It was mostly quiet on the way back to Ponyville, something that had ended up making both Stardust and Blue Moon very tense. Each of them trying to figure out something to talk about, never having ended up in a situation like this. It was weirder Stardust, of course, having no memories little knowledge of current Equestria, and no idea how love worked in the first place. That being said, Blue Moon was just trying to keep things normal, because he had honestly no idea how he was in love with her to begin with.

It’s like Apple Bloom Said He thought, trying to keep his cool. She’s the sister of Princess Luna and Princess Celestia who had been sleeping for who knows how long. Just remember that there is no way you can make this worse than it already is.

“So you’re the sister of Princess Luna and Celestia?” Blue Moon said accidentally

Stardust stopped at looked at Blue Moon with a shocked expression. He knew, somehow he knew. Didn’t Luna say that most ponies don’t remember the story? Out of all the things she expected, that was differently not one of them. Of course she also had no idea how much Blue Moon was screaming inside his head at that moment.

“How did you know?” Stardust asked, only to cause a bigger mess in Blue Moons mind.

“I…,” He tried to say, not exactly sure how to respond. “Read it in a book that Princess Twilight gave me… Then almost got hit by a ladder,”

He heard her laugh as he recounted his experience with his effect that day. If he hadn’t moved a hoof, he would have been pancaked between a ladder and the very book he had just taken out. Looking back, he also had to admit it was a little funny. Library book that is really rare equals almost getting hit by a ladder, who knew.

“Well you’re right,” Stardust answered to Blue Moons earlier question. “I couldn’t believe it at the time, and even after living a week in the castle it’s hard to grab ahold of,”

“Wait,” Blue Moon said, reading between her words, “Are you telling me you have amnesia?”

“Not exactly,” Stardust admitted, putting a small frown on her face from the memory “I was asleep for so long my old memories got replaced by events in my dreams. Until a week ago I thought I was a pony who had lost their family and live on the streets of Canterlot,” She smiled and turned to ask Blue Moon her own question. “You have no idea what to really talk about do you?”

Blue Moon nodded. “Honestly I had no idea I was blushing at you earlier until Apple Bloom pointed it out to me,”

“Same,” Blue Moon looked at Stardust as she admitted to why she had asked him. “When I went to go sit down with Dandelion, I felt a little weird as I walked past you. Dandelion told me it was love and that I should ask you to walk to Ponyville with me, see how it works out,”

Blue Moon got curious at the mention of this. He had never really taken Dandelion as the type of pony who would know about love. Considering her habits of running off randomly, it seemed kind of strange to learn something like this about her all the sudden. He stopped walking as he heard a branch break in one of the nearby bushes

He tilted his head as he thought to himself I wonder

“Something wrong?” Stardust asked, having seen Blue Moon stop in his tracks.

“Stardust,” Blue Moon said, “Do you know what a Changeling is?”

“No,” Stardust answered, confused at why he was asking. It wasn't something she had heard in class. “Why are you asking?”

Blue Moon smiled as he crouched down like a cat “Because you’re about to find out,”

Without another word, Blue Moon leaped forward into one of the nearby bushes. Stardust watched for a second before hearing a yelp come from where Blue Moon had jumped to. Rushing forward, she parted the brush to see exactly what it was. Right there, was Blue Moon holding onto the mane of Dandelion. She looked in shock, not understanding what was going on.

“What the heck are you doing?” Stardust asked completely baffled by Blue Moons actions.

“Showing you what a Changeling is,” Blue Moon responded, tugging on Dandelions mane to make sure he heard a firm grip.

Stardust looked at the current situation. From her point of view, Blue Moon had just tackled an innocent unicorn, claiming that they were something else. As far as she could tell, the one who was doing wrong here is Blue Moon. From Blue Moons perspective, she was showing Stardust exactly what was going on, but was being misunderstood.

“Can one of you please just explain to me what is going on right now,” Stardust yelled in confusion.

“You heard the princess,” Blue Moon said, happy with his work. “Fess up,”

“Blue Moon, I was dericting that more towards yo-”

“It’s okay Stardust,” Dandelion said, interrupting her friends words. “Blue here's right, I got a lot I need to explain,”

Before Stardust could asked Dandelion anything, she was engulfed in a green flame. Stardust watched in fear, feeling the same kind of confusion she had when she first learned about her dream memories. When the flames died down, Stardust looked to see something that wasn't a pegasus, or very much a full on pony. Sitting their was a black creature with a horn and wings, yet they were different. It was as if they were made out of completely different material then the rest of her body, having the same silky blue color and look to it as the mane and tail. It didn't take long for Stardust to realize who it was.

“Dandelion?” She asked, as the creature she assumed was her friend turned away in shame.

“Yes,” It said, answering Stardust’s question. “This is what I really am Stardust, a changeling. An insect that feeds off the love of ponies like you and Blue Moon here. Sorry about this,”

Stardust just stood there, somewhere between confusion and shock in terms of emotions. Why did she say the word insect like it was something to be angry about? Why had Dandelion kept this from her? Was it really something that she really did not want anyone to know? She had so many questions, and an even bigger loss of words.

“Since Stardust is stuck in space,” Blue Moon said, still a bit hurt at Dandelion’s stalking. “I guess I’ll have to ask. What is it the Queen Chrysalis wants here in Ponyville?”

This seemed to tick Dandelion rather off. It was mostly the name Blue Moon had mentioned. Chrysalis, just hearing it made her blood boil, and her tone of voice changed significantly.

“I have nothing to do with that stupid Queen thank you very much,” Dandelion said in rage at Blue Moons question. “I'm exiled. I didn't do something she ordered because I didn't want to hurt princess Twilight and I got exiled because of it. As far as I care, Chrysalis can go ahead and burn in Tartarus, anything to teach her a lesson,”

“Whose Chrysalis?” Stardust asked, finally able to recover from her shock.

“The leader of the Changelings,” Blue Moon summed up. “Let's just say they aren't on good terms with the rest of Equestria. One year ago she tried to kill Twilight to get back at her and the princess for stop an invasion she tried five years ago. To say the least, Changeling aren't trusted around here,”

“They would have succeeded to,” Dandelion said, trying to clear things about for her yet again. “If I hadn't sold them out to Twilight before it happened,”

One year ago
Ponyville castle

“Why are you telling me this?” Twilight asked to the odd changeling in front of her. “Isn't Changeling loyalty completely acceptant of its ruler,”

“I’m not most Changelings,” The Changeling said. “I was suppose to kill you myself but didn't think that revenge would be the right coarse of action. Most Changeling act like mindless slaves, but I woke up after seeing the events at the Canterlot wedding four years ago. I realized exactly what she was having us do. I guess you could say I went rogue,”

Twilight didn't have to question it. She could tell that the Changeling, no matter how weird it felt to her, was telling the truth. It was something she had never seen out of Changeling, or at least all that often. She knew that sending the Changeling away without a home, as she had been told it doesn't have one, wouldn't be right. In this case there was only one possible gift she could give the Changeling.

“Thank you,” Twilight said, happy to have the information she was given. “How would you like to have a home here in Ponyville, since you don't have one that is?”

The Changelings mouth feel open, not knowing exactly what to say. A home? Here in Ponyville? She was getting the dream that Chrysalis wanted so badly by defying her, she was being accepted. Nothing could have made her happier, an emotion that most Changeling never understood.

“Really!” She asked, getting a nod from Twilight in response. Excited she started jumping for joy. “Yes, oh yes. That would be great, not having to worry about where to go and stay. To be able to just sit and relax among the ponies here in town. Nothing would make me happier,”

“Glad to here it,” Twilight said, happy to see the changeling so happy. “Just wondering, do you have a name?”

“Not really,” The Changeling admitted, “Most of the time we just use the name of the pony we desigues ourselves as, but not a name that we could really call our own,”

“Is there any name that you can think of that ponies could use as an actual name?” Twilight asked.

After thinking for a second, the Changeling responded. “Dandelion,”

Twilight looked at Dandelion, “Okay then,” She said, smiling “Welcome to Ponyville Dandelion,”

“Wait,” Blue Moon said, shocked by what Dandelion had just said. “Are you say thing that your name is actually fake?”

“Not fake,” Dandelion corrected “I had no name in the first place, so Dandelion had become my name. Also, how is that the part you are confused about and not the fact that a changeling SPOKE TO THE PRINCESS OF FRIENDSHIP!”

“Because I remember two things,” Blue Moon said, “One, Chrysalis was the one who stormed into Ponyville and got beaten by Princess Twilight, meaning she would have known it was coming in the first place. Two, that was the time you arrived in town, so I can't argue that it isn't true,”

“There is still one thing that confuses me,” Stardust said, still not getting one part. “How does a Changeling feed on love?”

“Why do you think I was hiding in the bushes,” Dandelion said, addressing the current situation she was in. “It’s a kind of magic. Love is powerful and the different kinds of love there is fills you up more. Friendship isn't as filling as somepony having a full on crush or so. I guess you could say that I was helping myself out as well as helping you two get together,”

“That does make me wonder something,” Blue Moon said curious, “If love is like food, then what is actual food to something like you,”

“The same reason you hate tomatoes,” Dandelion said, trying to compare. “Because to me it taste awful and doesn't fill me up at all,” She tried her hardest not to look at Stardust, feeling guilty. “You probably hate me don't you?”

“Nope,”

Dandelion looked at her, surprised at the young princess answer. “What?”

“I said I don't hate you,” Stardust said showing that she understood her friend, “I understand it's hard because you’re something that most ponies see as an enemy, but I don't. Besides, I was never there, why hate you if I was never there in the first place?”

“Stardust,” Blue Moon said, not exactly getting it. “She still did things that many ponies would hate, even if you weren't there isn't it a good idea to do something about this,”

“You heard her,” Stardust replied, “Twilight knows her, and she's a princess. I don’t think we have to worry if the princess trusts her. Besides, she's my friend,”

or it’s a scam Blue Moon thought to himself, not fully trusting Dandelion “Let's just head back to town,”

“You coming Dandelion?” Stardust said offering a hoof.

“No thanks, I’d rather walk by myself,” Dandelion watched as the her friend and Blue Moon left before sighing. “If only it was that easy to be excepted,”

Stardust She thought about her friend as she got up and started walking into the woods behind her Such a naive pony, but at the same time, her words seem so powerful. I understand she wants to help me She stopped, turning around to the road behind her. But how she help when it's already set in stone.

Author's Note

I'm back, and ready to write once again. Washington D.C. was fun but it felt kind of strange not writing for so long. Luckly, I'm back, and I'll be trying to write like crazy to make up for the two weeks I miss (in other words expect two more chapters this week) so expect me to be writing like crazy. Also, I have a new story idea and want to know if any of you would mind pre-reading it when I feel ready. That being said, Like, Comment, follow, all the basic stuff for the same reason I have stated in the past. Also, it's a long shot but lets see if we could try and get this on TV tropes at some point. It may be a while till it actually happens but lets see if we can do it at some point. With that done, see you all soon.