Sandbar galloped his way through the crystal tunnels, following his professors as they hurried down the endless line of crystals. They had some sort of important mission for him, but for some odd reason they had failed to tell him exactly what this mission was. All they had said was it was some sort of emergency, but what that emergency was was unclear. As much as he didn't want to disappoint his teachers, at the same time something was nagging at his mind. Something didn't sit right with him. Given they had hammered the importance of friendship into the students over the last few months, it seemed odd they had dismissed the idea of going and finding his friends. At long last, Sandbar raised his voice.
"Wait. Stop!" he called. "I really should find my friends."
Rarity and Rainbow Dash stopped, seemingly stunned at this statement, and turned back to face him. "Darling, it was so generous of you to take the time to teach those other creatures about friendship."
Sandbar's unease grew. This Rarity seemed off, as if somebody was doing a bad impression of her.
Rainbow Dash seemed equally dismissive of the notion of finding his friends. "But if you're going to join us and do something that really makes a difference, we need to know where your loyalty lies."
"You do want to impress us, don't you, Sandbar?"
Something Rainbow Dash said suddenly made Sandbar click. That one word made everything fall into place.
He stood his ground. "Right, that's enough!" he snapped. Both of his professors looked shocked as he continued. "You need to explain what's going on."
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "So you don't care about anypony but your friends? Are you really that selfish?"
"How is caring for somecreature else selfish?" Sandbar retorted. "Not caring for them is selfish. Not that you do, if that incident on the field trip was anything to go by."
Rarity looked horrified. "How can you say such a thing?" she asked. "Honestly, you really are such a disappointment."
Sandbar frowned. "I've always looked up to you," he said. "You would never turn your back on each other, and that's what makes you strong. Now I have a group of friends that I think is every bit as amazing as yours. And who cares if they aren't all ponies?"
"You're the only pony," Rainbow Dash pointed out.
Sandbar paid her no mind. "If I have to give up on them to make you proud, then you aren't the ponies I thought you were. I don't care if I disappoint you." He frowned. "You disappoint me."
What happened next amazed him. Both teachers smiled, and then vanished in a puff of smoke.
Sandbar glanced around to see a completely empty cavern in and around him. "Well, that was weird," he said, and began to retrace his steps. The ghost thing that had looked like Twilight had said something about completing a test. That must have been his (a bit lame, though. Sandbar had always been a fan of escape rooms), and if that was the case, his friends must be isolated and alone as well. Who knew what horrors they may be facing right now? Sandbar made as much speed as he could, until he found himself in the place he was before. Smoulder was already there, standing next to the access ramp for the exit (which was becoming more and more blocked up by the second), and as Sandbar approached, Gallus flew in from another chamber.
"What happened to you?" Smoulder asked Gallus.
"What happened to you?" Gallus retorted, indicating to the dragon in the dress.
Smoulder, embarrassed, removed the dress, which also somehow removed the lipstick, mascara, and tiara that were also on her. "You never saw any of that. Got it?"
Gallus nodded, before Sandbar stepped forward.
"What happened to you two?" Sandbar asked. "I got an endless runner with two of our teachers."
"Got stuck in a trap which would have crushed me if I made the wrong move," Gallus answered. "Basically an escape room, but more lethal."
"Trapped in a tea party with two of the most annoying mares I've ever met," Smoulder answered. "Have you seen the others yet?"
"No," Sandbar and Gallus replied in unison. Just then, the entrance above them became even more blocked.
"Did anycreature bring explosives?" Smoulder asked. "Maybe we should try punching our way out."
"We're stuck in a magic cavern," Gallus replied. "Maybe the others already got out and we're the last ones?"
Smoulder rolled her eyes. "Yeah," she said, sarcastically, "that totally seems like something they would do."
Gallus sighed. "Any other dragon or griffon would save themselves and get out of this crazy cave."
There was a momentary pause, before Smoulder spoke up. "Guess we aren't just any dragon or griff-"
Moments later, a scream echoed down one of the corridors peeling off to the left. It sounded like-
"Ocellus!" Sandbar yelled, and sped off without a moment's hesitation. "She must be in danger!"
"Sandbar, wait!" Gallus shouted, before sighing. "Oh never mind. You know what his problem is? He always thinks with his heart, never with his brain."
"There's still two others who need help," Smoulder interrupted. "You go down the second tunnel. I'll take the first. We get the others out, and get out of this madhouse."
The new tunnel network that Sandbar entered couldn't have been any more different than the one he had just left. Whereas the caverns had been brightly lit and shiny, the environment down here was dark, dank, oppressive, and hostile. Green lights hung from the walls and ceilings like ominous chandeliers of doom, and green stuff hung off the walls. It looked exactly like the interior of that old Changeling hive that was preserved and open to visitors (which Sandbar had visited), but the smell was horrific. Just the scent of this place was enough to make him gag. No wonder the Changelings had been so popular in horror movies; having to explain his father's collection of the Changeling movies to Thorax had been awkward, to say the least (given none of the Changelings were actually played by Changelings, but ponies dressed up as them). All along the walls were Changeling organisms, dormant, awaiting the signal to wake up. A signal that would never come because of the lack of a Queen.
Sandbar felt awkward, and he felt cold. He thought that somebody was watching him. Was this just a dream, or was it true? He shook the thought from his mind and pressed onwards.
Rounding a bend, he saw two heavily armoured drones randomly stumbling about in circles, a sight that would have been comical were they not the older 'cheese-leg' version. It was the larger creature that drew his attention, and the sound that came from nearby.
The creature was lying in front of a mirror, and had chitin that was completely black. Its legs were also was filled with holes, and it had a dark green carapace mounted to the back. Its wings were retracted. The face was invisible from the direction Sandbar was standing, but he could clearly see a sickly blue mane full of holes. Coming from behind it was uncontrolled sobbing. Ocellus had to be nearby.
"Ocellus?" Sandbar asked, stepping forward. "Are you there?"
"Go away," the voice replied. Ocellus was definitely on the other side of that creature.
"We have to go," Sandbar continued, oblivious to what was going on around him. "The exit is just this way, and if we hurry we'll be out before-"
His voice trailed off as the creature turned around. The creature looked broken, emotionally torn, and its eyes were wide when it looked at him.
Sandbar looked momentarily shocked, before regaining his composure. "How did you get here?" he asked. "Chrysalis hasn't been seen in over a year!"
Chrysalis then spoke- with Ocellus' voice. "It's me!" she replied, her voice cracking from the emotional strain she was under. "I'm hideous!" She then resumed crying into her forehooves, lying on the floor in a state of utter despair.
There was an audible pop as Sandbar's brain misfired from the cognitive dissonance. Had Ocellus disguised herself as Chrysalis? "But you can just change back, right?" he asked.
"I can't." The Changeling then tried to switch forms. The emphasis very much being on 'tried'. Flashes of green fire roared over its form over and over again, but each time the result was the same. Chrysalis was still there.
Sandbar then clicked what was going on. Was coming to terms with her species' past Ocellus' test? He had no time to speak before the Changeling continued. "Maybe we'll always be nothing but broken, hideous monsters," she said.
Sandbar then took his chance to speak up. "Ocellus, you are many things, but hideous is not one of them," he said. "You're smart, clever, and one of the kindest creatures I know. You're the exact opposite of Chrysalis!"
"Am I, though?" Ocellus asked. "If Chrysalis is capable of such things, I must be too. It's in our nature, after all," she said, echoing Cozy Glow's words from earlier. "How could anycreature want to be friends with a monster?"
"None of us are so shallow to only look at the surface," Sandbar continued. "What lies within is what counts. And you know what I see? A friend, one who would fight tooth and nail for her friends."
Ocellus was touched by this, and trotted closer to Sandbar. "You really mean it?"
"I'd go one step further," Sandbar replied. "Ocellus, you're the only creature I've ever loved."
The Changeling's eyes went wide. "What?" she exclaimed. "I thought you liked Yona!"
"Who spread that rumour?" Sandbar asked. "Cause it's not true. I like her, but... not the way I like you." He came closer to her. "I've never cared for looks or outward appearance, only what lies inside the heart. And I'd happily spend the rest of my life with you."
Ocellus looked happier than he'd seen her in a long time, and in that instant green flame washed over her. Where the Queen of the Changelings (deposed) had been standing was the familiar blue Changeling that everycreature knew and loved. "Thanks, Sandbar," she whispered. "Maybe we can all really truly change, if a pony can love a Changeling of his own accord."
"No problem, Celly," Sandbar replied. "Now shall we get out of here? I don't fancy being stuck down here for the rest of my life."
The six succesfully escaped the caverns before the timer ran out, and returned to the surface. "Well, that was weird," Gallus commented.
"Who would have thought the tree would put us to the test?" Silverstream said. "It's all so weird! Maybe it was a dream?"
Gallus pinched himself. "Nope," he said. "Remind me, but don't we have a test?"
Ocellus, who had been oddly quiet up to this point, suddenly flew into a panic. "Oh no! We haven't revised at all! If we can't get a good grade on this one-"
"We've just had a crash course in friendship," Smoulder answered. "We ought to be fine. I suggest we go to bed."
And so, the six friends headed for their dorms, as the sun began to descend in the sky.