Applejack pushed a shelf back in place, letting go a big sigh since it was heavier than he expected. Luckily, he got a fresh apple juice, courtesty of the Mayor, who was still a bit flustered when around him. Applejack tilted his hat to the mare and then growled when he noticed his unicorn friend was surruonded by about five mares, who patiently watched him work in a banner.

"Lucy, ya think you´ll finish that anytime before the next Equestria Games?"

"Patient, my fear friend. You know good work needs time."

"Yah´ve been on the same ribbon for the past half hour..."

"Details matter, AJ. Don´t you remember we learned that after our visit to Applewood?" Elusive retorted.

"Yah mean that time yah crashed that copter-thingy into a mountain?" Applejack said and his friend blushed." Yah know, with that and the time Dusk gave yah wings, yah think you´ll learn than flying ain´t exactly yer thing..."

Eluvisve growled and that caused all the mares to glare at Applejack, who had no idea why they were mad at him, who was actually doing some work.

"Oh my goodness!"

"Relax Butterscotch, it´s not as bad as it looks," a bruised Dusk Shine said, levitating the paint bucket Butterscotch just dropped with his reaction.

"Woah Nelly, yah all look worse than a bunch of dogs and cats after a soccer match," Applejack said, looking at the battered state Dusk´s group was, but nopony understood his comment.

"Indeed, you look terrible. What in the world happned?" Elusive asked.

"We ran into...some troubles with a manticore," Dusk Shine said.

"And with some ninjas and robots sharks and flying monkeys..."

"NONE OF THAT HAPPENED!" Pinkie´s three companions shouted at her.

"So, ah take it yah never find the source of magic-thinghy?" Applejack asked.

"Whatever it was, we couldn´t located it. It was almost like it dissapeared as soon as we got close," Rarity said and then she give the biggest smile in the world when Butterscotch offered her a wet tissue.

"I don´t know what happened. It´s impossible that Prince Solaris would have sent us in a wild goose chase..." Dusk Shine said.

"Why not? Wild goose are the funniest, this one time..." Pinkie began but Blitz covered her mouth.

"Come on, Pinks. Let´s get you some cupcakes or something..."

"Mmhphms? Mmmhhhhiii!"

"Well, to be honest, we´ve been running into our own share of unexpicable problems," Elusive said. "Large groups of ponies have gone missing and even some buildings have...dissapeared."

"Just...dissapeared?" Dusk Shine said.

"Whole city blocks are unnacounted for. Almost like the merging of our universes is actually making them smaller," Elusive said.

"Wait, you don´t mean that the...the...the spa is gone?!" Rarity asked, pushing poor Butterscotch out of the way.

Elusive hung his head low while Rarity fainted.

"Wait, what about...the gym?" Rainbow Blitz asked and when Elusive hung his head again, he fainted too.

"That sounds troublesome but right now, I have other things to attend. I´ll go back to the library to see if Twilight´s group is back already," Dusk Shine said, passing over the fainted Rainbow while Pinkie tried to resucitate him but Applejack stopped her before she could get to mouth to mouth.

"Assuming there´s still a library left," Elusive said, angry at his friend´s attitude but it wasn´t like he could ask Rarity if she knew anything about it right now.

"Umh, has anypony seen the Cutie Mark Crusaders?" Butterscotch asked.

******

Dusk Shine reached the library and found Spike and Spines in stools, facing the wall and with dunce hats on. He decided he had no time to ask what this was about. Just then, Twilight came downstairs.

"Oh you´re back. Good I have something to tell you," Twilight said, not even noticing her counterpart´s bruises.

Upstairs, Dusk Shine found Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash tending a wounded alicorn Princess.

"Umh Princess Selena, was it?"

"Princess Luna, Dusk. She´s Celestia´s sister, the counterpart to your Artemis," Twilight corrected him and Dusk blushed noticing how Rainbow was smirking. Seems like Blitz, she liked feeling smarter than him.

"Greetings, Twilight of another world," Luna said, wincing due to her severe injuries.

"We found Princess Luna in the forest, hiding in a cave," Twilight explained.

"Was she the source of magic?" Dusk Shine asked.

"Most likely, I´ve been sending signals for the past hours, calling for help. I was expecting the Royal Guard but I´m most glad that you found me isntead, Twilight," Luna said, nuzzling the unicorn who blushed.

Dusk Shine assumed that was just Twilight´s nature but, considering all the jokes the guys made after he and Prince Artemis spent Nightmare Night together, he wouldn´t be surprised if she went through the same issue.

"What happened to you, Princess?" he asked.

"I was victim of an attack by our most insiduous, the changelings!" Luna said.

"Looks like those guys never learn!" Rainbow said, hitting her hooves together.

"This time the treat doesn´come from our world, brave Rainbow. It was the work of the ruler of the kingdom that mirrors Chrysallis´, King Cocoon!"

"King Cocoon? But we defeated that guy. I personally blast him back to Tartarus!"

"After he offered you to become his disciple? Yeah, that happened here too," Twilight said.

"This time he has taken better precautions. His first step was taking control of my mind, forcing me back into the shape of Nightmare Moon and lashing an attack against my counterpart."

"Artemis? Is he okay?!" Dusk Shine asked in such a tone than the girls arched an eyebrow.

"Captured and detained, as many other important ponies than Cocoon forced me to confront. The last ones were Princess Cadence and her similar, knowing that their magic was the biggest threat to his plans. But before I defeated her, our lovely niece cast a spell that broke the King´s control on me. I couldn´t save her but I managed to escape albeit, not withouht taking some damage..." Luna said, falling down in the bed.

"I can´t believe this is happening..." Dusk Shine murmured.

"And it´s even worse, noble Dusk Shine. The King has found the perfect place to secure himself, adopting the guise of Prince Solaris," Luna said.

"What? No! That...that can´t be!"

"It´s awful. Can´t believe Solaris has been an enemy this whole time. But then, why would he sent us searching for the magic source? Unless he wanted us to find it..." Twilight began to ponder, failing to notice that Fluttershy´s eyes were glowing.

"No! He´s not an enemy! He couldn´t...there´s no way he has been captured! This is wrong! You´re all wrong!"

"Dusk Shine, calm down, buddy..."

"No! You, you´re the spies! Shining Armor was right! You´re all changeling spies!"

"Wait, what does my brother has to do with this?"

"Get away! Ge away from me!" a paranoid Dusk Shine shouted and he teleported outside but in his frantic state, he failed and fell down against a fruit stand.

"Dusk Shine, stop acting crazy!" Rainbow shouted but when she tried to give chase, Fluttershy rushed pass her. "Woah since when Flutters is so fast?"

Fluttershy chased after Dusk Shine who kept teleporting at random. Unknown to both, a pair of white eyes was watching the race. Finally, Fluttershy managed to tackle Dusk Shine and pinned him against a wall.

"No! Let me go! You´re one of them!" he shouted.

"Shut up! Stop panicking and anwser my questions!" she yelled.

"Why...why are you talking like this? You´re supossed to be shy and quiet, just like..."

"Not when my patience runs out! Now tell me, what was that about Shining Armor?"

"He...he told me about the invasion. Show me...that the changelings are replacing ponies all over Equestria but din´t know why. Now I know...King Cocoon he...he´s trying to..."

"Relax, Dusk Shine. You did well," Fluttershy said and let go of Dusk, while her eyes glowed green.

"This is all my fault...all my fault."

"Now now, don´t say that. Just calm down and forget all about it..."

"I´m sorry, I´m so sorry...Fluttershy," Dusk Shine said and Fluttershy stopped. "I´ve been acting like an idiot. Ever since our universes merged I´ve been treating you all like strangers when actually, you´re all my friends. I should have trusted you from the beginning. Thanks for listening, Fluttershy," and Dusk Shine smiled at her.

This caused Fluttershy to have a feeling that she never had before, something that never happened in all her years as a changeling soldier, she...doubted.

But before she could analyze those new feelings, a green smoke hit them and Fluttershy fell to the ground. Dusk Shine coughed and squinted through the fog to see a caped pony approach him.

"Hey, don´t I know you..."

The masked pony took off her mask, revealing a freckled smiling face.

"Howdy partner..."