The Crystal's Shadowby Shadow BeastChaptersChapter 1: A Simple CurseChapter 2: The LanternChapter 3: A Familiar FaceChapter 4: ConfrontationChapter 5: DestinyChapter 1: A Simple CurseChapter 1: A Simple Curse The Crystal ponies cheered! King Sombra was finally defeated and the Crystal Empire was finally free! Love and happiness flowed into the Crystal Heart, which amplified the emotions and shot them upward in an pattern of beautiful color! The cold snow melted in the warmth of the Heart. Every inch of the Empire was saturated in happiness, and every Crystal pony was finally happy and in control of their lives again! Everypony... except me. The liberation of the Crystal Empire was a whole week ago, yet I do not feel free. My coat is dull, my head aches when I try to remember... I have no name. I do not see like the others see; my vision is blurred. They gave me glasses, which helped, but now I only see smiling faces. Is there anyone out there as depressed as I am? The first thing I remember was being a doctor’s first patient after the liberation. “A simple curse!” he said with joy after a tiresome examination. “You just need to smile and remember the days before the darkness.” “But I have told you everything I remember!” I insisted, almost wanting to punch the doctor in frustration. “I do not remember a thing about before! And what of my headaches? Or my eyesight?” “They will go away with time,” he said plainly, dodging the eyesight question. “Your house was one of the first to be consumed by darkness when he came back, right?” He kept missing the point. “But that doesn’t explain--” “You were cursed a little bit more than everypony else here; it should clear up in no time! Glasses will fix your eyesight, but the curse is more easily cured: You need to learn to smile... and try to remember the past.” Hearing me sigh in frustration only encouraged him, unfortunately. “How did you like the Crystal Fair?” “What ‘Crystal Fair?’ I told you I can’t remember anything!” I stomped my hooves down. For better or worse, I trotted out of the room. He did not understand... he could not understand. This isn’t a random hex from a dead king... this is amnesia! How hard is that to understand? Those were the days of denial. Now, I lay about my house most of the time. I sleep when I can, I barely eat, and I just don’t see the point in life anymore. My house is small; there is a table in the center where meals are eaten, if they’re eaten. There is a kitchen to the right, and the den to the left. There are stairs in the den that take me up to my bedroom; I haven’t used them for several days. The couch in the den is my bed now; I don’t see the point in climbing the stairs just to rest. The windows in my house are the only source of light; my lantern burned out long ago. I don’t see the point in fixing it so it sits on the table, covered by a thick blanket. The thick blanket was too scratchy for my tastes, and it serves its purpose: keeping me to my own thoughts. I eventually tried to take the doctor’s advice. I try hard every day to remember... but it never works. I try to feel happiness, but I only feel fear. I try to find love, but I only find sadness. These didn’t help the headaches I was getting, and I got sick of it after a few hours. I decided to try going outside for a change. It’s almost... invigorating. I trot outside and everypony is so happy. I feel... jealous. Is there a point to this life? They seem to understand it. The foals and the sheep played in the streets that day, it was “fun” to watch. Despite all the cheeriness, the frown on my face would not weaken. One of the foals tripped, skinning his hind knee. An adult quickly reached the crying child and patched him up. Finally, there was something we could agree on; I can’t stand the sight of blood. I started making the long trip home. I don’t know why, but I decided to revisit the doctor’s. I told him everything. He nodded his head as if he were actually trying to understand this time. “So you haven’t been eating regularly?” he said, turning to a nurse and nodding. He was dodging the subject again. But there was no frustration this time... only sadness. “What about my memory loss? I still don’t know who I am!” “It’s important to eat regularly,” he stated blankly, as if avoiding the subject. The nurse returned with a small food container. I couldn’t see what was inside. The doctor took it from the nurse, and showed it to me. With a twist of the lid, a bunch of yellow stalks could be seen inside. “This is called ‘hay.’” My head began to hurt again, but I hid my pain in fear of interrupting the doctor. “It’s an Equestrian delicacy that doesn’t expire. Make sure to take a bite at least 3 times a day.” He smiled as he twisted the lid back on. His hooves extended, just asking me to take the container. I obliged, hoping it would change the subject back. “But what about my memory loss?” My right hoof found my forehead for emphasis and comfort. “The food should help your brain as well as the rest of your body,” the doctor insisted. “But I suppose you want something extra?” The doctor thought for a short while, scratching his chin with his hoof, then asked a strange question. “Do you know how to write?” My headache grew more painful as I wondered. It was too much to hide. “I’m... I’m not sure.” “Well if you ever come across a notebook or some scrap paper, just start writing your feelings down. Maybe some of the events of that day as well.” His happy demeanor contrasted the amount of pain his words gave to me. It was weird... any talk of emotions and my head would feel funny, while certain “keywords” seemed to make it feel like a hammer came down on me. Perhaps one of these feelings is connected to my past... maybe both! I shrugged to myself, inadvertently doing the same to the doctor. Somehow I was able to pull it off with: “I guess it couldn’t hurt to try...” The irony of that statement was obvious to me even then. I turned and trotted outside. With hay in hoof, I trotted back to my house on three legs. I wasn’t sure how I would like the taste, but I did not dare take my eyes off of the path. The little foal’s tumble earlier had me paranoid... scared... awkward. It was getting hard to find thoughts that wouldn’t end in headaches. I weakly pushed the door to my house open. It was unlocked, just as it always has been to my memory; I don’t see the point in locking it. The doctor’s sentiments bounced in my head, making it hurt more than usual. I stopped at the table and took a seat. I took a piece of hay from the box, wondering why it’s name seemed so painful... I took it in my hoof and sniffed it. The scent was somehow familiar. But it burned my nostrils. I looked down to see blood on the table. My head spun and hurt. Everything went dark. I awoke on the floor, and on my stomach. I galloped to the kitchen and grabbed a towel. I wiped away the remaining blood from my face and the table, then I quickly threw the cloth into the garbage. It seemed that Equestrian food was no longer an option... As I sat in futility, my mind went back to all those happy faces. How can I feel happy?! I don’t even know who I am! Everyone else remembers, why can’t I?! My head throbbed harder than it did before. I slammed my hooves on the table. “Stupid royal spell!” I yelled in anger. A loud THUD emanated from the ceiling. Something must have fallen over in my bedroom... but I had not been up there in days. My head still hurt and my ears were ringing, but I could have sworn I heard hoofsteps above me... “...hello?” I asked loudly, hearing my own fear in the words. There was no answer. “Hello?!” I asked again, with more energy and confidence. I just stared up at the ceiling, as if a face would sprout from it to answer my question. Then I turned to the stairs. I trotted slowly toward them, keeping my ears open for any more hoofsteps from upstairs. There was silence for a few minutes as I contemplated my next move. There could be someone up there... or it could have just been the wind. Maybe there was a window up there I never closed? I shook my head, and sighed. Third time’s the charm... My headache suddenly came back with a vengeance at the thought, but I stayed true to the value. “Ow... Hello? Anyone up there?” I almost felt ashamed to allow my physical pain to be apparent in my voice. Now I was sure I’d get an answer... The house was silent. I tried to find an excuse for just simply going back to my couch; I couldn’t find one. Just find out what fell over, it’ll be fine! I trotted up the crystal steps. In what seemed like an hour, but was actually a couple minutes, I reached the top. Slowly, I trotted to the door to my bedroom which lay directly above my kitchen. My hoof turned the doorknob and pulled back slowly, opening the door. At least he can’t hide behind the door... My fear blinded me; my eyes were closed when the door opened completely. I had almost seen it immediately. But I looked towards the bed first when my eyes opened, and the upright nightstand, and the closed window. I turned to trot out of the room, almost relieved when my peripherals caught something strange... a bright cyan. They were eyes. They watched me turn around and come face-to-face with their owner. We both blinked in confusion. The creature that stood before me was black, its eyes a pure cyan with no sign of a pupil. The legs of the creature will filled with holes, and its insect-like wings were the same way. We tilted our heads to either side. There was a familiarity about this creature that made my head throb. It saw my pain. “I’m sorry about all of this...” it said in a more high pitched, almost crackly voice. “I... I just didn’t want to starve.” “Who are you?” I asked the creature. “I have felt your pain; I fed off of what you love. You can’t know my name.” There was a distinct sadness in the creature’s voice. I couldn’t believe the implications. “Are you... are you from before? ...before the liberation, I mean.” The creature’s eyes went to the floor. “I have been alive for a long time; but we have only just met.” “Then why can’t I know your name?” “You may call me, ‘Masquerade.’” The creature’s eyes returned to my own, as if checking for something. “Do you feel pain in this name?” “Masquerade?” I mouthed. Not feeling any pain, I shook my head. “Nope. Masquerade is a new name to me.” The creature half-smiled, as if it were relieved. Sunlight shone through the window. It struck the creature’s skin and reflected off of it. It reminded me of one of the happy Crystal ponies. “I’m a shapeshifter,” it explained. “I... I can’t seem to keep your form.” “Is that why you’re staying up here?” I asked, ignoring the slight headache. “As long as you’ll have me.” Masquerade forced a smile. Suddenly I remembered the foals and their sheep. Companionship. “Sure, it’s fine.” Another slight headache forced me to wince, but Masquerade simply smiled. It nodded back. “Thank you.” I was not prepared for what would come next. “I left you a gift on your table,” it said. “I didn’t see it...” “Under the thick blanket...” “The broken lantern?” I laughed. Even if Masquerade was that cheap, I didn’t want to threaten him. “A fixed lantern.” It smiled. My laughter was gone. It was replaced by fear. I turned back toward the door. “I’ll... I’ll go see it then.” Masquerade kept smiling. Chapter 2: The LanternI made my way to the table and stared at the small mountain the cloth had made covering the lantern. My right hoof pushed under the side, then lifted upwards just enough. A green glow could be seen under my hoof. Masquerade told the truth; the lantern was fixed. I pulled the blanket off. Sure enough, the lantern lit up the room as it had before. Masquerade’s voice came through the ceiling. “I hope you don’t mind... I would have had it up here and out of the way, but the stairs...” My head began to hurt again. This hadn’t happened with “stairs” before. He sensed my pain again. “Sorry! Didn’t think your memories would intervene.” It hurt even more. “Sorry! It’s happening faster than I had... thought.” I looked up toward the ceiling. “What’s happening?” “You’re healing. That’s all.” “It doesn’t feel like it.” “Sometimes the cure is more painful than the disease...” Its voice trailed off at the end, as if saying too much. Is something worrying it? “Thanks... that makes me feel a little better!” I admitted, trying to keep the creature on my side. Masquerade didn’t respond, so I assumed our conversation was over. I looked back at the lantern to see how it might have fixed it. My head hurt as I inspected it, to no shock to me; the lantern had been in this house before even I was... Wait, no... I brought it in with me. It was from before the liberation. I shook my head in frustration and confusion, then crooked my head so my ear would catch anything Masquerade had to say. It remained silent. The lantern itself is an antique. It probably dates back to when Sombra first took over the Empire. It is simply a large, glowing, green crystal mounted in a golden stand. There is a handle on top that allows ponies to carry it in their mouths. It is interesting to note that the crystal itself does not produce the light, but magic must be put into it to spark a special fuel inside. The late King of the Empire had large fires burning outside his throne room, and slaves had smaller scale fires within these crystal lanterns. The recipe for the lantern’s magical fuel has been lost for centuries. It was never talked about outside of distribution, and never remembered again by the crystal ponies for some reason. These memories made my head hurt. Why would I think I could actually fix this thing if it were out of fuel? Than an even scarier thought popped into my head: How does Masquerade know the fuel recipe? I basked in the light of the lantern while my thoughts continued. The answer to the question needed to come from Masquerade itself, and it would probably understand my plight. I turned from the lantern and made my way up the stairs. After going through the bedroom door our eyes met again. Our bodies shook, as though we both knew what was coming. “How... where did you get fuel for the lantern?” I asked, watching the creature carefully. “I found it,” it quickly replied. A gulp made its way down the creature’s throat. “Where?” “Just... lying out there,” a hoof gestured toward the window and both our heads turned toward the light for a brief moment. “I haven’t been in this house my entire life...” His brow furrowed as he stared back at me. “Yeah, neither have I!” I responded, forcing a laugh in an attempt to lighten the mood. “But nobody seems to have any idea how to even make the fuel nowadays...” “The important thing is that it works.” Its tone was almost monotonous; it did not smile. “It. Works,” it emphasized. “And. It. Will. Work.” Strangely, there was no condescension in his voice; it was as though it were trying to convince itself as well. “I wasn’t doubting your ability!” I explained, trying to get past the creature’s defensive nature. “I just... I want to be able to trust you.” “You want to trust a changeling?” Claws were dragged down the chalkboard in my head at its utterance of that word. I wasn’t sure if it was because of its voice cracking while it said it, or just the word itself. Seeing my head go to my hooves and my hooves go to my ears, Masquerade finally softened up. “Sorry... I shouldn’t have used the ‘c-ling’ word.” “Why... why does it hurt?” I asked as the pain slowly faded. “It hurts because the concept is connected to your past; amnesia is not an easy obstacle.” Another gulp made its way down the c-ling’s throat. “And... I want you to know... I heard about the lantern fuel recipe from another changer that I had met long ago. They had barely escaped the Empire after being... exposed.” A quiver of the legs and a sniffle accompanied the gulp this time. “I’m sorry. I know who you are... who you were. I really hope you never remember everything.” “What does this have to do with lantern fuel?!” I asked the unexpectedly sympathetic creature. “Well, everything. It’s all connected around... ev’ry little thing.” Masquerade smiled, as if the statement had somehow uplifted its spirits. “It’s what’s bringing your memories back.” As the pain left my head, I wondered if it could answer the most important question. “Do... do you know my name?” “There’s too much power in your name. If your mind is not willing to accept the truth, then your identity will be lost forever,” Masquerade harshly warned. I thought that my name was the key to finally being happy... finally remembering the days before. It saw the frown on my face and tried to comfort me. “You don’t need your identity to be happy... trust me.” The creature smiled, and I noticed its large fangs. I stared at those large, sharp teeth and something inside me writhed. Then I blinked, and the fangs disappeared from the creature’s face. The shininess of its skin reminded me that his shapeshifting wasn’t perfect. But it was hiding fangs... “I understand now... thank you.” I turned from it, and trotted back down the stairs. Secretly, I wondered if I had misplaced my trust in the creature. Chapter 3: A Familiar FaceI was about to sit on the couch when I heard a knock at the door. My eyes looked up towards the ceiling, wondering if Masquerade had heard it as well. Finally, I made my way to the door and opened it. It was the nurse. I let her inside. “How are you feeling?” she asked with a smile on her face. “My memories getting slightly better,” I admitted as we trotted to the table. “So the hay is working?” The smile disappeared when she saw me wince from the headache. “Yeah, about that... I took a small sniff of it and... well... blood.” I gestured to the nearby garbage bin. She took a short peek inside, then turned to me with a frown. “There’s nothing in the bin; it’s a clean bag.” “It’s taking out my garbage now?” I asked myself. She heard it under my breath. “What is?” I looked up toward my bedroom through the ceiling. “We should talk about it elsewhere...” She nodded in understanding. “I understand,” she whispered. “The doctor says you need some exercise. How about a walk around town?” she asked me at full volume. “That doesn’t sound too hard.” I nodded back, and we trotted outside. I would have locked the door behind me, but I forgot my keys inside. We trotted a winding path that would lead us in a circle. “So what is ‘it?’” she asked as my house vanished from sight. “It’s a friend.” I wasn’t sure why I was defending a creature I barely knew. “It stays in my upstairs bedroom.” “What color is it?” “That’s a tough question. It was mostly black, but there patches that looked like crystal pony skin.” I left out the shape-shifting business to spare myself a headache. “Did it have holes in its legs? And fangs?” She seemed scared. “You’ve seen one before?” I asked, hoping to get more information about the c-lings. She nodded her head with a tense energy. She looked around and, upon seeing other ponies, pulled me into an isolated alleyway. “They’re called changelings.” My head lowered as my headache returned. Her hooves grabbed my head and lifted it up until we could make eye contact again. “Listen to me! That monster is the reason why you can’t feel happy! They feed off of love!” My head writhed in agony between her hooves. “Are you okay?” “I must’ve... known that before...” I explained, my eyes closed in the pain. “My mind doesn’t seem to like the truth.” “It’ll be okay,” she assured me. “We just need to contact some guards and--” A strange sound interrupted her and forced me to open my eyes. She looked into my eyes in fear, then we both turned to find the source of the noise: Masquerade was on a roof above us. Its horn shone a bright green, and a chunk of crystal was torn from the roofing of the building. It stared at her with purpose. We both watched as the chunk was released from the creature’s magic... and hit the nurse in the head. She fell to the ground. Blood stained the ground. I galloped away as fast as I could back towards my house. I didn’t have a plan... but I certainly knew what was really going on at that moment. I made it inside my house. I looked around the kitchen for something sharp. That monster wasn’t going to get away with this. My headache was gone and my mind was clear. I turned back toward the table. The lantern’s light shone around the room, but I only saw the stand and the blunt object within it. I took the handle in my mouth and made my way up the stairs to surprise Masquerade. It would be a bad day to be a parasite. At least it would have been... if Masquerade was not already in the bedroom. I dropped the lantern. It smiled at me with a crystal pony’s snout. Its true form was concealed. Everything but the fangs. Chapter 4: ConfrontationMasquerade kept smiling at me. It looked at me from within my own body and its fangs glistened in the light from the lantern. Remembering my plan, I turned to the light source and picked it up in my mouth. It just stared at me, waiting for me to strike first. As I stared back at the creature hiding under my own skin, I wondered if vengeance was really worth it. I stepped to the side and placed the lantern on the nightstand. I turned around to see if Masquerade was willing to fight an unarmed pony. The changeling was unfazed. “I knew you wouldn’t try to kill me again.” The creature chuckled under its breath. “Your exaggerated value of life is why we are here in the first place!” What’s that supposed to mean? The creature took a step forward. “And don’t think you’re safe within your own mind! I was a master of telepathic magic.” “But your horn is too short for that kind of spell!” I blurted out. The memories were coming back faster than I had thought. “You and your ‘good intentions’ are to blame for that,” it scoffed. “Don’t think that I had also forgotten our little showdown a week ago.” “That doesn’t explain--” “YOU NEVER LET ME EXPLAIN!” Masquerade shouted. The volume forced me to step back and wait for my ears to stop ringing. “All you did was question... question... question...” “You murdered that nurse!” I yelled back; my voice wasn’t nearly as loud as the copy’s was. “I was just trying to knock her unconscious,” the creature tried to explain. “I couldn’t let your forgetful mouth doom us both!” “You were only trying to save yourself!” I accused it. “Says the pony who sheltered me, fed me, and saw me as a friend.” A grim smile grew on the monster’s face, as though it had a sudden realization. “No wonder you hate me so much... you care about me enough to spare me the horrible fate of being your friend!” “The way you say these things... I thought you said we had only just met?” I asked it. If this creature had been lying to me this entire time, I would be forced to contact the authorities. “You are nothing but memories... I was happy to see you forget. You became something new. Something better!” “But you couldn’t leave me alone and let me feel happy too?!” “After what you had done?! I’m just getting my bittersweet taste of revenge!” “What did I do to you?!” I screamed at the monster. My head throbbed in pain, and it could only get worse, but I had to know the truth. “I’m surprised that you haven’t remembered yet. What did that door do to your little head?” I couldn’t hide my own confusion, so it explained further. “The artifact we came for... Sombra’s Door!” “Just the door? What’s behind it?” I asked. My chest trembled as the memories and the fear leaked back into my mind. Now I remembered the door. A door that kept within it an abundance of fear and hate from King Sombra himself. This monster tried to kill me with it... but that only cursed me further since I’m a crystal pony. My confidence began to drain while this truth sank in. “You know this isn’t about the door anymore...” the changeling said, pacing the room under crystal skin. “This goes beyond the door, beyond Sombra, beyond the nurse, beyond the crystal ponies, and beyond you!” Our eyes turned together to the lone light in the room. “You remember the formula for lantern fuel now, don’t you?” My brain shook like an earthquake. The horrors I saw in my mind... the door had driven me to insanity. For better or worse, I could not recall the formula for lantern fuel. “What is it?” I dared to ask the monster. “A highly acidic substance.” A grin twisted the changeling’s face. “And you’re going to drink it.” “And why would I do that?” If it were trying to kill me again, it could at least be subtle about it. “You think nobody’s noticed our little nurse’s body laying in a puddle of her own blood by now? Sooner or later, the guards will start looking for clues. They’ll find out who she was last with and come knocking on the door with a warrant.” It chuckled to itself under its breath. “There are special ashes from a rather rare, fiery, feathered creature in that lantern; if you drink it, new life will sprout. If you don’t, you die for nothing. Your choice...” “I’m guessing it hurts more than the guards’ treatment, too.” The copy nodded its head. I turned and looked at the lantern. Green magic pulled the crystal out of the stand and unscrewed the top of it. It began to tip toward my mouth. Green acid began to drip out of it. I opened my mouth, and raised my hooves to the light. “NO!” I screamed, fighting the monster’s magic that held the lantern in place. I glanced behind me for a second, only to see the monster’s horn piercing through its disguise and shining brightly, holding the lantern up. I turned back towards it and rammed my hoof into his horn. It splintered into several shards... so did its face, and the rest of his body. It was a mirror. It was always a mirror. The lantern fell to the ground behind me. Its contents slowly spilled out onto the rug. The headache was unbearable. Chapter 5: DestinyFor the next few minutes I just sat on my bed and watched the world spin around in my head. The memories were violent. They ricocheted inside my skull as I tried to remember how to perform magic. I looked toward the mirror where that monster stood. Those were the hours of denial. My mind couldn’t handle the truth that I could be... a changeling. I sat there, wondering how to get this false “flesh” off of my true form. Its origins transcended my memories, even the new ones that were coming back. Did I kill this pony? What’s going to happen to me? “Masquerade...” I mouthed to myself. Masquerade. My head hurt again. What was this word? No, not a word... a name. I looked toward the mirror; it split my reflection into several pieces. My name. I looked to the hoof that had broken the mirror. There was a large shard of glass protruding from it. I winced at first; I hate anything that causes bloodshed. But a memory came back to me. Changelings don’t bleed. At first, this thought gave me peace. I used my mouth to carefully pull the shard out. I assumed that my true form just got another hole in its hoof. Then I remembered the hay, and the glass fell out of my mouth and broke on the floor. I had a nosebleed then... didn’t I? In my delusion of being a crystal pony, my mind had spiraled into madness. The line between reality and imagination blurred. In my need for some cemented truth, I turned toward the lantern. The remaining light from within gave me something to concentrate on. I ignored the familiar green light coming from my own forehead. The fuel lifted from the floor and I forced it back inside the lantern with my thoughts. I closed the lantern and set it upon the clean floor. Then I collapsed myself. This magic was harder than I remembered. It’s simple levitation; why is this so hard? Another memory came back. No... there is a simpler spell... Fear shook my body and my already aching head, but I turned to the mirror anyways. There was just enough unbroken glass to get a clear view of my face. I took a deep breath and stood up straight. A language almost foreign to me passed through my head, to my horn, then to my body. Then there was a bright flash. I looked into the mirror, and saw those familiar cyan eyes again. There was no denial this time. But I was not worried about these holes in my hooves or those unfamiliar wings on my back. I simply looked at my horn. My hoof came up to the horn, and I let my memories guide it the entire length of it. Too short. No wonder my magic feels weaker. I was so much stronger than this before... But what did this to me? What if... it’s still out there? I needed to run. I needed to leave. My chest pounded, and I wondered if changelings actually had hearts. I looked at the shattered mirror, then to the lantern. My head sunk low as I accepted my fate. I trotted to the lantern and held it close to me, warming my exoskeleton. I waited for the guards to break down the door and take me away. The knocks started after a few minutes. Then I could hear the pounding on the door, as it matched the pounding in my chest. Then I heard the simple turning of the knob. Even with a changeling in the house, the door remained unlocked. I looked up to see the bedroom door open. The guards looked down at me with vengeance in their eyes. I could smell their anger. They took my lantern away and dragged me to the prison; I’m not sure why I didn’t move my legs or use my wings. But now I was in the darkness of a jail cell, with plenty of time to try to regain my memories. I tried to avoid memories at first, and simply stared at my shadow on the wall. Somehow my memories found a way through; I decided to try to remember only names this time. It seemed like a good idea at the time. One of them stood out among the others: Chrysalis. She was my Queen. I chuckled under my breath. I defected so long ago, she doesn’t matter anymore! My head hurt as I tried to contemplate just how long it had been since I was part of a Hive. Crystal pony voices knocked me out of my thoughts. The guards came to my cell, and with them was a pony whose name I remembered: Shining Armor. A true villain of all changelings, every part of me wanted to take comfort in his presence. The guards’ presence, however, made this difficult. In their custody, my life was in their hooves; there wasn’t a pleasant feeling in the area. “What should we do with him, your highness?” one of the guards asked Armor. “This is the ‘ferocious’ changeling?” he asked, just looking at me as I put my back against the wall. “He looks more scared than you two were...” “He attacked an innocent mare, your highness! Put her into a coma!” the guard affirmed. My chest started beating again. Shining Armor looked me in the eye. “Why?” he asked with a stern voice. He was probably the only creature that didn’t reek of fear at this point. One of the guards attempted to answer, but were met with a strong hoof raised to them. He kept staring at me, waiting to hear my side. “She... she wanted to get the guards... to catch the changeling. So the changeling attacked her. I... I thought I was just another pony! I didn’t think--” “That you were the creature you hate the most,” Armor finished, smiling. “I think I have a friend who could help you out.” “Sir, you can’t reason with it! It’s an emotion eating monstrosity!” “I understand, captain,” Shining answered calmly. “But Equestria managed to destroy an entire Hive. This is not some monster, but a stray refugee who isn’t power hungry at all. If he wanted your emotions, he would have fought back!” “But it--” “Was scared,” Armor finished without hesitation. He looked back at me. As our eyes met, there was almost some kind of connection... as if we had done this before. I smiled. Shining and his guards turned from me and trotted away. I eavesdropped on their conversation. “What did he have on him?” Shining asked. “Just a lantern.” “Give it back to him. It’s too dark down here anyways.” “What are we going to do with him?” “Get me some paper. We have to inform Celestia and have him moved to Canterlot.” “Why Canterlot?” “With the rejuvenation of the Empire, she wants to try reforming our enemies.” The rest faded into silence. I sat on the cot given to me. I avoided my own shadow, convinced that my memories might come back again. After ten minutes, I wondered if they were lying about giving me my lantern back. After thirty more minutes of darkness and daydreams, Shining Armor appeared at my cell. “I’ve sent for a friend of mine to take you to Canterlot. He’s a pegasus.” He pulled the lantern into view with his magic. “And by dropping the charges against you, I was able to get this back from Evidence.” He slipped the light through the bars and stared at me. “Now... you should probably take a pony form, it’ll help get you out of here without too much trouble.” I blinked. It seemed like so long since I actually put on a disguise... I tried to remember the right spell. I closed my eyes as a memory came into my head. A face, and that almost foreign language, flashed through my brain so quickly I could feel my entire body burn. I opened my eyes to find myself within a unicorn’s body. A purple hoof reached up to make sure my glasses were still there. No wonder he thought I was harmless... I forgot about my glasses! I looked up past my horn to my dark blue mane, and wondered if this pony I was wearing was dead or alive right now. The answer to that question never came. But what did come eventually was that pegasus friend. I took my lantern in my mouth and followed him beyond those cold bars of the cell. “It’s going to be okay,” he assured me as we reached the train station. “We’ve got ponies who will be happy to take care of you.” I turned away for one last look at the hospital where the nurse was being cared for. “It’ll all work out,” he said, coaxing me onto the train. It’ll all work out... I thought. I turned from the hospital and finally climbed aboard. As the train left the station, I could once again see all the smiling faces of the Crystal ponies. I smiled back.
Chapter 1: A Simple CurseChapter 1: A Simple Curse The Crystal ponies cheered! King Sombra was finally defeated and the Crystal Empire was finally free! Love and happiness flowed into the Crystal Heart, which amplified the emotions and shot them upward in an pattern of beautiful color! The cold snow melted in the warmth of the Heart. Every inch of the Empire was saturated in happiness, and every Crystal pony was finally happy and in control of their lives again! Everypony... except me. The liberation of the Crystal Empire was a whole week ago, yet I do not feel free. My coat is dull, my head aches when I try to remember... I have no name. I do not see like the others see; my vision is blurred. They gave me glasses, which helped, but now I only see smiling faces. Is there anyone out there as depressed as I am? The first thing I remember was being a doctor’s first patient after the liberation. “A simple curse!” he said with joy after a tiresome examination. “You just need to smile and remember the days before the darkness.” “But I have told you everything I remember!” I insisted, almost wanting to punch the doctor in frustration. “I do not remember a thing about before! And what of my headaches? Or my eyesight?” “They will go away with time,” he said plainly, dodging the eyesight question. “Your house was one of the first to be consumed by darkness when he came back, right?” He kept missing the point. “But that doesn’t explain--” “You were cursed a little bit more than everypony else here; it should clear up in no time! Glasses will fix your eyesight, but the curse is more easily cured: You need to learn to smile... and try to remember the past.” Hearing me sigh in frustration only encouraged him, unfortunately. “How did you like the Crystal Fair?” “What ‘Crystal Fair?’ I told you I can’t remember anything!” I stomped my hooves down. For better or worse, I trotted out of the room. He did not understand... he could not understand. This isn’t a random hex from a dead king... this is amnesia! How hard is that to understand? Those were the days of denial. Now, I lay about my house most of the time. I sleep when I can, I barely eat, and I just don’t see the point in life anymore. My house is small; there is a table in the center where meals are eaten, if they’re eaten. There is a kitchen to the right, and the den to the left. There are stairs in the den that take me up to my bedroom; I haven’t used them for several days. The couch in the den is my bed now; I don’t see the point in climbing the stairs just to rest. The windows in my house are the only source of light; my lantern burned out long ago. I don’t see the point in fixing it so it sits on the table, covered by a thick blanket. The thick blanket was too scratchy for my tastes, and it serves its purpose: keeping me to my own thoughts. I eventually tried to take the doctor’s advice. I try hard every day to remember... but it never works. I try to feel happiness, but I only feel fear. I try to find love, but I only find sadness. These didn’t help the headaches I was getting, and I got sick of it after a few hours. I decided to try going outside for a change. It’s almost... invigorating. I trot outside and everypony is so happy. I feel... jealous. Is there a point to this life? They seem to understand it. The foals and the sheep played in the streets that day, it was “fun” to watch. Despite all the cheeriness, the frown on my face would not weaken. One of the foals tripped, skinning his hind knee. An adult quickly reached the crying child and patched him up. Finally, there was something we could agree on; I can’t stand the sight of blood. I started making the long trip home. I don’t know why, but I decided to revisit the doctor’s. I told him everything. He nodded his head as if he were actually trying to understand this time. “So you haven’t been eating regularly?” he said, turning to a nurse and nodding. He was dodging the subject again. But there was no frustration this time... only sadness. “What about my memory loss? I still don’t know who I am!” “It’s important to eat regularly,” he stated blankly, as if avoiding the subject. The nurse returned with a small food container. I couldn’t see what was inside. The doctor took it from the nurse, and showed it to me. With a twist of the lid, a bunch of yellow stalks could be seen inside. “This is called ‘hay.’” My head began to hurt again, but I hid my pain in fear of interrupting the doctor. “It’s an Equestrian delicacy that doesn’t expire. Make sure to take a bite at least 3 times a day.” He smiled as he twisted the lid back on. His hooves extended, just asking me to take the container. I obliged, hoping it would change the subject back. “But what about my memory loss?” My right hoof found my forehead for emphasis and comfort. “The food should help your brain as well as the rest of your body,” the doctor insisted. “But I suppose you want something extra?” The doctor thought for a short while, scratching his chin with his hoof, then asked a strange question. “Do you know how to write?” My headache grew more painful as I wondered. It was too much to hide. “I’m... I’m not sure.” “Well if you ever come across a notebook or some scrap paper, just start writing your feelings down. Maybe some of the events of that day as well.” His happy demeanor contrasted the amount of pain his words gave to me. It was weird... any talk of emotions and my head would feel funny, while certain “keywords” seemed to make it feel like a hammer came down on me. Perhaps one of these feelings is connected to my past... maybe both! I shrugged to myself, inadvertently doing the same to the doctor. Somehow I was able to pull it off with: “I guess it couldn’t hurt to try...” The irony of that statement was obvious to me even then. I turned and trotted outside. With hay in hoof, I trotted back to my house on three legs. I wasn’t sure how I would like the taste, but I did not dare take my eyes off of the path. The little foal’s tumble earlier had me paranoid... scared... awkward. It was getting hard to find thoughts that wouldn’t end in headaches. I weakly pushed the door to my house open. It was unlocked, just as it always has been to my memory; I don’t see the point in locking it. The doctor’s sentiments bounced in my head, making it hurt more than usual. I stopped at the table and took a seat. I took a piece of hay from the box, wondering why it’s name seemed so painful... I took it in my hoof and sniffed it. The scent was somehow familiar. But it burned my nostrils. I looked down to see blood on the table. My head spun and hurt. Everything went dark. I awoke on the floor, and on my stomach. I galloped to the kitchen and grabbed a towel. I wiped away the remaining blood from my face and the table, then I quickly threw the cloth into the garbage. It seemed that Equestrian food was no longer an option... As I sat in futility, my mind went back to all those happy faces. How can I feel happy?! I don’t even know who I am! Everyone else remembers, why can’t I?! My head throbbed harder than it did before. I slammed my hooves on the table. “Stupid royal spell!” I yelled in anger. A loud THUD emanated from the ceiling. Something must have fallen over in my bedroom... but I had not been up there in days. My head still hurt and my ears were ringing, but I could have sworn I heard hoofsteps above me... “...hello?” I asked loudly, hearing my own fear in the words. There was no answer. “Hello?!” I asked again, with more energy and confidence. I just stared up at the ceiling, as if a face would sprout from it to answer my question. Then I turned to the stairs. I trotted slowly toward them, keeping my ears open for any more hoofsteps from upstairs. There was silence for a few minutes as I contemplated my next move. There could be someone up there... or it could have just been the wind. Maybe there was a window up there I never closed? I shook my head, and sighed. Third time’s the charm... My headache suddenly came back with a vengeance at the thought, but I stayed true to the value. “Ow... Hello? Anyone up there?” I almost felt ashamed to allow my physical pain to be apparent in my voice. Now I was sure I’d get an answer... The house was silent. I tried to find an excuse for just simply going back to my couch; I couldn’t find one. Just find out what fell over, it’ll be fine! I trotted up the crystal steps. In what seemed like an hour, but was actually a couple minutes, I reached the top. Slowly, I trotted to the door to my bedroom which lay directly above my kitchen. My hoof turned the doorknob and pulled back slowly, opening the door. At least he can’t hide behind the door... My fear blinded me; my eyes were closed when the door opened completely. I had almost seen it immediately. But I looked towards the bed first when my eyes opened, and the upright nightstand, and the closed window. I turned to trot out of the room, almost relieved when my peripherals caught something strange... a bright cyan. They were eyes. They watched me turn around and come face-to-face with their owner. We both blinked in confusion. The creature that stood before me was black, its eyes a pure cyan with no sign of a pupil. The legs of the creature will filled with holes, and its insect-like wings were the same way. We tilted our heads to either side. There was a familiarity about this creature that made my head throb. It saw my pain. “I’m sorry about all of this...” it said in a more high pitched, almost crackly voice. “I... I just didn’t want to starve.” “Who are you?” I asked the creature. “I have felt your pain; I fed off of what you love. You can’t know my name.” There was a distinct sadness in the creature’s voice. I couldn’t believe the implications. “Are you... are you from before? ...before the liberation, I mean.” The creature’s eyes went to the floor. “I have been alive for a long time; but we have only just met.” “Then why can’t I know your name?” “You may call me, ‘Masquerade.’” The creature’s eyes returned to my own, as if checking for something. “Do you feel pain in this name?” “Masquerade?” I mouthed. Not feeling any pain, I shook my head. “Nope. Masquerade is a new name to me.” The creature half-smiled, as if it were relieved. Sunlight shone through the window. It struck the creature’s skin and reflected off of it. It reminded me of one of the happy Crystal ponies. “I’m a shapeshifter,” it explained. “I... I can’t seem to keep your form.” “Is that why you’re staying up here?” I asked, ignoring the slight headache. “As long as you’ll have me.” Masquerade forced a smile. Suddenly I remembered the foals and their sheep. Companionship. “Sure, it’s fine.” Another slight headache forced me to wince, but Masquerade simply smiled. It nodded back. “Thank you.” I was not prepared for what would come next. “I left you a gift on your table,” it said. “I didn’t see it...” “Under the thick blanket...” “The broken lantern?” I laughed. Even if Masquerade was that cheap, I didn’t want to threaten him. “A fixed lantern.” It smiled. My laughter was gone. It was replaced by fear. I turned back toward the door. “I’ll... I’ll go see it then.” Masquerade kept smiling.
Chapter 2: The LanternI made my way to the table and stared at the small mountain the cloth had made covering the lantern. My right hoof pushed under the side, then lifted upwards just enough. A green glow could be seen under my hoof. Masquerade told the truth; the lantern was fixed. I pulled the blanket off. Sure enough, the lantern lit up the room as it had before. Masquerade’s voice came through the ceiling. “I hope you don’t mind... I would have had it up here and out of the way, but the stairs...” My head began to hurt again. This hadn’t happened with “stairs” before. He sensed my pain again. “Sorry! Didn’t think your memories would intervene.” It hurt even more. “Sorry! It’s happening faster than I had... thought.” I looked up toward the ceiling. “What’s happening?” “You’re healing. That’s all.” “It doesn’t feel like it.” “Sometimes the cure is more painful than the disease...” Its voice trailed off at the end, as if saying too much. Is something worrying it? “Thanks... that makes me feel a little better!” I admitted, trying to keep the creature on my side. Masquerade didn’t respond, so I assumed our conversation was over. I looked back at the lantern to see how it might have fixed it. My head hurt as I inspected it, to no shock to me; the lantern had been in this house before even I was... Wait, no... I brought it in with me. It was from before the liberation. I shook my head in frustration and confusion, then crooked my head so my ear would catch anything Masquerade had to say. It remained silent. The lantern itself is an antique. It probably dates back to when Sombra first took over the Empire. It is simply a large, glowing, green crystal mounted in a golden stand. There is a handle on top that allows ponies to carry it in their mouths. It is interesting to note that the crystal itself does not produce the light, but magic must be put into it to spark a special fuel inside. The late King of the Empire had large fires burning outside his throne room, and slaves had smaller scale fires within these crystal lanterns. The recipe for the lantern’s magical fuel has been lost for centuries. It was never talked about outside of distribution, and never remembered again by the crystal ponies for some reason. These memories made my head hurt. Why would I think I could actually fix this thing if it were out of fuel? Than an even scarier thought popped into my head: How does Masquerade know the fuel recipe? I basked in the light of the lantern while my thoughts continued. The answer to the question needed to come from Masquerade itself, and it would probably understand my plight. I turned from the lantern and made my way up the stairs. After going through the bedroom door our eyes met again. Our bodies shook, as though we both knew what was coming. “How... where did you get fuel for the lantern?” I asked, watching the creature carefully. “I found it,” it quickly replied. A gulp made its way down the creature’s throat. “Where?” “Just... lying out there,” a hoof gestured toward the window and both our heads turned toward the light for a brief moment. “I haven’t been in this house my entire life...” His brow furrowed as he stared back at me. “Yeah, neither have I!” I responded, forcing a laugh in an attempt to lighten the mood. “But nobody seems to have any idea how to even make the fuel nowadays...” “The important thing is that it works.” Its tone was almost monotonous; it did not smile. “It. Works,” it emphasized. “And. It. Will. Work.” Strangely, there was no condescension in his voice; it was as though it were trying to convince itself as well. “I wasn’t doubting your ability!” I explained, trying to get past the creature’s defensive nature. “I just... I want to be able to trust you.” “You want to trust a changeling?” Claws were dragged down the chalkboard in my head at its utterance of that word. I wasn’t sure if it was because of its voice cracking while it said it, or just the word itself. Seeing my head go to my hooves and my hooves go to my ears, Masquerade finally softened up. “Sorry... I shouldn’t have used the ‘c-ling’ word.” “Why... why does it hurt?” I asked as the pain slowly faded. “It hurts because the concept is connected to your past; amnesia is not an easy obstacle.” Another gulp made its way down the c-ling’s throat. “And... I want you to know... I heard about the lantern fuel recipe from another changer that I had met long ago. They had barely escaped the Empire after being... exposed.” A quiver of the legs and a sniffle accompanied the gulp this time. “I’m sorry. I know who you are... who you were. I really hope you never remember everything.” “What does this have to do with lantern fuel?!” I asked the unexpectedly sympathetic creature. “Well, everything. It’s all connected around... ev’ry little thing.” Masquerade smiled, as if the statement had somehow uplifted its spirits. “It’s what’s bringing your memories back.” As the pain left my head, I wondered if it could answer the most important question. “Do... do you know my name?” “There’s too much power in your name. If your mind is not willing to accept the truth, then your identity will be lost forever,” Masquerade harshly warned. I thought that my name was the key to finally being happy... finally remembering the days before. It saw the frown on my face and tried to comfort me. “You don’t need your identity to be happy... trust me.” The creature smiled, and I noticed its large fangs. I stared at those large, sharp teeth and something inside me writhed. Then I blinked, and the fangs disappeared from the creature’s face. The shininess of its skin reminded me that his shapeshifting wasn’t perfect. But it was hiding fangs... “I understand now... thank you.” I turned from it, and trotted back down the stairs. Secretly, I wondered if I had misplaced my trust in the creature.
Chapter 3: A Familiar FaceI was about to sit on the couch when I heard a knock at the door. My eyes looked up towards the ceiling, wondering if Masquerade had heard it as well. Finally, I made my way to the door and opened it. It was the nurse. I let her inside. “How are you feeling?” she asked with a smile on her face. “My memories getting slightly better,” I admitted as we trotted to the table. “So the hay is working?” The smile disappeared when she saw me wince from the headache. “Yeah, about that... I took a small sniff of it and... well... blood.” I gestured to the nearby garbage bin. She took a short peek inside, then turned to me with a frown. “There’s nothing in the bin; it’s a clean bag.” “It’s taking out my garbage now?” I asked myself. She heard it under my breath. “What is?” I looked up toward my bedroom through the ceiling. “We should talk about it elsewhere...” She nodded in understanding. “I understand,” she whispered. “The doctor says you need some exercise. How about a walk around town?” she asked me at full volume. “That doesn’t sound too hard.” I nodded back, and we trotted outside. I would have locked the door behind me, but I forgot my keys inside. We trotted a winding path that would lead us in a circle. “So what is ‘it?’” she asked as my house vanished from sight. “It’s a friend.” I wasn’t sure why I was defending a creature I barely knew. “It stays in my upstairs bedroom.” “What color is it?” “That’s a tough question. It was mostly black, but there patches that looked like crystal pony skin.” I left out the shape-shifting business to spare myself a headache. “Did it have holes in its legs? And fangs?” She seemed scared. “You’ve seen one before?” I asked, hoping to get more information about the c-lings. She nodded her head with a tense energy. She looked around and, upon seeing other ponies, pulled me into an isolated alleyway. “They’re called changelings.” My head lowered as my headache returned. Her hooves grabbed my head and lifted it up until we could make eye contact again. “Listen to me! That monster is the reason why you can’t feel happy! They feed off of love!” My head writhed in agony between her hooves. “Are you okay?” “I must’ve... known that before...” I explained, my eyes closed in the pain. “My mind doesn’t seem to like the truth.” “It’ll be okay,” she assured me. “We just need to contact some guards and--” A strange sound interrupted her and forced me to open my eyes. She looked into my eyes in fear, then we both turned to find the source of the noise: Masquerade was on a roof above us. Its horn shone a bright green, and a chunk of crystal was torn from the roofing of the building. It stared at her with purpose. We both watched as the chunk was released from the creature’s magic... and hit the nurse in the head. She fell to the ground. Blood stained the ground. I galloped away as fast as I could back towards my house. I didn’t have a plan... but I certainly knew what was really going on at that moment. I made it inside my house. I looked around the kitchen for something sharp. That monster wasn’t going to get away with this. My headache was gone and my mind was clear. I turned back toward the table. The lantern’s light shone around the room, but I only saw the stand and the blunt object within it. I took the handle in my mouth and made my way up the stairs to surprise Masquerade. It would be a bad day to be a parasite. At least it would have been... if Masquerade was not already in the bedroom. I dropped the lantern. It smiled at me with a crystal pony’s snout. Its true form was concealed. Everything but the fangs.
Chapter 4: ConfrontationMasquerade kept smiling at me. It looked at me from within my own body and its fangs glistened in the light from the lantern. Remembering my plan, I turned to the light source and picked it up in my mouth. It just stared at me, waiting for me to strike first. As I stared back at the creature hiding under my own skin, I wondered if vengeance was really worth it. I stepped to the side and placed the lantern on the nightstand. I turned around to see if Masquerade was willing to fight an unarmed pony. The changeling was unfazed. “I knew you wouldn’t try to kill me again.” The creature chuckled under its breath. “Your exaggerated value of life is why we are here in the first place!” What’s that supposed to mean? The creature took a step forward. “And don’t think you’re safe within your own mind! I was a master of telepathic magic.” “But your horn is too short for that kind of spell!” I blurted out. The memories were coming back faster than I had thought. “You and your ‘good intentions’ are to blame for that,” it scoffed. “Don’t think that I had also forgotten our little showdown a week ago.” “That doesn’t explain--” “YOU NEVER LET ME EXPLAIN!” Masquerade shouted. The volume forced me to step back and wait for my ears to stop ringing. “All you did was question... question... question...” “You murdered that nurse!” I yelled back; my voice wasn’t nearly as loud as the copy’s was. “I was just trying to knock her unconscious,” the creature tried to explain. “I couldn’t let your forgetful mouth doom us both!” “You were only trying to save yourself!” I accused it. “Says the pony who sheltered me, fed me, and saw me as a friend.” A grim smile grew on the monster’s face, as though it had a sudden realization. “No wonder you hate me so much... you care about me enough to spare me the horrible fate of being your friend!” “The way you say these things... I thought you said we had only just met?” I asked it. If this creature had been lying to me this entire time, I would be forced to contact the authorities. “You are nothing but memories... I was happy to see you forget. You became something new. Something better!” “But you couldn’t leave me alone and let me feel happy too?!” “After what you had done?! I’m just getting my bittersweet taste of revenge!” “What did I do to you?!” I screamed at the monster. My head throbbed in pain, and it could only get worse, but I had to know the truth. “I’m surprised that you haven’t remembered yet. What did that door do to your little head?” I couldn’t hide my own confusion, so it explained further. “The artifact we came for... Sombra’s Door!” “Just the door? What’s behind it?” I asked. My chest trembled as the memories and the fear leaked back into my mind. Now I remembered the door. A door that kept within it an abundance of fear and hate from King Sombra himself. This monster tried to kill me with it... but that only cursed me further since I’m a crystal pony. My confidence began to drain while this truth sank in. “You know this isn’t about the door anymore...” the changeling said, pacing the room under crystal skin. “This goes beyond the door, beyond Sombra, beyond the nurse, beyond the crystal ponies, and beyond you!” Our eyes turned together to the lone light in the room. “You remember the formula for lantern fuel now, don’t you?” My brain shook like an earthquake. The horrors I saw in my mind... the door had driven me to insanity. For better or worse, I could not recall the formula for lantern fuel. “What is it?” I dared to ask the monster. “A highly acidic substance.” A grin twisted the changeling’s face. “And you’re going to drink it.” “And why would I do that?” If it were trying to kill me again, it could at least be subtle about it. “You think nobody’s noticed our little nurse’s body laying in a puddle of her own blood by now? Sooner or later, the guards will start looking for clues. They’ll find out who she was last with and come knocking on the door with a warrant.” It chuckled to itself under its breath. “There are special ashes from a rather rare, fiery, feathered creature in that lantern; if you drink it, new life will sprout. If you don’t, you die for nothing. Your choice...” “I’m guessing it hurts more than the guards’ treatment, too.” The copy nodded its head. I turned and looked at the lantern. Green magic pulled the crystal out of the stand and unscrewed the top of it. It began to tip toward my mouth. Green acid began to drip out of it. I opened my mouth, and raised my hooves to the light. “NO!” I screamed, fighting the monster’s magic that held the lantern in place. I glanced behind me for a second, only to see the monster’s horn piercing through its disguise and shining brightly, holding the lantern up. I turned back towards it and rammed my hoof into his horn. It splintered into several shards... so did its face, and the rest of his body. It was a mirror. It was always a mirror. The lantern fell to the ground behind me. Its contents slowly spilled out onto the rug. The headache was unbearable.
Chapter 5: DestinyFor the next few minutes I just sat on my bed and watched the world spin around in my head. The memories were violent. They ricocheted inside my skull as I tried to remember how to perform magic. I looked toward the mirror where that monster stood. Those were the hours of denial. My mind couldn’t handle the truth that I could be... a changeling. I sat there, wondering how to get this false “flesh” off of my true form. Its origins transcended my memories, even the new ones that were coming back. Did I kill this pony? What’s going to happen to me? “Masquerade...” I mouthed to myself. Masquerade. My head hurt again. What was this word? No, not a word... a name. I looked toward the mirror; it split my reflection into several pieces. My name. I looked to the hoof that had broken the mirror. There was a large shard of glass protruding from it. I winced at first; I hate anything that causes bloodshed. But a memory came back to me. Changelings don’t bleed. At first, this thought gave me peace. I used my mouth to carefully pull the shard out. I assumed that my true form just got another hole in its hoof. Then I remembered the hay, and the glass fell out of my mouth and broke on the floor. I had a nosebleed then... didn’t I? In my delusion of being a crystal pony, my mind had spiraled into madness. The line between reality and imagination blurred. In my need for some cemented truth, I turned toward the lantern. The remaining light from within gave me something to concentrate on. I ignored the familiar green light coming from my own forehead. The fuel lifted from the floor and I forced it back inside the lantern with my thoughts. I closed the lantern and set it upon the clean floor. Then I collapsed myself. This magic was harder than I remembered. It’s simple levitation; why is this so hard? Another memory came back. No... there is a simpler spell... Fear shook my body and my already aching head, but I turned to the mirror anyways. There was just enough unbroken glass to get a clear view of my face. I took a deep breath and stood up straight. A language almost foreign to me passed through my head, to my horn, then to my body. Then there was a bright flash. I looked into the mirror, and saw those familiar cyan eyes again. There was no denial this time. But I was not worried about these holes in my hooves or those unfamiliar wings on my back. I simply looked at my horn. My hoof came up to the horn, and I let my memories guide it the entire length of it. Too short. No wonder my magic feels weaker. I was so much stronger than this before... But what did this to me? What if... it’s still out there? I needed to run. I needed to leave. My chest pounded, and I wondered if changelings actually had hearts. I looked at the shattered mirror, then to the lantern. My head sunk low as I accepted my fate. I trotted to the lantern and held it close to me, warming my exoskeleton. I waited for the guards to break down the door and take me away. The knocks started after a few minutes. Then I could hear the pounding on the door, as it matched the pounding in my chest. Then I heard the simple turning of the knob. Even with a changeling in the house, the door remained unlocked. I looked up to see the bedroom door open. The guards looked down at me with vengeance in their eyes. I could smell their anger. They took my lantern away and dragged me to the prison; I’m not sure why I didn’t move my legs or use my wings. But now I was in the darkness of a jail cell, with plenty of time to try to regain my memories. I tried to avoid memories at first, and simply stared at my shadow on the wall. Somehow my memories found a way through; I decided to try to remember only names this time. It seemed like a good idea at the time. One of them stood out among the others: Chrysalis. She was my Queen. I chuckled under my breath. I defected so long ago, she doesn’t matter anymore! My head hurt as I tried to contemplate just how long it had been since I was part of a Hive. Crystal pony voices knocked me out of my thoughts. The guards came to my cell, and with them was a pony whose name I remembered: Shining Armor. A true villain of all changelings, every part of me wanted to take comfort in his presence. The guards’ presence, however, made this difficult. In their custody, my life was in their hooves; there wasn’t a pleasant feeling in the area. “What should we do with him, your highness?” one of the guards asked Armor. “This is the ‘ferocious’ changeling?” he asked, just looking at me as I put my back against the wall. “He looks more scared than you two were...” “He attacked an innocent mare, your highness! Put her into a coma!” the guard affirmed. My chest started beating again. Shining Armor looked me in the eye. “Why?” he asked with a stern voice. He was probably the only creature that didn’t reek of fear at this point. One of the guards attempted to answer, but were met with a strong hoof raised to them. He kept staring at me, waiting to hear my side. “She... she wanted to get the guards... to catch the changeling. So the changeling attacked her. I... I thought I was just another pony! I didn’t think--” “That you were the creature you hate the most,” Armor finished, smiling. “I think I have a friend who could help you out.” “Sir, you can’t reason with it! It’s an emotion eating monstrosity!” “I understand, captain,” Shining answered calmly. “But Equestria managed to destroy an entire Hive. This is not some monster, but a stray refugee who isn’t power hungry at all. If he wanted your emotions, he would have fought back!” “But it--” “Was scared,” Armor finished without hesitation. He looked back at me. As our eyes met, there was almost some kind of connection... as if we had done this before. I smiled. Shining and his guards turned from me and trotted away. I eavesdropped on their conversation. “What did he have on him?” Shining asked. “Just a lantern.” “Give it back to him. It’s too dark down here anyways.” “What are we going to do with him?” “Get me some paper. We have to inform Celestia and have him moved to Canterlot.” “Why Canterlot?” “With the rejuvenation of the Empire, she wants to try reforming our enemies.” The rest faded into silence. I sat on the cot given to me. I avoided my own shadow, convinced that my memories might come back again. After ten minutes, I wondered if they were lying about giving me my lantern back. After thirty more minutes of darkness and daydreams, Shining Armor appeared at my cell. “I’ve sent for a friend of mine to take you to Canterlot. He’s a pegasus.” He pulled the lantern into view with his magic. “And by dropping the charges against you, I was able to get this back from Evidence.” He slipped the light through the bars and stared at me. “Now... you should probably take a pony form, it’ll help get you out of here without too much trouble.” I blinked. It seemed like so long since I actually put on a disguise... I tried to remember the right spell. I closed my eyes as a memory came into my head. A face, and that almost foreign language, flashed through my brain so quickly I could feel my entire body burn. I opened my eyes to find myself within a unicorn’s body. A purple hoof reached up to make sure my glasses were still there. No wonder he thought I was harmless... I forgot about my glasses! I looked up past my horn to my dark blue mane, and wondered if this pony I was wearing was dead or alive right now. The answer to that question never came. But what did come eventually was that pegasus friend. I took my lantern in my mouth and followed him beyond those cold bars of the cell. “It’s going to be okay,” he assured me as we reached the train station. “We’ve got ponies who will be happy to take care of you.” I turned away for one last look at the hospital where the nurse was being cared for. “It’ll all work out,” he said, coaxing me onto the train. It’ll all work out... I thought. I turned from the hospital and finally climbed aboard. As the train left the station, I could once again see all the smiling faces of the Crystal ponies. I smiled back.
