Chrysalis's Revenge

Carapace trotted up the stairs of the castle. He'd just been spending time in the village, watching the mess Chitin was creating unfold and checking out the various townsfolk, which he might have to blend in with at some point. Now he was looking for some of Starlight's friends, to begin his real job. At the top of the stairs, he bumped into Rarity.

"Oh, hi Rarity!"

"Hello, Starlight!" She began walking, and Carapace began walking with her. "You know, I was actually looking for you."

"You were?"

"I've been working on a dress that perfectly matches your colors, and I hoped you could model it for me--if you're not busy, of course, darling."

"No, that sounds great!" Carapace said. His mind was already running, imagining the different ways it could go, making plans for it and such.

As they turned a corner, however, he ran directly into... Rarity? His gaze flicked back and forth between them, bewildered. The Rarity he was walking with appeared confused as well, but quickly tossed her mane and pulled herself upright. "Well," she said, in the most dignified of voices, "obviously one of us is going to have to change."

"...What?" the other one said. Carapace decided to mentally call them Rarity-1 and Rarity-2, just to make things easier.

Rarity-1 scoffed in clear disappointment. "It's a common saying in the fashion world, when two ponies wear the same outfit to an event. As I, the real Rarity, would clearly know!"

She turned to Carapace expectantly, and it took him a moment to realize that she was probably waiting for him to use Starlight's changeling-revealing spell. In that moment, Rarity-2 had plenty of time to reveal her true changeling form--Carpace recognized her as Aphid--and fly out the window.

Rarity sighed. "Starlight, you could've caught her!"

"I'm sorry," Carapace sighed. "I was just so startled. It's hard to get over the realization that you can't trust even your friends to be who they are. I froze up."

Rarity patted him on the back. "It's understandable, darling. I don't like it either. But we have to stick together."

"I mean, even you might not be you! How can I tell?"

Rarity tapped her hoof on her chin, musing. "Well... The difference between satin and silk is that silk is a material, while satin is a type of weave. Silk can often be woven with the satin weave, and satin can sometimes be made of silk. Because of this, satin is better for-"

"Okay, okay." Carapace held out a hoof to stop her. "I believe you."

She smiled. "Well, then, darling-"

Rainbow Dash flew in through the same window the changeling had just left through. "Guys! Did you see that changeling? I tried to catch it, but it slipped away."

"Yes, Rainbow. In fact, we were just talking about it," Rarity said.

"Well, there's another one in the village, too. I think we might have a serious problem on our hooves! I guess not all the changelings were reformed with Thorax."

Starlight sighed. "I guess not. What are we going to do about it?"

"Well, usually you and Twilight are the ones with the plans, but I was going to start by making sure you guys are you. Starlight, remember that time you tripped and shattered one of Twilight's favorite bowls last Hearth's Warming?"

"That didn't happen," Carapace responded automatically. Such trick questions to catch changelings were common, and certainly wouldn't catch him.

"Actually, it did," Rarity said.

"What?"

"Yeah, I was going to ask you something about that time, like whether you cut yourself on the glass. Nice try, changeling."

In a blast of green flame, Carapace transformed into Rainbow Dash herself and darted out the window at top speed, with the real Rainbow right on his tail. He knew he'd never outpace her--technically, he had the same raw speed, but she had much more training. Diving abruptly, he slid into an alley and immediately transformed.

Rainbow arrived less than a second later. Roseluck was looking around, seeming bewildered. "You!" she shouted.

"M-me? I'm just trying to figure out where that noise came from!"

"What noise?" Rainbow tilted her head curiously.

"Well, it was kind of a fwoosh and kind of a zap, with a little bit of gzzzt. But mostly fwoosh." There was a pause. "...Did I say that badly?" Rose asked. "That's just what it sounded like to me. "

"No, I think I know what you mean. That, Rose, is the sound of a changeling transforming."

"A CHANGELING?" she gasped. "Where?"

Rainbow sighed. "Well, that's just the problem. I know it's on this street, but it could be anything. It could be that rock, or that bug, or that grass, or anything!"

Rose looked around frantically. "Oh no!" she wailed. "Was that rock there before? Was that one? Was that one? I don't know!" Her breathing grew even more panicked. "It could even be that flower! What kind of a world is it if even the flowers aren't safe? WHAT KIND OF WORLD!"

She plopped onto the street. "Oh, the horror! The horror!"

Rainbow patted her shoulder. "Now, Rose, it's not as bad as all that. The changelings aren't really evil or anything like that."

Roseluck sat up. "They're not?"

Rainbow shook her head. "No. They're more like... well, you know how you get really cranky when you're hungry?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well, the changelings are hungry all the time."

Rose gave a little gasp. "That's awful."

Rainbow Dash sighed. "That's not even the worst part. The worst part is, they don't even have to be hungry all the time. A changeling named Thorax found a better way. You know how they eat love? Well, he realized they could share love with each other, instead of just stealing it all the time, and then they would actually be full. He convinced most of the Hive to try his way, so they don't have to attack ponies."

"Really?" Rose asked.

"Really. But their queen, Chrysalis, she refused to go along with it, and left the Hive. And now she has more changelings following her." Rainbow looked at the ground. "It's not right--they have a way to never be hungry again, and I don't think she even told them about it."

Rose stood up. "Thank you, Rainbow. You've given me a lot to think about. I have to go now."

Rainbow nodded. "Keep an eye out for anything suspicious, Rose. I'm going to see what I can do about the other one in the village--I've heard he's just trying to wreak havok." She darted off in a multicolored streak.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The large doors to Twilight's dining room swung open, and the friends looked up. "Roseluck?" Rainbow Dash asked. "What brings you here?"

"Earlier today, Rainbow Dash, you told me how the changelings are always hungry, but there's a better way, a way that they don't have to. Was that true? Can you promise?"

"Of course," Rainbow said awkwardly, running through the motions of the Pinkie Promise. "And they all know it's true too." The group nodded. "Why?"

"You're not Roseluck, are you?" Twilight asked.

She shook her head. "The name is Carapace. I want to learn more about this new way."