I

Gold Star briskly entered the home of her closest friend, who appeared to have left her door open, likely due to the heat. She could hear sounds from the kitchen, a cabinet being opened and water being poured. As she rounded the corner, she could see a changeling standing beside the fridge with a glass of fresh water in her hoof, the jar leaning slightly into the nearest moon-shaped hole in her skin. A moment later, the changeling was replaced by her friend Autumn Wind.

“Oh,” Autumn said, “h-hey. Y-you, u-uhm, y-y-you didn’t s-see that, r-right?”

“You,” Gold Star whispered, “are a changeling.”

“... crap.”

....

....

“What... did you do?” Gold Star demanded. “What did you do to-”

“Nothing.”

“You’re lying! You changelings are all liars! You can only take the form of real-”

“Autumn died 30 years ago when she was captured in a raid. I memorized her appearance and created her again when I left the hive. It’s always been me. I just... forgot...” Autumn sighed. “... forgot you were coming over. Can’t we just pretend this never happened?”

II

“Pretend this never happened? Our friendship was a lie!”

“Why?”

“Because you lied to me!”

“Well, yeah. Would you have been friends with me if I told you the truth?”

“Of course not!”

“Therefore, I had to lie.”

“Err,” Gold Star made, “uhm...”

“Right?”

“I guess?”

“So I did nothing wrong.” Autumn gave a hopeful smile. “Still friends?”

“YOU’RE A-”

“Shhhhh!!” Autumn hissed, throwing a nervous look at the door. “Not so loud!”

III

A trillion miles above Equestria, there is a large crystal sphere.

Patterns and regularities come and go in the web of lines. For once it is all still, then its movements continue.

And there is a rift on the surface of the sphere. Through it, control and order seeps out, out, out...