Celestia

Queen Chrysalis took a seat on Mom's throne in our castle in Canterlot. She crossed her legs with a smug grin, apparently pleased with herself.

"Now you can help me with the revolts." she said smugly.

"Get off of my mother's throne." I said. "Who do you think you are?"

"Please don't tell me you took me out of the history books!" said Chrysalis. "Your children don't even know who I am? Let me shed some light; I am Queen Chrysalis, Ruler of the Changelings."

"Ruler of the Rebelling Changelings, apparently." snickered Mom.

"Shut up, Twilight, it's not funny! Just imagine if your children… Er… subjects just stopped listening to you!"

"Let's back up a tad. What's this about puberty?"

"I honestly don't know myself, but it seems that every single changeling in my kingdom suddenly hit 'The Rebellious Stage'. I try to give orders and they just ignore me! Can you believe that?"

"Oddly enough, I can. I still don't get why you need me. Or why you were disguised as Cadence."

"Isn't it obvious? Cadence is just such a comfortable mare to be. Have you ever touched her skin? It's crazy-soft! Walking around as her is like swimming in lotion!"

"You can't kill my sister-in-law then walk around in her skin!" said Mom angrily.

"I'm pretty sure I didn't kill Cadence."

"It was your fault she committed suicide!"

"How so?"

"You killed Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and you killed Shining Armor, which threw a ton of pressure on her! She couldn't cope with that, especially not without any real friends."

"Do you really still think I killed Celestia?" asked the queen dubiously.

"I sat there and watched you do it!"

"No, you sat there and thought you watched me do it. Big difference."

"So you're telling me Princess Celestia and Princess Luna dropped dead on their own accord?" asked Mom.

"Well, I won't deny that I killed Luna, but I did not kill Celestia."

"Then who did?"

"Er… me. But not really. I was the one who pulled the trigger, sure, but she was asking for it." One venomous look from my mother caused Chrysalis to shrink down in fear. "I realise how bad that sounded, so let me explain: She was literally asking for it. She told me to shoot her, to save myself and my children, but I refused anyway. Remember the spell she was going to cast when she died?"

"Of course."

"Well, she completed it. The spell pushed my finger against the trigger. She used me to shoot herself. Luna was going to kill me, so I panicked and shot her too. As for Shining Armor, I definitely didn't kill him."

"He died raiding one of your bases."

"He died evacuating a school full of small children. Cadence was the one who called in the bomb strike on the building, not me. Shining Armor is a hero."

"Not to be rude, but can we get on with why you're here?" asked Luna.

"Right! I was hiding as Cadence because I heard talk of an Anti-Chrysalis movement. Anti-me! They're trying to overthrow me! All because of that stunt I pulled with Silver!"

"They're mad that you found them food?" I asked.

"Somepony knows her history." replied Chrysalis. "No, they're mad because I sold out. Changelings are very proud, so when their mother showed weakness, they were outraged. Now it's been like, 18 years, and I haven't done anything queen-like since, so they're out for my blood."

"The changelings regard you as their mother, right?" asked Luna. "Why would they hurt their mother?"

"Changelings are very proud and very rambunctious. Not a good combo. They'll kill me if they think I'm too weak to lead. They won't think twice, because my great-great-great grandfather got this idea in their heads that a changeling would rather die than be useless and weak, so they'll think they're doing me a favor by putting me out of my misery!"

"Still don't see what that has to do with me." said Mom.

"Ugh! Starswirl's Shadow Thingy! You have rules against condemnation to cruel fate!"

"What's so cruel about you being usurped?"

"How cute! You think they're going to usurp me! Usurp would imply that somepony would be taking my place. Only a King or Queen can rule."

"So?" I asked in confusion. "They'll find another queen."

"That's not how changelings work. Kings and Queens are actually special breeds that have just the perfect balance of hormones. A King or Queen can only be born ten thousand years after the last King or Queen. I'm only 8,329 years old. So unless you want complete anarchy for the next 1700 years, you have to help me. Plus, they won't just kill me. They'll rip me apart in public for everypony to see!"

"So this is about you trying to save your own tail?" I asked.

"No! This is about saving my people! And yours, by the way. If the changelings go too long without a leader, they'll riot and attack whoever gets in their way."

"Well, you've been around for 8,000 years, so I-" began Mom. "8,000 years? How is that possible? Princess Celestia was only around 2,000 when she died."

"I was around long before she was born." said Chrysalis.

"You're 8,000 years old?"

"And I don't look a century over 5,000." said the queen, flipping her mane.

"Right." said Mom confusedly. "Like I was saying, you've been around for 8,000 years. I find it hard to believe that you haven't dealt with a rebellion before now."

"Changelings are normally very obedient, which is why we've been highly sought-after mercenaries for the past few millennia. I've never had a problem with them before."

"I still don't see what you want me to do."

"Preach your 'Friendship is Magic' bullshit! Teach them that it's wrong to kill their queen instead of her enemies. I don't know, and I honestly don't care, just make it so that I can enter my kingdom without fear of being shot!"

"Chrysalis, you do seem to have a genuine problem, but I'm much too busy to help you. I have two kingdoms to rule over, not to mention that Earth is always in need of some sort of help. I'm stretched thin enough as it is."

"What about Silver Rift?"

"He has the Rift Metro to sustain. There's hundreds, maybe thousands of Rifts that he has to keep an eye on, so he can't really help."

"What about War? Or your husband."

"First off, I would like to ask you this: Given your past history of being around men, do you really think I'd trust you with my husband?"

"I do tend to make a habit of that." mumbled Chrysalis.

"Secondly, War and Conjure are dealing with a separate, equally problematic issue."

"Rarity?"

"She's in no fit state to help you. She's torn up about the problem Conjure is dealing with."

"Pinkie?"

"She has to devote all her attention to her daughter. I've been told she has some sort of mental condition going on that needs Pinkie Pie to watch over her at all times."

"Rainbow and Applejack?"

"Ha! As if! They're probably the only ponies who would want to help you less than me! And, unlike me, they don't have to."

"Fluttershy?"

"Really? You think Fluttershy is the best pony for this situation? Last time she saw a changeling, she slit it's throat."

"Is that everypony? No help for the queen?"

"If you would direct your attention to the two brilliant princesses in the room…" I began.

"Then you will witness our genius first-hand!" said Luna. Good. Great minds think alike.

"You know somepony?" asked Mom.

"I know somepony." I said.

"I also know somepony." said Luna.

"Who?" asked Chrysalis. "I don't care how it gets done, I just need help!"

"Well, the pony I know is quite smart, extremely gifted, but normally works with her sister." I said.

"Funny. My pony is similar. Who are you thinking of?"

"I was thinking of you, sister."

"How about that? I was thinking of you."

"So what do you say, Mom? Give the two most powerful unicorns of this age a chance to… spread their wings, as it were?"

---

Luna

"No. Not having it." said Queen Chrysalis. "No way am I letting your brats save my kingdom!"

"You know, we were very respectful of your royal status, even though you don't deserve it." I said. "The least you can do is show a little respect."

"I'm over 8,000 years old. What are you two, seven? Eight?"

"I'm fourteen." I said angrily. "The fourteen year-old daughter of Prince Conjure and Princess Twilight, Princess Luna! Don't forget it."

"Twilight Sparkle, I have very little faith in you, but I somehow have less in your kids." she said, ignoring me.

"Hello? Everypony else has a full plate, so why not us?" asked Celestia. "It's hard to tell by looking at us, but we're good. Very, very good."

"Listen, I don't care how good you think you are, but my weakest child is more than a match for you."

"How do you know that?" I asked. "You've never seen us in action."

"You're a pony. Changelings are better than ponies."

"That's sort of racist, don't you think?" asked Celestia.

"It's not racist if it's true."

"Actually, it's somehow more racist if it's true!" I exclaimed.

"We don't have time to argue over racial profiling!" said Mom. "Chrysalis, you're in a hurry, right?"

"Yeah."

"Celestia and Luna are the two most gifted unicorns I can think of. Not a single pony I've seen, not even the mare I see when I look in the mirror, can even come close to their raw skill. If they can't diffuse this rebellion, then nopony can."

"Twilight, it took me four months of preparation to swallow my pride for long enough to ask you for help. I assure you, the moment I did, I wanted to puke. But I don't think I can bring myself to accept help from eleven year-old fillies."

"I'm fourteen!" I said.

"I don't really care how old you are, you don't have what it takes."

"Is that a fact? How do I prove that we can handle this?"

"Show me some magic."

"Celestia?" I said, looking at my sister. "You know what to do."

"Alright." she said, pointing out the window. Her horn began to glow yellow and her eyes became glowing beacons of light. Her horn-aura enveloped her whole body and she began to shake and tremble slightly.

"If you would direct your eyes outside, you'll see that it's just past noon." I said. Everypony looked out the window at the sun, which was just leaving the center of the sky. Then, it happened. It moved. The sun lowered and lowered, slowly at first, then picking up speed until, after about a minute of her magic, Tia had lowered the sun.

"Told you we could do those things." she said, light fading from her.

"My turn." I said, aiming my finger at the empty sky. Light surrounded me, and I felt a huge weight on my brain as I raised the moon into the sky. I lowered it as Celestia raised the sun, returning the sky to it's normal time of day.

"Can you manipulate astronomical bodies?" I asked, feeling my strength leave me. I fell to my butt, exhausted and unable to move, while Celestia did the same to my left.

"Why, actually, yes." said Chrysalis, raising her right hand. Into the sky soared the moon. A downwards thrust of the left hand lowered the sun. She juggled them back and forth, mocking us, then returned them to their normal position. "And unlike you, I can do it without nearly passing out."

"You can't usually do that." said Mom. "You've been gorging yourself on love, haven't you?"

"So I treated myself to dinner. A large dinner that went on for several weeks. Does that make me a criminal?"

"So that's why everypony has been so grumpy lately. You know, you're only allowed to have the excess love." said Mom.

"You can't usually do that?" I asked. "So we're stronger than you?"

"You are not stronger than me! Nopony is stronger than me!"

"What about Sombra?" asked Mom.

"Sombra is nothing compared to me on a full stomach!"

"Discord?"

"Er… Discord doesn't count! He's not a pony!" said Chrysalis.

"You can't deny that they're skilled, Chrysalis. Give them a chance." said Mom.

"We may be young princesses, but we're not pushovers." I said, getting back to my hooves.

"Yeah. Thirteen years may not be much to you, but we've been learning magic since before we could walk. We are not to be taken lightly." said Celestia.

"You two are quite confident, aren't you?"

"With good reason." I said. Queen Chrysalis looked at Mom with discomfort, then let out a deep sigh.

"Fine." she groaned. "When can we leave?"

"As soon as we suit up." said Celestia, getting off the ground. "Let's go, Luna."

"We'll be back shortly." I said, pushing the double doors of the throne room open. I led Celestia down the stairs into the basement, where we kept all of our weapons and armor. We entered the armory and grabbed our rapiers. I yanked two nine millimeter pistols off of the wall, one of which I tossed to Tia. She placed her weapons on the floor and pulled off her blouse. I undressed down to my bra and panties then grabbed a black bodysuit off of the wall.

"How long do you think this will take?" she asked, pulling down her skirt.

"I don't know. Probably a week or two." I said, slipping into my Chameleon Armor. While it was a little baggy at first, it quickly shrunk down to fit me, skin-tight. I strapped my sheathed sword onto my hip, then grabbed a holster and put it on my other side.

"You think it'll take us that long?" she asked, putting on her suit. "It's only a rebellion, not a plague."

"I'm just allowing room for error." I said. I looked at my sister and we both burst into laughter.

"Ha! Error!" she said, grabbing two ammo bags from the wall. She tossed me one and reached into it, pulling out a magazine for her pistol. I did the same, loaded it, and put it in my holster.

"As if." I said. I checked my sword and gun one last time, as Celestia checked her supplies. When we were set to go, we returned to the throne room, where Mom and Chrysalis were waiting.

"Is that all? You're going to try to save my kingdom with a gun, a sword, and a handful of bullets?" asked Chrysalis.

"I know." I said with a smirk. "We probably overpacked, but we like to be prepared."

"No armor?"

"We're wearing it. Slightly altered Chameleon Armor." said Celestia.

"What's altered about it?"

"Normal Chameleon Armor becomes steel when you get scared. We have ours designed so that we can change it at will." I said.

"Why?"

"Because we don't get scared very often. It's good to be able to switch on our own." said Celestia.

"You don't get scared?" asked Chrysalis, reaching into her robes. She pulled out a green pistol and fired it twice, one shot aimed at my sister and myself. Without flinching, Tia and I snatched forward. We opened our fists and dropped the bullets to the ground.

"No. Not very easily. We do have fears, but they're so impossible that we disregard them." I said.

"Really? What might they be?"

"If they ever become relevant, we'll be sure to let you know about them." said Celestia.

"Hm. Fair enough. Let's get you ready."

"We are ready." I said. To demonstrate, I pulled out my sword and gave the air a few practice swipes.

"I hope you don't expect to go into my kingdom looking like that." she said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" my sister and I asked in unison.

"It means that my children would shred you on sight. We have to disguise you." she said. She snapped her fingers, and surrounded us in green fire. When the fire died down, I looked to Celestia in confusion. Instead of seeing my younger sister, I was looking at a black insect-like pony with sharp fins and shredded ears, bright turquoise eyes and razor-sharp fangs.

"Changelings." she said, in a high pitched and echoey voice. "I wasn't expecting for this to happen."

"Interesting." I said, voice also echoing and insectoid. "I understand why you like to change forms like that. It's exciting to become somepony new."

"Luna!" said Celestia excitedly. "Did you notice?"

"What?"

"We're changelings! What do changelings have?"

"No way!" I said, flaring out my new wings. "We have horns and wings! Alicorns!"

"No you're not. You're unicorns in disguise." said Chrysalis. "Don't get used to the wings. I'll be turning you back as soon as we're done."

"I'm sure you will. Are you going in disguise as well?" I asked.

"Of course." she said, snapping her fingers. She transformed into Aunt Cadence once again.

"Chrysalis, you have ten seconds to turn back before I kill you!" said Mom angrily.

"I've never seen you this mad before,Twily." said Chrysalis, transforming again. Now she was in the form of Shining Armor. "You need to relax."

"Nine! Eight! Seven! Six!" counted Mom enraged.

"Alright, alright." said Chrysalis, transforming into another clone of Celestia and myself. Now there were three generic changelings and a unicorn princess in the throne room.

"Ready, little princesses?" asked Chrysalis, her voice now matching mine. "Let's go."