Despite 13%, They are 50%

Chapters

Chapter 1 [Edited]: Equestria Under Changeling Threat
Chapter 2 [Edited]: Equestria Under Chaos
Chapter 2.5: Equestria Under Stress
Chapter 3 [Edited]: Equestria Under Duress
Chapter 4: Elements of Homecoming
Chapter 5.1: Elements of Daily Life (Part 1)
Chapter 5.2: Elements no Nichijou (Part 2)
[OLD] Chapter 4: Equestria Under Exodus
[OLD] Chapter (x + 1): Float, Flutter, Fly

Chapter 1 [Edited]: Equestria Under Changeling Threat

“...who says a girl can’t really have it all~”

Chrysalis chuckled as she surveyed the carnage all over Canterlot. Thousands of her changelings, unstoppable and hungry, draining love from ponies all over. Not even the ROyal Guards can stop them.

Chrysalis turned towards a cocooned Celestia and smirked, ignoring her hostages in the room. The latter thrashed around, to no avail. “When I asked the other hive queens about attacking Canterlot, they only said ‘you don’t, period’. Shows them right, huh? See who’s laughing now.”

“You won’t get away with this, Chrysalis!” Celestia threatened. “My little ponies will-”

Chrysalis faux-yawned. “Oh quit it, Celestia. We both know your little ponies, the gullible bunch they are, can’t touch me. A bit of infiltration there, and a bit of tampering there, and even you can succumb to exhaustion.”

“Exhaustion? I’m not exhausted! If it weren’t for-” Celestia cut herself off, her yawn betraying her glare. The dark rings around her eyes doing nothing to strengthen her image.

An epiphany occurred. “If it weren’t for… You! All those incidents! The random attacks! The threat messages, thrown from bricks each and every night towards my very chambers! The intense amounts of paperworks these last two weeks! It was all you?!”

Chrysalis smiled and caressed Celestia’s cocoon. “Very true, Princess. You are irrational when you are sleepy. Even when your very student called me out of my act, you shrugged her off instead of launching an investigation. Truly, look at how disappointed she is,” she pointed at a seething Twilight Sparkle. “Now, I have you all where you belong: under our hooves, as our food!”

Turning her head back as she ignored Celestia’s further ramblings, Chrysalis was greeted with Princess Cadance’s pitiful attempt in getting her husband, Shining, out of his trance. She cursed herself when it worked, but then saw the state they were in: ragged, dirty, and tired.

Weakened.

She was then at her full strength. Shining’s love for her wife was so great, that when Chrysalis impersonated her, it elevated her power miles above that of even Celestia herself. Even without her precautions, she could’ve taken on both Princesses and won. With her meticulous planning, however, it was even better: A cocooned Celestia in her grasp, a helpless Cadance in panic, and a lost Luna somewhere in the outer cities trying to find a fictitious murderer.

After some teasing, Chrysalis turned back towards the window. Everything was settling into motion. Her chess pieces were set and established, and she would only need to deliver the checkmate. Her chitin platings looked even brighter than ever, a true testament of the wicked genius running under her webbed green mane.

If the invasion was a game of chess, however, then she would be one of those players that would forget to look at her clock, run out of time, and lose.

Suddenly sensing a powerful spell, even more than what she could do herself, she panicked and looked back. There were Shining Armour and Cadance, both restored back to full health and magic. With the power of love, they casted a spell unseen and unheard of for a millenia.

The Love Barrier.

“Nooooooo!”

*BOOM*

The Love Barrier shot outwards from the combined tips of both Shining Armour and Cadance’s horns. The pink bubble exploded with such force that it not only expelled Chrysalis out of the city, but also each and every changelings with malicious intent. From an outsider’s perspective, one could see a big pink bubble expanding from the epicenter of Canterlot, expelling hundreds of tiny black dots kilometers away from the sprawling ancient city.

The force of Love slowly diluted in colour, but it kept going, outwards into the furthest reach of Equestria. Ponyville, Cloudsdale, Appleloosa, Fillydelphia, Manehattan, Las Pegasus, even the newly-minted equalist village way up northeast.

The powerful and invisible force of strengthened love was felt by everypony as a tickly sensation that hyped their spirits up. A sudden surge of vigor shot through those whom the force collided with. Frowns turned into smiles as bad thoughts and depressions were temporarily lifted from the hearts of many.

Heartsongs erupted within various cities, towns, and settlements all across Equestria. With the general upbeat atmosphere, ponies would turn to songs and music to express themselves. Spontaneous singing, powered and assisted by ancient magic, boomed all across the equine nation-continent.

Observant ones would notice however, that while other ponies were singing, dancing, and praising be Celestia’s shining sun, a rather large group of ponies would instead start running home, into hiding, and generally staying out of public view. These ponies would start flickering, as if their image was nothing but a well-constructed imagery.

The images would flicker, and there was nothing they could’ve done to fix their main ability. The love energy slowly shorted their system, revealing their base forms.

These ‘ponies’ weren’t even ponies, as the few- rather, the lot that stayed around with them would find out.

Even with Chrysalis expelled along with her cronies, that didn’t mean all the ropes, concrete slime, and other various impromptu bindings they had used to restrict ponies of all occupations were also magically expelled. Royal guards and citizens alike had to scour the streets and buildings, each and every room, every little nook and cranny, manually freeing ponies trapped within their bindings.

Within a nondescript office room in a nondescript office, two royal guards were tied up together. One of them had a white magical coat-uniform, while the other brown. Trapped in a half-cocoon of changeling slime-concrete, their struggles to escape had been futile, and all they could do then was patiently wait for rescue.

“Rrgh, those damn changelings!” Brown grunted. “Who’d they think they are? Damn shapeshifting, pony-abducting, love-draining, hole-hoofed, insectoid parasites!”

White just shook his head at his partner’s declarations. He knew he wass angry and frustrated, but deep down he couldn’t help but be concerned for himself.

Brown sighed, forgoing any more squirming as it would further cramp his tired legs. “Those damn idiots way up high, I bucking told them! It’s changelings! They’re more than just conspiracies, and I’m right! I’m right all along, aren’t I?!” He shouted at his comrade.

“I guess…? I mean, you didn’t exactly report it professionally. All you did was enter into an important meeting, screamed your nonsense, and got latrine duty for a month,” White deadpanned.

“Ugh, whatever.” Brown tried to throw his hooves upwards, before remembering how he was immobilized. “At least now it’s all over. No more changelings, no more threat. Finally I can get some peace. Bucking changelings, right?”

White didn’t respond. His calm demeanor was the result of years worth of military training, but mind readers would hear his internal screams of a thousand choir. His disguise was shorting, and he had no clue on how exactly it happened or how to fix it. All he could do was stabilize his image, but even that only prolongs the inevitable.

Panic gave way to the kind of calm one would experience after staring death himself. If he were to be discovered, the least he could do was be honest with his lifelong friend. Changeling or not, manners maketh mare, or stallion in this case.

“Hey, uh. I gotta tell you something,” White started. “You see, all these changelings got me thinking…”

“Yeah?” Brown inquired.

“Well, I mean, what if there’s not only one swarm, but multiple. Like, out of the million ponies living in Canterlot, there’s more changelings than just the thousand we see out there?”

Brown rubbed his chin. “Well, now that’s what I call a conspiracy. Spill it out.”

White sweated, but kept his cool voice. “Like, multiple hives, multiple swarms. All across Equestria. Like, what if changelings had been living around us for millennia, since the dawn of time. Like, they’re just hidden, silently harvesting love from ponies, who didn’t even notice it. I mean, it could be, right? Like those lizard ponies conspiracy, but deeper?”

Brown was hooked, lined, and sinkered. Each new word his comrade uttered brought his twisted tin-foiled mind up to gear. “Whoo, that’s some juicy stuff, dude. Where’d you even get that kind of thoughts? Come on now, we all know that changelings are either boogeyponies, or those like outside. Black, holey bugs, all out for our love and nothing else. What, you’re a changeling? Hah, please, no way a changeling would know our times in high school.”

White bit his lips, both suppressing a smile in the midst of his growing anxiety. “Well, I know you pissed yourself in fifth grade, in front of the mare you-”

“Hey! Dammit, we agreed to never talk about that! Celestia’s sake, I hate you!”

White chuckled as Brown shook his head, before asking with a subdued voice. “Anyways, d- do you trust me?”

“With my life, dude. What’s up? You’re a lizard pony? An Everfreemason? I swear I won’t tell anypony.”

“Not that, though. I, uh- I mean…” White’s heart rate spiked. “J- just know that I am always the one and the same that you knew ever since elementary school. I’m always me, no matter what I look like.”

A sliver of decent logic pierced through Brown’s mind. “W- what do you mean by that? Spare me the suspense, damnit.”

White sighed. His time was up. “You see, I was never a pony. I’m so sorry for hiding this for so long, but that blast of love shorted my disguise.”

“D- dude, what are you-”

Brown’s words choked in his throat, as the stallion he had always been friends with suddenly erupted in violet fire, not unlike the green fire displayed by the invading changelings. The fire didn’t burn his skin, but it slowly burned White’s image away.

Instead of his comrade, there was a black insectoid being, with a general equine shape, but chitin instead of skin and fur. His hooves were holey, albeit more decorative and slick than the admittedly scary and intimidating holes from the invading changelings. His pupiless eyes, back carapace, and glittery dragonfly-like wings were brilliant and shiny purple, instead of blue. Tiny fangs shyly poked out of his mouth, which harboured a sheepish and awkward smile.

“So uh, I know this is literally the worst time to bring this up, and I’m sorry for holding it this long, but yeah, I’m uhh… I’m a changeling,” the changeling admitted.

Brown stared, blinked, and flopped. His life flashed before his vertically-rolling eyes, as scenes of his childhood played over and over, with his friend replaced with a changeling. Even in what he presumed was certain death, he still couldn’t accept it. Not his friend, his one and only friend, who bucking saw him piss himself in fifth grade, who stuck with him through their thicks and thins.

A changeling.

*thud*

Fleur de Lis closed her eyes, breathed, counted to three, and opened them again. Nope, in front of her was the same view. A sheepish changeling with yellow carapace, eyes, and jagged wings. The changeling’s straight horn glowed a thick yellow aura, holding a cup of tea in his magic.

She closed and opened her eyes again. Close, open. She shook her head, and retreated into her mind. She didn’t want to accept it. There has to be a better explanation, anything other than ‘his husband is a changeling all along’!

“N- now, don’t play around with me, dear. Please, I- the joke is funny, haha, alright, p- please stop with your little tricks,” Fleur pleaded. There was little doubt in her mind that he’s actually joking, but it wouldn’t be rational to not be rational and just accept it face value.

The changelings had broken into their estate, and nearly abducted them. It was only through the efforts of her husband and the self-defense maids that they were able to repel all two dozen of them. Especially her husband and his magical martial arts prowess.

What could she even say if her husband was one of them all along? Fleur, being a modelmare of tiny details, knew better than to accuse him of being with the other changelings, but still.

“F- Fancy, please drop the act. Please, just…” Fleur sighed as her words died in her throat. Like it or not, she wasn’t quite as creative and imaginative as her peers, not in distress. She couldn’t think of anything but it being the truth. Even as the changeling sat, she could note the few little trademarks of her husband: The way he would grip teacups by its handle, how he would fidget every so often, the swishes of his tail.

The changeling lowered his head. Ashamed wouldn’t begin to describe how he was feeling. Yes, he lied to his wife, and for years on end by then. He never intended to reveal it, as how the system had always been working. The invasion and subsequent Love discharge, however, forced his hoof.

He at least made sure to ease the blow, even just a little bit. He let her tie him up and even willingly wear the anti-magical ring placed on his horn, even when the latter only blocked unicorn magic and not changeling’s. He knew that it was of his species’ nature to lie and deceive, but getting caught red-hoofed was embarrassing and guilt-wrenching nonetheless.

Fleur sipped her tea once more, the brown liquid imported straight from Griffonstone doing nothing to satiate the desert in her throat. “W- where’s the real Fancy Pants?” She knew it was futile, but maybe, just maybe-

“My most sincere apologies, mon petit fleur. I am Fancy Pants, always have been,” ‘Fancy’ admitted, again, the tenth time today. The ringing silence deafened both parties in the room, with the sipping of their tea washing reprieve from it every so often.

“I- I know, it’s just- mon Céleste, I wouldn’t ever dream of such things. It’s just- I just- I don’t know what to think. You’ve been hiding all this from me, for such a long time too. Dix ans, Fancy! Ten years!” Fleur screamed, her voice hoarse with too much sticky from the thick brew she had been drinking. “I don’t know what to think! What to say, to do?! I just- sorry, but I- gah! Merde, osti de sacremouille! Are you- are you sure, you’re the Fancy Pants I knew and love?! How would I know you didn’t replace him several years prior?”

‘Fancy’ dropped his teacup gently onto the table, leaving only the spoon in his magic. “This spoon is a cheap, ordinary teaspoon, the one utensil unfit for this table of antique tea set imported straight from Zhu Ma Dian in Chineigh.” He looked upwards to the ceiling, eyeing the chandelier above as he delved into memories from ages ago. “Eleven years ago. Our tea set was stolen, along with everything in the house. My family’s crystal bust, robbed. My collection of rare bits, stolen. Various trinkets from our trip around Equestria, neigh. Every furniture, every stool, chair, everything, all gone.”

Fleur remembered the event. It was their wake up call to stop dealing with the more unscrupulous parts of the economic underworld. The Griffon Mafia stormed their - formerly Fancy’s - estate when they weren’t home and literally took everything but the estate itself. They had saved a lot of money for a grand wedding, money which they spent away to repair and refurbish the old family home instead.

Tears began flowing from the corner of Fleur’s eyes; the bitter memories weren't one she was fond to remember. She looked upwards from her downtrodden posture, into the changeling’s teary, pupil-less yellow eyes.

“I wanted to throw everything down the line. One final play, do or die. Screw the world, screw my dad.” The changeling smiled, pointing to Fleur with the spoon. “You were there, listening to me ranting, screaming, crying. I swore up and down, to the sun and the moon, that I would gain my revenge. Instead, you hugged me, cried on my chest, and told me to stop.”

Her eyes widened. There were only the two of them back then, and Fleur was sure of it. They were crying in a basement closet after checking every corner of the estate. The memories were as vivid as it was fresh. Fleur remembered the texture of her former coltfriend’s coat. His soft, well-cared coat, which she stained with tears.

“We found a box tucked in the corner, containing old tea, some plastic cups, and this one spoon, among the rest of the junk.” The changeling passed the spoon to Fleur, which she took in her own magic. Her eyes never left the changeling’s pair.

“We boiled water from the nearby sink with a heating spell, and drank the diluted, vile concoction. What was our toast back then? Pour une nouvelle vie." The changeling looked to Fleur and smiled, his moderate fangs glinting. “Je t’aime toujours, mon petit lys fleuri."

Fleur gasped. The phrase was one that Fancy said, word-for-word, right when they were united, in sickness and in health, for better and worse, forever and always. She leaped at the changeling, hooves outstretched, tacking him down to the floor.

Fleur sobbed in regret and relief. The changeling was indeed him, the stallion she swore her life to. The stallion that swore his life for her. The one and only, Fancy Prosperous Pants the 3rd.

Both of them cried within each other's embrace, nuzzling each other in intense euphoria. They were reunited, in body and in spirit, bound closer than ever before. Neither invasion or species difference would separate them, and they both knew it. The oath stayed true, and their love unbroken.

As time passed under their own warmths, Fleur couldn’t help but finally entertain her growing curiosity. “Say, mon beau chevalier, will you entertain me with the story of your family? How long has changelings been in Canterlot?”

Fancy Pants chuckled in a dignified manner, then giggled, then laughed. With his secret then known and accepted by his wife, he could afford to be less ‘prim and proper’ for once, and let his laugh roar in amusement. “Oh goodness, Fleur. Ever the eager mare, aren’t you? Well then.” Fancy’s smile turned into an adventurous smirk.

“As my wife, I shall let you in on a secret not even Celestia knows of.”

The changeling was tied to a chair, with all the rope and fabric they could manage. Her captors forced an anti-magic ring onto her horn. She grunted and squirmed, her red pupiless eyes staring into the six ponies and one baby dragon surrounding her. Five pairs of angered eyes plus one tired, black-ringed eyes stared back at her.

“Ah told ya thickbrained snakes, Ah’m Applejack! Always am! Give me mah stetson back, Rainbow!”

“Don’t you talk to me like you’re her, changeling!” Rainbow Dash spat, the blue pegasus mare with rainbow mane floated in the air as she pointed an accusing hoof to the changeling. “You better tell us now where the real Applejack is or I’ll start punching!”

“Ya darned featherbrain, Ah am Applejack!”

“Nonsense!” Rarity, a white unicorn with well-trimmed curly purple mane and tail, denied. “You are a shapeshifting, body-stealing monster. Your entire existence is based on deceit! I have known Applejack since my foalhood. If there’s anything I’ve learned over the years, it is that Applejack never lies. Unlike you!”

“Bein’ a hypocrite is different from bein’ a liar, sugarcube,” the changeling responded with a flat face.

“Girls, I have a better idea!” Pinkie called. “Question her with things only the real Applejack would know. If she is the real Applejack, then she can answer it. If she’s not, she can’t. Easy as pie! And my name’s Pinkie Pie!” she chuckled. The girls hummed in agreement.

“That could work. It’s better to ask details chronologically backwards, so we can know when she was intercepted and replaced,” Twilight said, ignoring the changeling’s glare.

“Me first! Me first!” Pinkie waved her hoof like a school filly. “What’s my name?”

The changeling smiled. “Ah know yer Pinkie Pie, Pinks.”

“Very good! One point for you!” Pinkie cheered, patting the changeling’s head.

Twilight couldn’t help but mirthfully rolled her eyes at the display. “My turn. Do you remember the thing with those two conponies?”

The changeling nodded. “Flim an’ Flam an’ their cider machine. They tried t’ buy out mah family farm, then they made that contest thang. They teckhnically won, but them cider they made was worse than Apple Bloom’s cookin’s. They ran outta town.”

Rainbow hovered in front of the changeling’s face. “Hmph, good one, but that’s several months recent. I’m loyal enough to know if you're just an imposter or the real deal. Tell us about the thing in Appleloosa, you spy!”

The changeling bit back a retort about the spy accusation. “Ah went ta Appleloosa deliverin’ Bloomberg. We ended up solvin’ a hay load’a probem with them buffaloes stampede route.”

“And what did you do on the train?”

“Ah read Bloomberg stories an’ all. Poor girl can’t get a wink’a sleep,” Rainbow deadpanned at the changeling. “What? She’s jus’ a fragile little tree, ya know how rowdy them foals can git at times? It’s th’ secret ta Apple Fam’ly apples, and ya know it!”

Rainbow stared unamused. The changeling turned away with a slight greenish blush on her face. Eventually, Rainbow pulled back and shrugged. “Eh, I’m convinced. Anypony else wanna take a crack?”

“Oh, that’s so like you to drop things half way,” Rarity huffed. “I refuse to believe that this hideous, overgrown cockroach is the Applejack we truly know and love. Listen to me, you insect. Applejack and I had lived in Ponyville our entire lives. If you really are Applejack, and I mean however improbable it may be, you will know of that one moment back in elementary school.”

The changeling’s face paled. “Naw, you ain’t! You can’t-”

“I can, and if you are to convince me, you are to tell me that. No come on, speak up, time’s a-wasting,” Rarity demanded.

“Gosh-darnit ya evil witch, fine! It was when Ah had mah first cr-” The changeling’s answer was cut short by a rumble that shook the entire groom room they had occupied just to interrogate the changeling and take shelter. The wave of mass panic finally hit the general area they were in. Hundreds of changelings running around, intermingling with hundreds of ponies running around in an unholy menagerie of colours.

“My… my little ponies…” Celestia mumbled, struggling to voice her throat amidst her untimely yawn. “No… No! NO! HOW MANY MORE OF THEM ARE THERE?! HOW MANY OF MY PONIES ARE REPLACED?! STOLEN?!” she cried, he rarely-used Royal Canterlot Voice booming across the entire city. Her tired, sagged face took a second wind as she turned and strode with determination to the changeling they captured. “No more! No more of you! NO MORE!”

“P- P- Princess?” The changeling wilted under Celestia’s fierce gaze. Fire burning in the diarch’s eyes.

“I have had enough with your pitiful attempts of lying through your fangs. Time is running awaste as more of your kind are running around MY city. You will tell me where the Element of Honesty is, changeling, or I will have to take the information myself,” Celestia threatened.

The Elements all looked at their sun diarch as if she had grown a new head. Not in their very lives would they ever think of seeing their princess use such a thinly-veiled threat to the sacred sanctity that was their minds, not even to a changeling. Twilight understood the implications better than most, and tried defusing the situation. “P- Princess! Mind magic is illegal and unethical. I- Forgive me for talking you out, but I don’t think-”

“It is unethical, Twilight, but we are running out of time! There’s no telling what they would do to the captured ponies once everyling is revealed as they are now.” Celestia took a deep breath and softened her eyebagged gaze. “The absence of even just one Element is not something we can afford for longer than necessary, but you are right. I will not resort to such underhooved methods.” She turned towards the changeling, who wilted under her blazing eyes. “Instead, you will answer my question, changeling, or face my wrath! Now, where is the Element of Honesty, Applejack Apple?”

The changeling began tearing up, seeing what was previously the esteemed ever-benevolent Princess of the Sun staring her down like a timberwolf upon a defenseless bunny. “Ah- Ah told’ja Princess, Ah’m Applejack! Ah never was a pony!”

Celestia snorted, lifting a hoof to rub her sore, dry eyes. “Wrong answer, changeling. I am sick and tired of your frankly ludicrous claims. I will ask you once again, and you better not repeat your mistakes.”

The previous fiery eyes metaphor turned literal as Celestia powered up her form, slowly turning into her alter-ego, Daybreaker. “I am Princess Celeste Eternatus Solarium, the Heir of the Sun, Conqueror of the Seven Seas! The Embodiment of the Sun, the Daybreaker!” Her once tri-colored mane and tail floating in aethereal winds evaporated and burnt into flames.

Twilight conjured a shield to protect her and her friends, who huddled together as they saw with their own eyes the transformation of their beloved princess into a twisted, more sinister version of herself. The air of benevolence around her vanished, giving way to a heated, oppressive atmosphere. “Princess! What are you doing?! Stop! STOP!!!” Twilight screamed. Her friends helped in screaming for the princess to stop.

Their cries were ignored as Celestia continued her transformation. “I have slain a thousand demigods, saved Equestria from the Reign of Discord, and single-hoofedly routed a Griffonian Empire assault!” Her golden peytral and slippers turned fire orange as her body heat rose significantly, slowly roasting those near her, even the Elements of Harmony. “The existence of the Element of Honesty is indescribably important, and I will not have Equestria defenseless against outside threats! Not anymore!” Her cutie mark shifted and reoriented, adding another layer of solar crown further out around the sun mark. “I can squish you like the single pitiful bug you are, changeling, and I will do so if you do not answer to my question.” Her tiara transformed into a battle helmet, just as wingblades crept into position.

“WHERE. IS. APPLEJACK!”

The Royal Canterlot Voice she bellowed deafened everypony but herself. The booming sound could be heard all the way to Farthest Reaches. The ongoing changeling panic within Canterlot momentarily stopped as both ponies and changelings alike gaped at the strength of Celestia’s thick reverberating voice.

Within the room in which it happened, there was nothing the changeling could’ve done but peek into what was previously her princess’ now-reptilian eyes. Without any liar plate in her exoskeleton, however, there was nothing to do but tell them the truth. The truth they wouldn’t accept.

“A- Ah am, P- P- Princess, an’ it- it ain’t nothin’ but th’ t- truth...” the changeling answered once more, her voice subdued and shaky. Tears ran free from her eyes as she sobbed, afraid for what the princess had become.

“Wrong answer,” the Princess said simply, before raising a hoof with a bladed slipper, aiming at one of the changeling’s bound legs.

She was dead, and the changeling knew it. The princess had effectively turned into an elevated version tinfoil-hatters theorized she also had, like Nightmare Moon. Escape wasn’t possible with the tight ropes binding her entire form. She wasn’t magical like several of the more gifted changelings are, so teleporting out is an impossibility.

She closed her eyes,bracing for the inevitable pain.

“WAAAIIIIT!!!”

The shriek rivalled even the Princess’ magically amplified voice. Through the fire and the flames, a single butterscotch pegasus leaped and flew right into the face of her berserk princess. Her long pink mane, which was usually used as curtains to hide her own face from outside leers, fluttered to the side, revealing her angered face.

Fluttershy almost fanatically lives up to her name, but sometimes, a mare gotta do what a mare gotta do. And if it involves outscreaming a literal demigod into submission, then so be it.

“Princess Celeste Eternatus Solarium! I am thoroughly disappointed in you!” Fluttershy screamed, staring snout-to-snout into the Princess’ eyes. Everypony, drake, and ‘ling gaped with their jaws unhinged, looking at the normally timid mare absolutely fuming with anger that rivalled Nightmare Moon herself. “You are the benevolent Princess of Equestria. You are the exemplar example of what everypony strived to be. You might not be perfect, and I accept that, but this is outrageous! You need to stop this before you do anything you’ll regret!”

The Princess growled a feral grunt. “Treasonous, insolent mare! You are NOT to speak to me in such a way! If it weren’t for your status as the Element of Kindness, you will be dead where you hover. Now move aside, before I lose my thinning patience.”

“I will do no such thing! You should be ashamed of yourself! She was adamant of her answer, even into her death. Have you lost your inner touch as to go Daybreaker over a single changeling? Have you ever considered that she might be telling the truth after all?!” Fluttershy argued. Lowered jaws hit the floor as she presented her admittedly ridiculous idea out to her friends out to listen.

“What truth is there from a changeling’s mouth? They’re naught but a race of liars and deceivers! Don’t tell me-”

Fluttershy cut into her tirade, shocking even the Princess of the Sun herself. “And that is exactly why she wouldn’t reveal her true nature, is it not? You wouldn’t ever hear from her, never believe her, even when she’s telling the truth. You judge changelings by a single example, what should she expect if she came out of the closet? Best case, dungeon. Worst case, death. I do think that’s a good reason for her to keep quiet, don’t you think, Ma’am?”

“I am protecting my ponies. If it requires me to discriminate, then so be it! I am not putting my ponies’ life for the safety of others that don’t deserve it, especially not a race of liars that steals love from my ponies!” Daybreaker argued.

Twilight and her friends stared in awe into the scene that unfolded. Their benevolent-turned-evil princess argued with one of their most pacifist and timid friends, in a heated battle of wits and logical, meaty argument.

Fluttershy argued that Chrysalis and her swarm shouldn’t be posted as the central stereotype of their species. The animal caretaker had successfully deduced that the changeling was different by the colours of her carapace and eyes, and the design of her leg-holes. She argued further that if Applejack had always been a changeling, she had every reason to hide her identity, and instead of shunning her for it, they should be understanding her predicament and try to better understand her and changelings as a whole.

Daybreaker argued that changelings were never a peaceful species, and never has been. She counted the dozens of battles she had suffered against the previous queens of changelings, and how they will never be trustable, especially not with their natural ability to deceive and lie. Chrysalis wasn't even there to feed her changelings, but to conquer and enslave. Changelings were running amok all over Equestria, and she would make damn sure that Equestria wouldn’t fall down to chaos.

Both sides refused to relent, and in the end it devolved into a staring contest. Fluttershy stared into her princess’ reptilian eyes. Tired eyes of a ruler fed up with constant dangers, false alarms, and battles. Eyes that saw death, slaughter, and blood spillage of both ponies and other creatures. Eyes that once killed in cold-blood, and even pleasure. She stared harder, digging Daybreaker’s very soul, trying to pull the old Celestia out of it.

Daybreaker stared back into Fluttershy’s eyes. Comparatively tiny, timid eyes that harboured not a single ill-will to her. Eyes that forgive, care, and tolerate. Motherly and pure, without a single hint of deviousness or hidden intent. Beyond that veil, however, was an incredibly old soul. Somepony that had seen the Four Horsemares of the Apocalypse, spat on their hooves, and sprayed sand into their eyes. Her eyes were full of fear, but her gaze was a void filled with nothing but pure unadulterated spite.

Even as powerful and immortal as she was, she couldn’t say that she’s unafraid of death. Unlike her enemy, which would rise from death without a second thought if it meant she could convince her to lay down her being. Those were the eyes of something much bigger, stronger, and worse than whatever she could ever hope to be. Daybreaker took a step backwards, and wilted under Fluttershy’s Stare.

Whimpering, Daybreaker succumbed to resignation. Fires blew away, revealing an ethereal floating mane, which dissolved into a straight pink mane with slightly curled tips. Armour sizzled with smoke as it reverted back to the golden wears Celestia always wore day in and day out. Her form cooled down, as her cutie mark reverted back to its original sun marking.

As soon as the transformation glow stopped, Celestia fainted with a thud onto the tiled floor.

Twilight,and her friends let out a breath they didn’t know were holding. As much as they revere Celestia, all of them agreed that seeing Daybreaker up close and personal was something they wouldn’t ever want to go through ever again.

Rainbow shuddered as she and Rarity hugged, the fiery terror still lingering in their vision. “That was bucking scary.” Her friends nodded in agreement, still unable to find their own voices.

Fluttershy zipped towards the changeling and undid the ropes. The changeling was a broken sniveling mess by then, slowly curling into her chest as she cried.

Fluttershy cooed and patted the changeling on her back. The unlicensed vet knew that living beings would do extreme things to sustain themselves, and while she was pretty much upset with Chrysalis, her act really didn’t make sense. She pushed the changeling back on her hooves just as her friends flocked towards the fallen princess. “Run,” she whispered.

“W- wha- Flutters?”

“Run!” Fluttershy whispered, now with a bit more urgency. “Go, run! Fly! I don’t know what they’ll do to you, so go!”

The changeling shook her head. “F- Flutters, Ah can’t- Ah’m-”

“Listen, I don’t care if you’re Applejack or not, but for your own good, run! Hurry! Go back to your hive and flee!” Fluttershy instructed with audible urgency. The changeling nodded with teary eyes, before cracking her elytra open and flew, escaping the room from a window. With her objective completed, she collapsed down to her haunches as her energy vapourized in relief. The gang hurried to the furiously panting Fluttershy and stopped by her side, ensuring that she was okay.

Twilight glanced at her fainted mentor once more. She had always done everything right for Equestria, leading it to prosperity over a thousand years. Instead, what she did in those few minutes was definitely not the best, nor the most logical course of action. Horrible, in fact.

Millions of thoughts ran through her head, but she stored them away in favour of checking on her friend. “Fluttershy? A- are you sure that she’s the Applejack we always knew?” she asked.

With her bravery running dry, all Fluttershy could manage was a meek nod.

“I hope.”

Author's Note

I have a whole story planned for this. Fingers crossed that I don't abandon this.

[06/06/2021] Changelog:

Added a bit of Chrysalis dialogue that explains Celestia’s actions
Deleted a bit of unimportant, redundant dialogues and paragraphs
Refined grammars all around
Added and edited a lot of the dialogue between Celestia, Mane (6 - 1), and ‘the changeling’.
Swapped mind magic suggestor.
Tiny revamps on White and Brown, and Fleur’s sections.
Increased collective IQ

Chapter 2 [Edited]: Equestria Under Chaos

Ever since The Love Barrier was shot and expanded, more and more changelings began shorting out of their disguise. The less-experienced ones would panic and immediately turn hostile out of fear, while those living around ponies for decades or more would know to throw up their hooves into the sky.

The first hour was tense, but manageable. With most of the royal guards freed from their bindings, they worked overtime in detaining and containing revealed changelings in holding cells all over the city. With a rate of revelation of 30 changelings an hour, they thought it could be done. Just catch them, and put them in jail. No muss, no fuss.

Problems arose when that rate climbed exponentially. More and more changelings popped out left and right. From lower class ponies, to even several nobles.

Royal guards galloped around trying to control the panicking crowd, which proved impossible considering how most of the changelings would - shockingly - surrender themselves in peace. Prisoner laws stated that a peaceful surrenderer should be treated with fairness. The royal guards had to split their already diminished numbers to process those who surrendered, which meant even fewer guards to calm the roused city.

The mass panic did wonders for the entire city’s overall ambiance, if you were to look at it from Discord, the God of Chaos’ lenses. Buildings smashed and vandalized, some in various severity of destruction. Carts and wagons upturned. Various building pieces scattered all over the streets. The previously serene ancient city was reduced into a colourful mix of ruins.

Ponies galloping left and right without care nor directions, only a frightened set of instincts telling them to run. Crowds would inevitably form into a stampede, until another changeling flew directly above them, and then the crowd would split and scatter once more.

Lesser experienced changelings would panic and drown in their defensive instincts, hissing against ponies and guards that would try and get closer to them. Those with magical capabilities would fire off magic shots in reckless abandon, hurting several ponies, but mostly causing property destruction. It took everything the exhausted and severely underponied guards to pacify even one of them.

Even worse was the fact that as the revelations went on, several high-profile guards were also revealed to be changelings, and even a police commissioner, who went up and walked into a cell by himself.

“What are you doing?” High Skies asked towards the commissioner-revealed-changeling, incredulity apparent on his face and in his emotions.

The elderly commissioner changeling, with bright green eyes and carapace, and the trusty beret he’d never ever take off even for the princesses, shrugged. “Well, I thought I’d ease the process for you guys. I locked myself in, see?”

“Okaaayy... What about this guy? Isn’t he one of your guys?” The pegasus guard craned his neck to point at the changeling on his back. A nondescript common changeling with purple carapace.

The elder changeling glanced and shook his head. “Purple carapace. Not of my hive.”

“There’s multiple hives?!” Skies shrieked, his white uniformed face going even paler than normally possible. With the crashing and stomping noises all around the city worsening, the prospect of having even MORE changelings really didn’t sit right with him.

“Well, I guess? I know there’s more than one, is all. Not everypony I saw walking on the streets are ponies, after all, but I can’t differentiate beyond who’s of my hive and who’s not,” the elder changeling explained.

Skies lightly hopped on his hooves, sweating as the situation worsened by the minute. The elder changeling could sense his massive anxiety brewing. “Dammit, what the buck’s happening?! What should I do with him, then? Who’s going to process the paperworks? WHERE IS EVERPONY?!”

“Well, there’s nopony but me. The changelings of our station were already jailed, and the ponies ran away,” the elder changeling said. “I’m here just to wait for when my disguise inevitably shorts completely.”

Skies shivered in fear, his heart doped even harder on adrenaline as panic kicked in full force. “My goodness, Celestia above, HOW MANY PONIES DID YOU ALL REPLACE?” he shrieked.

“Not a single one,” the elder changeling answered, his calm demeanor unchanging against the sudden confusion that washed over Skies. “We’re not savages, Corporal High Skies. We forge new identities for every new nymph we have.”

“Tch, and you expect me to believe that?” Skies scoffed, awkwardly. He finally managed to open a cell and deposited the changeling inside.

“Well, I can show you if you want.” The elder changeling called for him to bring the changeling’s ID with him. He was reluctant, but curiosity quickly overtook his professionalism. After all, he wasn’t that eager to return back into the sea of chaos happening on the streets.

The elder changeling didn’t give his guest time to speak up when he offered him his own ID. “Here, compare my ID to that changeling’s ID, then to your own ID. See if you can spot the difference.”

Skies snatched the ID from the elder changeling’s hoof and quickly sat on his haunches, comparing the two IDs, and then his own ID.

Name : Grease Gun*

On the elder changeling’s ID was written:

Name : Tough Warden*

Lastly, on his own ID was written:

Name : High Skies

Skies slowly touched a hoof to his forehead as his eyes widened. “Holy smokes, even in the IDs they’re noted who’s a changeling and who’s not!”

Warden swiped the ID back from Skies and pocketed it under his elytra. “Yep. Always has been.”

Skies took a step back, and another one for good measure. “B- but how? The Census Bureau is easily the oldest civil organization in Canterlot, and is headed by the Princesses themselves! How did all of you infiltrate that deep? Since when has this been happening?”

Warden shrugged. “Beats me. Been like that since forever.”

“How did nopony ever see this? Better yet, why was this even like this? Why was there no investigation upon this in like, at all? Holy Celestia, I have to report this!” Skies galloped out of the building, before flying as fast as he could straight towards the barracks. He could only hope that none of the captains were also changelings.

“But- but you don’t have to go, Windy. Please!”

“I’m sorry, Rex, but I have to.”

Inside a house somewhere in Canterlot, a pony and a changeling argued. Nevermind the panic and hysteria outside, nevermind their adoptive colt sleeping upstairs, and definitely nevermind the guards pounding at their door. They had an argument that needed settling, and the world will pause for them if it has to.

“W- Windy! O- okay, I get it, you’re a changeling, always were, okay. I- I can accept that, I guess, I- uhh, you can’t say it to me, I understand, but please, for the love of Luna, don’t leave! Don’t leave me!” Rex hugged from behind, his tears wetting the changeling’s chitin-plated back carapace.

“R- Rex, I don’t want to do this too, but- but my queen ordered me to surrender myself peacefully for now. Everyling is doing that right now, I- I can’t just went up and escape!” Windy admitted. “I- I won’t leave you, ever! I promise! This is temporary, Rex, please don’t b- be like this.” Her pupiless green eyes watered.

“Do you expect me to believe that?” Rex challenged. “I don’t even see any sort of message written anywhere. Not a single letter, not a single word. Please, I- I don’t know what I did wrong, but you can’t leave me, please!”

Windy let her body sag. “I- it’s… hard to explain. The queen can spread mass, one-way telepathic messages. All of us were instructed to surrender, so- so I have to, Rex. I’m sorry for a lot of things, too, but I have to go, Rex,” she pleaded.

Rex’s heart skipped a beat. “S- so, it’s all lies, then? I- You- You don’t love me, right? You’re changelings, of course… You follow your queen and not... Y- you only want me to love you, and not-” His words were cut off by a return hug. Strong and firm, yet gentle and caring.

“No, don’t talk like that, Rex. I love you, forever and always. We changelings can love too, you know? And I know that I love you,” Windy affirmed, hugging her husband tighter.

“B- but then, why-”

“Our queen is more like a mom, Rex. And you know what ponies say: Moms knows best.” Windy released her hug, cupping Rex’s wet cheeks, nuzzling his muzzle. “I promise, with all my being, that I’ll be back. Or at the very least, I’ll stay in touch, alright?”

*bang bang bang*

Rex lifted a hoof and wiped Windy’s bead of tears. “O- okay, okay, fine. I- I’ll take your word for it, but there will be a lot of explaining to be done once you’re back, alright? There’s some stern talking to be done.”

Windy smiled, letting go of her husband. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way. Bye, Rex. Keep the baby safe.”

“I will. Stay safe, you.”

Windy nodded. She took a deep breath as she opened the front door, ready to face the music.

“If y’all’ll jus’ let us explain-”

“There ain’t no explainin’ t’ be done, ya snivelin’ swines! What did all’a y’all done to th’ Apple family?”

“Ah told yer grey flanks, we’re all th’ Apple fam’ly!”

“An’ Ah told’ja Ah ain’t buying that nonsense, ya poor excuse ‘f Braeburn wannabe. Yer jus’ a buncha liars like the creeps all’a y’all’re, changelings!”

Wind softly blew as tumbleweed rolled along in reckless abandon. The town of Appleloosa was deadly quiet as could be, except for the two leaders of the two groups, standing off against each other. Head to head, with sandbag walls facing each other.

On one side were the ponies, led by none other than Sheriff Silverstar, the chief sheriff of Appleloosa. The mustached brown stallion with his namesake as cutie mark stood on one side, with a catapult in his hooves, aiming against the leader of the other side.

That other side was led by a changeling claiming to be Braeburn, one of the most successful new-age settlers of the Apple family. Of course, without a disguise, he looked almost perfectly similar with his fellow changelings, with red eyes and elytra. The red-eyed changelings armed with planks, pots, and pans hid behind their own wall as ‘Braeburn’ stood just as tall as Silverstar, the two locked in a staring contest of submission.

They tried to solve the issue diplomatically, tried being the keyword. The sudden appearance of tens of changelings was immediately mistaken as a show of force and intimidation. Under Silverstar’s leadership, the ponies of Appleloosa organized themselves into a group of their own, and began hurling everything they could find towards the changeling mass. The changelings, surprised, retaliated.

While the ponies outnumber the changelings 4 to 1, the latter had more magical assistance in their disposal, leveling the odds. One thing led another and eventually the two groups hunkered down behind the impromptu defenses they made. The fighting eventually ceased, but the tension never left.

“Dunno how’d y’all done did all ‘em Apples, Cherries, and Hays, but Ah’ll admit ya got balls, takin’ over all them big families. Ah’ll say it once more, changeling: where’d’ja keep all them An’ dont’cha play smart with me, Ah’m talkin’ ‘bout th’ fam’lies.” Silverstar pulled his catapult. “Answer, or Ah’ll shoot.”

“Colt, yer as stubborn as an illegal mule, Ah told’ja we’re all th’ Apples. We ain’t never been no ponies!” ‘Braeburn’ aimed his plank back. “It ain’t like we have a darn reason to just went up and yodel us bein’ changelin’s an’ all.”

“Ah shut yer yappin’. If ya ain’t confessin’, we’ll do this th’ hard way.” Silverstar craned his neck towards his crowd. “CALL TH’ DARN BUFFALOES ALREADY!”

“Hey!” ‘Braeburn’ called. “You ain’t just did that!”

“Ah just did,” Silverstar replied. “Will ya rather tell us where’d’ja keep th’ Apples, or’d rather we do this like stallions?”

“Tch, if yain’t gonna hear us none, then bring it on!”

Right on cue, as if anticipating the declination, a sudden rumble shook the entire town as buffaloes emerged from all hidden corners, charging directly against the changelings’ positions. Braeburn was taken aback at the intrusion, but quickly recovered and yelled a warning just before the first buffalo charge, led by none other by the Buffalo Chief Thunderhooves himself, burst through the fortifications and began their stampede.

“ATTACK!” “DEFEND!” both Silverstar and ‘Braeburn’ ordered.

The ponies took charge with bats and pans raised, trailing behind the buffaloes. The changelings defended with their own set of impromptu weaponry. The few with magic launched magic attacks against their attackers; not affecting the buffaloes and their thick hides.

‘Braeburn’ leaped against a charging buffalo, before weaving away from another, and finally landing his plank into the face of another, sending him down in a daze. Ducking from a ponies’ pan, he spun and landed a buck into the face of said pony, sending her crashing against her comrades. A set of hooves dug into his carapace as a pegasus did his tackling run, sending both of them sailing upwards. ‘Braeburn’ grunted and drove a leg into a wing joint, stunning the pegasus. The two lost velocity as they came hurtling down.

Silverstar charged with his fellow ponies, shooting rocks with his catapult towards every changeling he could see. The effectiveness of his weapon dropped significantly as the battle devolved from an organised two-sided fight into a messy all-town brawl. He tackled a changeling, bucked him into an alley, and ran through the town in hopes of finding the leader changeling, whom he assumed assumed the identity of Braeburn.

His target landed in front of him from the sky, using the now-dazed pegasus as cushion. Silverstar took his chance and bucked the still-recovering changeling with a powerful rear buck. ‘Braeburn’ sailed through the air, crashing through a saloon wall, and against the counter. His back chitin cracked, an elytra snapped in half. The changeling grunted as energy left his being along with his breath.

Silverstar lifted Braeburn on his neck and growled right in front of him, muzzle to muzzle. “Ah’m not goin’ ta dally: tell me where’s Braeburn, and Ah’ll spare yer sorry buggy flank.”

‘Braeburn’ coughed and wheezed, before eventually steadying his breath. “Y- ya jus’ don’ wanna accept th’ truth…”

Enraged, Silverstar pulled his other hoof and prepared a punch, but a sudden bout of rattling pain struck through his skull as the loud bang of circular metal against bone rang through the room. Time stood still as the sheriff flopped backwards, onto the floor, curling himself into a fetal position as he clutched his sore head.

A changeling with white eyes peered over the comically large frying pan he’s holding and offered a holey hoof to ‘Braeburn’. “Need any help?”

‘Braeburn’ shook the cobwebs out of his head and took the offer, slowly getting back up on his four hooves. “Ugh, darn, that’ll sprain fer days. Who’re you, white eyes?”

“Cloudsdale subhive, under Queen Clypeus,” the other changelings answered. “The pegasi kicked all changelings out with brute force. They won’t accept a surrender, so we bailed. We saw the fight from the air, so we decided to visit. You guys good, here?”

‘Braeburn’ laughed. “As good as it’s gonna be. What now?”

“We’re heading over to the plains north of Canterlot, on our hive-operated train maintenance depot. I suggest you come with us, rather than…” the other changeling gestured towards the fightings on the streets. “...this.”

“Darn shame Ah can’t stay in mah own darn town,” ‘Braeburn’ muttered. “Ahh, fine, Ah’ll go with ya. Let me rally th’ troops just a bit. Oh, an’ send a message t’ mah queen back in Ponyville. Ya know her, right?”

“Yeah, her apple pies are the best. Let’s go.”

The other changeling and ‘Braeburn’ nodded to each other, and stormed out of the saloon to complete their new objectives.

Braeburn flew up high above all the chaos of battle, took a great big gulp of air, and screamed. “EV’RYLING RETREAT! RETREAT!! FOLLOW THEM WHITE-LINGS AND LET’S GET THE DARN HAY OUTTA DODGE!

The order was shouted so loudly that literally all creatures fighting stopped and took a glance into the sky, where a single ‘ling hovered. The changelings, ponies, buffaloes, and even the lone griffon playing a saloon fight music on the public piano looked at each other in confusion.

“Y’ALL CRACKY CARAPACES DEAF? LET’S BUCKING GO AND GIT!”

The changelings snapped from their lapse and buzzed their wings. It took several seconds for every pony and buffalo to realize that the changelings were in fact retreating. The few pegasi still breathing tried to give chase, but were held back in magic by their unicorn peers, all of whom saw the hoof gesture Sheriff Silverstar made to signal a complete stop in actions.

He looked at the thinning cloud of carapace as they flew away, before screaming his vest off, “Don’t y’all ever come back!”. Outwards, he turned towards the nearest pony with a relieved sigh. “Let ‘em be. We all have a town t’ fix.”

The fighting ended as fast as it started, which sent the Appleloosians further into the spiraling confusion. Why did the changelings attack some random frontier town? Why were they adamant of it being their home? Why do they claim they were the ponies they impersonated, even after the gig was up? Was it really like how it looked? Thousands of questions, all left unanswered.

They eventually dispersed in a thick, heavy, awkward silence, all trying and failing to either make sense or forget of the events that had transpired.

They could only hope that the changeling threat was over.

Author's Note

[06/06/2021]Changelog:

Edited grammar and some other tiny things
Increased collective IQ

Chapter 2.5: Equestria Under Stress

Author's Note

This is one of the two chapters added today. Explanations is in the Author's Notes of the new Chapter 4.

Chapter 2.5: Equestria Under Stress

“Rainbow, catch him!”

“Alright!”

“Don’t step any closer! *HISSSS* I’ll strike and it’ll hurt!”

“Rarity, magic that alley shut with boxes!”

“On it!”

A lone juvenile changeling galloped away as his five chasers continued to stick behind her tail. Panic doubled and tripled as his mind muddled itself with a thousand horror scenarios that he might find himself in once he was caught. The alleyway weaved around itself like a maze, confusing the changeling even further. Fear chilled his core, for each turn might very well be a dead end.

And then it finally happened.

His last turn brought him into a corner with rows of clotheslines above it. His flight was nowhere near the rainbow-maned pegasus chasing him, and his magic was pitiful compared to the purple unicorn leading the hunter group.

Slowly backing onto the wall, he hissed and growled, trying to get his captors to back off to no avail. Without strenuous movements, he found his heart rate slowing down as it felt like it was no longer needed as much.

“Y- you won’t t- take me alive,” he tried to intimidate, only for his words to come out in whimpers.

Twilight inspected the shivering changeling. Nondescript as the next changeling, but with green eyes and elytra. She relaxed her stance and motioned her friends to do the same. “Listen, sir. We are not here to hurt you.”

“Lies! Nonsense! You chased me to the end, flexed your powers to me, and now you’re saying that you’re giving me mercy?” The changeling shook his head and hid it under his hooves. “J- just make it quick. No pain, please-”

The five bit their retort of how the changeling had been hissing and threatening ponies all around, gasping instead. It wasn’t the first time a changeling asked for the snuff of their fire, but hearing it was never easier. “No, no no no no no, we’re not here to hurt you, buggy sir,” Fluttershy softly said as she inched closer.

The changeling wrapped himself in a fetal position, tense and shivering. The touch of Fluttershy’s hoof completely froze him, but her soft strokes against his head fins slowly calmed him down.

“Please, sir, we are not to hurt you in any way. If you formally declare a peaceful surrender, we will take you to the refugee camps set around Canterlot, okay? Not the prison, jail, or dungeon, okay? I promise.”

The changeling snorted between his sobs, a mix between incredulity and actually inhaling his snot back in.

“Changeling, sir, do you have a name I can call you?” Fluttershy gently asked.

The changeling nodded once, but refused to answer. Twilight and Rainbow both opened their mouths, but Fluttershy gestured for them to stand down. She turned back towards the changeling, who had stopped shivering as much. “I- I’m… My name is Duster. N- no titles.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Okay then, Duster, can you tell us where you come from? The refugee camps are coded by area so those with a family will have little chance of being separated. Please, sir, help us help you, and tell us where you are from. I- if you’re willing to, I mean...”

“U- umm, Middle Section, Puddinghead Sector. House number 35.”

Fluttershy patted him some more. “Thank you kindly, sir.” She turned to face her friends and shook her head while pointing at her forehead. It was code to not use magic, and instead let the changeling ride on one of their backs.

They carried the changeling to the nearest Royal Guard posts and hoofed him over, stating that he surrendered peacefully and had to be treated as per protocol. The zombie-like guards nodded before trudging through the post, slowly leading the changeling into the census.

Rarity yawned. “Well, that was… what, twentieth changeling today?” she asked.

“Twenty first,” Twilight corrected. “Oh Celestia, I’m exhausted. Based on the moon and stars’ position, it should be around 1 a.m right now. How about we finally hit the hay, girls?”

Her suggestion was agreed upon, and soon they were on the track back towards the castle.

Rainbow walked along the group. Her tired wings twitched every so often as she snorted here and there, stomping her hooves occasionally. Twilight picked up the body language and asked, “Rainbow, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, nothing at all,” Rainbow answered, although more to convince herself than anypony else.

“Oh, I can see it in your wrinkly eyebrows, Dashie,” Pinkie said. “Is it a cupcake problem? I still have a stash of them.” She then offered Rainbow a cupcake she produced from her mane.

Rainbow snagged the cupcake and devoured it, sighing in relief as she did. “Thanks, Pinks, that really hit the spot.” She turned towards the other girls. “Okay, here’s the deal: I’m sick and tired of waiting, damn it! I want to see Applejack again! Buck the city, I want to search for her!”

“So are we, Rainbow, but you heard what the princesses said: they have assigned Luna’s personal guards to specifically look for her. A changeling in stetson, or an orange earth pony mare with three apples as cutie mark. They will find her in no time, I promise,” Twilight reassured.

“Oh yeah, sending a military search team consisting of actual purposefully-creepy batponies make sooo much sense,” Rainbow said sarcastically.

Twilight frowned. “Now what does that mean, huh?”

“Twilight, I know you are a bit hung up over the princesses, but this is Luna we’re talking about. I don’t know how pony history with changelings was a thousand years ago, but I’m sure it’s not pretty.” Rainbow switched her hovering position to look at the swarm of changelings flying north of Canterlot. “I mean, based on what Tyrant Sun said-”

“Rainbow! You can’t talk about the princess like that!” Twilight scolded, aghast.

“Oh don’t deny it, Twilight. You were also scared back then when Princess Celestia went full on supernova. I’m at least 120% sure that that was her version of Nightmare Moon,” Rainbow pointed. “That’s not the point though. The point is we have one ancient princess only several years away from the last war she fought, and one overworked, underslept princess so jittery that she would’ve probably killed Applejack if it weren’t for Fluttershy. The only thing a princess-ordered batpony task force will do is make her double her hiding efforts, and possibly even fly out of Equestria!”

“Rainbow darling, while you made perfect sense with your explanation, what makes you so sure that that changeling was actually Applejack?” Rarity asked. “Overlooking the fact that she looks utterly hideous, I firmly believe that Applejack, being an Element of Honesty, will never lie to us about her upbringing.”

“She did say being a hypocrite is different from being a liar,” Pinkie said.

“And how exactly, Pinkie dear?”

Twilight coughed, turning attention to her. “Lying is an act where one admits a piece of statement or fact that is not the truth. For example: If I were to say everytime that Princess Celestia is my mother, somepony would believe it. It being not the truth, will make me a liar.”

“She’s practically your second mother anyways,” Rainbow grumbled inaudibly.

“A hypocrite on the other hoof, is an act of not following your own teachings. The problem here is that those teachings might be genuinely good things, but that doesn’t mean she followed that teaching. Applejack always preached about her being honest, and it’s the truth. If that changeling was indeed her, however, that doesn’t mean she outright lied. Instead, she wasn’t telling the whole truth,” Twilight explained. “It’s not like anypony would straight up ask her ‘are you a changeling’, either.”

“That was her!” Rainbow exclaimed, again. “You two might not be convinced, but I know who I saw. Under those red eyes I saw was the same cowpony I had known for years! I can’t sit still in this prissy-arse city when OUR FRIEND is struggling out there, suffering in Luna knows where!”

“Rainbow, please calm down,” Fluttershy pleaded. “I know that you’re angry at Princess Celestia, a- and I am too, but raising a fuss now won’t get us anywhere. We are only a few ponies against millions of hiding places all over Equestria. I- If it’s not too much trouble, can we agree to just get some sleep first?”

Rainbow locked eyes with Twilight and Rarity. She was inches from exploding when her steam evaporated. Fluttershy had a point. There were only 6 of them, and dozens of towns and cities they needed to explore. Not to mention small, fringe settlements that would be logical hiding places. She doubted that Applejack could fly out of Equestria within a day, because even she herself can’t.

Rainbow huffed and turned her head, but didn’t complain as they headed back towards the castle.

Chapter 3 [Edited]: Equestria Under Duress

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Chapter 4: Elements of Homecoming

Author's Note

This is the first chapter in the new direction I'm pursuing. Explanations below, but tl;dr = I'm moving this story into another direction to focus a bit more on some characters so it doesn't jump around aimlessly.

I firstly made this story because I had an idea in mind, and I think things out as I write. This might be a good way to write linear adventure stories, but as time went on I realized that that won't cut it. So, I went back to the drawing board and planned an entire set of chapters beforehand. I ended up planning to split the story into three parts, and this title will be the first part. I maybe have to edit the story description too, but it won't be too far off from the first pitch, just focusing on one part instead of the whole.

That planning took a lot of time, probably almost a week. Thanks to feedback from you lovely individuals, I realized just how holey and incomplete the story so far was. I did say to one guy that I won't be editing previous chapters, but apparently I'm too much of a hypocrite for that. I can't say that I edited them to perfection, but hopefully I succeeded in patching some of the more glaring issues, especially ooc stuff and unexplained convenient details. I plan to let several chapters pool before I publish them, incase I remember/realize a hole I can fill or new ideas cooks up.

Now, on the inverse of updates: homeworks and other group projects have been popping up left and right. I managed to spare time to edit each chapter and all that, but I can't guarantee that I'll be working on this often, at least not until July. Updates will be sparse, varying from every few days to biweekly, and I can't Pinkie Promise consistency, but I am working on it.

For those that had read the old chapters: I have left changelogs on the bottom of each edited chapters so those who already read the story can just look there and re-read what I changed. I'm sorry if the changes might not be to your liking, but I find the timeskip in the old chapter 4 is too abrupt.

Chapter 4: Elements of Homecoming

Twilight and her friends looked at each other in confusion and crushed expectations, then back to the unfolding scene.

Princess Celestia was there, silently doing paperwork, only grunting and groaning every so often as Princess Luna berated her for her antics.

“Sister, you have to understand that I am doing this for your own good. Eyebags formed under your eyebags! You require sleep, and I shall drag you to your chambers if I must!” Luna reasoned, failing to push the sun diarch for even an inch.

Celestia grunted, stamping more paperworks as she went on.

“Stop it, sister, stop it! Your eyes are glazed over the fog of million hours!” Luna picked a bunch of stamped paperworks onto Celestia’s eyes. “Verily, observe what calamity have you brought upon our lands. Twenty consecutive approvals for a nobility carnival? Preposterous! You are unfit for your duty, Celestia, scram and do not come back until you are well-rested!”

Celestia groaned and shook her head. “M- my… ponies… paperwork… guh.”

Luna went slack with exasperation. “Last chance, dear sister, lest thee fancies facing mine ultimate weapon!”

Celestia shook her head.

“Then there shall not be anything holding me back from using my last resort.” Luna lit up her horn and touched it to her sister’s horn. Celestia recognized the spell, and in a shot of clarity, pushed her sister forward as she recoiled and crashed into a stack of paper.

Spike groaned. “Aww princess, I just stacked that! Now I’ll have to do it again…”

Stars orbited Celestia’s head until she was able to regain what was left of her coherency. “S- sister?! How could you!” she hissed. “I have work to do, and a nation to save! I will not have anypony, anyone ruin the country again!”

Luna leaped towards Celestia and pinned her to the ground, sending them both crashing into another stack of stamped papers. Spike screamed. “NOW EVERYTHING’S MIXED TOGETHER! THANK’S A LOT, PRINCESS!”

“SPIKE!” Twilight reprimanded to no one’s care.

Luna stared deep into Celestia’s black-ringed, reddened eyes. “Truly, I understand, but you are in no condition to work! Now rest, mine sister, and wake up not until you are well and truly rested.”

Luna touched her horn to Celestia’s, and shot a pulse of blue into it.

Celestia’s eyes widened as she flailed. “L- L- Luna, you can’t do- do that… to… me…” The flailing slowed and stopped, before she landed on her back with her hooves splayed outwards.

The five Elements gasped. “Princess Luna, what did you do?!” Twilight asked in panic.

“Do calm your tempers, Elements. ‘Tis naught but a sleep spell,” Luna assured. “Though the dose we delivered would kill any ordinary pony, rest assured that alicorns have significant defense in spell affliction. Still, she will not wake up until the dawn of next week.”

“P- pardon me princess, b- but is that really necessary?” Rarity asked.

“To great shame, we have to say yes. Our sister can be… overzealous in her work.” Luna arranged an impromptu book bed for her sister, before sitting in front of the work table, waiting for Spike to reorganize the mixed stacks. “Now, what seems to be the problem?”

Twilight stepped forward, finally able to voice her need. “Yes, princess. As happy as we are to help organize relief efforts and capture missions this past few days, we have to return to Ponyville.”

Luna sent a wink to Twilight, who did not receive it as she should have.“The Elements are a familiar face, fair Sparkle. You are needed in the city as a strong and hardworking figure, boosting the morals of ponies alike,” she argued. “And Twilight, we personally requested your assistance in bringing us… ‘up to speed’, as they say today.”

Twilight nodded. “Yes, and I accepted your request. My friends, however, have to return back to Ponyville. Except for myself, we didn’t plan to stay in Canterlot this long.”

“And pray tell, what does that entail? Should your absence be of our concern?”

Twilight’s ears flopped. “P- princess? What are you-”

Pinkie stomped and interjected. “Princess, as fun as it has been helping Canterlot, we still have our own lives back in Ponyville. We have sisters to care of, jobs to maintain, an uncertain future to prepare for, and… well, I wanted to say ‘parties to attend’, but it won’t be possible with the current climate now, would it?” She chuckled at her own joke. Her friends looked at her as if she grew a second head. Pinkie, renouncing parties? Impossible!

“Instead, how about we help around in Ponyville? If the reports are true, then every city in Equestria is understaffed and underponied. Five girls won’t make much difference in a city as big as Canterlot, but we will certainly make useful dents in Ponyville!” she finished. Pinkie then went into a tangent on how dents are most likely not useful, and how you can’t physically dent a town except in special circumstances that were left undescribed due to a light blue hoof shoved into her mouth.

Luna smiled and nodded. “Proposal accepted.” She then turned to Twilight. “We are sorry for the impromptu negotiation lessons. It will do well for you to learn how to weave a convincing argument from your pink friend there.” Twilight turned away with a nervous laugh as she muttered things about ‘winking’ and ‘unprepared’.

“D- does that mean we can leave?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yes, you may. Twilight, it will do your son well for you to help with organizing the papers strewn about,” Luna instructed.

“S- s- SON?” Twilight and Spike shrieked.

“Yes, art you not?” Luna said to Spike. “Fair Twilight hatched your egg during her test in magic school. Is it not correct that those who hatched an egg claim ownership of said offspring?”

“W- well yes, but actually no! It- it doesn’t work like that, princess!” Twilight said, her cheeks tinting red. Spike screamed all the time as Twilight sputtered, trying to form words from her crashing mind.

The four ponies watching the exchange looked at each other and unanimously decided that the sooner they were out of the castle, the better.

Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie left their purple friend to deal with Princess Luna. They returned to their own rooms and packed their stuff up. It wasn’t long until they were finished, especially since they already planned to leave in a jiffy in case an emergency happened.

They left the castle after meeting with Twilight once more and saying their goodbyes. Their baggage was... highly unbalanced, to put it lightly.

“Luna’s sake, Rarity, why did you even bring so much, anyways?” Rainbow threw her hooves up in exasperation.

Rarity puffed in exertion as she barely kept her 12 suitcases afloat in her magic, sweat racing furiously along her forehead. “These are my sewing kits, thank you very much. Without all these, we won’t have a dress for what should’ve been Princess Cadance! Guh!” Her baggage slammed onto the ground as her magic sputtered and failed. The mare in question flopped to the ground as she slowly caught her breath.

The other three brought respectable amounts of luggage, Pinkie having three suitcases being most out of them. Even if Rarity was an Earth Pony, she still wouldn’t be able to carry all her luggage without a specialized item saddle.

“Umm, Rarity? Not that I want t- to be rude or anything, but we really have to move. The train is scheduled to leave in 30 minutes,” Fluttershy said.

“Just a- *huff* -minute, and I- *huff* -will be right- *huff* -as rain.” Rarity said.

“Yeah, no. You look abso-very-lutely exhausted, Rary-wary. Maybe we should get a cart or something,” Pinkie suggested.

“Good idea, Pinks. If only there’s a vendor out here somewhere…” Rainbow said, looking around as she hovered several hooves above the ground. “Hey, there’s one over there!”

The girls turned to see a half-destroyed shop, with wagons and pull carts and everything in between on display. They helped Rarity move her luggage to the front of the shop, and began browsing. There were carts of all sizes, with all sorts of attachments for different ages and species. Fancy carts decorated with gems and shiny metals placed next to dilapidated wagons ready to break an axle.

The four entered the narrow shop one at a time. The door jingle notified the owner of the shop, who was a plain white unicorn stallion with a long, blond mane. “Hello! Looking for a cart? A wagon? Anything on wheels? Welcome to Speed Wagon’s Speedy Wagons! How may I help you?” Speed Wagon proceeded to kiss Rarity’s hoof.

“Ah, such a gentlestallion. My name is Rarity, and we are looking for a pull cart,” Rarity explained. “Nothing special, mind you, just a cheap cart to last us a day.”

Speed Wagon nodded. “Ah, I have just what you need. Please, it’s outside.” All of them exited the store as they were directed to a wagon on the corner of the gaggle. It was a battered wooden cart of average size that had definitely seen better days. “Well, this little toughie had seen a trek through all of Equestria. It might be coarse, but judging by the luggage on my doorstep, I guess you are looking to carry them all to the train station?”

Pinkie leaned to Rainbow’s side and whispered, “Wow, he’s good.”

Rarity nodded at the statement. “Yes, how observant. Then, let us not dally: how much for the cart?”

“Hmm, it has been sitting there for quite a while. I’ll sell it for 15 griffbits,” Speed Wagon offered.

Rarity scrunched her face in confusion as she mulled the word in her mouth. “Griffbits?”

“Griffonian bits, Rares. They use different bits outside of Equestria,” Rainbow explained, before she turned to the wagon seller. “Why, though? We’re in Equestria, shouldn’t you take ponebits too?”

“Well, there’s the problem.” Speed Wagon pointed at Rainbow. “Let me ask you a question: can you call them ‘ponebits’ if they were stamped by changelings?” he asked.

“Well, if they look like actual bits, complete with the magical sign of legitimacy, sure?” Rarity answered. Speed Wagon turned to Rainbow, who just shrugged. Pinkie and Fluttershy weren’t even listening.

Speed Wagon shook his head. “Changelings have hooves as well, and you know they- wait, nevermind. My point is, changelings are not ponies, but they stamped ponebits. That’s a problem I won’t take.”

“What, so just because they’re changelings then it’s illegal money?” Rainbow asked with a twinge of irritation. From her few encounters with the other, non-Chrysalis changelings, she could safely say that the bugs were pony at heart. Sure, the entire neck-deep conspiracy was alarming and prime tinfoil-hatter material, but it didn’t seem like they were blending in to stage a take over of Equestria. Although yes, a few things didn’t add up. She made a point to discuss that further with her friends later.

“Worse. They can start counterfeiting money like they own it, tamper with existing bits, and more.”

Rarity’s eyebrows furrowed. “They are contained in a single place with the treaty. I am quite sure they won’t have enough time to establish an entire operation, especially with them leaving in due time.”

“Their leave is dependent on whether they find every single one of their changelings. What’s restricting them from saying they have one too few changelings?” Speed Wagon shook his head. “In any case, I am truly sorry, but I’m not taking ponebits. I’ll advise you girls to swap to griffbits or drakebits when you can, because there would be more of us that refuse ponebits.”

Rarity bit her lips. “Thank you for the advice, but as you can see, we’re short on griffbits. Please, can’t you spare an exception for this poor mare?” Speed Wagon kept his gentle smile even as he shook his head. Rarity grumbled.

“Wait, I think I have a few left from my time hanging out in Griffonstone.” Rainbow rummaged through her wallet, tossing griffbits to Rarity as she dug for more. “There’s one, two, three, umm… six, ten, twelve… twelve, twelve… oh crap. Sorry, but I only have 12 griffbits. Can we negotiate for that?” she offered.

“Eh, sure, 12 griffbits it is then,” Speed Wagon accepted with a shrug. He proceeded to help Rarity hook up to the cart, and even place her luggage in it. “Enjoy your purchase!” he said as he waved the group away.

Rainbow scoffed at the send off.

While the four girls resumed their walk, Rarity began mulling over what the wagon pony said earlier on. She pulled a bit from her purse and compared it with what she saw of Rainbow’s griffbits. The griffbit was made with mostly the same style and printing, with the exception of a simplistic talon replacing the horseshoes present in ponebits.

“Girls,” Rarity called, showing the bit to them. “What do you think of Speed Wagon’s suggestion?”

“I have no ideeaaa~” Pinkie bellowed with a weird, bipedal stance, before dropping back to her four legs. “For realsies though, I won’t worry about it. Bits of various makes are spread throughout the world. Even if ponies ate the cake and dumped bits around, it won’t change the value much outside.”

Rarity nodded. “I see, what about you, Rainbow?”

Rainbow rubbed her chin. “I think you need to take it seriously, but I’m no econ- ecan- money-egghead-ist though, so well… I dunno.”

“Hmm, alright. And what about you, Fluttershy?” Rarity asked. She lifted an eyebrow as Fluttershy retreated behind her mane, a bit shyer than usual.

“U- umm, well…” Fluttershy eventually started. “I- I actually have a stash of griffbits back in Ponyville… I have to import meat at times, for my carnivorous animals.”

Rarity just hummed and continued walking.

“Oh dear, I just realized! Sweetie Belle! I left her alone for a few days, with no supervision! Oh the poniaty, where did I lose her? The horror!” Rarity suddenly exclaimed, putting a fetlock to her forehead.

“Umm, Rarity, didn’t we send her home with her friends on a flying chariot? You know, after the changeling meeting?” Fluttershy asked. “We thought you knew, since you didn’t say anything when we told you.”

“O- oh, really? I must have not been listening. Pardon my outburst, darling, eheh...” Rarity rubbed the back of her head. An awkward silence followed, giving her the itches. “U- umm, anyways, here we are!” she gestured to the train station directly in front of them.

The train station was supposed to be a big long blue building with golden embellishments and a large clock in the middle of it. Instead, it was by then reduced to nothing more than a destroyed pile of rubble with a cleared path leading to the platform, where several ponies also waited around.

Several train cars of various colours were parked by the platform. Instead of steam-crystal locomotives, however, buffaloes were attached to a pulling apparatus that connected them to their designated cars. The cars themselves were standard economy cars, with a comparatively spartan-looking luggage attachment to their rear. They were marked with their own numbers, representing their destinations as how the system worked with actual locomotive sets.

“That is… interesting,” Fluttershy mused. Her eyes darted back to the buffaloes every so often.

“Yeah, but what works, works. Cmon girls, Ponyville line is number 5. I need my nap ASAP,” Rainbow ushered. Rarity rolled her eyes while Pinkie just giggled.

Fortunately for them, the ticket seller took regular pony bits, albeit at double the price. The process was even streamlined: they paid for tickets at the front of the car entrance, which would be clipped by the seller and hoofed to them as they entered. Rarity was charged double-price for her luggage, but after some whining and protests, they managed to get it down to ‘normal’ price. The fact that nopony else were interested in that particular route probably helped.

Rainbow practically jumped into her seat and was out like a light in a few seconds. Rarity and Pinkie took their respective seats only to see Fluttershy going to the front of the car.

Fluttershy arrived on the railings just outside the car’s tiny front compartment, which held the toilet on another door to the side. In front of her were the buffaloes who would pull the train car. She had been particularly interested in them, especially since she never truly made conversation with one, even in Appleloosa. If she could just gather enough courage to… ask…

Here goes nothing… she thought.

“U- umm, excuse me, buffalo sir? Or ma’am? U- umm, whoever you are?” Fluttershy called.

One of the buffaloes’ ears twitched. He turned to Fluttershy and flashed a smile. “Oh, sure. What do you need, ma’am?”

“I- I just want to know more about buffaloes,” Fluttershy admitted.

“Well, we’re not moving for ten more minutes. Ask away.”

“Why are you guys pulling the cars?” Fluttershy blurted. It wasn’t what she wanted to ask, but it was as good a question as any, she supposed.

“Well, I agreed to help,” the buffalo shrugged. “Train never came to Appleloosa in three days, so everybuff got curious. We ran all the way to Canterlot, and the first thing the ponies here did was ask for help.”

“What about the trains?” Fluttershy continued asking.

“The trains needed daily maintenance, something they can’t do because of ‘extremely hot factories’ or something. Weird how ponies built factories too hot for creatures with fur coats, such as them themselves, but what do I know,” the buffalo shrugged. “Come to think of it, Appleloosan ponies are built for the heat, maybe they can hire them or something.”

Fluttershy perked up. “Oh, you come from Appleloosa?”

“Me? Haha, not us buffaloes. That is still our sacred grounds, anyhow, and we call it the Yanamesa,” the buffalo explained. “While we agreed on a compromise, that don’t mean we don’t have our own thing.”

Fluttershy ended up talking with the buffalo along the ride, for hours and hours, until they all arrived in Ponyville.

“Well girls, here we are, home sweet home!” Pinkie sniffed the air, and let it all out in an over-exaggerated exhale. “Ahhh…”

The others were slightly less enthusiastic, though. “Pinkie, I understand that we’re home and all, but this… well, Ponyville sure changed a bunch since we left,” Rainbow observed.

The thick evening sun shone just above the horizon, lighting the view of Ponyville in full. The town had definitely seen better days. Half of all houses erected in the little town were either ruined, destroyed, or at least damaged. The town hall collapsed in on itself. Tumbleweeds tumbled through the significantly more drab town than it was a week ago. A single guard could be seen escorting several changelings out of the town, one of whom was talking with a mint green unicorn as they walked.

“W- what happened to Ponyville?” Fluttershy asked, not actually expecting an answer.

“Well girls, not to worry, I suppose. Speaking from experience, there would be a volunteer request for clean up, like it always had been. I’m quite sure it will be fine and dandy in a week,” Rarity said, sounding unsure herself.

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. I’m going back to my house; all of my little animal friends must be worried sick,” Fluttershy said. “See you girls… whenever?”

“Yeah, I’m sure that devil bunny of yours missed… you...” Rainbow trailed off, looking at the clouds. “Ahh horseapples! What happened to my house?!”

True to her words, her cloud-based house floated off lazily over the outskirts of Ponyville. A significant chunk of the house’s roof was missing, half of it’s packed cloud foundation material puffed and expanded as dark grey storm clouds, furniture sticking out of the underside of the house, and the entire structure itself was tilted 30 degrees to the side.

“And my boutique too! Ohh, what cruelty!” Rarity exclaimed with a fetlock on her forehead, flopping down onto her trusty fainting couch.

Under Rainbow’s house was Rarity’s Carousel Boutique. True to her outburst, the boutique was partially coloured in rainbow, no doubt from the leftovers from Rainbow’s fountain. Half of it’s windows were visibly missing, and a hole large enough to be seen from their position gaped on it’s side.

Pinkie looked to the visible roof of Sugarcube Corner, just in case a chain effect was in motion. Thankfully for her, it appeared as intact and vibrant as ever.

“I guess you two have your work cut out. I’ll take a look around then, see you all soon, girls!” Pinkie proked away with a wave.

Rarity and Rainbow Dash said nothing and rushed to tend to their own broken houses. Fluttershy watched as they left, before she finally went home herself, worrying for the future.

Chapter 5.1: Elements of Daily Life (Part 1)

Fluttershy sighed in contentment as she laid on her couch, looking around happily as her various animals fed upon their own grubs. Her sights landed upon one of her bunnies, a special one by the name of Angel.

The usually rowdy and difficult bunny was in an exceptionally good mood, allowing Fluttershy a chance to relax. After her unexpectedly lengthier stay in Canterlot, she had to catch up on her chores. It turned out to be quite little, thanks to Angel actually stepping in to replace her absent helper’s role. She didn’t want to sound speciesist, especially given the nature of her job, but she came to the conclusion that her helper was a changeling all along.

Fluttershy couldn’t help but think about the changelings again; the fact that the last few days was filled with nothing but dealing with all sorts of problems related to them didn’t help. The changelings were scary and fearsome when they wanted to be, but in all honesty, they also could be really adorable when they wanted to. Chrysalis’ changelings were fearsome, but the changelings of Canterlot were mostly similar to ponies in stature and build. She chalked it up to soldiers being scary, like the offensive version of a butterfly’s eyespots. They could change their bodies at will, after all.

Still, Fluttershy couldn’t help but shake that something was off. She was as biased to all living beings as anyone could get, and it made how the changelings were so eager to leave all the more confusing. Shouldn’t changelings fight to stay because ponies are their main source of food?

Theories and thoughts swirled over Fluttershy’s mind, but it was quickly cut off by a certain bunny poking at her nose. Angel gestured to the front door, where a certain unique set of hooves rapped.

*Knock knock knock*

Fluttershy perked up, her ears swiveled around to note the shuffling of a saddle-bag. It was easy to guess who that was. Trotting to the door, she greeted the mare in question with as much enthusiasm her own self would allow. “Good afternoon Zecora, what can I… do… Oh my!”

“Afternoon as well, my buttery friend. I am currently sporting scars I am hoping you could mend,” Zecora said coolly, even with her wavering voice.

Fluttershy put a hoof to cover her gaping mouth at the sight. Three large gashes trailed from Zecora’s body all the way to her flanks, bleeding profusely as they streamed angry trails of red.

With a shift in demeanor, Fluttershy quickly laid the zebra on her couch, zipped around her house as she collected medical equipment, and went to work at speeds even Rainbow Dash could only dream of achieving. Zecora said nothing as she let her friend do her work.

Zecora would routinely come to Fluttershy for help, and the butter mare would enter a sort of trance state as she worked. This time however, that trance would be broken early as the last roll of her bandages ran out, covering only half of what should’ve been necessary to cover up.

“Oh, no. I’m sorry Zecora, but it seems like I can’t completely cover your injuries up,” Fluttershy apologized meekly, her courage slowly fading with her trance.

“Worry not, my pal Fluttershy, for I greatly appreciate your assistance. And yes, it was Timberwolves, since we’re doing the routine song and dance,” Zecora explained.

“What happened, exactly? I thought you had renewed your wards? Don’t you have your own first aid back home?” Fluttershy asked.

“While I did renew it days ago, it was apparently a no-go,” Zecora shrugged. “My bandages were all used up in a great fall. Since we both ran out of medicals, would you accompany me to the hospital?”

“Sure, I’d love to,” Fluttershy accepted. “Although, are you sure you can already walk around? The scars are more gruesome than dangerous, but I wouldn’t walk on it for a few hours.”

“It’s of no worry, my dear pegasus mare. This much pain I can easily bear.” Fluttershy just nodded as they both walked out of her house, into the town proper.

~~~~~~

“Fluttershy dear, there is an answer I seek. Have the medical courier give you as much of a peek?” Zecora started.

“According to Angel, no he didn’t,” Fluttershy answered, a hoof on her chin. “He does work in the hospital, maybe the whole changeling revelation made the hospital busy?”

Zecora shook her head. “To that I have doubts aplenty. Yesterday I was in town, it was all but empty. To fill the hospital’s capacity, one needs to drain the entire city.”

Fluttershy only hummed in response. Silence settled between them as they passed the halfway mark of their trek: the marketplace. The place itself was crowded, but a lot of stall sellers were absent that day. Those who still set up shop were also selling much less than they usually would. Bits were still exchanged, but with different varieties appearing more often.

The two passed a particular stall that had never been empty for at least several decades. “Quite the irregular occurrence indeed, for the Apple family to not sell their famous apple breed,” Zecora noted.

Fluttershy folded her ears and shrunk her already timid posture. Zecora noted the change in demeanor, connected two-and-two, and kept her mouth shut. The question could wait until she was more comfortable to answer, which was anywhere but the middle of a busy street.

Silence settled once more as the two mares eventually reached their destination. In a glance, the hospital was the same sterile white building everypony both loved and hated. As they entered the main entrance, however, it was clear from the dirty floors and red-eyed hospital staff that they were worse for wear. The place wasn’t exactly packed, but Fluttershy figured that the main body counts were in their respective rooms instead of the lobby.

A unicorn doctor sporting an absolutely drenched lab coat galloped from one side of the building to the other. “Umm, excuse-” Fluttershy started, only to be wholly ignored by the doctor. Instead of chasing him, Zecora ushered her to a cream-coloured receptionist mare returning to her post on the lobby’s counter.

“Umm, excuse me?” Fluttershy called.

The receptionist looked up from her desk and groaned under the weight of a thousand sleepless nights. “Yeeeah?”

Both Fluttershy and Zecora winced. “You are too tired and blue. What horror has befell upon you?” Zecora asked.

The mare sobbed once, before slamming her head back to the desk. “Mrh… 90% of staff gone… triple shifts… tired…” She then continued in unintelligible mumbles.

“Oh, umm… well, hang in there?” Fluttershy weakly offered, responded with a single nod. She then remembered a tangent from her previous thoughts back home. “Umm, if you don’t mind me asking, was it the changelings?”

The mare nodded. “All of them… Ponies freaked out, stomped under stampedes… Hospital half-full, but 10% staff… We’re all going to die with only two hours of sleep per day...” she ended with a single sob. “Anyways… Why are you two here again?”

“To procure medical equipment will be our main intent. We hope there are supplies eligible to lend,” Zecora answered. Fluttershy followed with a nod as she passed over her regular list.

The receptionist swapped hats to function as an apothecary, before checking over the shopping list. She worked quietly as piles of first aid equipment and tools slowly filled Zecora’s saddlebags. Fluttershy had done enough of the same routine to notice several items that were given less than requested, or outright unavailable.

The mare placed the last of the items into the saddlebags before she collapsed back to her haunches with a relieving sigh. “That’s all we can give. Some items… currently not for sale, like sterile needles. Uhh, supply is iffy, so prices went up. The list’s total is 700 bits, but now it’s 1500 bits plus discounts, and all that...” She passed over Fluttershy’s shopping list, before actually collapsing with a great big snore.

Fluttershy and Zecora looked at each other, before placing a note to send the bill to Everfree Protection Commission. They left soon after with their purchase in tow.

~~~~~~

The two walked back into the Edges of Everfree in calm tranquility. Just outside of town, however, they spotted a group of changelings, overseen by a royal guard, arguing with a certain brown earth pony mare with glasses.

Fluttershy was reminded once more of the present situation. The hospital was woefully understaffed after the changelings left, which in a morbid sort of hindsight, could be expected. Any position in the hospital can be classified as thankful jobs. Ponies love attractive nurses and doctors, or at the very least grateful to them. Surely changelings would find massive amounts of edible emotions in such places.

An understanding hum escaped Fluttershy’s lips, catching the attention of her zebra friend. “I take it you have something in your mind. If you were to tell, it would be plenty kind,” Zecora said.

Getting caught, Fluttershy retreated behind her mane, but spoke up nonetheless. “I- I’m just thinking…” she restored her posture to better communicate. “Ponies are grateful for their doctors and nurses. If a lot of them were changelings… What would happen then? What do you think of them, Zecora?”

“The changelings are deceptive without jest, but admittedly my stance is neutral at best.” Zecora shrugged. “The loss of bandages will be quite the inconvenience, but the Everfree provides me with materials and sustenance. Forgive me for taking a blunt turn, but Equestrian healthcare is not my concern.” She switched her gaze to Fluttershy. “Is something troubling you, eating your heart through?”

“Nothing, it’s just… I don’t know what to think of the changelings,” Fluttershy admitted. “They aren’t exactly… evil, but their first impressions weren't good at all. Then again, that was Chrysalis only. But if they are that influential in society, it feels like they’re leaving us to die.”

The two stopped in front of Fluttershy’s house, where the animals greeted them with open appendages. The rabbits opened the door for them, while the birds carried Zecora’s saddlebags inside.

Zecora put a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “We can talk about this if you so desire, and I shall lend you an ear and a shoulder.” The butter mare just smiled and went for the tea boiler as she accepted her proposal.

Pinkie took her time hopping around Ponyville before actually returning back to Sugarcube Corner. While her workplace-slash-living quarters was as cheerful as ever, the same couldn’t be said for a lot of buildings in Ponyville. Nearly all buildings have some sort of damage marks on them, and one out of five would be in need of dire repairs.

It wasn’t the buildings that worried Pinkie, however; it was the ponies. Ponyville was notorious for monthly damages from various Everfree threats, the Elements’ shenanigans, and other cosmic happenings that would somehow occur in the quaint little town. It was usually the townsponies who would actively help restore broken buildings, but she found barely any of them when she pronked around the town that day.

On a whim, Pinkie pulled her detective hat and bubble pipe. She knew everypony in Ponyville, and to see almost 20% of them turning out to be changelings, based on which houses were abandoned, brought her puffy mane down to half-mast.

Pinkie eventually arrived at Sugarcube Corner. Opening the shop’s front door, Pinkie was greeted by a familiar blue mare. “Welcome to Sugarcube- oh! Pinkie! You’re finally here!” Mrs. Cake met her halfway and hugged her in a squeeze.

“Hello, Mrs. Cake! Sorry for not returning sooner, and without a letter or anything too. You see, there was-”

Mrs. Cake cut off Pinkie’s imminent spiel. “Yes, yes, everything that happened in Canterlot, I know. Now, while I’m glad that you’re here and all, I’m afraid that since everything that happened, we added several ground rules.” She pointed to Pinkie’s chest. “No more wasting foodstuff, not even if you’re able to pay for it.”

“Okay,” Pinkie answered simply with a small, neutral smile.

Mrs. Cake blinked. She looked at Pinkie, waiting for a protest that never came. She looked at the pink mare’s hair, only slightly deflated instead of full-blown straight. She even looked around, waiting for something, anything that could’ve been a sign of apocalypse. Finally assured that the world wasn’t going to end, Mrs. Cake coughed into her hoof and awkwardly looked at Pinkie. “You’re… not mad?”

Pinkie held her smile as she shook her head. “That was one time, and before the boo boo hit the blender. Even I know when things are dire, Mrs. Cake.”

Mrs. Cake sighed in huge relief as she hugged Pinkie once more. “Thank you so much for understanding. Sometimes you are too unpredictable, even for us. You don’t know how relieved I am to see that you’re not mad.”

“Oh silly filly, you know I’m only upset when ponies are NOT being understanding, to themselves or otherwise.” Pinkie’s ears twitched as a muted cry from upstairs howled through the building, followed by a deep groan. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll have to both rescue your husband and invent a new way to calm the two little Cakes down without bags of flour.”

Pinkie leaped from her position, upwards into a trapdoor conveniently placed on the ceiling, which rotated around until it settled back to normal. Mrs. Cake stared at her ceiling for a while, before shaking her head with a snort. “Oh Pinkie, never change,” she muttered as she wondered how in the world did the pink mare even install such things without her or her husband’s knowledge.

~~~~~~

An alarm rang, signalling a certain pony’s lunch break.

Pinkie sighed as she slumped onto her haunches. The last few days were horrendous in it’s silence. Mrs. Cake had reminded her to not be wasteful with ingredients, and she didn’t. She made everything with measurements up to the thousandth of a milligram accurate, yet supplies would still run out regardless.

Even with the whole changeling revelation forcing them to increase prices due to high ingredient prices, Sugarcube Corner initially retained nearly all of their demand. They kept their strong business up to day three of Pinkie’s return, when business finally ground into a screeching halt.

They ran out of everything.

It got so bad that on this one particular day, Pinkie got no customers. She had to stand in the hollow shell of a store alone, sometimes for hours on end. Ponies would come in hopeful and come out disappointed. Of course that would be the case if the only thing they were selling were dry, yeastless bread and plain milkshake. With Mr. Cake out to search for supplies, and Mrs. Cake actively experimenting with ingredient-conservative recipes, she had to both babysit and manage the restaurant/bakery alone with no time to walk around town. For an active, extrovert party pony such as her, it was soul crushing.

Pinkie strode to the back kitchens, where an exhausted Mrs. Cake stood in front of her creation: a stack of savory roti prata made to resemble pastry. “Oh, Pinkie. Is your time up? Here, can you try these? I think I’ve gotten the recipe down pat,” the bakerspony offered.

“Oohh, Hindi cuisine!” Pinkie grabbed a stack and munched the roti down. “Mmm, tough but soft, delicious. How did you make it?”

“Oh, just some flour, water, salt, and a bit of mushroom-based umami flavouring. I’ve written the recipe down, you can look at it later,” Mrs. Cake answered. She looked at Pinkie with a thoughtful gaze as she mulled over something that she feared would be needed.

Pinkie noticed Mrs. Cake’s look. “Hmm? What’s wrong?”

Mrs. Cake rubbed the back of her head, looking away as she spoke. “Well, Pinkie. I’ve been thinking for a bit now. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but well… you might need to start looking for other jobs now.” She flinched hard as Pinkie’s ears slammed to the side of her head, mane crashing down the side of her head as it went fully straight. The party pony lost a lot of her coat colour

“WHAT?! B- but Mrs. Cake, I haven’t been doing anything wrong! I stood my ground on that counter even when my Pinkie Sense went all haywire telling that one of my friends had gotten themselves in a big rut! Wh- what did I do to get fired?!” Pinkie askcreamed, shaking Mrs. Cake’s shoulders.

“N- no, Pinkie, you haven’t done anything wrong!” Mrs. Cake hastily rectified. “In fact, you’re not getting fired at all!”

Pinkie’s colours returned as her mouth made an “o” shape, but her mane didn’t restore back to it’s glorious puffiness. “...it’s because we’re getting little orders for anything, isn’t it?” Pinkie guessed, the accuracy of which made Mrs. Cake wince.

“Y- yes, right on the nail there, Pinkie. I’m so sorry, but if this keeps up, we will have to close up shop. Perhaps not immediately, but definitely in the next few weeks.” Mrs. Cake shook her head. “Don’t get me wrong, Pinkie, I love my job with all my passion, but ultimately a business is all about profits. We can’t have profit if we can’t produce anything. My husband had to search far and wide to nearby towns just to find flour or sugar, and it’s just not sustainable.”

“But how are you going to make money without Sugarcube Corner?” Pinkie asked.

“We’ll probably move into one of the larger cities. Ponies left and right are abandoning small towns, and that includes Ponyville. I- I don’t know what we’ll do, but soon we will have to say goodbye. I’m sorry, Pinkie, but that’s just how it is,” Mrs. Cake said, downtrodden.

Pinkie sagged even more. Her entire cooking skills, reputation as party mare, and even her entire career, was made from Sugarcube Corner and the Cakes. They helped each other grow as both a business and as ponies, boosted especially by Pinkie’s status as an Element. They were like family to each other, but times like those reminded them both that they were ultimately nothing but employer and employee.

“I understand,” Pinkie finally said.

“I’m so sorry for the news-”

“No, Mrs. Cake, I get it. These are turbulent times, and not everypony can hope for their life to continue uninterrupted. Laughter can solve many things, but it won’t solve the problems Equestria has now. At least, not yet...” Pinkie shook her head.

Mrs. Cake was shocked by the party pony’s rare bout of maturity. “Pinkie, I-”

“...which is why we're going to spend our last days together in fun!” Pinkie suddenly exploded in confetti. “Maybe we don’t have the food for it, but I can definitely arrange some games for us. Oh, and let’s not forget the two little Cakes, I can play with them later on, too.” She looked at the surprised Mrs. Cake. “Hey, just because we’re separating someday doesn’t mean we can’t have our last memories together in a while be a happy one!” Pinkie said, grinning. She extended a hoof to the baker mare. “Will you help me make those memories fun?”

Mrs. Cake let out a small chuckle as she rubbed her watery eyes clean. It turned into a full-blown laughter as she took Pinkie’s hoof. “Oh, Pinkie. You really know how to make ponies feel better. It’s on, then! I won’t lose on Twister this time!”

Rarity swept the last of the dust piles into the dust bin and dumped it all out, ending her two-days long cleaning spree. “Whew! Finally, all is done and ready to shine. Once more, Carousel Boutique is the place where everything is chic, unique, and magnifique!” she bellowed in satisfaction, before promptly collapsing on the couch.

The entire cleaning process wasn’t exactly easy. The Liquid Rainbow staining her roof had crusted, needing manual hard scrubbing before they would flake off. Since there weren’t any builders up for work, Rarity had to board it up by herself. The interior was caked in burnt tree sap, most likely from one of her little sister’s endeavours. She wasn’t exactly a prissy-pants, but she would rather not exhaust herself doing menial tasks when she could exhaust herself doing productive things like sewing and dressmaking.

Rarity eventually had enough of sitting down and trotted over to the window. She magically gripped the “‘closed’ sign and turned it to ‘open’. “Ahah, we are back for business!”

Like clockwork, the announcement turned ponies’ heads straight towards the boutique. Slowly, an entire crowd amassed itself, walking towards it at a slow, deliberate pace. Rarity furrowed her eyebrows at the sight, sweat forming on her forehead.

The crowd suddenly snapped. Everypony galloped towards the boutique, crashing through the front door and pouring in like a waterfall. Rarity jerked back and hid behind a ponnequin as the crowd stumbled upon itself.

“Rarity! I want to cancel my orders!”

“I want my money back, I need it!”

“Please, let me cancel my order and return my money!”

A shrill scream pierced through as the crowd hunted the fashionista down for refunds. Rarity leaped and weaved around her boutique like an experienced trapeze climber, bounding up and over her stuff while the crowd pushed through it. Still, the numbers of the crowd won out against the fashionista’s one individual.

Rarity found herself confused and afraid of the crowd that closed in on her as her back finally touched a corner. Waiting for the pounce that never came, her fear dissipated as bewildered anger took over her emotions.

“Would you all kindly SHUT! UP!” Rarity screamed, shutting the crowd up. “You! Tell me, what is going on here,” she ordered the first pony in line.

“Umm, I wanted to request a refund. I kind of need the money,” that pony confessed.

Rarity tsked. “I’ll assume the reasoning is similar for the other of you?” The crowd nodded in unison.

Rarity took a deep breath and stood up tall with her nose poking up the air. “Listen up, everypony! All of you crude bunch came in frightening me, wrecking through my shop, and backing me into a corner, all for a refund? I won’t give you brutish horde a single bit from my wallet! I have ordered the exact amount of materials for each and every of your orders, and I will make them to completion. What you order is what you get, and no refunds! Hmph!”

Rarity turned and stomped into a nearby room, slamming the door closed in a dramatic display of irritation. The crowd sighed, groaned, and ‘aww’ed in disappointment as they slowly dispersed out of her shop. She waited a bit longer to ensure every last one of them had left, before exiting the storage closet and collapsing in exhaustion.

“Oh Celestia, that was not what I needed at all,” Rarity grumbled as she clutched her head. Moving herself onto her trusty couch, she laid there for what felt like hours, letting her thoughts stew in her mind.

Refund requests were not something Rarity ever really got, at all. The few cases where refunds were asked - or rather, offered - was mostly from her side, with her not having enough materials or time to finish an order. She wasn’t lying when she said that everypony’s orders’ materials had been stocked up and ready to sew. One problem was the fact that she literally hasn't made much progress in any of them, and while it was barely possible to finish them all on time, it would take days of 24-hours work. Not to mention, delivering them to ponies that might not even want them anymore anyways would certainly be a fun experience. On the other hoof, she really wanted to finish them all on time just to be productively spiteful.

Rarity sighed and picked herself up from her couch, trudging over to her trusty sewing machine. “If there’s anything I will NOT do, it is to skimp on my work!” She leaned over to the window next to her, overlooking the town square where ponies mingle with noticeable depression. “Still…” she trailed off.

Sure, her customers demanded refunds not because of her work quality, but the mere fact that they did was concerning. Yes, the fate of an entire country was far more important than some clothing business that was barely essential to society at large, but this is her business at stake, for Celestia’s sake! Her entire lifeline! All crashing down due to some changeling attack and whatever that stuff about them mingling in pony society for years. Why couldn’t those buggy bastards just stick it up their own flanks?

Rarity was panting after she finished her internal rant. Blushing from her own embarrassing display of external stiffness, she shook the anger out of her head. The entire changeling thing could wait; there were orders to sew, and dresses to make.

She magicked a thread into her sewing machine and began working.

~~~~~~

Rarity hung the last of her dresses into a rack wagon, while loose strands sprung from her curly indigo mane. She turned to her little sister, who was already bouncing on her hooves wanting to get out of the house. “Sweetie dear, would you please deliver these dresses off to the ponies in the list?”

“Aww, but I’m going to play with the crusaders today. No offense, but you have been saying ‘next time’ for a whole week!” Sweetie whined.

“I know darling, but I’m sorry. This is important, and I am severely exhausted. Please Sweetie, I’ll do anything to make it up to you next time. Anything!” Rarity pleaded.

Sweetie’s eyes brightened. “Anything? Anything anything?”

“Anything. Even if you want me to- to- to-” Rarity shuddered, bit her lip, and gulped hard. “C- Cutie Marks Crusaders, Honey Collectors… yay?”

Sweetie gasped and launched herself, hugging her sister. “Oh thankyouthankyouthankyou so much! We had been wanting to do that for months!” The filly then attached herself to the wagon. “You won’t regret this, I promise!” She took off with a big cloud of upkicked dust.

Rarity plopped down onto her couch and blew her mane out of her eyes. She took the chance to take stock of her store’s condition: An entire whirlwind of fabric mess covered the entire sewing room and half of the shop-display end of the building. Several ponnequins were toppled onto the floor, one complete with a half-made dress.

What really pushed Rarity to her frustration was not the mess, however, as a dirty store can always be cleaned, and wasted fabrics can always be turned into cleaning rags. Instead, it was the rows of dresses hanging limply across the store, collecting dust.

Even on slow days, at least one pony would buy a single ribbon or bowtie from her. During the past week, there literally zero customers, not even window-shoppers. The only ponies that came were those asking for refunds. Even when she felt somewhat guilty for it, Rarity made it clear that she wouldn’t return anypony’s money back.

Those few interactions brought her spirits down hard. She was a top fashionista of Equestria, capable of sewing dresses and outfits that even the high-strung Canterlot nobles would praise with fervor. But what good would a fashionista’s skill set do when the entire industry itself collapsed? If only everypony needs clothes 24/7, but that was wishful thinking.

“Ugh, sitting here alone wallowing in my sorrows won’t do me any good,” Rarity mumbled to herself. She looked to the open front door and decided that a breath of fresh air was in order-

Rarity stared at her own reflection in a wall mirror. “Oh dear. I guess fresh air will have to wait.”

~~~~~~

30 minutes later, Rarity found herself under the stinging high noon sun, walking in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. With her mind freshened up, she recalled back at how the changelings’ revelations made the industry she worked for a low-priority backburner project. She was able to afford the inflating prices of food thanks to her admittedly large amount of fortune, but it wasn’t as if it’s limited.

Her anger to the entire species of changelings diminished seeing the rows of apple trees. The pill was hard, but necessary to swallow: like it or not, her friend was proven to be a changeling all along. Her friend who was missing and still not found. Hopefully, the royal guards would find Applejack alive and in condition to answer the growing number of questions she had for her.

“Still, changelings infiltrated a lot of important positions,” Rarity mumbled to herself. The fact that changelings destroyed Equestria by virtue of their discovery both terrified and angered her. How long had it been going? Were ponies really that gullible, or was it the changeling’s superior espionage?

Rarity shuddered. Both scenarios were equally terrifying.

She shook her head. No. I am out here to sniff apples, not argue to myself about changelings, Rarity thought.

Further into the farm, Rarity was greeted with the sight of ponies going to and fro. She recognized most of them: Mayor Mare, Thunderlane, Davenport from Quills and Sofas, Roseluck of the Flower Ponies, even Aloe from the Spa, and much more. Around fifty ponies, all tending to apple trees that had barely any apples at all.

Her first thought was to hide, since everypony in cahoots with the Apples would most likely be changelings. Rarity then reminded herself that Applejack was a changeling, which admittedly didn’t do much to quell the growing confusion in her regarding how she should view the changelings as. This growing confusion prompted her to sit on a nearby pile of straw bales and collect her thoughts.

A groan escaped her as the scorching sun stung her eyes like bees. In passionate anger, Rarity ripped a chunk of straw and brought the full wrath of her magic down onto it. The chunk strands weaved and tied together as she slowly worked on… anything really, as long as it would provide shade.

So lost in her craft, Rarity didn’t notice her sister and a group of ponies approaching her.

“Hello Rarity! What are you doing here?” Sweetie asked.

Rarity awakened from her focus to see the Crusaders and a grey mare she barely recognized standing in front of her, who was eyeing the straw chunk in her grasp in silence. “N- nothing at all, really, just thinking about Applejack.” Her eyes widened slightly seeing Apple Bloom in all her glory. “Come to think of it, what are you all doing here? And no offense, Apple Bloom, but aren’t you an Apple? How can you be here?”

“Ah asked Granny fer a part of th’ orchard, since Ah’m an Apple as any other ev’n when Ah’m adopted, an’ she gave a third of th’ orchard ta us. May’r Mare thought it’ll be good fer ponies t’ try an’ grow them apple trees ourselves. Applejack made ‘em grow fruit weekly, but we ain’t found th’ secret formula yet, an’ Granny left w’thout tellin’ us how exactly did they treat them apple trees,” Apple Bloom explained.

“Wait, you’re adopted? So, you’re a pony? Did you know of the Apples being a changeling all along?” Rarity asked.

“Eeyup! They taught me a whole barn loads of tricks and all, like how ta keep secrets, how ta act like an impostor, an’ how ta have confident half-truths,” Apple Bloom said with a puffed chest.

“It’s true, Rarity. You have to see it for yourself, Apple Bloom was awesome back at the wedding!” Scootaloo chimed in.

“She acted like a changeling stuck in her disguise, and wheeled the two of us into a walk-in fridge on the other side of the wedding building! It was scary, but exhilarating!” Sweetie finished.

“Umm… good for you?” Rarity stared at the Crusaders in confused awe. It should’ve been with no doubt that the story was exaggerated, but she knew those three had done more than a few dangerous stunts in the past. She filed it for later, instead choosing to focus more on the farm filly. “Umm, Apple Bloom? What are you going to do now? I mean, your family are all settling on the north of Canterlot. What if they leave, like the treaty said?”

Apple Bloom waved a hoof. “They told me that they already planned ev’rything an’ all,” she answered dismissively. “Anyways, can we have them straw bales yer guardin’? We’re makin’ a mighty tall straw fort!”

“Oh, sure. I wasn't guarding them from anypony, actually.” Rarity scooted over to let the fillies do their own thing. She noticed the other mare still staying silent with her gaze trained on the pile of straw still held in her magic. A quick glance revealed that she had actually made a rough hat of sorts.

Glancing back to the mare, she finally caught the name that had been eluding her. “Hello? Miss Golden Spoon? Is there something I can do for you?”

Golden Spoon snapped from her own reverie with an uncharacteristic yelp, before raising her snout up high into the air with a harrumph. “Ah, yes. It is quite hot right here. I might be willing to drop down and work in similar fashion as my ancestors from time to time, but that does not mean the sun should outright fry those who are working below it. If only there is a cheap, disposable option to shade myself from the heat…” She stared at the hat with a longing expression.

Rarity stared at Golden, confused beyond all mortal comprehension. “...heh?”

Golden deadpanned. “Me need hat. 5 bits. Agree?”

The change in tone launched Rarity’s state of confusion into the ethereal realms. All she could manage was a weak nod as she lowered the hat onto Golden’s head. The mare smiled in response and hoofed her 5 bits before walking away.

Rarity looked back and forth between Golden and the money, and then eventually to the sweating ponies all over the farm.

“IDEAAA!!!”

Chapter 5.2: Elements no Nichijou (Part 2)

*Bwooosh*

*Fwomp*

“Ahh, another well-deserved afterwork rest.”

Rainbow Dash sprawled her entire figure over a small tuft of cloud barely big enough to contain her. The past week or so passed by her with an alarming amount of normalcy, a far cry from the perils her friends had been experiencing. Her floating house was self-made from movable clouds, with it’s land-equivalent tax paid every year. Since she never went vegetarian like nearly all Equestrian populace, her massive stockpile of fish and pork could provide her nutrition for months to come. Her diet came with the need of keeping griffbits around, so money wasn’t much of an issue either.

Since Pinkie was not up to pranking ponies, and it wasn’t the time and place to do so anyways, Rainbow’s boredom got so bad that she had to pester her friends for anything to do or to help with, anything at all. After some pressing, Fluttershy mentioned that she was low on medical supplies, and Pinkie revealed that she was distraught by the severe lack of supplies Sugarcube Corner had in stock.

Rainbow ran - or rather, flew - to nearby villages and towns to search for both. She did find medical supplies, but anything Pinkie needed was already either gone or kept for rationing. The entire thing took two days, before routine boredom bared it’s ugly fangs once more.

What particularly gnawed on her wasn’t those fangs, however. It was the fact that her friends wouldn’t put in any semblance of effort in finding their lost friend. Rainbow knew perfectly well that unlike her, the others still had reservations from the revelation of Applejack being a changeling. She had thought that at the very least, even if they didn’t want to admit it, one of them should have some sort of plan to get Applejack back, right?

To Rainbow’s greatest annoyance, none of them did.

Twilight stayed back in Canterlot, leaving her out of the picture. Fluttershy teetered on the edge of breakdown everytime Rainbow went to ask, netting her little information. Pinkie Pie is creative, but she never was the most plan-intelligent of them all. Rarity was her best shot, but the fashionmare evaded her after her first attempt.

The revelation left Rainbow fuming. Her mouth soured at the fact that her friends were content to leave the search to Luna’s guards. Not that she hated the moon princess or anything, but it was more on the matter of principle. She couldn’t stand by while her friend was out there, possibly hurting by herself, all alone.

Changeling or not, Applejack is Applejack, Rainbow thought, as she wrestled against her pillow, trying to suffocate herself into the land of dreams. She might’ve failed to do so, but tiredness eventually ensured her passage into it.

An alarm clock rang loudly before it was brutally silenced by a certain pony’s sky blue hoof. Rainbow went and did her morning routine with the grace of a thousand feral geese. One breakaway from the routine was her looking at a wall calendar as she brushed her teeth.

Several things were marked for that day. A scheduled storm, cloudguarding the Everfree, and the biweekly workforce shuffle. The first two are parts of her job, and the latter is a routine event that she never took part in. No amount of money or fun projects elsewhere in the country could ever entice her to settle somewhere else outside of Ponyville, but that doesn’t mean she couldn’t take the extra overtime organizing it every now and then.

Rainbow remembered another thing, however. The same day marked exactly ten days after Applejack’s disappearance, since she last saw her in Canterlot, after the debacle with Daybreaker.

Fire burned on her eyes as she remembered back to the day it all happened. Celestia might be at fault for losing control, Applejack might even have a bit of fault for not telling them sooner, literally any and everypony could be at fault, but noone has the biggest sin of all but Chrysalis herself. That bitch will pay for everything… For Applejack, especially.

Rainbow’s ears picked up a nearby growl. Here, in my own house? she thought, as she quickly spun into a stance. Various forms of enemies flashed across her mind as she readied herself for a fight. Nothing was there, however. Exhaling with her dry throat, Rainbow realized that she was the source.

Rainbow began to chuckle in embarrassment as her energy dissipated. Various scenarios of what Applejack might’ve been going through kept appearing in her mind. She wanted to search across Equestria and search across every city, township, and village. Leave no stone unturned, and no pony unasked. Of course, that wouldn’t be possible without sacrificing her job as Ponyville’s head weathermare, would it?

Wait… Rainbow looked once more at her calendar, and the events scheduled on it.

“That’s it!”

The pony rocket launched from her cloud house all the way to a floating cloud office in the wayside suburbs of Ponyville, a sonic rainboom rang through the dark early dusk skies. The exchange event wasn’t particularly hard to set up, albeit a bit tedious in it’s preparation. Rainbow flipped tables and chairs around, office supplies flying around as the living whirlwind brought everything together in ten seconds flat.

That was the easy part; the hard part was routing which outposts and offices in various parts of Equestria. Rainbow took the task in stride, fueled by her desire to get it over quickly. From various reports, it was of no surprise that most weather outposts were understaffed, some even completely abandoned. Whatever politics the nobles made, it dried them out of precious ponypower, even if they weren’t ponies by traditional sense. The cities could stretch their work force thinner, but the tiny little outposts in remote settlements definitely couldn’t.

Few ever saw Rainbow in her secret master planner side, not even half of the Elements. Perhaps reading a book might make her a bit of an egghead, but she was happy to not let others know how she could rival Twilight if she really put the work in. Less obligation and responsibilities means more time for naps, after all. One of these few would be her boss, who was greeted with the sight of Rainbow pinning various papers, charts, and yarn trails across a tall board.

“Well this is a rare sight,” the boss quipped.

Rainbow jolted, her blush nearly popping in full force until she realized who it was. “C- Cummy! Goshdarnit, don’t surprise me like that, boss!” The comment earned her a slap on the forehead.

“I told you to not call me that! ‘Nimbus’ is fine, for princesses’ sake!” Nimbus shook her head with a grin. “Anyways, it’s not like you to be so diligent.”

Rainbow coughed a wry chuckle. “Well, it’s not like I have to track my missing friend everyday either.”

“Ahh yes, Applejack. No offense, Rainbow, but why now? You’ve been telling us about her everyday since you went back to work, but didn’t you say the princesses had it covered?” Nimbus inquired. “Or is this you finally snapping?”

“You could say that,” Rainbow answered. “I just… I know that Applejack will most likely be East of here, but with her being lost for over a week by now, and not a single update from the princesses, I kind of need to flap my own wings, you know?”

“Yeah, I get you. So, you’re finally leaving Ponyville for the first time in what, five years?” Nimbus asked.

Rainbow nodded with a tack in her mouth, before stabbing it into the board. “Yeah, I guess. I’ll probably haul my house around, in case I find Applejack and she needs a shelter.”

Nimbus raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that illegal?”

Rainbow chuckled. “This might be shocking, but I haven’t really been abusing my status as an Element of Harmony. For this though, I’m gonna do whatever it takes.” She waved her hoof, before spinning another yarn. “They’ll have no choice but to give me a Princessial Pardon or something- oh finally, it is done!”

Nimbus leaned in to look at the board. A map of Equestria took most of the space. Stacked all over the place above it were pictures, landmark photos, and colourful yarn strings going to and fro. “...I thought you’re making the exchange board?”

“I was! But then I got too invested and I, uhh… heheh, I tried predicting where Applejack might’ve gone.” Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck. “But seriously though, I think I am close.”

Nimbus sat on her haunches and crossed her forelegs. “What makes you think you can do better than a whole team of bat guards?”

“I don’t, but Luna’s guards were told to look for her, not specifically play detective. Damn, I feel like I should’ve done this sooner. Anyways, here, look at this.” Rainbow pointed and trailed her hoof across a specific yarn. “So, it’s obviously normal for most of these settlements to lose ponies every now and then, maybe get one or two workers in a bit, right? This path I traced however, is a string of abandoned posts spaced every 10 or so miles. The automated registry detected somepony clocking in work, moving to each outpost with each day passed.”

“So somepony had been traveling,” Nimbus shrugged. “That’s not indicative of Applejack in any way. It might very well be just a pegasus desperate for money, or might even be a unicorn talented in weathering.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Rainbow admitted. “But we’re talking of several cases, like this one and this one. Plus, the average pegasi could’ve flown the entire way to the next town in a day. It makes no sense that they wouldn’t try to abuse the work clock, especially in these tough times. Unless, they’re just that kind of a samareitan, or if it’s a changeling. The latter can’t fly half as fast as pegasi can.”

“What if they’re foals? It would make sense for a particularly smart foal to try and escape,” Nimbus reasoned.

“Probably, there are more than one of these after all, like this one and these here,” Rainbow said. She pointed at several more yarns. “I don’t think foals would do the trek alone, though. Maybe an injured pegasi, but they aren’t...” she trailed into a mumble, before shaking her head. “The point is, I just know it. Like… like a gut feeling or something. One of them must be Applejack. She’s not stupid; I know she know that it would cost her money for a ferry to the next continent. She would definitely take the work and cash in the clock-in’s in a big city with a head office. Weather is the easiest job to get into, after all.”

“Why Fillydelphia, specifically? Escaping to Griffonia is popular nowadays, but if that’s the case, wouldn’t Manehattan be the better choice? Bigger harbours and all?” Nimbus asked.

“The papers a week ago said that Manehattan’s head weather office was destroyed. It would make sense if she wanted to cash in her clock-in’s in Fillydelphia first, before flying to Manehattan and hitch a ride there,” Rainbow explained.

Nimbus whistled. “That is some deduction skills right there, Sheryoke Pones. Are you sure you’re not an egghead?”

Unlike her usual responses, Rainbow laughed. “Hah! Not unless I need to be. Too much work for too little pay. Anyways, can you handle everything here? I need to finish my job first, then tell my friends that I’m leaving, then set up a tow for the house, and other boring stuff that happens in between exciting adventure stuff.”

“Sure! For once, you can count on me, Dashie!” Nimbus replied with a grin. “Anyways, this didn’t happen, did it?”

Rainbow returned the grin as she shook her head. “Nope, I was never an egghead detective. See ya!”

Rainbow took off towards the Everfree, where wild, unregulated clouds moved around in unpredictable ways. The clouds were sparse and thin; definitely not her main objective. Instead, she took a turn downwards and pierced the forest canopy. She had an announcement to make, and who better to start with than her lifelong best friend?

[OLD] Chapter 4: Equestria Under Exodus

“Get back here you insolent child! You’ll do good to stay away from those parasites!”

“No dad! He’s always been my coltfriend and he always will be! I’ll go with him even if you don’t approve!”

“YOU’RE JUST BRAINWASHED! You, guard! Prove it that she’s brainwashed.”

“Sir, with all due respect, we have tested her three times, and the results came back negative.”

“I don’t believe you! Do it again! Nopony in their right minds would ever relate with a damn bug.”

“Dad! I can’t believe you! Buck off!”

Variations of such conversations erupted endlessly as the border between Canterlot and the temporary Changeling Refuge was littered with ponies and changelings separated by an impromptu wooden wall. The announcement of changeling expulsion pushed several ponies to pursue their revealed lovers, which in turn pushed their parents to convince them to not. Soon after, a crowd of angry and confused ponies congregated on the border. A sea of colour clashed against the black line of border defense guarding the changeling’s temporary territory.

With the already diminished amount of royal guards and pony militias, the changelings inadvertently had to help in managing the crowd, which only fueled more of the flames.

In the border guarded by changelings who had royal guard training was a single entrance checkpoint. As there were thousands of ponies that wanted to follow their loved one instead of staying in Equestria, a census was required to document those who chose to leave.

A stout changeling with red eyes and wagon yoke stood behind the changeling border, sweating nervously under the intense negative emotions excreted by the crowd. It had been a week since the nobles announced to Equestria of the agreement they made with the changeling king and queens. They weren’t allowed to take disguises of any kind, not until they were out of Equestrian territory. It was one of the few things covered by the magical promise; the others being their leave in two weeks and absolutely no contact with ponies outside of the temporary territory.

The latter was why he waited out there. The washed yellow Earth Pony filly with red mane, Apple Bloom, was an adopted pony, and his sister. The small filly queued in line, waiting for her screening turn for the census, fidgeting all the while. Under the mass of ponies, her friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo waved hoofkerchiefs as they sobbed for their friend’s departure. They each wore velvet capes with the emblem of their little group - Cutie Mark Crusaders.

The yoke-wearing changeling looked at the crowd. Ponies of various types with nothing but either angry, confused, or scared faces. Some of them he knew, but he doubted they would recognize him back. Not without his pony form, which was forbidden to wear after the mandate. He glanced back towards Apple Bloom, who waved her friends goodbye as she galloped towards her brother.

“Big Mac! Ah’m in and Ah’m here!” Apple Bloom called.

“Eeyup. Come along now, Ah’ve set ya a spot in one‘a th’ tents. It ain’t a Manehattan hotel, but it ain’t no slouch, either.” Big Mac said, before leading the filly up.

Apple Bloom walked close to her brother. Even when she knew her sister, brother, and her entire family were changelings, seeing so many of them up close was an entirely different experience, one that might’ve triggered a bit of anxiety in her. Instead of colourful coats with similarly colourful manes, tails, and cutie marks, all she could see was blackness with hints of glistening carapace and eye colours, with ponies only scarcely decorating the landscape.

She turned to her brother instead. Big Mac walked with his trademark neutral face, but even Bloom could see the thousand-yard stare under his pupilles red eyes. “Mac, what’s wrong?” she asked.

Big Mac looked to the sky, and back to Apple Bloom. “Say, Bloom. Ah’ve said it mahself, ya don’ hafta come wit’ us. Yer a pony, and y’all’re practically inseparable. The crusaders, Ah mean. Why’d ya decide t’ come with us?” he asked. He already knew the answer, in part thanks to his natural changeling ability to feel wisps of another individual’s emotions, but he wanted the spoken truth.

Apple Bloom looked at her adoptive brother as if he grew a horn. Well yes, changelings have horns, but regardless, she was slightly confused. The smaller filly sighed before setting her sights onto a random ling’s flying kite. “They’re mah friends and all, but Ah love y’all even more. Ah thought ya knew that?”

“Ah know, but ain’t all ‘a this bother you a tad? No offense, but yer a pony and all-”

“Mac, would ya kindly stop that?” Apple Bloom requested with a tinge of exasperation. “Ah care not if yer a changeling or a pony, but Ah ain’t rightly an Apple if Ah saw species as distinction. Sure, they’re all mah friends, but yer mah fam’ly. Y’all took me outta that dump of an orphanage; Ah ain’t runnin’ lonely a second time, even if Ah hafta gallop ‘round th’ world an’ back.”

“How ‘bout yer friends? Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo? Don’t they mean any t’ ya?” Big Mac asked.

“Ah’ll write to 'em if Ah could. They understand that Ah rather be wit’ mah fam’ly no matter what,” Apple Bloom said, before cocking her head at her brother. “Come ta think of it, where’s mah big sis? Applejack? Ah knew she had a bit of a rut with them Elements with her being a changeling an’ all, ‘specially her being the Element of Honesty, but Ah thought she’d either be here or there in Canterlot?”

Big Mac bit his lips, the malleable chitin creaked under the pressure of his fangs. Just before he was able to answer, however, several sets of hooves clip-clopped closer into their position. A colourful set of ponies approached them, ones they knew all too well.

“Apple Bloom! You’re here? And who is this?” a certain purple mare asked under her laboured breath.

“Twilight! And all y’all Elements too. This here’s Big Mac. What’re y’all doin’ here?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Firstly, little Bloom, what are you doing in this… unique place?” Rarity asked.

“Uhh, Ah’m going wit’ mah fam’ly? Ah mighta be adopted, but Ah’m an Apple nonetheless,” Apple Bloom admitted with pride, which Big Mac approved with an “Eeyup.”

“But the entire Apple family is nothing but changelings!” Rainbow exclaimed, which elicited a stare down from her friends. “Ugh, stop looking at me like that. You all know it as well! Applejack, Braeburn, and all those other Apples, Oranges, Cherries, Melons, Pies, and others we met are all changelings!”

“Ah knew, Dash. Always had been, and Ah love them no less fer it,” Apple Bloom said, hugging one of Big Mac’s forelegs. The Elements froze as their eyes widened.

“YOU KNEW?!” They screamed, drawing attention from changelings all around them.

“Well ‘course Ah knew. Ah jus’ kept it a secret, is all,” Apple Bloom shrugged. “Did all’a y’all really thought yer all gonna take th’ news without going ham like frightened pigs? Ah’m a filly, ain’t an idiot. Y’all would’a just report back to them princesses and have mah sis banished.” The accusation struck a nerve deep within them. Pinkie’s puffy pink mane deflated with a rush of air, turning straight and flat, while the others lost a bit of colour all the same. Apple Bloom winced at the display, but remained resolute.

“Come t’ think ‘bout it, where’s mah sis? Y’all would’a know if y’all’re… her…” Apple Bloom trailed off as her question slapped the Elements to the point of visibly recoiling. “Y- y’all didn’t… send her t’ the moon or something ain’t’cha?” Apple Bloom asked, tears threatening to drop from her eyes. Sensing the sadness from his little sister, Big Mac took a charging stance and dug his hooves.

“N- no! I- we- It’s just- We- I- We-” Twilight trailed off into nothing but incomprehensible croaks, her explanations trying and failing to pour out of her.

“S- sorry, but we- they thought she was replaced!” Fluttershy finally spoke up, her softness of a thousand clouds still managing an audible volume. “Princess Celestia went D- Daybreaker for a while, a- and I had to stare her down, and I t- told Applejack to run and escape. I- we- Oh my, we’re still looking for her.”

Rarity continued as Fluttershy hid behind her mane. “Y- yes darling, we are looking for her. We’ve made a grievous mistake, and we have to make things right once more between us, but we cannot apologize if she’s nowhere to be found.”

“Ugh, ponyfeathers! If you’re all surprised by the news, then that means you haven’t seen her too. Argh! Where is she?!” Rainbow scratched her scalp before taking off in a hasty flight, prompting some of her friends to shout at her to calm down, with futility.

Twilight facehooved. “Ugh, she’s not making this any easier. Apple Bloom, can you help us ask around and find your sister?”

“Ah sure can, Twilight! Ah wanna see mah sis too!” Apple Bloom answered with conviction. Big Mac followed with an “Eeyup”.

“Good! We’ll meet again at the census checkpoint, 6 p.m this afternoon. Bye now, and good luck!” Twilight wished as she and her friends galloped to hurry and chase after the prismatic Element of Loyalty.

“Good luck!” Apple Bloom and Big Mac wished back. “C’mon, Mac, we have a sister ta find!”

“Wait, Apple Bloom,” Big Mac called. Apple Bloom stopped on her tracks with a skid.

“Yeah?”

“Apple Bloom. It ain’t like Ah don’t want ya followin’ us, but Ah really do think ya need’ta be here with them ponies. Just for a bit, just ‘ntil ya found Applejack.”

“But Big Mac-”

Big Mac silenced the filly with a hoof over her mouth. “Sshh, listen. Ah’m just sayin, but it’ll do ya good to have that adventure findin’ yer sister. Yer gonna go find yer friends an’ ask them ta tag along findin’ yer big sis. Ah’ll send y’all a message when we all set up a few barns an’ done, and THEN y’all can come an’ move in with us in th’ hive. Think ya can do that?”

Apple Bloom scrunched her muzzle as she delved deep in thought. On one hoof, she really didn’t want to leave her family. They were all she ever had, during the seven years she had spent with them. On the other hoof, her big sis went somewhere, hidden or lost, or both. She loved her big sister more than anything in the world, even as hardy as her noggin could be at times.

She then thought to her friends. The Cutie Mark Crusaders. If she leaves, she wouldn’t be around with them anymore. No more crusading for their cutie marks, no more brainstorming for ideas in the little clubhouse they painstakingly refurbished with their own three hooves. Hard as it might be, she dared to admit that she missed the sticky tree sap that they would somehow end up in after every crusading session.

But if she stayed, she wouldn’t be with her family again for Celestia knows when. She had a lot of fun living among changelings, and she was proud to admit that. Learning how to hold secrets, how to project a confident false persona, how to sneak around undetected, and how to spot disguised ‘lings amongst ponies. The combination was how she evaded the whole Chrysalis’ invasion by pretending to be a changeling stuck in her disguise, while wheeling her two friends out of combat with a food cart into a walk-in fridge. She also learned how to trick ponies to do her bidding, which was how she acquired the more dubious crusading materials like nitrate explosives, a military grade cannon, and others.

“Awright, Big Mac,” Apple Bloom conceded, before she started trotting to the nearest changeling of her hive. “But ya hafta promise ta send me letters on yer whole changeling business.”

“Eeyup!” Big Mac chirped as he trotted along. He looked at the smiling little filly, then to distant crowd once more, before turning back to their interrogation target. Applejack gosh-darned Apple, where in granny’s sagging hips are you? He internally cursed, as he worries for the farmmare.

~~~~~~

“...and thus ends one chapter of our life, and begins another for a better future. For changelinity, love, and harmony: EVERYLING, TAKE FLIGHT AND MOVE OUT!”

With his speech finished, King Crimson cracked his elytra open, revealing transparent yellow wings with sharp edges, pockmarked with holes unique to changelings. Under his lead, him and the other changeling queens took flight, hovering in the air several stories tall.

Lighting their horns, their wings glowed along with it, and they took off up above, with five colourful explosions trailing behind their spontaneous sonic booms. Love it or hate it, the crowd of hundred thousands watching the changelings’ mass exodus couldn’t help but watch in both awe, relief, and fear at the prismatic display of power in wake of their leave.

A purple trail looped around towards the north as Queen Phasmid led her changelings way up north towards the frozen lands. To the left of the compass, Queen Vespidae did the loop towards the West as her green trail led her changelings towards the undiscovered, unexplored West. Trailing down, ‘Granny Smith’ looped around, leaving a red trail towards the dry, sandy South, leading her hat-wearing swarm down to the deserts.

Three trails of yellow, white, and grey looped towards the East, taking with them a massive collective swarm comprised of King Crimson, Queen Clypeus, and Queen Hemocoel’s hives. While none of them were under obligations to share where they were heading, Clypeus made it clear her hive would be heading to Zebrica, and predictions stated that one of the other two would settle down in Griffonia.

After two weeks of tense, uneasy truce between the crowd of ponies and the evicted changelings, the latter’s leave barely made a dent in the solemn atmosphere ravaging all across Equestria. Nearly every single pony had one family member, a friend, or the very least acquaintance who were revealed as changelings. Some of the more afflicted ponies swallowed the hard pill and followed after their family to an unknown future surrounded by black bugs of whichever hive they entered. Most stayed in Equestria, with hollowness gaping within their hearts and souls, and a sense of betrayal engulfing them.

Beyond the colourful display, quietness seeped in as reality oh so slowly trickled into their psyche. The changelings were now gone, and with them, their former friends/family members.

The biggest loss was not Fancy Pants, who was claimed as the most important pony in Equestria. It was neither Hay Bales, Sapphire Shores, nor anypony else. It was a certain orange earth pony mare of humble origins, best friends with five other mares, all but one of them of insignificant origins.

Twilight Sparkle paced around the clearing she and her friends settled upon to oversee the changeling ‘migration’. Her ears were flopped down to the sides of her head. Her eyes twitched as if they’re seized and electrocuted. Unruly curling strands of hair sprung forth from her mostly straight mane and tail. Her magic flickered in and out like a bulb barely holding on to life.

“I just don’t get it!” she exclaimed, stomping a hoof to the ground. “We asked everywhere around all six hives for the past two weeks, and not a single changeling knew of Applejack! Not even Big Mac and Apple Bloom found anything significant.”

“It is extremely depressing indeed,” Rarity said with a tired frustration. “Really, it’s as if they were keeping her whereabouts a secret. Although, come to think about it, them being changelings will naturally have them experts in secrecy.”

“Argh, this is ridiculous! Everything about these changeling problems is making my head spin! Why would they even shelter her whereabouts? It’s not like she’s needed for literally the Elements itself!” Rainbow exclaimed, throwing her hooves around as she hovered seeral hooves above ground.

“Boasting aside, I agree. What do they even gain by not letting a member of world-saviours do their job? It’s not like we’re going to hate her for what she is?” Twilight claimed, before chuckling nervously under Fluttershy’s deadpan gaze. The butter mare in question snapped out of her confidence and wilted herself.

Pinkie gulped a cupcake she was chewing before opening up. “I mean, what if she really wasn’t in the hives, and instead when she ran away from quote-unquote, Daybreaker, she went the opposite way and is somehow still in Equestria?”

“Pinkie, that’s impossible. The magical promise the six queens made bind each and every changeling under their jurisdiction to subconsciously gather on the very territory we’re overlooking. It’s how we can distinguish them and Chrysalis’ changelings: those who are still here are up for capture,” Twilight explained.

“I have to agree with Pinks here, Twilight. I don’t know squat of your magic shmagic, but she’s not in the hives, so she MUST be somewhere else around here! She wouldn’t escape by air since the Griffon volunteers made sure our airspace is airtight, and as good as she is, I don’t think she can walk for two weeks without being spotted by anypony,” Rainbow said.

“Well, while I wouldn’t walk across Equestria without any luggage, where would our dear Applejack even go? Most nearby towns and countries already knew of the situation, and I doubt any of them would take in any changelings yet,” Rarity added.

“She can theoretically reach the southern deserts in a week, although that wouldn’t be the best way to escape. The undiscovered West is as dangerous as it is unknown. The frozen north is farther than two weeks, and she couldn’t escape east without being spotted, especially if she were to take a ferry into Griffonia.” Twilight slumped into a fetal position as her body jittered. “I just don’t know how to approach this… She could be anywhere!”

Pinkie patted Twilight’s head. “Aww, cheer up Twilight. If my Pinkie Sense is to go by, I know that she’s still somewhere in Equestria.”

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better…” Twilight mumbled from within her hooves.

“U- umm, Twilight? If I may?” A certain butter mare raised a hoof.

“Yes, Fluttershy, go ahead and speak up.”

“I- I- umm, so I overheard certain things… from ‘Granny Smith’, when I stayed back with her, and I- I don’t know, but it might be related,” Fluttershy meekly admitted.

Twilight teleported from her little corner of despair into just in front of Fluttershy, the purple mare and butter mare touching on their snouts. “Yes! Anything! Just tell me, please!”

Fluttershy flinched and flew back several steps, before calming her breath. “I- well, she said something of a small ceremonial disownage.” The butter mare straightened her posture as her mind forgot her startle in favour of biological facts she lived her life for. “A changeling princess will be legally disowned as a coming of age ceremony. Their family will still love them, and they will still grow with them, but legally they’re not part of the hive. It’s a tradition which I assume has to do with them raising their own hives as an independent queen.”

Twilight hummed as she wrote what Fluttershy said. “Thank you for that piece of information, but I fail to see what this has to do with anything.”

“Cmon now, bookwormy pony Twiley, think about it,” Pinkie said. Twilight scrunched her muzzle from the nickname. “If changeling princesses are not legally part of the hive, and the magical promise thingy was made from a legal statement by the queens and king, they might have anticipated this and swore the promise in a certain way so it wouldn’t exactly involve these princesses. I can't imagine ‘Granny Smith’ making AJ leave us, after all, and since you said she practically led the entire negotiations to her favour, it might be possible that there are still changeling royalties in Equestria here, and I’m not only talking about big ol’ meanie Chryssie.”

Everypony’s jaw drops hearing Pinkie’s shockingly thorough explanation. “P- Pinkie, how? I mean, that actually makes so much sense! But, how?” Twilight asked.

Pinkie rolled her eyes with a happy smirk. “Oh come on, just because I often talk about parties and fun, doesn’t mean I don’t read. My tiny gator, Gummy, loves detective stories, and I would pick up useful things from whatever troubles Coltan Edogaita or Sherlock Horse got themselves into.” She popped another cupcake into her mouth. “Yew showwd rewd mrrw fwcthwn, Thwwlghwt.”

“...I’ll consider it,” was all Twilight could respond with before she shook the cobwebs of incredulity out of her head. “Wait, if there are still changelings in Equestria, shouldn’t we inform the princesses about this?”

“I believe we should, because at this point, I can’t stand not knowing where Applejack is. For all we know, she might be out there, somewhere, all dirty and scruffed up, without even her favourite hat! Simply horrendous!” Rarity exclaimed, leading the eye-rolling group towards the raised pedestal where the princesses oversaw the changeling exodus.

They felt a bit bad for relying on the princesses once more, even after they showed signs of extreme fatigue and frustration, but they really couldn’t help but ask her for guidance. The five agreed that if Equestria wasn’t stabilized soon, it would bring chaos to the whole nation in scales only precedented by the Reign of Discord, and he was the God of Chaos himself.

And to do their part, they just have to find their friend and let the Elements be complete once more.

[OLD] Chapter (x + 1): Float, Flutter, Fly

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