//------------------------------// // Chapter 14: Preperation // Story: Changeling Fate // by Nightmare Rift //------------------------------// Night Crystal’s POV: We enter Rarity’s boutique and she pulls out all of the dress designs for everypony. She starts with Twilight’s: a four layered dress in a gradient of purple, with an ear clip of Twilight’s cutie mark, and the necklace that holds her dress was v-shaped and silver. Twilight gave a squeak of delight and Rarity took that as a yes. So she moved on to Applejack’s: a long gown, red as the top color and moving to green for the rest of it, the frill containing her cutie mark, and a red hat just like her one she always wears. Applejack nods her head and Rarity moves onto Starlight’s. Hers is a short dark turquoise dress with a veil like top layer that is a deep purple that is longer, and her cutie mark is on an ear clip. Starlight hugs Rarity and then walks out. We move onto Rainbow Dash’s: a shorter, higher off the ground dress, with clouds as the trim, the main section being rainbow, four bracers that are silver, and her cutie mark is the ear clip. Rainbow Dash rushes out the door in excitement, almost knocking down Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie’s is next: a short dress that is mostly a deeper shade of pink with blue trim outlining the dress, a pink bangle, and a cutie mark ear clip. Pinkie Pie squeals and goes bouncing around the boutique, almost knocking over all of Rarity’s fabric. Thankfully, I catch her in my magic and levitate her outside, where she goes back to bouncing, this time towards Sugarcube Corner. Second to last is Fluttershy: a short orange-pink dress with a gold yellow veil as the top layer, two gold bangles, a gold necklace with her cutie mark on it, plus the cutie mark ear clip. Fluttershy gives a small yay, and walks out the door. Lastly, Rarity pulls out her dress design and looks at me like she asked a question. Her design: a peacock feather looking dress with gold strings of beads hanging to the side, a necklace with a peacock pattern that holds the dress on, and gems that look like her cutie mark scattered throughout her mane. I hug her and say, “That is perfect for you. I can think of no pony more deserving a dress that looks like that. Especially since you work so hard on everypony else’s.” “Thank you darling, but are you really sure that you don’t want me to make a dress for you for the Gala?” “No thanks Rarity. I have a dress that I made a while ago that is perfect for this occasion. When you see it I am sure you will approve it. For now I should leave you to get working, after all, the Gala is only a couple days from now,” I say as I stroll out of the boutique and head home. I push open the door of my home to see a small black filly, although it looks more like an Umbrum. It turns around, looks at me, and freezes in place, too scared to move. I see that it is indeed an Umbrum colt. Umbrum colts and fillies look exactly like normal pony colts and fillies, but just take on a more wispy looking form. “Hello little colt. What can I do for you?” “I am lost, everypony looks at me funny and screams at me until I run away. I saw that you live here, so I hid here because you looked different than every other pony. I thought that you might be able to help me.” “Of course, but I must ask, do you know what you are?” “An Umbrum, I think. At least that is what the voice told me when I opened my eyes. The voice was firm, yet gentle. I don’t know who it was because there was no one around me when I opened my eyes,” he says as he starts walking towards me. I lay on the floor with my back feet tucked under me, with my front feet out in front of me. He comes over and snuggles up next to me. I put my head down, hugging him towards me, and gently say, “You are an Umbrum, but you are amazing. I think I shall give you the name Nightlock. What do you think?” “I like that name, Nightlock,” he says, testing the name out on his tongue. With a sigh, he lays down in between my front legs and falls asleep. He starts to snore softly, so I pick him up in my magic, carry him to my bed, and gently place him down, covering him up with blankets to keep him warm. I leave the house and lock the door behind me. I decide to spend the night in the Everfree Forest, sleeping in Changeling form beneath the stars. I wake up the next day to hear screaming. I jolt up, switching to Night Crystal form, and take off towards the screaming. I follow it to see Twilight and my precious little Nightlock lost in the forest. As soon as Twilight sees me she stops screaming and runs behind me saying, “That thing is adorable but also really scary. Please tell it to go away.” I look at Nightlock to see him staring at me in confusion. I simply shrug and say calmly, “Twilight, calm down. It’s just Nightlock, the Umbrum colt I found in my house yesterday after I finished going over dress designs with Rarity. He doesn’t know much about what he is, don’t worry. Now would you please get out from behind me, and try to be sensible.” “Be sensible? Are you crazy? Umbrum are supposed to be extinct, and yet here is this colt that is very much alive. Is this some kind of joke that you are playing with another Changeling?” “Twilight, first of all, yes I am crazy, but be sensible. Secondly, Umbrum are supposed to be extinct, but that doesn’t mean anything. Lastly, no other Changeling even knows I exist, regardless of what the other bearers have told you. So at least try to meet him before passing judgement. He is just like every other colt, innocent, and mostly clueless. Why don’t you say hi. Don’t tell anypony about him, and then go see Rarity. I’m sure she must be done with all of the dresses by now.” “Good idea. Hi Nightlock. Sorry for screaming at you. You are actually really cute. Bye!” Twilight says rather quickly before running towards Rarity’s. “Bye!” Nightlock yells after her as he walks towards me. “Let’s go home silly. However, I do think it would be best if you stayed inside for a little while. Just while I break everypony into the idea of you,” I say, guiding Nightlock back towards home. “Okay, I’ll listen to whatever you say.” We arrive at home and I realize that the Gala is tonight. I finally get to wear my navy blue dress that is hanging in my closet. The dress is a deep navy blue with silver gemstones dotting all along the edges of the gown, with a flat red crystal stack where the cutie mark would sit on a pony if you could see through the clothing. The red crystal stack was actually Sombra’s cutie mark, but it vanished from his flank once he started ruling. I added the red crystals once Sombra died, in his memory. I put the dress on and prepared to meet Twilight, the rest of the bearers, and Starlight at the train station. I wonder what they are going to say about my dress, and if anypony knows that I now wear Sombra’s cutie mark. I tell Nightlock that he can eat the meal that I made him in the fridge, then he can sleep, and that I will be home after midnight.