Spike looked aside at me as we went. "Hey, you're not looking so clumsy."

"Huh, really?" I tilted my head a bit. "I feel clumsy."

He waved a claw and smiled. "But you're getting better, honest."

I supposed that was a good thing. If I was on four legs, I could at least use those legs properly. I started thinking about where each hoof was going more actively and almost stumbled for it. I didn't think Spike was wrong. The fact that I could let it slip out of my head meant I was getting a little better. "Too bad there's not going to be much use for this once I get turned back."

Spike shrugged. "You could always ask Twilight to let you try being a normal pony for a while? She's pretty good at species spells. I've seen her throw a few."

A normal pony? I looked down at my hole-ridden legs and ran a tongue over my sharp fangs. "That'd scare a lot less people."

We arrived at the giant purple tower, and nothing jumped out to get in our way! Spike led the way inside, but I couldn't get through the door. It was as if the door was closed despite being wide open. I just thudded against the air and crashed to the ground.

Spike scratched at his fins lightly. "Huh, maybe Twilight put up an anti-changeling ward when I wasn't looking. Alright, you wait here, and I'll go get her, okay?"

I sat up, rubbing my sore nose. "Sure, go ahead. I don't have much choice."

"Spike! Is that you?" came a female voice inside the tower, approaching with an energetic clip-clop. "Get away from that door, something just set off the alarm and I don't want you getting..." I could see Twilight as she rounded a corner and she looked at me, and I at her. It was very quiet.

Spike put up his claws quickly, waving them back and forth. "Stop whatever you're thinking! He's a good guy, promise!"

Twilight raised a brow, stepping slowly forward. "Explain, quickly."

Spike waved at me. "This is Noah, you know, the human?"

Twilight paused again. "Noah's not a changeling. I checked for that already, Spike. This can't be Noah."

"But I am," I whined a little. "I didn't ask to be a changeling. Some creepy dead changeling did this to me."

Twilight looked to Spike. "Can he prove he's Noah?"

Spike shrugged. "I had to teach him how to walk, and the CMC had to teach him how to disguise himself. If he's a changeling, he's the worst changeling ever."

I bobbed my new head and tried to walk forward, just to bonk up against the invisible wall. "Twilight, please. I need help."

Twilight frowned a little, then nodded. With a twinkle of magic on her horn and a gesture of a hoof. "Come in, quickly."

I scurried through the hole, almost collapsing over my own hooves in the process. I could feel the hole mending itself behind me, keeping other changelings out. "Thank you. I'm really Noah, promise. Besides, I'm only one changeling. I'll do what you say, alright?"

Twilight nodded. "Alright," she agreed. "This way." She only half-turned away, keeping me in sight. "You first, to the stairs. We need to do a full examination of you first to validate your story and begin looking for solutions." She clopped her forehooves. "And even if you're lying, I never had a chance to properly examine a changeling!" Her voice had gone from suspicious to giddily eager. "Just think of all the advancements I could make!"

I wasn't sure if I liked her more when she was suspicious or eyeing me like a rare specimen. "Don't forget I'm a person under this hard shell."

Twilight waved it off. "Go on, you. Nothing I'll do will be harmful in the least, so don't worry. Besides, if I'm going to reverse this effect, I'll need to thoroughly analyze it." She spread her wings. "You have my word, as Princess of Friendship, that I'll be gentle."

Spike shrugged a little. "She usually means it if she says it like that. Come on, her lab's this way." He scampered out ahead of everyone and led the way. I decided to trust in Spike, if no one else, and followed after him.

"You walk like a foal," came Twilight's voice behind me. "Which is quite remarkable for someone who didn't have the proper anatomy before, but it may lend some credence to your story. Do you feel any pains or discomforts?"

"I was hungry before," I admitted. "Spike helped me with that."

I could feel her staring a hole in my rump. "How did he manage that?"

Shoot, maybe I shouldn't have brought that up... "Well, he wanted to help. It was his idea, I swear!"

Her magic wrapped around me warmly and spun me around to face her. "What did you do to him? If you hurt a single scale on his head..."

I put up my forehooves, and promptly fell over. "Oof, sorry! I didn't hurt him!"

Spike noticed we had paused and turned around. "What's the hold up, Twi?"

Twilight forced her scowl away. "Just making sure our new friend is on the up and up." She smiled, but it looked fake to me, twitching faintly at the corners. "He didn't do anything 'funny' to you, did he?"

Spike turned red quickly, which was apparently clue enough to Twilight. She brought down a hoof beside my head. "What. Did. You. Do?"

Author's Notes:

Twilight is displeased.

She probably noticed the typos.