“Fluttershy?” Sally slowly walked closer to the shy pegasus so as not to scare her. “Perhaps you should also get some rest?”
Fluttershy stopped her pacing at looked at the changling with a lost look.
“Discord is with them,” Sally reminded her with a soft voice. “And we're already looking for our queen. And she can defeat any foe.”
The pegasus smiled faintly. She thought about the defeat of Chrysalis in Canterlot, but wisely kept such thoughts to herself. No good ever came of insulting the most cherished and loved ruler of a culture without good cause. And even then the pony knew the virtue of knowing when to keep one's mouth shut.
“Oh, no. I'm fine. Really,” she looked around her idly. “Maybe I should help you look for her?”
Sally shook her head and walked over to where Silverline was resting, very gently prodding his bandage to make sure it was tight enough. He gave her a brave smile before laying his head back down on top of his hooves.
“I shall know if we find her.”
Fluttershy perked up, her ears snapping forward. “Oh! Through your... Hive Effect?”
Sally gave her a smile. “You remember what I said earlier? Yes. I won't know where she is or anything too specific, but I'll likely feel a rush of relief when she's found.”
“Not all that,” Silverline yawned, his eyelids drooping, “useful for a conversation, is it?”
Sally tilted her head. “I have always had the Hive Effect, so I'm not sure just how useful it is...” Her head straightened. “But sometimes I can change my manner of speech to ease another's feelings of anxiety or excitement or sorrow. I suppose if I couldn't sense another's feelings, it would be harder to communicate with them.”
“Can you sense our feelings?” Fluttershy asked, coming closer.
The changling shook her small head. “You are not part of the Hive.” She paused a moment in thought before adding, “Although, legends of before... Back when we lived side by side with ponies... They say there was a bit of a connection. Like a fainter version of the Hive Effect.”
Silverline forced himself into a more aware state of mind, despite his weariness. “Is that a side effect from feeding off of us?”
Sally sat down. “I'm not sure, but I don't think its that simple. After all, Princess Lily has been feeding us for some time now and I don't think any special connections with the Hive have been made. Of course, it might just take a very long time...”
Fluttershy sat beside the changling, forgetting her worry as she focused on the information she was getting from this brand new creature. She loved learning about other animals and trying to understand them. The mere idea that a peace might soon exist between ponies and changlings made her not only happy, but excited.
“Do you know anything else about this 'time before?'” she asked.
Sally thought for a moment, eyes unfocused on the far wall. “Well, there was the Bonding.”
Silverline yawned again, forcing out a muffled, “Bahdeng?”
The changling nodded. “I think that was when a new changling came of age, around its tenth year, and it was pared with a pony around the same age as its principal Giver.”
“Giver,” Fluttershy echoed. “Oh! You mean the one that feeds you?”
Sally nodded. “Traditionally they were then raised very close together, often joining entire families of ponies and changlings into close networks. It's probably because of this constant and close proximity that the Hive Effect began to also work on ponies, too.”
Silverline closed his eyes, unable to fight their leaded weight any longer. “That makes sense... If you're raised with a changling, it'd probably have an effect sooner or later.”
Fluttershy looked down in thought. “That would, in turn, bring everypony closer as a community,” she looked up again at Sally, “wouldn't it?”
Sally shook her head sadly. “I don't know. I'm too young to remember those days... Only our Queen has such a long lifespan. She might remember.” Sally's voice held a hollow sound, like a lonely drop of water falling into a small pool in a deserted cavern.
Fluttershy wished to ask about Chrysalis, about how she became their current queen, about what happened to the last one. But something held her back. Sally's stance was suddenly distant, as if the changling had pulled into herself for protection. The pegasus laid her head down on her front hooves and closed her eyes, respecting the healer's wish for distance.
“Ah!”
The sound jarred Fluttershy's eyes open again. “What is it?” she asked Sally.
The changling gave her a grin, the distance gone. “She's been found.”
“Oh, that's good,” Fluttershy said, looking over at the fast asleep Silverline. “Is she headed here?”
“Probably,” Sally answered, getting up. She tilted her head, as if listening to a faint sound. “Then again, she might be headed outside...”
“Oh, dear!” Fluttershy got up and started to prance in place, worried about her friends again. “S-should I go out there, too? Should I help out?”
Sally sat down again after a stretch. “There's no need. You can just sit here with me. Our queen will take care of it. She said there would be peace, didn't she?”
The pegasus slowly sat down again. “I... yes. Yes, she did.”
The changling grinned. “Then there will be. She has no intention of letting anything bad happen to your princess or our own, now.” She looked over at both alicorns as they continued their deep sleeps.
Fluttershy smiled. “Does this mean... we're all friends now?”
Sally looked surprised at that question, as if the thought had never occurred to her. “Hm. Well, I suppose we are...” She slowly smiled. “If that makes you happy.”
Fluttershy suddenly shot into the air, hovering with her small wings. “Oh, it does! It does!”
“Then we are friends,” Sally confirmed.
Just then a loud crash echoed throughout the cavern, throwing all the changlings into a panic and rudely awakening the sleeping ponies.
“Wa- what happened?” Twilight asked, the ground beneath them all trembling.
A huge cloud of dust and smoke washed into the cave from the tunnel leading outside. The same tunnel the other ponies had taken to speak with the second search team.
“Oh, dear!” Fluttershy moaned.
Twilight looked around quickly before settling her eyes on her shy friend. “Discord. Where's Discord?”
Fluttershy whimpered and looked at the dust clogged tunnel.
“Oh, no,” Twilight mumbled. She had a feeling her recent rest wasn't going to be enough for this.