1-7: Search Party
Fluttershy was waiting for Sweetie Belle to wake up. She didn’t get much sleep last night, and not only because she had spent the night breaking the youngling out of the dungeon (though that didn’t help her nervousness). There was also the fact that Rarity and Sweetie Belle were Changelings.
Despite being nervous about everything (well, more nervous than usual, that is), her heart still led her to Sweetie Belle’s well-being. That was why she was waiting for the Changeling to wake up. She wanted to protect the child and be there when she woke up to avoid too much confusion.
Sweetie Belle began to stir awake. The first thing she noticed was the softness of her bed. She was aware that it wasn’t as soft as her usual bed, but it was far softer than the cot she was sleeping on. She then had to turn away from the sunlight to try to get more sleep. That was when she realized she was no longer in her holding cell. Though her cell was accommodating, there were no windows, so no source of natural light from the sun.
As her senses returned, Sweetie realized that things were off. She sat up and looked around. It took her a moment to realize that this was Fluttershy’s room. She’d only been here once when Fluttershy offered to let her and her friends stay for a sleepover.
Now that she could answer the question of where she was, she needed to answer the questions of ‘how’ and ‘why’.
Could that have all been a dream? No, because she would’ve woken up in her own bed or the bed she was sleeping in at Canterlot Castle. Could this be the dream? Though possible, she noticed that her hooves were black and chitinous and full of holes.
“Why am I-” Sweetie Belle put her hoof to her mouth when she heard the distortion in her voice. She took a moment to remember that her voice was no longer what she was used to.
“Oh, you’re awake!” Fluttershy’s gentle and welcoming voice said, “You’re probably confused about why you’re here. Simply put, I had help from Applejack and some mystery pony to help free you.”
“But… won’t you get in trouble for breaking me out?” Sweetie Belle asked.
Fluttershy sighed, knowing the risk she was in, “If I’m found out, I’m sure that I will be in trouble,” Fluttershy replied, “But as far as anypony knows, I went home because I was concerned about the animals.”
“So, you lied just to get me out?” Sweetie Belle continued her line of questioning.
“I didn’t come up with that story, nor am I the one who told it,” Fluttershy pointed out, “But if it means you’re safe, it’s a lie that I’m willing to tell if I have to.”
“I just wish I knew if I was the original Sweetie Belle or an imposter with her memories,” Sweetie Belle said.
“Rarity had explained everything,” Fluttershy said. She then explained to Sweetie Belle that Rarity’s actual name was Damselfly, that they were always Changelings, that Damselfly was actually her mother, and how Hondo Flanks and Cookie Crumble adopted the two of them. She left out a few details, like how young Damselfly was when she became a mother, Queen Chrysalis’s attempt at their lives, and the loss of what would’ve been Sweetie Belle’s sibling.
Fluttershy did her best to keep the explanation simple for Sweetie Belle to understand. It was a lot to take in, after all. But Sweetie Belle had a right to know, including knowing that she was the original Sweetie Belle and not a replacement.
“I don’t know all the details about who helped us free you,” Fluttershy explained, “But your sis-... mother is still in the Canterlot dungeons the last I knew.” Fluttershy saw the downtrodden look on the Youngling’s face, “Would you like some breakfast and help me take care of the animals?”
Sweetie Belle silently nodded, getting up and following Fluttershy to the kitchen.
Applejack was trying to figure out how to explain everything to Apple Bloom. She would wake up and realize she was no longer in Canterlot. She would want answers. Though Applejack had no intent to lie, she was questioning whether she should reveal to her sister that she was now technically a criminal.
“Mornin’, sis,” Apple Bloom said, coming down the stairs.
“Mornin’, Apple Bloom,” Applejack replied before returning to thinking about what she’d tell… “Apple Bloom?! Why ain’t ya wonderin’ why yer here and not Canterlot?!”
“It’s ‘cause that mystery pony told me the plan,” Apple Bloom explained, “It woulda been dumb if Ah had been part of the plan without being told ‘bout it, right?”
“Ah guess that makes sense,” Applejack said.
“So where is Sweetie Belle?” Apple Bloom asked, “Ah was hopin’ to see her when Ah got up this mornin’.”
“She ain’t here,” Applejack explained, “Fer Sweetie’s protection, the less ya know, the better. But Ah promise that she’s in safe hooves.”
“As long as she’s safe,” Apple Bloom said with a sigh, “Ah jus’ wish Ah could be there to comfort her.”
“Ah understand,” Applejack said, “So, how do ya feel about one o’ yer friends bein’ a Changeling?”
“Confused,” the Apple filly admitted, “Ah know that Sweetie is tellin’ the truth. Well, she believes what she’s sayin’ anyway. But what if she’s an imposter with Sweetie’s memories? Doesn’t that make her just as much Sweetie as the real Sweetie?”
Applejack saw that her little sister truly had a big heart. Her greatest fear was that this Sweetie Belle was an imposter. And not because of the imposter part, but because of the idea that the imposter had the real Sweetie Belle’s memories and what that meant for the imposter if those memories were to be taken away. She was worried about the Changeling infiltrator.
“Ah promise that she’s the real Sweetie Belle and always has been,” Applejack said, comforting her little sister, “But Ah know how ya feel. Ah learned that one o’ my friends was a Changeling the entire time too. At least she knew all along that she were a Changeling.”
“My Sweetie Belle has been foalnapped?!” Damselfly exclaimed at hearing the news.
“We never said anything about a foalnapping,” the guard said, “Why are you so sure that this was an abduction rather than an escape?”
“She’s too young to be able to escape on her own,” Damselfly said, “And even if that wasn’t the case, she still couldn’t escape on her own, considering that there’s always a guard posted.”
“That’s just evidence that you have spies helping you,” the group turned to the source of the voice. Captain Shining Armor was coming towards them with a stern look, “One of your fellow Changelings took the form of a guard and helped your accomplice escape.”
“That theory doesn’t hold any weight,” Twilight countered, “First of all, all of the Changelings were expelled thanks to the shield you and Cadance created. The only way that a Changeling can escape that magic wave is if their identities have been verified. Secondly, even if Damselfly and Sweetie Belle weren’t the only ones to escape being expelled, the effects of that magic wave would’ve stripped all Changelings of their disguises as well as their ability to use their disguise magic for a few days. So any alleged spies wouldn’t be capable of disguising themselves as guards.”
“This seems rather coincidental,” Rainbow Dash began accusatorily, “This morning, we learned that three Ponies had gone back to Ponyville while we were still asleep. Then we learned that Sweetie Belle went missing. How do we know you didn’t use your mind control to make Applejack and Fluttershy break Sweetie Belle out?”
“Whenever Applejack was here, I was here too. I would’ve noticed if any mind control magic was happening,” Twilight explained, “And Fluttershy didn’t spend nearly as much time here as Applejack or myself. And I would’ve noticed if she was mind controlled too. And that would only explain two of the four to be accounted for.”
“Well then, maybe Sweetie Belle mind controlled Apple Bloom,” Rainbow Dash added.
“Just like how Rarity doesn’t explain why I have not been mind controlled, Sweetie doesn’t explain why Scootaloo wasn’t mind controlled,” Twilight countered, “And that still would only account for three of the four. And I assure you that if you were to check the logs at the train station, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Apple Bloom will all be accounted for. And the notes suggest that Princess Luna gave consent for the three of them to leave. And that’s not taking into account how Changeling mind control actually works.”
“That’s right!” Damselfly exclaimed, glad to be able to defend herself, “Changeling mind control requires consent.”
“I never gave consent to let Chrysalis control me!” Shining Armor asserted defensively.
“But you did consent to let her cast a spell on you,” Damselfly countered, “Changelings are able to use a loophole. You only need to consent to having a spell cast on you. What that spell is doesn’t matter. When the imposter Cadance offered to take your headaches away, can I assume that she always asked for permission?”
“I…well…” Shining Armor said, turning away, too proud to admit it vocally.
“The way it works is that a Changeling absorbs a little love energy from the victim,” Damselfly continued, “This alone is not enough to mind control. It just lowers your mental resistance. The consent is how to implant a subliminal message into your subconscious. The more love is drained from you, the more your mind becomes, for lack of a better term, zombified. This makes your subconscious become dominant, as well as the subliminal messaging. But allowing you to keep some sense of self allows everyone, including yourself, not to suspect anything is off. The mind control can be brute forced, but it still requires consent. It just hastens the process, turning the victim into little more than a programmable machine.”
“A likely story!” Rainbow Dash said, “You’re just trying to-”
“Rainbow Dash! Let me remind you that you are not an official member of the investigation!” Twilight exclaimed, “And if you continue to pester the prisoner, you will be removed entirely. And if I must, that includes being removed by the guards.”
“And what makes you think you have the authority to command my Royal Guards?” Shining Armor questioned, “You seem to think you have more authority than you actually do.”
“I’m the one in charge of the investigation,” Twilight explained, “So, regarding the investigation, I have a higher authority than even you, brother. And that includes, to a small extent, command of the Royal Guard. I know exactly what my authority is because it comes with the position.”
“Just make sure you don’t overstep your bounds,” Shining Armor warned.
“I could say the same to you,” Twilight countered.
“I’d like to help find Sweetie Belle.”
The ponies in the room all turned towards Rarity with different levels of shock and suspicion. Rainbow Dash’s jaw dropped, unsure how to take the information. Shining Armor was more suspicious than anything. The guard was suspicious but also curious. And Twilight was unaffected.
“And how can we trust you not to just run off at the first chance you get?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“If it means my daughter’s safety, I’ll obey anything you tell me to do,” Damselfly said, mildly hopeful.
“Not good enough,” Shining Armor said.
“You can help,” Twilight said. Before Shining or Rainbow could protest, Twilight continued, “But on two conditions. The first is that you agree to wear a magic suppressor. The second is to agree to wear a proximity shock collar to ensure that you can’t leave us.”
Rainbow Dash was impressed, “Shock collars are a thing?”
“They’re not commonly used,” the guard explained, “We primarily use them for house arrest.”
“How will you be able to help us find the escapee?” Shining Armor asked.
“I can follow the trail of her pheromones,” Damselfly explained, “Like a bloodhound, I can follow the ‘scent’ of her pheromone trail.”
“And how do we know you won’t just take us on a wild goose chase?” Rainbow questioned.
“The proximity shock collar,” Damselfly said, “If you choose to turn back, I’d have no other choice but to come with you.”
“Fine,” Shining Armor relented. He then turned to one of the guards, “Go get a magic suppressor and a proximity collar from storage locker C ready.”
The guard saluted before doing as instructed.
Damselfly was fitted with a magic inhibitor and a shock collar. She was fully compliant with any instructions she was given. But that did nothing to lessen the suspicion that the Captain of the Guard had about her.
Two guards have been assigned to go with Damselfly to find Sweetie Belle, along with Twilight and Rainbow Dash. One of the guards was a Pegasus in order to pull the chariot they were to use. Both guards would’ve been Pegasi, since the chariot is to be pulled by two. But Rainbow Dash being a Pegasus herself suggested that she help to pull the chariot. So the second guard was a Unicorn.
As they were heading out to the chariot they would take, Rainbow Dash was stopped by Shining Armor, “Dash,” the Captain of the Royal Guard said, making sure to be out of earshot of his sister, “Take this.”
“What is is?” Rainbow Dash questioned.
“It’s a manual control for that shock collar,” Shining explained, “If that Changeling becomes non-compliant, use that to show her who’s in charge.”
“Why didn’t you give this to Twilight?” Rainbow asked.
“I’m not certain I can trust her reasoning at the moment,” Shining said.
“Last time you didn’t trust her reasoning, Queen Chrysalis almost enslaved Equestria,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Last time I didn’t trust her reasoning, she hadn’t been spending time with a Changeling who could’ve been manipulating her mind,” Shining countered, “I’m not saying she is under that Changeling’s control. But just in case I can’t trust my sister to do the right thing, I’m putting that responsibility in your hooves.”
Rainbow Dash glanced at Twilight, thinking about how she seemed too trusting of the Changeling who called herself Rarity. She didn’t want to think Twilight couldn’t be trusted. But why else would Twilight trust a Changeling?
“Rainbow!” Twilight called, “Are you coming?!”
“Coming, Twi!” Rainbow called back. She then turned back to offer Shining Armor a nod of approval before heading to the chariot to pull.
As Rainbow was getting harnessed to the chariot, the second guard attached the proximity detector to the front of the chariot before getting in.
The Pegasus guard made sure to tell Rainbow Dash to follow his lead before heading off.
“That proximity detector that the guard put on the front of the chariot has a range of fifteen feet,” Twilight explained to Damselfly, “Stay within fifteen feet, and you don’t have to worry about getting shocked.”
Damselfly nodded, acknowledging that she understood what Twilight said. It wasn’t long after they started when she already got Sweetie Belle’s ‘scent’, “About forty-five degrees to the left.”
Twilight took notice of two things. The first was that they were heading in the direction of the Everfree Forest. The second was the town that stood in between the Everfree Forest and Canterlot.
As the chariot flew closer to the source of the pheromone trail, Damselfly felt it grow stronger. Her maternal instincts grew stronger as well, overriding her common sense. Wanting to see her daughter again, she jumped out of the chariot, flying towards the pheromone source and ahead of the Pegasi pulling the chariot.
She had flown too far, and everypony knew it when they saw the Changeling get electrified. The two unicorns managed to catch her before she fell, and she was then carried back into the chariot.
“Did you forget about the fifteen-foot range?” Twilight asked.
“I have a whole new sympathetic respect for whenever a bug zapper lights up,” Damselfly said in a daze.
“It’s a good thing we were able to catch you,” Twilight explained, “That shock collar is designed to incapacitate. If we hadn’t caught you, you could’ve fallen to your death.”
“The pheromone trail is growing stronger,” Damselfly said sheepishly, shaking off the daze, “I had grown a little too excited to see my daughter.”
After a few minutes and as they flew closer, Damselfly was able to hone in on the source and saw that it was Fluttershy’s cottage. The good news was that if Sweetie Belle was with Fluttershy, then she was safe. The bad news was that if the guards learned that Sweetie Belle was with Fluttershy, then not only would her daughter be taken back to the dungeon, but Fluttershy would also likely be put in the dungeon.
Damselfly had to think quickly because they were approaching their destination. She then focused on the Everfree Forest just past the cottage. That’s when she remembered that the others couldn’t detect the pheromone trail.
To protect Sweetie Belle and Fluttershy, Damselfly guided them past the cottage and into the Everfree Forest. They had traveled well past the Everfree's borders before Damselfly spoke up.
“I think I’ve lost the trail,” Damselfly said. Technically, it was true. They had overshot the target by a good distance, after all. It was impossible to follow the trail when it led in the opposite direction from where they were heading.
“Take us down here,” Twilight called to the Pegasi, “If the trail ends here, it must mean that Sweetie Belle is around here somewhere. Assuming she came here on her own, that is.”
They had landed in a nearby clearing. Twilight had sent the Unicorn guard to send Rainbow Dash back to her. This way, there could be a team of the two guards and a team of Twilight and Rainbow. Rainbow was, more or less, Twilight’s assistant in the investigation, after all.
“I saw where you were originally leading,” Twilight said while out of earshot of the guard and Rainbow Dash.
“Well, I…uh…don’t know what you could be referring to,” Damselfly said nervously, “I’ve been following Sweetie Belle’s trail the whole time.”
“You’ve spent too much time living as a pony,” Twilight said, “You’re a bad liar.”
Twilight took the proximity detector from the chariot and walked up to meet Rainbow, instructing Damselfly to follow. She then told Rainbow how to go about a search, opting not to inform the Pegasus about Damselfly’s deceit.
It had taken a couple of hours, but the group had canceled the search on Twilight’s command, so they were now heading back toward Canterlot. Damselfly had chosen to fly back, staying directly under the Pegasi so that she could be easily seen by them while keeping within ten feet of the proximity detector. It’s been a long time since she last had the chance to stretch her wings like this.
Her chance to stretch her wings came to an end when she was once again electrified. Rainbow Dash quickly hid the remote she used away before going down to quickly catch the Changeling and place her back in the chariot.
Although Twilight didn’t see the remote Rainbow Dash used, she did see most of what happened, including how fast Rainbow Dash reacted. Damselfly was only ten feet away from the proximity detector and kept at a regular distance.
Once the chariot landed in Canterlot, Twilight confronted Rainbow Dash, “What happened back there?” Twilight demanded.
“What do you mean?” Rainbow Dash asked, playing dumb.
“I think you know full well what I mean,” Twilight said authoritatively, “I’m talking about when Damselfly got shocked on the way back.”
“Well, obviously, she must’ve flown too far away from the sensor,” Rainbow lied.
“The proximity detector has a range of fifteen feet,” Twilight explained, “Damselfly was keeping at a regular distance of ten feet.”
“Then the shock collar must’ve malfunctioned or something!” Rainbow Dash continued to lie, now becoming defensive.
“Assuming that was the case, that’s not the only thing I noticed!” Twilight said, her frustration at the cyan liar growing, “I also noticed how quickly you responded! And don’t give me an excuse that you’re just that fast! Your flight speed doesn’t explain your reaction time! You reacted so quickly to Damselfly falling that I’d assume you knew it would happen!”
A stern look overcame Rainbow Dash’s face, “Fine! You want the truth?” Rainbow Dash pulled out the remote, “Your brother gave me this in order to make sure that Changeling knows who’s boss!”
To prove her point, Rainbow Dash was about to push the button. There was a purple flash, and the only thing Rainbow pushed against was her other hoof. The remote was now held in Twilight’s magic, having been teleported out of Rainbow’s hoof.
“Perhaps you’ve forgotten why you’re even allowed to be on the case in the first place!” Twilight exclaimed, “You’re only on the case because I’m allowing it! Not only did you overstep your authority, you also went behind my back! You are now off the case! Guard, please escort Rainbow Dash off of the premises! If she resists, then she can spend some time in a dungeon cell herself! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a former BBBFF that I need to speak to.”
As Twilight went to find Shining Armor, Rainbow Dash left with a Pegasus Guard escort. Meanwhile, Damselfly could only watch. Sure, it hurt her to no longer be trusted by her friends. But it broke her heart to know that her friends were being torn apart because of her. But all she could do was watch and think about things as she was led back to her holding cell.
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That was oddly dumb and malicious of Rainbow to shock Rarity out of nowhere. It would have made more sense if they got into another argument. Not just her wanting to shock the changeling out of some pure sadistic urge. But at least Twilight is definitely doing her best as a detective. Ain't nothing getting past her.
You say you don't want it to feel forced, but Dash electrocuting Rarity for shits and giggles (or, as she puts it, to show who's boss) feels a little forced.
And I hope the fact that Twilight is intentionally sabotaging the investigation that she is supposed to be directing doesn't get swept aside, especially when it seems like she's going to act all outraged that her friend and brother are acting behind her back.
It is my imagination or Spike was completely forgotten in this story?
11962204
Yes, it's pretty strange, considering Rainbow Dash was a friend to Rarity for a long time at this point on the series, so the lack of empathy is certainly bizarre.
11962204 11962251
Rainbow Dash did it because Rarity wasn't staying in the carriage. And her love for beating on Changelings extends to Season 5.
11962286
When it comes to the notes I have for the story, the story may as well be finished. So I can confirm that this will be explained. But way back when I was writing for this part of the story, I can confirm that I had forgotten about Spike. I can also confirm that I had written Pinkie Pie out because I had originally forgotten about her too, and couldn't find a way to add her back in without breaking the story in some way because of Pinkie being Pinkie. And I will admit that there was a third character that I had forgotten about as well.
11962288
Rainbow Dash currently has no reason to believe that Rarity is the real Rarity.
In the 'one of the main six is a changeling' stories I've read. They rely on 'Apple-sense' to verify the changelings. I would like to see it swapped where Rainbow Dash can't help but still feel like protecting the changeling (because she is loyal to her friends and the element of loyalty still recognizes them as her friend) while Applejack is confused how the changeling is bending the truth. . . Other than that. The story is progressing nicely.
Is Apple Bloom going to go find Sweetie?
11962336
I'm sure everyone knows that everything will work out in the end. So I don't have to consider this a spoiler. But it ultimately will be Rainbow Dash's Loyalty that will allow her to see reason as fast as she does. I may have made RD headstrong and stubborn. But she's not stupid. She just ended up letting the wrong Pony influence her.
And yes, Apple Bloom will find Sweetie Belle. But that will have to wait until the 2nd Act.