For all her life, Pinkie Pie knew that she was different from her friends. But today, in the middle of the Tirek Invasion, her friends were about to discover exactly HOW different they are.
For all her life, Pinkie Pie was certainly different from other ponies. She could do things that almost nopony else could, almost... cartoon-y shenanigans.
But today, on the day of Tirek's invasion, the rest of her friends were about to discover exactly WHY she was so different.
"You've gathered up all of them?" Lord Tirek said, resting his arms on the cage containing Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Spike.
Discord leaned in close towards Spike and sneered, "And their little Dragon friend, too."
Spike responded by snapping his teeth at the draconequus.
"Why are you doing this!?" Fluttershy cried into Applejack's arms, "I thought we were friends!"
"Oh, we WERE," Discord shrugged, "but Tirek offered me so much more than just tea parties. Surely you saw this coming."
"I didn't," the yellow pegasus said weakly, "I really didn't..."
Tirek stepped forward, grabbing the cage with his magical ability and lifting it up into the air. The ponies watched on in horror as Tirek prepared to take their magic.
But among them, Pinkie Pie seemed more scared than the rest, her entire body shivering in anticipation of a doozy.
Slowly, their magic was sucked out into Tirek's opened jaw. They tried to hold onto it, but it slipped out effortlessly, making Tirek grow as he ate it.
Then something STRANGE happened.
A wave of green fire enveloped Pinkie Pie, and after a moment, the pink pony's form had given way to reveal a similar-looking bug form. She had poofy pink hair with holes in it, solid-blue eyes, and shiny pink wings, but other than that, she looked like an ordinary Changeling.
Tirek, now done with his meal, dropped the cage back onto the ground. Pinkie Pie hid behind some of the others as they got back up, managing not to be seen (as their attention was still focused on Tirek and Discord).
"You really think she'd do anything for them?" Tirek asked Discord.
"As long as Twilight Sparkle has magic to give, it will be yours. Soon there won't be a Pegasus, Earth Pony, or Unicorn who will be able to stand up against us!"
"Us?" Tirek cackled, "Who said anything about us?"
"You did," Discord replied, confused.
Tirek stepped forward, bearing down on the Draconequus, and grabbed him in his magic. "You've helped me grow strong, you've provided the means by which I can obtain Princess Twilight's magic, and now you are no longer of any use to me."
Before Discord could do anything, Tirek sucked the magic out of Discord, growing even bigger, then tossed the Draconequus to the ground like an empty soda can.
Discord weakly got up, clutching at the pendant around his neck. "But you said this was a sign of your gratitude and loyalty; a gift from someone close to you!"
Tirek waved dismissively as he began to walk away. "My brother, who betrayed me. It is as worthless as he is."
Applejack glared at the Lord of Chaos, now reduced to nothing. "Surely you saw this comin'."
Discord looked between them and Tirek, real devastation in his eyes. "I didn't... I truly didn't...." he whimpered meekly.
A moment of silence soon followed.
But that silence was soon broken when Fluttershy let her eyes wander about, spotting the odd-pony among them, and causing her to scream:
"CHANGELING!!!"
The rest looked up and gasped, as they saw it was true:
Pinkie Pie was a Changeling.
"What're ya doin' here!?" Applejack pointed a hoof accusedly at the Changeling, now standing upright.
"And where's Pinkie Pie?!" Rainbow Dash glared as she shakily got up to get in between her friends and the bug.
"Guys, guys, it's me!" It exclaimed nervously in Pinkie's voice.
The characters were taken aback for a moment by the sight of a talking Changeling, but quickly shook off the initial shock.
"Stop usin' her voice!" AJ shook her head.
Rarity brushed aside her mane and spat, "How long have you been replacing her?! You tell us where you've hidden her RIGHT NOW, or I'll—"
"Rarity, it's ME! I'm Pinkie Pie!" The grub pleaded, a look of fear and embarrassment somehow registering in its pure blue compound eyes.
"Give it up, bug!" Rainbow tried to get into a fighting position, but she was still too weak from having her essence drained. "And give us the real Pinkie Pie back!"
"Hot sauce!" The creature shouted out of frustration, seemingly out of nowhere.
The group looked at one another confusedly.
"When Twilight first came to Ponyville, she drank my hot sauce instead of the juice!" The insect clarified.
"How would ya know that?" AJ asked. That had happened inside Twilight's Library, which wasn't exactly closed off from public view, but it'd happened in the corner of the room, before Nightmare Moon had even returned. Unless this Changeling somehow knew that they'd be important before even they themselves knew...
"Pinkie?" AJ stepped forward. "I-Is it really you?"
The Changeling, blushing, smiled apprehensively at her friend and nodded.
Rainbow Dash exclaimed at AJ, "Oh come on, you can't seriously be falling for this!"
AJ turned sharply towards Dash. "I ain't fallin' for nothin', Dash; I can tell she's tellin' the truth!"
Dash stammered, trying to find a way to argue against the Element of Honesty's reasoning.
"Rainbow Dash, remember at the lake, when we were looking through that telescope and planning pranks?" Pinkie called back.
Rainbow's eyes widened. "B-but the only other pony there was Fluttershy; how did—" Realization slowly dawned upon her. "Oh sweet Celestia, it's actually you, isn't it?"
Fluttershy looked back at Rainbow. "Wait, is that what that fake animal in the water was about?!"
Rainbow groaned, "We'll talk about that later!"
Rarity then looked apprehensively at Pinkie. "And what about me?"
"I remember the first birthday party I threw for you! It was at the Bowling Alley, since I didn't know you that well yet, where we had—"
"—A bowling ball-shaped Marble Cake," they both said simultaneously.
"And after that," Pinkie continued, tears starting to well up at the memories, "I gave you that one-of a kind Topaz necklace, straight from my family's Rock Farm!"
"I still have it to this day," Rarity reminisced, wiping a tear away. "Okay, I believe you."
Pinkie collapsed in relief. "Oh, thank goodness! I don't know what I'd do if my friends started hating me!"
Then she got back up, nervous again. "You don't hate me, right? You're not upset because I'm..."
"...actually a Changeling?" AJ asked, walking towards her friend. "Well, I'm not upset because you're a Changeling, though I AM upset that you've been lying to us!"
"Why didn't you come out with it BEFORE the whole wedding disaster?" Rarity pressed. "If you'd've introduced yourself like this from the start, we wouldn't be having this issue!"
Pinkie replied, "My family always warned me that I'd cause too much of a panic if I showed my true face. D-don't get me wrong, they still wanted me to be myself, and allowed me to be undisguised at home; just not in public."
Rarity then asked, "Does this mean that the rest of your family is also...?"
Pinkie was taken aback. "Wha- No! No, they're all actual ponies; they just adopted me when they found me abandoned."
The others nodded, agreeing that this made at least some sense.
Pinkie then gasped. "Wait, we're forgetting about Tirek!"
The Main Six, now joined by the 3 Princesses, Discord, and Spike, were walking down a hallway of the newly minted Friendship Castle Playset. Twilight hung back so she could talk with Pinkie Pie.
"So...," Twilight began awkwardly, "you're actually a Changeling?"
"Yessiree!" Pinkie Pie responded cheerfully.
Twilight didn't know how to respond. Sure, it'd been weird when Tirek brought out her friends as bargaining chips, only for them to see that there was a Changeling in the mix, but it'd been a long and taxing day for everyone, and Twilight had somewhat become accustomed to Pinkie Pie's unusual level of randomness. In fact, this might actually help explain the more... Nonsensical things that Pinkie can do — the very dexterous mane with storage space, the squash-and-stretch shenanigans, the teleporting...
Although, thinking back on Pinkie's antics, Twilight DID remember one incident that couldn't be accounted for.
"So, if you've been a Changeling this entire time," Twilight began, "then why didn't you get blasted out of Canterlot by my brother's shield?"
"Oh, Twilight," Pinkie Pie laughed, "Shining Armor and Cadence didn't intend to blast me out, so I was unaffected!"
"Ah, that'd be Gusty's 'Law of Intention Exceptions'. I hadn't thought of that." Twilight relented.
Then she got an idea.
"You know," Twilight began, her researcher mode beginning to take hold, "this could give us an opportunity to learn more about the —"
Pinkie Pie put her hoof on Twilight's mouth and giggled. "Alright, you can run tests after this is over."
Twilight pumped her hoof in excitement, letting out a triumphant "Yes!!".
"Though right now, I think Celestia wants to talk to you," the Changeling pointed her hoof towards the white alicorn.
Twilight looked forward at Celestia, who was staring back at them with a mixture of confusion and patience, then said, "Yeah, it seems you're right." She quickly went to a trot to catch up with her former teacher, leaving Pinkie smiling.
This had certainly gone over better than she'd expected.
A while later...
Pinkie was now sat in the library of Twilight's new home, waiting while Twilight got everything set up.
"The Changeling Experiments, Session 1," Twilight spoke into a tape recorder. "Date: August 10. Test 1: Disguise Disruptors."
Twilight turned to Pinkie Pie. "Alright, is there anything that you've discovered that disrupts your form? Anything that forces you to drop your disguise?"
Pinkie Pie thought about this for a moment. "Well, there was this one time where I ate oatmeal, got sick, and while I was throwing up, my disguise dropped. The throwing up thing is likely universal, though the oatmeal part's probably just a me thing."
Twilight jotted down some notes. 'That at least explains the Oatmeal story,' she thought to herself, then asked, "Anything else?"
"Not that I can think of off the top of my head," Pinkie admitted, poking the top of her head.
"Then may I run a few tests to see what exactly triggers a drop in disguise?"
"I thought you were already—" Before the pink pony could finish her statement, a torrent of cold water was dumped onto her head. The shock of suddenly becoming wet, along with the sheer coldness, caused Pinkie's disguise to drop.
"I thought so," Twilight noted. "It seems that unexpected stimuli can cause a transformation."
Twilight then floated a towel towards Pinkie. Pinkie, however, was already doing her usual thing: being completely random by twisting her tail tightly, then letting it rip, using it as a fan to blow-dry herself off. Twilight shrugged and set the towel back on the counter.
"Test 2: Squash-and-Stretch."
"Alright, now let's test your powers of single-form rubber hose manipulation."
Pinkie nodded, then stated bluntly, "I have no idea what that means!"
Twilight glanced up at her amusedly. "It means I want to see what you can do to your forms without actually changing between them. Like how you sometimes stretch your body to emphasize movements?"
Pinkie Pie zoomed rather cartoonishly up to Twilight, her body stretching as if it were rubber hose. "Still no idea what you're talking about."
"Like what you just did there! Y'know, the... the cartoon-y stuff?"
"Oh, that? Yeah, that's not actually related to my Changeling Powers."
Twilight did a double-take. "Wait, WHAT?"
"I mean, I suppose I could do it like that, but that's not how I do it."
Twilight barely managed to stammer out, "B-but how!?"
Pinkie laughed in response. "I can't tell you, silly; that wouldn't be any fun!"
Twilight fainted from exasperation.
"Test 3: Disguised Magic."
Twilight turned to say something to Pinkie, but stopped when she saw that the party planner was no longer in her chair.
"Pinkie? Where'd you go?" Twilight asked cautiously.
The sudden answer came from behind the purple Princess, startling her: "I'm right here, silly!"
Twilight turned to see Pinkie lying across the counter and playing with Gummy, who'd appeared on her lap.
"What– when– where– why?" Was all that the book horse could manage.
"Because it's playtime for Gummy!" she replied.
Twilight could only roll her eyes and smile as Pinkie played with her beloved pet. "I suppose we can be done for the day."
"Attention, citizens of Ponyville," Mayor Scroll Mare addressed the public, "I've called this meeting because Princess Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie have important news."
The crowd started to discuss amongst themselves, trying to figure out what the news would be, but they quickly silenced when the two mares came onto stage.
Pinkie Pie, in her pony form, grabbed the microphone and declared, "I've come to make an announcement: Shadow the–!"
"Pinkie..." Twilight scolded, using her magic to take the device from the Party Planner's grip. "*Ahem* I'm sure you're all familiar with Pinkie Pie, Ponyville's Premiere Party Planner and Pastry Pusher."
The crowd answered with sounds of agreement.
"However, it has recently been drawn to my attention that she hasn't been completely honest about what she is. Now–"
"She's been a unicorn all along, hasn't she?" interrupted a voice from the crowd.
"If you'd let me finish?" Twilight glared out at the crowd, but was unable to discern who'd just spoken. "Now, Pinkie has agreed to show you all the truth. Pinkie, if you would?"
The alicorn gestured towards where the pink pony was standing, but was shocked to find that she was no longer there. "Pinkie? Where'd you go?"
"I'm over here, silly!"
The entire crowd turned around, and audibly gasped.
Pinkie Pie, in her natural Changeling form, had just finished setting up a party behind them all (and in record time, too). Picnic tables littered the street behind her, covered in confectionaries like punch, cupcakes, and the like; a large banner that said 'Pinkie-Pie-Was-Actually-A-Changeling-This-Whole-Time Party' hung between two posts; party cannons lined the road, loaded and ready to fire their celebratory contents; and in the center of the area, a large cake in the shape of Pinkie Pie's head, her two forms sharing it evenly, sat on a larger table.
The crowd stared, silently gaping at the scene before them.
Pinkie Pie blinked. "What, too much?"
Celestia sat in her throne room, sipping tea and mulling over the recent news. She'd always thought that the Bearer of the Element of Laughter was a strange one, but to learn she was a Changeling? If Pinkie Pie hadn't already used the Tree of Harmony's Chest's power to stop Tirek, she probably wouldn't have believed it. That still didn't mean she fully accepted it.
And so, for the moment, she simply sat and drank her tea, letting the revelation sink in.
And then Spearhead burst in.
"Your Highness, I was told to relay a message to you! There's been a Changeling spotted in–"
"Ponyville?" Celestia finished. "At ease, soldier; I am already well aware of Pinkie Pie's... situation."
The guard shot her a questioning look.
"It's been a long day for all of us," Celestia explained. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an announcement to make."
The announcement came near sunset, to mixed reactions:
Princess Luna nodded, the pink party mare now making just a little more sense. She held no particular bias towards the Changelings (in fact, though she'd never admit it, she was impressed with how they'd overpowered Celestia so easily), so it was easy for her to accept the revelation.
Princess Cadance and Shining Armor were torn.
On one hoof, they couldn't just forget the hardships they'd faced on behalf of the Changelings. Memories of the wedding were still fresh in their mind, despite having happened several months ago.
But on the other hoof, it was Pinkie Pie, and she hadn't ever done anything to hurt them. So for the moment, they decided to leave it be and see where it went.
And somewhere in the Badlands, a certain Changeling was now preparing to finally get her daughter back.
"Slow down, dear," Cloudy Quartz struggled to keep up with her husband as he led her through the South Field, "I can't exactly keep up with the foal on the way."
Igneous Rock Pie turned to face his wife. "Right, sorry," he apologized. "I just want you to see what I found."
He walked down the path, his encumbered wife trudging behind him, until they reached a specific spot along the tree line. He stepped aside and pointed to a strange green ellipsoid that was laying on the ground.
Cloudy regarded the object. "What is it?"
"I don't know," Igneous shook his head. "I thought it was a rock at first, but then it squirmed."
As if on cue, the ellipsoid wiggled again.
Cloudy picked it up carefully, noting that, despite its gooey appearance, it was actually rather tough. "I think it's an egg," she deduced.
"I think so, too. What should we do with it?"
Before she could answer, the foal in her tummy kicked. The creature inside the egg seemingly felt this, and squirmed in response.
Cloudy looked at the egg for a long while. "We should keep it, see what it is. Who knows; maybe it'll make a great pet for Maudelina."
Igneous took in her words. "You're probably right."
And with that, it was decided. Cloudy carried the egg back to the rock farm.
22 Years, 3 Months ago...
Cloudy screamed as she pushed through the pain of childbirth. Igneous stood by her side, holding her hoof.
But meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, Maud was watching the egg hatch.
The egg ended up hatching a few minutes before the foal, Marble Pie, was born.
When Maud eventually brought the larva into their room with her, they observed it curiously. It was white and insect-like, but it also had the face of a pony, along with a little horn and a wiry pink mane. And when it looked upon them, it seemed to regard them with more complex emotions than what a simple animal would be capable of.
In fact, it seemed sentient.
They looked at each other. "Igneous, dear? I think that, like it or not, we just had twins..."
19 Years, 9 Months ago...
2 year-old Pinkie Pie sat at the table with her adoptive family, feeding on their love while they ate rock soup (though she also received a bowl of rock soup, just to feel included).
"Mom, what am I?" she asked out of the blue.
Cloudy nearly gagged on her soup. She knew this day would come eventually, but Pinkie was maturing surprisingly quickly.
"Well, Pinkie dear," she began, "we don't actually know. We found your egg down in the south field, and we took you in."
Pinkie pouted. "Okay, thanks anyway."
They continued their dinner in silence.
18 Years, 7 Months ago...
Pinkie, now 3 years old, had just recently started working the fields, tending to the stones there. She didn't exactly know why they farmed rocks, but she never thought to question it; it'd just always been a constant in her life.
She was turning over a Micah stone near Holder's Boulder when she heard an eagle above her. Thinking nothing of it, she continued to work.
That is, until the eagle swooped down and grabbed her in its talons.
"HELP!" she screamed as the bird carried her high into the sky. She tried to wriggle out of its grasp, but its talons were sharp, and they dug into her still-developing chitin.
Desperate, she tried to utilize her horn, relying on pure instinct.
Suddenly, harmless green fire flashed around her, and when it dispersed, she found herself transformed into a ladybug. After taking a moment to process, she used her smaller size to easily slip out of the bird's grasp.
The only problem: she barely knew how to fly in her own form, let alone this new one, and she was several feet above the ground.
She may have been able to slow her descent enough to prevent any serious injury, but the force of the impact was still enough to dissipate her newfound ladybug form. The rest of the family, who'd come running at Pinkie's cry for help, rushed over to make sure she was okay.
"Pinkie Pie, are you alright?" Cloudy asked, and Pinkie nodded.
"I was so worried," Maud said in a way that, unless you knew her personally (or had emotion-sensing powers like Pinkie), appeared emotionless.
Limestone regarded at her as though she'd grown a second head for a moment. "How did you do that?!"
"No idea," Pinkie muttered, still dazed from the landing.
18 Years, 2 Months ago...
"Now change," Igneous instructed.
Pinkie focused a good portion of her energy into her horn, and she transformed into her chosen pony form.
"Very good," Igneous congratulated. "Now, I want to see you hold that form for the entirety of supper this time. You'll need to practice your stamina if you ever want to go into town with us."
Pinkie nodded, then trotted after her father as he reentered the house.
15 Years, 6 Months ago…
Earlier that day, she was tending the rock fields when she saw the Sonic Rainboom in the distance. She began to think:
She didn't know anything about what that explosion was or what had caused it.
And yet, despite that, its beauty had made her happy regardless.
It was rather inspiring to little Pinkie Pie. Here she was, a creature that neither she nor her family knew anything about, just like that explosion.
Maybe she, too, could spread happiness to others in spite of that?
She smiled broadly as she thought of the perfect place to start:
Her own family.
Present day...
"And that's the story of my entire life!" Pinkie Pie finished. "At least, that's the parts related to me being a Changeling. The rest you either already know or should be able to extrapolate."
Twilight looked up from her notepad. "Thank you, Pinkie Pie. This information will be invaluable."
Pinkie blinked. "Well, duh! That's because I gave it to you for free!"
Somewhere in the Badlands, there stood a large, crooked spire. The dark structure stood out against the dull landscape, the sharp point threatening to tear the sky in two.
Inside, a Changeling Queen was fuming.
"That traitorous gnat!" Chrysalis ranted to her messenger, "I thought something was off with the pink one, but I never suspected she was a Changeling! And now she's gone and exposed herself, allowing those pesky ponies to figure out our weaknesses!"
The messenger, on his part, was on the verge of running in fear. "M-m-my Queen, what do you suggest we do?"
She thought for a moment, then smirked sadistically. "Gather every drone and bring them to the barracks. I have a little speech to give."
There was tangible anxiety as the entirety of Chrysalis's army buzzed amongst themselves, wondering why they'd been gathered on such short notice. The moment their Queen stepped out from the shadows, though, the clamour instantly died down.
"Drones," Chrysalis began, "You may be aware that the Element of Laughter, Pinkamena Pie, has actually been a Changeling in disguise."
She used her magic to summon a holographic image of the mare in question, mid-way between transforming from her pony self to her natural self. A small amount of muttering came, but it quickly silenced as Chrysalis continued.
"But while she may be one of us, she has no allegiance to the Hive."
Confused buzzing erupted, many Changelings having been unaware that Pinkie wasn't actually part of the Hive.
Chrysalis held up a hoof, and the noise once again disappeared. "Instead, she has allied herself with those putrid ponies, and that makes her a threat to our very way of life! They are likely working on a plan to wipe us out for good as we speak!"
An uproar of boo's and hisses was the response, the Changelings not exactly being happy with the idea.
"That is why this mewling grub must be eradicated, eviscerated, and otherwise expunged from existence! We are the mighty Changeling Empire, we are eternal, and anypony who says otherwise will face our wrath! Pinkamena will rue the day she decided to jeopardize Us!"
The crowd broke into determined cheers and war chants, eagerly awaiting orders.
Well, all but two of them.
Thorax shuffled on his hooves as the crowd dispersed. This all felt much too extreme, but what was he supposed to do? Chrysalis was already on edge after the failed Canterlot Invasion, so if he dissented or fled, he'd find himself staring straight down Chrysalis's horn for sure. But he couldn't help with this, he just couldn't! The fear and conflict in his gut were tearing him apart at the seams, and —
Throax's train of thought was interrupted when he ran head-long into another Changeling, a female with slightly purple eyes. He opened his mouth to apologize, but before he could, the other Changeling had grabbed and silenced him.
Thorax tried to speak, but with the other drone's hoof in his mouth, all he could get out was, "Mfft mm mmf mftfm?!"
The Changeling, who Thorax didn't recognize, glared down at him. "You're not going to blow my cover."
Thorax managed to pry her limb out of his mouth, and cried out in a hushed voice, "Please stop, you're hurting me!"
Even though Thorax didn't recognize her, she clearly recognized him. "Thorax?"
He gave a nod, and the Changeling let him go. He asked, "What are you doing?"
The Changeling looked around to make sure they weren't being spied on, then whispered, "I'm going to warn them."
Thorax gulped, "You're abandoning the Hive?!"
She nodded. "Don't try to talk me out of it; I've already made up my mind."
Thorax shook his head. "No, I wasn't gonna! It's just..."
Then he froze. He suddenly realized that he was at a crossroads, where his next action would shape the course of his life. Would he rat her out, turn a blind eye....
Or would he join her?
The thought entered his head and would not leave. Before, he surely would have died one way or another if he'd forsaken the Hive. But now, if he had another Changeling with him...
" 'It's just' what?" The drone asked, snapping Thorax back out of his thoughts.
He smiled determinedly as he decided. "I'm coming with you."
She blinked. "Are you sure, Thorax? You know how dangerous Equestria is to our kind."
Thorax nodded. "I can't just sit by and do nothing."
She smirked. "That-a boy. Now, let's go."
They managed to sneak out of the Hive, reaching the edge of the perimeter by sunset.
Once they were sure they were safe, Thorax let out a breath. He was actually doing this; he was leaving the Hive to help the ponies! With another drone by his side, he was feeling considerably more confident than he'd be otherwise.
Although... "I just have one question: why do you want to help them?"
The drone turned, a determined look on her face. "I need to make things right with my daughter."
Thorax's jaw dropped. Several questions ran through his mind, but one stood front and center:
Igneous Rock Pie, Cloudy Quartz, Marble Pie, and Limestone Pie were eating dinner when a knock on the door drew their attention. Igneous got up to answer it, leaving the others waiting at the table.
Cloudy Quartz listened as her husband talked to the unexpected guest, unable to make out the words. But unexpectedly, he was cut off mid-sentence by something silent. "Iggy?" She asked, a note of worry entering her voice.
Her husband's voice returned after a moment, not quite sounding the same. "I'm fine, dear; just lost my train of thought."
Cloudy frowned. She knew her husband well, and he wasn't one to forget something once he'd focused on it. Heck, he was the exact opposite: becoming so engrossed in the tasks at hoof that other things tended to fade into the background. Something was off...
Her eyes widened as it clicked into place:
Changeling.
Her heartbeat increased, but she tried to keep on a calm exterior. "Alright, dear, if you say do," she lied. "We'll just be heading upstairs now; it's time for baths."
Limestone blinked, not having caught on to the situation yet. "But the washtub is outs—"
Cloudy quickly covered her daughter's mouth with a hoof, but it was already too late; their cover had been blown the moment they'd detected her fear.
Pinkie Pie, meanwhile, was giving Gummy his weekly bath. She was scrubbing his scales when a knock sounded at her bedroom door.
The pink Changeling blinked. She hadn't invited anypony to visit, and there wasn't a party she was supposed to attend right now— ooh, unless she'd forgotten her birthday again!
She was about to pronk happily to the door, whe Mr. Cake's voice spoke from the other side. "Pinkie Pie, you need to get down here."
At that moment, her body gave a huge shudder. Her eyes widened, recognizing the sign that a Doozy was about to happen, but she continued to the door nonetheless.
When she opened it, she found Mr. Carrot Cake holding Pound Cake, who was nursing on a bottle. The foal's mood seemed content, but Carrot's seemed... Shocked and anxious?
"What is it, Mr. Cake? Has Twilight come about a Friendship Mission? Did Rarity chip a hoof?! *Gasp* Did the author cancel the story!?"
He blinked, now more confused than anything. "W-what story?"
She shook her head. "Nevermind that, this sounds important!"
Mr. Cake nodded, and they both rushed back downstairs (him making a quick detour to put Pound back into his crib).
When they got out into the main room, she was floored by what she saw:
Two Changelings were standing in the middle of the room, completely undisguised and... Trying to get Mrs. Cake to calm down?
"Please, we just need to talk to Pinkie Pie," the first one, a guy, pleaded with an anxious voice.
Mrs. Cup Cake was still understandably freaking out. "A-and how do I know you're not gonna do something while our backs are turned?!"
The second Changeling, an older female with slightly purple eyes, pointed out, "We wouldn't be undisguised right now if we wanted to cause trouble. Thorax, back me up on this," she added, turning to her companion.
Pinkie blinked at this second Changeling. She didn't know why — maybe it was the aura of concern around her — but something seemed vaguely familiar about this particular drone...
Pinkie took a step forward, causing a floorboard to creak. The two Changelings whipped their heads around, then froze at what they saw. Thorax seemed to freeze out of mere confusion at the sight, while the second seemed oddly... was awestruck the right word? Maybe wistful?
Pinkie spoke first "Uh... Welcome to Sugarcube Corner. Can I help you?"
The second Changeling's mouth shifted into a hopeful smile. "I-is that really you?"
Pinkie raised an eyebrow, not fully sure of what she was asking. "I am Pinkie Pie, yes..."
The Changeling's smile fell at Pinkie's tone. "You don't know who I am, right?"
That struck a chord with Pinkie. She supposedly knew this Changeling, yet she couldn't remember her? But she was supposed to know everypony she met! She'd built an entire Party-planning cave to store her files on everypony she ever met, for pony's sake!
She deflated a little, the lack of knowledge putting a damper on her mood. "I'm sorry, but I—"
"Don't be," the Changeling held up a hoof, surprising both her companion and Pinkie. "It was my fault; I should have been more careful. I knew better than to leave the hive with a clutch on the way, and I should've noticed I'd dropped one before I lost track of it."
Pinkie's jaw dropped as the other shoe fell. But that would imply... No, it couldn't be! ...could it?!
"M-mom...?"
Now Thorax was gaping at the purple-eyed drone. That Changeling nodded, tears brimming on the edges of her eyes. "It's wonderful to finally meet you."
In the next moment, Pinkie had already crossed the gap and wrapped her long-lost mother in the biggest, buggiest hug she could muster.
The pink bug-pony whimpered, "Did you at least look for me?"
Her mother nodded, "Every day for three years straight."
Pinkie sniffled. "Thank you, Mom."
A forlorn look crossed her face. "Please, just call me June."
The party planner blinked, breaking up the hug. "Why? You are my Mom, after all."
Her eyes cast downward, "I don't feel like I've earned it. Besides, you already have pony parents."
Pinkie paused at that.
Then began to giggle.
June blinked as her long-lost daughter began rolling on the ground, practically laughing her elytra off. "What's so funny?"
Pinkie managed to slow her laughter, wiping away a tear. "Silly filly; there's always room in my family for more!"
The drone paused, a blush slowly spreading across her face. Then she broke into laughter, too.
They lay there for a moment, letting their giggles ride themselves out.
When they finally picked themselves back up, Thorax looked like he was about to explode with anxiety. "Not to break up this touchcing moment, June, but didn't we come here for a reason?"
June blinked, frozen as though staring at an oncoming train.
Then she began to panic. "Oh, Hive, that's right! Pinkie, you're in danger!"
The party planner gasped. "How so?"
"Queen Chrysalis and her forces are preparing to mount some form of attack against you! They're worried that you'll jeopardize their lives by providing ponies with enough information to weed them out of Equestria, cutting off their only food source."
Pinkie gasped even harder. "I'd never let that happen! Most of them may be bad, but they don't deserve to die!"
June shook her head, "But she and the others are desparate; we've been on a shortage ever since the Wedding, and with you out here, free for the ponies to study at their leisure..."
Pinkie reeled. One of the first things she did after coming out was let Twilight run experiments on her! "What do we do?!" she quivered.
Thorax stated, "The only thing we can do right now is be prepared for anything. Chrysalis dispatched orders as she saw fit, meaning every Changeling only knows what she wanted us to know."
"And since we left the Hive before she could dispatch those orders..." June trailed off, realizing in hindsight that she may have been a little bit hasty in her plan.
Pinkie was becoming anxious, her bubbly persona being pushed aside by the severity of the situation. The entirety of the Changeling Hive, save for these two, were coming to attack her, and she had no idea how they'd do so? Just the thought instilled enough fear to chill her to the core, her mind going through several horrifying scenarios.
What if Changelings posed as normal ponies, then ambushed her while attending her next party?
What if they replaced somepony she knew, like Mr. Cake, or Octavia, or one of the girls, and used that to get her off her guard?!
What if they secretly forced ponies to break their Pinkie Promises, making her get mad at innocent ponies before they attacked once she was worn out!?
What if—
Suddenly, she felt her wings vibrate on their own. This was followed by wobbly knees, floppy ears, and a twitchy tail.
Thorax and June blinked. "What was that about?"
She gasped, this one the loudest of all. It was even worse than she'd imagined.
