//------------------------------// // The Heart of Winter // Story: The Changeling of the Guard // by vdrake77 //------------------------------// The trio of us decided that it would be beneficial to allow Cersus time to adjust to the process of moving, and to express her goodbyes to her friends. Celestia was more than a bit cross with my own determination to move swiftly, but in truth I could do no less; I had Orders, and I feared the ‘leak’ I now felt might have something to do with my lack of instant obedience to Shining’s demand that I join him in the Empire. To fix the Crystal Guard. I was not even sure how to accomplish the task, let alone what in Order’s name was wrong with them or how less-than-enthusiastic obedience was making me feel poorly, or if it correlated at all. I wondered at how I could simply not know such fundamental information at my own biology; ponies clearly had it easier. Then again, ponies had doctors of both the body and mind. Most changelings would either survive an injury or illness mostly unscathed, or perish from it. Those like Cersus with a permanent ailment that defied alteration were almost unheard of, unless one considered the natural aggression of the scant few warrior drones to be such an ailment, which… made a certain amount of sense. Though I suppose I could have just not known any excavation drones sharing the lack of acuity in her vision. For us, it would barely matter. Regardless of all that, I would have to go to the Empire, and soon. I… convinced Cersus that this was a matter of national security, but refrained from attempting to swear her to secrecy. I strongly suspected her friends would be informed of my location before my hooves even left Equestrian soil, regardless, and was even more certain her little friend group had been the ones attempting to aid her in jailbreaking me. Truthfully, I could only hope that their loyalty to one another would remain strong, but for all that, leaving my charge a nation away to depend upon a gaggle of foals would have been unacceptable in the extreme. As for Topaz… that was a matter I was still not ready to approach, Princess Celestia’s displeasure not enough to convince me to bite into that can of worms quite yet. When I retrieved Cersus, I would revisit the idea of discussing events with Topaz. Or… revisit the idea… of revisiting the idea of discussing events with Topaz. That seemed a bit more feasible. I hoped that it would be time enough for whatever I had done or whatever fanciful notions the pegasus was entertaining to escape her; I was a creature of duty and obligation, no Equestrian stallion. She deserved better. In the meantime, I forbade Cersus from revealing my plans to Topaz, out of earshot of Princess Celestia, whom I believed would instantly and immediately countermand my own instructions to the nymph. Even so, I had to explain that I would talk to Topaz, just not right now, and felt my chest swell at the idea that the nymph would take such offense at perceived wrongdoing. Still. The promise felt disingenuous, and I did not like that it was being forced upon me by my charge. What I liked far less was that the only way to get to the Crystal Empire seemed to be by train, as the initial trip by wagon had been fraught with danger and only served the dual purposes of getting Princess Cadance and Shining Armor to the Empire while laying track to allow more rapid delivery. An incredibly valid effort, as it turned out; without it the Elements would have never arrived in time to prevent Sombra’s return to power. I remained certain the trains only aided the ponies to prevent competition. They could not eat crystal, after all. Sombra, for his part, was unlikely to tolerate the noisy beasts, and would have doubtless preferred to remain the only smoke monster in the hearts of the Crystal Empire ponies. Two wholly selfish goals from two wicked beasts. At least trains made a show of aiding Equestria. By Order, I hated these things. Worse than all of that, for all the beast supposedly had a heart of flame, this ‘Crystal Line’ variant must have been even more cold-blooded than the rest. No sooner had we crossed the border between Empire and Equestria than I was beset by a chill like none I had ever felt before, even in dead of winter. The Frozen North was an apt name for this place, I decided, feeling ache settle in even through faux pony fur and whatever blankets I could scrounge in the nearly empty train car. The scenery fared no better; gone were the flowing hills and the majestic magenta mountains of Equestria. Gone too were the lush green grasses and flowers of every hue and myriad other things to draw the eye that normally made such conveyance bearable. Instead I was treated to mound upon miserable mound of snow, frigid pale crystals of middling worth that I suspected to be more ice than mineral that seemed to take the place of trees, and naught much else. Oh, an entire range of gray mountains, likewise covered in snow. How delightful. To my further grave displeasure, the train reached its final stop in what was otherwise a completely nondescript snowy landscape decorated with a barren train station. I believe my scowl might have frightened the conductor, and was informed that the rail did not ‘yet’ reach all the way to the Empire. There had been concerns about the station and its minders being accidentally caught up should the city vanish again. Now that it had been thoroughly annexed by a Princess, a term I was not sure was accurate, ponies were becoming more confident about moving the station into the capitol. For the next few weeks, however, travelers would have to walk the final mile into the city proper. In other words, I could disobey my orders or face frigidity and sheerest misery. Frigidity won, but I confess it was a near thing. Every step towards the crystalline structure of the Empire’s buildings was hard-won and fraught with agony; the minor enchantments on guard armor to repel cold overwhelmed seemingly in moments. Only sheer stupid determination propelled me forth, and I wondered briefly if anyone would even bother should I freeze solid mid-stride. Stepping across the border into the ‘fields’ of the Crystal Empire stripped away most of the misery, and I startled myself into taking a sharp breath of the chill air. A mistake that set me to coughing, but at least I was no longer trapped in an environ devoid of both warmth and life; now it was still merely mostly devoid of warmth. I eyed the buildings as I came upon them skeptically; they were all… boring. Ugly, and brutalist, almost haphazardly so. Spires of uniform bland mineral with windows chiseled out. I tried to imagine what kind of pony would want to live amongst this, and found myself baffled. Maud may have wanted a single-mineral home, but she would have some style to it, I was sure. I could not even claim to have much care for the citizenry. They pranced about as sure as any Equestrian would through Canterlot, but the smiles were plastered on where they weren’t entirely forced. Several had manes that put in mind the shells of the hive, and I had to school my own features to keep my disapproval from showing. This was my sworn liege and lady’s new home and their new people. At least the castle had something going for it. It was no Canterlot Castle, and I suspected it wouldn’t hold a candle to the Castle of the Two Sisters in its prime, but it did have… something to it, I had to begrudgingly admit, though I was even more distressed to learn that as of now, the castle was almost entirely unguarded. That Shining would allow such a thing concerned me, that he was potentially forced to because there was nopony to do it was… even I had to stop and force myself to think more charitably of these ponies, but I feared I was beginning to understand how Sombra had run roughshod over them so easily. And the Crystal Heart… The Heart… I do not remember approaching it. I can barely recall stepping into the area where it was housed; I strayed too close, and it was everything, everywhere, filling my vision and entrancing me like no physical object ever had. Even my long lost cup had held no glamor such as this. This was a thing of Power, of intensity and perfection. No mere crystal repository this, nothing so simple as my pitiful stones or even the ones the Queen had provided me. I could feel it, the air rippling with purpose as the thing beat like an organic one, life pouring out into the world… I reached out, unable to help myself, wanting, no, needing just a taste- And unleashed a maelstrom. I have never considered myself a glutton, never realized my own inner greed, but in a single moment I had consumed far more than I had ever before held, more than my entire stockpile had ever held, and not merely consumed but horribly wasted, an ongoing binge of Love that I only broke free of with sheer desperate effort that left me shaking and exhausted. None saw. I do not know how they did not, but somehow they did not see color beyond color leaking from the Crystal… nor did they see the single, nearly imperceptible blemish where I had come into contact with it. The flaw I had somehow introduced, which now I could not unsee, for I had tainted perfection with my very presence. With no other recourse, I once again fled to my liege to confess my sins. “There’s nothing there, Idol,” Shining managed, staring at the stone with a jeweler’s eyepiece, but unable to keep some of the annoyance from his tone. Not that tone mattered, I could feel my liege’s displeasure radiating from him. “It looks fine to me.” I stared, dread not completely shaken by the lack of evidence. “It… it was there.” I was very nearly sure of it. I could remember where the mark had been, surely as if it was still there, but to my own eye, there was nothing. Shining grunted. “I’m not denying you did something. Only that I can’t tell that you did. Cady?” The princess pored over the crystalline representation of an internal organ, biting her lip. “I… it feels fine, mostly-” “Mostly?” “-no, no, it feels fine. I just… come on, Shiny, I don’t exactly come out here and examine it. This is the first time I’ve ever really tried to get a feel for the magic of the Crystal Heart. It’s not like I’d know what to do about it anyways. It’s still spreading love. I think maybe Idol just… y’know, focused it in a weird way. Like putting two prisms together, the light reflects and focuses based on both of them at the same time. It doesn’t hurt them. Or maybe it was just… I don’t know, a Lovespot. Like sunspots, but on the Heart!” Shining looked less than convinced. “...Maybe,” he finally accepted, giving me a tired look. “Can you not, please?” “I will never touch it again,” I swore, staring at the stone. It no longer had the same draw, but… there was still a pull. I wanted it. It wasn’t a need, not anymore, but… there was still something primal about the sensation. Something new about my kind I didn’t know. This place had been one terrible discovery after another, and I wanted to go home. …Which I no longer had. Bleakness was starting to settle over me. Equestria was all but lost to me unless the royal pair gave up on this miserable empire. Worse, I now had to reconsider bringing the Nymph here. I… was not sure I could trust others of my own kind with this new temptation. I barely thought I could avoid it, but I would. Duty demanded I must. “-Idol. Idol!” A sharp rap to the armor of my side stunned me out of my reverie, and I blinked, feeling shame wash over me at my distraction. “Faust. Maybe this was a bad idea-” “-oh, come on, Shiny, he’s had a long day, and he’s never been good in winter, you know that. We need him to acclimatize a few days before we put him to work. Give him time to settle in.” My mouth was exceptionally dry, and I endeavored to moisten it. “...I just want to begin my duties as soon as possible. This place is… difficult enough without something to focus on. But… perhaps one day is not an unacceptable delay. Where is the barracks?” Shining winced with a shake of his head. “Torn down. Trust me, it wasn’t livable. Sombra gave them enough room to pass out standing up and not much else. We’re working on a garrison but it won’t be part of the castle, and the castle’s defenses are… well, pretty much non-existent. It’s gonna take a lot of work, and we’re not even sure how many guards we’re actually going to have.” I had my military gear, taken from my barracks room at Canterlot, but… I did not think a standard issue tent and sleeping bag were going to suffice here, and the further I roamed from the center of town, the more pronounced the chill became. Short of sleeping under the Heart- I cut the idea off. I did not trust myself not to reach in my sleep. My doubtful expression was caught by the Princess, and she laughed fondly. “Don’t worry, Idol, we made arrangements for you. There’s a place on the edge of the city, the leeward side. Most of the ponies say it’s a bit warmer there. Here, I have the address.” “I… that will do just fine, Your Highness. If I may take my leave?” “You may. Shiny?” Shining nodded, distracted himself by the Crystal Heart. “Of course.” I had not gone ten steps before his voice came again. “...Idol?” I hesitated. “...Yes, Your Highness?” “...I’m glad you made it.” It sounded forced, more like something he wanted to be true. I wasn’t entirely sure I was, either, but… “...Thank you, sir.” I hurried along, hoping I could reach my new abode before night fell. ‘Warm side’ or not, I doubted I would be made more comfortable by the sun going down. I would serve better in the morning, I was sure of it. Princess Cadance’s assurances that this was ‘warmer’ were either in error or I was lost, perhaps both. I wandered a bit, had to ask for directions, and finally found my assigned place of rest, only to be entirely taken aback. It looked… like a somewhat hastily made replica of Topaz’s home. It was made of much the same type of crystal as everything else, and did not look entirely finished, but… Order preserve me, it looked like home. They’d even arranged crystals to look like her paving stones, gone to the extent of trying to match her mailbox. I was inordinately touched, and found myself walking up with the slightest of smiles. A glimmer of light in an otherwise dark day. Out of habit, I found myself knocking on the door, as I always tended to do before entering. It was to my everloving consternation that I heard a familiar voice tell me to ‘Come on in’, and after a moment frozen in shock, I flung the door open in utter dismay, and was still unable to process what I beheld. “You?!” “Oh, hey! You must be the guy the castle sent,” cheerfully stated the most aggravating golden mare I had ever met, adjusting red framed glasses as she examined her paperwork from atop an oh-so-familiar couch, a glittering ladybug pendant dangling from a slender neck. Her green mane, normally in a bun, hung loose, highlighting her face. I had to admit, she still had lovely cheekbones. “Do you have any former leaseholders I can contact for reference?” “...You!?” I felt that my brain had skipped like a damaged record. I stared, angry and confused and relieved- “Well, I guess I can do my best to get ahold of me- oh! I guess you’ve done that yourself once or twice, but I think we can assume your paperwork is in order. I’m Miss Showers, you can call me Topaz~” My ability to express full sentences finally re-asserted itself sluggishly, and I could barely process her statement beyond being vaguely sure I should be embarrassed and quite unable to focus on why. “What are you doing here?!” “Hmm? Oh. I’m going to be your new landlord, I guess?” She made a show of organizing the papers, which she had already managed to make a mess of. “I was assigned here…!” “Well, yeah, but… I own the place. Not too many other places to rent here right now, sorry, this is pretty much the best they could do on short notice. Don’t worry, your stipend will cover it.” I sputtered, feeling the world spiraling. “But… but why are you here?!” “Oh, I’m starting the Topaz Showers New Empire Entomology Research Center, of course! I got a grant from Princess Cadance!” I covered my face, finally understanding the machinations I was victim of. “Of course you did.” “Don’t get the wrong idea, Bugsy, this is a huge opportunity for me! The banishment of the Crystal Empire completely predates the scientific method!” And now I was lost in what was supposed to be my new home. “It… what?” “The whole empire vanished a thousand years ago! I've found six beetles since I've gotten here, and every one of them is just a 'crystal empire beetle'! One's just called a 'Large Crystal Empire Beetle'! There are no scientific names! Nopony ever studied them, these ponies think I'm insane~!" “I… would struggle to disagree with them! Topaz, you cannot simply pack up everything you own and leave Equestria to study… beetles!” I looked around, and… everything from the couch to the portraits to the various knicknacks had been placed in almost the exact same positions, unable to dispel my disbelief. Topaz was here. "Oh? Cause, y'know... I did, so clearly I can. And not just beetles, but scorpions, spiders, a really fascinating species of grasshopper I think is called a ‘shardhopper’... plenty more, but I’m still pretty sure that's empirical proof you're wrong. Oooh, maybe I should jot that down~ some insects in the Crystal Empire have trouble discerning evidence right before their eyes!” “That is… not funny!” I lied, trying to force myself not to smile. Topaz was here. “It’s a little funny,” she disagreed, giving me a smirk. “But I really am going to be doing research here. It wasn’t just the ponies that vanished, it was everything from the plants to the worms in the soil. The empire was barren for years, and now we need to make sure the ecosystem isn’t utterly destroyed by the shock of a thousand years of physical changes. I mean, you wouldn’t believe the number of things these ponies just don’t care about, do you know what pollinates their crystal corn? It’s a butterfly with wings like stained glass! They’re absolutely wonderful! And I found a ladybug here that looks just like mine-” I stared in mute fascination, marveling at the mare who had upended her life chasing a dream. The world seemed… warmer, somehow, and not just because the fireplace already had a log merrily crisping in it. Like vibrancy was coming back, somehow, as I listened to the pony before me gushing about her life’s work as if nothing at all had changed. And I do not know for how long I listened, but through the lightly tinted crystal panes I could see that the sun had gone down and the stars were twinkling merrily, as though Luna was enjoying a good joke. Perhaps she was. I suspected more than one Princess had meddled in this. “-but… I think that’s enough fangirling about the Empire for one night. I have research in the morning, and you probably need to report to the castle. We should probably get some sleep.” I sighed, nodding. My mind still reeled, but… I found that I didn’t dread the morning, or the duty nearly so much. In fact, I was looking forward to it. The future felt… better. “I suppose we should. We… we need to discuss things. Tomorrow.” And then I pulled the rug away from atop the door to the cellar- And found no door. For that matter, no cellar, only smooth crystalline floor. “T…Topaz? Where is the cellar?” “Oh, they don’t really do cellars here. Typically they just leave the pantry walls as a kind of hard crystal that doesn’t block heat transfer, and it’s like having an icebox year-round. I figured you could make a basement yourself, make it however you want, make a proper hidey-hole, something that really makes you comfortable. I guess the crystal we’re sitting on is great for heat dissipation, lots of the Crystal Ponies use it for heated floors! I’m pretty sure we could figure that out. How hard can it be?” “Well… yes, I would like that, but it will take a great deal of time, effort… planning! Even if I were prepared, it is likely to be quite noisy, with all this crystal..!’ “Huh. That’s a shame, I guess I didn’t think about that.” The mare was slowly making her way to the stairway that led to the second floor. “Suppose I’ve got room for you… upstairs?” “You… what?” I stared, uncertain. The air felt thick, and there was… something to the way her hips were moving. An… intent, to it? I tasted the emotion in the air and blinked dumbly. “C’mon… I’m sure we can figure something out!” And with that, she sashayed her way up the stairs, my eyes following her every motion and flick of the tail. The invitation was plain, in intent, emotion, and deed. I should not. There had been too much already. I should not. I could stay here, sleep by the fire…! Harmony help me, I went.