Round 2
Even before Spike signaled the start of the next round, Twilight started thinking. There would be nine rounds of this game at most, and there were only six of them. So at some point, Thorax would have to mimic the same pony twice. It was unlikely that Thorax would try to impersonate Pinkie Pie again immediately afterward. After all, he’d need to see what the real Pinkie acts like in order to mimic her again. This narrowed her suspects down to four. Hopefully, her friends would think the same thing. Pinkie Pie herself would be at a disadvantage, however. She’d need extra help. Hopefully, Twilight could get Pinkie to trust her.
“Ready, set, Spot That Changeling!”
Twilight opened her eyes, and was greeting by the same five familiar faces. She felt herself relax a little bit, before remembering that one of them was still Thorax in disguise.
“All right, y’all,” Applejack started, “I don’t think Thorax would pick Pinkie Pie twice in a row, but just to be certain…Pinkie Pie, are you the changeling?”
“Absotively, posilutely not!” said Pinkie Pie.
“Do you think that I’m the changeling?”
“I have no idea!” Pinkie said cheerfully.
“Well, who do you think is the changeling?” Twilight asked.
The smile ran away from Pinkie Pie’s face. “I don’t know, you ponies all look just like yourselves. None of you look like Thorax.”
“Pinkie, darling, I think you’re missing the point,” Rarity said. “We must find out who Thorax is by seeing which of us is not acting like herself, you see.”
“Um, how do we do that?” Pinkie stage-whispered to Rarity.
“Like this,” Rainbow Dash said. “Rarity, are you the changeling?”
“Oh, pf, chk, tth, this again?” Rarity waved Rainbow off. Then she put her hoof down. “No, I am not.”
“Do you think that I am the changeling?”
“Maybe.”
“Okay, Pinkie,” said Rainbow Dash, “do Rarity’s answers sound genuine, or does she sound like a phony?”
“Dunno,” Pinkie said. “She does usually talk in that way.”
“There you go,” Rainbow said. “You’re getting the hang of things.”
Twilight smiled. Pinkie didn’t need her guidance, she had Rainbow Dash to help her out. That meant she could focus her attention on finding Thorax.
“Say, Fluttershy,” Twilight said, “are you still upset about us calling Thorax ‘the changeling?’”
“A little bit,” Fluttershy said, “but Thorax himself said he was okay with it, so I guess it’s not that big a deal.”
“That’s good to hear. On a related note, are you the changeling?”
“No, I am not.”
“Do you think that I’m the changeling?”
“You might be. I’m not really sure though.”
“Do you think it’s possible that Thorax chose the same pony twice in a row?”
Fluttershy’s eyes shifted. “Anything’s possible, I suppose. But I don’t think he did.”
“Okay, so who hasn’t been challenged yet?” Rainbow spoke up. “Applejack, are you the changeling?”
“I am not the changeling,” Applejack said.
“Do you think that I am the changeling?”
“To be honest with myself, I must say you could be. But to be honest with you, I don’t believe you are.”
“If not me, then who?”
Applejack did not answer right away. She brought her forehooves to her face and scanned the rest of her friends. “Has anypony noticed how uncharacteristically quiet Twilight has been?”
“I’ve been thinking, if you don’t mind,” Twilight said defensively.
“You know, Thorax did say he wouldn’t mistakenly address Twilight by her title,” Rainbow postulated. “He might have decided to impersonate her, just to make sure he wouldn’t.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Twilight blurted out. The words were out of her mouth before she could catch them. She knew it wasn’t ridiculous, it was actually a pretty good idea. But it was too late now.
“Is that what you think?” Applejack said. “Twilight, are you the changeling?”
Twilight inhaled sharply. “I am not the changeling.”
“Who do you think is the changeling?” That was not the question Twilight was expecting.
“I suppose it could be anypony,” Twilight admitted with a sigh.
“Do you not have a strong suspicion?” Rainbow asked.
“Not right now, but I might get to develop one if we keep talking.”
“I am not sure I believe you, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said flatly.
“Rainbow, I am telling you the truth,” Twilight said, with as much authority and dignity as she could muster. She had to dissuade Rainbow Dash from believing she was the changeling. If the rest of her friends starting listening to Rainbow, they’d vote for her, which meant they would lose this round.
“So, who else hasn’t been questioned?” Rarity piped up. “Applejack, are you the changeling?”
“Nope.”
“Do you think that I’m the changeling?”
“You might be, but I have a stronger suspicion.”
“Who do you suspect?”
“Given Twilight’s overreaction to being suspected, I really think it’s her.”
“I was not over-reacting!” Twilight protested. “I was explaining to Rainbow Dash why you shouldn’t suspect me!”
“Twilight, darling,” Rarity began, “you know as well as I do that it does not do anypony any good to take offense to being doubted in this situation. At least, the real Twilight Sparkle knows that.”
“Et tu, Rarity?” Twilight said, glaring at her. “Sweet Celestia, isn’t there anypony here who trusts me?”
“Well, one of us is a changeling,” Rainbow said, “so you can’t really trust anypony. The real Twilight would understand that. I’m convinced it’s Twilight.” Rainbow pointed a hoof in her direction.
“Same,” Rarity said, adding her hoof to Rainbow’s.
“I agree with Rainbow Dash,” said Applejack, pointing a hoof.
Fluttershy put her hoof up as well. “I’m sorry, Thorax, but Rainbow makes a very convincing argument.”
“I’m not Thorax!” Twilight insisted.
“That’s four votes for Twilight,” Spike said. “This round is over. It’s time to separate the ponies from the impostor.”
Spike opened the double doors, and revealed Rainbow Dash waiting in the hall. Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy all gasped at the sight. The Rainbow Dash seated at the table (who was really Thorax in glamour) beamed in triumph.
“See! See?” Twilight shouted. “I told you I wasn’t the changeling, but nopony believed me!”
“I believed you, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie said. “I saw your wings flutter while you were getting upset. Thorax wouldn’t have thought to do that.”
“Then why didn’t you say anything?” Applejack asked.
“I thought we weren’t supposed to bring up personal stuff.”
“But it might have convinced us that Twilight wasn’t the changeling,” Rarity pointed out.
As Thorax dropped his glamour, Fluttershy turned to him with tears in her eyes. “How could you?”
“Calm down, Fluttershy, it’s just a game,” Thorax said. “I had to make you believe somepony else was the changeling, and I did. I never wanted to hurt you.”
Fluttershy huffed. “I know, you’re right. I guess I was just really upset, because you were impersonating one of my closest friends, and you tricked me.”
“It’s okay,” Thorax said. “It’s just one round. You’ll learn from this, and do better in the next game, okay?”
Fluttershy wiped her eyes and sat up straight in her throne. “All right, I’m game.”
“Hey, Bug Face,” said Rainbow Dash as she trotted up behind Thorax. “You’re in my chair.”
Thorax stepped down. “I didn’t mind being called ‘the changeling’, but that is crossing the line.”
“Thorax wins this round,” Spike announced, “and we are tied, one-all. Round three begins, you ponies know the drill by now.”
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Everypony should know Twi always overreacts.
Dude this is brilliant. I love it
I have the feeling everypony is going to be shouting at one another sooner or later.
I wonder whether Applejack's accent would be any problem for him to mimic. It could be that sort of thing comes naturally to him, but we didn't see him changing his voice in the episode. Altering dialect might be difficult.
And there's a bit of a problem. If he's working his way around the table, isn't it eventually going to mean that they'll start picking on whoever Thorax hasn't chosen yet? Not necessarily, I guess, but they might.
Another decent chapter, keep it up
7569021
How could anyone think that this is over reacting?
images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120102050003/mlp/images/6/69/Clock_is_ticking_S02E03.png
I mean just look at the calm face :P
There should be a round where Thorax decides not to replace anyone.
I was so sure that the first chapter would have Thorax in the hallway, and everypony would be sorry for calling each other out.
Until Pinkie Pie, I guess.
A fun story to read.
Look forward to more.
When will Thorax mimic Spike, knowing nopony's paying him any attention?
Dat Rarity trademark sound! It should be extremely difficult to mimic. Im loving this mind game so far. I immediately knew Rainbow dash was being out of character when she spoke of twilight. It's too clever to come from the speedster. Its funny to say It since It IS an indirect insult. But in this case, they are best friends. Oh and I must suggest adding Starlight to spice things up near the end. it could be cool since Starlight and thorax actually met and the mane 6 doesn't know a lot about Starlight.
cute!
Mane 6: 1
Thorax: 1
Dang! I thought it was AJ.
This is really good so far. Everyone's really in character including the impersonating Thorax. Like, it made sense why he didn't get Pinkie down, it was the first round, but got Rainbow's blunt forwardness fast.
I'm not sure if I like Twilight's thought process in the begging as that already eliminates someone but on the other hand we have the same odds as everyone else with that.
Overall this seems like a really fun story and it reminds me of my favorite real life game so double points!
Is this based on the game Spyfall, or are the similarities a coincidence?
Also, fun story!
7570953
I've never heard of Spyfall. This game is more like a watered-down version of "Are You The Traitor?" by Looney Labs.
I'm impressed. You've managed to hit the perfect level of mystery where it's not impossible to figure out who the culprit is before the reveal, but at the same time the missing pony isn't obvious. Moreover, the fact that you're able to do this shows that you have a great understanding of each pony's individual personality. Kudos.
(For the record, I'm 2-0 on guesses so far, but both of them were conflicted and I fully expect my streak to be broken at any point. Keep up the good work!)
Clever trick. It's much like the game "Werewolf."...
Thorax knew he couldn't get away with things long...but if he could push suspicion on someone ELSE....Boom. (Which is actually a good trick in a short term infiltration).
PERFECT! I LOVE THIS! I should sooooooo play this if my friend was a changeling.
I lost round 2.
<Just havin' a little fun there, Sugar-cube!)
Dang... Why was AJ doing such a bad impersonation of AJ, consarn it!?
I made my gusss the moment Rainbow decided to be helpful. :rainbowlaugh
Or should I say, Thorax
A beautiful line by Tabitha.
Man, reminds me of another episode with changelings where no one believed Twilight.
"Are the changeling?"
"No."
"Do you think I'm the changeling?"
"No/NotSure."
A feel like we're going in circles here. Nothing new is actually being said.
Six ponies open their eyes to Vinyl Scratch.
"... Crazy party, right?"
7574310 I mean, that's pretty much how the actual game Werewolf goes.
Now, see, that's pretty much the only thing that made me figure out that Thorax was disguising himself as Rainbow Dash. The real Rainbow Dash never says "I am."
7574310 i agree, its just a repeating cycle of the same questions. i wish there was more being said in terms of like using scenarios and judging there reactions and character instead of: are you? no. who then? maybe so-in-so. Ok, repeat for a whole chaper.
Only if he wins more than once, otherwise it's over after six rounds...
But honestly, I suspect he'd go for a pony a second time at the latest after round four. Once there are only two ponies left, they're under such big suspicion right from the beginning that it'd be a bad move to pick either of them.
Also, Thorax should totally disguise himself as Spike at some point.
Rarity the adorable pony beatbox again.
7573662 Yup and I also just like her because at some time in the past, I told my friend that this information is the truth but did everyone believe me?Not at all!!! So their got the consequence for not believe me at all.I'm also overreact person
I lost this round. Near the middle I kind of lost track as to who was speaking.
These chapters could be improved slightly by describing some of their motions as well as their dialogue. There's physical tells as well as dialogue tells.
Problem with this game is that they KNOW there's a changeling among them. This isn't how they'd spot a changeling knowing there's one in the room. They actually would go for the secret personal questions and in-jokes and such, because that's how you'd tell. On top of that so far all they're doing is asking each other if they're a changeling. Which... doesn't work?
"Twilight, remind me: How many magic items did Meadowbrook create?"
"Eight. Though, there is some debate about whether or not Meadowbrook actually created all of them, since there is no record of..."
"Yeah, she's legit."
Historical facts are neither personal questions nor inside information, after all.
By the way, liars actually tend to stay suspiciously calm, because they are subconsciously trying to avoid calling attention to their behavior. Interrogators expect honest people to get frustrated when doubted.
7579299 The point is not the question itself. The changeling will always lie in this situation. - The point is to gauge the pony's reaction to the question and the followup question. To root out mannerisms that are uncharacteristic of that pony. Its a simple Blade-Runner'esque scenario.
7575107
I suspected Rainbow from her talking with Pinkie, but it was this line exactly that I knew that Rainbow wasn't who she really was.
I just realized a massive flaw in the story. This is being told from Twilight's perspective, so no matter what the audience can immediately narrow the choice down to 5 ponies (if Twilight's safe) or to Twilight (if the story is told from any other perspective). A much better choice would have been a 3rd person omniscient narrator that focuses only on dialogue (if it were to go into each pony's thoughts, whoever's thoughts aren't shown is the changeling). Yes, it would lead to some cringey expository dialogue as each character has to explain their thought process, but at least it creates a level playing field.
The problem with this type of fic is that, unless you use OCs or an alternate universe, you have to get the show's characters spot-on. I was suspicious of Applejack, Fluttershy, and even Pinkie this round, because none of them were talking quite how they do in the show. It's a wonderful idea, and overall very funny, but the characterization's the trick.
7570953
I own a Spyfall board sea spies for the win
Bug face?! Talk about racist rainbow dash, and no one gave a shit about that.
“To be honest with myself, I must say you could be. But to be honest with you, I don’t believe you are.” Calling it here, it's AJ.
Oh dammit! I thought I had it this round.
7624024 that did cross a line
7569566 Either that or replace Spike
7600287
Maybe they were a little bit off, but when Twilight thought to herself that she didn't need to help Pinkie because Rainbow was helping her, I immediately knew Thorax was disguised as Rainbow.
7784481
Somewhat old comment, but figuring out who was Thorax because of one thing is different from having difficulty telling the difference at all because of several OOC character speech characters from characters that aren’t Thorax.
Got it again!! I must agree the characterization is a bit off, but it's still quite easy to recognize who Thorax replaced in each round. I assume it will be getting harder with each chapter?
How was that called? Trouble in Terrorist Town? Gmod game, where there are traiters and innocents? Innocents must find out who the traitor(s) is(are), and kill them, terrorists must survive and kill all innocents. This is Pony Dialog edition. X))
Danganronpa!!!
7571260
Reminds me of the classic "Werewolf" game, as well as a number of traitor-themed games ("The Resistance" and "Avalon", to name a couple).
...Is it best pony this time?
...It's AJ.
...It's RD. Of course it was the confrontational one. Everypony should know that Thorax would know better than to go for her second, so of course she's the safest one to go with. For the love of Luna...
actually thought it was twillight was it said it wasnt? i forgot