Moonlight ( Edited )

A Moon is truly beautiful when you see it closer...

It's been a while since the 'revelation' I got, and the dead pony the manticores brought back was very useful, because of it's corpse and the useful anatomy data I got from it, I can now shapeshift into a pony, even if the process of doing so is gruesome, I can now shapeshift into whatever I can analyse! But it's a shame because I noticed that there were four races of ponies so far, the normal ones, unicorns, pegasi, and Alicorns. But I doubt it's just them.

I also gained the ability to speak, altought it was hard, I managed to shape my manticore form vocal cords so I can speak, even if the mouth is making my speech sound a little bit cracked or wiggly.

"I-gh-am ah an'ico-e" I tried to say, I wanted to say 'I am a manticore but it seems like my mouth and fangs formation got it out oddly. So I reformed some of my internal mouth and tongue so that it is shaped a little like one of a pony, although now my muzzle is a little stretched.

"I'm a-h man-icoe" I said, my voice was quite weak a foal like, so I made the vocal cords a little bit more thick and resistant, and re-made my mouth so it looks like one of a normal manticore, I morphed my tongue so it isn't too big or too small and then.

"I'm a manticore." I said, it was a success, my speech was quite fluid and my voice was a little booming and gentle at the same time, perfect.

"Hello, I am the apex predator of the Forest and the alpha male of the manticores." I said, it was beautiful! Now that I have a mean to introduce myself for the obligatory and unavoidable meeting with at least one pony, I need to appear less threatening.

To make this possible, I made my body shrink but it was still bigger than the average manticore to show that I AM the alpha male, I made my fangs less sharp. This should do it, as I still need to look like a manticore. Now for the manticores management, because I did my little transformation in front of the manticores, they didn't see me as unknown, then it hit me, I need to communicate with the manticores, I already can communicate but it is just with movement, so I need to make them be able to understand me and me understand them, then I remembered something I could use to make that happen.

"Parasites" I said, while I am technically a sentient cell that can shapeshift DNA and molecules structures, I still need a source, or a base of data to make it possible. In short, I need a fully healed and unscratched parasite. And because of that, the moment I was 'born' to now I didn't encountered any parasite, well, even pathogens in general, I don't know how to do it. So, I then searched for one parasite the entire night, parasite for what I know resides in living organisms to survive, much like bacteria, but what I need is not any kind of parasites, I need parasites that resides in the brain of living organisms, sure I can do with normal parasites but it will take a long time to remake the DNA structure of the parasite to make it into a cerebral parasite.

I need to have a cerebral parasite because I then can make it to make me and the manticores be telepaths, I just need to redo the DNA of the parasites so it can 'link' with another one, like an antenna.

While I was searching for a parasite, I gained quite the data of the fauna and flora of the forest, I even encountered a blue flower that makes the cells of living organisms malfunction, because it has this ability, I made sure to be immune to it by collecting it's DNA, I am a cell after all and I don't want to malfunction, imagine what would happen if I was corrupted with the abilities I have, it's going to be the end of the world because shapeshifting DNA and molecules? Pretty much everything is made of the stuff so that means I can do that, but now that I think about it, I wonder if I can control anti-molecules?

Wait, I know what can do that, it's those ponies, no not them, it was the 'Elements of Harmony' as they call it, if I can just look at the structure of the gems, I can probably shapeshift anti-matter, so anti-molecules. With this power, I can become pretty much a god, because everything is made of matter, and nothing is made of antimatter, I hope you can understand because that means that I could control everything and nothing, that means I could control, Space, Time, Reality.

But for now, I need to find a parasite... It's hilarious when I think about it, a being that can control pretty much anything struggles to find a parasite, a simple parasite that resides pretty much in anything, wait... Am I not a parasite now? Because I reside in the corpse of a manticore and pretty much became it's master.

"I'm so stupid, I can just multiplie myself and remodel my copy so that it is a cerebral parasite." I said, frustrated by the obvious answer to my problem, so I then proceeded to return to my cave.

But on my way, I saw a pony, an Alicorn, a Blue Alicorn, in the middle of the forest in front of the ruined castle looking at the night sky. She looked lost in thought, her mane full of moving stars flowing in the night breeze, her eyes gazing at the moon with guilt, luxurious clothes made of silk and with sapphire and obsidian as ornaments, the night embodied.

"A thousand years and I return, only to mourn on the evil deeds I made." She said to nothing in particular, she then started to take a walk, watching the horizon. I knew I would be noticed, so I then closed my multiple eyes so to look like a normal manticore, well, besides the whole body structure and color that is. I watched with my two normal eyes the mare, waiting for something, anything to happen.

"Are you gonna keep staring at me beast?" She said and turned to stare at me, not glare but stare with a smile. I stayed hidden because to be honest, I was creeped out.

"I remember you, you are the beast that followed me when I was Nightmare Moon." She said in a sad and regretful tone, it was a pity.

"What I did *sob* was unforgivable *sob* so I may just *sob* be a meal to *sob* a beast like you." She sobbed, then started to sob in her hands kneeling on the ground, for the first time in my little life, I felt empathy, emotions, sentiments, feelings I didn't think I had until now. So I came out, I went over her, she looked up at me with tears still trailing down her, I must say, beautiful face, maybe I should get some data on her molecules and DNA? No, not now you twisted mind of a scientist, focus, there's female in front of you, one in deep despair of deeds you don't know about, what do you do?

"At least *sob* I will be the meal of *sob* a unique and beautiful *sob* manticore." She said smiling at me, then she looked down and resumed crying, I moved my paw, making sure it hadn't claws, and patted her, her mane was very fluffy, so I started to caress her mane to calm her down. She looked like she didn't expect that as she looked up at me with wide eyes.

"What are you doing?" She said, still shocked by my action.

"Do not cry little pony, you have a family at your side, if you were to die, I don’t think they would be happy." I said, still comforting her, I then stopped and backed away then sat down.

"Y-Y-Y-You can speak? Y-Y-Y-You aren't a mindless beast?" She said full of fear now.

"Yes I can speak, and no I am not a mindless beast. I may look like a manticore but as you said, I am unique." I said, she looked confused.

"What do you mean 'unique'?" She said now with a curious tone.

"I am the apex predator of the Forest and the alpha male of the manticores." I said with power and pride, her jaw dropped.

"Y-Y-Your the master of the Everfree Forest?" She said with fear again. The master of the everfree forest? I guess so.

"Yes, I am." I said, she looked shocked, then she looked skeptical for a moment.

"Prove it." She said with an amused look on her muzzle, I smirk, then I began to roar, she looked confused by this, then, a whole pack of manticores came from every way of the forest, soon enough, there were over a hundred, from the youngest to the oldest, then, Timberwolves started to appear too, I didn't know why but I didn't care, there were hydras coming too and even the big purple and blue bears came out of their caves, I only met them once but they seem to respect me too. I looked back to the pony while smirking, her eyes were wide, her jaw dropped, even her mane looked like it stopped flowing.

"Is it enough of a proof? Because I don't know if they like you." I said while looking at the entire forest populace growling around us.

"Y-Y-Yes, I-It's enough." She said, still shocked, I roared again and soon enough, they all went back to where they were.

"So, what's your name little pony?" I said breaking through her shocked gaze. She then stood up, she was tall, not as tall as me but still a little tinier than me.

"I am Princess Luna, co-ruler of Equestria, it is an honor to meet you Master of the Everfree Forest." She said with a serious tone, and even did a little bow.

"Oh, a Princess? Please do not bow before me, it is an honor to meet you too." I said bowing a little. She looked a little shocked but confused too.

"With the forest in your control, I cannot imagine what kind of power you hold to do so, the forest is wild and nothing in my knowledge can control it's wilderness, and yet here you are, calling upon a power not even me and my sister's power COMBINED could control." She said with admiration.

"Please it is not much of a power I have." I said with modesty, it was true that I had a mighty power, but I was still vulnerable.

"Can I ask you to come to Canterlot? I need to introduce you to my sister!" She said fully excited now, to the point she started bouncing.

"I am sorry but as you can see, I have a pack of manticores under my protection and as you said, the forest is wild, I do not really control it, but I keep it in check." I said while turning around, I wasn't going to my cave, I still had a parasite to make.

"Oh... Perhaps me and some ponies can visit you then?" She said a little sad.

"Yes, come at the outskirts of the forest in three days, I would gladly let you visit." I said while modeling my copied DNA.

"Ok, goodnight!" She said, now fully happy while flying away, I guess I did what I intend to do to her. I even got some data on her while we were talking! Nevermind that, I still have a parasite to make.

Meanwhile...

"Oh where was it? I hope it's not an injured manticore..." Fluttershy said, it's been days since she noticed the figure, and ever since she saw it, she could see a glimpse of it whenever she went in the Everfree Forest, but now it was late at night and she was getting back to her cottage.

"I hope that that roar I heard wasn't a dangerous beast, It brought with it all kinds of things to Timberwolves to Ursa Major!" She said remembering the panic she had when she saw all the beast in the forest run to that roar, after a while she heard another roar and the beasts returned to what they were doing, even the Timberwolves that were previously chasing her didn't mind her now.

"Something is going on in the Forest..." She said now out of the Forest, she immediately took a shower and went to sleep when she got in her cottage.

"Maybe tomorrow..." She said, trailing off to the Dream World.

Author's Notes:

Here's the chapter, I wanted to make a Fluttershy encounter but I screwed and because I'm too lazy to rewrite, I did a Luna encounter. Hope you enjoy it!