NOV 30 Friday.

I feel my body tense hard and my mind goes absolutely wild with ideas for a moment.

A mix of worry, fear, and concern floods through me, and it takes me several silent seconds to regain control of myself. My eyes snap back to Stone's face, and my expression must have been pretty intense as he raises a brow and looks me over as well. "Colt? Are you okay there?" he asks with a slight concern clear in his tone.

I feel my panic try to set in and break me down, but I know there is real danger here, and I can't panic. It's not a want, it's a need. Things are not just bad; they are potentially dangerous, and I can't afford to panic. I focus on my worry as a way to beat back anything else and look directly at Stone with an intense gaze. "When was the last time we met?"

My tone is so serious it throws both of them off, but Stone seems to realize this is something serious. His training as a guard serves him well as he stands a little straighter and answers quickly. "Last Monday, like always. Colt, what is happening? Are, you, ok?" He asks with more concern and I take a second to take a deep breath.

My mind is in overdrive trying to take this all in, and it's bad, maybe even fucked. I feel my bracelet and there is no reaction from the illusion detection enchantment, then again there was none earlier. The most important question of all is simple, is this Stone?

If not then Daisy is in danger and I WILL NOT ALLOW THAT, but what if it is him? My mind nearly flips to my personal fears about revealing things to a changeling, but I rend my mind away from that and focus on my friends. They are more important than that mess.

As for Daisy? She is wearing a small bracelet but it doesn't even have any gems in it, I also find it unlikely she is a Changeling. The only reason would be to get close to me and I'm not even sure that's what the other Changeling is trying to do. Still, I need to keep her somewhere safe but limited.

Two Ponies both claiming to be Stone, so how do you tell the difference? I remember something I noted earlier, a passing thought that has a whole new meaning now. The Stone at the palace had a bracelet, and I also wasn't really paying attention to whether he had any other jewelry on.

My spell to detect Changelings works well because it has several pure diamonds to power it, but it can be beaten by another magical item with more magic in it. And if a Changeling is trying to break into the palace they would come prepared. Wait, the palace... FUCK!! Ok, add that to the list of fucked things.

Stone is a relatively respected Pony among the guards but also not one that draws much attention. It makes a pretty convenient disguise to get into the palace, even I only questioned it for a few seconds. No guards would really think about it much either, after all, he's trusted by many of them from what I know.

Then there is the difference in appearance, this Stone looks far less groomed and maintained. That might make him seem like the Changeling but a Changeling would have little reason to go shopping with Daisy unless to maintain cover, and I can sense for a fact that this Stone isn't wearing anything, let alone a magical item.

If he is a Changeling he could be here to spy on me? His ignoring the fact we met earlier wouldn't help them in that case. Actually, if this Stone is a Changeling it's in their best interest to agree to meet me and talk about what happened. Instead, this Stone is just confused.

I need to tell Celestia, and fast, but Leaving him out of my sight isn't something I want to do, one Changeling has already tricked me and I can not allow that again. Out of the two possible Changelings, it makes far more sense to break into the Palace, that place has many documents and other things that could be useful.

On top of that, I did find Stone's tone with me at the Palace to be odd, it might just have been him being formal but I can't take a risk like that. My deep thought is interrupted as my prolonged silence seems to make both of them more concerned. Daisy looks worriedly at me, "Shade! Are you ok?" She stresses the point more.

I look at them both and decide what I often decide while in a bad situation, fuck it. No matter what I think they are both in danger and I can't let one of them out of my sight. "Daisy." I get her attention with a deadly serious tone. "This involves my second job, both of you follow me, now." I leave absolutely no room for argument and turn the spot to move back to my apartment.

Entropy seems to have been listening in, as I walk to the door she activates her illusion while I flip a small wooden switch. I open my door while a concerned Daisy and Stone sit for a moment before quickly following. Stone turns to Daisy for answers, "Second job? Do you know what's got him like, this?" Stone asks with a relatively calm tone.

She opens her muzzle as I let them into my apartment and practically slam the door behind them. "No time. I'll explain later." I say seriously and quickly move over to grab my saddlebags and put them on. "Look, we don't seriously have time. Daisy, stay here and don't let anypony in until we get back." I instruct bluntly with the same tone.

Stone seems to realize I'm dead serious and shows his concerns in a slight frown, while Daisy looks a little afraid. "Colt, I don't know what this is, but are you ok? And what do you need help with?" He asks quickly as his training seems to kick into a higher degree. Entropy seems to know something is wrong and flies over to land on me after I get my saddlebags on.

I stop for a moment as I realize I'm probably scaring both of them with my reaction and actions. I take a breath and give them a serious but comforting face. "Something bad has happened, yes I need your help and I don't know if I'm ok. Time is of the absolute essence here, I need you to tell me you understand my instructions, Daisy." I say in a more calm and friendly tone.

Daisy still looks somewhat panicked and worried, but also takes a breath and nods slowly. "Good. Thank you. I can explain later, but this CAN NOT WAIT." I stress heavily. After a second of thought, I take out the simple dagger I hide in my saddlebags and toss it over to Daisy. "Keep that close," I add.

She looks shocked and Stone looks about ready to fight something. He looks at me and with a silent demand for a second before speaking up. "Colt, really?" I nod. "Ok, what do you need?" He doesn't mince words and the old guard in him comes back full force as he stands up straight.

I think for a moment on how best to handle this quickly developing shitshow. "I'm taking you somewhere, don't panic! Stand to the side until you are asked otherwise and remain calm above all else." He nods firmly as his face becomes more firm, he almost looks to be at attention.

I turn to Daisy and make the snap decision to keep her here. The apartment is shielded and she can't leave without my help or breaking the shield, both would get my attention if she is a Changeling. "Daisy, things will be fine, we're going somewhere safe, I just need him with me," I reassure her some more as she looks like she needs it.

Daisy still looks highly worried but does bring the dagger closer to her. Despite the mood, she looks mostly collected, if shocked. She nods a little, "O-Ok, you promise?" I nod seriously as I can't think of anywhere more safe than next to Celestia. She takes another few breaths. "Do you need me to look after her?" She motions to Entropy.

I shake my head and move over to Stone's side. "No, she's coming as well. Don't worry the apartment has a shield on it so you should be fine, just stay inside." They both look a bit shocked at that but it doesn't cut through the worry. I turn to Entropy on my back. "Me and him, her office, now. My shadow right after." I instruct quickly.

Stone looks confused once again but that turns to shock as we both vanish. The Void gives me no comfort, only a moment to worry over what I might find when I arrive on the other side. A heartbeat passes and I feel my hooves land on solid ground again as Stone stumbles and looks around, clear shock breaking through his stony expression.

I'm standing in a corner of Celestia's office and turn to watch as two sets of eyes snap over to us in shock. One is a mare with a clipboard and the other is Celestia sitting behind her desk. :Thank magic she's actually here: At the moment before anypony noticed us Entropy swiftly moved into my shadow just as we appeared, I don't think anypony even saw her.

Celestia takes one look at Stone and me before promptly standing up fully and locking onto me with focused eyes. The other small unicorn mare looks shocked but doesn't panic and turns to Celestia. "Out." That's the only word the mare needs to hear before very quickly leaving the room.

In the few seconds it takes her to sprint out of the room, Stone gets his hooves back under him and turns to face me with a questioning look. That look is again replaced with shock as he hears and realizes who he's in a room with. He snaps to attention with a familiarity gained through years of practice and training. Standing as rigid and still as a statue.

Celestia promptly ignores him as her eyes looks me over as I walk to her desk quickly. I barely spend a moment casting a Silence spell around us before speaking. "There is a Changeling in the palace." She goes from concerned to utter concentration in a second flat. "Do you need my help for that?" I don't know if she has plans for something like this but asking is a waste of precious time.

I see her horn flash brightly and I sense one of the two guards outside the office door break into a full sprint immediately. "Are you ok?" I nearly raise a brow as that's not really important at the moment, but nod firmly. "Good. And no, I need an explanation, what happened?" She asks with focused concern while she glances over at Stone.

Stone is just standing at attention to the side and has an utterly blank face as he stares intently forward at a wall. I sigh and feel some of my worry and fear lesson as it seems she has something of a plan for this situation, thank fuck. "First. Is that guard going to lock down the palace?" She nods. "If anypony asks, tell them to look for him." I motion to Stone in the corner.

She raises a brow before gaining a slightly grim look, it seems she figured it out already. "You mean?" I nod and show a little more of my actual emotions on my face. "Is he, the original?" She asks with a more gentle tone, clearly worried for me even when we have much bigger problems right now.

I tilt my head a bit. "I think so." I gather my thoughts for a second and sit down to actually explain. "I'll make a report later, but to simplify. Earlier today I went to spar with Shining, and ran into Stone in the palace." I start off and make sure to be quick about this. "I was a bit panicked about him seeing me at the palace and didn't question it too much at the time," I add with a somber tone.

I feel some regret at that and she gives me an understanding look. "After that, I just talked to him a little and went about things normally, I thought I'd just deal with it later. I go home to rest a bit and meet Stone again, with an untrimmed mane and chin, along with no idea we met earlier. The other one was well groomed and said they were visiting an old friend in the guard."

She takes out some paper and rapidly writes on it, marking down what I explained. "Has there been any difference in him recently? Anything that would point out him being... Replaced, IS this the original?" She says the one word with a little anger, a reminder that she's probably very unhappy about this happening.

I think for a moment but nothing comes to mind, he's acted completely normal the past few times we've met. "More sure than the other one being the original. And no, we normally only see each other once or twice a week, but nothing out of the ordinary so far. I could ask Daisy, but she wouldn't really be looking for that, so..." I trail off and look over to Stone again.

She gives me a smile despite the mood along with a reassuring look. "Don't worry, we'll solve this." She states it with more confidence than I'd have in her place, and that does help calm me some. "I can guess you will want to do something, and I would rather not have you running off." She continues and I open my muzzle but she stops me with a look. "You are in charge of keeping an eye on him." She says bluntly.

I can see she's trying to keep me calm by making me focus on something, and I'm thankful for that. I would be helping to track down that Changeling if I could, but even if I want to do that I know I wouldn't be able to do all that much. I may have many abilities but letting the guard sort out the palace is by far the best plan.

I just feel a little, useless sitting here. I nod after a moment, "Fine, but if you need anything I'll be pretty annoyed if you don't ask." I try to add some humor. At this point, my mind is a mix of anger and immense concern. I'm angry my friends got dragged into my mess and I'm very worried about their safety, I'll need to check in on Blaz and Maple soon.

Celestia gives me a smile and nods. "Of course. I know what this feels like, the waiting, the not knowing. But we have prepared many things for a situation like this, and the guards know very well what they are doing." She repeats what I already know, letting it sink in for a moment. "Now how about you use that drive for something else? Like Sir Stone here." She reminds me that he's still in the room.

I look over and see he's still at attention. I nod, "Right. Oh, I'm going to have to explain so much to them when this is over, fuck." She raises a brow but doesn't say anything as I take a few breaths. "Ok, how do we do this?" I ask, needing something of a rule book to go by.

Sure I have ideas but Celestia knows best and I won't let myself ignore that advice now. "By asking, he may be a Changeling, but it is unlikely he knows everything about the original. I added my own spell, he hasn't seen us be so casual. Hmm, I think it's best I help with securing the palace's magical defenses, and you try to find out if he actually is who he says he is." She says slowly.

She's not wrong, and I can think of a few questions that would work well. Still, I look at her with uncertainty and confusion, and she stares back with a reassuring smile. "You know Changelings better than most, and you are the only Pony here who knows him well. I also know he will be safe with you, or unable to escape if he is... Not himself. Just to be safe though." She tries to be more gentle as she explains her reasoning. Her horn lights up again and she casts some type of shield spell on me.

While I don't like her leaving she is the best equipped to deal with any form of magical defenses around the palace. I sigh slowly, letting the breath hang in the air. "Ok, I can do that. Just be safe, I really do not need anything more to happen today." I try to make a joke to not panic about several things on my mind. "And what can I actually tell him? A lot of this is not exactly common knowledge."

I don't even know how many of my secrets were just revealed, or how big of a problem this truly is. I can't let those thoughts distract me though, there is work to do and it needs doing. She stands up and slips on her royal mask, looking much more like a princess.

"I think it best you be blunt in your dishonesty, guards tend to understand that well. Thank you, I know it's hard, I truly know. But we are going to be ok, I promise." Her tone is firm and certain. She really does handle things like this better than me, at least when it comes to remaining calm.

I stand up as well and look over to Stone. "Drop your spell please." I nod and try to put on a professional expression like I just talked to my boss and not a close friend. I drop my silence spell and Celestia clears her throat a little, "Sir Stone? At ease." She says in a very formal tone.

Stone brings down his left hoof from his chest and turns to us, his eyes full of respect and expressionless like many guards. "Stone Mace, former commander of a guard regimen and guard trainer, Your Highness." His tone is just as formal and he keeps himself straight and tall as he turns his body to us, giving Celestia a quick bow. He also doesn't add unneeded names or words to his introduction.

Celestia nods and moves out from behind her desk. "I apologize about you being brought here without warning, but things are... Complex. I have duties to attend to and hope you can answer any questions Sir Evergreen has for you while I am indisposed." Her words may sound like a request, but it isn't, and Stone seems to know that.

He glances at me and nods deeply. "Yes, Your Highness." He agrees as Celestia stares at him a moment longer. She stops after a moment and nods to me before walking to the door and leaving the office, I watch her walk away and make a mental note to keep an eye on her through my senses.

I look over to Stone after Celestia leaves and see his confusion once again breaking through on his face. I feel more guilt, mostly for getting him into this mess. I sit down after a moment and take out a flask from my saddlebags, taking several gulps of water. "This is going to be, a long day," I say, not really knowing how to start this.

He looks me up and down as I pass him the flask, which he takes after a few seconds. I feel my mind focus more on what I'm about to do. I need to get some answers and avoid answering anything for the moment, my only solace is that he's a guard and might be more understanding. If this is actually Stone.

I think it is him. A changeling stealing his identity to get into the palace makes more sense than just living his normal life, and he seemingly hasn't been replaced but simply copied. Or they are both Changelings... Fuck. He takes a few drinks and looks at me while relaxing his stance a little. "You can say that again Colt, just, what? THAT..." He voices a question with far too many answers.

I look him over for a second and sit up straight while putting away the flask. "I can't answer that. Not, yet." He raises a brow but doesn't press. "I'm going to ask you some questions, I need you to answer them fully." I am blunt as the Stone I know prefers things blunt.

I keep a close eye on his face and body language. He nods slowly, still clearly confused, or just faking it really well. "How much have you talked about me to other Ponies, who have you talked to? And where have you done it?" I ask the most burning question in my mind, not able to help myself.

He continues to look confused but thinks for a moment. "Nopony really. I talk to Daisy about you, small stuff though. We talk everywhere, dates, her apartment, shopping. Daisy doesn't ask about training though, and I don't talk about that to anypony." He sounds sure of himself and is keeping his answers calm. I let that sink in but now I can't fully trust the answer.

I think for a long moment and speak again. "When was the first time we met? When did I come back to find you and hire you? And when did you teach me to use a staff in combat? And what did you get me for Hearth's Warming last year?" I ask a few questions. Two of them being partly incorrect in nature. A changeling couldn't have been him all along so the old memories are the best to ask about.

He gives me a slightly odd look but answers anyway. "The training range, you kept firing spells and were pretty good for your age. You hired me the same day, you didn't come back. I never taught you to use a staff, you only tested using one a little. And I got you a stupid mug Daisy insisted would be perfect. Colt, what's with the tests?" He finally asks something back.

His answers are completely correct and my illusion detector is still doing nothing, he also still doesn't have anything that could hide him from magical detection. I think for a moment and get a grim but possibly necessary idea, I'm not sure it will work but it's a good test.

Changelings' illusions work very well from what I've seen, but they are still illusions. They might also be an alteration to a degree, but I find it unlikely to be a full-body alteration. If that was the case it wouldn't be an illusion, it would just be real in a different sense.

I quickly take out some paper and start casting several Scanning spells on him, one after the other. I go through every single one I know and by the end, all of them come back normal. I put the paper away and looked him in the eyes. "Hoof," I demand and hold out my own.

He does as asked after a moment. "This will hurt, ok?" He again looks uncertain but nods. "I'll heal it right after." I reassure him and he opens his muzzle to reply but I act first. I flex space and a second later there is an inch-deep cut on the foreleg he moved to me.

He yanks back hard but I forcefully keep his leg in place. "Buck! Colt!" He says through clenched teeth hard, he actually remains still. "What are yo-" I watch as a good amount of normal-looking blood pours from the new wound and cast a spell to immediately heal it. I overpower the spell and it heals in a few seconds, I let go as he quickly pulls back his foreleg and looks very concerned. "Colt, why?" He demands.

I cast a spell to clean up the blood and remove the smell. I sigh in relief and turn to him with an extremely apologetic expression, "I'm sorry, I'm really REALLY sorry." My words seem to stop any larger reaction as he rubs his foreleg slightly. "I needed to make absolutely sure. Any pain?" I move some life magic into him just to be safe.

He moves his hoof down and tests it for a few seconds. "No. Colt, sure of what? This..." He looks around the office. "That was THE princess, and with how we got here, and apparently something happening. What, is, happening?" He asks and at this point even he seems a little rattled by it all.

I think for a moment and cast another healing spell on him to regrow the small line of missing fur. "A lot is happening. And I can't tell you much, this is all very VERY classified." I stress the point and he doesn't look surprised. "What I can tell you is this, earlier today, you were at the palace and I met you here by accident."

He blinks at that and tilts his head a slight bit. "What? I wasn't though." I nod. "Oh." I nod again. "Wait? Who would even?" He seems to get it in a moment and looks at me with a concerned face. "To try and break into the palace... Your reaction in the hallway, those tests, that cut." He looks down at his foreleg. "How bad is this?" He asks seriously. "Is Daisy-"

I shake my head. "I don't think she's in danger, but I left her in my apartment for a reason. It has a shield powered by several medium gems, not much could break through without us noticing very quickly." I try to reassure him but make a mental note to check on her if too much time passes. "As for how bad? Maybe not too bad, and maybe really really bad." I say with some fear in my tone.

He looks down at me and reaches out to place a hoof on my shoulder after a moment. "Colt. I'm not new to this stuff, but you. Actually, I don't know how new you are to it, still, you holding up?" He asks and his concern for me grounds my mind once again.

I sigh and look him in the eyes slowly. "No, but this takes priority. Sorry about the cut, but illusions don't go that deep. Look, I have a lot to tell you, and Daisy, all of you actually. A lot I've never talked about, for good reason. I'll be fine, we just need to deal with this mess first." I explain and he nods back, seemingly not judging me for anything.

He looks around the office again, his eyes trailing over several things. "So what can you tell me? Because I'm not getting blindsided when it comes to my Daisy." There is a deep determination in his tone.

I straighten up and nod, once again trying my best to deal with the stress of this all happening, while also ignoring a great many thoughts. "Where do I even begin?"

Author's Note

Thanks for reading. :D
Current year is 996

So first. This will all probably be fairly simple in execution. It's mostly just everypony trying to figure out what the fuck just happened, and I thought it best to go with the more boring but realistic approach.

With that out of the way, this may get a little long.

So one million words huh? A full seven digits. I could scream and shout about it, but instead, I wanted to talk a little. So settle in for me rambling or just scroll on past and have a lovely day.

When I started this I was, well, shit at it. No two ways about it, it also didn't help that I knew that I didn't have much faith in my ability at the time. But something odd happened, someone actually cared about it.

Even with how rough and full of mistakes it all was, someone out there saw what I did, a possibly interesting story to read. I'd say a diamond in the ruff, but it was more like a sand-crusted coin, interesting but very flawed.

But that fact, the fact that someone actually liked it, it was and still is wild to me. And even with how bad it was it convinced me to make one more chapter, another on top of the first five that were published together.

Yet again some enjoyed the flawed work, and amazingly some offered advice. To be kind enough to just, help. No reason was given, just a little kindness to a stranger. So I thought, why not? What could one more chapter hurt? I had the time and it might be fun.

And every time, again and again, always the little bits of kindness. The simple corrections, the advice, the suggestions, the amusing ideas you came up with while trying to predict things. All of it.

It made me think, why not one more? And so it went, day after day, and I fell into the rhythm of it all. I never tried to write before this all, and I found that I liked it quite a bit, and it was the small bit of kindness that is what kept me interested in this.

I mean, I never even asked for anyone to correct errors, you just did, and you still KEEP doing it! That! That kindness, it means a lot. Over the past year, things got rough several ways, in several ways.

But there was this, a small little corner where I made someone happy. Maybe just a little, but it felt nice, it made me happy. In the end, it helped more than I may ever know and more than I can put into words.

A picture is worth a million words, a happy feeling is worth them all. It also gave me more confidence in simply doing better. To not just make something, but to improve in making something. To make it more than the last time.

My improvement may be slower now, but in small ways, I get just that little bit better each time. I like that, it's nice. I think I'll enjoy writing for the rest of my life, no matter where that takes me.

So, a million words, three hundred and five chapters, and just a few days under one year. I have no idea how I've made it this far, but I know I have you all to thank for that.

Thank you.