The Return of the Changelings

     Blackness, that was all Moonshy saw. Inky dark barren nothingness. He no longer felt his own breath, his own pulse, but oddly enough something did touch his nerves. A sense of shimmering wavy currents moving around him making his otherwise lifeless body float. It was like flying, except, there was no wind, no pleasurable strain on his wings, no air flowing through his feathers. It was like being in water, except he wasn’t wet, cold, or heavy. It was a pleasant and easygoing sensation, like when one drifts off to sleep. That peaceful, safe, non-worrying experience made him want to stay here forever. It’d be easy, all he had to do was keep his eyes shut and body still whilst the spiritual forces carry him off to wherever the current took them, like a breezy on its annual pilgrimage to a land of pure immunity.

Giving up on life so soon? The conscious in the back of his mind asked him. Giving up on life… what do you mean giving up on… oh sweet Celestia! The peaceful ride began to fade as he felt himself float gently down. Images of places entered his mind. He didn’t quite remember what they were at first but as his steady dissention transitioned into a hastily drop, names became apparent. Details grew out of the haze and emotions flooded his mind once more. His drop turned into a faster-than-possible plummet once emotions and thoughts became linked with the places and… ponies he saw in his mind. Senses returned to his broken body, he was cold, sore, and lying upon the hard grassless ground. Roots dug into his back while pebbles and rocks pinched his legs. Once he had full awareness of everything again he opened his eyes to see the lighting of dawn. He looked around for a minute, gathering his scattered thoughts from the realm of shock.

Attempting to lift himself up he cried out with great agony, for his broken wing felt like it tweaked many nerves with sensitivities locked on the highest possible setting. He let himself flop back down, careful not to let his wing hold his weight. Oh sweet night of Luna… why must life treat me like this? Many thoughts went through his head regarding the injury. Depression flooded his being once he realized… injuries like this tend to change a ponies life, for better or for worse… Moonshy couldn’t see how this could make things better. Oh no! Surely it couldn’t be that bad…. Could it? He thought to himself before he looked over at his injured wing.

The area around the injury was swollen to thrice its normal size. His dark blue hide now tainted with an infectious red. His feathers grotesquely disorganized in unhealthy patterns. It was almost too much for him to handle… thank the four princesses for his experiences with animal carcasses torn asunder in years past. Okay… don’t panic, it may look bad, but the real injury probably isn’t as much so. Feel it! As he carefully twisted his body so that his two front hooves could get a better grasp on it the swell gave way and only a slight pain throbbed. Good, that means I’m performing my first aid correctly. He could feel a distinct separation between two of his bones and when he moved his hooves… both bones moved in unnaturally concerning ways.

Or… maybe it can be that bad. He fought off the impulse to cry, as he realized the possibility that… he might not be able to experience the freedom of flight ever again.

Wait... that’s only if you don’t get it properly treated! Dang it Moonshy, be realistic! You know first aid you twit! His mind once again became battlefield of thoughts.

I only know BASIC first aid! Fixing bones clearly split in two… I can’t do that!

Yes… but you can wrap it and hold it in place; that way the injury won’t get worse, giving you time to get to a hospital.

But that would require me getting… up. The pain he felt when he first tried to get up reentered his form indirectly, like the after-tremor of an earthquake.

“You’re Just going to have to suck it up Moonshy.” He answered himself out loud. “Oh… please don’t be too torturous.” He lifted himself once again… shouting at the top of his lungs seemed to help. He let out one final grunt as the wing hit the ground limply. He was up and on his hooves now, good. Now he could apply the delicate procedure to his broken wing.

Using his left hoof, he steadily lifted his wing. Stopping and redirecting his movement every time the most minor twinge of pain rippled through its structure. Once it was properly aligned he pulled out a roll of ace bandage from his saddle bag and began to wrap it. Once he was done, he attached a sling to it and let it rest at his side. There, that’ll have to do… for now. Now let’s get out of this sun forsaken place! I believe the way out is… that way.

Moonshy turned around and nearly bumped into his canvas. It stood, untouched by everything that happened last night. He was pleasantly surprised at this. Fluttershy’s almost flawless image immortalized with multicolored liquids atop white fabric stretched across a wooden frame. The brush strokes flowed in elegant ripples with her interpreted form. It seemed peaceful, yes that was its purpose but still. It was a bit puzzling, after the chaos of last night, how could something such the opposite survive untainted? He felt a bit guilty, for he realized that he almost left it in his fleeting attempt. Why he did, he couldn’t really say. After all, it’s merely an inanimate object. Moonshy sighed remorsefully and fitted it back into his saddle bag along with the stand.

The throbbing in his right wing proved itself to be a major annoyance. After every cluster of steps he had to stop briefly to wince and groan a bit. The sling and way he had to hold his torso made his usually fluent and sure-hoofed movement awkward and clumpy. Good thing I’m at the edge of the forest, otherwise I’d be timber wolf food by now. They always go after the weak. His travel speed was reduced substantially in his attempts to make things less painful for himself so he spent more time traveling out of the forest than he felt he needed to.

The extra time spent traveling gave his mind the chance to reflect on what had happened. Something bothered him, if the creatures he’s encountered feed off of love and turn you into a zombie-minded puppet… why wasn’t he one? That creature definitely fed off of something last night…after all, his soul nearly left his mortal coil. It was like… he was protected somehow, but by what he didn’t know.

Once he crested the rise he looked down and Ponyville to see, that it was still alright… What? Surely Chrysalis would have attacked this place by now. Twilight’s purple castle still gleamed in the morning sun and the busy streets below still swam with the multicolored dots that were the ponies.

Wait Moonshy! What about what Applejack said! “Because Queen Chrysalis is looking for you… I don’t think it’d be best if you entered town.” He stopped and stood there for a while, juggling a decision around in his mind. Enter town and run the risk of Chrysalis finding him… or find a different town and run the risk of his injury getting worse... and being hunted down by a pack of timber wolves, with no means of escape.

There’s a hospital here, it’d be stupid not to seek help right away.

Yes, but it would also be stupid to endanger your friends, don’t be selfish!

Selfish… I‘m no help to anypony dead!

Yes… but your no help to them here either, they’ll be fine, Applejack is back with her friends now, Ponyville is safe.

That was a good point… Applejack is back with her friends, her element of harmony with theirs. That means the town is safe now right? He would’ve fallowed that side of his conscious if not for his next thought.

The creatures under chrysalis’s control… they can change form… and they seem able to gain the memories of the hosts they impersonate. That means they can feed of love discretely, and walk among the ponies their hosts interact with without raising suspicion. For a queen… what is the best host to take the form of? A leader… that means… Oh goodness… PRINCESS TWILIGHT! If she’s taken the form of her… that means the entirety of Ponyville could be getting fed off of unwittingly! That’s not good, that’s not good at all.

And what do you expect to do about it?

Chrysalis has been looking for me sense the start, I’m the only way she’s going to reveal her true self to everypony else.

Your not saying-?

I am. I have to draw her out.

That’s mad! Every single one of those creatures from here to Canterlot will be on you first!

Not if I move through town discretely. There are back alleyways after all. That little bit of cover for a time is all I’ll need to get close to Chrysalis.

Let’s say you succeed, you get close to Chrysalis and she comes out. What then? She will take your love from you and then what?

Or she might not. Moonshy thought to himself as he remembered an important detail. The creature last night, did the same thing all creatures like Chrysalis do. It attempted to suck out all his yearning for Flutter… but it didn’t succeed. Something protected him. Perhaps, the same protection will come through with Chrysalis.

Well, then she’s just going to kill you!

Moonshy’s mind went blank for a moment. Dread filling his soul, drenching every bit of joy he had stored in sorrowful rain. Sadness, fear, regret; all of it nearly forced him to turn the other way. But then something stomped it out, No he knew exactly what it was, he just never thought himself to have it before. It was pure, unadulterated, courage, plane as the clearest day possible.

The future is always uncertain, even to the wisest of us. He found himself quoting Luna All I know is, that if I draw Chrysalis out, everypony will see her for what she is… and then she’ll have to flee once more, giving everypony the time needed to build up their defenses for the next assault. As for me dyeing… That is a risk I am willing to take.