The Changeling Princess

The three Cutie Mark Crusaders lay on the ground in their tree house, laughing. "That was awesome!" said Scootaloo.

"I know." agreed Sweetie, "How'd you come up with that Applebloom?" Applebloom smirked.

"It wasn't too hard." Applebloom told them.

"Well Diamond Tiara's gonna be washing that honey out of her mane forever." Scootaloo laughed.

"Yeah." Sweetie agreed. They all laughed for a while longer until their laughter died down. Suddenly Sweetie's eyes sparked with an idea. "Hey girls, why don't we have a sleepover in the clubhouse?" she asked.

"Hey. Yeah, that's a great idea!" agreed Applebloom.

"Sounds good. I'll have to ask my mom though." Scootaloo told them.

"Alright. I'll ask Rarity." said Sweetie.

"And I'll ask Applejack." Applebloom said. Just then, something clicked. "Wait. Where do you live anyways Scoots?" she asked. Sweetie's eyes widened in realization.

"Yeah. We've never actually been to your house before have we." Sweetie agreed. Scootaloo immediately became tense.

"Uh." she said, trying to think of a way out of this.

"Yeah, what's up with that?" asked Applebloom.

"Uh. Bye guys!" Scootaloo exclaimed, quickly running off.

"Wait." Applebloom called after her, "You forgot your... bag."

"We should bring it to her." suggested Sweetie.

"Yeah." agreed Applebloom, neither speaking the real reason for wanting to go after their friend.

--

Scootaloo leaned against a tree at the entrance to the Everfree forest, panting. "That was a close one." she said to herself, "If they ever found out who I really was, they'd probably never want to talk to me again." Taking one last look around, she let out a relieved sigh, and ventured off into the forest.

Behind some bushes Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom were watching their friend. "Ain't that the Everfree? What's Scoots doing going in there?" Applebloom wondered.

"I don't know, but let's keep following her." Sweetie said. They nodded, and crept into the forest after their friend. Scootaloo moved quickly and purposefully through the forest, and Applebloom, and Sweetie had to be quick to keep up with her. It seemed as though she knew the forest like the back of her hoof.

It wasn't too long before Scootaloo pushed out of the trees, and into a small clearing. At the other end was a rock face, and the entrance to a cave. Scootaloo walked to the entrance, then took one last look around to make sure nopony was watching.

She let out a sigh of relief, and then felt inside herself for the magic she knew was there. Slowly she was engulfed in green flames as she morphed. Her body grew black and chitinous, holes appeared, her wings grew to be those of an insect, and finally a horn grew out of her head.

When she was done, she looked around once more, and then walked into the cave. In the bushes Applebloom's, and Sweetie's jaws had dropped. They couldn't believe what had just happened. It was Applebloom who snapped out of it first. "Come on, let's follow her." she told Sweetie Belle.

"B-But that was a changeling." Sweetie said.

"I know, but we have to find out where the real Scootaloo is." Applebloom told her. Sweetie's eyes widened.

"You're right!" she said, "Come on, let's go." Without saying anything else Sweetie took off towards the mouth of the cave. Applebloom quickly followed.

--

Scootaloo walked through a complex series of tunnels. She knew where she was going as she traveled this root almost every day. Finally she reached the entrance she wanted, and walked in. Inside was a fairly large room that looked very regal.

There were changelings standing guard inside, and at the back was a throne. But that wasn't important. What was, was who was sitting on it. It was the changeling queen Chrysalis. "Mom, I'm home!" called Scootaloo. Chrysalis quickly rose from her throne, and walked over to her.

"Hello Scootaloo. Did you have fun?" she asked. Scootaloo embraced her in a hug.

"Yeah. It was awesome! You should have seen Diamond Tiara's face." Scootaloo told her. Chrysalis smiled.

"You have wonderful friends don't you?" she asked her daughter.

"Yeah Mom! They're great!" Scootaloo told her, "Oh yeah! That's why I came here. I wanted to ask-" Scootaloo was cut off by the voice of a guard.

"My Queen, we have found two intruders."

--

Sweetie Belle and Applebloom could feel their jaws drop once more. First they had seen Scootaloo change into a changeling, and now that changeling was giving a hug to the Queen of the changelings! And what's more the changeling seemed to be her daughter!

Applebloom put a hoof on her head to steady herself. "Ugh. This is so confusing." she said.

"You know what else is confusing?" asked a voice.

"What?" Applebloom asked.

"Why there are two foals sneaking around the throne room." the voice said. at that Sweetie, and Applebloom quickly turned their heads to see they were not alone. Behind them were two changelings.

"Come with us." the other one told them. They let out an audible gulp. This was not good. They had been caught, and there was no way out of it. They nodded, and one changeling walked forward into the throne room while they followed, and the other changeling stood behind them to make sure they didn't try anything.

"My Queen, we have found two intruders." the changeling in the front said.

--

Scootaloo quickly turned around, and saw her worst nightmare. Standing there, between two guards, were Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. "Guys!" was all she could choke out. Applebloom met her eyes with a glare. Then she turned to the queen.

"Give us our friend back!" she yelled. Chrysalis was taken aback.

"What?" she asked.

"Yeah!" agreed Sweetie, "Give us back Scootaloo." Scootaloo flinched. She knew this day would come. She just wished they didn't have to find out like this.

"Guys. I AM Scootaloo." she told them.

"No your not! Where's the real Scootaloo?!" demanded Applebloom. Scootaloo could feel tears welling up in her eyes, but held them back.

"I am the real Scootaloo. I always have been." she told her.

"No! The real Scootaloo is fun, and nice, and our friend, and, and, not a changeling!" Sweetie argued. It was getting harder for Scootaloo to hold back he tears.

"But I am fun, and nice. And I am your friend. I always have been and always will be." Scootaloo said.

"No your not. You're just a fake!" accused Applebloom. Scootaloo couldn't take it anymore. She burst into tears, and ran off, pushing past them. Applebloom felt something slip off her back, and clatter onto the floor. She looked down, and realized Scootaloo's bag had fallen off.

Right now she was staring at the blue scooter that Scootaloo always loved to ride, and suddenly she felt guilty. She turned to her friend. "Sweetie, I think we should go apologize." Applebloom told her.

"Why?" Sweetie asked, "That faker had it coming." Applebloom looked her right in the eye.

"Because, I don't think that was a faker." Applebloom admitted. Chrysalis let out a sigh.

"I was afraid this was going to happen one day. You are Scootaloo's friends, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle right?" she asked. Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle's eyes widened.

"You're the changeling Queen right? H-How do you know our names?" Sweetie asked nervously. Chrysalis gave a soft smile.

"Because Scootaloo talks of you often." she told them.

"R-Really?" asked Applebloom.

"All the time." she told her, "And I don't think it's my place to tell you all the details, but that really is Scootaloo. And right now she needs her two friends. Please you two, go comfort her." Applebloom, and Sweetie looked at each other.

"Do you promise to tell us what's going on?" asked Applebloom.

"Only if Scootaloo agrees. Now go, one of my guards will lead you." Chrysalis told them. They nodded, and left. When they were gone Chrysalis allowed a small frown to grace her face. "I hope all goes well." she said.

--

Scootaloo was crying into her one-of-a-kind hoofmade Rainbow Dash pillow. "I-I knew this was going to happen!" she sobbed, "They hate me now, and I'll never be friends with them again!" She continued to cry. "Now my life is ruined!" she choked out, "I'll never go crusading again, or play with my friends, or even get to go to Ponyville!"

There was a knock at the door, but Scootaloo ignored it, and kept crying. Just then she heard a familiar voice. "Uh, Scoots." Her head shot up to see her two friends standing in her doorway. Her eyes hardened. "What do you want?" she asked.

--

Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle finally made it to Scootaloo's room. They could already hear her crying through the door. "Wow, she seems really upset." Sweetie said, regretfully.

"I know. That's why we need to apologize." Applebloom said. Sweetie nodded her head, and Applebloom knocked on the door. There was no answer except for the continued crying. She decided to just open the door. When she did she was surprised. It was just like she expected Scootaloo's room to be. Pictures of Rainbow Dash were everywhere.

She shook her head. She couldn't get distracted now. She had a friend that needed their support. "Uh, Scoots." she said to get her attention. Scootaloo's head flew up, and they saw just how horrible she looked now. Her mane was ruined, and tears stained her face. She glared at them.

"What do you want?" she asked. Applebloom scrapped her hoof nervously against the floor, a habit she'd picked up from Zecora. "Um. Well we just wanted to say that we're sorry." Applebloom said.

"Y-Yeah." agreed Sweetie Belle, "We shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. We're sorry." Scootaloo's eyes softened.

"Do you really mean it?" she asked her friends.

"Yeah." said Applebloom, sticking her hoof out, "We're friends right?"

"Friends?" asked Sweetie, sticking her hoof in too. Scootaloo thought about it for a second, and smiled.

"Friends." she said, placing her hoof in.

Then they all brought their hoofs up, and cheered, "Cutie Mark Crusaders forever!"