The Return of the Changelings

“What the hay is wrong with you!?” Applejack’s angry voice wavered on uncertainty. Moonshy could tell many unpleasant things went through her mind, hints of worry and sadness glinted through her otherwise furious eyes. “Ponyville is now under attack because of you!” Moonshy took a couple steps back. When somepony became angry he thought it best to steer clear till the storm passed. This time, however, he had no choice but to face the brunt of the infuriated. His mind chased many words with the goal of thinking up a response but when the words were caught, they stuck at the edge of his tongue and he was forced into silence. How would you blundering out into the fray have changed anything?

“Well? Don’t you have anything to say about that?” She held firm and stomped a couple steps towards him. Moonshy’s head lowered and he lost eye contact with her. Without saying anything, Applejack aggressively turned her back and she started to gallop away.

“I’M SORRY!” A couple of words finally flew out of his mouth. Oh… how pathetic can you get Moonshy! Sorry doesn’t make up for anything right this moment! He thought to himself.

Applejack halted her gallop. “And just what might you be apologizing about? For holding me back? For putting my friends in danger?”

“I was jus- I was simply trying to save you.”

“Con founded, I don’t need saving! I had everything under control!”

Moonshy nearly croaked, his social inadequateness nearly overpowering him yet again. But a similar attitude to the one he had when he attacked the creature minutes ago reentered his mind. It gave him the courage to, once again, stand his ground.

“Under your control? Against a mob of swarming creatures? Forgive me for… saying this, but that seems pretty daft don’t you think?”

“Well…” Applejack thought for a little bit, not knowing how to respond that rationality. “Well I guess it was a little silly of me to think that way… But that doesn’t change anything. If I had come out like she told me too she wouldn’t be after my friends!”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that. I mean- she would have killed you. Then she would have attacked Ponyville in force… and with you gone, your element would be useless… making the others just the same.”

“Wait… how do you know about the elements of harmony?”

“Well I uh… I heard that creature mention them and associate them with you and your friends… and I guess I just put two and two together. I mean, isn’t it common knowledge now what the elements are?”

Applejack appeared to be puzzled. The expression on her face said so. She went silent for a couple moments before speaking again. “Who even are you feller.”

“Um… call me Moonshy.” He said, almost forgetting that his name was mentioned before. Applejack’s eyes grew wide with intrigued concern.

“I gotta get you out of here!” She spouted, her words startling him.

“Wait, why?” he asked, realizing that he might already know the answer.

“She is looking for you.”

“Who?” Really? That’s a stupid question, why would you ask that Moonshy?

“Queen Chrysalis. You know, the creature we ran from.”

“… Why is SHE looking for me?”

“I was just about to ask you the same question. All I know is that last time I saw Queen Chrysalis, she was feeding off the love Twilight’s brother emitted for princess Cadence. You should have seen him, he was more zombie like than a tired student on Monday by the time Chrysalis was done with him. Luckily Cadence had enough love of her own to stop her and save him.”

Moonshy stood, shocked at Applejack’s story. Is that really what Chrysalis does… she leaches off of ponies’ … love? Such a barbaric concept. Moonshy thought. Why would she want me for that? His thoughts continued for little bit of time before something entered his mind that absolutely terrified him. He, loved, Fluttershy. Not just Fluttershy but all of her friends as well, just in a platonic way. He loved Ponyville and he loved the comfort he felt there. The more he thought, the more he realized that he was so full of love that, if Chrysalis got ahold of him, she’d gain a lot of power. Perhaps this is what Luna meant when she said “do not let them rob you of your most positive emotion.” If Chrysalis absorbed it all from him, what then? She would destroy Ponyville, she would destroy all the ones he considered friends… she would destroy Fluttershy. For a moment his impulses told him to go over there and defend the ones he cared about, but if Chrysalis was indeed there… she would suck the love from him… endangering everypony else. Then again… surely I can’t be the only pony with love. If not me than she would suck it from others. …Oh…. I can’t let that happen either. What to do, what to DO! I don’t see any win in this lose/lose situation.

He turned towards Applejack after all this raced through his head and nodded. “Alright, let’s go.” Hopefully the walk out of the forest will be enough time for me to figure out the loophole in this situation.

“Alrighty then sugercube, time’s-a-wasting.” Applejack spun back around and galloped off. Moonshy fallowing not far behind.

Moonshy was surprised at Applejack’s efficiency in the Everfree Forest. Most ponies are too scared of this place to even set hoof in here, (and for good reason.) let alone navigate, but no, it seemed to him that Applejack had been in the forest a number of times before. She had a strange familiarity with the ground beneath her hooves, she knew what places to avoid and where she could hide. Some of which even he didn’t think about. The only way Moonshy was able to tell that she wasn’t as knowledgeable as him about the forest was in the way she carried herself. There were several points where she almost got lost. She also didn’t express full confidence under the canopies. When such small obstacles came along, he guided her in the right direction. As for actual help… she made it clear on several accounts that she didn’t need it.

An hour or two of trudging through rough terrain and unforgiving brush passed. Now the woods lowered their consistency and Moonshy could fly again, signaling to him that they were reaching the edge of the forest. They were also going the same route as the one he originally took to get to Ponyville. As they got closer his tired limbs gained new energy as his soul was filled with delight. He almost forgot about the problem at hand but once he reminded himself of it the delight was shot down and turned into worry.

Minutes later they came upon the edge of the forest. Looking down the hills at Ponyville he was surprised to find that Ponyville looked absolutely fine. All was calm over the town and he could see many multicolored dots moving throughout. The trees and grass beautifully swayed with the wind and the birds all around sung. Just like when he entered it the first time. All seemed normal. What is this? The calm before the storm? Or was what we saw in the woods all a dream of some kind? He looked back at Applejack wondering if she was thinking the same thing. That look of worry still gleamed in her eyes leaving Moonshy a tad bit puzzled.

“Err… what’s wrong Applejack?”

“It’s just… Chrysalis said she was going to destroy my friends. And yet, there is no sign of her anywhere. It just seems a right bit suspicious if you ask me. I’d better go take a look.” She began to run down the hill.

Suspicious… maybe, but if what Chrysalis said was true… why wouldn’t she strike now. What’s she waiting for? More importantly… why would Applejack look inside the town itself? She’s got to have a reason. Moonshy flapped his wings and rose up into the air, getting ready to fly down after her.

“No Moonshy!” Applejack demanded, stopping Moonshy in his flight.

“Wait- Why not?” he asked nervously.

“Look feller, it’s great that you want to help and all, but because Queen Chrysalis is looking for you… I don’t think it’d be best if you entered town.” Moonshy was about to protest. “No no, don’t take me the wrong way. It’s more to protect you and everypony else. I have no clue what Chrysalis wants YOU for but if my past experiences with her have taught me anything, it’s that if she gets what she wants, it’ll mean big trouble for both you AND the rest of us.”

“She’s not in the town though.”

“Actually… she just might be. Aside from being creepy and completely off the loop, Chrysalis is very clever. She will not be seen as herself if she doesn’t want to be… and she’s good at fooling everypony into thinking she’s somepony she’s not. The very first time I meet her, I didn’t realize what she was. She looked, acted, and spoke like Princess Cadence. Twilight was the only one in our group that suspected anything and I nearly betrayed her because of it.”

Moonshy plopped himself down out of disappointment. He really did want to help… but Applejack made a good point. If a creature such as Chrysalis wanted him for something, that something must be important. He guessed practically giving it to her would be a mistake so he heeded the earth pony’s advice and slumped off.

“Moonshy.” Applejacks voice spoke once again as he turned away. “Thanks for helping me out back there. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you didn’t show up.”

“Your welcome, Applejack.” Moonshy didn’t turn back; he just said that as he sulked back off into the forest.

Celestia’s gleaming summer sun began to sink below the western horizon and the blue of the sky gave way to the beautiful reds pinks and purples of the twilight hours. The clouds like brilliantly blended blotches of blue purple and pink paint on natures canvas of freedom. Luna’s moon just breached horizon’s shackles and rose up as a magnificent waning gibbous giving Moonshy his usual inspiration. When the feeling percolated through his soul though… he pushed it back, something very unlike him. He was too worried, for the looming threat of Chrysalis and her thousands of minions stressed him beyond relief. He couldn’t relax, not even if he wanted to. A minor battle of emotions went on through his head that went a tad bit less than noticed, for he was thinking too much about various things. The usual feeling of tranquility he felt around this time of day seemed to forsake him, as he simply couldn’t stop looking over his shoulder; leaving him paranoid, jumpy and distressed.

The ground suddenly declined beneath his hooves, shocking him out of deep thought. He beated his wings and lifted himself off the ground so that he could get a better look of what was going on. There was a hollow, the canopy above it thinner than normal. In the center lied an odd looking tree. The base of its trunk was conspicuously fatter than the top. Two oval shaped windows, along with some third-world looking masks decorated the front. The four main branches which held up the heavy looking leaves were decorated with bottles and baubles of various shapes and colors, tied on with some brown outdoorsy strips of leather. One more feature made this abnormal tree suspicious… it had a doorway, filled in with a well maintained, tangerine colored, wooden door. The dimming lights, foreign aromas, and eerie green tinting around the rest of the area however made this place a bit creepier than it needed to be. Moonshy landed with a bit of caution and slowly drew nearer. He had no intention of going into the place, but he knew that staying near an artificial dwelling would be safer than resting out in the wilds. Dangerous creatures typically steer clear of ‘civilization’. (That’s a generous word for one hut in the middle of the woods…) Of course… that could all depend on who lives here.

Just for sake of curiosity, Moonshy did take a look at what was inside. He saw nothing but a dim fire set under a boiling cauldron of some mysterious liquid as well as more third-world masks. Who even lives here? He wondered. Why do they have such a creepy taste in décor? What is even brewing inside that cauldron? Weather out of coincidence or straight up suspicion, Moonshy’s mind settled on a disturbing thought. Back when he was an even younger foal than when he left Cloudsdale, he heard stories of zebra witches who brewed potions and cooked young pony’s up into stew using large cauldrons like the one inside. He jumped back, trying not to make much noise, and began to panic mentally. Oh no, What if she saw me!? Oh jeez, if she did, trying to run wouldn’t help, shed just catch me when I least expect it. Wait a minute! I can fly! Idiot… I’m almost certain zebra’s can’t fly. Wait… wouldn’t a witch just make my wings disappear with a hex or something? Oh, what to do, what to do!” He smacked his nose onto the ground to distract himself briefly, long enough to think rationally and calm down. Settle down you twit! Those were just old pony tales. You have seen on multiple occasions that those are just biased opinions presented by simple minded yet imaginative ponies back in the old days. Don’t jump to conclusions simply because of things you heard in the past, think for yourself. Whoever lives here could be just as kind as Fluttershy was, and let you stay… if not, you’ve slept outside before. With Fluttershy’s image popping back into his head, the feeling of worry he thought he suppressed (briefly) came back. Images of Ponyville’s destruction entered and left his mind incoherently. They may not have been linked together, but that didn’t stop those brief flashes from terrifying him. No! He thought as the impulse to run off and help Ponyville tensed his muscles. Going there could kill everypony!

The moon’s silvery light shown through the leaves dotting the ground with pale bluish spots as the sun’s light vanished under the horizon. The beautiful twinkularis made therein seemed to push the eeriness of the hollow back. The inspiration of Luna’s beautiful night broke free of the dungeon worry put it in. It now made a final push in the battle of emotions… and it was nearing victory.

“Worry not, young Moonshy. Everything is under the control of harmony… for now at least.” He could hear Luna’s voice inside his head. A bit unusual no doubt, but that didn’t stop her soft words from pacifying his weariness and alleviating his soul.

“Hang on… for now?” The worry gave one last hurrah in a desperate attempt to hold control of his mind.

“The future is always uncertain, even to the wisest of us. Nothing changes that, weather it’d be peace or war time, the future always holds surprises. It is normal, and healthy to worry about it, so long as you don’t let it interfere with the now. Do what you love Moonshy, and you’ll find that everything will be just fine. Remember my words, for now I must attend to somepony else.” Princess Luna’s voice trailed off into the fade and he could feel her presence leave him… but not her essence. Inspiration finally won. It reclaimed his mind and snatched its long denied birthright. He looked up at the blazing white gibbous which outshined all the amazing stars in Equestria. He smiled, content taking refuge in his fortress of creativity, and then heeded Luna’s advice.

On Gibbous moons, Moonshy always loved to paint portraits. They were concrete, making them easy to understand, but always had a deeper meaning behind them. Sort of like the gibbous moon, most of it is obvious and easy to see, but it hides a fraction of its form, giving it an air of mystery. Tonight, he decided to paint a pony he had met hardly a day ago, Fluttershy. He didn’t know why, after all, he would have remembered Luna more vividly than her. (Simply because he saw her much more recently than Fluttershy) Something in him just decided it. His first guess would have been his love, but that wasn’t quite it, he felt compelled to do it more than anything. He did want to paint her however, so he did. The painting was shaping up nicely, Fluttershy lied on the ground between two trees. The light of the sun hit her perfectly as doves and other critters flocked around her. She was facing her head up, eyes closed and with a cute little smile on her face. She was at peace. The luscious green grass amplified both her hidden and pronounced beauty, giving the picture itself three times the aesthetic charisma it already had. He was almost done, all he needed to do now was paint down the tip of her elegant tail.

“What a lovely piece, worth more than a dime. Tell me why you did it, If you’ve got the time.” A deep feminine voice sounded just behind him, oozing more mystery than it did comfort. Moonshy’s body paled, getting ready for a potential threat. When he turned around to look at his speaker, he nearly jumped out of his skin. There was a zebra woman, a striped mohawk for a mane and black stripes moved out from beneath the golden rings that surrounded her neck. Her intense hawk-like eyes were filled with irises of a sort of dull blue. Massive golden earrings clung to her ears and her oddly cut tail waved through the breeze like a banner.

“Err uh… yes, it is nice, isn’t it?” He said, looking for the quickest escape route out of the hallow.

“What an odd response, I have already made that accusation. Why do you avoid answering my question?”

“Uh… I kind of jus- wanted to, I guess.” Good thing I can understand rhymes.

“But a piece full of such emotion, the reason has to be more than just one simple notion.”

This Zebra was asking an uncomfortable amount of questions. What was it about his reason that intrigued her so? He didn’t really know exactly why he wanted to paint Fluttershy, he just did. All he knew was that he put as much feeling into it as he possibly could, for that was what made a painting like this stand out above the others.

Just answer her question, and maybe she won’t curse you, DANGIT BRAIN! Stop that! “Well, I- I told you already, I just want to… is that not a good enough reason?”

“Well, I guess it is, for one that’s artistic, but why Fluttershy in specific?”

Moonshy’s heart nearly jumped out of his chest. How did she know about Fluttershy? Did she really… no, she couldn’t have. No, no, this Zebra probably just met her at one point in time. She couldn’t have cooked her up in a stew between yesterday and tonight. …Why do you keep thinking that way? You are such a ninny. “… Um… well,” Moonshy blushed a little bit. The true answer was that he didn’t know exactly why, but he thought of one other reason. “Between you and me, I do kind of, sort of, have a little crush on her.”

The Zebra gave a cheeky little smirk which seemed to say ‘Oh, is that so?’ Making Moonshy blush a little bit more. That quickly went away though when he noticed a wicked and hungry glint in her eyes.

“Anyways… I would like to finish this… I- if you don’t mind.” He turned around readying his hind leg and wing muscles to buck and flee. His senses heightened as he listened for the next bit of inevitable danger. He picked up his paint brush and finished off the tail tip hastily.

Hisssss-aghhhhh! An insectoid hiss, the one he heard thrice before, sounded behind him. This… wasn’t the danger he was anticipating, but danger’s danger, and it needed to be avoided. He bucked, bashing what he thought to be the zebra in the face. The creature screeched and staggered back. Moonshy spun around to find that the zebra was no longer a zebra. Its skin, or rather, carapace, was black. Holes took place of flesh, like Swiss cheese, and it’s hateful eyes glowed an eerie teal color. It was… the same creature he met in the woods last night. It cried out a battle screech and reared back on him. He smacked it in the face once again and rose into the air. It made a chittering noise as it shook its head and then did the same, it’s insectoid wings buzzing like a cicada bug’s.

Almost there! Almost past the tree line! I just need to get there and then I’ll be home free! BANG!  Moonshy felt his right wing snap, the prominent, piercing, bashing pain reverberating throughout that side of his body. He let out an agonizing scream as he fell back to the surface, breaking the earth beneath him, blacking out temporarily as the wind escaped his lungs. When the blackness faded away he found himself staring up at the creature’s horrific fanged face. It laughed at him tauntingly before it opened up its mouth and began to inhale. Moonshy's body and mind grew numb as he felt some sort of energy leave his soul. His life, as he knew it, was over, there was no hope.