Servant of the Queen

The girls known as the Shadowbolts stood outside the front gates to the Wings’ estate. They had been here before, so it wasn’t quite as imposing as the first time. In their hands, each of them clutched a purple envelope: their invitations to the house.

They had been written enticingly enough, if short and to the point.

Dear recipient,
You are cordially invited to a luncheon at the home of Ebony Wings on Saturday, at noon. Dress code is casual, and you need only bring yourself. Food will be provided, as well as an audience with Ebony Wings herself. No RSVP required.

“So…” Lemon Zest looked at her friends. “Here we are.”

Indigo Zap scuffed her shoe against the sidewalk. “Yup.” She wore a determined expression on her face. “I can’t believe we’re doing this.”

“Why?” Sour Sweet asked snidely. “We were invited. You chicken?”

“Just because we were invited doesn’t mean it’s not a trap,” Indigo frowned at Sour Sweet. “You heard what Sunset Shimmer and that pony Twilight Sparkle said about these people. They’re not to be trusted.”

“And yet we all accepted the invites,” Sugarcoat sighed tiredly. “Besides, we already got inside their house once. What’s another time?”

“A-Are you sure it’s not just to…” Sunny Flare gulped. “Kill us for knowing too much?”

“C’mon, Ebony Wings wouldn’t kill us!” Lemon Zest said hopefully. “This is just like being over at Silver Rose’s house for lunch is all,” Then she sighed. “I don’t even buy that, and I said it.”

“Well, do or die, at least we’ll get Ebony Wings’ signature. Right?” Indigo shrugged. “Since she invited us and all. So if we die, at least we die smiling.”

“I don’t think you want that.” Sugarcoat folded her arms. “I don’t think any of us want that.”

The five girls stood there, unsure of what to do. Finally Indigo Zap went over to the camera that was aimed at the gates and waved at it.

“Hey! We’re here for lunch. Is anyone watching?”

Sugarcoat shoved her out of the way and held up the invite to the camera. “We’ve been invited in case you suspect us to be crazy fans.”

As if in response, there was a whirring sound from the camera and then the heavy metal gate slid aside on oiled rails. The way up to the house was all clear.

“Hey, Indigo, you brought the stuff, right?” Lemon Zest nudged her friend in the ribs. “Just in case they do turn out to be werewolves?”

“Werewolves? I thought it was vampires?” The goggled girl whispered over. “I’ve got garlic and wooden stakes and salt.”

“You mean you didn’t bring any silver bullets?” Lemon hissed.

“Where the hay am I supposed to get silver bullets?” She threw her hands up.

“Are you two coming or not?” Sugarcoat called. She and Sour Sweet were already halfway up the hill. Sunny was on the verge of following them, looking kind of nervous.

The mansion loomed ahead of them, reminding Sunny of one of the many movies she’d watched in her time, The Other-Worldly Stately Home. A mouthful, but it was a movie about a family moving into a spooky mansion. She suddenly thought of ghosts coming through the walls to grab them and that gave her the shivers.

The house did look rather nice in the sunlight, though. The windows sparkled and there was a fountain in the front that was gushing with shimmering clear water. Somewhere close a windchime was tinkling musically. It was rather pleasant, at least it would be if they didn’t have such disturbing information on the house’s occupants.

“Okay, we better come up with a safe word. In case we all need to get out of the house pronto.” Indigo Zap ran a finger under her chin, then snapped her fingers. “Let’s go with Smiley Snatch.”

Lemon snickered. “Just like the cafe heist, eh?”

“Excuse me, can’t we use a less… vulgar code word?” Sunny protested.

“Well, I mean, we’re really here because of you,” Indigo countered. “So it’s the perfect safe word.”

“It is not my fault that we’re here!” Sunny pouted. “There’s just been a whole lot of weird things happening recently and-”

“Welcome, honored guests,” a semi-familiar voice said. The girls looked up. It was the butler who had bought their girl scout cookies the last time they had been here. “The lady of the house is ready to see you.”

They were ushered in before the butler closed the doors behind them. Sunny instantly felt the sinking feeling that they had just walked into a trap, like in the movies, but it was definitely too late to back down now. They were led further in before the butler stepped to one side and stuck an arm out inside a room.

“Mistress Ebony Wings, your guests have arrived,” the butler bowed and stepped aside, allowing the Shadowbolts to enter.

Lemon Zest was the first to go in. The room was carefully laid out like some kind of medieval throne room, with a round table piled high with food that was set on a rotating glass tabletop. At the far end of the room in a throne sat Ebony Wings, the actress wearing a fancy translucent green and blue dress with a high collar. There was some kind of small black crown or tiara on her head. On her right sat the woman who the Shadowbolts knew as Silver Rose’s aunt, who was wearing a casual suit with no tie. And on Ebony’s left was Silver Rose, who was dressed a little less formally. She looked up and waved sheepishly at her classmates.

“I have been expecting you.” Ebony leaned forward and clasped her hands together. “I’ve been expecting you eagerly…”

“Thank you, Miss Wings,” Indigo Zap said before any of her friends could open their mouths. “It’s so kind of you to invite us.” She attempted a bow, and a bulb of garlic fell out of her pocket. “Oops. Hehe.” She quickly picked up the garlic and stuffed it back into her pocket.

“Interesting choice of a snack you carry around.” Ebony simply smiled and gestured to the chairs. “Please, have a seat. The food grows colder by the minute.”

The Shadowbolts shuffled forward, wearily eyeing the feast before them. There were all kinds of foods known and unknown to them, some of which included caviar and some kind of cream dessert that was emitting smoky vapor. Lemon Zest saw the roast duck and began salivating.

“Guys, just be careful. Alright…?” Sunny whispered. It might’ve looked good, but after doing crazy stuff with Silver all year, she’d learned that she should think twice before doing anything, no matter how good it looked.

Sunny gulped as she pictured Silver’s naked body again, then shook it out of her mind. Sugarcoat’s words echoed in her mind, “There’s a time and place for everything. This isn’t one of them.”

She didn’t want to get sprayed with the fire extinguisher again. Those things felt really bad for the skin.

Instead, she moved to one of the chairs, pulling it out from under the table before taking a seat. Her friends watched her do it and followed suit, not wanting to look too suspicious eyeing the food.

The butler pulled the doors shut behind the Shadowbolts. Now there was no way out of the room.

"It's so nice to finally meet my daughter's school friends," Ebony Wings purred. "I've heard so much about you all."

“You have?” Lemon Zest asked, loading her plate with various meats.

“I hope they’ve all been good.” Indigo did the same, though surprisingly not as brazenly as Lemon. “We are the best students of the school, after all. Uh, if we even miss a day of school, someone would be bound to notice. We’re that popular.”

“Hmm, yes. As an award-winning actress, I know what that’s like,” Ebony replied. She took a sip from her crystal wineglass. “Of course, I would think that you might know more about me than the usual fan does. All things considered.”

“Usual fan? Oh, we’re more than usual fans, aren’t we, Lemon?” Indigo got up and leaned closer to her friend across the table.

Silver Rose kept looking at Sunny Flare and her mother, while Ivory Wings nibbled a pastry, staring at the Shadowbolts through slightly narrowed eyes.

“So, do you know why I invited you here today?” Ebony Wings gave them a most pleasant smile.

“No,” Sour Sweet said bluntly.

“It is of the greatest of events that I have invited you to dine with me today,” Ebony continued. “This is not something I do often, inviting people over to my home for food without any particular reason. But there is a reason, and it is of great importance that you are here now.”

Ebony Wings’ smile grew wider, but to the Shadowbolts it wasn’t the smile of someone who wished them well, no. It was the smile of a predator who had their prey cornered. A chill settled on the Crystal Prep girls, like a layer of frost on an otherwise serene garden.

“You see, I happen to know you’ve been investigating me and my family,” Ebony continued. “Your efforts have not been ignored, or overlooked. Quite the opposite, in fact.”

“Y-You know?” Indigo swallowed. Hard. Then she shook her head and gave her head a tap. “I mean, wh-what makes you say that? We haven’t been doing any of that. Have we, girls?”

The other Shadowbolts shook their heads, except for Sugarcoat, who slapped a palm to her forehead with a groan.

“Deny it all you want,” Ebony continued, swirling the wine in her glass around slightly. “But you all smell of guilt. It’s not a good flavor for you, believe me.”

“Smell. Again.” Sugarcoat’s head perked up. “What exactly are you people?”

“It’s vampires! It has to be!” Indigo pushed her chair back.

Ebony Wings glanced at her sister and rolled her eyes, as if to say 'Are these people for real?'.

Ivory just put a hand to her mouth to contain her laughter.

“Um, g-girls, I’ve told you before. We’re not… vampires,” Silver said.

“Then what exactly are you?” Sugarcoat leaned back and folded her arms. “We deserve the right to know before you kill us for knowing too much.”

“You haven’t already figured it out?” Ebony sighed. “And here my sister thought that you were intelligent. If I’d known you were this clueless…”

“Changelings,” Sunny blurted out. “Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle said you were changelings.”

Lemon Zest made a chopping motion at her own throat, but Sunny didn’t see it. Instead a smaller, even less savory smile graced Ebony Wings’ face as she leaned back in her throne, seemingly satisfied with this answer.

“Well, now,” the actress said softly. “A gold star for you.”

“So there’s such a thing as changelings! I never believed it.” Indigo clapped her hands together. “I’ve always thought they were just folk stories from Docklin. I went to a changeling museum there during the break. So you can take the shape of… wait a minute. Silver, that’s why you only have one room. Now we know it for certain!”

“Wait a minute,” Sour Sweet pulled away from her salad for a moment. “You mean that Moonglade doesn’t actually exist? That’s ridiculous!”

“Certainly she exists,” Ebony Wings said loftily. “Otherwise where would all the pictures and articles come from?”

“Do any of us really exist?” Ivory Wings spoke up coyly. “Existence is a matter of perception, after all. Who’s to say we don’t stop existing once nobody is around to perceive us?”

“What?” Silver asked quizzically.

“Nothing, sweetie.”

“So you can all shapeshift. Become someone you’re not. You could even become any one of us.” Sugarcoat went on. “You could pretend to be me and no one would know the difference.”

“She could even be me?” Lemon Zest’s eyes widened. “Woah, dude. That’s sick.”

Ebony and Ivory watched this conversation unfold with vaguely smug expressions. Silver Rose looked somewhat nervous about all this. The butler of the house came around and poured more drinks. Sunny Flare was shaken. She had suspicions before, but hearing them outright confirmed like this made her question her own mind and love life.

“So let me get this straight. You invited us here today to…” Sugarcoat snapped her fingers a few times. “To tell us what you really are? I don’t see any good that can come from this.”

"Au contraire," Ebony said with a serious face. "Now we know what you know. And that puts us on even ground. Now there are no unknowns."

“So you just wanted us to know? That’s it?” Indigo wore a puzzled face.

"You already knew most of it, by the look of it," Ivory told them with a nod. "Now we can decide what to do with you since you know."

The Shadowbolts shared looks amongst each other, with Indigo reaching into the pocket where she kept her bulb of garlic, but none of them said anything.

Silver watched them as well, unsure of what her mother had planned for them. It couldn’t have been anything good, but she hoped it wouldn’t end in bloodshed at least.

"So, how would you like to do this?" Ebony Wings grinned. "The nice way, or the not so nice way?"

She reached behind her throne and took out a photo of Fast Bender that had the actor's signature on it. Sunny Flare's eyes went wide at the sight of it.

"You could be in for some treats if you decide to play along with us," Ivory Wings said. "But if you choose to make things difficult…"

Ebony Wings held out her index finger and the tip of it burst into flame, and she held the green lick of fire just short of the autographed photo.

“No, don’t do that!” Sunny had stood up and stretched an arm towards her. After a few seconds, she realized what she had done and meekly sat back down. “Uh, I-I mean, we could do this nicely.”

"Really, Sunny?" Sugarcoat was unimpressed. "You're going to let them bribe you like this?"

"But Sugarcoat, it's Fast Bender!" Sunny whined desperately like a little girl in a candy store.

“Whatever. It’s better to do this the nice way anyway.”

Ebony Wings took her flaming finger away from the photo and set it down on the table, then blew out the fire. “See, was that so hard?” She asked sweetly. The Shadowbolts noticed that her finger remained charred black with a long, pointed claw there on the tip. It clicked against the armrest of the throne as Ebony sat back in it.

“So what happens now?” Lemon Zest asked. “What’s the nice way? Please tell me it’s making us listen to Copperrear’s music.”

“Ugh. Please no.” Sour Sweet went back to her food.

“Now, we can discuss what lies in the future for all of us. Mostly you, though,” Ivory Wings said, pushing her glasses further up the bridge of her nose. “As well as the terms of our agreement.”

“Alright. What are the terms, then?” Indigo snapped her fingers and waved her hand. “Let’s hear ‘em.”

“As my new subjects, you will have numerous benefits that come with being under my rule…” Ebony Wings said, tapping her clawed finger against the side of her wineglass.

Ivory Wings sighed. “What she means to say, is that befriending someone powerful and famous can be quite beneficial. Isn’t that right, sister?”

“What? No. That’s so obvious.”

“Your new subjects?” Sugarcoat looked aghast.

“Yes, my subjects.” Ebony looked at her sister. “I know what I said.”

“Who do you think-” Sour Sweet began, but then she noticed the panicked look on Silver Rose’s face and reconsidered. “I mean, what do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what I said,” Ebony Wings sighed, reaching to her left to stroke her daughter’s hair. “You are, as of this moment, subjects in my dynasty. No need to thank me, but I wouldn’t mind if you did.”

“Wait wait wait wait wait.” Indigo Zap waved her hands around. “I know you’re Ebony Wings and all that and you’re an awesome actor and all that. But now you want us to be your… subjects? Like you’re a king or something?”

“Didn’t you hear her the first time?” Sugarcoat asked, annoyed at this whole situation. “Anyway, Ms. Wings, we can’t be your subjects. You’re not legally a ruler.”

Ebony Wings pointed to her head. “Certainly I am. I’ve been the Queen of the Changelings for over a thousand years, ever since I was born. See the crown? It’s mine by birthright as the eldest. It's not my fault that the humans are too ignorant to formally recognize that.”

Ebony Wings then sat back and shook her head, as if lamenting the fact that humanity was so foolish. Ivory Wings shrugged and took another bite of her food. Silver Rose watched everyone else at the table with a worried expression on her face.

“So what does ruling over us grant you?” Sugarcoat continued, almost like there had been no interruption. “And you’ve been hiding your true nature well all these years. Why suddenly give it up now? We could go to the authorities with this.”

“Now, what did I say about making things difficult?” Ebony Wings said to Sugarcoat. “Even if you did go to the authorities, who’d believe you? It’s your word against mine, and I happen to know that I carry more weight. Besides, you wouldn’t want your dear sister Gilded Lily to suddenly become an only child, am I right?” The actress’s mouth opened in a smile and her eyes flared a bright green for a second.

“Of course. You know all about us too.” Sugarcoat folded her arms. To her credit, she looked unsurprised. “Well, we all happen to be influential members of Canterlot too. Don’t forget the weight we carry in school. Ask Silver. She’ll tell you all about us.”

“She’s not wrong, mother,” Silver Rose piped up. “These are the most talented and skilled girls in Crystal Prep. They have a lot of followers.”

“Blah, blah, whatever,” Ebony Wings said, waving at Silver Rose to be quiet. “You said you wanted to do things the nice way. Well, first step is agreeing to keep your mouths shut about anything you might have learned about changelings. You go about your lives as if nothing ever happened, as I, as your benevolent ruler, will give you the occasional little reward as thanks for your loyalty. Starting with this.”

The actress picked up the autographed photo of Fast Bender and threw it into the air, where it spun and drifted until it landed in Sunny Flare’s lap. The girl quickly grabbed it with both hands and squeezed it to her chest with glee, then coughed and cleared her throat when she realized her friends were all glaring at her.

“S-Sorry…”

“So we’ll get stuff just for keeping our mouths shut?” Lemon took off her headphones. “Well, why didn’t you say so? I’ll gladly do that!”

“Of course you will,” Ebony Wings crooned. “My daughter tells me you’re a fan of Copperrear. I happen to know the lead guitarist. If you’re a good little girl, I’ll book you some front row tickets to their next concert. Maybe even a backstage pass?”

Lemon’s eyes lit up like disco balls. “Woah, really? That’s epic!”

“Not you too, Lemon.” Sugarcoat groaned and adjusted her glasses. “You can’t let her buy you. She’s popular and well liked, sure, but no one should ever control your life like that.”

“She’s not controlling my life,” Lemon told Sugarcoat. “I’m just doing what my ruler would want, isn’t that right?”

Indigo scoffed. “Pft. Suck-up.”

“Well, I mean… it’s not so bad. Is it?” Sunny held the autograph to her chest tightly.

Ebony Wings reached over to pat the top of her daughter’s head again, giving Silver Rose a smug look while she was at it. Silver tried not to cringe.

"And what would it take to get the rest of you on board?" The actress asked. "Lemon Zest and Sunny Flare seem happy with the arrangement. It's a good deal."

"You should take it," urged Ivory Wings languidly. "Far better than the alternative."

“Come on, don’t you all want an autograph from me?” Ebony put a hand to her chest. “I don’t just give those out to anyone, you know?”

“Not all of us are obsessed with you,” Sugarcoat replied with a sniff.

“Yeah, it’ll take more than an autograph to make us your subjects,” Indigo seconded. “Although I wouldn’t mind having one.”

“Indigo.”

“Uh, I mean, hey, you can’t buy us, you know? Even if you’re super famous.” Indigo cleared her throat.

“Is that so…?” Ebony Wings leaned forward. “Not to put too fine a point on it, but what do you plan to do if you choose not to accept my rule? Sing? Laugh? Grow old?”

“I mean, it’s nice of you to ask and all, but… we’ve already got a president, you know?” Sour Sweet folded her arms. “One ruler’s enough.”

The actress gazed at Sour Sweet as her eyes flashed green again. The edge of her lip curled as she took a fork and speared it into a sausage.

“But you would be so happy under my rule,” Ebony said. “You’d enjoy the feeling of not having to look over your shoulder all the time to make sure you’re not being stalked constantly. Isn’t that already quite a benefit? It would save my sister so much work.”

“C’mon, girls,” Lemon wheedled. “Think of all the cool stuff we could get if we do what they say!”

Indigo looked over to Lemon. “Look, it’s great that you’re getting front row seats to a Copperrear concert, but what I want can’t be given to me so easily.”

“And what is it that you want?” Ivory placed her hands on top of the table’s surface. “As gifted as we are, we can’t read minds.”

Ebony smirked. “Yet.”

“Not helping,” Ivory told her sister before returning her attention to Indigo Zap. “So, let’s negotiate, while we still can.”

Indigo sat in sullen silence.

“Not in a mood to talk?” Ivory kept pressing. “Well, what about you two?” She addressed Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet. “What can we do for you?”

Sour Sweet glanced at Ebony Wings, who was staring at them intently. “What do you really look like?” She asked cautiously. “I mean, if you can disguise yourselves as anybody, then the faces you’re wearing aren’t your real faces, are they?”

Silver Rose cringed even more, but Ebony Wings just laughed her perfect red carpet laugh.

“Oh, I don’t think you want to see that,” the actress tittered. “Besides, the only way I would show you my actual, genuine, unmasked face is if I was about to kill you. We haven’t reached that point yet.”

Sour Sweet looked skeptical. “Oi. Silver Rose. You’re in on this too?”

Silver Rose squeaked. “No! I mean, a little bit, I mean…” She trailed off into a mumble. “I didn’t want my mom to hurt you.”

“Well, if they just agreed to my terms, I wouldn’t, now would I?” Ebony said, waving her hand in the air, the one without a claw on it. “We could all avoid a lot of trouble this way if you’d just say yes. Goodness, you humans are difficult.”

“Well, you’re not making this easy for us,” Sugarcoat shot back. “You’re giving us an impossible ultimatum here, Miss Wings.”

“What’s so impossible about it?”

“For starters, not all of us want to be living under your rule for the rest of our lives,” Sugarcoat adjusted her glasses. “But you’ve made it clear on no uncertain terms that if we reject your offer, you’ll most likely do something horrible to us.”

“But Sugarcoat, think of all the cool stuff they’ll give us!” Lemon interrupted.

“I don’t care about stuff, Lemon!” Sugarcoat snapped. “Can’t you see that you’re being extorted here?”

“To what, keep our mouths shut about changelings? Come on, Sugarcoat, that’s so easy! Why not just agree to their deal?”

“No, Lemon!” Sugarcoat said heatedly, for the first time in a long while feeling something hot rise in herself. “I refuse to bow down to her, even if she is rich and famous! Where are your principles, Lemon, Sunny? She sits here on her throne like she’s some kind of royal ruler, but all she’s done is threaten us and bribe you like some kind of crime boss! I’m not having it!”

Sugarcoat grew increasingly impassioned with her speech, not noticing that the expression on Ebony Wings’ face was slowly starting to sour. Ivory Wings watched the actress with concern, as did Silver Rose.

“Of course I know it’s useless to tell people that the occupants of this house are monsters! Who’d believe us anyway? But I’m not going to be part of Ebony Wings’ so-called dynasty, if that even is your real name! You expect us to be honest with you and our intentions when you won’t even show us your face!” Sugarcoat pointed at Ebony Wings. “If this is the way that you do things, then I’m surprised you’ve lasted this long in the film industry! Not to mention your clearly twisted parenting skills, if we look at Silver Rose, or Moonglade, or whatever her name really is! You disgust me, and I would sooner-”

“Er, Sugarcoat?” Sunny quavered. She was looking at Ebony Wings anxiously.

The actress’s face was arranged in a snarl that reminded the Shadowbolts of a starving wolf. She had grown fangs, long and sharp, and as Sugarcoat’s voice began to falter, Ebony Wings stood up and growled at the girl like a beast from a horror movie.

Ivory Wings had an expression of fear on her face.

“Kid,” she said quickly. “Run.”

No sooner did the words leave Ivory Wings’ mouth did Ebony Wings leap across the table, transforming into a mass of crackling green flames. Dishes and plates went flying as she lunged at Sugarcoat, who dived out of the way just in time to avoid getting her neck wrung.

“Mother!” Silver Rose cried out in alarm.

The creature that had been Ebony Wings roared and barrelled at Sugarcoat again, this time managing to nick her on the arm with a claw. Ivory Wings sprang to her feet and tackled Ebony Wings just as she was about to hurl a fireball at the Shadowbolt. The two sisters flew across the room and crashed into a suit of armor, sending it scattering all over the floor with a deafening din.

Silver Rose scrambled out of her seat and went over to unlock the door to the room while the Wings sisters wrestled around the room, knocking over furniture and scorching the tiles.

“Let me go, Ivory! I’m going to rip the insolent head off her shoulders!” The voice that was coming from Ebony Wings no longer sounded human, instead it was that of two women talking just out of sync. “Let go of me! I order you!”

“Go! Run!” Ivory howled as Ebony Wings attempted to pry her off herself. “Get out of the house!” She stopped talking as her elder sister bit into her forearm with her fangs, forcing her to release her grip.

The Shadowbolts did not need to be told twice. Ushered out by Silver Rose, the five girls half ran, half tumbled their way out the front doors and down the hill as if the hounds of the underworld were snapping at their feet.

“Smiley Snatch! Smiley Snatch!” Indigo shrieked as they bolted from the manor.

It was only once they had passed the gates and made it back into a more populated area that they dared stop.

“Haah… haah… haah…” panted Sour Sweet with her hands on her knees. “Well… that was awful.”

“What did you do that for, Sugarcoat? You made her mad!” Lemon wheezed.

Sugarcoat was unrepentant. “I told her how I really felt about her offer. Now we know for sure that she’s not human, in any sense of the word.” She wiped a smudge of cream off her shirt.

“Silver’s mom is freaking crazy!” Indigo interjected. “I bet she’s what we saw in the attic all the way back. Dude, we are so screwed! They know where we live!”

“We are not going back there again,” Sugarcoat declared as she examined the small cut on her arm. “No matter what they offer us.”

Lemon huffed, clearly annoyed. “Speak for yourself. This better not cost me my backstage pass to the Copperrear concert, or I’m blaming you.”

Sunny Flare listened to her friends argue. Reaching into her pocket, she took out the autographed photo of Fast Bender and stared at it. At least she had gained something from this meeting.

Sour Sweet saw her looking at the photo and came over next to her friend. “Well? Was it worth it?”

Sunny put the photo away and sighed, thinking of Silver Rose and how their relationship was sure to be even more troubled after this.

“No, Sour Sweet. No, it wasn’t.”