//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: Discovery // by Josh Crapo //------------------------------// “Have a wonderful day, High Tide. Hey Twilight! Hi Spike!” “Hey Pinkie. Happy to make it. What was it you wanted?” “This place called Pastry Princess sent an exclusive 150 bit gift card to all students of Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. Managed to find it in my mail. And that’s why I called you here, to get the csrd.” “Oh! Pastry Princess?!? Mmmm.” Spike smacks his lips. “Fair enough. I was free for the day anyway. Perhaps I could go to Canterlot.” Suddenly, the smacking lips stop has Spike begins burping up a letter. I float the letter for a good look. Dear Twilight Sparkle, I am aware it seems that you have no relevance in what I’m about to say, but a small changeling has landed here in Canterlot. This is particularly peculiar as it has come from above and the north instead of the south. While this seems to point against Chrysalis’ return, the Canterlot guards will be on the lookout for Chrysalis, should she return yet again. I advise you to stay in Ponyville until the curfew lifts. As of right now, we have no knowledge about this changeling. I will let you know either when we have better knowledge of the changeling, we have any complications with the changeling, or we lift the curfew. Yours truly, Princess Celestia “A changeling?!? In Canterlot?!? Pack your things, Spike. We’re going to Canter-” “Twilight, didn’t you read what it said? It said to stay put until something happens in Canterlot.” “Yeah. I don’t know, Twilight. The letter said it was a small changeling as well. Maybe it’s just lost. It would be extremely unlikely for that queen meanie to send one of her babies to Canterlot.” “Okay. I’ll take your word for it for now.” “So, what now? We can’t go to Pastry Princess, so what do we do?” “Well, if you want, Spike, I could just give you a pastry, on the house.” “Really? Ah, thanks Pinkie!” “No problem.” Suddenly, Spike burps out another letter, so I float that in front of me to read it. Dear Twilight Sparkle, Not long after sending the previous letter, the changeling had fled from interrogation, and is headed to southern Ponyville. Will you check on Fluttershy and make sure she does fine? I would greatly appreciate it if you do. In the meantime, Canterlot will still be on the lookout for Queen Chrysalis. The curfew will only be lifted if nothing happens in the next hour and a half. Report anything about the changeling to me if you come across it. Yours truly, Princess Celestia “Spike, we’ll need to get to Canterlot, now.” Spike sighs. “But Princess Celestia said-” “I don’t care what’s going on. I need answers, now.” I run to the train station for Canterlot, Spike following suit. “But what about the curfew?” “Princess Celestia only referred to the lookout as a curfew to keep my business out of Canterlot. Something fishy is going on. Why would a changeling be headed to the Everfree Forest for any reason?” “Possibly for comfort.” “That doesn’t matter now. Canterlot will be our first stop.” “Hello, my sister. How are you?” “Getting my bearings back together.” “What is going on? What is the matter?” Suddenly, a foreign voice catches me and Luna’s attention. “I might know what’s going on.” “Twilight?!?” “Twilight?!? Don’t you remember what I told you?” “Yes, and I can hypothesize what your first letter really said. If that changeling you were talking about in the letter was small, and likely a child, WHY WOULD YOU INTERROGATE IT IN THE FIRST PLACE?!? Since when has interrogation been remotely a good idea on a child?!?” “Interrogation?!? Sister, what is this all about?!?” “When this changeling had landed here in Canterlot, where it came from was very strange. It was north instead of south. I requested two of the guards to ask of any associations with Queen Chrysalis. Shortly after, the guards came back without the changeling, saying that it’d flown away, the guards predicting that it would land in southern Ponyville.” “See, this is what I’m talking about! The changeling had to fly away because of two things. One, you said it yourself; the changeling is small, so it couldn’t say much. Two, it must be lost if it was as small as you said!” “Twilight... I am truly sorry for how short sighted I was for requesting the guards for any association with the hive. I will lift security measures so long as no reports of Queen Chrysalis are to be had.” “Thank you. Now, I have to go to the Everfree Forest. I have to find that changeling and its home.” “Do be careful, Twilight.”