The sensation that stirs me awake the most is a splitting headache. As I rouse further, I notice that the pain is in an even more specific area. The right side of my head in particular. I also feel a very cold sensation in that same area. It's numbing the pain a bit.

I groan as I turn in somepony's bed. As I do so, that cold sensation on the pained side of my head slides off. My eyes slowly flutter awake.

“Sweetie Belle? Is that you?” I hear Ocellus from somewhere in the room.

“Yeh . . . yeah,” I groan with a croaked voice. Now my voice sounds even more alien to my own except for some times when I'm really sick. “What's, ah . . . what's going on? Where am I?”

I peek my eyes open in time to notice Ocellus several feet to the left of me. At first she is sitting upright on a wooden chair and reading a book, but she soon set it aside, gets off the chair, then trots over to me. Once she arrives, she takes a deep sniff near my vicinity. At first I am confused and a bit creeped out until I see her smile and happily proclaim, “It is you, Sweetie Belle! Welcome back!” Her joy sinks to concern as she asks, “What is the last thing you remember?”

I frown as I answer, “The entity inside of me attacking Starlight. I tried to fight him and I think I succeeded for a few moments. After that, I conked out for some reason and woke up here.”

Ocellus looks surprised as she says, “You remember that much? Then you were conscious and aware while the other entity took over your body.”

“Actually, I think it's his body,” I correct. “I think I'm the invader here, albeit an unwilling one.”

“That's probably true,” Ocellus accepts in a somewhat spooked tone.

I wince again as the pain on the side of my right head pulses a bit.

“Careful,” Ocellus cautions. “Starlight bumped you on the noggin pretty hard in order to knock you unconscious. That probably saved her life. Maybe even yours.”

“Again, where am I?” I ask as I take another look around the room. Now that my eyes are adjusting to the gloom, I can see more details. Some of the things I see of note is a sign on the wall that is an equal sign but it is circled and crossed out. I also see several kinds of kites in the room, a desk with stacks of books, a mirror with lots of pictures on it.

I smile to myself as I realize where I am. All of these clues are actually pretty helpful.

“You're in Starlight's room,” Ocellus answers which is no longer necessary to say, unbeknownst to her.

“Yeah. I figured that out.”

“Starlight decided to take you here as you recover,” the changeling explains. “After all, she doesn't have to ask anypony else’s permission to loan you her own room.”

“Is Twilight . . .?” I ask with strong concern but I'm too nervous to even finish asking that question.

Ocellus applies a hoof softly to my hard chitin chest as she assures me, “Twilight will be just fine. Fortunately for her, the attack against her missed her heart. Also, Starlight teleported herself and Twilight off at Zecora's and just dumped Twilight off there without much of a word. She came back after you seconds after dumping off Twilight.

“But I have a more updated report since then. Zecora has tended to Twilight's most critical wounds. It is enough to stabilize her. With continued tender care, she'll make a full recovery at some unspecified time. Zecora thinks it will be less than a moon.”

I visibly relax quite a bit further but not completely since I still have other concerns. Because of that, I ask, “And what about Starlight herself? Her horn was still healing so I'm concerned she damaged it further. Plus there is what I did . . . or rather, what the entity inside me did to her.”

Ocellus sighs as she looks at the exit to the room and announces, “I can't say she's completely fine either physically or psychologically.” Ocellus looks back at me. “But the good news is it doesn't seem like any lasting harm is caused. Using her horn as soon as she did very likely delayed her full recovery some.” Ocellus shook her head. “But that was an emergency. If she hadn't done what she did, Twilight might have died and the evil changeling would have escaped with you.”

The moment Ocellus mentioned the mere possibility of Twilight dying, I immediately tear up. It's almost a reflex reaction to take one of the pillows beside me and squash it in front of my face. Doing so causes me to soak the pillow in tears.

“Sweetie Belle, she's fine!” Ocellus reassures me more firmly. “Both mares should make a full recovery eventually.”

“This whole situation is so messed up!” I moan into the pillow which greatly muffles my voice. “I don't want this! I don't want to hurt anypony!”

“You didn't! You're the victim here. No pony has forgotten that. Neither have I.”

I remove the pillow from my face so I can see Ocellus more clearly and so I can breathe more easily. I then ask her, “What's going on now? If I am in Starlight's room then where is she?”

“She's talking with your parents, the last I checked,” Ocellus answers. “Rarity, Trixie, and I think maybe even Sunburst are all discussing the situation together along with Starlight and your parents. It's quite likely Starlight is not telling your parents everything. After all, it is unnecessary to frighten them with all of the details. That said, both she and her staff will get everything all straightened out with your parents. Before the end of the day, I'm sure they will very clearly understand that you are Sweetie Belle.”

I widen my eyes as I ask, “Then-”

“However,” Ocellus interrupts, “Starlight wants you to continue to be supervised by someone fully appraised of all of the dangerous details. It's more than a little likely you'll continue to be staying at Rarity's when you make a more full recovery here. As for me, I am even more firmly assigned to watch over you because I'm one of few who can detect the shift in personality from you.” I notice her grow much more nervous as she says, “And I am at least decently capable of matching his capabilities since I can shapeshift as well. That puts me on potentially even hoofing.”

“But?” I probe since I sense her nervousness.

Ocellus opens her mouth but pauses when we both hear a knock on the door. We both look at it simultaneously. Ocellus also calls aloud, “Yes?”

“I'm coming in,” Starlight announces outside the door. Her voice is a bit muffled because of that, but she does open the door after that with her hoof. She pushes it inward using her face then enters the room. She looks at me then brightens with relief. “Oh good. You are awake.”

“How did you know before this?” Ocellus asks the older mare. “You're timing is almost too perfect. Sweetie Belle awoke only a few minutes ago.”

“I had a spell layered on the bed which served to alert me if she had awakened,” Starlight answers then gives a concerned look to Ocellus as she asks the younger changeling nervously, “This is Sweetie Belle . . . right?”

“As far as I can tell, yes,” Ocellus confirms. “Her pheromones smell just like Sweetie Belle.” She smiles fondly as she further reports, “Which is actually a very sweet scent, just like her namesake.”

“That's good to hear,” Starlight says with relief as she shuts the door to her room with a back kick of a hoof. After that, she looks at it and layers some kind of spell over the door.

“Ocellus has been telling me that you were speaking to and explaining the situation to my parents,” I bring up. “How did it go?”

Starlight looks at me with a half frown as she answers, “The two words I can think of that best describes their situation is 'grief' and 'regret'. They are mortified by what has happened to you and strongly regret yelling at you. We had to hold them back from charging into this room in their determination to apologize and see you, but I convinced them that you needed to be monitored for health reasons. Which is true . . . but there are other concerns in play as well.”

Starlight looks at Ocellus and says to the younger changeling, “Ocellus, you need to know that I not only locked the door to this room, but I also layered it with a spell which will ensure we have audible privacy in this room. I did that because I have a strong hunch you have some idea what's going on here. You've been squirming in discomfort for a while now. Please share with me what you know. Anything might help.”

True to Starlight's word, I see Ocellus squirm in discomfort the moment this subject arose.

“Please, Ocellus. I have to know what's going on,” Starlight begs.

“Did you write a letter to King Thorax like I asked you to?” Ocellus checks.

“Yes,” Starlight assures. “He should be getting it any moment now. Spike must have sent it by dragon fire by now.”

Ocellus rubs the side of her head with a hoof as she says, “Good, because, by now, we definitely know there is a rogue changeling ahoof. And, unfortunately, it is sharing a body with Sweetie Belle even as we speak.” She shakes her head nervously. “Sweetie is in charge for now but there's no telling when that might change.” She looks at Starlight squarely as she adds, “And Starlight . . . I'm very afraid that, if he does wake up, I'd have no more luck stopping him than I could stop an avalanche.”

“Why?” Starlight asks the changeling. “You seem to know something about him. Something that makes you very afraid of him.”

Ocellus cringes as she says, “It's just a hunch, but everything I saw about him earlier and what I've heard since matches a rumor of a certain legend we changelings used to tell each other.”

When Ocellus pauses, Starlight bids, “Go on,” with a circular wave of a hoof.

Ocellus sighs, then says, “Mind you . . . it's just a legend. None of the hive ever knew if it was true.”

“Legend of what?” Starlight prompts.

Again Ocellus hesitates before saying, “Forgive me for being so reluctant to cover this subject, Starlight, but I've been heavily conditioned into this. What I'm about to tell you . . . both of you, actually . . . is no official secret of the hive per se. Rather it's a more unofficial secret stemming back from the olden days when Queen Chrysalis used to rule the hive.

“You see, there was a legend among the hive of an elite group of changelings. According to the legend, they had the best training in every regard. They were also raised separately from the rest of the hive so they'd have no social ties to the rest of us.” Ocellus waves a hoof. “Absolutely nothing was supposed to compromise their mission objectives. They were our most elite changelings. The best shapeshifters, the best infiltrators, the best impersonators. According to rumor, they could mimic someone so perfectly that even their closest friends and relatives couldn't tell the difference.”

“That seems far-fetched,” Starlight says skeptically.

“There's more,” Ocellus continues. “According to those rumors, this elite group of changelings could master their shapeshifting powers to extremes that not even Queen Chrysalis could match. Examples of that are morphing individual body parts to become anything and they do it instantly without the tell-tale magical flash that gives away the use of our changeling magic. Furthermore, it is said that they could even mimic supernatural powers of other races such as the stoning stare of a cockatrice.”

This new announcement alarms Starlight. She widens her eyes and no longer seems skeptical.

“But it is unusual for a member of that organization to be that blatant, if they exist at all,” Ocellus goes on to say. “They are supposed to be absolutely perfect spies. Spies who are so good at their job that they leave no trace of their existence. Every single trace of their existence is painstakingly eliminated . . . at least according to rumor. Any evidence, no matter how slight, is destroyed without mercy. Because of that, it was uncertain, even among us changelings, if they even existed at all.

“Many at the hive really didn't believe in them. They said no changeling can possibly be that perfect. Some thought the rumor was just a scare tactic that our great mother must have spread to both inspire and cow us. This organization, if it existed, was supposed to be absolutely loyal to the queen. They were her ultimate enforcers. The ones who silence any sign of rebellion against her in the hive. They were the secret police force that could be hiding behind any face, any object, any corner or shadow, and they seemed to have ears and eyes everywhere! To even whisper their name was a punishable offense.

“And that, in turn, is why I'm reluctant to speak of them now. Even now I feel that same kind of terror that once plagued me when I was a grub. The mythical and all-too-perfect sect of changelings who somehow always found out if rumors about them were growing too blatant. To this day, the one and only piece of evidence we regular changelings have ever gathered that confirms their existence is unfortunate accidents keep on happening to any changeling that dares to say their name!” Ocellus gives a dismissive wave as she adds, “When that happened one or two times, we dismissed that as a coincidence . . . but it kept on happening! Every single time a grub would dare another grub to say their name aloud, they always suffered an unfortunate accident without fail! By that, I mean absolutely one-hundred percent of the time! Their track record was too perfect on this account to dismiss the possibility of their existence.”

We stare at each other in a spooked moment of silence, broken first by Starlight as she asks, “I suppose, for that very reason, you're unwilling to say the name of their organization now?”

Ocellus shakes her head as she confirms, “I'm sorry, Starlight, but I am not that brave. Even now I'm still too afraid to speak their name out loud.”

“Then mimic the name of their organization with charade,” Starlight suggests. “Is there some form you can take that might mimic the name of their organization? If we say it out loud and you don't, will that be fine?”

Ocellus cringes as she still looks reluctant to cooperate with that request but I also see a flash of respect in her eyes towards Starlight as if she thought that was a clever suggestion.

Then Ocellus gives it some further thought before nodding to herself and transforming into what I can best describe as a foalish image of a ghost costume insofar as it looks like herself but with a bedsheet over her and three holes carved out for her eyes and mouth.

“Costume?” I ask. Ocellus shakes her head. “Bedsheet?” I guess again which provokes the same response. “Nightmare Night?” Another no.

“Ghost?” Starlight guesses. Ocellus looks at Starlight then firmly nods yes before morphing the costume away.

“That, however, is the singular term,” Ocellus elaborates. “If you are referring to a specific agent of their organization then use that term. If, however, you are using it in a plural sense by referring to the entire organization then use the plural version of that word.”

“Ghosts?” Starlight figures. “The name of their organization is Ghosts?”

Ocellus cringes visibly each time Starlight says that name but she also nods yes.

“They are phantoms and specters,” Ocellus confirms. “That which should not exist but always successfully punishes others for mentioning their name. An organization of changelings too perfect to be believable and yet . . .”

“And yet what we saw this changeling do yesterday demands an explanation,” Starlight concludes as she looks over at me. “It's frightening to think a changeling that good was hiding under our very muzzles, but it's perfectly understandable how they eluded our attention for this long if they really are that good.”

Starlight puts a hoof to her chin as she gives a thoughtful look before lowering her hoof to the ground and saying, “I'm willing to believe that they do exist and that they are an especially well-trained group of changelings, but perfect?” She shakes her head. “No, but I can see the incentive why they'd spread that rumor, or even if Queen Chrysalis supported that rumor. I see every motivation in her favor for wanting her army to believe she had this secret and invincible group of enforcers that would always punish the wayward changelings who dares to even consider crossing her. She rules through fear and intimidation so it's perfectly in character to believe she'd support and exaggerate this rumor.”

“I don't think he's invincible,” I say aloud, “but he might be less mortal than you suspect. One time Ocellus managed to score a good hit on him with a claw attack.” I look at Ocellus as I ask her, “Do you remember that?”

Ocellus nods with a guilty expression on her face. “I do,” she confirms. “And I'm so sorry that I hurt you.”

My expression softens as I tell her, “Oh, that's alright. I forgive you because I know you were just trying to stop him. After what he did to Twilight, I wanted him to be stopped, even if it means hurting me.” I wave them off with a hoof. “But my point is, after he knocked you unconscious, he actually morphed the wound away.”

Starlight looks surprised for a moment, but thoughtful in the next moment before saying, “Technically, I suppose any changeling could do that. They morph themselves all the time. All they'd have to do is change their shape to that of an unwounded state.”

Ocellus hisses through her teeth before saying, “Yeah, but that is very, very hard because we're wounded first, right? We have to fight through that haze of pain in order to concentrate enough on the next shape we wish to shift in. Under those circumstances, it's very hard. The greater the pain, the harder it is for us to concentrate.”

“And you managed to knock him out,” I point out to Starlight. “So, apparently, there are limits to that ability even for a potentially elite changeling. They have to concentrate to morph the wound away. If they get knocked out first then that disables their ability to concentrate.”

Starlight nods at me as she says, “Right. That makes perfect sense. I'm sure a changeling would have to visualize the form they wish to take before they can morph, even if it's the same form they already have except in a perfectly sound state.” She points to her horn before saying, “It's just like what I have to do with my magic before I cast a spell.”

“That's correct,” Ocellus agrees as she looks at me. “For you to change your shape, you also have to visualize the shape you wish to take. You have to visualize the color, weight, smell, sound, texture, clothing. Everything.” She taps her head three times before saying, “That's tricky at first to visualize and hold all of those details in one's mind and to do that as a perfectly 3-D image. Every angle all around the new form has to be visualized in your mind simultaneously. It does get easier eventually but it takes lots of practice at first. That's why most changelings experiment with forms with more simple shapes and colors first. It's easier to visualize like that. For example . . .” Ocellus morphs into a mirror-like spherical ball about the size of a bowling ball for a second before morphing back. “See? Attempting to simulate simple shapes and colors gets your muscles used to the process. As you grow more accustomed to that, you can later take on more complex shapes.”

“Uh . . . is it hard to breathe as an inanimate object?” I ask with worry. “The shape you just took didn't have a mouth or a nose. It didn't have ears or eyes either so does that also mean you were deaf and blind during that moment?”

“Yes,” Ocellus answers me, “but one gets used to it. There are other ways to sense one's environment and sometimes you can sneak eyes or ears onto the object.

“As for breathing, no. I couldn't breathe, but nor did I need to. I had no heart, lungs, blood vessels, and whatnot during that moment. I could have remained in that form indefinitely.”

“Would your aging cease too?” I ask curiously.

“Um . . . no. I think we still age,” Ocellus says but with some degree of uncertainty. “Our changeling magic continues to age even if the form we take does not. We can hold a new form for a pretty long time but we can't truly do it forever.”

“Be that as it may, we still have to decide what to do about our little guest inside Sweetie Belle,” Starlight says aloud. “He was extremely dangerous. I noted how he was quite proficient with magic too. That doesn't seem like a common trait for changelings but this one had no trouble with his magic. I'm even convinced he's capable of advanced spells. No ordinary spellcaster could disable Twilight's magical lock that easily.”

“Best of the best,” Ocellus reminds Starlight. “We're all capable of using our horns technically but most of our race doesn't know how. But if indeed a secret group of elite changelings exists out there, you can bet they were pushed to the absolute limit of our mortal potential.”

Starlight sighs, then admits, “Try as I might, I can't easily come up with a strategy to safely contain a being that good. Not without resorting to some options that I'm unwilling to subject Sweetie Belle to. Say what you will about changeling hibernating slime cocoons, but I sure wish we had access to something like that right now.” She looks at Ocellus hopefully. “I don't suppose you could-”

“Please don't ask me that,” Ocellus requests with a pained squint. “First of all, I hardly had any practice doing that. Secondly, I don't have the heart to do that to Sweetie Belle. She has suffered enough as it is.”

Starlight nods sadly as she looks down then admits, “I know what you mean.” She sighs, then looks back and forth between us as she says, “Then I guess it's back to square one. We'll just have to closely monitor Sweetie Belle for any signs of trouble.” She looks at Ocellus squarely as she tells the young changeling, “I'll leave that to you for now.”

“By the way, I have to ask you, Starlight, how did you find me?” I wonder aloud. “I remember how you tracked me down somehow. The entity within me was confused about that, too.”

Starlight widens her eyes at me as she asks, “You sensed his thoughts at that time?”

I nod.

“Ooo, that is a vital detail!” Starlight exclaims. “Okay. I want you to write me a detailed essay on everything you caught him thinking about at that time. Any insight you can offer may offer us a critical clue about him later.

“Can you hoofle that, Sweetie Belle?”

“Sure! No problem,” I accept.

Starlight waves a hoof at me dismissively as she says, “As for how I found you, I'll leave that one a mystery just in case any information I share with you has a chance to leak to him.”

“Uhhhhh . . .” I pause as I think about that before nodding. “Yeah. That's probably a good idea.”

Author's Note

Another short chapter, but also important. This one puts an emphasis on Ocellus's knowledge about the organization the culprit might have come from which thereby explains how he was as good as they observed him to be. If all of this is true, it applies more weight to the threat they face, but it's also a possible lead to further answers down the road.