Chapter 0: Heroes Shall Rise

As Celestia sat gazing out her window at the orange setting sun over Equestria, an uneasy expression dawned on her face. Confused, Luna put a comforting hand on her sisters shoulder.

"Whatever is the matter?" She asked.

Celestia looked toward her sister and dawned a slight smile. "Nothing. Everything is fine," she reassured.

"You know lying is not your strongsuit, sister," Luna said seeming more worried. Celestia exhaled deeply, she could not keep this change a secret no longer. She turned from the large, glass window toward her younger sister who nervouslyfiddled with her thumbs in anticipation.

"A change is coming to Equestria, Luna. One that you and I will be powerless to stop."

"An invasion! Surely there is something we can do to prevent this!" Luna said trying to deny the thought. Celestia put her hands on Luna's shoulders and spoke bluntly.

"No, this is not an invasion," Celestia said. "This is something far greater."

Celestia handed Luna an aged drawing, Luna raised a confused eyebrow. The picture was of a desimated Canterlot engulfed in what seemed to be flames, Luna gasped in horror. Buildings lay on the ground while some actively burned and standing in the middle was a black shadowy figure that sent a chill running down Luna's spine.

"What is this? A prophecy?" She asked. Celestia nodded, "this was drawn before we came to rule Equestria. Whatever or whoever causes this must be powerful if this powerful than the both of us combined."

A million thoughts rushed through Luna's head as she tried to wrap her head around what she just heard.

"We have to do something," Luna panicked. "We can't stand here like sitting ducks while millions of lives are at stake!" Instead of answering her distressed sister, Celestia handed Luna another aged painting from the exact same time period. A million pressured thoughts raced through Luna's head as she unscrolled the ancient piece of art hoping not to see the same chaos and destruction as before. Instead of a desimated world, Luna saw quiet the opposite. The picture was of a stallion from the waist up. Luna's confusion and anxiety rose up like an active volcano as she her eyes darted from the art piece to her sister. The stallion wore a torn black jacket and had long untamed mane that nearly covered his eyes. A scar went down his left eye and cheek as he had a tired and enraged look upon his face. The stallion had looked like he had gone through a horrible ordeal as his face was battered, bruised, and bleeding all over. The fingers of his tightly clenched fist were covered in scratches and bruises as he looked like he was struggling to stand. Luna finally handed the drawing back to Celestia more confused than ever.

"Do you think this stallion is the cause? Is this all somehow conected?" Luna's thoughts started pouring from her as, the mere thought of equestria's destruction frightened her more than anything they had ever faced.

"I don't know much yet, but my first priority is to find the other drawings before it's too late."

"Other drawings?" Luna asked. "Where could they possibly be?"

"All I know is that the drawings are scattered all over Equestria in diffrent places." Celestia said with a more hard and demanding tone. " Whatever these paintings mean and what they foretell could spell disaster for all living things. That's why I must find them, but sadly we only have these two." Luna slowly calmed herself from inside "Maybe Twilight could help us?" She suggested.

"Yes, maybe she can," Celestia pondered, "I shall write to her immediately."

As Luna finally left, the Princess began her letter to her former student. But deep down she felt all hope for her kingdom was lost.

Only time will tell,she thought as she signed off her note and set the sun down over Equestria.

Chapter 1: Discovery

Daniel waved back his long black mane slowly as he stood outside his new home.

"Looks about right," he said. Daniel saddled up his backpack and lifted his brown leather suitcase and entered his house. As he stepped inside, the smell of cleaning supplies and baked goods made its way into his nostrils. It was if the open house was not that long ago. The entire house was ,of course, empty, uncomfortably silent, and poorly lit with only the sunlight pouring in from the window. The floorboards creaked and moaned as black sneakers treaded lightly across the living room floor. Daniel dropped his bags to floor with a loud thud as an unexpected knock on his door caught his attention. Daniel once again combed back his mane as he wrapped his hands around the knob, curious of who his visitor was since he had just moved. Outside was a bright pink mare with hair like cotton candy wearing pink denim jeans and a sky blue tank top. What happened next might have killed him, a loud explosion followed by a rain of confetti nearly gave him a heart attack.

"Helloooooooo!" She cried with overpowering enthusiasm. Suddenly all went silent as she dawned a confused expression and stared deeply into his eyes.

"What exactly is your name?" She asked.

His finally slowed down as he rose back up from the ground. "Daniel," he said, "Daniel Flint."

"I'm Pinkie Pie," she answered, " I live upstairs in SugarCube Corner."

Daniel looked as Pinkie pointed to what seemed was a house composed entirely out of sweets. I wonder if she'll become diabetic anytime soon? Daniel thought.

"What is SugarCube Corner exactly?" he wondered.

"It's a bakery, silly." Pinkie answered.

"Oh. I kind of like bakeries." A shock wave of fear and surprise came over Daniel as Pinkie Pie actively took Daniel's hand and began sprinting toward SugarCube Corner with the biggest smile on her face.

"Once you meet me and my friends, you'll like love bakeries forever!"

SugarCube Corner was an unexpected stop for Daniel but it was worth it. The atmosphere of the inside was warm and friendly and Pinkie's friends seemed like the nicest ponies in the world. Fluttershy possibly was most hard to understand since she was shy and was whispering half the time about she cared for animals. Twilight was the first princess he had ever met and Rainbow Dash was a fast flyer, according to her perspective. Applejack sadly kind of bored him since all she talked about was her farm, family, and apples. Rarity had a great sense of fashion but she kept suggesting clothes for him to wear.

"Where'd move from, Danny?" Asked Rainbow Dash as she took a drink of her strawberry milkshake.

"From around Equestria and back," Daniel said fidgeting around with a chocolate éclair.

Twilight raised a curious eyebrow, as the answer to question to the made no sense. Pinkie Pie once again actively took Daniel's hand again and led him into the kitchen where a blue mare with hair like the frosting atop a cupcake was focused on icing a tall cake.

"This is Mrs. Cake. She and her husband run this place." Pinkie announced. Mrs. Cake took a while before she took her eyes off her project and looked at Pinkie and her new friend.

"Why hello there she said," her voice reminded Daniel of his mother's in a strange comforting way. "You must be one of Pinkie Pie's new friends. What's your name?"

"Daniel Flint," he answered. As he shook her hand a wave came over Daniel, a wave he had experienced many times over. Daniel cringed his eyes and shook his head, though he was used to this 'wave' it still had a sort sting that he hated.

"Are you okay, Daniel?" Asked Mrs. Cake. It seemed as if something upset him, but she didn't know what. Before he could answer a bell sounded from the counter taking Mrs. Cake's attention.

"A customer," she announced , "don't destroy the cake while I'm gone ." Pinkie left the kitchen but Daniel's ears and mind kind of blanked out as he began slowly began walking toward the cake. He picked of the frosting and then it began. The transformation was a process he had grown quite accustomed to. His light brown coat slowly transferred to a sky blue and he felt his eyes change from green to pink .The long scar had faded from his lefteye as he grew perky eyelashes. Daniel's black mane rose up and slowly wrapped itself in a cupcake like form as it changed to pink while his body shrunk shrunk a few inches in height. The transformation was done and work on the cake began. The basic design flew into Daniel's mind and came out perfectly as he slowly and gracefully iced it putting every last detail of the design on the cake nearly better then Mrs. Cake had planned to do it. Daniel stood back and looked at the masterpiece as he slowly took back his original form. His mane fell down and his coat turned from blue to brown again and his eyes were their usual green. He turned exhaled as he turned around to see Pinkie standing there with her eyes opened wide in surprise.

"Uh, Daniel?"

Two Days Later...

The natural light from the sun hurt Daniel's eyes as he stared out his window nervously. It had been two days since the incident at SugarCube Corner and he had been worried about stepping outside ever since. He looked around his empty home and sighed as he saw a small calendar on his wall. It was a small calendar he kept to tell himself how many days he went without using his ability. It had been a good eight months and he would've have reached nine if it weren't for yesterday's little slip up. Daniel didn't know what it was that compelled him to use his power. It was like a hunger he couldn't shrug off and move on with his life.

"What is wrong with me?" He asked himself and angrily ripped the calendar of his. As he held it in his hands the rage at himself swelled and came out as he ripped the small calendar to shreds. The little bits of paper floated to the floor and piled up as Daniel tore every last page until it was just a pile of shreds. He inhaled and exhaled as he looked around at his still empty home and realized it was just him all alone with thoughts.

"And that's what happened," finished Pinkie Pie. Twilight and Spike Stood in surprise as they tried to wrap their heads around what Pinkie Pie had just told them.

"This sounds too crazy to be true," protested Spike, "How could the new guy be a Changeling?"

"Maybe he's a spy for Queen Chrysalis?" Twilight suggested.

"We should ask him to find out" Pinkie chimed in.

Twilight was about to refuse, she wouldn't just let her friend risk her life over a simple hunch. "Pinkie, don't just…" But before she could stop her, Pinkie was already gone.

The silence surrounding Daniel was interrupted when he heard a knock at his door. He stood up and answered and as he saw who it was all his fears seemed to surface.

"Hey Daniel I…" Pinkie began

SLAM!

Daniel began breathing heavily and his palms began to perspire. Pinkie Pie was the last pony in Equestria he wanted at his door. But maybe this wasn't a bad thing at all? Maybe all she wanted to do was talk? Daniel inhaled as he once again opened his front door and pulled the mare inside his home.

"What do you want?" He asked harshly.

Pinkie was shocked at Daniel's approach and was concerned for him. He looked like he hadn't slept in days and his face was melancholy and pale. Daniel crossed his arms impatiently waiting for Pinkie to answer him.

"I want to talk about what happened two days ago," she said. "I told my friend, Twilight, about it and…"

"You WHAT!" Daniel cried

"I told Twilight about what happened 'because I didn't know who else to tell," Pinkie continued.

"So your last option was a princess? Someone of royalty was your last option?"

"What else was I supposed to do?" Pinkie whimpered. "Just forget the whole thing?"

"Yes! Most people do try to forget that sort of thing!" Daniel ranted.

Daniel exhaled as he leaned against a nearby wall and plotted out his next move. Pinkie attempted to put a hand on his shoulder, but it was only rejected.

"What could possibly go wrong?" Pinkie Pie wondered.

Daniel only raised a sarcastic eyebrow as he turned toward the pink mare that was completely oblivious to the danger.

"What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the phrase "shape-shifter"?"

Pinkie thought for a short moment then answered.

"Changelings," she said.

"Now does Equestria like changelings?" Daniel continued.

"Not really." She answered

"Now do you understand why I have to hide this part of me?"

"Yeah, now I do."

"Where does your friend live again?" Daniel inquired.

"The library," Pinkie responded. "You want to talk to her?"

"Yeah," he smirked. "Something like that."

Pinkie wasn't sure what Daniel meant, but she decided he had enough trouble for today. Daniel threw on a black turtleneck jacket and left.

"Let yourself out!" he shouted as he began a slow jog toward the library.

The library was the usual silent it always as Twilight went through her books. She had spent the entire time looking for books on changelings, but sadly the library only had four that she had read cover to cover once before. The door creaked opened as Pinkie Pie walked through.

"Pinkie Pie!" she cried. "You're okay!"

"Why wouldn't I be?" she said.

"So what did you find out?" Twilight wondered.

"Daniel said he just wants be left alone," Pinkie responded.

"What?" Twilight said. Pinkie had been gone for quite a while and she thought there would be more to it. Twilight went closer to her and put both her hands on her shoulders.

"Are you sure that's it?" she asked. What happened next shocked Twilight in ways she couldn't imagine. Pinkie's mane fell down and turned to black, her pink coat faded to a light brown as a scar appeared over her left eye. It was Daniel.

"I said I want to be left alone," he said in plain tone. "How hard is that to understand?"

"What did you do to Pinkie Pie?" Twilight cried grabbing him by his jacket roughly. Daniel stood in front of the lavender alicorn princess unamused as he took her hands off him.

"Your friend is fine and this isn't what this is about," Daniel claimed. "I'm here to talk about the elephant in the room."

"I've dealt with your kind before," Twilight said. "Whatever you and the rest of the changelings have planned, I can assure you it won't work like the last two times."

"That's the problem," Daniel said leaning himself up against a nearby shelf. "You think I'm one of those monsters."

Twilight raised an eyebrow at Daniel suspiciously. "What do you mean?" she wondered.

"I will agree that shape-shifting is changeling ability," Daniel explained. "But there is one thing they need to do to shape-shift that I don't."

"What would that be?" Twilight asked frustratingly.

"Love. Love is the source they need to transform. I only need the touch of a pony's hand and I can take on their form."

Twilight was on the edge of punching Daniel square in his muzzle. Everything Daniel did annoyed her deeply as he further explained himself.

"I don't know why I can do this and I'm expecting you and Pinkie to keep this stuff a secret."

"Why would I keep this secret for you? What would happen if I told Celestia and Luna in Canterlot about your little secret?" Twilight threatened.

"Well decide to report me to them, I don't know what they would do," Daniel said. The room darkened as Daniel walked closer to Twilight with a threatening look on his face "Twilight, I have gone from town to town to keep myself safe and there is no way in hell if I'm going to let a mare like you get me killed because your afraid of something you don't understand! "

And with that, Daniel Flint left the library leaving an uncomfortable silence. Sure that he had made his intentions to Twilight Sparkle crystal clear.