Changeling of the East

by AF FireFly

Nocturnal Tidings

What. Was. I. Thinking?

Now, I admit that I have done some stupid things in the past. Most of which were caused by a sudden, if not ill-thought-out, compulsion to act. But this one! This particular situation beats out all the rest. After all, here I am, a simple little changeling in a foreign nation, standing before the supreme ruler herself whom I know nothing about. Not to mention the fact that I know nothing in proper conduct in their royal court. This realization hit me full blast after receiving that burst of energy from the royal. Allow me to put it in perspective: the love she has for her ponies burns with the intensity of a thousand suns. And while that may sound like a cheesy pick-up line that I'm totally going to tell Pitch to use on Meadow, in this case it's quite literal. I'm pretty sure some parts of me on the inside are still burning. It makes one wonder if Luna covered her emotions from me to hide them, or protect me from them. Anyways, as I stand here questioning my life choices, the ever-continuing silence reigns supreme in Princess Celestia's court as she patiently waits for me to speak.

What. Was. I. Thinking?

"Do not be afraid, my little pony. I am here to listen and help if need be," says Celestia calmly.

You know, there are times I really hate my impulsive nature. Well, nothing to it except to continue forward. But, how does one speak to the supreme ruler of the sun? Perhaps with a healthy dose of praise and formality? That is if Pitch's and Meadow's reaction to meeting Wave is any indication. Yeah, let's go with that.

I take a deep breath and proclaim, "Oh great, divine ruler of Equestria, Praise be your name for eons to come! I come before you today in hopes that you could show me mercy and grant onto me a boon."

Even dulling my senses as much as I can, I'm still able to pick up a massive amount of amusement coming from the nearby guardians. Meanwhile, the princess appears to be taken back by my words. I offer a sheepish smile and rub the back of my neck.

"Too much?" I ask.

One guardian's discipline shatters spectacularly as he erupts into a full-out heavy laugh. His partner tries to stare at him sternly, but the smile he attempts to hold back only manages to make the situation worse as the laughing stallion miraculously belts louder. The Princess eyes her guardians in silent contemplation as they slowly regain their composures. The laughing stallion suddenly straightens up and returns to his full guard posture as if nothing had occurred.

"Perhaps just a tiny bit," says Celestia, returning her focus back to me with her ever-present smile, "Please, do not be intimidated by my presence. I am here right now to serve you, not be served by you."

That sentence. That one sentence! It did everything to garner instant respect from me.

She's very much like a changeling queen! Or, at the very least, similar to Queen Shinuie.

"Apologizes, I'm honestly not sure how to speak to royalty," I say.

"Speak to me as if you were speaking to any other pony," she says encouragingly.

Just like any other pony. I can do that! I even have a practiced greeting and everything.

"Right, let's start over then," I say. The princess nods in agreement as I clear my throat, "Salutations fellow pony, how does this day treat you?"

Nailed it!

The sound of quiet, angelic laughter fills the otherwise silent court as Celestia lifts a hoof up to her muzzle, "This day treats me well. What may I assist you with today?" she asks.

"Well, actually Celes- er, Princess. It is Princess Luna who I seek today," I say.

Upon hearing my words, something appears to change in Celestia. It's very subtle to pick up but is there all the same. The way her ears turned slightly more towards me, her smile becoming seemingly less strenuous, and even her flowing, ethereal-like mane begins to flow slightly faster.

"I see. May I ask why it is you wish to speak with my sister?" Celestia asks.

"It's a bit of a private situation between us," I say hesitantly. I notice her iris' narrow. I'm also fairly certain that some goof turned on the heat because oh boy was it getting hotter in here.

"Is that so?" asks Celestia as she levitates over paper, ink, and a quill, "I was not aware that my sister began engaging in such, 'private matters'." Celestia begins to quickly write a message down without even looking at the paper.

"Now you know," I offer with a shrug.

"Indeed. Still, she is my sister, and as such, it is only proper that I get to know all about her potential suitors-"

Excuse me. WHAT!

"-It has been so long since I got to play this role. Let's start with your name."

The letter disappears in a flash. I on the other hoof, continue to have my brain sputter out of control.

She thinks... Luna and I... that I and Luna... Princess... sex!

"Suitor!" I shout, "Celes-Princ-Highness of yours! I am NOT-"

This is as far as I get before a sudden and violent mass of magic summons the Princess of the Night.

"Tis Slander! Who dares claim thineselves to be courting ourselves!"

Dear Queen Shinuie, today I met wrath incarnate. And she is absolutely adorable!

Luna, if this truly is Princess Luna before me, is nothing like she has appeared in my dreams. In place of the tall, dark blue alicorn with mane and tail of the midnight sky is a filly. A filly barely taller than myself with a short, lighter blue mane and tail. Her eyes are alight with the intensity of blue stars as she seeks the one who she believes said is dating her. I gulp and begin calculating hastily made pre-thought-out escape plans when her eyes meet mine.

"It wasn't me!" I shout as I dive for cover behind the nearest guardian. This did little as I soon found myself encased in within a golden light and floating in between Celestia and Luna. Luna's wrath subsides as surprise takes over while Celestia remains as stoic as ever.

"Why good morning, Luna. I was just having a most curious conversation with- I'm sorry, I don't believe I received your name," says Celestia.

Oy vey ist mir.

I slowly open my mouth to answer, "It's-"

"Arctic Thunder," Luna interrupts softly, "Thou hast admittedly caught us unprepared."

I try to look at her, dumbfounded, but I'm discovering just how hard it is to turn your body while being levitated, "You told me to seek you out," I say.

"We thought it would take more than one day to travel the countryside. We forgot about the marvels of locomotive transportation," Luna responds with a slight blush.

"Ah, so you two have been communication in private," says Celestia.

"Well, yes, but it is not as you think, dear sister. The matters at hoof here are outside the realm of your expertise."

"Oh, I'm aware. Though I'm sure Cadence is available to talk to," says Celestia with a smirk.

Luna seethes through gritted teeth as she says, "Nay, tis not her realm either. It tis the realm of dreams."

The face of the sun monarch falls ever so slightly, "Ah, I see. Very well, I will leave this matter to you, Luna," she says.

Luna's muzzle brightens, "Huzzah! Come, Follow us, young one, and let us rid thyself of thine nightmare."

Luna begins to trot away as Celestia speaks, "Make sure you do not over-exert yourself, Luna."

Luna stops in her tracks with a sigh, "Sister, while it may have been a long time since we last performed our duties together, I still remember how to do them and do them well."

"I know, Luna. Just, if you need any help-"

"I shall not hesitate to seek your guidance," Luna finishes.

"That's all I ask. I trust you, Luna."

"As I, you."

With that, Princess Luna begins trotting away again. I follow closely behind, looking back one last time at Princess Celestia. She looks on with her eternal soft smile and I return one in kind. Though I can't help but notice that something seems slightly off. She almost appears to be hiding a sort of concern or worry. I'm curious as to why. I quickly catch up to Luna as she... prances(?) Down the hallway.

"Excuse me, Luna- er, your highness. But does Princess Celestia knows about, well, me and what I am?"

Luna looks at me with a curious glint, "And what art thee, exactly?"

Confused beyond belief, I answer her hesitantly, "Um, a changeling."

"Truly? Thou looks most like a pony of Equestria to us," she says slyly.

Not sure exactly if she is playing with me or not, I reach out with my senses and, sure enough, find Luna's emotions blocked off.

"Well, that would be the point," I say, deciding to play along.

"Verily," she chuckles, "In all honesty, We planned to share the great news with our sister that Queen Tova's hive may yet still live. In our excitement, we burst into her chambers rambling. We even tried to speak the few words of old changeling we knew. to our horror, however, we discovered that for as long of a time it has been for us since we last spoke to thine ancestors, it has been an added millennium for Celestia and it reflects as such. She remembers naught of thine ancestors. And when she heard us speak old changeling, she confused it for us trying to become fluent in Saddle Arabian. She has even scheduled a tutor to meet with us every other day."

The last sentence choked out a laugh from me and even Luna gave a small, if not somber, smile.

"Still, why not fill in the blanks for her?" I ask.

Luna's brow furrows, "Because we do not desire her to take charge over what she does not remember. My sister has been over-cautious since our return. She refuses to give us any roles or duties too fast until we learn to 'adapt' to this new modern world. Yet, we are as much as a princess as she is and we can handle our duties just as well!" Luna emphasizes her statement with a stomp of her hoof. She then breaths deeply and composes herself.

"Forgive our outburst. The times since our return has been a most trying trial of the mind."

"Of course, your highness."

"Please, call us Luna. We are aware of your culture of informality and we do not mind it."

"Oh thank the Queen!" I exclaim with a breath of relief, "It kept feeling so wrong to say 'your highness' and the like."

We continued walking down hallway after hallway. Moving deeper and deeper within the castle complex. Eventually, it became as such that running into another pony in these hallways was an extremely rare sight with only the few and far between patrols of guardians filling the halls. Even this came with change as the guards were made up more and more by thestrals with a deep purple armor compared to the golden ones seen at court. All the while, the Princess and I made small talk, insisting we not speak about myself until we reach our destination. Along the way, two questions kept appearing in my head. The first being whether she plans to inform Princess Celestia of my nature. Luna explained that she absolutely would, though only after she has handled my nightmare problem. The second question though...

"I have to ask. Why do you appear so... different than before?"

"Different how?"

"Well, in my dreams, you were taller, had a starry mane, and were all-around less bouncy."

Silence returned in thoughtfulness as Luna's trot slowed to a walk. It remained this way for several passing moments until she spoke once more.

"When the elements tore away our corruption, it took from us much of our power with it. This resulting in us taking the appearance of our lesser from until we can recover enough to restore our true form. The very from you have seen within the dream realm."

"So, the amount of energy you have affects your appearance?"

"In an oversimplified term, yes."

"So, how long will it take?"

"We are unsure. It is this uncertainty as to why my sister is reluctant to have me return to my full duties."

"And this explains the increased excitableness as well?"

"We admit that this young form of ours has seemingly increased our energetic output. But fear not, we are still the mature mare as before."

"Right, of course."

"Thou do not believe us?"

"I said no such thing."

"Tis in the tone of thine voice."

"Tis a fallacy, we say."

"Thou mockest us!"

"Nay, tis not what it appearest. We seeketh notest to mockest you." A shift of blue fire and suddenly there are two Princesses of the Night walking down the lengthy corridor, "We merely desire to imitate thine perfection," I finish in Luna's voice.

Luna falls silent, causing me to fear that I may have gone slightly overboard. I am about to switch back and apologize when she speaks up again.

"We- I am far from perfect."

"I've yet to have seen otherwise," I respond. Luna looks up at me curiously.

"Hast thou never heard of our past actions?"

"I have, but, as I said, I have yet to personally see anything to counter my previous claim," I say.

"You certainly know what to say with your words."

I smile as I say, "I know several beings, ponies, and changelings who would disagree with that. No Princess, I'm not good with words, I am simply blunt with them. Personally, I never liked judging a pony based on what I've heard this one pony said or what this other pony said. Rather, I go off based on what I have witnessed myself."

"And yet, you have witnessed ourselves at our worst, and still you say we are perfect?"

"Well, I mean, I know no pony can truly be perfect. But, last I checked, I am in the presence of Princess Luna and not the Night Queen you call Nightmare Moon. Nope, instead, she has apparently taken shelter within my mind. A fatal mistake."

"My mistake."

"No, her mistake and only hers," I say with absolute determination.

"You are very wise for your young age."

"Ha, I wish. No, I just get things right once in a blue moon is all. Same as anypony else."

"Yet, you are far from being like anypony. It will truly be a boon for us all to have your hive dwell among us once more."

"Were it so easy," I scoff.

"What do you-"

"Princess?"

Both Luna and I come to an immediate halt. We then stare at each other as we both come to the realization that I am still bearing the Princess's form. We pivot around to find a pair of guardians in the purple armor at a complete loss upon having double vision. I swivel my head back to Luna and give a little, mischievous smirk. One I'm happy I get in return.

"Guardians! Perfect timing. We have found this imposter stalking the premises in our glorious form. Seize them!"

"Ha! thou dares think our loyal Royal Lunar Guards are so easily misled? Nay! It is thou that is the Imposter!"

"Tine impression is good, I'll give you that, body snatcher, but only the true Princess of the Night can command the thestrals before us. Which so happens to be us."

"Thou dares bring our children of the night into this? Thou knowest not a thing of their kind to act in such way."

While Luna and I try to best each other in being, well... her, the two Lunar Guards stand deadly silent unsure of what to do in this situation while the air permutates full of confusion and panic. I must give them credit as they never show these emotions on the outside.

"Enough of this! Guards, thou have earned our trust and admiration when you earned that armor. Now I call upon you to trust us and verify ourselves as the true Princess Luna."

"Nay, you will find that they shall verify ourselves."

"Now choose," We both finish.

The taste of urgency reaches me as the two guardians begin to frantically whisper to themselves. Doubt and uncertainty also float about while Luna and I wait for their decisions. Finally, with a final nod, the two end their conversation and ready themselves into a fighting stance. One of the guardians looks at the Luna to the right and says:

'We are with you Princess Luna and will capture this imposter."

Luna and I look at each other in surprise and then turn back to face the guardians.

"You have chosen," I start.

"Wisely," Luna finishes.

Still ready to spring into action, the two guardians look at each other with befuddlement as clear on their faces as I can sense in the air. Luna walks up to them with a smile on her face.

"Stand down, my loyal servants, there is no true threat present, only a jest at thine expense," she says. They are reluctant to do so but eventually relax their postures.

"Was this a test?" one asks with a tilt of their head.

"Nay, though thou have passed with outstanding marks either way," says Luna.

"I have to ask, what gave it away?" I ask.

"Well, at first you referred to us as guardians," begins one.

"And then you added in some praises to yourself which the Princess never does," says the other.

"And finally, near the end, you said I and you instead of us and thou," finishes the first.

"Huh, attention to detail. Your guardians have a great trainer, eh?" I remark to Luna.

"Indeed. And we shall forward the praise to Stille Nacht as well as great remarks for you two. May we ask for thine names?"

"Ashfur," says the first.

"Gentle Glide," says the second.

"Very well, the two of you rightfully earned your keep, but there are duties to attend to and so we must bid thee farewell."

"Princess, if I may ask, what is this which was able to take your form perfectly? A decoy? A spell? I wish to learn so that I may not be caught off guard again."

For her part, Luna didn't answer, but rather looks at me as though asking for permission. Normally, I'd probably go ahead and agree, but I find myself stubbornly reluctant to do so. Wave wants us to be cautious with our reveals and for good reason. Should it become known changelings are around, it could potentially lead to the rival hive becoming more aware and hunting us down. Plus, what if the majority of ponies in this land reject us?

What if they run away?

"Tis naught but a master crafter in the arts of deception we have called upon to teach us their ways," Luna suddenly answers.

I find myself in shock. If anypony would want our presence to be known it would surely be a Princess to her guardians, right? As I'm standing there lost in thought the Princess finishes speaking to her guardians and they move on. Luna steps up to my side and I shift back into my pegasus form.

"Why?" I ask.

Luna looks at me sincerely, "Thou appeared uncertain, unprepared, and not ready to reveal thyself. We then recalled that thou are the only changeling here from your hive while the hive within Equestria is surely about and hostile to both of us."

So Princess Luna doesn't know about the others already here?

"You protected me?" I voice out loud.

"Verily. Though there is much work to yet be done. This provides a small step in securing our promise to thine ancestors of old. We failed once, we shalt not do so again." With that, the Princess begins to stride forward in determination while I follow.

"We mean that much to you?" I ask. A sad frown appears on Luna's muzzle.

"Yes. We demanded so much from thine kin. Pushed thou hard to assist with the fight in the far North, and in the end..." Luna shakes her head fiercely while determination fills her eyes. And if she didn't have them closed off, I'm sure I'd be overpowered by her emotions alone, "... Never again!" Silence falls in step beside us for several moments before moving away once more.

"You know, you still don't really know if it is us you seek," I remind her.

"Even if thou are not the same, still better to restore thine hive than have the current remain in place."

There is a sense of finality in her words. Whether it was meant for our current conversation or the rival hive I know not. I do know that I'm not taking my chances with the Princess of the Night so I remain quiet. I absorb all I've heard and witness today during the silence. Is it possible that we are a part of some lost hive returning to the land of our ancestors? Does it truly matter in the end? Our kind has thrived on our home island for nearly a millennium. Not to mention that not every changeling is eager as I am to give up all we've known to move to some foreign land. In fact, I'm sure all who did are with us now. 26 changelings aren't much of a swarm.

It's at this point I remember Wave's idea. While starting a new hive may seem out of the picture, could we assimilate an existing one? One so far removed in ideas from our own? In the end, we are still a part of the home hive, only here to set up a sort of outpost for new contact and possible future relations. Perhaps, in the end, it all matters not, yet the thoughts persist still.

This is way above me. I'm just a simple bug exploring the world.

We continue to walk down the never-ending, twisting corridors of the castle...

Seriously, how big is this place?

...When we smack into another obstacle. And what a hell of an entrance it makes!

"HRNK!" I exclaim, clutching my chest with a hoof.

"Art thou alright?" asks Luna with concern. She gives me a wide berth so that I may breathe freely while simultaneously getting close enough for a prepared spell of some sort.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good. Just, whoa! It's like I just got fed an entire festival of the purest love I've ever tasted," I say. I look up to see a bemused Luna staring back down, "Is it just me, or did the world suddenly go out of focus?"

"Thou... overfed? But, how?"

The answer comes by way of joyful screaking coming from the mouth of a... well, I know it's a pony of sorts, yet all I can make out is the pink coat and tri-color mane. It also looks as though she possesses both wings and a horn, but I blame my fading vision on that.

"Auntie Luna! Auntie Luna!" she shouts.

Luna looks over at me with wide, understanding eyes. The new mare sprints over and slides to a stop in front of Luna. I personally give the grace and delivery of the slide a good 7 out of 10, yet I have to give a 1 to the finish as she immediately resorts to bouncing in place after the display.

"Young Cadance, to what-"

"Shining Armor just proposed to me. I'm engaged!"

"AAAHHH!" The girliest squeal ever recorded did not come from any mare currently present. Rather, it came from one extremely overly emotionally fed changeling. That changeling being myself, of course, "Oh, by the great love of Queen Shinuie herself! Mazel tov! Congratulations! I'm, so, emotionaaaaaaallll." I cry. I move to cradle the newly engaged, only to end up swiping at air as she takes a step back. Cheater.

"Uh, Auntie? Who is this?" the embodiment of Love herself asks the completely dull normal one.

"Tis, a little complicated to explain," says the emotionless pony.

The pony who I will now forever refer to as Love Incarnate smirks, "Well, it looks to me like a handsome stallion you just so happen to be leading down the only path which just so happens to lead to your private chambers," she says.

Luna's cheeks begin to glow, "Tis not what thou thinkest."

"I like her. She called me pretty," I say. The overabundance of love in my system making it extremely difficult to stay balanced, "And you know what, Love Incarnate? I think you're pretty too. J-just like S-Sil-Shhhhilvia!" I tense up and dive to the ground, locking onto one of Silvi's front hooves.

"Please don't ru-hic-un away! I'm hic sorry for being a Chan-hic-ing. You never were a meal to me and you never will be! Not ever, ever, ever!"

"Luna, what's happening?" Love-Silvia asks.

"Would thou prefer the short or long version?" The Starry-looking one asks in monotone.

"Short version, please."

"Thou overfed him to an extreme degree."

Love waits for more, but upon hearing no continuation her ears fall for a brief moment while she asks, "And the long version?"

"Thine love for thine dearest betrothed is in such concentrated strength and purity that, upon the slightest of intake, Arctic here took in too much that his body is unable to process all of it. Due to this, the energy he absorbed is leaking into his bloodstream and thereby intoxication him and, as a defense mechanism, is currently undergoing an emotional outburst in order to drain himself of all the excess emotions as fast as possible. However, should this not prove to be effective enough-"

"Then the world fades to black," I finish, happy to have followed that whole explanation. My smile soon fades away, however, as I make a curious observation, "Hey! Who turned off all the lights?"

And that's all I remember about that.

---

Hunter peaks around the corner of the weathered brick building to observe the passing formation of ponies. It was earlier decided for her and Kite to split up while remaining in close proximity should the worse happen. Silently beaming inside at being trusted to go solo, Hunter is determined to make sure the worse never comes to bear. As such, she's been extra cautious sneaking around the pony base. She debated shifting her form to better blend in so that she can walk freely, but was warned by Kite that such a move would be extremely risky as she doesn't know the role or meaning behind every uniform.

Wanting to get a better vantage of the main road, Hunter latches onto the wall and climbs a good portion while shifting her fur to match the russet color of the bricks. Since blending in is deemed too risky, she goes back to using the skills which got her selected to be a guardian. Patience, a keen eye, and an amazing sense of awareness and attention to detail will allow her to spot any hidden parasite infiltrator. She didn't name herself Hunter for no reason.

"Hey there!"

Hunter spins around, pounces off the wall, and tackles the surprised white stallion to the ground. Before he can react, she maneuvers herself in an advantageous position above the stallion while pulling back a hoof close to its breaking point.

"It's me! It's me!" the stallion cries out. Hunter pauses as the stallion continues to bang a hoof on the ground in submission. She tilts her head as she attempts to place the voice.

"Boomerang?" she asks.

"Yes! Let me go!" He pleads. Hunter complies and releases the hoof of Boomerang. Before he can fully recover, she picks him up and pins him against the nearby wall.

"What are you doing here?" she asks through gritted teeth.

"I'm scouting this place out for parasites. Like you guys are," Boomerang replies, struggling against Hunter's hold.

"We aren't- Who told you about this?"

"Noling! I overheard what you all were up to and wanted to help out. After all, who says only guardians can have fun?"

"Fun!? You think this is fun? This is serious work! We're engaged against a rival hive that has already hurt one of our own and maybe plotting against the locals here. This is no place for a worker to be."

"But I can help! We're all in this together are we not?"

"No! You are not properly trained for this. What would happen if you found yourself one on one against a parasite?"

"That's not going to happen."

"And how do you know?"

"I managed to sneak up on you, didn't I? Besides, those changelings don't know about us and are determined to stay hidden." Hunter sighs and releases her grip on Boomerang, causing him to sag to the ground.

"Go home, Boomerang. This is the last time I'm telling you."

"Or what? Wave doesn't know about this operation, does she?" Hunter snaps her head back towards Boomerang, channeling all her fury into her stare.

"Dammit all, Boomerang! You can't be serious."

"Are you willing to find out?"

Hunter continues sheathing in silence, analyzing her options. "What do you want?"

"To help."

Hunter lets out a heavy snort. "I can't allow you to do so. Informing Wave or no, your safety is more important."

"I'm with a guardian. How safer could I be?"

Hunter groans, placing a hoof on the bridge of her nose. "Boomerang, you're a liability. I cannot do my job and babysit you at the same time. Tell Wave whatever you want, you're not staying. And, if it comes down to it, I will knock you out, drag you back, and watch you until the others return. Those are your two options. Pick!"

"How about what's behind door number three?"

"There is no third door."

"Right then. I choose option C." Hunter, now completely fed up, begins forming a spell on her horn. Boomerang raises his hooves up in defense, "Alright, alright! I give! I'll leave."

Skeptical, Hunter stares long and hard down at Boomerang who offers a goofy grin in response. She sighs and reaches out a hoof to assist him in getting back on his hooves.

"Come on. I'll escort you back."

"I can find my own way back."

"I don't trust you to not run off somewhere else."

"Ouch, talk about a gut punch."

"You'll live. Now get movi-"

Hunter comes to a sudden stop as a foul sense leaves a bitter taste on her tongue. She moves back to peek around the corner of the building where she spies a small group of uniformed ponies shuffling along the street. And while the expressions and outside attitude of the ponies appear natural compared to the others she saw, the trail of hate and disgust leaves Hunter to believe she just stumbled upon her first lead.

Hunter sighs as she chases off her urge to pursue and investigate. While the mission is important, it's even more so to get Boomerang out of here and back to Horizon. She angrily turns around, preparing to snap at said changeling, only to see an empty alleyway. Hunter urgently searches around the area to find where the dense drone could have gone to. She notices a second alleyway up ahead and runs over to look over it.

Empty.

A gut instinct forms in the pit of her stomach and she continues down the alleyway. She reaches the end observes the main street once more. There, trotting no further than two lengths away from the group of suspects she found earlier, is Boomerang.

"Boomerang! You stupid, stupid drone," Hunter angrily hisses below her breath. Her brain works a thousand miles a second putting together a plan of action to remove Boomerang from this situation. She will never get the chance to finish.

"YOU!"

Now, legend has it that the drill instructors located at Fort Copperhead are some of the meanest, toughest, no non-sense military trainers in the country. Legend also says that every DI process the ability to sniff out and find a trainee in the wrong from ten miles away. Unfortunately for Boomerang, who unknowingly happened to disguise himself with a training outfit, the legends are true to the fullest sense.

Boomerang freezes and quickly spins around. Approaching him like a runaway train is a beige stallion wearing the distant brown campaign hat wrapped with a solar orange rope of a senior drill instructor. Boomerang glances around wildly in every direction, looking for a chance to escape. His eyes rest on Hunter pleadingly. Hunter simply shakes her head and stays hidden. The DI snaps to a stop mere inches away from Boomerang's face.

"Trainee, can you explain what's wrong about this situation you're in?" he asks with a deep, firm voice.

"Uh, I'm not so-"

"What was that, Trainee? I can't hear you over the lack of a reporting statement."

"I... Reporting statement?"

"Are you telling me you forgot your reporting statement?"

"Um..."

"You are unbelievable, trainee! Do you realize how wrong you are right now?"

"Yes?"

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, sir."

The DI's eyes bore a hole in Boomerang's soul as he somehow gets even closer to Boomerang's face without touching him, "Sir? SIR?" his voice cracks in anger, "Do I look like a sir to you?"

Sweat beats down Boomerang's neck as he responds tentatively, "No, ma'am?"

If the DI's demeanor was an oven, it would flash burn anything it touches, "Are you bucking kidding, Trainee. Are you blind as a bat? Do I need to shove my pair into your eyes for you to tell the difference between a colt and filly?"

"No, sir!"

"I. AM NOT. A SIR! I am Drill Sergeant Hickory and I expect to be referred to such after every sentence you utter. Do I make myself clear!"

"Yes, Drill Sergeant Hickory!"

"And you must be Trainee Dead because that's exactly what you are, dead. Do you know why you're dead, Trainee?"

"No, Dril-"

"Do the dead speak, Trainee?"

"No, Drill Se-"

"Well, they must be really noisy 'round here cause I keep hearing one trying to speak." Finally taking the hint, Boomerang keeps his lips shut, "Now, I'll ask again. Do you know why you're dead, Trainee? You're dead because you're wandering all out here on your lonesome WITHOUT A BATTLE BUDDY!" The force of the sergeant's voice caused him to temporarily balance on his forehooves and cause Boomerang to stumble backward.

"And do you know what the dead do, Trainee?"

Boomerang doesn't answer.

"They do pushups in Tartarus. Now get down and assume the position!" Boomerang hesitantly lowers himself to the ground, "Faster, Trainee! Move at the speed of mock Celestia!" Boomerang quickens his pace and begins doing pushups at breakneck speeds.

"What in Celestia's name are those?" the sergeant demands. Boomerang keeps his mouth shut, "You know, I just remember I'm clairvoyant and can hear the dead. Now, as your medium, I demand to know, what in Celestis's precious tits are those?"

"Pushup, Drill Sergeant Hickory!"

"Bullshit! If I wanted to see somepony hump the ground I'd gone to the nature club. Now give me proper pushups! Bend your elbows 90 degrees, keep your back straight, rear hooves together. One. One. One. Get down lower! One. Two. Two. Three. Three. Three. Don't tell me you're fatigued already, you've only done three pushups. You know who else can do three pushups? My 11-month-old filly! Lower! Kiss the dirt if you must, you're about a step away from making love to the earth anyways!"

As Boomerang's torment goes on, Hunter remains hiding by the alleyway on the brink of tears from laughter. It serves Boomerang right for getting himself into this mess. He wanted to act like a guardian? Well, now he can train similar to one. After all, play stupid games win stupid prizes. Hunter debates leaving the nescience here to chase down her lead. She decides against it though as she's not sure where the potential parasites went, as well as because, despite how much she would love to leave him here, it's a part of her duty to make sure noling gets left behind. Hunter growls in frustration as her mission turned from one of stealthy intel collection to that of a babysitter. Still, she doesn't have to save Boomerang right now. She can at least get some enjoyment from her ruined objective.

---

The groggy feeling of a cool dense mist settles over my brain as I finally begin becoming more and more aware of my surroundings. There's not much in the way of noise and light, but I do feel the smooth textures of fine silk sandwiching me both top and bottom. With great detail of protest from my body as well as an audial groan, I force my eyes open and lift my head. The feeling of the silk blanket rubbing against my fur confirms that my form never dropped, luckily enough. This, combined with the absence of other hangover-like symptoms, plus the faint traces of love in my veins, tell me all I need to know about what happened.

"Ok, that's what? Three times this year I've overloaded myself?" I ask myself. "The first time, okay, yeah, I was an idiot. The second time, waaaayyy too much to drink. But this time? Just what was that?"

Memory comes back to me slowly. It was as though I was hit square in the chest by a shockwave of pure love. It both stung, and yet felt great at the same time. I've never seen, heard, nor read of anything like that before. I'm also not quite sure what it is, but I feel... lighter, in a sense.

This is plain weird.

Moving on from the incident from, however long ago, I take time to observe the room. In a word, it's big. Very, very big. I wouldn't doubt if it's around the same size as the inn's main underground chamber. I swear you could just about fit the entirety of Charlie's in here if you tried. There's also the most obvious theme of the night sky, what with all the dark colors, stars, and even a waxing crescent moon (Which is interesting in itself as I'm sure that's the exact image the moon was last night). I also make out a sitting area next to a fireplace complete with a dark purple rug, a couple of elegant seats, and a couch. Strangely enough, it's the couch that really draws my attention as it's not a fancy couch of any sort, just a normal, run-of-the-mill couch.

Speaking of couches, that's where I find myself, on another couch across the other and centered around what looks to be a fairly large mahogany coffee table. Two more couches and a love seat completes the ensemble with one of theme having another occupant. Sitting across from me is a hazel-eyed thestral clad in the dark-colored armor of the night guardians with his helmet resting on the table. I blink in surprise. He continues to stare.

"Uh, hi?" I ask. He still stares, "Have you been there the whole time?"

He blinks, then stares again.

I stare back at him.

He remains staring.

I get off the couch and walk up to him. I then raise and wave a hoof inches from his muzzle.

He stares.

I decide to make a silly face and in a strange tone say, "Ekum Bokum."

Nothing, only more staring.

I search around for an exit and spot one a few feet away. I think to go look for Princess Luna once more, only to turn back and face the stubborn bat with a smirk. After all, how many opportunities am I going to have for fun like this?

The guard blinks twice.

---

"So then I was like, 'Girl, I don't think he'd be able to tell an oboe from an elbow!'" I laugh, holding both hooves to my belly as I kick out my hind-hooves in hysteria. I then pick myself off the couch and walk over to my newly found, eye-twitching friend. I pick up the kettle I found earlier, "Would you like some more tea Mr. Fluffy Ears?" The guardian scowls at me, and I swear I could hear a slight growl, "Suit yourself. So anyway, that's when the cheese king rolled in sideways and-"

"Ahem."

My ears perk up from the soft interruption and twist toward the source behind me. At the same time, I sense a massive wave of relief from the once stoic lunar guardian. I assume it is Princess Luna behind me since I did not sense, nor could I still sense, anything from that direction. So imagine my surprise when I turn and find pink in place of blue.

"Cadence?" I ask, remembering the name from earlier. She nods then turns to the guard.

"You're dismissed," she says.

The thestral stands up, puts on his helmet, salutes, then shuffles quickly out the door without so much as a peak in my direction.

How rude.

"Is he new? He's new isn't he?" I ask. Cadence tilts her head.

"I'm unsure. Why do you ask?"

"Because he's as stuck up, stubborn, and completely by the book as every guardian who first graduates training is," I explain.

"Well, it would explain why it took so long to convince him to sit down. Not to mention how long it took to get him to relax a little, the only compromise he accepted being taking off his helmet," Cadence reminisces with a hoof to her chin. She then fully walks into the room as she continues, "If you were wondering why he was here in the first place, it was merely a precaution. Auntie and I weren't sure how long you would be out and we didn't want you to wake up and nose around where you shouldn't."

"Suppose that makes sense. Speaking of, how long was I out for?"

"About six or seven hours."

"7 hours! Welp, so much for a couple days' trip," I mutter.

While I get more comfortable by reclining on the couch, Cadance observes me with reservation and curiosity. So much so that I don't need to sense her emotions to know that she wants something. Still, until she asks-

"May I see your real form?" she asks. My ears and wings spread out in alarm.

"My what?"

"Auntie Luna told me what you are. In fact, she's spent the past several hours going over everything she knows about changelings in great detail. I'm curious to see for myself if you don't mind."

"I... But... Why would she?"

"Don't worry. She told me it's changeling nature to hide away from others. Know that non but us know and we won't tell anyone about you. Without your permission anyway."

"It's... a bit more complicated than wanting to hide away, but thanks."

"So, can I see it?"

"My real form?"

"Yes."

"You're looking at it." I can't help but chuckle when her lips puckered in confusion.

"I don't... But Auntie Luna said-"

"This white pegasus with blue hair is as much as my real self as any other form I take. They are all me and I am all of them. The only difference is appearance," I explain.

Cadance takes a deep breath, "Okay, I understand." A sly smile then graces its presence on her muzzle, "Is it possible to see your birth form then?"

Well, looks who's the clever one.

"I'd rather not," I say. Cadence's ears lower for a split second.

"May I ask why not?"

I look away as I reply, "I don't think I'm in the right state of mind to be able to go against the instinct," I say.

"Instinct? Auntie never mentioned an instinct."

"I'm surprised. It's a big part of being a changeling. We have this sort of built-in instinct to hide our natural forms from any other creatures outside our own kind. At first, it's like a small, irritating itch. But it rapidly grows in urgency until there's nothing but a sort of pressure in your head to change into anything. Normally, I can hold off on that for a while, but now... I'm not so sure." A stray thought of silver and blue crosses my mind. I block it out.

"That sounds like a curse not being able to show your true selves to any creatures," Cadence says.

"It's not so bad. Just part of being who we are. Besides, it's as I said, this pegasus is as much my true self as my natural form. More so even."

All of a sudden, a loud bang from the large doors being forced open echoes greatly in the room; the little Luna stomping in with a scowl and growl.

"We swear if Sister insists we accommodate and adopt before we, 'rush into things', again..." Luna says under her breath. The rest of her angry rant dissolves out into mumbles. Luna heads right towards Cadence and I, flipping herself on her back into the couch next to mine. Honestly, seeing the small, filly-like princess throwing a tantrum is quite humorous to me. I try my best to hold in my laughter, "We are sick of being treated like a filly!"

"Are you not?" I ask before I can think better not to. Luna turns her angry glare to me and I raise my hooves in defense, "Hey, it's not my fault you look younger in real life," I pause then add, "A whole lot younger."

Luna sighs, "A fully realized alicorn's appearance is not completely based on age, but rather is an indication of magical power as well. Much of ours has been removed when Nightmare Moon was ripped away from us by the elements and has yet to return."

"So, in my dreams..."

"We receive enough power within the dream realm to return ourselves to our true appearance. Power which, unfortunately, cannot manifest itself in the waking world. And speaking of." Luna sits up and jumps off the couch, "If you would excuse us, dear niece, we have much work ahead of us this night."

The Princess of Delectable Delicacies eyes the two of us for a moment before standing up and walking towards the door, "Of course, I completely understand." She suddenly stops at the entrance and looks back one last time, "Oh, and Auntie? Try not to wear him out too much," she says with a sly grin.

A puzzled Luna tilts her head in befuddlement, "But of course. By the time we're finished he shall feel well-rested should events take place most favorably on our side."

While the night princess may have been at a loss for what the pink one is implying, I am well aware. A quick chuckle escapes me before I could puff my cheeks enough to hold in my laughter. Luna's eyes dart between myself and the amused Princess of Love. My resistance to takeing things further doesn't last.

"I'll make sure to go into all the nitty-gritty details later, if it so pleases you," I say.

Cadence smiles and holds a hoof up to her mouth to keep her amusement hidden, "I look forward to it." Suddenly, her smile becomes more predatory, "In fact~, there are many questions relating to my expertise I'd like to ask when you're finished."

Uh, oh.

"Sounds good," I stupidly say. With that, Princess Cadence leaves us alone, "What did I just agree to?" I ask Luna whose eyes look at me pitifully. She moves over to me and places a comforting wing across my back.

"We fear thou to be the next victim in our niece's everlasting war to eradicate the single pony."

Great. Just when I thought I got away from it all.

I let out a deep sigh, "This is getting out of hoof. Now there are two of them."

"Oh, who is the other."

"A rather persistent nymph by the name of Flower who insists on matching up every changeling she knows." I turn and stare directly at Luna with a smug grin, "I've actually been her longest and most stubborn target for years now."

"Indeed? Hmm, perhaps it would be best to that the two never met or else we fear the complete extinction of the single pony to be within reach," she says grimly. I give a hearty chuckle at that.

"So, what now?" I ask.

"Now?" Luna trots around the room searching for something, "Now, we begin the preparations to travel into the deep paths of thine mind."

"We do what now? I thought we were going to the dream realm?"

"Verily! Yet entering the realm is not enough. The corruption within thee is located deep within thine subconscious, therefore, we must pave the way in order to find the pathway there once we enter the dream." Luna scrummages through a drawer and pulls out a marker of sorts.

"So, out of curiosity? Why can't you just pull it out of me right here and now?"

"Do thou wish to become a vegetable?"

"Not exactly"

"Should we to forcibly remove the darkness in your mind now it would irreversibly destroy thine mind and turn thine insides to mush."

I rub my chin in thought, "So, there are options then?"

"We'd hardly call killing thou an option."

"Still an option."

Luna stops her searching and reattaches her attention to me, "What is it thou fears? Have we not come across as trustworthy to thee?"

"It's... well, it's the fact you keep saying we have to go 'deep' into my mind. I don't know exactly what that entails, but even I have things I rather stay hidden forever."

"Tis true that a journey so far deed can reveal onto us revelations we never knew ourselves. Indeed, this very even is more than likely to occur for thee. But, I am the Princess of the Night, Guardian of the dream realm and all within it. Thou has our sincerest word that whatever secrets may be unraveled that they will stay with us until the end of all time and beyond."

"Honestly Princess, it's not so much you that I'm worried about. It's... That's to say... I wasn't always the changeling I am now. I wasn't always Arctic Thunder."

"Thou realize the burden thou carries is not one we can so easily let walk freely."

"I understand, yes."

"Is thine past so notorious that thou would rather lose thine mind forever?"

I let out a sigh, "No, it's not. I know I shouldn't be overly worried as I am. I just... I don't like thinking back to how I was before. It took me so long to move on..." I end with a whisper.

Luna walks over and drapes a wing over me, "I cannot pretend to know thine past and why you so fear it. But know that you are not alone. We too shall be facing our past during this journey and we too have concerns about what may happen. Yet remember, young changeling, neither thou nor ourselves shall be alone. Together, we shall overcome any obstacle of the past with ease."

I close my eyes, breathe in deeply, exhale, and finally reopen my eyes with newly found confidence. I over to the princess and smile.

"I'm ready," I say. Luna smiles and floats several objects over as she walks toward the exit.

"Then follow us. Our journey awaits."

---

"Now remember to distribute the emotions in the honey at a smooth, even pace. And why is it important we do this?"

...

Honeydew looks up from her work with a sigh. She looks across the table where Indigo is heavily focused while infusing her own honey. What she is focused on is a mystery, however, for it certainly isn't on the sloppily prepared mess in front of her.

"Indy?"

No answer.

"Indy."

Not even a slight reaction.

"INDIGO!"

"WHAA!"

Indigo rears backward on her hind legs before falling on her back. A soft ow escapes her lips as she suddenly becomes aware of her audience. Although her expression is more or less blank, Honeydew emits a mixture of both frustration and concern. Indigo quickly picks herself up and buzzes back to the table.

"I'm good. I'm okay," Indigo says.

"Nope." Honeydew brushes the gloppy mess aside and stares straight at Indigo, "You're telling me what's going on in that head of yours right now."

"It's... it's..." Indigo begins, but then sighs, "It's nothing."

Honeydew frowns for a moment before a sly smile replaces it, "Is it about a certain colt by chance?"

Indigo ears perk up, "Actually, yes. But I don't know how to explain it. It's..." Indigo begins staring at a point behind Honeydew in thought, "...weird," she concludes.

Not quite expecting that answer, Honeydew moves to Indigo's side, softly grasps her chin, and gently turns her head to face her, "How so?" Honeydew presses.

Indigo turns her whole body to face Honeydew and then sits on her haunches, "So... remember the other day when Meadow and Pitch were here and were sitting next to those two guard ponies?"

"Yes."

"Well, there was also this colt there who was pretty much just keeping to himself and ignoring everything but his book."

"Yes, I remember him," Honeydew says with a knowing smile, "And..."

"And I was serving them when something weird happened."

"And what was this 'weird' thing?"

"Okay, so get this. I was walking back to the kitchen, after dropping off their food, when suddenly, bam! I get hit with this sweet-tasting sort-of-but-not-quite-exactly love. I don't know how to describe it. It's like when two ponies like each other more than friends but it's not really love, love, you know?"

"Okay, I get that, but what's so weird about that? I'm fairly certain we've come across that before on several occasions."

"Yeah, but those were always directed at another." Indigo's voice raises several octaves as she frantically points to herself, "This one was directed completely at me!"

Indigo gets up and begins pacing around the room as she continues to spiel at a rapid pace: "I don't understand. I've never had something like that being meant for me before. And it came from that book colt! I know it did! But why? I don't think I even said a word to him so why does he like me like that? It was so out of the blue that I thought I imagined it at first, but no. It actually happened and I'm so confused as to why and it's been bothering me all day long!"

Indigo stops to breathe while turning towards her mentor, "What do I do?"

Taking a moment for her brain to process the winded rant, Honeydew eventually shakes her head and giggles softly, "Sounds like somepony formed a crush on you."

Indigo groans in frustration, "But why is he crushing on me? As I said, I barely said a word to him if at all."

"Well, if memory serves correct, this colt is a bat pony, is he not?"

Indigo raises a brow, "Yeah, so?"

Honeydew rolls her eyes, "So, who here decided to have their main form as a pretty little thestral?"

One flash of blue later and Indigo shifts into said main thestral form, "That would be me, of course," she says proudly. Her expression freezes as she finally puts two and two together, "Oooohh, he's attracted to me on a physical level."

Honeydew cringes at Indigo's conclusion, "That's... one possible conclusion, I suppose. However, I'm willing to bet it extends beyond that as well."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, let's think about it for a second. I'm going to take a stab in the dark and say that your main form isn't the only pretty, filly bat his age he's seen. Yet, one glance at you and he's formed a crush. Now, assuming he doesn't have any other crushes, let's ask ourselves why it is he's crushing on you and not the others?"

"Oh, I know this one! It has to do with what's being picked up subconsciously. Like, uh... what's the phrase again? Body language?"

"Good and yes. While he may be physically attracted to you, odds are he picked up on some other things you were showing that he likes without knowing."

"But, how do you know for sure that's what going on?"

"Nymph, I've been doing this sort of thing for years. Decades even. While certainty may never be 100%, I know the signs when I see them. Or, in this case, hear them."

"Okay, but what could he have possibly picked up from me just walking?"

"Lots of things. For example, you tend to walk with an energetic bounce to your step especially when happy. You also always have a smile present and your head up with wondering eyes. All of this tells me that you're kind, positive, energetic, confident in yourself, and naturally curious."

"You can really tell all of that from a simple walk?"

"Yes, and in time, with practice, so can you."

"So I'm upbeat and energetic and he seems to like that. So this explains why he suddenly flowed all that nice emotions my way, but uh... What do I do now?"

"Well, I suppose it all depends. What do you want to do about it? How do you feel about him."

"I feel... Well not so much, really. I mean, he's not bad-looking. Kind of cute actually. But I don't know anything about him to feel anything. And still, I can't stop thinking about him. It's weird."

"Would you be willing to get to know him better if you could?"

"Sure! I love making new friends."

"Then maybe that's all you need to do. Become friends with him."

"Well, that's all good and all. Just one problem, I don't know where he is to talk to him."

"Oh, I don't think that will be a problem for long?"

"What makes you say that?"

"He likes you, right? Something tells me we'll be seeing him here again soon enough. I'll even tell the others to keep an eye open."

"Radical! Thanks, Honeydew. Thanks for everything."

"Anytime, Indigo. Now, how about we get back to infusing, yes?"

And so, mentor and apprentice return to work. As they do, Honeydew continues to test the young nymph on collecting and infusing. Yet it's not far in when Indigo's eyes go blank and then she suddenly slams her head on the table with a groan, her hooves covering her head.

"Thinking about the colt again?" asks Honeydew.

"Yeeeesssss," Indigo whines.

Honeydew chuckles, "All in due time, Indigo. All in due time."

---

Hunter paces back and forth in the small bedroom assigned to her. Boomerang sits in a chair nearby shifting uncomfortably. Every once in a while Hunter will stop, turn to Boomerang, shake her head, and then return to pacing. Every time she does this, Boomerang's posture becomes lower and smaller, conscious burden by guilt.

Boomerang opens his mouth to say, "If it helps-"

"Don't. Just, don't!" Hunter interrupts. Boomerang's gaze lowers back to the floor while rubbing his sore hooves.

"I just wanted to help," he whispers.

"Oh, you helped alright. Helped let the best lead I had all day long slip right past me all because you wanted to play pretend like some little grub!" Silence stretches on for a long while; only Hunter's hooves clopping on the wooden floor giving the two company.

"What are you doing here, Boomerang?" Hunter suddenly asks. Boomerang lifts his head in confusion.

"You won't let me leave until-"

"I mean here, in this land? Why did you get on the ship?" Boomerang mauls over the question for a bit before sending his own back.

"Do you know what I did back in the homelands?"

Hunter snorts, "I'm still trying to figure out what you do here?"

"Nothing. I did nothing back home. And you know what I do here? Nothing. I thought that by getting on that ship I'd finally find something to do, but it's all been one fat nothing. Nothing about me has changed."

"And you thought playing soldier and putting yourself in a dangerous position was going to change that?"

"I thought I could be useful for a change."

"By making yourself a liability in the field? How exactly did you plan on everything to go? That you somehow stumble across the biggest break that solves everything and we all praise you?"

"Well, when you put it that way..."

"Are you kidding me, Boomerang! News flash for you, out there is real life, not some fantasy world where everything falls perfectly into your lap."

"Yes, I'm aware of that. Thank you, Hunter."

"Hey! Don't start snapping at me. I'm the one who dragged you out of that mess, remember?"

"Yes, but did you have to do it quite as literally as you did?"

"With how trustful you've shown yourself to be? Absolutely!"

Boomerang snaps up from his chair, marches up to Hunter, and inches from her face shouts, "I! Am! Trying! I know it's impossible for you to understand, what with you guardians being so great at everything you do, but it's not easy not knowing your own role."

"What in that feather-brained mind of yours thinks being a guardian is all fun and games? Let me tell you something: You do not have any of the capacity, mentally nor physically, to be one. So quit before you start and do your own pity search in some other field!"

*Knock* *Knock*

Kite shield opens and crosses the threshold of the door. Both augmenting parties fall silent as he pauses, licks the air, and smacks his lips a couple of times. He then looks at each occupant for several mind-numbing seconds; the air becoming a volatile mixture of many unpleasant emotions.

"Do I need to intervene?" asks Kite.

Hunter shallows and says, "No Kite. We're jus-"

"You went behind the Princess's back!" Boomerang challenges. Kite visibly recoils, searching Hunter's eyes for answers. He then calmly turns and stares down Boomerang whose hooves begin to shake slightly, but still holds his ground against the big changeling commander.

"No, I didn't," Kite says finally.

"Yes you have!" counters Boomerang, "You deliberately went out and-"

"Did everything I promised I would do to Queen Shinuie. I'm keeping her newly appointed daughter safe. Now, if that is all," Kite fixes his attention back to Hunter and firmly states, "Hunter, it's time for our debriefing. I expect you to fill me on everything that happened back there."

Hunter nods her head leaving with Kite and leaving a conflicted Boomerang behind. Before he turns the corner, Kite leans back in and grabs Boomerang's attention one last time, "A piece of advice, Boomerang. Choose your battles carefully and with much thought. And always, always, be aware of the consequences following them."

At that moment, humiliated, insulted, and defeated, Boomerang never felt more stuck and divided. In hindsight, yes what he did was the stupidest thing he possibly could have done and a sore, aching body was his reward. Yet, all this did nothing for the outright rage he feels. He knows what he should do. He should tell Wave right now what's happening behind her back and let her take care of everything. But his pride is hurt; his wrath directed all onto one changeling and frankly, he doesn't really care what the guardians do or don't do. Telling the Princess will do nothing to show her up, so instead, a different plan takes root in his head.

"Not mentally or physically fit? I'll show her," he mutters.

That night, Boomerang will take a form not used by him, or any other outside one. With a one-track goal in mind, he will walk down the brightly lit streets of Manehatten until he'll come across the one place he knows can prove her wrong about him. A place that can train a pony to rival any guardian and one he stumbled upon when following them to their training base.

The Lunar Guard Recruitment Facility.

One day he'll learn not to make snap decisions...

Right?

---

"This doesn't seem like pony magic," I say watching Luna make final checks to her preparations, "Looks more like a ritual now that I think about it."

"Tis because it is in part. Half changeling ritual, half alicorn magic. Our magic to be precise," Luna responds.

In each corner of the small, square room rests a small mirror on a stand. bordering each mirror is a line of lavender. Whiffs of burning lavender incense fill the room to capacity. Luna moves to each mirror using the marker she brought to right a letter in each mirror. The letter then gets projected in the center of the room on both the ceiling and floor. Interestingly enough, I notice each letter to be from the old tongue.

"Why a ritual? Can we not rely on your magic alone?"

"Yes and no. While possible to enter the dream of a changeling on my own, it takes much time and effort to both enter and sustain the dream. A stability problem we cannot have if we are to travel as deep as we desire to. As such, a compromise needs to be made. In order to promote the needed stability, It shall be my dream which supplies the framework and yours which shall fill it. And in order for this to be possible, it will need both our magics.

"As for the reason for the ritual? Tis for thine safety. While thou could supply thine magic to fuel this dream state, it would come at a high cost of thine reserves. Hence where the ritual comes to play. Rituals were a design by your kind to maximize the efficacy of thine kinds stored energies so that higher power spells would not drain thou outright and leave thou a withered husk."

"The spell needs that much power? Uh, there's going to be food after this right. You know, food for me?" I ask. Luna smile slyly.

"We are sure our niece would be more than willing to share substance with thou."

I blink, "Are there any other offers? I kind of prefer to not be overcharged after feeding."

Luna giggles, "tis the risk of the average changeling, such as thyself, when it comes to feeding on an alicorn. Nay, we are sure to find a suitable and freely given substance for thyself after the journey."

"Are there any lively and fun bars nearby?"

"We know of one or two, yay."

"That's all I need to know. Okay, Princess, fire away."

Luna adds the last letter to the final mirror and then walks up to my side in the center of the room. Her horn alights with magic and allows it to flow freely around the room. She beckons me to do the same and, with a slight alteration to my form to add a horn, I freely let loose a stream of blue magic into the air. Surprisingly, I barely feel a thing as I do so, no doubt in part due to the ritual set up. We stand there for several moments in anticipation only for nothing to happen. Suddenly, Luna drops her magic and I follow suit.

"We don't understand. Why isn't it working?" she asks herself. She goes to each station while I simply look around patiently. My eyes rest on the projected word below me.

"Who taught you changeling rituals anyway? Last I ever heard about them, they were traditionally only an action a queen would do. Or someling with the queen's permission and oversight."

Luna sighs, walks back to me, and sits down, "Twas Queen Tova who taught us much about thine kind's way of life."

"You tend to bring her up a lot."

"But of course. We were the greatest of companions, once upon a time. A time before everything changed for our sister and ourselves."

"So, I'm guessing it's been a long time since she taught you then?"

"Aye. Last we saw of her was nearly 200 years before our banishment."

"I see. You misspelled it, by the way."

"Pardon?"

"That word you're trying to write, chalome, it's misspelled."

"Tis not! We may have forgotten much, but we remember clearly the word for dreams being spelled chet, lamed, vav, mem."

"Close, but incorrect."

"Where then, pray tell, lies the error?"

"It's spelled chet, lamed, vav, mem-sopheet. You forgot to make the mem a sopheet."

"The what?"

"Here," I get up and head toward the final mirror, marker levitating next to me. I erase the improper מ and replace it with the correct version of ם. The word projected on the ceiling now showing חלום, "There, mem-sopheet."

Vertigo floods me and knocks me off balance. I lurch forward, only to find to floor to fall on. I lose all sense of self as I fall through the void. There's nothing. No feel, smell, sound, nothing. Then suddenly, I feel pain quite similar to running headfirst into a wall. A wooden one to be exact.

"Ow! Who in the world placed a door here?" I stare up at said door floating in the abyss of nothingness. Out of curiosity, I try opening it only to find it locked. A disembodied voice of the princess then echoes all around me.

"Thou are at the barrier between realms waking and dreaming."

I deadpan as I stare at the wooden barrier, "It's a door."

"Then for thou, the barrier appears as such. This is the point of no return. To continue forth, open the door and pass through."

"How? It's locked."

"How would thou normally proceed through a locked door?"

"With a key."

"Then imagine a key."

"I can do that?"

Turns out, I can. With a little bit of concentration, a key appears before my very eyes. I grab and insert it into the door. I twist it and it unlocks. A stray thought passes through me and I can't help but laugh.

"Hey, Princess? Would another way to refer to the dream realm be a dream dimension?"

"We suppose, why?"

"Oh, no reason." I open the door and begin to cross through, "It's just that I unlocked this door with the key of imagination, and beyond is another dimension: a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You could say I'm moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. I'm crossing over into...

"The Arctic Zone!"

"Sister help us..."

Author's Note:

Help, I'm steppin' into the Twilight Zone
Place is a madhouse
Feels like being cloned...

Happy New Years Everyone!!

Comments

[Changeling404]

Oh~ the shenanigans~...
what fervorously fun foolery my fine funny friend!

[StarzGecko]

Wow a very long time since the last update

[Marker]

Took me a bit longer than I initially expected to read through the story from the beginning again. But I consider it time well spent to reacquaint myself with the story and its colorful cast of characters. Arctic in particular, oh how I missed the lovable goofball.

[Screw]

I am gald you are still alive and well. It has been a while and the worry that the virus caught you and some others got to me. I hope you are doing well.

I was hoping there was a sentance recap of sorts. I only remember Arctic was on his way to meet the princesses. It came to me while and after reading this chapter that Pitch and Meadow was left in the dark by Arctic abruptly, and that two of the guardians were going on about things behind the princess's wishes.

But eleven thousand words is definitely a treat. I missed Arctic and his curious gang. Happy late 2021!

[Fireeaters]

Nice. I don't like sports, but the rest of it was fun.

[Black--Soul]

Great chapter. Wonderful humor. Brilliant story and lore.

Cadance and Luna like him. Celestia will follow soon

[tsaukpaetra]

All hail Princess of Food!

[Black--Soul]

Let's hope we get to see more chapter, we have not been treated to a chapter for some time.