Towards The Horizon

Dear Diary,

I don't know what the date is, but I do know it is a Tuesday.

I found this book on the floor in one of the barrows today. I don't know if its one of the other changelings, but the pages were blank so I made my chance and decided to take it. I'm writing with a piece of charcoal that I found in my dad's room; I hope he doesn't find out, same goes with my mother. What I'm writing in here is what I'm finding out from all the other changelings. Like old Daz said, there is an entire land where a Changeling could transform into anyone. Being able to get close to them and suck out their emotions without them ever knowing, unless you were an idiot. He is an old coot, but I listened to him more than my mother and father. There were times I would sneak out just to listen to his stories. Like the time how the Changelings had to go into hiding from a disaster years ago, where the still living current Queen tried to take over the Canterlot castle. Or the time where the Queen and Princess Celestia nearly fought to the bitter end for the superiority of both races. Those stories always interested me as if I was hypnotized from the fascinating adventures everyone has in their lifetime. I even asked my dad to see if he had anything interesting he could share with me, but he just ignored me or tried to change the subject quickly. My mother was an acceptation; she would always tell me about the outside world away from the hive. She would bring something different home like fruit called an apple. I didn't know of the various food substances that were out there. Something was off when I took a chomp out of it, the taste was sweet and juicy, but I didn't feel any change in my hunger. I could never feel satisfied like something was missing. I sighed every time I ate one. It's like I was missing that very essence of enjoyment. The history of the hive was lost somehow, it was like they just vanished into thin air, when I went to the library within the hive. The books never showed anything to do with the outside apart from survival tips or the new Daring Do book that somehow gets put on the shelf every month. Everything seems boring in the hive. I have never set foot outside for all the years I've been alive, which is 16 years, according to my mother. My dad, however, says I'm 15 and a half, but I don't know why. My dream is to-!

"Trike, you awake dear?" I heard my mother's sweet melodious voice, making me turn my head towards my rooms entrance in shock. Trying to hide the book within my four hooves.

"I'll be right with you," I shouted back getting their attention.

I'm just a teenager, as everyone puts it, a changeling teenager that only has a path within the hive to serve my Queen. I'm obedient and curious as my mom would say. The day, I think, could go the way I wanted or it could turn into another day burrowing for the entire hive again. My appearance is a little different from any other changeling, well apart from being black in colour. I have a mane that covers my eyes; that goes down my neck like spiked scales. My eyes weren't arctic blue; they were a dull grass green while my iris was clearly visible with a midnight blue color and dark green pupils. My horn was smaller from the others where it would just stick out from my front mane. My tail was the awkward part, it's exactly like my mothers somehow, it was a rather long and bushy that was different than every changeling I have ever known. I'm just a regular young changeling colt that wants to achieve my dream someday.

I walked through the barrows path to our dining area to see my mother by a set of plain wooden table and chairs with a grocery bag placed on top. My mom didn't look like a changeling, well you could say she wasn't but she is now. My mother had a dark orange mane that tilted to one side while the other curved around to the larger side and her tail was the same as mine, but orange. Her eyes were that of a dragon of some sort, a green eye with an emerald green iris and pupil. One day I asked her why was she different than the others, but all she said was "I did it to be with your father." I never understood what she meant by that, but I knew one day I would figure it out.

"I brought your favorite." she said in an excited manner "A nice warm apple pie."

My eyes widened with a smile on my face at the sight of the steamy apple pie that was now sitting on the table. I soon realized in all the times I could think, but I never noticed. Where did she get the apples, pies, cakes and flowers? She had to leave the hive to get them because there wouldn't be anyone here that would even think of going near them.

"So where's dad?" I asked as I sat in the chair watching my mother use a knife with her hoof cutting it.

"Your dad's guarding the Queen today, but I think he's going to need more resolve if he's going to be patrolling the barrows." My mum said with a smile on her face slowly cutting the pie.

I chuckled at my mums humor because I know my dad is like all the other changelings in looks,  but with a different personality than most. The day went on; I knew I had to see who needed my help within the hive, we all had a part to play. Even if it was cleaning up the toiletry all the way up to guarding the hive against any intruders. Even so I sighed because I was placed on making more holes within the hive to expand the empire. I didn't care about anything anymore apart from my parents and my dream. I have no friends since I look different, but I never told my parents about that because they would have talks with the other parents into making them friends with me. Break time came round in an instant as I burrowed with the others. The guard was telling us to go and sit down to talk while the other team of changelings took charge of the tunnels. Everyone went off in their groups while I proceeded on my own towards one of the armories right on the outskirts of the hive. No one ever goes there, so it was a perfect place for me to practice my changing ability. Maybe I would change myself into the others so they would see me as any other changeling, but as my appearance, I never could understand why I had a power that was different from them as well. I could change my appearance, yes, but I could only change my appearance into a some weird colored pony appearances. Bare in mind the changing ability works, only if we see them in a photo or person like what we did in the past for a brown pony picture. I had a gift to change my appearance to anything I wanted within reason.

I hid within the armory because it was a place where the blacksmiths put their unwanted helmets, breastplates and weapons. The room was rectangular where the equipment was placed on these mannequins while the armaments are in large wooden crates and containers at the back of the room. For a while, I practiced the shapeshifting into many different ponies for a good time waster. I was so happy at that moment when I could fully change my appearance into the other changelings knowing full well I could fit in as well. Something felt wrong after the change like I felt dizzy and ill while I wanted to throw up. I thought it was my body saying don't over do it. I didn't know what it meant, but I knew I felt happy, and that's all that mattered.

"Do you hear something?" The sound of a guard spooked me, making me change back to my original form.

I covered my mouth with my hoofs as I looked around to find a place to hide only knowing one place and that was behind the crates. I quickly flew over using my wings trying not to make any noise. I was hiding for the moment when I heard hoofsteps walk into the room. I peeked around the crate, only to see they were admiring the armour on one of the mannequins since they were guards I thought that would get their interest. I don't know how long I waited, but eventually they left the room, and I let out a deep sigh of relief. I never knew my heart could beat that quick in my entire life; it was worse when I had to go to that changeling teaching center right in the middle of the hive when I was young. The sight of a thousand changelings frightened me to the point of freezing up. I shook my head, trying to forget that memory. I spread my wings once more only to hear a gentle tap on the wall behind me. I turned round to see a curved wall panel in the color of the dirt barrier. I was curious, so I nudged the board for it only to fall to the floor making a thud sound. A sudden wind hit me with the scent of a something I never knew could be real. My curiosity got the best of me as I didn't hesitate one second to crawl out the hole that the panel revealed. I thought I crawled for an hour, but eventually I made it to the end. The exit was clearly visible by the light it emitted in the enclosed space. My eyes widened as I felt a cold breeze hit me as a poked my head out the hole to see the it was within a mountain above a forest. The view was so majestic with the rising sun on the horizon; I sat on the edge of the hole just admiring the view of something I never saw in my whole life. I could see other wildlife moving through the leaves of the forest and birds flying high in the sky. Again, I never listened to the part of me saying go back to the hive instead I went to investigate the new world open to me other than a room in a mountain.

I landed in the forest, away from the mountain hoping anyone didn't see me. I put my wings away and relaxed at the sight of the orange and red flowers on the carpeted green floor. I've only read them in the books in the library, but to see them in front of me was a change in my view of the place we live in. The trees are so high it covered the sky to a point where small pockets of sunlight could get through. The animals I could see were amazing in colour and shape, I could see squirrels, rabbits, a bear and many more. The strange thing was how they avoided me as I tried to get a good look at them like I was some monster to them. For all I know is that they are the monsters to me, so I am polite to them. No hesitation came over me to venture forwards towards a great unknown. I walked for a rather long time until I hit a long narrow dirt path with a crossroad splitting into three paths. One of the signs said Canterlot, which was the center, the left was a place called Ponyville, and the other was too blurred out to read with scratches and pieces missing from it. I stood there thinking to myself; I was already this far away from the hive, and I was in an entirely new place with new ponies and a new way of life to look forward to. I didn't notice the puddle that was by the sign I took a step back to see the continuous waves going over my reflection. The thought of another pushing me aside would hit me worse than the time I spent in the hive. I looked back up to notice a blurred out Silhouette, by the shape of them they were of pony origin. I quickly looked around me to see all the animals were cowering behind trees and bushes. I thought to myself "are they scared of me?" This thought made me look back at the reflection in the puddle once more with the fright of being shunned by them. It worried me for if they see me will they hate me, avoid me or just banish me from this new place. The look on my face turned to determination as I used my shapeshifting ability to turn myself into a light beige unicorn, my mane changed to a curved combed back and my tail was the same as I couldn't change it somehow so I was stuck with it. My eyes turned from dull green to white while my iris and pupil stayed the same for some reason. I nodded to myself in the reflection stepping through it to make my way to my first stop on my agenda. Because... It was my dream to have an adventure in a different land and find new ponies other than changelings. I don't know where this will lead me, but I can say this:

Adventuring that is my dream and I will see to it finished with all the memory's it will bring because that's the sort of changeling I am.