//------------------------------//
// Complications. 
// Story: The Raindrop 
// by Sylif Daring Doo 
//------------------------------//

______*Canterlot Castle Dungeons.*______

I groaned as I woke up from my slumber, i felt as though i had been sleeping on rocks, I winced as my head throbbed and I placed a hand on my aching head and heard rattling and voices, I could feel the wood slowly recede from my body as I slowly regained my skin.

I rubbed my eyes and looked myself over for wounds, there wasn't any noticeable ones and apart from my arms and legs, the rest of my body was still wooden, though i understood why after realizing i had no clothes on. "My head feels like crap." I mutter.

"Mana! she's awake!" Pinkie Pie's voice cheered happily.

I looked to the voices and immediately notice that I'm in a cell, I try to stand up but I feel a tug at my feet and I fall back down. "What in the world was that?" I ask myself quietly.

Looking back, I spot an iron shackle around my right ankle, I sigh as the memories from yesterday come back. "I suppose it could be worse." I say.

"Hey, Mana are you alright?" I heard Spike ask.

I look over and see the dragon standing there with a worried expression.

"I'm chained in what I can assume to be a dungeon, nope, not alright." I say as I sit up and lean against the wall.

Spike grabbed the bars and looked down. "They brought you here, after you attacked Twilight, there is a rumor that a trial is to be held for siding with the Changeling's." He stated.

I blinked as i turned my  right leg into wood and shaped it to be thin, i removed the shackle and sighed in relief.

"Well they aren't wrong, I did fight for them but it wasn't willing." I replied.

Rainbow Dash walked up to the bars and spoke. "Hey Mana......we were thinking about what you said to us, about what we did?" She said. "Your right, we didn't say a word in Twilight's defense, and when she needed us we turned our backs." She added.

I looked at the Pegasus with a calm expression. "I'm not the one that you need to talk with, you need to talk with Twilight about that." I say firmly.

"All I did was tell the truth, don't go apologizing to me." I add as I look at Spike. "Where is Twilight?" I ask.

Spike pointed briefly to the stairs. "She went to go prepare a defense for you, but Princess Celestia said that she would take care of it." He sat down in front of the bars, a grim look on his face. "But Chrysalis didn't really control you, did she?" He asked.

I look at Spike for a while, confusion was overruled as I searched his expression for what he meant by the question. "She released the beast Spike, I was thrown back into the recesses of my mind as it took control of me, as to its motives for obeying, I wish I knew." I reply.

I look at my shackle and narrow my legs, and pul them back and slip out of the shackles, I sigh in relief as I allowed my legs to return to normal, while remaining wooden. "What all happened while i was out?" I ask.

"Mostly repairs to the city from the invasion, it's been hard work and everypony has been helping." Applejack replied.

I look at the mares and then I stare up at the ceiling. "Are there any Changeling's left in Canterlot?" I ask curiously.

"Not that the guard is aware of, they say that we should be safe from them for a while." Rarity answered.

I sighed and crossed my arms. "This may sound strange, but I kind of hope they don't hurt any of them that they find, they were just following orders." I say quietly.

A loud creaking door opened and footsteps could be heard, I glance over and see Twilight and a guard step inside. "Twilight! She's awake!" Pinkie said happily.

Twilight looks at me and her tense expression changes to a more relaxed and calm one. "That's great Pinkie." She said before walking to the bars. "How are you Mana?" She asked quietly.

I shrug. "I've been worse, but right now I'm just bored and hungry." I say before looking at the guard. "So why did you bring a guard?" I ask.

The guard approached the cell and unlocked it, he seemed tired and irritated. "I am here to release you, and bring you all to the throne room." He answered.

With that I stand up and walk out of the cell, afterwards I follow the guard as we all walk up the stairs and out the door. "Remember this Mana, you are forbidden from using your strange magic here, so do not try anything funny." The guard stated firmly.

I say nothing as we walk silently.

_____*seven minutes later, the throne room.*______

I step into the throne room and look around, it was mostly empty except for two thrones and many stain glass windows with figures on them.

We walk up to a point before the guard turns to face us. "Mana, go forward, the rest of you must remain here and go no further." He stated.

With that I walk forward, ignoring Twilight as she asks me to be careful, I notice that Celestia was on the large throne and there were some people in the room, I stop about ten feet from the throne and look at the Princess. "Hey Cel." I say.

Princess Celestia's expression shifted ever so slightly into a minuscule smile for a brief second before becoming neutral again. "Mana, you have been taken in by Equestria, Twilight Sparkle took you into her home and cared for you, and now with the recent Changeling invasion, you hold great powers that have been observed by Twilight Sparkle, however  eyewitnesses state that you did not attempt to stop Chrysalis, instead deciding to side with her and betray the people that took you in." She narrowed her gaze. "However, as a minor there is little we can do as punishment, and judging by the transformation that witnesses have described, I can only assume that you were under the Changeling Queens influence." She looked at the nobles and then back at me. "Therefore, the only punishment that I can enforce upon you is a warning at best, and psychological therapy at worst." She stood up. "Mana, should you side with an enemy of the state again, I will have no choice but to place you under observation, am I clear on this?" She asked.

I nod slowly. "Yea, your clear, it won't happen again." I said, knowing it was the truth.

One of the nobles, a green one with brown hair approached Celestia with an angered expression. "With all due respect Princess, this girl has committed crimes against our people, the other nobles and myself demand justice for her crimes!" He demanded.

Celestia looked at him. "Have you not heard what I said, Mana is a minor and she was under Chrysalis' mind control spell, none of her actions were her own." She stated.

The noble stomped on the ground hard, I examine him as he spoke. "Regardless, the powers she displayed were volatile and dangerous, you must place her under surveillance, and if she crosses the line she must be punished." He stated angrily.

Celestia's eyes narrowed on the noble. "Deran, I am sorry that your brother was killed in the invasion, but you must not allow your grief to cloud your judgement, Mana was a victim of the invasion like many." She sighed. "But you are correct, Mana's powers are volatile, so i shall place her under surveillance, this matter is closed." She stated firmly.

I look at Celestia with a confused expression, as much as I hated to admit it, the noble was correct, I fought for the Changeling's, and I didn't raise a finger to stop them. 'If I can lose control so easily, I need to hurry.' I thought to myself.

With this all said and done, the guard from before escorts me out of the throne room, with Twilight and the others following.

Once we were outside the throne room, my enhanced hearing heard voices behind the door, "This is an outrage! minor or no, that freak is not even an Equestrian citizen! she should not be shown mercy when she killed our soldiers!" A loud make voice boomed.

I wince slightly at the word freak, but then I look at my hand and turn it to its wooden claw form, I then turn it back as I realize something. 'I really am a freak, I'm not human anymore, I'm not a Timberwolf, and I'm not even alive, I'm just a walking corpse.' I sigh as I walk forward in silence.

It was a few minutes until we stepped outside, the guard looked at me with a flat stare. "Mana, you are to remain here, I have just recieved news that there will be a punishment, and the court is deciding now." He stated.

I look at Twilight. "You all should get going, I need some time to think anyway." I say before sitting down.

Twilight said something but I paid it no mind, instead she simply walked off with her friends and Spike.

I look at the guard who stood like a statue. "How are you hearing orders? is it magic?" I ask.

The guard looked down at me. "It is, the details are classified however." He then went silent and blinked a moment later, he looked at me again. "I have just recieved your punishment, you are to report to Corporal Kingston and assist in the repairs as community service, I will inform your caretaker of this development." He stated.

With that the guard teleported away, leaving me alone. "Might as well get started." I mutter.

______*ten minutes later.*______

I grumble as I approach the makeshift headquarters for the cities repair teams, it was a patched up tavern called the Kings Rest, because the guard hadn't told me where to find Kingston, I had to ask multiple people, which was incredibly awkward and embarrassing.

But now I was here, there was a lot of people entering and leaving the tavern consistently, I took a breath to mentally prepare myself and walked forward.

I managed to get inside with incident, so I assumed that people either thought that I was just short for my race, or it was open to all ages for the repair work, upon entering, I immediately notice how loud it is inside, it was easily as loud as my old school when it was time for waterbending practice.

Pushing my nostalgia aside, I looked around the tavern and saw that there were a few tables laid out with many papers on them, I saw some guards standing around, keeping a keen watch, I take in the scent on the air, and recognized it as freshly baked bread, I walk forward so i wasn't blocking anyone from coming in and I look at the tables, there were three people standing around them, one was definitely a guard, recognizable from the armor, another was a workman, easily identifiable by the yellow helmet he wore, called a hard hat for short.

The last person was out of place, as he had no armor or work clothes on, but simply a short cap, but presumably had importance due to the fact that a soldier saluted him, I decide to just get it over with and I walked over to one of the guards. "Excuse me, I'm looking for Corporal Kingston?" I say.

The guard looked at me and pointed at the stallion with a cap. "That is Kingston." He stated calmly.

I nodded. "Thanks." I walk over to the stallion and speak. "Uh, Corporal Kingston? I was told to report to you." I said.

The stallion looked up at me and blinked. "Oh yea, I heard about you." He said, his voice was easily heard, even though the noise in the tavern drowned everything else out. "Do you have any issues using your powers for repairs?" He asked, his question was short and simple.

"No." I reply.

The stallion then scribbles something down on a piece of paper and gives it to me. "Help the people on this list out, once they are satisfied you can leave, directions are magical, think about the person and then you'll know how to find them and what they look like." He stated before going about his business.

I look at the list and focus on the first name on it, and information floods my mind, and I instantly know where to go and who I am looking for, with this information, I walk away from the table and start to head for the ruined residential district.

As I leave the inn, I feel a sense of dread building up, I look around carefully but see nothing, I start to walk away when i hear a voice from within. "I smell a trap, be on guard little pup." 

I stop walking and take a breath before I continue. 'Thanks for the heads up.' I reply mentally.

____*ten minutes later*_____

I had spoken with Copper Brace, the foreman in charge of repairing the residential district, he wasn't very happy to see me, in fact I was certain he was going to attack me with the nearby plank of wood, at least until I told him who sent me, then he focused long enough to tell me to go create braces for some of the nearby buildings, so that work could continue unhindered.

It was simple enough work, but now that that was done, i started to make my way back to Copper, along the way though I heard an eerie music playing, I stopped walking and listened for a minute, it was coming from tthe nearby storehouse, I quickly turned my skin to wood and got away from the storehouse.

______*two hours later*_____ 

I sat down at the train station, apparently the trains were delayed as they were being searched for Changeling's, a pointless endeavor if you ask me, but they were going to search the trains and there wasn't much anyone could do.

It took around half an hour but the trains were finally declared clear, and as I stood up, I heard people walking up to me, I turn my head and see Twilight and her friends, as well as Spike. "Can we go home now, Canterlot sucks." I say.

"I'm sure it wouldn't have been so bad if there wasn't an invasion." Rarity stated.

I shrug and look at Twilight, who had a scroll being held in her magic. "Mana, there is something you should know." She started.

I raise a hand up to stop her and I speak. "If they are sending me on more community service, I'm probably going to go insane." I say.

"No, that's not it, it's just that Princess Celestia had to add something to your punishment, she's sending a guard to Ponyville to observe you, to make sure that you don't lose control." Twilight stated.

I groan but a new voice cuts me off before I can say anything. "I'm sure it won't be that bad Mana." Said a male voice.

We look at the owner of the voice and we see a Pegasus stallion with pale green fur and a light brown mane and tail, his cutie mark was a music note. "Nice to meet you all." He started before anyone could say anything, he then gave Twilight a letter, which she started to read. "I'm Jared Heartstrings, I'm going to Ponyville under orders." He stated calmly.

Twilight looked at the rest of us and nodded. "He isn't lying." She stated.

With that said, we all walked to the train and boarded it, but something about Jared's name was familiar, I just couldn't place it. 

We took our seats quickly, I took the window seat and Spike sat next to me again, but this time Jared was behind us, once we were all settled in, Jared spoke. "I want to clarify a few things before we arrive in Ponyville." He said.

I looked at Jared as he continued to speak. "The first thing is that I won't be tolerating any attacks, should somepony end up attacked by what appears to be a wolf, I WILL apprehend Mana and keep her locked up unless she is proven innocent, that said, I won't lock her up if she is simply using her wolf form to run around for example." He took a breath and then continued. 

"Under no circumstances is she to leave the town or visit the Everfree Forest, doing so will give me the idea that she is running away, I will also not tolerate any interaction with a Changeling, if you find one, you will report it to me immediately, am I clear on that?" He asked.

I nod and look out the window. "I will say this Jared, we do have a slight problem." I look at him again. "I am dead, and I am slowly being replaced by a Timberwolf as my old body decays, there's apparently something out there that will allow me to avoid this, and I am very certain that it isn't in Ponyville." I state calmly before looking out the window. 

Jared said nothing in reply, leaving us all to a now silent train ride.