The Gateway

Ughhh, what happened. My head too- this seems to be occurring too much to be healthy for me. All I remember is some vivid sensations before everything gets kind of fuzzy. I knew I was unlocking my feeding, but after I did it and felt a rush of... something, I'm still not sure what, everything just kind of fades to black and grey. Did I pass out, or can I just not remember what happened afterwards?

Thank goodness you're awake, I was starting to get worried something went wrong.

Wrong, what do you mean wrong? This is just like any time I end up passing out from something magical based.

Wait, Hunter, do you know how long you've been out?

No, why? I'm thinking around 10 hours, a day maximum, surely not much more than that.

Hunter, you've been out for days, almost an entire week. Although you seemed stable enough, I wasn't sure if you would make it honestly. You seem fine physically, although there is one thing that's peculiar. Look in the river at your chest, you'll see what I mean.

Walking over to the river, ignoring the monstrous headache that threatened to rise again from the movement, what I saw in my reflection shocked me. On my chest, a small, barely noticeable scar was inscribed on my chest in burns, although it didn't hurt. The scar was vaguely shaped as a shield wrapped in fire, although the shape was undefined, as if in the middle of changing. While I didn't get the meaning of it, it was clear there as a definite meaning behind this. There is no way I got single scar and its designed in a certain way without there being a reason for it.

I would mull over that meaning if I were you. One's magic can often tell a lot about the person and his future or past, and I'm guessing this scar was caused by your full transformation into changeling.

However, it doesn't seem to be causing any harm, so we should move along in your training. Time is infinite in this realm, but the quicker we get your training done, the sooner you can be in Equestria and get to the exciting bit of this chapter in your life. While this training is important, and you would do well to remember it, it can get tedious at times, especially when you are learning new things. Now, shall we begin?

After that, nothing out of he ordinary happened. The scar never healed or changed, always stuck in the same time. My training seemed to zoom by in a blur.

First I learned how to shape my magic, learning utility, defensive, and offensive magic, ranging from levitation, teleportation, and illusions, both auditory and optical. I learned how to change shape using my natural abilities, and how to control how I looked, both in visual appearances and aura color around my horn as a unicorn.

Next, I learned how to speak in both my native tongue, changeling, and how to properly speak Equestrian, which turned out to just be English oddly enough, without getting that annoying chirping and hissing sound that is normally produced by my vocal cords when I speak. I learned how the Overmind was using something similar to the hivemind to talk to me, a connection that binds all changelings together, but could be used to talk to individuals, groups, or disable it completely. Next,, I learned how to hunt and forage for food, earning my first catch within the week of starting my hunting lessons.

After that came flying. First, I started to work on my wing muscles, before starting to glide, and then eventually flying both from an elevated point and taking off the ground. What it was like to take off for the first time was like nothing I had expected it to be. I felt free, like there wasn't a care in the world. As my training increased, so did the size of the clearing I called home. It eventually expanded easily twice the area it used to be, and the orchard became well taken care of as I depended on it more and more for food, along with my hunting to get meat.

Finally, I learned about Equestrian culture and went back over facts about Changeling society too. I learned about the princesses, about the elements of harmony, about facts about their land, the three races, history, magical theory, plants and animals native to the land, geography, and a wide range of other subjects. By the time I was done, although it was almost a full year, it seemed to only be weeks. Curiously, over that time, I seemed to age backwards instead of forward, although it might have just been my imagination playing tricks on me.

Seemingly soon enough, the fateful day where I would first set foot in Equestria arrived.

Now, when I first transport you into Equestria, I wont be able to come with you. If I came in, even slightly, with you too, the power released would be too big for it not to go completely unnoticed, even concealed by the Everfree's presence. I will send you in with all the power you have without my boost, which should be enough to cast a low tier illusion on yourself as you make it through the Everfree. Remember your training though, and that if its raining, the illusion would be as good as useless with you outlined in water droplets. If you had more power, you could conceal to get rid of them, but you'd pass out from the effort before you get to the forest's edge, and you might as well be dead then. Also, remember your training on the monsters that plague that land. Don't stare into a Cockatrice's eyes, burn up Timberwolves, for they would simply reincarnate, and whatever you do, DONT get stung by a manticore's tail. If you do, run as fast as you can to Ponyville without your disguise on. The poison will drain your energy even if you can get away or kill the manticore and without immediate aid you will die from it, and disguising yourself will only shorten your lifespan. If you can make it to Twilight Sparkle, she will be able to treat you and will do so without hesitation if you tell her a manticore stung you, and you should be fine. You would be revealed, but that's better than dead. Then again, the chances of this happening are quite slim. As long as it isn't raining you should have no trouble.

As long as you are ready, I will send you right away. Unfortunately, I cant send any supplies with you, otherwise I would just have you wait until I can come through in a couple of days and we would go together.

I'm ready when you are. Ill see you in a couple of days... friend.

Good luck... friend.

And with that final goodbye, the process started. First, green fire started to spin in a circle around me, increasing in speed and rising into the air and shrinking until I was in a cocoon of swirling, green flames. Then, as the flames started to spin so fast everything was starting to become a blur, I was overcome with a familiar tiredness. Before darkness, like an old friend I hadn't talked to in so long, came to claim me once more, I heard a strange, familiar lullaby- one that I couldn't quite place where I had heard it before, yet was comforting and relaxing all the same.

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When I awoke, it was to possibly the worst sound I could hear. The faint pitter patter of rain could be heard, and while it didn't sound torrential enough to stop my progress, it would make my illusion useless. Of all the days it had to rain, it had to be the day I came to Equestria. Just my luck for it to be so too. Anyway, I should head out. Moping around wont make the rain go away, and I'm too weak to cast an illusion high enough that it wouldn't matter.

Taking stock of my surroundings, I'm in a small cave, a couple feet in width and height. The walls are bare rock covered some spots in moss, with cobwebs at the corners. Realizing that there wasn't much here. I decide to head out. From what I've been told, Ponyville shouldn't be too far away. Walking out of the cave, I hear a whoosh fast approaching from my left side. Jumping quickly to the right, I feel an excruciating pain in my left leg. Jumping back and to the right, I see a creature that pretty much ruins my day, if it could get any worse. Standing right there, the creature that just hit me with its highly poisonous and deadly scorpion tail, is a manticore. Realizing I wouldn't be able to fight it, I cast a quick stun spell, enough to keep him out for a couple of minutes, and flew out of the canyon I seemed to be in. When I got to the top, I cast a quick spell to stop the bleeding and lessen the pain for a couple of hours, and quickly locating the direction ponyville was from earlier instructions, flew off towards it as fast as I can, paying no heed to the rain blanketing the canopy and ground under it.

On the way I heard the howls of Timberwolves and the roars of manticores and a whole wide range of other sounds from creatures I wouldn't want to encounter in this state. By the time my wings were so tired that I was having trouble staying aloft, I managed to land right outside the forest edge. I ran as fast as I could down the path I assumed led to the town, even though my left leg was completely numb. The going was much slower than flying, and I took a couple of falls and scratches in the process, making me look like I was just in a bad fight. Eventually however, I peeked over a hill and could see the town approaching in the distance. Identifying Twilight's tree home, I ran as fast as I could towards it, even as I could feel the numbness spreading towards my heart ever faithfully, although luckily slowly. Passing into the town, I could see the similar houses rush past me, although I couldn't spare the time to look at them in greater detail; I had a tree to reach. Finally, I managed to reach the golden oaks library, and taking no time to catch my breath, I knocked on the door.

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On the desk was a book opened up halfway titled "Changeling Autonomy," a recently published book detailing everything we knew about changelings so far, which in all fairness, was very little. Spike had gone to bed hours ago, and the moon was almost at its zenith. Suddenly, there was a knock at the front door. Odd, I thought to myself as I went to answer the door; who would be visiting the library at this hour?

Reaching the main room with books neatly arranged on all sides, I step around the oak table in the middle and open the solid oak door. Jumping back in surprise, I see a scratched and bruised changeling, more muscular and bigger than the average drone, with a tiny, almost unnoticeable scar on his chest and a very recently scarred over injury on his left leg.

"Manticore... stung me.... left front leg," It manages to croak out in ragged gasps before fainting.

Realizing what happened to it, I quickly hold the changeling in my magic, and rush downstairs where there is an extra bed it can lie in while I get out the poison. I just hope I'm not too late.