Chrysalis was looking in shock to the royal pair, the power of their love had scattered her changelings long and far. "What… what is going on? What have you done?"
Cadance had her eyes locked on Shining Armor, all her focus stolen by the unicorn. But thankfully a very green-tinted alicorn had dropped from the pod that had been containing her. "You fool. You simplistic, noodle-brained moron!" Celestia looked furious on a scale that Twilight and her friends had never seen her before. "Luna!"
The Princess of the Moon flew in through the open window, landing beside the mare and stallion whose love had ejected the invading army. "Sister we… oh." Luna gave a deep sigh. "Twilight, we had hoped you would have a little more time before this… secret was given to your keeping."
"What in tarnation is going on here?" Applejack was just as confused as everypony else, but she was at least willing to cut through the manure.
Celestia looked to the door, her horn lighting a pure gold as the great doors of the hall were pushed closed. One other figure was still in the room, a gray pegasus who was searching to make complete sure she was the only one. Muffins looked up to the dais and nodded to the princess. "Nopony is hiding."
With the words a green fire flowed around Celestia as her pure white form was stripped, leaving a dark black carapace, holed hooves, and a brilliant gold mane. "You had to attack, you had to make the ponies fear our kind." Her voice was the same, the mare shaking her head. "For thousands of years, we have kept peace in memory of Celestia and Luna. They were the first princesses and ruled well. But no pony is forever."
Cadance trotted from her fiancee and reached a pink wing out to comfort the changeling queen who stood where Celestia had moments ago. "Twilight, please, you have to understand I couldn't tell you, not unless you became a princess too."
"Are… are you all changelings?" Twilight stepped back a little, feeling her friends gather closer around her. "Was all of this a lie?"
"No." Cadance stepped forward. "We aren't all changelings, I am as much an alicorn as you may become." The words shook Twilight, her eyes widening. "They have served Equestria with more devotion than any other pony." She gestured to Celestia, then to Luna as the green fire flowed around her too. "But they need help, your help."
"Darling, are you seriously suggesting that Celestia and Luna are both… have always been-" Rarity looked absolutely shocked at the implications.
"Not always." Luna, or the changeling that had looked like Luna, stepped forward. "We are just as mortal as the first Celestia and Luna, but their legend protects Equestria, their gifts of knowledge and guidance cannot be left to rot." A dark, hole-filled hoof connected with the tiles in a gesture Twilight and her friends recognized as a distinctly Luna one.
"Okay, I don't know what you are talking about, I am going to go-." Chrysalis had turned and was just opening her wings to fly away when a lance of green magic shot from the changeling that had looked like Celestia.
"I grew complacent, I didn't feed enough." The changeling that felled Chrysalis stepped over to the fallen creature. "But you, you stupid nymph."
Twilight was shocked, this was all a little too much and she felt her world start to waver around her. A pair of draconic arms helped support her, though and she looked to her lifelong friend. "Spike, you aren't…"
"Don't be silly Twilight, I am as dragon as they come." Spike belched out some fire with a grin.
"Still don't trust you!" Rainbow Dash jumped before her friends, lifting her forehooves. "Why should we believe anything you say? You are changelings, lying is what you do!"
"Because I do." The deeper voice of a stallion cut through the tension like a knife. Shining Armor strode down, stepping between Rainbow Dash and the changeling formerly disguised as Luna. "Twily, this… I hated keeping this from you, but you weren't ready yet."
"Wait." Twilight held up her hooves. "So you are saying I will become a princess?"
"May." Cadance stepped up beside her betrothed. "May become. Divining the foal destined for such things is not an exact science."
"So I may become a princess. Then what? You will replace me with a changeling too?" Twilight sounded scared enough her friends squeezed in close again, even Fluttershy looking more than ready to take one two changeling queens to defend her friend.
"No, not for a very long time. Please, keep calling us Luna and Celestia it… it was what we were born for, what we have been called all our lives." Luna stepped forward, holding out a hoof toward the protected mare. "We have a dilemma now, though."
"I could have made my spell strong enough to banish a queen changeling." Cadance began, gesturing first to Chrysalis, then to the red-maned changelings, "but as you can see it would have left a lot of questions to ask by a lot of ponies. I hope you will be more level-headed than what the general populace would be."
"So if I have this straight. Celestia and Luna died a long time ago. Made a deal with some changelings to continue their legacy. These two are the latest 'princesses' to rule and Chrysalis…" Twilight was working her way through the problem logically.
"Chrysalis is a very stupid, desperate, and rash bug." Cadance glared at the unconscious changeling. "If she had come to us with peace as her goal, we could have let her bring her drones in, slowly, and grown them into Canterlot. This way… we are going to be doing witch-hunts for changelings for years."
"How long have you been Celestia for?" Twilight stepped forward, taking the fore and aiming her question at one of the queens.
"I have held the position for nearly one hundred and twenty-two years. Changeling, and alicorn, lifespans are a little more than other ponies." Celestia had been explaining to Twilight but as soon as the duration was mentioned the unicorn dashed forward and was pressed to the queen's carapace, hugging her. "I have known you your whole life, Twilight Sparkle." A flash of flame engulfed the changeling, leaving the pristine and white alicorn in her stead. "And I hope to know you a lot longer. Can you forgive me a little secret?"
Author's Note
Short, I know, but I just wanted to get this one out of my brain so I could get back to other things.
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