Author's Note

The reason I made Our Town take a day to reach was because of travel distance as shown in the show. When Appleoosa was first shown, they were on a train that took a day to reach it. Then again, they went to Ghastly Gorge and back within the same day, and that's virtually a similar distance. Either way, it's all a mixed bag.

When They Returned

"Ugh!" Starlight yelled, "I was horrible when I led that town! I was ready for them to not trust me, but... I wasn't ready for them to put me in charge again! With my past, I should never be in charge of anything!"

We had just returned from our trip to Our Town, a trip that seemingly lasted for a good, solid minute. No matter how much confidence I placed in her, that the others placed in her, even what Trixie placed in her, it still didn't seem to be enough—but how could I blame her?

"So you messed up. Big deal," remarked Trixie as she gave Starlight an apologetic look. But mid-walk, she stopped us and brought us in, hushed tones and all.

"Don't you ever tell another pony I said this, but even Trixie's made mistakes."

I merely rolled my eyes. "Mistake isn't exactly the word I'd use."

There were plenty of words that could easily replace 'mistake,' but for the sake of the overall lesson, I didn't say it, and Trixie—despite her deathly glare—eyed me a 'thank you' in return.

"The trick is to just move on and pretend they never happened."

Starlight gave a weak smile at her friend and continued forward.

"I feel like that's almost good advice."

The atmosphere for the remainder of the trip home was more vibrant, even after Trixie snuck a smack on my arm.

When we finally made it back home a few hours later, we were all more or less relieved to see the familiar sight of Ponyville once again. There was just one problem.

Something was incredibly off: We saw Pinkie first, and the way she talked to us seemed... strange, like she wasn't her usual cheery happy self, at least in the tone of her voice. At first, we all shrugged it off as it being "just Pinkie."

But the big suspicion was Rarity and Applejack. The way they laughed at Starlight's troubles after trying to convince her to go just a couple days back, along with Rainbow's sudden sense of secrecy, was more than enough to convince me that something was going on.

"I need to talk to Twilight."

"You want me to come with?" I asked, but she shook her head.

"It'll be fine. It's probably nothing." She gave me a gentle kiss on the snout. "Go on home, okay? Maybe after this is all figured out, I'll come and visit."

I wanted to blush, but gave her a friendly smile instead. Starlight left for Twilight's home, and I was standing beside Trixie, confused and concerned.

"I'm starting to get the feeling that this isn't nothing," I said more so to myself, but also to Trixie. "AJ and Rarity wouldn't laugh at her like that."

"Well, you know what they say: Ponies tend to show their true emotions sooner or later."

"After everything we've all been through?"

She said nothing, unable to agree or disagree—merely because of the fact that she didn't share the same experience. I gave her a sigh.

"I'll pay her a visit in a bit. Right now, I'm gonna head home like she asked, maybe talk to Clanks, and see if I can't just piece some future events in my head."

Trixie snorted with amusement. "Right, future events. Like you can see the future, ha ha... you... you're not joking, are you?"

An eyebrow raised, I shook my head.

"Oh."

"Starlight asked me the same thing once," I patted Trixie on the hat. "One day, I'll tell you about the things you'll do. Or rather, the things you would've done."

"I'd rather you not."

I gave her a soft, but hearty laugh as I waved her goodbye. It was just a minute's walk from here, but I finally made it back home after a few days. Expecting to see things collecting dust or a bug(s) somehow getting into the cereal, everything was still surprisingly clean. I couldn't remember if I programmed that into Clanks or not.

Speaking of Clanks, I checked the house for the robot, but couldn't find him anywhere on the first floor. When I checked the second floor, I found him sitting at the library desk, reading a passage from one of the many entries I had written down during our time in the dome.

"Clanks?" I called out. "Is that you?"

The machine slowly turned around and noticed me, giving a somewhat vibrant smile.

"You're back," he greeted. "I thought you were meant to be gone for a week?"

"There were some... complications," I hinted. "How have things been so far?"

"Things are relatively well. Twilight Sparkle has been helping me improve my ability to think and feel better, so I no longer have to sound like such a fool."

I reeled my head back subtly, registering Clanks' body language and his overall body. He moved like Clanks, he sounded like Clanks, and even talked like Clanks. Only there was one visible difference.

Right now, he had a tail. I never gave him a tail, only because it would get in the way.

This was not Clanks.

"Are you okay?" the seeming imposter asked me. I firmly put my hoof down.

"Where's Clanks?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me, whoever you are. I know my robot when I see him. I'm the one who built him, after all. I know every piece, every bolt, every little bit of metal that I used to make him, and I know when something's out of place... or when somepony is impersonating him. So I'm only gonna ask one more time: Where is Clanks?"

"I... I..."

The imposter didn't bother coming up with a coherent answer. Instead, he gave a nasty snarl and became engulfed in a sickly green glow of magic, revealing his true form.

"A changeling...!"

"You're more arrogant than that Twilight b-"

Before he could finish his statement, the changeling was suddenly sent flying into the wall a few steps away, seemingly knocked out cold. I turned to see who kicked him.

"Clanks!" I shouted with glee, but recoiled. "The... real Clanks, right?"

"Of course." He took a look at the unconscious changeling and then back to me. "We need to go. There are more coming."

"Wha-what, wait, more who? More changelings?"

"Yes. They've returned."

... WHAT?

"Are you sure?"

"They've kidnapped the elements of harmony, and are currently in the process of kidnapping the princesses."

"Then we have to go get them!"

Clanks gave me a firm, fluid nod, moving in front of me and heading down the stairs. The intention was to warn Starlight and get her out before they could harm her. But before we ever managed to reach the door, something pulled us back and disabled Clanks. Before I could say his name, the world went dark.

Hours passed before I came to, shaking my head and adjusting my vision. I found myself sitting against the wall, my hooves tied behind my back, and my legs bound together with strong, tight rope.

I looked around and noticed that I was back in my library, and the door open, but heavily guarded by... mares? It took a moment for me to question, but a quick glance at their greenly lit eyes brought me to the realization that they're not mares, but changelings in disguise.

But why mares? What purpose?

"I'd like to chat, Starly, but I'm a bit... tied up at the moment," I heard a voice say downstairs, a voice that sounded awfully like... mine.

And did he just say... Starly?

Wait... Starlight!

After the imposter made his awful pun, as if on command, the two mares standing outside made their way over to the stairs in a seductive manner.

"Honey," one of them called out, "are you coming back to bed? Oh, who's this lovely lady? A friend of yours?"

"Not as much as she thinks."

"I... I don't understand..." Starlight's familiar voice said in a tearful tone.

"Starlight!" I shouted, trying to inch my way to the door, but was immediately stopped by a barrier.

I knew what kind of shield it was... a soundproof barrier: Sound comes in, but not out. I could hear everything that was going on, but nopony would ever be able to hear my screams.

"It's simple, Starlight," the imposter me said, "I'm just bored of you. Always complaining, always whining, always asking and never returning, and I just have to put up with it. You're just not worth that, and frankly, I'd rather spend my time on mares who give as well as take."

"Starlight!" I screamed again, even if my attempts were futile at this point.

Meanwhile, I tried to break my binds, hoping I could find some way to burst through. My magic wasn't working, so it was definitely magic proof too. But I was hardly focusing on that anymore.

I was focusing on the sounds that Starlight made, the cries that she let out, almost like she wanted to beg for another chance, but just couldn't.

"So... none of it mattered to you? All of the things we went through?" her voice could barely choke out.

"Honestly, no."

I could hear Starlight hold back sobs. "Fine. Then I guess we're done."

The tears came pouring down, and she started to cry as she ran away. I screamed her name again, trying to call her back... but again, she couldn't hear me. I could feel tears forming in my eyes—meanwhile, the fake me downstairs shut the door, gave a sinister laugh, and then the sound of transformations filled my ears.

A moment later, three changelings came in through the doorway and saw me sitting there, teary-eyed and struggling to free myself.

"Why?" I told them.

"You should probably undo the sound blocker," one of them said to the other. "Not like anypony will be bothering us now."

With a nod, a changeling, female by her appearance, emanated light from her crooked horn, and the shield around my body glowed, but only for a moment. But I repeated the same question:

"Why would you do this?"

This time, they could hear me, if their laughs were any indication. "Because it's fun to crush a relationship. At the same time, that little pony could've ruined our plans."

"But now that's out of the way..."

"And with you in binds..."

"All we need to do is take Canterlot... one princess at a time! And then after that, the Crystal Empire!"

The trio of changelings laughed again at their apparent and inevitable success, while I was helpless and trapped. One of them leaned up close to me, smelling my body and tingling with joy.

"Oh, your love for that unicorn... it's strong. Very strong. I can feel it."

"Y-You won't get away with this," I choked, but they simply enveloped me in their light. Instantly, I found myself falling tired.

"Shh... it'll be over soon."

In an instant, I was unconscious once again.

When I came to, it was clear that I was still asleep, standing in a collapsing replica of the library. The hallways were broken apart, cascading downward into a black hole. Every star in the visible distance was exploding and collapsing. Pieces of the dome were scattered around me, roaring in pain as they were sucked into the black abyss.

"You seem to be in pain," a feminine voice said near me. "Your dreams continue to change, I see."

I turned quickly and saw Luna standing there, a smile on her face, but a look of concern.

"Luna?" I called. "The real Luna?"

"Of course."

"You... you got somewhere safe, didn't you? You were warned? You're okay?" I asked Luna several questions, hopeful questions, and was optimistic.

But the mare seemed to be confused. "What do you mean?"

"You... you don't know?"

"Know what?"

She doesn't know. They're still in Canterlot.

Immediately, I got up close to Luna, practically grabbing her by the scruff of her neck and told her firmly:

"Luna, listen to me, you have to get back to the waking world, right now. They're heading for Canterlot, and they're planning to replace you and Celestia with copies."

"Who is this they you speak of?"

"Changelings, Luna! The changelings are back! You and Celestia have to get out now!"

"What?!"

The ground then suddenly rumbled beneath us, collapsing beneath me and flinging me down into the black hole.

"Luna!"

No more than a moment later, I was suddenly sitting upright against the wall, still in the library as I was before. My head was pounding with an unbearable pain, like something had just smacked me in the face with a freight train. At least, that was a measurable equivalent.

I took a look outside the window and saw that it was now nighttime; before, it was still the middle of the day. I had been out for hours. Did Luna and Celestia make it out? Was Starlight okay?

Starlight... she thinks I...

I'll find her. Right now, I need to find Clanks and get out of here.

Moving forward, I noticed that the spell they placed on me was still in effect, if the green distorting shape was enough to tell. The thing about spells like this is if you push enough of a force against it, you can counteract and break it.

Gaining enough backing space, I lurched myself forward against the barrier, and as expected, it didn't shatter. I backed up again, readied myself, and then slammed forward again. It moved just a little, straining itself.

With a third and final bash against it, the shield finally broke, and I was free from my restraint, though not from the ropes. I remembered having a knife in my desk, but never had the reason to use it until now. How convenient and kind of the changelings.

I dragged myself over to the desk and opened up the drawers, eventually finding a small silver knife. Picking it up with my mouth, I very carefully started to cut the binds on my hooves. After a few seconds, they were free, and I picked up the knife with one hoof and undid my legs. As soon as I had free motion, I found the knife's holster and attached it. I likely wouldn't need it, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Armed and ready, I left the library, occasionally checking the corners and the rooms to see where the other changelings could've possibly been. One of them was sitting in the bathroom, observing itself in the mirror in different forms and shapes. I was able to sneak past her easily.

I extended my wings and flew slowly down the stairs. The other two changelings were sitting at my kitchen table, one reading today's newspaper, and the other talking to the changeling leader herself, Queen Chrysalis, through a hologram.

"I've received word that the princess of Canterlot are now replaced appropriately," Chrysalis boasted. "What is your progress on their friend... I can't bother to remember the name—the one I blasted against the wall at that so-called wedding!"

I grimaced at the memory— ...wait, Luna and Celestia were... captured?

"From what we've found, his name is ... huh." one of the changelings told their queen. "Such an odd name, considering how he's made melodies rather than streaks of-"

"I don't care about his talents!" she screeched, "I care if you've captured him or not!"

"We captured him..." The changeling then turned into an exact copy of me, "... replaced him, dismembered his stupid robot, and took care of his girlfriend."

The thought of what they did made me growl in silence, but being violent or exposing myself wouldn't solve anything.

"Excellent. Bring the real one to me. I want him sitting with the rest of them."

"Of course, my queen," the two said simultaneously.

I had to find Clanks, and I had to find him now. They said they dismembered him? As in... took him apart? How badly did they...

Searching all of the downstairs rooms, I eventually entered the closet and got my answer. They took his legs off and smashed them to bits, then removed his head, placing it aside, but left it untouched. He was thrown, according to the dents in his body. They just tossed him in here like he was trash.

I walked over and picked up his head, placing it firmly on his neck and twisting it into place. With a brief glow of magic, I worked his body just enough to get him to start working again. Slowly, his eyes opened as his body whirred to life.

Clanks looked up at me. "Light-"

I shushed him. "We need to find Starlight."

Suddenly I heard a shout from upstairs. "He's gone!"

"Damn," I said to myself as I picked up Clanks with my magic. "Come on!"

But as I turned around, I suddenly found myself face to face with one of the changelings, snarling and seething with anger.

"Trying to walk out so soon, are you?" he quipped. "He's in here!"

A moment or two later, the other two changelings came in, further holding their grip on me. I tried to plot any way of getting past them, but there was no way to do so.

"We were gonna go easy on you," the feminine changeling remarked, "but now I think we're gonna have to do something else. I'm sure the queen will let this one slide."

Their smiles and their laughs were sinister and dark, and I found myself completely helpless. I could barely move, and I had no other options. As the three got closer to me and I became more and more cornered, I did the only last resort option I could think of.

With a single burst of magic, I shot a beam straight at the changelings. The sheer force of the blast created an explosion that, more or less, destroyed the backside of the house. While the explosion itself wasn't large enough to devastate the entire structure, it would easily be visible to everyone in Ponyville.

I placed a force field around me and Clanks just before. As soon as the smoke cleared and the area was visible once again, I briefly checked for the trio of changelings. They all survived, but were unconscious. I would never understand the durability of such a creature.

"We should move, before they wake up," Clanks told me, and I agreed.

With a nod, I ran out the open hole of the house and into the woods. If the girls and even Spike were all compromised, I had to find Starlight before they got to her. The castle wasn't safe, and if it already became clear to her, then she was likely with the only other pony she could trust.

It was a few minutes of a run to reach Trixie's wagon, perched near the top of a small distant hill. As I approached her mobile home, I could see the familiar figures of Starlight, Trixie, Thorax, and... Discord?

"Starlight!" I shouted to the mare, trying to get her attention.

She turned in my direction and eyed me. Whatever emotion she carried just a second ago—fear, concern, hope, or happiness—was all replaced with just one emotion: anger.

Before I could get any further, I found myself pinned against a tree by purple magic. Starlight stomped towards me, her face flushed with a building fury.

"You've got a lot of nerve coming here after what you-"

"Changelings, Star!" I yelled through her restraints. "They were changelings! I was literally on the second floor! I've been spending all day tied up in ropes and soundproof spells, and I just blew out the backside of my house! Please! It's me!"

I had to be perfectly honest: Seeing Starlight angry was a scary sight, and I don't use 'scary' a lot. Seeing her magic glowing with a mixture of red was something I wished I'd never see—even if she was tricked.

Once I said what I could blurt out, Starlight seemed to calm down just a bit, as if realizing it straight away. However, she didn't seem entirely convinced.

"How do I know you're the real one and not just another changeling who saw the whole thing?"

"Uh... where do I start?"

"Here's one: What's the one nickname that I absolutely hate being called?"

An easy one. "Starly. You told me it was a nickname your parents gave you when you were a filly and kids used to make fun of you for it."

"What's the one nickname I love being-"

"Star—just Star. You told me to start calling you that after our second date, when we were stargazing, because it made you feel like I could look up at the night sky and see you there."

The memory of that night, still visible in her head, was enough to make her laugh quietly, though blush in slight awkwardness.

"Okay... one more, just a simple one: What is my full name?"

"Starlight Aurora Glimmer. You told me your full name a week ago because you knew you were comfortable enough being with me to tell me."

With a sigh, Starlight released me, only to embrace me with a comforting kiss. I held her shoulders and kissed her back. She pulled away after a moment.

"I'm sorry, I just-"

"It's okay. I'm not mad at you."

"Uh, hello?" a voice said to us. Starlight and I turned to see Trixie staring at us with an impatient tap of her hoof. "I'd hate to interrupt this romantic moment between the two of you, but can you please keep in mind that there are CHANGELINGS REPLACING EVERYPONY?"

"As much as I enjoy the romance as well, I would have to agree—" Discord immediately recoiled. "Wait... changelings? Again? Well, what a coincidence, if I should say!"

"Nice to see that you're taking this so lightly," Starlight retorted, "considering how they took everyone that we know! We need to—"

Starlight was unable to finish as Discord sank down, staring at her with concerned, but growingly furious eyes.

"They took Fluttershy?"

"Yes!"

"Where?"

"The Changeling Kingdom. With you on our side, I can—"

Before Starlight could finish her next sentence, Discord snapped his claws together and sent all of us to another spot. It seemed to be the middle of the day, and the landscape looked desert-y and... dead all at the same time. I caught Clanks before he could fall to the ground.

"Odd," Discord recoiled. "I was trying to take us right to Fluttershy, but there is no Fluttershy."

As I was recovering from the brief lapse of energy, Trixie pointed to a distant structure.

"I think I have a pretty good idea where she might be," she whimpered.

In the distance, the structure, the Changeling Kingdom, stood tall and menacingly against a toxic sky, with storm clouds surrounding its top and lightning striking its tip. Thunder roared from afar. Thorax shivered in slight terror.

"I'd hoped never to see that place again.... now what?"

I stood back up on all fours. "Well... do we really have any other choice other than to go in... there?"

Thorax shook his head. "That's where all of your friends are stored. There's no way to get them any other way."

"Why's that?"

Discord, on the other hoof, was still complaining about his magic not working.

"Oh, this is so strange. We're here and that's there, and I clearly meant for us to be there and not here."

"Oh, I-I can probably explain—"

But the draconequus was very persistent in not paying attention. The situation quickly became a heated argument between Starlight, Discord, and Trixie, with Thorax attempting to explain whatever it was he was trying to explain.

"We have me. And what else could we possibly need?" Discord asked slyly.

"A draconequus with magic and half a brain might help," Trixie retorted.

"Trixie..." I said, trying to calm everyone down. However, Discord continued to provoke the mare.

"Why are you here again? I mean, it's not like you're going to stop the changelings by pulling a rabbit out of a hat. At least my magic can do something."

"Neither of you will be doing any magic if you—"

"Like this!" With a snap of his claws once again, Discord spawned a flying pig, and sitting on top of it was...

"Wait, Clanks?" I turned around in the direction that Clanks was just a moment ago, but he wasn't there. Instead, he was sitting on top of the pig that was now starting its way for the castle.

"For Fluttershy, you strange machine!" Discord shouted.

"Discord!" I glared at the anti-god, "bring him back here right—"

Suddenly, the pig vanished into thin air, and Clanks began to fall, banging on the tip of the cliff.

"Clanks!" Using my magic, I levitated Clanks before he vanished from view, and brought him back over to us.

But as I set the robot down, I noticed that he wasn't working. A glimpse at the cliff ahead, plus the pig vanishing, made me realize something—something I'm assuming that Thorax was trying to tell us to begin with.

"Nothing other than changeling magic works here," the changeling stated. "Chrysalis' throne is carved from an ancient dark stone that soaks up outside magic the same way changelings soak up love. It's how she keeps the hive safe."

Starlight went over to the cliff to put his words to the test, just to be safe. As expected, the magic came out as nothing more than a fizzle. I looked back over at Clanks' half-complete body. He was shut down again, having operated solely on magic. I had been planning for a long time to refit him with actual technology, and I had done that already, but I could never get it all to work.

Right now, I wish it did.

I focused my energy on Clanks' body, giving him the energy he needed to live again. After a few seconds, his body hummed to life, and his eyes opened, greeted with typical mechanical confusion.

The pain in my head, first noticed at the house, came back in a stronger force, and I found myself trying to support my weight with a hoof. Starlight noticed this and came to my side.

"Are you okay?" she asked me, holding me up with her arms.

I nodded. "I'm okay. I-I just need a break."

"Take your time. Don't strain yourself."

My hoof nuzzled her cheek. It helped the pain just a little, or rather, helped me ignore it just a little. Trixie looked to Starlight for answers, plans, methods—anything that could help the others. But Starlight wanted their ideas first before she gave hers.

As I sat beside Clanks, who was now fully conscious, I spoke up. "What about the throne?"

"What about it?" Thorax asked, curious.

Starlight was thinking the same thing as I had, her eyes glowing with an idea.

"If we get into the hive and destroy it, can we get our magic back?"

Thorax nodded, "Uh huh!"

"Well, that's a terrible plan!" Discord claimed, less than convinced. "How are we even supposed to get to the hive?"

Trixie hopped down the cliff. "Uh... we walk?"

Discord droned on about the thought of walking. "I haven't walked that far in a millennium!"

"Wait!" I stopped them in their tracks. "What about Clanks? He can't walk without his legs, and I can't carry him in this state!"

"So why not just leave him here?" Discord suggested.

"No! I can't just leave him like this! I—"

I heard Clanks say my name. I turned to him, and as concerned as he did, he was peaceful.

"I'll be okay. I won't be able to provide much help like this, not without my legs. Without them, I am nothing more than a stub on the ground. Besides, they won't figure to find me here. You go and stop Queen Chrysalis. Free our friends."

I looked at Clanks, contemplating whether to listen to him or to ignore him and carry him, but he had a point: Without his legs, he didn't have any advantage or chance against the changelings.

With a sigh, I picked him up and placed him near some bushes in order for him to hide in case any changelings were to snoop around here.

"I'll be back soon," I told him, "hopefully."

We were going into the most dangerous place in Equestria, as far as I knew. That 'hopefully' was more than just truth.

Stepping away from Clanks, I rejoined the others, and we all continued onward to the Changeling Kingdom. Time to save the world, I guess.