Author's Note

First actual chapter of the revamp of the story, I didn't feel the other two chapters needed that drastic of a change, but its a start.....and yes I know I am not a very good writer, but it just felt right to try writing again now that my life isn't being insanely stupid or chaotic.....

Well this didnt goto plan....

~Within a Forgotten City~

Looking around himself he found he was at a loss, as two layers of memories swirled within his mind's eye. On one hand he remembered the timeline as it had been, but on the other he now realized something had changed the timeline and thus changed where he now found himself. Ebony slowly scratched under his chin in ponderance as he mused to himself and examined more closely the energies flowing throughout his body. He made a mental notation of how a lot of his strongest powers had a seal placed on them, while ten abilities he possessed had been minorly augmented. So, he stood pondering just what he could do with device mimicry, card magic, book teleportation, conceptual anchoring, tranquil combat, human disguise, gene-splicing, meta-learning, corrode, and sealing infusion. Seeing as some higher power had decided to tweak his existence to amplify these 10 abilities while sealing another 40, he figured he most likely didn't do it on a whim while also pondering how those abilities can be combined with one another. Deciding that standing around looking like an idiot wasn't going to get anything done he takes stock of his current location, finding it to be what appeared a museum exhibit in an abandoned museum...his creations and lab equipment missing, left with nothing but the stuff he had directly been wearing before entering the petrificational stasis. He sighs tilting his head to one side before uttering," Well now, doesn't this just blow a wet monkey....at least the stasis kept me intact but now I have to wonder how much of my stuff is scattered across the multiverse due to time being changed while in stasis. And if it's worth it to retrieve the lost items or merely leave them to be found by other dimensional beings...."

In the distance the sound of hammering can be heard drawing Ebony to look out one of the windows of the former museum and observing in the distance what appeared to be a unicorn nailing with magic a sign to a black tree that's in the middle of a swamp seemingly composed of dumped magical wastes. Searching his memories, he identifies the unicorn as one named Starswirl the bearded and realizes that he is witnessing the incident that released the sealed changelings into the world. Calmly observing the unicorn wander off, he focuses and erects a telekinetic bubble barrier around the free to keep the changelings in the rough area until he could interact with them, grimacing as what felt like a dozen bug bites in his mind as the changelings en mass erupted from the tree and slammed into his erected barrier.

Deciding he might as well use the human disguise since it had been a very long time since he had last accessed it, his form first shifted until he was 7'2" tall. A step down from his usual height but tall enough to meet and greet full ground alicorns if need be, eye to eye. Next, he shortened his ankle length hair to merely be down to the middle of his backside and tied it up into a ponytail, his six arms merging into merely two, the muscles merely looking bulkier then normal. His normally bluish black skin turning a pale white and his eyes nine merging into two eyes, the main nonhuman thing about his eyes being they had double pupil in each eye, making it resemble an infinity symbol. The eyes each resembled mini rainbows with the spectrum of colors that were revealed as the light shone upon them, his normally pointed ears shortening to look human and his wings melding into his backside looking like realistic tattoos. The final change was within his mouth, his lamprey like teeth reshaping to take on a more normal omnivorous pair of dentures. His normal black spiked body army changing with his form shift to turn into a black suit and tie, his metallic boots turning into black leather like cowboy boots, and his mask shimmering and changing into a pair of black shades. His cloak and robes merging to form a billowier cloak from the combined mass and his cowl melds into a cloak collar, the needles he keeps in his hair remaining unchanged.

Stretching and popping his quasi joints he mentally adjusts to the new form, preforming a few mouth exercises to both get used to the new dental setup as well as renew his familiarity with using his mouth after being stoned for so long. Stepping from the entrance to the abandoned museum he tilts his head to one side as he looks at the barrier containing the changelings, noting most had ceased striking the barrier other than their queen who was rather relentless, most having seem to have tired themselves beyond the initial adrenaline-fueled attempt at being free. Focusing his mind upon the barrier he feeds a portion of concentrated love into the barriers lining so those within would slowly be fed and hopefully begin relying less on their most primal of urges to seek food which seemed tobe the only thing driving them at the moment. Recalling the time that no longer one brings a frown to his face, recalling a version of this chrysalis who had lived a better cake loving life, before resolving his mind and looking into the changeling queen's eyes directly. "I don't know if you can fully understand or comprehend my words, but I am not your enemy and seek only to give you a better potential future. Whether you accept my offer is up to you, it matters not in the long run that is my lifetime, but that doesn't mean I will try less to help you little ones...."

Stretching again he sits down in place cross-leggedly while continuing to stare intently into the eyes of Chrysalis before he resumes speaking," Your being here I would assume has todo with Discord, judging by the taint of chaos magic that was permeating that tree and most likely slowly corrupting you over time, making you into a more perfect toy for his amusement. Before you rest many roads, some good, some bad, and some I wouldn't wish on my worst enemies. Ironically had this been another time, in another land, I might have added to your misfortune as my mine was often clouded by chaos that would make noodle boy cry with euphoric joy. But I have long been purged of my madness thanks mostly in part to a strong infusion of harmonic energies this realm gives off."

"Why....why help us?". Chrysalis rasped from a dried throat, her eyes flickering between dilated and non-dilation, showing her slipping from ferality to lucidity as the love energy slowly brought her mind back from the edge and into sanity. "Why help us when you can just look the other way and let us go be lost to the madness you speak of...."

"Because, I once knew a cake loving changeling in another time, in another place, a time that no longer is, but that might in some way be one day reflected again. You and she had a lot in common, the main difference being Discords interference wasn't involved and a good support system of family and friends. In some worlds your path leads to one of love between yourself and an alicorn of love as well as her husband tobe....in other worlds you die an ignoble death by the hands of others or frozen alone as the last changeling in a cave to the northern lands. And while you finding happiness would be a joyful thing, I personally would prefer the darker paths just because of the one you remind me of. Sometimes a little effort is worth it, if it means many lives will enjoy a better future......"

"Strange....Delusional.... Oddity....", by this point Chrysalis had stopped pounding on the barrier and had laid down in what many call a pony loaf position, her eyelids heavy and barely open," I cannot stop you from doing what you wish it seems but hear my words.... if you harm my people i will find a way to kill you...."

Smiling to himself he extends his senses, making not of how each changeling was fully topped up on emotional food before lowering the barrier and taking the changeling queen up in his arms gently. The other changelings he gently enshrouds in his telekinetic grip lifting him to carry alongside him as he makes his way back into the ruins of a museum. "Harm is the last intention from my mind, but I understand the sentiment behind your words. Afterall sometimes the greatest harm is caused by those seeking to help others. As for killing me, many have tried, many have failed, and I have the structures built from my enemies as a testament to how hard I am to kill. All I want is your kind to recover and rest for now, what happens in the future remains tobe seen and mayhap will be brighter with us working together."

"Delusional....", Speaking one last comment Chrysalis succumbs to the call of the sandman having fully become exhausted, her breathing leveling out and all tension leaving her body as she's carried gently.

Nodding to himself, he focuses his mind as he looks around the abandoned museum, using geomancy to strengthen and repair the stone walls of the building while telekinetically gathering any good quality cloth around himself. He then uses his telekinetics to draw to himself any non-organic matter around himself to break down using corrode, reducing the matter to dust and tossing said dust into a corner to deal with later. Most of the floor of the museum now being cleared of old debris, he then applies a touch of cytokinetics to loosen the bonds of the grime that had formed over time, sweeping it mentally into the same corner as the dust. Telekinetically using a needle from his hair and some thread from one of his cloaks pouches he begins to sew the cloth materials he had gathered into a large soft comforter to before placing the changelings onto it, his own form sitting down in place as he rests the changeling queen on his own lap like a giant lap cat. Musing to himself he applies a little druidic attunement to connect with the wooden supports of the building and its doorframe, as well as the trees outside. Watching as the supports of the building took on a more treelike look and the door began to look more naturalized, he smiles to himself, the holes in the roof being covered over as the trees around the building were urged to grow and cover the gaps around the building, creating a natural camouflage.

Petting the changeling queen in his lap with one hand, he ponders to himself while using the other hand to direct the druidic energies flowing through the treelike supports, willowy branches emerging to add an almost Celtic look to the walls and ceiling. He had always been fond of those aesthetics when he lived in the lands of Goldenmyst, Goldenhorn, and Kavanagh long long ago. Sometimes he was thankful for his spacial anchoring which allowed him to keep a thin connection to those other lands, thus allowing travel between worlds without being lost, while also keeping his mind unaffected by changes to the time stream. On one hand he knew what mistakes to not repeat while on the other it meant he might make all new ones, as each change he made created a new butterfly effect. Closing his eyes to meditate the future potential of this land and time he found himself in, he patiently let his spell weavings play out in the background while leisurely petting the resting changeling queen.