"Would it matter if I was?"
Such a simple question. Would it matter, would it matter. She'd had to think about it.
The first time, she had eventually said no. She'd assumed that would be the end of it.
The next day, though... except, maybe it was a day before, Fluttershy had come back. "Would it matter if I was?"
This time, she said yes! She'd argued, of course it did! She'd been a little confused that Fluttershy hadn't remembered, but it hadn't occurred to her to think anything was out of the ordinary...
Would it matter
The next time, which was definitely after the first two times, Ponyville's resident changeling had asked her. Which was... strange, there wasn't any reason to ask. And she'd forgotten he'd existed... which was strange; even if she wasn't Pinkie she should have remembembembered.
And then Caramel had asked Applejack something, and that was really odd because she was Twilight Sparkle not Applejack
would IT matter WOULD it MATTER
wait, no. She was a changeling that had replaced Twilight. That made sense... she thought... if only that annoying Fluttershy didn't have such a heart. She let her ramble and eventually the yellow pegasus let her leave--
--her friends came into the room, one by one. Each one asking questions about whether things mattered, and they were all so distracting. They were her friends, though--after all, she was Twilight Sparkle. And these were the other bearers. Fluttershy's question had been odd, but she had said... that... that it didn't matter, right?
No... no, Fluttershy had brought Rainbow over, and... and she was a changeling, and... Twilight had to run tests. She had a moral and social obligation. Yes. No. These memories were... were conflicting. This didn't make any sense
but of course it didn't. It was all Discord's fault! Obviously. He really should have kept out of her dreams.
Applejack woke up, pondering what she'd heard recently about her brother... possibly her sister. She had a talk with the stallion, asking WoUlD iT mAtTeR if he was different, and... and...
Wait. She wasn't Applejack, she was Twilight Sparkle! Princess of Magic! Why was she thinking she was Applejack, no, that--
Fluttershy walked into the castle and asked her about the wedding. Wow, how long had it been a year yes, yes that was right. She was fidgety, she was cagey, she was... oh! Twilight knew this! She was secretly in love with her which was kind of awkward, but more importantly she was a changeling--
Like in her dream...
Everything began changing so rapidly then. Rainbow and Applejack started dating, Rainbow was a griffonkin, and Pinkie started spreading it's all lies, twilight, you need to--
--stop reading these publications. Honestly, ever since the first story asked "WOULD IT MATTER" these stories had been getting derivative a live a lie and now Rainbow Dash was writing one, but it was so horrible. No, it was a critique of the phenomena which was actually incredibly deep, if torturous...
NO.
STOP.
She twitched, and she was once again Twilight, but THIS TIME. THIS TIME it was her asking Fluttershy. She was reversing the question! That meant she would have an answer! That meant... that meant she wasn't crazy, right? Fluttershy said she wasn't so she couldn't have been.
Meanwhile, far away, a pair of changelings left the hive, and one asked the other if it would matter whether they were a changeling. And the other one was her? Maybe?
Wait, no, that was just a silly fantasy. Twilight knew changelings were the bad guys, so she immediately became a racist and started glorifying in their potential destruction...
Wait! This was wrong! She didn't like changelings, but she wasn't this racist! Why, just ask the robotic filly! Oh, really, and while we're at it let's ask the two APES disguised as ponies!
Twilight blinked awake, remembering her lunch date with Rarity. Yes, that... was a weird dream, but it was fading rapidly. Oh. Well, she shrugged, getting ready for her day. Time passed and she was at the lunch date, and Rarity... had a changeling in her basement...
Was she enslaving the changeling? wOULD IT MATTER if she was was was?
She'd been asked this, before, right? She knew it! Something was wrong, she was getting messages from across the multiverse. That explained it all. It was an important question, after all, who'd asked her the first time...? Fluttershy. Fluttershy was asking again, and now she was leading an army of timberwolves to drive back the gray mists of unreality which pushed against her--
"Would it matter if I was?"
Twilight turned back to Fluttershy and giggled. wOUld It mAttEr hahaha of course! Because, now that she thought about it, a changeling could be so incredibly useful! She pressed herself close, stroking her friend with a maniac grin. She'd been thinking about it, thinking about what a changeling could do all this time, and now it came spilling out of her mouth in an unending stream of perversion and lust....
woulditmatterwoulditmatterwoulditmatterwoulditmatterwoulditmatterwoulditmatter
"Honestly, do I have to hover over you all the time?"
The smaller figures winced at the condescending tone, but kept their magic focused on the cocoon.
"Just keep her thinking, keep her questioning, and don't let her notice the inconsistencies. I thought it would be easy for such a creative lot like you..."
"We do have some progress," one of them mumbled. "Quite a bit, actually. We just haven't gotten deep enough to work on her core self yet..."
"As much as I'd love for you to take your time, her absence could be noticed at any time. I'm afraid I'll have to demand results sooner rather than later."
"Don't worry, my queen. We'll have her soon enough."
"Mmm." Chrysalis nodded, placing a hoof on the cocoon. "Don't worry, Twilight Sparkle. Soon you'll realize I'm the only thing that matters."
