Ditto limped back and forth, waiting for Twilight to return. She was trying to look on the bright side- maybe Twilight wouldn't suspect anything. Maybe she would think it a coincidence and ignore it. Or maybe the nurse wouldn't even be working. Trying to take her mind off of it, Ditto returned to 'Goldhoof the Magical and the Pegasus Race'.
Goldhoof saw the ground coming closer and closer. She was going to smack right into the side of the mountain, and she knew it would not be pretty. In the few seconds before colliding with the mountain, she looked around and saw the Earth Ponies and Unicorns below looking horrified. Then it hit her.
This was the traitor's doing!
Then she had a face full of rock and was knocked unconscious. The last thing she heard was strange laughter... familiar laughter.
Ditto suddenly noticed that she could hear laughter in real life, coming from downstairs. She limped to the door and looked down the staircase to see Minuette letting herself in. The changeling hid behind the doorframe and peeked out to see what the Unicorn was up to.
"They've removed the guards from Ponyville!" Minuette was saying aloud to herself. "I was getting tired of those dumb guards, not letting anypony even leave their house without being searched for traces of Changelings! It was tiring." Then Minuette looked around the library and called, "Hello? Is anypony here?"
Ditto closed her eyes as she flashed green for a moment, then trotted downstairs in her Moonbloom disguise. "Oh, hello Minuette." 'Moonbloom' said. "Did you need anything? You were here less than a few hours ago."
"I didn't see you here." Minuette said, staring at Ditto's solid purple eyes. "You have interesting eyes, there."
"Yes, I do." Ditto said dismissively, "Didn't Twilight get you that book?"
"No, she rushed me out, for whatever reason." Minuette started searching the bookcases, using her magic to pull out random books.
"Well, here's a book." Ditto flicked her hoof at the bookshelf, knocking out a small pink volume. She picked it up and set it on the table. "It's called, 'The Security and Protection of Equestria'. I remember you were worried about the Changelings."
"Yes." Minuette surrounded the book with blue magic as she levitated it in front of her. "I can be...a bit paranoid." She turned and trotted out the door. "I'll see you around." she said, then used her magic to close the door behind her.
Ditto sighed with relief and transformed back into a Changeling. She had been seeing a lot of Minuette, and she was worried that the blue Unicorn was getting suspicious of her as well. She had said that she could be paranoid.
BOOM!
Ditto was almost knocked backwards as the door was flung open with great force. Her eyes rolled for a bit before she could regain her wits. She found herself face-to-face with an angry Twilight Sparkle.
"DITTO!" Twilight yelled at her. "How DARE you!"
Ditto immediately knew that Twilight had indeed found out about her little adventure outside. "I-I... Twilight, please calm down!" she said quickly.
"You went outside! I told you not to go outside! Now you've probably gone to tell your little Changeling friends all about Ponyville! I trusted you, Ditto! You little monster!"
"I would never-" Ditto tried to get a word in, but Twilight just talked over her.
"I bet a group of Changelings is coming to Ponyville right now, about to attack us all! How could you, Ditto? After we were so nice to help you, you go and plan an invasion of Ponyville!" Twilight sighed and turned away from the Changeling, trotting back upstairs. Before she disappeared into the upstairs bedroom, she stopped. "I thought you were different, not like the other changelings, but I guess a changeling is a changeling."
The door slammed behind Twilight, and Ditto was left feeling forlorn on the first floor. She was surprised at how Twilight had reacted- she had been expecting to be thrown out the window or something. At the very least banished from Ponyville. She had even imagined Twilight vaporizing her with her magic, but all that happened was shouting.
And Ditto felt that was worse than any physical punishment. Now she was alone, nopony trusting her, lost in Ponyville and too hurt to find the swarm. And without the bits of love from Twilight and her friends, she would surely starve.
She had now lost all hope.
----
*clink*
Ditto slept in her bed, snoring softly. Her hooves folded under her head, pressing a pattern into her face because of the holes.
*clink*
Beside was 'Goldhoof the Magical and the Pegasus Race', left open from when she had been reading it earlier. All around her bed were the usual piles of books that she just read, tossed aside, then picked up a new one.
*clink*
The ink beside her bed, still there from when she had been writing her novel, twitched and sent a ripple pattern as there was a thump from downstairs.
*CLINK*
Ditto opened her purple eyes with alarm there was another bang from downstairs and a *clink* of glass. She stood to find the source of the noise. Scanning the room, she saw movement beside the window and the hoof clinked it again.
*clink*
It was the middle of the night. Who was knocking on the window? "Hello?" Ditto whispered.
"Ditto? Is that you?" came a whispered voice from outside.
How did this stranger know her name? "Who are you?"
"It's me, Carbon."
"Carbon?" Ditto gasped. She limped over and placed her hooves on the glass of the window, pushing it open. Once it was open enough, Ditto stepped back to let in the guest.
It was another changeling!
"Ditto, don't tell me you've been hiding out with ponies this whole time?" Carbon asked, landing softly beside her. "You're missing all the fun!"
"Carbon, but... how...why are you here?" Ditto managed eventually.
"Come on, Ditty!" Carbon grabbed Ditto's front hooves and flew out the window. "Let's go have some fun!"
"Carbon, don't!" Ditto gasped as she flew through the air above Ponyville. "We'll be seen!"
"Does it matter?" Carbon asked, flipping the purple-eyed Changeling and setting her safely on the ground. "Look around."
A rock dropped in Ditto's stomach as she looked around. There were Changelings everywhere, the whole swarm, flying around and chasing ponies. There was the odd scream as a Changeling gave chase to a pony, then it went silent for several seconds as it was gagged by green goop. With horror, she saw Pinkie Pie green-gooped to the ground. The earth pony was trying to bite a nearby Changeling, but he swooped away just in time.
"We're invading!" Double said happily, flapping his wings excitedly. "Why didn't you come back to the swarm after the attack on Canterlot?" he added.
"I was stranded." Ditto said, waving her broken leg and wincing as a jolt of pain hit it. Of course, she didn't mention that she had grown close to her captors; she had a feeling that the swarm wouldn't appreciate that fact.
"Oh well, it's not like we had trouble invading without you." Double flew off to taunt Ditzy Doo, who was attempting to fly away but another Changeling had her tail and was pulling her back.
"I have to stop this." Ditto said to herself. She limped as fast as she could back to the library. She had to wake up Twilight and have her help!
Suddenly, she was pinned to the ground. "Ya varmints! We'll get rid 'o you!" It was Applejack.
"Applejack, wait!" Ditto squirmed underneath the orange earth pony's hooves. "It's me! 'm on your side!"
"Really?" Applejack sounded doubtful. "Then why is there an invasion after Twilight told me ya sneaked yerself outside when she wasn't home?"
"It's not me who told them, I swear!" Ditto pleaded, "I'm just trying to go get help!"
Suddenly, there was a huge flash of light and silence fell.
"Woah nelly." Applejack murmured, and she stepped back, letting Ditto up. The Changeling saw the huge white form of Celestia flying above the town, her horn glowing.
Ditto raced to the upstairs bedroom of the library, ignoring the pain in her broken leg, to find Twilight awake and looking horrified. "You did tell then to come!" Twilight snapped at Ditto. "You betrayed us!"
"I swear I didn't, Twilight!' Ditto said, "I was trying to help the ponies!"
"Likely story!" Twilight growled. "I was dumb to ever trust you!"
Ditto stepped back as Twilight's horn began to glow. She closed her eyes. Here would come the vaporizing.
Then, suddenly, she was flying again. As she looked back, she saw that Celestia had flung all the Changelings from town, like Shining Armor and Princess Cadance had done the last time. The only thing Ditto was aware of was stabbing horror that she wouldn't be able to survive this fall.
And a book flew next to her.
Spellchecker and Prof-reader:Glitchhunter5000 (The Reviser/Suggester)