005

I finished penning the letters I intended to send to the current leaders of Equis' other nations. My intent with the letters was to re-establish myself as a free and independent agent for hire. Basically, I was re-building the Adventurer's Guild from scratch despite the likelihood of Celestia shutting it back down as soon as she caught wind of it. It was honestly the only thing I could think of to do since the Bearers of Harmony didn't seem interested in coming to me for training.

The method to get the letters out was rather simple once I re-read my notes in preparation for constructing a new Aetheryte. The Aetheryte Network needed extra Aetherytes to act as a relay between two distant points. However, the number of relays needed and the distance that could be traveled depended largely on the mass of what was being transported. A Carbuncle like Emmy was composed almost entirely of magic with a gem serving as its physical core. That meant I could send her pretty much anywhere on the Network with a slightly varying cost. Considering that I could still detect several distant Aetherytes, it wouldn't be too hard to send Emmy wherever I needed her to go. The only problem would be waiting for her to return before I could send the next one.

I groaned and facepalmed, realizing that I'd forgotten another one of my resources as a Summoner. Since Emmy was effectively permanent now, then I should be able to summon my other Carbuncle without issue.

"Emmy, I'm going to see if your big sister can come out to play," I told my familiar as I cracked open the Veil of Wiyu. "If you both can't be out at the same time, then I'll call you right back out, okay?"

"Kyu?" Emmy tilted her head in confusion, pawing uncomfortably at the scroll tied to her back.

"It also means you won't have to deliver as many letters," I added, giving her a quick ear scratch for the trouble. Once I'd found the page I was looking for, I rose from my seat and stepped out of the apartment so I was certain I'd have enough space.

As I poured power into the spell, a yellow runic circle appeared beneath my feet and a trio of yellow gems appeared in mid-air, suspended in bubbles of magic. Just like when I'd summoned Emmy, the circle and focusing gems began to circle faster and faster, matching the swell of magic from my body. After a minute of this, the three gems altered course, colliding in front of my outstretched hand.

"Kyu!" A new Carbuncle mewed, its voice just slightly deeper than Emmy's. The yellow Summon looked much the same as its Emerald counterpart, but with a bright yellow coat and an overall fluffier appearance.

Within seconds I was tackled by both of my Carbuncles, eager to greet me and each other. It was honestly the first time I'd summoned the Topaz Carbuncle, but she was already greeting me like an old friend.

"Okay, just need to make sure you're permanent like your sister," I told my new familiar. "It wouldn't do to send you out to deliver letters but despawn the second you go through the Aetheryte."

We walked down the corridors to the hall that held the Castle's Aetheryte. Emmy was just as boisterous as ever, when she wasn't napping on my bed. In contrast Topaz, or Paz as I'd chosen to call her, walked sedately by my side. Sure her tail was wagging, but she always stayed within arm's reach. It was likely due to the Topaz Carbuncle's normal role as a bodyguard for Arcanists.

Huh... if there's an Emerald Carbuncle to act as a Caster, a Topaz to act as a Tank... I should look into making a Garnet Carbuncle to be a stand-in melee attacker. Or a Sapphire to act as a healer!

"Kyu!" Emmy complained, pawing at my leg. I blinked out of my thoughts and saw that we'd arrived at the Aetheryte already. Grinning guiltily, I made a mental note to look into making more Carbuncle varieties later.

"Well, Emmy, time for you to take on your first solo mission," I told her, bending down to hug my furry friend. "Be careful, alright? The Zebra Tribes should be friendly, but there's always a risk of something going wrong. If it does, high-tail it back to the Aetheryte as fast as you can. The letters are important, but your safety is even more important to me, got it?"

Emmy sat back on her haunches and snapped a salute, then she vanished in an orb of void energy. I let out a long sigh and picked up Paz, cuddling my other Carbuncle as I walked back to my room. I set the yellow fluff ball down on my bed and backed out of the apartment again.

"Stay here and get comfortable. I'm going to test and see if you're like your sister," I warned Paz, then used the only Aetheryte Link within range. It was a risky location to warp to, but I wasn't going to burn all of my magic in case Paz wasn't permanent. Besides, Canterlot was on top of several Ley Lines that I could use to refill my magic reserves quickly through Aetherflow.

I appeared in the Canterlot Castle Hedge Maze, which is was quite surprised to find completely intact. Apparently Discord had undone much of his wide-spread chaos in favor of keeping himself hidden for as long as possible.

After waiting a few minutes to be certain I wasn't going to have the Royal Guard or Princesses dropping in on my head, I focused my will inwards and checked on my bond with my Familiars. In most cases I couldn't sense them if we weren't within a few meters of each other, but a bit of pre-trip experimentation with Emmy had proven that I could still sense my Carbuncles from any distance so long as I focused on their link to me.

I let out a sigh of relief once I'd confirmed that both of my familiars were still summoned and where they were supposed to be. While I had the chance to test it, I tugged on Paz's bond and let out a small cheer when she suddenly appeared next to me. I could call on my Carbuncles from any distance too. That would be extremely useful if I needed to bring them out of danger or call them in to help with a battle.

After a minute of experimenting with a few possibilities, I sighed and flopped down on my rear. It was only a matter of time until Luna or Celestia paid me an inevitable visit. They knew I was in Canterlot by now and clearly they didn't want to send the Royal Guard or the Bearers after me directly. That was the weird thing. The Princesses hated me, but they didn't want the public to see me as a villain. Why? I had too many questions and no useful answers.

"Oh..." A feminine voice spoke, "You aren't what I was expecting."

I glanced up and had to blink a few times to make sure I wasn't seeing things. Standing in front of me was a slim pink alicorn with a very familiar crystal heart as her Talent Mark. I could only assume she was the Crystal Empire's current ruler, but I had no idea what she was doing in Canterlot, let alone bothering me for.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Empress, but I didn't come out here expecting an audience," I replied, standing and dusting off my robes. Paz warily stepped between me and the Alicorn, her hackles raised.

"Empress? I'm sorry, my name is Mi Amore Cadenza, but you can call me Cadance if you like," The Alicorn seemed genuinely confused by my use of her proper title... which did not bode well for the current status of the Crystal Empire.

"So you aren't the rightful heir to the Crystal Empire's throne? Kind of hard to believe with that Mark," I commented.

"I... I am, but the Crystal Empire's been gone for nearly a thousand years. My Cutie Mark symbolizes my position as the Princess of Love," Cadance admitted, glancing back at her flank. I had to immediately reign in the new swirl of emotions that threatened to break my composure. The Crystal Empire was gone? I needed to know more and I needed to know now.

"Do you know what happened to it?" While I hadn't been the closest of friends with the original Princess Amore, I was still interested to know what had become of her.

"Auntie won't tell me the full story," Cadance sighed, "It seems to be a recurring theme with her... oh, sorry, just... forget I said that, please?"

"Your aunt is... Luna?" I asked. It would make sense that the Alicorns would be related in some form.

"By extension, yes. But I was talking about Princess Celestia," Cadance admitted, blushing in shame. Now there was a nugget of information. Celestia was keeping the true history from her own family?

"Well, it's been an enlightening conversation, Princess," I said, giving a short curtsy, "But I have other obligations."

"Wait, please," Cadance interrupted me before I could link to the Aetheryte and teleport back to the apartment.

"Do you actually need something?" I asked, turning back to the particular pink pony princess. She fumbled for a moment before sighing and speaking up.

"I came out here because I felt a heart more broken than anything I've ever sensed before."

"Ah, that does make some sense. I'm sorry for interrupting your day," I smiled sadly at Cadance. I'd known the rare few Empaths that trained with the Adventurer's Guild. Every time a particularly strong negative emotion appeared near them, they were compelled to seek it out and do their best to nullify it. I imagined Cadance had it even worse off with her Alicorn Status amplifying her empathic abilities even further.

"It's just, I want to help, but I don't know how!" Cadance declared, starting to pace in a small circle. "There are so many tangled threads of emotion that I can't even begin to sort them all out!"

"Then don't," I spoke gently, wrapping the panicking Alicorn in a gentle hug before she could make another circuit. "You control your abilities, not the other way around. I'll be fine as-is for a while longer, alright?"

"But-"

"No buts," I replied, gently stroking her striped mane. Cadance was starting to calm down, but she was still trembling, wanting so desperately to fix an array of problems that even the best psychiatric care likely couldn't touch. Once I was sure the Princess wasn't going to have another panic attack I released her and stepped away. No need to make things uncomfortable, even if she was surprisingly cuddly. Damn it Kikiru, stop. Ponies do not exist solely to be hugged by you.

"Thank you," Cadance said with a small smile.

"Any time, Princess. Now, I really do need to be going," I replied as Celestia's magical signature spiked in intensity. With one final wave, I teleported away.

I deliberately avoided going into the Bearer's town or Canterlot for the following week after my meeting with Princess Cadance. Considering how much raw fury I'd felt from Celestia's magical signature, I didn't want to push her too much farther.

While there were several projects rolling around in my head, I spent much of the week relaxing and being a bit lazy. It was a luxury I didn't have back when I ran the guild, despite my attempts at delegation. Even the few times I'd attempted to resign had lead to some catastrophe or other that required me to take up the position again.

Emmy returned after four days, but brought no reply with her. She hadn't been harmed, but there was little chance that her message had actually reached its intended destination. After a hug and a brushing, I sent Emmy out to the next target. The Griffons were proud warriors but often were undercut by their swolen greed. I doubt even Celestia's influence could change something so critical to their culture and identity.

Similar to Emmy, I sent Paz out as well after finishing the harness to hold her letter. She was sent to the proud and industrious Minotaurs. They took great pride in personal strength of mind and body and had often served many roles for the guild. Their metalworking skill was nigh-unmatched, even by a pony with a smithing Talent Mark. The forge I'd found in the lower reaches of the castle ruins had all of the marks of being Minotaur-made. Getting it back in working order was on my eventual to-do list, since I'd need it to craft the casing and focusing rings for any new Aetherytes.

Ugh, even when I was supposed to be relaxing I couldn't stop thinking about work that needed to be done.

"Maybe I should call up Dissy and get a bit further away from it all," I muttered to nobody in particular. Then I paused when I realized that I'd automatically called Discord "Dissy". Maybe Celestia had placed some curse on Equestria that was making me more passive and childlike the longer I stayed around. It would certainly explain why I've been more huggy than usual lately.

Then I considered the amount of magical power Celestia would need to create such a large pacification effect and scratched the possibility off my mental list. Even a slow or subtle field would likely take more magic to cast and sustain than all three princesses had at their disposal.

With a long sigh I left my apartment, content to just wander the ruins for now. It still had several secrets left to uncover. All of those traps had to be guarding something in the bowels of this place.

On my way to the Castle of Unity's entry hall, where I typically started any expedition, I heard the clopping of frenzied hooves. My brain easily did the math. Someone, likely a pony but possibly any other hooved race, was attempting to use the castle as a safe haven. Something had frightened them enough to run, which would make all sorts of noise in the Everfree and draw undue attantion. The solution was simple: find the scared person and calm them down, then deal with any threats that may have entered the ruins after them.

When I finally reached the entrance of the castle, my eyes narrowed in anger. A pack of Timber Wolves had closed in and were circling around a young Changeling Drone. The poor thing was barely out of nymphhood and severely malnourished, judging by the holes in is legs. Timber Wolves were an expression of the Everfree Forest's will, natural golems powered only by wild magic. Fortunately, that meant I had the upper hand.

The White Mage Soul Crystal was practically singing for me to use it. Its physical form was like a miniature sun when I called it forth, drawing the attention of the Timber Wolf pack.

When the White Robes settled around my body, I opened myself to nature and immediately felt the Everfree's spirit settle around me like an old friend's embrace. We hadn't had time to properly meet during my impromptu shower when I first broke free and I hadn't had need of the White Mage Crystal until now.

The Timber Wolves bounded over to me like eager puppies, yipping and barking happily. I made sure to give each of them a round of ear scratches before sending them on their way. I stayed in White Mage and sent a distinct feeling of displeasure to the Everfree's spirit over its actions towards the young Changeling.

The Everfree Forest's spirit seemed surprised. I could feel and see the tendrils of its magic sweeping over the little love bug. Then, the spirit admitted that it hadn't felt a Changeling in a long time and had almost entirely forgotten what their presence felt like. It only served to confirm another fear of mine. The Changelings had been expelled from Equestria and had likely been forced to take up unhealthy methods to obtain the love they needed for survival. Of all the betrayals, of all the things Celestia could have done, this ticked me off the most. The Changelings had lived in symbiosis with Ponies since their release by Starswirl. A Changeling Drone was almost like a pet, or another family member, willingly pairing themselves with a family that needed that extra bit of companionship or help and accepting their love and gratitude in return. To reduce any Changeling to the malnourished mess I was seeing would have been a crime punishable with several years imprisonment back in the old days.

I stepped forward, ignoring the Changeling's frightened squeaks as it tried to scrabble to its hooves and flee from me. Before it could get too far I pounced, grabbing the 'ling in a hug and pushing as much love as I could into it. It wasn't hard to remember what I loved about their species. Changelings were cute and cuddly in their own way, with those glowing blue pools for eyes that managed to convey so much emotion in their own special way. Their silly blue "saddles", which hid their wings while at rest, always looked so silly and adorable. Despite their natural carapace, Changelings also had a ticklish little coat of velvety black fur that just felt so satisfying to the touch.

That was to say nothing of the myriad of personality quirks I'd seen in the Changelings, making each Drone unique in their own special way.

Before my eyes the Changeling's Hunger Holes began to shrink. Its ears and leathery head fin grew less ragged, Even the Changeling's eyes seemed to gain a new brightness.

When the Changeling had its fill, I felt drained beyond all recognition. It was worth it though, to see one of the little love bugs alive and fed in this day and age.

"Sorry... I can't give you... more," I wheezed out, weakly hanging onto the little 'ling. "You should probably... take that back to your siblings. They could use a good meal I imagine."

It was getting really hard to keep my eyes open. Some part of my barely-conscious brain knew I'd given too much of my energy to the Changeling, even as it wiggled out of my grasp and fled. I didn't regret it for a second. Chrysalis was one of my closest friends and I'd do anything within my power to help her children.

I could only pray that she wouldn't betray me like the rest.

Author's Notes:

Edit: A bit of reader input requested here! Take a look at my blog post for more details and cast in your opinion!
I... I don't even know. The Changelings and Cadance just hijacked this chapter from me. I'd originally intended to handle the altered Lesson Zero here, but instead we were invaded by love-related lore.
Believe it or not, some of that is at least partial canon. The holes in the Changelings are from hunger, as seen in their origin story from the comics. I can't pinpoint the issue for you guys to look at, but it's somewhere in there.
I have been shaping up the larger narrative and making some long-term plans for where this story will go. The question is just how many filler or sidetracked chapters we'll get before then.

Useful Terms
Empath: An empath is a person that can sense the emotions of others nearby. In the case of negative emotions, the Empath is often compelled to find a way to help the person suffering however they can.
Elemental Aspects: When dealing with magical energy, it can some times be altered or "aspected". This aspect represents a different elemental force, often associated with the traditional four elements of Alchemy. Six aspects are officially recognized by most magical scholars, with an additional two being heavily debated. The six official aspects are Fire, Ice, Wind, Water, Lightning and Earth. The Two unofficial aspects are Light and Dark, which is sometimes referred to as Void.
Genius Loci: A Genius Loci, or "Spirit of Place" is an intelligent spirit that resides and guards over a specific location.
Topaz Carbuncle: Another Carbuncle that can be summoned by Arcanists, the Topaz Carbuncle is frequently used as a bodyguard or "Tank". It uses the inherent Earth-Aspect of a Topaz to enhance its durability.