Deceit
A MLP: FIM Fan Fiction
By Wanderer D
Celestia stood next to her sister as they both observed the Night Guard prepare the royal chariot for a trip.
“Of course, sister,” Luna answered, her gaze turning from the chariot towards Celestia. “It is but a simple diplomatic visit to the Minotaur Kingdom. Nothing to fret about.”
“That is true,” Celestia sighed. “I’m sorry Luna, I know I was the one to ask you to represent Equestria in the first place and you have my utter confidence, I am merely asking to know your feelings about this.”
Luna nodded and smiled. “I know, and I can tell you again: I will be fine. Although I haven’t been in contact with the Minotaurs since I returned, I have familiarized myself again with their customs, and very little has changed. I shall have this whole matter fixed within two days.”
“For my part, I have a small situation I should turn my attention to,” Celestia said, sighing.
“I do not know, sister,” Luna said after a moment. “Prince Blueblood has been pushing the nobility very far this time. Soon they will-”
“Don’t worry, Luna, I have dealt with their ilk for long enough to know how to best handle this situation. I have had my doubts about Blueblood for a while now…” she hesitated.
“What do you mean, sister?” Luna asked, curiosity piqued.
“I’m sure it’s nothing, Luna, don’t worry about it,” Celestia insisted. “Tonight, Blueblood intends to meet with various nobles. I might have to attend.”
Luna chuckled. “I still do not understand why you let them feel they have any choice in the matter. We both know, and surely they must as well, that without us, the world would be destroyed. There would be no seasons, or cooling nights. Surely, sister, they can see this.”
Celestia chuckled. “Oh, Luna, if noble ponies were as smart as you think they are…”
Luna snorted as she turned towards her chariot. “I have no illusions about their mental capacity. This game of houses they constantly play is nothing more than an amateurish attempt at chess on a bigger scale, except that they cannot even see the board.”
Celestia’s smile was serene. “I cannot argue with that logic, my dear Luna.”
The dark alicorn stepped up to her sister and nuzzled her affectionately. “Farewell, my sister,” Luna whispered. “I shall see you soon.”
“You’ll be missed, Luna, even if it is a short absence.”
Celestia stepped back as the chariot took off, watching as her sister became smaller and smaller in the distance.
The careful clopping of measured steps alerted her to her visitor’s presence. “Hidden Tale,” Celestia nodded to the unassuming, brown-coated earth pony that had walked up to her. “You bring news?”
“Your majesty,” Hidden Tale’s emerald eyes looked straight at hers. “I do, it was as you suspected; I have found-“
“Highness, Hidden Tale, I’m not a Queen.” Celestia interrupted.
The pony permitted himself a small smile. “Your highness, I have found Bluebloods documents, his location… I know where the Blueblood Revolution’s not-so-secret meeting will take place tonight.”
“Good,” Celestia replied, starting to walk back into the castle. “There’s little time to prepare, are you ready?”
“My Queen I-” Hidden Tale stopped when Celestia gave him a look. “My Princess,” he corrected, clearing his throat. “I am always ready to serve you.”
Celestia chuckled. “How long have you been in my service, Hidden Tale?”
The pony looked around, his eyes settling on the guards. He judged the distance before muttering something. Celestia clearly heard him since her smile grew.
“And in all that time, you haven’t stopped calling me ‘Queen.’” She shook her head in amusement.
“Force of habit, my Q-Princess,” he replied, correcting himself. “I never slip up like this when on a mission…” he muttered louder than before. “I don’t know why I cannot make the distinction as easily when I am alone with you.”
“It’s okay, Hidden Tale,” Celestia said kindly. “I know why you have that need, and, for what it’s worth, I am honored and delighted by those cute slip-ups of yours.”
Hidden Tale smiled and nodded in silent thanks.
“What, no blush?” Celestia poked him on the ribs. “I usually get at least some pink on my guard’s cheeks if I compliment them in some way.”
“My… Princess, my Queen…” Hidden Tale shook his head. “Your words mean much more to me than a simple blush could ever reveal… but, if you want me to, I can-”
“I’m just teasing you, Hidden Tale, there is no need for that.” Celestia shook her head in amusement.
The earth pony sighed. “I just don’t want to fail you again, Princess.”
Celestia blinked. “When have you failed me, Hidden Tale? As far as I can remember since you entered my service, you have not failed me once.”
Hidden Tale shook his head. “When Queen Chrysalis attacked… I should have been here, I should have figured out what was happening, what her plan was I-”
“You couldn’t have known,” Celestia interrupted. “The only way to know was to be part of it, and only her changelings were in on it. As it was, it was impressive that you managed to find out that there was going to be an attack at all. Hadn’t you sent us warning, Shining Armor wouldn’t have had time to raise his shield and slow the changelings down, nor would the guards had been on alert.”
“For all the good that did to us,” Hidden Tale muttered. “He ended up exhausted from that, and you were almost killed.”
Celestia laughed. “Oh, Hidden Tale, you know it would have been okay. It was a matter of time before Luna brought the night and after spending so much energy on me, Chrysalis would not have had time to recuperate enough to defeat her as well.”
“If you will forgive me, my Queen, I still see it as a failure,” Hidden Tale stated. Before she could speak up again, he continued, “I know my part in tonight’s intervention,” he said, changing the topic and looking up at Celestia. “I must ask you, my Qu- my Princess, is this for the best?”
“You have told me on occasion that you need a team,” Celestia said. “I think, solving tonight’s problem will be the first step to take. I have prepared a dossier for you to peruse after tonight’s mission.”
“But-”
“Hidden Tale,” Celestia raised a hoof. “Trust me.”
The earth pony closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. “With my soul and life, my Queen.”
Celestia chuckled and shook her head. “Princess,” she corrected gently.
o.0.o
The venue was Pouty Coin’s manor, just outside of Canterlot, where the Coins had bought several acres to create their residence and claim a spot among the most influential families in the Canterlot Nobility.
The garden overlooking the vast vineyards had been decorated appropriately for the esteemed guests: magical lights adorned the periphery of the outdoor dining area. At its center, a large table had been set up with a dazzling variety of foods from all the world.
House wines, as well as imports from far-away lands and vintages that would stagger the minds of casual aficionados were poured freely and copiously. Indeed, nothing less than the best for the ponies gathered there that night.
“… and rightly so, I say,” Pouty Coin’s moustache trembled in anger. “How dare she ignore my rightful place in society? I have inherited my lands from my father and my father before and so on and so forth. We’ve been here, in this land for centuries, and she wanted me to relinquish that and give some Ponyvillian a ‘fair chance’? I think not!”
“You are indeed correct, my dear Coin,” Prince Blueblood declared, drawing the attention of the other guests. “Celestia has to learn her place, after all. We will show her that the noble houses are the ones that truly control Equestria.”
“The temerity of her decrees!” Blue and purple-maned Cross Venture snarled, slamming his hoof on the table and almost spilling his drink. “A tax-break for my employees? Preposterous! And did you hear about her plans to make the Grand House of Healing accessible to… plebeians?”
There were several gasps from the gathered nobles. “Surely not!” a unicorn mare, dressed in a sparkling dress complained. “Celestia cannot simply offer the latest advances in medical magic to… to lesser ponies! They are utterly undeserving of such luxuries! It’s bad enough having to put up with Filthy Rich and his ilk of new-rich!”
“Friends, allow me to assuage your fears. We will not allow Celestia to do as she pleases. She might be an alicorn, but that sense of entitlement that she possesses cannot be allowed to go unchecked. We shall remove her from the throne. Relics should not be active part of the modern world, after all.”
Some of the ponies looked uncomfortable. “Blueblood,” an old unicorn coughed. “Watch your mouth. What you are proposing, in front of all these witnesses is nothing less than treason. While I applaud your boldness and the steps you have taken so far… saying it outright like that is a mistake.”
Blueblood scoffed. “And who here would dare accuse me, Blueblood, or for that matter, anypony else in this garden, of treason?”
“Who indeed?” Princess Celestia asked.
The shocked silence was so thick that everypony in the garden could have been statues rather than real, living beings.
Celestia walked between them, eyeing them benevolently until she stood in front of Prince Blueblood, who took a tentative step back.
“My dear nephew,” Celestia sighed. “What has brought you to this? Do you understand what you are doing?”
Blueblood gritted his teeth. “You! You and your pretentious self-importance! Giving to the lower classes honors that should only be given to Noble Houses!” He walked to stand in front of Celestia. “You gave the Elements of Harmony to peasants! You even invited them to a Royal Wedding!”
“I have no need to explain myself to you, nephew,” Celestia stated, her eyes glinting in the torch light. “But allow me to remind you that the Elements of Harmony choose their bearers, not the other way around, and none of you made the cut.”
Noble ponies glanced at each other nervously.
Blueblood snorted. “As you well know, auntie, that is a lie, as is the need of you and Luna to raise the sun and moon. When the lands of Equestria were founded, tradition clearly tells us that it was unicorns who would do so.”
Celestia chuckled. “Nephew,” she said, shaking her head in amusement. “The legend of Unicornia is nothing but make belief.”
That got reactions. “You lie!” Pouty Coin shouted. “We unicorns have-”
“Done nothing but profit from magic and proliferating a lie. Especially the noble houses, who invented it to not only control the lower castes of unicorns, but also the fates of Pegasi and earth Ponies.” Celestia deadpanned. “No, I had hoped this pathetic attempt at grasping power would have died in the evidence of common sense and facts. But, like zealots, you grasp straws and latch onto obviously flawed legends to raise your self-importance.”
“You would have us think that,” Prince Blueblood snapped. “But without unicorns the sun-”
“Would still raise every morning, and the moon every night,” Celestia interrupted, coldly looking down at her nephew. “Because as it was back then, so it is today; Luna and I raise the sun and moon. We were born when they were born. We are not separate entities, but an extension of each other.”
Celestia’s eyes seemed to glow white for a second. “And let me tell you something, my nephew, without me or Luna, or even Discord, this whole world is nothing but a frozen rock, floating in the void.”
Blueblood’s eyes narrowed. “You lie,” he accused, his voice dripping venom.
Celestia’s smile was cold. “You would have others believe that, Blueblood…” then she frowned. “Or would you?”
“What do you mean?” the Prince asked. “Are you going to throw out some other random myth about your own power?”
Celestia did not reply immediately, choosing to walk around Blueblood. “This didn’t start until a couple of years ago, didn’t it?” she mused aloud. “You never questioned my wisdom, or the words or advice of your parents. Now that they are gone, you are the last of the Bluebloods.”
Prince Blueblood looked at her warily. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“I have just realized, Blueblood… that it was a rather sudden change in your attitude a couple of years ago, just after your mother died… you became arrogant; self-absorbed and bitter. The old you would have never acted like an uncouth brute towards anypony, much less Lady Rarity.”
Blueblood snorted. “You call her Lady and act as if she were a noble. You see, auntie this is the kind of thing that shows us how little sanity remains in you.”
Celestia shook her head. “She and her friends are so much more noble than you will ever be, Blueblood.” She looked around the gathered ponies. “This whole thing… it started roughly two years ago. Since then you have spared no expense to further this ill-advised cause of yours. Why is it that your state is slowly degrading into decay, while even your most devoted followers here have managed to not only keep their legacy together, but even have taken… dubious… steps to keep their place.” Her eyes settled on a few of the nobles, who shifted nervously in place.
“My cause is greater than-”
“Tell me,” Celestia interrupted, taking a step back. “This… change of heart of yours… it started after you took a trip north, didn’t it?”
Blueblood suddenly looked nervous as the curious glances of the gathered noble ponies turned to him. “Tha- that has no- nothing to do with this, you are simply trying to distract us from-”
“Distraction,” Celestia repeated. “That’s a word you are thoroughly familiar with, aren’t you? Blueblood?” she growled, taking a menacing step towards him. “The charade is over, what happened to my real nephew?”
“See?” Blueblood frantically looked around, beseeching with his eyes the intervention of the other nobles, who were all terrified as they stared at them. “She is crazy! We must put a stop to her!”
“Two years ago, Prince Blueblood was a promising young, noble unicorn who was destined to inherit the lands of his parents,” Celestia said. “He studied under the best tutors. Politics. Economics. Law. Trading. Geography and so much more.” She listed, pacing back and forth in front of him. She stopped between him and the gathered nobles, cornering him under the scrutiny of every single pony, from servant to Lord.
Celestia raised an eyebrow. “When his mother died, leaving him sole owner of the Blueblood state, he decided to take a trip to clear his mind and set to the north. He came back a changed stallion. Arrogant. Uninterested in his legacy other than a thin claim to being related to me.” Her eyes narrowed. “But Blueblood never returned, did he?”
“I don’t know what you-”
“Enough!” Celestia snapped. “Stop this charade now! Reveal yourself for what you truly are, changeling!”
The gasps of horror from the nobles turned into screams as green flames seemed to envelop Blueblood’s coat. Slowly they burned through him, revealing pitch-black chitin armor, white wicked fangs and large green eyes. His horn became twisted and ragged, while insectoid wings popped from his back. “How?!” the creature snarled. “How could you tell?!”
Celestia rolled her eyes. “Regardless of how arrogant he could have become, Prince Blueblood was very fond of his cousin, Cadence. He would have never missed her wedding. And I immediately noticed your absence. I didn’t think much of it then, but now… now it makes much sense. You hid, even from your own species, knowing that if they lost, most likely every changeling in the area would have been revealed.”
“I have spent two years buttering up these fools to throw you down!” The changeling shouted in anger. “And now you would have me see them wasted?!” he turned towards Pouty Coins. “Coins, you have been my supporter all this time! You have seen her lies as well! It doesn’t matter what I am, you know she’s not fit to rule!”
“Do I?!” Pouty Coins recoiled. “After all the venom you have been feeding me? After all the lies and coaxing? I can’t believe I fell for your deceit!”
“Venture, my friend,” the changeling turned towards the other unicorn. “You know the truth of my words! Together we have seen the lies for what they are!”
“I have seen nothing but the lies you have thrown my way!” Cross Venture whispered in horror, eyes widening. “I never questioned-” He shook his head. “Our friendship extends to more than ten years and yet I fell for your lies and machinations like a foal!”
The other nobles murmured their assent, their eyes turning from horror, to confusion to utter disbelief.
“Celestia is right!” A mare spoke up from the gathered nobles. “These last two years you have done nothing to take care of your inheritance… because it wasn’t yours to begin with!”
“I will ask once more,” Celestia raised her head and looked down in contempt at the creature before her. “What happened to the real Blueblood?”
The creature snarled. “There is no real Blueblood! I have done away with him. If anything remains of his body, it’s little more than sun-bleached bones!”
Celestia’s eyes shone white. Her horn lit up with a white aura as her magic trapped the creature. “You will pay for your crimes!” Celestia stated. “For planning actions against royalty, for deceit and murder.”
“You have no authority to judge me, Princess!” the changeling spat. “Nopony here even acknowledges your right to rule!”
“That is where you are mistaken!” Pouty Coins declared, stepping in front of the other nobles. “We were fooled, but we are not fools. It is clear now that your lies were so convincing that we turned away from the good of Equestria and even the good of our Houses. But no more! We back our Princess!”
A chorus of cheers resonated in the garden as Celestia’s magic finished enveloping the changeling. With a final snarl the creature burst into particles of light.
Celestia’s shoulders sagged. “My nephew, I am sorry, I failed you by letting this… creature… take your place. I hope you will forgive me.”
“My… my princess,” Pouty Coin bowed. “I am so terribly sorry that things got out of hoof like this, please forgive us.”
Celestia turned, to see all nobles bowing to her. “Your loyalty is repayment enough,” she sighed. “And remember, I do not put down the noble houses by making sure that Equestria prospers. It is all a matter of perspective, and how you can benefit from this each change.”
Cross Venture nodded. “We will remember, your highness.”
Pouty Coins nodded sadly. “For now… maybe we should all retire and think hard about things… and maybe… maybe we should arrange for a belated funeral, for the Blueblood that never came back.”
“Thank you, my little ponies,” Celestia whispered.
She watched as one by one the nobles walked to their carriages and left before taking flight herself.
o.0.o
“Ugh…” Blueblood carefully pressed a hoof against his temple. His eyes snapped open as he looked around the dark cavern where he suddenly found himself. Water dripped from the top of the cavern, and the walls had a slimy sheen to them. Maybe he was under a lake… “Where- what… what happened?!” he gasped as he suddenly looked down and found his hoofs glued to the floor with some sort of green substance. “Where am I?” he looked around in horror, whimpering as he tried to free himself.
“Under Crystal Lake, Prince,” a voice said.
Blueblood turned to see an unassuming earth pony. His brown coat was nothing to write home about and his mane was also brown, albeit slightly darker. The only striking features were his broken-mask cutie mark and his emerald-green eyes, which now beheld the Prince with patience.
“Set me free at once, you villain!” the Prince spat. “I don’t know what ill-conceived plan you have in mind, but Prince Blueblood will not be part of it! When the royal guard hear about my absence, they will comb every inch of Equestria and find me!”
The earth pony sighed. “It is not my place to free you, your highness. That belongs to another, I am simply here to deliver a message to you.”
Prince Blueblood raised an eyebrow as the earth pony produced a small, silver sphere and laid it down before him. “A memory orb?” Blueblood snorted. “You must be joking.”
The earth pony shook his head and the prince rolled his eyes. With a flash of his horn, the memories within the orb were absorbed.
Prince Blueblood’s eyes went completely wide as his mouth opened in a horrified gasp as the memories from the last gathering flooded into his mind. “But… but how?! I am not a changeling! I went to the north and came back just fine!”
“If you only were a changeling,” Celestia’s voice drifted up to them, sad and tired. “Things would have been easier, Blueblood.”
“You!” Blueblood growled, turning towards his aunt. “This is all your doing!”
Celestia sighed. “I had hoped to quell you hunger for power earlier on, nephew, but you never stepped back, nor considered the real consequences of what you were attempting. Had you succeeded in rallying the nobles, Equestria would have been torn asunder.”
“We would have dethroned you!” Blueblood snapped.
“No, you would have all died. Along with all those who followed you.” Celestia’s voice was cold. She wasn’t speculating, she was presenting a fact. “But if by sacrificing one, I can save many, then so be it.”
“You won’t get away with this!” Blueblood said, looking down. “The others will-”
“Do nothing,” Celestia interrupted. “You were revealed as a changeling in front of them, your two years of plotting, nothing more than the creation of a creature that cares nothing for them.” She smiled. “Right now, they are all working feverishly to regain my favor and prove themselves true subjects of my crown. No, Blueblood, they will do nothing. Especially since you are dead.”
“How dare you do this!” Blueblood started struggling against the goo, but was unable to do anything. His magic flared to life and attacked the shackles again, but they seemed to simply absorb it.
Celestia was suddenly in his face, and he immediately ceased all struggle as her eyes bore into his. “I will do anything to protect Equestria and my ponies. Anything.” She pulled back and glared at him as her horn flashed. Parts of the ceiling collapsed and were immediately followed by waterfalls as the lake started flooding the cave. “Good bye, Blueblood.”
She turned around and started marching towards where the exit presumably was, followed by Hidden Tale.
“Wait!” Blueblood shouted, making them both stop.
“H-how did you get a changeling in my place?! How did he know so much?”
Celestia looked down at Hidden Tale and nodded.
“Yes, my Queen,” the earth pony said as green flames enveloped his body, revealing to Blueblood’s eyes the same changeling he had seen impersonating him.
Blueblood started screaming in rage and disbelief as the pair stepped out of the cavern. With another flash of magic, the entrance was sealed into solid rock, cutting off Blueblood’s screams completely.
Celestia looked down at Hidden Tale. “Thank you for your hard work, my friend.”
The changeling closed his eyes and smiled. “Anything for you, my Queen.”
Celestia chuckled. “Princess.” She sighed and looked at the solid wall for a moment. “Let’s go home.”
In a flash of light both were gone.
o.0.o The End o.0.o
