Twilight Sparkle stood idly in her library reading a book. It was a normal day. The sun was out, the birds were singing, and there was a cool breeze. Everypony was out and about doing their normal activities. There was nothing exciting scheduled for that day. Twilight and her friends would be meeting in the Ponyville Central. They were going to have a picnic and enjoy the beautiful weather while talking about things.
Twilight was reading a book while she awaited the picnic. Soon enough, the clock struck noon, and it was time to go for the picnic with her friends. Twilight closed the book and yelled a goodbye to Spike. She trotted out of the house. The weather was even nicer than she had thought. Blue skies overhead and a light breeze graced the sunny day. Twilight trotted to the central square.
Waiting for her there were her friends. They had a basket with them for the picnic, and they were all smiling. They were all anticipating a fun day. Especially after the changeling invasion that they had experienced during the wedding a few weeks back.
"Hey everypony! Are we ready to go for the picnic?" asked Twilight.
A unanimous "Yup" came from the group, and they started to trot out of the central square. Right before they exited, Rainbow Dash tripped over a rock. She went tumbling to the ground, hitting her face on the rocky floor.
At first, Twilight went to help her up, but all of a sudden Rainbow Dash was surrounded by a beam of light. Twilight took a step back, and before she knew it Rainbow Dash was gone. In her place was a changeling. Twilight gasped.
"What the?!" The changeling stood up and stared at Twilight, but did not attack. Instead, it looked rather scared.
All the other ponies in the area looked stunned, they did not dare to move. Twilight stared in disbelief at the changeling, and the changeling stared back at her.
Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie looked back and forth between the two. Twilight turned to them.
"What's going on? Help me kill it!" Twilight jumped for the changeling, but Rarity put a hoof on her shoulder to stop her.
"Twilight, there's something you should know."
Twilight stared into Rarity's eyes, but a flash of light went up around her. All Twilight could see was another changeling now.
"Wha-Wha-" Twilight took another step backwards as she stammered. "What's going on?"
Fluttershy spoke up,"Um, Twilight. I was going to tell you earlier, but I'm also a changeling."
Twilight felt like the entire world was falling down around her. She couldn't find words. Fluttershy bowed her head as she transformed into a changeling. Twilight's eyes were wide open.
"Who, what, when, what?" Twilight took more steps away from the changelings. "Applejack, you're not one of them right?"
"Sorry Twi." Applejack frowned as she changed to her true form. Other ponies trotted out into central square to see what the commotion was about.
"What? How is this possible!" Twilight looked around at all the ponies surrounding her, only there were multiple copies of Rainbow Dash.
She looked for somepony, anypony, that was normal. She saw Big Macintosh trotting by the central square.
"Big Mac! Surely you're normal, right?"
"Nope!" Big Mac turned into a changeling. Twilight looked around at all the ponies. They all stared back at her.
"Pinkie Pie what's going on?" Twilight looked at Pinkie, the only friend of hers that hadn't turned into a changeling.
"Oh, Twilight, you're so silly, I'm a changeling, too!" Pinkie transformed into a changeling.
"But, this isn't possible!"
A clone of Pinkie Pie trotted up to Twilight. "Twilight don't be ridiculous! You're a changeling, too!"
"What!?" Twilight looked down at herself. She could feel sweat rolling down her forehead. I can't be a changeling! I just can't!
"Haha gotcha Twilight!" Pinkie laughed.
"That was NOT funny Pinkie." Twilight's stare hardened.
"Call me changeling." Pinkie turned into a changeling.
Twilight screamed into the sky, "Everything I know is a lie!" Then, Rainbow Dash came to comfort her.
"It's okay Twilight, I'm here for you."
"No you're not! You're just another changeling!" Twilight shoved away Rainbow Dash.
"No I'm not, I'm the real Rainbow Dash!"
"Prove it!" Rainbow Dash took in a deep puff of air, and within an instant she was a changeling.
"Haha Twilight sucks to suck." Then, all the changelings flew into the air, buzzing around Twilight.
"WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?"
Applejack trotted up behind Twilight. "Because Twi, we feed off your love for your friends. This whole 'friendship' thing was a ploy to get your undying love for us so we could have food. But now that you know, we'll have to find a new victim." Applejack did not turn into a changeling. Instead she laughed. "Haha Twilight, we're just kidding around. None of us are actually changelings!"
Twilight grinned. "Really! This is all a joke?"
"Nope!" Applejack transformed into a changeling. Twilight's grin fell into a frown. Her mind was racing. She was trying to figure out how this was all possible.
"Hey Twilight! I'm a changeling!" Spike came running by, transforming into a changeling mid-step.
"This is getting old." Twilight wasn't even surprised when she saw her friends turn into changelings anymore. It seemed normal at this point. All the ponies that had gathered in central square turned into their changeling form.
Twilight didn't know whether she should run or fight off the horde of changelings. Although they had once been her friends, she now knew that they were simply leeches. Leeches of love.
"Twilight!" Twilight looked up, and sure enough, Princess Celestia was descending upon her. The changelings took a few steps back away from the princess as she landed in front of Twilight.
"What's going on here?" The princess looked around at all the changelings.
"Give it up, Celestia, I know you're a changeling, too."
"What?"
"You're a changeling, right?" Twilight stared straight into Celestia's eyes, trying to get the truth out of her.
"Twilight, I am not a changeling! But it seems we have a problem on our hooves."
Twilight let out a sigh. Finally! Somepony that ISN'T a changeling. "What should we do about it?"
Celestia brought a hoof to her chin. "I think we should send them back to where they came from." Celestia's horn lit up, and she smiled at Twilight. Within seconds, a small orb formed around Celestia. Soon, she would send all the changelings flying back to where they belong.
Twilight closed her eyes as the blast took full effects, covering the area in light. When she opened them...
Princess Celestia was the only other pony around. The changelings were no longer around. "Wow! I can't believe it Princess Celestia, you actually got rid of them!"
"Yes Twilight, sorry about your friends." Twilight frowned. She would never see her friends again, even if they were just changelings. She felt a tear roll down her cheek. Celestia came over to comfort her, putting a hoof around her neck and on her back.
"It's okay Twilight. I'm the changeling queen." Celestia transformed into Queen Chrysalis.
"WHAT THE BUCK!" Twilight jumped backwards as the queen let out an evil cackle.
"Hello Twilight, so nice to see you again!" The changelings that Twilight thought had been vanquished came buzzing out of the windows of every house.
Twilight's mind was racing faster than she could handle. She looked back and forth between Queen Chrysalis and her small army of changelings that had once been the residents of Ponyville.
"Celestia? You were a changeling, too!"
"LOL no Twilight I was just kidding." Queen Chrysalis changed back into Celestia. Twilight felt like she was about to faint.
"This whole thing was a joke Twilight!" Celestia let out a laugh. "Take off your costumes, everypony!" One by one, the changelings took off their outer skin, revealing the ponies that Twilight knew and loved. Twilight didn't know whether she should be relieved or seething with anger.
"This whole thing was a joke?!" Twilight yelled. She looked directly at Celestia.
"YOU WISH!" Everypony changed back into a changeling. Celestia didn't change back, however.
"What, you aren't going to change back, 'Celestia'" said Twilight.
"I wasn't kidding Twilight, I'm actually Celestia. I was joking about being a changeling, I don't know about those guys." Celestia stood back to back with Twilight while the changelings inched closer, there fangs sharp and their glossy blue eyes emotionless.
"Then what do we do!?" yelled Twilight.
"LOL just kidding again Twilight." Celestia turned back into Queen Chrysalis. Twilight fainted from the pressure or the situation. She just couldn't handle it. In the distance, she heard somepony yelling her name.
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"Twilight!"
Twilight's eyes shot open. Standing around her were her friends.
"Thank goodness you were awake! It sounded like you were having the most terrible dream!" said Rarity.
Twilight stared at her friends, relieved that it was all just a dream.
"What happened?" asked Twilight.
"You were saying a bunch of weird things about changelings and mumbling," said Pinkie Pie.
"Yes," started Fluttershy,"It must be from that wedding. Those creatures were awfully scary."
Twilight looked down at her hooves. She was glad that nopony was a changeling, and that it was all a dream.
"Thanks. You guys are the best." Twilight reached out to give a hug to her friends, and they hugged back.
"Well, we'll be seeing ya Twi!" exclaimed Applejack. The five ponies trotted out of the library, leaving Twilight alone on her bed.
Thank Celestia it was all a dream.
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"Well, that was a close one," said Applejack. The five ponies were just outside Twilight's house.
"Nah, it's all good. She'll never know," said Rainbow Dash.
The ponies laughed.
ALTERNATE ENDING
Twilight laid in her bed, looking at the ceiling. That was a close one! They almost found out that I know that they're all changelings!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ALTERNATE ALTERNATE ENDING
Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack trotted into Ponyville central.
"It's a good thing that Twilight doesn't know that we know that she knows that we're all changelings, but we really aren't!"
The ponies laughed again.
"Silly Twilight," said Pinkie Pie,"She thinks we're all changelings!"
The ponies giggled as they trotted through the central square.
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REAL ENDING
Princess Celestia looked out over her lands and pony subjects from the balcony. She laughed.
"None of them know!"
She trotted back into the castle.
