“Wake up! Wake up!” Selene yelled, bouncing on my bed as she did so. “You told me you’d teach me a cool new power in the morning. Well, I made it morning!”

Groggily, I rolled over, pushing my makeshift alarm clock off of my bed in the process. Looking at the real clock on my nightstand, I groaned. “You do realize,” I slowly moaned, “that it’s 6:30 in the morning; sunrise isn’t supposed to happen for another hour.”

“Aww,” my pesky young roommate whined, “but I couldn’t sleep. See, I’m just so excited that I had to make morning come now!” As she spoke, she started poking me in the back. Groggily, I swatted her blue-furred hand away. Unfortunately, she only redoubled her efforts to drag me into the world of the living.

“Ok, ok, sheesh, I’m up. I’m up,” I said, slowly elevating myself and rejoining the world of the living. “And I was having such a nice dream, too. Chrysalis was showing me techniques to pleasure a… nevermind,” I said, catching myself before I said too much. “Let me get my coffee, then we’ll talk.”

Caffeinated beverage in hand, I sat down with Selene at the kitchen table. As this apartment was a place for a changeling to hide in a hurry, the only foods available were bland, non-perishable emergency rations. Selene grumbled about the selection, or lack thereof, but ate hers in the end. I, however, ate mine without complaint; when everything but meat tastes like cardboard, you learn to eat without a fuss. Despite what I would have initially thought when I found out that changelings eat emotions, we cannot survive without enough physical food to nourish our true bodies.

“Are you really a king?” Selene asked midway through our meal. “See, I thought that kings would live in a big palace and eat really fancy food, not this stuff.”

“I assure you,” I replied, “that I am in fact a king. Changelings are cursed so that all food tastes bad, so we really don’t care what we eat. Besides, this is not my home, but an emergency safe house. Neither my people nor I use this place much, so the food we keep here has to stay good for a long time, hence the flavorless food.”

Selene accepted that without question. “So, are you going to teach me that cool new power now?”

Grinning, I decided to have a tiny bit of payback for her waking me. “Nope!”

“WHAT! Why not?” the anxious child asked.

“Because you woke me way too early. Now, I have something to ask you. Would you…” I paused, letting her anticipation mount, “…like to become my daughter?”

She stared at me, happiness welling up from her, giving the room a pleasant, fragrant feel to my sixth sense. Tears slowly formed in the corners of her eyes, before coming faster and faster until a continuous stream flowed down her cheeks. “YES!” Selene cried, her voice choked with joy.

“Good, I’ll have my people get right on that paperwork…” I said. A thought crossed my mind. Experimentally, I started tugging on her positive emotions while simultaneously pushing a portion of my essence into her. Unaided by changeling venom, the conversion process should have simply been slowed down. Instead, her body seemed to filter my essence and absorbed the pure magic. Deciding that she was immune to the conversion process, I ceased my efforts. ‘Somehow, I expected that,’ I thought to myself.

As soon as the two of us had finished the sludge that called itself ‘emergency rations,’ I stood up from my chair, my silvery hair brushing the ceiling. I gestured for Selene to follow me. In preparation for what could potentially go very wrong when we contact the princesses, I had stretched out my form to my true height, given myself large muscles and nasty scars, and made my hair fan out in an anime-esque style; the whole ensemble was designed as a size-based intimidation bluff, if needed.

I sat down, legs crossed, on the tile of the kitchen floor and motioned for Selene to sit next to me. As soon as she had done so, I said, “I bet you’re wondering what I’m going to teach you. Wait, of course you are.” Immediately, a portal opened in front of the two of us. Through it, I could see Chrysalis sleeping in her bed. Realizing that it would not be wise to disturb her, I hastily shut the portal before Selene could make any noise.

“Whoa, what was that?” the excited Earth alicorn asked in regards to the portal.

Smiling, I explained, “That was a gateway. It’s a portal that either partner can open. A gateway always opens wherever your partner is and can be left open indefinitely. Both partners can open it or close it and you can move the gate with a thought. Careful, though, the edges are sharp.”

“Teach me how to do it!” Selene demanded, practically vibrating in place with excitement.

“Just a second, Selene,” I said to calm her down. “There’s one more thing to know. If your powers are like mine, neither you nor Princess Luna will be able to go through the gateway. However, anyone or anything else can.”

I hunched over, trying to make myself look as small and submissive as I could. I needed to ask the princesses a favor, but given my history and race, it would be an uphill battle. Satisfied that I would make the correct first impression, I explained how to open the gateway. A second later, Selene opened the portal, pressed her face against the barrier, and promptly yelled, “SURPRISE!”

Luna nursed her morning tea in the company of her sister; both watched from the dining room as the dawn-lit land pass beneath their airship. Destined for the capitol of the Griffin Kingdom, Mosclaw, the TMS Solar Wind had departed yesterday morning with the Two Royal Sisters. The Elements of Harmony had been invited to join them in their journey, Twilight Sparkle to observe the political negotiations and her friends for a relaxing vacation, to which they readily agreed.

Luna herself had awoken troubled. Last night, little Selene had appeared in the dream unable to form a cohesive mental image of herself. Luna knew that only severe mental or physical trauma could disrupt a person’s view of themselves so completely as to render themselves blurry to the dream-walking princess. Due to the child’s never-ending questions for Luna, the latter could barely ask one in return. However, Luna did manage to extract two nuggets of information.

The first piece of information was that the child had been hospitalized. Selene claimed that, for reasons unknown to her, she had been admitted and placed into a state of medically induced unconsciousness, rendering her unable to administer her worlds day-night cycle. The fact that a child now had to do such a daunting task disturbed Luna greatly; the fact that she had been restrained from doing so for reasons unknown bothered her even more.

The second fact was that Selene had needed to be rescued by someone she called ‘Rex.’ Dread filled Luna’s heart at the mention of that name. Though it was possible that this was a case of shared names, the only Rex Luna knew from that world was the changeling king, Alvarium Rex, who had been involved in the kidnapping of her niece and sister’s protégé. To think that such a young child was in the hooves of a beast like the changeling king made every maternal instinct in the dark alicorn scream out in fear.

“I wish there was something we could do for that foal, ‘Tia,” Luna said to her sister after explaining her worries.

Celestia sighed, “I agree, dear sister. That is most worrisome Perhaps...” The elder alicorn stopped as she saw a bleary-eyed Twilight Sparkle enter the dining room. “Ah, perfect timing, my most faithful student. It seems that I have a task for you.”

Instantly alert, Twilight asked, “What is it, Princess Celestia? Is this a test? Oh, I knew I should have studied more.”

“Calm yourself, Twilight,” Celestia said. “I would like your assistance in re-creating the ability that took you from us two years ago. Luna, if you would explain?”

Before Luna could speak, a loud voice yelled, “SURPRISE!” Luna, caught off guard by the sudden noise right near her ear, toppled over and fell off her stool. Her head went back and collided with something solid that had not been there before. As she picked herself up, rubbing her aching skull, Luna turned to see a most interesting sight. Behind the portal sat what appeared to be Luna’s younger self, albeit warped. The three ponies in the room bore faces of shock.

I snickered at Luna’s clumsiness, then their expressions. However, I quickly reigned in my mirth. It would not do to offend the people who had what I needed, now would it?

Selene was quite pleased with her little prank, if her laughter was any indication. “Hi, Princess Luna,” she said between spurts of laughter. “Your face was all like *blah!*” Selene imitated the princess’s expression before giggling some more.

“Who are you, foal?” Luna asked.

In response, Selene contorted her face into the expression that I had come to realize meant that she was communicating mentally with Luna mentally. Idly, I wondered, ‘Do I make that face when I talk to Chrysalis? I hope not.’

“Selene!” Luna exclaimed, realizing exactly who she was talking to. “What has happened to you, child?”

“So, you haven’t told her everything?” I asked Selene before she could answer. “Smart girl. Never tip your hand and tell the full story unless it benefits you.” The ponies in the room across from me seemed to notice me sitting on the floor for the first time. Addressing them, I said, “I’m sure Selene would be delighted to tell you everything at a later date. As for now, I have two items of business with you, Princess Luna. Both are simple requests for information.”

Luna turned to look at me. “First, your name wouldn’t happen to be Alvarium Rex, would it?” the night princess asked.

I stiffened. ‘Really? I wanted to at least get my questions asked before they called me out.’ Slowly, probably too slowly for my own good, I asked back, “…and, hypothetically, if I am, what does that mean to you?” The whole time I spoke, I refused to make eye contact. However, I did notice five other ponies, two real and three disguised changelings, entering the dining room through a door across from the portal.

“What’s going on?” I saw the one I identified as Rainbow Dash asked the changeling named Rarity. The latter only shrugged and claimed not to know.

“Then I will have nothing to do with the likes of you,” Luna responded to my question.

Rolling my eyes, yet still keeping them away from those of the princesses, I said, “Well then, it’s a good thing that I only ask on the behalf of another.” I gestured towards Selene, who was only half listening to our conversation. “Simply listen and decide. I wish for you to train her to be an effective ruler of the night, something that I cannot do. And I wish for you to watch for more double dreams like ours -” Luna frowned as I said that. “- if for no other reason than to have some sort of warning for new threats that may emerge in time.”

Luna scowled, clearly disturbed by the choice of aiding a child or bending to an enemy’s request. “Why do you care about her, beast?”

“HEY!” Selene yelled, “Don’t insult my new daddy!”

Gasps of shock came from the three ponies in the know across the portal. “Get away from him! He’s a changeling!” Twilight, who had been in a whispered conversation with her friends, exclaimed. Her friends gasped as well, though each for different reasons.

Initially offended, my anger morphed into humor as I took stock of the situation. Twilight and Luna had just unknowingly insulted three of the former’s friends. “She knows I’m a changeling! I told her myself,” I retorted.

“Then you know you’re not safe with that monster! He’s going to eat your love!” Twilight said to Selene.

Laughing in my deep, bellowing voice, I said, “Do you really think so little of my people, or me, for that matter, that you think we cannot control ourselves? That we are only monsters?”

Ignoring me, Twilight turned to her ruler. “Princess Celestia, we’ve got to do something! He’s probably got her brainwashed.”

Celestia agreed. “Release her at once, changeling, or I will have to use force to protect her.”

“Selene,” I said, not moving from my spot on the floor, “the door is unlocked. You can leave if you want.” When Selene made no move to leave, I addressed the sun princess, “See, she’s free to go.”

Unfortunately, my next move called for me to be uncharacteristically blunt. I only hoped that I did not damage my budding relationship with Selene. “Granted,” I said, “Selene’s just a young child who’s been horribly warped by human standards, she accidentally destroyed the orphanage where she lived -” Selene looked shocked, having not known about the explosion her transformation had caused, “- and she is over 1,700 miles from her old home. Oh, and our magic is apparently toxic to humans, meaning that either of us would be locked away if people found us. Literally, the changelings are the only choice Selene has left if she wants anything like a normal life.”

I apologetically stroked Selene’s back, but it did nothing to comfort the girl who had just been presented the reality of her situation. Twilight, however, would have none of it. “That doesn’t change the fact that you are just going to feed on her! Selene, you could come live with me.”

“Aside from the fact that she cannot cross over,” I said, reaching out to tap the invisible barrier in the portal to emphasize my point, “that would leave my planet without a way to move the sun or moon. Could you do that? Kill a whole world to save a single little girl that you barely know?”

I stood up, prominently displaying all eight-and-a-half feet and four hundred pounds of solid muscle. Baring my sharpened teeth and making direct eye contact for the first time, I stepped towards the portal. “Or would you kill me to keep her, a child who is immune to my touch, out of my grasp?” I asked, referring to the failed conversion rather than the feeding, not that they needed to know. The ponies reflexively backed down a bit.

“How about a political spar?” I asked, on a roll with my impromptu rant. “I hear that Equestria is having a nice little industrial revolution. Funny, for a country that has not advanced technologically since the Discord era, you sure have been inventing a lot these last two years. It’d be a shame if something happened to that… creativity. At least my world will keep its tech.” Though I admitted nothing, the potential implications were more than enough.

“What about a magic duel?” I rhetorically asked. “Though I may fight dirty, at least I would have some sort of restraint when it comes to the type of spell I use. Ha, your princess is insane!” I said.

“How can you claim such accusations?” Luna asked. “I have been purged of my madness by the Elements of harmony themselves!”

“Oh, I was not talking about you, Princess Luna~” I sang.

“Me?” The surprised Celestia asked.

I nodded. “Suicide Spells, Volume 6, 101 Battle Curses, 65 Torture Techniques for the Novice Interrogator, all penned and field tested by Celestia herself. Oh, and let’s not forget the shifting fabric. Murdered any changelings for their chitin, lately?” The mention of four Black Archive books brought surprised looks from all of the ponies present, except Celestia herself. Though her face remained like a porcelain mask, I could sense her inner turmoil.

“My point is that I would do anything to keep Selene out of your grasp. Have I made myself clear?” I asked, my deep voice rumbling in my throat. “Do not mess with me or my daughter. I am not afraid to get my hands dirty, even bloody, to protect her.” I set my hand on Selene’s shoulder. Seeing an opportunity to throw one last barb before I ask Selene to shut the portal, I said, “However, I’m not heartless. You know changelings can sense emotion, right?” Grinning maliciously on the inside, I lied, “I smell the signature of a pony preparing herself to murder in cold blood. Good day.”

I bent down and whispered into Selene’s ear, “Close the portal with your mind.” The gateway closed immediately.

I collapsed into a chair. Mostly to myself, I said, “Intense… Never bluffed so hard in my life… saw my life flash before my eyes.”

“Um... daddy,” my soon-to-be-adopted daughter said, somewhat uncomfortable with the term, “why did they call you a monster?”

Sighing, I said to her, “You know how you are a human shaped version of Luna? I’m a human shaped version of Chrysalis. She, well… kind of eats ponies.”

“WHAT?” she asked, backing away from me quickly.

Hastily, I shrank down to her old size so that she towered over me and added, “But I’m not like that! I was only pretending to be a monster!” In my now tiny voice, I explained, “I just eat emotions! Love! Happiness! Joy! For normal people, when I eat their love, they just get older.

“But you, you have magic! All I could do to you is make you tired, but like I said to them, you are immune to my power,” not a total lie. “Even then, I wouldn’t do that to you! I want to protect you, because you’re family now. I would die for my family. If I had not liked you, I would not have come to get you from Pheonix. You’ve got to believe me.”

Reaching out a hand towards her, I said, “Do you still want to be my daughter? The door’s always open. If you want out, just say the word. However, I’d miss you so much. Will you stay?”

She pondered for a moment before making her decision. A heartbeat later, her emotions did a one-eighty and I was glomped by the now cheerful girl. “I’ll stay, daddy.”

“Good, now I just need to ask you one thing. It’s tradition for changelings to name themselves. What name do you want me to put on your papers?” I asked.

She thought for a minute “Can I keep my old name?”

“Sure,” I said. “What is your full name, anyway?”

“Selene Drocsid.”

Author's Notes:

*Bing* Have a chapter.

I had a bit of writer's block with this chapter. Glad that's over. Now to figure out what to do next. Chapter 36 will be a couple of shorts (Luna, Luna & Celestia, Lyra & BonBon, Catherine). Chapter 37 will be a bit of slice-of-life. Chapter 38... I don't know. My problem is that I have a bunch of directions that this could take (3-4 different antagonists!) and I don't know which to do first! Hint: 31+35=Foreshadowing

Part of this chapter was inspired by my desire to have a family. I'm only 17 and have never dated, yet I'm thinking about getting married and having kids! If you can't tell, I really want a little girl!

The Solar Wind and Mosclaw came from my shorter, yet somehow more viewed, story Twilight's Secret.

I don't mean for it to sound like Twilight/Celestia/Luna bashing, but they are antagonists. Also, Celestia's Black Archive books were written during her grief over losing Luna to Nightmare Moon. During her inner raging, Celestia created some of the nastiest spells in existence. As the former bearer of the element of magic (canon) and Twilights mentor, I find it highly likely that Celestia tinkers with magic in her endless spare time. Of course, as the sun goddess, she can't actually stay dead (hence 6 volumes of suicide spells), so she took out her aggression on others. Then Celestia locked away her findings and buried that part of her past.

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One of the possible directions that this story could take from here involved the exposure of the Changelings to the masses and the return of Catherine. Along that same plot line, Rex decides to construct a cloud battle ship with a miniature storm factory. Though it looks like a boat-shaped-cloud from the outside, the inside would contain armored rooms, weapons, tornado and lightning machines, and crew quarters. I just think that would be so awesome!

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To my wonderful editors, Alternate Madness and Doctor_N, I say thank you!

Alternate Madness Note:

Man that girl just wants a dad that bad, or she has large enough cojones to put Saxton Hale to shame!

NEVER THE LESS! See you guys next time, I gotta go to the Mareiana Trench and fight a Giant Squid.

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Fast facts!

-- In 2022, computer chips could no longer be made smaller and faster through conventional methods. While graphene did aid in making faster computers and networks, the technology had some stumbling blocks that delayed it's implementation. With quantum computing still too expensive for all but the richest nations and companies, the personal computer market has practically stalled.

-- It is physically possible to direct a magical field with a computer (not the same as the come-to-life spell). Given a magic power source, computers can be programmed to cast spells for the user. (There's an app for even more stuff, now).

-- Gatekeepers can breed with members of either their old specie or their new one. If one parent is a Gatekeeper, there is a 100% chance the child will be the same specie as the Gatekeeper parent. If both parents are gatekeepers, the child will be a cross between them (normal breeding or pony + griffin = hippogriff). This applies to both members of a Gatekeeper partnership. Children of Gatekeepers are not automatically Gatekeepers themselves.

-- There is a complex process recorded by Celestia in the Black Archives that describes how to make shifting fabric. When magically powered by the wearer, it transforms into a color-changing armor that is tougher than dragon hide, yet as light as cotton. The method was put in the Black Archives because the main ingredient is changeling chitin; the only way to get changeling chitin at the time of the fabric's creation was to murder a changeling and peel them. However, with modern surgical techniques and enough love, a changeling can be painlessly peeled of their chitin and regrow it without complication. Estimated sale price of the fabric: $1.2 million per square yard. One Earthling has enough chitin at one time for 12 square yards of fabric.

-- Changeling fangs are the magical equivalent of a superconductor and a diode. A near infinite magical current can flow without resistance from tip to base, yet no magic can flow the other direction. Changeling fangs can be used in complex magic rituals to amplify the spell while protecting the caster from magical backlash.

-- Without some sort of dimensional anchor (like a Gatekeeper), it is effectively impossible to navigate dimensions. Entering and exiting would be easy for any skilled mage. Navigating a ten-dimensional sea of infinite probability, size, and time, while trying to find a single, un-clearly defined universe, then the correct spot within said universe? Impossible.

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Stats!

Changeling population: 325 (259 converted, 64 hatched, 1 permanent digital)
Changeling owned businesses: 6
Funds: $80.085 million cash + $59.1 million raw materials + $60.3 million in businesses + $45.185 million in investments + $5.1 million land & property. (Total wealth: $250.4 million, or $0.77 million per changeling.)

Changeling divisions:
-Finances (those who make money for the hive)
-Love collectors (those who make love for the hive)
-Research & Development (those who make toys for the hive)
-Silencers (those who make you shut up about the hive)
-Infiltrators (those who infest other organizations for the hive)
-Saboteurs (those who break things for the hive, subdivision of infiltrators)
-Trappers (those who hunt for the hive, aid the king in catching people alone so that they can be converted. Most are also Silencers.)
-Soldiers & Assassins (those who kill for the hive, not yet established)

Changeling properties:
-The Bee Hive (low-cost housing, south side of Atlanta)
-The Eye of the Beholder (bar/night club, near Atlantic Station)
-The Ore Mine
-Individual houses/apartments of the converts
-Hidey-Hole apartments.