After taking one final look at Our Town, I glide down and land in front of the crowd of ponies. I recognize Double Diamond and Night Glider, but the third pony is a unicorn that I don’t know. At least I know what she does based on the apron. Might as well call her a baker.
“Double Diamond! Night Glider! What’s going on?”
“Who’re you? You sound familiar.”
“No time, Night Glider. What’s going on here?”
“Ponies here are in an uproar, but we don’t know why! And how did you know about Double Diamond and Night Glider?”
“I’ll touch on that later, baker. Why are the ponies of Our Town angry?”
“They’re saying that the fillies and colts here have been replaced!”
“Double Diamond is right! Our children are not like themselves!”
I turn to the interruptor.
“Okay. What is your name?”
“Actually, what’s yours?” she inquires.
“Uh... Cloud Slide. Yeah, now I remember.”
“Okay. I’m Faith Slope.”
“Would you accept me taking on this case, Fatih Slope?”
“Yes. I’ll accept anypony doing that as long as we get our children back.”
“Will do. I’ll get the mastermind behind this.”
I turn to the aproned unicorn.
“So, you’re the baker of Our Town, right?”
She nods.
“Sugar Belle, at your service. Where’d you come from?”
“Ponyville. I have to go find the one behind the replaced fillies and colts now, okay?”
“Okay. Bye, Cloud Slide!”
“Bye, Sugar Belle!”
I fly off to the caves and find Gac in front of it.
“Gac! When I said surprise me, I didn’t mean cause an uproar! This seems to be more of a delicate and ambitious mission than we thought!”
“I’m sorry.”
“Gac, we both are. I should know this stuff. I didn’t realize the ponies would form a mob because their foals don’t act like themselves.”
“What’s gonna happen now?”
“We have to wait for a few days unless for the ponies in Our Town to calm down unless they come to these caves. If that happens, you will have to talk with them.”
“Ooh! I like ponies!”
“Well, that actually helps quite a bit. If the ponies do come here, I’ll put on my new disguise and you can stay as you are now. If things get ugly, do not worry!! FOR I HAVE A PLAN!!!”
“Ooh! What kind of plan?”
“I think it’s time I surprised you. This is possibly just another obstacle in making our hive.”
-=-
Near sunset, after I vague gave Gac my plan, Gac and I hear angry chatter. As I face the loft entrance, my left ear is picking more of the chatter up than my right. That can only mean possibility... Our Town. I change back into Cloud Slide and head for the Our Town entrance of the cave network. Many of the complaints I can’t make out that well. But I do recognize a few of the ponies. Suddenly, Night Glider jumps up.
“STOP!!!”
“Thanks, Night Glider! Ponies of Our Town, what seems to be the problem?”
“We figured you’d be here! We thought you’d find the culprit HOURS ago! Have you?!?”
“Um, why yes, Sugar Belle. I did find who was behind the foals’ strange behaviors.”
Gac comes into the ponies’ views undisguised, causing them to gasp.
“A changeling did this?!?”
Double Diamond points to Gac for his emphasis.
“Yes. Why would I need to lie? This grub is behind your foals’ replacements. He has done good though as he had nursed my legs back to a stable condition.”
“Then why would he spare you and not any of the other fillies and colts?”
My eyes turn to the angry Night Glider.
“I’m not sure, actually.”
“And why do you sound like Catcher, Cloud Slide?!?”
“Catcher?!? Double Diamond, who’s Catcher?!?”
“How did you know about me and Double Diamond when you first came to Our Town?!? And where did you hear of Our To-”
“ENOUGH!!!”
My shout silences the mob in front of me and Gac, said mob looking in shock.
“Everypony! I don’t have every answer for you right now! If you just let us breathe for a second, I can collect your concerns more efficiently! Okay?!?”
The pony furthest to my right stamps his hoof on the ground.
“You know what? No more questions! Attack!!!”
“Wait! STOP!!!”
My second shout is unsuccessful as the mob moves past me and begins taking Gac down a route I’ve never had to take before, one that doesn’t lead to Our Town or Rainbow Falls, one that leads closer to the center of Equestria.
“HATCH!!! HELP!!!”
I have no choice. I have to make the surprise rescue. But for now, I might as well drop my disguise.
“I will help you, Gac. And I know just the way to do it. After all this time that you’ve helped me, it is time that I helped you. My grubs, I have to go back to Our Town and grab the foals that have been rumored to have been replaced. When I get to Canterlot I will need another different disguise.”
And with that, I get out of the cave, leaving the grubs to themselves as I head to Our Town. Gac, I’m coming for you.