//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4: Watchers From The Shadows 
// Story: The Elements of The Hero 
// by Mr Review 
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	As Flash, Apple and Gadget made their way towards the Badlands, the colt that accompanied them kept looking into the forest that they traveled next to, often talking into the forest as if talking to someone else. A Watcher. Once they passed Ghastly Gorge, the looking and talking stopped, but he watched a mysterious figure overhead.
"Keep your guard up." Apple whispered to the other two. They were obviously being followed, but by what or who. Once they reached the Macintosh Hills, the colt ran ahead and pointed at a small cave entrance. The trio nervously entered the cave.
"Oh did I say somepony was trapped in here?" A new voice called out from the colt's body. "I meant you are trapped in here." A ring of green flame surrounded the colt and rose above him, reveling a strange pony-like creature with a small horn and bug-like wings. It's pitch black body contrasted with its deep, blue eyes. It was a Changeling. He somehow caused the cave entrance to close.
"For the record, I called it." Apple announced. "Really, I didn't notice all the signs." Flash responded "I don't just think you can say that ONLY you knew what was going on!" They both looked at Gadget, who was looking at the boulders that trapped us in. "A changeling ... " Gadget repeated to himself. Flash had no idea how to respond to what just happened, they were trapped by a creature that he had never seen. This "Changeling" thing had to have a reason for doing this, but what.
"Everything needs to have a leader," Flash thought out loud. "Even Changeling ... right?" Gadget turned away from the entrance, "Of course they do." Gadget responded and when he realized something, his speech slowed down. "And they would never disobey an order!" Flash smirked as Gadget realized this.
"Well finally." I cracked voice called from the back of the cave. "I thought you would never solve that 'puzzle'?" The tiro stepped back at the sound of this mysterious voice. "Who are you?" Apple called out nervously. "A Watcher ... A Watcher from the shadows." The cracked voice replied. "I have been watching for a long time, but I never thought you would get it Flash." At Flash's name being mentioned, a look of sharp fear sprung across his face. "I have watched all three of you for the longest time, but the one the one that fascinated me more than you Flash. Becoming a Wonderbolt and then that day that you dropped out. It just made me laugh and laugh to see your head stuck in a wall." As the Watcher talked, it sounded more mocking. Flash's expression turned from fear to pure rage. He sprung into the air and flew as fast as he could for the Watcher. He flew into the darkness until he couldn't be seen. A loud crunch was heard from the darkness. Flash's limp body was thrown into the light. He had two giant holes in this back and on his stomach, blood pouring out of them. "Thank you for the light snack." The voice called mockingly. A dark figure, faster than lightning hit the other two, knocking them out. As Gadget was about to go under, the voice spoke to something else in the shadows.
"I want you and others to bring these three to the Hollow, and patch this one up. I don't want him to die ... OR ELSE!" "O ... Of course not m ... my Queen." The other voice sounded scared. Gadget then blacked out with so many questions on his mind. "Who was this creature that 'bit' Flash." "What is the Hollow." But the question that was most on his mind was ... "What do they want with us ..."