A Test Of Shadows [Private: SteelEagle, DerpRavener]

[SteelEagle]

Applejack waited for the Queen to finish, listening to her carefully. At least she had that famous Changeling Queen sense of humor, as morbid and ill-deserved as it was. Still though, she presented Applejack with a bit of a conundrum. They were that low on love? Most Changelings could last months without a solid source of love. If they were rubbed down to the bone this bad, to the nub where even a day without love would see them to their graves, that was a catastrophic situation. Imagine it. Going to the ghost because of one day less of nourishment. It was a terrible, awful thing to imagine. No thinking. Loving creature could ever allow that to happen, even if you honestly hated their kind like Applejack did. Starvation was one of the worst ways to go.

But was that really was going to happen? The Changelings were in a bad spot, no doubt, on the verge of a catastrophe. But would it be within a day? A creature within a day of death due to starvation wouldn't be able to do just about anything. Hardly walk. Hardly fly. Almost entirely incapable of casting magic. The Changelings she had encountered had done things that were absolutely impossible for a creature to do if it was knocking on the eternal door. It was always possible that they were part of an inner core of supporters and other elites that she had in a better condition to go out and accomplish objectives, but if that was the case what she said as a follow up was a lie- that she cared more for their survival than hers. More importantly, if a single day was the difference between life and death, then doling out a little love to everyling like water or bread wouldn't keep them alive. Not long.

Even if they managed to get the whole camp, she had to know it was a doomed proposition. There was a tipping point where love and other emotions had diminishing and then even negative returns. She would know. Even if you got a whole camp, all you would be doing would be feasting for a little while and then starving. And while you starved, the area would be either off limits or they'd have to fight the Guard. The only way to prevent that would be breaking apart and going off in smaller groups, but that tended to end hives and break apart the command structure. When she was part of Task Force Suntrot in the REA, Applejack had gathered intelligence and helped study intelligence gathered regarding Changelings. There were plenty of Changelings living amongst ponies, confirmed or suspected, but almost none of them kept in contact with their hives or followed orders from their Queen. Those that did were often discovered and imprisoned.

Keeping the captives and going after the camp would end in their destruction.
Apparently, letting them go would end in their destruction before Applejack could work something out.
Scattering would lead to their destruction.
They can't run.
They can't hide.
They can't fight.
Applejack nodded, taking off her hat and brushing back her mane. Hat back on. Eyes back on the Queen. This would be short and sweet. “Well, how bout you put prove whatcha just said right. If ya love'm so much and wanna see yer hive survive, y'all have ta know you can't run, ya can't hide, and ya can't fight. That leaves cooperation an' if y'all don't wanna give up tha captives as a sign of good faith, then Ah'll need somethin' else ta prove that yer willin' ta work somethin' out. If you come with me, Ah'll take ya ta Celestia. Plead yer case directly to her an' Ah'll be thar ta help. Otherwise- well, if you don't wanna do that, do you have any idea what you can do ta prove ta us yer willing ta work somethin' out?”

[DerpRavener]

The queen was not lying, at least not explicitly.  She was bending the truth to her purposes as all queens did, focusing and emphasizing those which suited her.  But there wasn't a single thing she said that was untrue.  In a certain literal sense, yes some portion of the hive would survive going a day or two without love.  There was even a good chance of someling making it to the end of the week.  It wasn't just hunger that threatened the hive however.  Several of them were nursing injuries, which otherwise would have been repaired with healing magic but for the moment had been left to fester.  And this hive was not without its aggressors.  Incapacitating their remaining defenders would leave them open to any hostile beasts that came upon them.  And that was to say nothing of the ponies who might object to their presence or want some payback for the wedding, or any rival hives.

The hive could survive for a time without love in a technical sense.  But it would not actually be survival, it would be the last few hours of a mortally wounded creature, as carrion feeders circled around.

 

As much as the queen did not like what the farmpony was saying, she had to begrudgingly agree with the former's assessment.  If anything, it was the very fact that her statements were accurate which so frustrated the queen.  She fixed the farmpony with a glare, but she didn't mean anything by it and nodded in confirmation.

At least, that was until the farmpony presented the two options.  There was always the option for the queen to come up with their own solution.  It was a little tempting, and the queen was sure something could be arranged.  If nothing else, she expected she could offer herself as collateral, so the hive could hold onto the captives while some arrangement was worked out.

 

But it was the first statement that really caught her attention.  The option of giving up their sole food source had already been rejected.  So if the pony was still able to take her to Princess Celestia... “Celestia is here?” she said, halfway between talking to herself and addressing the pony.  The thought was disconcerting.  The idea that the pony who controlled the sun, and had ruled over the greater civilized Equestria for untold centuries, was almost right on top of the hive and she'd had no idea.  It was a disturbing thought.

But perhaps, just this once, it would work in the hive's favour.  Celestia was known as a skillful diplomat, perhaps the princess could see something neither of them could.  If nothing else, Celestia was sure to understand the hive's circumstances better than this farmpony could.

Her gaze hardened.  The queen didn't like the idea of grovelling before this pony leader.  But she could not let her pride get in the way of her hive's well being.  “Very well.  Gnarl!”  She momentarily glanced  at the changeling in question.  “You are in charge until I return.”  Her gaze returned to Applejack, and with only the barest hint of reluctance she moved to follow the farmpony.  “Let's move, we've wasted enough time already.”

 

---

 

It was not an especially long journey.  Out of necessity the distance between the two temporary camps was not all that large, and to ensure she was still within reach Princess Celestia had chosen a rest spot fairly close to both of them.  Mere minutes after their journey began, Applejack and the changeling queen emerged from a clump of trees to see Celestia waiting for them, sitting serenely in the middle of a clearing.

 

There was a faint pulse of magic from Celestia's horn as she released her spell, and all of a sudden the changeling queen froze.  However, this was no sudden reluctance or attack of nerves.  It was as though 

the queen was a character in a movie, and the film reel had just stopped moving.  She stood rigid for a moment, before fading into non-existence.  Briefly in her place was what appeared to be a crystalline construct, with a vague impression of the shape, size and features of the changeling queen, before that too winked out of existence.

 

Celestia, only a short distance away now, applauded by clapping her hooves together.  She stood up, and with a wide smile began to walk toward Applejack.  “Well done!” she called out.  “You have passed the test.  There would more yet to do before everything is properly arranged.  But I would like to extend to you an offer.”  She paused for a moment, to add further weight to her next statements.  “For the first time since disbanding them centuries ago, I have need of my personal agents.  The Agents of the Sun, as they were known, had the equipment, the will and most importantly the wisdom to protect Equestria from the most insidious threats.  They were ones I called upon when no one else could complete the task, and they were the personal extension of my will, for those rare times I felt it was needed.”  She paused again, letting that description stand on its own for a moment.  “If you wish, you may become to first member to be inducted into the re-formed organization.”

 

“Think carefully.  It will not be easy.  This responsibility may take to the harshes places, to solve the strangest tasks.  You will typically be able to recuperate and pursue your own affairs, however I cannot promise you the time, for example, for your farm and family.  This is your last chance to turn back.”  She paused, her spiel was finished.  Only one key thing remained.  Celestia watched Applejack with an inscrutable expression.  She knew Applejack had a tendency to take on more responsibility that she was capable of.  Even if Celestia doubted the farmpony would take it, she felt the need to offer this last escape, which would let Applejack apply her energies for all the other tasks the mare had set for herself.  “What do you choose?”

[SteelEagle]

 

The queen gave in to Applejack's superior logic and it wasn't long before they made their way to Celestia. Well, their way meaning Applejack- the queen vanished. She went from looking solid to crystalline to vapor and then nothing. Applejack's ears stood on end for a bit, but not for long. She hadn't perished the thought that the test was arranged by Celestia to such a degree. After all, why commit a pony to a task like this if you were unsure of their capabilities when lives were on the line? Well, she had given it some thought and sure hadn't discarded the idea. She just figured that Celestia was willing to take a little risk on a pony she felt she could trust. She arched her eyebrow and gave a small laugh with a smile, as if to say, “nice one, Princess.”

 

But she wasn't about to get too informal just yet. She still bowed, removing her hat as the Princess approached and congratulated her. Whew, that was a mountain of worry off of her shoulders. The situation had never got a hold of her like she had feared, but it seemed a bit esoteric at times. Not that it seemingly mattered, she had passed the test she had been given. She was about to make a joke- was she going to become a Princess too? Heck, the last time a friend of hers had passed a test she'd become a Princess. Only seemed just, especially with the potential seriousness of her test. But her mirth quickly fell apart as Celestia explained what she had asked Applejack to test for. What test she had passed, and the offer was certainly something Applejack had never even imagined it to be.

Well, not entirely. You didn't get asked to take a secret test by the Princess herself if she was just going to ask for you to become a Royal Guard. But still, an Agent of the Sun? It would seem an alarming sign to most ponies, to be sure. She had experienced too much to be as alarmed. She'd seen the very worst that this world could spit out and realized that it was a terrifying position that Equestria was in. She was the greatest nation in the world who held all the cards, making her the envy of all and the target of almost as many. She had more enemies despite her friendly demeanor than all others. And they were active, too, from major villains like Tirek to Changelings and Caribou, to say nothing of the various villains which called her home. It seemed like for the first time in generations, Ponykind was having to prepare itself for the occasional bitterness. That was why Task Force Suntrot had been created, after all.

 

For all of that, she was more than willing to join. She had put herself in harm's way for Equestria so many times in the past, why would this time be any different? She had been chosen. Sure, Celestia could put it all on the results of a test but she didn't get Fluttershy to take it, she had chosen Applejack. So why wouldn't she say yes? The answer to that question was something Celestia well knew. Would this really detract from her time with her family and Sweet Apple Acres? Shoot, it wasn't as if Tartarus had stopped working and hordes of giant monsters were tearing across Equestria. She didn't doubt for a second this job would be time consuming but it wasn't as if she didn't have things she could stop doing. Fewer shows with Calamity Mane. Fewer wrestling programs as Gala Justice. It wasn't like she'd be out of touch. Besides, Apple Bloom was getting older every. It wouldn't be long before she started really playing a big role on the farm...and they could always hire farm hands if the going got tough. They'd made more than enough bits.

It was tough. Heck. Just a year ago she may have said no. She was so worried about Apple Bloom. So worried about the farm. But now? She hadn't felt better about the farm in years. It had survived a tragedy that would impact it a greater deal than this would, and it did so at a worse time. No, Sweet Apple Acres, for the first time since she had to grow up sooner than expected, didn't need her. Her family, for the first time since she had to become a mother to her sister, didn't need her. It was sure as heck better with her and her love hadn't changed at all, but she was confident enough to say that having to vanish once every so often wouldn't put the shishkaboosh on the best farm and family in the world. With that in mind, the decision wasn't that hard to come by...

“Yer Highness, it'd be an honor ta become an Agent of tha Sun.”