//------------------------------//
// 4: Blah Blah Blah Backstory 
// Story: Nymphetamine: The Heart's Price 
// by Architect Ironturtle 
//------------------------------//

I am a magic user. Alex knew that his life would never be the same, even if he somehow managed to get his old body and life back, I can use magic. Me, not a pony, not a dragon, me personally. Before, even after he'd been told about his innate magic, he'd always lumped himself into the same category as eastern apes, donkeys, and griffons. A non-magical creature, incapable of casting spells directly or otherwise. Now, though...

Now he could smell the emotional rot in the air of Vanhoover. Now he could sense the magic flowing through his veins, pulsing slowly outward from a pool in his stomach and intestines. Now he could reach out, and, if he just knew how, make the laws of physics his bitch. Something inside him had shifted, and would never shift back. It could never shift back, not after he'd gotten a taste of what magic was truly like and, as terrifying as an entirely new way to see the world was, he didn't want it to. This was Power with a capital P, and it was euphoric. It almost made up for all the crap he'd had to go through to get it. Almost.

"Hang a left at the next intersection," Alex whispered to Chrysalis, whose shoulders tensed slightly under his fingers, "We're almost there."

Chrysalis nodded, staying silent to help avoid the attention of the other pedestrians, and started to step out into traffic before Alex sharply yanked her to safety.

"Are you nuts!?" he hissed, "You almost got run over!"

"Well, you must pardon me for having never been in a city this large before," Chrysalis snapped.

Alex stared at her in disbelief. What was she, some back-country bumpkin who'd never seen a metropolis in her life? That, actually made a lot of sense. "Ok, fine then, I'll explain it. First rule of modern cities: look both ways before crossing a street to make sure nothing's coming, otherwise you might get hit by something that's going too fast to stop. Quick hint, if a pedestrian and a vehicle run into each other, the vehicle wins. Painfully."

"Noted," Chrysalis meeped as a cargo laden carriage rolled past at a fast canter, "It is safe yet?"

Alex glanced left, then right, said, "I think so," and guided Chrysalis across the street.

They ducked under the swinging arms of a dragon, hugged the nearest wall for a bit to avoid a herd of teenage goth ponies, and turned down a side street that led into a surprisingly quiet neighborhood park. Chrysalis pushed forward, her previously unsure steps being replaced by a confident strut in the correct direction.

"Do you know where I live?" Alex asked her cuttingly.

"Of course," Chrysalis replied nonchalantly, not bothering to look at him while tasting faintly of raspberry and much more strongly of fresh bread, though Alex could tell that she was trying not to smirk, "The energy from your transformation originated there. It's where I first ended up when I came looking for you. Just so you know, tracking you down in that healer's den was a royal pain. I had to actually talk to somepony to find you."

"I so feel your pain," Alex said snidely. He still thought it was suspicious, but her answer made sense so he let it slide. In any case, they walked more quickly now that they both knew the destination, and soon the pair found themselves back where this crazy nightmare/adventure had started. The space Alex's home occupied was a medium sized yard to the right of a modest two story house painted in cheerful pastels. While the grass looked like it needed mowing, the property was otherwise well cared for and seemed to be aging gracefully.

Alex's home itself, on the other hand, was a fairly new looking blue and red striped rectangular tent hovering about a foot and a half off the ground, with a series of brown stained wooden panels covering the gap. A small set of stairs, painted white with black friction tape on top but otherwise undecorated, led up to the main entrance, which was cordoned off by police tape. A couple of panels on the right of the tent from the street had been removed and were lying on the ground next to it, revealing a dark space between the tent and the ground. Alex's truck, an old Toyota model he'd purchased for its reliability, was parked next to it, metallic silver paint glinting in the late afternoon sun. The truck's doors were all closed, but one of them wasn't properly sealed, suggesting someone had opened the vehicle up and hadn't known how to shut it correctly. Two practice dummies were planted next to the vehicle, both looking like they had seen heavy use.

Alex rolled his eyes at the sight. He wasn't surprised his home had been searched, but he had been hoping the guard would leave his privacy intact. Oh well, so much for that. A pair of guards were keeping an eye on the place, but they weren't paying super close attention, which allowed Alex and Chrysalis to slip inside unnoticed.

Alex felt something in his chest unclench as he breathed in the scent of wood smoke and spiced meat that always permeated his chosen dwellings. Strangely, he couldn't detect anything with his new senses, making him wonder just how long it took to for an emotional field to build up, but dismissed it as unimportant at the moment. Letting the entrance tarp fall back into place before removing his hand from Chrysalis's back, resulting in a chalky tinge of... disappointment? Yeah, probably. Alex looked around.

His home was small, a single room apartment a mere 18X18 feet sitting atop a trailer bed that had formerly been used for hauling hay. The floorboards were worn, but smooth, with the only gaps being the twin holes the trailer's wheels peeked through marking the transition between the 'entrance hall' and rest the of the dwelling. The center of the room held a picnic table supporting a camping lantern, the wood varnished a dark brown to make it look less modern, with a sink sitting on a pair of water jugs, a pantry, a cabinet, and a Franklin wood stove all standing flush against the far wall. To his immediate left was an armor stand, holding all of his gear except his shield, which was missing from its usual spot, along with a chest that held his clothes and an empty space that normally contained the toolbox he used to organize his armor repair kit. A small wooden workbench with matching chair sat next to the chest, which in turn was flanked by a small, waist high bookshelf about a quarter filled with books. The remaining space on that shelf would normally be taken up by a variety of souvenirs and trophies acquired in the line of duty, but they were gone as well, along with a good chunk of the books he'd first brought with him, which brought a frown to Alex's face.

His right, meanwhile, held a hybrid coat and shoe rack, followed by a wooden couch (that was only comfortable to sit on thanks to a thick, wide cushion) with its back to the right wall and a chair facing the couch next to the main table, making a sort of living room area. All the furniture was coated in the same brown varnish as the table, making it look much older than it actually was. His futon, covered in a lovingly crafted heraldic spread that had been a prize at one of the events he'd attended for "valor in combat," was wedged into the far left corner, while the far right held a small area that had been curtained off to use as an indoor bathroom. Since indoor plumbing was still a luxury the cheapest apartments couldn't afford and he used his landlord's outhouse whenever he could, the private area was usually reserved for late-night emergencies.

Alex had put a lot of effort into getting the layout just right, and he was quite proud of the result. It had taken multiple tries to find the exact right configuration, since the entire rig had to be able fold up for transportation, and he'd only succeeded shortly before making his little detour into Equestria. However, that wasn't the first thing on his mind at the time. No, instead he made a beeline for the chest, popped it open, and started digging.

"Finally," he grunted in satisfaction, pulling out and starting to put on a pair of black and yellow striped tights,* "I will never understand how you ponies can be so casual about going around nude."

Chrysalis just raised an eyebrow at him, watching steadily as his new toe claws ripped a hole in the tights, causing Alex to let out a curse and go looking for something sturdier, "I wouldn't claim to be fully aware of the latest trends," she stated calmly, "but have clothes become more important than they used to be?"

"Not really," Alex replied absently, tugging on a pair of tan pants with faded rainbow trim as he recited that explanation he'd created for all the ponies who'd questioned his clothing habits, "It's more of a cultural thing from back home. You see, my people are hairless, tropical apes, and we'd freeze to death in any climate that isn't hot, hot, hot, all year 'round. If we wanted to move away from the heat of what are basically the Zebrican plains, we needed artificial coats, i.e. clothes, and fire."

Chrysalis blinked, letting off a pulse of sugary frosting, then said, "Your people are hairless?"

"Yep," Alex replied, switching from his left pantleg to his right, "Then, once everyone had moved across the planet and wearing clothes all the time became the standard instead of the exception, being naked became associated with actions that could only be performed while naked, namely sex and peeing, and both became considered unclean, private actions. In fact, being naked in public was assumed to be an open statement that you were about to perform one or the other, and was a good way to get yourself arrested."

"How bizarre," Chrysalis said, still tasting like frosting, earning her a snort from Alex.

"If you saw the rest of my people you'd say that a lot," he muttered, "We're all total nutjobs as far as I can tell. Also, while everyone does wear basic clothing around their more sensitive areas and some kind of foot protection, any cultures that stayed in or moved back to the tropics are much more lax about the subject in general than those closer to the northern and southern poles."

Alex managed to get dressed without tearing his clothes this time, and went digging for a tunic to finish the job, "I've gotten jaded to nudity out of necessity, since it's unavoidable around here, but I still feel uncomfortable walking around exposed. It just doesn't feel right, even when there aren't any social taboos looming over me. You feel me?"

"I, believe so," Chrysalis stated, shifting in place a little and giving him a strange look, "It's something your people had to do to survive, then turned into something you had to do to fit in?"

"Pretty much," Alex said, pulling a light blue tunic over his head, "You don't have to just stand there, by the way. Go ahead and have a seat."

He gestured, and Chrysalis, still wearing a confused expression, walked into the living room. She settled into the padded couch cushion after a quick hop off the ground, taking up almost the entire length as she stretched contentedly. Alex, meanwhile, ambled over to his kitchen and started looking through the pantry. The vehement string of curse words he let out was enough to make Chrysalis jump slightly, and she glanced over at him, her whipped cream replaced by a vegetable broth spiced with ginger. Alex thought that meant she was concerned and curious, but frankly he didn't know for certain. It wasn't like emotional flavors came with labels after all.

"They took my rations," Alex explained, stomping over and slumping in the camping chair across from her with a huff, "The last of the food I brought with me is gone. It figures, I could really use some comfort food right about now."

Chrysalis couldn't stand it any longer, "Where are you from!?" she exclaimed, quickly casting a silence barrier to keep anypony from overhearing, "Nothing about you makes any sense! First, you claim your homeland has no magic. That is an utterly ridiculous statement! Second, your house, is a tent. You aren't a nomad, not that I can see, so why do you live in this," she gestured with a hoof, "Instead of a  proper dwelling? Finally, I know apes. All of you have hair, so unless some entirely new species sprang into existence while I wasn't looking, you don't exist. Speaking of which, what century is this?"

The wave of raw baking soda that could only be frustration or anger she released made Alex lean back in his seat. He studied her carefully for a moment, his mind flitting from possibility to possibility before he spoke, "It's 1310 A.D., that's After Discord, in case you were wondering," he said finally, "and it's a long story, but for now, I think you owe me an explanation. Who are you, where did you come from, and what does that have to do with me? If you answer those to my satisfaction, I'll tell you a bit about where I came from and how I got here. Remember, you're the reason we're wanted by the law right now. You owe me."

He could see Chrysalis struggling with his statement, obviously wanting to press him farther (he couldn't resist feeling a touch of smug satisfaction over it), but in the end she sighed, and nodded.

"As you wish," she said finally. She sighed, then took a deep breath, her voice switching from its usual purr to a slightly more rhythmic cadence as Alex settled back in his seat, "I will tell you our history as it was told to me. Long ago in the frozen north, a group of ponies who had escaped from the reign of the mad god Discord stumbled across a most unusual gem. It hummed with power, and the leader of the those ponies, a unicorn mare named Shining Path, couldn't resist the urge to touch it. The moment she did, the crystal changed her, giving her an innate understanding of itself and its power, as well as the ability to use that power. That gem was the Crystal Heart, and Shining Path became the founder of the Crystal Empire."

Alex considered asking her about the Crystal Heart, but Chrysalis seemed to be on a roll and it would have been a shame to interrupt her, so he saved it for the end of her tale.

Chrysalis's head rocked slowly from side to side, seemingly without realizing it, the movement timed to the patterns of her speech, "Years passed. The Empire grew wealthy and strong, shielded from attack by the frozen north and united by the power of the Heart. Shining Path was lonely, and aging, and beginning to think about passing on her legacy, so she sought out the affections of a well-known explorer named Compass Rose. Compass Rose, however, loved the freedom being an explorer granted him, and at first refused, though he did find her quite comely." A mild frown spread across her face, and she stopped rocking, "However, a mere two days after he set out on his latest adventure, he came back, stating that he had changed his mind and wanted to court her. Shining Path, while somewhat confused at his actions, was for the most part overjoyed, and they soon married."

Alex sat up a bit straighter. This was starting to sound suspiciously familiar, and the spiciness Chrysalis was emitting seemed to agree, "Compass Rose's turnaround had raised a few eyebrows from those who knew him, but when they saw how happy he had become with Shining Path, they dismissed their concerns with a shrug. Compass, for the most part, enjoyed his new life, though he never stopped longing for the freedom to travel.

"That changed when Shining Path passed away during her fourth foaling, leaving Compass in charge of the Empire as a whole." The spice grew stronger, and became tinged with a sprinkling of salt, "He found, to his shock, that while he cared for his wife deeply, and did love their four foals and the life they'd built together, he didn't love her after she had died. It was like a fog had lifted from his eyes. That realization came only moments before he found himself wracked with pains and collapsed in his bedchambers. When he awakened, it was to the taste of pure love infused magic radiating from the crystal heart."

It's been a problem right from the start? Alex thought, stunned, that's... I can't even put what I think of that into words.

Chrysalis's head lowered, draping itself over the couch's wooden arm as the pickles grew stronger and the hot sauce faded, "Shocked and horrified at what he had become, he hid himself away for days on end, praying that it was all just a nightmare. Finally, his family could stand it no longer, and they forced entry into his chambers. They found him, seemingly in perfect health, and expressed their concerns over his behavior. Their love for him revitalized him, reminded him what was most important in the world, and he returned to normal life soon afterward, nopony the wiser that he was no longer truly a pony."

Chrysalis's emotions faded almost completely, and she started to rock again, "For a time, all was good in the Empire. His children flourished under his care, which was no less tender despite his new form, and he even got the chance to roam Equestria again once his eldest son was ready to begin shouldering the burden of ruling. He didn't know what had turned him into a Changeling, a name he picked for himself out of a book of old fairy tales, at the time he didn't care. He was the only one, so it didn't matter, right?"

Alex frowned. They hadn't known what caused it at first then. He supposed that fit, even if he found it disturbing, "That changed soon enough. Silver Shod, his eldest son and the only pony who seemed to have inherited his mother's talent for controlling the crystal heart broke up with his fiance, a messy affair that had the entire Empire buzzing with gossip. Compass, however, was more interested the bloom of twisted love magic that appeared soon afterward. Tracking it back to its source, he discovered to his horror that his son's ex-lover had been turned as well, making her a near mirror image of himself."

Chrysalis's anger spiked, and Alex flagged transforming as a touchy subject, "When she first woke up and took in her new appearance, she didn't react well. If Compass hadn't been there to help her through it, to show her that she wasn't alone, she might very well have taken her own life. Still, Compass didn't understand what had caused this. He went to his son and confronted him, demanding to know what had happened between him and his fiance. Silver Shod told him that he had found a spell of his making on her, one he didn't remember casting, and dispelled, only for her to reject him mere minutes later.

"Compass asked to see this spell, and his son showed it to him." Chrysalis looked at Alex, skewered him with a blazing rage that she'd never showed before, even when facing off against multiple guards, "Only then did Compass finally understand. The Crystal Heart's blessing, the same one that marked the ruler's of the Crystal Empire, gave them a terrible power: they could make any pony fall in love with any other pony, including themselves! Even worse, if they forced a pony to love them and sleep with them, then later undid that spell at any time, even through their own death, it would turn the pony whose love they had stolen into a Changeling. That then, is what happened to you. It is making love under the influence of false love that, that..." Chrysalis paused, searching for the right word, "makes? causes..."

"Catalyzes?" Alex suggested.

"Yes, catalyzes, it catalyzes the transformation. If you manage to undo the spell before then it won't turn the victim. Fortunately, most of the time the spell is discovered before it's too late."

Alex nodded, trying to process what he was hearing. Ancient power gems? Love inflicted curses? It sounded like something out of a fairy tale, but- Equestria. As absurd as it might have seemed back home, on this planet it fit far too well. He'd read about and seen enough crazy shit here to know that for certain.

Chrysalis, it seemed could no longer keep still, and her hooves twitched while her tail lashed as she continued, "Compass, horrified at this revelation, considered destroying all he had built to prevent anypony else from falling victim to the curse, but stayed his hoof in the end. The spells had been cast out of ignorance, not malice, he reasoned, with neither guilty party aware of the damage they had done. The solution, to him, was not destruction, but knowledge. If he could teach his descendants how to use their power wisely, no other ponies would suffer his fate." This last sentence was tinged with coffee so bitter it made Alex want to wash his mouth out.

Chrysalis growled, then sighed, and had to take a few calming breaths before she said, "With this is mind, and because he was beginning to notice he wasn't aging as he should be, he faked his own death and, as his final decree, created the role of crystaler, a special caretaker for all Crystal royalty during their youths. The first crystaler was named Good Advice, but in truth it was Compass in a new form, ready and willing to watch over his lineage and make sure none went astray.

Alex raised his eyebrows. That, was actually a pretty good idea. It didn't seem to have worked, of course, not with Chrysalis sitting right in front of him, but it was solid on paper, at least, "As his old life was gone and his new one merely a disguise, he decided to take a new name for himself, which later turned into a tradition for all newborn Changelings. He became King Shifter, the first greater changeling, and the one who discovered our talent for disguising ourselves and our ability to sense emotions. His son's fiance became Queen Mimic, the discover of our birthing habits, and never spoke her true name again.

Alex marked 'birthing habits' as something to ask about later, although it would have to approached with caution if Chrysalis's salty bitterness was any indication what she thought of it, "Centuries passed. Shifter and Mimic took turns in the role of Crystaler, teaching the Crystal royals how to properly control their powers. It quickly became apparent that only the first-born of each generation possessed the gift, and if a pony did not have it themselves they couldn't pass it onto their foals." Chrysalis let out another flash of spicy anger, making Alex raise his eyebrows, "If the first born died, the talent moved to the second born, and so on down the line. The role of Crystaler shifted accordingly, becoming a honor dedicated only to the crown prince or princess. Then..." Chrysalis trailed off, then sighed heavily, a whole storm of emotions fighting inside her for dominance, "That is where our history ends, and my story begins. This isn't easy to talk about, even after all this time, so please humor me if I... hesitate."

Chrysalis breathed in deeply, and Alex could taste the iron in her as she prepared to speak, "Before me and my sisters, only five Changelings had ever been created, including King Shifter and Queen Mimic. Once every few generations an unusually stubborn heir would refuse to listen and get somepony injured, but for the most part they did a good job. The royal secret was safe and contained. Contained, that is, until Prince Sombra was born."


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"We'll be touching down in a few minutes, your highness." 

The guard's words startled Cadance out of a fitful sleep, and she looked towards the front of the chariot she was riding in. After blinking the spots from her eyes since the sunset was full display at the moment, she could make out the skyline of Vanhoover in the distance. At Cadance's request, Celestia had moved the press conference from Canterlot to Vanhoover. Cadance had done her damage there, and they deserved her apology in person, not passed on by newspapers and word of mouth from the capital. Besides, she still needed to make what amends she could, both with Alex and those he'd hurt while under her control. She wasn't under any delusions that everything could go back to the way it was, but she still had to try. She owed them that much.

"Go ahead and get us a hotel room," she told the guard, unfolding her wings and flapping them a few times to get the blood flowing, "I need to make a few stops tonight. I won't miss the conference tomorrow, but I will be back late."

The guard nodded once, and Cadance slid off the back of the chariot, letting gravity pull her into a steep dive. For a brief instant it crossed her mind to not bother pulling up, but she quickly dismissed the thought as cowardly. Shirking responsibility was what had gotten her into this mess, and doing it again, even through her own demise wouldn't help anypony.

Instead, she turned her dive into a shallow glide, letting the speed she'd built up shove her towards the city. For birds, height equaled distance., and while pegasi might use magic to bolster their flight most of the time, on the few occasions when gliding was a better option that rule worked for them as well. She couldn't glide the entire distance, instead having to flap for the last half mile or so, but she still reached the city well ahead of her guards, who were tired from the long journey on top of pulling a heavy vehicle behind them.

Cadance turned right and started walking. She wanted to go to Alex's place first. She didn't know what she would say to him, or even if she could say anything at all at this point, but she still needed to see his home, make sure he was coping. False romance or not, you don't spend several hours  with a pony every week over the course of several months without coming to care about him, not unless you were a sociopath of some sort.

The sun had just slipped beneath the waves when she turned onto his street, and the pair of guards outside his home entered her line of sight. As she drew nearer, she also took in the other details, the cordoned off front door, the misaligned carriage entrance, and picked up her pace. A quick word with the guards had her winging her way downtown, her growing panic only somewhat controlled by the exercise.

Cadance burst into the lobby of the Vanhoover West Hospital, and drew up short. Shining was talking to the receptionist, his back to her. She hadn't a chance to talk to him just yet, not without having it devolve into a shouting match. Should she move? Go talk to somepony else? Or ask him what had happened and hope he was cordial enough to tell her?

Shining took the decision out of her hooves a moment later. He looked over her his shoulder, his stern commander's visage being replaced for a moment by genuine anger before he sighed and trotted over.

"Haven't you done enough?" he asked testily, "I've got too much on my plate as it is here. I can't handle you on top of all this."

"I-" Cadance stuttered, "I came back to help. Aunty Celestia got me straightened out. I made this mess, I should help clean it up."

Shining scrutinized her, then snorted and rolled his eyes, "Well, that's fine and dandy, but you're a few hours too late. Alex is gone."

"Gone!?" Cadance shouted, "What you mean he's gone?"

"Exactly what I said," Shining replied, "Alex disappeared early this afternoon, and what's worse, he seems to have a new ally. How up to speed are you on the situation?"

"Um," Cadance said, "The last I heard Alex was going home. I haven't been intercepting your reports, if that's what you're asking."

Shining rubbed his forehead with a hoof, "Right. Of course you haven't. I'll give you a quick rundown, but first, what do you know about shapeshifters?"