//------------------------------// // Shades of Night // Story: Thirteen Reasons // by canonkiller //------------------------------// Celestia paused on the way to the throne room. The windows seemed brighter, as if the sun had already risen. She shook her head, and shut her eyes, muttering about caffeine. The window remained stubbornly highlighted. Snorting, Celestia wearily approached the offending decoration. The brightened edges seemed to shrink as she approached, but remained. Tilting her head to view the sky through one of the less-tinted panels, she saw the moon shimmering happily back. She frowned, closing one eye, followed by the other. She remembered this effect from somewhere. Ah, yes, of course. She leaned back from the colored panels with a contented sigh. Changeling vision. She continued trotting happily down the hallway before the realization actually dawned on her. Her hooves ground to a stop on the plush carpet. She heard a quick trot approaching from behind. She spun around to see Sky arriving in the hallway. "I'm not feeling well." She yelled hastily, starting into a canter back towards her room. "Tell Luna to hold down the court for today!" Sky stepped aside, watching her pass, and continued on his way. "Yes, your Majesty." ----- Celestia shoved open the double doors to her bathroom. It was a decently sized room, sided on three walls by mosaics and the furthest by a mirror. The floor was a tiled representation of the Elements of Harmony - the crystals, not the bearers - and the roof was an enchanted glass replica of her own cutie mark. The room lacked toiletries; being royalty, there was a whole other room for that. Instead, each side was mounted with shower-heads. Celestia turned on all of the showers, and quickly locked the door. The mirror quickly fogged up, and Celestia sat down. She ran her hooves over the small gray patch under her chin. It had spread up the side of her neck, the nerves underneath nonreactive to her touch. She stretched out her wings, checking them for deformities; the inner feathers of her wing had discolored to a pale blue, and seemed to be a bit tougher than usual. Her eyeteeth also felt rather jagged today. ----- Sky shifted his hooves nervously, one ear pressed up against the edge of the door. Oh by the goddesses, Lady Luna. He moaned to himself, Why do you always pick me to do these things?! Another characteristic of the Changeling race was their echolocation skills. This, as well as the enchanted armor of the Night Guard, allowed him to 'paint' entire rooms and their occupants from even the most minor of sounds. The steady noise of over a dozen showers was more than perfect for the occasion. With his eyes closed, her could see the outline of Celestia's body as she checked her growing carapace, every single drop of water running down her back, the flickering sparkles in her mane... ...and her ears unconsciously spinning to face each new noise. Most of the time, when he was upset, Sky was able to chatter to himself in the Changeling's natural language instead of seething quietly. He was barely breathing, lest Celestia's new powers had manifested enough to hear it. Couldn't be an intern, no, it had to be the one warrior in her entire army she would recognize. Against his will, he let out an annoyed chirp. ----- Celestia's head shot up. Someone was outside the door. She snapped her wings shut, and flipped her mane to hide the armor. "Who goes there? Announce thy name!" "Um... there's nopony here!" A small voice replied. "I'm a... just a plant!" Celestia snorted, turning off the water and flinging the door open. It stopped halfway with a thump. "Who goes there?" Celestia repeated. "Who dares interrupt my bath?" "Why did you open a door on my face?!" The intruder replied, scrambling to his feet. "Sky?" Celestia replied. "Why were you behind my bathroom door?" "I'm here on direct orders from Lady Luna to watch over you during your sickness." He flapped his wings on the mention of his Princess's name, the enchanted armor having turning the feathers to skin in the moonlight. "Of course." Celestia muttered. Steam started rising from her back as her magic channeled into drying her fur. "How long are you supposed to be here for?" "Um... until you get better, I guess." With a quick flash, the sun rose to its' peak outside. The moon set a couple seconds after. Celestia sighed, collapsing on her bed. Sky let out a disappointed chirp as the enchantment on his armor faded. His fur returned to it's orange shade, and he sat down to preen his disheveled feathers. He seemed completely oblivious to Celestia's burning gaze. "Cloudy Sky?" He glanced up, a feather still caught in his teeth. "Yef?" "What happened to your sister?" He dropped the feather. "She died in a magical accident when a Changeling attacked you during her initiation." He recited the words calmly, as if they were simple facts, as if the life of his family member was not fated by them. "Of course." Celestia whispered. "How did you become a Changeling?" He looked curiously at her. "I was attacked in my own home by a Changeling monstrosity." "How long did you stay with other Changelings?" "Haven't." He said simply. "I retained my disguise until the attack, and moved away whenever ponies became suspicious." "Oh." Celestia rolled over, turning her back to the warrior. Her eyes closed as she thought. He was silent for a few minutes. "You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?" Her eyes snapped open, and she sat up abruptly. "What?" His gaze drifted from hers to her pillow. Her blood ran cold. "I lied." He continued. "I know what happened to my sister." "What?" His eyes narrowed. "Don't play games with me, Celestia." His body flashed green, and his Changeling skin took it's place. "You know what I mean." "I... I..." She paused, before pulling the orb out from its hiding place. "Yes. I do." He nodded gently. "I don't know why she chose you, of all ponies. You see, the orb..." He shook his head, frowning. "I have to go. Uh, good luck." His guise blazed back into place, and he trotted quickly out of the room.