Fragments

Chapters

Chapter 1: Waking
Chapter 2: Canterlot
Chapter 3: Home
Chapter 5: Changes
Chapter 6: Confrontation
Chapter 7: Exposed
Chapter 8: The Return
Epilogue
An Old Nightmare
Chapter 4: Life

Chapter 1: Waking

Chapter 1: Waking

The world was hazy. There was the ground, the trees, the distant mountains, but none of it seemed real. They passed by, but it was impossible to say how fast. Did they slowly creep by, or were they flying past in an instant? The scene blurred together into a murky soup of existence; present, but indistinct, as if irrelevant. Only one detail was clear.

The city. Graceful white towers rose elegantly over the city, banners flying proudly from their golden spires. Broad terraces were built out over the cliffs, giving the impression that the whole city hung in mid-air, a series of waterfalls plunging down to the pools far below in brilliant showers. The city was bustling with life, ponies traveling the streets, guards standing proudly at their posts. In the blur of the world, Canterlot was the one clear feature, even through the soft pink filter of the protective magic that surrounded it.

Inside was different. Inside the city, the haze returned. The ponies were impossible to distinguish. The faces and marks were there, but they could not be seen or focused on, background details that bore no significance. Their actions went unregistered as they moved through streets that could have gone anywhere, or nowhere. A blur of activity without direction or distinction.

And over it all, a shadow descended.

A pegasus woke in the woods. The sudden brilliance of the world was dazzling after the blurry darkness of the incoherent dream, almost blinding him. His body felt so heavy, while the world seemed so bright and dazzling.

Reality came crashing in on him a moment later as the pain finally registered.

He moaned, fighting the sudden urge to curl up into a ball and cry. Everything hurt. He wasn't sure if he could even move his wings, and the horrible agony in his left hind leg had to be a broken bone. Sharp stabbing sensations spread through his chest with every breath, while a myriad of shallow scrapes and cuts lined his body, the rich orange fur dirty and in disarray. He shut his eyes against the brilliant light and his own pain, as if he might ignore it all away.

Where was he? The question slowly bubbled up to the front of his mind, eyes opening again to look around. Nowhere familiar, it seemed. Already his eyes were adjusting to the light, the overly-bright world coming more into focus, becoming more real. The brilliance faded, showing the underbrush of a thick forest, ferns and brush shrouding the distance under the thick canopy around him. A few broken branches lay about him, freshly-fallen, drawing his eyes up to the trees above. The path of broken branches trailed their way from the clear sky above, all the way down to his resting place.

So he had crashed, then. That explains the injuries. But where was he? Where was he flying to, or from? Now the haze of his dream returned. He was traveling in the dream. Going to Canterlot. But he had been in the city. Had he left again? Or was the memory of an earlier visit? The memories came sluggishly, muddled, incoherent. His head hurt too much to think.

Wherever he was, though, it wasn't where he wanted to be. Through the dazed mess of his thoughts, his situation finally clawed its way to the front. He was alone, injured, immobile, in the middle of the woods. How long would it be until somepony noticed he was missing? Was there even anypony to miss him? A sudden fear coursed through him.

All alone.

Ignoring the pain, he drew his breath and cried out.

The light was fading, and with it faded the orange pegasus's hopes. The pain had not so much faded as withdrawn, lurking in the background, but his chest burned from the effort of calling out. He could only mumble out a weak moan on the infrequent occasion he would remember to call for help.

A few hours had given him time to think, yet that time produced nothing. No memory of where he was had surfaced. None of where he had left from. None of where he was going. Nothing. Past the pain, his thoughts sought out further, but found no answers. Maybe he had been going home? He couldn't remember. Worse, he couldn't remember where home was. The haze obscured everything in his mind. He could imagine glimpses of villages and towns, but he couldn't even be sure they were real and not some creation of his own mind, desperate to find something. Not that it mattered, of course. He wasn't in any of those places, real or imagined. He was in some unknown woods, the sun fading, while the sound of the wilderness rose around him.

Now another fear was building. What if those sounds were dangerous animals, eagerly on the lookout for some easy prey, such as a lone, lost, injured pony? The very cries for help that were his only chance of salvation could just as well bring about his own demise.

Fear, it turns out, can be a great motivator. Stifling a cry, he rolled himself onto his belly. Inch by agonizing inch, he dragged himself forward, doing his best to ignore the pain that shot through his wounded hind-leg with every movement. Slowly, far too slowly, he dragged himself away, while doing his best to overlook the fact that he had no idea where he was going. It mattered little. "Here" was not getting any better.

As the light faded, the sounds of the forest grew. The insects were humming and chirping, and in the distance he swore he could sense the faint sound of larger creatures prowling, just beyond his perception. What was out there? Was he being hunted right now? Was a manticore going to leap out of the bushes at any moment, hungry for meat?

Manticore? Why would he know what a manticore is, but not know where he lived?

A sound snapped him out of the sudden distraction. Distant, light, yet carrying to him clearly.

A voice.

Hope. He drew in a pained breath and cried out.

Silence answered him.

Again he resumed crawling, trying to close in on where he had heard the voice. Brush scraped and tugged at him trying to block him, but he forced himself on, ignoring the pain. Ignoring the fear that he had made some horrible mistake, that some predator was, at this very moment, closing in on the sound of wounded prey.

His heart froze as he heard twigs snap, brush rustling. His legs refused to pull him any further. He was spent. For better or worse, something was coming, and there was nothing he could do about it now but wait and see.

Before him the bushes parted, and framed by the deep glow of the setting sun stood the silhouettes of two ponies.

He choked out a weak, happy groan, head lowering to the ground as he finally gave in to his body's exhaustion.

The crowd in Canterlot was a blur, but a few ponies were just a bit sharper, enough to pick out a few details. A grey mare stared at him. Some stallion with a cutie mark of a hammer kept walking away, ignoring him as he followed. Half a dozen young mares bound past him, a multitude of colors passing down the street to some unknown destination.

In a large chamber, two winged unicorns stood atop a broad dais, the larger of the two a brilliant white, prismatic hair flowing as if following some invisible breeze. There was a certain presence to her, a weight that demanded attention, drawing it from the rest of the room. It was hard to focus on anything else. She carried an aura of confidence, compassion, happiness. It was such a pleasant sensation that he didn't want to look away. He wanted to stare, behold her beauty, soak in her presence. But there was something else there. Sadness. Tension.

Fear.

It all seemed so wrong. A momentary glimpse, a look of panic crossing the otherwise serene face, then peace again. That feeling of unease lingered, lurking just behind the scenes, menacing. He had to force himself to look away, to focus on something else, but there was little else. The other winged unicorn to her side seemed faint and faded by comparison, despite her bright pink fur, and the white unicorn stallion on the other side barely registered enough to make note of. The crowd of dozens looking on was merely a blur.

Around the edges of his vision, the shadow grew, spreading over the streets. The haze peeled back just a touch. It was not simply darkness. Individual forms moved about in it, dark figures swarming about. Like the crowd below they blurred together, indistinguishable from one another.

The crowd saw the shadows. Panic spread quickly, indistinct ponies running from indistinct shadows, a chaotic maelstrom of action. He was moving again, hurrying down the street. Before him was a trio of ponies, the only clear detail being the single smiling flower that was the rear mare's cutie mark.

Behind him the shadow spread, and pursued. It was close, swarming along the street, the walls, the sky. Now it was beside him, blurred forms racing along, chasing, hunting. He didn't look at them, couldn't look at them. He was focused on that smiling flower.

The street came to an end in a small plaza. The less distinct ponies had gone, though he couldn't be sure when or where. Perhaps they took a different turn, or ran into a building. The mare with the smiling flower had entered a dead end.

He came to a stop, nowhere else to go. She was staring wildly about at the shadows. He could remember that she was panicked, but little else. A few dark forms moved closer, between them.

Before him, one of the dark figures halted, then turned, a pair of icy-blue eyes glowing in the darkness. Staring at him.

He woke with a start, to find himself staring at a bare wooden ceiling. His heart was pounding in his chest as he stared, mind slowly settling back to reality.

He groaned as feeling returned. At least he was in a comfortable bed, warm and cozy under the blankets, but he still hurt. Much less than he had previously, but still much more than he would prefer.

"Oh, you're awake!"

The voice was soft and pleasant, followed a moment later by the speaker moving to his side, leaning in close. She was a yellow pegasus, with flowing pink hair. Concern filled her expression for a moment, until he met her eyes, and she smiled. It was the most comforting smile he could imagine, practically radiating happiness and compassion. He would have said it was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen if such an expression wouldn't have been cheapened by the fact that his memory seemed to only span a few hours of laying alone in the woods.

He became acutely aware that he should answer her, instead of just staring.

His first attempt to speak produced nothing more than an awkward mumbling groan, but a moment of focus eventually brought out a somewhat more coherent "...H-hello."

She was smiling even more. "Oh, I'm so glad you're awake," she said as she gingerly reached out, brushing a few strands of his rust-red mane away from his face. "You had a very nasty spill out there, and we were worried sick for you. I didn't know how long you would stay asleep. A-are you okay?"

He only stared for a few moments this time before he remembered to reply. Something about her seemed so familiar. "Oh. I..." He tried to lift a foreleg, but between the blankets and the oppressive weight of his own heavy limbs he managed nothing, except making his ribs ache again. "Urgh. I-I think you might be better able to answer that than me. What... what happened?"

Another pony answered. "We'd rather hoped you'da been able to tell us," she said with a curious accent, stepping up beside the yellow pegasus as she spoke. She was an earth pony with orange fur, very much like his own, an unusual hat over her blond mane. And such beautiful green eyes. There was something so mesmerizing about those eyes, and again he couldn't help but feel a certain sense of familiarity. He was vaguely aware that he was staring, but he couldn't quite bring himself to care at the moment.

Fortunately she did not seem to notice as she continued on. "Judging by the broken branches and all, Ah'd say it's fairly obvious you crashed, but Ah couldn't guess why."

He blinked, finally pulling his attention away from those eyes. They just seemed so... inviting. "Oh. You found where I crashed?"

The two other ponies exchanged a confused look, before the orange one looked back to him. "Wasn't much findin' ta do. Couldn't have been more than a hundred feet away. You could see it fine from where we found yah."

He groaned a little. "Felt like a few miles," he grumbled. For that much pain and worry, he had hoped he'd accomplished a little more.

The yellow one carefully patted his shoulder. "After a crash like that, I wouldn't doubt it. You were so banged up, we were surprised you had moved at all! But it's okay now. You were very lucky, nothing seems broken." She nodded her head, quite obviously pleased. "A day or two of rest and you should be right as rain."

"Oh," he said, a little surprised. "I thought for sure I'd broken my leg. And my wings hurt so bad..."

"Think yah sprained yer wings something awful when yah crashed," the orange one said. "Or maybe that's what made yah crash. As for yer leg, it was just dislocated. Don't worry, Fluttershy here did a great job taking care of you."

The yellow pegasus -- that is, Fluttershy -- beamed happily at the compliment. He found himself smiling as well. Part of him hoped she would never stop.

"Aaanyway," the orange one said, breaking the momentary silence. She held out a hoof to him. "Mah name's Applejack, and this here is Fluttershy."

With a bit of an effort he managed to raise a foreleg, weakly shaking her hoof. "I... uh... I'll have to get back to yah on that. You. Back to you on that." He grunted, shaking his head, a little embarrassed at copying her accent. "I mean... Things are still a little hazy. Can't quite think straight."

"Oh dear," Fluttershy said, reaching out to feel his forehead. "Do you feel okay? You landed pretty hard, you might have a concussion. Oh, I knew I shouldn't have kept you here." She seemed distressed, and he felt a sympathetic pain in his stomach at seeing her happiness vanish so swiftly. "We should have taken you to the hospital. You probably have a horrible concussion, and I probably just made it all worse. I thought since it was all bruises and sprains that I could take care of you, but I guess-"

"It's okay!" he said quickly, awkwardly reaching out to put a hoof reassuringly on her shoulder. "It's not that bad. I mean... I guess it's not that I can't think clearly, I just... I can't remember things."

She looked to him uneasily. She looked so cute, and there was something nice about having her so concerned with his well-being. He must be a complete stranger to her, yet she treated him so kindly. Seeing her upset... it just felt wrong.

"What can you remember?" Applejack asked softly.

"Um." He lay still for a few moments before speaking. "I remember traveling. I think. And Canterlot. I think I was visiting there. I remember a few places, and a few faces, but nothing familiar. Oh, and I saw Celestia."

He stopped abruptly, eyes wide. Celestia. That was the white winged unicorn's name. Why did he remember that? How could he remember that, but not his own name?

"Oh, yah saw the Princess?" Applejack said, sounding a touch surprised.

"She's a princess?" he asked dully, still trying to process the strange recollection.

Applejack tilted her head, giving him the most incredulous look. "Yah mean to say yah know the Princess's name, but not that she's a princess?"

He groaned. "I don't even know how I know her name!" He buried his face in his hooves, grumbling loudly. "All I remember is some bits and pieces of... of a dream. Some of it doesn't even make sense."

He let his hooves fall back to his sides, and the entire world was pink.

"Oh goodie, you're awake!"

A vibrantly pink earth pony was standing over him on the bed, grinning eagerly, face just a few inches from his own.

He might have yelped. Or maybe screamed. Just a little. It might have even sounded rather girly.

She just giggled at this. "I was starting to wonder when you'd be getting up! I mean, you've been asleep all day. I could never sleep that long, there's just so much to see and do and-"

"Pinkie!" both the other ponies said, sounding only a little less surprised than he was.

She looked up to them, looking genuinely confused by their reaction. "What? I just wanted to say hi."

"Off!" Applejack said, ducking her head and shoving the pink pony off the bed. She rolled, landing on her feet beside the bed, and giggled.

He blinked, then stared, mind not quite keeping up with what was going on.

"Hehe, that was fun. Hey! If he's up now, does that mean he can go to his 'Welcome to Ponyville" party? I've already got all the food and drinks and games, oh, and I passed out a bunch of invitations, which was slightly complicated by not quite knowing just when the party would happen. I've had everything ready for hours, just waiting for the guest of honor to show up. HOURS! I mean, I've been waiting so long I had to prepare even more things just to keep busy!"

The more rational part of his mind found her excessive exuberance to be a little frightening, but he wasn't listening much to that part of himself anyway. Sure, she might be a little energetic, but there was something strangely enticing and energizing about her. A party? A few minutes ago he couldn't have imagined even getting out of this bed, but watching her bounce about enthusiastically made him want to leap up and join her. Or crawl over, anyway, depending on how much his body felt like cooperating.

He started to sit up, but Applejack placed a hoof on his chest, pushing him back down. "Ohhh no, he's had a rough time of it, and he needs his rest. The last thing he needs is to go runnin' about and hurtin' himself even worse."

The pink pony -- Pinkie? How fitting -- just grinned back at her. "Oh, but a good party can make anyone feel better, and I always throw good parties!"

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Yes, you do, Pinkie. But tonight he needs to rest. Don't worry, he'll be all better soon enough, but he's in no state to be partyin' tonight."

Pinkie pouted at this. "Well... Can I at least do the song?"

Applejack sighed, relenting. "Okay, okay. But quietly. If you can."

Pinkie's grin returned as she bounced around the bed, breaking out into song. "Welcome, welcome, welcome, a fine welcome to you..."

Applejack leaned in to whisper as Pinkie continued singing. "Sorry. Pinkie Pie can be a little... excitable. She means well."

He found himself chuckling softly. "It's okay. It's kind of nice to see somepony so happy."

Suddenly a hooffull of confetti fell over his face.

Pinkie was back at his side. "I hope that's okay. I've usually got a confetti cannon for that, but AJ said to be quiet, so I just tossed some instead. It's not quite the same without the cannon, but it is much quieter!"

Applejack was the first to recover. "Ooookay then. I think visitin' hours are about over. Should be lettin' him get his rest, 'specially if you're wantin' him to be well-rested for your party."

"Nah, Ahm okay -- I mean, I'm..." he stopped, and groaned, slumping back in the bed at having again fallen into copying her accent. "...okay, maybe I do need some more rest."

Applejack just smiled, nudging along Pinkie as she left.

"Is there anything I could get for you?" Fluttershy asked softly. "Something to eat or drink, maybe?"

He only then realized just how terribly hungry he was.

"Some food would be wonderful," he said, and was rewarded by the sight of that happy, caring smile return.

The streets of Canterlot seemed so peaceful without the shadowy forms tearing about. The crowd of unknown ponies still meandered about doing the same unknown tasks. Nothing had changed, of course. No new faces shone from the nameless crowd. The streets were no more distinct. The shadow still loomed overhead, just out of sight.

Celestia stood tall and proud, dominating the room. Again, that grand presence invited him in. He fought against it, knowing what lay behind it. That terrible sadness and fear that broke that wonderful peace. He forced himself away from her, and he returned to the streets.

The same faces passed by. Always the same. The grey mare. The pony with the hammer cutie mark. The half-dozen-

Wait.

The hat caught his attention. The same hat. The same orange fur, the same blond mane, the same vibrant green eyes. Applejack.

And there was Fluttershy. And Pinkie Pie. They were all there. He didn't recognize the other three ponies, but he realized they showed just as clear. He could pick out every detail of them, even as they bound off down the street past him.

Words came in voices, whispers, random and jumbled, like a hundred conversations replayed at once.

He watched the six ponies running along, as the shadows descended around them.

"Well, I have been to Canterlot a few times," Fluttershy said, looking a little embarrassed. She looked so cute like that. "I don't suppose you were at the Gala?" She suddenly looked even more embarrassed, cheeks flushing. She looked almost afraid, in fact, and he again reached out to comfort her.

She smiled a little at the gesture.

"I'm really not sure," he said. "I told you all the details I remember for sure. I know there were lots of other well-dressed ponies, but I guess I wasn't paying much attention to them, it's all fuzzy."

He sighed, taking another bite of his salad. He had insisted on getting out of bed for lunch, and was now sitting at a tiny table sharing a nice meal with Fluttershy and her friend, Applejack. The earth pony had stuck around, "Just 'case Fluttershy needed some helpin'."

He was glad he'd insisted on getting up. Once he'd moved around a bit and loosened up, he actually felt much better. The one leg was still rather tender, but it was doing quite well enough for him to limp along. Even the stairs down had posed only a small challenge. To top it all off, Fluttershy seemed so pleased with his progress, and seeing her so happy had made the whole morning just perfect.

Fluttershy considered what he had said before speaking again. "Well... maybe you might remember if I was wearing a dress?"

He shook his head. "Though," he added, "I don't know if that means much. The whole dream was so patchy, maybe I just didn't notice."

"Oh, I doubt that," Fluttershy replied. "Rarity made that dress, and she did such an amazing job. I couldn't imagine anypony forgetting it." Even Applejack nodded at this.

Something about that name sent out a nagging little sensation at the back of his mind. "Rarity? That sounds familiar for some reason."

"Really?" she said, hopefully. "Can you remember why? She's starting to get a name for herself in fashion, maybe you heard of her there?"

He wasn't sure exactly why, but he rather doubted that. He might not remember anything of himself, but he didn't think he was the type to keep up with high fashion. "I'm not sure. I don't know why I would recognize it. I don't even know for sure if I do recognize it, or if I'm just imagining things."

Fluttershy just smiled, not at all discouraged by this. "Well, she's gotten to know so many ponies, maybe she'll recognize you! You'll be able to meet her at the party tonight, if you're feeling up to going."

"Oh!" he said, spirits lifting again. "Does the doctor think I'm recovered enough to attend?"

"Mm-hm!" she answered, with an authoritative nod, then beamed happily at him.

He was feeling even better by the time evening was approaching. He had walked a little more, enough that Fluttershy was satisfied that he could make it to the party without hurting himself further. She helped him clean up, getting the last of the dirt out of his fur and brushing everything into more-or-less the correct place. She had even gotten him a mirror, so he could look himself over.

It was disappointing to find nothing familiar in himself. A single white cloud marked his flank, but it held no meaning to him. The mirror showed him his rusty-red mane, looking thoroughly unkempt, and his pale blue eyes. He stared back into his own eyes, but found no recognition there.

He was thankful for Fluttershy's supportive presence. A tiny part of his mind wanted to give in, to break down, to lose hope that he could ever have more than a few fragmented memories to claim as his own, but one look at her encouraging smile forced that voice to retreat into the background.

Despite the disappointment, he smiled.

"Now be gentle on that leg," she cautioned when they finally set out. "And no flying just yet. You don't want to hurt yourself again."

"Yeah, I think I'll go easy on the flying for a bit, anyway," he said, raising a hoof to rub jokingly at the side of his head. "Seems it didn't go so well for me, last time." Despite that, it was probably good that she had kept the bandages wrapped about his sides, holding his wings snugly in place. The sky did seem terribly inviting.

It was quite the pleasant walk, in any case. The land around her cottage was beautiful, and he was quite happy to take his time and take it all in. His companions weren't the most talkative of ponies, but it was still good to have the company. Traveling by the beautiful scenery, he didn't even mind the quiet. It was nice to take things slowly. It seemed like the right pace for him, at the moment.

They were just passing over one of the bridges into town when he stopped, looking out to the distance. Both the other ponies stopped, looking first to him, then following his line of sight. Canterlot shone proudly in the distance. It was a different angle than he remembered, and the magical dome was gone, small differences, but it was the same city.

"Canterlot," Fluttershy said softly, and he nodded.

"One of the few things that I can remember," he replied. "Though I thought it had some magic dome around it."

"Oh!" Fluttershy said, then abruptly looked embarrassed again at what he was starting to gather was an uncharacteristic outburst from her.

He looked to her curiously, a hint of uncertainty creeping into his thoughts. "What, is that important?"

"Um..." She glanced nervously to Applejack, who looked almost as uneasy as she did. "It's... it's kind of a long story," she finally said, offering an uneasy smile.

He still couldn't stand seeing her so uncomfortable. "Maybe another time, then, if that's okay. I suppose we shouldn't keep Pinkie waiting too long."

She hesitated, then gave a little smile and a nod. He smiled back, and they continued on.

Ponyville was a pretty little town, filled with cheerful ponies and picturesque buildings. A simple but charming community, not too unlike the scattered little memories (Or imaginations) of small towns and villages rattling around in his head. Their current destination was a bakery, of all places. "Sugarcube Corner," Applejack had called it.

In hindsight, going to Pinkie's "Welcome to Ponyville" party was about the worst way to "take things slowly."

He wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but... it wasn't this. The four of them, maybe, or a few close friends. He hadn't expected the many dozens of ponies that filled the place, the music, the piles of treats, a party large enough that it filled the entire place. He had to fight the irrational urge to run the moment he saw the scale of the party. Of course he wouldn't have gotten far. Applejack had been standing right behind him, with a sly grin on her face. Oh, she had known.

Pinkie appeared next to him, loudly introducing him as "The guest of honor!" That neatly avoided the need for a name, he supposed. That seemed sufficient for the gathered crowd, many calls of greetings, well-wishing, and congratulations on a swift recovery. His head was already starting to reel a bit. Did the whole town know about him by now?

Pinkie was pushing him along now. "Oh, there's so much to do! There's dancing and games and treats and so many many ponies here all to see you! It's your first time here, so I want to make sure it's as memorable as it can be. Oh, but first I should introduce you to my best friends! They've all been wanting to meet you!"

The most he could manage was a rather simplistic "Um, okay," before she had deposited him at a table.

"This is going to be so great!" she cried out, thoroughly overjoyed, and bounced off into the crowd.

Well that was... strange, he thought as he sat down, unconsciously smiling. She had more energy than he could imagine, but there was something seriously infectious about her happy excitement. Looking around, he started to realize it wasn't just her, even. The whole crowd of ponies was having such a good time, filling the place with such an atmosphere of happiness and joy. And in a way, it was all for him. The unease slowly faded, and soon he was grinning happily, tapping his hooves in time to the music.

"Well you seem to be settling in mighty well," Applejack said, taking a seat beside him, Fluttershy following close behind. "Thought yah were gonna make a run for it, moment we opened that door!"

"I was a bit surprised," he said, chuckling softly. "I mean, I didn't expect all this! I'm nothing special -- er, I mean, I don't think I am. And they really all came just to welcome me to town?"

"Ponyville folk are mighty friendly that way," she replied. "'sides, most folk would come runnin' soon as they hear Pinkie's throwin' a big party."

"If they're all anything like this, I don't doubt it!"

A sudden breeze drew his attention upward to the sight of a striking young mare hovering overhead, sporting a shockingly colorful mane. Recognition came immediately. Soft blue fur, violet eyes, athletic build, and of course, that rainbow-colored mane; she was one of the other ponies from his dream.

"So this is the pegasus that fell out of the sky, huh?"

He blinked, taking a moment to register that she seemed to be talking about him. "Oh. Um, yeah, I guess that's me."

Now she was smirking. "Uh-huh. You must have landed on your head, didn't you?"

Applejack groaned softly, rubbing a hoof at the bridge of her nose.

He glanced over to her, then back to the colorful pegasus above him. "Yeah, I kinda think I must have. Not my finest moment." He hesitated, then quickly added, "I mean, I think so. Hard to imagine worse."

Surprisingly, she laughed. "Oh, I don't know, I've seen some pretty wicked crashes, even done a few myself. Bet I could top it!"

Applejack groaned a little louder. "Rainbow, are you really going to compete over who can crash worse?"

It seemed like such a strange thing to be competitive about, but... heck, why not? "Sure," he said, earning an exaggerated eye-roll from Applejack. "You first."

"Okay!" Rainbow replied, then paused to think a moment, tapping a hoof to her chin. "I'll start with an easy one. I know a pony -- and I'm not going to name names -- who crashed into a cliff face hard enough to break stone!"

"The advantages of a thick skull," Applejack muttered into her hoof.

"Okay," he said, giving a smug grin. "I crashed hard enough to knock every memory out of my head."

Rainbow considered that a moment. "Yeah, that's pretty good, I'll give you that. Hmm... I know! I know a pony who fell from the sky, and managed to take out three Wonderbolts on her way down!"

"What's a Wonderbolt?"

Rainbow's eyes went wide, shocked at his question. "...What?"

He looked around awkwardly. "I don't even know what my name is. How should I know what a Wonderbolt is?"

"You're taking this very well, at least," Fluttershy said, apparently glad to get some comforting word in.

Rainbow opened her mouth to reply, but Pinkie had arrived, interrupting them. "Oh good, you found Rainbow Dash! And I brought Rarity. One more to go, be right back!"

She bound off, leaving a white unicorn standing there, wearing a quizzical expression as she looked over them. Rarity might not be quite as colorfully distinct as Rainbow was, but he had no trouble recognizing her from his dream. She was beautiful, even more than he had remembered, and wearing a simple yet gorgeous dress that certainly had not been in the dream.

"Um... Wow," was all he could manage.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Oookay brain-boy. I'm going to go get some drinks for everypony. Try not to drool all over the place."

Rarity looked shocked. "Rainbow Dash, that's a horrible thing to say," she admonished, while he quickly shut his mouth, only mostly sure that he hadn't, in fact, been drooling. "He's a guest, and we really should show him more courtesy than that."

"Uh-huh," Rainbow said flatly, sounding as if she wasn't listening at all. "Yeah. Drinks." She drifted off toward one of the overloaded tables that looked as if they might collapse at any moment under the weight of all the treats.

With a sigh, Rarity stepped up to him. "I'm so sorry about that. Rainbow really is a dear, but she could really use some work on her manners." She offered him a hoof and a smile. "My name is Rarity, and it's a pleasure to meet you."

He managed to compose himself before trying to speak again. "It's wonderful to meet you, yes. I..." He hesitated, staring into her eyes. "...You look even more beautiful than in my dream."

Stupid, stupid, stupid...

"Oh," she said, obviously surprised, while Applejack practically choked herself trying to muffle a laugh.

"I mean, from what I remember! I mean-" he forced himself to stop talking, exchanging the sudden rambling with an awkward groan. Yeah, this was going well.

Fortunately, she seemed to take it in stride. "Well, it's quite wonderful of you to say so," which seemed excessively kind of her. "I am so sorry, dear. Things have just been so hectic lately that I've been having a dreadful time keeping things sorted out. Where did you say we had met?"

He deflated a bit at that. "Oh, I... I had kinda been hoping you could tell me."

She looked curiously at him, then to the other ponies. Fluttershy quickly spoke up, explaining how he had lost his memories, and the bit of the dream he had mentioned seeing them in. Why did he know of them? They hadn't properly met, one of them would have certainly recognized him if so, but he had obviously seen them. He hadn't thought anything of the six running through his dream before he had recognized Applejack, but one by one they had shown up. Five of the six, and Pinkie was looking for one more. He thought back to the dream, trying to remember the sixth. She was purple, he could remember that for sure. A unicorn, as well. For some reason her cutie mark stood out vividly to him, one star surrounded by five smaller.

In fact, she was the same pony walking up beside Pinkie Pie.

The chaotic, indistinct voices in his dream were rising in his mind, striking a moment of clarity.

"Twilight Sparkle."

He suddenly blinked, surprised at his own voice speaking her name, but he was suddenly and absolutely certain that he was correct.

"Oh," she said, sounding a little surprised, then smiled. "I see introductions have already been made."

"Actually," Applejack said slowly, looking surprised and more than a little suspicious. "We hadn't gotten that far, just yet."

"Oh," Twilight said again, looking to him curiously. "But if that's the case, how did you know my name?"

"I don't know!" he cried out, dropping his head to the table and burying his face in his hooves, while the others looked on awkwardly. Urgh. None of this made any sense!

"Well you know," Rarity interjected, "You are somewhat famous."

"I don't know about that," Twilight replied.

"Oh, please," Rarity said. "Celestia's prized pupil, one of the Elements of Harmony, led her friends to save all of Equestria, what, three times now? You deserve some recognition, dear!"

Twilight was shifting shyly. "Ehh... That was all six of us, and I didn't do any more than the rest of you. Anyway, I'll give you Nightmare Moon and Discord, but it was my brother and Cadance that stopped the changelings, not me. Er, us."

He dropped his hooves to stare at her, head still resting on the table. Were they really arguing about how many times they saved Equestria?

Oh, lovely. Equestria. One more name he recognized. Here he was, hoping to remember things, yet every time he did, it turned out to be so frustrating.

"Be that as it may, it was still you who set Cadance free," Rarity countered. "So I count that as three."

Fluttershy's quiet voice chimed in. "Actually, that would make it four."

"Four?" Rarity asked, skeptically.

She nodded. "You forgot the dragon."

Twilight looked surprised. "Oh Celestia. How could I forget about the dragon!"

He stared at them, mind reeling. "...Dragon?"

"Wait, no, you can't credit me with that one," Twilight said, looking back to Fluttershy. "The most you could say I did was drag you along. You're the one who dealt with the dragon."

Wait. Fluttershy? That cute little soft-spoken pegasus? She "dealt with" a dragon? He stared blankly.

"You still led us there," Fluttershy countered.

Twilight was shaking her head now. "Anyway, it's not like we did anything any other ponies wouldn't do if they were in our place." She sighed. "But... I guess I can see how somepony might have heard of us."

He felt the breeze of Rainbow's wings as she returned. "Aw, did you guys break his brain without me?"

Fluttershy had nestled up to him again. "Are you okay? Should we go and find you a place to lay down?"

"No," he said, forcing himself to sit upright. "No. I'm just... a little overwhelmed at the moment. It's a lot to take in."

"Well, we can start simple then," Twilight said, offering a hoof. "You know my name. So what's yours?"

He groaned a little. "Yeah, that's not very simple at all." He took a deep breath, sighed, and leaned against the table, gathering his thoughts. The beat of the music and the crowd's happy energy was wonderfully soothing, the sounds of so many ponies having such a good time managing to push his concerns down, just a touch. It was centering, energizing.

Feeling more stable, he sat upright again, looking back to an expectant Twilight. "I don't remember my name. Or how I crashed, or where I'm from. All I remember is a few fragments of a dream. Canterlot, Celestia, a few random ponies I don't recognize... And you six."

"Well that's strange," she said, looking curiously at him. "Why would you have remembered us?"

He smirked a little. "I wish I could remember."

She blinked, then smiled awkwardly. "Uh, yeah. Right."

"So Ah was thinking," Applejack said between sips of her drink. "We're gonna need somethin' to call yah by. Can't very well go callin' yah That Guy all the time."

"Or Brain-Boy," Rainbow Dash added.

"Err." There's one he hadn't even thought of. Of course it made perfect sense, which of course meant it was the kind of thing he hadn't even considered. For one thing, he must already have a name, somewhere out there. Just making one up... it almost felt like giving in, as if he expected to never find his real name, his proper name. "...I don't know."

"Oh!" Pinkie said around a mouthful of cupcake. "We could give you a name based on your cutie mark, like Storm. Or Cloud!"

He grunted. "I dunno. Might as well go for something more descriptive. Maybe Blank, or Empty. Like my mind." Okay, maybe getting just a little bitter about that.

"Brain-Boy is starting to sound better," Rainbow said, snatching up another cupcake.

Pinkie had latched onto his idea, however. "Oooh, or instead of Empty, you could do something like... Void! It's kinda like Empty, but it's all dark and mysterious, and..." She leaned in conspiratorially, rubbing her hooves together. "daaaaark."

He quirked an eyebrow, while Rarity interjected a scoff. "Please, that's just dreadful. If you're so settled on such a theme, you could at least go for something a little more elegant, like.... Sky. Open and clear, but still so beautiful."

His ears perked up. He didn't want to just pick a new name, but he obviously needed something to be called by, and that... "That might just work."

Rarity smiled happily, her expression so radiant that he was certain it was the right decision. "You like it?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, it'll do nicely." He smiled, picking up a drink.

"Sky..."

It was an incredible party.

Sky had started chatting with Applejack and Rainbow Dash at first, seeming to be the most vocal of the six, and was quickly fascinated by their stories. He listened intently as the two told more and more incredible stories, the kind that would normally make him suspect their authenticity if not for the other four chiming in regularly, offering some clarifying detail or correction.

He could have easily spent the whole party just listening to those tales, and quite possibly would have if Pinkie hadn't eventually dragged him off. "Enough sitting. You're the guest of honor, the pony everypony's here to greet. Get out there and mingle!"

Applejack hadn't been kidding; Ponyville folk were incredibly friendly. The group Pinkie had deposited him among greeted him warmly. "I'm glad to see you're doing so well," a pony who had been introduced as Rose had said, quickly echoed by her friends.

"Me too," he admitted, with a chuckle. "With how bad the crash was, I wasn't expecting to be walking yet, much less to be attending a party!"

"Well I'm glad you could make it," Rose said. "We've been needing a good party. I hope you don't find it too rude, but I've been curious, how'd you end up crashing?"

"Ah, well... Kind of fuzzy on that part still," he said, raising a hoof to tap at the side of his head. He'd rather hoped to avoid this part. Spending the whole party discussing his lack of memory was not how he'd like to spend the night.

Whether she sensed this unease, or simply felt that pursuing it would be rude, she thankfully didn't pry any further. "Well, the important thing is that you're okay," she said happily.

He had to agree, even if he might be a little less sure of how "okay" he was.

Pinkie suddenly bounced up. "Oh, I've got to go! Have fun!" Then she was bounding off hurriedly through the crowd, calling out, "Bon Bon! You made it!"

Fortunately the conversation drifted away from his crash and to more relaxing topics, and soon they were chatting eagerly about the party, their favorite treats (Sky made sure to sample every one of their suggestions), and all the ponies gathered here. Rose and her friends seemed to know a little bit about everypony, telling him several amusing stories, and even introduced several of them. Including one little dragon.

"Oh, I'm Spike!" the young dragon had said, between overlarge bites of cake. "Twilight's assistant." He then turned back to the cake, too distracted by the sweets to carry on a conversation.

It was easy to get swept up in the energetic mood. Happy conversations soon turned into small celebrations, and before long Sky was joining in the games, and even the dancing. He didn't even care that he had, apparently, no skill at dancing, happily making up for this deficiency with more enthusiasm and energy. He bounced and flailed and laughed alongside Pinkie Pie, who seemed to have the exact same approach to dancing. It was almost embarrassing, bounding about like an over-caffeinated foal, but he couldn't bring himself to care, particularly when none of the gathered ponies did, either. They seemed more amused that somepony was keeping up with Pinkie's antics.

Well, for a while. It was a valiant effort, but eventually he staggered off, collapsing on a couch near Fluttershy's table, still giggling a little. She passed him a drink that he eagerly downed.

"You seem to be doing very well," she said. "Are you sure your leg is doing well, with all the use? I'd hate for you to hurt yourself again."

Oh, yeah. He'd forgotten all about that with his enthusiasm. He stretched out his injured leg, then moved it around a bit. No pain or soreness at all. Well, the same aching all of his legs had from over-use, but that was different. "Doing great. You've done a wonderful job taking care of me. I think moving around on it so much might have done some good."

He certainly felt better, and not just the leg. Yes, he still did not know who he was, or how he had gotten here, but it hardly seemed important. It was in the past, and now? Now was good.

Eventually the party had to end. It was late, the sun long since sunk below the horizon, and while Sky was still feeling energetic -- he figured he'd gotten more than enough rest the past day or two -- the other ponies needed their sleep. Slowly they filtered out, calling out last goodbyes and wishing them all well.

As the last of the guests were leaving, one came up to him. Sky tried to remember the name out of the dozens he had been told, but the candy cutie mark made it easy. Bon Bon.

"I wanted to thank you for this," she said with a soft smile. "I mean... I know you didn't have much to do with this, but..." Her expression wavered, eyes dropping to the ground. She looked happy, and he was fairly certain that she was happy, but there was a sadness to her that drove straight into him. His own smile faltered a little, concerned for the young mare before him.

"...but I think we needed this," she said, her smile weak, but holding, winning whatever internal struggle had came over her. "It's been a little rough since the changelings attacked. So many ponies have been affected by it, so many are worried, and... and some are still missing." She took a slow, deep breath, and looked up to him again. "It's good to have something to celebrate again. Thank you."

She gave him a tight, heartfelt hug. He could practically feel the tension and worry in her embrace. What she said had stirred up so many thoughts -- Changelings? Attack? Missing ponies? -- but that fearful emotion had pushed those thoughts from his mind. All that remained was a pained sympathy for this mare he didn't even know.

Finally she released him, gave a final thanks, and walked off. He stood there silently, watching her go.

The silence stretched on, finally broken by Twilight's soft voice. "Her best friend was there in Canterlot. Had a hard time of it. Another friend is still missing."

He watched as Bon Bon slipped out of sight. "Do you think there's somepony out there, waiting for me?"

"...I don't know."

He turned to look at her. With the happy distraction of the party gone, the questions started pressing at his mind again. "What happened at Canterlot?"

Twilight hesitated. She glanced back to her friends, thought, and then turned back to him. "We should talk about these dreams of yours."

Sky followed Twilight and her friends, making their way to her home. It was unusual, but quite impressive, a whole home and library built into the sizable tree. Inside was cozy, and absolutely filled with books. After tucking in Spike -- now snoring happily with a belly-full of treats -- and retrieving a heap of scrolls and quills, she sat down with Sky and the others.

"Okay, Sky. Why don't you tell me everything you remember."

He drew a long sigh, thinking of where to start. "The first thing I remember, I think, is flying toward Canterlot. At least, I'm pretty sure I was flying. And there was a bubble around the city, though it wasn't there when I saw the city today."

Twilight nodded, making notes as he spoke.

"Let's see. I was in the city some. I remember seeing Celestia. She was impressive. Very impressive, one of the few things I remember clearly. But..."

Twilight looked up. "But?"

Sky shifted, feeling suddenly uneasy even at thinking of that moment of the dream. "...something was wrong. I had this terrible feeling in my dream, I can't even really describe it. It's like... she was afraid."

Surprised looks came from all around, a bit of hushed murmurs passing back and forth.

"Do you know why?" Twilight asked.

He shook his head.

There was a moment of silence before she encouraged him to continue. "Do you remember anything else there?"

"There was another winged unicorn there," he said. "She was pink. And a white unicorn, a stallion. I can't remember anything about the rest of the crowd."

"So you were at the wedding," Twilight said. She sounded... Uneasy.

"Wedding?" He repeated, curiously. "Who was getting married?"

"My brother," she said, voice grown more firm.

Her brother? A piece fell into place. "...That's why I saw you there."

She nodded, then asked, "You saw us at the wedding?"

"I..." He thought back. "Maybe. I don't think so. Or I didn't notice. I think I remember seeing you in the streets. All of you, running along."

"That's it?"

He shook his head. "There was more. There was a... shadow, that seeped out through the streets. I don't know what it was, but at some points I saw individual forms in the shadow. It was more like a crowd of dark creatures, chasing down ponies. Everypony was running from them. I don't know where you six went. I ended up following some other ponies, but..."

He stopped, trying to think. "...we ran into a dead end. The shadow... things, were all around. One of them even looked straight at me." He took a long, deep breath. "And then I woke up."

Twilight wrote the last of her notes, then sat, thinking, idly tapping her quill to the page. Sky couldn't help but notice the quiet anxiety around the room.

He thought of what Bon Bon had said. "What are changelings?"

Rainbow answered first. "Bunch of oversized bugs that like to take the forms of other ponies, stick them in cocoons, and suck out all their emotions."

"Love, for certain," Twilight clarified, "Though possibly others as well. We don't know much about them. I hadn't even heard about them until three days ago, when they attacked Canterlot. That dome you saw was supposed to protect the city against their attack, but... but they got through it."

The shadows in his dreams suddenly seemed just a little more creepy. "So that's what those shadow-things were in my dream. But if the dome was supposed to keep them out, how did they get in?"

Applejack answered. "Treachery. That queen of theirs took the form of another pony, snuck in like a spy, and weakened the defenses from the inside. Guessin' she figured no pony would expect another pony to do such a thing."

"Which is really all we know," Twilight said. "At this point, anything you remember might be news to us."

He thought he caught a bit of hopefulness in that comment, and he was disappointed that he didn't have anything to offer. At least he knew what the shadow-things were, now. He wasn't quite sure if that made it more or less creepy. He wasn't sure how one sucks out emotions, but it sounded unpleasant. Being stuck in a cocoon sounded even more so. "Sounds like I picked the absolute worst time to visit Canterlot. Don't know how I ended up here, though."

"True," Twilight said, distracted in thought for a moment. She stopped, then tilted her head, looking to his flank. "However... even if we don't know how you got here, we might still be able to figure out a few things about you. Like your cutie mark. Any idea what it means?"

He turned to look, himself. Like most things about him, it seemed a mystery. "I hadn't really thought of it. I don't know. Something to do with weather, maybe?" He frowned. "Though that doesn't really sound right."

He thought. A cutie mark was supposed to show one's special talent, and he would think that would mean something he felt strongly about, enjoyed. He didn't have anything like that. Something in his mind stirred at the thought. A cutie mark, a special talent, they were, to put it bluntly, what a pony was. A part of their identity more personal and concrete than a name could ever be, and he had lost his. He sunk, a shocked numbness growing inside him. He had lost his own talent, and he hadn't even known he had lost it.

He felt a reassuring hoof placed on his shoulder and dully turned his head to see Rarity, concern clear behind her supportive smile. "Don't distress yourself over it, dear. We all had to discover our own talent, and you can always discover it again. It's not the sort of thing to ever go away, even if we don't know what it is."

Sky drew a deep breath, surprised to find how tight his throat had gotten. "Thanks," he murmured weakly, eyes falling to the table before him. "It just... I feel so out of place. It's like... like I'm without a purpose, like I don't fit in, I don't belong." He shuddered softly. "I don't like feeling that way."

"That's nonsense," she replied, giving his shoulders a little squeeze. "You're fitting in just fine with us. You fit in just fine at the party." He looked up, feeling the spark of hope rekindling. "From everything I've seen, you've been a kind and friendly pony. You have a good heart. As far as I'm concerned, that is more important than some silly talent."

He stared at her for a moment before looking to Fluttershy. The sweet mare's eyes were watering in sympathy, but she was smiling, and gave him an encouraging nod. It was enough to finish what Rarity had started, a faint smile crossing his muzzle. Enough to give him hope that maybe he hadn't lost quite so much as he had feared.

"Don't worry," Rarity continued. "We'll help you, give you a place to stay and any help you need until you can get back on your hooves. It's the least we could do.

"And in any case," Twilight added, "There are going to be the six of us looking, too." She got a hint of a sly grin. "I'm sure we'll be able to get to the bottom of this."

He considered Twilight for a moment. There was some sense of certainty to her. She might not have exact answers, not yet, but he got the feeling she wouldn't stop until she did. A sure determination that he found not just reassuring, but uplifting. She seemed so certain that he couldn't help but share her confidence.

But with the growing determination came another line of thought. He reflected back on the dreams, knowing where it all lead. As his resolution grew, he knew one uncomfortable fact lay before him.

"Thank you," he said softly, then rose up, speaking more clearly. "Thank you, but I can't stay."

"What?" came the many voices gathered around, several of them looking quite surprised by the sudden declaration.

He spoke slowly, voice full of emotion. "I really appreciate what you've done for me, and what you're offering. You're all so very kind and generous to me, even though I'm a complete stranger. I wish I could even begin to repay what you've given me already. But..."

Pausing, he looked around at them. "...but, there might be other ponies out there, looking for me, worried for me. I can come back to see you again, but I can't find out where I'm from or who I am from here. The only memories I have were in Canterlot. If I'm going to find out who I am, I have to go back."

Silence met him for several long moments.

Twilight broke that silence, again showing that sly grin. "Well if that's the case, I think we might have a bit more to offer than you think."

Chapter 2: Canterlot

Chapter 2: Canterlot

The grand chamber was different.

Celestia still stood atop the dais, the warm rays of the sun filtered in through the broad stained-glass windows, lighting up the elegant room. It should have been beautiful, but it was not.

It was tainted, soiled. Celestia seemed faded, defeated, the aura of compassion and kindness he had sensed before wholly obscured by the sense of dread that now radiated from the princess. It was terrible to behold. Even the sunlight shining into the chamber seemed corrupted by the wrongness of the scene.

A glimpse of yellow to his side caught his attention. Looking over, he saw Fluttershy and her friends. The same sense of defeat radiated from them. They were downcast, dejected, their colors faded. They stood still, unresponsive even as the shadows moved around them.

The shadows -- the changelings, were here. The darkness swarmed about this bright chamber, individual changelings moving about in a blur. The indistinct swarm came to a single, clear point, one single changeling that drew all his focus. A tall figure, lean but imposing, with a vicious-looking horn. Black hide glistened in the sunlight. The defilement of this grand place, the chaos through the city, the dreadful fear of all the ponies gathered here, she took it all in, and stood tall and proud.

She was happy.

She was enjoying this. Among the dread and defeat that permeated the chamber, she radiated a sadistic glee.

Then she stopped. Everything stopped. The shadowy changelings seemed to hang in place, as if frozen, waiting for her command.

She turned.

Two green eyes shone from the darkness, glowing from a dark fire within. Staring at him.

Sky woke to darkness. He clutched at the blanket as he looked around. Recognition escaped him for several terrifying moments, before he recognized the upper room of Twilight's home. The memory slowly came back, her offering to let him sleep there so they could start out early. He let out a deep, shuddering sigh.

He only barely avoided jumping out of bed when Applejack spoke softly beside him. "Somethin' wrong?"

He heard a soft groan from the other bed, followed by Twilight's voice, thick with sleep. "What's going on?"

Sky flushed, feeling both sorry for waking the two, and embarrassed for the reason. "Sorry. Nightmares."

There was a concerned pause.

"Yah want to talk about it?" Applejack offered quietly.

He sighed, setting his head back on the pillow, wishing he could will his heart to calm down. "...No." Even thinking about it now made him feel uneasy, and he pushed the thoughts from his mind as quickly as he could. Belatedly he added, "I'll be fine."

It was a lie. He knew it, and he suspected they knew it, as well. If they did, they said nothing, letting the matter drop, much to his relief. He really didn't feel capable of talking about it at the moment. His thoughts were jumbled up and confused, and no matter how he tried, he just couldn't clear his mind. Every time he he came close to settling his thoughts, he saw those burning green eyes again.

There was something both terrifying and exciting about them. A strange, otherworldly beauty, but one that held a terrible, sadistic power. A dark and deadly predator, focused on him.

What happened?

He lay there, trying not to shudder again at the memory. The soft sound of the two mares' breathing gave him something to focus on, and slowly the memory loosened its grip on his mind.

Finally, he closed his eyes again, smiling at the comforting sounds of his new friends.

The dreamless sleep was a much-welcomed comfort.

Sky might not remember anything of his past, but he was reasonably certain he had never been on a train before.

It was such a strange sensation, hurtling along this fast, this close to the ground. He was sure he could fly faster than this, at least for a while, but speeding along in a big box, feeling every bump in the ground... It wasn't quite enough to be unnerving, but it was certainly enough to be unusual.

His companions apparently thought nothing of it. Applejack was kicked back by a window, watching the trees go by, while Twilight was lost in a book, a pile of notes laying beside her. The others had remained in Ponyville. He wished at least Fluttershy had come along, but she had regretfully told him that she had too many animals to take care of for her to leave so suddenly. She looked so sad that she couldn't come to help.

Now they were on their way to Canterlot. Not only had Twilight arranged for passage on the early-morning train, she had sent a letter to the Princess herself, receiving a royal invitation for them all! He had thanked her profusely for what she was doing, but she seemed to think nothing of it. He was wonderfully surprised by the length she was going to help him, but he couldn't help a private feeling of dread. Every time he thought of Celestia, the memories of his dream crept back into his thoughts. He shuddered.

Applejack looked over, questioningly. He glanced to her, freezing as their eyes met, staring into her green eyes. It took a force of will to look away, eyes turning to the ground.

She had seen something in that look, something that had caught her attention, and her voice carried her concern. "What's wrong?"

He didn't answer right away. Part of him didn't want to answer at all, didn't want to dredge up that memory. The whole scene was so fundamentally wrong. But it was not going to go away. More than that, he was going to the place of these memories. The more he thought over his dreams, the more he knew that what he would find, at least in Canterlot, might not be easy. He had been in the middle of a terrible situation, and somehow had ended up badly wounded in a forest many miles away. What he found might be worse than he was ready to deal with on his own.

Finally, he sighed, suppressing a shudder as he spoke lowly. "I saw Chrysalis."

Twilight looked up from her book with a momentary flash of surprise.

"Nasty piece of work she was," Applejack muttered darkly. "Woulda stuck every pony into one of those cocoons, sucked out all their love, and probably would have laughed the whole time she was doin' it, too."

He nodded. "Yeah." He didn't know anything about her except what he'd been told, but it seemed right. "I also saw you two there, in the chamber, and your friends, but..." He trailed off. This was surprisingly awkward.

"But?" Twilight prompted. She had set the book aside, her notes back in front of her, a quill already raised.

He looked to her. "But it was... it was just wrong. You looked so downcast and defeated. Everything seemed dim, and you didn't even respond to the changelings around you." He felt so awkward. "It scared me. Not in the dream, I mean, I didn't know you then, but now..."

Twilight nodded slightly. "We were in that chamber a couple times," she said, softly. "Once as her prisoners. But we weren't defeated, and we certainly didn't give up. I can promise you that. That's just the dream playing with your memories."

He stared at her for several long moments. His mind wanted to reject what she said, to cling to what memory he had, whether real or fiction, but her certainty cut through his reluctance. He could feel his confidence slowly rebuilding itself, and returned a faint smile.

She mirrored the expression. "Were you really so worried for us?"

"Well... No, I guess not. Not really. I mean, it's obvious you all made it through just fine, especially to be doing so well so soon afterward." He hesitated, almost leaving off there, but forced himself to continue. "I'm just worried about what I'll find. Something must have happened to me here. What if it's something bad?"

Twilight hesitated, looking to Applejack. For a moment she looked conflicted, before turning back to him, placing a hoof to his leg. "If anything bad did happen in your past, it's in the past. And we'll be there with you."

His smile grew a bit wider, grateful for the sympathy and support. Then he sat back, giving a weak chuckle. "I'm sorry. I'm making for a really bad traveling companion, moping about all the time."

They shared his chuckle. "It's okay," Twilight said. "Seems like you've had a hard week."

Vague dreams and distant glimpses did not do Canterlot a modicum of justice. The broad strokes were largely the same, but the details were clear and vibrant; the city was elegant and beautiful, from the largest tower and buttress, down to the smallest of decorations. Even the streets themselves were pretty in their own way, finely-interlocking stone curving gracefully through the city, with little embellishments and decorations marking corners and edges.

Sky stepped off the train -- oh how nice it was to have stable, unmoving ground beneath his hooves! -- following the bustling crowd of passengers. So many ponies, much more than he remembered in his dream, moved about in the grand station. Many were pulling bags from the train, while others were waiting to board. The crew moved about to arrange business for their departure, while attendants helped with baggage. Royal guards watched over the scene, striking in their brilliant armor.

A young brown stallion quickly approached them, wearing a simple yet elegant uniform. "Ah, Miss Sparkle!"

Twilight seemed to cringe a little, quickly replying, "Please, Twilight is fine."

"Ah, of course," he said, before continuing on, dipping his head to her. "I am Swifthoof. Princess Celestia is looking forward to your arrival, and bid me to fetch you as swiftly as possible."

Sky's ears perked up, surprise clashing with apprehension. Sure, Rarity had mentioned Twilight being the Princess's "star pupil" and all, but it was one thing to hear it among a gathering of friends, and another entirely to receive a personal escort delivering a royal invitation.

Twilight seemed to take it perfectly in stride. "Of course. I'm kind of surprised she sent an escort, though. It's only been a few days since my last visit. I'm pretty sure I could find my way."

"I'm sure," Swifthoof replied, fortunately not sounding offended. "But security measures have been elevated since the changeling attack, and I suspect she did not wish for you to be tied up while the guards do their checks."

It did seem that the guards were paying extra attention to newcomers entering the city. A few unicorn guards were scanning over the ponies leaving the platform, as well as the largest of baggage, and while the procedure was swift, it did slow the traffic somewhat. With Swifthoof leading them, however, they were able to bypass the line, passing the guards with a friendly nod.

Judging by the wealth shown by some of the ponies in line, this was a very unusual privilege. What was his luck in having run into her, of all ponies? Rarity had certainly been right about Twilight.

Twilight looked a little uncomfortable with the treatment, however. "It does seem like security is being much more... thorough."

"Yes," Swifthoof replied, with a hint of reluctance to his voice. "The Princesses were against the idea, but the population insisted, and you know how Princess Celestia tries to give her subjects what they want. She passed the order as a monthly decree, though. I think she is hoping that after a month they will be settled in enough that she can just let the matter drop."

Applejack chimed in. "Is it really so bad? What're they lookin' for?"

"It's just a quick sweep to dispel active magics and suspend enchantments. The idea is to prevent any changelings from infiltrating the city again." He smirked a bit, adding, "So far, I think the total catch is one magically-recolored mane, and about a dozen pieces of fake jewelry. Caused a bit of trouble for a certain jeweler in the upper city, and half the nobility flocked to the gates the next day, jewelry in tow to be scanned. Had to call in extra guards to handle all the work!"

As they walked through the city, Sky's eyes roamed all over, soaking in the place. None of it struck any particular chord with his memories, but he was not looking for that right now. Right now, he just took in he grandeur of the city. Twilight chuckled quietly beside him, and a hint of embarrassment grew in him at how he must be gawking like some tourist, but it was so hard not to. The city was beautiful.

The first sign of recent events came soon enough. Entering a broad square, his eyes fell on the grand statue in the center. Originally an earth pony supporting a banner, it was now broken into several pieces, currently being swarmed over by masons working to restore the great figure. Later was a section of street, hastily patched to fill the crater left by some changeling magic. Then a store with boards replacing the shattered windows, still carrying on business despite the damage. And most heartbreaking, a small home, once quaint and cozy, now gutted by fire. He couldn't help but linger on the thought, imagining the family that had lost everything in those moments. In a way, not too unlike him.

"Sky..."

Twilight's voice was full of concern again. He hadn't realized how transparent his thoughts were, his sad gaze looking over the lingering signs of destruction. But at the same time, he looked over the ponies that walked around him. Sure, there were signs of sadness and despair still evident, but they were faint, fleeting glimpses. More frequently, he saw smiles and happiness. Passersby smiled in greeting to each other, while foals ran about laughing and playing. A cafe owner laughed happily with a few customers, despite standing beside the roped-off remains of his now-shattered patio.

He looked over to Twilight, giving her a little nod and an attempt at a weak smile. He continued on, trying to sort out the chaotic mix of emotions running through his mind.

The palace and its grounds were grand and elegant even when compared to the rest of the city, and yet, showed the most scars from the battle. There were not nearly as many workers as they had seen in the city, certainly not as many as were needed to repair all the damage.

Beside him, Applejack made the same note, and murmured a soft "Huh."

Swifthoof glanced back with a questioning look, and she just smiled a little, tilting her head toward the craters they were walking past.

"Ahh," he said with a smile. "You caught that. The Princesses insisted that repairs to the city come before repairs to their own palace. I believe Princess Celestia said something along the lines of how the work should go to helping those in the most need, before those who had too much."

There was a happy pride to his voice that made his respect for the Princess's decision clear, and Sky noted that Twilight was smiling happily to herself. Even he felt a bit better at this. It made him think of that happy image of Celestia, the caring, compassionate ruler. Without the horrible corruption that followed in his dream.

His heart was beating harder in anticipation as they entered the palace. It was amazingly magnificent. Everything looked brilliant. The polished floor of white marble sent clear clops with every hoofstep. Grand columns of pure white stone supported the great arches of the ceiling. Decorations accented the room in many places, from the gold-and-crystal chandeliers to the intricate tapestries and finely-carved banisters. Most impressive were the grand stained-glass windows. The whole scene glowed in the light of the sun that shone through these, and the grand clear windows that gave such a full view of the sky, making the great hall feel almost as if it were wide open. Many ponies hurried busily about inside its halls, engaged in the constant business of running the kingdom. They passed through the crowd and past guards, without challenge.

Swifthoof showed them into the grand chamber where the princesses waited.

It was the same chamber from his dream. A faint chill went through him as he looked about. He couldn't remember all the fine details, but there was no doubt that this was the same room. Celestia stood tall and brilliant, in the same place he remembered her. He almost kept himself from looking, memories of his dream clawing at his mind, but he forced himself to look.

The knot of his stomach relaxed slightly, to see her standing, serene, a soft smile on her face. She looked up to them, the smile widening as her eyes settled on her pupil. Happiness bubbled up inside him at the sight. That horrible, panicked expression was nothing now but a fragment of a dream, gone forever.

Perhaps it was ridiculous to have held onto such a fear, so completely contrary to what he had heard, even what he knew, but emotion rarely works so logically.

As they approached the dais, he looked around, noting a few other differences. There was hardly anyone here, just a few guards, and the previous visitors, likely nobles by their bearing, who were now exiting the chamber. There was another winged unicorn as well, but not the pink one he remembered. This one was a midnight blue, with a flowing mane that looked like a wisp of starry night. She looked tired, currently holding a hoof to her mouth to hide a yawn, but the yawn was quickly replaced by a happy smile as she, too, saw Twilight.

"Twilight Sparkle," Celestia said happily, as she began to gracefully walk down the steps to meet them. Even without any knowledge of proper courtly etiquette, he knew this must be unusual. She certainly hadn't stepped down for her previous meeting, and those were nobility. This was less like a formal meeting with the Princess, and almost more like a friendly social call.

She continued while his thoughts ran wild. "I must admit, I hadn't expected you to return so swiftly." They were only feet away now, and even without the dream-fueled fear, he could feel his heart racing. So close, he was even more aware of just how big she was, practically towering over him. He watched in surprise as Celestia ducked her head, nuzzling Twilight in a fond greeting.

"And Applejack," she said, raising her head again. "We've seen far too little of you, for how highly Twilight speaks of you. Hopefully we shall not have so many interruptions with this visit."

The orange mare seemed to blush, trying to cover it up with a soft chuckle.

Then Celestia turned to him. His heart practically stopped.

"And you must be Sky, the pony Twilight wrote of."

He stammered softly. Oh sweet Celestia, the princess is talking to me, he thought, while somewhere in the background of his mind he noted that an oath naming the very being that had provoked said oath was unlikely to be productive. "Yes, um-" Abruptly he was aware that he had no idea how to properly address a princess. A hint of fear crept up, concern not only of upsetting Princess Celestia, but possibly also hurting Twilight's relations with her. He scrambled for an appropriate title. "...Your Highness?" It came out more like a question, but he supposed it was better than nothing.

Celestia just chuckled. "Oh, please, no need for such formalities here. I get more than enough of that from the nobles."

"Oh, um, sorry," he quickly offered.

"Nothing to apologize for, I assure you," she replied.

He opened his mouth, only just stopping himself before he could apologize again. Fortunately, she continued on before he could embarrass himself even further. He swore he caught an amused smirk.

"I understand you have come on a bit of a quest, here. Discovering yourself again, so to speak?"

Sky nodded. It sounded a little more extravagant and poetic than he would have described it, but he supposed it was accurate enough.

"Tell me, Sky. What is it you are looking for?"

It seemed a strange question. She apparently already knew. He was here to find out who he was, what had happened to him. Maybe she wanted more of an explanation? "I woke up a few days ago without any memory, except this nightmare of the attack here. I was hoping I might be able to find somepony here who knew who I was -- I mean, who I am. I don't know my own name, what my cutie mark means, where I live or what I've done. I don't even know if there's anypony out there to miss me."

She was nodding, expression gone slightly more somber. "Discovering who we really are has always been one of the greatest goals in life. I wish I could just answer those questions for you, but I'm afraid it won't be so simple as that. The best I can offer is the service of the scribes. Many ponies were missing shortly after the attack, and letters have come from around Equestria, inquiring about loved ones. If there is somepony looking for you, they would have the records to help you."

Which left one last possibility. "...and if there isn't somepony looking for me?"

He thought he saw a hint of sadness cross her features, but it vanished just as quickly. She lowered her head, speaking softly. "If not, then you will have to discover who you are for yourself."

He nodded slightly. Beside him, Twilight was quickly scribbling in her notes.

"But if I might offer a comment," she continued, "Remember that our past may help shape who we are, but it does not control us. Finding who you were will not tell you anything you do not know about who you are, and being too focused on the past can be worse than not knowing it at all. Some things may not be pleasant. Every pony has flaws, every pony has done something they regret, that they may be happy to forget." The midnight-blue winged unicorn shifted uneasily, suddenly looking embarrassed. "Every pony. Even ones who have only done what they feel is necessary. It is all too easy to focus on a single aspect of the past to the point of being blind to everything else."

Her smile grew. "And above all, do not be so consumed in looking for your past that you do not live for the future. Even if you never discover who you were, you have your whole life ahead of you to find out who you are now."

Despite the encouraging words, it was an uneasy feeling that rose from this, a possibility that he hadn't considered until that moment. He had assumed that finding his past would be the end of the matter. A name, a past, a place he belonged, everything sorted out for him. He had only considered the two outcomes; a happy ending, or a new beginning. Now there was a third. What if he didn't like what he found? He couldn't imagine it being worse than not knowing, but... what if?

Twilight touched his shoulder, drawing his attention back. She smiled at him, a happy confidence that he wished he could feel, but which still fed a tiny spark of hope inside him. "We should go get you to the hall of records," she said.

He nodded. Casting a glance back, he saw the Princess ascending the steps, pausing to fondly nuzzle her midnight-blue companion. He smiled; faintly, but it was there. "Yeah..."

Sky walked out into the streets of the upper city, slowly looking around. The visit to the scribes in the hall of records had been brief. The list of inquiries toward loved ones was short, and the list of missing ponies was shorter, even before most of them had turned up. Twilight quickly set most that remained aside -- "Obviously you're not a unicorn or earth pony," she had pointed out -- which reduced the already small list to just three. Coat color and cutie mark dismissed those.

It was a little disappointing to have what could have been such a simple solution turn out to be nothing, but he found himself surprisingly at ease with it. The news of the attack had spread across the kingdom, as had the request for information on anypony who might be missing. As disappointing as it might be to not have the answers he sought, there was some comfort that there were no ponies out there worrying over his absence.

Of course, that also meant there were no ponies out there waiting for him, either.

It was a bitter thought, but one he could handle. He had already made some friends, and in only a few short days. Friends who were good enough to go out of their way to help him, disrupting any of their own plans to bring him here. From all Sky could tell, he may well have more now than he did in his previous life, whatever it was.

Still, he couldn't give up the search. Not just yet. They had traveled all the way here to look for his past, and he wasn't ready to be done after a few minutes of looking over scrolls.

"I think this is where I saw you and your friends," Sky said, looking down the street. Crudely-filled craters marred the surface, dozens of them. A proper barrage had come down here, and his new friends had been in the middle of it.

Twilight was nodding. "That was at the beginning of the attack. The dome came down, and all the changelings came hurtling down at everypony."

"Was a hairy couple minutes," Applejack added. "Little buggers came down like fiery hailstones, smashing all 'round us."

Sky shook his head. "I'm glad you got away. There must have been so many of them."

Applejack snorted out something rather grumpy sounding.

Twilight sighed a little. "Actually, we didn't entirely get away. We were trying to get the Elements of Harmony to fight off the queen, but there were too many changelings. They captured us, and dragged us back to their queen." She shrugged a little, seemingly unaffected by it, though he got the sense she was playing down the severity of the event. He couldn't imagine being dragged back to that creature as anything short of terrifying.

"Well in that case, I'm just glad you're all okay," he said softly, hoping he could be as comforting as they had been for him. "That dream was so vague, and I didn't see her actually do anything, but Chrysalis seemed... Imposing. Dangerous."

"That's putting it mildly," Twilight said dryly.

Sky smirked a little. "Well, it was a pretty short dream."

She chuckled softly. "Okay then. So, where to?"

He looked about, then gestured down the pock-marked street. "You all ran that way, then?" Twilight nodded, and he turned to look the other way. "Then I guess I must have gone this way."

After almost an hour of walking down unfamiliar streets, backtracking, detours, and sightseeing, Sky finally found a familiar sight. It was a small detail, the curve of the street edge meeting a decorative planter, but for some reason this one little feature caught his eye, rekindling the hope that had slowly faded over the fruitless search.

"I was here," he said softly, looking around. A few other facets of the location looked vaguely familiar. "...That way."

They continued down the street, the feeling of familiarity growing. He trotted along, barely pausing at the intersections, pushing down the urge to break into a gallop. Each step felt like he was drawing closer to... to something. Finally, out of the haze of indistinguishable features and half-remembered events, something seemed familiar.

Sky rounded one final corner and came to a stop. The street he had led them down ended in a small plaza, a broad circle of street around a small green. Several buildings lined the sides, leaving a gap for a small overlook, the low wall being the only obstacle between the ponies there and the grand view beyond.

Slowly he walked into the plaza, stepping onto the soft grassy circle in the center. He stopped, looking over the buildings in front of him. "I stopped here."

A nervous sensation started gnawing at him as the memories of that dream passed through his mind, and fading only slightly as his companions stepped up beside him. "There was a mare," he said quietly, and gestured to the wall of the building in front of him, which had turned out to be a fancy furniture shop. "Right there. I had run behind her this whole way, but the street ended here. Then the changelings were all around us. That's the last thing I remember."

"Any idea who she is?" Twilight asked, softly.

No. He remembered seeing her there, but there didn't seem to be any familiarity past that. That didn't matter to him; at the moment, she was the strongest connection yet to his past.

Sky walked forward. The owner of the furniture shop was an elderly earth pony, currently sitting in the front courtyard of the building, a small, open display area. He was working on filing down a curved piece of wood for some project, barely pausing with his work to nod to the approaching pony.

"I'm sorry if this is strange," Sky said, "And I know it's not very much to go on, but I'm looking for somepony. She was here during the attack. I don't know if you know her, she might have only been passing but, I, er..." He paused, the other pony now looking at him with a questioning expression. "Did you happen to see a mare with a smiling flower for a cutie mark?"

The questioning expression held for several long moments, that nervous sensation growing stronger by the second. Then a smirk slowly spread across the shop owner's face, and he raised a hoof, pointing.

Sky followed the gesture to look straight across the plaza to a small cafe, with a sign shaped like a flower hanging in front of it, a happy little smile painted in its center.

Sky blinked in surprise. "Oh. Well that was easy."

Thanking the elder pony, he hurried across the street, Twilight and Applejack close behind. He was just stepping up onto the cafe's front patio when she came out, and there was no question it was the same mare. His heart pounded, the tinge of adrenaline hitting him as he approached.

"Oh, hello there!" she said, in a delightfully cheery voice, giving them all a welcoming smile. "I'm Sunflower, welcome to the Sunny Cafe. Please, take a seat wherever you like."

Sky flushed a little, finding himself suddenly awkward. She seemed about ready to trot over to one of her customers. He quickly stepped up to keep her attention. "Um, actually, I was hoping I could ask you something."

"Oh, sure, of course." She paused then, eyes moving past him. "Hey, I recognize you..."

Sky looked back over his shoulder to Applejack, who looked very self-conscious under the unexpected attention. "Who, me?"

Sunflower nodded. "Yeah. You were one of the ponies at that big award ceremony earlier this year, weren't you? Right after everything went all... funny."

"Oh, that," Applejack said, now sounding distinctly uncomfortable. "It was... nothing. Ahm surprised you'd even remember me."

Sky couldn't help but smirk a bit at this. She looked embarrassed, but that nervous smile seemed perfectly genuine. She might be quite modest, but he had the feeling she liked the recognition.

"Well of course I'd remember," Sunflower said, giving a big grin in return. "A freckled orange earth pony with a cowboy hat isn't a very common sight around here, particularly at a big and fancy gathering like that! I'd certainly hope you get some recognition after what you and those other ponies did for Equestria."

Twilight was smirking now, as well. "Seems somepony's famous," she teased.

"Ah, well, heh." Applejack fidgeted a bit, quickly attempting to change topics. "Anyway, thanks for that, but we were actually kinda hoping you might recognize our friend here."

Sunflower looked over both Sky and Twilight, apparently unsure which she meant.

"I know it's a long shot," Sky said, drawing her attention back, "But I was hoping you might..." He paused, sighed. It seemed so simple in concept, but so strange to just ask some complete stranger if they knew anything about you. He mentally backtracked, figuring it would be better to start from the beginning.

"I was here during the attack," he said, quietly.

Her smile faded, replaced by a look of sympathetic concern. "Oh..."

"I was hurt afterward, and I'm having a really hard time remembering anything at all." Simple enough, he supposed, no need to go into too much depth here. He felt like he'd explained all of that far too many times in the past two days. "One of the few things I remember is running from the changelings, following you, and ending up here. I... I know it's a long shot, but I was hoping maybe you'd remember me. Anything at all, even the smallest detail, might help."

His heart sank at her expression. She looked thoroughly crushed by this. Suddenly, he wished he could take it all back. To unsay what he had just said. Hey, it all just came back to me now, nevermind, no need to worry yourself! Anything to undo the grief that he unwittingly seemed to have brought to this young mare.

"Oh... Oh, I'm so sorry," she said, stepping up to gently place a hoof on his shoulder. "I wish I could help, but I don't remember meeting you."

He sank a little, giving a deep sigh. Nothing. He'd gotten so hopeful that something would turn up, even if the smallest of detail, and yet he had come up empty.

"It was all so chaotic," she continued, "And with all those changelings chasing everypony around... At first I was hidden with a whole bunch of ponies that had holed up in a shop, but I was too scared to remember any of them. When they found us... I know some others had ran with me, but with all those horrible creatures there, I never got a good look at any of them." She gave a low sigh, eyes moving over to the same spot he remembered her stopping in his dream. "Then when I got here, they surrounded me. I'm sorry, I was too scared of what they were going to do to me to notice anything else."

He felt hollow. Words came out without him quite meaning to, reflexively carrying on the conversation. "What happened to you?"

She smirked a little, a small hint of good humor returning. "Well, they grabbed me, for all the good it did them. Guess all the running did some good. That explosion went off a few seconds later, tore the changelings right off me. Cut up my leg where one of them had grabbed me, and nearly cracked half my ribs when I hit the overlook wall." She shrugged, trying to downplay the incident and liven the mood a bit with a smile. "But I'll gladly take that. If they had a slightly better grip on me they would have pulled me right over the edge. I'm sure the guard would have caught me like those poor ponies that were thrown over elsewhere, but I'd much rather enjoy the view with my hooves firmly planted on the ground."

He nodded dully. Words wanted to form, but he couldn't quite make sense of his thoughts. Explosion? He didn't remember that.

"Hey... Why don't you find a seat. I'll get you something nice." She ducked her head a little to catch his eyes, giving an encouraging smile. "On me."

Sky lay with his chest across the overlook wall, forelegs dangling off into space. The view was incredible. A waterfall streamed out from nearby, plummeting well over a thousand feet down to the lake below. The land stretched out in every direction he could see, rolling hills, lush forests, and scattered here and there, small towns and villages. He was fairly sure that was Ponyville, off in the distance, the evening sun glowing off the tiny, distant roofs.

"You okay?" Twilight asked softly, both her and Applejack sitting by the wall with only their forehooves on it, rather more conscious of the incredible height than he was. She'd asked this a couple times now, and so far he had been very noncommittal, lost in his own thoughts and conflicting emotions.

Staring out across the land from this vantage point, though, had a remarkably calming effect. From so far above the world, all his problems just seemed so much... smaller. He took another sip of his drink -- some delicious fruit smoothie Sunflower had recommended -- and smiled a little. "You know... I think I am."

He continued on, slowly giving voice to the thoughts running through his head. "I'm kind of disappointed that I couldn't find anything about my past, but... not as much as I thought I would. It's almost a relief, if you can believe it." He shook his head a little, not entirely sure if he believed it himself. "Knowing there's not some pony out there worrying themselves sick about me is something of a comfort, I suppose. If I don't have any ties... Well, I'm free to do what I want, be who I want."

He turned to Twilight, his smile growing more sure. "If I were doing so well before, surely there would have been somepony looking for me. But now? I've been conscious for what, two days? And I've already been welcomed to town with a big party, and made friends who are kind and generous enough to take me to another city on a wild goose chase, even knowing there was little chance of finding anything."

Twilight looked surprisingly awkward at this, with an expression that looked more guilty than simply embarrassed.

"Looking at what I have now, how could I be disappointed, really?" His confidence was slowly growing with each word. "I mean, it'll take a bit to get on my hooves again, but otherwise, it'd be hard to look at what I've got and say it isn't good." He let out a small laugh. "Heck, I just got an audience with the Princess, and over nothing more important than my own well-being."

Twilight's expression quickly changed back to a smile. "I think you'll find that her subjects' well-being is the most important thing to her.

"After what I've seen today, I must admit, I wouldn't doubt it."

He turned back to look over the view, taking another long sip of his drink. Beside him, Twilight and Applejack exchanged a look.

"You know," Twilight said, "It'd be kinda silly to just hop on the train back, not when we've got an invitation to stay at the castle, and to dine with the princesses..."

"We do?" Sky asked, looking back to her with a surprised, but quite happy face.

"We do," Twilight confirmed. "So I was thinking we should turn this into a nice little mini-vacation. Relax, see the sights, enjoy ourselves. We didn't really get much time to take it easy the last time we were here, after all. It's just for a day, but... what do you think?"

"I'd love to!"

Despite the initial excitement, Sky had felt nervous at the prospect of attending a royal feast. He was sure the food would be wonderful, but as the hour approached, he became more and more aware that he didn't have the slightest clue what "high society" would expect as proper behavior. The idea of being in the midst of potentially dozens of high-ranking and important ponies was more than a little intimidating.

So he would have thought that discovering that "dining with the princesses" was just him, his friends, and the princesses, would have been comforting. It wasn't. It was far worse. As they were shown in, he was acutely aware that, even being potentially the least interesting or important pony in the room, he was inevitably going to catch the princesses' attention. At least in a crowd of rich and powerful ponies, he could have hidden simply by not drawing attention to himself. Not so when there were a grand total of five ponies in the room, discounting the occasional servant.

Well, hopefully they'd be more interested in talking with Twilight, who had some acquaintance, rather than some new and unknown pony. He fidgeted self-consciously as they approached the table, taking their seats. Celestia cast an amused smile toward him, which made him blush.

Greetings were made, the casual greeting of friends rather than the formal exchange Sky would have imagine of royalty, though Luna -- Twilight had thankfully filled him in on her name and relation before dinner -- spoke in a somewhat unusual manner. He struggled at a way to describe it. Casually formal? Antiquated, certainly, but still friendly.

The food was beyond delicious, giving him the perfect distraction from his sudden attack of self-consciousness. Perhaps a little too perfect, as he missed the drifting of the lighthearted conversation.

"I'm curious, Sky," Celestia said, "How goes your quest of self-discovery?"

It took a moment for him to even realize he had been addressed, and he looked up surprised, his mouth full. Chew, chew, swallow, faster, faster!

He gulped down the bite as quickly as he could, almost coughing as he did so. "Oh! Um, I guess not so well. I didn't really find anything out." He suddenly shook his head, realizing that wasn't quite right. "I mean, I did find out that there hasn't been anypony looking for me, which I guess is good to know. Good to know that there's nopony worrying about me, I mean. At least if I'm starting over, I've got that burden off my shoulders. And I've already made some good friends. I mean, I think we're good friends, I-" He forced himself to stop rambling, and quickly took another quick bite to keep himself from starting up again.

The fact that Celestia seemed more amused than offended by his rambling did at least soothe his nervousness. Even his embarrassment at the rambling outbreak seemed to fade just a hint at the sight of her calming, caring smile. And besides, he was talking to the Princess! Not just as a subject at court or some calling noble, but at a private dinner. He couldn't help but smile at the thought.

"There we go," Celestia said in response to that smile, with a clear hint of amusement to her voice.

Okay, still a little embarrassing.

He suddenly imagined that he was reacting to this much like Applejack had reacted earlier. Though at least she had done something notable. Well, more notable than sharing a private dinner with the rulers of Equestria.

"So, Sky," Celestia said. "Twilight was telling me that you saw me in your dreams?"

Oh yeah. The nervousness was back.

"Er... kind of?" he said. He didn't even want to think of those horrible glimpses and feelings from his dream, particularly not when compared it to her, face-to-face; that confidence, happiness, and compassion radiating from her every movement and expression, every bit as much as it had in his dream. "I don't think it was real. Not entirely. It really doesn't make any sense, honestly."

"As I understand, dreams often don't," Celestia replied. "But all the same, I would like to hear it. Perhaps there is something there, in those dreams."

Well, you can't really tell a princess "no," can you? He took a deep breath, unsure just how to tell this part of his nightmare. "It was in that same room I first met you in, earlier today," he said. "You were standing in the same place, but things were different. The first time I saw you, you were just like you are now, so... Radiant and happy. Then as the dream went on, I saw... other things. The first dream was just this momentary look of... panic. Just a flash, then it was gone, but... But I knew it was still there. It was so strange, so out-of-place."

"But the last dream? You were just... You looked terrified. Everything good was gone, just... fear, nothing but fear. And you just stood there, even with all the changelings flying about, and Chrysalis -- and they were there," he gestured to Twilight and Applejack, while the words came faster and faster. "And their friends. They just stood there, too. It was horrible, you all looked so drained and defeated. It was just so wrong. All that dread and fear, and she was just standing there, laughing at it all. Everything was so wrong-"

"Easy," Celestia calmly interrupted, and he again forced himself to stop. His hooves were shaking.

There was a long moment of silence. Celestia closed her eyes, looking contemplative, almost sad, while Luna gave her sister a concerned look.

Celestia's eyes opened again, and she looked to Sky. "I was afraid, Sky. Your dream might not remember all the details, but it has retained the emotion of that moment. Yes, I was afraid, because I failed. When the changeling queen, Chrysalis, had revealed herself, I tried to stop her, and I failed. She defeated me. I failed, and I feared I would have to watch as all my subjects suffered such horrible fates for that failure."

Sky winced and looked away. A part of his mind was screaming, afraid that the terrible feelings of his nightmares were about to replay themselves in front of his eyes, but she seemed calm, at peace despite her regret.

Luna looked pained, saying in a soft yet surprisingly strong voice, "We... I should have been there for thee. For everypony."

Celestia let out a soft sigh, though her smile had returned. "No, sister. Do not blame yourself, it was certainly no fault of yours. If I had been a little less occupied worrying about a threat from outside, I might have noticed the threat right beneath my nose, as a certain other pony had."

Twilight tried to hide a smile behind another bite of food.

Celestia turned to face her, a hint of a smirk. "Though perhaps she could broach such subjects in a slightly less dramatic manner, next time."

Twilight, suddenly looking embarrassed, was thankfully rescued by Luna. "We wonder where she could have learned such dramatics," she said, teasingly, which earned her a playful smirk from her sister.

His recent near-terror at the recollection of his dream was fully forgotten as he watched Celestia and Luna, the two most powerful ponies in Equestria. Joking.

"In any case," Celestia said, "Where were we? Oh yes, the dream. Standing there, doing nothing. The "standing there" part might not be accurate, but I suppose the "doing nothing" part is, sadly. Apart from the moments I was fighting the queen, I did not manage to do much at all. At first I was barely conscious, after the blast of magic she sent into me. But I suspect if you saw Twilight and her friends there, with an air of defeat about them, that must have been after the changelings put me in the cocoon."

He coughed and sputtered, nearly choking on the bite of salad. "Cocoon?! They put you in a cocoon?!"

The sudden background fear that his behavior was thoroughly inappropriate for a royal dinner was thankfully quashed by her amused smile. Why was she so amused? Was this another joke?

Applejack was looking at him questioningly. "Yah mean to say you saw the Princess, in a cocoon, and yah don't remember it?"

"I... I don't..." He stammered a moment, looking back and forth between them. "...I-I guess not."

How could he have lost a detail like that? He could remember her expression, her reaction to the situation, but how would he remember that, and not the fact that she was in a cocoon? How much more had been lost in those dreams? How much had never existed in the first place?

As he struggled with his thoughts, Luna spoke. "Dreams can carry meaning, but they are as likely to be symbolic as they are to be literal, or even nonsensical. Everything in our dreams come from something, but that does not mean that they will make sense in the end, and just because they can carry meaning does not mean they always shall."

He stared at her for several second, mind still wanting to object. "...Thank you," he finally said. "I think."

Celestia chuckled, such a warm and pleasant sound. "Oh, thank you, Sky. It's always intriguing to hear a new perspective, even on something we know so well. Still, I am truly sorry if the topic distressed you. I hadn't known that the subject was such an uncomfortable one."

"It's okay," he said reflexively, even though he would have been quite happy to never think of that particular scene again. He uneasily took another bite of his salad, seeking refuge in his food.

She was still smiling at him, still with that hint of amusement. He was starting to be concerned that he had unwittingly done something wrong, even offensive.

"Sky," she said, softly, soothingly. "I can tell you're not comfortable. Please, what is wrong?"

He swallowed hard. Looking at her, it was hard to feel anything but peace and happiness, yet here he was, right at the focus of her attention. Why was he so nervous? Did he expect her to be offended by his behavior? No, it wasn't that. She seemed so compassionate, so understanding, he couldn't imagine her being offended by somepony simply being a little awkward, or lacking the finer social graces. If that were the case, surely his behavior so far would have provoked some response. No, it wasn't her at all.

It was him. Here he was, dining with the rulers of Equestria, when he had done little more than wake up a few days ago with no memories. But why? Why was he here? How did he deserve what must be a highly-sought privilege?

"It's just... It's just so strange," he said, still boggling a little. "I'm not an important pony, I haven't done anything of note, heck, I just woke up a couple days ago, but here I am, dining with the princesses of Equestria. It's all so..." He trailed off.

Celestia chuckled again. "Oh, Sky. Everypony is important, even if they don't realize it. Please, don't feel like this is some grand formal matter that you have to earn, or that you're somehow any less deserving just because you are not some high-ranking member of a noble family. This isn't a dinner with the "Princesses." It's a dinner with us, Celestia and Luna, just two ponies with a fancy house."

He couldn't quite contain a nervous laugh at the idea of the palace ever being described as just a "fancy house."

She gestured a hoof around the table. "This is a gathering for friends, not formalities. All I want is for you to relax and enjoy yourself." She paused, a subtly sly expression crossing her face. "And if you're still concerned about my reaction to a lack of "proper" formal manners, maybe you'd like to hear the story of last year's Grand Galloping Gala."

Both his friends groaned. Twilight looked halfway between horror and laughter.

Celestia smiled at them. "Oh, it wasn't that bad. Why, the repairs took barely a week, and certainly nobody could ever deny that it was truly a memorable night."

Sky realized he was giving the most incredulous look. The most powerful pony in Equestria. Joking. With him. "...You know, I think I might like to hear that one."

The great halls stretched out, the great arches and polished floors fading into the darkness that permeated the palace. The light of the sun did not light these halls, the sky outside the grand windows dark and empty. The warm colors seemed faded and empty, the brilliant decorations sinister and alien.

Every step cracked shockingly loud against the cold floor, yet there was no echo. It was as if the darkness devoured the sound. Slowly he moved through the empty halls, each indistinguishable from the last.

He had to go on. Something was out there, in the darkness, waiting for him just beyond his senses. Some horror lurked.

Another empty hall. He moved down it, pace picking up. He had to keep moving, he had to find... what was he trying to find?

A light flickered above him, faint and distant. His eyes raised to look at the tiny flicker of green descending from the sky. A small speck of flame, such an unusual color. It flowed down through the sky until it landed on the edge of one of the grand windows overhead.

The stone caught.

Fear shot through him. The green flame flickered and spread. He had to put it out, he had to do something, but he couldn't. He couldn't fly. His wings were still bound to his sides. He pulled and tore at the bindings, but they refused to loosen.

He looked up to see the flame rippling across the ceiling, almost like a living creature, casting its green light across the hall. Drips of flame fell to the polished stone of the floor, where they kindled fresh blazes.

The fires grew, and he did the only thing he could. He ran.

Behind him, the fires spread with ever-growing intensity. It flowed along the floor and walls and ceiling, following him like a predator after its prey.

And just like a predator, it was guiding him, corralling him. At one intersection he turned to run down a hall, only to have the flames spring forward, cutting him off, the flames behind lagging only just long enough for him to lunge into a different passage. Again and again he dodged the flames, guided onward.

Doors loomed in the distance. The first doors he had seen, at the end of the hall, tall and grand. He burst through them.

The grand chamber was alight in green flames, flowing about like wisps of smoke, mingling with the shadowy changelings the swarmed about the room. A giant cocoon hung in the center of the room, and he knew the indistinct form inside was Celestia.

And there, beside the cocoon, was the imposing black figure of the queen, eyes alight with the same green fire. She was softly stroking the cocoon, an unnervingly loving gesture amidst the chaos and destruction.

She was looking at him. There was something unnatural to that look. Terrible, enticing, commanding. He could hardly look away, had to physically force himself to not stare into those eyes.

They were beckoning him, pulling at him, drawing him to her.

He turned back to the flame, and ran.

Chapter 3: Home

Chapter 3: Home

Sky found it somewhat amusing to recognize how quickly he had associated Ponyville with home, but it was undeniable. Stepping off the train and onto the wooden platform brought a wonderful feeling of relief, as if everything in the world was back to normal, as it should be. He'd been here barely a day after waking up, and already it was home.

Twilight stepped up next to him, smiling as he sighed happily. "You certainly seem to be doing better."

"Yeah," he said, slowly looking around. "Don't get me wrong, Canterlot was fascinating, but I'm just happy to be back here."

Loud cries and a sudden clatter of hooves from down the platform drew their attention. He wasn't the only one glad to be home; Golden Harvest was bounding across the platform, flying into a hug with Bon Bon and some green unicorn he hadn't seen before. Twilight had caught sight of her when they were boarding the train, and had eagerly ran over, soon making introductions all around. He soon found out why Twilight was so excited to see her there. Golden Harvest had been one of the ponies that had gone missing, caught up in the chaos of the city after the attack.

Seeing the tearful reunion, they simply looked on, happy for the ponies who were, to him, mostly strangers.

Before he could stare too long, Twilight nudged him in the side. "Looks like you're not the only one happy to be back."

Chuckling softly, he nodded. "Yep."

"So... What now?'

He paused, considering the question. There was a world of possibilities, but there were a few things he would have to settle, first. "I guess I'll need to get a job and a place to stay. Other than that, I guess I can do whatever I want, now."

"Well, I'm sure you could stay with any of us until you get yourself on your hooves again," Twilight said. "Hey, we might even be able to help you with the whole job thing, too. Weren't you talking about needing some extra hooves to clear a new field, AJ?"

"Ah dunno, Twilight," Applejack said, uneasily, then quickly added, "Ah mean, it's some mighty hard work and all, 'specially for somepony not used to the farm life. Maybe he should talk to Rainbow, see if'n he can't get some work with the weather ponies or somethin'?"

Sky's ears perked up. A job that involved flying around? Work that took no more effort than pushing a few clouds around the sky? "That sounds like a great idea, Applejack! Where is she, anyway?"

"Oh, her?" Applejack let out a little laugh. "Probably sleepin' on some cloud somewhere. That filly might be all speed and athletics, but she sure does love her naps."

Right. Tracking down another pegasus might be a little tricky while he was still stuck on the ground. "Well, in that case, I should get over to Fluttershy's house. She made me promise I'd wait for her to take these things off, and I've been dying to get some flying done!" He gave his wings a wiggle, barely moving them in their restraint.

"If that's the case, ah suppose ah should be headin' off. Gotta get back to help out with the farm and all, 'specially with us bein' gone an extra day." She looked over to Twilight. "You gonna be okay without me for a bit?"

Twilight rolled her eyes, giving an amused smile. "We'll manage fine, AJ. Go on, I'm sure your family is all waiting for you."

Applejack gave them a slightly uneasy look before turning to head off. "Well, okay. Y'all take care!"

Twilight turned back to Sky. "Mind if I tag along? I might be able to help out. And since I pretty much cleared my entire schedule for the next week, I don't really have much else to do."

He laughed softly. "Of course I don't mind. C'mon." To tell the truth, he was rather happy to hear it. He liked the company. He also didn't know his way around town at all, yet, but that was more of a handy excuse.

"Thank you, for everything you've done," he said, as they walked along. "I really can't express just how much it means to me."

She smiled, though there seemed to be a faint reluctance to it. "Don't mention it. Helping ponies is kind of what we do. I just... wish we could have done more."

He watched her as they walked on. His first impulse had been to dismiss it as something imagined, but seeing her so lost in thought brought out uneasy feelings in him. Something seemed off.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, quietly.

She stiffened, apparently not realizing how transparent her thoughts had been. "Oh. No. Not really, I was just... thinking." She cast a sideways glance at him. "But I think it's nothing..."

He fixed her with a look, smirking. She seemed genuine enough when she said she thought it was nothing, but it was obvious she was putting some serious thought into whatever it was.

She met the gaze for several seconds. At first she held firm, but finally she sighed, rolling her eyes. "I'll tell you later. Maybe."

"Still trying to figure things out, aren't you?"

She nodded faintly. "Yes. Just thinking of a few things, trying to sort them out, figure out answers. I'm starting to think it's all leading to nothing in particular, but I want to make sure, first..."

He couldn't help a little chuckle. "You are one determined little pony, aren't you?"

"...I guess you could say that. I like that better than some of the other words ponies have used to describe me at times."

He quirked an eyebrow at that. "Such as?"

She sighed a little, allowing a little smirk. "Too many to list all at once, though "obsessive" and "neurotic" seem to come up with alarming frequency."

Sky laughed. "I dunno, you seem just fine to me. Far too nice for neurotic."

That got her to smile again.

She was also thoroughly brilliant, he decided. She'd seemed pretty smart before, but he hadn't expected a few casual comments about wind eventually leading into a lengthy discussion of thermodynamics and its effects on flight. He could understand the outcomes and effects she described, much of which seemed fairly common-sense, though he was mostly lost on the mechanics behind it all. Despite that, he found the conversation surprisingly interesting, even asking a few questions on some points, which she was happy to clarify. It was rather fascinating to find that such simple things as thermals could have such complexity behind them. At the same time, she seemed quite happy to have somepony genuinely interested in what she was saying, rather than going "all googly-eyed" the moment the discussion turned technical.

"Oh, I won't pretend I understand everything you're saying," Sky said, with a bit of a laugh, "Or even, you know, most of it. But it's still interesting. I might have to look into that stuff sometime, see if I can't wrap my head around it."

She seemed to brighten up even more. "I'm sure I have some books on the subject."

"I'm sure you do," he replied, thinking of the library she lived in.

The conversation was just starting to drift into a discussion of the mechanics of weather-manipulation magic when a burst of laughter drew their attention to a side street. Pinkie was sitting at the corner of a building, with Rainbow Dash hovering just overhead, both of them laughing uproariously.

Sky paused, musing over the scene. "They seem in a good mood."

Twilight glanced around. "Well, I don't see any fires or ponies running for safety, so I suppose it can't be too bad."

He glanced over to her, seeing her seemingly serious expression, then looked suspiciously at the two laughing ponies; Rainbow was now eagerly saying something to Pinkie, who was laughing more every moment. "...You're joking. Right?"

She playfully shoved a hoof at his shoulder with a light laugh. "Of course," she said, then added rather more quietly, "Mostly."

He looked flatly at her, while she just smiled back. "Well, go on. You were going to ask for a job, weren't you?"

He gave a mock sigh and approached the laughing duo.

The moment Pinkie noticed them approaching, she leapt up and bound over to them. "Heya Twilight! Heya Sky! How'd the trip to Canterlot go? You find everything you were looking for?"

Sky chuckled a little, musing on how this pink pony could possibly have so much energy all the time. "If 'nothing' counts, I suppose you could say so," he replied, drawing a confused look from Pinkie. Then, in a rather disgruntled tone, he added, "Though I guess it's 'Skyblue' now."

"Oh, don't pay that grumpy old scribe any mind," Twilight said. "You can still be just Sky."

He knew that, of course, but it hadn't stopped him grumbling about it on the train ride home. Celestia had arranged for him to be registered as a citizen, even if it turned out to be a temporary matter, but the clerk they had ended up with had been less than pleasant. Apparently he thought "Sky" was not appropriate for a name, and had rather insistently inquired as to its origin. On discovering that it had been "made up" -- his words -- he had haughtily informed them that it might do as a given name or surname, or a component of a more complex full name, but "Sky" was, in his opinion, just too simple for him to register as a name on its own. They had eventually and begrudgingly come up with "Skyblue" as a solution, largely so they could be done with it and leave the annoying clerk.

Hmm, maybe he could get Twilight to ask the Princess to have it changed.

He shook his head clear of those thoughts, recalling why he was here. "Hey Rainbow Dash. I hear you're the one to talk to about getting a job as a weather pony? It's looking like I'm not going anywhere, so I kinda need to make some money."

Rainbow was still chuckling a little from whatever she and Pinkie Pie had been discussing. "Oh, a job? Hah, yeah, suppose we could find room for one more. Not that there's much to do right now. Getting into summer, so that means clear skies, smooth sailing, and plenty of free time." She swooped down to him, suddenly sounding reluctant. "There's just one little problem."

"What's that?" he asked, trying not to sound too concerned.

Rainbow just smirked, gesturing to his side with a hoof. "You have to actually fly."

He gave her a flat look as she chuckled. "...fine. I'm going over to Fluttershy's to get that taken care of, anyway. After being stuck on the ground so long, I can't wait for the chance to fly circles around you." He ended with a smug grin.

"Fly circles? Around me?" She laughed. "Hah, right! You're talking to the fastest flier in all of Equestria!" She struck a proud pose, hoof to her chest, still hovering in mid-air. She held it for all of a second before looking down at him with a grin. "And that's not even bragging, that's a simple fact. No other pony can go fast enough to pull off a sonic rainboom, so that just leaves me!"

Sky cocked his head to the side. "A sonic what-now?"

Rainbow Dash dropped down to hover barely off the ground, a dramatic look of concern on her face as she peered close at him. "Wow." Then she raised a hoof, poking lightly at the side of his head. "You must have hit your head extra hard to forget something that awesome!"

That drew a sigh from him. She floated back up, chuckling. "Well, come on then. Let's get to Fluttershy's house, you've got a race to lose, Brain-Boy!"

They continued on. Sky kind of wished Twilight would continue on with her description of basic magical theory -- he only halfway understood what she was talking about, but it was interesting -- but she was quite happy to let Pinkie take over the conversation. Most likely she recognized a losing battle when she saw it. Pretty smart pony, indeed.

"So, how was Canterlot?" Pinkie asked, and he had only just opened his mouth before she went on. "Did you get to see the palace? Oh, it's a beautiful place, and they're always throwing fancy parties there, did you get to go to one of those? But if you didn't, there's still so much to see and do. Oh! Did you try going to Donut Joe's, or The Royal Sweet Shop? I always wondered if that one was royal because Celestia went there, or if they just named it that way, but it's a wonderful place either way."

Some seconds passed before he suddenly became aware that she had stopped talking, looking at him with an expectant grin. He tried to play back the conversation in his head. "...I forgot what the first question was."

She just laughed and skipped on ahead. "It's okay!"

Sky chuckled softly as they all walked on. All but Rainbow Dash, of course, who was still flying alongside them. He couldn't recall ever seeing her on the ground, in fact.

"Do you ever just walk?" He asked.

She shot a smirk back and quipped, "Do you ever fly?"

He let out an exaggerated sigh, rolling his eyes. "Soon as we get to Fluttershy's, you'll see."

"I'm sure I will," she replied coolly. "At least, you know, if I look back."

If he hadn't promised Fluttershy he would wait -- and could perfectly picture the look of disappointment if he broke that promise -- he would have torn the bandages off right then and gone chasing after Dash. He was distantly amused that he wasn't more upset by the teasing. If anything, it made him more eager to get up there himself. Besides, maybe he could impress them.

Though probably not Rainbow Dash. She seemed impressed enough with herself already.

Fluttershy tenderly lifted his wing with her hooves, occasionally giving feathers a gentle tug with her mouth. "Did that hurt any?" She asked, somewhat timidly.

"A little stiff," he said, and when she let go, he slowly drew his wing through a full circle. He could feel the muscles a bit too clearly, slight protests at the movement after so long idle, but no real pain. "But so much better than before. Give me a few minutes to stretch them out, and I should be perfect!" A wonderful, eager happiness was bubbling up in him as he moved his wings, and it wasn't just from seeing Fluttershy's happy grin. It felt like one more weight lifted from his shoulders, one less burden holding him back. It was like a new-found freedom, the prospects opening up before him.

"Well?" Rainbow said, drawing the word out expectantly. She was, for the first time he could recall, not flying, though she had at least claimed a lofty spot atop the peak of Fluttershy's cottage.

He shot her a smirk, then hopped up, wings beating at the air to lift himself until he was hovering just in front of her. "Okay, fine. Race time."

"Hah!" Rainbow Dash laughed out, crouching down. "About time you got off your butt and flew some. First to town hall and back!"

Without another word she sprang from her perch, shooting off toward town, with Sky flying after her.

She really wasn't kidding, he realized. She was fast. His own wings ached a bit from lack of use, but as he struggled to eke every bit of speed out of his wings it became increasingly clear that, even on his best day, he wouldn't be matching that speed. He wasn't sluggish by any means, but she was making this look easy.

Particularly when she passed him on her way back, doing a flying impression of the backstroke as she went by.

Soon he was catching up with her, but not from his own ability. No, she was weaving back and forth, doing slow circles, taking it easy. Overconfidence, hmm? He grinned. Maybe, just maybe, she might be too distracted with her early celebrations to notice him slip into the lead. He put his all into it, pumping his wings as hard as he could.

The moment he drew even with her, she leveled out and matched his pace precisely. "Not bad. Just not good enough!" She laughed, pulled a quick barrel roll around him -- Ah. Flying circles around me. Of course -- and put on a sudden sprint of speed.

She landed hard just beside the cottage, striking a proud pose. "Aw yeah, I am victori-"

And Sky plowed into her with a loud "Oomph," sending both pegasi tumbling into the brush.

"Oh my goodness!" Fluttershy cried out in her soft voice. "Are you both okay?"

Twilight seemed to take it more in stride as she trotted up to the bush, observing the two, both intact if slightly dazed. "Wow, Rainbow. I think he's about as good at landings as you are."

Rainbow groaned, kicking Sky off her none too gently. "Smooth. Somepony needs to watch where they're going."

She righted herself only to blink, looking back at Sky's curiously staring expression. He just sat there, staring at her. "Uh..." She glanced back to Twilight, then back. "...Earth to Sky? You land on your head again or something?"

Sky was silent, but raised a hoof, slowly reaching to poke Rainbow on the nose.

She pulled her head back and blinked.

Then Sky smiled. "Tag." With that, he kicked off the ground, shooting off into the sky.

Rainbow sputtered. "Wha? But the -- you -- hey!"

As she flew up after him, Sky turned to dive down to the ground, turning tightly as he rounded the first trunk and passing under the canopy. This called for a change in strategy. In a contest of speed he might have no chance of competing, but in the tight and cluttered space among the trees, her advantage in speed would mean nothing. Here it would be up to agility, and agility was something he had plenty of.

This wasn't just fun. This felt right, in a fundamental way. This kind of tight, turning flight, weaving between trees and dodging obstacles. This was something he had done before, something he was good at.

Something Rainbow Dash was better at, he found, as a pair of hind-hooves planted themselves on his back and threw him out of a tight turn, tumbling through the leaves before he leveled out.

"Tag!" she laughed back at him, pausing just long enough to let him see her before zipping off again.

He shot off after her, eyes fixed on that rainbow-colored tail as it turned and bobbed and flowed through all manner of acrobatic twists and turns, with him struggling to keep up. She didn't restrain the chase to just the forest, either. Soon they were arcing up into the sky, only to plunge down again into the heart of Ponyville, flying down streets and alleys. She'd even slow down a bit every now and then to let him get near, but never quite close enough, giving a quick laugh as she pulled away again, which he found himself unconsciously echoing.

They flew on, and on...

Rainbow Dash was panting as she landed atop the small cloud, finally calling an end to the wild and lengthy chase. "Okay, that's enough. I think you've had enough for one day."

Sky had to agree. Silently, of course. He was thoroughly exhausted, wings wobbly as he landed beside her, sinking to his belly with fatigue. Not that he'd admit it. "Why... stop?" he panted. "I can... keep going..." He wasn't sure he could even lift himself off this cloud, but he was completely ready to try.

Thankfully, Rainbow just flopped down on her back with a laugh. "Yeah right. Of course you can. C'mon, I can outpace you all day long, but I'd been planning to have a nice nap this afternoon. And totally not because I just spent a couple hours flying around Ponyville like a complete maniac." She shot him a grin, trying to hide her own panting, and he couldn't help but let out a gasping laugh as he rolled onto his back, sucking down deep breaths.

"So... did I get... the job?"

She laughed again, raising a hoof toward him. "Heck yeah. That was pretty good."

He reached out to bump his hoof against hers with a soft clop. He lay his head back, staring up into the clear sky above. Even despite the exhaustion and his failure to keep up with this absurdly good flier, he was happy. This was how life should be.

"A nap is sounding pretty good," he said softly, grinning up into the sky.

A few hours of lazy dozing had the two pegasi feeling much better, both of them sprawled out atop the cloud, looking over the whole world laid out before them. Having recovered from their energetic flight (Her much swifter than him), they were now lazing about, talking. He was, of course, interested in learning about this new job he had signed up for.

"So, weather patrol," Sky said. "What exactly do I need to do?"

Rainbow chuckled softly. "Do? Pretty much nothing! Summer's the best time to be a weather pony. Mostly you'll just have to keep an eye on the sky and make sure no stray clouds go wandering by. We're supposed to keep things near-clear for at least the next week, I think." She reached out and thumped him lightly on the shoulder. "Heck, this is pretty much the whole job, right now! As long as you keep a bit of an eye out, you can do whatever you want!"

"Wow," Sky said, and looked around at the sky. Only a few clouds were even visible, scattered distantly. "That's it? And we get paid for that."

"Yep!" Rainbow said, rolling onto her back again. "Not nearly as much as in the other seasons, of course, but still, you get paid to fly around, nap, whatever. It's the most awesome job ever."

Sky cast her a curious look. "We get paid more in other seasons?"

"Well duh," she replied. "It'd hardly be fair to be paid the same for arranging a whole storm as it is just to make sure the sky stays clear."

A hint of doubt poked at Sky's mind. "So... how much pay are we talking about?"

Rainbow sighed. "Guh. Well, there's a set amount we get, depending on the weather. Then we split that among everypony, and there's some weird stuff about active and reserve lists and who does or doesn't have another job, and all sorts of boring egghead stuff that I let the others deal with, but for summer it comes out to something like five bits a day. Okay, a little less now that we have one more on the team."

"So, about a hundred fifty a month." He had a number, but suddenly realized he had absolutely no context for that number. "...is that a lot?"

"Nah," she said, giving a shrug. "I mean, it's probably enough for food, if you don't get anything fancy. But don't worry, you'll make more than enough in the other seasons that you won't have to worry about being short!"

That was less than encouraging to Sky, however. Fall was still a couple months away, and he didn't want to wait that long to get things in order. He couldn't say he minded the charity these ponies were giving him, but he didn't want to rely on it. He needed more than just food, he needed a place to stay. He needed to pay his own way.

Which meant, as awesome as the weather patrol was sounding, he needed another job.

Twilight looked up from her book as Sky entered the library, a hint of a smirk crossing her face. "Ah. We were wondering when you'd show up again. Rainbow finally wear you out?"

Sky stopped in mid-step, suddenly realizing that he had just left her and Fluttershy, and had never come back. "Oh," he said, sounding guilty. "Er, yeah. Sorry we just took off like that..."

Twilight rolled her eyes, smirk growing into a full smile. "Oh please. I've known Rainbow Dash long enough to expect that kind of thing by now, and with you finally able to fly again, I can hardly blame you for your enthusiasm."

"Oh," he said, a little surprised, then quickly added, "Thanks. And sorry."

"It's fine," she said. "So, how'd it go?"

"I never got near her unless she let me. And... it looks like I need to find a different job."

Twilight blinked, looking genuinely surprised. "Wait, you mean she turned you down? Why, because you couldn't keep up with her?"

"No, no!" he quickly said, not having realized that his statement might be taken that way. "I got the job fine, it's just that it doesn't pay much during the summer. I mean, I can at least cover my own food this way, but I'll never get enough to get a place to stay. Well, not until fall or winter, any way."

"Oh, Sky," Twilight said, the levity returning to her voice. "We're not going to kick you out to the street. I know Fluttershy's place might be a little small, but I've got plenty of room and an extra bed. Even if it's going to take a couple of months, you're perfectly welcome to stay here."

She said it so casually, as if the offer were nothing at all. A little hint of happiness tugged at him to have such a generous gift offered so freely. "Thank you," he said. "But I'd really like to be able to take care of myself." Emotion was starting to come over him, and he smiled. "I really appreciate everything you've done for me, all of you. This would have been so much harder without your help. I don't even know how I'd be coping with it right now. But right now, I really need to stand on my own four hooves, to be able to pull my own weight."

He quickly held up a hoof, stopping Twilight's coming objection. "I know, you're glad to help. You've said so. I really do appreciate it Heck, I'll probably still need a place to stay for a few weeks, anyway. I just... I need to get my own life going again."

He let his hoof drop again, feeling a slight unease creeping over him. For just a moment, he worried that he might have offended Twilight, but the smile she gave him buried that fear. "I understand," she said, softly. "Being able to make it on your own can be a very comforting thing, and I'd imagine that's even more so in your case. Just promise me one thing."

"What's that?" he asked, cautiously.

She just smiled. "Don't be afraid to ask for help, if you need it. I've seen how that goes..."

He was falling.

Below spread the wild twisting streets of Canterlot, the towers stabbing up into the sky like great spears, seeking to impale his body on their golden spires. He plummeted downward, between the towers. Past the spires. The towers rushed by him, then roofs, then walls.

The hard street rose to meet him. The impact sent the world askew. He reeled, his head pounded.

His gaze turned to the sky, to see it alight in clouds of green flame. Points of fire fell from the sky like rain, plummeting down into the city. The fireballs smashed into stone, and from each crater a changeling rose, joining the mass of shadows swarming through the streets.

Behind the rising flames loomed one black figure, the shadows swarming about it, green eyes burning as bright as any flame. Its mouth opened, uttering one single word.

"Go."

He rose to his hooves and fled, laughter following after him.

Through twisting streets and swarming shadows, he ran. Changelings flew by, ponies scattering in every direction. Patches of green flame spread, casting its eerie light over the chaotic scene.

A glimpse of yellow caught his attention. Turning, he saw Fluttershy staring out from a doorway, her face full of concern. He turned and ran to her, plunging through the doorway after her.

He entered a train car, already starting to accelerate away. Outside the windows he could see the maelstrom of chaos raging through the city, buildings whisking by. Then a blur of stone, and the outer wall of Canterlot was receding into the distance behind them.

A hoof touched his shoulder, and he leapt in surprise, spinning around, sure for a moment that the changelings had followed him. A surge of relief passed through him as he saw Fluttershy's smiling face. And Twilight. And Rainbow Dash. And Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie. They looked worn and tired, but happy.

A spark of green flickered on the back wall of the cabin, and his heart stopped. He staggered back, trying to scream a warning as flame shot out across the wall, over the seats. The train lurched, slamming to a stop, and he leapt from the growing inferno, his friends scrambling out after him.

He landed on the platform of the Ponyville station, staggering on several yards before collapsing. His body was spent, his legs too weak to lift himself.

He looked back over his shoulder to see the train engulfed in green fire, tendrils of flame reaching out the the platform, seeking more to burn as if alive with a malevolent will. And behind that flame, in the raging inferno, a shadow drew itself toward them.

Sky had risen reluctantly, shaking off yet another night of bad dreams. Soft sunlight filtered in through the windows of the library, the sun just now peeking over the horizon. It was still quite early, which was good. Despite the lack of sleep, he wanted to head out as early as possible. Finding a well-paying job might take some time.

He cleaned up, brushed his mane in an attempt to make it look more presentable (an effort that had no noticeable effect on the perpetually unkempt mane), and shared a quick breakfast with Twilight. One final quick run-through with her made sure he remembered where to go, and then he stepped out.

The streets were still and quiet this early, only a few ponies going about, getting a similarly early start on the day. A few merchants were setting up their stalls, a mail-pony flying about on her rounds, a handful of others heading out for early-morning jobs. Most ponies were still home, sleeping late or taking their time with a pleasant breakfast, waiting for the day that followed. It was still brisk, but it should be a wonderfully warm day once the sun rose higher in the sky.

With a flurry of wings, he leapt into the sky, slowly arcing up over the town. He had so many options, now. Twilight was, unsurprisingly, full of ideas, and had given him a full run of suggestions. Unfortunately, most of these were simply noting places of business that might be able to use another hoof around, without any promise that they might be hiring. The most likely suggestion seemed to be at the town hall, which she had said was often looking for ponies to fill in for certain jobs.

More interesting to him, however, was the suggestion to check in with several of her friends. There was a certain appeal to being able to help them, after what they had done for him. That gave him a few options, and if those turned up nothing, he still had the option of heading to the town hall. That just left the choice of which pony to go to, and Applejack was the only one he knew for certain had some work that he could do, even if she had seemed uncertain of the prospect.

He banked into a smooth turn, the ground sliding away behind him as he headed toward the uniform rows of apple trees in the distance. It was a short and leisurely flight in the cool morning air, and in minutes he was gliding down toward the small cluster of buildings near the center of the farm, a familiar orange mare hauling a large cart out into the field.

He flared, back-winging a moment to land precisely atop the fencepost nearest her. "Hey Applejack!"

She started, jerking back from the sudden voice and turning to face him. Recognition took a moment. "...Sky? What in the hay are yah doin' there, startling the heck out of me!" She stopped suddenly, looking completely shocked. "Wait a minute, what are yah doin' here?"

Sky chuckled a little. "Sorry there, Applejack, didn't mean to startle you. It's just that you mentioned having some work you might need doing, and I kinda need a good job. I figured it'd be good to show up bright and early for my best chance, and," he spread his forelegs, balancing with his wings. "here I am!"

"Uh, yeah," she replied, giving a rather doubtful look. "But weren't yah getting' a job helpin' Rainbow with the weather?"

He dropped back down to all fours, expression falling a touch. "Well, yeah, but it doesn't pay much at all. Not for summer, anyway. I guess I just need something better to make it to fall, when the weather picks up. Or anything at all, really."

"Oh, ah see," she replied slowly, still eying him questioningly. "Well, Ah dunno. Truth be told, summer's kinda slow on the farm, too."

"Oh," he said, heart sinking a little. He'd expected to have some difficulty, to have to make multiple attempts to find a job, yet he still found the failure disappointing.

A memory suddenly leapt to mind. "Hey, Twilight said you were planning on clearing a new field, that you might need help with that. Maybe I could help out there?"

"Ah don't..." Applejack trailed off as she stared back at his downcast, yet hopeful expression. She seemed to struggle a moment, conflicted. A few emotions flashed subtly across her face. Determination had already yielded to suspicion, then uncertainty, then... guilt? She grumbled something under her breath. "...Yeah, Ah suppose there's that. Are yah sure? It's mighty hard work, yah know."

Sky perked up, lifting off from the fencepost to hover there before her. "Yes! Heck yes! That'd be great!"

Applejack smirked a little uncertainly as she looked over that broad and eager grin. "Well, okay then. Yah can help me tend the trees, then we'll get to work clearing out the new field. And don't say Ah didn't warn yah..."

That was the worst day ever.

Scratch that, Sky thought. Second worst. At least this time my legs just feel like jelly, my wings are intact, and I'm fairly certain I'm not bleeding.

He was, however, sprawled out in the dirt again. The sun was closing in on the horizon, casting its last rays of light over their progress. The first part of the day had been wonderful. They had gone through the orchard, clearing weeds, checking on the trees, making sure they were all healthy and cared for. He even had an easy time of it, being able to fly up into the upper reaches of the tree to look at what she had to peer at from the ground. If he had any idea what to look for, that might have even been helpful.

But all too soon, they made their way to the new field. The ground was hard. The bushes refused to be uprooted. The wonderful warmth of the beautiful summer day became a harsh and oppressive inferno. He worked as hard as he could, the fatigue growing by the moment, but he refused to give in. Applejack was right there beside him, working just as hard as him, but handling it so much better. Maybe it was a bit prideful, but he didn't want to look weak or incapable. If she could keep working all day, well then, so could he.

She had finally called an end to the work, and he thankfully collapsed onto the ground, largely undoing any image of unstoppable endurance he might have wished to maintain. She just chuckled. "Ah told yah, it's hard work."

Yes, it was hard, and dirty, and he was pretty sure he'd be feeling the aftermath of this work all day tomorrow. At the same time, though, there was a feeling of contentment. Maybe even pride. He'd worked harder than he had thought he could, and gotten good work done. It might not have been as much as Applejack, probably by a fair margin, but he had done it all the same.

Applejack nudged him. "C'mon, we'll get some food in yah. Reckon yah need it after all that."

He nodded weakly, despite being rather uncertain his legs would carry him that far. At least his wings weren't sore, though he barely had the energy to lift himself up, hovering alongside Applejack as they headed back to her home.

They traveled in silence, moving among the trees in the fading light of the setting sun. It wasn't until they were almost to the house when Applejack spoke again. "Listen, um... Ah'm not gonna turn down any offer to help, but Ah dunno if this is the job for yah." He started to weakly protest, but she continued on. "Yah did a good job, can't fault yah none for that. Rarely seen anypony work themselves that hard. But..."

She looked over at him, and he couldn't even muster the energy to protest further.

"...Well, yer not gonna be able to keep goin' like that for long. Now don't go takin' this the wrong way, but yah might want to look for some work more your speed, yah know?"

He sighed and nodded. "Yeah."

They went on in silence a few more moments before she let out an exasperated sigh. "But if yah can't find anything, and want to help out, I suppose yah can come back here. Ah just hope yah can find something that's a little more pleasant, yah know? Ah don't want to see yah hurtin' yourself tryin' to keep up."

Sky managed a weak smile. "Yeah. And thanks, Applejack. Ah really do- I really..." he groaned, head hanging again, while Applejack tried -- poorly -- to conceal a snicker. Stupid addictive accent.

At least the food was good, and there was plenty of it. The company was good, as well. The Apple family was very friendly, and while Applejack's older brother was quite a bit quieter than she was, her little sister, Apple Bloom, more than made up the difference.

"So you're the one my sister's been talking about?" the little filly asked eagerly, and with a rather less-pronounced accent than her older sister. "The one with no memory?"

He nodded. "Pretty much. I remember seeing Canterlot, but not much else." Definitely no need to get into mentioning the scary changelings to the little filly.

"Oh yeah! Were you there when all the changelings attacked?"

Of course she would ask that, he thought with an inward groan. Applejack had an unnervingly protective eye on him now, which certainly didn't make things any easier. "Well... I suppose I was, but I honestly don't remember much of it."

"Really?" Apple Bloom asked with clear surprise. "I couldn't imagine ever forgetting something like that. It was so exciting!"

Sky nearly choked on the bite of apple pie. What?

She was already going on. "There was so much going on, everything going wild, but my sister ran right out there with all her friends to save the day!" She suddenly pouted. "And I didn't get to see any of it! All the adults were too tall and blocking my view, and then they started running and dragged us all with them. It's not fair, I didn't even get a good look at any of the bug-ponies, not even that weird big one that did all the flashy magic."

She leaned toward him, a very expectant look on her face. "Hey, did you get a good look at them?"

She looked so eager, a drastic contrast to the dangerous look her older sister was giving him. "Uh... I don't really remember much about them, I'm afraid."

Apple Bloom sighed, but the failure seemed to only deter her a moment. "What's it like losing your memory?"

Applejack managed a surprisingly quick turnaround time between evil glare and exasperated groan.

He cocked his head, blinking. It took a few moments for his own brain to change gears. "Oh, uh... Well, I don't really remember."

Applejack coughed, caught laughing halfway into her groan, while Apple Bloom frowned at him, ears drooping. He held up his hooves, smiling. "Okay, okay. Serious answer time, um..."

He considered for a few moments. "...I dunno. It's weird, certainly. I mean, I don't know anything about myself. Don't remember where I'm from. Don't remember what I did. Don't even remember what my name is or what my cutie mark means. I'm kinda starting over, I guess, get to find-"

Apple Bloom's eyes had gone wide, completely shocked by what he said. "You don't remember what your cutie mark means?!"

He flinched back from the sudden reaction. "Er... no? I can't say I'm happy about it, but it's not really that big of a deal. I obviously figured out what my talent was once, I'm sure I can do it again."

He eyed her carefully, hoping his weak attempt at reassurance had worked. She was sitting back, now, no longer looking at him, or anything in particular. "Iiinteresting..."

It seemed Applejack decided it was time to intervene. "Allll right then, Ah think that's enough of that."

It was well past dark by the time he left. His legs felt a little less rubbery, and his belly was wonderfully full. The Apple family certainly knew how to cook, and the portions were generous. But best of all, he was able to leave with a feeling of pride, and a jingling bag of fresh-earned bits.

There was going to be no heavy work on the farm today, which suited Sky just fine. Sometime during the night -- thankfully occupied with only vague dreams of shadows and a happy lack of running -- his legs had decided that simply feeling like jelly was far too kind of a punishment for what he had done to them. It wasn't so bad when he was idle, but they ached horribly the moment he put any weight on them. Fortunately, he seemed to be quite good at swallowing his pride, or he might have been upset at Twilight's giggles as he took off from and landed already in a laying position. He could outsmart his own legs; they could only hurt him if he used them.

No hard work today. Something easy. There were still several friends who might need help. None of them should have any work nearly as hard as farm work. And if none of them had work? Well, he had no problem taking a day off in the state he was in now.

It was significantly later when he set out today, the town already coming to life as he flew out over it. Dozens of ponies wandered the streets, browsing the market, or simply relaxing in the park. A few pegasi were flying in loops, laughing as they played. If only he didn't feel so sore, he would have gladly joined them. If only he didn't feel so sore, and didn't need to find a job...

When he asked Fluttershy if she had any work for him, the poor mare looked so sad that she couldn't help. She even tried to come up with a few small tasks for him, things she could easily do herself and was offering way too many bits for him to do. He managed to eventually talk her out of it, even managing to coax another of her wonderful laughs.

His next option was Rarity. Not the greatest of options, he thought. A dressmaker? Still, Twilight had figured she might have something he could do. He wasn't surprised when there wasn't. "I mean, I can always use models," Rarity had said, with a much-too-amused smile, "But somehow I can't quite picture you in a dress."

Which left the one option he dreaded: Pinkie Pie. He felt bad for dreading it, he did genuinely like her, but he couldn't imagine possibly keeping up with her energy when he felt as sore as he did now. As it turned out, there was little she could do to help him. She worked for the Cake family, and while she assured him she could put in a good word, it hardly looked like the small family-run business was in need of another pair of hooves to help out.

He did get a free cupcake out of the visit, at least.

A hillock in a picturesque park seemed quite inviting, and he sprawled out lazily, soaking in the sun as he munched on his free treat. It was about as good as a lazy day could be, and he certainly didn't mind the free time. Foals and parents played in the field, the warm sun shining down on him, a general air of happiness filling the park. If not for the sore legs, it would be perfect.

It was so close to perfect that he had almost dozed off, when a voice called out to him. "Hey, Sky!"

He sat up, blinking. It took a moment to focus his eyes, the image of a very happy Apple Bloom finally coming into view, a pair of curious fillies along side her.

"Oh, hey Apple Bloom," he said. "What're you up to?"

"Well, I was thinkin'," she said. "You don't remember what your special talent is, right?"

He nodded.

"Well, we don't know what our special talent is, either. We're trying to find out, so we can earn our cutie marks. So we're kinda in the same position, right?"

"I guess so," he replied, feeling a little less certain than he sounded.

"Right! So I was thinking, we can help each other out!"

The orange-colored pegasus filly grinned. "This is going to be so much fun!"

The white unicorn filly nodded eagerly.

The three young faces beamed happily at him. "Please?"

He looked from face to face, each one filled with happy excitement. "...well, sure. Why not? What've you got planned?"

Sky staggered into the library. His fur was ruffled wildly and frayed, his mane singed, and he didn't even want to think of what was stuck in the fur of his haunches and tail. Twilight stared blankly at him as he panted just inside the doorway, his eyes wide and fixed, staring off into the distance.

"...Wow. I think your new job is even worse than your last," Twilight said with dry amusement, showing just a hint of a smirk.

"Not work," he said, numbly. "Foals. Crazy, crazy foals."

Now she was chuckling. "Let me guess. Cutie Mark Crusaders?"

He turned and stared at her for several seconds. "Wow. Those three do this enough to have a name?"

"Something like that."

Chapter 5: Changes

Chapter 5: Changes

The Canterlot palace's chamber was different this time.

Not in construction or appearance, but in feeling.

It felt... different. It felt like it should be wrong, but instead simply... was.

He felt different. Detached. The shadows moved around him but he did not react, as if he did not perceive them. Celestia hung suspended inside a cocoon, but he did not react. The six ponies -- his friends -- walked into the chamber, imprisoned by the shadows, but he did not react.

And there, atop the dias, in the place Celestia should be standing, stood Chrysalis.

Now he reacted. Now he felt the emotion, the fear and awe that her terrible visage brought forth, but it was distant, as if he were merely observing it. His breath sped, his heart pounded just a little harder.

She was toying with them now, toying with his friends. She laughed, her eyes cold and cruel, yet lit by a horrible glee. She was taking pleasure in their defeat.

Then those eyes turned to him.

For a moment, there was nothing else. The faint emotion he had felt vanished. The world of fire and shadow dimmed and faded, receding until it was only a distant memory. His thoughts stilled, and the only thing that existed were those two green eyes, staring into him.

Then sound reached him, as she called out to the shadows.

"Go. Feed!"

The shadows stirred. He turned and flew from the room, and around him, the shadows followed. He flew from the palace and into the insanity of a city under siege. Green flame streaked from the sky as changelings, charged with magic, plummeted down upon the city. Shadows swarmed about the streets and the skies, hunting down their prey.

He saw the insanity, and he flew into it, eagerly.

No rush of panic reached him. No sudden shock or revelation. The dream simply faded...

Sound slowly filtered through to Sky's ears. It was distant, muffled, as if lost behind the haze that filled his head. The haze was simple, comforting. No thoughts or worries disturbed that peace. Only the faint sounds penetrated the murk, teasing at his mind, the only hint of something beyond that comforting nothingness.

One sound caught his attention. Through the muffling distance he heard the sound of Twilight's voice. He focused on the sound, but couldn't understand what she was saying. A moment later, the faint voice faded, replaced by another sound, another voice just as distant.

A pressure was building, weighing down on him. The distant sensation of feeling was alien to him at the moment, a reminder of existence that his muddled mind had let slip from his awareness. Slowly the pressure built.

Twilight's voice returned, slightly closer. He focused on it, his addled mind focusing on the one solid thing it could perceive. Slowly the sound grew, coming into focus.

"...to wait and see. I'm not going to leap into something without knowing the details, and you were just fine-"

"The details?" The shout was louder, aggravated. Applejack's voice was distinctive. "Yah know all the details! We can't just wait for things to get worse, we need to take care of -- Spike! Get yer scaly lil' butt back here!"

A few other sounds of scrambling and thumping echoed through... the wall? There was light, faintly filtering through the haze. He could feel his eyes; slowly they opened. The brightness was painful, stabbing at his eyes, overwhelming his senses for a moment. His head pounded worse as the senses assaulted his mind, the view of the room resolving to show the huge bookcase laid into the wall. It took a moment to connect to sight. He was in one of the rooms of Twilight's library.

...And his head was killing him.

He groaned faintly, stirring a little as reality slowly faded back to him. There were more sounds coming from the other room; he could hear the sound of Fluttershy's voice interjecting in the other two mare's heated discussion, her own voice far too soft for him to make out. He tried to move, body sluggish and unfeeling, the blankets weighing him down. Finally he managed to pull a foreleg free of the covers-

An image of his nightmares rose toward his face, a glossy black limb riddled through with holes.

He screamed.

Fear and adrenaline shot through his sluggish body, bringing him to life as he tried to scramble drunkenly away. His legs flailed out, kicking away at the covers in his scramble. More black limbs flailed about, his black limbs. A body of black carapace was writhing in the bed below him. He scrambled away from the waking nightmare, trying to escape the sight that followed his every movement, until a sudden shock of pain went through the top of his head.

He had ran into something, and as he tried to flinch back, it held tight. Something had grabbed his head, maybe even stabbed into it! He jerked harder, twisting, and with a wooden "thunk" he was free, a dull ache running through the top of his head.

Reflexively he reached up to the source of the ache -- the terrible black leg moving under his direction -- and yelped in pain as his hoof struck a horn. His horn.

I have a horn.

He froze, panting in fear, to see five pairs of eyes staring at him. Drawn by the sudden commotion, the arguing ponies outside had rushed into the room, and now stood at the foot of the bed, staring at him. Applejack glared harshly at him, while Twilight looked uneasy, but curious. Rarity and Spike looked distinctly concerned. Pinkie Pie looked concerned as well, though she was the only one not staring at him, instead looking at her friends. And poor Fluttershy stood mostly-hidden behind her, looking out with fear and concern. She was scared of him.

The pain of that realization echoed faintly behind the panic that still tried to flow through him. Lowering his forelegs, those terrible black limbs moved in their place. He trembled, holding them where he could see them, looking between them, his body, his friends -- his friends who looked at him with fear and anger. His mouth moved, wanting to speak, wanting to ask what was happening to him, but all that came out was a strangled whine.

No. He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to accept that this was happening -- No! It wasn't happening! He shrank back against the headboard of the bed, his horn -- his horn! -- scratching against the wall, eyes clenching shut as he wrapped his forelegs over his head. Shut out the world, shut out the nightmare. It's a dream. Just a dream.

He curled in on himself, shuddering. Just a dream.

There were new sounds that faintly crept past the crushing panic. Twilight's voice again. Soft, but firm. It was something familiar, something comforting; he shut it out. He had to shut it out, out there was the nightmare, out there everything was wrong. He had to ignore it. Just a dream.

Another voice, Applejack's, crying out loud enough to punch through the panic. "Fluttershy!"

He squeaked and shuddered harder as the mattress he was sitting on shifted under a new weight, and again when the soft touch alighted on his shoulder. Then he heard Fluttershy's voice, close to him. "He's terrified..."

The voice was sad and compassionate, and sliced easily through his panic. Slowly he opened his eyes, greeted by the soft yellow fur of the gentle pegasus. She was looking right back at him. He could see the fear still there, lingering in the background, but now she wore a timid smile, a show of kindness and compassion in the sudden nightmare. The terrible panic relaxed its stranglehold on his mind, just a fraction, eyes watering.

With that, she moved in closer, forelegs wrapping around him in a firm hug. "It's okay," she whispered, over and over. "It's okay..." Slowly the panic unwound, his mind calming. The throbbing pain in his head was slowly diminishing. In its place, a soft warmness spread, peaceful and calm. Slowly, the warmth of the embrace filled him...

...No. No!

Panic crashed down on him as his mind made the connection With a terrified gasp he jerked away, pushing back at her and shouting out, "No!" Applejack shouted and lunged in to protect Fluttershy, but he was already scrambling away. He fell off the side of the bed, a shocking jolt running through one leg, and scrambled back into the corner. His cheeks were wet with tears as he held up his legs, those black, alien legs, as if shielding himself from an oncoming attack. "N-no, don't... I-I don't want..."

Fluttershy sat on the bed, looking sadly at him a moment before rising up, stepping forward.

"P-please," he said, voice weak and shuddering, his head shaking back and forth.

Applejack moved to keep Fluttershy back, trying to dissuade her, but the yellow pegasus ducked her head and slipped by, leaving Applejack looking after her, full of worry.

Fluttershy's expression stayed strong, that comforting smile, the look of concern in her eyes, not for herself, but for him. He could see it clearly in her face, in her movements... No, that wasn't it. No, he wasn't seeing it. He was feeling it, knowing it, and simply reading it as bits of her expression. He could feel it, and he wanted to feel more of it. He wanted to feel every bit of it that he could, he wanted to take it in and savor that feeling.

He couldn't. He couldn't dare do that. But that's what they did, isn't it? What... he did. They fed on those feelings, and he... "Please, don't," he murmured pitifully. He couldn't do that. Not to Fluttershy. "I don't... I don't want to h-hurt you."

A pained expression flashed across her features, a moment of hurt that was washed away a moment later by recognition. Pity welled up inside the mare as she sat just before him, carefully lifting her hooves to touch his trembling forelegs.

She nudged gently at his legs. He sobbed out a gasping breath, pushing back at her gentle touch. He couldn't let her get close. He'd hold her back if he had to, but he couldn't let her close. He just couldn't...

"Sky."

His trembling went still at the single, soft word. His breathing slowed, and he simply stared at her, tears starting to roll down his cheek. Her smile grew as he calmed, her eyes shimmering softly as they watered up. "It's okay, Sky."

His will dissolved. He gave no resistance as she gently guided his chitinous forelegs aside and moved in close. As her own forelegs embraced him, he finally broke down, burying his face in her soft yellow fur, body shuddering as he sobbed uncontrollably, legs clutching to the only point of hope and happiness that existed to him. They held each other tight as he cried himself out, the warmth of her compassion every bit as real to him as that of her embrace.

Silently, numbly, he stared on as Twilight and Rarity helped the weakened Fluttershy into the bed he had woken from. In a way he felt every bit as alive as he ever had. The pain in his head, the fatigue, all of it was gone, replaced by a feeling of good health and energy.

And he couldn't have felt more miserable.

Fluttershy gave him another weak smile as she finally lay back, and guilt stabbed at his guts like an icy knife. He had fed on her. Fed on Fluttershy, his friend, the most compassionate pony he had known. He had taken advantage of that friendship and compassion, left her drained and exhausted, her head pounding, and it was his fault. He had hurt her. His breath caught, shuddering a moment. If he still had any tears to cry, he would have.

Instead he sat there, silent, full of horror at what he had done.

He barely noticed when Twilight nudged him along, mechanically following the group out of the room, his head hung low. He paced a few steps into the room and sank down to his haunches again, unable to form the will to move any further.

Silence filled the room, and he slowly noted the feeling of their emotions. That faint hint of instinct that he had when judging ponies' expressions still faintly trickled into his mind, even as he stared fixedly at the floor. Mostly he felt nervous unease. Applejack radiated mistrust, and the sharper sensation of fresh anger, most likely at seeing her friend bedridden. Twilight seemed concerned, but it had a more personal feeling to it. Curiosity and compassion lingered behind that. She felt badly about the situation, sympathetic. Pinkie Pie...

That was enough to draw his attention away from the floor. He could feel little from her, just a soft sympathy, yet she was looking about in confusion, wearing an expression as if everypony had gone completely crazy. Why couldn't he feel that? What was different about it?

He glanced timidly around. Everypony else's eyes were fixed on him. Those emotions focused on him. Could he only sense emotions directed at him? Maybe... He looked back to Pinkie, focusing on the faint feeling he received. It seemed to sharpen slightly, the sympathy growing more clear and tantalizing in his mind, and in the background, he swore he could feel a faint hint of confusion.

With a faint shudder, he let his gaze drop again. It felt so wrong to be able to do that, to feel her emotions like that, and it was even worse to feel himself react to it, as if ready to gobble up those feelings. Like he had done with Fluttershy.

Twilight broke the silence, voice echoing her uncertainty. "Well then..."

He found himself speaking without even thinking. The voice, his voice, sounded strange to him. The pattern of speech was the same, the same inflections and emphasis he had always used, but the tone sounded off. It was a small, subtle difference, yet it made his voice sound alien to him. "...Is she okay?"

Applejack's hoof thumped against the floor in agitation, but it was Twilight who answered. "I think so." She sounded reluctant, and as his attention focused on her he could feel the faint wisps of worry for her friend. "As far as I can tell she's just very tired and has a headache. It looks like she'll be fine after a good rest."

He nodded weakly. He wanted to say more, to express his concern, but it just seemed so pointless at the moment.

"Okay, Twilight," Applejack said, voice sharp. "It's up. You've talked. Will you write the letter now?"

"We've barely talked," Twilight replied. "Just give us a few minutes so I can ask some questions, I can write a letter to explain things to Princess Celestia after that."

"W-what?" he gasped, fear suddenly seizing his mind again. Memories of his dreams flashed through his mind, horror dawning on him. "Oh no. No! Please!" He staggered toward Twilight, stumbled, falling to his knees, begging at her hooves. "Please don't tell her, please. She... she'll... she'll throw me in a dungeon! Or banish me! Or k-kill me!"

That last one drew a startled gasp from several of them, including Twilight. "Celestia would never kill another sapient being!" She looked horrified at the idea.

"But I put her in a cocoon!" he wailed, voice full of anguish.

"Wait a minute," Applejack said angrily as she stepped up. "You put her in a cocoon? Ah thought yah said yah didn't remember anything about that!"

"I don't!" he cried out. "B-but I was there! I remember being there, and her... I might have done it. I could have helped her, but I didn't!" He shuddered, reaching out to clutch at Twilight's hooves. "I helped do that to her. And... and I remember you. I remember seeing you in the streets. I remember you being dragged in as prisoners! I remember flying through the streets, all the fear and ponies-" his eyes widened in sudden shock. "Oh no. Sunflower." He sank down until his head met the floor, eyes staring, haunted. His voice was weak and trembling. "Sunflower. She... S-she was so nice..."

He shuddered, voice catching. His throat felt too tight to talk. He just lay there, trembling, unable to cry any more. He could see that horrified face from his dreams, screaming as changelings closed in on her, knowing that they had almost dragged her to her death. That same kind face that had offered him a free meal in sympathy, twisted in a horror that he had inflicted upon her.

"...she is nice," Twilight said quietly, and he felt a faint stirring inside him. Gently, she placed a hoof on his shoulder. Even just that touch of compassion calmed his racing mind. "Not was. Is."

"Twilight..." Applejack growled, warningly. "Don't do this. We need to tell the Princess about it. We should'a already told her!"

"I just..." Twilight shook her head, conflicted. "I don't know. We should wait for him to calm down, find out more-"

Applejack stomped a hoof against the floor. "Yah can't just hide something like this from the Princess!"

"I wouldn't be hiding anything!" Twilight said, obviously offended at the accusation. "I'd be taking the time to thoroughly investigate and provide a detailed report of my findings."

"We don't have the time for that! Yah know the Princess would want you to tell her right away, not study the thing!"

"Princess Celestia trusts my judgement!" Twilight said angrily. "The situation is perfectly under control, so we don't need to rush it. I'll send a report after I've had time to study the situation and come to a proper conclusion, not before!"

Applejack stared in shock for several seconds. "...A conclusion?" She asked, then jabbed a hoof in his direction, saying much sharper and louder. "It's. A. Changeling. That's the conclusion!"

Twilight glared right back at her. "So what? We already knew that!"

Sky looked up in surprise, his weak and trembling voice interrupted the exchange. "...What?"

Twilight looked back down to him, a sudden feeling of guilt coming from her as she looked on his shocked expression. "Er... Yeah," she said, awkwardly. "...We kinda knew you were a changeling..."

Applejack snorted.

"Suspected!" Twilight quickly corrected. "Very strongly suspected."

He looked back and forth between them, his own emotions clashing harshly with those he felt from them, brewing into a wild cacophony of random emotions. Anger, suspicion, fear, betrayal, hope. He reeled under the onslaught. It took several seconds before he managed a weak, "Why?"

Applejack cut Twilight off before she could answer. "Oh, maybe because we found yah crashed in the woods here the day after this massive magical blast that threw every changeling out of Canterlot?"

Quietly, Rarity chimed in, "And your last memories were in Canterlot, moments before the spell went off."

Twilight stepped up, glaring around. "Which is all suspicious, but remains inconclusive on its own. It's not impossible for those to be simply coincidence." With her point made, her voice softened again, looking back down to Sky. "But what couldn't be explained was how you knew Chrysalis's name."

"What?" Applejack said, cocking her head.

"On the train," Twilight replied. "He knew her name, but the queen never said it. We didn't even know it until Cadance told us, afterward. Nopony said it in his presence here, either." She raised a sheaf of papers. "I know, I took notes of every conversation with him, and when we got back I asked everypony he had spoken with, none had mentioned the name. Most didn't even know it!"

"Wait a minute. You mean you girls really didn't already know?"

Every eye turned to Pinkie, who was still looking at them as if everypony had gone insane.

"...What? It was kinda obvious."

A few looks were exchanged before Rarity politely asked, "Erm, and how precisely was it so obvious?"

"How could it not be?" Pinkie replied, earnestly "What AJ said about crashing right after the super-love-boom spell went off is good, but it was obvious the moment he was awake and talking. I mean, he responded just like a changeling would, not a pony!"

"Uh-huh," Rarity said slowly, obviously unconvinced.

Pinkie just rolled her eyes. "And then it just got more and more obvious! He healed up so much quicker when there were a bunch of ponies around, he got all super-energetic at his awesome welcome-to-Ponyville party, and his behavior changes depending on who he's around!"

Sky's mind reeled. Was that really what happened? Did he change depending on who he was around? He could sense the emotions they were directing at him right now. If he weren't aware of their source, could he have mistaken them for his own emotions? It fit terrifyingly well, he had to admit. Feeding off emotions would explain how he could have kept up with Pinkie's insane energy.

Twilight seemed to agree. "...Some of those are actually very good points," she said, reluctantly.

Pinkie giggled, throwing a hoof around Twilight's shoulder. "Aw, it's okay. I really liked yours, too. Good catch!"

"We still need to do somethin' about it," Applejack said firmly.

"Him!" Pinkie Pie said defensively, stepping up to put a foreleg over his prostrate form. "And you don't need to be such a meany-pants to Sky. I thought you liked him!"

Applejack took a step back, clearly surprised by Pinkie's reaction. "...Ah thought Ah did," she said, firmly. "'Fore ah found out he was a faker!"

Pinkie gasped, taken aback by her accusation. She leaned heavily on Sky, supporting herself as she pointed her other forehoof at Applejack. "He was not a faker! And besides, you said you thought he was a changeling before!"

"Ah thought he was probably a changeling," Applejack said.

Pinkie folded her forelegs across Sky's back; he was surprised that having most of her weight bearing down on his chest wasn't making it hard to breath. "So, you liked Sky just fine, even though you thought he was probably a changeling?" She ended with a smug, victorious grin.

Applejack blinked, silent for a moment. "...I wasn't so sure, then," she finally replied, but her voice had lost the fire behind it.

"You weren't so sure," Twilight said, "...or it didn't matter?"

Applejack looked away, jaw clenched. She was obviously displeased, but stayed silent.

"I've got to agree with them," Rarity said.

That earned an exasperated look from Applejack. "You too, Rarity?"

Rarity nodded. "Yes. I acknowledge that this is an... unusual situation, but Sky has behaved like a perfect gentlecolt." She halted, then corrected, "Or at least, as decently as any of us have."

Applejack groaned a little, head drooping.

Sky shuddered, a weak whimper escaping him. The conflicting emotions ran through his mind, and he didn't feel he had the strength to hold himself against them. It felt like he was losing control of his own mind, and he had to fight to avoid reacting to emotions that weren't his own. Particularly anger.

"...All right," Twilight said, quietly, looking down on him. "Enough of this. We're going to give him some time to recover, then I'll talk with him, and only after I've come to a conclusion will I pass my findings and recommendations on to the Princess."

"Twilight..."

"No, AJ, I-"

"Twilight, just stop," Applejack said firmly, raising a hoof. The anger had faded out, replaced with a deep uncertainty. "Tell me. Do you really trust him?"

Twilight looked back to Sky. He felt her doubt run through her and stab into his heart, feeling as if his guts were twisting up inside him. Then the doubt was pushed aside as he watched her think, and a strong determination welled up in its place.

She turned back to Applejack. "Yes."

Applejack sighed, head lowering a bit. "...all right, then. Ah'm with yah, Twilight. Just..." she glanced to Sky, then quickly away again. "Just be careful."

Twilight smiled, and nodded.

Pinkie leaned in. "Hey, should we throw a welcome-the-changeling party? I mean, I know he already had a welcome-to-Ponyville party, but everypony liked him, and this'll get everypony used to seeing him around as a changeling!"

"Err," Twilight looked nervously at Pinkie. "I think we better keep Sky hidden for now. Ponies might react poorly..."

Bitterly, Sky could imagine exactly how they would react. The same way the ponies in his dream had reacted to the changelings. To him. He had no desire to see a repeat of that.

He shuddered a little, trying to focus his mind, to push down the bitterness that had risen in him. Had the argument skewed his emotions so much? Where did their emotion end and his begin? With his mind in turmoil, it felt like he was just clutching to whatever emotion he could find. Things seemed so much simpler when he had just taken the feelings for granted.

He had only just begun making an identity for himself, and now he couldn't even tell if any of it had ever been more than an echo of the ponies around him. It was like waking up in those woods again; hurt, alone, with no idea who he was.

"Anyway," Twilight said, steering the subject back. "I need to talk with him, and I think he's probably a bit overwhelmed at the moment, so I'd rather do that alone. You should all get going. I'll let you know if anything comes up."

Only Rarity objected. "I'm staying," she declared. "For Fluttershy. She could use somepony to keep an eye on her, just in case, and I'm sure you and Spike will have your hooves busy with Sky."

Twilight agreed, while Sky felt his heart sink again at the mention of that name. How could he have done that to Fluttershy?

He shuddered. It had been at least an hour since everypony had left. Spike had gone upstairs to sleep -- most of the day had apparently passed while Sky was unconscious. Rarity had gone into Fluttershy's room to watch over the sleeping mare. He had been able to sit down, calm down, think. He had thought he had been ready to see, but the image the mirror showed him still shocked him. One final, damning confirmation. He looked in the mirror, and a changeling stared back. It -- he -- only vaguely looked like a pony in form. Rather than fur, he was covered in a glossy, chitinous carapace, smooth and hard to the touch. His wings were thin and translucent, and he flicked them through a rapid-fire buzz of flaps, so unlike the weightier feathered limbs he had before. His face was completely different, from the curving, sharp-tipped horn to the sharp teeth and extended fangs, and the eyes, solid and pupil-less. The only thing familiar was the color, that same icy-blue.

A predatory insect, trembling in fear as he looked at himself. It was such a bizarre sight. A vicious-looking, terrifying creature, shivering in fear at the sight of itself. Horrifying, yet pitiful.

Memories of his dreams played through his head. The changelings swarming over the crowds, the ponies running in fear. Every one looked just like his reflection. In that strangely altered voice he murmured, "...I'm a monster."

As he sank down, Twilight shifted uncomfortably. He was trying his hardest to ignore the feelings of emotions, hoping to block them from his mind, but he could still sense the sympathy coming from her.

She spoke gently. "I don't think you're a monster, Sky."

"Why not?" he grumbled. "Look at me! Look at what I... what I helped do!" His voice was rising and shaking, his body trembling as an anger built inside him. "All that chaos and destruction in Canterlot, I was part of that! I hurt ponies! I might have almost killed Sunflower! I hurt Fluttershy! I did horrible things, how am I not a monster?"

He was practically shouting at Twilight by the end. While he felt her nervousness at his outburst, she stood still and firm, not backing away even an inch. Rather than driving her away, her sympathy grew.

When she spoke, it was calm, yet filled with a knowing conviction. "Sky, even good ponies can do horrible things. I know a pony who's done far worse things than you could have ever done, and I am proud to call her my friend, because she deeply and truly regrets what she did. That's what good ponies do, they regret the bad things they've done, and try to better themselves. No monster would do that."

Tears were running down his cheeks again. He quickly wiped a hoof across his face, only to be met by a strange, jerking tug as it scraped oddly against the carapace. He pulled his leg away to look at it. The edge of one of those strange holes in his leg had caught and scraped against his features. Dumb holes, why did he even have them?

Anger. For a moment, it seemed to become a glimmer of normality. That feeling did not come from Twilight of anyone else. Nor did the hatred and sadness. In all the chaos of jumbled emotions, they were his, clearly and undeniably, and he clung to them. Dumb holes, he thought, stomping his hoof against the ground. Dumb carapace, he thought at the strange motions and feeling of this body, so unlike the soft fur he had been used to. He gritted his teeth. Dumb teeth. Why were they so sharp, what did changelings... no, he didn't want to know why his teeth were sharp. Dumb teeth! Dumb horn! Dumb wings!

He was shaking now, raising a hoof to stomp it hard against the floor as his anger grew and grew between deep sobs. Dumb stupid changeling body! He stomped again, then again, venting his anger upon the floor. Dumb floor! Again he stomped, rising up to put more of his body into it. Soon he was hopping in place, turning about as he slammed his hooves against the floor in his rage, crying out an incoherent stream of growls and sobs. Dumb, dumb, stupid DUMB FLOOR! He pounded and pounded, focusing his rage into his blows until there was nothing left.

Trembling, he just stood there, panting. The anger and sadness that had filled him was spent, leaving him feeling tired and empty.

"Feeling any better?" Twilight asked. She was still there, standing right where she had been. Through the whole tantrum, she hadn't backed away at all. The feeling of sympathy held strong.

"...No," he said, slowly drawing a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself.

He didn't make note of the voices or sounds of movement until a foreign feeling of concern hit him. He looked to the source, to see Fluttershy standing in the doorway, a very worried Rarity right behind her. Instantly the guilt washed over him again. She looked so weary and worried. He almost missed it when she spoke. "Is everything okay?"

He stared, unable to think. Emotions clashed in his head. He had fed on her. He had hurt her. He had interrupted her rest with his tantrum, filling her with concern. And yet still he could feel the compassion coming from her. There was concern, but it was not a nervousness for herself. It was subtly different. She wasn't concerned that his raging was dangerous, she was concerned that he was upset. All of this, and she was worrying for him. He sank to his knees. "I'm so sorry," he said weakly. "I... I didn't..."

She was slowly walking toward him now, each exhausted step like another fresh stab at his heart. "It's okay, Sky," she said soothingly. "You don't have anything to apologize for."

"I hurt you," he protested, voice growing weak. He shrank back as she neared, trying to focus on anything but the feelings of love and kindness coming from her.

"I'm fine," she countered, stepping up close to him. There was a great sureness to the shy little pegasus. "I'm only tired, and I just need some rest, that's all. You're the one who's hurt."

She... she knew, didn't she? She let him feed on her. He reeled at the thought. "...Why?" he mumbled, then clearer, "Why would you do that?"

"Because everypony deserves kindness," she said, giving him a small, soft smile. "You were hurt and scared. I couldn't just leave you like that, I had to help, regardless of what happened."

His head lowered, shaking, eyes clenched tight. He just couldn't accept this. It was too much. "B-but... Why?"

He felt her hoof on his shoulder.

"...Because friends are always there for each other, even when it's hard."

Friends.

A calm slowly came over him, all the fear and anger and pain receding under the weight of that one word, and the thoughts that followed. She knew what he had done to her, and she didn't blame him. She forgave him any discomfort he had caused her. She had seen him in pain, and she had taken some of that pain upon herself, just to give him some comfort. She knew of what he had done, even in Canterlot, and still she forgave him. She knew all of this, and still would call him a friend.

Tears were again running over his cheek as he slowly looked up to meet her eyes. The corners of his mouth trembled, giving the weakest of smiles, and he was rewarded by her smile growing full and radiant. "...Thank you," he said, barely audible, and she answered by embracing him in a hug.

The wonderful emotions pressed at him, but he pushed back. He would not feed on her now. He felt them so clearly, but held them at a distance; seen, but not consumed. It was surprising how easy it was, now, with his mind calmed.

Eventually he nudged away from the embrace. "You should get some rest," he said.

Fluttershy nodded softly, still looking him over with loving concern. "Will you be okay?"

He smiled weakly, but it was a true smile. "I think so," he said.

She returned the smile, and gave his shoulders one last squeeze before turning to return to bed. Rarity walked carefully beside her. He could have sworn he caught a hint of a tear in her eye.

He sat in silence after they had left. He felt more stable, his emotions much more calm than they had been before. Even glancing back at the mirror, he didn't feel the reflexive horror he had before. His mind, however, was still racing, unable to be quieted.

Eventually he spoke. "...So you really all knew I was...?"

"Strongly suspected," Twilight corrected.

He grunted softly. "Suspected... Why didn't you do anything?"

She hesitated, a faint feeling of guilt coming from her again. "We kinda did." When he looked at her curiously, she sighed, and continued. "Well, we figured there was a good chance you were a changeling, and if so, there were two possibilities. One: that you were a changeling pretending to be a pony for whatever purpose, and by concealing our suspicions we could both keep track of you to ensure you didn't cause any trouble, but also discover what you were up to..."

He winced a little.

"...or two: that you were telling the truth, didn't remember being a changeling, and were already feeling out-of-place enough without one more giant issue thrown into the mix. Once you'd gotten settled, once everything was all sorted out, then we could look into finding a way to break it more... gently." She paused, and sighed. She was very uneasy about something, and he didn't have to wait long to find out what. "...or at least, that's what I thought. I don't know, maybe it was the wrong decision. Maybe I should have broken it to you as soon as I had decided you were telling the truth. Maybe that would have been better."

There was a strong temptation to feel betrayed and upset at having something like that hidden from him, but he pushed those feelings down. "I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not. I wanted to find out about my past so badly. If I found out something like that... I might have been happy to latch onto it. I might have ran off to find other changelings."

"Would that have been so bad?" she asked.

The shudder he gave would have been answer enough. "I... I don't want to hurt ponies. Obviously I didn't always feel that way." He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I... don't like that you kept something that big a secret from me, but if the extra time here among ponies I consider friends was responsible for that change, then I'll gladly take it."

She nodded slightly. Another long pause.

Again he interrupted it. "When did you decide I was telling the truth?"

She blinked, then thought on it. "Well... I guess in Canterlot. If you were a changeling spy, you seemed completely uninterested in anything to do with the state, or security, or anything else that might be strategically important. You spent the whole time looking for somepony that apparently didn't exist, and were far more interested in common ponies and personal events. Though I guess the first doubts on the whole "spy" theory was how we found you. I doubt spies would rely on being found badly injured in the woods."

"Hmm," he mused, finding a strange comfort in the growing conversation, the opportunity to let his mind work. "Or I could have just been injured from the shield-spell, and hiding out until I could escape and get back to the other changelings."

"In which case you could have slipped out of town after your welcoming party, when you were mostly healed, rather than travel back to the heart of a city that was on the lookout for changelings," she said with a smile. "No, I'd considered that before, but had already ruled it out by then."

"Or maybe I'm just very bad at being a changeling," he said, wryly.

Twilight shrugged. "If you were that bad, we'd have even less to worry about," she said with a soft chuckle, and seemed quite relieved when he gave a weak chuckle of his own.

Another short silence.

"...Weren't you supposed to be asking me questions, rather than the other way around?"

"Ah, yeah," Twilight said. "I just don't know where to begin. I mean, I have tons of questions about changelings, but most of them would be stuff you wouldn't know because of that whole loss-of-memory thing." She thought for a moment, looking very much as if she was running through a mental checklist of topics. It seemed she finally came across one. "Well, the most obvious is, how does that whole "emotion" thing work? I know changelings feed on love, and obviously you did... something like that. But how does it work?"

"Erg," was his initial reply. He would have rather not thought on that subject right now. Or ever. "...Strangely. I don't know. I can feel emotions directed at me, I guess, and if I focus on somepony it seems like I can get bits of other emotions. For feeding, I just... let them come in. It's... It's really weird and hard to explain. I don't think I quite get it, yet."

She looked very curious at this. "Wait, you can feel emotions from other ponies? You can feel them from me?"

He nodded.

"But... if you can feel other ponies' emotions, how did you not know something was weird? Surely you had to know that's not normal."

"Of course," he said. "But I didn't really know that it was happening. I just... It all gets jumbled up and confused. I've been having trouble telling which emotions are from me and which I'm feeling from other ponies, even after I knew I could feel their emotions. Before, I don't know, I guess I just passed it off as intuition, or reading body language, something natural like that I didn't even know I could actually sense them until-" his voice caught. He forced the rising emotions back down. It's okay. It's okay. "...until Fluttershy comforted me. That's why I freaked out and tried to get away. It was just a bit too much."

She was rather more reluctant to ask the next question. "And what did it feel like, to..." She thankfully stopped before saying it.

"...Good," he said, guiltily. "It was warm, and pleasant. And afterward I felt so much more energetic. My head stopped hurting. I felt more awake and alert. More alive. I just felt better. In most ways..."

"Hmm," she mused. "Wait, do you still need to eat regular food, then? I've always wondered that."

He thought back. "I'm not sure. I think so? I mean, I would get hungry and thirsty, and they'd be better after I ate or drank something, so I assume so."

Again Twilight slipped into thought, sitting back and tapping her hoof to her chin. She sat there silent for a minute before shaking her head. "No, I've got so much I want to learn about changelings, but that's not what's important right now. What's important now is sorting out your situation, figure out what to do there." She eyed him a moment. "So I guess the most important question is, what do you plan to do now?"

He blinked. That was a strange question, he thought. Surprisingly, he hadn't put any thought into his future, being so wrapped up in the drama and terror of the moment. "I don't know," he admitted, still struggling to think the idea through. "Run away, hide in the forest. Or maybe hide in your basement or something." It didn't sound like much of a life. "...Obviously I can't go back to the way things were before."

She cocked her head a little, considering him a moment before saying, "Why not?"

He looked back, quirking up an eyebrow... ridge... thing... Then he raised a foreleg to point a hoof at himself. "Can you imagine the chaos it'd cause seeing this trotting down the street?"

"Well, I'm sure ponies would get used to it," she offered, though he could feel the uncertainty and unease the idea had brought up. "Or you could disguise yourself."

"Disguise?" he said, still looking at her in the same questioning manner. "Don't you think it'd be suspicious if I were suddenly going around completely covered from head to hoof? Not to mention a pegasus suddenly sprouting a horn."

She looked confused a moment, then smirked. "As funny as that is to imagine, I meant shape-shifting a disguise."

It took a moment before a previous, much older conversation suddenly came to mind. "'Take the form of other ponies.' Oh. We... I can do that?"

"Well, yeah," she replied, clearly amused. "Why else do you think they're called changelings?"

"I, er..." He sat back again, suddenly feeling rather awkward. "...sorry. I really don't know as much about this stuff as I should."

"It's okay," she said, chuckling.

There was one slight problem with that, however.

"...so how do I do that whole 'shape-shifting' thing?"

Her chuckle ended abruptly. "Oh. Um... I have no idea."

He frowned.

"I'm sure we can figure it out," she said quickly. "I've studied magic almost my entire life, so I should be able to help work out how changelings shape-shift. And maybe help you with all your own magic at the same time."

"My own... My own magic?" Again his attention was drawn back up to his horn, though he had to look in the mirror to really see it. Was it really just like a unicorn horn? Did he have magic now?

"Yes," Twilight said, her confidence growing. They were venturing into her territory now. "I don't know how similar changeling and unicorn magic is, but it's likely that there's enough of a similarity to make things simple."

He nodded slightly, mind still feeling a bit too numb for all of this. "In that case, where do we start?"

"Well, let's see. Shape-shifting seems like a key magical ability for changelings. I would think it would be to them like telekinesis is to unicorns." She sat back, taking on a somewhat lecturing tone. "All magic involves a wide range of subtle manipulations of energy, some of which are incredibly complex. With experience and repeated use, however, those complex manipulations become more and more ingrained and reflexive."

"It's comparable to walking, in a way. Every step involves dozens of muscles, all coordinated with precise timing. Any change in terrain requires adaptations to the timing, the distances moved, and the force used. A pony has to coordinate all four limbs and the movements of their entire torso to walk. However, we have so much practice at it that it becomes second nature. A reflex. We don't think of each and every muscle as we move it, we just think to walk, and our ingrained reactions follow through on that thought."

"Magic can be the same way. Just as we don't have to think of every muscle when we walk, a unicorn doesn't have to focus on every subtle little manipulation of energy in order to levitate and manipulate objects. They just do it. Quite likely, shape-shifting should be the same for a changeling." She pointed a hoof at him. "You remember how to walk, and talk, and fly. It's quite reasonable to assume that you remember how to shape-shift, and you just need to figure out how to try to shape-shift for your ingrained habit and reflexes to follow through for you."

She set her hoof back down with a proud clop against the wooden floor, while he considered what she said. It seemed almost insane to compare walking with such complicated magic, but then, she was the expert in the field, not him.

"Okay then," he said, doubtfully. "So... what do I do?"

"I don't know," she said, simply. Blunt, but honest. "I guess think of a pony you want to look like and focus." He gave a little nod, recalling his own initial appearance.

"Oh, wait!" she said quickly, and stepped up to him. She leaned her face in close to his -- drawing a startled and confused look from him -- before touching her glowing horn to his. A moment later a twinge passed through his head, and it felt as if a pressure he hadn't even noticed had been relieved.

"...What was that?" he said, surprised, as she sat back down.

Again he felt a feeling of guilt coming from her. "Sorry, I forgot. I put a negation enchantment on your horn while you were asleep. It was just a precaution, we didn't know how you'd react when you woke up, and we didn't want you to accidentally set fire to the place."

"...or if I'd be hostile now that I was known to be a changeling," he said, flatly.

"That didn't seem likely," she said, then after a moment of battling with that feeling of guilt, added, "...Though not impossible."

He nodded a little. He couldn't blame her for the precaution. "So... shape-shifting, then..."

He had no idea where to start. The objective was clear, of course. He even knew what form to take, the same body he had known before today. But how to get there? He didn't know anything about magic. No, he didn't remember anything about magic. Twilight seemed to think there was a difference, but he certainly couldn't see that.

Nothing to do but take a wild stab in the dark, then. Closing his eyes, he imagined his former body, how it looked and felt. He held onto that image and focused, trying to block out every other thought.

Nothing.

He focused harder, his body tensing, teeth gritting.

Nothing.

With a grunt, he tried to push himself harder and harder. His body shuddered slightly as he tried to force it to change by sheer force of will.

The effort came to a crashing halt when he heard the quiet giggle, focus failing as he suddenly became aware of the wave of amusement coming from Twilight. He froze, opening an eye to see her trying to conceal a grin behind her hoof.

"Sorry," she said, still giggling a little. "I didn't mean to interrupt. You were just making some really silly faces."

Sky quickly relaxed, trying to assume a more casual posture. At least he had found one advantage of this strange body. He was pretty sure chitin didn't blush.

"Try relaxing a bit," Twilight suggested. "If this is something familiar, it shouldn't require a huge effort or the like. Just... feel around, gently."

He nodded, closing his eyes again. What would be familiar to him? What would be familiar to a changeling? Emotion. That would make sense. He was already working out how to handle those emotions, how to draw them in or hold them away, and that was a sort of magic, wasn't it? If changelings lived off emotion, perhaps all their magic was like that. Maybe their magic was like feeling. But feeling what?

Desire. That could be it. He imagined the emotion. He could almost feel it as a tangible thing, but it lacked something. It was as if it was without form. Desire for change, for his previous body.

And there, in the recesses of his mind, a spark appeared.

He tried to cling to it, but it flickered, threatening to fade. No, he couldn't just grab it. The focus threatened to destroy the fragile little thought under its weight. He had to be gentle with it. He couldn't just grab ahold of it, he had to coax it in, let it come. It was like... feeding. He relaxed, letting it come in, and did what his body held as natural for such an emotion.

He fed on his spark.

As he did, it grew, spread. More sparks, more thoughts, all connected. His mind wanted to react, to either grab ahold of them or ward them off, but he kept calm. They felt, tasted almost like emotions, but it was different. Every one was formed by him, every one following from the one before it. Each spark touched his mind, and as he fed on each one, he knew what thought to form next. They cascaded over one another, forming together.

Sky gasped as a green flash wrapped around him, visible even through his closed eyes, a bizarre feeling rushing through him. He sat down hard. There was no sharp thunk of a carapace striking the wooden floor, but the meatier thump of his furry haunches. His eyes snapped open, looking down at himself.

Orange fur.

He let out a nervous laugh, touching a hoof to his fuzzy chest. "...It worked. I did it!"

Looking up, he saw Twilight smiling at him. His eyes widened a bit. "...I cast magic. That's... wow..."

Finally, a deep shudder ran through his body. "...Ugh. Shape-shifting feels so WEIRD!"

Twilight laughed at that. "I can only imagine."

Sky happily stood up, prancing about in his familiar body. Oh, this was good. The familiar feel of his hooves, the heft of his wings, the feel of the air going through his fur as he moved. It was good... Fake, but good.

"How about other forms?" Twilight asked, caught up in curiosity. "Can you change to look like me?"

He stopped in mid-strut, surprised by the thought. "I... I can try," he said. Honestly, the idea was a little creepy, and yet... he couldn't deny that he was curious, as well. Of course he probably could, that's what changelings did, after all, but actually doing it was a different matter.

Looking to her, he relaxed his thoughts again. His first instinct was to close his eyes, and he did for a moment. No, he wanted to look at her, make sure he got it right. He opened his eyes again, holding the sight of her in his mind as he formed that desire again.

It came quicker than before. He didn't have the hesitations and false turns, he simply followed the flow. Moments later the green flash washed over him again.

He shuddered. "...so WEIRD." Then he jerked, blinking. If he hadn't felt himself physically saying the words, he would have sworn it was Twilight who spoke. He looked down again to check, already knowing from the voice that he would see that purple fur. The body felt even more weird than he had expected. It felt so wrong to not have wings. At least he had gotten used to having a horn, but still, it felt so weird.

Oh. And "he" was a mare now. That was... different.

"Wow," Twilight said as she stepped up to slowly pace around him, looking over her double. "That is... creepily accurate."

Suddenly he felt embarrassment and unease. He didn't want to creep her out. He wanted to undo the shape-shift, and as simple as that, he felt the desire grow. The change was even simpler and quicker than the last. He had hardly formed the concept before he was racing through the steps again, and a moment later the green flicker of flames washed over him to reveal the black carapace of his natural form.

Twilight sat back. "Well. You seem to have gotten the hang of that quite well."

"Yeah," he said, enthusiasm already fading. Already his mind was following the implications of this. He could be anypony he wanted to be. A perfect disguise that nopony could tell apart from the original. The ability to perceive emotions, giving a tremendous aid toward any interaction or manipulation. What kind of mischief and mayhem could a pony with ill intent wreck with such an ability? How could any pony be trusted with such abilities?

"...Do you really have to tell the Princess about me?"

Twilight frowned, unease and concern plain on her face. She took a long time to answer. "...Yes. Eventually. It won't have to be immediately, but it will have to happen." She reached out, gently placing a hoof on his shoulder. "But you should know, she has always listened to me. She has put a lot of trust in me. I'll tell her everything, including my opinion of you, and my recommendations, and I'm sure she'll listen."

He slumped, head drooping, and he could feel the sympathetic concern growing from her. Was that how it began, then? Was he going to manipulate her feelings to try to protect himself? Sure, he had reacted from his own despair, but he could stop. He could conceal his own feeling in order to avoid worrying her. He could, but he didn't.

"We don't have to do it now," she offered. When that didn't draw a reaction, she continued. "I wasn't kidding when I said I wanted to be thorough. We could... make a project of it. Discover all that we can about changelings, so we can offer a full, detailed report. It could take weeks, maybe more. I'm sure she'll appreciate your contribution to what could be very vital research. Heck, she'll probably want to thank you for it!"

She was so sure. Even if he couldn't feel her confidence, it was clear in her voice. She was absolutely convinced that it would turn out well, that the Princess she admired so much would be kind to him... But he knew that she could be wrong. Celestia was looked up to like a living goddess by so many ponies, a vision of perfection. Could anypony, even one who had spent so much time with her, even imagine her having flaws? Could they imagine the idea that she might form a grudge against a being who had helped do so much wrong, both to her and to her subjects?

He just sighed. At least her plan did offer some chance of improvement, some chance for him to offer something back, that just might help sway her opinion. And if nothing else, it would delay the inevitable and dreaded moment. "...Okay."

Twilight was overjoyed. After giving him a surprisingly tight hug, she began talking about all the things they would have to do, all the experiments they'd have to run, all the subjects they'd have to investigate and document. He tried to smile encouragingly, but even in her exuberance she soon noticed his listlessness.

"Maybe we should call it quits for the night," she said, giving him a little smile. "You've been through a lot for one day."

He nodded slowly, then looked over at the door to the room Fluttershy was sleeping in. "...where should I sleep, then?"

Twilight just smirked. "After working so hard to get your own apartment, I would have figured it would be the natural choice."

He blinked, genuinely surprised. "Oh. I... I thought you would want to keep me here. Keep an eye on me..."

"You've been living on your own for more than a week now," she said with a shrug. "I don't see any reason that has to change."

"And that's... You're okay with that?"

"Sure, it's not like I'm going to keep you prisoner or anything!" She chuckled.

Sky looked toward the front of the library, as if he could see through it to the streets beyond. He could imagine what was out there. Ponies. Lots of ponies. "I... I don't know if I can go out there."

"Well certainly not like that," Twilight said. "But that seems easy to fix, now!"

"I don't mean that," he said. His own emotions brewed up inside him, battling about in his mind. "I just... There are so many ponies out there, and everything is so different now. I don't know if I can go out there like nothing's changed. There's just... so much that could go wrong."

Her expression softened. "I don't think it's changed that much, Sky." She raised a hoof to lightly tap the side of her head. "You're still the same pony in here, aren't you? That's what's important."

He hesitated, looking plainly uncertain.

Twilight smirked a little. "Besides, you'll have to go out eventually. You can't just stay indoors the rest of your life."

Sky sighed. Maybe he could, so long as he could convince somepony to bring him food. He could hide in Twilight's basement. Or Fluttershy's cottage, he was sure she'd be happy to help him, and it was far enough from town and near enough the forest that he could even slip out occasionally to get some fresh air and wander...

But no, that wouldn't work. It wouldn't be fair to them, and it would hardly be a life for him. If he were going to have any life worth living, he would have to go out there again. Absently, he nodded to her. He could just pretend nothing had happened, go back to acting the way things were, and pretend like he wasn't constantly under the fear of being discovered.

"Twilight," he said, quiet and reluctant. "Do you think, just this time... you could walk with me?" He looked to her with what he hoped was a pleading expression for this strange new body. "I don't know if I can go out there on my own."

Evidently, he had the expression right, judging by the softening of her expression, the feeling of pity and concern flowing from her. "Of course."

Minutes later Sky found himself facing the front door of the library. It felt like a decisive moment, a single action that could change his life forever. A dread lingered over him, his heart beating hard and fast.

He opened the door, and stepped outside.

The streets were less populated this late in the evening, but he could imagine every eye staring at him, as if they could pierce straight through his disguised form. He was sure he had done something wrong, some subtle little detail like the wrong shade of eye color or a new mane-cut that was sure to give him away. True, he didn't see anyone giving him any particular attention, but any moment now, somepony would see, and then there would be running, and screaming. Why did they have to be right in the middle of the town?

A thought occurred to him as he fidgeted anxiously. "Uh, Twilight? How did you get me to your home? Did anyone see... me?"

There was a soft click as Twilight shut the door behind them. "Oh, no, of course not. I wanted to keep that under wraps until we decided what to do. I just teleported us both."

"Oh. You can do that." Well that's one worry down, at least. Wait... "You can do that! You can just teleport me home, that'll solve everything."

She smirked, casually shooting down that idea. "No, Sky. You need to get out there eventually. Best to get it over with as quickly as possible."

He wined, trying to give his most pitiable look, but it just earned an amused scowl from her. "And that's not going to work. C'mon, let's get walking."

With teleportation ruled out, he seriously entertained the idea of flying. A few moments of flight and he could rush into his apartment, slam the door, and hide from everypony out there. Sure, he'd be so much more visible while doing it, and draw extra attention, but he'd be done with it so much quicker. And they were all looking at him anyway, he was sure, even if he couldn't catch them at it.

Of course, he couldn't just fly off from Twilight, especially not now that he had convinced her to walk with him. He settled himself with the fact that, if all the screaming and angry mobbing did occur, she could apparently teleport them both to safety. He walked on, trying not to make eye contact or move too fast.

"You look like you're about to freak out," Twilight said, looking him over.

He tensed. "Does it show that much?" he asked, trying to straighten up and look more at ease.

Twilight's expression told him that his attempt was likely even worse. "...Yeah, a bit. Relax. Nothing bad is going to happen."

"Unless they find out," Sky said. "That'll go bad. Very bad."

She frowned. "Maybe not. Ponies here have gotten used to other non-ponies before. I don't think you've got as much to worry about as you think."

The faint impression of doubt he could feel when he focused on her didn't put him at ease. "Yeah," he grumbled, "Because the last time they found a changeling had been hiding among them, it went so well."

She sighed, rolling her eyes. "That's different. Besides, you've got Celestia's faithful student and one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony here to vouch for you."

"Yeah, and Chrysalis had a captain of the Royal Guard," he mumbled.

"Oh, stop it," she said, sympathy starting to meet with frustration. He winced away from the feeling, guiltily. They walked on in silence for a minute, that frustration slowly fading, replaced with concern.

"...You're not like her, you know."

Sky glanced to her, but didn't reply.

"Even when she was playing a role, trying to blend in as just another pony, she was rude and callous. She manipulated ponies, and disposed of them as soon as they were of no use for her goals. She didn't care for anypony but herself. You're not like that at all."

He grunted softly.

"You're not," she said, firmly. "You've been nothing but a good friend, and a good pony. Is knowing a little more about your past really going to change that?"

He sighed. In fact, it changed so much. How could his life continue as it had? In only a few short weeks, he had thought he had a perfect course for his life. Good work, good friends, plenty of time to do whatever he wanted. Now he knew what he was, one of the monsters... one of the creatures that had caused so much trouble. Everything was different. Of course he was still the same pony... same thing, that he had been before, but there was more to it. That changed things. It had to.

"...No," he eventually answered, though he didn't feel it. In many ways, he was in the exact same position. He had been a changeling then, of course. Knowing that he was a changeling wasn't going to alter his behavior. He had no desire to find others of his kind, much less that monstrosity of a queen that had haunted his dreams through what little he remembered of his life. He liked his life here. He had a good life, even without knowing he was a changeling. Logically, it was exactly the same.

...so why did he feel so unhappy about it, now?

Before he knew it, he was standing at his door. He stared at it for several long moments, too distraught by his thoughts to move on.

"Are you going to be okay on your own?" Twilight asked.

He had a sudden urge to ask her to stay, but he pushed it down. It was selfish. She had already done so much. "Yeah," he said, without any enthusiasm.

"Okay then," she said reluctantly. "You should think about getting back to work in the morning. I think it would do you some good to get back to a familiar routine, and interact with ponies."

He nodded.

Silence.

"Well, I guess I should get back home. Let me know if you need anything. Good night."

She had started walking when he called out to her. "Twilight? Where was Rainbow Dash?"

Twilight stopped, silent. There was more concern, a deep unease at the topic. "...She went home. She was... upset. She was quiet at first. After we got you to my place she started getting angry, and yelling, and then... then she left. Went home."

His heart sank. How angry had he made that confrontation-loving mare for her to quit and leave? Weakly, he nodded. "Good night, Twilight."

"Good night, Sky."

He opened his door and slipped inside.

The dream was different.

Shadows no longer menaced him. The green flames no longer threatened to consume the world around him. The walls around him were not confining, but protecting, for beyond them waited ponies. Dozens, hundreds of ponies, all waiting for him.

He hid in his room, a protective box. The shadows of changelings moved around; he did not like them, but their shadow concealed him from the eyes of the ponies outside. The flames flickered along the walls; the fire kept the ponies away, distant enough that they could not see the flaws in his disguise, the carapace that peeked out through the rents in his fur.

And she was there. The green eyes peered out from the shadows. This time, he didn't move away. This time he had nowhere to go.

The queen stalked toward him. She moved slowly, like a predator approaching a wounded prey. She smiled in cruel amusement, terrifying, and yet entrancing. As she neared, the ponies outside withdrew, matching every one of her steps. Slowly they receded, slowly they faded into the distant shadows.

Then she stood before him, towering over him. The ponies were gone. He was safe.

He looked up to her, fear and awe mingling. She looked down upon him with those hard eyes. Then she crouched, lowering herself to him.

Chrysalis embraced him.

Chapter 6: Confrontation

Chapter 6: Confrontation

So far, so good. Sky had been out almost half an hour now, traveled safely through town, made his way here to the town hall. He'd even carried on a timid conversation with Silver Scroll, one of the city clerks who helped organize the job requests. No screams of terror and all-consuming chaos yet, no raging mobs out to get the changeling hiding among them. Nobody even seemed to notice.

"Are you all right?" Silver Scroll asked.

He twitched at her question. He'd been acting suspicious, hadn't he? Even if his disguise was perfect -- and he was convinced he had gotten his eyes wrong, even if he couldn't tell how -- he could still blow it by acting wrong. He was blowing it by acting wrong. He forced a smile and gave a quick laugh, which came out far too nervous.

No, too far! That just looks more suspicious! He quickly hid the smile. Crap. How should he act to handle that? Quiet? Sad? Yes, slightly depressed, something is wrong, but something personal that he didn't want to talk about. Perfect!

"I-it's okay," he said quietly. "Just some personal issues. It's nothing." It's the perfect lie, because it's true.

She frowned a little, obviously wanting to comfort him, but too polite to pry. The feeling of sympathy he felt from her teased at his senses. His resolution wavered, and he let it come in, taking in the tiniest bit of that feeling, just enough to feel himself growing a little more stable... And then just a tiny bit more, for good measure.

It took a moment before the guilt hit him. He was feeding on some random pony who had only wanted to extend some sympathy to him, with no idea how literally he could take it. It was more like a nibble than his previous feeding, but that didn't make it any better. He shut out the emotions, trying to hide the shudder that passed through him. "I should go," he choked out, doing his best to ignore the delicious and enticing sensation of her swiftly growing sympathy as he fled back into the streets.

Finding a rarely-traveled alley, he sat for a few moments to gather his thoughts. Again his thoughts went to his dream. It had felt so comforting. The safety and security, where he didn't have anything to hide, where he didn't have to worry about all the ponies around him, where he had somepony who could truly sympathize with him, knowing exactly what he felt.

…Somepony who gleefully wrecked lives and brought fear and torment to thousands. Somepony who would think nothing of draining all the love from his friends, until there was nothing left. The being that had tortured his nightmares for so long was now presented as his salvation. He could have that peace and safety. All he had to do was join the monsters.

No. It was just a dream, just a nightmare conjured up by his mind. Before, it had taunted him with monsters. Now it tried to taunt him with a new nightmare. He hated the dream for what it offered. He hated his mind for tormenting him with such an idea. He hated himself for feeling the temptation of that peace and safety, in the embrace of a monster.

He couldn't do that, of course. He couldn't turn on his friends like that. He couldn't join the monsters that had attacked Canterlot. There was no peace there for him. It was an illusion. As much as he would love to no longer worry about discovery, he could not be happy with what it cost.

Even if he once had.

He shuddered. It was a past he couldn't even remember, but the thought still horrified him.

Gah! Why am I so scared? He forced himself back to his feet. He knew why he was scared of being discovered, of course. He was happy with how his life was before. Now he had so much to lose. But why should he be so scared that he would be discovered? I'm a changeling. This is what we do. Surely he'd disguised himself before, in that life before his, hiding in plain sight. Surely he hadn't been so scared then.

Sure, he didn't remember it, but he must have done it before, and if he did it before, he could do it again.

With a wavering, unsteady resolution, he stepped out of the alley, spread his wings, and took flight.

Work was nerve-wracking at first. Today had him traveling all over town and meeting all sorts of ponies, gathering some seemingly random supplies for some project he hadn't bothered inquiring about. Everypony seemed so nice, with the exception of that grumpy hardware store owner, but that had nothing to do with him. His front of confidence slowly became less and less of an act. Nopony saw any flaw in his appearance. Nopony thought he was suspicious, although perhaps a bit distracted. By the end of the work, he even felt just a little good about it. He had done it.

...He had fooled them all.

The little bit of happiness at his success wilted at the thought.

The evening was a relief. Inside the library, with Twilight Sparkle, he could shed his disguise and simply be, without fear of discovery. It was safe in here, with her. Her questions distracted from his worries, and they both threw themselves fully into their studies. She asked questions, he did his best to answer, she tested him with magic, while he tried his best to aid her. He put his mind to the work, trying to avoid thinking of how he would soon have to go out again.

After a long evening of analyzing changeling anatomy and attempting to discern the method that a changeling feeds on emotions -- with a lengthy diversion into trying to discern what each emotion "tasted" like -- they settled in for a meal, relaxing and just talking, not about work, but as friends.

This was his favorite part of the day. No worries, no hiding, just him and a friend. It was a pleasant comfort to think that, regardless of how hard the rest of the day might be, he still had his friends.

Most of them, anyway.

Twilight must have seen the rising sadness in his expression. "What's wrong?"

"Applejack and Rainbow Dash," he said. "...Do they hate me?"

"No," Twilight said reflexively, though he could feel her certainty. "I mean, they might be upset, and didn't take it well, but I don't think they hate you, no. They're just... stubborn at times."

He nodded. "Do you think I should talk to them?"

"Do you?"

Sighing, he shrugged. "I don't know. I guess. I feel like I've messed things up somehow, and I should fix it. I don't know if it'll help, if they'll want to even talk with me, but... I think maybe I should try."

She nodded. "Sounds like that's a 'yes'."

"...I guess."

"Don't be too worried, Sky," she said, giving a comforting smile. "AJ's stubborn, but she's got a good heart, and she can be surprisingly laid back. It might take some time and effort, but I'm sure she'll come around. And as brash and aggressive as Rainbow Dash can be, she's not the type to abandon a friend, regardless of the reason. I wouldn't say to expect everything to be perfect right away, but they'll come around."

Eventually, the evening had to come to an end. He changed back to his disguise. How strange it felt to be more comfortable in the form of the creatures of his nightmares, than in the pegasus form that had been his as far back as he could remember. But it had never really been him, had it? It was just a disguise, a lie to hide himself.

He shook off the sad feeling, heading out into the fading light of the sunset. He needed his sleep. Tomorrow, he had plans.

The sun was just rising behind him as he glided down toward the expanse of Sweet Apple Acres. Nobody seemed to be out yet, a faint trickle of smoke wafting from the chimney of the farm house. They must still be inside, having breakfast, getting ready for the day. He circled a moment, considering going to the door and knocking, but the idea of talking with Applejack in front of the whole Apple family was daunting. Most likely she hadn't told them about him, and he could only imagine how awkward the conversation would be if they had to carefully avoid any mention of what was going on.

He arced back up into the sky. The temptation to just leave and hope for the best was strong, but a nearby cloud offered a convenient resting spot. He settled down on it, and waited.

Eventually, movement caught his eye. Leaning over the edge of the cloud, he saw several ponies trotting from the house, heading out to the daily work of the farm. He waited a minute more, until Applejack was on her own, and slipped down over the edge of the cloud. Moments later he flared his wings, bleeding off speed from the steep dive to land heavily a few yards away.

"Applejack?"

She twitched in surprise, taking a step away as she turned to face him. There was a flash of irritation, but it faded quickly. He must have surprised her. She was silent a moment. "...So she let yah out on yer own, huh?"

Sky tried not to grimace. That did not sound like a good start. "Uh, yeah."

She frowned a little. "Well, ah hope she knows what she's doin'. So what're yah doin' here?"

"I... I wanted to say I'm sorry."

"For what? For bein'..." She waved a hoof at him, rather than saying it. "Ah don't reckon yah had much choice in that."

He tried to reply, but found that he couldn't find the words. She was still staring at him with a near-glare, and he could feel the mix of doubt and mistrust in her; they were faint, but still there.

After a moment of silence, she sighed. "Look, Ah got a lot of work to do, but Ah got somethin' to say, so Ah'll make it quick." She walked up to him, eyes fixed on his. Stopping just in front of him, she pushed a hoof against his chest firmly enough that he sat back on his haunches. "Yah got Twilight to trust yah, and Ah'll go with her on this. But if you hurt her, physical or not, Ah'll buck yer head down into yer hips. Yah got me?"

He wasn't sure if the threat was more or less scary for the lack of anger in her. All he could do was nervously nod.

Applejack removed the hoof and walked away. With each step, he could feel a growing guilt inside her, battling with the other emotions. A few steps later, she came to a halt. She turned her head to speak over her shoulder, not quite looking back at him. "Ah hope it doesn't come to that. Ah sincerely do. But Ah'll always protect my friends, whatever it takes." Still the guilt lingered, until she finally added, quieter, "And so long as yer the same pony Ah got to know these last few weeks, that goes for you, too."

He sat there silently for several moments, struck by the force of his own emotion. He could feel not only how hard it had been for her to say it, but how sincerely she had meant it. There was a fierce determination behind those words. When he finally spoke, his throat was tight. "Thank you."

She gave a curt nod, then resumed her walk, heading off to her work.

Slowly, he heaved a deep sigh, a faint smile on his face. She wasn't sure of him, but she didn't hate him. She even considered him a friend, in a way. It wasn't perfect, but it was an opportunity. It gave hope that things could be better.

He turned away, eyes raising to the sky. One more visit to make.

He had stared at the door for a couple minutes now. He hadn't been able to bring himself to approach it yet, much less knock. He was scared of what would happen. Rainbow Dash hadn't been out and about as usual the previous day. Had he upset her that badly? What if he screwed up trying to talk with her? Did she hate him now?

Several more minutes passed as his worries played through his head. It took a tremendous force of will to make himself walk forward, one hoof after another, and finally knock on the door. He quickly took a couple steps back. He had a feeling he didn't want to be standing right there when the door opened.

Moments passed. The anticipation was the worst, all his earlier worries growing more pronounced now that there was no escape from the inevitable. He briefly considered turning and flying away before she could answer the door, and only barely held himself in place with the knowledge that it could only make things worse.

Finally, sounds came from beyond the door, and moments later it opened.

Rainbow Dash stared at him. For a moment there was only surprise, and then a cascade of emotions assaulted his senses. Anger, happiness, betrayal, suspicion, sadness, affection, fear, hatred. Her expression wavered a moment as the emotions battled insider her. Suspicion won out. "...What do you want?"

It felt like a verbal punch to the gut, and Sky winced at its harshness. "I-I wanted to say... I'm sorry."

Those emotions struggled with each other. This time, anger came out on top. "Oh yeah? Sorry for what?"

He shuddered a little. It was hard enough to think straight with that cacophony of emotions, much less to feel that anger toward him. "F-for everything. For this whole situation." The shuddering was growing, and he could feel his eyes watering, voice wavering. "I didn't know! I swear I didn't know, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to mislead you, I didn't lie or trick you, I... I didn't try to hide who I am. I just didn't know..."

She stood still, looking away. Sympathy poked its way into her emotions, his hopes swelling for a moment, before being crushed under a feeling of betrayal. Her eyes flashed to him, glaring.

"You're hiding now," she said, her voice quiet, but dark.

His own guilt crashed down on him. Part of him wanted to say it was necessary, but it wasn't, not here. She knew perfectly well what he was. More than that, he was hiding from every other pony. Here he was, apologizing to her, all the while doing the exact thing he was proclaiming innocence from.

Guiltily, he hung his head, ears drooping. A moment later the green flame rippled across him, stripping away the disguise and leaving himself exposed.

Thankfully, he felt no revulsion from Rainbow. Her emotions hardly changed at all. She simply stared at him. The feeling of betrayal faded just a touch, not much, but enough to give him a faint glimmer of hope. "...What do you want?"

He just shook his head weakly, voice tight. "I don't know."

She stood there for several seconds. Emotions were swirling around even more than before. The faint sympathy was still there, matched now with a hint of guilt. The anger stayed strong, but now a powerful sadness was rising up, rapidly overtaking it. Her expression wavered, conflicted. He couldn't bear to watch, tried to shut out the wave of emotion, but his own feelings were in too much chaos.

The door thudded shut. He looked up again to stare blankly at it for a few moments. She was gone.

Tears came to his eyes as he turned, staggering away. At the edge of her cloud he lifted into the air, thin wings buzzing a moment before he reached a nearby cloud. He sank down on it, feeling too heavy to move. The mix of emotions ran wild in his head, again losing sense of what was his, and what he had merely felt from her. He sobbed, forelegs clutching at the cloud as if he could strangle it.

Slowly, eventually, he calmed. Blinking away tears, he slumped to his side. His head was at the edge of the cloud, and with a tiny shift of his position, he could peer down at the world below. All of Ponyville lay beneath him, stretching out in the warm sun, ponies going happily about their day. Tears threatened to return as he looked the scene over, knowing now that he could never truly be one of them. He would be forever separated from them. He could blend in with them, be indistinguishable from them, but it wasn't the same. It was all a lie.

He could still feel Rainbow's sense of betrayal, mingling with his own feelings of guilt. He'd be nothing but a parasite, a deceiver. A monster. These ponies would offer their friendship and sympathy, and he'd lie to them. That was no life, not one worth having. No, he could not be happy, hiding here among them. He had only one option, as terrible as it was.

Chapter 7: Exposed

Chapter 7: Exposed

Sky flew over the streets, trying to control his terrified breathing. A few pricklings of fear reached him, but there was no panic or chaos yet. Few had yet noticed the changeling flying quickly over the rooftops, but the sensation grew as ponies drew the attention of their neighbors. Fear grew quickly, as did curiosity.

"This is stupid," he fearfully murmured to himself. "Very, very stupid!"

He was trembling as he reached the library, landing heavily at the door. Many ponies were staring at him, the few closest backing away several steps, while more distant ponies shouted out. He knocked quickly, murmuring, "Come on, come on, open the door!"

A terrifying eternity later he heard Spike's voice. "Okay, okay, I'm coming! What do you-" The words were cut off by a yell as the young dragon opened the door, only to see the changeling that stood there. Sky hardly had the time to see his panicked expression before the door was slammed shut in his face, a yell coming from inside.

Sky blinked, fear rising. He knocked again, more frantically. "Please, let me in!"

Spike was yelling something about "Changeling attack!" that was quickly followed up by several other sounds of scuffling, then hoofsteps, and then the door was pulled open again. Twilight looked squarely at him with a dumbfounded expression.

He crouched down. "Please, please, please let me in!"

"Uh... Yeah..." She stepped to the side as he scrambled in. She remained at the door, staring out at the crowd of ponies for several seconds. Most had retreated to the nearby street corners. Finally she closed the door, turning back to the clearly panicking changeling laying in the middle of the library floor.

Sky was nearly hysterical. "Oh, not good, not good," he mumbled, now resorting to thumping his hooves against his thankfully-armored skull. "Stupid, stupid, stupid." He was too lost in his own panic to notice the feeling of concern coming from Twilight as she stepped up to him.

"Uh, Sky?" She said, quietly.

Spike was peeking into the room from the top of the stairs, a book held in front of himself like a shield. "Are you sure that's Sky?"

She frowned at the little dragon. "You think it's some other changeling that just happened to fly up to my door, beg to be let in, and is having a nervous breakdown in the middle of the library?"

Spike relaxed just a little. "Well, I guess that does kinda sound like him."

Rolling her eyes, she crouched down next to Sky. "Spike, could you run and get the girls?" Spike nodded, hurrying out the door, and she turned her attention to the changeling. "Sky... Sky, calm down, it's okay. What happened?"

The rush of fear from his excursion was slowly fading, mind clearing just enough to try to stammer out a reply. "I-I went to Rainbow D-Dash," he stammered.

"What? Twilight said, abruptly loud, and he winced at the sudden feeling of shock and outrage. "What did she do?"

"No! It's not like that!" he cried out, alarmed at her assumption. "It's not her fault, she didn't do anything."

"Oh." A bit of doubt still lingered, but she seemed to settle down. "Then... What did happen?"

Slowly he calmed down, though the tension threatened to overtake him again at any moment. "We talked. I went there to apologize, I thought I upset her, but... I wasn't ready for it. I-I think I really screwed up. So many emotions, and all jumbled up, it was so overwhelming and confusing, and I couldn't sort them out, and..." he shuddered, fighting down the mix of emotions rising again. He blurted out, "I can't keep doing this!"

Twilight had her hooves around him, trying to comfort him as best she could. "Doing what?"

"Lying," he said, miserably, and felt even more so at the sudden alarm and suspicion from Twilight. "That's all I was doing. Every time I go out there, hiding what I am, that's what I'm doing to them."

"Sky, no, it's..." She trailed off, struggling for the words to justify it.

"It's lying," he said, more firmly. "I was lying to everypony. I was tricking them and lying to them, all because I was worried about what they'd think of me if they found out. Well, what if they find out that I've been lying to them? I didn't know before, but what excuse do I have now?" Slowly he slumped against her. "...How can I say I'm sorry when I keep doing it?"

She gave him a tender squeeze. The sympathy emanating from her was so delicious and tempting.

"So, lemme get this straight," Applejack said, frowning down at him. "Yah got all upset because yah felt like you were trickin' everypony, and then got all tripped up on somepony else's emotions, so yah decided to drop the disguise and fly right into the middle of town?" He nodded, and she was silent for several long seconds before she added, "Yah know that was pretty dumb, right?"

"AJ!" Twilight blurted, looking thoroughly shocked at the farm-mare's bluntness.

"Hey, Ah'm not sayin' Ah don't understand," Applejack said. "Heck, don't seem right to criticize somepony for tellin' the truth and all. But seriously, yah think yah coulda broken it a little easier than flyin' into town and practically settin' off a mob? Ah was already hearin' rumors about a full-scale invasion by the time ah got here."

Pinkie was bouncing around the front of the library, peeking out of the windows. "Hey, since most of the town is here, maybe we should-"

"No," Applejack interrupted. "This isn't the time for a party, and Ah don't think they're in the mood for it. We should feel lucky it's early enough they ain't broken out the torches, and Ah swear I saw a couple pitchforks being snuck in."

"Then this would be the perfect time! Nothing to calm down tensions like a good party."

Applejack groaned, and Rarity thankfully stepped in to try to curb Pinkie Pie's enthusiasm. "You know, maybe you should plan one for later. If it's going to be the first changeling party, you'll want it to be the best you can make it, right?"

"Yeah, but I'm always ready for a good party!" Pinkie replied, bouncing irrepressibly.

"This is true," Rarity said, "But imagine how much better it'll be with a couple days of planning. You can do so much more, then."

Pinkie sat down, dubiously pondering. "I suppose..."

"Oookay," Applejack said, shaking her head. "So... where were we?"

Sky quietly mumbled. "You were agreeing with me on how stupid my idea was."

"Oh," she replied, surprised. She hadn't realized he shared her opinion of his actions. "Well. Glad we're in agreement, then."

A knock at the door drew a pause in the conversation, as Twilight checked on who was there. She had locked the door, not yet ready to deal with the rest of the town. Fortunately, it was just Fluttershy returning, bringing along Rainbow Dash.

Sky couldn't help but stare at Rainbow Dash. She looked like crap. Her mane and tail were all frazzled, her coat mussed. Even her eyes were red. Either she hadn't been able to sleep well, or she'd been crying. He was guessing the former. She didn't seem the crying type.

The most telling sign, however, was that she wasn't hovering. She was walking, and listlessly at that, her wings held limply at her sides. The chaotic emotions from before were almost entirely gone. Still there, but deadened, barely registering.

She gave him a glance, then awkwardly looked away. "Hey..."

He gave a tiny nod, echoing her.

"Okay," Twilight said, stepping up to take charge. "Now that we're all here, we need to take care of this. First, we need to calm everypony down. I don't want my home getting torched just because somepony freaks out about a friendly changeling."

Sky cringed slightly at the thought of his friends suffering for his actions. "I could just leave. If I go away, they won't-"

"No," she interrupted. "We're not letting them chase you off, either."

Applejack just shrugged. "Well, Ah've always found that bein' clear and honest solves most things. If we explain what's goin' on, Ah'm sure most of 'em will come around. 'Least, enough to keep the rest in line. Worked well enough for Zecora."

Spike quietly mumbled, "Yeah, but they didn't have a few hundred Zecoras trashing Canterlot."

Not quietly enough. "Spike!" Twilight blurted, glaring back at him.

The baby dragon quickly raised his claws. "Right! Not helping! I know, sheesh."

Applejack continued. "Anyway, it's worth a shot, and it can't hurt to try. Maybe we'll be lucky and that's all it'll take."

Twilight nodded. "Right. Honesty is usually the best policy. I don't suppose the Mayor is out there?"

"Ah think Ah saw her on my way in," Applejack said.

Moving to the window, Rarity peered out. "Indeed. It seems she is either trying to talk down that pack of hooligans, or is attempting to take charge of them."

"Oh boy," Twilight grumbled. "Okay, come on. We need to take care of this before it gets out of hoof."

Even with his friends around him, stepping out of that door was the most terrifying thing Sky could recall. If he hadn't already been trying to block out all outside emotions, he probably would have been overwhelmed by the amount directed at him. The fear was the worst. Very few of the ponies out there held much fear in them -- he was, after all, only a single changeling surrounded by hundreds of ponies, a fact that did not help his own fears. Unfortunately, there were so many of them, and those tiny bits from so many ponies built into a terrifying tidal wave of emotion. Even through his efforts to block it out, he nearly succumbed to the outside emotions, forcing himself to recognize that they were not his own feelings, no matter how strong he could feel them. Beyond the fear, there was anger, coming in little, infrequent flashes. Few ponies were outright angry, but it was enough to know that some ponies wanted to do him harm. Over all of that, curiosity was common.

About two hundred ponies filled the streets, encircling the library, yet none ventured near it. He tried to hunker down as he walked, surrounded protectively by his friends. He wanted to just sink down, hide, disappear. He couldn't have acted any more meek and pathetic if he had tried.

They crossed the open street, approaching the large group with a pony he assumed to be the Mayor, a tan earth pony with a gray mane, glasses, and some strange neck-wrap that he didn't remember the name of. Murmurs ran back and forth through the crowd, heads craning to see the changeling. A few ponies backed away as they neared, a few others bristled, ready for a fight.

The Mayor looked to the approaching group with deep concern, though no fear. Her aides were more timid. Off one flank was Silver Scroll, clutching her record book as if it were a life preserver. On the other side was another clerk, the one Sky could never remember the name of. Something-Plank, he thought. He was putting up a false front of bravado, standing firm by the Mayor, yet completely transparent to the changeling.

As they approached, the Mayor's expression wavered, slowly softening as she looked over Twilight, then Sky, then the rest of the group. By the time they had come to stand nearby, she gave a low sigh. "Twilight Sparkle... you certainly do manage to stir up the most unusual of events, don't you?"

Whatever Twilight had planned on saying was suddenly lost behind an expression of embarrassment. "Um, yes, I suppose so."

"And am I safe in assuming that there is a good explanation for all of this?" She glanced to Sky.

"Ah. Yes." Twilight took a deep breath, then gestured back to him. "This is Sky."

The Mayor didn't seem to recognize the name. Silver Scroll, on the other hoof, did. "Wait, that's Sky? The pegasus?"

The Mayor gave a questioning look, and Silver Scroll looked back, rather embarrassed. "Sorry. Sky was one of the ponies helping out with the job requests the last few weeks." She glanced back at him. "I thought he was acting a little weird lately..."

"Lately?" the Mayor asked, before turning back to Twilight, mouth already forming a question.

Twilight cut her off before she could ask, anticipating the question that was to follow. "He isn't a replacement, he's the same Sky. He was hurt when we found him, and couldn't remember anything. He didn't even know he was a changeling until a couple days ago."

Sky glanced up to Silver Scroll, awkwardly murmuring. "...personal issues."

She cocked her head, silent for a moment. Then, her eyes widened as she made the connection. "Oh."

The Mayor looked between them. "And... you're certain of this, Miss Sparkle?"

Twilight only twitched a little at the name. "Yes, completely. I know it's unusual, but my friends and I have been keeping a close eye on him since he arrived, and it's true. He had no idea until his altered form was dispelled by physical trauma, and he was horrified when he found out. This whole thing here," she motioned a hoof around, "is because he couldn't stand hiding and misleading ponies any more."

Somepony in the background called out, "What if she's a changeling, they could have replaced her!"

Sighing, Twilight glared back at the crowd. "There are six of us. Seven, with Spike. I'm pretty sure we would have noticed if one of us had been replaced."

Several murmurs went out, punctuated by somepony else yelling out, "They could have replaced all of them!"

"Don't be absurd," Twilight said. "Changelings replacing six ponies and a dragon to allow a single changeling to fit in openly? That doesn't even make sense! What would they even gain?"

A large earth pony near the front of the pack called out next. "Hey, she said physical trauma broke that one out of its disguise. We could just hit them a few times, see if we can break their spell!"

The moment he finished, a purple field enveloped him. In an instant he was hauled several yards away, face-to-face with Twilight. She glared icily at him, speaking between clenched teeth. "...Changeling magic is green."

He blinked in shock, staring back at her, then at her horn, glowing the same purple color as the field around him. "...O-oh," he croaked out, before the magic released him, leaving him to fall only a couple inches before his hooves landed on the ground. He wisely hurried back to his place in the crowd.

Sky was trying not to stare at Twilight. Her action might have been a little harsh, though he could hardly blame her when the stallion had been suggesting assault on her and her friends. What had really caught his attention was how casually she had done that magic. Sure, he had no idea how strong unicorn magic could be, but she had hauled a full-grown stallion through the air at high speed, without any visible effort or even concentration. That was impressive, right?

"If we could please all calm down," the Mayor said firmly, looking about. Nobody objected. "Now then. Twilight Sparkle, you must recognize that this is a very unusual and potentially very dangerous situation, and I must be sure that we do what is best for the whole town. Is there anything you could offer as proof of this changeling's intentions?"

"You mean beyond his behavior?" Twilight said. "He's been perfectly well-behaved since he arrived here. Even after discovering that he was a changeling, he's been more concerned with other ponies than he has been for himself. I would think everypony would have learned now to judge others by their actions rather than what they look like."

Applejack stepped forward. "And he decided to drop the act and let everypony know what he was," she said, then added a little more grimly, "Even knowin' how badly everypony would probably take it. That ain't exactly soundin' like he's tryin' to be all sneaky and underhanded, now does it?"

"No, it doesn't," the Mayor said. "I don't like suspecting somepony for such a reason, and I'd like to be able to just take your word on this... But perhaps we should hear what he has to say about it?"

Sky cringed a little. At least when other ponies were talking, he could pretend that every eye wasn't glued to him. As Twilight and Applejack stepped aside, he felt tremendously exposed. His legs refused to move at first, and trembled once they finally did, making the few steps forward take agonizingly slow. He couldn't quite force himself to look straight at the Mayor, eyes instead focusing near her hooves.

"I was there at Canterlot," he said, without quite meaning to. He felt fear -- his own fear -- rise sharply as he said it, and he heard several murmurs in the crowd. He steeled himself, and continued on. He had to be honest. "I know some changelings have done horrible things. Twilight took me back to Canterlot, and I saw what... what we did there. I met somepony I might have hurt. I can't remember much of what happened there, but... I was there. I helped.

"Then... I was here. The last few weeks have been everything I could have wanted. I made friends, had good jobs helping ponies, and all the free time I could use. I didn't have any worries, or anything to regret. It was perfect. The last couple days, after I... found out, I just tried to carry on. I tried to pretend that everything was the same, that nothing had happened, but I couldn't..." He quivered slightly, throat tight. It was hard to force himself to speak "I was being selfish! I was lying to ponies just to try to make myself comfortable, and... and I c-can't go b-back to that. I can't..."

He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself. It had little effect, except to give an awkward silence. He spoke, and if anything, his voice sounded even more miserable. "I know it's a lot to ask. If you don't want me here... I'll go."

"The hell you will."

Sky jerked in surprise, looking back. Rainbow Dash stood there, still hunched in pose that would have looked thoroughly despondent if not for the glare in her eyes.

"What?" she said, voice low and grumpy, and stared back at him. "We're not going to let them kick you out of town just because you decided to be a colossal block-head." She put an extra emphasis on the last two words, then looked away from him, continuing to glare fixedly at the ground some distance away.

He watched her for several seconds, but she did not look back. It was surprisingly hard to judge her emotions at the moment. He hadn't realized just how much he had relied on that sense. Now he felt akin to being blind or deaf, lacking that natural sense of emotions that he had been so used to, even when he had simply assumed it to be intuition. He was tempted to lower his defenses, let those emotions in again, but he knew to let in all the emotions of all those ponies around him would be-

Wait...

Trying to block out emotions was imperfect, as if trying to not listen to excessively loud music, or to ignore a rancid smell; some of it inevitably got through, just a tiny little bit from each pony, compounding into a clear and powerful sensation. That sensation from the crowd around him had changed. Concern still weighed heavily on the crowd, but it felt subtly different, and a new sensation had risen up alongside it. Sympathy.

Sky almost staggered as the realization hit him, turning quickly to look back at the Mayor and the crowd beyond. At the moment, she was still regarding Rainbow Dash, expression frustratingly unreadable, but it soon turned back to him.

"It would seem as if you've been perfectly well-behaved since you arrived here," she said, and he felt a sudden lurch of excitement in his chest. "As unusual as the circumstances are, it seems inappropriate to exclude or impede anypony who sincerely wishes to do good. These ponies seem to think well enough of you, and even if it were all a ruse, I think the six of them would be more than capable of keeping an eye on you."

She was smiling now. "As such, I see no reason to 'kick you out of town', as she put it, or to put any restrictions on your presence here." That smile wavered a little as she added, with a hint of reluctance, "Though I'm afraid I will have to send word to Princess Celestia, and it is her word that will be final in this matter."

Twilight stepped up. "Mayor, if you'll permit, I intend to handle the matter with the Princess."

The older mare paused a moment, and nodded. "I think that would be best. You can handle that, and I'll take care of this crowd."

Sky was ushered back toward the library by his friends, while the Mayor turned to address the gathered ponies. He didn't properly hear what she was saying; he was too caught up in the simple fact that things hadn't gone terribly wrong. No raging mob. No exile. He could stay.

By the time they had gotten inside, the stunned reaction was giving way to a giddy excitement. With the crowd no longer around him, he let his defenses drop, and the happiness of the other ponies here fueled his excitement even further. Even Rainbow, despite her grumpy appearance, felt happy for him -- among a number of other confusing emotions. Soon he was bouncing and giggling, and when this drew in Pinkie Pie's own excited celebrations, the two of them were soon happily dancing about and laughing.

"All right then," Applejack called out over the rapidly-growing din. "So how're we gonna handle this with the Princess?"

Right. Happy feeling gone.

Sky slipped in mid-bounce and fell flat to the floor, Pinkie landing atop him. He was once again glad for the carapace; while he'd never call Pinkie heavy, and certainly not to her face, having her land atop him with an energetic bounce was a significant impact.

"Oh, don't worry about that," Twilight said, grinning in a sly way that left Sky worrying quite a bit. "I know exactly what to do."

"Spike! Take a letter."

It was almost an hour of back-and-forth between happy excitement and dreadful anticipation before a burst of green flame -- Sky flinched, hard -- announced the arrival of a pair of scrolls.

"Ah, finally," Twilight said, closing the book she had been reading, and opened the first scroll.

"To my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle," she said, reading the scroll aloud. "I am happy to hear of your impending visit, and must admit myself growing somewhat spoiled by the frequency. I must also admit great curiosity at your request, but I will not pry. I look forward to discovering what you have been up to in person. Best to keep some surprises to brighten up the end of a day's work.

"Speaking of which, I've included an invitation to the garden party to be held on the palace grounds the evening of your visit. There are many matters I must tend to that day, and will not be free until rather late, so I hope it will provide some entertainment until then. If I am fortunate, I will be able to join you there."

"Sincerely, Princess Celestia."

"Hah! Even the Princess agrees with me!" called out Pinkie, drawing looks of surprise from everypony. When it seemed nobody understood what she was talking about, she crossed her forelegs. "She thinks the solution is a party, too."

Twilight rolled her eyes as she set aside the first scroll, to open the second. It revealed itself to be a bundle of scrolls rolled together. The most prominent, inside which the others had been tucked, bore the royal seal upon its end.

"By royal decree of Princess Celestia, the unicorn Twilight Sparkle, and entourage, are to be welcomed as dignitaries of state in the Princesses' personal circle, and are to be treated with all the respect and freedom that this status entails."

Twilight scanned over the rest of the document, then nodded. "Yes, this should do nicely."

Sky looked more skeptical. "Dignitaries of state?"

"In the Princesses' personal circle," Twilight added. "It's a status normally reserved for the most important of the Princesses' advisers and guests, and it means we're to be treated in a manner befitting the Princesses themselves." She grinned victoriously. "And that means that we have free and unimpeded access throughout the city. Even the guards won't be able to do anything about it, if we don't give them any solid reason to."

She quickly skimmed over the other two documents, one being the invitation to the mentioned party, the other being documentation for their passage on the train to Canterlot.

Sky suddenly realized Rarity seemed far too happy, and even... a little devious. She approached Twilight, speaking softly. "So, a fancy Canterlot party, hmm?"

"I don't know," Sky said nervously. "I don't think having me out in public before meeting the Princess is a very good idea." He was unsure enough about the "out in public" part, even without the idea of it being among a bunch of upper-class ponies.

"Nonsense!" Rarity replied with a wounded air. "Why, it's perfect! Making a public appearance at a prestigious party, at the invitation of the Princess herself? You could hardly hope for a better opportunity to make a good first impression among the most influential ponies of Equestria, and I am sure that will go a long way to helping to both establish a good reputation, and spread acceptance of the idea of friendly changelings living alongside ponies."

Twilight considered. "It could work nicely, yes," she mused.

"And you know what that means," Rarity asked, grinning even more deviously. Sky was beginning to worry.

The worry grew even more when Twilight started to echo that expression. "Yes, I think I do."

Now their gaze was turning to him. He suddenly felt very small.

"Erm... What does that mean?" he asked, timidly.

They grinned at him as Twilight answered. "It means that we need to get you ready for a party..."

Sky skittered along, hooves scrambling against the dirt in a futile attempt to stop his movement. "I changed my mind!" he called out loudly. "This is a bad idea!"

Ahead of him, Rarity was wavering between her prim, proper walk, and bouncing with excitement, and all the while that mischievous amusement was pouring off of her. "Nonsense, this is perfect!"

He tried and again failed to dig his hooves into the ground. "I-I changed my mind. I don't want to be here, I can go live out in the forest! It's okay, I won't mind!"

Applejack grunted a bit, head jammed firmly against his haunches in order to push the changeling unceremoniously down the street. "Ah understand what yer thinkin', Sky, and ah feel for yah. Ah don't like it much myself, and Ah don't think we'd ever be able to rope Rainbow into somethin' like this, but it's got to be done." She grunted again as she gave a firmer shove. "Now git goin'!"

At least the crowd was amused, though the influx of emotions now had him fighting to keep from giggling nervously. It did not help his rapidly-increasing sense of embarrassment, nor the dread that the worst was yet to come.

A door loomed ahead of them. Rarity stepped up proudly and threw it open, a bell chiming as she called out in a singsong voice. "Aloe! Lotus! I've got something special for you!"

Sky slid the last several yards to the spa with no more luck in arresting his progress than he had before. The doorway gave him one final hope for salvation, his hooves striking out to brace against the entrance, barely able to bring himself to a stop against Applejack's surprising strength. "No! I don't need a makeover. No makeovers!" He grunted, leg wobbling as he tried to shift his position, wedging himself better in place. "I-I'm a changeling! Changelings don't do makeovers! It doesn't... I... just-"

"What a baby," Rainbow muttered, loud enough to be heard clearly.

Sky turned his head to protest, noticing the hint of mischievousness a moment to late. Applejack took swift advantage of his momentary distraction to give a hard push, and a moment later a dazed and confused changeling was looking up at two rather startled earth pony mares. He was inside the spa.

The startled shock of the two new ponies was quickly undone as Rarity made it clear that he was a customer -- or victim, he thought -- and was soon replaced with an eager interest. He considered escape, but Applejack was guarding the door with a smug grin. There was no way he was slipping past her, and the only other exit lead deeper into the bowels of the spa.

He was doomed.

Sky staggered out into the lobby, feeling more embarrassed than he had ever thought possible.

"Oh, wow," Twilight said.

Fluttershy peered at him. "You look so..."

"Shiny," Applejack said.

He tried not to whimper pathetically. The last hour -- or twenty, it felt more like twenty -- had been a bizarre array of treatments he could only barely begin to understand. All he knew was that the two spa ponies attending him said they were largely improvising. At least they were friendly, and quite interested in him. Unfortunately, that interest was mainly focused on figuring out how to beautify him, under Rarity's insistence.

They had certainly worked hard at it. His entire carapace had been buffed and oiled and polished until it held a sharp, glossy sheen to it. His horn had been filed to present a perfect curve and point. His hooves had also been filed to the perfect form, as had the holes in his legs, despite how freakishly creepy that had felt. He still shuddered a little to think of it. Seeing a file sticking clear through his leg and grinding at the inside of it was just... wrong.

Oh, and he was pretty sure he smelled like flowers.

"Don't worry, you look good," Twilight said as she walked up to him. Then, in a louder voice that destroyed any attempt at subtlety, asked, "Don't you think so, Rainbow?"

He turned his attention to Rainbow Dash, surprised at the degree of embarrassment coming from her. There were still plenty of other emotions blending into a general sense of grumpiness, but he didn't understand what she would be embarrassed about. He was the one all fancied-up, after all. What had they been talking about while he'd been in there?

She mumbled, "Looks good," while making a point of not looking right at him. At least he could sense that she meant it.

"Now c'mon," Applejack said. "Let's get goin'. Rarity's gonna want to see how yah turned out."

He frowned. "With how insistent she was, you'd have thought she'd want to stay and see what they did to me." He lifted a hoof and sniffed at the shining black carapace. There were too many scents mingled about in here.

"Oh, she had some things she wanted to get in order," Twilight said, now moving to open the door. "She had to go prepare, but she insisted that we bring you over as soon as you're free."

Prepare. She skipped out on his little torture session to prepare something else. That thought was mildly ominous.

Applejack grinned as she stepped behind him. "Yer not gonna make me push yah the whole way again, are yah?"

Groaning, his head slumped. "No," he said, wearily. This was embarrassing enough without being pushed through town. This time, he walked, albeit rather lethargically.

And occasionally turning his head to sniff at his shoulders, the most convenient to reach place while he was walking. "...seriously, do I smell like flowers?"

Twilight giggled softly and humored him, leaning in to sniff. "No. Wait..." She sniffed again. "Maybe?" Another sniff. "...Actually, yeah, I think so. Very subtle. That's kind of nice."

He just groaned again, trudging on.

They went on in silence for a few more moments before Twilight nudged him. "Seriously, Sky, you look good. I mean, I don't have even the slightest clue what changeling standards of fashion are like, although that could be an interesting subject to study someday- I mean, by pony standards, you look... Good for a changeling?"

He sighed, looking down at himself. Okay, so the glossy carapace was kind of nice, particularly now that they were out in the sunlight to pick up that neat iridescent sheen. And he looked nicely smooth and perfectly-figured, or at least as perfectly-figured as a changeling might be. In a way, yes, it did look rather nice. "I guess," he mumbled. No way he was going to admit liking the look after all that.

Finally, they arrived at their destination, and Sky staggered to a stop. "Wait. We're meeting Rarity... here?"

Twilight looked back to him, then to the colorful building in front of them. Carousel Boutique. A dress shop. And Rarity was "preparing" something. "Well, yeah," she said, smirking a little. "She does live here, you know."

"But... it's a dress shop."

"Real observant," Rainbow quipped.

"Go on," Applejack said, while not-so-subtly moving behind him.

"Okay, I'm going!" He said quickly, scooting away from the orange mare and, with considerably more reluctance, entered the boutique.

"One moment!" came Rarity's call, in response to the bell ringing upon their entrance. They waited a few moments, hearing her shuffling around in the back room, while he fearfully looked about. The room was filled with dresses, so much frilly, frou-frou fashion surrounding him. He could only look on with dread at what was planned for him, and the amusement from his friends was not helping.

"Oh my!" Rarity said as she entered the room, looking him over with obvious approval. "They did a wonderful job, didn't they?"

He murmured a sound that could be generously interpreted as agreement.

"Oh, don't be so modest," Rarity said, levitating over a measuring tape. "You look quite striking, I must say. Yes, this should do nicely!"

He stared in horror at the measuring tape as she quickly started taking measurements. "Wait, I... You're not seriously planning on making me a dress, are you?"

She looked back to him, batting her eyes. "Why, wouldn't you like one?"

"No!" he blurted, before the teasing tone registered in his brain, and his ears flattened back in embarrassment.

She just giggled, still taking measurements. "Relax, dear. I'm not planning on trussing up a stallion in a dress -- as amusing as that could be to see. No, no. You need something fitting of a fancy, formal party, something that will be striking, but not imposing. Something to draw attention to your refinement and character, to help establish yourself as somepony worthy of respect. Of course, there is no established fashion for changelings... So I get to create it myself! Oh, this is such a unique opportunity, and I just know what I have in mind will be perfect for you!"

Glad as he was to know that they weren't planning on stuffing him in a dress, her excitement at designing the first in changeling fashions left him every bit as concerned as he had been before. "I don't know. I doubt any amount of prettying me up is going to make other ponies forget what I am..."

Rarity's happy smile faded away, replaced by a look of concern. She set aside the measuring tape, moving to face him and place her hooves on his shoulders. She looked him straight in the eyes. "Sky, that's not what we're doing at all. Do you know why I do what I do?"

That seemed like a strange question. "...You like making dresses?"

She shook her head. "Oh, indeed, but it's far more than that. It's not just that I care for fashion, it's that I want to bring out the beauty of the world. But to bring out that beauty, it has to be there, first. I've seen the most fashionable and wondrous dresses worn by ponies who made them look like some cheap collection of rags, and I've seen a pony take a summer dress that was little more than a single fold of cloth and make it the most beautiful outfit of the entire party." She cast a quick glance over at Twilight, who Sky could see was trying to hide a blush.

"You see, Sky, I don't make fashions to hide what a pony is. I make fashions to show other ponies the beauty that is inside them." Rarity moved one of her hooves to touch the center of his chest. "And from what I've seen of you over these past weeks, and what I've heard from the rest of the girls, I think we'll find that you're very beautiful indeed."

A quiet gagging sound came from where Rainbow lay, kicked back on a couch, but Sky hardly noticed. His attention was instead on the intense feeling of passion and determination coming from Rarity. To say that she felt strongly about what she had said would have likely been a severe understatement, and whether it was the words themselves or the influence of those emotions nudging their way into his thoughts, the prospect of her designing an outfit for him lost some of its dread. "...Okay. But you do know that the train leaves tomorrow at noon, right? That's a little short notice for a big project, isn't it?"

She laughed softly, already taking more measurements. "Oh, no, it's no worry at all. I-"

She was interrupted by the crash of the door being thrown open, the bell ringing angrily at the abuse, followed by a sharp, loud voice. "Ha! I told you so!"

He knew that voice, a sudden dread going through him. He had only met that filly once, but he'd never forget that meeting. Sweetie Belle. He looked back to see the white unicorn standing in the doorway, glaring in at them, her friends flanking her. Rarity was just starting to voice her indignation at the sudden intrusion when Apple Bloom lept forward, crying out, "Applejack, how could you?"

Applejack blinked, caught off-guard. "Wait, Ah... what?"

The little sister pointed a hoof at Sky, who was doing his best to pretend he was invisible. "You've been friends with a changeling for a month, and you never even told me? How could you not tell me?"

"Ah... he..." Applejack blinked again. "Hey, wait a minute. Ah didn't even know he was a changeling until two days ago!"

"Well then why didn't you tell me two days ago?!"

"Because... because he didn't want anyone to know!" Applejack frowned down at her younger sister. "And since when do you care, anyhow?"

Sky found himself distracted from the unexpected sisterly argument by a very curious Scootaloo. He refrained from cringing away, already dreading what thoughts and plans must be going through that cute little head.

"Cool," she murmured, looking him over, completely oblivious to the concern Sky was feeling. When she did notice his attention, she grinned. "I didn't get a good look at any of the changelings back in Canterlot. You look a lot cooler than I remembered."

He cocked his head, unsure exactly how to respond to that. "Thanks?"

"Hey, no problem. You're kinda neat." She tilted her head, still looking over his body. "So, you really are Sky, huh?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Cool," she said again. "I thought you'd gone running off after the last time we met. I'm glad you stayed, though, don't think I'd ever get a good look at a changeling otherwise. You're one of the coolest ponies -- er, whatever -- here!" She paused, looking back to the rest of the group. "I mean, not the coolest, but pretty well up there."

He remained silent as the filly examined him, and tried to ignore the squabbling between the two pairs of sisters -- ah, yes, Sweetie Bell was Rarity's little sister. He wasn't very surprised to discover that. Instead, he watched the curious young pegasus as she examined him, even poking a hoof at the strange holes in his legs, and later prodding at his wings. "Those are strange looking wings."

"Err..." He lifted the thin wings up, then flicked them through a few strokes, quick enough to produce a momentary buzzing sound. They still felt so strange compared to the familiar weight of feathered wings, and they had to move so much quicker. "...yeah, a little strange."

The young filly giggled a little at the momentary buzz of his wings, mimicking it with her own small, still-growing wings. "Do they work as well as feathered wings? They look so thin and fragile."

"...I don't know," Sky admitted, feeling suddenly ashamed at his lack of knowledge of such a personal detail, and perhaps a little unhappy at being described as 'fragile.' "I've barely flown at all with them, and... well, I was kind of distracted when I did. I didn't notice much difference, but I wasn't really paying attention."

Scootaloo frowned a little at that, silent for a few moment. Something seemed vaguely sad about the little filly, though he couldn't even begin to guess what. Then she perked up again. "Hey, you could come with us and help us out with a little secret project we've been working on, and then we'll be able to see how well those wings work!"

He tried to not look terrified at the prospect of what kind of secret project those three might be up to, considering his previous encounter. "Ah, um... Could be fun, but I think Rarity needs my help to work on an outfit for me." Fashion as a refuge of safety, how sad.

Rarity, however, just waved a hoof dismissively, already drawing out designs. "Oh, no worries dear. I've got all the measurements I'll need. You go have fun while I get working on this."

"Er..." He glanced around anxiously, finally looking down at his hooves. His unusually glossy hooves. "I shouldn't, I'll just get dirty and undo all that work from the spa!" Ugh. And now makeovers, too. Goodbye pride...

"Oh, we'll just have to take you by the spa again in the morning," Rarity said, not even looking up. "Would be good to do some refreshing and touching-up anyway. Now go have some fun!"

He looked back to the very eager Scootaloo. "Well... okay then..."

At least it made for a more interesting evening than hanging out in a dressmaker's shop while Rarity worked on a mystery outfit for him. Applejack had hurried out after them, and she at least restrained the most excessive of the three fillies' plans. And the flying was fun. His wings might need to beat much faster than before, but it didn't seem to have any notable effect on his flying. He was perhaps a tiny bit more agile at very low speeds, but he couldn't say for sure.

He certainly took every opportunity to fly that evening, as every moment he was flying was a moment he wasn't indulging in the fillies' little projects. Even worse, while she made a point of shooting down the more extreme plans, Applejack was quick to volunteer him for the ones she hadn't negated, grinning slyly at him as she did.

Better than spending the day cooped up in the shop, but as scraped-up and weary as he was at the end of the evening, he was more than happy to collapse into his bed. Even if he had to admit to being just a little disappointed to see his previously-shining carapace marred by the day's adventures.

Not that he'd ever admit that to anypony else, of course.

Green flames danced along the walls of the great hall, casting their eerie glow across the polished stone and broad red carpet. It danced and flickered, but never spread, perfectly framing the path ahead. Shadows danced above and behind him, changelings watching every step as he approached the great double doors.

He stopped just before them, pausing. Time slipped away, seeming to lose all meaning, until a touch on his shoulder drew his attention back.

Chrysalis stood there, framed by the flame and shadow. She set her hoof back to the ground, eyes staring at him. They were fierce and intimidating, but something about them... something made them enticing, exciting. Comforting. She said nothing, but stepped to the side, gesturing back with her snout. It was not just a command, it was an invitation.

He tore his vision away from her and the flames beyond, his last sight being the look of pain on the queen's face. It felt like a stab in his heart as he pushed open the doors, leaving her.

He stepped into the grand chamber.

The flames were behind him. They did not reach into this place. No shadows followed him. Behind him, he heard the doors swinging shut, and at the last moment, he heard the queen. There were no words, just a pained, mournful keening, the sound of utter loss.

The knife twisted in his heart, his resolve shattering. He turned back to the doors, but as hard as he pulled, they would not budge. He could not go back.

Contrasted with the hallway, the chamber was bright, vivid, and serene. Celestia stood atop the dais, as vivid as ever, her radiance filling the room. The day beyond the windows was bright and peaceful. There were no flames, no destruction.

She stepped down from the dais, a smile on her face.

No.

No, it was wrong. It was very wrong. The smile lied. It tried to tell a tale of content serenity, but it lied. He could see through it. Behind that false smile, there was a tremendous sadness, but even that was quickly giving way. Fear and humiliation were welling up in her, building into a furious hatred. Her eyes bored into him.

Sky could see himself reflected in her eyes.

A changeling. A monster. A parasite that had humiliated her, harmed her subjects, threatened a thousand years and more of stability and prosperity.

He stared into the eyes of a goddess as the serene expression melted away to one of righteous fury. She reared up before him, horn flaring as bright and terrible as the sun. With a flare of power, her magic struck down at him, tearing into his body with its incredible heat. His body buckled under the strain, carapace cracking in lines of fiery light as pure agony tore through him.

Chapter 8: The Return

Chapter 8: The Return

Sky required much less persuading to return to the spa for his second visit. This was entirely due to his resignation to the fact that it would be happening regardless of what he did, of course, and for no other reason. Seeing his previously shining carapace marred by smears and tiny scrapes hadn't been a factor at all. Not even a little. He certainly hadn't spent the previous evening mourning the loss of that perfect sheen. No, of course not. Maybe if he believed that really hard, it would be as if it had never happened.

The spa treatment was much less of a torture than last time. In fact, it went quick and smoothly, and he had to admit he was pleased to see those imperfections buffed away, carapace again smooth and glossy. He wouldn't let himself smile, thinking that would lead his friends to think -- falsely, of course -- that he actually liked getting that treatment. That dedication was made harder by the knowing amusement he could feel from them.

He did not, however, feel any more comfortable about returning to Carousel Boutique, and particularly not when Rarity greeted them with such eager excitement the moment they entered the door. She looked slightly frazzled, but full of energy. She had probably skimped on sleep to work on this mysterious project.

"Oh good, we just finally got everything arranged!" Beckoning him over, she guided him to the center of the room, where one of the mannequins stood, ominously covered by a sheet. "Now, I must admit that I can't claim credit for all of the work. I did the design work, of course, but I realized I had to do something unique, something different, outside of my usual skill-set. Fortunately Gem Shine and Golden Glimmer were very helpful at filling in what I could not do myself. They're both very skilled, and were quite accepting of working on such a tight schedule. There was some worry at first that we wouldn't be able to complete everything in time, but we pulled it off!"

"And now," Rarity said, "May I introduce the first ever ensemble of changeling fashion!"

Sky's fear spiked as she swept away the sheet to reveal... not what he had been expecting. Actually, he wasn't sure what he was expecting. Something ridiculously frilly or the like, given the mare in charge of the design. Maybe something with lace. Instead, the outfit seemed to lack fabric at all, consisting of finely polished silver with a few accents of blue sapphires.

He was thoroughly unsure of how to respond. Rarity seemed to take his silence as a sign of approval, and quickly insisted on helping him put it all on. First came the head-piece to frame his horn, one line extending up along its front while the rest of the head-piece curved to the back of his head, almost like a helmet. Another piece lay across the front of his chest and swept back up over his shoulders, resembling a small, decorative breastplate -- an ornamental peytral, Rarity called it -- and was adorned in the center by a sapphire, cut to resemble a cloud. Fine silver chains swept back along his sides, connecting to a small silver plate over his rump -- a croupiere, she informed him. A pair of fine chains extended down on each side of this, meeting a pair that looped around his hind legs, to hold another cloud-cut sapphire over his flanks, mimicking the cutie mark that had been there in his pegasus disguise. His feet were clad in silver shoes, each shaped with sharp angles that seemed to emphasize the unusual shape of his hole-riddled legs. The final touch, and one that Rarity seemed particularly proud of, was a set of silver tubes, each precisely sized to line the holes in his legs.

Sky tried not to shudder at the feeling of those final pieces. The mirror-like glint of silver and the faint, strange pressure coming from inside his own legs was incredibly strange.

"So," Rarity said, nudging him toward a mirror. "What do you think?"

He stared at the mirror. His first instinct was that it was excessively flashy, the kind of thing that would draw too much attention, which was rather the opposite of what he would prefer. Of course, that was a lost cause. Simply showing up as a changeling was going to get everypony's attention. Despite what reservations he might have, and the constant feeling of embarrassment, he had to admit he had no idea what would be considered fashionable. "...It's nice," he said, trying to sound like he meant it.

It was apparently not very convincing. "You don't like it," Rarity said, about as convincing at hiding her disappointment. He wouldn't have even needed to feel her emotions to have heard it clearly in her voice.

"I don't know anything about fashion," he said quickly. "I'm sure you're a much better judge of what is and isn't fashionable than I could hope to be. If you think this is what would impress other ponies, then... I'll trust your word on it." He looked back to the mirror, turning to puff out his chest a bit, looking over the ensemble. The cloud-like gems were a kind of neat touch, and the hoof, head, and chest-pieces gave a somewhat armored, sleek, striking appearance. It was enough to coax a little smile from him. At least, until he realized that such a potentially aggressive look might not be the best impression to be sending. "Um, are you sure it isn't too... flashy?"

"Oh, don't worry about that," Rarity said. "We want something that gets you noticed, after all. I had originally considered a gold-on-black theme, but silver seemed more subtle, and I think it works better with the sapphires. Fortunately, just about every color goes well with black."

"I guess," he said, still looking himself over. To tell the truth, it was kind of growing on him. He still felt embarrassingly gussied up, but the way the thin plates settled flush against his carapace kind of worked, more like they were accents of color. He didn't know if it was fashionable at all, but at least he could see some appeal.

Besides, everypony was probably much more likely to notice the changeling, rather than what he was wearing.

Twilight brought him back from his thoughts. "We should probably get going. We don't want to be late for the train."

Right. Now he got to wear it outside, where other ponies could see him.

Near mid-day, the streets were full of ponies, much to Sky's unease. He would have balked at it, tried to find some back way, or simply flown over the rooftops, but he knew better. As bad as it might be here, it was going to be worse in Canterlot. Small steps at a time.

Fortunately, the reaction was surprisingly mild, mostly curiosity, with only the slightest bit of unease. Either word had gotten around enough that seeing a changeling in their midst wasn't as shocking as it otherwise would have been, or his outfit was ridiculous enough to have distracted them from the fact that it was being worn by a changeling.

Approaching the train station, Sky could see that it was busier than usual. As they drew nearer, it became obvious that the small crowd of ponies, a few dozen, weren't there as passengers. They were waiting for them. He could sense his friends tensing up slightly as they came to the same realization.

Fear of a confrontation started to well up inside him, only to fade away a moment later. There seemed to be no hostile emotion coming from the crowd, only the faintest hint of nervousness. Instead he felt mostly curiosity and, surprisingly, compassion.

"Good luck in Canterlot," called out a familiar voice. He hesitated, looking over the group until he saw the familiar face of Silver Scroll. She smiled encouragingly, and he, surprised by the gesture, smiled back. Many of the other faces were unfamiliar to him, but a few others stood out. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Bell, and a particularly excited Scootaloo stood near the front of the pack. A few other faces were particularly surprising. There was Bon Bon, alongside that green unicorn he had seen her with before. She was smiling, and gently nudged the unicorn, who looked up to give him a nervous smile. He was struck by the turmoil in her emotions, and almost had to shut out his senses again; she was afraid of him, and confused, but the emotion he sensed the most from her was hope. Hope directed toward him. And there was Golden Harvest, giving off a similar array of emotions, though her smile was more confident.

They had come to wish him luck. The realization was strange, almost shocking even. Here he was, one of the creatures that had attacked Canterlot, even attacked a few of the ponies here, and yet they had came here, wishing the best for him. He smiled back at them, giving a little nod of thanks before he was ushered into the train.

The trip was mostly silent. Or at least, Sky was silent. Pinkie Pie was as excitable as ever, contemplating what they might do at the party that evening -- ugh, he did not want to think of that. His stomach felt like it was turning over in anxiety any time the thought came up. The only consolation was that it was less terrifying than the prospect of facing the Princesses, a meeting that would determine his fate. In contrast, thinking of the party was almost pleasant. Pinkie's increasingly unlikely speculations were at least amusing, as were Rarity's futile attempts to convince her that it wasn't that kind of party.

For the most part, however, his companions were as quiet as he was. It was one of the times he was thankful for this strange ability to sense emotions. Without it, he may well have assumed that they were silent for the same reason he was, anxiety about what awaited them in Canterlot. Instead, any time he focused his senses on Twilight, he could feel the soft, pleasant sensation of her confidence. It was one little piece of reassurance as the miles quickly melted away, the city drawing closer and closer.

All too soon, they were drawing up to the station. Sky was already breathing hard, peering out through the windows. He remembered there being lots of ponies in Canterlot, but not this many ponies. He certainly hadn't noticed so many guards. He didn't even notice his faint tremble until he felt the soft touch on his shoulder, and looked back to see Fluttershy, smiling encouragingly. He couldn't help smiling back at the sight, accompanied by that wonderful wave of emotion.

"Don't worry," she said in her soft voice. "We'll be right there with you."

He reached up, placing a hoof affectionately on her foreleg. "Thank you, Fluttershy. I just... thank you." He couldn't find the right words to express himself, but by the happy sound the gesture had drawn from her, he didn't need to.

Passengers were exiting the train. It was time to go. He considered waiting, leaving last, but that could go poorly. They had a private car to themselves, but some of the other passengers must know that there was a changeling on board, and that meant it was only a matter of time until the guards found out. Better to go out and meet them, rather than have them alarmed and searching for him.

They gathered at the exit. He had to admit, they made a strange-looking group. A changeling decked out in a silver jewelry-outfit, with six ponies clad in beautiful dresses. Well, it was sure to get some sort of reaction, he mused. Twilight gave them a final, encouraging nod, echoed by several of the others, and opened the door. They stepped out onto the platform.

There was no immediate panic. In fact, the initial response was rather subdued. For several moments, it seemed nopony had noticed them, everypony focused on their own business. Then he caught the sudden pangs of surprise and unease. Not quite full-blown fear, but obvious alarm. Several ponies were looking at him now, as they started to walk down the platform to the main entrance. Most stood and gawked, a few more backing away to a safer distance. The reaction started to spread through the crowd, a few cries of surprise going out, a few quickly making their exit, but most ponies simply standing back and watching. He looked anxiously about at the see of alarmed faces.

Finally, his eyes came across the guard who had just stepped onto the platform, his eyes wide and staring at him. "Sergeant!" the armored stallion yelled out in a startled voice, and within moments almost a dozen guards were surging out onto the platform, several spears leveled at them. The sudden action spurred a surge of fear in the crowd as ponies saw a potential confrontation forming before their eyes.

Sky cringed at the surge of fear coming from the crowd and the alarmed anger coming from the guards, again trying to block out the emotions.

Twilight was stepping forward to the guard who seemed to be in charge, distinguished by a more vivid blue-and-white helmet plume among the blue of the other guards. "Sir-"

"Stand aside!" he shouted. The guards were spreading out and closing in.

"Sir-"

He cut her off just as quickly as the first time. "Glitter Shield, take her. Squad, detain those ponies until they can be scanned, and don't let that changeling escape!"

"Sergeant!" Twilight shouted, uncharacteristically loud and angry, the scroll bearing the royal seal floating by her head. "We have an invitation from Princess Celestia herself and a royal decree guaranteeing our free passage. Now stand your guards down, unless you want to explain this misconduct to her yourself!"

An instant later, the realization that she had just yelled at a sergeant of the royal guard dawned on her, judging by the sudden nervously embarrassed expression on her face. Fortunately, the sergeant didn't notice, his attention instead caught by the royal seal emblazoned upon the scroll. He snatched it away with his magic, quickly reading it over before concentrating a moment. An instant later, a confused expression took the place of his scowl. "It's legitimate. But why in Equestria is that thing here?" He pointed his spear at Sky, who reflexively cringed back, despite being many spear-lengths away.

"That thing is named Sky," Twilight said, disapproval at the manner of address having brought back some of her fire. "And he is part of my entourage, here under the invitation of Princess Celestia."

Soon they were having a quiet argument, while the rest of the guards stood around, looking increasingly confused. Many of them were still eying Sky. He tried giving a nervous smile in return, hoping it might encourage them to relax, but it seemed to just make them more suspicious.

The argument didn't last long, and quickly became very one-sided. The guard had quickly recognized her name. Twilight Sparkle, personal protege of Princess Celestia, one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, repeat savior of Equestria, and sister of his commanding officer. Now he was insisting that a couple of his guards accompany her, and her "entourage," through town. "To prevent similar incidents," he claimed, though Sky suspected he didn't like the idea of a changeling wandering freely around town without any of the guards keeping their eyes on him. Twilight conceded on this point, however. No need to be overly aggressive about it, and it wasn't as if they could interfere, unless Sky did something stupid, which was always a possibility.

By now, the crowd, minus the few who had fled, had settled down. Likely, they were surprised to see the guards talked down, and the talk of royal invitations had apparently caught some curiosity.

Panic averted, the guards moved aside to allow them to pass, a pair of them trailing along at the rear of the group. Sky walked unsteadily at first, breathing hard, trying to slow the pounding of his heard. The adrenaline wasn't helping, every part of him feeling wound up, anxious, screaming at him to move, run, fly, fight, whatever, anything except walking calmly along.

They passed through the front doors of the station and out onto the street. Several ponies there were startled to see him, nervous for a moment, before subduing to curiosity. Likely, the sight of a pair of guards flanking the changeling had reassured them that all was well.

"Well then," Twilight said, relieved. "We've got about an hour until that garden party is supposed to start. Shall we?"

"Do we have to go?" Sky asked, voice still shaky from the adrenaline.

Twilight looked to him sympathetically. "The Princess was hoping to meet us there."

He nodded. It wouldn't do him any good for them to be absent when she showed up, and he really didn't feel comfortable with the idea of separating from them. He'd have to go, it seemed.

Still, an hour gave him some time. They didn't have to go straight there. The idea resonated in his head, and a moment later came to a sudden thought. "Could we stop by somewhere, along the way?"

Familiar streets led the way. Sky followed them quietly, trying not to wince at the faint sensation that pricked up every time a new pony came to the sudden realization that a changeling was walking down the street. Each sensation was short lived, a momentary surprise-panic before their minds processed the scene, the cluster of ponies around him, the guards, and that fear faded to a gentler concern and curiosity, and all too often, hatred. It ranged from a superficial distaste through consuming, rage-filled hatred, and each one sent a pang of guilt through him.

He felt so weary. The adrenaline from the earlier confrontation had long since faded, leaving him feeling sluggish in its wake. The constant barrage of fear and anger was wearing him down, his mind starting to go numb to the sensation.

His mind drifted to darker thoughts, fueled by the emotions seeping into him. How had he handled it, before? The faint flickers of fear and hatred must be nothing compared to when he had been here before, during the invasion. It would be no passing surprise, or scattered hatred. Had he been better at closing off that sense? He wanted to think so, but instead, his thoughts drifted to the queen. Chrysalis had enjoyed it. She had taken in the pain, the fear, the futile anger, and she had enjoyed every moment of it. Had he?

The thoughts were banished by another familiar sight. A sign dangling from a cafe, painted as a large, smiling flower. He stared at it a moment, until he could finally will himself to move again.

Behind him, Twilight hesitated, then turned to the guards. She could have made a demand, waved the royal decree at them, but instead, she simply asked. "Could you stay here? Please?" They wavered, looking at the changeling walking away. Reluctantly, they nodded. Twilight trotted away to rejoin Sky.

As they approached the cafe, customers quickly began to take notice. He was just ascending the steps up to the front patio when Sunflower stepped past the tables, coming to see what the commotion was.

They both flinched back. She withdrew a step, startled fear surging through her at the sight of a changeling only a couple yards away, and he cringed at the horrible sensation coming from her. Even expecting the reaction hadn't softened the blow any.

Fortunately, it seemed the sight of the changeling cringing back stirred something in her. The fear swiftly faded away to the background. She just stood there, perfectly still.

This was a dumb idea, he thought. He wasn't sure what he was expecting. The changelings had done horrible things here, and these were the ponies most directly affected by it. Here he was, just waltzing right up to somepony likely traumatized by the experience -- by him -- and expecting it to go well. He slumped a bit, head drooping. No, he shouldn't be here. Being here was just going to make things worse. "I'm... sorry," he murmured, turning to leave.

Those words seemed to jar something loose in Sunflower. "Wait. What?"

He halted, glancing back at her. She seemed confused and concerned. Part of him wanted to simply continue on and leave, but he hesitantly turned back to her. There was no point in leaving right away, the damage had been done. He came all the way here and startled this poor mare, he should see it through. His voice shuddered faintly, throat tight. "I... I remember you, from the attack. I think I attacked you. I think I might have hurt you. I just... I wanted to say I'm sorry. For everything."

She was looking at him as if nothing he had said made any sense. He supposed, in a way, that it didn't. One of the creatures that had gleefully attacked her was here now, apologizing for what it had done. Her eyes roamed over him, as if searching for answers, then looked over the ponies that had followed him here. There was the strangest sense of surprise and recognition.

"You're that pegasus," she said, having drawn the connection. "From a few days after the attack. You're Sky?"

He nodded weakly. So she realized who he was. How he'd talked to her under the unwitting disguise of another pony.

She was shaking her head now, looking halfway lost in thought. "No..." He winced at the rejection, but she continued on. "No, I think you're mistaken."

"I... I'm sorry," he said, lamely. "I'll go."

He was starting to turn away when she spoke again. "No. I don't think any of the monsters that attacked me would be here apologizing for it."

Glancing back to her, he was suddenly struck by what he didn't perceive. There was no anger or hatred. Even more surprisingly, he could feel a faint trickle of compassion. Confusion welled up in his mind. "But... I did attack you."

"Maybe," she said, quietly. She was looking at him very seriously, considering him a moment before speaking again. "But... now you're here. Would... would you do it again?"

"No!" he blurted, then somewhat more restrained, "No, never."

A faint smile crossed her face. "You don't sound like you're one of the monsters that attacked me." He wasn't sure how to take that, still so confused by her reaction. She continued, "Maybe you were before, but... I think that's changed, hasn't it?"

When he didn't respond, her smile grew a bit more. "Consider that 'apology accepted.'"

He shuddered, a tension he hadn't realized had been building suddenly leaving his body. He looked back to her, vision blurring slightly as his eyes threatened to tear up, and managed a weak smile. The sensation coming from Sunflower was still weak, but warm and friendly.

Another thought suddenly occurred to him. He fumbled at the small pouch hung at his belly, extracting a few coins to offer to her. "Um... here. For the sandwich and drink."

Sunflower looked skeptically at the offered bits, as if trying to figure out what he meant. Realization came a moment later, and she smiled again, raising a hoof. Unexpectedly, she gently pushed his own hoof back. "It was a gift. You don't pay for gifts." She considered a moment later, then added, "Though you can always order another, if you're that eager to give me bits."

Food seemed like a poor choice just before attending a party, which was sure to offer plenty. However... "How about some of those drinks?" he asked.

Her smile grew a bit wider. "Sure thing."

A few minutes later, they were walking through the streets again, and Sky was almost giddy. So far, things had gone better than he had hoped for. Sunflower even seemed to like him, despite their past. Relief and happiness filled him, lending a bounce to his step that hadn't been there in days.

It was made a little more awkward by the cup cradled in one hoof, leaving Sky to somewhat awkwardly hobble along on three legs. He really didn't know how Pinkie Pie managed it so smoothly. His mood was so improved that he didn't even make note of the confused reactions of the ponies he passed in the street.

Still, this was somewhat awkward, he thought. Encouraged by the good mood, and acting on a sudden whim, he embraced the thought of desire that ran through his thoughts.

A moment later he was staring straight forward at his cup, floating in front of his face and cloaked in a faint shimmer of green.

Surprised, he came to an abrupt halt, and the green aura vanished. He lunged forward, fore-hooves fumbling at the cup, only barely able to catch the cup in time. He sat there, in the middle of the street, cup clutched to his chest.

And then he let out a laugh. Again he thought of that desire, admiring the subtle but complex thoughts that flowed from it, and a moment later he shakily lifted the cup again in his magical grip. It was unsteady, and his control was poor, but he did it. He couldn't help but let out a happy squeal.

"Reflexive," Twilight said softly, beaming at him, and he happily returned the grin before turning back to his drink, tanking a long sip. He swore it tasted even better than it had before.

The actions of this strange changeling back at the cafe had evidently had some effect even on the guards following them. Personal distrust had faded to a mere professional attentiveness, and one of them even allowed a faint chuckle at the overjoyed changeling, looking much like a foal who had just learned a new trick. The other guard didn't join in the chuckle, though likely only because he took the momentary distraction to sneak another sip of his own drink, provided by the changeling and his friends for their escorts.

The good mood carried with them through the streets, right until he came to the sight of the palace's main gate, and the knowledge of what lay beyond. Dozens, maybe hundreds of upper-class ponies, in the palace grounds, with him, stuck in the middle of it all. The happy mood was immediately subdued, buoyed only by the happy feelings of his friends.

Their escort stepped forward to inform the gate guard of the situation. Apparently the word had already reached them, as they only eyed Sky skeptically, while their escorts clarified the situation. Soon they were ushered in; Twilight hadn't even needed to bring out the royal decree again.

Entering the broad lawn that served as the central area of the garden party, Sky was struck by just how different the reaction was. The surprised moment of fear was familiar, but what followed was... colder. Nervousness seemed largely negated by the presence of guards. None of them seemed curious about him, at least personally. Disdain, however, came strongly from most of the crowd.

He didn't belong here. That was the obvious thought.

He also gathered from the look of most of his friends that they felt the same of themselves.

Twilight spoke, sounding a little more nervous than usual. "Well, Rarity. This would be your forte. You should probably take charge."

"Indeed," Rarity replied, stepping up next to Sky. "The most important thing is to mingle and be friendly. Show them that you can be refined and respectable."

He very much doubted his chances with that. He hadn't the slightest clue how to behave at a fancy gathering like this. And mingle? What was he going to talk about? "Nice town, glad we didn't completely wreck it?"

The pang of nervousness was distracted by a sly grin from Rarity. "Aaand... I had been thinking of something that might just help us."

That conspiratorial look was a little worrying, he had to admit. "...What's that?"

"Well, the hardest part is going to be finding sympathetic ears that are willing to listen, rather than simply dismissing you from the start. And it just so happens that you can sense emotions." She tilted her head toward the gathering. "Perhaps you could find ponies who are more likely to be receptive, who don't seem as displeased to see you here."

He paused, turning his head to look over the crowd.

"...Preferably without being too obvious and staring at them," Rarity added, softly.

He ducked his head. Right, discreet. It did feel vaguely underhanded, but he was only looking for somepony who would be willing to talk, nothing more. That wasn't too manipulative, was it? "Maybe those two, over at the right of the fountain?"

Rarity hardly even glanced. "Ah, yes. I remember meeting them at a charity dinner. Seemed like a very reasonable couple. Come, we'll work our way over to them."

She did not lead him straight over, instead setting a wandering course, making a few greetings and even stopping to chat for a few moments. She seemed to know several of the attendees, if by name only in a few cases, and a few of the ponies seemed to relax in their opinion of him after a few words. She encouraged him to speak, offering a few questions to him, and he did his best to answer politely, though he was a bit brief in his nervousness.

The two he had pointed out actually approached them, rather early on. They were genuinely curious about him, and he managed to loosen up just a little, enough to carry on a conversation. It made for some progress, but not much. Any time Sky thought it was going particularly well, he would look around to see that out of the party of a hundred or so, only half a dozen seemed to have opened up to him, and even then only barely. Most of the crowd only regarded him with disdain, as if they were scandalized by his presence. He had even seen several leave the party, and some of them were rather less than quiet about their reasons.

Before too long, Sky had retreated to the edge of the main lawn. He got less glares there, at least. Rarity was still out socializing -- and trying to pass good word of him, she assured them -- but the rest of his friends had joined him.

"Well, it's goin' better than most of the fancy parties we've been to," Applejack said, kicked back with a large plate of hors d'oeuvres that she was snacking from. "No sign of property damage or impending injuries."

Pinkie Pie, meanwhile, was laying by Twilight, trying to give the unicorn her best puppy-dog eyes. "Pleeeease?"

"No, Pinkie," Twilight sighed, for what must have been the twentieth time. Apparently she thought better than to let Pinkie indulge any of her plans to "improve" the party. Staving off the inevitable repetition of the question she added, "If it's any better, we can do a proper party tomorrow."

Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, was practically fuming off on the side. She had gotten in an argument with one of the other guests. He hadn't heard what it was, and she refused to say, but... There was a subtle change in her emotions when he asked that made him think it was about him.

Sitting on the sidelines, and receiving mainly angry glares from the other party guests, Sky just wished for it all to be over.

A few minutes later, he noticed a sudden shift in the mood of the crowd. Some commotion had drawn their attention, and a moment later he saw the reason making its way through the crowd. Celestia had arrived.

Sky felt a cold rush of fear go through him. Previous encounters meant nothing compared to this. Then, he had been worried about being socially awkward or uncouth, offending the Princess in some manner, but the worst outcome there was a reprimand or disapproval. Now, seeing her approach through the reverential crowd, he feared for his life. She was a being of immense power, able to move the sun itself through the sky, ruler of an entire kingdom and guardian of its subjects, and he had wronged her.

He tried to keep from shaking as memories of his dreams crept through his head. She had not yet looked at him, turning her head back-and-forth to greet various ponies, but her course was set straight for him. More distant guests watched the procession, and several had cast smug, dark glances his way. Their thoughts were obvious enough: "Now you're going to get it."

Wisps of her happiness and compassion tickled at his mind, beautiful and enticing. He recoiled, fighting to close off his senses, terrified of the reaction she would have to him intruding upon her emotions.

Closer and closer. Celestia's wings were held loosely out from her sides, framing her appearance and making her already grand figure seem just that little bit larger. A few steps closer, and she turned her gaze forward, toward Sky and his companions. He had to force himself to not back away, but he couldn't keep himself from ducking his head, fearfully. A few faces in the crowd grinned at that reaction. Celestia still smiled.

"Twilight Sparkle," she said, in her clear, beautiful voice.

Then her gaze turned to Sky. He stared fearfully into her radiant, smiling face, his heart practically stopping. "Sky." He narrowly restrained a whimper.

"Everypony," she continued, looking over the rest of the group. He gasped faintly, breathing again now that her attention had moved on without leaving the smoldering husk of a changeling in its wake. "I do hope that you are all enjoying the party?"

He missed most of the short conversation; Applejack had complimented the food, while Twilight seemed mostly eager to talk with Celestia. It was a brief visit, though. "I am afraid I can not stay and enjoy the party with you. Duty calls." She sighed slightly, then smiled again. "May I see you all afterward? We'll be finishing at ten, and I think we have a few things to catch up on."

Sky thought that sounded horribly ominous. Maybe, just maybe, it could be innocent, but he couldn't bring himself to believe it.

"We'd love to," Twilight said.

Celestia nodded in return. "Good. Enjoy the rest of the party, and I will look forward to seeing you tonight."

Now she was leaving, Sky watching as she made her way back out of the party. Several other ponies were looking on, seeming surprised, even disappointed, that Sky was still there.

He sat heavily, no longer trusting his legs to hold him up. Relief swept through him. She hadn't obliterated him, hadn't had the guards imprison him, she hadn't even spoken to him harshly. In fact, she didn't even seem to react to him at all. "...Celestia isn't blind, right?"

"What?" Twilight said, surprised. "Of course not!"

"...Okay," he said, trying to think. Surely she didn't find it unimportant that there was a changeling standing right there. Oh, she'd even addressed him by name! She knew he was a changeling, and had been there under disguise before! That couldn't be the kind of thing she would just overlook. But why didn't she say or do anything? Was she just waiting for them to meet up tonight, so he could be dealt with away from the public eye?

He sat there, mind racing. He really did not want any part of this party, much preferring to just sit here, unnoticed, trying not to think of what could go wrong.

Some of the other guests, however, had other ideas.

"Excuse me?"

Sky looked up to see a well-dressed stallion looking at him, with a polite smile. He spoke again. "I couldn't help but notice you speaking with the Princess..."

The visit had apparently drawn a different sort of interest to him. Seeing what appeared to be a favorable visit from Celestia, several of the guests ventured to speak with Sky. Something in the tone of the party had changed. While it was obvious enough that many still did not like his presence, a good number of the other guests made their way over to indulge their curiosity. Some were doing it for purely selfish reasons, he could tell. Likely, they wanted to be seen giving attention to the same things as the Princess, or simply desired a good story of the evening. Some, however, seemed genuinely curious about him, and a few now seemed pleased by his presence.

It wasn't enough to make the formal party fun for him, but at least it distracted him from worrying.

Plodding down the hall of the palace after the party, the worrying had returned full-force.

Sky hardly even noticed the servants, of which there were still many, even this late in the evening. Most of them were either too preoccupied or to experienced to make any visible reaction to an unusual guest. Instead, his attention was turned mostly inward, to his thoughts and fears. He quietly followed Twilight and their escort through the halls, only occasionally looking around.

Something in him half expected to see those flames creeping up along the walls.

Reaching the grand double-doors at the end, Sky stopped. He had the sudden urge to look back, the images of his dreams tickling at his mind. There was nothing there, of course.

The doors opened. He hesitated, standing still a moment, before following the others in. They entered a huge conservatory, the walls and ceiling open to the sky beyond. During the day, it would have offered a grand, sweeping view of the land below, but now it showed the night sky, the sparkling lights of thousands of stars spread out above them. And there, at the edge of the terrace, sat the Princesses.

"Welcome," Princess Celestia called out to them. They approached, making their greetings. All except Sky, who followed along silently, eyes cast down to the ground. He didn't want to draw any attention to himself, as futile as that was sure to be.

"Sky."

He twitched, looking up to Celestia, who was looking straight at him with a faint smirk. He tried not to shrink back under her gaze. "P-Princess..."

The smirk faded, and a sadness entered her thoughts. Sky cringed back, panic threatening to overcome him as that happy, peaceful expression started to fade and darken.

She sighed softly. "I suppose this has gone on long enough. Please, Sky, sit."

He did as he was told, mechanically following her instructions. He wanted to run, to leap off the terrace and fly as fast as he could go, but he knew he couldn't hope to escape. He couldn't run, he couldn't fight, his only prospect was to hope for mercy.

Celestia waited for him to sit before continuing. "I hadn't realized that this was going to be so hard upon you. Please, do not be afraid. I don't want any of my subjects to fear me." She offered a faint, encouraging smile.

He wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. Certainly he didn't feel any less fear, even though he didn't sense any hostile emotion from her. He winced again, trying to force away the emotions.

"I am sorry you found this so frightening," Celestia said, looking somewhat concerned now. "There isn't anything to worry about, Sky. If I had thought ill of you, I would never have agreed to Twilight's request, or have extended an invitation to that party."

"But you didn't..." Sky hadn't meant to speak, but her words had confused him. It didn't make sense at first, but then realization struck. "...you knew?"

Celestia's smile grew a little, and she nodded. "For almost as long as Twilight Sparkle did, I suspect. It was rather tempting to intervene, but I have put my trust in her many times before. I knew she would be capable of handling things herself."

Sky glanced back to Twilight, who looked torn between anxiety at the situation and happiness at the compliment. Then he looked back to Celestia. "So... what happens now?"

"Now?" Celestia said, sounding amused. "Well, next I had been thinking of having a snack before going to bed."

Sky blinked, drawing a soft chuckle from Celestia, followed by a wave of her hoof. "Relax, Sky. Twilight would not have arranged a surprise visit to plead your case to me if you had not proven yourself to her and her friends, and that is more than sufficient for me."

"So..." Sky nervously fidgeted. "That's... That's it, then?"

"Of course. There's certainly going to be no banishing or..." Celestia paused, then looked over to Twilight. "How did it go again? Thrown in a dungeon in the place they were banished to?" Twilight blushed, drawing a soft giggle from Celestia. "I don't know where some ponies get these ideas."

Even before saying it, he knew it was a bad idea. "...Even though I helped attack Canterlot?"

He had expected her expression to falter or fade, or even turn to anger. He hadn't expected the smile to grow. "Yes, Sky. Forgiveness is important. It is something that I hope can be extended to every being that truly seeks it, regardless of what they may have been in the past. Do you remember what I told you, on our first meeting?"

"...Yes?" he answered, uncertainly. She had said quite a few things, and he wasn't sure which one she was referring to.

She must have noticed that uncertainty. "Every pony has done something they regret. They do not, however, have to let that shape their future. All I would ask is that you try to lead a good life."

He nodded, silently.

"You knew?" Twilight asked, looking to Celestia. "At that first visit, you knew?"

Celestia just smiled and nodded to her student, before looking back to Sky.

"That said, there is something I would like to ask of you."

"What is that?" Sky asked, full of trepidation at the sudden change in the conversation.

However, Celestia just smiled. "These events have given me some hope, Sky. Hope that you will not be the last changeling to desire peaceful relations. Hope that you can serve as an example of how we can exist in harmony, rather than as foes. I don't imagine that it will be easy, that prejudice can be averted so simply, or that all changelings would accept our friendship. It will take much work... and I would like your help."

Sky blinked in surprise. "My help?

"Yes," she said with a nod. "An ambassador of good will, so to speak. Somepony who can show ponies that changelings are not all monsters, and who can show changelings that we can coexist openly and peacefully. Somepony who can act as a diplomat. If you're willing."

"I..." he stared flatly, completely lost at the thought. Here he had still not entirely convinced himself that he was going to leave this conversation alive and un-imprisoned, and he was being asked for help, even offered what sounded to be a highly-placed job, by the Princess herself!

"I'm afraid it won't offer much work, particularly at first. Other than showing up here on occasion, there's little that could be done. You could even keep your residence in Ponyville, if you desired," Celestia said with a slight smirk, sweetening the offer.

"I... yes!" he said, starting to smile despite his unease. The expression brought out a grin from Celestia.

"Good! I won't bore you with all the details now, it's far too late for such official business. I will arrange to have something sent to you in Ponyville. Now then," she said with a chuckle, "I have refrained from prying for far too long, and my curiosity has been rather hard to restrain. If you would be willing, I would love to hear what has occurred since your last visit."

The conversation was at least a good distraction from his own thoughts. He talked of the past weeks, soon joined by his friends, adding their own details and perspectives, while Celestia and Luna listened attentively. Before long, he let himself go with the more relaxed atmosphere of the gathering, and by the time the story had finished, his worries had faded to the background. He was even smiling, again.

Eventually, Princess Luna rose. Her voice was firm and clear, but friendly. "Unfortunately, we have duties we must attend to. And thou needest thine rest, dear sister. My nights are short in the summer, and thy dawn comes early."

Celestia heaved a reluctant sigh, rising as well. "Yes, indeed it does. Summer makes me envy how soundly you can sleep when it is still light out." She leaned in to fondly nuzzle her sister, before turning to say her goodbyes to her guests.

As Celestia walked gracefully away, Luna stepped up next to Sky. She stood there silently a moment, looking down to him. He sensed sadness in her, and concern, but also a curious sympathy. "Thou art finding this difficult, are thou not?"

He nodded awkwardly. "Yes, Princess."

She smiled. "Please, call me Luna."

"Of course," he said quickly. It seemed a strange contradiction, the formal-sounding speech combined with the request for a more informal mode of address, but who was he to question a Princess?

"It gets better," she said, softly. When he looked questioningly at her, she continued. "The ponies of this land can be very forgiving, even to the worst of foes. Surely thou hast witnessed this."

He nodded.

"But thou art still concerned. Not just by them, but by thine own actions."

He nodded again.

"Of course," she said gently. "Other ponies can be very forgiving, but forgiving thyself can be much more challenging. It will take time, but it shall get better." She smiled knowingly. "Take this from a pony who knows."

Sky looked to her curiously, opening his mouth to question her, but she had turned away, following after her sister. He stood there, silent, until Twilight stepped up beside him. She was smiling at him.

"Come on, Sky. We should get some sleep, too."

He smiled back, and looked over the faces of his friends, all gathered here to support him. The worry and anxiety of the day faded behind him, leaving a wonderful feeling of happiness. "Thank you. All of you."

"Are you looking forward to going home?"

Home. Ponyville. He had his friends. His apartment. His work. And now, he had hope again. His life lay free before him. The specter of doom was gone, and through the lingering worry and regret, his future waited, with all the joys he had dreamed of.

"Yes. Yes I am."

Epilogue

Epilogue

Sky trotted happily along the street, snow crunching softly beneath his hooves. It was one of the few times he was tempted to revert to using his pegasus guise; fur was rather more comfortable than bare chitin in the cold weather. Instead, he carried on as a point of pride, quite happy to endure a bit of cold to maintain his form. It was who he was. Besides, it was what he, and all the other ponies in town, were used to.

The months since his revealing had made quite a difference. Most residents of Ponyville were quite used to seeing the familiar changeling wandering the streets or flying overhead. A few still felt wary of him, but there had been no incidents, and many were quite friendly, giving greetings as they passed in the street.

He stomped his hooves a few times on the porch to dislodge the snow from his hooves and the holes in his legs, then pushed open the door to step inside. His house wasn't a large one, but it was plenty big enough for him and the occasional friend. He didn't own it, of course, merely making payments on it. Between his weather patrol pay in these busy months and the stipend for his role as the "Counselor on Changeling Affairs" -- which he felt was a rather pretentious title for "that changeling that shows up in Canterlot every month or so" -- he could easily afford such a place, or even more. He was, to be honest, a bit unsure of what to do with the bits he earned. He didn't have much taste for luxuries, and even though he had let Rarity talk him into designing a few more outfits, he rarely wore more than one single, simple adornment; a fine silver torc with another of the cloud-shaped blue sapphires.

Through the months, his friends, both old and new, had helped out immensely. Rainbow Dash still seemed a bit conflicted about him, but was mostly back to normal. They worked together, with Sky doing his best to be one of the hardest-working members of the team, and they had eventually gotten back to spending their off-time together on occasion. Sadly, she still seemed to get a little odd and uneasy any time things started to feel more relaxed. Every time she got to the point of starting to tease him again -- as frustrating as that had been before -- she'd swing back to feeling uneasy again. Even being able to sense her emotions, something that he had gotten much more used to over the months, that mare was still confusing. He knew there was something bothering her. Still, she was a friend, and he wouldn't push the issue if she didn't want it to be. Even if he would sneak the occasional longing glance.

More significantly, he had been spending more and more time with Fluttershy. It had started with the occasional visit, him wanting to thank her for all she had done during his difficult times, and they spent several evenings together, talking. Eventually the topic of his dreams had come up, and while he was reluctant to speak of the darker, more terrifying creations of his mind, she had eventually convinced him to do so. She had seemed horrified at first, and he had worried that he had frightened her by the dark stories, but that hadn't been the case. No, Fluttershy was worried about him, and how he had to deal with such nightmares on his own.

Soon they had begun talking about them more regularly, her giving a fresh outlook and a sympathetic ear. A month later he had been amused to realize that the dreams had lost their sting. The flames, the hordes of hostile changelings, that dark queen, they were still terrifying on those increasingly-infrequent nights that they intruded upon his dreams, but they no longer carried any lasting horror once he woke. Even without the frequent nightmares to discuss, he still visited her frequently, only now they usually had more happy topics to discuss.

A knock at the door drew his attention back to the present. Returning, he opened it to find a brown unicorn mare standing there, a pony he didn't recognize from around town. She looked incredibly nervous, and had been glancing around anxiously when the door opened, her large, green eyes now fixed squarely on him.

"Hello?" he asked politely, giving a little smile -- careful to not show off his teeth. She seemed uneasy enough already.

He could feel the fearful nervousness coming off her as she cast another glance back at the street, then back to him. "I... heard that there was a changeling living here, in the open..."

Ah. He had come to think of this as another part of his job. Upon news that there was a friendly changeling living in Ponyville, many ponies had come to see for themselves. A few had expected to find a monster worth hating, while most were simply curious. Some of them, like this pony, were nervous at coming face-to-face with a real, live changeling. The numbers had dwindled over time and with the colder weather, but occasionally another curious visitor would show up.

In any case, regardless of the visitors' motivations, he dealt with them the same way; with kindness. "Would you like to come in?" he asked, stepping out of the doorway so she could enter. She cast a nervous glance back, and he quickly realized unnerving the offer might be. Most visitors came in small groups, but she was on her own. "Or I could come out, if you'd rather."

"No, no," she quickly said, and stepped in, pausing to tap the snow from her hooves. "It's... much more comfortable in here."

He smiled again. "My name's Sky. Would you like anything to drink?"

She nodded, though without offering a name in return. He turned and trotted off into the kitchen. She hadn't said what she wanted, so he considered his options. Hot chocolate seemed the perfect choice, given the weather.

Returning with a pair of steaming cups levitating ahead of him, he found her still fidgeting uneasily. She politely took the offered cup, though she didn't yet drink.

Always best to smooth things along with conversation, he thought. "So where are you from? I hope it wasn't too long of a trip."

"Oh. I guess Hoofington originally, but I really just travel around. I don't really stay in one place. I, um, had kind of thought about staying here. In Ponyville." She spoke quietly, looking around the place. In fact, she barely even looked at him. She looked as if she had expected to find something different. Perhaps a monstrous lair, not a fairly tidy little home.

Moving on. "Well then... I'm guessing you must have questions, to have brought you this far."

She hesitated, conflicted feelings rising up. Eventually she set down her cup. "How did you do... this?" She gestured a foreleg around.

He tilted his head, not quite understanding the question. "I'm sorry?"

"You... you're a changeling," she said, stating the obvious. "But you're living among ponies. And they know it. And... How?"

"Well, it's a long story," he said. It was a familiar question, one he'd answered many times. "The simple version? Well, basically I started by just... showing them who I was."

She just stared at him for several second. "You... just showed them?"

He nodded, with a smile. "It wasn't easy, and I have to admit I was scared at first, but that's how it started."

She looked away, emotions twisting and churning. She took a half-step back, fear growing stronger by the moment. Then she looked back to him, determination and near-panic suddenly surging to the front.

Sky flinched at the green flame that flashed across the unicorn. In her place stood a male changeling. Sky felt fear leap up in him for an instant, to be immediately replaced by guilt at having the same reaction that he had found so distasteful in others. The other changeling was very much like him, although with a carapace marred by a few scars that told of a hard life. A faint tremble went through him as he stared fearfully back at Sky.

The other changeling was full of fear, and anxiety, and... hope.

They stared at each other for several long seconds before the other changeling spoke, quiet and nervously. "Then... what comes next?"

"Next," Sky echoed, and his mind finally slipped back into gear, finally registering just what was happening. Slowly, he smiled. "...Next, I think we should talk to Pinkie Pie about arranging a welcome party."

An Old Nightmare

Sky raised a hoof, ever so slowly reaching out to touch the changeling floating in front of him. Its eyes were narrowed into a sharp glare, its teeth bared, but it did not react. It simply floated there, impossible and unmoving, as frozen as the terrified pony it had been leaping at. Everything was still. All throughout Canterlot, the violent chaos of an invasion had simply come to a halt, the silence almost oppressive with its suddenness.

Another prodding of his hoof failed to draw any reaction, the changeling continuing to defy the pull of gravity.

"That's kind of creepy," Sky murmured, the soft sound made much louder in the unnatural silence. Of the entire city, the only sound to reach his ears were his own words and the faint clip of hooves stepping almost silently on the cobblestone street behind him.

He let his own hoof fall to the ground with a louder clop, lost in thought for a few moments before turning his head toward the only other sound. "This is really just a dream?"

"Indeed," Luna intoned. The dark princess quietly walked up beside the changeling he had just been prodding, holding herself tall, proud. She looked over the changeling for a moment before casting her gaze back out over the rest of the chaotic scene. "Dreams are oft confusing things, ensnaring the mind and befuddling sensibility, but surely thou canst sense the truth of the matter. Thou hast witnessed these events many times before, have you not?"

He hesitated, looking around. The street opened into a circle, an open courtyard, and he recognized this place. He recognized the overlook, and the valley beyond. He recognized the nearby café. He recognized the nearby fearful pony, her cutie mark matching that of the café's sign. He knew her... but not until after this. Later.

"Y-yes," he murmured, giving his head a slow shake. "This is confusing."

"Thou art asleep, and thy mind does not work the same as it does when thou art awake," Luna replied. "Once you are awake, thy mind will see the inconsistencies and alterations of this place. Until then, it shall do its utmost to make sense of what thou dost experience, believing it to be real."

"That's weird," he said, then raised a hoof to rub at the side of his head. "I think... I feel like I'm waking up, but not?"

Luna nodded. "The sleeping mind is a time for rest; it does not handle activity gracefully. Lucidity is the awkward state between the waking world and that of dreams. It is a precarious balance, always trying to tip one way or the other." A faint smile played on her lips. "Do not worry. We can aid thee in maintaining the balance."

"Thank you?" he said, unsure of how to respond to the Princess's offer. And it was the Princess, he knew. Even through all of the confusion and uncertainty of the slightly disturbed dream, he felt certain of this. As real as his mind told him all of this was, she seemed still more real than that. "...But why are you here, Princess?"

She drew her head up, wings mantling in a regal pose... which held for a few seconds of silent emotional turmoil before she sighed, her posture weakening a touch. When she spoke, it was without the familiar formality, her voice grown softer, more personal. "...I wished to apologize."

Sky blinked, looking up to Luna. The feeling of contrition coming from her was soft, but he was surprised enough that it would be there at all. "Apologize? What for?"

Luna considered her words for a few moments before replying. "It is my duty to watch over the dreams of all the subjects of Equestria, to protect them in their vulnerable state of slumber. I fear I have been remiss in my charge, Sky. I was certain the course I chose was the correct one, and I still have not discovered another course as likely to have succeeded. Yet despite that, in choosing the way that I did, I am afraid I have wronged you."

"Wronged me?" Sky echoed, then shook his head. "But you and Celestia... you were welcoming and friendly, even after I..." He raised a hoof to gesture wordlessly at the frozen scene around him. "I'm still a bit surprised at how forgiving you were, and how nice you've been to me. How could you think you've wronged me?"

Luna hesitated, a small frown forming. She sighed again, and then she raised her head, eyes flaring with brilliant light. A blinding flash pulsed outward from her horn, and as it passed through the surrounding city, it stripped away the changelings, the ponies, the fires, leaving only a still and peaceful city. As Luna's eyes returned to normal, a faint breeze wafted through the street, bringing a hint of life to the otherwise still scene.

After a momentary glance around, Luna nodded, and slowly walked toward the nearby overlook. "There were many nightmares in the aftermath of Chrysalis's treacherous attack. Most were here in Canterlot, naturally, but a few were in more distant territories." She paused, folding her forelegs across the overlook wall, her eyes looking out over the valley. "Perhaps that is why one particular dream in Ponyville stood out. There were many dreams to tend to that night, but that one... it intrigued me."

"I have much experience with dreams and nightmares. They are my realm and responsibility, and I must admit I hold some small degree of pride in my skills. And yet, that dream offered something unfamiliar. For the first time in so very, very long, I could not find the dreamer."

She turned to look at Sky, who stood in silence beside her. "The dream itself was familiar enough. Many ponies were reliving the events of that day, and I did what I could to soothe their fears. Yet in this one dream, I was helpless to aid the dreamer, for no matter how many times I looked, I could not find them."

"The dream soon returned, and so did I. I had to find the dreamer. The signs were there, and yet, I could not give credence to what they suggested. I kept futilely digging for a different answer, one which could never come."

"The third time I encountered the dream, I had to accept the truth. I had discovered the nightmare of a changeling. A lost and scared changeling, reliving the terrified memory of an invasion he did not understand."

She remained silent for several seconds while Sky sat down heavily, eyes distant in thought.

"Twilight's letter answered some of our questions," Luna said, eyes turning back to the valley. "But they also raised yet more. Most importantly, we saw this as an opportunity. You were lost and confused, reliving these violent memories as if some discontent ghost, yet there was no hostile intent in your dreams. There was no anger, no hatred. Outside of those nightmares, you were kind and friendly. Such a disparity might lead some to suspicion, but there was no duplicity there. Whatever prejudices had lead you to that invasion had been lost in the mists of your past, and what remained was a changeling that sought nothing but friendship."

Luna hesitated, ears twitching, as if wanting to droop. "So we... I... kept your past from you. I could have ended your nightmares as they formed, but I did not. To banish one's nightmares for good, one must confront the cause of their fear, and I held the truth of that away from you. Our fears can motivate us as strongly as our hopes, and I allowed your fear to persist, because... because the truth has a way of making itself known, and I hoped that, when it did so, the memory of those fears would encourage a sympathy towards ponies."

She slumped ever so slightly, head lowering. "Worst of all, I can not say I am sorry for having chosen that course. Every reasoning I can think of says it was the proper decision, that it was the right decision for the sake of all my little ponies, that it even helped you. Celestia and I already apologized for keeping your past a secret, but I have gone further than she. I can only apologize for what distress my actions have caused you."

Sky took a deep breath, blinking slowly, silently. The sky had grown distant and indistinct, the clarity of the city wavering in faint ripples; the signs of the dream wavering as the rise of thought tried to tip the balance between the dream and reality. Slowly, the clarity of the dream reasserted itself, and Sky's gaze returned from his distant stare to look to Luna again. "After showing so much forgiveness to me, I can hardly hold a grudge for that." He drew in another deep breath and let it out, as if expelling any negative emotions he might have felt, and stood. "A few bad dreams seem like a fair trade in exchange for everything I've gotten."

The princess smiled softly.

Sky stepped up next to her, rising up to rest his own forelegs over the overlook wall, just like Luna was. "So does this mean no more bad dreams?"

"It is within my ability to banish nightmares when they form, but I can not prevent them from forming. I can only guide ponies--and changelings, it seems--to face the fears that give rise to such nightmares." She looked to him again. "And I believe you and your new friends have done much to resolve that fear."

Sky sighed. "I hope so."

There was a moment of silence before Luna spoke again. "I wish I could assure you that these nightmares shall never return, but I suspect that would be untrue. I know your past weighs upon you. You fear what you were."

"Yes," Sky murmured, ears drooping. "I'm worried about what I might find. I can't imagine doing anything really bad, but... what if I did?" He sighed. "I'm probably better off not knowing who I was and what I've done."

"I am doubtful," Luna replied. "The greatest fears arise from the unknown, Sky. The hardest fears to fight are the intangible, the ever-elusive fears of what might be, the speculative. The fears limited only by our own imagination. Our own minds can be more cruel than any reality, as they know better than any how to harm us."

"But... what if I did something really bad? Horrible, even? I don't know if I could live with that."

"Would such a thing be worse than the unchallengeable fear that you might have committed some unknown atrocity? Guilt and regret can be dealt with, but the unknown evades such reasoning. Even as you resolve one potential fear, another possibility rears its head. It can become a never-ending cycle of doubt and guilt, clawing at one's mind."

"I have done horrible things that should surely make anything you have done pale in comparison," Luna said quietly, a small frown forming. "And so, I will never allow myself to forget. Ignorance and misunderstanding led to my fall, and I shall never risk such horrors for so ephemeral a comfort. To forget our past is to forget the lessons we have learned, and to risk the same failures once again."

She paused a moment, then added, "And in your case, I am concerned that the mystery of your past may leave us in danger."

Sky's ear's perked up, a faint shimmer rippling through the dream at the Princess's statement. "Danger? From what?"

"From your past," Luna said. "It is an unknown to you, but it shall return. We can not know what may arise, and as such, we can do little to prepare for it, even though we know it to be inevitable."

"Inevitable?" Sky echoed, the dream shimmering a little more as the faint tingle of adrenaline rose to his senses. "Why?"

Luna's gaze returned to the horizon, her expression growing firm: regal, yet grim. "We do not know thy former Queen, but whatever purpose and reason motivated her actions must surely still exist." Her eyes narrowed slightly, an edge entering her voice. "Chrysalis shall return..."

Author's Note

Without a Hive and Fragments continue in: A New Way

Chapter 4: Life

Chapter 4: Life

The morning visit to the town hall turned out to be quite the success. The mayor's staff had a long string of little odd-jobs that needed doing, and far too few ponies volunteering. It turned the inquiry into a double success; not only did he have little competition for jobs, they paid quite well in an attempt to entice volunteers. The work was quick and easy, the first day consisting primarily of flying about and setting a few banners and decorations for the upcoming Summer Sun Celebration. Not only was he done by that afternoon, but he had earned a tidy sum of bits. It wasn't as much as his work on the farm had earned, but it was still quite good.

He trotted into the library looking particularly happy with himself, the bag of bits swaying from his mouth, as if proudly declaring, "look how well I did today." Even in the middle of her book, Twilight took note.

"You got paid already? It's barely lunch."

"Mmmhmm! Mmm-" he paused, then dropped the bag into his hooves. "I guess I'm just that quick! Got a whole day's pay in just a few hours!"

She rolled her eyes, but was smiling. "You sound like a certain other pegasus I know."

"What, Fluttershy?" he joked. "I always knew she was good at what she did."

She chuckled, shaking her head as she returned to her book.

Sky floated up to the nook that had become his temporary home, the bag jingling as he tossed it onto the bed, and drifted back down. "Good book?"

"Most are," Twilight responded absently. "Applied Magical Photokinetics. It's all about the basic mechanics of refracting, amplifying, and frequency-shifting light in an applied manner, to reconstruct desired visual effects."

"I didn't understand a word you just said," he said, still sounding quite happy.

She smirked at the unusual tone. "Illusions," she clarified. "It's a subject I've been somewhat lax about studying, and I'm trying to rectify that."

"Sounds interesting, at least," he said. "I'd always wondered just how unicorns do all that fancy magic stuff. I mean, I've always wondered for as long as I can remember, anyway."

"I've got plenty of books on the subject if you were curious," she said, gesturing her horn toward the shelves.

Thoughts of flying about through the sunny afternoon were, surprisingly, shoved aside. "Yeah, I am! Could I?"

She looked up from her book, looking first surprised, then amused. "Well of course. This is a library, after all." Her horn lit up, and a moment later another book floated over to him. "If you're looking for a good place to start learning about magic, this should do. Ariel's Basic Magical Theory. Thirteenth edition. It's one of the first books I read, even before I became Celestia's pupil."

He snatched the book from midair, setting it opened on the table as he took a seat. "Cool. Thanks, Twilight."

She nodded, and the two began reading. It was several minutes (And he was already getting a little lost by some of the introduction) before he noticed she had stopped, and was looking at him with an odd smile.

He looked up, a little nervous. "...What?"

She chuckled softly, seeming a bit embarrassed at having been noticed. "Oh, nothing. It's just been a while since I've had a study session with anyone else there. Makes me think of being back in Canterlot."

He noted a hint of wistfulness to her voice. The memory must be a good one. Hardly surprising, he supposed, for somepony who got to spend so much personal time with the princess. "How was it, learning from the Princess?"

The smile that brought out was full and heartfelt. "Some of the best times of my life."

He smiled back, and without another word, they returned to their books.

He wasn't sure who was more uncertain to see him back on the farm early the next morning, Applejack or himself. He stood sheepishly in the sudden silence after his arrival, while the orange mare seemed to consider what to say.

"Well, Ah'll be honest," she said, slowly. "Ah didn't expect to see yah come back. Yah headed out lookin' like yah got ran over by a stampede."

"Yeah," he said slowly. Idly, he wondered if a stampede would have been gentler. Quicker, certainly.

She seemed hesitant, that questioning look returned again. He felt his jaw reflexively tighten, a moment of irritation rising in him. Why did she always look at him so suspiciously? The moment passed as her look softened, and her voice now carried just a hint of concern, low and gentle. "Havin' a hard time finding a job, then?"

"No," he replied. He actually had a great job, and part of him wondered yet again why he was here. "Actually, I've got a great job. Sorta-job. I guess. I just do odd things for the town hall, but it pays well. I just... I wanted to come back."

That questioning look had morphed into an incredulous "are you insane?" look.

"I know, I know, but... Well, you still need the help, right?"

"Ah guess," she said reluctantly. "But Ah can always find some other pony to help out. No need for yah to beat yourself up for it."

Part of his mind was urging him to take the offered escape, head out, take the usual easy day off. That part seemed rational, sane. The part urging him to wear his body down to a jelly-like consistency seemed to be nonsensical. And yet, it had won out, and dragged him here, and he wasn't about to back down now even from his own stupidity.

"I want to help," he finally said. "Yeah, I'll probably be all worn out tomorrow. And yeah, I didn't like how worn out I was last time." And now comes the insane part of his brain to dig him in even deeper. "But it was kinda fun. I mean, yeah, it sucked after, but I actually did something. I pushed myself harder than I thought I could, but I did it."

"And besides..." he gave a little shrug and a smirk. "If I get worn out that easily, maybe I could use the exercise."

She stared at him for a long moment. Yep, I'm insane, he thought dryly, but then a small smile crept out from behind that guarded expression. "...Well all right, then. Let's get to work."

The days slid by smoothly. He returned to the Sweet Apple Acres every few days to help out more, and he was fairly certain his endurance was already improving. At the very least, his legs weren't so rubbery the next day. Most of the other days he spent doing the various little tasks posted at the town hall, or occasionally kicked back and relaxed, with an eye to the sky, enjoying the "job" of monitoring the weather.

That job finally offered some work, at least for a day. "Seems kinda odd to make it rain in the middle of summer," he mused, as Rainbow gave him instructions, the pair of them currently hovering beside a mass of clouds brought in for the occasion.

"Eh, we've got to bring some rain sometimes. Plants still need water and all that, and some of the ponies like the chance to cool off a bit. And hey, it's easy! Just set up a few scattered clouds, let them trickle just a bit, and nudge them on their way." She grinned and floated a little closer, talking a little quieter, almost confidentially. "Besides, scattered rain, plenty of sun, you know what that means?" She turned, shaking her butt, and by extension, her colorful tail. "Rainbows! It's like painting the sky in my favorite color!"

Sky smirked. "Wouldn't that be all the colors? Being a rainbow and all?"

Rainbow turned back to him and frowned in mock severity. "Yeah, you might have been hanging out with Twilight a bit much."

Sky just laughed lightly. "I could think of worse things. Besides, I kinda got sucked into a few of her study sessions. All sorts of stuff about how magic works. I don't understand half the things she's reading up on, but it's still kinda neat."

Rainbow Dash was grinning now, "Ohhh, so you're a little egghead-in-training, huh?" She floated over, mockingly tussling his mane.

He pushed her back, scowling a little, while she chuckled. "Hey, it's fun," he said, defensively.

She came to rest against a cloud, and grinned back. "Fun? Hah, I tried reading some of those big researchy books she's got. You don't know what you're missing. I've got some books that blow those lame old things away."

For a moment he felt indignant at her calling those fairly interesting books "lame," but the promise of even better books put that in check. "...Really?" he asked, sounding unintentionally dubious.

"Heck yeah!" she said, and gave a quick loop. "Action! Adventure! Excitement! You know, cool stuff like that!"

"Well... That does sound cool," he said, still somewhat skeptical.

"What, don't believe me?" She smirked, placing a hoof on a cloud. "Well, c'mon. Let's get this done, then I'll show you some real books."

Sky had been in the great palace of Canterlot, and that still did not prepare him for seeing Rainbow Dash's home.

"Wow," Sky intoned, looking over the huge home. It towered several stories above the cloud base, great pillars supporting the structure, several rainbows arching between the home and the clouds around it. Liquid rainbow formed small pools, cascading down in small waterfalls. The whole thing was ridiculously large and amazingly beautiful. It wasn't as grand as the Canterlot palace, but it was something monumentally unique.

They swooped down to alight on an upper landing, Sky looking all over. "Man. This place is huge. And it's yours?"

"Yup," Rainbow said proudly.

"Wow," Sky repeated. "You inherit this from your folks or something?"

"...Something like that," she replied evasively, as she walked toward the door.

"Oh. They live here too or something?"

"Yeahhhh, we're not talking about that," Rainbow said flatly, with an air that made the finality of that statement clear.

Sky mouthed a silent "oooh-kay" to her back, and followed along.

"Hey Tank!" she called, the moment they were inside. "I'm back!"

Sky cocked his head as she plopped down next to the aforementioned pet, patting it lovingly on the shell. "...is that turtle wearing shoes?"

"Tortoise," she corrected habitually. "And duh, of course." She thumped a hind-hoof against the cloud that formed the floor. "Got Twilight to enchant them up so he wouldn't go falling."

"Oh," Sky replied, feeling a bit like an idiot. "Pretty clever of her."

"Hah, you think that's good? You should see him fly!" She reached back and lifted a small contraption, a pair of rotors attached to a simple harness. "I got the idea from this weird flying machine Pinkie made once. Got her to make this, Twilight used a little magic to make it go, and bam! Coolest flying tortoise ever!" This earned an affectionate nuzzle from Tank.

Sky mentally noted that Tank was probably the only flying tortoise ever, but wisely did not say so.

"Anyway, books!" She gave her pet a final pat and hopped up, trotting down the hall with Sky following along.

Her book collection was far more modest than Twilight's, just a few dozen books on a small shelf in one corner of her bedroom. It seemed even smaller for the impressive scale of the room, which mirrored that of the rest of the house. This place must have cost a fortune. He almost asked about that, before remembering how the previous questions in that vein had ended.

A poster caught his eye. A trio of pegasi in colorful flying uniforms, with several more flew by in formation. He panned down to read the title along the bottom. "Oh! So that's the Wonderbolts! Huh, pretty cool."

Rainbow had just retrieved a book from the shelf, and now hopped over to him. "Cool? Try totally awesome! They're a team of the best fliers from all around Equestria. You wouldn't believe the stunts they can pull. I'm going to be a part of that someday, soon as I can prove myself. I even got to hang out with them a couple times!" She was practically bouncing at the memory, and Sky couldn't help but smirk at the energy she was showing. Who would have thought it? The brash and tomboyish mare was a complete fanfilly.

He nudged her side. "Well, if they're looking for the best, I'd think the fastest flier in Equestria should have an easy shot at joining up."

"Heh, yeah," she said with a struggling smile. She seemed to deflate just a bit. "Not quite that easy, I guess."

Sky frowned, not expecting such a sudden swerve of emotion. "Well, I'm sure you'll have a good chance. Heck, you're easily the best flier I've seen."

"In what, all two weeks you remember?" she said dryly, though at least now she was smirking again. Sky grunted and rubbed a hoof against the bridge of his nose. He was getting really tired of all the expressions a lack of memory spoiled.

"Eh," she grumbled, then said, "I kinda get the feeling they think I'm too young. So I'm just going to keep practicing and getting better. Faster, better stunts. Someday I'll show them I've got what it takes." That enthusiasm was coming back.

"Stunts, huh? With the maneuvers I saw you pulling during our little chase, I'd really like to see that."

"Oh you would, huh?" She grinned. "Then you should come by tomorrow. I was planning on spending it practicing some tricks. You can come and help out!" Then she added in a lighthearted tone, "Even if it's just to make me look better by comparison," and nudged him in the side.

He poked back. "Hah, we'll see about that." The fact that he was certain who would win that contest didn't seem important to him at the moment. He was fortunately distracted from his future humiliation by the book Rainbow had slapped against his chest.

Taking it in his hooves, he read the cover aloud. "Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone."

"First book in the series, and the first book I read, too." She pointed back to the other books. "Got the whole series, plus a few others I liked, but Daring Do is still my favorite. I think you'll like her. She's a lot like me!"

Ground and sky spun around as Sky threw himself into a tight loop, then spiraled down toward the ground. At the last moment he pulled up, skimming over the field before arcing into the sky. "Hah! I got that one, easy!"

"Pfft, sure," Rainbow said teasingly. "Maybe you can try doing it fast, sometime."

Abruptly she dove into a stoop, and he dove after her. Her lead built up quickly, and soon she threw herself into a corkscrewing dive, spiraling toward a hill. His eyes were fixed on her, watching each move as he mimicked the dive. Next she was sweeping down only feet above the slope of that hill, swiftly descending on the lake beneath it. Hooves kicked out at the bottom to send up a plume of spray, glittering in the summer sun, and then she was rocketing up along the hill on the other side.

Exiting his dive, he skimmed down the hill's slope, a few blades of grass slapping at his hooves as he followed her course. Pulling up at the bottom, he swept out over the water, and kicked out, throwing up a huge spray.

And as the water pulled back on his hooves, he pitched forward, and plummeted into the water.

He surged back up to the surface, coughing and sputtering. He could already hear Rainbow laughing as she dove back down. By the time he had caught his breath and wiped the water from his face, she was pulling up to hover just above him. "Hah. Don't tell me that those "easy" tricks are too much for you," she said, grinning down at the soaked pegasus.

He stuck out his tongue. Okay, so some of these maneuvers were harder than he thought. Harder than she made them look, certainly. Perhaps he shouldn't have been quite so dismissive of them when he said he could pull off any of the tricks she was doing. Not that it was going to stop him trying, of course. He bobbed up, wings sending out sprays of water as he hauled himself up out of the lake.

"I'm just out of practice," he shot back, quite aware of how poor of an excuse it was.

Rainbow just laughed. "Yeah, that's it. C'mon!"

Again she shot off, and he gave chase.

When he found himself tangled up in the limbs of a tree an hour later, to yet more of Rainbow's laughter, he figured it was time to call it quits for the evening. Ignoring her amusement as his predicament, he finally extracted himself from the tree, choosing the much more comfortable resting place up in the clouds. Rainbow joined him soon enough, kicking back on the cloud beside him.

"Got to give it to you, Sky, you certainly make practice more entertaining."

"Well, at least I did something right," he replied.

She snorted, then shoved at his side. "Did better than a lot of ponies could," she said, and then added, with rather more amusement, "Not my fault I make everypony look bad by comparison."

He rolled his eyes, despite his chuckle.

"So anyway, you start that book yet?"

He grinned at that. He'd started the book as soon as he had returned home, and had stayed up late in order to finish it. She had been right, it was a great story, and soon the two were going over their favorite parts and laughing.

"I actually did that once," Rainbow said eagerly. "I mean, sure, there was a bridge right next to it, but how often do you get to go swinging on a vine with a bunch of ponies chasing you?"

Sky laughed, not even thinking to question why the ponies were chasing her. "So you said it's a series, right? There are more?"

"Yep, and I got them all!" she said, proudly. "If you're planning on coming out again tomorrow, I'll bring it along for you!"

As he was about to answer, another voice from far below interrupted. "Rainbow?"

Sky blinked, then peered over the edge of the cloud to see who was shouting up at them. He spotted his answer easily enough, standing on the hill right below the cloud they were resting on. "Oh! Hey Applejack. What's up?"

She seemed surprised to see him answer. "Sky? Er, hey. Rainbow up there?"

He looked over to Rainbow Dash, mouth already opening to answer, when he saw her silently shaking her head. "Uh..." Well, he'd already made the answer clear enough just by his reaction. "...she says no."

"Traitor," came the muffled reply, followed by Rainbow's grinning face peeking out over the edge of the cloud. "Heya AJ. What's up?"

"What's up is that our south field didn't get any ah that rain yesterday," Applejack replied. "Ah know it was supposed to be scattered showers, but the trees need the rain. Think yah could give 'em a bit, for me?"

"Um, lemme see." She leaned back, out of sight, waited silently for a few seconds, then leaned back into view. "Hey, good news! Sky volunteered to go get you some rain, so we should be able to get you all set!"

"Traitor," Sky echoed.

"Better get going," Rainbow said as she rolled onto her back, kicking back in a very relaxed pose. "Good thing you were here to help, would be a shame to have to miss my nap to go hauling clouds around for a couple hours."

Sky rolled his eyes. Oh well, at least it's a paying job.

Even empty, the apartment was small. The living room wasn't even the size of the bedroom he had first woken up in a few weeks ago, and the bedroom would be barely large enough for a good bed. A tiny bathroom and a nook that had been granted the lofty title of "kitchen" rounded out the place. The whole place could have fit inside the main room of Twilight's library, or Fluttershy's living room. Heck, it would have fit in Rainbow's bedroom. It was small, and empty, and as unimpressive as an apartment could be.

Sky couldn't be prouder.

He stood in the living room, looking around with a happy smile. Yes, it wasn't much, but it was his. He had something, something tangible. Or at least, he did as long as he paid rent.

Twilight stepped up beside him, smiling softly, not for the place itself, but to see him so pleased. "So, you did it."

"Yep." He slowly paced through the room, his room. He did it. He had his own place, good work, plenty of free time, and good friends. His life was coming together. It might take some time to discover his special talent, to find where he fit in the world, but now he had all the time he could want.

More hoofsteps came from the entrance, dominated by the thump, thump of Pinkie hopping across the room. "Ooh, cozy," she said, and promptly started pulling party supplies out of her saddle bags.

Spike was eying the amount of supplies and ponies entering the room. "Are we going to all fit in here?"

"It is kinda small," Rainbow said, walking for once, likely due to the lack of room to hover. "But not bad."

"I think it's nice," said Fluttershy. "And you saved up for it so quick, too."

Applejack chuckled, but there was a bit of a bitter sound to it, as if she didn't like to say what she did. "Well, he did work pretty hard for it." More clearly, she added, "Least, long as he wasn't lazin' about with Rainbow."

"Hah. If you think weather duty is so easy, I'd like to see you do it sometime," Rainbow retorted.

Rarity was looking around with a critical eye. "Yes, cozy. We'll have to do something about getting it nicely furnished, though."

"Not now!" Pinkie said happily. "Because now it's time to party!"

Sky was chuckling now. The moment Pinkie had heard that he was getting his own apartment, she had immediately started making plans for a housewarming party. It was a good thing she had kept it to just them, as the place couldn't have handled much more than that. The place was already cramped enough with all the treats and drinks set on a folding table, the music box, the games, and all the other supplies Pinkie had, with the help of a couple others, brought along.

And Sky was eager to celebrate.

Sure enough, Pinkie knew how to throw a party, even if it was so much smaller than the last. Soon the music was playing, treats were shared, games were played, and laughs were had all around. He even followed Pinkie Pie into dancing, caught up in the energy of the moment.

Perhaps it was a good thing he didn't own any furniture yet. He'd hate to have broken it on his first day, with how wild the dancing got. Pinkie was, yet again, full of boundless energy, and he, naturally, did his best to match it, much to everypony else's amusement.

"Somepony's sure enjoying themselves," Rainbow called out with a laugh, before going rather wide-eyed as both the crazy-dancing ponies' attentions were drawn to her. "What, what-"

"C'mon!" Sky said as he dragged her out with him, accompanied by Pinkie's cheer. Despite her protests, even she wasn't able to fend off the two of them, being dragged through their dancing, to the laughter of all their friends.

Even with all that energy, the dancing had to eventually come to an end, the three of them collapsing into a heap, panting. Rainbow seemed the least exhausted of them, having been largely dragged through the dancing by them. As she panted lightly, she raised a foreleg and lightly knocked a hoof against the top of Sky's head. "You're one crazy pony, you know that?"

Sky grinned back at her.

Pinkie was already back on her feet, all signs of fatigue already gone. "Whoooo's ready for cake!"

A unanimous call of approval met the question, and soon she was serving out slices to everypony.

A small green spark flickered on the wall behind the folding table.

Despite the fatigue, Sky happily took a slice, taking a big bite as soon as he had it. It certainly showed that Pinkie worked in a bakery. The cake was wonderfully rich, chocolate with a delicious strawberry frosting in the inner layers. He could tell from the sounds all around that everypony else approved, as well.

The flame crept out. A cold shock shot through his body as he saw it spreading. Rarity was complimenting Pinkie on the wonderful cake. He scrambled back from the table as the fire washed over it. Rippling green flame shot out across the walls, burning them away in moments. It was as if tearing away a paper-thin disguise, revealing the unworked rock face of the small cave around him. The others were screaming now, scrambling away from the flames.

The fire surged forward, engulfing his friends, silhouettes amidst the flames.

He tried to scream, but no sound came, even as the fires swept away, leaving nothing but cinders.

Laughter echoed through the small chamber. It was cruel and sadistic, and yet happy, terrifyingly happy. He looked to its source, knowing what he would find.

She was there. Chrysalis, the changeling queen, emerged from the swarming flames, her burning eyes fixed on him, a small, smug smile on her face. She enjoyed this, every single moment, as he cringed, cowering in the corner.

The flames surged one last time and winked out, casting the room into a deep gloom, lit only by the glowing fire of her eyes. She stared into him as she casually approached. When she stopped, there were only inches between them.

He curled against himself, eyes clenched shut against whatever horrors were to come.

Her hoof touched the side of his neck.

He screamed, twisting aside, and landed on the wooden floor.

Scrambling, he threw himself back against the softer surface behind him as he looked around in a raw panic. Those burning eyes were gone, leaving the room in darkness, and his dulled mind sluggishly tried to make sense of what little he could make out. Bare and undecorated wood floors, walls, ceiling, a single door, and the small cloud that served as a bed. A bedroom. My bedroom, he thought.

Slowly, uneasily, he got to his feet. Thoughts were still sluggish, slowly crawling to the surface through the growing ache in his brain. He staggered through the door and into the living room. The remnants of the party remained, the table with the half-eaten cake and nearly-empty punch bowl, a few streamers and bits of confetti still lay scattered about the floor, a couple forgotten cups sitting in the corner.

He sank down to his haunches, a soft shudder going through him. Just a dream. Just another damn dream. Nothing was burnt. Nopony was hurt. Just a dream.

Just a dream, here, in his new home. The one thing that was his, the one place everything should be safe, should make sense. He sank down until he lay on the floor, head pounding, a feeling of utter violation weighing down on him.

Just a dream.

He no longer saw Canterlot in his dreams. That was no longer his life. Now his life was Ponyville, and his dreams stayed there. It would have been a pleasant change to note, if not for the nightmares of fire and changelings that followed him here. Good sleep was increasingly hard to come by. It didn't help that he had to get rid of the cloud and get a "proper" bed, with the only model he could afford being far less comfortable than the wonderfully-soft and perfectly-conforming cloud. His landlord would not be happy if his newest tenant let a cloud condense all over his apartment.

Despite the unpleasant nights, the week had passed by wonderfully. The new field at Sweet Apple Acres was finally cleared out, celebrated by an extra-large dinner and a couple pies the family sent home with him. He had spent time with his new friends, as well as doing his best to mingle around town, meeting new ponies. And the afternoons he had free from work, he invariably spent with Rainbow Dash.

He still tried to match her stunts or keep up with her in a race, not that he had any chance of comparing. Even fully recovered, he couldn't hope to match her speed, and while she had reluctantly allowed that he was "fairly agile" -- which he was starting to recognize was high praise from this particular mare -- she still surpassed his ability. Not that it had stopped him from trying at every opportunity. Neither of them seemed willing to admit defeat in these unannounced competitions, which would typically continue until one, or more commonly both, had found a comfy cloud to kick back and relax on.

These afternoon naps and the time around them had become some of Sky's favorite times, and not only because of his often restless nights. He enjoyed all the flying, soaring freely through the skies, moving precisely with every little twitch of his body. It was a grand and exhilarating feeling, a perfect expression of both freedom and control. Nothing he could imagine could compare to it. Having somepony to share in it made the experience even better, and he had the feeling that Rainbow must appreciate having somepony else around who felt so strongly about flying, as well.

Such were the thoughts that ran through his head when he lay half-dozing on a cloud in the warm afternoon sky, while Rainbow lay nearby, napping. It was such a perfect way to spend the day, he thought. Easy work, easy life, doing what he wanted, what he loved to do, sharing time with friends...

With increasing frequency, that brought his thoughts to the friends he had made, and in particular, the blue pegasus dozing nearby. Each of them were great in their own unique way, but he had been spending more and more time around Rainbow. It wasn't hard for him to see why. She loved flying as much as he did, probably even more, and he was the only other pegasus that tried, if poorly, to match her enthusiasm. Sure, she might be cocky, but he found it hard to hold it against her when most of what she claimed turned out to be perfectly true. Sure, she might be abrasive at times, but she had a blunt honesty, and was often quite funny. She was also determined, and athletic, and energetic, and really, uniquely attractive-

It was almost a week of such thoughts before he jolted himself out of his dozing with the sudden realization. I have a crush on her.

He looked over to Rainbow. Her chest was slowly rising and falling in time to the soft breathing. Lithe, athletic, colorful... Slowly he lay his head back down, eyes still on her. He could feel his heart pounding inside his chest in excitement. A crush. He had a crush on the most athletic and attractive pony in town. Spending time with her was the highlight of each day. Of course he had a crush. His life was coming together, everything was going perfect. To have somepony else to share that life with...

A faint doubt crept into his thoughts, softly echoing through the happiness that filled his mind. She might not feel the same way. They hadn't known each other a full month yet. She hardly knew him; heck, he hardly knew himself. Would this be too sudden? Was this just some passing crush, natural enough between two ponies that shared interests, yet destined to never be anything more?

She was so much better of a flier than him, with dreams of joining a team of fliers without equal. Would he hold her back from that?

He lay his head back, trying to calm his thoughts. There was no denying that he had... feelings for her. It just felt so sudden. Maybe it was a passing thing. Maybe in time the feeling would fade. He hoped not. He sighed softly, closing his eyes as he tried to relax, but the pounding of his heart stubbornly refused to subside.

Too sudden, yes. Too much impulse. This couldn't be rushed. He had his whole life ahead of him, and as much as it felt like he would love to spend it with her there, he knew he should take it slowly. Wait and see if this was a lasting feeling. Wait and see if she might feel the same.

Wait, and hope.

He tried to push those thoughts from his mind as they soared through the sky. Rainbow was practicing some new tricks and stunts she wanted to show off to everypony tomorrow. Distracting himself wasn't going to help her practice.

"How was that?" she called out, the triumphant sound in her voice making her own evaluation clear.

"Needs more of a flare when you come out of the roll!" he called back, before going through the same maneuver with far less elegance than she had.

"Bah!" she called back with a dismissive wave of her hoof. "It was perfect." Despite that, Sky was pleased to see that she listened to his advice on her next practice run. The day had proceeded much like that, her going through a maneuver, him offering critique or advice, or even just compliments, all while doing his own mediocre attempt at mimicking her stunts.

She was particularly driven, today. For the first time, the afternoon nap was skipped, as she soared through her maneuvers, pushing herself constantly. He pushed himself as well, though he wasn't sure if he was driven more by pure stubbornness, or a desire to not look weak in front of her. Probably both.

The sun was setting as they alighted on a cloud, both pegasi exhausted. Rainbow was gazing out at the sunset, a proud and happy look on her face despite the panting. "...So, what do you think? Good stuff?"

Rather than trying to speak past all the panting, he just nodded.

She grinned. "Ah, they're going to be so impressed tomorrow. I can't wait to show my moves off. A few more perfect moves, and then..." She trailed off, but watching that distant, happy gaze, Sky could imagine exactly where that thought went.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the sunset as they caught their breath. Slowly the fatigue of flying was overtaken by a more thorough kind of exhaustion. Eventually, Rainbow let out a long yawn and stretched her legs out. "Oof. Well, I'm going to go home and crash. See you tomorrow morning?"

"Yeah," he said wearily. "Assuming I don't crash before I get home. I gotta admit I'm feeling a bit wiped out after all that."

Rainbow smirked at him. "After? You were looking kinda worn out when you started. You not sleeping well or something?"

He winced. He had hoped she hadn't noticed that. "Not really. Stupid dreams." He flopped back with a faint groan, eyes closing. "...On second thought, I think I'll just sleep here. Oof..."

There were a few moments of silence before Rainbow spoke. He could hear the smirk in her voice. "Yeah, doubt that's going to help you sleep any better. C'mon, you can spend the night at my place, it's right over there."

"Oh, sure," he said, a moment before his mind had fully processed the offer. His eyes shot open, heart suddenly beating harder in his chest as he realized she had just invited him to spend the night at her house. It's not like that, he reasoned to himself. Just a friendly offer, don't go expecting...

He shook his head and quickly sat up, trying to conceal his reaction. "I mean, it wouldn't be imposing, would it?" he said, scrambling to conceal his eagerness.

"Pfft," came her dismissive response. "Isn't like I'm hurting for room. C'mon!"

She took off, and he wearily followed. The trip was thankfully short, and before long they flew in through the broad window of Rainbow's bedroom.

Rainbow wasted no time in hopping onto her bed with a loud groan. "Oof. Sleep." Absently, she waved a hoof in one direction. "Bathroom is down the hall if you need it, kitchen's downstairs if you get hungry."

"Thanks," he said, then asked, "Where should I sleep? You got a spare bed somewhere?"

"Nope," Rainbow replied, and rolled onto her back. "Only got the one bed, and it's mine."

His heart kicked up its pounding a notch.

"Oh, um..." he shifted awkwardly. His thoughts went back to a scene from the book she had lent him; he felt very much like he was walking on a floor that was about to give out from under him at any moment. "Are we... sharing, then?"

He hadn't expected her to laugh. "Everything's made of cloud, you know. You can sleep wherever you want."

"Oh," he said, and immediately regretted the hint of disappointment that had snuck into his voice.

Rainbow was looking at him with a strange, questioning expression. Crap, she noticed. He did his best not to fidget, even as she rolled off the bed and walked toward him. His heart pounded harder each moment, and he had this sudden, terrible urge to run.

She came face-to-face with him, his head drawing back a bit. She peered at him for a terribly long, uncomfortable eternity. Then she smirked. "You're not going to make this weird, are you?"

CRAP. He quickly turned away, certain he was blushing. That had gone... poorly. She knew. She knew, and had shot him down. She was laughing now as she turned away, and-

...and he was absolutely sure she had intentionally flicked her tail across his face. He blinked, looking back to her. He couldn't see her face, but he could tell from her cheeks that she was smiling, and -- and she's swaying her hips at me! No, no she always struts when she walks... But sweet Celestia, this time she's strutting and swaying her flank right at me!

He was still staring as she rose, forehoofs on the bed, and looked back to him with a sly smile. He flinched, quickly looking away, and she climbed into bed with a much-too-audible snicker.

"G'night Sky."

He lay down on the other side of the room, very purposely laying to face away from the bed.

He was back in Canterlot.

Chaos reigned in the streets. The shadows of changelings swarmed through the streets, streaks of fire raining from the sky. He stood in the middle of a churning mass. Confusion had turned everything into a wild blur, impossible to make out any one detail. A grand struggle raged around him, shadow and fire encircling the scene.

She was coming. He knew she was coming. Without any decision, he turned to see her arrival.

Even expecting the arrival did not prepare him. She stepped out from the shadow and flame, but he had not expected what he found this time. Magenta eyes glared at him with violent determination. He stared in horror as Rainbow Dash reared up, grin flashing wide in eager excitement, enjoying the battle. Then those hooves came crashing down upon him...

Sky jerked awake with a strangled gasp, returning to the dimly-lit bedroom in the clouds. He shuddered, slowly curling in on himself. He clutched his forelegs around his head, muffling the wild, sobbing breaths as best he could, letting the feeling of soul-crushing terror slowly fade.

Morning was awkward.

For him, at least. "It's not funny," he said over his breakfast for what must be the tenth time, while Rainbow smirked.

"It's kinda funny," she retorted. "I didn't know an orange pony could blush that much."

"It's not funny," he said for the eleventh time, feeling his cheeks burning again, and absolutely refusing to acknowledge the little part of his mind that was laughing along. The worst part was not knowing if the teasing was supposed to be encouraging or discouraging. Rainbow was certainly having too much fun to have answered that question, even if he had asked.

He was quite happy, then, when they finally left for the morning's demonstration. Hopefully she would be less likely to tease him there. Yeah, because she hates to have an audience. He grumbled to himself, hoping that she'd be too distracted by the flying for such things. He tried to focus, eyes fixed on her rainbow-colored tail as he followed her to the field.

...and that's not helping.

Twilight was arriving as they flew up. Punctual, of course. They landed, making their greetings. Thankfully Rainbow didn't overtly tease him, but she did seem much too amused. If Twilight noticed, she didn't say anything. Hopefully she would just pass it off as excitement for the demonstration Rainbow was going to give.

Soon everypony else had gathered, and a small picnic was set out. Armed with snacks and drinks, the friends kicked back to watch Rainbow's newest stunts and tricks. Sky, for once, remained on the ground with them. He was too lost in his own thoughts to focus much on the flying, though it seemed everypony else was impressed.

He kept thinking on her teasing. She hadn't teased him in front of her friends. That had to be a good thing, right? If the teasing had been meant as encouragement, surely she would keep it more private, rather than potentially embarrassing him in front of their friends? Right? Except... she was always so brash and forward, why would she hide her interests then? Was she worried that they would encourage it, if they found out, but she didn't want them to?

Or was he over-thinking this? It was quite possible she just hadn't given it any thought.

"Hey," Rainbow called out, and he looked up, abruptly breaking out of his thoughts. "You just going to sit there all day, or are you going to get flying?"

He stared at her for a few moments, caught by surprise. "Erm... I thought the whole point was for you to show off," he said, awkwardly. "I'd just be in the way."

This earned a laugh. "Hard to be in the way when you're so far behind me," she said. "C'mon, let's see how well you can keep up!"

He fidgeted a moment. "Ehh..." He struggled to come up with a good reason to turn down the offer, one that could be more convincing than "I don't want to."

She rolled her eyes. "Aw, come on, Sky, it's easy!" With that, she turned around in mid-air, shaking her flank at him, the rainbow tail swaying. "All you gotta do is chase my tail!"

He blinked, feeling the heat rush to his face. "Oh, that's it!" he shouted before leaping into the air after the laughing mare. His wings pumped furiously as they both shot up into the sky, and soon she dove into the first of many crazy maneuvers, with him following as closely as he could manage. Soon she was laughing and whooping and cheering. There was no more teasing to it, just the genuine joy of the wild flight. "C'mon!" She called back as she rolled into a tight turn, diving toward the ground, and he followed, grinning happily.

They climbed and dove, flying tight loops and sharp turns. She ran through maneuver after maneuver, with him following behind; slower and less precisely, but following all the same. They skimmed down over the lake to send up plumes of water -- he had learned the trick to keeping himself from taking another unplanned swim -- and shot through clouds. They dove with tremendous speed, pulling up to skim just over the ground before shooting back up into the sky. They sped along the ground, twisting and slaloming between trees-

Until, pushing his luck a bit too far in his attempts to keep up with the speeding blue pegasus, he took a turn too fast. He plowed through the edge of the branches, the glancing impact sending him tumbling, five startled mares scattering as he crashed to the ground between them.

And then, nothing.