-foot tall snake with arms and legs?” Emma asked. “All different colors and mismatched horns?”

“Yeah, that’s him. He’s supposed to be a statue in the Royal Gardens. What the hell was he doing here? Oh, God! Fluttershy!” In a sudden panic she struggled to her feet. “Is she okay? Where is she?”

“I’m okay, but why did you hit Discord with your club, Teelo?” Fluttershy asked in a stern tone. Teagan was shocked to realize Fluttershy’s gaze was unsympathetic and disapproving.

“What do you mean, why? He tried to murder us, remember?” Teagan replied, bewildered. “He’s dangerous!”

“He’s not the same pony, Teelo,” she said, her gaze softening. “He’s reformed and living at my cottage, now. He’s my friend. I hope you didn’t hurt him.”

Crush fell from her nerveless fingers, landing with a thump. She stared at the yellow pegasus with her mouth open, unable to process what she’d just heard.

Discord reformed? That was like hearing the Pope declare Satan had repented and was now living in the Vatican.

“That’s impossible,” she whispered. Louder, she said “He’s evil, Fluttershy! You can’t trust him!”

“Um, actually...” Rainbow Dash said, joining the conversation. “Fluttershy’s kinda right. When the Princess asked us to reform Discord I thought she’d eaten one of Pinkie’s special mushrooms, but it turns out she knew what she was doing. Fluttershy managed to make him fly the straight and narrow. It took her a while, but she did it.”

“Discord?” Teagan asked flatly. “You expect me to believe he’s on the side of the angels now?”

“What’s an angel?” Rainbow Dash asked, tilting her head. “Never mind, the bottom line is Discord really has changed. Well, mostly. He still does weird stuff now and then but mostly he’s okay. On the other hand, I gotta say that was the single most awesome thing I’ve ever seen you do!” She threw her head back and laughed.

“My cabbages!” A despairing wail cut through the air. A green stallion with gray mane and tail was staring at his overturned cart, crying. He was the first pony Teagan had ever seen with a tuft of long gray hair underneath his chin.

“My restaurant, sacré bleu!” A cream colored pony with blue mane and tail, wearing a suit top was glaring around. “Who is responsible for dis?” To Teagan and Emma it sounded like the pony had a French accent. Rarity quickly intercepted the incensed pony and tried to calm him down.

Teagan sighed. It looked like her “little moment” was going to be expensive…

ooOoo

Discord and Celestia were sipping tea companionably, seated at their newly replaced table. She had listened to his version of what happened and (after mentally filtering his story of its more virulent adjectives) was prepared to admit he probably hadn’t done anything wrong. Apparently, Lady Teagan had screamed and charged as soon as she laid eyes on him.

Outwardly serene, her mind was running in overdrive, frantically chasing down all the implications of the attack. The fact the girl had knocked the draconequus twenty-five miles worried Celestia more than she cared to admit. While her grasp of physics was hindered by the fact Equestrian laws of nature were subservient to the whims of magic, she was fully aware Lady Teagan should not have been able to do what she had done.

That she had, in fact, done it meant Crush was far more powerful than anyone, herself included, had ever suspected. In all her studies of the lore surrounding Mountain Heart there had been no hint of such an astounding ability.

True, there were tales of troll kings causing massive avalanches, or slaying dragons, but those feats paled in comparison. Even Discord didn’t have this kind of raw power.

“I think we should pay Lady Teelo a visit,” the princess said, letting her cup settle gently onto its saucer.

“Oh no! I am not going back to Ponyville until that she-devil is gone!” Discord said in panic. “Third time’s the charm, you know. She’s tried to kill me twice now. There’s not going to be a third time if I have anything to say about it!”

“Calm yourself, Discord. I will protect you.” They both paused, contemplating the sheer improbability of that sentence.

“That’s what Fluttershy said just before dear little Teelo started swinging,” Discord replied, sniffing. “Oh, there’s nothing to be afraid of,” he mimicked Fluttershy’s voice perfectly. “She’s not going to hurt you.”

He snorted.

“Ten seconds later I’m sailing through the air and slamming into your oh-so-precious little table.”

Celestia absorbed that.

“Did you teleport?” She asked.

“There wasn’t time,” he said grumpily. “Wham, bam, thank you ma’am! Two seconds later I’m lying there looking up at your lovely flank.”

“Surely it look you longer than that? Its twenty five miles to Ponyville by air,” Celestia pointed out mildly.

“Two seconds, tops,” Discord insisted. “If I hadn’t cast a spell at the last minute they’d be pouring me into my casket! That girl is dangerous, Celestia. You should really do something about her before she kills us all.”

“I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for what happened,” Celestia said calmly. “Just as I’m sure Lady Teelo has no plans to kill anyone. Well, anyone else.”

Her smile positively gleamed in the summer sun.

“Yes, ha, ha. Very funny, Celestia,” Discord sniffed. “See how funny it is when she comes after you.”

“She won’t,” Celestia said with calm certainty. “I will insure she doesn’t come after you again either.”

“Oh? And how, exactly, are you going to manage that?” Discord demanded.

The princess smiled. “I’m going to use the magic word.”

She laughed as Discord quite deliberately slammed his face into the table.

ooOoo

Teagan was sitting with Mayor Mare, the three trolls, and Emma on stage in the town hall. A depressingly long line of ponies with equally long lists of property damage were stretched across the room and out the door.

It was now three o’clock in the afternoon, and Teagan’s belly was rumbling complaints at her. She wasn’t nearly as hungry as she’d been when she arrived, though. The huge queue was doing a good job of killing her appetite.

“Yes, Bon-bon, I am quite aware your windows were smashed,” the Mayor said tiredly. “Everyone’s windows were smashed. It was a very loud bang. My windows got smashed too.”

“It’s not just my windows!” Bon-bon said heatedly. “The glass got into my last batch of candy! I’m going to have to throw it all out! I don’t dare sell any of it, it could kill some pony! That’s going to be an enormous loss of income! Not to mention replacing my inventory and the time lost—I can’t afford that!”

“You won’t have to,” Teagan said, fighting back her headache—again. “I’ll make sure your losses are made good.”

“Oh,” Bon-bon blinked, seeming to focus on Teagan and the trolls for the first time. “Lady Teagan, I—thank you. It’s just I really can’t afford it, you see, and the rent is coming up…”

“Given the disaster I’ll be sure all landlords give their tenants an extension on the rent until we can work all this out,” the Mayor said firmly. “Now please, Bon-bon, others are waiting.”

“Okay,” Bon-bon bobbed her head. “Sorry,” she turned and fled.

Before a mint-green unicorn with a golden lyre for a cutie mark could present her list of damages the ponies in line were suddenly moving nosily, and then parting to either side, bowing deeply.

Princess Celestia walked through the doorway, a pair of the Sun Shield at her back. Teagan stiffened as Discord came into view, her hand reaching for Crush before she controlled herself.

“Oh my gosh, Teagan, that’s Princess Celestia. Quick, what do I do?” Emma whispered frantically, smiling a sickly panicked smile at the approaching alicorn. “I’ve never talked to a princess before!”

“Just follow my lead,” Teagan said quietly, rising to her feet. This is not going to be fun, she thought, her stomach knotting. Any remaining hunger was definitely gone now. When the alicorn came on stage and stopped in front of her Teagan bowed deeply.

Princess Celestia nodded her head in return, expression neutral. Discord was hiding behind the alicorn, nearly twisting his body into a pretzel to do it.

Oh boy, this is so not good, Teagan thought, wondering just how angry the Princess was.

“Welcome back to Equestria, cousin,” Celestia said quietly. “You always manage to bring so much excitement with you when you arrive.”

Teagan winced.

“Ponyville seems to have suffered a mishap,” the alicorn noted, glancing at the mass of ponies now standing and listening avidly. “It almost looks like a tornado came through town. Not to mention the unexpected guest that tornado sent me,” A tiny smile played across her mouth and was gone. “We expected you in Canterlot by now, actually. But I see you decided to help the Mayor handle the emergency. Very public spirited of you.”

Then Celestia frowned. “I would have expected to find Stormwind and Subtle Dancer with you, however. And Sun Hammer. Are they aiding in the recovery efforts?”

“Sun Hammer and Stormwind are,” Teagan said, wincing again. “But Subtle Dancer is in the hospital, Your Highness. He was pretty severely injured.”

“What happened?” Celestia asked, her eyes widening with surprise.

“One of Chrysalis’s personal guards jumped him during the ambush,” Teagan said. “I had the Sun Shield airlift him straight to Ponyville’s hospital. He’s out of danger now but the nurse told me he has a concussion and separated shoulder. He won’t be up and about for at least three weeks.”

“Ambush?” Celestia asked, startled. “By the changelings? Where?”

“At the Bridge,” Teagan answered. “Chrysalis was leading a changeling army. Five of her personal guards smashed the chariots before we knew they were there. Then two of them eluded the Sun Shield’s counter attack. Sun Hammer got one, but the other one nailed Subtle Dancer before the trolls could reach him.”

“And what of Chrysalis?” The Princess asked in a neutral tone that made Teagan quail inside. “Did she escape? What of her army?”

“Your Highness, any further discussion about this should be in private,” Teagan said, lowering her voice. “Trust me.”

Celestia studied the grim expression on the girl’s face.

“Very well,” she said, and then turned to address the room. “My little ponies! Please clear the hall. The Dronning and I must confer in private. Rest assured, now that I am aware of Ponyville’s problems help is on the way. Return to your homes for now and continue your cleanup efforts.”

It was amazing how quickly and quietly the hall cleared. Teagan wondered if she would ever have that kind of instant obedience from trolls. Somehow she doubted it.

Teagan kept Søyle and Emma with her although she sent Skrent and Flint join the pegasus guards at the door. Princess Celestia asked Mayor Mare to stay and she noted uneasily that Discord had remained in Celestia’s shadow as well. He was definitely nervous, and kept shooting little glances Teagan’s way when he thought she wasn’t looking.

Part of her was wary, but another part was grinning savagely at his discomfiture. A third part was shaking its head at the savage glee she felt.

Crush’s influence, no doubt, she thought to herself.

“All right, now that we’re alone tell me what’s been going on,” Celestia said in a business-like tone. It was a very unnerving side of her, one Teagan had never seen before.

“I don’t even know where to begin,” Teagan said, exhaling noisily.

“Start at the beginning. For example, who is your friend?” Celestia asked, looking over at Emma.

“Oh, right! Your Highness, may I introduce Emma Halstead, my best friend—who isn’t supposed to be here,” Teagan stared hard at her friend. Emma had the grace to blush. “She followed us across the Bridge in a Rainbow Dash-sized display of loyalty.”

“H-hello, Your Highness,” Emma stammered. “I talked to your figurine back home. I’m glad to finally meet you for real.”

“Ah, I see. It’s very rare to find such loyalty, cousin. You should treasure it,” A genuine smile lit her face as she turned to the other girl. “Hello, Emma. I take it the spells worked then? I wasn’t sure they would on the other side of the Bridge.”

Emma nodded nervously. “Yes, they did. It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen, especially the way your figurine could fly. Can you really fly like that?”

Emma’s hands flew up to her mouth. “Oh, I’m so sorry! That was rude—”

“It’s all right, Emma. Yes, I can fly,” she spread her wings and winked. “To tell you the truth I don’t fly nearly as much as I’d like to. My poor guards get so nervous if they’re not pulling me in my chariot. You’d think they’d remember I’ve been flying for a very long time. I really am quite good at it.”

Teagan chuckled. “I missed you, Princess, especially your sense of humor.”

“The feeling is mutual, cousin. So, Emma followed you across the Bridge, and Chrysalis ambushed you there. I take it something momentous happened next?”

“You could say that,” Teagan nodded. “I originally thought we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, but some of the things Chrysalis said made me think she has a grudge against Subtle Dancer. Her main target seems to be Shining Armor, but I suppose that’s natural enough. She says he killed half her children when he ejected the changelings from Canterlot.”

Celestia nodded sadly. “That is true. Any that were caught in an enclosed area were—crushed,” her voice was quiet. “I imagine Chrysalis’s hatred of me has grown as well.”

“Mmm. Here’s the funny thing though. I don’t think it was an attack of opportunity. She knew we would be there. She had an army of hundreds with her. Somebody tipped her off.”

“You think changelings have infiltrated Canterlot?” Celestia’s eyes narrowed. “We’ve been on guard against that, Lady Teelo. Ever since the wedding.”

Teagan shrugged. “It isn’t impossible, but there are ways that are a lot less risky.”

“For instance?” Celestia asked, intrigued.

“Bribing or blackmailing someone who knows the information,” Teagan said. “Canterlot’s lousy with diplomats of all species, and they gossip. Any one of them, or anyone they talked to, could be an intermediary for the changelings. If the intermediary arranged to meet someone outside Canterlot then the changelings wouldn’t risk detection. The intermediaries wouldn’t even need to know they were dealing with changelings.”

“That sounds like Matthew speaking,” Celestia said shrewdly.

“It is,” Teagan smiled. “Espionage is a high art form on Earth these days. Cat’s paws are one of those classics that never go out of style. But I think both Subtle Dancer and I were the targets.”

“Ah, of course. If you were to die while under Equestria’s protection…”

“Exactly. Søyle, what would Fjell do then?” Teagan asked.

“Declare war on the ponies,” Søyle said instantly. “There would be no doubt who was to blame for the Dronning’s death, since they failed to guard her properly. The people would demand justice and the council would not gainsay them. Fjell himself would not hesitate. He holds you in high regard, Dronning.”

“So in one fell swoop Chrysalis gets the trolls to do her dirty work,” Teagan said grimly. “Everyone knows it would be suicide to kill Celestia, because she raises the sun. But Chrysalis wouldn’t have to kill Celestia, now would she? I don’t think she’d want Celestia dead even if she could kill her. After all, she wants Celestia to suffer.”

“She’d only kill Celestia’s subjects instead,” Emma said suddenly, staring at the alicorn. “I heard you call them my little ponies, Your Highness. Do you think of them as your children?”

“In a way,” the Princess admitted. “I certainly understand why Chrysalis would think I do.”

“There’s a twisted logic to it that would appeal to her. Shining Armor killed half her children, so she gets the trolls to kill yours. The problem is Chrysalis isn’t particularly subtle,” Teagan said. “This doesn’t feel like something she’d come up with on her own.”

“Yes, dear Chryssy never was all that bright,” Discord chuckled, his first contribution to the conversation.

“You know Chrysalis?” Teagan asked, an alarm bell ringing in the back of her head. “You didn’t happen to have a little chat with her, did you?” Her voice was icy.

“Now, Teelo, is that an accusation?” He asked nervously. “I haven’t spoken to her in thousands of years. Not since that business with—” He paused, glancing sideways at Celestia. “Well, never mind, it’s old news. I’m reformed now. Rainbow Bash said it herself.”

“Rainbow Dash,” Teagan corrected in a monotone. “And why am I having trouble believing you?”

“I know you and I have a—history,” he said. “But I was possessed by Nightmare at the time, and I did my time in that horrible stone statue, and you did just knock me all the way to Canterlot, so can’t we let bygones be bygones, hmm?” He batted his eyes at her. She felt her stomach roil.

“Discord, the only reason I’m not bashing you into spaghetti sauce right now is because the Princess seems to tolerate you for some reason. I don’t like you, I don’t trust you, and I’m not buying this story about how you’ve been reformed,” Teagan said tightly. “On top of all that it turns out you know Chrysalis too. I am not happy, monster. At all.”

“I know you don’t trust him,” Celestia said, “but as a personal favor, could you not attack him again? Or refer to him as a monster? Please?”

When Celestia batted her eyes Teagan had no defense. She sighed in defeat.

“All right, as a favor to you, I’ll agree to peaceful co-existence with him. But the instant he attacks me or mine, I will end him.”

Celestia blinked, clearly not expecting the girl’s caveat.

“Fair enough,” the alicorn finally replied. “Perhaps in time you’ll come to accept that he actually has reformed himself.”

“That’s going to take a long time,” Teagan said, staring coolly at Discord. “Talk is cheap, Discord. Words are plentiful. Deeds are precious. You’ll have to show me you’ve reformed with your actions, not just pretty words.”

“Of course!” Discord beamed, straightening. “Tell me what you want me to do, little Teelo! Anything at all. You’ll see! I’m the new and improved Discord! Reformed and prepared to prove it!”

“Really?” She asked suspiciously.

“Really! Anything! Just name it,” he said with a big grin.

“Two things then. One, do not call me Teelo. My name is Teagan,” the girl said with a level stare. “And two, fix the town.”

Discord nodded happily. “Of course, I’ll just—what?” His eyes bugged out.

“Fix the town. Get all the glass out of Bon-bon’s candy. Put all the busted windows back together. Rebuild the buildings that were damaged. You know. Fix it,” Teagan smiled at the draconequus. “Make it like it was before it got broken. You can do that, right? Snap your fingers and change reality so the town is just like it was before?”

“That’s preposterous!” He exclaimed loudly.

“Oh, well if it’s beyond you, I understand,” Teagan said in a sympathetic tone. “I just thought, you know, hey, it’s Discord and now that he’s reformed it should be simple for him. But if I overestimated you, I do apologize.”

“Celestia!” He protested.

The alicorn regarded him mildly. “You did say anything, Discord.”

“Yes, I know, but—” He stared at the two rulers, one pony, one human, both regarding him with identical innocent expressions. “Oh, very well. One repaired town, coming right up.”

He paused for a moment, closing his eyes, and then snapped his fingers. There was a curious sound, like ringing wind chimes and the hall’s gaping windows were suddenly filled with glass. A wave of disorientation swept over the town, making the residents stagger. One unfortunate stallion was left dangling from a roof as his ladder collapsed. Quick thinking by a passing pegasus saw him safely on the ground and sighing in relief.

“There! I hope that proves I’ve reformed,” Discord was actually panting. “You do realize, Lady Teagan, you were the one that made the mess in the first place, right? I’m the victim here, yet you expected me to clean up after you. Well, I did it. Satisfied?”

“It’s a start,” Teagan admitted. “Keep in mind you’re the one who traumatized me in the first place. If it wasn’t for you kidnapping me, I wouldn’t have had a flashback and bashed you.”

“Yes, well I heard about my dear sister’s nap getting interrupted, you know,” Discord smirked. “It seems if I hadn’t kidnapped you then dear old Celestia here would be a frozen popsicle and her precious ponies would be nothing but bones by now.”

“And you’d still be a statue for all eternity,” she pointed out. “Instead you spent what, six months in jail and now you’re free.”

“I’ve been paroled, not freed,” Discord corrected her.

“Paroled is better than being a pigeon roost,” she pointed out.

“True,” he mused.

“Perhaps we should return to the topic at hand?” Celestia asked gently. “As amusing as this is, I really need to know what happened to Chrysalis and her army.”

“Yeah, about that,” Teagan shifted uncomfortably, glancing at Mayor Mare. “What I’m about to say must never be revealed to anyone, do you understand, Mayor? You’ll have to swear to take this knowledge to your grave. If you don’t want to do that I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

“Your Highness?” the Mayor asked with the barest quiver in her voice. “What should I do? Do you think I should leave?”

Celestia grew still.

“It might be for the best,” she said reluctantly. “I will not demand you leave, Mayor, but understand if you stay you may hear something you can never unhear. I would not burden you with such secrets. However, it is your decision.”

“Does it involve the safety of Ponyville?” the Mayor asked Teagan, visibly controlling herself.

Teagan hesitated. “It might. But I can absolutely guarantee you really don’t want to know.”

“Ponyville is my responsibility,” the Mayor said firmly. “If this secret could affect Ponyville my duty is clear. Very well, I swear to keep the secret and tell no one.”

“Are you certain about this?” Teagan asked, staring the Mayor in the eye. “Nobody would blame you for leaving, least of all me. There are some things ponies were not meant to know.”

“I give you my word.” The Mayor then smiled faintly. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” as she made the gestures. “Nobody breaks a Pinkie promise, Lady Teagan.”

“True enough. All right, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Teagan turned her attention back to Princess Celestia.

“After Chrysalis had her guards destroy the chariots she ordered her army to charge us while the five guards attacked from inside the ring. The torch ring,” she said with heavy emphasis on the word torch.

Celestia closed her eyes, a look of pain on her face.

“Yeah,” Teagan said grimly. “Subtle Dancer timed it perfectly. The flames caught the entire first wave of attackers, out to about sixty feet—at least a couple of hundred changelings.”

“What?” The mayor asked, confused.

“Subtle Dancer threw a spell, Mayor. It turned the torch flames into dragon fire,” Teagan explained. “You do know what happens to creatures caught in the middle of dragon fire, right?”

The tan pony’s pupils shrank suddenly and she put both hooves in front of her mouth. “No…” She started to tremble.

“It killed about a third of the changeling army,” Teagan said. “Burned them pretty much to husks. Chrysalis was completely devastated and her army thrown into disarray. I used her shock to leap into the air and smash her with Crush.”

“You actually hit her?” Celestia asked, leaning forward and staring intently. “Like you did Discord?”

“Not with as much force,” Teagan shook her head. “Chrysalis still hit the ground hard enough to leave a crater and bury herself below the crater floor.”

“You killed Chrysalis?” For the first time Teagan got to see a look of utter shock on the alicorn’s face. For some reason Discord looked shocked as well.

“That wasn’t the end of the story,” Teagan said, holding up her hand. “When she went down her bodyguards turned bug nuts crazy and attacked me. I hit them with Crush and this time I used Crush’s full weight, just like I did to Discord.”

“I didn’t hear a boom earlier today,” Celestia said slowly. “Surely we’d have heard it?”

“The guards weren’t as durable as Discord, Your Highness,” Teagan said after a moment. “They—splattered, like giant tomatoes. I think most of the force passed right though them without being transferred.”

Celestia shivered. The Mayor was in shock.

“And the other guards?” She finally asked.

“They wouldn’t stop fighting,” Teagan said quietly. “Of the seven guards she brought I killed three, Sun Hammer killed two, Søyle killed the one who attacked Subtle Dancer, and the Sun Shield killed the other one.”

“Killed? Ponies don’t kill!” The Mayor said. “We’re civilized, we never kill!”

“That is not entirely true, my little pony,” Celestia said gently after a moment. “Sometimes, to preserve everything they love, a pony must take a life. It is never done lightly, because a little bit of them dies too. The consequences—well, those ponies are never the same again.”

The Mayor stared at Celestia, the question she dared not ask written on her face.

Celestia chose to ignore the unspoken question and took the Mayor into a hug. The others kept silent out of respect until Celestia broke the hug.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” the Mayor’s eyes were haunted.

“I’m so sorry, Mayor,” Teagan said. “I didn’t want you to hear this.”

Teagan’s voice seemed to rouse the politician. She braced and took a deep breath.

“I chose to stay,” she said, blinking. “I wish to Celestia’s blessed self I had not, but I did. Oh! Begging your pardon, Your Highness,” she said, belatedly realizing what she’d said—and, more importantly, to whom she had said it. Small patches of red appeared under her tan furred cheeks.

“I am not offended, my little pony. Although I must admit I am baffled why ponies constantly say things like that,” Celestia said with a smile. “Still, if it offers you comfort, I will not object.”

“Thank you, Princess,” the Mayor said in clear relief.

“With Chrysalis dead, the changeling drones will not survive for long,” Celestia said with a tinge of sadness in her voice. “In spite of their attack on Canterlot I would not have wished this upon them. I also want you to know I don’t condemn your actions, Lady Teelo. You acted to save yourself and my little ponies, as you always have. Thank you.”

“I appreciate that, Your Highness, and I hope you feel the same way about Subtle Dancer. If he hadn’t used that spell the changelings would have swarmed us. No one would have survived. And then the trolls would have declared war on Equestria and it would have been a bloodbath.”

Celestia winced. “That is a gruesome image indeed, cousin. No, I don’t blame Subtle Dancer. I can only pray he doesn’t blame himself. Nor can I allow him to take the same path Sun Hammer did. He is too important to Equestria.”

“And Sun Hammer wasn’t?” Teagan’s voice held just a trace of an edge.

“Sun Hammer is a very stubborn stallion,” Celestia replied gently. “I offered to heal his eye and his legs, since the troll king inflicted those injuries without using Crush. He refused me, cousin. He was very gallant about it. He said he never wanted to forget what he had done. He also insisted on taking responsibility for killing the troll king, and making sure everypony knew.”

“Too honorable for his own good,” Teagan murmured. “I can so see him doing that. I apologize for my suspicions, Princess. I should have known better.”

“Friendship is a powerful thing, cousin,” Celestia said with a smile. “Sun Hammer has very few friends, and I am grateful for each one of them. I do not begrudge you your suspicion. But thank you for seeing it was unfounded.”

“Am I ever going to get this queen thing right?” Teagan asked with a half smile.

“As with all things, it takes practice,” Celestia said. “I have no doubt you will master it soon enough.”

“Well, there is one single ray of sunshine in this whole mess,” Teagan said. “But it really complicates things.”

“You mean they aren’t complicated enough?” Celestia asked, raising an eyebrow.

Teagan snorted.

“You know me. When I complicate something I deliver only the very best. Chrysalis is actually still alive, Your Highness. As we speak she and a dozen of her drones are being treated at Ponyville’s hospital for their injuries—which were pretty horrible.”

“Hah! I knew Chryssy was too tough to let a little thing like that kill her,” Discord said, smirking. “She should thank me for—” He paused, noticing both Celestia and Teagan giving him interested looks. “Oops.”

“Spill it,” Teagan growled. “What did you do? You did tip her off, didn’t you?”

“No, I most certainly did not “tip her off”. What a vulgar expression,” Discord grimaced. “And for your information, little girl, I really haven’t seen her in thousands of years. Not since I defeated my darling sister for control of this lovely ball of mud, in fact.”

“So why did you say she should thank you?” Teagan asked pointedly.

“Because if I hadn’t punished her all those years ago she wouldn’t have survived your little love tap,” Discord retorted.

“You punished Chrysalis?” Celestia asked sharply. “Why?”

“Isn’t it obvious? She sided with my sister against me! After I went to all the trouble to provide her and her brood a lovely new home, too! Ungrateful insects.”

“What did you do to punish her, Discord?” Teagan asked, tensing.

“Oh, nothing major. I just made her outsides match her insides, her and her entire kingdom. I will admit to being just a teensy bit irked, but in my defense she had allied herself with my sister—who was trying to destroy me. So I took her memories too. Whenever she tries to remember her life before the curse she gets a splitting migraine, and transmits it to her children as well. The curse was just a bonus—to make sure nothing could kill her. I wanted her to have a very long time to enjoy the fruits of her treachery.”

“You really are an epic douche-bag, aren’t you?” Teagan said contemptuously.

“Such language! What do they teach teenagers these days? No respect for their elders! And the word is “was”, Teagan. I’m reformed now. I only use my magic for, blehg, good.”

“So reformed you can’t even say it without gagging,” Teagan noted. “At least you’re consistent.”

“But he is trying, cousin,” Celestia said mildly. “Trust me, if you knew him as well as I do you’d see how far he really has come.”

“Thank you, sweet Celestia! At least someone believes in me,” Discord said with wide shining eyes.

“Of course that isn’t to say he hasn’t got a long way to go,” Celestia noted calmly. Discord deflated with an audible hiss.

“That was cold,” he said. “Honestly, sometimes I wonder why I even bother.”

“So what did you do?” Teagan asked the draconequus, who had his nose stuck up in the air, sulking. “What did she look like before?”

“Oh, she was so cute it was nauseating,” Discord scoffed. “You’d have loved her, she was all soft and frilly and pretty—if you like butterflies, that is. Very brightly colored, I remember that. Flutterpony, I think they called themselves.”

Celestia’s intake of breath was sharp enough to attract everyone’s attention.

“Are you saying Chrysalis is the queen of the flutterponies? You turned the flutterponies into changelings?”

“Yes?” Discord offered, confused.

“Change them back,” Celestia said and her voice was abruptly that of a goddess, an angry goddess. Aware he’d somehow made a serious mistake Discord shrank away, looking like he was thinking about teleporting.

“What are flutterponies?” Teagan asked quickly. She’d never seen Celestia angry before. Even when the alicorn had fired on Tišina she hadn’t been angry. Teagan had no desire to be on the same planet as an angry Celestia. Her question was a desperate attempt to distract the alicorn.

It seemed to work. Celestia collected herself for a moment. When she spoke her tone was calm again, but her earlier words lingered like the memory of thunder.

“Flutterponies came to Equestria much earlier than the rest of us,” Celestia explained. “Many thousands of years earlier. Before today I never knew how they crossed over. Flutterponies were all powerful magicians, closely aligned with the land. Equestria shaped them as much as they shaped it. At the height of their power flutterponies looked like earth ponies with butterfly wings and antenna. The legends say one day they simply vanished. Now we know why,” she stared coldly at Discord. “So now Discord is going to change them back, isn’t he?” Lights chased each other up and down her horn.

Discord cringed.

“Now, Celestia, normally I’d be overjoyed to change them back for you as quick as a bunny since you asked so nicely. But there’s just one teensy-weensy little problem…”

Comments

[brony323]

In Teagan’s blind rage her subconscious demanded Crush’s full weight be released, only this time targeting the eight-foot tall monster in front of her. The last tiny shred of her sanity focused the power upward so the town would be spared the worst of the horrific explosion to follow.

I did some math and it’s probably wrong but we’re talking over 5 trillion pounds of weight here. Added with the momentum and speed of Teelo’s swing...that gonna hurt

[brony323]

Should also mention that 25 miles in 2 seconds requires speeds of over 45,000 miles per hour. Props to discord for being able to do anything at all