Shape Shifter

The ponies of the royal court still shocked by the events that had transpired were flabbergasted by what came next.

"Ha ha ha" They turned to see the sun goddess herself leaning back on the throne laughing her heart out.

"It seems ladies and gentlecolts of the court that we have been pranked. Anyway," She paused to gather her composure. "let us get back to the reason we are gathered here, we can have this cleaned up later." She reached down under the throne with her magic tearing the retrofitted alarm clock from underneath. She pulled the home made battery out stopping the music. "Whoever created this was clever." She commented. Reaching to tear the banner down next, she spotted Snow and Spike trying to sneak out, their eyes met and she smiled.

Ponyfeathers, I'm in hot water. He mentally cursed, pushing Spike out of the throne room. Walking back towards the library the little dragon finally spoke.

"THAT WAS AWESOME!" He exclaimed as he threw his small arms in the air. "Totally worth being pink for a week to see that! I figured you would come up with something good but never in my wildest dreams did I ever think it would be that good."

"What can I say, I had a good teacher." He bumped his friend jokingly. "That and a few chemistry books."

"I guess that bookworm stuff isn't so bad, but please don’t tell Twilight I said that cause she would have a field day with it."

"Don't tell Twilight what?" He chuckled. "Hey before you go, could you gather me some sheet music. I don't really care what the songs are but playing the guitar is soothing.

"Sure, anyway I need to get back to the library but don't worry tonight I'll dye my spikes. A bet is a bet after all." He ran in the direct of the library as he waved back at Snow. Snow returned the favor before making an abrupt left and heading to his room.

He yawned as he left the shower feeling the effects from being up all night. After drying off he combed his mane and tail.  Stopping at the sink he brushed his teeth before entering the main part of his bedroom. He smiled as he saw a stack of papers on the dresser. Picking them up, he looked them over. Wow, he was fast with that request. He thought as he laid the sheet music down on the bed. Moving the amp, he plugged it in. He then connected the overdrive before taking the guitar off the wall. Making a final connection he sat on the edge of the bed holding the guitar.

“Well here we go.” Pick in hoof he looked at the first sheet in the pile. “Dust in the Wind by Kansas” He began to play losing himself in the beautiful music as he waited for Celestia.

Celestia mounted the stairs heading to Snow’s room, finally done with today’s royal duties. Rising up the stairs she began to hear a hint of music. The sweet serenade was gone when she made it to the top. Walking in the direction of Snow’s room she noticed her student and her assistant sitting outside his room. They sat there oblivious of her presence as she approached.

“Good morning Twilight.” She greeted the filly who quickly jumped.

“GoodmorningPrincess!” She blurted out so quickly it sounded like one word.

“What are you guys doing outside Snow’s room?”

“Listening to the music he was playing. We originally came to ask if he liked the sheet music we picked out but he was already playing. The music was beautiful, we just stopped and listened.” As she finished her sentence another melody began. A slow, sweet tune poured off the strings as they were expertly caressed by the young colt. Shocked by the quality of the music, she was amazed more by his tender voice.

“It still feels like our first night together. Feels like the first kiss. It's getting better baby. No one can better this. Still holding on. You're still the one. First time our eyes met. Same feeling I get. Only feels much stronger. I want to love you longer. Do you still turn the fire on?”

They heard the audible click as he shifted the over drive. The guitar responded changing from a sweet sound to a rough rock. He dove in to the next set of lyric his voice brimming with passion.

“So if you're feeling lonely, don't. You're the only one I'll ever want. I only want to make it good. So if I love you, a little more than I should.”

He shifted the overdrive back to the sweet sound once again as he worked his way through the chorus.

“Please forgive me, I know not what I do. Please forgive me, I can't stop loving you. Don't deny me, this pain I'm going through. Please forgive me, if I need you like I do. Please believe me, every word I say is true. Please forgive me, I can't stop loving you.”

For several minutes Celestia sat there with Twilight and Spike ensnared by the magic that was his music. Shining Armor had assured her he really could play at dinner last night but never could she have imagined this. This wasn't somepony who liked it, this was somepony who had lived, breathed, and bleed music. As he complete the song the stood there for a moment before flipping the page to his book of music. She regretted to have to interrupt him but the reason she had come in the first place was it was time for him to go to see the doctor for a secondary examination. Rising from the floor she stopped just outside the door way and knocked. The sound of another broke him from the music induced trance.

“Hello?” He called out in question.

“Hello Snow, I’m sorry to interrupt but it’s time for your appointment.” She poked her head inside the room. “If I may ask, where is your alarm clock?” She teased his response a cringe.

“No problem.” He replied shutting off the amp and placing the guitar on the bed. “However I do need to apologize for this morning.”

“We can talk about it on the way, tarry any longer and we will be late.”

Celestia's path through Canterlot brought a large amount of bow, stares, whispers, and running. Trotting through the still snowy streets, Snow was in total disbelief.

“So, I fill your throne room with confetti and you’re not mad?” He asked again not sure if his ears had lied to him. “I mean surely I deserve some sort of punishment.”

“Well if you’re so adamant about it you can apologize and play them a song. The quality of your music is not something I would of expected from one your age. Anyway, we are here” She pointed to a door with a sign over top.  The door connected to a large hospital to which they walked inside.

“Good morning your highness, you right on time. Dr. Light is two doors down on the left.” The receptionist point down the hall.

“Thanks.” Celestia said walked down the left hall, Snow following up behind her.

“You’re welcome.”  She called out. Passing into the exam room they came face to face with Dr. Light. The silver manned, black unicorn was quick to greet her arrivals.

She bowed. "Good morning Princess." Rising, she turned to Snow. "Good morning to you as well Snow. It's nice to meet you awake this time. If you could just take a seat on the exam table here, we can begin." Snow walked over to the table and hauled himself up. Twisting, he dangled his legs off the side coming to a sitting position. Patient in place, Celestia watched as the doctor began a routine general physical examination. Starting with his ears, she looked inside using an otoscope. Taking notes as she moved on to his throat. Pressing down his tongue, she used the otoscope again but this time it had a different tip. Taking the tip off, Dr. Light used magic to hold his eye lids open as she shine the light on his eyes watching the icy blue irises expand in response. Taking notes again, she moved on to a new tool. Using a stethoscope she listened to his heart and lungs for a couple of minutes. More notes, she switched tools again. This time a small rubber hammer. Tapping his knees with the hammer she studied the jerk of the reflex.

"Snow would you please lie down? I would like to take a few scans of you." She explained her horn glowing, manipulated an odd looking machine the hung from the ceiling in the corner of the room. Snow laid back on the comfy table as the doctor positioned the device over him.

"Please stay still."

"Will do."  Snow felt an unusual tingle on his skin as the machine passed over him from head to tail. Guiding the machine back into the corner, Dr. Light removed a crystal from a compartment on the side before taking more notes.

""Alright Snow I'm done poking and prodding at you. I would however like to take a few minutes to talk to the princess. Could you please wait here?"

"Sure, I kinda need a nap anyway." He yawned.

Leaving the examination room Dr. Light moved down the hall to her office. Celestia followed her taking the seat offered to her. Dr. Light closed her office door and locked it. Taking a seat at her desk she spread out her notes, a manila folder, and the crystal from the scanner on the desk.

"You surely found an interesting child. Genetically he shouldn't even exist." Dr. Light spoke up breaking the silence.

"What do you mean?" A look of confusion crossed her face, she urged the doctor to go on.

"Lets us start out with this." She opened the manila folder, inside was a picture of a unicorn mare that looked like Snow. "This pony is no doubt his mother, DNA match confirms it. Her name was Winter. These medical records are dated 13 years ago."

“She’s familiar to me, I wonder why."

"I should hope so; she was one of the royal musicians. She was a specialist in vocals and acoustic guitar."

"That would explain his ability to sing and play such wonderful music. Where is she now?"

"No pony knows. Twelve years, seven months ago she vanished. There was a search for her but it turned up no trace of her. Not even tracking spells worked."

"Who was his father?" Celestia asked noticing there was only one folder.

Dr. Light Smiled "That's where this gets very interesting and steps back to what I said earlier. As we all know ponies have thirty-two pairs of chromosomes. Winter suffered from an extremely rare genetic abnormality called Turner Syndrome. She only had sixty-three. Usually that would have caused her a lot of body problems. Most of the time the foal is born with deadly defects but it was managed with medicines which allowed her to grow up relativity normal. At an adult age the medicine was no longer required, however one effect of missing a chromosome was the fact she would be infertile to other ponies."

"Then how did she have a foal?" Celestia interrupted, the suspense killing her.

"Be patient I'm just getting to the good part." Her horn glowed and the crystal on the lit up displaying a holographic image of the scans she took of Snow.

"What is that?" Celestia asked pointing to the black layer of tissue present under his skin that blocked any deeper scans.

"Snow shows signs of six chambered heart, massive regenerative abilities, a reflective night vision layer of tissue in his eyes, and a layer chitin under his skin. I have no doubt in my mind that his father was none other than a changeling. Changelings have sixty-five chromosomes; the uneven amount causes the holes in their hooves and usually makes them genetically incompatible with ponies. However, in the case of Winter her missing one made her genetically capable of bearing a half changeling foal. He is so interesting because of the mathematical chance of his existence is about the same as getting struck by lightning one thousand, one hundred, and thirty-four times in one day."

Celestia was stunned to say the least. How did the half-changeling foal of a missing pony end up outside the castle in the middle of a blizzard? She had hoped the doctor had answers but all she did was bring more questions.

"Is he healthy enough for us to look into his mind?" She asked finally coming with something to say.

"More than, I suspect he is unconsciously absorbing the love directed towards him by anyone around him which sparked his speedy recovery from the cold, lacerations, and severe bruising. I believe the memory loss is physiological caused by whatever put him in that injured state and dropped him in Canterlot." She smiled leaning back in her chair. "So, any other questions or shall we go get some answers from Snow himself?"

"Let’s go ask-" Her sentence cut off by a wail that rang clear through the entire building.

"That was Snow!" Celestia panicked, rushing the door. Unlocking it, she swung it wide open and bolted to the exam room that Snow occupied. Nearly kicking the door off the hinges, the alicorn spotted Snow. Still asleep, he was strewn out upon the exam table, his body spasming, apparently in the clutches of another nightmare. Gathering her magic she touched her horn to Snow's head. Memory magic transferring her mind to Snows her body collapsed on the floor. Dr. Light entered the room a moment later. Locking the door with a spell as her curiosity got the better of her she followed the monarch into the mind of Snow.