• Published 15th Sep 2016
  • 11,153 Views, 442 Comments

Spot That Changeling - Inspector Brown



Thorax and the Mane Six play a game where they try to figure out which of them is a changeling in disguise.

  • ...
20
 442
 11,153

Round 4

Even though Twilight’s instincts were right on the money in the previous round, she still felt nervous about this round. Although she was confident that Fluttershy was the changeling, Pinkie Pie cast the deciding vote before Twilight had a chance to explain herself. That scared her. What if, in this round, she expressed mere suspicion in somepony, and suddenly everypony jumped on her bandwagon? She could unknowingly end the round in Thorax’s favor before it even got started. She had to find a way to prevent that.

Twilight’s train of thought was interrupted when she felt a familiar claw tap her on the shoulder. She opened her eyes, and saw the rest of her friends still tapping their hooves on the table with their eyes closed. They had no idea Twilight had stopped. She turned, and saw Spike nod his head in affirmation. This round, Thorax would be replacing her.

Spike pointed to his eyes, then waved his two fingers in the direction of Thorax, bidding Twilight to make eye contact with him. She did so, and saw a small spark in his compound eyes. Then, magic rose around him like blue flames, changing his appearance almost instantly into an exact duplication of Twilight Sparkle herself. Twilight couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. Thankfully, the hoof clopping muffled her amused noise.

Twilight stepped down from her throne, and tiptoed over to Spike while Thorax took her place. Spike gently placed a claw on her neck, and escorted her to the double doors of the throne room. Once in the hall, Spike put a claw to his lips, reminding Twilight to be quiet. Unnecessary, Twilight thought, but whatever. Spike shut the doors. Twilight quickly found out that Rainbow had spoken the truth. She could hear everything in the throne room.

“Ready, set, Spot That Changeling!”

“Before we get started, I just want to say one thing,” Twilight heard Thorax say in her voice. “Pinkie, you should not have switched your vote like that. While I appreciate that you trust my judgement, I don’t want you following my instincts blindly, because I could be just as mistaken as anypony else. So, I would appreciate it if you let me explain my reasoning before you decide to agree with me.”

Twilight’s blood ran cold. That was exactly what she wanted to tell everypony right from the start. And Thorax said it exactly the way she would have said it herself. Could changelings read minds? No, that was silly. If he could have read Pinkie’s mind, he wouldn’t have been caught in the first round. But if it wasn’t mind-reading, then Twilight had to admit that Thorax was very perceptive.

“That makes sense, Twilight,” Pinkie Pie said. “I’ll try to do that in the future. Wait a minute, you’re not really Thorax, are you?”

“No, I’m not Thorax,” Thorax lied.

“Do you think that I’m Thorax?” Pinkie asked back.

“You might just be. But either way, what I said stands.”

It occurred to Twilight that Thorax’s plan was to say something wise and insightful at the top of the round, to make himself sound like the gentle sage her friends expected her to be. He was getting good at this game. Twilight was impressed and horrified at the same time.

“Let me pose a question to all of you,” Rarity interjected. “Do you think Thorax chose to replace somepony new this round? Or is he starting to revisit some of his previous victims?”

“I think he chose somepony new,” Pinkie said. “If I were Thorax, I’d want to get a good long look at everypony’s behavior before I tried to mimic the same pony again.”

“I don’t know if I agree,” Fluttershy said. “He was pretty upset that he didn’t win the last round. I think he’d try the same pony again, just to see if his plan would have worked.”

“Uh, Fluttershy,” said Applejack, “you realize that Thorax replaced you last round, right?”

“Well, um, yes, but I meant besides me,” Fluttershy answered. “I suspect he picked Rainbow Dash again.”

“No, Fluttershy, I am not the changeling,” Rainbow Dash said. “And to answer Rarity’s question, I think he chose somepony different, like maybe Twilight, or AJ, or you.” Twilight couldn’t see, but she suspected that by ‘you’, Rainbow meant Rarity.

“The way I see it,” Thorax said with Twilight’s voice, “it would be a sound strategy to pick somepony new. However, since it is in his best interest to be unpredictable, any good reason he has for picking a new victim is simultaneously a good reason not to pick a new victim. Therefore, I cannot safely eliminate anypony at this table.”

He’s biding his time, Twilight thought. He doesn’t want to accuse anyone too early, lest the heat fall on him. I hope somepony notices he dodged Rarity’s question. I think he’s trying to muddy the issue. As she thought through Thorax’s plan, Twilight felt the corner of her mouth tense up.

“For what it’s worth, I have not been the changeling once since we started,” Applejack said. “I think I ought to be insulted by that, but I don’t know what’s going on in that critter’s head.”

“You didn’t answer my question, Applejack,” Rarity said. “By the way, I do believe Thorax would pick a new victim. More specifically, I think you are the changeling!”

Uh-oh, Twilight worried. That’s just the opening he needs!

“I am not the changeling.” Applejack said plainly.

“If it’s not you,” Rarity countered, “then who is it? Do you think he’s impersonating somepony he already impersonated?”

“Okay, I believe he did pick a new victim for this round,” said Applejack. “I know that implicates myself, but I don’t mean myself.”

“Then who do you mean?” Rarity pressed. “Surely you don’t mean Twilight?”

“Well, I don’t rightly know, maybe I do,” Applejack said. “Twilight, are you the changeling?”

“No, I’m not the changeling,” Thorax lied, cool as a cucumber.

“Tell me the truth, do you think Thorax chose a new victim?”

“I could easily be wrong,” Thorax said, “but going by my gut instinct, I think Thorax did choose a new victim for this round.”

What an unusual gambit, Twilight thought. He’s honestly admitting the possibility that he replaced me, and he’s counting on his frankness to cast some suspicion off himself, even though the words he’s actually speaking make him sound more suspicious. Ooh, he is diabolical!

“Wait a minute!” Pinkie Pie interrupted. “Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity all think that Thorax replaced either Twilight, Applejack, or Rarity. That means that whichever one of them is Thorax just admitted that one of them is Thorax. But Thorax would never admit that, because he’d want to try and fool us! But it makes so much sense for him to do that! But it doesn’t make any sense at all!” Pinkie moaned like a banshee. “I don’t want to play this game anymore!” she whined. “It makes my brain hurt!”

“Well,” Rainbow said, “I guess we can safely eliminate Pinkie Pie. Not that I suspected her to begin with, but you know. Okay, let’s try this again. Twilight, are you the changeling?”

“No.”

“Out of Applejack or Rarity, who do you think is more likely to be the changeling?”

“Rarity did start us on this line of questioning, so I think it’s her.”

“Okay, Applejack, are you the changeling?”

“Nope.”

“Out of Twilight or Rarity, who is more likely to be the changeling?”

“I’m convinced it’s Rarity. She did jump on me for not answering her question.”

“Now, Rarity, are you the changeling?”

“I most certainly am not.”

“Out of Twilight or AJ, who is?”

“I still think it’s Applejack.”

“Why?” Rainbow pressed.

“I think her comment about not being replaced was a little forced.”

“I don’t believe you,” Rainbow said. “I’m convinced you’re the changeling.”

“I wasn’t sure before,” Thorax said, “but now I’m convinced it’s Rarity.”

That was three votes for Rarity, who was not the changeling. One more, and Thorax would win this round. It really hurt to think that her friends could be so easily fooled by an impostor. And yet, she couldn’t help but smile at his brilliance.

“Well,” Fluttershy spoke up meekly, “I believe Applejack’s comment was genuine, so I’m going to vote for Rarity too.”

Rarity groaned and grunted with irritation. “Fluttershy, darling, you know I love you, but I am so very upset that you cost us the point!”

“Sorry, Rarity,” Spike said. “But that’s four votes against you. Now, we shall see whether Fluttershy did in fact cost you the point.”

As Spike walked back to the double doors, Twilight found herself standing up straighter, and tilting her head just so, like she was posing to have her portrait taken. Spike opened the doors wide.

“Surprise!” Twilight sing-songed as she was revealed.

The whole room burst out with a mixture of emotion. Pinkie Pie whined, and slammed her head on the table. Fluttershy slouched in her throne, and hid behind her mane. Rainbow Dash screamed “What?” in a very angry tone. Rarity gasped at Twilight, while Applejack just stared with pin-prick eyes.

Thorax, for his part, cackled mightily with Twilight’s laugh, and cheered his victory. “All hail the Princess of Deception!” Suddenly, all five of them turned and stared daggers at Thorax. He dropped his glamour and smiled sheepishly. “Hey, hey, take it easy, girls. It’s just a game, remember?”

Twilight made her way back to her throne. “If my friends don’t feel like saying it, then I will. Thorax, you played that round expertly, and I’m very proud of you.”

Thorax smiled at Twilight. Then, he immediately hissed and flicked his tongue out. Twilight jumped back in alarm.

“Sorry,” Thorax apologized. “Old habits are hard to break.”

“Tell me about it,” Twilight mused as she resumed her place.

“Thorax wins this round,” Spike announced, “and we are tied once again. Next round starts…”

“No!” Pinkie Pie protested. “No more mind games! I’ve had all I can take, and I don’t want to play anymore!”

“But you can’t quit now!” Rarity said. “The game’s finally starting to get interesting!”

“But it’s so har-ar-ard!” Pinkie whined. “How am I supposed to tell who’s a changeling and who’s not just by asking ‘are you the changeling’? All of you are only going to give me the same answer!”

“That’s true,” Applejack said, “but only one of us is lying. Ponies, and changelings, always act differently when they’re lying than when they’re telling the truth. You just got to go with your gut.”

“But how do I know for certain if my gut is right?”

“You don’t!” was all Applejack had to say.

Pinkie Pie straightened up in her chair, and puffed a few breaths. “Okay, that works for me.” Pinkie Pie shut her eyes and started to make the “night noise” with her hooves. The rest of them just shrugged, and did the same.