Two Changelings, in a World of Foes

by Orkus

Chapter 4: An Invitation to the Crystal Empire

Chapter 4: An Invitation to the Crystal Empire

The scaly, white form of Petra, and the blue, icy shape of Despereaux descended from the cloudless, blue sky, the former landing gracefully on the rocky, snow-covered ground below, in front of the entrance of the cave they both called home. Clutched in the wyvern's still-usable left claw was a book she had rented from the library in the Crystal Empire, the amount of pages it possessed giving it a very thick appearance.

The cryophoenix hovered in the air nearby as Petra started to crease her wings, until the bat-like projections were once more tucked underneath her arms, and out of sight. She went to the door when her wings were once more just plain arms, pulling on the metal handle, and opening it up, before both entered the dark inside, out of the cold. Despite the wyvern's natural immunity to frigid temperatures, she couldn't help but let out a comforted purr at how warm the inside of her home felt, compared to the outside.

The wyvern and her cryophoenix had decided to stay the night at the Crystal Empire, Petra having spent almost the entire time reading her favorite tales, taking notes, and writing rough drafts to help with her own story, until she felt she was back on track. What she kept, she stored between the pages of the book she borrowed.

"Time to get back to the grindstone," Petra spoke, as she closed the door behind her, and took her hat off. Despereaux snatched it when she tossed it into the air, and swiftly brought it to the hat rack nearby, landing on the top of it after placing the black piece of headwear on a hook. The wyvern took a step forward, but a crunch of paper coming from underneath her heel caused her to stop. Removing her foot and looking down, Petra spotted a red envelope lying on the stone ground.

"Hmm? What's this?" the wyvern spoke, as she bent over, and scooped the envelope in her hand, while placing the book she carried on a nearby drawer. Using a claw as a letter-opener, Petra slit the top of it open, and let the white, folded-up paper inside slip into her other, outstretched hand. She quickly unfolded it, and, after fixating her glasses, began to peruse its written contents, while Despereaux glided to the nearby hat rack.

Despite having an uninterested attitude toward what his master was reading, Despereaux's eyes lit up in a mixture of surprise and puzzlement as he saw a patch of red start to form on Petra's cheeks, which he soon realized was a blush. Then the bird noticed, ever so small it was, that a smile was forming on her lips. Now fully intrigued, he flew over, and perched on her shoulder, taking a good long gaze at what exactly she was looking at.

To whomever this letter reaches, I bring the most sincere of greetings, it began, in fine cursive. I may not know you, and you may not know me, but I bear an invitation I hope you'll consider. It is nothing of major recourse, but I would like to ask you to out to dinner, my honor. If you choose to accept my invitation, and by doing do you'd have my absolute greatest of thanks, then meet me at the Crystal Empire's finest restaurant, tomorrow evening, at six.

Despereaux's view went to the bottom of the paper, which ended with the enigmatic words Yours truly, one who seeks romance in their incomplete life. When he had finished reading, he simply stood there, and stared at Petra with taunting gleam in his expression, until she finally turned her head, and looked at him.

"What are you looking at?" she asked her pet, her tone shifting to a grumpy one. Despereaux only returned with a large, obnoxious grin on his beak, and slanted eyes, as if keeping in a delicious punchline to the most witty joke in the history of comedy for himself. Petra used the claw holding the invitation to shoo the smart-alecking bird off of her shoulder, before looking back at it, and sighing.

"Seeks romance... the Crystal Empire's finest restaurant..." Petra repeated to herself, as if in reverie, as she walked to the other side of the cave, the book she had brought with her long forgotten. "Nobody's ever written something like this to me before..."

Despereaux's head tilted to the side, once again perplexed by the behavior his master was showing. After letting out a questioning chirp, Petra, removing the glasses from her face and putting them on the drawer, looked back to her pet, gleefully.

"Sorry. This is... this is the first time in my entire life somebody's ever asked me out on a... date!" she said, her voice once more brimming with excitement, the emotion expressed by how rapidly her stinger-tipped tail thrashed about behind her, threatening to hit a stray piece of furniture. "How am I supposed to act? Who do you think even sent it? Another wyvern? A dragon? It might have even been a pony for all I know, but how would I find out?"

The cryophoenix merely shrugged. Petra, now much calmer, exhaled again as she walked to her desk, where she turned and sat on the wooden chair. She peered down at the unfinished book that lied on it, some dust having collected on its pages since the night she and Despereaux left the house. For the next moment, she simply stared at it, completely lost in thought.

She was brought out of daydreaming as she felt something poking her arm, and looked to see Despereaux doing the deed with the elbow of his wing. When he had her attention, he smiled again, but instead of being smug, it was one of assurance.

"Do you really think I should go?" she asked her trusty companion.

Despereaux closed his eyes and nodded, confidently. Petra couldn't help but smirk at his approval.

"Alright then," she agreed slowly, placing the note down onto the page of her book, her mind made up. "It said tomorrow night, at the Crystal Empire's finest restaurant, right? I'd better get ready for it, then!"

Without a second thought, and for the first time since starting it, Petra flipped the cover of her book over, closing it.

---

"...And then, with the Chime of Happiness returned to its rightful place, peace and harmony returned to the kingdom," Skia spoke, in a gentle tone, to the giant crow she lied against. Its head was lowered, and eyes partially closed, as the changeling finished the tale from the book she held to her face. "And every pony lived happily ever after. The end," she finished, closing the book with a silent clap.

She had been there all day, reading to the helpless bird, and the feathered creature appeared to be enjoying the company. After she let the starving thing wolf down her lunch of two love-filled cupcakes, an apple, and the bread from her hay sandwich, she gave it the medicine she had taken with her, which it promptly, and quickly drank, apparently ignoring the foul taste it possessed. Just an hour after it ingested the stuff, its moaning and squawking ceased, which told Skia that it was working.

"Gee... that's my last book," Skia said, in a melancholy voice. She looked to the sky that showed through the canopy above, and saw it had taken an orange hue, indicating sundown. "And it's getting late too. I think I have to go, before my dad gets home."

The crow lifted its head, an understanding look in its brown eyes, before letting it drop again, falling asleep almost instantly. Getting up at a slow enough speed to not disturb the resting bird, she put her book and empty lunchbox into her backpack, and silently zipped it up, before placing it over her back.

"Goodbye," she whispered, petting its beak, gently. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Turning about, Skia slowly flew above the trees, until she was above the treetops, and from there she sped home, her transparent wings beating as hard as they could, a buzzing whir generating from it.

It wasn't more than a few minutes later that Skia returned home, exhausted from the flight, just as darkness was falling. After taking in a deep breath, she walked up to the door, and opened it, the hinges squeaking like a host of demonic mice. When she peered in, she spotted Moredread on the other side of the room, where the kitchen and living area connected, sipping a spot of tea from a glass cup that hovered in the air near his mouth. His eyes were pointed in her direction with an expectant glare, as if he knew she was entering the house. Skia had stopped asking the question of how ghosts could eat or drink a long time ago.

"Hi, Uncle!" the changeling greeted heartily, opening the door all the way, as she barged inside.

"Good evening, Skia," Moredread welcomed in return, watching as she tossed her pack walked up to him. "I trust your day reading to the crow-monster was pleasant?"

"The best." she replied. Her happy grin suddenly turned into a gape of pure horror when she properly registered his words. With a nervous gulp, she spoke, "How did... how do you know about that?"

"I know where you are and what you're up to, as long as I'm in your memory," he chuckled. "It's a tracking spell I enchanted upon you when you were but a hatchling, so I know you'll always be safe. And do not worry, I won't tell your father. You're doing a pretty good job with the bird, as far as I see."

"Oh... oh, thank Celestia..." she sighed in relief. No sooner had she done so, the question that she had been dying to ask since she left came to mind.

"If you don't mind me asking... did you make that note for Dad yet?"

"Of course," Moredread spoke, putting his armored hoof onto a previously-unnoticed, red letter that lied on the table. "I wrote two while you were gone. The other has already been sent."

As Skia opened her mouth to speak again, the sound of a door opening and closing caused her to instead turn around. Entering the house was the weary shape of Thoraxis, his horned head lowered, and eyes closed.

"Woo. Today was a long day at the pet store," Thoraxis whispered to himself, before raising his head, and opening his eyes. The first thing he saw was Skia.

"Oh," he started, his tired face turning warm and happy. "Hello, sweetie. How was my favorite little nymph's day today?"

"It's was good, Dad," she responded, walking up to him and wrapping a hoof around his neck in a nice, long hug. "I had a lot of fun playing with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle."

"That's good to know," he said, fully believing the fib without a second thought.

"Thoraxis," Moredread spoke up. The changeling turned to him, an inquiring look in his eyes, as the alicorn continued. "A note came in the mail today. I think it's for you."

"A note?" he asked, in disbelief. "For... me? Who's it from?"

"It doesn't say, but is is, indeed, for you," Moredread said again, using his spectral hoof to push the envelope across the table, in his direction. Rolling his monochromatic eyes as much as he could, Thoraxis used his magic to lift the note, and let it float to his own hoof, where he examined it. After checking to see of there was any indication of who sent it, to which he found none, he cut the top open, and read the paper inside, saying the words he skimmed aloud.

""To whomever this letter reaches... Invitation... meet me at the Crystal Empire's finest restauran-" wait, what?" he said, obviously confused. After another, much more careful read-through of it, his surprised face went neutral, as his head turned to Moredread and Skia at a snail's pace.

"I think," he softly started, "that one of you two are to blame for this." The snickering he heard come from Skia told him his hunch was correct, and his face curled into one of sheer, unbridled fury.

"Why?" he asked, in more of a shout, then a questioning tone, stamping a hoof to the floor. "Why would you do this to me? Why? Why? WHY?"

"Oh, Dad. Please don't get so dramatic." Skia tried to reason. "It's just one date. Uncle Mordread and I want to see if you're right or not when you told us that changelings can't feel love, and I guess you could call this our little test."

"And I was right when I said that! Changelings can't feel love! It's impossible! I've told you that a hundred times!" Thoraxis responded, angrily. "All I'd accomplish by going is embarrassment, and it would be a waste of time!"

"It would be rude to not go," Moredread went on. "Tell me, Thoraxis. You're a goodhearted individual, correct? Does your conscience agree with you that you should leave that poor pony, who probably put off so much to meet you, stood up on a date?"

"But... but you're sending me to the Crystal Empire. The Crystal Empire!" the changeling argued back. "The restaurants there are some of the most expensive ones in Equestria! That doesn't sound worth it, in my opinion."

"No need to fret. I'm paying for it," Moredread said, calmly.

Thoraxis scoffed. "And how would you be doing that, exactly? You don't have a job, much less money."

"I have associates in high places."

""High places," eh? Who would you even know that lives in the Crystal Empire? You never leave the house!"

"Uh, Dad?" Skia interrupted. Thoraxis instantly turned his view to her, and the snarl on his face vanished, for the most part. "What is it, dear?" he asked, in a held-back, strained voice. Whatever hostile expression he still held slowly went away, as his daughter's own expression turned to a wide-eyed, innocent one of pure begging.

"It's just one date, for one night, Dad," she pleaded. "Please can you go? You don't even know if you'll enjoy it." Thoraxis opened his mouth, ready to go on with excuses about why he didn't want to do it, until Skia beat him to it, with another question.

"You love me... don't you, Dad?" she spoke again. This sentence appeared to be the one that won the argument, for Thoraxis was stricken into silence upon hearing it. Moredread couldn't help but smile as he saw Thoraxis lower his head dejectedly, defeated.

"Alright, fine! Fine!" he shouted, as he brought his head back up again, glaring at them both with his blue eyes. "You know what? You win! I'll go on this stinking date! And when I get back, you..." he rasped, gesturing to both the ghostly alicorn, and his daughter, "...no, both of you... are going make this up for me, big time!"

"That's something I can cope with," Skia said, greatly pleased with her victory. Thoraxis laughed a partially sarcastic, partially evil laugh, at how confident she sounded.

"Trust me. I'm going to make both of you regret making me do this." Thoraxis grumbled. "Now, if you'll excuse me," he said once more, straightening himself out, as if trying to keep some form of dignity he possessed intact. "I have a crummy date to prepare for."

And with those final words, Thoraxis turned his tail to the two, and walked to his room, muttering to himself in a discernible whisper all the while, as Skia and Moredread looked to each other, large grins of excitement and joy on either's face.

Comments

[Skye Mist]

It's time for the action to start!

[Princess OtakuGeek]

I can't wait to see the look on his face when it turns out his date isn't a pony.

[Grekoy]

More please.

[Always Breakfast]

Aww. I think we were all hoping the letter would disappear and then reappear back in front of Moredread.

[Guner]

6648200 NO :(

[Cursed Quill]

6648200
And then a changeling would feel love, Discord would break free, pigs would fly (Discord already took care of that!), and all the curses on Moredread that were predicated on the thought-forever "until any one truly loves you" would break. Then he…well, that's another story, isn't it?

Nitpicking:

started to crease her wings,

crease sort of has implications of not being natural folding. Why not just say fold?

a crunch of paper

I am worried by any paper that goes "crunch".

the Crystal Empire's finest restaurant,

This strikes me as dangerously vague, but he probably has this planned out properly.

red letter that lied on the table.

lay on the table

[Amos Anon]

"You love me... don't you, Dad?" she spoke again. This sentence appeared to be the one that won the argument, for Thoraxis was stricken into silence upon hearing it. Moredread couldn't help but smile as he saw Thoraxis lower his head dejectedly, defeated.

Why you devious little manipulator! Definitely a changeling thing, eh?