//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12: Family and Friends 
// Story: Smoke and Mirrors 
// by TeaPartyCannon 
//------------------------------//

“Hey, hey Mirror! Rise and shine, sleepyhead!” A familiar voice called out, breaking through the thin veil of sleep clouding Mirror’s mind and rousing her into consciousness.

Mirror slowly opened her eyes, her body feeling more relaxed than it had been since before the invasion. The bright sunlight fractured in her eyes, and she could see her black, hole-filled hooves in front of her. She let out a soft sigh.

I’m still a changeling, that’s good. Did the Elements work, then? She wondered. She looked up and saw High-General Double smiling down at her, the small changeling’s hoof held out in front of her. Mirror took it, and Double helped her get back on all four hooves. She smiled gratefully at her superior.

“Thanks, High-General. What happened?” Mirror asked.

“Oh, nothing much. See for yourself.” Double said, gesturing with her hoof to the town square.

Mirror looked around to see that most changelings were still waking up from their slumber. Double and Carbon were both awake, though Carbon still laid on the ground, acknowledging nothing but the remnants of his horn. Mirror looked away from him to Queen Chrysalis and Princess Celestia, both of which were slowly picking themselves up off the ground. Lastly, she looked at the six bearers of the Elements of Harmony, who were slowly waking up as well. 

Across the square, Twilight picked herself up and shook the drowsiness from her mind. She looked over to her friends to make sure they were okay. Her eyes were drawn to Applejack as she slowly picked herself up, and a hint of disappointment crossed the unicorn’s face when she saw the earth pony’s insect-like wings flutter lazily. Applejack sat up and stared down at her hole-filled hooves, taking a few seconds to absorb the fact that she was still a changeling. She let out a melancholic sigh, her ears and wings drooping. 

Twilight gazed sympathetically at her friend. “I’m sorry, Applejack. I guess the Elements of Harmony just couldn’t change you back without changing all the other changelings as well.”

Applejack looked up at her, smiling weakly. “Yeah, Ah know. Ah don’t blame ya, Twilight; we tried our best.”

Rarity walked up and laid a comforting hoof over the half-changeling’s shoulder. “If it makes you feel any better Applejack, I think you make a beautiful changeling.”She said, giving an encouraging smile.

“Yeah, you’re the coolest changeling I’ve ever met!” Rainbow Dash said, flying in front of her. The pegasus showed no signs of the previous injuries her reckless stunt had left her with. “And like we said, we don’t care if you’re half-changeling; not as long as you’re still you!”

“Thanks fer the encouragement, girls.” Applejack said flatly, “Ah’m just wonderin’ how Ah’m goin’ ta explain this ta Granny Smith. Don’t think she’ll take too kindly ta me comin’ home half-bug…”

“If you’re family is as close as I've observed over these past few days, they’ll accept you no matter what your species is.” Queen Chrysalis said, walking up to the six ponies. A hint of pride entered the changeling’s voice. “And if not, you can always come live at the hive. We’ll accept you.”

“Ah’m sure it won’t come ta that…” Applejack muttered, looking away uneasily.

Twilight looked up at the changeling queen, “Well, what about you? Did the Elements of Harmony work?”

Chrysalis looked thoughtful, a smile slowly crossing her face. “Yes, I believe it did. Everything feels so much more warm and clearer, as though a fog has been lifted from the mind of the swarm. I suppose I should offer you my thanks, Twilight Sparkle. You and your friends have done the changelings a great service today.”

Twilight grinned proudly, similar smiles adorning her friends’ faces. Across the square, Mirror looked to Double, silently asking for permission to join her friends. The high-general nodded her permission, and the younger changeling rushed forward.

“Pinkie! Fluttershy!” Mirror called out. The two ponies looked in her direction at the sound of their names, and when they saw Mirror, they both smiled and Pinkie held her forelegs out for a hug. The changeling jumped right into them, knocking the earth pony over with the momentum she had gathered. Both started laughing as soon as they recovered, ignoring the stunned looks the other ponies were giving them.

Mirror stepped off Pinkie to allow the pony to get back on her hooves. She turned to Fluttershy, the look of sheer happiness not leaving her face. “You did it!”

“Yeah, but, do you think it will help?” Fluttershy asked, her smile giving way to an uncertain frown.

“I’m sure of it. High-General Double thinks so, and she has a knack for knowing this kind of stuff.” Mirror said, gesturing toward the High-General, who was currently glaring at Ditto with clear animosity as the mutant changeling limped over to Twilight. Mirror quickly looked back toward her friends, smiling widely and pretending she hadn’t seen that.

“Hey changeling, back off!” Rainbow Dash growled, jumping in between Twilight and Ditto.

“Rainbow, there’s nothing to worry about. This is Ditto, she’s my friend.” Twilight told the pegasus, who stared at her in shock.

“Friend? You’re friends with a changeling? Since when?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Well, since we got back from Canterlot.” Twilight answered, a small frown on her face. “Trust me Rainbow Dash, Ditto’s no threat. Right, Ditto?”

“No, of course not!” Ditto agreed somewhat nervously. She held out a hoof to Rainbow Dash. “I’m Ditto. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Rainbow Dash!”

Rainbow looked at the extended hoof suspiciously, then relented and held out her own hoof to shake it. “Well, if Twilight trusts you, then I guess I do too.”

“That’s great, Dashie! And in that case, we want you to meet somepony, too!” Pinkie Pie said, jumping in and pulling on the surprised pegasus. She pointed toward Mirror, who shrunk down at the sudden attention.

“This is Matchie! You remember her, right?” Pinkie asked.

“Matchie? You mean…Mirror? You’re a changeling, too?!” Rainbow Dash asked incredulously.

Mirror nervously pawed at the ground as she spoke. “Um, yeah…I was worried about what would happen if any of you found out, so I kept it a secret. But I’m really, really sorry!”

“Wait, you two were harborin’ a changeling, too?” Applejack asked, walking up to them.

“Yeah, Matchie’s our friend. She’s been staying at Fluttershy’s this whole time!” Pinkie said.

“Please don’t be mad at us,” Fluttershy pleaded, “It’s just, with all the guards and the fear of changelings that everypony’s been so wrapped up in, we didn’t want to tell anypony, not even you.”

“What? You didn’t trust us?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“No, I didn’t trust you.” Mirror interjected before either pony could speak. “Like I said, I was too afraid of being thrown in a dungeon or banished to tell anyone except Pinkie or Fluttershy the truth. I made them Pinkie Promise not to tell.”

“Ah, that explains it.” Applejack said, relaxing. Mirror raised an eyebrow at this, wondering what power the Pinkie Promise held to these ponies to suddenly make Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy’s actions acceptable.

Rainbow Dash was still in disbelief. “So wait, that story you told us about your foalhood, about Daring Do, none of it was true?”
“None of it.” Mirror confirmed, looking guilty. “I’m sorry, but you were so close to figuring me out, and I needed something to convince you that I wasn’t a threat. I really am sorry for lying to you, though.”

Rainbow Dash calmed down as Mirror gave her apology. “Huh, and to think I thought you were telling the truth. You sure had me fooled.”

“Actually, I figured out that her story was false rather quickly.” Twilight said, jumping into the conversation.

Mirror stared at the unicorn, surprise lighting up her eyes. “You knew? How?”

“It was simple, really. Your story sounded genuine enough, but you made one critical error in your facts.” Twilight explained, “You see, you claimed that your parents were fans of the Daring Do series for a while before you were born, but the first Daring Do book was written only twelve years ago by an anonymous author. As a grown mare, you had to be more than twelve years old, meaning those books would have been written after you were born, not before it.”

Mirror blinked in shock, struck by Twilight’s deduction. The mistake had been unavoidable; she didn’t know anything about Daring Do at the time, least of all the books’ publication dates, but she was amazed that Twilight had noticed that small detail. “Why…why didn’t you say anything?”

“Well, I knew your story was fake, but I couldn’t be sure you were a changeling because of it.” Twilight answered, “Even then, it wouldn’t have been right to accuse you with Ditto under my care.”

This caught Rainbow’s attention, and she quickly looked at the wingless changeling then back at Twilight. “Speaking of which, what about you? How come you didn’t tell us you were living with a changeling?” She asked.

Twilight’s ears drooped, the unicorn looking somewhat uncomfortable. “I was worried about what everypony would think if they ever found out I was harboring a changeling, and what would happen to Ditto if they tried to take her away.”

“Ya could have just told us.” Applejack said, “Granted, Ah was stuck in a chrysalis this whole time, but keepin’ secrets doesn’t do anypony any good.”

“Yeah, we would have helped if you had just told us.” Rainbow Dash added, “That’s what friends are for.”

“…Yeah, you’re right.” Twilight said. She looked at Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy and smiled. “I guess we learned a lesson about friendship, huh? You may have a secret that you think you can’t share because it’s dangerous or you’re afraid of what everypony else might think, but in the end, it’s always better to tell your friends about it. If they’re true friends, they’ll be there to help you no matter what.”

Chrysalis rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out in a mock gag. “Ick, you ponies are so sappy.”

“Don’t you feed off this sort of stuff, Chrysalis?” Twilight asked, grinning playfully.

Chrysalis smirked, “It’s a guilty pleasure.”

“So, let me get this straight,” Rainbow Dash said, “Twilight’s been living with a changeling, both Pinkie and Fluttershy have been living with a changeling, Applejack’s been living with a changeling-”

“Ah don’t think it counts as “livin’” if he took mah place and trapped me in a cocoon the whole time.” Applejack interrupted.

“Yeah, whatever, close enough.” Rainbow Dash dismissed her statement, much to the mutated earth pony’s annoyance. She turned to Rarity, smirking mischievously. “So who have you been secretly hiding?”

“Well, Queen Chrysalis was a guest in our home when she pretended to be Sparkler, but I don’t think it counts as “secretly harboring” when she’s been casting mind-control spells.” Rarity said, giving Chrysalis an accusing look.

Chrysalis shrugged. “I suppose I should apologize for that, shouldn’t I?”

“It would be polite.” Rarity said. She smiled afterward. “But I forgive you. After all, changeling or not, you did a remarkable job of caring for Sweetie Belle. She thinks very highly of you, you know.”

The changeling queen smiled, and Mirror laughed softly at the aura of satisfaction and happiness her queen gave off. Rainbow Dash, however, was stunned by her answer.

“…Seriously? I was kidding!” Rainbow groaned.

Rarity shrugged. “Well, you wanted an answer, so I gave you one.”

“Alright, fine. And Rarity’s been living with the Queen of the Changelings.” Rainbow Dash said, “Am I the only one who hasn’t been friends with a changeling this whole time?”

“Evidence says…yes.” Chrysalis said, chuckling as the rainbow pegasus pouted silently. She looked away toward Celestia as the princess approached, her eyes narrowing. “Don’t think I’ve forgiven you just yet, Celestia. You have no idea of the suffering my children went through these past thousand years due to your inaction.”

Celestia didn’t speak, so Chrysalis went on. “That being said…I’d like to begin discussing peace agreements between the changelings and the ponies of Equestria.”

Every changeling and pony, including Celestia, was visibly shocked by the queen’s statement. The changelings broke into chatter once more, but Chrysalis quickly silenced them, so they voiced their misgivings through the swarm’s link. Chrysalis brushed their concerns aside as she went on.

“I’ve realized that, after the invasion, it will be much harder for the changelings to obtain love the way we have for the past thousand years, and that now that we are capable of it, it might prove beneficial for us to give peace and love a try.” Chrysalis explained, “I’m not doing this for you; I’m doing this for my children. So for the sake of both our races, Celestia, do you agree to my request?”

Celestia smiled and nodded without a moment’s thought. “I would be honored to discuss peace agreements between the changelings and ponies with you, Chrysalis.”

Chrysalis smiled in satisfaction. “Good. Then let’s decide when our first meeting will be. Preparations will have to be made, after all…”

The changeling queen and alicorn princess walked away from the ponies, debating with each other as they went over the basis of their agreement. When they had gone, Mirror turned to Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, smiling once more.

“You did it! If Queen Chrysalis and Princess Celestia make peace between the changelings and the ponies, we won’t have to hide anymore!” Mirror said, grinning ecstatically.

“Yeah, and then we can all be friends without having to worry about being called traitors!” Pinkie added, “You’ll have to tell me more about how changelings celebrate, Matchie! I mean, imagine all the changeling parties I could throw! This is going to change Equestria forever!”

Mirror laughed at the party pony’s positive attitude. She turned toward Fluttershy, noticing that the pegasus seemed a little subdued. “Is something wrong, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy jumped slightly at the sudden question, but quickly calmed down. “It’s nothing.”

Mirror frowned. “The last time you told me something was nothing, I ended up being chased through Ponyville with Yakpony Sax playing in the background. What’s wrong?”

“…It’s just, ponies are still scared of changelings, and most changelings probably don’t like ponies, right?” Fluttershy asked. Mirror nodded in confirmation. “So, even if Princess Celestia and Queen Chrysalis make peace, there’s still going to be fear and hatred, isn’t there?”

“Oh, I see.” Mirror said, her own spirits dropping as she realized the pegasus was right. “Yeah, I guess you have a point. A thousand years of fear and deception isn’t going to go away just like that.”

“Yeah, but Fluttershy, Matchie, you’re both forgetting one thing!” Pinkie jumped in, “The changelings can feel love again! They all have that empathy sickness thing that Queen Chrysalis was talking about, so they can learn to be friends with ponies, and ponies can learn to be friends with changelings! It’ll just take time. And parties. But mostly time!”

“Time…” Mirror said, thinking about the earth pony’s words. She smiled and looked at Fluttershy. “Pinkie’s right. Nothing happens just like that; if we want things to change, we need to work for it, and we need to give it the time to change. I’m sure things will work out if we do that.”

The changeling turned and gave a grateful smile to Pinkie Pie. “You always know just the right things to say.”

“That’s what we’re here for, Matchie!” Pinkie said, playfully punching her in the foreleg and causing the changeling to cringe in pain at the forceful hit. “If you ever need that sad little frown turned into a big happy smile, just come see us! We’ll be happy to help!”

Mirror giggled, the pink pony’s laughter and cheer infectious. “It’s hard to stay upset around you, Pinkie.”

“You know it!” Pinkie agreed, pumping a hoof into the air. Fluttershy let out a soft giggle as well, her earlier concerns quelled for the moment.

A flash of green light caught Mirror’s eye, and she turned to see Double teleport right next to Twilight and Ditto, a scowl still on her face. She sworn her jaw hit the ground when the High-General violently shoved Ditto out of the way, ignoring the startled changeling’s cry as she stopped in front of a stunned Twilight.

“Out of the way, mutant, it’s my turn now!” Double said as she knocked Ditto away. She smiled up at Twilight, seemingly oblivious to the unicorn’s shock. “Hi, I’m High-General Double! But you can call me Twilight Wish!”

Twilight seemed to snap back to reality at that. “Twilight Wish? What?”

Double responded by switching to her unicorn form, surprising Twilight with its striking similarities to herself. “Twilight Wish! That’s me! We’re friends, sisters even! Of course, you don’t remember, but I do!”

Twilight stared at the changeling before her like she was completely insane. “Friends? What are you…I don’t even know you!”

“Oh come on, you don’t remember seeing me before at all?” Double asked, gesturing to herself.

Twilight scanned the unicorn-changeling uncertainly, a hint of recognition crossing her face. “I think…I do remember seeing you in Canterlot and Ponyville a few times…”

“Exactly! I’ve been watching you, waiting to see if Queen Chrysalis would finally give you back your memories and if you would recognize me!” Double explained, “But you never did! All this time, and you never once acknowledged your very first foalhood friend!”

Double descended into frustrated hysteria, and Twilight was left speechless by her outburst. The High-General quickly recovered, however, and put on a smiling face once more. “But that’s okay. It’s not your fault, after all. It’s not your fault Queen Chrysalis erased all your memories of me!”

Double’s voice rose at her last sentence, deliberately trying to catch Chrysalis’s attention. The changeling queen rolled her eyes and began to walk towards the two, knowing with growing frustration that she would have to get involved.

“What are you talking about?!” Twilight asked, completely lost.

“Allow me to explain, since that’s the only way you’ll get a coherent answer.” Chrysalis said condescendingly, ignoring Double’s indignant glare. “You see, as a hatchling, High-General Double here had a teleporting accident that resulted in her losing her memories and ending up in Canterlot. She was adopted by your family.”

“What?!” Twilight shouted, unable to believe what she was hearing.

“Yeah, that’s why we look so much alike!” Double added, pressing her snout against Twilight’s. “I based this form off you, but changed the colors so we could tell each other apart.”

“Indeed, and she lived with you for… about two years, give or take, convinced that she was a pony. I allowed her to stay because I wanted to see if a pony family was capable of raising a changeling.” Chrysalis said, “So you can imagine my surprise when I came to retrieve her and found that she had somehow bonded with you, despite the fact that changelings were incapable of feeling love for non-changelings.”

“And that’s because you’re the Element of Magic! You gave me empathy sickness, and we became the best of friends!” Double interrupted again, smiling brightly and throwing her hooves in the air.

“Of course, I couldn’t have that. Double is a prodigy, one of the most powerful and intelligent changelings to exist in centuries, and she had to return to the hive.” Chrysalis continued, crushing Double’s jubilant mood. “When I took her back, I suppressed the memories of everypony who had ever met Double, replacing them with new ones. In your case, it was a studious foalhood devoid of friendship.”

“What?” Twilight repeated, “You’re saying all my memories, all those long nights staying up studying as a filly, they never happened?”

“Oh, they happened,” Chrysalis said, “But they happened with Double there with you. I just removed all memories of her, locked them away deep within your mind.”

“Yeah, and since they’re still there, we can bring them back up again!” Double said. Mr. Smartypants suddenly appeared in front of her in a burst of green. “This is Mr. Smartypants! When I saw your Miss Smartypants doll, I wanted one of my own, so we had Shining Armor make another one. We named him Mr. Smartypants because we accidentally set his hair on fire, and so it was all short and boyish afterward. We were going to have a big wedding for them once we got older, but obviously that never happened…”

Twilight was at a loss for words, instead taking the doll and looking it over. There was no mistaking it; the rather shoddy craftsmanship was definitely her brother’s. “It…it looks so much like his work…”

“That’s because it is his work!” Double said, “I also have a scrapbook of all the fun times and memories we had together that I took when I left. It’s at the hive right now, I can go get it and show you!”

Twilight still struggled to find words, not sure if she should believe the strange changeling or not. On one hoof, Double and Chrysalis could both be lying for whatever reason, but on the other hoof, her joy and slight desperation sounded genuine enough, and Twilight couldn’t find any other explanation for the doll since she had her retrieved her own Smartpants doll from Big Macintosh and the plush was one -or two, she supposed- of a kind. Recalling how she trusted Ditto, she finally decided to give the High-General a chance. “Alright, I’ll go along with you for now and see if you’re telling the truth or not.”

Double’s eyes lit up with pure euphoria, and she looked ready to burst with excitement. Without warning, the overjoyed changeling tackled Twilight, knocking her to the ground and hugging her tightly. “I promise I won’t disappoint you! I’ll get your memories back, and then we can finally be friends again! I promise you I won’t fail!”

“Can’t…breathe…!” Twilight gasped, desperately trying to suck in air through the changeling’s vice-like embrace. Double instantly let go, giggling quietly as she watched the unicorn catch her breath.

“Sorry, Twilight.” Double said simply.

Twilight picked herself up and regained her composure. “There’s one thing I don’t understand, though…” She looked up at Chrysalis, an eyebrow raised quizzically. “Empathy sickness is caused by the Elements of Harmony, but you said that the High-General got it from me as a filly. How is that possible? We didn't have the elements back then.”

Chrysalis smirked. “ Isn't it obvious? The elusive Element of Magic, the sixth element stated to only appear when the other five are together. Where do you think it was all this time?”

Twilight thought about it for a moment before her eyes widened in realization. Chrysalis answered the question for her. “It was inside of you, that’s where.”

Double smiled and hugged Twilight once more, though this time the purple unicorn didn't resist, only blushing softly at the changeling’s clear affection. A green light suddenly engulfed Double, and the startled High-General appeared next to Chrysalis. The light from the queen’s horn died down as she spoke, ignoring Double’s childish pout.

“Now, High-General, your trip down memory lane can wait. We have to return to the hive to get everything in order and prepare for Celestia’s ambassadors.” Chrysalis said. She turned a critical glare to Celestia. “I trust your delegates will be open-minded and tolerant of us.”

Celestia nodded in understanding. “I will be careful in my choosing, Chrysalis.”

Chrysalis nodded and turned to her swarm. “Changelings, we are returning to the hive! All changelings who are able-bodied enough to fly, gather the wounded. You two,” She pointed at two changelings, “Assist High-General Double in securing General Carbon and leave immediately. I want him in chains by the time I return, understood?”

“Yes, Queen Chrysalis!” The swarm of changelings called in unison, saluting and getting to work. The two changelings Chrysalis had singled out flew to the incapacitated general and bound him with a gooey substance using their magic. Double reluctantly trotted over, not bothering to drop her disguise. She cast a disdainful stare down at Carbon, her horn lighting up. In a flash of green, all four changelings disappeared.

Three changelings flew over to pick up Ditto, but the wingless changeling stood back and shook her head. “If no one minds, I’ll be staying in Ponyville for a bit longer.”

The three changelings looked at each other in confusion, then to Chrysalis for orders. The changeling queen thought about the request for a few moments before giving a nod of consent. The three nodded back and flew off, two landing beside Mirror after taking notice of her damaged wing. Chrysalis smiled comfortingly at the two injured changelings. “Not to worry, you two. When we return to the hive, you will both be placed within healing chrysalises, along with the other wounded. Ditto, I trust you’ll be able to make it back to the hive on your own and soon?”

“Yes, Queen Chrysalis.” Ditto said, nodding.

Mirror smiled happily and turned to explain to Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. “Healing chrysalises are just conversion chrysalises used for changelings. They transform ponies, but they heal all injuries a changeling can get. It’ll fix my wing and horn!”

Pinkie grinned and embraced Mirror in another hug. “That’s great, Matchie! You’ll come back soon, though, right?”

The pink pony let go, and Mirror looked up hopefully at her queen. Chrysalis shrugged and nodded. “Mirror is a scouting drone who gathers love for the hive. She is free to come and go as she pleases. When she is healed, she, and any other changeling who wishes to, for that matter,” She nodded toward Ditto as she spoke, “may return once matters at the hive have been settled.”

Mirror smiled gratefully at her queen and turned back to her friends. “I promise I’ll be back as soon as things get back in order!”

Pinkie put on a look of mock indecision. “Hmm…do you Pinkie Promise?”

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Mirror recited, performing the actions as she went. She wrapped Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy in a loose hug.

“Come back soon, Mirror.” Fluttershy said.

“I will.” Mirror said, letting go and backing away. The two changelings flanked her on both sides, their horns glowing with preparation for the teleportation spell. She looked up at Chrysalis, who surveyed the area with a nod of approval.

“We’re ready.” Chrysalis declared, her horn glowing with a bright green light.

Mirror smiled at Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy one last time before disappearing in a flash of light.





Later that evening in Canterlot, Princess Celestia stood in her castle, staring out a window into the Royal Gardens below. There, she watched Queen Chrysalis stand before the petrified form of Discord, presumably speaking to the spirit’s statue. Shining Armor and Cadance, along with six other guards, stood nearby, watching the changeling with a wary eye. Celestia smiled at the sight, knowing that despite the misgivings of nearly every pony in her council, a new age of peace was finally upon them.

The flapping of wings from behind caught her attention, and Celestia turned to see a smaller dark blue alicorn with a mane and tail like the night sky land before her. A warm feeling of surprise ran through the princess at seeing her sister awake before sunset.

“Luna, I’m surprised to see you up so early. It’s barely evening, after all.” Celestia said.

“The power of the Elements of Harmony was felt all across Equestria. It would have been difficult for it to not have caught my attention.” Luna said, speaking more formally than her sister. “What has occurred to require their use?”

“Come and see for yourself.” Celestia said, moving aside to allow Luna to see outside the window. The moon princess’s eyes widened at what she saw.

“Sister, care to explain to me why our sworn enemy Queen Chrysalis is freely roaming the Royal Gardens?” Luna asked.

“Well, she’s not exactly roaming freely; there are quite a few guards watching her.” Celestia pointed out. A deadpan stare from her sister brought her back to serious discussion. “Though if you really must know, the Elements of Harmony were used to free the changelings from Discord’s corrupting influence, and that peace has finally come to the changelings and ponies. Peace negotiations with the Changeling Swarm will begin in three days’ time.”

Celestia smiled proudly, though Luna just gave her an exasperated look. “…Must you always do everything important while I sleep?”

Celestia just smiled and nodded in acceptance. “Very well, Luna. The next time the peace of Equestria is threatened, I’ll try to make sure it happens at night.”

“Do not patronize me.” Luna said flatly. She looked out the window, frowning slightly. “Are you sure we can trust her?”

“Luna, no matter how Chrysalis feels about us, she truly cares for her subjects.” Celestia said, “She knows that making peace is the best chance the changelings have of a better life; she won’t throw it away for revenge.”

“I suppose this is for the better, then.” Luna agreed, “We should not have abandoned them in the first place.”

“We made a mistake, that’s all. And we've been paying for it.” Celestia said, looking out at the changeling queen in the garden. “But now, after a thousand years, we finally have the chance to fix our mistakes. We can help the changelings, and bring peace at last.”

“Yes, we should be glad for a chance to reconcile with the flutterponies.” Luna said, “Though, what is she doing in the Royal Gardens? Should she not be back at her hive?”

Celestia smiled knowingly. “She’s just visiting an ‘old friend’, Luna.”





Queen Chrysalis stood before the statue of Discord, studying his new pose and laughing inwardly at his horror-struck face. She ignored the ponies behind her, not considering them worth her attention at the moment. She could feel the hate and anger radiating off of them, Shining Armor and Cadance especially, but this only served to amuse her further. Smirking, she began speaking to the petrified draconequus before her.

“Hello Discord, it’s so good to see you again.” She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “How are you doing? Stone again, I see. I’m doing very well, thanks for asking. In fact, I’m doing better than I have in a long time. Perhaps you’d like to see how well?”

A cocoon of fire engulfed the queen, and the guards pointed their spears towards her, ready to attack at a moment's sign of hostility. Shining Armor and Cadance also steeled themselves for battle, but when the flames cleared, the sight stopped them cold.

A beautiful pony stood in Chrysalis’s place, standing tall and regal, her coat a light sea-green and her mane and tail a glossy blue. She possessed dark green eyes and a green antenna adorned her head where her crown had been. Her large butterfly wings glowed with a blue, sparkling light, and a trio of light blue butterflies made up her cutie mark. The smirk Chrysalis had worn before remained on her face.

“Do you see this, Discord? You must have thought you were so clever, preventing us from taking our flutterpony forms.” Chrysalis said to the statue, “Well, the joke’s on you now. The Elements of Harmony have restored our love, and we have made peace with the ponies. It will take time, but eventually, the changelings will live in harmony with the ponies, and the both of us, immortal and eternal, will be there to see it.”

Chrysalis stepped closer to the statue, her smug smile widening. “I don’t forgive you, you know. You turned us into the changelings, after all. You destroyed mother’s will to live and forced me to take over as the swarm’s queen. I lost many good friends: Morning Glory, Forget-Me-Not, Honeysuckle, all long gone thanks to you. Celestia and Luna abandoned us to our fate, but you gave us that fate in the first place. I will never forgive you for that.”

She took a few steps back from Discord. “And so, I’ll give you the only punishment I can. I’ll leave you here, frozen in stone, and you can watch as your last bit of influence on this world melts away and is replaced by harmony. The changelings will thrive, we’ll never have to hurt or steal for our love again, we’ll make peace, and you can watch as it all happens.”

Letting her flutterpony disguise drop, Chrysalis returned to her changeling form and turned around, walking up to Cadance and Shining Armor. The two ponies tensed up, glaring at the changeling queen with clear distrust.

“So, now that we’ll be working together toward peace, perhaps we should put our differences behind us. So, no hard feelings about replacing you, trying to steal your husband, and nearly conquering Equestria, right?” Chrysalis asked, speaking mostly to Cadance. The alicorn just continued to glare, not dignifying her with a response. “Well, it was worth a shot. Not that it matters much; you don’t really have much of a say in what goes on anyway.”

Shining Armor stepped up to speak for his wife. “If you try anything-”

“Oh, I wouldn't dream of it!” Chrysalis said, her voice as sweet as honey. “Although, if I was to try something, you’d try to stop me, wouldn't you? But if you wanted to stop me, you’d have to catch me, first…”

An excited grin spread across Chrysalis’s face as her horn began to glow. Cadance was caught by surprise while Shining Armor reacted quickly, his own horn glowing. However, before he or his soldiers could attack, the changeling queen disappeared in a burst of green light. The garden was left in silence.

“…I’m sure Auntie Celestia knows what she’s doing…” Cadance told herself, somewhat uncertainly. Shining Armor wrapped a hoof around her in comfort, and she smiled as the two looked up at the sky, where the sun was beginning to set and the warm hues of twilight were descending on the land.





“Come on, Applejack, cheer up. Ah’m sure today will be better than the last three days.” Apple Bloom said, smiling encouragingly at her older sister as they ran their apple stand in the market. 

It had been four days since the invasion, and Ponyville was still recovering from the damages, though Chrysalis was at least responsible enough to send changelings to help with the repairs. Predictably, the peace treaty with the changelings was met with considerable protest, with many certain that the changelings were trying to lower their guard for attack. Luna, the more intimidating of the two princesses, quickly put a stop to the more radical protests, but many ponies still showed their contempt for changelings and any ponies that associated with changelings.

Applejack looked up and focused on one of the ponies in the crowd, who upon noticing her gaze, quickly ran away. The earth pony visibly slumped and took an apple from the stand, slowly biting into it.

“Yeah, sure. Face it, Apple Bloom, nopony wants ta buy food from a synthetic changeling.” Applejack said.

“So what if yer a changeling? Yer not a monster or anything!” Apple Bloom protested.

“Yeah, you’re still the same Applejack we’ve always known!” Rainbow Dash added, coming down from the sky to land next to them. “And I’ve been watching you get passed up and rejected by everypony here just because of a mutation you couldn’t do anything about! This whole changeling discrimination thing is stupid!”

“Yeah, but the only ones who’ll buy anythin’ are changelings themselves.” Applejack said. As if to support her statement, a pegasus mare trotted up to her stand and pulled out a single bit, tossing it to Applejack and grabbing one apple. The disguised changeling gave her a sympathetic smile and flew off, returning to her original form once she was high enough in the sky.

Applejack sighed wistfully before quickly shaking her head to clear out the negative thoughts. “But, I can’t let it get ta me! If Ah just show them Ah’m the same pony Ah’ve always been, they’ll have ta realize there’s no harm in buying mah food!”

“That’s the spirit, AJ, and we’ll be here to help you every step of the way!” Rainbow Dash vowed, Apple Bloom nodding enthusiastically beside her. After she spoke, though, she noticed a familiar brown earth pony in the crowd. “Hey Doc, wanna buy some apples from Sweet Apple Acres?”

Doctor Whooves stopped and turned to the trio of ponies, a look of panic crossing his face as he spotted Apple Bloom. The earth pony took off running, which Rainbow Dash and Apple Bloom took the wrong way.

“Hey, she’s not that scary! Come back here, you racist jerk!” Rainbow shouted indignantly, grabbing Apple Bloom and placing the filly on her back before shooting off in pursuit of the terrified doctor.

Applejack stared after them in shock, then smacked a hoof into her face. “Maybe Ah’ll just get Big Mac ta run things fer a while…”

“Having trouble?” Applejack jumped slightly at the sudden voice, turning to see Golden Harvest walking up to her. The disguised changeling gazed coldly at the apple farmer.

“Eh, a bit.” Applejack said, trying not to look to bothered. “Ponies are just still gettin’ used ta the whole “peace with changelings” thing, that’s all.”

“They’re scared of you.” Golden Harvest said bluntly, eyes narrowing. “They’re scared of us.”

Applejack’s eyes widened at the earth pony’s cold response, then narrowed into a glare. “They’re just gettin’ used ta everything. Things are changin’, and change takes time. They’ll snap out of all this fear and suspicion soon enough.”

“You’re just being idealistic.” Golden Harvest said.

“And yer bein’ pessimistic!” Applejack retorted.

“No, I’m being realistic.” Golden Harvest said, “Face the facts, Applejack, we’re not ponies to them, not anymore.”

Anger was clear on Applejack’s face as she jumped down from her stand and got up in Golden Harvest’s face. “Now you stop that right now! Ah know we’ve still got that changeling essence inside us, but that’s no reason ta think we’re less than pony now!”

“Keep your voice down! Do you want to attract attention?” Golden Harvest growled, looking out at the crowd, many of which were giving them a wide berth. “Do you see that, Applejack? That’s fear. These ponies are afraid of us, and it’s because they know what we really are!”

“Oh really? And what is that, exactly?” Applejack asked, silently daring her to say the answer they both knew was coming.

“Changelings! We’re synthetic changelings!” Golden Harvest said, eyes flashing green with anger.

Applejack backed off and returned to her stand. “Ah won’t argue with ya about this, Carrot Top. Ya can think what ya want, but we’re still ponies, and no fancy magic mutation is goin’ ta change that!”

Golden Harvest frowned and looked hatefully down at her own body. “Why couldn't the elements help us? Why couldn't they have gotten rid of the changeling essence?”

“Ah don’t know. Best explanation Twi can come up with is that the Elements of Harmony just plain don’t destroy anything, and when they purified the changelings, they couldn’t change us back without turnin’ all the changelings into flutterponies as well.” Applejack explained, tugging on the new Stetson hat she had gotten after losing her old one in Carbon’s ambush. The earth pony sighed wistfully as she looked at it.

Golden Harvest didn't say anything, so Applejack brought up a different question. “And anyway, why do ya even care? Ya broke yer horn, so ya don’t have ta deal with the connection anymore. Yer friends, Ditzy, Lyra, Bon-Bon, none of them care that yer a changeling. Mah own friends and family don’t care that Ah’m a changeling, either-”

“They don’t?” Golden Harvest asked, looking at the half-changeling in surprise.

“No, they don’t.” Applejack said proudly, “Ya want ta know what happened when Ah told them?”

“..Sure. Tell me.” Golden Harvest relented. Applejack grinned and delved into her tale...

-

Applejack stood in front of her grandmother, brother, and sister. Her earth pony disguise was still up as she finished her story. “…And...yeah. That’s what’s been goin’ on this past week.”

“Wait, yer sayin’ the Applejack we’ve been livin’ with since we came back from Canterlot was a changeling this whole time?” Apple Bloom asked in disbelief.

“Afraid so, little sis.” Applejack said, nodding. She looked away nervously, doubt rising up as she thought about what she would soon have to reveal. “He didn’t hurt ya none, did he?”

“He?” Apple Bloom asked before a burst of realization came to her. “Oh, ya mean the changeling! Nah, we were fine, right Big Mac?”

“Eeyup.” Big Macintosh said simply, nodding.

Applejack breathed a sigh of relief. “Whew, that’s good, then. Ah’m glad yer okay.”

“Yep, he didn’t do anything too bad. He was kind of a jerk, but we all thought it was just stress at the time.” Apple Bloom said. She frowned slightly and asked, “But wait, if the Applejack we knew was a changeling, then where were you?”

Applejack frowned, subconsciously reaching for a hat that wasn’t there. She was silent for several seconds before letting out a big sigh. “Ah was… captured, put in a chrysalis. It… Ah’ll just show ya…”

Closing her eyes, Applejack let her disguise drop in a burst of flames, revealing the half-changeling form it concealed. She kept her eyes shut, not wanting to see the looks of disgust and horror that she knew must have been on her family’s faces. Several seconds ticked by, her tension mounting all the while.

So needless to say, the mutated earth pony was shocked speechless when Apple Bloom hopped in front of her and shouted, “Cool! Yer like, half-bug, half-pony! And you have a horn and wings! Can ya fly, or do magic?”

Applejack opened up her eyes and stared at Apple Bloom’s excited smile, then looked up at Granny Smith and Big Macintosh, both of whom were smiling at her without a hint of the disgust or terror she had been expecting.

“Wait, ya don’t care? At all?” Applejack asked, stunned that both her friends and family could be so accepting of this.

“Nope.” Big Mac said, grinning proudly.

“Yer still our little apple, and we Apples stick together, no matter what.” Granny Smith said, “Don’t ya ever forget that, Applejack!”

Applejack’s shocked expression remained for a few more seconds before she chuckled and nodded, now feeling somewhat silly over having such little faith in her family. “Don’t worry, Ah won’t.” She looked down at Apple Bloom and smiled, “And as fer yer question: yes, Ah can fly and use magic. These wings and this horn aren’t just fer show, ya know.”

“Yes, well, don’t ya be usin’ any magic around this here farm!” Granny Smith said with surprising sternness. “We Apples are earth ponies, always have been and always will be, and we don’t need any fancy magic ta run this farm!”

Applejack laughed and gave a large, fanged grin. “Ah’ll remember that, Granny…”

-

“…And then we all had a good laugh about the whole thing while Granny fixed me a new hat.” Applejack said, tears coming to her eyes as she took off her Stetson and smiled down at it. “Ah’ll never forget the joy Ah felt that day.”

Golden Harvest looked moved by the story for a few seconds before her old glare returned. “What…What’s your point?”

Applejack looked surprised at the pony’s harshness, her previous indignation returning as well. “Mah point is that if ponies are goin’ ta judge ya based on somethin’ ya had no control over, then their opinions don’t matter.” She said, “They want yer hate; don’t give it ta them, Carrot Top.”

Golden Harvest snorted in frustration. “Say what you want, Applejack, but it doesn’t change that a lot of ponies are going to hate us for exactly that reason, and to be honest, I still don’t trust those changelings either. Changelings and ponies just don’t mix, peace or no peace.”

“Well aren't you a bundle of sunshine.” Applejack growled sarcastically.

“I’m just being realistic; this peace could last, but there are a lot of ways this could go wrong.” Golden Harvest said, “Do you know what happens when you put carrots and apples together?”

Applejack turned away, not wanting to look at the earth pony. She knew exactly what happened when apples and carrots were stored together.

“The carrots turn bitter, that’s what.” Golden Harvest answered for her. “And I've got a feeling that the changelings are the apples, and the ponies are the carrots.”

Applejack shook her head in exasperation. “Sheesh, and you wonder why Ah never invite ya over fer dinner.”

Looking everywhere but at Golden Harvest, Applejack’s eyes settled on an earth pony, whom she recognized as Berry Punch, and a changeling sitting at a table a fair distance away. The tables around them were empty, most ponies too scared to sit close, but Berry Punch was happily chatting with the changeling and nudging a strawberry smoothie over to him. The changeling looked away, seeming rather uncomfortable, but as the pony continued to beam at him, a small smile of his own found its way onto his face.

Applejack smiled, a glimmer of hope rising within her. “And fer the record, Carrot Top, Ah say you’re wrong. There is hope…” Golden Harvest just raised an eyebrow, not having seen the sight for herself.

“I told you, I just don’t like apples! Leave me alone!” Doctor Whooves shouted, suddenly shooting past the two ponies at speeds that would have impressed Rainbow Dash. Said pegasus shot past them two seconds later, Apple Bloom still riding her back.

“Ya take that back!” Apple Bloom shouted. Rainbow Dash suddenly put on a burst of speed, crashing into the stallion and then into multiple other ponies in the market, creating a big pileup of dazed ponies.

Applejack and Golden Harvest stared at the mess in stunned silence. Applejack facehoofed once more.





“Hey Twilight, how about this one?” Spike asked, flipping through a book of spells. “It reverses time in a concentrated area, so maybe you could use it on the ponies that were turned into changelings to return them to a time before they were converted?”

Twilight thought about the suggestion for a few moments, looking up from her own book. “Hmm, it could work, as long as the reversal is permanent, though I’d have to be careful with the output, otherwise I could end up accidentally turning the ponies used on into foals. Still, it sounds like a complicated spell; what are the drawbacks?”

“Well, like you said, it’s somewhat hard to pull off,” Spike said, reading closely, “And it’s a time spell created by Starswirl the Bearded, so it only works once.”

“I thought so. Time spells tend to be limited in use like that.” Twilight said, frowning. “We’ll just have to keep looking; we’ll find something to return those ponies to the way they used to be eventually.”

“Yeah, speaking of which, is this really necessary?” Spike asked, “I mean, so what if the Elements of Harmony didn’t turn the synthetic changelings back into ponies? It doesn't mean they’re not really ponies anymore.”

“And I completely agree with you,” Twilight said, “But unfortunately, many synthetic changelings don’t think so, and a lot of ponies that still fear changelings are convinced that the changelings that used to be ponies are freaks, or even traitors.”

“Applejack isn't too torn up over it.” Spike pointed out.

“Maybe not, but I've spoken to her recently, and she told me that her business is being affected because ponies don’t want to buy apples from a synthetic changeling.” Twilight said, “We’re doing this for their sake, Spike. Those ponies deserve to have a normal life, free from discrimination over something they can’t control.”

“Alright, alright, I get it.” Spike grumbled, going back to his book. “Sheesh, why do ponies have to be so phobic towards everything?”

Twilight ignored the dragon’s mumbling and continued reading her spell book. Finding nothing of help or interest, she tossed it aside and grabbed another of the countless books littering the library floor. After the invasion, she had requested the transfer of numerous spell books from the Canterlot library in the hopes of finding one that could help the synthetic changelings. Four days later, they were still receiving two books for every one they returned, and none of the spells they read proved promising, either being irrelevant, too difficult, or possessing too many drawbacks to casting on large numbers of ponies.

A bubble of green light appeared right in front of Twilight, popping and startling the unicorn out of her book. When the light cleared, Twilight found herself face to face with a smiling pink unicorn. She didn’t even have time to react before the unicorn pulled her into a tight hug.

“Twilight, it’s so good to see you again! I've missed you so much! I had to tend to the hive and make sure everything was running smoothly because Queen Chrysalis kept flying off to do other stuff! Oh, the wait and anticipation of this day has been torture!” Double sobbed melodramatically before perking back up again. “But now I’m here, and we can start our journey to reawaken your memories and be foalhood friends once again!”

The changeling’s grip proved once again to be too tight, so Twilight teleported out of Double’s hold and reappeared on the other side of the room, panting heavily. Now free from her suffocating grip, Twilight noticed that Double had brought another changeling with her as well.

“Ditto!” Twilight cried out, running over to the wingless changeling and looking her over. “Are you okay? Did they heal you?”

“Yeah, my leg’s all fixed now.” Ditto said, flexing her hind leg for emphasis. “It’s good to see you again, Twilight.”

“You too, Ditto.” Twilight smiled.

Double growled threateningly and stomped up to Ditto, the younger changeling cowering under her intimidating glare. “Alright, I brought you here, you got to say hi, so now you can leave and I can have my alone time with Twilight. Am I understood, soldier?”

Ditto nodded fearfully and backed away from the High-General. She quickly trotted past Twilight, stopping at the door. “I just came by to see you again and say hi. I’m going to go out and see more of Ponyville now, since I didn’t have much of a chance to before.”

“Alright, but be careful. Some ponies still aren’t too fond of changelings. Don’t get into trouble.” Twilight warned her. Ditto nodded in acknowledgement and walked out of the library. When the door shut behind her, Twilight turned back to Double, who still wore a scowl directed toward the door the mutant changeling had left through.

Twilight frowned at the obvious jealousy. “Was that really necessary?”

“Yes. I’ve waited years for this moment, and I won’t wait a moment longer.” The High-General said. Mr. Smartypants popped into existence beside her in a burst of light, and Double’s face broke into a wide grin once more, all traces of anger gone.

“Now, where’s Miss Smartypants? I’m sure they’re just dying to see each other again!” Double gushed, nuzzling her doll affectionately.

Twilight looked over at Spike, who seemed rather disturbed by the whole display. “Um, Spike? Could you go get Miss Smartypants while I speak with Double?”

It was a clear cue for Spike to leave the room, and he picked up on it right away. As the baby dragon began to climb the stairs to their bedroom, Twilight turned back to the smiling changeling before her. The High-General’s behavior reminded her of Pinkie Pie, right down to the eerily cheerful grin, and she had to struggle to maintain a neutral composure.

“So, let’s get started then, shall we?” Twilight asked, putting on an awkward smile.

Double didn't seem to notice or care about the unicorn’s discomfort. Another burst of green revealed a large book floating in the air. The book was purple with pink stars and glitter strewn over it, and the words “Sparkle and Wish” in green felt in the center. Double held it out for Twilight to see.

“It’s a little silly looking, but what can I say? We were fillies.” Double said. “And since we were both Twilight, I needed a nickname, so…Wish!”

Double sat down, placing the book on the ground and flipping it open to the first page. “This book has all our memories together stored inside; I kept it so I’d have something to remember you by. Come on, I’ll show you!”

Twilight sat down next to Double, and the changeling pointed to the first picture. It was a picture of Twilight and Double in her Wish form, both little fillies, along with Twilight’s parents and her brother, Shining Armor. “This is a group picture of our family we took the day you took me in.” Double explained.

Twilight stared curiously at the image. She didn't remember this picture, but it didn't look like it was faked either. Double took notice and smiled reassuringly. “It’s a real picture, I promise you. Look, I’ll show you another one.”

Flipping a few pages forward with her magic, Double pointed to another picture, this one of Twilight and Double in front of a huge, ruined cake. The two fillies were smiling, both of them covered in icing and sprinkles. “This one was on our birthday!”

“Our birthday?” Twilight asked skeptically.

“Yeah! It’s funny really; the day you found me was the day after your birthday, so we decided to have our birthdays on the same date.” Double explained, “And that night, you told me that your birthday wish was for a friend.”

Twilight’s heart skipped a beat, her mind almost failing to register what Double had said. “I… what? I wanted a friend?”

“Yeah, you told me you were lonely, so you wished for a friend that year.” Double said, “It’s why I named myself Twilight Wish, because you said I was your birthday wish come true. Well, technically I said that, but you went along with it, so yeah...”

Double looked back at the picture, pointing to herself. “It’s cute, isn't it? I couldn't wait to dig into that cake, and when you got all “responsible older sister” on me and tried to stop me, I threw some cake at your face. You can see where it went from there.”

Twilight was speechless as she looked at the smiles of the two fillies in the picture. Until she moved to Ponyville, she had always been certain that friendship was unimportant and didn't matter in the long run. She never imagined that she could have had a best friend so early in her foalhood. “…This is all so strange. I don’t remember any of this…”

Double leaned in and nuzzled Twilight, the other unicorn shying away slightly. “I know you don’t, but just you wait. We’ll get those memories back, and I’ll be here for you. I’ll always be here for you.”

“…Thanks.” Twilight said, smiling timidly. She flipped the next page of the scrapbook herself, coming to a picture of her and Double intently studying a thick book.

Twilight’s eyes widened. “Wait, I know this picture! One of the pictures in mom and dad’s house is this exact picture, except…”

“Except I’m not in it. Queen Chrysalis was…very thorough. She removed all traces of my existence from everything, even the pictures.” Double finished for her, her smile turning sad. “Let me guess, that’s a textbook on basic unicorn spells you read while you were still in magic kindergarten because you wanted to get into Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, right?”

Twilight stared at her in astonishment, mouth agape. “Y-Yeah, it was! How did you…?”

“I told you, I was there.” Double said, “Queen Chrysalis altered your memories only so that I wasn’t in them, every other piece of your memory is still there. But since I was the only friend you had at the time…”

“…I see.” Twilight said. She flipped another page of the scrapbook, coming to one of her and Double huddled up in towels, both of them soaking wet, yet laughing anyway. “What happened in this one?”

“I dragged you out to play in the rain, and we both caught colds from it. You were so mad about it, but every time I sneezed, I’d change forms randomly! It was hilarious!” Double laughed.

Twilight chucked at the thought, then stopped when something came to her. “Wait, how could Queen Chrysalis have removed every piece of your existence? You lived with us for two years, right? There should have been records, or at least somepony who saw you with me.”

Double shrugged. “I didn’t enroll in school. Mom and Dad were too scared of somepony seeing my true form to let me. They decided I was better off just staying at home and having you tutor me instead, at least until they were certain I had my shapeshifting under control and wouldn’t revert to changeling form in the middle of class. As for everypony else, well…either Queen Chrysalis took their memories too, or most of them were changelings she had keep an eye on me. I don’t know. I'm not even sure I was legally adopted.”

Twilight thought about her explanation, accepting it after a few moments, though she felt a little weird hearing Double refer to her parents as “Mom” and “Dad.” By this point, she was convinced that the changeling had to be telling the truth; this was simply too much trouble to go through for some pointless deception. “I still can’t believe I don’t remember any of this.”

“I told you, you will.” Double said, “I’ll make sure of it. You mean the world to me, and even though we were only friends for two years, they were the best two years of my life. I wouldn’t trade them for anything.”

Twilight found herself blushing at Double’s words, which carried almost palpable affection. She pointed at another picture of the two of them, which seemed to be on Nightmare Night, with Twilight in a witch costume and Double in what seemed to be a half-changeling variation of her Wish form. “So what’s the story behind this one?”

When Spike came down the stairs carrying Miss Smartypants, he found the two unicorns enthralled in the book, Double enthusiastically narrating all her photos and memories while Twilight listened and laughed. Feeling a smile crossing his face at the heartwarming sight, he slowly and quietly retreated back up the stairs so as not to disrupt the two foalhood friends.





Rarity lifted up the completed dress, inspecting it for any loose stitching or uneven seams. Finding it to her satisfaction, she turned to the changeling that stood posing on her podium, his slumped posture clearly showing he didn’t want to be there. Rarity took no notice of his annoyance as she trotted over to him.

“Okay now, Print, was it?” Rarity asked. The changeling just nodded his head, not saying anything. “You know Fluttershy, right? Turn into her, please?”

Print rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. Nonetheless, he complied, changing into the yellow pegasus. Rarity slid the green dress onto him, studying how it fit the mare closely. She circled around him, frowning in displeasure.

“No, no, this won’t do! It’s too high on the flank, she’ll never wear this!” Rarity groaned, “I’ll have to fix that. Now hold still!”

Using her magic, Rarity began pulling at the dress, with Print trying not to move so it would come off more easily. A ringing bell at the door brought this to an abrupt halt, and both looked to see a familiar unicorn standing in the doorway, a slight look of embarrassment on her face.

“Oh, I, um, hope I’m not interrupting anything…” Sparkler said, chuckling softly. The embarrassment faded quickly, however, being replaced with a look of annoyance. “Print, what do you think you’re doing?”

“Queen Chrysalis!” Print said, instinctively bowing. Rarity took this moment to rip the dress off of him, a tearing sound eliciting a cry of anger from the unicorn and a hiss of pain from the changeling. Chrysalis walked over, shooting Print a sharp glare.

“No, don’t leave. You agreed to do this job, didn’t you?” She asked. Print nodded timidly. “Then carry it out.”

“Oh, uh, Chrysalis! Hello! What can I do for you?” Rarity asked nervously.

Chrysalis put on one of the friendliest smiles she could manage. “Nothing, really. I just came to see how you were doing.”
“You came to see me? Why?” Rarity asked, anxiety giving way to confusion.

“Well, why not? You’re the first pony I’ve befriended ever since the flutterponies’ transformation.” Chrysalis said, “Everything’s been settled as far as peace talks go, and the hive is in working order, so I found myself with some free time.”

“And you came here.” Rarity finished, pleasantly surprised that Chrysalis considered her a friend.

“Exactly.” Chrysalis said, picking up the discarded dress and looking at the new tear in it. “This will need to be fixed, I suppose. Do you need help?”

“Oh no, it’s no trouble. I can handle this on my own.” Rarity said, taking the dress from Chrysalis.

“Well, too bad!” The changeling queen said, smiling mischievously as she snatched the dress back and threw it over the table under Rarity’s sewing machine. “If I’m going to be here, I’m going to be doing something.”

“But you’re royalty! There’s no need for you to-” Rarity began.

“So? I took care of my swarm single-hoofedly for a millennium. I think I can handle one dress.” Chrysalis interrupted, “Besides, this is much more interesting than speaking with Discord’s statue or trying to get the nobles not to scream in fright when I walk past, even if it is funny.”

Rarity fell silent, and Chrysalis turned to glare at Print once more. “Leave. I shall call for you when we are ready.”

“Of course, my Queen.” Print nodded, shifting back to his changeling form and hastily heading out the door. Rarity gave Chrysalis a puzzled look.

“But didn't you just tell him to-” She tried.

“I’m allowed to change my mind.” Chrysalis interrupted once more. She looked back to the sewing machine and began working at fixing the tear in it. Rarity walked over to watch her work.

“So, how are the changelings doing?” Rarity asked.

“Well. The restlessness caused by my absence has ceased, and the authority of myself and the High-General have both been reestablished.” Chrysalis explained, “General Carbon is being prepared for trial as we speak. Considering his actions, though, the outcome of the trial is all but assured. He will most likely be executed for his crimes.”

“Execution?!” Rarity gasped, shock clear on her face. “ Isn't that rather harsh?”

“Changeling laws are different than pony laws.” Chrysalis said, unfazed by her outburst. “Treason and murder are both punishable by death, and General Carbon has performed the first and attempted the second. He will not get off lightly for this.”
“That may be, but still, death?” Rarity asked, “Surely what he’s done isn't worth that? You invaded Canterlot, for Celestia’s sake, and you were forgiven! Can’t you do the same to him?”

“The circumstances are not the same,” Chrysalis said, looking away from her work. “He is my subject; he is expected to obey my laws at all times. My changelings and I were not subjects of Equestria, and as such, had no such obligations. And I repeat, changeling laws and pony laws are different. Surely you understand the cultural differences involved here?”

Rarity frowned, though she said nothing. Chrysalis let out a loud sigh and gave her a tired smile. “Although, perhaps I’ll take your thoughts into consideration. Maybe I’ll simply have him demoted to the ranks of the maintenance drones; for a changeling of his pride, that’s punishment enough.”

Rarity stared at Chrysalis, a stunned look on her face that shifted into a touched smile. “Thank you, Queen Chrysalis.”

Chrysalis rolled her eyes, smirking mischievously. “I’m surprised you even care. You don’t even know him, and you do realize he hurt Applejack, don’t you? What reason do you have to defend him?”

“It doesn't matter whether I know him or not or what he’s done; it’s simply that death is an extreme punishment no matter the circumstances.” Rarity said, “Besides, I forgave you for turning Applejack into a changeling in the first place, didn't I?”

“Fair enough.” Chrysalis conceded, chuckling softly. “Although, you realize that it is ultimately not my decision whether he lives or not. I can propose the idea, but it is ultimately the swarm that decides his fate.”

“I see. Well, I can accept that.” Rarity said. With that, the two set to work on fixing the faulty dress that Rarity had made. After several minutes of focused silence, Rarity brought up another topic.

“So, about that flutterpony tale of your's…”





Life for the changelings was always the same. Every day the changeling drones would leave the hive nest and travel to the distant pony towns, where they would assume the form of one of their residents. There, they would spend the day with their friends and family while said pony was gone, feeding off their love for them. At day’s end, they would return to their nest and offer their food to their beloved queen, who would love and feed them in turn. Every day was the same, but the changelings were fully content with it.

But as Mirror flew through the skies that day, she knew everything was not the same. She flew above the land of Equestria, having left the hive over an hour ago to return to Ponyville. Despite her distance away, she could feel the comforting hum of her brothers and sisters in the back of her head, their thoughts transmitted to her through her new horn. A mere two days in the healing chrysalis had left her feeling re-energized, her horn and wing both as good as new.

As she flew, Mirror considered using her newly-repaired horn to teleport to Ponyville instead of flying the entire way, but this way, it gave her time for reflection on all the changes that had occurred over the past few days.

Strange, it doesn’t feel like anything’s changed, but I know it has. I wonder how much, though.  Mirror mused. A few of her siblings responded to her through the swarm’s link, telling her to trust in their queen’s decision. Mirror sent a simple thought of acknowledgement back to them. When she first emerged from the healing chrysalis, she had found suddenly being connected to her siblings again after spending more than a week separate to be a little jarring, though she quickly grew used to it. She knew her thoughts would never be her own again, but Mirror couldn't bring herself to truly miss the privacy; she was a changeling, she had been born a changeling, and she would always choose the loving connection with the swarm over that peaceful, lonely silence.

Another thought entered Mirror’s head. A week…I can’t believe all this happened over the course of a week. So much had transpired after she awoke in Fluttershy’s backyard; the reality that it had taken place over such a short time was a shocking realization.

A few moments later, though, she saw the outskirts of a familiar pony town come into view. Excitement filling her, Mirror focused and engulfed herself in a burst of green light, teleporting the rest of the distance. She reappeared again, hovering above Fluttershy’s cottage. Seeing no pony around at the moment, she flew into the backyard and landed in front of the little pond, giving little waves to the animals nearby. She peered into the water, studying her reflection intently.

“Alright, let’s give this a try. Let’s see…” Mirror mused. A cocoon of fire engulfed her and faded to reveal her Daring Do form. Having a base form, she focused this time on her colors, the flames burning away to reveal a pure white coat and a bright yellow mane and tail, the same colors as Surprise.

She turned to observe her reflection from the side. Her mane was still styled in the way Rarity had made it, and she kept her compass rose cutie mark. She flapped her wings and smiled into the pool, though it slowly shifted into a frown after a few seconds.

Something still isn't right… Mirror thought. With a jolt of inspiration, an idea came to her. In a burst of flame, a large bow the same color as her magenta eyes appeared on her tail. Staring at her reflection, she noted with satisfaction that aside from her pegasus wings, she looked just like her flutterpony form from her dream. Conversing with the swarm had revealed that the dream was a nightmare that Queen Chrysalis herself had experienced. The nightmare had managed to slip through the queen’s closed link with the swarm into the minds of the changelings within Ponyville as they slept. Now, Mirror realized that the dream was, at least in part, a memory of the flutterponies’ transformation into changelings.

Satisfied with her new appearance, the changeling trotted around to the cottage’s front door and knocked politely on the door. She heard a soft cry of surprise inside, and after a few minutes, the door opened to reveal Fluttershy. The pegasus stared at the disguised changeling before her, confusion clear in her gaze.

Mirror chuckled at the pegasus’s puzzled look. “Come on, I know I look different, but who else would you expect me to be? I kept the manestyle and everything!”

It was another moment of silence before a spark of recognition shown in Fluttershy’s eyes. “Mirror!”

To Mirror’s surprise, Fluttershy flew in to hug the changeling, knocking them both to the ground. The two laid there, laughing like old friends.

“I missed you, too, Fluttershy!” Mirror spoke, worming her way out of Fluttershy’s grasp and getting back to her hooves. “Speaking of which, have you seen-”

“Matchie!” A high-pitched voice cried out, and Mirror was tackled from behind by the enthusiastic earth pony who had spoken. Much to Mirror’s relief, though, Pinkie didn't try grabbing her into another bone-crushing hug, and instead just hopped off and allowed Mirror to get back up. “Oh, Matchie, I knew you’d come!”

“You did? How” Mirror asked, dusting dirt off her white coat.

“My Pinkie Sense, duh!” Pinkie said, “Itchy back, twitchy tail, shaking knees, and eye flutter means that a friend is coming to visit today!”

“Oh, I see.” Mirror said, not understanding in the slightest what Pinkie Pie was talking about. One voice in her mind muttered a less than flattering comment about the pink pony, and Mirror sent a harsh jolt of anger through the link in response. She quickly put her smile back up and looked back at Pinkie.

“I like your new look, Matchie!” Pinkie Pie praised, “You look like you combined Daring Do and Surprise together!”

“Well, in a way, I did.” Mirror said, “They were my favorite forms, but neither was really mine, so I made a new form from them for myself.”

“Oh, we understand,” Fluttershy said, “You want to be your own pony -er, changeling-, not a copy.”

“Exactly!” Mirror nodded, “Though to be truthful, this is actually based off that flutterpony form I had in my dream. That dream was a nightmare that Queen Chrysalis had, about the flutterponies’ transformation into changelings.”

“Eek, sounds scary!” Pinkie Pie said, shuddering then smiling. “But if that’s supposed to be you as a flutterpony, how come you aren't one?”

Mirror smiled. “Actually…”

In another burst of green fire, Mirror’s white pegasus wings were replaced with a pair of purple butterfly wings. She flapped them gently, then more forcefully as she rose into the air.

“It’s funny, before you guys used the Elements of Harmony on us, we changelings couldn't take this form. These wings were the one thing completely inaccessible to any of us, even Queen Chrysalis.” Mirror said.

“Wow, they’re beautiful, Matchie!” Pinkie Pie said in awe. Fluttershy remained silent, staring at the colorful wings with similar wonder. Mirror floated back down and landed before them.

“Thanks, Pinkie! The way I see it, this means that the flutterponies aren't truly gone after all.” Mirror said, looking at her wings. “They live on through the changelings.”

“Yeah…hey, Matchie!” Pinkie said, suddenly jumping to another topic. “So if your new form is Mirror Match with Surprise’s colors, are you going to change your name to something more fitting? What could you even change it to? Mirror Surprise? Surprise Match? Ooh, Surprise Match!”

Pinkie turned around and zipped up to Fluttershy, pressing her nose to the startled pegasus’s own. “That gives me a great idea for a new treat at Sugarcube Corner!” She backed off and turned back to Mirror, smiling widely. “Think about it: Surprise Match Sample Extravaganza! We make dozens of cupcakes and cookies and pastries, each made from two random flavors, and we set them all out for everypony to sample! The ones that everypony likes the most will be made into official treats to be sold at Sugarcube Corner as Surprise Match sweets!”

“So…you mean like chocolate and…watermelon?” Mirror suggested, inwardly thinking that it sounded rather revolting. A few mental gags of disgust told her that her siblings agreed with her.

“Exactly!” Pinkie said, “And if it’s terrible, we just try again with a different combination! It’s like a test to find the best flavors!”

Pinkie whirled back around to face Fluttershy. “Hey Fluttershy, you know how to bake! You’ll help me out, right? We can get Applejack, too, and…”

Mirror looked away from her friends, letting Pinkie Pie chatter on to Fluttershy while she looked toward the buildings of Ponyville in the distance. She realized with a hint of disappointment that as a changeling, she’d still be mistrusted by the ponies there if she didn't keep up a disguise. She had heard enough stories from the changelings who had become victims of hateful, paranoid ponies over the past few days.

Still, she fully believed that, given time, the ponies would grow to accept the changelings, and they wouldn't have to live in fear any longer. Her queen had already taken the first step toward peace, and it was up to the swarm to follow through with it.

A cool breeze blew through the air, the first sign of the approaching autumn. Mirror closed her eyes, listening to the comforting voices of her family in her head. A smile gracing her face, she turned and, with a beat of her wings, took to the air. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy stopped talking to watch her as she rose up, and Mirror looked down at her friends briefly before looking back toward the sky.

And, as she always did to express her feelings, Mirror began to sing.

“This day is going to be perfect,
The kind of day of which I've dreamed since I was small,
Now our trouble’s past,
And a new peace has come at last,
The future’s shining brightly for us all!”





And so ends the tale of Mirror the changeling’s adventure in Ponyville. But that doesn't mean it’s the end of her tale entirely; life always goes on, and this isn't the last of the trouble she’ll get into. But what of the other stories that went on during this time? What of Carbon, who’s ambition for power drove him to risk and lose everything? What of Double, who dedicated her life to reuniting with her foalhood friend? And what of Chrysalis, who struggled to hold together a broken kingdom in the aftermath of disaster? They all have their own stories to tell, and so they shall be told…