Informis Una
The berth Thorax had claimed for himself aboard the airship was, as he had requested, one of two directly across from the steps that led above deck, granting him quick and easy access back up those steps and into the control cabin should there be an emergency. To aid in that ability even further, Spike had agreed to take the upper of the two bunks on the grounds that the upper bunk’s position was slightly harder to get in and out of, even with Thorax having the benefit of wings, allowing the changeling to have the somewhat more easily and quickly accessible lower bunk. So Thorax didn’t have to go far to reach the bunk or do much to clamber into it. Nonetheless, Thorax paused to check on Julius in his cocoon one more time for the night, noting no significant change in the injured changeling’s present condition, before heading for bed.
And yet, as he shed his midnight blue jacket and clambered into the bunk, he couldn’t clear his mind enough to find sleep, instead finding it flooded with a wide array of thoughts, ranging from his oncoming return to the hive, worry about that return as well as the safety of his friends and by extension that of Equestria on a whole, the feeling that this meant their safety was on his shoulders and the realization of how great that weight was starting to feel, his interactions with Trixie that evening and the ongoing process of trying to piece together the massive puzzle that felt like, and finally his parting comments with Spike just moments ago right before he came to bed.
It was these comments that bothered Thorax the most, and reflecting back on the brief conversation, he was left feeling greatly worried. It was true that at first glance, Spike seemed to be easing up on things, but Thorax feared it was for all the wrong reasons. It seemed like he was doing it more out of great reluctance and purely out of a sense of duty to Thorax, and he feared this was only going to lead the dragon to bury his feelings once more only to have them boil over yet again as the cycle inevitably repeated…and that time it might be far worse. Even more troubling was how Spike’s final remark in regards to he and Trixie seemed so sad, not just in emotion but in expression as well. The very idea of Thorax going through with anything with the showmare seemed to depress Spike greatly, and that was something Thorax was not okay with. Worse, he didn’t clearly understand why that would be so, not to this great degree. Spike’s disliking of Trixie just didn’t seem to be enough to explain it or justify it.
Thorax wondered if there was perhaps more to the matter than Spike had been telling him, or perhaps what he had been telling them all, if not tying into a much greater and profounder problem still that Thorax worried he may not understand as well as he first thought. He knew his draconic friend had been through a lot and was deeply hurt, scarred both emotionally and mentally, by the events of the past four moons and not without reason, but he had thought up until the events of today that Spike had managed to put himself on at least a stable path that was certainly not perfect and very far from ideal, but still enough to prevent things from turning worse.
But today there was Spike’s outburst and initial swearing of abandoning Equestria entirely to its fate at the invading changelings, regardless of the consequences he knew were far bigger than either of them, followed by a general loathing to the likes of Starlight and Trixie and even letting it come to a head by unexpectedly threatening the latter for reasons Spike never was able to elaborate to him. When Thorax confronted him about all of this, Spike was rebellious and curt even towards him. He chose to play along in the end, but only begrudgingly and despite acknowledging it really was the better thing for him to do, at least for the present time. Then now, Spike seemed to have suddenly about faced on this stance and relented, but not because he was coming around to an agreement, but more like…
…like he had simply given up fighting it.
This scared Thorax, fretting that his hopes that Spike would come around were instead backfiring, and if so…where would that leave Spike? Nowhere good, he decided. Instead of his emotional, if not mental state, maintaining at least a stable point, or even starting to improve like Thorax had hoped and wished for, he was chilled to consider that Spike seemed to be degrading further still. Whatever the case, perhaps even more terrifying to him was that it seemed to be driving a wedge between them, forcing him further and further away from his first and greatest friend…a blow that Thorax wasn’t sure he could handle, but never mind him—he trembled to think that if such a thing happened, that could be the last straw that utterly destroyed Spike.
Making him agonize that Spike might be closer to the brink than he had previously thought.
It was all enough to keep him awake, lying in his bunk and curled up in a ball, but it also didn’t help that he, as usual, was finding the bunk not quite comfortable enough to be able to relax and let sleep come anyway. He longed for his sleeping nest he had so painstaking tweaked to perfection back in Vanhoover, and wished he could return to it for a good night’s sleep again. But as it turned out, the fact he hadn’t gone to sleep ended up being somewhat favorable, as after only a few minutes of him lying there and restlessly trying to get to sleep, the door to the stateroom bedroom, attached to the far end of the small mid-ship room, opened a crack and Trixie poked her head out, having swapped out her magician’s hat that she had been wearing all evening with a nightcap covered with similar star designs as her usual hat.
She seemed surprised at first to see Thorax there, but that was quickly thrown aside as she went on to speak in a harsh whisper; “Thorax…are you asleep?”
Thorax sighed a little to himself and sat up, turning his head to look in Trixie’s direction. “No,” he admitted simply. “Shouldn’t you be?”
“Oh good, and no, I can’t sleep, but that’s actually why I’m up, and I know you’d know,” she said, taking another step through the door. She made a sheepish grin as she went right to the point. “So it turns out that extra blanket we talked about just a minute ago does really seem to be a good idea after all, so I was hoping you could…remind me…where you said it was I could find one.”
Thorax had to chuckle a little at the irony of this. “In the cabinet in there, above the bed,” he told her as he stepped off the bunk.
Trixie glanced back into the stateroom. “Which cabinet?” she asked. “There’s, like, a bajillion in here.”
“Above the bed,” Thorax repeated patiently, coming to join her at the door so he could see too.
The stateroom, somewhat ironically, was not the biggest cabin on the Vergilius, and in fact, if one included the stateroom’s private master bathroom in the right corner beside the door, it was about the same size as the compartment including the two berths Thorax had just vacated. What really set apart the stateroom was the sense of exclusivity it gave off, as once the hatch leading into it was closed, it was more or less sealed off from the rest of the ship, thus granting ample privacy. It included the master bathroom as already noted and although it did not include a small washtub for bathing like the general use head located in the middle of the craft, the stateroom did have solely exclusive access to it. It also included the largest bed; all the other beds on the airship were twin-sized, whereas this one was a queen, large enough to fit two if needed and placed sideways along the rear wall. All in all, it was the best place to sleep on the air yacht. One couldn’t blame Trixie for being so quick to claim it.
But Thorax instead turned his attention to the many cabinets the room seemed to be lined with. Most were meant for storing things like clothes or other personal affects belonging to whomever was staying there during a trip, but there were also some that were simply meant for general storage use. Among them was a row of cabinets hung in a line directly above the bed, and Thorax, upon ensuring he had Trixie’s attention, pointed his hoof at them.
Trixie wasn’t satisfied with that, though. “Yes, but which one?” she pressed as she strolled up to the bed, glancing up at the cabinets. “There’re five. Do they all have blankets?”
“No, no,” Thorax said as he slipped into the room after her, nudging the door closed with his flank lightly so to grant Trixie her privacy. He had meant the motion to still leave the door open ajar, but winced slightly when he instead heard the click of the latch fastening. Oh well. He decided he’d open it again in a second and proceeded to join Trixie at the side of the bed. He actually couldn’t recall which cabinet exactly contained the spare blankets, but he was reasonably certain it was one on the left end of the row and picked a cabinet at random from that side. As luck would have it, the first one he tried was the correct one. “Here we go,” he said aloud as he pulled one of the fleece blankets out with his magic and offered it to Trixie.
Trixie took it up with her own magic and pressed it into her front with her hooves. She nodded in approval. “Ah yes, this’ll work perfectly, thanks Thorax,” she said in satisfaction as she then started to unfold it so to drape it over the usual covers on the bed. After a pause in speaking, she then, somewhat warily, glanced in Thorax’s direction again. “Since you’re right there…did, uh…Spike say anything more after I left the control cabin earlier?”
Thorax hesitated, unsure how to best sum up the remarks Spike had made to him without sounding too presumptuous. “Well…” he began, “…he stated the obvious.”
“Obvious?” Trixie repeated, pausing what she was doing so to turn and face him fully. “And just what is the obvious?”
Again Thorax hesitated. “Well…obvious for him, of course,” he corrected.
“But…not obvious for you and me.”
“…I’d assume not.” Thorax looked at Trixie for a second. “…is it?”
“I don’t know, that’s why I was asking you.”
“Well…I don’t know either.”
An awkward pause passed between the two. Thorax then shook his head.
“Actually, I guess what Spike really said was that he wasn’t going to meddle in the matter…” Thorax averted his gaze, clearly troubled. “…but…he acted very depressed about it…it’s left me a bit worried about him, honestly.”
Trixie eyed him sympathetically for a moment. “You two really are good friends, aren’t you?” she asked.
“The best, Trixie,” Thorax stated, but then winced as he felt his resolve behind that claim quickly cave a little. “But I fear we’ve foolishly allowed things to…start to stand between us.”
Trixie frowned. “Like what?”
Thorax merely gazed at her knowingly for a long moment, waiting for her to make the connection herself. Eventually she did, and she glanced down at herself. “Oh,” she murmured, and averted her gaze in discomfort for a moment, mulling on the troubling fact that she was playing an unknowing part in Spike and Thorax’s friendship troubles…which only raised yet another matter that she felt needed resolving just as much too, so finally she sighed. “Look,” she began, “we can’t ignore it forever, so…I’m just going to come out and ask.” She focused her gaze on Thorax, but in doing so, seemed to have lost her nerve because she continued to hesitate for a very long moment, working her mouth up and down as she tried to get the words out. “Where…do you and I…uh…stand on things…between us?”
Thorax hesitated. There was more than one way he could answer that. Ultimately, he chose the safe, non-answering, deflection. “I’d been hoping you could tell me that.”
“Well…” Trixie shrugged her shoulders in frustration. “One of us has to know something.”
“Then one of us really should say something about it.”
“Yeah!”
They both regarded each other in silence for a very long moment after that, suddenly neither of them wanting to be the one who said it. It was clear what they were both thinking about though, as both of them recalled what had been taking place between them in the control cabin…and now they were both wondering what might have happened if Spike hadn’t interrupted when he did. Unfortunately, neither of them quite knew what to make of the implications…and for fear of getting it wrong, neither of them wanted to be the first to make the ‘obvious’ assumption in case the other didn’t view it the same way. But that wasn’t getting either of them very far.
Finally, Trixie sighed again. “Look, I guess all I need to know is…is Spike going to be a problem because of what…what happened?”
Thorax hesitated. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I think he’s trying to leave…well…us alone, but he’s still very much bothered by it.” He paused, then added: “Whatever it is.”
“Whatever indeed,” Trixie agreed, willingly latching on to the deliberately implied vagueness. She sat down and played with the tassel of her nightcap for a moment. “Look, Thorax…I don’t want to be the one standing between you and Spike, so…if you want, I can…” she swallowed heavily, troubled by the fact she was finding it hard to get this out, “…keep my distance.”
“No, no,” Thorax replied immediately, shaking his head in disapproval of the idea. “What’s happening between me and Spike shouldn’t…doesn’t…” he hesitated, also unable to get the words out. He licked his lips and tried again, speaking honestly. “…I like your company too, Trixie. I don’t want it to have to be a case of choosing between a friendship with Spike or a friendship with you.”
Trixie sighed once more and reluctantly nodded in agreement. “Honestly, you should still be able to have both, really,” she admitted. “Unless my understanding of friendship is totally off base…which given my track record, that could easily be the case.”
“…it still feels like that’s how it should work, though.”
“…yeah.”
Trixie frowned, concerned by how troubled Thorax looked and took an involuntary step closer. “I’m sorry, Thorax, I wish I could think of more to help.”
Thorax snorted. “I just wish you didn’t have to get mixed up in all of this too.” He glanced up at Trixie. “But…it’s not just Spike we’re afraid of…is it? We’re worried what some of the others might think about our…” he faltered briefly, “…friendship.”
Trixie was forced to nod in agreement. “Yeah,” she concurred, and inwardly balked at the idea of Starlight finding out about this…she’d probably never hear the end of it. So she forced herself to settle on what she figured was the obvious choice. “Well then, given the circumstances we’re in at the moment with interpersonal troubles and a changeling hive to somehow infiltrate and get back out of alive, it’s probably a matter we best set aside and…left alone for now.”
Thorax straightened. “Agreed. Let’s not worry about it for now and continue with things like they normally were before. If we don’t pursue things further, the others shouldn’t either.”
“And that way, they won’t…” Trixie shrugged, “…you know…”
“…pry?” Thorax offered.
“…I…was going to suggest something else.”
“Oh. Never mind, then.”
Trixie shook her head and turned back to the blanket she was placing on the bed. “Well, whatever the case, we’re leaving it alone for now, right?”
“Right,” Thorax agreed with a nod. He watched Trixie straighten the blanket for a second. “So…you’re good for the night, then? Got everything you need?”
“Everything I could expect, at least,” Trixie replied, giving the changeling a warm grin. “Thanks for your help fetching the blanket.”
“You’re welcome,” Thorax said with a nod of his head and turned for the door. “Good night again, Trixie.”
“Yeah, you too,” Trixie chorused automatically as she used her magic to ensure the extra blanket was in position to her tastes. She then paused and glanced back at him. “You…are going to be able to sleep well tonight, right?”
Thorax stopped halfway to the door and bit his lip. “Well, honestly…I’m too worried about…well, everything that…I’m finding it a little difficult to sleep.”
Trixie snorted as she turned back to the blanket she was putting in place while she mumbled under her breath not quite low enough for Thorax not to overhear, “You and me both.”
Thorax gazed at her knowingly and turned back around to face her fully. “It’s not because you needed a blanket that you can’t sleep…is it, Trixie?”
“…No, I guess not,” Trixie said, choosing to be upfront and admit it, but she still averted her gaze slightly in shame. Seeing Thorax wasn’t satisfied with that though, she reluctantly proceeded with an explanation. “It’s just…” she sighed, “…you know, I’m…still pretty nervous about what lies ahead tomorrow…and I know, I know, it’s pointless but…I’m just not sure how well I can sleep with all that hanging over my head, so…”
“Oh, well, sounds like you just need something to help you to relax a little,” Thorax reasoned aloud, trying to be helpful while he watched Trixie climb onto the bed. “Maybe I can help come up with something to assist.”
“Well, I’m open to any suggestions, then,” Trixie snarked as she turned herself around atop of the covers so to face the changeling still in the room. “Maybe it’ll help you to sleep too. So give me your best one, Mr. Jar Catcher.”
Thorax stopped to consider his options, but was a little embarrassed to find his mind had suddenly gone blank. “Well…” he began hesitantly before finally going forward with the only suggestion he could think of, aware that it wasn’t the best. “…I’ve…heard a calming lullaby is supposed to help one relax and sleep, but, uh…”
“A lullaby?” Trixie repeated with a snort, amused but also a little indignant at the suggestion. “For the Great and Powerful Trixie?” She tossed her pale cornflower blue mane with vain pride. The motion was dampened a little by the purple tassel on the end of her nightcap comically flopping about in sync with the motion. “Trixie does not need a lullaby to go to sleep.” Then, setting aside her ego again, she looked at Thorax with a smug grin. “Besides, with my luck, you probably have a horrible singing voice, don’t you?”
“On the contrary,” Thorax said, stepping closer as now it was his turn to grin with pride. “I don’t mean to brag, but all changelings have perfect pitch.”
Trixie raised a critical eyebrow at him. “Oh really?”
“Well, it makes sense when you think about it,” Thorax pointed out with a casual shrug. “We changelings can disguise ourselves as anypony, which means we can emulate any voice we hear with near perfect pitch or tone.” He tilted his head at Trixie and, with a sly smirk, impulsively continued speaking in a voice very familiar to Trixie but was most certainly not his own. “Otherwise, not having the right voice to go with it would make the disguise seem a bit…peculiar, don’t you think?”
Trixie’s eyes widened at the sound of her own voice echoed so perfectly back at her. “Wow,” she murmured, taken aback by Thorax’s spot-on emulation. “That’s…that sounded weird!” She continued to stare at him just long enough to cause Thorax to wonder if maybe he overstepped a boundary, but then she broke out into a sly grin of her own. “Do it again.”
Thorax’s grin grew and happily he obliged. “Behold, the Great and Powerful Trixie, magician mare extraordinaire, here to wow and amaze you all with her spectacular magical powers of unparalleled magnitude, never before seen at any time in the history of Equestria, and never will appear again for the remainder of history!” he declared in Trixie’s voice, now adding in her own manner of speech to the imitation.
It was impressive enough that it sent the more than amused Trixie into a fit of ecstatic and loud giggles, infectious enough that Thorax couldn’t help but join in. Well aware that there were others trying to sleep elsewhere on the otherwise quiet airship though, they both tried to suppress these giggles to keep it semi-successfully quiet and not risk alerting the others, proceeding to shush each other back and forth. The shushing didn’t seem to help with the fit of giggles at first and if anything only spurred them on, but finally the two started to calm down again and a relative sense of silence descended upon the pair again.
Trixie regarded Thorax for a moment during this brief spell of silence, then with a grin, found she couldn’t resist. “Now do Ember.”
Thorax again obliged. “I am Dragon Lord Ember, proud leader of the dragons, and I am always grumpy and rude, because it is the dragon way to be grumpy and rude, so there!” he remarked in the dragoness’s voice, mimicking the sarcastic and critical tone the two had both so quickly come to be familiar with from the dragon lord.
This again sent them into a fit of giggles that they had to hurry and suppress before they got too loud and disturbed someone.
“Ooh boy,” Trixie remarked as they calmed down yet again, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes, “Are we ever tired if we’re this amused by this!”
“Very,” Thorax agreed with a nod, and again turned for the door. “In which case, we should try to get some sleep. I don’t wish to keep you up too long.”
“Yeah, probably a good idea I do the same too,” Trixie replied with a nod of her own. She grinned a little. “But at least that all helped to…lighten the mood a little.”
Thorax had to grin a bit himself, finding she was right. “Are you going to be able to get to sleep okay, then?” he paused to ask, nevertheless still concerned about that.
Trixie waved the matter aside though. “Aw, well, don’t worry yourself on my account, I’ll still manage fine in the end, promise,” she assured, and she certainly sounded confident…though she couldn’t hide the scent of her own concern from the changeling. Thorax found it was faint enough though that he opted not to comment on it this time, allowing Trixie to continue speaking. “You just make sure you do the same. So have a good night, Thorax.”
“And you,” Thorax returned as he stood at the door, looking back at her. “Informis Una bono somno tibi tribuit.”
Trixie furrowed her brow at the unfamiliar phrase. “Huh?”
“Oh,” Thorax said, realizing his error, putting one hoof to his mouth as he faced her fully, turning away from the still-closed door. “Sorry, I let myself lapse into my native language for a second there.” He was actually a little surprised at himself for it. He generally only did so in the presence of Spike, seeing the dragon was aware of Thorax’s true nature, or when grumbling under his breath…neither of which quite applied here.
Trixie didn’t seem to notice this in her own surprise though. “Wait, so, Equestrian isn’t your first language?”
“Oh no, but it’s not surprising for a changeling to be multi-lingual. Obviously, when outside the hive we generally just try to keep that to ourselves so to maintain our own cover.” Thorax grinned. “I’ve taught Spike a few phrases though…so I suppose I’ve just gotten in the habit of slipping into the language around trusted friends, especially when not in disguise.”
“Aw,” Trixie teased, catching the implication that Thorax considered her a trusted friend.
Thorax merely grinned at the gentle jab before pressing on, a bit more serious now. “I really should know better than to do that though, as not everyone I meet is going to know linguae mutationis obviously, and a good changeling would know better than to slip up like that in public. It would only risk giving them away to potential foes.” He shook his head. “But at any rate, it was just my way of wishing you good night, that’s all.”
“Yeah okay, but, what exactly did you say?” Trixie asked. “Because that wasn’t just you saying ‘good night,’ was it? It sounded like there were too many words for that.”
Thorax let out a single, soft, chuckle. “There were. The approximate translation is, ‘the Shapeless One grant a good sleep to you.’”
Trixie tilted her head at the changeling. “Shapeless One?” she repeated, curious. “Who or what is the Shapeless One?”
Thorax, surrendering to the fact that their conversation wasn’t over yet after all, decided to leave the door (still closed) and again approached the side of the bed Trixie laid upon. “You know, I was actually wondering if anyone was ever going to ask me that,” he admitted as he walked. “Not even Spike’s really asked, and I’m certain he’s heard me mention the Informis Una more than once before. But I suppose he’d know enough of the language now that he could’ve pieced out the basics for himself out of the context…” Noticing Trixie’s rapt attention, he tilted his head back at her. “This interests you?”
“Kind of, yeah,” Trixie admitted, though she sounded unsure of herself, like she wasn’t sure why it had caught her attention. She shrugged. “It’s a clue about your nature, the ever mysterious changeling culture, and I suppose I’m just trying to learn more about it, for my own benefit. In a way…I’m sort of learning more about you…in a roundabout sort of manner. But I guess Starlight and her studies with Twilight might’ve rubbed off a little on me, too. I did overhear Twilight remark once that the best way to understand someone is to understand the culture they hail from, and, for once, I have to admit she had a point with that.” She paused, considering the matter, but then added, “Well, either that or it’s because of Sky Trek. You know they do this sort of thing all the time in the books.”
Thorax chuckled. “I suppose they do,” he said. “I’m just surprised, is all. No one’s shown interest before.”
“Then Trixie will be the first,” the showmare decided with a note of pride. She settled herself into a more comfortable position on the bed. “So who is this Shapeless One, or In-foam-miss Oonah?”
Thorax frowned at her mispronunciation of the changeling words. “Informis Una,” he corrected. “And according to legend, she is the one who brought about the creation of the changelings, in addition to most other life.”
Trixie perked up as she caught on. “You mean it—or she—is some kind of deity?”
“Of a sort, I suppose,” Thorax conceded, but it sounded like he generally didn’t think of it that way.
This only piqued Trixie’s curiosity further. “So…how and why did the In…Inforum-mis Una…” she wrinkled her snout as she struggled to pronounce the foreign name, “…create…well, everything?”
“There’s a bit of a tale to that,” Thorax explained, and the changeling considered how to best convey it to the magician in terms she could understand. “I suppose the best way to explain it would probably be how I was taught back when I was a hatchling, with the aid of visuals.” He turned his head to scan the room idly. “I just need a good, flat and level, surface to cast the images on…” Unfortunately, because so much of the free space in cabin was utilized as much as possible in some manner for use on the airship, namely that of cabinets or drawers for storage space, he wasn’t finding such a surface flat enough to project the desired visuals on. That is, until he thought to look down at his hooves the smooth floor of the cabin he stood upon. “The deck will have to do,” he said and now turned to look for someplace to stand or sit so he himself wouldn’t be in the way while Trixie watched. He glanced back at the bed and decided getting up on it would be the best option. He proceeded to mount the edge of the mattress so to hop atop of it, but then paused and glanced at Trixie already atop of the bed. “…if you don’t mind.”
“Nah, knock yourself out,” Trixie said in an indifferent tone, and scooted closer to the far edge of the bed so to give the changeling plenty of room.
Once she had, Thorax jumped up onto the bed and turned himself around so he faced the rest of the cabin like Trixie did, keeping himself at the other far edge of the bed and leaving a respective space between himself and Trixie. Once he was settled, he turned his attention to the floor and lit his horn. Soon his magic was shaping cyan-colored images projected onto the floor in front of them, the first taking the shape of a regal-looking changeling queen. Trixie, intrigued by the spell Thorax was using, immediately started to think about the sort of things she could use such a spell for in her magic shows, but was quickly distracted from that line of thought as Thorax began to speak with a tone of reverence.
“According to legend,” Thorax began while Trixie watched the magical projections on the floor, “Informis Una, the Shapeless One, is the very first changeling, the mother and creator of all subsequent changelings, and a queen of limitless age and untold power, far more powerful than that of Princess Celestia or Princess Luna combined. An extreme adopter of changeling nature, she has no definite shape, no permanent physical form, and instead was continually changing shape and form to become anything she wished on demand.” As he said this, the image of the changeling queen started to shift, transforming into a variety of new shapes at random every few seconds. “It is said there are no limits to her shapeshifting abilities, and she could turn into and be literally anything she wants, even become the mountains, the seas, or the stars in the sky, if not the sky itself, as she desired.” The shapes the image projected on the floor was making started to become increasingly and increasingly more complex or immense in scope.
“Hence the name,” Trixie said, catching on. She moved her eyes off the image to glance at Thorax for confirmation, “Shapeless One.”
Thorax nodded, returning the glance briefly, before moving his attention back to the magical projections he was casting so to continue the tale. “In the beginning, many millennia ago,” he went on, the image returning to the shape of a changeling queen, “the Shapeless One had the whole of the universe to herself, free to use as she desired, but she was also very alone. She found that all she could do was of no worth unless she had someone to share them with.” The image of the changeling queen started to zip around the open space of the floor, as if looking for something. “She searched every corner of existence for some kind of companion, but found none. Therefore, she decided that if she couldn’t find any companions, she would make her own. And knowing they would need someplace to live, she transformed herself so to take on the shape of the very world we live upon now.”
As Trixie watched, captivated, the cyan image cast on the floor centered itself in the middle of the surface before turning into a side view of a vast stretch of terrain, looking like it was a rough approximation of Equestria. “So wait,” she interrupted, wanting to make sure she understood this right. “According to the changelings, the entire world we’re living on right now, is actually a super powerful changeling queen that has simply assumed the shape of that world?”
Thorax grinned at Trixie’s slightly incredulous tone. “Quite,” he answered simply, and pressed on with the tale. “Once she had become a lush and habitable world good enough to support her eventual creations, she proceeded to weave her magic and from the land sprang up the life we know now.” One by one, shapes of common living beings started to appear on the land the image had taken shape of. “The ponies, the griffons, and so on…she made all of these and more so to populate the world she had created, and for them to help shape the cultures in the desired realms as she wanted. However, out of all of these, only one was created bearing the gift of being able to change shape like her.”
“The changelings,” Trixie filled in, watching entranced as the other creations on the land displayed in front of her were pushed aside so the shape of a general changeling, not unlike Thorax, could appear in the center of the lineup.
Again Thorax nodded, and now the image all cleared away leaving only the shape of a single nut—an acorn. “It is said that for the changelings, the Shapeless One prepared a special kind of acorn blessed with her magic and planted it into the fertile soil of the world she had become.” The image of the acorn descended suddenly until it vanished into the depth of a patch of earth. “Under her nurturing care, that acorn sprouted and grew into a towering and healthy plant that, upon maturing, cracked open and from that plant the first changelings on this world sprang forth and joined the population.”
As the image cast on the floor before her played out all of these events, Trixie furrowed her brow. “The first changelings came from a plant?” she asked.
“An extremely special one,” Thorax confirmed with a nod. The image on the floor reset back to the original acorn. “The first acorn, of course, was filled with the Shapeless One’s magic and love—said to be part of the reason why we changelings must still feed on such love to survive—but all acorns are believed to be carriers of an aura of wisdom and knowledge, gifts from the Shapeless One meant to help guide the changelings she had created through their lives so they can fulfill their full potential. According to legend, the especially blessed can even receive prophecies from the acorns.”
Trixie studied the image of the acorn cast on the floor, taken aback by the sincerity of Thorax’s words. It was clear to her that he really believed there was truth to this legend. She scooted a little closer to the changeling, closing the gap between them some. “They’re that important to changelings, huh?” she asked in a soft tone.
“They’re sacred,” Thorax assured gently, who didn’t react to Trixie moving closer. The images kept shifting as he spoke, showing changelings collecting and then scattering acorns. “We changelings hold all acorns in high regard, because we never know if one of them might be blessed to bring forth a new generation of changelings like that first acorn had. So when they fall from the trees that produced them, we collect them and, yearly, go forth and scatter them as far as we can, in hopes they will become planted in the earth and possibly receive the nurture they need to grow either more acorns blessed with the aura of enlightenment, or more changelings still as the first had.” The image changed again to show a whole valley of oak trees, all bearing more acorns. “The hive has a whole grove of acorn trees located nearby that we maintain and care for, partly for that purpose, and partly to give us a place to go to meditate and ponder. Some even pray. Before I left the hive, that grove was always my favorite place to visit…a place to find some peace and calm, escaping the trouble and ridicule I routinely faced in the hive.” Thorax’s expression took on a solemn look. “There were days where I wished I never had to leave that grove and the peace it brought me.”
“Wow,” Trixie mumbled, humbled slightly by Thorax’s words. She had never thought before that the changelings might be in any way religious, and was now upon learning that they were found this put them in a whole new light for her. She gazed at the image of the acorn grove cast on the floor for a long moment as she mulled upon all of this information. Eventually, she found she had a question. “You said the Shapeless One granted the ability to change shape only to the changelings,” she noted aloud. “As if that was something she did deliberately.”
“Indeed,” Thorax said, nodding his head as the image changed back to the view of the land populated by the changelings and the many other creatures that lived upon it. “The belief is that she so blessed the changelings like this for a great purpose, with the intent that they would use those abilities to help bring about change among her creations she had set upon this world in accordance with her plans for the future.”
“What sort of plans?”
“That depends on who you ask,” Thorax’s tone turned firm while weaving his magic around the image in preparation to change it. “Most of my fellow changelings are of the belief that this means the changelings are meant to be the superior creation, and are supposed to, in time, obtain dominion over the world and all other life placed upon it, seizing full power and sole control over them.” As he spoke, the image shifted so that more and more changelings appeared in the land until all the other creatures were pushed out of sight and only the changelings remained. The image sent a chill down Trixie’s spine, shuddering at the implications of such a thing. “They see things like the fact that we are limited in power because we must feed on emotion as a sort of test to surpass and prove our worth and strength to the Informis Una by overcoming those limitations and overpowering the rest.” But then Thorax went on as the image reset back to the original view of the world, grinning slightly to himself. “But you can’t get peace that way, not a true and lasting, eternal, peace, at least. So, I’ve come to wonder lately if, instead, that purpose is to bring about unity with that ability, to be the ones that can be the…missing link in getting all these many races and species on this world to interact and relate with one another.” The image shifted to show the changelings turning and interacting with the other races instead of trying to overpower them. “Sometimes I wonder if that was why the Informis Una made us so we must feed on emotions…so we have to keep the others close, because we need them to survive, give us a chance to work with them and get to know them as companions. After all, it would be so much easier if we could get that sustenance voluntarily, without their fear…so why not make them allies, so we can all work, coexist, and cooperate together as equals?” Thorax’s grin grew. “Like friends…as what I’ve seen the ponies do, and what I wish the other changelings could do too.”
He gazed longingly at the images he projected at the floor as the changelings intermixed with the other life in the world, befriending them. “It was partly that thought that was one of my inspirations to leave the hive in the first place, to come to Equestria in search for friends of my own. I thought that if I could learn how it worked for myself, I could bring it back to my fellow changelings and then they could see the benefits, to see we didn’t have to steal, and lie, and destroy just to get by when we could all live as one…and help each other…and all have the chance to thrive…and in peace. It was my hope that they would then be motivated to try and make all of this a reality.”
He motioned to the images he cast on the floor, but just as quickly proceeded to shake his head, turning wistful. “Can’t you picture it? The friendship, the love, the peace…we would no longer need to be enemies with each other that way…and if you have no enemies, you can always be guaranteed peace, true peace. Think of the things we could accomplish then, working together! Just look at myself and where I’ve gotten…I would not be here now without the scant few friends that I’ve made, I may not even be alive still…yet despite everything and the dangers I still face…here I am. Alive. Despite everyone saying it cannot be, that no changeling could befriend another…I’ve done it. And the rewards are…staggering…it’s…hard to see how I could have ever have survived without them…it leaves me baffled that so many are so…blind that they fail to see the bigger picture of what we could be doing and achieving. It’s a vision that is so far from becoming a reality and yet I have still managed to taste it, and it is beyond description. And I just want to…share that. So we can all see, so we can all taste of this good, so we can all receive the same benefits…and more.” He gazed longingly at the images he cast on the floor, wishing they were real. “I see a world that could be free of conflict and foes…where it’s all for each other, the wealth shared and equal, so we all benefit…where we can all coexist and be friends, neighbors, who help each other, who don’t war with each other because there’s no reason to.”
He shook his head slowly. “And I just can’t believe the Informis Una, after she herself so selflessly has done so much for us, would want us to settle for anything less than that. It’s all well within our reach…we just have to stop trying to always one-up each other and instead help each other to get it. I’ve thought about it long and hard, and as far as I can see, it is only that one thing that is keeping this from becoming reality.”
He continued to gaze at the images he continued to cast in the floor, the movements looping so they repeated, lost in such deep thought while regarding this vision, that for a moment he forgot all about where he was and who he was with. But it was all brought jarringly back to him when he suddenly felt Trixie gently leaning her head on his shoulder, gazing at the images still herself. A glance down at her and he was surprised to see she was blinking back tears.
“That was beautiful, Thorax,” she whispered softly, moved by the changeling’s words.
Thorax gazed down at her, sensing her stirred emotions, unaware that Trixie could likewise sense some of Thorax’s own passion for the subject. He was momentarily at a loss for words, pleased yet stunned he had such an unintended effect on the mare. “Thank you,” he murmured finally, the only thing he could think to say.
There was a pause then Trixie continued. “I can see why you’re so bothered about Spike, then…you two haven’t really been getting towards that goal much lately, have you?”
Thorax averted his gaze sadly and didn’t reply. But he also made no effort to deny it.
Trixie, meanwhile, was lost in her own thoughts, shocked and moved by just how expansive a vision for the future Thorax had. And it was indeed a wonderful vision…in that moment, stirred as she was, it was hard to see how anyone wouldn’t want that and how it hadn’t already been made to come to pass. She tilted her head up at the changeling, whose gaze had gone back to the dancing images he continued to cast on the floor, lost in his own thoughts. It occurred to her this wasn’t just any changeling. Thorax was different…truly unique, perhaps. She wondered if he was even aware of just how significant he actually was, how important he and what he sought to do was.
Her mind then proceeded to wonder about her own interactions with this changeling as well, and she was finding herself somewhat ashamed that she had ever thought that him being a changeling altered things. This was clearly the same exact person she had met by pure chance, bumping into him in the store and in the spur of the moment deciding to invite him to one of her shows. She was immensely glad she did too, and found herself wondering where they’d all be if she hadn’t. At any rate, she decided she’d be a fool to think any less of Thorax just because he was a changeling. That fact simply didn’t even apply to the matter.
So then she wondered about just what Thorax was to her.
She frowned as she felt her cheek resting against Thorax’s chitinous shoulder. She had figured that the chitin would be hard and cold, like resting one’s head against a dinner plate, but in reality, it was certainly firmer than skin, but not so hard that it didn’t give and bend just enough under the weight of Trixie’s head to make it comfortable. It was also warm, and Trixie was surprised to notice she could just barely feel Thorax’s pulse through it, a thought that gave her pause. She glanced up at the changeling’s face again, studying it, especially his solid blue eyes. It certainly occurred to her that, being two very different species, they had very little alike. So what was it about Thorax that made him so…endearing, despite all that?
Trixie decided she had changed her mind about holding off on broaching the subject. “Thorax,” she began softly. “Just…what are we, you and me?”
Thorax was quiet for a moment, internally debating while not moving his gaze away from the magical images projected on the floor. “We’re friends,” he answered, not daring to speculate further.
“Well, of course we are,” Trixie said with a smirk, as if it didn’t even need discussing. It heartened Thorax some to hear her say that. “But…are we just friends?”
Thorax again took his time before he replied. His gaze turned especially distant during this, but also conflicted. “I don’t know,” he admitted finally. “I wish I did…but I don’t.” He glanced down at Trixie leaning on his shoulder. “Do you?”
Trixie thought about it for a long moment, and was frustrated by the lack of an answer she uncovered. “No,” she said, almost sadly. She shook her head slightly. “It’s just…all felt like it’s happened so fast…I didn’t even get a chance to register what was happening until I was already in knee-deep.”
Thorax blinked his eyes a couple times as he considered that, finding with a sigh he was in agreement with that assessment. And it was with that in mind that he decided to say something he was actually a little surprised to feel so compelled to say. “Then perhaps we need to just leave it at that for now, not just for the sake of the others but ourselves as well…so to give us time to…figure it out some more first.”
Trixie turned the idea over in her head, and knew he was right. “Yeah,” she agreed. “Yeah, a little more time is what we need. That’s a good idea.” She went quiet for a second, but then added, “Just so long as we’re still friends.”
Thorax grinned to himself. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, Trixie.”
“Darn straight you wouldn’t,” Trixie agreed with a jesting grin of her own.
They fell silent again as they continued to watch Thorax’s magical projections on the floor, lost in thought. That is until Thorax heard a faint snore and glanced down to see that Trixie had dozed off while still leaning on his shoulder. He grinned a melancholy smile to himself.
“Informis Una bono somno tibi tribuit, Trixie,” he murmured aloud to himself, continuing to gaze at his magical projections while peacefully permitting Trixie to continue to rest against him.
So first off, I want to acknowledge the ongoing comments about the pacing at present in the story. In the end, the views on this matter seem to have roughly averaged out at about half and half. Half seemed to take issue with it, half seemed to support it as-is. Regardless, I've read through, and in some cases re-read, all of these comments and kept them in consideration pretty much the whole time since I posted the last chapter last week. I agree with the assessment that the pacing in the story at the moment is not very ideal, at least not with mind for the climax it is supposed to be building up to now, and as such, I did indeed consider editing out potentially whole chapters from the story in an attempt to try and hurry things along.
But ultimately, I have opted not to cut out anything, and instead continue posting as I had originally planned regardless of the pacing issue, and there are a number of reasons why I chose this. The next three chapters have been a...real effort to write, and have taken constant editing to get into a state I was satisfied with, generating a lot of frustration, to the point that I've been working on them for so long now, I'm just done trying to work with them any further, and I'm ready to just move on writing-wise and continue on writing the rest of the story, which hasn't been progressing as much as I'd like because of all of this. This left me in no mood to go through and undergo potentially lengthy edits again for the sake of trying to speed the story along a little.
Another reason is that in reviewing the material I could cut, I was finding little I could cut without compromising a chapter's entire reason for existence, and after spending so long editing them, I loathed cutting out whole chapters as that meant weeks of work that would ultimately have been for nothing and thus a waste of time. Not very good for my morale, frankly, and I was getting very stressed about this matter. And ultimately, I had to step back and tell myself I didn't need to get so stressed out about it, because ultimately it's just a fanfic, will always be a fanfic, and never will it be anything but that, and in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't likely to bring about big change no matter if it succeeded or failed. It wasn't really worth fretting so much about it. And as it was increasingly becoming clear to me that these chapters probably never will be fully "perfect" no matter how much I tried, I felt that maybe it was better to just cut my losses, admit the mistake, and just press on, hoping I can still make up for it further on in the story once we've moved past this lull point in the story.
Further still, I had to remind myself that my buffer of completed chapters has been running thin because of this prolonged period writing and editing this one section of the story, and I realized that if I DID have to cut things out, that would only further deplete that buffer, and most likely would've left me with only one chapter left, one that wasn't even yet complete at the time, and that meant I'd either have to put the story on another hiatus--something I've been trying to avoid--or kill the regular posting schedule I've so proudly maintained thus far and just post whenever there's a chapter ready...neither very desirable, so as I saw it, it was a lose-lose situation for me anyway.
But above all, in reading all of these comments on the matter, I still walked away with a sense that most, even the criticizers, were willing to accept whatever choice I made on this matter, even if it wasn't a choice they personally agree with, with a number figuring that most of you would probably keep following the story regardless because, in their words, "it's just that good," apparently. And this willingness to support and trust me as a writer has certainly helped, and it was probably rather passionate comment on the matter that I read just today that helped seal my choice...I would proceed as I originally planned, because given the circumstances, that just seemed like the best thing I could do right now. Not the perfect choice, but the best I can give right now.
Apologies to those that don't care for this choice and rather I cut to the chase, but I hope you'll stick with me regardless. We don't have much longer on this lull point in the story to go, and once we're past this, I think (or at least hope) the pacing will fix itself and things will progress better and more to everybody's liking. We still have big things that are yet to come in this story, after all. 
As for the chapter itself...I've mentioned this before, but the whole Thorax/Trixie thing wasn't really planned, and as I've gone about writing it, it has continued to not go as I had originally expected it, and as such have stopped trying to force it to meet my expectations, and instead let the characters direct where it goes. In the past, this has led the Thorax/Trixie thing to just get bigger and bigger...so I was a little surprised to find Thorax and Trixie basically choosing to friendzone themselves in this chapter...but we'll see if it lasts.
On the subject of the Informis Una, I kept expecting somebody to ask at some point for a greater explanation about that, especially as I know for a fact that not all of you have taken the time to translate the Latin. But nobody ever did (hence Thorax's comment about wondering if "anybody would ever ask about that"). So I figured I'd bring it up in-story, and it worked out well for me, because it also gave Thorax a chance to open up, and I mean really open up, about his thoughts and views and what sort of future he hopes to help bring about someday, and let him be fully passionate about it for a change, and demonstrating that, really, he's been holding back all this time. And as a result, it feels like this gives power to his vision, making it feel like a real and tangible thing that, maybe one day, could really be achieved. And that just seemed touching.
Finally, this chapter does also sort of "set the scene" for the next chapter...which I imagine can't be too hard to guess how...
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I don't really care about the pacing that much, if it's important then it's important. I'd expect this story to be more than 100 chapters anyways.
F*CK!
Well I guess that would be reasonable enough if this was real life.
8471418
Yeah me too
You know what?! Who cares how long the story's going to be. I just love the conversations.
To me, it gets a little awkward when its a Thorax/Trixie conversation though.
But I still cant stop smirking!
Wow...this was really sweet. I really like how Trixie and Thorax interacted here, especially the ending. Granted, I wanted them to at least hug, but I feel this worked really well.
As for Thorax worrying about Spike...I don't know. Considering that the last chapter literally had a part where Thorax says that he believes that Twilight of all ponies can be swayed and Spike can forgive her, (I mean, COME ON! She went on a rampage to get you Thorax!) its obvious Thorax is a bit too hopeful in the whole equation. With that in mind, Thorax and Spike are not gonna get along as well anymore now that this is happening. And I think Thorax knows this, at least I hope he does since he seems to be super oblivious to a lot of stuff, but I don't think he can accept that. I just hope Thorax does eventually figure out that Spike isn't going to be repaired in this situation, as their talk earlier about Spike's hatred of Twilight shouldn't be enough to solve what is happening to Spike.
Eh, great chapter. Can't wait for more.
Contrary to what I have been saying the past few chapters this chapter's pacing is much better... and would have been perfect if the rising tension had been a bit better the past few chapters but enough of kicking the dead horse... its in the past and you summed it up perfectly in your AN.
Now I don't know if it was my passionate comment or not (in the scheme of things it doesn't matter if it was or not) its just good to see that it appears you are breathing, relaxing, and moving forward.
If I've come off as frustrated, then I'ma sorry. I am really enjoying this fic, and the level of detail you put into it really does suck me in. I guess I have been just hoping that things will speed up because I'm really looking forward to the inevitable confrontation between Spike and Twilight, and the amount of drama that will be created from it :)
Beautiful chapter!
Poor Spike. He feels like he is loosing his last friend. Maybe it would be best for Spike to stay with Dragons for a while. It could help him adjust and help things.
Good chapter love that you put detail in each chapter.
I never actually noticed the pacing issues until people began to criticize them. Even then, they don't bother me in the slightest (after all, the slower the pacing, the more story we get ;)). I'm enjoying this story a lot, thank you for hours of good reading.
So, changelings have their own Manifest Destiny?
This is a truly beautiful chapter in a story full of beautiful chapters. I really love the bit about the goddess of the changelings and it truly makes Thorax a unique changeling. I think the pacing is good as is it. Just make it the way you have planned along. I will be with this story to the very end and it will always have a special place in my library. I also still hope even if I am in the minority that Twilight and Spike will one day work this out. Otherwise both will be truly hurt in the end. They are more than friends and the destruction of such a bond hurts and changes people.
Until the next chapter then and have a wonderful day everyone.
On the topic of Spike not liking Trixie..........I can't remember if she has apologised for what she did to him back in Ponyville?...and I know she didn't really do much to him when compared to....say Twilight, but if someone used me as a Damn basket ball, I know I'd be pissed and the anger wouldn't just go away
This was beautiful!
Thorax is a true visionary!
Oaks. Acorns grow on oak trees, not "acorn trees".
On the "pacing issues". . .
It's not just about the pace. This story has an exposition-and-explanation problem. It's a problem when a chapter begins with a character introspecting (in the narrative, because we readers are all somehow psychic) in great detail upon some problem or some aspect of their situation, then corners another character and explains those thoughts to them all over again, and then at the end, in the author's notes, we get an extended meta-explanation of the two explanations that preceded.
And it really just goes on and on, chapter after chapter. The whole story is explaining and explaining and explaining, ad nauseam, and heaven forbid that any detail ever be left behind.
i still find thorax's mindset towards spike at it's core to be indescribably selfish, but at least i understand it better now.
8472772
Endless monologues and expositions can be a pacing problem, true, but man, that one in particular is just such a petty complaint. "A written medium gives you insight into the character's inner thought processes? Why, I never! How dare they."
8471418
I, for one, didn't. I had originally hoped to have the story all wrapped and finished in time for summer to begin. Clearly, that never happened.
8471465
To be fair, the Thorax/Trixie conversations are supposed to be a little awkward, if only because it's awkward for them too.
8471784
In a way, yes, and it's sort of fitting that you mentioned that, as I, like Thorax, am not a big fan of the manifest destiny mentality either (which, looking around at America, I find sort of lives on even today, though it's moved on to focus more on a ideological-based expansion rather than a physical expansion).
8472490
He really always has been. The show downplays it so to not make a big hullabaloo out of it, and Thorax is very humble and a tad private about it too, but I caught on very quickly that Thorax always basically was a visionary among the changelings...which I think is part of what about him as a character that appeals to me so much.
8472735
Oh, I know. Here, however, changelings more typically refer to them as acorn trees. This was something I decided to implement a long time back, but now that you mention it, I don't believe I've precisely clarified this in-story. Note to self. Actually though, I'm more surprised you're mentioning it now--this hasn't been the first time Thorax has referred to them as acorn trees.
8472772
Well, I'll readily admit that I do tend to ramble a bit in the author's notes, but those are really meant to be more of a "director's commentary" on the story and are not necessarily mandatory reading, so there's that.
As for the exposition, I won't deny that I've probably overdone it on occasion in the story, but the problem with too much and too little detail in a story is rather arbitrary, depending on both reader and writer, and there is no hard-set line draw between the two. One reader's "just right" is another's "too much or too little," and the ongoing conversation on this matter only proves that, as there are those that are okay with it and those that take issue with it. Basically, there will probably always be occasional detractors, so the goal of the writer is instead to seek a spot where the majority can be content enough with what is given. With "Grief," reflecting back on all the reader input on the story on a whole, it has it's rough spots, but on average, readers seem satisfied enough with the amount of content the story presents altogether, which is why it's referred to more as a pacing problem for this particular spot of the story--at this point in the story, this amount of exposition seems more hindering than progressive. A point I am inclined to agree with, but again, I decided it was better for me as the writer to simply concede the point and press on regardless.
Anyway, Wlam (8473003) is probably more correct in calling it a "show vs tell" issue, which is not quite the same thing as what you're describing, as it's not so much the amount of exposition that is the problem but rather how it is presented. And that is an ongoing process for me as I seek the right spot between show and tell that I am both comfortable with and is still pleasurable for the average reader, and again, largely trial and error chiefly because different people have different ideas about that.
It also may be worthwhile to note that I write not so much with consideration of what the reader or even the writer already know, but rather what the characters involved in the scene already do or do not know. As such, if a given character doesn't already know a certain detail, I will sometimes feel inclined to repeat it for their benefit, because to me, that strikes me as what you'd do in real life, and thus logical to keep into consideration in a story. I will hazard to bet that most of the instances where I get heavy or redundant on the exposition loop back in on this philosophy. Like many aspects of my writing style though, it's a work in progress and subject to probable change in the future. Indeed, I don't expect to ever reach a "static" point in the evolution of my writing style, and hope I never do, as I think that would only be limiting to me as a writer...but that's a subject for another day.
8471705
The italics problem has been mentioned to me a couple times before. It seems especially prevalent in chapters in which either the emotions are especially intense, or is a chapter I've gone through and edited repeatedly, as I've noticed I tend to go back and add more italics after the fact if given the chance. I've already been working at trying to adopt a more conservative usage of them.
8472140
On the official map of Equestria, the Griffish Isles are shown to contain Trottingham as well, and seem to be meant to parallel the real-world British Isles in terms of culture, so I just built off that idea.
Since "The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone," I've found the griffons have taken on a more Slavic-like image in appearance, with the culture playing loosely into actual griffon mythology, canon-wise.
Keep doin what you're doing. I mean...
I guess, I do have to say some of these chapters are rather long winded. That's probably the best way I'd describe it.
However, a lot of what you're delivering is valuable stuff to have.
And I'm excited to have more drama on the way, since I like dealing with that.
8473551
This has all you need to know on the subject, but short answer is that sulfonamide medicines, better known as sulfa drugs, are chemically unrelated to sulfides and sulfates and thus, no, would not be adequate terms to describe it.
It's altogether a reference to allergies involving sulfa drugs, which I happen to have.
8473584
Interesting! Thanks for the explanation. I'm a chem student, but this isn't something I've run into before. I've had to take antivirals a few times, so I can sympathize with how much of a pain that must be.
8473203
I imagine the griffons are fairly European, with all the variety that implies. I mean didn't we have a French griffon in Gustav the pastry chef? It's been a while so I may recall incorrectly. The British-Griffish Isles are pretty obvious parallels. Then you go mainland/further east and the associations tend to line up I think? Also, that map you linked is tiny.
One last funny has been set up, and then on to the ACTION. Also, the whole set up for getting Thorax in the room with Trixie had me giggling because in any other story I would have been expecting a biology lesson to follow instead of a theology lesson.
8471539
You'd best let Queen Elizabeth II know that then, because the phrase comes from a statement she made when addressing 9/11. I picked it as a title because it applied to the overall theme of the story, and it sounded slightly poetic in tone...so I guess yes, it is a bit purple prose-y, but that was what I was looking for in a title. *shrug*
8474165
Good thing we don't know anyone like that hanging around here, eh?
8474194
And that's pretty much why I've avoided getting Discord involved in the story, because I didn't think I could implement him into it better than this without messing up my plans for the story or ending up grossly underutilizing him. Plus, maybe he can't literally snap his claws and make everything better, but he's still powerful enough to meddle more than he ought to and turn the whole matter on its head unadvisedly...which he's totally shown he's willing and able to do in the past, so there is still some truth to the "he's too OP" adage. Still, all of this just makes me all the more confident that I made the right choice deciding to keep him mostly out of this.
8475209
You...won't be the only one that's going to think that...
8476427
Well, I wanted the craft to be able to achieve a reasonable speed for my purposes in the story, so I did select a realistic speed from the higher end of the spectrum for that purpose. But I also figure that, unlike us humans, Equestria seems to be more reliant and specialized on airship technology and I'd imagine would have the technology required both more refined, and backed up with magic where needed, so for such a craft to be capable of achieving such a speed doesn't seem so unreasonable to me in their world.
Besides...this most recent episode of the show featured an airship that was able to go from Canterlot to Cloudsdale, back to Canterlot, and then to the Crystal Empire in roughly a little longer than a minute, so going from that, I'd say those things can get around in their world.
8476456
True, but keep in mind that the average changeling (excluding Thorax) tends to think of themselves on a different level from those that they prey on as to them, they're little more than food, so the idea of engaging in a relationship with one would be, to them, like making out with a sandwich would be for us, and thus seems a little weird and usually not too encouraged in the hive...though I wouldn't go as far as say it's all-out "taboo" for them.
And as will soon be revealed in a not-yet posted chapter, Thorax isn't the first changeling to enter this sort of situation.
8476747
I agree, personally. Especially with magic in the game, this certainly isn't unrealistic, considering that I routinely drive faster than that on the Autobahn by quite a lot. I said that more because I think that without a frame of reference, it doesn't quite come across just how high-end of a craft that really is. "Bargain" doesn't even cover it anymore. That's like one of those 500K leisure yachts for rich fuckers. It's an outright steal.
Might be a matter of perspective, I guess. I grew up in the country and I've seen some weird shit be necessary for animal husbanding. Like, "artificial insemination on cows" weird. Now there's an uncomfortable situation for everyone involved.
They're parasitic bug things, I could see that be compatible with whatever strange and alien ethics they must have. It's your story, though. Just my thoughts on it all.
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For now, the current ideology followed by the changeling race as a whole is parasitic, but Thorax's ideals would create a relationship more in line with mutualism or, at worst, commensalism.
However, there might be some that would argue that the Matrix-esque changeling pod experience is not harmful, and actually beneficial to one's health and wellness from a purely biological perspective, and responsible rationing prevents harm from overfeeding, thus meaning they are actually not harming the other party and therefore not actually parasitic.
I am not one such person though.
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I doubt that most of the people they lock in those pods without their consent would agree... But parasitism has nothing to do with harm, strictly speaking, it's a taxonomical category. They take nourishment from other living creatures without killing them. Biologically, that's parasitism. That it may not cause more real harm than a flea bite (or less, even) is somewhat immaterial to that.
"Commensalism" means feeding on the leftovers of another creature's meals, like smaller fishes munching down on whatever falls to the ground when a shark rips something apart. They might become symbiotic, but that implies actually offering something beneficial in the relationship.
Then again, parasites are literally the most common and most successful type of life on this planet, so it's not like that's much of a value judgment to begin with. Humans can actually live solely off of cattle blood without ever killing them, if we want to. People have done that.
Okay, so Thoxie is finally confirmed to happen one day unless Scypthi wants the story to become one day one of those grimdark pone tales where basicly evryone dies at the end and the protagonist/his love is left horribly disfigured.
Why did noone wonder in detail how this chapter sets up the next one? Or is it too obvious that Thorax is going to fall asleep with Trixie and theey're going to be discovered in the morning with drama and jokes ensuing. And we just HAVE TO have Starlight asking Trixie for changeling reproductive organ details... that would be too funny...
Glad to hear you're not cutting anything out. I look forward to reading more of this wonderful work.
Ha! I started reading the latest chapter, and what do you know, I’ve already read it ona different device while I wasn’t signed in!
I'm only, like, a billion days late reading this. But, I am at least here. Very good chapter, and I was kinda wondering when you would ship them. I so hope it floats.
And while I'm thinking about the length... Celestia's butt symbol, this is long! When it first started, I expected something in the 80-120k words, not 420k! Don't worry, I'm not complaining. I am just surprised. And I have loved every minute of reading this.
Also, if you ever need to take a break from writing this, it's completely understandable. You have kept an impressive schedule.
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If it helps, I didn't expect for it to end up so long either.
I hope Thorax and Trixie both collapse from exhaustion the instant they step foot into the hive for wasting my time these last few chapters. Making kissy faces instead of going to BED. What are they, teens or something? Gross.
Ten bucks the next chapter starts with some comedic scene of Starlight walking in on Thorax and Trixie sleeping in the same bed.
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I mean, they are, in my mind at least, around 25. That's pretty close to teen age.
*dies from cuteness* That... was beautiful. Just beautiful. This Story is simply amazing. The character interactions are simply unparalleled. I gotta keep going!!!
Peace is a lie, Thorax, there is only passion.
You should leave a translation blurb in the authors comments for those who have no clue what is being said when thorax or whoever uses that weird language that he uses
I have to admit, and meaning no unkindness by it, but nothing hurts a work more than an author shoveling so much blather and jabberwocky at the readers that they'd rather stop reading than have to plow through the author's stream of consciousness. The premise of this work deterred me but I gave it a chance and was won over.
And then you put them on the airship and laid on the brakes as hard as you could.
At this point, the story is stopped dead. Nothing important is happening, nothing enlightening is being said, nothing interesting is there to read, and I've taken to scrolling through the chapters reading a few words every other paragraph in case something is going on. It's too late to revise the work now, since it's done, but as of now, your story has about 70,000 words of nothing but bloat. Take it from an author whose greatest weakness is a tendency to endlessly bloviate and shovel extraneous details at my readers just because my own headspace is interesting to me: it is a serious weakness that needs to be overcome or you'll start either shedding readers at warp speed, or your readers will just ignore days and weeks worth of hard work as they bulldoze their way through a blizzard of irrelevant to get at the part that's fun, interesting, and energetic.
Oh no! She's turning into a zebra! Quick, we need 50 CCs of stripe remover, STAT!
Speaking of which, based on stuff I know is coming and stuff that already happened, there are still 4 parts of Thorax's prophecy I haven't figured out:
None of those quotes match future chapter titles or match previous events, from what I recall.
This chapter was a nice explanation of Informis Una, a great window into Changeling culture, and a great insight into Thorax's character. I love it.
Poor Spike...
.
*Soviet Anthem plays*
But seriously, great chapter
Loved the look into your ideas of changeling culture.