//------------------------------// // CH 62 (A duel before the duel) // Story: Accepting Change // by drFraud //------------------------------// Patchwork   ‘Getting really tired of waiting.’ Pacing up and down in front of the main castle entrance did not help matters either. Occasionally I would glance around, making sure that I was not interfering with any comings and goings of the changelings, but mostly I kept my gaze firmly focused on the ‘street’ that the castle faced. Since Chrysalis left well over two hours ago, and since the representatives would be brought here, there isn’t much point in me wandering about ‘looking’ for them. I wasn’t angry or upset (if I slept like a log, it meant that I needed it), and even though I probably should have been frustrated at the situation, the only thing I felt was dread. All the preparation that has been done in order to make the visitors feel welcome was majorly superficial in my opinion, but still necessary. It did not, however, include anything resembling a parade, a show of arms, or anything culturally meaningful. Compatible and edible food was acquired, rooms and furnishing set up (within the castle) and the changelings were thoroughly prepared to keep the chances for a problem arising to a minimum. I didn’t prepare a speech, much less a presentation. And while now I wish I did something more; it has finally dawned on me that I should have taken the ‘prince’ aspect of my situation a bit more seriously at the very least. Looking around me, though, I wasn’t even sure where to start. “I think I’m going to have to ask Celestia for some remedial lessons,” I mumbled after finally sitting down. Letting my head drop slightly, I sighed, “If I ever find the time for such a thing.” “Sir!” Snapping to attention from my gloomy thoughts, I looked up above the domes just in time to see a changeling in light armor force himself to stop in front of me. Based on his labored breathing I found myself quickly standing up straight and getting ready for trouble, but his face spoke of worry rather than panic. “The representatives are here, Sir!” He landed in front of me and saluted, tapping the left side of his chest twice with his right hoof, gulping air the whole time, “They’ll be at the castle in a few minutes.” It took me a second for the words to click in my head, but that was enough time to make some decisions. “Excellent soldier, go and get some rest.” After a nod the changeling left, still breathing heavily, and I took a deep, steadying breath of my own letting it out slowly from my mouth. Straightening myself so that I at least looked confident, I made my way under the castle entrance and towards a small alcove to the right where I knew Keratin hid while I paced like a caged animal. “Oi, Keratin? You there?” I could ‘feel’ his core, so I knew he was there, but it didn’t hurt to be polite. “Yes, your Highness. I’m here,” it didn’t take him long to hop out of his ‘safe space’. “Excellent,” smiling mostly to myself I looked around us catching the eyes of a guard passing by. Waving him over, along with another ling guard that was next to him, I put some finishing touches to my little plan in my head. Hopefully, it won't turn the situation into complete chaos. … ‘A few minutes’ turned out to be close to fifteen minutes, which gave me more than enough time to set up a small welcome; twenty changelings, ten on each side of the street (eight Primaris and twelve regular changelings) in full armor and standing at attention with about a meter between the ten of them. It wasn’t much of a welcoming committee, not compared to what the other leaders could do, but it would have to do. I wasn’t pacing anymore (I had to sit down at some point), and I also had a few extra changelings join me in waiting, namely Keratin and Spectrum. I would have liked Scurry to join us as well, but ever since his leg was healed he left for Equestria, promising he would be back by the end of the month. By the time I could see the visitors and Chrysalis, along with their entourage, my eyes were firmly wide for several reasons. Firstly, Chrysalis, Celestia (in her peytral), and Shield Strike (no armor, and two brown pouches on her front legs) are leading the small procession, with the red earth-pony mare prancing between the two ascendants (Celestia on her left and Chrysalis on her right). Shield is smirking, occasionally glancing at Chrysalis, who is trying to look everywhere except to her right where Celestia is. Celestia on the other claw, may as well be taking a leisurely stroll across the gardens, occasionally using her wings to wave to changelings that were starting to gather around the road leading up to the castle. Every once in a while, I saw the alicorn mare speak and Chrysalis would respond, but they were too far for me to hear. Also, the way that the changeling Queen walked reminded me oddly of those old movies where the geek would finally go on a date with her crush; a stiff kind of walk, where you have no fucking idea where to put your hands and where everything is more interesting than… the person… ‘Motherfuuuuuu… Right, headache for later,’ I sighed explosively, lowering my head. Raising my head back up I could feel my eyes go wide again, but my heart also started to skip for joy. Right behind the leading trio, is Velvet… my beautiful Velvet, talking to Spine on her right. Her grey coat is clean, shiny, and healthy-looking, and her mane and tail seem to be freshly groomed. I couldn’t help myself and my tail started slowly swishing when I stood up. My surprise started growing even further when I spotted Night Light opposite of Velvet on Spine’s right. I didn’t mind seeing my best friend visiting, but I’m still stunned that Celestia brought him along. I couldn’t see the minotaur king, but behind Spine, I could just barely make out the brown feathers of a griffon lioness with Ponera walking next to her. The procession was getting close enough that I could make out the details without any eye enhancements, but by then Velvet noticed me and saw her smile widely, sending me a quick air-smooch. “Oi, bug-colt!” I focused on Shield (dropping my smile slightly as well; I liked her, but she wasn’t Velvet), who looked like she was barely containing her laughter. Both Celestia and Chrysalis looked at her with raised eyebrow/ridge, “Guess what we found out!?” I could just barely see Chrysalis’s eyes widen and a slight look, of what I would guess, panic cross her features before she resigned to whatever fate Strike had for her. They were now close enough, and Shield waved me over as she moved forward. I lowered my head and tilted my left ear to hear her whisper while covering her mouth with her hoof making us both look like conspirators to some state secret, “Yer Queen has a crush.” The pony Captain snickered, eyes closed, but my face couldn’t be flatter as I focused on a spot on the ground. “So as long as she didn’t kiss anyone… It’s not you or Celestia?” I whispered back in a monotone. Waging eyebrows was all the answer I got while she moved back to stand next to Celestia. Not dignifying her actions with a response, but not bothering to change my expression I watched as the rest of the procession lined up in front of us with the four… five, representatives standing at the front while Chrysalis moved to stand next to me. Chrysalis standing on my left, Captain Spine on my right, and the rest of the leaders are behind us. In front of Chrysalis, about three meters away stood Celestia, and Shield Strike on her left. The griffon lioness stood on Celestia’s right, King Spirit, with his arms crossed in front of him, stood on the griffon's right and the cat folk on the left of Shield Strike, both of them with arms held behind their back… I think. Chrysalis and I sent each other a quick smile and I stood a bit straighter, focusing on the other visitors. The two Abyssinian representatives are the only ones whose eyes visibly scanned the small row of guards I placed on both sides of the road, with the Primaris guards drawing the majority of their attention. If I didn’t know they were cat folk, I wouldn’t be able to even guess what they look like, that’s how covered up with clothing they are. Only their eyes and the surrounding fur are visible revealing dark-grey fuzz under the blue clothes and off-white under the pink ones. Their golden eyes darted from left to right almost the whole time. One wearing blue, the other soft, almost salmon-pink, their clothing reminded me of those, middle eastern burkas, but with barely visible embellishments running through it in symbols that I couldn’t recognize but were nonetheless similar to the scrips of the same area. The flowing, swirling, and curvy letters weren’t just thrown about but had a place that wasn’t visible from all the clothing, following the contours of their body. I tried to find something that would indicate where the clothing separated into different pieces, like a hood, pants, or anything… but nothing. I simply couldn’t tell, and given the weather of Badlands and Equestria I wondered if the clothing was ceremonial, cultural, or merely the result of the region they lived in. Given that I couldn’t satisfy my curiosity I decided to focus on the other representatives, but I secretly hoped that I would see them at some point without all the layers. ‘That… feels like a strange thought.’ I focused on the griffon. The griffon lioness looked old, but only as far as her fur and some extra wrinkles around her eyes could tell me. Her body still carried a fair bit of muscle and the extra greys that I could see between the fur and the feathers only accentuated it. Her bright blue piercing eyes are solely focused on Chrysalis and her emotions were kept even, so much so that I started considering that some sort of training was involved. When her eyes found mine, I had to force myself to look away from their intensity and I found myself looking everywhere but at them. The small flash of amusement from her only fuelled the embarrassment I started to feel. Compared to the twins she barely wore anything; a green, thin, cloth sash was draped diagonally over the right side of her neck and looping under her left leg. On, what I would assume is the very middle of the sash (right under her neck and on her chest region), are three small golden cubes with some small intricate details that I couldn’t make out, placed right next to each other, and under them is what looks like a brown leather wallet. The ‘wallet’ itself wasn’t open, and from what I could see it was attached to the sash with no visible seams. I assumed that it carried a form of identification. The only other thing that I could see on her from my position was a long handle (‘I think it’s wrapped in leather’) that I assumed belonged to a sword, sticking out from her right side. Hopefully, we would give her no reason to use it. Spirit Truehorn… Taller than me, and with massive muscles, looking at him now (and comparing him to the two only minotaurs I’ve seen thus far), I could easily tell that he is no ordinary bull. And that our duel (should he wish to carry it out) would not be an easy victory for me. The Roman-like toga hid almost nothing of his physique, and though I could feel a small amount of fear building up in me, I opted to focus on his emotions. Curiosity, excitement, worry… and underneath all of that, when I focused harder, fury, rolling like waves but otherwise well hidden. Swallowing hard and stepping slightly forward, when I noticed that no one spoke up for almost a minute, I gave a light bow to each of the representatives. I also managed to just barely catch a swift nod and a smile from Celestia, which managed to reassure me. “Welcome, all of you, to our humble slice of the Badlands,” I ignored the slight panic starting to brew inside my head. “I’m guessing that Queen Chrysalis welcomed you already, but there is no reason for me not to do the same. It doesn’t hurt to be polite,” Truehorn and Celestia smiled, but the lioness frowned. “I’m assuming you have already met Captain Spine,” I tilted my head to my left, but otherwise I kept my eyes forward, “but the two others joining me are Keratin, the Queen’s advisor, and Spectrum, our chief infiltrator.” I heard the two lings step forward when called but since they were behind me, I couldn’t see their faces. Regardless… I opened my mouth to continue but Chrysalis pre-empted me, “I know that there are a great many things to discuss, that all of you have (quite rightly) many questions, but, I would like to have you all well rested and fed before we begin.” We have your rooms set up to the best of our abilities. Once you have all recovered from your journey we can begin tomorrow morning after breakfast,” She didn’t mention that their rooms had some resin decorations that were supposed to represent their own. “Each of you will have a personal guard that will assist you in navigating our shifting castle, and I encourage you all to ask them any questions about changelings you may have,” This time I spoke up. “And please, though we don’t have much to offer in terms of sights, I warmly welcome you to explore this place. Who knows, maybe you’ll find something interesting about us.” … Three sharp knocks interrupted my pacing. The moment we settled all of the visitors in their rooms I locked myself in my own. While I would like nothing more than to spend some time with Velvet right now I had to settle my thoughts first into something less panicky. I would even like to talk to Night Light if nothing else than to ask him why he’s here. Not that I minded his presence, but I was merely curious. Three more knocks shook me out of my thoughts again. Approaching the door to my room, I removed the magical lock I had placed on it and opened the door. The changeling guard standing in front of it looked worried. “Sir, my apologies for disturbing you…” “No apologies needed, what’s up?” I gave him a reassuring smile, which quickly disappeared once I raised my head and noticed King Truehorn standing a few meters away. “I would like to speak to you, prince. If you have some time to spare, of course,” His tone is even, and his voice deep, but soft. Chrysalis was the one that took him to his room so I didn’t even get the chance to hear him speak properly other than a ‘thank you’. He wasn’t demanding my attention, but he wasn’t pleading for it either, I could say no and that would be that. I’m not that kind of person though. “Even if I didn’t have the time, sir, I would make some. Please, come in,” Putting up the smile again I stepped aside and motioned for him to enter once the guard moved out of the way. “Thank you, young Prince.” Looking at the guard I easily got his attention and, after requesting some simple food and drink that I could offer the King, I entered the room and closed the door behind me. “Not much for decoration, I assume?” He asked, facing away from me, stretching his arms wide for emphasis. Sitting in front of the closed door I tried to shake of the nervousness, “Nothing like that.” Igniting my horn I lifted the low table and two pillows setting them up next to Truehorn, “Since Husk's defeat I barely had any time for myself, and this room was set up fairly recently. Don’t have much to put here anyway…” I trailed off as the large minotaur shrugged and then promptly sat down on the pillow closest to him once he noticed it was there. Sitting down opposite of him, I only then noticed that he wasn’t sitting, per se, but more like kneeling on the pillow, Japanese style. “Yes… Husk…” He grumbled more to himself, “I am surprised, was, surprised when Celestia told me the story of the happenings here, in the Badlands. We paid little attention to the goings on within this area… up until recently at least.” He stroked his beard in though, running the large fingers of his right hand around the braid. “I’m surprised that she was left to her own devices for this long, all things considered,” I shrugged. “Do not misunderstand, young prince,” He didn’t frown, his face looked calm, but his emotions spoke of brief anger, “the only reason that ‘she’ was left to run unchecked are the Badlands themselves… that and Celestia.” “Oh?” I tilted my head to the right. “Yes,” Sitting further into the cushion, he placed both of his hands on his knees, “the rocky barrier protecting the Badlands offers the kind of tactical protection that even a proper fortress lacks. Climbing over it? Unseen? Impossible,” He scoffed, “and Celestia would never allow a war party to go through her country. Especially one equipped for extermination.” “Why not enter through the other side?” I spoke of the second entrance through the rocky barrier. Further south there was another opening, much wider than the one with Equestria, but also far more dangerous… or so I’ve heard. “We considered it, but too costly. Especially since ‘Husk’ and her cohorts barely made the effort of crossing the sea,” He leaned forward, his eyes almost boring through mine. I instinctively pulled my head back slightly as he continued, “But make no mistake, we were well aware of every minotaur that went missing within Equestrian territory.” Lifting his left hand he poked at the top of the resin table with a finger, “And I want them back; if our races are ever to consider ANY friendly relations.” Though he showed no physical or even emotional signs of anger, I did not delude myself with his calm exterior. I also doubted that his current speech was something he actually wanted to talk about. “And you can have them, all of them in fact,” I nodded my head in confirmation, “but not just yet.” He raised his left eyebrow but didn’t comment further, “Since Husk cared little for their well-being we have been trying for a while to get their physical health to an acceptable level. It is a slow process though.” “Why?” “Lack of resources I’m afraid…” I shrugged, trailing off when three knocks echoed through the room. Turning my head towards the door I ignited my horn and opened it. A changeling mare quickly entered spouting excuses the whole time for interrupting. After quelling her worries and thanking her for the delivery of a large bowl of fruits and two large resin glasses of juice. We both thanked her and she left just as quickly as she came once I picked up her cargo and placed it on the table before she did, with one glass for Spirit and one for me. “Aside from being short on food,” I continued once the mare left and the door closed, “we weren’t sure about just releasing all the podded creatures without a safety net for both sides. There was, also, a hefty amount of fear on my side as well. I wasn’t sure about how the other nations would react when a large number of their citizens just showed back to their homes without a proper explanation.” “And you didn’t deem it important to notify the other nations of the developments?”  he picked up an apple from the pile of fruits and bit into it with a crunch. “Celestia knew of it,” He frowned once I spoke, changing his expression for the first time since coming to my room. “I had no means of contacting outside nations without putting my changelings at significant risk. Husk burned a lot of bridges over the centuries, and while I never wanted to keep the information about the changes from others, the threat of swift retribution meant that I only had equestrians to rely on, as they were aware of the situation from the get-go and they promised to assist.” The quiet that followed allowed me to grab the glass of juice and take a big sip, thoroughly enjoying the taste of apple juice. “Which all brings me to the reason why I came here,” he lifted his glass and emptied it in four quick gulps. “I will not bore you right now with too many details, but a duel will be issued by minotaur standards, and YOU are the one who will meet me on the field.” “Why me, and not Chrysalis?” I asked out of genuine curiosity that he apparently didn’t recognize. “Are you refusing?” He raised his voice and some of his façade fell away when anger flashed over his features. “I am not. I’m only curious about why me instead of the Queen?” I tried not to move, but I could feel my hind legs shaking. “A number of reasons, all listed here,” He reached with his left arm, moving the bottom of the toga to the side revealing a pouch lying on his leg and connected to a belt around his waist by a strap. Pulling out a scroll tied with a red rope and a golden wax seal on the rope itself he reached over the table and placed the scroll in front of me, “You are free to challenge any and all points of contention written on the scroll, but you will find that all of them are fair.” He stood up after grabbing another apple. “Should I read this now?” I lifted the scroll to eye level with my claws studying the rope and the knot with the seal. “Once I leave, yes.” Throwing the apple into the air he deftly caught it, “If you disagree with anything within that scroll you are free to come and speak with me on the matter. However, unless there are no issues, I will see you tomorrow afternoon on the field of battle, yes?” Thinking about it for about a minute I raised my head from the scroll and looked at the large minotaur waiting at the door. Placing the scroll back on the table I nodded my head which got me a nod in return and he left without a word, apple in tow.