Cabin Fervor

Together, they stalked out into the hallway. The moonlight streaming through the windows cast long, deep shadows across the lodge, giving the once familiar place an eerie, otherworldly feel. All was silent; Twilight didn't know if this was good or bad. On the one hand, if nobody was screaming, that meant nobody was getting hurt. On the other hand, it could have meant the Changelings had gotten to her best friends already.

“Stay close.” Sunset laid her hand on the doorknob to the next bedroom in the hall. “And remember, for now, you and I are the only people we can trust.”

“But what if we hurt our friends?” Twilight whispered.

“We won't. Hopefully.” Sunset Shimmer said. “Just … keep an eye out for anything suspicious. The smallest clue might mean the difference between one of our friends and a Changeling.”

“Got it.” Twilight nodded. “I'm ready.”

“Good.” Sunset said. She opened up the first bedroom door and slipped inside, holding her kitchen knife low and against her leg.

The lower bunk was empty, but soft, rustling sounds came from the upper bunk in the guest room. Sunset held up a hand for Twilight to stay by the door, and padded closer. Still keeping her knife hidden, Sunset reached up, grabbed a fistful of sheet, and yanked it off.

Rainbow Dash blinked in confusion as the sheet was pulled away from her.

“Hey! What gives?” Rainbow Dash immediately set about pulling her old, oversized soccer jersey to a more decent state of coverage.

“Yeah! Li'l privacy here?” Said the second Rainbow Dash, poking her head up over the first's shoulder.

As one, the two Dashes realized their error.

“It's not what it looks like!” they said in unison.

“Um.” Twilight murmured. “Does this count as suspicious?” She leaned over for a moment, noting that both the Dashes were dressed in the same identical pink jersey. So much for that theory.

“Rainbow Dash.” Sunset stepped back from the bunk bed so she could keep her eyes on both the Dashes. “We need to talk.”

“Look,” the first one said, “I know it's a little freaky--”

“--but it's totally cool!” said the second.

“Because, like, it's not any different from when you look at yourself in the mirror after a shower, right?” Rainbow Dash went on.

“Only instead of a mirror, it's a version of you from another dimension.” The second Rainbow Dash nodded. “So it's not weird.”

“Yeah. Totally not weird.” Rainbow Dash #1 said.

“Rainbow.” Sunset said, very quietly. “You do know the portal to Equestria is several hours drive away, right?”

“So?” Both Rainbows said at the same time.

“So.” Sunset Shimmer took another step back, sure to keep both Rainbows in her field of vision. “How could Equestrian-you make it all the way out here?”

“I dunno.” The second Rainbow Dash said. “Can't she fly or something?”

“Not in this dimension.” Sunset said. “She'd be just as human as you and me.”

“Hey, maybe she hitchhiked or something?” The first Rainbow Dash said. “Not like she's a Changeling or anything.”

Rainbow Dash number two blinked. “Wait. What's a Changeling?”

The first Rainbow Dash's face fell. “Crap.”

With a wet sound of tearing flesh, a set of sickly shining insect wings sprouted out of the first Rainbow Dash's back. The rest of her illusion melted away, revealing the hissing, oily-carapaced insect monster.

“Holy shit!” the real Rainbow Dash said, “is that what magical ponies really look like?”

The Changeling's wings began to buzz with the whine of a power tool, and it launched itself off the top bunk in a flurry of claws and mandibles. Sunset Shimmer fell back, slashing wildly with her kitchen knife. The steel blade hacked shallow cuts into the Changeling, but it still had enough momentum to crash into Sunset and pin her to the floor.

With a hiss, the Changeling's mandibles unfolded like the petals of the world's pointiest flower. A long, barb-tipped proboscis extended from between the monster's fangs, obscenely jutting out. The changeling leaned down, and the wet spike lowered towards the center of Sunset's forehead.

“Get away from her!” Twilight said. Lacking any other weapon, she swung the small metal trash can at the Changeling. A hollow 'gong!' sound rung out as it hit home. Twilight hit the Changeling hard enough to dent the trashcan, but the monster kept hissing and thrashing.

Twilight upended the trashcan and stuffed it onto the Changeling's head like an impromptu, eyeless helmet. The monster's maddened hissing echoed within the can, but it still gave Sunset Shimmer time enough to bunch her feet beneath her and kick upward, sending the Changeling flying across the room.

It slammed into the far wall with a heavy thump, and kept flailing, finally bringing its first set of arms up to struggle with the metal can wrapped around its head. The Changeling staggered from side to side, crashing first into Rainbow Dash's bunk bed, and then into the bedroom's single window. Head first.

The Changeling plowed straight through the window, howling in pain as jagged shards of glass dug into its exoskeleton. It dropped past the windowsill, down towards the ground a story below-- though soon thereafter, the terrible buzz of its wings began to sound. Sunset Shimmer braced herself, bringing her knife up in what she hoped was a defensive stance.

She didn't have to test her theory, as the buzz soon began to recede. The three girls edged up to the broken window, and saw the shadowed form of the flying Changeling vanish into the treeline around the lake.

“What n' the hell is goin' on here?” Applejack barged through the open door to Rainbow Dash's bedroom. She skidded to a halt as she saw the broken glass on the floor, the greenish ooze splattered about, and the knife in Sunset's hand.

“Oh!” Rarity followed close on Applejack's heels. “Is everyone quite alright?”

“What's going on?” Fluttershy leaned around the edge of the doorway, “are you guys fighting? Please don't fight!”

“Oooooh, neat!” It was hard to tell if Pinkie Pie had gone to bed or not, as her hair was wild and unmanageable by default. “If you told me we were gonna play rock star and wreck up the place, I would've brought a top hat!”

“Okay,” Sunset Shimmer said, “if this looks bad, that's because it is. Now c'mon. We can't stay here.” She looked warily at the broken window, and then back to the quartet which she hoped were her friends.

“Why you got a knife, Sunset?” Applejack said, suspicious.

“Changelings.”

“Say what.”

“Shapechanging emotional parasites from another dimension.” Twilight supplied, helpfully.

“And, no offense, but … any of you might be a Changeling in disguise.” Sunset said. “Right now, Twilight, Rainbow, and I are the only ones who can be verified as human.”

“But you're a pony!” Pinkie Pie chimed in. “Just a pony that looks like a person! A pony person!” She scratched at her head for a moment. “You know, I never quite figured out how that works.”

“Well, I know I ain't a Changey critter.” Applejack said.

“To be fair, darling,” Rarity laid a hand on Applejack's arm. “That's exactly what a Changeling would say.”

“What? You think I'm some kinda fake?” Applejack pulled her arm away, as if she'd been scalded.

“Of course not! I'm just saying, that's what it sounds like to them, since we haven't been vetted.”

“Sounds like you know how them monsters think, Rarity.”

“What? No! I'm no monster! It's simple, logical extrapolation. The first thing an imposter would do would be to deny they're an impostor. Assuming, that is, that Sunset's telling the truth.”

“Why would she do that?” Fluttershy said, voice quavering more than usual.

“Why, to catch us off guard, of course. As perhaps SHE is the monster.” Rarity eyed Sunset. “No offense, dear, but you are the one holding a knife.”

Sunset Shimmer grit her teeth. “Y'know what? You're right. You don't have any reason to trust me. None of you do.”

“But--” Twilight began.

Sunset held up a hand. “No, don't argue. It's better if you stay on guard. But, here. A show of good faith.” With that, she neatly tossed the kitchen knife out the open window. “And now that I've thrown away the only weapon in the room, can we please continue this discussion somewhere else, before the Changeling we know is out there decides to fly back in through this open window?”

The power-saw buzz sounded far in the distance.

The seven girls piled out of Rainbow Dash's trashed bedroom, and closed the door behind them. Applejack pushed a sideboard table in front of the doorway. “Prolly won't slow anybody down much, but it'll make a hell of a racket. Give us a head's up.”

“A head's up for … what?” Fluttershy said.

“Ain't figured that part out yet.”

They padded down the steps to the main level of the lodge, and convened in central room, in front of the still-flickering embers in the fireplace.

“Okay, so. Everyone, just … calm down. Twilight, Rainbow, and I will sit on this side of the coffee table,” Sunset said, “and you guys sit on the other side. Just in case.”

The girls settled down in their assigned seating. A strange pall fell over the gathering as they sized each other up. Under normal circumstances, the opportunity to stay up late hanging around in their pajamas (or less, in Pinkie's case) would've been something to look forward to.

“Okay. So. Ground rules.” Sunset said. “Nobody goes anywhere alone. They could get grabbed and replaced. Same if only two people go out. If one of them's a Changeling … “ she trailed off, and shook her head. “So. Minimum of three.”

“Also,” Twilight added on, “Changelings feed on … strong emotions. So … if anyone starts making … moves on you, that might be a sign they're a Changeling.”

“Moves? Like, dance moves?” Pinkie Pie said.

“Not that. Like … you know. Moves.” Twilight's cheeks turned a deep, deep red, and she pulled her knees up to her chest.

“I don't get it.” Pinkie said.

“She means making out.” Rainbow Dash noted. “The Changelings, like, try to suck out your brain through your mouth or something.”

“How do you know?” Fluttershy said.

Rainbow Dash blinked, and then it was her turn to blush. “Uh. No reason.”

“Good thing I wasn't planning on kissing anybody!” Pinkie Pie said, cheery.

“You're sure about the makin'- out thing?” Applejack scooted a few inches away from Rarity.

“All three of the Changelings I've seen so far have tried it.” Sunset said.

“Wait. Three?” Twilight said. “There was the one in Rainbow's room, the one in my room, and … “

“The third one tried to get me when I was in the kitchen, looking for a glass of water.”

“Ooooh, who'd it look like?” Pinkie Pie said.

“Not important.” Sunset Shimmer clenched her hands into fists.

The gears clicked into place in Twilight's head. “It looked like me, didn't it?”

“It's dead now, so it doesn't matter.”

“Oh my god, you killed me?”

“I killed a Changeling that looked like you.”

“It's still scary!” Twilight squeaked.

“What's scary is that there's still at least one Changeling out there. Probably more.” Sunset said.

“Just how much makin' out does someone have to do 'fore they turn into a Changeling?” Applejack said.

“Oh no.” Fluttershy held a hand to her mouth. “It's not contagious like mono, is it?”

“That … that's no how it works.” Sunset said.

“Then how does it work?” Applejack said.

“I don't know!” Sunset Shimmer buried her face in her hands. “At least, I'm not one hundred percent certain. The changelings in this dimension could be different from the ones in Equestria. Or maybe these are Equestrian Changelings that have crossed through somehow. Either way, they're dangerous, and we have to stop them.”

“And just how're we 'sposed to do that?” Applejack leaned forward.

“I haven't figured that part out yet, either.” Sunset grit her teeth.

“It's alright.” Twilight pushed her glasses back into place. “I mean, practically speaking, we probably don't want to go over the big 'how to stop the Changelings' plan until we make sure everyone's, you know, not a Changeling.”

“Oooh, oooh, I know!” Pinkie Pie said, “everyone who's a Changeling, raise your hand!”

Nobody did.

“See! Everything's fine!” Pinkie said. “Now we can get on with the master plan!”

“Um.” Fluttershy murmured. “I think we're forgetting something.”

“What's that?” Pinkie Pie said.

“Where's Cadance?” asked Fluttershy.

The question hung in the air for a few moments.

“She … was staying in the master bedroom.” Twilight said. Immediately, seven pairs of eyes turned to eye the door in question.

“Just checking, has anyone made out with Cadance?” Rainbow Dash said.

“Rainbow!” Twilight gasped.

“Hey! This is a legit safety question here!” Rainbow Dash looked over the group.

“I think you can take that as a no.” Twilight noted.

“Okay, so does anyone want to make out with Cadance?”

“Rainbow!” Twilight glared at her friend.

The door to the master bedroom opened, and Cadance herself walked out. “Damn, you guys make a lot of noise.” She wore blue t-shirt that reached just above her knees, and had her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. “What's going on?” She rubbed at the corner of her eye, groggy.

“We might have been infiltrated by horrible shapeshifting insect monsters from another dimension.” Twilight said.

“Oooooo-kay.” Cadance said. “So you're on drugs.”

“I'm serious!” Twilight blurted, horrified at the prospect of illicit activity.

“Look. Like I said, so long as you clean everything up by the time we leave, you and your friends can do whatever you want.” Cadance shuffled towards the liquor cabinet and poured herself a tumbler full of rum. She held the amber liquid up to her nose and sniffed it a few times, thoughtful. “Needs a mixer.” She declared, and then crossed into the kitchen.

“Wait, no!” Sunset started to stand, but she was too late.

The seal around the refrigerator door made a suctiony sound as Cadance pulled it open. A small plume of frost billowed out of the large machine, followed closely by the limp corpse of a insect monster.

The body, still with the handle of a kitchen knife jutting from its chest, fell to the tile floor with a thud. Cadance's glass of rum hit the floor next, shattering with sharp clink. Sharper still was Cadance's scream, echoing through the fishing lodge.

Twilight found the time to glare at Sunset again. “You killed me and stuck me in the fridge?”

“For the last time, I killed a monster that looked like you.” Sunset said. “... and then I couldn't think of anywhere better to put it.”

“We are so having a talk about this later.” Twilight said, and then pushed off to guide the still-shaking Cadance out of the kitchen. “Uh. Look. I'm sorry. This … kind of thing happens to me sometimes now. It's a magic thing.”

Cadance stared blankly at Twilight.

“Usually it's not so messy, though.” Twilight added on. “Like, uh, remember that thing that happened during the Friendship games? With the plant monsters from another dimension? That was kind of my fault. I really only did it because Principal Cinch more or less blackmailed me into it, but I didn't know any better. I probably should have known better to use my etheric containment technology so recklessly, especially when I didn't fully understand the process. I mean, you'd think I've read enough science fiction novels to develop some sense of genre awareness. But, uh, this time the magic disaster isn't my fault! So … that's good, right?” Twilight babbled on, while Cadance just looked confused.

Sunset snapped her fingers. “That's it, Twilight!”

“What is?”

“Changelings may be able to look like us, but they don't have our memories! So all we have to do is just ask each other questions the Changelings wouldn't know the answers to. That's how we can verify everyone's identity!”

“Friendship test!” Pinkie Pie threw her hands up in the air, cheery. “Oooh, Rarity, why don't you go first!” She pointed to her friend. “Quick, what's Applejack's favorite color?”

“Oh, that's easy. Green.”

“She's a fake! Get 'er!” Applejack leapt onto the unsuspecting Rarity. She got behind the purple-haired girl and hooked an arm around her neck in a steely chokehold. “Everybody knows my favorite color's red!”

“But--” Rarity grabbed Applejack's arm with both her hands and pulled, keeping herself from getting her air supply cut off. “You look so good in green!”

“Not everythin's about fashion, dammit!”

“It should be! Now take your hands off me, this instant!”

“Funny ya say that, considerin' how handsy ya got earlier, li'l miss bugface!”

“I gave you a shoulder rub! As a thank you! For hauling my suitcases!”

“Likely story! Bet you loaded them things up with bricks just so I'd pull somethin' just so you'd get all touchy feely just so you could eat my brain!”

“I'll have you know, every single item I brought along was absolutely essential! I require a strict regimen of beauty care in order to maintain my general air of radiance. Not that you would care. You wouldn't know an exfoliating scrub from a moisturizing mask.”

“You're right. I don't know! I gots better things to do than worry 'bout smellin' fancy n' lookin' pretty.”

“Please stop!” Fluttershy wailed. “Can't you see you're both you?”

“Fluttershy's right! There's nobody else I know who can argue like that.” Rainbow Dash said.

“Or flirt.” Pinkie Pie noted.

Rarity and Applejack both stared at Pinkie Pie for a moment, then turned to stare at each other, and then pushed away from their grappling. The two of them sprang to opposite ends of their couch lightning-quick.

“Ain't got any idea what you're talkin' 'bout, Pinkie” Applejack crossed her arms across her chest.

“That, I dare say, is the first thing Applejack and I can agree on.” Rarity huffed.

“That's them alright.” Sunset Shimmer deadpanned.

“That just leaves me and Fluttershy!” Pinkie Pie said. “This is fun!”

“I don't think that's the word I'd use.” Fluttershy murmured.

“We just need to think of something to ask Fluttershy that's really, really personal!” Pinkie said.

“Eep.” Fluttershy murmured.

“Let's, uh … let's take it easy, okay?” Twilight said. “Like … Fluttershy, what're the names of the animals you're taking care of right now?”

“Um.” Fluttershy scratched at the back of her neck. “Do you want them in alphabetical order, or should I divide them up by genus? Because, um. We could be here awhile.”

“Yep.” Rainbow Dash said. “Definitely Fluttershy.”

“Then it's just me!” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing in excitement. “I mean, I'm pretty sure I'm not a brain-eating bug monster, but it'll be good if we check, just to be sure! I guess the really hard part is gonna be figuring out just what kind of question to ask me because sometimes I forget stuff because I don't think it'd be very important but joke's on me because it turns out a lot of that little stuff is SUPER important because you never know when something so trivial is going to be the one little thing that keeps you from getting stabbed in the face and stuffed into a refrigerator! Like, I had waffles for breakfast yesterday morning, not that any of you guys would know that, because you weren't there. But I kind of wish you were because they were really good waffles and I dumped a bunch of powdered sugar on them which made them even better. Who doesn't love sugar and waffles?”

“Aaaaaand I'm pretty sure that's Pinkie Pie.” Rainbow Dash said.

“Yay! I'm me!” Pinkie Pie pumped her fist in triumph.

“Which leaves Cadance.” Sunset Shimmer narrowed her eyes. “Who none of us know very well.”

“Except for me!” Twilight said, hasty. She patted Cadance on the shoulder and forced a smile. “I've known Cadance for longer than any of you guys. She and I know each other really, really well. So, it should be easy to prove that she's not a murderous emotion-vampire. Right?”

Cadance blinked a few times. “Right. Easy.” She said, and forced a smile.

“In fact, I know just the thing.” Twilight began to pat out a quick, clapping rythmn on her thighs. “Sunshine sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hands and--”

Cadance stared blankly at Twilight.

“C'mon!” Twilight said desperately, “I know you know, Cadance.” She cycled through the patter again. “Clap your hands and … “

“This is embarrassing.” Cadance's bewildered expression hardened, shifting to something far more cool and calculating. “Undone by a stupid rhyme”

Suddenly, the room felt much colder.

Cadance's skin melted away as the Changeling dropped its illusion. It unfolded its spindly, barbed limbs, and spread its sickly-shining wings out proudly. Twilight and her friends stumbled over the furniture, and each other, in their scramble to get away.

“We could have done this the easy way!” The changeling hissed. Its venom-flecked mandibles somehow were able to approximate English. “You would've died happy, all of you! But now … “ The Changeling's too-long limbs moved with a marionette's jerkiness as it loomed over Twilight. “Now I'll have to eat you raw.”

Trembling, Twilight backpedaled until she felt the rough stone of the fireplace press into her back. Iron clattered on rock as she knocked over the fireplace tools. The Changeling kept its terrible, unblinking eyes on Twilight, and leaned in close. The mandibles parted, and its long, dripping proboscis oozed forth.

“Get away from her!” Sunset shouted. The Changeling whipped its head around at the noise, just in time for the thrown bottle of run to smash into its face. The thick glass didn't break, but it still hit hard enough to stagger the Changeling and cover it in sweet-smelling rum.

Seizing the opportunity, Rainbow Dash bounded over the coffee table and onto the Changeling. She wrapped her arms around its neck and pulled. The Changeling wasn't slowed in the slightest- a clawed hand grabbed at Rainbow's arm, and the young athlete gritted her teeth against the pain. Monstrous strength coursed through the Changeling's spindly frame as it flung Rainbow across the room-- right into Pinkie Pie. The two toppled over onto a wooden chair-- which soon shattered beneath their combined weight.

“Caught her!” Pinkie Pie said from the bottom of the pile.

“N' I'll get this'un!” Applejack grunted as she upended the heavy oak coffee table, scattering the soda cans, junk food wrappers, and magazines in every direction. Applejack's shoulders tensed with effort as she hoisted the heavy table up on her shoulder and charged forward, using the coffee table as a shield. She plowed straight into the Changeling and pinned it against the lodge's wall. The cellophane-like wings crumpled beneath the heavy table, but the Changeling still had more than enough strength to work its arms around the shield, clawing and flailing at Applejack. The cowgirl whipped her head back at the last moment, and a clawed swipe that would've blinded her merely drew a vivid red line across her cheek, instead.

“Dammit!” Applejack swore, and leaned her shoulder into the upended table. “Somebody do somethin'! I can't hold her like this forever!”

Twilight, still pressed against the side of the fireplace, splayed her hands to her sides as she started to stand up. Her fingers closed around something firm and metal, and she looked down. Sure enough, there was the fireplace poker: a long length of wrought iron with a barbed point at the end.

Acting on pure instinct, Twilight wrapped both hands around the haft of the fire tool, and lunged to her feet. Bracing the poker like a spear, she put her entire weight behind the thrust. Pinned as it was between the wall and the coffee table turned shield, the Changeling could do nothing to dodge. Twilight's mad blow struck true, and the poker sank deep into the insect monster's side.

The Changeling howled in rage and pain, and threw Applejack and the table aside. Twilight let go of the poker, leaving it lodged in the Changeling's exoskeleton. Stinking green fluid oozed down the length of the poker, dripping onto the wood floorboards.

Twilight stumbled away from the Changeling, and shrieked in fear as she saw it make a lunge for her. Slowed by its wound, the Changeling fell short. It thrashed on the floor, each wheezing breath coming slower than the last. Enraged thrashing devolved to feeble twitching. The Changeling's mandibles parted one last time, and vomited more foul-smelling green blood upon the floor.

With a wet, choking gasp, the Changeling died.

“Applejack! You're hurt!” Rarity materialized at the cowpony's side, and immediately started dabbing at her face with a silk handkerchief she'd produced from somewhere.

Applejack winced under the attention. “I'm fine.” She grumbled. “It's Rainbow y'all should be worried about.”

“Nah, I'm cool!” Rainbow Dash pushed herself back up to her feet. She raised both hands to give a double-thumbs up, only to find her left arm dangling at an unhealthy angle. “Oh. Crap. Uh. That … kinda looks broken. Also, I think I'm in shock, maybe?” Rainbow Dash staggered backwards, only to be caught by Pinkie Pie-- though thankfully far gentler the second time around. Pinkie Pie eased Rainbow onto a couch that hadn't been upended in the chaos, and soon Fluttershy was there as well, quickly and efficiently fashioning a splint from a broken table leg.

“What about you, Twilight?” Sunset Shimmer picked her way over the broken glass and furniture, sure to give the dead Changeling a wide berth. “Are you okay?”

“Physically? Yes.” Twilight fidgeted with her glasses. “It's just I've never, uh … killed anything before. Much less … “

“Your old babysitter?”

“A monster that looked like my old babysitter.” Twilight said.

Sunset entwined her fingers with Twilight's, and gently tugged her away from the Changeling's corpse. “You're learning quick.”

“Kinda wish I didn't have to.”

“Uh. Guys?” Pinkie Pie's hair bobbed as she suddenly perked her head up. “Does anyone else hear that?”

“Hear what?” Applejack gently pushed Rarity away.

Slowly, the buzz of enormous insect wings began to thrum in the distance. Another buzz sounded after that. Then another. Then another. Then several more still, building up into a wicked, angry swarm.

Twilight rushed to the sliding glass door, pressing up against the glass to peer at the shadowy forms flitting about in the distance.

“How many are there?” Sunset asked.

Twilight stepped back, and shrank into Sunset's arms.

“Too many.”