//------------------------------// // Arrival at the Crystal Empire // Story: Changeling Places // by Foals Errand //------------------------------// Rarity and Rainbow Dash marveled at the sparkling Crystal Empire. The last time they had seen it, it had only just recovered from Sombra’s attack. Now, all the buildings had been repaired, the dark residue had been scrubbed away, and any traces of the unicorn tyrant’s reign were all but gone. The result was that the Empire looked absolutely beautiful, both to Rarity’s critical eye and Rainbow Dash’s casual opinion. Twilight had to admit, the Crystal Empire was quite interesting. The architecture alone, thousands of years old and sparkling with properties normal crystals didn’t have, would be enough to keep her investigating for weeks on end. It was good to have a somewhat definite plan for the future. But as they walked past the gemstone buildings, with Rarity watching out for Applejack’s present and Rainbow scouring the streets for anything that would discourage the inspector, Twilight’s mind was on more important things than the empire around her. Cadence and Celestia…she had done so much in their memory, and now she was going to see them again. She prayed that she could contain herself when she saw them again. Everything she had done…before, was for them. And finally, all her struggles were going to be rewarded. She was glad that she would see Cadence before Celestia. Without meaning any disrespect to Cadence, she would be great as a warm up to seeing Celestia again. Cadence had been her foalsitter, she knew she could be more casual with her. Relaxed. Celestia was her ruler and teacher, and she was still unsure how to approach her. But with Cadence, she could get a good idea of where she stood with her superiors. She still couldn’t help but involuntarily shiver when she opened the spa door and saw the pink princess sitting there, getting her hooves manicured like it was a normal day in Equestria. Cadence smiled and jumped out the chair when she saw Twilight come in. “There’s my girls!” She called out, welcoming the three ponies. Twilight forcefully calmed herself down. She knew exactly how Cadence would greet her, and had rehearsed this moment in her head ever since she got on the train. She could do this. She’s waited to do this for years. “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!” The two ponies sang and danced, not caring who saw them. Celestia, that felt so good! Rarity just walked past them, marveling at the spa. “Oh my…oh my…stand back everypony! I need air!” Her eyes caught a pool filled with green fluid. “My word, what is this?” Cadence noticed Rarity looking at the pool and stepped towards her. “That’s a crystal mud bath.” Cadence explained. “I know it might seem weird to take a bath in mud, but if you just try it, it’s amazingly relaxing.” “Oh, I imagine. I’ve never heard of a crystal mud bath! I imagine I’m the first Ponyville Unicorn to try it out in a thousand years. Well, one small step for mare, one giant leap for beauty!” she dramatically declared, stepping into the bath like she was taking a bold leap into the unknown. Twilight trotted up behind her, trying to hide an irritated scowl. Typical Rarity, drawing all the attention to herself. There were normal ponies here, in the spa, there was no way Rarity was the first, what a narcissistic, preening, overblown twit… Cadence noticed her scowling and gave Twilight a look. Motioning her to follow, she drew in a breath and made a motion with her hoof. Picking up on what Cadence intended, Twilight did the same. With a sweeping motion of her hoof, Cadence exhaled and Twilight followed. Twilight had to admit, she did feel a lot calmer. Cadence was always good at making her feel better. Cadence looked around in confusion. “You know, I was half-expecting Pinkie to suddenly appear and dive into the mud bath…” “She’s still in Ponyville.” Rainbow explained. “So’s Applejack and Fluttershy. Somepony’s gotta keep an eye on Discord while we amaze the Games Inspector.” “Oh…that makes sense.” Cadence nodded. “Still…just the three of you? The Games Inspector. Mrs. Harshwhinny, is notorious for putting ponies through the wringer on her visits…” “Don’t worry about it.” Twilight reassured. “I’ve got it all sorted out. All you need to worry about is being a good host as the Princess of the Crystal Empire.” Cadence sat back down in the chair, letting the crystal pony attendant work on her hooves. “Of course. Shining Armor is at the new track, making sure everything is in order. He’s really excited about the Equestria Games, he’s even volunteered to coach the Crystal Pony athletes himself.” Shining Armor… Twilight involuntarily bristled. Of course she’d have to see him again. Even if it wasn’t the Shining she was furious at, she wasn’t sure if she could face that mule again… “Anyway, go ahead and relax while I get my ceremonial headdress done.” Rarity sat up in surprise. “Ceremonial headdress?” Cadence nodded. “When meeting with important guests, it was tradition for rulers of the crystal empire to weave crystals into their manes in a very specific way. The Games Inspector is known for doing her homework. She’ll certainly be expecting my look to reflect the importance of her visit.” Suddenly, the door burst open. A crystal pony wearing an old-fashioned mailmare uniform rushed inside, gasping for breath. “Princess, If I may have a word…” she wheezed before composing herself as best she could. “I have some news for you. First, your mane stylist has the flu and won’t be able to make it.” “Oh…” Cadence gulped. “Wel…I hope she’s better soon…do any of the other stylists here know how to do the traditional royal ceremonial headdress?” All the Crystal Ponies present shook their heads in shame. “Oh.” Cadence promptly used the breathing exercise she had taught Twilight. “Well…just a small detail.” “WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!” Rainbow snapped. “You’re trying to land the Equestria Games here! There’s no such thing as a ‘small detail’!” “Rainbow Dash!” Twilight hissed. Rainbow fluttered to the ground. “Er…sorry, Twilight.” Rarity stepped out of the bath. “I suppose…I could give it a shot.” She volunteered. Cadence smiled at that. “Oh, Rarity, you would do that for me?” Rainbow was happy as well. “Way to step it up, Rare!” “Cadence lifted a thick scroll out of a nearby box. “Fortunately, I have all the precise instructions right here!” Rarity nearly whooped with relief…until the scroll unfurled, revealing a list of complicated instructions that stretched from the ceiling to the floor. In tiny writing. With at least 5 subsections. And an index. “Oh…my…” Cadence noticed her uncertainty. “You sure you’re up for this?” she asked, concerned. Rarity shook her head clear and smiled reassuringly. “Working on the hair of royalty is the opportunity of a lifetime! I will give it everything I got!” Twilight groaned sourly. An opportunity. That’s all Cadence is to her. Yet another way to increase her standing… She caught herself. Easy, Twi. She’s your friend. She’s not the…mare who left you to dry. She’s the element of generosity. She’s just a little…she’s always been like this. It’s not that bad. Twilight used the breathing exercise Cadence had taught her. If I’m going to have a happy life here, I’ve got to stop seeing those traitors everywhere. Rarity was still prattling on. “Besides, the Games Inspector isn’t expected for several hours…” The Crystal Pony Messenger swallowed loudly, as if to remind everypony that she was still here. “Um…about that. The second bit of news?” “What?” Cadence asked. “The schedule has changed…The Games Inspector just sent a telegram. Her schedule has changed, and…she’ll be coming here on the next train.” “WHAT?!?!?” ---------- Ms. Harshwhinny was not in a good mood. Anypony who had met her would argue that she was almost never in a good mood, and she was admittedly much more serious minded and cynical than the average mare. But this particular mood was special. She sat in her seat with her arms crossed, frowning at the scenery she wasn’t really looking at, and hoping that none of the other ponies on the train would bother her… “HARSHY!” an unmistakable accent interrupted her thoughts. Harshwhinny spun around to see a wide eyed, yellow earth pony with a green reverse-pompadour and a chicken cutie mark sit down right beside her. “Well, tie me up and throw me down!” Harshwhinny blinked. Of all the ponies to be on the same train as her… ”Peachbottom?” “Darn Tootin! Ya headin’ to the Crystal Empire too? It’s swell to see ya!” Harshwhinny couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah…you too.” For all of her former classmate’s bizarre tendencies and mangled phrases, she really was happy to see her again. If only because she really needed somepony to talk to. Peachbottom cocked her head like a curious dog. “Is everythin’ alright, Harshy? You look more harsh than usual.” Harshwhinny sighed deeply. “I just got done with inspecting Manehatten. It’s been…frustrating, to say the least.” “Why? Manehatten is the cat’s meow! The statue of Liberty, the historic buildings, the fancypants restaurants, …” “That’s just it!” Harshwhinny exclaimed. “It wasn’t an inspection, it was a guided tour! The mayor just kept dragging me to expensive restaurant after expensive restaurant, trying to butter me up without addressing anything that would be important for the Equestria Games. He wouldn’t let me see the actual stadium, the restaurants regular ponies would actually eat…do you honestly believe that ponies coming in from the country would be eating at Chez Gourmet?” “Ah wouldn’t mind eatin’ there.” Peachbottom shrugged. Harshwhinny shook her head. “And I just know that the Crystal Empire is going to be the same story. Twilight Sparkle, the Princess’s protégé, is going to be conducting the tour. She’s going to drag me all over the Crystal Palace, try to dazzle me with the shininess, stuff gourmet food down my throat, keep me from doing a proper inspection of the stadium!” Peachbottom shrugged. “Sounds real nice to me.” Harshwhinny sighed. “Of course it would. You don’t have a job to do that you have to do right. Ponies just don’t get it. You know, I still get death threats over not picking Cloudsdale for the Equestria Games that one year. Because, you know, it was wrong for me to NOT make the Equestria Games a Pegasus-only event!” “Don’t they have a cloudwalker spell now?” “It’s still too much trouble.” Harshwhinny dismissed. “Hopefully, this early arrival will catch them off guard so I can get some real work done. Then again…Twilight is notorious for always planning ahead…” There was a quiet for a minute before Harshwhinny spoke again. “Sorry about that. I just had to unload…what are you doing in the Crystal Empire?” “Oh, just some sightseeing.” Peachbottom laughed. “The Chicken Farm was extra good this year, so Ah figured Ah could take a vacation in the place that everypony’s talkin’ about!” “Uh-huh.” Harshwhinny nodded. “Are you meeting anypony there?” “Nah. This was a real spur of the moment thing. Ah only decided on the Crystal Empire this morning!” “What?! You can’t do that!” “Darn Tootin’ Ah can! Ah always told ya, you need to learn how to be spontaneous!” “But not like that!” Harshwhinny retorted sharply before shaking her head. Peachbottom hadn’t changed a bit. Always going off on a whim, always acting on impulse, always rocketing off on the first random idea that popped into her head… An idea suddenly popped into Harshwhinny’s head. “On the other hoof…say, Peachbottom…how would you like a guided tour of the Crystal Empire, fancypants food, and diplomats bending over backward to make you feel comfortable.” Peachbottom’s eyes widened. “Seriously? That’d be the bee’s knees!” “Of course.” A devious smirk came over Harshwhinny’s face. “Here’s what I need you to do…” ------------------------------ Elsewhere… ------------------------------- In a private room in Canterlot Castle, Rarity made herself comfortable as she addressed the Changeling king. “Thank you so much for seeing me. After that…dreadful incident a few days ago, I’ve been beside myself with stress. Twilight, alive again! Can you imagine?” she sighed. Shining Armor sighed. “Yes, I can. Well…you know I promised all you girls that if there was any updates regarding Twilight, I would tell you right away. And…well, I have an update.” “That goes without saying. Is she…alright? You have her in custody, correct?” “It’s a bit more complicated than that.” Shining Armor remarked. “It’s a…very long story. Let me explain…” ---------- Fluttershy just nodded when Shining Armor finished his explanation. “I knew it. I knew something wasn’t right.” “Yes, you did.” Shining Armor agreed. “And again, I’m so sorry about yelling at you.” “Oh…no, it’s my fault. I’m sorry I brought it up at such a bad time.” Shining shook his head. “Don’t be. If you hadn’t brought that book, I wouldn’t have known to ask the right questions, and an innocent mare would’ve been imprisoned while…the one who attacked you runs free in another dimension.” Shining thought for a moment. “Equestria just keeps getting stranger.” Fluttershy smiled slightly. “Indeed…thanks so much for telling me.” “I promised that I would.” Shining reassured. “But I need you to keep it quiet…well, more than usual. Especially from your little ones.” “Oh, don’t worry. It won’t be a problem at all. Cheerilee can babysit them until this mess is cleared up. Does…Pinkie know about this?” Shining Armor shook his head. “No. She’s connected to the hivemind, and doesn’t have the control I have. It would get out too fast and cause a panic.” “Oh…and Applejack? What about her?” ------------ “She’s still in the hospital. Twilight’s wounding spell is still causing her to bleed internally.” Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened. “What? But…but…she IS going to be okay, right? Right?” “I don’t know. The doctors can’t seem to reverse Twilight’s spell.” It had taken a lot of talking to convince the guards that Rainbow Dash could be in the same room as the Changeling King without any guards. Her wings were still restrained, her hooves were secured with chains, and a magic black collar was around her neck to shock her into submission should she become uncontrollable. HOW many times did she try to escape? Shining asked himself. She was clearly not going to try and escape now. She just shook her head vigorously. “I-I-I…okay. Okay. So…this Twilight. She’s like…the Twilight we knew, but…like she was before? Before this all went crazy?” Shining Armor shrugged. “You could say that.” “Oh…” Rainbow swallowed, becoming quiet for a moment. “Um…sir…I know I don’t…I don’t have any right, but…can I ask something?” Shining Armor nodded. “Yes, you can.” “Can I…Can I see her? I won’t do anything, I swear, I just wanna talk to her. Just talk. You can keep an eye if you want, but I just need to talk to her! Please?” she begged, tears in her eyes. The Changeling king sighed. The other girls had asked the same thing, albeit not with the same broken desperation. Even Twilight, who Shining had thought wanted to be alone so she could focus on researching her way home. And the strange thing was, Shining understood why. It was the same reason he’d tried to justify himself to her in their first conversation. Thinking it over, Shining gave the same answer he gave to the other 4 girls. “Yes.”