Mornings in Canterlot always seemed to start so abruptly. The moment Princess Celestia raised the sun, the entire city seemed to come to life as abruptly as a race starting.

The nightly revelers went to bed, and the breadwinners set out on another busy day, all taking place like clockwork.

Even in the castle, activity seemed to pick up threefold just within the first few minutes of the sun cresting the horizon. Guards switched posts, maids bustled about getting the castle ready for the flood of aristocrats that came for the day court.

Princess Luna had long since departed the castle to rest. Princess Celestia was in the process of going over her itinerary for the day. And in one of the many towers peering out over the land of Equestria, another – slightly less known – princess gazed out towards the coming day.

Princess Cadance sat by the opened window, her expression deeply troubled. She paid no attention to the very chilly morning air blowing in her face, or paid the wind any mind at all as it stole around her bedchamber, intent on snatching away every bit of warmth it could.

Cadance stayed wrapped up in her somber thoughts – the same ones she’d been warring with for days now. And like all those times before, she was rolling a small object around in her hooves absentmindedly, all the while biting her lip…

The sound of a door opening behind her barely even disturbed her. However, the sound of a voice gave her enough cause to tear herself away from her troubled thoughts.

“Cadance? Is everything alright?” asked Shining Armor.

He was already dressed in his completely repaired armored uniform, ready to face the day. And yet, his wife was still undressed, her gilded attire lying cluttered around the foot of their bed as if messed with, but ultimately set aside.

Shining Armor had never seen the pink alicorn so upset before. Usually she was the one getting him up in the morning, not the other way around.

Of course, he had his suspicions as to what had brought around this change in his wife. He’d been willing to keep quiet, but…

“Is this about Twiley’s friend?” he asked.

He knew that had to be it. Ever since she’d discovered that Applejack was a changeling – and a queen, just like the one that’d imprisoned her – Cadance had been getting more and more distant, day by day. Of everypony he knew, she was the one taking the revelation the hardest, and that only served to upset Shining even more.

“You shouldn’t worry about Applejack, honey,” Shining ventured, taking a few steps closer. “The Elements of Harmony recognized her, after all. I’m sure, whatever her intentions are in being here…”

“It’s not that…,” Cadance said quietly. Her voice was difficult to dissect, something that concerned Shining. Was it just his imagination, or was there an unsteady quaver to her words?

“I… I should’ve known,” Cadance went on with some difficulty. “After all this time, why didn’t I think to… I should’ve at least considered it.”

“Cadance, what are you talking about?” Shining asked, approaching his wife from behind. “Nopony could’ve known Applejack was a changeling the entire time. Not even Twilight picked up on that, and she saw through that changeling queen at the wedding no problem.”

“That’s not it,” Cadance said, shaking her head.

“Then what is?” Shining asked. He finally reached his fretful wife, and wasted no time in putting his arms around her.

Cadance let out a shaky breath and leaned back into him, some of her tension fading away at his reassuring touch.

“Cadance, talk to me,” he muttered in her ear. “What’s wrong? You know you can tell me.”

“I know, Shiney… I know…,” Cadance breathed, inclining her head to nuzzle the underside of her husband’s chin.

“Then what’s bothering you,” Shining asked, neatly avoiding her horn.

For a moment, Cadance stayed quiet, her hooves still fiddling with the object between them nervously.

She was silent for nearly a minute, her eyes turned back towards the rising sun. And then…

“She… she had a daughter,” the alicorn breathed in a voice so low it was barely audible even to Shining. “She had a daughter all this time… and I never knew.”

Shining looked at his wife’s face in confusion, but she paid him no mind.

“Who are you talking about?” he asked.

Cadance sighed, glancing down at her hooves. “Somepony I used to know… a long time ago,” she said.

Cadance sighed again, heavier this time. “It’s okay, Shiney… I’ll be fine. I just feel like such an idiot for not even considering… I’ll think of something to make it up to her.”

Shining Armor blinked, totally lost at this point. But he didn’t say anything. Odds were Cadance would open up in time. She always did, once she was up to it.

“Well, I guess we should get going, shouldn’t we?” Cadance asked, turning a small smile on her husband. “I’ve kept you from your duties long enough, Captain.”

There was that faintly teasing note in her voice again, and it was all Shining needed to bring a smile to his face. “As you say, milady,” he said back stoically, soliciting a quiet giggle from Cadance.

Finally, Shining let his wife go, and she in turn stood up. But just before she turned to leave, she gingerly levitated a small, black object back into its display case by the window, right where the sun could shine off the set of rubies atop its spindly obsidian frame; the same place it’d been for nearly two decades…

~~***~~

“Applejack… Applejack…!”

The apple farmer grumbled, sticking her head further under her pillow and away from that unwanted noise. She’d missed enough sleep lately as it was; she was not too thrilled about losing any more.

But that voice just wasn’t going away. It kept wheedling at her, getting louder and louder and more and more insistent as the one speaking drew ever closer despite her best efforts to ignore it.

Even for her, however, trying to ignore a door banging open and a pony bursting into the room was proving very irksome.

“Come on, AJ! Wake up, wake up!” called the frustratingly familiar voice of Rainbow Dash. “You have to get up right now!”

Rather abruptly, Applejack sat up slightly in bed, if only to level a deathly glare at her ‘friend’. “Sugarcube…,” she said in a tone of bittersweet ice, “what in the wide, wide world of Equestria would be so gosh dang important ta warrant wakin’ me up before the crack ‘o dawn?”

Needless to say, she was not in a very good mood that morning.

“Ah told ya ta wait,” came Big Macintosh’s voice from the hall, sounding nervous. He had wisely decided to stay out of direct line of sight with his surrogate sister.

“What’s Rainbow doin’ here…,” grumbled Apple Bloom from Applejack’s other side, only now rousing since her pillow had moved.

“My question exactly,” Applejack grumbled back sourly.

“Look, I’m sorry for just barging in here, but this is important!” Rainbow said exasperated – and more importantly, rather loudly. “Applejack, you have to come with me right now!”

Applejack once more glared at the cyan pegasus. “Give me one good reason why Ah should,” she stated pointedly.

“I told you; it’s important!” Rainbow whined. “Would Twilight send me if it wasn’t?”

Despite her bad mood, Rainbow’s words gave Applejack enough cause to hesitate. “Alright, what in the wide world of Equestria would Twilight want with wakin’ me up at the crack ‘o dawn?”

“Technically,” Rainbow deadpanned, “it’s almost midday.”

“Rainbow,” growled Applejack warningly through clenched teeth. “What. Does Twi’. Want.”

“Look, I could tell you, AJ,” Rainbow said, an odd note in her voice, “but I really, really doubt you’d believe me if you didn’t see it for yourself.”

Once more, that got Applejack’s attention just enough for a little curiosity to work past her irritation.

Finally, with a groan, Applejack pulled herself from her bed, stumbling onto her three good legs. “Alright, Ah’m comin’,” she grumbled.

“Oh, and you’ll need this,” Rainbow suddenly added, and before Applejack rightly knew what was happening, she found her Stetson being crammed on her head, which lasted all of half a second before the crown’s disguise crumbled away to nothing.

“My crown?” Applejack asked, now very confused. “Why would Ah need my crown?”

“Trust me, AJ,” Rainbow said seriously, “Just wait until you see this.”

~~***~~

Applejack was all-but pushed out her house by her agitated friend, who was moving pretty darn fast for a wing-clipped pegasus.

The aftermath of last night’s party still littered the house and yard, and yet the state of her property hardly seemed to be on the minds of anypony but her.

What surprised Applejack, however, was the fact that there wasn’t just one pony that’d come to get her – there were five.

“Everypony,” Applejack said in surprise, turning to each of her five friends in turn out of real confusion now. “What’re ya… no wait, what’s goin’ on?”

Twilight and Rarity exchanged apprehensive looks. “You… are going to want to see this for yourself,” Twilight said nervously, her horn twinkling to life. “Hang on.”

How exactly Applejack was supposed to ‘hang on’ while being teleported was anypony’s guess. Besides, it happened so fast that she didn’t even have time to react to being fired through time and space in the flash of violet magic.

When next the world snapped back into being around her, Applejack found herself just at the bottom of a hill. A very busy hill, in fact.

All around her, Applejack could hear activity; ponies talking in low, quick voices, some darting this way and that.

“Come on, Applejack,” Rainbow called, already a few feet ahead, as impatient as ever. “Hurry up!”

“Hold yer horses, Ah’m comin’,” Applejack snapped, just as she started limping her way up the gently sloping hill.

But as she made her way up, she made it snippets of conversation on all sides of her; conversations that were only adding to the mystery for her.

“Oh man, did you see…?”

“Where did they come from…?”

“You don’t think they’ll…”

“What’re they here for…?”

The more Applejack looked around her, the more she found regular ponies looking this way and that nervously. Every one of them was on edge, and yet it wasn’t pure panic that was getting to them.

“I wonder, are they like…?”

“Maybe they’re…”

“Maybe…”

Applejack glanced to her side, towards Twilight, who only nodded towards the top of the hill.

There, to Applejack’s surprise, stood a group of black shapes with their backs to the ponies milling about on the hill behind them. Already Rainbow Dash was standing in their midst, her good wing flared anxiously as she gazed out at something.

“Roseluck,” Applejack called, and was rewarded by the sight of a drone turning her head quickly. “What’s goin’ on? Why’s everpony so worked up?”

The drone exchanged a look with one of her peers, then motions for Applejack to come closer. “Good, I’m glad you’re here,” she said, sounding a little relieved. “I told Ms. Sparkle to hurry, but…”

Roseluck turned away then, her eyes seemingly unable to avert themselves from some spectacle just on the other side of the hill. “I… never thought there’d be this many so soon…”

Applejack cocked an eyebrow curiously, just as she climbed the last few feet to stand atop the hill’s gently rolling summit.

And there, just on the other side, were changelings. Lots, and lots… and lots of changelings.

Applejack could see their procession like a trail of ants that wound down a long dirt path from near the foot the hill she was standing on all the way out until sheer distance claimed them. The entire road was absolutely choked with changelings of all ages and sizes, some pulling carts laden with strange, exotic knickknacks. Some buzzed low over the ground to spare their tired hooves from further abuse on the road.

There must’ve been hundreds of them, all travel worn and exhausted, every single one of them slowly trekking their way from the south…

“The Hive must have listening posts here in Equestria,” Roseluck theorized. “Word must’ve spread to the Wilds some time ago.”

“But who are they?” Twilight asked, eyes roving over the seemingly never-ending ribbon of migrating changelings.

As Applejack looked out over them, she noticed several making their way up the hill towards them. They must’ve spotted the group standing at its top, and now the entire flow of changelings was coming straight towards them, small groups at a time.

“They’re… the queenless,” she breathed, her heart thudding with the realization.

“And they’re all here because of you, Applejack,” Roseluck added, drawing the apple farmer’s gaze. “You’ve started something, you know. Something big.”

Her expression became more careful as she scrutinized the young queen’s movements. “So… what will you do?”

Applejack blinked at the drone, her expression blank. Then, she cracked a rueful grin. “Me? Not much. But it ain’t all up ta me, is it?”

Roseluck blinked, taken aback.

Applejack’s smile grew, becoming slightly toothy. “So let me ask ya, Roseluck; what’re y’all gonna do?”

Roseluck blinked, taking a second to respond. And then, her smile grew. “I… am going to go do what a pony would do,” she declared.

“Me, too!” chimed in Bumblebee from the group.

“Count us in,” Twilight put in, stepping up beside her friend.

“Always,” stated Rainbow, taking her place on Applejack’s right and flashing her a smile. Applejack grinned back, her heart soaring.

“Alright, everypony. Let’s go greet the newest Equestrians!”

And together – ponies and changelings – they all descended from the hill towards the first group to meet them halfway.

Of course, when the first wave of changelings saw the approaching group, they ground to a halt. And when they noticed who – or rather, what – was leading the charge, they immediately hit the ground.

It still took Applejack a few long seconds to realize why each and every one of the drones before her seemed to have unanimously lost control of the muscles in the front half of their bodies, and when she realized that they were all bowing before her, she couldn’t help but fidget uncomfortably.

“Ugh… that ain’t right,” she grumbled in discontent, squirming uncomfortably.

She stepped up towards the first drone currently prostrating on the ground before her, who tensed nervously upon seeing her hooves approach. But when he witnessed the changeling queen herself extend a hoof towards him, he couldn’t help but look at it at a loss.

Then, nervously, he chanced a glance up at the queen… and found her smiling coaxingly back at him. A queen – smiling!

“C’mon, enough of that,” Applejack chuckled. “Up you get.”

The drone paused, confused and nervous all at the same time. Dare he chance it? But, if the rumors were true…

Still beyond nervous, he reached out a hoof towards the imposing limb of the queen before him. And to his utter astonishment, she took him by the hoof, and pulled him upright.

On all sides of her, drones were being helped upright by not only drones, but even a few brave ponies.

Applejack looked around at the growing mass of featureless blue eyes before her. Already there were scores of them, and with each passing moment, that number multiplied at an alarming rate. When drones couldn't see over their fellows, they took to the air to get a look at the young changeling queen.

And yet, Applejack only felt a little jitter of nerves. Having so many eyes turn towards her from so many angles wasn't her most favorite sensation in the world, but in that moment, it also wasn't the worst, either.

“Ah’m only gonna say this once, so listen up,” she said, raising her voice for as many drones as possible to hear. “Ah ain’t yer queen. Ah ain’t here ta tell ya how ta live yer lives. The only one who can tell y’all how ta do that is yerselves. From here on out, we are all equals! Every drone, every pony, everyone!”

Several of the drones looked at each other, nervous and anxious. And yet, there was a glint in their eyes; a hope. Dare they call it as such? Hope?

“This is where everythin’ changes,” Applejack stated. “We either go back ta how things were and hope things get better… or we make things better fer ourselves. It ain’t just up ta me, or up ta you, or you, or any one o’ you. It’s up ta all of us, changelin’s and ponies! Y’all want that brighter tomorrow? Well then… let’s get ta work.”
An electric charge ran through the ever-growing crowd. The buzz of words ran down the line, drone to drone, mare to stallion. In its wake was energetic excitement that thrummed with the sound of insect wings and wondrous voices.

And as Applejack looked around, she noticed it start to happen.

Here and there, a changeling stepped forward cautiously towards a pony. And then, nervously, they would flash a small smile and extend a hoof.

Ponies eyed the changelings curiously, but after only a short delay, the changelings’ smiles were met in kind, as were their extended hooves.

“You know what this means, right?” Roseluck said in Applejack’s ear.

When the young queen turned to look at her, she found Roseluck smiling warmly at her. “Everything is going to change for us. Everything…”

Applejack blinked at her, then she turned back to observe the swelling mass again. And then, a few moments later, she snorted.

“Well… wouldn’t that be ironic.”

Author's Notes:

And that's all she wrote, ladies and gentlemen. I ended up cutting out one last bit which will make a good opening to the sequel, so... yeah.

This has been, and probably will always be, one of my most favorite things to work on, due in absolutely no small part to all you fans out there. Seriously; I want to thank all of you for sticking with this fic to the end and enjoying it along with me.
So, thanks for all the support from day one to the very end. Even you new folks who just picked this up; if you got a kick out of this, then that makes all the blood sweat and tears so very worth it.
So, consider this fic dedicated to all of you; it wouldn't have made it this far without your enthusiasm and support.

So, I hope to see you guys around. So, until then, peace!