Author's Notes:

I'm sorry for such the long wait, at least it is not like the 8 to 9 month wait like last time haha.

I did want to make this a bit longer, but my computer bugged out on me and well I had to restart this chapter from the start, reason one why it took so long to update. Another thing, I had changed my writing a bit in a sense, I did read how one or two said they could find a way to different places in the stories, but I hope the way this one is written will help.

I plan to make the next one longer and I hope you like this one, it may be the same amount I usually write but I want to start and make my chapters a bit longer. but ether way I hope this one is good. so enjoy!

-Eragon13666

Not a word was said, between the two of us, the scroll I had written that morning…a ‘rough’ draft in a sense; laid along the floor, in between myself, and Crystal Glimmer. This was not how it were to be…not how it was to go! And yet, here I was, in that moment, about to face the wrath. She said nothing, her eyes, glued onto mine, her still blood-shot eyes from days of sorrow, made her look even fiercer now. Celestia was right…and now, I had ruined it, ruined us. “Crystal…” I started to say, trying to move forward a bit, but my body couldn’t, wouldn’t allow me to.

“You…lied to me…”

“No, I didn’t…”

“You lied to me!” she screeched out loudly that I shrank back a bit. “You…you killed my father!”

“I had no…”

“Shut up!” she screamed again, before I felt a magical blast hit me in the chest. I allowed it to hit, making me slide and hit the wall hard, causing me to slightly coughed in pain. “You’d killed him, you killed him and you didn’t think of telling me!?!” I looked down; to ashamed to even look at her, before slowly saying.

“I…I couldn’t,” I told her. “I…I didn’t want to lose you,”

“Oh, so this was so much better?!” she yelled before I watched as a fire spell was launched, burning the scroll on the floor, two more was added, as the flames died down to a mist of embers. “You decided to take the easy way out, make me read those words…those…”

“No, I was going to tell you-”

‘When?!” she asked. “When you got more out of me like last night, so you wouldn’t go hungry?!”
I looked away from her, I couldn’t say anything to her; what could I say, but let her vent out her anger on me. Flashes of this, came back, much like when dad told mom about Fang…it was like we were being mirrored in a sense. “Dad was right…that’s all you cared about, you didn’t care nothing about me!” I looked up, feeling my chest tighten when she said that, her words, like daggers, stabbing at my chest.

“No, no that’s not true!” I called out as she glared and came over to me, her eyes, lit of rage! “I do love you Crystal, I just didn’t want to hurt you, I didn’t want you to…” I was cut off as a smacked was heard, my head being turned to the side, my eyes wide with shock and disbelief.
“How can I know for sure you’re even telling the truth about him being controlled?! How can I know that you just didn’t kill him because he was going to keep me from you, from your food sourced?” I slowly turned back to look at her, though her face showed that of rage, her eyes were wet with tears.
“C…Crystal…”

“Stay away from me, Changeling,” I shrank back again, never had she said that to me, the ice in her voice, the venom that leaked from her lips as she spoke those horrid words to me. “You cared, nothing, nothing of me! If you truly did, you would’ve told me! I would’ve been angry at first, but I knew the reason why!” tears flowed down more. “The thought of you keeping this from me…the one pony I thought I could trust!” she pushed me away and before I could go out to hold her, she once more slapped me with her hoof on the other side of the cheek, stopping me once more. “Stay away from me,” she spoke the words slowly. “Just…stay away, I never want to see your face again, you murderer!” The door slammed so hard, the echoing of the slam could be heard within the halls outside, the glass, shaking and waving. As I just stood there, frozen; blank.

How long had I stayed in the room, minutes, hours…? I just didn’t know, I couldn’t tell, and really…I didn’t even care. The world outside could be burning, flooding…whatever, I just didn’t care. And, for that small moment, a dark part in the back of my mind…I didn’t even care about my own family. The drapes drawn to a close, keeping the sunlight out, it was dark, so dark that if it wasn’t for the soft glow of my eyes in the mirror on the other side of the wall, I would’ve also believed myself not in the room. My cheeks still stung, my chest, pained…hard to breathe as my cheeks were also stained with tears. I heard the soft knock of the door being clunked along by somepony’s hoof, a voice that I didn’t know, asking if I was alright; if I would allow ether Lance or Doctor Love in…Doctor Love asking…he must’ve known then.
But I didn’t answer them, my voice was gone. I lifted up my hoof, the very one that would house the hoof-blade, the same one I used to kill Quake. Once more, my eyes flashed as I saw the blood on my hoof and arm, and when I looked down. I was outside, Quake’s body, looking back at me, eyes, locked to me, mouth agape. My eyes were half closed, as if I didn’t care, before a soft whispered came from the dead pony’s lips. “Your…fault…”

I brought myself back when a much louder, harder knock came from the door. “Shadow!” it was Doctor Love. “Open this door or…”

“Go fuck yourself Doctor Love!” I screamed out loudly. “Leave me alone!”

“How many times do I have to remind you?” I then heard him laugh. “I tried that! My dick just isn’t long enough!” I shook with rage as I ran to the door, feeling my body shifting into a large bear, I threw the door open, seeing him, and three guards there as I then slammed him hard in the chest, his body being thrown to the wall hard as the crack of it was heard. He blinked, somehow looking unharmed as I slammed the door closed, shifting back to my true form. “Okay…he’s having a pissy moment,” I scowled harder, as I went back to the bed and flopped down pulling the blankets over me…and bringing myself into a deeper darkness.

My body yearned for food, but I kept myself in the bed. I didn’t want to leave; I wouldn’t allow myself to leave.
I felt like this, much like when Crystal broke up with me because of her father, but this…because now it was my fault that she was not here, it just felt… I was pulled from my train of thought, by a knock along the door, three; soft knocks, not like the hard pounding of Doctor Love or, Lance.
Whoever was at the door, they did not wait for me to call them in, not that I would anyway.
“Shadow Knight?” the voice belong to that of Celestia…great, would she come here, tell me how she was right all along, to tell me it was wrong, and this was just the way of the world was telling me that I should’ve just told Crystal the truth from the start? The blankets were stil over my head, shrouding myself in the makeshift darkness I had made around me. “Shadow Knight…I can understand your grief,” she spoke once more, as I felt something being brought on the bed, he no doubt sitting on it. “But…you had been in this room, more nearly two days now.” Two days…hadn’t felt like that.

“You were right…” my voice sounded dry, horsed. “You…were right,” she was silent for a moment, before once more, allowing her voice to flow.

“Sometimes…the truth will hurt Shadow Knight,” I heard her say, ether she did not hear me speak before hand, or just choose not to answer my own answer. “It is better this way, her knowing, then always in the dark.” I heard her then sigh softly before she went on. “I know what you are thinking, Shadow. You are thinking right now, ‘what could’ve I’d done differently, what could’ve I’d done, so this course of action didn’t happen?’ I know these feelings, these thoughts, for I thought the same way, after I banished, Luna, my dear sister; to the moon. These thoughts will always be with you, Shadow Knight; these thoughts will always linger, like any choice you’ve made in the past that you wish to change. That one saying, what could I have done, it will always linger in the back of your mind.”

I could sense the wisdom in her words as she spoke them to me, I just knew it; a feeling in a sense. It had to be hard, to banish your own blood for so long, yes, Alicorns do have such long, lives. But in a way, a thousand years, even for one who seems immortal, it still is a thousand years.

We just…talked; I explained what happened, even worst what we did before she found out. She listened, sitting next to me, never cutting me off as I spoke. It seemed strange, seeing how I never knew Celestia enough to just, pour my feelings out, but here I was, doing just that. She had this sort of charm, the way she looked at you, im sure even if somepony just met her for the first time; they could tell her anything.

At times I stopped and listened to her, the advice she gave me, I hoped that what she was telling me would happen. Maybe Crystal couldn’t forget that I had done, but maybe forgive; I doubt it. Just then, the door gave out rather loud knocks, as Celestia called whoever in. it was one of her guards, who bowed before her, before speaking.

“Your highness, an elderly pony wishes to ask for help…it had been two days since she last saw her grandchild, Crystal Glimmer, and…”

“Wait, what!?!” I got up at once, hearing this as the guard looked to me with confusion. “Crystal is missing? What happened?”

“Sir, this is…”

“Allow him to hear,” Celestia answered, not a order, but in a way as well…it still was. The guard looked to her, and then back to me, before nodding.

“Two days ago, the missing pony, Crystal Glimmer, left home to gather items at the neighboring village of Ponyville. At first, the grandmother thought she had simply missed her train time, or was staying at a friend. She told us that she seemed…unease of something,” I cringed at how he worded it, it was like he knew. “But, when letters went out, none claimed to have seen the missing pony…however…”

“However what?” Celestia asked.

“A pony matching her description was seen following another pony toward the Everfree Forest, we’ve sent a team to look around, but had found no proof that she even with into the Everfree.”

“Was the pony…?”

“We’ve no idea if the pony in question is a Changeling, we sent out word, trying to find out, who this pony is…but I wouldn’t put it pass me if it truly is a Changeling at work.”

“I got to go after her,” I said at once, slipping out of the bed, I felt a bit weak, from the lack of movement, but I would deal with it, I had to save, Crystal, no matter the cost.

‘Wait, Shadow Knight…”

“I know what you are going to say princess,” I answered her before she could fully say what she wanted to. “And don’t worry, I don’t plan on going alone…I’ve two ponies who would be willing to help.”

It took me, Doctor Love, and Lance, a bit over an hour to get from Canterlot to Ponyville. The train ride was fast enough, but before we left, I did have to find the two and convince then to come along, while also filling in the blanks as to what was going on. Lance was in right at the start, and Doctor Love as well…only thing was…now he knew why we were here in the first place, to ask him to come along on our quest.

“So…did I ever tell you the time I got invited into an orgy, at one point?” Lance and I, myself in my black fur pony form, looked back at Doc, as he just blinked. The zebra pony now donning a belt of knives about his back and front legs, and Lance, true to his name, went with a small lance, which could enlarge for combat, and compressed to carry. He also had one new item as well, around his neck. To me, it looked much like the neck brace the princess’s would wear, but, save for being golden, it was black, a much darker shade perhaps of Luna’s own. In the middle, a single green stone sat in it, shining a bit as the sunlight hit it. to anyone who did not know of it, it seemed like a simple stone, but in fact, it was enchanted.

For years now, the princesses had been looking for a way, for ponies to not be taken over by Changelings love like spell, unless it was willing, much like my mom and dad relationship was. And, this stone, having gone through many tests before ready; could do that. It was one of the only three that were ready, and able to stop from a small group, they estimated from three or four Changelings at once. I tried it, and he seemed unaffected by it. Good thing too…I was worried that I would have to send him home. He wouldn’t be helping us, if every time a Changeling attack came, he would be turned.

“Is this, really the time?” he asked as Doc only smiled. “Who am I kidding…I’m talking to the Black Light Whore,”

“You’re just jelly because you didn’t get any of my mhmmmm smoky brown ass!” Remind me again why I agreed to have this guy follow us… “Anyway, the story is that I had two friends, who were two lesbians; who just happened to be a couple. Anyway, I knew them for a long time, and they were alright with me hanging with them, seeing how I never did anything to them…yet,” Lance and I just slowly rolled our eyes at his little edit of his story. “Anyway, any guy with a couple of lesbians is well, I was like…” then he looked us dead in the eye, and started to speak almost like a pervert…don’t ask, you don’t wanna know. “Maybe I will be invited into the threesome,’”

“Yeah, the threesome they are not having,” I pointed out as Lance just laughed a bit as we pushed our way out of the small village, toward where the forest would be.

“Yeah, so, anyway, I’m at they’re place, just hanging when one places her hoof on my leg and says very softly, ‘Um, Doctor…we have a little idea for you,’ and I’m just looking at her and then said. ‘Go onnnnnnnnn!’ he then showed us how he did it, he was now laying on his side, on the ground, one hoof under his head, the other on his hip, with a large grin on his face. Lance is laughing again, and even then, I was laughing as well and decided to just join in as well.

“And inside, there like, Fireworks going on in your head?” Doc started to nod as he got up, before then once more starting.

“Yeah, yeah, outside im like, ‘oh? Do tell,’ but inside, I’m like…’Ahhhhhhhhh!’” by then, all three of us were laughing.

It was a good thing…to just laugh, with all that had been happening as of late, Celestia knows how long it been since I had a good laugh.

All three soon stopped before the enter-way of the Everfree Forest, looking dark, and gloomy. I was not scared. Many ponies went on to saying that clouds move on their own, animals fend for themselves, ya da, ya da. I remembering my dad saying at one point, everything in this world was about order in a sense, that the Everfree, was the only place (That he knew of) that was not added to this order, why? That I did not know.

“So…we’re going inside the Everfree?” Doctor Love asked as I only nodded. “Gonna go look for your girl-friend or something…didn’t she like…bitch smack you, because you misused her?”

“Don’t make me misuse my hoof upside your head,” I answered. “I already told you the reason, and I’m not about to repeat that again…Crystal has to be here…and if there is a Changeling it could mean one of two things. One, whoever took her, they must know that she was in a relationship with me, and no doubt will use her, to get to me,”

“Or, it could just be a random one…like a Changeling just wanting his or her own love supply.”

“True,” I agreed. “I really hope it’s the latter,” Even though the other two said nothing, I believe in their own sense of the way, they too, were agreeing with me.

The forest was…creepy, in a sense, if I was but a colt again, looking around at the forest as we treaded through the forest, I would be no doubt scared. I remembered, walking through these very woods when I was ever sick. Mom told me of a Zebra pony, (not Doctor Love) who lived in these very woods, Zacora if I remembered the name right. I hope she was okay; she was a friend of the family, and our healer in a sense. Even though the doctors said that they have study the bodies and other such things that rather bored me to sleep; mom still didn’t trust them, as much as she did with the grey zebra. I sure hope she was alright, if Chrysalis and Cocoon were really here; I hope she was at least okay. And then there was Crystal…

Lance told me I should not beat myself over it, it was done and over with; but still, I kept replaying it over, and over again in my mind as to what had happened. My cheek, it burned as if I was struck that very morning. If we even…no, -when- we save Crystal, I just hope, prays, that she listens to me. I shook these thoughts from my head as we continued onward deeper and deeper into the Everfree Forest. She may hate me for life, and you know…as long as she was safe, as long as she was happy, maybe, just maybe; I could accept that. True, she wouldn’t be happy with me, no doubt somepony else; but at least happy.

“Hey…” I heard Lance call out as he was now leading the group. Doctor Love stopped next, just near him as I came up behind. “Who’s…that?” I came between the two, and stopped dead in my tracks, standing there, her back to us, was Crystal!

I couldn’t move for a moment, before releasing s soft sigh as I walked over to her.

“Crystal…?” I spoke softly, making each step a bit slow. “Look…you may not want to speak to me now, but colt and I glad to see you safe!” I smiled as I moved closer to her, the pony’s back still toward me. I slowly went to place my hoof on her shoulder, when I saw something glimmer in what little light there were.

Quickly jumping backwards, I was shocked to see that it was in fact a crude looking dagger, bent, and curved in places. I was shocked, even more when I felt Doctor and Lance come to my side, as Crystal slowly turned her head toward us; I took in a deep breath. Her eyes were a deep green…she was being controlled by a Changeling!