Hello, and I'm back with another chapter of The New Universal.

I don't own the Companion Quartet.

Enjoy!

Connie took a deep breath. She had been with the Jones family for an entire month now, and she decided that it was about time that she told them the truth. That she knew who she was, and about being a shapeshifter…

...as well as everything about the Society, and exactly who they all really were.

It was suppertime, and they were all eating together-as they always did, but tonight Connie knew that she had to tell the truth.

Connie set down her silverware. "Um...can I ask you guys something?"

They all looked at her, and Connie started to wonder if this was the best choice.

Well, I've already started, so might as well get it out.

"Um...I remember who I am," Connie said.

Jenny nearly choked on her food, then set her fork down. "T-Then we have to find your family-"

"No," Connie said. "I-I...the thing is...I'm not actually…" She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, then she shifted into a dragon.

Jenny nearly screamed, Steve shot up, Abby stared at her with wide eyes, Austin's jaw nearly dropped to the floor, Ariel squealed, and Jay yelled something that Connie didn't quite catch. Quickly, Connie shifted back.

"I-I'm not...human," Connie finished lamely.

"You're a dragon?!" Abby exclaimed, her eyes growing even wider.

"Actually...I'm a shapeshifter," Connie said, taking a deep breath. "My real name...is Connie Lionheart. I-I've known this entire time...but I can't go home. T-They thought that I was human, and when they discovered that I'm not...they started to avoid me. Please, don't make me go back."

"B-But you have to go home, C-Connie," Abby said.

"Please, I want to stay Luna," Connie said, a little desperately. "I don't want to go back to being Connie, because that's the name I had when I was still human-but I'm not anymore. I just want to forget it all-please?"

Jenny and Steve exchanged a look, then looked back at Connie.

"Well...if you don't want to leave...we have gotten used to having you around," Jenny said.

"We won't tell anyone about what you are," Steve said.

"Good, because there's more," Connie said. "You see...there's something called the Society of Protection of Mythical Creatures. Technically, I'm still part of it, even though none of them know where I am."

"The Society of Protection of Mythical Creatures?" Abby asked.

Connie nodded. "It's just as it sounds. We protect mythical creatures-any mythical creatures you can name, we protect them, plus ones that you don't even know about."

"Woah," Ariel said.

"Yeah," Connie said. "But, the reason I'm telling you this is because...all of you have a companion species."

"Companion species?" they all repeated.

Connie nodded again. "A companion species is just what it sounds like. Each of you has a mythical species that you can bond with."

"Really?!" Abby asked, her eyes wide.

Connie nodded. "For example, Jenny, your companion species is unicorns. Steve, yours is the phoenix. Ariel, your companion species is Banshees. Austin, yours is dragons. Jay, yours is a Thunderbird. Abby, you're what's known as a Universal."

"A universal?" Abby asked, confused. "What's a universal?"

"Universals can be companions with any mythical creature," Connie said. "When I was a human, I used to be a universal, but I became a shapeshifter."

"Do all universals become shapeshifters?" Abby asked, her eyes wide.

"No, it's just me," Connie said. "Nobody else is a shapeshifter, either. You see, up until just a year ago, there was a shapeshifter called Kullervo-he wanted to get rid of all humans, because they're ruining the environment and causing some mythical creatures to be killed because of a lack of habitat. Well, a year ago, I fought Kullervo, but he didn't just disappear like people think he did. Instead...I...absorbed him."

"Absorbed him?" they all asked.

Connie nodded. "That's why I can shapeshift. And when my friends and family back home found out...I didn't want them to know, and they started to think of me as a monster, because that's what Kullervo was. So, I shifted into a dragon, and I left."

"Don't you miss them?" Jenny asked.

"Of course, but to them, I'm just a monster," Connie said. "But you guys...do you hate me?"

"I think that you're even more awesome!" Abby said. "I mean, sure, you already seemed awesome, but you're really a mythical creature? If you were some kind of weird shapeshifter that was going to destroy humans, then I think that you'd've already started on that-and I'm pretty sure that you aren't doing that, because we're all still here."

They all laughed.

"Well, now that we know the truth, I guess that we will continue going on and trying to put everything together," Steve said when they were done laughing. "I mean, there's not much we can do for now about all this. So, for now, we just play everything by ear-Luna, you still want this to stay a secret?"

Connie nodded.

"Then not a word is said out of this house about this," Steve said. "And if we have relatives or friends over, we won't say a word. Plan?"

"Plan," they all said.

"Then let's keep eating," Steve said, and they all continued to eat.

And that's it for this chapter! What did you think?

Sorry if it seems to be on the short side-again! And if it's not the most interesting...but the next chapter will be a timeskip to when people from the Society find Connie...but they aren't who you'd expect. Or are they?

Anyway, until next time!

Lunetheart out.