The next morning, the train pulled into the next station to on and off load passengers. Actually, this far south, there weren’t any ponies continuing on south. Twilight and Pinkie made a quick trip to the back of the train, the lounge car has a small platform outside so ponies could stand or watch the world go by.
The two made sure that they weren’t being observed, or at least that they could tell. Twilight quickly hit a scroll with a beam of magic and it vanished. As they went to go back in, they saw a Pegasus flying fast from the south. Pinkie and Twilight tried to hide but keep the pony in sight. It landed among a group of ponies that were on the platform. There was a conversation going on, then they all started galloping off in the direction of some nearby woods.
“That was weird,” said Pinkie.
“I think it may’ve been a reception party for us,” said Twilight, “but apparently there was a change in plans.”
There was a pause, then it hit both mares almost at the same time.
“Trixie!” the two said together.
“I hope to Celestia she doesn’t overplay any deception she might be attempting,” said Twilight.
“I have tried to teach her how to resist the absorption of memories by Changelings.” Said Pinkie, “but she’s been able to learn only so much. Hopefully she doesn’t give them cause to read her. If so, all is lost.”
It looked like Pinkie was going to cry.
“Pinkie,” said Twilight, “I’ve learned about Trixie long ago; don’t count her out, gone or given up. She’s an illusionist, that means she’s an expert at deception. Don’t tell her, but even back in the beginning, I was impressed by her abilities.”
Pinkie chuckled.
The two slipped back into the car, it didn't appear that the two had been observed. They could tell, at least from their vantage point that no ponies had gotten on the train at this stop. There were two blasts of the train’s whistle and the train lurched forward.
In Canterlot…
After reading the message received from Twilight, Celestia and Luna sealed the Throne Room’s doors and went into their hidden sanctum.
The children were playing with some old toys the princesses had kept from when Twilight was a little filly. Twilight had never been back in these rooms then but now the princesses wished they had brought her back here. Little did Celestia know back then, that Twilight would become more than friend.
Now here were her children and their cousin. In spite of the grim news just received, it made Celestia and Luna happy to be around joyful children that they viewed as, to some extent, theirs.
“Aunt Celestia! Aunt Luna!” said the fillies.
Zap said:
“Don’tyouknowthatthey'reprincesses,mommysaidthatwegottoshowthemrespectandbowandcallthemprincess.”
“Zap,” said Celestia, both princesses didn’t have any trouble following the colt’s accelerated speech patterns, “Luna and I are Luna and Celestia’s aunts. As family, those actions aren’t necessary. And because you are their cousin, then you’re family as well.”
“We would be pleased if you call us aunt as well,” said Luna.
There was a large smile on the colt’s face.
“Aunt Celestia,” said Luna Sparkle, “why are our moms so sad?”
As soon as Celestia had received the message from Twilight, she knew the girls would know the state their mothers would be in. Celestia and Luna had some notion as well, but not as acutely as the children.
“My sweet children,” said Celestia. “Your aunt Trixie is missing, and they think she was captured by the Changelings.”
The children gasped. Celestia had decided to just come out with this, she knew with the children’s connection to their mothers, news couldn’t be hidden anyway.
“Is she going to be ‘kay, aunt Celestia?” asked little Celestia.
“My dear niece,” answered Celestia, “I don ‘t know.”
“Your mothers and their friends are powerful,” said Luna, “and your aunt Trixie is a resourceful pony. We are sure that she can take care of herself.”
The smile from the children was weak. The fillies could feel the fear from the princesses. But they also could feel that their aunts had confidence in what they had said. And they knew that their mothers felt safe at this time.
Zap, on the other hoof, had to accept what his cousins and the princesses had said. But he had an almost unshakable faith in the awesomeness of his mother, the greatest flyer in the world.
In Southern Equestria…
The train was continuing south. No attempt, that they could discern, was tried to belay their progress or to capture them. Or maybe that they were going in the direction of The Hive, there was no reason to stop them yet and so, give them a false sense of security.
Or maybe, Trixie’s disinformation had bought them time. Pinkie, however feared that this might have consequences for her wife. She was doubly afraid for her wife and her unborn.
Back in the dining car, the group were eating a frugal breakfast. Even on the train, they needed to make sure that they stayed together.
“Twilight, Darling,” said Rarity, “I know what we're doing. But do you have any idea of how we're going to do this? I mean, they aren’t going to just let us walk up to the front door, knock and tell them that we’re there to have a chat with the queen.”
“I doubt that they’d just do something like that.” Said Twilight, “I doubt that they would even let us get close to The Hive. Unless we were very stealthy.”
“Pinkie,” said AJ, “couldn’t ya change to a Changeling and claim that we’re your captives and you are takin’ us to the queen?”
“Applejack,” said Pinkie, “that might or might not work. As a Changeling I can change my form to appear as some other type of Changeling. But they know us and our number. They would notice that ‘Pinkie’ wasn’t with you. And they might figure who I am before we are ready to let them know… If ever.”
“Is there a problem with them knowing who you are?” asked Cheerilee, “you already said that they were aware that there could be a Changeling among us. Or at least one in Ponyville.”
Pinkie got quiet. There was deep sorrow and sadness on her comely face.
“For now,” said Pinkie, “let it stand that there is something that I have not shared, with even Trixie. That’s for her and your safety.”
Pinkie would say no more about this, and her companions respected this.
The day went by slowly, just a few small station stops and a stop for fuel and water. Otherwise, the group stayed together as much as possible, even having somepony stand outside the lavatory door.
But after the evening meal, they all decided to turn in early. Hopefully the sleep would help ease the apprehension.
In Canterlot…
Two fillies and a colt were snuggled up together on a large cushion in the Princess’ inner sanctum.
Princess Celestia was laying with them while her sister handled the duties of the night.
Unfortunately for a number of ponies in Equestria, the Dream Princess was too busy to help ease their disturbing dreams. She was quite occupied with keeping tabs on her nieces’ slumbers along with their cousin. Because of the fillies connection with their mothers, herself and Celestia, they were open to their fears and apprehensions. Zap was feeling the same kind of fear, but not to the extent of his cousins due not being mentally linked to his mother, but he still feared.
Luna was helping to calm the children by sharing an episode when she and Celestia were fillies.
She and her sister had a glorious day of romping in a field chasing butterflies. Their flight wasn’t quite right yet but they were still able to flit around after the colorful insects. Then the memory of their mother, now long gone, came flying up from behind and tackling her sister and herself to the grass and kissing her children unmercifully.
The joy from so many millennia ago was still as fresh as if it were yesterday.
Luna noticed the smile on her sister’s face because she was sharing this with her as well. Although the tear on her cheek matched the one on Luna’s.
Luna feared for Equestria, she feared for her sister and herself because of the vision many days ago. But she feared for these children most of all. She could feel the pain and loneliness in her heart from when her mother had been killed in a Changeling attack thousands of years ago.
The enemy had been put down, thought destroyed. But it left two ‘teenaged’ fillies (actually they were about one hundred and fifty years old. Still young and immature for Alicorns) to have to learn how to be adults long before they should. The pain of watching their mother die and the emptiness that followed still haunted she and her sister today.
‘I wonder what mommy would think of us today?’ Luna asked herself in her mind.
“She would be proud of us,” said Celestia, putting a foreleg around her sister.
Luna was so distracted that she had not noticed that her sister had gotten up.
Celestia pulled Luna close in a tight hug and kissed her deeply and passionately. When the kiss broke, they both noticed the large smiles on their sleeping nieces’ faces.
“Oh horse-apples,” giggled Luna, “we were still dream-connected. I hope we aren’t going to have to field some questions that the girls might not be ready to understand.”
Celestia giggled quietly as well and nodded her head, but she kissed her sister/lover again anyway.