//------------------------------//
// Origins, Act 2 
// Story: The Changeling Chronicles 
// by Shadow Beast 
//------------------------------//


The Changeling Chronicles



Book 1: Origins



Author: Shadow Beast



Act 2:  Descending to Equestria

Chapter 1:  Echoes of an Ancient Civilization
As I made my way up to Canterlot tower, I only had one thought on my mind.  I waited outside the door, when my cue came I burst in.  There were others with me.  We began shifting our shapes to confuse the enemy.  A spear flew by my head, so I flew up to the guard and used my magic to destroy him.  Everything was going according to plan.  The guards were soon overrun.  Then Luna appeared before me.  I stopped.  Every thought was to kill, and I had to restrain myself from attacking the Lunar princess.  Then I noticed her eyes... terrifying, angry and glowing with powerful magic.  Her horn began glowing as I felt myself being lifted from the ground.  Regret filled my mind and my changeling wings began flapping as fast as they could go.  I tried to push through the magic, but she was too strong.  All I could think about was survival... “Is this the end?” constantly repeating through my head.  Luna smiled and as if she could read my mind she answered that question... “No,” she said... “This is only the beginning!”  With a bright flash, I found myself teleported... to my bed.  I looked up to see that the sun was facing... another Lunar cycle has passed and it was time to stop sleep and begin work.
My heart was racing as I tried to catch my breath... that was a horrible nightmare. I took a few deep breaths as I reassured myself that it was just a dream.  Wasn’t it just a dream?  The work day soon passed and I got very little done beyond simply surveying the Everfree sectors as I always do.  I tentatively attempted to get some extra sleep.  I hoped that a few extra Equestrian hours of sleep would help.  They didn’t.  The dream kept coming back... even worse than before.  The pattern of the dream was very linear, up until the confrontation with Luna.  Every night I had a harder and harder time resisting the attack reflex.  I began to journal what Luna would say to me as the dream ended:  “This is only the beginning.”  “You have failed.”  “Fear is all you shall know.”  “Canterlot will never fall to the changelings.”  Finally, sick of all the negatives, I fell asleep once more but this time I had a plan.  
I made my way up to Canterlot tower and waited for the cue.  Then we burst in and I took the form of a royal guard.  I then caught the spear in midair and impaled a fellow changeling on it.  It let out a kind of scream I had never heard before, even worse than Night Jumper’s howl in anger all those cycles ago.  The changeling didn’t die, and time seemed to slow down to almost a halt.   The changeling turned to me, and said in a feminine voice, “Foolish child, you would let Canterlot win this day...”  I pulled the spear from her abdomen as I pretended to listen.  I exposed my true form, and used my changeling hooves to lift the fallen changeling from the ground.  As she regained her balance, she leaned in close and whispered in my ear, “It is not too late.  Canterlot will fall, and I want you to be by my side when it happens.  The time of the queen is at hoof, and the princesses shall--” her voice got cut off as my spear sealed her mouth shut... permanently.  I brought her in closer, my changeling mouth right near her ear, and I yelled as loud as I could:  “YOU SAY ONE MORE THING ABOUT THE PRINCESSES AND IT’LL BE YOUR HEART!  YOU TRY TO SWAY ME WITH YOUR NIGHTMARES, DEMON! BUT YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND MY LOYALTY TO MY PRINCESS! YOU. WILL. NEVER. TAKE. CANTERLOT.”  I pulled the spear from her mouth, and sure enough she could talk again... freakin’ dreams... ugh.  I digress, but I kinda stopped listening to what she had to say, though I did catch a few terms that made this sound like a true threat.  As I controlled the elements of my dream now, I just used my magic to finish her off.  But the voice stayed.  Her last words before I awoke kept me wide awake for the few hours before my work started:  “You may have defeated me, but will your friends be so lucky?”  I sat awake in bed until we were over Equestria once again.  I had a job to do, but it was going to have to wait.  The princess would need to know about this.  I dared to guess that whatever was happening to me was also happening to every changeling in Palomoono and Equestria.  If what I thought was right, then it could jeopardize every changeling’s existence on the moon.  Especially if the others were not as strong, and tried to rise up... but that could never happen here on Palomoono, right?

Chapter 2:  The Dark Side of the Moon
        I had no idea how many cycles had passed since the nightmares began.  The closest lunar calendar was in the dining lounge, but changelings don’t have any need to go there unless it’s for zap apple jam.  So I went to the Stardust Reactor, I hoped that the additional walking would be made up for by the good energy coming from within.  As I trotted through the corridors that would lead me to the main hall, I began hearing pony voices.  There was never this much commotion, not when the dining lounge was open anyways... something must be going on in there.  But... these emotions weren’t something I could feed off of... whatever was going on in there was very, very wrong.  
        I hated large crowds, and the negative emotions wouldn’t weaken me... but I can’t... dang it, my curiosity is getting the best of me... isn’t it?  Dang... all right.  I suppose I can get my energy back in the Stardust Reactor.  So, what can I say? Of course I go in and investigate.  What did I find? A dead pony... wait, no he’s alive.  False alarm.  But he is barely hanging on. 
        The worst part of it was that the ponies surrounding our fallen comrade were... changelings.  Why would they do this?  This is horrible energy!  The broken glass on the floor indicated he was thrown from one of the offices above... how could this happen?  The Lunar Guards finally arrived, and they were genuine moon pegasi... during meal hours.  Why weren’t the changeling guards taking care of the situation? Did I miss something?  As I looked around, I saw a Lunar calendar... six lunar cycles had passed since my nightmares began, which was about... um, say 25 lunar cycles since Celestia left our humble hooves to celebrate the end of chaos.  It’s kind of funny, because I didn’t care that I was gone almost an entire Lunar week... somepony did something they shouldn’t have.  As the Lunar Guard split the sea of ponies in order to examine the broken pony, the changelings--still in moon pony forms--slowly, casually turned their heads toward the approaching guards.  I knew the guards could sort this out, plus this atmosphere was almost sickening.  So I turned to leave, I didn’t see the fighting.  I heard everything though, and the air around me became thick... my legs started to feel soft and darkness closed in around me as the world began to spin. I forced my legs to push me forward... and somehow managed to get out of the hall and back into the corridors.  It was as though a weight had been lifted from my body.  I could breathe, I could see, but I was still not at my best.  I trotted to the Stardust Reactor to meditate on the previous events... but my head became more clear as I trotted, and the words of the soldiers and changelings became more audible from my memory: 
“Get out of our way... we must pass!”
“You’re not going anywhere... he is ours now!  He belongs to the Queen!”
The Queen?  The changeling in my dream had also mentioned a “queen,” but the princesses are the rulers of moon and earth.  Who is this queen... queen? Queen.  No! Must get these thoughts out of my head! The reactor room is just around the corner... I must get there and meditate on the strength of this facility.  I turned the corner... the door was guarded by Lunar Guards--changelings.  They glared at me, but then a smile began to crease their faces.  The look in their eyes was... foreboding, to say the least.  I tried to look away, but that was a mistake.  There was writing on the walls... “the time of the queen is at hoof” was a common phrase among the many scrawlings that covered the walls, floor, and even ceiling.  I recognized way too many of them to be a coincidence... something bad was spreading through the changeling population, and every piece of evidence pointed back to that changeling in my nightmares.  If the guards attempted to stop them, it could spark a massive uprising.  My nightmares were coming true; I needed to get ready.  I needed into the reactor room, but I had no idea how I was going to get past the guards.
“You here to prepare?” the guard asked me.
“...prepare?  I-I... I just wanted to see the reactor is all...”
“Huh. Well, you can’t get in unless you are like us.”
“Like you? What is that supposed to mean?”
“If you are like us, then you have witnessed the queen’s power like us.  But you must show allegiance to her highness...”
“Excuse me?”
“That charcoal... use it to inscribe a part of her message to us on the walls.  Then we will know if you are a true witness.”
“And don’t write ‘the time of the queen is at hoof,’” the other guard interjected, “everypony puts that down and we need more prophecy on these walls!”
I took the charcoal with my magic.  As sloppily as I could, I wrote “This is only the beginning....”  I put the charcoal down and looked back at the two changelings. 
“That’s new.”
“Can I go inside now?”
“Do you swear your loyalty to the queen?”
“I swear my loyalty... to the true royalty.” 
“Ooh... you’re good at this.”  
“Why wouldn’t I be? She was very specific in my dreams...”
“You have proven that.  Please... enter.”
The guards stepped aside, and I casually trotted inside.  I was lucky that they wanted me to be a part of this.  If they hadn’t, they would have noticed that I never actually pledged loyalty to their queen nor had any reason to ever want to.  As I made my way into the main reactor room, I began to feel its strength.  However, it was not as strong as it used to be, and I wondered if there were other changelings farther in that were absorbing power too.  I found myself at the doors leading inside, but I did not realize what was waiting for me on the other side...

Chapter 3:  The Queen’s Armada
        I found myself in a room of changelings as far as I could see.  Not a single pony in sight.  I was greeted by one of the black creatures, who insisted that I show my true form in this “sacred hall.”  I really did not have a choice if I wanted a share of the power, so I exposed myself.  Every time I had done this before, there was always an emergency... this time there was nothing but relaxation, and I felt very... vulnerable.  As I stretched the wings I had forgotten I had, I realized that with my form gone it took longer to feed.  I began to look around and notice that my natural eyes perceived things a bit differently.  There was something more to the room now, and I began to focus in on it.  I could see the emotions... they flowed out of the burning stars beyond the glass, permeating the walls flowing into the bodies of the blackness... it was like seeing millions of shooting stars shooting through a black sky of light blue stars filled with blue nebulae.  Dang, maybe I spent too much time stargazing when I was younger... not that all changelings stare at the sky when they’re young... wait, do ponies do that too?  Umm... I digress!
        The more time I spent outside of my moonicorn form... the more I began liking these natural wings and eyes.  But I shook it off... succumbing to these feelings would make me no better than these fools.  I began to feel strong again, so I began trotting towards the exit.  The blue-eyed greeter decided to investigate, of course.  As I began to talk, I realized I had never heard my true voice before.  It was weird because it seemed so foreign coming out of my own black snout, which was also weird since my moonicorn coat is a very dark purple.  She tried to get me to stay, but I told her that several tasks had been imposed on me by the “true royalty of which I have sworn loyalty.”  Like the guards at the door, she only heard what she wanted to, and asked if there was anything she could do to help.  Since we were talking about two different rulers, I could not suffer her to come with me.  I explained that it was a task meant for me alone.  She did not relent, and continued to beg for some way to help my “great cause.”  I was getting tired of this arguing...
“Please... there must be something I can help you accomplish...”  she would plead, but then I finally snapped:
“For the last time... you’re not coming with me!  My undertaking is too complex and too vital to allow any risk of failure! Now please, I have spent the last hour feeding here and this argument is wasting my time AND energy!  They are both precious to me right now and I must get going or it may be too late!”  I was irritated by this filly... if I did not alert Luna soon, she may not have time to rally her guards for an effective counterattack.  Then I looked into those blue-eyes and saw something I didn’t recognize... but it tasted very familiar.  I had tasted something similar when I was in the mane hall... she was truly devoted to this queen and this idea of not being able to follow through had broken her heart.  Yes, changelings have hearts.  Just making sure you knew... some ponies think that just because we feed off emotions means that we don’t have any ourselves.  This is just plain wrong, since we do in fact make all the emotions naturally in our bodies.  The problem is, our ancestors went so long without love and the other really good emotions that our bodies cannot manufacture them very well.  Yes, we can love... to some extent.  It’s not nearly as much as other species can though.  There I go again... off on some tangent.  Ugh... back to my story.  The sadness I saw in this changeling’s heart made me feel guilty, but I had to do what I had to do.  I trotted past her and continued toward the exit.  Without warning I was struck with powerful magic from behind... it coursed through my body and empowered me.  When it was finally over, I felt at peak condition.  It was nothing to take back my moonicorn form, and as I turned around I saw the filly fall to the ground from weakness.  She had given me all she could... that determination to help a complete stranger was something I had seen only once or twice before.  As much as it hurt to leave her there, I knew the power from the reactor would restore her... eventually.  Of course, if everypony needed to be at top strength before the next move, then she might’ve even bought me more time.  Realizing this, I galloped out of the facility and headed towards the throne room. 
        
Chapter 4:  The Two Sparks
I had no idea how much could actually happen in an hour.  I made it to the throne room, but Luna had disappeared.  Instead, the captain of the Lunar Guard was the one to greet me. 
“Where is Princess Luna?  There’s been some developments an--”
“Silence.  Listen, I don’t have time to explain everything.  Some kind of ‘Lunar Dementia’ has been affecting our citizens and making ponies do things they really, really shouldn’t.  What’s worse is that they claim that there is some ‘queen’ planning to overthrow Canterlot.  We’ve forwarded that information straight to Equestria and now our great Luna has graciously left us to lend her sister a hoof at defending their capital city.  That’s the gist, and does not even cover half of our to-do list... now please vacate the throne room, I’ve got soldiers to brief soon.”
At least they knew to prepare, but this was the first I had heard of “Lunar Dementia.”  I figured it was time to go check in on my pony friend from the main hall... most likely he’s been taken to the hospital by now.  I couldn’t help but take a “shortcut” through the main hall... I had to see what had transpired in my absence.  As I trotted inside the great hall, the first thing I noticed was... well, nothing.  There was nopony around, and the place looked relatively clean.  I looked up and saw that the hole in the window had been fixed, that is... if you count a bunch of caution tape covering the hole as “fixed.”  On the floor, the broken glass had been picked up and luckily there was no spots of ash anywhere... a dead changeling meant the end of all Lunar changelings.  A secret, that was all I knew that we could be... a secret.  
I went back to the Animal Enchantment Wing and looked through my telescope down at Equestria.  There was what seemed to be a protective bubble around Canterlot.  I could have probably seen Luna if I had looked for her, but I thought everything was going to be okay.  I actually thought things were going to be okay... hahaha... oh, I had no idea.  Within mere minutes, I began hearing fighting from the corridors.  What I’d like to call the “first spark” happened.  The guards cracked down on their citizens, instigating martial law and throwing those suffering from “Lunar Dementia” into the hospital for therapy sessions.  The worst of the fighting took place between the true Lunar Guards and the changeling guards... luckily nopony was too badly hurt.  It was enough to scare the guards back at the Stardust Reactor, who managed to fool the first few guards by saying that they had already secured the area. Without the proper paperwork filed, they were forced to give way to the Lunar troops, who found a lot of ponies back there.  Yes, ponies.  I’m guessing the guards had warned everypony back there with enough time for them all to assume pony forms.  Of course, this didn’t save them from the hospital... except that it was full by then, wasn’t it? Oh well, they still got sent back home.  With everypony back home and using the reactor’s power all of a sudden, the reactor was said to spark up really bright.  This is the true First Spark I had mentioned earlier. 
We remained under martial law until Luna returned.  After that, the changelings were very secretive about their feelings.  The ones put through therapy allowed them to conquer their nightmares as I had.  The conspirators in the shadows didn’t cause much trouble and their gangs dissolved after the Second Spark.  What’s the Second Spark? Well, it’s just a name for the event that put an end to the changelings causing problems on the moon.  I’m sure that if you were anywhere near Canterlot, it would have been an amazing spectacle, but to us... it was but a large spark on the surface of the planet below.  
Exactly what was the Second Spark?  I could not tell then, but now I can tell you all that it was the great defeat of the Changeling Queen at the hooves of the royal couple.  It was afterwards that Luna once again left us to inquire as to what could possibly act as a panacea to all of Palomoono’s social problems.  You’ll have to excuse me if my voice gets too low in this next part, friend.  These events are... well, difficult to talk about now.  Wait, no you’re not supposed to have written that down!  Ugh... please stop.  I’m serious... you know what, I’m just going to keep going!  Keep in mind that I did not know nor realize this at the time, but Celestia had told Luna of the defeat of the changelings and their queen... yet another event I had no idea about.  She returned to us, but the thought of changelings danced in her head enough to give her a sinister realization:  Changelings on Palomoono.  I assume she sent that letter to Celestia post-haste.

Chapter 5:  Royal Guests
        After everything had calmed down in Palomoono, the martial law was lifted and I was able to come and go throughout the city once again.  I didn’t take this privilege for granted anymore, so I decided to take the long route through the main hall to get to my telescope in the Animal Enchantment Wing.  As I trotted into the wide expanse of the hall, I noticed that decorations now lined the perimeter.  Banners near the ceiling that slightly obstructed the view of Equestria read “Welcome to Palomoono,” so I was able to figure out that somepony must be coming for a visit.  The last of the banners were being put up and, sure enough, they were changelings.  Of course they would go for a party-planning position, it’s so easy to feed on good emotions when it is your job to make them.  I trotted up to them and asked who the welcome party was for, and they told me it was for the solar princess and her six guests.  
“Not just any six guests...” the captain of the Lunar Guard stepped in out of the shadows.  “These are the six heroes of Equestria, who saved their land from Discord and saved us from the tyrannical rule of Nightmare Moon.”  Immediately I felt nervous; these ponies were probably the most powerful in the land, and there was no doubt in my mind that they were connected to that mysterious Second Spark.  “The guests are set to arrive in the next lunar cycle, which doesn’t leave us very much time to prepare.  If you have no official duties to perform here, then I would encourage you to stay out of the atrium until the party preparations are completed and the welcoming party is underway.”  
“Understood, sir.”  I smiled, and trotted past him and through the door that would eventually lead me to the Animal Enchantment Wing.  If I wanted to meet these six ponies, I would have to catch up on my quota.  Unfortunately, I was so far behind that I felt that it would be impossible to complete in time.  “Hopefully, I’ll be able to take a short, short break and maybe get a brief, up-close glimpse of these six heroes.  Just one peek, and then it’s right back to work!”  At least, that was the plan in my head.  But of course, plans sometimes go awry.  
        The guests arrived right on time, and a huge crowd of ponies watched as the seven Equestrian ponies entered the hall from the Solar Starport.  I was able to attend, but my time spent there was relatively short.  I was able to see Princess Celestia, who looked as amazing as she always does.  Then came in the six Equestrian heroes, all mares, all of a different color.  The first one to follow after the princess was a purple unicorn, whose tiara matched her cutie mark.  She was then followed by a light blue pegasus, a white unicorn, an orange pony, a pink pony, and finally a yellow pegasus.  All five of these ponies wore a necklace that resembled their cutie marks.  Due to the fact that they have been immortalized in stained glass work back at Canterlot, I have skipped most of the details. It would be a bit excessive to describe each of the six ponies who you, as a Canterlot scholar, should no doubt be familiar with... but I digress.  Luna greeted Celestia and her guests, and wished to speak to Celestia on some matter in private.  The mares were allowed to wander about this facility and explore its many wings and faculties.  They were basically given a VIP clearance in less than a few minutes that common moon ponies would have to train years to just become eligible.  A truly rare honor indeed, but I was taking too long at this little event.  I left the hall and navigated the corridors to find my telescope;  I would need it if I wanted to meet my quota.  I thought that my work would keep me occupied for the rest of these ponies’ visit.  I was incredibly mistaken.  
        
Chapter 6:  A Simple Facility...
Once again, I had left my door open.  I was too caught up in my work to close it, let alone notice that a couple of the mares had come inside.  “Hello?” I managed to back up enough so that my horn would not mess with my telescope’s orientation this time.  I turned around to see the purple unicorn and yellow pegasus in the threshold of my work area.  I wasn’t sure which of the two mares had attempted to get my attention, and I hoped it hadn’t been the purple leader. 
“Hello?” I asked, returning the hesitant greeting.  
“Hi,” the purple pony responded.  I got a little nervous, but I tried not to show it.  The leader continued, “I’m Twilight Sparkle, and this is my friend Fluttershy.” 
With a glance to her unicorn friend, then back to me, Fluttershy let her eyes fall to the floor with a barely audible “hello.”  
“Well... Fluttershy, Twilight.  I’m Shadow Beast.  Oh, and look at the time! I’m really behind with my work.”
“What kind of work?” Twilight asked me.
“I use this device as a kind of telescope.  You see, I look through this visor here to find different creatures in Equestria, then I insert my horn into this slot here and then I can cast enchantments and spells onto any animal in Equestria!”  Much to my surprise, Twilight seemed very interested in my device, but Fluttershy seemed almost horrified.  Shy fillies can be hard to read, but I could feel her fear.  I noticed her necklace was a butterfly, so I assumed she had some role in dealing with nature.  I put two and two together and figured she was worried about the animals I was enchanting.  “You see, back in the day of Nightmare Moon, we would find innocent creatures and zap them with powerful magic that would turn them into monsters.  Now, however, I can assure you that we search out these monsters and undo the spells.  We also must master several healing-type spells, so that we may heal any wounded creatures we may see throughout the night.  I call it ‘remote hospitality.’”  The yellow pegasus seemed to be relieved by the sentiment, and I took the extra step and allowed her to take a look through the scope.  “This adjusts it up and down, and this left and right.  Then you just move this forward and back and that’ll control zoom.  It’s exceedingly simple compared to the spells one has to master in order to operate one of these things!”  This intrigued the purple unicorn, who asked if she could learn some of my spells.  
“I don’t know, Twilight... these are very complex spells and usually only moonicorns with a gift for animal enchantment can actually learn them.”
“Well, my special talent is magic...  I’ve learned all kinds of spells! Couldn’t you just try to teach me even a simple spell?”
“I SEE A MANTICORE!” screamed Fluttershy.  For a shy, quiet mare, she certainly had a way of expressing excitement!  Of course, manticores were extremely rare and it usually took me at least an hour of tracking before I even had a chance of finding one. 
“No way!  Mind of I take a look?”  I tried to mind my manners, but I was a bit irritated by how much better she might be at finding monsters.  I gently peeked through the scope, only to see that there indeed was a manticore in the forest below taking a nap.  “Well, that’s convenient.”  
“You mean, it usually isn’t that easy?”  The yellow mare seemed back to her normal, quiet self.  However, I can’t let her put herself down so easy.
“Not at all.  In fact, that was really good sighting, extremely well done!  Nah, I was talking to Twilight.”  I turned to the pegasus’s friend, “You see, the only way to learn a spell like this is to test it on something.  That’s how you know that it’s been properly executed.”  I went to my desk and pulled out an old scroll and used my magic to hoof it over to the other unicorn.  She seemed a little bit uncomfortable as the scroll hovered toward her, I attempted to explain... “This scroll holds an inscription that turns little kitty cats to lions to manticores!  On the back I scribbled the derived spell that should reverse the two effects.”  She looked from me to the scroll, and as her horn began to glow I let go... allowing the scroll to go from shades of green to a nice, constant shade of purple.
She opened the scroll, and flipped the scroll over at least fifteen times in bewilderment before she seemed to begin comprehension.  Finally, she rolled it up and placed it in her saddlebag.  I could’ve stopped her, in fact I probably should have, but at the time I felt it was okay because I hadn’t read from those dusty scrolls for many Equestrian years.  I took the mare over to the telescope, checking first to make sure the manticore was still napping, and showed her where the slot was to insert her horn.  “These aren’t made very special, so you should have no problem fitting your horn in.  Just try getting it in as far as you can, but don’t force it or you might end up breaking it.”
“The telescope would break that easily?”
“Of course not.  Your horn would.”
“My HORN!?!”
“Don’t panic, only fools get their horns stuck in the telescope.  You should be fine... especially since you have to be gentle to maintain orientation.”
She put her horn in very carefully and cast her spell.  I inspected the scope to see that she had actually pulled it off.  Perfectly.  I let Fluttershy take the scope while I let Twilight inspect the rest of my scrolls.  With their combined abilities, they were able to undo so many monsters and help so many wounded animals that I had met my quota... for the next Lunar year!  And this was just in fifteen minutes, not counting the time Twilight took to learn the spells!

Chapter 7:  The End of Silence
        The two mares prepared to depart as a blue pegasus and a white unicorn came to retrieve them.  “Oh, Shadow...”  Twilight looked at me and gestured toward the winged pony, “This is Rainbow Dash.” she held her hoof out toward the purple-maned beauty, “And this is Rarity.”  She then brought her two friends close and looked back at me, “Rainbow, Rarity, this is Shadow Beast.  He’s an animal enchanter here.”   
“Hello” was all I could really say.  I was never that great at meeting new ponies, though friends are an important resource for changelings.  Of course, there are still only so many ponies in Palomoono.  In the end, I felt my “hello” didn’t quite measure up to Rarity’s “pleasure to meet you,” or Rainbow’s “hey, what’s up?”  For a second, I thought spending more time with them could help me with my social skills, but I still had some work to do.  You know, after I find some work to do.
“Hey Shadow,  would you like to join us for the rest of the tour?” Twilight asked me.  I looked at Twilight, and she was smiling, and then back at the two ponies in the door, who looked concerned at first, but then smiled happily back at me.  My gaze returned to the unicorn directly in front of me.
“Well, normally I would have work to do, but since you two managed to fill my quota for the day, I guess I am free.”
“Well, come on then!” the other unicorn beckoned, “Applejack and Pinkie Pie said they’ll meet us at the throne room in a few minutes!”
“Don’t worry.”  I explained, “I’ve been to the throne room a few times.  I know the fastest way there.”  
The blue pegasus became concerned.  “Can I fly down that way, ‘cause some of those moon ponies got a little upset when I was flying down here.”
I explained further, “That shouldn’t be a problem, Rainbow.  The air  is usually reserved for managers of the wing, and frankly I’m surprised that they didn’t make the exception for such an esteemed guest.  Go ahead and fly, and I’ll take the heat if anypony gets saddlesore.”  I could hear somepony whispering behind me, and it assumed to be Fluttershy.  I believe what she said was “Are you sure about this guy, Twilight? He seems too nice...” I couldn’t make out the rest.  That, or I just can’t recall.  
We somehow made it to the throne room without anypony trying to lecture our high-flying VIP.  There waiting for us were two regular earth ponies--one orange, and one pink.  I assumed the pink one was Pinkie Pie, but scrapped the thought at the time because looks can deceive.  Of course, I was completely right the first time.
“Hey there, ya’ll.”  said the pony in the hat.  With a second glance she noticed me, and with a vigorous shake of my hoof introduced herself:  “Well, howdy mister.  I’m Applejack, and this is my pal Pinkie Pie.  You here to see the princesses too?”  Before I could even answer, a slice of zap apple cake was thrusted into my mouth by the pink pony.  I had never tasted any kind of cake before, and finally understood why you ponies like it so much.  I forced myself to swallow it, even though I hated using my biological digestive tract.  I’m sorry for digressing, but that digestive tract is so excessively messy and also it leads to disease from what I hear... then again, zap apple jam seems to work well in our systems.  Maybe I’ll have to research this further, but for now I need to wrap up this story.  Where was I? Oh yes, the cake in my mouth was so delicious... 
“You like it?” the young filly asked.  “I made it myself in the dining lounge.  I’m Pinkie Pie!”  
I swallowed the slice, and after wiping my mouth on my front left leg, I was able to respond:  “I’m Shadow Beast.  I-”
“Well that’s great!  Getting to share a feast with a Beast is a thrill at the least!”  Pinkie Pie giggled.
With a “Hold on there, nelly!” Applejack pulled her aside, and all I could hear was “Did you forget why he is even here?  We have a job to do-”  before Twilight grabbed me to try and excuse the curly-maned chef’s hyperactivity.  
Before Twilight could quite come to a conclusion, the doors to the throne room were opened.  The captain of the Lunar Guard stepped out to welcome us inside.  The seven of us followed him to the end of the room, where the two princesses were waiting.  At Luna’s command, the captain returned to the open doors and had his moonicorn soldiers shut the door.  They locked it tight.  I did not dare look back.  The great Princess Luna required all of my attention.  Hearing the sounds of door locks slipping into place behind me, I forced myself to take a deep breath.
“Nervous?”  Princess Celestia asked me.  Her voice seemed too strong to be comforting.  I assumed it had to do with stress, so I looked at her and nodded my head.  She didn’t smile as I had expected.  I looked back to Luna, only to see her in a terrifying rage. 
“Why did you bring him here?” Luna demanded to know, “Shadow Beast is one of my most loyal subjects.  He could not be one of... them.”  Luna was very upset.  But then I saw Twilight’s horn begin to glow, and a certain scroll appear out of her saddlebag.
“I... I’m sorry Luna, but... we found this in his desk.”  The drama had affected Twilight and given her a rather large frown.  I almost felt as if a tear would form from her eyes at any moment.  Luna inspected the paper and, just as Twilight did, flipped the paper over and back several times.  Celestia joined her sister in the scrutiny of the scroll I had received from my parents.  “You... see it too, then,” the unicorn said, barely. 
The Lunar Princess raised her head, and her voice:  “Guards!” she lowered her eyes to make direct eye contact with me.  Her foreboding gaze kept me very still.  “Hold. Him. Down.”  She may have said that last part at normal speed; I’m just not sure how much her eyes had taken from my perception of time.  The moonicorn guards suppressed me with their magic:  Red glowed over my legs.  Luna stood over me, and shook the scroll in front of me.  Through her blue magic, I saw green lettering within the paper.  Changeling writings were in the scroll.  My secret was revealed.  My future, at that point, was very, very bleak.  The Princess of Night continued, “Who are you?  What are you?”  Hearing those questions made me realize that this was it... my worst nightmare... my vow of silence... everything  shattered.  All that was left for me, was ashes.  

Chapter 8:  Changeling
“I’m Shadow Beast! As for what I am, well... I’m your loyal subject, Luna!”
Celestia nodded toward Twilight, who positioned herself in front of me.  The princesses did not listen, and kept asking me who and what I was.  I was telling the truth! For once in my life I was telling the truth!  Unfortunately, the truth was not what they wanted to hear.  
The Lunar princess was infuriated by my stance, “Twilight, make him stop lying...” and with that command, the unicorn’s horn began to glow and with a bright flash, my moonicorn form was ripped from me.  The soldiers restrained me with even more force as I was now exposed.  
I attempted to appeal to Luna, “Please, Luna... you must understand that this is just the way I was born.  I have always been loyal to you, and I’ve loved living here in Palomoono.  Please, don’t.... don’t strike me down just because of what I am...”
“You took somepony’s form,” Celestia interjected,  “which means you had to get rid of somepony in order to live here.  Do not try to lie to us!” 
“But I had not stolen a form... when I came of age, my parents gave me a picture of a moonicorn... my form was one of my own design!  I’ve never wanted anypony to get hurt... that’s why I stood up to Night Jumper and her friends!  They were all changelings who wanted to help Discord like their parents had, but they were foolish and it actually killed them!”  I can’t believe I let that slip... if Luna wasn’t sure, there would be no doubt now that there were other changelings in her kingdom.
The princesses took a few steps back and whispered in secret.  Twilight still stood between us, and with a glance from Celestia and a nod, the other five joined her.  The Lunar princess nodded towards the guards, and they released me from their spells.  I tried to stand up on my changeling legs, but without my form I was very hungry.  This made me too weak to run, and I didn’t even attempt an escape.  I looked at the six ponies, and they looked at me with fear and hate.  I had enough fear and hate... I needed happiness, love, and pride. 
“Wait!” I hoped that royalty would listen to me, “How did you find out about the changelings? We were supposed to have vanished seamlessly into your cultures...”
“Seamlessly!?” Celestia seemed truly enraged by what I had said.  “Seamlessly does NOT involve hostile takeovers of our nation’s capitol!  Your queen and her army almost destroyed all of Canterlot that day... had it not been for the power of love between two ponies, the entire nation of Equestria could have fallen!  My sister was smart, though.  You were not as seamless as you thought, and we have found you!  We will remove all changelings from the face of the moon, and ensure that this never happens again!”
“Luna!” I pleaded, “Luna, you know me!  The queen tried to get in my head, and turn me against you, but it didn’t work!  The Lunar Dementia was the queen’s doing and your Guard were able to conquer the rebellion!  It is not our nature to revolt, it’s the queen!  Please, I was taking that form, because I’m scared of you! I’m scared of your guards!  I live my life in fear because of what I am!  Please, don’t do this... p-p... plea...se...”  I collapsed onto the ground, having exhausted all of my remaining energy on that speech.  I realized then that the six ponies between us were wearing nothing less than the Elements of Harmony... the elements began to shine brighter and brighter, and then all went black.  

Epilogue:  A Final Goodbye
I opened my eyes to find myself in a strange, new room.   My eyes were blinded by all the light.  All I could hear was a bunch of voices... all at once.  Finally a voice broke through, I didn’t recognize the voice.  “Welcome to your new home... Shadow Beast!  I’m sure you’ll love it here in--What’s that? Oh... well, Shadow--”  the voice faded away as impossible darkness once again consumed my vision.  
I awoke yet again, but this time I could see very clearly.  It was dark and I was alone in a bed in some sort of hospital.  “What happened?”  I asked myself, then I realized that this voice was... was my moonicorn voice.  I pulled the blanket off of myself and saw that I was no longer in changeling form.  On the stand next to me were a large envelope and a slice of zap apple cake.  I began eating the cake, hoping that it would replenish my strength.  It definitely made me feel better, even if I still didn’t feel that I could walk.
After finishing the cake, I gathered my strength and opened the envelope.  Inside was a letter from Princess Celestia herself!   I’ll try to summarize that letter here:
“Dearest Shadow Beast, 
When the Elements of Harmony returned you to your moonicorn self, we realized that you were telling us the truth... Luna is very sorry, but you must understand that this is not the end of your life... it is a new beginning... Do not feel threatened by your new surroundings... enclosed are maps that help you in your new journey.  [the three maps were titled:  Canterlot, Ponyville, and Equestria]  You may choose a new place to make a new living... only one condition:  you must first leave this hospital in Canterlot and find a royal scribe.  Write your story, Shadow Beast.  Write as much as you know of your history... but know that you will not be able to return to the moon.  We have banished you so that the remaining changelings may feel the same fear that allowed you to be so loyal.  
Warmest Regards... and lots of love.
Princess Celestia
And that is the first time that I had felt true happiness.  I got out of bed and went to the Canterlot Archives.  Remember, my little scribe, that is how we first met!  I’m sure you’ll be happy to know that this story has reached its conclusion.  Now I must find a new home... let’s see... I know a princess here, six ponies there, and a lot of timberwolves over there. So many choices... but that is life.  Life that I still have.  I do not feel any resentment for the Day and Night because, after all, Loyalty Requires Sacrifice.


The End