//------------------------------// // Up-to-date // Story: The Munificent and Magnanimous Crystal Empress, Trixie Lulamoon Midsummer // by Archmage Ansrit //------------------------------// Trixie was wearing a new cape, the same purple hue as her old previous one, but much thicker and with a fur (maybe?) trim not unlike Sombra's, although it was held by a brooch over a cravat and the neck of a dress shirt. Curiously, instead of making her an extravagant crown or tiara, the crystal ponies made another hat just like hers, sans stars, with a golden band styled like a tiara with a cerise-colored crystal in the middle. In all honesty, given the speed with which the ensemble had been put together, she suspected the ponies had been sitting on the design for a whle. She had just given a public address about the changelings - they eat love, no they don't leave you an emotionless zombie after feeding, the Heart constantly gives off love-energy that can feed them, and they change shape. The lilins weren't much different, although most of the differences between them and the pookas were subtle, behavior things; lilins had stronger... predatorial traits than pookas, who themselves were influenced by the night to be... spookier than a regular pony in turn. Cubi were like changelings the most, while other lilins had to rely upon other means to disguise themselves. Not all of them had wings, or horns, and the armor some had was akin to the talons of the griffons, although their maleability of body made it behave like the shell portion of a changeling's body - flexible under most circumstances, hard when needed. Close to fifty changelings, over two dozen lilins and nearly as many ponies as lilins had just fled Equestria. The two lamia threw her for a loop, though. They were harmless, affectionate and passionate - as a whole, they liked how pony bodies felt warm to the touch. Still, she had to contain her desire to just jump and hug nearly everypony there. She hadn't seen young little Sea Breeze until Sombra had broken into Tartarus, and seeing the little lilin foal now warmed her heart and filled her with happiness. Trixie allowed the group of refugees answer questions themselves while she tried stealing galnces at Swarm. She caught the tail-end of a question about eyes. "We don't have 'bug eyes'; they are covers." One changeling said. "If we had insect eyes, they'd have to be twenty-two meters across just to have the same sight as a minotaur!" "This is a meter." A pony said, holding his hooves apart. The crystal ponies made a sound of disgust at thinking about eyes that big. "Or they might indicate we are connected to another changeling." Swarm spoke. Oh, how she wanted to just jump him and speak at him until her words just poured out his ears... ***** "Octavia Von Clef?" The inspector asked the grey mare at the door. She nodded. "I am detective Prism Glass, of the Canterlot city guard." The inspector reached into a pocket of his uniform and pulled ou his badge; returning it to it's place, he continued. "I am here to ask a few questions about Neon Light's supplanter - I'm afraid he has escaped the Royal Guard while in the middle of carrying out his banishment into the Badlands." The earth pony pulled the door open and gestured for the inspector to come in. Prism Glass couldn't quite process the scene - his eyes, sharper than most even for a pegasus as himself, told him that the mares living there had to get a third party if they wanted to decorate. It was obvious that two radically-different mares lived there, as one corner had an exquisite dining table with carved chairs and a collection of fine procelain dishes... right next to a couch that looked like somepony had beaten the stuffing out of it (the coffee table was really nice, however) and a rainbow-colored collection of goofy-print beanbag chairs; there was a beautiful black grand piano next to enough sound equipment to turn the house into a nightclub, with an electric guitar sitting right next to a violin and its bow, a cello, and an electric cello with sharp-looking edges with a similarly-sharp bow besides it; a fern shared a corner with an acoustic guitar inside a display case (huh, signed 'To Tavi, with love: Bucky Cash') and another violin - this one missing its bow. There were several pictures hanging from the walls, both of either mare's family, and those that had both mares- wait a second, was that Octavia in that rave? And- he- he knew that Vinyl was from a well-to-do family, but her shades and wild hair made her seem out-of-place in the audience of that concert... Octavia gestured the stallion to a beanbag, breaking him out of his distracted state as she sat (well, more like laid) on the couch, starting a metronome on the coffee table. She had been about to practice, it seemed. "I know you have been questioned already, and I also know that Neon Light said he thought that that had been simply a pony with a good disguise spell that presented himself in his stead when he was sick... but I still want to know if the changeling contacted you in any form these past few days." The inspector felt a strange tension as the mare looked at him, before she ultimately shook her head. She pursed her lips, and adjusted the metronome to go faster. Tick-tick-tick the noise faded into the background. "Well, I was hoping to find Vinyl Scratch, as Neon works with her quite frequently, and might have known more about the imposter..." He saw Octavia frown as she made the metronome go a little faster - Prism idly noted that he could measure his words to the sound. "Somepony went to great lengths to break into Canterlot's hospital without leaving trace... and spirited away every pony that had been in a relationship with a changeling or a lilin." Octavia shrugged, and reduced the speed a little. "This is serious; the lives of ponies could be at risk, even if I don't personally believe those ponies were coherced." He said, startling Octavia who hurriedly slapped a hoof to the metronome, stopping it and making him flinch. He gritted his teeth a little, trying to hide a grimace - he had been getting quite a headache and he was only just then noticing, likely from the sound - since he didn't want to seem rude to the mare in her own home. She was looking at him with those big, surprise-filled eyes that always made him feel like he had sprouted a second head... what was he saying again? "Uh... uh... there- Neon Light is under police protection, and you should take care." Fifteen minutes and some quick questions later, Prism's headache had subsided, and he was walking out of the house. Octavia watched intently as the pale yellow pegasus's blue tail had disappeared around a corner before sighing and relaxing, allowing her shoulders to slump as she ambled towards the couch, plopping down on it again. She ran a hoof through her mane and stared at the ceiling, deep in thought. She waited in silence, an ear turnet to the door in case the detective decided to come back... After a few moments of not hearing anything abnormal, she made her way to a violin and produced a few quick notes. Five minutes after that, Vinyl appeared in a blue flash, right in the middle of the room. Her electric blue feathers rustled and bristled in barely-contained anxiety, and her tiny claws made an infertal tapping sound... but Octavia couldn't bring herself to care, simply throwing her forelegs at the succubus's neck and hugging her tightly. They both relaxed, though it took a full minute. Octavia always feared Vinyl would be discovered, and Vinyl always feared Octavia would have her life ruined like those ponies at the mental hospital... but they were still fine, and knowing - knowing - that there were others looking out for them was... was... It was a big damn relief, that was what it was. And Octavia didn't need to melt that stallion's train-of-thought, either. ***** "Excuse me?" Swarm asked, not quite sure. "Yes." Trixie nodded as she whispered. She had no need, being just the two of them in a side room, but she could barely contain the urge to just pour out everything she knew. "Magic that can reshape Destiny." She breathed in, out, and continued. "For example, back before the founding of Equestria, arranged marriages were a thing, then fell out of use as the princesses voiced their opinion on forcing such a thing upon a pony... officially." She flicked her mane to clear some errant strands. "Unofficially, there were still ponies that were willing to provide 'encouragement' to relationships they approved of, both for sanctioned unions, and to persuade 'inappropriate' suitors to retire quietly and take any 'inconvenient' foals away with them... until they suddenly found themselves unable to influence other ponies' destinies, no matter how hard they tried to convince an unruly family member to keep 'tradition' or seek 'adequate' companionship; they lost the ability to send ponies away if they did not want to part. The Elements of Harmony cannot be denied so easily - cannot be turned away with simple money and selfish promises; one cannot control what the cutie marks of others will be, as that is the choice of the bearer; through a task representing your own desires, or if your hardships have been great, you can earn a change - and protect it from selfish ponies." "And this relates to the way you look at me... how?" He could make a guess, based on the message he had gotten. "Trix- I- well, through a grand expression of said magic, I have memories of the world ten years from now." She said, shaking with excitement. "I- I feared I would never see you again." "Why?" He knew he should have been more tactful as the vibrant air around the unicorn was replaced with a languid sea of depression; her head hung low and her ears... it was like looking at an entirely different mare - worn, sad, even though a minute ago she was a giddy filly talking to her first crush. It had taken a second to hit him, that bit about the experiences from another time, and another second to realize that many things can happen in the span of even a single day. "I saw you die." She breathed the words, a cold chill coursing her veins. "It- Sombra knew you and I had been behind so many strikes at him, you heped me escape... it was not quick." Swarm gulped reflexively as he raised a hoof to his throat. He felt the emotional spike through her, and didn't know how to respond to it. "Sombra, the unicorn that tried to..." He had heard the name Sombra several times in the past few hours, and heard the tale of how Trixie had appeared out of nowhere and beat him just as it seemed he had gotten back in power; without Trixie, and knowing egomaniacs as he did, he supposed that- "Take control of everything, yes." Trixie didn't seem to care much about the former king, which Swarm figured came from having defeated him so thoroughly and quickly. Closure, he guessed, or perhaps that anything Sombra could have done was so prevented. "He made a huge mess, in the future that never was. My memories arrived before the Empire came back into the normal flow of time, and I infiltrated the city and stabbed him with a knife-shaped mass of counter-magic before he discovered the dangers of nulled emotions." "And then I was here, not knowing if you would ever hear my name." She squeezed her eyes shut, but willed herself not to give in. "You helped me- you led the- I was captured and left to rot, as Sombra couldn't break me; you- you were there for us, and every time I felt weak and helpless you gave me your strength and your hope. I wouldn't be who I am if it were not for you - well, and the Element Bearers, but suffice to say they have done plenty for us already." "Oh." He would have berated himself for the lame response if his mind could just remember he was supposed to be smarter than that. Every experience, every sense he had told him that she was being absolutely, one-hundred-percent honest. How could he respond any better? "So... did we... were we in a relationship?" He managed to ask. He was curious; he knew of changelings that entered real relationships, and, in fact,had seen just how much stronger the love obtained that way was. "Hmm." She blushed and stroked her hair embarrassedly. "To the best of circumstances; I had to have some... brands and sigils removed, but the damage to my health was extensive; even if the broken pieces of the Element of Magic were fused to my body, by the time I stopped coughing every other minute you were..." "Dead." He blinked. It was very abstract - to him - and the only way he could feel anything about his own death was through the echoes of memory coming from the unicorn in front of him; she had (would?) become so dear to him that he had given his life to protect her. She came to love him so much, the sight of him had saturated his senses with unbridled love even if she knew - intellectually - that he would not know her. He figured there was one course of action. "Well, with any luck, the world isn't going to end anytime soon." He said, kneading a spot of the rug with a forehoof. He suddenly gained a higher appreciation for his infiltrators; being on the spot oneself was much more difficult than relaying instructions, regardless of however much knowledge of the workings of society one had. "I can see that you are an exceptional mare, and the care you show for us outcasts of Equestria... what I'm trying to say is... would you like to try again?" He almost expected getting tackled. "I'd like that very much." She replied with a teary smile, extending a shaky hoof at him. "I am Trixie Lulamoon, pleased to meet you." "My name is Swarm." He smiled back, taking her hoof on his own and giving it a gentle kiss. "The pleasure is all mine." ***** "Are you sure she is Equestrian?" Celestia asked. "Yes, sister; the dreams would not have appeared to me if she had not been in Equestria, although it seems she is far away for now." Luna tastefully withheld, for obvious reasons, the involvement of lilins and changelings. "I haven't heard anything like it, Luna; the procedure itself is one thing, but I know of very few artifacts that could help somepony stabilize their magic even in that state without placing her in even more danger, and all of them are accounted for." Celestia idly rubbed her muzzle. "Others with the capacity to regulate energies don't have much power, while power intensifiers would require delicate control." "Hn." Luna grumbled. "Maybe something structured like the Elements? Something where the object is merely a physical vessel for a magical existence?" "Oh..." Celestia pondered the option. "She would have to be attuned to it, and that might give a higher presence." "It's a possibility." "I'll make sure to tell you if I find anything." "Likewise, dear sister."