Chapter II: A Wall of Sound
(Chapter two, for your reading enjoyment. I fixed a small inconsistency that some of you picked up on. Let me know if the new version is more to your liking.)
Teleportation magic isn’t a very common form of magic for many changelings. The intricacies involved are beyond most drones, and even some of the changelings with more freedoms choose not to practice the art. You were one such changeling. Despite the liberties afforded to you by your once lofty position, you simply never liked the spell. It wasn’t that you were bad at it; it was more the fact that you disliked the thought of being disassembled by magic, only to be reassembled moments later. It’s really too bad, then, that Princess Celestia didn’t think to ask your opinion on the matter before she brought you to the palace.
You blinked you eyes rapidly as they attempted to readjust to the new lighting, and the fact that they might have been put back together in the wrong order. Despite your apparent immobility you stumbled slightly as you landed unevenly on your hooves. You managed to see, between your blinks, the Princess pacing before you. She cast a few glances at you, but there was no malice in her gaze. Either she believed that you didn’t do it, or she was a really good poker player. She continued pacing for a few moments more, and in that time you finally managed to recover your bearings.
She abruptly stopped and turned her attention on you. You shrank under her gaze, attempting to make yourself smaller. Despite her promise not to do anything without provocation, you still couldn’t help your response. Besides, things change in three years.
“I know that you are not to blame for the explosion, so you need not fear my wrath. There was no trace of changeling magic present, and I doubt that you’d be able to gather enough emotional energy to even attempt to cause such a detonation.” She turned away from you as she finished speaking, and then she resumed her pacing. You watched her walk, and when that grew boring, you took the time to examine your surroundings.
You hadn’t been here in years. It was around two years ago, give or take a few weeks, since you were last brought to the throne room of the Royal Palace. Unlike the last time, though, you were now the only other being in the room, aside from the Princess. After several tense minutes, there was a popping noise, followed by a sudden wave of chilled air. Several hoofsteps sounded to your right, and you turned to see the source, and much to your dismay you saw that Princess Luna had appeared beside you. She barely glanced at you, and then she moved to her sister.
The two quickly began speaking in hushed tones, leaving you to guess as to what they were speaking of. After they had been speaking for quite some time they finally stopped, and turned to look at you. You had thought that being under the scrutiny of just one of them was bad. And you were right, it was bad. But it paled in comparison to the gaze of both alicorns. In Celestia’s eyes you could see a pale glow that hinted at the power she could call at a moment. More prominent than that, though, was an intense empathy for the beings she called her subjects. In Luna’s eyes, though, you could see her anger. It was tempered some, from the last time she gazed at you, but it was still strong enough to make you worry.
“You were present all those years ago, weren’t you, changeling?” Luna’s tone was accusatory, and although you didn’t like it, she was correct.
“Yes, Princess Luna. I was present for the battle. But you already know this. And Princess Celestia has already pardoned me for my involvement.”
“Only at the request of Princess Cadence! I urged her to deal with you as she did the rest of the rabble at that gathering we found you at.”
“Sister, calm down please. We’ve already dealt with his past. And we’ve already decided on a course of action for the present, and so trying to guilt him into accepting won’t work.” Celestia’s voice betrayed nothing of what she thought on the matter, and you listened to her without shifting your gaze away from the blue alicorn who was clearly hoping that looks could kill. “Now, then. Changeling, we have a request to make of you. One that is suited to your skills quite admirably.”
“I’m not leaving my home, Princess. And I can already tell where this is going. I won’t be a spy for you, anymore than I will for my own dead Queen.”
“But you did act as a spy for her.”
You cursed loudly as you turned away from the two of them. Neither made a move to stop you, and you knew that it was all a front. They knew as well as you did that you wouldn’t run. Nor would you refuse them. They knew you as well as you knew yourself. They knew you better than you knew yourself.
“Dammit, Celestia, she was my mother! What did you expect from me? She sent me here to make plans for the invasion. She gave me her leave to do whatever it took. And so I did, and two ponies died for it. And then I assaulted Princess Cadence to give my mother her chance. I was the one who put her in the caves beneath the palace. She forgave me as I did it! When I apologized to her, she forgave me!”
“Please, Quill, calm down.” You whipped around to look at the alicorn, and you could see softness in her gaze. That only spurred you on, and without thought you removed your disguise, letting your true form show through.
“I’m not Quill, Princess. I’m not Quill now, I won’t be Quill tomorrow, and I won’t ever be Quill.” You spoke mockingly, as if to prove a point that could never be made. “I’m a changeling, Princess. The last of my kind, thanks to your actions, and the stupidity of my own people.”
“Quill, please. Listen to me.” The tone brokered no argument, so you glared at the princess, your own form staring back at you, reflected in the eyes of the solar princess. “You’ve been alone for so long, and we can understand that you’re afraid. But we need your help. We suspect that there is far more going on in our lands than we are aware of.” You fall down onto your haunches, already knowing where this conversation was going. “We suspect that somepony is targeting the Elements, and so we would ask that you keep an eye on them.”
“Get Storm to do it. He’s your damn hero, after all.”
“We’ve already informed him of what we suspect is happening, but there’s only so much he can do. As you said, he is a hero. And hero’s have a tendency to attract attention.” A smile flickered across her face for just a moment before she finished. “Besides, he missed when it counted most.”
“I’m not going to escape this, am I?”
“No, Quill, I’m afraid not. You see, you’re our best bet at finding out who is behind these attacks. Nopony knows you, save for a few, and that makes you good for this job. And your ability to change makes you even better. With the public believing all the changelings to be dead you’ll be beyond suspicion.” The princess took a few steps towards you, and you didn’t make a move to retreat any further. “Quill, we know that this will be hard on you, but you must understand that this goes beyond any of us. Sacrifices must be made in order to preserve Equestria.”
“Where are the elements?”
“A small town, by the name of Ponyville. Surely you’ve heard of it.”
“Yes, I have. And I also know one of the Elements. She and I have been writing back and forth. Perhaps I won’t need a new disguise, but I can instead use the one I’ve built around this relationship?” Celestia sank into thought at your suggestion, and you could tell that she was likely weighing the wisdom of such a move. You found yourself silently hoping that she would acquiesce, but you knew that it was a long shot.
“That will work, Quill. You will still need to be careful, but with an already established alibi it will be easier to get you planted securely in the town.”
“So, I don’t have to make anything up for this?”
“No, save for your past before you adopted the guise of Quill. We leave you to describe that as you will.” The princess allowed herself a brief smile as she began to turn away from you. “We’ll bring you with us on the Summer Sun celebration, and maybe you’ll get to meet Rarity in the flesh.”
Your last few days in your home passed much the same as any other series of days, save for the fact that you were packing your belongings. You’d been promised a home near the same size as your current one, so you weren’t worried about space that much. You didn’t really need all the space you currently had, so even a downgrade would be acceptable. Even after you had packed everything that you wanted to take, there were still some things left to be packed.
You sat in your armchair, looking at the few items you had left to pack. You allowed your disguise to fall as you brought your old armor closer to your face. It was rough and worn, pitted and scarred from use, but it had saved you more times than you could remember. You had worn it for the attack on Canterlot, and you had even worn it for your assault on Princess Cadence. Now, though, you had the chance to part with it once again. It had been crafted by your mother personally.
You could remember each nick in the armor, and when you had gotten it. Despite the lack of real mention of changelings prior to the attack on Canterlot, your former people had never been idle. Each year brought new plans, and new attacks. Nearly every month you had ventured from home to seek new grounds to find love worth harvesting. You had traveled far and wide, even going so far as to enter griffon territory. That had been a stupid move, admittedly, but it had only widened your horizons.
A knock sounded at your door, and you brought back your disguise in an instant, no thought being needed. You opened the door slowly, not used to having visitors. Standing there, clad in shining golden armor, was the one pony you had never wanted to see again.
“Quill.”
“Shining.” He was still pissed, clearly. Not that you could blame him. You were pretty much directly responsible for everything that had happened to him and his wife. “What are you doing here?”
“The princesses chose me to escort you to Canterlot, so that you might arrive with them. They chose me since I already know who, and what you are. Now let’s get going, I’d rather not be around you longer than I have to.” You snort in annoyance before you turn back into your home.
“I’m not done here, so you can just wait. I wasn’t told to expect you, or any guards, for another hour.” You turned to look at him for a moment, and then you grumbled to yourself. “And you can come in, if you like. I won’t let it be said that I’m an ungracious host.” The unicorn glared for a moment, before he finally came in and closed the door. You walked back to the living room, and you planted yourself exactly where you were moments ago.
The armor floated before you once again, and you pan a hoof along some of the gouges, recalling the intense battles they had been won in. Each one was proof that you were the better warrior, acting as a memento of a battle won. Shining watched you as you looked at the pieces of armor, and you could sense a shift in his emotions. There was still anger, of that you could harbor no doubts, but there was more to it than that. He was also sympathetic.
“Shining, I didn’t know you could feel that way about a creature like me.”
“You were a soldier, like me. I can see that you were in quite a few battles, and I know what that’s like. No amount of racial, or species, difference can change that. War isn’t pretty, and I can sympathize with that.”
“Yeah, but nothing’s perfect. There’s always going to be war in some form. If only because of misunderstood beings like the changelings. Not that there’s many of them left.” You turn the armor over, and you look to the gorget’s interior. A tiny inscription written by your mothers magic reminded you of what you had lost, and so you quickly made your decision.
You made room in your largest bag, and then you put the armor in carefully, nearly reverently. “I’m the last of my kind, likely destined to die without an heir. But I’ll be damned if I let my people fade into the annals of time as a footnote regarding Canterlot’s history.”
It took mere minutes after that for you to get ready, and soon enough you had your bags secured and ready to go. Shining stood watching as you made a final trip through your home. When you finished you looked to Shining with a curious look on your face. He responded with a smile, and a blinding flash of light.
The ride to Ponyville by carriage was much shorter than you had expected it to be, considering that it was burdened with you, Celestia, and all of your luggage. You had been given leave to explore and enjoy the town for the day, and tomorrow Princess Luna would see to your living arrangements, since Storm had agreed to house you for the night. The town wasn’t as large as you were expecting it to be, and it was far more interesting than Rarity’s letters would’ve led you to believe. You spotted a few landmarks that stuck out in your memory, and you strived to find spot the Carousel Boutique before you landed.
Sadly, it manages to elude your searching eyes as you landed, and so you resolved to find it on hoof. The landing was smooth and without a single bump. The carriage quickly slowed to a halt, and you quickly heard the cheering of voices around the carriage. Celestia sighed softly as she reached a hoof for the handle, and you swallowed nervously.
The door opened to a wall of sound, and Celestia boldly strode forward into it, not even hesitating. You followed a moment later, as the princess had instructed you to do. The cheering didn’t diminish as you stepped out, and you suddenly felt a wave of emotion strike you, nearly overpowering your ability to regulate it. While few of the emotions were directed at you, it was still a humbling experience to see just how much these ponies could put out in large groups. Of note were the six mares standing before the princess. Each of them was bowing slightly, and at a nod from the princess they each stood, quickly moving forward to embrace their ruler.
Although it’d been a few years since you had last seen them you could name two of them without a thought. The first of which was the lavender unicorn who acted as the Element of Magic. Twilight Sparkle had been suspicious of your queen throughout the entire wedding fiasco, and so her face was well known throughout the hive. At least, it was until the events following the invasion. The other mare who you recognized immediately was none other than the mare who had occupied your dreams for the past few years. Her magnificent alabaster coat of fur was spotless, and her mane was styled magnificently. She was, in your eyes, the epitome of beauty. Her name rang through your mind nearly every day, and her beautiful flowing writing spelled it out in your mind: Rarity.
You were removed enough from the princess that your influx of emotion had dropped, but it was still enough for you to feel more powerful than you had in months. The princess was quickly swept into the crowd as they took her to see all that had changed in the town since she was last here, and so you were quickly left behind. You followed them slowly, not wanting to attract too much attention just yet.
Much of the day passed in a blur of sound, color, and food, but the speech made by some earth pony by the name of Taupe stuck out a bit in your mind. It was quite likely that you’d need to pay him a visit, since he was the one you had seen die. After that, though, it had descended into a wild party that lasted for hours, with all the townsponies mingling and having a day of pure fun.
You took it upon yourself to find Rarity, but that was a task far easier said than done. Every time you got a set of directions, they took you to a place where she had been just moments ago. Luckily, though, you were determined to find her, and your determination paid off for you when you found Ditzy Doo.
“Ditzy!” Your call was lost in the crowd, but you cried out a few more times as you grew nearer, and eventually you got her attention. She gave you a quick hug when you got to her, and when you broke the hug she had a massive smile on her face.
“Quill, what are you doing here? Did you finally come to see Rarity?”
“Yes and no, Ditzy. It’s more complicated than that, but I’ll explain some other time, okay?”
“Sure, we can even have some muffins while you explain your super secret mission!” You stared at the mare wide eyed for a moment, and then she winked. “Anyway, Rarity is by town hall. I just saw her there, and she was talking with some ponies about fashion, so she’ll probably be there for a while.”
“Thanks, Ditzy.” She gave you another quick hug before she trotted off into the crowd. You oriented yourself towards the town hall, and then you headed off towards it, determined to finally meet the mare who held your heart.
(Oh boy! Next chapter you'll finally meet Rarity!)
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Looks pretty cool mate
Aww fuck yeah
...You never finished I would give to you so how can we have a sequel?
Not that I'm complaining, I love your work man.
1212989
Nah, this is the big announcement that hasn't happened yet in IWGtY, so it isn't really breaking anything timeline-wise.
"A romantic pen pal" eh? This sounds like it could get interesting. And Rarity is best pony, so I can't wait to dig in.
Although it would be nice to see how I would give you ends as well.
new story. coolio.
Goodie, another story! And now I'm the last Changeling? Sounds interesting, I wonder if Rarity will still be infatuated if she finds out...
1213028
1212823
1214006
1213214
Taupe does die, but he is revived in the hospital moments later, after being teleported to the hospital. You don't have all the evidence. Read the scene where Taupe passes out after the train crash, and you'll see that you are brought back in the hospital.
1212916 You got it.
1214066 ..... The faq
I like the story so far
Alright. Let's do this shit.
1214066
"You don't have all the evidence"
ts2.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=4627613222569137&id=e622f7426205c62f6b21dcec6d9736ab
In all seriousness, though, great story so far. I really get the feeling I'm going to like this protagonist.
Hold on a minute. I love where this could go, but one thing…
In the first chapter I/we/He saw Her at the palace and had, quote, "… nearly every facet of the mare memorized, and she quickly became a focal point for you.". But now he doesn't remember how Rarity looks? Did misinterpret something?
1219047 It's been a few years for 'you'... I need to do some editing here, I'll admit. For now, ignore incongruousness like that. I'll take care of it when I really get started with this story.
Ah, we finally get to meet ourselves. Well, the stallion mentioned in the last fic ar least.
I uhh... have 1 question. In chapter one, Quill and Rarity met at a royal meeting, or Quill at least saw her, which started the infatuation. It said, "She had a beautiful coat, and her mane was even more beautiful than her coat was. You couldn’t recall the events of that meeting, but you knew that it was serious. By the end of the meeting you had nearly every facet of the mare memorized, and she quickly became a focal point for you."
So, why in chapter 2 does he not know what Rarity looks like?
Mistake: Celestia said "Hero's tend to be noticed". Heroes would be the proper one to use in this context
1222930 Yes, I know.
I need to check up on things like that. It's probably because I wrote this while incredibly tired, and I just wanted to get it out while it was fresh, sort of, in my mind.
1223001 Yeah, I fixed that in my word document, but I think I did it after copying it over... Oops.
1223388 Ah, I see, I somehow missed this already being addressed
Anyways, that aside, I'm really looking forwards to more of this story, and I would give to you too!
Well fuck. Now scootaloo is dead in 4 fics. Dammit all
1226414 Wat? Scootaloo isn't dead.
In the storm story she died
1226457 No. She died in the non-canon version of that chapter. She isn't dead. Since this story takes place after the events of Apples, and IWGtY, she can't be dead. Since she appears in those stories.
My one quip that hasn't already been touched on in the comments is that in the first chapter Tumble says he has "people to see." I didn't know Tumble had the power to walk between universes; he must be quite the magician.
Other than that, this seems to be going well, just as I expected. I'll be tracking this fic as well.
1226488 Tumble's a pretty powerful guy. One does not mess with Tumble.
1226494 chzsetphaserstolol.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/sci-fi-fantasy-one-does-not-simply-trot-into-equestria.jpg
1226513 Actually, Storm does just that. Albeit he kind of runs into it, but that's just a matter of semantics.
Seems legit
1226524 gadgetsteria.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/misc-are-you-fucking-kidding-me-clean-l-e1332246924558.png
1226558 Yeah, sorry.
1214066
YES!
FUCK YES!
anyways, I really think you should make him feel conficted, in the sense that he is really just a tool of Celestia's, to be disposed of when he is no longer useful.
But thats my take on things anyways.
1226571 fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/094/9/6/super_adorable_sweetie_belle_by_ulyssesgrant-d4uyyt0.jpg
Oh, don't worry, I can't stay mad at you.
1226571
So I'm guessing this, and I Would Give to You are going to link up at some point before you begin to finish I Would Give to You? Maybe with joint chapters where you give the details from each of "our" perspectives?
1226462i already told leaf that she isn't dead. He wont listen...
For some reason, i keep remembering MLD
Great so far, I'm really liking how you're managing to juggle,like,4 stories at once
, AND to link them into one big epic ball of pony awesome!
How does he not know which one is Rarity? Chapter 1 said he saw her in person at an important meeting about stolen artifacts (even taking the time to memorize the details about her), and he got her address from Celestia after inquiring about her. Even if it had been years between then, surely he would've remembered what her coat color was since he was stricken instantly by her beauty.
1289964 Yes, I know. I need to go back and change a few things about this story. To be fair, I wrote both chapters a bit quicker than I usually write, and so I may have made a few mistakes. With IWGtY nearly complete this story will soon be the focus of my attention, and once this is done I'll be shifting back to Rising Sun, in the hopes of finishing it.
Well. Taupe died. damn.
1300567 Why you no read previous comments.
Oh. and you still remember that howie? im not sure whether to be happy that you still remembered or insulted that you still remember
i am now revoking my commenting privileges after 2 complete fails on my part
So you're going back to Rising Sun after this eh?
No Pinkie/Fluttershy stories leading up to the final story that reveals this hidden asshat or anything? Or will you get back to those once Rising Sun is done?
1301131 Fret not, sir, I will do Pinkie and Fluttershy after Faux Pas, likely in that order, too. The rewrite of Rising Sun is just something to keep my writing fresh. Too much of one story and I tend to burn out in the creativity department. Little secret: I actually started writing for I Would Give to You about halfway through The Color of Apples, and I started Faux Pas even sooner in I Would Give to You. If I write a single story for too long I lose my ability to craft what you see before you.
TL;DR
I'm not going to leave Fluttershy or Pinkie out.
i was reading this with this
Yes! I am caught up with your stories now! ...and now we play the waiting game....
BTW. How does one pronounce "Faux pas" is it pronounced "Foe paw" ?
1306329 That's generally how I say it.
1302014
You can fix loss of crafting ability by taking a log, splitting it into four planks, and assembling them into a crafting bench in your inventory screen.
1309061 Shit, really? I thought for sure that I'd have to murder ten thousand creepers, and then sacrifice their souls to an enderman so that he might appease the ender dragon. Although I do tend to look at things in a more complicated fashion than is warranted.
1309072
It's all good, once I went and made a Blaze grinding machine in the Nether to harvest enough XP to get myself a silk touch pickaxe, then I was confused when it didn't work on snow.
And I had a shovel in the next slot, too.