Go West, Young Changeling
Las Pegasus, jewel of the west and the last major city before the border of Equestria. To the south lay the San Palomino Desert and to the west was the famous Las Pegasus Bay which opened into the South Luna Ocean. Northwest, across the Everfree River was the imposing Mt. Rubicon and beyond that was the region simply known as The Undiscovered West.
In the skies above the suburban district, several cloud houses floated, at first glance, haphazardly. Their exact positions were known and monitored at all times, however, in order to avoid collision. It was thanks to this monitoring service that a certain middle aged, brown haired seraphim was able to easily locate 'his' house.
After a soft landing on the porch of the house, the man took a moment to look it over. All in all, it seemed like a typical middle class house. The man looked down at the paper in his hand and compared what was written on it to the address written on the mailbox, it was a match. This was the home of Locktight, 37 year old seraphim and locksmith turned insane stalker.
The man made no attempt to hide his approach to the front door. There was no reason to, at the moment, he was Locktight. To anyone looking, it would appear as if he were simply coming home after a brief trip to Canterlot. When 'Locktight' reached the door, he pulled a pin from his sleeve and inserted it into the deadbolt lock. With practiced ease, he quickly picked the lock and made his way inside.
When the door closed behind him, Locktight proceeded to make sure the house was empty and all the curtains were closed. Once he was satisfied that he had privacy, he was engulfed in a green fire and replaced by K'Vann the changeling. He then pulled out his glass and held it up to his mouth.
"Begin recording," he said and a little red light appeared in the corner of the glass screen indicating that the device had complied. "August 15, 1620 AN, I have arrived at the home of one, 'Locktight' and am beginning my search." K'Vann surveyed the various rooms, making note of anything out of the ordinary.
"Thus far, the home is as typical on the inside as it is on the outside," he spoke to his glass, "only thing worth mentioning is the handful of magazines." He picked up a small stack of magazines and listed them off one by one, dropping each one back onto the coffee table from which they came. "Natural Geographic, The Monthly Spelunker, and Archaeology Digest. He seems to have an interest in exploration."
K'Vann walked through the doorway leading to the main bedroom. Looking around, he saw only a single full sized bed, an adjacent night table with a lamp, a small Crystalvid and on the wall, a framed poster of Daring Doo. "The oddest thing about the bedroom is that there is nothing odd about it at all," he spoke. He then walked over to the poster, behind it was supposedly a safe containing the information that he'd come for.
The poster was easily removed, revealing a small wall safe with a combination lock just as Locktight had promised. K'Vann entered the combination he'd been given, 10-10-10 and turned the handle. The safe swung open smoothly and inside were some papers and what looked like a journal.
K'Vann took the contents and sat down on the bed as he looked them over. The first was a topographical map of the mountain range northwest of the city, specifically Mt. Rubicon as it had several spots circled in red ink. The next item were several photos that had been paper clipped together. The photos were... odd to say the least. They depicted what looked like writing of some sort although it was no writing K'vann had ever seen.
The Final item was a notebook that was, as K'Vann suspected, a journal. The first few pages offered more insight into Locktight's personality. "He grew up in L.P.," he spoke his findings into the glass, "kept to himself mostly save for one or two casual acquaintances and seems fascinated by the inner workings of mechanical locks and other similar mechanisms." He turned a page in the journal as he continued his dictation, "his interest in Daring Doo and exploration in general seems to have more to do with ancient trap mechanisms than archaeology."
The fifth page was where things got more interesting. "Entry five:" K'Vann read aloud, "I've finally saved up enough money for my trip to Mt. Rubicon. Like many before me, I'll start my tour of ancient sites with the so called 'Great Metal Door'. A site that has baffled archaeologists for centuries. I can't wait to see it."
K'Vann turned the pages once more, skimming the entries for anything interesting, "arrived at the mountain, hired a guide..." he mumbled to himself. "Entry eight: we've reached the site of the Great Metal Door and it's beyond anything I could have imagined. The pictures simply do not do it justice. I knew it was four stories tall but to actually see it... According to Rock Tumbler, my guide, it maintains it's metallic sheen all year long regardless of weather and it's never buried by snow. I can't wait to get closer and examine the inner workings."
"Entry nine: Damned bureaucracy! I've just been told that I'm not allowed to cross the ropes that quarter off the site. I'm only allowed to take pictures from a distance like a common tourist! The only way to get close is to file for an archaeological dig permit but they'll never grant one to an amateur like me. I have a plan though, tonight, while Rock Tumbler and his crew are asleep, I'll sneak in for a closer look."
The next few pages were written with far quicker and messier hand writing, possibly because Locktight had been in a hurry. "10: I just got close to the Door, it's fascinating. It's little wonder that no one has been able to figure out how to open it, there are no visible mechanisms yet there is clearly a panel here designed to allow for operation. I really shouldn't be doing this but if I could just get a look inside this panel."
"11: I almost got caught, one of the crew members got up to use the bathroom and nearly spotted me. I managed to get a look at the panel though, it's no wonder no one has been able to get it to work yet. There were so many redundancies and false triggers, it was beautiful. I'm confident I could figure it out but I can't do it like this, I need time alone with it."
"12: We're heading back today. I swear Rock Tumbler keeps glancing at me, he can't know I was awake last night could he? Maybe I'm just being paranoid. Once we're back at the village, I'm going to try and sneak back to the site alone. This could be my only chance, they said that my group would be the last to make the trip for a few days on account of a storm that will hit tomorrow. The trail is easy enough to follow, if I hurry I can beat the storm. It's risky but it would guarantee privacy. And just imagine how famous I'd be if I manage to crack the lock."
"13: I've made it back to the door. No one is around, but still, I need to work fast. The Storm will be here by tonight, hopefully I will have figured it out by then."
"14: Storm earlier than expected. No shelter. Freezing to death. Opening door only chance for survival."
"15: I did it! Praise Harmony, I did it! I thought for sure I was going to die out there. The solution was unbelievably simple in hindsight, yet beautifully hidden. And now I'm standing somewhere that hasn't been entered in thousands of years! This place looks so... alien, I cannot even begin to hazard a guess as to it's purpose. It's one giant room, completely empty save for what looks like a domed mound in the center. Did whoever built this place clear it out when they left? What on earth was all this space needed for?"
"Entry one: I say 'one' because this will be my first entry since my rebirth. I cannot hope to convey the truth of what happened to me in that chamber, nevertheless I shall try to give any future reader the best idea I can. When I approached the dome like structure I mentioned in my last entry, I noticed that the top was in fact a separate sphere set into a cone shaped housing. It was inert at first but when I placed my hand on it, the sphere came to life."
"It's surface was pure and reflective yet amorphous at the same time, like a floating ball of mercury. From the cone housing, a blue light surrounded it. It made no noise at all. I could only stare in wonder, this was no creation of mortals. As I watched, the object began to change its shape, morphing into a rectangular tablet with what I can only assume is writing. I didn't recognize any of it but I took pictures for later study. I found, though, that such measures wouldn't be necessary."
"The object returned to it's spherical shape and that's when it happened. A part of it reached out, flowing like oil in water, and grabbed my hand. I was frightened at first but only because I didn't understand. The cold, metallic liquid snaked its way up my arm and onto my head. There, it seeped into my very skin, into my brain. In that moment, I was reborn. I heard them speak. It was hard to understand at first, the voices were faded and sounded alien. I asked who they were and they answered, 'we are in'."
"They Who Are In taught me many things, They showed me when and how Nightmare Moon, whom They call the Antagonist of Eaye, would return and how she would be beaten. I saw in my mind the fight as it took place, I saw the one they call The Variable harness the ancient power of Harmony. They know the past and the future and can control it as well. They have a grand plan for this world and that plan must be followed. If it is not followed, it will result in the end of all things."
K'Vann continued reading until he arrived at the final entry, "Entry seven: They Who Are In spoke to me again today. They believe I may be of some use. They spoke to me of a young woman in Canterlot, the Antagonist of Evee I believe they called her. She is one of many who will interact with The Variable over the course of their grand plan. If my understanding is correct, these interactions are referred to as 'epic souls' although I have no idea why. When I ask, They tell me I am denied. They Who Are In have told me many things but not everything. I have been made to understand that They, in their infinite wisdom, have foreseen that her epic soul could lead to a divergence of the plan and while They can intervene themselves, They have decided to send me in their stead. I am to go to Canterlot and prevent Evee from reaching The Variable by any means necessary. This is my chance to prove my usefulness and my devotion to the true gods of this world. I only hope I am able."
K'Vann closed the journal and deactivated the recorder. I need to see what he found, he thought, This could be much bigger than we imagined.
He left the house in Locktight's guise and flew towards a secluded ally in order to dawn a less known form, all the while contemplating his next move. I could report back to Celestia now, but this lead needs to be followed while it's still fresh. If he really did manage to open the Great Metal Door, it's only a matter of time before someone else finds out. I can't risk over eager explorers contaminating-
"Gah!" he grunted, grabbing at his chest. A feeling of pain and emptiness overtook him. It wasn't an unknown feeling, in fact he knew the feeling very well, which is what worried him. "N-no, not again. I thought for sure I'd finally had it beat." He wanted to believe it was something else but as his heart rate increased his body began a cold sweat, there was no denying it, Love Withdrawal.
Love Withdrawal was a condition that only affected changelings. It happened when they went for long periods without indulging in their addiction to the energies of love. It was like a drug to them, along with all the implied effects. The intensity of the withdrawal symptoms varied depending on just how long a given changeling went without love.
Many years ago, when K'Vann had surrendered himself to Princess Celestia, one of the conditions for his freedom was that he break himself of this addiction. It was a conversation burned into his memory.
"You can't be serious?!" the undisguised changeling shouted as he stood from his kneeling position.
"I am very serious," Celestia replied, her voice calm and level, "love is something that can only ever be given. To take it by force, well, I am certian you are more than aware of the results." She gestured to him.
"But are you aware of what it does to us?" he argued, "without love we suffer a pain you can't imagine. It's called withdrawal, it's like starving but you aren't granted the mercy of death."
"Tell me, what happens to changelings who suffer from withdrawal," she asked, although her tone suggested that she already knew.
"It... it comes in waves, it's possible to ride a wave out but the longer you go without love, the more intense each wave gets. Eventually, you either satisfy your craving or it becomes so unbearable that you try to end it by any means necessary. And I mean ANY means. We can even fall into to what we call, a frenzy. Basically we lose all sense of self control and become animalistic."
"And has any changeling ever endured past that point?"
"None that I've heard of, why would they?" K'Vann wasn't sure where she was going with this.
"What if I told you, that I have reason to believe you're need for love energy is an addiction like any other, and that, like an addiction, it can be cured with enough will power and some help."
K'Vann wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. "Cur- but that's... it's not possible. There is no cure."
"According to who?"
"To Chrysal-" K'Vann froze as realization hit him with all the force of a meteor impact. In hindsight, he should have known anything said by his former master was purely to serve her agenda. He dropped to his knees, "she lied..." he whispered, "she lied to us so we would follow her without question."
"I'm going to be honest with you K'Vann, the path I have laid before you will be very long and painful. I will give you all the support I can, but ultimately it will come down to you're own resolve. Because if you give in, if you attempt to sate your thirst for love energy even a little, you will have to start all over again. If you are strong, however, you can free yourself from the shackles of your condition."
K'Vann stared at the floor for a long time. To finally be free, to never have to spend almost every waking moment looking for a source of love energy, it was every changelings dream. "I just have one question," he said, his voice still shaky, "what if I decide I'm not strong enough?"
Princess Celestia looked at him, her eyes full of both compassion and authority, "then you will be exiled from the kingdom. I cannot and will not allow my people to be harmed."
K'Vann inhaled, he'd expected that. Closing his eyes, he stilled himself, "OK, I'll do it."
K'Vann landed, trying to catch his breath. A few onlookers noticed, giving him worried looks and one even asked if he needed help. He ignored them all in an attempt to find a private area. As he staggered forward, he saw, to his dismay, the cause of his current condition, an outdoor wedding in a park clearing.
Such a large collection of family and friends all sharing love for one another, it was intoxicating. He could feel his willpower fading, fortunately, he spotted a public restroom behind the gazebos. He quickly made his way to the men's room, the smell was terrible and concrete floor was wet with water and other less sanitary liquids but neither of those things concerned him. He stumbled into a stall on the far end, then, locking the door, he removed a pair of standard issue hand cuffs given to all S.M.I.L.E. agents from his coat pocket and attached one end to a metal hand rail and the other to his arm. Finally, with his last few moments of coherence, he cast a sound dampening bubble over himself.
***
K'Vann wasn't sure exactly how long he was out, only that the wedding was over and he had one killer of a headache. His memory of the ordeal was, thankfully, faded. Like remembering bits and pieces of a terrible nightmare. He recalled thrashing and hissing like a rabid animal, desiring nothing more than to grab the nearest person and drain them dry of all their emotions. Looking at his cuffed hand, he saw a trail of blood running from where he had apparently tried to gnaw it off to free himself. Thankfully, his frenzied state was too primitive in its mindset to use the key in his pocket.
He freed his hand from the cuffs and rubbed his sore wrist, letting out a deep breath as he did. He sat there for a moment longer, reflecting on all the times he'd gone through this exact same thing with Celestia's help. Each time he would feel Celestia's compassion and pity, although these emotions did nothing for his hunger. As the weeks and months passed, his hunger and withdrawal pains grew, had Celestia not been there to guide him he would have easily given in. Eventually, the craving weakened and then faded almost completely. Granted, it didn't go away entirely but it was no longer a constant need. It finally got to the point where he could stand right in front of a couple, overflowing with love and not feel tempted to take it.
Today, however, had shown him that he still wasn't totally free and that a large enough concentration of love energy could still affect him. On the one hand, he was glad to know that. Having a weakness one's not aware of isn't conducive to ones health after all. On the other hand, it meant that he still had a ways to go before he could finally call himself 'free'.
K'Vann stood, taking another deep breath, then changed back into his terran guise, he was too exhausted to risk flying. Exiting the restroom, he noticed that the sun's bottom edge was touching the horizon. He decided his best course of action would be to find a hotel for the evening and rest.
***
"...and that about sums it up," K'Vann said to the magical projection of Princess Celestia. He was currently standing in a small hotel room which consisted of nothing more than a single bed, a CV with basic cable and a night stand. It was the kind of cheep hotel room used by people who needed a bed for one night, with little money, no reservations and no questions asked.
As soon as he checked in, he took a small pyramid shaped crystal from his pocket and placed it on the floor. The crystal was a two way communication device linked directly with Princess Celestia so there was very little risk of the transmission being intercepted. Upon contacting her, he replayed the recordings he made of his findings in Locktight's house and journal, stopping every once in a while to answer her questions.
"This certainly isn't what I was expecting," Celestia said as her image paced in thought. "Let me see the photo's of the writing he claims to have found." K'Vann pulled out the photos and handed them to Celestia. The projection they were using was the latest, most advanced ever built, it was tangible enough to hold objects, although the user on the other end couldn't feel them. She examined the photos closely, "these glyphs, I've never seen them before. They also look too uniform to be hand written."
"I figured the next step is to go to the Metal Door site and see what exactly he found there," K'Vann said as he took the photos back. "Can you tell me anything about it? Anything that wouldn't be public knowledge?"
Celestia shook her head, "I'm afraid not. That place predates Equestria, perhaps even civilization itself. No one has ever unlocked it's secrets. I find it hard to believe an amateur like Locktight managed to open them, even by dumb luck."
"You think whoever 'They' are may have let him in?"
"I don't know, but I agree that the answers we seek will most likely be within. But please be careful, my friend. There is no telling what danger awaits you there."
He nodded, "I will, Princess." He was about to deactivate the projector when Celestia halted him.
"K'Vann, there is one more thing I'd like to discuss with you," she said and gestured to his bandaged wrist, "how did you hurt yourself?"
He paused, "I... cut it, nothing to worry about." He looked away to avoid her gaze, part of him knew she wouldn't believe that.
"K'Vann, you're too careful to simply 'cut yourself', and you're standing in the room of a hotel with... low standards when normally you'd already be on your way to Mt. Rubicon." Celestia's arms were crossed as she stared down at the changeling with her piercing gaze.
K'Vann sighed, he knew this conversation would happen, he just didn't want it to happen then. "I frenzied today," he admitted, "someone was having a big, outdoor wedding and the amount of concentrated love energy was too much. I locked myself in a restroom stall and cuffed my arm to the hand rail. I don't remember much after that..." He tried to meet her gaze but he just couldn't.
"I sense that more than just your wrist is hurt..."
"BECAUSE I NEARLY-" he stopped to calm himself, Celestia waited patiently with a look of sympathy, "I nearly hurt people today. If I hadn't secured myself in time I would have grabbed the nearest living thing and drained them until they couldn't even remember the word love." K'Vann hated showing weakness, weak changelings didn't get very far in the Changeling Kingdom.
"And yet you didn't," Celestia pointed out, "you took the steps necessary to prevent harming others. You refused to let yourself give in to the frenzy at the cost of great personal pain. That alone shows great progress."
"I'm not free of it yet," he said quietly, more to himself than Celestia. "What happens next time when I can't get somewhere safe? I'm a danger to everyone I swore to protect."
"Instead of worrying about the what ifs, take comfort in the fact that it took an entire wedding ceremony to set you off. Do you remember the day we started, when simply showing you kindness was enough to make you hiss uncontrollably?" Celestia smiled at him in her motherly smile. "Take this night to rest and think about it. Don't worry about the investigation until tomorrow."
"I will, Princess. And... thank you." With a flash, the projection was gone and the room was dark. K'Vann picked up the projector and returned it to his pack. He then dawned his usual terran guise. He didn't particularly expect anyone to walk in on him while he was sleeping but being disguised while asleep was a good habit to have.
He sat down on the bed, his back against the headboard with one leg arched in a triangle and the other laying flat. He wouldn't sleep under the covers, yet another habit born from the often dangerous places he often slept was the need to rapidly spring out of bed if the need arouse. As he drifted off to sleep, his last thoughts where of how far he'd come and how much further he still had to go.
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Hmm...just asking but would thorax be able to make an appearance in this fic?
7511020
I've thought about it, but if he does it would be down the line somewhere if you consider the timeline. He stayed with the hive until after the royal wedding. I don't want to just shoehorn him in but if I find a way to make it feel natural then I might.
7621196
I like putting new twists on classic memes. Funny thing is Flutter Brutter came out a week after I drafted that part of the story.
7621345
It's a cipher yes and a fairly easy one if you know anything about different types of ciphers. I was inspired by the little messages at the end of Gravity Falls episodes and how you had to solve a puzzle to get a message that often left you with more questions than answers.