//------------------------------//
// Headlong Into The Unknown 
// Story: Royalty And Family 
// by Uber_Shy 
//------------------------------//

	Shining Armor awoke to the screeching of breaks, which was surprising because he hadn’t planned on sleeping for the entirety of the train ride. He lifted his head off of the particularly soft pillow he didn’t remember having. After rubbing his eyes and glancing at it, he realized it wasn’t a pillow at all, but a shoulder. Shining’s eyes moved from the bright violet shoulder to the face of its owner. Doctor Applecart was looking pensively out of the window. 
“Oh, excuse me,” Shining apologized.
Applecart turned to him with a questioning look, “For what?”
“Well, you know, uhm,” Shining stammered.
“It’s alright,” Applecart said with a smile, “I have eighteen sisters, and we all used to sleep in the same room. I’m no stranger to close sleeping arrangements”
“Eighteen sisters huh?” Shining asked. He was both genuinely curious, and eager to change the subject.
“My mother and father had a lot of free time on their hooves,” Applecart remarked. 
“You can say that again,” Shining Armor said lightheartedly. He looked back at his troops in the seats behind him. They were being roused by Sergeant Wrath. “This may seem like a silly question, but do you have a relation to the Apple family? I ask because my sister has a friend named Applejack in Ponyville.”
“Only vaguely,” Applecart explained, “My family split from the Apple family long ago and traveled to Maretropilis seeking fortune in the food distribution plants. My grandfather had a cousin named Missy Smith, whom I believe became one of the founding members of Ponyville. Your sister’s friend is probably related to her in some way.”
“Probably,” Shining affirmed. He made a mental note to ask Applejack about that if he ever saw her again.
Shining Armor checked on the baby. She was still asleep. He then stood up and faced the soldiers behind him.
“Alright ponies, we are on a mission of vital importance. We are here to track down and make contact with the changeling queen Chrystalis.” None of the ponies in front of him reacted in any visible way. It was probably because Sergeant Wrath was watching them intently. “We don’t know what we will find on our journey, so stay alert. Now let’s get a move on. The sun will be up in a few hours.”
Shining Armor turned to Dr. Applecart.
“Ladies first,” He said.
Applecart rose from her seat and walked to the front of the train car. The rest of the group followed her out. It was still dark out, but Shining Armor could make out a very small town from the few lamps lighting the main street. There seemed to be a few trails heading into the nearby hills, and a very shoddy looking water tower, but everything else was unremarkable. They walked through the main street to reach the other side of town, which took all of three minutes. At the top of a short hill on the other side of town, Shining Armor saw a curious site. A single house stood there with a rather immaculate paintjob. The entire thing was covered wall to wall with a giant mural. It seemed to be a compilation piece, for it depicted various elements from furious scowling monsters to partying ponies, to a depiction of a fireworks display. If they had more time, Shining Armor might have stopped by just to ask about the curious designs. They exited the southern boarder town as quickly as they had entered it. Grassy plains sprawled out before them like an endless sea of green. Sergeant wrath formed his troops in a loose square formation with Shining Armor and Doctor Applecart in the middle. 
Shining cast another look down at his daughter as they walked. She was still asleep. This drew a little concern from her father. He looked over at Doctor Applecart.
“She’s been real quiet for this entire venture so far,” He said to her, “do you think everything is alright?”
“I’m sure everything is fine,” Applecart responded with a reassuring smile, “Changelings are usually stored in pods until they are big enough to be useful to the colony. All they really do at this stage in their life is sleep and feed.”
Shining Armor frowned a little at the mention of feeding. It occurred to him that he still didn’t know how to care for his own daughter.
Doctor Applecart seemed to be able to read his mind.
“I’ll show you how to feed her when we make camp tonight,” She reassured him.
“You seem to know everything there is to know about Changelings,” Shining Armor remarked.
“It became a favorite subject of mine a year ago,” Applecart explained, “Since the attack on Canterlot, many brave science ponies put themselves on the line for the sake of understanding more about Changelings. I personally am fascinated with their physiology and read every report I could get my hooves on.”
“That sounds more like an obsession than a simple interest,” Shining Armor said. Doctor Applecart blew a loose bit of her mane out of her face and looked over at him.
“Call it what you will, but when this is done, you’ll be glad you brought me along,” She said. Shining hoped he would find himself agreeing with that statement. He remained quiet as not to accidently upset Doctor Applecart. If life with Cadence had taught him anything, it was to not upset the mares in his life. He walked in silence with his eccentric partner as they progressed south.
The group continued on. The grass became more and more thin, and the hills less and less common as they went. Eventually the terrain turned into a flat and barren wasteland. The ground was so dry the formation of ponies kicked up a dust cloud as it went along. They continued on, guided along their way by the rising sun. After a while, their pace became considerably slower. All of the guards, with the exception of Sergeant Wrath, slumped their heads slightly. The trip wasn’t as physically taxing as it was mentally taxing. The ground was just so flat and featureless. The only thing to look at was a very distant mountain range that never seemed to get any closer. Doctor Applecart was the only other one besides Wrath that seemed unaffected by the trip so far. She quietly hummed a tune to herself as she trotted next to Shining Armor.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“What?”
“That song you’re humming.”
“Oh that,” Applecart said with a nostalgic smile, “It’s a song my mother used to sing to me and my siblings when I was little. She would sing it to us every night.”
“It sounds lovely. What does she do?” Shining asked.
“She was a full time mother, but she’s gone now. Both of my parents are,” Applecart sighed.
Shining Armor was starting to regret his choice of topics for small talk.
“Oh, I’m sorry about that.”
“Don’t be, it was a long time ago.”
A short awkward silence ensued as the ponies trotted along their path. They made a steady pace into the seemingly endless expanse before them. It was then that something occurred to Shining Armor.
“So, doc, what kind of hazards should we expect along this journey?” he asked.
“You mean besides a hoard of angry changelings?” Doctor Applecart replied.
“Yeah, besides that.”
“Well it’s funny you should ask,” Applecart began.
Her voice suddenly took on a sweeter, more adoring tone as she began to sing.

I’ve admired this place from afar
Like a filly looking upon a bright white star
To glance upon the untamed lands
With such deadly creatures,
That walk the sands
Now we’re here where wild things thrive
Doesn’t this opportunity make you feel so alive?

We’ll see a thresher maw maybe
Or a reaver by somewhere shady
Maybe things we’ve never seen before
Dragons galore
Who knows? Maybe even a Manticore.

Shining Armor then chimed in

You know, maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to bring you two along

Please Shining
I can handle myself
You’d be crazy if you think you’re going to sit me on the shelf

I’ve got too much to do
Too much to see
And don’t you forget
I’ve got all these handsome devils to accompany me

So what do you say colts (and mare) do you think you can protect little old me?

The crystal guards responded in unison

Yes Ma’am
Oh really?
Yes we can
I can’t hear you

We’ll come across a thresher maw maybe
But don’t you worry now pretty little lady
You know we’ll do our best 
To past the test
And bring you back home, no we won’t rest

Thank you boys you are all too kind
Now keep pace
Don’t fall too far behind
We’ve go so much to- oh hey look at that

The song came to an abrupt end as the ponies came upon a cliff face. It was a very sudden drop that seemed to come out of nowhere. It was about a forty pony-length drop straight down. Shining Armor walked up to the edge to investigate.
At the bottom lay a vast field of giant rocks, strewn over the now too familiar dusty ground.
“Sentry, I need eyes on a way through this,” Shining Armor said.
Flash Sentry saluted and flew towards the rock field.
“That’s interesting,” Doctor Applecart noted, “this field isn’t on any maps or references to this area.”
“This cliff is very oddly placed,” Facet remarked.
“It’s probably a fault line,” Fletch said.
All of the ponies I the group were gathered at the edge of the cliff. They stared down at the maze of enormous rocks.
Shining Armor looked up to see Flash Sentry signaling them. He was signaling for danger, and it was fast approaching.