Twilight slowly turned the doorknob, not sure what to expect with the soft noise he made. When the door knob wouldn’t turn anymore, she pushed the door.

What she saw was not what she expected, although she wasn’t sure what she was expecting, a six foot wide hallway of books wasn’t it.

“Wasn’t what you were expecting?” They all heard, but were unable to tell from where. The voice was definitely male, but not rough like the changeling’s normal voice, so he must of been using a unique design.

“Where are you?” Twilight shouted.

They heard a noise off to the side. Rainbow immediately shot through a two foot wide hole in the wall toward the noise. She stopped when the pathway broke off into two directions. Not knowing which way to go, she chose the one on the right, which lead to two more pathways. Each time she chose a path, it just broke off into more pathways.

“Rainbow, stop! We’re never going to find him in this maze like that!” Twilight yelled through the mountains of books.

“Well then how do you expect us to find him?” Rainbow asked as she was crawling out of the initial hole, a feat done using her amazing memory when flying.

“Like this.” The voice said. Just then the ones who were looking in the right direction saw a tanish blur zip between two pathways.

“Over there!” Applejack, Rarity, and Spike said. Everypony present immediately turned their heads towards where the three were pointing. “He went that way!” The three of them said at once. They immediately started running in that direction.

-

‘How stupid are they?’ I thought as I watched them through the Magical Observation Enchantment I strategically put on certain books throughout the maze. ‘Did they really just leave the door unguarded? Oh Twilight, you make this too easy.’ I thought again. I started to make my way to the door, having completely memorized the maze layout, it wasn’t hard.

I checked all the ‘cameras’, as I’m going to call them for simplicity, to make sure my way was clear. I instantly noticed not a single hallway leading to the door was unoccupied. ‘Why did I jinx myself?’ I thought. Why would I do that? I swear the Universe is going out of its way just to fuck me over. I needed to divert one of them to get the path clear. One thing is clear at least. ‘Don’t underestimate Twilight’s intelligence, that’s a good way to fuck yourself over.’

I refuse to hurt anyone, so replacing one of them is out of the question. I checked back on the cameras. ‘There's my opening, Twilight isn’t even paying attention to the hallway, she’s just staring at the wall.’ I started making my towards her hallway, planning to sneak past her quietly and fly if she notices.

There’s a reason I told myself not to underestimate Twilight.

-

‘He should've randomized the book order, if this organization pattern keeps up through the whole maze, it won’t be hard tracking him down.’ Twilight thought as she continued eyeing the book pattern before she heard a sound behind her. It was a light page ruffling sound. She quickly turned around, fully expecting to find the changeling.

She was… sorta right.

The disguised changeling form staring back at her was a pegasus with a light tan colored coat, and a slightly glossy somewhat short light brown mane and tail with a slight curl. His eyes were a slightly darkish yellow, easily mistakable for hazel by an untrained eye. He was wearing a light grey, very close to silver, chestpiece that ended just above the base of his neck and just before the middle of his barrel, with bright red edges at the ends.

“Um… hi?” He said to Twilight.

-

That didn’t go as planned. “Um… hi?” I said with a dry mouth in a desperate attempt to calm the situation, ready to flee in a microsecond if need be. I saw her horn glow for a split second, indicating that she cast a spell. I quickly did a scan on the magic code, hoping it was a spell that I learned a while ago.

It wasn’t, or at least she knew I would try and decipher it and coded it.

That didn’t sit well with my stomach, not knowing what she could be doing. Neither I nor she moved for what felt like an hour. I couldn’t even tell what she was looking at me with. It was a poker face, the one face I can’t decrypt. I didn’t dare to do more than just breath, worried the slightest movement would set her off. I suddenly snapped out of it when I heard hoofsteps down the book lined corridor. I immediately turned my head towards the sound. I couldn’t see any details, but I could see: Orange, blue, or cyan to be exact, a rainbow, yellow, pink, white, and purple. I Instantly realized what the spell did.

Hopefully I don’t have to fight them.

-

Twilight just stared at the disguised changeling. She cast a spell to alert her friends she found him. She didn’t even move until her friends finally caught up to her.

“So ya found it?” Applejack started when she got closer.

“Yes, I did.” Twilight answered.

“So, what are you gonna do with it?” Rainbow inquired.

“Like I said, ask it some questions.” Twilight replied.

-

“Like I said, ask it some questions.” I instantly untensed at that, now learning I’m not going to have to send them to the hospital. But what questions? I only hope I don’t have to explain mass x acceleration + magic = nuclear explosion. But I’d like to see the look on her face if I do, so I won’t avoid it if it comes up.

I was thinking so hard that I didn't even notice that a makeshift table of books was forming, when I found myself on a chair… somehow… I snapped out of deep thought mode.

-

Twilight and the still disguised changeling sat at the table with her friends around just in case something went haywire. Mainly him blowing up, again.

Twilight began the questioning. “Ok, it’s pretty obvious you’re not a normal changeling, so what in Tartarus are you?” Everyone present except Paladin winced at her strong language.

He didn’t respond, except writing dots and dashes on a piece of paper he conjured up.

“..-. ..- -. -. -.-- / -.-- --- ..- / ... .... --- ..- .-.. -.. / .- ... -.- / - .... .- - --..-- / - .-- .. .-.. .. --. .... - --..-- / .. / .-- --- ..- .-.. -.. / . -..- .--. . -.-. - / -.-- --- ..- / - --- / -... . / ... --- / -... .-. .. --. .... - .-.-.- / .-- .... .. .-.. . / .. / -.. --- -. .----. - / --.- ..- .. - . / -.- -. --- .-- / - .... .- - / .- -.-. - ..- .- .-.. .-.. -.-- --..-- / .. / -.-. .- -. / - . .-.. .-.. / -.-- --- ..- / .. - .----. ... / -. --- - / .-- .... .- - / -.-- --- ..- .-. / ..-. .-. .. . -. -.. / ... . -.-. .-. . - .-.. -.-- / .--. .-.. . .- .-.-.-”

“Wait, you know horse code?” Twilight asked with wonder. She immediately decoded it faster than Paladin even encoded it. She then grew disappointed. “Well, that’s good and all, but how could you not know what you are? And what’s with the rhyming?” Paladin again began to scribble.

“-- . -. - .- .-.. / . -..- . .-. -.-. .. ... . --..-- / -... ..- - / .. / -.-. .- -. / ... - --- .--. / .. ..-. / -.-- --- ..- / - .... .. -. -.- / - .... . -.-- .----. .-. . / .-.. .. . ... .-.-.- / .. / .... .- ...- . / - .... . --- .-. .. . ... / .- -... --- ..- - / -- -.-- / --- .-. .. --. .. -. ... / .- -. -.. / .... ..- -. --. . .-. .----. ... / .- -... ... . -. -.-. . --..-- / -... ..- - / .-- .. - .... --- ..- - / ... --- .-.. .. -.. / . ...- .. -.. . -. -.-. . / -- -.-- / - .... . --- .-. .. . ... / -.-. .- -. -. --- - / -.-. --- -. -.. . -. ... . .-.-.-”

“Half of that doesn’t even make sense.” Twilight protested.

“... .- -.- . / --- ..-. / - .... . / .-. .... -.-- -- .”

“Whatever, whether or not you’re really a changeling is irelavent. Are you a threat?”

“-- -.-- / -. .- -- . / .. ... / -. --- - / .- / .-.. .. . .-.-.-”

“Paladin? But what’s your cause then?”

“.--. .-. --- - . -.-. - .. --- -. .-.-.-”

“For who or what?

“.-- .... --- / -.. --- / -.-- --- ..- / -.- -. --- .-- / - .... .- - / .-- .- ... / .- -.. -- .. - - . -.. / .. -. - --- / - .... . / .... --- ... .--. .. - .- .-.. / -.-- . ... - . .-. -.. .- -.-- ..--..”

Twilight gasped. “You mean Trixie?” She asked in disbelief.

“... .... . / .-- .- ... / .- - - .- -.-. -.- . -.. / .. -. / .-- .... .. - . - .- .. .-.. / .-- --- --- -.. ... .-.-.-”

“So what’s your real name, I know Paladin isn’t it.”

“- .... .- - .----. ... / .- / --. --- --- -.. / --.- ..- . ... - .. --- -. --..-- / - .-- .. .-.. .. --. .... - .-.-.- / -... ..- - / - .... .- - / --.- ..- . ... - .. --- -. / .-- --- -. .----. - / -... . / .- -. ... .-- . .-. . -.. / - --- -.. .- -.-- .-.-.- / ... --- / .- -. -.-- .-- .- -.-- --..-- / .- .-. . / .-- . / -.. --- -. . / .... . .-. . ..--..”

“Fine, but we're continuing this tomorrow.” Twilight said firmly.

-

After a bit more talking, I finally rearranged all the books back on Twilight’s shelves and removed the enchantments I had on them. Of course Twilight checked to make sure they were in place, which she was surprised when not a single one of them was out of place. She asked me how I did it, which I told her about all of the studying I did in the library, which included the photographic memory spell, which I removed right after the meeting.

I changed back into my normal form. We were about to walk out the door, before I remembered something. ‘Her tracking spell notes.’ I instantly rewrote the notes without even looking at them from halfway across the castle, and set them down in the exact same spot they were when I burned them, best not let Twilight know that.

We walked out the door, only to be pulled away with an orange aura, one I recognize all too well.

Princess Celestia officially thinks I’m a threat.

‘SHIT!’

Author's Notes:

Let me know of any and all spelling/grammatical/punctuation errors, as I consider all of them cancer.

Also, hope you don't mind a bit of Morse code.