“How do you know he’s not one of them?!” The stallion jabbed a hoof forwards, muscles taut with tension as he pointed across the way at his neighbor. “Honoring the Princess of the Night? That’s ludicrous! That’s just an excuse to move about while we’re asleep, and kidnap more ponies!” “That’s crazy!” the accused stallion retorted. His ears fanned flat against his skull, and he took a half-step backwards as the murmuring crowd turned his way. “C’mon, Short Sell, you’ve known me for years!” His retreat halted as he stepped forward. “How do we know you aren’t trying to cover for yourself by accusing me?” “Yea!” piped in a third pony, a sky-blue mare. “You just got married to that mare from Prance. How do we know she’s even a real pony? Maybe she just got close to you, so that she could kidnap you - well, kidnap the real Short Sell - and replace him with a Changeling!” Short Sell narrowed his eyes. “Because if I were a Changeling, the lot of you would already be captured! It’s only my vigilance that still has us safe! I formed the neighborhood watch! I posted the signs! We’re not getting caught by Changelings again under my watch!” “That’s just the sort of paranoia we don’t need here,” added a new voice. Another mare, who turned her head towards each. “Short Sell, Star Spy, Mountain Mist, you are friends! You’ve been friends since you met! We should have trust in the Princesses. They’d let us know if there were any Changelings here!” “They got caught before!” Short Sell retaliated. “Three of them captured in the wedding, and then all of them just recently! We can’t trust the Princesses to keep us safe! And now we’re supposed to accept they’re our friends?!” “Yea, who are you to talk, Emerald? You’re probably a Changeling lover! The travelling salespony warned us about ponies like you, wanting to promote this so-called ‘peace’! Well I’m not getting caught asleep on my hooves. Changelings aren’t welcome in this neighborhood!” “Here, here!” called the crowd. Various shouts rang out through the group. “No Changelings! Send them away! Equestria for the ponies!” “Just what is going on here?!” The new voice cut through the crowd, wings folding to sides as hooves touched down towards the pavement. “Whyever is there such a commotion?” Princess Luna’s eyes scanned the crowd, and as she took in the crowd’s mood, her gaze grew thin and sharp.. “Somepony explain. Now.” The rabble rousers backed away at that, each looking towards the others. Small motions of forelegs indicating one, then another, till finally Emerald squared her shoulders and stepped forward. “It’s the Changelings, Princess. The ponies here are afraid they’re replacing us. There was a peddler by earlier, and they warned us about Changeling infiltrators already making their way into Canterlot again.” “Of course there are Changelings,” Luna said matter of factly. “But they are hardly infiltrators. They are our guests.” “With all due respect, Princess,” cut in Short Sell. “How do you know that’s it? Even if you are right about these so-called ‘good’ Changelings, what about the others?” “Oh, that is easy.” Luna’s lips curled upwards in a half-smile. “If there were any other Changelings, this spell would reveal them.” Her horn light, and an azure flash bathed the area, dazzling each and every pony. Luna stopped and gazed at the crowd. “Oh, dear me.” Before her, instead of a neighborhood of ponies, now stood dozens of Changelings. Each bore the same black chitin. Instead of teal, however, the secondary color was a pale violet. As one, the Changelings let out a feral hiss, and the air filled with the hum of wings as they leapt forward. Luna let out a long-suffering sigh. “Horseapples. Why me?” Whatever further words she may have uttered were lost as she was engulfed by the swarm. Five minutes later, ‘Luna’ returned to the palace, was promptly detected by newly installed anti-Changeling wards, and the real Princess rescued only slightly worse for the wear six hours later.