I yawn tiredly as I enter the kitchen. I blink within a squint since I am still waking up as I commend my mom, “Something smells good.”

“Oh. Hi, Sweetie Belle,” my mother greets with an uncharacteristically serious expression. Out in the dining room, I notice my father lower his newspaper and regard me with a similar expression. Both of them also look very worried about something.

“Am I in trouble?” I ask with concern since I'm wondering if this has anything to do with the dodge ball incident the other day.

“You?” my mother reflects, then answers, “No. Not you specifically.”

“It's more like Equestria is in trouble,” my father groans from the dining table, then sighs before saying, “I wish I can say I am used to it, but today it's not just affected my business but everypony's business.”

“School is canceled today,” my mother informs me gravely. “In fact, everything is canceled. We have royal orders to stay in our homes today while a team of royal investigators go to each home one by one and verify every pony's identity.”

“You heard about the attack on the Princess during the Gala, right?” my father asks me a bit tightly. I don't often see his angry side, but apparently, this news is somewhat personal to him.

“Yeah,” I confirm as I lower my ears. “So I guess this is the Princess's response.”

“I sincerely doubt she was given much of a choice there,” my father says darkly as he folds his newspaper neatly using his magic and lays it on the kitchen table. “An open attack against the very Princess's life as she hosted her first Gala . . . the nerve of these changelings!”

“The changelings as a whole are not responsible, Dad,” I am quick to correct. “This is the hoofywork of one rogue changeling.”

“Maybe,” my father says with some doubt but then he taps his newspaper. “However, I have read reports of multiple changeling assaults occurred in distant locations and too close to the same time to believe it's the same one. You can convince me that they are a rogue changeling faction, perhaps one who is still loyal to Queen Chrysalis, but I seriously doubt this is the work of one changeling. That doesn't add up.”

“And if there is more than one, how many more could there possibly be?” my mother adds with worry. “The rest of Thorax's pack claim to be our allies, but what if this is all part of a coordinated assault? Maybe they are testing our defenses.”

“I don't believe what I am hearing!” I complain.

But that's a lie. I actually do believe this. After what happened across Equestria just before Twilight's coronation, I don't have as much faith in my race's common sense as I used to.

Pony feathers. I really am turning jaded and I don't like it. Is this what it means to grow up?

“Believe it,” my father encourages. “We're not the only ones talking about these things. That's what tends to happen when our race feels threatened.”

I sigh as I adopt a dry expression. I don't really feel like I have time to argue about this, so I decide to change the subject.

“Did we get any other visitors today?” I check as I glance back and forth between both of my parents.

“Do you mean your friends?” my mother asks me then proceeds to answer that question before I have a chance to deny it. “No. None of them have stopped by today. Like I said, we are under quarantine right now so we can assume they are as well.”

Although that's not what I meant, she basically answered my question anyway, so I simply say, “Oh. I see.”

What I meant was if any other official guards came to take me away specifically. Both Twilight and Starlight know that one of the enemy changelings hides within me except they aren't aware that he secretly switched sides. They probably distrust each other as a result of what's happening now so it's only a matter of time before one of them gets to me first today.

Last night I wondered to myself if one of them has an enemy changeling spy among them but I had an epiphany earlier this morning. This enemy changeling is a genius strategist and perfectionist who had plenty of time, training, and resources to rig everything to his advantage. There's no way he'd be willing to attack Twilight in open public unless it somehow furthers his mission, and the only way to ensure that it is is if he already set up a lot of things in his favor in advance. This morning, shortly after I got out of bed, it occurred to me that the best way to ensure victory at any game is to secretly play all sides of the board. Why choose which side to plant a spy in when he has enough resources to plant a spy in both?

So, in my mind, it's not really a question of if each side has a spy in it. It's more a matter of whom it is.

So it doesn't matter which mare gets a hold of me this morning. I am guaranteed to be in the secret compony of the enemy either way. After everything I've learned of him so far, there's no way he wouldn't be that thorough unless he didn't have the time to set himself up with an advantage. Given some of his brazen attacks, however, it heavily indicates he’s ready for the next phase of his operation.

Understanding is not a plan, though. Just because I can predict the pattern of his behavior better doesn't mean I'm prepared to counter it yet. Right now I'm still just winging it and collecting information.

My best hope is to remind myself that even a highly trained genius doesn't know everything. He can't prepare himself for something completely unexpected. That's probably why Raven encouraged and emphasized the element of surprise above all else.

All of us grow alert when we hear a knock on the front door.

“I wonder who that could be?” my mother wonders aloud. “No pony should be roaming out in the streets right now.”

“Except for the investigators,” I remind my parents of the very thing they told me a minute ago.

“You two, stay here,” my father orders us as he slips out of the chair and regards the front entrance cautiously. “I'll go check who it is.”

“Be careful,” my mother requests with worry for her husband. In response, he gives her a brief nod then proceeds to the front entrance.

I don't need to be a professional psychologist to realize there is a lot of tension in the air. It's very easy to see why, too. No pony dared to mention that the other possibility is that it could be the enemy changeling at the door instead, but we're all probably thinking it.

Even me, in a way, except I think there's more to it than just that.

I pause for a moment before trotting forward a bit in order to peer around the corner to the front entrance of our residence. Along the way, my mother frantically whispers, “Sweetie Belle, come back!”

Even if I wasn't influenced by the host changeling within me, I would normally do this anyway. I've always been a curious pony at heart and probably a touch too brave. That's gotten me and the Crusaders in trouble more than once.

Oh, the burdens of being an adventurer, even if it's typically on a foalish level.

I did not even need to check to realize my father would carefully peek through the opening of the door first because everypony is on high alert. I assume he already did that before I see him because I catch him breathe a sigh of relief for a second then proceeds to open the door. Once he does, I see a white royal pegasus guard dressed in a Canterlot guard outfit.

“Welcome to our home,” my father greets the guard. “I assume you're here to verify our identity?”

“You can say that,” the royal guard agreed. “May I come in?”

I narrow my eyes at my father when I see him step aside and sweep a gesture through his home with a hoof as he bids, “Please . . . do come in.” Apparently, when he says that, it does not occur to him that this could be the enemy changeling in disguise. Did my father expect to see the enemy changeling beyond the front door in his true form?

All of these security precautions don’t really amount to anything substantial. The only thing it really does is fool gullible ponies into thinking they are somehow safer this way.

“Thank you,” the white royal pegasus guard says before stepping inside.

However, he's not the only one to enter. Someone invisible also secretly slips in. I can tell by the feel of the whoosh of air that passes me. I also smell a new scent in the room and it's notably female. Faintly I also hear an extra set of hoof clomps enter into the house.

I nod to myself as I realize who this is.

“So what exactly is it that we can do . . . for . . .” my father trails off in shock when he sees Starlight Glimmer suddenly materialize. A moment later he tenses up as he probably incorrectly assumes that Starlight has just teleported into our home when, in fact, she entered in while magically invisible.

“Wha . . . Starlight?” my father asks in surprise before outright admitting his feelings. “Well this is a surprise.”

“I don't have much time to explain, so just listen,” Starlight says urgently and quickly. After that, she nods at the royal guard who nods back for a second before transforming into Ocellus.

“What?!” my father cries out in even greater alarm.

“Please just listen!” Starlight encourages. “Twilight's royal guards will be coming for Sweetie Belle soon, but she must not fall into their hooves right now because I am not convinced that they are what they seem. Either that, or they aren't working for the real Twilight.”

“Do you think she's been replaced?” my mother asks in alarm as she enters the living room but subtly stands in front of me guardedly. “But the Princess is the one who got attacked the day before yesterday. Why would these bad changelings attack one of their own?”

“To create confusion and paranoia,” Starlight answers immediately before lifting a hoof. “Look, as I said, I don't have time to fully explain right now. I have to take Sweetie into safe custody now. And, in the meantime . . .” She trails off as she looks at and nods to Ocellus. The blue changeling nods back at Starlight again before morphing into the apparent form of me.

“I'm going to act as a decoy,” Ocellus explains in my voice. “If the guards really are hostile changelings, I'll be more prepared to detect it and likewise more prepared to escape. I also have my friends on standby just in case.”

“And they can use the magic of Harmony in a pinch,” Starlight reminds us. She looks at Ocellus as she adds, “I've also given Ocellus a hidden enchantment which I can use to track her down later if I have to.”

“What makes you so sure that the Princess has been replaced?” my father repeats his wife’s concerned question. “She should be one of the most secure mares in Equestria.”

“And yet she was attacked in public just to make a point,” Starlight reminds my father. “We can't be too careful about trusting anypony right now, and Twilight has made a few unusual decisions lately. If she really is Twilight, then she probably made those decisions reluctantly but right now I can't take that chance without verifying a few things on my own.”

“And why are you both so interested in our daughter?” my mother asks defensively.

“Because we're convinced that the changeling body she inhabited has something to do with these attacks,” Ocellus informs. “We might be able to use that to gather critical intel.”

“And I already verified my identity by using unusual magic to get in here,” adds Starlight. “I did that to make a point as well.

“I know it's difficult in these times of great paranoia, but please trust me. I am the real Starlight Glimmer and I promise I'll do everything in my power to protect your daughter. That's why I need to take her now.”

My parents look at each other with equal degree of worry.

“Please believe me!” Starlight begs. “If I was the enemy changeling, why would I try to convince you to trust me instead of just attacking you and taking what I want anyway?”

“Mom, Dad, it's okay,” I assure as calmly as I can as I emerge into the living room too. “I think we can trust these two.”

“Everything is all so crazy right now,” my mother complains with a very worried expression. “First what happened to you, Sweetie, and now all this. If the Princess really has been compromised that what chance do the rest of us have?”

“I believe I have a way to verify Twilight's identity,” Starlight offers. “But I'm going to need to borrow Sweetie Belle right now.”

My father moves next to my mother in order to comfort her by reaching a hoof over her back. He also turns to face Starlight as he asks, “If it turns out that the Princess has been replaced, could you use this information to rescue her real self?”

“It will help,” Starlight answers. “Right now I need to figure out what's what and who to trust. Once that is established, I can move on to other plans.” Starlight stomps a hoof. “But I can promise you this as well. If I find out that Twilight has been replaced then I'll do everything in my power to rescue her too. After all, she's not just my Princess and mentor, she's also my friend!” Starlight firmly shakes her head. “And I shall not abandon my friends!”

I smell and see the firm conviction in Starlight's face and in her body posture. If this is a changeling imposter then he's doing a very good job.

I also have to remember that, if Starlight is replaced, then it is her real mind controlling this body until the original changeling takes over. We can test her with trivia questions about her identity all we want. The enemy changeling has found a full-proof way to nullify that potential problem.

But that also means that, until he takes over the body, this really is Starlight one way or another and she's on our side.

. . .

Until she's not.

My father casts a long sigh as he closes his eyes, turns his face to my mother, and rests it on the side of her head, then says, “Then take her . . . before we change our minds.”

“Thank you! You won't regret this. I promise!” Starlight swears to my parents then regards me. “Come, Sweetie Belle. We must depart.”

“Okay.” I comply by trotting over to her side. Next thing I know, my vision is briefly obstructed by a teal flash followed by a rain of magical sparkles.

Author's Note

For quite some time I had this chapter combined with the next. Looking at it now, this one seems a little short but I think this is still the right call because if this was combined with the next, that combined chapter would be a bit too long. But moreover, the subject of the next chapter is too unrelated to this one. This one leads into the next but really tackles a different subject, so it seems better to separate them.