The Days of The Eclipse

Chapter Four : Return to the Origins (Part Two)

By Star Origin

It couldn't have been a better day! Sure, not everything had gone according to plan but at the very least, Princess Celestia had replied to Dusk the morning after he had sent the letter. It was somehow vague but if the unicorn read between the lines, he could understand most of what the princess told him in the message:

Dear Dusk Shine,

What you told me is troubling. Very troubling. However, Luna and I had anticipated that such a thing would happen at some point or another. Nightmare Moon’s return means many things and the return of living nightmares is one of them. For now, your best option would be to start practicing lucid dreaming, as hard as it may be.

You are right to be concerned by this, Dusk. As you said, it is impossible, even for alicorns, to make the dead come back to life. However, that was not what Nightmare Moon did. Just as Raine told you, Nightmare Moon is an expert at manipulating dreams. It does not stop there, though. While she can literally alter any dreams that are not lucid into whatever she wants them to be, she can also take something inside of a dream and make it real. It is, however, a very consuming spell and as such, she can’t hold it up more than a few days. That also includes anything you might experience within a dream such as pain, agony, sadness, emptiness. She can make all those into reality. Meddling with Nightmare Moon is a dangerous gamble if you do not know about her abilities.

As for your second concern, I am afraid that neither Luna nor I know anything about that strange phenomenon. Right as you are, magic is generated through the conversion of the surrounding natural energy into magical energy our horns can harness. There has been no report whatsoever in all the years we have been in Equestria that concerned a unicorn having magic powered by emotions. If anything, it would resemble changeling magic, at least what we know of them from the few books in our archives. For the moment, it is impossible for both of us to give you a clear answer about what happened to Raine.

Also, it is appreciated to know the reason of Raine’s lack of magical abilities. To your possible discontent, there is nothing that can cure a damaged flow of magic. Not even time can mend that because of how complex it is. If hers is severed at such a major location as you described, then there is nothing that can be done. She will never be able to use magic.

On a final note, I would ask you three, along with Spike, to head for Appleloosa. We have received no news from the town and the few scouts we sent there never made it back. We have assumed the worst. I know that this time, I am asking a lot of out you because this new destination could efficiently prove to be dangerous and might even spell certain doom but as I said back in Canterlot before you left for Ponyville, we cannot risk losing our defences.

Sincerely yours,

Princess Celestia.

Celestia had shed some light on what were the magical abilities of Nightmare Moon and it was helpful. The second part about Raine was a little bit more disturbing. First, Celestia and Luna didn’t know anything about what had happened when he had his outburst. Secondly, they said that Raine would never be able to perform magic. That is if she had even been able to use it.

Also, the fact that her magic resembled changeling magic according to the archives in Canterlot was also strange. Last he heard, Raine wasn’t a changeling. He wasn’t sure how he could find out but perhaps it had something to do with them consuming emotions, specifically positive emotions.

In any case, when Dusk was done reading the letter Celestia had sent him, he made his way towards the exit to go see if Raine had recovered some more. He was stopped by the voice of a baby dragon.

“Do you think that I could accompany you? I know getting revenge on Nightmare Moon won’t bring Twilight or any of her friends back but at least, I want to be sure she will not dishonor their memories.”

“And what made you change your mind, Spike? I remember you saying that you weren’t going to come with us because getting revenge was pointless,” Dusk stated, his eyes locked in Spike’s.

“I still think it is but according to this letter, it seems that Princess Celestia isn’t leaving me much of a choice... And also, this “Raine” that shielded Sweetie Belle and Trixie, she gave me hope. I can’t exactly explain it but she looks like no matter what life may give her, she’ll always get back up.”

“Don’t worry, Blitz and I know the feeling all too well. We didn’t really have a choice in being assigned as Raine’s guardians. Now, I can say that I don’t regret having her around anymore. Without her, more ponies would have died and perhaps even ourselves. Granted, she is not the bravest pony around nor is she the strongest but her heart is at the right place.”

“Yeah… but I’m still a little bit worried about her. I thought maybe I could go visit her to thank her for what she did.”

“You know, you seem like you can change your mind rather easily. One time you’re too stubborn to do anything to help yourself out of your misery and the other, you’re ready to forgive the one who indirectly brought you your misery,” remarked Dusk, his voice slightly mocking.

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m far from having forgiven her but she did save Sweetie Belle and Trixie’s lives as well as mine so the least I can do is thank her for what she’s done for Ponyville.” Spike had trouble admitting that and his voice showed it. His voice slightly wavered as he explained himself to Dusk.

“I guess you’re right. Besides, I need to go see her. There’s a small note at the end of the letter addressed to Raine so I might as well tag along. That way, I’ll be done with it.”

“Alright, let me get a few things and I’ll be ready,” Spike said before disappearing deep into the library.

“In that case, I’ll wait for you outside,” Dusk responded.

————

Raine started to open her eyes. Bright lights blinded her sight momentarily. Her pupils constricted, allowing her to see where she was. She looked around and realized that she wasn’t in the same room as she was the day before.

Instead of being white, the walls of the room she was in were blue. Well, it was a lighter tone of blue but blue nonetheless. After she finished examining her surroundings, Raine realized she had been placed in separate room. No ponies were next to her and a door was separating her from the rest of world.

She was trying to simulate what had happened during the course of the last day. The last thing she remembered before she fell asleep was Sweetie Belle coming to see her. Shaking her head and clearing her mind, she failed to hear Nurse Redheart entering the room.

“Good morning, Miss Raine. How are you feeling this morning?”

Raine nearly jumped to the roof when she heard the sudden voice of the nurse. Her heart skipped a beat. “Wha! Don’t scare me like that, Nurse Redheart. I thought my heart had failed me.”

“Oh… no! Are you okay? Maybe we should call the doctor just in case,” Nurse Redheart proposed.

“No, no. No need for that. You just… surprised me. In any case, I am fine if you ignore the fact that I almost suffered from a heart attack.”

“Good. Well, we have good news for you; over the course of the night, we performed a second surgery on you. Your leg should be fine and you should be able to walk soon. The doctor gave you until noon for your muscles to adapt to the surgery. The wound was closed and the tissues were reformed,” explained the nurse.

“So, does that mean I’m getting a medical release?” inquired Raine, wondering what Nurse Redheart was trying to imply.

“Essentially, yes. Although we are keeping you here until noon, we intend on releasing you afterwards. Don’t worry, we’ll help you adapt to walking again. After all, it has been a week since you did any kind of walking whatsoever.”

Needless to say, Raine was thrilled. Staying in a hospital bed was not going to accomplish anything and there were too many things she had to accomplish. Shortly after, a few nurses came to help Raine get used to walking again.

She usually made a few steps before her leg would wobble. Thankfully, the nurses were there to help her back up but it embarrassed her slightly to require the help of other ponies in such a way. Still, she was thankful. They could have easily refused to help her but instead, they did everything they could to make sure nothing bad happened to her.

While she was walking through the hall, she lost her footing and found herself falling on the floor face first. The nurses quickly rushed to her side to help her get back up but Raine told them that she could get back up by herself. She began taking long, deep breaths, calming her muscles all the while.

As soon as she was calm, she began to gather her strength and raised one leg after the other. She began with her left hind leg and easily managed to apply weight on it. Following that, Raine did the same with her right hind leg. That one caused her more problems that it should have, actually.

She applied weight on her right hind leg but as soon as she did, it began to wobble and she nearly fell again. The same charade repeated itself for a good ten minutes. Her leg caused her great pain and while it was very painful, doing this on her own was something Raine intended to do for herself.

“Miss, maybe we should help you before you end up wounding yourself.” The nurse’s voice sounded worried. Of course it would, she was a nurse and as such, wouldn't let a patient in need suffer needlessly.

“I’m… fine, really,” Raine grunted, her voice containing hints of the pain she tried to hide. “I need to do this by myself.”

“But if you go on like this, your newly reformed tissues could rip and cause a hemorrhage. If that happens, all our efforts to get you back on your hooves will have been in vain!” replied Nurse Redheart, outraged by the stubbornness of the alicorn pony.

“I do agree with you, Nurse Redheart. The only issue with that is that I may get injured after leaving Ponyville and I will not have assistance as I have now. I need to get used to mending my own wounds and dealing with them, especially since I can’t use magic.”

Nurse Redheart gave Raine a disheartened look. There were many things wrong with the alicorn; one of them being that she was extremely stubborn. Still, the resolve she was showing only served to make the nurses around her take a few steps back. They all had concerned looks as they saw Raine struggle to get back up.

Come on! I lived through worse than this so why won’t you listen to me, you stupid leg? The alicorn’s blood began to boil as her anger manifested.

Her frustration, so great it was, began to affect the logical part of her brain. Without even thinking it through, she regained stability on her fore legs but at the same, she stomped her hind legs for reasons that were not exactly clear to Raine.

The nurses never thought they would ever hear such a high pitched scream.

“What’d I do this for? This hurts like crazy!” Raine yelled, tears already leaking despite all of her efforts to keep them from doing so.

“Well, from a simple diagnosis, I would say that your stubbornness led you to do some irrational things, resulting in you stomping the ground with the leg that recently recovered.” That voice was one Raine recognized immediately.

She painfully turned around, the effort it took her seemed like an eternity had passed before she was face-to-face with Dusk Shine. He looked at her in a condescending way, giving her a ridiculous gaze. The grin he had, along with the entirety of his expression was just about to make Raine burst into laughter.

Must not laugh. Must not laugh! Must not laugh!

It was all too much for her. She just burst into laughter, falling on her back, kicking the air with her hooves all the while. Dusk looked at her with an expression that showed both concern and amusement. On his back was Spike, covering his mouth with his two clawed hands as he laughed at the whole situation.

A few minutes passed until Raine calmed down. She had realized too late that she would have to get back up on her hooves. As painful as it was, she knew what to do this time so without any delay; she quickly applied her weight on her forelegs so she wouldn't have to repeat the same mistake as before.

Granted, she still felt the pain her wound had caused her but it wasn't as painful as the first time. Mainly because she didn't stomp the ground with her recovering leg. Wiping the few tears that were still in her eyes, she gazed at her two visitors, giving them an interrogative look.

“I suppose you didn't come here just to let out a remark like that, now did you Dusk?”

“No, I suppose I would be lying if I said it was my only reason. I have my own reasons but before I get to them, Spike would like to have a word with you,” Dusk replied.

The small dragon, after he had gotten down Dusk’s back, blushed when the alicorn looked at him in the eyes. “Well, I kinda came along to… you know… thank you for saving my life last week. I’m not sure about what the other ponies of the town will have to say about you but to me, you are already a hero to this town despite Nightmare Moon being your mother and all.”

“Thank you, Spike. Your words mean a lot to me. Still, I am perplexed. Did Dusk tell you to do this?” Raine queried, raising her gaze to meet Dusk’s.

“Well, not exactly but he did say that it was a good idea. You could have escaped but you didn’t; you stayed and you defended us.”

“Well, in any case, Princess Celestia gave us our new directives this morning. We’re to head for Appleloosa next,” Dusk announced. “Also, Princess Luna sent a note for you. I’m not sure what it means but it says that it will only work with you.”

Raine gave Dusk an interrogative look and in her eyes were screaming the desire to see the note Luna had sent to her. Dusk charged his horn with magical energy and it slightly flared with a white glow. That allowed Raine to see the letter and see what Luna had written to her.

She began reading the letter in its entirety, not missing a single word. Some points surprised her, and the one about her incapacity to use magic shocked her as well. If what Celestia said was true then she would never regain the use of magic ever again. Still, she continued to read the letter until she reached the part that contained Luna’s message.

She first read it mentally and tried to understand its meaning until it dawned to her that it was, and after asking Dusk about the origin of the message, enchanted writing. She then read it aloud and as she finished reading it, she felt some sort of tingling spread across her body. Before she knew it, she heard the gasps of surprise coming from the nurses behind her.

Searching for the cause of their astonishment, Raine eventually darted her eyes on her own hooves and found out that they were a dark blue tint again. She would have to thank Luna later on for that gift but there was still the issue concerning how the princess had known about her illusion being destroyed by Rarity.

“So, how do I look?” She asked, giving Dusk a seductive expression.

“You look… uh… nice… Yeah, you look as good as you did before…” There was no hiding his obvious blush. His cheeks were completely red. Denying it would only embarrass him furthermore.

“No, I’m not all into you, Dusk. Sure, you’re a good friend and all but I prefer we remain just friends for now,” Raine told him, a serious look now replacing her previous one.

“R-right! Let’s do… just that,” said Dusk, nervosity flowing out of his voice.

“Anyway, I guess we just have to join with Blitz and head for Appleloosa after that. Was that what you had in mind, Dusk?”

“Actually, there’s one more thing we have to show you. We were busy preparing them when you were still in comatose. The gang is supposed to be at Carousel Boutique, Rarity’s former workshop as well as her home.” He was trying to be clear but at the same time, he had to be vague if he intended to keep the secret, well, a secret.

The alicorn looked at him and it was obvious that she had tons of questions to ask but the gaze Dusk returned indicated that now was not the time. It would spoil the surprise to just tell her what is was. Instead, he just told her to follow him.

Although he stayed close to her because of the condition her leg was in, Dusk still had to evade her questions about what they had planned for her and needless to say, she asked a lot of those questions. He was able to change the subject most of the time so he didn’t have time to worry and when he couldn’t, he just told her that she would have to be patient.

They eventually reached Carousel Boutique but not before getting harassed by the inhabitants of Ponyville. Sure, it was great to have some ponies to recognize the work you did. What they did what just a tiny bit out of place.

Once inside, Raine immediately realized that the lights were off as she was met with darkness. Fortunately, there were candles lighting up the way to a room upstairs. Dusk gestured for Raine to follow the trail of candles and so she did.

She found the whole situation to be awkward. First, Dusk didn’t answer to her questions and then, he was leading her inside the former house of Rarity. To her, it was creepy because she had no idea what their ideas were or what they had planned for her. She crossed the door’s frame and was greeted by several cheers, nearly surprising her enough to make her fall on her back.

“I didn’t see that one coming,” Raine coldly said, glaring at Dusk who offered a nervous smile afterwards.

Sweetie Belle trotted over to her with another filly, the one Dusk had called Apple Bloom. “Miss Raine, we know that you have to go on whatever quest it is you have to do but some of us thought we should give you a gift for what you did.”

“Sweetie Belle, those flowers alone when I was unconscious were enough to please me,” replied Raine, her expression shifting from a cold one to a compassionate one.

Apple Bloom stepped forward right after Raine finished her reply. “Maybe it was ta ya but y’all did save Sweetie Belle from Nightmare Moon. Y’all even saved Trixie even though she kinda deserved the trauma. We warn’t goin’ ta let ya go without a gift from our end.”

“That’s very kind of you, Apple Bloom but I don’t want to waste your time making them right now. Dusk, Blitz and I have a tight schedule to follow.”

“But we already made it!” let out an ecstatic Sweetie Belle, her eyes telling Raine to look at the floor.

She looked down and saw a wooden box sitting in front of her hooves. It had carvings that resembled flowers and the box was painted with a light shade of blue. No locks seemed to keep it closed so Raine went on ahead and gave the superior half a nudge with her muzzle, curious to see what the fillies had done for her.

She was speechless, needless to say. Not only did she not expect that kind of gift but for those fillies to have thought about it was even more touching. Inside the box were six metallic rings, each a different colour. For example, one was lavender, another was the same white as Rarity and Sweetie Belle.

Ergo, they were coloured to represent the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Each of them. Raine didn’t know what to say nor what to do. Her eyes began to tear up and she shed a few tears while trying to hold back her sobs.

“Miss Raine? Why are you crying? Are you sad? Oh no, are our gifts out of place or do they remind you of bad memories. If you want, we can-”

Before she could even utter the end of her sentence, Sweetie Belle found herself being hugged by Raine. She continued to shed tears but she bore a joyful expression. She mumbled several incomprehensible things through her sobs.

“Uh… Miss Raine? What’s the matter? Ya were sad one moment an’ the other, yer happy as can be,” stated Apple Bloom.

“I’m just happy… that I’ll have something to remember them by now. Thank you, girls.” Two large smiles appeared on their faces as Raine thanked them.

After breaking from the hug, they explained to the alicorn that the rings were meant to be around her foreleg. Sweetie Belle even said she had to take measures of her foreleg’s size to make rings that would fit while being nor too tight or too loose. Raine let out a witty comment about what Sweetie Belle did but her warm smile betrayed the gravity of her comment.

A few minutes later, and with Dusk’s help, Raine had managed to attach all the rings around her right foreleg. She was looking at them and even noticed that there were engravements on the rings. Each of them bore the name of one of the bearers. Raine’s eyes teared up again but this time she stopped herself from crying.

“Thank you for this, girls. And thank you, Dusk, for helping them make those rings. They mean more to me than you can think,” Raine told Dusk with certain sweetness in her voice.

“It was nothin’, Miss Raine. We just thought you’d appreciate the gesture,” Apple Bloom replied.

“Uh, guys? If we want to catch a train for Appleloosa, we should head  for the station soon if we don’t want to miss the train.” Despite his efforts to be as subtle as possible, Spike still broke that little moment that was going on between the four ponies.

“Fine. I guess you’re right, Spike. Oh, and girls?”

“Yes, Miss Raine?” asked the two fillies in unison.

“I promise you that we’ll find Nightmare Moon and that we’ll stop her from hurting other ponies.” Her voice, her eyes and her expression all indicated that she was telling the truth.

Ending on that note, the three left Carousel Boutique and started to head to the train station. Halfway there, Dusk said he had to stop by his house and told Raine and Spike that he would catch up with them later on. They nodded and started to make their way to the train station once again.

As they walked, the inevitable happened. A small group of ponies surrounded Raine and Spike, who was riding on her back surprisingly, and started to assault them with questions. Ranging from the identity of Raine to them asking if there was anything they could do for her, there seemed to be no escape from those ponies.

“Enough!” exclaimed Spike, his patience wearing thin. “We’re having a hard time hearing ourselves think!”

The mob stopped for a few seconds before they decided to ignore Spike, resuming bombarding Raine with endless questions. Eventually, Raine started to scream for help in her mind and to her great surprise, both Dusk and Blitz had arrived.

“All right, nothing to see here. Yes, she helped save Ponyville and she’s Nightmare Moon’s daughter. Deal with it and please stop being so darn annoying. Have you even considered how she felt when you were surrounding her like that while asking her all those questions?” Blitz asked the ponies while Dusk levitated Raine and Spike to their side.

The residents of the town seemed dumbstruck. Some of them didn’t seem bright enough to understand and the desire to ask more questions to the alicorn was still visible in their eyes but most of them had the decency to leave and leave the group alone.

“Thanks, you two. They were starting to slightly get on my nerves.”

“Slightly? You’re going at it softly,” Spike replied, sarcasm dripping from his words.

Rolling her eyes, Raine ignored the dragon and the group resumed their walk to the Ponyville train station. Informing the ticket vendor that they were going to Appleloosa on behalf of Princess Celestia’s orders, he asked proof of their claim so the aquamarine unicorn showed him the letter the princess had sent him in the morning.

Completely unaware to the three ponies were a pair of green glowing eyes hiding inside a bush near the train station. Well, Blitz thought he had seen a glimpse of something in the distance but when he looked again, nothing was there. He shrugged and just boarded the train, completely ignoring the fact that they were being watched.

————

Aboard the train, which was completely empty except for four souls, they quickly found a wagon that seemed correct for them. They were still careful enough to choose a wagon where they wouldn’t be easily disturbed by any other ponies that could enter the train before it would leave.

“I didn’t expect all those ponies to like me so much,” admitted Raine, facing her three companions. “The last time they saw me, all I could find in their eyes was hatred and sadness because of what I had done.”

“It’s not so much that they like you. It’s more about them being grateful for defending a defenseless filly and standing up for them. Without your intervention, as some said, Ponyville could have been ravaged by Rarity,” Dusk stated, quoting the words of several ponies he knew in Ponyville.

“Still, I heard some of them say that you did that just so you could earn their forgiveness. And if I remember correctly, I heard Filthy Rich tell her daughter that you only did that so you could pass as a victim while plotting against the princesses unnoticed.” And no, Blitz was not joking in any way. In fact, he wore a perfect poker face.

“What? No! I mean, how could he think of something like that?” Raine looked completely appalled by what Blitz said.

“I’d ignore his comment if I were you, actually. Filthy Rich does the exact opposite of what we were told to do. All he does is judge by appearances only. That’s the kind of pony he is and unfortunately, there is no changing him,” spoke Dusk.

“Well, that’s a good thing to know but still, that’s kind of a harsh thing to say about a—” Raine would have otherwise finished her sentence had it not been for a pony that had just walked in the wagon “—is there anything we can do for you, sir?”

The pony remained silent. He just stood there and blinked at the group but his gaze was mainly directed at Raine. He wasn’t that tall but he wasn’t small either. His height rivalled Blitz’s. His mane was orange while his coat was white with a hint of yellow in it. Basically, the combination of the two resembled the outlines of a burning flame.

His eyes were a bright blue but there was an inner part of his irises that was green instead of blue, a detail that Dusk didn’t miss. Raine and Blitz did miss that small detail and didn’t suspect anything about the pony that was standing in front of them.

“Well, you could say that. I’m searching for an old acquaintance of mine; Raine Moon was her name if I remember correctly,” replied the strange pony.

“Alright, drop the act. You and I both know that you failed to assimilate the pony you’re posing as. That green ring inside your irises betrayed you, changeling. Now, tell me why you’re here and what you want with Raine!” Dusk’s voice was so cold that it even surprised Blitz to hear his friend talk in such a manner.

“Dusk, what are you talking about and what are ‘changelings?’” inquired Raine, puzzled by Dusk’s harsh accusations.

“I’m saying that this pony is lying to us and he’s just a darn creature desiring to feast on our emotions! That’s what changelings do, Raine. They feed on our positive emotions!”

“Well, that’s kind of harsh of you to say that. What makes you think I came here to do that? Like I told you, I came here seeking Raine Moon. Surely,  you must remember this, Raine?”

Just as he finished saying that, a green glow emanated from his horn and seconds later, a circle of green flames surrounded him. He was then encased in a dome created by the flames he willed into existence. Though the dome was supposedly hiding him away, Dusk, Raine, Blitz and Spike were all able to catch glimpses of what was happening to the pony—or changeling in this case.

They saw the changeling’s coat turn from white to black but that was mostly all they were able to see. When the green flames disappeared out of thin air, a black creature that highly resembled a pony stood in the pony’s stead.

The creature, or changeling as identified by Dusk, was completely black. As black as the night and it almost looked like its skin resembled chitin. And its looks resembled those of an insect. Almost as if it was protecting the changeling against some injuries, such as flesh wounds. Moreover, it looked like it was meant to give form to its flesh. Well, that was the conclusion Dusk came to after analyzing the changeling’s physical traits.

Another trait that was easily noticeable was the fact that the changeling’s hooves were filled with holes as well as its mane and tail. And another trait that troubled the group was that the changeling possessed a jagged horn and a pair of wings filled with holes. How it could fly was probably a wonder but changelings were creatures that were still a mystery to Equestria.

And yet, no matter how much the changeling had changed, its eyes remained the same. They were blue in the upper part of the creature’s irises and green in the lower part. And the eyes the changeling possessed were unlike the typical eyes the species had according to the books Dusk had read when he was assigned his task at helping Canterlot research changelings and their history.

“There, happy? This is how I really look like. Now that this is over with, could I talk with Raine? It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other,” spoke the changeling, who was clearly male, as his eyes locked in Raine’s.

“And how exactly do you know that this is Raine Moon?” asked Blitz, still doubting the changeling in front of him.

“Appearances can change an infinite number of times but eyes will always stay the same. And those eyes are the eyes I remember. Those eyes show weakness, compassion, resolve. Those eyes are what make Raine Moon herself and this is all the proof I need to know this is Raine,” explained the changeling.

Blitz glanced at Raine to see if she truly knew the changeling but when he did, he noticed that she was an alicorn again instead of a Pegasus. The illusionary disguise had completely vanished, revealing Raine in her true form. He even saw a few tears roll down her left cheek. However, it appeared as if she was not even consciously aware that she was softly crying.

Blitz decided to poke the alicorn to get her attention and after gently hitting the black pony’s shoulder bone a few times, she looked at him with a clueless expression, tears welling up in her eyes. Blitz simply pointed his hoof at a nearby mirror placed on a wall. There she saw her reflection and she was startled by the fact that she was appearing as an alicorn. So much that she let out a small yelp.

But, how is that possible? Raine asked herself in shock. Luna said that the spell would only be dispelled if I was near somepony I knew and I don’t remember meeting any of those changelings and why am I crying?

“Seriously, why the sad expression? Oh well, I should have guessed you wouldn’t remember me, Raine. After all, it has been two decades since we’ve last seen each other. In any case, my name is Origin. It is not my real name for changelings have no real names but I am a special case.”

“Yeah… That’s interesting and all but I’ve got one question to ask you, ‘Origin,’” said Dusk, locking his eyes in Origin’s.

“Go right ahead, I am open to most questions you might ask me,” replied Origin.

“I read a few books about changelings and there was a part in one book that said that all changeling of a certain category all had the same appearance, except for the eyes. Your eyes are extremely rare even for a changeling. In fact, you look like a drone changeling with the eyes of a royal changeling. Can you explain why you look like that?” Dusk inquired, expecting to corner the changeling in some kind of trap with a question like that.

“Looks like somepony did his homework on changelings.” Origin was being both nonchalant and humoristic. His grin was proof of that. “In any case, my rank would be that of a drone but like I said, I am a special case. I am not like other changelings and I intend to explain why so gather up and let me tell you a story.”

————

I was born in a hive like every other changeling. There was no exception. Every changeling in existence was hatched in a hive. I was born a drone but unlike most drones, I was born with some sort of birth defect. I had a weak constitution at birth and that was not something that was commonly accepted in the hive. My problem was that it just so happened that my peculiar predicament affected my ability to perform my tasks.

Long story short, I was taken to the queen as I wasn’t able to keep up with my tasks as a drone. Why the queen? Because she possesses the highest authority in the hive and changelings such as me are taken to her before a decision is taken. While I expected a quick and painless death, it never came.

To my surprise, the queen allowed me to live and told the changeling responsible for training the newly hatched drones that I was to be moved from his authority. I was then sent to become a scout instead of a drone. Call it a camp or whatever you may want to call it but we changelings know those different areas as “pits” and each of them has a specific keeper, a changeling that had earned its position.

Anyway, it would seem that I am drifting away from the original subject. Yes, like I said, I was moved into the scouts’ pit and I must say that it was calmer than the previous pit I had been in for the few months I had been in it. Well, it also helped that the pit master wasn’t as strict as the previous one.

Still, there was one thing that bugged me. It was the fact that the queen had decided to keep me alive even though I should have be dealt with according to changeling culture. And when I say changelings like me were dealt with, I mean that they were usually killed. Simple and clean. There was no room for weaknesses inside a hive.

That was also the other problem with changeling hives and with changelings themselves. We are territorial creatures. The only problem to this is that one hive, and there are a few dozen scattered throughout the world, could decide to wage war to another to expand its territory. Fortunately, the queen of the hive I was in held high respect amongst changelings so we were never attacked. Well, almost never.

The years passed and I had become a successful scout. By successful, I mean that I hadn’t died from the training. To be successful as a changeling, I would have to survive both my training as a scout, or any other changeling rank for that matter, and my first mission. If I was able to do that, I would become a true changeling.

And of course, there was no escape from the queen. Changelings are known to have a hive mind. That means that my every thought could be heard through the entire hive if I wasn’t careful. Also, in certain cases, the queen can use the hive mind to monitor those that are in missions. If our performance is rather mediocre, she can have us dead. And she does it quick.

In any case, I drifted off again. I had done well in surviving my training but the real task was still to come. While you may think it is the pit master that gives the missions, it was the queen that did. She deals with those kind of things. And my mission was a peculiar one. Mainly because according to the hive mind, it hadn’t been done in eons.

My task was a rather simple one, or so I thought: I was to bring a specific pony before the queen for purposes that had not been revealed to me. The only information I had received on the matter was that the pony lived in the Everfree Forest and that she had a coat as black as the night. I was quickly sent out of the hive for my mission and not only did the others not care that this was my first time going outside the hive, they were practically glad to be rid of me for a short while. How did I know that without being there? Hive mind.

Finding the Everfree Forest wasn’t all that hard, to be honest. Well, it was true I had the queen herself guiding me through the hive mind. I guess I should tell you now that the queen was, at least to my point of view, catering me in some sort of way. It could have been false but I saw it like that.

As I started to venture inside the Everfree Forest, a heavy rain started to fall and I had to find shelter. Fortunately, there was a cave nearby so I headed there almost instantly. I entered the cave and noticed that it was deep, deeper than what it appeared to be from the outside but I wasn’t prepared for what came next.

Not long after I had entered, I heard the voice of a pony inside the cave. I walked deeper into the cave to find a fire burning in there and before I knew it, I met face to face with an alicorn. She had a coat as black as the night and a silvery mane. Unconsciously, I had found my target but for some reasons, I was unable to do as I was asked by the queen.

Hours became days, days became weeks and weeks became months before I remembered my mission and at that point, I would have never been able to complete it. I had fallen in love with the mare I was supposed to capture and bring back to the hive and for the few months I had lived with her, I had grown accustomed to the life I was living.

But there was one problem that I had to deal with: the hive mind. If a changeling is not careful, channelling thoughts into the hive mind itself is not impossible. With that in mind, and the fact that I was probably being watched through the hive mind, I made up my mind and decided to tell the queen I had failed in my assignment. I would sooner die than to let them harm Raine.

When I first found her, she looked so fragile, so scared, so alone and defenseless. The time I spent with her, at least to my point of view, made her stronger. It gave her confidence. In the end, I left her all alone again, promising to come back eventually. And so, it was with a heavy heart that I returned to the hive.

There is one thing that should be known about changelings regarding their assigned tasks outside the hive. Failure is not considered an option. I had heard of a few changelings that actually failed their missions and they were never heard of again, mainly because they were killed by other changelings as direct orders coming from the queen herself.

When I came back to the hive, I was brought to the queen immediately and it was then that I told her that I had failed to capture my target and that she had managed to escape me. While I had expected a quick death, it was not the punishment the queen had for me. No, she told me that she would cut my link from the hive mind and banish me from the hive.

Before I could even have a say in the matter, I felt her in my head and she severed something and then, I heard nothing else. No more voices were heard in my mind. I had been completely cut off from the hive mind. A few seconds later, I saw the queen charge her horn with magical energy and everything became black.

I woke up later in a desert, unaware of my location. However, there was one thing that kept me going; the thought of keeping my promise to Raine. I vowed that I would not leave a single rock unchecked until I would found her.

————

“I took me twenty years to finally find you, Raine. There was not a single day where I didn’t think of you. Raine, you’re the reason I’m still—”

Origin would have had time to finish his sentence had it not been for Raine. Before he could even react in any way, she already held him in an embrace. And despite his skin being covered by a chitin armor, he still felt the alicorn’s warm tears as they fell.

Hesitantly, he returned the embrace and laced his hooves around Raine as well and they stood there for a few minutes before they were brought back to reality by Dusk and Blitz. The two were looking at them with strange looks but other than that, they didn’t show anything else. Their expressions stayed the same.

Clearing his throat, Origin pushed back Raine a bit and locked his eyes in Dusk’s. “Putting all sentimentality aside, there is another reason why I am here today. I want to join you and help you however I can,” said the changeling.

“You, joining us? Yeah… not gonna happen!” That had been Blitz immediate answer and it seemed to be there to stay.

“And have I done anything that might warrant your lack of trust in me?” queried Origin, a frown on his face.

“You’re a changeling. You probably have every excuse to lie and betray us afterwards and after you told that you once tried to take Raine to your hive, I don’t exactly trust you. After all, I have been assigned, along with Dusk, to protect Raine from danger,” answered Blitz.

“Blitz… I know Origin more than you do, even if my memories are still hazy. If he had wanted to deceive you, he would have done so long ago. He has an honest soul. Sure, he can lie but who never told a lie before?”

“Still, the risks are great; greater than they should be. Blitz has a point here. We don’t know him enough to let him roam around us freely, especially if you once tried to take Raine away. I’m sorry but due to a lack of information on you, I cannot bring myself to put trust in you regarding Raine’s safety,” said Dusk.

“I understand. You have valid reasons and I am not in the position to deny them or say anything that might make you feel better towards my presence. I shall not bother you anymore if that is what you so desire.”

“Dusk…! Let him come. He isn’t a threat. Like I said to Blitz, if Origin had wanted to make threats, he would have done so long ago. He’s kind-hearted. Even when he was still a changeling belonging in the hive mind, he cared for those around him, especially me. He risked so much to defend me,” argued Raine.

“I get what you’re saying, Raine. But how can we trust his words so easily. He could be attempting to fool us right now and we don’t know it. I’m sorry but there is just too much at stake here. Besides, if anything happened to you while we are assigned as your guardians, Princess Luna would have our heads, Blitz and I.”

“I don’t care what you say, Dusk. I know Origin more than you do! I know how he acts, I know how his mind works and when I say that he can be trusted, that means that I know with certainty that he can be trusted! You know how little I trust other ponies, you two being prime examples. After all, there is a reason that I still appear as a Pegasus around you two but not when Origin is there,” Raine retorted, coming up with a reply that left Dusk speechless.

“But… What is th– I don’t even…” Dusk looked completely out of replies to use, his astonished expression showed as much anyway. “I give up. Fine, he can come with us but if it’s all a trap, I’m blaming you for our misfortune.”

“Yeah, that means we’ll be watching you, buddy. Then again, it’s nice to have somepony else with whom I can test my wings against. I mean, that’s if you’re up to the challenge,” Blitz told Origin.

“Thank you for trusting me even though I cannot say much about myself. Truth be told, changelings that are banished from the hive instead of being killed are sealed so that they can’t speak of anything concerning the location of the hive as well as the names of every changeling they have encountered in the hives. It is… to protect the hive from threats from the outside,” explained Origin, reapplying his disguise all the while. “Still, we seem to share the same goal and that is to protect Raine, though we may have different ways to go at it.”

“Like Blitz told you, we’ll be watching you for every wrong move you could do.”

The mood stayed the same for the rest of the trip. While Raine was closer to Origin, Dusk and Blitz kept a close eye on the changeling. Especially Dusk. There was something about the changeling that he couldn’t figure out. But there was one thing he was sure of: Origin was keeping certain details hidden from them and he well intended to find out about them.

As the group approached Appleloosa, they could feel something sinister about the whole atmosphere of the area. They knew all too well what it was but they had to make sure of it beforehand to be absolutely sure that it was what they feared it was: Nightmare Moon. There was no other being that could send off such a strong wave of negative energy.

Half an hour later, they began to see the outlines of Appleloosa and while it looked like there was no apparent damages, there was something that didn’t to fit in. That has to be her! There are literally no other creatures that can send this sort of feeling and both Celestia and Luna have auras that show no sign of negativity. Well, Luna had some but it was nothing like this. This is pure evil and it’s the exact same feeling Nightmare Moon’s aura gives off, Raine told herself as they neared the train station.

The train stopped at the station, and soon enough, four ponies and a dragon were out of the train and were looking at Appleloosa, devoid of any life of any kind. And even worse, the dark atmosphere that they felt when they approached the town was now so strong that they literally felt crushed under it. It was not natural but Raine knew what it was all too well.

“Hahahaha! Welcome to Appleloosa, my little ponies, I hope you find your stay most pleasant here,” spoke the voice of Nightmare Moon in mad laughter, “because you will not leave this place ever again!”

The group looked around and tried to find Nightmare Moon but all their attempts at finding her were met by failure. Seeing that the mare was nowhere to be found, Dusk deduced that she was hiding away somewhere, waiting for them to fall in her trap. He told the group to be careful as they were walking straight into the enemy’s territory.