"You can understand us now, can't you child?" Despite the inflection, it was more of a statement than a question. It hadn't taken Big/White long to figure out what had occurred between the two foals, not after hearing the unicorn suddenly start speaking in the changeling's guttural barks.
Luke just nodded, as she'd done nothing but help him so far. She was also the only one in the room not looking like he'd just stabbed their favorite puppy. "Calm down, Twi, we swapped languages. I doubt it's permanent, otherwise we wouldn't be able to do it in the first pl-"
He was cut off by a hoof striking him in the muzzle mid-sentence, sending him flank over teakettle before he finally settled against the wall, shaking off the stars to find the older brother being held back by a golden aura.
"What did you do to Twilly, bug?!" The stallion shouted at him.
"Shining Armor." Big said with calm authority. "Next time you wish to lash out, save yourself the trouble and strike your sister directly."
"P-Princess?" That drew the stallion's attention, and he whipped around to see his sister holding her muzzle with both forelegs with tears in her eyes, their mother trying to calm the filly once more while stroking her mane. The stallions mind skipped like a record at the sight. It didn't make sense, he'd struck the bug, why was his sister hurt?
"As I said before, Private Armor, the colt was linked to your sister during her surge. The link is still fresh, and quite raw at the moment, so it is very easy for things such as pain and information to travel both ways. Maybe later they will learn to control it, to lessen the effects, but for now we must help them learn to adapt."
"That's actually kind of what I figured was going on." Luke said, finally able to see straight again, though his hoof came away from his nose with, oddly enough, emerald blood. "I've been able to piece a bit of it together, but this is still topping my weird-shit tolerance for, well, ever."
The unicorn couple gasped at the vulgarity, but the princess merely frowned, confused. Nopony swore around her, except the crotchety old commander of the day guard, and even then only when it was just the two of them. "Where are you from, young one? The language you were speaking, I don't remember hearing anything like it before, and I've been around long enough to know most of the spoken languages of the world."
"If I had to guess, another world. Probably another realm of existence, actually, considering I think I'm dealing with magic." Luke mumbled, shaking the last of the stars from his sight. "Wait, how old do I look to you?" He asked, finally catching how she addressed him.
The princess was puzzled for a moment, before realization set in. His species was altered, if she had to guess, so why not age as well. "You appear to be a foal of eight summers. How old are, or better yet, were you before this?" She asked.
Luke smiled, his bared fangs setting several of the ponies nearby ill at ease. "I'm twenty..." His eyes crossed for a moment. If this really was a different world, would the calendars be the same? Deciding that he'd use a catch all statement, he elaborated. "I was twenty three, though that's assuming a calendar based on a twenty four hour day with 365 days in a year."
The princess nodded, the co- oh dear, she'd never gotten the young one's name. "Before I forget any longer, allow me to formerly introduce myself, I am Princess Celestia of Equestria, Ruler of the Sun. May I know your name?"
"Oh, sure my name's Shadow." Luke stopped a moment, blinking in confusion, though the Princesses eyes were lit with hidden mirth. "What? No, my name's Shadow. SHADOW! I-What the fu-"
"Calm yourself. Oh my, I'd forgotten about such things. Often when we travel between the veils of the worlds, we find ourselves changed, better suited to fit in to a world radically different from our own." The princess explained, a slight smile gracing her lips. "Your name is not lost to you, it is merely altered, much like your physical form. Should you travel to another world where your original name and form is viable, they will be restored. Though your age may be another matter entirely."
Luke, or Shadow in this world, it seemed, regarded the princess with a skeptical look. "And you know this through personal experience?"
"Oh yes, I have traveled to several different worlds over the centuries. It's always a pleasure experiencing new views on life, or the endless possibilities of what could have been. There's even a chance I may have seen your world over the years, though returning to it today, I would most likely not recognize it. Our world is peaceful, and changes slowly, and yet the changes that have happened upon this world are many. One who saw this world centuries ago would likely not recognize much." The princess said softly, her thoughts seemingly touching upon something else as she spoke.
Hundreds of years? How old was this thing? Shadow's mind just refused to latch onto the fact that he was sitting here talking to a horse older than the country of his birth. "Wait, wait wait wait. Unicorns, alternate realities, swapping languages by accident, fine, but how old are you exactly? Nothing approaching sapience ever lives more than a hundred years of so. Even whales and tortoises, some of the longer living things on the planet only reach maybe two centuries."
The princess cocked her head at the statement. "That's all? I suppose without magic, the amount of damage the body could heal would be limited..." She trailed off, soon returning her attention to the colt. "Nevertheless I am as old as I claim. I witnessed the founding of the country of Equestria well over a millennia ago." The princess explained, leaving the changeling colt with his jaw agape. "Now, as you are bound to young Twilight, I feel it could only help the both of you. I would like you to join her in my school for gifted unicorns. There will be special dispensations of course, regarding your species and situation, but I'm sure it will be beneficial to all involved. Oh, and Twilight should be able to help you with this." She said, pulling a scroll from a nearby bag.
"Changelings are known for their shape shifting abilities, so once you learn to grasp you magic, something I'm certain young Twilight would be happy to teach you, it should be simple for you learn to change your shape. Once you learn, and fill out this form with Twilight's assistance of course, I ask that you send a notice to me, and I will escort you both to the school." The alicorn said, before turning to those gathered. "I leave the young one in your care, my little ponies. He will do you and yours no harm, so please help as you can." Turning back to Shadow, she said "Please refrain from leaving in your current form, as I would rather avoid a repeat of the previous day. I had hoped that several hundred years of peace would bring ponies closer, I did not realize it would make them jumpy and ignorant of other species. Oh, and do try to give Twilight her language back before the poor dear breaks down again, will you?" With that Big/White left, though she told Shining Asshole he had till sundown tomorrow to report back to the barracks.
Shadow watched her leave, before turning to his hosts. Keen to avoid any further unneeded panic, he focused on what he wanted, the ability to speak English again, and both foals recoiled from the sudden shift, though not nearly as badly as before. Before they could even see straight again, the unicorn filly was already yammering away at her family, their voices now replaced with the strange nickering and neighs he'd been hearing from them earlier. It was creepy as could be, hearing voices he'd just heard clearly speaking English, or at least what he'd heard as such, speaking an alien tongue, but he was too tired to care at the moment. Almost simultaneously, the colt and filly were wracked with jaw-creaking yawns.
"I, I think I want to lay down some more." The filly mumbled, slowly trotting over to his floor pillow. He scooted over, and she climbed up next to him, curling up next to the changeling colt once more. If this was going to be his life, Shadow wasn't enjoying it. He should be fine for another five hours at least. This younger body was getting to him. Though the pillow did seem really soft all of a sudden, and Twilight was oddly warm. Yea, maybe he'd just lay his head down for a minute, just to catch his breath. It wasn't like he'd fall...