//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: The Changeling Hordes // Story: Diaries of a Traitor part 2: The Elements of Disharmony // by Paradox Theory //------------------------------// Turns out, the cave was only a short distance from the shack. Swift was silently walking ahead of us, his head held high. He had accepted his fate. Which left me to wonder why. . . why wasn't he acting sad? We paused in front of the cave. "Are you guys ready?" Swift asked, his voice quiet and reserved. "How can I be ready to lose a friend?" Aurora asked. Swift smiled, "No one is ready." "But we'll go with you, to the end." I said, placing a hoof on his shoulder. "And I will tell Equestria of your sacrifice. You won't die in vain." Tourmaline added. "You'll be hard pressed to lose me." Slate said. Swift nodded. "Then here is our game plan: We go down into the nest, we free Bright and Star Swirl. And then you guys get out as fast as you can." We all nodded in response. But before we could enter the cave, a voice shouted from behind us. "What in the blazes do you think you're doing?!" Swift didn't stop staring at the changeling. "You're one of the ones I saw in the cauldron." "Excuse me?" The Changeling asked. "Bright Blade, how do we find him?" Swift hollered "Finding him would mean death." The changeling replied. "I know." Swift sighed, "But I'm not leaving without him." The Changeling regarded Swift, "If you really want to free him, then follow the tunnel, a the first fork turn right. Then go left at the second." "Why not stop us?" Swift asked the changeling as the changeling began to turn. "Because I wanted nothing to do with the war. I traded Blade for my freedom." With that, the changeling walked away. "You heard him, right then left." Swift said, walking into the cave. "We're late." I watched silently as Chrysalis prances back and forth. "Once Cardinal shows, I can bestow him with a gift. One that will assure his victory!' She then walked up to me and began trailing a hoof up my chest. "A big, strong, stallion. Looking for revenge against the one that killed his wife. Too bad he'll meet his end without knowing who. . . " As she walked off laughing, Star Swirl looked at me, "Don't worry, I know we'll get out of here." "Says the guy that died twice and still came back." I scoffed. "I don't have long this time. I've only been brought back to make another pony ascend." Star Swirl replied. "What? You mean make another Alicorn?" I asked. "Yes." Star Swirl answered as he hung his head. "Cardinal is heading towards Saddle Arabia to get the pony." "Why that far east?" I asked. "I don't know. I just don't know." None of us could believe what we were seeing. Hundreds of thousands of changelings were going in every direction. In the middle of the room was Chrysalis and the two ponies strapped to poles. "How are we supposed to get down there now?" Aurora whispered. Swift smiled at her. "Who said we were going to hide?" "N-no, we are not. . . NO!" Tourmaline shouted as loud as she dared. However, a nearby Changeling heard her, and we were caught. "Well, what a surprise!" Chrysalis chuckled as we were brought to her, "Did you all just give up?" "Chrysalis, I've been waiting to talk to one of my father's allies for a long time, and the only thing I can ask is, do you trust him?" Swift asked. "Ha! Trust that power hungry fool? Never." Chrysalis scoffed. "Then you should've had us killed. NOW!" Swift shouted, jumping into the air. I followed Swift into the air, occasionally throwing a wing blade into a changeling. Aurora and Slate were blasting magic at any changeling that was too close. Tourmaline was untying Blade and Star Swirl. Without another word, Blade sprung into action. Moving his cloak aside, he revealed a metal hoof, which he used to crush the skull of a nearby changeling. Things just got interesting. Changeling after changeling fell to me as I fought them. My drive was to find the one who killed my wife, but it was also to help my friends escape. "Nice to see you back in action." Tourmaline remarked. "Feels good to have my friends by my side." I agreed. Then I looked up to see Swift fly over head. "How did you guys find me?" "Oh, you know. Found a hermit, drank some magic potion, then followed Swifts vision to you." Tourmaline explained. "So just another day then?" I replied with a smile. "Pretty much." Just then, a changeling lunged at Tourmaline, but I was quicker. With a shink, a blade came out of my metal hoof, and straight through the changelings neck. Tourmaline looked between me and the changeling before commenting, "Remind me to kiss you when we get out of here." With a chuckle I stood on my hind legs and gestured with my fore-hoof to the other changelings. "Let's dance!" I couldn't believe what I was seeing, Bright Blade was sword fighting on his rear hooves. How does a pony do that? I saw a changeling try to copy him, but he fell over when Blade cut him in two. "Is that the best you got?!" Blade hollered, obviously having fun. I saw a changeling sneak up behind him. But before the changeling could do anything, he found a wing blade protruding from his chest. "Now I owe you one!" Blade called to me. "We'll discuss that later." I shouted back, doing a mid air flip to avoid an incoming changeling. "ENOUGH!" Chrysalis shouted. "You will pay!" She looked towards Aurora, who was facing away. "Swift!" I shouted, not knowing what to do. He looked to Aurora, and then to me. "Goodbye." He mouthed. That's when the whole world slowed down and fell silent. I watched as green magic arced out from Chrysalis's horn, and went straight to Aurora. "NOOOOO!" Swift shouted, intercepting the beam before it could hit Aurora. Then his body fell limply to the ground. "Changelings! Flee to the caves in the south! We no longer have nothing to fear from these ponies!" Chrysalis shouted, flying away with her subjects. The caves fell silent as the last changeling left. "Swift," Aurora cried, shaking his body, "Swift! Please. . . " No pony spoke. We were all in shock. "And to think he could've been the one. . . " Stars Swirl whispered. "The one to what?" Slate asked. Star Swirl shook his head, "It doesn't matter, you need to get to-" "Saddle Arabia." Aurora cut Star Swirl off. "That's what Swift said." "How did he know?" I asked in curiosity. "He drank the potion last night, and shared a dream with me. We don't know anything about the pony's past. But we do know that Cardinal wants her." "But we're supposed to go to Griffonia!" Tourmaline objected "No, the Changelings are headed that way. We can't risk it. We need the pony in Saddle Arabia." Aurora explained. "Then I guess we go east." Slate sighed, "What should we do with. . . . you know?" Aurora lit her horn, "We do what I saw." Then, she lit Swift's corpse on fire. "L- let's go. . . " Aurora whispered, turning to leave the cave. We all followed behind her. But as we started to leave, I heard Star Swirl whisper, "Now you may fulfill your destiny,"