Time Has Passed.

by bronystrongwing

Rating: teen
Tags: Princess Luna, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Changelings, Comedy, Adventure, Discord, Princess Celestia, Human, Twilight Sparkle
Length: 5625

The Angel has fallen, but isn't forgotten. One hundred years have passed since the Angel arrived. Now, three new 'Angels' have arrived, unaware of the world they have entered. Now they must explore the land, searching for clues of how

One hundred years have passed since the Guardian Angel died saving a fillies life. Now, three new beings enter the realm, unaware of the existence of The Angel, or the world they now inhabit. Of course, the people of the world believe them to be more Angels, which, to them, was both terrific and horrifying. Last time an Angel appeared, a life was in danger, and had to intervene. If more have arrived, and have no idea why, then something must be looming on the horizon, waiting to plunge the world into disorder. Either that, or they simply aren't Angels. Read 'Guardian Angel' First to avoid confusion.

Published 2013-10-08 02:20:03 UTC
Last updated 2014-02-04 17:58:52 UTC

Engel

"Voices, voices, so many voices..." Says smooth, youthful, female voice.
"Because silence is an ending..." Says deep, gravelly, male voice.

"And this is a beginning..." Says nondescript, unintelligible thought.

Statues stand across the land, each a vigil of an Angel who is no longer, but forever is. Fact became legend. Legend became myth. Myth became forgotten. However, there are some who remember. They are the ones who existed when it occurred, and still exist. Be it princess or embodiment of chaos, they never let it leave their minds.

Princess Twilight sits on her throne as the main hall remains silent. No visits from friends, no politicians complaining about some pointless thing, not even a letter from her student in Canterlot. Her castle, sitting in the now tamed Everfree forest, sits quietly as no event occurs to grasp her attention. 'Looks like it's going to be another do nothing type of day.' She thinks to herself. 'In all of Equestria, there has to be something worthwhile happening.' And almost like an answer from a higher being, a unicorn mare guard rushes into the court room.

"Your highness! There's three strange beings outside the main doors!" Says the guard, panting to regain her composure.

"Finally! Err, I mean, who are they?" Says Twilight.

"I don't know, but they look like the statues." The guard pants.

"What? Which statues?" Asks the Princess. "The ones in the garden? Those are all ponies..." She says as she ponders on what the mare might mean.

The guards breathing evens out as she speaks. "No, THE statues. The Angel statues."

This caught Princess Twilight by surprise. She didn't know what to think. 'More Angels, here?' She thinks to herself, her mind rushing in a thousand directions, all of them dead ends. "W-well, take me to them." She finally says, still wary of what could happen.

Standing in front of the doors, she could already hear the three 'Angels' speaking amongst themselves. "What do you mean 'Might be a castle'? How is it not a castle?!" says a somewhat mature, male voice, with a slight lisp on some 'L's.

"Well, it could be a military installment, or maybe even a museum." Says another, this one with an accent she could only attribute to someone hailing from Stalliongrad.

"Whatever it is, it better be warm inside, it feels like I'm trying to take a nap in a fridge." The last voice said with a thick southern accent and somewhat young pitch.

"These are Angels? They sound more like arguing siblings. If this is just some prank, someone is washing the entire castle with a small sponge." As the princess spoke to herself, the southern voice spoke up.

"Hey, Y'all hear that? There's someone on the other side. Hey! Can ya let us in?! It's freezing out here and Axle here only got shorts and a T-shirt!" He says as pounding on the door accompanies his words.

"Hey, don't tell them that! Just let us in." Says the voice with the lisp.

'They really don't seem like they could be anything other than some ponies wandering the forest' Twilight thinks before responding. "Are you Angels?" Twilight finally says, confused by their constant bickering.

"'Angels'? Oh great, religious nuts." Says the Stalliongrad voice.

"Don't matter much to me." Says the southern one. "Uhh, no, we ain't Angels, just some lost people. Can you please let us in? You've gotta know how cold it is out here."

'So this probably isn't a prank.' Twilight thinks to herself. "Alright, we'll let you in, just stand back." She says as she opens the doors with her magic.

"Holy crap, y'all see that?! The handles are glowing all purple-like!" The southern voice shouts. As the doors fully open, The three voices are finally revealed to be a group of bipedal beings, all wearing strange clothing, each different from the last. The one on the far left wore a single piece of clothing covering their entire body, save their forearms and face. Atop it's head sat what looked to be a simple cap worn backwards with bits of blonde poking out from underneath. The one in the middle appeared to be wearing two pieces of clothing, a piece of long cloth that covered both legs, and another that hid it's midsection and arms. It's black mane covered what she assumed were it's ears. Finally, the one on the far right wore similar garments to the one in the middle, except they were short and ended before covering even half their limbs. This one had no mane whatsoever.

After a long silence of both groups staring at one another, the one with the cap finally spoke up. "S-so, may we c-come in?" He says, his hands shaking at his side. Twilight couldn't comprehend what stood before her. Three beings that appeared to be more angels of the same kind that came before, yet they claimed otherwise.

"Y-yes, please come in." She finally utters, her head still trying to find an answer to a near impossible equation.

"Whoa, wait a moment." Says the bald one. "I need a minute to wrap my head around this." He says as he looks between the purple mare and the forest that laid behind him, considering just running away.

"C'mon Axle, they're getting us out of this cold. Be a little grateful." Says the black maned one, now walking inside the building with little to no apprehension.

"Please, come in, make yourselves comfortable." Says the guard, a semi-forced smile on her face.

"Thanks. Say, just a question; Are you horses?" Asks the one with black hair, now inside the castle, idly looking at the stained glass windows and paintings.

"We, uh, we're ponies. My name's Hidden Gem." Says the guard, slightly unnerved by how calm he was acting. "And she's Princess Twilight, Element of Magic." She continues, as she points toward Twilight.

"Cool. I am Abram. Nice place you have here, Princess." He says, still admiring the interior.

"Guess I should get this out of the way. The names Jason, but most people just call me 'J'." Says the one with the cap as he finally walks in, joining Abram.

"Axle, what is wrong? Come in, it's nice." Abram says, now sitting in a rather lavish chair.

"Seriously? You guys just immediately trust them because they let us in?" He says, his lisp more apparent.

"Pretty much. Hey, Gem, do you know where I can get new glasses? Mine were wrecked when we got here."
Jason says, simply sitting on the floor next to Abram.

"Alright fine, but if everything goes crazy, I'm bailing." Axle says as he finally enters the castle, doors closing behind him, this time the handles glowing green.

"Hey, they glowed different this time. Can ya explain what that's about for me, Princess?" J says, still on the ground with his hat in his lap.

"I opened them with my magic, Hidden Gem shut them. The color of a unicorn's magic depends on their eye color." Twilight says, a bit lost on how they don't know how such a simple thing worked.

"Magic? Like in spells n' stuff?" He asks, now thoroughly confused.

"Wait, you don't have magic? How did you get here then?" Gem asks.

"That's what we'd like to know." Says Axle, now walking about the room.

"So, you don't know how you got here, don't know where you are, and have no clue of what magic is? What ARE you?" Gem says before she realizes how rude it sounded.

"We are Humans. I am from Omsk, in Russia." Abram says, looking intently at a stained glass window.

"Born and raised in Dallas, Texas of the U.S." says J, trying to figure out what has caught Abrams attention.

"Guess it's my turn." Axle says. "Colorado, U.S. I'm sorry, but can someone explain to me what's going on?" He asks, standing next to Twilight, hands folded behind his back.

"It looks to me," Abram begins. "That we aren't the first people here." He finishes as he points to the stained glass window he was staring at. It depicts a pinkish bipedal figure standing between a small yellow equine and a large orange creature, ready to strike.

"Well I'll be..." Jason says, standing up.

The three humans stare at the depiction in silence unsure of what to do next. Finally, Abram speaks up. "Alright, well, I'm starving. Anything to eat around here?"

Author's Note

Yes, this is a continuation of my only successful story, 'Guardian Angel'. Haven't read it? I recommend you do so you don't get confused later on.

Tenshi

Never before has Twilight seen someone go through so many plates of food like Jason did. Abram just had one plate and then proceeded to start conversing with Hidden Gem. Axle Didn't eat much, maybe half a serving at most, and just sat silently. Eventually, J finally finished eating, and joined in Abram's and Gem's conversation.

"You aren't very sociable, are you?" Twilight asked, curious as to why Axle was so silent.

He looked at her and gave a grin. "Don't have much to talk about, besides, I don't really know anyone here."

"What? Aren't Jason and Abram your friends?" She asked, now completely confused.

"We never explained this, did we?" He says, letting loose a sigh. "We never met before today. Just woke up in the middle of the forest."

"Really? Were you scared of suddenly waking in an unfamiliar place?" Twilight continues.

Now Axle released a chuckle. "No, I was more worried about the two absolute strangers who were potentially my kidnappers. Took about an hour of me shouting and Abram laughing before we decided we were in the same boat."

Twilight didn't really know why he'd act like that in the first place. "Why so paranoid? I mean, I can understand being worried, but immediately blaming the first people you see?"

"It was mostly my paranoid tendencies kicking in. Well, that and where we come from," He says, passively pointing his hand at his fellow humans, who were now in a staring contest, with Gem trying her best not to laugh. "The world isn't very kind. A lot of people will do their best to try and screw over everyone around them, just to get a little scratch, or for a quick score."

Twilight simply couldn't comprehend what she was hearing. 'How can a place like that exist? Even the worst ponies won't do anything to ruin their friendships.' As she thought to herself, Axle stood up.

"Excuse me, your highness, I need some air." He says, turning toward the doors and walking away. He surprised Twilight by how easily he opened the noticeably heavy doors. After a few moments, Abram spoke up, blinking his eyes rapidly.

"Hey, where'd Grumpy go?" He asks after losing aforementioned staring contest.

"He said he needed some air." Twilight says. "You can follow if you want."

"He seems like he's seen more than he likes to tell." Jason adds, rubbing his now burning, yet victorious, eyes. "I mean, he barely spoke on the way over here, and even less when we actually got here." The pain now gone, he looks at his company, eyes slightly bloodshot and tired.

"Your eyes feeling alright? I mean, you kept them open for almost five minutes straight." Hidden Gem asks, still stifling a fit of laughter.

"I'll be fine. Speaking of my sights welfare, who do I need to speak to for a new pair of glasses? I'm starting to get a headache." He asks, his concentration drifting from Abram to food to Twilight to food to Gem to food.

"Well, there is an Optometrist office in Ponyville." Hidden Gem says. "We could arrange for a small group of guards to accompany you there."

"That sounds like a great idea, Gem." Twilight says, surprised by how quickly she befriended two of the three visitors.

"That's mighty kind of ya, but I don't really want to make a scene. Maybe just you head out with me, Gem?" J says, now idly chewing on an apple.

"How are you still eating?" Abram says, totally flabbergasted by his companions appetite. "You're skinnier than a twig, yet you eat like a starving tiger!"

"Don't rightly know. High metabolism, I guess." Jason replies, now finished with his apple and now reaching for a tomato.

"Well then," Twilight says, trying to steer the conversation back to the topic of Jason's glasses. "Hidden Gem, would you go along with Jason's plan?"

"Well, a group of guards would be safer, but he does make a good point. Seeing a bunch of armored ponies marching around town with what they would likely believe is an angel, would cause a bit of unrest. So, just acting like it's nothing special may keep things below 'full blown panic' mode." She says, deep in thought.

"Dear lord, he's still eating!" Abram says, freely laughing. As he said, J has now managed to get his hands on a full blueberry pie.

"Y'all want some?" He says, cutting himself a rather generously sized slice.

"I think I speak for everyone here when I say you can have it." Hidden Gem says, Abram and Twilight nodding in unison.

"Suit yerself. So, when we headed for the eye doc?" J says, already halfway finished with his slice.

"Tomorrow, nights arriving in a few hours." Twilight says.

"Alright then. I'll get Axle, he couldn't have gotten far." Abram says, excusing himself as he pursues his 'friend'.

In front of the castle sat Axle, deep in thought as he watched the sun set. He barely noticed Abram arrive and sit down next to him. "So, dinner finished?" Axle asks.

"Yeah, but J's STILL eating. Oh, and tomorrow, Hidden Gem's going to take him to a nearby town so he can get some new glasses." Abram says, now watching the sun as well.

"That's cool. Where we staying for tonight?" Axle asks.

"Here, actually. They have many spare rooms. We are welcome to stay as long as necessary." Abram responds, now focusing on a nearby squirrel rushing back and forth between two trees. "Very friendly bunch, these ponies."

"Yeah. I think I'll head in now." Axle says, standing up and walking inside.

"Hey, Axle." Abram says. When Axle turned, he continued. "Loosen up a bit. We can't do much about our situation, so we might as well enjoy it."

Axle stood there, his face expressionless save his eyes darting about before settling on Abram. "You think I'm rejecting all this, don't you?"

"A bit, but I can tell part of you is excited like a child. You simply can't believe how we ended up in such a fantastical situation." Abram says, a warm smile on his face.

"Yeah, can't deny that." He says, his expression softening. "Thanks man, I needed this."

"Good, now let us go see what Jason's stuffing his face with now."

Author's Note

I was REALLY tired when I wrote this, so mistakes will be a bit more apparent, please point them out so I may fix them.

Melek

When Abram woke, still wearing all his clothes, even his shoes, he untangled his limbs from his blanket and stood. He didn't really get a chance to take a look at his room, having immediately gone to sleep, but now that he could see it, he saw how beautiful, yet simple, it was. All the walls were the same, beige color, with about three paintings hanging from them. The bed was a simple frame and mattress, but the mattress itself was softer than anything he'd ever felt. A single dresser stood next to the bed, against the wall to the right of it. Inside was nothing, save for a book titled 'History of The Elements of Harmony'. He heard Hidden Gem mention Princess Twilight as being the 'Element of Magic', but he didn't pay much mind at the time. 'Should read that later.' He thought to himself.

Axle didn't sleep the night prior. He stayed up, planning on how he would escape the castle if need be. He didn't expect any threat from the ponies, but he didn't like to leave things to chance. Whenever he found a way to evacuate, he'd think of another plan if the previous one failed. Now, he sat on his bed, looking out the window, watching as the sky turned from a dark blue to a brilliant orange. As he watched the sun rise, he felt his body losing a lot of tension, almost as if the sun itself was easing his mind directly. He didn't know why this was happening, but he didn't really pay much mind to it. Standing, he heads out his bedroom.

Jason awoke with a start, letting loose a short shout. He was covered with sweat, his jumpsuit sticking to his skin. He'd experienced the most realistic and disturbing nightmare in his life, Imagery of corpses and torture encased in his mind. He looks around the room, checking if it really was a dream. Seeing that everything was okay, he releases a small chuckle. "Must've been the pie gettin' to me." He says to himself. He gets out of bed, stretching, his back letting loose a series of pops. As he heads for the door he hears two voices on the other side, which he recognizes as the only other humans here. He soon steps out the door.

One hour later

"...So what was his name again? 'Discern'?" Abram asks, walking down a hall with Princess Twilight.

"It's 'Discord', rather fitting if you ask me." She says, a somewhat annoyed look on her face.

"I get the feeling you don't get along with him." He says, eyeing a large stained glass window.

"Don't get me wrong, he's a good friend, but he can get annoying with his constant pranks. I still don't know why Celestia started dating him..." She says, still slightly annoyed.

"Wait a minute, Celestia's dating him?" Abram asks, his mind doing it's best to digest this new information.

"Yeah, started about sixty three years ago. Luna thinks they're going to get married soon, but I think she's just reading too many romance novels." Twilight says as her and her companion reach a large set of doors. "Here we are."

"Let me get that." Abram says as he pushes the door open, it giving little resistance.

"Wow, you're pretty strong. Most ponies would struggle with this door." Twilight says, impressed by the humans strength.

"Well, in my line of work, one must be strong." He says, pride evident in his voice.

"Oh? And what line of work is that?" Twilight asks, entering the throne room beyond the large doors.

"I'm a Boxer. Don't win all my fights, but I'm not quitting anytime soon." Abram replies, stepping into the room himself, closing the door behind them.

"'Fights?' You beat others up for a living?!" She was horrified at this revelation. 'How could someone do this?!' She thinks to herself.

"It's not like it sounds." He says, a chuckle let loose. "It's a sport. My opponent is as equally capable as I, and we have a fair fight. The adrenaline of the moment prevents either of us from really feeling the pain, at least until the next day. We respect one another and are good friends after the fights. After every match, I take my opponent out for a drink, and we party the entire night away!" He says, a grin on his face.

"That--that is a lot different than I thought. I'm sorry for reacting the way I did." Twilight says, now sitting in her throne, a somewhat sullen look on her face.

"It's alright, we all make mistakes." He says with a warm smile. "Now, what does a Princess do on a day-to-day basis..."

Elsewhere

In the entryway, Jason and Hidden Gem stood, preparing for their trek to the nearby town. "So, what's this 'Ponyville' like?" Jason asks, checking his jumpsuit to make sure everything was in order.

"I actually grew up there. It's a really friendly place filled with the nicest ponies! Although, " She says, a light blush forming on her cheeks. "They tend to overreact to things, which is why I want to try and get this over with as quickly as possible."

"Ah understand. If we do draw a crowd, however, what'll we do then?" He asks, satisfied that his attire was in proper condition.

"I'll tell them that you are simply a guest from a foreign land. I won't be lying, I'll just be leaving some things out."

"Makes sense. alright then, let's head out and this show on the road!"

Author's Note

Yes, I know. Major gaps between updates. I'm not going to lie, it was mostly because of family issues, but also partly because I was being lazy. For anyone who is eagerly awaiting the next chapter, which baffles me due to this stories inadequacies, don't expect regular updates. I apologize, have a nice day.

Ω

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Author's Note

Pretentious? Maybe.
Cool and nerdy? Hell yes.
Am I cool now? Never.

Problems

Axel wanders the castle, no specific goal in mind. Soon, a glass door leading to what seemed to be an indoor garden catches his eye. Once in the garden, he was surprised to see many familiar plants, alongside some new ones. One flower in particular had his full attention. It had five white pedals surrounding a bright yellow center, somewhat resembling a rose. He recognized it as a flower with a depressing history. Soon, a voice spoke up. "Do you like those ones?" asked a feminine voice. Axel looked about, trying to find the source of the question. When he found none, it spoke again. "Up here." Now he looked up, finding a large, bright yellow rose hanging from the ceiling, it's roots holding it in place.

"Did...did you just speak?" he asked, confused.

The pedals moved as if they were a mouth as it spoke. "Yes, I did. My name's Flora, nice to meet you, what's yours?

"I'm Axel, nice to meet you Flora. If you don't mind me asking, where did you find these flowers?"

"I have no clue what they are, they sort of just appeared in the Everfree. Why, do you recognize them?"

"Yeah, they're called Cherokee Roses. They're famous for growing along a historic trail called the 'Trail of Tears'. A sad story about a tribe of Native Americans, called the Cherokee, who were forced to leave from their homes to a settlement. 4,000 lives were lost as they traveled the thousand mile long path." He says with a somber tone. "This was the result of years of prejudice and ignorance little under 200 years ago."

"How could something like that happen? Why?" Flora asked.

"Well, it can be easily be traced back to the year 1830..."

Meanwhile

Ponyville

Jason and Hidden Gem arrive at the Optometrist's office with little issue, aside from the occasion blank stare from random pedestrians. The entrance to office is empty, save for a few chairs and a front desk. Behind said desk is a dark blue unicorn stallion with a white coat on busily rearranging some papers, his back turned to the guardspony and human. "Hey Gem, not to be rude, but what kinda pony is that?" Jason asks, whispering as to not be heard.

Hidden Gem looks at him in confusion. "He's a unicorn, like me. I thought that was sort of obvious."

"Don't exactly look like a unicorn, unless y'all are insects and I was too stupid to notice." He replies with a chuckle.

"Insect? what are you... oh no." Her face falls and becomes serious. She slowly trots up to the counter. "Excuse me, Looking Glass, how's the misses?" She asks.

"Hmm, oh she's just fine, thanks for asking." The stallion returns as he turns around to face his guests. "Can't say I've seen anyone like you before, sir." He says looking at Jason.

"That's great, just one issue." Hidden Gem says, her voice becoming even more serious.

"And what might that be?" The dark blue unicorn says.

"Looking Glass isn't married."

Unwanted solutions

Author's Note

I deal with a bit of a touchy subject in the second half, you have been warned.

Unwanted solutions

The holding cell the lone Changeling resided in would be small, cramped, and uncomfortable for an ordinary pony, but when you live in a cramped cave with about eight to ten others sharing the same space, you get used to small living conditions. He simply laid on the ground, rarely looking about, deciding to rest his head in his hooves. He was bored, no fun to have in the underbelly of a castle. Well that, and he was hungry. Really hungry. The optometrist had less visitors than he had expected, so he hadn't fed off of anypony's love. By the time the guard and her tall, lanky friend had arrived, he was close to collapsing unconscious. After the guard had informed him of his mistake, he dropped his disguise, but by then it was too much, and he had passed out right then and there. When he woke up, he was in the cell he now laid in. There was only a single guard down there watching him, a light blue unicorn stallion. He noted how the guard favored his left side.

"Well then, let's talk." Came a voice familiar to the Changeling. From a large door to the right of the single cell was Hidden Gem, accompanied by Abram. "Flashpoint, has our guest given you any trouble?" She asked the blue stallion.

"No, Ma'am, he was quiet the entire time." Flashpoint responded. He walked past Gem and Abram towards the door, placing more weight on his left hooves than his right.

"He's certainly as weird as you described him, but I wouldn't say 'ugly'." Abram says to Gem, observing the creature before him. "What's your name, then?" He asks.

The Changeling tried to stand, but quickly decided it was too much of a hassle and laid back down on the stone ground. "We don't have names." He responds, his voice raspy and quiet. "We identify each other through pheromones. Every one of us gives off a unique scent."

"We need to call you something, what would you like?" Abram asks, his interest piqued.

"I don't know, something simple, short. Something I can forget easily." He replied, his voice annoyed.

"We can decide that later. I need some information from you." Hidden Gem says.

"Okay, no need to ask twice. I'm twenty years old, I like walks on the beach and-" The Changeling begins before being cut off.

"Shut it! You know exactly what I mean!" Gem shouts, unwilling to put up with the prisoner's antics, while Abram struggles to hold a chuckle back.

"Hey, not so loud! If you couldn't already tell, I don't feel so great." The Changeling replied. "I haven't had anything to feed on in about 2 weeks." He says, followed with an exasperated sigh. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm too busy starving to death to answer any silly questions."

"Just, answer one question for us, and we'll leave you alone. I promise." Abram says with a warm smile.

The Changeling wanted to tell them to just give up, but something stopped him before he could say it. A feeling, but not his own. It belonged to the tall one. Love. The kind you would feel for a close friend you trusted anything with. Why was this stranger giving him love? "...Fine, but only one." He said.

"Where is the real Looking Glass?" Hidden Gem asked. "What did you do with him?"

The prisoner let out a chuckle. "Relax, he's perfectly fine. He left for some convention of sorts. I simply took the opportunity to try and get some food, which as you can see, failed."

"How do we-" Hidden Gem tried to say, but was stopped by Abram's hand in front of her face.

"We asked the one question. Leave him alone." Abrams says, standing. "We'll be off now, need anything?"

There it is again. More of that friendly love. This man absolutely baffled the Changeling. It wasn't enough to fill him, but it would hold him over for at least two days. "Uh, no, thanks."

"Right then, we'll leave you be. See you later." Abram says as he and Hidden Gem left the dungeon.

later

Throne Room

Princess Twilight sat atop her throne, awaiting the arrival of Abram and Gem. She was worried about what it meant for a changeling to just suddenly appear in Ponyville. 'Could it be another attempted invasion?' She thought to herself. 'He could just be a scout. But why did he just collapse? It could be a trick. An easy way into the castle. But Jason saw right through the disguise. How?' As she continued to think, Abram and Hidden Gem arrived.

"Your highness." Abram said as he bowed.

"No need for formalities." Twilight says as Abram rights himself.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I always do my best to treat everyone with respect, especially royalty, even more so women." He replies.

"Are...are you hitting on the Princess?" Hidden Gem asks, trying to avoid a small grin.

"What?!" Twilight shouts, surprised by this sudden statement, a light blush forming on her cheeks.

Abram couldn't handle it anymore and started laughing, accompanied by the occasional snort. When he finally caught his breath, he explained. "It's not that I wouldn't find dating you lovely," He says, which causes another blush to form on Twilight's face. "But I'm gay. Remember how I told about how I became good friends with my boxing opponents? Well, that's how I met two of my boyfriends."

"Alright then, now that bit of awkward is out of the way, we're here to tell you what we found out from the Changeling." Hidden Gem says.

Before Gem could continue, Abram began speaking. "He was in Ponyville because he was hungry. The pony He replaced was simply out of town for business. He hasn't fed on any one's love, he collapsed from hunger. He's a good person, I can tell. Just rough around the edges."

"We don't know for sure if it's telling the truth. It could have lied about what happened to Looking Glass. It might have been in Ponyville to relay information to it's hive." Hidden Gem says.

"Listen to yourself, Gem. 'It'? That is a living, breathing person, not some object or animal! He's starving, we should help him!" Abram says, almost shouting. "What happened to the hospitality you showed James, Axle, and I? We aren't ponies, yet all you've done is be nice to us. Why doesn't he get any of that?! Because of what his ancestors did?! Because you don't understand them?! There's a word for this where we come from, it's called 'Racism'. It means passing judgement on a person for what they are, not who they are. Considering yourself better than them just because they're not like you!" He yells.

"They invaded Canterlot! Kidnapped Princess Cadence and attacked Princess Celestia! Do you think they're going to just drop it over a cup of tea?!" Hidden Gem shouts back.

"That wasn't him! He wasn't even alive back then! What gives you the ri-!" Abram is interrupted by Princess Twilight.

"Enough! Hidden Gem, I understand your worries, but he's right. It- I mean he is still a person, and should be treated as such." Twilight says.

"Yes, your highness."Hidden Gem begrudgingly says.

Abram remains silent as he leaves the throne room. He is still very upset when he reaches his room. 'Even here bigotry still festers.' He thinks to himself as he sits on his bed. 'Guess it's universal.'

Meanwhile

Castle Dungeon

The Changeling lays on the cold ground, still thinking of the strange man. Something he said has stuck in his head. Finally he speaks to Flashpoint. "Hey." He says, but is ignored by the guard. "Hey!" He shouts again. This time the guard turns to face him.

"What is it?" He asks, annoyed.

"I need a name."