//------------------------------// // An Equestrian Nightmare, Act 1 // Story: The Changeling Chronicles // by Shadow Beast //------------------------------// The Changeling Chronicles Book 2: An Equestrian Nightmare Author: Shadow Beast Preface: To whom it may concern... Greetings again, faithful readers. It is I, the once moon-bound changeling, and I have returned to Canterlot to publish another book! Let me start by telling you all that there were many historical fallacies in my last story. I have come to discover many things in my travels throughout Equestria. I have also seen many horrors, so I hope the squeamish will still be able to read this text. Changing the subject... I should also mention I’m writing this myself, and in third pony perspective! Don’t ask where I learned to write; I’m sure you’ll be able to figure that out as you read! This is the story behind (and also beyond) my infamous conviction and the many friends and enemies I made along the way. Hopefully this story will only accentuate the fact that I will not be a danger to anypony... at least not anymore. I used to be annoyed by the idea of ponies using my text against my fellow changelings but... well, let’s just say that there’s really nothing I can do. Enjoy! Act 1: Shadow of Deception Chapter 1: Continuity Crisis Months had passed since Shadow Beast was exiled to Equestria. The dark purple moonicorn walked down the streets of Canterlot, trying to pinpoint his next destination. He had finished writing his autobiography a month ago, but every day he spent in Canterlot made him feel worse and worse. He could not find any good feelings in such a disgusting city. He needed to find someplace beautiful, someplace clean, someplace with lots of love to feed off of. Shadow wanted to leave it all behind, but without a companion he would starve if he tried to go anywhere. The night drew near... as a lunar changeling, he still was not used to nighttime. His body grew weak as he became tired. He once again found the suite that a generous princess had promised him. He tucked himself under the covers and tried to close his eyes... waiting for the light to return. His eyes finally found a way to close and he was soon in a deep sleep. As the night’s darkness consumed his vision, a darker creature put herself in his dreams. The moonicorn was running.... running for his life. His black and red mane flowing through the wind. It blocked his peripheral as he twisted his head backward to see if he had lost his pursuer. It was a mistake. A black hoof, filled with impurity, struck the moonicorn and pinned him to the ground. He struggled to look up into her face. She was a changeling. Just an ordinary changeling... or so he thought. The purple pony struggled under hoof, but couldn’t break the changeling’s hold. He tried to shake her off with all of his might, but nothing seemed to work. He watched in anger and anguish as the black snout opposite of his opened: “Still so much struggle after all these years... I thought it was just the moondust interfering!” Hearing this voice brought horror to the moonicorn’s face. The voice of the changeling was very loud, very feminine, and very familiar. “Chrysalis, I presume...” his voice was strong; it contradicted the strength of the Queen. “You are beginning to remember, I see!” the changeling answered with a smile. “How are you doing this? How are you in my dreams?” “In times of urgency, I can talk to my troops through telepathic means... but only if they wish to receive it. Deserters like you can only be reached through rather underhoofed means... and you’re always vulnerable in your dreams!” “You admit that this is a dream... don’t you remember what happened last time? I could get another spear and remind you...” “That dream was on the moon. The moondust interfered with my signals... but now my magic is at full strength, and YOU are the one who is powerless this time!” “NO!” he shouted back at her. He shook his head furiously, but finally began to submit... “What do you want from me?” “I want you to stop this fight against your own blood. You are a changeling... accept it.” “Always. That doesn’t mean I have to be a complete jerk, though!” “I see the ponies have been busy filling your mind with lies... You know, I thought my little changelings were good at seeing through deception!” “I am!” “You’re lying!” A bright light blinded the eyes of the moonicorn as the dream faded into white, then black. The pony opened his eyes to see that he had, once again, slept through the sunrise. He stretched his legs and dragged himself from the bed. Those two last words of the queen echoed endlessly through his head. With fear having left his mind, doubt had plenty of room to move in. The pony began to wonder what being a changeling truly meant to Chrysalis and her nation. As he contemplated this idea, a place appeared in his mind: the Deadlands. The Deadlands were the place where the changelings were born... it would not be a surprise if Chrysalis based her nation there. No trains ever left for the Deadlands though... so Shadow’s only choice was to fly there. Chapter 2: Wing and a Liar Shadow trotted out onto the balcony. He focused his magic, and with a burst of green fire, his horn was gone. Bat-like wings spread from his sides. He could not remember ever assuming a pegasus form before, but he believed that flight would come naturally. He jumped. The wings expanded, keeping him aloft as he was carried by the wind currents toward the direction of the Deadlands. He soared out of Canterlot, and was then flying over wide open countryside. A strong wind began blowing against him, and inexperience overtook instinct. He dropped. A scream escaped from his snout as he saw the ground loom closer and closer. The lunar wings opened in panic, but the force was too strong and snapped them like twigs. The pegasus fell from the sky and somehow landed on a soft mattress. Shadow raised his head, but could barely see while trying to cope with the pain of two broken wings. A voice of a magical mare was all that he could hear. “Excuse, me? Are you crazy?! Do you have any idea how much damage you could have done with a stunt like that?” The pegasus wanted to explain himself, but the pain was too strong. There was only one thing he could do now, so he focused his magic once again as the mare continued to chastise him. “You’re lucky I know that mattress conjuring spell. Do you know how hard it is to pull that off last second like that?” Green flame engulfed the pony, and his wings disappeared. A horn once again was present on his head. Of course, it wasn’t until after the pain had disappeared that Shadow realized what he had done. He tentatively looked toward the beautiful unicorn. She was light blue, a coat color he had seen only once before, with a white mane and purple eyes. She was shocked by his transformation, but as she was the only pony around for what appeared to be miles, he would need her to trust him. “Sorry,” the moonicorn said, “please don’t be angry with me... I was testing a flight spell and it... didn’t go as planned. Umm.. hey, let me get off your mattress for you.” “It’s fine. Trixie doesn’t meet many unicorns with magical talents like yours.” “Who’s Trixie?” “Me, for I am the Great and Powerful Trixie. Trixie had just assumed you had heard of her.” “Never. Then again, I am a foreigner... I’m just passing through on my way to the Deadlands.” “You’re going to the Deadlands!? Why would you go there? There’s absolutely nothing out there but... dust. Everypony knows that there are two things you never do: Challenge the Great and Powerful Trixie, and try to make a living in the Deadlands.” “Everypony but me. I’ll be okay, just don’t worry... I hate it when ponies worry about me.” “Trixie thinks you’re insane, but she’s not going to stop you nor worry about you. She only asks that you may teach her that flight spell. Trixie can perfect it.” “I severely doubt that...” “Oh you think so, mister... um... what was your name?” “Oh, right. My name is Shadow Beast, and don’t bother with the spell, it can only be mastered by a certain type of magic-wielder.” “A changeling, you mean? One who feeds off of love.” With a burst of green flame, Shadow’s true form was revealed. “The power of a name, huh? I guess you really are powerful.” “The Great and Powerful Trixie does not lie... at least, not any more. Now on to business... unless my studies of Changeling biology are wrong, you need a source of love to thrive in this world. I’m a traveling magician, and I need a new act to pull in a bigger crowd. So here’s the deal: I take credit for your transformation magic, you get to survive. If you decline, I can always just tell everypony about how I destroyed a changeling spy.” “I hate to admit it, but that is a very tempting offer. I’ll have to take you up on it... after I’ve gone to the Deadlands.” “The Great and Powerful Trixie does not have time to waste seeing a changeling throw his empty life away. I don’t see what could be so important that you would turn down the deal of a lifetime!” Shadow contemplated the offer, and realized that Trixie’s attitude and power may be able to interfere with the changeling queen’s signals. Free food AND freedom from nightmares? Working with Trixie would be a dream come true! “Tell you what Trixie, you’re right.” “Of course! The Great and Powerful Trixie is never wrong!” Her love for herself was junk food to a changeling, but Shadow believed that he might be able to turn her around… eventually. Chapter 3: One Trick Ponies The two ponies found their way from town to town, putting on spectacular shows with fireworks and amazing acts of impossible magic. Shadow would copy the looks of whatever volunteer came up on stage, allowing Trixie to fool even the guest that he was being cut in half! The changeling was a natural, but Trixie continued to own the spotlight. Eventually, the dark horse had to confront his employer, less he succumb to starvation. “Excuse me, Trixie…” Trixie groaned as she turned from the mirror. “What do you want, Shadow?” “How many times are we going to pull the ‘saw-in-half’ gig? Ponies don’t show much love to the legs. We’re going to need a new trick… something that can give me more of a spotlight. I know you thrive on attention, but I kinda need it if I want to survive.” “Well…?” “‘Well?’ Well what!?” “The Great and Powerful Trixie assumed you had a new trick in mind...” “Oh… well… I’m not entirely sure. I could hide in the crowd, volunteer, and then you can take credit for turning me from unicorn to pegasus or something…” “You may not realize this, my lowly little changeling, but my adoring fans just LOVE being a part of the Great and Powerful Trixie’s show. There’s simply too great a risk that somepony else would beat your slow self to the stage!” “Alright, I get it… it’s a bad idea. I was just brainstorming… you don’t have to be so condescending.” “’Condescending?’ You are falsely assuming that the Great and Powerful Trixie would actually lie about somepony’s status. Now, do you have another idea, or is this just going to be a waste of Trixie’s valuable time?” “Here’s the trick: you bring up one of your ‘adoring fans’ and I’ll copy them from a distance. Then, we can fool everyone into believing that you can teleport ponies to different places!” “The Great and Powerful Trixie already knows a teleport spell. And your plan involves getting rid of the volunteer, letting one less of my fans adore Trixie!” “Okay… how about we don’t get rid of the volunteer… what if we fake a time-traveling spell! I can copy the volunteer, and we can claim that I am a future form of them! If I say some vague fact, it’ll come true to your fans and we’ll become even more popular!” “Shadow… that is one of the most genius ideas that Trixie has ever heard come from that purple snout of yours! Are you sure you can pull it off?” “Of course… just bring up the biggest idiot of a fan you can find. They will be more likely to believe it. Hay, if I tell him I’m from ‘tomorrow’ then we can pull the same trick on the same pony the next day and I can tell him I’m from ‘yesterday!’” So that is what they did. The bumbling volunteer didn’t make a single move after the trick, though. He was very angry the next day when he didn’t find that “special coin on the ground.” When he was brought up the second time, Trixie just told him to not tell himself that this time. The changeling in the dumb pony’s form walked out, repeating the exact words the idiot had said yesterday. The volunteer played along like the performers knew he would. The trick was a great success, and Shadow was able to feed off of plenty of emotions! Chapter 4: An Unwelcome Wagon The Great and Powerful Trixie’s popularity soared! The time-travel spell seemed to be working very well, but there were ponies who dared to question Trixie’s power. These interlopers challenged the idea that a time spell could be used on a pony more than once. The ponies seemed to be scholars, and Shadow hoped that they had never come across a copy of his autobiography that had been published in the Canterlot Archives. “You doubt the Great and Powerful Trixie?!” the overconfident unicorn asked them. “We don’t have to…” the unicorn of the group explained, “if you provide the scroll that taught you that time travel spell.” Shadow walked onto the stage in his moonicorn form to support Trixie. “Impossible,” he began, “the Great and Powerful Trixie is intelligent enough to not only come up with the spell herself, but not to write it down. If it were written down, somepony could get ahold of it and reveal the secrets of Trixie’s acts!” “It’s not like that’s never happened before!” The earth pony pulled out her copy of a newspaper titled “The Foal Free Press” with a startling headline: “The Great and Powerful Trixie’s Secrets Revealed!” The mare then added, “Nowhere in this article does it mention a time travel spell! This means that you would have had to discover it… umm…” “In less than a year!” the scholarly unicorn exclaimed, finishing the mare’s thought. “Starswirl the Bearded, one of the greatest and most powerful unicorns in Equestrian history, spent several decades of research and practice just to get one time travel spell!” The light blue unicorn became agitated by this remark. “Maybe the Great and Powerful Trixie simply improved upon this spell!” “That’s fine,” the pegasus of the group assured, “because that would mean that you must have that time scroll. It’s simply too complicated for anypony to memorize, so you must have a copy lying around somewhere…” “The Great and Powerful Trixie DID have a copy, but it was destroyed when my cart was attacked by a vicious Ursa Major!” “You expect us to believe that?” “Or… maybe it was just an Ursa Minor,” Trixie explained. Shadow interjected, “You have to admit that this cart looks more new than the one in that photograph!” The interlopers and Trixie took a second glance at the newspaper’s photo, then back to the stage. “That’s right!” Trixie exclaimed excitedly, “Yes, that picture was taken in Ponyville, before the Ursa attacked!” She turned to her friend, “Good eye, assistant!” The skeptical unicorn looked even closer, and uncovered a flaw in the argument. “So you mean to tell us that you just made a comeback using a spell derived from a scroll that you haven’t seen in almost two years!” Shadow had had enough. “You have the right to doubt! Everypony does! But I for one believe that the Great and Powerful Trixie has earned her title through the mastery of this new spell!” “Excuse me?” the earth pony argued, “but… who are you exactly? I know Trixie called you her ‘assistant,’ but the article said that Trixie travels and works alone.” “That would explain how she was able to save my life without any help,” the moonicorn said, sternly. “I owe her my life. I’m repaying this debt through manual labor that no unicorn as talented as Trixie should have to suffer through.” The changeling’s words managed to quiet the harsh crowd. Trixie took this chance to escape: “Come on, Shadow. Let’s just move on to the next town... these ponies have had enough of our amazing show.” Trixie packed up the cart and Shadow pulled it away and out of the town. Their next destination was some distance away, and they planned to stop in on a town they had visited once before. En route, Trixie assured her companion that they would not be performing in this old town unless the citizens wanted them to. There would be no announcement of their arrival. That was the plan, but Trixie would soon learn what Shadow had known for a while: Things don’t always go according to plan. The wagon stopped in the local park at night. When morning came, a crowd had formed outside. The unicorns and awoke and found themselves having to prepare for yet another show. The changeling was exhausted from pulling the cart all the way there, and was slow to arise from his sack. He stretched, yawned, and manned the curtains. Trixie entered center stage and the curtain lifted, revealing the mob outside. A rotten apple soared out of the crowd, almost striking Trixie’s snout but barely missing and splattering onto the floor of the stage. Trixie was stunned, and Shadow poked his own snout out around the corner in an attempt to find the source of the ruckus. The pony who threw it appeared poor, possibly homeless. She struggled against her peers to throw a couple more, but none of the spoiled fruit reached the stage. The mayor of the town trespassed onto the stage with a couple of the local law enforcement. A list of crimes against their town were listed toward Trixie: “For disturbing the peace, false advertisement, heresy, and countless other similar accusations across all the land of Equestria, the Police of Hoofington have decided to detain you until we can send you to Canterlot for your trial! A reminder: you have the right to remain silent, and anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law.” Trixie had no choice. Her hat and cape were stripped from her and the unicorn officers’ magic bound her as she was escorted off the stage. An officer looked up and saw the purple unicorn’s snout disappearing through the curtains. He tore the curtain away, seeing a few green sparks floating away from the hidden pony. Magic lifted the accomplice and the changeling flew to the seat opposite of Trixie in the back of the police cart. They were both strapped in quickly, and the officers proceeded to the front of the wagon to prepare for departure. Trixie lifted her head, only to see a somewhat familiar face. It looked like her unicorn companion, but something was very... off. Then she realized that she was staring at a mare. “Shadow?” The changeling lifted its new head. “Shadow, what have you done to yourself?!” In a higher-pitched voice the mare responded, “If they had found a stallion helping you, we would be separated until the trial. I had to make sure we stuck together... at any cost.” The two unicorns lurched forward slightly as the cart began on its route. After a few minutes of awkward silence Trixie asked another question, “Alright. So you’re a mare now... what I don’t get is how you were able to change so... quickly. I mean... what are you exactly?” The new mare forced a smile. “I’m a changeling. Though I will admit that switching genders is a lot more complicated than switching between unicorn and pegasus forms. I would have prefered to be a simple moon mare, but the time constraints wouldn’t allow for a spell that complex.” “‘Moon mare?’ Ugh... nevermind.” Trixie shook her head. “What I meant to ask you is: were you born a colt or a filly?” The moonicorn sighed. “I said: ‘I am a changeling.’ Outside of royalty, we have no true genders. We have no real need for genders!” Trixie was slightly repulsed by this idea. “What do you mean, ‘no real need for genders?!’ What... how... how did... how do you think you were born?” “I was born on the moon!” Shadow spoke perhaps too quickly. “The moon!? Well, that explains a lot!” Trixie exclaimed, rolling her eyes. “But if changelings have no gender, then who are your parents?” The changeling’s head lowered. “My parents died from the Lunar Fever...” “Oh...” Sadness radiated from the cart, and Shadow felt as though Trixie was actually feeling concern for somepony other than herself. The two unicorns lurched forward yet again as the wagon finally came to a stop. The officers returned and undid the straps around the two unicorns one after the other, then used their magic once more to keep them under control. Trixie and Shadow were led inside the jailhouse. At the door, the two male officers dropped them and two female officers took their place. Trixie and Shadow were lead to the many holding cells of the jailhouse--each capable of holding up to three mares. “Are...are we going to have separate cells?” Shadow hesitantly asked the guard closest to her. “No. By a stroke of luck--on our part, not yours,” the officer explained with a laugh, “we’re already holding a single troublemaker... and we find it most efficient to fill a cell completely before moving onto another one. It’s easier to catalogue!” The door to the cell slid open, awaking its lone inhabitant in the darkness of morning. Brown bird-like wings spread from the top-most bunk, and a yellow claw gripped the side from under the blanket. The officers pushed the prisoners in as the rustling above continued. “Don’t bother getting up! We’re just here to deliver a couple new cellmates. Have fun, you three! According to our database, none of you will be leaving here anytime soon! See you at breakfast in an hour.” The cell door slammed shut, and a loud groan could be heard from under the blanket. With what sounded like stretching, a large figure arose, still covered by the white-ish cloth. A yellow beak became visible from under the fabric and a deep yawn stretched it wide open. The blanket fell to the floor of the cell, and a griffin was sitting on top of the bunk. Her eyes stared through the ponies. It was obvious she was not amused with having cellmates. Chapter 5: Jailbirds The griffin’s beak opened up, this time stretched by words: “So... you’re the lame ponies that woke me up.” “Why yes, we are,” the dark mare said sternly, “I’m Shadow Beast and this is my employer, the Great and Powerful Trixie!”’ “Name’s Gilda, and don’t bother learning it because I don’t need any more worthless pony friends.” Now Trixie too was agitated by the conversation. “‘Worthless’ ponies? In all of her life, Trixie has never met such an ignorant griffin!” “Well, ‘Trixie,’ I just call them as I see them. As for you, Shadow, I don’t know how you could possibly put up with the most arrogant pony in all of Equestria.” The purple mare’s face remained emotionless. “She saved my life.” “Please... someone so ‘great and powerful’ probably saves somepony’s life every day. There’s no need to follow her everywhere... especially into a jail cell!” “Our presence here is as much my fault as it is hers. I helped in an act that made a lot of ponies angry... angry enough to put a warrant out on us.” The ponies and griffin continued to argue until one of the officers returned with breakfast. With the command, the cellmates took a seat on their respective beds: Gilda on the top bunk, Trixie on the bottom, and Shadow on the lone bunk on the opposite side. This was organized during the prior conversation. Once they had sat down, the door opened just enough for the plates to float through and land on the pillows of each bed. The door shut as quickly as it had opened and with a smile and “eat up, now!” so did the unicorn beyond the bars. The breakfast was small, simple rations: an apple with some hay on the side. Gilda was the first to break the silence after the officer was gone. “Ugh... more pony food?! I hate hay.” Trixie was second. “Trixie doesn’t care much for apples... want to trade?” The changeling also voiced her opinion. “Umm... I’m on a No Solid Food diet... anypony want my apple and hay?” So the three cellmates pooled their rations: Gilda got three apples, Trixie got three servings of hay, and Shadow got two servings of happiness. “You are one weird pony, Shadow!” The griffin stared down at the purple unicorn. “You foreign or something? What do they even eat where you come from?” Gilda had to get all the questions out to make room for another bite of apple. “Well, you’re certainly perceptive,” Shadow answered without facing the griffin, “I’m actually from Palomoono, the capital of the Lunar Nation. It’s like Canterlot... except it’s on the Moon. As for food, we usually ate a certain fruit... I think you Earth creatures call them ‘zap apples.’” Shadow looked up, expecting a very surprised beak, but only saw a ridiculous smile. She did not seem to believe her. “I’m not kidding, you know. I was born on the moon!” “And her parents died there,” Trixie added. “...Yes. But I didn’t want to share the sad memories.” “Why not? There’s no use in pretending that the world is perfect. Terrible things happen to innocent ponies all the time. Sometimes justice strikes you down when you’ve done something wrong. There’s simply no point in trying to outrun it. Trust Trixie, she’s had her secrets revealed more than once... and soon it will happen again. The Great and Powerful Trixie must learn from her mistakes and grow even greater and more powerful. Trixie advises all her fans to do the same!” Gilda finally interrupted the two unicorns’ conversation. “So, moonicorn, is ‘Shadow Beast’ a family name?” Shadow lifted her red eyes toward Gilda’s. “No, actually. It comes from my parents’ favorite poem, which they would recite to me every sleep cycle when I was small. It goes: ‘For you are the shadow, the light from the beast. You use our love to grow, and will always have a feast.’” A few minutes passed, then Trixie finally broke the silence. “Are you sure that’s how it goes? Trixie’s adoring fans write poetry all the time... this one just doesn’t seem to work. There’s just something wrong with the wording... the syllables, right? That’s what they’re called? There seems to be some extra and some missing, but maybe you just missed a few lines...” “What are you implying?!” Shadow asked with anger in her voice. “Do you really think that I would forget something that my own parents repeated to me throughout most of my life?!” “No! Not at all!” Trixie exclaimed with fear in her voice. She caught her breath, “Of course not... I’m just saying that seems incomplete. So either you didn’t tell us the whole poem or your parents forgot a few lines...” “You can’t say it isn’t possible...” Gilda added. “I suppose I can’t,” Shadow said, finally calming down. Her anger had been replaced with sadness. Pride was now replaced with doubt. Her cellmates had both made valid points. There could be more to the poem... but that spawned a question that would echo in Shadow’s head for the next few weeks: “What could those forgotten lines be?” By the time of their trial, the question was forgotten... but that was probably for the best. Chapter 6: A Canterlot Trial The weeks flew by and Gilda, Trixie, and Shadow had become friends. But, not knowing the date, the ponies were unaware that this day was the day that they would leave Gilda and probably never see her again. It had been three weeks since they had been incarcerated, and now they were being taken to Canterlot. This was it: the day of their trial. They did not have near enough time to say goodbye to Gilda, and she wouldn’t be leaving that jail for another year according to her sentence. They must really take apple-stealing seriously in Hoofington to keep her there so long. She said she would try to get out early with good behavior--or at least try to make more friends than enemies. Time can only tell if that ever worked out. Trixie and Shadow were delivered to Canterlot via a royal chariot. It was a much shorter trip by air, and this allowed the two mares to remain silent. This close to the trial, they would not want to say anything, for it could be used against them. They were taken into the Grand Court, only the most controversial cases were sent here. This case was even more so since it was not heard by a single lesser court prior. Trixie felt embarrassed by the ordeal, and Shadow felt like he might starve to death in this environment. Finally, the pair were taken into the courtroom. Despite the expedient travel, it was apparent that they were somehow late to their own trial. It could have been set up by the royalty, but who could know? They were quickly led to their seats in the Defendant side. They sat in their chairs and stared at the desk in front of them. There was nothing on it, but it was a better than risking eye contact with any unwelcoming faces. Within minutes the trial began, a royal procession brought all ponies to their knees as Princess Celestia entered the courtroom and took her seat of power as judge. A blue-maned stallion wearing gold and purple armor announced the princess’s presence and gave all the permission to sit once again after Celestia had rested herself. Trixie was somehow able to recognize that Royal Guard captain as the famous Shining Armor who “had defeated the Changeling Queen.” Shadow was barely able to finish gulping before Shining had questioned them about their choice of lawyer. Celestia stopped him, and forced the duo to defend themselves simply because she believed that they could. The captain was revealed to be the Prosecutor. How could things possibly get worse for Shadow? At least Armor was unaware that she was a changeling... until the questioning began. Both of the mares were having a hard time breathing, but Trixie was better at hiding it... Shadow could not stop shaking. It was obvious that their heads were on a pike here, as there would be no way out of this without some form of severe punishment. Celestia listed the charges, “disturbing the peace, false advertising, heresy, and endangering the lives of many ponies.” The solar princess listened to the golden prosecution... “Your highness, this troublesome pair’s ‘magic show’ put the lives of hundreds of ponies in mortal danger!” “Objection!” Shadow cried, having heard enough. “May I remind the court that our shows were always meant for entertainment! Sure, upstaging local talent is a bit rude, but it’s also very entertaining to the crowd! Why in Equestria would we want our fans to be hurt?” Celestia seemed to like what she was hearing from the defendants. “Shining Armor, do you have any evidence that points toward Lulamoon and Beast as the true culprits?” “Of course, your highness! My sister Twilight, your faithful student, can vouch that Trixie’s showboating caused an Ursa Minor attack in Ponyville!” Twilight Sparkle was called to the stand and after vowing to tell nothing but the whole truth, told how it was two adoring fans who summoned the Ursa... not Trixie herself. Shining did not give up, though. Changeling instincts would show that he felt very protective of his sister... probably why he wanted to ensure that Trixie paid for her crimes. The moonicorn mare felt a bit more secure, until she was called up to the stand. “...do I have to??” Shadow tried to appeal. “Yes,” Celestia answered, “unless you’d rather just go right back to jail.” Shadow meekly got out of her seat and made her way to the now empty booth. She took her new seat as Armor approached her. “Do you swear to tell the entire truth and nothing else in accordance with Equestrian Law?” “What?” “Do you swear not to lie nor withhold any information that is relevant to the case?!” “Oh... um... well, I’m kind of a chronic liar... but I guess I can try...” The prosecutor’s patience was wearing thin... but the judge knew exactly what to say: “Shadow Beast, have we met?” “Umm...” “Simple question... ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’” “Yes.” “Well then, you’re already lying to me, and we can’t have that.” “WHAT?! But... we have met!” “You’re wearing a disguise now... I’m sorry, but if we want to trust what you have to say, you’ll need to remove any disguises. Show your true form, swear to tell the whole truth, then truthfully answer all the questions.” Saying nothing, Shadow concentrated her magic and with a burst of green flame dropped her moonicorn form for her black and true changeling form. Panic spread quickly throughout the room. The prosecutor just stared in disbelief as other ponies in the crowd began screaming for this witness to be thrown out... and back into jail. A smile creased Trixie’s face as she watched the spectacle. Finally, Celestia implemented a royal Canterlot voice to silence the crowd. After that, only Shining Armor questioned her authority. “I am not questioning a changeling! In fact, I don’t think I even have to! The fact that Trixie would associate with one of these... things should be enough to convict her of any crime!” Celestia was not so sure. “Shining Armor! May I remind you that this pony is a natural born resident of my sister’s kingdom and has gained her trust and respect. Just like every other pony in this room, he is innocent until proven guilty! You will question him as planned, or I will throw this entire case out!” Her speech certainly shut Armor up, as far as questioning authority goes. Questioning suspects, on the other hoof, had just started: “So... how did you meet the so-called ‘Great and Powerful Trixie?’” “Well, I had decided to do one of those journeys of self-discovery... so I assumed a pegasus form and tried to fly to my destination...” “And where was this destination?” “Well,” the changeling began, knowing that revealing the home of the changelings would be a very unwise move at the time, “does it really matter? It was more of just a whim decision and I still have yet to get there. I didn’t know how to fly and I crashed not even halfway there! That’s how I met Trixie.” “So you were flying to a mysterious destination, and then just randomly decided to follow a showboating magician rather than seek medical help?” “I didn’t need medical help. I fell, yes, but Trixie summoned a mattress below me at just the right moment. She saved my life! I owe her my life, so I thought I would help her with her performances in the hopes that I might repay her.” “So Trixie saved your life... the life of a changeling... and was perfectly fine with you helping her. May I remind you that you have sworn to tell the complete truth...” “Okay. She may have threatened me a little bit, but it may have been because she was scared of me and didn’t want to show it at all.” “Aha! So she’s the kind of pony that would threaten anypony who may inconvenience her!...” “Excuse me, but did you not threaten me when you found out I was a changeling? Trixie figured it out rather quickly...” “Alright, changeling, I’ll give you that.” “I have a name, you know... ‘Shadow Beast.’” “Well, ‘Shadow Beast,’ if that really is your name...” “It is.” “You sure? I mean, don’t you changelings take new names with new forms?” “Only those who have reason to deceive.” “So if you have no reason to deceive, why were we all surprised by your true form?” “My autobiography is in the Canterlot Archives. My name is the same throughout the whole thing! Plenty of ponies will be able to recognize me simply by name, and they would know my story and why they don’t have to be afraid of me like all of you are!” “And what proof do you have that you really wrote this autobiography? Let alone submitted it to one of the most exclusive pony databases in Equestria!” “It was under my authority that he put his life on paper!” Celestia revealed. “The prosecution rests, your highness,” Shining finally said. “And I have no further questions,” Celestia stated. She turned to the changeling, “you may return to your seat now.” “Can I--” “Yes.” Shadow stepped out of the booth and immediately returned to his male moonicorn form. It had been a while, but he definitely felt more comfortable. He sat down next to Trixie again, but had no idea what Armor still had up his sleeve. Chapter 7: Judgement and Retribution “Do you have any other witnesses, Shining Armor?” Celestia asked the prosecution. “As a matter of fact I have, your highness!” Armor grinned and turned toward the crowd. “I’ve got TWO witnesses! A brother and sister whose lives were completely ruined by Trixie and her ch--er.. Shadow.” Shining turned back toward Celestia and with a slight smile on his face said, “the court calls the Apple twins to the stand.” Two ponies who looked too poor to be able to live even remotely close to Canterlot approached the stand. They vowed to tell the entire truth as well as they could and squeezed into the empty booth. The twins were not identical, in fact they were two different genders and one was a unicorn! Also their coats were two different colors: the earth pony was a red-orange and the unicorn was a pale yellow. “What are your names?” Celestia asked the twins. “Mah nahm is Yellow Apple, yah highness,” the unicorn answered. She gestured toward her brother, “and this here’s mah li'l brother Red.” Meanwhile, Trixie jabbed Shadow and whispered, “You should object, we’ve never seen these ponies in our lives...” Shadow leaned back in his chair, stretching his forelegs and back. Then he whispered back, “you forget too easily. You beat that farmfilly in a magic contest, then brought the brother onstage for the time travel act. I took his form and told him to look for some coin. It was vague enough to entertain everypony... so I don’t know why they think these two will change anything. I think we should just see where he’s going with this.” They brought their attention back to the stand, where the Apple twins had apparently said the gist of their hushed whispers. It was quite apparent that they were not as forgetful as Trixie. “Then what happened that day... the day after you and your brother attended the show?” Shining asked them. “I’ll tell you what happened!” Red said in a deep voice. “Those two... those con artists!... they set us up!” Shadow felt he had heard enough, but Red was watching him, “you don’t say a word, you beast! I am not finished! I looked for that stupid coin you promised me with your lies!” “That’s enough now, brother,” Yellow said, patting her brother on the back in an effort to calm him down. “But while mah brother was searching for that coin, he done missed his family losing the farm! That’s right, our farm! Both our lives were ruined that day, thanks to those two there!” She gestured toward the defendants, who were unsure how the judge would react. “The prosecution rests, your highness.” Shining stepped away and took his seat at the other desk. Celestia’s face remained blank. “Well, does the defense have any questions?” “Oh no!” Red spoke up again, “I am not talking to those liars... those cheaters! They ruined our lives!” “You will listen to them, or I will throw this case out!” Trixie stood up, “I have a few.” She trotted up to the stand. “The Great and Powerful Trixie adores her fans as much as they adore her.” “I’d agree,” Red Apple said, angrily. The blue pony stood there, unsure what to do next. The purple moonicorn arose from his seat and trotted to her side. “We did not take your farm.” “Yes, you did!” Red insisted. “Let me rephrase: We do not own a single acre of farmland in all of Equestria! Who took your farm?” “A couple of liars.” “Can you be more specific?” “They called themselves the... ‘Flimflam brothers,’” Yellow Apple answered. “Could you do me a favor, Shadow?” she asked sweetly for some reason, “could you levitate something with your magic?” Shadow thought for a bit, but didn’t see where she was going with this. He figured there would be no harm, so he lifted a piece of paper with his magic. He brought it from the plaintiff desk to the stand. The yellow filly smiled. She gestured toward the magic, “that is the same color of magic that those swindling brothers used!” A loud gasp could be heard from the crowd and even from Shadow, who dropped the paper in shock. It floated back up, this time bathed in light pink magic. “You did say both of the brothers used green magic?” Trixie asked with her horn shining a bright pink. “So you see... it couldn’t have been us! We don’t both have green magic nor the power to change the color of our magic!” “Not even changelings have that ability!” Shadow added. “If ya’ll say so...” Yellow Apple responded. “Is that all?” Red Apple asked tiredly. The defendants looked at each other, nodded, then to Celestia. “The defense rests, your highness,” Shadow announced. They returned to their desk as the twins went back to their seats. “Are there any more witnesses?” Celestia asked the two parties. Neither the prosecution nor the defense had anypony else to call forth. “Any final statements before I make my decision?” Shining stepped forward, “He’s a changeling, and she’s an arrogant yet powerful magician. Their showboating actions may be entertaining, but they have decimated lives of many ponies. How long before their actions inadvertently kill somepony? Think about that as you make your decision, your highness.” He stepped back down. Trixie stepped forward, “The Great and Powerful Trixie adores every single one of her fans. What happened to the Apples was terrible, and we will take any precaution necessary to ensure that it does not happen again. Trixie no longer lies, and she does not wish to be associated with con artists and troublemakers. Please, your highness, know that Trixie has learned much from her journeys.” Trixie stepped back down and lowered her head as she sat, attempting to hide the tears. Shadow looked up to Celestia from the desk, “We’ve met before. If you’re anything like your sister, then I know you’ll make the right decision. You are the ruler of Equestria after all. Thank you for allowing me to stay here after our previous confrontation... and sorry for the trouble.” Celestia smiled. “Justice is never any trouble... now if you all will excuse me, I must leave the courtroom to make my decision.” The Princess was gone for what seemed to be forever, but was later recorded as fifteen minutes. The solar princess stepped back in quickly before anypony could see what she was carrying. She took her seat and gently cleared her throat in preparation for the reveal: “Lulamoon and Beast, you have both been found... Guilty of crimes against the citizens of Equestria!” Trixie and Shadow could barely breathe... it appeared it was all over. “As for your punishment, you will be given a choice.” Celestia looked both the defendants in their eyes, “I have prepared two sentences of community service to make up for the crimes you have committed.” Two large envelopes were carried from her desk to the defendants by golden magic. “You will not be able to open those instruction packets until you have agreed to follow them. You will not be able to look at each other’s packet. You will not be sharing any punishment. You will not be seeing each other for a very long time. Declining to follow the instructions will result in jailtime, probably for life. Is this clear?” “Can we at least say goodbye?” Trixie asked, barely holding back the tears. “Of course. But then I will need to hear your respective choices of punishment.” The magician and the changeling stared into each other’s eyes one last time and shared one first and last hug. A soft “goodbye” escaped the snouts of both ponies more than once. Shadow slowly stepped out of the hug. Green magic ensnared the all-so-familiar envelope. He stepped forward, bowed down, and pledged to follow the instructions given to him. The guards led him out with his envelope before he could hear Trixie’s decision; the last thing he saw of her were teary, purple eyes slightly obscured by a mane that was white as snow.