//------------------------------// // Chapter 19: Loose Ends // Story: The Half of It // by Shapeshift //------------------------------// Unsurprisingly, I got plenty of odd looks on the ride home, causing me to be a little more self conscious, but I just decided to deal with it. Though once the half-ling and I arrived in Canterlot and exited the train, another pony ran off screaming in fear. It caused a small scene which prompted one of the Guards in the immediate area to come up to me. “What’s your name, citizen?” he asked. I answered with “Shapeshift,” though I sounded a bit questioning. While the Guard gave me this confused look, several other Guards did as well. “Is that magic, or were you always…” “A half-ling, yes… for the last six or so months,” I nervously answered. All the Guards in earshot suddenly came up to me as the first one told me, “You’ve been passing through the checkpoints in Canterlot Castle without a hitch, lying to us, and possibly even antagonized the hive into capturing Blitz. What reason could you possibly have that would convince me to not arrest you right now?” “I prevented some ponies from being abducted by infiltrators… and I might have helped prevent all-out war with the hive, too,” I mentioned with a shaky voice. “Hey!” one of the Guards shouted as he came right up to me. “That means you’re the one that dropped the changeling on me that one night!” I pinned my ears back all the way as I said, “I d-didn’t mean to. It was an accident, I swear!” Immediately after, the first Guard slipped a magic nullifying ring on me by surprise, yet he sighed. “I don’t like this either, but you’ll have to come with me. Remain in front so I can see you and I’ll tell you where to go.” With that, we set off to the castle, thankfully without the half-ling. Once at the entrance, we went though a checkpoint and the Guards there called for two others to follow at my sides. I figured the reason he was the only one to take me to the castle was that he didn’t want to attract too much of the public’s attention, and I appreciated that. Next, we headed over to a hall connecting several small rooms, one of which they had me stay in. It was pretty basic with a table and two chairs, but oddly comfy, as I was expecting to be in a room used for questioning. After a half hour, a different Guard who was confused but looking mostly stoic opened the door and told me, “You’re free to go.” I was confused at that as well, so I reluctantly got up from my seat and slowly made my way to the door. Though just as I was going through the frame, she said, “Oh, and one thing: Expect a visit from Luna some time soon.” ~~~~~~ I was pretty sure I wasn’t off the hook yet, so I was still pretty worried. I assumed that Luna would come to my home, so I stayed there as much as I could to get it over with. Once a few days passed, Luna still hadn’t shown up. By the time I usually went to the bar with friends, I decided to go, hopping that at least one would be there. I was also sure Luna would know where I was at that time, so I wasn’t very worried. While the half-ling and I made our way to the Fairly Odd Pub, I was met with a wide range of reactions. Some ponies kept their fillies away from me, walked on the opposite side of the road, or even had the nerve to insult me. The last of which I responded to by sliding them to the side with my magic and continuing on my way. It’s not like you can go your whole life without having enemies, so I didn’t let it bother me much. On the other hoof, some ponies thanked me, asked questions, or told me how awesome they thought I was. In general, the public’s reaction seemed a bit mixed, but it felt more like the consensus was that I was more of a benefit to everyone. Upon arriving at the pub, I didn’t see either friend, but everyone else saw me. And by that I mean every pony and changeling in the pub stopped what they were doing to look at me for a few seconds. The reactions were mostly positive, so the half-ling and I took a seat at one of the booths while ponies were singing on the karaoke machine. Olivia came up to take orders, but I wanted to wait for everyone else before getting a drink. Modus shortly arrived with a newspaper and came up to me asking, “Is that you, Shape?” “Yeah,” I sadly said after sighing. “Sorry for getting you and Blitz mixed up in my troubles.” I could sense Modus’s irritation, though it didn’t show all that much as he sat down across from me and said, “After you told me everything, my wife and I haven’t been sleeping as well as usual.” I put my head on my forelegs, which were resting on the table. “Look, I was being too selfish. I’m not proud of absolutely everything I did or what happened because of it. I didn’t even accomplish what I originally set out to do.” “Then what did you accomplish?” Modus asked in a similar tone as before. “I found out that I shouldn’t care what other ponies think of me, no matter what creature I am, and that it doesn’t matter if you feel lonely for a different reason because being lonely together is better than being lonely by yourself.” Modus’s tone became softer as he said, “Couldn’t you have figured that out in a less dangerous way?” I looked away. “You know that I wouldn’t have even bothered with group counseling at the time.” Sensing my growing discomfort and annoyance about the topic at that point, Modus decided to say, “Well… what changed your mind about revealing yourself?” “A hoof full of things,” I told him as I looked back to him. “The first one was that, with time, I accepted my change and enjoyed the benefits that came with it. The second major thing was a short talk I had with Chittri. She-” Suddenly, Modus yelled, “You found Chittri while she was infiltrating?!” Every single changeling and some ponies looked in our direction and shortly gathered around the booth. Nervous at the sudden attention, I just said, “Yeah.” “How?” Modus asked. “…I guess I had some help,” I said. “But neither of us were specifically looking for her. I was just asked to see if Fleur De Lis was replaced.” Modus was still in awe as he told me, “You do realize how unbelievably amazing that is, right?” “Yeah,” I slowly said, devoid of amusement. “Anyways, the third thing was… well, I was afraid of Luna hunting me down, starting from the night before my reveal.” Despite how ridiculous that was, Modus and the other changelings didn’t laugh or have any hint of amusement that anybody could sense. “Then the final one was that doing so would inspire other changelings in hiding to do the same.” “So are you two supposed to make out or something?” the half-ling asked. That prompted one or two of the other changelings to stifle a giggle, while the rest were confused. “No,” I said. “Not even if Modus or I changed into a mare.” “As interesting as that may be,” Modus said, “I’d have to ask my wife first.” Irritated about being embarrassed in front of all the pub’s changelings, I rubbed my forehead with a hoof. “I never asked for this.” Surprisingly, Modus responded with, “I could say the same about being put in danger by your friends.” “Look,” I said, sitting up completely straight with a completely serious face. “I’ve got the same problem and a solid plan to prevent any of your worries about infiltration and assassination in your home. I can even set it up for you when it’s done, which is soon.” Modus sighed out of relief, though I could tell he knew he’d still need to keep up what he was doing to not get abducted outside his home. “I guess that will make up for it.” Opening the newspaper he brought and hoofing it to me, he said, “I’m guessing you’ll want to take a look at this.” It wasn’t hard at all to figure out which article he was talking about. It had a nice large picture of the parade I gathered in Ponyville. Half-ling Makes Inspiring Reveal! In Ponyville, I happened upon a small, interesting parade that I took part in. The one that seemed to lead it was singing a lovely and inspiring tune. I quickly realized that it was of changelings coming out of their shell, giving ponies the benefit of the doubt, supporting each other when they find it hard to cope with the changes of leaving their hive, and not giving up when things are at their hardest. I thought at first, like anypony else, that the lead pony was actually a changeling. After not even a minute he let his disguise go in the middle of the song. Yet everypony was surprised, not because of him being a changeling, as very few there even recognized him at all, but the fact that he is what he calls a "half-ling". Ponyville's reputation proved true as, even though everypony stopped in shock for several seconds, they still kept singing. There were even two or three changelings that decided, in the middle of the song, to let their disguises go. After the end, I was able to ask the half-ling, Shapeshift, for a short interview. Shapeshift wasn't always a half-ling, as an accident during the changeling invasion caused his transformation. He was worried about being discovered and became more secluded. Though he did find that it wasn't as hard as he thought, despite his disguise's looks. He has the magical abilities of both species and a special talent in shape-shifting. He also mentions that he's had several months of infiltrator training, but can already tell who's a changeling in a matter of a dozen or so seconds or less. Shapeshift has even said that out of all the ponies who were saved from being abducted by changelings, he was probably the one who saved most of them. As with many other changelings, he eventually told his friends about what he really is, though he preferred to not elaborate on that. His change has given him a unique perspective on changelings, and so with it, he has seen problems that many ponies don't think about, such as that, "Crimes that will be committed will be harder to figure out because of shape shifting being basically natural to them. But ponies have been known to paint themselves to accurately look like another pony or one that doesn't exist at all, so that they're almost like a disguised changeling. It shouldn't be too much harder than it already has been to prove the use of known disguising techniques." There is also the question of whether or not some changeling psychologists will report sensitive information, such as the mental state of the princesses or high ranking officers of the Guard, to the hive queen. But Shapeshift also sees many advantages to changeling integration, such as them being, "fantastic as phycologists, [as well as] saleslings, as they can read your emotions towards them like an open filly's book." He has also mentioned that they can sense emotions directed at them from coma patients. This means that Luna is no longer the only one in Equestria who can easily communicate with them. So when I asked him if he had anything else to say he said that, "Despite the drawbacks, the fact that changelings will benefit ponies in emotional ways never before seen will be well worth it. The understanding of emotion in general will even improve in leaps and bounds." Only time will tell if his optimistic view with come to fruition, but even now we can do things to help make it a reality. After all, as a great pony once said, "The wishes of yesterday, are the dreams of today, and the reality of tomorrow." While I read through it, my lips started shifting into a smug smile, but the smugness lessened at the final sentence. “I wonder what Rabble Rouser might write about me,” I said, amused at the possibility. Modus seemed to already have a good prediction, because he almost instantly responded with, “He’d probably try writing something hinging on changelings being better at jobs we already have. Something that could be summed up with ‘They took our jobs!’” “So none of that stuff was a lie?” one of the other changelings finally asked. “Nope,” I said. “It’s all true… though how fast I can detect changelings has a few more factors that she doesn’t know about.” Another changeling asked, “What are they?” “That’s going to be a secret for now,” I told everyone. “I don’t need infiltrators avoiding detection from me all together.” After a few more questions, all the changelings left the table, so I got Modus to tell me the progress on his explosive fruit. About a half hour later, I sensed annoyance and disapproval directed at me from who I could only assume was Blitz. Seconds after, I got a firm slap on the back of the head, as I suspected would happen. “You idiot!” he almost shouted. I rubbed the back of my head as Blitz took a seat. “I probably deserved that…” Blitz responded with, “Damn right, you freak.” At that point I merely found it amusing to be called that, so I cracked a sly smile. “What’s so funny?” Blitz almost demanded. “The fact that you think me being called a freak bothers me very much,” I informed him. Blitz frowned. “How am I supposed to annoy you all the time for getting me captured if name calling doesn’t work? I can’t just punch you or anything like that without asking. I’m a guard.” “I don’t know,” I pondered, then made another smirk. “But I know you like a good fight.” “Pfft. Fight you?” Blitz said in amusement. “As if I’m falling for that. You’ll use your cheater TK.” “So I won’t use it,” I said. “It’s not like I can’t beat you without it. It’ll be more interesting anyways.” Blitz made a smug smile. “You’re on! Next week, we meet at the bar as usual, then go to the castle. I’ve got some Guard friends that will want to see this, and there might be a good spot around the castle to fight.” Olivia then came up and asked, “Now that everyone’s here, how about a drink?” So we all ordered something, except for the half-ling, and she left with, “Alright, that will be right out!” Just then, a pony came up to sing and picked something that sounded like a drinking song. But it wasn’t just any song. It was about the limitations of our existence and how, despite that, we still do more than just manage to get by. We have our own flaws and limitations, yet they make us who we are while, despite them, we still achieve our dreams and have times of joy with others. But there are times when things get tough. You don’t have to listen to those who think you can’t get through it, and you have the capacity to bravely challenge everything and everybody who stands in the way of your goals. The song was catchy enough that the patrons of pub shifted their attention to the song rather fast. By the first verse, a few ponies got up and formed a row, with each pony to the left of the other putting their right foreleg on the other, gently swaying left and right to the song. The changelings and unicorns had their horns lit up, while others used various methods of their own to make a light. Modus, Blitz, and I joined in early, before the line grew long enough to start a second one and the lights dimmed. It was heartwarming to see and feel so many of the pub-goers appreciating the song, and especially the half-ling’s emotions. As the song continued, he slowly became determined, a little excited, and a little joyful. And that was all he needed. With a flash of green flame he shed his disguise, and only seconds after, Hammy came into the bar to come up to him and stretch his hoof out to the half-ling. I could only assume that Hammy asked to join him in the crowd, because he shyly but quickly took his hoof and got up to join in with Hammy. It was the most beautiful moment I’ve ever had in a bar of any sort. Despite there being ponies, changelings, griffins, donkeys, and even a buffalo and zebra, they all joined in. We had differing struggles, goals, dreams, and limitations, but the important thing was that we were joined together in that moment by the simple fact that we all had them. But it eventually had to come to an end, and everybody sat back down after it was over. Hammy and the half-ling were at our table by the time I got there, so I sat next to the former as the remaining two also took a seat in front of the drinks Olivia sneaked onto our table. Right as Blitz did so, he said, “So Shape and ‘Dew’, you have any holes in your gentlestallion's leg?” Modus, Hammy, and I snickered, while the half-ling gave Blitz a deadpan glare. Though that only gave Blitz a reason to laugh. “Nope,” I said with a smile. “I don’t have that.” I then turned to the half-ling as everyone else at the table took a swig. “It’s a good thing I put that song in their collection, or you may have never revealed yourself.” The half-ling responded with disbelief as I took a gulp of my own. “As if you planned that out.” Having my explanation ready, I told him, “I picked a song that's both appealing to the bar patrons and relevant to what you needed to hear, so that you were more convinced than pressured into doing what you did, and so that it looked like I had little to do with it.” “As if you’re capable of planning something like that so well,” the half-ling retorted. So I gave him a smirk and told him, “I’ve been getting infiltrator training. When you do it right, everybody, even some of your allies, aren’t sure you’ve done anything at all.” The half-ling tried to think of a response while giving me a glare for several seconds, until I told him, “It’d be better to just believe me. If you don’t, it only further proves my capabilities.” The half-ling’s only response to that, aside from irritation, was, “I hate you.” Just then I sensed Blitz realizing something. “Wait a minute. I’m the only one in our group now that can’t sense emotions.” “Actually, I can’t anymore,” the half-ling said. “Why’s that?” Modus asked with an odd but interested look, before taking another drink from his mug. “For the exact same reason Shape can,” the half-ling said with a deadpan tone. Modus turned to me. “The potion swaps species traits between the drinker and somebody else?” he asked. “Yeah,” I said. “Incidentally, a sample of him ended up in the potion.” “Did it swap your gentlestallion's legs?” Blitz asked with a smirk. Both the half-ling and I said “No," though I sounded amused while the half-ling was irritated. Blitz was clearly more amused than me, though he finally decided to ask a serious question after another swig, “Who’s the new changeling?” I decided to answer with, “Actually… he was Crooked Gallery all along. His real name is Hamartia.” “Can I just call you Hammy?” Modus asked, to which Hammy said “Yeah, most ponies prefer to call me that,” before chugging several mouthfuls of cider. Then Blitz asked, “So are you two dating again or something?” I tried to think of the right thing to say, given how I had my answer to Hammy’s question by then, but all I said was a nervous, “Uhh…” until I decided to turn to Hammy. Everyone at the table stopped drinking. I was nervous about how he’d react. He seemed to know the answer already, as I sensed his growing sadness. I shyly told him, “I cared about you just as much as I did back then, just… not the same way anymore.” Just as I was afraid of, Hammy started tearing up. Though I started feeling not sympathy from him, but empathy. He knew how I felt about things like breaking up with someone I still cared about. After a second or two I continued with, “We both know each others feelings about that, so…” I held out my forelegs and Hammy took the invitation to hug me. As I started tearing up a little, I told him, “I want you to be with someone who cares about you just as much as I do, but in the same way you care for them.” “I searched for you for three years, only for you to say no,” Hammy said. He wasn’t angry at me, just frustrated that things didn’t go as he planned. “I could change genders for you,” he suddenly said with hope in his voice, after breaking the hug. I didn’t want to see him acting with any desperation, but I had to skeptically ask him, “Would you really be willing to marry somebody who doesn't want to interact with your real body in an intimate way?” “I guess not…” he moped. “I knew how much you wanted to get back together… If it’s any consolation, I’m flattered about it all.” Hammy reacted with, “I know how you fell you dork,” though, again, he did not sound angry. “I guess an intimate relationship with you would leave both of us with… unfulfilled desires.” After breaking the hug and wiping away his tears, Hammy told me, “I was afraid this was going to be your answer because you don’t trust me as much as you used to,” here he smiled a bit, “but knowing that you still care about me that much… makes this easier. Anyways, I should go.” Modus then spoke up. “You don’t have to go if don’t feel like it.” Yet he responded with, “But I do. I’ll see you guys later.” The talk left me with a bad feeling, emotionally as well as in my stomach, so I had no desire to finish my drink. After he left, Modus asked, “You think he’ll be okay?” I sighed and I told the remaining three, “I thought I knew him in school, but my sixth sense helped me see so much more of him. I think he’ll be fine.” Blitz had a sad, but more perplexed face for most of the exchange. “Why are you so opposed to dating males, yet have no problem with dating several other species?” That only made me feel worse, and as such, I gave him a sad but irritated glare. I still didn’t have a good idea as to why I have such a nonsensical preference. Feeling bad himself, Blitz just said, “Sorry…” After we had a few seconds of silence between the four of us, a badly timed song started playing. It seemed to be about some stallion who wanted to date somebody else, but that somebody may have had no interest in it. About fifteen seconds into the song, everybody started drinking again and Modus said, “I like this song already!” Then about a minute in I suddenly almost yelled, “Why does the bar have a new song that's exactly what I don't want to hear right now?!” Several of the bar’s patrons became nervous at that, though I preferred it that night. After a few seconds, Modus and Blitz were about to say something, but I continued with, “It's like the universe hates me, or that I’m in a book written by somebody who's sadistic to fictional characters and likes music too much!” Blitz took another drink and responded with, “That last one was oddly specific,” while Modus shrugged and stated, “Everyone’s a story of their own life. But I feel like we should change subjects. Are there any spells from either species that are inherently impossible for you to cast?” “It’s not really that I can’t cast any,” I said. “It’s just the spells that require you to be a pony and can only be cast on yourself that I can’t use.” Modus replied with, “That makes sense,” before taking a drink of his cider. “But what about the changeling shape-shifting spell?” Blitz asked, before downing the last of his drink. “Well, I doesn’t work,” I started, “and even with the fix I have for it, something about my biological difference makes it hurt during the transformation process by varying degrees. My first transformation was to get wings, which was agony, and I assumed that a gender swap would hurt about as much. I also assumed that getting or removing my horn would hurt almost as much as losing a limb. All that being the reason I just changed back to my real form at the time.” Cutting in, the half-ling asked, “So why is my own shape-shifting spell taking so long to make?” “I just don’t have enough info on your current biology,” I stated. The half-ling pouted at that. “You’re useless.” “You’re kind of cute when you’re doing that,” Modus observed. Blitz and I snickered at that, to which the half-ling responded with, “Shut up, or I’ll tell everyone what you’ve been doing the past two weeks.” I smirked at that. “Who are you? My mom? Besides, it wouldn’t matter anymore. I infiltrated Canterlot Castle numerous times to listen in on changeling negotiation sessions, then proceeded to follow the Equestrian changelings when they traveled to the hive and infiltrated it, so I could possibly gain an easier entrance to do what I needed to.” I sensed Blitz’s disapproval at that before he even sat up straight, leaned in towards me from across the table, and intimidatingly said, “How did you infiltrate the castle?” “If I let any of that info out, enemy changelings would try to steal and use it,” I told him, with a serious face. “If they were to be successful, all current dispels would no longer work on them.” “You should destroy that info,” Modus recommended, before finishing his cider. Though I was prepared. “I have something to counter it already, and I’d give it up to the princesses if it was absolutely necessary.” Blitz considered that, though he still reluctantly said, “I guess that’s good enough…” while Modus said, “I’ve vaguely figured out how you’re doing it anyways. But what about the loss of your cutie mark?” I answered with, “I got over it pretty quick, even though I was really worried about it at first.” “No, I mean why do you still have your special talent?” “I’m still not sure,” I stated. “It's probably because my cutie mark was a changeling related allusion, and maybe the fact that I gained changeling traits basically made my entire body, or one certain part, my cutie mark.” “Sounds like the best guess I’d have,” Blitz said. Though Modus had a more simple one. “It could simply be that the cutie mark is gone but the magic is still there out of simple persistence more than anything else.” “Yeah,” I said. “I might just be over-complicating it.” So I continued answering my friends’ questions for a while, and Olivia brought refills. Then another changeling came up to us. I quickly recognized who he was, which caused me to emit emotions that instantly confirmed the suspicions he already had of me. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t visibly react. The half-ling turned to the new changeling to say, “Hey,” then looked back to us. “This is the changeling I met in Ponyville. His name’s Cember and… I forgot to mention that he’s staying for a few days.” After Cember sat down next to the half-ling, Modus asked Cember, “So why did you leave the hive for Equestria?” As Cember told his story, I sensed his growing hate for me, which made it all the more uncomfortable. During this, the always attentive Olivia returned to ask, “Does the new ‘ling want anything?” “Do you have Rockfarm Cider?” Cember responded. Olivia gave him a slightly odd look and told him, “We do, but you do know how dry that one is, right?” “Yeah,” he said. “I’ve had it several times before.” “Alright then, I’ve have that out for you in a minute!” she said, as she left the table. Cember continued his story, and after he was done, Blitz told him, “That was kind of vague.” “I’d rather keep the details to myself,” Cember said, emitting a bit more hate at me. “That’s fine,” Blitz simply stated. “Now,” Cember said as he turned to Modus “it’s my turn to ask you the same.” “Well…” Modus started. “I heard from several infiltrators what Equestria was like. The infiltrators seemed to look at Equestrian society with the perspective that they were brought up to have, but I eventually set aside that perspective to try to understand Equestrian philosophy. My curiosity and desire for a higher standard of living eventually led me to leave. I went to a few cities and villages to get accustomed to pony life, then attended school disguised as a filly. By the time I was done with school I had an intricate understanding of pony philosophy and mastered the field of general logic for practical reasons. By then I thought that I might return to the hive one day to teach Equestrian philosophy when they are ready for it.” Modus smiled. “That day might be soon.” “At least you left more willingly,” Cember observed, while giving me a quick glace, and a short lasting spike of disgust. It didn’t make me feel any better, and no one but Modus seemed to notice. “So have you found a job yet?” Modus asked. Though Cember responded with a somewhat mocking, “Are you a hive princess?” Modus shrugged “You could move to Canterlot or another city so you could more easily get a job, if you feel comfortable enough with it.” Cember then emitted disdain for, as far as I could tell, living in Canterlot, which grew my feeling of awkwardness further, while Modus reacted to my feelings with some concern. “Well, what job did you have in the hive?” Modus asked. Cember answered with “I was an infiltrator.” “We could use an infiltrator in the anti-espionage division,” Blitz mentioned. “Whether it’s part-time or full-time, field operations or information analysis.” I sensed Cember’s irritation as he answered with a matching tone, saying, “I’d rather not.” Though he also emitted further hate towards me, keeping the situation awkward. Modus seemed to figure out by then that something was going on between Cember and I, as he was directing a bit of disapproval and apprehension, as well as a moderate level of concern at me. Yet, despite this, he didn’t approach me about it until we were done conversing and everyone decided to leave. As we exited the bar, I was about to split off with the half-ling and Cember, when Modus came up to me with concern and asked, “Shape, can I talk to you in private?” “Yeah,” I simply said, nervous about what Modus already figured out. We started an alternate path to my house, and after a minute he said, “Shape, I need to know. Did you put Cember in that desperate situation?” Before I could even say anything, Modus could tell what my answer was from my emotions alone, and sighed in disappointment. “Why?” he asked. “He replaced Blitz after the hive took him,” I ashamedly muttered, without looking at Modus. “I… wanted to teach him a lesson.” I sensed a bit of anger directed at me as he asked, “What situation did you put him in?” I slowly said, “I severely injured two of his legs, took all his emotional energy… and left him a few hundred meters into the Everfree near Ponyville.” Both of us didn’t say a word for several seconds, until Modus finally said, “I want you to apologize to him.” Sensing my distress at hearing that, he changed to a less harsh tone to tell me “I know you’re awkward at apologies, but you can take comfort in the fact that it’s much easier with changelings.” I finally looked at him in the eye as he gave me a small but encouraging smile, and I sighed. “Alright,” I said, with uncertainty. “Well,” Modus said, “I should go before my wife wonders where I am. I’ll see you later.” After parting ways, I got back to the other two before they arrived at my house. Once we got there, I unlocked the door and we entered the living room. “I’m tired,” the half-ling stated, followed up by a “Me too,” from Cember. Seeing as they were both expectantly look at me, I told them “The only decent enough spot that’s left is the couch. I have an extra blanket you could use, though I could just give my bed up for however long Cember's planning on staying.” “I'll be using the sleeping bag and sleeping in the same room as Cember,” the half-ling mentioned. So Cember said, “I’ll take the couch,” while still emitting hate towards me. Though I also started sensing a bit of contempt when I offered my bed. I really couldn’t blame him. Once I got the blanket from upstairs, I came back down and approached Cember, who was on the couch and talking with the half-ling. He only glanced at the blanket before I gave it to him. Neither of us said anything to each other, but Cember gave me this brief death stare that the half-ling couldn’t see from his angle. So after going to bed, I didn’t think it was ridiculous to have my changeling detection spell on or face the door all night. About an hour after I would’ve been asleep on a normal night, my spell detected who could only be Cember entering my room. He slowly crept up to me, unaware that my spell worked even with my eyes closed, then silently lifted his hoof up to about his ear’s height. Suspecting that he was trying to waste me, I took his hoof in my magic and opened my eyes to see his look of surprise and that his weapon of choice was a knife. “The possibility of you trying to kill me isn't the only reason I can't sleep tonight,” I informed him in a sad tone and calm manner, as I shifted into a sitting position. His expression shifted to hate. “You’ve been faking your feelings towards me all night, so why should I believe that you care at all?” I sighed. “Because… I distanced myself from you in every sense of the word to get rid of the guilt, and now that you’re here…” I looked down at the sheets before saying, “I feel it again.” I let Cember’s knife hoof go and he lowered it before telling me, “I had to make the hardest decision of my life. I decided to seek the help of the ponies in Ponyville because it would be unlikely that I could survive long enough for a hive changeling to find me. Once I found a pony and she got me to the hospital, my nerves were severely frayed. I took a gamble, and I didn't know if they were actually going to help me heal, or if they were going to experiment on me until I died. I didn't trust the doctors or nurses for a while, until another changeling was able to convince me to. I started living with that changeling.” As he talked, I started facing him again and I could tell that he was analyzing my emotions during his story. “I guess you weren’t faking anything tonight,” Cember said, still sounding angry. “I’m not going to bother with killing you anymore.” He then got in my face as he told me, “But if you’re seeking forgiveness, you’re far from it.” Getting out of my face, he dropped the knife on the floor and left the room. I picked up the knife with my magic and put it in a nearby drawer. Despite my guilt from what I did to him, and my sadness from having to say no to Hammy, I soon fell asleep. That night, I had the boulevard dream for the last time. There were a few differences this time as I left to check the streets. The other sign was finally readable, with the intersection being of Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Lonely Hearts Boulevard. The next difference was, after the two singing groups met, they started singing the song I sung in Ponyville. So I decided to watch them march down the street. Until something struck me on the back of my head so hard that I swear I could have gotten a skull fracture. As I got up from being knocked to the floor, I reached for the spot on my head and noticed that it was wet. Moving me hoof in front of me, I realized that I was bleeding. I still can't get a break, even in my dreams... As I looked to where the strike came from, I saw Luna standing there, more angry than anybody I’ve ever seen. “What was that for?!” I irately asked. The only two words she said were, “Blood moon.” Immediately remembering that particular night at the bar, I couldn't say anything for the life of me, so I just looked at her hooves in fear of looking her in the eyes, but shame more than anything. After what felt like minutes, though more likely seconds, Luna said, “You should be glad you are not in a dream of pure horror. Your joke was not funny in the slightest, and I have never imagined that such a more wrong joke could be made about me in both senses of the word.” I could still not say anything for the life of me in the several seconds before she said anything more. “Speak!” she commanded. “I-I know- It was- I thought…” I verbally stumbled, before sighing. “S-sorry. I didn’t think others would want to make it into a joke, let alone listen in on what I was saying.” She continued scolding me with, “You are damn right you did not think!” I mentally berated myself over the whole situation, though I quickly thought of something to make up for it. Looking her in the face, I made my offer. “I could make up for it by helping with any infiltrator problems.” I sensed Luna’s intense anger lessen, before she said, “That is why I am here. For infiltrating Canterlot Castle, and causing a Guard to be abducted by the hive, you can either go to the dungeon for twenty years, or find us one hundred undiscovered changelings.” In an exasperated tone, I responded with, “Don’t underestimate me…” “Three hundred it is, then.” She didn’t show it at all, but I could sense her amusement of how little thought I put into my reaction. “I have heard that you once accidentally launched your changeling friend into a wall with your magic,” Luna said. “One of many reasons why I am thoroughly acquainted with what you do well.” I gave her a confused look, “Who told you that?" though I had my suspicions. She then gave a small smirk as she answered with “The same Guard that told me the origin of the offending joke.” I’m gonna do something to Blitz for that, but I don’t know what yet. At that, I decided to follow the singing group, and Luna followed to my right. “Are you aware that you are in a dream?” Luna asked, a bit puzzled. “Yeah. You’re here talking with me, which only happens in my dreams.” “An accurate way to tell,” she exclaimed, though her emotions indicated some mischievousness at my logic. “Is this dream reoccurring? I remember one similar to this, though I go through so many others that it is hard to keep track.” “Yeah, it is,” I said. “It changed a few times, but the changes that happened this time makes me feel like it’s the last time.” “Not many ponies seem to know much about reoccurring dreams until I inform them. I feel that you are… well read.” “Yeah, kind of” I responded. “I’m more about innovation.” “Yes, well, I feel that you would get along well enough with Twilight Sparkle.” “And that she’d want to run experiments on me,” I added, with a deadpan tone. Luna gave me a smirk. “Then I suppose you have met her?” I answered with, “At least a few dozen times. She doesn’t pay me much mind, except when she might have thought I was a changeling.“ Just then, a thought occurred to me. “What do you think the future will hold?” “Many things,” Luna said, looking at the stars. “What predictions of mine would you like to know?” “Look at me,” I told her, pointing to my face. “I’m a half-ling. What do you think?” Turning her head, she gave me an unamused look. “Do not give me sass.” Though her expression shortly changed to thoughtfulness. “Relations between the two species are obviously still rough, but with enough time, the changelings as a whole can learn to appreciate the values of friendship and even love. As a species, their emotion sense may even allow them to surpass a pony's understanding of both, especially infiltrators, due to their training. If the singing group's song and your news article is any indication, you are hoping for something similar.” “Well, it’s not a coincidence. That song they’re singing is the same one I sung in Ponyville, so you’re not wrong in the least.” Luna didn’t say anything, so I looked to my right to see that she was gone, but I also spotted the Fairly Odd Pub. It was something significant to me, so having a hunch that she was there, I went in. The scene I was greeted with was very similar to the one that started from the song I slipped into the pub’s collection. The exception was that, instead of Act, Blitz, and I being in the crowd, we were the ones singing. Nobody was paying Luna any mind, which I would find just a bit odd if it was in the real world. Approaching her side and sitting next to her, she was smiling and emanating optimism. “Did this exact event actually happen?” “No,” I said, which earned me a confused look, but I still smiled. “Though, the only difference is that it wasn’t anybody I knew who was singing up there. I just sneaked the song into the pub’s collection and joined in the crowd.” I could then sense her pride in her subjects and myself, as well as relief. “Nevertheless, you have learned much.” She then turned around and started trotting out. “I had figured it was you who was calling me Lieutenant Nightlight, though, like I had said before, I did not know your true form.” Here, she gave me a slightly concerned look. “Whatever tricks you have used to get past the security checkpoints had thrown me off, therefore I had to go on a hunch. I hope that whatever it is, is something that you can counter.” I gave Luna a serious look. “There is, but nobody knows my method’s details. It’s kept a secret, like it’s counter. For now.” Luna considered this for several seconds. “Very well. I just ask of you to start on your search.” Unfolding her wings, she gave me a motherly smile and told me, “My time spent here has been… interesting, but I must help other ponies with their troubles.” Before I could ask anything else, she took off with a powerful flap, saying, “Goodbye, Shapeshift!” I yelled back, “Bye, Luna!" as she flew off into the night sky’s beautiful expanse of twinkling stars and nearly pitch black blue that was only matched by her own mane. Several seconds after, I was suddenly pulled back into the waking world, where I felt more refreshed than I ever had in the past six months. Staying half awake in bed for some time, I thought on the dream a bit, though I was wondering if I should have asked Luna about any other dreams I’ve had recently. I didn’t feel like the other dreams were largely important, so I didn’t dwell on it as I got up and went to my room’s window. Staring at Canterlot Castle, I wondered what the negotiation’s agreements would come out to be and when exactly Modus would return to the hive for a while. Shifting my attention to the populace, I was wondering how many of the changelings would still cling on to what was soon to be the old ways. There were many lessons to take from those six months of my life, many of which I already knew. My destiny was what I made of it. I used it to make the change I wished to see in the world, instead of hoping everybody that was already striving for the same thing would accomplish it while I wallowed in despair. But even that didn’t feel like the most important lesson for me to learn. So what was? Well, I don't know if you're a Twilight Sparkle, but I’m sure you’ll figure it out if you haven’t already.