Author's Notes:

HOLY CRAP! This one took a while!

I'm sorry for the delay, this one has to be the largest chapter I ever wrote on this site. And I was worried about making everything work in this one. Over 7.500 words...It would have more if it hadn't been edited to avoid repetition and organize the thoughts. Thank you, Kobolum.

Also thanks for Metordragon, he helped me figure some stuff for this chapter.

I hope you enjoy your reading.

"Arden, Arden!" That's what he heard as he felt his body being shaken. "Does this one need to hit you for you to wake up?" Slowly opening his eyes he sat up. His shoulders felt like boulders. His head, on the other hand, looked like it was better than ever. Yet no memories from the previous night, just from the trance.

"Finally! This one has a hunt and you'll be accompanying." When he looked at her he saw that Zecora was completely geared and ready to leave. Her face was very different from the ones he saw in the past few days, Zecora's usually calm expression was replaced by a stern look, and a fire deep in her eyes. 'I guess this is her hunter side. Okay body, time to move and follow the huntress, before she starts poking me with that spear.'

"Aye, aye, captain!" He said getting on his hooves, then he had to react to catch a flask, his sword, and pieces of armor. 'What the heck?' He thought as he looked at the armor. A pair of dark leather gauntlets, and a pair of shoulder armor made out of same material. "Er...What is this?"

"On a hunt, we are going," Zecora said walking around the place. "The tracker needs to be well protected. That gear is made for an acolyte hunter. Borrow it, you may." She said picking more herbs and placing them in her belt's pocket.

"But I have some traveling gear..." He said detaching the sword from the quillon and hanging it on the new piece of equipment. After that, he wore the armor and adjusted it until it was tightly attached to his torso.

"Yes, but not protective enough." She said, checking some of her books. "Armor for fighting ponies not beasts. That should prove better than any gear crafted for the unicorn yet. Made out of Manticore fur. If we hunt together it shall be done my way." She said turning around to see him. She was right about the armor being different. The weight was considerably greater and it looked way sturdier than the stuff Velvet gave him. The outside was hard but the inside was covered in soft fur.

"They fit you well. Now, ready you are?"

"S-sure," Arden said stretching a bit as he prepared to go out. Even with his body still aching, if she was acting this way it was important, and she wanted his help. So he had to keep up and do what he could. "A heads-up though. I have no clue as to how to wield a sword."

"Just swing," She said heading towards the door after looking at him from top to bottom with a small smile. "Leave the fighting to this one. Focus on using what you were taught about tracking. We seek a changeling."

"Er...How do their tracks look like?" Arden said closing the front door behind him. He still felt a bit weird for not wearing a shirt underneath his armor. Not to mention how the armor made him a slower than before. Even if it was made out of leather it was still very heavy.

"Pony tracks with bits of their hooves missing." The stallion's eyes widened at that.

"Okay! Let's do this!" He said looking around the house for the tracks he saw the previous day. "Found them! These ones are fresher than the one I saw the other day. Follow me." The unicorn said moving away as he scanned for more. As he continued to follow them he noticed that something fell off near one of them. It looked like a piece of rag, green material, some sort of smell coming from it. It smelled like mold and sweat.

"Hey, Zecora?"

"Yes?"

"I think I found something." He said holding out the piece of cloth to her. She picked the piece and analyzed it.

"Good find. There is one place, in particular, we should check." She said pointing to a direction with her spear. "A cave system nearby. There is a high chance to have more clues there."

She looked a bit bothered by his find. She did say that she had been trying to track the changeling down, but her efforts bore no fruit since the changelings could shapeshift and cover their tracks. "I guess I was lucky then," Arden said looking towards the pointed direction. "Lead the way teacher."

Zecora took the lead, Arden walked behind her trying to keep up. After a while, she stopped her gaze was focused on the sky and he saw her nostrils moving as if she was catching some sort of scent. "A storm approaches." She said before picking up the pace while Arden tried his best to move with the same ease as Zecora, but the added weight of the armor and the fact he was still learning how to move around in the forest kept him from doing that. Eventually, they arrived at a cave's entrance. At this point, Zecora was even tenser than when they left the hut.

"Okay, what's the plan?" Arden asked looking at the entrance, crouching down and hiding by the zebra's side.

"Alone this one shall enter. The unicorn will stand by the entrance and watch to prevent the changeling's escape." Zecora whispered. "If our prey is not within. Traps we shall set, and wait for her return we will."

"Why are you so set on catching the changeling now?" Arden asked.

"Great healing spells they have. A spell to stabilize the cerulean's mind is what I need," she answered.

Zecora left the bushes swiftly and silently. Arden tried to follow her lead but he ended up making noise, a decent amount of noise. Luckily for him, the sound of thunder muffled his mistakes, once he was at the entrance he found her hiding behind some rocks and watching the deeper parts of the cave.

She pulled out one vial and mixed its contents with another in a weirdly shaped bottle and shook it. The liquids mixed up and started to shine. "Wait here you shall, if need be, call for me," she said.

Arden reached out to her shoulder before she could go and said, "Zecora, if you find a pony there, pay close attention to its eyes. If you see a faint green flash run through them, you got the shapeshifter in front of you. And... Please be careful."

The mare seemed to blush a little as she went into the depths.

Then, he waited.

And waited.

Waited.

The rain started to pour. No sound pointing to anything heading his way, so Arden pulled out his sword and started to swing it around, trying to come up with some sort of stance. While he was at it he heard something moving in the nearby bushes. The sound started to get louder and Arden summoned his shield to try to brace for whatever was coming his way.

A huge creature made out of wood jumped out of the bushes. Its body completely soaked in the rain. Its eyes gave an eerie glow. The wolf's teeth covered in green moss that had some sort of green fluid oozing from it which looked like its saliva. In its pawns, Arden could see big pieces of wood shaped like claws.

Underneath the drenched moss fur, Arden could see faint green lines glowing through its body. He found himself mesmerized and terrified of the sight before him. The timberwolf saw Arden as well and was scanning him from top to bottom. Then it started to cycle around Arden as it growled and bore its fangs.

Arden, on the other hand, tried to stand his ground while following the wolf that continued to cycle around him. Arden refused to turn his back to it.

Then Arden remembered.

'Wolves hunt in packs!'

He leaped to the side as fast as he could, barely dodging the lunge from the timberwolf behind him. However, much to his despair, the other wolf attacked him and bit the part of his arm that was not covered by armor.

"ARRGH!" he screamed as the wolf's teeth sank into his flesh, tearing through the skin and muscle of his left arm. The same arm he was using to hold the sword. While the wolf gnawed at Arden's arm it clawed Arden's torso. After that, Arden felt another attack. The first attacker jumped on Arden's back and tried to bite his shoulder, the creature's fangs broke as it tried to chew the armor.

Seeing the urgency of taking that wolf off of him before it decided to attack his neck Arden made his shield shrink and grabbed the wolf tossing him away.

Then using the same hand Arden punched the other wolf's head and made the shield expand on impact, destroying the creature's head.

Scrambling away to put some distance between the remaining wolf and himself, Arden got back on his hooves and looked back. He felt his entire body tremble as he watched the dead wolf reconstruct its head from the pieces that lay on the ground.

'I don't know how to kill these guys! Time for the ultimate technique!' Arden thought to himself as he assumed a pose. The wolves prepared themselves as they saw their prey position itself.

Suddenly Arden turned away and bolted as fast as he could into the deepest parts of the cave screaming.

"RUN AWAY! ZECORAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The unicorn screamed as he ran. He didn't give a damn if he looked like a coward, he wanted to live. As he ran he heard the wolves pawns scratching the ground as they chased him through the cave. Arden's shield gave out a glow that allowed him to see the path ahead as he bolted through the darkness.

That was until he saw a something that caught him off guard and made him stop.

Zecora was on top a mare that had a green mane and a weird looking horn. Her body was covered in rags, leaving a lot of her skin exposed. She was tightly tied up with rope and was gagged, she kept struggling as Zecora made the knots tighter. Arden then saw her eyes. Emerald green eyes that looked like a cat's eyes. She was covered in something that looked like chitin. "Uh..." That was everything that he managed to say before he remembered the wolves and jumped to the side dodging the first attack.

(A few moments earlier)

Zecora carefully walked through the caves as she tried to come up with a way to convince the changeling to come peacefully. However, her grip on her spear was still getting tighter as she continued to wander in the dark. Then she heard the sound of water dripping. Squeezing her eyes she managed to see that there was a light coming from up ahead. As soon as she saw that the zebra hid her flask and started to move even slower.

"What to do, what to do?" Zecora heard as she took cover behind a rock and watched her target walk near the pond's edge. "I need him alive but he's staying with that blasted zebra. And based on what I've seen yesterday he isn't doing so good. I could use a spell to keep him stable and another one to keep him sleeping. That would prevent him from decaying and I could use him as leverage for the Sun Princess." Once she heard that Zecora convinced herself that she needed to force the changeling to help her. Otherwise, she would hold Arden as a hostage.

Zecora made a small move making some pebbles roll producing noise. The zebra held her breath and stood still as she heard the shapeshifter move towards the source. Its glowing eyes slowly passed near her. That's when Zecora struck the creature in the back of the head and jumped on her, pulling out the rope she prepared in the previous night she started to tie the changeling up as tight as she could. Suddenly the black mare tried to scream, but the huntress gagged her with a piece of cloth. It was at this point that she heard something coming closer.

"RUN AWAY! ZECORAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The scream sounded like Arden. Zecora looked away for a second and that's when the changeling started to struggle again. In order to prevent its escape, Zecora started to tighten up the knots.

"Uh..." She heard from behind her. Turning around she saw Arden jumping to the side and dodging a lunge from a timberwolf.

Zecora quickly pulled out her dagger and jumped on the wolf's back and stabbed it a few centimeters from the creature's head, the spot where the creature's heart lay. The only way to kill it, aside from setting the creature on fire.

The wood wolf crumbled after the green lines that ran through its body faded. She pulled out the dagger and saw another wolf on top of Arden. That one was aiming to bite his face off while it used its claws to cut through Arden's torso and stomach.

Zecora grabbed her spear and jumped on the beast. One strike was all she needed to end it. The creature fell to the side.

"Why did you not-?!" Zecora stopped her scolding as soon as she saw Arden's left arm, it was soaked in blood, and there was more coming from the wounds. 'The wolf must have hit an artery.'

Rushing to his side, she noticed that the stallion had tachycardia. Reaching for her potions and other resources, Zecora tried to find something to help with the blood loss.

While she desperately tried to find something to cauterize the wound she saw Arden's breathing start to slow down. The unicorn was dying in front of her. Searching even more frantically as she tried to keep her composure Zecora finally found a vial that could close the biggest issue. Letting out a sigh of relief, she turned to the stallion, but she noticed he had stopped breathing. The vial slipped from her fingers, crashing upon impact the sound echoed through the cavern.

"No..." Zecora whispered looking at the body before her.

Zecora stayed there, with her arms hanging by her side she just stayed there. Her mind went completely blank. No thoughts, no memories, nothing at all.

Amidst all of that, Zecora heard a gasp. However, due to her shock, she had no response. Then she saw the body move but only reacted when Arden opened his eyes.

Snapping off her daze, Zecora looked closer at the stallion. His wounds were emitting an emerald green glow. The blood he had lost was moving back into his body. The fluid was regaining its original properties as it returned to its vessels. The dirt and impurities floated into the air.

Once the blood was back in its proper place the glowing wounds slowly close. Arden gasped for air and kept touching the areas that were supposed to be wounded. Zecora felt her eyes watering up as she saw him look back at her. His black and blue eyes, staring right at her. At that moment, that was all that mattered. Those eyes filled with life were all that mattered.

Zecora couldn't contain it any longer, tears flowed like the rain that was still pouring outside. She sobbed and wept as she hugged the stallion.

"W-what happened?" His voice was cracking.

"Sorry! Sorry! Sorryyy! P-please, forgive me!" That was all Zecora managed to say as she cried.

"Zecora! The Changeling!" Zecora heard him screaming. She dried her tears and looked back at her prey.

"Zecora! The Changeling!" Arden screamed when he saw the creature lying before them.

The dark creature was shriveling. Her eyes were slowly closing. She panted on the ground. Zecora let go of him and went to check on her. Arden scrambled towards them. "What's happening?!"

Zecora was quickly examining the black mare. "Hunger! The Changeling requires food!" Zecora exclaimed once she finished examining the creature.

"Don't they feed on love? How are we going to help her?"

"I-I..."

Seeing that Zecora was just as lost Arden removed the gag from the Changeling. Taking her head, Arden made her look at him. "Listen! How can we help you?"

There was no answer, the mare just opened her mouth. Arden saw her fangs and then noticed a pink fog, slowly drift into the creature's mouth. Looking at Zecora Arden saw a pink spot on her chest. Looking back at himself, Arden saw his chest giving out the same glow. The changeling was feeding off them.

"ALRIGHT! Take as much as you need Mrs." He said keeping her head steady.

After a few moments, the changeling started to blink. Arden was still holding her head as to face him. The moment she seemed to regain consciousness she went wide-eyed.

"W-w-w-w-w-w-w-AHHHHHHH!" She screamed while trying to get away.

"Er, what's wrong?" Arden asked, her head still in his hands.

"WHY ARE YOU HOLDING ME?!"

"No need to shout, I'm holding you because you were dying of starvation. I took the gag off so you could speak, but you just opened your mouth and started eating some pink fog that came out of our chests."

"I know that much!" She screamed. Arden noticed that her cheeks turning green. "I mean why you're holding me so close!"

"Oh, I don't know," He said, getting away from her face. "A question: Is your blood green?"

"Yes."

"Ohhhh, so you were flustered just now."

He saw the mare widen her eyes while her cheeks got greener. Then she tried to bite his fingers, Arden prevented that by grabbing her muzzle. She then tried to cast a spell, Arden just used his other hand to hold her horn. He figured that if he stopped the magic from flowing she wouldn't be able to cast.

Her eyes almost jumped out of her orbits. She started to make some weird sounds and struggle, and eventually just stopped when her pupils shrunk.

Then she just seemed to pass out. "What was that?"

"P-please, let go of the changeling's horn," Zecora stuttered. Arden looked at her and noticed she changed from black and white to black and red.

"What did I do?"

"T-the only ones capable of casting spells in our world are the horned ones. And the horns..."

"Sensible spot. Got it," Arden said, letting go immediately and placing the changelings head on the ground. "I guess it's clear that I didn't know that, right?"

"O-of course," Zecora said, shaking her head she stood up again.

"Hey, little question: what happened? After you took down the wolf, that is."

"T-the cerulean passed out because of blood loss. It would seem as though the changeling saved you. When this one had given up." Zecora said, unable to meet his eyes.

Arden just smiled at her, he now realized how much she cared for him. Not just as a patient, but as a friend as well.

Arden got up and reached for the mare. Arden made her face him. "Thank you for trying. It means the world to me."

Zecora tensed up. "L-let us take her back," She said heading out.

Arden got the 'trophy' and followed Zecora. As he followed Arden had to stop when he met Zecora standing with something in her hands. "Very irresponsible of you, discarding your weapon mid-battle! Did you lose your senses along with with the blood?"

Arden looked at his left arm, then he remembered: he had stopped feeling his left arm when he fled. "My guess is that the wolf's bite must have damaged the nerves on my left arm. So I must've dropped it."

"Oh," Zecora bit her lip after hearing that. "I apologize."

"No need. Let us head back to our home," Zecora smiled at 'our'.

"Yes, let us do that."

(earlier that day, Ponyville)

Applejack was heading towards Sugar Cube Corner. The Apple family reunion was bound to happen in two days. And due to a huge harvest that they did not expect, they found themselves short on dishes for the celebration.

As soon as Aj stepped into the bakery, a storm broke out. "That was a close shave," Aj said looking through the front door. "Howdy Mrs. Cake."

"Hello Applejack," Mrs. Cake answered, she was one of the owners of the place. "What can I do for you?"

"Ah need some pies and other sweets. Mah family's reunion is going to happen in two days. So we need your best apple treats. We can provide the apples needed, but we don't have the time to prepare all the food."

"Sure thing, dear," Mrs. Cake answered. "Any sign of that Arden yet?"

"Nothing on mah end," Aj said looking around. "How's your husband doing?"

"He is in the kitchen working on some deliveries,"

Aj raised an eyebrow at that. "Problems with a customer?

"We decided it was best for him to lay low for a while."

"Males or females?"

"Females," Mrs. Cake said with a sigh. "Some ponies just don't give the proper respect to the status 'married' anymore."

"Ah heard ya," Aj responded. Females flirting with males wasn't exactly a problem unless they were talking about a married stallion. "Is Pinkie Pie home? Ah am gonna need to kill time," Aj asked.

"I believe so, dear. She's been up in the attic since Ditzy dropped by and gave her a letter the other day."

"Ya don't say," The cowgirl headed towards the attic.

As far as Aj knew, her friend staying locked up in her room could mean two things. Possibility number one: she was preparing for a big party. Possibility number two: somepony made her feel down in the dumps. Whenever the second one happened, she would need a few days to go back to her usual self. Passing the attic's door Aj saw something unusual. Her friend was sitting down at her table, on the ground Aj saw a very long scroll that looked like a checklist.

"Howdy Pinkie!" Pinkie Pie jumped and started to run around.

"H-hello Applejack!" She said trying to hide the scroll. "H-how are you doing?"

"Ah am doing just fine," Aj responded. "Though, you don't seem to be having a good time there."

"What are you talking about?" Pinkie said, her eyes darting around like bullets. "Pinkie is all about good times!"

Aj just crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. Pinkie gave out an awkward laugh, then fidgeting as her eyes kept darting. Silence, that was all that followed. The standoff between them continued for several minutes. Pinkie finally caved in, letting out a sigh. 'She seems really sad about it. Maybe Ah should have dropped it.'

"I got a letter from the princess yesterday," Pinkie said letting out a sigh. "And I was told to keep it to the least number of ponies possible."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know. I just wanted to keep it under wraps, at least until I finished going through the list she sent me."

"Mind if Ah, take a look?"

"The cat is out of the bag. Why not?" Pinkie said pulling out the scroll.

Aj took the piece of paper, unrolling it she saw requests for dishes. It was nothing short of a feast. List of guests, all of them from Ponyville. Not a single noble. Then a cake, she specifically requested zap apple goods to be used on it. Not only that, she specified its size, the decor, and so forth. All these requests were for: 'a celebration for a pony who was very dear to me'. What did she mean by that? And the date, the event was on the longest night of the year. More specifically for one that would take place in four years.

"Pinkie, do you mind if Ah tell my folks about this?"

"Why would you do that?"

"The cake, mah family is the only one that makes the ingredients required for it. So with the heads-up. We can get this part of the list out of your way. Once we are closer to the date that is."

"I would appreciate that," Pinkie said smiling. "But don't go around telling more ponies!"

"I promise."

"Pinkie promise?"

"Pinkie promise," Aj said, making the 'x' over her heart and covering her eye with one of her hands.

Pinkie giggled as she jumped at Aj and gave her a hug. Aj returned the hug with a mild laugh. After a few moments, Aj broke the hug and Pinkie started to bounce around. 'Back to her usual self, eh?' Looking through the window, Aj saw the sky slowly starting to clear up.

"Ah guess that's mah cue. See ya later Pinkie."

"Sure thing Aj. Thanks again for the help!"

With that, Aj left the place. On her way out, she ran into Mr. Cake. He seemed to be in a rush, reaching downstairs Mrs. Cake was having a 'talk' to a customer. Aj didn't want to get mixed up with that, so she just left the place.

(during these events, Fluttershy's cottage)

"Hello, Angel Bunny," Fluttershy said holding her little friend, a white bunny with black eyes and a pink nose. "Did you behave?"

Fluttershy decided to delay her deliveries for a bit since she had left her friends on their own for two days. Checking them now was the best course of action. The bunny jumped on her hands, pointing towards the room where she usually checked the condition of her friends.

"What is it, Angel?" Fluttershy said placing the bunny down. The little guy jumped towards the room, she followed. "Oh, my."

Inside the next room, she saw her friend. That friend was a big grizzly bear she found a few years back. In its pawns, it held a little bird with blue feathers. The bird's right wing was broken and it had some claw marks on its back.

"Who is this little one?" Fluttershy asked as she gently picked up the bird from the bear's pawns. The bear growled.

"You found him near the Everfree?" The bear nodded. "Anything else?" Another growl.

The bear told her that he found the bird after seeing a big bird keep diving into the forest. When he found the little unconscious he figured Fluttershy would be back, so he decided to bring it home. Fluttershy placed the bird on her table where she kept a little pillow so she could examine the animals.

Fluttershy went to the cabinet where most of her medical equipment was. Taking out two splints and some bandages she used them to immobilize the bird's wing. She also took some antiseptic and applied it to the wound on the bird's back.

Then Fluttershy waited. While she waited rain started to fall outside. She left the room and got some seeds for the bird as well as some hot tea. When she returned, she found the bird sitting on the pillow as it moved its head around. "Hello, Mr. Bird."

The little flyer chirped. "I'm Fluttershy. You're at my house. One of my friends found you in the nearby forest."

More chirping followed. "No, no. I don't intend to hurt you. Hungry?" Fluttershy asked, placing the bowl with seeds in front of the bird.

The little one hesitated a bit but ended up eating. "How did you get those wounds?" The bird swallowed before starting to chirp again. "A hawk? It must have been a wild one. Where did you come from?" The bird ate a bit more before answering. "The Canterlot royal garden? I always wanted to go there."

The bird pushed the bowl away. "Oh, no. No need for thanks," It insisted. "G-gossip? From who?" The bird chirped. "P-princess Celestia?!" The bird nodded. Fluttershy tried to decline the offer, but the blue one told all it heard regardless.

The Princess went to the garden to think, apparently it was a habit. When she went there, Celestia would talk to herself. Recently Celestia kept mumbling about having Arden look for the rest of members, she also mentioned something about a big event. The bird also heard that apparently, the Princess had already chosen somepony to be part of it. Celestia seemed to be pondering whether she should send this pony right before the event, or at an earlier date. She also mentioned being excited about 'their reunion'.

Fluttershy was lost. 'Having Arden look for members? Big event? Reunion? What does it all mean?' She remembered the message passed on to them. 'Oh my goodness! The personal favor. Could it be that she and him-?!'

The chirping bird snapped her back. "Oh, s-sorry. I got lost in a thought. It will take a few days until you can fly again. Sorry," She said getting closer to the little bird. More chirping. "No problem at all. I take care of a lot of animals. One more won't be an issue."

'I wonder what Rarity would think of this?' Fluttershy thought to herself, taking the bird in her hands and placing it inside a little house.

(After the storm, deep in the Everfree)

Arden and Zecora had just managed to return to Zecora's hut drenched from the rain. It would seem that most creatures from the Everfree went hiding inside caves during rain so they had to leave as fast as they could. which led to running in the rain.

"Alright," Arden said placing the still unconscious Changeling on the ground. Zecora closed the door behind them and went to her room. "I'll just sit here an keep watch." He said taking off the gauntlets and the shoulder armor.

"Uuuuuurgh..." The Changeling groaned.

"Hey, you're awake!" Arden said, noticing the Changeling moving around.

"Why did you do that to me?" She asked hissing.

"I didn't know that I could knock you out with that. I just wanted to stop you from casting. Sorry."

"You literally activated every pain receptor in my body at once!" She screamed. "Who wouldn't pass out!"

"Now I feel worse," Arden said with his ears drooped. "It was bad enough when I didn't know I hurt you. Sorry. And before I forget: Thank you."

"If you want to thank me. Let me go!"

"We are not letting you go," Zecora said entering the room, she tossed a towel to Arden. "We need your spells."

"Good luck with that, zebra."

"You will help this one. By force, if need be."

"Whoa! Whoa!" Arden intervened. "I think we already went far enough with the forcing."

"But-"

"But nothing," Arden said, he turned to the Changeling and untied her. "Listen, I need your help. I'm dying. And my treatment is having some issues. So I need somepony with spells that can keep my mind stable enough for me to continue."

The Changeling got up, picked the towel Zecora gave Arden and used to dry herself. "Why would I help a snack? Better yet, why would I help somepony who is part of the race that brought me my misfortune?"

Arden kneeled down and groveled. "I beg you. I need both your help and Zecora's. Without your spells, I can't go through the treatment. And without her potions, I can't do the treatment."

"A-Arden! There is no need for you to-"

"Would you look at that? A stallion that actually climbs off his pedestal!" The Changeling said laughing. "Because he NEEDS us."

"Stop! Right now!" The zebra said.

"What do I need to do convince you?" Arden asked raising his head.

"What?" The Changeling raised an eyebrow at him.

"Tell me what I need to do to convince you. I'll do whatever it takes." Arden said, his eyes locked on hers. The Changeling tilted her head.

"L-Let's see..." It would seem she did not expect that. "Um, b-back at the cave. You said, you said..." She seemed flustered based on the color of her cheeks. " 'Take as much as you want.' I-If you want my help, that's my price. I need food. You'll be it."

"Take as much as you need," Arden responded without a second thought. 'I get my mind cleared up. She gets to eat. And I bet that by doing this will the amount she can take increases. Heck, maybe the quality changes.'

The Changeling's jaw dropped. "D-did you just agree to feed me?"

Arden nodded.

"This creature," She said pointing to herself.

"All I see is a black mare with a green mane and green eyes. So, I don't see your point."

"I-In any case. We have a deal. I am Chrysalis, the next Queen of the Changelings." The Changeling said trying to keep her composure.

'Another royal? Why is she covered in rags?' Arden thought, getting on his hooves he smiled at her.

"I am Arden Sila. This is Zecora. Thank you for the help."

"When do we start?"

"At 3:00 PM."

He just...why? He saw me. Then he agrees to feed me? NO! I need to focus. He's in the palm of my hand. I just need to play my cards right, and I can get him on my side. Now, remember: he is food. He is the key to getting the help I need. Keep your head on the game Chrysalis. You're already old enough. Mommy is looking for you. You need to get help before she finds you.

(After the rain, Sweet Apple Acres)

"Applejack! One of our cousins got here earlier!" Aj heard her little sister shout from the gates. "He has news on Arden!"

Aj picked up the pace, finally some news on the stallion. Once she was inside the house, Aj saw her cousin from Appleloosa. "Howdy, good to see ya!"

"How is ya doing? Granny tells me you all met this Arden. Did you know he came from another world?"

"W-what?" Aj asked with her eye twitching.

"He came from another world. And his talent is like the princess' of love. Only a bit more expansive."

'A-another world? If that's true...then Rarity's idea about him being an alicorn is possible. The last alicorn prince was Celestia's father. They were thought to be extinct. If Arden came from another world, there is a possibility. Dear Celestia, we might have attacked a noble.'

"It looks like the stallion can see into other ponies hearts. And his eyes change when he does."

"S-see into our hearts?"

"Yup."

'Everypony was scared of him. Ah, remember thinking he was an 'it' during the event. If he was rejecting his talent...and he said he decayed because of us. No way, our fear caused his decay. Not the attack.'

"How do you know all this cousin?" Aj asked slamming her hands on the table.

"I bet your weather teams were called back as well." Aj nodded. "Celestia called them back. Just to send this letter," He said, placing a long scroll on the table. "It describes the stallion in detail. Measurements, eye color, items in his possession, talent, and changes caused by talent. There's even a detailed report on his strength test," Aj picked the letter, she had to check the value.

"1200?! T-that's double the value for..." Aj's eyes were darting through the pages. She was scanning the entire report. Trying her best to find anything that pointed to the value being wrong. Nothing. "M-mah dear Celestia..." She fell on a chair, the pages in her hand.

"What happened Applejack?" Big Mac asked her. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Applejack didn't respond, she was starting to connect dots in her mind. The princess' overreaction. Their interactions. Arden's resilience, his speed. A talent similar to a princess.

"H-he...he might be an alicorn..." Her brother's jaw fell flat.

"We attacked the fellow." He said in a low voice. "Nope, nope, nope!"

Aj remembered the letter Pinkie received. "Maybe things aren't so bad. The princess still looks forward to the celebration in four years," She said shaking her head. "Cousin, you are forbidden to share this with anypony, understood?" He was still family, so the promise wouldn't be broken. The visitor swore to keep his lips sealed.

Applejack told everything she learned from Pinkie's letter. Her family just listened quietly, except for Applebloom that was beaming, and Applebloom kept whispering to the others. Aj, ignored her little sister's antiques and kept telling the details. Once she was finished, her entire family seemed to be like Applebloom.

"What?" Aj asked tilting her head.

"Aj, Arden and Celestia are getting married during the celebration!" Applebloom exclaimed with a huge smile. "That list you just described a dead giveaway!" Aj opened her mouth to respond, but she began to think about the contents.

"If she was to marry the stallion...why not have the nobles there? Why not do it in Canterlot?" Aj muttered, scratching her chin.

"He is a prince from another world. He just came to our world and got the princess' favor," Granny Smith said. "Princess Celestia has been around for longer than me. Many stallions from nobility tried their luck with the Princess. There are even some families that have their sons trained to attempt to court her. There was a disastrous attempt by one of those families around the time Ponyville was founded. That's when she learned about those families training their heirs to court her. Celestia was not pleased in the slightest."

"She wants to do it away from families that might attempt to intervene," Aj concluded. "That also explains her secrecy."

"Aj, we might have attacked the future ruler of Equestria," Big Mac said, Applejack tensed up when she heard that.

"Then we better make sure that we dish out the best ingredients and food possible for this party!" Aj exclaimed.

'We better get on that stallion's good side. Otherwise, mah family and our town might be in trouble! Ah, better let Rarity know about this!' Then she remembered something: her town didn't receive the message. 'We might be in trouble already.'

"Seriously? Lady, this is the fourth time!" Arden exclaimed looking at Nightmare. Her situation was worse than before. Aside from being tied up tighter than the previous night, she was suspended like a piñata. Complete with blindfold and gag. "I'm starting to think you do enjoy this."

Arden cut her down, gently placing her on the ground he freed her. "Do you have some sort of thing for being tied up?"

"N-NO! I-I HATE IT! ONLY FREAKS ENJOY THAT!" Nightmare shouted as she got up. She wasn't wearing her battledress. This time it was a long dress that looked like a freaking galaxy. The garment looked as ethereal as her mane. Speaking of which, it also changed. The usual was having it free to move around. This time, however, it was carefully combed and arranged in a beautiful tress that fell over her shoulder. Not to mention her make up was even more beautiful than the previous night.

'She was really starting to try to get my attention, isn't she?' Arden was unsure of Zecora and Celestia. But Nightmare was a dead giveaway. 'Why else would she come back to being tied up? Unless being tied up is the reason.

"Question: How in bloody hell do you get an ethereal mane to be arranged like that? And nice dress by the way." Arden said stretching.

"I-I decided to try a different approach for my takeovers," She said blushing. "Gaining their favor through more pleasant images seemed better. And I don't have to tell you how I style my mane! You insufferable fog!"

"Changing your presentation? Didn't I suggest that when we met?" Arden said in a coy tone. "Following advice? Mistress of the night, you seem to be growing."

The answer to that was a bunch of incomprehensible noises. Nightmare Moon huffed and left. Right before she went through the door, however, Arden screamed. "THOSE REALLY LOOK GOOD ON YOU!" The mare stopped, went back to face him.

"How come you are not afraid of me?"

"Because I know who you are. So I know that I don't need to be afraid."

"Oh, yeah? And who am I?"

"You're Princess Luna's guardian. I bet that you're trying to keep her safe even now." Arden responded crossing his arms. "I don't mean you or her any harm. So I don't need to be afraid of either of you."

"What makes you so sure of that? I might be just a bad dream taking over."

"Call it a gut feeling. Anyhow, who was your target this night?" Nightmare Moon seemed to tense up when she heard that. 'I bet she still lying about not wanting to come back here. I bet she thinks I'm some sort of being with enough power to attack her sister and win.

"W-what?"

"You said you didn't want to come back to my dreams. But you keep being dragged here for some reason. Therefore, it stands to reason you were targeting other beings. Looking at that dress, you wanted to impress." The black mare turned crimson.

"I-I-I..." Her eyes were darting around like crazy. "A nobleman! Yeah! A nobleman was my target! That the reason for the attire! The ruler of dreams and the night would never put up an effort for a shapeless creature!"

'Yeah, keep telling yourself that sister.'

"Okay then," Arden said clapping his hands. "I'm gonna have my ass handed to me now. Bye-bye!" He said, leaving the mare and making the room's door appear.

"W-wait!" Arden heard from behind him. Turning around, Arden almost allowed a brooch, that seemed to be made out of silver and shaped like the gears of a clock, to fall down. "I found this during one of my takeovers. I have no use for it. Keep it."

"Thank you," Arden said placing the brooch on his lapel. "Didn't expect a gift."

"I-It isn't a gift! I getting rid of the dead weight!" She exclaimed bashing her left hooves against the ground. "Go get blasted into oblivion! See if I care!"

"Ok!" Arden said heading out. As soon as he set foot outside, the figure appeared again.

"I can-?!" The pony was interrupted by a punch straight to the jaw. Arden's body was responding this time.

"Alright! Eat...that..." Arden halted his celebration when he saw that the arm he used to attack had disappeared.

"I can remember." Arden's other arm was blasted away, he was forced to turn towards the room he came from. Inside, he saw Nightmare standing with her eyes wide open and covering her mouth.

"I can forsake." Arden felt the second impact, looking down at his chest as he saw a hole. A perfect circle right above his heart.

"I can mend." Another blast, Arden stopped seeing what was at his right.

"I can destroy."

Arden passed out. The last thing he saw was Nightmare trying to rush towards him.

"Is it always like this?" Chrysalis asked Zecora. Arden had a high fever and was sweating a lot. "I can just use one of my spells-"

"No! Your focus must remain on keeping his mind stable. This one shall handle the other symptoms." Zecora shot back. She was glad that she had the help required for Arden's treatment, but the Changeling's attitude when Arden asked for help ticked her off. Not to mention she still didn't trust the creature. Zecora knew of the changeling's plans for Arden. She would not let him fall into the Changeling's hands.

Arden's condition stabilized once the fever was dealt with. Zecora tried her best to focus only on his current condition, as well as on the Changeling's behavior. The scene of him almost dying in front of her, however, kept playing in her head. 'He doesn't know anything about defending himself. If we are attacked, his demise he would surely meet. He needs to learn how to protect himself.'

While Zecora had those thoughts, Arden woke up panicking. "Arden! Arden! Safe you are. Rest easy you can." She said holding the stallion's shoulders. His expression shifted to the one in the previous night. But before he could say anything, a green glow came out of his eyes and he fell asleep.

"You're welcome, zebra," Chrysalis said.

"This one does not remember thanking you, shapeshifter," Zecora said growling.

"You think he likes you, don't you? You actually fell for him. Oh, you poor little thing."

"This does not concern you. So do not dare to raise your voice to mention that."

"Love isn't a real emotion you fool! It's only lust from one being towards another. A desire to possess that being, use it, and then discard it. And males are experts on this."

"Bite your tongue!" Zecora shouted placing a dagger at the changeling's throat. "This one knows what you seek. The unicorn may trust you, but this one doesn't. He may not fight, but this one does. So if the changeling feels so inclined to try her luck. Come, this one shall make sure you know your place."

"Afraid of the truth, are we?" Chrysalis said grabbing the dagger. "Go ahead, slice my throat. But know that when you do you'll be slicing his throat as well."

Zecora's hand trembled as she huffed before backing away.

"Succubus," Zecora said in a low voice. She saw Chrysalis's ear twitch.

"Peasant."

"Project of a mare."

"Wannabe huntress."

"Lunatic."

"Second-rate herbalist!"

"Delusional!"

"ENOUGH WITH THE INSULTS!" Arden screamed before passing out again.

'It's decided. He trusted me with his life. This one shall return the belief, and teach him how to fight! First thing in the morning, this one shall find a training ground. The ruins of the old castle should suffice!'

'Yes, get angry you stupid zebra. I will use that to make you two hate each other. Then he'll be mine do as I please. As a hostage, as food. That's right. He's my walking snack and my hostage. Wonder how his energy tastes...the bit I got on the cavern was mixed with hers. Eugh! Maybe it's like, NO! No no no no no no no no! He is food! Only FOOD. And a HOSTAGE! Nothing else! I can't end up like mommy. I refuse to end up like her. No, I rather die than become like her.'