The alarms went off early on Sunday morning. Five thirty two am, to be exact. The constant, ear-splitting drone they sent out roused Twilight Sparkle from her slumber, and she awoke with a start.

After tumbling out of bed, she stood up, grunted in annoyance, and looked outside. Earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi flailed around Ponyville in complete terror. Panic spread as ponies began to hear the sirens. 

Twilight rolled her eyes at this. She'd bet half of them didn't even know what the emergency was, if there was one. The alarms had been going on at least once a week, and the same thing happened every time. It was always a false alarm, and Twilight didn't expect this one to be any different. 

Casually, she slid away from the window and used her magic to make her bed. She then quickly straightened her mane and trotted outside. She liked to be the one to inform everypony that they were overreacting. 

But as soon as Twilight began to open her mouth to talk, she saw that the alarms weren't malfunctioning. In front of her, changelings swarmed the streets of Ponyville, terrorizing everypony in their path. Her eyes widening, Twilight darted back inside and shut the door. This had not been on her schedule of things to do today. 

My Little Pony theme song break...

[hr]

Twilight heard a frantic knock on her door. Cautiously, she opened the door. She didn't know what to expect. A changeling? Some pony wanting a place to hide? Some-

It was just her friends. Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity stood at the door. But could she trust it was really them? Changelings can take the form of anypony...

"Don't even think about it, Twi," Applejack said, catching her friend's glance. "We ain't changelings. Let us in, please."

Twilight giggled a little despite the situation and opened the door wider to let the girls in, slamming it behind them. 

"Jeez, chill, Twilight," Rainbow laughed. Twilight glared her way, which shut her up.

"Anyway, we were wonderin' if you knew anythin' about why them changeling things are back," Applejack explained. "And how. Didn't we blast 'em far away somewhere? Or, your brother 'n Cadence did, anyway."

"We did. I just now realized the changelings were back. I haven't gotten a chance to find anything out," Twilight said. She paused, then looked confused for a moment. "Hey, have any of you seen Fluttershy?"

"Now that you mention it, no," Rarity commented. "She didn't come with us because we couldn't find her at her cottage."

"We left her a note on her door," Rainbow added. 

Just at that moment, the door burst open. "Sorry I'm late, guys. I was busy with Angel," Fluttershy said in her usual soft voice. Everyone stared at her. 

"Silly Flutters!" Pinkie giggled. "You weren't at your cottage! How could you be with Angel?"

"Oh, um, I..." Fluttershy stuttered. "That's because I was...looking for him in the Everfree forest."

She got plenty of odd looks until Twilight finally said, "Alright, then." They continued to talk about the situation.

[hr]

Fluttershy snuck into the throne room of Twilight's castle while the others got a snack. She gently closed the door so nopony would hear her or see her. After that, she revealed her secret. Fluttershy was a changeling. She transformed into her holy, black, bug-eyed form and began to open a window. 

The door creaked open. "Flutter-!" Twilight stopped mid sentence at what she saw. "What?! How did she trick me?! I let a changeling into my castle!"

"Wait, Twilight! I-it's not what you think!" The changeling shifted back into Fluttershy.

"What is it then?"

Fluttershy glanced out the open window, then looked back to Twilight. She sighed. "Look, Twilight. There's something I never told you. I'm actually a changeling."

"What are you talking about?"

"I have been all along. I found that the life of a changeling was terrible and I moved to Ponyville, took on a new identity, and ended up where I am now."

"Wait a minute. So I've been friends with a changeling this entire time? But...why? How?"

Fluttershy sighed once again. "I'm sorry, Twilight. But I have to go now." Tears sprung to her eyes as she changed back into a changeling and flew out the window, leaving Twilight confused in the throne room.