Thread 66: Stories 31-45

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>Vekir
"Watchdog"
'Daw'

>Aha, giant robot dog! At last, our destination!

"...tubes."

>The magical mystical laboratoratoratory of the Twience Princess, behold the magic of science!

"...isn't that contradict-"

'Hey! Someone there!? I've been alone in here for like three hours now!'

>Jackthedaw?

'Vekir? That you?'

>Yes Jackthedaw, Vekir can hear you but cannot see you.

'I'm in the dumb fantasy room, Princess Starbutt had me filling out some kinda virtual zoo with beasties from my head...I have no idea how it works so don't ask.'

"Wasn't gonna anyway."

'...the hell is that?'

"Robot doggy."

'...neat, but look, I may have...and I dunno HOW, but I may have...deleted the fences.'

"To what?"

'...everything. It's fuckin' chaos in here.'

>This does not sound like the good thing.

'It ain't, get purple ass in here, Vekky! I can only say delete so many times before I'm overrun!'

>Vekir shall do this! COME ROBOT DOG!

"...this castle is fucking weird."

'...oi! Whichever one of you tentacled rotters is caressin' my arse, you better hope you can grow it back! DELETE! DELETE! DELETE!'

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>DT
"SS"
'???
~~~~

She was stomping.

Why? She didn't really know, she just felt like stomping. Stomping with her nose in the air and letting out subtle little 'hrmphs' as she did so whenever she passed someone by, TBDRLIATU jingling on her back. She may be in Canterlot Castle, but that doesn't mean she wasn't still Diamond Tiara.

She was not wandering, quite the opposite. After a solid six hours training five recruits that had been lagging behind, she was headed for a certain someone to ask for a certain thing. A certain thing she knew full well he had been told not to do, but she felt she could likely convince him to do anyway. They needed to know how to fight someone who could use subterfuge, and sadly that was one thing she was lacking in. It just wasn't her style to blend into the background, so if the Guard were going to get better facing them she'd have to get some outside help.

He might fight her, a little, but things had changed a lot between them. He knew she was unhappy with Applejack's decision, but also wanted to keep her out of the line of fire because he was stupid that way. All she had to do was promise she herself wouldn't engage whatever came next, and he'd agree to anything she asked, anything at all. So Chrysalis might get a little worried, so what? It's not as if she had cared at all about what the bug Queen had thought before.

With pomp and prance, she flung the guest room door open, her nose pointed to the air.

>Seventy Seven! You are needed for personal assistance, so please put a leash on your friend and... join...

She started when she heard nothing but silence, practically jumping out of her skin when she noticed the room seemed quite... empty.

>Seventy Seven? Where...

A quick check confirmed, indeed, this was the proper room.

>Seventy Seven? SEVENTY SEVEN!? Wha-where-

"DT!"

Her best friend skidded to a halt, stopping just short of ramming her.

"There you are! Where have you been!? It's been insanity!"

In a second, TBDRLIATU was at her side, cocked and ready for action.

>What happened!? Did someone else invade!? Where is everyone!? We need to get together before we-

"DT... you didn't hear?"

Something about her sad, apprehensive tone made her instinctively reach up to her trigger.

>Hear... what?

"...They're gone, Diamond Tiara."

>Who is? Who's gone?

"The changelings, DT."

>Oh... which ones?

She didn't say it.

Didn't need to say it. That look said everything.

>...No...

"They're all gone, DT. Every one of them."

She would never, ever, ever hurt her friend, both of them knew this fully and totally.

But she still felt uneased when the filly reached out and grabbed hold of her.

>Gone where!? Where'd they go!? Why!? What happened!? Did someone try to hurt them? Are Forty Two and Seventy Seven hurt!? YOU TELL ME SILVER SPOON!

"They're fine, they're just... gone. From what I heard, there was a scuffle or something, it looked like a fight was going to break out, and then she just... gave up."

>Who!?

"Chrysalis. She just gave up, walked off, and within an hour they're all packed up and heading towards the Empire. They're all gone, every one of them... and I don't think they're coming back. Ever."

She felt... weak. There was no real way to describe it, she just felt... weak.

>...And they didn't even say goodbye?

"DT, I don't think that they had time-"

>They could have made time! I could have bought him a whole train to themselves! W-what, we fight all this time together, go through all these battles, all this training, and then they just leave!? They just leave without saying anything!? T-THOSE ASSHOLES!

It hit Silver Spoon, watching the moisture gather at the edges of her eyes and hearing her voice reach a new high pitch, that for all her strengths... Diamond Tiara was still the same filly that she had always been.


>Well, s-screw those stupid blankflanks! Yeah! I said it! They're blankflanks! They don't even have a cutie mark, how am I supposed to take them seriously!? G-GOOD! It's good they're gone! I'm glad! That's what I wanted, remember!? That's what I tried to do at the start of all this! WELL GOOD! I WIN AND THEY LOST! I won! I got what I wanted and now they can just b-bug off to some snowy wasteland where nobody has to look at their big, black, stupid bug faces anymore!

Her face was growing red with every word, one or two sniffles making their way into her speech.

She shoved her rocket launcher in front of her, focusing all her attention on it.

>I-I've got everything I need from them right here! That's right, it's because of them I've got TBDRLIATU, and he's all I need from them! He's better than any one of them, he'd never leave without saying goodbye! He doesn't need to listen to some stupid, ugly bug monster queen! He's got more bombs than any punches could be worth and he can even do stealth stuff! M-maybe I'll put a cloaking system in him! He'd like that, then I can be stealthy and you know what I can even put some fists on the ends of my rockets so HAH I've got the better punches too I don't need them! I've got all I need right... right...

The sniffling grew louder, and longer, and the red on her face only intensified with the clenching of her teeth.

>I... I...

"Diamond Tiara? Are you... okay?"

>...H-hold him real quick...

"Wha-"

She shoved the rocket launcher in her friends grasp, nearly bowling her over with it's weight.

>A-And don't drop him! You stay right here! Don't you follow me! Either of you! Neither of you follow me, I need to go... go ask how to make him blow up a whole castle if I want to! And maybe I will! I'm DIAMOND TIARA, I can blow up castles if I want!

"DT..."

>YOU STAY PUT! T-THAT'S AN ORDER!

She ran off, so fast that Silver Spoon had no hope of catching up to her with TBDRLIATU'S weight. But when she spotted which way she was running... she knew she didn't need to. Diamond Tiara was heading off to some place that could handle this much, much better than she could even dream of.

The filly ran, and ran, and ran, until at last she reached her destination, a door seemingly like any other that needed to be cast aside as quickly as she could manage.

'Hey Honey Pumpkin, I'm kind of busy right now, can you...'

The sound of the slamming of the door didn't bother Filthy Rich. But the subtle, low sniffles made his ears twitch and swivel on his head, and instantly he was pulled away from the ledgers and loan statements in front of his face.

'...Sweetie?'

He was up in a second when he saw her red, teary eyed face, staring up at him with wide, betrayed looking eyes.

'Diamond Tiara, baby, what's wrong?'

>....T-THEY DIDN'T EVEN SAY GOODBYEEEEEHIHIIIII!

He hugged her, purely on instinct and without a moments thought. He hugged his little girl and just waited while she had herself a nice, hard cry.

>T-THEY DIDN'T EVEN- A-AND AFTER THE- FIRST THEY KICK ME OUT AND THU- AND I REALY NUH-NEEDED- AND THE- THEY'RE JEEEEEERKKS! I-I-WOULD'VE SAID GOODBYE TO THEM! I WOULD S-SO HAVE! NOT LIKE THEM! THEY'RE JERKS! THEY-

She continued to choke, hitting him in his chest with stunningly strong hooves for her side. But no amount of muscle could change what she really was, in reality.

A filly who's friends had just moved away without telling her.

A filly who just wanted to rage and cry at her daddy until it felt all better.

And, of course... no amount of work could ever tear him away from this.

So he would wait without a sound, and he would wait some more... until she got it all out.

>THEY'RE ASSSHOOOOOLLEES!

...Even if he was going to have a serious talk with her about language after this.

>FUCKING ASSSHHOOLLEEESS!

...There was not enough soap in the world.

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NC
>18
"???"
'???'
~~~

You know what 18 loved? Life.

Life is just fucking awesome right now. She's got her Empire, her Shiny gave her a kiss, and everything was just fucking amazing.

So amazing she could not help but skip, that's right, outright SKIP down the streets of the Crystal Empire. She could have very easily just gotten a servant to go get this filled out for her, but you know what? She just outright felt like a billion bits right now, and she was gonna skip.

Skip, skip, skip right down the street. Up and down and up and down, oh what a wonderful day!

>Hey? Shiiiiiny? I was just wondering what this new expense for heating in the Stadium was? I thought we didn't.... need to...

...The eyes...

All of the many... many... many... many eyes.

"HEY 18!"

""""""HEY!""""""

>...what... what are you all doing here?"

"Didn't you hear? We're all living over here now!"

>...A-all of you?

"EVERYBODY!... Cept Fifty Five... and Twelve... and Ten... couple others... But yeah, besides that!"

>...A-a-a-allll of the hive?

"EVERYBODY!"

>...Living... in my... Empire...

"YEP!"

>...

"...Eighteen? You okay-"

>no.

"...Wha-"

>NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-
~~~~~

'Eighteen wake up!'

>GAH! WHAT!?... Oh! Shiny! I just had the most horrible dream!

"Really? What was it about? Tell 16, he's trying to be a therapist. And it is NOT what it sounds like."

>.....NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
~~~~

'EIGHTEEN!'

>GAH!... Shiny! I had the most horrible dream inside of another dream!

'Was it about the changelings moving over here?'

>.....NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-
~~~~~

>GAH!... Shiny! I-

'Still real.'

>NNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
~~~~~

>GAH!

'Oh no! Eighteen, what's the matter?'

>WHERE ARE THE CHANGELINGS!?

'In... Canterlot? Why?'

>OH THANK GOODNESS!

'You shouldn't.'

>...Why?

'Because THIS is the dream.'

>....

~~~~~

>...

'...Go ahead.'

>Thank you.... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

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Non-Canon
>Pinkie
"RD"
~~~~
>Welcome to Not Late Night /pa/ with your host Pinkie Pie! It's during this time that content does matter, but sometimes there are other NC stories anyway. Now for our main guest...RAINBOW DASH!!!
Cheers from the crowd.

"Hey Pinkie."

>Hiya Dash! I'm going to be doing something different tonight. I'm going to get an audience member to ask a question.

"...but they're all cardboa-"
She blinks and there's suddenly an audience member shows up next to her.
"Gah!"

>Yeah they tend to do that. What's your question?
The cardboard raises up a sign that says *censored* her right in the *censored*. They both blink and it's suddenly gone.

"Wha- what was that?"

>It's a good thing that our censors are still working...sadly that's all the time we have folks!

"I didn't even-"

>You should be used to this by now.
RD wakes up to find herself still in a princess meeting. Pinkie waves from her chair.

"...how?"

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>Sombra
"Maud"
~~~~

Sombra made his way through the streets of the Empire, a leather satchel floating along side him. The Inn that the monotone Pie sister was currently staying in was nearby. After a few moments he finally arrived at his destination.

The Gleaming Shard.

Making his way through the door his eyes quickly shifted from left to right and he quickly spotted Maud near the back in a shadowed booth.

Floating his way towards her he made his presence known.

>Ms. Pie.

She looked up at him and nodded softly.

"Sombra, it's nice to see you."

>Indeed its fortunate you are here, I don't think I can waste anymore time than. I'll be blunt, I need your assistance again.

"... Boulder says this is becoming a habit of yours lately. I am here studying the rocks and crystals in the area you know."

>It does appear that way... Ms Pie, and I do know you are a busy mare... but I need you to do something for me."

"...And that would be?"

>I need you to go to a certain location, its remote, but close to the empire. From there I need you to clear away any rubble or debris in the area, prepare the site for the ritual and to assemble the Golem Stones into the shape I need...

"... That is a tall order. I know I can clear the area and assemble the stones. But preparing the site, that sounds like something you should be doing."

>Its nothing that actually requires magic, I just need you to carve in the ritual circle.

"... That doesn't sound to hard... Boulder wants to know how you will be compensating."

>I may have found something else while I was searching for that book. Something you will definitely want to know.

"... We are listening."

>I have found the location of the last one.

Maud's brow furrows a bit in mild confusion before her eyes widen a fraction of an inch.

"... Are you sure Sombra?"

>I am, If you do this for me, I will lead you there myself when you wish to go.

"... Boulder says this is acceptable. I will get to work as soon as I am able."

>Then you will need this.

The leather satchel lands softly in front of the mare and mighty pebble.

>There is a map, and a book with instructions and the Blueprint for my vessel. The stones are ready for transport and can be retrieved at the location specified in the book.

"I will need to send inform my father first, but we will leave as soon as possible."

>Thank you.

As Maud turns her attention towards the contents of the satchel, Sombra for a brief moment flickers out of existence, and he winces in pain his eyes scanning the room to see if anyone had noticed.

Thankfully no one had.

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>SA
"Cadence"
'Chrysalis'
~~~~

"...Is she still sleeping?"

'ZZZZZZzzzzz...'

>You tell me.

"Ohhh, poor thing must be completely tuckered out."

>It is a giant changeling Queen who loves to wreak destruction upon all she surveys, I do not think you should be talking about her like she was our adopted daughter.

"...The daughter who is also a changeling who loves to wreak destruction upon all she sees?"

>Point, but to be fair, she does it more adorably.

"Marchmalleys jamming our doors and locking us into certain rooms is not adorable."

>I disagree.

'ZZZZZZzzz....'

>...Is her shoulder still-

"Yes. She's disguised it, but it looks... painful, to say the least. I managed to get a good look, and it looks like Applejack used a giant magically infused stone segmented hammer while wearing stunningly detailed green armor after her wings had been turned to plants."

>...Oddly specific.

"Just wanted to to give you to proper visuals."

>Still... ouch.

"She says Applejack wasn't aiming for her."

>What the hell was she aiming for? Chitania? Supersized Chitania?

"No, apparently she was after Seven?"

>...Uh, 'fought with Spike and was recently recovering from multiple bullet wounds' Seven? Or some other Seven I am not aware of.

"The former."

>...And Applejack was going to hit him... with enough force to break Chrysalis's chitin... Chrysalis. The one who had a mountain dropped on her and it just pissed her off.

"I guess it's a good thing Chrysalis got in the way?"

>I'd say that's an understatement unless you harbor some sort of deep seated resentment for the guy. And considering the fact he forgave my sorta-little brother after said sorta-brother shot him repeatedly and pulled him out of his funk, I'm going to put doubts on the idea he literally deserved to be painted across the ground and be given the consistency of ground coffee beans.

"She had to have used magic, so it was likely an accident."

>Considering how Applejack is, I'm going to put money on her not actually intending to turn him into changeling pudding, and assume that either she was planning to miss and threaten him, or she saw Chrysalis coming and supercharged it to attack her.

"Or she just can't control her magic very well."

>Pfft, she's been an alicorn for a year and my little sister is one of the, if not the, greatest magic user on the planet, and they're best friends. And, on that note, I should point out the only one who is likely, but not certainly, better than her is Celestia herself, who Applejack is personally working under. I'd think she'd have the basics down by now.

"Point, point... well, I hope Chrysalis won't take too long to recover."

>We can only hope.

'ZZZZZzzzzz....'

>...This is going to be a big change, isn't it?

"Yes, Shiny, it is. But maybe... we can make it work. What better place for a changeling than the land of love?"

>Point very much taken. And hey, I've been willing to give it a shot for a while, no point in backing out now. We can make this work. We just have to really, really try.

"I agree."

>...You did amazingly, you know.

"Oh Shiny..."

>No, I'm serious, you were absolutely stunning as a princess, some of the best I've ever seen.

"S-Shinyyyy, you're going to make me blush."

>I'm really, really proud of you.

"O-ohhh..."

>...I'd kiss you, but obviously-

"Yeah. She's kind of... just in the way, and randomly kicking."

>It's a problem.

"You going to get any work done?"

>Occasionally, she will roll slightly, and I can pull one free.

"Impressive."

>Yeah."

"....Why your desk?"

>Because it's still Chrysalis.

"..."

>...That is my only answer.

"It worries me that I understand it."

'ZZZZZZZzzzzzz....meesuh uh shnny's pahprrrss...'

>...Welcome to your new life, we'll never get rid of her now.

".......Oh dear."

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>Librarian
"???"
'???'
~~~~

>I'm walkin' on SUNSHIIIIINE! WOOOWOWOW! AND DON"T IT FEEL GOOD! Yeah! I'm walkin' on SUUUNSHIIIIIINE! And don't it feel-

*SLAM!*

>...SON OF A FAUSTDAMNED CHEWED UP AND SPIT OUT FETUS BORN FROM THE WHORE IN THE DARKEST PITS OF HELL!

"The fuck are you screaming for? It's a damn library!'

'Ain't she allowed ta' scream? It's her library.'

"It's Canterlots, she just works here."

>WHY ARE YOU FUCKING HERE!?

"Because I want to read. Why the fuck else?"

'You might wanna jus' take a nap, it's normally very quiet.'

>WHAT THE FUCK!?

'Not right now, though.'

>YOU ALL SHOULD BE OUT OF CANTERLOT!

'She's tryin'! But the train ponies keep sayin'-'

>NOT YOU!

"...Hey, dumbass? I'm staying."

>But they're gone! They're all gone! Every fucking one of you goddamn bug monsters is GONE but not you!? Not the utter bane of my existence!?

'She mostly jus' sits in the corner, I don't know what you're gettin' uppity about.'

>THIS JOB WAS SUPPOSED TO BE EASY!

'S'posed ta' be quiet too, I'm betting, but you're really bitchy.'

>Fuck you!

'Fuck you discount daisy!'

>I'm taking this from a whore!?

'You're about to take a hoof scratching out your eyes is what you're about ta' take!

>WHY IS THAT PARTICULAR BUG MONSTER STILL HERE!?

"You keep saying that and it makes no sense. Where did the other 'bug monsters' go?"

>The sun, I fucking hope! But I think they only made it to the Empire!

'...Wait, all the changelings done gone up and went to the sparkly place? All of 'em?'

>Apparently not ALL of them because your fat ass is still here!

"...They're all gone?"

>YES! Run out because the princess finally had enough of your shit, then punched the Queen so hard it scared her off and sent her packing! Didn't even put up a fight!

"...That... is interesting. And disappointing, concerning my 'niece'. Her mother would have been quite ashamed.... but the fact she is gone is quite... interesting."

'Really? Thought ya' be mad.'

"Not at all, not at all... But I think you'll find it'll take more than a punch to be rid of me. More than your entire forces, even. Try that on myself, you will only bring this city to the ground once more."

>...Faust damn it.

"Now, if you do not mind, I have reading to do."

'Ain't ya' gonna ask for more? This is huge, ain't it?'

"I've long since stopped caring about the fate of other hives, thank you. It is of no matter to me."

'Oh... oh, yeah, Ah' guess they didn't really like ya' either, did they?'

"They did not."

'That's a shame...'

"Forget about it. Still so much more work to be done."

'I got my comfy pillow!'

"Congratulations."

>...Faust... damn... it... and what the fuck is a 'discount daisy'!?

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~~~~~~

The double-doors leading into the ballroom were wide open. From a passing glance, she could tell the hinges and handles had been damaged. The cracked stone on the walls told a story of repeated abuse.

Not what she was here for, but she was perceptive like that. She should also stop complimenting herself in her own mindscape. Onwards

>Heeeelllooo~?

Of course there would be no answer to her greeting. They were all gone. She felt neither relief or regret due to that. They were a strange species. And while she had promised Twilight to work on a solution, that point was now more than moot. They were scary, if both Queens were anything to go by. But they were gone for good it seemed.

Trotting across the mess that looked like someone had harbored a whole pack of wild animals in a small room and being careful not to step into anything, she makes her way to the 'drafty corner'.

Not that she knew they had dubbed it that way. It was the drafty corner to them. To her, it was where the secret compartment with her belongings awaited. The one she couldn't access earlier.

A spell matrix of ridiculous complexity only someone with too much time on their hooves and a fetish for elaborate puzzles would conceive later, and the ward was dispelled.

A hasty jump to the left, and the electric bolt only slams into the wall behind her. She was thorough. The fact that the Changelings resided here and never found the cache was proof of that.

Pushing her hoof into black tile fifteen paces from the glass window and two-hundred from the dais for the piano gives her the satisfying sensation of it giving away. The compartment in the floor opens, revealing her hidden belongings.

Them and their mute, magenta-eyed guardian. A regretful sigh escapes her at the sight of her.

>...I am sorry.

Picking up the tiny, crudely made doll of an alabaster alicorn with a yellow sewn-onto crown and magenta button eyes, the mare pressed it to her cheek, cuddling it for a second.

>Sorry for leaving you here. I didn't mean what I said when I locked you in here. I was just... very very mad at you back then. And even now I don't know how you feel about me.

Giving a hasty glance around to make sure she hadn't been seen, she tucks the doll securely into her saddlebags and moves onto the next item.

A blue scarf. She still wasn't sure why she left it here. It had been a gift from mentor to student. It was silken, more for fashion than warmth. But her trip to the Mirror World had given her a new appreciation for clothes, so she wrapped it around her neck for the time being.

Next, a neat, pristine journal, the minor spell that kept its pages safe from natural disaggregation thankfully intact. Her notes on the Elements, the Princess, Magic and the process of ascension... she would need them again some time, no doubt.

It was when she pulled it from the corner of the cubbyhole that she saw it. The glow. An eye-drawing toxic-green glow. She swore it pulsated for a second when light struck it over her shoulder.

It was supposed to be her last end-of-term project. The tie-breaker, should have one of the other fools have proven themselves to be on par with her. Something worthy of someone who would inherit the crown.

Trotting closer, knowing better than to bring magic in touch with magic by using her telekinesis, she tried to understand what she was seeing. Because the artifact no longer looked as it should.

The jagged, sharp crystal was no longer clear and see-through. Instead, the inside was filled with a faint, pinkish glow that seemed to move on its own. But the outside was covered with a moving mass of light that seemingly to try to envelop the crystal, trying to get at what's inside, attracted to the...

~~~~~~

...warmth.

It was foolish to touch it. But it was hers. And if she couldn't control her own creation, no one could.

She couldn't fully remember making the decision to reach out and touch it. She just had.


What greeted her when she touched the crystal close to the pink glow, however, was... warmth. So warm, soft, gentle. Nurturing

She was safe. She was protected. She was loved. She was drifting away, away... away....

~~~~~~

Green. Greenish-black. It was emptiness. It was void of emotion. It consumed the warmth, sucked it away greedily. And she fell away from the comfort, into darkness.

Hissing. Buzzing. Babbling. The flutter of a million tiny wings. The slow breathing of thousands of mouths. The hushed whisper of countless generations. All droning on to a single melody in the background. It was mind-consuming and lulling, it was everything, it was all of them. It was... aware.

...not ponies... not PoniesNOTPONIES!

~~~~~~

BREATHE!

Jolting awake with a start, she finds herself laying on her side. Her left foreleg was still in her muzzle, bleeding where she had bitten it fiercely enough to break the skin.

Her eyes wandered to the crystal. She knew what it contained now thanks to Twilight's explanations, the notes on the Changelings she found in the terminal. She also knew what was trying to get inside.

Realization came, and with it, a manic smile full of bloodied teeth. Her eyes were wide, her magic grasping the item. It wobbled a little, her focus unsteady.

It was power. Hers. It could be hers now. All of it. And they themselves had unintentionally left her with the key to their knowledge.

The gnawing insecurity, the wonder of the first days was gone... she felt superiority once again. Her heart was beating hard in her chest. It felt like that moment when she had first held Twilight's crown.

>...mouthy fatass thinks she's untouchable, huh?

She was on the verge of something great and she laughed sharply. She had missed this feeling.

Narrowing her eyes, she wraps the crystal in her scarf and heads for her room.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

~~~~~~

The door had been locked, and the ward on the outside was a bit stronger than Sunset would have normally liked. Having a mind-affecting area-of-effect enchantment that made ponies remember little things they had forgotten but suddenly felt the urge to take care of first -like polishing their armor, doing the laundry or trying that new ice cream at Starswirl plaza- wasn't exactly the epitome of 'subtle'.

But the amber mare cared little for subtlety right now. What mattered was learning. The problem was that what she was seeing before her was supposed to be impossible according to her knowledge.

The crystal in front of her was one of a kind as far as she was aware. A highly unusual byproduct of the chrysoberyl and sunstone that had once been mined in the mountain Canterlot rested upon. The former was a potent thaumatic absorbent. No biggie.

The latter was conductor that exhibited thumatic radiation whenever raw magic was projected onto it. Well, and it disrupted enchantments. The combination of both, through some freak accident of geomancy, had allowed the raw crystal that would later become this item to grow over whoever-knew how many years.

The common miner would have had no clue what it was but 'pretty'. And the last known expert on crystals had been rumored to be evil and long-gone, along with his Empire. It was stroke of luck that she, of all ponies, had managed to acquire it.

With her knowledge of some of the most invasive scanning spells known to Equestria, which were sadly necessary for something of this magnitude of power, and the proper rituals from the restricted section of the library to contain and channel its properties the way she wanted them to be, she had crafted an actual artifact.

She had dubbed it The Gem of Dreams in a burst of pride upon finishing the arduous task of forging it. She may also have been a little delirious from not sleeping for days and it constantly siphoning her magical reservoirs while she worked on it.


Its function was intended by her to be two-fold. One one hoof, it would sense the presence of a dreaming mind nearby. Due to it being attuned to magic, the more magically potent the dreamer, the more potent the effect. It could capture the dreams of those attuned to it, keeping the positive energy stored.

On the other hoof, it served the purpose of a dreamcatcher, warding off nightmares and their negative influence on the attuned mind by channeling what positive energy it had captured previously.

As both the only dreamwalker in Equestria and the Crystal King had been banished a long time ago, she wasn't exactly sure how it did what it did, only that she made it possible. Such was the curse of being a pioneer in new, experimental magic.

Now, she had tested it of course. It was supposed to show off her ability to come up with and cast her own spells and even discover new forms of weaving magic. So she knew the extent of its abilities quite well. Not to mention that she intended to give it to the princess as a parting gift when she graduated and took over the throne.

Hah. What a pipe dream that turned out to be.

But she knew it could could contain a single, positive dream within its core as it passed through the dreamer's mind. And it would expend this energy fully if they were unwell while in a state of unconsciousness.

But apparently, the gem had managed to siphon a single, potent dream from somewhere during her absence despite her intention for it to remain unmarred in the ballroom.

The dream also felt strange, yet familiar to the unicorn whenever she dared cast a scanning spell over it. It was clearly magical in nature, but beyond her ability to analyze or grasp it. Her first suspicion had been it belonged to an alicorn or someone equally powerful. But as far as she had been told, only Changelings had spent their time sleeping in the ballroom, the occasional drunk noblestallion aside.


What was even more curious was the fact that another 'dream' seems to have attached itself to the surface of the gem, simultaneously attracted and repelled by its power. It slid over its surface like oil on water, never quite touching it. And same as the dream within, it proved near impossible to analyze.

It was an Enigma. One she was determined to solve, but was no less vexing in its complexity and resistance to magical analysis.

Heaving a sigh and taking a break to rub her tired eyes, Sunset realized that night had fallen over Canterlot while she had locked herself in here.

Her eyes wander, and somehow go from the crystal to the small, crudely-made doll of princess, causing her to smile a little.

>You know, princess, this would all be so much easier if you didn't insist on showing me things at the pace you deem comfortable for yourself instead of the pace I learn at.

It was with a near subconscious action that she channeled a fine sliver of magic across the table and into the doll, causing it to spread her tiny, stubby wings and raise her head to look at her.

The voice that came out of her mouth was the gentle, motherly murmur she had come to be reacquainted with recently.

“Now, now, Sunset Shimmer, that is no way to speak to a princess and your teacher.”

There was an air of mirth around the little doll as she gets up and starts moving, the thaumatic focus woven into her chest giving her life, spirit and her unmistakable sense of humor.

“If I recall correctly, you preferred the term 'climate-wrecking, plasma-guzzling fossil'.”

That causes Sunset to giggle in response, recalling the particular instant when she had used that insult.

>In my defense, princess, I was very cross with you and you didn't bother stuffing your face with cake while trying to talk.

Dollestia gestures with her hoof, bending the crudely-made limb in a throw-away gesture, standing proud and tall as much as a being with four unevenly long limbs can.

“Water under the bridge, my dear student, I am sure of it. I never could stay mad at you for long. You are quite sweet at heart, if one can get past the insufferable ego.”

That causes Sunset to actually blush and squirm in hear seat, discomfort evident on her face.

“What's the matter, dear? Did we have a falling out? I am sorry if I put my hoof in my mouth. I am a little unsure of the passing of time. You DO seem a little older than the last time I saw you, and in-between I awoke in a dark, cramped space with the oddest urge to 'Destroy'. Quite a vexing episode, let me tell you.”

The mare just nods in response, then closed her eyes and focused on emphatically sharing her memories through the arcane bond that existed between her and the doll.

It helped matters that the doll was her bonded object, allowing her channel some of her powers through it. The idea of having the princess as her familiar had struck her as incredibly funny when she was but a filly. The result, after some illegal experimentation years later, had been Dollestia.

Having finished skimming the necessary events that had transpired between their parting, dolly-form Celestia has only one thing to say.

“Oh dear.”

>Mmh hmm. It's fine though. I was welcomed back without being punished as much as I feared.

The mare casts her gaze sideways, away from the doll and across her empty room.

>I just wish you hadn't...

Sunset never completed the sentence, but part of Celestia's experience still was Dollestia's, so she knew what was on her student's mind foremost when she said that.

“You feel like I gave up on you.”

The amber unicorn can only nod solemnly.

>Yeah.

“Hmmm. I do believe Me and Me need to have a serious talk about that. I was under the impression I understood myself. I stand corrected!”

>Iiiiii would rather not have the princess realize I used the Dream Gem to capture part of her immortal essence in order to create a life-like doll to keep me company when I am lonely.

Dollestia would have scrunched up her muzzle, if her simplified features had been able to do so.

>It doesn't help that I likely shaped your personality and responses to an idealized version that I have of you somewhere in the process.

“You still haven't told me, have you?”

And there Sunset's face go from amber to a tomato-red, her entire body tensing, eyes wide and mouth agape.

>I-I-I d-do-don't know wh-what y-you are implying!

The soft, elegant titter of the doll princess breaks whatever tension Sunset felt moments ago, and she slumps, her head smacking onto the table, glaring sideways at the doll.

>You are terrible.

Moving forwards, the doll pats the sewn-on golden horseshoe onto Sunset's head in a gentle, reassuring manner.

“As you very much enjoy to let me know whenever you see me. It just wouldn't be the same without somepony telling me how terrible I am every day.”

A moment of comfortable silence passes, the thoughts, ideas and concepts in Sunset's head finally settling down and allowing her to think clearly. Her doll chose that moment to boop her on the nose, causing Sunset to cross her eyes.

“Just realize that to a degree, I am also you. I am telling you things you want to hear. As such, I suggest you do not fret over my response forever, my dear student. I may be immortal, but you...”

And that brought a sobering, sour tone to the moment they were having.

“...are not.”

Sunset blamed Celestia.

Pulling her head back, Sunset gestures at the gem contained within the small, coal-drawn warding circle she had improvised upon her table

>I may have to contradict you on that. I am on the verge of unlocking a whole new world of knowledge. The problem is, I have no idea what it is or how to access it yet.

The calmly floating pink residue of power within was still contained, while the slithering, blackish-green still tried to reach it by moving across the closest surface.

>I am about to figure out a question no one has posed so far. And one that could give me the ability to be closer to you. As your equal, not as a lesser.

The little doll once again found herself unable to make her disapproval known through her facial expression, and instead stands in silence as Sunset leans close, a smirk on her muzzle.

>Of what do Changeling Queens dream?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NC
~~~~~~

Once upon a time... in the magical land of Equestria,
there were two regal royals who ruled in joint idiocy
and created unintentional Chaos for all the land.

To do this, the Alicorn used her inquisitiveness to drive the princesses insane.
The Queen brought out her subjects to piss off everyone else.

Thus, the two idiots maintained amusing shenanigans for all the kingdom
and their subjects, all the different types of ponies and changelings.

But as time went on, the Changeling Queen became sad.

The ponies relished and played in Canterlot the Alicorn protected,
but they shunned and distrusted her beautiful Hive.

One fateful day, the Queen implied she was about to do something evil.

The alicorn didn't try to reason with her because the bitterness in her heart
transformed her into a blockheaded mare of stubborness.

She vowed that she would stop the Queen from hurting her own subjects.
Reluctantly, the Queen jumped into the way of a punch that would have pasted one of her subjects!

Using the magic of 'being a total quitter', she left Canterlot as if banished to the Empire.

The Alicorn took on responsibility for her mistakes
AND PROCEEDED TO KICK CHRYSALIS ASS ALL THE WAY BACK TO EQUESTRIA.

And the tradition of kicking each others ass has been maintained for generations since.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NC

>I wonder what changeling queens dream about...

"Iffin its Chrysalis its mostly insanity or her fuckin' around with Luna on account of her easily detecting and repellin' mind stuff, and Chitania apparently spends most o' her dreams fight n' shit until she dies. Both of 'em can tell that stuff, by the way, really easily even against the mare whose whole thing is dreamwalkin'

>Oh, well, thank goodness you stopped me and nothing bad happened.

*chuck*

>that was fun. Wanna go pester someone with a question?

"Always."

...yeah, not very exciting...

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NC

>I AM UNTO YOU, A GOOOOODDDD!

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH SUNSET!? She's actin' all megalomaniacal and crazy! And she seems really intent on watching Shiny get punched and hurt for some reason!"

'...Oh, wait, shit.'

"WHAT DID YOU DO!?"

'Uhhhh... remember how I like left after a couple months in the ballroom? Well... been a while since I found one of you...'traps'.'

"WHAT TRAPS!?"

'I'm guessing it wasn't yours, is the point. Point is, it was supposed to drive Celly mad so I could force everyone to obey me in order to save them from the mare I could obviously beat.'

"..."

'...Pre-character development me was scary.

>ALL SHALL LOOK UPON ME AND DESPAIR!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NC

>IN PLACE OF A DARK LORD YOU WOULD HAVE A QUEEN! NOT DARK! BUT BEAUTIFUL AND TERRIBLE AS THE DAWN!

'Shit, she's really been into my fantasy DVD stash hasn't she?'

>AS TREACHEROUS AS THE SEA! STRONGER THAN THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE EARTH!

"Yeah, she's tripping balls on power."

>ALL SHALL LOVE ME AND DESPAIR!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 >SA
"???"
'???'
~~

>...I hear the thumping... and I sense the approach... in three... two... one...

SLAM!

"WHAT THE FUCK!?"

>...Oh, hey, you're not who I expected. What'cha need, Spitfire?

"Since when is our stadium full of changelings!?"

>Siiiince this morning.

"...Oh, okay. Just wanted to make sure they were supposed to be here."

>You seem unbothered.

"Yeah, well... kind of don't have a lot of room to talk about fucking up."

>At least you're honest with yourself, first step towards recovery.

"Just, uh... where am I supposed to train these guys now?"

>...The... the airfield. Why were you in the stadium? What... what possible military advantage could be served by having our airforce in the middle of a mostly sound resistant, bowl like structure that prevents you from seeing outside into the open air? That's just not militarily sound.

"...We have an airfield!? WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME!?"

>How can you miss it? It's next to the barracks.

"Wait...The garden?"

>Garden? Why would there be a garden next to...

"..."

>...oh.

"I'll get some clippers."

>Cool. That it?

"I guess. So, just be nice to the changelings?"

>Treat them like you would any other pony. Good and bad parts.

"Cool... cool..."

>...That it?

"Guess so."

>Great. How are things coming along with the training.

"..."

>Ah.

"Was a LOT easier back in the early days."

>You sure complained a whole lot for that to be true.

"I, apparently, knew nothing of real suffering."

>Awww, want to do the movie thing?

"Don't think your wife would like that... though I admit, since you did have two dates-"

>Not 'the movie thing', the movie thing.

"Ohhhh... really?"

>I could use a bit of a break.

"...I'll think about it after I'm done for the day, thanks."

>No problem. Glad to have you back, Spitter.

"Ugh, still?"

>Never going to let it go.

"...So about that queen changeling-"

'ZZZZZzzzzz...'

>She's fine.

"...Alright then."

>You're gonna fit in juuuust fine.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 >AJ
"Fluttershy"
'Spike'
~~~

>...
"...."
>...
"..."
>...
"..."
>...

'I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!'

With that, the dragon ran towards the door, pulling futilely on the knob to get it to open, anything to take him away from the mare with her snout pointed straight down at some paperwork and the other one locked onto her with a blank gaze.

>Will ya' cut it out?

'NO! She's gonna blow and take us all with it! I'm not sticking around for that, no ma'am! I'm not getting turned into a handbag made of taffy or something!'

>She ain't gonna zap ya'.

At that moment, the pen on Applejack's desk sprang to life, growing arms and legs, and began tapdancing on her paperwork.

>...

SMACK!

She quietly picked up the now dead pen, and continued writing.

'LET ME OUT!'

>Spike.

'SHE'S GONNA POP ANY MINUTE!'

>Spike!

'GAME OVER MARE, GAME OVER!'

>SPIKE!

;...;

>...Feel like turnin' it to the left, maybe?

'...'

Click.

'...I see...'

>...

'...NEH!'

In a flash of purple he was gone.

>...So, ya' gonna rail on me too?

She didn't react visibly. She just continued to stare, and stare.

"I'm not going to be mad at you."

>Then jus' say what yer' gonna say.

"...Bad Applejack."

With that whisper quiet declaration said, she popped out of existence, leaving behind a string of flowers in her wake.

>...Ouch...

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________