INTERLUDE

The gathered company of changelings all turned to watch as the purple mare ran from the gathering hall.

"Mrs. Sparkle" Prince Echo called after her, but she ignored him.

Twilight didn't bother stopping at her room, instead tearing across the castle courtyard to where her chariot was parked. Her pegasus guards had followed her out of the main hall to see if she was alright, and she ordered them to set off at once.

"Something has happened. I need to be back in Ponyville as soon as you can manage," Twilight repeatably rubbed her temples, trying to get the Princess's angered voice out of her head. She hadn't done anything of the sorts... and Queen Chrysalis had promised to refuse any access into Equestrian soil by any other race other than ponies. And even if it wasn't a changeling, she needed to prove to the Princess of the Night that she was loyal to nopony but her.

As Twilight's pegasi tore off into the sky, a messenger pony landed onto the balcony, where Nightmare Moon stood, watching the path from Ponyville for signs of life.

"How goes the night, your majesty?"

"Fine, thank you," She replied, without breaking her gaze of the path.

"Letter, ma'am. From Twilight Sparkle."

Nightmare Moon turned at this, surprise in her eyes.

"A letter? When was it sent?"

"Sometime yesterday, if memory serves. Perhaps earlier. It has been a long flight," The pegasus handed Nightmare Moon the letter, gave the Princess a polite nod, and flew off into the night in the direction of Ponyville.

Nightmare Moon read the letter several times over, trying to understand just how this pertained to the activites of the previous three days. Twilight had been in Queen Chrysalis's empire during the events of Fluttershy's escape, according to this letter, which was sent around the same time Twilight Sparkle had been conversing with the Princess in person. Nightmare Moon immediately thought of the changelings, but knew that she could tell an imitation from the original, especially by the fluidity that her student had used magic. Changelings could not imitate pony magic, especially not magic as advanced as teleportation.

She stopped to consider that perhaps the letter was written by somepony else, but the magic barrier and royal emblem on the side contradicted this, too. Nightmare Moon wasn't naive enough to believe that there were two Twilight Sparkles in Equestria, but one by one, her rational explanations were quickly rendered as impossible by her fervent mind.