//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4: Operation Evolution 
// Story: Fight for Equestria 
// by Sakura 
//------------------------------//

	“Welcome aboard.” Maryana said, giving a small smirk, turning back towards the rocks. “You all can come out now, they seem harmless enough.” 

One by one, Sirocco and the rest of the group stated to emerge from their hiding spots, approaching the rather strange group of stallions. Maryana swiveled back around to face the navy blue alicorn once everybody had come out from behind the rocks.

“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Maryana, newest student of Princess Celestia. Well, former newest student, I guess. Anyway-” she extended her left fore hoof in the direction of her comrades, pointing to each one as she said their name. “The zebra is Reneigahah, the doll pony in her saddle bags is Figureen, and over there are….”

Sirocco tuned out the silver alicorn naming everyone, instead focusing on the expressions of the stallions. The other alicorn, short earth pony, and Diamond Dog were focused on what Maryana was saying, while the black-maned earth pony had a bored look on his face. The bipedal unicorn looked, well, crazy, to put it simply.

“So, who are you?” Sirocco’s thoughts snapped back to Maryana, who had apparently finished her spiel on what every pony’s name was. 

The white and orange-maned alicorn stepped forward. “My name is Zodiac Cosmos, and the ponies behind me are Berripad-” he motioned to the taller of the two earth ponies, “this is Sponduli Moolalli, the Diamond Dog is Bartholomew Steelclaw, and the unicorn is Dr. Mind Quill”

“A doctor?” Sirocco thought. As far as she knew, none of the ponies traveling with her had any decent knowledge of medical practices. Having a (hopefully) licensed doctor would come in handy. 

After Zodiac introduced the other stallions and exchanged some words with Maryana and Reneighah, the company of travelers started moving forward, the new stallions falling into the ranks of the group. Chaz immediately went up and properly introduced himself to Bartholomew, the two striking up a conversation. Sponduli fell back to talk to Fang and Digit Blaze, who seemed happy that there were now more stallions in the group besides the two.

Zodiac Cosmos stayed up front, keeping pace with Maryana and Reneighah, making small talk. Sirocco couldn’t make out what they were talking about, but the two mares were probably catching Zodiac up on what the congregation of ponies had been through.

The only ponies who didn’t mingle with the rest of the group were Berripad and Mind Quill. The cream earth pony stayed at the back of the group, choosing not to interact with any pony else, wearing a bored expression on his face. Mind Quill brought up the rear of the group, trudging along a few feet behind Berripad. Sirocco silently admitted that he freaked her out a little, but she’d have to put up with him for while. 

The black pegasus scanned her surroundings, noticing that it was slowly changing. Rocks sprang up in every direction, visible down to the base, a sign that the white snow was receding. The temperature was slightly warmer than farther north in the mountains, helping to melt the powdery snow. Grass and trees started to spring up in the dirt, a welcome change of sight from the rocks and crystals. The hard terrain turned into soft soil, a more comforting surface on the hooves and paws of the travelers. 

Just as the sight of the Crystal Empire had been lost in the mountains behind them, Maryana’s horn sparked and sputtered, a scroll appearing in her bronze magic. She stopped, curiosity etched on her face. Nopony had expected to get a response this soon, especially since the original letters had been sent early in the morning. 

Maryana unravelled the scroll, which had an official looking black and green seal on it. Breaking it, the gold-maned mare turned around, facing the inquisitive ponies and canines. “It’s from…Queen Chrysalis?” she announced, her curiosity clearly noticeable in her voice. She opened up the scroll and began to read it aloud. 



“Addressed to Maryana,

Under normal circumstances, I would have ignored your letter and destroyed it, as I would have wanted nothing to do with you ponies after our defeat at Canterlot. However, I am willing to make an agreement with you. In exchange for some of our armor and services, Equestria must open up its borders to the Changelings. We must be allowed to travel into Equestria freely. 

I currently do not wish you tell you our location at this point, so please tell me where you are, and how many ponies request armor from us. I will send some drone escorts to come find you and bring you back to the Hive, where we can talk about future negotiations.

There are some changelings here who have some knowledge on Kelpies and their culture. If you would like, I can arrange a meeting between you. You are also free to use our library for research. 

Please give some sign to the whereabouts of your location so the escorts can find you, though nothing too obvious as the Kelpies could learn about you and, in turn, us. A constant, but weak, pulse of magic should do the trick. The escorts will sense the magic and locate you.

There will be four drones coming to escort you, led by my brother, Stryker Mirren. It may take them a few days to find you based on you location, so please be patient. 

Until we meet, 
~ Queen Chrysalis



“Well, uh….how many of you guys want changeling armor?” Maryana asked, having finished reading the letter.

Eight ponies raised their hooves, including Sirocco. The majority of the ponies who raised their hooves had wings, who figured that the light armor would reduce the drag in battle when flying.

Maryana opened her saddlebag and retrieved the extra paper and quill she had acquired back in Yakyakistan. She quickly wrote down the number of ponies who requested the armor, along with some other things that weren’t readable through the paper. Once finished, the silver alicorn rolled up the scroll and it vanished in a spark of bronze magic.

“There. I’ve given Chrysalis our approximate location, as well as how many of us want armor, along with some other stuff. I, for one, want to meet those changelings who have knowledge of Kelpies, after all.” Maryana explained. “Now all that’s left is the signal,” she said, igniting her horn once again, giving off a pulse of magic that dispersed into the surrounding air. 

Sirocco felt the magic’s energy pass through her, a steady beat that was felt every few minutes. The magic gave off a warm feeling, like hot chocolate on a cold winter’s day. After the first few waves, they slowed down and were less noticeable, but still detectable if one focused enough. 

Reneighah slowly slipped the saddlebag of her back, being careful not to disturb Figureen too much. “We’ll stay here until the changelings find us. For now, we can start practicing our battling skills. Earth ponies come with me, unicorns go with Maryana and Zodiac, and pegasi go with Whitewolf Stormrunner and Night Rain. Chaz and Bart, you guys can team up and do something yourselves, or you could join us. Figureen, you’re staying with me.” the zebra announced, taking charge. She lowered her head down to her saddlebags and Figureen hopped on, sliding down her neck and coming to rest on Reneighah’s back. “Training begins…now!”

The group members immediately split up into their separate small groups. The earth ponies congregated around the zebra mare, the unicorns moved towards the two alicorns, and the pegasi spread their wings and hovered in the air a short ways above the ground. The two canines went their separate way a few feet away from the earth pony group. 

With everyone sorted out into groups based on species, Sirocco was now able to see that there were only two unicorns in the group, not counting the two alicorns. The earth ponies and pegasi looked even in number, each group having about five ponies in it. In total, the entire company only had around seventeen members. Suddenly, the odds that they would be victorious in a battle became significantly smaller, though that number wasn’t very high to begin with, either.

“Ahem.” the pegasi all focused their attention on the two mares leading the rest of their small group. “Well, neither of us really know how to teach anything, so….uh, we’re jut gonna race, and fly fast, and stuff….or something.” Whitewolf Stormrunner said, though somewhat awkwardly. She hovered next to Night Rain, who gave a small nod. “Well, we can start out by racing…then we can work on wingpower when we’re done. You know, that thing that measures how strong your wings are…” Wolf continued, trailing off. “Anyway, let’s line up to start.”

Sirocco, Melody, and Sea Breeze lined up next to Night Rain and Wolf. 

“We’ll race ten laps around our little camp. Last one to finish gets eaten by a Kelpie!” Night Rain said, a light tone to her voice. She tensed up, preparing for the race, the other pegasi following suit. “Ready…set…go!”

All the pegasi bolted forward, some fast enough to leave behind a small contrail. It was a fairly even race, though Melody and Sea Breeze began to slowly fall behind. After about four laps, Sirocco began to tire out and fall back as well, joining the other two mares. Both Night Rain and Whitewolf Stormrunner stayed neck and neck, edging out farther and farther ahead from the three stragglers. 

The race finished after the ten laps, leaving Whitewolf Stormrunner as the winner. The other mares with the exception of Night Rain sat on the ground, trying to catch their breath. The break was short lived, however, when Wolf called everybody over to perform wing-ups. 

Performing wing-ups seemed harder after just finishing a race. It took all the effort to even lift up of the ground, their bodies supported only by their tired wings. Sweat glistened through their fur, becoming more noticeable the longer they trained. Water breaks were constant but little, their limited water supply dwindling significantly throughout the course of the day. 

The day slowly passed, and each group can back together, forming the entire company, for a dinner break. Zodiac Cosmos lit a glowing fire with his magic in the center of the group’s camp settlement. Every pony and canine sat around the fire, minus Sea Breeze and Figureen, who sat a little farther away from the orange flames. Dinner was prepared and consumed, and the mood lightened after everyone had a full stomach. Conversation ensued, jumping from one topic to the next.

“You know, they say this area is haunted by ghosts.” Sirocco asked, a smirk on her face. “Stories say ponies who have traveled trough here have been swallowed up by the shadows. Nopony knows what happens to their bodies, but their souls forever wander this land, cursed by the darkness. They appear as white silhouettes of ponies, or whatever creature they were when they were alive. You can see them sometimes, as thin wisp of white air. However, if they catch you looking at them, they’ll haunt you ‘till you die. You’ll see them out of the corner of you’re eye, never knowing if they are really there or not. It drives ponies to suicide.” The black pegasus was now hovering over her seated companions, trying hard to scare them. A few ponies had looks of terror their faces, while others gave off bored expressions.

“Oh come on, that’s just an old mare’s tale. It isn’t real.” Digit Blaze said, shifting his sitting position. Fang, who was seated next to him, nodded. 

“Well, real or not, you never know what could be out in the wild at night.” Sirocco responded, swiftly landing on all four feet and folding her wings back to her sides. “And besides, some of us got a good scare out of it.”

“I would have preferred to not hear that story right before bed…” Sea Breeze said, moving closer to group, away from the darkness not lit by the fire.

“Same, but at least we’re all togeth-” Nerdz started to say, but was interrupted by the faint sound of a branch snapping somewhere in the distance. 

Melody trembled, looking around uneasily. “Um, you all heard that too, right?”

Reneighah, Maryana, and Zodiac Cosmos immediately stood up, scanning around the area for the cause of the twig snap. Everyone else except Mind Quill all moved to one spot, becoming defensive and tense. The cold wind swirled around them, the fire danced with its movements. 

SNAP! It was closer this time, the source came from beyond the light of the fire.

Maryana didn’t hesitate to fire a bronze beam from her horn in the direction of the noise, coming in connection with a green shield of magic. The two magic forces combined, giving off smoke and momentarily blinding the ponies. 

When the smoke cleared, a small company changelings stood before the startled group, two male and two female. These must have been the escorts Queen Chrysalis had sent. There were four changelings total, two male and two female. 

The leader of the changelings was a strict-looking changeling male, a helmet on his head and armor on his back. He had stepped forward towards the frightened ponies, opening his mouth to speak.

“Are you the ponies we are to escort to the Hive?” He asked, his layered voice having an authoritative tone to it. 

Maryana, Renieghah, and Zodiac Cosmos all nodded, while the ponies and canines huddled in the back began to break apart and come forward towards the changelings. 

The armored changeling drone spoke again. “Good. Before we head off back to the Hive, allow me introduce us. My name is Stryker Mirren, brother of Queen Chrysalis.” Stryker pointed to his left. “That’s Thunder Storm,” he pointed to the right, “and this is June and Typhoone.” 

Sirocco looked over the other changelings. Thunder Storm was a big, bulky, heavyset male changeling drone. Multiple scars covered his black chitin and violet carapace, like he had been tortured for an extended period of time. His golden eyes were devoid of visible emotion as he scanned the ponies. 

June was a normal looking female changeling drone, having the usual black body, dark blue carapace, and grey frilly mane. She looked to be the nicest out of the three changelings, as she actually had a smile on her face.

The other female drone, Typhoone, was the most unusual of the changeling group. Instead of the normal black chitin that changelings had, her body was a pinkish white, which made her stand out against the dark background and her fellow companions. Her mane was long and black, hanging over her slitted crimson left eye like a porcelain doll. Her fanged mouth did not have a warm smile, instead it had an expression of disinterest.

The last changeling in the group, Stryker, also looked fairly normal. He had black chitin and the usual midnight-blue carapace. The helmet that covered his head had the same color as the shell on his back. He spoke again. “Well, if you’re all ready, we’d best be moving. The night sky will help cover us. Flying will be the fastest way back to the Hive. Can the pegasi help carry the unicorns, earth ponies, and dogs? My companions will be happy you help you carry them as well.” 

Maryana looked at Zodiac, then to Reneighah, and then back at the rest of the pony group. “I can carry one on my back and one in my magic…” she answered unevenly, turning back to Stryker. “Just let us get our stuff, and then we can move. Pegasi, if you can carry another pony, please volunteer to, we want to get to the Hive as soon as possible. It’ll be better than being out in the open. Let’s go!”

The ponies scattered around the camp, picking put their saddle bags, and the pegasi started partnering up with the non-winged members of the gang. Sirocco volunteered to carry Nerdz, who seemed happy about the prospect of flying. Melody offered to carry Chad. Maryana was going to carry Reneighah (who was carrying Figureen in her saddlebags) and Bartholomew Steelclaw. Dr. Mind Quill seemed to have paired up with Typhoone. Night Rain was going to carry two ponies, both Fang and Digit Blaze. Spondulli was going to ride on Zodiac Cosmos’ back, while Berripad was going to be carried in the navy blue alicorn’s magic. Sea Breeze and Whitewolf Stormrunner were going to carry the extra saddlebags the other ponies couldn’t carry. The campfire was put out, and after everyone had a pegasus or alicorn to ride with, the pegasi gave a few powerful flaps of their wings, lifting off the ground. The changelings followed suit, their insect wings buzzing as they flew into the air off to the changeling hive.

The first rays of a new dawn were just coming forth over the horizon when the group finally arrived at the changeling Hive. Stryker and his changeling companions landed on a large raised flat surface the contained a cave entrance back against a cliff of brown rocks. The pegasi landed shortly after the changelings did, having fallen a bit behind. They had traveled all through the night at a rapid pace, not stopping once for a break. Almost all of the winged members of the group collapsed on the ground after landing, their wings spread out over the hard earth. Night Rain seemed to be the worst of them all, having carried two stallions the entire distance. The earth ponies and unicorns slipped off the backs of their pegasus mounts, heading towards the cave entrance. After taking a breather for a few minutes, the pegasi slowly and steadily lifted themselves back onto their feet and joined the rest if the party and the changeling escorts. 

Stryker turned around to the equines and spoke. “My company welcomes you to our Hive. Inside you will meet my two sisters, Queen Chrysalis Mirren and Princess Moth Mirren. They will help you to get accommodated and provide you with anything you request. I will lead you all to the throne room, were Chrysalis is. If you all are ready, we shall enter.” He turned back to the entrance and started walking forward into the dark cave. 

June, Thunder Storm, and Typhoone took their places around the crowd of ponies, ready to guide them through the Hive. The morning’s glow soon faded as the ponies moved into the cave, the light now coming from green torches mounted on the walls. The winding tunnels seemed infinite, until Skryker led them to a large chamber. On the other side of the room sitting on a throne made of twisted stone, sat leader of the changelings, Queen Chrysalis.

Chrysalis stood up off her throne and buzzed her wings, landing in front of Stryker. “Welcome, my little ponies,” she said, using Princess Celestia’s well-known phrase. “I trust your journey went well?”

Stryker nodded before anyone else could. “Yes, all went just as planned.”

Chrysalis grinned. “Thank you, Stryker. Now, ponies, let us get down to business. The main reason you are here is for armor. It will take few days to make, so until then, I offer you some guest chambers. Once you get settled, our armor smiths will start to prepare the armor. Until then, feel free to use our library or training area. My sister Moth will give you a tour of the hive before you settle in.” the queen turned her head to face a tunnel. “Moth!”

A young changeling Princess emerged from the tunnel, walking towards her sister and the crowd of Equestrians. She was around Stryker’s size, much smaller then Chrysalis. Her royal purple mane gracefully fell over the right side of her face, and her purple eyes glowed with happiness. Moth stepped out in front of her older sister, eager to meet the ponies.

“Hello! My name is Moth Mirren, Princess of the Hive.” she paused. “Are you ready for your tour?”

Everyone nodded, keen on getting settled in.

Moth continued to smile. “Great! Follow me, please!” The young changeling turned around, heading back the way she had come. Chrysalis, Stryker, and the escorts moved off to the side, allowing the ponies to follow Moth.

Reneighah walked on first, trotting to catch up with Moth. The rest of the gang followed suit, making their way into the dimly-lit tunnel. After walking in silence for a while, Moth spoke again. 

“So how long do you plan to stay here?” she asked, curious.

“I don’t know. Until the armor is ready, of course, but we’re unsure if we’re going to stay any longer. If you have good resources, we might stay longer…oh, do you have a pool, or a lake, or something related to that?” Reneighah responded, asking a question of her own.

The final questions caught the changeling off guard. “Yes, we have something that will do…it’s a small lake, open to the sky. If you like, Stryker or myself could take you there after you’re done getting fitted for the armor and talking to Cuttlefiss and Fragil.”

Sirocco’s ears perked up. Cuttlefiss and Fragil must be the names of the changelings with knowledge on Kelpies. 

“Here we are!” Moth announced, stopping in the middle of the hallway. Two doors were placed directly across from each other, open and leading to the guest chambers. “The room on the left is for the stallions, and the one on the right is for the mares. Although, if you want to mix it up, feel free.” she paused. “You can get settled in, and then you’ll go down to the armory.  Stryker and I will be back in about an hour. See you soon!” Moth waved goodbye and headed back down the winding passage.

Zodiac, Maryana, and Reneighah whispered amongst themselves for about a minute, then declared that the mares would sleep in the right room, and the stallions in the left. The mares separated from the stallions and filed into the rightmost chamber, gawking at how massive it was. It wasn’t as large as the throne room, but it was still impressive. Two rows of beds with green sheets lined the cave walls, enough for every pony plus a few extra. Sirocco chose a bed on the left side and placed her saddlebags on the floor, and jumped onto the bed. 

It was very plush, and very comforting, so much so the the black pegasus wanted to fall asleep, having stayed up all night the previous night traveling. Glancing around, she saw that others had the same idea - Sea Breeze and Melody had already passed out on their respective beds. She wasn’t normally one to take naps, but Sirocco decided to follow suit, slowly closing her eyes and letting sleep find her.

A knock at the door awoke the pegasus from her comforting slumber. She lifter her head up and spun her gaze over to the door, which Reneighah had answered. Moth had returned.

“If you need armor, you can follow me to the armory. If you’re not, then you can just relax some more, someone will come get you when we’re done.” the changeling princess said. 

The seven mares getting armor filed outside, with Sirocco in their ranks. Zodiac Cosmos and Digit Blaze were waiting outside in the hallway with Stryker. Moth trotted up to her older brother, leading the equines down to the armory.

After traversing what seemed like miles of caverns, the company arrived at the changeling forges. An orange glow replaced the usual green light in the expansive room. Changelings were scattered all around the space, working on various projects. Metal clanged against metal as changeling metalworkers shaped pieces of hot iron. Massive bellows flared in the background, giving off impressive orange light. Various holes in the ceiling provided both fresh and cool air, a relief from the constant heat of the bellows.

“This way. You’ll meet with Viper now, she’ll measure you all for you size.” Stryker announced, continuing to lead the way with Moth. 

The male changeling lead the Equestrians off to a small chamber. It was considerably smaller then the main forge room, it the room had enough space for all the ponies. Inside the chamber were two changelings, one with a measuring tape draped across her neck. She stood talking, back facing the ponies, talking to another changeling. Like Typhoone, this changeling was almost pure white, but electric-blue frills replaced black mane. The changeling with the measuring tape looked normal enough, only having a light sky blue shell instead of dark blue.

The measuring-tape changeling turned around upon hearing Stryker, Moth, and the ponies enter the room, pushing up her previously unseen glasses. “Oh! You must be the ponies I’m supposed to measure.” She and the white changeling walked up to group. “I’m Viper, and this is my assistant, Locust.” Viper gestured to the changeling beside her, who smiled and gave a small wave.

“One of us will be back in about an hour?” Moth said, looking for confirmation on the time. 

Viper nodded, adjusting her glasses. “ An hour sounds about right. We should be done by then. Off you go, now. There is work to be done.” She motioned for the equines to follow her farther into the work room, while Moth and Stryker made for the exit. Viper cleared off some tools from a bench, allowing the ponies to sit down. “Two at a time, please. One for Locust and one for myself. The rest of you can chill…who’s up first?” 

Zodiac Cosmos and Melody volunteered to be measured first, each one going to one of the changelings, who began their measuring work. Locust had grabbed a her own measuring tape, and began making small talk with Melody while she worked. Each changeling held various things in their green magic: the measuring tape, a clipboard, and a writing quill.

The two changeling mares worked quickly, not wasting a single moment. Every aspect of the ponies’ measurements was recorded - their head size (and horn length for unicorns), leg length, barrel roundness, and the overall span of their bodies from chest to hindquarters. Time seemed to fly by, and before Sirocco knew it, Moth had returned to collect them. 

Viper was just finishing up measuring Nerdz when the changeling princess entered the room. Locust, having completed her work, trotted up to Moth, exchanging a couple words. Viper placed her stuff down on a work table. 

“The armor should be ready in a few days. You’ll come back down here to try it on, and we’ll make adjustments as necessary. Now, off you go. I hear you have a meeting with Cuttlefiss and Fragil.” She smiled. “I hope they have information you’re looking for. Cheers!” and with that, Viper and Locust waved goodbye to the ponies, who followed Moth out of the forges. 

Stryker was waiting with the rest of the group outside of the forge chamber. Moth fell in beside her brother, leading the way through the tunnels once again. After once again traversing the expansive underground, they came upon an open chamber door. Two changelings waited inside. 

Unlike the forges, this room only held amphitheater-style seats and “stage,” which was very small. Cushions lay on the seats, a welcome change from the hard bench down in the forges. The two changelings, one male and one female, sat on the stage. 

“This is Cuttlefiss and Fragil. They will tell you all they know about Kelpies and their culture.” Stryker announced. “We’ll be back around dinner, where you all will dine with Chrysalis as guests of honor.” he concluded, and himself and Moth (who waved goodbye), exited the small room.

Cuttlefiss, the female, was rather normal in appearance, the only eye-catching things were that her shell was ruby-red instead of navy blue, and her eyes were bright green.

Fragil, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. He was smaller in size compared to Cuttlefiss, who seemed average in height. Numerous healed scars covered his chitin, and he was missing one of his wings, robbing him of flight.

Reneighah spoke up first. “Hello! I’ve heard that you two have some good knowledge on Kelpies…care to share some with us?” the zebra kept her tone even and quiet, as if a loud voice might frighten the changelings that sat before her.

Cuttlefiss was the first of the two changelings to speak up. “Kelpies are…interesting creatures,” Her voice was quiet, like Fluttershy’s. “They are very seclusive creatures with very few emotions. I barely felt any love come from them at all…the most love I was able to feed on was from a mother and her foal, which was strong enough to keep me going, but still very weak compared to a pony mother’s  love. The others in the herd gave off very little love, not enough to sustain me. I often felt anger coming from them, and they often got in vicious fights with each other over small things. I don’t know if the Kelpies that took over Equestria have the same behavioral patterns, but I guess these Kelpies were quick to anger and are ruthless fighters. More than once a Kelpie killed his opponent in the fights…” Cuttlefiss shuddered, trailing off.

Sensing the changeling’s discomfort, Reneighah decided to let her take a break. “Thank you, Cuttlefiss. That was a lot of helpful information. You don’t have to talk anymore if you don’t want too.”

Cuttlefiss gave a small nod, turning her head to her partner to see what he had to say.

Fragil, the second changeling, cleared his throat and pulled out a small, leather-bound journal. Opening it about halfway, he read over some notes, placed the open journal down in front of him, and began to speak. “Though there isn’t much on Kelpies that has been documented, here’s the info that I have gathered.” He flipped a few pages forward in the journal. “Kelpie relics are hard to come by, given that majority of them were found underwater. A couple of scrolls were found at the bottom of a nearby lake. They have their own written language, which we have translated into the changeling written dialect. Most of the scrolls are basic history, but we did find one detailing a future attack on Equestria. It seems your Kelpie friends have had their eye on your country for some time. 

“Along with the scrolls, we found some relics of Kelpie armor. Though we didn’t find a complete piece of armor, we were able to fill in some of the missing pieces. In full body armor, a Kelpie’s head, neck, chest, back, and part of their stomach would be covered. The armor was extremely lightweight, most likely in order to not slow a Kelpie down while swimming. As magnificent as it was, however, it was not without its flaws. The joints, specifically around the front legs, were weak and could be broken easily. On a second note, only the front section of the stomach would be covered - leaving the middle section open and vulnerable. A rearing Kelpie could easily be struck down by a long blade aimed for their middle. We have deduced that a Kelpie would not rear in battle unless it knows it could beat an opponent with that maneuver. Forcing a Kelpie to rear and expose its stomach would give you a slight advantage in a fight.” 

Everyone was paying close attention, trying not to miss a single detail. Sirocco made mental notes, attempting to cram all the information into her head without losing half of it in the process. 

Zodiac Cosmos slightly raised his hoof to ask a question. “Do you know anything about their magical abilities? We need to know what kind of magic we’re up against.” 

Fragil nodded, flipping through more pages in the journal. “Yes, magical abilities. Kelpies hold power over water, though not all Kelpies are able to fully use magic. In a structured Kelpie civilization, only the royalty or leaders would have horns to channel magic through. To put it in your terms, a common Kelpie would be like an Earth Pony: no wings or horn, but still able to use a small amount of magic, though it is often very weak. As such, the practice of non-royal Kelpies using magic has died out, so a common Kelpie would not be able to use magic. A royal Kelpie, on the other hoof, could posses a vast knowledge of spells, most of them dealing with water. Unfortunately, we have no other information about how their magic works or possible spells they could know.”

Zodiac nodded, taking in the information given to him. 

Maryana was the second one to ask a question. “You said something about a structured civilization, while Cuttlefiss spoke of a more secluded herd. What’s the difference?”

“Well, not all Kelpies enjoy being a part of their modern society, and thus revert back to their primitive ways: living alone or in a group with ten or less members, often lead by a stallion. Small herds aren’t common, but still exist, some within our borders. Cuttlefiss happened to stumble across a secluded herd whose members most likely left the main society. Any other questions?”

“How fast to they swim?” the question came from Sea Breeze.

“I don’t know the exact answer to that question, but faster than most water-dwelling creatures, including sea-ponies. The only thing that has been documented faster was a sailfish.” the changeling responded. 

Sea Breeze gave a small nod, a look of worry flashing across her face.

“Any other questions?” a voice from the back of the room spoke up. Stryker and Moth had returned. 

Everyone looked around, making sure no pony had anymore questions for Cuttlefiss or Fragil. 

“Good. Chrysalis awaits her guests in the dining hall. Follow me, please.”

Maryana and Zodiac Cosmos stood up first, letting the siblings lead the way. The rest of the group followed suit. 





Dinner went more smoothly than expected, with Chrysalis being uncharacteristically friendly. Sea Breeze had learned of the location of the changeling “swimming pool” as Moth called it, though in reality it was more like a small lake. Maryana, Reneighah, and Zodiac arranged future plans with Chrysalis. An armor report had come in, the armor was in the beginning stages of being made. Sea Breeze, with Maryana’s agreement, had announced that swimming lessons would start the following morning.

After the feast had concluded, the weary ponies were lead back to the dormitories. After saying goodbye to their escorts, many chose to flop on the bed and go to sleep, having been awake for over a day, Sirocco included. Before she fell asleep, however, she could hear Nerdz giggling on the other side of the room. 

“You know, I’m just glad the myth wasn’t true. Changelings don’t eat cooked pony!”