Somewhere between Diamond City and Sapphire City

Celestia and Luna looked at the snow-covered landscape through the window on the train they were in and thought about the past. They along with the group accompanying them chose to take a train to the capital mostly to have time to prepare themselves before possibly facing their old teacher and/or a possible enemy, although, some were a bit paranoid about the portal network connecting all the cities of the Crystal Empire —plus the Changeling Empire but they didn’t know that yet— and thought it was safer to just use the train, which was the scenic route and was mostly used to transport goods from one city to another.

“If I’m not mistaken, they called it Warp Gates,” thought Luna before looking at the two entrances/exits of the car they were in, two guards were placed on either side of the sliding door, two of those warriors capable of creating hard-light were in the train with them. The two beetle-like changelings were without their helmets, Thorax was having a somewhat friendly conversation with Twilight as she asked many questions while Pharynx just kept to himself and observed the group.

“Sister, do you think it’s him?” asked Celestia after she saw one of the butterfly-like changelings flying outside near the train, he or she —Celestia wasn’t sure of the gender yet— remained her so much of the flutter ponies.

“I’m not sure,” answered Luna with a somewhat indifferent tone, she hadn't completely forgiven Celestia for keeping something like this from her but there was nothing she could do. Either way, she added, “Still, whoever is currently ruling the Crystal Empire is not someone we can afford to have as an enemy. Their technology and magic are very advanced, they have the changelings as their allies and both are more numerous than we previously thought. How in Equus did they manage to accomplish all that without either you or the other nations noticing?”

“I don’t know, Luna. I really don’t,” answered Celestia as she thought about the first few times Equestria encountered the changelings, it was around two hundred years after Luna’s banishment or around eight hundred years ago and it was only a century later that they discovered about their shapeshifting abilities. Most sightings occurred near the southeast border, so Celestia always assumed they came from either the Badlands or beyond. Either way, she thought, “While difficult, it is not impossible to detect them. So, how did they managed to move up north in such numbers without us noticing?”

As Celestia was left with her thoughts Twilight, Rarity and Pinkie were asking questions about the Empire, Rarity and Pinkie more than Twilight at the beginning since Twilight wasn’t that eager to speak with a changeling after the Royal Wedding Incident. But as Thorax, thanks to his helping nature, not only answered Pinkie and Rarity’s questions, which were mostly about pastry/confectionery and fashion respectively but also started a friendly conversation with the two Equestrians Twilight slowly took over the “question and answers” part of the conversation.

“What about this train, how did you make it float and run so smoothly on the tracks?” asked Twilight excitedly and by this point their previous opinion about changelings were either forgotten or ignored in favor of acquiring new knowledge.

“Um… I’m not sure, you should talk with an engineer or artificer for more details, but we call it Lev Train. All I know is that there are runes both on the tracks and the bottom of the cars that makes them float,” explained Thorax to the best of his ability and it was plain for everyone to see that he was uncomfortable with Twilight eagerness and proximity, the annoyance and rage slowly building in Shining Armor who was not too far was not helping the situation. So, Thorax sent a telepathic plea to Pharynx, “Help me here.”

*snort* “That’s what you get for being too nice, plus you’re kind of a wimp,” answered Pharynx with a somewhat vindictive smile on his face.

“Hey, you seem to be a little too happy with your buddy’s predicament," Rainbow pointed out.

"Maybe maybe that will teach him to not be so friendly with a possible enemy," said Pharynx not even bothered by the clear distrust in the rainbow pegasus' voice. Then he looked at Twilight and said, "That unicorn seems to have as much trouble as my little brother over there in that area, just with less uncertainty."

AJ, who was near Rainbow, made note of the fact that Pharynx referred to Thorax as "little brother" but otherwise just paid attention to his words and so far he seemed to be telling the truth, however, she could never be sure when it came to changelings. She and Rainbow were the ones that were the most distrustful of the changelings, Rarity and Fluttershy were pretty neutral everything considered, in Rarity’s case her opinion improved once she saw the Crystal Empire and how the changelings were taking good care of it. On the other hand, Twilight and Pinkie were just too curious and Spike seemed to agree since he joined Thorax in a friendly conversation after Twilight was done asking questions.

The atmosphere was completely changed when a wave of something washed over everyone sending a chill down their spines, which seemed to affect the changelings more so than the ponies as they felt something they couldn't even describe into words but that feeling soon disappeared as suddenly as it appeared. However, the Royal Sisters didn’t have the chance to wonder what just happened as they felt something watching them from a distance, in their minds they saw three eyes, two lilac eyes with a red eye in between them. After a while, the feeling disappeared and the sisters looked at each other and wondered if whoever they felt was an ally of Volthoom.

Crystal Palace, empty room, a few minutes earlier

Volthoom stood inside a room along with Phylia, in his right hand was a scroll that he received through the TL recently and he was debating if he should summon the owner of this token. From what Volthoom managed to gather this ‘Ōtsutsuki Kazuki’ was, at the very least, on the level of a New God and would help immensely if a fight were to break out between Equestria and the Empire. However, that tone and attitude reminded Volthoom too much of Metron as the enigmatic New God was portrayed in most comic interactions and meant that this Kazuki might simply betray Volthoom the first time a better opportunity presented itself, Volthoom hoped that this Kazuki didn’t share Metron’s thirst for knowledge. On the other hand, the entity’s mannerisms seemed to be rooted in Japanese culture and if he was anything like a shinobi or samurai Volthoom could expect a great deal of professionalism and/or loyalty so long the contract was in effect.

“Volthoom?” asked Phylia as she placed her hand on Volthoom’s shoulder, this brings him back to reality.

“I’m debating if I should summon the owner of this token or not,” said Volthoom answering the unasked question before elaborating, “The problem is that I don’t know how he will react, from his introduction he seems to be quite neutral and amoral.”

“He must be quite powerful if you are this hesitant,” commented Phylia as she looked at the scroll that Volthoom was holding.

“That’s not even half of it,” said Volthoom with a sigh before making his decision, he knelt and placed the scroll on the floor a little to the right before unrolling it, which showed the complex fractal images that hummed with exoteric and alien power as the scroll gently rolled to the left. Then he explained as he placed a hand on one of the more elaborated fractals, which changed to fit around his hand, “Whatever he is he is comparable to a true god, not a demigod like Celestia, Luna and their parents. And he seems to be on the higher end of the hierarchy. Normally to oppose such a force, an entire platoon of lightsmiths of multiple colors is required to match it, and that's just the average estimate.”

“Oh,” was all Phylia could say as it dawned on her how dangerous would be if the one they intended to summon decided to betray them.

“Yeah,” said Volthoom in agreement.

“Then, why run the risk in the first place?” asked Phylia as she saw some of the alien glyphs crawl up Volthoom’s arm until his hand and wrist was completely covered, even after that they kept moving in seemingly random patterns.

“His cooperation would help us have the least amount of casualties in case of hostilities,” said Volthoom ready to summon his fellow displaced but not without Phylia’s permission, after all, such action would place her children/subjects in danger and that wasn’t something either him or her should do recklessly.

“I trust you,” said Phylia honestly and that was all the acknowledgment that Volthoom needed.

“Ōtsutsuki Kazuki,” whispered Volthoom and as soon as he uttered he name the glyphs stopped their movements before rushing down his hand and along with the ones that were still on the surface of the scroll moved forward in a line before forming a circle with the same alien runes. When the circle was complete “branches” started to spread while the edges “bled” ink inward and as soon as the inside of the circle was completely black.

Volthoom felt the “ink” pull a bit of his energy as well as something else, it was quick and it felt almost like ripping a bandaid, which made him recoil but the sting soon faded. However, he paid no mind to the small discomfort as he observed the ink morph into a summoning circle, the event occurring in less than a second. Then white smoke exploded from the floor as the ink seemed to turn itself into said smoke despite its opposite color, however, such observation eluded the two changelings as their unique senses were bombarded with a wave of feelings that they never felt before, cold and ruthless logic that seemed to freeze their souls combined and contrasting with an all-encompassing serenity.

“Oh, it seems the changelings of this world are more sensitive to aura… no, not Aura, but pure emotion. So, something like Mantra then,” said a cold yet elegant and noble voice from where the smoke originated from, the cold logic was still there but it was “tinted” with amusement and curiosity, even if it felt malevolent —for lack of a better word— to their senses like a cold blade near their skin read to dissect/vivisection them. It was only when these feelings suddenly disappeared followed by that same voice speaking that the two royal changelings returned to reality, “Excuse my rudeness, curiosity is no excuse for being a poor guest and make my gracious host feel uncomfortable.”

Both Volthoom and Phylia almost fell to their knees when the wave of alien emotions suddenly disappeared, it was such an abrupt change that they almost lost their balance, Phylia more so than Volthoom and both of them couldn’t help but think, “How can someone have so much control over their own emotions?”

As the two royals recovered they saw the one they summoned, he consisted of a traditional white Japanese garb of some kind with a row of coma-like symbols running down the center, around the collar and near the edges of the sleeves that were adorned with intricate gold and purple lines, white baggy pants with a vertical row the same symbols on each side, a pair of black tall Japanese wooden clogs with a bar beneath each sole, which raised the shorter than average individual about four inches above the ground and showed that he had a good posture and balance, a pair of white socks, and a pair of black gloves on each hand for clothes. He looked like a human but his skin and hair was completely white, which blended with his outfit, and his eyes were very light lilac, lastly, he had a pair of horns that came out near the back of his head before curving up and forward.

“Greetings, I’m Ōtsutsuki Kazuki,” said the being that was summoned as he bowed while placing his hands, which were covered by the sleeves his Japanese garb, in a traditional Japanese greeting, the shimmer around him revealed that his horns were holding a veil of some kind that covered him, thus giving an air of otherworldliness.

Volthoom just kept looking at the godly being in front of him, Kazuki did not move and just remained in that position. It took a few seconds for his dazed mind to recall what little he knew of Japanese etiquette before mirroring the visitor and say, “I’m Volthoom, it’s an honor to meet you.”

“What’s the purpose of summoning me? Keep in mind, this is a trade, you need to offer something for my services,” said Kazuki as he opened his eyes and stood up before walking toward Volthoom, each step echoing with the distinction clank of wood against the floor. Then he stopped before looking at something in the distance, “Oh, the Crystal Empire has yet to reappear in my universe. Let’s see… 2,140,526 people in this city… oh, it seems the surrounding territories survived the brats little tantrum, 12,213,364 people in the surrounding region.”

The two dots that were his eyebrows were raised slightly as the pale white being seemed to notice something in the distance, then veins around his eyes slowly became more noticeable as did his pupils and a red eye in the center, which along with his horn showed that he was not a human or even close to it in anything but shape.

“Oh, Seri-chan and Ru-chan are coming,” said Kazuki before deactivation his ocular power and look at Volthoom, then he asked, “I assume that their visit is related to my summoning.”

“Who?” asked both Volthoom and Phylia.

“Celestia and Luna,” clarified Kazuki before adding in his mind, “Strangely enough, they seem to be weaker than their counterparts in my universe. Then again, they might be better at concealing their power, assuming their power and inner workings are identical that is.”

“Yes, I need your… services in case my meeting with the Royal Sisters take a turn for the worse,” explained Volthoom and Kazuki simply nodded.

“Just to be clear, am I speaking to the owner of that body or the being wearing it like a suit?” asked Volthoom before glancing at Phylia, who just opted for standing beside Volthoom as he dealt with the being he summoned.

“Both, actually. I made this empty body to be my vessel,” explained Volthoom.

“I see. As for my price,” started Kazuki before focusing on Phylia with what could almost be described as a serene smile, however they knew it was anything but that, and say with a casual tone, “I’m quite eager to compare the physiology of the changelings of this universe to the ones from my universe, a specimen of every caste would be ideal, plus it’s been a while since I saw a royal changeling.”

Volthoom immediately placed himself in-between Phylia and Kazuki as his eyes glowed with a myriad of colors.

*thud*

It was this moment a group of guards barged in through the door, all they saw was a stranger in front of Volthoom and their leader/guardian ready to confront said stranger. However, before they could act a wave of power akin to a shockwave hit them as it was emanated from the stranger and didn’t allow them to get closer. The same pressure started to crack the floor and walls as well as making the palace shake.

“Oh, very few beings can withstand the pressure of my chakra this close to me,” commented Kazuki and his almost malicious amusement was clear to everyone present, despite his human face his mind and emotions were simply alien. Then the pressure disappeared his Kazuki stopped releasing his chakra and said with a smile, "I'm sure we will be able to reach an agreement concerning my payment."

"Sure," said Volthoom with an uncertain tone before asking, "Do you mind if we finish this discussion in my study room?"

"Not at all," replied Kazuki and the Displaced turned changeling just motioned for him to follow as he and the other royal left the room after making sure the guards were alright. Kazuki simply followed and just before he exited the room he waved his hand while releasing a bit of his chakra, however, instead of creating another wave of pressure the crack in the floor and walls disappeared.

Throne room, almost an hour later

Volthoom stood beside the throne where Amore was sitting, she was using a blue dress with yellow hearts just like the one she was using when they first met, and at the base of the dais stood Phylia holding Rondo in her arms. Both her and Volthoom advised against bringing the young nymph for this meeting, however, not only was Amore confident that everything would be fine but she also seemed to be the type of mother that didn't want to let her kids out from her sight for any reason. Stationed around the throne were the Royal Guards, made up mostly of veterans that survived Sombra’s rule as well as some changelings that were handpicked by Phylia and Volthoom from the Royal Guard from the various Hives.

Standing beside the Changeling Empress was Kazuki with an amused smile and while a changeling was uncomfortable being this close to him, at the very least he remained civil and didn't try to do anything that might endanger the little one. The fact that he was even here in the first place was an indication that he accepted the job, it took some negotiation from Volthoom's part but in the end, they settled for a reasonable price, a canister filled with raw emotional energy. Kazuki kept referring to it as "Mantra" and asked why by Volthoom, the alien explained the concept and while there were major differences it was somewhat fitting, plus it wasn't like Volthoom was going to argue over what name his fellow Displaced used to refer to which energy.

"Still, 'Asura's Wrath' sounds like an interesting game," commented Volthoom as he observed the humanoid horror in disguise play with Rondo. Then he stopped as he looked at the entrance, more specific beyond it, and stopped playing with the nymph before gracefully walking to the nearby wall, leaning his back against it and crossed his arms. Not long after moving to his new position the doors of the throne room were opened and their guests entered while being escorted by five lightsmiths, with the automaton immediately sparkling Kazuki's curiosity.

The Equestrians entered the throne room as they were escorted inside by Hedy, Lyca, Thorax, Pharynx and Jet. The five approached the throne before kneeling while ignoring the look of surprise on Luna and Celestia's faces, the Jet said, "We brought the Equestrians as ordered, Your Majesty, Grandmaster. We apologize for the delay but they were skeptical about coming here using either portals or constructs, so we ended up using the train."

“It's alright, Lightsmith Stream, you and the others may return to your usual duties,” said Amore with a kind tone that both Royal Sisters remembered so well. The five Lightsmith bowed before getting up, Hedy and Lyca walked forward and stood on each side of the dais while Thorax, Pharynx and Jet left the throne room. Once they left the room Amore focused on the two alicorns that came for this meeting, “Long time no see, Celestia, Luna.”

“Aunty?” asked Celestia and Luna.

Author's Notes:

Just to remind everyone, in this story Amore is older than Celestia and Luna since she was already ruling the Crystal Empire by the time they were born.

Anyway, sorry for the delay but life isn't exactly being cooperative right now. Also, I wanted to reach the point in my other story —"Balancing Forces"— where the MC is summoned to appear in this story but that would take too long, so I opted for advancing this story instead. I'll post a link to the relevant chapter once it is published.