Hello Princess Twilight...
The note appeared on Twilight's doorstep one morning. Just a simple piece of paper with a rock on top. It could almost be mistaken for a grocery list, if it wasn't for the green ink in which it was written. Cautiously, Twilight levitated it to her and started reading.
Dear Princess Twilight,
My name is Spider Web, and I am a changeling. Not the type of changeling you have seen and know, I am the other kind - the replacement. But I am getting ahead of myself. I will explain everything from the beginning. I only have one request - that you read my letter to the end.
Originally I was born in Ponyville. I have no recollection of that, nor do I know when it happened. My hive mother tells me it must have been over ten years ago, but I cannot be sure. Changelings measure time differently. Neither day, nor night, nor the seasons themselves carry any importance. All that matters is the hunger, thus everything is measured in feeding seasons. When hunger strikes - the hive feeds, the rest of the time they rest and scout for new feeding grounds.
I must have been happy where I was born, otherwise my hive mother wouldn't have taken me. Ever since I learned the truth I imagined what it could have been like, if I hadn't been taken. To live in a place where being friends with someone wouldn't cause pain sounds almost too incredible to be true.
You see, there are two types of changelings, three if you count the hive mother. The most common kind I believe you have seen. The other kind, of which I am part, are called replacements, and only exist when a changeling princess is born. It is said the event is rare, occurring once every few centuries, but when it does special measures must be taken. It is a princess' fate to, one day, command a hive of her own. As such she must be strong, and to be strong she needs far more love and tenderness that the hive could provide. It is customary for the scouts to travel beyond the known lands in search of a suitable family that have had a child recently. That child would be swapped with the changeling princess. As she grows under the tender care of her new parents, she will become strong and knowledgable of their way of life. Meanwhile, the other child is taken to the hive and raised as the hive mother's own. The reason for this is simple - a bond between mother and child cannot be broken. Only if the real child receives the same amount of care as the changeling princess, would the illusion hold.
I do not know how well my parents treated my replacement sister, but the hive mother did her utmost to raise me best she could. Often I would see her inner struggle, as she restrained herself to feed on my love, for I indeed did and do love her. To you she might be a changeling, but for me she was the only mother I knew. It was she that found suitable food for me to eat, for unlike changelings I cannot survive on emotions alone. It was also she that kept an eye on me when I played with other infants, careful that I do not give them too much friendship, for that would weaken me to the point of fainting.
It was years later that I learned of you for the first time. My hive mother had gone to a new feeding ground with most of her hive, leaving me and a few others behind. I would like to think she didn't want me to get harmed, but I fear by then she had gorged herself on so much love and affection, that she didn't want to risk having me used against her. That's what happens to changelings when they overfeed - they become paranoid, vicious and cruel. I believe you saw that when facing her. My hive mother was so enraged be her defeat at your hooves, that she would scream about it for days. At one point, I was even afraid, she would harm me. Thankfully it never came to that. It was later that she calmed down enough to tell me all about you, as well as reveal the truth about myself.
For the first time in my life I felt confused. My origin explained why I was different from everyone else, why I couldn't change form or needed to eat to remain healthy. At the beginning I was upset. I hated my hive mother for it, blaming her for taking me away from a nice home, only to have her own daughter take my place. For weeks on end I tried to run away, sometimes alone, sometimes aided by friends I had known since childhood. Each time the result would be the same - she would find me and bring me back home. Never would she harm me, nor would she be angry. She simply magicked me to my cocoon and left enough food for me to regain my strength. When I finally reached a point at which I could talk to her without shouting, she made me an offer - I would stop trying to escape, and in return she would teach me the language of my parents. It didn't seem much at the time, but now I am glad I accepted. If I hadn't, I would never have been able to write this letter, or talk to anyone of my kind for that matter.
By now, I assume, you have either thrown away my letter, or continued reading as I requested. If you are still reading, I thank you wholeheartedly and also apologize for my deceit. At the beginning, I said I had one request. That is not true, and I ask that you indulge me a bit more. I wish to come home. I do not know if I am ready to talk to my parents, or even look at them from afar, but I want to, at least, see the place where I was born. We have spoken with my hive mother at length, and she has agreed to let me visit, under the condition that you agree as well.
Finally, should you have nothing against my visit, I ask that you do not harm my replacement sister. By coming before you I am putting her at risk, for through me you will immediately learn her true identity. Should you find this unacceptable, please burn this letter and I will think nothing of it. I will never write to you again, and we can live our lives as if this never happened.
If, by chance, you agree to all my selfish requests, please stamp the letter with your hoof and leave it in front of your castle door. It will find its way to me.
Thank you for taking the time to read this,
Spider Web the Changeling.
Twilight read the letter a second time, then a third. It all seemed too incredible to be true. A changeling in Ponyville? What was more, this Spider Web claimed the changeling had been there for over a decade. If so, she had to tell Princess Celestia. That was the responsible thing to do. And yet, there was so much sadness in that letter. It didn't seem like a monster was writing to her, just a filly who wanted to go home. Should Twilight refuse that? Could she? If so, what made her better than Chrysalis during her brother's wedding?
For hours Twilight reflected on the matter. Morning passed, then noon, and she still hadn't come to a decision. As tempting as it was she couldn't ask her friends for advice. The initial decision had to be hers and hers alone. Only later would she tell the rest, either to greet this changeling, or help her fight it.
"You win," she whispered at last.
Stamping the note, she left it where she had found it. Whatever the consequences of her actions she would accept them. Turning around, Twilight went into her castle. She was just about to head to the dining room, when a knock sounded. That was weird. Could it be the changeling had arrived already? Preparing herself mentally, she opened the door. What she saw outside amazed her. Less than a step away, stood a filly she had seen before. Gray coat, gray mane, glasses, and a pearl necklace...
"Silver Spoon?" Twilight asked, although she knew it not to be her. The cutie mark was different - the heart on top of the handle was replaced by a silver spider web.
"Good evening, Princess Twilight, I am Spider Web," the filly said her voice trembling with fear and excitement. "Might I please enter?"
The question took Twilight aback. Was this the original Silver Spoon, the one snatched from her parents all those years ago and replaced by a changeling princess? It was a logical course of action - Silver Spoon's family was rich, there wasn't a thing their daughter would lack. However, this went beyond logic. This was no longer about a possible enemy invasion. It was all about a filly who had returned to a life she never knew. It was about a changeling who wanted to become a pony once more. It was about a daughter who cared about her old and new parents, as well as the sister who had stolen her place.
"Of course, Spider Web," Twilight smiled warmly. "Welcome home... for the very first time."
