Transparency: Q. Mint Jewelip

Celestia blinked as she took stock of the situation.... again.

Outside her throne room, just past the antechamber, there was a collapsed riot of unconscious nobles. Mixed in with that mess was a troupe of the specialists she normally sent out to handle emergency situations where the Elements of Harmony were not needed. One doorway closer, there was a miniature war zone of unconscious guards, a smattering of servants, and a great collection of weapons and shields normally reserved for conflicts with outside nations. Closer still, in her actual throne room, there was a near-carpet of Royal Guard, assorted normal Guard, and at least one very important pony who happened to normally fill the roll of "schedule assistant and intermittent teacup re-filler." Closer still, there was the changeling, Nuisance. And closer still.... uncomfortably close, now that she thought about it.... there was yet another assemblage of the Guard - this one with their spears pointed at herself.

Not the ideal situation.

And then, there was that comment about her tea. Idly, Celestia cast a poison detection charm over her tea, noting with satisfaction that the comment must have been a bluff. Clearly, there was no poison there.

Celestia took a slow breath. "My little ponies, please return your weapons to your ready positions. This Changeling is not well and will be in need of rehabilitation."

She smiled gently, waiting for her Guards to turn and escort Nuisance from her throne room. When a few seconds had passed, she raised one eyebrow and looked the captain squarely in the eye. "Captain Deep Strike, that was not a request."

"Begging your pardon, Princess, but I can't do that. Under the martial code, when the royal family is in danger, there is no point at which the situation may be considered non-hostile until the situation is fully resolved. That applies, as well, if there is any question as to the identity of the royal body or the state of their mind," Deep Strike responded with an oddly dissonant voice.

'Ah,' Celestia thought to herself, 'wonderful.... more changeling mind control. Is there no end to this nonsense?' Outwardly, however, she sighed. "Deep Strike, let me make this absolutely clear: I am perfectly fine, in my right mind, and have not been replaced by a changeling. This mare before me, however, ~is~ a changeling who is leading an invasion of the castle and surrounding area. And while it would be a trivial matter to simply remove her, it is not our way of dealing with such things.... now, would you please remove her?"

When a few of the guards glanced at one another, but no weapons shifted, Celestia came to the frustrating conclusion that these were likely either yet ~another~ changeling squad impersonating her guards or, more likely, a troop that had responded as quickly as they could, but had been mislead by a changeling somewhere along the way.

Sighing, Celestia rubbed her face with a hoof as her headache crept further and further into the realm of planet-shattering-migraine. 'Blast it! Why won't they just get rid of that changeling so I can be done with this?!?!' she screamed internally.

It wasn't really that she couldn't do it herself. She most certainly could. With the fully power of the sun at her command, she could easily banish the small creature before her, sending her anywhere the sun's light touched. She could, alternately, simply freeze her, turning her to stone to deal with at a later time. She could even, were she truly pressed, simply destroy her outright, though that alternative tended to endanger more than just the victim..... releasing the full power of the sun at ground level tended to make entire oceans boil and continents melt into explosively heated slag. No, Celestia was not helpless, but she certainly loved her little ponies enough not to take action unless it was truly needed.

Instead she frowned as a new voice sent stabbing blades of agony into her steadily worsening migraine.

"MOMMA!"

With the speed of something approaching the sound barrier, a mottled black blur crashed through two of the guards and latched onto the form of the scowling changeling before her.

Given the nature of the moment, Celestia could only groan softly and mutter, "what is it now?"

And with a similarly bitter glare, Nuisance spat back, "It's about damn time."

Celestia looked over the scene again, the stunned guards, the changeling, the newly arrived (and visibly overfull) changeling that had been captured earlier, and one of the guards from the tower, all standing amidst the chaos of her throne room.

"So.... you're not invading?"

"Oh.. we've invaded.... I'll be taking what's mine now."

"You can't be serious."

"Very, Tubby. Very serious."

Celestia rolled her eyes and stunned the troupe of Guards.

Nuisance raised an eyebrow, looking over the seemingly ever increasing carpet of unconscious ponies. "Well, I see you're surrendering now. Good choice. I will be a generous Queen."

Celestia rolled her head. "Are you mad? I just knocked out all your backup!"

"Actually, those were your Guard. Again. Only got one of mine there."

Celestia blinked.

"But... but.... The ambush in the throne room!"

"Yours."

"But the army outside!"

"Nobles... useless, but yours too. Thank you for shutting them up though. They were giving me a headache."

"But... but...." Celestia was feeling weaker and finding it harder and harder to think the longer this nonsense continued.

"What's wrong Celestia? Are you feeling under the weather?" Nuisance said with the faintest hint of sickly sweet tainting her words.

Celestia blinked and scanned herself for foreign magics... poisons... anything she could think of. "What have you done to me?"

"Oh, you noisy, old, chubby, nag." The mare stepped over a few of the stunned Guard the infiltrator still clinging to her side, "I didn't do anything to you."

"Liar! Why can't I.... why am I so sleepy? My head is killing me and I can't think!"

The mare smiled as she floated over Celestia's own teacup, sniffing it before pouring it out all over the carpet and marble floor.

"You took my daughter... now, I'm going to take your throne."

Celestia struggled to think. Her magic hadn't found anything in her system... there were no spells affecting her... but her headache had grown to the point of nearly incapacitating levels. Her own sun was so bright that it was painful for her to look at. Painful for the SUN to look at. There was simply no way that....

"Lower the sun, Celestia, don't fight it. Just... lower the sun and agree to my terms and we can be friends. I'm only here to take over, after all."

With a groan and a far too bitter taste in her mouth, Celestia lowered her head.

"Excelle-" Nuisance started, only to hop sideways as Celestia mustered enough will to shoot a blast of magic at her.

The mare glanced at the smoldering patch of carpet, the last wisps of magic evaporating into the afternoon air.

"Fine. Have it your way. I don't have to help you at all. You can't even help yourself."

And with that, Nuisance turned and started trotting from the throne room, the infiltrator shuffling along beside her. A moment later, one of the Guard followed... causing Nuisance to look over, consider him, and ultimately shrug as she continued to walk out.

Celestia grimaced and lifted a hoof to her crown. "You win. Just... don't hurt my little ponies."

The mare stopped, turning her head back to look at the alicorn, "Fatty, that was the furthest thing from my mind."

-~oOo~-