“Oh loves gonna get ya down, say love, say love, oh loves gonna get ya down~” I sang in the early morning, walking through the halls of the castle, on my way back from the bathroom. “I went walkin' with my momma one day, when she warned me what people say: Live your life until love is found or loves gonna get- YAH!” I screamed as Philomena passed overhead, burning hot enough, and close enough to scorch my horn.
I didn't mind, burning my horn was something she did as a way to play for me, besides, Philomena always brought me joy. Very few things she did would irritate me. Maybe it's because I didn't have any pets when I was human, or maybe I just had a thing for flaming, mythical birds. To this day I still don't know, but she was fun.
“Philomena! Philomena, come here!” I called out, she turned around and flew over my head again, and landed on an open windowsill. I flew over to her and began stroking the feathers on her head. “Hey girl, how did you get out? Did you burn through the bars again?” She looked away, not really paying attention to my interrogation. “Ah well, it doesn't matter. At the very least I now have an excuse to escape Luna's snoring. C'mon girl!” I patted her on the head, flying out the window into the open sky.
I flew high into the air, feeling the crisp morning air on my skin, the clouds gently passing over me. Seeing the sunrise from the air... watching the warm orange glow illuminate everything over the horizon, it was a sensation I would always enjoy. I breath in the fresh air of the heavens, and exhaled giving light laughter, a smile on my face that reached from ear to ear.
I stretched out my arms, and stopped my wings, beginning my free fall. My face still skyward, I felt the rush of the wind wrapping around my body, as if the air itself was trying to slow, or even stop, my rapid decent. I carelessly looked towards the ground, it's quick approach threatening to end my joy. It didn't scare me, no, in fact I took it as a challenge. Stop me if you can, I thought to myself, turning around to start my dive-bomb into oblivion.
As soon as I got around twelve or so feet, I hastily flapped my wings again and curved just enough to avoid certain demise. I flew back into the sky, laughing at the fact I had just cheated death. “What did you think of that, Philomena?” I said, looking around, trying to find my companion. I couldn't see any trace of her, in the sky, on the ground, or around the castle. “Philomena? Philomena!” I shouted, getting no response.
“Did she stay inside? That's weird, she normally loves to stretch her wings. The only things she loves more than that are pranks and-” I was abruptly cut off by an orange and red blur striking my hind legs, sending me into a mid-air spin. I somehow managed to stop spinning and stated the obvious conclusion, “Showing off.”
And there she was, flying circles around me, gesturing laughter. “Oh, you think you're hot stuff, huh?” I challenged. I flew at her, arms open wide in some vain attempt to catch her. I of course missed, she flew over me and gestured another laugh. “Don't laugh at me, Philomena!” I shouted, attempting to catch her again, she flew under me this time, and stuck her tongue out at me. “Why you little-!” she flew away from me, and toward the castle spires.
I chased after her, flying full speed, my attention focused on her alone. But that was just what she wanted, she flew under a bridge connecting two towers, and I noticed it just in time to fly over it. I continued my chase, flying once more at full speed. Just as I was getting close, she turned causing me to fly towards another spire. I tried as hard as I could to turn, and managed to run along the wall, if you could call it that, and leap back into chase. “YOUR FEATHERED BUTT IS MINE, PHILOMENA!” I shouted in premature victory.
She flew down towards the lower spires of the castle, and once again, I followed. She started flying around a flag pole atop one of the spires. I knew it was a trap, I wasn't that stupid. Then she stuck her tongue out at me. I completely ignored the obvious trap and flew at her, top speed, no remorse. She pulled out the flag and caught me in it, “PHILOMENA THAT'S CHEATING!” I started flying in random directions. I finally managed to get the bloody tarp off, just in time to see myself crash through a window, and slam into a wall.
I pushed myself from the wall and landed on my back. “Shifting Sands, what are you doing here?” I heard Celestia question as she leaned over me.
“Uhh...what are you doing here?!”
She leaned closer to me and said, “I'll tell you a secret,” she looked around the room, “This is my room.” she whispered.
I looked around the room to see the large golden crown design over the fireplace and the tapestry displaying the stars, sun and moon. I gasped, “Why so it is! Well, I better be on my way.” I said, walking towards the door.
“Hold it right there, young stallion.”
“Yes, my dear sweet, terrific, and bestest mother in the entire world?” I said with large eyes, a moderate smile, and a small head tilt. It was this very look could melt the coldest of hearts, brighten the darkest minds, and even halt the ultimate destruction!
It didn't phase her one bit. “Shifting Sands, what were you doing?” she asked. She obviously knew the answer, but I guess she just wanted me to tell the truth.
“I was flying around the castle...with Philomena...”
“Didn't I explicitly tell you, 'Do not leave the castle without super vision'!?”
“But I did have supervision! Philomena was there, if anything happened she could've-”
“Done what!? Shifting, you should know better than to expect a pet phoenix to protect you.”
“It worked for Harry Potter...” I mumbled.
“What was that?”
I let my head hang, “Nothing...you're right. I'm sorry mom, I didn't mean to upset you...”
“Shifting, You have to think about the consequences of your actions. You aren't the only one affected by them.” she sighed. “Look, I'm not angry. It's just, Luna and I aren't fully over what happened. Luna... I can only imagine what she's going through. Shifting, a lot of ponies assume that being a princess means you have nothing to worry about, but that's not true, we worry constantly and especially about you. I mean, where do we go if you're taken again? Who do we turn to if we can't find you? How do we deal with the stress and fear that you might be hurt...or worse? We may have lived long lives, Shifting, but that doesn't mean we know everything. I don't even know if the security parameters in the school will be able to protect you.” she took a deep breath and said, "What I'm trying to say is that we love you, and we can't imagine life without you, so please think about how we would feel if you do something like that again. Ok?"
“I'm sorry I- Did you say school?”
“Yes, I was going to tell you later today. I've enrolled you in my school for the gifted.”
“You enrolled me in a school for advanced unicorns?! You enrolled me in school!?!”
“No, I enrolled you in my school for the advanced. I couldn't have it species specific, otherwise your friends couldn't join.”
“Friends? What friends?”
“You'll see, but first we should probably get you some school supplies, shouldn't we?”
“HA!”
“Hmm?”
“HA-HA! Funny!”
“What?”
“You! Mom! Always joking around!”
“Shifting Sands, this isn't a joke.”
“HA-HA! There you go again! Never knowing when to stop your jokes!”
“Shifting, I-”
I cut her off, leaping onto her face and hanging by her horn, saying, “NO! I refuse!” I leaped down to the ground and continued, “I am not going to school, and there is NOTHING you can do to make me!”
The next morning we made our way to the school, by flying chariot, though I wasn't too happy about the flying conditions. “This is cruel and unusual on so many levels.” I said to Celestia, who had me tied to her horn.
“You have no one to blame but yourself.” she replied.
“Oh, really? Silly me, I thought you tied this rope around me. I thought you tied me to your horn, but apparently, I did both of those myself. My memory must be off!”
“Must be.” She giggled lightly, as I struggled intensely, trying to gain my freedom, even going so far as to attempt to gnaw my shoulders off. “Oh come on, Shifting, it won't be that bad.”
“I'll be sure to remember that, if I survive!”
“Shifting, don't you want to make any friends? Meet all the nice ponies your age?”
“Let me answer this in the most simplistic manner possible. Ahem. NEEEEEEIIIIIGH.” I tried struggling once more.
She sighed. “Shifting, humor me. If you can go to all your classes, without making a fuss, I'll get you any one thing you ask for.”
“Anything?”
“Anything.”
I thought to myself, what would I get? A pet? New toys? No...I knew what I would get. I would get a large cannon, with which, I could blast Luna to the moon! “HA-HA-HA-HA-Deal.” as we soared through the skies, something caught my attention. My head was silent, not silent like it normally was, but a different type of silence. Like something was missing, it didn't take me long to realize that Chrysalis hadn't said a word all day. “Chrysalis? Chrysalis? Chrysalis! Chryyyyysaliiiiiis! Chyrsalia! Queen Cwisawis! Chrysalis-DESUNEEE!”
“WHAT!?” she angrily screamed in retort.
“Hi.”
“Variance, I'm tired. I don't have the strength to deal with you.”
“Tired? You're a voice, in my head! How are you tired?”
“Variance, just let me rest. I can't deal with you today.”
“Oh...well...ok then. See you later...I guess.” hearing her say that was somewhat disheartening, though at the moment, I didn't know why. After that, I just stayed silent, looking up into the blue sky, watching the clouds pass over us. After a good while, the site was cut off by a sudden darkness.
“We're here.” Celestia announced, pulling me off her horn and placing me on the ground.
Looking around, I saw it was just a cave. “I'm going to be going to school here?!”
“No,” she answered, walking towards one of the cave walls. She placed her hoof on the wall, and it started to shine a brilliant white light. Once the light died, the wall had become completely see-through. Amazed, I went to get a closer look, and what I saw next would only further my awe.
I saw an impossibly large room. Hundreds, nay, thousands, possibly even millions of levels with possibly trillions of bookshelves on them. In the center of the room sat a large tube, inside, it held it's very own universe. The walls, floor and roof all made out of some sort of clear stone, yet it held a very similar form to white marble. It's pattern always changing, always in unison. “This is where you'll be going to school.”
After watching Celestia step through the wall, I did the same. The floors, it felt as though you were walking upon nothing at all, and all of it was bathed in a soft, warm golden glow. I saw the spiral staircases at the far left and right of the room, leading all the way up to the top of this impossible place. The amount of sheer wonder and joy I felt, it was simply awe inspiring, however, something caught my eye. “Hey, mom, where is everypony?”
“You'll see.” she smiled. Not more than a minute after she had said that, ponies began appearing in the room, unicorns, pegasi, and even earth ponies were appearing out of the thin air.
My jaw dropped. “This place teleports it's students in!? That's awesome!”
Celestia let out a light chuckle at my amusement. “I knew you'd enjoy that.” she turned her head over to the left of the room and walked off, saying, “Shifting, I have some important tasks I need to get done. So please don't move from this spot.”
And that's when I completely and utterly ignored every word she said, and ran into the crowed of ponies. I was overjoyed to see so many, and not all of them were my age, some even seemed to be full grown adult ponies. Not to mention the place itself still had it's grasp on me, but that's where the joy ended. Ponies began taking notice of me, some giving glares, others whispering to one another, and some acting as if I didn't even exist...it hurt.
Then I suddenly found myself walking into something...furry...next thing I know, I had been kicked to the floor by a lions paw. My eyes shot open, wondering what on earth that had been. To another amazement, it had been a female gryphon, I guessed she was around teen-age, based on her size alone. Her chest feathers showcasing a small crescent moon, the larger feathers on her head overlapping half her face. I was amazed that the school wasn't just letting in ponies, but then again, I technically wasn't a pony. So they'd have to if I were to join. “Hey! Watch where you're going you-Changeling!?” the gryphon said in surprise.
I began dusting myself off. “Yes, yes. I'm a changeling, big deal.”
“Changeling...” the gryphon began licking her beak, with a subtle lioness growl in her voice.
“Gryphon! See? I know your species too!”
“Variance, you might want to run.” Chrysalis chimed in.
“Why?” I replied, scratching the back of my head, inadvertently turning it away from the gryphon.
“Because gryphons eat changelings.”
“That's interesting, but I don't see what that has to do with anything.” I turned my head back around to see her large open beak inching every so close to me. “Oooooh.” I jerked my head back, just in time to avoid the snap of her jaw.
I ran through the crowed of ponies, jumping over some, sliding under others, trying my best to lose my apparent predator. She simply ran down anypony in her path. After noticing this, I decided to run over to the far right, trying to climb up the many stairs and possibly lose her. “CHANGELING MEAT!” she roared out.
She kept after me, the lioness growl in her voice growing stronger, louder. The stairs were even longer than I thought, they just kept going forever and ever, and the gryphon just kept getting closer, and then it hit me. “Why am I running? I can fly!” I began fluttering my wings in an attempt to fly away from the situation, but a small block of magic appeared over my wings, stopping them. In front of my face appeared a small notice with the words, 'You do not have proper flight privileges, please see the help desk for more information, and registration.' “ARE YOU BUCKING KIDDING ME!?”
The gryphon roared, “YOU CAN'T GET AWAY FROM ME!”
“The first time a girl actually says that to me, and she's a mishmash of animal parts! That is so unfair!”
With flying not being an option, I had to think of something and quick. I took notice of the tube in the center of the room. I was high enough to latch onto some part of it. I ran out into the next level the room had to offer, the gryphon not letting up any time soon. I ran to the railing, and made the jump without a second thought. I would soon live to regret this decision, as the glass around the universe was made of magic, and I fell straight through.
I spun around at break neck speeds before being tossed up into the higher levels of the room, into a bookshelf, gasping for air. My crash caused the bookshelf to fall into the one behind it, and the one behind that, and so on and so forth, systematically causing every bookshelf to fall. “Mom is so gonna kill me.” I said to myself, walking towards the railing to view the gryphon far below. “But she can only do it if I'm alive.”
There she was, just standing there. She couldn't harm me anymore, knowing this I screamed at the top of my lungs at her, “HA! WHAT NOW!?” she responded by opening her wings and flying for me. “Oh, of course SHE has flight privileges!” before I knew it, she'd landed on the railing and began staring me down. “Hi! I'm-”
“Lunch!”
I started to back up, standing to my hind legs, trying to keep her at bay, “Hold on, maybe we can talk this out.” she packed at the ground in front of me, causing me to fall onto my back. She poised herself for another strike. “Wait! If you eat me, all those calories are gonna go right to your backside, and sister, looking at it now. That is the last thing you need.”
“WHAT!?” she looked towards her rear. “Do...do you really think it's that big...?” her voice sank.
“Oh wow, a self conscious gryphon... Uhh, no. No, I don't. I only said that so you wouldn't eat me. I think...and I'm going to have to eat a bar of soap after this, I think it looks....fine....”
“Thank you.” she smiled.
“No proble-” she pecked at the ground in front of me once more. “Hey, what about the moment we just shared!?”
“What about it?” the oh so familiar tone of a lioness growl arising once more.
“Curse you, bleeding heart!” I shook my hoof in the air, as the gryphon drew closer. I looked around the room for a possible escape, and on the far left, a door. If I could only manage to get there, I could finally escape this terror. “I surrender.”
“Huh?”
“I surrender. I give up, if I'm gonna be eaten, it might as well be with dignity. But if you don't mind, may I ask one more question before I die?”
“Fine, what is it?”
I rose to my hooves saying, “Have you always been stupid enough to give your prey two chances to escape you?” I ran for the door as fast as I could, the gryphon angrier than ever, her wings expanded and claws ready to shred me. I just had to get a bit further, just a bit more! I could feel her intent to devour me growing larger, but it didn't matter anymore. I had made it to the door, and I opened it and sat on the other side, waiting for her. When she got just close enough, I slammed it into her face, there was a small bulge on my side of the door.
Joy overran my body. “HA! HOW-YOU-LIKE-ME-NOW!? CAN-YOU-FEEL-IT!? CAN-YOU-FEEL-IT!?!” I screamed, pelvic thrusting with each word. I spun in a circle and grabbed my nether region and shouted, “WHOOO!” into the empty halls.
Looking to my surroundings, I saw myself in another part of the schools. Blue lockers hanging from the walls, a blue and white tile floor with a white, though tinged yellow ceiling, with lights hanging from it. Along the walls lay an ever expanse of windows. Kind of a let-down compared to the last room I had been in, still, this was a good chance to get my bearings. I walked up the wall and looked out the window to see nothing but grassland as far as the eye could see.
I found that to be rather odd, I wondered why this place was so secluded if this was one of Celestia's schools. Although, before I could think of an answer, I heard it. An enraged roar, a roar that had been stalking me moments ago, I turned around to see she was already leaping at me. On reflex, I jumped onto the lockers, barely avoiding her. She broke through the window and began flying into the distance.
Was that it? Was it over? Unfortunately not, she turned back around, and and aimed herself right for me. I started running along the top of the lockers, jumping over the gaps caused by hallways. I looked out the window to see where she was, outside the window, keeping up with me. Not even breaking a sweat, I pushed myself harder. I had to escape her, I had to survive.
It was then that she spun through the windows, and bolted out in front of me, cutting off my escape. I was scared, more terror than I had ever felt in my life. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, this was it...I had been caught. I raised my hooves over my face, a vain attempt to protect myself. It was then that I uttered those words for the very first time, ever, “HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME, PLEASE!!” I shut my eyes.
“HEY, LEAVE HIM ALONE!” I heard a young male voice cry out, before a loud thud. “Hey, Shifting Sands, are you alright?”
“W-Who are you!? How do you know my name!?”
“Open your eyes and find out, genius.”
I opened my eyes to see a pegasus with a coat of light goldish gray, a brown mane leading into a curve, and eyes of a dark tangelo. These traits were all so familiar, I knew only one pony who ever had them. “POUND CAKE! IT'S YOU!” I shouted joyously, grasping an old friend in a hug. “Dude! I can't believe it's you! How have you been!!?”
“I've been fine, it's nice to see you too...hmm...hey, what happened to your eyes? They were blue last time I saw them.”
I didn't know how to tell Pound Cake the change in eye color was due to the influence Chrysalis has on my body, she probably wouldn't let me tell him anyway. “Uhh, I don't know myself. One day I had blue eyes then the next, these! Heh, anyway wheres your sister?”
“Oh, she's-” the gryphon had gotten up once more, cutting off Pound Cake in her surprise attack. We didn't have the time to react with more than screams, lucky for us, a cerulean beam of magic struck the gryphon down. “Right there.” Pound Cake finished, pointing behind me.
“PUMPKIN!” I turned around, eager to see another friend. There I saw a filly with a yellow coat, a light orange mane that lead over her shoulder, held together by a small bow, and azure eyes. Upon laying my eyes on her, I felt strange. The more I looked at her, the more I felt I had to look away. My thoughts scrambled together, and I couldn't keep focused, my chest tightened and I found it harder to breath with each second I made eye contact. Eventually, I had to turn away from her. “Pumpkin! Hi! Nice to see you again!!”
“Uhm, why aren't you looking at me?” she questioned.
“N-No reason!” I smashed my face into the wall, making everything go back to normal.
“Are you ok?”
“Yeah, I do that all the time.”
“That...actually worries me more.”
“Sorry, heh.” I said jumping from the locker to the floor, making my way to give her a hug, Pound Cake next to me every step of the way. “So how did you guys get here? How did you find me?”
“Princess Celestia sent an invitation to come here. Mom and dad couldn't have been happier to enroll us.” Pumpkin said with a smile.
“As for how we found you, you passed by the hall we were in.” Pound Cake stated.
“Well that was incredibly convenient.” I said to myself.
“By the way, Shifting Sands, what happened to your eyes? They were blue before, weren't they?” Pumpkin queried.
“I already asked him, he says he doesn't know.” Pound Cake replied for me.
I smiled to myself and said, “Guys, thanks for saving me. I really don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been here.”
“It's no problem, Shifting.” They said in unison.
“Oh look, the twin thing you guys do, haha, stop.”
“Stop what?” they spoke in unison once more.
I put my hoof on my face and walked away saying, “Well, it was nice seeing you guys again, but I have to go. I'm not supposed to get into trouble today.” suddenly, blue bars of magic shot from the ground and stabbed into the ceiling, in front of me, and behind the gryphon, trapping us all in one place. “Well, there goes my cannon.”