The Quickverse Chronicles

by Quick Fix

Darkness Turned to Light (Water Flare)

Author's Note:

This is a direct follow-up to Task Force Harmony, so naturally it contains heavy spoilers. Unlike most of the chronicles, this was written assuming you've read that story.

A complete Pony-Changeling translation can be found here.

West of Equestria
October 15th, Year 23 under the Four Princesses

---

"Hey, Water Flare. Come on, get up."

Water Flare's eyes went from fully shut to a squint of awakening as her ears were once again deprived of sleep's silence and filled with the humming of engines. It wasn't that she was unused to waking up to noise, living in central Whinnyapolis made a pony used to that. There was no familiar bedroom waiting for her to see though, no welcome sight of her husband next to her. For the past three days her room had instead been this spartan metal cabin that had a slight stink of oil and never got any quieter. Instead of the orange coated, jonquil maned unicorn she'd grown accustomed to seeing, the unicorn stallion leaning over her was ivory coated and dark red of mane with a pair of light blue eyes staring down at her. At least she assumed so, her vision was still blurry from the sudden wake-up call.

"Rrrrr. Please, Outreach, another hour?" Water Flare groaned as she brought a hoof up and rubbed her eye to try and get some focus into it.

"I'd prefer that too, but there's something the whole crew really should see. Come to the bridge when you've woken up." Outreach replied, patting her shoulder before heading out of the room.

With a quiet groan, Flare rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and rolled onto her front. A dull ache pulsed through the left side of her chest and down her left foreleg as she did, making her look down to check it on instinct. A scar running from her left pectoral muscle up to the top of her left shoulder was all that she saw, starkly visible due to the lack of fur around it. A constant reminder of what she had suffered through to be here now, how the personal cost of that scar was far outweighed by the reason she had earned it, why she was here right now.

It had been six months since she had been part of Task Force Harmony's mission to the Barrier Mountains on the edge of Equestria. What had started as investigation into the possibility of a changeling holdout had ended up shattering ponykind's perception of the entire changeling race and involved her being dropped off a cliff in the process. One of Chrysalis' rogue changelings had taken the worst of the landing for her but she still wouldn't have survived if she hadn't stumbled upon King Thorax's changeling force that had been hunting the rebels. Although they had patched up her injuries to the point that she could walk again in no time, her efforts to rejoin the rest of the team and evacuate the area in the ensuing battle between Thorax and Chrysalis' forces had exacerbated her wounds. Even after a proper recovery period back in Equestria she still walked with a slight limp.

It was enough for her to know she couldn't keep up with regular defence force ponies anymore, let alone elite units like TFH. She'd said goodbye to her squadmates and friends. To her idol, Rainbow Dash. To her whole lifestyle as she returned home to try and decide what to do next.

It turned out she wouldn't really have the chance.

A summons to Canterlot had arrived for Water Flare a week ago, requesting her presence at an audience with Princess Celestia herself. As surprising as it was, it made sense quickly enough. Thanks in part to her actions, diplomatic relations had been opened between Equestria and the changeling kingdom of Outlani, the first peaceful contact between the two races in over fourteen hundred years. Princess Celestia had agreed to send a diplomatic envoy to the changeling capital to learn more about them. While bringing changelings to Canterlot was still out of the question, there was enough evidence that the changelings held no ill will toward ponies. Since her encounter with the changelings in Mount Silvat had included speaking directly to King Thorax and determining his changelings weren't hostile, Flare was technically one of Equestria's leading experts in changeling relations.

And to cap off the long line of surprises, she would be making the trip by zeppelin. That was something of a surprise considering they were fairly rare due to the technical know-how required to keep them going, though since the envoy had no pegasi it only made sense. Three days ago she had boarded the exploration ship Ranger at Whinnyapolis' defence base and gotten used to her temporary home while it had gathered the rest of the envoy and supplies in Tall Tale before setting off last night. It was cramped, lacked privacy and always smelled slightly of oil. Though in fairness, it was designed to only used for a few hours at a time before landing for the ponies aboard to do some exploring.

Water Flare finally convinced herself to stand up and get out of bed, glancing at the clock placed on the end of Outreach's bed as she did. Quarter to seven in the morning, not unfeasible but earlier than she'd gotten used to. With nothing else in the room to distract her aside from the beds she headed out into the hallway that ran the length of the Ranger's left side. The crew space was only a hundred feet long and with only five rooms including the bridge, engine bay and two quarters with space for eight ponies, it was a small mercy nopony aboard was claustrophobic. The view through the portholes still showed nothing but darkness outside, though there was a faintness to it that hinted Celestia had begun to raise the sun back home. She pushed her mane back out of her eyes and headed forward for the bridge, wondering what was going on.

The bridge of the airship was comparatively open compared to the rest of the crew section, windows making up the curved front wall with a trio of seats spread across the full width of the space for the pilot, navigator and engineer. All three spots were current filled by a trio of ponies. An auburn coloured, silver maned earth mare was at the helm, tired cerulean blue eyes keeping a watch on the brightening horizon. The engineer sitting on the right was a crimson unicorn stallion with a gray and tan mane, his mint green eyes constantly roaming over the readings of the various mechanisms that kept the zeppelin in the air. The navigator on the left was a light green earth mare with a bushy yellow mane and lavender eyes, poring over maps of both pony and changeling origin as she checked over their flight path.

"Ah, the gang's all here," The engineer commented as he noticed Water Flare's arrival. "Sleep any better?"

"Not badly considering the rattling, Gearhead." Flare replied, chuckling softly as he shot her a look of mock offence before turning back to his station.

She nodded and stepped forward to where Outreach was standing at the front of the bridge, along with the third member of the envoy. A chartreuse yellow earth stallion with a brown mane and turquoise eyes.

"What about you, Apple Tart?" Flare asked as she joined then, taking in the view. By now it was the verge of daybreak and the outlines of the land were visible. what seemed to be a mountain visible in the distance before them and a hilly region to the right.

"Outreach snores." He replied simply, shooting the unicorn a teasing look.

"So do you," Outreach replied, flashing a small smile before looking back at the crew. "Anywho. Horizon, Atlas Sketch, Gearhead, join us for a minute?"

With a few shared looks of confusion, all three ponies got up from their seats and joined the other three at the front. For a minute they simply stood there waiting. Then the sun began to crest the horizon, bathing the lands below them in a steadily spreading light. The significance was not lost on the six ponies watching. They were the first ponies in known history to see the changeling homeland as it was unveiled by the dawn.

Despite the variety of possibilities of what it may look like, it all came across as...Normal. Grassland and woods lay closest beneath them with a winding river headed toward the mountain ahead of them. To the left seemed to be marshland, judging by the countless small bodies of water that were starting to reflect the light. The hills on the right were still as such, though some smaller structures were becoming visible spread throughout the area.

"Wow. It's quite a view." Atlas Sketch eventually broke the silence, looking over the area in awe.

"Yeah, serene." Gearhead added.

"There's not much difference between our countries from up here..." Water Flare commented wistfully. The others gave her a look but didn't comment on it. It was no secret that she was somewhat quirky and it had to be strange to visit a land who's inhabitants she'd knowingly and willingly killed, even if they were effectively terrorists to both Equestria and Outlani.

For a minute the six of them simply remained in place, letting their expectations adjust now they could see the lay of the land. Then Apple Tart perked slightly and leaned forward, drawing the attention of the others as they tried to spot what he had. A pair of black dots had appeared just on the edge of the horizon, just becoming visible in the increasing light. While Horizon returned to the helm as a precaution the dots became bigger, steadily gaining features as they closed in. It was a pair of the regular changelings, identical in appearance to the kind most ponies were familiar with, though the one on the left had light red eyes and carapace while the one on the right had the more familiar blue. As they reached the front of the airship they pulled off and dropped into a position just to the right of the bridge, close enough to speak with the ponies.

"Yees nectix hi equis boloe?" The red changeling called to his hornless companion, shouting slightly over the rush of air.

"Wou," The other replied with a more feminine voice before shifting closer to the nearest window so she could talk to those on board. "Pony delegation, we have been instructed by King Thorax to welcome you to Outlani. We will guide you in to the capital of Vaire and direct you to the palace."

"Alright, we'll follow your lead. Thank you for the welcome." Outreach replied, stepping over to the window to make it a little easier on both sides. The changeling nodded before looking back at the airship, scratching her jaw in confusion.

"Err, this fast as you go?"

---

The following hour passed smoothly with the Ranger's flight crew guiding the zeppelin toward the mountain they had seen at first while Water Flare, Outreach and Apple Tart freshened up and got breakfast. Food thankfully wasn't going to be a concern, supply space was enough to last a week with eight frugal ponies on board and there was more than enough grass on the ground. Any remaining time was spent back on the bridge, taking in the full view now that the sun was rising further or doing their best to make small talk with the changeling duo that were now flying on either side of the bridge. The language barrier proved farily firm though and at they were only properly able to exchange few details with the pair beyond names. Oba for the red changeling and Soam for the blue. Flare was certain the pair were an item from the body language one of them exhibited when the other was mentioned and it made sense, using their love for each other to keep their energy up in flight.

As the airship rounded the mountain the changelings broke off from their position and moved to the front, motioning for the ponies to follow them in. As Horizon and Gearhead got to work on initiating landing procedures, the other four got their first look at the changeling capital. What they saw caused more than one jaw to drop. The mountain itself was approximately three thousand feet tall, slightly shorter than the one Canterlot was established on. Vaire was spread out far further than the pony capital though, stone building exteriors and entrances to the mountain spread almost the entire way up. A plaza of sorts had been carved out about a third of the way up, around two hundred square feet and seemingly cleared out for the Ranger to land at. A river ran past the north face of the mountain and a number of buildings and bridges had been set up there for unknown purposes. As amazing as it looked, they all knew that there was likely far more on the interior.

"Alright, need a clear view here." Horizon told the others, waiting for the four of them to move behind him before he started bringing the airship in toward the plaza.

Even though there was fair space on all sides he kept it slow and careful on the way down, indicating for Gearhead to shut down the engine as they descended. Once the unicorn had headed to the engine bay and down so, he dropped the final few meters and brought the airship to as gentle a halt as possible without proper landing gear.

"Alright, now it's over to you three." Horizon said as he got up and stretched, smiling in satisfaction at how smoothly that had gone.

"Don't you want to come with us? Take in the sights and meet new changelings?" Flare asked as she glanced out the windows, only to be met with a shake of the head.

"Tempting, but after keeping my ship in the air that long, I'm going to sleep. Atlas, what about you?"

"Sleep does sound good, maybe bring me a map back as a gift," Atlas said, stifling a yawn before calling down the hallway. "Gearhead?"

"Already there." He called back from further back in the ship.

"Well alright, you've earned it." Apple Tart said as Outreach, Flare and him headed off the bridge.

The trio made their way to the hallway hatch and opened it up, stepping out and getting a good look at the city up close for the first time. The plaza seemed to be some kind of market normally as a number of stalls were visible near the edge of the area, though none of them were open at the time. Despite the early hour a crowd had already gathered to witness the arrivals, hundreds of changelings in every colour imaginable from those of the regular appearance, the larger regal variants and even a few of the smaller changelings born from Chrysalis' time in seclusion. The sight of the small ones brought a momentary smile to Flare's face, glad to see they had been able to return to their true home and integrate into society, especially after the abuses Aurora had told her they'd suffered while hiding out in Equestria.

"Is, this a bad thing?" Apple Tart said warily as he eyed the crowd.

"No. Despite how they look, they're all civilians," Water Flare reassured him, though she could understand the reservations. As Oba and Soam came over she turned to them. "Just for the benefit of my friends, we aren't going to have any trouble from the qeuv'gos, right?"

"No," Soam replied as she looked over at the crowds as well. "They hate Chrysalis too."

"Demmit hi salter." Oba muttered to himself.

"Folettica!" Soam hissed to her partner before shaking her head and focusing on the three ponies again, looking slightly embarrassed. "Well, if you will follow us."

With that settled and both Outreach and Tart looking more at ease, Soam and Oba led the group toward the mountain, the crowd parting for them to pass through. Up close they could see the faces of the gathered changelings conveyed myriad emotions, but by far the most prevalent was positive curiosity. As they passed the crowds and make their way into the mountain interior, Flare started making mental comparisons between the hive here and the one Chrysalis had established in Mount Silvat.

The most obvious was the atmosphere, a lot more effort had been taken to ensure a flow of fresh air and adequate lighting had been set up so that it actually felt like somewhere a changeling, or any sapient being, would feel comfortable living. Rather than the rocky slums that had been haphazardly assembled, any houses had been intricately carved out from the rock, rather beautiful for their simplicity and elegance. Comparing the attitudes of the changelings present wasn't really fair since all the ones she'd seen before had been fighting for their lives. Overall though, there was one comparison that truly settled her thoughts on how well the changelings lived here. The overall pleasant atmosphere she felt in the air was not dissimilar from how she felt in Canterlot.

With everything being underground, it was hard to tell when they had actually entered the palace until Outreach noted that the architecture was starting to remind her of the Canterlot Royal Palace. By that point they were at the entrance to the throne room, already open with a group of four changelings waiting for them before a marble throne. From Water Flare's past experience, two of them were complete strangers. One was one of the larger breed of changelings, though standing only six and a half feet tall, with eyes and a carapace of a dull yellow colour. The other was one of the regular changeling males with white colouration to his eyes and back carapace.

The first of the familiar two was none other than King Thorax himself. He still looked an imposing figure at first sight with his dark red carapace, mane the colour of lava and strong golden eyes, eight foot stature and what looked like a crack along the carapace on his left shoulder that hadn't been there the last time they'd met. The fact he had a genuinely welcoming smile on his face helped mitigate all that though, at least somewhat. The final changeling was one of the smaller females, only about the size of a teenage mare with the familar blue-green colour to her eyes and body. The most notable thing was the massive patch of chitin missing from the right side of her chest and a third of the way down her right foreleg, leaving scarred skin visible underneath. The three ponies had to take a moment to be sure they weren't staring before finishing their approach.

"Greetings to you all," Thorax said as they came up to him, that odd echo still in his voice. "I'm glad to see you're still alright, Water Flare. Though, your leg..."

"I pushed it too hard during our escape," Flare told him. "It's still okay for living on, but not good enough to keep up with the others. It's why I'm here instead of still with them."

"I see," He replied quietly, a momentary sorrow flashing across his features before he looked back up at them. "I just hope that marks the end of your troubles."

"As do I," She stretched her neck slightly and looked over at the other two, all of them looking slightly lost at how this diplomatic affair had started off like a casual catch-up. "So. Introductions for the rest of our friends are probably in order."

"Y-yeah, good idea," Outreach said, stepping forward slightly to let the changelings get a good look at her while she tried to recompose herself. I'm Outreach, Princess Celestia's chief ambassador."

"And I'm Apple Tart, linguist and hoping to help ponykind learn your language." Tart said afterward, looking perhaps a little too proud of that title.

"A pleasure to meet you both," Thorax replied, completely nonplussed. "Allow me to introduce in turn. Auger, representative of the qeuv'gos and my advisor. Belyi, representative of the kergi'gos and minister of diplomatic affairs. And you're already familiar with Ymir, now representative of the equis'gos."

"Dolami cua makli yees ve!" Auger exclaimed, her wings fluttering slightly before she paused and looked to the white changeling next to her, flashing a look of silent asking.

"My wife is pleased to meet you all," Belyi translated, keeping his own voice level but unable to mask the curiosity in it. "As am I. It's fascinating to meet other races."

"Especially when it's a third chance at first contact," Water Flare remarked, getting a chuckle out of Thorax, Belyi and Apple Tart. She took a step forward on noticing Ymir looking like she had something on her mind she was afraid to speak up about. "So, Ymir, how've you been adjusting to home?"

"Steadily," Ymir replied, finally looking back at her. "It's not like anything I expected after Chysalis. I...If I may, miss Flare, I must ask. Aurora, is he alright?"

"Considering what he went through, I'd say he's more than alright. He's in a better state than me, let's put it that way." She replied. Though Ymir only gave a smile on the outside, everypony present could practically feel the tension within her bleed away.

"Well, I'd call that a good start," Thorax commented. "Hopefully that bodes well for the rest of your visit."

As Outreach and Thorax got talking about the plan for the next few days and Apple Tart went to Auger and Belyi in the hope of starting translation efforts, Water Flare and Ymir both shared a look. A look of hope that they had both helped bring an end to one of the longest hostilities in either side's history. That this was the start of something much better.