‘Secrets and Alicorns. They are as intertwined as time and space. Alicorns carry secrets as both a burden and a blessing. They are immortal and yet so very fragile. Alicorns may seem to be perfect but if there is one thing that can break them, it is the secrets that they carry. These secrets would break them more than most would have thought possible. There are even secrets the Alicorns keep from themselves, and once they find those secrets... Not even those closest to these immortal beings can hide them forever.’ Harmony, Wife of Time, Mother of Hate, Chaos, Day, Night, and Love. 140 B.N.
~~~~
It truly was a beautiful day in Canterlot. There had been forecast of a slightly cloudy afternoon with a small breeze planned by the Head Pegasus of the Canterlot Weather Department, and yet Princess Celestia couldn’t enjoy it.
She sighed to herself. “For the last time. I can not, in good morals, allow you to take a platoon of Guards to seek out and kill any Changelings you find. They have just as much the right to a life as anypony.” Surely, her ponies could understand that death was not an option? It would never an option as long as she could find a little bit of good in a pony.
The stallion frowned in protest. “But Princess, they invaded and attacked the Capital for no good reason! They must be stopped in their tracks before they can make another attempt!” He stopped his hoof down to prove his point, though it only got him the Princess’s ire.
Princess Celestia frowned at the lime green stallion standing before her. It was the frown of a disappointed mother. A mother nopony wanted to upset. “That is enough, Mint Green. I am tired of you coming here every week, trying to find a way to commit mass genocide. Because that is exactly what you want, isn’t it?”
Mint Green cowered in place as she scolded him, but nodded his head slightly in response to the question.
Princess Celestia glanced across the Throne Room trying to gauge the ponies’ reactions and expressions. The sunlight reflecting onto the white pillars scattered around the room, allowing her to see everypony there. They were all looking at her. The next words she spoke were carefully chosen. She didn’t want anypony to get the wrong idea.
“How would any of you like it if your family were to go hungry, for even a single night? Well, the Changelings went hungry more than just one night. The Changelings can eat normal food, but it does nothing for them. They can’t live off of it. It does not give them the nutrients they need, nor does it stave off the hunger. They feed off of love because they don’t have a choice, not because they want to. If they came here then it was out of desperation, and I am most disappointed that any of my ponies would even think about murdering another living creature, let alone wipe out a whole species.” Her words were spoken with a subtle anger as her words sank in, leaving no doubt that she had given them something to think about. “Day Court is now over. You may leave.”
Celestia waited until everypony except the stationed Guards had left the room before she let out a tired sigh. A Guard looked in her direction but she didn’t notice. Why couldn’t they see that Changelings weren’t evil? For as long as she had ruled, Celestia never thought that her ponies could be capable of such close mindedness. Maybe she should send another letter to the Changelings?
Celestia shook her head, rejecting the idea immediately. Not only wouldn’t it change the minds of her ponies, but it would make her look weak and desperate in the eyes of the other nations. She wanted peace more than anything but sometimes it just wasn’t an option. Sometimes she had to sit back and wait. Other times she would have to retaliate. It was all a matter of politics in the end.
Celestia growled out her frustrations, earning several looks from the Guards. It always came down to politics in the end. Politics were nothing more than backstabbing and empty promises. Sure there was something to gain from it sometimes but she hated the games that came with it. Dancing around a certain subject or two for the sake of earning a pony’s hoof in a matter, and glossing over another to make somepony think it was a good idea to begin with.
“Princess, is something the matter?” Celestia looked up to see a few Guards looking at her with a worried look on their faces and realized that she had been subconsciously crushing her throne as there was now a small crack running from where her hoof had been.
She berated herself silently for losing it so easily. “No, nothing is wrong. Please go back to your posts. I shall be retiring to my Chambers for the duration of the day.” She replied, her ever calm voice assuring that she was fine.
“Yes, Princess.” They said, saluting her and returning back to their original posts.
Celestia closed her eyes softly and casted a teleportation spell, bringing her to her personal chambers. She smiled as she saw her simple room. Her red curtains were drawn apart letting in the evening sunlight shine on her bed of white and gold colored sheets. The floor was a light shade of yellow whilst a white couch sat in a corner with a small oak table next to it. Sure the bed was big enough to fit three or four ponies. Though that was mainly due to the maker of the bed wanting her to feel comfortable. She didn’t have the heart to say no to the poor stallion, as he had worked two days straight on it.
Celestia trotted over to her bed and let herself fall onto it sideways, her exhaustion from the day finally catching up to her. “What I wouldn’t give to just have you once again, Chryssie. I miss you so much right now.” She whispered out into the silent room.
Celestia’s thoughts turned back to the day of her youngest sister’s wedding. The day Chrysalis showed up once again. Celestia had thought everything was perfect for Cadence, at least from her point of view. She even had Shining Armor send invitations to Twilight and her friends. It would have been wonderful for his sister show up for it, and Twilight would have been able to see Cadence again. She knew they loved each other like sisters.
Celestia had even made sure that Cadence’s favorite DJ was there (much to the dismay of the Nobles) and had made sure the wedding cake was perfect... though she had to be shooed out of the Kitchens after she had been caught tasting it. The Sun had been at just the right height and color for the wedding too. If it hadn’t been for Twilight realizing that something was off about Cadence, then the whole thing might have been ruined by the Queen of the Changelings, Queen Chrysalis. Better known to Celestia as Chryssie, her eldest sibling.
For reasons unbeknownst to anypony other than Chrysalis herself, she had ran off, leaving Celestia in tears with only a note saying her goodbyes. Luna had been barely old enough to walk, let alone remember the Changeling Queen, though Celestia had told her all about their eldest sister. Cadence had only just been born and Discord ruled the lands of Equestria in harmony. He had been doing well until he lost it to his darker half, Chaos. This had been about seven hundred years later and by then, Celestia and Luna had to use their Mother’s artifacts against the Chaos God. Luna had taken it harder than anypony else, being closer to him than any of the others.
Then a hundred years later, Luna had succumbed to her darker half. Becoming Nightmare Moon out of jealousy and rage. Being unable to believe that the citizens of Equestria did not appreciate her beautiful star filled nights,whilst praising her elder sister for her sunny days. This gave Celestia no other choice than to use the Elements of Harmony against her very own sister. What she didn’t know was that they couldn’t be used properly with just one pony. This miscalculation ended up banishing Luna to the Moon. Not a moment later, her mother showed up bringing a fury unlike any the world had seen. In her blind rage at the lose of a daughter she had nearly killed Celestia. If it hadn’t been for the fact that Cadence had been there to tend to Celestia’s more serious injuries, the Solar Monarch would have bled out. Somehow, the young pink Alicorn managed to stop their Mother’s rampage, allowing Cadence to treat Celestia.
Now, nearly a thousand years later, Luna was brought back to her and Discord was somewhat reformed. But despite all of this, she now knew that her little ponies wanted Chrysalis, her favorite Sister, dead. Celestia couldn’t hold her emotions back anymore and felt tears slide down her face, the salty liquid managing to make it’s way down to where she could taste it.
“Why? Why must time be so cruel to us?” She quietly sobbed to herself. “What have we done to deserve this abuse, this heartache? Chryssie... Why did you leave me? Did you not care for me anymore?” Her cries went unheard as the tears fell more and more. Or so she thought.
She didn’t hear the door to her room open and shut as a pony trotted into her chambers. “Tia? Are you okay?”
Celestia gasped as she sat up, wiping away the tears. “I-I’m fine, Luna.” She lied, Luna still seeing the red puffiness in her older sister’s eyes.
“Tia, you’ve been crying again.” The blue Alicorn looked at her older sister with pain filled eyes. “This isn’t about Chrysalis again, is it?”
Celestia looked down with regret. “I just want her back, Luna. I want to hold her tight and never let go again. I want our oldest sister back.” She felt the tears falling again but was still beyond caring about them. “Why can’t she come back? Why...” She trailed off into a whisper, the regalia in her voice completely gone.
“Tia...” Luna trotted up to her older sister and climbed into the bed, pulling her into a hug with a big blue wing. “I miss her too, Sister. I may not know or remember as much about her as you but I still miss her.” She replied with a whisper of her own, nuzzling against Celestia’s cheek.
They stayed like this for hours, Luna laying beside Celestia until the older of the two fell asleep. Luna looked up and noted that the Sun would need to be set soon. She looked back down at the sleeping Princess next to her and lightly nuzzled her again. “Good night, Tia. I’ll watch your dreams for you.” All she got was a small grumble, making her quietly giggle to herself.
Luna got up as quietly as she could, using a nearby blanket to cover her older sister as a warmth replacement. She then crept to the bedroom door and walked out, trying to close it as quietly as she could. While she did this Luna noticed the two Guards stationed near the door looking at her expectantly. “Princess Celestia is to remain undisturbed for the remainder of the night, am I understood?” She got two salutes in response, much to her satisfaction.
The Night Princess walked briskly down the hall towards the place she hated the most. The Throne Room. It had to be the worst place for Luna in the whole castle and it was all because of one simple fact.
It was boring. Nopony ever visited her during Night Court, yet she had a duty as Princess to be there anyways. It was completely foolish to be in a place where nopony ever showed up, but she would uphold her responsibilities. Unless Cadence showed up. Then she could be persuaded to leave for... a bit.
Luna giggled at her own thoughts. After all, maybe Cadence ‘would’ show up. She loved it when her favorite ‘sister’ came for a visit. Everypony always thought that Cadence was Celestia’s and Luna’s niece but that wasn’t true. No, Cadence was their sister no matter how much everypony else tried to deny the truth. Their very cute and wonderful sister, that is.
Luna giggled again, earning some knowing looks from the Guards and making herself blush at just how much they knew. It wasn’t her fault Cadence liked to make a show of their... relationship. Even if she was married to the Captain of the Royal Guard. If Luna had her way then Cadence and Captain Shining Armor would both be married to her. Unfortunately, many ponies frowned at intermarriage ceremonies.
That thought made her frown as she sat down on the throne. Why did it matter to the other ponies who she married? It’s not like that stopped siblings from rutting in their bedrooms every night. Even in her little ponies’ dreams, Luna was able to see a sibling or two going at it. It was a reason why she never questioned why Celestia missed Chrysalis so much, because love was love, even if you loved your own sister more than any pony thought was right.
Luna sighed in disappointment. From what Celestia had told her, Chrysalis would only have attacked Canterlot in desperation. Though there were a few things off on how it was executed, it had still been in desperation. She had to feed her subjects somehow, right?
She shook her head free of anymore thoughts on the subject. Right now she was on the job. There was no point in thinking about something that couldn’t be changed. It didn’t matter what Chrysalis’ motives had been.
Taking out a scroll, Luna looked down at her schedule. To most this might seem a bit odd that a princess would have to do such things for herself, but for Luna it was normal. She had yet to ask her sister for a personal attendant and was quite reluctant to do so, seeing as how the public eye still viewed her.
Even after a few years, Luna still saw fear in the ponies’ eyes. She knew not all of them felt the same but, that one emotion, that one hesitance...
It saddened her.
She could, at least in that regard, sympathize with the Changeling race. To be feared by so many...
Luna sighed as she gazed towards one of the few windows in the room that did not have a picture of some sort. She disliked thinking this way. It led to things she could not afford to ponder on. Things that might lead to... Her.
Luna scowled slightly as she turned to look at yet another window, this one holding a picture of the six ponies that were vanquishing a darkness that she wanted no part in. No, Luna had not wanted eternal night. She did.
What most ponies failed to understand was that Nightmare Moon and Luna were not entirely the same pony. Yes, they shared the same body and mind, and she was partially to blame for what had happened so long ago. But she was also not the one who had fought her sister and tried to shroud the land of Equestria in eternal darkness.
No, that fell onto Nightmare’s wings. That was something that should weigh on her mind. Unfortunately, it did not. The Night Tyrant didn’t care; Not even in the slightest. All she cared about was the fact that she had made Luna’s life even more miserable. Even now, Luna could tell that Nightmare was still there in the back of her mind, much like Celestia had Solar Flare.
It was funny in a way, how while Luna’s darker half tries to take over every chance she gets, Celestia’s never once showed herself. The only reason Luna even knew about it was because they all had a darker side. Celestia, Luna, and even Discord. As far as Luna knew, Cadence may very well have one and she suspected Chrysalis did too. To think they were alike in so many ways.
It was a scary thought really. At any moment, any one of them could release their other side and ruin the hard work that had taken so long to create.
“Pardon the intrusion, your Majesty.” Luna looked down in front of her in surprise, seeing a lone Guard kneeling before her.
“Rise, Our little pony.” She said, reverting back to the old way of speaking. “What news dost Thou have for Us.” She asked, curious to know what would bring a Guard to come to her.
The golden armoured pony saluted as he spoke, his voice ringing out in the echo inducing throne room. “It’s concerning the messenger Princess Celestia sent to the Changeling Queen.”
Author's Note
As always, I would appreciate any feedback you, my readers, have for me. Be they negative or otherwise. Thank you in advance if you do.
Lament of a Changeling Queen
“Nnnng...” Celestia hesitantly opened her soft magenta eyes, still not wanting to face anymore challenges that the day had to offer. Looking past the flowing mane that was in her field of vision, she quickly noted that the Sun was already down.
Instantly, the solar princess bolted up, completely aware that only three other besides herself could actually move the Sun. Looking at the clock that her assistant insisted was needed, she noticed that it was around six in the morning.
‘I nearly over slept!’ Celestia jumped up and started to panic as she made her way out of bed when she heard her door opening, the sound startling her and making her lose her balance.
“Who-oa!” She landed on the floor with a thud, her rounded rear sticking in the air as she tried to reorient herself.
“Tia?” A familiar female voice rang through the room, concern laced in it as the sound of hooves quickly followed. “Are you alright, Sister?”
Celestia grumbled under her breath as she righted herself, looking to the pony who had so easily scared her. “Luna?” She asked, rubbing her head with a hoof as she tried to assess the damage of her head and pride.
Luna raised an eyebrow and gave Celestia a small smirk. “I see the fall hasn’t prevented you from recognizing your sister.” She teased as she trotted up to her older sister to give her a warm hug.
Celestia snorted, more amused than annoyed at the little quip. “Good morning to you too, Lu-lu.” She replied, embracing the hug with one of her own, a wing wrapping around the younger alicorn.
Taking this moment, Luna looked up into her sister’s eyes. “How are you from... You know.” She motioned to the bed, trying to get Celestia to understand what she meant.
Sighing, Celestia slowly broke of the hug as she glanced back, her head hanging in shame. “I’m better, but...” She glanced from the floor to Luna. “I can’t keep thinking that she might just come back. I know that isn’t how things work, but I...” She sighed again, though this time she gave Luna a smirk. “I need to act more like you, Luna. Perhaps then I can stop longing for a fantasy that may never happen.”
Luna gave her an empathetic look but then, as if remembering something, let it drop. “Alright, Sister. If that is truly what you think... I suppose it would be for the best.” She replied, her tone saddened slightly.
She gazed out the window as if contemplating something, and let out a breath of her own, knowing she would need to get this over with sooner or later. “I fear I have a some troublesome news for you, Sister.” She finally said after a few seconds of silence.
Looking at Celestia, the moon princess took note of the worried look on her sister’s face and mentally cringed. This would be tough on her for sure.
~~~~~
“Chryssie? Why are we doing this again?” Tia asked, a tuft of her pink mane threatening to cover her large magenta eyes as she gazed at her older sister.
Chrysalis looked down at her younger sister, away from the fridge that held all of the food. “Have you seen how big Mommy has gotten? It can’t be healthy for her, especially if she’s going to have another foal soon.” She replied, tossing the spicy cheese out.
Tia gave her sister a look of awe. She was always so smart, though she was sure they shouldn’t be doing this. “But, Mommy likes that stuff.” She retorted, pointing a hoof at the small jar of sour pickles.
Chrysalis smiled at her sister, laughing at how naive she was. “Mommy only says she likes things so we will eat them. It’s how all parents are.” She replied, obviously knowing more about grown-ups than her adorable little sister.
Tia’s eyes widened at the revelation. “She wouldn’t lie to us, would she?” She hoped not. Mommy was always so kind to them and said that lying was bad.
“Girls? What are you doing in here?” A female voice called out. The two young siblings turned to the door to see a rather large Alicorn waddle in, small pants being heard from the mare as she got to the fridge.
Celestia smiled widely, hopping around. “We’re helping you, Mommy!” She replied enthusiastically, her pink mane bouncing around as she jumped up and down. “Isn’t that great?”
Their mother couldn’t help but smile in amusement at their antics. “As happy I am that you want to help, I doubt throwing out all of our food will do much.” She scolded lightly. Her kind sea blue eyes gleaming as she gazed at her children. She was so very proud of her children. Even at such a young age, they were trying their very best to help others.
“But we don’t want you to get fat, Mommy.” Chrysalis pointed out, their mother’s white fur covered stomach already looking bigger than it had a moment ago.
Giving her daughter a mock look of indignation, she faked a gasp. “I’m not getting fat, am I? Though, I suppose having this kind of surprise in store for my children would make me need to make a few sacrifices.” She replied, a slight smile appearing on her face. “Though, that does force me to ask another question.”
Chrysalis and Tia glanced at each other then back at their mother, watching as her flowing light brown mane tinted itself with yellow and red hues. The latter of the fillies speaking up after only a second of impatient waiting. “What question, Mommy?”
Their mother laughed lightly, her voice giving her children a smile at the comforting sound. Turning to Chrysalis, she spoke up.
“My Queen, we have urgent news!”
~~~~
Chrysalis’ emerald green eyes shot open at the sudden call, waking her from the reoccurring dream. She sighed to herself. She had been having the exact same dream for a while now and couldn’t figure out why. Why was she being haunted by her past? Was that what was even happening? As crazy as it seemed, she couldn’t keep herself from believing she was closer to the truth than she wanted to.
A small cough dragged the Changeling Queen from her thoughts, bringing her once more to reality. With a quick look around the room, Chrysalis deduced that she was currently sitting on her throne, in the dark no less. With an irritated click of her tongue, she lit her horn and brought the entire room to light.
In a flash, the room was showered with light, revealing the huge room. The walls were black, their surface all but unmarked as they appeared as mirrors that seemed to soak in most of the light the enchanted emeralds gave, granting the entire room a soft green glow. All across the room were several support pillars made out of jet black marble. Each pillar containing multiple large emeralds which vaguely illuminated a venomous green, giving even more of a mysterious fybe to the court chambers. The floor tiles were of a similar color as the walls, though only around the Queen’s throne were they embedded with small empathy crystals. These glowing stones changed colors depending on the most dominant emotion in the room. Currently orange-yellow, telling the small drone that his queen was quite annoyed to be disturbed by a mere drone.
“What is it?” She asked, her voice showing that she did not like the rude wake up call.
The Changeling bowed to his Queen and spoke up, trying to ignore the irritation in her voice. “My Queen, we have some news you might want to hear. it’s about the Sun Princess.”
Chrysalis’ eyes widened, forcing the empathy crystals to shift to teal, but she quickly reigned in her emotions. She was a queen and as such must never show any sign of weakness. “What news do you have of her?” She asked, her curiosity still showing through, making the gems shift slowly to a more purple tone.
The Drone cleared his throat, slightly confused about the news he had to give. “The spies you requested at the outposts reported that she denied a search and destroy group against us and also reported that a messenger was sent to contact us about a week ago, though noling has been able to find out where this pony is.”
Chrysalis looked at the Changeling in surprise. Having been taken back by the news, the gems around her surged back to teal. She frowned as she looking at the ground in thought. What was Celestia trying to do? Surely, her sister must hate her, right? The Changeling Queen was quite certain that nopony could still love her after what she had done.
She just couldn’t believe what was going through Celestia’s mind. After all she had done... Chrysalis blinked back to reality and gave the Drone a hard gaze. “I want you to find that messenger. He or she is to remain unharmed if you find them as such. Do not disappoint me.”
The Changeling bowed again. “Yes, my Queen.” He responded, quickly going about his orders. Watching the Changeling leave, Chrysalis drifted back to the past. Her mind was once again, weary from events that were out of her control. In times such as these...
What was a regretful Queen to do?
~~~~
Celestia frowned as she fought a desperate battle against her mind to keep her emotions in check. This couldn’t be true, could it? “Are you certain, Luna?” She asked, looking at her sister with dying hope. She couldn’t believe what she had heard. Why would anypony do that? While it’s true that the past repeats itself, she still thought she had more time.
Luna only nodded her head, her own mind trying to find some way to fix this before things could escalate any further. “Sister... What are we going to do? We can’t just let them get away with this. Bl-” She was stopped from finishing the sentence by Celestia’s hoof.
“Do not worry, Luna. I can handle this. It’s not the first time something like this has happened. Though, I believe it’s about time to answer some questions that we haven’t been asked in over a thousand years.”
Luna gave Celestia a look of shock. “Celestia, you don’t mean...”
“I do, Sister. It’s time we told them.” Celestia sighed as she sat on her bed, her head hanging down in defeat. “I had hoped to have at least gotten everything settled before digging through the graves of our past. I did not think our hooves would have been forced to do so early.”
Luna too, lowered her head, the stars in her mane dimming for a second before brightening once more as she remembered something. “Sister, while I was looking through the dreamscape... I found something.”
Celestia blinked as she looked up at Luna, straight into her teal eyes. “What do you mean? What did you find?” She hoped it wasn’t even more bad news. Bad news was the last thing she wanted to hear right now. Not with what was going on right now.
Luna shifted her eyes away from Celestia’s before looking back again. “I think I found...”
