Author's Notes:

The Usual Disclaimer:

The following is a work of parody, and is protected as Fair Use under section 17 U.S. Code § 107 of US Copyright Law. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all affiliated characters are property of Hasbro Inc.

I own nothing. All characters, settings and other belong to their respective owners. This is purely a fan-work with no intent towards profit, slander or harm towards the characters, settings or other, or their respective owners. If the respective owners feel that this fan-work in any way, shape or form threatens or besmirches their property, please let me know so that it be can be removed asap.

Please support the show.

Another chapter up, another step closer to the end of Sympathy and towards the start of Empathy.

You would not believe how many re-writes it took to get certain parts of this one feeling natural, I really do need to work on my wordy ways and tone down the word-count, bah!

CHAPTER 61

“Well, I hope your … conversations were less awkward than mine.” Rainbow said with obvious regret, her entire posture speaking of defeat.

“Ah jus’ learned mah lil’ sister’s gotten more action in a week than ah’ve gotten all year. Ah seriously doubt anythin’ that Twi’ could have said to yah can top that.” Applejack shot back as the foursome shuffled to the Cake’s bakery for some much needed comfort food.

“Well … uh … I think the Crusaders are taking this like champions.” Fluttershy said, then meep’d as she realized the way her comment could be taken, hiding her face behind her wings as Applejack shot her a dirty look.

“Hey, at least the girls are taking decent precautions. My parents used the rhythm method, and that worked out terribly.” Pinkie said, the sole ‘chipper’ individual of the group. “I can tell you right now, harmonicas and tambourines do nothing to stop teen pregnancy.”

Applejack swivelled her head to stare at Pinkie, narrow-eyed, for several seconds before speaking.

“Ah thought your parents got married to one another because of some sorta mystical stone?”

“Oh, it did, but they were really young when it happened, and where I grew up, school is very much an ‘optional’ sort of thing, especially amongst the more traditional ponies, and sex-ed was pretty much non-existent in the curriculum.”

“So how do musical instruments have anything to do with practicing safe sex?”

“Weeeeeeell … once they were able to read and write, their parents pulled them out of school to help on the rock-farms, and because everypony back home is super-serious and anti-fun, nobody ever talked about sex. So they thought the rhythm method was … you know … playing music during sex.”

“Pinkie, uhm, please don’t take this the wrong way, but that is the dumbest thing I’ve heard all day, and I had to listen to Scootaloo asking if Rainbow Dash would like her more now that she had some ‘experience’.” Fluttershy offered in the awkward silence as Rainbow and Applejack apparently lost the ability to speak for several moments, their faces contorting between expressions of shock, disbelief, amusement and horror.

“Scoota … wait, huh? But I … she’s just a … I don’t …”

“Uuuuuuuungh. Ah think this calls for an ol’ Apple Clan receipe: Getting’ hammered till we don’t care no more.” Applejack groaned loudly, turning around to poke the stammering blue pegasus that had fallen behind the group after Fluttershy’s unwitting bombshell. After several pokes that produced nothing but more bursts of frantic, terrified, confused mumbling from the Pegasus, the farm-mare simply shook her head, maneuvered a rigidly paralyzed Rainbow onto her back with some aid from the other two mares, and changed the foursome’s course back to the Apple’s farm for the ‘cure’ to their ills.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chrysalis sucked noisily on her straw. Celestia sipped her tea. Discord grinned as the three strange Changeling ‘foals’ rampaged all over him, gnawing on his beard, tugging on his paw-pads, bouncing off his serpentine body. Candy Apple just sighed and kept on stitching the limbs back onto a teddy-bear that had come off second-best in a tug-of-war between the rambunctious children.

“I have already apologised for pushing too far with Captain Rosebush, if that’s what this visit is all about.” The Changeling Queen grumbled, eyeing her ‘drink’ with obvious distaste, the blend of simple pain-killers, what antibiotics that Bedside Manner had cautiously deemed ‘safe’ enough for an unknown species like a Changeling to ingest and liquefied love-energy obviously distasteful to her. “Or is this about your ill-conceived attempt to coax my sisters out of hiding?”

“Both, actually.” Celestia replied without a hint of irritation, levitating her cup down onto the small table and then using her magic again to levitate one of the black ‘fillies’ into her wings, the small black foal giggling as Celestia’s white feathers tickled her mercilessly. “I need to know if I am likely to be playing host to a few hundred Changelings, or tens of thousands of them. And while I am … miffed … at Rosebush’s antics, and your part in the whole mess, I already have a suitable replacement hard at work to cover for her, so consider my previous lecture punishment enough given your … unique situation.”

The Changeling Queen blinked, took another sip of her medicinal drink and gagged for a few moments before responding.

“I … do not believe any will come, at least not openly. Few Changelings can survive for longer than a few years without the Hive Mind to sustain them, and there is not a Changeling that draws breath that would expose their own Hive to outsiders, at least not willingly.” The battered Changeling leaned back into her cushy bed, eyes half-closed as she thought hard. “Only five of us survived the … trials that led us to escape from the Empress across the Badlands. Five sisters and a handful of children between us, Celestia and the Empress spawned hundreds of my Caste, the Queens, and we in turn spawned thousands of children. Even at the height of our numbers we were considered but a small fraction of her standing forces, and never were we considered part of her elite troops.”

“And that answers the Princess’s question how?” Candy Apple said tartly, arching a thick eyebrow at Chrysalis’s scowl, the eyebrow arching ever-higher as the Changeling Queen’s scowl continued to deepen.

“I was getting to that! Consider that most Changeling Hives, before our Exile, numbered at least in the thousands, and I was one of the few Queens who had more children than that. But after arriving in Equestria, the surviving Queens all agreed that smaller Hives would be less likely to be noticed by the native species of the region.” Chrysalis’s scowl turned into sombre expression as she regarded her offspring being tickled by the feathers of Celestia’s wings. “Our losses to the Elder Queens, and the roving marauders of the Badlands, have taught the Changelings hard lessons about exposing ourselves to outsiders. And sadly my first encounter with your ‘Nobles’ when I first attempted to make contact gave the impression you were a weak and useless leader, Celestia, given that your own kind seemed hellbent on taking your throne for themselves.”

“Yet you have exposed yourself and your Hive now.” Celestia murmured, raising an eyebrow as the little black filly in her wings rolled back and forth in the cocoon of the Solar Princess’s wings, utterly oblivious to the seriousness of the conversation.

“Because I am dying, and my Hive may yet share my fate. If my family is to die with me, then at least I can grant them the comfort of vengeance from beyond the grave, of knowing the Elder Queens and the Empress will march not on an unsuspecting mass of fodder, but a coalition of nations armed and ready for battle.” The Changeling spat, a vicious smile marring her face before a fit of coughing overcame her, and it took nearly a minute before she stopped, Candy Apple having to assist the Queen in sitting upright again after the fit passed. “Pupae, as far as I am aware, still lives amongst the Gryphons, her Hive taking on the appearance of wandering merchants, and by the time your message reaches the ironically-named ‘United’ States of Gryphonia, she will have weeks, if not longer, of flying to reach the border, and that is assuming her Hive isn’t ambushed by some petty tribal warlord or the Inquisitors of Asha’Ramahn on the way, meaning she will have missed her chance to take advantage of your generous offer.”

“Cocoon fled to Prance rather than remain on the same landmass as the Empress, but I felt the destruction of her Hive-Mind shortly after my invasion attempt. Without their Queen, the Hive is as good as dead … had I the strength to survive the trip, I would have gone there and tried to assimilate any survivors of her Hive into my own, but as damaged as I was after getting blasted halfway across the country and then embedded into the side of a mountain, forced to endure the sensations of thousands of my children dying in agony after your dear niece smeared them across most of the countryside, I thought my only hope of continuing the survival of my own Hive was to turn your dear student into a proxy Queen to hold the Hive-Mind together long enough for one of my children to mature and take over the role permanently.” Chrysalis harrumphed as Candy Apple put down her knitting to fuss over the crippled Queen long enough to get her into a more comfortable position, while Celestia and Discord kept the children entertained and oblivious to their mother’s distress. “Larvae’s Hive dwells somewhere on the edge of the Badlands, disguised as Ponies who make their living working the land, farmers or miners or … something. She’ll probably send at least one Changeling, likely an Infiltrator-Caste, to make contact and make sure this isn’t some sort of trap.”

“You said five sisters …” Discord urged as the white foal worked out some teething issues on his horns.

“Silk and her Hive chose to … to end the struggle on their own terms rather than continue on into an uncertain future. We, the Queens that is, do not speak of her out of contempt for their cowardice ...”

There was silence as a somber-faced Celestia digested that little bit of information, while Discord found himself trying to keep his head straight as all three changeling foals decided to attempt to gang-up on his stag-like antler, their combined weight causing him considerable pain, even with his chaotic nature compensating for the pressure they were causing on the horn’s socket.

“Prance … that will be a difficult nation to extract the Changelings from. The nation has suffered yet another coup d'état, and the populace is still bitterly split between Loyalists, Revolutionaries and the Anarchists.” Celestia said softly, gently disentangling the foals from Discord’s antler to cuddle them to her chest as she spoke. “There may still be Changelings who have endured the revolutions’ chaos, and we can take them back to Canterlot before the … what did you describe it as?”

“There isn’t an exact translation into your tongue, more like … your kind would refer to the symptoms as dementia, but it becomes more like the Changeling becomes trapped within a slowly dimishing set of tasks they will pursue with increasing obsession as the degeneration progresses. They are aware they can do other things, but without the Hive-Mind to support them and to hold the memories they require to function, they develop a compulsion to pursue a limited selection of actions until they eventually run out of love energy or something kills them while the Changeling tries to continue to function with only that limited selection of actions they can remember to perform.” The Changeling Queen said after a short pause to collect her thoughts. “The process can take years, but … you’re assuming that the Ponies of Prance would not immediately lynch any of their countrymen who were acting strange under the assumption they were rebels or spies? The entire country has been stuck in endless revolutions and coups for the past seven hundred years …”

“And if you could include these ‘orphaned’ Changelings in your Hive-Mind?” Discord prodded, teasing a foal out of Celestia’s telekinetic grip and calmly placing it back on his antler, the little black female gleefully gumming away at the velvet-covered horn.

“If the mental degeneration was not too severe, over time the Changelings we saved from Cocoon’s Hive would eventually recover and become coherent and self-sufficient members of my Hive, but if it their degeneration was too severe, the shock of being integrated into a different Hive-Mind would cause the Changeling’s mind to fragment and reduce their physical forms to being mindless vessels for the Hive-Mind again, but at least whatever fragments of consciousness remained would still live on within the Hive, and eventually be used by new Changelings as the foundations of their personalities.”

“I fail to see how becoming a mindless husk is a fate better than death …”

“Could you explain more about the infrastructure your Empress uses to …”

Discord and Celestia turned to give each other searching looks after talking over the top of one another, while Chrysalis just chuckled and took another slurp through her straw before gagging, her long, forked tongue protruding comically out the side of her mouth. Candy Apple stepped in to gather up the foals and place them back with their mother, the two female foals eagerly crawling under the blankets to suckle, while the white male instead snuggled up to his mother’s neck and settled for nomming on a mouthful of of the Changeling Queen’s green hair.

“To answer you, Discord, it would be preferable because some small part of the Changeling would live on and eventually become part of a new Changeling mind. And you, Princess Celestia, will not get one more piece of information out of me until this farce of a Trial is completed.” The Changeling Queen smirked as the two Immortals turned their glares on her, cuddling her white foal to her as if daring them to take the matter further with the innocent in harm’s way. “I will, as promised, give you all the information I have on the Elder Queens, the Empress and how the Empire functioned before my kind went into exile rather than be annihilated, but as of right now, that information is the only thing keeping my Hive and I in your good graces.”

“Even if the Trial fails and Equestria cannot be convinced to give your Hive a second …”

“Third!” Discord and Candy Apple said at the same time, the Chaos God turning to give the heavy-set mare a piece of his mind and then deciding to wisely keep his trap shut as he saw the expression smouldering on her face.

“… Another chance, I have no intention of throwing you back across the border to die. You will be given the best medical care we possess, regardless of outcome, and your Hive will be relocated in secret once your … your successor is capable of leading the Hive on their own.”

Chrysalis blinked, opened and closed her mouth silently several times then blinked again before speaking.

“You really would do that, wouldn’t you … very well, I’ll tell you everything I know about the Empress and the Elder Queens as a gesture of … ugh … good faith, as soon as I can get my hooves on the stores of royal jelly I left stashed in Canterlot.” Chrysalis grimaced at the words ‘good faith’, then harumphf’d when Celestia gave her a glowing smile of approval. “Speaking of which, any word on the royal jelly? Unless something has gone wrong with the retrieval?”

“There was some large-scale redevelopment in the area that made it difficult to locate the caverns without alerting the local land-owners to exactly what we were searching for, but my Agents have already started digging out some basements to get to the cave-system and our cover-story is perfectly reasonable. You’ll have your royal jelly in a few weeks, in the worst case scenario, and nopony in Canterlot will ever know they were living ontop of an abandoned Changeling nest.” Celestia’s smile grew into a grin as she looked at the little white foal nestled up against Chrysalis’s neck, nomming happily on his mother’s hair. “In time, I hope that such subterfuge will be unnecessary, but for now, we need to talk about something else, Chrysalis.”

“Oh boy, this will be good.” Smirking as well, Discord leaned in, eyes twinkling with mischief.

“Uhm … what?” The Changeling Queen looked from the Princess of the Sun to the Demigod of Chaos, then to Candy Apple, hoping for some sort of moral support and was only greeted with an implacable mask on the stocky mare’s face.

“I recently received a complaint from one of my head-maids about an inappropriate comment she received from one of your Changelings. Something about her ‘carpet’?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twilight looked at Luna.

Luna looked at Twilight.

Both turned to look at the three Crusaders who were beaming at them with flushed, nervous faces from the kitchen, and the frazzled looking Drake ferrying trays of burnt biscuits out of the kitchen, muttering under his breath.

“Perhaps we could talk … elsewhere? All the magical defences in the world will do little to stop ponies already inside the building from listening to us.” Luna asked softly, grimacing at the smells of burnt flour, hair and … other things greeted her as Spike shuffled back into his beloved kitchen to open the windows to let the lingering traces of smoke escape. The Crusaders were trying to be helpful and do nice things for Twilight while the trio stayed in the library, but there was helpful and then there was ‘helpful’.

Especially when they appeared to have let precious cookies burn because they had gotten ‘distracted’ again… Spike’s expression and posture spoke volumes about how the Crusader’s current ‘predicament’ was testing him, in a variety of ways.

Hopefully his hormones would not get the better of him in this situation. Luna wasn’t entirely sure she was prepared for dragon semen to be added to the mix … ugh, I did not need that mental image.

“Outside of this library, the spa is the most secure place in Ponyville right now, or at least the place with the most innate privacy once we layer a steam-room with enough wards to block scrying, but we’ll have to deal with Aloe and Lotus first. They … might not want us back after what happened in the sauna last time.”

“Perhaps. But they did promise they might be able to aid us with the … quirk … that could be behind Trixie’s resistance to the Succuponi Curse. The individuals they spoke of could also provide us some support with the Crusader’s new predelictions.” Luna pointed out, resting a wing on Twilight’s beck tentatively and hating herself for how nervous she felt about the act, and then relishing the relief that washed through her as Twilight leaned into Luna’s side and reciprocated the gesture. “As much as I, against my better judgement, have come to trust Trixie Lulamoon’s good intentions towards the Crusaders, a second opinion would be most welcome.”

“And a natural hermaphrodite could also help me speed up developing a counter-curse to the Succuponi infection as well as helping me understand how I’m going to reverse Weeaboo’s Spear Maiden spell … although I’m not looking forwards to the process of getting the, uh, reagents from these Ponies.”

“…Oh. So you’ll need their, uh, secretions?” Luna asked, looking at once bemused and disgusted as the two Alicorns retreated up the stairs to gather their thoughts, away from the barricade of awkward smiles of the Crusaders has put up to stop Twilight from entering her own, now thoroughily tainted, kitchen and seeing what dubious baked goods they were making.

Luna’s retreat to the Everfree Forest had recovered most of their supplies, stashed in her portable hole for ease of transport, but the seclusion had given the older alicorn some space and time to think about what she was going to do next, but still Luna felt trapped by the whole thing. The food and bedding would certainly see use, with four additional ponies present in the library for the foreseeable future, but still the Lunar Princess found herself hesitating to talk to Twilight about the Changelings, or their relationship.

Especially their relationship. Particularly the part about how Twilight might feel about Luna taking Celestia to task about side-lining her co-ruler with the Changeling issue.

… Perhaps later.

Perhaps much later.

“Well … yes. The spell Weeaboo developed to inflict the hermaphroditic state on the equine physiology changes specific parts of a pony’s body, but also the biology of the pony to pass those changes on to the next generation. If I can study the differences between a ‘freshly’ changed pony like the crusaders, and a ‘natural’ hermaphrodite, one who comes from a long lineage of similar individuals, I’ll be able to isolate the changes that Sweetie’s spell caused by comparing the data from a normal pony, a changed hermaphrodite and a ‘natural’ hermaphrodite.” Twilight explained, her posture slowly changing from ‘unstable alicorn on the edge of a full-blown panic attack’ back to ‘nerdy, adorkable mare’ that Luna had come to enjoy so much. “With the variables all documented, I’ll be able to triangulate the changes Weeaboo’s spell caused and hopefully be able to develop a counter-charm or –curse to reverse it’s effects without causing the crusaders any harm, and in the process maybe isolate how Trixie was able to resist the Succuponi Curse as well as she did.”

“I don’t think adding dongs to the mares of Equestria en mass will be a well-received ‘cure’ for demonic transformations, Twilight. I’m fairly certain that the majority of the Stallions, at least, will complain about being made superflurious.”

“Oh hush. Even if I can’t reverse the changes to the crusaders or cure Trixie immediately, understanding how Weeaboo’s Spear-Maiden Spell alters the physiology of not just the target, but their offspring as well, will be a giant leap in my understanding of bio-morphic magics, and that will help the situation in the long run.” The two alicorns spoke in whispers as they made their way out of the library and towards the town’s spa and health center, stoicly accepting the presence of the guards that seemingly materialized out of nowhere, both burly earth ponies and sleek bat-winged thestrals, to escort them. “His spell is … unique, as most forms of magic that alter the shape or physiology of a target are normally incapable of passing those changes on to the progeny of the target. Whole generations of scholars, mages and theorists haven’t been able to pinpoint what part of the spell or the energies it generates are capable of bypassing this natural ‘law’ of magic to allow the offspring to possess the same unnatural traits as the spell endows the parent with.”

Entering the spa proved somewhat problematic, as Luna’s thestrals and Celestia’s earth ponies had to have a knock-down, drag-out ‘my authority-peen exceeds yours’ argument over who would follow the Princesses inside before Luna and a stammering Twilight had to explain to the loyal Royal Guards that the Princesses were only going inside to speak to the owners about a private matter, and bodyguards were not needed inside the building … and especially not inside a sauna.

“We could stand guard outside the sauna’s door, your majesties.” One of the burly earth ponies offered, ignoring the seething look from his counterparts.

“Because somepony will ambush us inside a sauna.” Luna deadpanned, trying desperately not to smirk as the poor guard’s ears began to twitch in panic.

“It … it is a distinct possibility, your majesty.”

“Inside a place of business that is, due to the very nature of the services it provides, naturally designed to only have a few entrances and no large windows barring the entrance we now stand before? Making it rather difficult for anything to slip into the building without being noticed?” Luna continued, guiltily enjoying the guard’s not-squirming as she poked holes in his idea. “A building which will soon be subjected to a battery of protective wards and counter-scrying spells by both Princess Twilight, possibly one of the most gifted Mages in living memory as well as the Alicorn of Magic, and myself.”

The poor guard just meep’d softly and stared at the ground underneath Luna’s hooves.

“Your devotion to your duty is admirable, Guard Bulwark, but in this case you are taking things slightly too far. Half the Thestrals will take to the air and keep aerial surveilance while Twilight and I complete our business, while the other half will stand watch on the ground with two of your companions, while yourself and one member each of the Earth Guard and Night Guard will stay within the foyer of the health center in the unlikely event somepony or something is foolish enough to attack Ponyville now that we are on full alert.” Luna spread a wing to point to the Ponies along the street who had started to stop and stare, her gaze sweeping across the assembled guards. “And while we’re on the subject, you are not to bar anypony from entering the premises. We are here to discuss something with Aloe and Vera, not drive them out of business, am I understood?”

Apparently not trusting himself to speak, the despondant guard nodded briskly, trotting away to discuss who would be joining him inside the building as Twilight and Luna took the opportunity to duck inside as the first flashes of cameras began to make themselves known at the corners of the princesses’ eyes.

“Oh Faust! Princesses, vous êtes tôt, je veux dire, bienvenue! Uh, I mean, welcome to the Ponyville Day Spa, how can I help you?” Aloe stammered, flushing as she rushed around the counter to give a half-bow to both Princesses.

“Uh … are you and your sister free right now, Aloe?” Twilight asked, a little flustered herself by the other pony’s antics, the knowledge this pony had seen her muzzle-deep between Luna’s hind-legs, and the memory of the fantasy both Alicorns had witnesses on their foray into the Dreamscape that Aloe and Lotus shared. “We … we need to discuss the matter that was brought up on our last visit.”

“While my sœur and I normally do not allow … entanglements … on the premises, in your cases, we …”

“NO! No no no nono, not that!” Now blushing so hard that Luna was concerned that her lover might spontaneously combust on the spot, Twilight ducked her head and shot a nervous look at the doorway … and the army of reporters that had come running.

It appeared Bulwark and the Earth and Night Guard Ponies would be serving the noble and lofty duty of meat barricade at the doorway, given the way reporters seemed to be pouring out of every building, alleyway, cloud and tree and … dumpster?

“What Twilight is referring to is the ‘unique’ individuals we are seeking for a potential cure for the Succuponi Curse … and given that we may be recalled to Canterlot very shortly to deal with the Trial of Queen Chrysalis, we were hoping to speak to either you or your sister about methods of contact if we are absent when you next speak to these ponies.” Luna explained, closing the door softly with her telekinesis and then casting a sound-proofing spell-bubble around herself, Twilight and Aloe for good measure. Faust only knew the nightmare that would come calling if the scandal-hungry media thought Luna and Twilight were seeking a hermaphrodite, let alone the living hell the poor pony would be dropped into if their identity became public knowledge …

Aloe, still flushed, bit her bottom lip as she stared at Luna, then Twilight, and then the increasingly rowdy mob of reporters outside her business, trying to force their way past the Earth and Thestral Guard-Ponies.

“I will … escort you to a sauna, if that pleases your majesties? My sœur and I will need to talk, to arrange a meeting … forgive me, this is all so very sudden, we assumed we had a few more days at least!”

“I thought as much, but sadly time and Changelings wait for no-pony.” Luna offered with a shrug as the trio disappeared into the business-end of the health-center, a obviously nervous Aloe directing them into the spa-room and directing them to use the facilities as they saw fit while she sought out her sister to discuss …

Twilight suggested she will need the … seed … of the hermaphrodite to help her develop a counter-curse for Weeaboo’s Spear-Maiden Spell. Luna found herself thinking as she and Twilight set about filling one of the smaller spas with fresh water, and then loading the hot water with hoof-fuls of herbal bath-bombs as the jets began to agitate the water. I am not entirely certain I like the sound of that. Neither of us is entirely in the right frame of mind, with my estrus affecting us both thanks to the Sympathy’s rebound effect, and I most certainly do not like the idea of Twilight ‘gathering’ said seed from this mysterious pony with her own hoof under these circumstances!

But was it jealousy that Twilight, new to the pleasures of the flesh, might stray from Luna’s side to sate the urges estrus gave to all Mares or was it purely concern for a friend, one of the few honest friends Luna could claim she had, putting herself in harm’s way while in a vulnerable state?

And that is the rub, isn’t it? What if Twilight does not wish to follow Celestia’s will in the coming trial of Queen Chrysalis? There is certainly ill-will between Twilight and the Changeling, especially considering their encounters have always ended in battle and the Changeling’s defeat, but what if Twilight … works against Celestia? The Lunar Monarch bit her bottom lip in thought as the two Alicorns gingerly worked their way into the hot waters of the spa, their tails and manes spreading out into the scented, agitated water like pools of coloured oil. Twilight is very upset that my sister saw fit to risk the lives of the other Element Bearers, learning that Celestia has been editing history and effectively ‘lying’ to the entire world in the process.

What if Twilight chooses this crucial, vulnerable point in time to rebel against her mentor? And who should I stand with, the sister who says things will change for us, but still makes decisions as if she was the sole leading voice of Equestria, or her student, whom I am entangled with and, dare I say it, falling in love with as we stumble along in the throes of an unnatural estrus fogging our minds?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some would say that Shining Armor and Princess Cadence were eager to leave the train and visit their friends and family in Ponyville. Those would be the polite ones.

Others, more jaded, might have pointed out how the two visiting members of state had acted like they had more in common with battering-rams than Ponies as they barrelled through the small knot of reporters that had come spilling out of the carriages to ambush them, or come running from the town itself.

Shining Armor had simply wrapped himself in layers of reactive barrier-spells and just rushed out the door, the unfortunates stupid enough to be standing right by the door smushing against the cold static of the barrier-spell before being sent flying like ping-pong balls and then, to add insult to injury, stepped on as the panicking Royal Consort proceeded to run in a straight line towards the Ponyville Library.

Princess Cadence, on the other hoof, came blasting out of the door at the other end of the royal carriage like a pink cyclone of feathers and hooves and squee, a demented smile on her face as she quickly caught up to her husband and causing no less chaos in the air-traffic of Ponyville as her husband’s armored charge through the streets was doing to the ponies confined to the ground.

A few moments later, a pair of pale-faced Crystal Guards peered out from the exit of the train-station, with the terrified cries of the Ponies in Ponyville itself blending with the stunned groans of the flattened reporters behind them, then gave each other a nervous look.

“Like I keep saying, those two don’t need protecting, Adamant, it’s the poor bastards around them that need that courtesy.” Flash Sentry grumbled, nursing a sore wing where Shining Armor had flattened him on the way out of the carriage.

“But, but our duties …” The poor diamond-coated Crystal Pony mumbled unhappily, staring at the chaos with an expression the Pegasus could only call ‘betrayed loyal puppy mode’.

“Look, let’s just … make sure nopony is injured, and then we’ll go stand guard outside the Golden Oaks Library while our two gloriously insane leaders roast the captain’s sister until the Purple Princess of Prudery gives up the name of her … lover.” The orange Pegasus spat the last word as if it were poison, a sour expression settling onto his muzzle. “Just think about it this way: At least you won’t be the one the whole country will blame for turning the latest Princess to grace the thrones gay after just one date.”