Shining Armor raised his head and began to cast a spell. His magic flowed through the air for a moment before taking the shape of a unicorn. “The creature you saw today eclipse, the creature who killed our daughter, was a skinwalker. Once thought to be Navapone legend, the skinwalker is a pony who delved into dark, forbidden magic. The more they used dark magic, the more inequine they became. The pony would only have to do one thing to ensure they would transform. They had to kill someone they loved. Once the transformation was complete, the skinwalker would seek out high ranking ponies in their lust for power. They kill the pony, eat their flesh, then wear their pelt. Wearing the dead pony’s pelt would disguise them as the pony they killed, like Flurry Heart. They will stay in this form for as long as they want, abusing their newfound power until they became hungry once again.” Shining armor dispelled his magic and looked to the two foals. “Any questions?” Inky raised his hoof.
 
“How can you tell is a pony isn’t a pony?” He asked while lowering his hoof.
 
“Very good question.” Shining Armor began. “There is no surefire way to tell who is and isn’t a skinwalker, but there are clues you can look for to help you determine the difference. Skinwalkers are crude, violent creatures, and they aren’t very good at mimicking the ponies they kill. The skinwalker who impersonated Flurry was a particularly talented creature, and although we had our suspicions that something was wrong, we couldn’t figure out what exactly until it attacked Eclipse.”
 
“I thought she was going through a phase.” Cadence whispered under her breath.
 
“There was nothing we could have done.” Shining Armor placed a hoof on his wife’s shoulder. “By the time we noticed something was off about her, she was already gone.” Cadence sobbed silently, looking away from the foals and her husband.
 
“But there is something we can do now.” Shining’s voice suddenly grew in volume, and he looked to the two foals. “We need you two to stay with a designated guardian, and keep an eye out for anyone, anyone who seems suspicious. Do you two understand?” Eclipse and Inky nodded. Inky looked down at his hooves for a moment before looking back to the king.
 
“There is someone who seems pretty unpony-like.” He pondered aloud.
 
“Who?” Shining asked with urgency.
 
“Mrs. Tea Cakes!” Eclipse shouted. The pony in question suddenly looked up from the vase she was dusting across the room, shock in her eyes.
 
“M-me? No!” She backed up and looked in horror at the king and queen. Shining Armor lowered his horn and a blast of blue magic shot forth from it. It hit Mrs. Tea Cakes squarely on the chest, and she was knocked into the end-table behind her. The vase crashed to the ground and broke. Slowly, Mrs. Tea Cakes stood up, and glared daggers at the foals. “I’m not a skinwalker you little brats!” She shouted.
 
Shining Armor raised his head and scowled. “No you’re not, you’re just a very ill mannered pony. That spell should have revealed your true form, if you had one, but since you’re not a skinwalker, I suggest you brush up on your manners before somebody else mistakes you for one. Now please, go clean yourself up.” Shining looked to the soot that covered the maid’s neck and shoulders. Mrs Tea Cakes quickly stomped out of the throne room, grumbling to herself.