The Laws of Life.

Prologue: The life, of a life.

It happened when I was young. When I was kicked from the nest that I had been born in. It was done swiftly, and without compassion. But, looking back at it now, I know that they did it for their own sake. What is a changeling worth, if it can’t shift forms? What is a changeling worth, if it was born with no wings. They had hanged onto me for a while. But, their efforts where all futile No matter how much I had tried, I couldn’t cast the most simplest of changing spells. No matter how long it took, no wings would ever grow for me.  So, I was tossed, into the unforgiving nature of the forest. There I had wandered, and wandered. Surviving dreary days  full of darkness, and long nights full of cold storms. Storms of  thunder and rain pouring down on me, from the unforgiving heavens.

I didn’t walk so that I could survive. I walked so that I could eventually die quicker. From the hunger that filled me, to the exhaustion that ravaged my body. But time moved. Days and nights passed. And I still lived. On days that I didn't have the strength to move, I would watch the forest around me. It was the cruel twist of fate, that I could watch things around me perish, but I continue living. A few times, I would come across a savage creature, that would be sure to tear me to shreds. To devour me. But, to the beasts that roamed around, I was nothing. I would take more energy for them to eat, then I would give them. And so, I kept wandering. Through the now countless days and nights. Time just blending into one long gray blur for me.

I had felt myself grow lighter. Grow weaker. I had walked far enough to come upon an edge to the forest. And it was there that  I felt like I was going to die. But, It wasn’t my feelings of death. I felt it from somewhere else. From a pony, a little foal. He must have wandered too close, and got attacked by the beasts that wandered within the forest. It was a gruesome scene. One I would rather not describe, or remember again, for the sake of my sanity. Though, even though he appeared dead, he still clung onto a tiny part of his fading life. I don’t know what I was thinking at the time, but I walked up to him. “H-help. . M-m-me. . Please.” His voice was dry. With every syllable he spoke, you could hear his pain. I felt no sorrow for him. In fact, I envied him. For, here is just another being, dieing. While I still lived on. I was about to walk away from him, but, for some reason. Some, little, stupid reason, I looked back. I looked back, and walked close to him.

I felt everything he did. All the pain. All of his sorrow. Everything. Something was happening, and I think for the first time in what can be called my life, I actually felt scared. “I can’t help you. You are going to die.” I spoke in a grim tone. I saw him whimper ever so slightly. He looked up at me. There was no fear in his eyes, by this point. There was only pain. I frowned at him. “P-please. You’ve got to-” I cut him off, holding my hoof out. “Be quite. I can’t do anything. You are going to die.” I started walking away from him again. That little dark blue colt. “Then. Could you.” I hear him weakly call back to me. He was standing now, or at least, what could pass for standing in his condition. “Become me.”

I laughed. “Ha! Even if I could become you, why would I?” I don’t know what lead me to meet him with such open resistance. Again, I think it was because of his death. He pleaded with me still. “Please, changeling. I’m giving you my life.” He spoke more strongly now, his voice still weak though. And even though I still denied him, something kept happening. We started to glow. Only barely, but there was a glow “Why should I have your life?” He smiled at me, blood trickling out of his mouth. “B-because I know that’s what anypony, or changeling, would want.” His voice was weak, but he spoke more solidly now. And he was right. I did want a life. Even one that wasn’t my own. So, I finally agreed. “I will live your life then.” I felt a strong burn in myself. I winced downwards, barely watching as green glow take a hold of both our forms. Slowly, the magical aura connects us. I felt myself shift. Becoming smaller, but a little bulkier. I could see as  my normally pitch black skin grew out his dark blue fur. His white mane grew on my head.

I felt his wings sprout, painfully, out of my back. I laid there, panting heavily. And, in that moment I was some. . Somepony else. I was no longer an ‘it.’ I was ‘him’ now. My mind hurt, as something else happened. I didn’t just gain his form, I also gained his memories. Everything about him, was me now. My old life was now gone. If I had a name, it was forgotten. I smiled at the pony who just gave me his life. But, he would never smile back. I buried him as well as I could. I buried him by a tree, the closest thing to a proper grave maker he would get. I picked up a stone, and carved into the tree. It wasn't anything heartfelt or special. Just a couple words, that to any other pony would just seem like some foalish thing to do. Finally, exhaustion took over me again, and I layed by the tree. Right over where I buried him. And right above me, was the inscription.

‘Ink Blazer lays here.’