//------------------------------//
// To Change the Future PT1 
// Story: My Little Universe: Season 7 
// by EquestrianKirin 
//------------------------------//

The nights inside the Changeling Hive were anything but peaceful for Steven and Ruby. Both human and Gem did get the Changelings to get them some food time to time, but it really wasn't all too much in the broad scheme of things. If anything at all, it was just one bit of fruit scrounged up from the wastes outside. Ruby and Steven also were forced to deal with the constant buzzing of passing Changelings over these few days, and sleep itself was anything but easy. That night was no different; Steven and Ruby simply sitting there, hearing the Changelings go about their own plans.
It was such a shame though for Ruby in particular; if Ruby hadn't just rushed off on them, and decided to check out the Badlands, they wouldn't even be in this mess. Ruby just laid there, staring up at the ceiling for a bit longer before looking to her only companion. Both just couldn't get much sleep, if any at all, and were left to just laying there and looking up to the ceiling. The buzzing was only switched when one of the Changelings came back.

"Hey, get up, time to eat," the Changeling said, tossing in some dried fruit at them. It was all they could find at the Badlands, and soon as they did that, both flew away. Steven didn't say much, finding the fruit to eat.

"Steven, now's your chance," said Ruby, "You can get out of here."

"Ruby, I'm not leaving you," Steven said, as he ate the fruit. Ruby can get the idea this was to keep her company, but he wasn't trapped in this cage like she was.

"But … I mean, look at you," Ruby said, worried sick over Steven. It could be a trick of her eye, but she could've sworn Steven looked a little thinner than usual. Steven himself just yawned.

"Don't worry about me. Everything's going to be fine, I promise. We'll both get out, go back home, have a good meal, and you can meet with Sapphire again. I'm not leaving my best friend in here alone," Steven promised. Steven worked hard to try and find them before, he wasn't gonna lose them again. Tired, Steven finally laid down and began to feel himself fall asleep. Hard to believe with much of the noise.

"Oh, Steven," sighed Ruby. She may not need sleep herself, but in such a situation, what else could she even do? Ruby laid down right next to Steven, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.

…….

"STEVEN!"

What a bad wake-up call. The voice, bellowing and strong enough to shake the ground, shocked Steven right back awake. However, he didn't find himself trapped inside the Changeling Hive, but instead within a eerily similar landscape: a land of ice and starry skies. Again. Steven remembered this place pretty vaguely, only seeing it once before, but this time the dream was not going to wait around, and looking around, Steven found that he wasn't alone.
The Spirit of the world yet to come had returned. And she was not pleased. The same cold air filled the area, Steven backing up from the huge figure.

"Uh … Hi?" Steven said humbly. At least before he had someone with him, but he was all alone now.

"Don't you "Hi" me," the spirit bellowed, "I've given you one warning, ONE. SIMPLE. WARNING. And you all just ignored it. The world will fall and it's all your fault." The spirit was getting right to the point this time, no cutting corners and getting to the heart of the issue. Much to Steven's dismay.

"Whoa, no it's not," Steven retorted, his exhaustion making him a little more irritable than usual, "We've been trying to protect the world!"

"No you haven't - you ignored everything I said and STILL brought all the Gems together. I made it perfectly clear to not bring them together, did I not?" snapped the spirit, leaning over him, towering over the boy. Steven couldn't get it, feeling a groan come out of him.

"Well, ok, but that doesn't make sense. How does keeping the Crystal Gems apart be good for the future?! If they're together, we can all protect everyone from the Windigo! Them, AND the changelings," Steven said. but it seemed his words were reaching deaf ears, as much of it didn't even faze the spirit in question. If anything, she was getting more annoyed with the boy.

"The Windigo will come out Because of you," reminded the spirit.

"You're not making this any easier," Steven grumbled. Angry, the spirit was suddenly on top of Steven, her horn dangerously close to his face.

"I DON'T HAVE TO EXPLAIN THE DETAILS!" the spirit roared, snapping Steven out of his irritable nature, making him spooked all over again.

"That's not fair! Isn't there a way to stop them and bring everyone back?" Steven asked, picking himself up.

"NO. The future is a path set in stone. I tried veering you in a new direction, but clearly you'd rather kill off the world than preserve it. Nothing can be done now."

"... Y-You sure?" Steven asked, a bit more humbly this time. That was not the answer he was hoping to hear, but the spirit didn't answer back. The silence was all the answer she needed to give him. Steven felt so defeated ...

"That's not true."

"Huh?"
Now who said that? Sure, this was a dream, but one controlled by the Spirit, so who else was in here with him? Steven looked around for a bit, but eventually both he and the spirit looked off a ways, just to find there indeed was someone else within this little dreamscape with them. Steven recognized her almost immediately.

"RUBY?!" Steven gasped. And even worse, the spirit rushed by him, and was going straight for Ruby! Steven was not going to let her attack Ruby, dream or no, so he rushed right over to the Gem, and got out his bubble shield just seconds before the spirit could flatten them both. A quick save, but the spirit was still angry.

"Ruby, how'd you get in here?!" Steven asked, shocked.

"I don't know, I just fell asleep and next thing I knew I'm here. Steven, you okay? What's she talking about?" Ruby asked. The spirit cut their conversation short when her long horn skewered the bubble, popping it instantly. Both human and Gem were now exposed to the gigantic creature. The spirit was upset with her, though didn't want to kill her immediately.

"This is none of your concern, RUBY. How much did you hear?" The spirit questioned, looming over them both.

"All of it?" Ruby replied, "But you can't change the future? That isn't true."

"How would you know?" The spirit asked, towering over Ruby. Ruby felt a cold shiver run through her body confronting this being, but she was not alone. Steven kept close to her, right beside her, and that reassurance was enough to at least give her strength to speak.

"Well, I did it! I changed fate. While I worked for Homeworld, Sapphire said the Crystal Gems would fall, and she would be shattered, but I saved her instead! If it wasn't for me, Homeworld would've taken Earth and made it another colony," Ruby answered. The spirit paused for a moment. Steven remembered going through something similar to this in his own dreams years ago, the details replaying in his head how he would've seen it. Ruby too replayed the events in her head as she said them, and since they were in a dreamscape, much of both was actually played out for the spirit to see herself. So, no matter if the Spirit did know of it or not, the proof was already there. There were plenty of other things that wouldn't of happened, though Ruby and Steven felt this was more than enough.

"THAT future was already set," the spirit scoffed, "The one Sapphire said was just pleasing her Diamond, that's all. Any Gem would lie to make their Diamond happy."

"W-Well ... well … Can you show us WHY this is so bad?" Steven finally asked. Ruby felt this spirit was just lying to them now, but then again, she didn't know more about the future than Steven did. The Spirit gave a long groan.

"I didn't want to have to play this card … but you left me no choice."

And so she did. Spreading her wings, Ruby and Steven felt the cold winds of the Windigo rush by them, and the environment around them all changed. Soon, it was no longer the flat ice plain there, but instead, they saw a vague, yet accurate vision: ALL of the Crystal Gems, all facing some sort of dark entity. It was a bit hard to tell who it exactly was, but they began to see what looked like tentacles shoot out from the darkness as evil laughter echoed around them. All the Gems rushed forward, but in an instant, the angry enemy's tentacles skewered out all over the place. And got each and every single Crystal Gem on the spot, leaving nothing left but scattered stones. Steven and Ruby were stunned at this quick, yet violent destruction.
And as for what attacked them, it didn't look like any creature they've seen yet. It looked vaguely pony, dark like shadow. They thought it was Sombra, but this creature looked to be completely made of shadow, unlike the dreaded unicorn before.

"Happy now?" The spirit then asked. The broad idea was all there: the Crystal Gems falling to this new adversary. In a flap of the wing, the entire vision disappeared, leaving nothing behind. Steven and Ruby were quiet, now having a better idea on what was to happen.

"... No. … You're lying," Ruby said.

"Take the truth how it stands, as I have already done," the spirit stated. Ruby and Steven thought it over and over again, taking in what details there was in that onslaught.

"... Wait … wait, no, that's NOT the future!" Steven realized. The spirit felt insulted.

"True as I'm standing here. All the Crystal Gems will -"

"But they're NOT all there! I'm here, Ruby's here, and Flint actually left the team! That's not everyone, maybe we can still stop him!"

The spirit had enough.

"You'll pick anything just to feel right, don't you? THE FUTURE OF THE REALMS WILL FOREVER BE GONE!"
The winds began to grow even more harsh and horrid, blowing right at Ruby and Steven. The idea was to force them awake, but surprisingly, Ruby's own warmth was preventing her from doing just that, the harsh winter stopping altogether.

"Have you ever tried to change the future?!" Steven asked.

"That's not my place to involve in. Besides, even if the future wasn't the result I showed, there's nothing you can do anyway, for it is you two that are trapped."

"You're wrong! We can change the future, and we will save everyone!" Steven announced. The spirit was actually backing up, but not amused by all this defiance.

"Be it by your own head." And with that the spirit rushed skyward, the entire world turning black. There was no wind now, only the slight warmth between Steven and Ruby. In fact, the only thing they could see was eachother, just floating around as if they were in space.

"Steven. … Steven, I'm so sorry."

"What for?"

"For everything! Steven, I was the one who told everyone, I made everyone run away, and now all of our friends are in danger because of all this! If we would just stay together, we wouldn't even be trapped right now! I should've let Pearl say it herself instead of going off on her! … I'm the worst." Ruby was close to crying by that point, her wiping away some tears. Steven reached to her, holding her hands.

"Ruby, no you're not, not even close. Even if you told everyone what happened, you're still one of my two favorite people in the entire world. Everyone had the right to know. We all love you Ruby, alone and as Garnet, and nothing you can say or do is ever going to change that."

Ruby stayed quiet at first, and eventually, slowly, a smile began to come up on her innocent face. It took a minute or two of silence, before Ruby went right up to Steven and gave him a hug, good and tight with a smile on her face. Her time alone made her almost forget that, and Steven was more than happy to return the hug.

*FLASH*

…….

"W-what? … what? …"

"D-Do we tell Chrysalis about this?"

Soon, Steven and Ruby were both back in the plain of reality (as much as reality as it could be). Some details to note: much of the buzzing was actually quieter now, much of the Changelings not as active. In fact, looking up to the exit, there was actually at least ten to twelve Changelings looking in, curious and a bit perplexed by what they were looking at. They got up, but when they did, they both felt a bit … well, taller. It took Ruby and Steven a few more seconds to realize what actually happened in there.

"This … is … AMAZING," the figure said, her eyes starry and in amazement. She took a bit to see herself over. She was about as tall as Garnet or Rhodonite, but with a bit of a thicker build almost as thick as Smoky Quartz. The outfit on her had Steven's shirt and shorts, with the Ruby outfit mixed underneath it. Her hair was still square in shape, though a bit more curly with rounded corner. One gemstone on her stomach, and one in the palm of her left hand, both now a redder pink.

It was a more subconscious approach, but a fusion's a fusion. And none of the Changelings knew what to do. One brave Changeling flew directly into it after a while.

"Who're you?!" the Changeling demanded. The fusion looked up to the Changeling horde, and looked down to the changeling in front of her. Both components to the fusion were not fond of the Changelings at all, so she didn't answer it right away.

"Like you need to know," she huffed. It wasn't a completely cold statement, slightly more childish actually.

"WHERE'RE THE OTHER PRISONERS?!" demanded one of the Changelings from above. The changeling in the prisoner's cell looked around, but couldn't find them anywhere.

"They're not in here! … unless …" The changeling looked to the fusion, and then saw the gemstone that once belonged to Steven. The Changeling looked up to the fusion, flying right in her face.

"What did you do to them?!" the Changeling asked.

"Hey, back up bug!" the fusion demanded back, moving the Changeling back a bit. The fact she fused was a bit of a step already, and while she didn't want to step down to a Changeling, she knew she had to do something otherwise things would get nasty.

O-Oh Gemeny, we're caught so soon, uh … Ruby, any ideas?

I'm trying to think! Um … uh … OH!

"I got hungry."

… OKAY THEN. To say the changeling was shocked was an understatement.

"You ATE THEM?!" The Changeling asked, completely terrified. The other changelings above couldn't believe their own ears either. But though, seeing the bug terrified at the though did give the fusion an idea, getting a clever smirk on her face. both sides weren't known for trickery, but take a lie as it comes.

"Yes, I did. Not half-bad either - a little crunchy but with just a touch of mellow smoothness. And unless you wanna get eaten too, you'll let us - er, ME leave!" the fusion instructed. For some extra measure, the fusion even lunged forward, and biting near the Changeling. What were they supposed to do now?! They needed Steven and Ruby for the portal to work permanently, but how were they gonna do that with this person EATING them already? As if on cue, they all then heard a notable growl coming from the fusion's human stomach.

"AH! A-alright, alright, jump out of here! Just stay over there for now, ok?" The changeling squeaked. He must be a high guard, because every other changeling above agreed. The fusion was glad to hear that, and jumped right out of the pit, making most of the Changelings scatter away from her. None of them wanted to be on the menu for whatever she was, and better yet, they didn't split once jumping out, though the glowing veins Steven had still shown on this fusion. In her head, Steven was feeling good to have a getaway plan, and Ruby was laughing at how quickly that worked.

Woo, we're out! Now to find the others, stop the Changelings and that evil pony, and save the world again!

But there was still one more problem, making her stop.

"Any of you mind showing me the way out of here?"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Chrysalis would find out eventually. The fusion froze on the voice, as Chrysalis jumped down from a opening in the hive, much of the Changelings humbled at the angry mother.

"Oh clod," the fusion thought, shaking in her shoes.

"WHY are you letting them out?!" Chrysalis yelled.

"B-Because she ate them, my queen. She said so!" A changeling answered. Chrysalis turned to the now shaken fusion, and her hoof met her face. Groaning, she turned back to the hive.

"Ate them?! Blast. … Ah well, we'll just need a new source for permanent power. Changelings go and lock her - where'd she go?"

It was a split second, but the fusion was already running like mad to try and find their way out. No way were either of them going to stay around right with the Changeling Queen. In this mad dash though there was so many factors working against them: she was glowing, the hive was alert, and the tunnels themselves were so disorientating, they could've sworn that they were moving on their own! They got a headstart, sure, but that didn't help in the broad scheme of things, especially when they skidded to a stop at a crossroads.

"Ok. Ok. Eenie … meanie -" the fusion stop talking at one more factor that was working against her: suddenly, the tunnels began to close off! Two of them did so, as if an entire tunnel had just disappeared, only leaving them with one path.

"Uh. I guess you," The fusion shrugged, running right through …

…

"AAHH! CRUD CRUD CRUD CRUD CRUD!" ONLY to be met by a Changeling patrol. Go figure: the Changeling Hive would direct them to the Changelings themselves. Several Changeling guards flew right at the fusion, teeth snapping and almost grabbing them. The fusion did turn back on occasion to either punch, or kick a Changeling back, but it wasn't much help.

For stars sake, where're they all coming from?!

I don't know, there's got to be a way out of this hive! THERE!

Salvation, they actually found a hole connecting right off to outside, them just able to see the stars. It was their only shot to get out of this place. Unfortunately, the Hive itself almost seemed to be working against them: and not only did that hole close, another one opened up under their feet. The Changelings zoomed over the hole, almost slamming into the other wall, but when they got down there, the fusion was simply gone. not a sign of her anywhere. Much of the swarm split up down the tunnel, and soon they were gone from sight … the fusion moving a rock off of her.

"GEESH, those bugs sure are determined," the fusion sighed, catching her breath. "At least we're out of there way. Now to get out."
But where was out? The tunnels seemingly had a mind of their own, and can change and alter at anytime somehow. The fusion, now a bit more calm, tried to think of some method to get out without drawing too much attention to Steven or Ruby.

Steven, un-fuse with me for a minute. I can clobber that wall down with one punch!

Ruby, you can't form that way! … Wait. Can we still do that?

The fusion wasn't sure if it would still apply to this, but heck it'll be worth a try if it could even work. Ruby and Steven were NOT going to stick around, so Ruby tried summoning her gauntlet … only to find nothing. She tried over and over again, her doing a sort of fist-pump action for a bit, but accomplishing nothing ... except for looking like an idiot.

"... OK, plan B, hope a hole opens up outside," the fusion confirmed. She wasn't going to wander around to find one, that would just make them all even more lost. So, all she did was sit there and waited for a hole to randomly open up to this place. …

And one actually did after a half an hour!

"YES!" the fusion gasped, springing to her feet and running right for it, only for the hole to close up a few moments later. "Nooo …"

Moments later, another hole opened up to outside, but when the fusion got to it, it slammed just literally seconds before they could get out, making them charge right into the wall.

"Quit trolling me, hive!" the fusion shouted … a little too loudly. The fusion clamped her mouth shut, her "Ruby" coming out at a bad time. The whole hive was on alert, and it would be back to square zero point five if they were to be found out again. It really didn't help that they were just glowing practically either.

"Ok, forget this, I'm making my own hole," the fusion decided. They had no time to wait for another hole to open, and so they began punching the wall. The strength was a bit dulled down thanks to the Changeling Hive, but it still was the only strength they got, and both had plenty of determination to do this, even if the punches were hurting them more than the wall. Ruby was not a type to give up when her mind was locked onto something. The changelings were buzzing closer and closer, and the fusion was working like mad to break through the wall, getting some good cracks in it.

"There she is!" shouted a Changeling from a hallway that opened up behind her (because why not?). The fusion tried to get out a bit more panicked this time, as the horde rushed right towards her. All the fusion could do was quickly duck, as the horde charged by … slamming through the wall for them.

"... Thank you!" called the fusion, before jumping out of the hive's interior.

They weren't out of trouble just yet though. Sure, they were out of the hive, but they still had a whole empty field until they could reach the boundryline. It was a straight line, away from the hive, and right to the finish line. The fusion took a deep breath to regather herself.

Ready, Ruby?

As I'll ever be.

"On go. Three. Two. One. … GO!"
On go, the fusion made the mad run for their lives. It was a dash for the boundary, and if they could just get passed that before the Changelings could get them, they'll at least have a fighting chance. Much of the Changelings only managed to see them once they got a good fifty feet away from the hive. A much better headstart than what they got inside the hive. Some of the Changelings were ready to rush after them, when Chrysalis managed to see them go off.

"Stop!" Chrysalis shouted to the Changelings.

"But she's getting away!"

"I see that, and now that thing's out of our manes. She doesn't know about our big plan."

"But she ate our power sources!" retorted one of the followers. Chrysalis gritted her teeth on that reminder.

"We can get more power sources when we arrive into Earth. All we have to do is complete the Warp Pad, and everything will fall into place."


~~~~~~


To say things had heated up back at the barnyard was a bit of an understatement. Much of the parties had come together after hearing Pearl, Emerald, and Star Quartz had come back, but the bigger and more urgent news was more about that of Pharynx, and the information regarding the Changelings as a whole. This was a problem they've kept away long enough: a changeling disguising itself as Twilight, one taking the bloodstone off of the bloodstone scepter, one attacking Sniper as Lapis, and now replacing Steven and Ruby. whatever plan they got going here, it was coming to fruition soon.
At the moment, there was plenty of conversation with the Crystal Gems and mane six, along with the Off-colors and Starlight's friends too who were present, Twilight still trying to work out Starswirl's book. Thorax himself was on his way with Spike and Sapphire, although while he was excited at first, little by little, he wasn't feeling all too excited about it. It didn't help that there was so many of them at once too.

"Eh, I don't know. M-Maybe I should look like a pony or something? They might warm up to me a little faster," Thorax quietly suggested.

"Come on, it'll be fine. We'll go warm them up, and you just come in on your cue," Spike said, strolling over to the group. Thorax decided to keep on the safe side, and disguised himself as a rock. Nothing suspicious about a rock anyday. Sapphire and Spike went over to the group.

"Hello everyone," Sapphire said.

"Sapphire, Spike, there you are! I got worried sick, you two ok?" Twilight asked.

"Sure, but what's all the hubbub?" Spike asked

"I'll tell you what: we have a Changeling problem. I know you might not want to hear this, but …" Jasper took a deep breath. "They have Steven."

"Steven AND Ruby," reminded Lapis, "Somewhere in the Changeling Kingdom."

"Oh my. How'd you find that out?" Sapphire gasped. She was more surprised that they actually got the information first before Thorax could get it out. Then again, the information about Pink Diamond was a similar story, so who was she to say otherwise?

"Pinkie Pie's epic stroke of a hunch got it out, apparently," Starlight replied, fluffing the pink mare's mane.

"It was nothing," Pinkie shrugged, waving her hoof.

"Can we focus please?" Pearl asked, "Steven and Ruby need our help, does anyone know where this changeling place even is? Who knows what they could be going through in there?"

"What about the rest of us?" Rhodonite asked, scared out of her mind, "Here's Ruby and Steven trapped in such a terrifying place, who's to say they didn't replace anyone else?"

"Rhodonite, don't start that, things are nutty already," Tiger's Eye groaned.

"They said Changelings can disguise as anyone, CLEARLY THAT'S AN OPTION!" Rhodonite retorted.

"Calm down please," Connie said. "We just gotta find a way to this place. Anybody got any ideas?"
not much was brought out at first, as none of them really had seen the changeling hive's main place before, but Sapphire and Spike found this the perfect Segway in.

"I think we know just the guy to help," Spike said.

"You do?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yes, we do. He's got all the knowledge about the hive, and he's a good friend. Introducing …!" Spike even got in a sort of introductory pose for Thorax to come out. However, Thorax's main entrance was rudely interrupted when something else actually jumped onto the "rock", and reveal himself to the group.

"Eh, Spike, I introduced Sniper already," Starlight said.

"... Huh?"

"Hi there, glad I found you," said Sniper. Thorax could feel the weight of the Tindalos on top of him, and it didn't help that Sniper jumped off him, the claws digging in by mistake. Thorax was NOT coming out now, no matter who said what.

"Me too," said Starlight, "good you can show up. Listen, Steven and Ruby are missing, and -"

"I may have done something really terrible," Sniper cut in, gravely. In front of so many beings that could kill him on site, that was rather bold of him to just go out to say.

"Really?" Rhodonite questioned.

"Isn't he one of those who nearly killed you guys?" Star asked. Both Gems got cut short with Emerald hitting them.

"Anyway, you have a Changeling in your company?" Sniper asked. Spike felt tense on that question more than most. His friend Thorax was already almost killed by a Tindalos already, and with how many Changelings had come about the place, this question had a sense of irony. Suddenly, he didn't feel so thrilled about introducing Thorax right away, not with Sniper here.

"Not at all," Starlight blankly stated.

"WELL, unless you count Pharynx for about fifty five seconds," Pinkie chimed in. Thorax couldn't believe they knew Pharynx by name, making him even more nervous. Sniper though gave a sigh of relief.

"I thought so. I'm afraid I got something to tell you - My dad's gone on about some "menagerie" of the changelings with the rest of you for attacking me. … And. Well, there's going to be an attack."

"What?! An attack?! When, where?!" Trixie asked, in a panic. She wasn't sure if the other Tindalos would fancy her "teleportation" trick on their boss. Thorax didn't find this any better either, as with everybody else.

"Trixie, calm down. It could just be some trick," Rhodonite said.

"But it's true," insisted Sniper, "When I got back to our cavern not long ago, I heard my father planning it. I came to warm all of you."

"But he's your father, why would you do that? I thought you liked him," Starlight asked.

"... Because of you. You never gave up on me, even after I long did. I wanted them to keep you safe," Sniper admitted. A bit forward, but they saw the logic in it somewhat. All of this aside though, their attention went on back to Trixie, who at this point was freaking out.

"Changeling invasion, and a Tindalos attack?! I can't deal with this, I'm just a performer! This is - this is princess-level stuff!" Trixie said, her voice stuttering a little bit. Pink diamond finally had enough of her stuttering, and got a hit on her head, making her come back around.

"... Thanks. … Ouch."

"Look, everything's going to be fine. Sniper, Spike said you have all the information we need for the Changeling Hive. what is it you can tell us?" Connie asked. Sniper was … confused.

"Eh? … What're you talking about?"

"Spike just said you were an expert, just now," said Amethyst. Well, Spike was on the spot, feeling a bit nervous. He intended Thorax to come out, not Sniper.

"Did he? I know all my knowledge on changelings from Starlight, I'm not any expert. … Or did he mean someone else?" Sniper questioned. Spike gulped, this whole introduction was going way downhill. But before he could even get a word in, Sniper's nose suddenly picked something up. The accidental cut on Thorax got a new scent in the air, and it wasn't until this point that Sniper got a hold of it.

"Ok, do you know ANYTHING about Changelings we should know about?" Rhodonite asked. Sniper started to sniff the air.

"Hmm … funny smell," Sniper said, as he began to near Thorax himself. The Changeling got more and more scared as Sniper neared him. He could look like anybody anyday, but scent was universal, and Sniper saw through the appearance in no time at all, immediately going right up to Thorax. Sniper was right in Thorax's face, the so-called rock beginning to shiver. Spike needed to do something fast for a better impression, and quickly sat down onto the rock.

"EH, you sure you don't have anything else for us, Sniper ol buddy, ol pal?"

"I barely know you," Sniper said, more focused on the scent he was picking up. It was then that Sniper's nose hit Thorax's eye.

"OW!" Thorax was exposed. He couldn't keep it up for too long after that, and it made Sniper bolt back, Spike landing on Thorax's back. Not the BEST first impression ever, but there was an immediate alarm when most of the group saw him, some scared while others readied to attack him.

"SPIKE! What is that?!" demanded Peridot.

"W-what's what?" Spike asked.

"THAT! STANDING THERE!"

"Spike, get away from the Changeling!" Twilight demanded, and before spike could even try to explain, her aura got around spike and brought him to their side, leaving Thorax standing all alone with a wave in front of him.

"Wait, you don't understand, he -"

"He was spying on us to report our plans back to Chrysalis, what other explanation could their be?" Bismuth retorted.

"He's not going anywhere," said Pearl, readying her spear right to Thorax.

"STOOOOOP!"

Everything immediately stopped at once, Sapphire's voice leaving a echo in the winter air as the Gem went in the way between Pearl and Thorax.

"Pearl. Put the spear away."

"B-But, but isn't that -"

"HE isn't a danger. This is Thorax, and he's my friend," Spike finally announced. He wished it could've gone a bit better, but might as well take it as it was. There was … an awkward moment when they heard this. didn't they just go over how dangerous Changelings were? The silence hung in the air a bit, and Thorax began to feel like this was a bad idea.

"It's okay, I know nopony wants to be friends with me. I'm used to it."

"Now, hold on there. You mind explainin yourself?" AJ asked.

Deja Vu.

"It's a long story, but the short version is that I always wanted a friend. None of the changelings were nice to me, and ever since I saw you fight at the Canterlot Wedding, I wanted to share that love. … I just never got an actual chance to until now," Thorax explained, looking to Spike and Sapphire.

"... Heh, I buy it," Amethyst shrugged.

"He doesn't look like he wants to hurt anyone," Fluttershy agreed. Guess this was the actual expert Spike was talking about, and she was actually quite impressed Spike was able to do this.

"Alright, Thorax. If Spike says your his friend, then so am I," Twilight said. This made Thorax feel a little bit better, as Sniper moved over towards Trixie.

"That's a bit quick, don't you think?"

"It tends to happen a lot. but they did forgive a Tindalos after they tried to eat them," Trixie whispered back, according to the stuff she heard from Starlight Glimmer.

"A Tindalos? I-Is that what you are?" Thorax asked.

"Yeah," replied Sniper, "Only my kind can grow a lot bigger than me. You already knew that though, I bet."

Thorax gulped. "One kind of tore my back hoof off, and tried to eat me. It was Spike and Sapphire who saved me."

"Hmm … yeah, that's my dad alright."

"WHAT?!"

"CAN WE FOCUS?" Pearl asked urgently, "This is fine and all, but we still have the Changeling problem, and NOW a Tindalos problem to deal with. He need to know where the Changeling Hive is on top of Ponghenge," reminded Pearl, dead set on getting Steven and Ruby back. They were so close to recovering completely from the secret she had to say, and she wanted the full one hundred percent score in this game of theirs. Thorax felt a bit more troubled though hearing they would go off into the deep end.

"Ponhenge? What's that?" Thorax asked.

"It's an ancient area of Equestria where the pillars of Equestria are trapped in. We've been trying to find a way to get em out, and we have everything … except for where it is," Tiger's Eye explained, showing Thorax the book in question. Thorax had never really heard of Starswirl the Bearded, let alone what could be in the book, and as he was looking through it, he was left kind of stumped himself. Old Ponish was definitely in there, but there're parts when it just didn't add up much at all.

"What kind of language is this? I've never seen any like it before."

"Beats me," Tiger's Eye replied, as Thorax just passed it to Pearl. It was all just a humbled mess, and he couldn't figure it out.

"We gotta be close to something! Seriously, we only have two Gems missing, and the only thing left for those pillars is -"

"Within the heart … of the temple of Ponhenge." Pearl said, actually READING off the book. Twilight couldn't believe her ears.

"You can read that?!" Twilight asked, shocked.

"Well yeah. It is a bit sloppy, but looks like Starswirl actually knows Gem writing. It's actually decently legible," Pearl replied, as she continued to read.

"At the … base of foal mountain. … we're to have our last stand," Pearl finished. It really wasn't too fancy of writing, but DANG did that answer come up quick. Twilight wasn't gonna question how Starswirl knew Gem writing (he knew everything, what else did she expect?).

"Well, sounds like a clue to me," Spike said.

"But what about the hive?" asked Starlight.

"You're going right to the hive? Well, the thing is -"

"Wait, what're we doing? Thorax, you're a changeling, you know where the Hive is, right?" Rhodonite asked.

"Well, sure, it's in the Badlands. It's like a giant, rocky beehive."

"That's all we need to hear. Power up, ladies, we're going in!" Pinkie said, immediately pulling out her portal key almost right away.

"W-Wait, right now?! Guys, wait, hold on a second!" Thorax said, but they were a bit quick to go off into the portal to save Steven and Ruby. In fact, only Sapphire stayed behind with Padparadscha, the rest through the portal already.

Panicked, Thorax rushed through the portal they just made, and soon, the group ended up finding themselves just along the boarders of the Changeling hive. It wasn't inside the changeling hive, nor anywhere close, but being right on the boardline of the hive was a bit of a risky set up. It was luck alone that the changelings weren't anywhere around, otherwise they'd all be caught on the spot. Still, this was a bit of confusion to take.

"Huh? We're over here, and the hive's over there. But why're we over here?" Pinkie pondered.

"No biggie," Amethyst said, "let's get our A-game on."

"NO!" Thorax finally had enough, and grabbed Amethyst by her hair just before she could just rush on in. Good thing too, because amethyst suddenly found her face glitched up the second it passed the boundary line, surprisingly practically everyone there. Amethyst quickly got her face back the minute she got behind the line, pulled by Thorax.

"What happened?" Rainbow asked.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you! Nothing but Changeling magic works here," explained Thorax, "Chrysalis's throne is made out of a dark stone that soaks up magic the way Changelings soak up love. And she even added a Bloodstone so Gem magic can be sucked away too. It's how she keeps the hive safe!"
Better late than never. To test this, Twilight moved over towards the boundary line, her horn glowing and just passed the line. It was just a simple spell, but when she casted it, the only thing that came out was a fine mist, and nothing else. This would explain why the Portal Keys didn't get them to the right place - they can't work passed the line. It didn't help more than half the group can't even go into the hive without glitching out.

"So … do you happen to have a plan B?" Peridot asked. This was a bit of a tough spot. Either someone needed to use magic, or was made of magic. Sapphire and Padparadscha caught up by this point, and it was Sapphire who took center stage.

"I do."

"Great! … What is it?" Trixie asked.

"Like all the best plans, it's simple. How many of you don't use magic?"

Pinkie, AJ, Sniper, Connie, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Spike went over towards Thorax.

"Good. You all can rescue Steven and Ruby inside that Hive. The rest of us can go to Ponhenge and release the Pillars of Equestria for the Tindalos."

"You can count on us," Applejack promised.

This was all nice, but for Thorax, there was one tiny thing he still had on him he neglected to mention …


~~~~~~


"The portal is almost ready, my queen."

Chrysalis sure was pleased. EVERYTHING was falling well into place now: with the boundaries of their make-shift Warp Pad nearly complete, Chrysalis couldn't wait to get rolling with her plans. Knowing of a world outside of her own she can exploit will not only better her chances here, but over there as well. Such opportunity she was NOT going to slip by again. With the bloodstone powering it, and the emotions she sucked out giving it some life, she was just but minutes away from actually getting it working.

"Excellent work. As soon as Thorax returns with the final piece, the next universe will be ours for the taking. AND, once we get our extra power, we will regain Equestria. Two worlds all for us!" Chrysalis declared. All of the Changelings cheered and applauded her for such a brilliant idea.

"Speaking of which, where is Thorax?" whispered one of the Changelings.

"I don't know, but he better get here soon. I'm starving," the other Changeling replied. It was hard finding food in the badlands to begin with, the chance to get a power boost in another world was too good to pass up. They simply had to wait until Thorax would come back, wherever he would be.
Then the crowds quieted down, as they heard a particularly notable buzzing noise. Changelings all had their own specific sounds in flight, and when they heard this buzz, they all knew who was coming back from his flight.

Thorax.

"AH, welcome back home. I trust you didn't fail me this time? And where is Pharynx?" Chrysalis asked, as Thorax landed by his fellow Changelings.

"I-I don't know. The last time I heard him he was checking out something on Earth. He never said -" Thorax was cut off when Chrysalis was suddenly in front of him again, taking a closer look at his wings.

"Your wings look … different," Chrysalis said. Thorax looked back to his wings, which unlike every other Changeling, now looked sparkly, and shimmered even in the dim light.

"I guess they do," Thorax shrugged. His shimmering wings were kind of a new detail to him, but lucky for him, Chrysalis didn't care for it too much.

"Aren't you excited for this, Thorax? The worlds will soon belong to all of the Changelings," Chrysalis said. The other Changelings were more than happy to agree, but for Thorax, the idea itself felt a bit more muffled this time. Especially after what he had just gone through.

"Uh, y-yes, my queen, of course but … um … Maybe this isn't such a good idea?"

"... WHAT?" Chrysalis's glare made Thorax back up. He never could truly talk to the queen unless if it was agreeing with her on anything, but him seeing the dangers of the other world himself, it was something he was a bit more sure on. sort of.

"W-Well, I've seen that world myself, and … it looks a bit dangerous."

"Of course it's dangerous," Chrysalis exclaimed, "And it's that danger we can use, and bring back here. That's the whole point!"

"But what if it doesn't work?!"

Every changeling and their brothers turned to Thorax. A plan from Chrysalis. Not work? One might as well hang from a tree saying that, and those words made Chrysalis hiss at him.

"... Why would you think that? Thorax?"

"I-I'm sorry, let me try again," Thorax said humbly, "I mean to say that we, uh, don't exactly understand this other world either. W-what if something comes in we Changelings can't - I-I mean … didn't intend?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Thorax," Chrysalis said, rolling her eyes, "Isn't that what you already did out in the field with Pharynx? We got a pretty good idea already."

"W-Well, I was just thinking … it might not be the hive's best if we -" Thorax was silenced with Chrysalis's hoof almost slamming onto him.

"I decide what's best for my subjects! Not some cowardly grub!" Chrysalis made clear. Thorax gulped.

"O-Ok, sorry, sorry. I-I'm just worried what else can happen if we do this … that's all." Not the entire truth, but it was something they could get behind, including Chrysalis. Thorax was waiting for a verbal or even physical thrashing, but nothing came up except for Chrysalis bringing his eyes to hers.

"Don't you worry your head. By the time anything surprising happens, we will be in control of everything. All we need now, is you to add the remaining piece of the Warp Pad onto this. when it connects, so will out ticket into their world," Chrysalis announced. Thorax did indeed had the piece with him, hidden underneath his back plates. But after what he saw and nearly happen, he just wasn't so sure. Chrysalis was seeing this all too well from him.


"Oh Thorax," Sighed Chrysalis, as she began to slowly circle him.

(Unleash the Magic - parody)

Chrysalis; I realize that you've always been the outcast.
It's not everyday a changeling likes to smile.
I've found some others just like you, I've had one, or maybe two
But they always disappear in a short while!

Changelings; Oh oh wah oh wah, oh oh wah oh wah

Chrysalis's circling stopped by this point, as a few other Changelings began to slowly move over to him (exception being Kevin), crowding him, and making Thorax back up towards the nearly-complete warp pad, and right by Chrysalis's holed hooves. Thorax turned around fast to see Chrysalis face to face, her eyes so close her muzzle pressed his.

Chrysalis; Now, I understand you have your little worries.

Chrysalis backed up, and brought out some stones, which vaguely looked like that of a changeling as she sang.

It's hard to feel your strength now quite so torn.
but if we don't win this time, I think you will realize
what would happen if we have the losing score!

Chrysalis made her point clear when she stomped down on the stone, crumbling it to pieces much to Thorax's horror. It was plain as day: they would be killed if this didn't work. It was then the other Changelings, which now were above him, started to make their point clear as well.

Changelings; Complete the magic! Complete the magic!
If we lose, then you're to blame!
They've all have used it. Maybe abused it.
So then why can't we do the same?! (Oh oh wah oh wah, oh oh wah oh wah)

Thorax was in such a corner. And his queen surely wasn't helping him out either, now on her throne in a position not dissimilar to Rarity's "drama" moods.

Chrysalis; Call it power (power!)
Call it magic (magic!)
If we lose, it will be tragic (tragic!)
More important, is the new home we have lost.

Chrysalis got back up again, Thorax looking to the portal, and Chrysalis right above his shoulders, moving her head to his ear as she continued the song.

Chrysalis; It is a chance of a lifetime
for something truly divine!
Isn't rescuing your kind not worth the cost?

Changelings; Oh oh wah oh wah, oh oh wah oh wah

The changelings flew over Thorax's head in a circular manor, as if they were but the angel or devil themselves speaking to Thorax's ears. On one hoof, he would be saving his species, but the expense is that everyone else would suffer. Was there another way around this?

Changelings; Complete the magic! complete the magic!
We're not friends here, after all.
Our only interest
in this business
Is seeing Canterlot palace fall! (Oh oh wah oh wah, oh oh wah oh wah)

Thorax was soon at the center of the room, with various Changelings circling him either by trotting or by flying, leaving him at the very center alongside Chrysalis, who landed right in front of him.

Chrysalis; What I am asking's very simple (aahhh)
And it's this win that we all need (aahhh)
You only want to know about (aahhh)
the new power you've have seen. (aahhh)

Chrysalis then began to fly upward, right in the middle of the circling Changelings, leaving Thorax down on the ground by himself, staring up at the display.

Chrysalis; and as for me, and all the others (aahhh)
We only want what we deserve (aahhh)
That our kind will clench the win

Changelings+Chrysalis; AND OUR LEGECY WILL ENDURE!

The changelings began to march up towards Thorax once more, all in time with eachother, and blocking the only possible exit. Thorax had no choice but to stay still, as they sang and moved around him.

Changelings; Complete the magic! Complete the magic!
If we lose, then it's a crime.
but we can win it, if you begin it.
It's up to you to NOT FAIL THIS TIME!

Thorax was left only the path back to the nearly complete Warp Pad, changelings side by side, and Chrysalis landing behind him. One straight line, defying one destiny over another. Changelings amongst the rows still had the same message repeated over and over again, like a nagging echo.

Changelings (male); Complete the magic, free the gateway now!
Changelings (female); Complete the magic, free the gateway now!

Thorax slowly began to walk over towards the warp pad with the final piece, and as he was, his mind really was going off on which decision was the right one, racing through thoughts and outcomes.
On one hoof; him being amongst the friendly Gems and ponies who, even without his disguise, still showed him a level of friendship never shown by Chrysalis. Smiling. Playing. Friends for the first time in a lifetime, and for a lifetime.

Thorax; Imagine all I'll learn by setting it free …

On the other hoof; he could see himself admired by all of his fellow Changelings. They'd show him as the savior to the whole Changeling race, the spark that reignited the fire for his kind. Cheering. Applauding. A hero of his species, now and forever.

Thorax; … And now saving my kind depends on me …

It was a choice between true friendship, and admiration. almost before he realized it, he was standing inches away from the warp pad. Just one piece. ONE. FINAL. PIECE. and it will change everything for both Changelings, and every creature everywhere. Thorax stared at the remaining piece. But one lingering warning still hung in his head, despite all the chants echoing around him.

Thorax; And what doors will I open if I try to use this? …

This was a world beyond his understanding, beyond ANY of their understanding. He looked back once more at his queen, who encouraged him with a nod and a smile. His species, or his friends … he had no choice, as always. Right?

Thorax; But the friendship's what I really want to see!


He placed the piece in. Perfect fit.

Then. silence. Every changeling in there waited for something to happen. a spark, a flash, something, ANYTHING. Thorax took a few steps back and waited for a brief moment, no longer seeing any sort of "imperfection" onto it. A perfectly modeled Warp Pad at the very center of the castle. But with the throne there, if this was magically powered, they can't use it. Chrysalis was willing to fix that, and her horn began to glow.
One magic blast, and suddenly the warp pad came to life! The changelings backed up on seeing the mighty beam of light and sound, with the exception of Pharynx, Thorax, and Chrysalis. Chrysalis got the special seal on it so it can still work inside the castle, and upon seeing this, her muzzle formed a sinister toothy grin.

"Oh, this is going to be … delicious.~ Every Changeling, move out!"

And on that command, much of the hive present followed Chrysalis right through the activated portal, leaving only little Thorax behind. It was a swift succession, but with practically most of the hive through, Thorax had enough time to slip away.

…….

Meanwhile, just outside of the Changeling Hive, Pinkie, Connie, AJ, Spike, Sniper, Rainbow, and Fluttershy, all were waiting for the right moment to go inside the Hive. It was a bit of a foreboding sight to behold: a gigantic beehive-like hive with numerous amount of Changelings buzzing around it like the insects they were. It was like getting a bug's eye view of an actual den of hornets. The memory of their last fight with Changelings hung on most of their minds, and they knew just how dangerous they can actually be, especially with the whole hive altogether like this. It was a miracle they weren't even found just yet, though probably it was from the commotion going on inside. None of them were to go in just yet, and as they kept to their post, one of these Changelings actually came out of the Hive towards them. Fluttershy yelped on seeing him, but the Changeling cleared his throat.

"Clumsy …"

"Draconequus," replied Spike. Clearly a code word, and once they heard this, they all calmed down. Better yet, they got a point of entry at the bottom of the hive. This didn't lead them directly to the right chambers, but it did get them at least in a more isolated area. The main part of this tunnel was rocky walls, and a number of bug sacks hanging from the ceiling From inside, without as much buzzing, they began to hear faint, yet powerful groans from the caves and tunnels themselves.

"I'm definitely glad you came. I don't think we'd find our way without you," Fluttershy said.

"You definitely wouldn't," Thorax agreed, pointing behind them. The group looked back, just to find that the hole they came in had shrunken down, and disappeared, leaving behind only the stone wall.

"W-Where's the exit?" asked Spike.

"It's a Changeling Hive. It morphs and changes like we do, and we're the only ones who can navigate it," Thorax answered, just as another path opened up as he trotted through it. The others were gonna have a long time looking through this place, no doubt about that.

"Well, you do know where the prisoners are, right? Or do they change and alter from place to place?" Connie asked.

"I know where it is. There's a few spots in the hive that don't alter at all, which includes the throne room and the prisonhold. But be careful; Chrysalis may have left with much of the Hive, but she's sure to have guards and patrols still somewhere in here. And they're ordered to take Steven and Ruby away the second they see you," Thorax explained.

"No trouble, we just need to stay silent. And there's a lot of corners for me to use," Sniper said, seeing at least several "doorways" he could use to go around the entire hive if he wanted to.

"Sniper, you can't use magic in here, remember?" Fluttershy reminded.

"Mine's more of a natural ability. Here, I'll prove it," Sniper said, finding the nearest corner, and making a run at it. However, all that happened was Sniper ramming into it, and falling backwards. A bit dazed, but alright, yet still proved what Thorax had said.

"Ok … all magical abilities. Alright."

"I know you're not used to it, but don't worry. The sooner we find Steven and Ruby, the sooner we all can leave, and the sooner you can have your magic back," Thorax promised. 

"Hang in there Steven, Ruby. We're on our way," Connie sighed, as they ventured further into the place.

The secondary group off inside the Hive were having a bit more trouble than it was worth. Sure, they weren't going to give up on Steven and Ruby, but as time ticked by with them inside the Changeling Hive, there really wasn't too much luck for any of them. Oddly, outside of just Thorax, there wasn't too many Changelings going about. Good thing, but it didn't help on where the prisonhold actually was, and it wasn't like any of them could actually navigate it properly like Thorax could.

"Does anyone know where we're going?" Sniper asked.

"Thorax does," Fluttershy said, "We should find it soon."

"We better soon. I'm not used to not cut corners in anything. … No, that's not a joke," Sniper griped.

"Give it a break, Sniper. None of us knew we weren't gonna use any magic," AJ advised.

"I did," Thorax said sheepishly. Not exactly helping, but the point was still there. Up ahead, Pinkie Pie was doing her own brand of covert exploration: popping around corners, peeking under rocks and opening/closing holes, all sorts of things. She wasn't finding anything more than the others were.

"Thorax! There you are!" said a nearby Changeling. Everyone else quickly bolted off out of sight as some of the patrol reached him.

"Oh, hi. Just heading to check on the prisoners," Thorax said.

"Eh … maybe, uh, don't," the Changeling replied, not sounding as enthused as something like it would be. Thorax felt a bit confused about this, but so long as the others weren't found out he would just roll with it.

"Why?"

"Thorax, didn't you know? Steven and Ruby are dead - eaten by uh … something."

"WHAT?!" the others thought, terrified.

"E-Eaten?! How?!"

"Hey, there was this "thing" inside their cell, and she said herself that she ate them, and threatened to eat us if she didn't get released. … Don't even know how she got in there, and she had their gemstones on too for some sick reason. Anyway, I gotta go - got to meet with Chrysalis on Earth."
And with that said, they all began to calm down a little bit. Thorax got his information on some of this Gem stuff, and if there was a being with two gemstones in replace of two Gems, the only plausible reason would be a fusion of sorts. The changeling flew off away from Thorax, and once he was gone, everyone else then came out from their hiding place.

"S-Steven … Ruby …" Fluttershy murmured.

"So, we now have NO REASON to be in here?" Applejack asked.

"I-I … guess so," Thorax said, feeling horrible for this.

"Those bugs, I'll crush them!" Rainbow growled, her wings fluttering, and her ready to fly right for the horde. Typically Applejack would grab her by the tail, but this time Sniper's sharp teeth pulled Rainbow Dash back.

"Rainbow, you can't start a fight in here, we'll be swarmed for sure," Sniper advised.

"But Steven and Ruby are still somewhere here!" Connie said.

"Didn't you hear that Changeling? He just stated they've been eaten by some other thing in here."

"Don't think that's what happened," Applejack said, after some thinking about the Changeling's exact words. The changeling describe someone wearing the twos' gemstones of said Gems. With how many times she and the ponies had seen this happen, this could only amount to one thing. And if this one thing did actually happen, then this whole attempt to bring them here was completely pointless now. Fluttershy actually got to that answer first.

"Fusion?" gasped Fluttershy.

"Might be. C'mon, we gotta get back," Applejack replied.

"Wait, go back? We just got here?" Thorax asked.

"Just get us out of here now, and we'll explain on the way. Hop to it, everypony!"

"THORAX!"

And suddenly someone slammed down onto the ground right in front of the group, hissing good and loud. This got the group on full attack mode, as the dust cleared to reveal one of the Changelings had found them out. But this wasn't just ANY Changeling, but one of high guard. Pharynx. And the purple red Changeling was NOT pleased to see all this, but his anger was more directed towards Thorax

"Thorax, what're you doing?!" Pharynx hissed, as Thorax made a instinctual, yet critical error of hiding behind the ponies. He could never truly stand up to anyone in the hive. Pharynx looked to them and gave a loud hissing roar, fangs drawn, but Rainbow Dash wasn't so easily intimidated and was the first to stepped forward to the Changeling, Applejack too.

"Time to go!" Pinkie called. But there was hardly much time for it as that same roar alerted other nearby Changelings, quickly coming in from all directions, and soon circling them. There was no way for them to just exit out now. Soon as they had no other routes to take, Thorax was pulled out of the bunch by Pharynx himself.

"I can't believe you! The changelings were talking about you doubting Chrysalis, and suddenly here you are bringing them into our hive! I should've known better than to leave you alone with them," Pharynx growled, making Thorax huddle up on the ground underneath him. Pharynx gave another loud hiss at him, his tongue scraping his face.

"Hey, leave him alone!" Pinkie snapped.

"STAY OUT OF THIS!"

"I-I didn't mean to, I -"

"WHAT Thorax? What? That you just HAPPEN to miss them coming this far. I saw you hiding behind them, you traitorous grub!" Pharynx snapped, his holed hoof pushing down on Thorax's face. His mouth was wide open, and his fangs were ready to sink into Thorax's buggy skin. A gasp escaped some of the others as this happened, and it was more than what one Tindalos could take.

*CHOMP* Right onto Pharynx's face! Pharynx shouted and stumbled back, but Sniper's bite was just a warning one to get him off of Thorax. The bite was deep on Pharynx's face, dangerously close to his eye. Not a move many of them would do first, but Sniper was no pony.

"UUGH. Never liked the taste of bugs," Sniper commented, spitting out some of the taste in his mouth. The other changelings hissed at him on the attack, the Tindalos snarling at them all, though while he tried to look fierce, he still had his tails tucked between his legs - the scared symbol for any canine of any world.

"RUN FOR IT!" Sniper yelled.

"We're not leaving!" Rainbow said, ready herself to kick some Changeling butt, but Applejack knew that this was their only chance to leave, and she had to hold Rainbow back from fighting. Their mission is to find Ruby and Steven, fusion or alive, and they won't accomplish anything trapped inside a hive. The Changelings were focused on Sniper, too much to actually get them as they galloped through the only exit they had.

No army was perfect. And they all had Sniper to deal with now. but so long as they get out of there, it'll all be okay.


~~~~~~


"I can't believe I'm going to meet Starswirl the Bearded! You know, outside of my dreams."

As one group was venturing into the grand heart of the Changeling Hive, everyone else followed the instructions read off from the book, and found themselves exactly where they wanted: at the base of Foul Mountain, at the temple of Ponhenge. Much of the work first was clearing out Ponhenge for a bit, namely clearing vines, stray stones, that sort of thing. It was all finally in place, and everyone was waiting for the final step to come through. In the midst of this excitement, there was some slight doubt coming from Starlight Glimmer, as she was pulling off some of the branches alongside some of the others.

"I can't believe you're actually going through with this."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.

"Well, I'm all for pushing boundaries, but this is a bit out there. Even for you."

"We're rescuing what could be the most powerful ponies of all of Equestria's history from a prison of Limbo! How is that "out there"?" Lapis asked.

"I guess it's not when you put it like that, but maybe the most powerful of ponies knew what they were doing, and we shouldn't mess with it," suggested Starlight, as she was still checking the other parts of Ponhenge.

"Not to be that Gem, but she's got a point," said Pearl noted.

"Have you seen what kind of magic has been done in Equestria? I've already explored much of Equus thousands of years ago, and comparing that, to now, it's come a VERY LONG way since," Bismuth said.

"Hmm. That, and you did get your wings by completing one of Starswirl's spells," Starlight pondered "... But I messed with one, and nearly destroyed the space-time continuum in Equestria, so …"

"Starlight. These ponies had done so much for Equestria while they were around, and they've been trapped for so many moons! Bringing them back is worth the risk," Twilight made clear.

"Good! Because if not, we would've won Netitus for nothing," Fulgurite said, as she placed their winning shield in the right place for Flash Magnus. Sapphire and Fulgurite shared a fist-bump after the statement.

"To right. And we've made quite our own impact getting these too, like bringing old friends together in Klugetown on our search for Rockhoof's shovel," Rarity said, placing the shovel in the right spot for Rockhoof.

"Or Mistmane's flower with that Punga," added Pink Diamond, placing the flower down in its right place for Mistmane, "Wonder if they would like to work with the other Diamonds? With the authority and Pillars together, the universe's just scratching the limits on where we all can go."

"Let's try baby steps, Pink," Trixie suggested.

"Heh, well hope you don't think you're the only ones with the artifacts, because Meadowbrook's mask says otherwise," said Jasper, placing the mask in place for Meadowbrook.

"Not everything has to be a competition," Rarity chuckled. "... Though I do believe the flower's the most attractive of the artifacts."

"You're just saying that cause you didn't have to dive into some green goo to get yours," said Tiger's Eye, placing the glowpaz (which still had some said goop on it), right in its proper place for Somnambula.

"Good work, everyone. Let's do this," Twilight declared.

Rockhoof. Flash Magnus. Mistmane. Somnambula. and now Starswirl the Bearded. All the pieces were now properly in place, and they got everything they need to get this all going. Without hesitation, Twilight aimed her horn right to the book, and a magical beam was launched right for it. Starlight tried, but it apparently wasn't going to work, so she too joined in and aimed her horn right to the book. Everyone else was quick to move out of the way, just to be safe.

"Uh, Sapphire? Just to be safe, this is going to be okay, right?" Trixie asked, scared a little bit.

"Everything will be fine," Sapphire reassured. she looked ahead, and she saw the good to come from this.
It took some moments, but eventually something finally began to happen as the book itself started to glow a bright white. This was a good sign to see from much of the group. The book was the first to light up, and then the light stretched out in a line to one artifact after another, until it all ended in a perfect pentagon. Each one of the artifacts began to float up into the air, circling faster and faster, until they were only a blur in their place. It was an exciting moment, though some were still a little worried.

"You'd better catch them," Sapphire suggested.

And soon, in a flash, they saw six other ponies all in mid air, falling down to the ground. But each of the pillars too had the debris right above them, so taking Sapphire's advice, they quickly rushed in: Bismuth saving Rockhoof, Jade pulling Meadowbrook, Rarity grabbing Mistmane, Amethyst pulling Flash out of the sky, Pink diamond rescuing Somnambula, and Twilight getting Starswirl. ALL the pillars were now back in present day, and it took less time for them all to begin coming back around.

"Ooohhh … what … what happened?" Starswirl asked, tired, and barely comprehending anything.

"It worked! You're back!" Twilight said in joy.

"To where?"

"A pleasure to meet you, Starswirl," Sapphire said, also happy, "You and the others had been imprisoned for a millennium within the Realm of Limbo. But thanks to Twilight studies, we managed to -"

"WHAT?! No, no, no, YOU MUST UNDO WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" Starswirl exclaimed, suddenly in almost as big of worry as Rhodonite and Trixie were. Sapphire had all the playing cards, the future vision saying this was good, but why would he say that?

"What? Why?"

"You can not bring us back!" Starswirl said, walking to them. This made both Twilight and Sapphire back up towards the center of Ponehenge.

"B-But I did, along with the rest of the pillars," insisted Twilight.

"You can not bring only the pillars back!"

But it was too late.
Before any of them could do anything else, they began to see a force start to grow at the center of Ponhenge. A black mass of shadows began to quickly grow, the wind kicking up, and the dark clouds starting to gather. The world grown colder as the black orb grew, turning from air to mass as it seeped onto the ground like slime. The shadows twisted, turned, and morphed in front of all there, witnessing a transformation as dark as it was fast. They all tried keeping as far away from the shadowy being as much as possible, as the figure began to take shape.
Four large hooves planted themselves to the ground, shaking the earth underneath. A set of long, skeletal-like wings sprouted from its back, as a large, curved horn grew and sharpened from the beast's head. Its body was coated in smoke and ash, and his fur as black as the shadows it manifested from. Streams of black fire made up its chest plate, and long lion-like tail, and teeth like daggers jutted from his equine jaws.

The Pony of Shadows.

"You're foolish plans to imprison me had FAILED, Starswirl," the pony bellowed, his voice echoing in ominous tone. Starswirl instinctively tried to use his magic, but found he was too weak for it.

"You must returns up to Limbo, it's the only way to stop him," Starswirl instructed.

"Trying to figure it out, no table of contents!" Peridot said, frantically rushing through the book as fast as she could. The Pony of Shadows smiled.

"Allow me to assist."
And his assistance came up very quickly: out of his back, he sprouted numerous amount of dark magic tentacles, each one aimed directly at a pillar of Ponhenge! One of these shot right into Starswirl's book, and the others were almost caught in the crossfire. Each tentacle skewered each stone with ease, and with some extra energy, the Pony of shadows shattered each and every single one, including the book. All that remained of Ponhenge by the time he finished was a few scattered stones, and the book was completely gone. The pony of shadows laughed in victory.

"Nice try, Twilight. Bringing back every single members of the Pillars in one attempt. But you should've known that when they brought me here, I can return with them."

"H-How'd you know my name?"

"HA! You and the rest of your pathetic friends had been traveling through Limbo for years! You didn't really think I wasn't able to listen and learn, did you?"
and them the Pony of shadows launched a shadowy web of magical energy directly at them! Fulgurite was quick to respond, and got much of them out of the way, just in time to avoid getting blasted. given the chance to fight back, Twilight and Starlight both shot right at him, directly at his horn! The Pony of shadows roared on feeling the hit, but no scratch was left on him.

"Those ponies *grunt* are almost as powerful as you, Starswirl. … No matter. Once I'm done with this realm, you won't remember any of this."

"Not if we can help it!" Amethyst said, and the fighters charged directly at him The Pony of Shadows was not a creature to be trifled with, and it only took one hit of one of his hooves, to send them all flying back! That was Bismuth, Amethyst, Jasper, Pearl, Lapis, AND Fulgurite all at once, and he knocked them all back with no trouble at all. He growled menacingly at them before Starswirl spoke again.

"Know this, fiend! We will not rest, until we find a way to return you to Limbo!"

"NEVER! Your reign is over, Starswirl. Now the darkness will rule supreme … and you all WILL BOW TO ME!"
They all tried reaching him again, but this time the Pony of Shadows wasn't going to stay around. In one quick jump skyward, his body completely disappeared in a "sonic boom" of dark magic, powerful enough to clear the skies of clouds, and erase all traces of his presence from Ponhenge. Well, the good news; they got the Pillars back to help with the tindalos. The bad news; they just added yet ANOTHER problem to their list. And this time it was them to be blamed.

"WHY is there always a catch?" Tiger's Eye sighed.


~~~~~~


Steven and Ruby were let off easy. After finally getting themselves as far away from the confines of the hive as possible, the fusion finally took a moment to stop and catch her breath. She never stopped the whole night through, because not only to be sure the Changelings were out of range, but also they had to make up for lost time in warning the others. But with them being stuck in their for days, it was a bit hard to say how much had happened outside of the Warp Pad being built.

"Ok *pant* ok *pant* out of range *pant* at last," she panted. Ruby and Steven's determination was what kept her going this long, and her mission to reach the others wasn't gonna be halted anytime soon … if she could help it. Her main place of shelter was by what dead tree remained in the Badlands, offering little comfort from the cold. Not that the fusion minded much, as Ruby's fiery abilities passed onto her as well, and that kept her well warm even in the bitter cold. The fusion may be quiet, but ruby and Steven had a lot to go over.

Okay, so now they're not following us. We can relax a bit now.

But they're gonna make it to Earth at this rate! I can't believe we left our keys with our friends the ONE time we needed them! We're stuck out here!

The fusion felt herself grit her teeth, and her hand pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. that was either good planning on the Changelings' part, or bad planning on their part. Either way, it was gonna take a longer time to get back home, and even longer to tell this news to whoever was there. The Badlands were a far distance away from, well, anybody. Ruby personally blamed herself for that.

Eh, maybe not. We're still in Equestria, just in a bad part of it. There has to be somepony who can give us a lift … maybe.

Like who?

"Okay, let's see," the fusion tried to work her own memory. "Hmm … Braeburn? No, that's Appleloosa, that's nowhere near here. … Weather team? Ugh, but they don't fly over here. I have two brains, think of something!"
The fusion tried to think, but as far as she was aware, the only powerful magical creatures around were the changelings. and of course, they were a bit off limits.  Then, one idea did come to mind, as she recalled the keys.

"Discord! … Oh, wait, he hasn't appeared in so long. Is he even around anymore?"

"Somebody call my name?"

that answered their question. The fusion jumped back and looked up, and found that Discord had now suddenly appeared with them, hanging out right above them in the same tree, laying in it as if it were a hammock.

"Well, isn't this quite a surprise, another fusion! You know, you really sure get around Steven; first Connnie, then Amethyst, and now Ruby. … Where're Twilight and the girls?"

"First off. How do we know you're really you?" The fusion questioned. Out in such a place, and with the Changelings out and about still, they had to be sure this wasn't some trick.
Discord didn't have to do very much: a few snaps of his fingers got all the proof he needed. bushes started to do the hokey-pokey nearby, rocks swirled into the air, and the tree turned into a brand of chocolate.

"Shall I continue?" Discord asked with a smug grin.

"No. And can I have some of that?" the fusion asked. Discord snapped his talon, turning everything back to normal, and conjured up a good sized meal for the fusion: a plate of turkey, mashed potatoes, peas, a typical thanksgiving plate. not chocolate, but heck, it was better than the grub they've been given in the prison. The fusion's eyes sparkled before she sat down and ate up the best meal she had in days. It was enough to make her cry even.

"By the way, have you thought of a name for yourself? Because I've been wanting to give you some names, and you always beat me to the punch," Discord said, rolling out a lift of potential OC names for this fusion, which rolled over her.

"Oh? Well, I don't actually know. It kind of just happened," the fusion replied, eating up her meal. "Where have you been, anyway? Fluttershy said she hadn't heard from you in weeks."

Discord was about ready to answer, but his own tail actually slapped him in the back of the head, waving its finger at him. Discord was annoyed, but he had to comply.

"Well, that's not important. See you got away from that horde of yours?"

"Yeah, we - … wait, OH YEAH, what am I doing? Discord, we need to get back! The Changelings are planning on invading Earth and using our danger on Equestria! We have to warn the others!" The fusion said, remembering the problem at hand. Discord didn't seem too fazed, stretching in his tree.

"Another problem? you know, if I were you, I'd try to remotely cool down on the danger alarm. Your friends have quite a bit over their heads right now, with the Tindalos attack coming up and a Pony of shadows running around the place," Discord advised.

"... WHAAAAAT?" the fusion asked. So now all of a sudden they had THREE problems to worry about?! And all of them sound like life-threatening problems. Discord just nodded his head, as he hang upside down in the same tree.

"What? Too much?"

"Oh stars, what do we do?! gottothinkfast, GOT! TO! THINK! FAST!" the fusion said in a panic, running back and forth trying to think on what to do. Bad enough the Changelings were going to Earth, but with the Pony of Shadows AND Tindalos, the Crystal Gems don't have a chance at this state. Far as they knew, they didn't know any of this!

"Since when were you two so panicky? I remember when angry ruby and carefree Steven were the main tropes for you two."

"DISCORD, our friends are in danger! We're trapped out here in the Badlands, we got Changeling copies disguised as us, probably getting information from them like some living tape recorders! Equestria's in danger, and so is Earth!" the fusion explained. Not much off the nose of this Draconequus, him even yawning. The fusion got even more upset.

"Are you even listening?"

"I heard you, but that's not much for the spirit of chaos Ruby. Yes, Ruby, because you're temper's flaring again," Discord said, even roasting some marshmallows off of the fusion's head. The fusion groaned. The only one that was actually her friend (heavily quoted) and he didn't really care. Steven wasn't normally this upset with someone like Discord, but Ruby was simply fuming.

"Why are you so distant? All our friends are out there: the Crystal Gems, Beach City, Twilight and her friends, they're all -" the fusion stopped cold when discord leaned down from his tree, now right in her face with a cold glare.

"They're after Fluttershy?"

"Um … yeah."

"WHERE?" Discord asked, his eyes giving a glowing hue of red, even turning into slits like a lizard. Well, at least Ruby and Steven knew how to get Discord into action.

I didn't think Discord cared that much for Fluttershy.

Of course he does, they're pen pals for life.

"Well Chrysalis used a Warp Pad, so wherever the closest Warp Pad would be to the Crystal Temple would work -"

*SNAP*

...

And off they went. In one quick snap of the fingers, the fusion and Discord were both teleported from the Badlands, and off to basically the Crystal Temple. Though the exact location Discord popped them into one of the inner rooms of the Crystal Temple. Specifically, the Crystal Heart. It'd been ages since they've last seen the Crystal Heart, and nowadays the heart was left dormant. Too weak to keep the power of the temple running.

"... Not exactly where I want it, but, WOO!" the fusion said, a bit mixed, but glad to be home.

"Funny, I didn't plan for us to be brought here. I intended for the nearest warp pad, but there is no Warp Pad," Discord said, slithering over the walls, ceiling, and floor, only to find nothing present anywhere that would even vaguely resemble a warp pad. The fusion looked around too for a method to leave, but all she found was the heart itself.

The Crystal Heart. ...

Steven wasn't wrong. The heart looked almost infected at the current state, too weak to even keep itself lit up, let alone power up anything. It was thin, a bit dry, and not a single pump could be heard from it.

We don't have time for this! Everyone's in trouble!

But, Ruby, look at it. It's looks so sick now. So sad. So lifeless. … I don't think we can ever get here again after this.

W-Well, I guess so … b-but we still have Chrysalis, Tindalos, and Shadow Pony remember?

I know, I'm not leaving unfinished world saving behind. But ...

"Conflicted?" Discord then asked the fusion. Indeed she looked it. On one hand, there was her friends, but on the other hand, there was the Crystal Heart. Eventually though, when all was said and done, the fusion nodded her head, both sides agreeing.

"Discord, can you lift me up to the heart? I want to try something," the fusion replied. Discord was wanting to save Fluttershy from this impending doom, but he took a look to the heart. His teleportation wouldn't go against him if it wasn't for something outside even him. So, in cartoon fashion, he made his body into a set of stairs, leading up just high enough to reach the heart. The fusion walked right up him, and soon found herself standing right in front of the heart. The fusion brought out her tongue, and readied to lick her hand, but then a thought struck her, looking to the gem palm of her other hand.

"This might feel a little weird," the fusion said, before giving a good lick onto the gemstone. Ruby shivered a ton, which extended to the fusion herself, but it was plenty enough spit to try and fix this. The fusion then proceeded to place it onto the surface, feeling how cold and rough it felt to the touch, as if it too was freezing.

Nothing. Again.

"No, come on, work with us," the fusion said, trying again. Steven had only tried once before, and that barely did anything. Now with the determination from Ruby and care from Steven, this fusion was not willing to give up on the Crystal Heart so easily. She gave it spittake after spittake, trying to heal it, and it still didn't seem to show much of anything.

"You two done standing on my head yet? It's getting cold underneath you," Discord asked.

"Cold … cold … THAT'S IT! We have to warm it up!" the fusion concluded. It was hard to spring back to life from being so cold. If there was a chance, she was gonna take it. The fusion gave her hands one more hearty healing spit, but this time, instead of just slapping it onto the heart, she gave her spit some extra stimulant, and rubbed her hands together. 

"Clear!" she shouted. Ruby's natural heat mixed with Steven's healing spit, and heated it up before she placed the now steaming hot saliva onto the heart in a slam. The hit actually made the heart thump, but didn't keep it up. The fusion repeated the process a few more times, warming up the healing saliva before slamming it onto the heart to make it reflow and repump again. Discord watched the determination edging the Gem's face with each attempt she made, no sign of surrender. It honestly was a bit impressive.

"CLEAR!" the fusion shouted again, slamming the spit onto the heart, making it pump again. How much healing power was it going to take to actually revive the heart? Her mouth was getting a bit dry, but she had a feeling this one was going to be the one, and she added friction once again. This one she was extra forceful with, and she didn't notice the slight sparks coming from her.

"CLEAR!"

*ZAAAAPPP* And then came the sparks. The fusion didn't realize what even happened right away, and the sparks flashed out. Not close to some electrical attempts like Garnet, or Fulgurite, but it was still enough to match a defibrillator. And just as effective, as the hit that time was extra powerful on the heart.

……. *ba-bump* ……. *ba-bump* ……

… *ba-bump* … *ba-bump* … *ba-bump*

*ba-bump**ba-bump**ba-bump**ba-bump*

"YES!" the fusion cheered, jumping off of Discord, as the Crystal Heart began to slowly return to life. It took every ouch of spit she had, but it all paid off at long last, the heart slowly beginning to brighten up the room once again. Discord returned to normal, as they watched the heart revive itself, flowing the once-stagnant energy once again. But as they watched, the heart suddenly just … stopped. And glowed.

… *BA-BUMP*!

"WHOA! what was that?" the fusion asked, spooked by the sudden noise. one of the veins was glowing as well with something inside of it.

"I don't know. Now, you were going on your world-saving mission?" Discord reminded.

"Oh yeah! first the Crystal Heart, now everyone else!"

The fusion, thanks to the power now starting to come back to the temple, the fusion began to go off on her way. Ruby and Steven remembered the path going to Amethyst's room from the temple, and as the doors were finally working, they didn't hesitate as they raced right through the door, over the front Warp Pad, and right through the Beach House doors …

… BEACH HOUSE?! The fusion skidded to a stop and turned back to the Temple.

"WHOA, WHAT?! MY ROOM'S BACK!" the fusion gasped. So caught up in one thing she didn't notice the blatant object right in front of her. How the heck did that happen? Well, she didn't have time to work that out for now.

"No, no, you can solve the mystery of spontaneously appearing houses later. I'M COMING, GUYS!" the fusion shouted, rushing right up the beach.

As for what happened? There was only one clue, engraved on one of the support beams of the Beach House. Just two words that were never there before.

Thank You.