Unconsciousness, like many things, can be comfortable or uncomfortable. I have, as a human, experienced both sides of these: the utter unawareness and unfeeling that is anesthesia, and a restrictive, “tight” sense that comes after a terrible (drunken) beatdown. I had never before considered if or how that uncomfortable side can stretch into excruciating pain until I had been knocked out by a blast of unadulterated unicorn magic—at least what I hope is unadulterated, or I fear what else Twilight’s magic may be capable of, yet at the same time, I don’t like to think of Twilight unleashing her full power just to test which of us had been the real Fluttershy.

Still, through the pain, I know unconsciousness is otherwise senseless, rendering one incapable of thought; that is its definition. So, when I hear a voice call out to me, “Don’t forget,” I dismiss it at first, only to reel at the fact I can dismiss it, only to arrive at that master of handwaves: magic. Perhaps Twilight’s spell didn’t actually knock me out? Not into technical, “real” unconsciousness, and to me, that makes sense, given her goal.

It takes until that voice speaks again, saying, “Don’t forget the mission,” until I recognize it as the monotone male from before. O, disembodied voice, will I meet you every time I’m knocked unconscious or go to sleep? Of course, it doesn’t answer—not, at least, the question I thought to it, instead answering the question of What mission? with, “… Their love is… our pow-.” As it says what I’m sure is the word “power” I open my eyes and the voice is cut off instantly.

The first thing I notice, after getting over cursing myself for interrupting the no doubt important message, is that I have been left on the floor, lying against the wall where I had presumably been thrown by the spell. I also know, in the way that I had simply known before when I had taken on Fluttershy’s appearance, that my disguise has been striped away exactly as Twilight had said. The next thing I think is that I couldn’t have been out for more than a few seconds, with everypony standing, or in the case of Rarity, lying where they had been before.

The only thing that hints that I had, in fact, been unconscious for at least some time is that the tail extensions have “disappeared” and Fluttershy currently has her muzzle buried in her tail, replacing them, I suspect. In the next instant it strikes me just how calm she must be now, to be able to turn away from a Changeling—… though saving her from being hit by Twilight’s spell might have something to do with that.

Turning away from Fluttershy, I see Rarity looking at me, shocked—about what?—with her eyes wide and her mouth open, but when Fluttershy pulls her face out of her tail, smiling, Rarity smiles as well and glances back at Fluttershy with a strange sparkle in her eyes. As indecipherable as that look is, I realize that Rarity hadn’t lied, and that she cares about me, even if only because Fluttershy cared first.

Unfortunately, it seems all of this sympathy is unshared by Twilight, who remains still, staring at me with her face utterly devoid of emotion. I can only imagine what must be going through her mind, what with me, a Changeling, sacrificing his disguise to save the very pony he has taken the form of from pain. However, as Twilight tends to do, she comes to the most logical—and for me, unfortunate—conclusion of trying to gather sympathy, and, as before, she narrows her eyes at me.

Rarity is the first to notice, and stands, looking ready to defend me, but Fluttershy steps between us first, surprising everypony with her silence and speed… and her readiness and almost eagerness to stand between a Changeling and Twilight’s anger. “Twilight, wait! Please, listen… please!” she begs, her voice only just barely above her usual volume, but stronger for it nonetheless—strong enough to give Twilight pause.

Finally pulling herself up out of her aggressive stance—most importantly turning her horn away from Fluttershy—Twilight shakes her head and says, with a voice that tries to be both commanding and kind, “Fluttershy, don’t-… No. You saw what happened to Canterlot—what almost happened to all of Equestria. Changelings are evil! They’re-!” Fluttershy, in a bold attempt to abandon her meekness, tries to cut over Twilight, but—too predictably—she lets herself be talked over with nothing but a little squeak. “They’re masters of deception! Even this one, Fluttershy, had me convinced for a minute that it was you!”

From where I’m lying, I can’t see Fluttershy’s expression, though the way she pulls her ears back serves as enough of a hint to make my muscles tense and ready to flee. I take a quick glance towards the window, trying to judge if I can make it and escape in time without hurting myself too badly. When my eyes dart back, Fluttershy is looking down at me, her eyebrows pulled together ever so slightly and her eyes look over me slowly, scrutinizing. In time, she focuses on my shoulder and cheek, eyes flitting between them for a short while until her eyes widen and her mouth forms a small “o” before her smile returns and she says quietly, “You were hurt before you fell outside of my cottage, weren’t you?”

If I had been standing, I’m sure I would have fallen over from the shock of that statement. How does she know?!… Wait, better question: Why does it matter? I ask myself as I tilt my head and finally close my mouth. Rarity seems to share my sentiment, as she raises a questioning eyebrow before stepping to the side to get a better look at me around Fluttershy. However, it’s Twilight who finally voices our questions, “How can you-?” she shakes her head rapidly, interrupting herself to instead ask, “Why does that matter?!”

Fluttershy is still smiling when she turns away from me to answer Twilight. “Neither of you would be able to tell because you weren’t there, but when he fell from behind the tree, he fell on his right side. This cut is on his left cheek…” she steps to the side so she’s no longer standing right between Twilight and me, “… on the wrong side,” she clarifies, finishing with a definitive point of her hoof.

My mouth drops open again—That’s… like something right out of a crime drama!—and while Rarity looks impressed, Twilight remains unconvinced and repeats with a strained, impatient voice, “And why does that matter?” Fluttershy actually looks surprised by this question—What now? These mares are impossible to understand!—before she jerks her head towards Twilight with her own questioning look.

Rarity, however, speaks first, starting slow and with some unsurety. “I think I see where Fluttershy is going with this… If this Changeling was hurt before, why didn’t… he?” Rarity looks down at me as she hesitates, but Fluttershy quickly catches her eyes when she smiles and nods, and Rarity continues with more certainty in her voice. “Why didn’t he go back to his own kind to get treated?”

Twilight’s expression doesn’t change at all, and if the way she looks between Fluttershy and Rarity a few times before answering is any indication, she expects something more. “And… what else? That doesn’t mean anything.” Here, Twilight lifts a hoof and moves it as if pointing at words on a blackboard for emphasis. “What if it-”—Fluttershy and I wince at this while Rarity bites her lip—“hurt itself on purpose to get at somepony’s love—like yours, Rarity!” She finishes by pointing her hoof at the other unicorn before stomping it definitively.

When Rarity looks back at me, I’m sure she’s reconsidering that shiver I gave her as I took her love, and I try to convey an apology by hanging my head. When she looks away from me, her face doesn’t show anything. “I’m sorry, Twilight, but you’re not making sense.” All three of us are blown away by this statement, simultaneously drawing our heads back in shock; Twilight recovers quickest, but Rarity continues before she can say anything. “Changelings have far less risky and much easier methods of getting love than hurting themselves—there’s simply no need for any Changeling to perform such a reckless act.”

As I watch the look of comprehension wash over Twilight’s face, I become aware of just how odd the situation is: It is a strange feeling, to hear others try to analyze my motives while I’m sitting right there, while knowing that anything I say will instantly be dismissed as a lie. “Alright…” Twilight eventually concedes with a sigh. “I’ll give you that, but even if these wounds were an accident, then why not get some use out of them? Healing, after all, takes energy, and Changelings use love as energy. I’m sure that the more love a wounded Changeling feeds on, the faster it’ll heal!” Twilight finishes with a confident and, to me, frightening grin.

I expect Rarity to be the one to speak up in my defense, to point out yet another illogicality in Twilight’s argument, so at first Fluttershy’s words don’t register in my mind. “But… Twilight, A Changeling letting a pony treat him as if he is a pony could be dangerous. Many animals require different treatment for similar injuries, and even the smallest difference could cause more damage instead of helping.” Fluttershy looks down at me with a look that’s hard for me to place exactly, but in the general range of sympathy. “It’s a good thing Rarity didn’t think you needed stitches… I don’t think transforming with stitches inside of you is a very good idea…” I blanch at the image of stitches stretching and tearing through skin and muscle, though I know that evoking such thoughts isn’t Fluttershy’s intention.

Twilight stares at Fluttershy for a moment, her mouth open with her jaw crooked and eyebrows pulled together in annoyance with her friends. Eventually, she lets out a huff and when she speaks, the strain of keeping herself from using too harsh a tone is obvious. “What are you two… thinking defending a Changeling? I can’t believe I’m actually having to talk you about this when you were both in Canterlot when I was proven right!”

Rarity nods before closing her eyes and responding with drawn-out patience. “Yes, Twilight, of course we remember, but as you just said yourself, this Changeling had managed to fool you into thinking he was Fluttershy for a moment.” When she finishes, she opens her eyes and smiles at Twilight in a way that seems she expects this to settle things.

Twilight, however, remains still, looking like she expects Rarity to continue, and when the other unicorn doesn’t after a few seconds, she draws her head back in complete bewilderment; a sentiment I share. “What does that matter? The fact now is that it’s been unmasked and we need to get rid of it!” and I can agree with that first part, as I have no idea where Rarity is attempting to go with this twisted line of logic.

Rarity sighs and steps towards Twilight, who looks for a moment like she wants to step back to keep a distance between herself and the other unicorn, but she doesn’t move, not even when Rarity steps right in front of her and puts a forehoof on her shoulder. “As that may be, think back a bit to when we were unsure which Fluttershy was which.” Rarity pauses for a short moment before nodding to impel Twilight on, continuing only after Twilight nods hesitantly back. “Now, remember, you told us you knew something was off about Cadance almost right away…” Only when Rarity lets this statement trail off do I see where she’s going, but I quickly remind myself I can’t say anything for fear of causing Twilight to instantly dismiss it.

Twilight looks down at the floor for quite a length of time, occasionally closing her eyes to focus while otherwise having her eyebrows pulled together more tightly than I had ever seen on anyone or anypony. Ultimately, she looks back up at us blankly, and I sense that either she had not managed to come up with anything, or she doesn’t like what she had come up with. Without preamble she goes straight for what I figure she thinks is the final piece of the puzzle. “Answer Fluttershy’s question.” She barely gives me half a second to look confused before clarifying. “How do you know Fluttershy’s Cutie Mark story?”

I grit my teeth as my mind goes into overdrive—I need to come up with some believable story, as I obviously can’t tell the truth, but I also can’t take too long. Wait… “anything I say will instantly be dismissed as a lie”… unless I can provide some objective evidence! I don’t have anything I can use besides my knowledge, but considering how I know what I know… so… perhaps a half-truth?… “I-… I overheard Fluttershy telling her story to the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”—which is at least partially technically kind-of true.

That gains an instant reaction out of all three of varying expressions of shock: Fluttershy stumbles away from me before she recalls herself and steps back next to me—nearly overcorrecting herself and stepping on my tail. Rarity’s pupils shrink and she lifts a hoof uncertainly until Fluttershy returns to my side, which is apparently enough to calm her. Twilight draws her head back and her eyes widen. Her expression doesn’t change when she finally asks first what I’m sure is on all of their minds: “Wait, you mean you’ve been here-… Just how long have you been in Ponyville?! How do you know about the Cutie Mark Crusaders?!”

I try to keep myself from flinching at how she makes those questions sound far too much like accusations, though I’m not sure how successful I am as I’m far too focused on trying to come up with an answer and not paying attention to the ponies around me. Of course I should have suspected that the show not providing an official timeline would come back to bite me in the plot sooner or later—better sooner, I suppose… but she didn’t specifically ask for a number! I eventually realize. “I’ve been here ever since the Summer Sun Celebration when Nightmare Moon returned… As for the Cutie Mark Crusaders, well, I think I know about them as much as any oth- as much as any Ponyville citizen.” I quickly correct, reminding myself I’m not a citizen, and wouldn’t be even if I had been turned into a pony instead of a Changeling.

All three look shocked and, more importantly, convinced by that, but I still add after a moment’s pause, “I was even there when the three formed their little ‘club’ at Diamond Tiara’s cuteceañara… Wait!” Only now considering that a Changeling confessing to attending a filly’s party might not go over so well, I bite my lip and instantly regret it when I feel my fangs easily create twin puncture wounds. Too late; just glide over it, I try to calm myself. “… Wait,” I repeat, “It might have been Silver Spoon’s, but-. No, I’m sure it was Tiara’s; she was the one who complained about the spotlight stealing and Silver tried to cheer her up.” Yes, small details… Those are my only weapon right now: details only someone who had been there would have noticed…

Unfortunately, it seems Twilight hadn’t paid attention, instead getting stuck on my very first statement, though she at least appears to take it as the truth by what she says next. “Y-You’ve-…” she stutters, more shocked by this than anything before, and even as her stutter disappears, she stands almost robotically still, nothing but her mouth moving. “Changelings have been here since before Nightmare Moon’s return a couple years ago?…”—finally, a point of reference, time-wise.

When nothing happens for a few minutes I start to feel that something needs to push this situation along. “Well… yes…” I try to urge the other three along with a little verbal push, but still nothing happens. “We Changelings are, after all, good at what we do. The only reason we were exposed is because Queen Chrysalis started to get a little greedy.” Of course I have no idea if any of this was true, but it has the intended effect… somewhat.

Twilight finally moves, shaking her head slowly. “Queen Chrysal-… You-… I-… This-… I can’t-… This is something that needs to go straight to Princess Celestia.” My jaw drops open and I want to protest—No! Anything but her!—but my throat shuts down, and I can only make little gasping noises as Twilight gives hard looks to Rarity and Fluttershy in turn. “I’m going to the library to send a letter now, and I don’t want to start any panic by dragging a Changeling through town, so I need you two to make sure it doesn’t get away. No matter how much you care about it, I’m sure you can both see this news is bigger than one Changeling.”

That makes all three of us bite our lips—me a bit more gently and carefully this time—and look between ourselves. Twilight finishes with a glare at me that says, “I don’t have time to convince them right now, so if you don’t stay put…” and while I have no idea what Twilight might possibly threaten, I instantly resolve to get out of Ponyville as soon as possible, by any means possible. With a final, aggressive shake of her head, she stiffly canters out, at least remembering to not slam the door open and shut with her magic.

When the door closes, the fear finally pulls back enough for me to move, and as I begin attempting to stand, Fluttershy puts a forehoof against my chest. While my first thought is that she’s actually listening to Twilight and is going to prevent me from so much as standing, I recognize quickly enough, and with relief, that she doesn’t exert any pressure against me and moves her hoof with me as I rise—the light touch is only there as a silent and compassionate warning to move slowly and be careful not hurt myself further.

As soon as I’m standing on hooves that are surprisingly not shaky, Rarity steps forward with what I interpret as an apologetic look. Instantly, I step back in turn, consequently and unintentionally putting Fluttershy in between us—still it has the effect of getting Rarity to stop advancing on me. “Rarity, I can’t-… I can’t just wait -.”

“I know,” She interrupts, prompting me to look around Fluttershy, and I only now recognize that her apologetic look is, in fact, sympath- no… empathy? Why? Just as I open my mouth to ask, Rarity continues. “I understand, really, and I think you know why.” I shake my head without really thinking about an explanation, and Rarity smiles. “I was held prisoner once.”—Oh! Right…—“I wish we could have gotten Twilight to see how she’s acting, but…” She finishes with nothing but a sigh.

Fluttershy turns around to face me directly, looking straight into my eyes with the most sincere kindness—not that that’s surprising…—before adding to what Rarity had just said. “And I- um… I can tell you don’t like having to fool everypony… I have lots of experience with needing to do things I don’t want to… or thinking I need to…” Her eyes start to go misty as she says this, and she slowly lowers her head down until she’s looking at the floor, to which she says, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t-… I should have thought things through and not gone to Twilight…” She can barely finish, her voice growing constrained and high with held-back sobs.

“It’s… all right…” I try to comfort, but my own voice betrays me and comes out uncertain—just as I am uncertain about my future—so I put a hoof under her chin to try and lift her head up. At first, when she presses back, I think she’s resisting, but when that flowing feeling washes over me I realize she’s nuzzling me—her tears wet my black fur and dribble through the holes in my legs.

I try to continue through my shock of such a revelation and sensation, “You… couldn’t have known... that she…” I shake my head, both reminding myself that if my own deductions and Rarity’s words can be trusted, then Fluttershy had to have known how Twilight would react, and telling myself that, very much like Twilight, Fluttershy had only acted as she thought best. “She’s only doing what she thinks is best… as always,” I try to smile, but I’m not sure how well it comes out, considering my mood and my fangs. “but I still don’t want to wait here for… for…” I gulp as I try to get the name out—never thought I would ever be so scared of Princess Celestia I wouldn’t be able to say her name…

Rarity catches on quickly without me having to finish, though, and nods in a slow, almost conspiratorial way, like a spy signaling to another spy. In that moment a most crazy thought enters my head. She isn’t- she- No, Rarity can’t be… No, she has a sister and-. It’s just impossible! Unless… but in the next instant I shove the thought away as Rarity says, “As I said, I understand. I’ll break the window with one of my mannequins to make it look like you had to escape.” She finishes with a nod towards the door, which she opens for me with her magic, which creates a light blue aura around her horn. Blue… as always, I almost sigh from relief.

Fluttershy turns her head away from my hoof and begins wiping at her eyes with the ankles of her forelegs. I look down at the wetness she’s left on my own leg, eventually coming to a decision that manages to give me a small, but honest, smile. Lowering my own head, I nuzzle Fluttershy’s ear and whisper, “It’ll be all right. I’ll be all right. I always have been.” She sniffles before looking up at me with a smile of her own. With thoughts of Fluttershy keeping the smile on my face, I leave, flying—without having to think about it—south, over Sweet Apple Acres and away from Canterlot.