Shadow gasped. Thoughts rushed through his mind, then he began to smile. "I knew all along it was Mo-"
"Hey, guys..." Vanilla Mocha trotted in from the back. She had dried all of her tears away, though her eyes and nose were still pink. She wore a light green apron.
Everypony turned to face her, their facial expressions becoming even more shocked. When Vanilla saw Masquerade on the ground, her jaw dropped.
Masquerade weakly lifted herself off the wooden floor. Her chest ached with pain, but she couldn't let it defeat her. Not now.
"Mocha? Is that... What?" Shadow whispered.
The unicorn turned to face him.
"What... Is going on?" He asked her.
Masquerade exhaled heavily. "I'll tell you what's going on..." She looked into everyone's eyes before continuing, "I am Princess Masquerade, and I will succeed in destroying you all... Your little friend Joy isn't here to save you, either!"
"Princess... Masquerade?" Mocha tilted her head in puzzlement.
"Don't act dumb, Mocha. You know that's Joy, you know you're behind all of this!" Shadow's friend, Charm, said.
Valerium stood up. "No," he trotted towards his marefriend, "She doesn't know." He hugged her tightly. "I missed you..." He whispered.
Mocha hugged him back, even tighter. "I missed you, too..." Glancing up at the Changeling, she gritted her teeth. "I know you!"
"Oh, do you?" Masquerade lifted an eyebrow.
"You... You are the one that stood at my front door, weren't you? You're the one Galaxy saw outside my window, you're the- you're evil Joy!" Mocha snapped. Then, her eyes widened and she gasped. "So Joy really wasn't really evil..."
"Right you are, barista! But what good will that do you now?" Closing her eyes, Masquerade's red fog filled the building. "There's no escaping!"
"You look a bit young to be a Changeling Princess and fighter, even younger than Joy, if I must say." Quillton interjected, "And Joy is a lot younger than us."
The Changeling looked at him. "Well, yes, I am her younger sister. Just because I'm not a full grown mare it doesn't mean I still can't avenge my family!"
"What exactly did we do to you?" Frost asked quietly.
Daffodil nodded. "Yeah, like, all we did is sit here."
"The breath from your lungs was enough to make me hate you!" Masquerade wheezed. She was still hurting inside from the heart attack.
"That's just rude," Jinx Parody commented.
Thunder Knight and Pony Pint nodded in agreement.
"Wait, Joy is your sister?" Breeze asked.
Masquerade rolled her eyes. "Nah, she's totally unrelated to me."
Breeze grunted. "I was just asking."
Paradise Oasis put her hoof to her chin. "Hmm, where is Joy?"
"Do you really think that I'd tell you?" Masquerade yelled. "There's no finding her! I am the Princess of Changelings, and what I say goes! Got that?!"
As if on cue, Redsopine ran in from the front door. Standing behind Masquerade, he had somepony on his back. It was Joy.
Everypony in the room gasped once more.
"I was watching in the bushes earlier. Saw 'em walking. When they got closer, Masquerade had a servant fly in and attempt to take Joy back. Luckily I beat him up and rescued her." Redsopine said.
"Joy?!" Shadow exclaimed, "B-but how?! That's Joy!" He pointed to Masquerade.
"No, Mocha was right all along," Film Reel whispered, "W-wow... Mocha, we're sorry."
"Yeah... Sorry about trying to prove you wrong, Vanilla. It all just seemed so coincidental and convenient to be true." Shadow Wing replied.
Vanilla Mocha smiled. "It's alright, I forgive you. It's not the first time about half of my friends turned against me, after all. No harm done."
Masquerade grinned. "Are you sure about that, barista?"
"Masquerade...?" Joy interrupted. She trotted forward, "What are you doing?"
"What all Changelings do, of course." The masked princess smirked, "What did you think I am here for, a pretty pony dress-up tea party or something?"
"Eh, I dunno, maybe." Galaxy's finance, Crystal, said.
Masquerade growled at that.
Tacitus chuckled. "You're not so scary, Masquerade."
"Maybe she's just upset about something." Sentinel suggested.
Garfield smiled. "Yeah, like maybe she's hungry. I know I am."
"I could help you feel better if you'd like, Masquer-" Redrose began.
"I'm not trying to be scary and I feel fine!" She snapped back, cutting off the pink pony.
Joy began to cry. "I... I trusted you, sister..." Tears rolled down her cheeks.
"It's so sad that you're a pony, isn't it? Didn't even know I was feeding off your love the whole time in the cell, did you?"
"You... Did?" Joy cried softly.
Masquerade nodded. "And I'm hungry for more..." She turned to face the ponies and cat in front of her, and grinned.