Bk14/Ch1
A Prince’s Crime
(Year 09, Month 11, Day 14)
The lone traveler made his way across the frozen landscape as the cold wind blew over the snow covered wasteland. As the cloaked stallion climbed to the top of a snowy dune, he looked across the way as he could see the Crystal Empire in the distance as he smiled through his shivering, “There it is… the Crystal Empire… I’ve finally made it after all this time… I fina-“
All of a sudden, a train whistle blew as the traveler looked to the side to see a steam train bellowing down the rails as it flew passed the dune he was standing on and continued on its path across the snowy landscape. As the train passed, the traveler sighed in disappointment, as he watched the fast moving mode of transportation continue towards the Crystal Empire.
On the train, Zeil watched out the window of a cabin as he saw the traveler and smiled, “Boy am I glad I decided to take the train instead of traveling by hoof. I’ve had enough frozen wastelands for one lifetime.” He looked at the seat across form him, “Right Thorax?”
Thorax, who was sitting across from Zeil in the cabin, only smiled slightly and nodded, before his expression sank back to worry. Seeing this, Zeil’s smile also faded as his eyes shifted to Princess Twilight who sat next to him with an expression that looked more like she was a prisoner then an accompanying guest. With little concern for her, Zeil looked back out the window as he spoke, “Penny for your thoughts brother?”
Thorax replied with worry, “What do you intend to do… when we see Prince Armor?”
Zeil replied, “I intend on telling him what he needs to hear… which is exactly what I’ve been through this past decade… what he…” he looked at Princess Twilight, “And you… forced me into.”
As Zeil started looking back out the window, Princess Twilight wanted to speak, but in fear of angering him more, she held her silence as Thorax could tell what she wanted to say as he asked for her, “What did you go through this past decade?”
Zeil shook his head, “You will find out… when we speak with Prince Armor.”
Trying to change the subject, Zeil asked, “So… Princess? How do you know about the Mage? Did you study him at some point?”
Speaking carefully, Princess Twilight replied, “I did, but it wasn’t until I got a letter from Somnambula that I started looking into the subject.”
Zeil smiled, “Oh, you know Somnambula? How is she doing? I haven’t seen her since I helped her solve the mystery of Duet a number of years ago.”
Twilight smiled briefly, “She’s doing fine, but… is… is it true about the mage? Did he really destroy her home?”
Zeil nodded as he looked out the window into the snow, “Yes… she did.”
Twilight continued, “And… did the mage really destroy the Wooden Pergola Village?”
Zeil nodded again, “Yes… I did.”
Thorax was shocked, “What? You destroyed them? But… why?”
Zeil replied with a dark tone, “Doesn’t matter… to maintain balance, it had to be done.”
Thorax’s eyes widened, “Wait… is that what you intend to do when you see Shining Armor?”
All of a sudden, Princess Twilight started to feel worried as Zeil sensed this and replied, “Don’t jump to conclusions… I have no intention of hurting anypony today, so don’t worry too much. That said… the young queen and that timid pegasus… why did you send them back to Canterlot?”
Thorax replied, “Well since they didn’t need to come, we thought it would be better for them to go back without us. What about that pirate crew you were with?”
Zeil sighed in disappointment, “Well, with Captain Sail gone with his ship, The Crimson Pirates have no choice but to go their separate ways, Jim is returning to Princess Skystar at Mount Eris, Powder Keg is going back to Pirates Cove to pass on the bad news, and the rest are going back to whatever lives they had before.” He looked out the window in disappointment, “I knew Captain Sail, he was a good stallion and a good friend, and even if he accepted his fate, it’s a shame to see a living legend die before your eyes. I just hope he found peace in his final moments, he deserved that much.”
As Zeil looked out the window into the snowstorm, Thorax could feel his sadness as he spoke, “You’ve changed… you used to seem so intelligent and cold at the same time. It was almost as if you had no conscience at all. You followed every order Queen Chrysalis gave without question, and… without compassion.”
Zeil smiled, “You talk as If I were some sort of robot. I admit I was a little too loyal for my own good, but… now I know my fault. And you, little timid Thorax who wouldn’t step on a bug let alone invade a kingdom. And now he rules the entire changeling kingdom all by himself. I would have expected Phalanx would try to over throw you by now.”
Thorax chuckled, “Well… he did try to hold an election to take over the throne… five times… but the rest of the swarm agree that I was the better drone for the position. If you were there though, no doubt you would be better suited for the position. You were the Queens favorite after all.”
Zeil nodded, “Phalanx was the strongest of us… no doubt about that, and I was the smarter one, but… let’s face it. The swarm needs more then brain or brawn. They need heart, and you have always had that over all of us. Even Apex couldn’t hold a candle to you.”
Thorax’s smiled faded as he replied, “On that subject… we heard about what happened to Supersonic.”
Twilight started to asked, “Supersonic? Who is tha-“
At that moment, Zeil punched the window pane next to the window as the loud knock was enough to silence her and prevent Thorax from answering. With the dark aura starting to fill the cabin, Zeil answered with an enraged voice, “My brother… who died helping me escape the Land of the Black Sand. If I wasn’t there… if you hadn’t sent me there… he would still be alive today.”
Feeling somewhat responsible Princess Twilight looked down and held her silence as a conductor knocked on the cabin door and spoke, “Princess Twilight, We are arriving at the Crystal Empire Terminal.”
Snapping out of it, she looked to the door and spoke to the conductor who could hear through the door, “Thank you for letting us know.”
As she looked back to Zeil, the mage sighed one last time before standing up, “Seems its time… Princess? Lead the way to the castle.”
After that was said, Princess Twilight, Zeil, and Thorax left the cabin just as the train came to a complete stop. As the three trotted out onto the terminal, Zeil took only one step onto the platform as he immediately paused. As Twilight and Thorax noticed his hesitation Thorax spoke, “You alright Zeil?”
Zeil hesitated for a second longer before nodded, “Yes… I'm fine. This is the Crystal Empire?”
Princess Twilight nodded as she replied, “Yes it is.”
Zeil continued, “And Shining Armor rules it… along with his Princess Mie-amor Cadenza?”
Thorax nodded, “Well, we just call her Princess Cadence but that about sums it up. Why?”
Zeil thought to himself, “That explains this feeling.”
Princess Twilight asked, “Feeling? What feeling?”
Zeil shook his head, “Nothing too concerning… let’s just continue to the palace. I think I already know what it is, I just have to take it up with the problem personally.”
After the trio left the terminal they made their way through the Crystal Empire with many stepping aside and greeting the group as a princess and her entourage would be greeted.
As the trio approached the castle doors, the guards greeted them as one spoke, “Welcome Back to the Crystal Empire Princess Twilight, we were not expecting you to visit anytime soon.”
Princess Twilight felt uneasy as she replied, “Yea… well… this visit was a little unexpected. Is my brother here?”
The guard nodded, “Yes, his majesty is in the Throne room with the royal family. Allow me to escort you th-“
She waved her hoof dismissively, “No need for that Captain Sentry, we can see our way on our own.”
Confused, the captain looked to Zeil, whose face was hidden under the hood of his cloak, then to Thorax who like Twilight held an uneasy expression as the guard nodded, “I see…”
As the three started to continue, the skeptic soldier stopped them, “Wait… Princess… that Zebra? Is he with you?”
Princess Twilight nodded as Sentry pressed more, “Sir… Can I please asked you to introduce yourself?”
Acting polite, Zeil nodded, “Of course… My name is Mage Zeil of Zebrica… or… perhaps Sir Zeil of Lilith would seem more formal… To be honest, I'm not much for formality so just call me Zeil.”
Unsure the guard thought to himself, “Zeil…”
Trying to hurry things along Princess Twilight spoke, “Let’s continue, the sooner we speak with my brother, the soo-”
“Your majesty?”
Twilight looked to the guard as he continued, “Is, everything all right? Are you sure you don’t want me to escort you?”
Twilight shook her head, “Thanks… but it may be better if you stayed here.”
The guard still felt unsure but he knew it wasn’t his place to argue with royalty so he nodded, “Very well, if you say so.”
With that said, the trio left the concerned guard at his post as they went through the corridor to the throne room.
As the three finally reached the throne room, they entered to see two thrones at the end of the room with Shining Armor sitting in one and Princess Cadence standing in front of the other as she spoke to a young alicorn filly between them, “Now focus… channel all your magic into your horn and picture something bright shining in the room, the sun is a good example, envision that.”
As soon as that was said, the young princess closed her eyes as she focused hard enough to cringe her face. As she tried to focus, a dim light started to emerge from the tip of her horn, then after a second the light grew brighter and brighter until finally the filly used all she had as the light went out and she stopped focusing to catch her breath. Excited the filly started jumping around in joy as she cheered, “Yay! I did it, I did it!”
At that moment, the filly noticed Twilight as she rushed to her side, “Aunt Twili! Did ya see? Did ya see? I casted aluminum… alumina- um…”
Zeil smiled as he corrected her, “Illumination… is the word I believe you’re looking for young princess. And if I must say, a spell that complex for one so young… you truly are your father’s daughter.”
Even though she didn’t know him, the filly smiled at the praise as she replied, “Yep, Daddy and mommy are teaching me magic, and soon, I'll be just as good as Aunt Twilli.”
Zeil smiled as he replied, “Is that so, then I hope you study hard. Trust me… if anyone knows how good Princess Twilight is at magic?” his tone changed as he looked at Twilight, “It’s me…”
Feeling the unexpected hostility, the young princess gave Zeil a confused look as Shining Armor smiled as he stood, “Twili! It’s good to see y-“
Before he could begin to trot towards them, Twilight’s uneasy expression stopped him as he could sense the tension building in the air. Pausing at the foreboding feeling, Prince Armor looked to Thorax next who shared the same expression of unease, then he looked to Zeil, who was in the middle of putting his hood down as the zebra disguised guest smiled, “Prince Shining Armor… It’s been a while, I can see you’ve aged well these pasted ten years.”
Not recognizing the zebra disguise, Shining Armor gave him a confused look as Princess Cadence Spoke, “Honey? Do you know him?”
Shining Armor shook his head, “Honestly… I don’t.” He spoke up to address Zeil, “I apologies… I don’t seem to remember you… have we met before?”
Zeil looked at his hoof as he smile, “Oh… my mistake, I never met you with this form before, have I. How’s this?”
That said, Zeil turned into his reformed changeling self as Shining Armor’s look of confusion turned to surprise, as Zeil looked at his hoof again and continued, “Now that I think about it… I don’t think I looked like this back then either.” He acted as if her were thinking to himself, “Hm… let me think… I got it. How about I take the form I had when we first met face to face?”
Continuing the façade, Zeil changed his appearance to look like an Equestrian royal guard, leaving Shining Armor to only continue with his confused stare as Zeil looked at his hoof once again and spoke, “Well… I would guess since I stole this appearance from one of the apprehending guards you arrived with… that it would be mistaken for a former colleague. Hm… what to do, what to do…”
Trying to put an end to his mockery Thorax spoke, “Zeil, maybe you should just tell hi-“
Zeil smiled innocently as he replied, “Now, now brother… if I don’t show him a face he recognize,” he gave Shining Armor an angry look, “How is he supposed to remember who I am…”
Feeling the unusual shift from a humble greeting to a threatening glare, Shining Armor started to share in his sister’s unease, as Zeil finished with his angry tone, “How about this… I'm sure even you wouldn’t forget this face.”
As that was said, Zeil changed his appearance one last time. This time, to his parasitic changeling appearance as Shining Armor’s eyes widened as he sat down in shock, “What?... Z-Zine?”
Zeil replied with a threatening tone, “Oh good, you remember me after all. I’d say it’s good to see you again, but then I’d be lying.” He looked to Twilight, “Princess… I’d hate to seem rude… but we may need to discuss this in a more… private setting… you know, in absence of Armor’s wife and Daughter.”
Hearing the anger in his voice was all Shining Armor needed to agree as he looked to Princess Cadence and spoke, “Cadence… maybe you should take Flurry Heart somewhere else.”
Though she was unsure, Princess Cadence could sense the tension building in the room as she nodded, “Sure… Come along Flurry, let’s go practice magic in the garden for a while. We can let your father catch up with… Mr Zine?”
“Mage Zeil actually, and I do apologies if I seem rude, but this should only take a few minutes.”
Nodding, Princess Cadence and Flurry Heart left the throne room as all parties waited patiently till the throne room doors were shut and they were left alone.
After his family was gone, Shining Armor started to smile, “So… Zine… or Zeil, you’re alive… I'm glad, I was worried y-“
“Are you? Do you even know what I went through the past ten years?”
Shining Armor felt worried by Zeil’s snap as Thorax finally got tired of the tension as he stepped between Zeil and Shining Armor as he spoke, “All right let’s just calmed down a second.” He looked to Zeil, “Brother, you know that I’ll always stand with you… but Prince Armor and Princess Twilight are friends now. What happened that made you so cross with them?”
Zeil looked to Prince Armor, “Do you want to tell him, or should I?”
Shining Armor explained, “A little under ten years ago after the attack on Canterlot. I requested and formed a group of soldiers whose soul duty was to hunt down and banish remnant changeling from Equestria. At the time, we weren’t aware that the Changeling Kingdom had been established so close to Equestria’s borders, so when we did research, the closest settlement we could find record of was in the Land of the Black Sand.”
Thorax was surprised, “The Land of the Black Sand? But that’s thousands of miles away, almost a year’s flight from here.”
Still in his parasitic form, Zeil nodded, “And even further… since I don’t have wings anymore.”
Not realizing it before, Thorax looked Zeil in surprise as Shining Armor continued, “Well… since that was the only place we knew that changelings were, we set out to capture any changelings still in Equestria, and teleport them there with a spell. And… when I got a witness saying that Zine… or, Zeil was hiding out in the Castle of the Alicorn Sisters, I assembled a hunting party and tracked him down.”
Zeil nodded, “Yea… and when you found me… we fought… I won… and then I cured you of the after effects of Queen Chrysalis’s curse. Less than an hour later…” his glare shifted to Twilight as he continued “She… sent me tumbling into a portal that transported me across the world.”
Looking away in shame, Twilight held her silence as Shining Armor spoke up, “We tried to make it right!”
“Did you?”
“Off course, I sent three search parties there to find you and bring you back.”
Zeil replied, “And what did you find?... What landscape did your soldiers report back to you?”
Understanding the answer, Thorax stood in deep thought as Shining Armor replied, “The first search party couldn’t even enter the portal… the heat from the opposite side made it impossible to go through. So… we waited till the next day here, which was night there. But… the guards we sent through said they met with Queen Mira, the changeling queen of the Black Sand Hive. And… she told them to leave… even threatened them saying if she saw them again, she would attack them. And… on the third time, we went despite her warning, but the group of guards sent stayed for too long and got caught in the sunrise. They managed to make it back alive, but they all sustained severe burns, and one lost his eyesight all together. After that… we decided that we couldn’t risk anymore guards to find you.”
Though this completely surprised Zeil, it didn’t sway his anger as he replied, “That landscape… that environment that proves too dangerous for even Equestria’s finest… you knew that it was like that long before you sent your troops there… didn’t you?”
This time even Twilight was concerned as Shining Armor sighed, “Yea… I did.”
Both Thorax and Twilight were shocked as Zeil asked, “Tell me… when did you discover this? How many before me did you send their knowing fully of the danger? And don’t lie… both Thorax and I can tell if you do…”
All eyes were on Shining Armor as he sighed before trying to decide how to answer, “All of them…”
Zeil replied with a quieted rage, “Louder…. I’m a little hard of hearing… how many of those did you banish knowing that it was more a death sentence then a banishment?”
Saying it a little louder, Shining Armor repeated, “Every changeling I sent there… since the first changeling told me about it himself… I’ve known the entire time that the land of the Black Sand, was too dangerous for survival.”
Never knowing the truth, Twilight and Thorax stared at Shining Armor in shock as Twilight spoke, “But… you said it was the best option. To send them a safe distance away with little hostility. You… deliberately sent them there to die?”
Shining Armor gave her a sympathetic look but said nothing as Zeil spoke, “So you admit it… you deliberately tried to kill us one by one… while using Equestria’s defense as the reason.”
Shining Armor tried to defend himself, “No I didn’t… I was under the influence of Chrysalis’s spell. I promise I never meant intentional harm t-“
“Are you still clinging to that excuse? Or will you reveal the truth, for once.”
Shining Armor was confused, “What do you mean excuse?”
Zeil sighed, “Thorax… Tell him.”
Thorax shook his head in disbelief as he replied, “It’s… it’s not possible for Queen Chrysalis’s curse to make you do all that. What you did… was…”
With his disbelief making it hard to finish, Zeil finished for him, “Your own actions… That’s the only way to describe it. You attempted to kill them by your own decision. Chrysalis and her spell did nothing to help in that decision.”
Feeling worried, Shining Armor replied, “What? What do you mean? I was under a spell’s after effects… wasn’t I?
Zeil shook his head, “The after effects of Queen Chrysalis’s spell can cause your emotions to run wild making your emotional driven impulses extremely dangerous to others around you or yourself. But what you did wasn’t an impulse. You deliberately planned and coordinated the apprehension, banishment, and possible execution of every changeling you came across. Of which… could have been stopped at any time. Once you calmed yourself down… you could have stopped your actions, or at the very least revealed to Twilight about the harshness of the Black Sand’s environment. But instead… you didn’t. Do you know why?”
Shining Armor was too nervous to reply as Zeil continued, “Prejudice… you saw the pony race as the superior and us changelings as a blight. You were so caught up in your own anger that you refused to see any of your actions as cruel. At the end of the day, you were just putting us where we belonged in your eyes… beneath you.”
Princess Twilight replied, “Wait… that’s not it.”
Zeil continued in anger, “To you… we were the villains! A pestilence that needed to be removed, while you the hero… would be the one to remove us. AM I RIGHT!?!”
With Zeil’s words echoing through the throne room, Shining Armor looked to Zeil as he spoke, “You’re… Your right.”
Thorax and Twilight were even more surprised now as Shining Armor looked to Zeil and replied, “I always assumed it…. but I didn’t want to believe it. There is no excuse for my actions… if I wanted to I would have stopped it after that very first changeling but… for some reason, I refused to believe I had any fault in it. I was so caught up in my own anger, that… I didn’t realize I was becoming what I saw you to be. That night, when you spared me all those years ago… I was fully conscious when you cured the curse… I saw your mercy, and what you did for me on the spot. And that’s why I sent search parties to find you. I wanted to make up for all I did in any way I could.”
Zeil replied, “Even if you could… it wouldn’t be enough. Tell me Armor… Your daughter… How old is she?”
Almost immediately the entire room felt even more unsettled as Twilight replied, “Wait… what? What does that have to do wi-“
Zeil interrupted, “It has plenty to do with this matter.” He looked back to Shining Armor, “So answer… how old is she?”
Shining Armor hesitated as both Zeil and Thorax felt fear in his emotions as Thorax spoke up, “Zeil this is going too far.”
Zeil looked to his brother in anger, “No… we have a little further to go.” He looked back to the nervous prince, “Well? Answer! How old is Princess Flurry Heart?”
Shining Armor started to reply, “She… she is…”
Twilight spoke again, “Zeil, please… leave her out of it.”
Zeil replied in anger, “I don’t want to hear anything from you… I asked for an answer and I won't continue till I have one.” He looked to Shining Armor and spoke with a quiet rage that made all present even more afraid of him, “Don’t make me repeat myself… now… answer the question…”
Though he was worried about where this question was going, Shining Armor decided it was owed as he replied, “She’s eight years old.”
Zeil smiled as he replied casually, “There… that wasn’t so hard was it… but it gets harder…” He sat down, “So she was born about two years after I left… right? Then do me a favor… and remember everything.”
Shining Armor was confused, “Everything?”
Zeil nodded, “Yes… remember every fixed event of her life that remains significant… her first words, her first steps. Remember the first time she smiled at you, called you daddy, ran to you excited to show you something. Remember all those events, even the very first time you saw her and thought to yourself… this is my daughter. Remember it all clearly.”
Somehow this made Shining Armor feel even more uneasy as Zeil continued, “Then… once you remember all of that… add two years to it… your honeymoon with your wife, the day you took over as prince of the Crystal Empire. Even the day your princess came to you and told you that you would become a father… Remember it all, the joy you felt, the pride and every good emotion that followed. Remember, everything that happened within all ten of those years following my banishment. Remember all the happiness you felt… do you have it all?”
Worried Shining Armor nodded as Zeil continued, “Good… now… remove it.”
“What?”
Zeil continued, “You heard me… remove it. Think about how you would feel of all that happiness you felt never existed. You never went on your honeymoon, you never took over as prince of the Crystal Empire. You never had your daughter or felt the joy of seeing her. That in mind, she wouldn’t even exist would she? Her entire life, everything she knows, cherishes, loves, and understands… simply never was. No Princess Flurry Heart, No Crystal Empire… nothing… so… do you see it?” his anger started to grow, “Do you comprehend it? Can you even fathom it? That loss of happiness, that time spent with the one you love. Everything that give your life joy… EVERYTHING YOU TOOK FROM ME!!!”
The room was stunned silent as Zeil’s rage continued to echo, “I didn’t want the fighting to continue. I didn’t want to hurt ponies anymore, get revenge or even see Queen Chrysalis again. All I wanted was to be left alone… to live with a chance at a better life.” With tears rolling down his face he pointed at Shining Armor, “BUT YOU!!! YOU WANTED ME GONE!!!” he turned to Twilight, “AND YOU!!! SENT ME AWAY!!!”
Zeil preceded to look down in anger as the tears continued to roll down his face as he continued, “Ten years… that’s what you took from me. Sure I helped Queen Chrysalis attack Equestria, but then why was I the only of her subjects to be punished like this? Why was I the one forced to loose ten years with the mare I fell in love with? If you knew what I went through to get back… then I guarantee both of you would never consider any possibility of forgiveness for what you have done. Thanks to you… I was taken from the mare I love and forced away without even the chance to say goodbye. I endured deserts that could literally singe your coat from the heat alone. Frost covered mountains littered with corpses of those who couldn’t survive the cold. I have been impaled, beaten, burned, and burdened with images of horrifics that you could never fathom. I lost many friends in my journey, to include a brother and a sister. And it’s all thanks to the both of you. So now I ask, and you both better consider your answers carefully… What do you have to say for yourselves… WHAT CAN YOU SAY TO ONE WHOS LIFE YOU PRACTICALY DESTROYED!?!”
With that yell, the room was immediately filled with silence as Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor sat with their heads down as a deep looming feeling of shame failed the air around them. With Zeil’s anger more obvious than ever, both didn’t know how to answer as Twilight tried first, “I… I don’t know what to say.”
Shining Armor sighed, “There is nothing we can say.”
Everyone in the room looked to Shining Armor as he stood and spoke with tears building up in his eyes, “Zeil… thinking about my life in the past ten years… I… I could never understand your pain, because even when I imagine it. It’s nowhere near as terrible as what it must truly feel. I know that no matter what I say or do… I can never make up for what happened that day. I wronged you.” he looked to Thorax “I wronged you both… I hurt the changelings because of my own hatred. I doubt it will make up for what I did, and to be honest I don’t even deserve it… but all I can do, is apologies. I'm truly sorry, for all that I hurt and all that I took from you.” He looked at Twilight briefly, “We both are. I feel terrible, and if there is any way to make it up to you, name it. Thorax, you and I are friends now, and I truly value that friendship. And Zeil, we may not be friend but I still don’t want this bad blood between us. You were wronged, and I am at fault.”
Zeil returned his apology with an unsatisfied glare as the room was filled with a tense silence that in most cases would be followed with bloodshed. However, the next action surprised everyone as Zeil wiped his tears away and spoke with a slight smile, “Then… We are done here.”
The room was filled with shock and confusion as Zeil looked to Thorax, “Brother… you are the ruler of the swarm now… That means that in light of his confession, any penance or punishment for his actions will be entirely up to you. You can attack him, declare war on the ponies, force him to do something that brings shame to his name, or even forgive him and let it go. That is entirely up to you. As for me, as an exile from the swarm. I have no say.”
At that moment, Shining Armor, Thorax, and Twilight stared in shock as Zeil turned around and started trotting towards the throne room doors, “I’ll see myself out… Thank you for your time your majesties. And may good fortune smile upon you both.”
Twilight Thorax and Shining Armor stood in shock, as Zeil trotted back to the doors to the throne room and exited with nothing more to say. Moments later Twilight rushed after him as she ran down the corridor and stopped him in the corridor as she called, “Zeil! Wait!”
Zeil continued on his path as he replied, “I’ve said my peace. Now… leave me alone.”
Twilight stepped in front of him as she spoke, “That’s it? That’s all you came here for?”
Zeil replied with an unamused tone, “If I allowed my darkness to take control… I would lay waste to all life within both your kingdoms… However, since I hold balance in my emotions. I know that if I decide to claim an eye for an eye… then I’d leave the world blind. That’s the reason I came here. To restore balance in myself, and in your brother.”
Twilight was confused, “My brother? What do you mean?”
Zeil nodded, “I noticed it the moment I stepped into this city. He was trapped between denial and guilt for his actions against us changelings all those years ago. So by having him admit it here… I was able to help him balance himself by making him admit it to the two he wronged the most. I, the changeling who returned to call him out, and Thorax, the new ruler of the Changeling Kingdom. Now… it’s all a matter of how Thorax chooses to continue now that he knows of Shining Armor’s crime, it will be up to him to provide a suitable punishment. Or as much as a neighboring ruler can provide to a traitorous ally nation.”
Twilight’s eyes widened, “Did… did you intent of starting a war between the changeling kingdom and my brother? Are you trying to restart the fight between ponies and changelings?”
Zeil laughed out loud, “You really believe that Thorax is capable of that? Thorax is one of my closest sibling, I know him more then he knows himself. And though he is a little more confident now then he was back then, he is still a softie. I guarantee, that as long as he heard Shining Armor’s apology loud and clear, he will overlook this and accept it. After all, that was ten years ago. He’s not one to hold a grudge for that long.”
Twilight started to smile with relief as she continued, “So… you’re both willing to forgive him, erm… us?”
Zeil shook his head, “Thorax maybe… but I won't be convinced so easily. Honestly, all that I went through, I doubt I will ever be able to forgive either one of you. But… I'm stallion enough to overlook this. The journey I just returned from was tough, and in many ways painful, but it revealed a truth to me that I needed to know, and I did make many friend along the way. And even though I lost some, the ones that remain will always hold a place in my heart. I will be grateful for their support, and will always cherish their friendships.” Zeil trotted around Twilight Sparkle as he spoke one last time, “Many years ago… on the day I cured Shining Armor, I told him something before I left… I said if all goes well, he and I may even call each other friend.” Still trotting away, Zeil waved goodbye behind him as he spoke, “That truth still stands… Until then, may good fortune smile upon you, and yours, Princess Twilight.” Zeil took a few more steps before pausing one last time, “Oh… and one more thing. As Mage of Zebrica, I will be called to places where balance must be maintained, so if you ever need me? Don’t seek me out… I'll find you.”
Confused, and somewhat relieved, Princess Twilight stood and watched as Zeil turned back to his path and left the crystal palace as she mumbled, “So… everything is fine now?”
“TWILIGHT!”
Hearing the call, Twilight looked behind her as Thorax rushed up he pointed at the now glowing orbs on his chest as he spoke, “I don’t know what the map wanted us to accomplish, but it looks like we did it.”
With that Princess Twilight looked at her cutiemark to see it glowing as she replied, “Oh… I guess we did. But… what was the friendship related problem? Did the map want us to make Shining Armor and Zeil friends? And if so?... Did we?”
Thorax replied, “I don’t know, but while you were out here chasing Zeil, Prince Armor and I talked it over and, I decided I wasn’t going to let what happened ten years ago get between our friendships. Maybe that was it.”
Twilight though about what Zeil said to her last as she replied, “Sure maybe that was it.”
Thorax asked, “Were you able to stop Zeil? Is… he not mad anymore?”
Twilight nodded, “Well, he isn’t going to retaliate. Or at least that’s what he says.”
Thorax looked around, “So… where did he go? Did he leave already?”
Twilight nodded, “I guess so… he is probably on his way to the Everfree Forest. To see Zecora.”
Thorax asked, “Should we go after him?”
Twilight though to herself before replying, “As anticlimactic as this whole mess was… I'm just glad it’s over. I think I'll go back to Canterlot for now. Rarity and Pinkie are watching the kingdom while I'm gone so I want to get back so they can return to Ponyville. What about you?”
Thorax nodded, “I think I'm going to go back to the Changeling Kingdom, Phalanx will be happy to hear brother Zeil is alright. And, maybe he’s right. Maybe it’s time for me to tell Ocellus that she is a Queen.”
Twilight looked down the corridor one last time, “Thorax… as his brother, do you think Zeil can be trusted? This whole incident make me unsure we are safe.”
Thorax thought to himself as he replied, “Zeil has changed a lot, he used to be more precise in his actions and passive, but now. He is straight to the point. But… even when he did things like this back then. He did it for a reason. He scared us, but maybe it was to prepare us for what was at stake. He just proved that your brother lied to my swarm for so long. But… when compared to Zeil’s intimidation it seem less bad then facing the anger of the Mage. He showed us something terrifying before revealing something only slightly scary which made the lesser not seem so bad. What I'm trying to say is… maybe it was to soften the blow a little. Zeil has always been the smarter of us drones so… maybe he did all this intentionally so I wouldn’t react aggressively.”
Twilight was surprised, “Would he really plan it all out like that?”
Thorax shrugged his shoulders, “No clue, we are talking about the changeling who calculated the entire attack on the Canterlot wedding incident ten years ago. But… even then, Zeil has always made sure to know what his values were and to protect them with every action. Back then it was Queen Chrysalis but now… I'm not sure who or what they are anymore.”
Twilight smiled slightly, “I think I have an idea of what they are. Or at least, who they are for.”