Halfling

by Dee Pad

Chapter 14 - The Cavalry

The Golden Oaks Library was awash with silence, the only sound the incessant ticking and tocking of the clock hanging on the wall. The library's only two residents sat at the round table in the middle of the foyer. One, Equestria's newest alicorn princess, idly flipped through a book laying on the table, though she looked somewhat disinterested due to having already read this particular book three times. The other, the princess's draconic assistant, leaned his head on his hand, adding to the ticking of the clock with a rhythmic tapping of his claws on the wood of the table.

Spike let out a sigh of boredom, glancing over to see if Twilight was soon done with her book. Luckily, the genius alicorn was a phenomenally fast reader and had already reached the last dozen or so pages. At her usual pace, the dragon estimated she'd be finished within the next five minutes. That being said, he had no idea why he was waiting for her to finish her book at all.

Sure enough, after approximately five minutes, Twilight snapped the book shut, using her pink, magical aura to replace it back onto the shelf where it belonged, as though it had been there for ages. Having finished up, the alicorn let out a long sigh, looking at Spike with a small grin. However, she said nothing. Spike glanced side to side before looking back at Twilight. The way she was staring at him made it seem as though she had something to say, but still she stayed silent, just smiling.

Spike straightened up, giving Twilight a hopeful look. "Soooo... Do the bookshelves need reorganizing?"

Twilight shook her head. "We did that on Tuesday."

"Maybe we could take inventory on everything down in the basement."

"Do you really think I haven't taken inventory of the basement already?" Twilight deadpanned.

Spike sighed, leaning his face against his claw again. "What about supplies? Do you need any parchment? I could make a quick trip to Quills and Sofas if you need some."

"We went shopping yesterday."

The room went silent again when Spike failed to come up with any other possible errands he'd be willing to do. The ticking of the clock seemed almost louder now than it had been before.

"Sure is boring around here without Shade and Chamella coming over to study," Spike pointed out.

"No kidding. I've scheduled our chores to accommodate for their classes, but guess I haven't quite gotten used to having the extra time on my hooves." Twilight let her head fall to the table, her ears drooping. "Maybe it was too early to let them graduate. There's so much more I can still teach them."

"You said it yourself that they knew everything they needed to know, and anything else they could just ask you about. You sure you're not just saying that for yourself more than them?"

Twilight hesitated, looking away with slight embarrassment. "Maybe... Being a teacher was just so fulfilling. I'm starting to miss that."

"You could volunteer to help out Cheerilee at the school," Spike suggested.

Twilight rocked her head back and forth, humming indecisively. "I could... But teaching a whole class wouldn't be as personal as the way I taught Shade and Chamella."

"So, basically, you want the same student-teacher thing that you had with Princess Celestia."

A slight blush appeared on Twilight's cheeks. "I mean... A little?"

Spike raised a suspicious eyebrow.

The alicorn let out a defeated sigh. "Yeah, I guess."

Spike shrugged. "Well, Shade's got a family to worry about now. He'd probably end up missing a bunch of classes for that anyway."

"That's true. And I know Chamella would be reluctant to continue without him."

"So, really, we just need to find something to fill that space," said the dragon.

"The question is, what?"

Again, Spike shrugged. "Maybe we just need to find something fun to do for now. We can worry about the schedule later."

"Any suggestions?"

"Um..." Spike glanced around, looking for anything that would give him some idea of a way to pass the time, if even for just a few hours. His eyes fell upon the source of the only other noise in the otherwise quiet library: the clock. The dragon stood up with an excited smile, pounding his claws on the table. "Hey! It's lunchtime! We could go out for a bite to eat!"

Twilight straightened up as well with a similar grin of enthusiasm, although perhaps a little forced to make it feel more exciting than the suggestion actually was. "That's a great idea, Spike! You up for Hayburger?"

"You know it!" he exclaimed with a point of his claw.

Without wasting another moment, Twilight and Spike were out the door. They knew full well that this was a play at desperation, their boredom making any mundane thing sound that much more appealing. But it was still lunchtime, and food had to make its way to their bellies one way or another. At least this way they had an excuse to leave the library, even if only for a short time.

The pair made a brisk pace toward their destination, already occupying their minds with what to order when they got there. On the way to Hayburger, they passed by Carousel Boutique, and as chance would have it, Rarity happened to step outside as they passed along. Seeing another opportunity to pass time, Twilight stopped to offer the unicorn a neighborly wave, her abrupt stop causing Spike to crash into her backside and fall onto his own.

"Hi, Rarity," the alicorn greeted with an overly amicable grin.

Rarity looked as up as if snapped from deep thought. "Hm? Oh, good morning, Twilight."

Twilight's grin faltered. It didn't take her long to notice that Rarity looked somewhat out of sorts. Normally, she would wave back with a smile of her own and try to strike up a conversation upon running into a friend by happenstance. However, she was currently void of enthusiasm, looking almost concerned about something.

"What's up, Rarity? You okay?" Spike asked, having picked up on the unicorn's deflated expression as well.

Rarity hesitated for a moment before looking hopefully to her two friends. "You two wouldn't happen to have seen Chamella around, would you?"

Twilight and Spike shared confused glances. "No. I haven't seen her at all in a couple of days actually," answered Twilight. "Why?"

Rarity's mouth curled into a small frown. "Mmm... Well, I haven't seen her since last night."

"Maybe she got up early for something," the purple dragon postulated.

"That's just it: I'm not even sure if she came home last night."

"Where did you see her last?" asked Twilight.

"Well, she and Winter joined Fluttershy and I at the spa yesterday. When we left, Chamella said she wanted to go say goodnight to Shade and Snowflake, and I haven't seen her since."

"That is odd," said Twilight, tapping her chin in thought.

"She could have just crashed at Shade and Winter's place," Spike said.

"Perhaps," Rarity said, though sounding unsure of that. "She may have been too relaxed from the spa to make the trip back. I certainly wouldn't be surprised. I was out like a light the moment my head hit the pillow. And with my earplugs in I wasn't likely to hear her come home if she had."

Twilight smiled reassuringly. "That's probably it then."

Still, Rarity seemed unsure. "I'm not so sure. She and I were supposed to get started on an order today, yet she has yet to come home."

"Maybe you should go see if she's still at Shade's place," the alicorn suggested.

Rarity nodded. "That's actually just where I was headed."

"Oh! Mind if we come with?" requested Twilight with an eager grin.

The ivory unicorn shrugged. "I suppose there's no harm. Be my guest."

As the two mare's were about to make their way to the home in question, Twilight felt a tug on her tail. She glanced back to a quizzical dragon staring back at her.

"What about Hayburger?" he asked.

Twilight rolled her eyes with a smile and a dismissive wave of her hoof. "Hayburger'll be open all day. We have time to help out Rarity."

Spike gave a shrug. It wasn't like they were all that hungry anyway. They were just going to Hayburger to kill time more than anything, and this little detour would only help with that. Thinking about it that way, Spike followed along with Rarity and Twilight.

After a few minutes of walking, the trio arrived at Shade and Winter's shared residence. Rarity took it upon herself to knock on the front door. The three of them stood around awkwardly for a few moments before they all came to the conclusion that nopony was going to answer.

"Guess they're not home," Spike observed.

"Even stranger still..." mumbled Rarity, becoming even more concerned.

"Shade and Winter could be at work," Twilight threw out, though with an uncertain shrug.

"But that doesn't explain where Chamella could be."

"Maybe she took Snowflake out for a walk."

"Twilight, darling, I appreciate your attempts to reassure me, but you have to admit that something here is amiss."

The alicorn grimaced, sighing in resignation. "You're right. This is very bizarre. If Chamella's not here, then where would she be?"

"Um, guys, you might want to see this."

The two mares glanced over to Spike, who was standing on his tippy toes and peering into the window of the house. Following his suggestion, Rarity and Twilight sidled up next to the dragon, gazing into the home.

They both let out shocked gasped upon seeing what Spike had been pointing to. From the window they could see into the kitchen, where the table had been broken into pieces, leaving a rather hazardous looking mess on the floor.

"Oh, good heavens!" Rarity shrieked in horror.

Without any hesitation, Twilight threw open the front door, her politeness of not wanting to intrude without invite was overridden by sudden concern for the residents. Rarity and Spike followed quickly behind, the three of them running for the kitchen and looking upon the mess of furnished wood.

"What in Equestria happened here?" Twilight muttered in her uncomprehending shock.

"I'm guessing this wasn't the result of a lovers' spat," said Spike. The dragon's eyes took note of a patch of red amongst the carnage. "Is that blood?"

"Oh, dear..." Rarity's face went paler than normal at the sight of the dark red liquid, finding it both nauseating and very worrying.

Twilight shot a quick look at Spike. "Spike, check upstairs. See if anypony's still here."

With a simple nod, the little dragon hurried up the stairs.

The princess turned her attention back to the potential crime scene, looking upon it with more analytical eyes.

"Do you suppose somepony broke in? A burglar perhaps?" Rarity asked.

Twilight held her hoof to her mouth, humming in thought as she analyzed the scene. "This seems like an awful lot of damage for a simple thief." She used her magic to pick up a white, pointy object stained with blood: a fang. "There was obviously a rather intense struggle here. Shade must have gotten into a fight with whomever was here. And by the looks of things, it didn't go well."

The sound of Spike descending the stairs could be heard behind them, and the dragon ran over to Twilight in a panic. "Nopony's here! Even Snowflake is gone!"

Rarity was aghast at this news. "Oh, that poor child! Whatever could have happened?! I do hope he's okay."

"Rarity, I think we should get back to your place," suggested Twilight.

The unicorn raised a confused eyebrow. "My place? Whatever for?"

"It's possible that Chamella may have been out there looking for help. She might be back home trying to find you."

"It's worth checking I suppose. Let's hurry."

And with that, the three of them rushed out of the house in the hopes of finding Chamella, or at the very least, some sort of explanation as to what was going on.

On the way, Twilight went over the mental notes she had taken of the scene. As she said, this had to be more than mere burglary. The damage was quite excessive, even if the intruder had gotten into a tussle with Shade, which seemed likely given the evidence. Also, the kitchen appeared to be the only area affected; Spike mentioned nothing about the state of the upstairs rooms, only that there was nopony up there. Considering that, it was likely that the intruder either had some other reason to be there, or knew exactly where to find what they were looking for. However, as of this moment, Twilight didn't have any suspects.

Twilight, Rarity and Spike slowed their pace upon reaching Carousel Boutique, preparing to head inside and see if the alicorn's hunch was correct. However, just as Rarity was about to grab the doorknob, the door opened anyway. The three of them took a step back as Sweetie Belle stepped outside, who also paused briefly upon seeing her sister right outside the door.

"Oh, hey, sis," the young unicorn greeted in passing as she attempted to slip past them toward an unknown destination.

"Sweetie Belle, wait one moment, please!" Rarity called out.

The filly stopped, turning around with a quizzical look. "Hm? What's up?"

Rarity looked down at her, concern evident in her deep blue eyes. "Is Chamella home?"

Sweetie Belle's ears twitched at the mention of the name, and she suddenly seemed nervous. "C-Chamella? Uh, nope, she's not here."

"You wouldn't happen to know where she is, would you?"

"Why would I know where she is?" the filly asked with some mild aggravation.

Rarity reeled slightly at the surprising defensiveness of her question. "Because you're her friend. I just thought she might have mentioned something to you."

"Well, she didn't. Look, I gotta go. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are waiting for me."

"Wait!"

Sweetie Belle stopped short again, hoping that her sister wouldn't notice the nervous bead of sweat rolling down her neck.

"Do you happen to know where she went?" the older unicorn asked in desperation.

"No. Stop asking! I'm not her secretary! Geez."

Rarity knit her brow at her little sister's impatient and rude attitude. Now she was getting a touch suspicious. "You're being awfully defensive, Sweetie Belle. Are you trying to hide something from me?"

Sweetie Belle gulped worriedly. "What? O-Of course not."

Rarity raised an eyebrow at the other unicorn's stuttering response. "Sweetie Belle, I know when you're lying to me. What are you trying to hide?"

The filly shrunk back slightly, frowning as she started to find herself backed into a corner.

Twilight leaned forward, addressing her with a more pleading look and tone compared to Rarity's more stern and authoritative approach. "Sweetie Belle, if you know where Chamella is, could you tell us, please? This is very important."

Sweetie Belle turned away from her apologetically. "I can't," she murmured.

"And why not?" her sister demanded.

"Because she made me promise not to tell anypony."

Twilight and Rarity shared concerned looks.

"It sounds like Chamella probably does know what's going on," Spike surmised.

Twilight nodded. "That's sounds likely now." Again, she looked pleadingly at Sweetie Belle. "Listen, Sweetie Belle, if you know anything about the situation, I beg you to tell us."

Sweetie Belle bit her lip. She already knew how important it was, but she wasn't about to break a promise to a friend. "I can't... I promised..."

Rarity, casting aside her authority, kneeled down to see eye to eye with the younger unicorn, speaking to her not as her senior, but as her sister, her tone becoming more quiet and sympathetic. "Sweetie Belle, darling, I know how important a promise to a friend is, believe me. But what if breaking that promise meant saving somepony's life?"

Sweetie Belle opened her mouth, but no words escaped. She had an idea of the gravity of the situation, but her mind was in conflict with itself.

"We think something terrible may have happened to Shade, Winter and even Snowflake," Twilight explained. "And if Chamella is involved, too, she might be able to help us figure out what's going on. Please."

The filly hesitated still, but it was obvious that she wanted to tell them.

Rarity smiled softly at her. "Tell you what, if Chamella gets upset that you broke your promise, I'll take the blame, alright? You don't have to take responsibility."

Sweetie Belle let out a defeated sigh. She knew it was only going to be a matter of time before Rarity and Twilight wore her down anyway. They knew she knew something, and they weren't likely to stop until she spilled the beans. "Alright..." she said reluctantly and ashamedly.

Twilight flashed a grateful smile. "Thank you, Sweetie Belle. So where's Chamella then?"

The filly paused briefly before answering, looking the two adults in the eyes. She knew they weren't going to like the answer. "She's in the Changeling Kingdom."

The mares and the dragon reeled back in shock, expressing their surprise in unison. "What?!"

"Wh-... But whatever would she be doing in the Changeling Kingdom?!" Rarity inquired, flabbergasted by the news.

Sweetie Belle scratched her head, trying to remember all the details that Chamella had shared with her the previous night. "Um... Apparently some bad changeling guy showed up and took Snowflake away."

Rarity gasped. "Oh, my word! That poor child!"

"And Chamella went after him?" Twilight assumed.

"She went with Winter. They left late last night," explained Sweetie Belle.

"What about Shade?" asked Spike. "Is he with them, too?"

Sweetie Belle shook her head. "The changeling hurt Shade. Winter and Chamella brought him to the hospital before they left."

"Heavens... Is he alright?" Rarity inquired with deep concern.

The filly shrugged with an apologetic look. "I dunno. Chamella never really had time to talk about it a whole lot."

Spike tapped a claw to his chin in thought. "I wonder why that changeling wanted Snowflake to begin with."

Again, Sweetie Belle shrugged. "Chamella said that Chrysalis probably wanted him for something, but she didn't really know what. Apparently there are even changeling spies here in Ponyville that've been watching Shade for a while."

"Oh, dear, this just keeps getting more and more alarming," said Rarity with a shake of her head.

"Did she tell you anything else?" asked Twilight.

Sweetie Belle thought for a moment, but shook her head. "No, that's pretty much all she said."

The alicorn looked at Rarity and Spike with dutiful determination and concern for her friends. "Rarity, Spike, round up the girls and tell them to meet at the library A.S.A.P. I'm going to the hospital to see if I can learn anything else from Shade."

Spike gave a quick salute before hurrying off toward Sugarcube Corner to fetch Pinkie Pie, and Rarity nodded to acknowledge the order before Twilight took flight to head to the hospital. Rarity was about to head straight to Sweet Apple Acres to get Applejack, but stopped briefly to give her sister a grateful smile.

"Thank you, Sweetie Belle. You did the right thing." The unicorn then broke into a hasty gallop to gather her friends.

The young filly's gaze fell to the ground beneath her. "I don't feel like I did the right thing... Sorry, Chamella. But I hope you're okay."

It was relatively quiet at the Ponyville Hospital, as one would expect. One of the nurses, Nurse Redheart—a mare with a pearl coat and pink mane tied in a bun, and a cutie mark depicting a pink outline of a cross with a red heart in the middle—was going over some paperwork at the lobby's reception counter. However, she was forced to look up from her work when she heard the front doors open. She had been prepared to greet whatever person might be arriving with her usual comforting smile; an effort to preemptively reassure potential patients and help them deal with whatever may be ailing them.

However, the pony who had walked in certainly wasn't who she would have guessed. It was Princess Twilight Sparkle, and although she didn't show any immediate signs of injury or illness, she looked to be a quite a hurry, trotting inside with purpose in her steps. She quickly cantered over to the reception desk, looking Nurse Redheart in the eye with an unusual seriousness.

"Twilight, what brings you here? Is something the matter?" asked the nurse with audible concern in her voice.

"Yes, actually. Is it true that Shade was admitted into the hospital last night?"

Nurse Redheart's ears stood at attention at the mention of the resident changeling's name. "Shade? Why, yes, he was. Winter and Chamella brought him here yesterday evening."

"I need to see him," Twilight requested rather abruptly.

The nurse's ears folded back, looking apologetic. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was told not to allow anypony other than immediate family to visit him."

Twilight didn't like the sound of that, which only increased the urgency of the situation. She took a breath, knowing what she had to do. She wasn't fond of the idea, but she had no other choice. "You don't understand. I need to speak with Shade. I'm making this a royal order."

Nurse Redheart hesitated for a moment, suddenly finding herself conflicted. However, she wasn't about to decline a command from a princess. "Oh, um... O-Of course, Your Highness. Right this way." She stepped out from behind the counter, leading Twilight through the nearby double doors and into the halls of the hospital.

As they made their way to Shade's room, Twilight decided to get some questions out of the way in the hopes of saving time. "How is he? Is he alright?"

"Well, seeing as he was brought in rather late last night, we were a little short-hooved. It seems to be a mild concussion brought on by a blow to the head, but he's been drifting in and out of consciousness since he arrived. We haven't really been able to learn anything about what happened to him yet." Nurse Redheart looked over her shoulder at the alicorn. "You wouldn't know what happened, would you? Even Winter and Chamella didn't know."

Twilight stayed quiet for a moment. She elected to keep the knowledge that other changelings had shown up in Ponyville to herself for the time being, not wanting to cause any panic or misleading rumors about another invasion. "Everything I know is basically conjecture or hearsay. I'm hoping to get more information out of Shade."

Nurse Redheart frowned slightly. "Well, if you catch him while he's awake and lucid, maybe you'll get something. But so far we haven't had any luck. And, oddly, Winter and Chamella haven't come back since last night. I'd have thought they'd be more concerned."

"I'm sure they have their reasons," said Twilight knowingly.

Nurse Redheart stopped for a moment, staring further down the hallway with mild confusion. Walking towards them was one of the head doctors at the hospital, and the same doctor that had delivered Shade and Winter's baby.

The bespectacled, unicorn doctor, upon seeing a princess in his presence, gave a welcoming smile. "Ah, Princess Twilight, good afternoon. What brings you here?"

"I'm here to speak with Shade," she answered concisely.

He gave a quick, reprimanding glance to Nurse Redheart, who had obviously disobeyed his order of disallowing visitors to Shade's room. However, he gave a dismissive shake of his head; this was Princess Twilight, so it was understandable.

"Well, I hope you have better luck than we have so far. Honestly, his injuries aren't severe, but he's been unable to stay conscious for more than a few minutes at a time."

With that, the doctor was about to be on his way to allow Twilight to get to it. However, Nurse Redheart stopped him.

"How did it go, Doctor?" she asked him.

The stallion raised a puzzled eyebrow. "How did what go?"

"The house call. I wasn't expecting you back so soon."

This confused the doctor further. "'House call'?"

"Yes. You... told me earlier that you were going out for a house call."

"We... don't do house calls, Nurse Redheart."

"Huh? But you told me..."

The doctor shook his head, still slightly confused by the situation. "I don't know who you were talking to, but it wasn't me."

"No, I know it was you. I'm positive. If it wasn't you, then who else would it be?"

Twilight's eyes suddenly widened in panic. "Which room is Shade's?" she asked hastily.

"Oh. Um, second door on the right," answered the nurse.

Before Nurse Redheart could even finish her sentence, Twilight was already rushing down the hall. She flung open the door forcefully, her fear over what she thought may have happened overriding her consideration for hospital etiquette. Her ears drooped the moment she realized her fears were realized.

"Oh, no..."

Just as she had suspected, the room that was supposed to be Shade's was, in fact, empty. The only sign that anypony had been there was the messy sheets upon the bed.

Nurse Redheart peeked over Twilight's shoulder into the room. Upon seeing that their patient was nowhere to be seen, she suddenly realized what had happened. "Oh, dear... I'm sorry, Princess. I—" But before she could finish apologizing, Twilight had already took off back towards the entrance.

Once again, the library was relatively quiet. However, it was currently occupied by more than the usual two residents who lived there. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie sat at the foyer's table, the former tapping a hoof against the wooden surface impatiently, while the latter was preoccupying herself by cutting linked pony shapes out of paper. Fluttershy was also present, but sat quietly off on her own, too unsettled by her own imagination of why exactly Spike had rushed her over here.

The dragon himself was bringing their guests glasses of water while they waited for the two remaining ponies to show up. Twilight had returned as well just a few minutes prior and was pacing back and forth in deep thought, only making Fluttershy more nervous about what this was all about. Twilight hadn't told them anything yet about why she had had them all gather there, opting to wait until everypony was present to explain to avoid repeating herself.

But one particular pony was reaching the end of her chain, rolling her magenta eyes and letting out a groan in her sheer boredom and curiosity. "Can we please get some kind of explanation for this 'emergency meeting'? I'm slowly dying over here," complained Rainbow Dash as she slumped her head down onto the table.

Twilight looked up from her thoughts to address the impatient mare. "Rarity and Applejack should be here shortly. I'll elaborate the moment they arrive."

Just as the alicorn said that, the door opened and the two mares in question finally arrived. Rarity trotted inside rather hurriedly, while Applejack cantered in with a somewhat annoyed grimace.

"Alright, can somepony finally explain to me what in the hay y'all rushed me over here for?" Applejack inquired.

"I already told you," stated Rarity, slightly out of breath and readjusting her windswept mane.

"All you said is, 'Emergency meeting! Rendezvous at the library, s'il vous plaît!' Even barrin' the fancy talk, that don't tell me nothin'."

"Apologies, but I get unnecessarily cultural when I'm flustered," Rarity admitted.

"Is that a thing?" asked Rainbow Dash with a raised eyebrow.

"Guys? More important things," Spike interrupted, gesturing to Twilight.

The alicorn nodded, and everypony gave her their full attention. "Right. Okay, now that everypony's here, I can explain. To get to the point, there's been a kidnapping."

Fluttershy covered her mouth as she gasped in shock. "Oh, my, that's awful. Who was kidnapped?"

"Yeah, and whose flank do we gotta bust up to get 'em back?" added Rainbow Dash, pounding her hooves together.

"Snowflake," answered Twilight.

The room went silent for a moment as the uninitiated mares let that sink in. However, Rainbow Dash broke the silence.

"That's... for the first question, right?"

"And to answer the second, Queen Chrysalis and the changelings," Rarity elaborated.

Dash pumped her hooves eagerly. "Yes! I've been itching to have another go at her! Lemme at 'em!"

Applejack raised a hoof to interrupt. "Now, slow yer roll there, little missy. We ain't got all the details just yet." She turned to Twilight. "Can we back up fer a sec and figure out what, how and why?"

Twilight nodded in acknowledgement. "Allow me to explain. From what we've been told, at some point last night, an unknown changeling showed up at Shade and Winter's house. At the time, Winter was out with Chamella, Rarity and Fluttershy at the spa. Shade was assaulted and subsequently hospitalized. Afterwards, the assailant abducted Snowflake and carried him off to the Changeling Kingdom."

"Poor Snowflake... Poor Shade and Winter..." Fluttershy said glumly with drooping ears.

"Well, that answers the what and how. Do we know why?" asked Applejack again.

Twilight shook her head. "Unfortunately, we don't. However, there's more to this. Apparently, after discovering an injured Shade and escorting him to the hospital, both Winter and Chamella left in the middle of the night for the Changeling Kingdom by themselves."

"What?! Are they loopy?! They can't go there alone! That's crazy!" exclaimed Applejack.

"I can't help but wonder if this perhaps has something to do with us," Rarity said quietly.

Rainbow Dash gave her a puzzled look. "How do you mean? What did we do?"

"Oh, not you, dear. More so myself and Twilight. I can only imagine how this whole thing must have affected Winter. The poor dear had been working herself to the bone to take care of Snowflake, and the one time we actually manage to convince her to take a day off..."

"Her kid gets taken away," Spike finished with a frown.

"So she probably thinks it's solely her responsibility to get him back, huh?" Fluttershy assumed.

"Considerin' the way she's been actin' since the baby came 'round, Ah'd say that's a safe bet," Applejack agreed.

"You didn't happen to get any useful information from Shade, did you, Twilight?" asked a concerned Rarity.

"And is he okay?" added Fluttershy.

The alicorn let out a sigh. "Well, that's another problem. Shade wasn't at the hospital."

The other mares stared at her, confused.

"But Sweetie Belle said Winter and Chamella took him there," said Spike. "If he's not there, then where is he?"

"It seems that Shade snuck out of the hospital under the guise of one of the doctors. I can't be one hundred percent certain of where he is now, but I have a hunch..."

"Let me guess: the Changeling Kingdom," Applejack said with a frustrated groan.

"Oh, this just keeps getting worse and worse," Fluttershy whined in despair.

"So, just to fast-forward a bit here, we're going after them, right?" Rainbow Dash presumed.

Twilight nodded. "That's the idea, yes."

"Is that wise?" asked Rarity. "We don't really know anything about the Changeling Kingdom."

"I agree with Rarity," said Fluttershy. "Maybe it would be better to let Princess Celestia know."

"I thought about that, too. However, I'm not sure that's such a good idea," Twilight told them.

"Why not?" asked Rainbow Dash. "I mean, I'm all for kicking some changeling butt again, but if Celestia just sends an army of soldiers in there, we could have them all back home by bedtime. We didn't lose a single person when they invaded Canterlot."

Twilight raised a hoof. "First of all, they invaded us on our territory. In this case, we'd be invading theirs. Shade once told me that the army of changelings that attacked Canterlot wasn't even close to their entire population. I have little doubt that even the royal army in its entirety would be completely outnumbered on the changelings' home turf. Secondly, out of respect for Shade and Chamella, I, myself, have been hoping that one day we could make peace between out peoples. Sending an army of soldiers into their homeland would be highly counter-intuitive to that goal."

"So? They invaded us first," Dash reminded her.

"And we have the opportunity to take the moral high ground. Peace is not achieved by getting even."

"So yer sayin' that we're just gonna go in there ourselves?" assumed Applejack. "That sounds just as boneheaded as Winter and Chamella goin' in there alone."

Twilight ran a hoof through her mane, letting out another sigh. "I-I know. Believe me, I know. But this is the only course of action I can think of that won't result in outright war with the changelings. If Princess Celestia knew that the changelings kidnapped an infant foal, that could very well happen. Not to mention the panic amongst the general public."

"Hey, Ah never said nothin' about not doing it," Applejack corrected. "Just wanted to make sure that that's where you were goin' with this."

Rainbow Dash shrugged nonchalantly. "I said I was up for it from the beginning."

Twilight looked over her friends, seeing the determination and courage in each of the their eyes. "Bear in mind that until we figure out how to open that box at the Tree of Harmony, we don't have the Elements of Harmony. We'll have to rely on our own individual skill sets to get through this. That being said, since we don't have the Elements, it's not necessary for all of us to go. If anypony wants to stay behind, that's perfectly understandable."

All eyes turned to Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus glanced behind herself to ensure they weren't looking at something else. "What? Why's everypony looking at me?"

"I don't think any of us would be able to live with ourselves if we let our friends go out there and put themselves in harm's way while we just sit back at home," Rarity said with a confident smile.

Twilight grinned knowing that her friends were all ready and willing to take this risk with her. "Alright, then I suppose we need to prepare our search party."

Pinkie Pie, who had been uncharacteristically quiet as she played with her paper crafts, finally lifted her head. "Did somepony say party?"

Twilight rolled her eyes with an annoyed grimace. "Pinkie Pie, have you been paying attention at all?"

"'Course I have." The pink pony inhaled a deep breath. "Shade got hurt Snowflake got kidnapped Winter and Chamella and presumably Shade all went to the Changeling Kingdom to get him back and we're gonna go there and save the day. Did I miss anything?"

Twilight simply blinked, surprised by the bubbly mare's firm grasp of the situation. "Um... No, that about sums it up."

Pinkie just beamed proudly with a big, toothy grin.

"So what do we need to do?" Rainbow Dash asked, wings spread eagerly.

"Everypony should return home and packs some supplies," Twilight informed everypony. "Food; water; first-aid. Anything you think might be necessary."

"Bit overkill, don't you think?" the cyan pegasus commented.

"I've learned a lot about the Changeling Kingdom from Shade, and one of the most prominent things he's told me is how labyrinthine the changeling hive is. From the way he described it, it's entirely possible we may be there for several days attempting to navigate it. So I ask that you all pack provisions for the journey, and we'll all meet at the train station in half an hour."

"I... don't think the train goes to the Changeling Kingdom," Fluttershy pointed out.

Twilight waved off her comment. "It just happens to be in the direction of the Changeling Kingdom. It makes for a good starting point."

"Alright then. We shall break and reconvene at the train station," Rarity affirmed with a nod as she headed for the door. "Oh, what should I pack? I'll have to think this over for a moment."

Applejack gave the unicorn a stern glare. "Rarity, don't you dare pack a single accessory. If Ah find even one article of clothing or jewelry in yer bag, Ah swear to Celestia..."

The fashionista simply gave a haughty "Hmph," as the two left the library. Rainbow Dash was quick to bolt out the door behind them, followed by a bouncing Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy was last to leave, her exit significantly more subtle as she quietly left to make her own preparations.

Now that it was just Twilight and Spike left, the dragon prepared to rush up to the bedroom. "Alright, I'm gonna get started packing our things."

"Hold on, Spike."

Spike stopped halfway up the stairs, looking back down at the alicorn.

"I'm going to have to ask you to stay behind in Ponyville."

Disappointment immediately fell over his scaly face as he slowly descended the staircase again. "What? You're seriously going to leave me out of an adventure like this?"

Twilight gave the grumpy dragon a reassuring smile. "Actually, I have another important job for you. Sweetie Belle mentioned that the reason the changelings knew about Snowflake was because there were spies in Ponyville. For all we know, they could still be here. I want you to stay here and try to suss them out."

Spike's mood lifted in an instant, his face overcome by suppressed excitement. "You mean like detective work?"

The alicorn smirked at his sudden enthusiasm. "Something like that."

The dragon pumped his fist. "Awesome! Don't you worry, Twilight. Detective Spike is on the case! I'll have those dirty spies locked up behind bars before you girls get home."

"Good to hear. But I still want you to be careful. They could be dangerous."

Spike waved off the warning dismissively. "Pfft. I can handle a few changelings."

"I just ask that you try to keep this whole thing under wraps for the time being. We don't want to cause a panic. But if you need help, don't be afraid to ask somepony trustworthy for assistance. Preferably somepony who can keep a secret."

"Won't be necessary, but I'll keep it in mind," Spike said confidently.

"In the meantime, you can help me pack. I was going to have a quick skim for spells that might be useful."

Spike saluted with a smile before hurrying upstairs. "You got it."

"It's quite a long way, isn't it," Fluttershy commented between exhausted breaths.

"Well, if it were right next door, we probably wouldnt've been invaded so easily. We'd be able to keep tabs on 'em then at least," Applejack pointed out.

Even if Fluttershy was the only one to voice her displeasure, each of the six mares were finding the trip to the Changeling Kingdom somewhat tiring. Applejack, considering her more physical lifestyle, felt the effects the least. The journey was more like a long workout for her. However, the other mares' lifestyles weren't exactly conducive with long travels, which was evident by the sweat beading on their foreheads, and manes damp and disheveled.

Rarity attempted in futility to keep her normally-perfectly-curled mane in its well-styled shape. "Heavens, I already knew this endeavor was going to cause problems, but I didn't expect so soon. May we take a rest? I really must fix these dreadful split ends."

Applejack cast a judgmental glare from the corner of her eye. "Ah sure hope that don't mean you packed a curling iron."

Rarity turned her nose up at the comment with a scoff. "I'm insulted that you'd even insinuate I'd be so impractical. I'd just like to do what I can to repair it," she whined.

"I'm sorry, Rarity, but we've got bigger problems to worry about," Twilight said sympathetically. "Besides, with how long we're likely to be out here, your mane probably wouldn't stay in shape for very long anyway."

"I'd just like to stop and catch my breath for a few minutes," Fluttershy complained, panting.

Pinkie Pie exuberantly bounded between her friends with a wide smile. "I don't know what you guys are crying about. I feel fine. Dandy! Bouncy! Super-dee-dup—oof!" As Pinkie was boasting about her own stamina, one of the pink mare's bounces ended with an ungraceful face plant into the grass. She lifted her head and shook it off with a dizzied groan.

"Well, seems yer legs say otherwise, sugarcube," Applejack chuckled. "Probably don't help that you've been skippin' and hoppin' the whole way. Wanna try walking like a normal pony fer a little bit? Might save some energy."

Pinkie Pie lifted herself up, brushing herself off with an embarrassed grin. "Yeah, probably a good idea."

"How much further is it?" Fluttershy whined again.

Twilight breathed an exasperated sigh. "I'm not sure. All I know is that Shade said it was in this direction. I certainly hope I wasn't misinformed."

"Hey!"

The five mares turned to the skies ahead of them when the familiar voice called out to them. Rainbow Dash was making a beeline back towards them, having earlier split off from the group to scout ahead. The cyan pegasus looped behind the group before touching down into a brisk trot to match their pace.

"Well? Did you find anything?" asked Applejack curiously.

"You said the Changeling Kingdom was like a forest stuck in autumn, right?" Rainbow Dash asked Twilight.

The alicorn nodded. "According to Shade and Chamella, yes."

"Then I've got good news." Dash pointed to some steep, rolling hills in the distance. Beyond them the mares could see the grey and cloudy peaks of a large mountain range. "It's just over those hills up ahead."

Fluttershy let out a long breath and let herself fall to her haunches. "Oh, thank goodness. Does that mean we can take a break before we get there?"

"I suppose that's a good idea," Twilight affirmed with a nod. "Let's have a quick lunch and we'll continue on our way shortly."

The moment Twilight said that, everypony else immediately sat down in the grass and threw off their cumbersome saddlebags. They were all quick to begin rummaging through them to find something to snack on.

"What did you pack, Rarity?" asked Fluttershy curiously.

"Well, a variety of dishes, of course. Just because we're, urgh..." She rolled her eyes in mild disgust. "...roughing it, for the time being, doesn't mean we can't have a varied diet."

"It ain't exactly 'roughing it' if you bring yer own prepacked food," Applejack corrected.

Rarity ignored the comment. As far as she was concerned, if you aren't eating off of a table, you're roughing it. "In any case, I think I'm going to have myself a nice çoban salatası," she said, removing a fork and a plastic container with a salad consisting of parsley and a variety of finely chopped vegetables.

"That's a bit fancy for a trip like this, don't you think?" Rainbow Dash commented, basing that purely on the name of the dish.

"It's a fairly simple salad, Rainbow Dash. Although it does lose a certain... je ne sais quoi without a nice glass of wine to drink with it, but sacrifices must be made," the unicorn said. "And what, dare I ask, did you pack?"

Rainbow Dash reached into her bag, pulling out a bag of potato chips and a can of soda. "Some chips, soda pop, a few candy bars..."

Rarity placed a hoof to her forehead, disappointed, but somehow not surprised. "Oh, for goodness sake. We're not on a camping trip, Rainbow Dash. You can't just pack nothing but unhealthy junk food."

Dash lifted an eyebrow, holding out the can of soda. "Well, it's grape soda. Grapes are healthy."

Applejack simply gave a half-lidded, bemused stare. "Really...?" she deadpanned.

The pegasus pointed to herself defensively. "Why are you getting on my case? Pinkie Pie probably just packed a bunch of cupcakes and cookies and stuff."

"Actually, I got fruit salad," Pinkie said, removing a container of assorted, sliced fruit.

Rainbow Dash threw her hooves up. "Oh, come on. Even you have to make me look bad?"

The pink pony frowned slightly. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I do have a few cupcakes."

"Yeah, thanks..." Dash sighed, popping the tab on her grape soda with a sharp fizz.

"If you like, I can share some of my baby carrots with you," Fluttershy offered, holding out a resealable bag full of small carrots.

Rainbow Dash hesitated for a moment, wearing a disgruntled pout, but reached in and took out a few carrots without a word. Fluttershy simply smiled kindly.

"All things considered, what food we brought with us is not really what we should be concerned about," Twilight interjected as she used her pink aura to unwrap the plastic from a daffodil sandwich.

"Twi's got a point," agreed Applejack, biting into a granola bar—apple-flavored, of course. "We should be concernin' ourselves with a plan."

"That'd be Twilight's department," said Rainbow Dash, looking expectedly at the alicorn. "Whatchu got?"

Twilight nodded, swallowing a bite of her sandwich. "Right, well... I quickly went over some of the notes I've taken from Shade and Chamella over the past two years. The hive is deep, dark, and very labyrinthine."

"You keep using that word," grumbled Dash. "Laypony's terms, please?"

"Labyrinthine. Basically, it's a maze."

"I'm guessing it's not the kind of maze where you can get through it just by hugging the left wall the whole way, huh?" Pinkie Pie presumed.

Twilight shook her head. "Not likely. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. First and foremost, we have to get to the hive."

"From what I understand, all that lay between us and those mountains is a simple forest," said Rarity. "Chamella's never mentioned anything like treacherous terrain or dangerous animals being around here."

"'Cept the changelings themselves," Applejack pointed out.

"Right," Twilight said with a nod. "The changelings are pretty much the only thing standing between us and the hive, so it's entirely possible—I dare even say guaranteed—that we'll run into at least a few of them."

"Pfft. Nothing we can't handle," Rainbow Dash scoffed with a roll of her eyes. "We fought off tons of 'em in Canterlot."

"Actually, I agree," the alicorn said with a smile. "I don't think the changelings will slow us down too much. I'm confident in our strength as a group to be able to defend ourselves."

"Still, though, we're on their turf this time. We can't afford to let our guards down," Applejack cautioned.

"True. We need to stay alert and ready," Rarity agreed. "After all, not all of us are fighters by nature."

Fluttershy brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face with a sheepish, somewhat ashamed expression.

"So what are we doing once we get there?" Rainbow Dash asked once more.

Twilight neatly folded up the plastic film her sandwich had been in upon finishing her snack, and packed it back into her bag. "I think it's best if we get there and assess the situation for ourselves first."

Applejack smirked in amusement and mild surprise. "Princess Twilight Sparkle, lord of lists and queen of scheduling, is actually winging it. How do we know you haven't already been replaced by a changeling?"

Twilight simply shrugged as she stood up and slipped her saddlebags back on. "There's simply not enough documentation about the Changeling Kingdom to formulate a concrete plan of action, and what little documentation there is was written by me."

The other mares followed the princess's lead and finished up their meals, hitching up their bags as well.

"In any case, we need to get moving," Twilight continued. She glanced up at the sky. The sun was already beginning to make its decent towards the horizon, not that the daylight was going to be of any help once they reached the hive. What really bothered her was knowing how much of a head start Winter and Chamella had over them. "We have some ground to make up if we're going to find any of them."

The group marched forward, eventually reaching the hill that separated them from their destination. They paused for a moment to take in the sight of it.

"My, it really is quite beautiful, isn't it?" Rarity commented on the reds and oranges of the trees and gold of the grass.

"It is somethin'," Applejack agreed. She started making her way down the hill towards the golden plains and autumnal forest. "But we can't get distracted. A forest is a prime location for an ambush."

"It doesn't appear to be a very dense forest," said Fluttershy, noting the unusual space between the trees. "Certainly not as cramped and spooky as the Everfree Forest."

"Which means we'll be easier to spot," Twilight warned. "Stay wary."

The six mares quickly descended the hill, while Pinkie Pie opted to slide down on her bottom, getting in what fun she could before this expedition inevitably entered serious mode. The pink pony was first to reach the base of the hill, quickly hopping back up to her hooves. She was soon followed by the three winged ponies who had chosen to fly down, Applejack, who skid down the last several meters on her hooves, and Rarity, who was more preoccupied with not tripping and staining her alabaster coat.

"Hey, Pinks, you got a little something on you," Rainbow Dash snickered, pointing to the party pony's rear end.

Pinkie Pie looked back as best as her physiology would allow, noticing several green grass stains on and around her hindquarters. She blushed with an embarrassed grin, attempting to use her tail to cover it. "Whoopsie. Didn't really think that through."

"So do we just make a beeline fer the hive or what?" Applejack asked Twilight.

"The sooner we get there, the less likely we are to run into trouble. So, yes," answered the alicorn.

"Right. Let's hustle, ladies!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, taking to the air and flying at the front of the pack.

While they were certainly trying to save time, they also didn't want to expend all their energy so quickly. They kept their pace brisk, yet relaxed in an effort to conserve stamina. However, they kept their gazes fixed on the mountains jutting above the treeline, knowing that it was their destination.

But Fluttershy couldn't help but observe her unfamiliar surroundings as she flew slightly above her friends, her emotions conflicted. "I know this place is lovely and all, but I can't help but feel like it's a little bit... unsettling, too. Am I the only one who thinks so?"

Rarity shuddered as a timely, chilling breeze blew over her. "It is a touch cold. But if it really is autumn all year round here, then I suppose that's to be expected."

"That's not really what I meant. I just mean that it's kind of creepy how empty this place is. I can't see a single animal around. No birds; no bunnies; no mice. Nothing. Even the Everfree Forest has some wildlife."

"Shade has mentioned that there are, in fact, animals here," Twilight chimed in. "But it's likely they spend most of their time in hiding to avoid the changelings."

"Speaking of which, where are all the changelings?" asked Rainbow Dash, looking around. "I thought this place was supposed to be swarming with them. I figured we'd spend the entire time weaving and dodging around them to get to the hive."

"This place's probably bigger than we give it credit for," said Applejack. "Might even stretch all the way around them there mountains."

"Or maybe they're all inside," suggested Pinkie Pie. "It's probably at least a little warmer in there, right?"

"From what Shade's told me, that's probably not the case," Twilight said. "He said that even the changelings get lost in there sometimes, so most of them don't go too deep inside."

"Or maybe there aren't actually as many as we thought there were," said Fluttershy with a sympathetic tone. "The poor things have to struggle just to survive out here. Their population might be dwindling by the day."

Applejack stuck a hoof out to signal the group to stop, looking around warily.

Rainbow Dash touched down next to her. "What's up, AJ?"

"Y'all here that?"

They each perked their ears up, swiveling around to try and pick up on what Applejack was trying to point out.

"I think I hear voices," said Rarity.

"Is it changelings?" Fluttershy asked, cowering slightly behind the others. "Did they finally find us?"

"Oh, there they are." Pinkie Pie pointed a hoof off to their right.

Sure enough, some ways away, beyond the trees surrounding them, were two black figures; undeniably changelings.

"Ah don't think they've noticed us yet. If we're quiet, we can probably keep moving and not get spotted," Applejack suggested in a hushed tone.

"It's just two of 'em. I'm sure we can handle two," Rainbow Dash boasted dismissively.

"I'd like to avoid any altercations if at all possible, thank you," Rarity argued.

As her friends discussed a course of action, Twilight observed the two changelings closely. They appeared to be conversing about something, although from this distance she couldn't pick out what they were saying. "Actually, I want to speak with them."

The other five mares all turned to the alicorn in unison. "What?!"

"Ah thought the whole point of this mission was to get in and get out without causin' any trouble," Applejack reminded her.

"There won't be any trouble. Like Rainbow Dash said, there's only two of them. I believe they have the common sense not to try and attack us when outnumbered three to one."

"But there's six of us," Pinkie Pie said with a confused raise of her eyebrow, counting her friends.

"It's a math thing, dear. Don't worry about it," Rarity said, patting the pink pony on the shoulder.

"You sure about this, Twi?" asked Rainbow Dash. "I mean, we can always bust 'em up if they get aggressive, but do you wanna take that chance?"

Twilight waved the warning off dismissively. "I think it'll be fine."

With that, the alicorn started making her way over to the pair of changelings, her friends following closely behind, ready for when or if things went south. Nevertheless, the group approached stealthily, remaining as quiet as possible as they weaved through the trees.

As they got closer, the voices of the changelings became more clear, and they were beginning to pick out what they were saying.

"...right around here, I swear," said one, a female.

"How can you even tell? We've lived here our whole lives and even I can't tell where I am half the time," said the other, a male.

The female tapped the side of her head with her hoof. "I took a mental picture. I'm sure it was here. See? I remember that tree having that gnarled branch."

"So does that tree."

The female followed his pointing hoof. "Huh. Well, maybe it was over there."

The male groaned and rolled his eyes. "Look, just face it. She took her somewhere else after you threatened her. If you'd have just kept your mouth shut, maybe she'd have left some here."

"So this is my fault now?" the female snapped angrily.

The male leaned forward, unfazed by the smaller fangs of the female. "Yes. In fact, it's been your fault the whole time. I never said it wasn't. You never know when to shut up."

"I'll shut you up!" the female growled.

"Excuse me."

The two changelings turned to the source of the new voice, baring their fangs at the interloper. "What?!"

Immediately, the changelings' expressions shifted from anger and annoyance to shock, surprise, and confusion upon seeing the six multi-colored ponies now standing in front of them. Oddly, the purple one in front was grinning amicably, but the rainbow-maned pegasus and the earth pony in the hat stood in a defensive position, ready to fight back if the pair of changelings should try anything funny. The white unicorn and yellow pegasus stood back a bit, clearly wanting to avoid any potential violence, while the pink pony waved enthusiastically at the changelings with a friendly and toothy smile.

“The hay...?!” the male sputtered upon seeing the six mares and taking a step back.

“Where did they come from?!” the female yelped in mild shock.

“Hello there,” greeted Twilight, her smile persisting. “I was wondering if I could ask you something.”

The two changelings shared puzzled and disbelieving glances at the request. The female shook off her stupor, grinning maliciously. “You know what? This is actually perfect. I don’t really care why you’re here, but I’ve been craving pony meat since this morning.” She crouched down, ready to pounce on one of the mares.

Applejack adjusted her hat, glaring stoically in the face of the female changeling and her threat. “Ya sure you don’t wanna think about this fer a second?”

“Let her try and see what happens,” Rainbow Dash challenged, scraping her hoof on the ground as she prepared to retaliate.

The female changeling licked her lips, the thought of getting to taste blood today too much to pass up. However, just as she was about to attack, her male companion held her back, a look of panic in his eyes.

“What’s your problem? Let me go,” she complained, struggling against his grip.

“Are you insane?! Do you even know who these ponies are?!”

“Huh?” She took another look at the group of mares, who all stared back confidently. She was drawing a blank. “Should I?”

The male pointed at the mares. “They’re the ones from Canterlot! The ones we were supposed to stop from getting those Element things!”

The female blinked, then looked back at the mares. She was suddenly very unsure of what to do. “Uh... You sure?”

“Hard to forget,” he said, rubbing his chest. “The orange one gave me a pretty rough bucking.”

“And Ah can give ya another one if ya want,” Applejack goaded with a smirk.

Twilight held out a hoof to ease Applejack down. “We’re not here to fight anypony. Like I said, we just want to ask some questions.”

Pinkie Pie popped up behind the two changelings, startling them. “And your answers may decide your fate,” she declared ominously before returning to her friends’ side.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Don’t pay any attention to her.”

The male stared at them skeptically. “You’ll have to forgive me for being a little suspicious. What exactly are you guys doing here? What do want with us?”

“Some friends of ours came to the Changeling Kingdom to find somepony who’d been kidnapped by Queen Chrysalis,” explained Twilight. “You wouldn’t happen to have seen another pony come through here recently traveling with a female changeling, have you?”

The two changelings’ eyes widened a bit. The male raised an eyebrow. “Uh, this pony... Was it a pegasus mare. White coat, red mane?”

Twilight grinned optimistically. “Yes, that’s her. So you have seen them.”

The female smirked, chuckling darkly. “Heh. Sorry to be the one to tell you this, but that changeling she was supposedly traveling with made a meal of that mare.”

Fluttershy and Rarity both gasped. “What?! No, that can’t be right,” Rarity said in disbelief.

The male shrugged. “I don’t know what else to tell you. We saw it ourselves. I mean, it could’ve been a different changeling, but your pony friend is definitely dead.”

Applejack stomped a hoof on the brittle grass. “Consarnit! We’re already too late!”

“Why? I don’t understand...” Rarity muttered, having a hard time grasping the thought.

Twilight nodded at the changelings, still smiling. “Well, if that’s all you know, then I guess we’ll be on our way. Thank you.”

With that, the alicorn walked past the pair of shapeshifters, leaving them a little confused and a little worried.

“What the hay was that all about?” the male mumbled.

The other five mares, still in a stupor over the information they had just gathered, ran to catch up to Twilight.

“W-What do we do now?” Fluttershy stammered, shaking slightly. “Winter’s actually... Oh...”

“Man... That’s rough,” said Rainbow Dash, head hung low.

“Not to sound heartless or nothin’, but we don’t have time to mourn right now. As far as we know, Shade, Chamella, and Snowflake might still be around somewhere,” said Applejack.

“Didn’t you hear them?! They said Chamella ate Winter!” Pinkie Pie shouted in panic. “Maybe she’s gone native! What if she tries to eat us, too?!”

As the group attempted to cope with the current situation, Rarity couldn’t help but notice that Twilight was the only one who didn’t seem at all fazed by the news. “Twilight, I know we’re still on an important mission, but how can you still be smiling after hearing that? Winter’s gone... Chamella’s possibly responsible... This is all just so... dreadful!”

Twilight turned to Rarity, her knowing grin persisting. “Rarity, think about it for a moment. You know Chamella better than any of us. Would she really kill Winter?”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Why, the Chamella I know would never harm a fly.”

“Exactly. So are you really going to believe what those two told us? I don’t doubt that that’s what they thought they saw, but I have a feeling they didn’t fully grasp the situation.”

“So yer sayin’ that Chamella an’ Winter were playin’ them changelings?” presumed Applejack.

Twilight smiled proudly. “Chamella’s smarter than she gives herself credit for. Plus, she knows this place better than we do. I’m sure she had some sort of plan to protect Winter in case they were spotted. And judging by their conversation before we approached them, they seemed to indicate that they encountered our friends right back there. However, I saw no trace of blood in the grass at all.”

“That’s being awfully optimistic,” said Rainbow Dash.

“I just think that the scenario they described to us is too farfetched to be true. Even if it was another changeling that they saw, I doubt Chamella would simply run and leave Winter to die. The absence of a body is also a red flag.”

“I’m going to choose to believe that, if only to keep my mind at relative ease until we find them. If we find them...” said Fluttershy.

“Then we should probably pick up the pace,” suggested Rainbow Dash. “The longer we stop to chat with the locals, the further ahead they get from us.”

Twilight nodded. “Agreed. I doubt we’ll get much more information from the changelings anyway.”

“Then what’re we waitin’ for? Get the lead out, ladies!” Applejack commanded, breaking into a gallop.

They all ran or flew as fast as they could towards the mountains some distance away, knowing that that had to be where Chamella, Shade and Winter had gone. Thankfully, the rest of the trek went smoothly, with no other changelings having gotten in their way. It didn’t take too long for them to reach the jagged cliff face of the mountains, and they took a moment to take it in.

“Wow, it looks like a giant piece of cheese,” exclaimed Pinkie Pie, noting all of the burrows and tunnels dug into the stone wall.

“What kind of cheese have you been eating?” Fluttershy asked with a quirked eyebrow.

“It’s certainly quite imposing,” Rarity commented, a cold shudder running through her.

“Well, we didn’t come this far to chicken out now,” said Applejack, adjusting her hat to make sure it was tight and secure.

“Alright, let’s move. We can’t afford to hesitate,” Twilight ordered, gesturing for them to follow her inside.

It didn’t take long for them to become almost completely enveloped in darkness. Fluttershy made sure to keep close to her friends in fear of accidentally getting separated from them. Thankfully, they had two unicorns to help with visibility, with both Rarity and Twilight casting their blue and pink auras on the surrounding area.

Rainbow Dash had a look around by the light of her friends’ horns, looking rather unimpressed. “I mean, I know it’s dark and everything, but I was expecting the changeling hive to be a little... creepier. It looks like any average cave to me.”

“We haven’t exactly made it far yet, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity reminded her. “Honestly, though, the most dreadful part of this so far is the humidity. This damp, dank air is simply going to wreak havoc on my mane and coat.”

“Well, suck it up, Princess. We got bigger problems than yer hairdo,” quipped Applejack.

The unicorn turned her nose up at the comment. “Hmph. I’m well aware of that. I wasn’t suggesting that we stop so I could fix it.”

“Can I raise a concern?” Fluttershy asked meekly. “I know we’re going to do our best to avoid this sort of situation, but what do we do if we should somehow get separated down here? Without Rarity and Twilight, the rest of us won’t be able to see where we’re going.”

Rarity clapped her hooves, suddenly remembering something. “Ah, yes! That reminds me. I brought just the thing. Pinkie Pie, if you would, please.”

“Hm? Oh, right, the things!”

Pinkie tossed off her saddlebags, fished around inside them for a bit, and pulled out a set of five helmets stacked neatly on top of one another. Each one was colored differently—purple; pink; blue; yellow; orange—and they were all equipped with a headlamp on the front. Pinkie Pie began to pass the helmets around to her friends, delivering each one to it’s color appropriate pony. However, when only the orange helmet remained, Applejack grimaced at the sight of it. The orange helmet was decorated with several gemstones and had a large, blue bow tied to the back of it.

“You don’t expect me to where that thing, do ya?”

Rarity chuckled, waving her hoof dismissively. “Oh, perish the thought. No, no, that one’s mine,” she said daintily placing the orange helmet on her own head. “I use this helmet whenever I go spelunking for gems. I simply didn’t have time to decorate all of yours, unfortunately. But fret not, dear Applejack; I’ve taken your personal fashion sense into account.”

Rarity gestured to Pinkie Pie and the pink mare dug back into her saddlebags. This time she removed a headlamp sans the helmet, which Pinkie strapped to the top of the orange earth pony’s stetson.

Applejack adjusted it a bit to make sure it was comfortable, and passed a pleasantly surprised grin to Rarity. “Well, shoot. That’s mighty thoughtful of ya, Rarity. Thanks.”

“Think nothing of it, darling,” the unicorn said modestly, though with a hint of pride.

The six mares made sure to test that the lights worked, but turned them off again to save battery; there was no sense in using them right now when they had their own form of limitless light.

The group traveled further into the caves. After the light from the entrance vanished from view, it became difficult to determine just how deep they had already gone. It was eerily quiet save for their echoing hoofsteps and the dripping of moisture from the stalactites above. There had been multiple points already where the maze-like nature of the hive started to make itself clear. They had already passed several forks in the path, opting for one based on nothing but random choice. But even then, there were also many tunnels dug into the walls and ceiling, inaccessible to any creature without wings or the ability to climb walls.

The six of them came to yet another divide in the path, and that's where they stopped for a moment. Twilight shone her light down one path, then the other as she'd done for the previous forks, but, like the others, saw no discernible difference between them, making a choice difficult to make.

"I'm starting to think this is going to be much more difficult than we originally anticipated," said Rarity with a sigh, noting the same exasperated look on Twilight's face.

"Considering how big this place is, the chances of us actually finding anypony we're looking for down here are very slim," the alicorn said with a hint of defeat in her voice.

"Is there any way we could narrow it down?" asked Rainbow Dash. "There's gotta be some way to get an idea of which way they went, right?"

"Unless you have a sniffer as good as a bloodhound, Ah don't think that's happening," Applejack said with a shake of her head.

Twilight grimaced. A thought came to mind, but she was hesitant to suggest it. "Well, there is something we could do..."

Fluttershy's ears folded back, a bad feeling filling her gut. "Oh, no. Please don't say what I think you're about to say."

The alicorn turned to face her five friends. "We may have to split up."

Fluttershy let of a quiet groan. "That's what I was afraid of."

"But even if we split up, whatta we do if we find Winter, or Chamella, or Shade?" inquired Pinkie Pie. "How are we supposed to let each other know, or how are we supposed to find each other again? What if we can't even find the way out?!" The pink pony began to panic and hyperventilate in an exaggerated fashion.

"Now, it's not all bad. I actually planned ahead in case it came to this," Twilight assured her friends. "I looked up a few spells that might help us. One of them is a tether spell."

"A tether? You mean like a rope?" asked Fluttershy curiously.

Twilight nodded. "Pretty much. Rarity, I'm going to need your assistance with this."

"Oh? Well, alright. What do I have to do?" the unicorn asked, waiting for the order.

"Nothing really, but the tether spell only works between two unicorns—or alicorn in my case. Just hold still."

Twilight leaned forward, placing her horn close to Rarity's. The light the two of them had previously been radiating to illuminate the path went out for a moment to allow Twilight to perform the spell. When the alicorn's horn started to glow again, the pink aura shifted through the small space between hers and Rarity's, enveloping the unicorn's horn as well.

Twilight stepped back with a grin, switching on her aura again to light the area once more. "There. That should do it."

Rarity turned her eyes up toward her horn, feeling a slight tingle, but it dissipated after a few moments. "Um... What exactly did that do?"

"Focus you magic for a moment and imagine me in your mind's eye," Twilight instructed.

Rarity did as she was told, closing her eyes for a moment and picturing Twilight in her head as she focused her magic. When she opened her eyes, she and the others could see a shimmering and waving trail of pink and blue magic between the unicorn and alicorn.

"Oh, my. I did that?" Rarity said, surprised.

"We can both do that now. This way, when we need to find one another again, we just activate the spell and this trail should take us down the path of least resistance towards the other person."

"Ooh, that's handy," Pinkie said, waving her hoof through the translucent trail of magic.

"So Ah'm guessing we'll split into two groups of three then?" presumed Applejack.

Twilight nodded. "That makes the most sense. Any fewer and we may not be safe."

"And clearly you and I have to be in separate groups," said Rarity.

Again, Twilight nodded. "The tether would be useless otherwise."

"So who's going with Twi, and who's going with Rarity?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Good question," said Twilight, tapping her chin in thought and looking over her group of friends as she considered her options.

Pinkie Pie threw her hoof into the air eagerly. "Ooh, ooh! Pick me, Coach! I got gumption! I got moxie! I got... Uh, I got... I'm pink!"

Twilight couldn't help but smile at Pinkie's enthusiasm. "Alright, why not? Pinkie, you're with me."

The pink pony pumped her hoof triumphantly and hopped over to Twilight's side.

"Ah reckon I should go with ya, too, Twi," said Applejack. "Ya might need somepony who can handle a little close quarters combat."

"Then I guess Rainbow Dash and I will go with Rarity," Fluttershy said, walking over to the unicorn.

"Is that alright with you three?" asked Twilight. "We can reconsider a little more if you think you could use Pinkie or Applejack's help."

Rainbow Dash cantered confidently over to Rarity, wings outspread. "Uh, they have me. I think we'll be fine."

"Don't go gettin' too cocky there, Dash. Rarity an' Fluttershy probably ain't gonna be too fussed about gettin' in a fight. There ain't no shame in making a run for it if ya need to," warned Applejack.

Rainbow Dash nodded, letting out a quiet sigh. "Yeah, I know. I might be able to handle myself, but I'm gonna make sure to put their safety first."

Rarity huffed, somewhat insulted by being put into the position of damsel in distress. "Well, it's not like I couldn't defend myself if the need arose. I'd just prefer to avoid a tussle if at all possible."

"So we're all okay with this?" asked Twilight one more time. She received affirming nods from the other five mares. "Alright then. I suppose this is where we part ways for now. Good luck, you guys. And please be careful."

"Same to you," said Rarity as she, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy turned to head down the left path.

Twilight, Applejack and Pinkie Pie went the opposite direction. Even though they were covering more ground, they all knew their chances of finding the missing individuals was still quite small. However, given where they were, any increase in probability was favorable.

They all took a deep breath to steady their nerves as they headed off into the darkness. There was no telling what obstacles would be in their paths, but whatever they encountered on the road ahead, they had to stay focused on their objectives. They could really only hope at this point that things went well.

Deep within the changeling hive, far underground and a place no normal changeling would risk venturing to, was the hive's dungeon. The dungeon, as one would expect, was where Queen Chrysalis imprisoned any of her subjects who did not follow her rule or opposed her in some way or another, or even changelings that were deemed mentally unfit to coexist with her other subjects; as violent as changelings sometimes were, even towards one another, rampant and unwarranted murder between her people was not something she was willing to tolerate.

Many of her subjects, including her own soldiers, often questioned why she would even bother to imprison them instead of just simply killing them and making sure they couldn't threaten her or the other changelings. Though they never received a definitive answer from her, many speculated that she kept them alive either to have them available in case reserve soldiers were necessary, or simply to break their spirits and teach them who was in charge. However, there were others who believed that the prisoners were simply there to be used as emergency rations in case food became even more scarce than usual. Although that theory was countered by the fact that they actually fed the prisoners; a waste of perfectly good food as far as the other changelings were concerned.

In actuality, the dungeon was not very populated. Over the years, Chrysalis's rule had gone relatively unopposed, and many changelings had considered her to be perhaps the best leader they've ever had, not that they remembered much about the previous monarchs. As a result of her strong and imposing leadership, few changelings stood to challenge her. As a result, the very prisoners that were held in the dungeon had either been there for a very long time, or were simply psychopaths that she didn't want running around her kingdom.

The halls of the dungeon were relatively unimpressive and basically the same as the rest of the catacombs of the changeling hive. The major distinction was the various alcoves in the walls that served as the prisoners' cells. Each cell was fairly roomy, giving enough room to fly around a little, but aside from that, was completely empty. As opposed to the iron bars that ponies used in their prisons, the cells of the changeling dungeon were sealed by a translucent, green wall of hardened mucus, similar to the substance that made up their egg sacs. These walls were much thicker and sturdier than egg sacs, however, preventing the prisoners from breaking through them with magic or their sharp horns and fangs.

But the prisoners weren't the only occupants of the dungeon currently. Walking through the halls, passing each of the cells and garnering the ire of the imprisoned changelings was the captain of the changeling soldiers. Wraith paid no heed to their glares and growls, the intensity of his echoing hoofsteps alone displaying his authority clearly. He looked over each cell and their unwilling residents, studying each of them briefly, but analytically. They could all tell he was contemplating something, but whether or not it was good news for them was still up in the air.

Wraith was not alone either, as with him was one of the other armored changeling soldiers, who looked a little more unsettled to be where they were.

"Is it really necessary for us to be down here?" the soldier asked, looking uneasy against the glares of the rogue changelings. "All of these guys give me the creeps."

Wraith didn't answer, instead doing what he had been doing and ignoring the complaint.

The soldier sighed, knowing he wasn't going to get a straight answer. "I mean, if we have any use for these guys, then I guess that's fine. But can we just do what we came here to do and leave?"

"Some of these malcontents will have their uses in the future. It's important to know what they can do and how they can do it," Wraith finally explained.

The soldier quirked a skeptical eyebrow. "And what makes you think they'll even help us at all? There's a reason they're down here after all. These creeps only think of themselves rather than the colony as a whole."

The imposing captain glanced down at the soldier. "Everyone has their price. If proper negotiations are made, you can will anyone to do your bidding."

The soldier looked over the prisoners again as they passed by their seemingly infinite, yet sparsely-populated cells. "Guess stuff like that is how you get to become the king or queen, huh? Queen Chrysalis is definitely smart enough to take advantage of that kind of thing."

Wraith seemed as though he were about to say something in response, but was interrupted by a voice calling out from behind them.

"Captain Wraith."

The captain recognized the voice immediately. Turning around, he saw Glory flying through the cave towards the two other armored changelings before touching down in front of them. "Glory, I said your assistance wouldn't be required here."

The brown-maned changeling raised her hoof. "First of all—and forgive my rudeness—but I still say you're wrong about that. Secondly, I didn't come down here for that. I just got some interesting news."

Wraith raised an eyebrow, curious. "Do tell."

"So, yeah, some drones have reported that we have some intruders in the hive."

The larger male furrowed his brow in displeasure. "Is that so? I assume that it must be somepony of importance to have it reported."

"More important than you think. It's the halfling's parents, plus the other deserter."

Though almost unnoticeable, Wraith's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "The parents? Hmm... These ponies care more for their young than we gave them credit for. Still, they've essentially sealed their fate by coming here."

"Actually, that's not all. The parents didn't come together. The two deserters arrived separately, with the female traveling with the mother. The father is by himself."

Wraith simply shrugged, not bothered by this information. "All the easier to deal with them."

"Well, it gets a little more complicated than that," Glory continued, looking a little uneasy. "The parents aren't the only ones concerned about the halfling. Those six mares from Canterlot were spotted in the kingdom not long ago, too."

Wraith grimaced at this news. "The Bearers of the Elements... I'll admit, this isn't something we'd considered. We'll need to take immediate action." The captain looked to the soldier with him. "Rally together the other soldiers. Tell them to be on the lookout for our intruders. If any of you should find them, kill them."

The soldier saluted. "Yes, Sir." With that, he flew back down the corridor, not needing any more reason to get out of the creepy dungeon.

Glory let out an annoyed groan. "Well, this is going to complicate things."

"I may need to push up my meeting with the queen," Wraith mumbled under his breath.

"If you want, I can deal with the deserters," Glory offered with an eager and sinister grin.

Wraith looked over his shoulder at one of the nearby cells. He held a hoof to his chin as a thought came to him. "Actually, that may not be necessary. Why have the knights do all the work when we have disposable pawns?"

Glory could see to what he was referring and grimaced in doubt. "Not a good idea. Releasing all of these prisoners is just asking for trouble."

Wraith slowly approached the cell he'd been looking at. Inside was a lone changeling, his backed turned to them. It sounded as though he were mumbling to himself, and laughing quietly. "Not all of them. Just a select few. Those who can get a job like this done reliably."

The female saw who was in that particular cell, which made her feel all the more doubtful of the idea. "This scum doesn't fit that description. He won't listen to us. Very few of these dirtbags would be willing to go along with this."

"We'll just have to see about that."

Wraith tapped on the solid, translucent wall barring the prisoner inside his cell. The confined changeling turned around, looking over his shoulder at the changeling captain with a menacing smile. He brushed the several strands of hair hanging from the front of his white mohawk out of his face.

"Ah, Captain Wraith. What an honor it is," said the prisoner, a scheming glint in his silver eyes. "I thought I heard your commanding voice and was worried you wouldn't stop to say hello."

Wraith paid no heed to his obviously false hospitality, choosing to get right to the point to avoid having to deal with him any longer than needed. "I'm here to make you an offer."

The prisoner's ears perked up, a curious, yet knowing look coming over his face. "Oh? Well, I suppose I'm in no position to refuse."

"Do you desire your freedom?"

The prisoner's face switched to a rather bemused expression. "A pretty pointless question, don't you think?" he deadpanned.

Glory looked up at Wraith. "Sir, I advise against this. This guy's a psycho."

Wraith chose to ignore the warning, continuing to stare down the prisoner. "You've been listening to us, correct?"

The prisoner's eyes widened a little in surprise. "Hm? Oh, well, maybe just a little," he chuckled. "Let me guess: you're looking for one of us 'disposable pawns' to send out and deal with these intruders you mentioned. That about right?"

"I'm offering you a chance to leave this dungeon. Should you perform your task well, you'll never have to return to this cell."

The prisoner's devious grin widened. "And... will I be free to do as I please with no repercussions?"

Wraith narrowed his eyes at him. "Your reward is your freedom, nothing more. If you continue to displease us, we will gladly return you to your confinement."

The imprisoned changeling breathed a disappointed sigh. "Hmm, probation, is it? Ah, well. Better than nothing, I guess. So, what exactly do you want me to do?"

"As you've been eavesdropping, you are no doubt aware of how many intruders we have. There is a group of two—a pony mare and a female changeling. I want you to target them. Can you handle that?"

The prisoner's sinister grin returned. "Can I... dispose of them how I please?"

"I simply ask that you deal with them. How you do so is of little relevance. Do whatever you wish."

The mohawked changeling rubbed his hooves together excitedly. "Fantastic. So can I go now?"

Wraith's horn lit up with bright green magic. After a moment, the viscous wall sealing the prisoner away began to melt and dissolve. For the first time in who knows how long, the changeling stepped outside his cell, taking a long breath through his nose.

"Ahh. It's not exactly fresh air, but it's better than stewing in there any longer." He cast a glance at Glory and licked his lips, his eyes looking her over. "Although, the view is certainly better out here."

Glory glowered at him, but said nothing.

"You have your objective. And you are not to leave the hive until it is complete. Now, go," commanded Wraith.

The prisoner simply bowed, though the action as well as his smile were blatantly disingenuous. He clearly had no actual respect for Wraith, or any of the soldiers, or any other changeling for that matter. But with freedom on the line, he was eager to get the job done. With a buzz of his wings, he took off and flew down the corridor in search of his designated prey.

Glory shuddered uncomfortably. "I still say this is a mistake. That creep doesn't deserve this chance. We can't trust him."

"It really makes no difference. Whether he succeeds or not, he'll be executed. But the promise of freedom—even a false promise—is required to convince him to aid us. Unfortunately, I have no more time to deal with these prisoners. I have to meet with the queen as soon as possible. Glory, ignore the rest of these miscreants and track down our uninvited guests."

Glory gave him an eager salute, accompanied by a sinister smirk. "Yes, Sir."

With that, Wraith made his way out of the dungeon, leaving Glory alone.

"So you're really gonna trust that maniac?"

At the sound of the unfamiliar voice, Glory turned around to the cell opposite the now open one. Another changeling lay inside on his back, lounging with his hooves resting behind his head; a futile attempt to get comfortable in the barren and unfurnished cells.

"I don't trust him as far as I can throw him," Glory clarified.

"Gotta admit, it was pretty ballsy to say it was a bad idea right to Wraith's face. Not worried about getting offed for your insubordination?"

"I was just saying my piece. Whether or not Captain Wraith chooses to listen to me is ultimately up to him. He knows me well enough to know that."

The changeling in the cell sat up, tilting his head to work the kinks out of his stiff neck. "Well, I'm not complaining. You have no idea how annoying it is to have to listen to that psycho's insane ramblings all day. At least now I'll have some peace and quiet."

Glory smirked. "I'm sure you'd rather have your freedom as well."

The other changeling glanced toward her. "What, looking to recruit me, too?"

Glory shrugged. "That's up to you. Frankly, I'd rather have the lot of you rot down here. Better yet, you should all be axed to save us the trouble of keeping you alive."

The prisoner lay down on the floor again, looking disinterested. "So you can bribe me with hopes of freedom only to kill me off anyway later? No thanks. I'm not as naïve as that incessant idiot."

"Well, you'd only be killed if we found you afterward. No one's stopping you from just fleeing after the job is done."

The male quirked an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. "You think Wraith would be happy if he found out you said that?"

"As if you're going to tell him," Glory said with a confident grin.

The prisoner closed his eyes. "I certainly wouldn't if I decided to go along with this, but it's not really like I have a lot of motivation here. Why risk getting myself killed for a very unlikely chance at freedom? At least down here I get food regularly instead of having to scrounge for it. Could do with some larger portions, though, but you know..."

"Motivation. Hmm... Come over here."

The male opened his eyes again, once more looking suspiciously at Glory. With a reluctant groan, he rose from the floor again. Admittedly, he was curious about what she wanted, so he sauntered over to the green wall separating the two.

With a grin, Glory leaned as close as she could, staring the prisoner straight in the eye. Her horn, as well as her own eyes, began to glow an eerie green. After a few moments, the prisoner's eyes began to glow faintly as well. He felt an uncomfortable tingle run through his skull, as though something were crawling around his brain, and he found himself unable a think clearly for a few moments. However, this all came to an end rather quickly, and he shook his head once Glory stopped doing whatever it was she was doing.

"The hay was that?" he asked, massaging his temple to assuage any remaining discomfort.

Glory's grin grew even more confident. "You said you wanted motivation. Well, I've found you some. Obviously, if you were to agree to help us, you'd be tasked with tracking down one of the intruders in the hive."

"Just one? I thought you said there were a bunch of 'em."

"Then one would be easy for you. I'm giving you the easy job. Kill one intruder, and you're free to go."

"And that's my motivation? That I'm getting an easy job?"

"You're motivation is not that you have to kill one person, it's who that person is. You're familiar with a certain changeling named Shade. You two have history."

The other changeling's eyes widened at the mention of the name. "Shade?"

"So you're job is to find and kill Shade, who happens to be wandering around the hive as we speak. I'd be willing to bet that that's more than enough motivation for you."

The prisoner's mouth curled into a sinister grin, his blood red eyes glinting with excitement at the prospect. "Lady, you just said the magic word."