"Trixie will take you directly to the welcoming committee." Trixie felt about as sure of herself as she could be—she had just saved the day from sure disaster after all; that she also got to show up Twilight Sparkle was a small bonus. Trixie might not want to destroy the unicorn quite so badly anymore, but things were still not completely friendly.

Ms. Harshwhinny stopped. "You know what? No, you won't." Narrowing her eyes at Trixie, Harshwhinny smiled in a very worrying—for Trixie—way. "You will be my guide. Consider this a test of how the Crystal Empire treats all new visitors. Of course the standards will be lower, since you quite obviously are not the official welcoming committee. So then, show me the Crystal Empire."

Out of her depth by several orders of magnitude—mainly because she hadn't really "seen the sights" herself—Trixie fell back on the one thing she could always do in such a situation. "Trixie will take the Clever and Tactical Games Inspector on the greatest tour of the Crystal Empire she has ever seen!" With a flourish of her hoof, a blast of fireworks shot up into the air. Now to be the Clever and Dutiful Trixie, the Great and Powerful Trixie, and the Lucky and Resourceful Trixie.

"Well, you certainly know how to put on a show, so what is there to see?" Ms. Harshwhinny looked around, just in time to see a buggy, being pulled by a crystal pony, start to splash a puddle onto her. The water struck a magenta magic shield, the light flaring a little. "Quick thinking and resourceful, if you are an example of what the Crystal Empire has to offer, I will surely have trouble finding fault."

"Trixie is sure the Games Inspector is terribly hungry after her trip, would lunch in one of the Crystal Empire's excellent eateries be a good start?" The moment Trixie mentioned the idea of food, she heard the Inspector's stomach grumble. "Trixie hears two votes for?"

Harshwhinny actually found herself laughing. "You have me there, lead on." She wandered beside the Guard mare, admiring the armor she wore even more. "I heard a rumor, about the Prince and Princess," she put a little extra emphasis on the word prince, "that they are not only allowing mares into their Guard, but changelings, too."

Trixie's work with Princess Luna had prepared her for this, as had her training with Careful Steps. "They certainly have. Trixie is proud of her captain, Gilt Wings. She has certainly never met a better showmare and despite what ponies seem to think of changelings, she has been the very picture of honesty and reliability." A sudden pang hit Trixie, it was shocking to the mare. Is this… is this guilt?

"Really? A changeling is the head of the Guard?" Harshwhinny wanted to find it in herself to actually count that as a bad thing, but her nature wouldn't let her judge a pony—or a changeling—without having met them.

"There is another, he is just a private, like Trixie." Eying the high-class eateries, Trixie frowned at every single one. "Trixie has an awkward question, would you rather eat here," she waved a hoof, indicating the buildings, "or would you like Trixie to take you somewhere that has good food?"

"Tourist traps?" Harshwhinny narrowed her eyes. Establishments that take advantage of tourists would definitely be a bad mark.

"No, they just… they serve the kind of food that comes on a really big plate, but only take up the middle bit, and have fancy swirls around it." Trixie stuck out her tongue at the idea. "If you want to see what our Guard is like, Trixie could take you where they eat, off hours."

"This is the single most intriguing tour I have ever had of a city. Lead on." Harshwhinny was struck by how the unicorn was carrying her bag, still; not only wasn't it suspended in magic, she seemed to not even flinch at the weight of the thing. Clearly these guards are trained quite well indeed.

Trixie kept walking along, gesturing at unique-looking spires of crystal, or the myriad of little gardens and parks on their way around to the far side of the city. "This is the place. Trixie eats here regularly." She marched forward, using her magic to open the door. Just in time, Trixie remembered to offer Harshwhinny entrance first.

Harshwhinny fell right into the behavior of a mare offered an open door, the guard uniform was enough to make it feel natural that she should go first, so she did. Walking into the brightly lit building, she suddenly realized nearly everypony present had that stocky build and sure sense of place of a guard. This might have been a bad— As Trixie came in beside Harshwhinny, the room gave a cheer of welcome.

"This is The Mare's Whinny. Trixie thought it was fortuitous. Excuse Trixie a moment. Ahem," Trixie raised her voice, "I am showing a guest of the Crystal Empire around the city, and she was interested in the Guard. Please make," Trixie bit her lip, wondering how familiar she could push things, "Harshwhinny here, welcome."

A cheer of greeting rose up, directed right at Harshwhinny this time. Remarkable, this is definitely a big plus. Amazingly friendly. She couldn't stop a smile of her own creeping wider. "You mentioned food?"

"Trixie would not have brought you here, if The Mare didn't have the best food on the continent." Trixie was confident—as always—in her boast. "She has been to a lot of places, but none make roast eggplant quite like here." She led Harshwhinny to a table that had Soft Glow sitting alone at it.

"Pleased to meet you, I am sure." Harshwhinny had noticed the high quotient of mares in the room, some—like Trixie—wearing their armor.

"This is Soft Glow." Trixie gestured to a mare she could honestly call friend. "She actually talked Trixie into joining up. This is not a profession she thought would suit her, but it is… growing on Trixie."

"Growing on you?" Soft laughed, scooting across to make room for Harshwhinny. "You practically dove into the Guard like a master swimmer would the ocean. Impressed the Commander, you even have some special work directly for the Prince and Princess!"

"Really now?" Harshwhinny turned her gaze on Trixie, as she sat down. "And here I thought I was meeting just a regular guardspony. What is it that you do for the Prince and Princess?" Curiouser and curiouser. Oh this is going to be fun and good.

"Trixie was delivering breakfast to the Princess for her latest assignment. And then she believes she was due to go and make sure Prince Shining Armor's little sister was comfortable." Trixie wasn't lying, not one bit. "She has odd jobs, but Trixie takes pride in performing them well." The shock hit her like a hammer. I really do…

"Just odd jobs? And here I thought you were going to be a daring spy, or a double agent sent to—" Harshwhinny stopped her words when, taking a sip from her drink, Trixie nearly coughed up everything she had sipped.

"Must have been a… Trixie is not sure, but that cider tastes a little too sour." Trixie tried desperately to cover for her gaffe. Waving down a waitress, she cleared her throat. "Two roasted eggplants and a round of cider."

"So, a friend of Trixie's?" Soft Glow was already intrigued. She certainly wanted to know more about her enigmatic friend.

"Oh… yes!" Harshwhinny jumped on the misconception. "Just in town visiting, thought I would get Trixie to show me around." She turned her eyes to Trixie, raising one eyebrow.

"Of course, Trixie and Whinny go way back, don't we?" Want to play that game? It is a two-way street, and Trixie has played greater and more powerful foes than you. Completely gone from Trixie's thoughts were that she was meant to be nice to Harshwhinny. "I remember back in school, you were always the teacher's pet."

Caught in the lie, but apparently being toyed with, Harshwhinny did the only thing a respectable mare could do under the circumstances. "And you were so terrible at your magic, I don't even think you could lift a hat before you got your cutie mark." This… this is a little too fun. Thoughts of tests and inspections were put aside.

"Trixie was… Trixie is still not good at lifting." It was a fact every guardspony knew, particularly those she had tricked to lift a boulder for her. "But she is much better at tricks now. Trixie has been meaning to ask, WhinWhin, what were you doing with yourself now?"

Soft Glow detected something was ahoof here, but she couldn't pick up just what the two were doing. "Oh, here comes your food."

A new round of cider mugs were set on the table, as well as two steaming-hot plates. "Thank you." Trixie dug out coins, paying for the food and drink from her special stipend that Careful had given her, just for these kinds of occasions. She waited for the replying jab from Harshwhinny, only to find the mare digging into the meal. "Trixie realizes, suddenly, that she ate breakfast not all that long ago." Nonetheless, she started to eat the meal, her training in the Guard serving her well.

Harshwhinny was amazed at how good the food was, and how quickly it seemed to evaporate from her plate. Even as she got the last mouthful down, she realized it had filled her quite sufficiently. "Well, you were right, Trixie, this really is the best food in all Equestria." And she meant it, pulling out her little clipboard and marking down the delicious food.

"Of course Trixie was right, she has literally been all over Equestria, after all." Trixie loved the raised eyebrow Harshwhinny gave her. "But of course you know about my entertaining work, before I joined the Guard. All the letters I sent!"

"But of course!" Harshwhinny was back in the game. "After all the shows we put on together. And to think, you started as my apprentice, giving puppet shows." She gave a small chuckle, her eyes dancing at Trixie, egging her on.

"And then how things turned around. Trixie became Great and Powerful, and now you are looking for a job." Trixie lifted a hoof up to one side of her snout, pretending to keep her voice private. "Have you thought of joining the Guard, here?"

"I can tell you are both full of horse-apples. Her clipboard says Equestria Games Inspector, and you…" Soft Glow froze as the three important words rattled around in her head, but her mouth kept working sans sound. Then it hit her. "You are the Games Inspector?!"

"She caught you, don't you have to give her a prize now?" Trixie grinned, relaxed in her apparent friendship with Harshwhinny. Wait, another friend? Trixie is apparently really good at making friends. IN YOUR FACE TWILIGHT!

"Yes, yes I think that is the case." Harshwhinny looked down at her clipboard, noting the positive marks she had given the Crystal Empire so far. "By the end of the day I might even have a big prize for you." No, I am not going to give it to them, no matter how nice they are, until I speak to either their prince or princess.

Trixie's eyes were wide. "Then… then where can Trixie take you next?" Her heart was beating in her chest, she couldn't believe how things had actually gone this well.

"It would be positively remiss of me to not inspect the stadium." Harshwhinny sighed and rolled her eyes. "There hasn't been a candidate yet who had sub-par facilities, but it is part of the criteria."

"Trixie understands completely." And Trixie found herself actually really understanding, she had been learning a lot during her time in the Royal Crystal Guard. "It is right this way." It wasn't a hard place for Trixie to find, after all it was a huge stadium.

Harshwhinny looked the building up and down as they reached it, from within came the sounds of encouragement and shouting. "It certainly sounds and looks the part, I believe this will be sufficient. Unless of course you have any news that corners have been cut?"

"Of course not." Trixie spoke with confidence, after all nopony would tell her even if it was the shonkiest workponyship in all Equestria. "Is that all? Somewhere specific next?"

"Well, would you happen to know where the Prince or Princess are?"

"Trixie is sure she knows where at least one of them will be." It was either going to be good news, or bad news. Trixie was almost ready to explode at the thought that she might have doomed the Crystal Empire to not be awarded the Games. "Princess Mi Amore Cadenza believed you were going to be on a later train. The last Trixie saw her, her Royal Highness was still having her mane done." Trixie really hopes Careful is there…

"Well then, lead on." Harshwhinny gestured a hoof as if to have Trixie lead the way. I was ready to turn around and walk back out of here, but I really think I must do this in the future, slip in unannounced, as it were.

Taking point, Trixie had them both back on the path, but this time it was a direct one. "Trixie had actually just come from the Princess, when she found you, Miss Harshwhinny."

"Keep calling me Whinny." Harshwhinny surprised even herself with the request. "And I think that there might be a more interesting tale than my morning. Tell me, do you know what happened to the official welcoming committee?"

Trixie giggled. "Trixie is not really sure, but she can only presume that they thought somepony else was you and whisked them away into the lap of luxury before even asking the poor mare's name." It was a gloriously funny image to think of, and it had Trixie giggling more.

"And who, pray-tell, was selected for this duty?" Harshwhinny saw the magnificent crystal building ahead of them. "The spa where Her Highness is being prepared?"

"It is. The committee was Prince Shining Armor's little sister and her friends." Trixie waved a hoof. "You know how it is with royalty, Trixie is sure."

Harshwhinny didn't wait for Trixie to open the door, she just pushed it open and strode in. Within the room were two Cadances, both with immaculately fastened manes. When Trixie walked up beside Harshwhinny, the Games Inspector leaned across to her. "This will be wonderful fun. Don't tell me what is going on, please." She cleared her throat. "I was unaware that the Crystal Empire had a second princess."

One of the Cadances flashed with green fire, Careful revealed as the copy. His eyes focused on Trixie, then on Harshwhinny. "The real Games Inspector?" The moment he saw Harshwhinny's face stop registering shock and start registering confusion, he continued. "If you will, it wasn't hard to guess. We had sent Corporal Trixie Lulamoon on an important mission, a duty she would not derelict without an exceptional reason. At this point in time there is only one thing that would be."

Cadance, the real one, got over her own shock at the guess by Careful. "Oh, yes. And Twilight was just telling me how she made a mistake and focused her welcome on the wrong pony. I am terribly sorry."

Trixie's eyes flickered to the large bay window and outside. Her pose might be "at attention," but she could easily see six panicking ponies from Ponyville to the side, one bouncing around in a pool of mud.

"Well," Harshwhinny's reply had been delayed by the shock of seeing an actual changeling, apparently well accepted by the Princess, right before her eyes, "Trixie was actually showing me around your lovely city, we were taking in the sights when she correctly divined that I was terribly hungry." She held her gaze level. "I met another of your Guard, and am quite impressed with not only the small slice of your Empire I saw, but with the ponies in it too." She found herself lifting up her clipboard and ticking the bottom. "Congratulations on your future hosting of the Equestrian Games!"

To say Trixie wore a smug look would be an understatement—she wore the smug look—the Greatest and most Powerful smug look in all existence. Not only had she done her job, but she had shown up Twilight Sparkle and her friends doing it. "Thanks, Whinny. You should really stop and let them give you a treatment, they are simply amazing." She looked at her Princess, and realized something. Trixie needs to tell her the truth, she can't keep doing this. Princess Cadance doesn't deserve it.

Author's Note

Ms. Harshwhinny: "Having an outside perspective from the Crystal Empire, have you heard any news which you might deem worrying and which may put the Empire's chances of hosting the Equestrian games in jeopardy?"

"Well, you have to understand, I did have concerns, a lot of concerns. A shake-up of the Guard in the Crystal Empire, all this 'changeling' hubbub. It was more than worrying, it would have seriously impacted their chances of hosting the Games, if a particular fresh opinion hadn't helped me address every point, as well as meet some nice ponies." Harshwhinny raised an eyebrow. "Anything else?"

~~~~~+++++~~~~~

So I do this "Ask x" thing, x can be any pony within the story. You can ask them anything and ~~I~~ they will definitely hopefully reply. Keep the questions appropriate to the age-rating of the stories and of course, ~~I~~ they will answer the best question(s) in the author notes of the next chapter. The more votes a comment has the more likely I will get it to the right pony to answer, try and keep it to one answer per post! ~~I~~ They will pick one question per chapter.

Support me on Patreon or fuel my writing on Ko-Fi!

Join me on Discord. Warning, said chat may contain NSFW material and should be considered adult in nature.

Awesome ponies who are already helping to keep me in keyboards and rum:
Canary in the Coal Mine
Daremo
Mary Rowland
Boulder
A.P.O.N.I.
Mephia
Nils
Ian
Dio-Drogynous

And special thanks to the following, for careful eyes and friendly words:
Daremo
Vutava
Boulder
Jeffh4