The Tale To Be Told
“Haull, you understand what we’re asking of you?” Queen Petal asked gently, her eyes looking down into her representative’s amber.
“I do, my Queen,” the farmhand answered, kneeling.
“Then go with the love of Clan Stonespire,” she declared.
“Nembis? Do you also understand what we’re asking?” Queen Calliste inquired plainly.
“Yeah, I do. Haull would be lost without me anyway. Someling’s gotta be around to haul his tail out of trouble!” the blue-maned changeling answered, eyes twinkling.
“More like the other way around, genius...” Haull answered with a mutter, smiling despite the gravity of the situation.
Calliste covered her smile with a hoof and nodded. “Then go with the love of Clan Raincloud” she said.
“Tremar... we have to admit, we’re surprised you’re wanting to go with them,” Queen Esti said, curiosity coloring her tone. The orange-maned changeling shrugged, looking up with too-bright eyes reflecting his sincerity.
“They’re my best friends, my Queen. If something were to happen to them... I don’t think I could live with myself. When you’re told that your friends are going on a dangerous diplomatic mission, the least I could do is go with them. Please, my Queen, I know the risks... and I don’t care. I need to go.”
Tremar’s Queen breathed a heavy sigh, and nodded. “Then go with the love of the Carnelian Crater. And be safe, all of you,” she said.
“Dismissed!” The three Queens called out. The trio of friends knelt and then stood, turning to leave the assembly hall and begin their long trek to Canterlot, deep in the heart of Equestria, and the stronghold of the ponies that they were going try to make friends with.
- - -
“This is gonna suck,” Tremar said in his earth pony disguise. Haull kicked him with his pegasus guise, frowning. Nembis wasn’t helping, almost bouncing in excitement in his more youthful earth pony look. Haull was convinced he could be staring down Death itself, and he’d be cracking jokes.
“Next petitioner!” the Equestrian Herald called out from just within the chamber of the Summer Court. The three of them stepped forward, and knelt before their targets. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were both in attendance, which was both fortunate and nerve-wracking. The Alicorn of Love, Princess Cadance, was apparently visiting from the Crystal Empire. Their intel had warned them of this possibility. The surprise was the newest among their number, Princess Twilight Sparkle. She was a wild card, and there was no way to tell what she might do or how she might react. Celestia apparently hadn’t caught on that they were in disguise, but Cadance was frowning at them. Tremar took a deep breath as the three seated themselves.
“My little ponies, what can we do for you?” Celestia called out quietly, though her voice carried well enough. Haull spoke up.
“We wish to open up diplomatic talks, Princess,” he said simply, head bowed. Celestia looked confused, tilting her head to one side. Luna raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Twilight and Cadance had sat up.
“Diplomatic talks? with whom?” the Sun asked. Tremar, Haull, and Nembis sighed, and dropped their disguises. There were screams from the assembled line of ponies outside, and the guards drew swords and spears, raising shields both metal and magical.
“With our clans, Princesses,” Tremar said, looking up at them. Celestia’s left eye twitched dangerously, her pupils almost pinpricks.
“GUARDS!” she roared in fury, the temperature raising noticeably in the chamber.
Hooves pounded forward, rushing towards the changelings.
“Wait!” Nembis called out, looking worried as they were backed up against each other.
“Hold, Sister,” Luna said clearly, her eyes narrowed. Celestia looked at Luna with fury.
“You would dare—” Celestia began, and Luna turned to look at her sister levelly, calm and composed.
“I would, Celestia. Look at them. Three Changelings? They could have attacked at any time. They could have wrought havoc in the petitioning line. They did not. Let us hear them out. Please,” Luna beseeched. Cadance and Twilight had gotten to their hooves, stepping down their own dais.
Tremar found his eyes drawn to Cadance’s. Green looked into amethyst. Tremar swallowed nervously, and Haull and Nembis were both watching the guards with one eye and Cadance and Twilight with the other.
“Why are you here?” Cadance whispered.
“We... are tired, Princess Cadance. What happened here...” Tremar started, then trailed off, shaking his head.
“At your hooves!” Celestia called out.
“At Chrysalis’ foolish hooves, Princess Celestia! Not ours!” Tremar snapped, eyes blazing in anger, and he stomped a hoof. “What Chrysalis did reflects terribly upon our species as a whole, do not think we are not ashamed of that, but she does not speak for our entire race!” he spat.
“Tremar, what are you doing?!” Haull hissed, sotto voce.
“I’m improvising, just lemme work!” Tremar answered.
“You suck at improvising!” Nembis muttered fiercely.
“I know, shut up!” Tremar grumbled.
“So... who do you speak for?” Twilight asked. Tremar blinked. Did she have a notebook and quill out...? Yes. Yes she did, apparently. Tremar swallowed heavily.
“I’m Tremar, of the Carnelian Crater Clan,” he introduced, giving her a half-bow.
“Haull, of Clan Stonespire,” Haull introduced with a wave.
“Name’s Nembis, Clan Raincloud! Hiya!” Nembis said cheerfully, grinning.
“So you’re not with Chrysalis?” Cadance asked in confusion. A couple guard spears wavered. Tremar resisted the urge to spit in disgust. The floors were rather nice.
“Chrysalis had what our Queens call ‘a good idea, and terrible execution’, Princess. To feed one’s ponies, or your Hive, is an admirable thing. But she went about it the entirely wrong way. She thought aggression was the answer. We, that is, our Clans and our Queens are all in agreement. We think that being friends, to have a symbiotic, rather than a parasitic relationship, would benefit us all. Extra hooves for Winter Wrap-Up. Extra hooves for the harvest. Extra help for creating mana batteries, for guiding weather, for dealing with threats that affect all of us,” Haull explained, his eyes closed in focus.
“What benefit would you recieve from such an arrangement?” Luna asked. The rest of them looked up at her. She’d been so quiet they’d almost forgotten she was there.
“Mana, Princess. Emotion is a wonderful thing, but we thrive on magic just as much. Emotion manifests as mana as well, at least for we Changelings. We feed on that just as much,” Tremar said.
“If you don’t mind my saying so... several of us, on our forays here into Equestria, have made friends. We’d like to continue those friendships, openly. That is, if they’d still like to be our friends, even knowing the truth of who and what we are,” Nembis said.
Celestia watched the three of them carefully, eyes half-closed. She was calmer, now that she had heard their explanations.
“Would you agree to being placed in the dungeons for now, while we consider this?” she asked.
“We would, Princess. It’s only prudent,” Haull answered.
“Lunar Guard, please escort these three to the dungeons. I want half a dozen on watch at all times. This shouldn’t be too long,” Luna ordered. Her soldiers saluted, and then stepped forward. Tremar, Haull and Nembis stood, nodding in understanding. They allowed themselves to be surrounded and led off, the line of petitioners watching, wide-eyed, staring.
“One thing, Princesses. You have infiltrators here in the Court,” Tremar called out, “and they’re not ours. Likely Chrysalis’.”
“Who?!” Celestia demanded. Tremar pointed to a chamberlain in blue on his right, Haull gestured to a noblemare on his left. Nembis smirked... and pointed right at the Herald.
“Take them. Twilight, you’ve been working on a ‘reveal true nature’ spell, have you not?” Luna asked as guards surrounded the three.
“Yeah, I have. Should work...” Twilight said, frowning, and cast the spell. Green flames erupted from the three that had been pointed out, along with two others in the assembled crowd. Tremar snickered as the revealed changelings panicked and tried to flee, only to be brought down quickly and restrained.
“Idiots can’t use illusion for nothin’,” he said to himself as they left and made their way to the dungeons.
- - -
The cell door clanged shut, and the Lunar Guards that had accompanied them took up positions around the cell, watching them almost casually. Intel suggested they were a little meaner than the Solar Guard. None of the three wanted to test that assumption. Nembis sat down on the mattress in the corner and leaned back against the stone wall.
“So... now what?” he asked airily.
“Now... we wait. That’s all we can do,” Tremar said with a shrug.
“Genius,” Haull said flatly.
“You got any better ideas, scholar-ling?” Tremar snapped.
“Nope. Just not happy about being locked up. We’ve made our case, but I don’t have to like where we’ve wound up as a result. I just hope they have as open minds as we’ve been led to believe,” Haull answered.
“You both are worrying too much. I’ve got a good feeling about this. It’s weird, though. Cadance seemed willing to actually give us the benefit of the doubt. Considering what Chrysalis pulled, I’m surprised she didn’t have more fury than Celestia did. I know I’d be ticked as Tartaurus, were I her,” Nembis commented, eyes closing.
“Maybe the fact we didn’t come in intending to fight interested her?” Tremar asked rhetorically.
“Actually, that’s the exact reason why,” Cadance’s voice answered, stepping into the dungeons, accompanied by Luna, with Twilight and Celestia behind them. The guards snapped to attention, saluting. Luna waved them down, and they relaxed. “It’s fascinating that you’re associated with different clans. We didn’t know this. Chrysalis was our first encounter, and... well. You understand why we had the reaction we did.”
“So, you’ve come to a decision? That didn't take long,” Haull asked.
“We have,” Twilight answered with a nod. Celestia cleared her throat.
“On behalf of Equestria, we would speak to your Queens on neutral ground, if possible. Here, if they’re willing to travel,” she said.
Tremar nodded, and his horn lit, sending off a green mana beacon out the window of the cell and into the sky. Twilight looked curious, and Nembis smiled sheepishly, his eyes open again.
“That was the ‘Negotiations successful, they want to talk’ signal,” he explained. Three new flares of light returned, alighting on the horns of Tremar, Haull and Nembis, who nodded.
“How’s next week sound?” Tremar asked cheekily.