Returning back through Equestria and the desert took the duo less than half the time it had taken Trixie alone the first time around. Trixie gave all the credit to their method of travelling, although she detested it.
She had followed the pony looking like Winter out from that bar less than a week ago, and she had kept a relentless pace. Trixie hadn’t complained the first or second day but soon ever her reserves were running dry. She had collapsed on the ground exhausted, but Winter would have none of it. She had literally lifted her up and carried from there. She had objected of course. Dignity really didn’t give room for getting carried because you didn’t have the stamina to go on.
Eventually when none of her complaints or whining had succeeded she gave up, accepted it and rested instead. To Trixie it seemed Winter never had to rest, at least she hadn’t during the entire time they had travelled together. She even carried Trixie to boot, yet never rested. The only stops were to eat and even those became shorter and shorter the closer they came.
Which lead Trixie to her current situation. Without a sandstorm raging around her and with a guide who seemingly instinctively knew where they were going she could really take in the surroundings this time. Following alongside not-Winter and wrapped in her cloak they got ever closer to the rock far off in the distance.
Like last time her surroundings consisted of nothing but sand and gravel, no larger stones to speak of at all. The sands shifted around her hooves as they walked and left clear imprints of their route behind them for all to see. Looking back she saw two sets of prints trailing towards the horizon before hiding behind some hill in the distance.
As the large entrance stone finally loomed above the two of them both came to a halt, Winter standing several steps ahead of Trixie. Seeing no movement from Winter she started to move ahead, looking for the same hole that she had put her horn into before. As she moved next to Winter green fire erupted across the body of the white mare.
Jumping several paces to the side, Trixie watched as Winter got consumed by the unearthly green fire. As the fire regressed black chitin covered the pony next to her. Transparent wings had formed alongside a jagged horn and dozens of holes in various places. Staring at the changeling in front of her Trixie only gathered her senses to see its wings beating before it took off up into the air.
Stopping mid-air on just the height for the hole the changeling slid in the horn with ease, demonstrating the exactly who the door was made for. The door rumbled and opened for the two of them and the changeling hovering just above her head pointed a hoof down the tunnel, telling her to enter.
Soon Trixie was once more led through the tunnels that sloped downwards by a changeling, though this time into the hive instead of out.
The tunnel flattened out and led Trixie into the first large chamber she five months ago first entered. The chamber still had the green orbs glowing everywhere illuminating the room. The changeling in front of her stepped out into the cavern without batting an eye, leaving little room for her to think before following.
As soon as she entered a pain erupted from her neck. Before she could reach Trixie found herself flying through the air, the dull throbbing in her neck hinting towards why. For a scant few weightless seconds the only thing she felt were the air rushing past her as she tumbled through it and the pain from the blow.
She hit the far wall of the chamber and had the wind knocked out of her. Ribs cracked upon impact and she fell to the ground as her momentum bled away. Lying gasping on the ground, trying to force as much air as possible back into her lungs she never noticed the figure step up in front of her.
A hoof came down on her head crushing it on the floor, blood dripping from her right ear. Through the ringing in her ears a voice pushed through, filled with hate and a promise of more pain. “Do you take me for a foal, pony? We had a deal and you broke it. You broke it, now you pay the price.” Each sentence was punctuated with another bashing with her head into the stony floor, flooding more and more of her mind with pain.
When the banging stopped she twisted her head underneath the hoof in an attempt to find the face of her attacker. Trixie twisted her head around until she came eye to eye with Queen Chrysalis, anger burning in the green eyes. The moment their eyes connected the hoof on her head was removed for an instant but before Trixie could wonder about its departure something came down right on her left eye, temporarily blinding her. “Did you say something, pony?”
“…didn’t… break… deal…” Trixie had to force the words out through gasping and a swelling in her mouth. Sometime during the pounding she had most likely bit her tongue without her noticing. Glancing up at the Queen through her swollen eye she faced the unchanged look of anger.
For a moment the relentless assault halted and Trixie felt her head lifted up in magic, pulling her neck and body along as much as the force lifting her allowed. A fanged mouth came close enough to her ear she felt each breath as it passed through, speaking loudly into it. “Why should I believe you, pony? You already lied to me once.”
“…would… die.” She only managed to press out those two words through her swollen and magic sealed mouth, but as soon as the last word left her mouth Chrysalis let go of her head and it almost impacted on the floor again before Trixie could react and hold it up herself. She laid there gasping for air on the floor and barely noticed anything that happened around her, the intense headache not helping a bit.
As such she never noticed the tiny amount of magic wrapping itself around her back left hoof until it was too late. Left hoof risen high up into the air left Trixie dangling underneath with her head and horn aimed towards the floor, the other three limbs flailing wildly for any form of traction. She felt herself getting lifted higher up into the air and turned around, only to come face to face with the changeling queen. “Would be dead, pony? You make a deal with your life. Stupid but gutsy.” She snorted. “You do well to remember that deal is the sole reason you’re alive.”
Trixie hung still upside-down for several more minutes while the queen regarded her every motion, most of which consisted of heavy breathing and rubbing her head. Blood rushed to her head as she hung and she could feel some of it pooling around her swollen eye, ready to break out if it got the chance. Suddenly Chrysalis tsked and Trixie felt the grip around her hoof let go.
For a brief second she hung in the air before the ground came rushing up to meet her. Crashing hard against the stone floor she felt several bones bend in places they shouldn’t, but nothing broke.
Sore, bruised and with a overwhelming headache Trixie forced herself back up on her legs. Swaying mildly from side to side she turned around to face Chrysalis. “Only need changeling. Then I’ll leave forever.” She could only hope the queen was in the mood to grant her the request straight away, so she didn’t have to spend more time around the hive.
The queen who had just moments ago looked elsewhere with disinterest now returned her eyes to regard the blue unicorn in front of her. “Two weeks.” At Trixie’s confused expression she clarified. “That’s the time you get. Two weeks from now I’m calling it back.”
“Oh, okay.” Trixie wasn’t completely sure it was enough, but Chrysalis most likely wouldn’t budge if she tried to complain. She was more likely to receive more bruises for the effort.
After the confirmation that she had understood Chrysalis took her attention away from the unicorn and instead focused on the swarming changelings around her. Half-heartedly studying them as they moved she soon singled out her target. “You. Come over here.” A hoof pointed in the direction of the addressed changeling, who instantly complied and fluttered over.
Landing next to the queen and in front of Trixie the changeling stood completely mute and waited for the queen to continue. “Here’s your changeling. I want you out in an hour, with or without it following you. Then you never come back here again, or I’ll personally see that you don’t. Got it?” Chrysalis took that moment to stare down at the shorter pony in front of her.
Said pony nodded in response, worried making any kind of sound would anger the already unstable changeling queen. As soon as the queen got her positive response she left the two of them alone, moving further into the caves. Alone the two of them stood as even most of the gathered changelings left the surrounding area for more important tasks.
Trixie regarded the changeling in front of her and at first glance she couldn’t tell any discernible difference between it and the rest of its kind. Blue pupil less eyes stared back at her, the rest of the body completely immobile just as it had been since it touched down. She gulped. “Do you have a name? Or something to call you by?”
“No.”
The single worded reply unnerved Trixie. Even without the presence of their queen the changelings were cold, distant and overall uncomfortable to be around. “Anything else I need to know then?”
“Don’t like wheels.” At that Trixie frowned. It didn’t make sense to her but she quickly dismissed the notion. It wouldn’t matter in the grand scheme of things either way.
“Well, you heard the queen. We’re leaving.” The changeling stood stock still until Trixie began moving at which it immediately followed close behind her. She sighed in defeat.
“Louder, make yourself heard.”
“Third person, not first. Call yourself by name.”
“No, put more feeling into it. You need to mean it.”
“Perfect, exactly the expression I was looking for.”
“Yes, exactly like that. You’re finally getting it. One more time!”
Two identical blue unicorns stood at the entrance to the Whitetail woods, alongside the path that would take any who travelled on it to Ponyville. One of them wearing a dark brown cloak while the other had none. The two of them regarded each other, one nervously and the other with a determined frown underneath her hood. “I can’t prepare you more. You need to get in there and just do it.” The more confident of the two spoke, still not breaking eye contact with the other.
“I… uh, Trixie knows. She has been prepared for this moment after all. Trixie know things will go to plan,” the other said, her voice not betraying anything of her body’s obvious nervousness. Nodding the cloaked Trixie unclasped the cloak she currently wore and levitated it over to the other.
“Take it. They aren’t fond of Trixie, so hide your face until you find her.” The cloak was accepted in the others magical grip before quickly finding its place adorned on the nervous unicorn. Seeing the cloak correctly placed the uncloaked Trixie turned her attention elsewhere.
Concentrating she opened one of her saddlebags and levitated out a small trinket, not any larger than the clasp currently holding the cloak together. The red stone in the centre shone with an eerie glow, sending a shiver down her back.
Once more regarding the unicorn in front of her she levitated the amulet over so it floated right in front of her. “One more thing, take this. It’ll help.” The clone in front of her studied the floating object for a moment before replacing her previous clasp with the new more ornate one.
The pony in cloak briefly looked up in the air with a thoughtful expression on her face. “There’s only four days left. Trixie know you won’t follow further, so she will go now. Trixie doubt she will see you again.”
“Good luck.”
The cloaked pony in front of her huffed before lowering her head down to a more normal level. “Trixie does not need good luck. The Great and Powerful Trixie have no equals and she will prove it to you, doubter.” She immediately turned around and set off down the part that led to Ponyville, a determined frown filling her face.