Fires of Change: Origins of a Race

Fires of Change: Origins of a Race

Chapter 2

Connections from the Past

In the Starswirl Wing of the restricted section of the Canterlot Royal Archives, Twilight Sparkle is searching for any references to changelings. After toiling for several hours through the bestiary and non-pony culture sections and failing to find anything worth note, she finally heads to the section about transformation magics. After some digging, she finally finds a reference to changeling's innate transformation abilities in a journal dedicated to obscure transformation magics.

"Aha! I finally found something!"

Obscure transformation magics

Chapter seven: natural or instinctual transformations

There are very few cases of naturally occurring transformation magic, but I have found several. I have discovered a natural archway in the caves under Hollow Shades that, when walked through by a pegasus, will alter their physiology to match that of the thestral race. The markings around the archway tell that if a thestral passes through, they will be altered physically to a normal pegasus. The archway doesn't explain what would happen if an earth pony, unicorn, breezie, or changeling walked through, but after examining the spell matrices, I can attest that the results wouldn't be pretty; I don't do bits and pieces…

Besides that archway, the only other naturally occurring transformation magics that I am aware of are changelings and astrals (astrals consist of ursa, lupus, scorpio, and tigris minors and majors, which use shape changing magics to transform between the different astral designations). Changelings have the most complex transformation magics of any species or race. After reading a journal written by one of my ancestors about changelings, I devised a spell to locate changelings within a hundred meter radius of the caster. I destroyed all of my notes on the spell after I made contact with a changeling, as the spell would be easy to use with malicious intent against changelings.

Here is a transcript of me making contact with a changeling in the lower districts of canterlot.

-Recorded with Starswirl's Discrete Transcription Spell-

Starswirl- I have located a changeling within one of the cafes around the lower districts of Canterlot, I am going to be meeting with it to gather information about the rarely documented race.

-waitress walks up to the table-

Waitress- Welcome to ~~~~~, What can I get you?

Starswirl- I would like one glass of jasmine tea.

Waitress- I will be right back with your order.

-waitress leaves to prepare order-

Starswirl- The waitress is my contact, I will attempt to interact.

-waitress returns with tea-

Waitress- Here is your tea, is there anything else I can get for you?

Starswirl- There is nothing else you can get me, but I do have a question.

Waitress- Yes?

Starswirl- I am currently investigating rare natural transformation magics, and I know you can assist me. Don't run, I am here alone without malicious intent.

Waitress- I was wondering why the famed Starswirl Lulamoon would enter my fair tea shop.

Starswirl- I thought my relation to the Lulamoon family was hidden from the general public.

Waitress- Every member of my race treats the Lulamoon family as royalty. Before you ask, our first queen was originally a unicorn of the Lulamoon family.

Starswirl- That explains the journal I found about changelings written by one of my ancestors. Let me guess, Hyacinthus Lulamoon?

Waitress- She goes by Queen Monarch now, but yes.

Starswirl- I see. Is there any way I can get you to meet me at one of my labs in the lower district later so we can discuss this where we can't be overheard?

Waitress- Just write the address down on your receipt and the time you wish to meet me, and I will meet you there.

Starswirl- Thank you for your cooperation, I look forward to interviewing you.

-end transcription-

As you can see, contact was tense but peaceful, and after our meeting, I have a new understanding of changeling transformation. Changelings' transformation magic is controlled on an instinctual level, all they have to do is form a mental image of what they want to look like, and push magic from their reserves into the image (as my contact explained it). There is no way to replicate the changeling transformation magic to work with unicorns. I have a detailed explanation in the appendix at the end of this chapter.

Finished with reading that chapter of the journal, Twilight pauses to think, "Lulamoon, why does that name sound familiar? I know that I know somepony of that family, but I cannot think of who…"

After going to the family records section of the Royal Archives, Twilight finds a scroll with the family tree of the Lulamoon family, "Hyacinthus Lulamoon, deceased, body was destroyed in a potion accident, she was trying to make a potion that allows a pony to consume ambient magical fields in lieu of food… That could explain how changelings feed, taking in from ambient fields of energies, It's brilliant! Stay on task Twilight, I need to find this generation of Lulamoons…"

A few minutes pass before Twilight locates the line of Lulamoons who are still alive, "Beatrix Lulamoon… Beatrix… Trixie? As in 'the Great and Powerful'? Of course it had to be her… The only living member of the Lulamoon family, and it has to be her…"

O------------{[][][][][][][]}------------O

Returning to the Starswirl Wing, Twilight looks in the transformation magic journal for any clues as to where she could find the Hyacinthus Lulamoon's journal that was referenced by Starswirl.

With an air of exasperation, Twilight groans, "There has to be something in here as to where I can find that journal!"- a page falls out as she flips through the chapters.

In the castle in the forest, where night betrayed the day.

In a vault where once sat power, a book of ages past will lay.

The fires of change have kindled, with a queen who lost her way.

The rueful queen turned tyrant, and her race she did betray.

A threat to her own sisters, the tyrant brought that day.

Upon reading this, Twilight began to contemplate the meaning of the riddle, "'In the castle in the forest, where the night betrayed the day… The Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters? The journal is in a vault in the old castle! But then what do the last three lines mean? Hmmm… I think I got it… What if the changeling queen that attacked did so without the approval of other changeling queens? That must mean most changelings are not hostile towards us! I need to get to the castle to find that journal! …But shouldn't I first get Trixie to help with this, after all, her family has some connection to the changelings… But what if she doesn't want to help? What if she doesn't allow me to continue this research? I know, I will get Princess Celestia to bring her here to help!"

O------------{[][][][][][][]}------------O

In the extravagant royal chambers of a changeling queen, a drone with a yellow coloration enters to deliver a letter to his queen.

"Enter, what news do you bring." the queen asks.

With a bow, the drone replies, "My queen, a letter from the White Hive."

"Rise, stay here while I read the letter, I may need a messenger."

Yellow Queen

The plan is in motion, we will reconvene with your sisters in two moons, hold back your collectors and infiltrators until the meeting. We will send an update on the situation in one week's time. I have sent your sisters the same notice, and they should be reading it as you are.

The White Queen

"Drone, tell the heads of the collector, infiltrator, and scout castes that the delay in activities has been extended by two months."

"Very well my queen." with a bow, the drone turns and leaves the queen's chambers.

"I hope you know what you are doing mother, if your plan fails, our race may cease to exist."

O------------{[][][][][][][]}------------O

On one of the many outdoor balconies that the castle has, Princess Celestia and Twilight Sparkle are idly chatting while having tea.

Princess Celestia sips on her glass of tea, "What do you think of this new tea Twilight?"

"Princess, it has a nice rich flavor, but it has a tad more bite to it than I am used to, but overall a solid blend."

"A most accurate assessment, I think this is another variety to put in the tea chest."

"When do you plan on showing me the fabled celestial tea chest? I heard you have many rare and exotic brews in it."

"I didn't plan on showing you my tea chest, and the last thing I want is for you to see a rare flavor then try to sneak in to try it, like that time with the Starswirl wing of the archives."

Twilight decides to ignore Princess Celestia's bait, "Speaking of the archives, I found some interesting information on changelings, but sadly, I cannot share it with you without the approval of somepony."

"Why would you need the approval of somepony, I am your princess after all."

"Some of the information ties directly to this pony's family history. The only way I will continue this research is if we bring Beatrix Lulamoon onto this project."

Princess Celestia spit-takes her tea at this, "A member of the Lulamoon family? I wasn't aware that there were any Lulamoons left. Either way, that explains quite a bit about why you wouldn't want to continue without her. Do you have any idea where I could find her?"

"Well, I wish I knew where you could find her, but 'the Great and Powerful Trixie' lives in a trailer, and her trailer was destroyed in that ursa incident a few years ago…"

"So we require a pony whose living arrangements are unknown, and she had a habit of traveling Equestria… I think I will ask Luna if she can look out for Trixie's dreams."

"Once we have Trixie on this, I will need a short expedition to your old castle in the Everfree, there may be a journal there that was written by the original changeling queen."

"Speaking of which, what have you found out about changelings as a threat to Equestria?"

"Nothing concrete, but everything points to the Canterlot attack being out of desperation by a rogue queen; I do not know how many queens are out there, but from what I have found, the hostile queen is the minority here."

"Ah, so there may still be hope for peace. I will update the protocols that were put in place for changelings, and schedule a press meeting."

"Isn't it a little early princess? I haven't found any real solid proof yet…"

"I am aware, but if I do this now, we can open up the possibility of a peace summit with less difficulty. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go ask Luna to look for Trixie's dreams."

With that, Princess Celestia put away her tea set, then left Twilight on the balcony.