Living Mark of Courage

by Moowell

Belmont's Resolve

Belmont groaned awake, head throbbing from the blow the strange pony-thing had given him. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in pitch darkness. A dungeon? Possible, but unlikely. His legs weren't bound. He felt around the the ground with the tip of his hooves until he gently kicked something. A pouch? Not a pouch, a saddlebag. As he rummaged through it, he discovered it was his saddlebag. He felt around until he found a small torch and lit it.

He was in some sort of tunnel system, similar to the kind used by the Dogs, but much smaller. Perhaps only large enough for a pup or a filly to pass through comfortably. He thought back to the creature that had appeared. The tunnel would fit that thing nicely, making it likely that this system was created by it. He smelled the air. It was clean for a tunnel. He must be near an exit. He felt the dirt around him and found the patch just above him to be soft and loose. When he pressed, the ground gave way to his hoof and collapsed around him, revealing a void. He climbed out.

All around the exit were signs of a scuffle. Many streaks of broken grass outlined by small clods of dirt. Depressions where somepony--or someponies--had been brought down on their side. There were two depressions that stood out as odd compared to the rest. The first one was larger than the others and connected to the hole he just escaped by a wide line of flattened grass. That must've been his after being knocked unconscious. A thought struck him: if he hadn't been dragged into the hole, he would've been at the mercy of the attackers. Was it luck? Or had his assailant thought to protect him against whatever had come later?

The second depression was much smaller, roughly the size of a foal, and all around it were deeper hoofprints and scores on the ground. Whoever made that one put up a hell of a fight. Something else, though... There were no hoofprints leading away from that spot. Once the fight was over, the victors went to the sky and took the small one with them. A group of pegasi? Doubtful. The scores were too deep for the light-hooved fliers. Guardsponies perhaps. Bulkier, and the hoofguards they wear would be hard enough to scar the ground like this. But if that were the case, why would they leave a clear sign of dragging like the one he himself left behind uninvestigated? The first thing they would've done after securing their target would be to comb the scene, which left an unsettling thought in his mind.

Somepony else?

He sighed and shook his head, and the ache flared up again. With a groan, he began to make his way to the guardhouse to report the incident, and if they had caused it, to have strong words with the pony in charge. But what if it hadn't been them?

*****

"Are ya tellin' me that your boys haven't been out to the hill tonight?"

"Not yet, but we'll be fixing that pronto. If there's been a kidnapping incident, there'll be hell to pay once we figure out who it was."

"Right. Best of luck, Sarge."

"Get home safe, Belmont. That bump on your head's a doozy."

*****

He was so focused on what had happened that he almost walked into the gate. "Belmont!" He looked up and saw Applejack standing next to Raritan and Baldwin, and none of them looked like they'd had a peaceful evening. That thought was reinforced by a pile of hogtied changelings, and one silver-maned mare whom he recognized from his visit to Sunset Manor.

Changelings.

Belmont grimaced as the past few weeks' events fell into place: The creature who talked like Epona may have been a changeling spy. It had gained Applejack's love and trust and cemented its place in her heart with the Element. It hadn't shown its face since then, but the way Ma had been going on about her and with all the 'ghostly' help they'd been getting, the air must've been saturated with love. Then, once it was discovered, its brethren came in for the rescue. Probably also to take the Element back. After that it fled to the tunnels, though its brethren were defeated and captured. 'They won't exxpect me to be out here, and poniess never come here becausse the Everfree'ss sso closse.' It must've meant the Apple Family, and it would've been right. A search would likely prove fruitless if it lived there, as it could easily escape into the forest once it sensed somepony coming. He had found its hiding place, but it was coincidence that he met it there at that moment. The flash of green that had stunned him was its magic flaring off, giving it the opening it needed to knock him out.

But even if all that were true, it still brought up more questions. Why would it fight the ones that showed up later? Why would it take the time to conceal him from his would-be captors instead of hoofing him over as a food source? It didn't make sense, but perhaps he'd be able to learn something from somepony here.

"Judging from the looks of things, Ah take it ya'll have had as interesting a night as Ah have."

"That's one word fer it," snorted Baldwin. "Ah'd use 'disastrous', but that's just me."

"You're the investigator who dropped by my house the other day, aren't you?" said Trixie. Belmont nodded. "I thought so. I had hoped to find Epona here, but it seems our changeling friends beat me to her."

Applejack gave Belmont the story, starting with her conversation that evening. When she reached the part where the squad arrived, Raritan chimed in with her chase and ultimate loss of the drone, though when she found the larger changeling lying unconscious beside her and a small Dog hole, she tied it up and took it straight to the authorities. At that, Belmont added his own experience. About finding it just as it emerged from its tunnel, and about his thoughts on what happened afterward.

"Well, that all makes sense. Epona wouldn't have just given family over to changelings," Applejack finally said once Belmont had finished. He just shook his head.

"Ma, that Epona was a changeling drone! It was just trickin' ya into thinkin' it was really your sis." Belmont hung his head. "And Ah hate to admit it, but it had me fooled too."

"Actually, Belmont," Trixie interjected. "That drone was genuine." Belmont gave her a look of puzzlement as she pointed to a drone separate from the rest of the pile. "The captain here may have transformed her into a changeling, but Epona is not the enemy you think her to be."

"Wait, did ya just say transformed?"

"That's right. The changeling you both met was the real Epona, turned into a changeling by the good captain's magic."

"That's crazy talk!" Raritan yelled. "Even if she weren't a changelin' before, she is now! She suckered me inta a trap! Ah'dve been bug food if somepony hadn't beat the big one an' drove her off!"

Trixie shook her head. "Normally I would agree with you. The process used by changelings to turn ponies into drones is known as 'Conversion', and up until now, it has had a perfect track record. From what we know, the victims lose everything that made them a pony. Creativity, individuality, emotion, purpose. Nothing is left."

"That only proves Tani's point," Baldwin chimed. "Epona went through that process right in front of us. If what you're sayin' is true, then Epona's gone an' she ain't comin' back," Raritan nodded with a snort.

"That's the problem though, isn't it? If you look at Epona in that light, Raritan's and Belmont's stories don't make much sense."

Raritan bristled and pawed the ground. "Are ya callin' me a liar, unicorn? By the moon, are ya callin' Belmont a liar?!"

"Absolutely not," Trixie replied matter-of-factly. "Raritan, you said she ran away in fear, and when you caught her, she was afraid and tried to protect herself. Is that right?"

"Yep. What's that gotta do with anythin'?"

"For one, it shows that Epona still had emotion, in the form of fear, and the creativity to improvise a shield from a trashcan lid. Belmont's account shows she maintained individuality by fighting against the squad on her own, with the purpose of protecting both herself and Belmont." Trixie paused to let her words sink in. "I'm not saying you are lying. The Apple Family's tradition for honesty is legendary, but if Epona had truly been like every convert before her, she would never have acted the way she did. No, what I'm saying is that, for whatever reason, the conversion either failed or was somehow incomplete. She may be a changeling in body, but her mind and soul are still very much pony."

Silence descended on the farm as everypony stared at Trixie. Applejack with a mix of elation and horror. Raritan with unwavering hatred. Baldwin with simple confusion. Belmont with understanding. The changelings with growing awe and fear.

"That settles it then." Belmont finally broke the atmosphere and walked toward the house, leaving the others just standing there watching him go. A few moments later, he returned with full saddlebags. He exchanged a glance with each and every one, looking them in the eyes with confidence. "Let's go get our filly back."

Trixie grinned. "I appreciate your enthusiasm, but if we are to rescue Epona from the heart of the changeling empire, we will need some help."

Comments

[Night_Moon60606]

the Legend lives...!

[dartagnan401]

Its ALIIIIIIVE awesome! This chapter was a long needed assurance that this was still alive. Great job!

[squall_wave]

nice