I wake in my bed and I look to my side and sighed. Applejack had been my only friend when I arrived. Thanks to her I have more friends than ever such as Braeburn, I also have the crusaders who are aware of who I am. She has given me a new life. I jump out of my bed and smile to see Braeburn eating his morning meal. I asked “How ya doing, Braeburn?”

Braeburn smiled as he said “Good. It seems ya picking up a bit of the accent.”

I replied “It seems that way, doesn’t it.” Braeburn stuffed the remaining food in his mouth. We galloped out to begin feeding the animals and then start applebucking.

Braeburn asked “What do ya think of Applejack?”

I frowned as I asked “What do ya mean by that?”

Braeburn smiled “Ya murmur her name in your sleep ya know.”

I sighed “Yes I know, I just wished ya didn’t find out. I have had a bad past with family and crushes. My family tore my last crush’s heart out and forced me to eat it.”

He roared “What kinda family does that!”

I replied “The monstrous kind, trust me when ya have thousands of siblings it doesn’t make it easy to go against the grain.”

Braeburn blinked as he said “Thousands? we Apples are a large family but that many siblings alone, wow.”

I sensed the confusion in his voice. I said “They abandoned me, I have been alone for 5 years.”

Braeburn said “Sorry about bringing up bad memories.”

I replied “Relax, Braeburn I have been through a lot but I’m happier now. Let’s get Applebucking, what do ya say?” He nodded and we pushed ourselves throughout the day.

As we headed back Braeburn “Applejack when we were little, she and Ah played timberwolf and the pony. It was a game where one is the timberwolf and has to chase the other. Ah won every time and she was very upset. Of course she always got me back for every joke Ah made about being slow with a prank, one day she turned my mane and coat pink using dye.”

I laughed as I responded “She really did that?” He laughed with me as he nodded. We were smiling until we saw several stallions glaring at us.

The one at the front said “You are making us look bad, we are going to make you regret that.” They approached us trying to look large and imposing. I laughed at these stallions, they had no idea what they were in for. I delivered several blows to their vitals causing them to stagger.

I roared “Ya should get out of here before I am forced to hurt ya’ll more!” I watched as they galloped away. I said “I didn’t think this happened in Equestria, I thought the nation was at peace.”

Braeburn sighed “Look, we have our own problems, that Friendship is magic ideal may work for the Elements of Harmony but many ponies aren’t like that. Anyway I think we have done all the work we need to do for this year’s harvest, tomorrow you can go see your crush.”

I blushed and then sighed as I realised why I could never act on it. We ate dinner quietly and then I got into my bed and quickly fell into my slumber.

I woke to see myself standing there in my changeling form. I heard a scream it was Applejack who was staring at me, she shouted “Get away from me monster!”

Then I heard her scream “Help!” I galloped over to find her lying there with a bloody hole in her chest.

I looked up to see my mother standing there. She laughed “It’s time to eat.”She approached me with Applejack’s heart. I galloped as fast as I could with her right behind me. I saw my brothers and sisters in front of me. Chrysalis said “Nowhere to run.”

She stepped towards me only for a loud roar to fill the room “Be gone Nightmare.” I saw my Nightmare fade away. I stared at the princess who looked at my undisguised form with distaste. She spat “So Changeling what do you want with the Element of Honesty?”

I cried “I don’t want anything other than a place to stay, honest.”

Luna stared “I will be the judge of that, I will visit you tomorrow in Appleloosa. I know where you are from Applejack’s dream.” I fell into a dreamless sleep.

I woke up to the sound of screaming, I saw Minotaurs running outside. I galloped out as the Minotaurs had half the town captured and Braeburn and a few other ponies were cornered. I asked angrily “Why are you here?”

The Head Minotaur said “We need supplies in order to get home, therefore we are going to take this town.”

I roared “Alright if ya want this town, then you are going to have to fight me for it.”

The minotaurs laughed at me “You are joking right pathetic unicorn?” I frowned as I released my unicorn form was quite frail looking.

I said “Sorry Braeburn but I hope ya’ll understand.” Braeburn looked confused at the statement. I burst into flames revealing my true form.

The Minotaur’s leader said “So the Changelings want to finish what they started. Well I’m going have pleasure of ripping the wings off you bug brain.”

I said “I’m guessing ya have dealt with my mother’s changelings.” I frowned at the trouble my family was causing me. I continued “I will take a form which will make this fight fair for both sides.”

I burst into flames again. My opponent said “An Earth pony, of course no magic or flight. You have a concept of honour it seems, well then as honour dictates my name is Fiery Brass of the Bloodred tribe.” He bowed to me

I replied returned the bow “I’m Cara Pace, Changeling Queen and a proud Equestrian, I will protect my friends.”

Brass swung his heavy fist at me, I dodged and gave 3 swift blows. He collapsed to the ground. I said “Well that was anti climatic.”

I heard a familiar cheery voice “Yeah it was. ” I shook my head, I thought I heard Pinkie Pie.

Brass stared at me as he asked “How does a changeling fight like that?”

I replied “Changeling Queens in addition to the basics, get to pick the fields to specialise in. I picked medicine and martial arts, this makes me very dangerous in a hand to hand fight. I know exactly where every weak point is on every species in the world and my martial arts skills allow me to exploit that in a fight, after all for every one way you can heal a wound there is 1000 different ways to cause a wound.”

I asked “So why did ya invade other than supplies.” He pointed back to his group who were carrying a Minotaur with a huge broken blade stuck in his gut. I shouted “Somepony get me a butter knife and some paper towels.”

I made a small incision to the side of the huge blade, it had embedded his stomach and intestines. I had to carefully remove the blade, I increased the size of the incision. I put my hoof inside and felt the blades edge, it was in quite deep. I allowed magic to course into my hoof as I slowly removed the blade. I finally got the huge blade out after 30 minutes. I wiped my clean hoof over my forehead, I said “That was the hard part.” I cast a few advanced healing spells that put his organs back together and then closed the wound. The Minotaur was up and running within minutes.

I heard a voice land “It seems I misjudged you, Changeling.” I bowed as Princess Luna landed. Princess Luna chuckled “You can rise, I am not such a stiff despite my time in exile. You have impressed me.”

I smiled at her, then asked nervously “Um could please not refer to me as changeling, It makes me feel uncomfortable, I would prefer if you called me Cara.”

Luna replied “Forgive me Cara, I still have some old habits. I used to call ponies, pony instead of their name even with nobles.”

I smiled as she left. Braeburn put a hoof on my wither, he smiled “Thank ya Cara, Ah’m surprised to know you’re a changeling but you protected our town and we are all mighty grateful.”

The others members of the town shouted “Yeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaahhhhh, Go Cara!”

Braeburn said “Go back and tell Applejack how ya feel.”

I panicked as I said “But what if she gets hurt because of me, I can’t bare that.”

Braeburn said seriously “Our ancestors who formed this town knew how hard it would be, isolated from everywhere, there was no train here back then. Yet we stand strong, this is what it means to be an apple, we go for what we want not because it’s easy but because it’s worth it.”

I asked “Do you really think I can?”

The town roared “Go for it, you have our support!” I smiled knowing that I had been accepted by Applejack’s cousins raisedmy spirits. I reassumed my disguise as I boarded the train and headed back to Ponyville. I watched as Braeburn’s green eyes glowed for a small moment.

Author's Note

I hope Luna's portrayal is not too far off the mark.