You have to be joking

by Moonlit Path

I'll be fine. I think

A terrified changeling hid in Celestias bedroom knowing no one would look for her there. "Why won't they listen to me? I swear they are more stubborn then Rainbow and Applejack in a competition." she groaned to herself. "I can't stay here forever, I should try and get to Ponyville. Fluttershy should be able to help me." as she was lost in thought she didn't notice a neither changeling sneaking up behind her.

"Hi there."

The sudden voice caused her to jump five feet in the air. "Who are you, and what did you do?"

"I'm D13, as for what I did, you will find out soon enough" He explained grinning a little

"What do you want from me?"

"Just come with me." he gestured to the forest

"No" she asserted. There was no way was she going with him.

"Very well, hope you enjoy your life." and with that D13 left

"Whos in there!" A royal guard asked hearing the voices.

Thinking quickly she changed herself into Princess Celestia. "Why didn't I think of this earlier?" she asked herself while mentally slapping herself. She went over and opened the door "Yes?"

"Princess! Where have you been? I was told if I saw you to have you report to princess Luna." The guard explained noticing something a little different. Her eyes had a hint of green in them. (After the invasion by Chrysalis all guards had been taught to notice little signs like that just in case.)

"Of course, I will find my sister in a moment."

"Who are you?" He asked pointing is staff at her.

"I am Celestia, your princess" She explained in as calm of tone as she could manage, while taking in her situation

"Changeling!" The guard yelled but before he could do anything, she was gone.

---

"SHE DID WHAT!" Luna yelled in the Royal Canterlot voice shaking the entire castle. She had put a sound barrier around them, so they could talk without any eavesdroppers hearing what happened. The result was ponies everywhere scrambling for cover.

"Earthquake!" One of the castle staff yelled followed by twenty others, running as if the castle was about to fall on them

Normally this would have amused Luna, but after hearing that the escaped changeling was impersonating her sister, she wasn't in the mood. "Do you have any idea where she could have gone?"

"No princess. Honestly that was a very smart place to hide. We had already searched it, and knowing she wasn't there, we wouldn't have given it a second thought. I only looked after hearing voices." The guard explained, he knew better then to do a rookie mistake like that, and physically hit the back of his head. "Stupid"

"Understandable, but I want a barrier around the castle, and every royal room that she could even try to hide in. My sisters, my own, Twilights old room, the observatory, and so on. If she is still in the castle we will find her. I doubt she can teleport very far."

"Yes princess!" with a sharp salute the guard was gone.

"Tia, where are you?"

---

The changeling slowly made her way outside the castle grounds disguised as a castle guard. "Hiya, have you seen princess Celestia around? I heard princess Luna was looking for her." A pink pony appeared in front of her.

"No, but we are on the look out." It was then Pinkie noticed that the guard was slightly different.

"Do I know you?"

"No" she replied almost immediately. Although in the back of her mind, she new that explaining her situation would fix everything, but Pinkie was to unpredictable.

"Okie Dokie Loki!" and with that Pinkie Pie disappeared.

"That was close."

"What was close?"

Freezing at the sound of the new voice she turned around. "It was nothing I assure you" accidently letting her way of speaking slip through.

Shining Armor squinted a little as if to see something.

"Are you alright Captain?"

"I think so, you just seem familiar."

"I'm not sure how, I joined after you left for the Crystal empire." She said without thinking. Normally she could think everything over for a moment, but she had to act normal.

"Let me know if you find anything."

'Yes Captain."

As Shining walked away he couldn't help but start a fight with himself. Between soldier and normal pony. "There was something off about her"

"She was just a normal guard."

"You saw that look, it wasn't the look of a soldier"

"Maybe she was just tired. Guards tend to get tired rather easily after long shifts."

"Not what I meant"

"There was nothing else there."

"There was something off with her any you know it."

"There was nothing off about her."

"Yes there was, now where is Celestia?"

"I don't know!"

"Think Captain think!"

"I don't want to be the Captain right now, I just want to find Celestia"

"You are the Captain"

"Not right now"

"You are the Captain of the Royal Guard and the Prince to the Crystal empire, now think Idiot!"

"JUST SHUT UP!" He accidently yelled out loud drawing concerned glances from passing by ponies.

"Shining Armor, are you alright?" Hearing the sound of Lunas voice he had to think of something quick

"Yes Princess, why do you ask?"

"You just yelled just shut up in your command voice." she deadpanned

"I'll be ok, I just need a break, and maybe some coffee."

"Are you sure? I know this whole situation as gotten everpony on edge. I am actually about to go get Twilight and see if I can get anymore information from her."

"I'm fine." and with that he started running away trying to ignore the princesses glaze on him and the argument starting up again in his head. "Just shut up." running and hiding in a storage closet he let himself fall to the ground and cry. "What is wrong with me? I should be out searching for Celestia but instead I'm acting like a colt again!" he yelled at himself.

"Ohmygosh!Ohmygosh!Ohmygosh! What's wrong!"

"Ahhhhhhh! Pinkie how did you? Where did you?" He stuttered quickly trying to dry his eyes.

"It will be ok, we will find Celestia. I know your super duper worried about her!" Giving him a big hug

"Thank you Pink....." Looking around he noticed the room empty. "How did she?"

---

"Did you find anything?" Luna asked. She gathered the others around in the castle gardens.

"No, and it has been 12 hours. Maybe we need to expand the search to near by towns?" Rainbow Suggested.

"I'm already ahead of you. Applejack went to search a nearby farm town, and Rarity is searching Ponyville, and to ask Zecora for help." Luna explained.

"Do we need to alert the rest of Canterlot of the missing princess?" Shining asked

"Not yet. Giver her 12 more hours, and then we will." she asserted. "Continue the search, and meet up again in six hours."

"Yes princess." and with that everypony was off again.

"Princess, I know you super duper worried, but why don't you go get some rest. You look sicky" Pinkie deadpanned looking the confused princess over

"I'll be fine." After receiving a infamous Pinkie stare (similar to Fluttershy's' but instead it tried to tell when somepony was lying. Luna waited as Pinkie left before she sighing and fighting with herself. Princess and worried sister

"They will find her"

"But what is she is dead?"

"She's not"

"But"

"She's not"

"Look at the situation."

"You make a good point"

"Your not allowed to agree with me!" She yelled at herself. The worried sister part of her brain was winning, and knowing she was useless at that moment she teleported to her bedroom and just broke down crying. "Now I know how Twilight felt. I wonder how Shining Armor is doing" she asked herself thinking back to his little incident earlier. "We will find her" she told herself. After a few minutes she went to her bathroom and washed her face and fixed her mane. She knew she couldn't let the others know she was on the edge of a mental break down. It was then she looked out the window and noticed something strange. A solar guard wondering the streets had glowed green and went from a unicorn to a Pegasus. "Found you!" she whispered not taking her eyes off the changeling

---

"I need to get to Ponyville. Fluttershy can hopefully help me, and if not plan B is to explain to spike and hope he can get Twilight to help." The changeling reminded herself. She slowly made her way to Ponyville, as Luna followed hoping she would lead her to Celestia. The changeling first went to Fluttershy's cottage, but to her disappointment she wasn't home. Sighing she then went to the golden oaks library.

"What is she doing there?" Luna asked herself.

Slipping inside she noticed spike sleeping on top of a book. She changed herself into Twilight so that the shock wouldn't be too bad. Walking up she gently shook him so she would scare the dragon.

"Spike. Spike wake up please"

"Oh hey Twi, I thought you weren't going to be back until tonight."

"Spike, I am going to show you something but you have to promise not to freak out until I explain."

"Did you mess up a spell again?"

"Spike you need to promise" She asserted

"Cross my hear and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye" he recited with the hand movements. With that she closed the door and windows and reverted back to her changeling form. "Cha-cha-changeling!" he whispered as he started running for the door but she caught him.

"It's not what you think." With that she explained what happened and that she needed him to get a letter to Twilight and hope she could help. Agreeing Spike did as he was told and suggested she hide out in the Library until Twilight came back.

"Thank you so much for your help Spike"

"Where is my sister!" Luna yelled bursting through the front door and tackling the changeling to the ground. Before she even could start to explain Luna knocked her out

"What did you do that for!" Spike yelled at Luna "Sorry, princess I didn't mean for it to come out" he said apologetically while backing away from the conflicted princess.

"Celestia is missing, and she knows where she is." Luna explained looking over changeling

Spike groaned. "Where is Twilight?"

"She is in Canterlot."

"Spike, what's wrong?" Twilight appeared in front of them

"Twilight Sparkle didn't I tell you to stay until I came back?"

"Sorry" Twilight squeaked "Princess what are you doing here?"

"Spike, what is going on?" The two chorused

"Let her explain" he pointed to the changeling sprawled out on the floor

Twilight took one look at the changeling before her world went black.

Looking at the unconscious unicorn, Luna only managed to say one thing.

"And she is a element barer?"

---

"Where is Luna?" Rainbow asked impatiently. They were supposed to meet up for a report half a hour ago and, Luna was no where to be found.

"You don't think something super bad happened to her too! Do you?" Pinkie asked

The few royal guard ponies that were on the search team looked at each other nervously. "Both princess are missing. We need to find them and fast."

"You guys go continue the search, we need to remain here for Luna." Shining commanded them. After a sharp salute they were off "Ok, now that we are alone, what the buck is going on in here?" He asked very concerned that Luna could not be found. Even though she acted like a filly sometimes, she was always responsible with being on time.

Rainbow looked down at the ground not even capable of flying at the moment "I don't know but we can not let anyone know especially right now." she whispered

"Agreed. Maybe she is with Twilight?" Shining suggested

"I'll go check" and with that Pinkie was gone again.

"We have been searching Canterlot for almost 19 hours, and I know she didn't sleep the night before because she was so excited. How does she have as much energy as the CMC on espresso?"

"I don't know, but can we switch bodies?" Shining asked earning a laugh from Rainbow. "Wait how do you know what the CMC are like on espresso?"

"Twilights not there! Did Luna take her somewhere else?" Pinkie said so fast they almost couldn't understand her.

"What do you mean she's not there?" Shining asked half in shock.

"And how did you get there and back so fast?" Rainbow added in

"Guys, I'm getting super worried now." Her hair deflating allowed Rainbow to understand just how worried she actually was. It was a rare sight from Pinkie Pie to turn Pinkamena

"Me too" Shining said looking falling on his flank. Not knowing what to do, it took all of his will power not to cry again now that Luna and his sister were missing, along with Celestia

"They are just fine. I'm sure of it" The element of loyalty tried her best to give them hope, but it was hard when in the back of her mind she had a strange feeling something really bad happened to them

Shining sat up and looked at the other two before taking a deep breath "Let's continue the search. We can't afford to waste anymore time."

Author's Note:

I went over this at least 10 times, and had my friend look over it, and things kept changing. If you notice any misspelled words, or grammar issues I'd love to know. Thank you, and I hope you are enjoying the story