I sat down with a short stack of books next to me. I hadn’t read anything in weeks. It was time to reorient myself so I could test my ability. I picked up the first book; The Beauty by the Bay. I didn’t have a lot to choose from in the boutique. I had raided Rarity’s only bookshelf and picked the best sounding books. Actually I had grabbed all of her books. There were only eight.
I opened to the first page and began. It took my brain a few moments to click and realize what I was doing. Then my speed began to pick up. I started going through a page every couple seconds. I’d definitely gotten slower thanks to the discharge. I found out quickly that I was reading a romance novel. And one that was going into detail. Nothing graphic, but definitely suggestive. I was beginning to see where Rarity had gotten some of her zest.
The book wasn’t very long, but it took me six minutes to finish it. I put it down and looked at the rest of the stack. All of them were romance novels. And I think it was safe to assume they were of a similar caliber to the first.

“I’ve gotta find something else.”

I wish the Golden Oaks Library was still standing.. What a waste. Where else could I get books? The book store? That bill would rack up too fast. Where else?
I realized that Twilight’s personal collection was the only option. I’d been trying to limit my interactions with the girls to keep up my charade of being on the mend. And of all of them, Twilight was the most likely to realize my actual condition. I honestly wondered if she hadn’t already worked it out. It wouldn’t be the end of the world I suppose..

“Ugh! Fine. I’m going.”

I stood up and left the boutique. The walk through town was pleasant. It was a beautiful day! Nopony stopped to talk with me, but that was fine with me. I didn’t really feel like talking. I just wanted to enjoy the day in my own little world.
I arrived at the castle and knocked. The door opened to reveal Spike.

“Oh. Hey Shade. What’s up?”

“I was hoping to borrow a few books from Twilight. Is she here?”

“No. She’s teaching a history class.”

“Oh. Should I come back later?”

“You can come in. I’ll just make note of what you grab so she doesn’t freak out later.”

“Good call.”

I stepped inside and Spike led the way to the library. It was a smaller setup than Celestia’s, but there was still a good selection.

“So..which ones do you want?”

“Well... I’m not sure. There’s a lot to choose from.”

“684 to be exact.”

“You’ve counted them?”

“I’ve had to with how often Twilight’s reorganized them.”

“684...if only I was still at my peak reading speed. I might be able to read the whole thing before she gets home.”

“That would be a sight. She’s already jealous you’ve read the entire Canterlot library. She might have a fit if you read all these too.”

That was a fair point.

“Do you have a small wagon by chance?”

“Maybe. Why?”

“I think I’m going to take twenty for now. I should have them back by tomorrow. The next day at the latest.”

Spike walked to the door.

“I’ll go check around. Pick what you want.”

He left me alone and I looked around at the shelves. What did I want to read? Ah! History was always good. And advanced magic theory! She even had volumes on the Crystal Empire! Cadance must have given her those.
I quickly had a stack of twenty books ready to go. Now I just needed that wagon..

“Shade?”

I whipped around to find Twilight and Ocellus standing at the doorway.

“Hey! How’s it going?”

“What are you doing here?”

I looked at my stack.

“I was just going to borrow these for the night. I’m trying to build my speed again.”

Ocellus stepped forward.

“You’ve gotten slower?”

“A bit. I injured my head. Kind of messed up everything in there.”

“I can read about two pages a second. What about you?”

I sighed.

“I used to be at three a second. Now I’m at one in two seconds.”

Twilight looked at me in surprise.

“I didn’t know it had affected you so badly!”

I looked down at Ocellus.

“What are you doing here?”

“Oh. Twilight said she would help me look for a book. We’re doing history reports based on our species.”

I looked to Twilight.

“Do you have a book on changelings?”

She shook her head.

“Not exactly. I just thought we might be able to find something in the library that could help.”

Ocellus looked at the ground.

“My report won’t be very good. I don’t remember a lot about the hive before Thorax took the throne. I was too young to know much about the changelings before Chrysalis’ banishment.”

Twilight smiled.

“What if Shade were to help you?”

I looked at the alicorn, confused.

“Me? Do you think that’s a good idea?”

“You’re old enough to remember the hive before everything changed. You could help Ocellus fill in the gaps!”

Ocellus looked at me, hope dancing in her eyes. I thought about it. I guess it wouldn’t hurt..

“Okay. Why not?”

Ocellus hugged me. Her head only came to my chin, so her face got buried in my chest.

“Thank you Shade!”

“So when is your history report?”

“Tomorrow.”

I looked up at Twilight.

“Geez! You don’t give these kids anytime at all!”

Twilight shrugged. I looked back down at the little changeling and smiled.

“I guess we better get ready. Why don’t you come back to my place and we’ll talk.”

Ocellus looked at Twilight, who nodded.

“That’s fine. Just make sure to have her back to the school by nightfall.”

“Understood.”

We began to walk out of the library. The doors opened as Spike pushed in a little, red wagon.

“Got it!”

I’d completely forgotten about the books.

“Oh. Um... I actually won’t be needing that right now Spike.”

“Seriously? I just went through half the rooms in this castle. And there are a lot of rooms.”

———————————

We sat down in the boutique’s kitchen.

“So. What is the hive like now?”

“Well..for the past two years we’ve grown a lot of plants, made the hive prettier, and learned to give love rather than take it.”

“What else?”

“Um...that’s pretty much it. We haven’t really done a lot. Thorax has been busy trying to organize us I guess. He’s a good king. He’s just trying to get used to it still.”

“Wow. You really do need help.”

“What was the hive like before? I was too little.”

“How old are you now?”

“Eight.”

“So you would have been barely two when I wound up in Ponyville. And only one when the Canterlot invasion happened.”

“Yeah. No one really talks about that. It’s not a nice subject.”

“Yeah. I’ve gotten the impression that you guys don’t like dwelling on unpleasant things.”

She shook her head. I leaned back in my chair.

“So what do you want to know?”

“Everything you can tell me.”

She pulled out a notebook and pencil. I smiled and thought back. I hadn’t thought about the hive in so long..

“Well...Do you know how the changelings began?”

“No.”

“Over a thousand years ago, there was a tree that was rotten with dark magic. Starswirl then Bearded discovered this tree and nailed up a sign warning off those who wandered too near. But what he didn’t know is that the nail he used split the trunk of the tree. It cracked open and the first changelings came pouring out.”

“Wow! Is that true?”

“Starswirl told me himself.”

She scribbled in her notebook, writing the story down.

“What else?”

“I don’t know much of what happened after that until Chrysalis took over as Queen.”

“She was scary.”

“Definitely.”

“So were you alive when she became Queen?”

“No. Not quite yet.”

The boutique door opened and Rarity walked in.

“Shade dear!”

“In here Rarity. We have a visitor.”

Rarity walked into the kitchen.

“Ocellus! How nice to see you. What brings you here?”

“Twilight wants Shade to help me with my history report.”

I looked at Rarity.

“Changeling history.”

“Oh! How exciting!”

She walked to the fridge and got herself a drink. After kissing me on the cheek, she sat at the table.

“I’d like to hear this. I’ve always wanted to know more about the changelings.”

I turned to Ocellus.

“Where was I?”

“Chrysalis just took over.”

“Right. I was actually born soon after that.”

“Wasn’t that a long time ago?”

“Thirty-two years is not that long. You’re making me feel old.”

Rarity’s eyes were bugging out.

“Thirty-two?!”

I looked at her in confusion.

“I never told you my age?”

“No!”

“It’s not a big deal, is it? I’m only five years older than you.”

“I just thought you were around my age. Its surprising.”

I smiled and turned back to Ocellus.

“So I was born shortly after Chrysalis took the throne.”

Ocellus looked up from her notebook.

“So you’re from one of her egg batches?”

“Her first actually.”

Ocellus stopped scribbling and looked at me. Her eyes grew big.

“You’re an Elite...”

I closed my eyes and sighed. Curse my big mouth. Rarity chimed in.

“What’s an Elite?”

I opened my eyes slowly.

“That’s what they called the original egg batch. The first seven offspring of the mighty Queen Chrysalis. Her...chief lieutenants.”

She looked shocked, but didn’t say anything. Ocellus cleared her throat.

“You’re him, aren’t you? The one that disappeared?”

“I got thrown into the Everfree Forest after the Canterlot invasion. I never made it back to the hive.”

“Thorax told us this story!”

“What do you mean?”

“He said the reason he left was because of Chrysalis banishing an Elite. He saw how angry you made her for defying her. It inspired him! If one of Chrysalis’ Elites could go against her, why couldn’t he?”

“Thorax? The fall of Chrysalis? You’re saying that’s because of me?!”

She smiled and nodded. Rarity seemed to have recovered from her shock.

“It looks like you’ve had a bigger part in the world than you thought!”

I guess so! I didn’t realize that my actions would cause such a ripple! Ocellus scribbled some more.

“I’ve only heard the Elites mentioned before. I don’t think any of the others are still alive. I never thought I’d meet one!”

“The others are dead?”

“I don’t know what happend. I just know that they’re gone. Thorax calls you the last Elite.”

I sat back, processing for a second. All my hatch-mates were dead? That meant...

“I’m the eldest son of Chrysalis.”

It came out as a whisper under my breath. Ocellus nodded.

“You’re a legend among the changelings. I knew Thorax had said you lived among ponies, but I never guessed you were here!”

Rarity put her hoof on mine.

“Are you okay?”

“I...I think so..”

“Ocellus. Maybe thats enough for today.”

“No. I can keep going.”

“Are you sure Shade?”

I nodded.

“What do you want to know Ocellus?”

She looked up again.

“What was it like? Being so important?”

I shook my head. Important? Never.

“The Elites were never more than servants to Chrysalis. Her most loyal servants. That’s why she gave us that title. We were ‘elite’ because we did whatever she wanted without question. We were warriors. And for years I blindly followed my Queen, hoping to gain favor with her. I even took the most dangerous mission she ever offered.”

“What was that?”

My eye twitched. I covered it with my hoof. Rarity leaned forward.

“I think we’ll stop there for tonight. Shade needs to rest. His head injury.

“Oh! I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about that. I can get back to the school myself. Thank you Shade! You helped me so much.”

She hugged me again before flying out the door. I sighed, leaning back in the chair. Rarity stared at me.

“We’re going to have a serious talk now.”

I lifted my hoof from my eye. It has stopped finally.

“What’s on your mind?”

“I’m more interested in what’s on yours. Not to mention that facial tick you think I haven’t noticed.”

“I was going to tell you.”

“What was the mission you were talking about?”

“What?”

“The mission you were about to tell Ocellus about before you started panicking?”

“Oh..”

“Well?”

“...Chrysalis needed information. So I volunteered to be her spy.”

“Information on what?”

“Cadance.”

She stared at me for a moment. The silence was awful. After several seconds, she spoke.

“You’re the one that provided all the information on Cadance for the invasion?”

“I’m the reason Chrysalis made it as far as she did.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell anypony?”

“I got thrown in a dungeon for cooperating as much as I did. Do you think I’d have seen the sun again if I said that?!”

She was quiet. I felt tears forming in the corners of my eyes. She put her hoof on mine again.

“You do realize that you’re also the reason she failed, right?”

“What?”

“Twilight. She didn’t know that Cadance used to foalsit Twilight. You never found that out.”

“I...I didn’t. And..because I didn't, Twilight knew something was wrong.”

“Precisely.”

“My mistake saved Equestria?”

She stood up and hugged me from behind.

“You truly are a remarkable pony.”

I held her hooves against me. Her warmth soothed my mind.

“Why didn’t you tell me about your eye?”

I sighed.

“It’s not just my eye. I had a small attack the other day when I was shopping for our date night. I literally ran into Pinkie’s party cannon and couldn’t get up for twenty minutes.”

I felt something wet on my head. She was crying.

“Your brain isn’t healing, is it?”

“That’s what I’m afraid of. And I didn’t want to worry you.”

“I’m your girlfriend. It’s my job.”

I stood up and turned to hug her properly.

“I’ll figure this out. I’ll tell Celestia.”

“Just promise me that you won’t make any life-altering choices without letting me know.”

“Of course.”

I held her tight as I felt my eye begin to twitch again. It was time to find out what had happened to me.

———————————

Rarity agreed to accompany me to Canterlot. Celestia and Luna wanted to do a thorough examination. I’d agreed full-heartedly.
We took the next available train and arrived by the next morning. I led Rarity into the castle as the sun was coming up. She was yawning a lot. Not much sleep to be had on the train.

“I’ll take you to my room. You can sleep for a bit while I go talk to Celestia.”

“I can stay with y-“

Her sentence was cut off by a yawn. I smiled.

“You’re going to bed. Don’t worry. I’ll tell you everything.”

She didn’t argue any further. We got to my room and her eyes opened a bit more.

“This is your room?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s sooo nice. Look at the bed! It’s huge!”

I led her over to the bed and tucked her in.

“Get some sleep.”

“Okay. But don’t do anything without me.”

“I promise.”

She drifted off and I kissed her forehead. I left the room and made my way to Celestia’s study.
Upon entering I found both Celestia and Luna waiting for me.

“Good morning Shade.”

“Good morning Celestia. Good morning Luna.”

“Good morning Shade. Are you ready for us?”

“As ready as I can be. How do we do this?”

Celestia stepped forward.

“Luna will put you to sleep so that we can run our tests without disturbing you.”

“Very well. Luna? Could you try to link me up with Rarity? She’s asleep in my room. I think she’d appreciate being in the loop.”

Luna nodded and her horn lit up. I felt sleep overtake me.

——————————

I opened my eyes and found myself in The white abyss.

Just walk forward. You’ll be walking into her dreams.

“Thank you.”

I moved forward. It took a minute of walking until I noticed things changing. The abyss took on a new shape. It was forming...Manehattan! In fact, I was outside Rarity’s shop. I opened the door and strolled in.

“I’ll be with you in just a moment!”

I saw her tail whipping around the back room. When she appeared, she had a slight glow to her. I fought back a laugh as I realized this was how she saw herself in her dreams. She was stunning, but almost too much so.

“How can I help-“

She stopped as our eyes met. I smiled.

“Hello beautiful.”

“Shade!”

She ran up and hugged me.

“You’re never in this dream.”

“I got a little help from Luna.”

She pulled away.

“Wait.. You’re actually here?”

“Luna and a Celestia are testing me right now. I figured why not spend my dreams with you?”

Rarity smiled.

“Even unconscious, you’re sweet.”

I don’t know how long I was asleep, but it felt like hours. Maybe even days. Rarity showed me Manehattan. We went to all the finest restaurants. We saw a couple shows. It was the most fun I’ve had in a while. What was even better was that I didn’t feel the twitching or tremors that had become part of my existence.

“I wish we didn’t have to wake up.”

Rarity looked at me.

“Is the real world so bad?”

“My head is trying to unhinge me. I can feel it, ticking like a clock. It’s just waiting for the hour to strike. And then another twitch, or tremor, or collapse happens. I’m constantly on edge because of it.”

“I’m sorry you have to deal with that. But you have me. I’ll always be here to help.”

“Thanks Rare.”

A shimmer appeared st the end of the street we were on. Luna popped into existence.

“Alright you two. I stretched time as much as possible.”

“How long have we been asleep?”

“Fifteen minutes.”

Rarity shook her head.

“That doesn’t make sense. We’ve been wandering the city for at least three days..hours.. Now I’m not so sure...”

Luna smiled.

“Dreams are like that. But we’re done examining Shade.”

“What did you find?”

Rarity suddenly vanished. Manehattan went with her. I looked at Luna.

“What just happened?”

“Celestia is waking Rarity. We thought you’d want her present for this. Time to wake up.”

————————————

I opened my eyes and sat up. Luna was sitting nearby. As I reoriented myself, Celestia and Rarity walked in. Rarity ran over and hugged me.

“Thank you for dreaming with me.”

Celestia say next to Luna.

“Shade.”

We turned to the princesses. Celestia continued.

“The magic that’s saturating your brain is letting off small discharges.”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

Luna chimed in.

“It’s manageable. They’re nothing compared to your original event. Think of a light breeze versus hurricane winds.”

Celestia sighed.

“Unfortunately these discharges are causing your physical trouble. They go off randomly and have varying effects.”

“Can we stop them?”

“To permanently halt them we would have to drain you of every last bit of magic.”

“And that would stop my abilities.”

“We might be able to help you manage these discharges though. It will take regular spell casting, but we feel confident that it could help.”

Rarity cleared her throat.

“Are these spells I could cast?”

Celestia nodded.

“I’m sure you could manage them.”

“Well that’s good then!”

I wasn’t so sure. I looked between the two alicorns.

“There’s something else, isn’t there?”

They looked at each other for a moment. Finally Luna turned back.

“We’re afraid the discharges could get stronger with time if the magic is left to pool in your brain. Perhaps even getting to the level of your recent incident.”

“That’s not good.”

“Your brain may not be able to take another hit like that.”

“So I’m just waiting to die?”

Celestia shook her head.

“We’ll figure out a way to help. Just be careful for now.”

“Careful..I can do that.”

Rarity put her hoof in my lap.

“Oh he’ll be careful. I’ll make sure of it.”

Luna giggled.

“I see she’s got you trained well.”

Rarity winked at Luna and we all laughed. I felt my hoof start to shake and I slowly put it behind me.

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