“Why didn't I get the name of the bakery?” Twilight asked herself ruefully, looking vainly for landmarks in the chill rain while passers-by gave her funny looks, “I only lived there for two weeks, I should at least know the name of the place.” Twilight sighed as she kept walking, her rain absorbing charm letting the rain pass through her without touching her at all. Being amongst the relative crowds of Manehattan, even on a rainy night, was jarring after her constant work and isolation. It also reminded her of Rarity, which hurt, but she kept going. If she could find Pinkie Pie, everything would be better, Pinkie Pie was the queen of making ponies feel better, maybe there would even be a party.

An hour or two later, Twilight finally came across a building she recognized, though she couldn't say why she recognized it. It was a plain grey building, with one set of double-doors that were probably locked. She walked up to them anyway and knocked, surprised when the doors eased open, unlocked. It was dark inside, but there was a faint light at the end of a long, downward-sloping tunnel. “Hello?” Twilight called inside, her voice echoing softly down the hall, which seemed inviting, despite the darkness. Twilight's rain-absorbing charm failed at that point and the shock of cold water on her rump made her reflexively bolt inside. The door shut behind her easily, without the ominous click she might've expected, were this one of her mystery novels. Curious and damp of rump, Twilight shook her rear legs to shed a bit of water and started down the hall towards the inviting light.

As she approached, a song softly insinuated its way through what proved to be two wooden doors, elegantly carved into a thorny vine motif, between which the light she'd seen was issuing. The lazy melody coaxed Twilight onwards, and she pushed open the door gently into the vast hall of The Briar Patch, dark and empty except for two figures, a red unicorn and a white unicorn sitting at the thorny bar and laughing over drinks. The melody drifted softly from the sound system, seeming to flow from everywhere and nowhere. At the sound of the door opening, the white unicorn called out, “The club's clo-... Oh Twilight, come on in!” Twilight smiled at Scratch as she approached and sat down at the bar next to the red unicorn, who nodded to her politely before sipping his drink. Scratch poured Twilight a drink, “So, how's things with you? Haven't seen you since the club scene.”

Twilight sighed and pushed the drink away politely, “It... Hasn't gone too well, Scratch.” She related the past few weeks to the white unicorn changeling, forgetting about the red stallion for the moment. She talked about the stresses of working on the case, even if she couldn't relate the specifics of the case itself, and finally talked about her and Rarity's whirlwind romance and sudden break-up.

Scratch listened, sipping Twilight's drink since the purple unicorn hadn't wanted it, nodding. She winced at the mention of Rarity and sighed, “Ugh, that's my fault.” At Twilight's shocked look, Scratch added, “As I was just telling Blackboard here, I thought you all had been going steady for a while, the way you reacted to her getting' nudged on the dance floor.”

“She was knocked over, and... Wait, Blackboard?” She turned to the unicorn stallion, who nodded and winked at Twilight smugly. The purple unicorn almost bucked him in the face, but restrained herself, “What are you doing here? And you're the reason I came here in the first place!”

“As another red stallion would say, 'eeyup.'” Blackboard said easily, sipping his drink, “Because you had to see.”

“See what?” Twilight all but snarled.

“How many changelings are here. Scratch here,” he nodded to the white unicorn changeling, who pushed back her glass mane with a smile, “has been helping get the newly arrived ones off the streets and...”

“Wait a minute, newly arrived... How many are we talking here?”

Scratch frowned, “About twenty or so come in looking for shelter every day now, I have some of my boys and girls help explain what's happened, where they are and so forth.” Twilight did the math and blinked, stunned at the sudden influx. Scratch nodded, “Yeah, and that's just in Manehattan, I've heard they started having weird reports all across Equestria.” Scratch nodded at Twilight's astonished look and smiled a little, “Funny thing though, the one thing they all know is your name. Twilight Sparkle, the Savior of Changelings.”

Twilight fumbled for her glass, which Scratch had thoughtfully refilled while talking, and drank deep, shivering at the burn. She stared into the empty glass, then back up at Scratch with narrowed eyes, “You amplified our emotions, that night.” Scratch coughed uncomfortably, looking to Blackboard, who sat back, smiling.

“Well, like I said, um... We... That is I... Thought you and she... Ah...” Scratch withered under Twilight's glare, “Me and Octavia kinda... Nudged things along a bit, yeah. And... Well there's a pony who makes a very strong... Uh... Well... Sorry.” Scratch squirmed under Twilight's gaze until the purple unicorn sighed, sank into her seat, gestured for another drink and sipped in silence for a while.

Blackboard snorted and leaned on the bar next to her, “Look Twilight, I know it hurts, I've been in love a few times myself, and these whirlwind flings... Well they're dumb, and they hurt, but honestly Twilight, weren't you having fun at the time?” Twilight nodded slowly, sipping her tumbler of alcohol. Blackboard snorted, “Life is short, Lady Sparkle. Take the joy and what you learned from the experience, and let the sadness fly free. Anyway, I'm out.” He stood up and nudged Twilight gently, “Come on Twilight, I'll take you to Pinkie Pie's.”

Twilight sat up, startled, and gave Blackboard a suspicious look, “How did you know I was...”

Blackboard just winked and bowed elegantly, “Suspicions, but come on, she's probably expecting you.”

“How? And 'suspicions' doesn't explain anything!”

“It's Pinkie Pie.” Blackboard said confidently, blatantly ignoring the other part of Twilight's comment, “Come on Twilight, when ISN'T Pinkie ready for company?”

After Blackboard and Twilight left, hundreds of changelings emerged from their hiding places around the deserted club, looking awed. Scratch shook her head, “See what I told y'all? She's a mare like any other, has problems like the rest of us.” She looked around at the changelings as they started murmuring to each other excitedly, most of them obviously ignoring Scratch entirely. She sighed, she'd tried, “Fine... If you can't beat em...” Scratch raised her voice, “Everypony! We're opening up soon, but first I want a word with all of you about Twilight!” Abruptly the bar was surrounded by waiting changelings. Scratch sighed, she'd taken them in, but when it was about Twilight, they all seemed determined to venerate her or something no matter what she said or did. She glared around at the large group, “Alright, well Lady Sparkle is in a bit of trouble right now so if you want to help her, help her with this killer that's been going around, but be discreet. The last thing she needs is more stress. Now somepony get Trixie back here and get ready for tonight, let's put a helluva show together, alright?”

As it happened, Pinkie wasn't ready for company since it was about four in the morning, but she got ready pretty quick. Within an hour of their arrival, they were all seated at a table eating cupcakes, deep in conversation about the recent rise in changelings. “Well why do they all know my name, Blackboard?” Twilight asked, after relating the revelations to Pinkie Pie.

Blackboard looked mildly affronted, “How should I know? Just because I've come in with mysteriously convenient information before you think that I know the answer?”

“Yes,” said Twilight and Pinkie Pie together, making them both giggle.

Blackboard rolled his eyes, “Fine, yes I have heard some things, but you're making this no fun at all.” Blackboard made the two mares wait while he ate another cupcake, “Some of the newly arrived changelings have said that they didn't escape, like you did Twilight, but were set loose by the Beast.” Twilight and Pinkie both gasped appropriately, and Blackboard nodded, “It's strange, but there you are. Oh and apparently he told them that you, Twilight Sparkle, were responsible for their release. Personally.”

Twilight blinked, shocked, “But... But why?”

The red stallion snorted, “Buck if I know, but it makes them easy to find. Most of them are lost, confused, and mentioning your name generally makes them calm down... Some of them though...” Blackboard's scowl darkened, “I've heard some changelings that are... Less stable of mind... Blame you for bringing them back to the real world, while others are so crazy they just start flinging stuff if you mention the WORD Twilight.” Blackboard sighed and ate another cupcake while Twilight's expression became horrified, “But it's starting to get noticed, especially in smaller communities, and ponies are becoming restless. It's being called a rise in birthrate, but that won't fool ponies for long.”

Twilight frowned and shook her head, “No, it won't. Is anypony helping them?”

“Scratch and Octavia are, that club's like a hive, you just usually only see the dance area. Hundreds of changelings live there, and all of the changelings in Manehattan visit at least once a week, usually more.” Blackboard said, smiling, “That, at least, is genuinely your doing.” At Twilight's startled look Blackboard grinned, “Didn't you say somepony ought to save changelings?” Twilight blushed and nodded, then went back to her baked goods while Blackboard chuckled.

Pinkie, who had been the quietest of the group for a change, nudged Blackboard, “Hey Boardy, can ya get some more cupcakes please? From the kitchen?” Blackboard nodded, smiling, and walked into the kitchen. Pinkie gave Twilight a worried look and asked softly, “Twilight, are you mad at us? The girls and I, I mean?” Twilight blinked, surprised, and Pinkie continued, “Only, you haven't been answering any letters, or coming to any parties or...”

“Wait Pinkie, what letters? I only ever get your party invitations, and I'm usually busy or you're out here in Manehattan. I haven't gotten any mail since we saw each other last after Celestia was cured.” Twilight said, a trace of confusion coloring her hurt tone. Pinkie stared, then narrowed her eyes.

Blackboard came trotting in from the kitchen, looking annoyed, “Pinkie, there're no more cupcakes in the kitchen, what-... Ye gods!” Blackboard backed a step as Pinkie's head turned around on its neck like an owl's to fix the red stallion with a severe look.

“Blackboard, how come Twilight's not been getting our letters? I thought you were supposed to stop this kind of thing.” Pinkie glared at Blackboard, who was starting to sweat a little under the intensity of Pinkie's azure gaze.

“Pinkie, h-how would I know why she isn't getting her mail? I'm not a mailpony, besides, I've been tied up for weeks trying to sort things out.” Blackboard shook his head, “If I'd known about the mail thing, I would've looked into it, and it's being done subtly enough that it went through the correct channels. Complain to the postal service, just stop staring at me!” Blackboard bounded back into the kitchen to protect himself from Pinkie's stare.

Pinkie snorted, then her head snapped back around to smile at Twilight, “Well there you are then, let's go talk to Ditzy after breakfast, she'll help sort this out.” With that, she set about the kitchen preparing some sort of breakfast, while Twilight stared, lost in thought.

Ponyville Post Office was a large, grand sort of building, built in the Old Canterlot style, but minus most of the elegant stone work. What remained was a stout, bulky building that had about as much grace as a thrown brick, but what it lacked in elegance it made up for in large-ness. Twilight felt mildly impressed just standing outside. She followed an utterly unimpressed Blackboard into the building, with Pinkie bouncing along behind her.

They had traveled to Ponyville via the Hedge at Pinkie's insistence. She had a gateway already prepared in the basement, to Twilight's immense surprise, in the form of a set of plain double-doors that were decorated like a gingerbread house on the Hedge side. The ease with which the pink earth pony navigated the thorny paths astonished Twilight, who had anticipated a rather more arduous journey. It also raised some questions in the purple unicorn's mind, but she decided to keep them to herself until they got her mail restored, especially since Blackboard seemed utterly unfazed by Pinkie's expertise. The red unicorn had seemed mildly distracted the whole way through the maze of paths and passageways, only snapping back to the present once they were all in front of the Post Office.

The interior of the Post Office was a claustrophobic press of activity, with a crowd of ponies in line waiting to ship packages. Overhead, mail-pegasi flew in and out hatches that stretched up the tall but narrow main hall of the Post Office, sorting mail, putting it in mail chariots for the evening journey to the Postal Hub in Canterlot. Behind the complaints desk, a familiar cross-eyed pegasus mare was shrinking behind her desk, hiding from a ranting blue earth pony stallion. “And furthermore, my package arrived dented, dented! It's a miracle nothing was harmed the way you lunatics bolt around!” Twilight and the others waited patiently behind the wildly gesticulating stallion, “Last week you left a package forty five minutes early, what if I hadn't been home?!” Ditzy was cowering behind her desk, not being permitted to say anything beneath the endless flow of verbal abuse. Twilight frowned as they waited for another twenty minutes, then fixed her eyes on the blue stallion and whispered softly to the shadows.

“And... And furthermore... Is... Is it... Are the walls closing in in here? I... I didn't... Who said that?!” The earth pony looked around wildly in sudden paranoia, until he spotted Twilight, who smiled as his eyes widened in sudden terror.

“Boo.” The blue stallion shrieked and fled at the simple word, shoving his way out the door in his haste to flee. Ditzy peeked over the counter, and sighed with relief when she saw Twilight, who chuckled, “Well, I didn't think I was that scary. Hey Ditzy Doo,”

“H-Hey Twilight, you didn't do that did you?” Ditzy frowned, she hadn't liked the blue stallion, but he WAS a customer, and ponies scaring customers was probably against the rules somewhere.

“Ditzy, do I look scary to you?” Twilight grinned affably at Ditzy, who chuckled, relaxing as she shook her head. “Hey, Ditzy, I've been having a problem though-”

“Yeah!” Pinkie Pie cut in, bouncing in agitation, or possibly just bouncing, “She hasn't been getting any letters at all!”

Ditzy Doo frowned, “Really? One moment,” She flipped through a stack of cards nearby, then called back for somepony who brought her another stack of cards. Finally she produced a card with Twilight's cutie mark on the back, “Is your address... 50 Maple Lane, Manehattan?”

“Manehattan? Ditzy, I live here, in Ponyville, just up the block!”

“What... But your sister said...” Ditzy said confusedly, “Your sister said you'd moved, filled out the change of address form for you and everything.”

Twilight blinked, “Um Ditzy Doo, I don't have a sister.”

Ditzy snorted, “Sure you do, remember? Trixie!”