Twilight Sparkle was restless.
She squirmed uneasily in front of a pile of dusty tomes. She flicked them open with her magic one by one, but could barely stay focused on any one of them. At the end, she simply smacked the topmost book with her hooves, then rested her tired head on it.
Like a bull in a china shop, suspicion rampaged savagely across her head.
Spike.
She raised her head ever so slightly, and thought with narrowed eyes. What happened to him exactly?
To her, it all began one morning. It should be a run-of-the-mill observation of the night sky. However, her number one assistant seemed to have changed overnight.
Although Princess Celestia used to hint at her less-than-stellar social skills, this fact did not escape her eyes. She had been his caretaker for so long. It was as obvious as a cream pie in the face.
Obvious lapse in memory about things that he should know by heart, coupled with the occasional strange remarks. Gone were the irritating but also endearing antics, and the clumsy but also adorable helpfulness.
He was now courteous but very cautious, even his steps looked reserved. He still was her responsible assistant, bordering on impeccable even, even offering surprisingly sharp insights that help her through certain research questions.
Obviously tired by his daytime work, he still elected to sneak to the balcony at night, looking up to the sky instead of sleeping more, for reasons that he never explained clearly - because he always had a deviously smooth way to divert her queries to other topics.
Regardless, he still professed great fondness of her, as he liked to remind her so frequently that it embarrassed her. However, when she peeked at him when he was alone, he always seemed so grave, sporting an ashen expression whenever he turned away from her gaze. Not even the most sullen old professor in the School for Gifted Unicorns was so grim.
It simply... felt weird. It was like her family had been replaced with a kind but enigmatic stranger. Be he even more helpful and understanding, that foreignness still seeped through his every action and every word, plaguing her mind.
What happened to her Spike? Or, was he really her Spike?
She could not quite point it out bluntly to his face, as he was always so polite and eager to please. She was about to ask him directly before he left for Canterlot, but when she groggily looked at his youthful face and smile, her heart softened again.
She cursed herself for merely postponing the problem and letting her doubt fester. However, now that Spike was away from her, it presented her with a unique opportunity to gather witnesses and garner their impressions. Even though she suspected the purple dragon, she would still feel bad if the kindly young drake realized her skepticism, and more so if it turned out to be a big misunderstanding.
"Why's she still not here? I told her to come at five, didn't I?"
She looked uneasily to the clock, and then trotted down to the entrance impatiently. She yanked open the door, and up came a startled pegasus.
"Eeep!" The yellow mare trotted back in fearful reflex.
Twilight widened her eyes. "F- Fluttershy? Oh dear, I was about to go out and look for you!"
Fluttershy collected herself and lowered her head. "I'm sorry, um, Twilight. My animals were a bit nervier than usual today, so I spent more time to..."
Twilight simply breathed out. "It's fine, come on in."
The pegasus nodded, and followed Twilight into the library. Twilight then waved her to a corner and sat herself and Fluttershy down.
"So Fluttershy." Twilight began plainly. "Do you remember why I invite you here today?"
Fluttershy's ears flickered. "Um... You want to ask something about... Spike, don't you?"
The purple mare breathed in sharply, and decidedly nodded.
The yellow pegasus, however, was a bit quizzical. "Twilight, not that I would question your judgment... But I don't quite understand what I would know more about him than you. I have only met him a moon ago, but you've been with him much longer than that."
Twilight knitted her brows. "No, Fluttershy. Your opinion would be very helpful, because I think that Spike has changed all of a sudden."
Fluttershy tilted her head. "... Changed?"
The purple mare placed her hooves on the pile of books on the floor, sighed, and began to explain her suspicions and doubts to Fluttershy one by one.
Fluttershy frowned lightly. She did not directly address or repeat Twilight's claim, but rather she asked. "So... it all began the morning after you and Spike stargazed?"
"Yes."
"Nothing unusual happened that night, right?"
Twilight shook her head ardently. "I have checked and rechecked the workflow that very night dozens of times! It's exactly the same as every stargazing session as we had before... Setting up the telescope, starchart and tables, sketching the shifting of constellations... Well, apart from the appearance of a small purple comet at the horizons. But comets that are unaccounted for in star charts are dimes a dozen, and we've seen those many times before."
"Hmm..." Fluttershy let out a perplexed sigh.
"Fluttershy, I asked you to come because you seem to have spent considerable time with Spike both before and after that morning."
"E- Eh? Have we?"
"Of course! For example, the impromptu fire pit party in your backyard, remember? You saw him sing to your animals, and then you two chatted alone for a while before we came. And before that morning, Spike sometimes helped me deliver books to your cottage... And you two talked for quite a while when you first met, no?"
"Oh, yes, now I remember."
Twilight immediately pressed on. "So what exactly did you see or hear back then?"
Fluttershy looked up in thought, and muttered. "Hmm. Spike was being a very nice dragon in general. Before you all came, he sang some more songs-"
"What songs?"
Fluttershy was slightly startled by Twilight's intense inquiry, she gulped, then fidgeted in silence. It caused the impatient purple mare to stand up and abruptly lean forward. "Say it, Fluttershy! What songs?!"
The timid yellow mare recoiled and shuddered. Only then Twilight realized her overly harsh tone, and sighed resignedly. "I- I'm very sorry, Fluttershy. I didn't mean to shout at you."
"I... I understand. Um... You're just very worried about Spike. I get agitated when my animals get sick as well."
Fluttershy let out a small breath, and said with some red face. "When I arrived, he was singing a song... teasing me a- and Harry. B- But we're just friends, really!"
Twilight blinked. "Harry...?"
"He's a woodland friend of mine. He's a bear living near the cottage."
Twilight touched a hoof to her chin. Teasing other ponies so frivolously? She thought, this... is quite like Spike, actually. So he can indeed joke around carelessly. Am I really too paranoid?
Fluttershy then remembered longingly. "And then he sang more songs about distant travels. He sang of lands so wild; of peoples so strange; of love so sweet, and of heartbreak so glum... He sang about silent valleys, melancholic marshes, chilly ice plains, and snow-covered pine trees. It's so wonderful, and that's why my animals and I were a bit startled when you girls finally came."
She chuckled. "It's like those moving bardic tales from the olden days of pegasi. He must be very well-traveled, doesn't he?"
Twilight straightened with wide eyes, confusion evident in her tone. "W- Well-traveled? Huh? I... I don't think Spike's particularly well-traveled. We lived most of our lives in Canterlot, and he mostly stayed by my side as an assistant."
"Oh... Then, he must have a very creative mind and active imagination. His telling of stories through songs really brought them to life."
"Hum..."
Fluttershy then added. "Um, if you must say there's anything strange... He seemed to have spent a lot of time thinking what kind of songs to sing, and he shook his head all the time. Besides, he even stopped mid-song several times."
"Huh..."
Twilight took in the observation with knitted brows, and then cautiously asked. "I see. So Fluttershy, I ask of you. Do you think that, in your honest opinion, Spike acted differently when you first met him, compared to now?"
Fluttershy frowned, as she seemed to be deep in thought. "... I... I'm not sure. He looks somewhat more gloomy recently, but..."
"But?"
"I think there is another possible rea-"
A loud thunder cut off the shy mare's words, and caused her to recoil in fear again. Twilight immediately held the pegasus in her embrace, and looked out of the window - a large storm had begun outside the treehouse. "Gosh, I forgot about today's scheduled downpour. Fluttershy, have you boarded up your own cottage?"
"I- I did. I made sure everything's held tight and every animal friend of mine is in safe places before I came."
"Okay then. Excuse me for a real quick check around the lib-"
Her words were again interrupted, this time by some frantic knocking at the door. Twilight sighed, and trotted quickly towards the door. To her shock, the full array of her five new friends stood in front of the entrance, all looking positively disheveled.
The purple mare gasped, and immediately waved them inside the house, slamming the door tight against the strong winds. "W- What's the matter, girls? Why are you-"
"I am bucked to the ground by some stupid newbie in the weather team! Now my hooves and wings hurt as hay, and I'm out for the rest of the day!"
Rainbow Dash promptly complained. A tattered leaf fell out of her multi-colored mane, while she massaged her hoof woefully.
Twilight winced. "Do you need some bandage or...?"
"Nah, I'll live. I had some... cushion. " Rainbow Dash tutted, then said with a vexed tone. "I'm so going to grill the backside of that... whoshisname... after I-"
Twilight cautioned. "At least after you've got yourself checked in the hospital, Rainbow Dash. Falling from a great height is no joke, even for a pegasus."
"Okay, fine, nanny."
Rainbow Dash flexed her wings drolly, but immediately let out a squawk of pain.
The purple mare rolled her eyes, then turned her gaze to Rarity and Applejack. They looked at each other, and the orange earth pony began. "Rarity and I were prunin' branches nearby as volunteers, when Rainbow Dash came crashin' down into the tree we're tendin' to."
"Applejack is right, darling. We're discussing how best to prune the tree in the town square, but since she won't agree to my carefully arranged way of-"
"Hang on now. It's only because of your prissiness, the rain came down before we prune one single branch-"
"Pardon? I'm not being prissy by trying to do things the careful way-"
Twilight's eyes twitched again. She switched off and directly skipped to Pinkie, who was holding a giant package on her hooves with the biggest grin she'd ever seen. The box was so big that it partially obscured her face, and it even had a little umbrella of its own on the top.
"What about you, Pinkie? Why are you also here... and so messy?"
"I was delivering a package, when Dashie fell from the tree and onto me! When I saw that she was about to crush the package, I was like, 'Whoa, that will not do!', cuz the package is ultra rare sugar-sprinkled chocolate-fudged-coated super special-"
"A bit more concise, Pinkie."
"Okay! So I pushed away the package but I didn't step away in time, so Dashie fell onto to me and that's why there are branches in my mane!"
Twilight was surprised that the motormouth pink mare could indeed give a short yet informative summary, and she nodded minutely. "Well, at least you're not injured... So where're you delivering this package to, if it's okay for you to tell?"
Pinkie's grin became even bigger as if it was physically possible.
"Surprise! Ta-da! It's right here!"
She promptly lowered the package to the ground, and opened it with uncharacteristic care. It was then revealed to be a very delicately-designed multi-layered cake, consisting of colors of all kinds. In the middle were the six equine figures, and upon more careful look, each of them seemed to represent each of the present ponies. Even the arguing duo of fashionista and farmer turned and looked with interest.
Applejack asked. "Whoa nelly, why did you make such a big pretty cake, sugarcube?"
Rarity nodded. "Yes, Pinkie. This cake looks marvelous! What's it for?"
Rainbow Dash added. "Yeah, is there anything special today that I missed?"
"Nopony is missing anything! I've just received a special order from the Golden Oak Library for this very special custom-made cake! And wow, I didn't even look at the weather schedule because Mrs. Cake and I spent a whole day making this one single lovely ginormous super-tasty cake celebrating our new friendship!"
Twilight widened her eyes. "Wait, Pinkie. I don't recall ordering any cake from the Sugarcube Corner!"
Pinkie Pie quickly said with a grin. "Easy peasy! That's because Spi-"
The pink earth pony suddenly push her right hoof into her own mouth in an abrupt motion, but the critical syllable had already been uttered.
"S- Spike?" Twilight's jaw dropped somewhat.
"Whoops, I said it aloud, didn't I?"
"Tell. Me. Everything." Twilight glared at Pinkie with a steely face.
"... The cat is out of the bag, isn't it?" Pinkie kept on grinning, but she was visibly slightly unnerved by her friend's interrogative tone. "H- He sold off his stash of gems and ordered this one giant cake for you before he left. He specifically requested the bestest cream, flour, milk, jams, fruits... um... everything for this cake! So it costed a pretty bit!"
"Aw, he's so sweet." Fluttershy smiled.
Rarity raised her brows. "Pinkie, you said he sold his gems?"
"Yup! Even the red rubies that he used to say he was reserving for very special occasion... which I guess this is the special occasion he's talking about!"
Rarity was surprised, and Twilight also did not look at all happy. The purple mare lowly muttered. "What did he say? How's today in anyway special?"
"Ehehe, I might've blabbed about Spike's name, but I Pinkie Promised him that I won't tell that to anypony... Not even you, Twilight!"
"Pinkie! I need to know that, now!"
"No way José!"
"My name is not José! And Pinkie, you have to-"
Pinkie, however, ignored Twilight's protest, and simply continued. "Spike trusted his secret to me, and losing a friend's trust is the fastest way to lose a friend..."
She extended her eerily elastic neck towards Twilight and gasped. "Forever!"
Twilight bit hard. She looked at the giant cake, and for a moment a dark thought crept up on her mind. Eventually, she elected not to ruin the hard work of the pink pony and her boss, and merely grunted. "... You're doing this for your friend, huh? I'm doing this for family!"
Pinkie's eyes went round, and Applejack immediately asked. "What's wrong with ya family, sugarcube?"
This time, Twilight forwent her reservation and repeated her worries and concern in one uninterrupted go. By the end of her impassioned speech, her friends all froze on the spots and looked at her with astonishment.
Pinkie was the first to speak. Her expression was no longer mirthful or humorously dire; rather, she looked right into Twilight's eyes with a very serious look. "Twilight, that mystery you talked about aside, Spike has words for you on the cake."
The purple mare sharply turned. "But didn't you say-"
"He gave me a super-secret escape hatch from the Pinkie Promise. He said if you reacted badly to the cake, then I can tell you why he ordered it and what's so special about it."
"T- Tell me right away!"
"... The truth is, it's really nothing special. He just wants to give thanks to your care and let us all have a good time when he's away. He actually didn't want me to talk about him at all, because he didn't want to make this girls-only occasion somehow about himself."
She let out a sad smile. "I was to gather everypony after I dropped the cake at your door. I thought that it's my lucky day when everypony is already around here. But, heh, I've blabbed his name out of excitement and ruined it, kinda."
Twilight frowned. He was again showing the consideration and thoughtfulness she never saw in the old Spike. This both warmed her heart and troubled her, because it served to highlight her suspicion even more.
Rarity sighed and spoke. "Darling, I can't help but share some of your concern for Spikey-wikey."
"Rarity?"
"I too think that he is... acting a bit weird recently."
Twilight was strangely relieved that someone else confirmed her suspicion, and she said hurriedly. "Do tell, Rarity!"
"Relax, darling. It's nothing too out of ordinary... It's just that he's grown... how should I put it... a bit aloof."
"How?" Not only Twilight, but the other mares in the room also felt surprised. Spike's infatuation for Rarity had been so obvious, it came as a shock to hear that he gave his crush a cold shoulder.
"Now, now, I don't mean to demean Spikey-wikey, and he still helped me out whenever I called for his help. It's just that he was no longer-"
"Fawning all over you and worshiping you at your hooves?" Rainbow Dash teased.
"I- I don't- That's not what I meant!"
Rarity's face reddened somewhat. "He's been a perfect gentledrake recently... So perfect that he looked unreal sometimes. I also thought that he was saving up the gems for a going-out with me later, since I overheard him muttering to himself a while ago."
Fluttershy tugged at the purple mare and said. "Twilight, this is the other reason I was going to tell you earlier. I noticed that he was a bit, um, rigid in front of Rarity, and he..."
The yellow pegasus gave the white unicorn a timid glance, but she still said. "He might be transitioning-"
"I don't believe this is the reason. Rather, it's another symptom. Gems are his life, and giving them up just like that should be unthinkable for him! More importantly, one doesn't just disengage from a hopeless crush cold-turkey without acting all up! "
"What, do you have any personal experience to speak from?" Rainbow Dash joked.
Twilight's face grew red as an apple. "I- I- no, but still! That's commonsensical, right?!"
She crossed her hooves, and said through gritted teeth. "That's about enough evidence for me to conclude that he is not the same Spike I brought with me from Canterlot."
The assembled mares gasped. Fluttershy looked particularly disconcerted. "B- But Twilight, who else could he be?"
"I was pondering all possibilities when I was doing literature research in my library."
Twilight elevated a thick book in front of her with her telekinesis. It was written in archaic Equestrian, titled 'Proſcribed Enemyes of þe Kyngdom'.
"After he left, I've been looking for things that could've changed somepony or someone overnight, and I've come into this book by accident. In it many villains and enemies that once plagued the Kingdom of Equestria were recorded by royal decree."
She flipped open the book and stayed precisely on one page. "This is what caught my eyes."
The five other mares rubbernecked. Applejack muttered. "Changelings... whoa, what a terrifying critter, stealing love, draining them empty and such."
Pinkie gasped. "They could've changed into anypony-"
Twilight interjected. "Not just anypony, but anyone."
Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes. "Twi, you can't be saying that..."
"I'm not a boastful pony, but it's a fact that we're bearers of the Elements of Harmony, targets to take down if someone plots to attack Equestria. And what's a better way to attack if the attacker poses as someone that we love and trust?"
Both Pinkie and Fluttershy spoke up at once. "Spike's not a spy!"
Recovering from the oddly stereo experience, Twilight said lowly. "Changelings are known to play to the emotions and needs of people around them to further their purpose... at least to steal love from them."
Fluttershy sighed. "I cannot and do not believe the Spike that chatted and sang to my animals was out to steal love and had bad intention of any kind. If he wanted to harm us, he had plenty of opportunities to do so."
Pinkie fervently nodded. "Spike really totes loves you, Twilight! He's so careful when he read over the ingredient list, nopony ever did that! And no one in Equestria can fake that kind of genuine smile!"
Doubts about her own suspicion again resurfaced. And he's not entirely forgetful about our past as well, she wincingly thought. Plus he's arguably become an even more enthusiastic and helpful assistant. The book doesn't say how perfect changelings can imitate their target, but this Spike can indeed breathe both regular and magical fire. I... I must've sounded a bit harsh and paranoid, but he... he is still not the Spike I knew, is he?
Applejack said to the purple mare, who was disturbed by clear inner turmoil. "Well sugarcube, there's no need to jump to conclusions yet. Let us find a way to actually test him when he's back."
Rainbow Dash grinned. "Yeah Twi, aren't you all for science and testing and such? If so, then shine a light on his face with your magical doohickey or other egghead ways. Way better than to play trial in absence here."
Twilight said with some unease. "B- But he's now in Canterlot, right next to Princess Celestia! What if he really is a changeling spy? He could've-"
"I say, darling, there's no use panicking here and now."
Rarity sighed. "If anything happens in Canterlot, we can do little anyway, unless we can somehow blast our way into where Princess Celestia stores the Elements. I think we should put trust in the Princesses and the Royal Government's ability to deal with any crisis."
Fluttershy quickly added emphatically. "Besides, I'm still not convinced that Spike's a spy or in any way plotting to harm us."
Applejack said diplomatically. "Well, it depends on how it turns out when we go test him."
Twilight nodded slowly. "You're right. Anyway, girls, since this storm is not going anywhere, why don't you stay for a while and help me craft the best possible way to uncover his façade... that is, if he really is a phony, changeling or otherwise?"
Rainbow Dash immediately nodded with glee, eager to play a game of detective. However, others were less enthusiastic. Especially Fluttershy, who looked positively dejected, as well as Pinkie, who could barely hold her smile.
The yellow pegasus suddenly raised her head and pleaded. "Twilight, can you promise me he won't be harmed even if he tu- turns out to be..."
Twilight heavily breathed out. "It's too early to talk about this sort of things. Even if he's a fake, he's on very good behavior otherwise, ordering us a cake and whatnot. I won't harm him unless he did something hurtful to my Spike."
The group fell into an uneasy silence. Eventually, the pink mare scratched her puffy mane and said with a shaky grin. "Hey everypony! Whether the Spike we talk and play with these days is really Spike or not, we still need to eat! And this cake is still a very tasty cake, be it ordered by a real deal or a fake!"
A loud groan emitted from Twilight's belly, causing her to blush slightly. "P- Pinkie's right. If the storm doesn't stop, we all might need to spend the night here, and we'd need to have dinner... Um girls, stay here and I'll grab some plates, and possibly cook something up as well."
As she trotted towards the kitchen, she gave one last glance to the blurred visage of Canterlot on the far horizon outside the window.
So I finally spilled it all. I only hope this ends well.
She shook her head to shake away the miring thoughts, and simply walked on.