Twilight watched as the six trails of smoke left. She gave a sigh before smelling something that brought a smile to her lips.

She gratefully took the hot-cocoa from her teacher and remained silent as she sipped from it.

'How am I going to do it?' She thought to herself as she stared at her reflection in the brown liquid. 'Will the others attack or hate me? What will Spike do?' She carefully set the cup down and went to the mirror. 'Maybe I could just change into somepony else. It can’t be that hard?'

She stared at herself. The light making her shell glimmer slightly or how the red clashed with the purple.

'Rarity will throw a fit when she sees this.' She laughed to herself. 'No, I need to focus.' She reminded herself.

She thought hard on what to turn into.

'Somepony small... easy to memorize.'

She closed her eyes and imagined Spike. She saw every scale, every frill more clearly, Even the way his eyes slightly glowed.

A sudden warmth started to form at her hooves and the base of her horn. It steadily grew until she was completely enveloped in it. Her horn, she could feel it, it was flowing with a slightly different magic. She hesitantly let it flow freely.

A lavender enveloped her darkened vision. When she opened them, what she saw in the mirror made her shiver and smile.

She had copied Spike down to the last detail.

"Princess!" She called out in her assistant’s voice. "Look what I did! I managed to turn into somepony else!" The fake Spike said giddily running up to the alicorn.

"I don't think it would be very helpful to be Spike." She smiled.

"I guess..." she muttered quietly before going under the princess’s bed.

"Twilight, what are you doing?" Celestia asked craning her neck over the edge.

"Found it!" She called out. In her claw she was holding a small picture of her pony self.

She ignored the shock from her teacher and went over to the mirror.

She stared at herself before mentally face hoofing herself.

'I should know what I look like already!' She groaned inwardly.

She did the same as before; she let the warmth seep into her hooves and the base of her horn, let it spread before letting her magic flow freely. She opened her eyes again. The sight brought tears to her eyes.

"I missed you so much..." She said as she put a hoof to the mirror. "More than I could ever think."

The doors to the room swung open slowly as a guard came through. Who he was, made Twilight's copy pale and Celestia quickly teleport her student over.

"Princess, the Elements and hero of the crystal empire have arrived. Hey Twiliy!" Shining Armor finished.

"H-Hey..." she mumbled back waving jerkily. "S-Shinning, I-I need to tell y-you something. Now." She said as she felt her throat constrict.

"Really? What is it? Is something wrong?" He asked.

"Shining Armor," Celestia said closing the doors behind him. "There has been an... accident. Concerning Twilight. How this happened, we are unsure. What she needs for you to do is remain calm and let her explain." She gently pushed Twilight forward.

"Accident? Twilight are you hurt?" He asked taking a step forward.

"In a way, yes." She got her voice back. "I've been turned." She said.

"Turned? What does that mean? Twilight stop this, you’re scaring me." He folded his ears back. "What is this about? What's wrong?"

She quietly got off the bed and stood in front of him.

She let he disguise fall in a flash of lavender flames. He started to walk back, scared and nervous.

"I've been turned into this..." she sobbed into her hooves again. "I've been turned into a changeling."

"No, no! You’re an imposter!" He roared. "You've brainwashed the princess and you've taken my sister!"

"Shinning... please." She begged as she curled into a ball.

"Please what?" He spat. "Do you honestly think I'll even dare to think of you as my sister? I know my sister, and the last time I checked, they weren't the things I scrape off my horseshoes in the morning."

"Twilight," Celestia hissed. A rare thing for anyone in her presence. "I need to talk with him personally." Celestia said.

Twilight quickly scurried to the other side of the room where she let him down and began to cry.

Outside in the hall.

"Shining Armor!" Celestia scolded. "What is wrong with you!?"

His left eye twitched as he felt a vein rise in his fore-head.

"Me!? What about you!? She's clearly brainwashed you!" He yelled. "And yet you're still telling me that, that... thing! Is my sister!"

"She is your sister!" She yelled. "There had been an accident and now she's this. A changeling. She has suffered enough as it is, what she needs is your support to help he through this!"

"What proof is there that she's my sister!?" He countered smugly but with even more venom.

"I looked through her memories. And found some that had been before the changelings had thought of attacking us."

His mouth dropped, the sound of the muscles straining was head as the joints cracked. He looked down at the floor, to the princess and to the door.

"She... that's my Twilight?" He asked hollowly.

"Yes, this is no trap or trick. That is her." Celestia said still glaring at him.

He looked back at the door before putting a hoof to the gold carvings. He pushed the door open.

Inside the princesses chambers.

"My own brother hates me!" Twilight cried. "I hate being a changeling!" She screeched as she punched the wall leaving a hole.

Before she could bring a hoof back again, she felt a hoof on her shoulder. She turned expecting to see Celestia but found her brother looking at her, tears in his eyes.

"Twilight..." he said wrapping her in a hug. "I'm so sorry..."

She returned it immediately, letting her tears flow freely again.

"It's alright, you saw an unknown changeling in the princesses chambers claiming to be your sister." She laughed. "I would have done the same."

"What about the others?" He asked looking at her in the eyes.

"Others?" She parroted back.

"Your friends. Spike and the other Elements."

Her ears folded down onto her head as her mouth opened and closed.

He laughed as he rubbed her head.

"Same old Twilight, always forgetting some of the most important things." He smiled.

"Yeah..." she sighed, looking back in the mirror.

"Don't worry; big brother will be here to protect you. Just like old times."

"And I will be there as well." Celestia said startling them both. "So, may we go and meet our guests?" She gave a small smile.

Canterlot royal gardens.

"I hope she's alright." Rarity said as she looked nervously at the entrances lining the gardens.

"Relax!" Pinkie said popping out of a tree. "It's Twilight after all! She knows what she's doing after all. Maybe she’s throwing a party for some geeky discovery!"

"Yeah, that's it." Rainbow rolled her eyes playfully. "Our shut-in friend is throwing a party instead of studying more on her discovery."

"Hush now, the Princess and Twilight is comin' our way now." Applejack said as she bowed to her ruler respectively.

As the princess got closer they noticed Shining Armor and Twilight with her. All three of them looked nervous.

"Rise my faithful subjects." Celestia said as she looked at her student's friends.

"Hey girls, where's Spike?" Twilight asked looking around.

"Oh, he’s right here." Fluttershy said as she lifted her wing to reveal Spike snoring happily.

"Well, he needs to be awake for this. The princess, Shining Armor and I, more of I though, have an announcement regarding the project princess Celestia told about that brought me here before." She winced as she recalled the memories. "It went so horribly wrong..." she felt tears form as she wrapped her fore-legs around her brother.

"Twilight darling, I'm sure it wasn't that-" she was saying as she tried to calm her friend down.

"No!" Twilight yelled as her eyes flashed violet. "It was not alright! That thing did horrible things to me and turned me into this!" She said as she hit her chest three times in emphasis.

"I-Into what?" Rarity asked backing away.

Twilight gave a teary sigh before a ring of violet fire encircled her. When it went down, her friends all jumped back.

"It turned me into a changeling..." she said stiffly. "And I don't know how to turn back either."

Fluttershy fainted, Rarity and Applejack were paralyzed in shock, Pinkie was making the tree shake, Rainbow Dash's wings were flared in anger as her eyes narrowed. And Spike was using Fluttershy's mane as a blanket and bed.

"What did you do with Twilight!?" Rainbow yelled.

Twilight winced as she looked at her friend.

"It is me. I'm not lying, nor would I ever to any of you. This is me now." She said as she backed away.

"Liar!" She pointed a hoof at Twilight. "You may have gotten the princess and Shinning armor, but you'll never take me alive!"

"Rainbow Dash!" Celestia yelled, threatening to use her own Royal Canterlot voice. "I will not have you insulting a friend, my own student at that in such a way! Now, calm down and listen!"

"I'll calm down when this roach tells me where our Twilight went!" She yelled back.

"Rainbow... this is me." Twilight said. "I'm not lying! Why would I ever want to hurt any of you? Your my friends..."

Rainbow snorted in anger, her wings flaring in anger. "If you won't tell me this way! Then I'll beat it out of you!"

She yelled as her wings gave the first thrust.

Twilight screamed and before she knew it, a white and gold blur shot past her.

Shining Armor met Rainbow head on.

They both were flung back, Rainbow Dash with a small welt and Shining Armor with his helmet dented. He got up slightly dazed but she just stood up as if it were nothing.

"Don't you dare hurt her!" Shinning yelled.

"You’re defending that thing!?" She yelled back as she charged again.

He took off his helmet and threw it right at her. He nailed her in between the eyes, but she still kept flying. He turned around and lashed out with his back legs.

With a solid thud, his horseshoes bent when he bucked her. He was thrown to the side, but she stopped flying before getting up dazed, bruised and ticked off even more.

She saw him getting up and turned back to the changeling. She gave a snort before charging again.

Twilight screamed, a million thought's passing through her head as she saw her friend fly at her.

'What do I do!?' She thought. 'I need to change into something! Anything!' She thought fervently.

She couldn't focus on anything in particular, so, she merely guessed and concentrated out of fear.

The warmth didn't start at her hooves but all over, her magic felt even stronger. She let it go.

She felt Rainbow Dash hit her in the chest, but only barely and it was so tiny. She opened her eyes and looked down at her friends.

Rainbow Dash had fled back to her friends, all of them were wide-eyed. Even Celestia and her brother looked shocked.

She looked at her hooves, or hoof would be more appropriate.

"Who did I turn into?" She asked herself before stopping. "I turned into Discord, didn't I?"

"Y-Yes." Celestia said walking up to the Discord look-alike.

"Right when I thought this day couldn't get any worse." She sighed as she turned back.

"Twilight, are you alright?" Shinning asked as he hobbled over to her. "That crazed mare didn't hurt you did she?"

She merely laughed at him before stopping him with a firm hoof on his chest.

"Come here and let me heal you, you thick headed colt." She snickered as he blushed.

Her horn started to glow lavender, but turned white when a stream of light hit his leg making him wince. Slowly, the swelling went down and the crack was healed.

She turned back to her friends before she started to walk over.

They all grouped together, the exceptions being Spike and Fluttershy.

She kept going even as Rainbow Dash started to walk forward, matching her pace and slowly going faster with each step.

When they were but only three steps away, Twilight stopped and so did Rainbow Dash.

"You have a lump on your head, and some horseshoe marks on your muzzle." Twilight said calmly.

"Yeah? So what? What does it matter-" she was insulting Twilight before her horn started to glow.

"Hold still and let me heal you." Twilight said lowering her head.

"No way! Get away! Hey!" She tried to backpedal away but couldn't. "I can't move!"

"That's because I need you still so fixing the wounds will be easier. Now hold still you thick headed pegasus, I get enough of this from you when you crash into the library."

"W-Wait... how did you know I’ve crashed into Twilight's library?" Rainbow Dash asked nervously.

"Look at me, I am Twilight. I just... have a shell, sharp teeth, holes and different eyes, that's all. Can't you even recognize my voice?" She asked hurt.

"B-But how?" Rainbow asked eyes widened even more.

"I'm not sure, let’s just go with magic." She rolled her eyes even though they were closed. "Done! You have a clean bill of health, aside from the massive ego." She smiled at her friend as she cast a playful glare at her.

"Twilight… darling." Rarity walked over uneasily. "Me and Applejack would like to sincerely apologize to you. We over reacted."

"It's alright, really. I'm just glad the princess didn't cut me open while I was strapped onto that table." She shuddered. "I don't think I want to learn that much about changelings yet. Or at all now."

"S-She was going to cut you open!?" Fluttershy said getting up. "That's horrible... if you don't mind me saying?" She asked scuffing the ground with a hoof.

"Really, I'm here in one piece, so it's alright." she turned back to Rainbow, a serious look in her eye as she did so.

"Did you wreck my books while I was gone or even un-organize them?" Twilight asked sternly.

"No, Spike let some dust build up though." Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Hey Spike! Wake up!" She yelled.

He shot up and ran underneath Fluttershy, startling her and making her run under applejack.

"Rainbow!" He shook his small claw at her before noticing Twilight. "Hey Twilight, why are you a changeling?" He asked walking up to her.

"You’re not concerned or worried I'm an entirely different species now?" She asked slightly startled herself.

"Twilight, this isn't the weirdest thing that's ever happened to you. The thing when you turned yourself into a colt was the weirdest." He stated pointing a claw at her with bored eyes.

"You turned yourself into a colt?" Celestia asked. "Could you teach me that, so I have a new trick for Luna this April filly’s day?"

"It was for science!" Twilight shouted blushing profusely as she threw her holed hooves over her head.

As they all laughed at her, a lone guard watched closely.

She was a dusty grey with a black mane, and green eyes, but wore black shinning armor.

She gave a smile, one filled with hatred, amusement and malice.

"Soon, Twilight Sparkle. Soon I will have my full revenge for what you did to me." She hissed as her eyes flashed green and teleported away, unseen by anyone.