Zecora opened the door wider, grabbing more potions as the others took in the appearance of three griffons. Each seemed completely different. The one in front was gray, with big eyes. She seemed scared. The one in the back was tan with a white head and purple tints to her feathers. She was wearing a cloak, and carrying the third, a blue and yellow griffon. He was unconscious.
"What has caused his illness? Or was he in perfect fitness?" Zecora asked.
"He's been coughing for days. Then he just collapsed."
"What are you?" the griffon in front asked, looking at the group of creatures.
"Dragons."
"Changelings."
"Earth Pony."
"I am a Zebra, not pony at all. These friends have also abandoned the cause of their Kingdom's fall."
"You don't think fighting's the only option either?" the tan griffon asked. "I'm Gilda, by the way. That's Gabby. This is Gallus."
"Smolder and I want to fight for the sake of my subjects. I'm Ember, Princess of the Dragons, and I know my father is wrong."
"Our fellow changelings just want love. But I don't think it's going to work long-term." Thorax explained.
"My whole town was forced into the war." Sandbar added
"Not just your town young colt. The Princess herself was forced into this battle of dolts." Zecora said.
"She was?" Sandbar asked.
"It's true. Chrysalis proclaimed to the whole Hive that she forced her hoof. She goaded the Princess. And apparently Celestia has a family to look out for." Thorax replied.
"A family? You mean Princess Cadence and Princess Luna. Princess Luna, Princess Celestia's sister, returned from being imprisoned in the moon, and Princess Cadence isn't her real niece. She's just called that because Princess Celestia practically raised her." Sandbar objected.
"Not just them. She bragged about a unicorn with a magenta star for a cutie mark and an alicorn colt being there to."
"An Alicorn colt is news to us all. However, the unicorn was Twilight Sparkle." Zecora explained. "She is the Princess' personal protegee. Now please, step out of the way."
Zecora passed a potion to Pharynx and gave one to Gilda, who had set Gallus on the floor. Gilda poured the potion down Gallus' beak, and he stirred. Gallus lifted his head and the two griffons converged on him, hugging him and beginning to explain. Pharynx drank the other potion, and winced.
"Phar?"
"It worked." Pharynx buzzed his wings and took off painlessly. "It worked!"
Pharynx landed and hugged Thorax tight.
"You saved me bro, I'm so proud of you!"
As Pharynx hugged him, a pink light flowed out of his chest and into Thorax's. Thorax's body glowed pink as well, some light of his own going into Pharynx. They jumped apart, looking at each other.
"What was that?" Ember asked.
"I don't know, nothing like that's ever happened before. But I'm not hungry anymore. What about you Pharynx?" Thorax asked.
"Me neither. Which is weird, changelings can never get enough love, and we've been starving for years." Pharynx responded.
"I believe I know a solution to see, how you are no longer hungry." Zecora replied.
She grabbed a green paste from the shelf and spread some on Pharynx and Thorax's foreheads, then on Ocellus'. It glowed green on Ocellus and pink on the brothers.
"Ah, just as I thought, the reason your hunger is naught." Zecora began as they wiped off the goop. "You have accepted love into your hearts, by sharing instead of taking by the carts."
"Sharing love?" Thorax asked.
"A little known fact that it seems Chrysalis lacks. Once friendship and love is shared, you will begin to know how to care."
"So we'll stop being hungry if we share love instead of taking it?" Ocellus smiled and looked at Smolder. "Do you want to be friends?"
"Um, sure? What's a friend?"
"Someone who, cares about you, understands how you feel, and is always there. Kind of like siblings." Sandbar replied.
"What are siblings?" Gallus shifted and coughed a little.
"You know, brothers and sisters?" Ocellus asked.
"Yeah, Pharynx and I are brothers." Thorax said, gesturing to him.
"Don't you have a family?" Ember asked, tucking her helmet under her arm.
Gilda, Gabby, and Gallus looked at each other.
"Gabby and I were only around ten when we found Gallus, he was about nine and an orphan. We were living on the streets too, so we took him into our care. We've been looking out for each other ever since. But we're more friends then family." Gilda explained.
"Oh." Ocellus looked a little embarrassed and ducked behind the older changelings. "Sorry."
"It's okay, you didn't know." Gallus coughed a little more and Gilda rubbed his back gently.
"You okay?"
"Fine Gil, don't worry about it."
"He will be fine, if I am to be bold. His illness is nothing but a simple cold." Zecora replied.
"I guess that makes sense, we don't have much medicine in Griffonstone so of course we can collapse from a simple cold. Plus it doesn't help we've been living in Griffonstone's abandoned library as of late, it gets pretty cold at night and we don't have many blankets." Gilda said.
"So, this is a little awkward. We're all trying to not fight, so how does that work? How are we supposed to live?" Smolder asked.
"If you do not mind my thought stream, might you consider working as a team?" Zecora went over to her cauldron and stirred it. "Together you could take down the other races from within, and protect Equestria once again."
"And with someone from every race, we know exactly how each one will think, so we can easily take them down." Smolder agreed.
"True, but another asset might be required to win. Another pony to put their head in." Zecora objected.
"Who was that alicorn colt you were talking about?" Sandbar asked the changelings.
"A alicorn with a gray coat, a black mane with white flecks in it, eyes a very deep, dark purple, and a cutie mark of a shadow like smudge with a white star in the center. His gray wings had silver on the outer feathers. He also had a white star-shaped mark on the bridge of his muzzle." Pharynx listed.
"If the alicorn colt is this unique, perhaps his own brand of magic can give you the answers you seek." Zecora suggested.
"But how do we find him, or get him on our side?" Ember objected.
"Well, chances are he doesn't think fighting is the best option either. And I bet he's somewhere in Canterlot." Sandbar replied.
"Though the hardest part will probably be finding a way through all the battles to the capital." Gilda commented.
"True." Ember agreed, going to the door. "Which means we should probably start heading that way."
"Here, I have an extra cloak." Gilda pulled it out.
"And Ocellus and I took off our armor, two of you can wear them if you want." Thorax added.
"Eh. Dragon hide is pretty tough by nature, and we've got armor on too. Though Ember's is mostly just to disguise herself from her father." Smolder added.
"Then let's get going." Gabby said.
Gabby took Gilda's spare cloak and pulled Gallus up. She then wrapped it around the blue griffon, and he cocked his head at her. Gabby then pulled the hood up over his feathered head.
"If we're gonna leave the warmest place we've set claw into in years, you need to stay warm." Gabby reasoned.
Gallus rolled his eyes at her, but made no effort to take off the cloak. Sandbar smiled.
"And you three said you didn't have a family." Sandbar smirked.
"What?" Gallus asked.
"What Gabby just did was exactly what an older sister would do. Well, brother, in my case." Thorax explained.
"Huh. I guess we are a kind-of family." Gallus shrugged, then pushed the door open with his claw. "Now are we going or not?"
"Can I try on your armor?" Sandbar asked Thorax, who nodded and held it out. Sandbar put it on and smiled. "It fits."
"The armor is designed so that no matter what we shift into, it will mold to match the creature. Queen Chrysalis wanted to make sure we wouldn't be killed before we could steal love." Pharynx explained.
"I'll wear this one then!" Gabby said brightly, taking Ocellus' armor and putting it on.
"Here." Smolder passed Ocellus her own armor. "I'm guessing you're not a very good fighter, and...friends help friends, right?"
"Right." Sandbar agreed for Ocellus, trotting to the door.
"I'll keep my armor on. I doubt my carapace will survive another beating and we won't have any healing potions." Pharynx said.
"And I need to stay hidden from my father, or he'll send me back home." Ember added.
"Here, take some of my potions for the road. So for medicine, you won't have to goad." Zecora offered, holding out a few.
"Okay, thanks." Sandbar passed the potions to Gallus and Gilda, who slipped them into their cloaks.
"One more thing. What should we name our gang?" Smolder asked.
"How about...the Resistance?" Pharynx suggested. "You know, keep it obvious."
"Sure, that works." Smolder shrugged.
"And it would make it easy to recruit other creatures because they'd be able to tell what we're trying to do." Ocellus agreed.
---------------------------------------------
Shadowstar and Twilight were talking with Cadence and Shining Armor.
"I just know there's another way." Shadowstar muttered, flapping his wings.
"I know. But Aunt Celestia and Aunt Luna are doing their best." Cadence added.
"Indeed. I have tried my best to convince Celestia not to do this. However, she is making the right call. More citizens could be harmed merely by being bystanders then they could if they fight." Princess Luna came up behind Shadowstar.
"Then...what are we supposed to do.?" Twilight asked. Luna bowed her head.
"I do not know."