Chapters Realms of Isceld: Book One: Hunt For Chrysalis
Kevin grinned as he ate his slice of wedding cake. While changelings could live on love, among other things, nothing quite replaced the sweet taste of a good cake. Though, the ponies giving him suspicious looks, if not outright glares, was a bit disconcerting. Then again, that was kind of why he was here.
"Glad you could make it Kevin," A voice greeted behind him, prompting him to turn and smile at his donkey friend.
"Pfft, a war couldn't keep me from this!" He replied, giving the groom a hug, who returned it with a playful eye roll, "Congrats again, old friend. You finally found that jelly of yours! Shame I couldn't bring some of my friends, but...well, that didn't seem like a good idea from what I've heard," He mused awkwardly, smirking to change the subject, "So, WHAT was all of that? I arrive in town, nearly late might I add and next thing I know a...Bassmobile almost runs me over!" He declared in amusement.
Cranky hummed in amusement as well, "I told you, these ponies are crazy," He answered.
"We're not the one that invited a Changeling," Someone muttered in the observing crowd.
Kevin frowned in annoyance at that, not seeing who made the comment, "Hey! Friends talking here!" Cranky snapped, glaring at a few random ponies in the general direction of the voice, making them flinch.
"It's fine, Crank. Thanks for the meals, but I have a meeting to get to and you should get back to your Jelly before you strain that underused good-mood-organ of yours," Kevin joked, patting the groom on the back.
"True. Besides, I promised her I'd try dancing," Cranky said with a grimace, "Take care of yourself, Kev," He added with a smile as the Changeling walked off, getting a large berth to the Donkey's annoyance.
The Changeling rolled his eyes, not that any of them could tell, as he headed to the exit, sighing as he closed the door behind him.
"Kevin, I take it?"
No one of any species would really blame the shape-shifter for nearly jumping out of his exoskeleton.
Especially since he turned to find himself stared down by four Alicorns and a unicorn stallion.
He blinked as he processed who he was looking at, "Umm, wow, well, I was hoping to speak with one or two of the Princesses, your highnesses, but I didn't expect to meet all four, plus a prince," He commented in shock, looking them over, "You two are obviously Princesses Luna and Celestia," He noted idly, looking between the other two curiously, "You two I'm less sure about, but with how the colt is standing so close to you and glaring at me, I believe you are Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Prince-Consort Shining Armor," He deduced, unphased by the large male's look, "And you...Twilight Sparkle?" He tried, cocking his head.
"That would be me, yes," Twilight answered, looking openly curious about the changeling, "Despite Cranky vouching on your behalf, you can probably guess we'd like to know why you're here."
"With the way ponies look at me, it looks like this is a little overdue," Kevin said he cleared his throat and bowed in greeting, "My name is Kevin Crustlar, or Kevlar Incrust, Your Graces. It's a pleasure to meet you all. I was sent here by Lord Battle Shift, Ruler of the Entomian Hills, for...well, many reasons, to be honest," He introduced with a sigh as he raised his head.
"Then we are to believe you are not a servant of Chrysalis?" Luna asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I don't know if you can call what she has servants," Kevin answered with a scowl as he opened the protective covering over his wings and pulled out a small folder with his hoof.
"What is that?" Luna asked suspiciously, already casting detection spells on it for traps.
"Some very, VERY old files that we had translated for you, with dates edited to fit your calendar system," Kevin answered with a scowl as Celestia took it with her magic, floating the papers to her face to read them.
What she read made her scowl.
"Sister?" Luna asked with a frown of her own.
"Chrysalis is no queen, it seems," Celestia answered bluntly.
"What?" Shining Armor, Twilight, and Cadence asked in sync before Celestia passed the folder to the royal couple, deciding they needed to see this.
"Chrysalis of Joch, Skibt. Born on the twenty-third day of Equum, thirty-five years post the founding of Equestria. Banished by the Skibtol Hive Mind for..." Cadence started before going pale.
"Cadence?" Twilight asked in worry.
Shining, reading over his wife's shoulder, bit his lip briefly before continuing for her, "For the creation and use of mind control magic resulting in the...the mental destruction and enslavement of no less than f-five changelings," Shining finished solemnly.
"M-Mental destruction?" Twilight repeated with pinprick eyes, looking at the scowling Shining Armor in growing fear.
"At a later date, if you're willing, I'll send a request for one of our mind healers to come take a look at you, Prince Shining Armor," Kevin offered in sympathy.
"But...but he hasn't shown any signs of...," Cadence said numbly, only for Shining to put a hoof on her shoulder.
The stallion sighed deeply, "I...I think I'd appreciate that, Kevlar," Shining admitted.
Luna cleared her throat before Twilight could lunge at the topic in panic, "Not that we don't appreciate this information but…why are you offering this now?" She inquired evenly.
Kevin nodded to that point, "Chrysalis has been assumed dead twice since her banishment. Several decades after her original banishment, then again after she was dealt with here," He explained.
"Why would she have been assumed dead?" Twilight asked curiously.
"The average changeling is not immortal, even if the royal caste is long lived," Kevin answered, humming as he put his thoughts into words, "Due to the nature of her crimes and her potential as an international threat, she was tracked by several nations, including mine. But she fell off the map entirely for a while, until she suddenly remerged in Equestria a little under a thousand years ago," He elaborated.
Luna glanced to her sister, who nodded, "Yes, I remember that incident well. It was the first true national crisis I had to deal with after you were sealed, Sister," Celestia confirmed.
Luna raised an eyebrow, "Suspicious timing. Do you think she was waiting for such an opportunity?" She mused.
"Wait, if Chrysalis isn't immortal...?" Cadence asked in confusion.
"We're not sure anymore on that," Kevin answered apologetically, "She was off the radar so long that she might have found something to keep her immortal or found her own immortality."
"Found her own?" Twilight asked with a scowl.
"Another time, Princess, that's too big a side-step from this topic," Kevin informed, getting a slightly sheepish look, "To my understanding, Lord Shift never contacted Equestria about her at that point because...well, we were a bit misinformed. We thought you had killed her, Princess Celestia," He explained, idly curious about that.
Celestia cleared her throat awkwardly as the others gave her confused looks, "Considering what I did, I can see how that was misinterpreted," She acknowledged vaguely.
"...Riiiight," Kevin said slowly, "Anyway, I heard about the Wedding/Invasion thing from Cranky a while after the fact. Back then, I didn't even know who Chrysalis was," Kevin explained with a shrug, "After that, Lord Shift had the old records dug up and decided to fill you in on what you're up against. He thought that it would be fitting to do this meeting at my friend's wedding," Kevin summed up.
"...Your Lord has an odd sense of humor," Luna commented dryly.
"Trust me, I know," Kevin admitted dryly, looking professional again, "In the back of that folder, you'll find a letter from my lord."
"Oh? A letter about what?' Celestia asked in interest.
"Simple: He wants to help," Kevin answered with a smile.
"He does?" Twilight asked, just a bit surprised, "But why? I mean, we deeply appreciate the offer, but I doubt it's for entirely selfless reasons," She commented cautiously.
"Well, partially to make it clear to you ponies that Chrysalis is NOT the representative of Changekind," Kevin answered pointedly, getting a nod from most of them, "But also because Chrysalis is now a confirmed threat on a potentially international scale. If she had taken your kingdom, she could have begun raising an army under her thrall by now. So, you know, nice work with that," He congratulated with a chuckle.
"Could Chrysalis become a threat that quickly?" Luna asked with a frown.
"Possibly. We don't know what she was doing for the time from her disappearance up to her meeting with the Sun Princess, so we're assuming the worst for now, that her magic has been enhanced and refined," Kevin explained, "I shall leave you to make of this what you will, Your Highnesses. I intend to stay in Ponyville for the time being, so I hope I receive a reply from you to my lord before I depart," He finished with a brief bow before walking away, never even bothering to transform.
"...Can we trust him?" Shining Armor asked evenly.
"Equestria has never had much contact with lands much farther away from it," Celestia started neutrally, "It is entirely possible he is telling the truth. For now, we work with the assumption he isn't deceiving us and prepare for the possibility that he is," She advised, looking to her niece and nephew-in-law, "Are you two okay with this?"
"I hate Chrysalis," Cadence admitted with a sigh, "Even before this. Changelings? I was never sure. Now, if this is true? I can only pity them."
Shining put a hoof around her with a small smile before turning to the tallest alicorn, "If Chrysalis is a criminal even among changelings, than its easier for me to disassociate her with the rest of her kind," He assured, grimacing afterwards, "I'm going to have mixed feeling about one of them poking in my head though..."
"Entomian Hills...I wonder where that would be?" Luna mused to herself, looking out towards the setting sun, "It must be far if we have never had contact at all with them."
"Twily? What do you think of all this?" Cadence asked to the mostly silent princess.
Twilight blinked and smiled awkwardly, "W-well...for many reasons, I hope he is telling the truth. Not only will that make dealing with Chrysalis easier, but this'll be a wonderful start of opening up an international relationship. Something that we never could do much of due to the terrain," She mused, more textbook than she meant.
"That's what we get for settling in windigo territory," Luna murmured to Celestia, who rolled her eyes, but agreed nonetheless.
"Not to mention all we can learn from them! If Chrysalis invented this magic, than they obviously have other types as well! And if they have records going back all that way, than...then the amount we can learn about the outside world from them would be monumental!" Twilight declared, her enthusiasm rising as it started to set in.
"Crystal Library all over again," Cadence whispered to Shining, who smiled weakly for a moment.
Author's Note
Beta: Dragon Wizard91
Anyway, we've gotten our first sneakpeak at the world through Kevin Crustlar or Kevlar Incrust- his dual naming thing will be explained later, at Twilight's likely insistence. Here we learn that Chrysalis was a criminal even among changelings and her "subjects" are likely little more than puppets.
For the record, some of these chapters will be short- I'm considering writing a chapter that is just what that folder has on Chysalis, plus the letter- but they'll come quicker on the upside.
Still, yes, each chapter will be dedicated mostly to adding a bit more to the world that Equestria is part of, and the history of it. Next chapter(or after that if I do the folder) we'll have the Princesses, Shining, and others going over the information and offer of assistance.
PS The Equestrian calendar works exactly like the real world calendar, only with different names for the months and possibly a different starting month.
Realms of Isceld: Book One: Hunt For Chrysalis
Entomian Foreign Intelligence Sector
File #226042112
Target of Interest
Name: Chrysalis Ceceen
Species: Changeling, Royal Caste
Gender: Female
Date of Birth ( Converted): Equum 23, 35 PEF(Post-Equestria Founding)
Birthplace: Joch, Skibt
Alias: Queen Chrysalis
Description: Standard black chitin. Height is estimated to be 5'0 ft., a normal size for the Royal Caste. Green eyes that are constantly revealed, indicating protective lenses may be damaged. Short blue-green mane and tail. Long horn that is unusually bent, curved, and sharp.
Legal Status: Banished by the Skibtol Hive Mind in 59 PEF, falsely assumed dead twice.
Former Occupation: Spell Crafter.
Charges: Unsanctioned testing of experimental mental spells on resistant test subjects, resulting in the mental-destruction and enslavement of no less than five changelings and mental injury to an unknown more.
Abilities: Chrysalis is a Spell Crafter. As such, she has had access to numerous spells in the Skibtal Axalkhoien, if not the entirety of the Kiffolic Fifriethoko.
Due to the nature of her former occupation, Chrysalis has a cunning and problem-solving intellect that is not to be underestimated as she is likely to find a solution- whether it be making spells, escaping, or battlefield victory- to almost any situation if given enough time. For example, the Love-Control spell is based off the Love-Illusion spell, an ancient spell that simply made a target easier to fool into thinking the caster was their beloved, allowing a changeling to feast on their love faster in a pinch. The Love-Control spell was the next step in a dark direction, allowing the caster to completely subjugate the target's mind by assaulting the portion of the brain that helps stimulate feelings of joy and love.
Over use of this spell has shown to completely wipe away a target's personality, leaving them as little more than mindless flesh puppets. Early side effects appear to include minute bursts of mood swings, troubles with positive emotions and ease of depression or enragement. Victims may also become paranoid over if their beloved is the real them, but this is just as likely to be a natural reaction to the situation. In changelings specifically, it also damages or completely blocks a changeling's ability to access Hive Minds, a very traumatizing feeling to most lings.
Chrysalis's skills include a mastery of Silent Flight/Silent Buzzing, Meta-Enhance, basic sword training, unknown competency in Skibtal self-defense, Rapid Chitin Hardening, and Long Distance Precision.
"And the rest goes onto a biography of her known past," Twilight said as she finished reading the passage out loud, looking over the various ponies reading their own copies of the documents at the meeting table in Canterlot.
Her fellow Princesses looked unphased, having read this before, while her brother was biting his lip with a troubled look in his eyes. Fancy Pants had an absolutely smug look directed at Prince Blueblood, who rolled his eyes.
Twilight had been strangely unsurprised to find out that Fancy Pants was Equestria's secret spy master. Actually, he was the unofficial secret spy master. If anyone managed to dig deep enough, they'd find that the "official" spymaster was Prince Blueblood and that the secret spymaster was Princess Luna. If somepony managed to dig a canyon, they might find Fancy Pants's name come up.
Blueblood himself, while not a spymaster, was bait: A spoiled, snobbish, simpleton prince with seemingly no care for anyone but himself? Oh, the number of things ponies tried to rope him into.
Twilight never did get an explanation for the over-the-top act with Rarity at the Gala.
Off to the side, leaving those two alone, left Countess Shores and Bronze Bridge. Countess Shores, a sea-green earth pony with black-striped blue mane and black eyes, was in charge of their (limited) Foreign Relations department. Bronze Bridge, true to his name in his coat color while his mane and eyes were a darker shade of brown, was a Pegasus aerial general. Shores looked somewhere between alarmed and fascinated, while Bronze was just staring at Shining
"Shines, if you're going to eat your lip, then don't play with it," Bronze said with a goading smirk.
"Really, Bronze?" Shores said with a sigh.
"Hey, someone has to stop acting like he's glass and get him out of his funk," Bronze defended with a shrug.
"He's not wrong," Shining agreed with a small smile of thanks before smirking at his friend from boot camp, "Bridget."
The general eye twitched at that as Blueblood clear his throat, "Aunty, Princesses? Are we sure we can really trust the changeling?" He asked, with just a healthy amount of skepticism.
"He does have a name, Blueblood," Cadence reminded in slight annoyance.
Blueblood shrugged at that one, "He apparently has two, and I'm not sure what to make of that," Blueblood explained.
"We were a bit too distracted by...everything else to inquire on that," Luna mused honestly.
"Still, between the vouching from Crank Doodle and that Kevin, as we will call him for now, was never seen taking a disguise before entering or after exiting the wedding does seem to add to his credibility," Celestia pointed out, getting rounds of agreed murmurs.
"I believe him, but for entirely different reasons," Twilight added in absently, still looking over the documentation.
"Oh? What's got you sold, Twily?" Shining asked with a raised eyebrow.
"The whole thing," Twilight said evenly, finally looking up at them with a blank expression.
"I beg your pardon, Princess?" Countess Shores inquired in confusion.
"THIS," Twilight said, holding up the document, "There is an absurd amount of information on Chrysalis's life and not all of it flattering. Right down to her near death at the hands of something called a Keythong, along with sightings and locations of her between the banishment and her disappearance prior to Nightmare Moon. They even have names and titles from her court case!" Twilight explained.
"The point, Twilight?" Cadence asked, trying to get her sister-in-law back on track.
"Right, right," Twilight said with a sigh, "Look, the amount of detail in this would be absurd to make up, even for someone like me! To say nothing of how unnecessary it would be."
"Yes, it does seem a bit too complicated to be a scheme of some sort," Fancy Pants agreed, looking to Blueblood victoriously.
"Greedy flankhole," Blueblood grumbled as he forked over his half of the bet.
"Just with nobles, my good stallion," Fancy Pants said with a grin.
Several eyes were rolled at that as Bronze Bridge spoke up, "So, we know the truth about our old wedding crasher. What's this Lord have to say, exactly?" The general asked curiously.
Celestia cleared her throat as she took out the letter and began to read it aloud. As a correspondence with a fellow royal, copying it was seen as both rude and irresponsible.
"Princess Celesta and to any other current Princesses of Equestria,
I bid you greetings from the Entomian Hills! I'm sorry to say we could not begin these talks under more happy circumstances, but things are as they are. I apologize for not sending word a thousand years ago, Princess Celestia, but I thought you reportedly putting Chrysalis in a volcano took-"
"Wait, WHAT?!" Half the table yelled, the other half gaping in shock.
"A volcano?" Twilight repeated in amazement.
"Really, Sister?" Luna asked with a disapproving look, "Even for us, that seems a bit much."
"I was grieving and venting," Celestia defended tonelessly.
"W-well, as terrifying as that is...," Blueblood said with a nervous grin, "It wasn't exactly unwarranted."
Celestia sighed and relaxed, "You don't know the half of it, Blueblood," She said absently as she returned to reading.
"-care of that issue. Nonetheless, it seems that Chrysalis has only grown bolder and more dangerous with time. As your people, no offense, have little experience in tracking down and combating my kind, I'd like to aid your nation in dealing with this criminal. Consider it the start of a hopefully friendly relationship between our countries. My current offer is a task force of two hundred Changeling soldiers, along with a few mind-healers to ease the effects on any of the victims. We can debate the finer points of any potential alliance before and during hunting down Chrysalis.
I can understand you might be reluctant to deal with Changelings after Chrysalis and her puppets left a bad impression for Ponykind's first and only baseline for my race. All the same, I hope to hear from you soon. If you wish to meet, merely inform Kevlar. He'll explain.
With Respect Battle Shift High Lord of the Entomian Hills"
"Short and to the point, with a healthy amount of courtesy," Countess Shores summarized with a smile, "Despite his name, he does not appear to be a barbarian of any sort."
"He was likely born and named in a darker time of his nation," Luna summarized in interest, "Who knows? This "High Lord" might even be older than my sister and I."
"I get the impression that this "High Lord" is a bit higher ranked than his title suggests," Shining mused.
"And Equestria is hardly just a principality anymore while the Crystal Empire is less than one," Blueblood pointed out dryly.
"We immortals can get very set in our ways, I'm afraid," Celestia said with a small smile as she cleared her throat, "Ladies, Gentlecolts, we have a grand opportunity before us. In all of Equestria's history, we have been mostly isolated, save for a few neighboring nations, due to the various natural hazards surrounding us. Now a nation has sought us out, to aide us against a common foe. Assuming their intents are benign until we have reason to suspect otherwise, I believe this is a chance we cannot afford to let slip by," She said confidently.
"While I am in agreement, Your Highness?" Shoes started with a thoughtful frown, "I wouldn't even know where to begin in looking towards what kind of commodities we could use in a trade agreement with them, let alone what of theirs we would also want."
Luna smiled comfortingly at that, "Take our hopeful-ally's words to heart, Countess. We shall work out the finer details later. And I'm sure you will learn much from Kevin Crustlar and any other changelings that might arrive from his nation," She assured as the mare sighed in relief and nodded.
"Don't worry, Countess, I'm intending to start researching Changelings through Kevin soon, so I'll be sure to send any relevant data your way," Twilight said with a giddy tone.
Bronze Bridge whistled lightly as he looked to his old bunk buddy, "You weren't kidding about her, eh?" He asked with a grin.
"No, no I was not," Shining Armor said with a smile, smirking as he put a hoof around his wife's shoulder, who cocked an eyebrow, "Nor was I kidding about her," He added in as Bronze scowled in what was likely jealousy.
"Do I want to know?" Cadence asked evenly.
"Oh, nothing, just guy talk," Shining answered, deceptively innocent.
"Guy stuff?" Cadance repeated evenly.
"Not to sound bored or anything, but shall we make it official, Aunty?" Blueblood asked, deciding to save the royal Guard Captain.
Celestia smiled and nodded, "All in favor of opening talks with the Entomian Hills?" She asked knowingly.
"Aye," Came the unanimous answer.
Celestia sighed, "It is a bit sad that more seems to get done in unofficial meetings these days than in official ones," She mused.
"Yes, well, we don't want the public or the nobles to know about this before we figure out what's what," Fancy Pants mused, "After all, if we told everyone, even just everyone one in the official sense, it'll still get leaked out and everypony will be jumping to conclusions and possibly prompt our first new international relationship in centuries to end in a war."
"Please don't," Twilight and Shining said with a synced sighs, getting raised eyebrows.
"I don't want to experience the Tartarus of having to deal with a trained enemy army that can look like any of your soldiers," Shining explained.
"And I don't want to go Nightmare Twilight because some idiot ruined one of the greatest moments in our modern history," Twilight answered honestly.
"...Where would we even banish her to?" Blueblood asked curiously.
"The stars?" Shores suggested with a shrug.
"Nah, too vague. The Tree of Harmony?" Bronze added, tilting his head.
"Maybe she'd be sucked into that thing her castle came out of. What was that, the...Chest of Harmony?" Fancy Pants tried.
"Just banish me into the world of books," Twilight said with a sigh.
"Twily, if we did that, you'd never leave," Shining pointed out, somewhere between apologetic and comforting.
"Let a mare dream!" Twilight retorted with a sniff.
"Maybe we can just seal her into Filly form?" Cadence pondered, looking up thoughtfully.
"...We get more stuff done AND have more fun in these unofficial meetings," Luna noted in amusement, "So...again, a volcano?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm never hearing the end of that, am I?" Celestia asked in resignation.
Everyone shared a look before shaking their heads, making the solar princess sigh to herself.
Author's Note
Yep, new chapter already. Told you I'd have these out fast since they're short. Don'texpect two every week or anything though. Still, here we learned more about the real Chrysalis. Remember though, these files are a thousand years old out of date, and Chrysalis isn't even from the Entomian Hills. So, yeah, not the perfect source.
And yes, I introduced two new OC characters and reinvented two canon ones. Countess Shores, Celestia's head of Foreign Affairs, and Bronze Bridge, Shining Armor's friend from training and now a General in the Equestrian Armies. Hope you liked them, they'll probably make appearances.
Realms of Isceld: Book One: Hunt For Chrysalis
"Princess Twilight, I am NOT setting hoof in there," Kevin said firmly.
"But...it's just a bakery?" Twilight pointed out as they stood outside of Sugercube Corner.
"Wrong!" Kevin denied, glaring at the building as if it would attack him, "To you, it's a bakery that a happy mare and stallion live in with their two foals along with some random other pony. But to me it's a delicious, diabetic, alcoholic, addictive, sugar rush nightmare from which there is no escape!" He elaborated with overdramatic grimness.
"Sooooo, no cake then?" Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Are you daft? Of course I want some cake! I'm just not going to risk my health to get it," Kevin explained simply. "So, not to be rude? Please bring me back a piece."
Twilight giggled at that before heading inside, "Pinky Pie! I need a cake!" she announced in amusement.
"Oh, what kind? What occasion?" Pinkie Pie asked enthusiastically, popping out of the cupboards.
"Why are you up there?" Twilight asked in confusion.
"Looking for Gummy! He's always hiding away when I'm on duty!" Pinkie answered, giggling a bit. "Duty."
"How would he even get up- you know what, never mind," Twilight backtracked wisely. "Any kind will do. I'm just showing a...diplomat of sorts around," Twilight answered carefully.
"Oh, you mean Kevlar! Wait, if he's the diplomat, he must be working! So it would be Kevin! I have just the thing for him!" Pinkie Pie deduced, zipping around the shop.
"You knew about him being a changeling from another land?" Twilight asked with a deadpan, her eyebrow twitching. "How long?"
"About a week before the wedding? I was going to throw him a "Welcome the Changeling to Ponyville!" Party, but all of our cake supplies were busy being used for the wedding cake!" Pinkie Pie informed as she produce a pink box. "One cake filled with Chocolate, Unrequited Love, and Peanut Butter!"
"Pinkie, if you were any other pony, you would probably be locked up for treason," Twilight remard before sighing fondly, producing a number of bits. "I believe this should cover it."
"Pleasure doing business with you, your Sparkliness!" Pinkie Pie said with a playful bow.
Twilight rolled her eyes as she left her random friend, "Okay, Kevin, I got the-" she paused as she saw the changeling was pointedly ignoring the two dozen-maybe more- ponies that were doing a poor job of eyeing him. "Cake."
"Still no incident yet," Kevin gave with a shrug as Twilight approached with the box on her withers.
"Come on, let's take this to- er, I'd invite you to my palace, but I live in a library," Twilight offered sheepishly.
"A tree library. I'm honestly impressed with that, Druidry isn't exactly a common talent in your kind," Kevin remarked fondly before scowling. "Just as long as that white unicorn isn't there."
"Rarity? Why, what's wrong with her?" Twilight asked defensively.
"Nothing. Bit too melodramatic for my tastes, but your drake's puppy love for her is like dangling a rare and freshly prepared fruit right under my nose," Kevin grumbled.
"Oooooh. Yeah, I guess I can kind of understand that," Twilight accepted. "...Didn't it bothering you being around newlyweds then?"
"No," Kevin answered flatly.
"...Well, why not?" Twilight couldn't help questioning.
"Their love, even the scent of it, is basically looping back and forth between themselves constantly right now. It also helps that they're not overly lovey-dovey. Now, if your brother and sister were out on a royal date? Yeah, I'd need something to snack on. Though, that said, I doubt the Alicorn of Love would notice one changeling skimming off the top," Kevin rambled on, more and more to himself than Twilight.
"Don't need to think about that image too vividly," Twilight muttered as they reached Golden Oaks, heading inside to avoid the various looks of the town. "I guess this is a good time for a snack," she decided, placing the cake on the table
"Annnnd you want to probe me for more information," Kevin deduced as he opened the box, taking out a slice. "So, what do you want to know?"
"Well, you seem to know much about the world at large, and you said you wanted to frame everything before telling me more, so...?" Twilight answered with a prompting motion.
Kevin chewed thoughtfully on his slice of cake. "Well, I suppose the main thing to tell you about is the Commonwealth."
"The Commonwealth?" Twilight repeated curiously, her notepad instantly appearing as she took notes.
"The Commonwealth of Staxaes. Technically speaking, it is the largest and most powerful entity on the world stage," Kevin explained.
"Technically means only in theory, implying not in application," Twilight realized expectantly.
Kevin nodded idly. "It's a collection of vastly different countries and vastly different creatures. In reality, they each usually function as their own independent nations."
"I'm...confused," Twilight said with a scowl. "How can they be considered one political entity even in theory?"
Kevin nodded absently as he finished off his slice. "It doesn't make sense when you think about it, until you've been to a few of their countries. No matter how much the cultures differ, they each have some things in common," Kevin explained.
"And those would be?" Twilight asked with a head tilt.
"A shared currency, simplifying their economic dealings, and a uniform language. Most countries have Kiffolic as a second language these days as a result," Kevin elaborated, licking his lips clean. "Beyond that are the obvious pacts to aid each other from outside threats to the Commonwealth."
"That's it?" Twilight asked in surprise. It had taken the Flames of Friendship and the Tree of Harmony to pull the three tribes together, so it was more than a little surprising.
"That and the royal family, but I don't think there would be a Commonwealth without them to begin with," Kevin mused. "Moving off to the side while we're still on break, you wanted to know about other immortals?"
"Well, I am the youngest, so I'm kind of playing catch up right now?" Twilight answered sheepishly to Kevin's amusement.
"Well, most countries have an immortal ruling them, Commonwealth or not. Like Equestria, some have more than one. But how everyone becomes Immortal can normally be summarized into four categories: Sorb, Ditom, Feln, and Steson. Or, in your tongue: Self, Item, Born, and Chosen," Kevin said as Twilight listened with great attentiveness, scribbling away in her notes.
"Huh. Well, with those translations, I can guess what most of those mean now, but I'd appreciate the clarification," Twilight requested with a head tilt.
"Certainly. We covered Sorb, those who become one on their own merit. The rarest and trickiest to do or explain since the "goal" one must reach to shed their mortality changes between each individual. Feln or Born is straightforward, but comes in two forms. The first is Dinfeln, or Inborn: someone that is born to one or two immortals. While not exactly common, it's not unheard of for Immortals to pass on their unending lifespan."
Twilight paused with wide eyes. "So, wait, does that mean Cadence might-?"
"Give birth to an Alicorn that your brother sired, yes. While her genes would be the ones doing the work, that has to be some kind of ego boost to the male that sires a Feln," Kevin stated with a snicker. "The second kind of Feln, while extremely rare, is an immortal that is born that way for no explicit reason."
Twilight stopped at that. "Spontaneous Immortality. Wow. That is-Just- I mean, on the face, it wouldn't sound like too big of a difference until you realize what you're saying. Born from an Alicorn, become an Alicorn? That is startling, but comprehendible. Alicorn coming out of a regular mare with a normal stallion for a father? That would be...strange, hard to believe, and a little suspicious," Twilight summarized.
"Hence why it's so rare. They're supposed to be called Dinnaxato, for Innate, but most just nickname them Outborn, or Eutfeln, for the fun of it," Kevin explained in amusement. "Cause if you somehow became an Immortal from conception without any help, you should at least let others get a laugh out of how you landed on easy street."
"I guess I can see how that's funny," Twilight answered with a shrug. "I'm guessing Items are what they sound like?"
"Yes, but again, in two categories. Well, technically three categories…four if you count Corrupting/Possession types, but I digress," Kevin continued, stroking his chin. "Ditoms can either be permanent or conditional. Dolmanonk and cectitienar in Kiffolic, but since this has less to do with one's own self and more them just having an object, they usually just go by Ditoms in general. A Permanent Ditom will keep the one it is bound to immortal as long as the item in question is not destroyed, which is why the immortal will never grow old or die of old age. Conditional means it has a requirement. Like armor you can rarely if ever take off, or needing to kill someone once a year, or just being in the same given area as the item," he elaborated before scowling. "A side clarification to each of these is Cursed Items, or Culsow. You can probably guess what this entails."
"Immortality at a steep price or catch," Twilight said with a shiver of dread. "Like ones that just keep you alive no matter how old or damaged your body becomes. I'm guessing that just leaves Chosen?"
"This is the easiest and most common way to become Immortal. The old legends say High Lord Battle Shift himself was uplifted by being Chosen," Kevin remarked.
"Yeah, but Chosen by who or what?" Twilight asked curiously.
"This comes in a few varieties," Kevin warned. "The first is simple: Whoil, or Heir, is when a powerful enough Immortal can and does ascend a mortal. Only a very few are able to do this, usually only once or twice a century. The second is vague as it is being Chosen by a supernatural force. I'm not sure how Princesses Celestia and Luna ascended, but if it was through their connections to the Sun and Moon, they would qualify. Granted, it's often hard to tell the difference between those who became Immortal this way, and Sorbs as the line between them greys."
"And what are those called, in your tongue?" Twilight inquired after a short pause.
"Axavaxataxal," Kevin answered bluntly.
Twilight stopped writing and blinked. "I'm sorry, what?" she asked slowly.
"Axavaxataxal," Kevin repeated with a smirk
"Are you making that up just to be funny?" Twilight asked suspiciously.
"Ha! No, but don't worry. We all find that one unwieldy as sting too. The slang word for them is Spilit...or Spirits. I guess that word more or less got shared between our different languages," Kevin remarked with a shrug. "The last is the Fropt."
Kevin paused as Twilight giggled a bit. "Okay, I'm s-sorry, but that word just sounds a bit funnier than I expected," she apologized with a small blush.
"Careful with that one. Some Fropt take insult with that, depending on how proud they are of it." Kevin warned in full seriousness.
Twilight sobered up with a worried look. "Note, do not insult how "Fropt" sounds," she said to herself as she wrote the same words in her notes. "So, how are they chosen, exactly?"
"That's a...complicated question with a very long story that I am not equipped to explain in a manner that would do any part of it justice. Let's just leave it at this: While some Immortals can ascend a mortal or two, there are others that can do it as often and as many as they desire," Kevin explained ominously.
Twilight's eyes boggled at that; someone that could make others immortal, just like that, without consequence or requirement? That alone spoke of the power of this entity, and why Kevin spoke of him so carefully. "You said...your High Lord was a Chosen?" she asked curiously.
"Yes, Princess Twilight, he is a Fropt himself," Kevin answered with a nod before looking worried. "I...wouldn't bring up how that happened at your first meeting with him."
"Huh? Why, is that rude among Immortals?" Twilight asked in concern.
"Not exactly, no. The High Lord just has some bad memories of the events that led to his ascension. I don't have the full story, but-" Kevin explained until Twilight held up her hoof.
"No, no, it's fine. You...sound like you have a fairly friendly relationship with your High Lord, so I'd rather not intrude on that with an unintentionally personal question," Twilight intervened with a smile.
"Hmm, you really are good at this friendship thing," Kevin remarked curiously. "Well, that was a lovely cake, but I believe we have a tour to get back to?"
"Oh, yes, of course!" Twilight agreed enthusiastically, teleporting away her quill and notepad. "Well, before we go anywhere, this is obviously the town library."
"How many ponies actually use this place as a library still?" Kevin inquired curiously.
"Oh, more than you would imagine, but less than they should," Twilight admitted, both sheepish and annoyed with the topic. "So, where would the Changeling Ambassador like to visit next?"
"A newborn Nursery?" Kevin tried offhoofedly.
"Sure, right this-wait, what?" Twilight asked in alarm, doing a double take.
Kevin grinned. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. But in all seriousness, we sometimes do that as an anti-depression activity. Love to and from a newborn is a very uplifting thing," Kevin explained.
Twilight stared for a moment, her mouth wanting to say something her head said she shouldn't.
"Yes, Princess, this got my kind labeled as baby-nappers a lot in the olden days," Kevin confirmed to her unspoken thoughts, snorting at her sheepish look. "Don't worry. The Entomian Hills as a culture decided to take the old jokes about us and, instead of being insulted by them, we own it."
"Oh, that's a relief," Twilight said with a sigh. "But, again, anywhere in particular?"
Kevin shrugged. "I heard something about an interesting clock tower."
"Ah, yes, the one with the odd optical illusion that makes it seem like it only has eight hours on it from certain angles," Twilight recalled as she headed to the door. "Right this way, Sir Crustlar," she said in jest.
"Princess, you only get to call me Sir if you make me a knight," Kevin returned in kind.
"Huh...wonder if I'm allowed to do that?" Twilight asked to herself
Author's Note
Well, here's a new chapter. I really need to come back to this story more often, but other ideas and life in general often get in the way. Hope you all enjoyed this little look in the Realms of Isceld.
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Realms of Isceld: Book One: Hunt For Chrysalis
Author's Note
Sorry this took so long. Lot of ups and downs in life at the moments, the holidays and changing seasons not helping much either. going to try to post these more regularly as the chapters are chorter than my usual fics.
Tense Diplomatic Start
"Cranky, Matilda!? Kevin?! Anyone here?!" Twilight called as she knocked on the door of Ponyville's resident donkey couple.
"Up here!" A voice called, making Twilight blink as she looked up and saw a Changeling looking down at her from the rooftop, "What, no guards?" he asked curiously.
"There are about six pegasus guards watching me," Twilight informed casually, tilting her head at him, "What are you doing up there?"
"Sleeping and house sitting for Cranky and Matilda while they're on their honeymoon," Kevin answered, popping his neck to relieve stiffness, "So, Your Highness, I take it you royals have made your decree?" he asked curiously.
Twilight cleared her throat and nodded, "Kevin Crustlar of the Entomian Hills, as a Princess and Representative of Equestria, I am here to inform you that we would indeed wish to open talks with your lord and your lands, and would appreciate his aid in dealing with the criminal known as Chrysalis Ceceen," She informed regally.
Kevin blinked before he opened his wings and buzzed down to the ground, "Then as Speaker of the High Lord, I am happy to say we can begin formal talks soon," He answered formally before smiling, "First time acting like that in an official capacity?" He asked sympathetically.
Twilight relaxed a bit at that, "Outside of an emergency or two, yes. How long do you think it'll take for your lord to send a representative? Or would that be you?" Twilight asked curiously.
"Representative?" Kevin asked before blinking and shaking his head, "Right, your people don't know much about Changelings. You'll be talking to High Lord Battle Shift himself," he explained.
Twilight went wide-eyed at that, "You mean he's coming here?" She asked in surprise.
Kevin waved his hoof in negative at that, "No, not in person. Due to our Hive Mind, we've been able to create a magic that allows one changeling to speak through another, essentially possessing the body temporarily," Kevin explained.
"Possession?! Isn't that dangerous?" Twilight asked in shock.
"More like exhausting, especially over long distance. But no, it's not dangerous if it's willing. Especially since my mental-self will be bunking in Battle Shift's body until he's done talking to you all," Kevin assured.
"Bunking? So...it's more like a mind switch?" Twilight inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"Pretty much, yes," Kevlar confirmed, "Still, when would you want to have this meeting?" He asked curiously.
"Umm, when is he...available?" Twilight asked, a bit awkwardly.
Kevin hummed as he looked up briefly, "Would tomorrow work for you?" He asked curiously.
Twilight looked taken back by the short time but recovered quickly, "Umm, probably. Princesses Luna and Celestia can work around their schedules very easily when needed and Cadence doesn't have any duties here," Twilight mused thoughtfully, "And as you probably know, I'm the most recent Princess, so my workload is very limited for the moment," She added on, holding back a sheepish look. She raised an eyebrow as Kevin smirked, almost looking amused, "What? Something in my mane?"
"Sorry, I just...It just occurred to me that you, Your Highness, are in fact the current youngest Immortal in the world," Kevin revealed with a small chuckle.
"I am?" Twilight asked in surprise, shaking her head as she asked what she really wanted to know, "Wait, you mean, immortals are...common?" She asked curiously.
"Hmm, I don't know if common is the word for it, but there are well over a hundred immortals across the realms," He explained thoughtfully.
"Hundreds...?" Twilight asked in shock.
Kevin nodded, raising an eyebrow, "Did you princesses think you were all alone in eternity?" He asked curiously.
"W-well, no, but...I never knew there were so many," She answered, stunned, "K-Kevin? Can...can I ask you more about...everything?" She asked hopefully
Kevin blinked before he nodded with an amused look, "It'd be my pleasure, Your Highness. Though, perhaps we should take this elsewhere? After all, don't you still have to figure out a good time to meet with Lord Shift?" he reminded.
Twilight almost swallowed her tongue at that, "R-right," she agreed before her nervousness melted away with an almost sly smile, "Kevin, as the first real Changeling to visit Equestria, how about I be courteous and give you, Ambassador, a tour of Ponyville?" she offered.
Kevin smirked at that, "Only if you promise to keep the lynch mob at bay if they think I'm controlling your mind," He requested, only half joking. Twilight sweat-dropped at that, but nodded in agreement, "Then I will need but a minute," He said as he turned towards the forest, "STEVE! STEVE ! STEVEN MAGNUM!" He yelled into the wilderness
"WHAT IS IT, LARS!?" Steven yelled back from a distance.
"I GOT TO TALK AND WALK WITH ROYALTY! WATCH THE HOUSE FOR ME!" Kevin answered.
"WILL DO, BE THERE IN A MOMENT!" The sea serpent answered.
Kevin turned back to Twilight and sighed, "No, I do not have Lars as another name. Steve just misheard me when we first met and it kind of stuck to him," Kevin answered before she could ask.
"Riiiight. So, shall we?" She asked, gesturing to towards town.
"I'd be delighted, Princess," Kevin said with a small grin as the trotted back to town.
"So...do I call you Kevin or Kevlar?" Twilight asked curiously.
"Hm? Oh, right, I never explained that," Kevin realized, "It's a custom of the Entomian Hills, having two names. One is your personal name; the other is your professional one. It's basically taking the idea of keeping your home life and your work life separate to the extreme. And since I'm on the job, Kevin would be more appropriate," He admitted, pausing as he heard a scratching noise, looking over at Twilight, "...You're taking notes?"
Twilight nodded, not at all shamed with the tablet and quill hovering near her, "Well, your country has clearly put forward the effort to understand us, even being able to correctly translate your written language to ours, so it only seems right I try to understand yours as well and make it easy for others as well," Twilight said proudly.
Kevin stared at her for a moment before smiling in amusement, "Glad to know you're a noble Sorb, Princess," He commented offhoofedly.
"Sorb?" Twilight repeated, the foreign tongue odd on her lips.
"It means "Self." It refers to an immortal that has, somehow, gained immortality on their own merits," Kevin explained with a thoughtful look, "It's one of the rarer origins for immortals, actually, and not very many people know the requirements. Some theorize that it's different for every race, others think its other immortals secretly granting immortality."
"Hmm, Princess Celestia guided me to being an Alicorn, so either the second is true or she just understands the...requirements, as you put it, for becoming an alicorn," Twilight mused, scribbling down a section details Sorbs, "What about the rest of the classifications?" She asked curiously.
Kevin chuckled at that, "Slow down, Princess. I haven't even put a frame up and you're already looking for the finer details of the picture," He joked.
Twilight blushed sheepishly, "Sorry, it's just..."
"Too much to think about?" He guessed, getting a nod.
"We always knew there had to be more out there, beyond Equestria, but...you being here proves just how much!" Twilight elaborated, practically brimming with excitement, before shaking her head clear, "Sorry about that."
"It's fine, it's fine," Kevin assured good naturedly, "So...if you don't mind me asking? What was with those weird night and day cycles that have been going on over the past year or so?" He asked cautiously.
Twilight blinked before looking sheepish, "Well, the first one, when the sun was late coming up, was when Luna came back, still possessed by Nightmare Moon," She explained.
"Eh, rogue Night-Terrors. Nasty, nasty things," Kevin commented with a shiver.
Twilight raised an eyebrow at that but continued on, "The second was Discord before his reform," She explained.
"Discord?" Kevin repeated in confusion.
"The Spirit of Chaos," Twilight said with an awkward chuckle, "Don't worry, you'll meet him before long, knowing him."
Kevin nodded slowly to that, "And the wiggly-sun incident?" He asked curiously.
"That...was me. Long story short, I had to take over the sun and moon for a day due to an emergency," Twilight confessed with a small blush.
Kevin blinked, staring at her with wide eyes, "...You moved the sun and moon?" He asked, sounding impressed.
"Please don't read too much into it. I'll...I'll explain another time," Twilight assured.
Kevin tilted his head, wondering why that was embarrassing, but shrugged it off, "So...your brother runs the Crystal Empire?" He asked, trying to move the conversation along.
"Yes, with Princess Cadence. Have you been there before?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Promise not to tell?" Kevin asked sheepishly, getting a nod, "Yeah, once. I cloaked and went in to make sure I wasn't just imagining things. Not going to lie, I kind of wish it had been abandoned since it would have given the Entomian Hills a nice little place up in the north, like a city wide embassy or something."
Twilight chuckled in her throat, seeing his point, "By the way, why don't you cloak yourself?" She asked curiously as they drew close to the town.
Kevin tilted his head at that, looking at her oddly, "Why don't you fly or teleport?" He countered.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Twilight asked in surprise.
"Just because I can do something that'd make things easier for me, doesn't mean I'll use it all the time," Kevin elaborated, "Especially when it'd probably make things worse in the long run."
Twilight frowned at that, having to give him that point. Finding out he was a cloaked changeling would just set too many ponies off. While seeing him plain as day might be alarming, it'd be more upfront and less likely to start a riot…a panic, maybe, but not a riot.
It was a tense walk through town, as they tried to ignore the eyes of every pony watching the pair with either curiosity or fear and the occasional whispers as several parents rushed their fillies inside.
"Well, no incident yet," Kevin noted dryly as they sat in the outdoor café.
"Don't talk like that," Twilight scolded lightly as the waiter arrived.
Savoir Fare cleared his throat, looking as professional as possible, only giving a slight glance of caution to the changeling before nodding in respect to the alicorn, "Princess, would you and your...friend like to order?" He asked in his French accent.
"I'll take a daffodil sandwich," She requested with a smile, "Kevin?"
"I'll take whatever sandwich has the most vegetables in it," Kevin answered with a small smirk.
Savoir blinked before writing down the order, "One veggie-lover-on-the-go it is then," He noted curiously as he headed back inside.
Twilight raised an eyebrow as well at the choice, something Kevin didn't miss, "You were expecting me to order meat, right?" He asked, not sounding offended in the slightest.
"...Maybe?" She answered sheepishly.
"It's fine. In fairness we're sansivores, emotion-eaters, but we are also technically omnivores. Our bodies just prefer emotions over meats and plants," He explained as they waited for the meals.
With some ponies not-so-subtle disapproving of the changeling in their midst.
"What is Princess Twilight thinking?"
"Look at it, such a terrifying form."
"Is she being mind-controlled?"
"If you're going to talk behind my back, please be quiet enough not to disturb our meal," Kevin called over his shoulder, making everypony tense and clam up.
Twilight sighed with an apologetic look, "Sorry about that. It...takes some ponies a while to warm up to new creatures."
"Especially ones your kind has only bad experiences with," Kevin mused as their food arrived.
"Here you are, Princess, Monsieur...Kevin, I believe?" Savoir said as he placed the food down.
"Thank you, my good stallion. I'd give you a tip, but I doubt you take combs or stongs here," Kevin complimented, eyeing his thick sandwich hungrily.
"Thank you, Savoir Fare," Twilight said with a smile as she paid for the bill, plus a sizable tip for treating Kevin well. The stallion gave another look to Kevin before leaving, but that might have been with the predatory look in his eyes while staring at the food, "...You okay?" Twilight asked in concern to her companion.
"...I'll explain after I have a bite," Kevin said after a brief pause and immediately sunk his fangs into the sandwich, taking a large chunk of it as he slowly chewed and savored it with a pleased look, "Ahh, you ponies really do grow things with love here...," he said with something between a purr, a hiss, and a sigh; either way, it sounded pleased.
"You can taste that?" Twilight asked in interest, her food untouched.
Kevin nodded with a smile, "It's one thing we have trouble getting and why we like knowing where our food comes from," He admitted, his expression turning flat as she started writing something down.
"...food grown with love..." she muttered under her breath before looking back at him, blinking at his look, "What? Something on my face?"
Kevin just shook his head in amusement, "No, just wondering if you forgot your sandwich," He asked, nodding to it.
"Oh, right," She remembered with a blush as she started eating.
"So, anything you'd like to ask before we get this tour going, Princess?" He asked idly.
"...Well, I suppose I should ask the most prominent question: What is Lord Battle Shift like?" Twilight asked curiously.
Kevin shook his head at that, "Could you explain Princess Celestia to me if I just suddenly asked?" He counter-questioned wryly.
Twilight opened and closed her mouth before answering, "No, I suppose not," She answered apologetically.
"That said, you don't have a thing to worry about in terms of behavior on his or your part," Kevin assured as he took a quick, small bite, "Lord Battle Shift is older than the Entomian Hills and he's good at shifting between every level of formality and informality. So unless you're trying, you're probably not going to offend him."
"Well, that's something less to worry about, I suppose," Twilight admitted with some relief before smiling widely as a thought came to mind.
"...Why do you look like Kewmas just came early?" Kevin asked suspiciously.
"Oh, nothing. It just clicked in my mind, with you enjoying stuff made with love, how much you're going to enjoy this tour," Twilight answered cryptically.
"What is it with you immortals being mysterious with half-answers?" Kevin grumbled to Twilight's amusement.
Apparently Celestia had rubbed off on her more than she thought.