“How could you tell us a fake name?!”
Twilight wasn’t sure what exactly she was feeling at the moment. Like everypony else, she was shocked. They had known Matt for over five months now, by the name he gave them when they first met. Matthias Lehner.
And it just now turned out that it wasn’t his real name.
She felt… angry. Lied to. One of the fundamental things in her life had just been revealed to be a fake. It was as if somepony had suddenly came to her and told her that the sun wasn’t actually the sun, but a big mass of gasses or something. Or that moon isn’t shining with its own light, but is instead reflecting the sun’s. It was crazy.
But, on the other hoof… a part of her wondered: did it matter? She had always thought of him as Matt, true, but… was him having actually a completely different name mattered? He had been a human once; now he was a pony. That never had bothered her. Shouldn’t she also ignore what his name once was?
As she wrestled with those thoughts, Matt - or, apparently, Arthas - replied to her accusing question: “It wasn’t exactly a fake name…” he said, scratching his head awkwardly.
“No, just a name you came up with when we met,” Rainbow Dash argued sarcastically. “And then continued to use it for - oh, I dunno - five months!”
“Rainbow Dash, please, there’s no need for sarcasm,” Rarity scolded her. “I’m sure our friend has a good reason-”
The said earth pony sighed with relief. “Thank you, Rarity-”
“- for lying to us,” Rarity finished, her voice neutral.
“Oh, for the… put yourselves in my horseshoes for a moment,” Arthas sighed, sounding both annoyed and defeated. “Imagine that you would have been brought back to life in a completely different body, on a completely different world. Would you-”
“Um, pardon me…” a confused and shy sounding voice, as if its owner wasn’t sure if she should speak, asked. “What do you mean by all of this?”
It was only then that Twilight and her friends, judging by the mixed emotions on their faces as they all turned sharply at the speaker, had remembered something important. That aside from their circle of friends, who all had known about what Arthas just said, there was one outsider present, Nymph. A changeling ‘ambassador’ of sorts.
Arthas sighed once again, rubbing his temples. “I really talk too much…” he muttered, and then turned to Nymph. “Your queen already knows that there is no land called ‘Azeroth’ on Equestria, as I had claimed to be from. You would have learned the truth sooner or later, probably. I will explain this to you in more detail later; right now I kinda have to deal with this.”
Though it was clear that she still had some questions, Nymph held her curiosity in check. “Of course, Hivespeaker,” she said, nodding respectfully.
Her reply caused Arthas’ gaze harden.
“Alright, that’s another thing!” he exclaimed, turning to the rest of the group, pointing at the startled Nymph. “The changelings address me by ‘Hivespeaker’. Everypony as of late had begun calling me ‘Lightbringer’. Does the fact that I have a different true name than the one I told you really matters at this point?”
Twilight had to admit that he was right in this regard. She herself had called him by that name the crystal ponies gave him after his battle with King Sombra a few times. Even though she had always aimed to annoy him by doing so, the fact that she used it still stood.
Their friends must have had similar thoughts, for they all looked a bit confused instead of angry. “Maybe ya’ve got a point there, sugarcube,” Applejack said. “But it still doesn’t change the fact that ya lied to us.”
“I know, I… I’ve been planning on bringing this up at some point, believe me,” he said, awkwardly. “Back then, though… you know that I had not always been the pony you know. You know that I have done things that I will regret until the end of time.” Twilight felt a cold wave of dread as she recalled the bits she knew of his past. She quickly shrugged it off as the stallion she was certain would never do them again looked at her. “When you asked me then about my name… I didn’t want to say I was me. I know it was stupid; I had already figured out this wasn’t Azeroth; there was no way that you could have known my name. But I just… wanted to be somepony different. And I suppose I was also afraid you would all shun me if you know who I was, so…”
“So you made up a fake name?” Fluttershy finished for him.
“Not… exactly,” Arthas replied, scratching his head. “Light, how should I explain this… You remember how I told you that moment before my death I became myself?”
“Vaguely,” Twilight answered, wondering where this was going.
“That was because… when I became evil, a part of me - I suppose we can say the good part - was partially taken from me, and partially… it remained, but it was weakened. But it still had enough of influence to hold me back at some times. So… I cast it away.”
“I just love when you’re making sense,” Rainbow Dash remarked. Ignoring the stare Arthas gave her, she continued: “What does that have to do with your name?”
“I was get-”
“The fake one I mean,” the cyan pegasus added, smirking when Arthas glared daggers at her.
After a few seconds he resumed explaining: “I was getting to that. That part of me that I cast away took a form of a ghostly apparition, and sought to help of Azeroth’s adventurers who fought against me… after a fashion,” he added, scratching his chin. “Or maybe it was trying to just warn them…”
“What do you mean?” Rarity inquired.
“I don’t have all the details.”
“Wasn’t that a part of you?” Pinkie asked. “How could you not know what a part of you was up to? I know when my hoof is up!”
“That’s very nice,” Arthas muttered so quietly that only Twilight and Nymph, sitting closest to him, must have heard him. Twilight had to stifle a snicker as Arthas spoke again in a normal voice: “I would rather not go into how all that soul, spirit, consciousness and awareness business works.”
“Why not?” Twilight asked, actually quite curious as to how one exactly could ‘cast away’ a part of himself.
“Because we would be talking for hours, and I would very much prefer to return to enjoying the party. Getting back to the subject, though, the part of my called itself ‘Matthias Lehner’, so-”
“So you took on a name of the part of you that you considered ‘the best’?” Twilight finished for him. When Arthas nodded in reply, she smiled, feeling that she understood now, and looked at the others. “I guess we can forgive you. None of us had been through what you had been, so we really cannot judge you on how you had chosen to handle this. Although,” she added, knowing that some would still protest, “it still hurts. How could you never bring it up? You could have mentioned it back when you said that you were from another world, for example.”
“I… it skipped my mind,” Arthas said, blushing from embarrassment. “I was kind of too busy explaining about that vision and all that. As for later… how was I supposed to say it?” he asked, looking around. “‘Hey everypony, you know what? All this time you called me Matthias you weren’t saying my real name’?”
“Fair enough, I suppose” Rainbow said after a few seconds, rolling her eyes, and the others nodded affirmatively.
“So…” Twilight said, looking at the stallion expectantly. “Your name is Arthas…” she trailed off suggestively.
“Menethil,” he finished, smiling a bit shyly. “Arthas Menethil.”
“No embarrassing second name there?” Rainbow Dash asked with a smirk. “Something like ‘Arthas Francis Menethil’?”
While everypony snicker with laughter, Arthas simply glared at her. “Just ‘Arthas Menethil’,” he said once the laughing had stopped, though his comment revived them for a few seconds. “Out of curiosity, though, why Francis?”
“Dunno, first thing came to mind,” Rainbow replied, smirking. “An old friend had a younger brother named Francis, so I kinda couldn’t make fun of it, and now I guess I’m trying to make up for the lost time.”
“Charming as always,” Arthas sighed. Turning to Rarity, he said, “I’m sorry for souring the mood of your party…”
“Oh, that’s okay, darling, I do not mind,” she assured him. “To be honest, if I were to say that I am angry about something, it would be due to you sending Storm away on Order’s business.”
Twilight once again found herself stifling a laugh. She already heard that Storm had been sent away and couldn’t attend the party today… but prior to that, she hadn’t even known that Rarity had invited him, though she suspected she might. Her fellow unicorn had probably decided to not to bring that up to avoid further jokes from her. And if she feared them, then it must have meant that those jibes were striking close to the truth.
Rarity continued speaking to Arthas: “It’s nice to know your real name… and besides, when you give such a marvelous gift you can be sure you will be forgiven many things,” she added, brushing the necklace that now adored her neck. “And I am truly touched that you say I remind you of your sister… even if what first led you to think that had been some of my… less presentable traits.”
“I am happy you think so,” he replied, nodding courteously.
“Now then!” Rarity called out, standing up and looking around, “How about we return to partying? Who wants to pin the tail on the pony?”
“So you were brought back to life on Equestria because of the Gate of Tartarus?” Nymph asked him about an hour later. They stepped away for the moment so Arthas could explain to her just what exactly he had been talking about earlier. “It’s… hard to believe.”
He could not blame her for thinking that. After all, he himself sometimes had trouble believing that. If it weren’t for his connection with Bolvar and Ner’zhul, he might have even started to think that all that happened in his past was just a bad dream.
Twilight, however, who had also joined them, mused over a different problem. When in their conversation Arthas had reached the subject of Tartarus he confessed that thanks to Zecora’s help, he actually remembered his soul being pulled out of there. She was partially intrigued by that, of course. After all, until then Tartarus was nothing more than Princess Celestia’s theory. Twilight was also irritated that he hadn’t brought it up earlier, but she was even much more shocked and worried for him.
“I shouldn’t have mentioned that part about how it felt in there,” Arthas scolded himself.
His attention returned to Nymph as she continued, “And I don’t just mean that part about you coming back to life, as incredible as it sounds, Hivespeaker. It’s equally hard to imagine your soul being sent to Tartarus after your death. You’re such a noble pony; even my Queen thinks so.”
Arthas noticed in the corner of his eye that Twilight bristled at the mention of Chrysalis, but chose to ignore that for the moment. “I’m honored, truly, but sadly I was not always as I am now. And I don’t mean just physical differences.”
“That’s another thing,” Nymph said, tilting her head in confusion. “Those humans that you talked about, that you once were a member of… from your words, they resemble monkeys! That’s just ridiculous-”
“Should I be offended?” Arthas interrupted her jokingly, turning to Twilight, who snorted in reply.
The changeling gasped as she realized that her words could be interpreted as an insult. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”
Arthas cut her off again. “It’s alright, I was just joking. On that note, if you meet Brann Bronzebeard the next time he would pay Equestria a visit, you might want to repeat that; he will burst with laughter.”
He pondered if he should explain to her the ancestry of humans, how they evolved from vrykul, who themselves were a titan creation. It would help prevent her or her Queen from coming up with any wild theories that would tie his former race with monkeys in any way, but Arthas figured that there was no need for that.
“I will keep that in mind, Hivespeaker,” Nymph replied, though Arthas doubted that she would actually go along with the idea. “I suppose that insectoid race you had mentioned also lives on Azeroth?”
“Actually…” he started hesitantly, “since we are speaking about that… Yes, that race lives on Azeroth, true, but… I believe there is some connection between you and them.”
“Connection?”
“Yes. I hadn’t realized it when I fought with you Queen, maybe because I was fighting for my life. After the fight, as I saw the other changelings fighting in the city, saw how you all walked, flew, fought… it all screamed to me with familiarity.”
”But how could that be? According to Lady Twi- um, m-miss Twilight?” she asked the unicorn in question, no doubt sensing her irritation.
“Just ‘Twilight’ is fine,” she told Nymph, smiling briefly, before she glared at Arthas.
Before he had a chance to explain that he had nothing to do with it, the changeling continued: “According to Twilight, Azeroth is ridiculously far away. The energy required for someling to teleport over such a distance, or opening a portal… I don’t think even the Elements of Harmony would have been able to do that.”
“Well…” Twilight mused, brushing her muzzle thoughtfully, “Maybe not. Are you familiar with the Theory of Familiarity?”
“Yes, that a spell becomes easier to perform the more time it’s used, and it costs less energy,” Nymph replied almost instantly. “In case of a teleportation spell it also applies to the place where one tries to teleport, how familiar it is to the caster.”
“Maybe there was another pony like Ma- Arthas, who came back to life on Equestria, but as a unicorn?” Twilight suggested. “And that pony later would… I dunno, go between Azeroth and Equestria and somehow… I don’t know, um…”
Arthas knew why she hesitated. It wasn’t that Twilight couldn’t bring her reasoning to a conclusion. She just didn’t want to say it in front of Nymph.
That maybe changelings were either brought to this world, or were created by a pony like him.
“It’s a possibility,” he said, deciding it wasn’t the time and place for such discussion, “though I feel it’s an unlikely one. Light knows that there were plenty of souls on Azeroth who wasted their mortal lives on evil, but could still potentially redeem themselves. But… if there were more cases than mine, Celestia would have known of them. I think that the news of a pony appearing out of nowhere, especially if it wouldn’t act too… civil, would reach her sooner or later. Hiding one’s origin would require too many resources for one to acquire them without any help.”
“Maybe that other pony could have come before Celestia’s reign?” Twilight asked, not arguing with his reasoning. However, she herself had answered her question: “No, the rulers before her could have also known… maybe during Discord’s reign?”
“That seems unlikely,” Arthas objected. “If it was possible for multiple souls being freed from Tartarus and brought back to life, I don’t see much reason as to why this phenomenon would take a thousand year long break.” He sighed. Arthas had long since stopped trying to figure out as to how he came to this world. It was something he had accepted and was grateful for. “I think it’s enough of those talks for now,” he told the two females. “We can resume this matter when you will reveal to us information about changelings, after Celestia and Luna will finish getting everypony to agree to this alliance on our side.”
Nymph nodded, “Very well, Hivespeaker. I’m sure when I relay to my Queen what you told me today she will anticipate that moment much more.”
Arthas waited for her until she trotted away to speak with Rarity before he turned to Twilight. All his thoughts about worlds and insectoid creatures evaporated from his mind. “So… we’re good?”
He knew he didn’t need to explain what he meant. He face immediately grew serious and a bit angry. “I might have forgiven you for lying about your name, but I am still angry.”
Hearing that from her hurt Arthas more than if it were from anypony else. “I wasn’t exactly… I mean, you were a complete stranger when I-”
“Yes, but we stopped being strangers like a two days later,” Twilight retorted. “What was it that you told Scootaloo? That she can’t live in a lie?”
Arthas winced. “I know, I’m a hypocrite,” he admitted, hating the word. He looked down. “It just… I liked being ‘Matthias’.”
“You are still ‘Matt’ where it counts,” Twilight said. Arthas lifted his head hearing the gentleness in her voice. “You are still ‘the best you’, Arthas, and it’s about time you’d realize that,” she told him with a smile, then added more bristly: “But I’m still mad.”
Arthas smiled reluctantly. “I suppose that’s only fair. What would it take to make you stop being mad?”
Twilight pretended to frown, but soon her face betrayed her as she smiled. “Probably a few days to get used to your name will be enough,” she said and she laughed shyly. “Another name for you to go by… I suppose I really shouldn’t be surprised about that.”
“I really am sorry, though,” Arthas told her, regretting that he kept that a secret for so long.
“And you should be,” Twilight replied, smirking. Both of them smiled, after which Twilight said: “Wow… it’s really been a while since we talked like this, huh?”
“Yeah…” Arthas admitted, knowing only too well whose fault it was. “I’m sorry I’ve been so busy as of late-”
“You really should stop feeling sorry for nearly everything,” she interrupted him. “It’s not your fault that you have so many duties now as the head of the paladin order. And I’ve been very busy as well, ever since the Crystal Empire, remember?”
“Yes…” he said and trailed off, wondering if it would be more polite to ask about her studies’ progress, or just complimenting her about it, as Celestia had mentioned it to him when they talked a few days ago.
Twilight, however, said something that made him forget all about that dilemma. “Guess it’s really a good thing we have agreed to remain just friends, huh?”
Arthas eyes widened as the slightly blushing unicorn brought in the subject of that night in Altomare. “I suppose…” he said, finding it difficult to formulate words; he still remembered what Luna told him earlier. “I mean, we would scarcely have the time for… anything…”
“Y-yes…” Twilight stammered, then sighed and smiled embarrassingly. “Sorry for bringing that up, it’s just… everypony keeps saying that we would be together…”
“Yeah, tell me about it…” Arthas muttered, glaring at their friends.
“Even Princess Celestia told me something along those lines,” Twilight confessed, her cheeks become redder.
Arthas chuckled, having been in the same situation. “Guess what Luna told me this morning?”
Twilight’s eyes widened for an instant, and then she joined him in laughter. “Honestly… I think my parents are about the only ones that hadn’t tried to talk or trick us into a relationship.”
He was not fast enough. At the mention of her parents, his mouth automatically opened to reply. Arthas closed it quickly, hoping that Twilight hadn’t notice…
She did.
Her mouth hang open in shock. “W-when?!” she asked once she found her voice.
“Back when Brann and I were summoned to Canterlot by Princess Celestia,” he confessed as Twilight groaned and covered her face. “I told you I bumped into them, didn’t I?”
Twilight nodded absentmindedly. “I need a drink…” she murmured, heading towards the punch bowl.
Arthas, knowing this discussion wasn’t over, followed her.
Noticing Nymph approaching her, Rarity turned away from her reflection in the mirror, which she was using to admire the necklace Arthas gave her. “Quite difficult to believe, wouldn’t you say?” she asked, as she saw her talking with Arthas and Twilight.
The changeling in disguise nodded. “That’s exactly what I had said, m- Rarity,” Nymph quickly corrected herself.
“Makes you wonder if he keeps anything else a secret,” she told her, half-jokingly, half-serious. “Next thing we’ll know is that he’s a prince or something.” She stifled a giggle. “And that would be just ridiculous.”
“I suppose it would,” Nymph agreed, smiling. “But still, what he and Twilight told me was most interesting. My Queen will be really intrigued once I relay this to her.”
Rarity hummed, not really feeling like talking about Nymph’s queen. Her eyes traveled above the changeling to look at Twilight and Arthas, who were still talking. Although she was standing too far away to hear what they were saying to one another, her ears detected warmth in their voices.
“Stupid ponies,” she sighed quietly, once again disappointed that they were nothing more than friends, before she turned to Nymph… and found the changeling intensively observing her.
Before Rarity could figure out how to explain what she had been doing, Nymph quickly turned to look at Arthas and Twilight, then back at her. She opened her mouth… then her eyes widened, closed her mouth and eyes, as if listening to something. Rarity, confused by this behaviour, was about to ask her if something was wrong when Nymph once again looked at her.
“Um…” she started uncomfortably. “My Queen wishes to speak to you… in private. What do you want me to tell her?”
That took Rarity by surprise. “What could possibly that giant b- the Changeling Queen want to talk with me about?” she wondered, barely stopping herself from thinking that way about Nymph’s queen. She wondered if she should tell her no; it was her birthday party, which she wished to spend in the pleasant company of her friends. However, her good manners prevented her from declining the request.
“Very well, I will speak with her,” she told Nymph, wondering if she would regret that.
Nymph nodded and closed her eyes. When she opened them, they were still as they were before, but there was a new intensity in her gaze.
“Hello, Queen Chrysalis,” Rarity told her politely but coldly. “May I ask as to what I owe the pleasure?”
“Doesn’t sound like ‘a pleasure’, Lady Rarity,” Chrysalis replied through the mouth of her subject.
“You will have to excuse me for the slight unhappiness you can hear in my voice,” she told her. “You are, after all, barging in on my birthday party, and in a fashion you stole one of my guests.”
“I’m sorry, but you will have to forgive me for this, on the account of a cultural difference. A changeling would celebrate his birthday and any other event with as many changelings as possible. As for Nymph, she is still present, though she cannot speak at the moment.”
“Hmm,” Rarity hummed, surprised at the cultural conversation they were having. “What is it that you wanted to talk about, Queen Chrysalis?”
Instead of replying, the black unicorn turned to look at Twilight and Arthas, who were now both heading towards the punch bowl, then back to her. “What’s the deal with the two of them?”
If it weren’t for the fact that Rarity tried to keep the civility of this talk, she would have facehoofed. “Even the Changeling Queen had noticed…”
“One does not have to be able to feel their emotions to know that they have a thing for each other,” Chrysalis continued, glancing at them. “And yet, they are not a couple. How is it so?”
“And why do you need to know something like that?”
“Nymph had relayed to me what ‘Arthas’ had told her,” the Changeling Queen replied, accenting his real name. “My interest in him was magnified, so to speak. No, not in that way,” she assured Rarity when she, with a growing suspicion, glared at her. “Celestia’s student can have him… but that just simply intrigues me.”
“They had decided that it would be best for them to stay as friends,” Rarity replied, her eyes still on the changeling. “But we all hope they will change their mind.”
“I could give them a push, you know,” Chrysalis commented, smirking.
“I have no doubt you could,” Rarity said, her creative imagination giving her a plethora of ideas how one could use an army of a shape-shifting creatures. “But if they will get together, it will be because they came to such decision by themselves. Are we clear?”
Rarity had learned her lesson. She would no longer try to force to ponies into a relationship… as much as she wanted to.
The Changeling Queen scanned her with her gaze for a while before she nodded. “Very well, I will not interfere… I must direct my attention to different matters, Lady Rarity. This had been an enlightening talk we just had.”
“It had,” Rarity admitted, slightly nodding her head.
“I wish you a happy birthday,” Chrysalis said, closing her eyes… only to open them again. “Oh, and one more thing: Nymph has a date tomorrow. Do advise her, please.”
When in the very next second Nymph’s unicorn face twisted into an expression of pure shock, Rarity knew that the Queen had left.