“You are hereby invited to the wedding of her royal majesty Princess Celestia of Equestria.” Twilight is stunned when she receives this message, especialy since she didn't know that Princess Celestia had been seeing anypony...
“You are hereby invited to the wedding of her royal majesty Princess Celestia of Equestria.”
Strange, as far as Twilight Sparkle was aware, Celestia didn't even have a special somepony let alone a fiancè. Well here's the good news: She doesn't have a special somepony. Bad News: Chrysalis isn't a pony.
What happened between the Goddess of the Sun and the Conduit of the Swarm-mind? Is it just another plot to take over Canterlot, or might there be more under the carapace of the queen than anybody expected? Well, we'll never find out if nobody stops her and Twilight from killing each other first...
---- Click the little source thingie under the cover image cause Karzahnii is an awesome guy.
Also special thanks to Wise Cracker, and MrJoshy, who always endure me pestering them with my story. :P
“You are hereby invited to the wedding of her royal majesty Princess Celestia of Equestria.” Twilight turned the letter around a few times, but sure enough the message didn’t change. She checked the sigil that was used to seal the scroll, but Spike burping with post message nausea was already evidence enough that the princess herself had send the letter.
“Seriously, first my brother and now my mentor? Is there some sort of conspiracy going on to keep me out of the loop when it comes to weddings?” She asked, shaking her head.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Why would anyone do that?” Spike said, chuckling awkwardly and quickly pocketing his own wedding band. Maybe now wasn’t the best of times to tell her about his plans. “If it’s any comfort, I didn’t know about this either.” He added.
“Strange. If the princess had a suitor it would have been all over the news, and you and I are probably the two people closest to her, except maybe for Luna. I can’t believe she hasn’t told us anything,” Twilight said. Her mind raced as she tried to compile a list of possible suitors. “Who could possibly be close enough to her to form this kind of relationship?” she mumbled, more to herself than as a serious question.
“Maybe she met him during one of her diplomatic missions,” Spike supplied. “I mean she spent an awful lot of time in Saddle Arabia recently, and not having to kneel to meet eyes is probably a big plus when it comes to romance.”
Twilight shot her assistant an annoyed glare and said: “I think you’ve read too many of Rarity’s romance novels... again. Celestia wouldn’t fall for the whole mysterious desert prince angle.”
“Well, we could always go to Canterlot and see for ourselves,” Spike shot back, angry that his theory was denied so thoroughly.
The purple unicorn stopped her nervous cantering and pondered the idea for a moment. “Actually, yeah let’s do that. Spike, go round up the girls I’ll book the train tickets.”
“Huh, really? No crazy plan? No panic attack?” Spike looked at his surrogate sister as if he had just witnessed a miracle.
“Don’t be silly, when did I ever overreact like that?” Twilight asked, giggling softly.
“Last tuesday, when you thought that Nightmare Moon had returned because Luna had a sore throat.” Spike droned instantly, as if he had memorized the answer beforehand.
Twilight’s smile grew somewhat strained. “Don’t you need to find the girls right now?” she hissed between her teeth.
Spike’s survival instinct chose this moment to return from its holiday, and the little dragon darted out of the room.
When Twilight was sure that Spike had left, she drew an intricately carved key from under her mattress. She walked over to her desk, and opened the second drawer from the top. The noise of the key turning spoke of a more sophisticated lock than one would ordinarily expect on a drawer. One look and she could already feel the panic reclining.
“Aww Applejack whatever would I do without you?” she said, taking a long sip from the bottle. If only she had discovered this liquid miracle earlier, the whole Smarty Pants incident could have probably been avoided.
---
Twilight looked at the small crowd that had gathered on the train platform. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy, were all present and accounted for. Her faithful assistant was standing right besides her. Like a drill marshal she paraded up and down in front of her friends for a while.
“My fellow friends, I have gathered you here for a very important mission.” Twilight intonated, a solemn look on her face.
Rainbow Dash immediately rose into a fighting stance, shadow boxing against an invisible enemy. “Who is it this time? Sombra? Discord? Is Trixie back with another artifact of evil?” She bellowed.
Pinkie bounced around energetically, while she chimed: “Oooh, I bet Princess Celestia has gone mad with power and is about to bring eternal day and scorch the world with her uncontrollable rage, leaving only dried out corpses and a burned wasteland!”
Twilight looked perturbed at the pink party mare’s big toothy grin. “No, why would she ever do that?” she said, quickly gathering herself and once again reminding herself that his was probably just a case of Pinkie being Pinkie. “The mission that I’ve called you here for is much more dangerous than any threat we have faced so far. When you come with me I cannot guarantee your mental or physical safety. So I give you one last chance to back out.”
The five ponies gulped. Spike rolled his eyes but remained silent, when his sister was like this it was better to just let things play out, lest you wanted to be caught under the wheels.
“How about ya tell us what all this hooey is about first?” Applejack replied, a somewhat sceptical look on her face. She was far too familiar with her friend’s tendency to blow things out of proportion to be worried.
Twilight sighed as if she was about to unleash a horrible truth on her friends. “I need you to find out who Princess Celestia is going to marry.”
Silence fell over the group, then as if on cue all of them began to talk at once.
“Another wedding this is so AWESOME!!!! Not that I like this mushy stuff...” “Oh my, I just hope there’ll be no changelings this time...” “Twilight my dear, you simply MUST convince Princess Celestia to let me make her dress...” “This calls for the biggest PARTY ever!” “How come she ain’t told nobody ‘bout this yet?”
“Girls. Girls!” Twilight shouted, trying to stop the torrent of questions that poured over her. “Don’t you think it’s strange, that she just suddenly has a suitor that nobody has heard about before? Doesn’t this remind you of another wedding we had recently?”
This time the silence was more permanent and it was a full thirty seconds before Rainbow Dash broke it. “I doubt that the changelings would pull something like this again, not after we kicked their flanks like that last time.” She said cockily, earning approving and somewhat relieved nods from her friends.
“Maybe not changelings, but you have to admit that the situation is strange.” As Twilight spoke those words, concern was clearly visible in her features.
“Darling, don’t you think that you’re overreacting a bit?” Rarity chuckled uneasily; the words had a bitter aftertaste, considering the events during the last wedding.
“Rarity, since I moved here from Canterlot I have been beaten, burned, and struck by lightning. I’ve had to face an ancient goddess, the avatar of chaos, one of the largest beasts known to ponykind, a mad tyrant possessed by the power of darkness, a invasion of shapeshifters and Pinkie Pie... Just this once I’d like to stay on the safe side and risk overreacting a bit.” When Twilight finished talking she was breathing heavily, the panic she had held back so far slowly surfacing.
Her friends looked at each other awkwardly. They all had spent most of their life in Ponyville, and while the closeness to the Everfree Forest had somewhat desensitized them about weird things happening, they had to admit that Twilight had a point.
Applejack took a step forward towards her purple friend and put a hoof on her shoulder. “I’m sorry Twi, ya’re right. We’ll help you.”
Twilight relaxed visibly, feeling the approval of her friends as she was quickly drawn into a group hug. She took a moment smiling at them before she reached for her backpack and sat it down in front of her: “After what happened with Discord and during the wedding, Princess Celestia entrusted the Elements of Harmony with me for safekeeping.” She took the necklaces out of the bag and handed them to their respective owners. “No use in having an artifact of ancient power if it’s never there when you need it.”
The Element-bearers donned their respective artifacts. Even with their friendship new and only freshly blooming, the Elements had proven powerful enough to rival Nightmare Moon. Now their friendship was a deep bond, tempered by time and shared adventures, and they could feel the trust they put into each other resonating with the crystals they wore. Even Spike, while not an element bearer himself, could feel the power that filled the air around his friends.
Invigorated by the experience and reassured that they always could depend on each other, the seven boarded the train to Canterlot.
---
During the trainride the girls -plus one- were engrossed in small talk. None of them wanted to think about what may await them in Canterlot and so they spent the time chatting away. When all their usual subjects were exhausted, they began the age old ritual of ‘killing time’. Rarity discussed sewing techniques with Fluttershy; Rainbow Dash and Pinkie planned pranks; and Applejack, Spike and Twilight were playing cards.
“Go fish.” Twilight was just about to say when the compartment door opened. A serious looking black Unicorn adorned in full Canterlot guards regalia, was standing outside.
“Lady Twilight and the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony?” He asked, his face the usual stoic expression that seemed to be a part of the whole guardspony package.
Twilight shot her companions a look that seemed to radiate the words “told you so!”.
“That’d be us, yes. Can we help you?” she asked trying her best to remain calm.
By defying a few laws of reality the stallion somehow managed to straighten himself even more before announcing: “I’m sergeant Steel Aegis and I have been sent by her royal majesty Princess Celestia to escort you to Canterlot Castle.”
“And what, pray tell, is the reason for this?” Rarity interjected. Rainbow Dash immediately followed up:”Yeah buster, what’s the big idea?”
“I’m sorry ma'am,” he nodded towards Rarity, “sir,” he nodded towards Rainbow, “I’m just following orders.”
While Applejack kept Rainbow Dash from strangling the oblivious unicorn stallion, the rest of the Element-bearers were giving each other puzzled looks. Sure, they all had saved Equestria from certain doom quite a few times now, but so far that had never influenced their normal lives. There had been a few small celebrations in their honour, another medal to collect dust in the trophy display, but the morning after things were usually back to normal.
“Girls, huddle!” Twilight exclaimed.
---
Steel Aegis looked at his charges as they formed a huddle. Had it not been for the hard training that every Guards-cadet went through to achieve absolute control over their facial features, he might have looked confused.
Quietly he stood outside the compartment, watching the group of six ponies and one dragon while they whispered to each other. Ever so often one of them looked up and glared at him. The cyan pegasus stallion in particular seemed to harbor some sort of Ill will towards him.
He didn’t feel very comfortable in his position. When Shining Armor assumed his new role as prince of the Crystal Empire, a hole was left in the Canterlot Guard’s command structure and as it is often the case in such situation that meant a chain of promotions. While most people welcomed this, Steel Aegis had been very happy with being a simple corporal.
In Steel Aegis’ mind, corporal was the perfect job. You were just high enough to receive a nice paycheck, and just low enough to avoid any real responsibility. Now that he was a sergeant, he all too often found himself in situations that needed -he shuddered as he thought the despised words- personal initiative.
‘Lady Twilight’ as he remembered from the briefing, broke free from the circle and approached him.
“Just to be sure, when you say escort, you mean like an honour guard, and not like, for example, a prison escort?” the purple unicorn inquired looking demonstratively innocent.
“Ma’am?” Steel Aegis replied, already he could feel himself slipping on the thin ice of responsibility.
“Come on, you know what I mean, like when the villain invites the hero as ‘guests’.” the violet mare pressed on.
“I...I don’t think so, ma’am.” He said, his stoic expression threatening to falter. Maybe he should try to request a vice-sergeant, then he would have someone else to blame in this kind of situation.
Twilight returned back to the huddle and they resumed whispering among each other. Steel Aegis meanwhile was busy recounting the short conversation and checking for any sort of faux pas he might have committed towards “Princess Celestia’s personal protégé”.
Just when he was ready to resign himself to a lifetime of mopping the barack-toilets the purple unicorn approached him again, the other Element-bearers in tow.
“Lead the way.” She said with a cheek to cheek grin on her face. Steel Aegis gulped.
---
When the Element-bearers left the train, flanked on either side by a battalion of unicorn guards, their jaws hit the floor.
Canterlot station, not the small station on the city's outskirts but the huge hall that encompassed several lines from all around equestria, was a sight to behold. All of the platforms were canopied by the single largest glass-roof one could imagine. The bare steel beams that lined all inner walls and the ceiling, gave the hall an archaic but grand appearance.
But it wasn’t the architectural spectacle around them, which had them baffled, but the fact that the whole place was deserted. The normally bustling hub of Canterlot’s infrastructure was empty, except for the startled Element-bearers and their protectors.
Twilight looked towards the sergeant asking: “What has happened here? Where are all the ponies?”
“Princess Celestia has ordered the building to be closed for your arrival.” The burly stallion answered monotonously.
Twilight could feel all her fears resurfacing. Sending an escort? Maybe... but to close down Canterlots lifeline just for their arrival? There had to be something up. She wanted nothing more than to share her concerns with her friends, but in the presence of their ‘protectors’ she didn’t dare more than a sideways glance.
They didn’t talk while they walked through the empty building, the clinking and clanking of the guard’s armor and the muffled clip-clop of hooves on stone the only thing to break through the silence.
“Do ya hear that?” Applejack asked, tilting her head sideways to amplify the sound that had caught her interest.
“Hmm?” Twilight replied, but now that Applejack mentioned it, there was something: It was less of a sound and more a feeling: As if her guts were vibrating.
And then they reached the front door.
The sergeant laid his hoof on the front door, and suddenly the world exploded into a cacophony of noise.
The streets outside the station were packed to the brim with ponies and all of them were looking at the Element bearers. When Twilight and her friends stepped out into the open, the crowd fell silent for a moment before erupting into cheers. People were holding banners and signs announcing their never ending devotion for the Element-bearers and even the occasional wish for marriage and/or children wasn’t missing. The most prevalent however were signs praising their defeat of the changelings.
Before the six ponies could get their bearings, a motion went through the crowd as one by one they all picked up a chant: “OUR SAVIORS! OUR SAVIORS!”
Rainbow Dash looked at her friends, a wide grin plastered onto her face, as she exclaimed: “About time someone recognised how awesome we are.”
---
The next hour turned into a haze. The walk from the station to the castle normally would have taken ten minute top, but with the cheering crowd following them every single step it was a miracle that they had reached the castle at all. The guardsponies had been busy keeping the crowd at bay, while the seven friends smiled and waved, trying to not show how nervous they all were.
When they had reached the castle, the crowd remained on the edge of the drawbridge but even now in the courtyard their cheers could still be heard.
Steel Aegis and his exhausted battalion had withdrawn, leaving the friends alone. Rarity was busy tending to Fluttershy who was close to catatonic after all the unwanted attention. Meanwhile Twilight was busy, making final ‘battle preparations’.
“We don’t know what to expect in there,” she pointed at the entrance that lead to the throne room “So we need to be prepared for everything. If something has been done to the princess then it’s most likely that she won’t realize that we want to help her, so we need to operate with uttermost discretion.”
Her friends nodded in agreement. When they had been hesitant about this whole ordeal at first, by now there were simply too many coincidences piling up to be ignored.
Twilight walked over to her other two friends. She looked at Fluttershy with concern. The yellow pegasus was trembling, her eyes were wide and bloodshot, all in all she could have been the cover girl for shear terror.
“Are you okay?” Twilight asked.
“I..I’m...fine... We n...n...need to help Celestia.” The yellow mare barely managed to say. Twilight gave the frightened pegasus a gentle hug. She was aware how hard this had to be on her friend, but she also knew that she could count on her when it was important.
Touching the tiara on her head once again for reassurance, her gaze wandered towards the castle doors. It was time to face Celestia’s fiancé.
---
Celestia was positively beaming. That was the first thing that Twilight noticed when they entered the throne room. In all the time she had spent with Celestia she had become used to the constant motherly smile, that normally adorned the princess’ face, but now she was emitting happiness with the power of a stadium spotlight. For the first time, Twilight felt doubt about her theory.
“Ahh, Twilight I’m glad that you could make it so fast.” Celestia said, while she descended from her throne, to greet her favourite student. There was a barely constrained spring in her step. Twilight had to fight the urge to just run up to her mentor and spill all her worries into the warm motherly hug that was sure to await her.
“You know that I would always come as soon as I can if you write me.” While she had to hide her worries, her words were genuine. There was nothing that could stop her from rushing to her mentors side if she called.
“And I’m happy to see you as well, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. I hope that I haven’t caused you any inconvenience.” The monarch inquired.
“As if we could miss the royal wedding, not to mention the wedding of one of Twilights dear friends.” Rarity replied.
“Ahh, yes I believe you have arrived just in time to meet my fiancé.” Celestia exclaimed, looking at the door, were a page had taken his place. Accompanied by a blaring fanfare he announced: “Introducing, future spouse to the high seat of the sun, Queen Chrysalis of the Hive-mind.”
Once again, the sound of seven jaws hitting the flaw could be heard, as the black Changeling Queen entered the throne room.
Twilight was the first to regain her composure. “Girls! Into formation!”
Princess Celestia; She was a neverending example of motherly warmth and just rulership. Nothing short of Discords reappearance could ever break her well kept contenance.
A beam of materialised friendship shot past the solar matriarch’s face accompanied by somepony shouting: “Take that, vile temptress!”
Celestia’s mane, coloured in the many tones of the dawn sky, flowed, carried by an ethereal wind. Her white figure looked like it was chiseled from the purest alabaster. Yes, surely there was nothing that could ever tarnish her perfect presence.
A flare of green balefire whizzed past her, while a deep womanly voice announced: “You fools, nopony will stand before the might of the changeling queen!”
Gently, the ruler of Equestria -pardon, one of the rulers of Equestria- raised the teacup in front of her, taking a small sip of the special blend that was only delivered to the royal palace. The divine aroma touched her taste buds, at the same time calming her and providing her with the energy she needed for the rest of her day.
“Geronimo!” the small purple dragon screamed while he was catapulted across the room.
Celestia took a small moment to hold the cup in her hoof, releasing it from her levitation magic, to feel the warmth it was emitting. Yes, this moment was truly peaceful.
“Argh!” the small, and slightly singed, purple dragon screamed while he was catapulted across the room.
The empress of ponykind looked around the throne room. In front of her was a small tea-table, brought by some of her more steadfast servants. To her right a few changelings had build an impromptu fortification from her throne and the muckus they could produce. To her left, the door had been ripped from its hinges by powerful unicorn magic and was currently providing cover for six ponies and a small dragon.
She smiled. Her little ponies never ceased to amaze her. Thus far there hadn’t even been any casualties. All in all it could be said that things went a lot smoother than she had expected.
---
When both warring factions had exhausted their supply of magic and easily throwable dragons, they made a hasty retreat. Chrysalis barricaded herself in the bedchambers, while the Element-bearers regrouped in the courtyard.
Celestia leaned against the wooden boards of her bedroom door. When she listened closely she could hear angered snorts, grunts and the occasional buzzing coming from inside.
“Sweetie?” the goddess of the sun asked, facing the barricaded door. For a short moment she regretted reinforcing it with that much of her own magic. The floor fell completely silent. This particular kind of silence however was caused by someone trying to ignore someone else, it was just quiet enough for the other to know that he was being ignored.
“Sweetie, are you alright?” Celestia once again asked the closed door.
After a few moments a grumbling reply came from inside: “Oh don’t worry. I’ll be perfectly fine once I crushed those pesky little....” The rest of the sentence was lost in incomprehensible, anger-filled mumbling.
Celestia rolled her eyes, but when she started speaking again her voice didn’t betray any annoyance. “Sweetie, we’ve talked about this.” She straightened herself in a perfect imitation of a strict governess and said: “No smiting of the mortals.”
The hallway once again fell silent, leaving Celestia to stare at the still closed door. Then a light chuckle could be heard coming from the bedroom. Celestia smiled with relief when the door opened.
“You did warn me that things would turn out like this,” The emerging changeling queen said, managing to make it sound like the whole situation was somehow Celestia’s fault.
“Well to be fair, you did try to conquer all of Equestria the last time you met them.” Celestia said a hint of a smile on her face.
“Would have worked too, if it hadn’t been for that niece of yours.” The changeling queen replied, a mock sour look on her face.
For a short moment the two rulers were locked in a duel of stares. Chrysalis was the first to break and shortly after Celestia joined her in a heartfelt laugh. The two lovers shared the brief moment of joy with each other, but all too soon Celestia became serious again.
“I better see to it, that my dear protege doesn’t arrange a lynch mob.” she said, really wishing that she were exaggerating.
“Yeah, I doubt that she would be hard pressed to find volunteers.” Chrysalis said, looking out the window at the crowd that had assembled at the far side of the draw bridge. For a short moment the haughty look on her face disappeared, replaced by a mixture of doubt and despondency.
“Give them time, they’ll come around. If they get a chance, they’ll be sure to surprise you. Starting with those six.” She gestured at the six ponies that were currently storming out of the castle’s front door.
When Chrysalis was still looking doubtful, the solar monarch put a wingtip under the hive-queen’s chin, forcing her to look at her.
“Trust me.” She said, before drawing the changeling in for a kiss.
---
“So much for discretion.” Applejack managed to squeeze out between heavy breaths. The equally exhausted Twilight shot her an apologetic look. All of them had darted out the throne room, as soon as it became apparent that even with the Elements they couldn’t do anything as long as Chrysalis was all bunkered up.
While they laid on the grass in the courtyard, Twilight tried to regain control of the situation.
“Did everybody make it out?” she asked trying to raise her head enough to look around.
“Rainbow Dash?” she started to recall from her mental checklist.
“Did you really expect ME to fall behind?” the columbia blue pegasus asked raising an eyebrow.
“Pinkie Pie?” Twilight continued.
“I’m okie dokie lokie.” the Element of Laughter chimed, inexplicably not out of breath unlike her companions.
“Rarity?” the lavender Unicorn asked, this time with more concern in her voice, since she wasn’t really sure of the fashionista’s constitution.
“It... *gasp*... would … *wheeze*... very...*cough*...unladylike....*gasp*...tofallbehind.” Rarity replied, in a not quite ladylike manner, before collapsing back into the grass.
“Fluttershy?” Twilight finally asked for the last member.
“I’m okay...” the butter coloured Pegasus replied from her hiding spot under a small scrub, “It’s nice and cozy and safe under here.”
Twilight sighed in relief; at least they didn’t lose anypony.
---
A small purple dragon -decidedly not a pony, as Twilight would argue later on- was currently facing three changelings. His eyes darted back and forth between his opponents. He just had to keep his cool; as soon as he would show fear, he would lose. THERE! It was just a small blink, but the changeling to his right had betrayed his emotions to the merciless dragon. Now was the time to strike.
“I raise by five.” the small dragon said confidently pushing a small stack of poker chips onto the sizeable pile that had collected in the middle of the table.
“Klick, klick klick.” the changelings on his right said, disgustedly throwing his cards on the table.
“Nice try.” the purple dragon laughed, while he pocketed his earnings. “What I always wanted to ask you guys: do you get a dental plan?”
“Klik klik, klik ,klikklik.” Another changeling replied eagerly.
“Really?” Spike replied scratching his chin deep in thought. “Do you think Chrysalis is hiring?”
---
It was strange: When Twilight had first received the letter, she had been consumed by a disembodied sense of dread, that had driven her close to the edge of sanity. Now that the shit had hit the metaphorical fan, she was alright, cheerful even.
“Twilight?” Rainbows concerned voice dragged Twilights mind back to the situation at hand. Her five friends, who had recovered from the abrupt retreat by now, had gathered and were now staring at her. Quickly she wiped the dopey grin of her face.
“So, what do we do now?” she asked.
Pinkie slowly raised her hoof.
“Does it involve: Party Cannons, whipped cream, timberwolves and/or mustaches? Then no...” Twilight said firmly.
Pinkie slowly lowered her hoof.
Twilight closed her eyes and rubbed her temples (she didn’t know how non-Unicorns survived without being able to do this). When she felt her headache recline a bit she said: “So... who feels like organizing an angry mob?”
A gentle cough, coming from behind her, cut her search for volunteers short. Twilight froze. There was only one pony in the world that could make a cough at the same time so utterly unobtrusive and so unquestionable authoritative.
She opened her eyes and looked at her friends, who had problems deciding if they should flee in terror, attack, or bow before the Princess of Equestria, that was surely standing behind her.
“What did I tell you about angry mobs?” The warm and motherly voice of her mentor asked. Instantly pangs of guilt shot all out through Twilights body. She couldn’t help but feel like a little filly that had just been caught with her hoof in the cookie jar.
“No angry mobs without asking you first.” She mumbled head hanging low, before she reminded herself what they had just witnessed in the throne room.
Twilight shot around, slowly backing away from the warm face of her beloved mentor.
“Be careful girls. We don’t know if she is being controlled by the changelings right now!” The purple Unicorn shouted, while she and her friends once again fell into formation.
---
Celestia had feared that it would turn out like this. She really didn’t blame her protege, actually she was a bit proud that Twilight was so strong, even when having to face a beloved person. Slowly she sat down in the gras.
“Twilight, I need you to calm down.” Celestia tried her best to seem even more peaceful and calming than normal. (A few bunnies and birds that were currently strolling around the courtyard, suddenly felt the urge to start a community centered around the values of peace, love and kindness - a few years later they seceded and founded the free republic of Courtyardia, much to the dismay of the royal gardeners.)
“I know what the situation must look like to you, but I assure you that it’s not what it seems.” Celestia said.
“So you’re not really in love with Chrysalis, because you’ve met her at a time of helplessness causing you to feel pity for her, which then blossomed into a relationship, and now you’re trying to convince us to give her a second chance?”
Five ponies looked at the Element of Laughter, who in turn beamed at them with a smile that would have brought tears of joy to any dentist able to see it.
“Erm...” Celestia tried to pick up her derailed train of thoughts, failing miserably.
“Huh?” Twilight said, not sure what to feel anymore.
“Come on, I mean it’s like totally super duper obvious. If Chrysalis was really invading she wouldn’t walk around without a disguise, and she would have ambushed us in the throne room, instead she looked like she was just as surprised as we were.” The pink party mare continued to elaborate. Her friends and the princess were listening attentively, if only because it was one of the few times they could actually follow what Pinkie was saying.
“What she said.” The baffled empress of the sun managed to say.
“Wait, if you noticed all this, why didn’t you say anything?” Twilight interjected.
“Huh? I thought it was obvious. I mean you’re like super smart, you probably had very good reasons to shoot at her. ” Twilight stared at her pink friend trying to ignore the feeling that she was being scolded.
Celestia was the first to get over the shock, she turned her attention back to her pupil saying: “While I didn’t expect this, Pinkie makes a solid point. All I want from you, is to give her a chance.”
The six friends looked at each other uneasily. None of them was one to hold a grudge, but they were speaking about Chrysalis, the same creature that had not only infiltrated Equestria hell bent on enslaving ponykind as a food source, but also nearly killed Twilight, Cadance and Shining Armor.
Celestia could see how her student was struggling with herself. Never would she have put her beloved pupil in this situation if she saw any way around it. Celestia remained silent, while her student fought with herself, everything that could have been said, had been said and now the only thing that she could do was to wait for Twilights decision.
Help came from an unexpected source: Fluttershy had gently placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder and now spoke to her friend: “Maybe we should give her a chance. I mean everpony deserves a second chance. Uhm... but only if you don’t mind.”
The two of them shared a short moment just looking into each other’s eyes. When Twilight looked back at Celestia her eye’s were filled with determination.
The purple Unicorn took a deep breath as if to steel herself and then spoke: “Princess Celestia do you remember what happened shortly after my eighth birthday?”
---
“TWILIGHT!” Celestia’s voice hit the six friends like a whip. The usually calm and collected royal matriarch had been replaced by something different altogether. Gone was the ethereal mane replaced by a fiery halo, that surrounded her head like a corona each strand of hair lashing out like a sun flare. Her wings that usually lay dormant on her side and offered protection for all those under them, seemed to encompass all of the sky her feathers smouldering streaks of fire. But worst of all were the eyes; no more was the warm and caring gaze that comforted all of her subjects and spoke of unconditional love, only blistering white remained betraying the enormous powers that flowed through the alicorn at all times.
The Element bearers slowly edged away from the enraged princess, only Twilight remained where she stood.
“THAT SPELL MUST NEVER BE CAST AGAIN! NOPONY DESERVES THAT AMOUNT OF POWER OVER ANOTHER!” As Celestia spoke the flowers around her wilted from the sheer amount of heat, quickly turning the area into a smoldering wasteland. But Twilight remained, standing up to the enraged demigoddess covered in the violet hue of her own magic.
“I have to be sure that you can be trusted.” Her voice was calm and collected, no trace of the panic that had held her in it’s grip ever since the letter arrived.
“TWILIGHT SPARKLE, AS YOUR PRINCESS, YOUR TEACHER, AND AS YOUR FRIEND I BESEECH YOU: DON’T DO THIS.” Twilight and Celestia were now standing face to face, the enormous power of the Sun-goddess collided with the unyielding shield of the Element of Magic.
“It’s the only way.” Tears were visible in the corners of Twilight’s eyes.
Then suddenly, as soon as it had come, the furious avatar of rage vanished, leaving behind a defeated looking alabaster unicorn.
“Twilight Sparkle...” Celestia paused once again looking at Twilight. Her eyes were met with grim determination that was clearly visible on the alicorns face. The matriarch let her head hang low and as she closed her eyes she said: “I’ll allow you to look into my mind.”
---
Twilight was busy, making preparations for the spell she was about to cast, which gave Princess Celestia and the Element-bearers time to talk.
“So... her eighth birthday?” Applejack inquired, saying what everypony had been thinking after the alicorns outburst.
Celestia let out an rueful sigh but spoke up nonetheless: “Well, I guess it’s only fair to tell you about it, isn’t it. You are aware of the burst of magic that little fillies sometimes can have?”
The five friends nodded, Pinkie more emphatically than the others. Ever since she started babysitting Pumpkin she had to take up lassoing lesson’s from Applejack, only to get ahold of her.
“And as I believe you’re aware, Twilights entry into my tutelage has been far from ordinary. The sudden burst of magic that she had displayed back then, had upset her inner magic quite a bit, and for some years to follow she would have magic bursts whenever she got upset or had any other strong emotions. Mostly the effects were harmless, but shortly after her eighth birthday something happened to her, that had her upset far more than usual.”
“What? What did happen?” Rainbow Dash asked, totally enraptured in the princess’ narration. When that earned her odd looks from her friends she said: “What? It’s not like you don’t wanna know too.”
Celestia ignored the brazen pegasus and continued her story. “What exactly happened is not up to me to tell, you’ll have to ask your friend yourself, but let it suffice to say that it was a very personal and deeply unsettling event for Twilight. What’s important is what happened afterwards. As you might have guessed, Twilight had an burst of magic, stronger than any that had happened before, and more purposeful too. Fueled by her anger on that day Twilight created a new Spell.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Rarity interjected “I mean it’s not everyday that someone creates a completely new spell, and at such a young age at that.”
The regal alicorn nodded at the fashionista’s question. “Yes, and normally such a feat would have earned her a place in the history books, instead I choose to seal any knowledge of that spell ever existing. Luckily enough it was me that was hit by the spell, when it was first released, and even with your friends enormous power, I was able to suppress her magic.”
“Ya still haven’t told us what tha spell actually does.” This time it was Applejack who interrupted the story.
“The spell that she cast that day allows you to look into a anothers ones mind.” Celestia replied.
“That doesn’t sound too bad.” Applejack said.
“It doesn’t end there. You can’t just open a mind and take a peek, not without taking control. The spell enables you to manipulate the thoughts and memories of those whom you cast it on, you can completely alter a pony, down to his very personality.” When Celestia finished, she seemed relieved, as if she had just shed a heavy burden that had dragged her down so far.
“And Twilight has this kind of power?” Rarity asked suddenly looking slightly scared.
“No she hasn’t. After the first casting, she and I agreed that nobody should posses such an power, I used the spell a final time to place a seal upon both our minds; only when both of us agree that there is absolutely no other way to solve a situation the seal can be lifted for a short time, at all other times we are barely even aware that the spell exists.”
“I’m ready.” Twilight said.
---
Both mentor and student were facing each other. They weren’t surrounded by arcane signs, there were no magic circles or runes of power, this spell drew from a deeper and far more powerful source.
Twilight took a short moment to attune herself. Blueblood, the teenage dragons, Flim and Flam, Discord. Slowly she could feel the anger rising inside of herself, a primal power, born on the same day as harmony yet its total mirror image.
Even those who hadn’t any experience with magic could instantly tell that this spell was different from the usual levitation that unicorns performed on a near daily basis. Twilight was surrounded by a black mist, tendril like arms shooting out and coalescing inside of her horn. Stormwinds harassed the ponies standing in the courtyard and even the sun seemed to dim for a short moment.
The moment passed. Slowly the smoke that surrounded the lavender Unicorn sank to the ground and dispersed, leaving no trace of the unimaginable powers that had just been unleashed.
Twilight looked at her friends who were watching the duo of unicorn and alicorn with concern. “We can trust her.” Altogether the five mares started cheering as a big grin grew on Twilight's face.
A warm and motherly smile had reasserted itself on Celestia’s face and as she turned to the Element-bearers she said: “I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling hungry.”
White on Black Ch.03 “Inconsequential, irrevocable, infuriating”
They didn’t show it, but most of the Element-bearers were relieved when Celestia announced that Chrysalis wouldn’t be sharing the dinner table with them this evening. They had assembled in one of the smaller dining rooms of the castle (small meaning that the Ponyville library would have only fit into it once).
Despite Rarities initial complaints about not following proper decorum, eventually they decided to just sit together at one end of the table, which might not have been proper but allowed for communication without use of the ‘Royal Canterlot Voice’.
Shortly after Celestia sat down she raised her voice: “I know, that all of you probably have a lot of questions, but I beg you to wait until morning, so that me and my future wife can answer them together.” She emphasised the last word.
Awkward silence followed, partly because the idea of Celestia marrying Chrysalis still was unbelievable to the six friends, partly because five out of the six ponies weren’t used to hearing Celestia uttering any sort of intimacy. Her image as the ‘eternal mother of Equestria’ was surprisingly hard to combine with the idea of her being a newlywed. (Celestia herself had always doubted if the bard that had coined the term, knew anything about the physical aspects of motherhood. (Which of course was totally unwarranted. The bard in question was mother to three teenagers and knew very well what she said, when she called Celestia ‘the mother of the state’.))
“So... I think you still haven’t written me a friendship report this week.” Celestia broke the silence. Twilight looked disoriented for a moment before her eyes lit up.
“Oh yeah, I had nearly forgotten. Applejack and I learned a valuable lesson about honesty in advertising this week... “ She began reporting the tale of the weeks (mis)adventures.
Every now and then she was interrupted by her friends, who commented, joked and shared their version of the story. Especially Rainbow Dash was all too willing to correct (and embellish) Twilights narration of the pegasus’ involvement. Before they knew it, the six friend and the royal alicorn had chattered most of the evening away and hadn’t it been for a Royal Guard reminding Celestia to lower the Sun, they probably would have kept talking the whole night.
The Solar matriarch excused herself and went out on the balcony, accompanied by her loyal protege who never missed a chance to see the alicorn work her ancient magic.
The remaining ponies just lingered in their seats, bellies full, and after such an eventful day rightfully tired. All eyes turned towards Fluttershy, who immediately tried to hide, when she notice that her yawning had attracted so much attention.
“Dun worry Fluttershy. I think we’re all right plum tuckered out after this day.” Applejack said, trying to coax her friend from under the table.
“Yeah, that was crazy even for us,” Rainbow Dash grimaced still trying to wrap her mind around the events of the day, “wasn’t it Rarity?”
“Hmmm... what?” The white fashionista looked up from something, in her hoofs.
“I said that today was pretty crazy.” The blue pegasus repeated.
“Yes, quite so.” Rarity replied unusually short spoken for the drama loving unicorn.
“What have ya got there that has ya so distracted anyway?” Applejack stood up (or rather rolled of her chair) and walked over to the preoccupied designer.
“Oh just some new plans for the wedding dress, I mean I certainly didn’t prepare anything that harmonizes with black and green.” Rarity answered, revealing the sewing schematics she had spread out on the chair besides her. Applejack and Rainbow Dash exchanged meaningful looks.
“Ya seem to be taking this all rather well.” Applejack deadpanned.
Rarity looked up from her work and said: “Yes certainly, Queen Chrysalis might have been our nemesis, but you have to agree that this all is...”
“...rather romantic.” Applejack and Rainbow Dash ended the sentence simultaneously before bursting into laughter. Rarity shot them an exasperated look, but before long her polite giggle joined the hearty laughter of the two friends. And when three ponies were laughing, Pinkie was never one to not join in. Fluttershy might have laughed as well, but it was kind of hard to tell, since her voice was muffled by several tablecloths and a table that she had wrapped around herself protectively (the cloth, not the table).
---
Celestia sat on the balcony, her horn covered in the amber light of her magic, and Twilight Sparkle tucked tightly under her wing, the same way she had done when Twilight had still been a foal. She could feel how the purple unicorn relaxed, when the sound of laughter echoed from inside the dining hall. It filled the alicorn with joy that her protege had found friend she cared about to such an extent.
“I’m glad that your friends seem to cope this well with the situation.” She said, her considerable mind only partly busied with guiding the sun over the horizon.
“They are Ponyville-ponies, they are used to weird things happening.” Twilight joked, coaxing a gentle laugh from Celestia’s lips. (Celestia didn’t mention that this almost made her drop the sun; no use in worrying her protege any more than she already did on her own.)
Pupil and teacher for a moment just enjoyed each others company. That Celestia was guiding the sun took away nothing of the beauty of the sunset, maybe it made it even more precious to the two of them. And as the sun finally vanished behind the horizon and the first stiff breeze of the night blew through their coats, they just edged closer together instead of going back inside.
But even during this old ritual of closeness and trust, a barely noticeable tenseness remained between them. They both knew that a question had to be asked, yet they chose to remain silent, delaying the inevitable for just a bit longer. But like any moment it couldn’t last and in the end it was Celestia who asked the question that had hovered above them all evening: “How much did you see?”
The purple Unicorn slipped out from under the solar matriarchs wings and rested her fore hooves on the veranda, her face obscured to the alicorn. “I tried to only look at what I needed to know, but it seems as if it isn’t so easy to untangle thoughts.”
“How much?” Celestia asked again. There was no rage in her voice, only warmth, worry about someone close to her, and maybe the slightest bit of remorse.
“Everything that happened in the Hive, and a few bits here and there... The first thousand years...did you really spend all that time alone?” The purple unicorn turned her head, tears flowed down her face originating from eyes that looked far older than they had any right to.
Quickly Celestia closed the distance and drew Twilight into a hug, not carefully using her wings, but drawing her in with her front hoof in a nearly violent gesture. She pressed the little filly close to her heart, gently patting her head. It was as if someone had sapped all strength from Twilight and she couldn’t help but leaning against Celestia, sobbing silently. Eventually her tears dried, and she found the strength to answer Celestia’s embrace, laying her forehooves around the alicorns neck. Gently she squeezed her teacher, signaling her to let go.
When Twilight had somewhat calmed down, Celestia led her towards the balcony.
“What do you see?” She asked her student, her wing still draped over the Unicorns body.
Twilights gaze alternated between the city, that stretched out before her, and the face of her teacher.
“Canterlot, I guess.” She finally replied when Celestia showed no signs of speaking up again.
“I see hundreds of ponies, and behind that hundreds more, and behind that even more. I might have been alone once, but that is in the past. I now have all of ponykind to share this life with. I’ve met a mare I can love, and let’s not forget the noisy little pupil that plays with powers beyond her comprehension.” She said, playfully flicking Twilights nose, eliciting a small giggle from her.
The two of them turned towards the balcony doors, where Twilight's friends awaited them. While the walked towards them Twilight looked up to Celestia once more.
“You know there was one thing in your memory that is still bothering me though.” She said.
“Oh, and what may that be?” The solar alicorn replied.
“You do know that cake isn’t supposed to be used that way, don’t you?” Twilight giggled with a mischievous look on her face.
The white coat of the matriarch made a perfect contrast to the bright blush that suddenly filled her face.
---
“I have had your old tower prepared if you want to stay the night.” Celestia said, to her sleepy looking protege. “I think there is quite enough place to accommodate your friends as well.”
“Wohoo, sleepover.” Pinkie chimed, bouncing around and rattling down a list of party supplies that she would need. “Let’s see, we’ll need streamers, and balloons, and pillows and...”
“I think it would be good if you spent the night resting, I imagine that tomorrow will be quite a hectic day. I don’t know if it’s really advisable to have a par....” The white alicorn began to say, before her eyes shot wide with terror.
Pinkie was looking at the royal alicorn, with large watery puppy eyes.
“I really don’t think...” Celestia tried again.
Pinkie’s lip began to quiver.
“I...”
Tears started to form in the corner of Pinkie’s eyes.
“Just don’t let it get to late... “ Celestia sighed defeated. Remorsefully she remembered the days when being ruler of Equestria had actually meant that she had power over her people.
---
“Here we are.” Twilight held open the door to her old library tower, inviting her friends inside.
Everything was left in the exact state she had left it in and even though she never wanted to go back to her lonely canterlot lifestyle, Twilight couldn’t help but feeling nostalgic. Had it really only been two years since she had been sent to Ponyville?
Curiously her five friends, inspected her former residence. Especially Rainbow Dash seemed to have an intensive interest in her choice of interior design. She zoomed around the whole room, lifting a vase here, tugging on the hangings, and manhandling her glassware.
When she started pulling the books out of the shelves, throwing them carelessly aside, Twilight spoke up: “Rainbow, what are you doing?”
“Psst.” The pegasus tried to hush her, continuing with her wanton acts of destruction. Or she would have, if she hadn’t been encased in an aura of purple magic. Twilight unceremoniously dropped her friend in front of her.
“Rainbow Dash, it’s enough that the world is going crazy, so I would be very happy if you can give me a sane and logical explanation to what you’re doing right now.” Twilight said, the all too familiar sensation of a headache coming on.
“Don’t worry.” Rainbow Dash started. “I’m just looking for listening devices.”
Twilight facehoofed. Maybe it had been a mistake to recommend spy novels to Rainbow Dash.
“And why would there be listening devices in my tower?” She asked the rainbow maned pegasus.
“To tell the changelings about our plans of course.” Rainbow replied.
“Plans?” Twilight asked monotonously, not even pretending that she could follow anymore.
“Yeah, now that the Chrysalis thinks we trust Celestia, we got her right where we want her, and we can ‘POW’ send her back where she came from.” Rainbow said, vigorously gesturing with her hoofs just what ‘POW’ exactly entailed.
“There’ll be no ‘POW’.” Twilight replied, still locked in her droning monotone.
“Hmm yeah, I guess we need to be more subtle about this. Pinkie, did you bring your stealth suit?” The Pink mare, was already suited up for serious undercover action, before Rainbow Dash had even finished her question.
“Pinkie put that... wherever you have taken it from. We’re not going to drive the Changelings out of Canterlot.” Twilight finally managed to say, breaking from her stupor. Pinkie scuffled out of sight head hanging low. Rainbow Dash however seemed to far less ready to give up.
“What do you mean? That’s Chrysalis we’re talking about here. You know the one that nearly killed your brother.” She shouted, edging closer to Twilight’s face with every word. “You’re not just letting her get away with that, are you?”
“Rainbow, don’t ya think that ya should calm down a bit?” Applejack tried to interfere.
“Come on AJ, you were there too. Don’t tell me that you can forgive her just like this.” By now Rainbow Dash was fuming as she looked at each of her friends, seeking support.
“Uhm... Rainbow... I think... that maybe...” Fluttershy spoke up (taking her from infrasound to barely audible) only to be harshly interrupted by her raging friend: “Oh don’t you start, it’s because of you that we even are in this mess!”
The Element of Kindness shied away from the blue Pegasus, visibly hurt by her friends remark. Only for a moment, it looked like she might storm out of the room, her eyes watering just seconds away from crying. Then suddenly a change went through the yellow pegasus’ face as her eyes filled with determination.
“Rainbow Danger Dash!” The blue daredevil fell to her haunches as she heard her full name being used, by the normally so quiet Fluttershy nonetheless. “Now listen here missie, it’s very nice that you care about your friends and that you take it personal when one of us is hurt, but I think that we are all able to speak up for ourselves. Isn’t that right girls?”
The four ponies were quick to nod, when Fluttershy’s ‘Stare’ wandered over them.
Rainbow Dash wiggled around uncomfortably, firmly held in place by the butter coloured pegasus’ deep blue eyes. Being forced to speak about her feelings openly like that amounted to torture for the brash, blue pegasus.
“You know, I just don’t want you all to get hurt.” The normally loudmouthed mare, nearly mumbled inaudibly towards the end of the sentence.
“Well then you just need to protect us if something bad happens... of course only if you don’t mind...” Fluttershy said, now only a very shy pegasus again.
“Soooo... anybody else got any complaints, dark secrets, unforeseen character traits, and or long lost siblings?” Twilight asked rubbing her temples. “Good, I’ll be upstairs sleeping. If it’s important... you know nevermind, I’m not available for anyone.”
---
One dragon, and three antsy looking ponies sat around a worn but clean table, in the only Donut shop of all Equestria that had opened 24/7.
“Don’t worry, your disguises are perfect.” The little green and purple dragon said.
“Klik klik?” came the unsure reply from across the table.
“Okay, almost perfect. Just leave the talking to me.” Spike said seeming almost confident.
“Evening Spike, long time no see.” The earth pony stallion that approached the table showed clear signs that he was his own best customer.
“Evening Joe, I’ve been busy taking care of Twilight. You know how she can be.” Spike greeted the owner of the shop aptly (though not very imaginatively) called “Donut Joe’s”.
“Who are your friends? Usually it’s just you and Twilight.” Joe asked.
“Some distant relatives of Twi. She asked me to show them around town.” Spike recited the agreed upon cover story.
“Well nice to meet you.” Joe stretched out his hoof.
Silently the changeling shook his hoof earning a curious look from the Donut-baker.
“They are from Stalliongrad and don’t know the language very well.” Spike hastily improvised.
“Ahh well, what can I get you?” Joe asked, reaching for his notepad.
“Hmmm... let’s see. How about... one of everything.” Spike said, handing Joe a piece of paper that looked suspiciously like a royal decree. Sure mom would be angry that he forged her signature, but Celestia’s wrath was future Spike’s problem. And after all he was doing important work for political interspecies relationships.
White on Black Ch.04 “Fear me! Hate me!/ Sociopathic”
As one might suspect, sunlight that originates from a sun that is guided through the skies by a living goddess is a little more than just a bunch of photons, which can’t decide whether they are particles or waves. No, Equestrian sunlight, like much of Equestria, was bathed in magic. Each beam had his own particularities, quirks, one might even say they had their own personality.
The beam, that fell through Twilights window this morning, was a particular shy one. It tiptoed in through the glass pane, slowly making it’s way across the floor, stopping here and there until it finally reached the bed. Several moments it fidgeted around at the base of the bed before reaching out and gently caressing the sleeping unicorn.
Twilight rolled around, her mind still hazy and slow. She tried to ignore the light, that by now was harassing her even through closed eyelids, but to no avail. She thought that somepony really should do something about this.
“Spike, close the curtains.” She tried to mumble.
Five seconds passed.
Ten seconds passed.
Twenty seconds passed.
Twilight shot out of the bed, eyes wide open and her mane and coat standing on end.
“Oh fu....”
---
“Twilight calm down, would ya.” Applejack tried to convince the purple blur that shot all around the library tower. She barely managed to dodge a bunch of books that were thrown around the room by Twilights levitation magic. The slightly unhinged librarian was currently busy systematically dismantling her former residence.
“Ah thought we made it clear that there are no listening devices.” Applejack drawled.
“I’m not looking for listening devices. We lost Spike.” Twilight replied matter of factly, without stopping.
“What do ya mean ‘We lost Spike’? He was right there with us when...” The apple farmer stopped talking as she slowly went through her memories of the last day.
“Darn it, we lost Spike.” She announced the results of her mental research.
“Well what are you standing around for, help me search.” Twilight shouted.
“Now Ah don’t mean ta be rude, but Ah don’t think ya’ll find him in your flower pots.” Applejack deadpanned. Twilight looked at the bonsai she was levitating as if she had seen it for the first time now, and chuckled awkwardly before putting it back into it’s pot.
“Ah think, Spike is a pretty big fella already and he knows his way around Canterlot as well as you do. Let’s just tell the guards to send him our way when they see him. It’s not like we’re in the Everfree forest where there’s monsters who could hurt him.” Applejack tried to calm her friend.
“You're probably right. I just can’t stand the idea of something happening to him.” Twilight said meekly.
“He managed to travel through half Equestria when he was following those Dragons, I think he’ll manage surviving the palace gardens.” The orange mare joked, coaxing an halfhearted smile from the nervous unicorn.
“Dun worry Twilight, what’s the worst he could do.”
---
Earlier that night:
A sleepy looking changeling queen was standing in the door to Celestia’s bedchambers. A series of knocks had awakened her during the night. Silently as to not wake her fiancée she had opened the door only to be confronted by a small purple dragon and three changelings.
“Wha?” She mumbled, drowsily looking at the lizard-like being.
“Erm... your highness... maam...” Spike stuttered. He shuffled his feet around nervously. Chrysalis tried to concentrate and after a moment she managed to focus her eyes on Spike’s face. (Actually she focused on a spot five centimeters behind it, but at least it was in the general direction of his face.)
“Uhm... you see me and the guys,” he pointed at the three changelings that had accompanied him, “we have been talking, and we’ve been wondering if, you know, I could join the hive.”
The changeling queen stared blankly for a few moments, making Spike more and more regret asking this question.
“Sure.” Chrysalis mumbled, before turning around and closing the door behind her. Spike shot the changelings a big smile. Meanwhile the queen trotted back to her bed thinking: “I should stick to red-wine, I always get weird dreams after white.”
---
*Thud*
A soft noise could be heard from one of Canterlot Castle’s many doors.
“Twilight, it can’t go on like this.” Rarity said, while she tried to dislodge her friends horn from a door. “This is already the third time this morning that you forgot to open the door before going through it. Try to forget about Spike for now and focus.”
Twilight finally came free, her horn popping out of its wooden confinement. Gently she rubbed the mistreated appendage. “Yeah, you’re right, I need to regain control of the situation. Hmmm.... AH!”
The five friends shot up, startled by Twilights sudden outburst. Applejack tried to shake the sense of Deja-Vu as she approached the purple Unicorn that was rummaging through her baggage. “Twi, what are ya doing?”
“What I should have done a long time ago,” Twilight said in an almost maniacal tone, before triumphantly presenting what she had been searching for, “writing a checklist.”
“Spike take a note...” she started to dictate, before looking around confused. “Hmmm … I guess that won’t work... Fluttershy you’re the new Spike!”
The cream coloured Pegasus looked at her wide eyed. “Uhm... I don’t think... I...”
“Spike take a note...” Twilight spoke up again. Fluttershy sighed dejectedly before trying her best to write with her mouth.
“Point one - ‘Wake up’ ,check; point two - ‘realize Spike’s missing’, check; point three - ‘panic’, check; point four - ‘write a checklist’, pending; point five - ‘meet Celestia and Chrysalis for breakfast’; point six - ‘fix relationship between changelings and ponies after an age old history full of war and betrayal.”
Twilight nodded to herself, visibly pleased with her assessment of the situation.
“See, now I feel much better. Nothing like a good old checklist to put things in perspective.” She chimed while she walked out the door, leaving behind five perturbed looking ponies.
Five ponies followed behind her. Five times a soft thud could be heard as five heads collided with the wooden door.
---
“Could you pass me the salt?” A black hole riddled hoof reached across the table with the salt shaker. Rainbow Dash stretched out her foreleg to grab the shaker, but hesitated moments before her hoof touched the changeling. Chrysalis rolled her eyes and set it down on the table, from where Rainbow Dash snatched it still eyeing the queen suspiciously.
The smell of coffee and fresh bread filled the small dining room, that had already played host to yesterday’s dinner. Six ponies and two changelings shared the table. Celestia was busy staring at the newspaper that levitated in front of her face, only the amber glow that illuminated the pages betrayed who was sitting there. The clearly hungover Chrysalis was busy staring at a glass of Bloody Mary (a virgin one), trying to convince her brain that it was a good idea to drink the concoction.
The six element bearers meanwhile were busy eating. The way they had launched themselves at the table one would have to think that they had been starving, however nutrition was only a side effect of their gluttony: As long as they had their mouths full, they wouldn’t need to be the first to speak.
In fact this tactic proved so successful that they sat in silence until Chrysalis finally spoke up: “As amusing as it is to watch you given each other ‘subtle’ signs, and kicking each other under the table, I have an headache and would be ever so grateful if you would finally ask your questions.”
Instantly the clatter of cutlery upon plates died down as the six friend stared at Chrysalis abashed. The sound of stifled laughter came from behind the floating newspaper.
Ten eyes focussed on Twilight.
“Oh no, don’t look at me. I already know what’s going on.” The purple unicorn said, before continuing with her breakfast.
Nervously the five ponies, that had so unceremoniously been robbed of their leader, looked at each other. In the end it fell to Rarity to speak. Tentative the white unicorn looked at the black queen, that was almost twice her size. She cleared her throat.
“So, where have you and Celestia met?” she asked, falling back on what she considered a ‘safe’ question for newlyweds.
“Not telling.” The answer came quick and barsh.
Celestia folded her newspaper and put it on the table. “Sweetie.” She said, mildly annoyed by her fiancée’s behaviour.
“What? It’s not like they have any right to know.” Chrysalis face was clouded with anger, but Celestia’s trained eyes saw that there was something else beneath the rage.
“You know that they could just ask Twilight to find out.” Celestia tried to reason, but all that earned her was a silent and angry glare.
“Sweetie, how about I tell them what happened?” Gently the white alicorn lay her hoof on the black chitinous hoof of the changeling Queen. Chrysalis still glared at her, but she didn’t try to stop her either.
---
Chrysalis watched silently as Celestia relayed her tale to the six ponies that she, ironically enough, knew best of all the ponies in Canterlot.
Even without her magic, their faces were like open books, all too easily betraying whatever emotions they were feeling.
Nervousness at first, understandable given their situation, it wasn’t often that you had to sit face to face with an enemy. Chrysalis had no false hopes about what she was still considered by most of them.
Second came curiosity. Even if the story wouldn’t have been about the mare who was about to marry the princess Chrysalis had to begrudgingly accept that Celestia made for an amazing story teller. In no time she had her audience captivated with the power of her voice.
Third came terror. This story may had a happy end, but the way there hadn’t been a nice one. Chrysalis shuddered as the sun goddesses’ voice reawakened memories she would have rather forgotten.
And then the story came to an end, and the emotion she hated the most came. Pity.
HOW DARED THEY! She was queen Chrysalis, the bane of all sentient races, weaver of the great lie. Before her mere mortals were nothing but dust, and yet they dared to look at her with those eyes that said “We’ve seen you weak, all your strength means nothing.”
Her hoofs trembled with barely contained anger. Then she felt the second hoof that rested upon hers and she grabbed onto it tightly pressing the alabaster appendage. Celestia smiled at her. Chrysalis sighed. At least it was pity. Yes, she had basked in the fear and the hatred of her enemies. At no time she had felt as alive as when an enemy had stood before her, filled with anger, yet powerless to enact his revenge upon the creature that had drained him of his love. But it was time to let this age pass. She had traded that life for the love of a beautiful mare and if being pitied was the price she had to pay for it, so be it.
---
Half heartedly Twilight poked her omelette with her fork. She felt queasy as her own memories stepped aside and the memories of another being took their place. All too vivid images summoned by the smooth, motherly voice of her mentor flooded out her surroundings as she once again relieved the day Chrysalis and Celestia met.
---
“My liege, the troops have assembled.”
The voice of the white pegasus woke Celestia from her daydream. It had been a long time since she had ever lead an army of any kind. Most of Equestria’s conflict had either come from mighty individuals, or had been solved with diplomacy. Indeed under normal circumstances it would have been impossible to assemble this many soldiers, without leaving law enforcement all over Equestria spread dangerously thin.
Yet here they were, hundreds and hundreds of soldiers, the encampment stretching as far as the eye could see, for this century had been far from normal. Her sister had returned from her exile, and this brought with it the establishment of the Night Guard. At first Celestia had been less than delighted by the idea, that there had been an entire race of ponies sworn to Nightmare Moons cause, but under Luna’s rule they had adopted rather effortlessly, to the point where most ponies didn’t even question their appearance.
And of course there were the Crystal Knights. The new Crystal Empress, or Cadance as she prefered, had been all too ready to send a detachment of her best ponies when Celestia had told her what she would need them for. This came as no Surprise to Celestia, after all who else would have a reason to hate the changelings if not Cadence.
And so they had assembled here in the badlands, two hundred unicorn guards, three hundred pegasus guards, another three hundred night guards, and two hundred Crystal Knights.
Celestia stepped out of the general's tent, adorned in battle armor. The massive platemail hadn’t seen use for one thousand years, but it had been preserved well and would serve her in this battle as it did in the battle against Discord.
Celestia disliked war, she thought it a waste, of resources, of opportunities, and of lives, but this time she was willing to make an exception. Too close had the changelings come to succeeding. She had nearly lost her little ponies to those monsters.
She shook her head trying to dispel the horror vision of row upon row of cocoons filled with ponies, slowly being drained of their love.
“General, has there been any movement from the hive yet?” Celestia asked the white pegasus besides her.
“No, ma’am. We’ve surrounded their city on all sides, but there has yet to be any reaction from them.” The stallion replied.
“They didn’t even close the gates?” Celestia looked at the general with surprise.
“No, ma’am. No movement whatsoever.” For a short moment nervousness broke through the otherwise stoic ponies voice.
“I don’t like this.” Celestia expression was grim, no trace of the warm smile she normally presented to the world. Here and now she was Celestia, Emperor and warlord of the three pony tribes. Once again, she looked at the city that lay beneath her.
She almost laughed when she noticed just how similar this city was to Canterlot. The same spires, the same domed roofs, and in the midst of it a black castle stretching it’s many spindly towers out into the sky. Sure the colours were off, black and grey where Canterlot was white, green membranes where ponies had clear glass, but the feeling of looking at Canterlot’s twin city remained. Yet another mockery. Yet another copy.
“What do the Pegasi report?” Celestia returned her attention to her advisor.
“We’ve done some flybys but reports don’t seem to indicate any activity inside the city, I could order them to lower their altitude, but that would put them in the range of magic counterattacks.” Celestia nodded, for not having any battle experience the stallion had proven to be a capable commander.
“No need, I will take a platoon of knights and enter the city myself.”
“What? My liege, do you think that’s wise?” The stallion didn’t even try to hide his shock.
“Sending an immortal as advanced scouts instead of exposing my men to this danger? Yes, I do indeed believe this a wise choice.” She replied.
Truth be told, it wasn’t only the concern for her men that drove her to this decision. No, deep inside the solar matriarch there festered a wound, not to her flesh but to her pride. First Nightmare Moon, then Discord and finally Chrysalis, each time Celestia had to stand powerless on the sidelines, leaving the battle to her barely grown up protege. Celestia was aching for a chance to prove that she was still the Protector of Equestria.
---
Celestia looked over the assembled crowd of twenty knights. All of them were adorned in massive armor and holding lances at their side. While the rest of Equestria had enjoyed a thousand years of peace, these stallions had been ripped from time and space at an age of great strife. Every one of them had faced not only the aftermath of Discords reign, but the Tyranny of Sombra as well.
Celestia nodded at them, there was no need for rousing speeches, every word that could have been said, would have been an insult to these battle hardened veterans.
On her sign they began to move, deceptively slow at first, but steadily the gained speed, turning the ponies, into an massive behemoth of steel and flesh that would crush anyone foolish enough to stand in it’s way. Celestia herself lead the charge, her golden armor and the strands of ancient magic that surrounded her made her look like war incarnate.
“FOR EQUESTRIA!” Celestia’s voice boomed over the riot of steel and hooves, and the knights joined in her battle cry as they passed the gates to the city of changelings. Without resistance the stormed through the massive archway and were greeted by nothing. The street behind the gates was completely empty.
“STOP!” Celestia commanded, but the knights momentum carried them further inwards. Celestia braced herself for the ambush that was sure to come, but the platoon slowly came to an halt, and there was still no sign of anypony.
Alertly the knights watched their surroundings, looking for any trace of an attacker, but the city remained silent.
Silent was the right word, the city was utterly and completely quiet, the clanking of armor and the breath of the ponies the only noise to be heard. Celestia looked up at the strange green windows above them, but if anyone was watching them they were well hidden by the tinted membranes.
“Onwards.” The matriarch commanded.
Quickly the knights fell in formation. Their eyes scanned the walls around them as the carefully delved deeper into the black and grey city. Now that they had come this close, the likeness to Canterlot vanished. The black material from which the city was built had an curious black shine to it almost like the carapace of the shapeshifters that inhabited the city, and when the wind blew through the streets, the green membrane like windows pulsated to an unheard heartbeat.
Empty market booths, lined the walls to either side. They didn’t look deserted, more like all the changelings had packed up for the night, and simply didn’t return. The same could be said about the rest of the city. It was clean, almost abnormally so, not like a ruin or a ghost town, almost like the changelings could return any minute.
Celestia whipped around as a sudden loud noise filled the air. The crystal knights stood alarmed ready to attack any foe that presented itself.
A small metal bucket rolled from the shadows stopping as the soon as the wind let up. The knights and Celestia remained standing still, their coats standing on end, as they gazed deeper into the shadows. Nothing moved.
“Onward.” Celestia commanded, forced to whisper by her dry throat. The knights continued on their way, the hollow clattering of the empty bucket serving only to further erode their nerves.
It wasn’t long until they reached a round marketplace, which had a small ornamental fountain in it’s middle. The noise of water would have sounded light and playful in any other place, but as it echoed through the empty streets it became a distorted whisper which served only to remind of the emptiness of the city.
Celestia looked up at the spires of the black castle trying to get her bearings. If she estimated the castles size correctly they had made their way through nearly half the city. And still no sign of the changelings. Had she miscalculated, had the changelings abandoned the city at the sight of the oncoming army? No. An exodus of this size would have been easy to spot, on the barren plains of the badlands.
The matriarch looked at the roads, that crossed on the marketplace, trying to gauge which would lead them to the castle the fastest, when an echo reached her ears. This hadn’t been an empty bucket, only changelings produced those clicking noises. Celestia stormed ahead, the knights slowly falling behind. There it was again, directly ahead of her. Sharply she turned around a corner only to stop dead in her tracks.
A single changeling stood there on the street, giving of soft clicking noises at seemingly random intervals, it seemed almost as if he was laughing. Again and again the dull eyed changeling rammed his head, against the wall besides him, not with much force, but with an unrelenting rhythm and a small stream of blood trailing down his face, proved that he had been at it for quite a while now.
The sound of the knights catching up to her woke Celestia from her stupor. Instinctively she reached out a hoof to stop the creature from hurting itself any further. The changeling didn’t even look up when the solar matriarch touched him, continuing to slam his head against the bloody stone surface. Even when Celestia wrapped him tightly in her magic grip and dragged him away from the wall, his head still jerked sideways in a steady rhythmic motion.
“You and you, take him don’t let go of him under any circumstances.” She ordered two of the knights that had rounded the corner.
Celestia looked around, but there were signs of any other changelings, and no trace as to where this one had come from.
“You two follow me, the rest of you will guard the perimeter.” Her voice was sharp and unquestionable.
Slowly she advance towards the door of one of the nearby buildings followed only by her entourage of two knights, while the rest of the knights formed a circle, trying to observe all of the surrounding area at once.
---
Celestia stepped into an empty corridor, they black walls swallowed all light that fell through the door and hid the end of the hall in shadows. The alicorns horn lit up, as she tried to illuminate her surroundings, but only when she focussed the light into a thin beam she could make out any details.
Resolutely she walked down the hallway, trying to subdue her nervousness. She opened the first door to her right, revealing a living room. Green light fell through a tinted membrane, only serving to make the shadows all the deeper. The room was empty. Like the street outside there was no sign of any strife or of a hurried departure.
Celestia turned around, leaving the empty room behind and focusing on the door to her right instead. A kitchen. Aside from the green hue that lay over everything it looked perfectly normal, just the sort of room you would expect to find in a house.
Unnerved the solar matriarch ignored the room and ran towards the next room, nearly ripping the door from its hinges as she tore it open. A single changeling sat in the room. Her eyes dull and without life just like the one outside, but this one didn’t move. Instead it just sat there move agape staring at the ceiling. It didn’t react when the alicorn approached it, and remained catatonic even when she touched it, but the slow and steady rising of its chest revealed that it was still very much alive.
Celestia waved to one of her companions. “Guard it.” She was almost sure, that the creature was harmless in this state, but she didn’t want to take the risk.
Slowly she trotted further down the hallway, the slim beam of light that her horn casted illuminated a staircase that had been hidden so far. Cautiously she took a first step onto it. The staircase seemed stable, whatever the black material was, it didn’t even budge when she lay her full weight on it.
She ascended onto the second floor, still looking around nervously expecting an ambush at any second. But all that awaited her was another empty corridor, black on black dimly illuminated by a green ‘window’.
She edged closer to the nearest door, straining her ears trying to pick up the distinctive klicking noise that would give changelings away. But the black walls swallowed all sounds and even the clip clop of her hoofs was strangely dimmed by the foreign material.
When she opened the door, the sound of water washed into the hallway. Celestia was looking at a bathroom, thick clouds of steam filled the air. The shower curtain was closed, but green light drew an shadowy silhouette on the waving fabric.
Celestia motioned for the knight to remain behind while she crept closer to the bathtub. Whatever sat behind the curtain rocked erratically back and forth, almost like it was swaying in the wind.
With a sudden movement Celestia ripped the curtain aside. The changeling that was sitting in the bathtub, didn’t react in any way to the intruder, it just continued rocking back and forth. Despite the steaming water running down its body it was shivering.
Once again Celestia tried to reach out for the seemingly disturbed creature but she quickly withdrew her hoof, when it hit the water. The constant rain that escaped the nozzle was boiling hot. Quickly she turned the faucet with her magic until the water died down to a dribble , before examining the creature closer. It’s chitinous scin had cracked at several points. Celestia could only guess that this was the equivalent to skin burns in ponies.
Celestia looked at the changeling with terror. She had come prepared for war but this was different. What had driven the creature to hurting itself in this way. What cold had taken hold of it, that it had preferred to boil it’s skin of rather than continue freezing?
“Take care of it’s wounds.” She shouted to the confused looking knight, before storming of to the next door. And the next. And the next. And the next.
The scenes were the same everywhere: Changelings, with dead eyes staring at the world in terror, trying to hurt themselves, or locked up in nonsense tasks, all of them unresponsive, all of them looking as if they had lived their normal lives just moments ago.
Celestia returned to the second floor, where a still confused looking knight just finished wrapping the wounds of the changeling.
“Ma’am, what is going on here?” He asked, nervously, nearly scared.
“I don’t know. But I think I know where we’ll find out.” The sun goddess replied before she turned towards the staircase, the still confused knight in tow. A pair of bright blue eyes followed their movement.
Back on the street the guards had nothing to report, the city had remained as silent as ever and nothing had moved. The knights trotted nervously in place, exchanging wary glances and worried looks between each other. They had seen battles, and they knew that battles were loud. When people were screaming and shouting you knew where to look. The noise of war held no terror for them. But when everything was silent, something was up.
“We head for the castle.” Celestia announced. “If we get separated return to the encampment, this is a scouting mission, not a raiding party.”
---
The heavy armored group slowly made their way through the streets of the black city. Worriedly Celestia looked up at the sky. She had held the sun in the air as long as she dared, but soon it would be time for nightfall or she would cause irreparable damage. It wouldn’t take them more than an hour to reach the castle, but that would mean that they would have to return in the darkness.
Before she could reach a decision the advanced guard suddenly came running back towards the group.
“Ma’am, enemies up ahead.” He reported while falling back in line.
“Ready your weapons.” Celestia commanded the knights. A redundant order, ever since they had entered the city the knights had kept their weapons ready.
The reason for the scouts worry quickly became apparent, as they advanced further down the street. The changelings stood side by side, their bodies blocking the road of completely. They didn’t move, and seemed to await the assault of the pony cavalry.
“HALT!” Celestia's voice echoed through the street.
“What is wrong ma’am?” The leader of the knights looked at Celestia with concern. He had enough of stalking through this forsaken city, and now that the enemy had finally shown his face, he was told to hold his attack?
“There’s something wrong. Do these seem like military to you?” The princess asked.
And indeed, the crowd that blocked the road didn’t look like a military unit at all. Their appearance ranged from skinny to malnourished, and their age varied widely, as far as one could tell with changelings.
Indeed now that he looked closer he saw children standing between the legs of the grown changelings. But most of all, their eyes were wrong. Those creatures had the same dead look that they had seen before.
“We retreat for now.” Celestia’s voice was calm and collected, but even she couldn’t stop a hint of worry bleeding through.
“That might not be possible, ma’am.” Celestia turned around only to be face with yet another wall of changelings, all with the same dead look upon their faces.
“THIS WAY!” Celestia shouted before darting off into an sidestreet. Directly behind her she could hear the heavy breathing of the knights as they tried to keep up. Hastily they ran through the narrow street, breathing heavily as the heavy armor they were wearing took it’s toll on them.
The city still remained silent, but when Celestia looked back she could see a wall of black creatures following behind them. They way from which they had come had been completely closed off.
The group of ponies burst out of the side street onto another plaza. Celestia’s head whipped around as she looked for an escape route, but wherever she looked the picture was the same. Changelings, young, old, feeble or strong, all with dead eyes blocked all roads.
“TO ME! FORM A CIRCLE!” The solar diarch bellowed. As soon as the knights had taken defensive positions Celestia’s horn glowed with her trademark amber. A golden dome of energy formed over the group.
The changelings didn’t move, but whenever the alicorn whipped her head around, trying to keep her eye on another group of attackers, they seemed to have closed the gap between them and the shield.
The leader of the knights turned to Celestia, his face a waxen mask, but when he spoke up his voice was calm and without fear in it. “My liege, there are too many, you have to escape.”
The winged alicorn looked at the earth pony stallion.
“There’s no way that we can all escape, but we can buy you enough time to take flight. In the air you might be able to outmaneuver them.” The stallion stated matter of factly.
Celestia scanned the mass of black bodies, that by now had formed a circle all around the shield. “Yes, you are right, there is no way for all of us to escape.”
With that she closed her eyes. Her horn stopped glowing and slowly the shield dissolved. Before the knights could start their attack however her horn once again flared up, blinding everyone for a moment.
When the knights could see again, they found themselves on the plains outside of the changelings’ city. Celestia wasn’t with them.
Celestia hit the floor hard. Frantically she jumped to her hoofs, trying to determine just where her attackers had brought her.
Much to her surprise they were still outside, the changelings had stopped not fifty meters away from the castle walls, unceremoniously dropping her onto the road. As far as she could see, the changelings formed a solid wall to either side and Celestia assumed that they had the castle surrounded on all sides. None of them however stepped into the circle as if an unseen force held them back from coming closer to the castle.
During the entire time, from her capture to her rough delivery, the changelings hadn’t spoken a word. In fact they had barely seemed aware of their surroundings, marching almost zombie like towards their destination.
Alabaster wings unfolded awkwardly as the solar diarch tried to regain the feeling in the mistreated appendages. The changelings hadn’t been gentle in their capture methods, and when the freakishly silent mob had charged her, at first she had feared that they would try to rip her apart.
Uneasily she scanned the living barrier that denied her escape. She could probably outfly them, their small insect wings made them more agile, but they couldn’t keep up with the pure speed that her massive wingspan gave her, but the real question was: Did she want to escape?
The evening sun threw the shadow of Chrysalis castle over the goddess’ face. In her mind there was no doubt where she would find the leader of the changeling swarm. Was this an invitation? A challenge? A trap? But what good would a trap do? She had been at the mercy of the changelings just a few seconds ago, and if they had wanted her dead it would have happened already.
Hesitantly Celestia took a step towards the castle gates.
---
A shiver ran down the solar diarch’s spine. Like a strangely warped version of her home, the corridors stretched out into the distance. The first thing she noticed, was the total lack of corners or edges. All the furniture and walls looked, like they had been cast from the same material, the walls were made of but the rounded edges made it seem like the castle was melting in the heat of the evening sun.
Not that unfiltered sunlight reached the inside of the castle. Ever so often a green membrane would break up the otherwise smooth walls, but more often than not light seemed to be released directly from the walls. The still utterly black walls.
“Hehehehehehe...” Celestia shot around, searching for the source of the mysterious laughter, but the corridor was empty and once again silence fell over the castle.
Just as she continued on her way the mysterious voice spoke up: “Come here, my little ones hehehehe...” The voice was unmistakable, the slightly delayed doppler effect was unique to only one creature on Equestria.
Celestia strained her ears trying to pinpoint the speakers position, but the echo seemed to emanate from all around her.
“Don’t hide from mommy, I’ll find you...” At random the alicorn chose a direction and walked further into the castles innards.
“Gone, all gone... hehehe... isn’t it funny...” Apparently she had chosen right, with every step she took the voice became louder, continuing with it’s unintelligible ranting.
“Come out, come out wherever you are!” This had been just up ahead! Carefully Celestia approached the archway before her. She couldn’t remember climbing any stairs, or ramps but when she spied past the corner, she could see a balcony high above some sort of hall. Keeping her head low she sneaked onto the elevated platform, trying to glance over it’s edge without alerting whoever was down there.
Beneath her lay the throne room, a round pillar lined hall. In regular intervals balconies, much like the one Celestia was standing on, adorned the walls, making the room look more like an arena or a theater than a throne room. The centerpiece of the room was a large throne, not in black like everything else Celestia had encountered so far, but carved from Crystals, that wouldn’t have looked out of place in the Crystal empire itself. If light had hit the throne, it would have shined in the brightest of colours, but down here in the shadows it only glowed with a sickly green shine.
“Hehehehe!” Celestia’s eyes were drawn to the creature, that stalked between the pillars sneaking around one moment, only to suddenly jump out in the next. “Hah, got you!” It screamed joyously, deflating when it once again turned out that whoever she was seeking hadn’t hidden behind this column. Nothing was left of the proud changeling queen. Her mane was disheveled and bloody patches riddled her head, where she apparently had ripped her hair out. Spit and bile dripped down her chin and whenever she snarled at her invisible enemy new strands spilled out of her mouth. But what shocked Celestia the most were the changeling queen’s eyes. They weren’t dead like those of the other changelings but wide and bloodshot, like a cornered wild beast’s. Was this what had become of the changeling that had locked horns with a goddess not to long ago?
Suddenly Chrysalis head whipped around, like an animal she held her head into the air sniffing as if to find a scent trail.
“What do we have here? Children do you feel it? We’ve got a visitor. HEHEHEHE!” The ostentatious gestures that accompanied her speech were a stark contrast to her almost animal like posture. Celestia stood up and looked all around the room, but Chrysalis “children” remained invisible just as they had been before, the changeling was talking to an empty hall.
Graciously Celestia unfolded her wings and glided down into the throne room. The black creature seemed conflicted whether to straighten up or to shy away. Her body twisted strangely into a gesture half submission, half defiance.
Celestia’s face was frozen in a stony expression, her lips pressed tightly together into a thin line. Was this her fault? Had she doomed one race while defending another? The creature glared at her and snarled.
“PITY!!! DO YOU HEAR THAT CHILDREN? SHE PITIES US? HAH!” Slowly the changeling queen began to circle the white alicorn, stalking her like the animal she had become. Celestia remained calm. Queen Chrysalis might have defeated her once, but this broken ‘thing’ wouldn’t be able to harm her. Once she were face to face with Celestia again, Chrysalis stopped in her motion looking at the royals face.
“Shall we play with her children? Shall we show her her desires or maybe her fears?” The changeling cackled insanely as she listened to the unhearable answers of her ‘children’. Her horn lit up with green fire as she closed her eyes in concentration, but the flame looked weak and sickly, much like it’s owner. Only hesitantly the flame trailed down her figure, and she was trembling visibly from the effort.
When the magic died down, she was only halfway through her transformation, looking like someone had molded pieces of Nightmare Moon and the changeling queen together. Where both halves met her flesh boiled and twisted as if to reject the other half. Thankfully the spell lasted only for a few seconds, before the illusion shattered, shards of the image falling to the floor where they dissipated into dust.
The limp body of the queen fell to the floor, laughing maniacally as if her body was trying to force all the air out of her body but before long her laughter segued into sobbing. For a short moment she looked at Celestia with clear eyes.
“They are all silent. Their voices are gone, dead, all of them.” The words burst out of her, in between her wailing sobs.
Celestia didn’t know why, maybe it was the queen’s broken appearance, maybe the picture of Nightmare Moon had reminded her of another similar situation, but no matter the reason, her body reacted on it’s own. She sat down next to the battered body of the changeling queen, laying one wing over her as she had done so often for her student.
“Shhh, it’s okay … shh...” She whispered into the queen’s ear as if consoling a little child. Chrysalis’ body went rigid at the alicorn’s touch but after a while the changeling relaxed visibly.
Suddenly a shiver went through the black creatures body, forcefully she lunged toward the white alicorn, her eyes once again wide and panic filled.
“Feed me! Feed my children!” She screamed, before biting down on Celestia’s neck, as if the act of drawing blood would actually force the love out of the diarchs body. Celestia remained still, holding the raging queen in her wings, and continuing to whisper into her ears, even as she could feel the blood stream down her body.
Steadily she could feel her body, growing weaker but no force in the world could have forced her to let go at this moment. And so she was still holding onto the queen, when the blood loss finally took it’s toll and she passed out.
---
A lone candle standing in a sea of darkness, it’s weak flame flickering in the non existent wind. It’s a small thing barely noticeable and almost laughable when compared to the vast nothingness that surrounds it, yet it serves as a beacon. Ever so slowly, dulled minds awaken, and shed the terror of nothingness, walking towards the light and embracing it’s welcoming warmth.
Somewhere hidden deeply in the black sea a grey stallion watched the scene unfold in Twilight’s mind.
---
Celestia awakened. Slowly and painfully she forced herself onto her knees, a white silk like blanket sliding of her body and revealing a bandage covering her neck. With dazed eyes she looked around the room, trying her best to make sense of her memories, separating dream from reality.
The room around her, was black in black, the unmistakable telltale of changeling architecture. She wasn’t alone in the room. Dimly she could make out a tall and slim figure, it’s features obscured by the light that fell through the window behind it.
“So you’re awake.” The raspy voice with it’s weird doppler effect did nothing to ease Celestia’s headache and nausea. Overwhelmed by the dizzying feeling she collapsed back into the bed.
“...” She tried to speak up, but only a barely audible croak escaped her throat, throwing the white monarch into an uncontrollable coughing fit.
She could feel a hole riddled hoof, lifting up her head and something cold touched her lips. Too weak to resist she opened her mouth, pleasantly surprised by the sweetness of whatever she had been given to drink.
“Try not to strain yourself, your body is very weak.” It was strange hearing Chrysalis speaking anything but barely contained threats or vile mockeries.
She swallowed a few times, trying to ease the pain in her throat, before she managed to ask: “...ow...long?”
The queen looked at her for a moment, hesitating, before she answered: “As much fun as it would be to lie, the night hasn’t even ended.”
Relief washed over the disabled diarch. The world wouldn’t end if she didn’t raise the sun, a network of emergency plans, mages, and artifacts enchanted by her, made sure of this, but still, it wasn’t a good idea to refrain from her duties.
Celestia laughed, or at least she tried to, only to be forced into another coughing fit. Here she sat in the hands of her worst enemy, gravely injured, and with an army ready to raze a town full of mentally disturbed civilians, and she was actually relaxing. A somewhat wry smile crept across her face as she let herself sink deeper into the pillows.
“It seems you’re better than I expected, since you’re enjoying yourself so much.” The changeling queen said, making no attempt to hide her disdain.
Once again Celestia tried to speak, taking her time to lessen the stress on her vocal chords: “ … what... happened?”
For the first time, since they had been face to face, the queens stone faced mask broke and the corners of her mouth turned upwards in an sadistic smile.
“I think you’ll find that out for yourself.” She explained, while carefully swirling a glass in her hoofs. With shock Celestia looked at the remains of the green liquid inside of it, as her tongue tasted the remnants of the sweet liquid.
Before she could reply in any way, a searing pain shot through her, starting at the end of her spine and slowly working it’s way upwards along her back, until finally it hit her brain. And darkness once again took the white alicorn.
---
Celestia opened her eyes, but much to her surprise the world remained dark. Now that she concentrated on it, it wasn’t dark. No even with closed eyes, there always remained a modicum of light, or at least an ‘texture’ in the darkness for the lack of a better word. What the royal pony sensed, was not darkness but the complete lack of any sensing. Panic clouded her mind. Had she been blinded? Desperately she tried to feel around, but much to her horror, she couldn’t feel her legs either. She could feel nothing, no sound, no touch, no light, only her thoughts remained.
Just as she thought that she would go mad if she remained like this any longer, something reached out to her. Celestia had lived a long time. She had enjoyed all kinds of vices, she read all sorts of books, and she had tried all kinds of sensing magic, yet she was at a lack for words, trying to describe the sensation that enraptured her at this moment. Another mind touched hers.
It was warm, gentle, inviting her to share her thoughts rather than prying them from her and offering just as much in return. Celestia didn’t receive any concrete memories, there were no pictures or symbols, no language of the mind, instead she could feel herself and the strange visitor melt, flowing into each other, only to separate afterwards, each of them now an amalgam of the minds that had been before.
As she grew accustomed to her new senses, she realized that the two of them weren’t alone there were hundreds, no, thousands of minds around them, each of them flowing freely into each other creating a constant flow of thoughts.
As she watched and partook in this strange exchange of thoughts and personality a feeling welled up inside her that was oddly familiar.
Whenever she looked at what her little ponies had achieved, whenever she saw two ponies working together to achieve something they alone would never have been able to, whenever she saw the generations pass her by, not vanishing but living on in those that came after them, she would feel like she became part of something bigger, something amazing.
She marvelled at the wonder that lived in the heads of those little black creatures, for she had already realized that this was nothing other than the hive mind of the changelings.
Then something changed. It was like an electric charge went through the collective subconsciousness, leaving those whom it passed through strangely on edge. It was a mix of deja vu, vertigo, and ominous foreboding, and still none of these words could adequately describe the feeling of disembodied terror that spread among the detached minds.
Suddenly a scream passed along the psychic network, an expression of utter terror and confusion. Like a dying scream it passed through the conglomerate of minds, conveying what could only be guessed to be the last moments of a life. In terror Celestia watched, as more and more of the minds around her vanished. Soon their screams became indistinguishable from each other, turned into a constant torrent of agony that blocked out all of Celestia’s thoughts. And then silence fell.
Celestia was alone again, unable to feel anything. This time not even her own thoughts filled the darkness. Her mind had long since retreated into itself refusing to observe the death of a whole race.
---
Sobbing the white alicorn lay on the floor. Besides her stood the black figure of the changeling queen.
“This is what it feels like, when we don’t have enough love to maintain the connection. You have remained relatively unharmed, since you’re used to not sharing your thoughts, but all those changelings out there never had to be truly alone before. Too bad really, I would have liked to see you locked into your own mind.” She stated matter of factly, her face once again the emotionless mask of before.
Celestia fought with herself, trying to regain control of her body, as well as her mind. Slowly she shook off the emotions that weren’t her own, but a feeling of emptiness remained and she doubted that she would ever be able to leave it completely behind.
“Don’t worry, the nectar that I gave you has been diluted it won’t cause any permanent changes in you... probably.” The queen continued her monologue, another sadistic grin on her face as she spoke the last words, Celestia however was still far too shaken to reply to her cruel jokes.
“Well, since you’re apparently able to walk again it is time to meet with your army.” Chrysalis said, when she noticed that she would get no reaction from the dazed alicorn.
“What for?” Celestia replied, slowly finding her focus again.
“To discuss the terms of my surrender of course.” The changeling queen stated.
Celestia’s mind had returned to it’s usual astuteness, yet the princess of Equestria found herself at a loss for words.
---
Celestia stood on the hill above the changeling city, behind her the general's tent. She was back where she started, yet everything had changed. At the foot of the hill, a caravan of wagons was forming. Whatever carts had been available, had quickly been turned into makeshift prison transports to hold the ‘prisoners of war’.
Two hundred changelings and the queen Chrysalis herself, taken as hostages to ensure a continued peace between the nations.
Celestia had ordered the troops to retreat and only those she deemed the most trustworthy had remained. Nobody but a few hundred Guards would ever find out the exact conditions that had ended the war against the changelings. As far as the gross of her army was concerned, she had slain Chrysalis in battle, rendering the rest of the changelings nothing but harmless drones.
Among the black figures that scuttled about below her, one stood out between the others. Even from this distance, her regal posture was unmistakable. Even in chains she gave of an aura of might, and Celestia found herself questioning if it were the guards, that were holding her, or if it was the queen that led the two unicorns by their chains.
And a small trickle of energy flowed through the air, ever so thin, and invisible for ponies and Changelings alike.
---
“Huh, wha?” The small purple unicorn was harshly thrown back into the real world.
“I asked, if you are alright?” Rarity looked at Twilight, concern in her eyes.
“Yes, yes. I just have been lost in thought a little.” Twilight replied, trying to smile reassuringly.
“Oh really? Normally there’s a lot more pacing up and down and monologuing involved when you do that.” The white fashionista said, grinning slightly.
“I don’t do that... often.” Twilight grimaced.
“Well I guess I don’t have to tell you, that I’m here to listen to you when you need it.” Rarity continued, now serious again.
“Thank you Rarity, I just need to sort through some of Celestia’s memories that are still floating around in my head.” Twilight admitted smiling, this time with no need to force herself.
The two unicorns returned their attention to the rest of the table, where the rest of the Element-bearers were still trying to stomach the story they had just heard.
“So ya’re a prisoner?” Applejack finally asked.
“No, Celestia released me and the rest of the changelings after a while.” Chrysalis replied.
“You mean to tell me there are two hundred changelings running around freely in Canterlot?” Rainbow Dash asked, and from the tone of her voice it was evident that she wasn’t very comfortable with that idea.
The changeling queen smirked at Rainbow Dash’s discomfort and said: “No, they’re running around freely under Canterlot.”
---
“Woah!” Spike stood, mouth agape, at the entrance to the humongous cavern. Twilight had told him about the cave system, but to hear about it and to see it for yourself was something entirely else. Of course the bustling black city that filled the cave might have play a part in his amazement as well.
“Woah.” Spike repeated, as if a single woah simple wouldn’t describe the experience.
“This is amazing, how did you manage all this?” He asked one of his three changeling companions.
“Klick Klickklick.” The response came promptly and with an not so small amount of pride.
“Huh, I guess a bit of hard work goes a long way.” The little dragon pondered. “But you know you could really improve one thing.”
“Klick?” The changelings looked at their new companion questioningly.
“You could really work on your colour choice.” Spike deadpanned, looking at the entirely black city.
Now that the dam was broken, questions rained down on the newest royal pair, leaving it to Celestia to calm the storm that the element-bearers were talking up.
“Calm down, calm down my little ponies. I’m sure that you have a lot of question but I fear that I have to see to the day court shortly, and if you recall there was an actual reason that I called you here.” The white diarch (soon to be triarch) said.
If she hadn’t been used to being the figurehead of a whole nation, Celestia might have become nervous under the amount of attention she was suddenly receiving.
“Uhm...” Twilight Sparkle said in the sudden silence, stressing the word long enough to make it obvious that she was looking for something to say.
“You know the reason why I send you an Invitation in the first place.” The solar empress continued.
“...” Silence answered her from all ends of the table.
“The wedding...” Celestia prompted.
“Ah, yes, how are the preparations coming along?” Twilight asked, blushing slightly.
“That is actually why I called you here. As you might imagine, the people of Canterlot are still a bit... ‘cautious’ of the new situation, and that’s why I wanted to ask you, if you would do me the honour of preparing the wedding again. Leading with a good example, so to say.” Celestia explained.
“....” A barely audible squeaking noise startled everyone in the room, and caused some of the thinner glasses to shatter. Rarity fainted and dropped out of her chair, only to directly jump to her feet again, before she started bouncing around the room loudly exclaiming: “Not only do I get to make another royal wedding dress, no, I get to make TWO royal wedding dresses. This. Is. The. Best. Thing. EVER!”
Seven pairs of eyes were locked on the exuberant designer. Rarity stopped dead in her track, giving a small ladylike giggle and blushing profoundly.
“I mean... It would be an honour to assist your majesty again.” She said, back to her usual refined self.
The room was dead silent, except for Rainbow Dash who lay on the floor laughing.
---
Spike looked wide eyed at the construct before him. From the outside the changeling city had looked like a giant dodecahedron, suspended in midair by large chains, that stretched into the dark caverns around. It was obvious that the city originally hadn’t been built by changelings, since the grey and white stone, that was used to build canterlot, shone through wherever the changelings hadn’t covered it in their own black building material yet. Against the dark background it had been hard to gauge the size of the city, and only when Spike and his entourage had passed on of the massive chains, that held the city aloft, he had realized that it was easily half the size of canterlot.
Another thing that soon had become apparent, was the fact that the city hadn’t been built with flightless creatures in mind. Spike was no stranger to flight, one of the many boons that came with being friend with two pegasi, but being carried by his buglike friends had been unlike the rhythmic up and down of pegasi flight or the gentle floating of a balloon ride. When the changeling had spread its wing a constant buzzing went through its body, and it’s flight pattern had been hectic, nearly erratic, compared to what Spike was used to.
As the flight had brought the four friends closer to the town, the illusion of the cities perfect geometrical form had vanished, and more and more additions to the original structure came into view. Spike couldn’t help but thinking of them as ‘outgrowths’. Normally the near random buildings on the dodecahedrons surface would have seemed ramshackle at best, but strangely enough they seemed to follow their own unfathomable geometry.
The largest surprise to Spike had come when they entered the city through a huge balcony like structure on its side. He had expected to see small crowded tunnels, or even crawlspaces fitting of the insect like nature of the changelings, but the corridor that they had entered seemed open and inviting. It was large enough to allow several carriages passage side by side, and the ceiling had been painted in bright blue and white colours in an obvious attempt to imitate an open sky. If Spike forced himself to not look upwards, he could even imagine that he was standing on Canterlots main street. Of course only as long as he ignored the mix of bat ponies and changelings that filled the streets with bustling activity.
Finally when Spike felt that he couldn’t possibly take in any more of the strange new scenery all around him he turned towards his friends.
“So... what do you guys do for fun around here?” He asked, earning a wide mischievous grin from his companions.
---
Looking at the tense atmosphere in the room now that the element bearers were alone with Chrysalis, Twilight was more than happy that they actually had something to talk about.
“Let’s see, I think there’s a lot of work to be done isn’t it?” Twilight said, causing Chrysalis and Rainbow Dash to stop scowling at each other and to look at her.
With clearly visible strain the unicorn hauled a scroll of truly epic proportions onto the table. For a short moment everypony held his breath, listening as the wooden table protested under the sudden increase in weight.
“Twi, what is that?” Applejack managed to ask her friend.
“Emergency plans. You know it just usually pays off to be prepared.” The purple unicorn replied.
“Ya mean to tell me, that ya actually planned for something like this to happen?” The orange farmpony inquired, quirking an eyebrow.
“Yes, it should be around here somewhere.” Twilight answered, walking over the table along the slowly unwinding scroll.
“Here! Point 36, subpoint b14, planning a wedding between the princess and an old nemesis.” She exclaimed happily.
Chrysalis stared at the scene incredulously. “Are all ponies like this?”
“Noperony, Twilight is a very special one in a million case.” Pinkie chimed energetically.
“Thank you Pinkie.” Twilight deadpanned.
“No problem Twilight.” The pink party mare cheered, oblivious to the dripping sarcasm in Twilight’s voice.
Not for the first time Twilight had to shake the feeling that she was being made fun off.
“Anyway, according to my list, there are several things that have to be taken care off. How many of the castle staff are willing to help?” She asked the black queen.
Chrysalis smiled wryly, before answering: “None.”
Twilight’s face froze as she turned towards Chrysalis.
“Could you please repeat that? I think I misheard you.” She said through a very forced smile.
“Safe for Cellie’s personal attendants and the guards nobody remained in the castle after she announced our marriage.” The changeling queen said, obviously trying to sound bored and unaffected by what she was saying.
A few strands of hair, sprang up from Twilights otherwise well tamed mane.
“I’m sure that will be no problem.” She said her face still frozen in a smiling position, before her face connected with the table. A groan escaped the purple Unicorn.
“Now, now, darling, is that a way to act in front of the happy bride to be?” Rarity interjected. “I still have some favors that I can call in, just leave this to me.”
“Ah think a could call up some of ma relatives as well.” Applejack picked up where the white fashionista had stopped.
Like a drowning pony, Twilight latched onto this small piece of hope.
“Yeah, you’re right. No use getting stressed out over every little problem.” Notably her mane still remained in it’s rather disorderly state.
“What about your changelings, will any of them help?” She asked Chrysalis.
“Most of them aren’t used to interacting with ponies, without a disguise but I will see what I can do.” The changeling queen answered. Twilight looked surprise for a moment, when she got an honest and helpful answer from her. ‘What are you thinking Twilight? It’s her wedding, of course she will try to help,’ she mentally scolded herself.
“Okay, let’s see, we will need to take care of the dresses, catering, invitations...” As the unicorn slowly made her way through the list, she could feel her deflated confidence coming back to live. Maybe this all would work out after all...
---
Chrysalis looked at the strange little creature that was currently planning her wedding. To be honest she didn’t care for the whole ceremony, bringing so many people together only to ‘prove’ their love seemed like a silly idea to her. But it seemed important to Celestia, and that was reason enough for her to find it important as well, a mindset that she apparently shared with the purple unicorn in front of her.
The little pony perplexed the changeling queen to no end. What was so special about her, that she took such an high place in Celestia’s heart and mind. Sure, her talent for magic was impressive for a Unicorn, but even without the power of love to supplement her own powers she still outclassed the young mare by a wide margin. From what she had seen so far, the young Unicorn was awkward, panicked easily, and her obsession with order and checklist would someday feed a small army of therapists. ‘And yet she was the first to see through your disguise,’ She was reminded by the small nagging voice of doubt.
The queen grimaced.
“Sorry, ya don’t like apple fritters?” The voice of the orange earthpony, Applejack if she remembered correctly, drew her back to reality, reminding her that it might be a good idea to actually listen when your own wedding was being planned.
“Not exactly.” She said, trying to regain her footing in the missed conversation.
“Well if ya’re not into fritters that’s no problem, we could also make, apple pie, apple strudel, apple pancakes, apple smoothies...” The orange mare started to drone.
“How about something without apples?” Chrysalis deadpanned.
Applejack visibly tensed up. “Uhm...”
“Oh, you've got to be kidding me.” The black queen groaned.
“Uhm, maybe we’ll discuss this at a later time.” Twilight interjected in an attempt to defuse the situation. “Fluttershy, what do you think we could do about the music?”
“Uhm... I guess we could... “ The yellow pegasus began, only for her voice to become inaudible, as soon as Chrysalis eyes focussed on her. Chrysalis facehoofed. This was sure to be a long day...
---
This was going to be a long day. Celestia ruler of the lands of Equestria, sat on her throne and it took all her willpower to not slump at the tedious task that lay before her. For the sixteenth time today, she had received a petition to ban the changelings from Canterlot. For the sixteenth time she told the petitioners off, reminding them that she had steered the kingdom flawlessly for one thousand years, and asking for their trust in this matter as well. Sometimes it had actually worked, but more often she found the applicants unwilling to listen to her.
It wasn’t like she hadn’t expected this. From the moment the idea of releasing the changelings had formed, she knew that it wouldn’t be an easy task, but her experiences with Luna and Discord had made her confident that it was doable. If only it wouldn’t be so damn tedious.
For a short moment she allowed her warm motherly smile to falter as the page announced yet another “Petition to ensure the safety of the Equestrian population” or some variation of thereof. She actually had thought up a drinking game, centered around how often the applicants used phrases like “concerned citizen”, “safety of the populace”, or her personal favourite “we only want to provide a safe environment for our children”. A real shame that she only ever would be able to play this game with her sister or her fiance, since any lesser pony would probably be killed by the alcohol poisoning.
She sighed in relief when the page announced something other than a petition for once, only for her mood to drop again, when she heard just who it was, that sought an audience.
“Announcing Prince Blueblood of Equestria!” The loud (but sadly not very melodic) voice of the page echoed through the throne room.
Doing her best to reassert her smile, she watched the white Unicorn stallion enter the throne room. His great-great-great-grandfather had once been a great man, which had prompted Celestia to adopt him in the first place, but much to her dismay it had turned out that kind heartedness wasn’t hereditary.
“Welcome nephew, to what do I owe the honour of your visit?” She asked, while she braced herself for the inevitable. Her mind raced, trying to imagine in just what way, the changelings might have ‘offended’ her nephew.
“I come with good news, auntie. I’ve finally found a pony that is befitting of my presence.” The snobbish stallion exclaimed.
“What?” The metaphorical gears of Celestia’s mind screeched to a screaming halt.
“I’m engaged dear auntie.” Blueblood reformulated his answer.
“That’s.... that’s great to hear. Who is the lucky bride?” Celestia managed to stammer.
“He is the most amazing young stallion that I’ve ever met, he has poise, grace, a great personality, and if I might say so, is very handsome. If you meet him you’ll surely agree that he is the only one ever befitting of a stallion of my status.” He explained with a passion, that Celestia hadn’t thought possible of the narcissistic noble.
“Well, is he with you today? I would very much like to meet the pony, that has won over my nephews heart.” Celestia said.
Without even looking, Blueblood waved for the page to open the doors. Celestia skidded closer to the edge of her seat. She had a hard time imagining a person, that would fit her nephews standards, which made her all the more excited to meet his new spouse.
The massive throne room doors opened and revealed... Prince Blueblood? With a few graceful steps, the exact copy of her nephew walked up to his mirror image before bowing before Celestia.
Celestia facehoofed.
“And how exactly did you get into the upper city without my guards noticing?” She asked the changeling who at least had the decency to look slightly abashed.
---
“...and that is that. Seems like we all know what to do during the next days.” Twilight finished with her allocation of the tasks. It had taken them all day, but somehow they had managed to at least outline the plans for the wedding.
Rarity would work on the dresses for both princesses as well as for the bridesmaids (they were still trying to figure out how this would work with two brides) and alter them as soon as they actually knew who the bridesmaids were going to be.
Applejack and Pinkie Pie would work double shifts trying to figure out dishes that appealed to both ponies and changelings.
Meanwhile Fluttershy would organize the ballroom and set up the decorations with the help of the changelings.
Rainbow Dash would first race back to Ponyville and gather up, whatever supplies they needed from their workshops back home, and when she was finished with that she would run errands and carry messages between the five of them, to at least maintain some semblance of order.
And finally she and Chrysalis would go around, checking up on the others progress, and giving input whenever needed, after all none of them had any idea what to expect from the changelings.
This actually rather easy setup had taken far longer than it should have, and Twilight had an good idea what the reason for that was. When she looked at her friends she could still see the distrust in their eyes and their actions. Unlike her they hadn’t seen and felt the trust that Celestia put into the changeling queen, and Twilight was hard pressed to convey those feelings to her friends. That Chrysalis acted aloof and coldhearted towards them certainly didn't help either. Hopefully the time they would be forced to spend together, would help ease some of their worries.
“Well if nobody’s got anything to add, I think it would be best to head in for the night, after all it seems like we have a busy week ahead of us.” She exclaimed, looking at her friends.
Tired moans and stifled yawns answered her from all around, and even the ever so energetic Pinkie Pie seemed somewhat subdued due to the late hour.
“I wish you all a goodnight then.” Chrysalis said decidedly polite, but with no real warmth in her voice. The alicorn sized creature stood up, and made her way for Celestia’s chambers, while the element bearers dragged themselves back to the library tower.
---
Two guards stood in front of Celestia’s bedchamber. Their stone faced expressions betrayed no sign of emotion, and there eyes watched the corridors ever vigilant. Nothing would ever distract those two from their duty.
Except maybe for the noises that currently came from the royal bedroom.
“You know, Steel, it’s not like I don’t understand that they both had a stressful day and that they really need this right now, but do they have to be this loud?” Brick Wall asked his fellow guard.
“Come on, they’re just ponies too... well not technically, but you know what I mean.” Steel Aegis replied, allowing himself to relax, and resting most of his weight on the spear he was holding.
“As I said, it’s not like I have anything against it, but if they continue like this they’re gonna keep the whole castle awake.” Brick Wall continued, not ready to concede his point yet.
“It’s not like they can help it.” Aegis answered, stifling a yawn.
“I dunno, my mother always plugged my dad when he did something like that. Always shut him up pretty quickly.” Brick said.
“Yeah, but do you wanna go up to those two and ‘plug them’?” Aegis asked, while making the corresponding gesture.
Bricks mind seemed to drift of for a while, before he shuddered and replied: “Nah, I’d rather not get banished to the moon, or wherever changelings get send for banishment.”
“Hah, just imagine the headlines. ‘Royal Guard banished for shoving corks up Celestia’s nose’ “ He joked, coaxing a short guffaw from his colleague.
And so Celestia and Chrysalis slept through the night undisturbed, snoring happily away.
White on Black Ch.07 "Of culture, cooking, and the law"
Twilight eyes shot open wide. Something was wrong. Quickly she scanned the room around her. She was still in her library tower in Canterlot and she was alone in the bedroom. From down the stairs she could hear one of her friends snoring.
She lifted her blanket. All limbs were still present and accounted for and as far as she could tell she hadn’t sprouted any extra appendages as well.
She sniffed the air, but was only greeted by the usual mixture of morning dew, flowers, and what she called ‘the smell of the big city’.
Her horn flared up as she scanned the room for hostile magic, but every scrying spell she could think of came up negative.
For several minutes she sat in her bed, breathing heavily, while she tried to identify what felt so out of place this morning. Then it finally dawned on her; nothing was wrong.
Over the course of the last two days she had become so accustomed to the state of constant panic, that she actually felt riled up because nothing was amiss.
She let herself fall back onto the mattress with a sigh and looked up at the ceiling. A changeling looked back down at her. Thank god, she wasn’t going crazy after all.
---
A very sleepy changeling queen, stilted out of the bed, and crawled towards the door. As she approached the wooden gateway the strangest feeling of deja vu overtook her. When she opened the door she looked towards the floor, which is why she spotted the lavender hoofs of her guest first.
Twilight Sparkle stood outside the royal bedchambers, her mane frazzled as if she had just awoken herself.
“I think this belongs to you.” The lavender unicorn snarled, before dropping a meek looking changeling in front of her.
Chrysalis, scanned the creature before her, with her thoughts as well as with her mind.
“When I said ‘Bring me Twilight Sparkle first thing once the sun rises!’, I meant that you should knock on her door and escort her here.” She said, rubbing her temples with a hoof.
She turned towards the rather annoyed looking unicorn that stood in her doorway. “My apologies, it seems that some of the Infiltrators have a hard time adjusting to a live where they don’t have to hunt for love.”
Twilight’s answer was a guttural growl, that could be interpreted as everything from understanding to disapproval. Chrysalis shielded her eyes when the unicorns horn flashed purple leaving only emptiness where Twilight had stood seconds prior.
---
“Who was that?” Celestia’s voice could be heard from the balcony. She stood outside, her horn glowing as she raised the morning sun.
“Your protege found one of my changelings in her bedroom.” The queen of the changelings answered, while she dragged herself back to bed. And once again the world came close to destruction as Celestia nearly dropped the sun.
“SHE FOUND A CHANGELING WHERE?!?” Celestia tried to glance over her shoulder, her attention obviously torn between the changelings queens word, and her current task.
“You know how the infiltrators have a hard time adjusting, just a little miscommunication.” Chrysalis yawned, already half asleep again.
Celestia visibly relaxed and focussed back on the gigantic ball of fiery plasma that provided warmth and light to all of Equestria.
“So what was your first impression of them?” She asked after the sun was set on it’s course. The night before they both had been far too exhausted to engage in any kind of conversation.
“I don’t really know what you see in them.” Came the muffled voice of the changeling queen, from under a huge pile of pillows. Celestia chuckled as she watched her fiance’s attempts to block out the sunlight. Gently she lay down besides her before levitating a pillow out of the way, revealing chrysalis face.
With a pleading look, Chrysalis looked up to the white alicorn, only her head sticking out of the covers. “Five more minutes?”
Celestia rolled her eyes and threw the pillow back onto the changelings face, before she trotted off into the bathroom.
“You still haven’t answered my question though.” She shouted over the sound of running water.
Chrysalis fidgeted around the bed, rumpling the blanket and shuffling the cushions about, while she tried to find the right words.
“They seem strange. They don’t really have that much in common, but I can feel a strong bond between them. When you first brought them in I thought you had found another changeling clan.” She finally said.
Unseen by the black queen a slight smile crawled over the white alicorn face.
“Oh really? What do you mean?” She asked.
“It was like they shared their minds, like they were... connected, the same way I am to the hive mind.” Chrysalis replied, apparently struggling to find the right words.
“Never noticed that. I’m sure you’ll get it when you spend a little time with them.” The white diarch said, while strolling out of the bathroom, only to be met by Chrysalis accusing eyes.
“This is one of your little schemes, isn’t it?” The black queen asked.
Celestia didn’t say anything, but the way she looked away told Chrysalis everything she needed to know.
“Cellie, it’s nice that you are looking out for me, but I’m not one of your ‘little ponies’, don’t play your games with me.” She said. Celestia deflated from her fiance’s reprimand, clearly aware that she had hurt the changeling queen’s feelings.
“I’m sorry sweetie, I should have been honest with you, but this is something that you have to see for yourself, I cannot explain it to you.” She said, a sorrowful look on her face.
Chrysalis expression remained hard, but after a moment her features softened and she let out a heartfelt sigh.
“I guess, that’s what I get for poisoning you, to experience the hive mind.” She said with a wry smile.
Celestia looked up hopefully, and smiled as well when she saw the smile on Chrysalis face. She leaned in to nuzzle the black queen, only to be held back by a hole riddled hoof.
“Oh no, you don’t. I’m still cross with you for not telling me earlier.” Chrysalis said, trying her best to look strict.
“Now, whatever could I do to change your mind about that?” Celestia said playfully, while she began to pluck some feathers out of her pillows. Chrysalis eye’s shot wide as she saw more and more feathers float around the solar matriarch.
“Don’t you dare!” She warned her, as she slowly back away to the door. With a mighty pounce Celestia launched herself at the changeling queen.
...
That morning when Celestia opened the day court, she might not have looked as regal and composed as normal, but a big smile was plastered on the solar matriarchs face the entire time.
---
“Good morning Twilight!” Twilight nearly dashed back out of the door when she heard the enthusiastic greeting of the changeling queen.
“I hope you have slept well?” Chrysalis inquired, smiling broadly. Very carefully Twilight entered the dining hall. She looked around, but the room was empty except for her and the surprisingly cheerful queen.
“I’ve slept well, except for being awoken by a changeling this morning.” Twilight said, with a bit more bite in her voice than she had intended.
“Ah well, sorry for that again. I’m sure he didn’t mean anything with it.” Chrysalis chimed, seemingly oblivious to Twilights scorn. “I think we have a wedding to plan, don’t we?”
“Okay, I bite, what is wrong?” The purple Unicorn finally asked.
“Wrong, what should be wrong?” The changeling replied, a wide cheek to cheek grin still plastered on her face.
Twilight eyed Chrysalis, distrust clearly visible on her face. “You’re acting so... cheerful.”
“And why shouldn’t I? I’m soon to be wed to a beautiful mare.” Chrysalis exclaimed happily.
Twilight shook her head. ‘You should really stop being so paranoid, even Chrysalis can’t be sarcastic all the time... I guess...’ She thought to herself, determined to accept this change as a welcome surprise rather than being alarmed about it. She turned to Chrysalis, and answered her smile with the best grin she could muster.
“Well then, no time to waste, right?”
Just outside the window for a short moment a baby blue blur could be seen.
---
“I’m telling you Applejack, she is up to something.” Rainbow Dash said to the orange farmpony.
Applejack placed her Stetson on her head finishing her daily morning routine, and turned towards her friend. “Don’t ya think, ya’re overreacting just a mite bit? Just ‘cause she’s acting nice doesn’t mean she has ta be up to something. She might just be happy ya know.” Applejack drawled.
“Sure, and Pinkie is a example of sanity.” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes.
“Now, that’s no way to talk about yar friends.” Applejack reprimanded the boisterous pegasus.
“You know what I mean.” Rainbow Dash said defensively.
“Yeah, but someday somepony might not.” The orange mare replied, her brows still furrowed. Only after she was sure, that the message had penetrated the blue speedsters brain, her features softened.
“Ah know, that ya don’t trust Chrysalis, and to be honest I don’t know if Ah trust her maself, but Twilight said that she’s alright and Ah think that she usually knows what she’s talking ‘bout.” She tried to ease her friends worries.
“If you say so...” Rainbow still didn’t look convinced, but she turned around and left the room before Applejack could say anymore. “Doesn’t mean that I can’t keep an eye on her.”
---
“Okay Fluttershy, you can do this!” The butter coloured mare mumbled to herself, while frantically pacing up and down in front of the ballroom door. She took a moment to look at her face, reflected in a golden vase.
“You can do this. You’re not the weak little doormat you have been in the past. You’re strong! You know what you want! YOU CAN DO THIS!” Screaming the last words she stormed through the doors.
Twenty pairs of eyes looked at her. The room was filled with changelings. Fluttershy could feel the glare of those cold alien eyes on her. Their sharp fangs glistened in the light of the early morning sun, and their thick chitinous skin made them look like they were adorned in heavy plate mail.
“Meep.” Fluttershy managed to say before she passed out.
---
*Slam*
The door shot close right in front of Rarity’s nose.
“How rude! is that how you treat a lady?” She huffed towards the closed storefront giving an decidedly unladylike gesture. In her defence it must be said that this by far hadn’t been the first door to get slammed in her face this morning. Rarity had always been proud to say that she never missed a chance to socialise and mingle with the people of her trade, but as things were going, she was running out of options fast.
With all the urgency of social elites, that feared for their (more or less) hard earned positions, the nobles and would-be nobles of the city had quickly reached a consensus: They didn’t want to have anything to do with those changelings. And if the nobles didn’t like something, the fashion industry didn’t like it either, after all it was primarily the nobles that wore any clothing at all.
Rarity levitated her small black book of contacts out of her saddlebag and crossed out another name. She skimmed over the worryingly few names that were still left.
Hmmm... Maybe she was going about this the wrong way. For a short moment the white fashionista stood still in the middle of the street, her slowly widening eyes and her wicked grin the only testament to the ideas that were rapidly forming in her head.
“Idea!” She cheered before running off towards her unknown destination.
---
“Let’s see, I think first we should check up on Pinkie and Applejack.” Twilight mused, while she levitated a clipboard in front of her.
She and Chrysalis were currently walking through one of Castle Canterlots long corridors. (there were rumors going around that the corridors formed an ancient magical seal that enhanced Celestia’s powers (which of course were wrong. The real reason was vaguely related to freshly waxed floors and the royal sock collection))
“The orange and the pink one right?” Chrysalis inquired trying to decipher the diagrams and checklist the purple unicorn was carrying around.
“Yes. As I said those two will be in charge of the catering and I think they will need some help with finding out what is edible for changelings.” Twilight replied.
Chrysalis nodded. While changelings were able to eat most anything that ponies could eat, they still had their own preferences.
“So those two are cooks?” She asked her guide/secretary.
“Uhm, something like this.” Twilight replied, chuckling nervously which earned her an inquisitive look from the changeling queen. “Applejack is an apple farmer but her family also prepares the apples to sell them and Pinkie Pie is an apprentice baker, but she has a lot of experience with hosting parties.”
Chrysalis face contorted for a moment before she replied: “I bet they’re up for the task if you have chosen them.”
Twilight grinned as she heard the changeling putting this much trust in her. She turned to the royal besides her and grinned widely: “I bet they will do everything in their power to make this the best wedding ever.”
Chrysalis gave her a hesitant grin before she turned towards the kitchen, hiding the scepticism in her eyes from the little purple unicorn.
---
Applejack and Pinkie Pie looked at the ingredients that were spread on the table before them. It hadn’t been long after dawn when a changeling had visited them in the kitchen, bringing with him an assortment of Changeling foods. The apple farmer took a long look at the spread out roots, bulbs and flowers, none of which seemed familiar to her. Hadn’t she been told that this was supposed to be edible she would have thought that she had stumbled across Zecora’s potion ingredients. Hesitantly she picked up a spindly, black plant, biting off a small piece. Her face went through a couple of motions, that were normally reserved for the physics defying Pinkie Pie, before she spat out the rest of the horrible tasting weed.
“How are we supposed to cook anything with this?” She asked the pink mare across the table.
Pinkie Pie was currently busy examining a small colourless bulb. Not white, colourless as in ‘see through’. She oohed and aahed as she waved her vibrantly coloured hoof behind the strange vegetable. Finally after she grew bored of her new plaything, she took a hearty bite out of it.
The effects were as immediate as they were drastic. Instantly the pink party mare deflated, her mane and tail went flat, and even her normally brilliant pink fur seemed to dull. Applejack rolled her eyes, went over to the depressed pink filly and patted her on the back, causing the rest of the transparent bulb to shoot from Pinkie’s mouth. Instantly she perked back up, returning to her normally energetic self.
“What the...” A perturbed looking changeling queen stood in the door to the kitchen, eyeing the pink pony suspiciously.
“Don’t ask.” Twilight said, her voice leaving no doubt that she had learned this lesson through hard earned experience.
“So, Ah’m affraid we don’t really have an idea what to do with all this stuff.” Applejack said to the newcomers, waving at the assorted vegetables.
“I guess I could show you how to prepare one or two dishes.” Chrysalis approached the table and looked at what she would have to work with.
“Ya know how to cook?” Applejack looked at the queen obviously surprised by this revelation.
“Is there something wrong with that?” The changeling queen asked, raising her eyebrows slightly. She took a knife out of it’s block and balanced it on her hoof.
“But you’re all princessy and stuff. Don’t you have people to do this for you?” Pinkie Pie burst into the conversation. Chrysalis startled and send the knife flying through the kitchen, until it embedded itself in the wall. She scowled at the pink pony, but answered nonetheless: “My father always thought it important that we can take care of herself.”
Directly after she had spoken the words, Chrysalis regretted them. She braced herself for the question that was sure to come.
“So ya’ve got a family back home waiting for ya?” The orange farmpony drawled.
“No, they are missing...” Chrysalis replied. Her tone made it obvious that this was the only thing she was going to say about the topic.
“Ah’m sorry to hear that.” Applejack said sincerely. “Ah know what’s it like ta lose family.”
The queens features hardened even further, but only for a moment before she sighed and spoke up again: “It’s all right, I’ve got all my changelings to take care of, I’m not alone.”
“Anyway,” Chrysalis said, her tone suddenly suspiciously cheerful, “I think I wanted to show you how to cook, right?”
Twilight stood a little away from the three cooks. She had already felt Celestia’s love for the changeling queen, but slowly she began to understand where it came from.
---
Six ponies and two immortal beings once again shared the “small” dining hall, as the evening approached. It had been a busy day for all of them, and it showed. For two of them however there was still something left to do.
The few remaining servants entered the room, each of them carrying a covered plate. One after another they sat them down in front of the confused looking ponies. When everything was settled. Applejack grabbed a spoon and hit her glass a few times, until she had everponies attention.
“Me and Pinkie whipped up something special for the evening...” She began to say, only to be interrupted by Pinkie Pie.
“Ooh, ooh, can I say it?” She chimed energetically, while practically hovering in Applejack’s face.
The orange farmpony rolled her eyes but chuckled heartily at the same time.
“Sure knock yarself out.” She replied.
“Sooo, me and Applejack tried to cook something good for changelings, but the ingredients were all nasty and blargh, and so we didn’t know what to do, but Chrysi is a great cook, and her parents are missing, and she helped us cooking, and at first it didn’t turn out that well, but now we are getting better with it, and it took us all day, but we finaly cooked something super duper tasty, but we didn’t have anybody to test it for us, and so we thought that we would share it with our super duper most bestest friends ever and here we are.” Pinkie blurted out.
For a few moments the table was silent, while seven brains were busy replaying the blur of words in slow motion. Pinkie looked at them grinning expectantly.
“What Pinkie is trying to say is; dig in.” Applejack said, while the servants revealed the dishes that had waited under the covers.
Reactions were mixed at first. Even when prepared properly and arranged to please the eye, the strange vegetables still remained very foreign and some even repulsing. Only after Applejack and Pinkie went ahead and started eating, the others followed suit.
Twilight looked at her meal apprehensively. It was a stew of sorts but the liquid had an dark nearly oily texture to it, that rang several warning bells in the unicorns head. After a while she closed her eyes vowing to just get over with it quickly. The smell came as a surprise. From the way it looked, Twilight had expected an equally foul odour but instead a rich spicy aroma hit her nostrils. She opened her eyes again, but the stew on her plate was the only thing that could be responsible for the smell, that had her mouth watering.
Her curiosity piqued grabbed a spoon with her levitation. Held up close the dish still hadn’t gained any attractiveness but taking another whiff of the enticing aroma it emitted, Twilight fought down her repulsion and took a first bite.
Twilight sat still for a moment. A second spoonful found it’s way into the scholarly ponies mouth. And then another and another, until finally Twilight found herself lapping up the remains of the soup stock from her plate.
It took her a few moments to remember her manners and with a slight blush she sat the plate down on the table again, but much to her relief she could see that the other Element-bearers had eaten with a gusto that rivalled her own.
Pinkie and Applejack shared the smile of artists that had just received a good critique.
Twilight found herself strangely excited as a second course was brought into the room. This time a sort of grain pulp with a side of steamed vegetables was served. With the initial barrier broken, the eight pony like creatures dug in immediately, devouring the meal that was sat before them with even more vigor than the first one. Not soon after content sighs filled the room, as ponies and changelings alike enjoyed a satisfying feeling of fullness.
But Applejack and Pinkie had yet another trump to play. With the help of three groaning stallions a truly massive cake was carried into the dining hall. Like all the creations so far it was strangely coloured, and the decorations had a very alien feel to them, but incited by their previous experience, four ponies and two immortal beings smacked their lips at the sight of the sugary treat.
Quickly plates were handed out, and the cake was evenly distributed between them. Quickly the ponies exchanged expectant glances before the simultaneously took a bite out of the desert.
---
Dull Blade enjoyed his job. Sure guarding the royal bathrooms might not have been the most glorious of all tasks, but he didn’t mind. The pay was good, he got to wear a impressive armor, and best of all, there never happened anything interesting. He allowed a small content smile to break through his ‘stoic guard’-face.
Dull Blade flicked his ears. What was that? Had he just heard shouting from the end of the hallway? Nah, couldn’t be nobody ever came to this part of the castle. Hmm, there it was again. A bit uneasily Dull Blade glanced around searching for the source of the disturbance.
Suddenly an avalanche of ponies skidded around the corner. The unassuming guardspony found himself face to face with a horde of five ponies, one goddess, and a changeling queen, all of which had sickly coloured faces and were heading straight for the door behind him.
Quickly he remembered his training days, and did the only thing that a upstanding and honorable guard like him could do in such a situation. He screamed like a little girl and covered on the floor.
…
Pinkie Pie was sitting in the dining hall. Apparently all of her friends were playing a new game, and nobody had bothered to tell her the rules. Normally that would have upset her a lot, she didn’t like being excluded, gladly today was different.
“Well, more cake for me.” She chimed before taking another bite of her desert.
---
Spike looked down into the abyss below him.
Yesterday had been a very educational day.
His hands were wrapped tightly around the black iron bars.
In fact he had learned several things.
He didn’t really want to stare into the blackness below him, but currently he was being crammed against the bars which rendered him practically immobile.
The first thing he had learned was, that while he might have been a dragon, baby dragons apparently didn’t share the legendary constitution of their fully grown brethrens.
He tried to wiggle his legs into a more comfortable position, but only succeeded in making the cage swing at the end of it’s long iron chain.
The second thing he learned, was that consuming huge amounts of ethanol is a big no go, for creatures whose core temperature was high enough to be able to breath fire.
High above them the black dodecahedron of the changeling city could be seen.
The third thing that he learned was, that the mixed guard of the changeling city enforced the law swiftly and thoroughly, especially when it came to arson.
“Guys. If I ever ask you to buy me a drink again, I want you to smack me up the head.” He growled towards his three companions that were currently sharing his uncomfortable position. The three changelings agreed wholeheartedly.
White fur against black chitin. Gently two bodies touched as the the immortals rested in the comfort of their embrace. Contently Celestia pressed her head against the neck of the black queen, the queen of the changelings however held her head high, eyes closed, pointing her muzzle to the moon above. A wildly flickering green fire enshrouded her horn, casting an eerie light onto the room around the two royals.
In the sickly green shine it became hard to distinguish the two from each other, and for a moment it seemed that they had fused into one black and white being.
The fire died down and darkness fell over the room.
For yet a moment longer Chrysalis and Celestia held onto each other.
It was Celestia that finally broke the silence: “Did it work?”
“Yes, the connection may be weak but we can still feel each other.” Chrysalis answered opening her eyes. Bright green glowing veins still burnt in them, a reminder of the immense amount of power the queen had just channelled.
Celestia loosened herself from the embrace of the changeling queen and looked into her eyes. “How much longer do we have?”
“Maybe two months, three at best.” Chrysalis replied.
“So very little time...” Celestia whispered, drawing the changeling back into a close hug.
“We always knew that our time was limited. The love of one mare can’t support an entire civilization, even if the mare happens to be a goddess.” Chrysalis replied matter of factly, but the subtle hint of fear wasn’t lost to the white diarch. “If only there was more we could do...”
“We can’t leave the city at this point, it would cause a riot.” Celestia stated, her eyes wandering over to the windows. The screams of the protesters had died down by now, but a suspiciously amount of people still lingered around the castle gates. “We have to trust them...”
Chrysalis gaze rested on the troubled mares features.
“Trust, huh?”
---
Twilight eyes shot open wide. Something was wrong. Quickly she scanned the room around her. She was still in her library tower in Canterlot and she was alone in the bedroom. From down the stairs she could hear one of her friends snoring.
She lifted her blanket. All limbs were still present and accounted for and as far as she could tell she hadn’t sprouted any extra appendages as well.
She sniffed the air, but was only greeted by the usual mixture of morning dew, flowers, and what she called ‘the smell of the big city’.
Her horn flared up as she scanned the room for hostile magic, but every scrying spell she could think of came up negative.
For several minutes she sat in her bed, breathing heavily, while she tried to identify what felt so out of place this morning. Then it finally dawned on her; nothing was wrong.
…
Wait a moment...
…
Twilight looked up at her ceiling where her gaze was met by a apologetically grinning changeling.
---
Rarity was awoken by the rather loud grumbling, of a disgruntled lavender unicorn. She levitated her sleeping mask aside, only to see her disheveled looking friend leaving the door, carrying a slightly embarrassed looking changeling with her.
She shuddered at the idea that her friend would actually leave the house in this state, but trying to stop her would mean leaving the house unkempt as well, so she decided to let it slide this time.
On the bright side being awoken this early meant that she could take her time with her daily grooming. She adored her friends more than she could express, but having to share a bathroom with a rambunctious little sister was already enough, let alone with five grown mares.
Carefully not to wake the others she trotted over to the bathroom. Of course the word trotting implied a certain lack of grace, something that could definetly not be said about the white fashionista. No, even during those early morning hours she maintained a modicum of sophistication, as was expected from a mare in her position. (It’s still unclear who exactly voiced such expectations or what her ‘position’ entailed and all questions regarding the topic thus far have only been met with knowing smiles and vague hoof gestures.)
However beneath the calm demeanor of the white unicorn, a storm was brewing. A stray spark of inspiration had hit her and set her brain ablaze like it was dry tinder. Most of yesterday she spent running around doing what she did best. Okay maybe not best, that place was undoubtedly taken by sewing, maybe not even second best, when one considered her gem-finding-abilities, but certainly a good contender for third place, she talked.
Rarity, quite frankly didn’t enjoy the companie of most nobles. Too many of them reminded her of the vain and narcissistic Blue Blood, too much interest in themselves and not enough for those around them. Neither did she enjoy the company of those that just followed the lead of their peers, blinded by the movements of trends and mindlessly repeating whatever rumor they heard. Oh no, she was far too ambitious to follow trends, she wanted to make her own trends.
And so she talked; a innocent comment here, a slight chuckle at the right moment, a rumor in the right ears. Yes, yesterday had been a busy day.
Mindlessly she applied some toothpaste to her brush, while she already thought about the details of her upcoming plan.
---
If one wanted to play the game of high society in canterlot, the first thing you learned was the difference between what was said and what was meant. A prime example for this was the small corner cafe close to the central canterlot market.
Everyone who was someone knew that the “mangeoire” was the place where up-and-coming new additions to Canterlot’s social elite could meet people with power and influence. What the up-and-coming socialites didn’t know, was the fact that the powerful and influential knew about this as well and avoided the place like the pest.
And so all the wannabes and pretenders gathered faithfully in the small corner cafe, lying about their status and fishing for power that wasn’t there.
Silver Tongue and Pristine Records were no different from the rest of the cafe’s visitors, which is to say they were young, ambitious, ruthless, and forever stuck in the limbo between common folk and ‘old-money’.
Pristine Records was a black coated unicorn mare and whoever was foolish enough to ask her about her silver mane, she would tell how she was descendant of a long line of Unicorn guards. Silver Tongue meanwhile was the mirror match of a certain white and blonde noble, or at least he was after his coiffeur was done with the weekly bleaching.
“I trust you have heard about the recent ‘additions’ to the royal family?” Pristine Records asked. Her voice was sharp without unnecessary flourishes, and brought with it the unbidden image of a rapier being drawn across ones neck.
“HmmHmm... who hasn’t... it’s simply dreadful, isn’t it?” Silver Tongue replied, his fake accent as thick as the grease in his hair.
He instantly regretted his words, as that blasted smile crept across Pristines face. She knew something he didn’t and she would enjoy rubbing it in his face.
“I think it’s the best thing that could possibly happen.” She said with her strange half-smirk.
“Pray tell, how is our princess affiliating with those ‘things’ a good thing, let alone the best possible thing?” He answered, painfully aware how that was exactly the question she wanted to hear.
“What are the changelings doing?” She asked. Silver Tongue was hard pressed not to groan. He hated it when she treated him like a little child, leading him along to come to a conclusion she had long since drawn herself.
“I don’t know. I’m not interested in the sickening dealings of that race.” Silver replied, his voice dripping just the amount of disgust he had heard other people use in this situation.
“I don’t care about that either, I want to know what they are doing to the people of canterlot.” Pristine Records elaborated, looking at him like he was some sort of idiot.
“I don’t think that they are doing anything. Princess Celestia seems to take good care that they don’t leave their part of the city.” He answered.
“Wrong. They don’t have to enter the city for what they are doing.” Pristine didn’t even bother to hide her satisfaction anymore, grinning broadly.
Silver Tongue furrowed his brows in annoyance: “Well, if you know so much about it, why don’t you simply tell me what it is they are doing.”
Pristines basked in her superiority for a few moments before she answered: “They are causing fear.”
“So what?” Silver Tongue replied, his fancy accent forgotten for the moment.
“Don’t you see? This is a perfect opportunity!” Pristine whispered, conspiratorially.
The blank look on Silver’s face was more than enough to make it clear that he in fact ‘didn’t see’.
“When people fear something, they want someone to do something against it and just as it happens, I know two young and ambitious unicorns who are willing to speak up about this terrible issue...” She laid out her plan the pleasure of feeling superior already dissipating, in the face of Silver’s stupidity.
Silver had listened attentively and gave his companion a quizzical look.
“And who are they?” He asked.
Pristine facehoofed. If it weren’t for his ability to sweet talk himself out of pretty much any situation, she would have ditched this dimwit a long time ago.
“I’m talking about us! If we speak up now, and rally some followers this could be just the kind of power boost we need to get into the real high society.” She answered a fire burning in her eyes.
Unseen by the two power players a beige coloured waitress slipped out of the cafe.
---
“I’m telling you, the whole situation is nothing more but a game to those snooty uptown guys.” Merry Daisies said, blissfully unaware of the irony of one Canterlot-Pony calling the other snooty.
“And I’m telling you, you are overreacting.” Breadn Butter answered, while his hooves worked the lump of dough that lay in front of him.
The beige earth mare with the flower cutie mark, and the green unicorn baker stood in the kitchen of a small bakery. Merry leaned against a counter and was busy keeping Breadn from preparing tomorrow's bread. Not that he minded though, it wasn’t like he was in a hurry, and the single father never found it in him to send the gossipy mare away.
“Celestia’s still sitting on the throne and so far she’s always done us right.” He continued, not looking up from his work.
“Yeah, but she’s the one who brought those bloodsuckers into town in the first place.” Merry replied, leaving it open if she meant Canterlot’s newest insectoid residents or the nobles, she had been raging about earlier.
“They don’t suck blood.” Breadn stated matter of factly.
“Blood, Love, does it matter? In the end you wind up dead.” Merry replied irritatedly, unnerved by the stallions continued resistance.
“I just think that we should give them a chance...” Breadn said, wiping his hoofs on his apron and finally taking the time to look Merry in the eyes.
“Don’t get me wrong, normally I’d agree with you, but these guys tried to invade Canterlot. If it weren’t for that young guard captain and Princess Cadance, we’d all be cattle by now.”
“Oi, my cousin is married to a cow.” Breadn interrupted the earth mare’s tirade. Her glare told him, that she clearly wasn’t in the mood to argue semantics.
“There’s giving someone a second chance, and there’s being plain stupid.” She said.
Breadn looked at her clearly still doubtful about her words.
“Aren’t you worried? You’ve got two kids to look after, after all.” She tried to push him further.
Unwillingly his eyes shot to the small framed picture, showing him and two smiling foals.
“Even If I agree, it’s not like there’s something we could do about it.” Her replied after thinking for a few more moments.
“We got to go out there and show what the think about it. There’s already a crowd of protesters gathering near the front gate. If we all stick together Celestia’s got to do something. It’s not like she could wipe out all of Canterlot.”
---
Not for the first time this day, Celestia thought about how she could just wipe out Canterlot.
“Just a little solar flare and I could be done with all this. No more petitioners, no more political meetings...” She thought after rejecting yet another appeal to evict the changelings from Canterlot.
“... no more Twilight, no more Chrysalis.” Of course her voice of reason -that old party pooper- just couldn’t stay silent.
She groaned and signaled the herald to send in the next petitioner.
---
“I’m sorry I can’t help you.”
Rarity’s world seemed to crumble around her as she heard those words from Fancy Pants mouth. Everything had went so well so far. She had strewn rumors and made all necessary preparations but her whole plan had hinged on fancy pants backing up the whole endeavor.
Ever after her run-in with him, he had proven as a valuable ally in her fight to conquer the prestigious fashion world of Canterlot. But now he had outright denied her.
“But why?” She was doing her best to refrain from whining. Whining was reserved for her worst enemies, or her close friends, but not for a powerful patron.
“Rarity dear, you might be a prodigious designer, but not even you can sway the whole of Canterlot’s nobility like this.” Fancypants rested his forelegs on the big marehagony table, putting his hoofs together in front of his face.
Rarity knew this posture all too well, it said: “I want to help you, but it just wouldn’t be profitable.”
“Fancypants, you know I wouldn’t ask this of you if I didn’t think it would work.” Rarity gathered herself, now all ladylike businessmare again.
“Yes, and so far you’ve always made true on your promises, but you have to understand that I have a business to run, and my success hugely relies on my good reputation. If something goes wrong with your plan it’s not only my own position that’s in danger, but that of everypony working for me.” He replied, a precisely measured amount of compassion in his voice.
Rarity looked at him. Just for a short moment she let fall all signs of professionalism and just looked into his eyes: “Please Fancypants, I can’t do this without you.”
The white unicorn sighed. For a moment he rubbed his temples and closed his eyes. Then he focussed on her again.
“I can’t help you, but if you’re really serious about this, then there might be someone who can.” He said with a stern voice. He reached for one of the drawers and took out a photo. Without saying anything he placed it in front of Rarity.
…
A massive frown suddenly adorned Rarity’s face. With pleading eyes she looked at Fancypants.
“Oh Celestia, please anyone but him.” She groaned.
White on Black Ch.09 "Six is company, seven's a crowd."
The green shine of changeling magic illuminated the balcony of the royal bedchambers. Barely visible against the dark night sky was the figure of a pegasus clad in a black catsuit, only her baby blue wings weren’t concealed by the skin tight getup.
Her wings beat softly, keeping her body barely afloat, so that the sound of hooves on polished marble wouldn’t give her away. The blue pegasus pressed her face against the window, her eyes firmly locked on the black and white royals that were focussed on their strange ritual.
“OhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygosh, I need to tell Twilight about this.”
A soft breeze disturbed the silence, and then the balcony was empty.
---
Twilight marched through the corridors of Canterlot Castle, a short way behind her a still rather sheepish looking changeling floated through the air, held aloft by a faint purple aura. Could the scowl on the unicorns face in some way be weaponized, Equestria would have had an easy way to achieve world dominance, as it were however the only ones to suffer were the guards that were posted in the hallway.
Twilight was pondering ways to magically secure her bedroom from changeling invaders when she was hit by a LSD filled train.
At least that was her first hypothesis after she suddenly found herself lying on the floor, her vision filled with blurry prismatic streaks.
With an annoyed huff she blew Rainbow Dash’s mane aside, only to discover that the blue pegasus’ face was only inches from her own. The boisterous flyer’s face was flushed red and her breathing came fast and ragged.
“Twilight, I need to tell you something important.” She managed to moan between two breaths, making the pinned unicorn painfully aware of her hot breath in her face.
“I’ve got to admit something, that I’ve been hiding from you for a long time.” Rainbow Dash blurted out, blushing brightly.
Twilights feeling of annoyance over the unwanted interruption was blown away and replaced by another uneasy feeling altogether. Quickly she tried to interrupt her friend, “Do you really think that the corridor is the best place for this kind of conversation.”
“I’m sorry Twilight, it’s just that I’ve had to tell you immediately.”
“Oh my!” Twilight wowed, involuntary imitating a certain white fashionista.
“But what about Applejack?” she finally managed to squeak. She always had thought that there was something going on between the apple farmer and the wannabe Wonderbolt.
Rainbow Dash seemed to think for a moment before she replied, “Yeah, you’re right we should include Applejack as well.”
Twilights heart burst into an unsteady staccato. When she had talked about the subject with her mentor, Celestia had always insisted that “Love knows no boundaries.” (A sentence that, after a few awkward questions from a young Twilight, had been redacted to the less poetic but more accurate “Look, as long as you don’t cause any permanent damage to each other it’s probably alright.”), but to hear one of her friends proposing such a thing came as a shock. Not an entirely unpleasant shock, mind you.
“Now that I think about it, we should probably ask Pinkie, Rarity and Fluttershy to join as well.” Rainbow Dash continued to elaborate her train of thoughts.
“All six of us?” Twilight asked wide eyed.
“Yeah, it’s probably gonna take all six of us if we want to best Chrysalis.” the blue pegasus said, still lost in thought.
“Chrysalis? You mean... with Celestia?” Somewhere deep in the recess of Twilight’s brain, her inner creativity was working overtime, trying to supply appropriate mental images for the news. The sudden influx of new ideas had caused quite some stress for the poor clump of grey matter, that usually only had to work with scientific formulas or terror scenarios.
“Yes, if we can get her to agree, otherwise we might need to force her...” Rainbow Dash said grimly.
Twilight fainted.
Inside Twilight's mind, Creativity was standing atop the burning rubble of Twilight’s sanity while pictures of a stern looking Rainbow Dash holding a whip, rained down all around her.
Logic and Knowledge sat nearby and watched the spectacle.
“So what do you think, a full swipe?” Knowledge asked.
“Yeah, it’s probably better if we don’t remember this...” Logic replied.
---
“Okay, just breathe in deeply and stay calm,” Fluttershy repeated to herself for the dozenth time this morning.
Once again she was standing in front of the door to the ballroom, but this time she came prepared. She had spent all night looking at a book about changelings, trying to get used to the sight of the black chitinous creatures. She felt confident that she wouldn’t faint this time.
With a last deep breath she stepped towards the door and readied herself to open it.
“There you are! Fluttershy you need to come with me.” Rainbow Dash yelled, as she grabbed the butter coloured pegasus dragging her with her. Fluttershy could do nothing but stare as the door slowly vanished from her field of Vision.
She let out a deep sigh.
---
The air inside the ballroom was heavy with anticipation. The changelings had spent all night, trying to come up with ways to get along with Element of Kindness, and finally after some heated discussions they had hatched the perfect plan.
A plethora of woodland creatures was occupying every available surface of the ballroom. Everything from cute little bunnies to the occasional doe, but nothing that could even remotely could be considered scary.
The disguised changelings stared at the large double winged door, waiting for it to open. It could only be a matter of minutes now...
---
Rarity apparently had been possessed by the spirit of the castle’s accountant, which was most curious, since the accountant was still alive and well. While the white fashionista normally would have been surrounded by discarded fabrics and needles, now sizeable bookstacks cluttered her environment.
With a loud thud her forehead connected with the desk. She had spent the last few hours trying to come up with a way to shift her finances around, to allow enough leeway for her big project. If she was honest with herself, she had known that it was a fools errand from the start. No matter how much she bent the numbers, a project of this size couldn’t be pulled off on a meager designers salary.
Before she could ponder her predicament any further, the raspy voice of one of her friends interrupted her,
“Rarity! There you are, quick you need to come with me, I’ve something important to tell you all,” Rainbow Dash yelled at her as she flew past, a slightly despondent Fluttershy in tow. Rarity ran onto the corridor and looked after the baby blue pegasus.
“Rainbow Dash? What is going on? Don’t you think you’re being just a tad bit overdramatic?” she called after her (simultaneously the only ever built irony detector, which was located in the Stalliongrad museum of science at the moment, suddenly sprang to life and destroyed half of the west wing in the ensuing explosion).
“No time to explain, have to find Applejack, meet us in Twilight’s tower.” Rainbow Dash managed to yell, before she and her involuntary companion vanished around a corner.
“The nerve of some ponies!” Rarity huffed indignantly, but ultimately she headed for Twilight’s old abode.
---
Twilight looked around the room, in which her five friends had assembled. Apparently Rainbow Dash had dragged her here after she had passed out in the hallway. Weird, Twilight couldn’t remember ever running into her this morning...
“So, what is the big thing ya wanna talk to us about?” Applejack asked. For some reason that she couldn’t quite pinpoint this question mad Twilight blush profusely.
Rainbow Dash stopped her nervous up and down prancing, and turned towards the assembled crowd. She took a deep breath, just for a short moment abandoning her cool facade, before she began to relate her story.
“I know that you said that we can trust Chrysalis but I had to check it with my own two eyes...”
...
When she had finished her story, the five ponies went silent, each of them deep in thought.
“You and I will have a talk about privacy later on,” Twilight reprimanded Rainbow Dash, before she continued, “but what you’ve seen is indeed worrying. I know that Celestia isn’t being controlled in any way, and I would have seen it if someone had tampered with her memory, so they must be doing something different.”
“What do ya think all this talk about only having little time left was about?” Applejack interjected, clearly worried about the situation as well, although maybe not for the same reasons as Rainbow Dash.
“I don’t know...” Twilight replied, before falling silent. She scrunched her face, as she pondered what to do in this situation, high power mental gears grinding the problem down into it’s basic components.
“I think...” She started, causing everyody in the room to focus on her.
“I think we just need to ask her.” She finally finished.
“What are you crazy? What if the two are doing some dark ritual and are planning to sacrifice us to their dark gods?” Rainbow Dash yelled, gesturing wildly, imitating what she believed a sacrificing ritual to look like.
Twilight shot her an annoyed glare.
“I think you need to cut back on those Daring Do novels. I don’t know for sure if Chrysalis isn’t planning anything, but in Celestia’s memory there was no sign that we shouldn’t trust her, and we should at least try talking to them before we jump to conclusions.”
Grudgingly the prismatic maned pegasus had to comply in front of so much coalesced logic.
“I’ll bring it up when we meet for dinner this evening.” Twilight promised.
Her friends didn’t seem all that relieved, but in the end each of them returned to their own plans for the day.
---
Chrysalis and Celestia walked through the corridors of Canterlot Castle, pressed closely against each other like the couple they were. They were looking forward to a nice quiet evening, with their sixtet of houseguests. Furthermore Applejack and Pinkie Pie had opted to keep the experiments in the kitchen for now, which meant no unpleasant desert surprises this time.
“Are you starting to get along better with them?” Celestia asked, as they passed under a window which let in the warm embrace of the evening sun. It would still be a few hours before she had to lower the sun, but the sky was already painted in different shades of orange.
“Somewhat... Twilight seemed to be pretty distant today.” Chrysalis admitted. While she had only spend a few days with them so far, her former nemesi had proven surprisingly agreeable company. Even that annoying pink one became somewhat bearable once you got used to her inane antics.
Celestia let out a gentle laugh.
“Yeah, she get’s like that sometimes. Don’t worry, she probably just had some sort of idea on her mind,” she assured her fiance, being well aware just how Twilight could get when she was indulging her inner researcher.
“I’m sure she will tell us everything about her new project while we eat.”
Chrysalis looked at her somewhat skeptical, but seemingly comforted by the solar monarchs words.
During their short talk the door to the dining hall had come into view.
“My queen,” Chrysalis said mockingly, while bowing for the white Alicorn and holding the door open. Celestia rolled her eyes, but stepped forward anyway. As she passed through the frame she froze.
Chrysalis waited for her to enter the room, but apparently she had no intention of doing so and instead remained still. As enticing as her lovers behind was, it proved to lack long lasting entertainment value, and so she decided to look what had caused the interruption.
As she peered over Celestia’s shoulder she could make out the forms of the six element bearers. All of them were staring at the royal pair intently, their faces somber (except for Pinkie Pie who couldn’t resist making grimaces) and their gazes steely.
It was Twilight who finally broke through the silence, “I think we need to talk.”
“We need to talk,” Twilight's voice echoed through the empty dining hall.
She was painfully aware, that once again she had to stand up to the one person she had always wanted to make proud.
Celestia seemingly shook the shock from running into this little impromptu interrogation and entered the room, closely followed by Chrysalis. The changeling queen looked slightly amused by the situation, something that couldn’t be said about Celestia, who looked worried.
“Has anything happened? Do we need to cancel the wedding?” she finally voiced her concerns.
“No, at least I hope we don’t,” Twilight replied, “but it seems that you have been hiding some important details from us.”
Celestia’s mimic changed from worry to confusion in a matter of seconds. She shared a look with her fiance, but Chrysalis seemed just as clueless as she was. Before she could even think about asking any questions, Twilight spoke up again: “We need to know what you and Chrysalis are doing in your bedroom at night.”
Hiding a rather fierce blush, the solar empress turned towards her protege and said, “I don’t think that what we do at night isn’t really important for anypony but us.”
“Uhm Twilight darling, you might want to rephrase that,” Rarity whispered to her oblivious friend.
“What? NO! I don’t mean... argh! I just want to know about the magical ritual!” Twilight finally managed to stutter out.
The suppressed giggles and snorts that had filled the room after the purple Unicorns faux pas, immediately died down as the gathered ponies saw the look on Celestia's face.
“Who told you about that?!” Celestia asked, breathing heavily. Her demeanor was a far cry from the full blown rage that they had faced earlier that week, but seeing a being of nearly twice your size fume at you, still was a rather unsettling sight.
Celestia’s rage subsided as she felt a black chitinous hoof touch her shoulder.
“Does it matter? The cat’s out of the bag, and I think these mares deserve some answers,” Chrysalis said to her lover. Celestia struggled with herself for a moment; sure, she had exposed Twilight to danger several times already, but always on her terms, making sure that her protege was ready for the challenge ahead. This was different, and a part of her reeled back at the thought that she wasn’t able to shield Twilight from the worries of the world anymore. Hadn’t it been for the fact that Chrysalis, of all ponies, had asked her to be honest she probably would have found a way to avoid answering the unspoken question in the room.
“Okay, what do you want to know?” she sighed.
“I think it’s time we heard the full story. From the beginning,” Twilight answered.
Surprisingly it was Chrysalis who replied to this request, “Then I suggest that we sit down and wait for the food first, this will take quite a while.”
---
After a few minutes, they had settled down around the table. A steaming alfalfa souffle was waiting to fill empty stomachs and a bottle of wine had made the round.
The element bearer ate, but Celestia could tell that they did so more out of courtesy. Everyone was dying to hear her explanation.
“I already told you how we captured Chrysalis. Along with her we also took several hundred political and military figures, they were intended as hostages, to discourage any aggressions from the side of the changelings,” she began to relate her tale.
“But Canterlots own prison is a rather small place, and I fear not really one of the safest institutions, and the dungeon of Tartarus is hardly the place for someone that willingly surrendered to us. That left me with only one option, “I needed help...” ”
“And she just surrendered?” the princess of the night asked her sister. The two were standing on a hill in the Everfree forest. Beneath them hidden by the thick canopy, was the prison convoy. The laughter of the guards that had assembled around the few campfires, that Celestia had allowed.
“Yes.” Celestia’s answer was short and brisk,but then again she had been answering the same question for the last half hour, over and over again.
“Don’t you fear that it is a trap?” Luna looked at her sister with concern. Even if she was trying to hide it, the experience inside the changelings castle had obviously affected her. Even when Luna’s return from exile had been a joyous occasion for them both, the two of them still were far more distant than before her fall, and at times like this she regretted that they couldn’t just be open with each other.
“If it is a trap, it’s by far the best hidden one that I’ve ever seen. Most of the changelings are on the brink of exhaustion, and I made sure that Chrysalis herself would be kept in Irons at all times,” Celestia said, trying to reassure her sister, or maybe herself. The surrender of the queen had been a shock to her as well.
Silence hung between the immortal sister for a moment, as they watched the fate that had befallen one of their enemies.
“I suspect you didn’t just call me here, for my keen tactical assessment of the situation,” Luna finally spoke up.
Celestia frowned at the bluntness of her sister, Luna had always been the more straightforward of the two.
“It’s as you say sister. I fear for the safety of our citizens if we were to imprison them in the Canterlot dungeons. You and I know that the royal might be well trained but they lack in actual experience,” she replied.
“So you want the night guard to keep watch over them?” Luna asked.
“It’s more than that... I want you to reopen the old night guard fortress.” The solar regent looked nervous almost sheepish.
Luna shuddered. The Night guard fortress was a building deep beneath Canterlot, built in her final days as Nightmare Moon, before she was banished. Originally it was supposed to be a spearhead for her invasion of Canterlot, but her sisters determination to keep the ponies safe had proven greater than she anticipated, and she had been banished before she could give the final attack order.
“I know that this place must bring back bad memories for you, but I don’t know of any other place that could take in so many prisoners on such short notice,” Celestia said, avoiding eye contact with her little sister.
The hug took her by surprise. For a moment she could only sit there, dumbfounded, but then she finally wrapped her forelegs around her sister as well.
“Don’t worry about it sister. As much as it hurts, I have to accept that my actions from a thousand years ago had consequences, and if I can help to turn one of those into something good, then I’ll be happy to help,” Luna said, as she put some distance between the two, looking her sister deep into the eyes.
“In the following day, Luna and I worked together to transfer the changelings to their new underground prison. We mostly worked during the night hours and used hidden passages, since I didn’t want my little ponies to worry about them just yet, also I wanted to avoid alarming Cadence, given her personal history with Chrysalis,” Celestia said. The souffle had long since turned cold, forgotten by the ponies that were hanging on the sun goddess’ lips.
“For a while I just let them be, the night guards didn’t report any irregularities and soon I had nearly pushed aside the incident altogether. Some part of me however was still worried, and the continued silence only served to fuel my worry, so one day I descended into the fort and talked to Chrysalis.”
Celestia could only marvel at the trained militaristic precision with which the bat ponies of the night guard had worked on the checkpoints she had to pass through in order to reach the prison tract. For a moment she couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if she had hesitated only a little bit longer to banish her sister. For the first time she didn’t feel only regret about her decision.
An entourage of four Night Guards accompanied her on her way to the high security cell. Their hooves echoed eerily through the dark, barebone corridor. They had passed several smaller cells, that held the lower ranked changelings, here in the heart of the bastion there was only one prisoner, and aside from the guards at the checkpoints, nopony that could be impersonated.
Up ahead a singular massive steel door came into view. There were no visible bolts, no hinges, or edges, and the door seemed to seamlessly pass into the walls.
When they reached the doors Celestia’s guides stopped. She shot them a curious look, but they showed no sign of activity, and their stoic faces remained the same.
Just as Celestia was about to speak up, the metal door suddenly began to lift. Celestia looked around, but she couldn’t make out any viewports or magical means of detection.
With a shrug she entered the central chamber.
The room was about twenty meters in diameter and perfectly round, along the walls there stood a total of fifteen Night Guards, all of which had been specifically chosen because they didn’t have any remaining family or loved ones, nothing that could be exploited by the deceitful changeling queen.
The center of the room was taken up by a large glass cubicle, magically reinforced and nearly unbreakable she had been assured. All of the furniture was made from the same material, leaving no place for the changeling queen to hide, nothing to obstruct the view of the guards.
Celestia was appalled. They had robbed the changeling queen of all privacy, putting her on display like a caged animal. At the same time she was well aware that all those security measures were necessary, after all even she with her thousand years of experience had been deceived by the Chrysalis masquerade.
Carefully she approached the holding cell, her steps somewhat more hesitant than normal, but even Luna would have had a hard time telling.
Chrysalis sat in the mid of her cell, eyes closed and seemingly asleep, but as soon as Celestia had reached the glass wall, her eyes opened and she looked at the white regent.
“Come to gawk at the captured monster, have we?” her unsettling, echoing, voice was filled with spite and disgust. With a trained grace that mirrored Celestia’s own royal training she stood up and walked over to where Celestia was standing, until only a few centimeters and a glass wall divided the two.
She took the opportunity to look at the changeling queen. This time there was no coup d'etat, no danger, no post telepathic haze that clouded her mind mind and she felt very much like she was only seeing this creature for the first time.
The chitinous features while haggard were surprisingly equine, and hadn’t it been for the lack of fur, she could have very well been a pony. Only the green slitted eyes disturbed what otherwise could have been considered a beautiful face. Abashed she averted her eyes as soon as she realized that she really was gawking at her prisoner.
The changeling queen let out a bitter laugh.
“Am I so ugly that you can’t stand to look at me?” she mocked the diarch.
Celestia focussed back on the strange creature, that had so surprisingly had submitted to her only days prior. There was no sign left of the broken animalesque thing that she had found at the center of the almost dead city. Instead there burned a fire in her eyes, defiant and spiteful.
“Are you immortal?” she asked, for the moment banishing her feelings and assuming the role of the just ruler, that she knew so well.
Chrysalis looked at her dumbfounded, whatever question she had expected this certainly wasn’t it.
“Answer the question!” Celestia said sternly.
“Not in the traditional sense, no, but being queen of the hive has some perks,” the black queen finally replied.
“What do you mean?” the alicorn asked, her interest piqued. She had several other immortals over the course of her life, but most of them were spirits or avatars of some sort. Chrysalis was the first tham seemed to be connected to a mortal race, like the alicorns.
“Ah, that’s not how the game works. I get to ask the next question,” Chrysalis chirped mockingly, distancing herself from the cell wall, and dropping onto her bed.
Celestia shot her an angry look, but the changeling queen only grinned in reply.
“Fine, ask your question.” Maybe she could trick her into revealing what her plan was, but that would only work if she kept her talking.
“Why are you asking about my life span?” the question came quick and precise, and all coy playfulness had vanished from the queens voice.
A beat and then without even batting an eyelid Celestia replied, “I have yet to decide on the matter of your punishment, and the length of your imprisonment. My question: What do you mean when you say that you aren’t immortal in the traditional sense?”
For a short moment Chrysalis seemed actually surprised by the answer, but soon she regained her composure and answered, “As you might guess, the queen of the swarm is too important too simply be replaced, so if I should ever perish, my mind will be divided among the changelings of the hive mind. Soon after a changeling will give birth to a new body and my mind will pass on to it. My turn: What have you done about the remaining changeling?”
“I have placed the city under military rule for now, one of my generals is supervising all government matters, but for now we have kept the original infrastructure intact.” Celestia herself was surprised how quickly she had betrayed those information, which very well could be of tactical value.
“And the changelings? Are they alright?” Chrysalis asked, sounding demonstratively bored.
“I believe it’s my turn to ask a question, isn’t it?” Celestia said, and for a short moment a mixture of worry, fear and anger flashed over the changeling queen’s features. Celestia looked at her intently.
“They are all right. I’m making sure that they are treated the same way as all citizens of Equestria would be,” she finally said.
It was as if a great burden had been lifted of the changelings back, and as she turned towards the solar empress, Chrysalis eyes were full of relief.
“Thank you.” The words hung in the air, weighing heavier than the sun itself.
“Don’t thank me, you still owe me two answers...” Celestia once again averted her eyes. The look of genuine worry about her people was far too familiar to her, after all she saw it whenever she looked in a mirror...
White on Black Ch.11 “Constant reminders of the truth”
Celestia excused herself from the room to lower the sun, once again accompanied by Twilight. Meanwhile the few servants that were left brought candles, and a choice of drinks for those that felt thirsty.
Chrysalis was quick to uncork the wine, and filling a glass for herself, not bothering to ask if anybody else wanted some. Only after a rather poignant cough from Rarity she released the bottle into the unicorns magical grip.
“So what was ya angle?” Applejack, who had opted for something made from apples (well, mostly apples), asked as dinner conversation was dying down.
Chrysalis took a sip from her glass and took a moment to appraise the wines colour, before downing the rest of it in one go.
“Pity,” she finally admitted through clenched teeth.
“Pardon?” Applejack looked at her rather dumbfound.
“I said pity,” Chrysalis repeated, already refilling her glass, “I’ll explain it when the two get back.”
Since it didn’t seem like she would get anything else out of the queen, Applejack turned to Rarity.
“And how are your preparations coming along?” she asked the fashion designer, who seemed to have her nose stuck in an account book.
“Hmm? Oh... yes... they’re coming along nicely,” she replied with just enough hesitation to make Applejack raise an eyebrow.
“Well it ain’t like ya would ruin their wedding by not having the dresses ready,” she said with just enough of a chuckle to make it doubtful if she was really joking.
Rarities eyes wandered between her account book and her friend, before she replied, “Ahahaha, of course not...”
Applejack only shook her head.
---
Spike and his changeling friends sat on one of the bigger plazas of the black city. Of course Plaza in this case meant a large round room. It was roughly twenty meters in diameter, with new looking breakthroughs leading away from it on all sides. The ceiling was taken up by the biggest firefly lantern that Spike had ever seen, and the erratic flight of the brightly shining bugs gave the place a strangely unreal feeling.
Along the walls, merchants had built their stalls, but since they were empty, Spike guessed it was night time. It was hard to tell with several ceilings, and half a mountain between him and the sky.
“Okay, people, we’ve been banned from all bars, most of the donut shops, two bowling alleys and half an opera (the left half). What do we do now?” he asked his companions. He usually wasn’t one for continued mischief, but being used as living ammunition tends to bring out the worst in even the nicest dragon.
The changelings looked at each other, but only got stumped expressions as an answer. After a while they all turned to Spike and shrugged.
The little purple dragon, meanwhile had stricken a thinkers pose, and furrowed his brow.
“Hmmm...” he hummed, causing the changelings to lean in further.
“Hrgmmmm...” he cleared his throat. If the changelings had leaned any closer, they would have lost their balance.
“I’ve got nothing,” Spike finally said. Three changelings found themselves lying on the ground.
After they dragged themselves back on their feet, the changelings exchanged conspiratorial glances.
Spike looked at them somewhat concerned.
“Erm, guys? Is something wrong?” he asked, slowly backing away from the changelings who were forming a circle around him.
With a devious grin on their face, they grabbed the purple dragon.
“Hey what’s the big idea?” he shouted.
Spike tried to fight them off, but razor sharp claws and a bite that can crush diamonds, only can even the odds so much, and a slightly chubby baby dragon against four trained Changeling guards was an uneven fight if there ever was one.
With some dread, he felt some form of cloth being pulled over his head, effectively blinding him, and sealing his mouth shut.
He could do nothing but squirm as the changelings dragged him away.
---
Celestia sat on the balcony, her horn turned into a focal point for energies far beyond most ponies comprehension.
“Give me a lever and a fulcrum and I will unhinge the world,” had once been uttered to her, by one of the philosophers of old.
“Oh how right he was,” she thought to herself, as her magic reached out for the life giving light of the sun. Before long the sun had overcome the barrier of the horizon, at the same time the moon rose, showing her that her sister was fulfilling her duty even though her mission had lead her away from Canterlot and to who knows where.
Nearly lost in the sensation of being the center of such a delicate cosmic balance, nonetheless she was still aware of the presence of the purple unicorn besides her. It was no miracle, after all her protege had been nearly constantly the focus of her attention ever since she had sent her to Ponyville.
If only she could tell Twilight what fate had in store for her.
“I’m sorry,” Twilight said, after the glow around Celestia’s horn had subsided. Her voice was nearly inaudible and trembled, as if the small purple unicorn was about to break down sobbing.
Surprised Celestia looked at the filly, in whose education she had played such a sizeable part.
“Whatever for?” she asked, flashing her pupil a grin, a sincere one.
“It’s just... I know that I should trust you, but here we are interrogating you like this.” Twilight said, obviously struggling to keep her composure.
“Twilight. Trust is important, but you should never be ashamed that you’re worried about those close to you,” Celestia replied.
Now it was Twilights turn to look surprised. It was unlike her mentor to offer such an clear answer. Celestia had always stretched the importance of learning a lesson yourself, guiding and leading her to find an solution, and she would rather have Twilight pondering a problem for weeks, than to reveal the answer prematurely.
“No matter what some may think of me, I’m not infallible. You should know that best, since I already wronged you once,” she continued, looking at her future bride.
“There might come a day, where I once again will be in the wrong and then I will need you to tell me so, openly and honestly,” the solar diarch said, her voice a mix of maternal pride, and solemn oath.
Twilight was looking at her mouth agape, struggling to understand what she had just been told, but before she could muster any reply Celestia had already turned to the balcony doors.
“Let us not make the others wait, I think I still have a story to tell, don’t I?”
---
“While it was still a little too early to say that I was falling for her, there was definitely something that intrigued me about her,” Celestia continued her story, after the six ponies and two godlike beings had made themselves comfortable, “I tried to banish her from my thoughts and it worked for a while, but before long I once again found myself descending into the deeps of the bastion...”
Celestia was surprised to see that the atmosphere inside the bastion had obviously changed. Apparently her sister had reassessed the danger that the changelings presented, and several of the lower ranking bureaucrats had been allowed to exchange their cells for bigger, but no less secure group areas. Ever so often she could see one of the night guards talk to the changelings, she made a note to tell her sister, that her guards should remain vigilant when facing such a deceptive race.
As she continued further into the bowels of the bastion however, the security grew less and less lax. Apparently the lack of animosity she had seen didn’t expand to the queen of the changelings herself.
Now familiar with the procedure, she waited for the massive steel gate to be lifted.
Nothing had changed inside cell. Glass walls, guards, and the heavy oppressive atmosphere, all was still as she had left it the last time.
The one thing that wasn’t the same, was the queen of the changelings. Celestia almost felt like something had transported her back into the heart of the black city of the changelings, as she saw the ragged figure of the queen, but then she looked into her eyes: Where there had been wild animalistic madness, burning with a cold desperate fire, now her eyes looked dull, almost dead.
“Come to laugh at my misery, have you?” The queen presented a wry smile, which stood in stark contrast to the mimic of her eyes. It was nothing more but a last defiant reflex in an otherwise broken enemy.
“What has happened?” Celestia asked, not able to hide her shock.
“Have you already forgotten my little lesson? A changeling without love is nothing, just a sad empty shell, cut off from that what makes him complete,” Chrysalis spit out the answer like she couldn’t bear it’s foul taste.
With surprise Celestia could feel that she was actually relieved about the spiteful answer. It had been filled with more life, than she had expected possible from the broken figure before her.
“Is... is there something that I can do?” Celestia asked. Chrysalis might have been her enemy, but now and here she was only a prisoner, and if she would have a say in it, she wouldn’t let any of her prisoners suffer.
“Sure, just send me that cute little princeling of yours, so that I can once again feed on his love,” the changeling queen said, grinning devilishly.
Celestia neighed in disgust. To think that she had actually wasted her pity on this creature.
“Oh? What did you think I would ask?” Chrysalis continued, unimpressed with Celestia’s show of dismay, “Changelings feed of love, did you think that you could just wave with that horn of yours and make it all better? Maybe blast me with the Elements of Harmony? Or don’t you want another lawn decoration?”
Celestia furrowed her brows.
“It might interest you to hear, that Discord, unlike you, has agreed to become a productive member of equestrian society.” Once again she didn’t know why she had revealed that information, but something inside her wanted to show up the spiteful queen.
It seemed that her words had the desired effect, as Chrysalis looked at her dumbfounded, but then she suddenly broke into laughter.
“Tell me that you’re kidding,” Chrysalis pressed out between to guffaws.
“Discord, the spirit of chaos and strife, has become an upstanding member of society? You actually managed to tame the godslayer?”
Chrysalis laughter continued but Celestia was staring at her wide eyed. She felt like there was ice running through her veins.
“What did you just say?” her words came pressed, and they were filled with every bit of authority she could command. The guards along the whole glance at each other uneasily, their hairs stood on end, and they couldn’t shake the feeling that there was suddenly something frightful in the air. Ancient memories, deeply rooted in their genes suddenly awoke, warning them of the presence of a predator.
“Guards, leave us now!” Celestia’s voice made it clear that she would suffer no insubordination, and truth be told, the guards were glad to leave the room.
“Oh? Want some alone time with me? I’ll be glad to take your love,” Chrysalis mocked the princess as the guards left the room.
“How do you know of this? Who has told you about Discord’s past?” All compassion had been banished from Celestia’s voice, and the words rained down upon the imprisoned queen like strokes of a whip. The black queen however still seemed unimpressed, shaking the last few bits of mirth from her visage.
“Not all races are as forgetful as your little ponies, and while I might not have been there myself, we still know the stories from back then. We remember the days of old, when there were still four powers instead of two. After all there was no princess who would shield us from the truth,” Chrysalis replied, her face half filled with pride of her race, half with contempt for the princess before her.
Celestia was silent for a while, her mind filled with pictures from a past so distant that even the dragons had forgotten about it.
“I didn’t shield them... true, I never corrected them as time slowly eroded the memories of the past, but was I wrong to leave and old wound alone and just let it heal?” Much to Chrysalis surprise the sun goddess tone was almost pleading. What did that foolish mare want to hear, that she understood, that she would have acted the same.
She opened her mouth, but much to her surprise the only thing that came out was a muffled, “...maybe not...”
---
Chrysalis watched Celestia’s face as she lied to the element bearers. Maybe lie was too harsh a word, but she was careful to avoid any part that could have lead to questions about the past, instead she focussed on explaining how over the course of time the relationship between the two of them had shifted, how her visits had steadily grown more frequent. No word of Discord, no word of the battles of the past... maybe it really was for the better.
“That’s all nice an’ dandy, but that still doesn’t explain just what it was ya two were doing up in that room of yours,” Applejack interrupted Celestia’s story.
“It doesn’t. You are right, but too understand it you needed to know about us as well,” Celestia replied, not showing any anger about the sudden interruption.
“But maybe it isn’t my role to tell this part of the story.” With those words she turned toward Chrysalis and looked at her expectantly.
She sighed, and emptied yet another glass of wine. The first bottle had long since been exhausted, and it wasn’t due to the white fashionista who was still sipping on her first glass of the evening.
“I guess, it’s about time that I said something about the matter...” Chrysalis, said eyeing for the rest of the second bottle. Instead of filling her glas however she turned towards her expectant crowd and began to speak, “By this point all of you might be asking yourself, just what had possessed me, to surrender to your dear princess, and as it was, the same question had apparently occupied her mind as well, since one day she came down to my cell and asked me...”
Chrysalis looked around the confines of her cell. Where originally there had been only items of enchanted glass, now she had been granted a few normal belongings. It were small things, a blanket, a book, a small brush, each of them laughable in their unimportance, yet somehow they made her stay in this glass cell, under the prying eyes of the guards, that much more bearable.
Her ears twitched as she heard the sound of the steel gates, but she fought hard to maintain her aloof presence.
“Chrysalis.” The warm gentle voice of the white alicorn rang through the central chamber.
“Celestia.” The changeling queen eyed her suspiciously, mentally preparing herself for the battle of wits that was sure to follow.
“Why are you here?” Celestia asked.
“It’s not like I could simply walk away,” Chrysalis replied, knocking on the solid glass pane that divided the two.
“I’m asking why you surrendered yourself to me,” the white alicorn huffed.
“You’ve seen for yourself where my ways had lead the changelings, it was time for a change,” she replied, shrugging dismissively.
Celestia stared at her silently, her eyes fixed on the changelings bored looking features.
“There’s more to it, isn’t it?” Her voice was calm. Chrysalis scowled as she saw the look on the diarchs face.
“IT’S YOUR PITY!” she screamed at the wide eyed alicorn.
“YOUR DAMN PITY CARRIES ENOUGH ENERGY TO SUSTAIN THE SWARM! IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED TO HEAR? THAT I HAVE TO DEPEND ON YOU! THAT I’M UNABLE TO KEEP MY PEOPLE SAFE MYSELF!” Chrysalis screamed, her shoulders trembling, her eyes watery, and droplets of spit plastered onto the glass pane that stood between the two immortals. Exhausted her body dropped to the floor.
*click*
Suddenly she found herself caught in a warm embrace, her head pressed into white fur, and feathery wings closed around her.
She began sobbing, angry at the world, angry at that cursed compassionate smile, angry at herself. Just why did this have to feel so good?
Twilight lay in her bed. From down the hall she could hear Applejack and Rainbow Dash snoring, but it wasn’t the noise of her friends that kept her awake.
With a slight groan, she crawled out of bed and towards the balcony. It was a clear, starry night; above hung the moon, its new shape without the outline of the mare in the moon still strangely unfamiliar. Twilight had no appreciation for the night sky, since her mind was occupied by thoughts of yesterday's conversation.
Chrysalis hadn’t elaborated what had happened after her confession, but it was obvious that this hadn’t been the last thing that happened between the two immortals. What she had revealed however was the fact, that even now she was still feeding on Celestia’s energy, keeping the hive mind intact.
It was no permanent solution, at best it would only last two or three months before Celestia grew too weak for Chrysalis to continue feeding on her, but Celestia had assured her that she had sent out two people whom she trusted, one of them her own sister, to look for a solution to this problem.
In her mind however Twilight had immediately started to analyze the situation. Her main field of study may have been friendship, but under Celestia’s tutelage she had also learned to spot a political maneuver when she saw one. A skill she had to use far too often as the protege of one the most powerful beings in Equestria.
A wedding as sudden as this one would have been suspicious even under normal circumstances, but with this new information, it all started to make sense. Celestia tried to change the public’s opinion of changelings, most probably to let a small fraction of them feed on the people’s love without having to rely on deception. It all was a ploy to buy time for whatever plan she and Luna were executing.
...Maybe not all of it. The short peek into her mind had revealed the genuine nature of Celestia’s feelings. Whatever had happened between her and Chrysalis had changed her feelings for the black queen, and only the slightest sliver of pity had remained in her mind, replaced by another feeling altogether.
But still... the greatest day in a couple’s life, and it all was just a ruse for the public? That didn’t sound right...
Twilight went back inside and let herself drop onto the bed, it didn’t seem like she would be granted any sleep tonight.
---
Many words could be used to describe the Blueblood estate; modest wasn’t one of them. Lying amidst the finest part of Canterlot, it was dwarfed in size only by the royal palace itself. A large park surrounded it on all sides, and a small army of gardeners and landscape planners took care to keep it in a pristine state at all times. Even a maze, not unlike the one found in the palace gardens, could be found.
Once you had manage to pass by the guards that watched the iron front gate, you entered the boulevard that led up to the house. Neatly trimmed hedges in the form of the house owner lined the way, just in case you had forgotten who it was that lived in this miniature version of Canterlot Castle. And even if you somehow managed to miss the hundreds of likenesses, there was still the marble statue on the fountain in front of the house, to remind you. Not to forget the flowers arranged into a portrayal, and the glass mosaics in the windows. From every available surface the face of prince Blueblood stared at you.
Rarity felt like she had just walked into her worst nightmare.
She had used all her feminine charm to get past the gate guards, and after that hadn’t worked, she had bribed them to let her pass. Now she stood in front of the door, pranced nervously in place, and couldn’t bring herself to pull on the doorbell.
“Come on Rarity, you already are spending too much time on this little side project, and it just wouldn’t do if I had to rush the wedding dresses,” she chided herself. Applejack’s half hidden lecture hadn’t missed it’s mark.
Daintily she reached for the rope of the doorbell and pulled. Somewhere from inside the melodic chime of a bronze bell could be heard, as it echoed through the hallways.
A white coated earth stallion with a greased mane and mustache opened the door. His black vest accentuated his straight posture.
“Hmmgood evening milady. Who may I introduce?” the butler asked in a heavily accented mumble.
As soon as the door had opened, all signs of nervousness had vanished from Rarity’s pose, as she had fallen into the well studied role of the sophisticated lady.
“Rarity, of Rarity’s boutique. I’m here on recommendation of Fancy Pants,” she replied, handing a silver lined business card to the butler.
“HmmIf I may offer the lady some tea, while I see if milord is available,” the white stallion said, opening the door for her. He led her into a small waiting room. Rarity chuckled slightly as she realized that she just subconsciously had compared the waiting room to the dining hall she had spent the last few evenings in, actually the waiting room was probably about the size of Carousel boutique.
After calling for a maid, which offered Rarity a selection of drinks, the butler left to look for his master. While Rarity nipped on her orange tea, she pondered what she would do if the next step of her plan failed. It all depended on whether Prince Blueblood was willing to meet her. Fancy Pants word carried a lot of weight, but Rarity had embarrassed the prince in front of a large crowd, and from what his ‘aunt’ had told her about him, he wasn’t one to easily forget a grudge.
Just when she thought she couldn’t stand the waiting anymore, the butler returned.
“The master will now receive you,” he said. It took every ounce of will that Rarity could master, for her not to shout out giddily like a little school filly.
“You still have to convince him,” she reminded herself mentally.
The butler, whose name she still didn’t know, lead her through a series of corridors. Wherever she turned, there would be some kind of armor, a portrayal of the prince, or a piece of ancient pottery, basically the aristocrats equivalent to kitschy souvenirs. One thing however seemed to be missing from the otherwise stereotypical estate.
“Are there no family portraits?” Rarity asked her silent guide.
“Hmmno, the master had everything that belonged to his parents destroyed after the death of his father,” the butler explained the lack of anything that pointed towards Blueblood having a family.
“That’s horrible!” The words had escaped from Rarity’s lips before she could even think about the consequences.
“Oh no, it’s a time honored tradition among the Blueblood family. Hmmyes, I still remember how the masters Grandfather burned all of his mother’s clothes... Real shame though that he didn’t wait for her to change out of them...” the butler continued his story, paying no attention to the white fashionista which had stopped in her track, to stare at him with wide eyes, her jaw hanging ajar.
Rarity shook off her shock, and quickly galloped after the butler who was still rambling about the Blueblood’s long and proud tradition to expedite the inheritance process, the direct way. Just as he told her about “the masters great great great grandfather” and “the amazing things she could do with a cooking knife,” they reached a heavy paneled double door.
The butler knocked politely, and announced, “It’s lady Rarity milord.”
“Send her in,” a voice came from inside. The boorish, aloof tone made Rarity grit her teeth.
The butler opened the door for Rarity and she walked in.
Rarity left the room again and slammed the door shut behind her.
“NO. No, no, no, nonononono...” she repeated growing more and more hysteric with each repetition while prancing up and down.
Blueblood opened the door and looked at the hysteric mare confusedly. He shot the other Blueblood behind the desk a glance, but Blueblood only shrugged.
---
Spike had lost all orientation. The only hint that he even was moving at all, was the gently swaying of the changeling that was carrying him.
At first the sounds of the changeling city had still reached the thick hood over his head, but before long the noise had died down. Now there was only the sound of changling paws on stone.
The swaying stopped. Spike was dropped on the floor unceremoniously, but before he could even complain, two changelings grabbed him, and helped him back to his feet. He stumbled forward a few steps, further motivated by the constant prodding of changeling hooves in his back.
Suddenly his claws met only thing air and he would’ve fallen, if not for someone grabbing his shoulder and pulling him back. A moment later he felt the rough cloth gliding over his skin. He closed his eyes, but just a second too late.
Blinking, and rubbing his eyes, he tried to make out his surroundings.
Slowly the blinding white turned to green, and alien looking shapes peeled themselves from the background.
“Wow,” Spike mouthed wordlessly, as his eyes fell on the chamber on which’s edge he was standing. Just before him the ground suddenly fell off, where apparently the ceiling of the room below had been ripped out, to create a huge hall.
His expression of awe however wasn’t directed at the rooms dimensions, but at what occupied every available place on both the floor and the walls.
Row upon of cauldron like constructs filled the room, each made from a frame of black changeling goo, and thin green membranes. Through the green glowing liquid that filled those “cauldrons” Spike could make out the shape of eggs, at least a dozen in each tank.
In the middle of the room, looking strangely out of place, stood a large glass cube, filled to the brim with the same green liquid which filled the vats, but devoid of any eggs.
“Breathtaking, isn’t it?” Spike whipped around on his heels, to face Chrysalis who was standing a few steps behind him. She was looking past him at the changelings who flitted hither and fro between the tanks, engaged in task that Spike couldn’t make out.
Spike didn’t respond, he was busy staring at the queen of the changelings slackjawed. Only out of the corner of his eyes he noticed his four changeling friends, bowing to their queen. Quickly he copied their gesture of submission.
When he raised his head again, Chrysalis had her eyes fixed on him, looking slightly amused.
“If you really want to join the hive, it’s about time that you learned something about what it means to do that,” she said, unfolding her insect like wings.
Two of his friends walked up to him and offered them a paw each. Together the four of them descended to the floor, Chrysalis very gracefully, and Spike and his living parachute a little unsteadily.
As his feet touched the ground, Spike could feel warmth emanating from the black chitinous floor.
Spike walked closer to one of the tanks; it was at least as high as a pony, and maybe two meters in diameter. If each of the cauldrons was filled, there would be hundreds of eggs in this room.
As if Chrysalis had read his thoughts, she said, “It might seem like these are a lot of eggs, but those are all the the newborn from the complete Canterlot hive.”
“Don’t their parents want to see them?” Spike asked. Something in his voice made Chrysalis turn towards him.
“Kid’s should always be able to meet their parents!” he said firmly, and just for the flicker of a second, Chrysalis saw him as what he was: A dragon, a creature that struck fear into most living beings, and which had ruled the lands in the times before the rise of ponykind.
The two of them stared at each other, neither saying anything, but the moment passed, and Spike, now back to just being a slightly chubby baby dragon, looked away, blushing slightly.
“They are. We take care of the eggs together,” she said, pointing at the changelings that busily walked between the vats.
“Once they have hatched, they are raised by their parents,” she continued her explanation. She gestured for him to follow as she made her way through the row of eggs.
“Sounds complicated,” Spike said, still glad that he hadn’t angered the powerful immortal. His changeling friends had told him that Chrysalis apparently had a change of heart, but that didn’t make her any less scary.
“Sadly it’s a necessity,” Chrysalis replied, turning towards him again. Behind her stood the large glass cube. From up close, Spike could make out the form of a door, which had been sealed.
“This,” she said, motioning towards the tank, “is changeling nectar...”
“You mean as in honey?” Spike interrupted. This earned him an angry glare from Chrysalis causing him to shut his mouth. Chrysalis sighed.
“Yes, it isn’t unlike honey. It contains a mixture of nutrients and bacteria that the growing changelings need, but there is more to it than just that.” Spike had to admit that, if nothing else, the changeling queen seemed to be very adapt at monologuing. She had captured his interest in a way, that Twilight had never been able to induce, whenever she rambled about science or magic.
“The one thing that makes it so valuable to us changelings, is love,” she explained.
“Love?” Spike asked.
“Yes, love, Condensed love. It’s the first meal for a changeling, and it allows them the first glimpse into the hive mind. But for you, it’s important for an entirely different reason.” she said, flying up to the edge of the vat and filling a glass vial with the glowing fluid before flying back down to him.
“For you this represents a choice, your first step in becoming a changeling. Spike the dragon, do you still want to join the swarm?” she asked, handing him the vial.
Breadn Butter and Merry Daisies were sitting in the shade of a umbrella and enjoyed their coffee. Over Merry’s shoulders Breadn could see the outer castle gates. Where normally a minimum crew of two pegasus guards would have stood, now there were ten unicorns guard that glanced around the plaza that was adjacent to the gate. Even though their demeanor remained stoic, it was obvious that they were nervous.
The cause of their nervousness wasn’t immediately apparent; the crowd was the usual mixture of busy white collar workers, and tourists. The latter swarmed in and out of the souvenir shops and cafes that lined the plaza. They entered with full wallets, and left richer in experience (which usually took the shape of tacky lamps, t-shirts, or postcards with such glaring lies as, ”Wish you were here.”).
Only if you were used to the daily bustle of the big city, you could make out some irregularities. The guest that sat in the cafes looking just a little too relaxed to be tourists; the small crowds that gathered near the sidestreets, whispering to each other, but falling silent whenever somebody else got close; the silhouettes of ponies in the upstair windows; and of course the simple fact, that all of the aforementioned were glaring at the guardsponies.
For two days now there had been no open protest, but everyone with even the slightest bit of common sense could feel that something was in the air. Tension was building up, and if something didn’t happen soon, it would unload, one way or another.
Breadn took all this in as his gaze wandered over the packed plaza. Furrowing his brows he turned to Merry.
“I don’t like this,” He muttered, careful not to let anybody else hear it.
“You worry too much. You’ve seen the people that gathered here; they are all just concerned and want to know that their children and loved ones are safe,” Merry pointed out, but by now a sliver of concern had found it’s way into her voice.
When the protest still had been going, it had been great. They had met people they knew; their old math teacher, the old lady that lived across from Merry, a mother that Breadn knew from his children's kindergarten. Everywhere they had seen faces that mirrored their own concerns, their fears, and it had been a great relief to share them. Ever since the guard had told the protesters to leave the plaza though, the situation had grown more and more tense.
“Have you seen some of the new guys that came yesterday?” Breadn asked Merry.
“I know one of them back from my school days. He was called Brawny, and even back then he was only ever looking to start fights,” he continued, rubbing his shins as a memory of a particular painful encounter resurfaced.
“I have to admit, that there are some shady guys hanging around, but you always get these kind of people. Remember why we are doing this,” Merry replied. It would have been more reassuring if it didn’t sound like she had to convince herself as well.
Breadn gaze wandered over the plaza and then back to Merry.
“Come to speak of it. I know what I’m here for,” he said, his hoof unconsciously wandering to the photograph that he had in his pocket, “but what are you here for?”
“I’m just concerned about... erm... people... “ she mumbled blushing profoundly.
“Never would have thought that you’re such an philanthropist,” Breadn teased the beige mare.
Before he could delve any deeper though, a waiter arrived at their table.
“Do you want to order anything else?” he asked just with the right amount of distanced politeness that made it clear that the chairs were only for paying customers. Breadn looked at one of the groups that stood around in the shadows of a doorway, then back to Merry.
“Two more coffee, please.”
---
Twilight watched her mentor as she dealt with the various pleas of the petitioners that visited the solar court. With the wedding preparations proceeding more or less smoothly, and Chrysalis away on some kind of business, she had time to spend with her teacher. Admittedly she had hoped for something a bit less official, but sitting on the advisors seat, and listening to Celestia taking care of her subjects worries, was rewarding in its own way.
“How can you stand all this?” Twilight asked during a calm moment. Celestia had just sent away a young noble who had asked her to dim the sunlight so that his roses would grow better. “Some of these request are downright stupid, if not insulting.”
Celestia gave her an indulgent grin, before gesturing towards a stuffy looking red unicorn that sat among the spectators of the court.
“Do you see that young colt over there?” she asked. Twilight nodded, careful not to stare directly at him.
“That’s the royal treasurer and master of the taxes, Shiny Bit, right?”
“Yes, my student. Do you also know what his great-great-grandfather was?” Celestia continued her slightly teasing questions.
Twilight furrowed her brows. She was dimly aware of most of the nobles at court, mostly because she had met them at some point or another, but she couldn’t recall ever hearing about Shiny’s grandfather.
Apparently it had been a rhetorical question anyway, since Celestia continued talking, “His great-great-grandfather was also known as the Dread Pirate Blackbeard.”
Before she could react to that news the solar diarch pointed at another pony that Twilight knew as the keeper of the Royal heraldry.
“His great-great-great-aunt was Blight Light, the wicked witch of the west.”
Celestia’s horn pointed at another stuffy noble.
“Lady Prisma; at her garden parties she usually flaunts her beautifully decorated family tree, but what she always fails to mention, is the fact that her ancestors also include King Ram Steed, who’d enslaved ponies to make them build his mausoleum,” Celestia said, her cheerful tone and expression hiding the subject of their conversation from anyone more than a few meters away.
She gestured towards an pegasus noble, in a way that could easily be mistaken for a friendly wave.
“Duke Flitter, of Cloudsdale, or at least that’s what he’s called ever since his father cut all ties to the mob.”
Twilight looked at Celestia, as it slowly dawned on her what Celestia was tryingg to say. “Do you mean that every noble in this city is in some way related to a dangerous criminal?”
“Oh dear, not all of them... maybe about half,” Celestia replied.
“Wha... but... that... “ Twilight stammered before she could form a coherent question, “Why?”
“Do you know what Flitter junior spends most of his time on?” Celestia continued her questions, seemingly paying no attention to her students confusion.
Twilight remained silent, well aware that her teacher didn’t expect her to know the answer.
Celestia gave her protege a conspiratorial wink before whispering, “He trains a cloudball team.”
Twilight could only stare as she tried to comprehend the sudden shift in tone.
“Every two weeks he comes in here, bothering me about a larger grant for the Cloudsdale cloudball team, being snobbish, ignorant, and an all around brat. His father would have simply upped the drug sales.” Celestia’s tone had become somber again.
“ ‘Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.’ That’s how the saying goes, doesn’t it? I have my own saying. ‘Keep your enemies close, so that you may turn them into friends one day.’ And let me tell you the more dangerous a pony is, the harder I work to keep them close to me.”
Twilight was left to her own thoughts as the solar diarch turned towards the next petitioner.
…
Celestia nephew stared at the mare that sat across the table from him.
Apparently the white unicorn was willing to pretend that her little freakout never happened, at least if her strained ladylike laugh was anything to go by.
“It’s very generous of you to receive me on such a short notice,” Rarity said in the sweetest voice she could muster. Considering that she was still fighting with the fact that there was now another being that wore Blue Bloods face, it wasn’t very sweet at all.
“If you would stop wasting my time, by stating the obvious, I’d be ever so thankful. I’m just humoring Fancy Pants. I really don’t understand what he see’s in... ponies like you.” Blueblood gave his little tirade without so much as looking at Rarity’s.
Ponies, Changelings, even dragons, every living thing shares certain instincts; remnants of a time long ago, when life was hard, and a moment of carelessness could mean your death. It’s more apparent in wild animals, but even domestic dogs possess this almost supernatural sense for danger, which lets them feel the murderous intents of those around them.
As the changeling, who still had Bluebloods form but was wearing a hat for convenience’s sake, saw the grin Rarity was sporting he felt a shiver down his spine, and his subconsciousness tried to convince him that the best course of action included jumping out of the window, screaming.
Blueblood felt nothing. He was busy polishing imaginary dust specks of his hooves.
“Well, if you want to put it like that, let me be frank. What do you think will happen when the nobility of canterlot catches wind of you and your little companion over there,” Rarity said sweetly, gesturing at the changeling, who looked at her hoof like it was a loaded crossbow.
“And why exactly should I care what others think of me? The Blueblood family has always stood strong, and just because a few nobles disagree with my choices, that won’t change the fact that I’m directly related to princess Celestia. I don’t have to satisfy anybody, because I stand above them.” Blueblood’s protest had been uttered in an uncharacteristically calm matter, for the egoistic white unicorn.
Rarity calmed herself, and the poison dripping sweetness in her voice was replaced with a more diplomatic understanding tone, “That may be, but you might have noticed that even Celestia herself has problems maintaining the peace at the moment.”
“What are you saying you foal? The people love my aunt,” Blueblood replied, given a short chuckle at the foolish mare before him. Normally he put up with Fancy’s little pet projects, but this time he had picked up a real loonie.
“You don’t know?” The white unicorn mare looked at him, seemingly baffled.
“What? That apparently you’re far more crazy than I anticipated?” Blueblood shot back, the novelty was wearing thin pretty quickly, and he was just about to call for Bitworth to escort her of the premise.
“Blueblood, most of the castle staff has abandoned the castle, Celestia has to fend of hundreds of petitioners that want to see the changelings gone, and until recently protesters barricaded the castle gate,” Rarity reported, she could even muster a bit of pity for the annoying princeling, that looked more and more uncomfortable in his chair.
“I don’t have to listen to this pointless drivel any longer. BITWORTH!” Blueblood yelled. Only a second later, the white butler entered the room.
“Throw this mare out right now!” the white noble’s voice was filled with contempt.
“At once sir,” Bitworth replied in a tone that betrayed familiarity with this particular order.
He walked up to Rarity’s chair, but before he could grab her Rarity stood up on her own. Glaring at the butler, she walked towards the door. She seethed and raged as they passed by row upon row of Blueblood paraphernalia. She glared at a particular offending vase that depicted Blueblood rearing on his hind legs, like the warriors of old. Shortly she thought about destroying this mockery of ancient pottery, to alleviate her rage.
“HmmIf you’d please refrain from doing that,” came a polite cough from Bítworth.
Confused by the butler's apparent mind reading powers, Rarity couldn’t help but stare at him, until she noticed that her horn was enshrouded by the signature glow of her magic. Abashed she sat the vase, that was hovering a few feet of its pedestal back.
“HmmmIt seem the young master has taken a liking to madame,” he said while they continued their way to the door.
“What? That snobbish oaf just threw me out of his office for saying the truth. How exactly does this mean that he likes me?” Frankly, Rarity was appalled by the idea, that she could have done anything to garner Bluebloods goodwill.
“HmmYes, as a member of the Blueblood family he’s quite used to the truth being a subject of his will. Even if he threw you out though, he didn’t order me to release the hounds.” Bitworth related in an almost happy fashion.
Not quite sure what to do with this revelation, Rarity followed the butler down the hallway.
Bitworth was just about to show her out the door, when a voice echoed through the main chamber of the house, “If I could take a minute of your time.”
Rarity shot around to Blueblood who was standing atop the staircase, which she had just come down from. The caustic comment she had been ready to throw in his face got stuck in her throat, when she noticed the hat atop the white unicorns head.
“What do you want?” she managed to hiss out between her teeth.
“I want to apologize for Blueblood’s behaviour, he can be a bit... temperamental at times.” The changeling said as he closed the distance between them.
“That’s... one way of putting it,” Rarity replied, trying to regain her countenance.
The changeling grimaced.
“My name is Vertex,” he said, offering Rarity a hoof. Reluctantly she shook it; she felt little need to prolong her exposure to Blueblood’s face, but this could very well be her last chance to put her plan into motion.
“I know that it might not seem that way, but Blueblood does care for his aunt, and if you can do something to help her I’m willing to see if I can convince him to support you.” It was strange to hear Blueblood’s voice in any other tone than contempt, or displeasure.
A hint of a smile stole it’s way onto Rarity’s face.
“Well if you have a place in mind where we can talk, I can show you what I have planned.”
The lift was little more than a basket suspended from a heavy chain. It rose through the darkness of the caverns beneath Canterlot, probably powered by ponies pulling a winch, or by magic depending on how much had been spent on it’s construction.
Staring over the edge of the basket Spike could see only darkness surrounding them on all sites. The ride felt strangely surreal, with the soft moaning of the chain as the only hint that time was passing at all.
“I’m sorry,” Spike said, his voice meek as it otherwise only was when Twilight caught him with his hand in the gem jar.
Chrysalis said nothing, she just looked at the young drake with an unreadable expression.
“It was just, that I was so tired of Twilight treating me like a slave all the time,” it flooded out of him. Chrysalis just watched him.
“I mean, I’m her assistant but that doesn’t mean that I’m her gopher. Always she sends me off to get all her stuff, ‘Spike bring me my quills’, ‘Spike, get me the encyclopedia’, ‘Spike banish that strange transdimensional monster’. Who does she think I am?” Spike ranted, causing Chrysalis to raise an eyebrow.
“Okay sure, she does pay for the place I live, but that doesn’t give her the right to act like she owns the place. Only because she buys my food, she doesn’t have to act like I owe her my life... even if she did cause me to hatch...” Spike’s voice trailed off as her tried to remember what point he was trying to make.
Chrysalis still watched him, her eyes never leaving his face. Spike let his shoulders slump.
Of course that wasn’t the reason he did it, not really anyway.
“Erm... Chrysalis?” Spike asked, stumbling over the foreign sound of the changeling queen’s name.
Chrysalis didn’t say anything and just continued to watch him, her face the usual mixture of contempt and cynicism that she normally showed the world. Spike swallowed but after a few minutes he gathered all his courage and asked the question that had been bothering him for the last few days, “Chrysalis, do you love my m... princess Celestia?”
Chrysalis continued to stare at him for yet a while longer than she sighed.
“She’s the best thing that ever happened to me. Not only has she done all she could to make the hive survive but she also has shown me a new take on life, one which I had never even imagined beforehand. She’s given my race a future, one where we don’t have to live as parasites,” she elaborated, each word coming slowly as if she were struggling to find the right words.
“You haven’t answered my question,” Spike replied.
Chrysalis stared at him again. That was the question, wasn’t it? Did she love her? She turned her head away from the astute little dragon, avoiding to look him in the eyes. Several minutes they sat there in the basket, rising through a sea of nothingness, both of them lost deep in thoughts.
Then a sliver of a smile crept across Chrysalis face. A wave of relief washed over her, as she finally found the answer to a question that she didn’t even know she had.
She turned toward Spike and said, “Yes. Yes, I do.”
Now it was Spike’s turn to stare at the queen.
He waddled over to the queen and closed his arms around her foreleg. It took Chrysalis a few seconds to realize that he was trying to hug her.
“Welcome to the family... Mum.”
Chrysalis stood there dumbfounded. Awkwardly she lay her other hoof around the little baby dragon.
---
A self indulgent smile crept across Steel Aegis face as he watched the plaza.
“Maybe I’m officer material after all,” he thought, mentally patting himself on the back.
He had had his doubts when he first had been promoted, and his experience with the element bearers had done nothing to alleviate his worries, but now things were starting to look up. Ever since he ordered the gate guards to break up the protests, the plaza had been quiet and peaceful.
He stuck his chest out as he felt the gaze of the townsfolk around him. In this troubled times it was important to show presence and strength... at least that was what his father had always told him when he talked about his own service, back during the griffin civil wars.
And who knows, maybe if he showed that he was a capable stallion his superiors would notice... Maybe - a pleasant shiver went down his spine as he followed this train of thought - maybe there would even be an official recommendation.
For a short moment he imagined the proud look on his fathers face when he’d show him the officially looking piece of paper with the seal of the royal guard. Yes, he could feel it in his blood, this was the time for him to prove himself.
He turned towards his men, twenty unicorn guards in the prime of their life. Such an special moment deserved a little something, a bit of flair.
“Erm...” He cleared his throat. At times like this Shining Armor had always held a little speech for his subordinates, usually something about honor or duty, just something to remind them what they were doing this job for.
The unicorn guards pried their attention away from the glaring masses for a moment, to look at their CO.
“My fellow soldiers...” Steel Aegis began, only to grow more and more aware of the twenty pairs eyes that were looking at him.
“Erh....” he stammered.
“....” said the guardsponies still staring at him silently.
“... keep your eyes open,” Aegis muttered, although it might have been “the artichoke has spoken” as well. It was hard to tell the way he whispered it to his feet.
Steel Aegis made a hasty retreat towards the gate barracks, leaving twenty slightly confused guards behind. Okay maybe memorable speeches weren’t his forte, but the newly appointed sergeant was still very confident that being assigned to gate duty was the best thing that ever happened to him. After all what could possibly go wrong?
---
Twilight looked at the list that floated in front of her.
“I think that’s it,” she said, as her eyes wandered from the scroll to her four friends that surrounded her.
Pinkie and Applejack were covered in batter and flour, but proudly they held a bundle of notes in their hooves. It had taken them quite a while and a few more borderline edible meals, but finally they had compiled a list of dishes that accustomed changelings and ponies alike. The actual preparations were child's play now.
Fluttershy was surrounded by a plethora of woodland critters, only their pale blue eyes betraying the true nature of the transformed changelings. Twilight was a bit worried that the yellow pegasus looked as if she had just faced a long and arduous battle, after all, how much work could rearranging a bit of furniture possibly be.
Rainbow Dash tried her best to hide her excitement about the upcoming wedding. After she had finally shed some of her worries about Chrysalis, she had grown more and more restless, unsatisfied by her position as a simple messenger. In the end she had sought out some of her acquaintances from the weather team and the academy, and now she was proud to tell Twilight that no bad weather could possibly plague the wedding ceremony.
Unhappily Twilight looked at the conspicuously empty spot besides Rainbow Dash. In the last few days they had seen less and less of Rarity, but when Twilight had mentioned it to her, she had assured her that the dresses would be ready for the wedding.
“Yup, seems like we got anything,” Twilight repeated.
“Ah sure hope so, Ah’m plum tuckered out after all this stress,” Applejack admitted trying to dust some of the flour out of her coat, only succeeding in spreading it more evenly.
“It will be nice to get back to my cottage when the ceremony is over,” Fluttershy added. The changelings had tried their best to accommodate her, but they were no replacement for being with her animal friends.
“Well then let’s go and tell Celestia, I’m sure she will be just as glad to hear this,” Twilight said, with a big smile on her face.
As the five mares left for the dining hall, Pinkie was the last to leave the room. She looked back into the empty room and gave nobody in particular a big smile.
“Silly Twilight, of course we’re still missing something. There hasn’t been a musical number yet.”
With that she turned around and closed the door.
---
Rarity sat in a workshop in upper Canterlot. Vertex’ influence, or rather Blueblood’s money, had gotten rid of a lot of the trouble she had encountered so far, and before long she had secured a place for her to work.
She gave a final tuck to the dress that she had just finished, it was Chrysalis wedding gown.
Still she couldn’t help but glance at the other dresses that formed a neat pile in on corner of the room. Usually she preferred blue and white colours, but this particular project had required black... black and green.
If Vertex kept her (his?) word the runway would be ready as soon as she gave the word. Hundreds of flyers had been sent to just about any influential person in Canterlot, and in just a few hours it would be time to see if her plan worked out.
Of course she wasn’t so mad to assume that fashion alone would be enough to change an entire nations mind, but that wasn’t what she was trying to do. All she needed to do was plant an idea, a thought: What if we use the changelings for our cause?
Appealing to their heart would probably be useless, but if the nobles would see an opportunity to profit from the situations, they would soon forget about driving the changelings out.
She pushed the dress away, and turned towards the helpers (both changelings and ponies) she had hired.
Their sewing machines clacked in a steady rhythm and slowly a very special kind of magic found it’s way into Rarity’s brain.
Appease the nobles while I show them changeling style
All hostilities just won’t seem worthwhile
Will it be top or flop?
I’ll make the opinions swap
The clothes show, what this is all about
Let’s leave them wowed
Will it be in or out?
Quickly the stallions and mares, and changelings of either gender gathered up the clothes, and in a near flawless choreography and followed Rarity as she made her way for the show hall.
Rarity couldn’t help but grin as she saw the reaction of the crowd outside the curtain. As a matter of fact she knew that this seasons colours would be black and green:
An assortment of nobles, business ponies, and other ponies of renown had spilled into the hall as soon as the doors had been opened, the only difference between this high class event and a normal crowd was that these ponies had enough money to hire someone to do the shoving for them. After the butlers and bodyguards had been deposited near the hat racks, and everybody found his seat, chatter filled the room while the audience waited for the show to start. Rarity had relied on professionals to organize the show, but she also had made it clear that this was her show, and that it would go according to her vision. She waved her hoove to signal for the light technicians to start.
The lights were dimmed. Silence and anticipation filled the room.
Slowly a weak blue light filled the room, causing everybody to look around frantically for the source, until the glow finally intensified and two perfect pale blue orbs could be seen projected onto the curtains. Rarity didn’t understand anything of illumination magic besides the basics, but when she saw the perfect likeness of changeling eyes hovering in the darkness above the audience, she knew that she had the luck of working with a master of his field.
A mixture of red and green lights sparked and illuminated the runway, revealing the models that had taken up position while the audience was distracted. Each light was carefully chosen to accentuate the designs in such a way that they seemed exotic, eerie even, but not scary.
Then the models started moving. The fashion show was a go.
Rarity eyes scanned the crowd, carefully gauging their reaction. The new designs seemed to appeal to the ponies, quite a feat in itself. Usually ponies preferred bright colours that matched their coats, black was reserved for tuxedos. However Rarity had yet another surprise for the fashion enthusiasts that filled the ranks of the hall.
On her sign the models stopped moving, each frozen in a pose that accentuated the dresses they were wearing. Another hovewave and the lights dimmed again, until one could only see the slightest hint of the dresses’ outlines.
This was the moment everything depended on.
A bright green light filled the hall as half of the models seemingly burst into green flames, eliciting some shocked screams from the audience. When the fire had died down the lights came back on, revealing that every second model had change appearance drastically. More than just a change of makeup, or outfits, it was as if they were entirely different ponies altogether...
Only slowly it dawned on the ponies in the audience what just had happened, and as realization hit them many looked ready to leave. Then the applause started. Slow and scattered at first, but soon the sound of hooves hitting wood filled the hall. And everybody that didn’t want to lose face in front of their peers joined in.
Rarity took a short moment to congratulate herself. Then she reminded herself that this wasn’t the time to be idle. She needed to get back to the castle, after all there was still a wedding to be had.
---
Pristine Records couldn’t help but grin as she watched the events on the stage, and how people reacted to it. It took all her willpower to not burst into laughter.
She tugged on Silver Tongues shoulder and whispered, “It’s time to go.”
The white stallion was busy applauding with all the fervor he could muster, and didn’t look too happy about the interruption.
“What? But they are just about to introduce the summer fashion!” he protested, his mind already filled with exotic swimwear.
“You can look at bikinis after we’re done. Right now it’s important that you follow me,” Pristine said, staring at him. When she looked like this there was no use arguing with her. With a last sigh Silver Tongue pried his eyes of the stage and followed Pristine Records out the hall.
Together the two made their way through the narrow side streets of Canterlot, there sound of their hooves on cobblestones echoing through between the pristine white walls.
“Where are we going?” he asked, his voice clearly betraying that this better had to be good.
“The Gate Plaza,” was all that Pristine replied. Something about the way she said it betrayed a sort of grim glee.
“What?! Can’t you buy your souvenirs on your own?” Silver Tongue complained, his minds still with the good looking models.
“We are not going to buy souvenirs... we’re going to start a revolution.” A devious glint lighted up in Pristine’s eyes giving them an almost feverish gleam, and Silver Tongue felt a shiver down his spine. Suddenly he wasn’t so sure whether the monsters had been on the catwalk...
---
Everything was going so fast.
For Celestia the last few days had seemed like an eternity, but now that the wedding was approaching everything seemed to pass by her in a flurry. Twilight had taken up the reigns, and directed what little resources she had like a field marshal with OCD, somehow managing to send people exactly where they needed to be, which in turn left Chrysalis with nothing to do.
Of course that changed when Rarity had arrived. The white mare had apologized profoundly for being so late but after Chrysalis had assured her that this wouldn’t be a problem, she had lost no time and dragged Celestia off to get her dressed and ready for the wedding. Meanwhile the cream coloured pegasus, Fluttershy, had offered to help her with her own dress.
And right now she was standing in a small side chamber of the castle, looking at herself in a mirror. The situation was strange, not only because of the dress, but also because she was once again placing her fate completely in the hooves of other ponies. Not exactly a situation she was used too.
Trying to speak with Fluttershy proved no distraction either. While the timid pony was overcoming her fear of the changelings, it would still take her quite some time before she’d be able to talk with Chrysalis herself.
The only thing she could do was wait, and try to keep her nerves from completely disintegrating.
She nearly jumped when the door finally opened, revealing the other pegasus of the group.
“It’s showtime, Chrysalis.”
---
Breadn’ Butter and Merry Daisies looked at the crowd that was forming on the one end the plaza. Barely audible the voice of a single unicorn stallion could be heard, but the words meaning was lost.
“I don’t like the looks of this. I’m gonna take a look at what’s going on,” Breadn’ said, eyeing the protestors that seemed to grow more and more restless with every word the unknown stallion said.
“I don’t know, this seems... dangerous,” Merry Daisies replied, her face a mirroring the worries Breadn’ was feeling.
“I’m just gonna take a quick look, just stay here, I’ll be back in a minute.” With that Breadn’ stood up and tried to make his way for the crowd. A hoof on his shoulder stop him in his tracks. Surprised he looked at Merry, who was standing only a few steps behind him.
“I’m coming with you, if things turn bad I don’t want to have to search for you.”
Breadn’ wanted to protest, but something in the way she looked at him made him hold back the words. Instead he only nodded. As they pressed through the crowd, ever so often they could catch a glance at the speaker that had the masses riled up like this.
The white unicorn looked as if he had just come straight from the “Equestria’s most eligible bachelors” magazine though his face wasn’t displaying the stereotypical nonchalant smile but something that Breadn could only describe as “Righteous fury.”
Finally they came close enough to understand what he was saying.
---
Silver Tongue should have felt good. This was what he was born to do, standing before a crowd, enthralling people with his voice and rhetorics, but today he couldn’t get into it. His act was flawless of course, it always was, but something kept him from really putting his heart into it. Was it his morals? No, often enough he had used his talents to swindle his way through life. But today there was the feverish stare of those eyes that rested on him.
Pristine Records was nowhere to be seen, she never was when it came down to it, but he could still feel her stare.
He shook his head, trying to clear his head of any unnecessary thoughts and once again speaking to his audience, “NOT ONLY HAVE THEY INVADED OUR CITY, NO, THEY ALREADY HAVE THOSE THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO RULE AND PROTECT US UNDER THEIR CONTROL!”
Another bunch of flyers descended from his hooves to the crowd.
He could feel that it would take only a little push and the crowd would turn into putty in his hooves.
Then everything went wrong...
Then the guards appeared...
---
“Sergeant, there’s something going on on the plaza!”
Steel Aegis was ripped from his daydreams by his corporal alarmed screaming, causing him to drop from his cot to the ground. It took him a moment to regain his bearing, and so he was spared the vision of the corporals shocked face for now.
“Huh, whazzat?” he groggily asked.
“Sir, the plaza! The people are protesting,” helplessness oozed from the guards voice, as he looked to his officer for guidance.
“Again? I already told you what to do,” Steel Aegis grumbled, annoyed that his pleasant dreams had been interrupted for such a triviality.
“Sir, you better come and take a look at this yourself.”
Cursing the incompetence of his subordinates he rushed out of the barracks and towards the gate. The golden helmet with the blue egret stayed behind.
Once outside, Steel Aegis could see what had his corporal so agitated. Nearly all of the ponies on the plaza were gathering around a unicorn that was standing atop a crate, speaking to the masses. Angered shouts erupted from the crowd whenever the Unicorn gestured particularly fiercely.
For a short moment Steel Aegis panicked a little but only for an inner voice to cry out, ”Isn’t that what you wanted? Now you can prove yourself.” Sadly a second much quieter voice that said “No, this isn’t what you want, you always wanted to be only a corporal.” was drowned out by yet another angry outburst of the gathered ponies.
Assuming what he thought a proud stance, he stood before his guards and motioned towards the crowd.
“Just like the last time, we’re going to break up the protests,” Steel Aegis announced. Some of the guards exchanged worried glances, but Steel had already turned around and marched towards the crowd. Hesitantly the guards followed him.
As Steel Aegis reached the edge of the crowd he bellowed ,”THIS IS AN ILLEGAL GATHERING! IN THE NAME OF THE ROYAL GUARD I ORDER YOU TO DISPERSE!”
“Father’s going to be so proud of me,” were his last thoughts before the stone hit him in the face.
White on Black Ch.16 “A Black and a White Goddess”
The hall was the same that already hosted Shining Armor’s and Cadence’s wedding. A weird mix of feelings overtook Chrysalis as she waited at the end of the hall beneath the coloured windows.
A small, more poetic minded part of her brain wanted to comment on the situation and how her life had come full circle, but Chrysalis had no ear for it, since she was far too nervous as too pay attention to anything but the large wooden double doors.
The hall had been decorated in both her and Celestia’s colours. The banners interchanged, one black and green, one white and gold, and then again black and green, all along the walls. The centerpiece of the decorations however was the large Flag that took up all of the front wall. A golden sun on black ground on one half, and a red heart on a black shield with a white background on the other. Her own and Celestia’s heraldry intermingled into one.
This was important, not for her personally but for her position as queen. As Twilight had pointed out, this wasn’t only a wedding, it was the merging of two countries. Accordingly all of the ceremony was drenched deeply in royal procedure. Their wedding vows contained elements of old loyalty oaths, and fealty promises, and it had proven particular hard to still express her feelings after they had been watered down by line upon line of pathos filled semantics.
Quickly she glanced at Occelli, captain of her guard, and her ringbearer... although ringbearer was the wrong word. On the cushion he levitated in front of him, lay the black crown that normally adorned her head, yet another concession to the old rites. Chrysalis would give up her crown and in turn receive a new one from her lover, in turn Celestia would do the same.
Chrysalis tried to get the ceremony out of her head and instead inspected the guests that had gathered. Most of the assembled were compromised from the remaining castle staff, parts of the day and night guard, and a few personal acquaintances of Celestia (surprisingly few as Chrysalis noticed). On her side of the room the changelings had gathered. Sooner or later they all would share the experience via their bond, but for now Chrysalis had invited those changelings which were closest to her, her personal guards, and her chambermaids. She had to chuckle as she realized that neither she nor Celestia had many personal friends to share this moment with, another of the prices one had to pay for the crown.
Before she could continue this line of thoughts however, she saw the element bearer take position, and a lot of the pain that was about to surface vanished. She wouldn’t go as far as calling them her friends, but she couldn’t deny that their presence soothed a lot of her nervousness.
Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy sat down in the audience. They all had given their best to get this wedding underway, but politely had refused to be part of the ceremony. Chrysalis could understand them, they all looked utterly exhausted.
Her eyes trailed towards the window. The moon had barely moved since the last time she had checked, nonetheless she couldn’t help but nervously prance from one hoof to the other, praying that it would move faster if only she stared hard enough.
Mindlessly she plucked on her dress. The simple white gown was what she could only describe as beautiful. Her neck was covered by a quilted turquoise collar that was studded with diamonds at every intersection, towards her shoulders the collar was adorned with the shed fur of ermine that had been sewn into the fabric hair by hair, but it was only after the collar that the real dress started; A simple white blanket covered her flanks and connected the collar and the actual dress. The dress itself was made from shining white silk, that fell to the ground in smooth lines, while leaving her forelegs free.
As a queen she was used to wearing expensive outfits, but somehow she felt as if this one was the most important of all of them.
Another nervous stare at the moon. then finally the notary (it would have felt kind of silly to seek out a priest when the most prevalent religion prayed to the bride) gave the sign.
Spike cracked his fingers once before he drew out the first few tones of the bridal march, from the old pipe organ.
The double doors opened and the world around Chrysalis vanished. The only thing she could still see in this white limbo that had become her vision, was Celestia as she walked towards her. Gone were her usual Regalia, replaced by a single golden chest piece in the form of a sun, a bright violet Topaz adorning it’s mid. Much more than the Golden Sun however, it was the dress that demanded attention first. It was black. Utterly, utterly black. The kind of black that you could only get when you took complete darkness, sieved and distilled it, and then left it to age for a few millenia. Such a complete blackness as you’d see at the bottom of the deepest oceans or in the void between stars.
It was changeling black.
But it was neither the gold, nor the black that attracted Chrysalis attention. Like two fiery beacons the amaranthine eyes of Celestia drew Chrysalis in. Right here, right now they didn’t need any changeling magic, no spells fueled by hatred, to see into each others souls. Never before had she seen so much … so much life in Celestia’s eyes. If this was what she looked like when she was happy, she would go through tartarus and back, only to see that expression again.
“Erhem...” an Elderly slightly rough voice brought her out of her daze. Celestia stood across from her, smiling, a few steps behind her Twilight Sparkle holding the cushion with the crown. To her right the notary looked at her as if he was expecting something.
Stumbling over her own tongue, she tried to remember the first words of the ceremony.
“I... er... I, Chrysalis of the black swarm, ... er... stand here before you love of my life...”
After she had finally spoken the first words of the archaic formula, the rest finally swarmed back into her mind. But whenever she looked at the beautiful mare across from her, she could once again feel her mind dissolve into pure bliss.
Thankfully Ocelli seemed to notice her insecurity and lend his support through the hive mind.
As Celestia spoke her part of the vow, Chrysalis listened intently and as she heard the words of love that Celestia had woven into the traditional ritual, she finally found back to the here and now. This was the mare she loved and she didn’t want to miss a second of the time with her.
“I, Celestia of the Sun, stand here before you love of my live. I shall share your happiness and your burden. I shall stand besides you in times of need, and in times of happiness. Nary shall drive us apart, neither foe, nor time, nor death itself.”
Both royals looked towards the notary. Now there was only one thing left until they would be married to another.
The old pegasus’ voice was rough but firm as he spoke the final words of the ritual, “So I shall ask you once again, do you here before me and the assembled as your witnesses take each other as partners in matrimony?”
The doors of the hall slammed open and all eyes shot towards the exhausted royal guard that stumbled through them.
“YOUR MAJESTY! RIOTERS HAVE STORMED THE CASTLE GROUNDS!”
---
Silver Tongue was trapped.
He stood atop an avalanche of emotions that had finally broken free, and the only way he’d survive was by riding it out. Frantically his mind scrambled to find yet something else to direct the crowds anger at, lest he’d be devoured by it.
The guards had quickly retreated as soon as they saw their captain fall, draggin the motionless body of the unicorn behind them, but the damage had already been done. A border had been crossed, and now the mob would only stop once his anger was depleted.
With faked confidence Silver Tongue waved for the ponies to attack the gate. What little defenses the Unicorns had put up quickly dissolved under the onslaught of thrown debris and hooves. After that it was only a matter of seconds until the wood gave in, and splinters rained down upon the castle ground.
The ponies had stormed onto the castle ground, venting their anger at whatever was available. The carefully arranged gardens were soon turned into a display of chaos and before long the first fires burned. Makeshift torches were passed around.
“Those fool,” was all that Silver Tongue could think. He knew all too well that fires meant that someone would die sooner or later, and more often than not it was an all too enthusiastic torch wielder that became the first victim of the flames. Nonetheless he saw no way to escape and still were the eyes of the rioters focussed on him, looking for orders.
“To the castle!” he screamed at the top of his lungs.
“Coward,” Screamed his heart, “you could have ended this!”
The ponies stormed onto the castle courtyard and still a steady stream of new arrivals followed them from the gates. A felled tree from the gardens had been turned into a battering ram.
*Bam!*
With an earth shattering sound it hit against the door to the castle.
*Bam!*
The gold covered wood moaned under the pressure of the ram.
*Bam!*
A first few cracks showed. Once more and the gateway would break.
Groaning under the weight of the tree a dozen earth ponies once again heaved the trunk into position.
The sun rose.
---
Breadn and Merry were clinging tightly to each other as the crowd dragged them along. Faces they had thought familiar all their lives were turned into demonic grimaces, as anger contorted their features.
Helpless they watched as beautifully, crafted shrubberies and flower arrangements were trampled and burned. The guards fled and those that were unlucky enough to stay behind soon escaped from sight as a ring of enraged ponies closed around them.
Breadn tried to push against the flow, but against the stream of bodies he was as helpless as an infant.
When they had pushed past the castles inner walls, Breadn finally managed to maneuver himself and Merry towards the walls where they could catch their breath.
“Breadn, what’s going on?” Merry managed to scream while the sound of a battering ram hitting wood filled the courtyard.
Before he could reply however a bright flash blinded him. He closed his eyes and tried to shield them with his arm, but even so he could still feel it burn into the back of his eyes. Even after a few minutes the light didn’t lose any intensity. It was then that Breadn decided to open his eyes, hoping to at least find Merry, and maybe a way to escape.
As soon as he did so however, all thoughts of escape were labeled futile.
A goddess had descended between them.
A white burning Goddess of rage, and destruction. Who saw her couldn’t help but sink to their knees. Running away or even covering in fear seemed downright ludicrous against this being. A smell of burned grass and melting earth emanated from the figure, as plants evaporated and sand turned to glass.
In the sky above a searing orb hovered, a terrifying Celestial mirror image of the goddess below.
A snarl escaped from the avatar of rage’s lips, cascading into an earth shattering scream. Breadn fell to the floor clutching his ears, trying to keep out the visions of death that followed in it’s wake. At the height of the acoustic assault, a small orange droplet ripped itself loose from the orb above and started to drift away.
Slowly the ponies in the courtyard recovered righting themselves up on shaky legs. The goddess was deceptively calm, her head angled upwards, looking at the sky. The first few ponies followed her example and looked upwards.
Murmurs went through the crowd like a shockwave, as they watched the droplet slowly growing bigger and bigger. Panic spread as it became clear that this droplet, this tear of the sun was headed straight for Canterlot. Ponies tried to run, only to be blocked off by the ones that were still storming into the castle.
A cacophonous roar filled the air, making the scream of the goddesses seem like an infants cry in comparison. The air began to boil, and Breadn had to force every breath into his lungs while he fought the feeling of being burned from inside.
The the world turned white again. A massive wall of air washed over him and he could feel something burning hit his skin and he could feel his coat catching fire. Desperately he rolled on the floor.
When his vision returned the courtyard had turned into pandemonium. Frantically he searched around until he found Merry. She was unconscious, but miraculously nothing had happened to her.
Surprised shouts, filled with terror and panic echoed across the field. Several ponies were pointing their hooves towards the peak of Canterlot Mountain. As he turned his eyes towards it, he mentally corrected himself. They were pointing towards where the tip had been, now there was a smoldering crater that was still expelling and cloud of hot ashe.
But the mountain was not the only thing to be damaged. The explosion had carried debris miles through the air, and wherever the slabs of molten rock landed they left a trail of devastation. The most of the damage seemed to have been concentrated on Canterlot Castle. The structure had been damaged in several places and whatever hadn’t yielded under the assault, was now slowly catching fire.
“IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED?” the voice of the goddess rang over the remains of Canterlot Castle like and ice cold river of molten steel.
“IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED? THAT I’LL SLAY MY ENEMIES? THAT I LIE WASTE TO THOSE THAT OPPOSE ME? SHOULD I INCINERATE EVERYONE THAT DOESN’T AGREE WITH US? IS THIS THE WORLD THAT YOU SEEK?!
ALL I *hic* wanted was one day. *hic* Just one day for myself, where I could be happy,” As sudden as her appearance, was the departure of the goddess, in her wake there was left a white alicorn with tears in her eyes.
“I just wanted to marry the women I love. Is that really too much too ask?” Was the last thing she managed to ask before she broke down. Her dress in tatters, her coat covered in dust and ashes, and her jewelery lost somewhere along the way, she sat there in the mud and bawled her eyes out. Not a ladylike sob, not a lonely tear down her cheeks, just the sad and exhausted bawling of a pony that had done her best and fell short.
An awkward silence fell over the assembled ponies.
Nobody said anything as six ponies and the queen of the changelings appeared. Chrysalis simply lay down besides Celestia and put a leg over her, while the element bearer sat down nearby.
Breadn could do nothing but stare at his hooves, as the sobs of the white diarch echoed across the ruins of the courtyard. He felt ashamed. Why, he didn’t know, after all it wasn’t him that had caused the riot. He had actually warned Merry about this. It was the other ponies, the ones that had burned and plundered the castle grounds. He had only tried to protect his kids.
It was really all that unicorns fault. If he hadn’t upset the crowd with his speeches, this would have never happened. Why did he have to pour oil into the fire? His rhetorics had turned the ponies he knew as his friends into monsters.
And what about those guards? Wasn’t it their duty to protect the people? Shouldn’t they have seen this coming? NO! Instead the waltz into the crowd like barbaric brutes, swinging their authority around like a sledgehammer. It was all their fault.
His body trembled with barely contained anger. About the situation, about the stupidity of other ponies, and about the world at large. A hoof touched his shoulder. Merry was looking at him, an expression of concern on her face. The anger left as quick as it had come.
Together the two of them looked at the sobbing alicorn.
Maybe it wasn’t important who was at fault.
Breadn turned to an earth pony that lay near him.
“Hey, you are Balsa the carpenter, aren’t you?”
Maybe it was just important who could fix this.
---
Celestia and Chrysalis lay in the rubble of what had been Canterlot Castle, the white alicorn burying her snout in the changeling queen’s side. Chrysalis didn’t know how long they had lain like this, and to be frank, she didn’t care. Right now the outside world was unimportant, except for the mare that lay next to her.
Slowly, very slowly, Celestia sobs died down a little bit.
“Are you alright?” The question was stupid and hollow, but the actual words weren’t important. Chrysalis just needed to show her almost bride that she was there for her, that she would listen.
When Celestia finally looked up at her, something inside Chrysalis broke. Those eyes, that had been filled with the pure joy of being alive just moments ago, now were nothing but empty glass-like orbs.
Celestia. In the oldest Equestrian texts this name was already mentioned in veneration. Even in the songs of the changelings, that were woven not with words but with emotions and thoughts, and that had survived even the reign of Discord, mentioned her only as “the ancient one”. As Chrysalis stared into those lifeless mirrors of amethyst, she shuddered as for the first time since she had met her, she could feel the millennia being reflected from Celestia’s features. She looked tired, as only those that have seen the rise and fall of empires can be.
“Are you okay?” The same stupid question. An anchor, no, a bridge to gap the unbelievable gap that had opened between them. Chrysalis had lived for a long time, but compared to the being before her... NO! She couldn’t allow herself to think like that. This was Celestia, the mare she loved.
“I can’t do this anymore.” Celestia said. Her voice was barely more than a whisper, that was nearly drowned out by the cracking sounds of the embers that once were the front gate.
“Don’t say this...” The words escaped Chrysalis lips without even bothering to ask the brain for permission first. It was as if her body was reading from a script that nobody had ever bothered to show her. She could only stare as this macabre play unfolded and left her life in ruins.
“Why not? Should I just continue to smile like nothing happened?” Once again the anger flared up in Celestia’s voice. “Should I just pretend that everything's going to be good? That a few nice words will make all this undone?”
“No,” Chrysalis replied meekly, unable to find the right words.
“My castle is gone, my subjects fear me, and those who don’t fear me want to kill the woman I love! What keeps me here, why should I stay? Why should we stay?”
While with each breath more and more rage seemed to returned to the white alicorn, it only took Chrysalis one look into her eyes though, to see that this was only temporary, nothing more that the last struggle of a dying flame.
“And you would have me abandon my people I presume,” Chrysalis asked.
“Yes! Why shouldn’t you? Hasn’t what happened today been a lesson to you. No matter what you might think your bond with them means, they will leave you before long!” Celestia was back to screaming, but her voice lacked the white burning rage of the goddess. Chrysalis wasn’t sure if she was relieved, or if this scared her even more.
“I...” she tried to reply, only to be interrupted by Celestia.
“Must you really continue until I hold your dead body in my hooves? Oh Chrysalis, I love you, but as long as we stay here it just can’t be. Come with me! There are places in this world which can never be reached by mortal ponies,” the alicorn pleaded.
“You know as well as I that you can’t run away from your problems,” Chrysalis replied, looking away from the alicorns tear filled eyes.
“Really, can’t we? I’m older than even the oldest unicorn, and I command over powers far beyond the reach of most. Tearing apart the veil between worlds and creating a place just for us two, isn’t beyond me.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about.” Chrysalis couldn’t help but raise her voice as well.
“Then what are you talking about? What’s holding you here?” Celestia screamed even louder.
“I thought you would know this best,” the changeling queen replied as her eyes wandered over to where the Element Bearers were standing. The six ponies had only stood by, looking nearly as tired as the princess herself. Especially Twilight looked like she was about to give up ponykind altogether, much like her mentor.
“It was from you that I learned that there’s something more than just power, or feeding on the love of others. How about you follow your own teachings now?” Chrysalis reprimanded the mare that had just devastated an half a mountain.
“I... I’m just so tired. I don’t think I can stand up against my own little ponies like this.” Celestia said, her shoulders sagging even deeper as the borrowed power that the rage had brought with it, left her again.
Chrysalis didn’t know what to reply to that. All she could do was hug her lover, hoping that Celestia would feel that was there for her. Then she noticed something in the distance.
“I don’t know. I think, if you give them a chance they’ll be sure to surprise you,” she said with a bit of chuckle.
Celestia looked at her confusedly. Her confusion grew even greater when she followed her gaze.
---
Approaching the two royals was, what could only be called a procession, but what a procession it was. The ponies that had gathered were all beaten and bruised, their skin burned and their coats stained by the ashes, yet the held themselves with some form of regality.
Among them were banner bearers, but whatever flag they were hoisting was wrapped up and hidden. A single slightly chubby green unicorn with a slice of toasted bread for his cutie mark, lead the procession.
When they were only a few meters away from the assembled Element Bearers and the two immortals, they stopped.
Shakily Celestia rose to her legs, once again summoning the rests of her rage to face whatever the ponies of Canterlot had thought up now. Her voice was ice cold as she spoke, “What do you want now? Have you come to finish us?”
As if on cue the ponies fell to their knees. Like a wave the motion went through the ranks, until none remained standing. All of the ponies that had rioted through the gardens, were bowing before Celestia.
The green unicorn was the only to raise his head.
“We want to apologize.”
…
“Hah...Haha...hahahahahaheheheahaha...” The laughter hung in the air. Had Celestia gone and slapped the unicorn in the face she couldn’t have left a stronger impact.
“Do you see this? Hah,” Celestia guffawed bitterly.
“Now that they have seen what I can do, now that their lives are on the line they come crawling back,” she barked, with a spite filled voice.
Breadn was sweating bullets. His body was trembling, like crazy and he had nothing to reassure him but the knowledge that Merry was standing only a few steps behind him.
“No your majesty,” he said, surprised by how calm his voice sounded. “I still have my doubts about allowing the changelings into Canterlot, but I’m sorry for not trusting you. You have lead us all for years, and sacrificing who knows how much, and the one time that you asked for something from us in return, we threw all those sacrifices in your face. For that I’m sorry.”
Celestia was left speechless. A part of her still wanted to be angry, wanted to rage and trash until nothing remained, but seeing the green unicorn standing before her, trembling but still speaking his mind, she found it harder and harder to hold onto her anger.
“Er.. I …” Breadn struggled to say the next few words, only for Merry to walk up besides him and pick up where he had left of.
“I... that means we, want to show you something, your Highness,” she said.
Hopefully everybody stared at the solar diarch.
“...fine, show the way,” Celestia replied. It wasn’t clear if the words had actually gotten through to her, or if she was only complying because refusing would have meant more work.
Either way Breadn and Merry lead Celestia, Chrysalis and the Element Bearers out of the castle’s courtyard and towards where the hedge maze had originally stood. A wooden stage had been set up, on top of it two wooden poles that held another roled up banner between them. Chrysalis could make out the ponies and changelings she and Celestia had invited to the wedding and that had formed two rows in front of the stage. In addition some royal guards that looked heavily bruised but otherwise fine filled the ranks. As Chrysalis and Celestia drew closer, the banner bearers went into position, and finally unrolled the flags they had hidden so far.
Celestia stopped in her tracks and couldn’t help but chuckle. Meanwhile Breadns hooves smacked loudly against his face as he watched the pictures.
All of the flags showed a mixture of Celestia’s sun cutie mark, and Chrysalis shield heraldry, but apparently none of the ponies actually had agreed on which way exactly the two should be combined, or even what shape both symbols had. A few dozen different iterations flanked the aisle through the crowd.
Two mares rushed up to Celestia and Chrysalis, handing them their crowns. Or at least they would have, hadn’t their regalia currently been buried under a few tons of stone. But admittedly the flower wreaths looked impressive.
It began to dawn on Celestia just what the ponies were trying to do.
She shared a look with Chrysalis and made her decision.
Together the two immortals walked down the aisle.
Twilight rolled her eyes as she saw two stuffy looking Unicorns arguing over two books that she identified as “The rules of Royal matrimony” and “Weddings for Dummies”. With a lavender flash she appeared on the stage. Another bit of magic and the two arguing ponies found themselves dumped into the audience. Twilight search her memory for a bit until she remembered the exact passage from the books she had studied the night before.
“Dear Community. Today we have gathered here to witness how two ponies come together to testify their love before the world.” she intonated. For a short moment she had to fight with her own conscience that screamed at the idea of leaving out a part of the ceremony, but a look around her only reassured her that just this once it might be all right not to do everything by the book.
“So I ask you Chrysalis of the black swarm: Do you take Celestia of the sun as your wife?”
Chrysalis had to force herself not to blurt the answer out as quickly as she could, out of fear of being once again interrupted. She took a deep breath. Looked at Celestia and said, “I do.”
Twilight smiled and turned to Celestia.
“So I ask you Celestia of the Sun: Do you take Chrysalis of the black Swarm as your wife?”
Celestia looked around. The occasional moans of those that had been injured, the smell of burned wood and molten stone in the air, and not to mention the last glow of her sun that she had yet to send back behind the horizon. This wasn’t the wedding she had wanted.
Then she looked at Chrysalis. The features of the changeling queen showed anxiousness, and hope. Celestia had to smile, even though the answer should be clear, she still stared at her as if she feared that in the last second she would change her opinion. A tiny spark of life flashed in her eyes.
Maybe this was the wedding she wanted after all.
“Yes, I do.”
The crowd broke into cheers, and Twilight had to scream in order to be heard, “You may kiss the bride.”
Chrysalis looked somewhat bashful and slowly brought her muzzle closer to Celestia’s, only for the alicorn to wrap her hooves around her head and draw her in for a deep passionate kiss.
With some vigor Celestia threw the bouquet behind her, where a small crowd of mares had already gathered. A battlecry on her lips Rarity dived for the flowers. That the flowers from Cadence wedding had already wilted away without bestowing a prince charming onto her didn’t dampen her enthusiasm in the least. Sadly all the work she had done on the show and the wedding dresses had left precious little time for her own dress, otherwise she would have noticed that she didn’t sew on the hem of her dress properly. With the sound of ripping fabric Rarity toppled over, rammed straight into the assembled bridesmaids and sending all of them to the floor. Flailing hooves fished for the still flying flower bouquet, but only managed to push it back into the air again.
Spike, who had hurried to help Rarity up, only barely dodged the flowers as they flew towards his face, only for it to be sliced cleanly in half by his fins. Startled he flapped with his tail once again sending the now twofold flower arrangement flying through the air.
Daintily the flowers came to a halt on the backs of Applejack and Rainbow Dash that had watched the spectacle from the sidelines.
Everybody was staring at them.
Rainbow Dash turned towards Applejack.
Applejack turned towards Rainbow Dash.
Both of them stared at the flowers, then at each other.
“Gosh darnit!”
And that was that.
---
Breadn and Merry were sitting on a hill on the castle grounds. All around them people were busy clearing the chaos.
“This was quite something, wasn’t it?” Breadn chuckled dryly.
“Wouldn’t have thought that you’re such a good wedding planner,” Merry replied.
“This was strictly a one time thing... I’ll never do this again,” he grumbled.
“Really? What a shame, I wanted you to plan another wedding,” Merry said slyly.
Breadn turned to her confusedly, but before he could say anything he felt her lips pressed onto his.
---
Twilight sighed.
Before her lay a veritable mountain of papers, books, and reports.
Only now the numbers were coming in, and it became clear how large scale the damage was. There were really only two things that helped her stay positive as she watched the zero’s pile up, forming an unholy amount of bits. One, the amount of volunteers that had offered to help repair the castle was immense. In fact so immense that she was forced to send a lot of them back home again if she didn’t want any available place in the castle grounds to be filled up with ponies.
Two, nobody had been hurt.
Of course there were bruises, burned skin, and more than one pony that would have to wear a wig for quite some time, but there had been no fatalities. If she had been so inclined, Twilight would have believed that it was a miracle.
When she had confronted Celestia about this amazing fact, the white Alicorn had only smiled and said, “Maybe it was a miracle... or maybe our true nature can’t be hidden by something as weak as a little hate.”
After that she had thrown her out of the tent that temporarily served as bedroom during the wedding night.
---
Nurse Tenderhoof once again stared at her newest patient. Steel Aegis had been brought into the hospital a week ago, and while physically he was getting better quickly, it was his mental state she was worried about.
Normally it wasn’t like her to put her nose into patients personal problems, but when the captain of the royal guard had visited Steel Aegis half the station had heard him screaming.
It was very clear that there would be no more royal guard called Steel Aegis.
With a sigh she walked into the room.
Steel Aegis was still looking out the window, a forlorn look on his face.
Tenderhoof forced a smile onto her face and said cheerily, “It’s mealtime Mr. Aegis. I hope you like omelette.”
Steel Aegis looked at her, but his eyes didn’t really focus on her face.
Tenderhoof’s cheeks began to hurt. Silently she placed the plate before him.
Lethargically he poked his meal with a fork, only hesitantly taking a bite.
Tenderhoof turned away from the “retired” guardsponie and walked towards the exit.
“Excuse me, Nurse.”
Tenderhoof stopped. This was the first time he had actually talked with any of the stuff for weeks. His voice was deep and manly, exactly what you expected from a guard.
“Yes?” she asked, not daring to turn around.
“Say, what’s your name?”
“Tenderhoof” she replied.
“Tenderhoof, do you have any salt on this station? And maybe some pepper... and some dill?” Steel Aegis asked, hesitantly at first, but growing more and more confident with each word.
Tenderhoof turned around to see the stallion stare at the plate as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.
Something shifted, maybe it was just the way the light fell through the window, or maybe there was a soft sparkle, whatever it was, for a short moment Tenderhoof couldn’t help but thinking that the round shield on Steel Aegis actually looked more like a plate.
---
Pristine Records was busy stuffing the contents of her wardrobe into her saddlebags. The room all around her looked like a bomb had exploded. All her personal belongings had been carelessly thrown aside in her quest to gather whatever would be necessary to start a new life in Griffonia, or the Dragon lands, or wherever she would be safe from the royal guard.
In her nervous state, the door suddenly flying open nearly caused her a heart attack.
Silver Tongue stood in the door frame, panting heavily as if he had just run a marathon and covered from head to toe in ash and mud.
“Silver, you’re still alive? That’s.... erh... that’s great.” Pristine stuttered.
Silver Tongue grunted and spit something out. With a metallic clank a sooth covered ringlet landed between them on the floor. Even with all the mud and ash covering it, Celestia’s crown was easy to recognize.
Pristine’s eyes grew wide.
“Do you know what that is?” she asked under her breath.
“Celestia’s crown.” Silver Tongue growled.
“This is our story back into high society,” Pristine shouted. “We just have to present this to Celestia and say that we salvaged it for her...”
“SHUT UP!”
Pristine Records stared at Silver Tongue slackjawed.
“I’ve listened to you all my life, now you’re going to listen to me. We’re going to sell this thing, we’re going to buy us a nice house on Haywai, and then we’re going to get married and live happily ever after, are we clear?” Silver barked at the shocked mare.
“...” Pristine still could do nothing but stare at him wide eyed.
“Good. Now if you would hurry up, I don’t think the guards followed me, but let’s not stress our luck,” he said now more gentle before trotting out the door.
Pristine Records was still shocked, and her face was frozen with her jaw hanging open and her eyes threatening to fall out of their sockets, but she followed him nonetheless.
---
Celestia and Chrysalis lay in their tent. Exhausted but happy.
“Do you think that’s the end of it?” Chrysalis asked her wife.
“Of course not. Even if that sudden heel turn should stick with all the ponies in Canterlot, we still will have to deal with the ponies in Manehattan, Baltimare, and all those other cities. Not to mention that we need to start actually integrating the changelings into society.” Even though she was listing all those mammoth undertakings, Celestia’s mood didn’t seem to drop in the slightest.
“You seem awfully chipper about all this,” Chrysalis replied, cocking an eyebrow.
“Don’t worry that’s just the afterglow, we can go back to being gloomy together soon.” Celestia joked before she kissed Chrysalis again. The changeling queen chuckled as she enjoyed the embrace of her lover.
All too soon she became serious again.
“Of course that’s all moot if those two don’t find a solution,” she said.
“I think we can trust them. If they don’t kill each other first there should be very little that can stop them,” Celestia answered, more serious than before but still with a hint of playfulness in her voice.
“I guess you’re right. No use in worrying about something we can’t change,” Chrysalis said finally smiling herself.
“Exactly, after all there are other more enjoyable things we could do,” Celestia teased the changeling queen.
“Oh? and what did you have in mind?” Chrysalis replied coyly.
The camera zooms out, showing us a simple tent, then the ruins of the courtyard, the the whole castle ground that’s filled with ponies who are busy doing repairs. Finally all of Canterlot comes into view, only to quickly fade into the distance. Soon we can see all of Equestria. In the distance the sun rises above the horizon it’s light being reflected in the ocean water. The screen goes black.
The End...
A pink pony walks onto the screen from the left. She takes out a spray can and with a slight hiss words begin to form:
Six ponies, one dragon, and two near goddesses stood on the train platform in the midst of Canterlot. There were many tears, a lot of promises to return soon, and the usual hush hush that people make when they leave each other (interestingly enough, the amount of drama is inverse to the likelihood of a safe return, a stallion leaving for war can expect a “return with your shield or on it” at best, but a stallion leaving for vegas for a weekend will inevitably be showered with farewells and tears).
In the end only three persons remained, Spike, Celestia, and Chrysalis.
Nobody that saw them would have guessed that there were family ties between them, not only because of their specie but also because there was little displayed warmth between them. This was the part Spike hated. The pretending, and lying. Intellectually he understood the need to keep their relations hidden, and it hadn’t taken the recent events to convince him of that, but his heart wasn’t as easily satisfied.
“Mo...Celestia,” he said bowing before the princess.
Celestia looked uncomfortable at this display of politeness from the young drake which she had raised ever since Twilight had hatched his egg.
Chrysalis gaze wandered between the two. To her changeling senses it was painfully obvious what was going on. Rolling her eyes she strode up to the little dragon, picked him up with her magic and walked back towards Celestia. Before either of them could protest she had drawn Celestia into a hug the small dragon squished between his mothers.
“I hope you come to visit us again soon, son,” was the only thing she bothered to say as the white diarch hugged her son.
…
A now clearly more happy little dragon waved at his parents from the open train door as it departed. Only after they had left his vision, he noticed that his backpack felt strangely uneven. With some awe he looked at the green glowing vial that lay on top of his belongings. A small sign read, “Should you ever reconsider- mom”
---
An exhausted looking Draconequus hurried over the searing hot sands of the Saddle Arabian desert. Hastily he looked over his shoulder, jumping out of the way of yet another volley of arrows.
On the top of a dune, the enraged goddess of the moon appeared, clad in the white robes of the desert nomads, wielding a scimitar in her magic. Grass was sprouting where she placed her hooves.
“DISCORD COME BACK HERE SO I CAN KILL YOU!!!” she screamed.
“No thank you,” Discord replied and resumed running.
---
It was a fine day in the Crystal Empire. The blizzards raged and dropped the temperatures to a point where magic turned to ice, but inside the shield that surrounded the city it was a pleasant twentyfive degrees warm.
Shining armor dropped out of his bed and onto his hooves. With some effort he donned his morning gown and pink fuzzy slippers, and walked towards the dining room, where he was greeted by the smell of freshly made coffee and toast. It was good to be king.
As the hoofmaidens served him breakfast he took the newspaper from the silver tray his butler handed him. As soon as he had unfolded it, he wrapped it back up and handed it back to his buttler. Giving the maids orders not to disturb him and his wife he trotted back into the bedroom. For some reason he had the sudden urge to keep Cadence in bed as long as possible.
Slightly confused the butler unrolled the newspaper and read the headlines, “Chrysalis to be announced princess of Equestria.”
---
With some effort Vertex pushed away the shelf.
She had been more than surprised when she had stumbled across the hidden passage in the library of the Blueblood manor, after all she had been pretty sure that she already knew about all the escape paths (it hadn’t been easy getting close to Blueblood).
With some hesitation the disguised changeling ventured deeper into stone lined passage. One thing she noticed immediately was the near complete lack of dust and cobwebs. This wasn’t some long forgotten escape path, somebody regularly came through here.
Up ahead she could see a small chamber, in it’s middle a single pedestal. A book with a metal envelope rested here in the near darkness, on it’s cover only three words were engraved, “Blueblood Family lineage.”
Once again checking her surrounding to see if somepony had followed her, she stepped closer to the book, igniting her horn to open it and to shine some light on it at the same time. Her eyes grew wide as she read the first few paragraphs.
“Erhem!”
Vertex shot around the book snapping shut behind her. In the darkness of the corridor she could make out the silhouette of prince Bluelood’s butler.
Bitsworth spoke with a somber voice, “You shouldn’t have done that...”
