"What just happened?"

Fifteen minutes later...

Pan was now sitting on a throne in the Crystal Palace, wondering what in the flying flock (Pardon his Griffin) just happened. It had happened so quickly, he hadn't been able to follow all of it. The ponies had suddenly started kneeling, swearing eternal fealty to him, and proclaiming him their emperor (Well, Pan's last name did translate to 'Emperor', but he was almost certain that was a coincidence). It made no sense. What the pluck (Pardon his Griffin again) was going on?

And the worst part was, he was still radiantly, brilliantly blue. The Crystal Heart seemed to be generating love energy non-stop, and as long as the flow kept going, he couldn't stop glowing. Apparently the locals liked it, but it was still incredibly embarrassing for the changeling.

After a moment, a rather skittish looking pony walked in, looking slightly embarrassed. "Milord," the pony said, looking a little nervous, "may I have your permission to enter?"

Pan nodded, then made a beckoning gesture. Maybe now he could get some answers.

The pony approached, then gave a full court bow (Who does that, these days?), then said, "Your majesty, I am Pen Stroke, royal chancellor of the Crystal Empire. I fear that your subjects were rather... excited earlier, and in their joy at their regained freedom, they neglected to confirm a few details with you. There are a number of things that I need to ask, if it is not an imposition."

Nodding, Pan said, "I have no problem there. Do you mind if I ask a few questions, as well?"

The stallion, sporting a white coat spotted with brown, knelt, then said, "Not at all, your majesty. I am at your disposal. What would you like to know?"

Pan said, "No, no, you start. A question for a question." Twenty bits said that question number one would be 'What is your name?'

He would have won that bet. "What is your name, your majesty?"

Smiling, the changeling said, "Pandinus Imperator."

Raising his eyebrows, the earth pony asked, "Truly? Your last name is Old Equestrian for 'Emperor'?"

Chuckling, Pan said, "Yes. My parents had high hopes for me, I think." A pity he'd come nowhere near living up to them. "My turn. What is this place?"

With a gesture, the pony said, "You stand in the Crystal Palace, within the Crystal Empire, home of the Crystal Ponies." After brief pause, Pen Stroke smiled, and said, "We're rather big on crystals here, your majesty."

Pan laughed aloud, then said, "I gathered that much." The Crystal Empire? Strange, the changeling felt like he should recognize that name...

Pen Stroke cleared his throat, then said, "I, uh, asked you two questions, so feel free to ask another, your majesty."

There were so many things that he wanted to ask, but the changeling decided to ask the most important one. "Why is everypony so happy that King Sombra is dead?" Pan had an inkling, but he felt like he should get confirmation on that...

With a shudder, Pen Stroke answered, "King Sombra took control of this kingdom several moons ago. I will spare you the gruesome details of all that he did in that time, but he... did away with the royal family who had ruled here previously, then forced every pony in the kingdom into slavery. While he was one, and we were many, he had in his possession powerful magic which took our free will away and forced us to obey his every whim, as well as to take away any memories we had of the time before his rule. Since his first action, upon entering the kingdom, was the theft of the Crystal Heart, we had no means of resisting him. In fact, we could not even imagine a world where he did not rule over us, where we could be free." After a moment, he added, "That is, until you destroyed him and returned the Crystal Heart to us, your majesty."

This Sombra fellow sounded downright nasty, if that's what he'd done. No wonder that his death had sparked what sounded like a massive party amongst the Crystal Ponies. It was strange, that name was ringing bells, but Pan couldn't say where he'd heard it last.

The crystal pony asked, "What manner of creature are you, your majesty?"

Pan was tempted to tell the pony the truth, but decided against it at this point in time. While the changeling was almost certain that the ponies here had never heard of changelings, it would be best if he didn't risk it yet...

"I am an existence like none other," Pan said, grinning. "Make of that what you will."

Pen Stroke seemed surprised by that answer, but after a moment, he nodded and said, "I understand, your majesty."

After a moment, the changeling asked the really important question. "Why am I the emperor?"

Pen Stroke chuckled, then said, "Well, that is a simple question with a complicated answer. First, it is a long held tradition that any hero who saves a realm from a tyrant is granted dominion over the kingdom he has rescued. Of course, that is true only if the rightful ruler is no longer available. If the true sovereign still lives, then the hero is made royal heir through marriage to the eldest princess, or prince, if the hero is a heroine." After a moment, the chancellor cleared his throat, then added uncomfortably, "Or vice versa, if the hero or heroine swings that way. We try not to judge."

That was practically storybook now, but Pan understood that a reward like that had been the tradition in ancient times. The changeling was starting to get a sinking feeling here...

"Second, there is currently nopony with a legitimate claim to the throne. Sombra's... purge of the royal family was absolute, as he did not want anypony who could challenge his reign. There does not remain in this world a single pony with even a drop of royal blood, so far as we know. Without a true ruler in place, the city would soon fall into a violent war over the throne, at a point in time when what we truly need is unity, not division."

Pragmatic, but acceptable. Besides, a civil war could easily end up putting another tyrant on the throne, and while it was unlikely that they'd be worse than this King Sombra scumbag, you could never be certain. In this kind of situation, the pony who might take the throne would probably be the most vicious murderer in the kingdom, instead of the best administrator...

"Third," the pony stated, "and perhaps the most important, is that your coming has been prophesied, or at least, many of your subjects believe this to be so. The founder of the Crystal Empire was, as you described yourself, a being like none other, and while there are no true renderings of his appearance, it was said that he would glow with an inner light when the Crystal Heart was filled with the love and hope of the ponies of the realm. Legend tells of his having gone on a pilgrimage of some sort, vowing to return if the Empire was ever in danger, before leaving the kings and queens of old to rule in his stead. While I admit that I am somewhat skeptical, your obvious radiance is proof enough to many that you are the Crystal Emperor, or at least his heir."

Well, that was surprising. Admittedly, Pan's 'defects' certainly seemed to coincide with this legend, but then, that was just glowing. Plenty of creatures out there would glow under the right circumstances. It didn't mean anything, really. If a firefly had flown down Sombra's throat and choked him to death, they'd proabably be hailing the firefly as the new Crystal Emperor instead. Ponies were like that: They often sought some sort of deeper meaning to random events. Changelings, meanwhile, understood that life was random, and often cruel. After all, if it wasn't, why would there be changelings? A creature with a face that inspires nightmares, but requires love to survive? In what world could that possibly make sense?

Pen Stroke cleared his throat, then said, "I have one final question, your majesty. What is it that you have planned for the Crystal Empire?"

Pan looked at the pony, and after a moment, the changeling said, "I don't plan on becoming the next King Sombra, if that's what you're wondering." The pony gave a visible sigh of relief. "As for what I have planned to do next, the jury is still out on that. I'll get back to you."

The crystal pony knelt, then said, "I understand completely, milord. I admit, this has been a somewhat sudden change for all of us. In truth, the entire city will be reeling from Sombra's demise for quite some time. While we had heard that the princesses Celestia and Luna were on their way to liberate us, none had dared hope that they would succeed in defeating Sombra. Now that he is dead, it will take some time for the kingdom to regain its claim as the greatest city in Equestria."

Suddenly, everything clicked: The Crystal Empire, the Crystal Ponies, King Sombra, all of it came together. It was like looking at what seems to be a random scibble on the wall, and suddenly realizing that it was, in fact, a written language, and one that you had been reading your entire life...

Pan had been a good student, and one of his teachers had given the young aristo a brief lesson on the history of the Crystal Empire. The Crystal Empire was a city that had existed a thousand years ago. King Sombra had conquered that city single-hooved, then ruled it with all four iron hooves stomping on the rights and freedoms of his subjects. The princesses came to liberate the city, but because they'd lacked the strength to slay the king outright, and had instead sealed him away, the tyrant had responded by banishing the city to a place beyond time. But now...

...Now, history has changed.

Through some bizarre contrivance, Pan was now in the distant past. Sombra was dead, and all the superglue in the world would not put him back together. The princesses, at the absolute height of their power and ready for a ferocious battle, would be coming here in a very short time. They'd be surprised to find that the city was no longer enslaved, and was now celebrating the death of the worst pony in history. The fact that the universe had not blinked out of existence implied that a paradox had not occurred, but that meant, with history having been changed once, it could easily be changed even further.

That could end up being very good, or very, very bad...

"My final question," Pan began, after a moment, "is, what will happen if it turns out I'm not up to being the 'Emperor' of the Crystal Empire?"

Pen Stroke nodded in understanding, then said, "Such a thing has happened before, milord. Many heroes of humble origins have turned out not to be all that great at running a kingdom afterwards. A council of advisers is often recommended, in order to keep you appraised of the state of the kingdom, as well as to aid you in working out the correct path to take in running things. Still, a life of raising wheat or apples seldom prepares a pony for the harshness of realpolitik. If it turns out you are unable to handle the running of the kingdom, you will still have the gratitude of your subjects, provided you've not done something truly unforgivable. You'll be expected to turn over the crown to somepony more capable, if you prove you are not up to the task, and a more fitting reward will be assigned to you."

"But that will be later, when things have settled down a bit," Pan guessed.

"Precisely."

"And..." Pan began hesitantly, "what happens if I do end up making a royal mess of things?" At the pony's confused look, the changeling added, "I mean, if I make the kind of mistake that my subjects won't forgive?"

Pen Stroke said, without any trace of irony, "State funerals are extremely expensive, milord, so let's try to avoid that." Clearing his throat, Pen added, "That having been said, I will tell you that you will not be in this alone. I, as well as the other ponies of the Crystal Empire, will do our absolute best to ensure that this kingdom will pull through this time of instability with a minimum of upheaval."

Minimum, right. That means that the locals were expecting at least a little bit of fur to fly, Pan thought pessimistically. After all, reason number two for why he was sitting on the most important chair in town was because they were wanting to avoid a civil war. This meant that, within just fifteen to twenty minutes of the city's liberation, factions were probably already forming. Nobles were sharpening their lances in preparation for the days to come, while they began hatching schemes to see if this newcomer had as firm a handle of the crown as Sombra did. There was no doubt that in the near future, Pan would be tested, and tested harshly, by those who sought the throne. If the changeling messed up, and the factions in question smelled blood in the water, the sharks would gather, and sooner or later, somepony (Somesharky? Is that a thing? If it wasn't, then it should be) would decide that the fastest way to take power was to remove the changeling's head, followed by the head of every other contender.

If it had been a pony here, they'd probably use their detailed knowledge of their own history and/or advanced technology to secure their possession of the throne, or maybe just use the power of love, friendship, and/or rainbows to bring everypony together. Ponies had this incredible gift for solving problems in the most bizarre ways possible.

Pan was in no way a pony. He had only a vague grasp of the history of Equestria, and his species had very little actual technology themselves. They were practically stone age in comparison to even the ponies of the Crystal Empire. As for friendship and rainbows, Pan was pretty sure that was solely a pony thing. Love was a useful tool, but the changeling's only experience with it was using it to enhance his own abilities. However, he was a changeling, and changelings were good at adapting. If his continued survival was based solely upon keeping the locals happy, while at the same time getting the city back up and running, then he'd start with the basics.

Time for a party.

"First order of business," Pan said, smiling, "is that we get my subjects fed and happy." Looking at the chancellor with a half-smile, the changeling asked, "How long would it take to prepare a victory feast large enough to feed the entire city?"

Pen Stroke seemed surprised, but rallied quickly, then said, "We could have it done by this time tomorrow. Our reserve food supplies are not as great as they usually are, but the pantries of the palace itself are filled to the brim. King Sombra spared no expense for his own meals, even if what he gave his own subjects was little better than gruel. The farmers, meanwhile, believe that they can have the fields sown with seed within five days time, and a full crop of crystal berries ready for harvest within twenty-five days afterwards. Barring an unexpected plant blight, food won't be a problem, even if we hold a massive feast every day for a week."

The changeling nodded, then said, "Good. Be certain that we'll have enough for a royal banquet for when the princesses arrive, but feel free to use whatever is is available to give my new subjects the best meal they've ever had. Any performers in the city can, if they feel up to it, put on a show, and can be expected to be recompensed by the crown for their hard work. The day after tomorrow, I want my subjects well-fed, happy, and ready to work on getting this city back up on its hooves. And let them know that, this time next year, we'll hold another celebration just like it."

With a full court bow, Pen Stroke, "Your will, milord. With your permission, I'll begin making the preparations immediately."

"Ah, before you do," Pan said, stopping the pony from leaving, "would you be so good as to have somepony sent to give me a tour of my palace?" The changeling had a busy day tomorrow, and he'd rather not spend half the night trying to find his bedroom.

With a smile and a nod, Pen Stroke said, "My son has detailed knowledge of the castle's layout. I am certain that he shall be happy to guide you."