"rrrrrrrrrr~!" Dawn cries out in frustration, her eyes following the tip of the pale yellow tail waggling irritatingly just out of reach. "Get! Back! Here!"

The prehensile tail ignores her demands however, bending and twisting to stay just beyond the grasp of the pouncing vampony filly as the coal-dust grey body of the thestral guard to whom it is attached turns in a slow circle. The others in the room watch the scene play out before them, Spike and the princesses following their antics amusedly while the remaining two guards stand nervously on either side of Luna – though their closeness along with the occasional shiver makes it clear that Luna's protection is not the only motivation for their current position. Midnight meanwhile rests her head on the floor, closely following the movements of her sister and her playmate through eyes lidded by tiredness.

As the guard continues turning, Midnight's gaze shifts to rest on his cutie mark of a single, wavy, almost iridescent white line moving from the upper left of his flank to the lower right, idle curiosity distracting her as Dawn makes a final desperate lunge.

"YESSS!!!" Dawn shouts triumphantly from between her teeth, grinning while the guard's tail wriggles helplessly in her jaws. Smiling mischievously, the guard begins to turn much more quickly, Dawn's eyes widening in surprise as she is dragged forward. Their speed rapidly increases, the centripetal force growing strong enough to lift her from the ground as the thestral whose tail she's biting spins faster and faster. On her fifth cycle their speed peaks and the guard changes the incline of her orbit, for a moment Dawn's side sliding along the floor with all the pressure of a feather before her altered path aims her 45 degrees from the library's floor.

Releasing her hold on his tail, Dawn snaps her wings open and easily gains control of her trajectory, the arc of her flightpath taking her within reach of the library's mostly empty shelves. Her height slowly decreases as she circles overhead for one lap around the room, the second lap cut short as she drops towards her older sister. Midnight raises her head and tenses as she sees Dawn's impending dive bomb, the impact pushing her several inches across the floor away from their platter and forcing a wet burp from her mouth. Panting, Dawn shifts onto her side and closes her eyes, snuggling into Midnight's barrel. With a sigh, Midnight licks her lips and lowers her head back to the floor, extending a wing over Dawn and flapping it gently.

The guard looks at Midnight, smiling as he waggles his tail, "Want to take a turn?"

Midnight blinks, then gives him a flat stare, "I will maul you."

The guard coughs and takes a step back, "Right… uhh… never mind then."

The telltale pop of teleportation sounds from the kitchen, a voice muffled by the thick curtains calling out, "Princess Celestia?"

"We're in here, lieutenant," Celestia responds loudly, turning to look at the curtains blockading the kitchen along with everybody else.

Almost immediately she regrets her decision, nearly closing her eyes as she squints against the shaft of light breaking through the curtains as Double Time enters. The others in the room react similarly, Spike, Twilight, and Luna squinting uncomfortably and looking away while the batponies cover their eyes with their wings, Midnight lowering the one fanning Dawn to shield her as well. Much to the relief of everyone in the room, Double Time quickly slips through the doorway, allowing the curtains to fall back into place.

Staring in the general direction of the princesses while his eyes adjust, Double Time salutes into the darkness, "Your Highnesses, the ponies you requested to be brought here are waiting outside."

"Thank you, lieutenant," Celestia replies with a nod. "Please send them in."

Double Time bows shortly, "At once."

"You are aware that you can use the door," Luna comments dryly as light surrounds his horn in preparation for another teleportation.

"O-Oh, yes, of course. My apologies," Double Time says, the glow of magic fading from his horn as he instead carefully starts making his way towards the front door.

However, after a few steps he freezes as his still adapting vision is able to make out the vamponies – along with the platter of uneaten meat and leftover bones near them. Midnight turns her head, watching the unmoving guard impassively. Suddenly very much aware that all eyes in the room are on him, Double Time swallows and forces himself forward, his pace picking up noticeably once he passes the vamponies. Guided by past experience, everyone in the room looks away as he opens the door and slips outside.

Celestia sighs once the door slams shut, "Was that really necessary, Luna?"

Rather than respond, Luna merely smiles, finishing off her third waffle and dropping the last of the blueberries into her mouth.

Without warning the front door opens wide, bathing the room in the sunlight of early afternoon as an undisguised Cheerilee and Bon Bon enter alongside Big Mac and Lyra in the wake of two Royal Guards, one a pegasus and the other a unicorn.

Spike yelps in pain and falls backwards as the light scalds his retinas, defensively putting his scaled back between him and the door. The thestral guards flinch, each covering their eyes with their hooves and wings. Midnight follows suit, letting out a low growl as Dawn whimpers and pushes her head against Midnight's side to help block out the light.

"CLOSE THAT THRICE DAMNED DOOR!!!" Luna bellows, her voice resonating ominously as she and Celestia also use their wings and hooves to thwart the light's onslaught while Twilight buries her head in a nearby pile of books.

Acting on instinct, the unicorn guard's horn instantly shines to life, slamming the door shut. A chorus of relieved groans and sighs follow his action as the princesses, batponies, and Spike unshield their eyes and look around the room through green tinted vision.

"Um… Your Highness… " the unicorn guard ventures after standing in darkness for several seconds, "may I light my horn?"

"You may not," Celestia replies sharply.

Both guards flinch at her tone and bow, their ears pinned to their head and eyes staring at the floor.

A knock brings the attention of everyone in the room back to the door, Rainbow Dash's voice making its way through the wood, "Hey, uh, can we come in now?"

"Twilight," Celestia says, glancing towards the kitchen, "perhaps you could bring your friends in a bit more discretely?"

Twilight stands and nods, trotting over to the curtained doorway and doing her best to leave the room while permitting the smallest amount of light into the library. Nevertheless, the extra light briefly allows the newcomers' still adapting eyes to clearly make out the leftovers of the vamponies' meal. The Royal Guards' worry for what their punishment might be for causing the princesses pain mixes with confusion as they process the sight – horror replacing both as they realize what they're staring at, the shocked pair shooting a look at Celestia as the light from Twilight's departure vanishes. Big Mac reacts with similar though less obvious discomfort, quickly looking away as he shuffles his hooves uneasily. Lyra and the changelings on the other hoof simply glance unperturbed at the mostly cleared platter for a moment, their focus soon returning to the kitchen doorway.

A loud crack of displaced air follows a few seconds after the quiet pop of Twilight's initial teleportation, the kitchen curtain rippling slightly before being once again pushed aside. Twilight and Fluttershy enter first, the two beginning to fill out the circle by sitting opposite the first group of six and to the left of the vamponies' platter, though making sure to keep a fair sized gap between it and them. Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack follow, each pausing at the sight of the vamponies' food just long enough to annoy the pony behind them with the exception of Applejack – her gaze locking onto her brother and Cheerilee as soon as she pushes through the curtains and maintaining it despite the darkness temporarily claiming her vision as she stiffly makes her way over to Celestia's right.

Once everypony has taken a seat in their now complete though somewhat amorphous circle, Celestia glances at her sister, "Given the nature of the discussion we will be having, I think it would be best if our guards left us for the time being."

"Agreed," Luna says with a nod, looking across the room at the only one of her guards not standing beside her. "Lunar Trail; you, Shadow Strike, and Night Glider will wait in the basement until we call for you."

Lunar Trail stands and waits expectantly for his two compatriots, rolling his eyes and turning towards the basement tunnel as Shadow Strike and Night Glider uneasily follow him, the pair making sure to keep a good distance between themselves and a watchful Midnight.

"You two," Celestia says brusquely to her Royal Guards as Luna's thestrals leave, "go back outside; and please, don't throw open the door this time."

"O-Of course," the guards say in unison as they back up, both turning and hastily slipping out the front door.

As soon as the door gently clicks shut, a weak golden aura covers Celestia's horn and rapidly expands to form a thin, nearly transparent bubble around the gathered ponies.

Celestia and Luna trade encouraging looks once the spell is complete; however, before either can speak, Rainbow Dash nervously steps forward, "Hey, uh, Midnight, before we all start talking about all the other things we're here for, I just wanted to say thanks for helping out with Sombra last night; if you hadn't been there, I might've ended up dead. Or worse, apparently. So, you know, if you ever need a uh… a drink, or anything, feel free to drop by."

"Uh… sure," Midnight replies, her tongue fumbling over her words in surprise. "You're welcome. And… uhm… thanks."

Her piece said, Rainbow self-consciously returns to her place in the circle and glances at the shocked expressions of those around her, "What? That's all I had to say."

Celestia clears her throat, drawing everypony's attention back to her, "I would also like to take the opportunity to apologize to you, Midnight, for what happened 1000 years ago. My fellow princesses and I will need some time to think about and discuss how to proceed from here, but rest assured that what occurred then will not reoccur now."

"Indeed," Luna agrees. "Accidental or not, it is a stain upon the history of Equestria, and one which we will do everything in our power to scrub clean."

"And, I mean, that sounds great and all," Midnight says hesitantly, the gravity of the situation finally beginning to weigh on her as her gaze moves from Rainbow to the Two Sisters. "But what does that mean, exactly?"

"It means that we will do whatever we can to make up for what happened," Celestia explains, this time in plainer language. "However… " she pauses, choosing her next words carefully, "in order to be able to do so, we will need to know where to find any other vamponies that are living within the Everfree – or anywhere else, for that matter. Not only to make amends, but because, for better or worse, word of what has happened here with regard to your kind – as well as the changelings, for that matter – will spread throughout Equestria like wildfire, and we need to know which pony or ponies to speak with about the changes that knowledge will bring."

Celestia sighs tiredly, releasing the last of the air in her lungs and drawing a new breath, "That said, my sister has told me that you do not know the location of any vamponies aside from those living near Ponyville. Do you have any way at all to find or communicate with those living in other areas? I realize this is a lot to ask of you, especially given our history, but I strongly believe that it would be better to try and get ahead of this rather than waiting for ponies to go searching for answers on their own."

Midnight blinks slowly, a lost look in her eyes as she digests Celestia's words, "I don't… um, I could ask around and see if anypony else does though. Maybe a place to start looking or something, at least."

"I think I can help with that, actually," Bon Bon says, a cold pit forming in her stomach as the princesses turn to look at her along with everypony else in the room. "It's not really that hard, if uh… i-if you know what to look for."

"You are 'Bon Bon', correct?" Celestia asks, the slightest hint of suspicion in her voice.

Bon Bon bows nervously, "Y-Yes, your highness."

"I see," Celestia replies, dismissing a questioning look from Luna with a nearly imperceptible shake of her head. "That name sounds oddly familiar for some reason; but regardless, please explain what you mean."

Lyra puts a foreleg around Bon Bon's shoulder and pulls her closer, Bon Bon drawing on the stream of protective emotions flowing from Lyra to steady herself, "W-Well, um… it all starts with the Everfree, really, in that despite how nonchalant a lot of ponies here in Ponyville are about living literally right next to it, its reputation for being scary and even deadly are very well earned. Most towns anywhere near the forest have walls with a contingent of guards and-or employ a branch of one of the monster hunter guilds to deal with the occasional creature that wanders out of the forest looking for a meal."

Bon Bon pauses, drawing a deep breath before continuing, "There are a few exceptions to this though. The towns that are closest to the Everfree Forest – like Ponyville, which is practically right on top of it – are safe to the point that here in Ponyville we've had fillies and colts wandering into the Everfree on a, quite frankly, disturbingly frequent basis who have nevertheless always come back out mostly unscathed. We even have a zebra, Zecora, living inside the forest full time, yet if she were to try to live too far in either direction she'd probably be dead in a month or less."

"Those are the towns that vamponies are by," Bon Bon finishes, swallowing and licking her dried lips. "That isn't all vamponies, I mean, but definitely most."

"So what you are saying, is that the vamponies have been protecting Ponyville as well as these other towns?" Luna asks in surprise, looking to Midnight for confirmation.

Midnight's eyes narrow slightly in confusion, "Um. Nooo… ?"

"I could be wrong," Bon Bon says quickly, "so correct me if I am, but it's probably less that they're actively guarding the town and more that they both drink pony blood and also eat a lot of the things that would otherwise like to eat ponies. So rather than trying to walk through miles of vampony territory, attack Ponyville, and then walk back through vampony territory covered in pony blood, other Everfree predators tend to just avoid Ponyville and those other towns altogether."

Midnight nods in agreement, "That makes more sense."

"Hold up just a moment now," Applejack says suddenly. "If that's the case, then why do timberwolves still show up every once in a while?"

"They're plants," Midnight says with a shrug. "You eat them."

Applejack frowns, "That doesn't-"

"Timberwolves aside," Luna interjects, sending Applejack a pointed look before returning her gaze to Midnight, "if that is truly all it takes to locate the other vamponies, then it makes this a great deal easier. I am assuming you and your sister will be returning home once the sun sets, and if it is alright, I would like to accompany you. We still don't know specifically which other towns are likely to be host to vampony populations, and while that will be figured out in the meantime, for now it would be best to gather the vamponies around Ponyville to inform them of what has happened. The sooner we can begin reaching out to the rest of your kind, the better."

"As long as we-" Midnight pauses, glancing down at her sister asleep and snuggled into her side. "As long as I get to go back to sleep before then."

"Fear not," Luna says with a laugh. "Once we are done talking, my thestrals and I will be returning to sleep as well."

Midnight lets out a massive yawn, "Awesome."

Celestia inclines her head slightly towards Midnight, "Thank you for being so understanding, and for helping to keep Ponyville safe, intentionally or not. Now, regarding the changeling presence in Ponyville-"

"Forgive me for interrupting, Tia," Luna says apologetically, "but if you don't mind, there is something that came up during my slumber which I would very much like to understand before we get into all of that."

Celestia sighs, "Very well."

"My thanks," Luna replies, turning towards the changeling to Big Mac's left. "Your name is Cheerilee, I believe?"

Cheerilee bows deeply, "Y-Yes, your highness."

"Unless we are mistaken, I encountered you in a nightmare last night; however almost immediately after I engaged the nightmare, you vanished. It was quite strange – we have never seen anypony disappear from the dreamscape in such a way," Luna says, watching Cheerilee curiously. "Do changelings have any abilities related to the realm of sleep?"

Cheerilee shakes her head, "No, we don't. It's kind of the opposite, actually; we don't dream at all. We have a link to all the others in our hive, and when we sleep that link is strengthened instead. Last night my link was broken somehow though, and maybe that's how I ended up in a dream, but other than that I have no idea. I've never heard of anything like this happening before."

"Interesting… " Luna says, glancing at the floor and tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Then perhaps your vanishing was simply your link reestablishing itself. I wonder if… hm. Regardless, I take it that also means this was the first dream you've ever had?"

Cheerilee shivers and leans into Big Mac, resting her head on the larger stallion's shoulder, "Y-Yeah."

Luna winces, "I see… you have our sympathies. Though I suppose that does explain why we have never found a changeling in the dreamscape before."

"I guess… " Cheerilee glances worriedly up at Big Mac before timidly looking back at Luna, "um… i-if you don't mind me asking, are dreams usually that horrible?"

Luna smiles reassuringly, "Neigh, most dreams are actually quite nice, though often confusing, and even most 'nightmares' are simply manifestations of your own worries or insecurities. However, what you encountered was a true nightmare – a being which feeds on pain, hatred, and despair, and is made of the randomly recombined leftovers from the collapsed dreams of others after they wake. Fortunately such entities are quite rare; until last night, I had not been forced to deal with one since before I was banished."

"The fact that it targeted you is likely an indication of the anger, fear, and uncertainty of the rest of the town; it could just as easily have gone after Bon Bon or perhaps even Midnight or Dawn," Luna adds, sending an unamused look Pinkie's way. "Though the massive intake of sugar and caffeine following such a stressful series of events certainly did not help matters."

"Sorry," Pinkie Pie apologizes, ducking her head embarrassedly for a moment before raising both it and her right hoof high into the air. "I have a question of my own now though. If there are mean, evil dream creatures, does that mean there are nice ones too?"

Celestia lets out a dismissive snort, "Of course not. They are all an insane mess of fractured memories and emotions driven solely by the need to make everypony else they encounter as broken as they are."

"Err… that is not actually the case," Luna corrects as Pinkie's mane deflates, purposely keeping her eyes on Pinkie while she feels the pressure from Celestia's angry gaze boring into the side of her skull. "They are incredibly rare due to the random nature of their creation, but they do exist. I believe the modern term for them is an 'imaginary friend'."

Pinkie grins and squees, her mane poofing back into its regular curly form as she claps her hooves together excitedly. Luna meanwhile risks a look in Celestia's direction to find her glaring at the opposite wall as though trying to light it on fire with the sheer intensity of her stare.

Noting the lack of magic behind Celestia's gaze, Luna allows herself a small sigh, Not exactly how I had hoped to broach the subject with her.

To be fair, we had not planned on telling her at all, Selena replies, a nervous undercurrent in her voice. Twilight's house hasn't lit on fire yet though, so that's a good sign right? Definitely better than when you and her first met, at least.

Luna mentally rolls her eyes, That is hardly saying much.

Twilight glances confusedly between the distracted sisters, though curiosity quickly overcomes her hesitation, "Um, Princess Luna? I really don't mean to derail this further, but if you've never seen a changeling in a dream due to their link to the rest of their hive, why haven't you ever seen a vampony before?"

Luna blinks, Twilight's question pulling her from her internal dialogue, "What? Oh! My apologies Twilight, my mind was elsewhere. In the vamponies' case, the Everfree Forest helped to hide them from us; the chaotic magic present there warps the dreamscape as much as, if not more than, it does the physical world, making navigating it quite treacherous. I also admittedly did not often attempt to look within the forest since, as far as I was aware, nopony had ever lived inside it – Zecora's relatively recent presence being the only exception we know of. Even now it would be quite difficult to find them despite knowing they are there, like trying to search through many miles of rough ocean or dense jungle, so visiting in the real world is still easier for the time being. Here at least I will have a guide."

"Wonderful," Celestia says stiffly, focusing her attention on the pair of undisguised changelings in the room. "Now; Cheerilee, Bon Bon; Luna and I have many questions to ask you, but there is one of particular importance that must be answered first."

Celestia pauses for a second to allow her words to sink in, "Were either of you involved with the army that attacked Canterlot in any way?"

"No," Bon Bon and Cheerilee reply in unison.

Luna raises an eyebrow, "You are both quite sure? It would be far more unfortunate if later we were to find out either one of you had been lying to us."

"Neither of us had anything to do with Queen Chrysalis, her hive, or the invasion," Cheerilee states emphatically. "I didn't even know it had happened until I read about it in the Ponyville Express the next day, and Bon Bon hadn't heard anything until I told her."

"Our shells are the wrong color too," Bon Bon adds. "If we were part of Queen Chrysalis' hive, they'd be dark blue."

"If that is the case, then I take it you two are not from the same hive?" Luna asks, her eyes flicking between Cheerilee's dull yellow shell and Bon Bon's light brown one.

"We aren't," Cheerilee confirms.

"Even so, do you know what happened to this 'Queen Chrysalis' after she was ejected from Canterlot?" Celestia queries. "Or the rest of her army, for that matter."

Bon Bon shakes her head, "I heard all the other queens met to discuss a punishment, but I don't know what they ended up deciding."

"We are, quite literally, far removed from hive politics," Cheerilee adds.

Bon Bon nods, "And honestly it seemed like a topic left well enough alone. If it was something we needed to know, our queens would make sure someling came out to tell us."

"I see," Celestia replies, her tone level, "and how many changeling hives and changeling queens are there in Equestria?"

"There are nine," Cheerilee answers, pausing for a split second. "Hives and queens I mean – you can't have one without the other. Though that includes Queen Chrysalis too, actually, so probably eight now."

"Eight queens… " Celestia says quietly, her eyes glazing over for a few seconds as she recalls what Chrysalis alone was able to accomplish, "that is… more than I was expecting."

Luna frowns, "What do you mean, there are eight now? If your queens met to discuss Chrysalis' punishment, then she must have survived her expulsion from Canterlot."

"Well, I mean, I didn't hear what Chrysalis' punishment was specifically, but… " Cheerilee shivers, Big Mac wrapping a foreleg around her shoulders, "but my queen was so angry when she found out what had happened… I've never felt her get so emotional about anything before. I could barely sleep for over a week, and the whole hive was on edge until she calmed down."

Bon Bon nods in agreement, "My queen reacted similarly. And if the others also reacted the same way… I can't imagine Queen Chrysalis was allowed to live."

"That is a rather disquieting thought," Celestia says pensively after a moment, "though perhaps not unsurprising, given what she did. As for these other queens, and their hives, do you know where in Equestria they are located?"

Bon Bon and Cheerilee shift uncomfortably, several seconds passing before Cheerilee speaks up, "We know the location of our own hive, but it's not… um… that is to say… i-it's not really our place to be telling you or anypony else where it is. I don't even know where Bon Bon's hive is, and I wouldn't expect her to tell me if I asked."

Celestia sighs exasperatedly, "Very well, in that case either you or some… ling else will need to carry the message back themselves, so we will need the names of at least one changeling from all the other hives, as well as your own, if you two aren't volunteering."

"Uh… " Bon Bon glances at Cheerilee, for an instant Cheerilee's eyes flicking worriedly to Fluttershy. "It's not really our place to be outing other changelings, either. Especially from other hives. Also, 'somepony' is fine, if you want; we are technically bugponies."

Celestia rubs her temples, irritation flaring, "That represents something of a problem then. We need to be able to send discrete messages to all of the hives; we can't just make a public announcement asking the eight-or-nine Changeling Queens of Equestria to please get in contact, the nation would panic."

Twilight nudges Fluttershy as Celestia speaks, sending Fluttershy a questioning expression. Fluttershy starts at Twilight's touch, turning her head to look at Twilight uncomprehendingly. Twilight offers a small smile, tilting her head towards the other alicorns and changelings in the room. Fluttershy stiffens as she understands what Twilight is asking, her ears splaying back, however after thinking about it for a moment she gulps and nods. Twilight's smile grows slightly and she bumps shoulders with Fluttershy, doing her best to try and direct feelings of support and encouragement Fluttershy's way.

"I'm sorry," Bon Bon apologizes, "but Cheerilee and I were essentially forced to reveal ourselves, and that's not something I would want anyling else to be put through. You could make an announcement just here in Ponyville asking any other changelings to reveal themselves though. Once they know Bon Bon and I are fine and that nothing will happen to them, they might be willing to come forward."

"Bon Bon and I could also take your message back to our hives and then our queens could send it out to the other hives," Cheerilee suggests. "There aren't changelings from every single hive in Ponyville, so that would have to happen anyway, and that way no other changelings would have to be revealed."

Fluttershy takes a deep breath while Bon Bon and Cheerilee speak, their words not quite reaching her ears as she instead focuses on the emotions emanating from each of her friends. Starting with the pink pony to her left, she pulls back slightly as she samples the aura of giddy happiness surrounding Pinkie Pie, the sugary emotion marred by an secondary undercurrent of bitter fear while also strangely muted as though Pinkie's glee is directed inward. Rarity meanwhile radiates wariness, though even in the second Fluttershy takes to taste her emotions the watery feeling fades, increasingly replaced by a rapidly growing enthusiasm and eagerness. Beside her, Rainbow Dash exudes the usual sourness of her pride, though for the moment nervousness and cloying suspicion mixed with faint hints of curiosity manage to force it into the background. Fluttershy's breath catches in her throat as she examines her final friend's emotional output however, Applejack giving off only fear, anger, and distaste, the three emotions periodically fusing into outright disgust.

Retreating back to the safety of her own mind, Fluttershy does her best to suppress her own spiking fear, drawing on the stream of Twilight's support to fortify herself and to wash out the aftertaste of Applejack.

OK, it's OK, it's… oh, who am I kidding, this is terrible! Applejack is going to hate me and Rainbow will never trust me again and… and… no, it'll be fine. Twilight's here and she can help explain and prove that I'm me a-and it'll all… i-it'll all work out. They're my very best friends, I'm sure they'll understand, eventually. Twilight said they would. I just need to open my mouth and say… something…

Fluttershy swallows, moistening her suddenly dry throat, "um… "

Midnight lets out another huge yawn, sending Cheerilee and Bon Bon a flat, tired stare, "I really don't understand why you're making such a big deal out of this. There's only one other changeling in the entirety of Ponyville."

"You knew?!" Fluttershy blurts out, her jaw instantly snapping shut with an audible clack as soon as the words leave her mouth. Clapping her hooves to her muzzle, she fearfully glances around, everypony else in the room giving her sudden outburst little more than a passing notice.

Everypony, except for Applejack.

"Indeed, you are able to locate changelings?" Luna asks Midnight curiously. "How?"

Heart pounding, Fluttershy forces herself to look away from Applejack and towards Midnight, though she can still feel the former's suspicious stare drilling into her.

"They taste different," Midnight answers, an unpleasant expression crossing her face. "Kinda watery, and… eugh. There used to be a lot more too, but most of them left over the last couple years."

Luna's gaze intensifies at this, "How many are we talking about?"

Midnight looks up at the ceiling, her eyes flicking back and forth slightly as she tries to remember a piece of information once considered rather unimportant, "Seven… ty… ish… ?"

"That you are able to determine this based on their blood tasting different would imply that you have drunk the blood of every pony in Ponyville," Celestia states sharply.

Midnight exhales quickly through her nose, but otherwise doesn't respond.

"I would also like to know if that is true," Luna prompts, raising an eyebrow.

Midnight sighs in annoyance, her body tensing in a suppressed stretch so as to not to disturb Dawn, "I haven't fed on everypony in Ponyville, but we all have our own preferences on who tastes best. Changelings are the exception to that – they taste universally bad, so we share with each other who to avoid. Well, not quite universally bad," Midnight corrects herself after a moment's thought. "There is one guy who likes the flavor, calls it an 'acquired taste'."

Cheerilee, Bon Bon, and Fluttershy shiver at this, Midnight rolling her eyes, "If it makes you feel any better, I think you changelings taste terrible."

"Pardon me for interruptin'," Applejack says before anyone else can speak, her tone tinted by anger and disdain, "but Fluttershy, Ah'm a mite curious as to what you really meant by 'you knew'. And, more importantly, why you shivered along with these other two shapeshifters just now. Is there somethin' yer not tellin' us?"

At Applejack's words, everypony turns to look at Fluttershy; shock, confusion, and suspicion blooming from all of them save for Twilight, Cheerilee, Bon Bon, and Lyra, their eyes instead widening with worry as the others wait for an answer.

"I-I… I… " Fluttershy stammers as she wilts under their combined gaze, the weight of their stares pushing her to the floor. Screwing her eyes shut, she braces herself for the worst, a brief burst of bright green flame consuming her as she returns to her natural form.

Rarity's jaw drops and she stands stock still, staring at the changeling huddled on the floor in her friend's place for a long moment before her eyes glaze over and she slumps limply onto Pinkie Pie's side, unconscious.

"Fluttershy… you're a changeling?" Rainbow Dash asks after another long pause. "Growing up together, and all through flight school, a-and living here in Ponyville… you've been a changeling this whole time?"

Fluttershy ducks her head, her tubular ears laying flat to her skull as she hides behind her now limp mane, "Um… yes?"

Pinkie Pie gasps loudly, startling everypony else in the room with the exception of Rarity, who slides to the floor, "This is the best thing EVER! If you're a changeling, then that means you can taste love and happiness and affection and joy and surprise and-" she gasps again, "Does that mean you can taste jokes?!"

"How do we know if this even is Fluttershy?" Applejack asks heatedly, glowering at the newly revealed changeling as she moves to hide from Applejack's gaze behind Twilight. "She could've replaced the real Fluttershy who knows how long ago just so she could feed on our friendship."

"I take it that this is the changeling who came to see you last night?" Celestia asks Twilight, her voice strained.

"Yes, she is," Twilight answers, frowning first at her former mentor then at Applejack, "and I know she's the real Fluttershy because she was able to embody her Element last night. If she hadn't been the real Fluttershy, the Elements wouldn't have been able to save Rainbow Dash and she'd be – she'd be somewhere else right now."

Twilight stomps the floor in determination, "But they did resonate last night, Rainbow Dash was saved, which means she is Fluttershy and she is our friend – changeling or not."

Applejack takes a small step back and nods stiffly, her anger only dropping to a simmer rather than vanishing entirely. Meanwhile, Big Mac's brow knits as he glances between the three changelings in the room, focusing first on Fluttershy before moving on to Cheerilee and then to Bon Bon. Settling lastly on Lyra, he raises his eyebrows, asking her a wordless question. Lyra simply nods, smiling.

Tentatively, Rainbow steps around Twilight and pushes aside Fluttershy's mane, studying her face.

Fluttershy trembles slightly as she stares up at Rainbow Dash, "U-Um… i-is something wrong?"

"Well… I am kinda mad at you for not telling me you're a changeling even though we've been friends since foalhood." Rainbow's eyes narrow, lingering on Fluttershy's jaw, "What's the deal with your teeth though? The changelings that invaded had this huge, awesome fangs, and yours are like… nubby."

"What? Oh, um… I think they were just for intimidation. You know, being shapeshifters and all," Fluttershy answers, cautiously offering Rainbow her first smile since entering Twilight's library. "Sorry."

"Pssh, don't worry about it. Huge fangs really wouldn't suit you anyway," Rainbow replies, pushing Fluttershy out from behind Twilight and back into the circle before standing next to her. "But c'mon, no more hiding, alright?"

Fluttershy's smile grows, and she nods, "Alright."

"Ooh… oh my… " Rarity murmurs from her spot on the floor, her eyelids fluttering open. Flinching at the sight of the changeling standing between Twilight and Rainbow Dash, she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, reopening them a few seconds later to take another look, "…Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy's lips wobble dangerously, but she manages to maintain her smile, "H-Hi Rarity."

"I must say, that was… that was quite a shock," Rarity says as she gets to her hooves, turning her head slightly and raising her eyebrows to send Twilight a silent question.

"She really is Fluttershy," Twilight confirms. "She couldn't have embodied her Element to save Rainbow otherwise."

"I see," Rarity replies, running her eyes across Fluttershy's changeling form. "Well, you certainly look… uh… different. Not to imply that you look bad! I just mean it'll take some… getting used to… hmm… "

A frown forms on Rarity's face as she stares at the golden double band stretching from one side of Fluttershy's shell to the other. Sparing a quick glance at Bon Bon and Cheerilee's black-banded shells, Rarity returns her gaze to Fluttershy, her frown deepening, "Though, if you don't mind me asking, why does your… your shell look different from Cheerilee's and Bon Bon's, what with the gold bands across your barrel? The queen who interrupted Cadence and Shining Armor's wedding had a similar look, though hers were green, I believe." Rarity raises a hoof to her mouth, "Oh dear, you're not related to her are you?"

"No! I-I mean, no, my mom is a different queen. A-And we had nothing to do with the wedding invasion either," Fluttershy adds hastily, shooting Celestia and Luna a fearful look.

"That is good," Celestia states, offering Fluttershy a wooden smile.

"Indeed," Luna concurs.

"Yes, that is certainly a relief," Rarity says, walking over to stand in front of Fluttershy. "Though, since you are the daughter of a queen, that does make you a princess does it not?"

"Um… " Fluttershy braces herself, "Yes?"

"ooooooo~" Rarity squeals as she stamps her hooves excitedly, grinning widely as her exuberance washes over Fluttershy's senses like a wave, "you absolutely must let me make you a dress for when you look like this! I realize you can change to look however you want, but you will, won't you? Ple~ease?"

"I mean, i-if you really want to," Fluttershy replies, a smile reappearing on her face as the warmth of confidence grows in her chest. "I'd be honored."

Rarity's hooves suddenly wrap around Fluttershy, the changeling princess letting out an chirp of surprise before returning the embrace, "Thank you thank you thank you Fluttersh-" Rarity releases Fluttershy from the hug, grinning at her coyly, "though I suppose I should start calling you 'Your Highness' now, shouldn't I?"

Fluttershy shakes her head, "You're not part of my hive, so just Fluttershy is fine. I wouldn't want my friends calling me that anyway." Doubt flickers across Fluttershy's face, and she glances around at Rarity, Pinkie, Rainbow, Twilight, and Applejack, "You are all still ok with being friends, right?"

Pinkie Pie suddenly pops into existence between Fluttershy and Rarity, drawing both of them into a tight hug, "Of course we're still friends silly; you're still you and I'm still me and as long as that doesn't change, we're still PFF's!"

"Yeah," Rainbow agrees, adding her hooves to the embrace along with Twilight, "and don't you forget it, Flutters."

Applejack eyes the happy mass of hugging ponies for a second before making her way over as well, begrudgingly joining in after another moment of hesitation.

After a solid minute passes, Luna stamps her right forehoof loudly on the wooden floor, drawing everypony's attention to her, "While I am very happy for all of you that your friendship was able to endure this trial, there is still much we need to discuss."

Celestia nods, "If I am understanding the situation correctly, you three are the only changelings currently present in Ponyville?"

"We are," Fluttershy replies, shuffling to reform the circle along with her fellow former huggers.

"In that case," Celestia says, looking at the three changelings in turn, "are you each willing to return to your hive with a message for your queen from Twilight, Luna, and myself?"

However, before any of the changelings can answer, Big Mac speaks up for the first time since entering the library, "Uhm, yer highnesses?"

All eyes of the circle shift to Big Mac, Luna answering first, "Yes, McIntosh Apple?"

Big Mac's ears flick nervously, and he takes a deep breath before continuing, "Ah was just thinkin'; when Ah was talkin' with Cheerilee last night, she mentioned that the emotions they gather are shipped back to their hive in these jars. Why not send yer message back with whoever picks them up?"

"That could work," Cheerilee says, glancing questioningly at Bon Bon.

Bon Bon gives Lyra a quick nuzzle, "I think I like that idea better, actually." She looks back at Celestia and Luna, "If that's alright with you, your highnesses. It would take a little more time, since we wouldn't be sending it right away."

"We think a slight delay may actually be preferable," Luna replies after considering the idea for a few seconds. "It would allow time for us to wrap up the current situation, as well as to bring Cadence and Shining Armor up to speed on what has happened. What do you think, Tia?"

Celestia bobs her head once in agreement, "I think the idea has merit – I know I would much rather have Sombra safely and far more permanently contained before starting anything else. Cheerilee, Bon Bon, Fluttershy, when will you need our letter by?"

"Nine days at the latest," Cheerilee states.

"Eleven days for me," Bon Bon replies.

"Um… I don't actually gather emotions to send back, so I can't send the message that way," Fluttershy says, fidgeting nervously as the room's focus once more returns to her. "My mom isn't in the hive right now anyway. You could talk to her in person though, if you want."

Celestia's eyes narrow suspiciously, "That… would also work. Where is she?"

Fluttershy looks at her hooves, pawing at the floor worriedly, "Y-You won't throw her in the dungeon, o-or reveal her, or anything, right?"

"That depen-" Celestia starts to say, a swift elbow from Luna cutting her off.

Luna offers a smile, "Of course we won't. Right, Celestia?"

"Of course not," Celestia replies, rubbing the point of impact of her sister's elbow.

Fluttershy takes a deep breath, "She's in Canterlot."

Luna's smile transforms into a frown, Celestia stiffening and standing taller as a spike of fear threatens to break through her mostly calm exterior.

"She not up to anything!" Fluttershy says quickly, waving her hooves in front of herself, "She's just in Canterlot a lot for her job."

"And, pray tell, what is her job?" Celestia asks carefully, her heart beating loudly in her ears, "Who is she?"

"W-Well," Fluttershy replies, resuming her fidgeting, "her real name is Amaranth, but the name of the form you would recognize i-is… it's… Photo Finish."

"WHAAAAT?!"

Ignoring the shock and, in a couple cases, near heart attack her exclamation inflicted on those around her, Rarity grabs Fluttershy's shoulders and jerks the stunned changeling around to face her, "You mean Photo Finish as in the Photo Finish, the famous fashion photographer Photo Finish, the Photo Finish who showed up in Ponyville supposedly to have a photo shoot of my dresses as long as I could find somepony 'shy and graceful' as a model only to immediately lose interest in my work and instead force you into being a fashion model which nearly ruined our friendship?"

Rarity pauses to refill her lungs with air, "That Photo Finish?"

"Um… yes?" Fluttershy gulps, "S-She didn't mean anything by it though! She just thought I wasn't eating enough, and was trying to help in her own way."

Pinkie giggles, "Parents, am I right?"

"Well," Rarity huffs, "did Photo Finish, or Amaranth, or whatever her name is even like the clothes I made in the first place?"

"…She didn't dislike them," Fluttershy replies hesitantly, tapping her hooves together nervously.

Rarity turns back to face the inside of the circle, her nose raised into the air, "Hmph."

Fluttershy looks down at her hooves, "Sorry."

"If you are quite finished, Rarity?" Celestia asks tartly.

Rarity blinks, glancing around sheepishly as she remembers that others are in the room besides her and Fluttershy, "Oh! Yes, yes of course your highness, my apologies."

"Wonderful," Princess Celestia replies, returning her focus to Fluttershy. "I will speak with Queen Amaranth once I return to Canterlot, however, there is something I would like to clarify regarding your previous statements, Fluttershy. You mentioned 'eating'; I am assuming you meant you were feeding off the emotions of the ponies around you, such as those from the crowd you were modeling in front of in that case as well as more commonly from the ponies of Ponyville?"

Fluttershy nods.

"And I assume that doing so requires the use of mind magic, correct?" Celestia asks.

Fluttershy nods again, "It does."

"Would I also be correct in assuming that all changelings need to consume emotions in order to survive?" Celestia queries.

Fluttershy bobs her head once in agreement, "Yes."

Celestia's gaze sharpens along with her tone, "So then it follows that all changelings, yourselves included, are capable of using mind magic, and in fact consistently do so on the ponies around you in order to feed on them."

Luna shoots her sister a warning look, "Tia… "

Celestia ignores Luna, her focus on Fluttershy intensifying, "Answer, please."

"Well… I suppose that's true, in a way… " Fluttershy replies, backing up a step and lowering her head slightly. "But few changelings ever leave the hive, or at most are never farther than a few miles from it, and those of us that do leave are given very strict training on how to feed and gather emotions without harming anypony."

"All three of you have gone through this training then?" Celestia asks, glancing at Bon Bon and Cheerilee before returning to Fluttershy.

"Yup," Bon Bon confirms.

"I have," Cheerilee answers.

"Yes," Fluttershy says.

"I see," Celestia states. "And given that you will be living in disguise among non-changelings, I would assume this training is not simply an ethics course, and also includes other, more advanced, techniques. Using mind magic for offensive purposes, for instance."

"Tia," Luna says again, this time more sharply.

"It is a valid question," Celestia replies, sparing her sister a glance before looking at Fluttershy again. "Answer, please."

Fluttershy takes a couple small, nervous steps away from Celestia, "No, we're only taught how to use it for self-defense."

"Offense and defense are two sides of the same coin; one can easily be repurposed for use as the other," Celestia says, giving a short, dismissive exhalation. "Have any of you ever used mind magic to harm somepony?"

"No!" Fluttershy and Bon Bon both deny vehemently, shaking their heads. "Never."

Cheerilee wilts as Princess Celestia's gaze lands on her, "Uh… well… "

Fluttershy stares at Cheerilee in shock, Bon Bon sharing her expression, "Cheerilee… ?"

"I-It was last night, a-after the nightmare," Cheerilee stammers, doing her best to hide under the large foreleg wrapped protectively around her shoulders. "I was so scared, a-and I fed on Big Mac's love more than I should have. But it wasn't too much more, and he's almost completely fine now!"

Celestia looks down at Cheerilee coldly, however before she can speak, she and Luna are enveloped in the dim light of teleportation, Luna's spell taking several seconds to complete though emitting far less light.

Celestia blinks as soon as the teleportation finishes, her brief moment of surprise quickly replaced by anger as she squints against the sudden glare of sunlight and faces the only other being she can see with her in Twilight's kitchen, "What is the meaning of this, Luna?"

Luna sighs tiredly, raising a foreleg to shield her eyes from the sun's afternoon rays, "Celestia, what are you doing?"

"Discussing the changelings' use of mind magic," Celestia states, her eyes narrowing further in irritation. "Or at least I was."

"Really? 'Discussing'?" Luna asks, giving Celestia a flat look. "It seems to us that 'interrogating' would be a more accurate description."

"Mind magic is extremely dangerous, and changelings are an entire species predicated on its use on unsuspecting ponies," Celestia replies tersely, returning Luna's look with a glare. "I need to know what they can use it for and how much of a threat they pose, especially before meeting with one of their queens. My last such 'meeting' did not go particularly well, if you recall."

Luna stands a little taller, holding Celestia's gaze as her own sharpens, "Mind magic or not, they are a species that has lived peacefully within Equestria for who knows how long, the majority of whom continued to do so even after our nation began demonizing them following Cadence and Shining Armor's wedding. You do not need to be so aggressive with them, especially to Fluttershy of all ponies. Not to mention that terrifying a queen's daughter is hardly a good way to open a dialogue with anypony."

"Living peacefully?" Celestia gives a short, mirthless laugh, "How can you say they are living peacefully when they openly admit to mentally draining those around them every single day? Even with just three of them, one has already admitted to harming the pony she supposedly loves!"

"It was clearly an accident-"

"An accident!?" Celestia demands, now nearly shouting, "She assaulted him!"

"She was traumatized," Luna counters, her own voice rising in response. "She had never dreamed before in her life, and her first experience doing so was of a true nightmare. It would be as if she had never experienced pain before, and the first sensation she ever feels are her legs being chopped off. She was only trying to stem her own suffering."

Celestia snorts, her head jerking to the side to stare out one of the kitchen's windows, "Excuses."

Luna licks her lips, jaw clenching, "Besides, the Apple stallion seems to be perfectly fine; why would you simply assume any kind of permanent harm was done to him?"

Celestia throws up her hooves in exasperation, "Because it's mind magic! It is inherently dangerous; one wrong push and you can turn a pony in a vegetable, or worse!"

"By that logic all magic is inherently dangerous, and yet you do not spend your days interrogating unicorns who have done nothing wrong besides using the gift they were born with," Luna replies.

Celestia gives Luna an annoyed look, "That would be absurd, and you know it."

"Yes," Luna states crisply, "that was my point."

"And then there are the vamponies," Celestia continues after a moment's pause, as if Luna had not spoken. "I saw Midnight use Domination magic on Twilight back there, is that also alright?"

Luna shakes her head, "No, it's not, and we will have to make sure they understand not to use it on non-vamponies, but even so it is simply a part of their species and their culture. They were obviously not intending to bring any harm to Twilight and from the looks of things were merely trying to play with her."

"As a predator would its prey," Celestia says, sneering slightly.

"That is not what I meant, which you know full well," Luna replies, her stony expression belying the frustration in her tone.

Celestia grits her teeth, "How can you keep taking their side in this?! Can't you see how much of a threat they-"

The side of Luna's left hoof interrupts her as it impacts her muzzle, Celestia staggering slightly as the rattled gears in her mind jam and grind to a halt trying to process the fact that Luna had struck her.

"I am 'taking their side', as you put it, because this conversation is reminding us more and more of what you once said of my own talent," Luna states, anger simmering beneath each word as she speaks slowly and precisely.

With a tremendous mental exertion, Celestia manages to regain her balance, raising a hoof to her face as she stares at Luna in shocked silence for several seconds. Opening her mouth as if to say something, she stands there gaping at Luna for another second before closing it and taking a deep breath through her nose.

Lowering her hoof to the floor, Celestia opens her mouth once more, this time managing to speak, "Luna… I didn't mean… you know I haven't thought of you like that since… "

Luna glares at Celestia as she trails off, however eventually she closes her eyes and sighs, her anger gone once she reopens them, "We know you don't, however I know how uncomfortable you are with mind magic, and I also know you've been dodging the issue by telling yourself that even though mind magic is bad you can trust me, or you can trust Cadence, but that isn't going to work anymore. If we are going to be able to officially extend peace and friendship to the vamponies and the changelings, you are going to need to accept that mind magic and its various facets have a role to play in Equestria beyond one or two Alicorn princesses – and in fact have had a role for a very long time now, even if we were not aware of it."

Sympathy enters Luna's voice as she watches Celestia, "Can you do that?"

Celestia's barrel expands as she inhales deeply, slowly letting the air out through her nose, "I can."

"You are sure?" Luna asks softly.

Celestia nods tiredly, "It wasn't just the mind magic; an Element Bearer being a changeling, Equestria playing host to eight or nine changeling queens, and there being at least one queen in Canterlot that I didn't know about… it got to me. I let it get to me. I mean I've met Photo Finish – I've shared meals with her, what with all the parties the nobles throw and events I attend, and to think she's-"

Celestia cuts herself off, swallowing and sighing before a small smile makes its way onto her lips, "Thank you for calling me out though. I can only imagine what they would have ended up telling their queens if you had not, but 'Celestia had her guards create a make-shift dungeon and then imprisoned us there' would probably have come up."

"What are sisters for?" Luna asks rhetorically, returning Celestia's smile with one of her own. "Are you ready to return to the others and wrap this up?"

Celestia points a hoof at Luna, "One last thing. Why haven't you ever told me about these 'nice dream entities' before?"

Luna flinches as her eyes widen and ears fold down, shifting nervously from side to side as she thinks of how to reply, "…We had thought about it, and originally we had intended to tell you, but we were afraid of how you would react, and after a while we stopped feeling like it was worth bringing up at all. However, once Pinkie Pie asked the question, we did not wish to lie about it either."

In the ensuing silence, Celestia tilts her head slightly as she watches Luna, the light of understanding flickering to life in her eyes, "We?"

"I mean-" Luna stops speaking abruptly, after a moment nodding shakily, "Yes. We."

"I… see… " Celestia says slowly, letting out a quick exhalation. "Well then, when you and I are both back in Canterlot, you'll have to introduce us."

Luna stares at Celestia in shock, excitement rapidly replacing her anxiety, "Truly? You wish to meet her?"

"Yes," Celestia replies, smiling warmly, "I would. And then-oof"

"'TIS A JOYOUS DAY!" Luna declares, tackle-hugging Celestia to the floor.

"Luna… hugging… too tight… air… " Celestia gasps from beneath her sister.

"Sorry," Luna quickly apologizes, releasing her grip and taking a step back, her eyes sparkling like her mane.

Celestia coughs, taking a couple deep breaths before finishing her sentence, "And then, both of you can explain everything you've been keeping from me about 'dream entities' and 'imaginary friends' in exchange for all those years I spent referring to myself in plural with your 'royal we' nonsense."

"As you wish," Luna snickers. "We suppose it is only fair."

"Good," Celestia says with a nod. "Now I am ready to go back."

Spheres of light envelope the pair, dim versions of the sun and moon slightly illuminating the kitchen already lit by sunlight for several seconds before vanishing. With their absence, peaceful quiet falls on the kitchen once more, barely a sound to be heard for just over a minute.

*creaaakk*

Wincing at the noise, Spike peers out from within the darkness of the pantry, draconic pupils flicking warily over the now empty room. Relieved to see nopony remaining to notice him, he slips himself an amethyst, the crunching of splintering stone muted somewhat by his cheeks and then entirely as he closes the door to plunge both himself and his ill-gotten dessert into shadow once more.

Reappearing in the darker room, Celestia and Luna wait for their eyes to adjust, each blinking rapidly as the room's occupants come into focus. Glancing around once she can see, Celestia's heart twinges, Cheerilee and Bon Bon looking up at her fearfully while held closely in the forelegs of their special someponies. Rainbow Dash meanwhile stands protectively in front of Fluttershy, glaring back at her defiantly.

Clearing her throat, Celestia inclines her head slightly, "Everypony; Cheerilee, Bon Bon, and Fluttershy especially; I would like to apologize for my behavior before Luna and I left. I allowed past prejudices as well as recent events to cloud my judgment, and I took it out on you three. However, I bear no ill-will towards any of you, and I hope that despite my earlier actions we can continue working together towards establishing a means of communication between the Equestrian government and your hives."

"So… we're not going to get banished or thrown in a dungeon or anything?" Cheerilee asks hesitantly.

Celestia shakes her head, "No, nothing will happen to any of you over what was revealed here. However, with that said," she fixes Cheerilee with an expectant stare, "I would be very unhappy to hear of any recurrences."

"O-Of course!" Cheerilee nods rapidly, "It won't happen again, your highness; I pinkie promise."

"Good." Celestia raises her head and stands taller, "Now, in the meantime, I will be heading back to Canterlot to aid in the transportation and imprisonment of Sombra, after which I will contact Queen Amaranth."

"When you arrive in Canterlot, could you also send an additional 25 Night Guard?" Luna asks. "It would be very beneficial to have more round the clock coverage, in case something else were to occur."

"Of course," Celestia replies with a nod before turning to the Element Bearers. "Twilight, I would like you and your friends – Fluttershy included – to handle the situation here in Ponyville. I don't have any advice for what to tell everypony, since quite frankly I do not know what I would tell them myself; however, I trust you, as does Luna, and we will support you in whatever course of action you decide to take."

"Also, as an addendum to that," Luna states, pausing to make sure she has Pinkie's attention, "there is to be no more caffeine bingeing."

Pinkie frowns, "Aww… "

"Indeed," Celestia says, fighting to keep a straight face. "In fact, let's make that official. I hereby decree that no resident of Ponyville is allowed to consume caffeine in any form for the next 48 hours."

Twilight fidgets nervously, "Don't you think that's a little bit extreme, Princess Celestia?"

"No," Celestia replies, giving Twilight a flat look. "I really don't."

"In the meantime, I will be returning to bed," Luna says, glancing at her sleeping spot, "or in this case couch, I suppose, and leaving for the Everfree with Midnight and Dawn once the sun sets."

Celestia nods, and with a flick of her horn pops of soundproof spell bubble surrounding them before heading towards the door. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack follow in her wake along with Bon Bon, Lyra, Big Mac, and Cheerilee, the group pausing in front of the door as Twilight's friends look back at her.

"Hey Twi, you coming?" Rainbow asks.

Twilight lets out an awkward laugh, "Actually, I was planning on taking a shower first."

"A wise decision," Rarity states, glancing defensively at her other four friends as they turn to look at her incredulously. "What? She does smell a bit sweaty."

"If everypony is ready," Celestia says, pausing for a moment with her magical aura gripping the doorknob before opening the front door.

The ten ponies leaving brace themselves against the onslaught of sunlight, squinting as they quickly exit and close the door behind them. Twilight sighs as soon as the door clicks shut, lowering her foreleg from her eyes and heading towards the stairs to the second floor.

Stopping at the foot of the steps, Twilight turns towards the remaining ponies in her house, "Well, like I said, I'm going to take a shower. I don't know if I'll see either of you before you head into the Everfree Forest, but if not, good luck."

Luna smiles, "And to you, Twilight Sparkle."

"ymphifgr… " Midnight grumbles tiredly, not bothering to open her eyes.

As Twilight clops up the stairs to her shower, Luna stands and makes her way over to the tunnel leading to her host's basement. However, just before she reaches the tunnel's entrance, her three guards step into the room.

"We heard some ponies leaving, so we assumed your meeting with your sister and the others was over, your highness," Shadow Strike states, bowing along with Lunar Trail and Night Glider. "Is there anything we need to know?"

"Indeed there is," Princess Luna replies. "Along with the two changelings you already saw when they entered undisguised, it has come to light that Fluttershy is also a changeling."

The three thestrals trade disquieted looks, Night Glider speaking first, "Just so I'm clear, Princess, you're saying that the Element of Kindness is a changeling?"

"Yes," Luna states succinctly. "Will that be a problem?"

Following the briefest moment of hesitation, the thestrals stand to attention and reply in unison, "No, Princess."

"Good," Luna says. "We have a reasonable degree of certainty that these three changelings are currently the only ones in Ponyville, so if others begin to turn up, that would be a concern. However, for the time being they are not to be considered a threat, and despite their current legal status technically being something of an unknown, they are to be treated as any other member of the town. Also, my sister will be sending an additional 25 Night Guard here once she arrives in Canterlot. You three are to bring them up to speed on what has happened, and to keep watch over the town during the night."

"Will any others be assigned to your protection besides ourselves?" Shadow Strike asks.

"No, and in fact you three will also be guarding Ponyville rather than myself," Luna replies, gesturing at the pair of vamponies lying on the floor. "I will be heading into the Everfree Forest with Midnight and Dawn in order to try and reach out to the other vamponies living within."

Lunar Trail's eyes flick to Midnight, his focus returning to Luna after an instant, "Perhaps at least one of us should accompany you into the forest? I think I speak for all of us when I say it would put us much more at ease to know that one of your own Guard is protecting you, especially in such a place."

Luna raises an eyebrow, "By all accounts, the part of the Everfree Forest surrounding Ponyville is fairly safe, though we suppose it couldn't hurt. I take it you are volunteering?"

"Yes, Princess," Lunar Trail replies, nodding his head a little too rapidly.

Luna exhales sharply, smiling ever so slightly, "Very well, you may join us." She glances at the vamponies, "Unless you have any objections, Midnight?"

Midnight's eyes open, blinking blearily at the Night Princess and her thestrals, "Just him. No others."

"It is settled then," Luna says, returning her gaze to her guards. "Are there any other questions?"

Night Glider glances at Midnight nervously, "So… uh, if we were to encounter any of these other vamponies, what should we do?"

"For the time being, just leave them alone. We currently have no other means in place for them to obtain what they need and I very much doubt any intervention on our part would end at all pleasantly – though given how well they have managed to stay hidden for most of our history, I doubt this will be an issue," Luna answers. "Anything else?"

The guards salute, "No, Princess."

Luna nods, "In that case, I will be going back to bed, as should you. My sister and her day guards will handle the situation until it is time for the moon to rise."

Dropping their salute, the thestrals jump into the air, hovering beneath the ceiling by their chosen hook just long enough to wrap their tail around it before allowing gravity to take over. Luna makes her way over to her couch as her thestrals swing above her from leftover momentum, wedging herself between the cushions below her and the ones making up the couch's back with a contented sigh.

Midnight meanwhile closes her eyes and attempts to finally reach the realm of sleep, however the hair on the back of her neck continues to stand on end, her instincts buzzing warningly at her about the unfamiliar creatures hanging above just loudly enough to keep her awake. After a few minutes she bares her fangs in frustration and lets out a low growl, Dawn also opening her eyes groggily as Midnight stands and turns towards the basement. Latching onto Midnight's tail with her mouth, Dawn slides along the cluttered library floor behind her big sister, silence once more descending on the library once they vanish into the tunnel leading to the basement save for the faint sound of Twilight's shower.