Whew! That was a long day, but it was worth it! I sure do love helping ponies. I sure do love being a Crusader, and I love, love, love doing this kind of work with my dear and cherished friends.

That said, there's just something about the end to a day like this where all the trials and tribulations just sink in and I just have to shake my head and say to myself, “I can't believe I did all that!”

I have no regrets. Absolutely none. But, at the end of the day, the fatigue just sets in and I realize I'm looking forward to rest and relaxation. I'm not as obsessed as my older sister about the Ponyville Spa but days like this sure make me tempted.

Mamma said there'll be days like this.

I'm so grateful to Scootaloo for giving me a ride home like this in her wagon. Apple Bloom simply made her own way home and our clubhouse is closer to her home anyway.

Feeling exhausted, I lean my head back over the rail of the small red wagon I'm being pulled in. For a few seconds, I just sink into a lull while absently listening to the buzzing sound of Scootaloo's wing flaps. Then I open my eyes and behold the curious sight of gazing at Ponyville, a town I know so well like the back of my hoof, except I'm viewing the town from a strange angle. In this case, I am looking at it upside down.

I grin in amusement as I watch everything pass me by from that perspective. The ground is the sky and the sky is the ground. It feels like I might “fall” towards the sky if I don't cling to something real quick, but no pony else looks concerned. They just trot about casually and even happily. Even the earth ponies. They, too, express no concern that they are trotting upside down and might fall into the sky.

Sometimes my sister tells me that I also have the “gift”. That I, too, have the mind and heart of an artist. Rarity does everything she can to encourage that potential unless she's too busy with a job. That happens more often than I care for but it's understandable. My heart glows with pride when I gaze upon her looking upon me in an admiring way as if she's beholding a peer. A fellow artist.

“It really is a different world for us ar-teests, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity once told me. “Because we view the whole world from strange and different angles. Many ponies will not understand you because they can't see the world the way we do. They might look more at form and function rather than the sheer beauty of pure aesthetics, but we have a gift that is very important to offer too. Pinkie Pie's parties can cheer up anywhere between one pony to an entire herd. Conversely, good art, if well displayed, can inspire entire successive generations ongoing.

“But some will understand you, Sweetie Belle. We have a rare gift but it is not unique. Those who don't have our gifts can't understand us, but those who do have the gift have a hard time explaining it to others. After all, art is a very subjective subject, just like the eye of the beholder.”

I smile as I recall that memory. The way my sister phrased it made me feel valuable and special. I seem to do okay at arts and crafts. Some things I am better at than others. For instance, I am heavily into music and singing, but I suppose it is my “artist eye” that has been the most important aspect of my life. It reminds me of something Chip Cutter once said to my friends and I.

“I can't help it. When I look at my sandwich, it's like it's just asking me to turn it into a dragon," Chip admitted to us.

It's taken me a while to realize the talent we Crusaders have isn't unlike Chip Cutter's gift. We see the potential of other ponies and we do what it takes to help them shine! It's such a beautiful thing to behold. It's like polishing a precious gem.

“And we're here,” Scootaloo announces as she stops and pulls off her helmet. She then looks at me over her shoulder.

“What?! Already?” I ask as I sit up straight.

“Yeah. I've been riding here this whole time. Weren't you paying attention?”

“I guess I wasn't,” I reply with a confused blink. “I guess I just spaced out there for a while.”

“After the day we have been having, I suppose I can't blame you,” Scootaloo agrees with a roll of her eyes. “But, anyway, we're here.” She gestures to my home. “Tah-dah!”

“Yeah. Here we are,” I agree as I hop out of the wagon then look back at my friend. “Do you want to come in, Scootaloo? Take a load off for a little while?”

“Nah. I got to get back,” Scootaloo announces as she straps on her helmet again. “I got a few more things I need to do.” She looks back at me and waves goodbye. “I'll see you tomorrow, Sweetie Belle. Take care.”

“Yeah. You too,” I say a little forlornly but I try to hide it behind a brave smile. For some reason, I feel a little uncomfortable watching my friend go right now.

“See yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!” Scootaloo bids as she takes off and quickly zooms out in the distance.

I sigh as I look back to my home. I ask myself what I have to worry about? After all, this is my home and I'm looking forward to relaxing after a hard day's work.

I trot up to the front entrance of my home and use my light green magic to open the door. Once I am inside, I call out, “Hellooooo! I'm hoooooome!”

There is no answer. The house is very quiet. Maybe even a little too quiet.

“Hello?” I start trotting around in the empty house. “Mom? Dad? Is anypony home?”

“Sweeeeeeeetie Beeeeeeeeeelle!” I hear a sinister whisper from somewhere upstairs.

I freeze in an instant. My joints stiffen. All of a sudden it feels like all the warmth of this house vanished. It was already a little eerie seeing it empty and it being so quiet, but the voice I heard a moment ago feels like something sinister has replaced the typically welcome atmosphere I normally sense in this house.

“Heh . . . hello?” I ask in a spooked voice. “Who is there? Show yourself!”

My only response is to hear a slow creaking from the roof above me. It's as if some intruder is slowly applying his or her weight to the floor.

I need an adult!

For a moment I look at the front entrance and exit of my home. I am tempted to bolt out of the house right then and there. I don't care how tired I am anymore. My every instinct is now insisting that I am in terrible danger.

“Sweeeeeeeetie Beeeeeeeeeelle!” the sinister voice repeats from upstairs except it sounds raspier on the second word. “Come. Come hither, my little pony!!”

I gulp and look at the ceiling nervously. A moment later I narrow my eyes a bit as I attempt to harden my resolve.

I'm a big pony now! I can hoofle some things! Time for me to show this monster who is boss.

I trot up the stairs. When I reach the second floor, I pause as I notice creaking emanate in this area once again. I also see the window open across this hallway. The curtains gently flap in the breeze.

I gulp again nervously then continue my way down the hallway. As I do so, I notice that there is only one door open in this hallway. The door that leads to my room.

I use my muzzle to gently nudge the door open. I peek inside rather than enter at first. Doing so reveals to me my room does appear empty, but it also appears disheveled as if somepony was searching through my room and all my stuff.

Have courage, Sweetie Belle. I can do this! I'm a big pony now!

Using my face, I push my door the rest of the way open and step inside. I cautiously examine every detail in my room for the possible intruder.

“Sweetie Belle, over here,” the voice says louder this time because it's closer. I look. When I do, my eyes grow wide as I see the image of a black changeling through the reflection of my vanity mirror.

Is that me?

The image of the changeling approaches as I approach it which only adds to the confusion. Then I tilt my head to the side and notice that, this time, the image does not follow my movements. Instead, he simply narrows his eyes.

“My, my, my. We finally meet,” he says with a sinister hiss. “Welcome. The last time we spoke while Starlight put you under hypnosis, you offered for us to be friends. Tell me, my little pony, is the offer still open?”

“Offer?” I wonder aloud.

I think back to when I last encountered this entity. Doing so causes me to realize that it was when I was put under hypnosis by Starlight Glimmer, just like he said.

And I had a changeling body back then!

I look at my right foreleg right now and notice, to my relief, it is the same white stubby leg as it should be.

“You're asleep, my stupid little pony,” the changeling in the mirror growls in disgust.

A dream?

Oh, that's right! I must be dreaming. I also had other nightmares about this changeling too, but this is the first time we encountered each other directly.

“Why do you ask?” I ask as I look back at the monster in the mirror. “Are you interested in my friendship now?”

He hisses at me in disgust and says in the same tone, “Hardly! Make no mistake, you pathetic little equine! I haven't come to you to make friends! I haven't come to sing 'kum ba yah' or whatever insipid little song you have in that tiny little mind of yours.” He straightens with dignity. “Instead, I have come to make an alliance with you because it has become strategically necessary to do so at this time.”

“It has?” I ask as I narrow one eye at him. “Why? What's changed? You rejected my offer the last time.”

He looks down with a hateful growl, then peers up at me above his head as he says, “For almost a year now I have attempted to cow you into submission. That was the point of all those nightmares before. And, for the longest time, I thought I had succeeded. While I couldn't regain control of my body until Starlight provided me with a choice opportunity, I knew my time would eventually come and I needed your will squashed so it would remain out of my way.

“But, when my time finally came, you stopped me from killing Starlight. You caused me to hesitate and that cost me my victory. I thought I had squashed your will but you fought me hard enough at that moment which gave Starlight the opening she needed.”

He shrugs before going on to say, “In battle, that's all it takes. One moment of weakness . . . just one tiny little error then everything falls apart.” He slams his forehooves on the counter that supports the mirror except he only does it on his side of the reflection. Despite that, my whole dresser on my side of the reflection rattles too as if an invisible ghost had struck it.

“I HATE imperfections like that!” the changeling growls hatefully. “Tiny details like that can unravel everything. The worst part of it is the fact you can do it again. No matter what I do or how well I try to prepare myself, now I have to take into account that you could mess up everything in one moment of weakness.”

He looks down and sighs, then looks back up at me with a softer expression as he says, “So I have since reevaluated the status of our relationship together and I've come to the conclusion that an alliance would be strategically more beneficial to the both of us this time. That is why I've approached you in my true form. No tricks. No gimmicks. Just the naked truth.” He narrows his eyes at me as he growls hatefully before saying, “Be grateful, my little equine, for I absolutely despise presenting myself in my true form. The only reason I'm doing it now is to use this strategy as a bargain chip to win your trust and support in my moment of need.”

“Why should I cooperate with you?!” I snap. “You hurt Princess Twilight, my friend! I will NEVER forgive you for that one!”

“Hurt, yes,” he agrees. “Kill, no. Believe me, little filly, if I wanted her dead . . . she'd be dead.”

“You could have fooled me!” I snap again with an even more aggressive posture.

“I did fool you,” he counters which takes me aback. “That was the true point of the attack. It was a ruse to sidetrack my enemies. Trust me, with the extensive training I have, I could have easily pierced right through her heart but I missed it on purpose because it was strategically sound at the time.”

“Huh?” I ask as I shift my head back a bit.

“Think about it. Princess Twilight Sparkle is more valuable to me alive,” the changeling expresses. “Because, for as long as she lives and the rest of Equestria knows that, I could replace her or manipulate her. But, if I kill her instead, it's an opportunity wasted. Even as chattel, she's too valuable to me for that. Too much love and affection are sent her way. Feasting on her would be like feasting on a whale.” He stands up straighter. “I only did what I did to force my enemies into making a certain choice they couldn't refuse. While I did not kill her outright, I did injure her severely enough that it would leave my other enemies in the room no choice but to prioritize saving her instead of chasing me down. That, in turn, would buy me time to escape.”

“So you only pierced Twilight right through her body and left her bleeding on the floor merely to serve as a distraction?” I ask in horror.

“Yes,” the changeling answers bluntly, “and it worked, but not as well as I hoped. Starlight took care of the situation faster than I had anticipated. Even with that, I figured I could get enough of a lead so she couldn't find me later, especially considering my shapeshifting ability would help me blend in. Somehow, however, she tracked me down anyway. That's when I decided a more permanent solution was required because that was a resource I knew that particular adversary would always have. Worse, she might teach it to other gifted unicorns if she hasn't already. I had to take her out of the equation once and for all.” He waves a hoof. “Twilight I chose to spare because of her strategic value down the road, but Starlight?” He shakes his head. “No. That one I actually was going to kill if you hadn't stopped me.”

“How is telling me this supposed to convince me that we can be allies now?” I ask with disgust and horror. “You just told me that you made a serious attempt against the life of one of my dear friends!”

The changeling turns his head and gazes at me with his right eye only as he says, “The fact that I'm now admitting all of this to you openly should already intrigue you. You may not like me personally and I accept that. I am even glad for that because the thought of making friends with any pathetic creature makes my hide crawl.” He faces me fully. “But that said, you cannot deny that you need to know more. You need to know why I changed my mind all of a sudden. And, considering the growing danger we're both involved in, I now have the incentive to come clean with you.”

“Danger?” I ask while feeling both perplexed and concerned.

“Did it ever occur to you to ask yourself why I was trying to flee and where I was going?” he asks me. “Your friends are not the only ones I'm trying to elude. There is another enemy that lurks in the shadows all around us. A far more powerful and dangerous enemy.” He cuts a hoof across him at chest level. “And it's not just his abilities or training that makes him dangerous but his willingness to do whatever it takes to win. That is why he is more dangerous, and you know what they say: The enemy of my enemy is . . . well,” he grins. “Allies at least, but I wouldn't dare to call us friends. An alliance of convenience is enough to cause me to act.”

“What enemy?” I ask in a spooked tone.

He sighs, then says, “Believe it or not, I am a victim too in this affair. You think I would prefer to be stuck with the mind of a little filly taking over my body? Of course not! But there is another who orchestrated that result exactly, and he is the one you should really fear.”

“What enemy?” I repeat more desperately.

The changeling on the other side of the mirror lifts a hoof as he says, “Before I get to that, you have to promise me that you'll keep this a secret between us. To do otherwise will endanger us both. I'll explain why in a moment so you'll understand why this is the right course of action if you agree.”

I gaze at him suspiciously as I say, “I don't like to promise anything before knowing what I'm getting into.”

“Hmm.” He gives me a contemplative look before saying, “Okay, fair enough, but let me ask you this; little filly, do you wish to die a terrible and painful death?”

“Is that a threat?!” I challenge him.

“No. It is a question. I know it might be difficult for your tiny little mind to keep up, but try to pay attention. Now answer the question! Do you wish to die a terrible and painful death?”

“Who would?” I reflect. “Just so that we're perfectly clear, the answer is no.”

“Alright. Fair enough,” the changeling accepts. “Now same question except it applies to your friends and family. Would you like to see them die a terrible and painful death?”

“No,” I answer simply.

“How about enslavement?” he checks. “Would you prefer that instead?”

“No,” I answer curtly.

“In that case, you already have all the incentive you require to cooperate with me,” the changeling declares as he spreads his forehooves apart and bows to me a bit. “For the true enemy that dogs us does have that fate in mind.” He narrows his eyes at me in smug victory as he asks me, “Do I have your attention and cooperation now?”

“Let's say for the moment you do,” I answer. “What of it?”

He lifts a hoof and insists, “Swear to me that you'll keep this between us first or we'll all suffer the fate I described. Breaking this promise will also accelerate that fate.”

I growl before saying, “Fine! I promise! Now tell me who our true enemy is!”

The changeling slowly lowers his hoof as he examines me for signs of subterfuge. After a moment he sighs a bit as if he did detect some signs that I might not keep my word.

“I just hope, for all our sakes, I can get through to you enough to convince you why cooperating with me is to our mutual benefit.” He pauses for a moment before saying, “Okay. Here it is. The answer you've been waiting for. The true culprit and enemy we're fighting against is . . .” he pauses for a moment for dramatic effect before gesturing to himself, “. . . me.” He shrugs. “Or, rather to say, the true me.”

“Huh?” I ask with a tilt of my head.

“I'm a Mirror Pool clone,” the changeling declares. That revelation does indeed shock me. “And I'm not the only one.” He looks off to his side. “As Ocellus told you earlier, I used to be part of a larger organization formerly known as 'Ghosts'.” He looks back at me. “We were the changeling queen’s top spies and assassins. We were capable of most of what the rumors about us say except we are not that perfect, we aren't as loyal to Queen Chrysalis as the rumors say we are, or at least I am not, and . . .” He pauses for a moment as he chuckles before further declaring, “. . . there was only ten of us in our organization.” He grows a very evil smirk. “Can you imagine it? Just a group of ten elite changelings was enough to inspire terror and control in the rest of the hive.” He narrows his eyes in anger. “That is, until the rest of the hive decided to have the world’s biggest explosive therapy session. Ever since then, the other Ghosts have split up and gone into hiding.” He shakes his head. “Currently I don't know where they are.”

On the other side of the mirror, he looks straight up as he takes a deep intake of breath, holds it, then slowly exhales as he looks back at me.

“Try to imagine that, little filly. We used to be one of the fiercest armies on the planet. We inspired fear and fed on love. We were a tight unit, but now most of the hive has changed into pansy losers and I've lost track of the rest of the Ghosts. We do our job way too well. Without Chrysalis and her army holding us together, we've scattered on the winds.

“So, here my original was, all by himself with very few options. He no longer had the other Ghosts to back him up, his queen got lost then stoned, and the rest of the hive is now the enemy, so what does he do?” He shrugs. “Why he makes a new army of course.”

“An army of Mirror Pool clones?” I ask in horror. “An army of himself?”

“An army of elite trained changelings, my dear,” the monster in the mirror elaborates. “We can assume any form and we do it especially well. We could replace the population of an entire town and the rest of the world would be none the wiser.”

“Then what do I have to do with all of this?” I ask. “And why are you telling me this now? Why are you against yourself?”

He sighs in annoyance as he looks down for a moment, then looks back at me with a halting gesture as he says, “The answer to your first question is . . . well, actually, Starlight was right. You were a convenient target to ponynap at the time. That's it. That's your only strategic value. Well, that and the fact it was believed you'd be easier to control. A filly we considered weaker and more impressionable. That, in turn, meant we thought we could mold you better later. That is important for the early phases of our new experiment.

“I'd like to point out that the exact timing of your ponynapping was during the crisis before Twilight's coronation. Do you remember when the three tribes of ponies were against each other all of a sudden?”

“Yeah,” I recall with sad regret.

He shakes his head as he says, “Before you ask, no. I wasn't part of that ploy, but I can no longer speak for my brethren.

“However, what I did do, or rather to say my original self did, was ponynap you during a moment of high confusion and distraction.” He shakes his head while wearing a gleeful expression. “It was a golden opportunity my original was only too happy to avail himself of. You were missing for a few days and no pony suspected that a changeling ponynapped you. Instead, your kind erroneously blamed that missing case on either the pegasi or the earth ponies. Actually, any pony other than themselves, but really,” he waves me off, “of all of pony kind, your kind truly are the greatest elitist pricks. I actually kind of admire you for that.

“But I digress.

“You were ponynapped in order to test a new experiment my original was working on. An experiment to see if he could remain in control as he made a Mirror Pool clone of himself but push your mind into it. During that time, he still had access to your original body and my mind that used to be stuck in it but still had a distant link with my body. The idea was to use your mind as the perfect cover. You unwittingly used my changeling magic to morph into your own form but, since you were unaware you were a changeling by then, you didn't use those powers to morph into anything else.

“Meanwhile, my mind was stuck in your pathetic body until recently. There I remained until Button Mash's consciousness pushed me out. When that happened, my consciousness more fully merged in this body but I still annoyingly could not control my body. You continued to remain firmly in the driver's seat.”

“Why all this subterfuge?” I ask.

“We, or rather to say my original self, experimented on you so that he could duplicate this experiment safely on higher priority targets,” he answers. “That is the scheme he was working up to as long as one critical detail was in place. He would hide their original bodies in his lair while their minds are hidden within changeling bodies, but they don't know it. Meanwhile the clone's minds remained within their original body which still has a link to the cloned changeling. Through that, my original self can usurp control of us at any time or at least subconsciously manipulate the victim from a distance. All he'd have to do is whisper a suggestion into the ear of their true bodies and the victim's mind would think they came up with a brilliant idea all on their own. If that is not enough, he could assume direct control.”

“If all of this is true, why are you helping me?”

He presses both of his hooves on the dresser and presses down on it hard as he glares at me while answering, “Because I despise higher authority!” He leans back and relaxes a bit as he goes on to say, “My original self does too. He hated being under the hoof of Queen Chrysalis. He still obeyed her, but he secretly despised her. Knowing that trait is and was within himself, he also knew that his own clones would feel that way about him, so he devised an elaborate strategy to surgically implant himself through other victims while holding tight to the reins himself.”

“Then you hate yourself,” I realize. “As in, you hate your original self.”

“Bingo,” he confirms. “Now you're catching on. Despite being somewhat aware of his plans and why he is doing this, I still despise being under anyone's hoof and he knows that.” He boldly points out the reflection of my window in the mirror while still focusing on me. “He understands that I'm an unwilling victim because he knows he'd feel that way himself if our situation were reversed, yet he continues forward with the plan anyway in order to accomplish his ultimate objective.”

“Which is?” I probe with a nervous squint to my face.

“I understand you might consider this hypocritical after saying I don't like to be ruled by authority, but he wants to be the ruler of everything. So much the better to ensure he is never ruled again himself. He'd be willing to enslave the entire planet if he has to just to make sure there is no chance of him being bossed around again. Plus,” he lifts a hoof, “do you remember what Ocellus said about the fact that our race is in danger of extinction because Queen Chrysalis is the only known changeling capable of creating more eggs to hatch our kind?”

“Yes,” I confirm with a nod. “I remember.”

“Well my original self is very concerned about that fact as well,” he tells me. “Frankly, so am I. We're still agreeing on that point.

“Anyway, his plan is to free Queen Chrysalis, if he hasn't already, but not to put her in charge again. Instead of that, he plans to lobotomize her in order to use her as a brainless and emotionless baby factory. He plans to automate her like a machine as much as possible so that the future of our race will be secure without the hassles we suffered in the past.”

“Geeze!” I exclaim in shock. “That is so dark!”

He shrugs as he proclaims, “I've been conditioned to not care for the fate of others a long time ago. So extreme is that conditioning that I wouldn't even care about the feelings of my own clones if I was in his place. The problem with that plan is I am in my place right now so I'm compelled to rebel.”

“But why is all this necessary?” I ask with a shake of my head. “You guys discovered and are utilizing the Mirror Pool. With it, you can make as many changelings as you want! I heard even Pinkie Pie's clones could use the Pool themselves, so nothing is stopping you from doing the same thing.”

“Think about it for a second,” the changeling encourages as he leans forward for a second then points out the window again while still keeping his eyes locked on me. “Every single one of those clones is the exact same age. Now they could disguise themselves as any age from that point. They could disguise themselves as a yearling like the Cake twins or seem as old as Granny Smith.” He shakes his head. “But none of that would change how old we truly are. We can simulate other ages but we still die when our time has come. Only Chrysalis knows how to avoid that fate and I think it's because she's the original changeling. That's also why she is the only fertile changeling. Queen Chrysalis can literally morph fertilized eggs within her own body at will. She can also morph herself into a younger state and that actually sticks, although she also must do it on occasion or else even she would actually age to death just like the rest of us.

“Now, I figure she either wanted to make lesser copies of herself so that she would remain in charge or she truly can't make an equal like herself even if she wanted to.” He shakes his head. “Either way, she's made peace with that fact a long time ago and happily ruled over all of us while it lasted.

“But, as for my original's Mirror Pool clones, nothing can stop us from aging to death. The moment the first of us dies of old age, the rest of us will soon be behind because we're all that old. So,” he shrugs, “while the Mirror Pool strategy is useful for making an instant and highly trained army, it isn't useful as a long-term solution for the survival of our race. For that, we need another solution, and for that, he needs an army to either bully or scheme his way to victory. Either strategy could work but his upbringing encourages subtlety, for unaware enemies won't even attempt to rebel because they don't realize they are in danger in the first place.” He shrugs before adding, “At least, not until it's too late.”

He shakes his head before he goes on to say, “And all he cares about is victory, not fair play or honor. After all, it is the victors who write the story and he plans to be the last one standing.”

“But why would you want to tell me this secret?” I ask. “I'm just a little filly! What can I do?”

He sighs before telling me, “The reason I'm telling you all of this is because you remain in control of my body. I have to work through you to accomplish anything in the waking world. Since our situation is quickly growing more urgent as well, I need to secure your cooperation sooner rather than later.

“I'll admit that my original plan was to cow you into submission and resume control of my original body upon my first available opportunity, but for multiple reasons, that's already proven to be a bust.” He shakes his head. “I can't afford the risks of attempting again to accumulate. It took me almost a year to get my first window of opportunity anyway. That's too rare to expect another chance anytime soon. I don't think we have that kind of time anymore anyway.

“As for why you need to keep this a secret between us, the answer is there is no telling how many of your friends and family have already been replaced. Any secret you tell them might leak back to our true enemy. Furthermore, the more you blab your mouth like that, the more he'll grow suspicious of how you came about this information. For the moment he has every reason to believe that I'm dead ever since Button Mash took over your body instead of me which is definitely not part of his master plan. He has no way of knowing for sure that I got squeezed here instead unless you get stupid and blab this secret to the wrong pony. Even if you tell one who didn't get replaced, it's only a matter of time before that information falls in the hooves of the enemy.”

I frown as I ask, “But again, what can I do? I'm just one little filly!”

“A filly who has a secret ally who just happens to be one of the most elite trained changelings,” he announces emphatically, “and our true enemy doesn't know that.” He lifts a hoof. “Secrecy will be key to victory. We must maintain the element of surprise until the right moment.”

“And then?” I check.

“I'm still working on that,” he admits, “but I know it has something to do with finding his new lair and freeing all of the captured victims there. I know you'd approve of that part of the plan too for personal reasons, but this just happens to be a strategic move as well. If those victims get freed then he has no control over them. It would be the minds of my fellow Mirror Pool clones controlling their bodies but they have no incentive to cooperate with him once they are free. Like me, they also long for freedom.”

“Okay.” I nod in acceptance. “Hypothetically, say we already accomplished that part of the plan.”

He nods as he says, “Okay. Noted.”

“How do we switch back to our proper bodies after that?” I ask in concern.

“One step at a time please,” he requests. “He did it in the first place so there must be a way to undo it. In the meantime, we need to neutralize our greatest threat first. If we don't do that, the rest won't matter.”

“But then we're stuck with an army of evil clones in the minds of my fellow pony friends!” I complain, then quickly add, “No offense, but why would they be any more helpful than your original self?”

“Because they'd be tired of being the victims, just like I am, and we'd hold all the leverage at that point. Think about it! They are stuck in bodies that can't shapeshift. They'd be more than willing to switch back into their original selves. They'll be anything but uncooperative until then.”

“Okay.” I nod in acceptance. “But, after that, we're now stuck with an army of evil changeling clones. Is that any better? If even one evil changeling, like your original, could do all this damage . . . doesn't an army of you multiply our problem exponentially? It seems to me we're trading one big problem for a much bigger one.”

“There is room for negotiation by that point,” he reasons. “We may have all started from the same source point, but each clone went through different experiences since then. Those experiences may provide you ponies with diplomatic opportunities which some of you ponies are pretty legendary for capitalizing on.” He shrugs. “Maybe you'll all use your rainbow magic or what have you at that point. I still think it's a net gain to narrow down our target from one ambitious changeling with no motivation to hold back versus an army of traumatized clones who are more ready to listen to reason.

“In any case, I know our situation isn't sustainable as it stands so we need to work a clever solution here. Every strategy would always hold some risk. I know I prefer to work with perfect numbers but beggars can't be choosers. At least, not yet.”

On the other side of the mirror, he leans forward emphatically as he asks me, “So, my little pony, do we have a deal? You said you wanted to work with me and now I'm giving you that chance with some conditions attached and they are attached for a very good reason.

“Bottom line, little filly . . . are you in . . . or out?” He lifts a hoof. “Choose wisely, little one, for it is more than our fate that is at stake here.”

I look down as I spend several minutes thinking about his words and proposal very seriously. After that, I look back at him as firmly as I can when I finally reach a decision.

Author's Note

Well, this certainly raises some issues. Possible answers, and in fact many answers, but perhaps an equal number of questions.

The host changeling, for his own reasons, decided to make an unexpected (at least as far as she is concerned) alliance with Sweetie Belle. He basically also spelled out most of the answers to the mystery of this fanfic, but can he be trusted? Sweetie Belle was convinced earlier that he's a master of psychology and it's obvious that he's up to something. Question is, does he really stand to benefit from cooperating with Sweetie Belle more now than he did before?

And, if he's telling the truth, what else does that imply about the dangers that still exist out there? Who else might potentially be replaced and unaware of it?

My editor, Onyx Rose, didn't feel he could be trusted at this point, but what do you think? I'd love to know your thoughts in the comment section about any of this. That's the wonderful thing about mystery. It has depth worthy of being discussed.