//------------------------------// // #29 The Rift | 7 // Story: The Rift // by Colors //------------------------------// I “I’m scared,” Autumn whispered, who had pulled her old friend aside mid walk. “I’m scared, Star. I know this is selfish and I know I owe you for trusting in me and... everything, but I’m so scared.” “I’m too,” Gold Star whispered back, hoping her friend would believe just how true that was. “I’m super scared. I don’t know why. It wasn’t like this earlier.” “For me too.” Autumn shivered – literally shivered, even though it wasn’t cold at all. “Star. Let’s leave.” “No.” “Please! I can’t! I’m too afraid.” “We can’t leave.” “Are you in love with her?” Autumn asked, nodding to Sigma. “I am,” Gold Star replied immediately, only to then freeze mid-walk. “Oh gosh. I didn’t know. I didn’t know I was until you just asked. Argh. I’m sorry!” “Why are you sorry?” “Uhm... I don’t know. No idea. I’m scared. I don’t know. I don’t know why. But I can’t leave.” Autumn nodded. “I understand. But I have to-” “Don’t leave!” For a moment, her fear got even worse. “Don’t leave, Autumn. Please!” “But-” “Stay! For me!” “Celestia be damned,” Autumn hissed, biting her lip. “Star, I won’t be able to keep up my transformation.” “What?” II “I’ll turn back! I have to! I can’t focus!” “Why?” “I’m so scared! I can’t think! I can’t focus!” “Wait!” Adrenaline shot through Gold Star’s body as she pivoted around in a panic. “Waitwaitwait! Let me just- okay. Just. Keep it up for moment longer? Sigma!” Sigma turned around and a moment later, Gold Star was hugging her. “I’m so scared! Sigma! Autumn says she can’t keep up her transformation! We have to do something!” “Um. Why can’t-” “She says she’s too afraid,” Gold Star said, still clinging to the other mare. “I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know why now. But she’s as scared as I am. Sigma.” She loosened herself. “Can you help her keep her transformation up?” Sigma shook her head. “No! What do we do then?” “She can-” Sigma began, but Gold Star cut her off again. “We have to tell them! Everypony!” The group came to a halt. “I am about to show you something strange, but please don’t panic! You don’t have to be afraid of her. Uhm-” “Eeek!” Fluttershy suddenly made, then she was in the air, hovering above them under the tunnel’s ceiling. “T-t-t-there. A change-” “Don’t worry!” Gold Star shouted, desperate to keep the situation from escalating. “Autumn is a changeling, but I’ve known her all my life! She’s a good pon- a good mare! She said she was too scared to keep up her transformation! She went down here to help us! Please don’t attack her! Please!” “I have never seen one of these creatures,” Cyclone said, who had turned around at Fluttershy’s scream. “Why would we attack her just because of what she is?” “’cause every changeling ever is evil!” Rainbow Dash cried, swooshing forward to put herself between the changeling and Fluttershy. “Sigma said there would be things down here trying to kill us, and here-” “She isn’t from down here!” “And I’m not evil!” Autumn shouted, who was now in her changeling form. “I left the hive because I didn’t want to hurt others!” “Likely story!” “BE QUIET!” III Everypony turned around. It was Corinne who had shouted. “Panic always makes things worse,” she now said. “Sigma. You’re the one leading us. Do you think this is a dangerous creature.” “No. Um, I-” “Why wouldn’t she be evil?” Lightning Arc cut her off. “You aren’t from here, Corinne. You don’t know changelings. Rainbow Dash is right. They are all evil. Sigma, why would this one be different?” “Um. Because her actions are enough evidence to make it unlikely despite a high prior.” “What?” “Everything she’s done has shown she’s not evil,” Gold Star translated, “so even if most changelings are evil, this one clearly isn’t! She’s left the hive, for Celestia’s sake! What else do you want her to do?” “I had thought none of us would condemn someone for things out of her control,” Gold Petals said. “That doesn’t seem to be the right thing to do for an angel.” “You’re right,” Lightning Arc said. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m just so afraid. I don’t know why.” “It would be good if you got them to listen again,” Sigma said to Corinne, while Rainbow Dash responded something and Lynn said something else. “Quiet!” Corinne shouted again, then nodded to Sigma. “Um. Um. It is somewhat probable that a defense mechanism of the rift is making us more afraid to make us turn around. Does anyone of you not feel much more fear than she did five minutes ago?”