Princess Celestia was shocked. This poor unicorn was obviously affected by Sombra's magic, but she'd heard nothing from the Crystal Empire about this, and that unicorn looked more like a Manehattenite. "Send out an alert!" She ordered, "King Sombra has returned!"
--
Fluttershy slowly left her cabin. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie had long since gone, and Fluttershy was left working up the courage to go tell her remaining best friends that didn't know about her true identity. First, I need to go see Twilight. Fluttershy thought, I need to tell her about what the Changeling Queen said.
For the third time in two days, she knocked lightly on the door to the library. "Fluttershy, is that you?" Twilight asked from inside the Library.
"Yes." Fluttershy said quietly, feeling nervous.
The door slowly opened, and Twilight peered out. "Oh good." She said, opening the door and letting Fluttershy in before closing it. "Sorry, I'm a little paranoid because of this letter the Princess sent." Twilight said, gesturing to a letter lying on a desk. "She said that King Sombra appears to have returned... and is attacking everywhere."
"Oh no!" Fluttershy said, gasping. "I... I guess I'll just leave then, you have much more important things to worry about here!" She said, starting to turn around.
"No, no, don't worry, I'm sure you had a good reason to come here, and we don't have any reason to think Sombra is anywhere near Ponyville." Twilight said, quickly.
Fluttershy turned and looked at Twilight. "Yes, I do have something to tell you..." she paused, steeling herself. "The changeling queen that attacked us told me tha-"
"YOU TALKED TO CHRYSALIS?" Twilight yelled, leaping up in shock. "She was here? In Ponyville?"
Fluttershy nodded, and told Twilight everything Chrysalis had told her.
Twilight sat in thought. "I don't know if we should believe her or not. On the one hoof, you're a changeling now, a queen according to her, and we haven't seen her do anything to other changelings. But on the other hoof, we don't know enough of Changeling society to know if Queens fight each other or not, or she could easily still be angry about your role in trying to stop her during the wedding."
Fluttershy nodded. "But what about the other thing? What if when I transform, something bad DOES happen, like I lose control or I explode or something?" She asked, a little panicky.
"I think I have a solution for that." Twilight said, smiling. "In Changeling Interrogation and You, I found an old spell which was used to force a changeling to appear as their true form, without actually transforming them. It's a simple illusion spell, you see. I could probably modify it so you could decide which of the two forms to take with a small amount of magic." Twilight said, nodding.
Fluttershy was unsure of what to do. "Well, I still need to tell Rarity and Applejack... they might think I'm crazy or something if I tell them, so I might need that..." she said, thinking aloud, "OK, Twilight, let's do it."
Twilight smiled, and once again her horn glowed, a soft ball appearing at the end of her horn. It shot out, hitting Fluttershy, seemingly to no effect. "All you have to do is use a very simple spell now to switch back and forth." Twilight said, smiling.
Fluttershy looked completely confused, and Twilight realized what was wrong. "Oh. Well, let me give you a crash course on magic, Fluttershy..."
--
Fluttershy decided to head to tell Rarity first. The longer she was by herself, the more worried she became. She felt exhausted, both mentally and physically. She was nearly at her wit's end, and felt herself coming close to a breakdown, even with all the reassurances everypony gave her. Oh dear oh dear oh dear...
Fluttershy walked up to Carosel Boutique, and knew at once that something was wrong. The interior was incredibly dark, and she'd never seen it look this dark inside, especially during the day. School was still in, so Sweetie Belle wouldn't be inside, but at the very least Rarity should have been home.
Fluttershy knocked on the door gently. "GO AWAY!" A raspy, sickly-sounding voice yelled from inside, only sounding a bit like Rarity.
Fluttershy knew that something was wrong, and so she ignored the voice and opened the door. "Rarity?" She called into the dark interior. She stopped dead when she saw what was inside. The entire room was filled with dark crystals of various sizes and shapes, and Rarity appeared to be trying to sew herself a dress covered in them.
Rarity looked up and hissed, in a very un-Rarity-like way. "Close the door! Stop letting that horrid darkness in!" She said, returning to her sewing.
Fluttershy walked in and shut the door, letting the room grow much darker. "Rarity, what are you doing, why is it so dark?"
"Dark? It's brighter than ever! These wonderful glowing crystals are lighting this room up beautifully. I don't know how you can stand it out there in the dark, with that ball of darkness you call the 'sun'" She scoffed, "I'm making this dress so perhaps I might be able to bring this light out there!"
Fluttershy's worry only increased as Rarity spoke. "Rarity... it's really dark in here, you should come outside! Something's wrong with these crystals, anyway!" She said, rather loudly compared to her usual speaking voice.
Rarity paid no attention to Fluttershy, and just continued to sew more and more crystals into the dress. "Soon, I will never have to be away from this beautiful light..." She laughed a hollow laugh. "Fluttershy, why don't you join me... I can make one for you too!"
Fluttershy shrunk back in shock. "Rarity... are you okay?"
Rarity laughed again. "Of course! I've never felt better! I should give everyone some of these crystals, haha! We can all take refuge from that horrible sun brought about by that demon, Celestia!"
"RARITY, SNAP OUT OF IT!" Fluttershy screamed. Rarity's expression changed to an evil smile, as her eyes turned red and green, purple energy radiating from them.
"You truly care about this seamstress, don't you?" Rarity said in a new deep voice. "It is a shame she is already under my control..."
This isn't Rarity! Fluttershy realized, shocked. "Give Rarity back! Give her back!" Fluttershy screamed, tears streaming down her face.
The thing possessing Rarity merely chuckled. "It is too late. You can do nothing! And now, you will also serve me!" Rarity yelled, throwing the completed dress onto Fluttershy.
Fluttershy steeled herself, ready for something to happen, as the evil voice continued to laugh...
Fluttershy kept waiting...
"Do you now see the glorious light present in my crystals?" Rarity said, looking at Fluttershy.
"No! They're horrible and black! Get this awful thing you forced Rarity to make off me!" She yelled, thrashing around.
"What? Impossible!" Rarity yelled, backing up. "No pony can resist my power!"
Fluttershy thought quickly. I have to do something... but... it's still Rarity! I can't hurt her! Oh...What would Rainbow Dash do? Fluttershy slowly smiled, and did her best cocky expression, trying to look like Rainbow Dash. "I... am no pony!" She said, a tiny green spark appearing where her horn would be, as a great gout of green fire shot out of the ground, as Twilight's spell did its job.
Rarity could do nothing but watch, as the flames slowly died down, revealing a creature that is very much NOT a pony. A changeling now stood before her. Her mane a bright yellow color, the same color as her waist. Insectoid wings replaced her old feathered ones, and a huge wicked-looking horn now sat on her forehead. Her new stature left her towering over Rarity, and the black exoskeleton replacing her skin made her look very intimidating.
"I... am a CHANGELING!" Fluttershy said, her voice now having a distinct insectoid note to it. I did it, Rainbow Dash! she thought. Rarity looked furious.
"A Queen? A Changeling Queen?" The voice roared. "The changelings have never meddled in pony affairs before!" Rarity stamped her hoof. "No matter, being immune to my powers means nothing! I still have your friend!"
"Nopony... HURTS. MY. FRIENDS!" Fluttershy yelled, and, thinking like Rainbow Dash, aimed a kick at a nearby crystal, which shattered. She smiled, and began breaking every crystal.
"No! Stop!" The voice said, as Rarity's eyes began to flicker. "You fool! This won't stop-" The voice stopped, and Rarity's eyes returned to normal as the last crystal shattered on the floor. Fluttershy ripped the evil dress off and crushed it underhoof.
"There! That's what I think of YOU!" she said, smiling. She then turned, and looked at Rarity. "Rarity, are you alright?"
Rarity screamed. "GET OUT, YOU FILTHY BUG!" Rarity yelled, picking up a nearby broom and swinging it wildly at Fluttershy. "What did you do to me??"
"R...Rarity..." Fluttershy muttered, her earlier bravado vanishing as Rarity advanced upon her with the broom. "I... I'll go...." She said, sadly, walking out the door.
She didn't even think about turning back to her pony form.
--
Fluttershy was running. Running faster than she ever ran before, as a giant mob of ponies, most of whom she knew, chased her. "I'm Fluttershy!" She yelled as she ran, but no one seemed to listen. She just had to keep running.
"In here, Queen Fluttershy!" A familiar, but insectoid voice whispered. Fluttershy knew better than to question it now, and ran into the alley the changeling drone was standing in. Pressed up against the alley wall, they waited, as the huge mob ran by.
"T...thank you." Fluttershy said, turning and looking at the changeling drone.
The drone smiled smugly. "Well, this changeling of course felt it necessary to assist her queen. Was there EVER any doubt?" The drone said, her voice now incredibly familiar.
"T...Trixie?" Fluttershy asked, looking down at the drone in surprise. The drone smiled back up at her, and in a burst of green fire, turned into Trixie, complete with cape and hat.
"Trixie assumes you've been told that Trixie would be here? As the only member of your hive, Trixie had to meet her queen." Trixie continued, smugly. "Who would have thought she would be one of Twilight's friends? Truly, this is the greatest thing that could happen to Trixie!"
"What do you mean, Trixie?" Fluttershy asked, remembering to change back to her pony form. "And... I wasn't told anything like that..."
"Well, no matter. Trixie can now truly make up for the Alicorn Amulet incident. Trixie's previous attempt was not nearly enough of an apology." Trixie said, looking a little regretful. "However, now Trixie can answer your questions! Trixie has been a changeling for a very long time, so she can easily assist you." Trixie said, somehow sounding both smug and respectful at the same time.
"Well... I still don't know how to transform... I was only able to sort of transform because of Twilight's spells..." Fluttershy muttered, staring at the ground.
"Aha! That is an easy first task for the Great and Powerful Trixie! However..." Trixie hesitated. "Trixie does not recommend switching to your true form. Trixie had wondered how you had managed to be so... well." She looked around, before continuing. "Queens are the leaders of their hives. Because of this, any excess love is used to make the queen more powerful, so she can better protect and lead her hive." Trixie said, seriously. "You... You live with your animals, and have five best friends. The sustained love from all those sources... You are likely even Greater and More Powerful than Trixie!"
"W-what?" Fluttershy said, "But... But..."
"Not only that, but you are likely so powerful..." She pauses again. "Well, there would be a lot of collateral damage if you transformed..." She said, shrugging. "So Trixie advises against that!"
"I... I see." Fluttershy said, nodding. At least she knew what kind of danger transforming brought. "But... how can you be part of my hive? I only recently found out about being a queen!"
"You're a year older than Trixie." Trixie said, "When a changeling hatches, they are assigned to the hive of the most compatible queen, personality-wise. In this case, Trixie was made the first and only member of Fluttershy's hive, as Trixie is MUCH too great and powerful for most hives." Trixie said, nodding. "The reason Trixie came through Ponyville, as well as why Trixie used the alicorn amulet, it was all to discover who my queen was."
Trixie looked out the alleyway, and saw that the coast was clear. "Well, everypony is gone now. You'll be able to take your leave now, Queen. As to how to transform, you merely need to think of the shape you wish to take, while focusing magic in your horn."
Fluttershy nodded, and stepped out of the alley, before heading back toward the library to tell Twilight what had happened.
"Trixie shall do what she can to help you!" Trixie called after her, before transforming into a bird and flying up into the sky.
--
"...and there was this horrid changeling in my room when I came to!" Fluttershy heard Rarity's voice, sounding normal, coming from the library.
Twilight coughed. "Um, Rarity, well..."
Fluttershy knocked quietly on the door, and Twilight immediately opened the door for her. "Oh, Fluttershy! Perfect timing!" Twilight said, a sincere smile on her face.
Fluttershy hesitated, then stepped inside. "Twilight..." She started, glancing at Rarity.
"Go ahead, Fluttershy." Twilight said, nodding to reassure her.
"Twilight... Rarity was being controlled by King Sombra..." Fluttershy said, quietly. "I could hear... his voice coming from her."
Rarity looked taken aback. "So that's what happened to me? That explains the crystal shards all over the floor..." Rarity looked at Fluttershy. "You were there? You must have left before that horrible changeling appeared!"
Fluttershy backed up. "Oh. Yes. That must... be it..." Fluttershy muttered into the floor.
Twilight wasn't sure what to do, since this was a very delicate situation. "Fluttershy... how did Sombra control Rarity?"
Fluttershy slowly looked up. "The black crystals. Carousel Boutique was full of them." She said, a little more sure of herself. "And she was making a dress with many of the crystals. Sombra tried to use it to control me too, but it didn't work... because of... that." Fluttershy said, not wanting to say any more than she had to.
"Hmm, so you're immune to Sombra's mind control? That's a good sign." Twilight said, making a note. "And when the crystals were destroyed, Rarity was freed, right?"
"Yes." Fluttershy said, nodding.
"Darling, I don't understand! How could you know all these things?" Rarity said, confusion in her voice. "And why are you immune to his mind control?"
Fluttershy merely backed up and muttered random noises into the floor. Twilight sighed.
"Rarity... Fluttershy..." Twilight began.
"IS A GREAT FRIEND NO MATTER WHAT!" A loud voice yelled, as Pinkie Pie floated through an open window, a large number of balloons tied to her waist.
"Well... of course!" Rarity responded, confusion evident on her face now. "But..."
"I..." from the corner of the room, came Fluttershy's soft voice. "I'm not a pony... I'm a changeling."
Rarity stopped moving, and just stared at Fluttershy. "Hahaha, oh, that's impossible." Rarity said, brushing it off.
Fluttershy suddenly burst into green flames, leaving her in her changeling queen form.
Rarity fainted.
Pinkie Pie looked from the changeling Fluttershy to Rarity and back. "Well, I think you look cool." Pinkie said, shrugging as she floated out a window on the other side of the room.
--
"Hey, Rainbow told me y'all had something important ta tell me." Applejack said, as she entered the Library. Rarity was still a little shocked, but seemed to be trying her best to overcome it. Twilight was writing notes down on what Fluttershy had told her about Sombra and what Trixie had said, and Fluttershy was standing next to Rarity.
"...I take it this is somethin' pretty serious, huh?" Applejack said, closing the door behind her and taking her hat off, holding it in front of her mouth.
Okay Fluttershy, she's the last one, let's just get it over with. "Um, Applejack..." Fluttershy began, before deciding to just take the plunge. She transformed into her Changeling Queen form.
Applejack looked at Fluttershy, surprised. She paused, and then spoke. "Yer a changeling? Huh, never woulda guessed." Applejack said, putting her hat back on.
"W...what?" Fluttershy asked, bewildered. "You... trust me, just like that?"
"Of course." Applejack said, shrugging. "Ya still look like you, even as a changeling. Yer still the same pony I've always known." Applejack smiled. "Besides, I've never heard such a softspoken changeling before."
Fluttershy smiled, and ran up to Applejack. Applejack, why do you always have to be so good and make me look so bad? Rarity thought, sighing. Fluttershy smiled, and hugged Applejack with her newfound magic.
"Ugh, Fluttershy... yer kinda squeezin' me too tight." Applejack muttered from within Fluttershy's green aura as she was pressed to Fluttershy's face.
"Oh, sorry." Fluttershy said, setting Applejack down carefully. Applejack walked over and picked up her hat, which had fallen when she was picked up. She placed it back on her head and smiled.
Twilight smiled. "Why don't we eat together, since we're all here anyway?" Spike ran by, carrying a bowl of salad he had just finished preparing over to a table.
And so, they all happily started to eat, as they talked into the night.