The last thing connecting Chip and Twilight broke. Everything around changed. He felt like… Like a drop of oil, one that got flung into a sea at high speed. He pierced this environment, full of swirling energies, somehow remaining himself. The entirety of the unknown kept pressure on his mental self – it was being squeezed so tightly he didn’t know what was happening or where he was…

That state might have lasted for a very long time… Or just a second. An eternity passed before Chip left the ocean, breaking a barrier into another world altogether.

It was him. Whatever was before here him, he had no clue. It felt like his whole self was here all along. He saw the images of his past, the voices and sensations as clear as day. Somewhere, on the edge of his senses, he could tell that Twilight was still there, in that other place that could not be described with regular three dimensions.

All in all, the transition wasn’t that scary. Apart from the confusion in the sea of thoughts, and compared to all that so far happened to them, this was even pleasurable. He was alone. Comfortable, safe… And alone… Almost alone… No, it wasn’t Twilight… There was…

The spell broke off. Chip blinked rapidly until his brain finally started properly relaying his five senses to him – he was hugging a warm body, felt the smell of perspiration, his mouth was dry and he heard panting. Only his eyes displeased him – as they focused, Chip saw a silver coat and white mane, pressed against his purple torso. The spell did nothing. All that work left them where they were at the start.

“Chip?” asked a voice from below. The changeling looked into the face of Wub, who still contained the mind of Twilight.

“I’m here. Still in your body,” sighed Chip, frowning. “The spell did nothing. We have to find another way…”

“No,” said Twilight slowly. She raised her hoof and started touching him, seeking something. She finally stopped on his muzzle. Eyes still closed tightly shut, she smiled faintly, running her hoof down his chin. “I think it did exactly what we wanted it to.”

“No… I am still you, and you are still me. How is that supposed to ‘be working’?”

“I think… I think that it is our fault, not the spell’s. Look. When I first cast the spell, I saw a crossroads – one to a horrible place of many voices, the other one was where I met you.”

“Horrible place? What do you mean? There were no voices there.”

“What? Oh… You mean there was no gate? Then-”

“There was a gate. But that place was a good one. It was the hive mind, a place I thought I had lost quite some time ago…”

Twilight went silent for a moment, eyes darting around under her eyelids. She wasn’t shaking as much now – her mind was wholly focused at this riddle, the one she was really close to solving.

“So there was a gate… Figures that we would have different views on how our minds look… Yeah, it makes sense. Regardless,” she jerked her face upwards, “the spell did the same thing, twice. When I first cast it, I was at a crossroads. The second time around. There were no crossroads, and you appeared a bit later, kind of blended into me… So, each time, it was the pony that was the one to enter. Enter the changeling.”

“What makes you think the changeling body is the host?”

“Well… Think about it. Changelings feed on emotions. Our minds, who we are… Emotions, thoughts, they define us. Spirits… It’s silly I even say this… As a scientist… Pff… Anyway, we have to accept what we experienced.  Two times, it was the pony mind that was drawn in…”

“But I’m a changeling. How could I be drawn into you?”

“Huh… Your mind didn’t exactly feel like a changeling… That other place, sure, it was alien… And scary… But your mind, it is more like mine… And we did manage to have that connection that allowed us to split apart…”

“Uhum…” nodded Chip. There might be something to this weird reasoning…

“So, continuing. This other place. The one we saw, the one you came to. Did you reach it?”

“Uhh… Yeah, I did.”

“…And?” urged Twilight?

“… It’s hard to describe. As if I swam through a sort of… lake or something… And straight into a cave.”

“What was in the cave?”

“Umm… Me. My thoughts, my memories…”

“Yes, that makes sense… Yea, I think I got it. When you left me, the images solidified for me. I could clearly see and feel I was alone. That I was the sole inhabitant of that… Place… Space… Whatever… Almost as if you never were there in the first place.”

“What are you getting at?” cautiously asked Chip. He had a sneaking suspicion of what he was about to hear. And he was kind of right.

“Those spaces – those are our bodies. We can see and feel them. The spell, when cast on a changeling, draws the pony inside. By itself, it should just share the memories of ponies, awaken them, bring them out… Changeling’s by nature take that all away, so I got sucked in… And we got cramped into your mind, melded together… Then, when I tried to open that gate thingy… I got blown away. Did you feel that too?”

“Y-Yeah… I think so… Something did launch me away from my… My space.”

“So, we got disconnected,” continued the mare, allowing herself another faint smile. “And then found our ways into each other’s bodies! That means… If we can cast that spell again… If this time you stay and I move… Everything will be alright!”

“Are you sure Twilight?” asked a concerned Chip. He felt really tired by now – be it because of the whole mind mumbo-jumbo or the late hour… He didn’t exactly feel like experimenting anymore.

Contrary to Twilight, who was still being prodded into action by the sickening hunger she felt. The sooner she left it behind as a memory that she would try hard to forget, the better.

“Y-… I think so. I…” she sighed. “You don’t want to do this?”

“… I don’t know,” admitted the changeling, turning away. He was a pony once before, and it was surprising, to say the least. But here and now, there was no hunger, no smells… He felt weaker and confused by the movements of his body, and there were parts of him he didn’t understand or feel correctly… But…

“I… If you aren’t ready… W-We’ll wait.” The mare let her head rest upon his chest. Chip didn’t know how, but he knew she was let down. She didn’t want to wait.

“… Let’s do it,” he said, closing his eyes and lowering his head to touch hers.

“We can wait, really. No problem…”

“I said – let’s do it.”

Straight for the empty place, unwelcoming place; where Twilight probably was.

Together again. They focused on splitting, tugging away from each other as images and sounds aligned. Calm. Methodical.

They were hanging by a thread now. Twilight was shifting, like oil on the surface of water, in the direction of the empty space that was her original body.

Any last words? said more Twilight than Chip.

See you soon, replied more Chip than Twilight.

She bounced off him, severing the thread by which they were connected.

Then it all shifted. The images were his again. The memories, smells, feelings. They felt complete now… More than before. Things that he didn’t notice were missing started popping up – smells were complemented by his usual changeling senses, granting him insight into the emotions of ponies in the images. This felt like being at home, finally, after a long journey. He fit here like a glove.

The colt looked through his mind’s eye in the direction where Twilight’s body was supposed to be… Something was amiss… It wasn’t empty anymore, that was true… But a… A kind of stir rose around that non-place…

Chip woke up. The spell lifted. It never felt so good to be in a body – every muscle, every piece of skin and hair welcomed back their rightful ruler. It was like a giant celebration that started near the tip of his tail and went in ripples all the way up, to the end of his horn.

A content smile got erased from his lips as he looked up into the eyes of Twilight. Something was off. Why was she shaking?

“Twi? Twi!” He shook her as her eyes shifted up and into her head.

Twilight was in her body. But it was tainted. Something… Someone else was here.

This is my body! said the Twilight and entity in unison. There was hostility, a lot of it. Despair. Determination. And a lot of sorrow. Who was it?!

I saw it first, it is mine now! they yelled, violently stirring in the maelstrom of thoughts and images. It was chaos, just like the first time Chip and Twilight merged. This was even scarier than that. This was an alien being, she was sure of that. The fuzzy scenes that played all around were dark and caused the mare grief.

Who are you?! This is my body, I live here!

No! It was empty! I found it! I have been looking for so long! MINE! MINE!

As each word struck with the force of a hammer, Twilight felt being pushed away. It was not the tugging of being willingly separate – it was a sensation of being squeezed away, like toothpaste in a tube. The mare and entity felt panic and even more determination. She/He wanted this body. Only the reasons didn’t align.

GET OUT! thundered the thing, almost knocking Twilight away. It was strong, Twilight felt week. Little by little, the distinction was becoming visible – images popped into view, ones that were but shadows, swimming in dark places that would make the mind burn out.

“…Twilight!”

That came from outside. It was a voice that came for Twilight. It was Chip.

GET OUT! The thing hammered again and again, keeping the mare at the edge of an imaginary bubble. She was on the surface of the space that belonged to her. It was hers.

“…Twilight!”

The mare bounced on the surface of her body. For a brief second, she was again in the sea of energies, hard pressed into a mental bubble. Then, she dove, like a bullet, biting hard into her body.

NO! yelled more Twilight than the entity. She was weak, it was strong. But Twilight had a purpose. Her friends. The Princess… And Chip. She wouldn’t let this thing be close to her friend. No, she would not give up after what he did for her.

GET OUT!bellowed the mare, pushing the entity. It was slippery, it bent and twisted. The mare felt she was in the center of it, surrounded by the being’s existence. She was being crushed.

NO! thundered the librarian. She pushed, ‘growing’ herself into the space that was her body. The entity was trying to prevent it, but any point that it chose to attack from Twilight immediately countered with unrelenting pressure. Now, the thing was on the run.

LEAVEEEEE! shouted Twilight, retreating for just a second and following up with something… Something of a haymaker. A mental blow, wild and strong, full of purpose… Her whole essence was focused into that single wave of mental energy. And it worked.

With an inaudible plop, the intruder was gone. He was never there. Twilight was whole, and it felt… Right. Things that she didn’t notice in Chip’s body started appearing – the images were complemented by what her body felt at the moment, including taste…

Chip was panicking now. The mare was breathing and stopped jerking erratically a few moments ago, but her eyes would not open up. What should he do?

The books in his head didn’t help. How does one snap a pony out of something like… This? Was she even in there? Did she manage to get into her body?... What if she missed? Would she get lost in the sea? Oh, dear Celestia, please let her be alright… If he only knew the spell! He would draw her in, back where she could be safe… So stupid! It was his fault! His stupid fault for being a changeling… By nature he had to disappoint or hurt those he cared about!

“Chip…”

Yes, that was the name of the trash. The defect. The disappointment…

“Chip…”

That word should be banned. Yes, he would forget it, drop it. He didn’t have the right to have a name. Ponies have names. Changelings don’t. No, drones don’t. He was a drone. A big, bulky, broken down-

Something touched his face. A hoof. He looked down at it. Purple coat. Followed by a purple shoulder… Neck… Muzzle, slightly grimacing… And two purple eyes. One was slightly closed. Both of them had life inside. A spark, hidden deep beneath flesh and bone, stored in a place that didn’t even exist in this realm.

“We’re home…” she whispered, smiling weakly.

That was a terrible pun...So why was he crying with joy