The rest of the mane six stood in slight terror. They thought they were rid of the changelings and their queen. Hearing that one managed to sneak it's way into Equestria scared them. For when there is one changeling their is bound to a swarm of them somewhere close by. "Well what are we sitting around here for?! Lets get out there and find this changeling then kick it's flank out of Equestria!?" exclaimed Rainbow Dash as she flew towards the door. He flight was soon cut short by Twilight using her magic to grab her tail which caused Rainbow to make an immediate landing. "You know if you guys keep pulling on my tail its going to fall off." said the very angry pegasus.
" I'm sorry Rainbow, but I need you guys to stay here and help my find a spell." Twilight said as she went through another book.
" Ah'm sure that your spell can wait Twi. Right now we have ta find that changeling before somepony goes missin'." said Applejack.
" I-I agree with AJ. Maybe the spell can wait a bit Twilight, you know if you don't mind." Fluttershy said softly.
" I know you girls think that this spell can wait, but it can't. It wouldn't be much help if we don't know who the changeling is. The spell I'm looking for will allow us to be able to see through any type of illusion magic. Hopefully."
"Hopefully? Hopefully!?!? Your just sitting here to find a spell that will hopefully let us find the changeling! We could be out there searching for it right now, but you want to find a spell that might even work! Thats it I'm out!" Rainbow Dash said as she left the library
"Thats great. Ah'll go after her you girls help Twilight find the spell." Applejack said as she ran after the speeding pegasus
As everypony was looking for the book Pinkie Pie looked throughout the piles of books that were on the floor. It took her just a sweeps of her hoof to find the book Twilight was looking for as she was about to pick it up she heard a puff over her right shoulder. When she looked she saw an miniature version on herself. Except this version had a white coat coated pegasus with a blond mane and a halo on. "Don't do it Pinkie. You know what happens if you give Twilight that book. There has to be another way." she said.
Before Pinkie could respond another version of her appeared on her left shoulder. This time she was normal, except for the horn on top of her horn "But their your friends Pinkie. You should be helping them. You know how this all ends giving them that book is part of the script and you what happens if you don't follow the script." she said
"I know that, but Pyxis could be in trouble." Pinkie Pie said quietly
"At least wait a couple of minutes. Give Pyxis enough time to find it." said angel Pinkie.
Pinkie Pie looked back to see that her friends were arguing up a storm. Rainbow Dash had already left the library to go search for the changeling. 'Hurry up and and find that pencil Pyxis.' Pinkie thought.
Meanwhile, at Rarity's boutique. "I said we weren't allowed in there! Your going to get us in trouble!" said Sweetie Belle as she and her friends tried desperately to stop Pyxis. Her and Applebloom were pulling Pyxis's tail while Scootaloo was pushing him with the added power of her wings. Though even with the combined power of the three fillies it was only slowed down Pyxis. With every hoofstep the fillies grew tired and Pyxis showed no sign of stopping or even slowing down. His determination was too great.
"Come on just a little bit more!" Pyxis said as he neared the door. The door was now in his reach all he had to do was push open the door and there it would be. The thing that was so important to him was right behind this door. He lifted up his hoof to open the door. The door opened with great ease. The room the door led to was quite elegant plastic pony models were in the room along with a shelf full of fabrics and threads. On a table was an old sewing machine, but from the looks of it Rarity kept it in shape. Along the walls were dress designs that Pyxis suspected were for Rarity's clients. ' So Rarity must be a seamstress.' Pyxis thought
" Okay you got a look at the inside now come on before Rarity comes back and we get into trouble." demanded Sweetie Belle.
Pyxis blocked out the filly as he began to look around the room. The fabrics and threads gave him so many ideas that he couldn't keep a good idea down before another one came. Then he found a sketch on the table next to him. Surrounding the sketch were balled up pieces of paper. 'Rarity must have been working on a dress design, but failed.' Pyxis thought. The sketch itself had been redrawn and erased several times. Now it was just a blank pony. Blank, a word that to everyone means nothing. Though to him it meant something.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw a worn out pencil. From the looks of it the tip of the lead could barely draw anything, but this pencil was all that Pyxis needed. While he was in his own world he didn't notice that a flash of purple flame came over him, but the Cutie Mark Crusaders noticed causing them to step back. "Pyxis whats....... going on?" asked a worried Sweetie Belle. Pyxis grabbed the pencil and looked towards the three fillies with their terrified expressions. He could feel himself changing and there wasn't a way to stop it. Pyxis could see it in their face as to how scared they were.
' Really......really....... you have got to be kidding me. Did I just really do that?' Pyxis though to himself as his body was engulfed in purple flames. The three fillies stood in terror as they witnessed Pyxis's transformation into something else. As the purple flames dimmed there was nothing left of the colt known as Pyxis. Instead in his place was a baby dragon with purple scales and a golden underbelly. He also had smoothed back spine scales The dragon opened his eyes. Those great purple eyes filled such imagination gazed at the fillies. It was then that he spoke. " I know what your going to say and I would thank you if would be kind enough to......." the newly transformed dragon was cut off by an air piercing shriek. The Cutie Mark Crusaders quickly grabbed a weapon of their choice. For Applebloom a broom stick. For Scootaloo a frying pan. Then finally for Sweetie Belle a lamp.
"What are you doing here changeling?!?" Scootaloo asked as she raised up the frying pan that was in her hooves. The changeling sat there and stared at the filly as if she was insane. "Answer me!!" she screamed.
" I think thats going to be hard to do and please don't call me 'changeling'. I have a name you know. Iolite Reality at your service." Iolite said.
"What do ya mean its gonna be hard to do?" asked Applebloom.
"Well I'll explain the situation as best as I can." said Iolite.
Meanwhile, at Golden Oaks Library. "I FOUND IT!" yelled Pinkie Pie. Everypony who was still in the library looked towards the pink mare as she smiled.
Back at Rarity's Boutique. Iolite was beginning to tell how he came to be. "I only have a limited range of knowledge right now so don't get mad if you don't have all the details." he said right before he began. "So to my knowledge Pyxis escaped from somewhere and managed to get into Canterlot. It wasn't until he started to explore the city did he realize that he wasn't wanted in the city. Ponies left and right threw anything they could grab at him. They had the Royal Guards sent after him. Pyxis didn't know what to do, but suddenly he just changed. He changed into the pony that you saw him for. It wasn't until a couple of days ago that he managed to escape from Canterlot which has a filter spell around it that disables his changing ability and you pretty much know the rest." Iolite explained.
"Why were you talking in third person?" asked Sweetie Belle.
"I didn't talk in third person. I was talking about Pyxis." replied Iolite.
"But your Pyxis! Are you trying to confuse us?!" exclaimed Scootaloo.
Iolite took a deep breath before he continued to speak. "I don't know how it happened nor do I know how it happens, but Pyxis has this sort of multiple personality syndrome. It happens at random times and he nor any of us has control over it. We each have different lives that we live on our own accord." he said.
"Wait....did you just say 'us'?" asked Sweetie Belle. Iolite nodded in response.
"Are there more changelings here?!" asked Scootaloo as she raised her frying pan again.
Iolite raised his hands up in defense while yelling "There aren't any changeling in Equestria I promise! Its just us!"
"Who is 'us' ?" asked Applebloom.
"If I remember correctly there are about twenty four different personalities in here." said Iolite as he tapped his finger on his head. "Including me there are twelve males and twelve females. All locked up in this head waiting to be unlocked."
"So ya'll mean to tell us that Pyxis was a changeling all along and that he has different personalitas in his head?" suggested Applebloom.
"Okay first. Its personalities and second yes, yes he does." says Iolite.
There were a moment of silence that filled the room. The quiet help the fillies process what was going on and what to do next. It was a while before any of them spoke, but it was Scootaloo who was the first to talk. "How do we know that we can trust you?" she said with a cold tone. Iolite was ready for this question. He didn't say anything, he just stood up and walked over to the three fillies. He reached out his arms and gave the fillies a hug.
" Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Scootaloo. The three fillies without a cutie mark that stick together to find their purpose. The Cutie Mark Crusaders. The Blank Flanks." He said. That last sentence made Scootaloo about to smack him aside the head with the frying pan, but he kept talking. "You know what the good thing about the blank? To many it means nothing, but to me it means potential. A blank piece of paper is nothing until you draw something on it, then it becomes something."
"Where are you getting at?" asked Sweetie Belle.
"You girls are like a blank piece of paper just ready to be something and I'm about to help you draw that something." Iolite let go of the fillies and stood a few paces back. "Close your eyes." he said.
"How is this suppose to...." Scootaloo was about to say before she was interrupted.
"Just close your eyes." Iolite said. Feeling annoyed with the changeling she closed her eyes along with her friends. "Now clear your mind of all the things that is holding you back. Things that have happened in the past, old fears, family issues, anything that holds you back can't reach you anymore and relax." The crusaders did as they were told. "Now think of what is the most enjoyable thing to you. What hobby do you like to do, what are you good at, or what you wouldn't mind doing for a living." The crusaders did as they were told. The three fillies thought about what they were good at. For Sweetie Belle she thought about how she liked the listen to music and how she likes to sing. Extreme stunts and awesome tricks were on Scootaloo's mind and all Applebloom could think about were some of the many repairs and upgrades that she could do for their clubhouse. "Now open your eyes." Iolite said.
The three fillies opened their eyes, but didn't see anything that changed. Until Sweetie Belle looked down and saw what Applebloom had. She pointed her hoof at the filly's flank unable to make a sound. Applebloom saw her friend point at her and looked down as well. It was then that she saw it. On her flank was a cutie mark. It was a wrench that was in front of an shiny red apple. While looking down she also saw her friends' flanks and gasped. The two fillies looked down to see that they also had their cutie marks as well. Sweetie Belle's was a microphone with lines of music coming from it. For Scootaloo it was a flaming wheel with wings. "Do you trust me now?" asked Iolite with a sly grin
All three Cutie Mark Crusaders jumped the dragon in a fit of playful glee. "I guess we can let you slide, but if I even see somepony go missing or you step out of line. I'll get Rainbow Dash on you. Do you understand?" Scootaloo said. Iolite nodded his head as Scootaloo chuckled. "Good, now come here you stupid changeling." she said as the rest of the kids began to laugh. This was the beginning of a new friendship.