"Hello everyone! My name is Professor Samuel Oak. You can just call me Professor, or Oak if you prefer. This is Dragonite, he is an old friend of mine. It is a pleasure to meet all of you." Princess Celestia wasn't really sure if she should've let Elfilis go off to find this professor she had never heard of. Of course, it turns out he was from another world, which Elfilis forgot to mention. But, the Professor was at least very kind, so she would give the world jumper the benefit of the doubt this time.

"Welcome Professor Oak, Dragonite. The pleasure is all ours. I am Princess Celestia, of Equestria. This is my sister, Princess Luna."

"Greetings!"

"These lovely mares are the Elements of Harmony..." She let each of them introduce themselves, only mildly surprised when Fluttershy's was actually audible. "This is my Captain of the Royal-"

"It's so cool that you're friends with a dragon! How'd you guys meet?" Celestia had honestly expected Spike to interrupt much earlier. She couldn't fault him for his excitement. The gentle looking Dragonite smiled and opened his mouth to say-

"Dragonite!" And nothing else. Putting aside that odd interaction, she began to introduce Shining Armor again-

"He raised you himself! Wow! You're just like me! And he's just like Twilight!" Only for Spike to respond several seconds after the larger dragon said his own name. The solar princess glanced around the room, trying to gauge everyone else's reaction. Thankfully, only Elfilis appeared to have understood the conversation. Or he was growing used to the nonsense that followed him. Regardless, she wasn't going crazy. Twilight, of course, couldn't help but ask.

"You understood what he said Spike?" The baby dragon just turned around with an eyebrow raised. Elfilis piped in as well.

"Did you not understand what he said? He sounded pretty clear to me." The Professor pulled everyone's attention as he began to chuckle.

"Oh don't worry about it too much. Most people in my world can't understand Pokemon either! And what a fascinating thing to say! 'My world...' This will be quite the adventure!" Celestia hoped his enthusiasm made way for professionalism when he started his research. Speaking of which...

"Excuse me Professor, but may we know what field of study you are in?" The man's smile got wider, if that was possible.

"Of course! I study Pokemon! The brilliant creatures that inhabit our world alongside us. They come in every shape and size, and have been with us for as long as any of us can remember!" Rarity walked forward, a question clearly on her mind.

"Do you mean that you study animals?" Elfilis stepped in for the professor at this point.

"Kind of, but all of the Pokemon are very strange in comparison. While I was there I saw giant colorful spiders-"

"Pretty sure we have those dude." Elfilis just pushed through Rainbow Dash's interruption.

"A large lightning shooting rodent, a big butterfly that could both paralyze you and put you to sleep, a rock with a face and a pair of arms that just floated off the ground, and a big pink egg-shaped creature with a pouch that had another smaller egg in it."

"... Okay yeah we don't have those." Professor Oak took over the conversation again.

"In order, those were Ariados, Pikachu, Butterfree, Geodude, and Chansey! And that's just the tip of the iceberg, with new Pokemon being discovered, revived from fossils, and even created by people all across the planet! I do not want to come across as arrogant, but I am the most well-known professor. If whatever you need, needs my profession, then I should at least be a good place to start. Now, what can I do for you?"

It was just me, the Princesses, Twilight, Spike, Carina and Dragonite with the Professor back in the medical room. We shared everything we knew about the situation, though we had a bit of a stumble as we originally had the full group trying to explain all at once. Now, Professor Oak rubbed his chin in a way that reminded me uncomfortably of the way that I do whenever I was thinking hard. I really needed to find somewhere to have that breakdown soon.

"I see... That is all very interesting. Yes, I do believe I can help you. Changelings, as you described them, actually sound like rather unique Pokemon!" Carina just uncomfortably shifted on the medical bed she laid on top of.

"Uh, is that good?"

"Of course! Laying eggs, taking different forms, evolving, all common things most Pokemon share in common! This means I will have something to work off of, as opposed to flying blind. Now, first, what type are you?"

"Uh... I mean, I like em' big?" I didn't really know what Oak was asking either, but I still brought a palm to my face at her answer. The Professor just looked confused for a second before smiling again.

"Haha! Of course, how silly of me. Allow me to explain basic Pokemon Types, then we will try and see if they apply to you as well. If, for example, a Pokemon was a Fire-Type, that would mean it can learn strong abilities and attacks that involve fire. This will also mean they are weak to types such as Water, and resistant to other types such as Grass. There are many other types, so it can get complicated, especially since a Pokemon can be two types at once." Twilight spoke up from her spot next to the Princesses.

"That's actually a really interesting way of organizing them. It becomes like a web of creatures, each with their own advantages."

"Exactly! Though, it isn't just a classification system. Pokemon seem to generate energy associated with their types, it's what we believe gives them their strengths and their weakness. I emphasize this because many Pokemon have actually been mislabeled in the past. Trapinch was first diagnosed as a Bug-Type, only for it to later be revealed as a pure Ground-Type, with no Bug weaknesses at all. It is an ongoing study however, some of my colleagues in other regions are trying to identify new Types in their own research."

"This is all very fascinating Professor," Luna stepped up, "but how will this help us learn about changelings?"

"I... suppose it isn't strictly necessary, but without that knowledge there's only so much I feel comfortable doing. There have been cases of Pokemon being hurt by well-meaning trainers because they didn't take Types into account. Hmm..." Damn it, his hand was on his chin again. "We should probably try and find one of the unhealthy changelings you told me about. If the very way your young is born changes depending on your health, it is probably safe to assume that their are other significant differences to keep in mind." I just sighed and got ready to open a portal.

"I guess we're bugging Vinyl again?" Celestia and Luna actually perked up before the lunar sister spoke.

"Actually, there is a changeling currently staying at the castle who may be willing to help."

"Uh, what are we doing again?" I vaguely remembered Dawn Rise from what Beta Knight told me, but I hadn't realized he had actually gone on to house a few survivors after everything went down in Manehatten. "I was told I would just be like, answering questions? For like, official reports? What's with the monster line-up?" I smiled when he pointed his hoof at said 'monsters,' I was pretty sure he was including Oak and I. The Professor brought out some more Pokemon from his lab that should help him determine the Types he was talking about. We had Alakazam (which looked like a small yellow alien man), Machamp (which was a massive blue man with four arms), and Pidgeot (which was just a large ass bird).

"My Pokemon here are going to help find out what types of energy your body may or may not create. I'm going to ask you to do some simple tasks with them, they may seem odd but bare with me, and what they tell me afterwards should help me determine what I need to know. Are you ready?"

And yeah, he wasn't kidding. Sometimes he asked them to do some weird stuff.

"You want me to bite his hand?"

"Only lightly, put some pressure on him but don't try to take his hand off."

"I'm supposed to just stand here while the bird flaps its wings at me?"

"I would brace myself if I were you."

"I just bit him, and now you want me to kiss his boo-boo?"

"You said you fed on Love, it's reminding me of one of my colleagues papers."

"What is 'Rock, Paper, Scissors' and why with 'Machamp' specifically?"

"Well, the game is... Actually impossible. Does anyone have any cups? No, not the glass ones."

By the end of it, everyone was looking at Oak like he was crazy, and I didn't blame them. I was really hoping at this point that he actually got something out of all that, otherwise this had just been a big waste of time.

"Sorry everyone, that took longer than I expected. But I have good news! You do have Types, which means there is more I should be able to for you. Dawn Rise, as a 'hungry' changeling, you appear to be a Bug-Type as well as the so-far unofficial Dark-Type." The Princesses stiffened at the word 'Dark,' but they didn't speak as Dawn Rise perked up.

"And what does that mean for me exactly?"

"Bug-Types are one of the more specific and hard to understand Types. You may notice others will be more reluctant to be near you, and this effect will increase the smarter they are. Plants will also need extra care and attention while near you."

"Great. I'm the creepy type."

"Actually, that's the Dark-Type. You may notice others will be more reluctant to be near you, and this effect will increase the smarter they are." Oak didn't even change how he said it. "However, this may also drive away ghosts and spirits."

"... So I'm too creepy for even the ghosts. Great..." I looked at the Princesses, and I was pretty sure they were having the same thoughts as me.

"We came across the deer, pleading and begging. They did not recognize us as their loving allies, and they fired upon us."

We would have to see what 'Type' the deer are later.

"Now, Carina! This is where it gets interesting. You are a Bug-Type as well, but it is now a secondary typing. Your primary seems to be another unofficial Type, the Fairy-Type!"

"I feel like you just called me creepy and girly."

"Not at all dear, it is a rather powerful combination. I would suggest keeping clear of poisons, fires, and sharp metal, but you have a strong resistance against mental effects and a full immunity to Dragon-Type moves."

"...Wait, really?" Carina wasn't the only one shocked, my eyes widened and all the ponies in the room dropped their jaws.

"Really! Now, mind that if the dragon breathes fire you are still in trouble, but his claws and tail should leave not a scratch! Dragonite, do you mind?" The big orange drake took big steps towards Carina before trying to scratch at her hastily raised hoof with a claw. After a few seconds of trying to make little scratches, he suddenly went for it. I had to try very hard not to knock him down, even though it clearly wasn't doing anything to Carina. His claws were a blur as they moved over her leg, and smoke started coming from between them. "T-That's enough Dragonite!" He reluctantly stopped and blew air over his smoking digit.

"...MY CLAW!" He had rubbed it down to a stump, and Carina was admiring her polished hoof.

Things went by pretty quickly after that. Dawn Rise, when fed enough Friend Hearts to close the holes in his legs, lost his Dark-Type. After that, it turned out that he literally couldn't eat any more to force a transition into a Carina-esque healthy changeling, so Toby still had some strange ability we couldn't account for. Presumably, the Heart Spears on Chrysalis's prison had the same ability. He also slowly lost Love over time, while Carina only seemed to lose Love when she used it for a spell. A changeling in disguise, regardless of what form the disguise took, seemed to have no Type at all. And, most importantly, Aurum appeared to be getting enough sustenance from our attention and Friend Hearts to maintain his healthy state. Unfortunately, some of what we learned really shined a light on the Hive's disparity.

Once a changeling hits a certain Love threshold, they need some catalyst we can't find to transform into their healthy form. If they aren't healthy, they slowly lose their Love over time, which means staying at that threshold is very difficult. On top of that, without disguises they are doomed to have terrible first impressions. And the most absolutely bullshit thing unhealthy, hungry changelings have to deal with is that they have upwards of thirty times more children who are then subsequently unhealthy and hungry as well. It was madness to me. Changelings bodies change in response to hunger in such a way that only causes them to be more hungry, more desperate, and more likely to starve to death.

How the fuck did they ever form an empire or country or whatever it was? Their very biology appeared to be sabotaging them every step of the way. It would be like if all the fur fell off my body whenever I got cold, or if I spontaneously combusted instead of sweat. It was what it was, but it just didn't make any sense. Whatever that catalyst is that we're missing, it's absence was fucking with everything. And we weren't going to just toss Toby at the Hive as an all-you-can-eat buffet and hoped that it worked. Nevermind the fact that if he could feed every one of them, we would then have a small army of undetectable super-powered spies who were used to just taking whatever they needed or wanted under a Queen who was violent and unpredictable. Right now, all we could do was keep throwing Friend Hearts at them to keep them at the 'not-hungry' point. And then, I had to deal with what Professor Oak said about me before he left.

"I would still like to ask you some questions, but Alakazam was able to identify your Type while he was here."

"Hmm? Even though I didn't bite him or anything?"

"Hahaha, there was no need! He is a Psychic-Type Pokemon. He says that... Well, quite frankly you gave him quite the scare. When he first came out, he says he almost felt like he was drowning just by being in the same room as you. Not because your Type was so strong against his, but because you were overwhelmingly Psychic, more so than any other Pokemon we ever encountered."

"I did already know that I'm Psychic, though I admittedly don't know how I do any of the things I do. I actually should be able to heal myself but I haven't figured that out yet."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out! That wasn't all though. There was that moment where Dragonite started to scratch Carina, and Alakazam said, well..." I didn't like the fact that this was the first time I had seen Oak look uncomfortable. "The only point of reference he had was from Dawn Rise. Said that it felt like, though only for a moment, that you suddenly had so much Dark-Type energy that... He thought you were about to attack Dragonite, but he couldn't move. He actually did, and I apologize for this, try to attack you, but he says it was like it was impossible to reach you. Like he was trying to hit you from a whole world away. He's always been very dramatic, but this is quite the mystery regardless."

"...Why are you telling me this?"

"...I think I would want to know if I was doing something to hurt those around me. Now, Alakazam is okay, and I'm not saying that you are hurting anyone of your friends here, but I still feel it is something to keep in mind. You're a nice person Elfilis, I do truly believe that. You crossed worlds to help your loved one and had the compassion to stop your fight when you realized your opponent was carrying. So, I want you to know this because I know that you would have a hard time forgiving yourself if anything were to happen."

Author's Note

Fire Types have to be careful not to destroy flammables. Dark Types have to be careful not to destroy minds.